Bogleheads.org

I don't have any solutions for you man, I just want to say that I'm proud that you're making this effort and wish you all the best. Oh, and you mentioned your diet earlier and I just want to say that Ramen noodles, mac and cheese, rice a roni, and all that pre-packaged stuff is terrible for you. Som...

All data below from M*: http://globalquote.morningstar.com/globalcomponent/GenerateFundChart.ashx?chart=quote&w=955&h=266&lan=en-US&reg=USA&tc=CU$$$$$USD&d=false&r=false&p=false&win=3&period=custom&range=1913-5-18|2013-5-18&cfg=scale:1|GF:7&ma=...

Greetings fellow Bogleheads, I have a simple question. Emergency funds: Three to six months expenses. Debt: None Tax Filing Status: Single Tax Rate: 10%, 1%, if I get a new job, then probably 15%, 2%. State of Residence: CA (currently on the road) Age: 27 I've got my portfolio set up pretty well: 3 ...

Does anyone know of a credit card with cash back and no foreign transaction fee? No annual fee would also be great. I have a Capital One which fits the bill but I need another one for business (although a personal card is fine). I have the Priceline Rewards but it has a foreign transaction fee so I...

For those interested, Vanguard VTSMX returned 4.9% annualized (nominal) for 15 years through 2012 - the info. readily available that I care to look for. Invested: $1,000 Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR): 4.9% $2,049 YEAR VTSMX COMPOUND 1998 23.26% 1,233 1999 23.81% 1,526 2000 -10.57% 1,365 2001 -...

Craigr's post is excellent but I just want to emphasize a portion of it which is often overlooked (hence the repeated HBPP vs. Boglehead threads). The Permanent Portfolio has a much different objective than a lot of stock heavy portfolios. This is the real point. The Permanent Portfolio is, accordin...

I'm 27 and I have learned that the only prudent outlook to 'the future' (in terms of returns, etc...) is to control what you can: save as best you can and diversify your investments at low cost. If you do this then it doesn't matter if your portfolio is returning 2% or 15% because you are controllin...

I'm 26 and in good health. I use HSA Bank as they have an attached investment account with TD Ameritrade which offers a good swath of commission-free ETFs (including almost all the Vanguard ETFs). So I use my HSA contributions as part of my retirement portfolio as it's federally tax-free space. The ...

Keep it simple: PenFed Platinum Rewards: 5% Gas, 3% Groceries USBank Cash +: 5% Restaurants, 5% other category of your choice, 2% drug stores Gas, Groceries and Restaurants are most people's biggest expenses so it makes sense to maximize these categories year round with the minimum amount of cards. ...

Long-Term Returns is a great website/blog.

All very valid points saying what I felt in my gut. I wish I could turn back time and take my trusting and gullible nature down about 10,000 pegs. I will ask for my money back asap and will let you all know how that goes... Care to get a poll going? I'm thinking 2021. Hah. I joke but I'm really a m...

I would ask for my 10k back if you think your relationship with your boss will remain cordial. No harm no foul thus far but I wouldn't want to continue down this path.

1) Sell those high ER funds in your taxable account. Pay the tax on the capital gains. You will probably recover much of it in your tax return anyway. Move the money to Vanguard. 2) Contribute the maximum to your Roth allowed for 2013. 3) If you want to keep 8k in cash that's fine, but that brings y...

I am currently 30 years old and have about 20% of my portfolio in BND (Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF). Does anyone have any thoughts on my current exposure when considering the current low interest rates? I am considering lowering my exposure due to how low rates are (and have been) and the possib...

From my point of view, I am ultra conservative and in my mid 40’s. Although it goes against the conventional wisdom, I wont be able to sleep at night with most of my assets in the Market. My thought process (however flawed), is that I can live (and sleep at night) with the almost 100% certainty tha...

I recommend you choose one of Vanguard's LifeStrategy Funds . It's a fixed allocation of three funds: Total US Stock Market, Total International Stock Market, Total US Bond Market. An all-in-one fund, you own the world equity market and Treasuries, corporates, and GNMA bonds within the US. As to you...

I think you are double counting the fees. For the HSA bank account (not the TDA investment account) you have a monthly fee of $2.50 for balances below $3000. (= $30/yr) If you have a separate investment account with either TDA or Devenir mutual funds you have an additional $3/mo investment fee if y...

Do you mean $66/year if the balance is below 5k (not 3k as stated)? $66 = 12(2.5) + 12(3) I see this as cost avoidance , not savings. IOW, if you completely avoid the fees above 5K, the fees are out of the picture. My apologies for not being clear, there are two fee thresholds: 1) Balance: $0-$3,00...

Greetings all, I have had some discussions on my own in regards to the fees and interest rates at HSA Bank but am still confused. The fees apply to the amount kept with HSA Bank, not any amount kept via the attached TD Ameritrade investment account. Fees: $2.50/month (waived if balance above 3k); $3...

Maybe as a 26 year-old I'm old-fashioned, but it would seem to me as though conflating your emergency fund with your bond allocation is not in accordance with either logic or a Bogleheads philosophy. On the logic side, if you conflated them, why call it an emergency fund at all? When you conflate th...

My Vanguard Financial Plan recomended 30/70 mix with all 70% FI going into TBF . For some reason, I don't feel good about that. I'm not sure if TBF provides good inflation protection. Then, after seeing a post from Nisiprius, I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to have some VIPSX. I think that...

I agree with the above members - your most important need is an emergency fund. You already have 1k saved (or 2k if you can access the Fidelity cash), so work your way up to about $4,500 or more. The general rule for the emergency fund is 3 months expenses but 6-12 is not uncommon, nor unwise. At th...

I do plan to talk with the neighbor. Not as easy as it sounds - but doable. As far as the fence history, it was probably erected before this neighbor moved in 30 years ago - but the neighbor in the past told me it was her fence. I believe it is just over the property line, on her side. Probably put...

Hi I.m TM I am 73yrs old and I have my IRA retirement money in Vanguards Total Retirement Income.Since this is an app. 30/stock 70/bond split I am concerned on the Bond side going forward. I use the RMD withdrawal as discretionary income at this time. I want to continue my conservative profile if p...

That sounds fine, but just remember not to conflate your emergency fund with your bond allocation. They are separate entities which exist for separate purposes. So if you're 90/10 and want to count I-Bonds as part of your 10% bond allocation, take the emergency fund I-Bonds out of the equation first...

I'm relatively new to the world of credit cards, but assuming the charges are between 2% and 4%, doesn't this effectively make using a cashback card a necessity when using credit? And another question, if companies have been passing the cost of using credit cards on to the customers all along, doesn...

Nevertheless I remain invested in Matthews China because I was so impressed with the country from my visits to there and also out of loyalty to my ancestry. However it looks like I should not really be optimistic. Anyway I only have 2% of my portfolio there. I don't like the volatility so my equiti...

I know I'm somewhat necroing an old thread, but the information above is pertinent to my question and I'd rather not clutter the forum with redundant threads. I recently got the PenFed Cash Rewards Card which provides 5% cash back on gas paid at the pump and 0.25% on everything else. The cash back i...

McK: Read this article by Nobel Laureate, William Sharpe. It should remove any doubt about the advantage of indexing vs. active management: The Arithmetic of Active Management Best wishes. Taylor Fantastic article. Thank you for posting that Taylor, it sums up in exactly the right terms (i.e. absur...

Wellesley and Wellington are both amazing funds and highly regarded for good reason. Owning them both does provide quite a bit of overlap however. As to the fear of interest rates rising, no one can predict the future. If your IPS calls for owning them both then you should continue to do so. Remembe...

What is the main thing your learned about investing in 2012 :?: Everything. I knew absolutely nothing about investing in 2011 - nothing. I kept what little money I had saved in a money market account earning 0.20%. Now I am well diversified owning both the entire domestic and international equity m...

Are you sure those aren't the same thing? 10 points per purchase = $0.10 = 10% extra points Seems to me like they're just saying they'll give you an additional 10% on your points, which, as you mentioned, equals 1.1% on everything or 5.5% on their rotating categories (which are downright terrible th...

There is no argument for investing with money that is not marked for investing... unless you want that money to be a part of your investments. :D So it would seem as though she's seeking to get some extra return as opposed to holding it in cash which is yielding very little? If so, why not consider ...

Hello, I started investing in the 3-fund portfolio in November 2012. I am happy with the results of the Total Stock & International funds thus far. However, the bond fund hasn't really gone anywhere. I realize that bonds don't grow at the same rate as stocks, but is it normal for a bond fund to...

From the article...emphasis is mine: If you expect to fall into the aforementioned higher income tax bands for 2013 and beyond, many of the long-standing best practices for tax management will make more sense than ever. Those best practices include maximizing contributions to tax-sheltered accounts...

Thanks to all for the input. I appreciate both the evaluative ( grok87, Grt2bOutdoors , and VT ) and the more broad perspective ( livesoft, EmergDoc, pennstater, dyanju ) views that have been offered. As mentioned before, I wrote this as much to play with the inconsistences of thought and convictio...

I think both of you are probably correct. He didn't push anything and was very pleasant, but I think it's important in those situations to always know what you're buying and why you're buying it. I know I'm preaching to the choir here! My only real issue was that there was nothing wrong with the ac...

Wow, thank you for ALL of your replies. One thing that I need to clarify (due to my error) is that when I say "conservative" in the title, it was to mean that I started out as a conservative investor to begin but gotten more moderate/aggressive till recently. So it takes a bit more out of...

I suggest taking a look into the wiki to familiarize yourself with everything. Furthermore, almost all of your questions can be answered via the Personal Finance Start-Up Kit and the Investing Start-Up Kit.

I will try to make this brief but I am paralyzed from overanalysis and need your help as my plan will be implemented beginning in January. Do not be paralyzed any further. Take the simplest route to your goal which is: 50% Total US Bond Market Index VBMFX 50% Total World Stock Index VTWSX VTWSX: 50...

Guess what I'm asking is should I put all my eggs in one basket by taking Vanguard equivalent from Fidelity. Generally don't lie 'all eggs in one basket' concept. Like many people, I guess my funds contain a lot of 'dogs and cats' but I'm satisfied :D If you're satisfied then so be it - nothing to ...

I think it really depends on what your asset allocation calls for. Rather than adding new funds simply because they appear well-priced, or others appear not so, why not simply add what you need most given your IPS (investment policy statement)? So you would add up the total value of your assets, div...

TD Ameritrade has a commission-free ETF list, which includes many popular Vanguard offerings, but they restrict frequent trading (basically charging the buy and sell commission if you unload too soon).Brian Yeah, be careful if you dividend reinvest. If you sell the entire holdings, you may be withi...

TD Ameritrade has a commission-free ETF list, which includes many popular Vanguard offerings, but they restrict frequent trading (basically charging the buy and sell commission if you unload too soon).Brian Yeah, be careful if you dividend reinvest. If you sell the entire holdings, you may be withi...

No, withdrawals are prorated. Pardon my ignorance, but what do you mean by this? But you can be a half time student in retirement and use the money tax and penalty free then. True. But I would still be forced to use the money on 'qualified educational expenses' whereas I had been hoping to use it (...

Greetings fellow Bogleheads, I have a simple question re: 529 plans. I am considering opening one for myself - I'm 26 and plan to attend a MFA program in the future (4+ years?), possibly even attend grad school. I understand that one can withdraw assets from a 529 plan for "qualified educationa...

I've got a friend who makes his living managing wealthy peoples money, his clientele are predominantly older so he's very conservative in style and uses lots of bonds. We were talking at length and he mentioned Invesco's Balanced Risk Allocation Fund ABRYX(er .79%) - he suggested the class Y shares...

Also, don't forget Craigslist, post in the free section. :wink: +1 You will be surprised at what people will take when it's free. +2 on listing items on Craigslist under free section. Be specific about what you have, list what time it will be at curbside / end of driveway, give the address, then lo...

Microsoft Security Essentials work just fine for most. Also, wrong forum? Shouldn't this be in Consumer Issues?

I just read a short piece by Rob Arnott, entitled "Death of the Dollar". http://advisorperspectives.com/commentaries/research_121412.php The endgame is coming. It doesn’t matter who is in the White House or which party controls Congress; when the markets lose confidence in our currency, i...