agilitydawg

I had some great Persian friendships in college in Southern Cal in the late 80s. One is now a physician, the other a civil engineer, and I have lost track of the others. No questions, but I am hopeful for a change that allows the Iranian people to flourish and realize their potential.
:cheers:

My personal knock on target funds is that as you get closer to your target date they are more conservative then I hope to be in my investment choices.

My folks are 26 years into their retirements.

I am looking at between 2028 and 2030 for my retirement date.

Looking at the American 2030 fund - AAETX
1 yr return 8.75
5 yr return 5.68

45% is in Bonds

You might want to look at what the portfolio holdings and returns will look like near your forecased retirement date. 2070 may or may not be when you plan to retire, but if it is, I would anticipate your holdings will look a lot like AAETX does today.

If you really like the targeted date funds from a simplicity standpoint and wish to be more aggresively invested you could select a target date account that is past your forecaseted retirement I suppose.

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I just rolled over my entire 401k to my new company

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My advice is to set up a brokerage account with a company you like (look at the typical trading and ETF management fees and platforms, and investment choices)

I chose Schwab many years ago after dealing with Janus (Fund family) and Edward D Jones, and I am happy with Schwab. - Don't use a bank.

Next time you move employers, don't give the new company your old 401 (k) funds, so that you will have to conform to the 401 (k) choices they offer. Instead, transfer them to a rollover IRA using their services to perform the transfer and then manage those funds in the broad options a brokerage house can offer you. -- At the new company, start your 401K account fresh, and if / when you leave, do another rollover into your self-directed IRA account at your brokerage.

Use the same brokerage for your other investments, like non-retirement accounts, and, if possible, for your spouse as well, to keep it more manageable.

With your horizon, look at the S&P ETF and maybe the NASDAQ, and let it ride IMO.

My 401 K is set up to invest a set amount 2 times a month. If the money is available to invest in the account, the purchase is made. If it is not available, it comes back 2 weeks later to invest again. You could set this up to invest in more than one fund each time as well.

I have seen a few colleagues who just set up a deposit into the 401K, and for unknown reasons, years later, it is sitting in a low-interest-bearing account - Not invested and losing money to inflation. Don't make this a chore or responsibility to move your 401K deposits into the market on a periodic basis. You will forget, procrastinate or worry yourself to death about market highs and lows and miss out on time in the market.. Use the brokerage houses to do that for you once you are comfortable with your investment choices.

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Oh boy..

1) These are not temporary foreign workers but people who are here legally and likely will continue living here, so having the ability to continue working to support themselves, pay taxes, etc., is a pretty good thing imo.

2) I agree with supporting American jobs. I don't think that is in conflict with allowing Americans-to-be the right to work--there's a lot of jobs remaining unfilled...

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So which visa category are they on? H-1b? Any others? There are plenty of examples of employers undercutting U.S. opportunities using this visa. We should have an H1b visa but it absolutely should be scrutinized every year or two or three. Why wouldn't that be a reasonable thing to expect?

American's-to-be? Did they disclose this in their visa interview at the U.S. Consulate? Sounds like an unreasonable expectation to me.

One possible disadvantage for you as a business owner: My wife's company has a SEP, and she has contributed 25% each year.

As a one-person company, it is a straightforward cash flow decision and is also very low-cost to establish and administer compared to a 401(k). But if she hires someone, she might not prefer to allocate 25% to that person(s). Still, I believe your hands are tied, requiring you to apply the same percentage to everyone who meets the eligibility criteria, irrespective of their performance, unlike pay raises or bonuses.

Something to consider as you can give yourself a raise or bonus (with tax implications) to fund a higher personal contribution for a 401 (k). The 401 (k) provides a constant vehicle for you to choose to invest or not out of your individual income, versus compromising what you might contribute due to the larger obligations a SEP might impose upon a company providing for 10 employees.

As an employee, I have gone a few years without a 401K match and also not received a raise during lean times like COVID and 9/11, etc., but I was always able to maintain my 401 K contribution and maxed it for the last 15-20 years. If I were relying on business cash flow and a CEO's emotions to fund a primary retirement vehicle during those times, I would not have accrued as much when we were struggling to make payroll.

Something to consider when you evaluate what is best for you and your company.

When I joined my small company 31 years ago, we didn't have a retirement plan in place, so I took it on as a project. (Then four employees, now 20 employees.)

Fast forward:
We went with a major brokerage (Charles Schwab) to avoid all of the high fees.
Charles Schwab does not establish plans directly for small companies, but we were directed to a service provider that handles small accounts on behalf of Charles Schwab.
I was able to select our investment choices and put together five throw-away options, but most importantly, an option that allowed us to access all funds or individual stocks available through Charles Schwab.
We did establish a 401K Roth as an option as well but I htink that came to be later.

At some point, 10 years ago, my boss attempted to transition it to a small firm with a local office up in his area so people could get a one-on-one advisor experience (Not Edward D. Jones, but equivalent). I put my foot down because it was just him doing a favor for one of his buddies, which would have pushed us into higher fee choices.

To recap, what we did right was have access to the entire market, access to low-cost fund options, and a large national brokerage that I have been able to consolidate all of our accounts into, including establishing a SEP IRA for my wife. Whether it is Fidelity or Charles Schwab, etc., it is nice not having to jump between companies to view and manage six separate accounts between my wife and me. Eventually, when I retire, I will be able to consolidate into self-directed accounts and remain with the same familiar brokerage.

Thank you! Problem solved. I poured a cup of bleach down the line and then shopvac at the other end and got about half a gallon out. I appreciate the advice.

They were telling her to get out, and she kept yelling she was going to get out, but wait.

While I appreciate the efforts, knowing politicians, this number probably includes anyone who left the country 1 day after their tourist or other visa expired vs. the vision this statement conjures of all of them having crossed the border with the clothes on their back and an expectation for free taxpayer benefits, packing up their stuff and leaving their illegal employment.

I am glad for all of it, but I am skeptical it is as impactful as one might imagine without parsing the data to see where they came up to 1.6 million.

Our 30-year-old Maytag dryer died a few months ago. I tore it down, and it was a bad motor, but a new one would be $250. We picked up a 5.3 cubic foot GE at a local scratch and dent - All but new for about $400. It looks fine sitting next to the Speed Queen washer

My house is due for its treatment this year, which is completed every 10 years. Then they come out annually and inspect. They charge by the linear foot and do not drill into the slab areas as they did in the past, but instead treat areas outside the slab, injecting the barrier into the ground. This will be $ 1,200 for 4,500 linear feet. $185 annual inspection and renewal after that, but they pay for any termite damage.

I am using the same company that we used over 30 years ago when my neighbor had their contract and discovered termites. They paid to replace an exterior French door, so I do trust the process of regular inspections with a bond. Someday, when you go to sell, I believe having a termite service and bond in place will alleviate hesitation about termites, and if something comes up, you won't be out of pocket. I guess you were not offered or did not opt for any termite bond from the company that completed the inspection?