Bogleheads.org

JupiterJones wrote:

lostInFinance wrote:As a twenty-something male, I and my friends think that driving a nicer car makes it easier to get dates.

More precisely, it makes it easier to get dates with the types of people who care what sort of car you drive.

That's most people, sadly.

Cost of living is higher than it was when I moved here in 1988. My parents' property tax was $2200 the first year. Today, it's over $8k. The economy was a dynamic one back then. There were at least 150 farms in the county and plenty of small family-owned businesses. Much of that has disappeared. Lot...

I agree. It's better to buy property together when you're married. A financial and legal mess can result if the relationship goes south. Ever watch Judge Judy? Don't play 'House'.

What is "SO"?

Do what I do. Find ways to cut costs and save more money.

Passive investing is supposed to be boring. There's got to be more spiritually fulfilling and meaningful ways to spend your time. Economics, the stock markets, wealth management, etc.... it's all dull and stale.

Interplanetjanet-- Really? No problem turning a manual over to valet parking? A bunch of really old guys must work there. I don't know anybody under sixty who has ever driven a stick. Except Mr. Money Moustache and the missus: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/ And how do you know the attendant can dr...

I live in a neighborhood where "status" requires at least an Aston Martin, so the Range Rovers aren't in our driveway for status.[/quote] Your neighbors are lucky that I don't live there. I'd import a Soviet-made Lada and park it on the street. :P Just for laughs, of course. I''d probably...

I think a Boglehead car is any no-frills car that is bought entirely with cash.

I think this falls under the heading of "control what you can and don't worry about the rest". We could debate until the cows come home whether SS will be around just as we could guess as to what future returns will be. My take is I have to do the one thing I can control, which is SAVE. I...

vpotus wrote:Hi all,
I wouldn't set it out on display. It isn't my style. I'd like to sell it to someone who might appreciate it.
VP

Use it when you have company over. I would use it daily.

I would keep the Civic and wait until used car prices drop. Used car prices are too high right now.

I'm favorable to them as well. But everybody's got a viewpoint.

[OT link removed by admin LadyGeek]

It's a down-market at the moment. I would wait until it rebounds. Why sell now and take a loss?

I agree. I get so angry when people question a liberal arts type of degree. As a scientist, I do too. The devaluation of the liberal arts is I think a factor in why we are graduating so many science majors who cannot think. Blame Sputnik and the myth that we were falling behind the Soviets. Higher ...

Living on campus is overrated. The only reason young people desire it is so they can escape the watchful eye of their parents.

I've tried to instill in my middle and high schoolers that their goal should be to do the best they can and to strive for college. Going to college is no guarantee for happiness and success but more than likely will give them a better chance of making their own career choices rather than having to ...

Geeez... They're not even out of the womb yet. I wouldn't explain any of that to them until they get to high school. One or both may be mechanically minded, not academically minded. I would let them decide for themselves. Tertiary education is not for everybody. I couldn't stand the ersatz food I wa...

If your children don't go to college, you will have to pay income tax on it.

I think it's a mistake to use a 529 plan. The consequences (tax) of children not attending college are too high to be investing in that type of scheme. And those 529s are too limited. Almost everyone needs some kind of post-high school job training these days, even if it's not a university or four-...

There's been a relatively recent shift in US history where we are finding more female partners out earning their male partners, so as a culture, we're still figuring out how it changes traditional relationship roles and whether it creates more or less opportunity and/or conflict. Thanks, BFG Great....

I think it's a mistake to use a 529 plan. The consequences (tax) of children not attending college are too high to be investing in that type of scheme. And those 529s are too limited.

I think it's a good idea. E.D. Hirsch makes the case for it in his book 'Cultural Literacy'. "There is a tide" {in the affairs of men."} -- Julius Caesar. This was once business-speak for selling or buying now or........ Businessmen understood this 80 years ago. Today, they don't. Tod...

Swampy wrote:
Don't even think of driving!

I lived and drove there for years. British drivers are more careful than American drivers, and the road signage is excellent. I'd much rather drive in the UK than in Italy or Greece.

Forester is a good choice but only get new. Just from this year's model do they have CVT. Otherwise, older models are all 4 speed which is horrible on gas. The CVT feels like you're driving a motorboat. A 4 speed isn't bad. Heck, my car has 3 speeds. The problem with multispeed automatics (5+ speed...

I like the previous generation Kia Sportage. I believe 2010 was the last year of that model.

Bogleheads think that old cars are people killers. Well, new cars are wealth killers. I would continue to run the '92 Honda to the ground. If it works, why buy new? Your car probably has ABS, and you can probably replace the airbag for a few hundred dollars. If you have deep pockets, then buy a new ...

livesoft wrote:
And I think we know that 47% of folks do not pay federal income taxes.

No, but it sure feels like we do.

Do you really want to bring your family there? I wouldn't spend a night in San Francisco.

A guidebook might be a good idea.

I would make sure the vehicle has electronic stability control. http://www.iihs.org/ratings/esc/esc.aspx I have a car with electronic stability control and I don't think it works very well. I think it's an expensive and overrated feature. Field data (on the actual fleet of cars on the road) indicat...

FatherOf2 wrote:
We're really on the fence. Anything else we should be thinking about?

Yes. Why don't you quit your job and become a stay-at-home dad? Let her be the breadwinner. That's what I would do.

I thought about the RV idea as well. I'm not sure if it would conflict with employment and state residency/domicile status.

An old, cheap car should be good enough for a teenager who's just driving around locally. A friend of mine had a '77 Plymouth Volare, which proved to be a safe and dependable car. I don't see any reason to go overboard. What happened to the paperboy and babysitter who saved up some cash and bought a...

b4nash wrote:I would make sure the vehicle has electronic stability control.

http://www.iihs.org/ratings/esc/esc.aspx

I have a car with electronic stability control and I don't think it works very well. I think it's an expensive and overrated feature.

Newer cars have all the latest gadgets and other features that distract the driver. Electrical outlets for phone and laptop and iPod, satellite navigation displays, numerous cup holders, etc.

I would go with an old car.

It shouldn't. The vast majority of people are not Ivy material.

I read an article about this recently and I think for Gen Y and beyond the average person now actually has a lower standard of living than their parents for the first time ever. Can't remember where I read that, though. I thought that started with Gen X. I think that, in a way, it's a good thing. A...

$550k. So, that's why I can't get an affordable health insurance plan.

PM Larry Swedroe. He is well-liked and respected on this forum.

Neither. Too many recalls on Hondas and Toyotas. The quality has gone downhill.

Take the kids to Disneyland Paris--win/win You mean lose/lose. They can see that here. International travel is a good experience for the kids. I began traveling around Europe at age 4. My parents wanted to take us to Israel in 1987, but the Intifada broke out. So we went to Disney World instead. I ...

I have found that sooner or later every adviser who is in business to serve clients rather than themselves adopt the same investment strategy - a broadly diversified portfolio of low-cost index funds tailored to each client's needs. Rick Ferri Just buying stock index funds is not a strategy. Beside...

With colleges and universities pricing themselves ever farther out of the market, I think the 529 will be useless as an investment vehicle for middle class people.

I was given an HO gauge train set as a Christmas present in 1984 (I'm 36). I loved it and the kids in my neighborhood loved it. I agree with the other posters; it's a generational thing. Howdy Doody toys attracted a lot of collector interest, but are no longer in demand. I thought trains were timele...

Volvo's legendary reputation for safety no longer stands out in the crowd. My parents bought a Volvo in 1984, and that was the very first car in our family that was equipped with shoulder belts for the rear seat passengers. That was rare in those days. My top-of-the-line 1987 Chrysler doesn't have t...

Your all metal Buick/Ford from the 80s is NOT safer than a modern sedan with. Just because your car is made of metal and gets 10mpg, that doesnt mean it protects you-- all it means is that all the force of the collision is conducted directly to you through the engine block. Cars are designed to cru...

Thank you Dave76 -- that is the question. This whole thread is sad. Do we really need to be reminded that marriage is not an economic transaction? Sure, it has purely economic advantages and disadvantages, but that is not the same thing....But if you need real downsides, maybe one is that once she ...

Can any physicians chime in? Especially regarding malpractice protection. Thanks for the link regarding social security benefits, that was helpful. Although I think most of those benefits "lost" would only really be helpful to couples where one is a high earner, and the other is not worki...

What do you do when shopping for a vehicle? I'm cheap and prefer old cars. So, to make up for the lack of modern safety features, I buy large (eg. 1985-1989 Lincoln Town Car). It works for me. This is a myth. The older cars big or small don't have the modern crumble zones. In the older cars you tak...

squirm wrote:
What do you do when shopping for a vehicle?

I'm cheap and prefer old cars. So, to make up for the lack of modern safety features, I buy large (eg. 1985-1989 Lincoln Town Car). It works for me.

I wouldn't do it. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but marriage means more to me than that. Some things in life are just more important than dollar signs on an account statement. Well, if he's seriously considering this, then his marriage may be on shaky ground. Side note -- How much money does one childle...

Perhaps it would be best to define the term. Is a Minimalist someone who only consumes 'essential' goods and services?