Random Thought Thread, aka The RTT (**possible spoilers**)
#1026
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#1027
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Until I saw this I totally forgot. Best friend when I was 4 and 5 years old was "Tommy". We visited his family when we returned to the US, I was maybe 12 or 13 when we visited. While we were away the family had built a workshop in the backyard, similar in size to g's. The father was really proud and wanted to show us the workshop. So we went out back. Went in.
My eyes popped out of my head.
The walls were covered in nudie centerfolds. Although there must have been something other than nudies in the workshop for the life of me I can't tell you what was there. There might have been a truck or a woodworking shop or who knows what but I can't remember anything. Just a bazillion centerfolds. And even those just blurred together.
I tried to be modest but my mind was blank.
My mom was like, "wow, did you see all the naked women?"
I stuttered something like, "uh, no, what naked women?"
We, unfortunately, never visited Tommy's family again.
Oh the connection - my mom called Tommy's dad a "beatnik", which, when pressed, she defined as a hippie.
My eyes popped out of my head.
The walls were covered in nudie centerfolds. Although there must have been something other than nudies in the workshop for the life of me I can't tell you what was there. There might have been a truck or a woodworking shop or who knows what but I can't remember anything. Just a bazillion centerfolds. And even those just blurred together.
I tried to be modest but my mind was blank.
My mom was like, "wow, did you see all the naked women?"
I stuttered something like, "uh, no, what naked women?"
We, unfortunately, never visited Tommy's family again.
Oh the connection - my mom called Tommy's dad a "beatnik", which, when pressed, she defined as a hippie.
#1030
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#1031
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So I was reading the thread about having 8 months to prep for a race, and Shovel's comment about Wells Ave. got me thinking. I looked it up on the map, and sure enough, I lived not too far from Wells Ave. for several years, and I never knew there were races there. Of course, at that time, I didn't ride a bike. My chosen exercise was 12-ounce curls.
And Chappy, I converted the roll-over 401(k)s for two reasons. 1. I wanted to take advantage of the lower taxes in 2012. It seems like there is a good chance tax rates will be going up in 2013 or beyond. Plus, I like to think that my income will continue to grow pushing me into higher and higher tax brackets, so I would take an even bigger tax hit if I waited until retirement. And 2. My wife got a small inheritance this summer when her aunt passed away, so we had the money to pay the taxes now.
Finally, Saratoga, as for going with no sealant, I would not do it. I run tubeless on my mountain bike with sealant and ran a makeshift tubeless set up on my cross bike for a season, again with sealant. On the cross bike, I got way too many burps and just ditched the tubeless set up. I am pretty sure Zinn did a couple articles or Q&As on this, so you might want to look through the VeloNews archives.
And Chappy, I converted the roll-over 401(k)s for two reasons. 1. I wanted to take advantage of the lower taxes in 2012. It seems like there is a good chance tax rates will be going up in 2013 or beyond. Plus, I like to think that my income will continue to grow pushing me into higher and higher tax brackets, so I would take an even bigger tax hit if I waited until retirement. And 2. My wife got a small inheritance this summer when her aunt passed away, so we had the money to pay the taxes now.
Finally, Saratoga, as for going with no sealant, I would not do it. I run tubeless on my mountain bike with sealant and ran a makeshift tubeless set up on my cross bike for a season, again with sealant. On the cross bike, I got way too many burps and just ditched the tubeless set up. I am pretty sure Zinn did a couple articles or Q&As on this, so you might want to look through the VeloNews archives.
#1033
fuggitivo solitario
So I was reading the thread about having 8 months to prep for a race, and Shovel's comment about Wells Ave. got me thinking. I looked it up on the map, and sure enough, I lived not too far from Wells Ave. for several years, and I never knew there were races there. Of course, at that time, I didn't ride a bike. My chosen exercise was 12-ounce curls.
And Chappy, I converted the roll-over 401(k)s for two reasons. 1. I wanted to take advantage of the lower taxes in 2012. It seems like there is a good chance tax rates will be going up in 2013 or beyond. Plus, I like to think that my income will continue to grow pushing me into higher and higher tax brackets, so I would take an even bigger tax hit if I waited until retirement. And 2. My wife got a small inheritance this summer when her aunt passed away, so we had the money to pay the taxes now.
Finally, Saratoga, as for going with no sealant, I would not do it. I run tubeless on my mountain bike with sealant and ran a makeshift tubeless set up on my cross bike for a season, again with sealant. On the cross bike, I got way too many burps and just ditched the tubeless set up. I am pretty sure Zinn did a couple articles or Q&As on this, so you might want to look through the VeloNews archives.
And Chappy, I converted the roll-over 401(k)s for two reasons. 1. I wanted to take advantage of the lower taxes in 2012. It seems like there is a good chance tax rates will be going up in 2013 or beyond. Plus, I like to think that my income will continue to grow pushing me into higher and higher tax brackets, so I would take an even bigger tax hit if I waited until retirement. And 2. My wife got a small inheritance this summer when her aunt passed away, so we had the money to pay the taxes now.
Finally, Saratoga, as for going with no sealant, I would not do it. I run tubeless on my mountain bike with sealant and ran a makeshift tubeless set up on my cross bike for a season, again with sealant. On the cross bike, I got way too many burps and just ditched the tubeless set up. I am pretty sure Zinn did a couple articles or Q&As on this, so you might want to look through the VeloNews archives.
---
As for sealants, anything that doesnt use natural latex. There's a comprehensive chart on slowtwitch. I use caffelatex (synthetic latex)
#1034
pan y agua
Join Date: Aug 2005
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So the question becomes whether the value of having the money in your Roth IRA growing tax free trumps the value of the Tax defferal in the conventional IRA. To answer this question, you have to know 1) the amount of money your looking to convert, 2) your current tax bracket, 3)your age (i.e. number of years before you'll draw the money out), 4) your assumed rate of return, and 5) the assumed tax rate when you'll withdraw the money.
If you have all those numbers, you can run the calculations and come up with an informed guess, but it's still a guess because you can't know with certainty the rate of return, and the future tax rate. If you're good with financial calculations, you can do this yourself, if not, its worth paying a fee base financial planner to do it.
The reason a number of people are doing the Roth conversion this year is the assumption that rates (particularly on income over $250,000) will be higher next year, and with long term demographic trends will be higher years from now when you take the money out in retirement.
However, you also have to realize that when you make the Roth IRA conversion, you are trusting the Government not to change the Tax law. While earnings in Roth IRA's aren't taxed now, there's nothing to prevent a future Congress from taxing them, other than political outrage. My guess is that they won't directly tax Roth IRA's but they can easily screw you indirectly by counting Roth IRA withdrawls in your Gross income for the purpose of determining your tax bracket, and for means testing Social Security, and Medicare, which is coming, its only a matter of when.
Personally, I've decided not to convert a small non deductible IRA to a Roth, mostly because of how my age affects the calculations, but also in part because I don't trust the government enough to voluntarily increase my current tax bill, with the promise they won't tax me again, and also partially inertia.
That said, if your younger, make different assumptions about future tax rates,and expected rates of return, your answer may well be different.
__________________
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
You could fall off a cliff and die.
You could get lost and die.
You could hit a tree and die.
OR YOU COULD STAY HOME AND FALL OFF THE COUCH AND DIE.
#1035
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Not quite looking at that much. But yes, definitely a couple high quality shoes. Not going the suit route, since I just won't get much use out of it. I've got a navy jacket I can pair with stuff as long as it's not amazingly formal. New variety of jeans. A few new sweaters of some sort. New shirts, a couple belts. The basics I guess? I really have no idea what I'm doing, so just trying to read up on it currently so I can make some informed decisions.
#1037
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#1039
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, and I have an interview with former boss #2 on Thursday.
__________________
Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
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Bikes: Old steel race bikes, old Cannondale race bikes, less old Cannondale race bike, crappy old mtn bike.
FYI: https://www.bikeforums.net/forum-sugg...ad-please.html
#1042
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As you likely know, if you convert you'll pay income tax now on the amount that you put in a deductible IRA, and the gains, in the conventional IRA. (you don't have to pay taxes on amounts that you put in a non deductible IRA, just on the gains.) But you don't have to pay taxes again on withdrawls from the Roth IRA.
So the question becomes whether the value of having the money in your Roth IRA growing tax free trumps the value of the Tax defferal in the conventional IRA. To answer this question, you have to know 1) the amount of money your looking to convert, 2) your current tax bracket, 3)your age (i.e. number of years before you'll draw the money out), 4) your assumed rate of return, and 5) the assumed tax rate when you'll withdraw the money.
If you have all those numbers, you can run the calculations and come up with an informed guess, but it's still a guess because you can't know with certainty the rate of return, and the future tax rate. If you're good with financial calculations, you can do this yourself, if not, its worth paying a fee base financial planner to do it.
The reason a number of people are doing the Roth conversion this year is the assumption that rates (particularly on income over $250,000) will be higher next year, and with long term demographic trends will be higher years from now when you take the money out in retirement.
However, you also have to realize that when you make the Roth IRA conversion, you are trusting the Government not to change the Tax law. While earnings in Roth IRA's aren't taxed now, there's nothing to prevent a future Congress from taxing them, other than political outrage. My guess is that they won't directly tax Roth IRA's but they can easily screw you indirectly by counting Roth IRA withdrawls in your Gross income for the purpose of determining your tax bracket, and for means testing Social Security, and Medicare, which is coming, its only a matter of when.
Personally, I've decided not to convert a small non deductible IRA to a Roth, mostly because of how my age affects the calculations, but also in part because I don't trust the government enough to voluntarily increase my current tax bill, with the promise they won't tax me again, and also partially inertia.
That said, if your younger, make different assumptions about future tax rates,and expected rates of return, your answer may well be different.
So the question becomes whether the value of having the money in your Roth IRA growing tax free trumps the value of the Tax defferal in the conventional IRA. To answer this question, you have to know 1) the amount of money your looking to convert, 2) your current tax bracket, 3)your age (i.e. number of years before you'll draw the money out), 4) your assumed rate of return, and 5) the assumed tax rate when you'll withdraw the money.
If you have all those numbers, you can run the calculations and come up with an informed guess, but it's still a guess because you can't know with certainty the rate of return, and the future tax rate. If you're good with financial calculations, you can do this yourself, if not, its worth paying a fee base financial planner to do it.
The reason a number of people are doing the Roth conversion this year is the assumption that rates (particularly on income over $250,000) will be higher next year, and with long term demographic trends will be higher years from now when you take the money out in retirement.
However, you also have to realize that when you make the Roth IRA conversion, you are trusting the Government not to change the Tax law. While earnings in Roth IRA's aren't taxed now, there's nothing to prevent a future Congress from taxing them, other than political outrage. My guess is that they won't directly tax Roth IRA's but they can easily screw you indirectly by counting Roth IRA withdrawls in your Gross income for the purpose of determining your tax bracket, and for means testing Social Security, and Medicare, which is coming, its only a matter of when.
Personally, I've decided not to convert a small non deductible IRA to a Roth, mostly because of how my age affects the calculations, but also in part because I don't trust the government enough to voluntarily increase my current tax bill, with the promise they won't tax me again, and also partially inertia.
That said, if your younger, make different assumptions about future tax rates,and expected rates of return, your answer may well be different.
#1045
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#1046
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#1047
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Good luck to you guys.