Bogleheads.org

I recall reading in Emily Post years ago that if she breaks the engagement, she returns the ring. If he breaks it, she gets to keep the ring. Now I will contemplate for a moment why only women receive engagement rings. Law and etiquette no doubt differ on this subject (as they do often, of course)....

I've been wanting to try the cello recently, but I've been thinking it might be too costly to try at the moment. Any ideas about finding an inexpensive cello? I've known a lot of people who have been attracted to learning the cello as an adult because of it's tonal beauty. Unfortunately, it's a bea...

Mario Williams, Buffalo Bills defensive end, spent $785,000 for a 10.04 carat diamond ring for his fiancee. She decided to end the engagement and refuses to return the ring. Ouch! http://blog.chron.com/ultimatetexans/2013/05/mario-williams-sues-to-get-his-engagement-ring-back/ A gift given in conte...

I don't have empirical proof to back this up, but I think it's better to start with a chord-based instrument (piano, guitar, harp) than a melodic instrument (violin, horn, etc.). The piano is probably the most versatile of these, and will open up a lot of other instruments if the kids want that. For...

Basically, we're 4 months into a 12 month year and fewer than 4 months into the sequester. I think that unless there is a real emergency, moving things around a bit and waiting to see how everything goes makes more sense than making a permanent and irrevocable decision about retirement savings, esp...

ObliviousInvestor wrote:If I were in your position, I would do it. Having fewer bills is a nice thing.

Thanks for the reply!

I can't get this notion out of my head, so I'm hoping you guys will help disabuse me of it. I'm 34, make somewhere north of $100K/yr, somewhat consistently max out both my TSP and my Roth, and have around $150K saved in retirement accounts. About $30K of that is in a Roth IRA that is arranged as a 3...

I've generally found that the optimal solution is to (1) go to either Michael's or Hobby Lobby (with coupons, of course, most of which are available always and on your iphone or computer or whatever), (2) have them measure your poster/picture/painting for matting, (3) pay for custom matting that wil...

And when you say The good news is that his advice is relatively benign even when bad. Someone out there will learn a hard lesson, but that's always going to be true." do you really want to take such a harsh view? At least the people on the BH forum aren't looking to lead naive investors astray...

2. After reading MMM, I bought a bread machine. Couldn't be happier (though by this date I am not sure I've reached the pay-off point.) Now that I have started visiting MMM's web site, I noticed that he is advocating a no/low-carbohydrate diet, which makes a bread machine quite useless. Victoria Ye...

As someone who has read MMM a number of times but would consider myself neither a "fan" nor a "detractor," I'll offer the following observations: 1. After reading MMM, I was inspired to drink more boxed wine. Fantastic decision. 2. After reading MMM, I bought a bread machine. Cou...

Congrats, aainvestor, but your princess is in another castle!

My sisters and I were confronted with the question of a feeding tube for my mother as her health declined precipitiously. Our immediate reaction was that we would not let our mother starve to death. After talking with friends with experience caring for elderly patients, we learned that patient not ...

(although starting with "Dreaded" is a step in the right direction - maybe if they could scientifically tie it to "Dread Pirate Roberts", like so "Dread Pirate Top Sudden Death Stop". I would definitely sell if I knew a "Dread Pirate Top Sudden Death Stop" wa...

This is somewhat off-topic but it is a related issue with profound financial consequences. In law school I had the privilege of working in an elder-law clinic and we drafted lots of POAs, healthcare POAs, and living wills for people. The end-game for dementia-related conditions can be very, very bad...

My father was well ahead of me by my age. He passed along his frugal ways, but I think there's a major difference generationally: as a baby-boomer, he was able to pass easily into upper-middle management with only a bachelor's degree in English with a minor in philosophy; as a gen-x/y-er, I found th...

With a little web searching, I think I sussed out the issue here. The letter of the law from the Homeowner's Protection Act (HPA) only requires "original value", as listed above. However, Freddie and Fannie added the option of using "current value" (as shown by an appraisal). If...

Conventional PMI is much easier to cancel. You are allowed to cancel when you fall below 80% LTV, either due to market conditions or prepayment. Be careful here. I have PMI on my current mortgage, but it cannot be cancelled due to market conditions or improvements that add value. My PMI agreement s...

I am not wealthy, so please feel free to disregard this, but I am a lawyer who has worked with a lot of wealthy (and formerly wealthy) people. Here is my advice.... $50 million just about requires "getting rich quickly." It's fine if you want to try to do that. However, while pursuing that...

avalpert wrote:That isn't what the most current research shows - money buys happiness all the way up the income ladder: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23231724

This is interesting. Thank you.

My girlfriend and I are currently in therapy together. The ONE topic of conversation the therapist talks about the whole time? Ending our constant need to try to make the other person just like us. As in, if we assume that the other person is NOT going to change to meet our desires, what would that ...

I think the numerous studies of happiness are instructive here, but not in the way you might think. Although those studies suggest that some material support is necessary for happiness, they say that you sort of "max out" around the $70,000 a year mark. That is, money can buy you happiness...

(I'm replying here in part just to see if I can't bump your thread to the top to get some attention.) Do you get any 401K match at work? This will help folks here determine how much faster that will grow than anything you might add to a Roth IRA. I am by no means an expert, but you're obviously doin...

It's by no means empirical, and I would hesitate to call it unbiased, but this fellow did an experiment on Lending Club with positive results: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/09/24/the-lending-club-experiment/ http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2013/02/03/the-lending-club-experiment-four-months-late...

As you know, the G fund is a principal-protected fund. Its current rate is 1.5%, which very low compared to corporate stable-value funds, although G has a somewhat greater overall safety. Given your age, I really wouldn't try to guess the bond market. Your fixed-income allocation is relatively smal...

I'm just going to bump this thread one last time to see if anyone has thoughts about the G-Fund issue. I may post it later as an independent question along the lines of, Does the G-Fund offer protection from what is often perceived as a problematic next five or ten years for bond funds; if so, shoul...

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:Time to rotate into International.....

Well, she is originally Ukrainian...

All of which is to say, I wouldn't stress too much over the I Fund. All that being said, if you ever wind up splitting out your TSP funds for whatever reason, then you might as well leave the I Fund out of it, and perhaps boost G Fund since your other accounts will of course not have the G Fund if ...

2. I have no idea what your G Fund is. Is it a fixed income fund? Government bond fund? But again, whether the Spartan bond fund or your G fund will perform better is anyone's guess. The general line of thinking that I have seen is that the outlook for bond funds is not great, but you have them the...

Hello friends, this is my first "portfolio review" question, so be gentle. I am pretty confident about most of my situation, but I have fairly specific questions regarding the right blend of stuff. For that reason, I'm not giving ALL of the normal info, but I'm happy to add if needed. Age:...

Hi, read through the posts here, and I have seen similar comments from elsewhere. My question is whether you posters here would maintain similar sentiments if the law school in question is either Yale, Harvard or Columbia (full ride)? Like the OP, my D is also making the transition, from a well pai...

Yikes. This thread has gotten pretty anti-law. I too am somewhat anti-law, but I went to law school and am actually fairly happy about that. I did three years in biglaw and hated it, but now I work for the government and love it. (For the record, I felt like I won the lottery when I got my job, so I...

Another point of view - as an alternative to purchasing an expensive super safe vehicle, consider cutting the amount of driving you have to do. This is not always possible, but may be incredibly cost effective as well as less dangerous. You also have more time, which is priceless. http://www.mrmone...

Serious question: Do folks still agree with the "free lunch" phenomenon discussed in this video? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXnbxLtRhrU&feature=player_embedded (from the Bogleheads investment philosophy series). My assumption has been that you can actually maximize the risk/return ...

After seeing that video with the building that toppled over, it makes me wonder if those empty cities aren't merely Potemkin villages. In other words just facades or shells. Hollywood sets. What's so strange about China is that the country almost requires a new metaphor outside of "Potemkin vi...

Another way of looking at it: You have $130K in taxable accounts, most of which is presumably invested in equities (this could be wrong -- unclear from the post except that it's not in bonds). While that money could earn you more than the interest rate on those loans, there are a lot of people out t...

To echo someone above, one of the best/easiest life changes I ever made was to switch to black coffee. For one, it means that much of what you drink is free (at the office, at various functions, etc.). But, perhaps more importantly, it symbolizes the most important notion of frugality: that you can ...

I have a similar problem: I love fine acoustic guitars. The problems are similar because (1) there really is a difference in high/low quality options, (2) there are limitless variations that one can pursue, and (3) the difference between the high and the very high is esoteric at best and unknowable ...

My definition of a RBD has nothing to do with the markets because I know they will eventually come back. I'm thinking more along the lines of something like when the wife is on a tear, and nothing I do pleases her. Sure, but that raises the question of what is the frequency of RBDs in your househol...

I had a friend who did this and she was not particularly bothered while doing it, but after she stopped she was frustrated that it was seemingly impossible to get off of their call list. They would literally call her every other week. My guess (and her guess) was that there was just something wrong ...

I currently pay $2,800/month to my student loans. .... I have 4 private student loans (all variable rates) as follows: $8,407.89 @ 5.46% $29,554.22 @ 3.16% $20,361.05 @ 3.16% $14,380.95 @ 4.16% Can you clarify this just a bit? First, are you required to pay $2,800 per month or are you just overpayi...

I'm 34 and cautiously optimistic. I agree with everyone that the current environment appears to be a good time to be early in the "contribution phase." My biggest fear is that, to channel Ginsberg, I've seen the best minds of my generation saddled with student-loan debt. Literally all of t...

The band I'm taking the girls to is Tegan and Sara. They are very big in Canada, and always sell out when them come to New York. Although I'm sure I will be the oldest guy in the auidence, their music is really good. I like Tegan and Sara as well, but $241 a ticket to see them is just nuts in my mi...

No comments or suggestions, but congratulations!

I am a regular concertgoer and also an occasional cheapskate. Here's what I have found, in no particular order: 1. This may be a problem of location for you. I live in a very concert-friendly city where you can see great acts in clubs (for $25 and less) or mid-sized venues (for around $50). If that'...

I have lived in New York and I know what you mean. Keep in mind, however, that the "relative" analysis you're doing works both ways: although there are some very high highs in NYC, there are some very low lows. It sounds like you're doing great and will continue to do so assuming you don't...

As someone who is several years older than you but still salivating at your accumulated wealth, I'd say that yes, you can probably afford it. That said, permit me to offer this bit of patronizing advice: please be careful about the "perfect neighborhood, perfect school zone" stuff. If they...

My girlfriend "encouraged" me to adopt a stray that was hanging around her house. I have found that my microfiber couch is surprisingly good at both not attracting her attention and hiding the scratch marks when she does scratch. You might look into this.

I read the NY Times editorial this weekend and thought it was garbage, despite the fact that I agree with her political point (I do NOT want to diverge into politics here). That said, I think we're running into the age-old problem of describing individual dynamics vs. group dynamics. Saving on the p...

I work in an office full of intelligent, highly educated lawyers. Despite degrees that most people would salivate over, many of these folks have no idea what TSP funds they are invested in. When pressed, they will just say, "Whatever the default is." Some of these people realize that the d...