Search found 169 matches

by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Custodial Treasury Direct Account Transfer to Adult Daughter
Replies: 3
Views: 561

Re: Custodial Treasury Direct Account Transfer to Adult Daughter

Yes. I de-linked the account with those directions. She and I both emailed TD and received no reply. I will have her call. I was hoping to avoid that, but I suspected it would be the case. :? Thanks for the reply.
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 04, 2023 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Custodial Treasury Direct Account Transfer to Adult Daughter
Replies: 3
Views: 561

Custodial Treasury Direct Account Transfer to Adult Daughter

Hello,

I opened a custodial Treasury Direct account a number of years back for my daughter when she was still a juvenile. She is now an adult. The account was "de-linked" (TD's terminology) from my account, but it still shows when I login-I just can't access it. Thing is, when my adult daughter tries to open an account in TD, it says there's already an account under her info. How can she take control of her account now that she is an adult? Thanks in advance for any help.
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Aug 09, 2020 7:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: tips for frozen food during power outage
Replies: 37
Views: 3241

Re: tips for frozen food during power outage

We have several freezers and backup power for all of them. If you don't have a generator or don't want to buy one, you can spend about $150 and get a nice inverter (1500-2000 watts) for your car. Attach it to the battery and use your car engine as a backup generator. You can rotate between powering the freezer and the fridge for a couple hours. When you are powering the other appliance, cover the non-powered one with a blanket or two for more insulation. Remove it when you power the appliance again. You can be even more precise buying a watt meter and measuring what your freezer needs to turn on and consistently run. Good luck!

:beer
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jun 24, 2020 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bonds=age
Replies: 25
Views: 2640

Re: Bonds=age

Hello everyone I'm still new to this investing world. I watched the intro video series with all the steps. One question i have is, one method is to have your age in bonds and the rest in stocks. If that's the case, why not pick a Target date fund which is essentially the same practice, isn't it? I'm 34 and am only looking for retirement income. No fancy purchases in mind at the moment. My current Roth IRA has VTSAX-33% VIGAX-26% VGSLX-13% VITAX-15% VTIAX-13% I know some of these funds overlap in terms of being redundant, so do I get rid of those and increase VTSAX and add a total Bond fund? I'll be getting rid of VGSLX VITAX and possibly VGSLX MY taxable account ONLY has FXAIX Thanks! Do you also have a work-based account like a 401k, 403b...
by Brewtownphilee
Fri Jun 12, 2020 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online Ammo purchase recommendation
Replies: 53
Views: 6890

Re: Online Ammo purchase recommendation

AKFiles also runs a list of best prices on all the major calibers that is updated hourly. You can search with or without shipping costs:

https://www.akfiles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108366

:beer
by Brewtownphilee
Sun May 17, 2020 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sump Pump Dual System
Replies: 28
Views: 2026

Re: Sump Pump Dual System

I looked at a similar system not long ago. Instead, I decided to go with a considerably cheaper alternative: A Milwaukee Tool M18 Transfer Pump. I was already invested heavily in the M18 series, so I decided to just add another tool to my collection. It can be had for about $180 any day of the week, and around $160 on sale. It doubles as a pump for my rain barrels into my gardens. Obviously, this option would not make sense for a vacation/second home you are not occupying full time, since there is no automatic activation.

https://www.milwaukeetool.com/Products/ ... ps/2771-20

Good luck with whatever you decide. :beer

edited for spelling
by Brewtownphilee
Wed May 06, 2020 5:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

pshonore wrote: Wed May 06, 2020 3:16 pm At one time, Stanley sold replacement steel doors. These came pre-hung with a steel frame and were sized to fit into a standard 36" wood door frames. I bought one and installed it myself. Easy - remove only the existing door and screw the frame into the remaining existing jamb. It reduced the opening approx 1/2". That was almost 40 years ago, still going strong. I do not know if they still market it.
Thanks for the suggestion. I checked their website and it appears they no longer market those. :(
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

windaar wrote: Tue May 05, 2020 6:29 pm Making it impossible to break into your house is impossible. You can have a titanium door and they come in through a window. When I looked into this a while back I learned that what was needed was glass blocks for the basement windows, a good alarm system, and a Mossberg with buckshot.
+1

The idea is to create a layered defense. This delays them and creates time for you to react and/or they give up and go somewhere else.

"Displacement is a valid law enforcement technique." :wink:
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

teCh0010 wrote: Tue May 05, 2020 5:24 pm I have ordered doors from this shop twice :

https://www.tuscanironentries.com/copy- ... an-classic

Doors are made in TN, welded in their shop in TN. Doors, frame, everything all fabricated and powder coated in their shop. I have the eskridge door as an 8 foot tall 5 foot wide double door. It is a heavy beast. They will make custom from your rough opening.
That is some beautiful work. Thank you for the suggestion. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

I have a steel screen door that is framed in steel and installed in front of my carved wooden front door. See below for the link to the local dealer that I used. It is the door that is baseball bat proof and thief proof you see on TV. It has a steel double dead bolt lock and interior hinges etc... It can only be bought as a package deal installed by the company. The installation is great and professional. I got mine about 4 years ago. I paid about $1200 for the complete package. I did the screen door as I wanted to leave my front door open late in the evening to get the breezes through the house. https://steelshieldsecurity.com/security-doors-ppc/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw-r71BRDuARIsAB7i_QN39NO4k53pptXfkqgIn7ozaK4eha3t9K6R3VZBk7tg3DDUf3A1M-4aAt1nEAL...
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

MadHungarian wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 1:26 pm It's not about absolutely preventing break-in, since a determined person can always get in with enough work and time. It's about making it longer and harder and noisier and riskier. So the lazy & smart thief will then go to your neighbor's easier house instead.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 4:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

Hello, Does anyone have any experience in purchasing and/or installing residential steel-framed entry doors? I'm looking at upgrading our entry doors and found several systems from larger manufacturers such as Mastercraft and MMI (Jeld-Wen). However, other than some short Home Depot comments, I have been unable to find any thorough consumer/installer reviews. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you. :beer I purchased a double (64" wide) and single (32" wide) custom ordered steel door systems from Menards (Mastercraft) this year. I had them drop shipped to my home. They came on a tractor trailer, fed ex, and were extremely well packaged. I did have to disassemble them from the pallet to get them into the garage (too tall). I hired...
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

Sandtrap wrote: Mon May 04, 2020 8:48 am Steel Frame Prehung Steel Door, fire treated core.

Have done a number of these commercially.

They can be extremely heavy. Installation can be unforgiving.
Be sure to have it professionally installed.

j :happy
Thank you, sir. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 05, 2020 4:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

cheese_breath wrote: Sun May 03, 2020 10:21 pm Is there a difference between a steel-frame door and a steel door? This is an honest question, not sarcasm.
Steel-framed steel doors are far stronger than steel doors in wooden frames. Almost all doors break along the frame near the locking mechanism when forced open.
by Brewtownphilee
Sun May 03, 2020 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Re: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

Thanks for the response. I'm just itching to use my power tool collection, but I will look into some local outfits. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Sun May 03, 2020 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors
Replies: 34
Views: 3503

Steel-framed Residential Entry Doors

Hello,

Does anyone have any experience in purchasing and/or installing residential steel-framed entry doors? I'm looking at upgrading our entry doors and found several systems from larger manufacturers such as Mastercraft and MMI (Jeld-Wen). However, other than some short Home Depot comments, I have been unable to find any thorough consumer/installer reviews. Any help is much appreciated. Thank you. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Mon Apr 27, 2020 8:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Household batteries + charger
Replies: 25
Views: 1908

Re: Household batteries + charger

Get Eneloop Pro batteries and this smart charger:

https://www.amazon.com/Powerex-MH-C800S ... 125&sr=8-3

And look into a guy called Steven Harris. He knows way more about batteries than you will ever want to learn. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Apr 22, 2020 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unemployment Insurance for a 17yo
Replies: 2
Views: 511

Re: Unemployment Insurance for a 17yo

Well that's a real bummer. :| But thanks for the answer. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Tue Apr 21, 2020 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unemployment Insurance for a 17yo
Replies: 2
Views: 511

Unemployment Insurance for a 17yo

If a 17yo, who is a full-time student, claimed as a dependent, but works approximately 15 hours per week, receives unemployment insurance, including the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation ($600 per week additional), is the FPUC considered wages, just like the state-funded portion is? I would think yes, but I am unsure. The intent is to invest the compensation in an IRA because it is considered "wages" and "compensation" by the IRS. Thank you in advance for any assistance here. :beer
by Brewtownphilee
Fri Apr 17, 2020 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Car Dealers not really wanting to make a deal
Replies: 245
Views: 40054

Re: Car Dealers not really wanting to make a deal

I'm test driving a vehicle tomorrow after they drop it off at my house. Like the OP, I have seen little motivation from the dealers to really make a deal and move inventory. I saw the same Bloomberg article referenced above and will be waiting another month or two for some pressure to mount. The fact that our fine governor extended the lockdown another month might motivate the dealers a bit more as well.
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Mar 22, 2020 9:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Charity during COVID-19
Replies: 14
Views: 1120

Re: Charity during COVID-19

Your local church will know who is in need far better than some national charity. We are increasing our donations accordingly. Just my 2 cents.
by Brewtownphilee
Mon Apr 23, 2012 2:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1561343

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

Just finished the entire 50+ issues for Y The Last Man by Brian K. Vaughan. A story about a boy becoming a man. It's a comic and better than most of the fiction I've ever read. Now, I'm starting America's Longest War by Steven B. Duke and Albert C. Gross. Its about the war on drugs. An older book, but more relevant than ever. Just got a new Samsung tablet and reading these on the Kindle App. So much for my kids using the tablet... :P
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 18, 2012 10:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rolling over pension plan to IRA
Replies: 8
Views: 1443

Re: Rolling over pension plan to IRA

Welcome to the forum. I would focus on the simplicity of keeping all your assets in one, or only a few places. Several years ago, I did a rollover of pension and Deferred Compensation accounts into an IRA. Both accounts had good choices and record keeping (government), but I sleep better at night not having to worry about another account statement. Good luck.
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 11, 2012 9:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Wells Fargo is leaving WI EdVest
Replies: 1
Views: 533

Wells Fargo is leaving WI EdVest

Here's the link:

http://www.jsonline.com/business/state- ... 99018.html

Apparently, Wells Fargo can't make enough money off of us and they'll be leaving in October 2011. I'm currently drafting my letter to the board in support of Vanguard (assuming they place a bid). We've used the program for years simply for the tax deduction, but I've never been thrilled with the lame investment choices. Hopefully, we can look forward to happier times.
:beer
by Brewtownphilee
Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Increasingly skeptical of data
Replies: 58
Views: 7936

Re: Increasingly skeptical of data

So, is this all a house of cards? I am a novice at this. What am I missing? What you are missing is that social science research is different from hard science research, even if the results from both are expressed in mathematical terms. IMO, this is the best response to the OP's question. Unlike the "hard sciences," financial markets involve human beings and freewill. This is a variable that has proven obscenely difficult to get a handle on for thousands of years. I will make a prediction that it will continue to do so for many thousands more. With my luck, I will be proven wrong next year by some math wizard. :lol: So, I say continue to be skeptical of any and all financial data and its power to predict the future, or even creat...
by Brewtownphilee
Mon Mar 14, 2011 6:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Plasma TV
Replies: 43
Views: 6859

Samsung

We've had a 50" Plasma for about a year now. After looking at CNET and Consumer reports, I went to Best Buy when they had a deal going. The Panasonic we wanted was out of stock, but they offered the Samsung for the same price, though it retailed for $200 more. I actually liked the Samsung picture better when we were still shopping around, but it was just outside our budget. The Panasonic plasmas have always looked a bit washed out to me in person, even after adjusting the settings in the store. We've been very happy. You still get the most picture for your buck with the plasmas, though if I could afford an LED, I'd get one.
by Brewtownphilee
Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheap/Reputable Casket Source
Replies: 36
Views: 8167

FCA

I see that you have already purchased a casket, but if anyone else is interested, check out your local chapter of Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA). They offer substantial discounts on funerals, caskets, and cremations, as well as literature.
www.funerals.org
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Feb 09, 2011 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone know Wisconsin Dells well for family getaway?
Replies: 18
Views: 3460

Kalahari

I will never go to another water park except The KALAHARI. Biggest indoor park and a nice outdoor one too. Indoor karts, ferris wheel, rope course, minigolf, etc. The indoor slide with the drain at the end into a pool is the coolest I've ever seen:

http://www.kalahariresorts.com/
by Brewtownphilee
Tue Nov 02, 2010 6:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents: Games for Organization & Future planning skills
Replies: 9
Views: 1640

Aghast! Computer games may hold the answer!

I don't know how you feel about video/computer games, but I would recommend Sid Meier's Civilization series for the PC/Mac. I think a version or two is available for the video game consoles too. Its turn-based, so you can play at your leisure. You build a civilization from the ground up, research new technologies, be diplomatic or a warmonger, etc. Its very epic and it has a bunch of historic characters to lead each group. You can take a "big-picture" approach or you can micromanage to your heart's content with this one. V just came out, so you can probably pickup a copy of IV with all the add-ons for a fairly cheap price ($30-$40). Good luck. :)
by Brewtownphilee
Sat May 29, 2010 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tipping a Cleaning Lady
Replies: 21
Views: 3816

Re: Tipping a Cleaning Lady

We recently hired a family friend to do basic cleaning in our house every two weeks. She has had her own business for 15 years and usually brings one assistant with her. We have a contract for the price of each cleaning. Neither my wife nor I have any experience with this type of service. What is an appropriate tip for special occasions such as a more detailed cleaning, if requested, or a holiday? Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks! :D We have a similar situation, and tip about 15% each visit. Actually, I should say my wife insists on tipping each visit. It drives me nuts, but it's 15 bucks so i let it slide. mostly she feels the need to tip because the cleaner also cleans wife's boss's home; and the boss tips too. FWIW. The lady ...
by Brewtownphilee
Sat May 29, 2010 12:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do "good" hedge funds exist?
Replies: 19
Views: 3125

Funny Story...

I remember a spot on CNBC during the recent crisis with Jack and Cliff Asness (One of the big Hedge fund gurus). Asness suggested an index fund of Hedge Funds and Jack stayed the gentleman, chuckled, and smiled. I wish I could find the video. :lol:

Anywho, Mr. Asness (via AQR funds) recently came out with this one:

http://www.aqrfunds.com/resources/docs/ ... 0529114150

IMO, it doesn't meet the standard you mentioned in your post. I have never seen one that does. Anyone else? :P
by Brewtownphilee
Wed May 26, 2010 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tipping a Cleaning Lady
Replies: 21
Views: 3816

Here is some advice from Consumer Reports, although I believe it applies specifically to Christmas time. It is from a recent reader survey. http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/december-2009/money/holiday-tipping/survey-results/holiday-tipping-survey-results.htm The only person who comes to my house on even an occasional basis (except for the mail carrier, who I don't really know), is the pet sitter who looks in and feeds my cat when I'm away. The official charge is $18 a visit (1 hour). I typically give her an extra $10 if I'm gone for 1 day, and an extra $20 dollars if I'm gone for 2-4 days, etc. Shawn, Thanks for that link. I totally forgot about that chart. We get Consumer Reports and actually save the magazines for a ye...
by Brewtownphilee
Wed May 26, 2010 6:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tipping a Cleaning Lady
Replies: 21
Views: 3816

Tipping a Cleaning Lady

We recently hired a family friend to do basic cleaning in our house every two weeks. She has had her own business for 15 years and usually brings one assistant with her. We have a contract for the price of each cleaning. Neither my wife nor I have any experience with this type of service. What is an appropriate tip for special occasions such as a more detailed cleaning, if requested, or a holiday? Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks! :D
by Brewtownphilee
Tue May 18, 2010 9:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: POTUS is a boglehead...
Replies: 59
Views: 7121

another government acronym...

POTUS=President Of The United States

you gotta love those government acronyms...

:lol:
by Brewtownphilee
Mon Apr 05, 2010 6:37 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why I am at 0% bonds. (April 2010)
Replies: 97
Views: 16661

well...

I continue to hold 40% bonds for one reason only...to keep my wife happy.

Happy wife, happy life! :lol:
by Brewtownphilee
Tue Mar 30, 2010 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Straight Talk Phone Service
Replies: 23
Views: 5560

try this...

You may want to check out: www.clarkhoward.com for more info on that service. He talked about it a lot on recent podcasts in March. The price is right, but it seems they didn't anticipate the volume of new business. They've supposedly had trouble porting numbers and activating the service in a timely fashion. My wife and I will selecting a new company soon and I've been considering them too. Good luck. :)
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Feb 07, 2010 12:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: IRA conversion for Wisconsin residents
Replies: 12
Views: 2840

hmm....

I'm not sure if we should believe either now! :lol:

I think I'll be calling WI Dept of Revenue this week for their take. I had a difficult time with the website.

Thanks for the info. If anyone learns more, please post.

Another question: does anyone know if this effects 457 and 403(b) plans as well and not just 401(k) plans? I have people peppering me with questions at work. :shock:
by Brewtownphilee
Fri Feb 05, 2010 10:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: IRA conversion for Wisconsin residents
Replies: 12
Views: 2840

Shocking...

Both of these topics, the Roth 2010 Conversion, and the reversion to old contribution limits are shocking for the WI investor. The IRA (Roth and Traditional) contribution limit of $2000 will actually be in place for the 2010 tax year: http://www.wrn.com/2009/11/warnings-of-tax-penalites-for-retirement-funds/ This is especially troublesome for those of us who are DCAing in 2010 to reduce our risk because we will probably reach that $2000 limit long before the legislation is passed to bring WI in line with the feds. Prepare to withdraw excess contributions. :? If you click on each of the links at the bottom of each successive article linked above, you'll see that it appears the conversion problem will probably get fixed, but the contribution ...
by Brewtownphilee
Thu Jan 21, 2010 3:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do financial advisors constantly use American Funds
Replies: 15
Views: 5987

yes, but...

I agree that their performance is a big part of it. But, aren't they ONLY available through specific advisors? And I believe their network is pretty large, so the chances of coming across one is pretty good when people are searching for "advisors." Perhaps the % of the load the advisor receives is higher. Anyone here with experience buying some of these and asking the right questions?
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [del]
Replies: 31
Views: 4964

another question...

Has anyone ever been to one of these "Frontier Market" exchanges? I mean, does it look even remotely like the exchanges in New York or Chicago? I'm very interested in getting exposure here, but I need to see some evidence of good regulation before I drop a lot of ducats on a few companies that are 10,000 miles or more away from home. :?
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do financial advisors constantly use American Funds
Replies: 15
Views: 5987

pretty simple...

Actually, the performance of many of the American Funds is good, especially considering their size. But, it most likely comes down to one thing: COMMISIONS. Many of their funds have a front-end load. 4-5% off the top of the principle. Yuck. :(
by Brewtownphilee
Wed Jan 20, 2010 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [poll] who'll win the Super Bowl (4 teams remain)?
Replies: 62
Views: 10748

um...yeah.

I vote for this guy and his team:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNMzWKn3OCE


Bwah Ha Ha Ha!!!!! :lol
by Brewtownphilee
Fri Dec 18, 2009 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Basement Waterproofing Advice
Replies: 17
Views: 5520

A few bits of advice...

My wife and I have personally dealt with a similar issue on our house for the last year. Unfortunately, our leaks and repairs ruined the finished portion of the basement. Here is our advice in somewhat descending order of importance: 1) If you do nothing else, you'll be OK if you do this first thing. Find a structural engineer who specializes in foundations. We found several through our attorney. We interviewed several and went with the guy who helped write the voluntary standards for the industry in our state. We then paid @ $500 for a comprehensive report. One that will hold up in court will cost more. Now, when you get all the estimates from the sales guys (that's what most of them are), show them the report (without the estimates that t...
by Brewtownphilee
Thu Dec 10, 2009 9:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: John Bogle Updated His Beliefs
Replies: 95
Views: 16176

Perhaps

the song remains the same. From Chapter 8, "On Global Investing" (Pages 275-276): "I want to reemphasize my reluctance to embrace the idea of holding a true global portfolio, in which a U.S. investor's market weighting would be based on the weights of the markets of each major nation, resulting, in mid-2009, in 44 percent U.S. stocks and 56 percent international stocks. But I have no reluctance whatsoever to emphasize a truly global strategy, focused largely on U.S. stocks. ...I continue to believe it is not necessary to stray too far from home...and stick to my recommendation that international funds...not exceed one-fifth of an investor's equity position." You forgot to mention that although the song remains the same ...
by Brewtownphilee
Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wisconsin Problems with Conversion to Roth
Replies: 14
Views: 3831

Thanks

Thanks for posting this. The article indicates WI is probably the only state to do this, but I wouldn't trust the staff at the JS on that. The reason is loss of tax revenue, so if forum members live in states with budget problems, they might want to take special notice of this.
by Brewtownphilee
Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Series I Bonds
Replies: 35
Views: 9100

Another benefit and reason to buy...

The OP did not mention children, but here's another benefit: When you cash in I Bonds, they can be used to fund QTPs(529 plans) and ESAs (Coverdells) and the interest can be tax free. EEs can also qualify. Please see IRS pub 970:

http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p970.pdf
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Another Pension Scandal...
Replies: 28
Views: 3118

wait a second...

OK... Thank you for that correction. I knew the link was little more than fluff. that's the point-lack of transparency. I have read Taleb and I liked him. The other guy is unfamiliar-I'll look into it. I actually agree with most of your thoughts. But they have little to do with what I was trying to point out. This is the same fund that cut benefits to recipients this year for the first time-ever. I don't care if someone is paid 450K or 4 million or 4 bucks. If they're worth it, then so be it. The problem is this: They FAILED to meet, let alone beat, their benchmark (The S&P 500? Huh?). They took extraordinary risks with public money and FAILED. So it doesn't really matter if they are "cheap" relative to their peers. They didn'...
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Oct 11, 2009 11:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Another Pension Scandal...
Replies: 28
Views: 3118

Re: funny!

When I checked their holdings two years ago, there wasn't one single indexed asset. Lovely! :lol: I don't think that is correct. I believe they do quite a bit of indexing. It should be noted that those who chose not to be in what they call the "variable" option can never have their pension reduced below the initial amount. There is no scandal, there is a pay plan that some may not like and there are rules on how much pensions increase or decrease and the annuitants are happy to take the increases, but whine when there are decreases. I and my spouse are both active participants in that pension system (but not the variable option), and I think it is one of the better ones. It is pretty well funded and seems to be pretty well run. I...
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Another Pension Scandal...
Replies: 28
Views: 3118

thanks

I appreciate your restraint in not posting the link. That is EXACTLY the type of stuff I was referring to.
by Brewtownphilee
Sun Oct 11, 2009 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Steep Losses Pose Crisis for Pensions - Washington Post
Replies: 23
Views: 2928

Thank you.

(Don't believe the hype of the dangerous work of correction's officers. There are some risky areas but most jobs involve sitting around the desk complaining about pay and overtime) That may be the case in some little county jails out in the sticks but not the case in larger county jails and state prisons. I speak from experience because I have been in the business 22 years working the floors, not sitting in some office away from the inmates, drinking coffee, taking two hour lunch breaks and dressing up in civilian clothes while collecting high risk pay and pension. Unlike some other professions, we took pay cuts and eliminated COLAs and overtime in 2008 in order to meet budgetary constraints. Ours is a high risk job in many ways: http://ww...