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Also for those who asked, our builder says the cost increase is from concrete/cement, steel, drywall, and glass. Not much lumber is used in Florida coastal construction. They actually are having to "ration" a lot of those materials among the builders at this point because of "supply chain...

Yes, it is a Gulf access lot, and the current plans include a dock with boat lift (although the dock is one of the things we are considering removing for now). If we decide to walk away and sell the lot, I'll let you know! :laugh: As others have pointed out, there's no guarantee that there...

re: cutting costs - yes, DW and I have gone through everything to cut back where we could on "optional" items, and have gotten back about 1/3 of the cost increase doing that so far. There are other things we could do to reduce even more, and plan to re-do some of those things later if/when...

Thanks to everyone who has responded to my query! All have been very helpful, and have certainly given me a lot to think about. For those who asked about the contract, yes, the language definitely protects the builder. To be fair, the builder went through each of those sections of the...

Need some "perspective" from the collected wisdom of this board in making a decision of how/whether to proceed with a new home-building project. We contracted with a builder for our "Florida dream home" last year in August. We've purchased a lot, designed the home, and went through the "color...

Thanks to everyone for your knowledgeable responses. Sounds like the strategy suggested by Old Shooter should work well for me.

I've been FIRE'd for about 4 years now, and so far, have been living strictly off of after-tax savings. I now find myself needing to start withdrawing some funds from one of my retirement accounts. The institution where those accounts are held (TIAA) will automatically "withhold" both...

Our (2-level) deck is in need of power washing and re-staining/sealing. There are companies in our area that advertise "25 year warranty deck sealing" (although they don't really talk about "staining"). Has anyone had any experience with this sort of deck restoration? Is it possible to...

I had no idea that NOT maximizing deductions, in order to maximize a ROTH contribution, was "frowned upon" by the IRS. I just assumed the more I pay upfront in taxes now, the happier they would be ... thanks for tip!

Got it - thanks! I actually did have to invest in a new computer, webcam, external USB mic, LED photography light kit, and a wifi router extender in order to be able to do those Zoom sessions. May try deducting at least some of that, up to the point where I can still contribute the max to my...

Thanks much! I'll give that a shot. I never thought about the self-employment tax, but that makes sense as well.

Hoping someone here can help with a tax question - I've not been able to get through to any "tax question advisors" at IRS, or at my tax prep software support (H&R Block). My only "earned income" for 2020 was classified as "nonemployee compensation income", earned from being a "guest lecturer"...

$2m in central Indiana with Liberty Mutual went from $365 last year to $407 this year

I found out just a few months after I signed up for it that Genworth quit offering it. There were some stories in the news a few years after questioning whether Genworth could remain "solvent" because of the LTC policy business, and might sell it off, etc, that were pretty unsettling. I do...

Wow, thanks so much! Nice to hear from someone so familiar with how TIAA works. As you, I worked for in a non-profit (university affiliated) research organization my entire working life. The "employer match" was extremely generous, at least by today's standards. I started with a 50/50...

The name is confusing. Here's a snippet about it from "Investopedia":

This is correct - I was considering annuitizing my existing deferred annuity with TIAA.

Thanks. I actually do have a separate LTC policy. I chose one from Genworth that, at the time, was offering a policy starting at $5500/month, with 5% annual compounding, UNLIMITED payout period, that qualifies under the Indiana Long Term Care Program for Medicaid Asset Protection. I opted...

Thanks for clearing up the identity issue! ;-) I actually have both kinds of TIAA Traditional in my account - one that can be drawn out at 10%/year for 10 years (which has been growing at a higher interest rate), and the other is "liquid", and can be withdrawn as a lump sum at any time (and is...

Sorry to be so dense ... but what is "M*"? I do know about Bogleheads. Thanks!

Thank you all SO MUCH, (especially pb4uski), for taking the time to help me understand this. I think I'm back in the camp of thinking this sort of annuity is not for me, at least not at this time. I don't really understand how to go about building a "CD ladder", with or without TIPS, so my...

Hi everyone, I may need to have you all talk me down off the ledge. In spite of everything I've read/heard/understood about annuities in general over the years, these unsettling times have really "spooked" me into considering something that I thought was unthinkable just a few months ago -...

After poking around some more on the company's website, I finally found a link to another website called Computershare, which apparently is handling "shareholder services". I've sent them a message through their on-line portal, and am waiting for a response. Thanks again!

Thanks to all who have responded. The shares are in "electronic form" in my brokerage account, so I assume I just have to wait for transaction to show up there. When I checked on-line this afternoon, the stock symbol had "disappeared" from my list of investments (it ceased being traded on...

Hi all, I'm in the strange position of trying to figure out exactly what happens when a company you own stock in goes private. An individual stock issue I inherited from my Dad over 20 years ago is being sold to a private company, and all outstanding shares will be worth a fixed price agreed...