Search found 161 matches

by jda
Thu Feb 06, 2014 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?
Replies: 71
Views: 8336

Re: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?

Where would I invest the money in the sinking fund and what interest rate could I get for it? If I can't get > 3% guaranteed for it, then a sinking fund doesn't make sense for my situation. I could set aside $25k for my sinking fund and make say 1% on it. In 5 years, that will grow to $26,275 (even less after taxes). Or I could use that $25k and pay down my mortgage at 3.5%. In 5 years the savings will be $29,692. If I financed a car, I would have the option to pay it off quickly if I chose to do so. It's not BS, just math :) 5 year car loan @ 1.49% 5 year CD @ 3.04% Both from Penfed. :sharebeer That's hilarious! Me too! :sharebeer I did the same. I borrowed for 5 years @ 1.49% APR from Alliant Credit Union last fall and also got a $100 pr...
by jda
Tue Feb 04, 2014 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?
Replies: 71
Views: 8336

Re: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?

Ron wrote:What's a car loan :mrgreen: ?

If I can't buy it for cash, I don't buy it...

If you need to get a car loan, you're buying beyond your means, IMHO.

- Ron
5 year car loan @ 1.49%
5 year CD @ 3.04%

Both from Penfed.
by jda
Sun Feb 02, 2014 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?
Replies: 71
Views: 8336

Re: What interest rate did you get on your car loan?

1.49% 5 years from PenFed a year ago.
by jda
Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cost Analysis: Living in CA vs the South
Replies: 79
Views: 9462

Re: Cost Analysis: Living in CA vs the South

I live in inland San Diego and I think $2500 is plenty for rent.

A nice 2 bedroom 1000 sq ft condo inland (near I15) runs about $1500-1600. You can definitely find a nice condo near the coast for below $2500.
Our utility bill is averaging about $50/month for a 1 bedroom 700 sq ft which includes gas and electricity so I don't think your estimate is off by too much.

As previous posters have posted, the utility cost will likely be a function of how far you are away from the ocean. The further away, hotter it gets in the summer but then your rent tends to be lower.
by jda
Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Re: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

Granted I am in a much lower cost-of-living area in California than San Diego and I have a fabulous vet who does not try to nickel and dime his clients, but $550 still seems excessive to me. I had an elderly cat that was having issues eating a couple of years ago. She ended up needing to have multiple teeth extracted. The pre-op blood work was about $50. The cleaning itself was about $125. The dental extractions were another $50. The three weeks of antibiotics afterwards (usually only 10 days for a simple cleaning, but she had enough issues the vet wanted three weeks) were around $50. We did no x-rays of the teeth (radiographs in your quote). So my total costs were about half of your quote. I'd say you should shop around. Besides the offer...
by jda
Sat Jan 18, 2014 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Re: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

Thanks again for all the helpful comments.

We went to get a second opinion today and the vet didn't think the gum is that bad that it would affect cat's appetite so we decided to go with more diagnostic test which included blood work ($195) and urine test ($50) instead. Hopefully, we'll figure out what's going on with his appetite on Monday. Will update this thread next week.
strafe wrote:How much does a new cat cost? :wink:
Being a car person I have recently bought a brand new 250hp, AWD hatchback and I told my best friend yesterday, I rather give my car away than my cat.
by jda
Fri Jan 17, 2014 6:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Re: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

RM, thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my post, as a nervous new pet owner, I really appreciate it. I have been to this clinic twice and it seems like they keep the place pretty clean. However, I have only been to the check in area and the exam room, so I have no idea how clean the lab is nor how comfortable the other animals are in the back. The nurses and supporting stuffs seem to be very friendly and caring but I am not sure if I feel the same about the vets. They seem to be professional and provided me with different diagnostic/treatment options that I am comfortable with but I don't feel like they really care (then again, reading people isn't my experty). This is an animal clinic, so it's not cat only. Do you think it'...
by jda
Fri Jan 17, 2014 4:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Re: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

I'm surprised at these problems at such a young age. Do you use dry food? We feed him dry food (Orijen and Evo) but we adopted him about 6 months ago and at the time his gum was already showing redness. He was also underweight at the time which leads us to believe his previous owner didn't take good care of him. One approach: get a quote from a vet in a neighborhood of lower priced homes or in a rural area. It is interesting that identical home repairs and other services cost more in areas where people are more afluent. We'll definitely give it a try. The thing that worries me is that it's hard for me to find a good vet. Is there a good way to find a good vet besides using Yelp review? I have exhausted all my friends/colleagues connections...
by jda
Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Re: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

We always talked to nearby pet owners to ask who they used for pet teeth cleaning. I suppose it is much easier for dog owners to meet other dog owners while walking their dogs. I have been wanting to walk my cat but the idea got repeatedly shot down by the wife :P . have you tried brushing the cat's teeth? It would cost $10 instead of $500. [medical advice removed by admin LadyGeek] I'd definitely give it a shot before paying that much money. I will give it a try although I doubt this will fix the problem. I had gum diseases when I was younger and brushing didn't help me, but like you said it's worth a try. 're in an affluent area in Connecticut. He had pretty bad teeth / gums requiting full up anesthesia, some extractions, root planing, a...
by jda
Fri Jan 17, 2014 3:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego
Replies: 35
Views: 6127

Cat teeth cleaning cost in San Diego

Hi guys, my cat is only 2 year old but his gum is pretty red and has gingivitis according to the vet. The cat has loss appetite lately and has left a lot of broken food pieces around his food bowl which lead us think that his teeth might be bothering him. We got the following quote and I just want to make sure the quote is reasonable and adequate for his condition. Procedure or Dispensed Item Qty Charge [ Dental Package - Cat ] 226.80 Pre Dental Antibiotic Injection 0.00 Intravenous Induction 0.00 Isoflurane General Anesthesia 0.00 Heart and Resp Monitoring 57.75 Subgingival Root Planing 0.00 Dental Polishing 0.00 Full Mouth Dental Radiographs 131.25 Day Care / Anesthesia Recovery 0.00 Injection for Pain As Needed 0.00 Anesthetic Screen 132...
by jda
Fri Jan 10, 2014 12:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: US Dollar Increasing
Replies: 14
Views: 2295

Re: US Dollar Increasing

Fed is going to print less money through QE by purchasing 75 billion worth of treasury instead of 85 billion hence the increase value of US dollar.
by jda
Sun Jan 05, 2014 6:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need advice about my Incentive Stock Options (ISOs)
Replies: 6
Views: 1029

Re: Need advice about my Incentive Stock Options (ISOs)

I work for a startup company and have been issued private stock options (Incentive Stock Options) as part of my compensation. They vest over a period of 4 years, which I think is pretty standard. I've worked at this company for a couple of years, so my options are partially vested. I plan to stay with my employer for the forseeable future, and the company has been growing and I expect the value of the options to increase. Now, I have the option contract but until this point, I haven't exercised any of the options or really taken time to understand how they work. I have been reading recently about ISOs and Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT), but I have some questions that hopefully people can help me answer. Is it better to exercise sooner rathe...
by jda
Sat Jan 04, 2014 1:43 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2013: a bad year for pimco
Replies: 26
Views: 4880

Re: 2013: a bad year for BONDs

bad title, it should be 2013 a bad year for BONDs.

No point cherry picking an active management bond fund when corresponding passive bond funds did just as bad.
by jda
Wed Nov 27, 2013 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bitcoins as investment
Replies: 210
Views: 22785

Re: Bitcoins as investment

boglerocks wrote:
The value of a Bitcoin has nearly tripled since I started this thread.

http://www.cryptocoincharts.info/period ... rket=btc-e
Make that quadrupled.
Quintupled.
Septupled. (Sorry I missed the sextupling.)
Octupled and nontupled.
Nice, so what's the exit strategy?
by jda
Thu Nov 14, 2013 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bitcoins as investment
Replies: 210
Views: 22785

Re: Bitcoins as investment

boglerocks wrote:
The value of a Bitcoin has nearly tripled since I started this thread.

http://www.cryptocoincharts.info/period ... rket=btc-e
Make that quadrupled.
So have you made any purchase since your first post?
by jda
Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 401k loan or balance transfer
Replies: 5
Views: 1137

Re: 401k loan or balance transfer

livesoft wrote:I don't get the thought process here at all. Say you are paying $200 a month on your credit card debt. If you take out a 401(k) loan, you will have to pay probably more per month to service the 401(k) loan. It almost reads like you think the 401(k) loan has no payments. Surprise: A payment is taken automatically out of every paycheck. You have no control over that.
It's better to pay yourself interest than paying the bank?
by jda
Mon Nov 11, 2013 1:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mini Cooper or Fiat 500?
Replies: 49
Views: 7549

Re: Mini Cooper or Fiat 500?

Both Mini And GTI are having new models coming out next year so you might want to wait a bit. If you are Ok with mk6 gti you can get them from Hayward vw in the bay area for 5k off Msrp which means a 2 door base gti starts off at just 20k

http://www.vwhayward.com/VehicleSearchR ... o=27772990
by jda
Wed Nov 06, 2013 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FSA by itself?
Replies: 2
Views: 460

Re: FSA by itself?

Yes you can.

My wife has done it for the last couple of years.
by jda
Wed Sep 11, 2013 1:25 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Reverse Logic: Bonds in Taxable, Stocks in Tax-Sheltered
Replies: 25
Views: 3048

Re: Reverse Logic: Bonds in Taxable, Stocks in Tax-Sheltered

Also remember that not all investment income is taxed the same. Interest from bonds and withdrawals from retirement accounts are both taxed at ordinary income rates, so a bond is always more tax efficient in a retirement account than not. Dividends and capital gains from stocks in a taxable account are taxed at lower rates, and taxes on the gains are deferred until the stock is sold. Placing stocks in a retirement account converts both to ordinary income in retirement, so you must plan to invest long enough for tax-free compounding to make up for the higher tax rate at withdrawal. Op was talking about tax-sheltered not necessary tax deferred though so if he place part of his equity in Roth, he will not need to pay tax when he withdraw it d...
by jda
Tue Aug 20, 2013 12:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: new job 3.5 hours away
Replies: 21
Views: 2924

Re: new job 3.5 hours away

ieee488 wrote:
frugaltype wrote:I'm still trying to figure out if they know you are looking at this as a temporary job.
I am not looking at it as a temporary job. I just don't want to sell my home.
My plan as I wrote above was to work there during the week and go home on weekends.
I used to work with a guy who has a house in San Jose and work in San Diego during the week.
What he did was rent a room from someone and fly home on the weekend.

As for relocation package, I know some companies would either move you or give you a certain amount of money as a signing bonus and maybe you can use that amount as a starting point of your relocation negotiation.
by jda
Mon Jul 15, 2013 3:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how bad would it hurt to spend an extra 10k on a car (24 yo)
Replies: 93
Views: 8808

Re: how bad would it hurt to spend an extra 10k on a car (24

- Just a guess but I am assuming I would prefer to have a "cooler" car from the ages of 24-33 instead of 33-42 or 42-51. I am hoping my next car after this one with be a "family" car not a "cool"/"fun" car. Not so fast young buck, did I really just type that. I'm in your 42-51 year range and just picked up my first convertible, granted its a $7,000 10 year old car but it does ok in the cool factor. I will say I have enjoyed this car far more than any other car I had in the past. Sometimes waiting it out a few years is not a bad thing, always wanted a convertible. For the record its not an everyday driver, the KIA get the bulk of the miles! Now lets hope this does not turn into some kind a car buying ...
by jda
Sun Jul 14, 2013 2:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how bad would it hurt to spend an extra 10k on a car (24 yo)
Replies: 93
Views: 8808

Re: how bad would it hurt to spend an extra 10k on a car (24

First of all you shouldn't be asking car questions here unless you are getting either a Toyota or a Honda or maybe a hybrid but has to be front wheel drive only.
Most of the people here treat cars as appliances and value them as such.

If you truly gets joy out of driving a nicer car, I don't think an extra 10k will mess up your retirement plan with your current financial situation. However, I wouldn't spend the extra 10k just to impress people. I do agree with you though, nicer car do drive better even after the 6 months honeymoon period. Heck, even after 15 year I still enjoyed my AWD car everytime it snows.
by jda
Wed Jul 03, 2013 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: finance vs cash for car; TLH vs LTCG ?
Replies: 21
Views: 2247

Re: finance vs cash for car; TLH vs LTCG ?

Penfed's rate is only 1.74% for up to 72 months. I would finance it unless you think the interest rate is going to stay status quo or going up for the next 5 years.

https://www.penfed.org/New-Auto-Loan/?i ... WT.ac=1012
by jda
Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Stocks on sale", "reversion to the mean", etc.
Replies: 22
Views: 3070

Re: "Stocks on sale", "reversion to the mean", etc.

Hedge fund companies are evaluate on a quarter to quarter basis.

As as individual investor, I have 20 year to wait but hedge fund companies don't.
by jda
Mon Jul 01, 2013 4:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TaxACT preregistration, $13.95, thru 6/30/13
Replies: 18
Views: 1546

Re: TaxACT preregistration, $13.95, thru 6/30/13

Wait till after new year and it'll drop to $11.95. It has happened every year like a clockwork for the last 3 years.
by jda
Wed Jun 19, 2013 5:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Premium Products That Are Worth It To You
Replies: 368
Views: 65432

Re: Premium Products That Are Worth It To You

Expensive cars
by jda
Tue Jun 11, 2013 5:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Why buy expensive cars
Replies: 271
Views: 36526

Re: Why buy expensive cars

I'm glad I read this thread. I'm in the market for a new car and love cars. I've found myself window shopping a lot over the last year. I was apprehensive regarding buying a luxury car because I want to stick to boglehead principles. As a result, I've continued to drive my 2005 Jeep Wrangler with 33 inch tires to work each day for the last three years because it is paid off. My roundtrip travel to work is 50 miles. The ride is terrible, but the vehicle is paid off so I charge on. Knowing there are many other bogleheads who spent money on luxury cars may convince me to buy a new luxury car. I would love to have an Audi S4, Subaru WRX STI, Acura TL or BMW X5. Expensive cars I know, but I'd rather drive something I want than save $15k and a b...
by jda
Sat May 25, 2013 1:20 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: for those interested in dividend strategies
Replies: 53
Views: 10004

Re: for those interested in dividend strategies

I'm constantly amazed at how often someone will tell me about "dividend paying stocks" as the market-beating investment, especially when they follow it up by giving a deterministic strategy for selecting the right stocks. If someone somehow finds a way to consistently beat the market, it isn't going to be deterministic. It's really not as cut-n-dried as some on this board would pretend it to be. There's a great deal of research out there that might contravene some of the conventional wisdom on this board with respect to the value of dividends. I've no interest in getting into a senseless dispute, however. Suffice it to say, a certain Wharton professor, among others, might have something constructive to say about the importance of...
by jda
Mon May 13, 2013 4:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy
Replies: 88
Views: 9673

Re: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy

Fun little thought exercise: short of keeping the auction secret until the end, which would change ebay fundamentally, what else could they do to ward off sniping? Here's my proposal: keep the exact auction ending time secret, say within an hour (or maybe 10%) of what the buyer chose, and only give the range. Can this be foiled? Attack me, experienced ebayers :). I have a gut feeling that an attacker with multiple accounts can get around it, but I can't quite figure out how. I don't see ebay has too much motivation to do this. Most of the ebay sales are moving toward buy it now anyway and I doubt bid snipping is affecting ebay's revenue much. nisiprius: Like I said in the previous post, if you are fine with paying whatever pre-determined a...
by jda
Sun May 12, 2013 10:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy
Replies: 88
Views: 9673

Re: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy

I trust this isn't too far off-topic. But in regards to Ebay bidding, I've had some success purchasing discounted gift cards from certain vendors, Corner Bakery and Starbucks would be two. However, can anyone explain to me why people would pay more than face value for gift cards? For instance, here are examples I just pulled off Ebay. In all cases shipping is free. Walmart current bid $55.08, face value $54.08. Walmart current bid $26.03, face value $ 25.00. Amazon current bid $10.52, face value $10.00. and the grand daddy of them all Home Deport current bid $565.00, face value $500.00. I often see this with pre-paid Visa cards as well. Just curious if anyone can explain this? SCB It was either last year or a year before livingsocial or on...
by jda
Sat May 11, 2013 1:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy
Replies: 88
Views: 9673

Re: Bidding on Ebay; Ignorance on best Bidding strategy

nisiprius wrote:I completely fail to understand what advantage you supposedly gain from waiting until the last few seconds.

I just bid the amount I am willing to pay at the time when I see the item... and forget about it until the auction has finished.
I have been an active ebay member since 99 here are a few reasons:
1. Newbs drive prices up when they get into a bidding frenzy
2. bid schilling by the seller (I am guilty of that when I was younger)
3. bid schilling by other sellers to drive your bid up to make their auctions more attractive

At the end of the day if you don't care about paying the lowest price possible then go ahead bid early, but if you want to pay the lowest price then bid once and bid last.
by jda
Sun May 05, 2013 12:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My personal rate of inflation is ....................
Replies: 36
Views: 3846

Re: My personal rate of inflation is ....................

Cut-Throat wrote:
Default User BR wrote:I have no need or desire to track expenses, so I have no idea. Even if I did, I'm not sure what I would do with information like this.


Brian
If you don't care about planning for future real returns vs. nominal returns, you don't have to.

[Snarky comment removed by admin LadyGeek]
Or maybe he doesn't need to because he knows his money will out live him? :oops:
by jda
Sun Apr 21, 2013 9:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying Tires at Costco
Replies: 38
Views: 38667

Re: Buying Tires at Costco

Costco pricing is "ok" when compare to most of the big chain tire stores. What you get from Costco is a really good warranty if tires fail pre-maturely. They tend to replace faulty tires for free or pro-rated towards new set of tires. However, I have never purchase tires from Costco because it's always busy and the brands are limited.
by jda
Sun Apr 14, 2013 12:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Had a flat car tire, changed it, what now?
Replies: 49
Views: 6297

Re: Had a flat car tire, changed it, what now?

discount tire and I am sure other big chain tire store will gladly patch your flat for free assuming it's not leaking through sidewall which is not repairable.

If your tire needs to be replaced, you might need to repair a pair at a time depending on the wear.
by jda
Sat Apr 13, 2013 1:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Gold is crashing!
Replies: 15
Views: 2439

Re: Gold is crashing!

uh....ok...sure
by jda
Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Keep Old Car or Buy Newer Used Hybrid
Replies: 28
Views: 3151

Re: Keep Old Car or Buy Newer Used Hybrid

If you want a new, better car go for it but if you are doing it to save money on fuel then don't do it.

The amount you save on gas wont even cover 50% of the depreciation.
by jda
Wed Apr 03, 2013 12:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do investors chase dividend paying strategies
Replies: 439
Views: 63371

Re: Why do investors chase dividend paying strategies

TJSI wrote:Ketawa,

Unfortunately, share buybacks won't get you the magic of compounding. It will deplete your portfolio.

(And let me congratulate the CEO of Citibank who recently stated that they wanted to do one billion of buybacks to support their management option programs. No happy talk of benefiting the shareholders-- such honestly needs to be acknowledged.)
+1

As I previously stated buy back is never equal to dividend because almost never a company retires 100% of its buy back stock. Usually the buy back stock are used for employee equity incentives. Also, most of the time companies initiate the buy back when time is good (ie. buy high) then sell low (ie issuing more stock during tough time).
by jda
Tue Apr 02, 2013 12:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What happened to all of the gold bugs?
Replies: 57
Views: 7801

Re: What happened to all of the gold bugs?

I do not understand why people get "snobby" about certain types of assets. Given a long enough timeline, any investment could end up being junk in the end. I am interested in gold, but it seems to still be over-hyped and in a bubble, but unfortunately so do other major investment instruments at the moment. My gold fever has been transformed into bitcoin fever. :wink: But even bitcoins seem to be in a bubble. Once I stop seeing TV ads for cash for gold, hearing about people getting their jewelry stolen, and the price goes down, maybe I will be more interested. +1 Especially in this forum, unless you are investing in strictly indexes, people will call out your strategy when they see a slight dip in a 6 month period even though they...
by jda
Mon Apr 01, 2013 4:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do investors chase dividend paying strategies
Replies: 439
Views: 63371

Re: Why do investors chase dividend paying strategies

As I explained, assume stocks trade at book value, if you own stock at $100 and it earns $4 and pays a $4 dividend, your stock is now back to $100 and you have $4 in cash. My stock pays no dividend and is worth $104, and I paid no tax. Now if I want to raise $4 in cash I simply sell that amount of stock and I'm now in same position as you. There is no more invasion of principle in B than in A. It's identical. This is the main point that seems to be missed. If the stocks drop to 60 then your stock will go to 56 when it pays the dividend, but mine will remain at 60. Same thing I hope that is helpful Larry Ideally that's the case, but in reality it's almost never the case. Just because the stock doesn't pay dividend, doesn't mean the whole $4...
by jda
Wed Mar 27, 2013 5:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: what if you could perfectly time recessions>
Replies: 4
Views: 804

Re: what if you could perfectly time recessions>

If I could perfectly time recessions, I wouldn't be jumping into 1 month treasury bill.
by jda
Mon Mar 18, 2013 4:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fired my Smartphone Carrier
Replies: 39
Views: 7037

Re: Fired my Smartphone Carrier

The problem is you are way overpaying in the first place.

We are only paying $63/month for 2 phones with 3G data at 2GB limit/each and sharing 1000min with Tmobile.
by jda
Mon Mar 18, 2013 3:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 39 y.o. and 18 years of Vanguarding
Replies: 45
Views: 11181

Re: 39 y.o. and 18 years of Vanguarding

Helloeeze wrote:Consider yourself blessed that you make enough money to save for retirement and only have to forego appetizers when you go out to dinner to reach your goal. Most of the citizens of this country do not have that opportunity, under those circumstances. They have no matching 401 (k), no surplus income, no "banking" the wife's salary. Feel blessed you are privileged and smart enough to be in that position. Do you all realize how fortunate you all are? For sure you are smart, too. Not everyone is so blessed.
It was while he was a kid that his parents forego appetizers. Also, are you jelly?

OP congratulations and thanks for the inspiring story!
by jda
Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The most reliable 4-door sedan in 2013 is Camry?
Replies: 57
Views: 8707

Re: The most reliable 4-door sedan in 2013 is Camry?

Taylor re your quote: The 2010 Toyota Corolla is the most reliable car sold in the United States, according to a report released today. Read more: America’s Most Reliable Cars - 24/7 Wall St. http://247wallst.com/2012/11/13/americas-most-trusted-cars/#ixzz2LP84cqg9 I am trying to identify from among the 2013 models. It's not possible to determine reliability/longevity of a 2013 vehicle, unless said vehicle has been in production for a few years (eg. Jeep Patriot). My family had two Toyotas. The quality of the steel was unacceptable and the carburetors were pretty bad. We got 170k miles out of one, but it didn't run well for much of its life. My 26 year old Chrysler has no corrosion anywhere and runs like new. +1 Things don't typically fail...
by jda
Tue Feb 12, 2013 11:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New car: I'm about to replace my 2003 Accord V6.
Replies: 66
Views: 11399

Re: New car: I'm about to replace my 2003 Accord V6.

Golf tdi good low end torque, good fuel economy, small turning radius and here is the best part it's not a Toyota or a Honda.
by jda
Tue Jan 29, 2013 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: prepay car vs mortgage
Replies: 23
Views: 1851

Re: prepay car vs mortgage

So basically it's a coin toss then? The reason I asked the original question is because I fail to see why the car loan is the overwhelming favorite among the members here. To me the difference is pretty marginal and if op's goal is paying down debts then the end results should be fairly similar whichever route op choose to go with. The disconnect is that you are looking strictly from a "which approach results in more money in 30 years " point of view (and possibly ignoring the impact of inflation). Posters who advocated paying off the car loan are likely looking at this decision from an overall personal finance point of view and recognize the importance of cash flow / minimizing fixed costs. In real life, people lose their jobs, ...
by jda
Tue Jan 29, 2013 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: prepay car vs mortgage
Replies: 23
Views: 1851

Re: prepay car vs mortgage

Why car loan when mortgage interest is 1.01% higher? Even assuming you can deduct all the mortgage interest at about 30% marginal rate, the mortgage rate is slightly higher than car loan (3%*(1-0.3)-1.99%) = 0.11% I also favor tackling the loan with the highest interest rate first. While the car loan has a shorter term and lower balance and will be paid off faster, using funds to pay down the higher interest loan first will SLIGHTLY decrease the time required to pay all the loans and the total interest paid. You need to specify that this approach reduces nominal interest paid (which is really only of academic interest). Without knowing future inflation rates, it is impossible to determine which approach will minimize real interest paid (wh...
by jda
Tue Jan 29, 2013 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: prepay car vs mortgage
Replies: 23
Views: 1851

Re: prepay car vs mortgage

Why car loan when mortgage interest is 1.01% higher?

Even assuming you can deduct all the mortgage interest at about 30% marginal rate, the mortgage rate is slightly higher than car loan (3%*(1-0.3)-1.99%) = 0.11%
by jda
Tue Jan 15, 2013 12:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Has there ever been the ability to trade international stock
Replies: 6
Views: 921

Re: Has there ever been the ability to trade international s

Hum...interesting

I have some Canadian stocks in the form of paper certificates, this may be a good way to get rid of them.
by jda
Sat Jan 12, 2013 12:43 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Overvalued Equities
Replies: 18
Views: 3184

Re: Overvalued Equities

am wrote:If we are long term buy and hold investors, does it really matter if asset classes are overvalued? And what does that mean exactly. Does it mean a crash in values is imminent or long term low returns are expected?
Answer to your questions are yes and yes depending on how long is long term . Try to cherry pick one of the two bubbles in the last fifteen years and see what the return is. But again that's assuming a on time lump sum investment which is probably not realistic scenario for most of us.
by jda
Sat Jan 05, 2013 12:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Chase Freedom 10% cash back
Replies: 27
Views: 5759

Re: Chase Freedom 1000% cash back

madbrain wrote:
555 wrote:You might as well change the thread title to "Chase Freedom 1000% cash back". You could do it, couldn't you.
I don't think so, nobody is going to allow 1 cent credit card charges due to the fees. But sub dollar credit card charges are not completely unheard of.

It's doable you can pay ebay fees in one cent increment but seriously the thread title is misleading.