Bogleheads.org

It seems like, at least for residential real estate, as a relatively illiquid asset influenced by many other factors such as the general economy, specific local/regional demographics, inventory, etc., that the correlation with interest rate changes would be fairly variable and not likely a simple m...

[...]To be a functional, well adjusted adult male in the United States (or any other Western country) and to have never have spent more than $20 per person on a meal in his entire life is just not realistic. It is indeed laughable. I enjoyed a hearty LOL. Thanks Jay! With that wide a paintbrush ......

[...]Same here. I don't even change my oil anymore. A few times a year my local Honda garage runs a $20 oil change special that includes a car wash, multipoint inspection, and all fluids topped off. I spend that, or even a little more, just buying the oil and filter. Of course they always come back...

[Admins, if you deem it to be inappropriate as I shamelessly plagiarized it from the linked article below, please feel free to modify the title] Nice article over on learnvest about immigrant parents. Obviously I agree with the general tenor of the piece, though there are always exceptions to the au...

[...]I will now wish a good day to my one remaining reader. It appears that I am the chosen one ;-) Let me see if I understand it right. The basic interpretation is that the effective tax rate is the extra tax that one would pay if one made a buck more (in the income bucket). What you are adding to...

[...]One might as well say "Kim Kardashian is the new Allis-Chalmers," or "The Lincoln Memorial is the new Häagen-Dazs," or "the Snark is the new Panjandrum." Come on Nisi, it is not as bad as Lincoln Memorial vs. Haagen-Dazs (I don't really comprehend the other two co...

Thanks for the congratulations, everyone. About my number that some of asked about: it's less than many here might want to live on, but it's enough for me to live comfortably, if not luxuriously, which is how I want to live anyway. I turn seventy in July and plan to retire at the end of the leave y...

harland wrote:Not if they're going near any icebergs. Are they going to add more lifeboats?

I'll go on the second voyage. Let someone else be the guinea pig!

- Porcupine

englishgirl wrote:[...]I'm not Mel (obviously)[...]

I know "Sarah" is a giveaway, but wasn't one of the Spice Girls an English girl named Mel?

- Porcupine

Hi, anyone have any personal experiences with renting a place in Florida during the winter months--ie, Jan, Feb, Mar. Basically looking for things to look/look out for. Thanks. 8-) People driving on the highway in the fast lane at 55MPH with their left turn signal on :D And they could be "good...

[...]I'm with you, Fred. I rarely use credit or debit cards. I carry them with me in case I need them, mainly for big-ticket item purchases or for smaller purchases in case I don't have enough cash to pay for them. I retired in 2008 at 45 and with no debt since 1998 when I paid off my mortgage. I d...

I was wondering if anyone here has tapped their Roth IRA for an emergency use. As I understand it, you can withdraw contributions penalty free and you would complete IRS Form 8606 Part III. We have 6 months expenses in a taxable emergency fund but lack additional funds to contribute to a Roth IRA t...

Taylor Larimore wrote:Paul:

We do not carry content insurance beyond that required by Fla. law. I figure we can replace any loss without hardship.

Best wishes.
Taylor

Taylor:

How much is required by FL law? Maybe I am overinsuring my condo!

- Porcupine

pinnerman12 wrote:is it over

If Apple falls, the gravity of the situation will hit you!

I'm considering changing jobs. I'm also considering purchasing a home in the next few months. If I have a sterling credit history, considerable assets and the ability for a 30-40% down payment, how will changing jobs impact my mortgage application? Based on personal experience, it should not make m...

With or without my watch? Petrocelli you might hold off on wearing that 5k watch until after the marriage. If she sees that she might think you are not a Boglehead. Petrocelli's wife has accepted him with his watch. She would not be as lenient if he had any further matrimonial plans :-). Victoria S...

How do you find Mrs. Boglehead? Fratdude: I first saw my future wife when she was Theme Girl for the 1949 New Year Orange Bowl football game. I took one look and decided that she was the girl I wanted to marry. We will have our 62nd Wedding Anniversary next month! Pat cooked dinner for everyone at ...

[...] (14%)Her 401K (Fidelity) (20%) American Funds EuroPacific Growth Fund Class R-4 (REREX) (.85%) (15%) Spartan 500 Index Fund – Fidelity Advantage Class (FUSVX) (.07%) (12%) Spartan Extended Market Index Fund – Fidelity Advantage Class (FSEVX) (.07%) (12%) Harbor Capital Appreciation Fund Insti...

Ah, jeez, I still haven't followed through w/ an application--anywhere. The PENDFED 1.99% seems awesome but I got scared away by all of the negative posts on various boards about PENFED. Have any of you successfully done the HEL with them? I need to get moving on this... If you had started the Penf...

Kosmo wrote:One of my all time favorite movies!

If you are referring to My Cousin Vinny, mine too!

- Porcupine

wilpat wrote:I thought McGraw-Hill was Tim and Faith!!

No Tim and no Faith in McGraw-Hill (aka S&P500) either!

- Porcupine

I think there's no one characteristic. For example, living within one's means would seem to be a necessary, but not sufficient characteristic, as one cannot (IMO) be a Boglehead without it, but merely living within one's means doesn't ensure one is a Boglehead. The same can be true for a commitment...

What is the quintessential quality of a Boglehead? In other words, what is the quality lacking which a person cannot be considered a Boglehead in your opinion? Pick one option from the poll or add your own.

- Porcupine

[...]We just bought a car from a guy who traded in a 2004 for a 2009 last year, then this year traded in his 2009 for something newer still. He had to pay over half of our purchase price straight to the bank, because he still owed on the car he was selling.[...] More than how you found your Mrs. Bo...

[...]Afetr some back and forth trips and many hundreds of calls, September 18, 2010, we married in BKK in a Buddhist Cultural Ceremony and last December 10, we married legally in the USA.[...] I would assume that Buddhist Cultural Ceremony marriages would be legal in the USA as well! What they aske...

IMHO Make sure you save the release documents for the closed loans. Given the (ongoing) robosigning scandal, the document showing they released your note is useful to keep. Are those documents not online nowadays anyway? - Porcupine PS: I do keep my paperwork (I am a packrat), but am just saying .....

IMHO Make sure you save the release documents for the closed loans. Given the (ongoing) robosigning scandal, the document showing they released your note is useful to keep. Are those documents not online nowadays anyway? - Porcupine PS: I do keep my paperwork (I am a packrat), but am just saying ...

This.

I met my wife at work, where I knew her for a decade before we became romantic. Once we became interested in each other romantically, the courtship went very quickly. Before our first "date," I already knew that she had a sense of humor, was intelligent, wasn't fickle, was honest, had a s...

So if you can get the double whammy of a house that goes up with inflation but a low fixed rate, that's a nice combination. Actually, it is a "triple whammy". You get to pay off the loan with inflated dollars. Jeff Folks talk about "inflated dollars" all the time, but they are n...

Would house values in the setting of high or unexpected inflation necessarily rise? The price of any item can rise or fall against the broader trend. But yes, you'd typically expect home prices to rise with inflation. I have heard discussions about low rate mortgages serving as hedges against this ...

Watty: I disagree with the advice of refinancing to a 5/5 ARM. Unless OP has the financial wherewithal to pay off the loan in 10 years, there is no way I would suggest that he/she goes with the ARM. A better option would be a 30-year fixed loan at 3.5%. And definitely I would suggest OP to a) increa...

I have not read all the responses, but would definitely suggest that you go with the 30-year term given the $400k student loans. At that interest rate - and given your pretty stable careers - I would also suggest throwing everything at the student loans once you have run out of tax-advantaged space ...

From your responses thus far why would he/she trust you regarding any diagnosis or treatment plan? He/she shouldn't. Remember the rule...trust no one. [...] *Now* you are thinking like a prudent consumer of dental services should. Congrats! My effort here has not been in vain! :) Jeri p.s. I went t...

Anyway, if you were to want to do so, you would be swimming against the tide as I am yet to meet anyone who refers to that money as an impound. I guess we have never met. See the second response in the thread. I would never take a mortgage that had pre-payment penalties or required an impound. I re...

Added thought: The mortgage company is the third party. They are standing between you and your insurance company and taxing authority. In that sense, this is a generic escrow. The term impound account seems more accurate as it is specific to mortgages. Property taxes are an exchange of funds betwee...

jebmke wrote:I use the debit card for small stuff. Easier than filing for reimbursement.

My understanding is that you still need to have the receipts for taxes (though I am yet to find out how exactly the taxes are filed).

- Porcupine

What difference does it make? You have to keep all the receipts anyway. Forever? That's what I mistakenly thought but archbish99 explained how it works. But you have raised a niggling doubt though. How do I prove in 2039 (or whatever) that I only claimed my prescriptions (in 2013) and not my doctor...

555 wrote:What difference does it make? You have to keep all the receipts anyway.

Forever?

I normally pay my own taxes and insurance and it was a free option. This refinancer wants to add .125 to the interest rate. Is it worth paying $10/month for a $120/month increase in cash flow. Basically a $1,600 "personal escrow" account. :annoyed I would not worry about the cash flow. Th...

It appears that most - if not all - of you have gotten the gist of what I was proposing. To reiterate, though: - you cannot use HSA money to retroactively pay medical expenses from the past. - I was planning only to reduce the hassle of storing all medical receipts. I did not really have a minimum/m...

For the most part, we do not plan to touch the HSA until retirement. However, I was considering whether it would be a good idea to withdraw the nickel and dime costs each year on an annual basis just to save future headache? For instance, prescriptions that don't really go through the insurance, as ...

If it were me, I would act based on my time horizon for withdrawing the funds. If I foresee taking the money out in the near future (say five years), I would keep it in cash or cash equivalents. If longer, I would go the asset allocation route.

- Porcupine

nisiprius wrote:

sscritic wrote:affect is not reduce, or at least I an unable to not find a lack of distinction between the two.

And I see Vanguard says "more" where the SEC as "higher."

It took me two more tries to see "more"!!

- Porcupine

Good information from EmergDoc's blog. Just realized that Fidelity has HSA and fee is waived under some conditions. Since my 401K is with Fidelity, it seems a good choice for me to move to Fidelity for its spartan funds. PS, first year with HSA and the employer-picked custodian is Optum Health Bank...

Based on a recent thread, I researched this bank's investment options. From what I can tell, they appear pretty decent. You can select the Health eSaver option and, as long as your balance with them exceeds $5k, you would be paying no extra fees. Am I reading this right? If you're willing to let $5...

Based on a recent thread, I researched this bank's investment options. From what I can tell, they appear pretty decent. You can select the Health eSaver option and, as long as your balance with them exceeds $5k, you would be paying no extra fees. Am I reading this right? Now if only they add the Van...

Let's say I run a mutual fund empire comprising of just one mutual fund ZZZZX, the Sleep Well Fund. In January, AXYZ, 10,000 shares of ZZZX were outstanding, and the assets (cash + market value of stock holdings) added up to $10,000,000. Obviously, the share price was $1,000 per share of ZZZZX. Dur...

I have read conflicting information on whether a mutual fund's expense ratio includes trading costs. Can someone shed light on this question? I would think it does not, because you cannot predict trading costs ahead of time. A corollary question is whether performance charts typically plot return a...

Rodc wrote:I think it will vary hugely company to company, likely manager to manager, and department to department, and will depend on your specific job.

+100,000!