Bogleheads.org

Alliant 2.5% flat without any categories, tricks, etc.

For how long? In which time period would T-bills beat a, say, 30/70 market portfolio? What if t-bills are 7% but inflation is 7%? If you have the capital and spending requirements such that you don't need to take the risk, and want to bet that inflation's effect on t-bill rates will be negligible, then sure, you can coast on it. Don't assume that longer duration will get you more yield. You can't exactly lock in the 5.25% on 12-month right now any longer on the curve.

To me, this is starting to ring the "Why not 100% XYZ?" indicator we get any time something is doing better than a balanced portfolio. "Why not 100 stocks?" in the boom times, "Why not 100% real estate" in 2007, etc.

I stayed at toxic jobs for years too long. Fool me three times, shame on me extra. At no time was I ever like "boy, I wish I had stayed at that toxic job that got me sick so I could have some money". I was younger then, though, so YMMV. I also stayed at a place where there were a lot of less than ethical practices. They would also not pay unemployment when firing people because they could bully people with lawyers and no one was ever rich/brave enough to fight back. The one I know who did fight back on a wrongful termination spent years in court and ended up losing (despite overwhelming evidence). I feel with that one would need to have ironclad smoking gun proof before bringing it to anyone and even then, I just don't know. Just ...

I didn't attempt to ask them to waive it.

manlymatt83 wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 2:16 pm

zhiwiller wrote: ↑Thu Mar 09, 2023 2:11 pm

manlymatt83 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:35 pm Has anyone used their alliant debit card internationally at an ATM? Any issues?

I did this as recently as October and had no issues.

But you got charged the 1% fee right?

Correct. I don't think you can avoid that.

manlymatt83 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 26, 2023 4:35 pm Has anyone used their alliant debit card internationally at an ATM? Any issues?

I did this as recently as October and had no issues.

The world is absolutely full of jobs at that level right now. I wouldn't worry about the what-ifs if you switch and it doesn't work out, especially if you don't think you will be fulfilled with the current position.

The bigger question is what your plan is from getting where you are to where you want to be in the long term. You don't need to know exactly what that is because life is random and weird, but you should have some direction to help guide your choices.

I've been looking at funds like STIP for a while and find myself very confused by them. I see a 2.17% listed real yield at the link, but I also see a negative listed SEC yield. Distributions over the last several months have not seemingly had any relationship to the inflation rate + the real yield quoted at the time above inflation. Nor has there been capital appreciation (i.e. adding that yield to principal as an individual TIPS would). Presumably there has been price movement due to the rising short term interest rates as one would expect for any bond, but one should also see the specified yield coming into play there and I haven't seen it in the last several months. I think I understand how an individual TIPS works but I've tried to und...

Most EVs have a "turtle mode" when the battery gets really low. Combined with a portable 110/220 adapter, that's supposed to allow an EV to limp to an outlet, then charge up enough to limp again to a fast charger. That's probably a sound strategy when you're a few miles short of a fast charger, not so much if you're 50-100 miles away. I've driven an EV for 6 years now and only had this happen once. I could have sucked it up and found a charger and waited but I was soooo close to home and was being somewhat unreasonable. Eventually, the car starts shutting down non-essential systems and limiting its acceleration/top-speed. I did make it home okay. AAA will do a jump charge in some areas, but I haven't ever had to use the service. ...

Do you know how stable this passion job will be? If it were to dry up or if you were to get bored with it in four years, how certain are you that you would still want to stay in SLC?

At least she isn't my age and doing this exact same game in 1999. I learned some bad lessons about CSCO.

That is 2022 YTD. On the main profile for the fund it lists as of 1/23 YTD of 0.26%

Happiest upcoming birthday to Taylor.

He helped me on the old Morningstar boards when he was just a wee 82 year-old and I wouldn't be in the same position today without his kind and simplifying advice.

adamthesmythe wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 11:39 am Now to say you would never take a Disney cruise...truly a man of wealth and taste.

Well you won't have the wealth afterwards.

I've been on one cruise. It was awful. Literally thrown against the walls because of waves, deck was closed, etc. I'm sure plenty have good experiences. I was not one of them. More power to you if you like them.

Desultory Cyclicals

Long: LUV
Short: DWAC, TSLA, GME

4358.21

bagastuff wrote: ↑Fri Jun 10, 2022 12:29 pm Dancing with the bear all year is getting emotionally draining.

You don't have to come on here every day, especially if it is making you more anxious.

Marseille07 wrote: ↑Thu Jun 09, 2022 3:42 pm If Linden Lab could pull it off, why can't Meta?

Define "pull it off". I don't remember the market cap of Linden Labs. I'm pretty sure their business is facilitating microtransactions in other people's virtual worlds right now.

I had this issue since my checking is with an online bank. After bouts with Treasury customer service, they allowed me to get the signature of my county clerk of courts. Here's what I received from TD: We do not require you to obtain certification from a bank in which you have an account. Any financial institution in your area that can identify you may provide certification on the form. Note: Certifying individuals include: Officers and employees of depository institutions. Institutions that are members of Treasury signature guarantee stamp and guarantee programs. Officers and employees of corporate central credit unions, Federal Land Banks, Federal Intermediate Credit Banks and Banks for Cooperatives, the Central Bank for cooperatives, and...

gtrplayer wrote: ↑Tue May 10, 2022 10:16 pmWhen people talk about inflation, I remember begging my parents for video games in the 80’s and then realize video games cost around the same now as they did then. Also makes me think how good my blue collar middle class parents were at budgeting that they managed to afford at least some of them.

It's better than that. An NES cartridge around 1990 was ~$50. That's $110 in today's dollars. We have a survivorship bias for the classics that were great, but the average NES game was not good.

I work in video games and we are putting out a game at the end of the month. ~60 people work on it and its release price will be $0. Wild.

sid hartha wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 12:14 pm Same. I bought some around $205 and just put the rest in at around $200. Hard to believe 10 years from now I'll regret it.

I have to keep telling myself that.

SuzBanyan wrote: ↑Mon May 09, 2022 10:33 am All of those why not AARK, borrow to invest, less than 100% stocks is for wimps, etc. posts on Bogleheads were probably a leading economic indicator that the market will fall. Just like when people were getting stock tips from the shoe shine boy in 1929.

In retrospect, sure, but there have been threads like that since the start of the pandemic. When things are good, it seems obvious that the good thing will keep going. Just like there were a LOT of REIT threads up to 2008.

I've had some taxable dollars that I have been buying VTI with at the top and then down every $10/share or so. Last was $205. I don't know if I'll bite at $195. The powder is running a bit low.

killjoy2012 wrote: ↑Thu Apr 21, 2022 1:04 pm I ultimately decided to move my domain and user to Microsoft's platform. You can buy a 5 user M365 Family plan discounted at Costco for $90 per 15 months. That allows you to host your own domain on their outlook.com platform, have up to 5 users, very large storage limit on email, plus it comes with the right to use all of the Office apps - Word, Excel, PPT, OneNote, Teams, One Drive... 1TB OneDrive storage per user.

Only if you use GoDaddy as your registrar, I thought. That's a bridge too far for me.

atdharris wrote: ↑Tue Apr 19, 2022 3:04 pm NFLX -17% after hearings. It will be a bloodbath for tech tomorrow.

-23% now.

At my last job, you were never allowed to discuss problems with anyone more than one step above you on the org chart because of "chain of command". Of course, that stuff never went up the chain because it would just die in middle management. So upper management always told us how great everything was and we could never correct the record.

They probably knew, but this policy saved them from difficult conversations.

It's an industry with a huge amount of moral hazard, so they can be incompetent and still pull in the gov money. ::shrug:: I'm gone and much happier now.

I've owned a non-Tesla EV since 2017. Since well before then, they were always in the "wait 3 years and you'll get INSERT FEATURE HERE" period. That's largely been true. For your particular use case though, the high charger availability and the high rate of charge probably makes Tesla the choice, especially if you plan on leasing and not hanging on for the long haul. I think 3 years from now, there won't be much of a lead by Tesla on the "charging anxiety" issue, but feel free to dig up this post in three years and taunt me if I'm wrong.

Use FreeTaxUSA instead?

For those that run / cycle without a phone, presumably you carry photo ID and maybe also a health insurance card, a credit card, and a list of emergency contacts (names, phone numbers), right? At least I do, so adding a phone to those items is not a big deal, is it? I realize a phone weighs more than a few ID cards, but it weighs less than a little bit of water. Anyways, I carry such items in the very convenient middle back pocket of my jersey. My phone gives me all the music I need via wireless means. I have the 245 w/music, but I am also not a serious enough runner that my (bulky) phone will make a difference, so I also just play from my phone. But I imagine enthusiasts will want the option to not have pockets full of stuff. I don't thin...

I plan on waiting until the 11th hour until the speculation is over and options clearer. I'll probably move to Zoho.

tj wrote: ↑Sat Feb 05, 2022 8:07 pm

manlymatt83 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 05, 2022 7:00 pm Are folks still generally happy with Alliant?

Sure. What's not to like?

They are fine until you need customer service. Then good luck.

Last year, I needed a medallion signature. I called their customer service line who told me I need to come to a branch... of which they have zero.

Also when I sold my previous home and needed to deposit the proceeds, they did everything they could to make it difficult and insecure.

Their rates for savings, atm reimbursement, and credit card are good.

I have TCL's 65" one and it is excellent for my needs. I hear the models they sell at WalMart are worse than the Amazon/BestBuy, but can't confirm. I bought mine on Amazon. The TCLs have Rokus built in, which is one of the less crummy Smart TV platforms (although it too has its problems). 4k content is mostly limited to movies/shows from streaming services. Live 4k content is rare and often requires a higher tier of subscription. Since I've switched to YouTubeTV, it requires an expensive upgrade for not much extra content. 4k gaming is a noticeable difference when done right, however you have to bank on the developer being able to cram a decent framerate in with the higher resolution. If they are just upscaling textures, it isn't that ...

You shouldn't need it. But good luck getting anything from Better; they don't really lead in customer service, to put it lightly.

How does it have a worst year of 6.09% if it is designed to return a flat 10.66%/year?

While I understand the feeling that tech is frothy, you essentially have to time getting out and also time getting back in at whatever point you think it is backed to fairly valued. I don't like the risk there.

If I was really committed to this, I'd buy all the sector funds but technology. But that's a lot of work.

Wife was a cast member for twelve years or so before getting axed during COVID. Year after year they made it harder and harder to provide a good experience for guests. It fell off a cliff the last two years pre-Covid with new leadership. She went from a Disney superfan who would drag me a dozen times a year to recommending out of towers go somewhere else. It was disappointing to watch. Good experience for the guest was what really set Disney apart. In you or your wife's opinion does the decline have anything to do with Bob Iger stepping down? I dont know. Too many layers of bureaucracy between the decision makers and grunts. From her perspective, they went from caring about what the cast said were issues for guests to just cogs they didn't...

Had to remember what was 2020 and what was 2021 as all days are equal now. In 2021, GM bought back my 2017 Chevy Bolt because of the recall situation for MSRP minus some depreciation. I turned that around and bought a 2020 Bolt which was much below MSRP and pocketed around $12,000. I love the car. When I was in Florida, it was great since the ideal use case is flat and hot territory. Now that I am in NY, it is less ideal, but still a fantastic car.

startwithtruth wrote: ↑Thu Dec 30, 2021 5:47 pm The dice/board game "That's Pretty Clever" which my husband and I played many times this year; cheap and small enough to pack when visiting the kids.

There are sequels/expansions called Doppel so Clever and Clever hoch Drei. I'm not sure what they were called in English, but I like them just as much/more.

Desultory Cyclicals

Long: MSFT, DIS, YETI
Short: GME, HOG, TSLA

5202 close

Wife was a cast member for twelve years or so before getting axed during COVID. Year after year they made it harder and harder to provide a good experience for guests. It fell off a cliff the last two years pre-Covid with new leadership. She went from a Disney superfan who would drag me a dozen times a year to recommending out of towers go somewhere else. It was disappointing to watch.

shess wrote: ↑Fri Dec 17, 2021 11:06 am I could envision Reddit as a business that can cover expenses and keep things rolling with some selective commercialization, but that doesn't really justify a $15B valuation.

It's a place where people self-select into communities for things they are enthusiastic about. It should be an advertiser's dream. They just haven't really figured out how to make that work yet.

strobotz wrote: ↑Thu Dec 16, 2021 10:36 pm There is a Bogleheads subreddit and it's (arguably) better than this forum. I read both and usually find more value out of the subreddit (as you can tell by my lack of posting here).

I feel the opposite. I'm a daily Reddit user and subscribed for a while, but I found I learned almost nothing on /r/Bogleheads and when I tried to point someone towards things that I learned through this forum, I got downvoted. It's really incurious. I unsubscribed.

It's like the mirror universe Bogleheads with a beard. Close enough that the look resonates but deeply different under the surface.

I would be very skeptical of the implication they give that once you "pay your dues" you can move to a parent company and do something more interesting. All promises not explicitly negotiated before hiring have to be vetted through other employees. I've seen this a lot in my particular industry where the big opportunity will come with the next contract that is right around the corner. It always seems to be right around the corner. Your values may vary, but there is a lot to say for believing in the product you are making/servicing. It tends to lead to a happier and less toxic team, which is really what you want out of wherever you are going to spend the majority of your waking life. Multiple times I've made the mistake where an op...

Sorry everyone. I bought Friday morning, hence why that was the all-time high.

Atilla wrote: ↑Thu Oct 07, 2021 2:35 pm I don't understand. "World's Largest Cocktail Party" and we're not talking about a Wisconsin home game?

Or is it a matter of separating the professionals from the rest so the others have a chance?

https://www.al.com/sports/2017/10/why_i ... ia_th.html

I'm super upset with Better. I'd not use them in the future and warn everyone else off of them. New loan origination. Everything was fine (sans some bizarre documentation requests). That is, until the closing date got close and I had no movement on my account. It's impossible to actually get anyone to talk to you when you call them, so they ask you schedule with your "specialist". That specialist will have one opening for 15-30 min somewhere in the next week, so hopefully you are available. Of course, when they just straight up don't call you at the specified time, what do you do then? Just send emails into a void. My closing date has just shifted by A MONTH on their site and I have had no communication from them. It would be one ...

Commenting from Winter Park right now. We are moving soon because of my job, but I wouldn't pick anywhere else in town.

Went electric in 2017 and won't go back. Wife has a dead dinosaur powered car if we need it for long trips, but have never needed to. We have a L2 charger at home. That's a no brainer.

vinhodoporto wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 11:23 am

vfinx wrote: ↑Wed Sep 08, 2021 12:47 am Does anyone throw the kids in economy and buy business for the parents?

We’ve done that. Except we used points or certificates to upgrade the parents - much cheaper than buying business outright on an international long haul.

My last cross-Atlantic flight I was blessed to be near a brood of kids whose parents did just that. The parents peaced out to the front and left their kids to fight with each other, scream, kick the seat, and push their dirty sock feet inbetween our armrests the whole flight.

So thanks.