Search found 1218 matches

by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to do?? [Vanguard warning about closing account for calling too frequently]
Replies: 74
Views: 6807

Re: What to do?? [Vanguard warning about closing account for calling too frequently]

go2 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:01 pm
On March 1, 2024, I received a letter stating that Vanguard will close my account if I don’t stop calling. Has anyone received this kind of letter?
Sure it wasn't a scam ? Sounds fishy to me.
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

CFM300 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:45 am What type of skiing and how often and how long are you doing these other sports?
Downhill skiing. I practice my sports a lot. Like many hours a week :-)
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

jkhayc wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:58 am 6.5 minute miles for a 47 year old doing less than an hour of running a week is way too fast. That is advanced+ 5k pace at that age while 1 hr/week of running doesn't even qualify as a beginner. https://runninglevel.com/running-times/5k-times
I checked out that link and plugged in my numbers for fastest 5k on treadmill and it said I was intermediate. But that is intermediate compared to runners. Compared to the general population it is probably elite+. So that is why I struggle understanding how much to workout before you get diminishing returns?
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

You're getting generic (and arguably bad) advice because there are not clear goals. "Maximize fitness and build muscle" is fine, but to what end? You're not going to just get indefinitely faster and stronger - at some point, you have to have some goal and focus. Otherwise you plateau (or just go into maintenance, which is where you are) Goal is mainly about fitness and being strong enough to prevent injuries in other sports I do ( like skiing and squash )... 45 minutes 3X a week is my limit for now. And I find it hard to separate the running and weights as I find running too boring and difficult. Even at 6 mph pace I can't concentrate on a YouTube video. It is is just too taxing. I constantly stare at the timer during the whole r...
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

bouncyboglehead wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:29 am To get faster at racing anything that's not a sprint, you want to run 80% of your miles slow and 20% fast. That's because your body and mind have a hard time running fast 100% of the time.
How slow is slow? In my case if 9 mph is my peak for 0.5 miles. Would slow be 6, 7 or 8?

bouncyboglehead wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:29 am Hard to say it and I know you don't want to believe it, but you gotta spend more than 2 hours per week if you want to keep getting faster. You're probably barely meeting the minimum exercise guidelines recommended right now.
For now I am not interested in becoming an elite athlete. Just want to get the most bang for the buck in 2+ hours a week of training. If I start seeing some better results maybe I will get motivated to train more hours. But step by step.
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

Mr. Rumples wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:45 am I'm the old man lifting weights; as noted above, the 40's are not the teens - wait until you turn 65 and 70! After a recovery week give a week of working out in increasing intensity to get back up to where you were. The body is forming new muscle during that week off and it needs to adapt.
How often do you take recovery weeks? I generally don't unless I am forced too due to illness..
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

one_speed wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 5:57 am But I have found separating running from lifting to be helpful.
I used to separate them, but thought it would be more efficient time-wise to combine them. The running serves as a warm up for the weights , and the rest between interval running I use to lift weights.
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

I can't speak to the weight lifting side of things, but for the running, you are running way too fast for the volume of running you are doing. Running is an activity that requires a significant amount of base volume before you can tolerate speed. This is all the more true as you age. You are attempting to run at 6.5-7 minutes per mile which again, is very fast for your age and volume level. The fact that you are sore after every workout is your body telling you exactly this. Listen to it. It's difficult to make a huge change in fitness in a bit over 2 hours a week. Others have asked what the goal is which you haven't really answered, but you'd have much better results if you simply ran easy (9-10 min/mile) for 45 minutes twice a week and t...
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

h82goslw wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:55 am Have you done any research to verify this type of training will achieve the goals you’re looking for?
That's what this post is :D
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

Ultrarunner wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:10 am That’s a pretty decent pace. I’m 47 as well and can run longer but can’t keep up the paces I used too. However, in general in order to get faster you need to train faster. Look up some track workouts like some 400m and 200m speed work instead of just 800s. Do those faster. I’d do 1 of my workouts a week with less overall distance but a much faster pace. I’d also go slower 1 time a week and run a much longer distance to build endurance and aerobic capacity.
This is a good idea for me try. I will try some shorter 1/4 mile intervals at higher pace ( 9-10 mph ) and maybe once a week a longer 45 minute run at a slower pace like 6-7 mph.
by knightrider
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

KBR wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:42 pm Do you mean you are running 9 mph or do you mean you are running a nine minute mile? 15 mph was thought to be a speed that humans were incapable of until the modern era. I know that’s faster than 9 mph but 9 mph is extremely fast.
Running 9 mph.
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

beardsicles wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:39 pm You’re not going to get stronger or faster with 45 minutes 3x a week unless you’re lifting heavy weights or doing really well-thought out intervals.
Bummer. Was under the impression this workout would get me stronger and faster. 25 years ago I did this similar workout and found myself running faster and lifting heavier weights each week. Do you say this because of my age? If so, can you elaborate more on "well-thought out intervals"?
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

stan1 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:37 pm What is your goal? Be healthy? Lose weight? Run marathon? Run sprints? Build muscle?
Increase fitness and build muscle. Would like to keep upping the speed of the treadmill every week or so. But maybe 8.5/9.0 mph is the limit for my age and doing this just 3X week??
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

edge wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:31 pm You need a more variable workout. I also don’t understand the mixing of sprinting and weight training. What are you trying to accomplish?

You appear to be over-training and training inefficiently to the point where you cannot build muscle.
I don't have patience and stamina to run the full 3 miles first then do the weights. So I thought a more clever way is to break it up into 6 intervals and do the weights in between each interval. That way I am done and out in 45 minutes.. If this is "over-training" , how should I make it less demanding? Don't want to go over 45 minutes 3X a week.
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

beardsicles wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:16 pm
Just run five miles and then do weights. The routine you’re doing won’t be effective for much. You need leg and core work too.
Unfortunately five miles will make my workout too long . I am looking for best bang for the buck doing only 45 minutes 3X a week.. I also find running incredibly boring so can't handle more than 3 miles straight. I've tried podcasts and such, but it just makes the running harder as I try and focus on both.

Can you elaborate on the leg and core work? Is that something I can do instead of bench press and pull ups?
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

beardsicles wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:16 pm
But uh, I’m not sure why you expect to get better doing the same thing?
Guess I was under the impression running any amount in and itself would make you fitter and faster.

I do feel winded after the session and a little sore the next day. So I would think my body is going to build muscle and fitness from this workout. That's why I think my age may have something to do with it..
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying new skis
Replies: 33
Views: 2810

Re: Buying new skis

Just an update on the skis and boots I bought that everyone told me not to get :-) I am into my second season using them and have made a lot of improvements to my skiing with them. It is great to have consistent equipment each time I ski. Last season I was mostly doing skidded parallel turns. So boot tightness really wasn't important. This season I am working hard on using my edges and carving my turns. For this boot fit is important. Since my boots are generic rental stock they are designed to fit everyone . I am quite skinny so I noticed it was very hard to max out the top buckles. I googled it and found one can use a boot buckle extender tool to help close those latches. That $15 tool helped a lot. I also used a screwdriver and moved the...
by knightrider
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

In a nutshell I alternate half mile of treadmill running at 8.5/9.0 mph with a set of bench press and pull ups. I feel exhausted at the end of the workout and I do the last half mile at a slower 8.0 mph. I am unable to do this every day as my legs feel tired and sore. If I do it everyday then I find I need to lower my speed. So I do this around three times a week. But the problem is I can't seem to increase the speed on the treadmill . I seem to have plateaued at this 8.5 mph speed. Is it due to age or wrong workout regiment? And if I take a week off then I come back quite slower, usually at 8.0/8.5 mph pace. Here's the exact workout: Run 0.5 miles on treadmill at 8.5 mph speed Do 1 set of bench press 10 repetitions Run 0.5 miles on treadmi...
by knightrider
Fri Feb 02, 2024 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First time Amtrak train ride. Is there anything I should know?
Replies: 36
Views: 4966

Re: First time Amtrak train ride. Is there anything I should know?

Expect to deal with a couple rude/surly employees. It is basically government owned, so employees are paid decently. They don't care about your tips which are purely optional.
by knightrider
Thu Jan 04, 2024 3:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Supplemental Spousal Liability Auto Insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1325

Re: Supplemental Spousal Liability Auto Insurance

GrowYourGarden wrote: Thu Jan 04, 2024 1:38 pm
I had the same thought at first, however as you may already have figured out, the fact that both spouses are insured as drivers is irrelevant to the discussion of this coverage. This coverage has to do with when one spouse is the passenger and is injured/killed due to the other spouse's negligence behind the wheel. In that case, the fact that the passenger was also insured on the policy, as a driver, is neither here nor there.
What kind of claim would the passenger make if they are injured/killed? Would this not be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul? And why can't insurance companies treat them as "passengers" if that is what they are?
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

Re: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

Onlineid3089 wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:52 am Since you have absolutely no connection to them outside attending the same university I would probably choose 2 because it requires little to no effort on your part. I wouldn't put much time/effort into it.
Except they are in a niche field and could end up working for my megacorp ( with or without my help ). Then it would seem quite awkward if I cross paths with them here :-)

I think I will forward their bio. to a colleague who has same background as this person. If they like what they see then they can forward it to their manager. If not, then I can feel satisfied I did best I could..
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

Re: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

Afty wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:42 am IME networking is more about the people you actually interact with during your time at university, or shared contacts, and not cold emails to people you've never heard of.
That's my thinking too, but then how do you explain the website my university setup specifically for "cold-emailing" alums? The website says:

"More than 200k+ alums are standing by to help you with advice and introductions", followed by a big button saying "START NETWORKING"..
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

Re: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

dcabler wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:30 am
FWIW, I get lots of these from recent graduates from universities all over the world. Option 3 is always the response..

Cheers
In my case they attended my university. Would that give them some preferential treatment? If you read university brochures, they all proudly boast about their huge network of alums ready to help . If all my help is "ignoring" then it feels like something is wrong?!
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

Re: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

rob wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:29 am Someone you do not know? Just because they went to the same college?

Unless they are sponsored by said college with hard cash, I'd do something between 2 & 3.
Correct, someone I don't know.. Only thing in common is the alma mater ( although they went for PhD and me BSc ).
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

Re: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

Afty wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:20 am I would reply in some way, but either option 1 or 2 seems reasonable to me. FWIW I too struggle with responding to these, and I’ve found ChatGPT very helpful for composing a polite response that basically says, sorry, I can’t help you.
Thanks, that is kind of what I am leaning towards. But on the other hand, "networking" is supposedly a big part of attending a university. But if all it gets people is a link to the company job portal then is it vastly overrated? Or do they mean something else when they say "networking"?!
by knightrider
Tue Dec 05, 2023 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?
Replies: 93
Views: 10415

How respond to recent graduate from my alma mater asking about "opportunities" at my company?

Basically they are looking for a job but of course politely worded it to sound like they just need career advice. I don't know them personally. They are in somewhat of a related field, but not close enough that I can give any career advice. Guess I have three options, but feel awkward about each:

1) Forward their brief bio. up to my manager
2) Tell them to check the company's job portal and apply there
3) Ignore it

For the record I rarely, if ever, get such inquiries. Maybe one in every few years..

I want to avoid option #3 ( ignoring ) as they are in a niche field and could actually find a job at my company without my help . Then they will see me as the colleague who ignored them !
by knightrider
Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Safely selling stuff
Replies: 31
Views: 4687

Re: Safely selling stuff

russellh wrote: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:20 pm Meet buyer at police station parking lot. Preferably in view of any video camera.

The location alone will discourage any mischief.
More likely to discourage any buyer! I've bought and sold hundreds of things and would never meet someone who demands to meet at such a location. The kinds of sellers who are so paranoid about this seem to charge ridiculously high prices for their stuff.
by knightrider
Fri Dec 01, 2023 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40078

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

I always thought for undergraduate, it's the whole universities reputation that matters. Individual departments matter only for grad. school. I went to a T20 school for engineering. I would say 80% of my classmates were not interested in becoming "number crunching grunts". They wanted to lead companies and be movers and shakers in tech. companies. In my alumni magazine I see a lot of these classmates are top brass at well known companies. Others are single handedly running a family business. I did summer school at a nearby state school and there you met folks more interested in doing actual engineering work as a career . At the state school there were also a lot of folks who are not very "competent" in math/science. So i...
by knightrider
Fri Dec 01, 2023 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

They came out today to install the part and thankfully the final bill was $440 . Seems the $200 maintenance fee was waived. As I suspected that $200 maintenance is more of a diagnosis where they are just looking for problems. I don't think I was scammed as I talked more to the technician about why the part magically failed the day they tested it. He said could be something electrical in the valve, not the switch on the valve.

I did ask for a discount if I pay with cash and he said no way as normally this is a $600+ charge. So perhaps he waived the $200 because of who he was dealing with? Or that is just their industry practice?
by knightrider
Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

talzara wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 3:58 pm The photo shows a White Rodgers 36J series gas valve. This is a very common part that is used by most American furnace manufacturers.

If it is very common wouldn't he have a spare in his van? Or at least one back at HQ? He put his phone on speakerphone so I could hear him trying to order it. That seemed a little fishy. If he had to order it, can't people back in his office do it online?
by knightrider
Wed Nov 29, 2023 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

Beensabu wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 11:17 am Or you could schedule the repair through a different company, but you will still owe the original company $200 for maintenance.
That's why generally it's industry practice to either waive or discount the first diagnosis visit when they find a problem. Otherwise folks would just go and shop around for other quotes from other companies.

Strange how the consensus is that I should just pay whatever they demand.
by knightrider
Wed Nov 29, 2023 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

I believe Sandtrap is correct. The $200 was for not for a diagnosis, it was for overall maintenance. The $400 is for a problem discovered by the maintenance. You can always choose to get another quote for that work. It is a different situation if you had waited for the switch to break, then called them for repair. The charge would be less, but then they would *only* be focused on the switch repair, and not checking out all of your furnace from a general maintenance perspective. In that case, the fair thing would be to pay the $440 plus at most $100 for the labor done for the "overall maintenance". Even $100 seems a lot since I would think they generally do some "overall maintenance" when replacing any part. But $440 + $...
by knightrider
Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

Sandtrap wrote: Wed Nov 29, 2023 8:13 am you owe
440 + 200
wait for billing or call the office and ask

j🌺
Still not so sure about that. If I had called about a problem with the furnace would it still be $200 for the diagnosis plus $440 for the parts? Isn't it industry standard to waive the diagnosis fee when a problem is found?
by knightrider
Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

investorpeter wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2023 9:44 pm $330 sounds like a lot for just a furnace gas valve switch. Are you sure they are not replacing the entire gas valve including the new switch?
Yes, they are replacing the whole gas valve assembly. I guess the switch is built into it and not replaceable. See the picture below:
Image
by knightrider
Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Re: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

vnatale wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2023 8:09 pm
I'd say it will be $200 plus $440. Two different jobs.

They did the $200 work as promised. While doing that they uncovered another $440 of work, a separate job.
Is that really the case? If I called because my furnace was not working it would still be two trips for them ( one trip to diagnose and second trip to install part ). Doubt they would charge me $640 because it was two trips.

I assume with any part replacement they do a general inspection and cleaning of the system.
by knightrider
Tue Nov 28, 2023 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?
Replies: 77
Views: 8447

Slightly confused on what I owe from furnace maintenance visit and if I was scammed?

It's been 3 years since my gas furnace was serviced last. I rarely use it which is why I opted for the longer interval between maintenance. They quoted around $200 for the service. Guy came and said everything looked fine but towards the end found a problem with a bad switch on the gas valve. It has an on/off switch and as part of his testing he needs to switch it off then on. Seems in doing so, the switch broke internally because it no longer functions! I was confused because why would it randomly break on the day he visits? The furnace is from 2011 so not terribly old. Perhaps some plastic got brittle or was it some kind of scam? I gave him benefit of doubt and had him order a new part. He said part is $330 plus 75 for installation plus t...
by knightrider
Tue Nov 21, 2023 1:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 401k and SEP IRA contribution limits - is 66k max for combined?
Replies: 2
Views: 590

401k and SEP IRA contribution limits - is 66k max for combined?

My megacorp offers mega backdoor ROTH so I am trying to contribute close to the 66k max by end of the year.

I also have a side gig that lets me contribute around $3k / year to a SEP IRA. Does this $3k affect my $66k limit? I think no since they are separate plans?

I understand this $66k max is for employer + employee contributions. I also understand that next year I will get a ~$5k true up which will add to this 66k limit.
by knightrider
Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?
Replies: 127
Views: 12743

Re: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?

jebmke wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:16 am Fuse an internet riddled with misinformation with a system that hallucinates and you are asking for trouble.
For sure. I post a lot on reddit and notice anything "unpopular" gets heavily downvoted even though it is technically correct. Complex problems have complex solutions which the average redditor don't bother to understand. It's a shoot from the hips culture which then feeds these LLM models with gibberish opinions..
by knightrider
Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 3% fee when getting euros from my US debit card - Normal?
Replies: 18
Views: 1156

Re: 3% fee when getting euros from my US debit card - Normal?

Poor Rod wrote: Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:01 am It depends on the bank. As I found out earlier this year, Bank of America charges a 3% fee, Ally bank does not.
Yup, I was using the Bank of America debit card.
by knightrider
Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?
Replies: 127
Views: 12743

Re: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?

It's impressive but rarely tells you anything you didn't already know. As mentioned before, it just reads like a wikipedia article. One useful thing is my son has a pine nut allergy. I asked it what foods contain that and it came with some unexpected answers like Baklava. Not sure if that is a "hallucination" or true? I don't recall ever eating baklava that has pine nuts? It seems that it is not uncommon. https://shariblogs.com/experimenting-with-pine-nuts-in-baklava-is-it-safe-and-delicious/ Interesting , but that article seems to be AI generated. So that's why I question the future of AI when a lot of what it learns from is polluted by its own output. Not a big deal today, but likely a big problem in 5+ years. There really is n...
by knightrider
Tue Nov 14, 2023 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?
Replies: 127
Views: 12743

Re: How do you utilize AI (artificial intelligence)?

It's impressive but rarely tells you anything you didn't already know. As mentioned before, it just reads like a wikipedia article.

One useful thing is my son has a pine nut allergy. I asked it what foods contain that and it came with some unexpected answers like Baklava. Not sure if that is a "hallucination" or true? I don't recall ever eating baklava that has pine nuts?
by knightrider
Tue Nov 14, 2023 9:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 3% fee when getting euros from my US debit card - Normal?
Replies: 18
Views: 1156

3% fee when getting euros from my US debit card - Normal?

Not sure if I got ripped off as 3% seems a bit high. Tried googling but got a lot of varied answers.
by knightrider
Wed Nov 01, 2023 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Supplemental Spousal Liability Auto Insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1325

Re: Supplemental Spousal Liability Auto Insurance

cubs1999 wrote: Sun May 21, 2023 5:56 pm
In other words, under this clause, if the married couple has previously added this provision to their policy and one spouse causes an accident due to his or her negligence while driving, the other spouse is able to collect compensation from his or her own insurance company due to the driving spouse’s responsibility for the car crash.
Thanks, but still not understanding what this insurance is about? If both spouses are already drivers on the insurance why do they need this ?
by knightrider
Thu Oct 05, 2023 5:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2023 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Limit reduced from $5k to $2.5k
Replies: 4
Views: 833

Re: 2023 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Limit reduced from $5k to $2.5k

cliffedelgado wrote: Thu Oct 05, 2023 12:02 pm Sounds like you are familiar with there being a reduced limit and just wondering why the amount changed.
Correct. Wondering why it dropped from 4000 to 2500.. I skimmed the article but seemed a bit complicated. Is it normal for the limit to be different and lower than previous years? Seems like yes based on what I skimmed ..
by knightrider
Thu Oct 05, 2023 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2023 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Limit reduced from $5k to $2.5k
Replies: 4
Views: 833

2023 Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account Limit reduced from $5k to $2.5k

Every year I get an email saying my annual dependent care FSA contribution will be reduced because I earned over $135k. Usually it reduces from $5000 to $4000. But this year it says it is being reduced to $2500. Anyone know if this is due to some IRS law change or some HR glitch with my megacorp?
by knightrider
Mon Sep 11, 2023 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?
Replies: 19
Views: 1802

Re: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?

walkabout wrote: Sun Sep 10, 2023 12:30 pm I’m no expert, but those pics look pretty rough. What are your cabinets made of? The pics make it look like MDF that is swelling and failing. I’m not sure paint will help much. I’m also not sure you’ll have much luck sanding down the swelling.

Good luck!
Yes they are MDF and there is some swelling..
by knightrider
Mon Sep 11, 2023 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?
Replies: 19
Views: 1802

Re: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?

bob60014 wrote: Mon Sep 11, 2023 8:43 am
When you see the mismatch of color and texture by just doing a touchup, you'll quickly realize why doing it right the first time makes sense.
So better to look at peeling paint than mismatched touchup paint? That's actually my thought, but my spouse strongly disagrees for some unknown reason..
by knightrider
Mon Sep 11, 2023 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?
Replies: 19
Views: 1802

Re: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?

Lalamimi wrote: Sun Sep 10, 2023 1:07 pm Take all the hardware off, take the drawers and doors outside, sand with fine sandpaper until smooth. Take a drawer to the paint department, they can match it. Paint everything, don't try to just touch up. Use oil based paint. I would go with another color, maybe darker, though.
Ok, I assume Home Depot would be the best place to match the paint? Or does it need some specialty paint store?

Also, why not just touch up first. If unsatisfied then go for the full sanding and paint everything?
by knightrider
Sun Sep 10, 2023 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?
Replies: 19
Views: 1802

How to touch-up peeling paint from kitchen drawers?

See pictures below. Not sure how to match the color and what type of paint to buy? I don't want to repaint the whole cabinet as there are a few like this. Just showing one.

Image
Image
by knightrider
Wed Aug 30, 2023 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Being scammed, what to do next?
Replies: 40
Views: 5901

Re: Being scammed, what to do next?

What's with all the victim blaming? He paid with his credit card so has nothing to worry about. He will get his money back. This is one of the main reasons credit cards are big business and have such high fees ( to merchants ). OP did nothing wrong.