Bogleheads.org

I like keeping a few grand in my money market account, with outstanding limit to buy if stocks drop say 4-5%, reset monthly I find it comforting to log in after a Really Bad Day/Week and see my trades executed. It makes very little impact on the overall bottom line, but it makes me feel better (hey,...

Do any of y'all have suggestions for other forums you frequent that cover a similar range of topics as bogleheads.org? I'm specifically looking for something some what similar to the now defunct Politonomics.org. Somewhere I can discuss investing, but can also talk about economic theory, etc http://...

If it interests you a fast car would be high on the list. A really really fast car. In my 30's I bought and upgraded a 1980 Camaro with among other things a 383 stroker motor that dyno'd at 500 horsepower at 6,200 RPM and 500 ft. lbs of torque at 4,400 RPM. A manly 4-speed manual and a 3.73 posi re...

Agreed. This thread should be locked. ...Why exactly? I find it irritating when conversations are locked that haven't gotten out of hand (in general, not this site specifically), but I find it very disappointing when people start encouraging a lock to limit civil discussion of a topic. What's the b...

I had to round up to 11%. Happy to rent until my needs change.

Strictly from a financial perspective, this almost never makes sense.

I use this handy edmunds calculator to run the numbers.

http://www.edmunds.com/calculators/gas-guzzler.html

The S&P is basically back to where it was in September of 2000. Yes, I know that ignores dividends, but it also ignores inflation. You want to wager which was the bigger influence? I feel entirely within my rights to be a little cranky, even if only on my parents behalf. I'm certainly not whistl...

I constantly see people talk of the fear of "running out of money" in retirement. By the way the subject is discussed, you would think that the very instant the last cent drains from their 401k men in suits come in and drag them off to make soylent green. I find it odd, because of the olde...

Howdy folks, If I donated e-books to a library, or other non profit 503ish organization, would said donation be tax deductible? I believe the Irs says that such a donation has to be deducted at the fair market value. Well, there are no 'used' kindle books, so wouldn't this be valued at the sale pric...

If I had to get another car now, and this was my budget, I'd go for an 07 Honda Fit or Nissian Versa, or perhaps an first gen mazda 3 [5 door].

I'm partial to hatchbacks.

The short term bonds seem to be coming in at around 2%? https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=5132&FundIntExt=INT#tab=1 You can't buy those past returns, the current SEC yield of that fund is 0.52%. The actual returns will vary depending on the future changes in interest rates,...

So, after reading the wiki article on the possibility of keeping one's emergency fund in an ira: http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Placing_Cash_Needs_in_a_Tax-Advantaged_Account I was wondering if it makes sense to move my emergency fund from ibonds to short term bonds in my ira? Ibonds are basically y...

I'm sorry, how is a 6.5% unemployment target 'proposed'? It's right there in the Fed's statement. Just because it's not a certain date does not mean it's not a firm target. Mortal, The 6.5% unemployment figure has absolutely nothing to do with capital gains taxes or any taxes for that matter. That ...

I'm sorry, how is a 6.5% unemployment target 'proposed'? It's right there in the Fed's statement. Just because it's not a certain date does not mean it's not a firm target.

I notified his insurance about a week after the incident. I have full coverage, and a $500 deductible. I haven't filed a claim with my insurance company, but I'll notify them tomorrow. I honestly thought I was supposed to go to the other guy's insurance. I guess that was a bit stupid of me

So, about a month ago, I was involved in a minor fender bender. This guy hit my right rear wheel and bumper while making a U-Turn at an intersection. I was sort of rattled, but it was a very minor hit. We pulled over, he apologized, we exchanged information, took photos, and parted ways. I (naively)...

Now that you've spit out your coffee... retract your claws, bear with me. :wink: At what point does it no longer make since to have an 'emergency fund'? Is it always mathematically worth it to have a 6-12mo emergency fund so you won't have to sell stocks in case of a job loss? My taxable account is ...

I've been using linux since high school. I wanted to be able to write computer programs at home, not just in the school lab. Linux had developer tools for *every* language that wasn't MS exclusive. It was awesome. Parents were convinced it was somehow a ploy to play video games, which is ironic beca...

I periodically set a limit order to automatically buy a few shares when the market slips X% from it's current value. Financially, it makes pretty much no sense or difference. Emotionally, however, it lets me turn a 'bad day' into a 'buying opportunity'. I logged onto vanguard this evening, and what ...

http://books.google.com/books?id=tZ39qX ... er&f=false

I found this excerpt while surfing the web. I fear it's more accurate than I'd like to admit.

One thing to keep in mind is the 'bar' for disability takes into account your education, and the type of work you do. For instance, I have cerebral palsy. I also have a college education and work as a software developer. My understanding is that in order for me to actually be considered 'disabled' w...

I did finally get a bookmarklet working. It turned out to be more of an exercise in 'can I do it' than anything useful. To make things easier I used another bookmarklet that loads jQuery since vanguard doesn't appear to be using much beyond a minimal YUI instance. So, the steps: 1. Go to the 'order ...

So, I keep a few k extra funds laying around outside of my normal 6 month emergency funds. Normally I invest it a few times a year, I try to 'buy the dips', not because it's sound investing strategy, but because it's a psychological trick I use to turn a really bad day in the markets into an 'opport...

May I suggest we pursue this via small claims?

The legal costs would be substantially lower. Damages may be capped at 3k around here, but that hurts hard enough to make the point. If he keeps it up, we file another suit using the existing evidence trail.

One thing I will say, is get the whole 'sports car image' out of your head. Unless you plan on tracking it, you're going to drive it roughly the same way you drive your current car. Why? Because traffic, police, and pure old common sense determine how fast you drive, not how many ponies you have un...

I was exactly where you were a couple years ago. I bought a used miata, and sold my old ford ranger. One thing I will say, is get the whole 'sports car image' out of your head. Unless you plan on tracking it, you're going to drive it roughly the same way you drive your current car. Why? Because traf...

My employer does this, and it drives me nuts. We have to take 7 days (about half my vacation) as furlough. I get it if you work at a factory, and they shutdown to re-tool/ do maintenance, etc, but when a software company does it, it's a money grab. Did i mention we get no cola raises, and the 401k s...

I feel your pain. My company's 401k has an average expense ratio of 1.2%, with god knows what fees wrapped on top of that. The only thing close to reasonable is the s & p 500 fund at .66%. Sadly, we get no match. I still contribute the maximum, simply for the tax-deferred space it grants. I figu...

Here's my pizza strategy. 1. Put frozen pizza in the oven [usually less than $5]. 2. Watch a 20 minute ted episode, browse the web for 7 more minutes. 3. Eat pizza Honestly, I don't know where pizza places get off charging $12 dollars for a pizza, not to mention delivery that takes just as long as i...

I feel like I'm missing something very important here. When I report losses on a schedule d [i use taxact], I just mark them 'various' and the appropriate drop down for short/long term capital gains/losses. I use the vanguard form for my info. Am I missing something? I don't want to run afoul of any...

I save about 60% of my income. I save for financial security, and [someday] independence. I got used to getting by on very little in college. My expenses and income have grown by 2x and 10x since then. It's funny, because after you learn about saving and investing for retirement, you begin to see sp...

My dad and grandpa owned a jeep, but I have to say, I don't understand the appeal. If you do a *lot* of offroading, I might understand. Then again, pretty much any beat up old f150 or silverado 4x4 will handle 98% of your offroading needs. Roll down the windows, same difference. Heck, my dad's hunti...

Upandcoming, I'm going to go against the grain here, and recommend that you sock your money away in cds, ibonds, or a roth IRA invested in short term bonds. Your young. When I was your age I had just acquired my first car (beaters are awesome!). If you don't have a short term goal you want now, odds...

@jenny Lol, you're kidding right? They want to blow their last dime on guns, ammo and 5 years worth of dried beans. No thanks. My best financial move was getting through college without debt. My inner cheap bastard was born in those years of abject poverty :wink:. To this day I still live well below...

I'll tell you how I deal with it, I keep always keep a few thousand in money market as 'a few extra months on my emergency fund'. When markets take a dive, I buy 1k worth here, 500 worth there. Any rational person sitting down and doing the math will tell you it's a meaningless drop in the bucket co...

Whatever you do, do *not* get an ARM. IMHO with the interest rate environment right now you'd be a fool not to go for a 30 year fixed. You'll really need to put down 20%. Having said that, buying vs renting mostly comes down to a consumption choice. If you and your wife feel like you'll need 3+ bedr...

When I was 6, I was fairly conservative.

My asset allocation was 1/4 GI Joes, 1/4 Transformers, and 1/4 Ninja Turtles. Hey, at least I diversified!

Oh, I almost forgot my 1/4th Legos! They were the 'safe' portion of my portfolio. I never got tired of them.

For 2011 it was 63%

I could probably push it to 65%, but it would cut into my vices

My vote would be for the 2012 skyactiv mazda3. It's a really practical hatchback that's relatively fun to drive and gets excellent fuel economy. Link to a long term test on my favorite car review site. http://blogs.insideline.com/roadtests/Vehicles/2012-mazda-3/ Also, I have a huge soft spot for maz...

Ladies and Gentilemen, I sincerely apologize for the latest loss in bonds. It is entirely my fault. I made my 2012 roth contribution to TBM monday. :oops: In other news, I too have a plan to get gas down to $2.50/gal. I will simply buy oil stocks, and therefore, guarantee that the price of oil plumm...

Well, I've spent a lot of time in Florida, so I may as well plug my favorite part as well. Consider Pensacola, Fl. It has the University of West Florida. It also has a really cool research institute http://www.ihmc.us, should you decide to do some part time work. I really loved the place while I was...

In my 401k, we have exactly one fund with an expense ratio below 1%. That's the S&P 500 index for .66%. The main bond fund (PIMCO) is over 1%. When you consider the expense ratio on that bond fund is eating like 1/3 of it's returns, that *hurts*. As a result, I simply invest 100% of my 401k into...

Monty Python, has the answer.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAaWvVFERVA

Cheer up, at least you're not being called 'old woman'

In my case, it's mostly light-hearted ribbing from my father. "Boy, whataya do with *all that money*?", or "You make more than I do!". I take it with good humor. I have never experienced someone hitting me up for money, but would have absolutely no problem turning them down. I ma...

This is purely hypothetical, as I am a *long way* from retirement. I've always heard that in an early retirement situation, it's wisest to withdraw from your taxable and roth accounts first, and hopefully these will tide you over till 59 1/2 (assume retirement date could be as early as 40, so no age...

As a rule I don't buy *any* booze at a restaurant or bar. I always drink at home. I once ordered a double Jim beam for nearly $12. Seriously? That's like $2 worth from the liquor store! I'd be perfectly fine with a reasonable markup, but that's ludicrous. I usually drink pbr, which runs ~$8 12 pack....

My one GLARING pet peeve is someone in the left lane that isn't passing someone on the right. If I try to travel about 78 mph I always wind up behind these idiots. It actually frustrates me so much that I just put my cruise control about 2 mph less than the speed limit and let everyone pass me. Yes,...

I would invest so long as the investment has a positive expected real return. Investing with a negative expected real return is called *gambling* (or, sadly, owning TIPS)

I don't 'carry'. Mostly because carrying is useless unless you're going to have the gun on you at all times. I don't want to go through the inconvenience, and I don't want to deal with someone who freaks out because they find out I'm carrying a firearm (by accident). Having said that, here's my take...

Another point,

Honda and Toyota seem to be fighting it out for 'most boring car company' in recent years. These 'excellent deals' all seem to be on camry, accords, civics, and corollas. I would *much* rather drive something more exciting, interesting, with more character.