Search found 1024 matches

by Slacker
Wed Sep 07, 2022 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tales from this insane real estate market [Home sales]
Replies: 2905
Views: 515279

Re: Tales from this insane real estate market [Home sales]

The crazy market was great for us as sellers. Sold our rental property that we purchased with a zero down VA loan back in 2015. The price we sold it for was effectively double the original purchase price.
by Slacker
Wed Jun 29, 2022 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: $2500 medical bill for child's visit to ER for something that was not serious
Replies: 148
Views: 7886

Re: $2500 medical bill for child's visit to ER for something that was not serious

In other words, your question is really not why ER is so expensive but why your share is so high. That's a matter of what insurance you have. My insurance is a bit more generous, if I go to ER it costs me a $500 co-pay. But I am sure the actual bill is similar to yours. Of course ER costs more than local urgent care. Urgent care is rarely provided as quickly as they suggest, you may have to wait. ER probably has a flat rate, covering you whether you come in with a pinprick or a heart attack or half your side blown away with an assault weapon. Urgent care will not deal with two of these cases. Actually I am more interested in why ER is so expensive. I understand why my share is so high due to having a high deductible plan. The irony is Urge...
by Slacker
Fri Jun 24, 2022 3:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: People are FOMO flocking to Portugal
Replies: 131
Views: 26531

Re: People are FOMO flocking to Portugal

We were interested in potentially moving to Portugal in retirement.

We could create a long list of things we liked about Portugal, but the pros and cons versus just staying in NC convinced us that we would just stay where we are in retirement. This was after a several week long vacation in Portugal this year (we retired last year).

One of the things that stood out is real estate. We purchased our home in 2018 for under $300K and pay $1300/month for PITI. In Portugal, comparable houses were over $350K in Coimbra (much smaller, less popular area than Porto and Lisbon).

I think I'll have to go practice making my own pasteis de nata now...
by Slacker
Thu May 12, 2022 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 2021/2022 retirees: your feelings
Replies: 65
Views: 9335

Re: 2021/2022 retirees: your feelings

I retired Oct 2021.

Staying the course, however, we are mostly living off our cash and bonds at this time.

Soon we will sell a rental property. Keep enough cash from that sale to cover 6 months expenses and invest the remainder based on our desired 80/15/5 portfolio (80 stock fund, 15 bond fund, 5 cash & I bonds).

In about 11 years we start our first pension. 16 years for the second.

Sleeping just fine at night. Always have the option to go back to work part time, but see no need to at this time.
by Slacker
Sun May 01, 2022 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: rent or sell the house to travel in Europe and beyond
Replies: 13
Views: 1215

Re: rent or sell the house to travel in Europe and beyond

Personally, I would sell. Looks like a great time to sell (we are selling our rental property in a month). Long distance landlording isn't horrible if done through property management, but say goodbye to 1/2 your first month's rent and 10% of the monthly rent after that (prices vary, but this is the most common scheme we encountered). Makes it more difficult to stay profitable after all expenses. We've already lost our capital gains exclusion and so we'll be paying a large amount in taxes for capital gains, NIIT, state income tax and then depreciation recapture (which you won't have to pay until after you've rented the property out). How will the UK tax your rental income? How old is the roof, water heater, HVAC, siding, appliances? (this i...
by Slacker
Thu Apr 28, 2022 9:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: upgrade 2003 camry to prius prime/bz4x
Replies: 37
Views: 3621

Re: upgrade 2003 camry to prius prime/bz4x

I have a Prius Prime. What are the dimensions of your surfboard? I'll check for you. I can fit several 8' 2"x4" inside with back seats folded down but they do pass between the front seats. Love it but the things that bug me the most: 1. The all electric range is a little low. I was trying to get a Chevy Volt but the dealers refused to sell me one. Tried to put me in a Malibu mild hybrid instead. They got 1 star reviews in response. For me, 40 miles real range in the winter would be perfect. We get about 20 miles real range in the winter in our almost 5 year old Prius Prime (purchased Oct 2017). 2. The battery degradation is pretty significant in this car compared to full electric vehicles. In the beginning, I could squeeze out 30...
by Slacker
Sun Apr 24, 2022 8:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: upgrade 2003 camry to prius prime/bz4x
Replies: 37
Views: 3621

Re: upgrade 2003 camry to prius prime/bz4x

I have a Prius Prime. What are the dimensions of your surfboard? I'll check for you. I can fit several 8' 2"x4" inside with back seats folded down but they do pass between the front seats. Love it but the things that bug me the most: 1. The all electric range is a little low. I was trying to get a Chevy Volt but the dealers refused to sell me one. Tried to put me in a Malibu mild hybrid instead. They got 1 star reviews in response. For me, 40 miles real range in the winter would be perfect. We get about 20 miles real range in the winter in our almost 5 year old Prius Prime (purchased Oct 2017). 2. The battery degradation is pretty significant in this car compared to full electric vehicles. In the beginning, I could squeeze out 30 ...
by Slacker
Sun Apr 03, 2022 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Ford Bronco Sport
Replies: 13
Views: 1880

Re: Ford Bronco Sport

Any opinion?

Pretty lackluster, nay - horrible, fuel economy. I thought it was 2022.
by Slacker
Fri Apr 01, 2022 2:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buy it for life [household items]
Replies: 11
Views: 1717

Re: Buy it for life

I'm a "buy for life" kind of person. Whenever I buy an item for my home, I don't even think about how long it might last before I have to/want to replace it. I assume it will be with me indefinitely. We take almost the exact opposite approach on some things, actually. Not tools or the like that will certainly last a lifetime if you buy real quality...but for furniture, appliances, some other items I could probably list if I thought hard enough...we basically assume the $500 model will last as long as the $2k model before it needs to be replaced...and we're not paying that premium. We recently were in the market for a new recliner. Lay-z-boy store: $3k. Gardner White outlet store: $380. Is the chair *quite* as comfortable or nice,...
by Slacker
Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why is there a Housing Shortage?
Replies: 27
Views: 3873

Re: Why is there a Housing Shortage?

muffins14 wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:25 pm
Normchad wrote: Sun Mar 27, 2022 9:05 pm
Also, AirBnB has really changed things I think. For landlords that are concerned about difficulty with evictions, they can switch their units over to AirBnB and rent them that way. So fewer units for traditional rentals.
This too, which is why I believe it's illegal in NYC. If a 2BR apartment that can house 4 now houses 1,2,3 people for Friday->Sunday, that's a whole unit that a regular working family can't live in.
It would be very interesting to look up data on Hotels related to bankruptcies, new construction, and occupancy trends over the last few years in comparison to pre-AirBNB times.
by Slacker
Sun Mar 13, 2022 3:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Jon Stewart, Gamestop, and The New Dumb Money
Replies: 51
Views: 8305

Re: Jon Stewart, Gamestop, and The New Dumb Money

If settling for something close to "your fair share of market returns" and staying the course were an intuitive or natural thing to do, there would be no need to say anything about them. It is not easy to stay the course when you hear credible stories of friends-of-friends getting rich, or media-filtered accounts of the people who are currently big winners. Fear of missing out is compelling. Just as crashes happen, manias happen. It's nothing new. Absolutely, I've told one of my friends that I've retired early on index funds, but he keeps going back to how my wife bought some shares of Etsy a few years ago and how did we know to buy that stock so he can replicate it. Doesn't matter to him that it was a few hundred in Etsy that is...
by Slacker
Thu Mar 10, 2022 6:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Can a car last forever?
Replies: 112
Views: 10305

Re: Can a car last forever?

I frequent several auto enthusiast websites, and I will simply throw out, with a broad brush: Older cars (pre 70s/80s?) might be very viable, economically and logistically, to keep running "forever" if you so choose. They are vastly simpler and rely more on readily available mechanical components. For example, I have read through a lot of restoration threads on a particular classic Mustang website, and despite their knack for rusting, classic Mustangs are very viable as daily drivers, and relatively easily rebuilt. Obviously they are not as safe or reliable as a modern car. I'm also a fan of the Porsche 928, and read threads all the time about small electronic parts that are no longer available, endless wiring that has become fra...
by Slacker
Fri Mar 04, 2022 7:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What do you stock up on when you come across a great deal?
Replies: 138
Views: 11103

Re: What do you stock up on when you come across a great deal?

I used to get almost a years worth of kitty litter on black Friday. Haven't seen a good black Friday sale on litter the last two years though.
by Slacker
Tue Mar 01, 2022 3:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any ID.4 owners on Bogleheads?
Replies: 68
Views: 10148

Re: Any ID.4 owners on Bogleheads?

My dad bought one and has enjoyed it and no problems for the past two months. His only issue has been with the Electrify America network (separate from the fact there is only one location in his 85k person town), and his intent is to 100% charge on them while that is free, but if he'd just pay to charge at home (and install a level two system in his garage) then that headache would be non-existent. Unfortunately he'd rather wander Walmart for 20 minutes plus a 30 min round trip drive - but I suppose he is retired and can only play so much golf, and the fact is he's always been a boglehead without knowing it. I understand I'm responding to an older post from last year, but I hope your dad realizes he is likely shortening the life of the bat...
by Slacker
Tue Mar 01, 2022 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: DIY screening in detached deck
Replies: 14
Views: 1357

Re: DIY screening in detached deck

Bogleheads, any tips on covering and screening in this deck myself? Trying to keep it simple, make it look good, and not break the bank. https://imgur.com/7nS6FVA https://imgur.com/LKZZfS7 +1 to all the caveats so far presented. But there's another thing that might just stop you dead: your municipality may have something to say about it. Putting a roof on it transforms it from "deck" to something more like "carport" or "gazebo". Heaven only knows what kind of permits you might need. As far as screening in an existing porch. I've done it. I'm an idiot, and I managed it perfectly well. Looked terrific. Getting permits isn't usually that difficult. A few towns I've lived in, the guys at the town center issuing pe...
by Slacker
Mon Feb 28, 2022 3:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are we going to be OK financially if we buy a $1-1.2m house in Phoenix metro area?
Replies: 40
Views: 4705

Re: Are we going to be OK financially if we buy a $1-1.2m house in Phoenix metro area?

Right now, Phoenix is a top spot for real estate investors to push up the price. https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/interactive/2022/housing-market-investors/ That is why I believe you are more likely to see the prices tumble in the near future when the investment stops for this area (sort of like 2005-2007 where each person was buying in hopes to get quick and easy gains and sell to the next greater fool before the whole thing stopped). I personally wouldn't buy a million plus property in that area at this time. Phoenix metro has had quite the rollercoaster of real estate prices in the last 20 years. Then again, if you buy the house you want and ignore what happens to the price "on paper", such speculations that I am making ...
by Slacker
Wed Feb 23, 2022 10:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I pay a real estate agent 6% to sell my house?
Replies: 236
Views: 25229

Re: Should I pay a real estate agent 6% to sell my house?

When we sell a house this summer, if the market is still hot, we'll be using a low fee (1%) broker and probably only pay 2.25% buyer's agent fees on an $800k home. I'd expect that 1% agent to have decent photography. We will spend on a home inspector and professional cleaning / repairs before listing.

If someone tries to buy from us without an agent and their offer is within 2% lower than the best offer from someone with a buyer's agent, we'll take that offer instead.

If we lived in the same metro as this house we'd probably try going the FSBO route ourselves.
by Slacker
Tue Feb 22, 2022 7:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do YOU cook your steak?
Replies: 149
Views: 15645

Re: How do YOU cook your steak?

obgraham wrote: Tue Feb 22, 2022 3:26 pm Lots of tips here -- I'm. always ready to learn about steak!

One of these days (if I don't croak first!) I'm going to spring for that A5 Wagyu steak down at my local butcher. He wants $200 for it, so I need a foolproof method first!
If you have a Wegmans nearby, they have decent prices on A5.

My last birthday we picked up a dry aged ny strip and an a5 wagyu. Cooked the ny strip in cast iron but the wagyu in my carbon steel - heard it was best not to do wagyu in cast iron.
by Slacker
Tue Feb 22, 2022 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do YOU cook your steak?
Replies: 149
Views: 15645

Re: How do YOU cook your steak?

I follow what they do in this video:
America's Test Kitchen searing on Youtube

I do reverse searing when I need to make a well done steak for my FIL. Otherwise I'll use the second technique of just frequent flipping.

They also have another technique for frozen steaks (the main tip is to cook the steaks frozen, don't thaw first as it retains more moisture and cooks better).
by Slacker
Wed Feb 16, 2022 4:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Report your rent increases - Is reported inflation correct
Replies: 67
Views: 7285

Re: Report your rent increases - Is reported inflation correct

I could probably increase our rent by 5-7%.

Instead, I think we are going to sell our rental property unless the current tenants want to renew for a year; we'll allow them to stay at the current rent they are paying without an increase.

Due to the massive fire in the area of our rental property, I've seen a few listings suddenly increase monthly rental prices by $1000 to $1500 per month (on properties that would normally rent for $2800-$3500). I'm not playing that game of taking advantage of human suffering.
by Slacker
Tue Feb 08, 2022 4:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shorting the S&P for a week: please tell me if there is anything irrational in my reasoning
Replies: 98
Views: 11691

Re: Shorting the S&P for a week: please tell me if there is anything irrational in my reasoning

Gracie77 wrote: Tue Feb 08, 2022 6:53 am
Escapevelocity wrote: Mon Feb 07, 2022 11:00 am Just be aware that you're basically trolling this forum with these type of posts whether you realize it or not. It's like marching into an AA meeting with a case of beer in your arms.
Yes! And I am starting to think that I am a person that enjoys alcohol in a social setting, but is not an alcoholic, and I just walked into an AA meeting where people are binge drinking and it looks like there are a lot of good reasons for joining in! Bogleheads -gateway drug to options? Maybe if weren't for nisiprius!
Without a doubt, every post of this type invariably results in several "peer pressure" posts suggesting options...
by Slacker
Tue Jan 25, 2022 7:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you walked away from Amazon?
Replies: 134
Views: 13084

Re: Have you walked away from Amazon?

I use Amazon for two purposes:
Rare hard to find items that I can't easily source elsewhere (like an accessory for a less popular phone that went out of production 3 years ago) or for price history comparison of a product that is listed as "on sale" at any retailer using camelcamelcamel.
by Slacker
Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone feeling "bored-out" with work?
Replies: 105
Views: 15182

Re: Anyone feeling "bored-out" with work?

Again, times are different now. Educations was more affordable then. I don't want to borrow significant money, so if I go back it will probably be community college (or whatever the preferred term is now). You keep coming up with reasons not to do something. That's your choice to make. Reality is different for every generation and every person. Those who grew up in the 70s had more ample access to affordable education, esp in states like CA. That's not the reality today. Today prospective students are likely to incur significant debt, which means they have less flexibility to pursue interests that might be impractical. If they borrow significantly for an impractical education they become mired in significant debt that hinders them for many...
by Slacker
Tue Jan 18, 2022 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: The great FIRE resignation?
Replies: 235
Views: 31727

Re: The great FIRE resignation?

My personal anecdote: Me - 45, Spouse - 43 Both been working from home since 2015. Planned to FIRE no later than August 2024, but had different goals and checkpoints to re-evaluate for 2023, 2022, and 2021. This plan was setup around 2017. We've been tired of our jobs for quite awhile and FI since early 2021 so around that time I set my FIRE date for October (immediately after the end of the government Fiscal Year) with the option to extend if need be. COVID didn't specifically cause our plans to change as far as I can tell. We didn't face burnout from COVID and have been working from home for a while. Work time just interfered with what we wanted to do with our time and we no longer need the paychecks to live the life we want to live. Bein...
by Slacker
Sun Jan 16, 2022 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone feeling "bored-out" with work?
Replies: 105
Views: 15182

Re: Anyone feeling "bored-out" with work?

I certainly become incredibly bored with work.

At first, I tried to entertain myself by being very difficult with attorneys (surprising how many recruiting messages you start getting at that point). Then I decided to just do our final planning for early retirement, hit our numbers, and pulled the plug.

Boredom solved!

Granted, I found that my work day often felt like an interference with my non-work activities.
by Slacker
Thu Jan 13, 2022 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Leaving the Bay Area: Critique my Coast FIRE plan
Replies: 152
Views: 14852

Re: Leaving the Bay Area: Critique my Coast FIRE plan

The guy has 3 million dollars, I think he will be able to acquire potable water... They don’t have the $3 million yet, and their extensively researched plan involves not touching it for 20 years, easily finding a $75k a year job, living like a king abroad while somehow miraculously avoiding myriad international tax/social security/Medicare pitfalls. Why they think they need to leave the country to live on $75k a year is one of many unanswered questions. Tough to afford a cleaning lady, chef, personal trainer, masseuse and the rest of the living like a king lifestyle on 75k in the US.... Have a paid off house, exchange going to decent restaurants for a chef and live in a LCOL area and a single person could do it on $75K in the USA. Cleaning...
by Slacker
Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do people buy their 2nd house? (To replace the 1st)
Replies: 74
Views: 12273

Re: How do people buy their 2nd house? (To replace the 1st)

Sell current house with a lease back requirement for the few months you need to close on new house. I personally know of at least one family that did this locally. The selling market is so hot, they got the lease back provision, over asking and all cash (this happened last summer around August).
by Slacker
Fri Jan 07, 2022 5:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?
Replies: 202
Views: 15532

Re: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?

* In the future, I could see garage space being consumed by stuff related to electric cars and the like (chargers, batteries), or ramps/lifts, if needed as we age. And maybe there are other future use cases I'm not thinking about. === I hope no one of advanced age is messing around with a 1000lb battery in their garage. Now that I'm in my 40s I ditched all the ramps/lifts/jack stands and let a local shop handle the toxic used oils and related fluids. I couldn't see going back to DIY on any of that as I age even if I use to tinker with my engine and transmission all the time for SCCA and local open nights at the dragstrip. Certainly, if you want a large area for woodworking or mechanical workshop, a 3rd bay is really nice. 1/2 of our curren...
by Slacker
Thu Jan 06, 2022 10:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?
Replies: 202
Views: 15532

Re: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?

You didn't ask, but I think adding a 40amp or 50amp 220v outlet should be strongly considered for your garage. 15yrs from now, I'd imagine most homeowners will have some form of plug in electrified vehicle.
by Slacker
Thu Jan 06, 2022 6:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?
Replies: 202
Views: 15532

Re: Is a 3 car garage really necessary?

What other options would you consider instead with that $15,000?

Our current house only has a 2 car garage and a very tiny kitchen. Our previous house had both a large kitchen and 3 car garage. I miss the large kitchen much more than the 3 car garage.
by Slacker
Mon Dec 20, 2021 8:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anybody buy a Prius 2022 lately? Looking for advice.
Replies: 48
Views: 7000

Re: Anybody buy a Prius 2022 lately? Looking for advice.

Before the recent uptick in has prices or Prius prime was about 65% more expensive to run on gasoline vs electricity per mile. With current prices, gasoline operation is about 160% more expensive per mile. My biggest gripes are that I wished it had 50 miles of all electric range and the battery loses capacity too quickly (initially I could achieve 30 miles in moderate temperatures and now I struggle to hit 24.5 miles in moderate temperatures 4 years later). 50 miles would get us to Durham and back on electric or anywhere in Raleigh and back pushing us to all electric for 95% of our driving days (90% of our miles though). The interior of our Prius prime advanced with "vegan leather" is quite nice in my opinion. We've never owned a ...
by Slacker
Sat Dec 18, 2021 6:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: F.I.R.E?
Replies: 210
Views: 18595

Re: F.I.R.E?

Given your and your partner's frugality, what will additional money from a bigger pension buy you? Really, it seems like you should finish this school year and notify the admin sometime close to the end of the school year that they will need to find a replacement for next school year. Now you take some time to yourself to relax. Then after a year decide if you need the structure of work, but in a better atmosphere or stay retired. Seems like with the age difference, your husband taking a survivor benefit pension would be worth a great amount to you, while still covering all the bills and you even have your own (reduced) pension coming online down the line. Mathematically you are there given husband works until pension age. Mentally, you don...
by Slacker
Sat Dec 18, 2021 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anybody buy a Prius 2022 lately? Looking for advice.
Replies: 48
Views: 7000

Re: Anybody buy a Prius 2022 lately? Looking for advice.

mikejuss wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 2:30 pm Wow--it looks like "Car and Driver" rates the 2022 Prius a mere 5.5 out of 10. I wonder why. I have a 2015, and, for my modest needs, it's pretty great.
Car and driver ratings are heavily slanted towards acceleration, braking, handling and "fun to drive". Therefore, a Mazda will usually get higher scores from them and a Prius will get low scores.
by Slacker
Sat Dec 18, 2021 7:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: F.I.R.E?
Replies: 210
Views: 18595

Re: Fire?

I'm 45 and male. Zero guilt about leaving the workforce.

For a month or two I struggled with making up a profession list when asked such as "i manage wealth for a couple of wealthy clients". Now, if asked, I just say I'm retired. People usually follow up with, "what do you do now then?" and I'll tell them, "whatever I want".

I can easily spend 3hrs a day cooking up a gourmet meal and dessert, 2hrs lifting weights, 2hrs exercising our dogs, an hour playing guitar... And just like that I've had an 8hr work day.
by Slacker
Fri Dec 17, 2021 7:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Reddit Files for IPO ($15 Billion)
Replies: 89
Views: 9298

Re: Reddit Files for IPO ($15 Billion)

Without Reddit, I still would have a partially completed computer and would have missed out on a couple deals and/or being able to recognize if I was getting a deal on computer parts. Discord was too annoying to utilize for buying a GPU.

I utilize Reddit as a second opinion source for some subjects such as bogleheads.org vs r/financial independence and r/fire. Also nextdoor as one source vs reddit for a specific city as a second source (restaurant recommendations, lawn service recommendations, etc).

I now sometimes specifically point a search engine query at Reddit when trying to find reviews for products or how to tips in addition to other sources.

Age 45
by Slacker
Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing in Texas real estate worth it due to high property taxes ?
Replies: 9
Views: 2316

Re: Investing in Texas real estate worth it due to high property taxes ?

ddbtoth wrote: Wed Dec 15, 2021 9:23 pm And something else to think about, both positive and negative, is that a lot of landlords are getting out of the rental business because they couldn’t collect rent during the pandemic, and couldn’t evict. There should be property to pick up with the people who want out. And the bad part, if you now own some property and are renting during the next pandemic, you’re out the money and can’t get it back. I briefly thought about picking up a couple of rental properties with the proceeds from my mother’s estate, but what a nightmare.
We're getting out because the appreciation of the property has been ridiculous and it seems like a great time to unload properties effortlessly while removing the headache of tenants.
by Slacker
Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: GEHA Health Rewards Visa Debit Card: how to consider the funds wrt HSA reimbursement
Replies: 3
Views: 787

Re: GEHA Health Rewards Visa Debit Card: how to consider the funds wrt HSA reimbursement

I received a Health Rewards Visa Debit card from my former insurer (GEHA). I have read the prior posts stating that these funds should be considered taxable as I received $150. I am no longer working for the Federal Government and have not purchased a dental insurance plan from the exchanges. The materials provided with the card state that I can use the funds for qualified expenses at the doctor, pharmacy, dentist, optician, orthodontist and most general merchandise stores. I have just used this money to pay for Dental care. My question is whether I can consider this money the same as "cash" from my own pocket and therefore "reimburse" myself from my HSA account for the $150 spent. When I found discussions here on Bogle...
by Slacker
Tue Dec 14, 2021 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: GEHA Health Rewards Visa Debit Card: how to consider the funds wrt HSA reimbursement
Replies: 3
Views: 787

GEHA Health Rewards Visa Debit Card: how to consider the funds wrt HSA reimbursement

I received a Health Rewards Visa Debit card from my former insurer (GEHA). I have read the prior posts stating that these funds should be considered taxable as I received $150. I am no longer working for the Federal Government and have not purchased a dental insurance plan from the exchanges. The materials provided with the card state that I can use the funds for qualified expenses at the doctor, pharmacy, dentist, optician, orthodontist and most general merchandise stores. I have just used this money to pay for Dental care. My question is whether I can consider this money the same as "cash" from my own pocket and therefore "reimburse" myself from my HSA account for the $150 spent. When I found discussions here on Bogleh...
by Slacker
Wed Dec 08, 2021 7:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How did you finance your rental unit purchase?
Replies: 17
Views: 2414

Re: How did you finance your rental unit purchase?

Rent out your current house and you can get a new primary residence with favorable loan terms. If your next house needs a little work, you replace cash on hand with your own sweat equity by buying a less desirable house that you can reasonably fix up yourself. (A popular term for this is "BRRR" buy, rehab, refinance, rent out, repeat; the refinance part is where they have added value to the property to effectively cash out refinance their initial down payment through higher appraisal of the property - clearly this is a strategy that involves a high level of debt be acceptable in your real estate portfolio). I'm not specifically recommending your personal course of action, just providing knowledge of what is possible and others hav...
by Slacker
Sun Dec 05, 2021 7:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 2.75M nest egg, 84K expenses: Can we take a break/slow down?
Replies: 44
Views: 9004

Re: 2.75M nest egg, 84K expenses: Can we take a break/slow down?

If you are talking about a 6 to 12 month break, you are golden. How much cash will be going towards a down payment and what does a projected mortgage payment do to your expenses where you live? I would just use 5% increase in housing cost per year as a worst case scenario for this projection (honestly, I doubt many metros will appreciate anywhere close to that fast each year over the next 2 years). For 2022, health insurance will be at a cost of 8.5% your MAGI. Given that you may use cash for expenses, I recommend either doing some Roth conversions or tax gain harvesting in 2022 to "create" taxable income at the level that maximizes your subsidy and prevents you from being on Medicaid. On the surface, it looks like you will be abl...
by Slacker
Sun Nov 28, 2021 5:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Morningstar released their new report on SWR. [Safe Withdrawal Rate]
Replies: 255
Views: 23047

Re: Morningstar advises SWR decrease from 4% to 3.3%

Seems as if morningstar is only just now catching up to the chorus of frequent bogleheads commenters. 3% to 3.5% is a very common refrain here (whether it is the same group constantly posting or a large number of unique posters, I have not tried to track). There are even a few rare individuals here who claim 3% is obscenly high... And these comments are not specifically directed to very early retirees as those are admonished to get back to work because they will be too bored.
by Slacker
Sat Nov 27, 2021 12:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How would you rate the following cities?
Replies: 183
Views: 17701

Re: How would you rate the following cities?

I'm going to also suggest Durham - Raleigh area. More tech job openings than Charlotte from what I understand. Warm weather. Similar housing prices to Phoenix. New Apple campus is under construction and we also have IBM, redhat, SAS, Epic games, CREE, Cisco, many biotechs, and many of the big tech companies have workgroups here (I think Google is expanding their Durham location by 400 employees). If you can stand humidity, I find the summers in Raleigh to be far more preferable to the summers in Phoenix. How about the winters? I'll take 90s and humidity over 120s any day. I've lived in Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, outside Atlanta, Raleigh, and DC. Taxes - 4.99% this coming year with a $12,750 standard deduction ($25,500 for a married couple)....
by Slacker
Sat Nov 27, 2021 12:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How would you rate the following cities?
Replies: 183
Views: 17701

Re: How would you rate the following cities?

https://jabberwocking.com/nyt-says-irvine-is-the-perfect-home-for-me/ linked through from that blog post is a New York Times' "where should I live?" location selector. I would recommend trying it with no restriction where in Continental USA you live. Then from the subset it generates, you can narrow down to whether the location works for you in terms of family. The problem with the filters is you can't include "No bugs". Florida was mostly perfect for me using that NY Times location thing-a-ma-jig. But I've BEEN to Florida, and I'll take Arizona any day over Florida, because I can leave my back sliding door wide open all day long in Arizona. Plus no alligators. Maybe they need a filter for "No alligators" too....
by Slacker
Fri Nov 26, 2021 8:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How would you rate the following cities?
Replies: 183
Views: 17701

Re: How would you rate the following cities?

I'm going to also suggest Durham - Raleigh area. More tech job openings than Charlotte from what I understand. Warm weather. Similar housing prices to Phoenix. New Apple campus is under construction and we also have IBM, redhat, SAS, Epic games, CREE, Cisco, many biotechs, and many of the big tech companies have workgroups here (I think Google is expanding their Durham location by 400 employees). If you can stand humidity, I find the summers in Raleigh to be far more preferable to the summers in Phoenix. I'll take 90s and humidity over 120s any day. I've lived in Denver, Phoenix, Seattle, outside Atlanta, Raleigh, and DC. Taxes - 4.99% this coming year with a $12,750 standard deduction ($25,500 for a married couple). One area where we are l...
by Slacker
Thu Nov 25, 2021 6:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Please recommend a 34" or 38" inch Ultrawide monitor primarily for spreadsheet use
Replies: 39
Views: 8000

Re: Please recommend a 34" or 38" inch Ultrawide monitor primarily for spreadsheet use

Costco has an LG 35" ultra wide for sale $350 right now. 100hz refresh, VA panel, 3440 x 1440.

Costco LG ultrawide
by Slacker
Mon Nov 22, 2021 9:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I retire, or do something new, in mid-30s?
Replies: 104
Views: 12500

Re: Should I retire, or do something new, in mid-30s?

I am very impressed with the frugality of the forum members in general. But when I read about cases of extreme limits on spending, 40,000 annually or less, to include taxes and healthcare costs, for people decades away from social security,I wonder if those people have a spouse or children to support. My natural tendency toward frugality was modified by my wife who sensibly thought that a reward of working long hours to make a good living should be the opportunity to enjoy a few relative extravagances. And when the children came along, our cost of living increased significantly, largely for their education. Thinking of the children, I wonder if retiring in ones 40 s is a good role model for them. But I m speaking as one who was “screwed up...
by Slacker
Sun Nov 21, 2021 9:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 31/F – House buying advice
Replies: 50
Views: 5928

Re: 31/F – House buying advice

What is the value of the current place you are renting? If 1 M, the price to annual rent is 1000/36 = 28. This high number leans towards renting. Have you plugged your numbers into a buy-vs-rent calculator? Are there any other lifestyle reasons for wanting to own a home? You have not listed those but these may be important for you. For $1MM, I can get at least 2-3 bedrooms. My single bedroom apartment is $3K. Two bedroom units are $4K. I would like to have a home office. Another room for family to stay in when they visit. In general, I’d love to have more space. $1MM could get me 1800 sq feet. Right now I have 800 sq feet. Looks like this one actually meets Klang fools' requirements, if we scale dollar per square foot as rent, the equivale...
by Slacker
Sun Nov 21, 2021 9:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I retire, or do something new, in mid-30s?
Replies: 104
Views: 12500

Re: Should I retire, or do something new, in mid-30s?

You don’t have near enough to retire, so that is off the table in my opinion. I would contend that having $1.5 million, most anyone could retire. It's simply a matter of LBYM - whatever that may be. As OP indicated, in MCOL area he/she could reduce annual expenses to $25k-$30k. You don't think $1.5M will throw off 2% on average? A part-time job in the MCOL area would make it breeze easy. However, even without it, I don't see it as a particularly difficult situation if the expenses really are $25k-$30k annually. a lot depends on healthcare costs, it might be especially difficult if op decided to get married and had a couple of kids… +1. Also if you really "retired" what are you going to do with all of your free time for the next 5...
by Slacker
Sat Nov 20, 2021 2:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I'm a true Boglehead, but it's time for me to be reminded... why isn't real estate better?
Replies: 178
Views: 22821

Re: I'm a true Boglehead, but it's time for me to be reminded... why isn't real estate better?

Someone may have pointed this out already: With the index funds, you can sell a little at a time and pretty much have a 0% tax rate. With the property you will be selling the whole thing at once and paying ltcg on top of depreciation recapture tax, realtor fees, closing costs. That will change your profits quite a bit in the end. When we sell a highly appreciated rental this coming year I'm estimating that we'll end up paying nearly $100,000 in those combined fees and taxes. So any idea what your percentage after tax returns were, I'm sure you spent much more time compared to index investing. Out of pocket costs (up to now including downpayment, closing, prep for renting it out, repairs, maintenance and covering vacancies) are approx $60,0...
by Slacker
Thu Nov 18, 2021 10:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I'm a true Boglehead, but it's time for me to be reminded... why isn't real estate better?
Replies: 178
Views: 22821

Re: I'm a true Boglehead, but it's time for me to be reminded... why isn't real estate better?

Someone may have pointed this out already: With the index funds, you can sell a little at a time and pretty much have a 0% tax rate. With the property you will be selling the whole thing at once and paying ltcg on top of depreciation recapture tax, realtor fees, closing costs. That will change your profits quite a bit in the end. When we sell a highly appreciated rental this coming year I'm estimating that we'll end up paying nearly $100,000 in those combined fees and taxes. So any idea what your percentage after tax returns were, I'm sure you spent much more time compared to index investing. Out of pocket costs (up to now including downpayment, closing, prep for renting it out, repairs, maintenance and covering vacancies) are approx $60,0...