Bogleheads.org

If the project is not necessary then delay it until you can pay for it in cash. Delaying gratification has huge financial advantages. Sometimes you just have to tell yourself "NO!" when you want to spend money that you don't really have.

Not counting home equity my wife and I hit that earlier this year at Age 29. We figure to hit 200k next year.

Time and again people reference the horrific Mexican on Mexican crime going on south of the border. However, I have yet to see a reference to the murder of a non-Mexican-American US citizen. If you don't have Mexican roots and don't get involved with illegal activities it is highly unlikely that you...

These are just a couple off news stories from googling "kidnappings in mexico" 72 Kidnappings In Mexico Per Day, Council for Law and Human Rights Says Mexican forces involved in kidnappings, disappearances, report charges Former Marine from Texas kidnapped by armed men in Mexico, family s...

Wellesley has outperformed a 35%/65% bond/stock index combo for a long time now. Past performance blah, blah, blah...but to call it a "loser" is ridiculous.

Lot's of scaredy cats in this piece!

Please provide links to Americans (not of Mexican origin) who were killed while visiting Mexico. Mexico is probably safer for Americans than most American urban areas.

http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/houseaff ... fford.html

I wonder how much the real estate industry paid CNN to host this on their site? No wonder why Americans buy too much house.

Rebalancing does not yield higher returns. Just set it and forget it.

It's worth it for the free samples alone! I probably eat $100+ of samples throughout the year. Beyond that they offer a really nice wine selection at below market prices.

Just_trailing, do not send that email. It may just destroy your career. While your posts in this thread are well written and thoughtful the email itself is poorly written with grammatical errors and generally comes off like a rant by ticked off teenager. Whatever you do, do not send that email. One ...

I'll finally be able to max out my 403b and Roth. I understand the attraction in paying off the mortgage, but I don't understand the sentence quote above. How would not paying off the mortgage make it any harder to max out your 403b and Roth? Money is tight. I can only afford to save 9k... About $7...

. I have mostly questions (a couple of observations). I don't really see the wisdom in paying off your mortgage.... 1. Where is the wisdom in having a mortgage and higher expenses (interest) ? As a general statement, your comment makes NO sense. ... unless you believe that we are experiencing a sea...

I don't really see the wisdom in paying off your mortgage unless you believe that we are experiencing a sea change in this country's investing history and believe that returns will be miniscule, or negative, for decades to come. Even if you are a "doomer" a low interest mortgage is a great...

NCBound, I am a Social Security CR and I have read over your other posts. Realize this: Even though in life your wife's CSRS pension is totally offsetting her eligibility for Social Security you will be able to collect a survivor benefit on her record in the month that you turn 60 years old. Your FE...

The current inflation rate is low enough that waiting a while before investing isn't a huge risk. You could lose more than a year's inflation after a single week of dropping stock values. 10% drops happen almost every year and deeper ones every few years. A 10% drop is 3 year's worth of inflation a...

Folks; The additional expenses for the external manager is less than $1575 total fees for 5 years (0.07% x $450K x 5). There is no way I'd try to bulldoze my mother in law's opinions about the best place to put money for this little bit. And I'm 60 and have 30 years of investment experience. In the...

[Personal attack removed by admin LadyGeek]

OP - You are lucky to be inherited three quarters of a million from your GRANDMOTHER. Even with the fees you are, at 33 years of age, going to have more invested that 99.9% of your peers. Look at the big picture, there is more to life than money.

You shouldn't pay extra on your mortgage until you have already maxed out your tax advantaged space.

The debate really is: taxable investing vs paying down the mortgage.

Do you really want to bring your family there? I wouldn't spend a night in San Francisco. A guidebook might be a good idea. What a bizarre response. San Francisco is one of the greatest cities in the country. You make it sound like he is asking about taking his kids on vacation to Camden, NJ!!! Yes...

Do you really want to bring your family there? I wouldn't spend a night in San Francisco. A guidebook might be a good idea. What a bizarre response. San Francisco is one of the greatest cities in the country. You make it sound like he is asking about taking his kids on vacation to Camden, NJ!!!

As long as you don't mind driving a car that screams "mid-life crisis" then go for it! You have much more saved at 43 than most will when they retire. Heck, if I have your net worth in 14 years when I turn 43 I will be retiring!

Costs are already that high almost. $60,000+/yr (including room & board at a few universities) You'd be nuts to pay it unless you are rich. There are many who could afford to pay it and will pay it in our society. To indenture yourself or your family which many do is insanity. Rather than costs...

"Adjusting for current market conditions There is one more adjustment we must make. It is that in today's current market environment, it borderlines on ridiculous to assume that the U.S. historical averages will still apply in the future. Today bond yields are very low, and they are the best pr...

recency bias alert!

Nancy, there is no reason to be so defensive. I am simply making the point that if you didn't buy the boat and second home that you would not be beholden to the financial institutions you are railing against. That's it. Why you need to blame the banks for your conspicuous consumption baffles me alon...

The OP is another example that even well-intentioned, thoughtful individuals still cannot help but blame "the system" for their financial struggles. If she had stuck to one home and two cars and did not buy into the "my baby must go to the BEST college, regardless of whether we can af...

Foyle's War The Americans Arrested Development Workaholics The Inbetweeners House of Cards (both the UK and US versions!) The League It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia South Park Downton Abbey (1st season only, jumped the shark in the 2nd season) there are plenty of others that just aren't coming to ...

As long as you have some sort of monthly benefit you never truly "outlive your money." The trick is to have enough in defined benefits and annuities that you don't worry if you exhaust your investments. That is my long range plan.

Update: We decided add four more nights to our trip, now we are spending: 3 nights in Napa (anyone have a recommendation for which town to stay in? Napa, Yountsville, St. Helena, and Calistoga seem to be the main towns in the valley) 3 nights in Pacific Grove/Monterey 3 nights in Healdsburg 4 nights...

Without addressing your original question, I'd like to point out that 3 million allocation to JUNK bonds, out of a 4 million dollar balance sheet IS CRAZY! Why on earth do you think this is a good idea? Do you think this money is SAFE? Recency bias? Junk bonds have done very well over the past thre...

Here is what I would do OP: 1. pay the monthly mimimums ($680) 2. max out my Roth IRA ($460) 3. max out my t401k ($1458 gross, ~$1100-$1200 net) 680 + 460 + 1150 = 2290 4. 2800 - 2290 = use the remaining 610/month to pay down your student loans I think it is very misguided to throw away roughly $55,...

My recommendation: find a mate who loves you for you, not for your bling. In other words, look outside the social circle to which young doctors generally are drawn.

I am starting to rethink the Columbus Motor Inn. What were your issues with the place?

So...it looks like if you want to explore the city on foot it is almost unavoidable to walk through parts of the Tenderloin. I don't want to be mugged. Advice?

Another way to think about this question is to ask: I lucked out and have $750,000 in assets in my mid-20s, how should I best invest for my future? If you choose a modest house (which would better mesh with your per-inheritance lifestyle I would think), and simply stay on the same track you've been...

I am on a 20th Century Russian/Eastern European history kick: Just finished: http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Curtain-Crushing-Eastern-1944-1956/dp/0385515693 Am half way through: http://www.amazon.com/Nicholas-Alexandra-Robert-K-Massie/dp/0345438310 Also just started: http://www.amazon.com/Khrushchev-Man...

Not to mention the fact that his current IRA holdings without any future contributions will likely offer him a comfortable retirement in 40 years! Obviously I am not advocating he stop contributing to his retirement funds in favor of buying a house beyond his means, however compounding investment re...

I just put in an offer on an ideal house in an ideal school district. We offered $355,500. I've been pre-approved for an amount far greater, but am having second thoughts about the potential monthly burden. I calculate a monthly PITI payment of approximately $1800 based on 20% down. I hope to appea...

I am a docent at Alcatraz and can give you a "behind the scenes" tour, if we can arrange a time to do it. You will still have to buy your tickets there, but once on the island, I can give you a personal tour. The only place to get tickets is alcatrazcruises.com . PM me if you are interest...

Bumping this for any additional advice you guys have...looks like we will be spending the first two nights in Santa Cruz at an ocean front property, then three nights in Sonoma (still haven't definitively settled on a town), and the four nights in the city. Even though we are staying in Santa Cruz w...

We had a wonderful family gathering last year at the Palace Resorts. But the violence is spreading. My brother-in-law with his wife and two little ones were changing planes in Mexico City Airport, getting a bite at the food court when multiple gunshots rang out. Two undercover police were shot dead...

Mexico has a very high murder rate (22.7/100,000) compared to USA (4.8) and Canada (1.6). Mexico's murder rate has skyrocketed in recent years because of drug wars. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_intentional_homicide_rate Mexico is also high risk area for kidnapping.. http://www....

Well if she marries her BF she will probably receive $1000 to $2000 extra per year on his record.

Just a thought...

Wade Pfau lists much lower withdrawal rates for a 40 year retirement under current market conditions. more like 1.6 to 1.8% per year Rates like that reek of recency bias. I won't retire for another 25-30 years so I don't have to worry about w/d rates right now but I will probably end up settling on...

Iron Curtain: The Crushing of Eastern Europe 1944-1956 by Anne Applebaum

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Curtain-Crus ... on+curtain

Required reading for anyone with an interest in the Cold War!

We will be arriving aroung noon on 5/1 FWIW.

Based on some of the responses we are considering spending three nights in wine country to start, then two nights in Monterey, before finishing with four nights in San Francisco. Would those who have taken similar trips or who live in the area consider this spreading ourselves too thin? This new pla...

My wife and I will be flying to San Francisco out of Philly on 5/1 and returning on 5/10. We plan to spend the first four nights in Sonoma and/or Napa and the last five nights in San Francisco. We just booked non-stop flights on Virgin America for $312 each which we were pretty thrilled about. When ...

kevin.m wrote:Hey all,

I currently invest just enough to max out my retirement accounts each year (5000 in a vanguard Roth IRA, 17,000 in TSP).

Note that these limits have been increased in 2013. Now you can contribute $5500 to your Roth IRA and $17,500 to your TSP.

Keep in mind that by decreasing your FICA taxable income you are decreasing your future Social Security benefits, unless you have already maxed out your "High 35" that are used in the benefit computation.