Search found 60 matches

by ExcelJunkie
Tue Jun 22, 2021 6:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retired - What to do with “extra” $140K?
Replies: 9
Views: 1933

Re: Retired - What to do with “extra” $140K?

Thank you all very much. I’ll look closer at the options outlined by DSInvester and lakpr.

My MIL no longer owns a home and will be living with family. She may choose to rent her own place in a few years. The expenses listed in the OP include the cost of rent (while living with family her expenses are closer to $20K annually). Annual expenses do not include the cost of a new vehicle.
by ExcelJunkie
Mon Jun 21, 2021 9:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retired - What to do with “extra” $140K?
Replies: 9
Views: 1933

Retired - What to do with “extra” $140K?

Posting on behalf of my risk-averse MIL who recently retired at age 62. No retirement specific savings, but her pension and SS should cover expenses until around age 95. She has $140k sitting in a bank account from a recent home sale. There’s no plan or need to use the money anytime soon. Looking for advice on an easy, conservative way to invest. Annual Expenses: $42,000 Annual Income: $48,000 - Pension: $20,000 (no COLA) - SS: $28,000 Emergency funds: 3 months Debt: None Tax Filing Status: Single Tax Rate: 12% Federal, 4.6% State Age: 62 Desired Asset allocation: seeking advice; needs to be conservative Current Portfolio: $140,000; all cash; none of it is tax advantaged How do you recommend the $140,000 be used / invested? Simplicity is im...
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Jul 18, 2019 1:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security Survivor Benefits
Replies: 6
Views: 1186

Re: Social Security Survivor Benefits

Thanks to all! This understanding is a game-changer for my MIL!
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Jul 18, 2019 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security Survivor Benefits
Replies: 6
Views: 1186

Re: Social Security Survivor Benefits

Thank you @Optimistic! Appreciate the knowledge share and the link you provided. Looks like a visit to the SSA is in our future.
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security Survivor Benefits
Replies: 6
Views: 1186

Social Security Survivor Benefits

My FIL passed away last year at the age of 61 leaving behind my MIL who is currently 60. Both worked full time for 35+ years, and MIL continues to work but would like to retire in two years. Can MIL file for Social Security under my FIL's benefit while allowing her own to accrue and switch over to her unreduced benefit at 70? According to this SSA article it appears as though this is possible, but a financial advisor told us that a recent change in SS made it so if MIL takes FIL's benefit her own will stop accruing. https://www.ssa.gov/planners/survivors/ifyou.html If you receive benefits as a widow, widower, or surviving divorced spouse, you can switch to your own retirement benefit as early as age 62. This assumes you are eligible for ret...
by ExcelJunkie
Sat Oct 07, 2017 10:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paternity/Maternity Leave & Its Influence on Career Trajectory
Replies: 23
Views: 2950

Re: Paternity/Maternity Leave & Its Influence on Career Trajectory

Sure, your career trajectory may slow down a bit. There's no way to know for sure, but you should ask yourself if later you may regret not taking the 12 weeks.

That's the question I asked myself when we were expecting our first. My company also allows 12 weeks Paternity leave and I wrestled with what to do before deciding to take the full 12. One of the best decisions I ever made. Worked out well because my boss realized how much he needed me and gave me a promotion on my first day back. YMMV
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Leaving a small amount of student debt for child to pay off?
Replies: 45
Views: 4415

Re: Leaving a small amount of student debt for child to pay

This is really a 'to each their own' type of question. Some parents (like mine) choose the route of leaving the loans for their children to pay off. My siblings and I were fortunate in that they also equipped us with an understanding of how to achieve wealth - pay down debt and invest early/often. The goal for my wife and I is to pay for our kids undergrad education in full, but also teach them the same money skills my parents taught me. If the kids aren't interested in learning how to handle money, then the plan may change. The end goal is to educate your children on how to handle money. There are many ways of achieving this goal, none of which are 100% correct in every case. Good luck, and please remember your kids are lucky to have paren...
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Feb 14, 2014 10:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: People Search - paying for data?
Replies: 21
Views: 2604

Re: People Search - paying for data?

I have a close friend who used an online service (not sure which one) to find a long lost sibling. He paid ~$20 for the contact info and was given an address and phone number. Both were correct and he was able to get in contact. If you Google the name of the site you are considering using you may find reviews which explain the level of satisfaction others have experienced.

Good luck to your FIL in getting into contact with his old buddies.
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Successful out-of-state job search strategy?
Replies: 3
Views: 863

Re: Successful out-of-state job search strategy?

Quick post to bump this thread.

I am beginning an out of state job search in a couple months. I will be doing the following:

1. Identify the top companies I would like to work for and scan their careers page to identify openings in my field. If openings are available I'll apply and follow-up. If no openings I'll look to set up an information interview w/ someone in my field to network and better understand the culture & focuses to see if we're a match.

2. LinkedIn

In addition to the above, I have some friends who have had success working with a personal recruiter in their field of focus. Best of luck to you, and I'll be following this thread to hear suggestions from others
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Overall Portfolio
Replies: 4
Views: 703

Re: Overall Portfolio

You've done a great job getting to where you are and this site can help you clarify where you want to go next. I'm sure other posters (such as nordlead above) will give you more actionable advice on your portfolio and questions, so the purpose of my response is to simply say - be careful of lifestyle creep! It appears that you have bought the house and car to go along with your new salary. Can you afford it? Yes, but make sure you leave enough money to pay off debt and invest in yourself - experiences, education, etc.

Best of luck & keep up the good work!
by ExcelJunkie
Sun Dec 15, 2013 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good book for gift to high school senior?
Replies: 31
Views: 6231

Re: Good book for gift to high school senior?

Would highly recommend 'How Will You Measure Your Life?' by Clayton Christensen. Offers good advice on personal and professional life.
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: College Grad Investing Help
Replies: 2
Views: 370

Re: College Grad Investing Help

heyheyha wrote:So I just recently graduated from college with a degree in computer science with $10,000 in student loans at a blended interest rate of approximately 3.7%.
heyheyha - Welcome to the forum. Can the loans be separated so that each can be paid separately? If so, you may wish to explore if some loans have a 6% interest rate while others are at 2%.

Example: Our student loans were presented to us with a blended rate, but after I dug in further I found that the rates ranged from 2.5% to 6.8%. Armed with this info we focused on those with a rate >4% and will be hanging on to the <4% loans until we can beef up our emergency fund more.

Best of luck.

ExcelJunkie
by ExcelJunkie
Thu May 16, 2013 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Airfare keeps going up. Buy now or wait?
Replies: 38
Views: 4149

Re: Airfare keeps going up. Buy now or wait?

Victoria - I'm a strong believer that the process of purchasing airline tickets is currently broken and is a field ripe for disruption in the coming years. In the meantime we have a lack of visibility and are left hoping we got the best deal at the time of purchase. One thing that may help is to delete your browsers cookies prior to visiting the airline's site - or use a different browser entirely. According to this article in USA Today some airline sites are increasing prices for returning visitors to encourage them to pull the trigger. http://traveltips.usatoday.com/airfare-secrets-30100.html One important consideration when it comes to shopping for airline tickets on the Internet is to clear out the cookies in your computer system. Cooki...
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Mar 12, 2013 9:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Item Price Change
Replies: 17
Views: 3205

Re: Amazon Item Price Change

For higher consideration purchases on Amazon I leverage http://camelcamelcamel.com/

This site allows me to understand how the price of an item has changed over time. If the item regularly goes on sale I set a price alert and get an email the next time the price drops.

Not sure the savings is always worth the time, but it makes me feel as though I'm a fortune teller.
by ExcelJunkie
Sat Feb 09, 2013 8:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Student Loan Payoff
Replies: 5
Views: 1687

Re: Student Loan Payoff

Congratulations. Hopefully you and your wife find happiness in the flexibility that having less debt provides.

Your post is inspirational as we work down our own student loan debt.
by ExcelJunkie
Sun Jan 20, 2013 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Should I Buy a] House?
Replies: 11
Views: 1443

Re: House?

zebrafish wrote:I'm a little more conservative than some on this board, but I would NOT take money out of retirement to purchase a home OR buy a house w/o putting 20% down.

This 20% protects you against the risk of unforseen life changes/market changes, etc. that leave you the flexibility to sell and leave the house if necessary.
Agree with zebrafish. The wife and I did not put 20% down and are now stuck. Won't make this mistake ever again, and hope you don't either.

Also, I am not aware of your expenses, but would advise that saving for your emergency fund and a downpayment should happen while continuing to max your IRA and 401k.

Best of luck!
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Aug 03, 2012 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheap & Good Wrinkle-Free/Non-Iron Dress Shirts
Replies: 44
Views: 19641

Re: Cheap & Good Wrinkle-Free/Non-Iron Dress Shirts

I would agree with the Costco recommendation, and add that Lands End has quality no-iron shirts that regularly go on sale for under $30.
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Apr 25, 2012 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Helping adult mother financially
Replies: 65
Views: 6557

Re: Helping adult mother financially

To the OP - I wish you the best of luck in this situation. As many other posters said this seems to be a no-win scenario. I would encourage you to turn to your wife in this situation and listen closely to her thoughts and feelings. It's interesting how our spouses sometimes know more about us than we would prefer to acknowledge about ourselves.

trico wrote:But in our house I pay the bills and earn the money so it should be my choice I do believe.
Is this a joke?
by ExcelJunkie
Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1565202

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

cinghiale wrote:Colorado13 wrote:
I just finished "The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business" by Charles Duhigg. The author discusses a bit of brain science, memory and habit. He describes how habit led to one woman's gambling addiction, how retailers analyze our buying habits to increase our spending, and if/how we can replace bad habits with positive ones.
I'm halfway through this book... liking it very much.

This is a good companion read to Kahneman's Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Both books are very similar to 'You are not so smart'. I enjoyed and would recommend all three of these books.
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Apr 11, 2012 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Career counseling
Replies: 17
Views: 1720

Re: Career counseling

I'm nearing the end of a similar "re-visioning" of my career path and what I found the most helpful (in addition to talking to my wife and my mentors), was reading. There are a lot of great books regarding career-pathing.

Whether your friend is looking to change the field he's in, or just move companies, I'd highly recommend he read "What Color is Your Parachute". Just finished reading the book and it both inspired me and offered practical advice on how I can move forward.

I wish your friend the best of luck.
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Average Household Income - Where can I find Data
Replies: 5
Views: 765

Re: Average Household Income - Where can I find Data

Dave_M wrote:Try here:
http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/income/d ... 8_2010.xls

It's even in excel already 8-)

Dave

ps. actually 2 data sets here, one in constant dollars, one in 2010 dollars.
Thanks a bunch Dave, and I appreciate the quick reply. You just helped me win an argument at work :)
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Feb 28, 2012 2:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Average Household Income - Where can I find Data
Replies: 5
Views: 765

Average Household Income - Where can I find Data

I'm looking to compare Average Household Income in the United States 2005 vs 2010.

Does anyone know where I can get a good source for Average Household Income by year? Median income also works. Thanks!
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Feb 23, 2012 10:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth IRA for kids
Replies: 66
Views: 6767

Re: Roth IRA for kids

Wow- quite a fire storm over this. Thanks for questioning my trust in my kid and my ethics since none of you know me at all. My ethics are above reproach. I know all of you are perfect, but if everyone can get off of their soapbox for a minute, let me throw a scenario out there..... a great kid gets mixed up in the wrong crowd and a parent is fearful of the personal mistakes someone is making (drugs, alcohol etc...) that might lead the kid to want to get at the money and not care of the intended use of the money. Based on the comments here everyone would hand their kid the $5000 for the IRA and feel good about this child making the right decision with that money because "it is the right thing to do." I wouldn't hand them the mone...
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Dec 28, 2011 5:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Films of 2011
Replies: 21
Views: 2514

Re: Best Films of 2011

Crazy, Stupid, Love <--- very good movie to watch with your significant other. You both will likely enjoy it
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Jun 22, 2011 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Pit Bulls
Replies: 166
Views: 16314

Objective data thus far: 1. The OP lives in a city who has ruled the Pit Bull as a "dangerous dog". 2. His insurance is going up $300 more per year due to this dog. 3. He now needs to take out an extra umbrella liability policy because of this dog. $$$$ 4. From the reaction on this board, his neighbors aren't going to be pleased. 5 He may need a taller more sturdy fence. After all of this, I go to this question: Why this breed? LynnC Thank you LynnC you for summarizing the discussion thus far, but I just want to clarify a few of the points. 1) Correct - City of ~4,000 people and the city ordinances refer to Pit Bulls as "dangerous" 2) The current carrier of our homeowners insurance policy will increase our rates by ~$30...
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Jun 22, 2011 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Pit Bulls
Replies: 166
Views: 16314

First off, thank you for all the replies. Especially to those who shared personal experiences and linked articles. I'll try to reply to some questions/comments directed at me, though I can't get to them all. I hope the OP gets back to us after speaking with his insurance carrier. It is quite possible his city or state will have outlawed this dog. Must be a reason for this type of reaction, don't you think? LynnC Having a 'aggressive dog' is against the ordinances. Aggressive Dogs are defined as being a Pit Bull, German Shepherd, or Rottweiler. Although it is a city ordinance you are encouraged to sit down with the city council and state your case. If they feel you would be a responsible dog owner they remove this restriction. We did this as...
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Jun 21, 2011 3:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Pit Bulls
Replies: 166
Views: 16314

Thoughts on Pit Bulls

My wife are looking into getting a dog and are leaning towards the American Pit Bull Terrier. We love many things about the APBT and the breeder we are considering - history of good health, medium to high energy, relatively intelligent. We want a dog that we can do many things with - go on jogs, hike, etc - and love the characteristics and temperment of Pit Bulls. We have been doing a good amount of research on dog psychology and are excited to train the perfect dog. Even though we are going to put a lot of effort into properly socializing/training the dog, I can't help but be bothered by all the negative press surrounding Pit Bulls. It gives me pause before pulling the trigger and purchasing one. Has anyone here ever owned a Pit Bull? What...
by ExcelJunkie
Tue May 03, 2011 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Marriage when you own two houses in a bad housing market?
Replies: 137
Views: 14345

mathwhiz, I think you may be approaching Love with the same analytical mindset that you view your finances with.

When I treated my fiance with this outlook things didn't go so well. After all, she's a human being, and putting a person's thoughts, personality, and feelings into Excel is awfully difficult (though I haven't used the 2010 version, so maybe it offers this functionality).

Love > Money

Best of luck :)
by ExcelJunkie
Mon Apr 04, 2011 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Software "Upgrades": RANT
Replies: 45
Views: 6272

Oh quit being a Luddite! (kidding of course) You bring up a couple very interesting points. The one I'd like to focus on is how 'upgrades' do more harm than good. Switching from one version of a program to a different version generally comes with some 'bumps' (to put it lightly). It doesn't always have to be a new version you are moving though. For example, I did a majority of my Excel learnings in the 2007 version. My current employer uses 2003, which caused me to have to do a lot of interface learning. When/If we switch to 2010 there will be a significant loss in productvity over the first month or two as everyone re-learns the program and modifies their files to work properly in the new version. Assuming individuals and organizations are...
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Mar 30, 2011 4:56 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Wisconsin Bogleheads Meeting
Replies: 32
Views: 10903

Cannot make this meeting....turns out planning a wedding and buying a home are very time consuming. If the meeting was closer to Madison I'd have a better shot of attending, but I'll likely not be able to make a meeting this summer. Best of luck and I look forward to hearing about the success of this gathering :)
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Mar 22, 2011 1:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Poll: are you male or female?
Replies: 119
Views: 14037

Very cool idea for a poll.

I'm going to use the old 80/20 rule for my guess. 80% male, 20% female.
by ExcelJunkie
Mon Mar 21, 2011 12:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Disney World - Any tricks on pricing?
Replies: 36
Views: 6199

Thank you for all the excellent advice. I very much appreciate the thoughts on what parks or rides you liked and didn't like. I'm picking up a copy of "The Unofficial Guide Walt Disney World" from my library and looking forward to checking it out. A bit more info: -We will NOT be staying on site. Some relatives gave us a week of timeshare to use so we will be staying in Kissimmee. We will be driving down so we will have transportation. -My wife and I are both in our mid 20's. I have been to many of the parks about 10 years ago, she has never been to any. -We are thinking about going the week before Labor Day weekend. It may make sense to visit the parks earlier in our trip to avoid any Labor Day Weekend visitors. -As of now we are...
by ExcelJunkie
Sun Mar 20, 2011 12:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Disney World - Any tricks on pricing?
Replies: 36
Views: 6199

Disney World - Any tricks on pricing?

Going to Disney World has been a dream of my wife's since she was a little kid. So this summer when we are in the Orlando area we plan to visit at least one (and hopefully a few) of the Disney World theme parks. After looking up prices online I about had a heart attack.

Is there any tricks to getting cheaper Disney World tickets? Is there a better time to buy, or certain sites where you can get a deal? Any additional tips regarding these parks are also appreciated.
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Feb 22, 2011 7:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Life change, Financial Plans, Mortgage and More
Replies: 7
Views: 1449

I do plan on concentrating my efforts on the student loans. As mentioned, there is about $100K that needs to be paid of quickly as the interest rate is currently at 6.8% and has the ability to rise, however the largest chunk is at 2.8-3.8%. Obviously, paying it off quickly would be ideal, but I'm not sure it would make since once a mortgage is obtained. J.J. you clearly have a very good head on your shoulders and you know how to work hard - congrats! After saying that I need to admit that I am terrified for your future. The wording you are using reminds me of the wording I was using about a year ago. At that time I was saying anything to convince myself that I should be living a certain lifestyle to match my income. Above you mentioned tha...
by ExcelJunkie
Sat Feb 19, 2011 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with big tax refund?
Replies: 17
Views: 2066

I'd recommend boosting your Emergency fund a bit. If you feel that 6 months is too much then have 4 months expenses saved. Then over the next few months/year I'd eliminate the credit card debt. Once the credit cards are gone it should be relatively easy to save up for decent used car. Best of luck in whatever you decide :)
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Feb 18, 2011 12:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How important is a large downpayment?
Replies: 38
Views: 4915

dsmil - I understand exactly what you are going through as my wife and are in a similar place and are also in our early 20's. It is very difficult to look around and see your friends purchasing a home, and at the same time hearing from them and others that you should be getting a house. It is very easy to rationalize the risks and think that everything will work out. You and I are entering the workforce at a time when the economy seems to be recovering, and the general attitude is relatively optimistic. Try to ignore this noise and look at the numbers. Run different scenarios of possibilities and see how they play out if you were to buy a home with different size down payments. Consider what would happen if one or both of you lost your job ...
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Feb 16, 2011 1:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Misleading advertising?
Replies: 15
Views: 1634

nydad wrote:No matter how many people are in a room, there will always be someone who is taller than the average!
But what if only one person is in the room? Or what if the room is empty? Or what if the room isn't even a room at all...oh man!

livesoft wrote:Which weighs more a pound of gold or a pound of feathers?
That's easy, we all know gold weighs more than feathers! :D
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Feb 08, 2011 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: History of Russia - Book Recommendation
Replies: 24
Views: 3049

History of Russia - Book Recommendation

I've been in a history mood as of about 7 minutes ago so I've been requesting books from my local library. Does anyone have a good recommendation of a book discussing the history of Russia. Something covering the last 300+ years would be great.

Feel free to throw out other books on the history of countries, people, or historical events that you found interesting & informative. Thanks!
by ExcelJunkie
Sat Jan 22, 2011 6:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cage Match: Student Loans vs Roth IRA vs E-Fund
Replies: 7
Views: 1375

englishgirl wrote:I think $1000 should go into her Roth to open STAR fund (that can be switched to another fund of your choice once it gets above $3000). And then you could put $500 into the student loan debt.
I really like this idea, as well as the others presented here.

Any idea on how to lower student loan interest rates? Most of our loans are Stafford and Perkins, but we do have one private loan.
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Jan 21, 2011 7:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cage Match: Student Loans vs Roth IRA vs E-Fund
Replies: 7
Views: 1375

Cage Match: Student Loans vs Roth IRA vs E-Fund

My beautiful wife and I are having a discussion regarding where our tax refund should go. We will be getting about a $1500 refund in early February. In 2010 we put $4,330 towards my Roth IRA, and nothing towards a Roth for her.

Emergency funds = 1 month

Debt: Student Loans ~55k @ 7%

Tax Filing Status: Married Filing Jointly

Tax Rate: 25% Federal 6% State (WI)

Age: Him 24, Her 23


What should we do? We can put the money in Roths, in our emergency fund, towards the Student Loans, or a combination of the above.

We are mid-discussion on this topic and are reaching out to this forum to give us some thoughtful advice. Thank you in advance for your help.
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Jan 19, 2011 12:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for my Mother
Replies: 4
Views: 785

The first step may be to help her establish goals. Is she currently retired? If not, when does she want to retire? As she is working on laying out her goals you can spend time educating yourself about investing.

check out: http://www.bogleheads.org/readbooks.htm

I am new to investing and have found that setting goals and then determining how to get there is a good starting point.
by ExcelJunkie
Fri Jan 14, 2011 10:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why Active Equity Management Stinks [Article]
Replies: 8
Views: 1484

Why Active Equity Management Stinks [Article]

Very interesting article found on Yahoo Finance (unlikely, I know) which discusses a study done by State Street Global Advisors on performance of actively managed funds. Sorry if this was previously posted.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Why-Activ ... et=&ccode=

Enjoy :)
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Jan 05, 2011 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Youth and Social Security
Replies: 84
Views: 8289

Re: Youth and Social Security

junior wrote:
ExcelJunkie wrote:
In an ideal world SS would be an opt-out program so I could keep more of my money and invest it as I saw fit (Boglehead Style)
What your expectation for real return on your investments based on boglehead style investing?
When estimating how much I will need to save per year to get to my 'number' I generally use an estimate of 3.5% real return. This can be kind of demoralizing :)
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Youth and Social Security
Replies: 84
Views: 8289

Re: Youth and Social Security

ChapMan wrote: For the Generation Y people out there who are saving for retirement, do you factor in social security income at all?
I am 24 and do not factor Social Security into retirement planning and plan to live off the money that my wife and I will invest. That being said, I do expect Social Security to still be around, but believe it will have a higher retirement age.

In an ideal world SS would be an opt-out program so I could keep more of my money and invest it as I saw fit (Boglehead Style)
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Dec 30, 2010 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strategizing my 2011's bonuses
Replies: 2
Views: 975

Hi CSAstor - welcome to the forum. Congratulations on the new job and your upcoming graduation. I think you'll find some great advice on these boards (better than what I can provide anyway)

Assuming you max out your Roth and contribute to get the employer match on your 401k I would use the bonuses to pay down/off your student loans. A guaranteed 6.8% return sounds awfully good to me. If you have more money after that I'd throw some more at the emergency fund and contribute more to the 401k.

That's what I'd do :)
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Dec 29, 2010 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Don't you wish we could talk about money?
Replies: 167
Views: 23202

Congrats rrosenkoetter! This year I reached the 'one-comma' milestone and your achievement is an inspiration for me to keep going. If only the second comma would come as fast as the first one did. :D

Maybe take the wifey out to her favorite restaurant to congratulate you both for the hard work and perseverance.
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Dec 23, 2010 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New to the site - basic investment advice needed?
Replies: 27
Views: 4188

Hi Ryebrook, welcome to the boards :)

Opening up a Roth for each of you is a great choice if you are looking to invest this money towards retirement. You could dump 10k (5k each) into Roth this year, and then the other 5k into one of your Roth accounts in 2011.

Another option is to throw the extra 15k towards the mortgage which would offer a guaranteed 5.5% return.

Finally, if you had another short-term (>5 years) goal that you are looking to save towards I'd sock the money away in a high-interest MM account or in a CD.

If it were me I'd throw it in a couple Roth accounts, but tossing it at the mortgage would also be very tempting.
by ExcelJunkie
Thu Dec 23, 2010 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Santa Brand Book
Replies: 0
Views: 449

The Santa Brand Book

Ever wonder how much thought goes into the branding of Santa?

http://www.quietroom.co.uk/santa_brandbook/

Merry Christmas Boggleheads :)
by ExcelJunkie
Wed Dec 22, 2010 7:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New Investor AA
Replies: 7
Views: 1237

Thank you noobvester and Laura.

I'll throw all my investments in the target retirement funds until I have an amount that allows for me to setup the AA myself. Also thank you for the link to the Vanguard Study on International Allocation. I've got a lot of learning to do and look forward to reading just about anything I can get my hands on.

Thanks again :)
by ExcelJunkie
Tue Dec 21, 2010 9:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New Investor AA
Replies: 7
Views: 1237

pkcrafter wrote:Are you really risk averse as you stated?

Paul
I corrected my statement in the opening post as well as saying that I am good with a high risk portfolio -“A ship is safe in harbor, but that's not what ships are for.” :D