Bogleheads.org

My collision/comp is around $200 a year. Obviously this varies based on a lot of factors (location, credit score, make, model, tickets, etc.) So over 25 years that is $5k. What is the chance of not having a $5k accident in a 25 year period? I haven't had one for 25+ years, but am I going to go the rest of my life without having one (and it not being my fault)? I doubt it. YMMV Obviously, insurance companies aren't in business to lose money and I've oversimplified it by ignoring deductibles and other things. I still think it is well worth the cost to me if my vehicle is worth more than ~$5k. I also don't keep $50k (or whatever a car's value is) sitting around for such a loss so take that into account. In other words, having the money availab...

hunoraut wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 3:59 pm

BabaWawa wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 9:57 am My grilling days are over since I discovered my Blackstone griddle. I now can cook virtually any meal on it, from breakfast eggs bacon and pancakes, to stir fry, to steaks and burgers. I'll never go back and you'll be way under your budget. Also cleanup is much easier.

Functionally not the same.

Exactly. I'm not sure how you do ribs, whole chickens (or even chicken pieces with bones), thick chops, pork shoulder, baked potatoes, corn on the cob or a lot of other things I associate with grilling. I don't associate bacon, pancakes and eggs with grilling.

I don't carry collision nor comprehensive insurance on my car. I do pay for uninsured motorist coverage and liability. And I have $2M umbrella liability. Essentially I self-insure for the loss of my vehicle if I am at fault. I did this even with a brand-new $40k Honda Odyssey in 2015. Insurance is about paying to avoid the low probability of a "large" loss . Because the insurance industry wants/needs to make money, you will always pay a premium over the probabilistic cost of the loss. The "large loss" is subjective. If the cost to replace your car doesn't make a difference in your financial life, it's probably not worth insuring against such a loss. That's the theoretically right answer. Two potential real world caveats...

I like to search on the sites like Google flights, Matrix, Kayak. Gives me an idea of who is competitive. But I no longer book on those sites. Get your flight messed/canceled/late and just see what the airline will do for you when your ticket was booked through, say Expedia. They'll send you away, or maybe book you after they have taken care of everyone else. I book direct with the airlines. This sounds like the myth that having your oil changed at somewhere other than the dealer voids your car warranty. An airline is going to turn away a person with a legitimate paid ticket sold through someone the airline authorized to sell it? The airline can’t touch a ticket that was ticketed by a third party until 24 hours out when the ticket goes und...

Gas grilling is the easiest. It is also the least flexible and offers the least amount of flavor. If you want something charcoal that is fairly simple, the Masterbuilt Gravity line comes in 3 sizes. Basically, a hopper holds almost a whole bag of charcoal. As it burns, more charcoal automatically feeds. There is an ash bin you can easily empty. It has wifi and a smartphone app and comes with a probe (that shows in the app). The startup time to get to 500 degrees is probably around 10 minutes so about the same as a gas grill I think. These grills will not last 20 years like a Weber. They are not junk, but they are also not heirlooms. But hey, for $500 if you get 5 years out of a grill I wouldn't complain. Pellet grills are also easy, but lik...

I was just at Costco and the Weber genesis is $899 if you decide to go that route and want new.

OP, I'd decide what kind of fuel I want for the grill and then what size grill I need and that will narrow it down quite a bit.

Maybe I am an outlier, but I prefer a non-gas grill. Pretty much all the grills I like don't have side burners. They are typically only on gas grills which I don't particularly like. If you give up the side burner, it opens up a lot of other options. I bought an induction burner that I keep outside (in a cabinet) for when I need it. You can also put pots right on the grill or even on top of the closed grill lid if you don't need a ton of heat. I currently have 2 smart grills and won't go back to a dumb grill. I like being able to monitor them on my phone especially on longer cooks (like 8 hours for a pork shoulder). I currently have a Masterbuilt 560 and Akorn Auto Kamado. I like them both. They both get up to 750 degrees and both go low en...

When the car value hits around $5k for me. I don't want to lose more than that even though I can afford to. For our 2 cars, the comprehensive/collision is around $400 a year so I keep that in mind.

My parents dropped coverage on their vehicles. My mother just had an accident and it cost her $7k+ to fix the car (which is around what the car was worth).

The costs to repair cars has really shot up. If you saw the damage on my mother's car you would never guess it is $7k in damage. It was mostly fender damage.

You can always up your deductible to save money.

obgraham wrote: ↑Mon Mar 20, 2023 1:43 pm I like to search on the sites like Google flights, Matrix, Kayak. Gives me an idea of who is competitive.
But I no longer book on those sites.
Get your flight messed/canceled/late and just see what the airline will do for you when your ticket was booked through, say Expedia.
They'll send you away, or maybe book you after they have taken care of everyone else.
I book direct with the airlines.

This sounds like the myth that having your oil changed at somewhere other than the dealer voids your car warranty. An airline is going to turn away a person with a legitimate paid ticket sold through someone the airline authorized to sell it?

Maybe I am missing the benefits of checking airline sites individually. It seems like an extra aggravation. Obviously, I know a few airlines don't show up on the search engines (Southwest being the major one). Also, I have never had a problem booking through a reputable 3rd party. They transmit the reservation to the airline instantly so I don't see the benefit of booking directly. It seems like it might make people feel better but in reality has little to no benefit. The general flight search engines tend to be more flexible in filtering and checking multiple dates than most of the major airline sites. You also have to enter all your information into the individual airlines websites if you don't already have an account. With Expedia or wha...

I mentioned it above, but my parents gift money annually to all the children. I am 52 and the oldest child. This allows me to immediately count that money (not future anticipated gifts or inheritance) into my plan and I greatly appreciate that aspect of it. The risk of divorce, remarriage, changing a will, LTC, etc. don't play a part in this aspect. The money is in my control. Other than contributions to Roth IRA s and yearly contributions a 529 plan, I haven t been gifting money to my children. While I would enjoy making the gifts, I would not want to help them become accustomed to a lifestyle that they could not support. In other words, I feel that giving them spending money they don t earn might enable an inflated lifestyle that they mi...

What’s a donor in this scenario? The individual you expect to inherit something from. If I had the kind of heirs who would tell me that they are “counting on an inheritance,” then I’d find new heirs. I personally think this is a really sad perspective. I’ve already told my kids that everything I have is theirs. Do you want to borrow a tool? Go for it it’s yours. We are buying a different car, here, take the old one. Have a specific financial goal? Let me match it dollar for dollar. Now I will need some of my money to live, but they know I have their back and they have mine. We have a culture of working hard and contributing to the family and taking care of one another. Just like everything they have will be their children’s. Now, if one of...

If you use some kind of planning tool, like the 4% "rule", they generally use something like a 95% chance of success (of course based on historical outcomes). A potential inheritance might make you feel safe in bridging that 5% gap or possibly slightly taking more risk. Obviously, don't do anything that 100% counts on an inheritance where your plan would be massively impaired if you didn't get one. I mentioned it above, but my parents gift money annually to all the children. I am 52 and the oldest child. This allows me to immediately count that money (not future anticipated gifts or inheritance) into my plan and I greatly appreciate that aspect of it. The risk of divorce, remarriage, changing a will, LTC, etc. don't play a part in...

The Boglehead approach to retirement planning is to save enough to be successful even in the worst case. This is the point of the 4% rule -- even in the worst market in recorded history, you'd be to withdraw 4% per year and not run out of money for 30 years. And I think that makes sense given the stakes, that once you retire there's really no going back. Given that philosophy, I think it makes sense to discount or ignore the possibility of an inheritance. But doesn't the 4% "rule" take into account the best case scenarios too? It takes into account all historical scenarios and doesn't throw out unlikely ones whether they are good or bad. I agree that it might be difficult to use a potential inheritance in planning. As I said abov...

There are a lot of comments that a lot can happen in the future. Well, that is true in many aspects of retirement/tax planning but we don't just ignore them. The market could drop 50% the year after you retire. Not likely, but you should plan for it. I'm not sure why you would completely ignore a possible inheritance yet take into account a lot of other low probability events that would affect retirement. Personally, my parents have been gifting money to all the kids for several years. They are still fairly young (lower 70s) and have a family history of living into the 90s. I expect that a significant amount of their estate will have been gifted before they pass and with any remainder I will likely be too old for it to be a big factor.

I view it as somewhat reckless to ignore a potential inheritance of a decent size. A big inheritance could through RMDs, IRMAA, etc. bring taxes through the roof. Pretending an inheritance will never happen and making a plan to live with or without an inheritance are two completely different things.

As an example, if you are on the fence about doing Roth conversions, a potential future inheritance might push you over the fence. If you can retire at age 60 and live well or retire at age 65 and live great, a potential inheritance might push you toward age 60.

JAZZISCOOL wrote: ↑Sun Feb 26, 2023 4:28 pm

BigJohn wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 10:46 pm Binged Kaleidoscope on Netflix over the weekend and really enjoyed it, thought is was very well done.

I really liked Giancarlo Esposito in "Breaking Bad". I'll have to check this series out.

He was also in Jett. Unfortunately, only one season.

Assuming that you are getting your health insurance through your employer, every year you are receiving $5,000 to $8,000 of "charity" from the government as untaxed income. And the strange thing about it that the higher your income, the higher the benefit. I am still working, so excuse my ignorance here. When I retire I have 3 options for insurance. Cobra for 18 months, my company insurance plan or ACA. From what I read here, it sounds like Cobra and/or company insurance plans are tax deductible. I currently don't itemize. Doesn't one need to itemize for something like that to be true? And even if I itemize, I thought medical expenses in general need to exceed 7.5% of AGI. Under the employer health insurance tax exclusion, you pa...

I am remodeling a powder room now. I am doing it myself, so there are no overruns in $$$$, but there are plenty in labor/time/effort/aggravation. I'll make a long story short. Changing the electrical to move the lighting was way more complicated than anticipated. The floating vanity doesn't work with the current plumbing. The wall had to be reinforced for the floating vanity. The tile purchased and picked up won't work due to layout issues. Basically, due to a narrow wall the current tile would leave a skinny 1" piece of tile on each end which would look bad. I've remodeled a few bathrooms and a major kitchen remodel so I'm not exactly new to this (on top of countless other DIY projects). My point is, there are always complications eve...

I believe each lot is split in half and the basis becomes the price on DOD. So you'd have 100 shares with a $5 basis and 100 with a $10 basis.

TheTimeLord wrote: ↑Tue Feb 21, 2023 10:23 am I understand both the people who never remodel and the ones who do. I would really like some changes to our bathroom but don't want to deal with all the issues involved in a significant remodel so my plan is to move. That allows me to solve the kitchen remodel issues I have simultaneously.

More of a hassle than packing up your whole house, selling it, buying a new one, etc? The costs associated with moving can be pretty high. There are taxes (where I live at least), commission, closing costs, etc. On top of that, I highly doubt I would find a home where I had to do nothing to it. Some people aren't as picky as I am though. After having a house built and picking everything it is hard to go back. YMMV

How much longer is left on the loan? Is the friend pushing to get off the title/loan? What is the reason for getting them off? I guess what I am getting at is if there isn't a good reason it seems like a lot of trouble to go through.

It is fine doing that. It is not a gift.

hotpancakes wrote: ↑Mon Feb 20, 2023 3:30 pm Any idea which brokerages might match the WF Premier $2500/250k bonus?

You may get different results calling your brokerage and asking for a match vs. initiating a transfer. I always do the latter and have them call me and ask why I'm leaving.

BeerTooth wrote: ↑Wed Apr 07, 2021 2:12 pm I used Evernote and dropped it when they dropped the free plan

I now use Microsoft OneNote which is free and I'm happy with it. Syncs smoothly across platforms - I have the full OneNote local on my home Windows laptop, I use the web version in a Chrome browser tab on my Windows work PC, and I have the OneNote app installed on my iPhone

+1. I also switched when they dropped the free plan.

The OneNote app on my Chromebook is terrible, but the Android app, Windows app and web version are fine. I don't need a lot of features and thought about going to Google Keep but couldn't find an easy way to import my notes from OneNote.

There are two safe harbors: 1)pay at least as much through withholding and estimated tax(if necessary) for 2023 as your total tax was for 2022 or 2)pay at least 90% of what your tax actually is for 2023 through withholding and estimated tax(if necessary) Only you know what is a good estimate of your tax for 2023, if you think your withholding will cover 90% of it you may be ok. As far as the 2022 penalty, the IRS may calculate this penalty for you and bill you, however if you complete form 2210 underpayment of estimated tax for 2022, you may find you don't owe a penalty or be able to calculate any penalty yourself for 2022. Form 2210 allows you to input your income as you earned it during the year, if your additional income occurred late i...

Is the back of the cabinet solid? Can you do a corner mount to the back and side? Yes, solid but backs up on a room, so don't want to risk puncturing going through it. Also, I don't see the benefit of corner mount to back and side? The wall mount bracket for the Kanto mount is just a 3.5" x 12" bracket that attaches to the wall (or, in my case, wall of the cabinet). Thanks for the thought though. Also, might have got lost in my post, but the TV needs to swivel in on the mount to go the long diagonal inside the cabinet when the cabinet door is closed. Otherwise, won't fit. And then swivels out to just beyond the opening of the cabinet on the mount when in use. Hard to comment without seeing it. But the advantage of a corner mount ...

Is the back of the cabinet solid? Can you do a corner mount to the back and side?

criticalmass wrote: ↑Sat Feb 18, 2023 6:28 pm

stoptothink wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 3:20 pm My moto G6 was ~$150, is over 4.5yrs old and still works flawlessly.

When is the last time the G6 received a critical security update? Security is a top priority if you do any email, finance, payments, etc. on a smartphone, or if the line is used for multifactor authentication, including receiving text messages.

Around 2 1/2 years ago. That being said, most of the flaws are probably found earlier. Of course, you can still update all your apps. Like I said above, I am no security expert so I do wonder how big the risks are for a phone that is no longer getting security patches to the OS.

We live in a "mixed" household - wife has an Iphone7, I have a Google pixel 3a. Both phones no longer receive operating system updates so we are looking to upgrade. I am not really interested in upgrading to an Unlimited Data plan as our current plan is less expensive and works just fine for our needs. The Pixel 6a is cheaper than the Iphone SE but it appears that the Pixel will only receive system updates for about 3 years. Iphone SE, while more expensive, seem to get updates for 6 or 7 years. When comparing the two phones, it appears that it basically cost about $100 per year to own either of these phones. The Iphone may have an advantage in that you would not have to upgrade as frequently. My Pixel 3a does everything I need an...

We live in a "mixed" household - wife has an Iphone7, I have a Google pixel 3a. Both phones no longer receive operating system updates so we are looking to upgrade. I am not really interested in upgrading to an Unlimited Data plan as our current plan is less expensive and works just fine for our needs. The Pixel 6a is cheaper than the Iphone SE but it appears that the Pixel will only receive system updates for about 3 years. Iphone SE, while more expensive, seem to get updates for 6 or 7 years. When comparing the two phones, it appears that it basically cost about $100 per year to own either of these phones. The Iphone may have an advantage in that you would not have to upgrade as frequently. My Pixel 3a does everything I need an...

I file ASAP if I am getting money back and as late as possible if I am not. I usually do them as early as possible. I have good records (Quicken), however I usually need to wait to get 1099s to know what dividends were qualified and which weren't. I filed my federal taxes yesterday.

I'm glad you got it resolved. At least they didn't keep telling you to unplug the modem from the wall and cable from the modem and reboot your computer.

One thing I'd point out regarding the last several posts is people with employer health coverage are getting a major tax break in that it is deductible by the employer and not taxable to the employee like most other benefits are. I've never heard someone say it was unseemly to accept employer based health insurance. As someone implied above, usually if someone else is getting a break it is a loophole but if you are getting it it is just the tax code.

As the discussion highlighted above shows, the issue is complicated and requires assumptions or guesses on investment returns, future tax status, the value of Roth conversions etc. Each situation is different, but as I consider this I would prefer to have the knowable value of substantial ACA subsidies today as compared to potential value of Roth conversions . And therefore would prioritize maximizing ACA subsidies until age 65 and then plan to do any Roth conversions between 65 and 70. I don't know if in the end this will result in the best financial result, just my way of dealing with it, and my sense is it probably won't make a huge difference. Especially since depending on the amounts held in different tax status accounts there is not ...

I realize this thread is 12 years old but I just stumbled across it. I have a set of stainless steel Multiclad Pro (by Cuisinart) and it's a great set that has lasted me 14 years now; great affordable alternative to all-clad sets -- this multiclad set will last me the rest of my life easily. It's good to hear about your results, because we just bought this same set for our home last month. I think it's ok to reply to a 12 year old thread if it's about products with such longevity that don't change much in their design. I have definitely enjoyed using the new cookware as compared to the old ceramic coated set I bought in 2015, which was not holding up anymore. Food is tastier because you can brown/singe it a little without damaging the surf...

Do you need a smart tv? No. For not much money ($20-$60) you can buy a device like a Firestick or Roku and hook it up to any TV that has an HDMI port (probably any TV made in the last 10 years). Some of these services (I know Sling is right now) will even offer them for free if you sign up for X months. Our TVs are "smart," but we prefer the Roku interface, compared to the ones from LG and Samsung. We use this at our primary home: https://www.roku.com/products/roku-ultra And this one at home #2: https://www.roku.com/products/roku-streaming-stick-4k (it was like $29 during the holidays). As noted, you basically need an HDMI port... Yep. The interfaces are different depending on the device. Some devices also lack as many buttons on...

Old Guy wrote: ↑Thu Feb 16, 2023 4:02 pm Do you need a smart tv?

No. For not much money ($20-$60) you can buy a device like a Firestick or Roku and hook it up to any TV that has an HDMI port (probably any TV made in the last 10 years). Some of these services (I know Sling is right now) will even offer them for free if you sign up for X months.

If you’re curious, sign up for a free trial period with Hulu or You Tube TV. The only downside there is that you need a streaming device like Roku or Firestick. Very easy to cancel if you are not satisfied. You can view YouTube TV on a phone, computer, tablet or smart TV in addition to on a streaming device. The vast majority of people watch on actual televisions. The devices you refer to work well on lunch breaks or waiting in a doctor’s office. I can just imagine a family of 5 crowded around your iPhone 13 watching their favorite show😁 Almost all TVs sold today are smart TVs that would not need a streaming device to watch Hulu or YTTV. "As of March 2022, over 60 percent of the digital video content audience in the United States was ...

Some services have promos (that can change frequently) that include a discount on the first few month(s), a free device, etc.

Even though a lot of TVs support some of these services, if the TV is a little older or not a better one you still might be better off with an external device like Firestick, Roku, etc. Some TVs don't have a lot of processing power or memory creating lags.

There is a failure to communicate here which is not unexpected. I think there was a wash sale. You bought 250 shares of VTI which created the wash sale. The loss you thought you got from the first 250 shares of VTI that you sold was temporarily disallowed. The loss was ADDED to the cost of the second 250 shares of VTI that you bought. This should be CLEARLY shown in your online account and probably on your 1099-B. So when you sold the second 250 shares of VTI the cost basis shown on the 1099-B was MORE than you actually paid for them, right? I think this should be clearly shown in your account and on the 1099-B on a different line than you have told us about. Then when you sold the second 250 shares of VTI, the loss was not small. Think of...

The 1099 from IB shows a $4847.25 wash sale for line 1g. OK, but what does your ONLINE account have? What did your brokerage do with the $4847.25? It did not simply disappear. This is basically what happened (except the whole loss wasn't disallowed, just most of it): Timeline: 12/22/21 Bought 250 shares VTI 12/29/22 Bought 250 shares VTI 12/29/22 Sold 500 shares of VTI (I am ignoring shares reinvested due to dividends but those were sold too) Since this all happened yesterday, does your account (online) indicate a wash sale? I got the date wrong. It was today. I guess I can look at the daily statement tomorrow. There was a wash sale but you have nullified the effect. So you have captured the loss. Okay. That is what I thought. When I sold ...

The 1099 from IB shows a $4847.25 wash sale for line 1g so most of the loss is disallowed.

Interesting thread. I am new to the HSA game, as I only recently at age 34 moved to a bigger company that offered one. I contribute the max from my paycheck (this is a no brainer to get the tax deduction in the current year), but I have agonized a bit over whether to reimburse myself for med expenses as I go, or try to pay everything out of pocket and let the HSA grow as much as possible. I have a 1 year old son, so our family medical expenses are not nil like they used to be. For now I have decided on a hybrid approach - if it's a fairly large expense that meaningfully affects my cash flow (such as my son's ear surgery, which blew through our entire $3.5k deductible at once), then I am OK with reimbursing myself. If it's a less significan...

dknightd wrote: ↑Tue Feb 14, 2023 10:23 am "Seeking Unbiased Input"
I'm trying to not laugh out loud.

Without reading a Boglehead thread on vehicles you can bet Toyota or Honda is probably the most common answer.

I would agree that we don't know what future gas prices will be. Near me, they've been dropping since a year ago. Our electricity is mostly generated by natural gas which is strangled by pipelines that are too small and with "Not In My Back Yard" signs all over, these will never increase. Our electricity starting January 1 went up from 32.5 cents a kWh to (from my first bill) 42.6 cents a kWh. Tesla model 3 RWD 0.25 kWh per mile My cost 42.6 cents per kWh My Subaru Crosstrek manual measured (summer) 35 mpg Today's gas price in town $3.39 per gallon 42.6 cents/kWh * 0.25 kWh/mi = 10.65 cents per mile. What mpg equals this in an ICE car? $0.1065 /mile = $3.39/gal / ? m/g So today, a car getting 31.8 mpg will equal the per mile cost...

I'd like to provide a few various conditions that would matter to you. Have you actually found SUVs that match your need and cost? On Youtube, Car Edge (formerly YAA) keeps close tabs on the auto industry from new car manufacturers to car auctions to dealer antics and pricing. Their recommendation at the moment is to wait 90 days. Why? New cars (depending on manufacturer) are still very low on inventory. Toyota is one of the most affected. They invented just-in-time manufacturing and have suffered the most. Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, Jeep) have come out better than anyone and I know their dealers near me are chock full of cars. Used cars skyrocketed because people who couldn't get the new car of their choice went to used. They are d...

I use Sling with the Orange/Blue/News package. It just went up to $50/mo. It includes a DVR. I had YouTube TV but they jacked up the price so I dumped them. Sling has (I think) a unique setup that keeps costs down. I have an antenna and get local channels through that. I can still watch them and DVR them just like the streaming channels. It is called AirTV.

As others said, find what service offers what channels you need/want and pick the lowest cost option. They do have different interfaces, but they are not drastically different.

Everyone has different ideas as to how long to keep a car and how much car to buy. IMO, 9 years and a 151k miles makes it reasonable to get a newer car. My car is 8.5 years old, 44k miles, zero issues. I want all the new safety/tech features. I am trying to keep it until it is 10 years old. In reality, I could probably keep it 10 more years. I like to be frugal but not a miser.

True. When I go to Verizon.com and pick the cheapest (5G start) unlimited (throttled) plan for 3 lines it is $165 plus taxes. Taxes where I live are pretty high. So, the OP is getting a big discount compared to what a new customer would get at Verizon. Verizon's 5G Start plan is not throttled. The term "throttled" means that the carrier caps your speeds at all times. Verizon's 5G Start plan is deprioritized, which means that other plans with "premium" data have higher network priority, so during periods of heavier network utilization you'll experience lower speeds and higher latency (and for practical purposes, latency tends to be a much bigger deal than speeds). Correct, the OP is paying substantially less than a new V...