Bogleheads.org

We've sold a couple of cars on craigslist and have never had an issue. I think it helped to meet at our credit union. We would go inside and get copies of the buyer's drivers license and current insurance, and I would always go on the test drive. One time a guy came to look at our car and just thoug...

We had a Honda Pilot for years (which we loved), but upgraded to an Odyssey when we had our third child. We originally made the upgrade because trying to do 3 carseats in the Pilot just wasn't working - we couldn't fit all 3 in the second row, and we couldn't slide a seat out of the way to get to th...

+1 for trying to work out a compromise. I'm a contracting officer, and I see this all the time. My guess is he knows its onerous, and just wants to see what he can get out of you. I would figure out a number you are comfortable with backed by actual figures/work and present it to him with the cavea...

Did you sign a contract? Does it commit you to pay for whatever labor is needed to get the done, regardless of the estimate? Or is it a fixed-price contract? Or is there no contract at all? There is a signed estimate, that constitutes the contract. The estimate only specifies if additional time is ...

now if you ASKED for extra work not included in the original estimate along the way, that's a different story - it should be a given that it would add extra cost and time. There was some of that with the local crew, but the cost is reflected properly in the invoice and only accounts for $75 of the ...

Horseshoe Bend is just a couple miles south of Page, and is pretty amazing during sunset. There's a small dirt parking lot just off the highway that's pretty easy to miss. The hike is really short and easy. It makes for a good end to a day of hiking and exploring. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horses...

We hired a contractor to do some work around our house. The estimate he provided was approximately $1,500. In the estimate, it indicated that additional work would be charged at a set hourly rate. The work was completed and the other day we got the invoice for the work and it is over $3,000. My wife...

Thanks SVT for clearing my confusiong. However, what are the tax implications. Do I need to enter 3000 somewhere while filing tax in 2014 as I might not have HDHP plan or I do not need to indicate anywhere about 3000? I'm no expert, but my understanding is the HDHP limitation is on contributions on...

Like others have mentioned, I use TrueCrypt. While I do store sensitive data online (mainly with Google Drive), it's always encrypted in a TrueCrypt container.

Sort of a niche, but Crutchfield electronics for car stereo equipment has always been great.

$100 oil changes kill me. Personally, I say do it yourself. You can get full synthetic oil and a filter for $20 when you look for a deal (Pepboys, Autozone, etc...). Then you just need some ramps and basic tools, there's nothing too complicated about it. Just be sure to change out the crush washer o...

I noticed last week that my HSA investments are unbalanced - not by much, just 8-10% between the three funds. My other investments (401k and IRA) have options to automatically rebalance the portfolio, but my HSA does not. I gave them a call and explained what I was trying to do and found out that I ...

I would say skip the extended warranty and use an American Express to purchase it. Amex automatically extends manufacturer's warranty by a year.

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/cont ... ranty.html

Thanks for the responses. I think I'll pay on the premium like many of you have suggested. Given the disability is only 60% of my income, I think the tax burden on the benefit would be greater than on the premium. Hopefully I'll never have to find out!

It's our benefits enrollment period at work, and when selecting disability insurance, I have to choose whether I want the premium taxed or the benefit taxed. Besides a basic description of which each is (see below), there's no real description of the advantages/disadvantages of each. Any thoughts on...

Wow, thanks for all the advice. I especially like the idea of renting, finding a unit we really like and trying to secure a hold on the unit for the next year. I think we'll try that out for a bit. It sounds like it works for a number of you.

Is buying a timeshare ever a good idea? I've heard you can get some steals from the secondary market, and I like the idea of having something for skiing in the winter. I am looking for something in Park City or in one of the other major Salt Lake resorts. I'm not sure where to start looking for thes...

I've studied Mandarin a bit, but I'm certainly no expert. I would have her check out LiveMocha before spending money on Rosetta Stone. It has free introductory lessons that should give her an idea of what learning Chinese will entail. It's very similar to the Rosetta Stone approach, so she may prefe...

Do you have expense ratios for these funds? Yes, should have included that before. No surprise the Vanguard fund is lowest: Fund Family Symbol Fund Name Expenses --------------- ------- -------------------------------- -------- VANGUARD VLCSX Vanguard Large Cap Index Signal 0.10% T. Rowe Price PRFD...

So I have enough in my HSA account now to invest in some of their pre-selected funds. I thought I would have the option to select any fund I wanted, but have to choose between the following: Fund Family Symbol Fund Name --------------- ------- -------------------------------- VANGUARD VLCSX Vanguard...

I just picked up Wool by Hugh Howey. It was highly recommended and I have had a difficult time putting it down. I'm about halfway through the Omnibus edition.

I like Muchtolearn's advise. Try to focus on your run as much as possible. I swim quite a bit and really try to think about the basics - mostly form and split times. For longer swims I know my mind will wander, so I try to come up with exercises that will benefit me after. My favorite is coming up w...

But all you need is $75,000 per year to be happy:

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/artic ... 28,00.html

I enjoy money
I dislike managing it
Do what is simple

G-Force wrote:I use USAA money manager, except I only list bank accounts and credit cards and not investments. To track everything I use Quicken Essentials for Mac.

I wasn't aware USAA had this service. I went ahead and added my bank accounts and credit cards. Thanks for the suggestion!

Mint.com runs on Yodlee. I use Yodlee's MoneyCenter directly (moneycenter.yodlee.com), which Yodlee monetizes by licensing to Mint, Fidelity Full View, the BOA equivalent, etc. I think Mint and Yodlee severed their connection when Mint was purchased by Intuit. Mint now uses Intuit's proprietary dat...

4. Not worried about key loggers. I use KeyPass and use copy/paste for data. All a key logger sees is ctrl-c and ctrl-v. I'd still be careful. Many keyloggers can grab data off the clipboard. It's not common, but as programs like KeePass are more prevalent, it's going to be more common. KeePass has...

I like the approach many of you have taken. I think the real benefit of an online service over a spreadsheet is tracking our spending. I don't necessarily need to link Vanguard, 401k, and savings accounts. What really spawned this was a coworker asking me how much our family spends on food per month...

this may be helpful to you: https://www.mint.com/how-it-works/security/faq/ The part that concerns me the most: Can Mint employees view my bank account numbers or credit card numbers? Your bank account and credit card numbers are stored securely. Your information may be seen by technical personnel ...

I'm curious how many bogleheads currently use mint.com. If so, do you have any concerns with security? Is mint.com able to link to all your accounts? I went to sign up, but got cold-feet putting in all my passwords and security question answers. My wife and I currently use an excel spreadsheet that ...

Thanks for all the input. I didn't want to overdo any analysis, but want to make sure I'm pointing in the right direction, which I think I am. Like many of you said, the toughest part is estimating what life will be like in 10, 15, 20 years from now, which really isn't possible. I hadn't thought abo...

If you are paying points, estimate how many months it would take to recoup the cost. Then make a guess as to the likelihood of being in the house at that time. If you are receiving points, you should look at your job security and pay. If your job isn't secure you may not want to lock yourself into ...

Are you really going to live in the house for 30 years with no refi along the way? Is so that would be unusual. You might want to look at the total cost out 5, 10, 15 years. For initial calculations, yes, I'm making that assumption. We're not planning on moving any time soon (or ever), and I can't ...

I'm looking to buy a home in the next 3 or 4 months. The bank I'm working with has 10 different mortgage rates, currently ranging from 3.5% to 4.625%, with points respectively ranging from 2.875 to -1.875 (see https://www.usaa.com/inet/pages/bank_mortgage_rates_view_all ). I've created a spreadsheet...

My wife makes these a lot. She will buy bulk produce from Costco or other grocers and divides/stores everything in separate containers in the freezer. Every morning she dumps one container's worth in the Blendtec, pretty quick and easy and we rarely worry about spoilage. She seems to use spinach and...

Thank you for the replies. I think in the end we'll keep with the original budget we've been discussing. More expensive homes generally mean newer, nicer, larger, better location, which makes self-discipline a bit more difficult when lenders are willing to throw silly amounts of money at you. I alwa...

We're considering buying a home and trying to ballpark what we can afford. We currently own a home in another state that we're renting out and breaking even with, no other debt besides that. I've looked at 5-6 online mortgage calculators that show you what you can afford, and I'm amazed that the num...

Ooma has this option, but you have to sign up for the Premier service to use it ($10/month). We've had the basic Ooma service for a couple of months and haven't had any issues with it. The device is around $180 - I think we got it on sale at Costco for about $160. Depending on how much your phone se...

The OP was not referring to "A Random Walk Down Wall Street". The OP referred to "The Random Walk Guide to Investing" by Burton G. Malkiel Yes, that's what I was referring to also. I read "The Random Walk Guide to Investing" after I read "A Random Walk". I wa...

This is geek heresy, but if you have a Windows PC, Windows Media Player will rip CDs into a variety of formats. I rip my CDs into the Windows Media Lossless format, which takes up much less storage than the original CD (I mean in megabytes, of course, not physical space). It's also handy for synchi...

Definitely not A Random Walk Down Wall Street. That book was so boring. I like John Bogle's Little Book of Common Sense Investing. I think that would be fine for a young person. Short, easy to read, plain language, and to the point. I agree. I read A Random Walk Down Wall Street first, which got me...

Check out tirerack.com for snows. They will ship you tires mounted on rims balanced and ready to go at a very competitive price. I just ordered a set of Michelin Alpins for my Acura. I did check out tirerack, but it seemed the competitive prices seemed to get wiped by shipping costs (about $120 for...

I rode a single-speed Raleigh One Way to work for a couple of years. The route wasn't long and was relatively flat. If you live in hilly area I'd think twice about switching over. Of course, if this is for training, that might be what you're going for. Even if your route seems flat, try riding in a ...

Living in Arizona with infrequent snow? Even if you were to swap them out every year to go up the mountains skiing, it wouldn't be cost effective because tires only last 5-6 years regardless of miles. Makes more sense to just rent a vehicle when you do go up. Good to know about the winter tires wea...

I know this is an old thread, but thought I'd share my two cents. A while back I turned down a job opportunity that included a significant raise. It just didn't feel right, and I knew I'd regret the lifestyle if I took it. Whenever I start thinking I don't make or have enough, I reflect back on that...

We just moved from Southern Arizona, where it snows maybe once every other year (and melts by noon) to Utah, where I'm sure we can expect a good amount of snow. I own an AWD vehicle, but since I want to drive up the canyons for skiing I thought I would invest in some dedicated snow tires and wheels,...

Questions for you to answer: (1) Did you pay income taxes on the reimbursements? Typically, employer's tuition assistance is tax free for up to $5,250 per year. If you never paid taxes on the reimbursements, you have no tax deduction or credit to claim. (2) If you did pay taxes on (part of) the rei...

Any thoughts? Do education expenses submitted in taxes have to be paid directly to the school, or would this qualify?

My current employer paid 100% of my Master's degree tuition, and there is a prorated payback over the course of two years if I leave the company (reducing 25% every 6 months). I found a new job and will leaving the company at the end of this month and now owe them 25% of the total tuition, which I e...

Thank you all for the input. I've learned quite a bit about professional dressing - especially at the Ask Andy forums. It turns out that I did not take the position. I received another offer that included a pay increase from my current salary, which I feel very fortunate about. This new position is ...