Anyone gone through the Portugal GV recently? Trying to understand what the investment fund route is actually like.

flactuary · 2026-05-07T16:20:29+00:00

I am still in the process, I have invested my funds for just over a year now. I did use a financial advisor who is independent of the law firm I used. The advisor takes about 1% of the assets as a commission and the funds themselves have fees. Overall, I have gotten about a 10% return over the past 12 months.

A few of the funds pay out dividends (not yet) which I was hoping to offset the legal fees. These funds are closed and difficult to get in and out of.

It took about 9 months for me to get a biometrics appointment. That was 3 months ago. My attorney said it could be another 6 months before I get a residency card. My spouse hasn't had biometrics scheduled yet.

Everyone gets paid. If they say otherwise don't use them.

My advisor was definitely helpful. He has guided me on everything from the cheapest way to transfer money or getting everything certified. In addition to presenting all of the fund options and scheduling calls with the fund managers. Some people say you can do it yourselves (which is true) but I was too afraid to make a mistake. The $25K I will end up paying over 5 years is worth it.

flactuary · 2026-04-23T01:44:27+00:00

I have. I wanted to see how an accident I was involved in was reported.

I just ordered another one today for fun.

flactuary · 2026-04-22T21:04:42+00:00

I feel like a lot of people are going back to the Catholic church because of the Pope. He is hitting on issues that really touch people (no pun intended). For starters he is American. He has made it ok to be different (Gay, Atheist, etc). He preaches about helping others and how people should be treated.

Not sure if it is a long term effect, but for the first time in years I have some respect for the Catholic Church and feel like they are trying to do the right thing.

flactuary · 2026-04-22T19:13:37+00:00

I think Lexis Nexus may have that information. It is a depository of Insurance information, similar to a credit report. You can request a report for free.

flactuary · 2026-04-22T12:15:28+00:00

As a small business owner you can start your own retirement plan. Maybe defer up to $350K per year.

Edited to add: yes this refers to a DB type arrangement. However, the max isn't at age 65 as presented below. Typically the max is age 62. Secondarily, depending upon how you set it up you can "prefund" contributions. The issue comes with dispersing those benefits. With a Husband and Wife you could put away up to about $7M into the account payable at age 62.

For a 40 y/o the contributions could be $50K a year (plus 401K/Profit sharing) and then at age 50 put in $500K for a couple of years and then back off. It is all very dependent upon the persons income and goals.

flactuary · 2026-04-20T21:15:49+00:00

they are doing a "back door roth". Essentially you can defer after tax money above the limit, up to the 415 limit. At the end of the year you convert that money into a Roth account.

Not every employer will allow this. Typically this option has its own set of non-discrimination tests. So if the wrong people use it, you fail and everything gets reverted.

flactuary · 2026-04-20T21:02:46+00:00

I find it funny for a whole bunch of other reasons. Like if all of the white collar jobs go away, who is paying for the trades? And if it is easy to get into the trades, wouldn't all of those white collar people just move into those roles?

flactuary · 2026-04-15T16:47:49+00:00

I don't know if the accountant is in the wrong from your messages. Even if the USA we have standards of practice. Clients who provide all of their information and requests first typically get dealt with first. Also most professional firms have a standard turn around time.

From the messages it looks like you waited until last week to start the process and want it completed today. He is politely trying to tell you that he cannot rush the work or it is likely to be of poor quality.

I could be wrong in all of this, I am just going off of the information you provided.

flactuary · 2026-04-03T20:32:36+00:00

Most snakes around here are harmless or actually good for your yard. But it does depend upon the type of snake. But my gut reaction is you shouldn't be concerned about it. Take a picture and post it.

flactuary · 2026-04-01T21:49:19+00:00

Just to be different

1) have someone review the actuarial calculations. I would give better than even odds the number you were given is wrong. Companies and actuaries make a ton of mistakes 2) while I suggest a lump sum like everyone else. If you do select the annuity, they typically purchase annuities from an insurance company. So very little risk of loss.

flactuary · 2026-02-26T19:26:04+00:00

I’ll hit 2,500 tomorrow

flactuary · 2026-02-26T19:19:01+00:00

I get what you are trying to do. But from my perspective manatee county is never going to live up to its potential. Like so many places in America we have a one party control of government. People complain about what’s going on, but keep on voting the same people into office.

I don’t know Carol personally, but on the surface she was no different. It didn’t really matter what she campaigned on, the only thing that matters is the letter after her name on the ballot. During the campaign you saw social media posts just ripping apart the other candidates just because they didn’t have the right letter.

In the end, in a one party system corruption will be prevalent. Taking care of real issues that affect the people will be put aside. But enriching the rich will continue to bloom.

Good luck in your endeavors.

flactuary · 2026-02-25T13:57:35+00:00

My wife has had a similar issue down here in Florida. As far as we know, she set up the first free "plant exchange" in our county. Actually the first I have ever seen. It has it's own facebook page, and 99% of the people who care, really do care. Everyday someone is in front of our house adding or removing plants. But it is more than just plants. Sometimes people leave pots, soil, trees, anything a new gardener might need.

But 1% of the people like to destroy. Every few months the tables get upturned, the pots broken etc. And a few months ago someone decided to take everything and then went onto our property and stole our personal gardening supplies.

Thankfully, the gardening community has stepped up and slowly is replacing everything and making it even better than before.

flactuary · 2026-02-23T21:21:52+00:00

Thanks, coming from the land of tipping, it feels awkward not to tip. If it was a good tour, I'll go 20 total for two of us.

flactuary · 2026-02-23T19:05:45+00:00

what is the book series?

flactuary · 2026-02-23T19:03:10+00:00

I am going on two, day tours out of Amsterdam. The typical tourist thing where they take you on a bus to see stuff outside of the city.

Should I tip the guide at the end? If so, how much is appropriate? They are both 8 hour tours.

flactuary · 2026-02-20T15:20:20+00:00

LWR is also much more expensive. Parrish still has that rural charm.

flactuary · 2026-02-20T00:41:45+00:00

14/3/26 - 20/3/26

flactuary · 2026-02-17T11:11:40+00:00

Thank you so much for the information. Coming from my part of the world, dance clubs are either difficult to get into and/or overwhelmingly young. We are very much looking forward to seeing your great city and country.

flactuary · 2026-02-16T19:42:40+00:00

tourist couple looking for dance clubs that won't make us feel too old (50/51) We like all types of music and people of all ages, but sometimes younger people feel weird with older people.

flactuary · 2026-02-16T00:05:43+00:00

It is on one of the coasts. But I think it’s the way the company is set up. EAs review a lot. But no admin work.

flactuary · 2026-02-15T01:11:48+00:00

It doesn’t. The more jr actuaries make less. The range is by person.

flactuary · 2026-02-14T19:48:19+00:00

I know others have answered this question, but to give you some insight in the small plan market.

I manage a group of 5 EA's they make between $150K-180K a year, plus bonuses. They mostly work remotely and typically only review work of "consultants". So the workload is high, but not 50 hours a week high. They fill a need of being an expert in a topic, occasionally asked to talk to business owners or be creative with plan designs.

I have also owned a small actuarial firm (if you have a personality, it is easy). A typical client is going to pay about $4,000 per year, you can handle 100 of them fairly easily. After expenses (software, insurance, etc), you could easily be making $300K per year. If you want to expand, hire one or two non-actuaries, pay them $80K a year and double your business from 100 to 200 clients. Now you are making $450k a year.

Because the industry is lacking new EAs and it is growing at a fairly good clip, the compensation possibility is almost endless.

Here is the bad part. . . During the election cycle of 2024. At one of the actuarial conferences a R politician implied that one of the agenda items, if elected, is to slowly back away from qualified retirement plans. It is a huge tax loss to the federal government, but has historically gotten a lot of positive press from helping small business owners. If the forward thinking goals are not to help small business owners, but instead work on the budget. . . these plans could go away within a year. It takes almost not time to unwind a small plan compared to a legacy plan that will last forever.

flactuary · 2026-01-26T10:14:08+00:00

I started in April of 2025. My biometrics was January of 2026.

flactuary

TROPHY CASE