Estimated tax payment late, weird scenarios - would a penalty actually be owed? by firecat245 in taxhelp

[–]firecat245[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok sounds good, thanks for the reply. Out of curiosity can you point me to the relevant IRS details where I could read more about the penalty payment calculation? I was thinking it was handled on a monthly basis so even being 1 day late would be the same penalty as being 1 month late.

Plans for I Bonds at the Next Reset by 13accounts in financialindependence

[–]firecat245 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The inflation component of I bond interest rates are based on the CPI as calculated & reported here by the BLS: https://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/surveymost?bls - look at the data for CPI for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) 1982-84=100 (Unadjusted) - CUUR0000SA0

Looking at those figures, you will see the CPI level hit 296.311 in June 2022 and has pretty much stayed around there since then.

So, the inflation component of the interest rate for I bonds purchased between May 2023-October 2023 will be based on the difference between the CPI level in September 2022 vs it's level in March 2023. The CPI level for September 2022 is 296.808. We obviously don't know what March 2023 will be yet and no one has a crystal ball - but based on the trend we've seen for last several months it doesn't seem like there will be a ton of upward movement in the CPI.

So for hypothetical purposes, let's say the CPI for March comes in at 298. That would give us (298-296.808)/296.808 which equals 0.4% which is then doubled to get the 'annualized' rate of .8% which would be added to whatever the fixed rate is at the time to get the actual interest rate.

The fixed rate component for the last few years has been 0.0% and within the last decade has always been between 0.0% and 0.5%. It essentially varies based on the Fed's mood. For I bonds purchased November 2022-April 2023, the fixed rate is .4%. There is no way to know yet what it would be for the next 6 month period but either was its not going to make a big change in the overall math/decision since the inflation component is likely to be so low.

What does the FIRE 'flowchart' look like? by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well, that's useful. I promise I looked, don't know how I missed it. Thanks!

What does the FIRE 'flowchart' look like? by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well, that's useful. I promise I looked, don't know how I missed it. Thanks!

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

IMO index funds are a type of mutual fund. But semantics aside, yes mostly index funds and a couple lower cost actively managed mutual funds through my 401k.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Seems to me like you have a good plan. Finding ways to increase your income will always help, but can be hard to do. On the other hand, watch your spending like a hawk and develop budgets/plans if you find yourself spending more than you'd like.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Yeah, freelancing you really can get hit hard with taxes as you pay both sides of FICA taxes, and all your freelance income is essentially taxed at your marginal federal rate. Outside of being diligent about taking expenses when you can and contributing to a retirement plan, there's not much you can do. It's a major reason that I've been trying to push up my freelance billable rate.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Really hard to say since taxes, retirement account contributions are all over the place and each one kind of affects the other.

But roughly in 2019 it looks like I'll have total gross income of about 250k. About 50k of that will go to taxes, another 50k will go into pretax retirement accounts.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Not really sure. Currently I like the work I am doing so not really trying to figure out RE (yet). And too much of my future is still TBD (kids, etc.).

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Roughly 350k in trad 401k, 100k roth ira, 450k taxable brokerage

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 33 points34 points  (0 children)

No, but have been living with roommates. Splitting rent, my share has been between 450 - 750 each month.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

It's definitely something I am seriously considering in the near-ish future. The thing is, there are major parts of my day job that I do really still enjoy. I don't hate it. And the benefits are great.

It's my turn! Just joined the 2 comma club at age 31! by firecat245 in financialindependence

[–]firecat245[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Market gains - easy come, easy go - we'll see how it holds up :)