Bogleheads

I saw a relative today who will be involved in our search for a Florida house. A different issue came up, something that I never thought about. We own two residential lots in SW Florida. We've owne ...

Have fun when you drop cable, change your wireless telephone company, move to a new house with new utility companies, etc. Attempts to withdraw money from your checking account might continue long a ...

You would be wise to get a home inspection. Look especially for mold. Some of the drywall used in the Ft. Myers/Naples and FL home construction during the boom years of 2003-2008 came from China and ...

We have something called a humidistat which controls the AC if the humidity in your home gets too high. It turns on the AC and runs it long enough to get rid of the humidity. So you'd set both your ...

I've had lots of experience in this area, sometimes I think too much! Smile

Have lived in Florida for 32 years, although for the past ten we have had a summer home in the mountains and left our Florida ...

You don't ballpark the purchase price or where in SW Fl but if you're talking Sarasota to Naples and you don't get Homestead exempt and don't have a steady rental in place, you can expect to pay prop ...

I'm not sure of your county but Pinellas County property taxes were about $2500 per $100,000. Of course each county is different but Pinellas is one of the highest in the state. Where I am is 1500 / ...

Thanks to everyone who provided experiences on house ownership expenses in South Florida http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=44436&highlight= . I am close to buying this property but ...

To be honest, I never understood the point of dollar cost averaging. If I want my money to be at a target allocation, and I'm currently at some other allocation, I want to get to the target allocatio ...

The current I-bond inflation adjustment appears to be 3.06% annualized. That's interesting.

Paul

And the current composite rate for new I Bonds is 3.36% which looks pretty good when compared t ...

Mentioned in this conversation is PenFed Credit Union's Visa which offers 5% on gasoline, 2% on groceries and 1.25% on everything else. There are no tiers and no maximum reward. It is simple for eve ...

Hi,
I understand what I read on the new homeowners tax credit rules. I don't qualify for the "old" credit based on too high MAGI. However, under the new rules I believe I would qualify. M ...

Buyers who have owned their current homes for at least five years are eligible for tax credits of up to $6,500,

Does a tax credit mean money you take off your taxes, or money deducted from your in ...

Looking for advice or thoughts regarding this classic trade-off: to maintain our present car, or buy a new one. We have a 2000 Mazda 626 with almost 75,000 miles on it. It's been a dependable car req ...

Since I don't have an account with VG I would like to know if it's true.

A friend of mine has an account with VG and told me the following...

he wanted to do an exchange from one fund to another ...

Hi,

Anyone have problems dealing with Yahoo customer service? I listed a property on Yahoo Real Estate this morning and the link to my property is a dead link. Clicking on it leads to a ...

To my knowledge, this hasn't ever been done and in talking with him, those parts can blow at any point, which would result in me having to get a new engine.

I don't know if I was just lucky, ...

You might consider just doing the timing belt. The water pump is typically not a periodic maintenance item like a belt.Ken

The water pump and timing belt are located in the same place deep in the ...

What really is needed is legislation allowing employees to op out of their employer's plan and have their deduction sent to a plan of their choice.The fund companies like Vanguard could then set up sp ...

Dear Mr. Bogle,

Best wishes for a speedy recovery. Very glad to hear your health is improving. I'd also like to express my gratitude to you for standing up for the little guy on their financi ...

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 ...

Sounds like a mess. Let me predicate this by saying that things are largely dependent on PA law and I am not an attorney who deals in this type of stuff. However, assuming the first will is valid, I ...

Based on your numbers, it seems clear that the lump sum is being calculated on a PPA basis. The prior lump sum was calculated on a GATT basis. PPA phases in (20% a year) from the lower GATT Treasury ...

Hi,

Hope this is the right forum on Bogleheads to post this on. I have worked for the same hospital for over 20 years. However the hospital merged with another in 1992 and was bought this yea ...

Thanks for all your help. An update. Today I received the paperwork in the mail. I'm 50 years old and for $462/mo for life starting at age 65, they are offering me lump sum of $27,316. There are a l ...

Hi,

An update. I received a copy of the will in question. It was not written on an index card as previously thought, but typed on standard size paper in what seems to me, to be legal wording ...

I cannot imagine any circumstance where I would want to move this money back to my employers provider.
or to a future employers' plan?

I understand your point. I have been working for the same emp ...

I think you can, but you could ask Vanguard to be sure. The IRS already considers them one IRA for tax purposes, so why not? What you have to keep up with is what amount of the contributions, if any ...

I believe rollover IRA assets have the option for transfer back into an employer plan like 401k or TSP at your new job. Traditional IRAs may not have that option. If you transfer the rollover IRA as ...

Hi,

I'd like to consolidate some of my retirement accounts and I'm not sure if I am allowed to do it. All accounts are at Vanguard. I have a 403B and a Roth IRA and those would have to remain as ...

Why would an employer select/permit funds in the company's 401k that are not in the employees best interests?

Wouldnt an excellent 401k plan and funds help retain employees? A good selling point? ...

Thanks everyone for all of your insights. They are very much appreciated. A few posts asked about house details. It was built in 1978 and is approx. 1900 sq feet, stucco outside, tile roof. I was una ...

$300k is none too much for a nice home in SW Florida. You may get cheap in Cape Coral but, IMO, you get what you pay for, I've lived in Florida 33 years and wouldn't consider Cape Coral as an appeal ...

Naples is a ritzier market than Cape Coral/Ft. Myers but I encourage you to check out Cape Coral. It's a better value.

For the money you are talking about spending, you can probably get a house ri ...

Lawn mowing runs about $100/month. The lawn fertilizer/bug guys are another $30-$50/month.

Adrian's electricity is ballpark for an occupied home, figure about half that for air conditioning when ...

I don't know how big of a house you are looking at but it sounds like you are overpaying to me.

Southwest Florida is the REO capital of the country. There are hundreds of listings of 3/2 bedrooms/ ...

Just curious if balance then falls below 100,000 do you lose admiral designation. thanks

Hi,

It looks like you must maintain the 100K minimum. From https://personal.vanguard.com/us/help/FAQMu ...

Question about Admiral shares. Does Vanguard automatically convert existing shares into Admiral shares when your reach eligible levels, or do you have to request the the change?

Hi,

From ht ...

Hi,

I was wondering if any homeowners in South Florida would be willing to share a few things with me. I'm thinking of buying a property (house) as I've always liked the area and prices have c ...

My condolences on their passing.

Has it been determined your Uncle didnt have a more recent will?

Hi,

I really doubt he had another will. Of his two sons, he didn't have contact with on ...

As to the second question, a start, not intended to be definitive:

http://www.wolfbaldwin.com/attorneys_lawyers/articles.asp?ArticleID=34&Page=pa_intestate_no_will_intestacy_estate_Pennsylvania ...

It appears you have a holographic will, one written out by the testator, or perhaps a will not properly executed. These are not valid in many states. John

HiJDCPAEsq,

I don't ...

Hi,

Wonder if anyone has any opinions on this. My uncle passed away and his estate is complicated by several factors. He had significant assets. He has two sons (A&B) by his ex-wife and ...

Vanguard should not be concerned with what Fidelity or T.Rowe Price do with their TR funds. Like I said before, in my opinion, the Vanguard TR funds were/are too aggressive and misleading as to the le ...

Hi,

Hope this is the right forum on Bogleheads to post this on. I have worked for the same hospital for over 20 years. However the hospital merged with another in 1992 and was bought this yea ...

Regarding the "Certified" label:

Hopefully you are at a Ford dealer and it is the manufacturer (i.e., Ford) certifying the vehicle. That would be the best certification. If it is certif ...

Hi,

Saw this on the business news this morning. Its from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/3-more-investment-firms-apf-507852696.html?x=0&sec=topStories&pos=3&asset=&ccode= . Do ...

Hi,

I will receive a lump sum from sale of company stock end of November (my employer was just acquired). I plan to put about 20K into our Roth IRAs (10K for 2009 and 2010). I'm considering the f ...

Greetings! I am reading a book named The Decline and Fall of Roman Empire. According to the author- Edward Gibbon Attila the Hun demanded the following. What will the present value. The year was 446 A ...

Hi everyone,

I did some more research and did reconsider the Target Retirement funds, at least partially. Thanks to the portfolio X-Ray link, here is what I came up with in allocation percentage ...