Search found 243 matches

by skibbi9
Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: This is an amazing story - unguided couple drives the Congo
Replies: 21
Views: 4183

it's a little more crazy than my trip south africa and botswana a couple weeks ago.
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 21, 2011 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: gas prices what are you doing to fight it
Replies: 208
Views: 24698

Babakhani wrote: Actually, what is elitist is all the people who drive an F150 or an Escalade or Suburban who don't need to. How often do you see a huge car with 1 person in it? I bet 90% of the time, they drive like that. Also people going at 80 mph on 55 limited highway. They are consuming unreasonably causing the gas prices to go up for all the people you mentioned.
i'm going to start shifting late to use up "unreasonable" amounts of gas. going 80 in a 55 is not unreasonable
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 21, 2011 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Deleted
Replies: 87
Views: 9266

i was pricing out diesels, I like them better if you're crying about daily costs (over total cost of ownership/ fit and finish, etc)
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are the fees in this unmatched 401(k) too high?
Replies: 10
Views: 1663

i've seen DH used a few times, what does it stand for exactly? (i'm assuming H is for husband)
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 21, 2011 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: This is an amazing story - unguided couple drives the Congo
Replies: 21
Views: 4183

This is an amazing story - unguided couple drives the Congo

Warning: If you start to read this it'll probably take about 3 hours of your time to get through it, and once you start you probably won't be able to stop.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/s ... hp?t=50799

This couple from belgium are driving a lot of the world, they want to drive through the congo, an epic adventure.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 20, 2011 4:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: gas prices what are you doing to fight it
Replies: 208
Views: 24698

eh, my car gets about 22mpg mixed, there's nothing i can do and i don't worry about it too much.

4.499gal /premium when i filled up last wk
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 20, 2011 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: portfolio balancing help
Replies: 29
Views: 2200

bungalow10 wrote:I have another question for all of you...

as I move a portion of my portfolio into bonds (we're looking at about $50,000-$70,000), do I spread that move out over a period of time (similar to dollar-cost averaging), or bite the bullet and do it all at once.

My gut is telling me spread it out, but I'd love to hear other thoughts and suggestions regarding timing.
I think you need to figure out your AA and strategy before even deciding Lump sum vs. DCA.

What bond funds are you looking at? Are you getting TIPS? What type of duration are you looking at? Do you dislike treasuries as much as bill gross (PTTRX Pimco total return which is similar to an intermediate bond is actually holding negative treasuries)
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 20, 2011 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: portfolio balancing help
Replies: 29
Views: 2200

John Bogle has suggested age in bonds == 33% bonds
this fluxed into age -10 as the old golden rule == 23% bonds
PMPT has suggested age in bonds -20 == 13% bonds

and others suggest everything in between.

so holding 11% is still aggressive
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 20, 2011 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retirement Income
Replies: 8
Views: 1655

this is a great plan and people would like infinite independance and ability to leave money to heirs and charity once they're gone.

One thing is you'll need to figure out how RMDs are going to change things over the course of time (depending on what type of accounts you have)
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 20, 2011 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New home build...anything youd want/change/splurge on...
Replies: 95
Views: 15648

Dual headed shower /multi-zone
Closets big enough that your wife won't complain daily.
Sump-pump / Make sure that your basement stays dry. don't know your situation/water table/ not sure how much new houses have problems.


obviously windows/insulation is a priority
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Windstream (TV, internet, phone): $99.99 for life. Really?
Replies: 21
Views: 4264

12Mbps, is about 1.3 megs/sec (which is more than plenty for most) and it looks like their pings are ok, i guess they advertise as a rural provider.

I have no experience with their service
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 19, 2011 4:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio Rebalancing & Funds with Weird Allocations
Replies: 2
Views: 583

I would consider it as 100% bond only. it's got strange holdings at the moment (I think they're leveraged against Treasuries, thus negative cash position) but in general one would expect it to be roughly 100 bond
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oil Change Irritation - UPDATE 4/25 7:29 AM
Replies: 84
Views: 13565

Few things of note: I switched my car to synthetic a few years ago.

1) once you go synthetic you should not go back to regular dino oil.

2) synthetic is more expensive

3) Synthetic generally last longer, usually i go 5-6k w/ no problems

but even at synthetic, you shouldn't be paying more than 40-65 for synthetic (castrol and others seem to be cheaper on the scale, and mobil1 on the high end)

I don't change the oil in my current car because: my buildings garage is not conducive to it and 2, my WRX is a pain in the butt to change the oil (moreso than my previous cars)
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 19, 2011 8:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Net Worth vs Number of Posts on Bogleheads
Replies: 12
Views: 2169

42
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tough Decision: Move or Stay???
Replies: 18
Views: 3674

I would stay right where you are and plead poverty every chance you get until the divorce is final. Nothing is more personal than divorce and your to be x can go ahead and think she is satisfied she has made you live with your parents. Perception is important. Keep paying down your bills as fast as you can IMHO. Better days are coming, I went through the same thing in the early 80's. Life gets better, much better. I agree, I recall your circumstance. Stay home* and plead poverty to everyone, except maybe your providers. Get your divorce finalized ASAP. Save up as much as you can and become debt free. NEVER remarry without a pre-nup. Good luck! great advice :rolleyes: pre-nups are largely useless. he probably had no net worth before the mar...
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: portfolio review
Replies: 8
Views: 1258

we have to know how much you're paying in Expense Ratios "ER"

like a good fund would be paying ~0.5% on PTTRX
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 18, 2011 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: portfolio review
Replies: 8
Views: 1258

how old are you? i don't know why they want to you Pimco real and total at 4% total.

what type of other expenses are you paying? loads?
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 15, 2011 8:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lone Travel Destination Needed Fast!
Replies: 35
Views: 8127

Where have you been? I don't want to suggest places you've been before. You mentioned North America, Europe and Australia. (australia on 9 days is almost a waste)

Europe is still a good idea for 9-10 days, travel time will not kill you, its relative safe, and the weather is fine. I enjoyed Amsterdam for a couple days (rent bikes, see the sights, didn't enjoy boat rides), Spain would be a lot of fun as well.

I just got back from South Africa and Botswana, while you could get the necessary immunizations in time (at this point of the year you just need hep a, typhoid, we didn't go to the delta, so malaria and yellow fever weren't needed) but I also think it would be tough to do SA as a single.
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 14, 2011 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for soon to be investor...
Replies: 4
Views: 854

some of my friends who are doctors have sweet 401k plans (hospitals match 200% (33k))

Since you will make more than 60k you will not be able to contribute to a deductable IRA, and you will make more than the roth limit as well. If you do the research on a backdoor roth you should be able to tax advantage 5k, but you will likely need to move that rollover IRA before you can do that.... it's something to research.
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:01 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Mututal funds/tips for a newbie investor.
Replies: 14
Views: 1630

check on redemption fees, if you got it as a no load, no transaction fee fund, you may have to hold for 90 days in order to not incur a ~$50 fee
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 14, 2011 9:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thank you Bogleheads, what else needs to be done...
Replies: 20
Views: 2798

Are those IRAs regular or Roth? Are you able to contribute to ROTH IRAs? I didn't see any IRA contributions for this year... Seems like you have somewhat limited tax advantaged space.

Overall this looks pretty good, I just noticed off the bat that you have more than twice as much in taxable than tax advantaged.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Minimum requirements for starting the Roth 5-year period
Replies: 7
Views: 868

i thought its 5 years after the contribution.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Quick Asset Allocation Rebalancing Review
Replies: 9
Views: 1350

I think 25% bonds is probably overkill based on his risk tolerance.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: options on where to park $10k?
Replies: 20
Views: 2684

I'm guessing that you're not maxing out your 401k, why not up your contributions for some of it (maybe 5k), and with the rest just go with the 1.3% account (so you still have some access to liquidity)
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: A Newbie and His Wife
Replies: 8
Views: 1722

2a. Should I go Roth or Traditional for my 401k /IRA?
I would go traditional.
he's likely talking about traditional 401k, for IRA you're probably stuck with Roth (as you make too much for deductable IRA)
.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dodge and Cox Funds
Replies: 17
Views: 4406

over the past few years, i've liquidated all my D&C stock for lower ER funds. I found I could save ~ .40% on ER by going Vanguard/Other cheap options.

i'm not sure about international (but it's probably fine) and don't know the balanced fund.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 20 year horizon....want to get it right!
Replies: 7
Views: 929

missing lots of things, is this you and your wifes assets or yours alone? kids?
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 7:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Contributing to 401k as well as traditional IRA
Replies: 7
Views: 1378

mickcris wrote:It most likely doesn't, but check to see if your 401K has a self-directed option. You could then invest in almost any fund you want.
most self directed plans have enough costs that you need a good amount of money to have reasonable expense ratios
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 13, 2011 6:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Zipcar IPO
Replies: 40
Views: 5748

not this forums style. plus the company doesnt generate profit
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 12, 2011 9:36 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you hold actively managed funds at all?
Replies: 44
Views: 5541

Pimco Total Return!
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 12, 2011 8:20 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: money to invest but unsure of how to invest it..
Replies: 3
Views: 952

0.5) [edit] you don't mention an emergency fund? this should be established/(might be the 50k)... this is the money used for... 'emergencies' many people keep 9-12months of expenses in here. many people put these into a high yielding moneymarket/checking account (although not too much yield anywhere. ing/ally/etc) 1) Insurance... the main question is what is the insurance used to protect? In some cases later on there might be tax savings/estate planning, but for now, what are you protecting? At this point you don't have a home loan that would cripple your wife should you die, and you don't have kids. It would probably be smart to look into 10/15/30 yr term life insurance once you're having children. This board tends to dislike whole life (m...
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 11, 2011 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "portfolio" of a friend - seriously
Replies: 11
Views: 2301

is it taxable or is it tax advantaged? (IRA or something?)

Obviously changing it to an appropriate AA is preferable if its tax advantaged, but triggering gains/losses if its a taxable account makes it more tricky
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 403b question
Replies: 2
Views: 399

shouldn't matter (although i'm not sure how a 401a ) many people just do asset allocation on the entire portfolio rather than having to manage and rebalance all the individual pieces.

why so much in REITs?
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: replacing only the front two tires.
Replies: 23
Views: 5870

I strongly suggest checking your owner's manual just in case there are special tire considerations. For example, for my Subaru (which is all wheel drive) I have to replace all 4 tires at once or risk screwing something up. This is true. In the case where you have AWD or 4WD having tires with different wear/sizing (even if its matching type but new vs. worn) can screw up your car.. here's from cartalk: Car Talk: Shortcut on tires will end up being very costly Dear Tom and Ray: I recently had four half-worn snow tires on my '04 Honda CR-V with all-wheel drive. Living in upstate New York, I was driving in snow on back roads much of the time (as a rural letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service). I had the bright idea to buy two new snow tire...
by skibbi9
Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Need to open an IRA - What's the best way to start?
Replies: 24
Views: 3773

how much are you contributing?

Vendor is up to you, many here like vanguard but plenty use other shops. You can invest in whatever you want (mutuals, etfs, stocks). Many here will suggest you form an investment plan and use that space to buy stuff that you can't get (cheaply) through your 401k.
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Oakmark or Vanguard?
Replies: 22
Views: 4993

You can also go the ETF route
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help in the beginning.
Replies: 16
Views: 1850

Math.
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 12:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do FAs ever charge % of yield instead of % of assets?
Replies: 22
Views: 2258

plus deferred payment
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rollover my 401k to IRA or not?
Replies: 9
Views: 2012

I think the new plan is try to get my new employer to get its act together and set up a 401k for us. If that's successful, I'll sell the Contrafund shares and reinvest the proceeds in some cheaper funds. And it sounds like I'd be well advised to open a separate IRA account, and make additional contributions there. Am I correct that I can contribute just $5k per year to an IRA? And that these contributions must be taxed prior to contribution? Thanks again for your insights. yes... kind of Traditional IRA: max 5k, tax deductable if your AGI is below ~60k Roth IRA: max 5k, contributable if your MAGI is below 120k (fully contributable if your MAGI is below ~105k) Non-deducatable traditional: max 5k, many people who earn over 120k are using thi...
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:05 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Inherited $800K. What to do now?
Replies: 52
Views: 7022

jazzy, what if he received 800k in an IRA (and might have to take RMDs but doesn't have to worry about tax efficiency)
by skibbi9
Fri Apr 08, 2011 8:51 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: CAT Bond Fund: Would you buy it?
Replies: 12
Views: 3692

Not a bad product for institutions but I suspect that by the time these bonds find their way to a retail investor the risk is significantly underpriced. Oh, and they're not new. They've been around 10 or 15 years at least. I work in reinsurance. They've been around for about 15 years, but largely unknown and small in issuance until about 5 years ago. Many reinsurers brought in IBanking guys and were looking for yield and accelerating balance sheets, so securitizing risk like CAT bonds has been more of the focus [aside: much of it industry is back to basics after taking a bath in the crash, although Berkshire makes great use of 'free' capital]. CAT bonds can be useful, but you're chasing yield and can have bad returns, but it's generally ba...
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 07, 2011 5:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rollover my 401k to IRA or not?
Replies: 9
Views: 2012

no 401k? are you consulting? you could maybe look into solo 401k?


weird to have no 401k from an employer and make 120k+/yr
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 07, 2011 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Inherited $800K. What to do now?
Replies: 52
Views: 7022

He's also like the third person this month to inherit 800k.

Its like getting $200 for passing go.
by skibbi9
Thu Apr 07, 2011 8:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is my portfolio too conservative?
Replies: 20
Views: 3164

I'm not sure that you want all your bonds in intermediate bonds especially at this point... no ST bonds or TIPS?
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 06, 2011 3:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Best option for Roth 403b when leaving job?
Replies: 9
Views: 2556

I'm not too familar with post employment 403b (if it works like a 401k) then either keep it out there and roll it into your next employment fund or roll it into a Roth or Regular IRA.

Why would you cash out? you'd be paying taxes and penalties.
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Invest in Japan?
Replies: 5
Views: 920

Does it fit your AA and IP?
by skibbi9
Wed Apr 06, 2011 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Time to Invest. Need Advise.
Replies: 3
Views: 696

It would help to add: How much you contribute to your 401k/yr. It looks like you have no IRA/Roth.

Now, depending on your MAGI you may be able to Roth or might have to back door, but many people will come and suggest you maximize your money in tax advantaged space... this will be (if you don't max out your 16.5k in 401k to max that, it'll also be to fund IRA (roth or backdoor roth at your income level)

What funds and expense ratios are in your 401k menu?
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 05, 2011 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: About to Purchase Roth IRA - thanks in advance
Replies: 28
Views: 3339

You won't be able to invest in roth's. your income is too high. You can backdoor roth the 10k but you should read up on that first.


Pay off debt first
by skibbi9
Tue Apr 05, 2011 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Inherited a sizable sum - what should I do?
Replies: 113
Views: 18617

dude hasn't been back at all.
by skibbi9
Tue Mar 08, 2011 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Please help incorporate my new job 401k into my inv strategy
Replies: 5
Views: 1314

likely agree.

I find it strange that your 401k w/ jpmorgan has better smartretirement expenses than my companies plan with them :evil:

PRRIX isn't a bad fund either at some point, I think its short term-TIPSish, if you need more diversification at some point.


How much is the company match?