Bogleheads.org

I'd like to piggyback off this email and look for similar recommendations in the Mpls/St. Paul area.

Private messages as well please.

Thanks!

Do yourself a favor and check out http://olt.com

Only $7.95 each for state & federal

Should peace of mind ever enter into the equation? I've always thought that once your emergency account is funded, it's time to start investing for the long-term, and those long-term investments can be tapped in the event of a major crisis. Having an emergency fund gives you some flexibility in deci...

Thanks Suzy....the way it stands now, we are looking to visit in early June when the Twins are in town to play the Nationals.

Thanks again everyone for the great suggestions....I knew I came to the right place for answers.

I've found a couple interesting AIRBNB options that have had tons of great reviews and much much cheaper than a hotel.

Thank you to everyone for your recommendations and insight.

Thanks for the responses...my original post has been edited with correct info.

While in DC, we plan to hit the museums, White House, Mall, etc. and will likely take the Amtrak up to Baltimore one day to see the Twins & Orioles play.

Good afternoon, We are planning a family vacation (kids ages 9 & 12) to Washington DC in early April 2013 and I'm looking for helpful recommendations on reasonable lodging close to Ronald Reagan Washington National airport (DCA). We are tentatively looking at Hampton Inn & Suites @ $175 nigh...

I'm a big fan and a practicing "Three-Fund" kind of guy but when you look at the M* chart on the link attached comparing the 3-funds to the PP, it appears we are lagging behind quite a bit. Am I missing something or do I just keep the blinders on and continue forward with the three fund ap...

Vanguard does offer a Small Cap Value Index but the ER is .34% compared to .24% ER for Small Cap Growth....I was looking for the cheaper fund. In your opinion, would you even bother with the 10% allocation to small cap value or just push forward with the Total Stock Market fund I already have establ...

I have the following plan currently set-up. 40% - Fidelity Spartan Total Stock Market Index .10% ER 25% - Vanguard Total International Stock Market Index Admiral .18% ER 25% - Spartan US Bond Index .22% ER 10% - Vanguard REIT Index .24% ER I'm thinking of tweaking it a bit to the following....do you...

I'm more of a downtown Vegas guy myself....Golden Nugget, Freemont, California, etc.

I second the motion on getting a car, so much more convenient thatn cabs/buses and very reasonably priced.

Sign up for each Casino's rewards card....free stuff is fun.

Good Luck

Thanks MHC.....this is my thinking as well but just nice to hear the thoughts of others.

Anyone else care to chime in?

I'm back with yet another question.... My 401k match (4%) is in company stock. Is it acceptable in the Boglehead world to keep a small % of company stock as part of your overall portfolio or is the recommendation to sell and spread the $$ across my core-four family of funds? Right now, 5% of my over...

Thanks again....helpful as always.

One last question....

Is it wise to continue forward with the Spartan US Bond Index as my only bond fund or should I add a TIPS fund to round it out?

Thanks again for your help.

The reason I use a bit of FSEMX is because the M* style maps do not show much exposure to small/micro caps in FSTMX (see links below).

Am I mis-interpreting the data?

http://quote.morningstar.com/fund/f.aspx?t=FSEMX

http://quote.morningstar.com/fund/f.aspx?t=fstmx

After some final tweaking, I've now finally set out on the path below and look forward to many years of worry free investing. With the funds listed below, my overall ER is .15%....not too shabby. 35% - Fidelity Sparton Total Stock Market Index .10% ER 30% - Vanguard Total International Stock Market ...

Based on your analysis above, does FBIDX (Spartan US Bond Index) warrant consideration?

Thanks for your input & guidance.

Due to where our money is and for the ease of getting the allocation %'s lined up, I think we're going to use Spartan US Bond Index (FBIDX) instead of Vanguard Intermediate Bond (VBIIX). The ER is a wash.

Any issues with this switch?

No reason other than ignorance with respect to my overweighting mid/small cap index. Looking at "Core Four" with a sprinkling of mid/small exposure, how does this look? 35% Fidelity Total Stock Market Index (FSTMX) .10% 25% Vanguard Total International Stock Index (VGTSX) .22% 20% Vanguard...

These were the only two index funds offered in my 401(k). From prior posts, it looks like I have this a bit out of whack.

Am I OK to go 80/20 split in favor of Total Market (FSTMX) or should I have 100% in Total Market.

Thanks again.

One more update on my end, it appears I'm in the 15% federal tax bracket instead of the 25% I listed above. Does this change how I should allocate going forward.

Again, thanks for your help.

Sorry about the percentages.

For my entire portfolio, this is the breakdown:

32% Fidelity Extended Market Index (FSMEX) .10%
32% Fidelity Total Maker Index (FSTMX) .10%
18% Vanguard Intermediate Bond Index (VBIIX) .22%
18% Vanguard Total International Stock Index (VGTSX) .22%

Emergency funds: Yes Debt: Mortgage only ($140K, 13 years left @ 3.75%) Tax Filing Status: Married Filing Jointly Tax Rate: 15% State of Residence: MN Age: 39 Desired Asset allocation: 80/20 Desired International allocation: 20-25% Current total portfolio: Closing in on six figures Current retiremen...