Search found 631 matches

by WiseNLucky
Mon Mar 31, 2008 1:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Lotus Notes?
Replies: 19
Views: 5196

Wow.

The company I work for uses it and it seems to work just fine. I work for a very large company and I have no idea how much time and effort go into keeping it working fine, but I'm certainly not unhappy with it.

I don't use it at home; I had no idea it was available outside of large corporate applications.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Feb 16, 2008 5:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dish Satellite TV vs. Comcast Cable
Replies: 17
Views: 5880

Nate, Thanks for the input. I strongly prefer dish so that is good news indeed. I will make sure to avoid trees if there are any - thanks for that input. Here in Florida the dishes do point southwest but mostly they point up. I hadn't thought about being that much farther north that they will point more south than we do here. Sadly, on all my trips up north over the last two years, I haven't found anything to dislike. :wink: Of course, I seem to have avoided all the sub-zero weather so far, so maybe that will be a negative. About a decade ago I spent three weeks up there in the summer and it was absolute heaven. I walked through a botanical garden in the Eden Prairie area every afternoon/evening after I got off work. It was amazing. I'm afr...
by WiseNLucky
Tue Feb 12, 2008 5:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dish Satellite TV vs. Comcast Cable
Replies: 17
Views: 5880

I use Dish and have been very happy with it. This spring, we will be moving to Minnesota and I have heard that having a dish up there is problematic. Does anyone else have weather issues with a dish? Outages 4-5 times a year doesn't sound bad (unless one of my favorite shows is on!) but seeing the piles of ice and snow on visits up there this winter, I'm surprised the things work at all for the whole winter. That would be bad.
by WiseNLucky
Tue Jan 29, 2008 4:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: florida vacation tips please
Replies: 31
Views: 9612

Re: Snorkeling

austinite wrote:John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park is really good too but a different experience.
I did this and it was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. It is also very near where you are staying, so it should be convenient.
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Wal-Mart really makes me mad sometimes
Replies: 55
Views: 16814

Re: Wal-Mart really makes me mad sometimes

paulob wrote:
WiseNLucky wrote:Your $220 cost seems absolutely cheap to me if there is no underwriting assistance from anyone. I wonder how much coverage it supplies. Ours was a really good policy.
I read his post that his employee portion was $220 and not the full premium. This would put him in a "high employee cost" plan IMHO.
I read that he is no longer going to be an employee. $220 seems cheap for a non-employee. My company charged 100% of our cost plus 1% admin fee to people who went on COBRA.

Maybe he hasn't been taking the insurance and now wants to start? I can't be sure from his post. In our case, employees couldn't decline coverage without proving they had coverage elsewhere.
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Tune in at 11am to hear Bush's Homeowner Bail-out Plan
Replies: 71
Views: 20113

What's scary is the discussion on NPR this morning about a German bank that is going out of business because of the US subprime issue. The person being interviewed says the US government must pay the mortgages of affected individuals as soon as possible, bailing out the borrowers instead of the lenders. Seems like both get bailed out to me. He says it could be done with low cost loans, effectively turning a variable rate mortgage into a low-rate fixed mortgage.

I'd rather take the hit to my portfolio than reward a bunch of morons who took on way too much risk. But that's just me.
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Factoring increasing contributions into investment planning
Replies: 6
Views: 2484

Re: Factoring increasing contributions into investment plann

czeckers wrote:Has anyone here taken this into account when setting up their investment plan, and if so, how did you do it?

The only calculator I've come accross that does this is in the context of defining the value path in Michael Edelson's Value Averaging approach. Does anyone know of any calculators that do this for DCA?
I do it but I value average using Edelson's technique, so I'm useless to you. :wink:
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 31, 2007 3:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: DCA, Value Averaging, or Tactical Asset Allocation
Replies: 38
Views: 12948

EmergDoc wrote:As the OP, I think I can take the thread wherever I please, no? Besides, only like 2 posts have addressed the actual OP question.
That's a fair comment.

I am too ignorant to attemp tactical allocation. It kind of smacks of ho*us to me. Like everyone else, I get a sense of when I think certain asset classes are expensive or cheap. Like everyone else, I'm bewildered when expensive assets continue to go up and up, while cheap assets go down and down. So I set my asset allocation and leave it alone, except for the effect my value averaging has overall (I exclude my side account from my asset allocation when I make my purchases each quarter).

I understand the allure but have resisted the urge to bite so far.
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 31, 2007 2:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Wal-Mart really makes me mad sometimes
Replies: 55
Views: 16814

Re: Wal-Mart really makes me mad sometimes

I just wanted to check to see how much the HMO costs if I don't find another job right away and need to use it. $220.00 a month per person!!!!!!!!!!! My girlfriend works for a local car dealer and pays $32 a month for her HMO!!!!!!!!!! Before my company was acquired by a much larger company, I was responsible for paying the health insurance bill. Two years ago our monthly coverage cost and the amount we passed on to employees was approximately: Family - $1800/$650 Couple - $900/$450 Single - $400/$35 So we heavily underwrote the employee's cost and partially underwrote the other family members' costs. We also paid $175 to anyone who went elsewhere for insurance (we more or less split the money we saved by not having to insure the employee)...
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 29, 2007 5:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: DCA, Value Averaging, or Tactical Asset Allocation
Replies: 38
Views: 12948

So if I set my value path to achieve 30 percent annual return, there is no chance I will not reach it under this method? I think you would agree, this cannot be true. In fact, the expectation that I would reach a 30 percent annual goal would be extraordinarily low. You don't set your value path to hit a particular return, you set it to hit a particular dollar amount you expect your portfolio to be at the end. You combine the amount of cash you are willing to invest, the rate of increase you expect your cash contributions to increase, the anticipated return you will get, and the ending portfolio balance you expect. If any of your four inputs is significantly off, you won't hit your goal. If you hit the perfect storm (the expected vs achieve...
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What Kind of Car Do You Drive and Why?
Replies: 100
Views: 34087

Thanks for all the comments about Subaru's AWD. I had actually thought about looking into one for my next car, so the information is very useful and timely.
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 26, 2007 7:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Eyeglasses online
Replies: 32
Views: 14545

DRiP Guy wrote:I just ordered two sets of progressive bifocals from Zenni, even though I have never worn anything but single lens before, so I will post here on how it works out. My gamble is about ~$120 for two pair with all options, so even if somehow totally unusable and no refund (doubt and doubt again), I figure it can't hurt me too bad.
I'm waiting with bated breath!! It's time for new glasses.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bringing Medical & Credit Card Debt into Marriage
Replies: 8
Views: 2339

arpsmile wrote:YES, He definately knows all of this. We have a very healthy relationship & communicate about everything. I am paying for all of this debt now and we share our other bills we accumulate together. He wants to get married right away, but I don't want to until I have most of these medical bills paid off. But thanks for your remarks! :?
Good for you! Sounds like you've found a good man there. I think you'll find that solving problems together will make you stronger. :D
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Guitars...way off topic
Replies: 21
Views: 6858

I’m surprised and delighted to see this topic come up on the Bogleheads Forum. (I’m a guitar teacher.) That was how I felt when dentistry came up! One final bit of advice: find a good teacher. The guitar has a reputation for being an easy instrument to play. The truth is that it's easy to play badly, but hard to play well. A good teacher will save you a lot of time and frustration. Good luck. Tom Poore Cleveland Heights, OH USA How does one find a good teacher? Also, I have owned guitars for almost 40 years and was very active in several garage bands in my teens. Since then, my ability to buy the equipment I want has increased while my ability to play what I want has decreased. :D I still look at my current guitar (I have a G&L Legacy ...
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 25, 2007 5:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Eyeglasses online
Replies: 32
Views: 14545

trzy wrote:
Last time I bought glasses they had to adjust them so they fit on my face properly. How do you do that when you buy them online?
One strategy is to not buy frames that don't fit your face.
So how do you know if they fit your face without trying them on? And how do they get the "sweet spot" of the lens in the right place without measuring your face (distance between eyes etc.)? I'm asking seriously because I love shopping online but don't get how you do it with glasses.
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bringing Medical & Credit Card Debt into Marriage
Replies: 8
Views: 2339

Re: Bringing Medical & Credit Card Debt into Marriage

arpsmile wrote:I am getting married this winter/spring & am curious as to whether or not my fiance can be held responsible for my medical debt & credit card debt after saying "I Do?"
I do hope you will have fully disclosed your situation to him before he gets to the point of saying "I Do." Everyone should have the opportunity to know what they are getting into. :?

Whether he is officially legally responsible or not, he will certainly end up financially and emotionally responsible unless he already doesn't count on being married to you for long. :D :wink:

Good luck on working it all out!!
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:25 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Larry or Rick. Opinion on Value Averaging?
Replies: 3
Views: 2371

Now that both Larry and Rick have replied, I will link you to a good thread where we discussed VA. Since you are fairly new to the forum, you might not yet be aware of that thread.

And welcome to the forum!!
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Californians rush to pull money from Countrywide Bank
Replies: 81
Views: 25443

Am I the only person wondering why California? Do they have state issues that make this more significant?
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 19, 2007 6:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Venezuela's Chavez proposes six-hour workday
Replies: 24
Views: 5783

Valuethinker wrote:It's good to know that if doctors make a mistake because they are overtired, it's not like it matters-- unlike computer software developers :? :? :(
Zinnnnggggg!! :D
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:40 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: FIDO: Worst Sell-Offs Were Often Followed by Rallies
Replies: 8
Views: 2147

Re: FIDO: Worst Sell-Offs Were Often Followed by Rallies

As history demonstrates, some of the worst short-term losses were followed by substantial rebounds.
History also shows that some of the worst short-term losses were also followed by even more losses. :D

I say set your risk to what you can stand, rebalance according to plan, and ignore anything else. I'm looking forward to my next rebalance opportunity.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Time to Rebalance?
Replies: 18
Views: 4760

gkaplan wrote:I won't know until the end of the third quarter.
Same here.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 18, 2007 7:33 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Mean age of assets held by group members
Replies: 8
Views: 2976

I've been investing for a little over 10 years and have never sold anything (other than to rebalance), but my assets have grown faster in the last five years than the previous 5 so I estimate 2-5 years on a weighted average basis. That seems to put me right in the sweet spot with the rest of the forum.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 18, 2007 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Venezuela's Chavez proposes six-hour workday
Replies: 24
Views: 5783

I wonder if that famous journalist Sean Penn proposed this idea during his tour, er, interview? Am I the only one thinking about Jane Fonda?
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 16, 2007 3:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What would happen if Warren Buffett made a huge mistake
Replies: 12
Views: 4567

Re: Mistake?

baw703916 wrote:I'm sure that WB wouldn't consider a disaster which caused a huge claim against one of Bershire's reinsurance policies a mistake. The mistake would be if the risks of the event happening weren't adequately foreseen and/or adequately compensated in writing the policy.
He admits to underestimating his RE risk prior to 911 and has corrected the premium situation to reflect his newer higher risk assumptions. I think he even mentioned being financially prepared for much bigger catastrophes, like wars or national disasters.

20% isn't that much of a fluctuation - normal market movement could cause that.
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 16, 2007 9:05 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Searching for past Conversations
Replies: 3
Views: 2741

Taylor,

This isn't very elegant but you can always copy the link into your browser. For instance, the url for this thread is:

http://diehards.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5031

I assume that if you replace the 5031 with the conversation number you want and then copy and paste the updated url into your browser, it will take you to the right thread.
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 15, 2007 10:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paulson and Paulson. The subprime crisis
Replies: 27
Views: 8025

A friend of mine was buying condos in Boston in 1992 for $20k and $30k each-- far below the cost of construction. My dilemma is that I am renting pretty cheaply in Arlington, VA, but probably should buy something if prices become favorable. A $20k - or even a $150k - condo would be great, but is it realistic for me to wait for something like that? What kind of condominiums did your friend buy? Were they centrally located? Were buildings well maintained and mostly occupied? Were condominium fees reasonable? Is there anything I can learn from the Boson situaion in 1992 that is applicable to the Arlington environment of 2007-2008? Condo markets are notoriously localized, but we saw similar opportunities in Florida in 1992-1993. $80K condos in...
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bullied by a Fidelity rep! Grrrr
Replies: 31
Views: 9781

Ken Schwartz wrote:It looks like you were dealing with a salesperson.
And not a very good one. Live and learn. Use the online account and seek your investment advice elsewhere.
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Your Abilities as Investor compared to other Forum participa
Replies: 30
Views: 8957

Re: Below average ?

dokeeffe wrote:I suspect my abilities are below average for this forum. However I don't think that being below average in the Advanced Placement class is anything to be ashamed of.
Touche! I also think I'm below average for this forum but way above average for the working public. I'm happy to be where I am.
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Any Good Credit Cards with Cash Back
Replies: 48
Views: 187799

tat2ng wrote:I use 2 gas-rebate cards. Both cards are 5% back on all gas purchases, 1% back on ALL other purchases. One is for Shell (thru Citibank), and the other is for Marathon (thru Chase). I much prefer the Shell card (now), because the rebates just show up monthly as a credit to your account.
This is what I have with Hess (through Chase). I don't want to have to deal with checks; I like having the credit applied automatically to the next month's bill.
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Greetings to All; I Am Happy to Be Here!
Replies: 4
Views: 1594

Welcome bettega, and I think an introduction thread is fine. You seem like you will fit right in around here. And tell your wife we are NOT nerds, we are quasiprofessionals! :D
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much to spend on an engagement ring?
Replies: 190
Views: 83689

Re: Hey what?????

duhmel1 wrote:This has to be the stupidest topic I have ever seen on this forum!!!!!
Three pages of passionate responses and you find this thread stupid? What would you consider not stupid. Is stupidest even a word?
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paulson and Paulson. The subprime crisis
Replies: 27
Views: 8025

Experience shapes one. Doesn't it though. Although I like to think I'm just getting older and more mature, not necessarily being "shaped." :D Yes, grow up during the 1960s, live (as a young adult) through the 1970s with the end of the Vietnam war, sexdrugsandrock&roll, the energy crisis and rationing, the resulting middle east policies and the capture of the people in our Iranian embassy, proclamation of the death of equities (my college Economics professor told me he would never, ever buy stock again!) . . . . The 1980s with strange hairdos, plastic clothing, the S&L crisis, the greed of the stock market and junk bonds, wildly fluctuating home prices, Black Monday where I got called off of an audit I was doing for an IPO...
by WiseNLucky
Tue Aug 14, 2007 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paulson and Paulson. The subprime crisis
Replies: 27
Views: 8025

Re: China's Poor Quality Control

As for predictions, I think the whole trade imbalance with China and them holding so much of our national debt, coupled with their poor quality control resulting in deadly imports into the US will have a substantial negative impact on our economy. I have no idea when it will happen and, like the current sub-prime lending crisis, hope that it never will happen. And I have no clue as to how to profit from it if it does. I think your blame is misplaced. When US companies choose to outsource, they do not lose culpability for the quality of their products. The point is that US companies have probably cut costs too much by not providing proper oversight over production. This is a US company problem more than a Chinese government problem. I went ...
by WiseNLucky
Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paulson and Paulson. The subprime crisis
Replies: 27
Views: 8025

Are there any other debacles that you know of coming? Would be interesting to discuss them beforehand. LH Fair question, but I think many of us saw this coming, in the same way we saw 2000 coming, but we were useless in predicting the timing or how to benefit from it. I personally thought 2000 would happen around 1997. I too thought we would see today's problems about three years ago. I was scratching my head reading in the real estate section of my newspaper about a couple with $70K in income that had flipped homes to the point that they were in a $1 million home with a freaky mortgage. Of course, that home had sold for $400K less than a decade ago so I didn't know the benefit of paying so much for a home and having to get into a weird mo...
by WiseNLucky
Mon Aug 13, 2007 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: is a Mac really worth it?
Replies: 79
Views: 27129

Re: is a Mac really worth it?

mptfan wrote:I am getting a laptop, and I am torn between the 15" and 17" widescreen. The 15 is easier to carry and lighter, but the 17 obviously has a bigger viewing area while being bulkier. Any thoughts on which is better for a laptop?
At work we are all issued laptops with 14" screens because we have to travel a bit, but in the office we have docking stations and a separate full-scale keyboard, mouse and (most importantly) monitor. Mine is 20". I like it so much that that is what I will do at home with my next computer purchase.

I appreciate this very good debate as I too am trying to decide whether to go with Mac or PC next go around.
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Net worth
Replies: 23
Views: 6858

ayoldguy1 wrote:No, but I do tend to overplan, don't I?
I do too; don't let anyone hold that against you. :D

Just think how nice it will be someday when you can get engaged and hand over the fully-completed wedding plan book at the same time. :wink:
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 08, 2007 12:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [poll] diehard parenting: is it ok to fine your kid?
Replies: 40
Views: 13509

johndcraig wrote:The kid understands the personal consequences of failure to practice or do homework, so why not let them make their own decisions regarding how much to practice or study?
Because they will blame the parents when they are 30 years old and living in their parents' basement having never finished school and unable to play the piano. It's self-preservation. :D
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: bridge tragedy: what exactly are we mourning?
Replies: 36
Views: 10143

Perhaps the problem is not too much coverage of the bridge collapses of the world, but not enough coverage of everyday highway deaths.

I just read the following full-page ad on the back cover of the 8/13/2007 Time magazine:

"If 12 fully loaded jumbo jets crashed every year, something would be done about it.

Every year, nearly 6,000 teens die in car crashes. But that many teenagers dying every year barely makes the headlines.

Allstate thinks the carnage should be stopped."

Here's an article about the ad, which is apparently receiving a lot of attention. Allstate obviously has a vested interest in this debate, but perhaps it's not a bad thing to get the debate out there.
by WiseNLucky
Sun Aug 05, 2007 7:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Morality and Medicaid Scheming to Hide Assets
Replies: 87
Views: 32890

This started as a good debate but seems to have deteriorated. Obviously, this is a much more emotional issue than we all expected. Thanks for stepping in, lowwall.
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 04, 2007 7:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: bridge tragedy: what exactly are we mourning?
Replies: 36
Views: 10143

Back to the original post: I've ridden over that bridge several times fairly recently so I don't know if I have the right perspective. It perhaps affected me more personally that others. I know that I wouldn't have been as affected by a bridge collapsing in St. Louis or Sacramento, but I still don't think the coverage has been overblown. I heard on NPR that there are over 150,000 bridges in this country that are older than that one. Every bridge I've driven over since the news hit has made me wonder. When I have been stopped in traffic on large bridges where the other direction is clear, I notice a significant change in the bridge as large trucks zoom by in the other direction. I get a brief feeling like being on a roller coaster. I always ...
by WiseNLucky
Sat Aug 04, 2007 1:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [poll] diehard parenting: is it ok to fine your kid?
Replies: 40
Views: 13509

I see nothing wrong with it but agree that $1 seems confiscatory. :D
by WiseNLucky
Fri Aug 03, 2007 2:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Morality and Medicaid Scheming to Hide Assets
Replies: 87
Views: 32890

Re: Medicaid

2) Soylent Green, Its People! :wink: I loved that movie. Many folks here probably don't get the reference. 3) I get the whole "Medicaid planning" thing is legal. But what's the difference in that and the proverbial ghetto-mama that practices "Family planning" by having more children to get more monthly welfare? That's legal too. The difference is that I'm not mad at the ghetto-mama, I'm mad at the politicians who put such a ridiculous program in place to begin with. The posts in this thread about elder planning seem to be angry at the elders or the kids who ultimately benefit from proper planning, not at the politicians who put the policies in place that planners are merely taking advantage of. As a society we have to d...
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bankrupcy
Replies: 40
Views: 13459

sullivanke wrote:Please no posts on why I shouldnt trust or marry this women I love, we have all made mistakes, at least hers is courageos and ambitious.
The fact that she came clean BEFORE the wedding says a bunch about her integrity. She could have waited until after and I know some people who have.

It's a tough decision that only she, with your input, can make. I once was in a bad situation (caused by medical bills) and considered bankruptcy but decided to stick it out and pay off all the debts. I'm very glad now that I did. It was really hard at the time, though.
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anti-protectionist petition in today's WSJ
Replies: 16
Views: 4542

Index Fan wrote:China will have to get its act together on product quality or it will find itself with less and less buyers. Self-interest will prevail, and standards will be enforced.
Exactly. I remember a time when "Made in Japan" had an entirely different connotation than it does now. They will eventually get it right, and, over time, their impact on their citizens and the environment will improve.
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much to spend on an engagement ring?
Replies: 190
Views: 83689

VictoriaF wrote:I apologize for causing disappointment.
diasurfer wrote:Well then I apologize for fanning the flames.
I'm glad this one worked out because VictoriaF seems to be pretty good people. I didn't think she was intending to be as negative as she came across. I, too, had to read the post in question several times to figure out what was meant by an "e-ring." :D

Congratulations on your engagement. I hope your marriage becomes everything you hope it will be.
by WiseNLucky
Thu Aug 02, 2007 4:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Gift Card 'Breakage' to book a profit..
Replies: 13
Views: 3562

Re: Gift Card 'Breakage' to book a profit..

As a consumer, this practice of canceling gift cards infuriates me. If a seller accepts cash for a gift card and books the sale, they owe an equivalent value back to the consumer. This is good in theory, but the fact is that cards get lost. When these sorts of things first began, there was no time restriction on the cards. The net effect was that companies began seeing accrued liabilities grow with no way to take them down. The same was true of airline miles. Once the problem was identified, companies began to issue cards with terms so that there was not a perpetual liability for something that would never be cashed in. If you don't like gift cards, don't use them. I use them because I have a problem with buying something for someone I don...
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 01, 2007 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bankrupcy
Replies: 40
Views: 13459

Re: GO BANKO

DaveS wrote:The statement that a government entity might deny a license or permit because of a bankruptcy is untrue. 11 USC 525 prohibits consideration of a bankruptcy in such situations.
This seems very straightforward language, yet I know several people who lost their professional licenses upon declaring bankruptcy in two states I have lived in. Is there a similar protection for Chapter 7 bankruptcy (which is what the OP is considering)? This statute is clearly around Chapter 11.

Nice to have a bankruptcy attorney on the board!
by WiseNLucky
Wed Aug 01, 2007 10:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Morality and Medicaid Scheming to Hide Assets
Replies: 87
Views: 32890

With the new 5-year look back rule, it's going to be more difficult for people to do this in the future. That's my point. If Congress wanted to do away with what is perceived by many to be an unfair aspect of the law, they could do it. They could easily exclude all those who are not truly "poor" through a variety of solutions. I would probably approve of any changes to the law that would eliminate this loophole. However, to criticize those who take advantage of the law as Congress has established it seems unfair to me. That's like being angry with the "rich" people who benefitted from Bush's tax cuts because they don't add some more tax in at the end. I am not a candidate for LTC insurance nor is my wife. I also have no...
by WiseNLucky
Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bankrupcy
Replies: 40
Views: 13459

Your fiance is completing an education program to become a dental hygienist, which is a licensed professional. Some states preclude holding an active professional license after bankruptcy. I would at least check into that before she pulls the trigger.
by WiseNLucky
Mon Jul 30, 2007 2:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: do people think you're nuts for living modestly?
Replies: 152
Views: 66727

Re: Cheer them on

prentis wrote:Has it occurred that we Diehards should root for the non-saving big spenders? It is all that conspicuous consumption that drives the market and floats our portfolios.
Actually, I think about that a lot. :?