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If you believe your concern is valid, don't spend the windfall. Put it in the bank so you have it if and when they ask for it.

A contractor friend does bath and kitchen remodeling. He's told me that when he goes to a house to make his pitch, if there is a corvette in the driveway, it will be an easy sell. He got his. Now she is getting hers.

kitteh wrote:I went to the Garmin website, but I can't figure out exactly what it is that they're selling? Is it a device containing maps but no location "you are here" feature?

A Garmin GPS is a Global Positioning System and will indicate where you are.

livesoft wrote: PS: I suppose David Grabiner is not so anonymous, is he?

Or atleast the person that used the computer after David Grabiner when he stepped away and did not log off bogleheads.

One thing to be aware of, Vanguard won't allow you to open accounts with an address outside of the US. So don't try to open any that way. If that's your situation, say so and people can suggest other options. Brian Curious as to why that is? Anyone know? My understanding is Vanguard does not want t...

Grt2bOutdoors wrote: On the other hand, if the doctors told me I have exactly 10 years to live, I'd walk out today.

If the doctors are wrong and you live longer can you sue them for malpractice?

I would talk to a local Professional Land Surveyor (PLS). It was 1984, but I recall a PLS did a certification for our home and determined the first floor elevation. They used a nearby (1/8 mile) USGS Benchmark.

I guess I'm too old school. I always have a pen and piece of paper in my shirt pocket and write the area and level (if in a garage).

I recall reading someone did a study - Purchase domestic 49 days prior and international 81 days prior.

Try this...

https://revenue-pa.custhelp.com/app/ans ... l/a_id/255

If the ring is painted to the ceiling, use a razor blade knife or sharp kitchen knife to neatly cut the paint at the paint/ring interface before trying to remove the ring. Not cutting the paint free first, you may peel the paint off the ceiling.

We had a similar situation. When your son cashes the bonds, you will receive a 1099 for the interest and will need to report it on your 1040. You are a "nominee" for your son. You can avoid having to include the interest as your income by issuing a 1099 to your son (copy to IRS) transferri...

When we bought our house in 1984 we installed a heater-fan-light and the heater was priceless.

When we rebuilt the house in 1988 we installed wall mounted electric heaters in both the family and master bath. The heaters work great to take the chill away.

Didn't you see the penny cup on the counter when you placed your order?

TomatoTomahto wrote:IMO, contrary to BH beliefs, cars are not an area for being frugal, unless all occupants are old enough to decide they're willing to take the chance.

When I see a smart car going down the highway, I wonder how it would fair in a collision with a loaded concrete truck.

bicker wrote:A "raise"? What's that?

That's when the boss puts blocks of wood under your desk legs.

I would get another opinion. Have an engineer or house inspector look at it.

G12 wrote: The music alone is worth > $45k

I wonder where that goes on the PA Estate Tax form.

What some people seem to do is keep two safes -- one is relatively easy to find, medium-to-low quality, and contains decoy valuables. The other is well hidden, higher quality, and has your real valuables. That's too much for me, but might be appropriate for you. Similar to carrying a decoy wallet w...

In the state of PA, if you pass away no one will have access to the box. However, if the executor of the estate can provide a death certificate, the bank will give the executor access to the box. This isn't as easy as showing up at the bank, but that does mean your heirs won't be locked out forever...

I'll take one or the other; crystal ball or time machine.

I stayed overnight occasionally at a friend's condo and drive a company issued pick-up truck. The truck is not marked with a logo or name, but we do highway work and there is an orange "Construction Vehicle" sign on the tailgate and a yellow light on top. The town home development had shor...

Home Owner Associations always scared me. Not only due to the risk of increasing assessments but because of the strange rules they sometimes enforce.

I took the reference to prebuilt to be a tract house.

I am also very interested in this topic. I do not want to take over this thread but these questions may help the OP also. cheesepep, if you would prefer, I will start another thread. I am thinking about demolishing my house in an expensive suburb here on the West Coast and replacing it with a simil...

I appreciate the replies and the tips, but can anyone please tell me the approximate costs for even doing so? Like is it 1.5X, 2X, or 3X the price of a "normal home" in the same neighborhood? I won't even branch further if the price is too pricey. I'm looking for very general prices here ...

We hired an architect to design our house in 1988.

You also need to consider navigating the local zoning/land development/building codes/permit process.

I'm an engineer and did our plot plan to get the zoning permit.

I'd call Vanguard. Please post their response.

Thanks. I've been using the demo of Acrobat Pro successfully for the last half-day and it looks like it'll meet my needs. $200 well spent. eta : wow, pro is actually nearly $500. still probably worth it. I bought Fujitsu scanners in 2004 and 2008. Both were around $400 and both included Acrobat Pro.

There are versions of Adobe Acrobat (not Reader) that will run an OCR process and create a searchable pdf. I would sort by placing statements from each company in a separate folder and then by date in the file name. I like "2012 12 29 Statement" so they are in chronological order, otherwis...

We loved both cruises and have booked our third for Denmark, Norway and Iceland in September. Denmark Norway Iceland will be fantastic, but do take warm clothes for September! I should think you could get to freezing (0 C) in Iceland in September. How much of Iceland will you be able to see? The ce...

I smell a political turn.

I never thought I would go on a cruise and never understood why anyone would. My wife is a Titanic fanatic and insisted we go on the Titanic 100 year Memorial Cruise. Since it was crossing the North Atlantic (Southampton-Cobh-Halifax-New York) in April, we decided we better go on a Caribbean cruise ...

One issue with the joint account scenario is if the child dies, their estate will owe taxes on their share.

What to Do?

Take a cruise.

In 2006 I bought an 8kw (13kw starting) generac/briggs & stratton with electric start at home depot. I keep it in the shed with no electricity to power the trickle charger that came with it. Eventually the battery would no longer crank the starter. 90% of the time the champ starts on the first p...

There should be none. Your garmin will work independent of your cell phone. My garmin does function as a handsfree speaker/microphone for my cell phone using a bluetooth connection and there is no cell phone fee for that.

I use an excel spreadsheet for my check register. Each year I copy last years entries and paste them at the bottom of the sheet. I use a formula to increment them by a year. I highlight the new year of entries in yellow. As I pay a bill or post a deposit, I remove the highlight. It works great for m...

If you are ever going to run for political office....... pay the nanny taxes.

I have short term disability policy as part of my benefits at work and have a long term policy with a better definition of disability, on my own. I remember the morbid explanation on the different definitions of disability. "Show me a man in an iron lung and I'll show you someone that can lick ...

"According to a new study by Fidelity Investments, a 65-year-old couple retiring in 2012 is estimated to need about $240,000 to cover medical expenses during their retirement years. " source...

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505146_162- ... a-shocker/

Stayed at the Island City House http://www.islandcityhouse.com/ in December of 2007. Close enough to Duval Street but far enough away that noise is no problem. You do not need a car in Key West. Ride bikes, shuttles or walk. We hooked the trip on a visit to my father-in-law in Cape Coral. Wife and I...

DANNY wrote: Yarrdley has a train station to Philly and NY.

The trains in Yardley are on SEPTA's West Trenton line and do not go to New York. You would have to drive to Trenton, or another station on the Northeast Corridor, to catch a train to New York

I have a ING online account. Their savings account pays a APY of 0.8%. Checking account not so much unless you have more than 50K I think it is a good place to park the emergency fund. Quaint Oak Bank has an esavings account that works just like ING and it currently pays 25% more (1% APY). I would ...