Bogleheads.org

Thanks, john, for the pointers. Sounds like talking to a CPA is a good idea.

We recently bought a house, and even after reading through the IRS codes I can't figure out how mortgage deduction limits work when you're renting a portion of your property and your mortgage amount is above $1 million. I'm trying to understand if it makes sense to pre-pay my mortgage or not. Any ad...

Hi everyone -- long time no post! We bought our first home 18 months ago. Surprise! We're now looking to move to another state for my wife's job. There's a lot of financial questions we have to wrap up pretty quickly as it's possible we'll be moved out of our house within 30 days. To complicate matt...

Bill Gates (Microsoft), Paul Allen (Microsoft), Ralph Lauren (Ralph Lauren), Richard Branson (Virgin), Larry Ellison (Oracle), Larry Page (Google), Michael Dell (Dell), Steve Jobs (Apple), Steve Wozniak (Apple), Jerry Yang (Yahoo), Kirk Kerkorian (developer), and Mark Zuckerberg (Facebook) seem to ...

If you think bonds are too expensive, you can buy assets that are less correlated with bond returns, like commodities. But you're definitely making a bet against the bond market if this is going outside of your existing investment plan.

Figured out what it is -- it appears that the Google Voice extension I installed was preventing the page from loading correctly. My Google Translate and Gmail extensions don't appear to cause any problems.

Which version of Chrome are you using? I'm using 5.0.375.125.

Whenever I go to Vanguard's website with Google Chrome, I only see the initial click-through screen and cannot log in. This is pretty annoying -- every other website that I use supports Chrome, and Chrome now has greater market share than Safari. Are other folks experiencing this? Is there anywhere ...

Most 529s have very large contribution limits - in the $200k-$300k range. Can you open up multiple 529s to work around this limit? ESAs have very low limits ($2k annually, and decreasing to $500 next year) and I kind of don't see the point for someone in your situation. You may not even qualify dep...

I know people that work at Google, so I think I can speak factually about this: - Google will remove any personal information about you from their own websites such as Blogger, Picasa, Street View, Maps, etc. when it's posted on your own account. - Google oftentimes will take down information about ...

My wife and I recently had a beautiful baby girl. We want to start a college savings fund for her. There's also the tiny possibility that we may want to send her to private school during her K-12 years. The schools in our neighborhood are rated very well, but you never know what will happen. We live...

If you're a quant jock with substantial finance background from a good school, you should get a job that's tied to actual money management. I went to UPenn for my undergrad, and I don't think I know a single engineering or finance major that ended up in a call center. If they went to finance compani...

1. The maximum loss is %100. Tens of thousands if not millions of investors experienced this magnitude loss in the 20% century when some equity markets totally collapsed, like Russia 1919. I would also wager the Russian bond market fell to zero and all private land was seized. So, where does that l...

I work for a large cap growth company. A substantial portion of my earnings are paid in bonuses, stock, and options. I am 28, so my lifetime earnings far outweigh the size of my current portfolio. I diversify a small portion of that risk away by being 30% SCV for domestic, and being 50% domestic / 5...

I think the form factor is great.

However, no Flash support is a really big deal. Maybe it will someday handle video via HTML5? If I can't stream "industry-standard" video, why wouldn't I hold out for a Windows or Chrome OS device that will surely support Flash?

I disagree that you can't forecast tax rates. If per capita deficit goes up in real terms, it will eventually need to go down or nobody will lend to the government. The cost of paying the deficit will either be paid through higher inflation that inflates away the real value of the debt (which hurts ...

Thanks guys, ordered the Transcend. Wasn't sure if it was going to be fast enough, but sounds like it is.

Great. I just ordered a Canon EOS XS, and decided I'd stick with the kit lens for now. Its kit lens has pretty good reviews on dpreview and Amazon. Now I'm looking for a flash card. Tempted to use my Sandisk Ultra 2 1 GB. Any idea how fast my card needs to be? I have a feeling I'll be shooting mostl...

I'm thinking I'm going to get the XS or XSi with kit lens (18-55 with IS, ok reviews), and pair it with this Tamron 18-200 without IS for situations where I have plenty of light. The Tamron costs <$300, and I don't think I'm comfortable paying $600-$850 for a image stabilized telephoto since I'm jus...

After doing my own research I'm leaning towards either the Canon Rebel EOS XSi or XS, and I may also buy a new lens to go with it. Ideally I'd like to use one lens on the camera so I don't have to change them out frequently. Any recommendations on a good 18mm/200mm with IS?

I already have a Canon SD600, which is fine for outdoor shots but isn't great for indoor, night shots, or moving targets. That's why I'm looking for a DSLR.

Thanks for all of your suggestions!

Any thoughts on Pentax or Olympus cameras? It seems their image stabilization is in the body rather than the lens, so the lenses are cheaper.

Hi all, My wife is going to deliver our first child in about 6 months, and we're going on a vacation in 2 weeks. I figured now is a great time for me to buy a DSLR so I can take some fun vacation shots on the beach and in nature, and also take lots of baby action shots down the road. I've been using...

Hi all, Who are some of the best direct or local lenders you have worked with? I live in the California Bay Area, and will likely make an offer on a house in the next 1-2 days. Currently I've been getting pre-approvals through aimloan, and I was definitely going to check with BofA and Wells Fargo. I...

Over the last 10 years, I myself have put together at least a dozen computers, ranging from small-form-factor PCs to home theater PCs, gaming PCs, and servers, both Intel and AMD. I've used chipsets from Intel, AMD, NVIDIA, and VIA. I've worked at a motherboard chipset company, video card company, a...

I would suggest that if you could use a Dell laptop for seven years and you were OK with it, you probably are not the heavy processing tools type. You can probably get by on much leaner hardware. I'd recommend buying an entry level desktop or laptop off the shelf. I assemble my own computers, but th...

I have been saving for a downpayment on a California Bay Area home in Vanguard's tax-exempt short term bond fund, which offers a yield of 1.12%. This tax exempt yield is equivalent to a taxable yield of 1.66% at my 33% bracket. It seems like the valuations of these bonds can't get much higher, but t...

You may also want to consider an inflation-indexed annuity. Granted it won't offer you a guaranteed 4% yield. However, it will still offer you something that's a stronger guarantee than stock or bond annual returns. Perhaps you could combine an annuity with your own stock/bond portfolio. I believe V...

WPerhaps the past investment return history that operates as the basis for much investing orthodoxy is merely the product of generations worth of improving capital markets, fortunate events, and a positive feedback mechanism that reinforces the demand for equities. To some extent, it is just a nagg...

I write 0 checks. I've been out of paper checks for years. If I have to pay someone by check, I send them a check through my bank's website.

Hey guys, I've gotten a lot of value from the Bogleheads forum, and I decided to give a small favor back. I set up a Google AdWords account, and created an ad that links to the Bogleheads. I only set a budget of $1/day, so it will probably be only an additional 1 or 2 clicks to the site (please don'...

Gmail is the best. Reasons: 1) It's free 2) You keep your address forever, even if you switch internet service providers, companies, domain names, etc. 3)It allows you to upload all of your e-mail from other services or download all of your e-mail to another service. In another words, if you ever de...

Which comes first -- the home shopping, or the mortage shopping? Or do you do both simultaneously?

This feels very overwhelming.

I'm gearing up to buy a first home and know that I want a 30-year fixed rate mortgage, most likely 0 points. What is the best way for me to shop around and get the best terms possible on the mortgage?

For what it's worth, I'll be buying a home in the Bay Area.

More companies are offering their employees free or subsidized breakfast, lunch, and dinner if they work the appropriate hours. Both my previous employer and my current employer offered free or subsidized meals. My last employer subsidized lunch and dinner only, this one subsidizes the entire day.

Not that women should be forced back to be stay-at-home-moms, of course, but having fixed costs and other necessary expenses at less than half the take-home-pay really reduces risk. What fixed costs/necessary expenses do you associate with work? A car would be one, but most stay-at-home moms have t...

Not that women should be forced back to be stay-at-home-moms, of course, but having fixed costs and other necessary expenses at less than half the take-home-pay really reduces risk. What fixed costs/necessary expenses do you associate with work? A car would be one, but most stay-at-home moms have t...

I bought Rock Band 2 with drum pads, guitar, and microphone. Having a great time with the ~$200 well spent. Although my wife has a pretty good time playing it too, she's angling for a comparably expensive Valentine's Day gift. Now that it's getting warmer in California, I'm spending a lot more time ...

Add on top of that the fact that many are unexpectedly hit with early involuntary retirement, unexpected health problems, spouse runs away with the pool boy and takes half the money or more (:)), the uncertainties are endless. I actually wrote a Monte Carlo simulation that simulated loss of human c...

Back in the US, I'm working to leverage human capital. Commit to a project that pays $x/hr, then tranche the project into layers that can be subcontracted for less. It's like a puzzle, and unlike the stock market, this form of leverage does not cause insomnia. You are quite the innovator. What shou...

I wouldn't take the risk of your company stock lightly since it vets over 3 years. If you're going to do this and if the amount is significant compared to your other investments, I would adjust my stock allocation downward to reduce risk and buy bonds. That way you are compensating for some of the u...

I've been 100% equity since I started investing in 2001, and I'm still 100% equity. 50% domestic, 50% international. Of domestic, 70% TSM, 30% SV. Only changes I've made have been rebalancing. That being said, a lot of my house downpayment savings are in muni bonds. Only my retirement money is in eq...

It sounds like you can hear the accent when you record your own voice. You could try certain recording tricky phrases for you until you feel like you're making the right sounds. I used to do this myself when I was learning Russian. I still have an American accent, but it was definitely helpful.

I would not hire a poker player either. If someone is an entrepreneur, then they'd go work on their visionary idea. If someone is a finance whiz, then I'd want to hear about their trading strategies. If someone is an engineer, I'd want to see their code. If someone is a dancer, by god they will danc...

If you want to work as a finance guy, poker may be fine. But you're not going to learn how to work with people or communicate by playing poker, and you're not developing any particular expertise even in the finance world. I'd get a real job that ideally allows you to manage a team of people where yo...

Is it moral to gamble with other people's money, and take the profits as your own if you get rich, but leave someone else holding the bag if the downside of the bet hits? I say "No." Why would you hold people to a higher standard than corporations? Many companies routinely take on debt to...

It really is intolerable being judged on outcomes instead of strategies. You are being judged on your strategy. Your strategy includes risk as well as expected returns. If your strategy had no risk, then you'd expect it to perform like a t-bill bought without any leverage. What you're really saying...

My IPS calls for 100% equity -- 50% domestic, 50% international. Of the domestic, 30% is small value (so 15% of portfolio). Both my international and small value funds have shrunk faster than my total stock market funds. I cannot cleanly rebalance because my accounts are split between Roths, rollove...

Given that this is an investing and finance forum: Open up any finance text book, and they'll tell you the importance of tax rates and how that impacts strategy. Clearly, discussion of existing and future tax policies should be completely on topic. Examples: income tax rate, probabilities of 401(k)s...