Search found 47 matches

by xzhou
Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: US credit downgrade
Replies: 130
Views: 15828

Re: US credit downgrade

billaster wrote: Tue Aug 01, 2023 7:47 pm It implies that the U.S. government has more credibility than Fitch. I think Fitch did more damage to their own reputation than they did to U.S. creditworthiness.
Reminds me of an opposite example, when Nobel committee awarded the prize to Einstein and gained credibility.
by xzhou
Mon Apr 17, 2023 8:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Passport Online Renewal in Jan - still not gotten my passport
Replies: 33
Views: 3204

Re: Passport Online Renewal in Jan - still not gotten my passport

We went into post office to apply for son on 02/21 and got it back today 04/17, exactly 8 weeks. (his old passport expired during pandemic, and due to his being a minor, online renewal was not an option)
by xzhou
Sun Feb 26, 2023 7:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity to Vanguard Question
Replies: 21
Views: 2562

Re: Fidelity to Vanguard Question

UpperNwGuy wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:58 pm
Clarky wrote: Sun Feb 26, 2023 5:48 pm I don’t remember OP asking for opinions on their plans. Lol
Bogleheads always give our opinions. Opinions are free. You shouldn't ask a question here without expecting a few opinions to be offered.
Fantastic! This riposte makes my day.
by xzhou
Wed Nov 02, 2022 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can you buy more new ibond after selling older ones
Replies: 2
Views: 508

Re: Can you buy more new ibond after selling older ones

Thank you for the quick reply, brawlrats !
by xzhou
Wed Nov 02, 2022 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can you buy more new ibond after selling older ones
Replies: 2
Views: 508

Can you buy more new ibond after selling older ones

Hi folks, I know that there is a limit to how much ibond I can buy each year. If I sell some older ones, can I buy more newer ones? In other words, is the annual limit applied to net purchase or new purchase? I'm thinking about the just announced 0.4% fixed rate. -Xin
by xzhou
Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do You Fix Dents & Scratches On Your Car?
Replies: 59
Views: 5251

Re: Do You Fix Dents & Scratches On Your Car?

There is no right answer. My vehicle is 20 years old. When the light hits her right, you can see the dimples from where acorns have battered her. But all in all she looks good and I detail her myself. A noticeable scratch or dent that bothered me, I'd fix since I like the way she shines in the sun. But for $2K, I think I'd pass on fixing her up to be pretty; in the end, we all start to look worn down and beat up. Like so many in my family, my aunt was a beautiful woman, but in her '80's she covered all the mirrors in her bathrooms so all she could see was her face...that won't work with a car. I love this! Your signature line makes me wish to be a Virginian, especially if all Virginians are proudly unpretentious and unpretentiously proud, ...
by xzhou
Tue Jun 22, 2021 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Job change
Replies: 9
Views: 1243

Re: Job change

Have you tried Glassdoor?
by xzhou
Wed Jun 02, 2021 11:55 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: US citizen in UK
Replies: 24
Views: 3491

Re: US citizen in UK

GE has a small market cap these days. It's a question of whether you blindly hold the top 10 stocks (which include all the big internet companies FB, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google) or whether you try for a stratified sampling technique (1-2 stocks in each industry sector). I would be tempted to look at the top 100 global stocks as my universe (the top 10 are basically same as S&P 500, but include Nestle I believe). Hmm, am I getting dated for mentioning GE? I agree that blindly holding the top ten market-cap stocks entails the least work and possibly the least regret. Holding one hundred stocks would require that you love this thing as a hobby, instead of as an investment per se, because it's very likely that you will continue to tr...
by xzhou
Tue Jun 01, 2021 6:42 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: US citizen in UK
Replies: 24
Views: 3491

Re: US citizen in UK

If OP buys Berkshire-Hathaway, GE, and maybe a few other individual stocks, would that be sufficiently close to S&P500? In other words, at any given tracking error, we can minimize the number of stocks to buy.
by xzhou
Thu Feb 25, 2021 2:38 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bonds: What Are They Doing? Are They Doing Things?? Let's Find Out!
Replies: 2297
Views: 258095

Re: Bonds in free fall

Today's market sees TIP dropping more than AGG. If there is a whiff of inflation in the air, why would TIP not hold up much better than AGG?
by xzhou
Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wet sugar jar mystery
Replies: 32
Views: 4110

Re: Wet sugar jar mystery

Stinky wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 7:45 pm This has the makings of a memorable thread if the excellent (and not so excellent) solutions keep coming.
+1, and we need to remind OP to come back with updates.
by xzhou
Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard is worrying me
Replies: 70
Views: 10342

Re: Vanguard is worrying me

Why don't Vanguard just get out of this retail brokerage business so that they can focus on managing funds? How much profit will they give up by ceasing all the consumer-facing operations?
by xzhou
Tue Dec 10, 2019 11:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Transition at Vanguard
Replies: 45
Views: 7173

Re: Transition at Vanguard

livesoft wrote: Sat Dec 07, 2019 8:35 am Hmmm, I think we have also thank all the test subjects that Vanguard beheaded on the way to getting the transition so smooth.

Did you get a warning that it is likely that you will get two sets of 1099's this year if you have a taxable account?
Hmmm, I wonder why you mention this. I got CP2000 notice this year because in 2018 I failed to import one of the two 1099s into turbotax for 2017 tax. But if my grief is not repeated by OP, I shall still pay thanks to Vanguard-IT for not completely extinguishing my last shred of respect for them.
by xzhou
Sun Oct 06, 2019 8:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Would or should you tip AAA road assistance?
Replies: 67
Views: 8861

Re: Would or should you tip AAA road assistance?

TravelforFun wrote: Sat Oct 05, 2019 10:46 am I'd tip them. A few dollars are not going to make a difference to me but might make someone's day.

TravelforFun
+1. I feel the same way.
by xzhou
Tue Aug 13, 2019 9:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Vanguard ongoing glitches, August 12-13, 2019]
Replies: 256
Views: 24850

Re: Wellesley 56.05% drop today

whodidntante wrote: Tue Aug 13, 2019 8:13 pm Vanguard has recently introduced T+V+2+Vw settling time.

T is the day you'd like to place the trade.
V is a variable number of days until the Vanguard website works correctly for placing trades.
2 is, well, 2.
Vw is a variable number of days until the Vanguard website works correctly for withdrawal requests and is not related to emissions scandals.
Upon careful analysis, Vw is actually a function of V when averaged over a moon cycle.
by xzhou
Sun Feb 10, 2019 12:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why borrow money in RE but not Stocks?
Replies: 39
Views: 5235

Re: Why borrow money in RE but not Stocks?

selters wrote: Sat Feb 09, 2019 11:50 am Callable vs non-callable debt.
+3
by xzhou
Tue Jan 01, 2019 5:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 6053
Views: 1037117

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

indexfundfan wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 10:52 am ...
Unlike Vanguard or Schwab, Fidelity's MMFs settle on the same business day.
Awesome! So far Fido has always surprised me on the upside.
by xzhou
Sat Dec 15, 2018 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 6053
Views: 1037117

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

My experience with CMA is that the default sweep account is an FDIC-insured ultra-low-interest account, not SPRXX that hotpancakes uses or FCFXX that I use. The move from cash to higher interest MMF has to be manually initiated. Is there an automation mechanism that I missed?
by xzhou
Sat Nov 10, 2018 6:33 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Remember to support this free source
Replies: 21
Views: 3238

Re: Remember to support this free source

Done!
I cannot thank Bogleheads enough for the amount of wisdom I have received here, financial and otherwise. From the most kind-hearted to some very sarcastic, all are united on this wonderful forum.
by xzhou
Thu Sep 21, 2017 3:48 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Poll] Bull or Bear for Next 5 Years?
Replies: 36
Views: 11464

Re: [Poll] Bull or Bear for Next 5 Years?

This is a fun exercise. Let's do it again!
by xzhou
Mon Jun 19, 2017 6:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice
Replies: 45
Views: 5758

Re: Need WIFI repeater or second router Advice

For a one-story house, a mirror placed behind the WiFi router can increase signal strength in the line of sight tremendously. The signal easily penetrates one interior wall, but not two walls or large furnitures.
by xzhou
Sun Jun 11, 2017 8:43 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Longest conversation thread?
Replies: 6
Views: 3539

Re: Longest conversation thread?

CABob wrote:Taylor's Three-Fund thread
jjface wrote: Us stocks in freefall
Emotion trounces logic :beer
by xzhou
Sun Nov 13, 2016 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Swag ?
Replies: 23
Views: 6852

Re: Vanguard Swag ?

Sigh, another data point confirming that "Vanguard is not good at IT" stereotype.
by xzhou
Sun Nov 13, 2016 8:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Swag ?
Replies: 23
Views: 6852

Re: Vanguard Swag ?

Hello everyone, is the vanguardgear.com site down for good or is it just me? -Xin
by xzhou
Tue Nov 11, 2014 11:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Life purpose revisited
Replies: 55
Views: 13406

Re: Life purpose revisited

Some people define happiness as a Vanguard coffee mug.
Victoria
Thanks for the tip! I just placed my order for a mug ($7) and a Tee ($8) at Vanguard online store. That's "more than good enough" for me.-Xin
by xzhou
Sun Nov 02, 2014 5:35 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Livesoft - Thank you
Replies: 44
Views: 8887

Re: Livesoft - Thank you

Shall we go back to the poll and update it?
Who is your favorite poster!?
Somehow I see two rows for Taylor. Don't know if it is a glitch of forum software.
by xzhou
Sat Sep 20, 2014 1:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Alibaba is NOT coming to an index near you
Replies: 38
Views: 7513

Re: Alibaba is NOT coming to an index near you

If someone is fully and truly convinced that BABA will go down, wouldn't that someone in reality start building a massive short position or buying put options on it? Folks, this is a huge opportunity to make real money off the contempt of the communists, while teaching those naive capitalists on wall street a lesson about value-investment! Talk is cheap, let's see if anybody in reality can put money on the table.
by xzhou
Thu Sep 11, 2014 7:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rollover 401(k) to existing or new Rollover IRA Account
Replies: 3
Views: 542

Re: Rollover 401(k) to existing or new Rollover IRA Account

FWIW, here is my own experience. I rolled multiple 401ks from my previous employers into a single Rollover IRA at Fido over the years. And I recently folded the pretax portion in it to my current 401k as part of the backdoor roth conversion maneuver. All without any problem.
by xzhou
Fri Jul 18, 2014 11:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: (TIPS) Treasury Inflation Protected Securities
Replies: 3
Views: 1806

Re: TIPS In Bond Portfolio?

I split my bond allocation in 401(k) evenly between tips and total bond index. My thinking is that this will protect against both inflation and deflation, or equivalently, suffer 50% in both environment. Since I have decided to believe that bond is for safety and not for growth, I find this even split to give me the most peace. Very subjective, I know.
by xzhou
Sat Jun 28, 2014 8:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bernstein: Don’t Bother With International Bonds
Replies: 112
Views: 19001

Re: Bernstein: Don’t Bother With Intnational Bonds

Grt2bOutdoors wrote:In 2001 Argentina defaulted on their bonds, they are still arguing about it in court - here it is 13 years later. As much debt has the US issues, it has never defaulted on its debt, though the past is not indicative of future performance, having a 200 year plus track record helps...... :)
One default in 1979 was due to technical reason not unlike what we could have today. http://www.npr.org/2011/07/11/137773341 ... sury-bonds

Another event in 1935 was not bond default in name, but I think in reality http://beforeitsnews.com/financial-mark ... 19314.html
by xzhou
Mon Jun 16, 2014 12:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What octane gas do you use to fill your car?
Replies: 77
Views: 12530

Re: What octane gas do you use to fill your car?

That's a fluke. Higher octane, in a car designed for 87, actually will give you worse fuel efficiency, with no additional power. Octane rating is just resistant to pre-mature detonation. Higher octane fuels allow for higher compression ratios. If your car doesn't have that higher compression ratio, it does nothing but slow down the burn speed, which reduces power output and fuel efficiency. It's probably the warmer weather. Thank you Angelus359 and others who questioned the gas mileage premium. It turned out to be more embarrassing than a fluke. I paid more attention this morning, and realized that I was looking at MPH, not MPG. Once I push the DISP button to the right type, it shows the same gas mileage as when I was using 87. Mystery sol...
by xzhou
Mon Jun 16, 2014 12:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What octane gas do you use to fill your car?
Replies: 77
Views: 12530

What octane gas do you use to fill your car?

I drive a Lexus ES 330 as a commute car everyday, and usually fill it with 87 gas, which gives me close to 24 mpg. Last time when I filled it, I accidentally picked up a 91 pump. I am now pleasantly surprised by a 28 mpg reading. The price difference is 10%, but the mpg improvement is better than 15%. Is this related to warmer weather? Should I switch to 91 forever?
[EDIT] :oops: I was reading MPH, not MPG. There is no difference between 87 and 91 in gas mileage.
by xzhou
Thu May 22, 2014 10:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity vs. Vanguard
Replies: 75
Views: 12815

Re: Fidelity vs. Vanguard

Alan S. wrote:... I would put Schwab into the same mix.
Some 15 years ago, we had IRA opened at Schwab because they advertised no-fee-whatsoever, except that after <1 year they changed policy to charge $50 maintenance for low balance accounts. We promptly yanked our $2000 out of Schwab and paid the $50 account closing fee, and never looked back. I am sure they behave better nowadays, but I am not gonna give them a second chance, ever.
by xzhou
Thu May 22, 2014 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity vs. Vanguard
Replies: 75
Views: 12815

Re: Fidelity vs. Vanguard

We have money at both places. Started at Fidelity because of workplace 401(k), but opened Vanguard account for their international funds. FSTVX and FSEVX at Fidelity are very competitively priced, but VEMAX and VTIAX are lower cost for sure. VCAIX is also a good place for Californians. Regarding customer service, I have the highest praise for Fidelity folks, although their knowledge of backdoor Roth conversion is less stellar than what I read here in this forum. (Thanks folks!)
by xzhou
Sat Jan 25, 2014 9:30 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Taylor's 90th Birthday
Replies: 272
Views: 43235

Re: TAYLOR'S UPCOMING 90th BIRTHDAY

Happy 90th Birthday Taylor, and we will mass-congratulate you at a bigger scale at your 100th!
by xzhou
Thu Jan 09, 2014 7:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bill Gross's investment outlook 2014
Replies: 8
Views: 2170

Re: Bill Gross's investment outlook 2014

larryswedroe wrote:why does anyone care what Gross forecasts. ....
As Niels Bohr said, "Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."
by xzhou
Sat Feb 09, 2013 1:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Taleb and Kahneman: Antifragility vs. common-man attitudes
Replies: 147
Views: 18748

Re: Taleb and Kahneman: Antifragility vs. common-man attitud

Thank you VictoriaF for posting such scintillating ideas. This is one of the best reasons I can use to justify my hours browsing the web :D
by xzhou
Sun Feb 03, 2013 1:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Turbotax Online vs Turbotax in the box
Replies: 31
Views: 5665

Re: Turbotax Online vs Turbotax in the box

We bought the Premier version from Costco before we saw this discount deal from Vanguard.com. Our tax situation is pretty straightforward, one state, no business. Has somebody here thoroughly compared the options, and come to an unambiguous conclusion about which is cheaper, online vs installed software? The conclusion will influence our future purchase decisions. Thanks!
by xzhou
Fri Feb 01, 2013 12:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: .....
Replies: 43
Views: 5631

Re: Should I take the full-time offer?

DualIncomeNoDebt wrote:Decline and counter-offer, and state this isn't what you agreed to. Stick to your guns.

I have a strong sense it will gnaw at you morning, noon and night if you agree to this shotgun offer.
Exactly. The consequence of accepting this shotgun offer will also include even less respect from that boss.
by xzhou
Fri Aug 10, 2012 11:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Your Best One Line of Wisdom
Replies: 238
Views: 24026

Re: Your Best One Line of Wisdom

Atilla wrote:People are idiots.
Me included.
by xzhou
Fri Oct 14, 2011 11:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2 Weeks in China (Beijing + Hong Kong): What Should I Know?
Replies: 29
Views: 2649

Be aware of cars

Drivers don't wait for pedestrians.
by xzhou
Fri Sep 16, 2011 12:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Know Just Enough to Succeed"
Replies: 8
Views: 2422

It takes a lot of wisdom to accept that one is not smarter than others. We can be quite sure that most people are confident that they are at least a little smarter than the average.
by xzhou
Mon Aug 30, 2010 2:26 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Personal Rate of Return
Replies: 31
Views: 27000

What is your number for Personal Rate of Return?

I was pleasantly surprised to see this feature at Fidelity, because I had always wanted to find out if I was beating some benchmark or not. For example, my 5-Year (08/01/2005 - 07/31/2010) is +7.14%. This number looks much better than the balance chart on the right, because I had to withdraw a large sum in 2007 (just to buy at the top of the housing bubble. And if you have to ask why, I have no luck except bad luck)
by xzhou
Thu Dec 20, 2007 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Another reason Roth 401(k) is better for savers
Replies: 1
Views: 1019

Another reason Roth 401(k) is better for savers

Our company offers both traditional and Roth 401(k), so a few colleagues among us had a debate today regarding which option to use. In a steady state example below, Roth 401(k) is better than traditional 401(k) for the aggressive savers with high salaried income. Suppose we have a flat tax rate 1/3, which will not change over 20 years. Also, suppose we expect the investment to grow to 3x over 20 years, no dividend, no inflation. Last, suppose we have $24k pre-tax income to decide where to put. 1. For Traditional 401(k), you can put in $16k pre-tax, but $8k is taxed now, so you have today $16k pre-tax, plus $8*2/3= $5.3k after-tax in a non-tax-sheltered investment account. After 20 years, you will have $16k*3 * 2/3 = $32k from Traditional 40...
by xzhou
Mon May 28, 2007 1:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: States with the lowest expense ratio (no income tax states)
Replies: 46
Views: 18750

The state government has to finance its operation one way or the other, income tax just being one source of revenue. The net burden on the state residents must be inversely proportional to the overall efficiency of the government. So I think that for retirees to pick a place for tax reasons, two factors need to be considered: government efficiency in providing useful services, and any wealth transfer program to favor the retirees over those still working. But I've got no idea how to measure either factor. By the way, CA has 8.25% sales tax, 1.25% property tax, 10% income tax. The state goverment has a $100 Billion annual budget, but people are constantly complaining about lack of service. How come there are still so many people living in CA...