Bogleheads.org

thanks again for the opinions. To be honest, I am not going to buy $100 sunglasses. I might step up to $30-40. What can I expect to get there that I wouldn't get at $10? And where should I buy? I see that Sunglasses Hut is out of my price range. i would normally consider buying these at REI. Check ...

In looking at bond fund inflows, it doesn't appear that everyone is bearish on bonds. I think it depends on the time frame involved. Investor sentiment towards bonds is likely very different looking out one year compared with five to ten years especially when compared with equities. Certainly no hi...

EAFE has a yield of 3% versus 2% for the S&P 500.
People around here go bonkers over saving or gaining 5 basis points on something or other - so 100 basis points seems significant.

I'd guess the spikes are small retail investors entering "market" buy orders instead of entering limit orders around the mid-point of the bid-ask spread.

I liquidated all TBM, Intermediate Corporate Bond and High Yield Bond in my rollover IRA and bought equities in those accounts with the proceeds, while at the same time selling a corresponding amount of equities and buying correspondingly more G Fund in the TSP. No change in AA. The equities purchas...

I'm still not convinced I'd be harassed by friends and family. They are just not that type of people - we have a percentage of people in the family and friends with lots of money and no-one harasses them, or even asks them for a dime. Dump the landline phone - we need to do that anyway. I'd be conce...

I think there's going to be something major happening with AAS (associate of applied science) and BAS (Bachelor of applied science) degrees. AAS are applied degrees designed to gain work-ready skills in two years, as opposed to taking general community college course to prepare for a transfer. AAS c...

The portfolio probably has a very long life expectancy given the situation so 60:40 sounds great and in general the investments look good - very well and carefully done. Does she have specifically named beneficiaries in the IRA documents so it can be inherited pre-tax and intact as a stretch-out IRA...

That's it........
I'm moving everything into 50:50 Emerging Market Bond and Powerball tickets.

Seeing that active funds had ER's that were often consuming 50% or more of the funds dividend income year in year out. Exhibit A: Royce funds had an good reputation for small cap value funds, but has some funds where costs consume ALL dividend income. Royce Opportunity Fund in 2012: Total income $20...

Zig when the herd is zagging. Families are still buying into the traditional BA/BS degree programs at the most prestigious (and most expensive) school that their kid can get accepted to. many end up as financial road kill unless they get substantial need-based aid or are very wealthy. For people in-...

To increase the odds of being a sole winner choose a combination of larger numbers. Many people choose numbers associated with dates which only go up to 31 so by choosing larger numbers you decrease the odds of sharing in the loot. Not my observation, heard it on the radio from professor of statist...

I don't spend hardly any money on alcohol, don't smoke, don't buy coffee, so I think $20-30 when it's above 100 mn is not a high price for entertainment value. That's good. In my neighborhood the triple-combo package is popular. (Tall-boy high strength beers, pack of cigarettes and some lottery tic...

I hear those folks in my memory like it was yesterday. "What? You're an investor and you aren't in Janus Funds, Scudder Ultra and Vista and QQQ? Well you are just leaving easy money on the table - these babies earn 40% a year on average! Just look at the data...." That's Twentieth Century...

Another Houston lotto winner used the same tactic in May 2010 when he collected his lump-sum payout of $48.8 million through the MAED Trust after a delay caused by a photocopier snafu that blackened the front of the ticket.

I've heard don't sign your winning ticket. Put it in the safe deposit box, set up a trust, then have a designated trust representative sign the ticket in the legal name of the trust. If you sign the ticket in your name - you have to show up and claim it in most states. Maybe I'm naive but I don't fo...

The issue isn't whether or not wi-fi only is a viable solution. AT&T claims that if you try to use a smartphone without a data plan, they will catch you and automatically add a data plan to your account (for your protection of course). I don't know if T-Mobile has this policy. I don't know if o...

The most likely outcome is joint custody and she will end up paying substantial alimony for several years and child support for many years to Mr. NoJob to bankroll his separate household. He will claim he sacrificed his career and future earnings potential to raise the kids. In many states these pay...

I buy a few when the cash jackpot approaches or exceeds the odds and I hear about it - maybe $25 a year. I have a detailed plan in my head of how I'll manage the win. I wish a Boglehead would win - go to the press conference and explain matter-of-factly that these winning will be a great compliment ...

I'm really torn on this one. $200M seems like quite a haircut on the cash option. Mods - when I win, please feel free to move this to "Help with personal investment". 8-) All figures pre-tax. Cash $350,100,000 Annuity 1 $9,806,555 2 $10,198,817 3 $10,606,769 4 $11,031,040 5 $11,472,282 6 $...

So there are colleges that charge ~$250K for one undergraduate degree. Like anything in that price range, just because they do exist and are offered for sale doesn't mean you are compelled to buy them. If that fits into your financial plans along with your other goals and desires - great. If not, yo...

I hear those folks in my memory like it was yesterday.
"What? You're an investor and you aren't in Janus Funds, Scudder Ultra and Vista and QQQ? Well you are just leaving easy money on the table - these babies earn 40% a year on average! Just look at the data...."

If all you have is the initial bill and not the EOB from your insurance company, I'm not sure there is anything to do. If billing comes calling, tell them to talk to your insurance company as you aren't going to pay anything until you determine what your share of cost is. Sounds like the insurance c...

I can think of one potential loose end for these funds. Were any issuers of bonds in the funds to default, the % recovery can be significant for bondholders, but the outcome can take years. I still have a nice chunk of claims on old General Motors debt and I'm thinking it could be a couple more year...

MN Finance wrote: There will certainly be bonds that mature past the date in the fund title.

Looking at the holdings in the ishares (2018 version), that does not appear to be the case. Every bond matures between June 1 and August 15, 2018.
http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund ... s/MUAG.htm

iShares has 10 ETF versions of this - with ER of .30 for muni bonds and .10 for investment grade corporate bonds. Muni maturities only go out to 2018, corporates go out to 2023. They are the 2nd to 11th funds on this list http://us.ishares.com/product_info/fund/index/FI.htm Trading volumes and bid/a...

US Bank Cash+ 5% on restaurants and rental cars - annual fee 0 and you get to pick the 5% categories from a limited list. Costco Business Amex 4% on gasoline - annual fee 0 (3% if you have the consumer version of the card) and 1% at Costco. Cap1 Venture 2% back on everything - annual fee $59, partia...

Grabbed it.
My last name is relatively uncommon but as of a couple years ago my full name was taken in Gmail. Guess somebody deleted it.

I'm switching to Gmail for personal email. My work recently switched to corporate Gmail and I'd prefer to use the same system for work and personal. For personal my full name happens to be available as FirstName.Lastname@gmail.com Good or bad idea? I also plan to retire in a few years and I'll proba...

Some people are "trapped" in higher expense ratio older funds and ETF's that are highly appreciated. iShares emerging market ETF (EEM) with an ER of 0.69% is a good example of this. If you have some more newly acquired funds, ETF's or other securities that fall below their cost, one could ...

We have one of those accounts (like Mint) that consolidates views of all financial holdings. I went over it with the kids around tax time - they are 18 and 20 and i guess they know everything now if they were paying attention. They know we are retiring early and might have a 40-year retirement horiz...

Here is the list of large merit awards offered by colleges "automatically" for national merit standings. The 2nd half of the list is for somewhat lesser awards and some that are competitive. http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/15297679-post727.html Our daughter applied to one - the Barret ...

At Schwab (all accounts except 401-K) I have a mix of Vanguard and Schwab ETF's. At Fidelity (401-K with brokerage link) I have a mix of Vanguard and iShares ETF's. No transaction fee for the Schwab and iShare ETF's, $8 for the Vanguard ones. Overall ER of these ETF's is rock bottom. Now if you just...

Excellent points. My daughter is now starting the graduate school search and will probably apply to several of the elite schools that charge a quarter million dollars or more for one undergrad degree and that she passed on for financial reasons. In engineering and other areas of hard science, even t...

0.77 ER I guess (Fidelity Growth Class K).
Got it before they added the brokerage link option to my wife's 401-K and I just can't bring myself to pull the trigger on that one.

I would be surprised if I ever added a new position in anything over .25 ever again.

But being a NMS finalist brings many "automatic" offers of very significant merit scholarships (from typically less selective institutions). If a parent isn't going to help much for college and need aid qualification isn't assured, being a NMF is one way to gain a traditional 4-year colleg...

My advice - lower your expectations for scholarships or lower the quality bar of schools your daughter applies to. My daughter had extremely high grades, many academic awards, lots of extracurricular activities including leadership roles, perfect 36 ACT, IB diploma with 31 college credits earned in ...

Denver median existing home sale home prices are up 25% since January 2012 and condos up 44% in that same period. Median time from listing to under contract is 4 days. Supply of listings is 50% or normal. In retrospect the time to buy was late 2011 - lots of supply and almost the very bottom. We bou...

Thanks all for the replies. I'm just getting started on a distribution plan but I'm relieved that keeping it in place is at least an option with some caveats.

Assuming you won't qualify for need aid...... State U's, merit aid, set a firm college cost budget and communicate to student before they start applying, cast a wide net, increase work hours if both parents aren't working full time, student work, reduce other costs, refi mortgage to longer term duri...

Their current quote for a US Bank no cost $50K loan (with no other mortgage on a home worth $100K) is 3.25% for 15 years, 2.99% for 10 years and 2.74% for 5 years. I just got off the phone with a charming young man from US Bank. For $55k 15 year loan and zero closing cost he quoted me a 3.875 rate....

Costco is also excellent if you want to buy 1 beer for your giant party. I snapped this a month ago, but last weekend I noticed they had even bigger ones that were selling for over $200. http://img805.imageshack.us/img805/2417/img20130406115150860.jpg I buy one Jack Daniels a month at Costco but my...

Her mom has a very small ring and they are quite wealthy now and retired. She was always happy with it and refused to get a bigger stone even though she easily had the means to. And you see that sort of thing in the prior generation all the time. I also wouldn't begrudge anyone in your position fro...

I thought that Meg's logic was no more extreme than similar Bogleheads' discussions of cars, bicycles, watches, and alike. Victoria A very large, expensive and showy diamond is a justifiable reward and outcome for all the efforts a woman does (hair, clothes, makeup, accessories, gym, weight, underw...

We are maxing out both our 401-K's, paying for two kids in college, have 4 cars (one for each driver) and are killing off our mortgage before retirement with a 5-year term loan. I can't imagine what would cost in retirement anything remotely close to that package deal. It would have to be some expen...

I started our program of regular equity share buying when the Dow was right at 1500, so 15,000 has a nice ring to it. 5 more years of accumulation to go. :happy The guy down the hall (almost my age) tried to convince me that "we" have just gotten back to "even" in "the marke...

What you want to shop for is a no cost first lien (or first position), fixed-rate home equity loan. This is a low risk product that is processed through the consumer lending side of a bank with reduced paperwork but is a home mortgage for tax purposes. US Bank call their version of this product a &q...

My many nieces and nephews (5th generation) are starting to enter the marriage years and are definitely falling into this trap. The extended family on my side has been quite successful for 4 generations now, but never very materialistic or prone to "display" types of wealth. Money was some...

This has got to be the funniest thing I've read on Bh.org in the 5 years I've been reading it, especially the last paragraph. Well done meg! :mrgreen: If you go to Tiffany you can easily spend $20K on a "perfect" diamond that is barely one carat on a simple band. Every woman I know would r...

For your situation that sounds like a reasonable move. We are both making the maximum traditional 401-K contributions as 100% of them garner a 28% federal deduction and we expect the withdrawals to be taxed mostly at 25%, with a small portion topping up the 15% bracket. if I had extra earned income ...