Search found 86 matches

by tioscrooge
Wed Oct 18, 2023 2:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you "Roomba"? or other robot vacuums? Which is the best? Roomba Tips?
Replies: 117
Views: 14489

Re: Do you "Roomba"? or other robot vacuums? Which is the best?

We have a two story 6600 sqft house. We have two roborock - one for each floor. Highly recommend- it vacuums and also mops our hard surfaces. Using it for a year now.
Got for their latest model.
by tioscrooge
Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax strategies for high income
Replies: 86
Views: 15214

Re: Tax strategies for high income

Some of the strategies that I know for optimizing taxes for high income salaried individuals/ couples with no business ownership are as follows: 401k HSA Backdoor Roth IRA Mega backdoor Roth IRA 529s Non-qualified deferred compensation I-bonds Tax loss harvesting Charitable giving Some other options, that I don't understand much are: Cash Value life insurance Deferred annuities Are there any others that you are following that you can share with me. Thanks https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2706804#p2706804 Over the years, I have read a lot to see how we can save on taxes - and I have mostly come back with zilch for W-2 income. Business income offers some extra tools (and extra compliance needs). The replies on this thread put...
by tioscrooge
Fri Aug 04, 2023 8:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax strategies for high income
Replies: 86
Views: 15214

Re: Tax strategies for high income

Some of the strategies that I know for optimizing taxes for high income salaried individuals/ couples with no business ownership are as follows: 401k HSA Backdoor Roth IRA Mega backdoor Roth IRA 529s Non-qualified deferred compensation I-bonds Tax loss harvesting Charitable giving Some other options, that I don't understand much are: Cash Value life insurance Deferred annuities Are there any others that you are following that you can share with me. Thanks https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=2706804#p2706804 Over the years, I have read a lot to see how we can save on taxes - and I have mostly come back with zilch for W-2 income. Business income offers some extra tools (and extra compliance needs). The replies on this thread put...
by tioscrooge
Sun Jul 23, 2023 8:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Difference Between Home Designer & Architect
Replies: 10
Views: 1067

Re: Difference Between Home Designer & Architect

Architect gets paid by the hour or a % of the building cost. We went with an hourly architect. Lowest % was 7% for design to permit and average 12-13% for overseeing the project. We paid the architect hourly for all tasks. Overseeing was only spot checks and whenever my contractor had questions. We finished building in Dec 2022. What we paid would have been <3% of the total cost. Additionally, he also did all structural engineering calculations himself. This was very helpful, because whenever the city had a question, he could fix everything himself. The advantage to us as a lay client was that whenever there was a problem, we were thinking about solutions without pointing fingers. And especially as a Lay client we did not get as stressed ou...
by tioscrooge
Wed Jun 07, 2023 9:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: In-Laws financial advisor charges 1.0% on AUM. Say something?
Replies: 129
Views: 10353

Re: In-Laws financial advisor charges 1.0% on AUM. Say something?

My in-laws have a very high net worth, between $10 and $20 million. They use a financial advisor that charges 1.0% on assets under management on assets under $3 million, and 0.85% on assets over $3 million. This means they're likely paying more than $100,000 EVERY YEAR to their financial advisor. Is there anything I can do or say about it, or do I just need to keep my mouth shut? I'm having a really difficult time not speaking up about it. I also talked to my spouse about it and her response was something like, "I don't know how anyone with that much money WOULDN'T have a financial advisor that they pay." I have been there. Done that. My FIL was a CFO and absolutely did not believe in investing in Stocks. His stated investments w...
by tioscrooge
Wed May 31, 2023 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!
Replies: 158
Views: 17914

Re: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!

At Megacorp, promotions are based on taking on different responsibilities, not knowledge base. DH has leveraged his knowledge base that they do not want to lose to go part time while resisting officially taking on more managerial tasks. They would have preferred to promote him, but can't unless he agrees to step into a leadership role. If you want a promotion, ask your leadership what it would take. One thing that changes at a certain level in Megacorp is that you have to make an impression on the folks two levels above you, which the higher you get, the less interaction you have with folks that much higher. I have been denied taking on different responsibilities, despite asking at every opportunity and seeing situations that needed attent...
by tioscrooge
Fri Feb 17, 2023 9:05 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: your favorite quotes & one-liners
Replies: 272
Views: 48670

Re: your favorite quotes & one-liners

Before you consider malice as the reason of someone’s action, give stupidity a chance.
by tioscrooge
Thu Feb 09, 2023 2:56 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: ChatGPT implemented thread hiding functionality on bogleheads.org
Replies: 44
Views: 8800

Re: ChatGPT implemented thread hiding functionality on bogleheads.org

cacophony wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 10:16 pm
marathonfi wrote: Wed Feb 08, 2023 10:04 pm Amazing. Thank you for sharing. I didn't realize these extensions are even possible! I will be tinkering around for sure. How do you clear the list of hidden threads?
If you delete cookies for bogleheads.org it will clear the list of hidden threads. Shouldn't be a big deal other than forcing you to login again.
I thought about enhancing the functionality to allow viewing or clearing of the list but I'm not sure how much benefit that would actually be.
Thank you for posting the code and the link to extension. I'd like to use this functionality.
would you be able to post a step by step guide for those of us that are computer illiterate?

Thank you,
by tioscrooge
Tue Jan 24, 2023 9:43 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: your favorite quotes & one-liners
Replies: 272
Views: 48670

Re: your favorite quotes & one-liners

Nicolas wrote: Wed Jan 04, 2023 9:23 pm Look before you leap.
A variation of this quote - “Loop before you leap” was a popular teaching in medical schools of India a few decades ago. It promoted importance of contraceptives and family planning.
by tioscrooge
Thu Nov 03, 2022 7:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scanning software compatible with Windows 11?
Replies: 32
Views: 3701

Re: Scanning software compatible with Windows 11?

My challenge has been with scansnap S510. Naps2 did not recognize it. I have been using scansnap recovery tool, but that too has stopped working now. Perhaps take a look at this: https://www.reddit.com/r/ScanSnap/comments/t0rbyk/scansnap_s510_and_windows_11/ That might get you working, or get the drivers setup such that naps2 will work with it Thank you for the suggestion. I have been using that file for the last year. That and scansnap recovery tool kept my S510 alive. For some reason, the scanner connects but the icon stays grayed out. The recovery tool does not bring it back despite multiple attempts, rebooting, restarting etc. I am not savvy enough to figure out how to get the driver set up to work with NAPS2. Thank you again,
by tioscrooge
Wed Nov 02, 2022 12:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scanning software compatible with Windows 11?
Replies: 32
Views: 3701

Re: Scanning software compatible with Windows 11?

My challenge has been with scansnap S510. Naps2 did not recognize it. I have been using scansnap recovery tool, but that too has stopped working now.
The scanner works fine, but I guess I will have to upgrade the model now.
Any other solution that I am missing?
Thank you
by tioscrooge
Sat Sep 17, 2022 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: buying a new van to live in, should i sell my daily driver?
Replies: 106
Views: 11468

Re: buying a new van to live in, should i sell my daily driver?

I have a different opinion.

I am sure you had a reason to purchase your Tesla, otherwise you would not have made that purchase.
Someone may claim that reason to be not valid, but that is not true. It was your reason, and it worked for you at the time.

Now what you’re being told is to sell everything. You would be making another impulse decision to sell.

This reminds me of the time when people were selling their SUVs with the gas prices went up a few years ago. You will still need a place to stay, you will still need a driving car.

You thought, that a Tesla and the new van will meet your needs. Nobody here knows better about your day-to-day needs than you.

Stay the course - whatever that means to you.
by tioscrooge
Thu Aug 18, 2022 6:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who Pays? [Neighbor developing backyard "discovered" my sewer lateral]
Replies: 99
Views: 16262

Re: Who Pays? [Neighbor developing backyard "discovered" my sewer lateral]

I am not a lawyer. Just a homeowner who had the misfortune to be through some title issues, and knows people who went through similar title problems. Someone I know successfully defended his property rights of a sewer lateral going to a neighbors property. He invoked his title insurance, and had the title insurance defend him in court and got a permanent easement for his septic lateral extending neighbors property. It was a similar case as yours, where the original property was divided into three lots and the septic laterals ended up in neighbors parcel. This was 20 years ago, And in a different state. My suggestion would be to speak to an attorney, and your title company. You may not have any expenses of your own, other than your deductibl...
by tioscrooge
Wed Jul 27, 2022 12:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Grid tied Solar + battery storage quote help
Replies: 84
Views: 5737

Re: Grid tied Solar + battery storage quote help

Hello all, I am currently thinking about installing on a new build. The quote we have received are for two separate size systems, 16.8 ($93,000) and 22kw (109,000 For the 16.8 kw system - quoted 93k - 42 400 kw solaria panels ($500 x 42 = 21000) - 15 kw Solark inverter ($8500) - Lumin load management system (2500) - 41kw Storz battery storage (price unknown) For the 22 kw system - quoted 109k - 55 400 kw solaria panels (500 x 55 = 27,500) - 2 x 12 kw solark inverter ($16,000) - lumin load management system (2500) - 41 kw Storz battery storage (price unknown) Overall, what do you think about the quotes. I see those numbers and my eyes water. We do NOT have net metering in my state. I installed a 19.6 kW system, 48 panels, for a total price ...
by tioscrooge
Wed Jun 22, 2022 7:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: E*Trade Solo 401k - No More Roth Contributions Allowed?
Replies: 13
Views: 1773

Re: E-Trade Prototype Individual 401(k) will no longer support non deductible contributions effective immediately

worthit wrote: Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:40 pm if you are just looking for a non-prototype plan document generator and self-administering the accounts yourself, then there are couple of them that I looked at - mysolo401k.net and discountsolo401k.com.
Thank you. This is exactly what I was looking for. Yes I will administer the plan myself, but was looking for just the document service.

I two tried calling E*Trade customer service yesterday, and was on hold for an hour before I gave up.

Probably they’re getting bombarded by many people.
by tioscrooge
Tue Jun 21, 2022 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: E*Trade Solo 401k - No More Roth Contributions Allowed?
Replies: 13
Views: 1773

E-Trade Prototype Individual 401(k) will no longer support non deductible contributions effective immediately

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek] I received an email from etrade today. "Effective immediately, non-deductible employee contributions are no longer an eligible contribution type for Individual 401(k) and Roth Individual 401(k) plans established using the plan documents made available by E*TRADE. We’ve updated Section 3, Part C of our Adoption Agreement to "No" to address this change." ..... "Provide us with an updated Plan Restatement Certification Form and updated Adoption Agreement by completing, signing, and submitting the updated forms at etrade.com/DocuSignPPA. Alternatively, you can fax the forms to 866-650-0003 (+1 678 624 6950 from outside the US); securely upload them at documentupload.etrade.com...
by tioscrooge
Tue Jun 07, 2022 11:27 am
Forum: United Arab Emirates
Topic: Recommend Dubai for 2 US physicians?
Replies: 42
Views: 13777

Re: Recommend Dubai for 2 US physicians?

Yes, UAE does not have personal income tax.
I am talking about OP's state of residence - Oregon.
When someone leaves US and goes overseas, the state income tax on that foreign income may still apply.
Here is an older thread where a member stated:
viewtopic.php?t=90214

"I'm a US citizen who is not a "resident" of any state, but for tax purposes I'm considered "tax domiciled" in California and forced to file state taxes as a California Non-Resident."

There are also ways people change their tax domicile before going overseas and each state has different rules. OP should review the rules for OR.
by tioscrooge
Tue Jun 07, 2022 8:21 am
Forum: United Arab Emirates
Topic: Recommend Dubai for 2 US physicians?
Replies: 42
Views: 13777

Re: Recommend Dubai for 2 US physicians?

Hi all, we are a 2 physician couple with 2 girls (2 year old, newborn) looking for a new adventure in ~2025. Currently living in Portland, OR. We are US Citizens but with an Arab and Turkish background (I’m fluent in Arabic, my wife is conversational in Turkish). I have visited Dubai a couple of times and am impressed by the growth, diversity, and improving infrastructure. A few questions: -What is education like in Dubai assuming we want bilingual schools (cost, quality etc..) -What are medical job opportunities like in Dubai? (Salaries, benefits etc. compared to US) -Heard summer weather is horrifically hot and humid, is it May through Sept? What do people do then? -We don’t like excessive materialism, I know there is a lot of that in Du...
by tioscrooge
Mon May 23, 2022 9:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you give?
Replies: 108
Views: 10790

Re: How much do you give?

Somewhere earlier in the thread, one person said that the answer to how much should you give is always more, more, and more. My wife and I have a graduated charity system where we donate increasing percentage of our income as we earn more. We max out at 37% for general donation category- mostly used for common wellbeing of the society. We mostly agree with the cause, but have occasional misgivings about misuse of our donations. Since we work in healthcare, we donate 3.8% of our investment income to support healthcare for the elderly, in addition to 1.45% of all our income for the same cause. We both grew up in third world countries without safety nets for the poor. We wouldn’t have been to college or come to USA if it wasn’t for family and ...
by tioscrooge
Sat Dec 11, 2021 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Solo 401k: Worth contributing?
Replies: 21
Views: 2581

Re: Solo 401k: Worth contributing?

There are a few threads on E*Trade solo 401k. Please search for them on this site. They offer pretax Roth and after tax options.
I have used vanguard, Schwab and ascensus prototypes and recently restated my solo with E*Trade. It is written by ascensus by the way :)
by tioscrooge
Fri Dec 03, 2021 7:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what net worth would you to be comfortable purchasing $3MM house? (given certain assumptions)
Replies: 230
Views: 20578

Re: At what net worth would you to be comfortable purchasing $3MM house? (given certain assumptions)

[/quote]

I was trying to approach it differently in the hopes of getting more useful data. If I had said, I have $XXMM then I suspect the replies would have been more along the lines of "yes" or "no" as opposed to specific number cutoffs.
[/quote]

I think that in order to remove the “shock” of 3M / 5M house, if you posted for a 300k/500k house and added a zero in your mental math, you may get different answers, and more to your question without being sidetracked in ways you did not want.

I live in an earthquake prone zone. The premium for 3M property are upwards of 10-15k depending on coverage / coinsurance deductible.
by tioscrooge
Sat Nov 06, 2021 9:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone tried to renew a passport recently?
Replies: 67
Views: 9349

Re: Anyone tried to renew a passport recently?

We sent in for regular processing and not expedited processing.
by tioscrooge
Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any changes to 401k or back door Roth in recently passed infrastructure bill?
Replies: 3
Views: 1117

Any changes to 401k or back door Roth in recently passed infrastructure bill?

Just as the title says!

They were some discussions of elimination or restriction of after-tax 401(k), back door Roth, in recent proposal for legislation. I know that the forum prohibits discussion of future legislature. My question is were there any provisions that affected the retirement plans in the legislation that was just passed, ie the infrastructure bill?

Preliminary Google searches have not provided an answer. I’m hoping that someone more knowledgeable will be able to comment .

Thank you
by tioscrooge
Sat Nov 06, 2021 7:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone tried to renew a passport recently?
Replies: 67
Views: 9349

Re: Anyone tried to renew a passport recently?

We sent in spouse’s expired passport for renewal in October and it arrived in 2 weeks. My friend has been waiting to get his renewed passport for 2 months. Both live in same town, and we don’t see a rhyme or reason to explain the delay for my friend.
by tioscrooge
Fri Jul 23, 2021 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Board games
Replies: 65
Views: 6790

Re: Board games

Boglegirl81 wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 10:22 pm We’ve had a rainy camping trip and have spent more time than usual inside our travel trailer playing games and doing a jigsaw puzzle. I have Scattergories and Bananagrams already, but I’d love suggestions for new games we can play! It would usually be two players, but sometimes we do group camping where we have more players.
Pandemic is an excellent game which is collaborative. Two people can play, but you can also play with four players, when it is even more fun. If you have a study group of players, then pandemic legacy season 1, 2 and 0 are our favorite strategy games
by tioscrooge
Fri Jul 23, 2021 10:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is title insurance needed for new construction townhome in NJ purchased for cash (no mortgage)
Replies: 74
Views: 6933

Re: Is title insurance needed for new construction townhome in NJ purchased for cash (no mortgage)

talzara wrote: Sun Jul 18, 2021 2:35 pm
According to the rate filings, risk is linear up to $1 million and then less than linear after that.

A $1 million policy has 200% of the claim severity of a $500k policy. A $2 million house has only 180% of the claim severity of a $1 million house.

There are so few claims that the actuaries only fit a severity curve. They assume a constant claim frequency regardless of property value.
I am curious if you are aware of insureds bringing action against the title company for not defending title or for bad faith in covering the claim. Do title companies try to wiggle out of coverage?

Thank you
by tioscrooge
Wed Jun 23, 2021 11:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What pitfalls do even smart people make when buying a home?
Replies: 211
Views: 25401

Re: What pitfalls do even smart people make when buying a home?

LeftCoastIV wrote: Sun Jun 20, 2021 2:37 am [3] Waiving title contingency. I know it's a hot market, but don't you want to know that you are actually getting a clean title? Or, if there is some easement that lets your neighbor traverse your property that nobody told you about?, etc... At worst, the seller should provide title docs pre-offer if no contingency.
+1

This is often overlooked. Title insurance is cheap, because they don't pay out much. However, when they do, it can easily be 6 digit expense. Read the policy and every exception before you buy. Also, Talk to neighbors before you buy - we found out about the prior lawsuits with the neighbors that the sellers didn't tell us about.
by tioscrooge
Sun Apr 25, 2021 10:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Discuss Net Worth with Adult Children
Replies: 176
Views: 21440

Re: Discuss Net Worth with Adult Children

We have one child and have been gradually bringing her on board. She will inherit everything that we don't use in our lifetimes or designate towards charities. Presently, she is a young adult and busy completing her schooling; therefore, exact details will be filled in later. But she has a general idea because I have talked with her on various occasions about the responsibilities she will have. Recently, I read the following idea some place (though I cannot recall where) and agree with its wise sentiment. Q: How much should one's children inherit? A: (Assuming the person asking the question is doing so because there is a significant inheritance involved.) As much as you prepare them to inherit. I'm following that general philosophy. Nice p...
by tioscrooge
Mon Jan 18, 2021 11:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Family support for an artist
Replies: 188
Views: 13973

Re: Family support for an artist

As a new boglehead, I’m impressed by and grateful for the responses. They certainly run the gamut, much of which is tough love for me, the dad, and for my son as well. I did not include a lot of details because I’m not seeking analysis and much effort from responders. I hoped that what I shared would generate good discussion and it did. The insights and suggestions are well thought out and helpful, especially the cautions about dependency. The comments are worth my rereading again and again. Thanks much. OP, A close family member in late 30s earns more than the median US wage, and is single. However, the expenses are 20% more than the income. This extra expenses are supported by parents in their 70s. The Spender has two siblings that live ...
by tioscrooge
Tue Dec 22, 2020 11:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Craiglist post response
Replies: 60
Views: 7383

Re: Craiglist post response

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Mon Dec 21, 2020 11:39 am We know it's a scam, but there's no reason to not have some fun.

Your response: Make up things for every question.

The scammer will FedEx you a cashier's check. Maybe tell them to make the check out for $900,000,000.26 It cost him money to FedEx it. He'll blow up your email when he gets a delivery confirmation. If you want to continue the fun, respond that the FedEx envelope was empty. He'll then have to either spend more money to send another fake check or cut bait. Every time I've done this, they've cut bait.
You will enjoy watching James Veitch videos on YouTube. He is a British comedian who replies to scammers.
by tioscrooge
Wed Dec 16, 2020 12:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Getting sued from an already settled car accident... 2 years later! Is this legal?
Replies: 45
Views: 9597

Re: Getting sued from an already settled car accident... 2 years later! Is this legal?

MWash1986 wrote: Mon Nov 26, 2018 6:25 pm I was involved in a car accident 2 years ago in NY.

I was at-fault. My insurance settled with the other party.

I assumed everything was settled and done with.

Then, I get notified today that I am being sued by the other party in the accident.

Is this legal?
Op
It has been 2 years. Do you have any updates on this?
by tioscrooge
Sun Nov 22, 2020 8:48 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fed up With Flagship
Replies: 291
Views: 25011

Re: Fed up With Flagship

I moved to E*TRADE last year after thirty years at Vanguard and experiencing a decline in competence, service and benefits over the past few years. Unlike Fidelity and Schwab, they offer most Vanguard mutual funds with no transaction fees. I've been very pleased with the level of customer service at E*TRADE. Here was a thread I posted on the subject: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=291658 Right now, E*TRADE has a generous bonus offer with $2,500 for a $1 million transfer. If you have more than $1 million, check with a local advisor as they can sometimes sweeten the pot. https://us.etrade.com/what-we-offer/how-it-works/promo Second vote for E*TRADE. I have accounts at Schwab and E*TRADE. Both provide excellent customer serv...
by tioscrooge
Sat Sep 19, 2020 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [getting payout of] fire insurance after fire
Replies: 17
Views: 1822

Re: [getting payout of] fire insurance after fire

Fortunately I am not in this situation today. Appreciate you educating the process. Helpful.
by tioscrooge
Tue Aug 04, 2020 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth 457b vs regular 457? and other questions!
Replies: 26
Views: 2058

Re: Roth 457b vs regular 457? and other questions!

I have confirmed that the plan is NON-governmental. I also am planning to go for PSLF at this time. Please see retiredjg response. The only thing I will add, is to find the actual plan document. Read very carefully, and see if it allows for transfer of funds to another non-governmental 457B plan. If not, what are your options at separation. As you are a resident, you may move away to a different job upon graduation, what happens to the funds that you have contributed to this 457B plan? In the absence of an ability to transfer it to another 457B plan, you may have to take distribution as taxable income, or keep it at the same organization for certain length of time, as described in your plan document. If you end up joining a for-profit orga...
by tioscrooge
Mon Aug 03, 2020 12:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth 457b vs regular 457? and other questions!
Replies: 26
Views: 2058

Re: Roth 457b vs regular 457? and other questions!

retiredjg wrote: Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:44 pm
philipmk wrote: Sun Aug 02, 2020 5:10 pm I work for a large public academic hospital that is associated with an undergraduate university. I have been looking online and it's definitely not governmental related from what I can tell.
A public university? Like a state school? It sounds like it probably is a governmental 457b. That's a good thing. A non-governmental 457 is not always a good plan to use.
OP

Please read and verify your plan document regarding its governmental status.

Rollovers are not allowed for non-government 457b plans. You may transfer Funds to another nongovernmental 457b if both receiving and transferring plans allow it in accordance with your plan terms.
by tioscrooge
Mon Aug 03, 2020 12:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Becoming a Landlord: My Experiences
Replies: 183
Views: 48685

Re: Becoming a Landlord: My Experiences

Great post, and glad to see the discussion continuing 3 years later. I've scanned most of the comments but don't see this addressed: How do you select tenants without running afoul of anti-discrimination laws? For example, I own a rental condo (California) in a complex of 10 that are all occupied by retirees. In order to avoid conflict with the existing residents I would like to find a tenant who is likely to be a good fit for the community. If a family of 5 with small children applies, can they sue me if I select an elderly couple instead? In General: 1. Know the local landlord-tenant code in detail and commit it to memory. 2. Know the local laws and practices for landlords, realtors, etc. 3. Know at least a broad spectrum of what is lega...
by tioscrooge
Mon Aug 03, 2020 12:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Home Blood-Pressure Monitor for Accuracy?
Replies: 33
Views: 4816

Re: Best Home Blood-Pressure Monitor for Accuracy?

I cannot imagine that Hg vs aneroid would make much of a measurement difference. One is listening for the pulse and manually releasing pressure slowly. I suppose that if the pulse rate is very slow, then the pressure has to be be released very slowly so that pressure does not change very much at all between pulses. So it is NOT the pump, but the slow release from higher pressures that are required I would think. Also how the cuff is placed and how tight it is initially put on the arm would create variability which you can test for yourself. I can see where the automated monitors would not release pressure slow enough. What is the pulse rate of the subject? Under 40 bpm? One reason why automatic bp measurement is inaccurate regardless of he...
by tioscrooge
Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you drink drink coffee and why or why not?
Replies: 36
Views: 2866

Re: Do you drink drink coffee and why or why not?

catpepper wrote: Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:35 am Personally, whenever I drink coffee, it makes me sleepier rather than more awake. I drink mostly tea or milk and occasionally beer when I'm out with friends and family. But I've seen some people around me whom could be over-reliant on coffee.
Since no one has posted this yet, check out coffee effect on spiderweb pictures:

https://i.insider.com/5cd94e2a021b4c12a ... &auto=webp
by tioscrooge
Tue Jun 16, 2020 11:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Owners Title Insurance
Replies: 47
Views: 3209

Re: Owners Title Insurance

BillWalters wrote: Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:19 pm I ended up buying it, but already regret it. What a racket.
Someone I know, had to use title insurance twice. Once to preserve his right to enter / exit his property through an adjoining lot. Second to protect his house that was encroaching on next lot. The title company spent 6 figure money to defend. This was in a subdivided property.

I hope you don’t have to use yours.
by tioscrooge
Thu Apr 30, 2020 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Small business owners - what invoicing and payment solutions do you use?
Replies: 7
Views: 757

Re: Small business owners - what invoicing and payment solutions do you use?

Check out the free version of wave
Www.waveapps.com
I use it for invoicing, and accounting. Since all my payments are either by check or direct deposit to the bank, I have not tried out their receive payment option.
by tioscrooge
Tue Apr 28, 2020 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: EURUSD rate and options on large transfer
Replies: 17
Views: 1158

Re: EURUSD rate and options on large transfer

Is there no norberts gambit for usd / eur?
by tioscrooge
Fri Apr 24, 2020 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: physician/APC pay cuts
Replies: 133
Views: 12328

Re: physician/APC pay cuts

Washington state has a physician union in a not-for-profit organization. This union has mostly been in California, with government hospitals. I don’t know how the pay cut scenario would play out in this situation. The same organization in Washington has unionized physicians at one hospital, and nonunionused physicians at another hospital.

FYI. Physicians can unionize.
by tioscrooge
Fri Apr 10, 2020 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My employer says my 457b allows incoming rollovers, TIAA says no. Potential pickle.
Replies: 25
Views: 1377

Re: My employer says my 457b allows incoming rollovers, TIAA says no. Potential pickle.

If the funds have been “distributed” with taxes withheld, I don’t know if your new 457b can accept it is a “transfer” now. You also raise another interesting point - could you deposit the funds To your new plan in more than 60 day window? An IRA rollover has to be rolled over in sixty days, however, I am not aware of any guidance on how many days must this transfer be accomplished in. I am hoping that spirit rider will weigh in on these questions. If you don’t have to worry about the 60 day window, another option I see is to establish a corporation in your state, apply for the not-for-profit status, and then create a 457B plan for that not profit. FIS Relius provides the document service for $540. There are technicalities to follow at every...
by tioscrooge
Fri Apr 10, 2020 9:40 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My employer says my 457b allows incoming rollovers, TIAA says no. Potential pickle.
Replies: 25
Views: 1377

Re: My employer says my 457b allows incoming rollovers, TIAA says no. Potential pickle.

I was able to do this exact transfer last month.
Lesson for me was - rollovers are not allowed between nongovernmental 457b. “Transfer” of funds between nongovernmental 457b is allowed and that’s what I did.

Accepting 457b plan had to write a letter to sending 457b plan that it will accept incoming transfer before my former plan sent the check. Taxes were not withheld.
by tioscrooge
Fri Jan 10, 2020 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Health insurance for elderly immigrants
Replies: 10
Views: 1635

Re: Health insurance for elderly immigrants

My understanding is that op likely had to file for I-864 affidavit of support when sponsoring parents . His parents cannot use public assistance / Medicaid until they become citizen.
by tioscrooge
Thu Aug 15, 2019 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit Freeze
Replies: 18
Views: 1637

Re: Credit Freeze

We have had her credit is frozen for over 10 years. Can’t remember exactly how long. After we froze our credit, I tried many times to open a credit card at various stores, especially when the cashier would ask that I could get an extra 10% off if I open the credit card with them. I was never able to do this. It was always rejected. This made me happy because that was exactly the purpose of putting a credit freeze that nobody should be able to open a credit card in my name. When I tried to open an investment account with an investment firm many years ago, my Social Security number came back as invalid. The manager asked me if I had frozen my credit, and I had to show them an actual Social Security card in order to open my account. Short answ...
by tioscrooge
Tue Jul 30, 2019 11:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 21 and starting career, need advice
Replies: 15
Views: 2107

Re: 21 and starting career, need advice

Consider converting your vanguard ira to a Roth IRA now while your tax bracket is low
by tioscrooge
Sun Jul 28, 2019 11:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Way out of financial catastrophe?
Replies: 94
Views: 17310

Re: Way out of financial catastrophe?

Considerations: 1. As a retired General Contractor and R/E Developer, I've seen construction costs go out the door with the following 2 commonalities. A. Professional high earning couple with no time to give a project the oversight it needs, delegates everything, trusts everyone. (A retired doctor couple I know are nearing completion of a custom home at nearly twice what it should have costed. B. Person or couple who do a project as "owner builder" to save costs and have no clue, yet want to the power of oversight and management. (An older couple i know have recently turned a 1 mil plus project into a 3 mil. project) 2. Stop the project immediately. Re-evaluate. You need to take control over this runaway train. Difficult because ...
by tioscrooge
Sun May 26, 2019 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Put more money in the market or buy real estate in DC area?
Replies: 26
Views: 2889

Re: Put more money in the market or buy real estate in DC area?

Hello everyone - I wanted to run an idea by the group. I currently own a townhouse in the DC area and have a mortgage of $475k on it. I like the townhouse but would like a single family house in the next few years. I was thinking about keeping my townhouse as a rental and using the new money to get a single family in DC/Arlington/Alexandria. Prices are high here and with Amazon HQ coming in, they are likely to remain so. I am debt free, have a fully funded emergency fund, max my 401k, and invest approx $3k per month in Vanguard Total Stock Market and Total International every month. I’d appreciate any thoughts you may have. Maybe I’m missing something here, you have a mortgage of $475,000. You also state that you are debt-free. How is that...