Search found 501 matches

by Ducks
Thu Dec 10, 2009 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Looking at a new Subaru or?
Replies: 57
Views: 11970

Re: Looking at a new Subaru or?

TreeGuy wrote:Any Subaru owners that can give feedback on their experience would be appreciated.
I drive an 06 outback, purchased new. It is my first subaru. Have been VERY happy with this car. We take it over mountain passes regularly without issue. If I traded it, it would only be to a new Outback, or perhaps the Tribeca.
by Ducks
Sat Dec 05, 2009 11:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Private school - what would you do?
Replies: 97
Views: 14783

I agree, there are many, many variables at play here. I would say that the public school where I currently live is okay, but not great. We're not talking inner-city or anything, but public schools are getting worse and worse every year. We are in a very similar situation to you. Similar income, no mortgage, contribute to retirement, etc. Our neighborhood public school is not very good. We have decided against sending our kids to our neighborhood school, and figure that we have two choices: 1) Send our kids to a small private K-3 school in walking distance to our house until grade 3, at which time we will need to find a new school. This school is $8k/year (x2 kids = 16k/year) 2) Move about 15 miles to a nationally ranked public school distr...
by Ducks
Fri Nov 13, 2009 7:40 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: The Future of the Wiki
Replies: 71
Views: 66525

I am/was a wiki editor. I'm happy to help in any way I can. However, my wiki knowledge and investing knowledge are both about this big --->.<--- so I felt like that was about the size of what I was able to contribute. Compounding that, life got pretty busy for a while there, and my contributions pretty much dropped off a cliff. I think the wiki is an admirable project and am still rooting for its success, and will contribute in any way I can. To that end, I will post an idea here that I had posted a while back, because I still think it is a good one. It seems to me that we have two types of people: Investors and Techies. The "Investors" are people who have a good understanding of investing concepts and definitions; "Techies&q...
by Ducks
Sat Nov 07, 2009 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Microsoft Money being discontinued
Replies: 119
Views: 32565

When you downloaded your accounts, did you accept all of the transactions? And it still showed a zero balance? :(
by Ducks
Wed Nov 04, 2009 11:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Microsoft Money being discontinued
Replies: 119
Views: 32565

tfb wrote:I for one do not want my financials consolidated online with a 3rd party.
Yeah, that creeps me out. I am not that interested in Mint, Quicken Online, etc.

I just got a notice for Quicken 2010 in the mail. I am using QPremier 2008. I didn't see a lot in the 2010 version worth upgrading for. I will upgrade if:
- Their investment section improves
- They figure out a better way to handle CDs
- They sunset me.

It seems like most improvements in quicken 2010 are usability improvements rather than substantive improvements.
by Ducks
Sun Nov 01, 2009 11:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have a Nintendo Wii ?
Replies: 13
Views: 2685

As for those videos: That's why you wear the wrist strap. :P

If you want a Wii for exercise, get Dance Dance Revolution & EA Active. Fun Fun. :) My husband does EA Active on the mornings where it's too wet outside to go walking and really likes it. Also probably could get a Wii Fit Plus, but I do not have one of those so I cannot comment on how great it is.

However -- XBox is coming out with Project Natal, which really looks like it's going to blow the Wii out of the atmosphere. I don't know how it works, but holy smoly, it looks awesome.

http://www.xbox.com/en-US/live/projectnatal/default.htm
by Ducks
Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Dreams
Replies: 3
Views: 1024

The Boglehead's Guide to Investing, of course!!
by Ducks
Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Dreams
Replies: 3
Views: 1024

Boglehead Dreams

I had one of those "You know you're a Boglehead when" moments last night:

I dreamed I was explaining to someone how a Bond worked and what TIPS are. I then told the person I had a great book, and if they were interested in reading it, I'd be happy to pass my copy along.

Yikes. :lol:
by Ducks
Sat Oct 31, 2009 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Paperwork for a Solo Roth 401K
Replies: 3
Views: 1338

Over a certain amount, you have to file some paperwork with the IRS (form 5500?). I believe that amount is somewhere near $250k. Below that amount, the filing is fairly simple.

This also goes for a regular Solo 401(k) as well.
by Ducks
Thu Oct 29, 2009 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

Their streaming catalog is a small fraction of their total catalog. Titles come in and go away. There aren't any TV series you'd like to watch on DVD? Six feet under? Sopranos? Mad Men? Any BBC shows?

I personally find that the combo of broadcast TV and Netflix to be far superior to an expensive cable package.
by Ducks
Tue Oct 27, 2009 11:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

Boglenaut wrote:I am due to buy a new PC soon, so am researching if/how to utilize Windows Media Center.
Try the forums at http://www.thegreenbutton.com for this. Lots of knowledgeable folks there.
by Ducks
Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Pandemic-A Stimulus for Emergency Docs
Replies: 80
Views: 10757

EmergDoc, I'm glad you started this thread. Good info here.

My 2.5 year old and her parents will be vaxed as soon as our Dr's office has it available.
by Ducks
Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

gkaplan wrote:Isn't this where supply and demand comes into play?
Maybe... except that I personally don't demand it, but I still have to supply it.
by Ducks
Thu Oct 22, 2009 12:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Citi Cancels CCs
Replies: 9
Views: 2503

MnD wrote:The banks that did the most damage to this country by their reckless lending practices are now the same ones that are inflicting the most damage to the potential recovery by cancelling cards, raising rates to 30%, pulling home equity credit lines with bogus home valuaton models etc.
Yep. Our credit ratings are 800+, I spend ~$3,000/month on my CC without carrying a balance, and Citi just raised our rate to 29.99%.

I'm getting my free freezer and I'm getting out.
by Ducks
Mon Oct 19, 2009 2:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Wall Street's Naked Swindle
Replies: 22
Views: 3669

Wall Street's Naked Swindle

There is so much in this article by Matt Taibbi that I'm not sure where to start. But it makes me very, very sad. And nervous. I wonder how history will look back on 2008-2009.

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/st ... ndle/print
by Ducks
Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Upholstered (Family Room) furniture guidance
Replies: 17
Views: 5218

Re: Upholstered (Family Room) furniture guidance

1210sda wrote:Some of the brands that I am considering are Henredon, Ethan Allen, Flexsteel and Drexel Heritage. Do any of you have experience with these brands, or are there others you might recommend
My husband's firm specifies Flexsteel in all of their assisted-living communities due to comfort and durability. Because of this (and because we liked these particular sofas the best ;)) we purchased two Flexsteel sofas ~5 years ago. We purchased them in a green microfiber fabric. They have taken some pretty decent abuse and still look great.

We paid about $1200 for the sofa/loveseat combo.
by Ducks
Tue Oct 13, 2009 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New ways of measuring risk tolerance
Replies: 39
Views: 6839

I am an ESFJ - the Guardian/Provider. Interestingly, when I took the test as a teenager, I was an ENFP - Idealist/Champion. I look at the ENFP now, and that is totally not me... but it was, as a social-butterfly teenager/young adult. Now that I'm a mom with a family, my personality has shifted toward care-giving, and the test picked up on that pretty well.
by Ducks
Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: John Hancock 401k Question
Replies: 49
Views: 20417

LFT_PFT wrote: Other options (not sure of asset level requirements):

Fidelity
Alerus
Pension Specialists
T. Rowe Price
The Newport Group was also recommended to me as an option.

Also ... Costco offers plans for small business that don't look too bad.
by Ducks
Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: John Hancock 401k Question
Replies: 49
Views: 20417

ddb wrote:
tfb wrote:
ddb wrote: Most 401k statements I've seen do itemize transactions, and even if they don't, you can almost certainly get transaction information on the 401k website. Have you actually ever seen an example where shares were sold and there was no way for the participant to determine that shares were sold?
Yes, I have been in a John Hancock plan. No itemized transactions by date, $, or units. Not on paper, not online. You are fortunate if you haven't been in a plan like that.
Out of curiosity, how long ago was this?

- DDB
We are in a JH plan now, and get the type of statements that TFB is talking about. Beginning/ending balances, contributions, and a line for "Fees."
by Ducks
Mon Oct 12, 2009 7:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's YOUR FinaMetrica "risk score?"
Replies: 96
Views: 16066

Predicted 50; got 57.
by Ducks
Fri Oct 09, 2009 6:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

rs2007 wrote:I watch TDS every night on Hulu for free. :)
Maybe not for long . . .

http://www.reuters.com/article/americas ... UI20091005
by Ducks
Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

sommerfeld wrote:Exactly what channels are in cleartext QAM will vary; you'll probably get about what you'd get via a good antenna.
You can check what you get Clear-QAM by putting your zip code in here & choosing the correct provider from the drop-down menu:

http://www.hdhomerun.com/hdhomerun/channels_us

The HDHomerun allows my computer to get clear-QAM channels. I have about 70-90 or so channels (though HDHomerun shows 128... some of them are duplicates apparently?). I get HD local channels & PBS. I get cable channels like USA, TBS, HGTV through the HDHomerun, but in standard def, not in HD. The HD cable channels are encoded (dangit). Also encoded are premium channels like HBO.
by Ducks
Tue Oct 06, 2009 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

etherscreen78 wrote:ducks - do you know if i can do this with a mac?
Yes, I think you can do something similar with the Mac. Try going to http://www.hdhomerun.com/ and poking around in their support forums for what other people are doing on their Macs. Note that I can't get any "encrypted" channels with the HD Homerun. I can get stuff like HGTV and History Channel, but not stuff like HBO and Showtime. I also only pay $13/month or so for my cable TV, and fill in the holes with NetFlix.

I don't know how you'd get it to show up on your TV though -- that is what the XBox does for me, and of course, it only works w/ Windows. Not sure what the mac equivalent would be. Anyway - I bet the folks at Silicon Dust can help you.
by Ducks
Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting Rid of Cable???
Replies: 179
Views: 31363

Gekko wrote:WTF are you paying $150/month? i pay about $50 total for both basic digital cable TV and high speed internet and i scrapped my landline.

rather than go to extremes, find the delicate balance.
Yep. We pay $105/month for internet, TV, cable phone. We use an XBox as a media extender to watch TV recorded on my PC on our big HDTV in the living room... and to watch "instant play" netflix. Works swimmingly. :)
by Ducks
Mon Oct 05, 2009 4:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good entry-level DSLR?
Replies: 51
Views: 9141

cannedham wrote:Any thoughts on Pentax or Olympus cameras? It seems their image stabilization is in the body rather than the lens, so the lenses are cheaper.
SIL recently bought an Olympus DSLR with an articulating viewfinder. She looooves it. We miss having that feature on our Canon.

Hubs has a Canon XTi and has lots of fun with it as well (though lenses are NOT cheap -- $500 for the last one, an IS zoom).
whitemiata wrote:Definitelly pick up one of the Plastic Fantastic - 50mm 1.8 prime lenses offered by both manufacturers... they will make low-light portraits of your baby possible.
Yes, Yes, Yes! I love that lens. :D It is a wonderful portrait lens... and at $50, really can't be beat.
by Ducks
Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What are you charged for financial planning or investment ad
Replies: 9
Views: 1733

Don't you have to be a member for a few days and have a few posts under your belt if you are going to post links?

Something is at least fishy. Jacinda lives in the UK ... but has filed Chapter 7 ... and is in foreclosure ... but is on an investment forum. I suppose all these things are plausible... but likely? And a Boglehead forum at that?
by Ducks
Fri Sep 04, 2009 11:08 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Shocking Turn of Events in Quest for Financial Advisor...
Replies: 36
Views: 6466

Yep - we have a young EJ rep stop by every so often. I tell him no thank you, we are with Vanguard... but if he can help sign up people to start Roth IRA's and put them in low cost index funds, he'd be doing our whole society a lot of good. (we live in a neighborhood that has a lot of low-income immigrants who probably don't know what a Roth IRA is)

He has stopped by a couple of times, and each time I tell him the same thing.

I got a thank-you note too.
by Ducks
Fri Sep 04, 2009 9:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What are you charged for financial planning or investment ad
Replies: 9
Views: 1733

Ron - I believe you are correct. Have you PMed an admin?
by Ducks
Fri Sep 04, 2009 12:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do folks in their 70's meet new people to date?
Replies: 28
Views: 13608

Does your mom go to church? That can be a good place to meet people as well.
by Ducks
Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Childcare and budgeting
Replies: 35
Views: 4230

I only do Quicken the way I do because my state is one of the Sales Tax states so I have to go through EVERY SINGLE RECIEPT and break out sales tax for deduction on federal taxes. The IRS gives an allowance, but we are usually pretty far from that. If that rule ever changes, I will definitely change how I work Quicken.
by Ducks
Thu Sep 03, 2009 2:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Concrete driveway curing
Replies: 13
Views: 19966

You're probably alright, but you should call someone in your area who sells concrete curing compounds to be sure.
by Ducks
Thu Sep 03, 2009 1:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What program to use for personal finance?
Replies: 37
Views: 6643

I use quicken for tracking expenses, and an excel spreadsheet for rebalancing portfolio.

I haven't done a very good job about keeping up with it this year. I need to get back at it. I have 3 months of receipts to deal with. hate it when that happens. :/
by Ducks
Thu Sep 03, 2009 12:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Childcare and budgeting
Replies: 35
Views: 4230

I have one medical category for all of us. What difference does it make who went to the doctor? You won't tell little Johnny that he has had too many earaches and used up his doctor budget this month. ;) I break up Medical like so, mostly for tax purposes:

- Insurance
- Doctor Visits/Copays
- Prescription drugs
- Hospital
- Parking (did you know you can deduct parking @ your doctor's office from your taxes?)

Clothing, however, because I budget it per person, looks like this:
- Me
- Hubs
- Kids

Toys go into the "Entertainment" budget along with NetFlix and movie tickets.

Furniture goes into the Household:Furnishings category, no matter who it's for -- it's for our house.
by Ducks
Mon Aug 24, 2009 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Kitchen Appliances
Replies: 56
Views: 14524

We bought new SS appliances ~4 years ago. A Frigidaire range/microwave that we love, and a Whirlpool dishwasher & refrigerator that we don't love so much. The fridge is actually "satina stainless look" ... so magnets work on it, and it gets less fingerprinty. I don't think I'd do that again. The finish scratches quite a bit (esp. down where my toddler has her fridge magnet letters, etc). Also the ice maker broke and was not cheap to fix. I would also not buy the whirlpool DW again. I bought the lowest cost DW that came with stainless steel on the front figuring, "Whatever - it's just a dishwasher." Which, had I to do it over again, I would not cheap out on something that I use *every single day* like that. We've had ...
by Ducks
Mon Aug 24, 2009 8:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: cost of 401k
Replies: 6
Views: 1625

Samy - I only wish our 401k could be half as good as your daughter's.
by Ducks
Mon Aug 24, 2009 5:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 'Cash is king' in market for foreclosed homes
Replies: 7
Views: 2237

The fewer contingencies, the better chance that a deal will go through. LePage, the DataQuick analyst, said some owner-occupant buyers may be strategizing to put together cash offers. "My hunch is, in many cases there are loans involved from family, friends, private individuals," he said. We are just now putting together an offer on a foreclosure (to live in, not to rent out), and have a private bridge loan to make our offer stronger. I don't feel badly about it. I also don't feel bad about the bank that financed the deal (someone must have been high, sincerely) and is suffering from a $600k loss and stands to lose more, if we're they're buyers. Nielsen, who was looking for a property under $185,000, devised his own creative appr...
by Ducks
Thu Aug 13, 2009 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Google Voice
Replies: 44
Views: 8864

Oh! Sorry. I misread the post. :oops:

I think it took about 3 weeks or so for my invite.
by Ducks
Thu Aug 13, 2009 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Google Voice
Replies: 44
Views: 8864

by Ducks
Tue Aug 11, 2009 11:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: I love coffee
Replies: 94
Views: 13808

For my baby shower gift to myself ;), I bought a Starbucks Barrista espresso machine. Every morning, I make myself either a mocha or latte (with a bit of sugar free caramel or irish cream syrup in it), depending on what the the rest of my breakfast looks like that day. Got a good deal on the machine... it was on sale, and a friend got me the employee discount. It has paid for itself many times over by now. :lol:

My favorite espresso beans are Caffe Vita's Cafe Del Sol. But usually I buy kirkland/starbucks in bulk from Costco due to convenience.
by Ducks
Tue Aug 11, 2009 8:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: My VCR Broke - Any Ideas for Replacement?
Replies: 36
Views: 6958

Use your windows PC to record your television for you, and use a $199 XBox (could probably find one used for less) to allow your TV to access your computer. This is what I do for both live and recorded TV and it works great. No subscription fees required.

If you get a HD Homerun, it will even support HDTV.
by Ducks
Mon Aug 10, 2009 11:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All I want is to record off my television (cheaply)
Replies: 28
Views: 10578

modal - I can watch live TV on my computer via the xbox. It's not really "streaming," as it's pulling the live TV through the television cable. The NetFlix is streaming, but live TV is just live TV.

If you go into your Windows Media Center and set it up for to watch TV, you will see what I see on my big television in the living room. The XBox is just the tool that lets the TV access my computer's media center.

A note: This would also work with antenna (less channels, of course), but my husband would rather pay $13/month than install an antenna on the house.

Another note: I hope I'm making sense. I'm exhausted and getting a cold. :(
by Ducks
Mon Aug 10, 2009 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All I want is to record off my television (cheaply)
Replies: 28
Views: 10578

Where on earth can you get basic cable for $11/month? Comcast. And I just looked while trying (unsuccessfully) to find a link on it, and found that we pay $13/month, not $11/month. It is their " Limited Basic Cable." They don't promote it, but they do offer it. Before the digital switch, I used to get channels 1-29, which was basically local channels, discovery, and a bunch of stuff nobody cares about (shopping channel, etc). Now that they went digital, I get a lot more channels. I get all of the "regular basic cable" channels - hgtv, tnt, usa, a&e, bravo, I even get Bloomberg all of a sudden!, the various news networks, etc. Only the local channels are in HD though. The rest are in standard def. Comcast encrypts th...
by Ducks
Mon Aug 10, 2009 5:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All I want is to record off my television (cheaply)
Replies: 28
Views: 10578

I record television on my Windows PC, and watch it on my TV. It takes a $199 XBox hooked up to your TV to accomplish this (may find one for cheaper than that on Craigslist, etc). If you want HD, it also takes a HD Homerun at about $115. No subscription costs, except for the $11/month we spend on basic cable.

Works like a charm. :D
by Ducks
Mon Aug 03, 2009 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard dumps small business 401(k)s
Replies: 89
Views: 35673

jegallup - How big is your company? Josh Itzoe from this forum suggetsed that my husband's firm look at The Newport Company ... you might give them a look as well. You may also send Josh a PM for other recs.
by Ducks
Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying a car: battle of the wagons
Replies: 27
Views: 5030

Re: Subaru and Matrix

I could not be happier with my Subaru Outback. Handles like a dream, and gets me over mountain passes in the winter without complaints.

reisner wrote:If you are a member of such a group for six months, you can buy any new Subaru for 3000 under MSRP. The new Forester is a terrific, spacious vehicle.
Seriously? Is there a list of organizations this works with? We are thinking about replacing hubs' gas-guzzling SUV, and our very short shortlist consists of the Subaru Tribeca and the Ford Edge. With $4500 from the gummint, and $3k under list, and the other $3k from hubs' car getting hit, that might make a Tribeca really reasonable. :D
by Ducks
Sat Aug 01, 2009 2:20 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ducks Plan of Action
Replies: 9
Views: 1884

Re: Ducks Plan of Action

Livesoft - I hadn't considered that, but it is something to mull over with hubs. :) Retiredjg - Thanks for your very thoughtful reply! Responses to questions between the quotes. Yes, if it is for retirement, it needs to be included. Well, it is a "long term investment" ... whether retirement or not is unclear at this time (who knows what the future may bring) ... but in any case, I will leave it in for now. What about selling them and then buying your international in your taxable account? You'll pay 15% in capital gains. That number is never going to go down and is likely to go up (in fact, doesn't it go up to 20% on Jaunary 1?) I googled and couldn't find much except one source that said that until December 31, 2010 , the cap ga...
by Ducks
Thu Jul 30, 2009 11:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ducks Plan of Action
Replies: 9
Views: 1884

Fredd - It is no mistake, unfortunately. And yes, it is terrible. We hope to change it very soon.

Livesoft - Thank you for your response. We sold all our losers & loaded mutual funds held at the same full-service brokerage in 2008. The remaining stocks are just sitting there as a legacy from pre-boglehead education days. The account is at 98% unrealized gains. I filled out the paperwork to move them to VG Brokerage, but got stuck at the signature they needed from me. Neither my bank nor I could figure it out... and I haven't called VG to straighten it out yet.
by Ducks
Thu Jul 30, 2009 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ducks Plan of Action
Replies: 9
Views: 1884

Taz - Needlessly missing the Roth cutoff 2 years ago is what started me on the path of getting educated. So I totally hear you! (Un?)fortunately, that was not an issue last year, nor will it be this year. But for sure, it is something to keep in mind. :)

Yeah, the 401(k) is very bad. :( Maybe in a year or two, we can get them to see the light... one can hope, anyway.
by Ducks
Tue Jul 28, 2009 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ducks Plan of Action
Replies: 9
Views: 1884

Ducks Plan of Action

After doing a lot of reading, listening, and learning, I feel ready to implement our plan. Before I do, I'd though I'd run it by the gurus for critiquing. Here goes. :) Emergency funds = 6+ months of expenses, not included in below AA. Debt: None. Tax Filing Status: Married filing jointly Tax Rate: 25% Federal 0% State Age: Me 36; hubs 44 Desired Asset allocation: (stocks/bonds): 70%/30% Intl allocation: 20% of stocks Current portfolio: Low-Mid 6 figures. No losses in portfolio. Taxable at Full Service Brokerage 8% EOG – EOG Resources 2% COP – Conoco Phillips 3% BO – Boeing Company 1% STSA – Sterling Financial Corp 1% JNJ – Johnson & Johnson His Roth at Vanguard 10% VIPSX – Inflation Protected Securities .25% Her Roth at Vanguard 2% VIP...
by Ducks
Mon Jul 27, 2009 6:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice - Tree Removal
Replies: 22
Views: 4193

We just had a humongous fir tree removed (4' diameter at base) last week.

I called 4 companies. Two quoted 1500 and they'd grind the stump. One quoted 1200 without stump grinding. The 4th quoted 1300 with stump grinding but submitted his bid after I'd already hired the 1500 guy with the better schedule.

THEN! One of my neighbors told me they wanted a couple of trees down too, and she hired the same guy, and he cut us both a bit of a break ($100 off both bills).

So I guess my tip would be: Ask your neighbors if they need any trees down too, and call around.