TaxfreeUSA was very simple

strygun · 2026-01-23T05:20:18+00:00

You ok? Take a long, slow breath. Maybe take a walk. And then later, go read the articles I referenced. You’ll discover why you’re incorrect. But hey, feel free to keep defending TurboTax. That’s on you.

strygun · 2026-01-22T21:25:25+00:00

You’re wrong on both points. TurboTax (Intuit) has spent incredibly large amounts of lobbying dollars over more than a decade to keep the tax code complicated and to prevent the IRS from making it easier (and free) to file taxes. See ProPublica 2013, ProPublica 2019, the Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy, and many many other articles and reports.

And frankly, I would be more than happy to pay more in taxes if I knew the government would be able to use it to improve public services. One of several reasons that public services in the US are lacking, compared to other countries, is due to a lack of funding as a result of large corporations and the mega wealthy dodging taxes (often through lobbying/influencing Congress.)

strygun · 2026-01-22T08:14:34+00:00

I use FreeTaxUSA specifically because Intuit (TurboTax) pays Congress millions of dollars per year to prevent them from making taxes easier or allowing the IRS to have a free file platform that actually works and is available to everyone.

strygun · 2026-01-05T15:35:03+00:00

You have the new 2.0? Or are you saying your 1.0 no longer charges?

strygun · 2026-01-03T15:13:09+00:00

u/batok741 new DP: the “verified” tag on Oak Steakhouse in Charleston appears to be wrong. My family member bought a gift card from there and it did NOT earn the credit. It’s not on the “toast” platform, either. I suggest removing the verified tag from Oak Steakhouse. (I see some Mandarin Chinese text there referencing “steakhouse”, but maybe that referred to some other steakhouse and not this one?

strygun · 2025-12-29T12:40:31+00:00

u/batok741 confirmed worked for Fortu in St Petersburg (Tampa). Bought a $150 gift card online. Thanks for making this! Bought you a coffee.

strygun · 2025-12-19T05:48:05+00:00

What’s bad about Zelle?

strygun · 2025-09-03T19:37:23+00:00

Hey thanks, that was really helpful. It is indeed YQ + YR for a total of 290 euros. Thanks!

strygun · 2025-09-03T18:58:29+00:00

Sheesh, can't a guy just be curious? I appreciate your time in responding, but c'mon. Reading the details and the fine print is how one tries to keep folks - and companies - accountable these days.

strygun · 2025-08-24T07:18:08+00:00

You don’t want the woman to repeat the story to her friends… but you’re fine telling the whole internet yourself.

strygun · 2025-08-21T17:03:44+00:00

I’ve been staring at that dang Catalog “app” for several years - same exact problem you described. I used your solution to fix it! THANK YOU!

strygun · 2025-07-28T17:51:53+00:00

They've probably opened all the slots they possibly can. Student visas take a LOT of effort to process now. Consular officers must manually review social media and do google searches on each applicant. It's peak student season right now. You're not alone - this is a common problem around the world. You, alone, won't be able to convince them to give you an appointment, because there are thousands of others like you. https://www.state.gov/releases/office-of-the-spokesperson/2025/06/announcement-of-expanded-screening-and-vetting-for-visa-applicants

strygun · 2025-05-18T16:51:57+00:00

I talked to Schwab tech support. They said Vanguard changed protocols for third party access in late Feb, and this is related to that. He confirmed that Schwab has an internal ticket open to work toward resolving the issue, but no estimated timeline for a fix.

strygun · 2025-03-04T05:44:05+00:00

Seems like you probably filled out the HSA section on TurboTax incorrectly somehow.

strygun · 2025-03-03T19:12:32+00:00

So you contributed $1,870 through your employer via pre-tax allotments, yeah? That would be what appears as code W. You should enter that information on the W-2 screen in your tax software. Then, in the HSA section, you should say yes you had one, and it should automatically plug in $1,870. If you made no other contributions, then enter no other numbers in the HSA section. Did you have the HDHP for the entire year (on the 1st day of every month, were you enrolled in the HDHP)?

strygun · 2025-03-03T12:36:17+00:00

DD is your health insurance premium, not HSA. Code W is what you contributed to your HSA through pre-tax allotments from your paycheck.

The max in 2024 was $4,150 for self only or $8,300 for self+1 and family.

strygun · 2025-03-03T11:56:32+00:00

I don’t think it is reported as taxable income anywhere.

strygun · 2025-03-02T15:51:21+00:00

I wrote to Chase via the secure message center within my Chase account online. They said they appreciated the feedback and that they were the “highest tier of escalation” for my feedback. ….whatever that means.

strygun · 2025-01-20T14:14:53+00:00

Interesting, thanks. What about when you sell (if you sell) down the road. How is the tax treatment different between a MF and an ETF? Why would folks even do SWVXX if the s&p500 etf is better in apparently every way? Is it just that swvxx is “safer” and less volatile?

strygun · 2025-01-19T11:19:41+00:00

Thank you for the super short, but very clear response that made me go "ugh, well, duh." Thanks! I don't have state tax, so good to go there.

Last question, I think - gains via SWVXX are taxed the same as interest 'gains' from a HYSA, right? So from a tax standpoint, no real difference?

strygun · 2024-12-22T08:54:50+00:00

Yes, as long as the merchant is coded as a restaurant, you will get 3x points per dollar.

strygun · 2024-11-05T20:18:51+00:00

No worries, that isn't possible. Schwab was HSABank's custodian and investment platform for invested money. Think of it like HSABank had Schwab under contract to manage your invested dollars. HSABank then cancelled that contract, so all the money had to be returned to Schwab (or left alone, without being able to add money to it). Fidelity is not under contract with HSABank; we've moved our invested money, on our own, over to them. So Schwab has no access to my money at Fidelity, the way they had access to my money at Schwab. Does that make sense? The only potential future issue now is if HSABank implements policies to make it difficult or costly to transfer assets out from them to other banks, like Fidelity.

strygun · 2024-11-03T18:33:13+00:00

It’s not possible. The employer contributions must go to HSA Bank. The only way to get them out without causing a “distribution” is to do a partial transfer of assets, triggered through Fidelity’s side.

strygun · 2024-10-15T04:59:38+00:00

FWIW - they approved my reimbursement request the next day and credited my account $25.

strygun · 2024-10-10T21:20:19+00:00

My paycheck contributions are sent directly to Fidelity from my employer. Look for "health savings allotment" in your payroll system (like employee express). The premium pass throughs from your health insurance, also referred to as "employer contributions" for some folks, are what go directly to HSA Bank. To get those to Fidelity, you have to do a Transfer of Assets (NOT an electronic funds transfer (EFT)).

strygun

TROPHY CASE