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Wife has a 2007. It's pretty nice...can take the 3 of us a long vacation with no issues ( and lots of "stuff"). Power is very good...I've not had any issues with it at extra-legal speeds. It handles well for an SUV and I can drive almost 2 miles on battery alone (but not with her in the ca...

My wife used care.com. We interviewed several candidates and selected a nanny that we've had for almost 2 years. Recommend their services. We've been very lucky, but think that any of the candidates would have been good for us.

Three years ago Paypal 'double deducted" a payment from my bank account. It took just about four (4) months to straighten the matter out----plus LOTS of frustration----with them eventually redepositing the funds fo my account. I will only use the credit card option with them now-----never agai...

0.20 Have a few funds in the 401k at 0.27 and 0.40 that are holding me back. Working to reallocate the 0.40 somewhere else.

I used them for a 15 year refi in July. They were slow in the underwriting process...but I recommended to friends. 2 people used my recommendation for refis and were very pleased (but noted that underwriting was slow).

I'm using this fund for exposure to non-Large US stocks. I thought it would be simpler than having dedicated small cap and mid cap funds. I'm open to suggestions for different funds. Any thoughts on the mechanics of how to achieve better tax efficiency between the 401k and Roth? Thank you for your o...

First of all, congrats! I had always heard about 5% being the maximum threshold for a single security. I think that the Fidelity portfolio analyzer also flags anything above 5%. My employer matches contributions to my 401k in company stock. I typically sell all of it every 6 months....too many eggs ...

After reading through the wiki about tax efficient fund placement, I've recognized that my funds are not placed optimally (example below with bonds in the Roth when they could be better placed in the 401k). My question is related to how to balance funds between tax advantaged accounts. Is there any ...

I count it. My wife and I are vested in our company matches.

runner9 wrote:Thanks for the update. Can I ask how they did the part on the roof? Just a ladder and buckets being carried or something more than that?

They set up scaffolding and had a pulley for the buckets. Wheelbarrows to get the stuff from the buckets to the truck.

Status update: I had the chimney rebuilt today (started today). Long decision process that weighed the option of an insert vs. full replacement of the chimney. As they've torn it down, they removed several wheelbarrows full of dust (which used to be the mortar holding my chimney together), the flue ...

Agree on getting an additional opinion. My boiler is 40 years old and is still in proper working order (after a safety inspection last month). I typically deal with an HVAC company that specializes in hot water systems...based on my extremely limited knowledge of boilers...cleaning the burners is so...

Certainly interested on following this...I have a nearly unused chimney I've always talked about taking out piece by piece from the roof to basement to expand the kitchen. Our's is also quite high above the roof so that it clears the other part of the house which is a story higher. While I'm not a ...

That sounds like an awfully tall chimney exceeding the roofline, in comparison, the portion of the chimney surpassing my roofline is about 5 feet tall. My liner was inserted inside of the old clay liner. It does sound like your liner has seriously deteriorated if silver dollar pieces of it are comi...

scone wrote:While you're at it, make sure no other appliances, such as a boiler, vent into the chimney. This used to be legal, and it's generally grandfathered in, but it's not a good idea.

Thank you for the suggestion. I know that there's a second flue that vents the boiler and gas water heater.

Which flue is actually cracked? Did the repair companies do a camera inspection and show you the cracks or did they go by the old fashioned method of "shining a light on the chimney from up above while you were down below? Cracked mortar joints from the roof line up to the crown doesn't indica...

As I was inspecting my roof and chimney this year (and removing leaves from the gutter), I noticed that the mortar was loose on several joints in the bricks in the chimney. This is a 1915 craftsman bungalow in Minneapolis with a woodburning fireplace and a hot water boiler that share a chimney (sepa...

I second the Craigslist comment. I've had much luck selling items there. Recommend that you be ready to keep the posting up and active for a while (depending on the market for what you're selling). Household items usually sell very quickly...but other items like used accessories for babies can sell ...

Agree with the ATM approach. It has worked for me in India and China (large cities and small). Also, your local bank can order currency for you so you don't have to hit an ATM immediately. If you're planning to hit multiple countries quickly...it may make sense just to bring some of each along...and...

I fly American somewhat frequently (50k miles this year). In the last 12 months I've had my share of bad luck (weather and a medical emergency), but nothing related to their current difficulties. Just took a flight to PVG today on AA and everything went smoothly. AA is probably having more difficult...

We have a well paid nanny for my 1 year old son. This allows my wife and I to work with great confidence that our son is OK. I suppose this makes me a job creator. I've got a fancy german car (bought used, negotiated vigorously) that I expect to keep for 10 years. It keeps me sane. My wife will be g...

I don't pick up pennies...but anything above that is fair game.

Currently working from China...I passed up on 1 jiao on the street yesterday. That's about 1.5 cents. So, I guess my "cost" to bend over is somewhere between 2 and 5 cents. If I saw 1 yuan on the street...I'd pick it up.

Age 16. Was given a birthday gift of stock of my choosing. It's increased in value 16x since then and I still own it.

Contributed to a Roth at 21 and started my 401k at 23.

Am 35 now and still at it.

My experience is that there are dozens of companies who will replace windows...very few repair or reglaze. I assume your windows are double paned and the seal is that between the panes? I'm pretty clueless about new fangled windows...but I can't imagine that there's no way to repair them. It may not...

I know nothing of Power...but had several quotes for double pane vinyl with metal frame windows in the last year. All were "contractor" grade windows....ie not Anderson or Pella. The quotes prior to negotiation came in at $1000/window for 42 windows. It sounds as if your quote is in line w...

Fidelity has a cash management account with a reimbursable ATM card...has worked for me in Europe and India very well. I'd also suggest calling your local bank branch...they likely have Euros that you can purchase (with very reasonable exchange rates) before he goes. Then he doesn't have to worry ab...

The unrealized gain is quite high. And, given the fortunate circumstances for income this year...I'm going to resist the temptation to sell. The good news is that over the last 10 years, the proportion of the portfolio that these stocks make up has declined significantly (via sales offset by losses ...

Thank you in advance for your advice on what to do with financial planning. I think that we’re on the right track….but could always use another opinion (or 6) to see if there’s anything missing. Any and all help is appreciated. I’ve been reading the forum for a while now…and am working on some of th...