Bogleheads.org

FrugalInvestor

Zigadenus wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 17, 2018 7:07 pm
Do you add the trust to your homeowner's policy even if the house isn't in the trust?

No. It would not apply in that case.

FrugalInvestor

I like to KISS which for me means Vanguard mutual funds directly through Vanguard. This is just more noise I can ignore as a result.

FrugalInvestor

I've had State Farm adjust my valuation in the past. When I questioned it they offered to walk me through a more detailed valuation using their software tool and database of local numbers, which we did. We went through the details of the home's construction inside and out with respect to quality of ...

FrugalInvestor

These work great for me. Keep one baited (dog food pellets are best) and turned on in the garage at all times and check the light each morning. If it's blinking dump the animal in the garbage, replace bait and turn it back on. Easy and effective. http://www.victorpest.com/rat-zapper-ultra-rat-trap-b...

FrugalInvestor

I've seen many posts here about problems with Vanguard Customer Service. I've had mostly good and some mediocre service in the past but recently had a very positive experience. I think it's worth bringing experiences like this to light since often only the negative ones are reported. A day before le...

FrugalInvestor

3. One more thing I can think of relative to "favorite doctor:" Increasingly (although still a small trend) and I believe mostly in the Northwest, some providers take only a public Part C Medicare health plan. If I interpret this correctly - in this area, a great many Primary Care Physicians will n...

FrugalInvestor

$2K in 6 months? x2 for husband & wife, approx x2 for whole year. $8K. Wow. :shock: That is a line item in the budget that I didn't expect. I didn't realize it was so expensive. I had the opposite reaction. I wish I could buy into Medicare. I recently saw the 2019 figures for my ACA plan. My premiu...

FrugalInvestor

I emailed the attorney who prepared our trust documents. He replied this morning saying that the trust should be named as additional insured on our homeowner's policy but that no changes are necessary to the umbrella policy. Apparently there was an instruction about this in the (long) final letter h...

FrugalInvestor

No, that's actually exactly the point I'm making. I read your post to intimate that you could sign up for the ACA anytime by just not paying your COBRA premiums, which is not the case. The OP had said above, "According to the ACA website, losing coverage qualifies you to enroll. So if I just droppe...

FrugalInvestor

Steve - Thanks for your reply. According to the ACA website, losing coverage qualifies you to enroll. So if I just dropped my existing coverage by not paying the premium, I believe I would be permitted to enroll in an ACA plan. I do not know for sure but I doubt losing your coverage because you fai...

FrugalInvestor

Steve - Thanks for your reply. According to the ACA website, losing coverage qualifies you to enroll. So if I just dropped my existing coverage by not paying the premium, I believe I would be permitted to enroll in an ACA plan. You are correct. I don't think that's true. See https://www.mycobraplan...

FrugalInvestor

Steve - Thanks for your reply. According to the ACA website, losing coverage qualifies you to enroll. So if I just dropped my existing coverage by not paying the premium, I believe I would be permitted to enroll in an ACA plan. You are correct. I don't think that's true. See https://www.mycobraplan...

FrugalInvestor

Steve - Thanks for your reply. According to the ACA website, losing coverage qualifies you to enroll. So if I just dropped my existing coverage by not paying the premium, I believe I would be permitted to enroll in an ACA plan. You are correct. In my opinion ACA coverage is typically the best optio...

FrugalInvestor

I emailed the attorney who prepared our trust documents. He replied this morning saying that the trust should be named as additional insured on our homeowner's policy but that no changes are necessary to the umbrella policy. Apparently there was an instruction about this in the (long) final letter h...

FrugalInvestor

I typically tip 15% +/- on the total bill. If my wife and I split a meal (which we often do) I'll tip as if we purchased two meals. ... So if you split a $20 meal (including tax), do you tip 15% of the total bill (15% x $20), or do you tip as if it were $40? As if it were $40. The server is serving...

FrugalInvestor

I typically tip 15% +/- on the total bill.

If my wife and I split a meal (which we often do) I'll tip as if we purchased two meals. I'll also sometimes reduce or increase the percentage substantially in exceptional circumstances.

FrugalInvestor

retiredjg wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 04, 2018 2:43 pm

TresBelle65 wrote: ↑
Wed Jul 04, 2018 2:32 pm
With only 5 weeks to go, I hate the thought of buying a new vacuum only to end up putting it into storage because I will be mobile for awhile.
How about hiring a house cleaner for a few hours?

Now there's one excellent suggestion! You can probably find a good one-time Groupon deal.

FrugalInvestor

Thanks for the post. We are in the same position as many others here in this regard. I've sent a note to the attorney who prepared our trust documents to get his take on it. I will post what I hear from him (probably next week following the 4th).

FrugalInvestor

zengolf2011 wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 03, 2018 4:22 pm
I think a sometimes overlooked advantage is that it builds investor confidence to resist the latest fad.

This is a HUGE advantage. Emotional investing is the worst kind but easily and very commonly succumbed to. Good investing is boring investing...3-fund is boring, but beautiful!

FrugalInvestor

Here’s an article about someone who ended up with a 5 figure uncovered Medí-share bill for cancer. Buyer beware! https://www.google.com/amp/s/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a9d66fee4b0a0ba4ad6754b/amp In fairness they did not 'end up' with the 5-figure bill, it was initially refused but then covered a...

FrugalInvestor

If you're reasonably healthy, you might want to look into the healthcare sharing ministries out there. They can be a fraction of the cost of a health insurance plan and have been solid options for many people for many years now. The problem is that you are reasonably healthy until the day you aren'...

FrugalInvestor

Yes, just use your contributions to maintain your desired asset allocation.

FrugalInvestor

When I was working I lived in extremely cold and extremely wet climates and was perfectly happy. After I retired I noticed the weather much more because I had much more free time and liked to spend much of that outdoors. I was not happy living in lousy weather any longer and moved to a warm and sunn...

FrugalInvestor

NJ $11,310 for 1400sqft on 1/4 acre. People who pay significantly less, do you have local professional police/fire? Also curious if you have things like 2x weekly garbage and recycling pickup that’s included. Yes we have professional police and fire. Our garbage and recycling is a separate billing ...

FrugalInvestor

A little under 1% of market value.

Our system for assessed values is very odd so percent of market is more meaningful.

FrugalInvestor

I plan to stick with my plan which says nothing about 'downturns' although when one occurs it may influence when and to what degree I rebalance. Since I'm retired, a severe and/or very prolonged downturn may impact how much I choose to withdraw and spend but that's a judgement call and primarily to ...

FrugalInvestor

TIAX wrote: ↑
Tue Jun 26, 2018 9:45 pm
We should all wait until April to file for the developers to work out the bugs.

But we're told that we need to file early so the identity thieves don't beat us to the punch.

FrugalInvestor

Still thinking about this thread, it just occurred to me that all the states whose returns begin by incorporating the gross income number and/or other figures from the federal return ("Enter federal adjusted gross income from Form 1040, Line 37") will also be forced to revise their forms to cite th...

FrugalInvestor

If it helps you sleep better at night then go ahead and do it. Not too much difference between 60/40 and 40/60. My ideal AA is 50/50 but often drift up to 60/40 and sometimes to 40/60. You are market timing but market timing is not against the law so it's up to you. I'm in the same boat as the Sarg...

FrugalInvestor

We looked at the CX-5 as well as the CX-9. We are not interested in the CX5 but thanks for the comments about it.

FrugalInvestor

When we early retired in 2003 we calculated our 'base' budget and our 'target' budget. The base budget was not 'bare bones.' It still included a reasonable amount of local eating out, entertainment, new clothing, home and car maintenance, etc. But it included no travel, home remodel projects, vehicl...

FrugalInvestor

We have a 2016 CX-9 Touring, and it is an amazing SUV. We just helped a friend move and you would not believe how much stuff can be packed in there. The 2-3-2 seating is excellent for the vast majority of daily uses. It's a very serious near-luxe car, and the engine design is downright technically ...

FrugalInvestor

Isn’t the RDX and CX-9 two different categories? Have you checked out the Infiniti QX60? That may be another option...similar class as the CX-9? Size isn't the primary consideration - either category would work. The CX-9 appears to be an excellent value for the money. The QX60 looks to be over $50,...

FrugalInvestor

Look at the Acura rdx with acura watch which is in the middle range. Tech pkg not worth extra $4K Bought a new 2016 and love the car. rides and handles nicely gas mileage around town 19-20 get 29-30 on steady highway great cruise control that slows car down when other cars pull in front of you at s...

FrugalInvestor

We're getting close to buying a vehicle. Any further first-hand feedback on the CX-9? You should check out the latest issue of Car & Driver. They just finished up a long-term, 40K mile evaluation of the CX-9. I won't recap the review here, but it was a very favorable review overall. Thanks for the ...

FrugalInvestor

We're getting close to buying a vehicle. Any further first-hand feedback on the CX-9?

FrugalInvestor

Deleted

FrugalInvestor

Where I live we're lucky to get 3 years out of a new battery and usually don't get that much. I've learned to shop for the best warranty. The last new one I purchased had a 3-year free replacement warranty and I got the free replacement at about 30 months (it's then pro-rated to 100 months). That ha...

FrugalInvestor

Takes 10 min to install a new battery. Would you pay others $50 install fee? In our area installs are free. 10 minutes to install a battery sure. But how long does it take to get a ride to the store. It's not like every dead battery happens in front of someones house? AAA my friends saves time. Tim...

FrugalInvestor

The local utility subsidized the energy audit which guided the contractor in what upgrades would be most beneficial. We also let the contractor know what our issues were with the house like areas with uneven heat, noise from outdoor units as well as air intakes and registers, etc. All of this inform...

FrugalInvestor

In our last house we replaced carpet in the master bath with ceramic tile and added floor heat. It was a nice cosmetic and functional addition and is definitely something I'd do again. In our current home we recently replaced our 13-year-old builder grade A/C with a much higher efficiency variable s...

FrugalInvestor

WhiteMaxima wrote: ↑
Wed Jun 20, 2018 10:59 am
Takes 10 min to install a new battery. Would you pay others $50 install fee?

In our area installs are free.

FrugalInvestor

I think that just like choosing an appropriate asset allocation for your investments, deciding between a lump sum vs. periodic strategy comes down to which allows you to sleep well (or better) at night and stick with your decision . Over the long-term the market goes up so there's a greater likeliho...

FrugalInvestor

This calculator says that the gold value is about $69.

http://coinapps.com/gold/14k/calculator/

FrugalInvestor

dm200 wrote: ↑
Tue Jun 19, 2018 1:38 pm
Due (I believe) to heredity - in my mid 70's - my hair has only a little gray.

Ahem........I think that would be hairedity.

FrugalInvestor

At what amount of money does it makes sense to dollar cost average going into the funds, or does it just make sense to buy? There isn't a 'right' answer. Like choosing an asset allocation that lets you sleep at night whether you lump sum or dollar cost average is only for your psychological comfort.

FrugalInvestor

So I am asking if I make my buys, do they go in immediately or is it end of day or something else for buying VTSAX, VTIAX, and VBTLX? The price is as of the end of the trading day but there is an earlier cut-off for placing the trade. I can't tell you exactly when that is but I believe that when yo...

FrugalInvestor

Call Vanguard and ask about the specific timing of trade placement/execution, then you'll know that the answer you get is correct with regard to your account. In general the trade will happen at the close of today's market but there is an earlier cut-off time for the trade to be placed. You can wait...

FrugalInvestor

That's great to hear and I'm glad I was wrong. I give her a lot of credit (and you too)!

FrugalInvestor

We shop at Costco, Safeway, Trader Joe's, Sprouts and WalMart depending on the item and convenience. We spend the bulk of our grocery dollars at Costco because we purchase meats, wine and other high value items there. We shop most frequently at Safeway because it's the closest by far. We purchase sp...

Search found 4724 matches