Search found 1310 matches

by anil686
Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Interesting Price Differences For $4k Streaming Increases...
Replies: 10
Views: 1686

Re: Interesting Price Differences For $4k Streaming Increases...

(let's ignore for the moment that I at least have a bit of a hard time telling the difference between 4K upscaled material vs 4K native streaing!) Actually, that is relevant to your topic, so let's go ahead and discuss it for a moment. It's not just you. It's human physiology. RTings has a pretty good article discussing viewing distances, TV size, and resolution. I had in the past done some research on my own relying on research papers on the average capabilities of the human eye and can confirm this article is well founded and accurate: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/by-size/size-to-distance-relationship The short of it is that if you set up your TV for a common 30 degree viewing angle that balances immersion with the ability to take i...
by anil686
Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard just won't stop sending me paper mail
Replies: 36
Views: 3798

Re: Vanguard just won't stop sending me paper mail

This happened to me circa 2016. I did everything the OP said, I still got statements. I did what I should have done long earlier - I messaged them through the website and complained about them not honoring my settings for e-statements citing environmental and theft concerns. I received a message less than 48 hours later apologizing and have not received a paper statement from them since. I would recommend writing them through secure message - should not be necessary but was for me…. Hope it helps….
by anil686
Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you have done differently if you could go back and restart your financial journey?
Replies: 68
Views: 5595

Re: What would you have done differently if you could go back and restart your financial journey?

Found this forum 10 years earlier than I did or read Mr. Bogle’s books 20 years earlier than I did fwiw…. Seriously that would have changed my outlook and understanding on my financial journey….
by anil686
Sat Feb 24, 2024 4:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resident physician nearing the end and with debt
Replies: 48
Views: 5230

Re: Resident physician nearing the end and with debt

A couple of points - Would rent x 1-2 years as others have said until you know it is the right fit. Everybody (including myself) believes their first job is going to work out - we all as physicians hope they do -but the data does not support that. I found I did not understand the business of the practice well enough when I joined and then moved before being a partner in the practice. I wish I would have rented at that time (nearly 20 years ago now). My spouse also stayed at home for a decade while I started my practice and I worked heavy hours especially at the beginning. I was pretty tired and had a 30 min commute (Half of yours). I felt worn down and tired all the time. My wife was busy with the kids all day. I was not the best life partn...
by anil686
Sat Feb 10, 2024 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: REIT INDEX
Replies: 14
Views: 1932

Re: REIT INDEX

IMO the right reason to hold a REIT is if you feel the economic impact of real estate is not properly reflected in TSM (publicly traded) since most commercial real estate is privately held. I’m not saying that is a good reason to hold it above market weight but it makes logical sense that can allow you to hold it a fixed percentage for a long time due to the reasoning behind it. I do not overweight REITs but when I read Rick Ferri’s book many years ago (I think about 15 years ago) on asset allocation, I started holding REITs as 5% of my overall portfolio, about 6 years ago, I transitioned to just a 3 fund portfolio as I thought the complexity was not worth it to me. Hope it helps…..
by anil686
Thu May 18, 2023 5:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bogle on "Factor Funds"
Replies: 264
Views: 13005

Re: Bogle on "Factor Funds"

One of the things that Bogle mentioned as a motivation for offering the Vanguard Value Index and Value Growth Index fund, was an idea that people should invest in growth during the earning years and shift to value during retirement. I don't know if this idea makes any sense at all, although Burton Malkiel, interviewed in the latest Rational Reminder podcast , said And let me give you an example of where it might make sense. Certainly, for an accumulator, for someone in their 20s, 30s, 40s saving for retirement, I want you in a broad-based index fund. But let's say you're in retirement now. It might be that having a portfolio that's tilted a bit more toward the value and dividend growth part of the market might very well make sense. But I h...
by anil686
Thu May 18, 2023 5:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying a Tesla
Replies: 101
Views: 8575

Re: Buying a Tesla

What specifically attracts you to the Tesla. The autopilot suite is very similar to other cars and FSD is not ready for prime time. You can get the enhanced autopilot features from Ford without an additional fee and same with some other models (parallel parking help, etc). IMHO, I would wait for 6 mos to a year - you will see a bunch of newer models coming out and I would wait if you could until mid 2024 to make a decision. By that time, you should have a decent idea about the offerings from some other manufacturers. Full disclosure - I own a Chevy bolt, Ford Mach E and a Tesla Model 3….
by anil686
Sat May 13, 2023 6:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Berkshire vs Index Investing?
Replies: 73
Views: 9405

Re: Berkshire vs Index Investing?

I hold BRK B mainly for the discounts during NFM days during the shareholder meetings. I have done that for years and I normally save 10% or so on furniture or bigger ticket items. I think BRK is more diversified than a typical single stock and I think they have excellent management. That being said, the rest of my holdings domestically are in TSM. If you read their annual reports and watch their annual meetings (they should get an A+ for transparency btw) - it has been clear for years that they are having trouble finding great opportunities because of their size. The last several years, they have been doing well with market fluctuations and being opportunistic IMO with struggling industries to find their opportunities. That is very differe...
by anil686
Sat May 13, 2023 5:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard active beats index recent article
Replies: 54
Views: 4859

Re: Vanguard active beats index recent article

this fund has always been one of their best funds IMO as an active fund. I agree with everybody else in this thread - VG’s active funds typically are very good because they are low cost. This fund reminds me of the growthy American Funds versions. They are all really good in a tax advantaged account. But due to distributions, pardon my French, they suck due to their ST and LT cap gain distributions in a taxable account. You can check out the post tax returns on distributions and it is pretty much like VTI…. JMO though….

If you compare it with a large cap growth index fund (like VUG ETF), it lags post distributions significantly which you would expect over the past 10 years due to growth>Value for the past 10 years…..
by anil686
Sat May 13, 2023 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amazon One Medical offer
Replies: 49
Views: 4824

Re: Amazon One Medical offer

OP Here. Thank you all for fairly informative replies. I was aware of privacy issue in their disclaimer and NPR story. But I am not concerned about that. But I would not like an NP when I specifically want a certified doctor. However I don't know how this is different from the traditional places that are pushing NPs. I had an appointment with an Ortho (hand & shoulder specialist) for a sever pain my my hand. I assumed (wrongly :oops: ) that I will see the doctor. Well a nurse comes in - I was not on doctor's schedule. I should have made a stink - but Ortho is a friend of a family member and it would have been more drama. While he is rated consistently top 10 Ortho in his area, there was a sort of a misdiagnosis (not relevant to the dis...
by anil686
Fri May 12, 2023 6:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mega Cap Tech Stocks
Replies: 37
Views: 3364

Re: Mega Cap Tech Stocks

I think of myself as a Boglehead and three fund it (except for TDF in a 401K/IRA that I adjust for bond totals to match how much bonds I want in my portfolio). I want to say I agree with your approach in the taxable account and I would not change a thing. Please read John Bogle's "Bogle on Mutual Funds" Chapter 12 - On Taxes. I think that will help you in two respects. A) the tax drag of a large cap growth fund (that is all mega cap growth is) will be less than TSM or small cap value. B) The overall return of a large cap growth index is likely to approximate the market over long holding periods. Yes, there will be some underperformance at times and some overperformance at times (which you recently experienced), but overall, it wil...
by anil686
Mon May 08, 2023 7:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla Model Y
Replies: 133
Views: 16020

Re: Tesla Model Y

When I price this out....you get one year of enhanced connectivity services (or smoothing similar). What exactly do you lose after that ends? I'm trying to get a sense of ongoing costs. Tessa doesn't have CarPlay or Android Auto so how does that play out? You lose: in-car streaming connectivity (web browser, youtube, built in apple music and spotify, etc); live-traffic display on navigation. You retain: all the apps - you can use all the above them with your mobile hotspot; full navigation functionality including live routing WITH traffic considered... it simply doesn't display the colored traffic lines. I've used Carplay and Android auto on other cars, rentals, etc. The multimedia experience with Tesla's 15" screen, responsiveness, a...
by anil686
Sun May 07, 2023 2:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years
Replies: 295
Views: 18339

Re: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years

And even if you are in that cohort, it you look around the market and desire higher expected returns you can still use CAPE to drive allocation decisions. No guarantee it will work, but the relationship between valuation/return still makes it a pretty good bet over longer horizons. Doesn't matter what you desire. You get what you get. Work longer or save more. That's what you can control. And no, the point is that the relationship between valuation/return for the past 30 years has proven it's NOT a pretty good bet. You have less money today because you started overweighting to International back in 2014. This is a fact. You still have enough money, you still got good enough returns that you are in fine shape, and you don't regret your deci...
by anil686
Sun May 07, 2023 2:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: AMEX Plat - 150,000 points
Replies: 23
Views: 3626

Re: AMEX Plat - 150,000 points

I have had this card for a couple of years…. I like it but I too have a difficult time with the points - not a great redemption value IMO. It does have auto upgrades and lots of benefits for the Amex Fine Hotels group. For that, you typically get a very competitive price (similar to Costco when I book), auto upgrade to the next best room, breakfast for two included, a $100 “gift” from the resort (typically a food and beverage credit but can be an actual gift). Also has nice benefits for Hilton and Marriott hotels but the key is you cannot use Amex travel website to book the room even though you get rewards points for doing so. By doing it through their website, you get the Amex points but all the hotel perks that come with status are not re...
by anil686
Sun May 07, 2023 11:23 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: No Love for VT/VTWAX?
Replies: 49
Views: 6440

Re: No Love for VT/VTWAX?

Another related question. Why doesn’t Vanguard use it for the equity portion of their TDFs? Just supposition - but I think it may be due to the need to rebalance the TDFs during periods of time with significant market volatility. This could lead to funds in and out of VT/VTWAX frequently and in larger sums. Something similar happened with TBM so they created various TBM classes if I recall right (this was many years ago) to handle the rebalancing in TDFs. Probably the AUM of VTI/VXUS is significantly higher than VT/VTWAX. Just a guess though so rebalancing is much easier with those 2 vs VT. As to your point above - I use VT in all my retirement accounts with VTIAX. I only hold domestic equities in my taxable account. The FTC did not offset...
by anil686
Fri May 05, 2023 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you tip at Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts?
Replies: 206
Views: 18173

Re: Do you tip at Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts?

typically if it is for a basic drink/no modifications and to go (i.e. disposable cup) with no expectation of wait staff service - no. At Dunkin, if it is just for donuts/coffee without modifications - no. If I am with my daughter or spouse who has 2 pumps of X, an extra shot, soy or oatmilk all as modifications - I typically tip a bit since 10% on $5.00 is fifty cents and their order process/work flow has been adjusted to some extent by this order. If I am at Dunkin and placing a large order when family is in town - i.e. a couple of dozen assorted donuts, 100 munchkins with adjustments to avoid jelly filled and chocolate (2 that are not wanted) and a bunch of drinks (let's say 8) - then I will tip 20%.... I do find the prompting for tipping...
by anil686
Fri May 05, 2023 1:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: S&P 500 P/E ratio
Replies: 311
Views: 18434

Re: S&P 500 P/E ratio

I don’t have a great unifying answer for you. From reading Bogle’s books and others, I kind of surmise that the drop in dividend yields also play a big part in this. It would make sense that if you are not paying out dividends as much and reinvesting those in the company or buying back shares, that is going to increase the valuation of the company. My guess - and it is only that - is the drop in dividend yield corresponds with the increase in price. There are other guesses as well - QE and thus inflated asset prices, more broad based investment in the market via 401K plans/retirement accounts that became popular in the 1980s that are continuing to push up prices, fundamental changes in our economy/way of life where tech is so central leadin...
by anil686
Fri May 05, 2023 9:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Value tilting?
Replies: 30
Views: 2980

Re: Value tilting?

TSM shades towards LCG - pretty undeniable considering the style boxes on M*. Admit I haven't looked at the data. Are you suggesting that they aren't tracking the index or that the index is constructed incorrectly? No - they are following the free float cap weighted index. In the M* style boxes, for large cap (since it is large cap dominated fund) the style box looks like: LCV: 14 Blend: 26 Growth: 31 Overall: Blend 39 (all cap), Growth 38 (all cap), Value 23 (all cap) JMO but suspect it is just valuations of the growth companies in the index…. In order to be something like 24/24/24 large cap weighting btw value, blend and growth - there would need to be some other parameters for weighting outside of just market cap…. Could be anything - d...
by anil686
Fri May 05, 2023 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla Model Y
Replies: 133
Views: 16020

Re: Tesla Model Y

I love my model 3 and think the Y is a great deal right now. That being said, I am not sure if I would buy a Y now or wait for a bit. There are a lot of alternatives that are coming up that are probably going to be really good. The Mach E is a solid alternative. ID4 is as well but with less range. The big advantage of the Y is the charging network. Short of that, I do like the other cars better for a few reasons… 1). Build quality - the road noise in my 3 and my friend’s Ys are disappointing on the freeway. It is similar to a mid priced car even though the Tesla is priced (or has been priced) at a premium level. It is nothing like my Lexus 300 es hybrid I use to drive in terms of fit, finish, ride and road noise. If money is not that much o...
by anil686
Fri May 05, 2023 9:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Value tilting?
Replies: 30
Views: 2980

Re: Value tilting?

TSM shades towards LCG - pretty undeniable considering the style boxes on M*. That being said, I believe more than ever that behavioral issues play a larger role than segmenting equity decisions for myself. Probably true for most people as well. IOW, you should pick the AA that works for you and you can live with through thick and thin. For me, I acknowledge the shading towards LCG, but I stick to TSM only because I don’t want to be making decisions regarding contributing to Value over TSM or TSM over value periodically, annually, etc. And when I retire, I do not want to make decisions pulling out of one fund vs another fund, etc. I do value the simplicity of TSM. If value bothered me that much, personally I would probably still try to one ...
by anil686
Sun Apr 30, 2023 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Looking for another CC - Visa or MC: please advise
Replies: 9
Views: 1101

Re: Looking for another CC - Visa or MC: please advise

I think about this occasionally. I also go back and calculate at the end of the year to look at our cash back totals. Goal for us is 2% cash back. We use the Apple Card and Costco Visa. We shop at costco so it works for us but the Costco visa has 3% back on travel, dining and of course 2% back with Costco which jumps to 4 % if you are an executive member. You also get 5% back with costcotravel.com. We use Applecard anywhere that we cannot maximize Costco Visa especially if they use Apple Pay or some of their preferred merchants we tend to shop at (Nike, Ubereats). If I banked at BOA/Merrill, I would use their credit cards as stated above by another poster - I think that is the easiest and best cash back system I know of at this time…. Hope ...
by anil686
Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years
Replies: 295
Views: 18339

Re: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years

TBH, I think this topic has become really weird based on valuations and size in the market. We now have three markets IMO - Large Tech - FAANG, TSLA, NVDIA All with valuations north of 30 and TSLA at P/E of 50 and NVDIA at 80 and AMZN still not calculable but somewhere in the 200s Rest of TSM - just use the value index PE of 16 or so and maybe increase it by 1 so maybe 17? TISM - TSM minus large tech since 2008 is roughly TISM meaning VT = VTI - large tech or about 25% of VTI. The valuation gaps seen between TISM and TSM are almost completely explained as above where the heaviest weighted stocks in TSM are valued where they are. This leaves the conundrum for all of us - do we think Large Tech maintains these valuations going forward - or e...
by anil686
Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mintax Cost Basis vs Specific Identification Cost Basis
Replies: 23
Views: 3399

Re: Mintax Cost Basis vs Specific Identification Cost Basis

FYI - I have a self managed account and sold shares in a taxable account this week for a new vehicle purchase - normally since I use SpecID, I am use to clicking on the lots I want to sell to minimize the cap gains impact but VG had a min tax feature I could use. I wrote down what I would have done and came up with a general ballpark number and had VG do min tax - it was very similar. I think I am going to use that going forward with my spec ID in a taxable account as I found this helpful and easier than picking through many lots... just posting to get other's viewpoints and to let people know that it was available in self managed accounts....
by anil686
Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blown Gasket - Time for a new car? EV?
Replies: 41
Views: 3256

Re: Blown Gasket - Time for a new car? EV?

With a 30 mile total commute, I don't think you would need more than an L1 charger. You could use fast charging for road trips and of course use L2 at free places - malls, movie theaters, some grocery stores. With the tax credit, the elimination of maintenance costs for the car short of rotation of tires, you could have that car for many years even with battery degradation which is not bad and should not affect you with such a short range. JMO though...
by anil686
Sat Apr 29, 2023 11:13 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years
Replies: 295
Views: 18339

Re: AQR: International Diversification—Still Not Crazy after All These Years

TBH, I think this topic has become really weird based on valuations and size in the market. We now have three markets IMO - Large Tech - FAANG, TSLA, NVDIA All with valuations north of 30 and TSLA at P/E of 50 and NVDIA at 80 and AMZN still not calculable but somewhere in the 200s Rest of TSM - just use the value index PE of 16 or so and maybe increase it by 1 so maybe 17? TISM - TSM minus large tech since 2008 is roughly TISM meaning VT = VTI - large tech or about 25% of VTI. The valuation gaps seen between TISM and TSM are almost completely explained as above where the heaviest weighted stocks in TSM are valued where they are. This leaves the conundrum for all of us - do we think Large Tech maintains these valuations going forward - or ex...
by anil686
Mon Apr 24, 2023 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blown Gasket - Time for a new car? EV?
Replies: 41
Views: 3256

Re: Blown Gasket - Time for a new car? EV?

The most important thing is how much you drive a day. If it is less than 30-40 miles per day - you could charge your car with a L1 charger at home every night and be fine. If you drive much less than that per day - let’s say 20 miles per day - you could probably charge every other day and be fine with an L1 charger. What is hard (IMO) for non EV owners to understand is that EVs are fundamentally different than ICE cars. It is all about driving distance per day and the ability to charge your car. If you had choices of great phones that you use for let’s say for 30 minutes per day - and you could plug it in when you get home and pick it up in the morning and be fine - does it matter that you had to do that every night? Now, if you had to use ...
by anil686
Mon Apr 24, 2023 1:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How much International allocation is good insurance?
Replies: 251
Views: 18122

Re: How much International allocation is good insurance?

Not sure to the OP. I tend to agree that total international (if that is the OPs idea of diversification) is going to be top heavy in a cap weighted index with multinationals that - in their respective industries - will probably be similar to the US multinationals (oil/gas, consumer discretionary, consumer staples, communications) except for currency risk which may or may not be hedged based on your fund of choice. Thus I am not sure it makes a difference too much except in two cases - A) for some reason a number of large cap companies redomicile to another country a la the pharmaceutical companies of 2015 B). Reserve currency moves away from the dollar - In both those cases, obviously, US equities will go down and international equities wi...
by anil686
Sun Apr 23, 2023 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do I need an Apple desktop?
Replies: 55
Views: 5744

Re: Do I need an Apple desktop?

+3 on the Mac mini - I love it. We have bought a number for a small business a few years ago - they are really great and just like a Mac but without the monitor, keyboard or mouse - IOW like an old pc tower but in a small form factor. I prefer the apple keyboard and mouse - but YMMV - and there are usb hubs to plug keyboards/mice into….
by anil686
Sat Apr 22, 2023 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are there real benefits of attending an expensive college?
Replies: 245
Views: 18766

Re: Are there real benefits of attending an expensive college?

We (myself included) tend to focus on cost - not unreasonable. With college - fit is also important. Where your children feel most comfortable and are able to take advantage of all the opportunities colleges provide tend to be the best choices. If you are saving a lot but your son does not take advantage of the opportunities because the school is not the right fit (class sizes, individual attention vs group, etc) - it may not be a bargain. This is truly one decision that is more than cost - cost should be a part of it, but your kid’s personality and comfort at that school is also a huge part of it…. JMO though…. As far as you get what you pay for - not really tbh. There tends not to be anything special for expensive schools than less expens...
by anil686
Sat Apr 22, 2023 2:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bogle's view on ETF's
Replies: 61
Views: 5778

Re: Bogle's view on ETF's

In Bogle's time, mutual funds were more compatible with low-fee, long-term investing. Maybe for US based Vanguard investors. But definitely not a good general statement . I am a Canadian based investor and Canadian mutual funds are very well known as high-cost. Typical equity mutual fund MERs land in the 2.5% range. That's NOT a typo. Vanguard now has a presence in Canada via Vanguard Canada. Unfortunately for Canadian investors, Vanguard Canada only offers ETFs to retail investors, there are no Vanguard Canada mutual funds. Home | Vanguard Canada if you are interested in more details. Mutual funds - even a few years ago - are not low cost investments in general - index funds however were low cost and tax efficient. Bogle endorsed those. h...
by anil686
Thu Apr 20, 2023 8:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What would it take for International to come back?
Replies: 97
Views: 8869

Re: What would it take for International to come back?

I agree with Ned above…. A time like the early to late 1980s where the dollar fell significantly would help boost international in comparison to US stocks. The other 2 possibilities would be
A). Tech lagging the non tech broader market for a long time. That is not to say that big tech is a negative investment but just does not grow as fast as the rest of the market. FAANG tends to be the difference from 2007 to today for US vs international….
B). Big tech companies for whatever reason domiciling overseas instead of the US - like what we saw circa mid 2010s where companies moved from the US to international…..

I am sure there are other thoughts - those were the ones that popped into my head….
by anil686
Sun Apr 16, 2023 4:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good polo shirt brand that lasts
Replies: 37
Views: 4421

Re: Good polo shirt brand that lasts

I have had good success with both Lands End and Kirklands from Costco….
by anil686
Thu Apr 13, 2023 8:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternatives for New Tesla Model Y
Replies: 31
Views: 4333

Re: Alternatives for New Tesla Model Y

While many of these E-SUVs may be “available,” (i.e. on the market) good luck getting one. Mach-Es are still “custom order” only and dealers here have big markups on them. And I haven’t seen any of the new Hyundais or Kia’s anywhere in stock. Model Y is probably your best bet if you want to receive the car any time in the near future. This was my experience as well before ordering the Mach E. What was weird/ironic is that the markups were huge - then I placed my order on the Ford website and all of a sudden I had an influx of calls from dealers willing to sell me the Mach E for the price I was ordering it for from Ford. I did not need the car immediately but you are right - the markups were there until I ordered - then they were willing to...
by anil686
Thu Apr 13, 2023 5:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to motivate a non-working spouse? When you have lots of passive income
Replies: 16
Views: 1834

Re: How to motivate a non-working spouse? When you have lots of passive income

Not a good question IMO. Raising kids is really hard and having a spouse at home is a luxury. There are a lot of families who have two working adults in the household and almost everybody would tell you that it would be better if one were at home at times to help with the house, raising kids which is in itself a full time job. That being said, I am sure your spouse could get a job if they needed to in this market. but understand that asking them to work in a job that provides a sufficient amount of income is going to result in needing to open a whole lot of more issues than what you listed such as child care (especially when a kid is sick), events at the school that your spouse may participate in, after school taxiing/activities that will n...
by anil686
Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternatives for New Tesla Model Y
Replies: 31
Views: 4333

Re: Alternatives for New Tesla Model Y

I have a Model 3 and a Ford Mustang Mach E - the Mach E is similar as an SUV. I like it more than my model 3. Price wise - it is pricier than the Model Y at this time (ever since Elon did the price cuts). But it does have apple car play which is a vast improvement over the Tesla system (my biggest problem with the Tesla is that you cannot do group texting like you can with Apple CarPlay). Other than those 2, I am struggling to think of currently available SUVs with the range of the Y or the Mach E. If range is not an issue for you - i.e. limited driving - I believe the ID4 is pretty nice but has a range that is much shorter than the Y and the Mach E so did not test drive it. Hope it helps…
by anil686
Thu Apr 13, 2023 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VTI alternative to hold in Roth IRA to not mess up TLH?
Replies: 15
Views: 1335

Re: VTI alternative to hold in Roth IRA to not mess up TLH?

JMO but I think a large cap ETF would be fine - essentially similar performance to a SP500 fund which is similar to total market fund. At VG, the ETF VV would be fine IMO and should not be a common TLH partner with anybody - JMO though. You could also do the Megacap ETF (MGC) from VG - that would also work IMO…. Hope it helps….
by anil686
Wed Apr 12, 2023 5:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investment Advice For Middle Aged Man
Replies: 28
Views: 4006

Re: Investment Advice For Middle Aged Man

JMO - but I would get him the Little Book of Common Sense Investing by Bogle and let him read it…. He can then make his own decisions about investing with respect to risk and goals. This will also help him in 10 years when he reaches his goal - in better understanding how to invest. The book is pretty short and fairly direct - and if he is interested (which it sounds like he is) in understanding investing - he will knock it out over a w/e. JMO though…
by anil686
Tue Apr 11, 2023 5:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need tire recommendation
Replies: 75
Views: 4527

Re: Need tire recommendation

+2 for TireRack - they are now owned by discount tire and if you buy from them - they can ship it to your discount tire for an installation. My Discount Tire typically does not have a wide selection of run flats (I have no spare) so I typically use Tire Rack and ship it there….
by anil686
Sun Apr 09, 2023 5:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: INVEST for Amex by Vanguard & "Personal Advisor"
Replies: 9
Views: 1742

Re: INVEST for Amex by Vanguard & "Personal Advisor"

+3 - I would pursue VG through VG at lower cost for the same service and programs. I have no problem with the PAS advice as I think an investor’s biggest enemy can be their own emotions and PAS may help with staying the course which (again IMO) can offset their fees for poor market timing and rash investor behavior. I do think the program with Amex is a good one for somebody who ordinarily would be investing with an adviser charging 1% AUM in a non Boglehead way - but that does not seem to be you…. JMO though….
by anil686
Sun Apr 02, 2023 9:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents with kids in colleges? What does it take?
Replies: 129
Views: 14230

Re: Parents with kids in colleges? What does it take?

After going through this process - I agree with Watty wrt: 1). Try to avoid putting pressure if possible. Many kids who are being raised in high achieving households (parents wise) will strive to be that. No additional pressure or reminders are typically necessary in my experience as they are already thinking about those things but not verbalizing them. I found just having open ended discussions where our approach was what could we do to help in regards to school, activities, etc. Or what was needed by them - sometimes it was nothing more than breakfast on a Saturday morning to talk about things - sometimes dating, sometimes band or sports, sometimes class work. Just listening was key - and being an active/engaged listener. Not necessarily ...
by anil686
Sun Apr 02, 2023 9:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Costco vs AAA car buying services
Replies: 23
Views: 8356

Re: Costco vs AAA car buying services

I have used Costco buying service for a Honda Pilot in 2009, A Lexus 2014, A Lexus 2015 and a Honda CRV 2018. IMO - they are really good as the price is a fixed price relative to invoice. Not all dealers participate but it is pretty seamless. I have seen less of a utility for the costco pricing for Toyota RAV4 Hybrid in 2020 and a Chevy Bolt in 2019. Maybe because we have a ton of dealerships in the DFW area, the Costco price seemed to be the going price in the area for us. I think all the dealers know the costco price since it is a percentage or fixed price above or below invoice - so in competitive markets, I think the prices will be near there - JMO though….
by anil686
Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kitchen appliance questions
Replies: 20
Views: 2528

Re: Kitchen appliance questions

Hope this helps but remodeled in 2018… 1). Not much difference in the brands - we chose Bosch because the quality ratings in Consumer Reports which I do not use as much today due to hard to find accurate analysis of specific models of products had Bosch, Cafe (GE line) and Kitchen Aid near each other. However, I had a Bosch dishwasher in the past and loved it - and love the current one I have so we went that route…. 2). Our realtor (fwiw and it may be worth nothing), said to not mix and match for future selling of the house. They made a point of discussing how the stainless could look slightly different from one brand to the next and how buyers seem to like matching of the brands. I personally never cared one way or the other when we bought...
by anil686
Sat Apr 01, 2023 9:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Everything in Vanguard?
Replies: 19
Views: 3031

Re: Everything in Vanguard?

SVB went under. Charles Schwab is under pressure. Who knows what crazy things will happen in the future. While Vanguard is one of the strongest firms, I am putting majority of my assets in: Fidelity -> easy to use, very convenient Vanguard -> solid Merrill Edge -> for the bank of america preferred rewards Does the Schwab pressure (not a Schwab customer full disclosure) affect securities held there? I thought it was the bank - sure the whole firm is hurt by it but I think moving ETFs from one custodian to another is very different than moving money from one bank to another. Am I missing something? IOW, aren’t the Schwab customer securities held separately and no matter what is happening with the firm should be able to be moved in kind to an...
by anil686
Fri Mar 31, 2023 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Costco meat worth it?
Replies: 79
Views: 16062

Re: Is Costco meat worth it?

I think it is in general. They have generally the best price on ground beef (85/15) that I find (again it is 1.33 pounds per package - 3 pack is 4 pounds) when not on sale other places. As others have said, I think it is reasonable quality at a good price consistently. If you spend time looking for sales, you can beat their price and/or quality. It comes down to the effort to do so. The nice thing about some of their meats is that they are in freezer safe packaging already allowing us to buy packs and keep them in the freezer.

I second the comment on the egg whites, milk and butter. All three have been amazingly priced at Costco versus other retailers recently IMO….
by anil686
Wed Mar 29, 2023 8:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are ETFs Just Plain Superior To Mutual Funds?
Replies: 139
Views: 15861

Re: Are ETFs Just Plain Superior To Mutual Funds?

I prefer MF only for automation of investing every paycheck. Other than that, I consider them pretty equivalent with VG. TBF, I only use broad market index funds so there may be instances of ETFs or MF in speciality situations that are better for that….
by anil686
Sun Mar 26, 2023 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Boglehead Opinions on the Vanguard Core Bond Fund
Replies: 4
Views: 1235

Re: Boglehead Opinions on the Vanguard Core Bond Fund

After reading arcticpineapplecorp's post, the question then becomes, is the higher return of VCOBX due to the astute active management decisions, or is it because they are dealing with higher risk bonds with lower credit quality. I don't think it would be a big mistake to use VCOBX, but you should be aware of things like credit quality and duration before purchase. Regards, 100%. I would add that investors may want to look under the hood so to speak on bond funds to see what the duration really is and whether that matches up to the investor's own expectation of intermediate or medium term. For example, total bond has a maturity (at least of a couple of weeks ago) in the 8.5-9 year range with an average duration of 6-7 years. That might be ...
by anil686
Sun Mar 26, 2023 8:54 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 4 Fund Performance?
Replies: 2
Views: 403

Re: 4 Fund Performance?

Here is the Vanguard information on such portfolios (US only) historically with ranges of returns over the decades... They also have investor education (and tons of threads on this forum)re: international investing both stocks/bonds and ranges of percentages for your portfolio... https://investor.vanguard.com/investor-resources-education/education/model-portfolio-allocation I have not seen any general information long term on it but to get a pretty decent idea of long term performance - the Lifestrategy funds have been there for many years now with a significant international holding and I have a link to that too - hope it helps. It is not perfect because they have tinkered with the LS funds for years (Total international was not the same b...
by anil686
Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity's Total Stock Market Index fund?
Replies: 24
Views: 3494

Re: Fidelity's Total Stock Market Index fund?

CletusCaddy wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:54 pm
dukeblue219 wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:49 pm
CletusCaddy wrote: Sat Mar 25, 2023 12:42 pm FZROX has crushed VTSAX since inception. Turns out there is a way to build a better mousetrap
Uh, citation needed....
Ask and ye shall receive
https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/fun ... mark=VTSAX
Is there a way to calculate after tax performance (on distributions)? Just wondering if the impact of capital gains impacts the result any…. Agree in a tax advantaged account….
by anil686
Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The One-Fund Portfolio as a default suggestion
Replies: 872
Views: 234940

Re: The One-Fund Portfolio as a default suggestion

I don't get why Vanguard (or Schwab, or Fidelity, or ...) doesn't introduce a single fund emulating the 3-Fund Portfolio, in a 60/40 A.A. and maybe a 40/60 one for retirees. They want you to use their robot service. This goes for Schwab, Fidelity, E-trade, etc... Lawrence of Suburbia and Blue456, Vanguard already provides such a single all-in-one fund. It's the LifeStrategy Moderate Growth fund (VSMGX). It has a 60/40 stocks/bonds allocation. It behaves similartly to Taylor Larimore's Three-Fund Portfolio (when using a similar allocation), but it adds international bonds (with currency hedging to eliminate the impact of currency fluctuations). Even though it isn't perfectly identical, it's good enough . I'm surprised that you missed the re...
by anil686
Sat Mar 25, 2023 7:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla (or EVs in general) - real-world inconveniences?
Replies: 139
Views: 13452

Re: Tesla (or EVs in general) - real-world inconveniences?

I have a Model 3 and a Mach E and I do not find any inconveniences IMO. Charge both at home - have a L2 charger for one and a standard wall outlet for the other and depending on charge rotate the spots in the garage to charge as needed. Had a Bolt before both of those. As others have pointed out - the most important thing to know is your driving distance (literal) every day. Not how much time it takes but the literal distance and if it less than 30 miles per day driven - you can probably easily get by with an L1 charger. For longer road trips you can fast charge/supercharge. I found it a lot more inconvenient to stop for gas previously on my way to work or my way coming home than it is to charge. JMO though...