Search found 69 matches

by suming
Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Winter getaway to Central America
Replies: 19
Views: 2977

Re: Winter getaway to Central America

Never been to Costa Rica (yet), but I spent some time in Panama a few years ago and it was awesome. From what people have told me, Panama is what Costa Rica was like years ago before all the tourists came. There was lots to do, and it was one of the cheapest vacations I've ever taken.

Climber2020
Would you please provide more good spots about Panama? Is it a good idea to go both Panama and Costa Rica in 9 days?
by suming
Sat Dec 29, 2012 9:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To go - Family trip to Costa Rica
Replies: 10
Views: 2351

Re: To go - Family trip to Costa Rica

This is the OP.
Thanks for everybody's contribution. As far as the budget, texasdiver, would you please provide some rough numbers $$ about those activities? I got the basic idea about how much $$ the rental car and the living place cost.
by suming
Thu Dec 27, 2012 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To go - Family trip to Costa Rica
Replies: 10
Views: 2351

To go - Family trip to Costa Rica

Hi, my fellow Bogleheads Back in November, I've had posted 'to go or not to go - family trip to Europe'. Those wonderful suggestions are highly appreciated and well kept in my file for the future references. During our outing to Chicago at Christmas, we (including the kids) had a thorough discussion and the conclusion is we will go to Costa Rica for this year. (In the future when the youngest one in college or graduates from college, we will take our trip to Europe. Our oldest daughter suggested this based on the reflections among her college friends who have been traveling in Europe during their high school years and wish that they have had postponed their tirp until their college year to appreciate it more.) I suggested Costa Rica because...
by suming
Fri Nov 30, 2012 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To go or not to go - family trip to Europe
Replies: 81
Views: 7984

Re: To go or not to go - family trip to Europe

Thanks, everyone, for all kinds of suggetions. Every post helps to shape this trip. Caduceus, would you please offer more your experience about 'travel like a student'? And anyone has info about Barcelona, Spain?
by suming
Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To go or not to go - family trip to Europe
Replies: 81
Views: 7984

Re: To go or not to go - family trip to Europe

I so appreciate everyone's post... Can't say enough to express my thankfulness. My thoughts have been cleared up - you should all see me nodding my head all the way while reading. (I should have used 'experencing' instead of 'educational' :) in my writing.) Sorry about my mistakes.

Now I only need to get some internet websites to search for the apartment rental. I have searched airbnb.com and the place in Amsterdam was very nice - by the canal. Does anyone know some other internet sites or places you have been staying around Paris?
by suming
Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To go or not to go - family trip to Europe
Replies: 81
Views: 7984

To go or not to go - family trip to Europe

I’ve been thinking about a family trip to Europe in summer next year. We have three children, 21, 17, and 15 years old. My daughter will graduate from college next summer and my son will graduate from high school. When they are getting older, I figure we probably won’t have many opportunities to travel together – since my daughter moved to East coast for college, we have not had a family vacation. This trip also serves as a celebration for their graduation. I’ve been Europe many times for business and my sister and I took our parents there the past spring. We had a comfortable and wonderful time. Now this trip is going to be different – it needs to be educational one with a lot of fun. I guess I just need to find out more about how to trave...
by suming
Wed Nov 28, 2012 2:50 pm
Forum: Non-US Chapters
Topic: Taiwan Local Chapter
Replies: 87
Views: 45679

Re: Taiwan Local Chapter

:sharebeer
Very happy to hear the good news!!
- I moved from windy city, Taiwan to another windy city, US about 20 some years ago -
Taiwan is such a friendly country. Can't wait to move back there in retirement.
by suming
Tue Sep 25, 2012 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) question
Replies: 10
Views: 1323

Re: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) questio

Please explain what you mean by "floating issue". I am not familiar with it either.

Floating means you got a high amount of financial aide from the school for freshman year - $16k in my daughter's case. So we thought we could afford to send her to the school. It's 8K for the 2nd year, and 4k for the 3rd year. Therefore, EFC is getting higher and higher each year because of the much less financial aide and higher tuition each year.
by suming
Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) question
Replies: 10
Views: 1323

Re: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) questio

I appreciate so much for everyone's reply. :happy
by suming
Mon Sep 24, 2012 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) question
Replies: 10
Views: 1323

FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) question

My oldest daughter is a senior in an ivy league school. Because we didn't know the 'floating' issue, we have had paid so much tuition for the last four years and now we are pretty much out of cash. Then, I realize we have an on-line stock trading account that we could get some cash out. We have not traded for the last 5 or 6 years and they don't send us any paper reports. That's why I almost forgot this account exists. And I dont' think I report it on the FAFSA. My question is if I sell all the stock, about 7k, to pay for my daughter's tuition, would it affect my son's FAFSA report? He is going to college next fall.
by suming
Thu May 17, 2012 10:40 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: For all you older guys/gals close to retirement: Any advice?
Replies: 35
Views: 4353

Re: For all you older guys/gals close to retirement: Any adv

We had jobs with pensions and 401K matching (not federal jobs) early on in our careers and then built up a couple of businesses later on in life. I know of number of people who started something on the side, saved up the side income, and then quit their day jobs when they had enough savings as a fallback plan and the side income was enough to support them.
Jenny345, what kind of businesses have you and people you know been starting on the side? I think starting businesses is an excellent idea. However, it also comes with high risk.
by suming
Fri May 11, 2012 1:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Poll: Have you bought Life insurance?
Replies: 63
Views: 4909

Re: Poll: Have you bought Life insurance?

I can't persuade my husband to get term life (probably because he thinks someone else will take care of me and our three teenage kids). Who will be so studpid to do that anyway???
So I bought it last year for myself $500K a 10-year term life with 41 premium a month. Our youngest one will graduate from college in 8 years. That will take care of their college tuition so my husband can go marry someone else and my kids won't have to worry about their tuition.
by suming
Wed Apr 04, 2012 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: younger boomers and plan to retire in 10 years
Replies: 4
Views: 984

younger boomers and plan to retire in 10 years

The ratio of retirees to active workers in US will be dramatically shifted. As retirees sell stocks and then bonds to support their living, there will be fewer younger investors to buy those stocks and bonds.

Anyone has good ideas about how to face the coming demographic change? I guess the retirement planning needs to be adjusted based on when to retire. But how? In my case, my timing of retirement probably will be a bad one if US economy is following behind Japan's economic depression.
by suming
Sun Apr 01, 2012 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: rental property
Replies: 14
Views: 1245

Re: rental property

Thanks so much for the advice. How do I start investing in a mix of low cost index funds? I am new so please let me know what to read and learn. Start with the Wiki: http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Getting_Started tlugwig23, do you mean I have to pull extra money from my salary to invest in those low cost index funds? We really have no more money to do investment after my husband and I both contribute full amount in 401K (he is 51 and I am 49). Another problem is we have a daughter in college (private school) and the second child is leaving for college next year. The youngest one will enter college in 4 years. In another words, we have either one or two kids in college in the next 9 years. I thought about doing another business, like direct...
by suming
Wed Mar 28, 2012 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: rental property
Replies: 14
Views: 1245

Re: rental property

As for you, you have to choose how to invest your money. "Passive income" is no different (except for IRS treatment) from what most Bogleheads do (investing in a mix of low cost index funds). It is just a different investment with a different set of risks, costs, and possible rewards. Risk = reward (over the long term). Except for all the passive income scams on the internet, where risk = someone else's reward.[/quote]

Thanks so much for the advice. How do I start investing in a mix of low cost index funds? I am new so please let me know what to read and learn.
by suming
Tue Mar 27, 2012 4:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: rental property
Replies: 14
Views: 1245

Re: rental property

One of my friend is earning much higher than we do (1 million a year at least) and he can claim loss on all of his 8 rentals. Why is that? More likely (and alluded to in CaliJim's post) is, since he earns seven figures, he is probably invested in one or more entities that generate "passive income" to him. His passive losses from his rental properties can be deducted each year to the extent of any other passive income on his tax return. I am pretty sure you are right with the reason as above. He does hire lawyer and accountant to do his tax and all that. Now my next question might be a little stupid (or funny.) It seems unfair to me when we compare tax he paid and tax I paid, isn't it? With one kid in college and two more to go, t...
by suming
Tue Mar 27, 2012 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: rental property
Replies: 14
Views: 1245

Re: rental property

One of my friend is earning much higher than we do (1 million a year at least) and he can claim loss on all of his 8 rentals. Why is that? More likely (and alluded to in CaliJim's post) is, since he earns seven figures, he is probably invested in one or more entities that generate "passive income" to him. His passive losses from his rental properties can be deducted each year to the extent of any other passive income on his tax return. I am pretty sure you are right with the reason as above. He does hire lawyer and accountant to do his tax and all that. Now my next question might be a little stupid (or funny.) It seems unfair to me when we compare tax he paid and tax I paid, isn't it? With one kid in college and two more to go, t...
by suming
Tue Mar 27, 2012 10:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: rental property
Replies: 14
Views: 1245

rental property

We have two rental property in the same subdivision. The first one was bought in 2008 and 2nd one was in 2009. For the personal income tax return filing of 2008 and 2009, we got to claim loss on them. Since I got a good bonus for 2010 and 2011 plus my husband's higher salary, we can not claim any loss because the adjustable income is over $150,000. One of my friend is earning much higher than we do (1 million a year at least) and he can claim loss on all of his 8 rentals. Why is that?