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Having been there and done that I think you should go with whatever gives you the better plan cheaper right now. I checked out the alternatives as I approached 65. The melange of Medicare B, D and Gap was a mess and cost about the same as my employer's plan which gave better coverage - no donut hole...

Thanks folks,

I passed this along.

Vic

I got this request for my opinion from a colleague. (I answered only that my old 401K plan included Pimco and it had done alright - kind of fuzzy there.) I don't know the overall situation such as AA, total nest egg or % represented by this 401K, but the home is paid off and no dependent kids, etc. ...

If you love data but hate data plan prices- the Tmobile/Walmart $30 data plan gives 100 minutes +5gig of data at HSPA+ (3.5G speeds. . . . I swear lurking on B'heads is one of the best investments you can make. Didn't know about this one and have been thinking about caving for a SmartFone. Thanks! ...

Mine are Henckel. I didn't buy them as a set, but pretty much have one and stash them in a knife block instead of the drawer. It keeps them handy and people think I'm a much better cook than I am. As for what to get first, I pretty much go with the crowd. Mid-size chef, two parers, boner, occasional...

2) A lot of co-ops and associations here want you to stay in the unit as owner-occupied. I've heard horror stories about people basically being forced to sell if they have to leave for a job or something else vice renting it out. Does anyone know if it's easy in DC to find a place people are willin...

OK, I vote for all of the above. But, if education is the key why do we have so many well-educated people making this mistake? My-nephew-the-busines-major gave me the "you get what you pay for" and "it's the return that counts" lines. No idea what his personal investments are, bu...

I'm also thinking of selling the Bank of New York stock that is back to the same value it was 15 years ago. Shady dealings seems to have caused this. I don't blame the market for being 'shady' when it doesn't go up or down as much as I hoped. What exactly are you referring to? Yeh, they were very u...

Lurk, What DSL speed do you have? I took the cheapest - slowest - back when I switched from dial-up so I think I will have to upgrade to stream. This means I will also have to get a landline again since Verizon no longer allows for dry loops. They sent an email about this a while back. Then there's ...

joybelle wrote: All quant investing is based on science.

If by quant investing you mean looking at chart shapes and such, it reminds me of astrology - which is full of data - and IMO about as reliable.

I'd as likely pick an investment by throwing the Ching.

Vic

Does anyone buy nice clothes at Goodwill and have them tailored? Yes - although I find Housing Works has better stuff. Can't beat Goodwill for jeans though . . . . Tailoring - I usually need to have pants shortened and if they are a cuffed style I take them to the tailor. I turn my own shirt collar...

Bank of New York is not in the retail banking business - That's good to hear. When they took over Barclay's (about 20 years ago!) it was a nightmare. Fortunately I also had the credit union which is where I've stayed ever since - so I can't comment on Chase vs Republic. But, if I needed to change t...

Amazon doesn't have a "retention" department. The very idea is ridiculous! Their margins are razor thin and if you don't follow their self-service model they frankly don't want to do business with you. From the story you've written here, your brother-in-law is the definition of a nightmar...

OK, fair question. 30 years ago I was as ignorant as one can be. I bought a few books. Index funds were among a number of things I tried. I cannot explain why. As time went by I seemed to move toward . . . index funds. My mom enjoyed investing. It was as much a social activity as an investment strat...

Thanks for the suggestions. Sometimes the group knows about things I never heard of and so can't check out until I do hear about it. I know I (UWS) can do either TimeWarner or FIOS. Can't do Dish (unless the landlord's dog approves - won't happen). Can do indoor antenna. Was just wondering what othe...

Rhymes, Thanks a lot! Never thought of this. I do have a VOIP number that I don't use much - MajicJack - and this gives me all kinds of ideas. Forward - forward - riiiing! Will see how it works out. The reason I want to set this up is that a few years ago a friend of my mom's - close to 90 - happene...

Does that include the fees/taxes/box rental?

Vic

Wow, the range here is wild. Went from a $50/month plan to pay-as-you-go with T-Mobile. Cut bill to about $20/month. The problem is that when I travel overseas, OK only a few weeks a year, but enough, no one can reach me unless they know my Euro cell no. (I put a few Euros on it each trip; never use...

Thanks, but neither building would allow a roof antenna. They have BOARDS that keep going on about INsurance and liaBILLity and how bad it will look to people they're trying to sell million buck apartments to. The UWS apt can pull in a few local channels with an indoor antenna, really sharp even wit...

Two NY Bogleheads are *thinking about* getting / going back to cable / satellite / whatever. 1) UWS - Uppawessida ditched cable about 10 years ago - the physical cable is still there. Has clear area outside; not sure how long this will last; they've got to be salivating to build in that space. No sa...

http://crimethrutime.com/timeline/series1.htm#18th

As the name says, these are crime/detection novels.

There are some links to other sites and to listings for other time periods.

Vic

OK, let me take the other tack here. I acquired my student loan debt much later in life. After considering whether or not to pay it off and save in the long run, especially with the lousy interest rates going around today, I decided not to. I ease my conscience by dumping a RMD payment into the loan...

. . . It's like they were afraid of money. Afraid to hold it. I see this so commonly. Since I am not a financial advisor I do not make recommendations other than, "You really ought to talk to a fee-only financial advisor." Not one of my poor patients with a windfall has yet done that. I'm...

I agree that the college costs are high. I refused to pay full tuition for my daughter to go to biomedical engineering at Jonhs Hopkins or Duke two years ago. Instead she went to U of Wisconsin, Madison at 30% of the cost (state U). She is doing well and recently won a student research scholarship ...

I'm sorry, but I see that as a violation of a key concept of financial responsibilty of limiting one's debt as much as you can. Taking on debt to get more education to further one's career prospects is great. Taking on debt to get an education in something that gets one to pay debt past age 70 just...

Vic and Nisi I'm sorry that you feel that way. Everything I read says we need to drastically redirect our education systems NOW to more math, science and technology to have any hope of competing in the world. Our poor choices of college majors and high expenses for these poor choices . . . It's not...

I wish I could get this much discussion from my students!! I'd like to be able to retire from the job I do to pay the rent so that I could spend more time/energy on my real work. Not sure if that counts as retirement - how about if I do it while world-travelling? Since I can't retire I don't care if...

You are assuming that the function of a university is to facilitate post-graduate earnings. I do not agree with that assumption. What you are describing is "training," not "education." Reward universities for maximizing the short-term earnings achievements of graduates and in a ...

Someone brought up my biggest pet peave/ rant. The scam I call college education in this country. I am amazed the debt folks get into to get degrees in things that they should know have no way of paying for their education. Degrees in music, drama, art history, etc... are not going to pay off debt ...

I had a relative asked around because she talks to a lot of people with kids. Apparently, she said no one pays the "nanny tax" and no one even heard of Pub 926, so she now probably think I am crazy to even consider paying it. I prefer not to break the law. Just because everyone else does ...

I'm hoping this will BUMP your post so that someone more knowledgeable can respond. It's been a long time since I had to confront this circumstance so things may have changed, but: Assuming the youngster is going to a public school s/he will have to live in the district, and you will probably have t...

Do people get sick all the time in the US? I have never had health insurance and don't understand the preoccupation with it. I barely go to the doctors once every 2 or 3 years and it costs around US$150-200 per visit. Or is it that when you have healthcare, you go and see a doctor for every little ...

No one seems to have mentioned the difference in tailoring. Pockets? Some women's suits have none; most have a slash pocket on the skirt and simple hand-in pockets on the jacket. Inside pockets, back pockets, just plain usable pockets, frequently nowhere to be found even on a pants suit. Waistband? ...

ChapMan wrote:I know this is a weird thing to assert on a forum like this, but it's really not all about the money. . . .
That was a lot of rambling, but basically I'm asking us all to remember that college is a time to grow, mature, and explore, however you do that.

+1

Vic

. . . That said, I think it unfair that we keep shooting the whole life insurance salesman. That is his/her job. There isn't enough money in it for them to sell whole life. It is like attacking the soda salesman or alcohol distributor or legal casino business. The person has to sell what they have ...

Yes. But. This is a diverse group and a posting usually gets a number of not-all-the-same replies to consider. I can't count the number of times someone tossed out something that I hadn't even thought of. The process of working it all out is often as beneficial as the result - which might nor might ...

OK, now I have to ask: Anyone know how to pull soles off shoes without destroying them (the soles)? I use jazz sneakers with leather soles. They don't come with leather soles, and the cost is now $30 a pair to put them on. The shoes need replacing long before the soles wear out so re-using seems fea...

Thanks for the comments. Decided to pay it off. Sent the check. One less thing to think about is a Good Thing.

Given what the MM is paying, I probably spend more on Certified Mail than the interest not-earned during the year.

Vic

I vote for the Staples "executive" chair with padded arms. I sit sideways, a habit developed in grad school back when the Hermann Miller bucket was The Chair. I think I'm less flexible now :shock: A few cushions and I have relative comfort and sprawlability for about $170 (price a few year...

Anybody have any experience with this kind of deal? I just bought appliances - a big bite for me - and they gave enough of a discount to cover the taxes and delivery if I opened a store credit card account, etc. So, for the carrot of a few hundred bucks off the tab, I took their credit card. OK, I k...

Folks, Thanks for all this information. I'd never even heard of the shelf that goes on the stove itself. There's no question here of a range hood, no outside vent! The micro in question is about 20 years old and still working fine for my use. It has it's own vent fan in the back and I'm allowing cle...

In the perennial quest for optimal storage in a Manhattan apartment, I'm asking for opinions on this: I am thinking of putting my microwave on a shelf above the stove. (No, can't open a wall and set it inside.) The question is: how far above the stove does it have to be so that the heat of cooking d...

Hey, thanks! Haven't been here for a while and as soon as I come back there's a thread full of helpful info. Didn't know about the T-mo plan you mentioned or anything like it. The "will work abroad" part is really useful - don't use it much, but when I do, I need it. Vic PS. I guess it was...

I think colleges and high schools should have a mandatory personal finance graduation requirement. This would be more valuable to students than a great deal of other requirements they must meet. I remember being in school not really caring about credit card or student loan debt. Any attempt to do t...

Subway is good, but subway is getting dirtier by the day. . Huh?!? Oh. You're only 28. That explains it. Seriously, I noticed yesterday how cruddy the 47th & Bwy station was, but then I remembered that the same level of crud used to be standard. You ain't smelt nothin' yet . . . . Places to sta...

I've sold on both Half and Azo with few hassles. But, it does take time to set up a listing and then wrap and ship it. Azo takes a bigger cut but sells faster. Unless you have a stash of jiffy bags you have to consider the cost of shipping materials as well as postage. No problem getting paid by eit...

Azo just sent me three very small items, packed in a single box, and hit me three full shipping charges. Just finished griping so we'll see what they do about it. Can't remember an eBay seller that didn't combine charges! OK, in fairness to Amazon, when I griped about the shipping charges they refu...

Thanks for the info. I guess I just got a lemon on the MJ+. Since my original MJ has expired I'll just use the + like I did the original until it also expires and then reconsider. One thing is that local numbers other than 911 don't work on MJ. The central non-emergency number in NYC is 311 and MJ c...

The last thing I bought on Craig's was the desk I'm now sitting at. Good solid wood to replace an IKEA desk that I also sold on Craig's. Last eBay purchases were a couple of cotton Henleys and some paperbacks. Can't remember if the 9-cell battery for my netbook came from eBay or Azo, but it's workin...

Hey, glad I checked back in with the Bogleheads just in time to hear this great news and wish you a speedy recovery. Way ta go!

Vic