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It's already set sail, didn't anyone see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1640571/?ref_=sr_2 ?

Thanks everyone!

I have five figures in VFSTX (investor shares) within my six figure traditional IRA. I was thinking that I would qualify to convert these shares to admiral (VFSUX). However, I do not see this option on the Vanguard website. Could someone please confirm the qualifications?

Thanks,
Ryan

Wow, I just found out that Vanguard has a short-term TIPS fund. Must be fairly new, as today was the first I had heard of it. Might this be the logical fund to exchange into?

Ryan

I was reading the article in this weekend's WSJ by Brett Arends. It makes one consider selling TIPS, as they are "guaranteed to lose money," as the effective interest rates have decreased to record lows. A chief investment officer quoted recommends, if you have a position in TIPS, to keep ...

Has anyone here claimed this deduction before? This is my first year hosting.

I am trying to figure out how I enter the foreign exchange student hosting deduction in Tax Act. I know that it is considered a charitable deduction on Schedule A (pretty sure considered a cash donation rather than non-cash one). The help section of Tax Act was not very 'helpful.' The duduction is $...

Well, I got the Tripp Lite U238-000 SATA adapter and was able to recover about 10.2 GB. However, it does not appear to include our digital pictures and most Word documents that we had. Any suggestions on what to try next?

Thanks,
Ryan

Are any of the following three clearly better (USB to SATA adapters)? Or just pick one?

1. Startech.com #USB2SATAIDE
2. Tripp Lite U238-000
3. Vantec CB-ISATAU2

Update: I have discovered that it is indeed a hard drive problem. I have removed the hard drive. It is a SATA, 3.5" Western Digital. I plan to purchase a $30 enclosure at Best Buy. Do I need to purchase any additional cables in order to transfer files?

Thanks a bunch everyone. I will definitely look into these suggestions this weekend!

Ryan

I think the hard drive on my 5 1/2 year-old computer died last evening. Over the past month or so, the monitor was getting blurry at times, but then yesterday, Windows XP no longer boots. Is there anything that can be done to somehow recover the files???

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

Thanks. Now I just have to locate my original closing paperwork to find who did our title insurance (I'm fairly certain it was First American Title).

Ryan

We are doing a HARP refinance and have received a GFE with Citi. It includes a steep $1095 for title insurance. It mentions that this is something that can be shopped around. Has anyone had some recent success doing so? Might easytitlequote.com be a reputable place to start? Thanks in advance for an...

Well, I just got off the phone with a Citi rep, and discovered that I do indeed qualify for HARP (who knew?). I was given rates of 4.00% for both 30 and 25-year fixed (no-cost at 4.375%). 7-year ARM is 3.00% (no cost at 3.625). This appears to be the way to go, as there is no worry that you waste pa...

It is not a Fannie or Freddy loan. We are not behind on our payments. Would I still qualify under the Citi settlement?

Thanks again,
Ryan

In early 2008, we purchased a new house with a 30-year 5.25%, which was a great rate at the time. I can't believe how low rates have gone; I believe I read the average is now in the mid 3.XX% range. Our loan is with Citi Mortgage. Credit scores are in the upper 700's. We would love to take advantage...

My wife and I are looking into hosting a foreign exchange student through AFS. We are considering a 17-year-old female from Thailand (we’ve received profiles of five and she seems the best fit) . We have two daughters, aged 8 and 6. Has anyone hosted an exchange student before? What are some of the ...

My 1995 Saturn SC1 is going to hit a major milestone next week: 200,000. Ever since I began driving, a goal of mine was to get 200K out of a car. I bought it fresh out of college and after keeping up with routine maintenance, look where it is now! It was definitely a well-made car and I have no inte...

Husband was a full-year resident of Kansas with Kansas income.

OK, I discovered that Missouri considers her a resident in 2011, as she lived there for over half the year.

Is she able to file Married filing Joint for Federal and Missouri (and Kansas)?

Thanks,
Ryan

This one is for my mother:

I was a widowed homeowner in Missouri who got re-married in Nov. 2011. I moved in with my new husband in Kansas at that time. My only income was social security, mutual fund dividends, and annuity income. Do I need to file a Missouri return in 2011?

Thanks!
Ryan

Thank you for the suggestions to check the vent. It definitely had some clogging to it. Part of the problem lies with the vent at the back of the dryer not lining up with the hole in the wall where the tubing connects. The hole in the wall is slightly lower, so that when the dryer is pushed back aga...

Our 11-year-old dryer is taking longer to dry. A load of towels take 3 hours. I'm thinking it may be time for a replacement, but want to be sure a repair isn't all that is needed. I've done a little research about what it may need: heating element, thermostat, thermal fuse. Anyone have any idea as t...

Just something I noticed... Yesterday, the three major indices had a net change of less than one point. Dow Industrials - Down 0.01% Nasdaq - Up 0.03% S&P 500 - Down 0.02% In addition, Dow Composite - Up 0.04% NYSE Composite - Up 0.04% CRB Commodities Index - Up 0.08% It just seems quite odd, es...

They are Hunter PGV valves. I manually turned, by hand, the solenoid counter clockwise.

Ryan

I checked the water and it is still open. I manually opened the valves and still no rotors are operating. All the wires in the control box appear to be tightly secured.

Does this potentially indicate an electical wiring connection problem at one of the valves?

No rain sensor and as far as I can tell from reading the owner's manual, there is no fuse. How do I manually open the main valve?

Thanks again for the suggestions!
Ryan

My system (Hunter with six zones, three years old) has been open and used for about a month now this spring. I suddenly have a problem with the system not working. The controller display operates normally, but the sprinkler rotors don't pop out of the ground, thus no watering takes place. This appli...

I use it, but am looking to try a product called Aquapel this spring. I've read great reviews that say it lasts much longer than Rain-X.

Ryan

Hello! I am attempting to join the 20th century and upgrade from dial-up internet. At the same time, I'm looking for an economical, reliable home phone service. Currently, I have bare-bones AT&T landline phone connection that runs ~$34/month (which includes taxes). My All2Easy dial-up internet r...

So then, what exactly are the benefits of obtaining "digital phone service" over my current AT&T POTS service? I don't necessarily plan to switch (especially now that it looks I can use a DECT 6.0 phone with my current POTS connection), but curious how POTS vs. "digital service&qu...

Hello, I was shopping for a new cordless phone to replace the one I've had for 8 years (a 900 Mhz DSS). I've noticed that practically all cordless phones on the market today are DECT 6.0. Will any of these DECT phones work on a landline that is not digital (I believe it is referred to as a POTS conn...

I went with the Cooper Discoverer CTS and regret not buying the BF Goodrich Long Trail T/A Touring. I definitely don't think I was being cheap in selecting Cooper; both tires received great reviews in my research. It was a coin toss, $55 or so was the difference between them. The original tires on m...

I had narrowed my choice of tires down to two, and chose the one that was $60 cheaper. Unfortunately, that tire must have very poor rolling resistance, as MPGs are down over 5%! Does anyone know if there is a market for "near mint" tires? Mine have only been installed 3 weeks, with about 1...

I'm in the market for new tires. Is it common to charge $10 each tire to install, simply because it has TPMS? Just when I thought it was going to be $16.50 ($14.50 + $2 disposal fee), I came across the TPMS fee on the company's website. Is this common (this is my first TPMS vehicle)? I'm looking to ...

I second NicePants' suggestion to study past questions. Back when I took Becker, we saw many instances of the exact same questions being asked when reviewing questions from past CPA exams.

Ryan

Are you actually attending the Becker classes? I took them (17 Saturday classes) back in '95 just before graduating with my B.S. They were great and enabled me to pass all four sections the first sitting. Do everything they tell you in class--they know their stuff! So how is the exam structured now?...

From what I just read on another board,

The Federal Schedule A deduction for the Pass-Through Payment is only allowed if the trustee made the payment on or before 12/31/09. Just because it is on the K-1-T does not mean it was paid on or before 12/31/09.

I plan to check with the trustee.
Ryan

OK, I've actually completed the Illinois forms that pertain to me (IL-1040 and IL-1040 Schedule NR) and have found that I do get the same $2,000 exemption as a resident would. In other words, instead of the tax liability equaling the tax withheld, it appears I would actually have a $60 refund (the $...

OK, it looks like the K-1 and K-1-T are indeed correct. And I agree that the $323 tax is exactly the 3% that is due Illinois. Even though it appears that I am not required to file an IL return, does this plan look correct (i.e., comply with tax laws): 1. File an IL return anyway, in order to claim a...

Thanks for all of the great replies everyone! Boy, is this a lot to digest. I did not receive any instructions that came with the Illinois K-1-T. I did receive instructions for the Schedule K-1 (Form 1041). I will check with the trustee regarding the source of the capital gains (security sale vs. re...

I received a K-1 related to an inheritance. Box 4a (Net long-term capital gain) is $10,844. Box 11 (Final year deductions) shows "C" and $253. Box 12 (Alternative minimum tax adjustment) shows "A" and $1. I also received an Illinois Schedule K-1-T, with the $10,844 listed on line...

I have an item listed online that is going to be a little bulky to ship. The item is roughly 40" by 10" by 5" (L x W x H). What would be the best way to obtain a rectangular box to ship an item with these dimensions? By the way, the item weighs about 6 pounds. Thanks in advance, Ryan

Thanks for the replies. I went with the Costco deal--2 years for $299. There was a 5% upcharge for not being a Costco member, but no sales tax--works out to $13/month!

Ryan

I signed up for a one-year $199.99 membership last December; my current membership expires on 12/21/09.

I've seen discount codes for $199.99 and $179.99, but you must be a first-time member.

Does anyone know how I can get another year for $199.99 (or better!)?

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

I'm beginning the course in a couple weeks--August 24. It's 69 hours (2 days a week for 3 hours each), so it will take me a little over 11 weeks. They also offer a 3-day per week option that is about 8 weeks in length.

OK, here is that error message (it hadn't come up in a few weeks): Invalid Kernel Handle.

When it occurs, you can't use the power button to turn off the computer. You have to unplug it. Any ideas on what it could mean?

Ryan

Thanks again for the things to try. I'll look into it over the weekend.

I've come across something called registry cleaners. Might this be something beneficial? Or may it cause problems?

Regarding backups, which files do I back up...everything on the C: drive?

Have a great weekend!
Ryan

Thanks for the ideas everyone. As for backing up my data, what is a good, inexpensive external hard drive I can look into? I don't think I have a whole lot, maybe 5 GB. How much data can each DVD/CD hold?