Search found 800 matches

by hlfo718
Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vodaphone/Verizon deal-stock holder proceeds
Replies: 5
Views: 2298

Re: Vodaphone/Verizon deal-stock holder proceeds

I can't imagine the stock distribution is true because most investors are located overseas. So if I am an UK investor, what the hell am I going to do with VZ shares? I would imagine it would cost a lot to dump US shares overseas, just like here in the US is expensive to trade non US stocks, plus FX cost. I would also think there is a lock up period for the VZ shares. But these are all my guess. I'm glad I only hold VOD thru index funds and etfs.
by hlfo718
Wed Sep 04, 2013 8:28 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Transfer from a Wealth Management account to ETF and Funds
Replies: 15
Views: 1340

Re: Transfer from a Wealth Management account to ETF and Fun

you can also use your dividend proceeds to buy the index funds/efts. Just make sure you can do so for free.

How big are these positions, 1% or less each?
by hlfo718
Thu Aug 22, 2013 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: sleep number beds
Replies: 23
Views: 7004

Re: sleep number beds

I got the queen back in 2006 and still works fine. I did get the two chamber so my wife can have her own number. The machine is a bit loud when you increase but it only last a few seconds so no big deal. I recall paying about 1,300 back then in the Sleep Comfort store. You can get a basic queen for less than 1,000. To me it was worth the premium and have no problem buying another from them.
by hlfo718
Mon Aug 19, 2013 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cohen & Steers?
Replies: 2
Views: 503

Re: Cohen & Steers?

I believe this is a high yield fund with a bunch of pref stock mixed in. So you are taking term and credit risk. If this is a tiny part of your overall asset allocation, then fine. If this is a large portion, you should educate yourself first to see how this fits in your overall investment.
by hlfo718
Thu Aug 15, 2013 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Real estate broker fees
Replies: 9
Views: 1241

Re: Real estate broker fees

Are you in NYC (Manhattan) or other parts of NY? If Manhattan and in a low inventory area like Soho then is definitely not 6 or 5%. If you bargain hard enough and bring in a bunch of brokers together, probably 4%, especially if you have a multi million dollar apartment or house.
by hlfo718
Fri Aug 02, 2013 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changing Bathtub
Replies: 9
Views: 1254

Re: Changing Bathtub

Thank you for all the comments. Something struck me as strange. Since my apartment is pre-war so I assumed my tub is just as old since previous owners didn't spend much money in the place. So I went home last night and placed a magnet on the tub, but it didn't stick. So I am assuming I actually don't have a cast iron tub. Or could I have a cast iron tub with porcelain so it prevented the magnet from sticking?

My main concern is really the plumbing. I just want to be sure the new tub doesn't leak. Is there a way to check? The work will be done by the same contractor who did my kitchen last year, which turned out to be better than my expectation.

Thanks again for all the comments and suggestions.
by hlfo718
Thu Aug 01, 2013 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changing Bathtub
Replies: 9
Views: 1254

Re: Changing Bathtub

I did the reglaze last year and it wore out in 6 months. So I can either replace or reline. Still thinking about reline but not sure about the quality and not sure how long that will last.
by hlfo718
Thu Aug 01, 2013 12:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changing Bathtub
Replies: 9
Views: 1254

Changing Bathtub

I'm looking to replace my apartment's very old cast iron tub, which is set in a corner surrounded by three walls. I'm curious as to how difficult it is for a contractor to get it out and more importantly when the new tub is set in the same space, how will I know if the tub is set in correctly so it doesn't leak?

Since I live in an old apartment, any damage will be a big deal since I will need to pay to have someone fix all damages and replace any parts out of pocket.

Also I am looking to purchase an acrylic tub since is lighter and low maintenance. Any one familiar with this?

Thank you!
by hlfo718
Mon Jul 29, 2013 2:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What is my financial advisor doing?
Replies: 49
Views: 5453

Re: What is my financial advisor doing?

Sounds like he is a financial adviser. Did you check his background to make sure there were no lawsuits or complaints? Also, how much is he charging you for commission? If he is trading a lot and charges more than $10 a trade, then he is probably making money from the commission side as well.
by hlfo718
Wed Jul 24, 2013 11:57 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Finance students willing to pay for coin flipping expertise!
Replies: 5
Views: 986

Re: Finance students willing to pay for coin flipping expert

"you dropped a hundred and fifty grand on a freaking education you coulda got for a dollar fifty in late charges at the public library" :oops:
by hlfo718
Fri Jul 19, 2013 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Reinvest dividends? Tax consequences?
Replies: 7
Views: 1268

Re: Reinvest dividends? Tax consequences?

Normally mutual funds use avg cost but you can change that in settings to something else.
by hlfo718
Fri Jul 19, 2013 10:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: NYC Pension Fund Boasts 12.3% Return for Last 12 Months
Replies: 11
Views: 1158

Re: NYC Pension Fund Boasts 12.3% Return for Last 12 Months

I think NY is one of the few states/cities that index most of the portfolio, I think something like 70 or 80%. So if you compare their return to the Vang Balanced fund, they are pretty much on target. But NY also has hedge funds and PE funds so those investments probably dragged their overall return.
by hlfo718
Thu Jul 18, 2013 1:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Does past performance matter, SPIVA persistence report
Replies: 12
Views: 1334

Re: Does past performance matter, SPIVA persistence report

That's not fair you guys are stepping on active managers since it hasn't been a good "stock picker's" market. You will see how great active managers will do once we are in a "stock picker's" market, whenever that is. :D
by hlfo718
Tue Jul 09, 2013 8:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacement lenses for eyeglass frames
Replies: 9
Views: 22299

Re: Replacement lenses for eyeglass frames

39 dollar glasses can do this but I think it takes like 2 months to get it back. But is really cheap. I got a new pair of glasses from them last year. Check them out but don't forget to google and see the reviews.
by hlfo718
Fri Jun 07, 2013 10:33 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: FINRA's new 5-question financial capabiliy quiz is out today
Replies: 9
Views: 1516

Re: FINRA's new 5-question financial capabiliy quiz is out t

My wife, without any experience with investing, got 4 out of 5. How is the avg score so low?
by hlfo718
Thu Jun 06, 2013 12:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401k Admin Fee/Fund Selection
Replies: 7
Views: 651

Re: 401k Admin Fee/Fund Selection

0.60% plus fund fees? That is highway robbery. Unless they match and or you make high income, go fund your IRA first.
by hlfo718
Thu May 30, 2013 2:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Smart TV?
Replies: 15
Views: 2039

Re: Smart TV?

You can just hook up your laptop to your TV via HDMI, assuming your TV has it.
by hlfo718
Thu May 30, 2013 2:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "As is" clause in real estate
Replies: 41
Views: 3143

Re: "As is" clause in real estate

Since is a condo, the important things are the cooling/heating units, electric, and plumbing. Make sure the previous owner did not make any unauthorized kitchen/bathroom reno that you may need to spend money to fix or move back to.
by hlfo718
Thu May 23, 2013 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Account w/ Securities: Schwab -> Vanguard
Replies: 2
Views: 413

Re: Account w/ Securities: Schwab -> Vanguard

I'm preparing to move my Roth IRA from Schwab to Vanguard and have a couple questions I haven't found answered. My next step is to call either (or both) VG and Schwab but I'm unable to at the moment. In the meantime hopefully someone familiar with the process can help me out. * I know there is a $50 IRA closing fee at Schwab, and VG does't refund it. I'm prepared to absorb that. The account presently is 100% in various Schwab mutual funds and there is no spare cash floating in it. How does Schwab extract the fee? Can I tell them to take it from my Checking or Brokerage account instead? Or designate a particular security to extract shares from? They will debit your account so you will have negative cash of $50. -- Can the $50 closing fee be...
by hlfo718
Fri May 03, 2013 10:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Non Profit Audited Financials
Replies: 9
Views: 865

Re: Non Profit Audited Financials

Thank you everyone!

So I looked at 2011 990 filing for this non profit org and is it unusual for a non profit to have net assets of 600 million in investments and cash?

Also, can a non profit become for profit? If so who are the shareholders?

My wife works for this non profit and the last 4 years, her salary has gone up by about 4.5%, cumulative. Yet the CEO gets 7 figures and rides in with company paid limo. Now the rumor is the company is looking to become a for profit org. I just want to make sure the executives don't raid the company by giving themselves huge stock options before going for profit since the goal of the company was to help the poor.
by hlfo718
Fri May 03, 2013 9:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Non Profit Audited Financials
Replies: 9
Views: 865

Non Profit Audited Financials

Any idea how I can find audited financials from a non profit org? Are they required to file any federal and or statement tax return and financial statements?

Also, is there a way to see how much the executives are making?

Thank you
by hlfo718
Mon Apr 29, 2013 3:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Quicken Worth it?
Replies: 58
Views: 15721

Re: Is Quicken Worth it?

Spent about $70 to buy the program a few years back but after spending hours trying to upload historical trades to the system without success, gave up and use excel instead. Not wasting my $ again with that crap.
by hlfo718
Fri Apr 26, 2013 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where can I find reasonable transaction fees on fund sales?
Replies: 3
Views: 385

Re: Where can I find reasonable transaction fees on fund sal

Scottrade charges $17 for funds and $7 for ETFs.
by hlfo718
Thu Apr 25, 2013 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Escrow Costs -- Reasonable?
Replies: 11
Views: 1640

Re: Escrow Costs -- Reasonable?

You should contact your lawyer to make sure these are reasonable and if you can pick or negotiate the escrow company and fees. I know some lawyers get a kick back from firms for recommendation.
by hlfo718
Thu Apr 25, 2013 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Escrow Costs -- Reasonable?
Replies: 11
Views: 1640

Re: Escrow Costs -- Reasonable?

What is an escrow company? When I purchased and sold my home a while back, the deposit was sitting with my lawyer. The county and city fees you can't avoid but why are you paying for title search? That's the buyer's responsibility. And what the [heck --admin LadyGeek] is a sub-escrow fee?

Are you getting these fees from your lawyer? What is your lawyer telling you? You may want to contact another lawyer or at least google these fees to see if they are legit in your area.
by hlfo718
Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: impressive rate of return when purchasing home
Replies: 38
Views: 3878

Re: impressive rate of return when purchasing home

I also purchased a co-op in queens last year to live in and the numbers do sound pretty good and actually thought about buying a couple of places to rent out but here are a few problems I came across. First, many co-ops don't let you rent Second, some co-ops will let you rent but only for 2 years. Then you need to live there for another 2 years before you can rent again. Third, for the co-ops that are more liberal, you still need to factor in costs associated with bringing in a tenet, such as broker fee, up keeping like painting and maintaining the appliances (you will be amazed how some people live), and saving a reserve for non paying tenants. This is on top of being on call for other issues like leaks and other problems not covered by yo...
by hlfo718
Wed Apr 24, 2013 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Share Classes
Replies: 5
Views: 814

Re: Share Classes

25mm is a sizeable amount. You should ask HR about this but many people are clueless about share classes and about their own investments. You may need to educate them yourself and see where it will get you.
by hlfo718
Tue Apr 23, 2013 9:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommendation for Wireless Home Monitoring System
Replies: 6
Views: 1403

Recommendation for Wireless Home Monitoring System

The apartment complex we live in had a couple of break ins recently. Want to install something simple so I can monitor at work. Any recommendation for someone who is not that familiar with IT installation?

I was checking amazon.com and found Foscam. Anyone familiar with this?

Many Thanks
by hlfo718
Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any experience with Good Harbor Financial?
Replies: 11
Views: 4110

Re: Any experience with Good Harbor Financial?

gwrvmd wrote:hlfo 718: You said " If your father insists on following them, have him allocate a portion to the mutual fund"
The mutual fund has an ER of 1.55 and the whole account has a wrap fee of 2% , that is an annual load of 3.55% which is almost impossible to overcome...Gordon
Actually, what I mean is if his father really wants to invest with this firm, instead of having the wrap account just put a small portion in the mutual fund, where the min is 2,500.
by hlfo718
Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any experience with Good Harbor Financial?
Replies: 11
Views: 4110

Re: Any experience with Good Harbor Financial?

Looks like they just started a mutual fund with ER of 1.55, this is on top of the ETFs fees. Their historical returns look great but they weren't audited and don't really know what they were doing to have those returns. If your father insists on using them, have him allocation a portion to the mutual fund.
by hlfo718
Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: iShares Enters Factor Investing Market in a Big Way
Replies: 41
Views: 4820

Re: iShares Enters Factor Investing Market in Big Way

Thanks for the info Rick. Will these be similar to the DFA funds? Northern Trust came out with their Flexshares last year with ER of 0.28%. Wonder how similar iShares will be to the Flexshares.
by hlfo718
Tue Apr 09, 2013 2:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What percentage of stocks beat their index?
Replies: 7
Views: 1067

Re: What percentage of stocks beat their index?

There was a paper by Vanguard about this, google Dispersion! Not Correlation!

In essence, around 2/3 or more of the R1000 stocks out or under performed the index by at least 10%.
by hlfo718
Tue Apr 09, 2013 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: statement on treasury direct?
Replies: 5
Views: 796

Re: statement on treasury direct?

Don't believe they have this option. I have been doing screen prints on the summary.
by hlfo718
Mon Apr 08, 2013 2:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any expats retired in Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore)?
Replies: 2
Views: 876

Any expats retired in Asia (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore)?

Just wondering the cost of living including health insurance and quality of life and care in these countries.

Thanks
by hlfo718
Fri Apr 05, 2013 1:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Diversification and increased returns
Replies: 21
Views: 1412

Re: Diversification and increased returns

Why can't you add all three?
by hlfo718
Wed Apr 03, 2013 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Brokerage accounts identity theft and life savings
Replies: 18
Views: 2938

Re: Brokerage accounts identity theft and life savings

Not sure if your broker can accommodate but some will take your instruction not to send out any funds unless they have received a signed instruction from you and call you to confirm about the transfer. Call your firm to see what they can offer.
by hlfo718
Thu Mar 28, 2013 7:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Pimco Total Return
Replies: 19
Views: 3783

Re: Pimco Total Return

A lot of 401ks have this as an option so is a set it and forget it option. People won't leave unless it blows up.
by hlfo718
Thu Mar 28, 2013 1:02 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fama French for Non US Equities
Replies: 5
Views: 902

Re: Fama French for Non US Equities

Thank you!!!
by hlfo718
Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:02 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fama French for Non US Equities
Replies: 5
Views: 902

Fama French for Non US Equities

Hi,

Any idea where I can find academic research on the 3/4 factor models for non US equities. My colleague mention that she read an article recently about non US small caps added very little to no value in a portfolio, unlike US small cap.

Thanks!
by hlfo718
Thu Mar 28, 2013 9:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do you set your saving goals and find a balance?
Replies: 40
Views: 4040

Re: How do you set your saving goals and find a balance?

When I was 33 I had no plans and was just dumping money into 401k, IRA when in the mood, and some outside investments. I was fortunate that my investments went up by pure luck and accumulated a decent size net worth. But 2008 hit and lost my job but again was lucky to find another one within a month. But ever since then something has changed inside my head. I no longer feel "secure" working for large or small firms. But I still had no action plan. But that changed in 2010 when I somehow found this forum. Ever since then my wife and I track our expenses in detail and set a goal to retire early, or at least have the financial backing to do so if we want to. So we determined to save at least 30-40% of our net pay, not including any b...
by hlfo718
Tue Mar 26, 2013 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What do different classes of a fund mean?
Replies: 11
Views: 1080

Re: What do different classes of a fund mean?

The fund has a 1% 12b-1 fee, which means your planner will receive this fee each and every year. So out of the 2.14% expense, your planner takes about half. And I believe this is a fund of funds that charges additional fee on top of the underlying fund fees.

If this is a new investment, I think he is better off paying the 1% to transfer out but save about 2% in annual fees. Your bro can probably hire a CFP for a lot cheaper cost elsewhere.
by hlfo718
Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:06 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why doesn't this fund have an SEC Yield?
Replies: 10
Views: 1716

Re: Why doesn't this fund have an SEC Yield?

The SEC yield will change every day due to movement of various currencies. But that's just my guess.
by hlfo718
Tue Mar 26, 2013 9:01 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What do different classes of a fund mean?
Replies: 11
Views: 1080

Re: What do different classes of a fund mean?

Diff class = Diff fee structure. Class C has a 1% def load, which means if you redeem before x years you will be charged a fee. There is also a 1% 12b-1 fee, which is why your broker place your bro in this fund. Does the planner charge other fees? If so he/she is dipping twice.

You are better off dropping this fund pay the 1% def load and xfer the account to Vanguard and put the cash in a Vanguard Target Retirement fund where the fees are less than 10% of the JH fund.
by hlfo718
Wed Mar 20, 2013 2:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Largest pension fund considers dumping active management
Replies: 4
Views: 1093

Re: Largest pension fund considers dumping active management

Amazing it took this long to even consider going all passive. Strange thing is they are having consultants do the analysis. Isn't there a conflict of interest since consultants normally pick active managers. If they go all passive, no more income for consultants.
by hlfo718
Wed Mar 20, 2013 12:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are these retirement fees reasonable?
Replies: 7
Views: 952

Re: Are these retirement fees reasonable?

Why don't you ask your HR to do a cost/benefit analysis switching to another 401k vendor like Fidelity and Vanguard? We have Fidelity and the company pays less than 3k a year for 14 people. And Fidelity finally added more index funds to the selection.

If not ask your current provider why you need to pay them a 0.50% fee if you are managing your own money through Schwab and what are they offering for charging 0.50% each and every year? I used to pay $200/year for the PCRA option at another job so at least you are not getting over charged there.
by hlfo718
Wed Mar 20, 2013 9:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: independent fiduciary advisors [Beneficiary rights to info?]
Replies: 5
Views: 643

Re: independent fiduciary advisors [Beneficiary rights to in

I don't quite understand. You are the beneficiary of the trust and if the trustee has hired this independent adv to deal with you, that means he is taking money from the trust to comp this adv. So why wouldn't you have the right to see the accounting and performance of the trust? I work for a trust and we provide every last detail so the beneficiary can see what happened each quarter.
by hlfo718
Wed Mar 20, 2013 8:51 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard buying feature not expected
Replies: 11
Views: 1279

Re: Vanguard buying feature not expected

Can you call Vanguard to cancel an incorrect order?
by hlfo718
Tue Mar 19, 2013 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage payment stubs
Replies: 4
Views: 613

Re: Mortgage payment stubs

You can go online and see the payment history including interest.
by hlfo718
Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: monitor a few people's investments few custodians
Replies: 5
Views: 806

Re: monitor a few people's investments few custodians

I think Mint.com can do so as well.