Search found 242 matches

by Milo
Thu Sep 29, 2022 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite music from the 90s?
Replies: 76
Views: 6105

Re: Favorite music from the 90s?

For those who liked 90's dance music, might I suggest the Pentatonix 90's Dance Medley on youtube? It's a fun few minutes.

Also, my apologies for off topic, but since Jeff Buckley's version of "Hallelujah" has been mentioned, I would like to suggest Pentatonix' version with over 600 million and counting youtube views. If you watch it go with the official version where they're just walking through the desert.
by Milo
Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202486

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

Thanks. So, it's a bird in the hand vs. two in the bush kind of decision. :happy
by Milo
Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:45 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1202486

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

I don't understand why I would want to buy an I-Bond in April at 7.xx% and earn at that rate for 6 months, instead of waiting until May and buying at 9.xx% and earning that for the first 6 months. Couldn't I just wait until next month?
by Milo
Mon Apr 04, 2022 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Starting a Portfolio at 40 years old
Replies: 25
Views: 3219

Re: Starting a Portfolio at 40 years old

It's a Roth IRA. I don't understand why you're limited to what mutual funds you can use in it. Unless it's some kind of company Roth. And I don't understand why you are considering putting your Bonds outside the Roth in a taxable account. Bonds generate the most taxable returns. You should want to put those inside the Roth IRA I would think.

My recommendation:

Roth IRA: Total U.S. Stock Market - 60% Each year fill the Roth up. Currently maxes at $6,000
Total Int'l Stock Market - 20%
Total Bond Market - 20%

Taxable: I Bonds - Up to $10,000 per year. Penalty for early withdrawal. No penalty after 5 years.
After or while maxing out your Roth IRA.
by Milo
Sun Apr 03, 2022 4:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Popcorn Mastery
Replies: 155
Views: 15506

Re: Popcorn Mastery

Anybody tried Tony Chachere's Lite Creole Seasoning with any of your popping methods? I prefer the Lite version because the Regular version is pretty salty. They also have a couple of spicier versions that I haven't tried yet.
by Milo
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Positive, uplifting Youtube channels?
Replies: 53
Views: 4639

Re: Positive, uplifting Youtube channels?

Well, if it's uplift you want, SFIA has an entire episode on literal uplift . ETA: More seriously, YouTube built around showing you things that you are personally very interested in. I linked SFIA because I'm interested in science & futurism, and, yes, he gives you very good reasons to be optimistic about the future. If you're mostly interested in police chases, natural disasters, crime, and politics, well... that's what's going to show up on your feed. The latest channel I'm thoroughly addicted to? The Charismatic Voice - a professional opera singer offering her first reactions & vocal analysis of various songs (including a lot of heavy metal, which I'd previously never enjoyed; still not my thing, but it gave me a better respect ...
by Milo
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Positive, uplifting Youtube channels?
Replies: 53
Views: 4639

Re: Positive, uplifting Youtube channels?

Pentatonix - a five person A Capella group. They are fascinating. Mesmerizing. Beautifully harmonizing. Positive and uplifting. I believe they have a YouTube channel (I believe they have 29 million subscribers). But I simply do a search on YouTube for their videos. If you've never heard of them or watched their videos I highly recommend them. Ten years ago they won an a capella television competition called "Sing Off". At the time the core 3 of their group were 19 years old and met in the same high school in Texas. All 10-12 of those "Sing Off" performances are on YouTube. Since then might I suggest: Hallelujah The Sound of Silence Bohemian Rhapsody The Prayer Daft Punk Gold (Kiiara cover) Come Along Shallow (from A Star...
by Milo
Mon Dec 21, 2020 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to provide IRS with banking info
Replies: 12
Views: 1675

How to provide IRS with banking info

Okay. So here we are. Round 2 of the stimulus checks. Last time I was unable to figure out how to get my banking info to the IRS using their online tool. Apparently if you use tax filing software like TurboTax they use some middleman bank to process returns that gums up the works. Did anyone else use TurboTax or other tax filing software and run in to problems with their last stimulus check? How did you get your banking info to the IRS?

I eventually got a paper check. But had to wait an additional month.
by Milo
Sun Sep 15, 2019 3:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are TIPS really a good inflation hedge? Pros and Cons
Replies: 164
Views: 17555

Re: Are TIPS really a good inflation hedge? Pros and Cons

Perhaps this is why Vanguard has changed its Target Retirement funds' allocations from holding TIPS to holding ST TIPS.
by Milo
Thu Feb 14, 2019 4:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard "secret" funds
Replies: 35
Views: 8426

Re: Vanguard "secret" funds

I'm taking the rest of it with a grain of salt. But I just had to ask....is this true?


"Indexing giant Vanguard has raked in more money in the last three years than all the other mutual fund companies combined."
by Milo
Sat Jun 09, 2018 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to help with home loan downpayment?
Replies: 3
Views: 604

How to help with home loan downpayment?

My son is selling his old house and buying a new one due to a new job unexpectedly opening in another city. He is closing on the new one two weeks before closing the sale on the old one. So his new home downpayment is tied up in his old home. He has some personal savings but is still short about $18,000 on making the necessary 20% downpayment. He's currently looking at various ways to come up with the money short term. I've never owned a home in my life. But I've offered to loan him the money and he can pay me back when his old home closes. I don't know if that would be his best option. I was wondering if someone would be willing to suggest to me the best way to go about this without running afoul of the IRS. Do I need to come up with some ...
by Milo
Thu Apr 19, 2018 12:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689827

Re: Netflix, Your Current Favorite Show

I too recommend "Godless". It was a pleasant surprise to me since I like good old-timey westerns. And at 7-8 hours in length, very binge-able.

I haven't gone through the entire thread but I recommend "Heartland" if no one else has yet. It's a good watch-with-your-entire-family show. It centers around a teenage girl who's a bit of a horse whisperer, Amy Fleming. The Fleming family lives on a ranch in Alberta and the scenery is all horses running through rolling pastures, cows, trees and snow capped Rocky Mountains in the background. Some shows are just perfect for modern wide screen televisions. I think this is one. There are currently 9 seasons of 18 one hour episodes on Netflix. Plenty of content.
by Milo
Thu Mar 08, 2018 6:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How Amazon Can Blow Up Asset Management
Replies: 31
Views: 6593

Re: How Amazon Can Blow Up Asset Management

At the time, I didn't think Amazon won their war against the major publishers. A year or two after the settlement a large percentage of bestsellers were priced as "set by publisher". Cheap Kindle books disappeared because of publishers, not Amazon, imho.

My biggest problem with Kindle books however is that when a novel goes to paperback the Kindle price doesn't move down accordingly. Thus the paperback can be bought more cheaply than the Kindle version. Which doesn't seem logical to me. I think at the least the Kindle price should match the paperback price at that point.
by Milo
Sat Dec 30, 2017 11:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Could someone explain fees to me?
Replies: 10
Views: 1640

Re: Could someone explain fees to me?

Thanks, gostars. That was pretty funny. And amazingly timely and spot on given our family's discussion on the subject last night.
by Milo
Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Could someone explain fees to me?
Replies: 10
Views: 1640

Re: Could someone explain fees to me?

The employer does offer a 2% match. When we saw the Lifecycle funds were 1.7% we started looking at other individual funds offered in the hopes of building a portfolio with those. That's how we found the Vanguard SCV Index fund. We found an S&P 500 Index fund and a Mid-Cap index fund also I believe around 1.35%. The only international option was Dodge & Cox non-index. Not sure of its ER. I didn't see anything that looked like a bond fund to me though surely there was something there. But not bond index. I finally told her that it looked to me like the best option if she decided to go with the 401k to get the matching funds would be to go all domestic stocks with the S&P 500 Index, the Mid-Cap Index and the SCV Index in some comb...
by Milo
Sat Dec 30, 2017 12:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Could someone explain fees to me?
Replies: 10
Views: 1640

Re: Could someone explain fees to me?

Thanks, livesoft. So it sounds like fees sort of operate in a negative way to the way of interest compounding daily in a savings account?
by Milo
Sat Dec 30, 2017 10:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Could someone explain fees to me?
Replies: 10
Views: 1640

Could someone explain fees to me?

My son's girlfriend is just starting considering investing in her 401k at her new work. We were looking at her options all offered by John Hancock. Ridiculous fees. The Lifecycle funds were around 1.7%. We even saw a Vanguard Small Cap Value Fund with a fee of 1.35%. So naturally she wanted me to explain to her what these fees were and how they worked. I realized that all I really understood about fees was from the Bogleheads philosophy of trying to capture the performance of the stock market minus fees. And that low fees help you do this. High fees were bad. But I couldn't explain to her how a company like Vanguard took fees from my account. The math involved. Or when they did it. I've never noticed it being done. Just assumed it was. Coul...
by Milo
Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Receiving unexpected SMS security codes
Replies: 7
Views: 2500

Re: Receiving unexpected SMS security codes

I just talked with Vanguard. No one has tried to access my account. He said that since the security codes come to my personal phone no one else can use them to log in. Not sure what the YubiKey is for then. And if someone did succeed in logging in they couldn't change my bank to their bank without talking to someone on the phone or filling out paperwork that has to be notarized and sending it in. I've also had him lock access to my account to this computer and only this computer. I didn't even know I could do that. Finally, I think I'll use this scare to motivate me to change my password. I'm still using a password I set up when Vanguard only allowed 8 or 10 character passwords using only letters and numbers. It has occurred to me that in o...
by Milo
Thu Dec 21, 2017 12:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Receiving unexpected SMS security codes
Replies: 7
Views: 2500

Receiving unexpected SMS security codes

I've just received two, six-digit verification codes on my phone. They look just like the codes Vanguard sends. I use YubiKey these days to verify my identity on sign-in. Should I be worried?

Edit: I've just received a third. I believe I've answered my own question. I think I'm watching attempts being made to hack something. Could be Vanguard. Could be one of my banks.

Vanguard suggests if I suspect fraud that I should change all user names, passwords and security questions, scan my computer for viruses and malware, notify all three credit bureaus. That's going to take an entire afternoon at least.
by Milo
Tue Nov 14, 2017 9:41 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 3 fund Portfolio vs Multiple funds
Replies: 11
Views: 26936

Re: 3 fund Portfolio vs Multiple funds

Also, Lazy Portfolios: https://www.marketwatch.com/lazyportfolio (click the portfolio name to see the Vanguard funds each holds). Hah! I just followed this link and clicked on the "Second Grader's Starter" portfolio link. And it's pretty much the classic three fund portfolio. It actually uses the exact allocations that I use. And is close to Vanguard's Target Retirement Fund allocations. It's kind of humbling that after all my angst over picking my portfolio, all the research I did including this forum, I wound up with something referred to as the "Second Grader's Starter" portfolio. On a related note, I can see why people recommending the "Three Fund Portfolio" choose to call it that rather than "Second ...
by Milo
Fri Nov 10, 2017 1:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Yahoo Finance no longer works - Alternatives to download securities quotes]
Replies: 294
Views: 76185

Re: How to Get Stock Quotes Into Excel

I use an app that I got from the Office Store called "Stock Connector". It is currently down because of the Yahoo Finance thing. But the author has left a note saying he's found an alternate source and will incorporate it into his app shortly.
by Milo
Mon Oct 16, 2017 9:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Encryption flawed in some Yubikey models
Replies: 6
Views: 1568

Encryption flawed in some Yubikey models

Someone else may have already spotted and posted this. But I just came across it and have seen in the past that quite a few Bogleheads use Yubikey to access their Vanguard accounts. Not all models are affected.

https://www.yubico.com/keycheck/
by Milo
Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Social Security announces 2.0% benefit increase for 2018]
Replies: 26
Views: 4488

Re: Social Security Administration COLA

Seems like the cure for that would be to consider any increase in the Medicare Premium to be a cost of living increase and add it to the COLA. So the final COLA would = Medicare Premium increase + 2%. But I guess we're pretty sure that won't happen.
by Milo
Sat Oct 14, 2017 6:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How much international stock? A suggestion.
Replies: 754
Views: 163441

Re: How much international stock? A suggestion.

When I was setting up my portfolio and deciding my allocations I considered the range of 20% to 40% International equities. I decided completely arbitrarily to go with a 2/1 ratio of Domestic U.S./International. It may perform better than or worse than 20% or 40% and that won't bother me. I realized I really couldn't pick a winner with certainty. So I went with an allocation that allows me to look at my spreadsheet and easily see if I have twice as much Total Stock Market as I do International Total Stock market. It makes recognizing a need to rebalance very easy. My allocation decision for equities was that simple and almost completely unrelated to considerations of performance. Since trying to figure out future performance just hurts my h...
by Milo
Sat Oct 14, 2017 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Social Security announces 2.0% benefit increase for 2018]
Replies: 26
Views: 4488

Social Security Administration COLA

http://www.msn.com/en-us/money/retireme ... li=BBnb7Kz


"Millions of Social Security recipients and other retirees will get a 2 percent increase in benefits next year. It's the largest increase since 2012 but comes to only $25 a month for the average beneficiary.

The Social Security Administration announced the cost--of-living increase Friday."

[merged Milo's topic and its replies into this existing thread - moderator prudent]
by Milo
Mon Oct 09, 2017 11:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066393

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

Blade Runner 2049 . I thought it was absolutely stunning, one of my favorites of the year along with Logan and John Wick: Chapter 2 . See it on the biggest screen you can find. It expands on the themes from the original in fascinating ways (what does it mean to be human/have rights, what does it mean to have a soul, relationships between creators and creations). I recommend rewatching the original and reading about the Deckard theories if you haven't seen the original in a while. +1 What a brilliant film. You have to see the original Blade Runner. My favorite movie of the year. The soundtrack is amazing. It's long and not alot of action but it doesn't need action. Such a beautiful film. I also recommend seeing the first Blade Runner: The F...
by Milo
Mon Jul 10, 2017 10:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: any way to eat healthier at Subway (or any other quick lunch ideas)
Replies: 102
Views: 8515

Re: any way to eat healthier at Subway (or any other quick lunch ideas)

moghopper wrote:
Milo wrote: Cancer aside, you should also be aware that deli meat has a lot of sodium. Maybe half your recommended allowance. I'd be more concerned about heart problems from eating deli meat than cancer. I eat low sodium deli turkey.
There seems to be some contention over this recently with both sides arguing with one another. But more than one study has come out casting doubt on sodium's role.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 124909.htm
Man, I wish these "experts" would just decide already! :)
by Milo
Sun Jul 09, 2017 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: any way to eat healthier at Subway (or any other quick lunch ideas)
Replies: 102
Views: 8515

Re: any way to eat healthier at Subway (or any other quick lunch ideas)

The referenced article is a little misleading in my opinion. As most articles of this type are. It throws out the statistic that eating processed meats has been proven to increase your likelihood of getting colorectal cancer 18%. Then it goes on to say that the actual risk of developing the cancer over a lifetime is 5% and if you eat processed meats it's almost 6%. Articles like this throw out the big numbers first and then hide the smaller numbers in the following paragraphs. What if the article had said 1% and 2% ? Then the increased likelihood would have been almost 100%. Now that would have been scary. Except.....2%. My point is 18% isn't what you should be focusing on. I say eat deli meat if you want and live with the knowledge that yo...
by Milo
Mon Jun 26, 2017 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Which High-Yield Online Savings Account Should I Open?
Replies: 72
Views: 16671

Re: Which High-Yield Online Savings Account Should I Open?

The Ally 11 month No Penalty CD also offers a second tier of 1.25% with a minimum of $5,000 for those interested. Isn't this CD basically a savings account after the initial 6 days?
by Milo
Mon Jun 26, 2017 9:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Expense ratio vs. SEC yield in PMM
Replies: 2
Views: 459

Re: Expense ratio vs. SEC yield in PMM

Thanks. That was a brain itch that needed scratching. :D

It also helps me when deciding when/if I want to transfer money from a savings account like Ally's into Prime Money Market. I now know what to compare. I don't have $25,000 in Ally right now so I can't get the 1.50% deal. I could move money from PMM to Ally but that feels like I'd be going in reverse of my plans.
by Milo
Mon Jun 26, 2017 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Expense ratio vs. SEC yield in PMM
Replies: 2
Views: 459

Expense ratio vs. SEC yield in PMM

Okay not knowing the answer to this question has bugged me for some time. And I figured with the Prime Money Market SEC yield moving upward and the occasional topic on the subject in this forum now is the time to ask. The current SEC yield is 1.05% and the Expense Ratio is 0.16%. Does this mean I'm earning 1.05% or that I'm earning 1.05 - 0.16 = 0.89% ? I apologize if I didn't pick the right topic category for this question.
by Milo
Thu Aug 18, 2016 10:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early Roth withdrawal for home buying
Replies: 4
Views: 604

Re: Early Roth withdrawal for home buying

alfaspider wrote:
Milo wrote:I told him that I thought since 2008, banks are reluctant to hand out a mortgage loan without at least 20% down.
You don't need to put down 20% these days. I put 10% down on my house back in 2013. His bigger problem is going to be work history- they usually want to see at least 2 years in your current career. An FHA loan (3.5% down) may be an option.

Thanks for the down payment information. And thanks for pointing out the work history. I hadn't considered that.
by Milo
Thu Aug 18, 2016 10:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early Roth withdrawal for home buying
Replies: 4
Views: 604

Re: Early Roth withdrawal for home buying

We are going there Monday for his HR processing and to scope out the area. I've advised him if at all possible to look into renting the first year, apartments may be slim in the area, but he says he's heard talk of some housing rentals, which of course would be more expensive than what he needs if he's just going to rent. All rentals will be more expensive this fall since they are going into a refueling outage and the area will be flooded with additional workers. I've also advised him to ask HR or anyone else at the plant for advice, there also may be people who are leaving looking to sell, or may have already left. His girlfriend also has a friend that works at the plant and has purchased a house so we plan to enlist his assistance. Unfort...
by Milo
Thu Aug 18, 2016 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early Roth withdrawal for home buying
Replies: 4
Views: 604

Early Roth withdrawal for home buying

My son has just accepted his first job at a nuclear power plant. They tend to put these things out in the middle of nowhere. So his options for housing/renting are limited. Small communities all around. Because of this he's looking to buy a house. The problem is since this is his first real job he has no down payment. I told him that I thought since 2008, banks are reluctant to hand out a mortgage loan without at least 20% down. He does however have a Roth IRA. We've had the talk about how you shouldn't use your retirement fund to pay for your house. But I think this is a possible exception to that. The problem I'm having is that I've gone to the IRA website and I'm still not sure of the tax implications for him if he decides to take money ...
by Milo
Thu Sep 18, 2014 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Replies: 11037
Views: 2066393

Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?

For those who like action movies and have Netflix: 1. "The Numbers Station" starring John Cusack 2. "Grosse Pointe Blank" starring John Cusack 3. "Homefront" starring Jason Statham 4. "Safe" starring Jason Statham 5. "Jack Reacher" starring Tom Cruise , watched it 2 or 3 times, don't know why, good movie, don't like him, almost didn't watch it. 6. "The Last Stand" starring Awwwwnold 7. "Parker" starring Jason Statham and Jennifer Lopez, a retelling of the Mel Gibson movie 8. "Erased" starring Aaron Eckhart 9. "Shooter" starring Mark Wahlberg That's enough I guess. :happy I've given all these 4 or 5 stars on Netflix. Netflix' suggestions algorithm is gr...
by Milo
Thu Sep 18, 2014 9:03 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to best adjust asset allocation as years pass
Replies: 21
Views: 3684

Re: How to best adjust asset allocation as years pass

Age - x in bonds has investors making too many portfolio changes too early IMO. I've never understood why a 25 or 35 or even 45 year old investor needs to be selling stocks to buy bonds. Is this to reduce risk before retirement? That's still 20-40 years away! Just find an allocation you like and stick with it. :beer "Age - x" in bonds is recommended a lot and is I'm sure appropriate for some people. But when I look at Vanguard's Lifestrategy Funds and Target Retirement Funds I have to agree with you. Those funds are all geared towards taking an investor through to their retirement years and beyond. And they all start out the same way then of course deviate later. The first 20 years they maintain a steady asset allocation. Then ab...
by Milo
Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need advice on which tablet to buy
Replies: 44
Views: 5165

Re: Need advice on which tablet to buy

Amazon just announced a 6" Fire HD tablet for $99. Front and back cameras! http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00KC6I06S/ref=br_imp_ara-1?_encoding=UTF8&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=gateway-center-column&pf_rd_r=04NXW8X91DH05E5EH4G6&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1924735102&pf_rd_i=507846 I logged in just to make a similar comment. Notice at the top of the page for that link above that Amazon has upgraded or just added new versions of the Kindles/Fires. The 8.9 in. is newer, the base Kindle is newer, the upgrade above that has an e-ink resolution of over 300 ppi among other things, and I can't help but think that parents might be interested in the warranty on the new children's Kindle. Two years, no questions asked...
by Milo
Sat Jul 26, 2014 11:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund prices]
Replies: 15
Views: 4241

Re: Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund pric

Thanks to everyone that's taken the time to help me with this. I can't get the Extension Manager to install GetQuotes. I'm not getting the results the Installation Guide says I should be getting. ie. What shows up on my screen is not what they say it should be. I've entered a software nightmare and I'm tired of fighting it. I have a perfectly good Excel spreadsheet that's functioning perfectly. Continuing to struggle with LibreOffice and GetQuotes isn't worth it to me. I get no pleasure from this. I'm done with them both. I haven't slept all night (unrelated to this) and I'm tired and frustrated and I'm going to set it aside. Life is too short to put myself through more software angst. But I do want you all to know I appreciate your replies...
by Milo
Sat Jul 26, 2014 10:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund prices]
Replies: 15
Views: 4241

Re: Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund pric

Thanks, LadyGeek. I tried to pick the right topic category. But guessed wrong I suppose. And the change in topic title does more clearly show what I'm trying to get at. Appreciate the help.

Opus
by Milo
Sat Jul 26, 2014 9:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund prices]
Replies: 15
Views: 4241

Experimenting with LibreOffice Calc [Importing fund prices]

I'm spending the morning trying to see if I can change my portfolio spreadsheet from Excel to LibreOffice Calc. I've run into a problem that I can't figure out how to solve and hoped someone with experience with Calc could help. My Excel spreadsheet is set up to import and update my mutual fund prices from MSN MoneyCentral. That was easy to set up because Microsoft provides a link in Excel to do so. I don't know how to get Calc to perform a similar function. It doesn't have to import the prices from MSN MoneyCentral. I just need it to import that information from somewhere so I won't have to manually update the fund prices. Which would be a hassle.

Help?
by Milo
Sun Jul 20, 2014 11:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: POLL: Do you have a dedicated REIT allocation?
Replies: 123
Views: 13209

Re: POLL: Do you have a dedicated REIT allocation?

My thinking since beginning reading this topic discussion (possible sarcasm, not sure): 1) I don't own REITS because I don't really understand them. Don't think I'll ever own them. 2) Wow, over 50% of very knowledgeable forum members own REITS. Maybe I need to reconsider. 3) Okay, someone is pointing out that a small allocation to REITS won't make that big a difference. Maybe I'll reconsider. 4) Now someone is putting up charts proving I should buy REITS. Maybe I should reconsider. 5) Okay, REITS are overvalued. Guess I won't buy them. Bad time to do so anyway. 6) Wait, now someone is saying that they're not really all that overvalued after all. So maybe I should consider buying. 7) But I don't have REITS in my investment plan. Stay the Cou...
by Milo
Tue Jul 01, 2014 12:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Best way to start building wealth as a teenager
Replies: 28
Views: 6902

Re: Best way to start building wealth as a teenager

The best way to begin building wealth as a teenager is to invest in yourself. Are you planning to go to college or a trade school when you graduate? How are your grades? Your junior year is when you get with your school counselor and start building a relationship, looking for schools, scholarships, making plans. Don't wait until your senior year. As far as your money goes. Here's my recommendation. If you plan to go to college or trade school, your investment time horizon is too short for stock or bond investments. There's too much risk of losing part of your investment and not having time to earn it back before you'll need it. I'd get online and look at Ally Bank. They've got good rates on a savings account and an interesting variable inte...
by Milo
Tue Jun 17, 2014 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract
Replies: 100
Views: 10533

Re: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract

Just to add a few tidbits to this (I really don't have much to add that you didn't cover) Thank you, protagonist, for further clarifications. Question to all. I will be revamping my telecommunications in a couple months, to coincide with the retirement and a move. I will probably experiment with more than one service before I make the final choice. Do all changes between service providers require changing the telephone number? Is the phone number a major barrier to experimenting? Victoria I don't know enough to say with certainty that all service providers will port your phone number. But I do believe all the ones mentioned in this thread will allow you to keep your number when you transfer service. Whichever service provider you decide to...
by Milo
Mon Jun 16, 2014 12:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Budgets - record expense when incurred or paid?
Replies: 15
Views: 2311

Re: Budgets - record expense when incurred or paid?

It's good to know I'm not alone in struggling with this. Credit cards drive me nuts. Do I record the expense when I make the purchase? Do I record it when my credit card processes it and it shows up on my online statement? Do I record it on the date the money actually leaves my checking account to pay my credit card balance? Or do I record it when that money actually pays off the credit card balance? I decided that as long as I was consistent everything would work out fine for what I need my budget to do. I realized that when I pay cash for a purchase I record the expense that day. There really is no other option. So for me, for consistency's sake, I record my credit card purchases on the day of the purchase. I treat the expense as money th...
by Milo
Sat Jun 14, 2014 7:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract
Replies: 100
Views: 10533

Re: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract

I did a chat with H2O wireless and was told that the cost of the $30 plan (unlimited talk, text, 500 Mb) is $30 with no taxes or fees added when you pay via credit or debit card. You get a 10% discount if you set up autopay, so this would be a little cheaper than AirVoice. You can also buy refill cards at Target I noticed, but the $30 plan refill cost $35 there, so you'd be better off to sign up at their website. Was told it uses the prepaid AT&T network, so voice and data coverage should be the same as AirVoice. Their coverage map shows no 4G-LTE (up to 4G, which I think is actually HSPA+ same as AirVoice). If I decide to switch back from Consumer Cellular, I might give them a whirl. Whoops. Actually I see that the item at Target incl...
by Milo
Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract
Replies: 100
Views: 10533

Re: What smartphone plan do you use?- off contract

I just checked the H2O Wireless $30 plan. The cost does not include taxes and fees according to the lady I online chatted with.

Edit: I currently use the cheapest AT&T GoPhone plan. It's $25 for 250 talk minutes and unlimited texting. No data. But I find that wifi is available most places I go. So I turned off my cellular data about 2 months after I got my phone. I was always afraid I'd go over my 250 MB limit so I never used it anyway.
by Milo
Sat Jun 14, 2014 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard IRAs - min. monthly contribution for each fund
Replies: 19
Views: 1628

Re: Vanguard IRAs - min. monthly contribution for each fund

Vanguard doesn't require a minimum monthly contribution. They do require a minimum amount to open a fund, usually $1,000 or $3,000. And then once you've opened the fund they require a minimum purchase of $100 for each fund whenever you want to make the purchase. Some people purchase once a year when they rebalance. Some purchase quarterly or monthly. But there's no getting around the requirement that each time you make a purchase of shares of a fund it has to be at least $100. Now if I may make a suggestion. Have you tried thinking of your two separate Roth IRA's as a single portfolio? By that I mean, have you considered putting your small cap value fund in one Roth account and your REIT fund in the other account? That way you won't have to...
by Milo
Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Virus came on my computer---how do I avoid repeat?
Replies: 49
Views: 6030

I suppose the point I keep trying to make is kind of nuanced and I'm just not good at explaining myself. But I'll try again. The problem I have is that every time a security problem with Windows comes up someone from the Apple world pops up and someone from the Linux world pops up. And they're both saying switch to my operating system. Implying that somehow that will make them safe. It may make them safer, I don't know for sure about that. But is will not make them safe. I can't prove it but I suspect their are a ton of people out there with infected computers that believe they are safe because they bought Apple or someone talked them into installing Linux on their computer and told them it was better. And they don't even bother to run viru...
by Milo
Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Virus came on my computer---how do I avoid repeat?
Replies: 49
Views: 6030

Linux and Apple OS X are operating systems. They connect to the internet with a browser. They are vulnerable. Do not for one minute fool yourself into thinking otherwise. To me the discussion on whether they are more or less vulnerable than Windows is a moot point. They are vulnerable. I disagree that it's a moot point, because you have to combine vulnerability with likelihood to make a full risk assessment. Just because two things are both possible it doesn't necessarily mean they're equally probable. I'm just as "vulnerable" walking down the street in Bowlegs, OK as I am walking down the street in Detroit, MI. In theory, there's nothing that makes a mugging any less possible in one place than the other. It could happen in eithe...