Bogleheads.org

To Mudpuppy: From wikipedia: According to research published in Insectes Sociaux in 2009, it was discovered that ants from three Argentine ant supercolonies in America, Europe, and Japan, that were previously thought to be separate, were in fact most likely to be genetically related. The three colon...

In some graduate programs that give you an office, this is actually not all that difficult to do (I think I'd buy a camper though). At UCSC, there are undergrads who live in cars, because the cost of living in Santa Cruz is so high. I can't imagine doing that without an office which would provide so...

It's difficult to rent a car or a hotel room without a credit or debit card. I would be hesitant to use the latter in those situations unless you use a dedicated account with very little in it and no overdraft. Haha, I do have a debit card--why should I not use a debit card to rent a car or hotel r...

Apropos of some insurance companies, including PRU, see today's New York Times (front page). http://tinyurl.com/ltzbehz Lev From the article at the link above: Mr. Lawsky said that because the transactions made companies look richer than they otherwise would, some were diverting reserves to other u...

I'm just guessing here: The withholding occurs on Form W4V of the IRS - a different agency. Perhaps they can't put the withholding in place until your account within SSA is fully functioning and you've received one check from the social security administration. Not necessarily the only logical possi...

People who know a lot more than me have already replied ... There are other threads here talking about what sorts of things should be put in taxable vs. nontaxable accounts. Did you read this? http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Principles_of_Tax-Efficient_Fund_Placement Your questions are probably thing...

Bogle's recent interview on Morningstar discusses the problems with 401ks & talks about how people tend to treat them like "thrifts" rather than retirement accounts. The OP's question is an example of this! To the OP: when you change jobs you can cash out your 401K & pay taxes &...

Just 25 or so years ago, it was unusual for college students (at least the ones I knew) to have the major bank cards (visa, mastercard), at least ones they got based on their own credit history. Grocery stores didn't take them either! This was a problem for a guy I knew because the college paid him ...

I knew it was bad but I didn't know it was this bad - we needed health care reform incredibly badly. Thank goodness we got it - yes, there will be kinks to be ironed out, and some states (like CA) will likely be better at being pro-active at this. A 2007 investigation by a California state regulator...

Be sure you try out the ThinkPad before buying. I would never buy a ThinkPad again - I hate the one I occasionally use. I don't like the feel of the trackpad (it is textured) & the mouse frequently stops responding then jumps to some random place on the screen which is incredibly annoying. I've ...

There are all sorts of alternatives to try before using most insecticides. Before using anything, spend a good amount of time researching the effects on humans. In fact, do some general research on the effects of most insecticides on body systems (particularly reproductive and nervous system effects...

Letting things my kids (2 older and out of the house, 2 younger and still here) do or want force me to adjust my budget - primarily putting off things I want for things they want or need. I'm doing a better job with my younger two and while I try to convince my older 2 to make better, more long ter...

^ We price plans for my business every year. Year after year Kaiser is lower by at least 10% and we never use them, because the employees don't want them, they have a reputation here of being a great health insurance company for people who are well. Over and over you hear that their network is very...

....I was just saying it's interesting that three of the largest health insurance companies in the US have opted not to sell in the largest single health insurance market in the US. I'm no expert on this, but some quick googling produced this LA Times article that shows that for 2011, Kaiser Perman...

Landy, Thank you for the discussion. Sorry for the delay in my reply. Using the assumptions of: 3% COLA adjustment, 3% nominal return, $14,832 benefit at age 62, I again get breakeven occurring partway through age 80. I'm terrible at getting spreadsheet copy/pastes to work, but here is the actual s...

I am waiting till 70--but collecting SS now with my spousal benefit---so add that to your calculations. Also take a look at your tax situation of the years for both cases. jerry I've long felt that with social security, there's an unfair penalty for NOT being married. I don't see why social securit...

If you're buying & selling frequently, you're investing a lot of your own time & energy into that process - what do you value your time at? I have a 2000 Corolla bought in 2007 for $1000 (like a subset of Corollas of this generation, it started burning oil with previous owner; they didn't re...

No, not seriously. Do we need a lesson in emoticons here? :) ... The world is flat at the top of the academic mountain. I'm glad you clarified. No, I didn't analyze your emoticons - most emoticons are not all that clear. The world may be flat at the top of the academic mountain, but far too many Am...

You won't find many as supportive of education as me, but to some extent the colleges and universities share the blame. Admissions committees no longer look for well-rounded students ; they are trying to put together a well-rounded class . Being well-rounded can even work against a student in some ...

What do you call a supposedly safe investment in which a five-week hiccup can wipe out more than a year of income? Answer: a bond mutual fund. I guess the real question is how often this has happened in the past, and how often the market has recovered? Didn't someone holding a bond-heavy portfolio ...

Well, of course, humanities, psychology, and social science AP scores are useless. :twisted: I should have restricted my comments to physics, chemistry, calculus, computer science, and other STEM courses. :) And universities have to stop giving credit for those scores because then all the English, ...

Kids today are starting college at the level of about an 11th grader 25 years ago. They are not learning the same with a 4-year degree that they did 25 years ago, in part because they start college at a lower level, .... This isn't simply due to a higher % of the population going to college - even ...

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,20250928,00.html example below 1. Shorten your dryer-vent hose. First, disconnect it and vacuum it out. Then trim the hose length so that it's just long enough for you to pull the dryer a few feet out from the wall. A short and unobstructed line makes your...

Very questionable tricks... I've just looked through them and did not find a single one that I've liked. IMHO, it is a waste to pay professionals to service your furnace every year, have a fall garden crew, etc. About the dryer tip in the OP: we've nearly stopped using dryer and switched to clothes...

The United States has a problem: rapidly rising student debt. It also has a solution: online education. PJW Online education may work for more mature (usually older) students. It won't work for your typical 18-19 year old. They come in to college as a group very unmotivated, with very remedial stud...

You also didn't address my main point - average debt at graduation is $27k. Is that really that horrible? It's not ideal, but it isn't exactly insurmountable. Many parents think nothing of paying $27K for a car. To a large degree, our priorities are screwed up. Part of the reason tuition at public ...

At research universities, tuition helps pay for professors who are not full-time instructors and spend a good amount of time conducting research and writing papers. This isn't true. Those researchers are almost certainly bringing in grants that pay their salary plus give money to the university. Un...

Part of the increase in college costs is the increase in non-educational bells & whistles which play a significant role in where students (and their parents) choose to attend. If colleges provided the same amount of services & amenities that they did 20-25 years ago, their cost would be far ...

One thing you might ask yourself is whether she's spending in a way which makes you suspect she's not fully mentally competent. My sister's mother-in-law for at least several years before she was diagnosed with Alzheimer's was suckered in to all those "Franklin Mint" and other junk adverti...

Thanks for the info, everyone. Appreciate the heads-up on the new Haswell chip. I didn't realize it would increase battery life by 50%. It might be worth the wait to either get a laptop with this processor or wait for the discount on older ones. Do you think discounts have already went into effect ...

I believe the 6% "excise tax" on overcontributions will be assessed annually until that money is taken out of the Roth IRA. Research this; Pub 590 mentions it's an excise tax.

Some of the posts here surprise me. In general, I always have found gas powered tanks to be cheaper in the long run. Obviously certain areas in the U. S. may have lower electric costs over gas, but I don't think that is the norm. I also think going tankless has many advantages over a 40 or 50 gallo...

Congrats to the Op!! In general, what's the thought about this when one is in the accumulation phase? I'm 30 with a 2.75% fixed for 28 more years. Plan to stay in the house for a long time (best school district where I want to live, great neighborhood, decently big house). I know life could change ...

Also, tankless is good in theory, but more expensive and not many people are trained to repair; parts have to be ordered, not usually in stock. With "endless hot water", showers can stretch longer using more hot water. I read these tips/info a few days ago on this forum. Someone provided ...

It's never good to breathe in someone else's car exhaust (& if you're pulling in air from the outside & driving in traffic, you're doing that whether or not you can smell it - people have different abilities to smell; some, like me, are very sensitive - I notice this when no one else usually...

Private student loans are the work of the devil, particularly because they cannot be discharged even in bankruptcy. I disagree. My private student loans had by far the lowest interest rate at 2.75%. Some of my federal loans were at 8.5%. Honestly, I wish i had borrowed more from the private lender ...

1. If you need more money than what is provided by parents and scholarships, get a part time job. 2. If that doesn't cover your costs, look into federally subsidized loans. 3. If you still need more money, you need to go to a cheaper institution. Private student loans are the work of the devil, par...

You should do some reading at http://www.diychatroom.com/ & then ask the question over there, if you haven't gotten an answer. A lot of professionals contribute to that board. Many professionals disagree with CR's evaluation of Behr paints, and some will argue that there are problems with consis...

http://billmoyers.com/episode/full-show-who%E2%80%99s-widening-america%E2%80%99s-digital-divide/ America has a wide digital divide — high-speed Internet access is available only to those who can afford it, at prices much higher and speeds much slower in the U.S. than they are around the world. But ...

I would establish an agreement with her in writing which lays out who paid what, & what you are agreeing to with respect to taxes. That way, she cannot file an amended form in 2 years & claim you misled her about how to fill out her form & that she in fact paid for half the household exp...

Some recipes for dulce de leche involve cooking sweetened condensed milk in the can. Brian A better idea, is to transfer the condensed milk to canning jars with new lids and proceed as usual. It's how I do it. I used the in the can method once and could taste the metal. This is very good informatio...

That's good to know.
Although there's not supposed to be lead in children's products either, yet it still happens.
I wouldn't cook food in a can for many reasons.

3. no one uses lead on cans now days. Most cans today are 2 piece cans (lid and bottom); there is no side seam that needs to be soldered. The top is not soldered. That's not correct. As I said, imported cans may contain lead solder. "Imported food in cans that are sealed with lead solder. Some...

Cans packaged with food outside the US (but sold with food in them in the US) can have lead in the solder. Google for the info.
Some also have linings in them (some of which contain BPA & I don't know what else).
This thread seems a bit off topic & will likely get closed.

15 year rolling returns (1973-2009). History suggests 100% equities can pay off ... if you "stay the course" in the years where you lose 30-40% of your value. But can you? It's probably easier if the first few years are "up" years where your gains are high, or if you have been in...

Talk to a counselor; link in message above. That's really the place to start. This also provides some basic info: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/refinance/when-is-a-harp-refinance-worth-the-cost-1.aspx His credit score could affect his rate he's being offered. But quicken often is not the best deal...

Hi everyone, My dad purchased a home in 2005. He has a 30 year fixed mortgage with a current principal balance of $238,500 and an APR of 5.5%. He has been making payments of $1,539.00 a month for about 7 1/2 years. He has been tentatively approved for a HARP 2.0 loan from quicken loans. Closing cos...

More explanation on the HCE issue:
http://www.401khelpcenter.com/mpower/fe ... co=cfd-1.0

It's not clear from your message where you are moving funds to and where you are moving funds from (is it the Vanguard funds that you list out that are in the 401K?). I don't understand whether you ultimately want the 401K funds at Schwab or at Vanguard, based on subsequent responses. (Who is chargi...

If you start a completely separate booster club, that is not a continuation of the existing one, does this help absolve the new one of any responsibility for past misdeeds? I don't know that answer to that but given what I've read so far, there is no way I would agree to continue the existing organi...