Search found 2626 matches

by curmudgeon
Sun Mar 17, 2024 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alaska cruise recommendations
Replies: 20
Views: 1457

Re: Alaska cruise recommendations

Alaska gets quite a few kids on most summer cruises, even on lines that aren't especially kid-oriented like HAL. Late May to first week of June, or last week of August to September would tend to have less kids. Premium/luxury lines tend to have few kids, but they are pricey. The main choices for Alaska cruises are one-way vs R/T. Nearly everything is seven days. You can string two together for 14 days, but many of the ports will repeat. One-way cruises let you add on time in mainland Alaska (Denali, Kenai Fjords, Fairbanks etc). Transport to/from the cruise is a bit more involved, with Vancouver BC on one end, and Anchorage on the other. R/T cruises mostly leave out of Seattle, though a few go from Vancouver. Logistics are simpler flying in...
by curmudgeon
Sun Mar 17, 2024 2:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?
Replies: 88
Views: 10184

Re: Anybody heard stories of well "prepared" retirees running out of money?

I think some of the biggest challenges come when the "preparation" is significantly dependent on SS or pensions for a couple. The initial income may be comfortable, but pensions or annuities that are not inflation-adjusted cap be traps for the unwary retirees decades later. Even if a pension has inflation adjustments, the temptation to choose a reduced survivor benefit in return for higher initial income is another trap. It's not unusual for a widow to survive her husband by 20 years or more, and the double hit of reduced pension and a single SS benefit can erode away savings and investments for the survivor. This is a big factor in why I favor delaying claiming SS for the higher earner of a couple.
by curmudgeon
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Options during Europe Transportation Strikes
Replies: 12
Views: 1021

Re: Options during Europe Transportation Strikes

Car rentals in Germany tend to be a bit cheaper than other nearby countries. One-way fees within the country tend to not be too bad. One-way fees to another country are generally substantially higher (because the car has to be returned; the rental car fleet can't float among countries in the EU). Even if there is a large one-way fee, it can still be worthwhile if that keeps your itinerary straightforward. It pays to know your insurance coverages, as add-on insurance is a major profit center for the car rental companies just like in US. Drivers there tend to be more disciplined about things like keeping right except to pass (and expect you to be as well). If you miss an exit (ausfahrt) on the autobahn, it can be a loong ways to the next one....
by curmudgeon
Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:16 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Searching for Lost Contributors
Replies: 537
Views: 138170

Re: Searching for Lost Contributors

I noticed "Sandtrap" has gone quiet for the past month, which is unusual for him.
by curmudgeon
Mon Mar 11, 2024 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike
Replies: 17
Views: 1622

Re: Flying Through Munich While Lufthansa Ground Workers Are On Strike

Our flight leaves this Thursday night on an America based airline and connects in Munich Friday morning with Aegean airlines. I was only just notified Monday evening of the impending strike and waiver thing so I didn't have a lot of options from the start. But according to the app, my flight is still "on time" and tomorrow it flies so perhaps I'll luck out and at least make it to Munich for my connection. Whether I make the connection is an entirely different story. I'm curious how this worked out. Germany seems to be trying to be the new Italy in terms of transport strikes this year, but sometimes the impacts are more limited than they seem at first glance. We have a trip partly in Germany coming up shortly, though (mostly by lu...
by curmudgeon
Sat Mar 09, 2024 6:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Electrical Outlet Covers
Replies: 48
Views: 3697

Re: Electrical Outlet Covers

You can find a variety on Amazon. Do a search for "colored electrical outlets". The better ones will require replacing the outlet, not just the cover, but if you have the outlets in hand, it is a fairly quick job for an electrician to swap them in.
by curmudgeon
Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Filing a deceased parent's 1099
Replies: 8
Views: 960

Re: Filing a deceased parent's 1099

I'm no expert, but you might want to search on the term "Income in respect of a decedent". I think that might give direction on how to deal with this.
by curmudgeon
Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways
Replies: 58
Views: 5432

Re: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways

BA often packs their economy seats a bit tighter (less legroom) than US airlines do for long-haul flights. They also have very poorly laid out business class on many of their long-haul planes (which are slowly being retrofitted to better seats). They charge for any seat selection, sometimes steeply.

On the other hand I've had generally good cabin crews with them, and for a large discount or better route I might well opt for BA if I'm willing to live with their limitations.
by curmudgeon
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Germany/Austria Travelers
Replies: 19
Views: 1619

Re: Germany/Austria Travelers

We spent a couple of weeks in Austria a few years ago. I think we enjoyed the countryside as much or more than Vienna (this was in September), but both were good. Away from the cities, having a car really adds a lot of flexibility and efficiency in getting around places like Styria, Carpathia, Salzkammergut. Around Salzburg in good weather, Hallstat is perhaps a bit over-touristy; St Wolfgang, Bad Ischl, or Strobl are alternates. I haven't been to Bratislava, but I've pretty consistently heard it has limited interest to most tourists. An alternate day trip, which we quite enjoyed, was doing the train-boat-train to Melk and then down the most scenic part of the Danube and back (the logistics are described in many tour books). It's a shame to...
by curmudgeon
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portugal trip
Replies: 19
Views: 1452

Re: Portugal trip

Play around with the app, I was definitely able to set up a Bolt account with just a US number last year. Bolt is SUPER cheap in Portugal. Thanks for the replies. I've tried multiple time to get the Bolt app to work. It requires I enter my number to get a verification sms but I never get the verification sms. An email to Bolt was not helpful in that the response was I may need to set the account up when in Portugal and with a Portugal number. I've also heard Bolt can be cheaper than Uber and will take you places Uber won't. In any event, it would be nice to have a back up to Uber. I found very little information online about the trouble I'm having. I saw one website where you can essentially rent a Portugal number to get the verification s...
by curmudgeon
Tue Feb 20, 2024 12:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: confused about qualified dividends are taken into account in tax return
Replies: 15
Views: 1213

Re: confused about qualified dividends are taken into account in tax return

The difference come when the tax is calculated. It's a bit confusing, but the tax computation for the dividends is calculated differently than ordinary income.
by curmudgeon
Sun Feb 18, 2024 1:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA subsidies vs. Roth IRA conversions- how to decide?
Replies: 12
Views: 1396

Re: ACA subsidies vs. Roth IRA conversions- how to decide?

There's enough unknowns about future paths that I would regard any calculator that purports to give an exact answer with suspicion. And then you can add in the complexities of which particular ACA plan, and the shape of the subsidy curve for your situation and location. It is most definitely worth understanding the basic levers and impacts, to take advantage of them if you have the flexibility. In our particular ACA market, I was able to run our income close to the "cliff" level while getting almost complete subsidy of premium cost. We also were able to max HSA contributions each year, which gave a bit more headroom. Since this was a "bronze" high deductible plan, almost all of our actual medical expenses were paid out o...
by curmudgeon
Fri Feb 09, 2024 6:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Picking a trustee: lawyer, friend, family, or corporate?
Replies: 32
Views: 2764

Re: Picking a trustee: lawyer, friend, family, or corporate?

My contribution to the discussion would be to say that you should make sure you have a backup to your primary trustee, especially if they are an individual. Circumstances change, and your trust may sit around gathering dust for a long time. This, along with other trust considerations, should probably be reviewed at least once every 10 years, or after any major life event.
by curmudgeon
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How old were you when you hit the "No-Go Years?"
Replies: 77
Views: 13600

Re: How old were you when you hit the "No-Go Years?"

My mom loved travel, but mostly gave that up by about age 80. FIL firmly said his traveling days were over in his early 80's, but ended up doing one more "round-the-world" cruise at age 88 (FIL/MIL were reasonably mobile, but I think they both found the cruise a bit less enjoyable than they had hoped). Lots of variation in what I've seen with older friends and family. Health conditions tend to be the biggest limiter, but there is also a wide variation in desire; if travel isn't important to you, then putting up with the hassles of airlines and luggage and hotels becomes more trouble than it's worth, especially if kids/grandkids or other focus interest is local. DW and I expected to be part of the longer "Go-Go" group, bu...
by curmudgeon
Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Greek island travel questions
Replies: 14
Views: 1284

Re: Greek island travel questions

Santorini is quite picturesque. Also very touristy. I glanced at the port schedule, and currently May 1 and May 8 look like they have five cruise ships in port those days.
by curmudgeon
Fri Feb 02, 2024 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Inherited IRA questions - new to this
Replies: 8
Views: 713

Re: Inherited IRA questions - new to this

Your thoughts match my understanding. One point you might like to clarify, is whether Grandmother had retitled the IRA as "her own" when Grandfather died, or whether she kept it as an inherited IRA at that time. There used to be some differences in treatment depending on that circumstance; not sure if there still are with the inherited IRA law changes in the past several years.

You might very well wish to roll over the IRA to your own brokerage and manage from there.
by curmudgeon
Thu Feb 01, 2024 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How can I tell if Solar Panels are working effectively?
Replies: 21
Views: 1892

Re: How can I tell if Solar Panels are working effectively?

Last year had substantially more cloudy days here in N Cal. We definitely had reduced solar production both in the winter and spring. It's good to be aware of tree growth or any other factors that can cause shading to increase over time. Our solar install came with a little monitoring device that can collect date from the inverters and upload it to the web. I never bothered to set up continuous data collection, but I do fire it up every year or two to see what's happening in real time. A simple and easy check that I do every few months is to pull up my utility account and drill down into the hourly data for a sunny day when nothing much electrical is running in the house. That lets me see my max power going to the grid at peak generation ti...
by curmudgeon
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PSA: Cfiresim.com tried to infect my computer
Replies: 13
Views: 1403

Re: PSA: Cfiresim.com tried to infect my computer

calwatch wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:28 am It is a well known bug with Google AdSense that sometimes spammy companies will buy ads that end up with malicious pop-ups. I don't think it has to do with CFiresim (or any other company) but rather the Google ad which was served.
Yes, Google does not police their ads well enough to prevent this, and it can show up in a variety of ways. I'm sure they try to block bad actors, but not hard enough. Until Google and the like have to take actual legal responsibility for the ads they serve, with something like the "Know Your Customer" that the banks have to do, this isn't likely to change.
by curmudgeon
Thu Jan 18, 2024 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: UK Trip Estimate
Replies: 104
Views: 9487

Re: UK Trip Estimate

fogalog wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2024 3:18 pm (NB: I didn't try my US credit card directly because I have one of those stupid metal Chase cards and it has never worked for tapping. My UK debit card works well though).
Our US-based tap-and-pay cards worked fine for tube and bus the last time we were in London. As noted, you just have to remember to use the same card all day.
by curmudgeon
Wed Jan 17, 2024 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trip to Provence and Riviera
Replies: 8
Views: 850

Re: Trip to Provence and Riviera

You've got a good assortment of locations. You don't want to overschedule the trip, so make sure you have time to just relax in there. Provence is easier with a car; some bus routes may only have one or two trips a day because they are oriented toward work commuters and you can spend a lot of time on transit connections when you are covering that much ground. A few additional spots that you might consider in the mix: 1) Moustiers St Marie, a nice village near Gorges du Verdon. 2) L'Isle-sur-la-Sorge. The town is somewhat interesting with all the channels of the river that were historically used to power various water mills, but now known for having the biggest market day in the region (I think there is a regular market day during the week a...
by curmudgeon
Wed Jan 17, 2024 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: UK Trip Estimate
Replies: 104
Views: 9487

Re: UK Trip Estimate

One minor point to remember when doing a short-term flat rental... There are a lot of "historic" buildings in central London (where you would want to be). Sometimes tourist apartments in these will be in odd corners of these buildings or have awkward access. Pay attention to the floors, and whether they have lift access. Remember that in London they count ground floor as what we would call "first" floor in the US, and so forth, so places may be up one more flight of stairs than you would expect. My rule of thumb as a tourist is that you want to be staying somewhere inside the loop of the circle line underground route (or if outside it, within walking distance to circle line stations). That's not an absolute, but it's a g...
by curmudgeon
Sun Jan 14, 2024 4:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: UK Trip Estimate
Replies: 104
Views: 9487

Re: UK Trip Estimate

I realized that I think you fall into the late 70's age group. While that's no barrier to travel, it would make me shade my thinking a bit for the following points: 1) I would suggest NOT doing a rental car. Unless you are really flexible in your driving patterns (variety of cars, motorcycles, RVs), you will find it difficult to "re-wire" your driving reflexes for the other side of the road. Even on a lightly used country road, you don't want to meet another car coming around a turn and instinctively swing to the wrong side. It does limit your itinerary somewhat, but I would suggest living with that and/or finding other alternatives. 2) I would be willing to spend a bit more for pre-arranged car services when you are moving with y...
by curmudgeon
Sat Jan 13, 2024 8:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: UK Trip Estimate
Replies: 104
Views: 9487

Re: UK Trip Estimate

[Topic is now in Personal Consumer Issues - mod mkc] DW and I are planning a trip to England and Scotland in 2024. We met with a travel agent (specialist in UK and Ireland) and after giving her our ideas, she drafted an itinerary for our review. We told her that we did not wish to feel rushed or, OTOH, waste any time. London - 5 nights Canterbury - 3 nights Bath - 3 nights Cotswolds - 3 nights York - 3 nights Grasmere (Lake District) 3 nights Glasgow - 2 nights Oban - 2 nights Fort William - 2 nights Grantown-on-Spey 3 nights Edinburgh - 3 nights Total = 32 nights The price ($50,000, average of $1,562 per day) is significantly more than we expected, but is it reasonable considering that this is intended to be a one-time trip and we wanted ...
by curmudgeon
Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Business Sale + Inheritance, How do I minimize loss?
Replies: 4
Views: 1200

Re: Business Sale + Inheritance, How do I minimize loss?

It may be worth breaking this up into a couple of more focused questions (it's always hard to know how much context to give, though). The business sale and the inheritance are largely separate issues. There are definitely a number of moving parts on the business sale. It can be challenging to find the tax assistance needed, as there are a number of complex factors for something which you grew from a very small start, but at the same time, you don't have the scale to really justify engaging with a Big4 or even major regional accounting firm. You will probably find that extensions are your friend, but you still need to keep an eye on estimated payment deadlines. I know CA is pretty picky about taxing the sale of real property even if you are ...
by curmudgeon
Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands
Replies: 33
Views: 3914

Re: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands

By the way, I do think your plan to spend a couple of days in Amsterdam on the way home can make sense. Flights from Venice that can join up with a nonstop to the US tend to leave quite early in the morning, which can be awkward if you are staying in the core of Venice (which you want to be). A couple of days lets you see some highlights, and you may find that's enough for you. My Amsterdam hint is that you'll see a lot more from taking the tram around the inner district than you will from a canal boat tour (in Amsterdam, the canal banks are much higher than they are in Venice).
by curmudgeon
Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands
Replies: 33
Views: 3914

Re: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands

alexp wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:07 am How would be staying 3 nights/2 full days at Milan? I am thinking of hanging out at Milan for 1 day and doing a day trip to como on the second day. I can book an after lunch private boat tour of lake como for few hours that day.

I am purposely avoiding Florence and will hopefully hit it in the next trip. The lake will be different experience than streets at Rome and Venice.
You could consider Varenna. It's a cute little town on Lake Como with train access. Ferry services from there to Belagio or other spots on the lake. You can take the train from their to Tirano to do the Bernina Express scenic alpine train on one day.
by curmudgeon
Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Kaiser Medicare Dental - Should I go to 2 dentists (one just for cleaning?)
Replies: 8
Views: 1141

Re: Kaiser Medicare Dental - Should I go to 2 dentists (one just for cleaning?)

Interesting question, and one I've been reflecting on as I move toward Medicare (my wife has already started. I had a discussion with my trusted dentist about the Kaiser dental benefit (I think it may have been called "DeltaCare" or something like that). My dentist, who took most dental insurance, said he wouldn't take that one because it paid so little. I inferred that the few dentists who did take it might be marginal operations who hoped that additional extra charge work might make up for the low payment on the basic coverage, but I don't know if that's actually the case. We were prepared to just keep paying out of pocket with our existing dentist and ignoring the Kaiser coverage, but we just found out our dentist is retiring a...
by curmudgeon
Fri Jan 12, 2024 12:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands
Replies: 33
Views: 3914

Re: Recommendations for trip to Italy and Netherlands

Don't do car from Rome to CT, take the train. Same for CT to Venice. If you book train tickets about two months out, there are often discount fares available. Look at seat61.com site for good advice on trains.

Edited to add:

It's my perception that Cinque Terre has suffered the "Rick Steves" curse, and is so overrun with tourists that it has lost what made it special. I get not wanting to drag the kids through Florence, but maybe some other Tuscany town or city might be a decent option for a change of pace. We've enjoyed Sienna and Lucca, though I'm not sure how convenient the train connections would be from Rome.
by curmudgeon
Wed Jan 10, 2024 11:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Delaying SS - The math doesn't seem that great.
Replies: 25
Views: 5974

Re: Delaying SS - The math doesn't seem that great.

The math shouldn't be that great. It's supposed to be relatively neutral, at least for one earner. For a couple, if the two benefits are significantly different, there is a bit of advantage to delaying the higher benefit because of the survivor factor (survivor gets the higher of the two benefits).

The "longevity insurance" aspect is a tradeoff, not a free lunch. You don't do the delay because you expect to gain financially, you do it to protect against the case where you live an unusually long life and might otherwise run short of money.

If you consider the delay to be roughly neutral, it can still offer some potential benefit for space to do some additional Roth conversion, if that is possible/desirable to you.
by curmudgeon
Tue Jan 09, 2024 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alaska cruise
Replies: 8
Views: 1455

Re: Alaska cruise

Costco generally sells the standard cruise line packages for Alaska land/sea, typically with most meals and transport included. They normally give a rebate of around 8% on the commissioned package in the form of a Costco gift card. I've found them reasonable to deal with, but we haven't required much special handholding. Other land/sea packages may be put together differently, for better or worse. Hotels in Alaska face a harsh climate and short tourist season, so they can be a bit underwhelming, and everything is rather expensive. There are lots of games around advertised cruise prices. It starts out with the "per person, double occupancy" large print prices. If you are traveling solo, you pay full fare for the unused bed. They al...
by curmudgeon
Mon Jan 08, 2024 10:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA - spouse moving to Medicare midyear, travel etc
Replies: 8
Views: 1240

Re: ACA - spouse moving to Medicare midyear, travel etc

Much depends on what type of medical consumers you are (of course that can change quickly...). If you really want to "keep your doctor", ACA options may be limited (but so might any other coverage you can buy as an individual). ACA plans generally cover emergency care while traveling. Note that Medicare (and supplements) are typically quite limited for overseas coverage. Sign up for the ACA plan in the name of the younger spouse; it will make life easier when the older goes on Medicare and is dropped from coverage. You may want to look into travel medical insurance to supplement your ACA/Medicare (there are threads about it here if you search). We have Kaiser HMO (ACA and Medicare) which has decent options for care when traveling ...
by curmudgeon
Sun Jan 07, 2024 2:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategies for giving to charity and heirs
Replies: 33
Views: 2706

Re: Strategies for giving to charity and heirs

We don't have a really structured strategy, but we have been using some of the following: 1) DAF with periodic larger gifts of appreciated securities. May match this with a higher income year (from Roth conversions or whatever) and/or a year we would be coming close to the standard deduction in any case. Keep in mind the 50% AGI limit. 2) Using QCDs when we hit that age. Can't do QCD to a DAF, though. Can do QCD from an inherited IRA. 3) Passing inheritances through to heirs. Sometimes you can disclaim an unneeded inheritance and pass it directly through to your heirs (if it was "per stirpes"), but often beneficiary designations might not allow for that. We have made gifts to our heirs, sometimes in cash and sometimes in appreciat...
by curmudgeon
Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Italian/Switzerland Lakes District
Replies: 10
Views: 1367

Re: Italian/Switzerland Lakes District

Late March may still be off-season for much. Check opening dates for various things you might like to do in the area.

It's somewhat of a tradeoff if you want to have a car while in the area; public transit options can be slow and/or infrequent in many cases. On the flip side, I found driving up the peninsula to Bellagio (either side) to be challenging (the narrow roads and blind curves were worse than typical Italy). Bellagio is a cute town, and somewhat central for the lake ferries, but if we were going again I might choose Varenna for the better train and road access. We found Lugano and Como attractive, but definitely more city feeling.
by curmudgeon
Wed Jan 03, 2024 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early retirement - evaluating ACA plan options
Replies: 11
Views: 2072

Re: Early retirement - evaluating ACA plan options

It's probably a "personal consumer issues" topic, but I'm not sure that really matters. ACA has huge variability. The state and county matter, your age, specifics of your income, etc. If there is a competitive medical market in your locality, it helps a lot with pricing. Smaller markets where medical practices have been bought up or consolidated into local monopolies are expensive (and/or have bad networks). If you want a lot of choice in doctors, it will cost you substantially more in almost any location. The actual costs will depend quite a bit on how much medical care you use. Some "preventative" stuff is covered without co-pays. You should look into HSA eligible plans if available in your area (they are often "b...
by curmudgeon
Tue Jan 02, 2024 6:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update in Last Post - What To Do When Kids Can't Find the Trust Documents?
Replies: 48
Views: 6512

Re: What To Do When Kids Can't Find the Trust Documents?

An update: We had accessed my FIL's email last year, when he began to slip cognitively. This weekend, my BIL searched his work account, and I searched his Yahoo account. No emails were found to or from the attorney. However, FIL did have a folder called "Documents." I went through it, and found a document labeled "Abbreviated Trust.PDF" from 2006. Yay! This document does have the Declaration Page - who the Trustees are, who the successor trustees are (my DH and his brother), AND it has a signature page - which none of the other copies have. I am hoping that this will be sufficient for the bank's purposes, and for declaring/moving both kids to Trustees of the trust. @bsteiner - yes, this is a CA A-B trust. When FIL passe...
by curmudgeon
Sat Dec 30, 2023 3:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Solar set-up for shed?
Replies: 10
Views: 1498

Re: Solar set-up for shed?

I would look at RV/camping solar kits. Much easier to get right if you aren't familiar with electrical work. You could keep it low voltage (12v) and use RV lights and a car-type charger for USB devices.
by curmudgeon
Sat Dec 30, 2023 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Update in Last Post - What To Do When Kids Can't Find the Trust Documents?
Replies: 48
Views: 6512

Re: What To Do When Kids Can't Find the Trust Documents?

At least in CA, it's pretty normal for most interactions with banks and financial institutions to only use an excerpted copy of the trust. This typically outlines the basics of the trust and the signature page. It should also define the provisions for successor trustees. It typically won't have the list of assets (which would likely be obsolete if it's from 1996 anyway) or the disposition of assets and details of what happens when the grantor(s) die. It would be highly desirable to get a younger co-trustee actively on the trust. Easiest if MIL has the authority to actively name an additional trustee (create a signed and notarized document to that effect). With a trustee declaration and the excerpt pages, that may be a good start until the f...
by curmudgeon
Fri Dec 29, 2023 12:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Permits, property taxes: A peculiar Bay Area dilemma? (San Jose, CA)
Replies: 39
Views: 3937

Re: Permits, property taxes: A peculiar Bay Area dilemma? (San Jose, CA)

I think this may just be an artifact of the 1950's/1960's permitting process in San Jose area. If part of the lower floor is actually below grade, it could be described as "basement", with perhaps lower building permit fees at the time (even if the space is fully finished). I'm guessing that part of the difference you see in different houses may be that some have lower floors windows on all sides, while others may be of the "walk-out basement" style. Since most SJ area houses don't have standard basements, it's easy to forget that the space may be categorized differently. I would guess that at some later point, this was revised away by the building department and they started counting all finished space. I've owned two h...
by curmudgeon
Tue Dec 26, 2023 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Investments during probate questions
Replies: 11
Views: 975

Re: Investments during probate questions

There are a range of different scenarios that can apply, depending on the specifics of the account, will, and executor actions. Did the account have named beneficiaries? Is the account an IRA? Is there a will? Depending on the specific investments, there will likely be dividends and/or capital gains distributions for 2023, which will have to be accounted for in the estate tax return. Often these get "passed through" to the heirs via a K-1 form (which may force delays in your own 2023 filing). If the investments are sold within the estate (to give cash distributions), then any gains since date-of-death will be long-term capital gains (special case for estates), and again will likely be passed through to heirs via K-1 form for that ...
by curmudgeon
Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Considering putting in Solar from Sunrun in San Jose CA
Replies: 11
Views: 1275

Re: Considering putting in Solar from Sunrun in San Jose CA

I would never do a solar lease or PPA from Sunrun myself. A house with such a system can be pretty tough to sell as well. If you can find out what it would cost to buy out the system after, say, five years, that can be pretty revealing (hint, it has nothing to do with the value of the panels etc, but rather the value of the guaranteed cash flow for the full length of the payments, very possibly 2X or more than the cost of the system if you had bought it). And if the system needs to be removed for roof work, that will cost you a ton.

If solar under NEM3.0 would make sense for you, buy it directly with competitive bids. You can finance the system if that makes sense for you, but don't tie your house title up with a solar lease/ppa.
by curmudgeon
Sun Dec 17, 2023 10:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dental and vision insurance
Replies: 35
Views: 5967

Re: Dental and vision insurance

I always considered the primary value of dental insurance to be the ability to move ordinary dental expenses pre-tax. The drawback is the occasional hassle/glitch over coverage and/or networks. Even at a high tax bracket, I'm not sure the modest total tax savings of using a typical individual plan would be worth the trouble of managing it (the old, "how much is your time worth?").

Now retired, I just use my HSA for dental expenses.
by curmudgeon
Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Now that long TIPS yields are 60 bp off their highs I will…
Replies: 2937
Views: 611513

Re: Now that long TIPS yields are 60 bp off their highs I will…

McQ wrote: Wed Dec 13, 2023 4:20 pm My answer to today’s updated title: wait.
I'm waiting as well. I haven't filled any significant positions with long TIPS as yet. There's certainly the argument that for someone planning to hold to maturity, 2% real is quite reasonable. I can make an argument in my case to buy and (plan) to hold to maturity, but it's easier at 3% real... I've got some shorter TIPS, but those are less of a commitment.
by curmudgeon
Tue Dec 12, 2023 10:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)
Replies: 101
Views: 16529

Re: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)

The comments above about "annual reporting" are of some concern. Is this for facilities where there was some original vetting that was "passed" (e.g., finances, health, or a combination of those)? If so, and someone was "accepted", what does an "acceptance" like that actually mean if one could get "flunked out" later? When MIL was accepted at her ALF, with continuing care at their SN facility if/when needed, it was "we'll keep you if you run out of money, and we'll then accept the Medicaid payments in full". There was an agreement of some sort (forgetting the wording) about not somehow "squandering" one's pot of money, such as giving money away or such. And they may have...
by curmudgeon
Tue Dec 12, 2023 7:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Power of Attorney and Hospice
Replies: 22
Views: 2741

Re: Power of Attorney and Hospice

Now that that is over, I did finally get a copy of his will. I am the executor and the directions are very sparse. He wants his car given to a person I never met. All I have is his name and address. No email, no phone number, nothing. The rest goes to his mother. I guess once I get a few copies of his death certificate I will send it to the probate court, this mailing service he uses, and the 4 financial institutions I am aware of and start there. This is not going to be easy. It won't be easy, but don't stress yourself too much over it either. Maybe get a copy of the NOLO Press Executor's Guide. It will pull together in one place a lot of structure that may be helpful. You will find that a few things go quickly, but most will be a slow pr...
by curmudgeon
Thu Dec 07, 2023 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Making MIL's PC safe as possible
Replies: 38
Views: 3627

Re: Making MIL's PC safe as possible

It's tough. Google, Facebook, Microsoft etc are serving up tons of scammers ads these days, and aren't willing to take the effort and cost to change that. Until they get held liable for abetting criminal activities, it's not going to change. That's the top-level problem, even before the more individually targeted scams. Getting a phone with strict call screening (white-list) can help. Ad blockers might help, but that can be a tricky space to navigate. Posting a large letters sign next to the computer and phone with "CALL KIDS FIRST BEFORE ANY CREDIT CARD or CASH" or something like that might help. Arguably, this is probably a sign that it's time to start taking control over finances, and maybe leaving them with one low-limit credi...
by curmudgeon
Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)
Replies: 101
Views: 16529

Re: When to move to a continuing care retirement community (CCRC)

My in-laws after retirement first moved to an over-55 community near one of their kids. They liked it fairly well, but over several years they saw several friends run into the situation where one of a couple started needing substantial additional care, and there was no good option for managing that situation where they lived (or nearby). They picked up and moved at about age 72 to a large (800 resident) CCRC, which was 400 miles from the closest of their kids. The CCRC was a great fit for them, and they found plenty of clubs and leagues to be involved with. Interestingly, they never actually made use of the "continuing care" part of the facilities, but the overall experience was something they really enjoyed. There were some issue...
by curmudgeon
Fri Dec 01, 2023 1:02 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Roth Conversion - When do I start this?
Replies: 7
Views: 1358

Re: Roth Conversion - When do I start this?

Roth conversions don't fit everybody. For many people, it just doesn't matter much. In your case, I would consider conversions in the years between retiring and collecting social security. A target amount might be some approximation of your expected SS benefit.
by curmudgeon
Thu Nov 30, 2023 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small tool chest on wheels
Replies: 30
Views: 2852

Re: Small tool chest on wheels

I was in a Lowes store last week, not really looking for toolbox, but they had the Kobalt ones on the floor. The one I saw (about $250 for the bottom unit?) looked like pretty solid construction, better than my cheap 90's Craftsman one. I liked the drawer stiffness and slides.
by curmudgeon
Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What do with small inherited IRA while doing roth conversions
Replies: 6
Views: 779

Re: What do with small inherited IRA while doing roth conversions

One handy model is to use the inherited IRA to pay taxes on the Roth conversions. Estimate the taxes for the year, and then withdraw from the inherited IRA (with 99% withholding) enough to cover the taxes instead of making estimated tax payments or withholding on the conversion.
by curmudgeon
Tue Nov 28, 2023 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Power of Attorney and Hospice
Replies: 22
Views: 2741

Re: Power of Attorney and Hospice

Power of Attorney is not a "one size fits all". There can be specific inclusions or exclusions in the POA. Different states may have their own rules. Financial institutions can be very picky about accepting POAs, so even though you have one, it can be difficult to make use of in some circumstances.

Note that POA is different than executor of a will. The POA ceases to have effect at death, at which point a will and/or probate will control.