Bogleheads.org

steadyeddy

Mortgage loans are a commodity, so it's easy to shop around. Lenders frequently offer to match and beat competing offers. Play them off one another until you get the best deal. It not unlike a buying a car.

steadyeddy

Who looks at the assessed value when valuing a home? Nobody but the tax man. Or perhaps people in the Midwest where house prices pretty much follow assessment values. I've never bought a house for more than 2% off of the assessed value. So out here, you would be shooting yourself in the foot if you...

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If you did go through multiple companies, the policies would spell out each layer. For instance one policy would go from $1M-$5M, a second from $5-$10, and so on. They stack so there is no confusion of who will pay each layer of excess. I work in commercial insurance where companies purchase excess ...

steadyeddy

Do they still make grills that are made of cast aluminum? I had one at my old house that was still going after 40 years. My "new" one is 11 years old. We never used a cover on either of these, despite our harsh winter weather. The burners and grids may need to be replaced periodically. I solved the...

steadyeddy

It’s true you cannot literally force a child to attend college, but kids are very malleable! It’s in their nature/nurture.

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My infant son will almost certainly go to college and graduate school, as did his parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. Him not earning at least an undergraduate degree would be seen as a personal failing of mine by my family. Now would be a great time to stop caring what your family think...

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Plenty of people I went to college with, and many college graduates I work with today, are not particularly smart or disciplined. There seems to be a lot of space for “average” college graduates, even for those of us without the IQ to be a Stanford valedictorian. My infant son will almost certainly ...

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markcoop wrote: ↑
Fri Mar 30, 2018 1:01 pm
Thanks for the replies. Not really concerned. Just was not familiar with the process. Of course, my $500 deposit is non-refundable.

Despite what they may have told you, I’m 99% sure this can’t be true. Don’t let it color your decision.

steadyeddy

OP, I have a different opinion. From your quote, it seems that the house and location is excellent with high probability to accelerate over time. If your income is stable and likely to increase I would suggest to buy the house - you dont have a kid yet and it will be difficult to get the house at s...

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SeaToTheBay wrote: ↑
Tue Mar 20, 2018 1:32 pm

Speaks for itself.

In-state high-quality public university is where the value is.

So, basically all the major costs associated with having children have skyrocketed.

steadyeddy

Since 95% of the electrical accessory products sold on Amazon seem to be poorly manufactured fire hazards, I look for something UL Certified.

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It makes me think that low inflation is expected to be the norm for years to come. Between the demographics of the developed world and deflationary technology, there is a good case to be made for persistent low inflation. But I also wouldn’t be particularly surprised to see inflation either. I’m kee...

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Traditional homeowners insurance considers a 40-60% loss ratio “break even,” because they spend 40%+ on loss adjustment, marketing, and other expenses. Lemonade automates most claim handling, so their cost loading is a fraction of their competitors’. That is why they have received huge investments—...

steadyeddy

Traditional homeowners insurance considers a 40-60% loss ratio “break even,” because they spend 40%+ on loss adjustment, marketing, and other expenses. Lemonade automates most claim handling, so their cost loading is a fraction of their competitors’. That is why they have received huge investments—i...

steadyeddy

Watching The Path right now. Great show!

steadyeddy

Someone mocked me for suggesting one talk to one's representative, but imagine if the government only fixed 70% of the potholes in the road... Mocker again. Lots of places lack the resources to fix potholes -- that's pretty much a national issue. You might have read about infrastructure problems. M...

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My emotional reaction was excitement that the market was finally doing something besides marching steadily upward. It was interesting. I guess I need some more drama in my life!

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Wanted: Efficient barista. Experience originating mortgages preferred.

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I’ve thought about this, but a part-time gig charging only reasonable hourly rates would barely cover the cost of E&O. I’ve decided it’s better to give away my advice for free to the very few people that solicit it.

steadyeddy

... You’re saying that newly 60% of tax returns in 2015 showed AGI >$100k? Am I misunderstanding? negative. it means that returns over 100k contributed 60% of total AGI per the IRS. Many thanks. I didn’t see the additional column headers, and thought the columns were aligned with different headers.

steadyeddy

If you can save properly and buy it, do it. here is some historical tax return data to consider when contemplating nominal housing prices. it is a table of AGI>100,000USD by year. this is particularly relevant if you're buying in a high demand area: socal, sofla, etc. year return count AGI>$100,000...

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There are too many factors for using a multiple of gross salary as a rule of thumb. A person borrowing at 3% interest rather than 7% interest can afford a higher multiple. A person with a very large down payment can afford a higher multiple. A person that already has 35x expenses saved rather than 1...

steadyeddy

Reading the responses, you could almost argue that every kid is different, and there is no perfect approach!

steadyeddy

What happens when your parents move out or pass? Do you rent out the unit to strangers? Sell the house? Occupy both units?

What happens if you need to move out? Can you sell your stake in the home to strangers?

steadyeddy

Among the mesh wifi products available today, I don't think you can do better than Netgear's Orbi. They also introduced outdoor satellite hardware, which might help you daisy-chain the network between your structures.

steadyeddy

I knew a handful of people that quit their jobs to become full time daytraders in the late 90’s. They claimed to print money, but then the bust bankrupted them. I cannot fathom how you could consistently make a living day trading in a market where high frequency trading outfits are able to exploit e...

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The argument about all jobs boiling down to a large passive function and a tiny active function not worth the [salary] expense is fascinating to me. Perhaps most of us are just relics of a bygone era when the active function of our jobs was larger than the passive. Eventually, artificial intelligenc...

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I invested the same amount of money in my 401k on both January 5th and February 2nd. I got more shares for my money in January, because the market was lower then than it is now. I can’t believe how much people are freaking out about a teeny tiny drop in the market. The talking heads on NPR made it s...

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I want to buy a bigger house and a new car in the next five years, so my "emergency fund" is really just a giant heap of cash that is loosely earmarked for several things. If I were in my "forever home" and my car wasn't so old, I wouldn't keep nearly as much cash in my savings account. I don't keep...

steadyeddy

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. This board was advocating very conservative stock allocations for even young investors during the recession, and we've gotten awfully sloppy and overconfident now that we've had a long bull market. I fear that even those who promised God in their darkest h...

steadyeddy

The word consultant is being misunderstood. He will have a regular paycheck as a W2 employee. His paycheck will not vary based on hours billed. There is a risk that the company will fold if there is no demand for their products, but that is universally true.

steadyeddy

New 'insane' ETF proposal for bitcoin generates worry on Wall Street Direxion wants to introduce 2X leveraged and inverse Bitcoin ETFs. I am... speechless. When 10% moves in 5 seconds just aren't enough action for you! :shock: Honestly! Why not just have people "invest" in coin flips, dice rolls, o...

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columbia wrote: ↑
Sat Dec 30, 2017 12:06 pm
My father is 81 and started investing with Vanguard in 1974. He sent 3 kids to college in the 80s from the proceeds, so I’d say he did pretty ok.

Yeah, but you could almost put three kids through college just by working at Burger King in the 80s!

steadyeddy

I don’t understand why you built the house and finished the massive basement if you would be happy with a smaller, older home. I suspect you would not actually be happy with a smaller, older home. Just enjoy the home you have and it will be paid off soon enough.

steadyeddy

Tough decision due to a relatively low probability catastrophic risk weighing on the scales. The best thing is to cut her off...UNLESS she dies as a result. Regarding the basic living expenses she emailed. I would consider giving her a one-time cash gift, perhaps more than she even requested, with a...

steadyeddy

Keep in mind only the newer models have pre-collision braking, lane keep, and other driver assist technology. Not having pre-collision braking was a deal-breaker for me when shopping recently. It could save a life.

steadyeddy

I have state farm for 2 auto's and home insurance. I have noticed the auto insurance has been inching up every 6 months (we pay 6 months at a time). This seems a bit odd considering the cars are becoming less and less valuable. Should I get a rate decrease? Anyway I just renewed because I just don'...

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I’m planning to sell my current home and buy a new one in 2018. I would like to find a realtor that can competently negotiate both of these transactions. My last realtor was a people-pleaser, which made him good at handling me, but bad at negotiating with the other side. How do I go about finding a ...

steadyeddy

Insurance is a product where everyone pays a different price based on a huge number of variables. It doesn’t make any sense to compare anecdotes on a forum, but it does make sense to get competitive quotes every one to three years.

steadyeddy

I am not worried. Pensions are so old-fashioned. Folks with 401(k)s and 403(b)s and IRAs aren't spending them down anyways. Unlike pensions, their heirs will benefit and probably won't spend down the 401(k)s and 403(b)s and IRAs either. In a generation or two, no one will have to work anymore becau...

steadyeddy

If the tree is anywhere near due for a trim, by all means take the opportunity to do it as a discount! When the trimming inevitably fails to solve the leaves-in-pool problem, at least you can say you tried. You get a cheap tree trim and a happy neighbor. What’s not to like?

steadyeddy

His portfolio may be appropriate for his risk tolerance. Better to stay the course at 20/80 than to take on more risk and sell at the bottom. If he had 100% of his portfolio in his checking account I would be more concerned, but 20/80 is a very reasonable allocation for a risk-averse individual.

steadyeddy

So you can extend your one year warranty by four years for $440. If your home insurance agent offered you a $110/yr rider to fix your oven in the event of breakdown would you even consider it?

steadyeddy

My experience is that, if your wife is against purchasing a higher mileage vehicle, the car you buy will be a lemon and prove her right. You do not want to bet against your wife.

steadyeddy

We have only tax-advantaged accounts, and own only mutual funds within them. If we ever need to buy equities in taxable accounts, I will use ETFs. Simplicity is the reason I would or would not use ETFs.

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In my friend circles we almost always do separate checks, but people will order appetizers or bottles of wine on their check for the table if they’re feeling generous. It seems terrible to have the prospect of splitting a bill evenly keep you from ordering what you like and enjoying yourself. I’d sa...

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VaR wrote: ↑
Wed Nov 22, 2017 3:06 pm
For those experiencing shorter than expected life from LEDs, are your bulbs in enclosed fixtures?

No. Mine failed in open fixtures.

steadyeddy

If I have zero real need for SS in retirement and it's a "bonus" that will just be tossed in the market, then I'll wait until 70 to minimize longevity risk. An 8% annual increase seems massive in this low rate environment, and a larger annuity will provide a lot of safety in old age. If I've been le...

steadyeddy

Sounds to me like she has them over a barrel, so why would they think she’ll take a pay cut? Do they desperately need her or not?

steadyeddy

In the spring of 2015, I purchased a dozen CREE A19 lightbulbs for use in a few rooms of my home. One burned out in six months, three more within 18 months, and a fifth just burned out tonight. They have all been replaced free of charge under warranty, but I am unimpressed with them to say the least...

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