Bogleheads

I'm happy she won her case!
My mom's long-time broker (very small town, but big bank/brokerage) realized my mom's thinking was compromised (dementia, but we didn't know how bad and lived two hours aw ...

I found my mom's stashed in a little cash box in her closet-----$25,000!!! I immediately took her to the bank, and opened a CD for her. Teller asked if this was the proverbial "cash under the mat ...

Thanks for this thread. I am planning on closing my airline mileage card because they raised their companion fare ticket from $50 to $99 plus taxes and fees, and the annual cc fee is $75.
I'm thinkin ...

Wish we hadn't been affected. Retired January 2007, saw investments go up, then down, down, down as we had too much in non-Vanguard index funds. Good news is we have no debt. We were self employed, so ...

Getting older and losing one's abilities, either physical and/or mental is something most of us will face. The best we can do is make a plan for our financial health and well-being, as well as for our ...

[quote="Maverick
If you get a bid on your bond, you can check it against the most recent activity for your specific bond by going to http://emma.msrb.org/. This is the Municipal Securities Rule ...

My understanding is that the price the seller receives for the muni will be lower than the price a buyer will end up paying for it because the broker's fees are "included" in the purchase p ...

Yes, I am on facebook. It's a great way to keep up with friends who live far away, and I especially enjoy it when they post family photos. I just make sure I don't get sucked in to all the little poll ...

I'm not the OP, but I live in Olympia, Washington and we DO have a real problem with physicians refusing to accept medicare, even with the best medicare supplement insurance. And from what I can learn ...

I just turned 65, and have been on my employer's plan (HMO). I wanted to find a private physician, but in my area, I cannot find a physician who will accept Medicare, even with the best medicare suppl ...

And do you think they have learned how to manage their money now? Probably not. If they were to default on the loan, you and your brother will be totally responsible for it. Seems like the best thing ...

We've been paying cash for our vehicles for the past 25 years. And don't let on that we are going to trade-in til after the price has been negotiated. Of course, they will low-ball the trade-in. So we ...

That's how I've always bought our Dell Computers, off the small business lines....didn't seem to make any difference in the customer service, in my case. Unless, of course, it could have been even wor ...

My mom has had an account with them for years (originally with my dad, who passed away 20 yrs ago). I used my DPOA to set up a Revocable Living Trust for her this past summer, and they were very good ...

I like their computers (had them at home and business for ten years) but I do agree with the customer service issues with Dell. I paid $$$ for four years of in-home next day service and complete care ...

As John advised, if your trust is a revocable living trust, the account should be in the trust. One of the biggest mistakes people make is not funding their trust with all of their assets. If it is a ...

I'm hoping my grandchildren will see a little "reality", but I doubt if their parents will let them. Yes, my stepdaughter's family is financially stressed right now, and much of it is of the ...

I put a credit freeze on my mom (she has Alzheimer's and I am her DPOA) to lessen the chance of identity theft. In our state, it is free if you are 65 or over. It costs $10 to "unfreeze" it, ...

Hi:
I have several friends who have "snowbird" homes in Arizona: Pebble Creek in Goodyear; Sun City Grand; and Trilogy. They are all very happy spending their winters in the sunshine instea ...

No formal bucket list, but I do keep telling my DH that we aren't getting any younger and we probably won't feel any better than we do now. So if there are things we want to do, we shouldn't keep putt ...

I'm thinking of buying a netbook to use for travel because of it's fairly low price and light weight. Don't need video or media, just Microsoft Office, internet, and email.
If you have any experiienc ...

I'm sorry for your loss; it was thoughtful of your dad to pay for an insurance policy, with you as beneficiary.

My stepchildren will each inherit in the low seven figures from my husband (one will ...

or.......you could always inject oranges with vodka! (college days, many many years ago) Laughing

It would be wise to read the HOA rules and covenants to be sure renting rooms is okay. You might be surprised at some of the restrictions.

I heard (where I can not remember) that Annuity owners (presumably single payer types) live longer.

Would the living care to explain why?

Cody

AS a previous poster stated: Perhaps because t ...

I've thought that it would be nice to have my ashes scattered in the Mt St Helen's volcano.....that way, I would be able to "travel the world" each time she "burped". Laughing

Nobody donating their body to the local medical school?
That is a good question. My mom has Alzheimer's, was the poster girl for healthy living, and if I knew it would help with AD research, I would ...

It seems to me that it would be wise to meet with an Elderlaw attorney, who is very familiar with protecting assets of those with Alzheimer's so that they will be there when needed for care.
It is ve ...

All this just stresses the importance of making sure your will is complete, current and able to be easily found.

Francis

Yes, it does. We not only keep our wills current, but we have designate ...

In most instances, when the client receives the original will, the attorney retains a copy in his/her files. Do your best to locaate the attorney; there should be a copy in the files.
Good Luck.

I ...

Now it appears some of us are in a Catch-22:
We have four VISA cards, one AMEX/Costco card and one Mastercard. Two of the cards are B of A / Alaska Airlines cards. charging a $75 annual fee. This is ...

How did people in the 50's qualify for home loans in America w/o credit scores?

The same way they did in the 60's: Banks looked at your gross income, your net income, your debts and the number of y ...

1. I would have taken my parents' advice, and saved/invested, even when money was very tight.
2. I would have told my husband to take a flying leap when he gave me the choice to either keep my job (w ...

Great. Punish the responsible consumers. I charge everything on my credit cards, and never carry a balance.
But if they charge a fee for NOT carrying a balance, it looks like I will start using cash ...

Wow! Thank you all for the great suggestions. I have applied, and been approved, for a Capital One credit card, and will use that for nearly all purchases while in Europe. However, I will need to buy ...

Probably a stupid question, but.....
We will be in Europe for ten days in May, and with all the talk of declining US dollar, I'm wondering if it would be worth it to buy our Euros now (spending money ...

Oldest daughter is currently contributing $6,000 per year to 401K, and paying off credit card debt, without adding new debt. I'm not sure what her company's maximum is for the 401K, but I like the ide ...

I just discovered a glitch: the youngest daughter works for the State, which has a defined contribution retirement plan. She selected her contribution rate when she started working, and cannot change ...

I see this type of thing a lot in my practice. Just be very clear about whether this money is a gift (ie, no strings attached - no restrictions, no expectations, no hidden motives) - or something else ...

Each daughter has a $10K cash reserve, not to be touched unless a bona-fide emergency. Both have credit card debt, but at this time they haven't told me how much. The oldest says she is nearly debt-fr ...

I'm not sure how many people actually pay attention to gift limits.

Does that justify tax evasion?

John

Sorry. The gifitng for 2007 and 2008 were $11,500 (under the legal limit). Started gif ...

My mother is gifting $13,000 per year to each of my two daughters, beginning in 2007. This is not spending money for them, but is to be used for Roth IRAs and a taxable account. My daughters are 37 an ...

As my parents were fond of saying: "Never count your chickens before they've hatched".
Manage your own investments on a stand-alone basis. If you inherit, that is a bonus and you can make a ...

Definitely follow up with a letter to CEO, cc to hotel manager.
BTW, I ALWAYS bring my own pillow when I stay at a hotel or motel, or timeshare condo.

My parents gave me two peices of unsolicited advice:

1. "Never do business with friends or relatives" and

2, "Always wait 24 hours before making a big decision".

As for re ...

I believe parents should pay what they can comfortably afford towards their children's education, without going into debt or jeopardizing their retirement. My parents paid for my tuition and books, bu ...

My mom created her own "annuity" through a tax-exempt muni-bond ladder, and it has worked out very well for her because she has other taxable income which makes the investments in the tax-ex ...

Dementia can hit anyone, at any time. I know this firsthand, as I have been thrust into managing my mother's finances for the past four years. You would never think she was a candidate for Alzheimer's ...

You can request a realtor to be your buyer's agent. But be sure you interview at least three. Important questions to ask to give you an idea of how well they will negotiate for you:

What was the ra ...

I think it all depends upon the state where you live. For example, a revocable trust in California is a GOOD thing because of the high costs of probate (it is a percentage of the estate). However, in ...