Search found 160 matches

by i<3Investing
Wed Dec 02, 2020 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: At what milestone did you feel secure?
Replies: 156
Views: 20839

Re: At what milestone did you feel secure?

There was something about hitting 100k in taxable accounts that felt really good. Retirement accounts have always felt off limits and taxable feels like I could access it if i absolutely had to. All in all that's about 12 months of expenses if i really hunkered down so maybe it's the safety net and not the amount that matters?
by i<3Investing
Mon Oct 12, 2020 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommend a mattress?
Replies: 70
Views: 10902

Re: Recommend a mattress?

jjface wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:58 pm Saatva! Love it !!!
We have both. A casper and a Saatva. I like the Saatva more :)
by i<3Investing
Mon Oct 12, 2020 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Equifax - need advice regarding logging in (refi)
Replies: 9
Views: 598

Re: Equifax - need advice regarding logging in (refi)

The correct site is https://my.equifax.com/

I don't have a US number to offer.
by i<3Investing
Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How much are your 529 Contributions
Replies: 133
Views: 11960

Re: How much are your 529 Contributions

Started at $250/mo and i'm not up to $400/mo /child. We also set annual goals for the account and do a catchup if we don't meet the goals.

I set it for 3/4 of a nice public school paid for over 20 years. My thought is I can either have the kids take 1 year of student loans as motivation or pay for it when the time comes as a graduation gift. This also gives me some flexibility down the road.
by i<3Investing
Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ultra high deductible auto/home/umbrella insurance?
Replies: 43
Views: 3769

Re: Ultra high deductible auto/home/umbrella insurance?

knightrider wrote: Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:53 am
afan wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 5:34 pm Given how cheap it is, seems like a pointless exercise
It's not cheap which is why I started this topic. ~$1100/year over a lifetime would be ~$60k.

Ask yourself which is better:

100% chance of paying $60k over a lifetime

or

1% chance of paying $100k over a lifetime
Your $1100 is for all three (auto, home, umbrella). You do not have a 1% chance of getting in a car accident over the next 50 years. Looks like the average driver files a claim every 18 years. So in 50 years you're paying for three car accidents.

If you're only talking about your umbrellla then it costs you $300, not $1100. Which IMO is not a big enough drop in the bucket to worry about.
by i<3Investing
Thu Apr 09, 2020 11:16 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What percentage of your paycheck do you invest?
Replies: 268
Views: 22412

Re: What percentage of your paycheck do you invest?

25% pre tax, 35% post tax.

We crunched the numbers to figure out our spending rate so we could figure out when we could retire early. Added bonus is we were able to back into our savings rate.

This is pure savings, not Principal reduction on homes which i guess is a form of savings as well.
by i<3Investing
Tue Dec 10, 2019 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tree roots growing into sewer lines
Replies: 62
Views: 20956

Re: Tree roots growing into sewer lines

I did the inflatable epoxy liner last year. The city replaced a phone poll and i think 'bumped' my sewer line in the process which caused it to slip from the main. Good times all around. I was told that I would need permits to go into the street but we're a 2 lane street and closing off one side is really difficult to do. Called in the plumber who ran the camera and found out the pipe had slipped. Showed me on the monitor which was really cool. He epoxied from the house to the street and was able to refit the pipe into the main. Basically it came to a setup fee. Then a cost per 20 foot of pipe. Total cost for me was around $7,000 and they went roughly 65 feet. A bit of a PITA since it wasn't something I was expecting but oh well. That's wha...
by i<3Investing
Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Find my phone -- easy way to find it when lost in the house?
Replies: 38
Views: 3579

Re: Find my phone -- easy way to find it when lost in the house?

Android has the "Android Device Manager" that will let you ring or lock your phone from any computer. You have to have it setup before you lose your phone though.

I also have a google home speaker and you can ask it to ring your phone and it will (even if its on silent). Both options work great for me.
by i<3Investing
Thu Feb 21, 2019 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help Rent Condo or Sell?
Replies: 3
Views: 264

Re: Help Rent Condo or Sell?

Personally I would sell it. I have two rental properties myself and love them. But i did not become an accidental landlord. I did it by choice. Since you're not making the choice yourself but reacting to your situation it will likely cause you nothing but trouble and anguish. Not worth having for a maximum upside potential of $20,000 / yr which is just about the 4% value return that you'd be guaranteed long term regardless.

Good luck,
by i<3Investing
Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Two month plunge in oil- again today
Replies: 5
Views: 872

Re: Two month plunge in oil- again today

tennisplyr wrote: Tue Nov 20, 2018 6:12 pm Yeah but I bought gas today at Costco for $2.29/gallon.
Uggh. That really puts the CA gas tax into perspective. Costco gas here is $3.15
by i<3Investing
Tue Aug 28, 2018 2:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mega Downsize....
Replies: 113
Views: 15414

Re: Mega Downsize....

I read Marie Kondo's book, "the life changing magic of tidying up". It was a great motivator.

As far as throwing things out. Take a room a week and go through it. I wouldn't trust someone else to throw out your things.
by i<3Investing
Wed Aug 15, 2018 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plan us a trip !
Replies: 17
Views: 2618

Re: Plan us a trip !

Hawaii, specifically Maui, seems to hit a lot of your wants. Plenty of hikes, relaxation, ocean fun for the whole family. I'm sure they have a Hilton too. If you end up going, make sure to take a day and drive around the back side of the island. It's very beautiful. I would go in April over February to try and hit some nicer weather.

My parents used to take me there as a kid and i remember loving it.
by i<3Investing
Mon Jun 11, 2018 10:04 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How to calculate Real Estate in your Asset Allocation
Replies: 20
Views: 3538

Re: How to calculate Real Estate in your Asset Allocation

I do 92% of my Zillow/Redfin Price Estimate. It's hopefully taking into account a sale and some randomness of the valuation. I wouldn't fault you for 100%, or anything else really.
by i<3Investing
Wed Feb 28, 2018 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Move to Orange County
Replies: 50
Views: 6716

Re: Move to Orange County

I've lived in So Cal for years. My wife and myself started out making around $100k/yr. We now make over $200k/yr.

We were able to save quite a bit to our 401k's (we didn't max them out in the beginning but do now), buy an investment property out of state, and travel. So by no means were we living like paupers.

For renting, I recommend checking out private landlords on Craigslist or Zillow vs. the large rental complexes. We rented a 3 BR house in a great city for $2,500 / mo three years ago. I have friends now who rent 2 BR condo's in complexes for more. There is value to be had if you're willing to look for it.

My favorite cities in OC are, Fullerton, Tustin, Newport Beach, and Mission Viejo.

Enjoy the excellent weather :)
by i<3Investing
Wed Sep 27, 2017 1:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Verizon TravelPass
Replies: 45
Views: 5979

Re: Verizon TravelPass

I travelled to Japan for a few weeks twice this year. The first time I went I used GoogleFi. Worked like a charm. Worked almost everywhere and was very reasonably priced. Ended up paying roughly $40 for the two weeks i was there and didn't skimp on data. Second time I travelled i tried to restart my GoogleFi sim to find out that you can't do that. They'd overnight a new one but i'd procrastinated and it was too late. Oh well. My fault. I call to enable Verizon TravelPass. Cost $30 for the three days I used it. It was garbage. It would basically send texts but Maps and almost anything else wouldn't work. Or would work very slowly. I ended up renting a MyFi hotspot and just keeping it in my backpack as I walked around. The Verizon Travelpass ...
by i<3Investing
Mon Jul 17, 2017 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Personal Capital - Net Worth?
Replies: 22
Views: 4379

Re: Personal Capital - Net Worth?

I'm definitely no expert. But if you got to the main screen and click the "+" button in the upper right hand corner of the Net Worth side bar it brings you to a "link your account" screen. The bottom of that has a "Add Home Value Zillow" tab. That will add your real estate. Or click "More" and it has Car, Home, Jewelry, Art, etc to link a bunch of other options.
by i<3Investing
Wed Jun 14, 2017 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Am I too far into the rabbit hole? (email with Gmail)
Replies: 28
Views: 6286

Re: Am I too far into the rabbit hole? (email with Gmail)

You can turn off most google tracking functions here:
https://myaccount.google.com/activitycontrols

You can also stop them tracking you for ads here:
https://www.google.com/settings/u/0/ads/authenticated


Do I turn it off? No. Do I worry that they track me? Not really. They have over a billion users now so I argue that i'm a needle in a haystack. Also I have more of my life online now vs. offline but to each their own.

But if you're worried I'd just disconnect from the big G. It really shouldn't hurt your day to day functionality within the Android Ecosystem too much.
by i<3Investing
Wed Jun 07, 2017 3:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Earthquake insurance in SOCAL
Replies: 28
Views: 3738

Re: Earthquake insurance in SOCAL

My structural engineering teachers at USC used to say it's a waste of money. In their words, "unless your home is built on top of a fault then wood construction is very redundant and handles earthquakes quite well". Basically they're saying that unless there is a chance that the ground literally falls out from under you the house should be fine.

You may seem some cracking in the walls or some minor damage if you're particularly close but I doubt it's enough damage to cost you one years worth of insurance costs.

I guess my answer is to pull up the fault maps and see how close you are to an active fault. I did that with my house and chose not to purchase the extra insurance.
by i<3Investing
Fri Mar 10, 2017 10:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to do with all these passwords ?
Replies: 125
Views: 24060

Re: What to do with all these passwords ?

I use Keepass 2 and store the encrypted password database on google drive. There are android and apple apps to open the keepass from my phone if need be (and a cpu version).

It works well for me.
by i<3Investing
Wed Mar 08, 2017 7:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are we ready to buy a house? What should our price range be?
Replies: 56
Views: 6345

Re: Are we ready to buy a house? What should our price range be?

You have 20% down, a really good retirement for your age, and enough income to cover it. Yes, you're ready to buy your house (and i also agree to the happy wife happy life mentality). I've always liked the 2-3 times household income for your mortgage that "The Millionaire Nextdoor" recommended. You'd be closer to the 2.5* household income so you're right in that range.

I don't see any red flags here. Enjoy!
by i<3Investing
Wed Mar 08, 2017 10:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 27yr curious about my investment personel and strategy
Replies: 61
Views: 8671

Re: 27yr curious about my investment personel and strategy

Is the 3rd prty money management set up just a big waist of money through fees? Would it be more beneficial to set up something like a 3-4 fund Lazy portfolio? Yes. You'll save much more in the long run. At the very least you can move your money to fidelity and invest in the same funds without the overhead and save 1-2% each year. But lazy portfolios would be fine too. Is the Life insurance plan a total waist.. or since i got in early and the cost of insurance is super cheap is it something worth keeping as part of my portfolio? Yes. Total waste. But you're lucky since you found this out at 27 instead of 57. If you need insurance , go get term life and invest the difference. Go to a different broker or find it online. I recently saw that C...
by i<3Investing
Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Net Worth Calculation (Question/Opinion)
Replies: 26
Views: 3269

Re: Net Worth Calculation (Question/Opinion)

Yes. I back out 8% to account for 6% of buyer/seller fees and 2% for taxes/insurance/misc. It may not be spot on but I feel i'm pretty close.
by i<3Investing
Tue Feb 28, 2017 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Store Important Documents Online?
Replies: 51
Views: 4760

Re: Store Important Documents Online?

I store important documents in Google Drive in an encrypted "Boxcryptor" folder. It provides AES 256 bit encryption and RSA Encryption. I have 2 step verification on my phone to access my google drive.

Just never lose your password for Boxcryptor because there is no way to crack it. It works well for me and there are enough levels of defense that i'm not worried.
by i<3Investing
Wed Feb 08, 2017 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Windfall, but need to withdraw
Replies: 9
Views: 1561

Re: Windfall, but need to withdraw

I have a few questions.. If you instead paid off your mortgage would you be able to live on your salary only? Can you cut back and save elsewhere? Eating in more now that the wife is at home. I think you're overinvested in XOM. I would consider moving that to a more balanced portfolio. Do you mean a 20% stocks / 80% bonds portfolio or the other way around? I think the wife staying at home is a noble pursuit. I'm just trying to see if there can be some cost savings with these numbers. They seem pretty high in my opinion. Regarding an 80/20 portfolio, this seems a little risky given the fact that you'll be on a solo income and relying on the money. I would set aside any money you need in the next 5 years into Money Market/CD's/ or short term ...
by i<3Investing
Tue Nov 29, 2016 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New 401k w Fidelity has high fees
Replies: 10
Views: 1763

Re: New 401k w Fidelity has high fees

My company went with Fidelity too. Although they do have some funds with higher fee's, I found plenty with low fees and my company let me add them onto our plan. I would ask your 401k administrator if you could add a few low cost funds onto the plan.
by i<3Investing
Mon Aug 08, 2016 5:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: A lawyer and my will
Replies: 8
Views: 1379

Re: A lawyer and my will

My wife and myself just had our firstborn and decided it was time to do this as well. We're half way through. The first part took about an hour with him asking questions.

He said that the 2nd part would take about an hour as well. Total cost quoted was $900. Not bad in my opinion.
by i<3Investing
Fri May 20, 2016 12:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: series/ movies filmed in your home town?
Replies: 87
Views: 7337

Re: series/ movies filmed in your home town?

I live in Los Angeles and also work with some entertainment productions. A majority of shows are filmed where there are tax breaks. It's crazy to see where they'll film for the tax breaks. A lot of mid-town america city shots are actually the Warner Brothers Back Lot. They also have a NY street, New Orleans, Western, and more. A lot of NY shots are the Fox Studios Back Lot (How I met your mother) CSI NY is also filmed here. Life of Pi was filmed on an airport runway in Taiwan. The Titanic was filmed in Mexico. A lot of the boat shots for Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed in Palmdale or off the coast of Redondo Beach (some of the more tropical shots were filmed in the caribbean). Tropic Thunder was filmed in Hawaii. A LOT of post apocalypt...
by i<3Investing
Wed Mar 02, 2016 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Umbrella policies?
Replies: 33
Views: 4440

Re: Umbrella policies?

You have a single umbrella policy? Make sure that you don't need a separate personal and business/commercial umbrella policy. We needed to get a separate business/commercial umbrella policy to cover our rental properties. Our "regular" umbrella policy that we had for years before purchasing the rentals would not have covered *anything* that happened on the rental properties. It may well be different in your case, but please do check (if you haven't already, of course). RM I have a single umbrella policy with additional riders for my rental properties (not a regular and business policy). $330 or so for Primary House, 2 Rental Properties, and 2 cars. 1 million coverage. It sounds high but my Primary Home is in So. Cal. so home valu...
by i<3Investing
Fri Jan 15, 2016 5:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to live in CA for a young family
Replies: 82
Views: 12180

Re: Best place to live in CA for a young family

San Diego/LA/San Fran have a lot of life but cost an arm and a leg.

Parts of North LA and South OC are great. I currently live in OC and love it. It depends what you're looking for.
by i<3Investing
Tue Jan 12, 2016 10:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Manga/Manhwa Have You Read Recently?
Replies: 40
Views: 6255

Re: What Manga/Manhwa Have You Read Recently?

Currently Reading:
  • Tower of God (My goodness this is probably the best story I've ever read even if its a little slow at times)
  • UQ Holder
  • Witch Hunter (very good but it is published very very slowly)
Finished - Really Enjoyed:
  • Annarasumanara (If you haven't read any manga start here and see how artsy / great it can be)
  • Hoshi no Samidare
  • Ares (really interesting war manhwa)
by i<3Investing
Wed Jan 06, 2016 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: umbrella insurance - why so expensive?
Replies: 34
Views: 5063

Re: umbrella insurance - why so expensive?

That sounds high. I have 2 drivers (we're both in our 30's), primary home + 2 rental properties and it's around $300 / yr for 1 million. Got my insurance through the same company that does my primary home + car insurance (state farm).
by i<3Investing
Wed Oct 21, 2015 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Travel rewards credit card?
Replies: 100
Views: 19110

Re: Travel rewards credit card?

Plenty of good cards have been recommended. If you want to go a slightly different route I recommend waiting until Southwest has a few of their cards for 50k points up. What you do is apply for 2 southwest cards at the same time. I got a personal card and a personal preferred card. The deal will be that you will get 50k each card if you spend $3,000. This deal is good for three months. So I spent $6,000 to get 106k points. Now all you need is to spend enough to get 110k points within one year and you get something called the Southwest Companion Pass. Basically this pass is a BOGO for Southwest flights. I have my wife signed up. Any flight I buy through Southwest she gets to fly on for free. The companion pass is good for the year you get it...
by i<3Investing
Wed Apr 03, 2013 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bogleheads' accomplishments
Replies: 72
Views: 8492

Re: Bogleheads' accomplishments

Since the wedding about a year ago the wife and I have been flying through previous financial hurdles. So the excitement right now makes me say that I'm feeling better than I expected.
by i<3Investing
Wed Jan 09, 2013 7:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pay raise for young engineer
Replies: 18
Views: 2664

Re: Pay raise for young engineer

effillus wrote:I think he's making about $60,000 now in Nashville and is interviewing in Pittsburgh.
With the edition of a PE and a 3.5% increase in the cost of living, I would ask for $75,000 and hopefully settle around $72,500. Fingers crossed they take the initial offer :)
by i<3Investing
Tue Nov 13, 2012 1:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What % of Employers Allow Rollovers into 401ks/403bs/...
Replies: 9
Views: 795

Re: What % of Employers Allow Rollovers into 401ks/403bs/...

cyfan wrote:Just curious why anyone would want to roll their qualifying funds into an employers 401K. You will be limited to a smaller number of funds inside a 401K while a self directed IRA using a brokerage account will allow you access to virtually anything. Every time I change jobs I roll over into my self directed IRA brokerage with Fidelity which gives me access to anything I want. Even if your companies 401K has great funds today, those can change for a myriad of reasons, such as the company being taken over by another.
I agree 100%. If anything I wish I could take my 401k away from my employer and add it to vanguard.
by i<3Investing
Mon Oct 01, 2012 3:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Gurus having a tough year
Replies: 12
Views: 2284

Re: Guru's having a tough year

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:Thankfully I don't invest the way I bet (currently #301 in a field of 400+).
You're still closer than Goldman Sachs & Morgan Stanley :D
by i<3Investing
Mon Sep 24, 2012 5:23 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Understanding the Gen Y investor.
Replies: 15
Views: 2545

Re: Understanding the Gen Y investor.

Gen Y here. Since most people my age don't seem to know what bonds are, I consider myself more conservative than most.
by i<3Investing
Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Your Favorite [Travel Destination] on Earth: Where and Why?
Replies: 184
Views: 25036

Re: Your Favorite [Travel Destination] on Earth: Where and

Either Hong Kong or Istanbul. Both are absolutely amazing cultures.
by i<3Investing
Mon Aug 20, 2012 6:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to invest when starting with almost nothing
Replies: 17
Views: 3824

Re: How to invest when starting with almost nothing

Wow, lots of responses - thanks for all of them! Sadly, most of the above is nothing new to me, whether something I've done already or something burned into my brain growing up. Really, the problems are one of two things as most of you suggested: debt and budgeting - I have put together a budget already unfortunately it doesn't seem to be enough for husband and he will end up spending more. It goes to him getting $80 a week, me getting $20. He smokes a pack a day (maybe more, I don't like it around me), is a coffee addict and has the appetite of a hungry bear - couple this with the fact that he doesn't work in an office and have easy access to stuff and everything is about convenience because of that. He did start carpooling to save gas wh...
by i<3Investing
Tue Aug 14, 2012 4:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hot Mail Problem
Replies: 11
Views: 1638

Re: Hot Mail Problem

Windows has decided to move email from hotmail.com to outlook.com. My guess is you might be experiencing some issues with that transition. I'm not sure though since I haven't used hotmail in a very long time.
by i<3Investing
Thu Aug 09, 2012 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What was Your Starting Salary Out of College?
Replies: 151
Views: 14466

Re: What was Your Starting Salary Out of College?

$56,900 adjusted for inflation to today's dollars. On an interesting side note I believe my firm now hires on above that.
by i<3Investing
Mon Aug 06, 2012 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are credit card companies starting to overreact?
Replies: 32
Views: 3064

Re: Are credit card companies starting to overreact?

I had my credit card shut down for suspicious charges because I got $5 of taco bell 1 mile from my house... Yes, I am looking for a new card. Trying to weigh my options and see what is best for my spending habits.
by i<3Investing
Tue Jul 24, 2012 2:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My Hello and my first question
Replies: 8
Views: 1679

Re: Should I dump my Variable Life Policy?

So do I continue to pay in or is there any other viable alternative? Check out term4sale or one of those other websites that can get you quotes for term life insurance. You'll probably be looking in the 15-20 year mark. See if you would have significant savings over your universal policy. So is it worth the cost to change from the traditional IRA to a SEP? A SEP-IRA will allow you to save much more in tax-free accounts than a traditional IRA. (I believe a SEP is up to $49,000). Since Bogleheads love tax-free investment space this is a big win. Maybe something to counter the stock market I wouldn't say counter the stock market but you want to hedge against it. Bonds are a great method to hedge your money. At your age, it would normally be r...
by i<3Investing
Thu Jul 12, 2012 9:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any bogleheads have a franchise?
Replies: 18
Views: 4065

Re: Any bogleheads have a franchise?

Interesting. I see it as the opposite. If you own stocks you are already a small business owner. Mr. Graham spends a lot of time in Intelligent Investor describing that association. If you own REITS it is similar (ageed not the same) as owning private real estate. I think either of the other two is an UNcompensated risk. You are taking on a lot of geographical risk with either owning your own real estate and/or small business. That risk does not come with an increased expected return. Also, in both situations one is competing with professionals. IF you were a SBO or real estate guy during your working life makes sense, but if you have never done it and want to start at the end of your career you are competing with A LOT of experts. Also, i...
by i<3Investing
Wed Jul 11, 2012 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any bogleheads have a franchise?
Replies: 18
Views: 4065

Re: Any bogleheads have a franchise?

tonsofthorns wrote:I think it is very important to diversify, thus we have a small business, rental properties and retirement funds. In my opinion, I believe these three are key to wealth building.
I've always felt that way as well. Eventually I'd like to find myself in a place where I have 33% of my wealth across each of the following: real estate, businesses, and stocks/bonds. Currently I'm 60%/40% stocks and real estate respectively but this is a very long term goal. I feel that if each one of those three investments could support me retiring I would be pretty stable. Only time will tell.
by i<3Investing
Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop recommendation - under $500
Replies: 32
Views: 4580

Re: Laptop recommendation - under $500

I would just use one of those Social Bargain websites and find what suits your needs. Here is one I use that seems to find great deals.

http://www.dealigg.com/story-Acer-Aspir ... -7-Premium

A quad core with Windows 7 and 4 gigs of ram should be more than enough to get you through most programs.
by i<3Investing
Thu Jun 28, 2012 4:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Extra money for college
Replies: 3
Views: 707

Re: Extra money for college

Hi,

I would always put money towards my primary residence before my rental. Also, with mortgage + taxes on your rental at 1457 and rent at 1600 you're barely making it there. I would consider selling the rental unless you see the area appreciating in value considerably and you're trying to get from point A to B (that $300/mo will be eaten up quickly if anything went wrong with the rental/tenants). Other than that if you're still torn then split the difference, put $150 towards your home and $150 in a savings account for college. $150 a month for the next 18 years will still amount to a good amount of money for college.

Good Luck!
by i<3Investing
Wed Jun 27, 2012 11:52 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How to fire your adviser
Replies: 46
Views: 8935

Re: How to fire your adviser

I guess I got it easy. My financial adviser fell off the face of the earth so I didn't have much of a choice. Very lucky turn of events since that led to me doing my own research and eventually finding this forum.
by i<3Investing
Wed Jun 20, 2012 11:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [POLL] Net worth to income ratio - how do you compare
Replies: 38
Views: 5355

Re: [POLL] Net worth to income ratio - how do you compare

Not very high. But at the same time I'm 27 so I have some time to increase it :D
by i<3Investing
Mon Jun 11, 2012 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Newlywed Investment Help
Replies: 19
Views: 1684

Re: Newlywed Investment Help

100/0 , 90/10 – definitely willing to take some risk. This is not a good idea. At a minimum you should do 80/20. If your portfolio fell 50% would you jump out? If so then 100/0 is way to risky for most people. -Student loan ~$13,000 – 6.55% Current portfolio: Taxable (~$15,000) 80% Cash – ready to be invested 20% Vanguard Dividend Appreciation - VIG First, I would payoff the 6.55% student loan with your taxable funds.. A nearly risk free 6.55% is a great deal. Questions: 1. I am looking towards setting up a portfolio that we can start putting my wife’s salary in from month to month. However, this is where I need help. I have considered having a core fund holding of a Large Cap Blend, Dividend paying fund somewhere between 50%-70% of the en...