Search found 509 matches

by Offshore
Sun Aug 20, 2017 7:19 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone planning on never retiring?
Replies: 173
Views: 21298

Re: Anyone planning on never retiring?

As a physician it has been a long path traveled. Having said that, at 57, I am ready for my next chapter. I suspect medicine is no different than other occupations, in that time brings change. The older I get, the tougher change is to embrace.

I plan to retire from clinical medicine in 3 years and have found other work (very part time). Hope I can make it 3 more years! The less I work, the less I want to work. My physician friends who have retired have told me "It took about a week to fully embrace the change!"

Any Boglehead physicians out there who feel as the OP does, meaning never want to retire?
by Offshore
Sun Jul 16, 2017 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Reimbursed HSA expense?
Replies: 4
Views: 720

Reimbursed HSA expense?

Concierge medicine costs $6,500. in my town. I am considering it for my family. Can the cost be paid from an HSA? Bear in mind, the concierge medicine physician becomes the primary care physician, with a longitudinal relationship (not a one time visit).
Here is one answer I found, but a bit confusing to me:

"if the expense is directly related to a qualified medical service that has been provided, it is reimbursable. If it is only for access to services, or the right to “get in the door,” then it is not a qualified medical expense for HSA/FSA reimbursement purposes."

Please, not let's get into the discussion of why concierge medicine. Thanks!
by Offshore
Sun Apr 23, 2017 7:51 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VG Advisory Services
Replies: 7
Views: 1272

Re: VG Advisory Services

dbr, retiredjg,

Thank you for your reply. I appreciate your opinions.
by Offshore
Sun Apr 23, 2017 5:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VG Advisory Services
Replies: 7
Views: 1272

VG Advisory Services

Generally, we were very close to an AA that VG recommends. There was one glaring difference, that is, they recommend international bonds. We have zero exposure to international bonds.

From our 50:50 portfolio, they recommended 9% of total portfolio value in international bonds.

Now, our AA is pretty vanilla, using a mix of TBM, TIPS and tax-exempt bonds.

I'm inclined to stay our course (no international bond exposure) for simplicity sake. I'm thinking making this change, or not, will not amount to a noticeable difference either way, even many years down the road.

What do you think?

Thanks!
by Offshore
Sun Apr 23, 2017 5:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: National Parks in Northern CA
Replies: 34
Views: 4011

Re: National Parks in Northern CA

Thank you to all who replied!
I've had some great family vacations from listening to others on this forum.

BTW, I phoned a few days ago and was able to secure 2 rooms at Tanaya Lodge in Yosemite. I was locked out of Sequoia NP (booked).

Will let you all know how it goes!
by Offshore
Sat Apr 22, 2017 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: National Parks in Northern CA
Replies: 34
Views: 4011

National Parks in Northern CA

Help me plan our summer vacation (July)!
We will start at Yosemite National Park. I have one week and a rental car.
Our son is 15, and he will bring a friend, so 4 of us.

Please make some recommendations on what else to see and do.

We are thinking of driving down to Sequoia National Park and/or Kings Canyon National Park after Yosemite.

Suggestions? If you have done something like this, what was your itinerary?

Many thanks!
Offshore
by Offshore
Fri Mar 24, 2017 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to make my old MacBook to work?
Replies: 20
Views: 2403

Re: How to make my old MacBook to work?

by clsms » Fri Mar 24, 2017 11:26 am I have a 2010 Macbook Pro and my wife has a 2009 Macbook. A few years back, I upgraded both to an SSD hard drive and upgraded the memory to 8GB for each. While it's obviously not going to be as fast as a newer Macbook/Macbook Pro, both upgrades are easy to do on your own and the cost for memory/SSD's has come down considerably. You can use Time Machine and do a full backup before swapping out the HDDs and then restore from backup once the new SSD drive is installed. The SSD upgrade alone made a huge difference and made both laptops extremely faster. another +1 I had a failing 2012 MacBook Pro. Very easy to replace HD with SSD. I opted for a clean install, so, after SSD had a "new" computer. Po...
by Offshore
Sat Mar 04, 2017 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Programable thermostat for gas water heater?
Replies: 19
Views: 2233

Re: Programable thermostat for gas water heater?

My gas water heater is so inexpensive, I don't see much savings on a programmable water heater.
Here's the deal... hot water temperature is fine all day. In the evening, my family showers. We run out of hot water. My wife says "Turn up the temp. on the water heater". I'm thinking, why pay to heat the water 23 hours a day when I only need it very hot for 1 hour?

Livesoft, I get what you're saying, natural gas is cheap. I am stuck on the wasteful and unnecessary aspect of the proposed solution.

I will admit to being a cheapskate, but around here I suspect I'm in the like company of others. :happy
by Offshore
Sat Mar 04, 2017 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Programable thermostat for gas water heater?
Replies: 19
Views: 2233

Programable thermostat for gas water heater?

Is there such a device for gas water heaters? Google search returned no hits. Thx.
by Offshore
Thu Jan 26, 2017 7:51 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Whole life & Annuities
Replies: 11
Views: 1695

Whole life & Annuities

One of my coworkers, about 63 years old, mentioned in conversation yesterday that his retirement savings is now primarily in life insurance and annuities. I was surprised by the life insurance. He is a smart guy, and I thought smart people didn't do that.

I have read the seminal tomes of our mentors. "Larimore", "LeBoeuf", "Landauer", "Ferri", "Bernstein", "Bogle", "Malkiel" and "Swedroe".
I am not seeing life insurance as a suggested strategy.

My plan does not include either. Would a proponent of either strategy kindly indicate why such a retirement strategy is superior than drawing down from a stock/bond portfolio? Thank you.
by Offshore
Sun Dec 04, 2016 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Adjust Bond Holdings?
Replies: 8
Views: 1139

Re: Adjust Bond Holdings?

dbr, Reasonable questions that I'll presume are not rhetorical, so here are my answers. If you ignored Vanguard's advice before, why would you heed it now? Why would you ever pay attention to advice from Vangaurd? (That is intended as a serious question.) This is the first time I have noticed that VG has made recommendations for specific bond holdings. So, it is not that I have ignored their advice before, it is more the fact that I've noticed their advice now. I'm not so stubborn as to not consider it, especially in the bond market where changes probably won't amount to much risk. What in general do you think is ever true that tells you "now is the time" to invest in a certain way and some other time is the time to invest in a di...
by Offshore
Sun Dec 04, 2016 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Adjust Bond Holdings?
Replies: 8
Views: 1139

Adjust Bond Holdings?

I've always split bond holdings between TBM and TIPS, with taxable holdings in Int. Term Tax-Exempt. Now, I'm thinking a small change might be helpful and I'd like to get some Boglehead views.

#1) Our President elect is expected to be good for business. Does this translate to a new position for corporate bonds?

#2) Vanguard's website specifically recommends short term holdings across the board, in all bond categories. Is this a time I should move TIPS to short-term TIPS, and Intermediate Term Tax-Exempt to Short Term-Tax exempt?

Thank you.
by Offshore
Wed Nov 23, 2016 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades
Replies: 8
Views: 3817

Re: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades

Thanks Rodc!

Happy to report the job was easy! Blades came off without taking gears apart. I cleaned them, filed them sharp by hand and replaced them all in the same day. Fired the thing up and it didn't explode!

I have the Boglehead satisfaction of doing the job for the price of a file and star shaped screwdriver (screwdriver bit probably has a real name).
by Offshore
Sat Nov 19, 2016 7:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades
Replies: 8
Views: 3817

Re: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades

daveatca,
Thanks for the link. It appears that this will become a sizable project I wasn't anticipating! I actually had seen the video you linked, but thought "Gosh, there has to be an easier way to do this".

This is the first time, ever, I can't find internet instructions for the exact tool I own (Stihl hse 60). Been considering creating my first YouTube video to post. We shall see.

Seems like a good project to start today, with college football in the background. Go Blue!
by Offshore
Thu Nov 17, 2016 10:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades
Replies: 8
Views: 3817

Re: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades

Rodc,

Despite what the link says, every YouTube Stihl video shows the blades offset. Even the illustration in the link you provided shows the blades offset.
by Offshore
Thu Nov 17, 2016 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades
Replies: 8
Views: 3817

Sharpening Hedge Trimmer Blades

I have a Stihl electric hedge trimmer with dull blades that I'd like to sharpen. The Stihl online instructional video begins showing the blades offset, giving easy access to the cutting edges. The machine always comes to rest with the blades lined up, blocking the cutting edges. How do I get them offset?

I called the company tech. support. They advise squeezing the blades with a pliers to get them offset, but it is just not happening. I'm afraid I'm going to break the machine if squeeze any harder. I know there is a gear wheel in there and taking the machine apart seems like a bad idea also.

Has anybody done this repair who can give me some help?
by Offshore
Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPhone for teenager
Replies: 8
Views: 1688

Re: iPhone for teenager

I just Googled Cricket. Interesting! So, you use this service and are happy with it?
by Offshore
Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rental Cars
Replies: 22
Views: 2900

Re: Rental Cars

+1 for Costco. It is through Avis. In my experience, Hertz and Avis are tops in customer satisfaction, so getting a deal with Avis is great!
by Offshore
Sun Sep 25, 2016 6:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPhone for teenager
Replies: 8
Views: 1688

iPhone for teenager

Our son is now a high school freshman and my wife tells me "it's time". AT&T is our carrier.

I understand data overage may be an issue. Do Bogleheads have parental suggestions regarding AT&T plans, equipment, tracking features, parental controls/restrictions or monitoring methods? Any information you think salient, is appreciated.

Thank you!
by Offshore
Mon Sep 19, 2016 5:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Online SWR calculator
Replies: 2
Views: 1187

Online SWR calculator

I found a retirement calculator on retireearlyhomepage.com It allows the user to set his/her own SWR. "Readers interested in running their own "safe withdrawal" scenarios are invited to download a copy of the Retire Early Safe Withdrawal Calculator. It's a Microsoft Excel workbook (Version 7.0 for Windows 95) that allows the user to input his own asset allocation and withdrawal rate. The calculator returns the percent survivability for the portfolio and the terminal values of the portfolio at the end of 10,20,30,40,50 and 60 year pay out periods." The spreadsheet is extensive and, frankly, too complicated for me because I can only interpret some of the results. Plus, it was last updated in 2002 and I am unsure of the con...
by Offshore
Wed Sep 14, 2016 7:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2016 Murano or 2016 Acura MDX
Replies: 36
Views: 9973

Re: 2016 Murano or 2016 Acura MDX

FWIW, we own a 2016 MDX and couldn't be happier. It replaces a '03 MDX (that we still own) with 171,000. miles and not a single issue, other than high miles.

My wife has been sold on Honda products for 40 years. She has never regretted any Honda/Acura product she has owned.
by Offshore
Thu Sep 08, 2016 8:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: REITS and S&P
Replies: 2
Views: 660

Re: REITS and S&P

Interesting.
Thanks for the reply.
by Offshore
Thu Sep 08, 2016 7:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: REITS and S&P
Replies: 2
Views: 660

REITS and S&P

Question: Do REITS make up about 3% of the S&P?

If that is the number, to keep an AA exposure steady to REITS, would one simply add 3% to their REIT holding after the breakout?

Thanks-
by Offshore
Sun Jul 10, 2016 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: M* Portfolio Monitor
Replies: 0
Views: 984

M* Portfolio Monitor

To those who subscribe to M*, you receive a monthly Portfolio Monitor report. On page 2, there is projected balance that looks out 5, 10, 20 and 30 years, and gives a portfolio value with degrees of confidence of 25%, 50% and 75%.

Question: do you know if the projected values are specific to the portfolio being monitored? If the unique AA is not used, and it's a generic 60:40 AA, the reported numbers have little meaning.

I've also asked them what rate of return they use, but can't get a straight answer on that either. All in all, their projections are entertaining, but without details about their methods I cannot rely them. Hoping an M* subscriber here will know. Thanks.

Off Shore
by Offshore
Sun May 29, 2016 4:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do I want a house with a pool?
Replies: 96
Views: 12762

Re: Do I want a house with a pool?

Never again!
There is a constant worry about some new bill coming in. Either it is a worn gasket, a blown pump or something not on the radar. If it's not that, it is expensive chemicals, and we keep the pool in service year round.

A swimming pool is not a reversible decision, so think hard before you take the plunge. :wink:
by Offshore
Fri May 20, 2016 5:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Macbook Air - how to keep it running smoothly?
Replies: 18
Views: 3107

Re: Macbook Air - how to keep it running smoothly?

Just yesterday, I visited my local Apple store, computer in hand. I thought I had a failing hard drive and had every intention of leaving the machine at the genius bar for repair (new hard drive). The genius bar technician ran tests and made changes that he said should correct the periodic freezes and required system restarts. I said try it for a few weeks then we decide if you need to put $ into it or replace it. It's only been 1 day, but so far, so good. I was impressed he asked me to NOT buy anything, just yet.

Take away to you: visit your local Apple store's genius bar (by appointment). Tell him/her what you are after and see how it goes.
by Offshore
Fri Apr 01, 2016 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Antelope Canyon/Cathedral Canyon
Replies: 13
Views: 4670

Re: Antelope Canyon/Cathedral Canyon

Hmm. I was thinking upper, but don't want to be rushed. What is slot canyon?
by Offshore
Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla Model 3 anyone?
Replies: 279
Views: 30958

Re: Tesla Model 3 anyone?

Put my reservation in the moment the website allowed it. Of course, there are likely tens of thousands of people who reserved before I did, doing so at a dealership.

Nevertheless, I am very excited.

It you look for it, I began a string on the Tesla S in July, 2012. This is when I discovered Tesla and have been pining away since.
by Offshore
Fri Apr 01, 2016 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Antelope Canyon/Cathedral Canyon
Replies: 13
Views: 4670

Antelope Canyon/Cathedral Canyon

Both tours sound amazing! Anyone have a reccommendation?

The trip to Arizona is next week. I just learned about this today, so will make reservations with a tour company today!
by Offshore
Fri Apr 01, 2016 11:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Acct. for minor, UGMA vs. UTMA?
Replies: 11
Views: 1332

Re: Acct. for minor, UGMA vs. UTMA?

Good stuff. Thank you for the replies.

Grt2bOutdoors, in four days you will celebrate 9 years of posting on this website. I have calculated that if you posted every single day over a 9 year period (3,285 days), you would need make 4.2 posts/day to accumulate 13,827. Good grief, how do you do it!!
by Offshore
Fri Apr 01, 2016 10:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Acct. for minor, UGMA vs. UTMA?
Replies: 11
Views: 1332

Acct. for minor, UGMA vs. UTMA?

Our teenage son had a life cycle event. He received some cash gifts from family and friends, which are his (few thousand dollars). My wife and I opened an account at VG, choosing the Target Date 2060 for him. Maybe, if he is lucky, we will be able to gift him some money down the road, so we would like to change the account owner from our name to his. BTW, we have been diligent with a 529 and do not wish to fund that further.

Question: What are the considerations between UGMA and UTMA? Why would one choose one type over the other? For a minor, any other account types to consider?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
by Offshore
Sun Feb 21, 2016 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vacation Homes
Replies: 78
Views: 14609

Re: Vacation Homes

For us, it was never an investment. We fell in love with the location, could afford the carry costs, bought a place about 15 years ago and will list it for sale this spring. When we found ourselves using it sporadically, it went on the rental market. Rental income helped, but still was a financial liability.

Financially, you are correct, we would have done better in a balanced index fund x15 years. Still, no regrets. Watched our son learn to walk stairs there, and have years of happy memories. Life is more than building up the most wealth possible. Having said that, one must be able to afford the necessities in life before splurging on the frivolous.
by Offshore
Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Saturday VG phone support no more?
Replies: 10
Views: 1029

Re: Saturday VG phone support no more?

There isn't a lot to gain by pre-loading - a buy order is only a couple clicks.
After a question or two with my VG rep., it's time for annual rebalancing which I have not yet done. This is will involve shuffling into and out of 7 funds, so, multiple clicks per fund adds up. Would be nice to get it pre-set and have the system hold it for one market day. Not a big deal. Thanks for the replies.
by Offshore
Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:29 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Saturday VG phone support no more?
Replies: 10
Views: 1029

Re: Saturday VG phone support no more?

Bummer.
Perhaps you know the answer to what I was going to ask...can one place "buy" orders in a suspended state, or, does VG's system need an investor to submit the order. The question is for mutual funds, not ETF's. Thanks.
by Offshore
Sat Jan 30, 2016 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Saturday VG phone support no more?
Replies: 10
Views: 1029

Saturday VG phone support no more?

I know I have called Vanguard on a Saturday.
Their website shows phone support as Monday-Friday only. Has there been a change or is my memory slipping?
by Offshore
Tue Jan 12, 2016 12:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How common is this [Have more money 10+ years into retirement]
Replies: 72
Views: 12093

Re: How common is this [Have more money 10+ years into retirement]

Observations from reading this thread: Folks with more $ into retirement tend to have pensions or some form of income. They retired at an opportunistic period for market returns. They have invested aggressively (% bond allocation something less than current age) All good and well. My sincere congratulations. Question for retirees under the age of 65 (or those over 65 who retired at a younger age). What did you do about health insurance? It's expensive! Do you use Obamacare? Are you buying into a group rate somewhere? I've learned one may not use HSA savings to pay health insurance premiums, a real bummer discovery. I like point-of-service plans more than HMO's because this allows me to choose my doctor, but these are expensive. I may have t...
by Offshore
Sun Jan 10, 2016 10:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Big Short
Replies: 196
Views: 33850

The real Dr. Burry

If you are fascinated by the story, you should appreciate this.

http://news.vanderbilt.edu/2011/04/video-burry-cls/.
by Offshore
Tue Jan 05, 2016 3:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Big Short
Replies: 196
Views: 33850

Re: The Big Short

I agree with everything jdb said (attended a matinee with my wife).
by Offshore
Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Total Bond Market or CD Ladder.
Replies: 8
Views: 2298

Total Bond Market or CD Ladder.

It is disappointing to watch the NAV of TBM fall. Lately, it seems like TBM hits a new 52 week low every week. With a 50:50 AA and only 4.5 years remaining before retirement, it is a bit concerning too.

I've been thinking of building a CD ladder. 3, 6, 9 and 12 month CD's using a large chunk of the AA now invested in TBM. Even a low rate of return is a guarantee. Would you say that guarantee beats a potential loss (in TBM)?

Ride out TBM out over next 12-24 months as rates rise, or CD ladder? Interested in what others are thinking on this issue. Thank you.

Offshore
by Offshore
Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA Administrators
Replies: 11
Views: 2103

Re: HSA Administrators

packet,

I read through the string you linked. Wow! I give you credit for keeping your head while trying to track down your hard earned money.

I am also glad to hear you receive prompt telephone customer service. Honestly, I have such trust in Vanguard that their endorsement alone carries a lot of weight. Hearing good reviews, like yours, punctuates VG's recommendation. Thank you for your reply!

Off Shore
by Offshore
Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA Administrators
Replies: 11
Views: 2103

Re: HSA Administrators

tbradnc,

Thank you for the reply. I am so glad to read your favorable review!
by Offshore
Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA Administrators
Replies: 11
Views: 2103

HSA Administrators

This is the recommended HSA vendor on Vanguard's website. Our company is considering a move to them. I am seeking feedback on HSA Administrators from BOTH the perspective of the individual account holder, and the employer side.

How is their customer service? Is it easy to reach a representative? Do they have immediate answers to your questions? Any feedback is appreciated.

If you happen to work them as an employer, do they provide sufficient support? Will they provide educational opportunities for the company employees? Do you have an assigned representative that is account specific for your company?

Again, any feedback is appreciated.

Off Shore
by Offshore
Sun Aug 02, 2015 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Inside Passage Cruise
Replies: 14
Views: 1790

Re: Inside Passage Cruise

Really helpful information. Thank you to all who have responded.

Offshore
by Offshore
Sun Aug 02, 2015 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Inside Passage Cruise
Replies: 14
Views: 1790

Re: Inside Passage Cruise

Kanoehe,

Thanks, helpful.
by Offshore
Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Inside Passage Cruise
Replies: 14
Views: 1790

Inside Passage Cruise

My family leaves Thursday for an Alaskan cruise. Ship sails from Seward to Vancouver. My wife is unsure of how to pack. The current weather is high 50's-low 60's, misty rain.

Aside from a rain jacket, sweatshirts and heavy shoes, should we have a knit cap and light weight gloves? Anything else? Most of our excursions are action oriented and outside.

Thanks!
by Offshore
Sat Mar 07, 2015 7:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Back Door Roth IRA question
Replies: 2
Views: 494

Re: Back Door Roth IRA question

My subject line is misleading. It should read "Spousal Contributions to a TIRA." From what I am finding elsewhere (investopedia.com) here are the rules on spousal contributions: Generally, individuals who are unemployed are not allowed to contribute to retirement accounts such as IRAs because they do not have eligible compensation. However, there is an exception for individuals with spouses that are employed and meet certain requirements. The employed spouse is allowed to make an IRA contribution on behalf of a non-working spouse or a spouse who has little income. These contributions are referred to as "spousal IRA contributions". Here we review the eligibility requirements for making spousal IRA contributions. Eligibili...
by Offshore
Sat Mar 07, 2015 6:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Back Door Roth IRA question
Replies: 2
Views: 494

Back Door Roth IRA question

Bogleheads wiki has a page "Backdoor Roth IRA".
There is link to a review authored by thefinancebuff (tfb). He states: "As long as you have earned income, even if your income is “too high,” you can still make a non-deductible contribution to a traditional IRA".

What??

I have been making annual contributions to my non-working wife's TIRA for many years, each year converting to Roth using the back door method. Was this not allowed? The above quote implies my wife needed earned income. Can someone shed some light on this?
by Offshore
Sun Mar 01, 2015 8:20 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard 529 plans
Replies: 4
Views: 1135

Vanguard 529 plans

VG offers 3 options in their age based 529 savings plan, "conservative, moderate and aggressive". We have been using the aggressive option, and due to mostly luck, have been rewarded since most deposits have been post-2009. At this time the aggressive option, in my son's age group, is 50:50 stocks:bonds, with a shift to 25:75 soon. Considering anticipated changes in interest rates, is there reason for concern that shifts in VG's 529 AA's to more bonds is adding risk, not removing it? I think a better scenario, in the coming years, is to use a mix of stocks:money market until interest rates have recovered to more normal values. Not sure if I am allowed to monkey around with 529 AA. VG's 529 area has restrictive hours so I will spea...
by Offshore
Sat Feb 28, 2015 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPhone upgrade
Replies: 30
Views: 4950

iPhone upgrade

Our old iPhone 4's are failing. My wife and I are looking at either 5s or 6. AT&T is our current carrier, and we have no contract to honor.

The AT&T rep told me a new 5s would cost $550. per phone!! If we paid this price, our plan is unchanged in every way. A second option is to purchase an iPhone 5s from the Apple store for $149., but our monthly AT&T bill will go up by $25, forever. Another lousy option. I can't see myself spending $1100. to upgrade two phones, and I can't see myself allowing the monthly bill to go up by $25. for no additional services.

Has anyone recently upgraded their iPhone? If you found a way to upgrade without a heinous gouging, I would love to hear from you.

Offshore