Search found 1527 matches

by tbradnc
Thu Mar 19, 2015 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which credit union are you a member of?
Replies: 60
Views: 19341

Re: Which credit union are you a member of?

No, they did eliminate the 0.25% cash reward on non-gas purchases but the 5% cash back on gas is still going...

https://penfed.org/Platinum-Cash-Rewards/
by tbradnc
Thu Mar 19, 2015 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which credit union are you a member of?
Replies: 60
Views: 19341

Re: Which credit union are you a member of?

Navy Federal and Pentagon Federal. Between the 2 of them there seems to always be some kind of special offer that's pretty good.

Pentagon Federal's ongoing Cash Rewards card with 5% cash back on gas purchases is great.
by tbradnc
Wed Mar 18, 2015 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 15 yr cd, would you?
Replies: 17
Views: 2728

Re: 15 yr cd, would you?

Based on this thread , Navy Federal Credit Union, pays 2.25% + 0.5% = 2.75% for a 7-year CD. Victoria They also offer a "special" 30 month certificate at 2.25%, min. deposit 10k, no max. I don't know if the .5% coupon is available for this offer, but if it is, and if EWP is generous, that seems to be a good deal. https://www.navyfederal.org/assets/rates/view-all.php IRA's! Yes, the 30 month 2.25% is only for IRAs with a $10k minimum. I purchased a 20 month 2% CD with $1,000 to get the $100 bonus for opening an IRA. Big Note: The Cert2015 code can only be used 1 time. I went back today and purchased several $3k one year certificates using the promo code and they were rejected because I had already used the code. I'm not really sur...
by tbradnc
Tue Mar 17, 2015 7:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What's a good digital antenna?
Replies: 28
Views: 6786

Re: What's a good digital antenna?

Our antenna is up and I've got my DirecTV components stacked up in the living room waiting on the shipping boxes to return them. The install fee for parts/labor was $550 so it'll take 8 months to break even but it was worth it IMO. I'm glad to be rid of another monthly bill. We get 18 channels OTA, the HD is as good as DirecTV/Comcast and an even better bonus is that all 18 channels come in without having to turn the rotor. I had the option of leaving the rotor off and saving $100ish but figured it's better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it. Now begins the task of teaching my non-techie wife how to stream from her phone to the Apple TV using Airplay. Might be easier to just get an iPad dedicated to streaming and keep i...
by tbradnc
Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What internet speed is fast enough?
Replies: 52
Views: 23176

Re: What internet speed is fast enough?

gunn_show wrote:
tbradnc wrote:I was paying CenturyLink $71 a month for 10/1 DSL. I'm paying $69.95 (exactly) for 100/100 fiber. They also offer a 25/25 speed for $49.95 and 1GB for $199 per month (!). No contract, no install fee, if the equipment fails they'll replace it at no charge. It's a great deal.
Those are fantastic speeds for reasonable rates, as a home office guy I'd love those options. Unfortunately CenturyLink is not in SoCal. Time Warner is a rip off for upgraded speeds and Uverse DSL is not reliable enough. Praying for a fiber option someday...
I felt like I had won the lottery when I found out our address was included in the pilot project. It's an amazing thing for our rural town. http://www.e-u.cc/fiber/faq/
by tbradnc
Tue Mar 17, 2015 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What's a good digital antenna?
Replies: 28
Views: 6786

Re: What's a good digital antenna?

Funny you should mention it! Right now at this very second 2 installers are mounting a rather large HD antenna with rotor to the side of our home. When it's finished I will be able to get about 18ish channels - that's what we were able to receive with the "test" mount. What kind of antenna you need depends on where you are. I'm in rural Appalachia surrounded by mountains so I require some serious hardware. If you're in an urban setting you might be able to get by with a Mofu Leaf tacked to the wall behind your TV and get as many or more channels as I'm going to get. Place to start is here: https://www.tvfool.com/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=29 Type in your address and have a look at what you should be able to pick up an...
by tbradnc
Tue Mar 17, 2015 6:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop: Windows based vs. Apple
Replies: 87
Views: 18848

Re: Laptop: Windows based vs. Apple

I've used Macs for a decade now and wouldn't switch back to a Windows based machine unless I had no other choice.

Another reason I like Apple products is that they play well together. We have iPhones, Macbooks, Apple TV, ipad, and an Apple Time Capsule for backup/router. It's amazing how well the devices work together. It's a bit like magic.

My wife uses a WIndows based computer and it's currently having "issues" and I've got to reinstall Windows. This isn't an isolated thing - you hear about people reinstalling Windows from scratch fairly regularly. In all my life I've never had to reinstall OS X.
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 16, 2015 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Kotlikoff: When Should you Take Social Security?
Replies: 258
Views: 55446

Re: Kotlikoff: When Should you Take Social Security?

How is this book different than "Social Security Made SImple" by Mike Piper?

I purchased that book and it was detailed enough to explain the various claiming nuances but simple enough to understand - I really enjoyed it and learned quite a bit.
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 16, 2015 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: NFCU Certificate offer
Replies: 5
Views: 1623

NFCU Certificate offer

Heads up on an offer available at Navy Federal Credit Union - purchase any certificate and use code "Cert2015" to add 0.50% more to the rate.

I just moved a chunk of money I had sitting in Ally into a 1 year cert, advertised rate is 0.85% - after coupon it did indeed post at 1.35%.

I read about this on the Early Retirement forum BTW. As best I can tell this is the only form available online that has a coupon code field: https://dias.navyfcu.org/web/webapps.nsf/easystart_app? - the form you'd normally use to open a certificate is missing the coupon field.
by tbradnc
Sun Mar 15, 2015 2:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best ways to save on electricity bill
Replies: 58
Views: 10349

Re: Best ways to save on electricity bill

We just received our electric bill. From January 16 - February 16 we used 558 kWh at a cost of $65.45 - not bad. We heat, cook, and heat water with natural gas. Our gas bill for February was $227 for 21,900 cu ft.
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Greatest Weakness.
Replies: 37
Views: 7867

Re: My Greatest Weakness.

FreeAtLast wrote:1) You will finally be free in life when you stop caring what most people think of you.....the only ones who count are your truest friends and your (sane) family members.
.
Even better was when I got to the place that I realized that I really did care what people think but it really, really doesn't matter.
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 4:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best Business Start-up?
Replies: 16
Views: 3107

Re: Best Business Start-up?

Seriously, of all your ideas and with your $20k to invest I think the best one would be to buy a car, fix it up and detail it nicely and then sell it. Worse case at least you wouldn't lose all your money like you probably would with the app idea.

My son and 2 of his friends pooled their money for the first few cars and split the money when they sold the cars.

Laws differ but where we live you can always have a car with a "For Sale" sign on it.
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pet insurance?
Replies: 50
Views: 7003

Re: Pet insurance?

Is pet insurance like health insurance or is it more like dental insurance - which really isn't insurance IMO.
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best Business Start-up?
Replies: 16
Views: 3107

Re: Best Business Start-up?

My 20 year old son is making good money buying cars, fixing and cleaning them up, and selling them. He has a sort-of-mentor helping him learn the ropes. I posted a thread about it here a few months ago.

And this is the kid I was worried about....
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

I'm generally not a complainer but I just read through this thread again to make sure I didn't miss anything and it made my head hurt a little. I guess it's our fault we don't have at hand what we need to reinstall Windows - a person should be proactive about these things and be prepared for the day.

Makes me want to give my Macbook with OS X a hug. :)
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: tIRA rollover to HSA
Replies: 3
Views: 656

Re: tIRA rollover to HSA

jhfenton wrote:You can transfer IRA money to an HSA one time, but it counts toward your annual HSA contribution. So it's not really a way to get extra money into an HSA.
Always a catch.... :) Oh well.
by tbradnc
Sat Mar 14, 2015 7:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: tIRA rollover to HSA
Replies: 3
Views: 656

tIRA rollover to HSA

I just learned about the ability to do a once-in-a-lifetime rollover from an IRA to an HSA. My first thought was, "Cool.. another tax free way to get money out of our tIRAs."

After thinking about it more there's no good reason to pre-emptively make this move is there? It seems like one would wait until this kind of conversion was financially beneficial - like getting hit with large medical bills.

Plus, it would become locked into a 20% penalty if used for medical expenses before age 65 - though this would not be a problem since a full conversion would be a very small total of our portfolio.
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pet insurance?
Replies: 50
Views: 7003

Re: Pet insurance?

We have 3 dogs as family pets and always 1 and sometimes 2 foster dogs - my wife and I both are active volunteers at our local animal shelter.

Insuring 1 pet is a tossup IMO but paying premiums for 3 is out of the question so we choose to be uninsured.. I wouldn't hesitate to spend "thousands" on a sick or injured pet - they're not lawn ornaments and we accepted responsibility for their health when we adopted them.
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 8:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

DSInvestor wrote:Try this Microsoft page:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-recovery
This looks like exactly what I need. I'll pick up a pack of blank DVDs tomorrow and have at it.

Wish me luck. :)

Thanks again everyone.
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

DSInvestor wrote:Have you tried hitting F8 when starting up the computer? I'm not sure if the recovery files are visible when you boot up on the regular C partition. When you hit F8, it does something to boot the PC off the recovery partition and if the recovery image and recovery software are still there, it should allow you to wipe the windows partition and restore a brand new windows 7 installation without the use of any CDs/DVDs.

Dell support page with instructions on how to restore your Windows 7 computer to factory settings:
http://www.dell.com/support/article/us/ ... N291879/EN
Yep, been there, done that.
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 5:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

Well, after digging around I found a D:\recovery partition that was unfortunately empty. I'm going to guess this is where Dell put the files necessary to restore Windows. Going to the Control Panel, I found a couple of possibilities but nothing that would restore Windows without a physical copy. The good news is that I ran a program called Malwarebytes that found a lot of stuff that needed to be deleted and after doing that Mozilla is usable again. Also, Chrome will also now start whereas before it would crash before it could load. I think the best thing to do is to either get her to use a Mac or get a copy of Windows on physical media and just wipe the drive. It has been so long since I used a Windows machine that I've forgotten a lot. Lin...
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

Ok.. she's running Windows 7 "Home" edition and there is indeed a serial number on the bottom of the computer. The computer is a Dell Zino with 5GB ram.

Let me dig around a bit and I'll be back if I have any questions.

Thanks guys/gals.
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Re: Where to purchase Windows? What version?

Thanks. I'll dig around on her computer and see if I can figure how how to do a reinstall. I was thinking of reformatting her drive and getting rid of all the crap that has accumulated over the years.

Now might be a good time to switch her to an iMac.... :)
by tbradnc
Fri Mar 13, 2015 1:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to purchase Windows? What version?
Replies: 32
Views: 3852

Where to purchase Windows? What version?

I've only used Macs and OS X for many years. My wife uses MS Windows and is not a hardware or software person. She's using a Dell desktop that has Windows 7 and after years of clutter from installing and uninstalling games, kids downloading various adware, and whatever else the thing is practically unusable it's so slow. The copy on the machine was preinstalled - I have no idea where the license key is. So.. to make it as simple as possible I think I'd like to just wipe the system and reinstall. 1. What is the latest version of Windows? Isn't it 8.x? 2. What is the best version for someone who just browses, reads email, and plays Indie type games? 3. Where is the cheapest place to get it? I suppose I could drive up to Best Buy or even Wal M...
by tbradnc
Thu Mar 12, 2015 4:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What internet speed is fast enough?
Replies: 52
Views: 23176

Re: What internet speed is fast enough?

lthenderson wrote:For a few years, I had 100 Mbps through a private fiber optic company that got a grant to do our entire town. That was enough and I really loved it. I moved however so I'm back down to 4 or 5 Mbps which is fine but still is noticeable.
Sounds very similar to where I live. Our sleepy little Appalachian town of 5000ish is installing fiber internet courtesy of the electric utility.

I was paying CenturyLink $71 a month for 10/1 DSL. I'm paying $69.95 (exactly) for 100/100 fiber. They also offer a 25/25 speed for $49.95 and 1GB for $199 per month (!).

No contract, no install fee, if the equipment fails they'll replace it at no charge. It's a great deal.
by tbradnc
Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What are some common misconceptions found in this forum?
Replies: 209
Views: 27045

Re: What are some common misconceptions found in this forum?

I can't think of any. The dominant philosophy seems to revolve around index funds with a large contingent of 3ish fund soldiers manning the fort. Other viewpoints are accepted (or tolerated) to varying degrees from what I can tell.

The biggest thing that always gets me are the folks who are quick to dismiss past performance and then throw up charts of past performance in other posts to make a point.
by tbradnc
Wed Mar 11, 2015 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 15 or 30 year mortgage?
Replies: 37
Views: 4778

Re: 15 or 30 year mortgage?

I would buy the house for cash and save/invest the amount I would be making in payments. I do my best to avoid all forms of installment debt particularly if they charge any interest.

Being debt free is a good feeling.
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

Bonus question:

Armed with this knowledge can I not also calculate the amount I would need to convert to create enough income to raise me above the Medicaid threshold (I live in a state that didn't expand) and qualify for the maximum subsidy amount?

I do believe I'm on the verge of getting it... I've never been this kind of poor before. :)
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 10:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

retiredjg wrote:
tbradnc wrote:If so, that would allow me to convert $4138 without owing any tax.
If your 2015 income is exactly the same, you can convert $4,138 in 2015 with no tax.

You cannot convert anything now and apply that to your 2014 taxes.
Thank you all!

Now - last question - is a conversion as simple as a fund exchange between my tIRA and Roth via vanguard.com?

I'm kicking myself for missing this. For the past 20 years I worked with a CPA who would have suggested this prior to filing my 2014 return. Since I sold my company I'm working with a new CPA and we don't have that kind of relationship - which will force me to pay more attention. Not a bad thing since I have so much free time these days. :)
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

Looking at my return, my income for 2014 was made up of taxable interest and ordinary dividends, totaling $24,012.

Deducing our HSA contribution of $7550 gives us an AGI on line 37 of $16,462.

Am I correct in assuming that a rough approximation of the amount I'm trying to calculate can be obtained by subtracting $16,462 from $20,600.

If so, that would allow me to convert $4138 without owing any tax.

Have I got a basic understanding?

(As for state tax, I live in TN and the only tax that I pay is the Hall Tax on interest and dividends)
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

DSInvestor wrote:Taxable Income = AGI - deductions - exemptions.

For 2015, standard deduction is $12,600 for MFJ and each exemption is $4000

Assuming MFJ, standard deduction and 2 exemptions, this would allow as much as 20,600 in AGI and still have ZERO Taxable income.
How much you can convert without tax cost starting with 15K AGI will depend on what type of income makes up that 15K. If 15K or ordinary income like interest or pension benefits, then you'd be abe to convert up to $7,600 to Roth and still have no fed tax.
Just for clarification - should the $7600 figure you quoted above actually be $5600?
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

dbltrbl wrote:Run through any tax software for exact amount. I am guessing about $5300.00 but I would convert more like 10-15000 and pay tax on it. I am assuming both of you are under 65. TIRA you have to take RMDs not ROTH so pay 10% tax and be done with it.
I'm 53, she's 57.
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 9:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Re: Understanding Roth conversions and question

Thanks - I'll run the numbers through taxcaster and see what happens. I wasn't sure if there was a way you could just do a simple subtraction and know.
by tbradnc
Mon Mar 09, 2015 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Understanding Roth conversions and question
Replies: 16
Views: 892

Understanding Roth conversions and question

My wife and I have a fairly large amount of money (for us) in our traditional IRAs and I'm trying to understand Roth conversions.

Here is my question:

I know that when you convert money from a tIRA to a Roth you create income. For tax year 2014 I had no taxable income (line 43). Let's say my adjusted gross income (line 37) was $15,000. How much could I have converted without owing tax on the conversion? Is such a thing even possible.

Married filing jointly, standard deduction.. I will use the info here to guesstimate a conversion for 2015.

Thanks!
by tbradnc
Sun Mar 08, 2015 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone Else Think Nest Thermostat is Buggy?
Replies: 30
Views: 4832

Re: Anyone Else Think Nest Thermostat is Buggy?

I installed a Nest, used it for a week or so and sent it back. I replaced it with an Ecobee SmartSI and love it.

There's a long thread on it here somewhere.
by tbradnc
Sun Mar 08, 2015 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Just cut my cable bill...
Replies: 58
Views: 9726

Re: Just cut my cable bill...

One of the best decisions I ever made was to get our broadband from a utility (DSL, phone company) instead of a cable provider. Once TV is bundled with internet it becomes a real hassle to make changes because inevitable keeping internet access while changing television program becomes horribly intertwined. Never again in this lifetime will I have TV and internet bundled with the same company. And, for once I hit the jackpot! Our local electric utility just started a fiber internet pilot program and we were included in the pilot zone so now we have a 100MB/100MB fiber network connection for $69.95 per month. No contract, no equipment leasing fees, no installation fee. I live in a poor county with a 20% poverty rate and the program is some k...
by tbradnc
Sat Feb 28, 2015 6:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I survived my initial performance improvement mtg. Now what?
Replies: 33
Views: 7721

Re: I survived my initial performance improvement mtg. Now w

This is a difficult situation for you. My company was very small but over the years I had some interesting employee situations. As an owner/manager I hired people who could do what I needed, explained to them what needed to be done, and asked them what they needed from me to make it happen. I stayed in the loop and monitored progress but didn't insert myself into the process unless it was necessary. More than once I hired people who could not deliver and when that became apparent it generally wasn't fixable. I am very sure your manager has already formed his opinion of you and you're very unlikely to change it - and from the tone of your posts I think he's right. At this point he is probably feeling like he's "throwing good money after...
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Safety of Vanguard online access
Replies: 28
Views: 3548

Re: Safety of Vanguard online access

Googling around a bit there is some discussion about the value of frequently changing passwords. Note I'm making a couple of assumptions: 1. You use a different password for every site. 2. You're using a strong password. Here's one: https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2010/11/changing_passwo.html And a snippet from another site: Regular password changes are notionally a good idea because they guarantee someone can’t acquire your password and use it to snoop on you over an extended period of time. However, regularly changing your password won’t help much . If an attacker gains access to your accounts, they’ll most likely use their access to cause damage right away. If they gain access to your online banking account, they’ll log in and att...
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 7:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Safety of Vanguard online access
Replies: 28
Views: 3548

Re: Safety of Vanguard online access

I've never understood why there is a recommendation to change a password ever so often.
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beer sales in PA supermarkets? Is this allowed now?
Replies: 10
Views: 1763

Re: Beer sales in PA supermarkets? Is this allowed now?

A bit off topic but I've lived in the south all my life and this summer when I hiked the PCT it blew me away to see liquor sold *everywhere*. Drug stores, grocery stores, convenience stores - everywhere.

I hiked the Sheltowee Trace Trail in Kentucky earlier this month and for 238 miles I was hiking through dry counties.

Quite a contrast.
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Father / Son Deep Sea Fishing Trip
Replies: 21
Views: 3074

Re: Father / Son Deep Sea Fishing Trip

Cottons wrote:Does it have to be Florida? I used to live in NC and I know you can catch some great fish off the coast there. Still has nice warm weather.
Best time of year to go would be after September when the tourists leave. Check out the Wilmington area.
Yep, we lived in Carolina Beach for almost 25 years. Great deep sea fishing there.

The last time I went I caught so many snapper that I quit dropping my line in the water because I was tired of reeling them in (no electric reel).
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a generator worth it?
Replies: 122
Views: 30237

Re: Is a generator worth it?

killjoy2012 wrote:[
I love the Honda and Yamaha inverter generators, but the downside as you mentioned, is big time cost, low output & most are 120v only. The EU7000iS is their smallest model that's 240v and MSRP is $4500. 120v-only presents a number of issues for people that would like to tie it into the house through a transfer switch or lockout, as well as not being able to power any 240v devices.

I'm an IT guy and really wanted an inverter for my computers, but I just couldn't justify the cost/drawbacks.
As I recall I I connected our eu3000i to the transfer switch with a cord that had L5-30 male/female ends. 30 amp I think....
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?
Replies: 32
Views: 7625

Re: Beepi - a new way to buy a used car?

I'm glad this topic is getting some love. :)
by tbradnc
Thu Feb 26, 2015 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a generator worth it?
Replies: 122
Views: 30237

Re: Is a generator worth it?

When we lived on the coast we had a transfer switch installed and I'd plug our Honda eu3000i generator into it and power the refrigerator and a 15 amp circuit downstairs.

The thing to be aware of when you buy a generator is how loud they are - after a hurricane or tropical storm that knocked out power our neighborhood would sound like a construction zone. The Honda eu3000i has an inverter which provides clean power for electronics and a noise level of around 50 dB - you can stand next to it and have a conversation with someone without screaming - it's that quiet.
by tbradnc
Wed Feb 25, 2015 3:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks
Replies: 104
Views: 18013

Re: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks

But nowadays I'm holding onto my remaining AAPL shares not as a growth stock but as a dividend juggernaut. Interesting discussion, but I'm a Newbie and just have a question about this. Why are the dividends so prized? If need a little $ why not just cash out something? Trying to understand why some love dividends and other do not. Thanks. That's a pretty good question. I could also use some education because I feel like I must be missing something. I've posted a few times about the dividend stocks I have. Using T as an example: With dividend: I have 1110 shares. Quarterly dividend is $517. After each dividend I still have 1100 shares and $517 cash. Without dividend: 1 have 1100 shares No dividend, so I need to sell 15 shares at todays clos...
by tbradnc
Wed Feb 25, 2015 9:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: List of favorite accounts
Replies: 44
Views: 26867

Re: List of favorite accounts

The problem I personally have with the high yield checking accounts is how much work it is to earn the highest advertised rate combined with the low maximum amount for which they'll actually pay the highest yield.

We don't use a debit card for anything and are retired so no checks to direct deposit. We could start using the debit card and ACH money around to meet the DD requirements but like I said - it's just a lot of work for a little bit of money.
by tbradnc
Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks
Replies: 104
Views: 18013

Re: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks

nedsaid wrote:
I bought in at "bargain" prices in the years after the 2000 crash but GE was still overpriced. I am still underwater on the stock. :happy :happy I did not share in your excellent timing.
I just had a look at the 1000 I purchased for $6.79 - the trade was executed on March 6, 2009. I remember seeing it trade for under $7 per share and thinking that was just crazy so I set a limit order for 1000 at $6.80, left and came back a few hours later and saw that it had executed.

My 15 minutes of fame. :)
by tbradnc
Tue Feb 24, 2015 7:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks
Replies: 104
Views: 18013

Re: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks

nedsaid wrote:
I do own up to being a GE shareholder. It is one of the "Four Horsemen of Underperformance" in my individual stock portfolio. The "Four Horsemen" are GE, Pfizer, Microsoft, and AIG. And yes, I kept my AIG stock after the spectacular crash and burn. Microsoft has actually been performing fairly well and no perhaps my "four horsemen" are down to three. But still, I sold Oracle to buy Microsoft and I would have done better to have kept Oracle.
I purchased my first 1000 shares of GE for $6.79 per share, the 2nd 1000 at $14.85 and 280 at $23.00

This is the only real brag I have in the stock buy/sell universe.
by tbradnc
Tue Feb 24, 2015 2:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks
Replies: 104
Views: 18013

Re: Buy and Hold Forever Stocks

I own:

2280 shares of GE
1100 shares of T
1000 shares of SO (Southern Company).

Each of these stocks pay dividends in alternate months so there is an income stream of just over $500 per month.

It's not "free money" - I know that.

I've been using the money to pay home/auto insurance, property taxes and what's left towards health insurance premiums.
by tbradnc
Sun Feb 22, 2015 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me find my friend !
Replies: 31
Views: 4698

Re: Help me find my friend !

Are you sure your friend is alive?

Here is a good place to look: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gs&