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23 by myself. On pace to reach 1 million at 27 between the two of us without any inheritance.

Anyone that doesn't use a credit card is either irresponsible with money or making a very, very poor decision in my opinion. I accumulate about $5,000 in credit card rewards per year and have never paid a dollar of interest.

If you spend $60k per year and make $100k pre tax, you'll be saving probably $10-$20k per year after tax. At $600k per tax, you're probably saving $300k plus per year. At the $100k job, you may not be able to retire for a very long time, unless you're willing to downsize on the real estate. Basicall...

It sounds like you mean "Investment Policy Statement". There are links to examples in the forum at the end of the wiki article. http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Investment_Policy_Statement Yes I knew there was an acronym for it (IPS) and that I had the name wrong. Thanks for pointing me to ...

I hadn't checked in on this thread recently but looks like the conversation has gone some unintended directions; we are not the type of people some have mentioned in this thread. We both max our 401ks and IRAs and save money in taxable accounts, we both work and make very good livings and while we ...

I hadn't checked in on this thread recently but looks like the conversation has gone some unintended directions; we are not the type of people some have mentioned in this thread. We both max our 401ks and IRAs and save money in taxable accounts, we both work and make very good livings and while we b...

Although I have a strategy outlined in my head, I've yet to write out exactly what I should do with future contributions, when to make them and when and how to re-allocate. It would be helpful if others would share their written investment plan so I could get ideas and make sure I am considering eve...

It's not relevant to the conversation but out of curiosity, which stock is it? Also, if you are comfortable sharing, what is the size of your position?

Fire Calc analyzes every 50 year cycle from 1871 on. There are less than 3 non-overlapping periods, this is very little statistical evidence. (Note that I have not expressed an opinion on whether he has enough, only on whether $80K per year is enough.) LOL. Maybe wait around another 150 years until...

OP, FWIW I was new to the board about 6 months ago and was deciding on an AA. I came across the PP and thought it was a winning strategy. After doing more research, I decided against it and went with a typical stock/bond strategy. I have owned some gold since 2008 outside of my Vanguard account but...

I would say that between the two of us we probably spend $25,000 per year on eating out, eating in and beer and wine. Like you, I also really enjoy La Fin Du Monde and Franciskaner.

Fire Calc says at $2.5 million portfolio and $80,000 per year spend for 50 years you will have a 100% success rate. I guess a lot of people in this thread are either overly pessimistic or don't trust Fire Calc. Either that, or "those people" subscribe to the bizarre view that past results...

I worked an unpaid internship my junior year of college. One of the other guys with the same position as me wrote for the Fool. I don't put much credibility into their articles.

Fire Calc says at $2.5 million portfolio and $80,000 per year spend for 50 years you will have a 100% success rate. I guess a lot of people in this thread are either overly pessimistic or don't trust Fire Calc.

"I am trying to balance 1) her expectations 2) that most of her friends have very nice rings despite making less 3) that I can afford something very nice and she knows that and 4) not wanting to overspend on something that is really symbolic and should mean a lot regardless of size." As a...

Some people like Michael Scott actually say three YEARS salary...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwGJhrcLmbA

OP, FWIW I was new to the board about 6 months ago and was deciding on an AA. I came across the PP and thought it was a winning strategy. After doing more research, I decided against it and went with a typical stock/bond strategy. I have owned some gold since 2008 outside of my Vanguard account but ...

Sorry I meant 3 months, not 1/3 of a year. I like the 2 months rules better, even so, that would put me at a ring in excess of $45,000. Which is too much. Sounds like you have at least *some* idea of what you actually want to spend. Whether it's $1,000, $10,000, or $30,000, spend what you think is ...

The pressure to spend money on anything wedding-related is pure marketing genius. Most people would be quite happy with the looks of a cubic zirconium ring -- but the social stigma would be unbearable. :) Diamonds are horrible investments. Forget about that aspect of it. I agree but I am trying to ...

Sorry I meant 3 months, not 1/3 of a year. I like the 2 months rules better, even so, that would put me at a ring in excess of $45,000. Which is too much.

I'm in the buying process and curious to see what is reasonable. Feel free to express as a percentage of income at the time you purchased, the absolute dollar amount or both. Whatever you are comfortable with. Both of us earn a very good salary so if I applied the 1/3 of yearly salary "rule&quo...

I'm in my 20s and have come up with the below portfolio for myself 25% Vanguard Total Stock Market 25% Vanguard Total International Stock Market 25% Vanguard Small Cap Index 25% Vanguard Intermediate Term Tax Exempt (substitue Vanguard Total Bond Market if you are not in a high tax bracket) I would ...

I don't think there's ever been a default in the history of the fund. Interestingly, I don't think there's ever been a default of the High Yield corp fund either. There has never been a default on Vanguard High-Yield Corporate? That would be very impressive considering it has been around since 1978.

I wouldn't do it myself. Here's a recent blog from Allan Roth: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162-57582124/the-lending-club-a-critical-review/ I hadn't done much research into Lending Club, this article was very insightful. Thanks for sharing. I wonder what rated bonds Allan bought? He didn't e...

Google announced today that they are investing $125 million for a ~7% equity stake in Lending Club, valuing the company at $1.55 billion. Does this give you more confidence in lending to Lending Club? The returns they advertise have been very good, but of course they come with risk. Anyways, I would...

Daniel Tosh already proved that money can buy happiness. See one minute video below...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RoLdkgjKhs

If I chose to live his lifestyle, I could retire at 30 as well. I wouldn't be happy bike riding all day though so looks like I am going to have to work well into my 30s

My best financial move was studying hard and getting a good job which allowed me to make a very good salary at a young age and invest it. The investing part (aside from 401k contribution which I have done all along) really just came recently due to reading this website. The same could be said about ...

I would say we average about one per week, so probably about 50 per year

What's the point in having money if you can't spend it on things you enjoy? If a watch is one of those things then go for it. It's not going to ruin your retirement and will retain some value in the future. If you look around, you should be able to find someone who will give you 10-15% off the list ...

I'm confused so let me ask for some clarification. It's not ok for the OP to retire, even though he has only a 3% SWR, because his nest egg is (for the Bogleheads) a modest $1.25M. But in our other recent thread, with a couple needing a 4% SWR, it is ok to retire because their nest egg is (for the ...

1. Max your 401k 2. Back door Roth 3. Pay off debt 4. Buy a new car (maybe $30-$40k) 5. Save for a downpayment in a high yield savings (Capital One, formerly ING) acccount or in short-term treasuries. Assuming you want to buy a home soon. 6. Start investing in your taxable accounts Invest on your ow...

If you're making $210k a year and spending only $20k per year (excluding home, which you mentioned you will sell) it seems like a few extra years of those savings would be worth it to have more safety and perhaps live a bit more luxurious lifestyle in retirement. That's just the way I think though. ...

Mapquest app works as well as garmin

To each his own. You're certainly being way more conservative than the general homeowner though. I would imagine most people have significantly less in liquid assets than the value of their mortgage.

You should be able to do much better than $150 if you look around. I would target $400 or more for the cash back or rewards value for a new card.

I didn't really have a number until this thread and I just decided my number is $5 million, but that certainly could change. I arrived at $5 million by $150k of annual expenses, which should be plenty. If I can continue to save at my current rate (no income appreciation) and I assume 8% growth, then...

Nancy, wish you well but you really do sound like you're blaming the people that loaned you money for your leveraged position. I can't tell you anything that hasn't been said, but I think it's sort of ridiculous to complain about debt, and "being beholden to big corporations" and "sc...

Do you not realize you had to spend thousands of dollars (at retail) to get your cash back? Paying with cash and negotiating for a deal makes me SPEND LESS. I shop and find the best cash deals and then talk them down even further. I watch every penny I spend because I'm not motiviated by a bank's p...

I seem to be pretty alternative as my wallet is as simple as can be - I don't have one. I only carry two cards; a Charles Schwab Platinum Debit Card, and my driver's license. That's it. I haven't even carried any cash for more than two years. Cheers, Fred Amen, bother! They don't pass those things ...

I don't sweat the small things but on large purchases I always try to get what I want at the absolute lowest price. 1. Subscription services like DirecTV and the internet. There is almost always room to bargain with them. When DirecTV has a contract dispute (like with Viacom a few months ago), I cal...

The market may have returned 150% over the last four years but it has also returned approximately 0% over the last 13. I consider this a 13 year bear market rather than a four year bull market. This is nonsense on two points. One, you very carefully selected the starting point exactly to include th...

The market may have returned 150% over the last four years but it has also returned approximately 0% over the last 13. I consider this a 13 year bear market rather than a four year bull market. Equity valuations are reasonable and I think we have just reached a stage where people are having confiden...

The formatting of the answers is not very easy to understand. I understand it, but the OP should have listed $1 million instead of $1000k. This is likely leading to some incorrect responses. Also, home equity needs to be part of the equation. If I save up $2 million and buy a $1 million house with a...

You will need to do your own research but I think this is the decision you will come to in the end. I went through a similar process recently for the first time. I'm 26 with a similar but slightly lower income and about half the asset base but I rent for the time being, after my research this is wha...

It does seem like there are a lot of new investors coming to the board recently, although I wouldn't know if it is high vs historically because I'm one of them. For me, I was afraid of the markets for a while and only began really investing in equities through my 401k. It was reading this board and ...

I'm in a very fortunate position for my age. My girlfriend and I are 26 and we haven't inherited any money. No debt and no mortgage (we are renting right now but looking to buy).

Taxable: ~$640,000
401k/IRAs: ~$150,000

If one can lock in a 3% mortgage for 30 years I do not think it is wise to pay it off more quickly. While similar risk investments may not yield higher at the moment, I believe that at some point in the next 10 years they will. Interest rates will likely go up at some point. If they do go down, and...

If one can lock in a 3% mortgage for 30 years I do not think it is wise to pay it off more quickly. While similar risk investments may not yield higher at the moment, I believe that at some point in the next 10 years they will. Interest rates will likely go up at some point. If they do go down, and ...

Don't worry about the market being at a high. The market is trading at about the average P/E over its history so the price of the market is justified based on its earnings. I would pick an AA and lump sum.