Bogleheads.org

Yes, the Taurus brand is still in its infancy and for true enthusiasts, it will probably never compare to the tried and trues within the industry. It's made in Brazil but has some sort of corporate representation in FL (not 100% sure of this). I purchased mine off a recommendation from a friend who ...

If your lawn is reflectively flat and you maintain your engine oil level and change it regularly you should not have an issue with a mower in the 1K - 1.5K range. Issues arise when there are significant inclines due to fact that mowers in this price range do not have an oil pump hence lack of lubri...

Home Depot sells an Ariens riding mower for $1k. Probably very adequate for your needs. They'll ship it for free. http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ariens-42-in-17-5-HP-6-speed-Riding-Lawn-Mower-960160027/203013179?N=c5c0#.UXVFV0qC3Tc Wow.... I had never heard of this brand before. Their consumer reviews ...

Big fan of the Taurus PT 740 Slim: http://www.taurususa.com/product-details.cfm?id=716&category=Pistol First 50 rounds were a bit uncomfortable as the grip didn't have a place for my pinky. Problem solved with an $8 extender: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0057IL8QK/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i01...

We have about 3/4 of an acre to mow so I'm finally biting the bullet and purchasing a riding lawn mower. Anyone have any good or bad experiences with a particular store or website? And what about brands? We're looking to try and stay as close to $1k as possible so if you have any specific recommenda...

The "what kind of wallet" thread got me thinking - what are some of your positive experiences with toiletry bags? My wife purchased me a personalized (my initials) leather toiletry bag from Pottery Barn recently. The leather was okay but the engraving was horrible. After five rounds of ema...

Spent 3 weeks there a few years back. Most notable memories: 1. Several casinos available with player-friendly rules (as compared to U.S.). For instance, playing Blackjack, they would let you split whenever you wanted, double whenever you wanted, and surrender whenever you wanted. If you know basic ...

Size/type of tree: Huge oak tree. Estimate 7-8 ft diameter. Also snapped three 36-inch diameter trees on the way down. Setting: Very rural Quotes: $1850 - cut up trees and completely remove them from the property $1200 - cut up trees and chip the wood on site, leaving a giant pile of chips $1000 - c...

Just wanted to close this thread with how everything ended up.... The contractors completed removed the tree and ground the stump into the ground so you can't even tell it was there. I wish there was a way to post pictures on here as the contractor sent me a photo of the root ball ---- my tenants es...

Two poor pieces of advice - switching out from a known mortgage payment to an unknown at that end of 5 years. :oops: If rates move higher, now the OP is up the creek with no job and a higher payment. No refi and no money to pay the mortgage when out of a job - not a good idea! I know lots of unempl...

Oh, and your math is not anywhere near correct. $430k at 3.625% 30yr fixed is $1961.02/month. $430k at 2.42% 5/1 ARM is $1681.19/month . So, only $280/month in actual interest savings, which the OP would not only lose the tax deduction for the same amount, but also forego the tax deduction for 401K...

Do it! It's probably not the correct answer from a pure mathematical standpoint (assuming the market gives positive returns and you have decent portion of your retirement funds in the market). I know market timing is not highly regarded on this board but what are your thoughts on where our economy i...

Are you local? If you are, I'd stop by the nieghbor's home and offer to have a look at the water heater with him. If the two of you can't figure it out together, suggest you head to Home Depot together to look for a new one and offer your assistance in installing the new one. Justification: You main...

We currently live across the country from our rental. Last month, a windstorm knocked a giant oak tree across the front edge of our property. It didn't damage any structures or the yard but it was BIG and left about a 4-ft hole where the root ball was pulled up. After having three companies give quo...

Thank you all for your different points of view.

Many great ideas were brought up and I will breach each idea with my friend. I'll update this thread in a month or so once action is taken.

Thanks again.

Q. How did I get such a low rate on a rental? A. Lots of research, time on the phone, and frustration after frustration. I had to call about 10 different lenders before I found one that looked past the "rental" aspect of my home (the first nine all offered reduced rates, nowhere near 3.25,...

Currently know someone who has $20k in cash in an IRA. Out of fear of losing the money by investing, they never did anything with the money except deposit it into the Roth and let it sit. I believe I have convinced them that over time, investing will result in greater gains than that of the simple i...

Hi Lulu, Although I am not near as knowledgeable as some on this board, I thought I'd add my personal experience: Original home was a 30 year fixed rate at 5% which was about $1650/month (including everything). I added an extra $125/month to principal. Only lived in the home for 18 months before mov...

We had the same situation a few years ago and decided to check Ikea out. Ended up with two Ikea desks that provide a huge amount of working space, two desk lamps, several magnetic boards that hang on the walls for papers/etc. and a bookcase. None of the furniture was solid built by any means but the...

My family was recently looking into the same category of vehicles. We narrowed it down to 2013 VW Passat TDI or a 2013 Legacy. We gave up on the Passat because of costs (cheapest we could get was high $20s). We were about to close on the Legacy (base model at $20,100) when we gave the Fusion a shot....

Three weeks ago we spotted an ad for the 2012 Ford Fusion SE on sale for $14,131 (which includes lots of different discounts which we did not qualify for). We qualify for all discounts with the exception of one which puts our price at $15,131 which is about $9k below MSRP. This ad piqued our interes...

Currently AD Navy on shore duty. In the middle of my 10th class towards my MBA at City University of Seattle. I wouldn't say the education has been outstanding by any means but I have learned a lot. Their classes are 10 weeks long and available online, hybrid, or in person. Reputation seems to be de...

My favorite stealership moment: Last vehicle was a 2003 Toyota Tacoma that I bought used in 2005. While at the Toyota dealership for my first oil change, they offered to "install" the OEM Toyota alarm system on my truck for a low low price of $250.Even though it piqued my interest, I said ...

$1366.12

My wife and I are looking to take one last vacation before we decide to settle down and start having kids. We've narrowed our choices to Vietnam, Scotland, and Peru (Machu Picchu). Due to the extent of hiking that I hope Machu Picchu includes, I think this is probably our best decision at our curren...

https://www.tenantscreeningreport.com/ I screened several tenants using the above site and I was very pleased with the results. It was approx. $30 per screening and the detailed information it provided was excellent. One of the nice features is that it does not require the landlord to take the SSN o...

Just completed a cross country move and our movers helped themselves to my entire sound system. It gave me the opportunity to start a new system from scratch. I spent appox. 4-6 weeks researching everything (av forums, amazon, top10, newegg, av mags, etc..). $1,000 was the budget I was trying to sta...

Mountain climbers Spider man push-ups Jump tucks Frog jumps Dive bombers Dips Bridges Planks Burpees Pull-ups Bicycles Combining them in to various workouts can give you an almost unlimited number of workouts when you vary which exercises with different sets/reps/order of exercise. Pyramid circuits ...

Thanks to ncounty, I called GMAC today and they were able to offer a VA streamlined loan for 30 yrs at 4.261% or a 15yr at 3.787%. Per the mortgage professor's calculator, that's only a 12 and 7 month payoff period for those loans (with $1500 in closing costs per GMAC). Even though the 15yr loan wil...

FINALLY!!! A topic that I feel like I can constructively contribute to. It's about time... By the sounds of it, you're throwing a typical college party where you have no idea who exactly will be showing up; it's one of those, spread the word to a few friends and they spread to their friends and so o...

Thank you all for the input.

Ncounty,
If you don't mind me asking, how much equity (percentage wise) do you have in the home you are refinancing? I ask because I have seen several loans which require 20% or greater.

Thanks again,
The donk

Hi, I purchased my first home in November of 2009 with a 30yr fixed rate at 5%. Our initial loan was a VA loan and it was for $257k. The loan is now owned by Bank of America (ugh...). The house would appraise for $265k(ish) and the current balance is $250k. Due to a military move, I now live across ...

We had a very similar problem on an older, french-door, style of fridge. The problem for us was the fridge door was not getting a perfect seal when closed. This allowed outside (warmer and more humid) air to enter the fridge and would result in the freezing. We had a repairman replace the seal and t...

Bought in 2005 --- A salvaged title 2003 Toyota Tacoma Ext Cab with TRD, SR5, 4x4, rear lockers, etc. etc. It had 28,xxx miles on it. I paid $15,000 for it. It's now at 112,xxx miles, no major maintenance needed, towed moving trailers across the U.S. twice, and amazingly, I'm still on the original s...

I expect that for a year or two after the Roth TSP introduction, the TSP Board will observe how it works. And then they may move to the next set of features. Victoria You pretty much hit the nail on the head, Victoria. I recently sat through a forum, presented by Gisile Goethe, a member of the Fede...

Yes, the lease is from the internet. I thought about having an attorney take a look but the cheapest (which says something for the quality...) was $250 just to look over it. Seemed a bit expensive when I hadn't explored other options (ie. this forum).
Thanks again for all of the responses.

All responders - Thank you for responses. They have thus far provided the much needed insight and experience that I was hoping to get. Natureexplorer- I disagree. The purpose behind my xx month lease is not for commission structure; it is for continuity of tenants. I believe approaching any rental a...

There was no specific counter-proposal. His main concern was if something happened to him at work and he was no longer able to pay the rent, despite his best efforts, he would still be held liable for the entire rest of the lease. Personally, I don't think the clause sounds unreasonable. However, I ...

Hi guys, First time starting a thread so please take it easy on me. I am moving across the country in 6 weeks and will be leasing out my house while away. I have found a tenant that I trust and am comfortable with. However, after looking over my lease, he had a few issues with a few of the clauses. ...

1. I've only been browsing this site for a few weeks now and wow.... it is an absolute gold mine! Is there any way to accredit this and issue me a MBA in finance after a few more years of reading? 2. One huge benefit to add to your list, OP. Many service members join the service after screwing aroun...