Frustration is a normal human emotion, I am sure. But I realized this morning how rarely I am frustrated. In fact, I can’t really remember the last time I really felt frustrated for more than a minute or two. I guess this is what members of the faith community call being “blessed”.

So why did today I even think about the concept of being frustrated? You guessed it. I am frustrated. In fact, I am doubly frustrated. And I don’t like it one bit.

(1) Washington National Insurance Company. 30 or so years ago, I put some of our money into two funds – one was an IRA, and the other wasn’t. I don’t even remember who administered these funds  at that time, but they have changed hands several times, and now seem to be under the control of Washington National Insurance Company. In case you don’t know WNIC,  they are one of the few major companies to get a 1 our of 5 rating on a major rating site.

Usually, the servicer, whoever it is at the time, sends me one document every year for each of the two funds, telling me the status. I look at those to make sure the money is still there, that’s it. This is not money that we need day to day, so it really just sits. For the IRA fund, on the other hand, there is a minimum distribution requirement, and I get another letter telling me, for that one fund, what the RMD will be for the year. Later in the year, I get a check in that amount, which counts as part of my income (for income tax purposes) and goes into our joint checking account. Simple.

This year, I got neither status letter, and I got two letters telling me my minimum IRA distributions for 2024, one of the IRA account and one for the non-IRA account. Huh? In addition, the RMD for the IRA account was listed at just over 10% of what I know it should be. And, although the amount held in the IRA account seemed correct, the amount in the non-IRA account was not. The non-IRA account was listed at about $2,500,000, a nice amount to be sure, but well in excess of what it really is.

So, I called and got a nice lady who eventually understood what I was saying, could pull up on her computer the letters I received as well as the amounts currently in the accounts, and realized I was correct. She didn’t know how this happened, but she would contact the appropriate people, and I should have corrective letters within a week. Great, I thought. But of course, the letters never came. So after a month, not a week, I called again.

I got a different nice lady this time, she saw what I was saying, she couldn’t understand why it hadn’t been corrected, she would follow up and I would for sure get two corrective letters. I should give it two weeks.

About ten days later, I did get one corrective letter – the one for the non-IRA account. The account no longer held $2.5 million; it held what I assume to be the right amount. But it still told me what my Required Minimum Distribution for the year would be – even though there is no RMD. So, now I am worried they are going to liquidate part of the account to send me the funds that I neither want nor need. As to the IRA account, I have yet to receive a corrective letter at all.

When I talked to pleasant lady number two, I asked her what I should do if the letters she promised didn’t come within the two weeks. She told me I should call back and ask for a supervisor.

When I looked up Washington National on line, I saw how poorly it was rated, and read the customer reviews, I realized that this company is totally incompetent and that I probably will never be able to talk to a supervisor. “You want a supervisor; they are all busy; you want to hang on forever?” You want a supervisor? Leave me your name and number and they will never ca you back.” Those seemed to be the two most likely probabilities.

I need to figure out what I should do. Thoughts?

(2) My second frustration? It will wait until tomorrow. Hint….it involves a package sent to the UK.