Search found 583 matches

by scorcher31
Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How could I have known dental claim would be denied?
Replies: 43
Views: 4402

Re: How could I have known dental claim would be denied?

You should still be getting the negotiated rate for the procedure i wound think. Also im sorry, but in my dentist office they will fight to get things covered for me. I think practices tgat don't are sketchy.
by scorcher31
Sun Feb 18, 2024 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need advice for retirement
Replies: 35
Views: 5186

Re: Need advice for retirement

It's all about expenses. 2.6 mil should allow for withdrawals between 7100 and about 8600 per month plus social security in general. Taxes will need to come out of that amount as well. 4000 a month you mention is certainly well under, but 4k a month seems low especially in nj including insurance and taxes. Double check your estimated yearly expenses.
by scorcher31
Wed Jan 24, 2024 8:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VUSXX = 80.6% U.S. Treasury for 2023
Replies: 67
Views: 9739

Re: VUSXX = 80.6% U.S. Treasury for 2023

Does anyone know if in NJ if 80.06% of VUSXX would be state tax deductible or 100%? Also for funds like VTSAX with a small percentage like .06% can that be state tax deducted or do i have to hit a certain threshold like in CA? 80.06% of VUSXX income is exempt from NJ income tax as with any other USGO income. Yes, the 0.06% can be deducted as well for NJ income taxpayers. I wrote up a summary of the taxation of USGO and NJ Muni exempt income last year. you can read it here: NJ Income Tax Exemption for Federal and State Obligations (I just added your example to it) This is a wonderful resource for NJ!! it pretty much answered all my questions on a number of threads. I want to confirm that your thought that the VMSXX (vanguard municipal money...
by scorcher31
Wed Jan 24, 2024 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VUSXX = 80.6% U.S. Treasury for 2023
Replies: 67
Views: 9739

Re: VUSXX = 80.6% U.S. Treasury for 2023

Does anyone know if in NJ if 80.06% of VUSXX would be state tax deductible or 100%? Also for funds like VTSAX with a small percentage like .06% can that be state tax deducted or do i have to hit a certain threshold like in CA?
by scorcher31
Wed Jan 24, 2024 7:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VUSXX to park chunk of cash?
Replies: 29
Views: 8539

Re: VUSXX to park chunk of cash?

I hope it is considered acceptable to post a reply to an older but perennial state-tax related thread. Being a Garden Stater this thread as it relates to NJ gross income tax is of interest to me. Vanguard has published its U.S. government obligations income information document for many years. For many past years the document had the following footnote: †This fund meets the requirements for a New Jersey “qualified investment fund.” For 2023 the above-noted footnote has been removed from the document. From reading this thread and other threads concerning this topic, I understand that a fund being a NJ Qualified Investment Fund (“QIF”) does not affect the NJ tax status of ordinary dividend from U.S. government obligations. For 2023 it is goo...
by scorcher31
Wed Jan 24, 2024 7:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VUSXX to park chunk of cash?
Replies: 29
Views: 8539

Re: VUSXX to park chunk of cash?

Duplicate...please remove
by scorcher31
Wed Jan 24, 2024 7:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stuck on 1099-div, what is tax exempt?
Replies: 1
Views: 641

Stuck on 1099-div, what is tax exempt?

So just to start I am a NJ resident if that makes a difference. In the past I plug in my Vanguard Brokerage 1099 information and I'm good to go. This year I had about 168 interest in VMSXX (the municipal money market fund) then swapped to VUSXX(treasury money market fund) and got about 7500 where im leaving it. These funds are new to me and I heard i might be able to not pay state tax on a portion of the fund that is federal, but I'm honestly not sure. Turbo tax just asks what portion of all my dividends is US gov interest. Do I literally just go to each fund and multiple the dividends by the percentage? For example VTSAX says Fed Source Total 0.06% of which US treasure is 0.02% and fed home loan is 0.04%. So would I multiple my total divid...
by scorcher31
Wed Dec 20, 2023 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much do you think you need to retire?
Replies: 279
Views: 56359

Re: how much do you think you need to retire?

HomerJ wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 6:32 pm
scorcher31 wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 4:25 pm I'm planning for expenses to be about 120k per year. Planning to hit 10 mil and retire by 55.
Heh can you adopt me? Pulling 1.2% a year (not even counting Social Security) means you will probably have $40 million plus on your deathbed... :)
Haha well I've noticed from old posts you and I have a very similar mindset. In reality, I'm a fan of 25x at 65 and 33x at 55 or earlier. I'm overshooting to insulate for downturns, job loss, inflation, long term care, inheritance, disability etc. The end number itself was an arbitrary goal i set years ago and at this point It's sort of a game to hit it before I hit 55.
by scorcher31
Wed Dec 20, 2023 5:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much do you think you need to retire?
Replies: 279
Views: 56359

Re: how much do you think you need to retire?

SchruteBucks wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 5:11 pm
scorcher31 wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 4:25 pm I'm planning for expenses to be about 120k per year. Planning to hit 10 mil and retire by 55.
And of course don’t forget inflation: if you are planning to save $10 mil in age 55 dollars, what would the $120k be? Is that in todays dollars or age 55 dollars?
Current expenses are 80k...so expecting it to be 120k at retirement.
by scorcher31
Wed Dec 20, 2023 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much do you think you need to retire?
Replies: 279
Views: 56359

Re: how much do you think you need to retire?

I'm planning for expenses to be about 120k per year. Planning to hit 10 mil and retire by 55.
by scorcher31
Fri Dec 15, 2023 7:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiring at age 40 with $2.4M
Replies: 210
Views: 133974

Re: Retiring at age 40 with $2.4M

Just because of your age my target would be 3% withdrawal rate so it would be closer to 3.168 Million. I wouldn't even count social security at this point but that's just me. That's the point with your expenses/age where I would personally pull the trigger. Considering how much you already have saved It would probably only take another couple of years to hit that and then you would truly be done. The other option as others have said is to move to a lower cost of living area and decrease expenses slightly if you really can't make another year or two.
by scorcher31
Mon Dec 04, 2023 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Protection Against Lawsuits
Replies: 38
Views: 5532

Re: Protection Against Lawsuits

My neighbor was sued. The insurance company settled, but now they can't find affordable insurance. It got me thinking -- I'm single and do not have another income to fall back on if I lose my assets. Please advise on how to protect myself against lawsuits. Networth is 1.5 million. The discussion is not complete unless you include why your neighbor was sued. Whether your insurance premiums go up after a claim or you get dropped entirely depends a lot on the nature of the claim. This applies to both property damage and liability. The primary way of protecting yourself against lawsuits is to avoid being sued, especially for the types of things that cause an insurance company drop you. The secondary way is to have sufficient liability coverage...
by scorcher31
Fri Nov 17, 2023 4:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

So, you are giving up the step up in tax basis in exchange for the "possibility" they one day will need nursing care. If they transfer the house to you and they pass your basis in the house is what they paid for it and its going to make most of the property taxable. There is also the moral issue of purposely trying to look poorer than they actually are - which to me trumps everything else. I just wouldn't do it. The assets they have (including their home and land) should be used to take care of them. Period. Don't do it. Yes the loss of the step up in tax basis alone makes it not really worth it and as I said I have little interest in the money or property . Its an emotional issue. They have a lot of value in their property and w...
by scorcher31
Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

So, you are giving up the step up in tax basis in exchange for the "possibility" they one day will need nursing care. If they transfer the house to you and they pass your basis in the house is what they paid for it and its going to make most of the property taxable. There is also the moral issue of purposely trying to look poorer than they actually are - which to me trumps everything else. I just wouldn't do it. The assets they have (including their home and land) should be used to take care of them. Period. Don't do it. Yes the loss of the step up in tax basis alone makes it not really worth it and as I said I have little interest in the money or property. Its an emotional issue. They have a lot of value in their property and wa...
by scorcher31
Fri Nov 17, 2023 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

zeeke42 wrote: Fri Nov 17, 2023 12:52 pm Also, be aware that Pennsylvania has harshly enforced filial responsibility laws. Your parents making a mistake playing games with medicaid eligibility can lead to a court judgement forcing you to pay for their care. Doing any of this stuff without competent Elder Law counsel seems especially risky in PA.
Although I agree with you and will likely continue to decline my parents wishes, I don't think it is enforced much. Typically medicaid kicks in and pays for nursing home care when income/assets are low enough. If my parents weren't eligible for medicaid and they had no assets then it would be an issue.
by scorcher31
Fri Nov 17, 2023 2:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

OP: This is a bit of a mess it seems, and perhaps also a bit "penny wise and pound foolish", if you'll pardon the expression. But I watched my father go through something similar and it was much more of an emotional issue than financial. I also had relatives, grand parents and great uncles/aunts, now deceased, from coal country in Pa. All (the males) worked in the mines at some point and bought up/fixed up houses with each other. Always seemed to put a lot of value on land (mainly just used to hunt deer) and their houses (they bought over the years and rented out) over other investments. Could be b/c they were from "the old country" and this was of value in the culture. Could be b/c purchasing, fixing up and renting out...
by scorcher31
Thu Nov 16, 2023 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

My family is very blue collar. Their families were in medicaid nursing homes if needed. They are adament they don't want nursing home taking assets or house, so to prevent it they want to give it to me or "sell it for 1 dollar" or something to that extent. They could then get medicaid nursing home if out of their name for 5 years. I doubt they would be agreeable to attorneys. I might be able to get them to consider a trust if that would be better. I mentioned there could be a step up basis issue which outweighs the 4.5% inheritance tax in my earlier post. I am mostly concerned about liability as this amount of money is of very little interest to me. Unlikely I would ever be visiting the land, posting signs, etc.
by scorcher31
Thu Nov 16, 2023 7:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

SuzBanyan wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2023 4:08 pm OP wrote: “ They also want to give me their large half of a plot of undeveloped land they own with their brother maybe 50 acres or so. ”

It sounds like they want to give you a partial interest in the vacant land, with a partial interest still owned by an uncle. Even if you could get past the difficulties in insuring the property, you may not want to co-own property with a relative. While you talk about a quick sale, that may not be possible without the co-owner’s approval.
This may very well be an issue as I have no idea if coowned land can be sold at 50%. Also when uncle passes that portion would get split among two more children.
by scorcher31
Thu Nov 16, 2023 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

PaunchyPirate wrote: Thu Nov 16, 2023 6:10 pm
scorcher31 wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2023 10:28 pm So the more research I am doing, it appears there is not an estate tax in PA. It looks there is an inheritance tax of 4.5%. I'm not sure if I am missing anything here. If I inherited it I assume I would get a step up basis on the property and if they gift it I assume I would not get that. If that's the case 4.5% appears to be the lesser of the two evils. Still open to input as I may not be thinking about this right.
Double check. I think the 4.5% is due on the market value of the house at time of death. It’s pretty much 4.5% of all assets. PA has one of the least friendly inheritance taxes in the country.
This is correct. To me 4.5% is nothing as my family spoke about it like it was going to be a very high percentage.
by scorcher31
Wed Nov 15, 2023 10:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Re: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

So the more research I am doing, it appears there is not an estate tax in PA. It looks there is an inheritance tax of 4.5%. I'm not sure if I am missing anything here. If I inherited it I assume I would get a step up basis on the property and if they gift it I assume I would not get that. If that's the case 4.5% appears to be the lesser of the two evils. Still open to input as I may not be thinking about this right.
by scorcher31
Wed Nov 15, 2023 10:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)
Replies: 27
Views: 4409

Parents want to give me their house and a large plot of land (by them)

A bit of an odd situation here. My wife and I make good money and have significant assets saved up. We have an ok umbrella policy for our assets. My parents are getting older and live in another state (Pennsylvania). My parents want to give me their home, which they will continue to reside in now and give me the money for property taxes for it. I believe their thought is they want to avoid a 5 year look back if they ever need to go to a nursing home, and there is a significant state estate tax apparently in Pennsylvania, but it they give it to me 5 years in advance there is no estate tax on it. They also want to give me their large half of a plot of undeveloped land they own with their brother maybe 50 acres or so. I am mostly concerned ove...
by scorcher31
Thu Nov 09, 2023 6:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Low ball offer: do I counter or walk away? [IM Physician]
Replies: 44
Views: 6553

Re: Low ball offer: do I counter or walk away? [IM Physician]

Braqum wrote: Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:59 am
ACA wrote: Thu Nov 09, 2023 5:42 am Assuming you’re finishing residency (or perhaps sub specialty fellowship?).
If that’s the case, why do you think you are more valuable than 75% of your colleagues? Many have practiced for decades.
Is it possible that perhaps you feeling entitled to the higher percentile is misaligned with reality?

Prove yourself in the real world and your earnings will increase quickly.
I am not fresh out of residency. I have been practicing for quite some time.
This changes things, but still I think the general expectation is 50% for current year mgma for your area. In fact my hospital does not allow any payments above 75% at any point in career.
by scorcher31
Thu Nov 09, 2023 6:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Low ball offer: do I counter or walk away? [IM Physician]
Replies: 44
Views: 6553

Re: Low ball offer: do I counter or walk away? [IM Physician]

If it's a big hospital system you aren't getting 75% as an IM doc new grad. You probably won't get 50% as a new grad. There are no 2024 numbers yet and aren't going to care about your inflation adjustment at least from my experience
by scorcher31
Sat Oct 21, 2023 7:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Potential Medicare fraud - what should I do?
Replies: 31
Views: 3577

Re: Potential Medicare fraud - what should I do?

From my perspective as a physician: It's likely the doctor recommended these services with no knowledge that your mother was in a full care assisted living. It's not uncommon for people with mild dementia to be allowed to make decisions for themself, let alone people with mild cognitive inpairment. I am almost certain the dispo planner followed the doctors order, but ran the options by your mother instead of you. So now she has been discharge and referred Most of the time, unless a health care agency sees a written copy of a poa or guardianship they are going to want to deal your mother instead of you. They assume the patient has the right to speak for themselves unless proven otherwise as sometimes even family doesn't have their best inter...
by scorcher31
Mon Aug 07, 2023 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The HVAC sales guy is on his way over...
Replies: 107
Views: 10302

Re: The HVAC sales guy is on his way over...

So maybe 5 years ago we had our 3.5 ton ac/furnace replaced. We paid maybe 7.5k for a 16 seer Bryant single speed ac and 95% high efficency furnace. This also needed to make venting changes for the high efficency model. We live in NJ which is not low cost of living.

You need more quotes. Slick sales managers that spend time cost money.
by scorcher31
Fri Jul 14, 2023 7:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is selling I-bonds in the current environment a wise move?
Replies: 86
Views: 8537

Re: Is selling I-bonds in the current environment a wise move?

I'm considering getting out as well. I only have about 40k worth from past 2 years. I'm considering either vanguard money market fund or vanguard nj municipal bond fund which I both own. As the bond fund is down im debating if the timing might be good before rates drop over the next couple of years.
by scorcher31
Wed Jul 05, 2023 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: NJ Tax refund, received notice...need help
Replies: 20
Views: 3589

Re: NJ Tax refund, received notice...need help

Sorry, I did not realize this had been bumped. So when I got the letter they did not even ask for a copy of my tax return...just my W2s and any 1099 with state withholdings. I had no 1099 with state withholdings so I literally just electronically uploaded my W2 as well as my wife's to their website. I never got any response but maybe 2 months later (don't really remember the timeline) the money was direct deposited into my checking account. I'm assuming this means they did not have copies one of our W2s as I file electronically through turbotax. With that said, all my information is entered in turbotax, it all adds up, and they should have received W2s from our employer so I'm not sure what triggered this in the first place. I'd love to kno...
by scorcher31
Wed Jul 05, 2023 10:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Televisions and upcoming Amazon Prime days
Replies: 31
Views: 3339

Re: televisions and upcoming Amazon prime days

I got a 65 inch Hisence U8G about a year ago at Amazon. At the time it was rated to be one of the best TVs you could buy taking into account price. I use it for streaming 4k and gaming and love it. Rtings.com is a great site to look at to compare TVs. The one risk I am taking is premature failure, which is why if I could have gotten it at Costco I would have, but i rolled the dice. I didn't like Costco's selection/pricing last year other than the OLED, but due to potential burn in with gaming menus and the high performance of my LED for half the price I went with Amazon at the time.
by scorcher31
Wed Jul 05, 2023 10:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Aldi supermarket?
Replies: 106
Views: 11156

Re: Aldi supermarket?

So we don't do our main shopping at Aldis. If you are looking for brand name products Coca Cola, brand cereals, brand cookies you probably aren't going to save and we are quite brand loyal. My spouse won't even let me get generic chips, cereal, etc as we don't like the taste and I agree. With that said, about every 2 to 3 weeks I will go there to get fruits, vegetables, eggs, milk, bread and I find these to be very well priced compared to grocery stores and good quality. It significantly decreases my grocery bills for those weeks. I believe the meat is probably priced very good as well, but we have another source for our meat. I also find the checkout to be much quicker and overall shopping trip to be much shorter at Aldis than at a regular...
by scorcher31
Sun May 21, 2023 2:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Physicians - how to avoid noncompete clause?
Replies: 40
Views: 4211

Re: Physicians - how to avoid noncompete clause?

It depends what type of doctor you are. Typically, you can't work for a "competing entity" within the radius. If your office does outpatient work only for example, then work for an inpatient hospital, a nursing home, a prison, a veteran's (hospital or outpatient facility), locums work, tele work, insurance work, expert witness testimony, research, etc.
by scorcher31
Sat May 20, 2023 6:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Thanks for actually following up on a topic that generated great community interest and engagement. There's always a silver lining! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snag_%28ecology%29 In temperate forests, snags provide critical habitat for more than 100 species of bird and mammal, and snags are often called 'wildlife trees' by foresters. Dead, decaying wood supports a rich community of decomposers like bacteria and fungi, insects, and other invertebrates. These organisms and their consumers, along with the structural complexity of cavities, hollows, and broken tops make snags important habitat for birds, bats, and small mammals, which in turn feed larger mammalian predators. Snags are optimal habitat for primary cavity nesters such as woodpe...
by scorcher31
Fri May 19, 2023 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

DoubleComma wrote: Fri May 19, 2023 8:11 pm Unlikely to know, but this potentially is one of many reasons to have open communication with neighbors and not think folks are out to get each other.

Hopefully the crew comes back, finishes the job, and you make a contribution.
Yeah, in this area neighbors don't typically speak with each other and most of us are inside 99.9% of the time. In general, the state is not typically considered the most neighborly state. In addition, I still need to insulate us from any liability and therefore, couldn't be involved with the project in any way until after the fact. I find it odd though that they told my wife they were having it done regardless then likely chose not to.
by scorcher31
Fri May 19, 2023 7:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Just as a follow up, we went away sunday and came back today. Two of the live/healthy trees in their backyard were removed including one encroaching on the side neighbor's fence. The stumps were left. The obviously dead tree that is close to our property and the back neighbor's property was not removed. It may in fact actually be on the back neighbor's property, but I am unsure. Now maybe it was just done by a two man crew with a chainsaw and took all day and they did not have time, but I doubt it. Maybe they will come back and do this tree and all the stumps another day. I find it odd that they would have left the dead tree to make a point, after they said they were having them all removed regardless, but who knows. The kicker is I would h...
by scorcher31
Sat May 06, 2023 11:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Formula for saving?
Replies: 166
Views: 10326

Re: Formula for saving?

I think 15% to 20% is generally a good place to start and probably all you will need if you start young. We will say this doesn't count debt payments. For what it's worth most of us here aren't average. The average American is not reading financial forums. We happened to invest about 75% of our after-tax income last year, and frankly that's probably not even healthy. With that said we also plan to stop working at 55 latest.
by scorcher31
Thu May 04, 2023 9:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Just wanted to give an update as I see the post is still active.

The tree was in theory was supposed to be removed last Sunday, but it never happened. I am assuming this is because there was heavy rain all weekend, but so far nothing has happened. I have no idea if they rescheduled it or not. Option 2 is that none of the neighbors offered them any money and they decided not to have it done (despite initially telling my wife they were having it done either way). Only time will tell. At this point, I am happy with our decision to stay out of it completely until after the fact, and then if all goes well give them $250.
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 4:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

The in laws. At the holidays, will they be giving gifts to the in-laws worth over $250? I’m just saying, seemingly meaningless incidents like this can grow in significance in the retelling. It can turn into “he didn’t defend/protect his family.” Hopefully it won’t and everyone is above such pettiness. I can see why the OP's wife ran it by her family since it's such a bizarre request. Heck, I'd be bringing it up with friends and casual acquaintances as small talk because it's so weird. But there's no reason to ever bring it up with the inlaws again and tell them how they resolved it. This is exactly the case. I have no concern about the inlaws at all. It is unlikely to come up again, and if it did the she would just say, oh we didn't give t...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

"why would I pay for your tree?" That's exactly what I would have said. The guy has a dead tree on his property, yet he has the nerve to ask you for money? That's some nerve. Maybe if he has a dirty car you could wash it for him as well, or at least pay for him to take it to a car wash. Who wants to look at a dirty car next door.:D To me this is 100% about being neighborly and I would also look at as being charitable. I’m all about helping and supporting my neighbors, neighborhood and community in ways that benefit everyone. I want to know my neighbors, or at least be friendly with no animosity or ill will. Personally I like to spend the majority of my charitable contributions on things local to my community and where I can see t...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

OP - You’ve mentioned being high income several times. You also surmised the tree near your property would be $1000 to remove. I don’t know what you consider high income, but in my world the difference between $250 and $500 is nothing, honestly it would be a blip in my monthly budget. So you being high income, having a desire and benefit from the tree being removed, and a neighbor who sounds as though they are being neighborly by letting you know their plan —- I would pay the $500. You don’t need to. You have zero obligation. But having a the means to do so and reinforcing good neighborly relationships would be well worth it to me. We are young professionals, but essentially it is a blip. My wife is annoyed by the principal of the thing an...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

AnnetteLouisan wrote: Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:24 pm If your wife and in-laws are opposed to contributing, just tell the neighbor that ordinarily you’d be happy to contribute, but you need to keep the peace with your wife and in laws. Maybe he’ll understand. They are more important than he is to your future happiness. You don’t want this to become a bone of contention in your family, or a basis for the in-laws to call you a pushover / irresponsible.
I appreciate it, but both me and my wife realize as much as we love both of our parents, we don't put to much stock in what they say. They both live hours away and would just tell her parents we didn't help if it came up in conversation. It's not a non issue between my wife and I unless I push it to 500.
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 2:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Marseille07 wrote: Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:58 pm
scorcher31 wrote: Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:57 pm If it was on the property line, I believe we would both need to agree to have the tree removed in my area and thus the cost would be split. As they are able to do it without our consent it is obviously on their property...so the thought was a small token gesture, but not low enough to be insulting.
OK. If you don't think they'd be angry then go for it.
Definitely not sure, which is why I recently started asking that a couple posts up. I want to get opinions regarding it on the board. I appreciate everyones input, including yours.
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Just figured its not our tree, not our project, and some money is better than none toward their project. I was thinking this more of as some charity. Heck the same tree also may boarder a neighbors yard on the backside as well, and in theory that's where all the branches fall and it would more likely tip, but no idea if they were asked to contribute as well. Well, this is why my recommendation is to talk to them to understand if they're expecting you to pitch in, and if so, how much. Part of the deal is to keep on good terms with the neighbor (obviously) so the amount has to match their ballpark. Your wife getting angry at $250+ has no bearing on the happiness of the neighbor. If it was on the property line, I believe we would both need to...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

We are young professionals, but essentially it is a blip. My wife is annoyed by the principal of the thing and quite fiery/stubborn (I love her for it...usually). She almost made passive aggressive comments toward them when they came over the first time (why would I pay for your tree), but held her tongue and just said she will talk to me. She spoke with her parents about it who all seem to think it's ridiculous for us to pay for their tree. She agreed $250 is fine after some discussion, but shes not budging anymore. Also she has no desire to go over to resolve it one way or the other so that is now stuck on me. $250 is a bad choice. Should either be $0 or $500 (half of the cost of the tree mentioned). Unless your wife can justify the basi...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

OP - You’ve mentioned being high income several times. You also surmised the tree near your property would be $1000 to remove. I don’t know what you consider high income, but in my world the difference between $250 and $500 is nothing, honestly it would be a blip in my monthly budget. So you being high income, having a desire and benefit from the tree being removed, and a neighbor who sounds as though they are being neighborly by letting you know their plan —- I would pay the $500. You don’t need to. You have zero obligation. But having a the means to do so and reinforcing good neighborly relationships would be well worth it to me. We are young professionals, but essentially it is a blip. My wife is annoyed by the principal of the thing an...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Funny, a similar thing just happened to me. My neighbor came over last night and asked my wife if we could split a fence replacement. I wasn't home. My wife told him to call me today. He wants $1,000. I would not choose to replace the fence myself, but I can see why he wants to replace it because it is more visible on his side than on mine. I have no idea whose fence it is or who originally put it in. It runs along his property line in full, while it runs only partly along mine and another neighbor's. I think he wants to split the cost with him paying 1/2, my other neighbor paying 1/4, and us paying 1/4. This is proportionally accurate if it really is a jointly owned fence. But it's not something I want to do or would choose to do at this ...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

They are unlikely to know that we are high income. We may just say hey, this is what we can afford, hope it helps.
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

I have no problem paying $250 for it to go away and she (your wife) is ok with that….. I think that you have your answer….. It’s what both you and your wife can agree upon. And the neighbor is going to have the job done regardless of what you do. I'll certainly let everyone know how it turns out, but that probably won't be for a week unless there are new developments...which is possible. It will be interesting to see if they come back on their own this week and ask again. My only hesitation are some of the posts here saying give $500 or nothing. If i give $250 and they are annoyed instead of appreciative this is going to get ugly. My wife may literally snatch the check out of their hands. I'll have to figure out what to say when we hand th...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

I was not there for the conversation, but basically it was we wanted to tell you there will be a lot of noise next Sunday for this job, we are having all the trees in the backyard down as they are a problem for us and a nuisance for you and other neighbor as well, the whole job is 3k and expensive, that tree by you is 1k. I don't know what he said after...I'm hoping it can you help contribute anything toward it, but my wife is unclear to wording used. Are you sure the neighbor asked to pitch in? I'd suggest you go talk to the neighbor to get to the bottom of this conversation you didn't participate in firsthand. I'm pretty sure they made a comment that they were going to be asking the neighbor on the otherside as well, so I'm pretty sure t...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Is there any guarantee though that just contributing $250 towards this is going to be sufficient to make them happy? I see that having its own downsides. The same people asking you to pitch in to cut down a dead tree on their property will also think you are being a cheapskate if you don't pay at least half because you benefit. That's how people like that think. As far as "neighborly relations" go, I would argue that goes out the window as soon as the neighbor tries to get you to pitch into clean and landscape their yard. The scenarios where I would pay half is if the tree trunk was indeed on some part of my property line, even if it was just an inch. That would seem fair and I would offer half without question. Maybe even offer ...
by scorcher31
Sun Apr 23, 2023 12:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Is the neighbor running the Go-Fund-MyTreeRemoval campaign aware of the property line and that the tree is on their property? Have you asked the other neighbor who was asked to contribute what they plan to do? Are there any other near property-line hazards on your or their property that you should also consider? Contributing something to protect your property/self and to maintain good neighborly relations if you want to is reasonable. Seems like you benefit as the tree is an eyesore and potentially hazardous to your house/car/person. I have paid to have 75-foot trees with rotted bases removed from a neighbor’s property after three came down on my property a year earlier causing $25k in damage and an insurance claim. I was not happy to pay ...
by scorcher31
Sat Apr 22, 2023 9:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees
Replies: 259
Views: 27828

Re: Neighbors asked my spouse for money to cut down their trees

Probably going to give them $250 as a neighborly gesture once completed. Since they decided to do it, and it's not ours, plus my wife will kill me if I go any higher, I'm not going to offer $500. Hopefully they will appreciate the $250 and not feel we shorted them in anyway. Not going to be involved in anyway in who they pick, pricing, insurance, etc. That's on them. Not that it matters, but i doubt others in the neighborhood have any idea we are high income.