Search found 898 matches

by mrb09
Mon Mar 25, 2024 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: State taxation of deferred compensation (bonus) when you've moved
Replies: 6
Views: 783

Re: State taxation of deferred compensation (bonus) when you've moved

Don’t know the answer, but I saw this posted in another thread. I saved the link because I’ll be dealing with similar NQDC issues.

https://www.kitces.com/blog/moving-lowe ... pensation/
by mrb09
Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: basic expense tracking
Replies: 21
Views: 1722

Re: basic expense tracking

I do a belt and suspenders approach with a budget tool and KlangFool’s account method: - Pre-retirement, my paycheck went into a Fidelity account brokerage account, and I transferred my monthly “income” to a separate Ally checking/savings account. Rest was saved. Post-retirement, I do the same amount of transfer, but the source is a Fidelity MM fund that I fill with taxable/tax deferred money quarterly. - I use a budget program (now Tiller, was YNAB) with a lot of sinking funds for different types of lumpy expenses. I fill the sinking funds every month as an expense and withdraw when I need them (bi-annual insurance, etc). That includes house and car maintenance as well. I keep the sinking funds in my Ally savings/checking, I lose maybe a p...
by mrb09
Sat Mar 23, 2024 10:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oxford UK and region - rent a car for vacation?
Replies: 20
Views: 1269

Re: Oxford UK and region - rent a car for vacation?

A few years we ago we did a combined trip in the UK, London to Hereford via train, rented a car and visited friends, Hereford to Bath via train, combination of taxis and a supported walking trip to Salisbury, and then train back to London. Found it pretty easy to get around by train, and appreciated having the car only when we really needed it.

If you’ve never been to Bath, can recommend it, it is only two hours by train from Oxford, and absolutely no need for a car inside the city.
by mrb09
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 12 months before retirement what do you wish you had done
Replies: 72
Views: 8841

Re: 12 months from retirement what do you wish you had done

Been retired a little over a month. Can’t think of anything I’d do differently, the highlights for me were: - House paid off - My paycheck went into a brokerage account, and we had a budget with automated transfers to monthly checking from the brokerage, a subset of my paycheck. I kept the transfers the same, so our perceived “monthly income” is the same. - Spreadsheet for exactly the first three years income, and a flexible plan after that (exact sale of taxable equities is the flexible part). - DAF topped up (another poster mentioned this). - Applied for a home equity line of credit - A health reserve fund - A list of projects I wanted to do, so far I haven’t had a day where I’ve had to think of things to do, just the order and how fast (...
by mrb09
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selecting Charities for Donation
Replies: 67
Views: 9765

Re: Selecting Charities for Donation

letsgobobby wrote: Wed Nov 19, 2014 10:27 pm I always wonder, how many folks donate to CharityNavigator itself (it's a registered charity)?
At the beginning of the year we donate from our DAF, a mix of international, national, and local charities. I check with charity navigator to make sure there are no red flags each year before we donate, so I donate a very small amount from the DAF ($50) for using their services.
by mrb09
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stock award and bonus tax implications
Replies: 7
Views: 881

Re: Stock award and bonus tax implications

taaray wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:28 pm [*]How does one decide between adjusted withholding and estimated quarterly payments? Having a hard time estimating my taxes with so many
Since the stock vest (assuming RSUs) is variable and isn’t known until vest date, I always did withholding based on my salary alone and did quarterly payments based on my marginal rate of the vests. My vests would push me from 24% to 32% to a bit of 35%, I just kept a spreadsheet and did 2% more (24%-22%) for the first vest, 10% more for the second vest, etc. Ditto for state.
by mrb09
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question
Replies: 48
Views: 4972

Re: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question

I made my numbers and retired a month ago. I still had a number of unvested RSUs, so I left quite a lot of money on the table. But I had the money, I’m doing COBRA for a year with money from my “gap” bucket, then on to Medicare, As other posters have mentioned, how much are you willing to pay for a free year in good health? I know I made the right decision for me.

Double check your defined benefit pension to make sure there’s no delay in changing payouts, I know there was for me in my NQDC plan when I was thinking of changing the payout period.
by mrb09
Thu Mar 14, 2024 12:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 6053
Views: 1037410

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

I did a search of the thread, but after 10 or so pages of results I gave up. So please excuse me if this question has already been answered.... My wife and I have a regular brokerage account (registered under trust), cash management account (registered under trust), and several traditional and Roth IRAs, and individual HSAs for both of us. I already have a EFT set-up from the brokerage to our Ally bank checking account (registered under trust), and I simply wanted to also be able to transfer from my cash management account to the bank. For some reason won't let me. It now says I can transfer from the regular brokerage account, or from any of the accounts registered in my name (T-IRA, Roth IRA, or HSA), but not the cash management account. ...
by mrb09
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Undersizing whole house generator?
Replies: 62
Views: 4935

Re: Undersizing whole house generator?

We used to have solar with battery backup, which was under sized for total house load plus the batteries would deplete quicker even under a manageable load. I’d just manually flip off the unneeded circuits in the main panel for anything that could go on automatically (like the well pump, we had gravity feed from storage tanks to cover outages), and the rest we just didn’t turn on (like the electric dryer). For the few times a year where we had day+ outages, that seemed to work fine.
by mrb09
Sun Mar 03, 2024 5:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.
Replies: 21
Views: 2482

Re: Tom Bihn briefcase worth the money? Looking for a quality, lightweight laptop briefcase.

I have an expensive leather "lawyer" briefcase that looks great but isn't really practical. I'm looking for something lightweight to carry a 13" laptop, sunglasses, water bottle, keys, and maybe a file folder or two. Bonus points if it can double as a cabin bag for traveling. A friend raves about Tom Bihn, but they seem expensive for a such a simple nylon bag. I saw some older threads where people recommended them, but I'd like to get some opinions on the Pilot and Cadet briefcases, specifically. Anyone have one? Does the quality justify the cost? I was also looking at a Thule backpack, but they can be pretty heavy and I'm not a huge fan of all the straps. I used to have a Filson (before they were cool), but the cotton fabri...
by mrb09
Sat Mar 02, 2024 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pinot Noir on the lower end?
Replies: 96
Views: 10447

Re: Pinot Noir on the lower end?

We drink pinot as our go to red wine. Jumping in for Oregon pinots in the OP price range. One that has not been mentioned is "Wine by Joe" from Dobbes Family Estate in the Willamette Valley. It is sub $14 here in Oregon. Also would agree with those that mentioned the Kirkland bottlings at Costco. They often have Pinots available - I've seen California and Oregon AVAs. Those are almost always worth a shot and are generally bottled by named producers incognito. There are web-pages out there with people guessing "who produced the Kirkland Carneros Pinot Noir of 2021...?" +1 for “Wine by Joe”. These days we pick up whatever deals our local wine shop gets here in the Willamette Valley, but prior to that we drank many bottles...
by mrb09
Fri Mar 01, 2024 3:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SS Delay Bridge - But how?
Replies: 21
Views: 2241

Re: SS Delay Bridge - But how?

Any thoughts on the BlackRock iShares iBonds TIPS ETF funds? Would this be a good way to construct a 5 year TIPS ladder? If the only advantage is that it is easier to build a ladder this way then I am not interested. I think the other route of using TIPSLadder.com and then purchasing TIPS within Vanguard seems easy enough. But, am I missing anything between these two options? The small size and tiny volumes of the iShares TIPS funds made me skeptical. I built a 5 year ladder like the one you are considering. I’m in a similar boat, just retired at 64, and I’m using iShares defined term treasury funds (IBTE, IBTF, etc) for my gaps, one fund for each year until I’m 70. The defined term treasury funds don’t seem to have the small volume proble...
by mrb09
Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ally Bank app on iPad (bug?)
Replies: 1
Views: 344

Re: Ally Bank app on iPad (bug?)

I haven’t noticed this as I use the web interface on my iPad. No issues I’ve seen with that. Just in general, I seem to be using apps on my phone, but for my iPad especially for financial apps (Ally, Fidelity, Credit Cards) I just use the web interface to get features often missing from the apps.
by mrb09
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do electric cars stop making sense?
Replies: 210
Views: 16590

Re: When do electric cars stop making sense?

Assuming you’re in California, (saw “PG&E” in your post), you can use the HOV lanes. I’m an EV advocate, and own one myself, but I’m convinced that the HOV sticker is the big driver for CA adoption of EVs.

Might check into PG&E time of use metering, although their off-peak is still about 4x what I’m paying in Oregon.
by mrb09
Tue Feb 27, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 17377

Re: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?

OP, Our plan is to spend significantly during our GoGo years while our health and desire permits it. We also plan for Inheritances, LTC and Charitable Giving as well. We absolutely do NOT want to adjust spending based on Short Term Market trends —for us that is a huge opportunity cost. Instead we build our portfolio from the Bottom-Up, see https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=392120 and review it yearly. We focus on the Funded Ratio as the key metric for when we need to cut back either spending or Inheritance. There is so much we want to do and experience and have no problem spending down the portfolio as long as we can meet our other priorities. WoodSpinner Similar for my wife and me, although less formal. We can meet our norm...
by mrb09
Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)
Replies: 53
Views: 5482

Re: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)

I use Gandi.net as my domain registrar, and Fastmail.com for my email service. I am happy with Gandi but I’m not sure there’s much difference between them and any other name brand registrar. Fastmail on the other hand is absolutely fantastic, and very much worth the pittance I pay for it. I will never go back to a free email provider. I also use Gandi.net for email and web site records. I just stumbled onto them back in the day, and I’ve been happy so never switched. I just forward the email to gmail, I’m not a heavy email user. Gandi.net was sold recently, and I presume the new owners will want to cut quality/quantity of services and increase prices so I switched to Porkbun. https://arstechnica.com/civis/threads/psa-gandi-net-bought-out-e...
by mrb09
Wed Feb 21, 2024 2:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)
Replies: 53
Views: 5482

Re: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)

SwiftKey wrote: Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:20 pm I use Gandi.net as my domain registrar, and Fastmail.com for my email service.

I am happy with Gandi but I’m not sure there’s much difference between them and any other name brand registrar.

Fastmail on the other hand is absolutely fantastic, and very much worth the pittance I pay for it. I will never go back to a free email provider.
I also use Gandi.net for email and web site records. I just stumbled onto them back in the day, and I’ve been happy so never switched. I just forward the email to gmail, I’m not a heavy email user.
by mrb09
Wed Feb 21, 2024 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hearing aids: Costco or audiologist?
Replies: 44
Views: 5434

Re: Hearing aids: Costco or audiologist?

I think the level of the hearing aid you need is dependent on your type of hearing loss. Here’s my experience for someone with “profound” high frequency hearing loss: My first hearing aids were Phonak’s from an Audiologist. The audiologist helped me quite a lot with the initial adjustment, as I was hearing things I hadn’t heard in years. Can’t remember the price, but it was pricy for the time. My second hearing aids were from Costco. I picked Costco mostly for the service, as they had Saturday appointments and I had a hard time getting off work during the week. The hearing aids were top of the line for Costco, still much cheaper than the Phonak’s, but pretty close in performance with five year newer technology. I had some maintenance on the...
by mrb09
Mon Feb 19, 2024 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Need advice for retirement
Replies: 35
Views: 5255

Re: Need advice for retirement

I’m 64 and just retired. My wife was eligible for Medicare, so she switched just before my last day. I’ll be doing COBRA for 11 months — maybe ACA would be cheaper, but my high deductible plan is only $650 a month for the one of me. With some work income for the year, and a deferred comp payout that I can’t delay, the income for my ACA subsidy wouldn’t be that low.

I had some RSUs in Jul/Aug, and the financially smart thing would have been to wait — but I have some plans for this spring, I had enough money, and life is short.
by mrb09
Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Western Europe Traveling Apps?
Replies: 28
Views: 2243

Re: Western Europe Traveling Apps?

MGBMartin wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:01 pm If you are going to any of the cities covered by CityMapper then I highly recommend the app for public transport.
https://citymapper.com/cities

I use the app for whatever airline I’m using; handy for updates to schedules and rebooking if needed even while in the air.

I use TripIt if my itinerary and bookings are complex it helps keep them all organized.
+1 for tripit. You just forward your email reservation receipt to their server, and they can usually parse the itinerary. Aside from their phone app, they also create a calendar you can subscribe to, my wife and I both subscribe to the calendar on our native phone calendar apps.
by mrb09
Fri Feb 16, 2024 9:41 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2024!
Replies: 142
Views: 44250

Re: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2024!

Hi Miriam,

As of yesterday, I am now successfully terminally unemployed. Please mark me down as retired on 2/15 for the class of 2024!

Off to wack on the the wood in my workshop this morning instead of status calls…
by mrb09
Wed Feb 14, 2024 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Concept 2 rower question [rowing machine]
Replies: 27
Views: 3374

Re: Concept 2 rower question

Just echo’ing what mhc wrote. What helped me, in addition to the videos, was the power graph on the concept 2 display, it will tell you where the power is coming in from the stroke.
by mrb09
Sun Feb 11, 2024 7:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: dumb computer security question
Replies: 50
Views: 4299

Re: dumb computer security question

The thing that has always bothered me is I have no way of knowing with a lot of confidence that the software on my windows pc has not been compromised. That's why I mentioned the live linux boot. Yes it might not have the latest security fixes. But what are the odds that during a live boot someone at that exact time targets my machine while my linux live boot session is up. That's seems to be a more remote scenario than some sort of malicious software could be installed on my windows pc. Also stressing a live linux boot - not a linux installation. Your router could be compromised and direct you to a man-in-the-middle attack site without your browser or machine being compromised. You would never know it. A Yubikey running Fido2 would protec...
by mrb09
Tue Feb 06, 2024 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Margin Loan for Home Purchase?
Replies: 18
Views: 2625

Re: Margin Loan for Home Purchase?

An older family member is looking to purchase a new home using funds from an investment portfolio, which they would then replenish with the sale of their current house. The portfolio currently has about four times the amount that the home would cost, but much of it is tied up in investments. The portfolio is managed by a financial manager, but we're not sure if we totally trust the manager's advice, which is why I'm posting here. The manager is suggesting that my relative take out a margin loan to get access to liquid funds for the full amount of the purchase. Then, I believe the idea is that my relative would pay off the loan when their house sells. So if all goes well, the loan would be paid off within a few months. This is new to me, so...
by mrb09
Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9323

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

Speaking as someone who was often on the hiring side in interview loops for tech companies, if the non-profit doesn’t work out, then I think you can spin it as a “giving back/sabbatical” situation if you do interview again and are trying to match your old TC.
by mrb09
Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Newretirement (free) "chance of success" much lower than others?
Replies: 17
Views: 2352

Re: Newretirement (free) "chance of success" much lower than others?

Has anyone tried to compare the results of Newretirement's "chance of success" Monte Carlo modeling with other calculators? I understand the free version doesn't allow for too many changes in growth assumptions or allocations, however for similar high level inputs (I looked at investments of $6.5M and expenses of $210K, 45 year retirement period), I am seeing very different chances of success- Newretirement - 55% Firecalc - 100% Vanguard Nest Egg calculator - 90% Pralana Bronze - 86% I am just trying to evaluate Newretirement for their more advanced capabilities related to retirement planning based on positive reviews here - but right off the bat this seems off. I know newretirement has a very large default end of life cost (at l...
by mrb09
Sun Jan 28, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?
Replies: 58
Views: 5099

Re: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?

I have a 40 AMP level 2 charger, but similar issue, the car will try and draw more than 40 AMPs, I had to turn it down on the car side (Ioniq 5). You shouldn't have to do this if your EVSE is installed and configured correctly. Your EVSE has no way of knowing how big a circuit it it connected to. When the EVSE is installed it must be programmed so that it knows the circuit size. I know that’s the way it is supposed to work, but somebody fell down on the job. The EVSE knows it is connected to a 50A circuit, no issue there, the EVSE faulted, not the breaker, I know there’s a charge negotiation where the charger announces its capacity and the car tries to draw that amount, somebody misunderstood the other. I assume the charger tried to announ...
by mrb09
Sat Jan 27, 2024 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?
Replies: 58
Views: 5099

Re: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?

I have a 40 AMP level 2 charger, but similar issue, the car will try and draw more than 40 AMPs, I had to turn it down on the car side (Ioniq 5). You shouldn't have to do this if your EVSE is installed and configured correctly. Your EVSE has no way of knowing how big a circuit it it connected to. When the EVSE is installed it must be programmed so that it knows the circuit size. I know that’s the way it is supposed to work, but somebody fell down on the job. The EVSE knows it is connected to a 50A circuit, no issue there, the EVSE faulted, not the breaker, I know there’s a charge negotiation where the charger announces its capacity and the car tries to draw that amount, somebody misunderstood the other. I assume the charger tried to announ...
by mrb09
Sat Jan 27, 2024 7:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?
Replies: 58
Views: 5099

Re: Garage EV Charger Options - which way to go?

corduroysuit wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 6:25 pm
02nz wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 5:36 pm Have you tried reducing the amperage? It should be a setting in your car.
+1 for this. ^^^
I have a 40 AMP level 2 charger, but similar issue, the car will try and draw more than 40 AMPs, I had to turn it down on the car side (Ioniq 5).
by mrb09
Thu Jan 25, 2024 10:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paying for things with a phone
Replies: 18
Views: 1363

Re: Paying for things with a phone

Recently I went to a high school basketball game to watch my girlfriend's grandson play. We got to the door and it cost $6. I pulled out my wallet to pay. The girl said they didn't take cash. They didn't take credit cards either. There was a paper with a QR code taped to a table. Using that QR code was the only way to pay. I had no idea how to pay with my phone and a QR code. Fortunately my girlfriend was able to pay with her phone. I think there will be more and more places where using your phone is the only way to pay. It won't just be high school basketball games. Now I need to learn how to pay for stuff with my phone. What is the best way? I have an android phone, not apple. One friend said use Venmo, another said Google Wallet. What i...
by mrb09
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retiring vs Resigning
Replies: 28
Views: 4525

Re: Retiring vs Resigning

At my company, there’s no difference. The only difference was I got more positive peer feedback from the “mrb’s retiring” announcement than I would have from the “mrb’s quitting” announcement :)
by mrb09
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Aftermarket tow hitches?
Replies: 21
Views: 1559

Re: Aftermarket tow hitches?

I’ve bought stuff before from etrailer.com, they seem to have a nice site with good support, videos and user reviews. I bought a hitch once for a Prius I had, after watching the videos and reading the reviews I bought a set of claw foot sockets for the back bolts — I wouldn’t have known to do that without the detailed install instructions and reviews.
by mrb09
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:31 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: NewRetirement output seems counter to my own math
Replies: 35
Views: 3402

Re: NewRetirement output seems counter to my own math

I’ve also noticed that newretirement has a *very* large default for end of life expenses. That was the biggest issue for me in matching the other calculators.
by mrb09
Wed Jan 24, 2024 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss
Replies: 26
Views: 1604

Re: Best bluetooth speakers for septuagenarian with hearing loss

This isn’t meant to be medical advice or how to improve your health or hearing. Age related hearing loss (presbycusis) is worse at higher frequencies. So I’m guessing you don’t hear the cymbals very well. If you’ve ever been involved in music recording or production, it sort of like listening through a low pass (or high cut) filter. It isn’t just a geriatric issue either. What a 40-year-old hears in the higher frequencies is different from what they heard in their 20s. What a man hears is different from what a woman hears.* On top of that, manufacturers may try to cater to consumers who want exaggerated “deep” bass, which worsen your problem. I personally would focus on equalization rather than high fidelity. Some Bluetooth speaker and ear...
by mrb09
Tue Jan 23, 2024 3:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?
Replies: 113
Views: 7618

Re: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?

The safest car when there is ice is the one that sits in the garage. Nothing really works on ice. This is helpful, thanks! I mean it's helpful that nothing is really helpful, so just best to stay home. +1. Nothing works on ice. Stay home is the best advice. If you need to drive in case of emergency, take the surface road and avoid freeway, overpass, hill, etc. Snowy condition is different. All wheel drive works better. But the good rule of thumb is to drive slow. +1. Watch: People slip, vehicles slide down frozen hill after Oregon ice storm I'm in Oregon. After that storm, our local online forums aren't having a discussion of what tires to get, it is what are the best crampons for walking :) (Seriously, I used to live in snow country, and ...
by mrb09
Tue Jan 23, 2024 9:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?
Replies: 113
Views: 7618

Re: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?

Came across this video when I was looking at tire socks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-k_1gz87vM , it compares socks, chains and snow tires.

Back when we lived in rural snow country we had our second vehicle with snow tires all winter, on a second set of rims, either our Subaru Forrester with Blizzaks, or our F250 with studded tires.
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 5:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dear YNAB gurus....
Replies: 32
Views: 4030

Re: Dear YNAB gurus....

- If you *know* your upcoming monthly paychecks will cover the CC spending another manual trick would be to put dummy inflow transactions into your checking accounts at the beginning of the month. Say on the 1st, even if the paycheck won’t arrive till the 15th. The make your budget and put expenses on the CC. Then when the actual paycheck arrives delete the dummy inflow from earlier. If you can do that, you can keep all your brokerages accounts off-budget The more I think about it the more I think a dummy paycheck entry will get YNAB to do exactly what you want Or, just hold the paycheck cash from the 15th into next month. After all, YNAB's main goal is to get you to build up a buffer of 30 days cash for your expenses. You can find checkin...
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dear YNAB gurus....
Replies: 32
Views: 4030

Re: Dear YNAB gurus....

- If you *know* your upcoming monthly paychecks will cover the CC spending another manual trick would be to put dummy inflow transactions into your checking accounts at the beginning of the month. Say on the 1st, even if the paycheck won’t arrive till the 15th. The make your budget and put expenses on the CC. Then when the actual paycheck arrives delete the dummy inflow from earlier. If you can do that, you can keep all your brokerages accounts off-budget The more I think about it the more I think a dummy paycheck entry will get YNAB to do exactly what you want Or, just hold the paycheck cash from the 15th into next month. After all, YNAB's main goal is to get you to build up a buffer of 30 days cash for your expenses. You can find checkin...
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dear YNAB gurus....
Replies: 32
Views: 4030

Re: Dear YNAB gurus....

I used to use YNAB, and have switched to Tiller, but I think the principal is the same. If it were me, I’d track the SWVXX account in YNAB and nothing else (edit: plus your checking, but nothing else in brokerage), that will make YNAB happy about negative categories. I have a similar set up, except I split my MM equivalent into two, one in my Fidelity account which I don’t track, and a smaller one for monthly budgeting in an Ally savings account which I do track for YNAB/Tiller budgeting. I use sinking funds for things like lumpy insurance payments, I just keep that in the Ally savings account and tracked in the budget program. I lose a little bit in interest from Fidelity MM, but Ally savings rate is still pretty good, and the amount isn’...
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: iShares iBonds ETFs by BlackRock - thoughts?
Replies: 12
Views: 1769

Re: iShares iBonds ETFs by BlackRock - thoughts?

I have some defined term treasury ETFs (IBTE, IBTF) in my taxable account to cover some upcoming expenses for those years, and a defined term corp bond ETF in my tax deferred (IBDT) for a gap year. Haven't had anything actually mature yet, but so far seems to be behaving as expected.

The treasuries were a compromise for me, had been doing treasury auctions but found myself never quite lining up available money with an auction dates, the ETFs are a nice fire and forget without much overhead.
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Budget Software
Replies: 10
Views: 1226

Re: Budget Software

Tiller - it's Google sheet based, or Excel, your choice. They have a free trial period, after that it's $79 per year. I strongly advise going through the webinar before you spend a lot of time on customization - I didn't know that I should not add rows on the category tab, and messed up the sheet macros. So I had to scrap it, and then re-start. I am very pleased with its customizability and reporting functions, after 10 days of use. +1, was a YNAB user and now use Tiller. Their out of the box templates are very good, and I’ve also added my own custom sheets, and their technical support forums are very good. They’ll allow manual imports of CSV files, although I personally connect online credit cards and our bank accounts used for monthly bu...
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dear YNAB gurus....
Replies: 32
Views: 4030

Re: Dear YNAB gurus....

I used to use YNAB, and have switched to Tiller, but I think the principal is the same. If it were me, I’d track the SWVXX account in YNAB and nothing else (edit: plus your checking, but nothing else in brokerage), that will make YNAB happy about negative categories. I have a similar set up, except I split my MM equivalent into two, one in my Fidelity account which I don’t track, and a smaller one for monthly budgeting in an Ally savings account which I do track for YNAB/Tiller budgeting. I use sinking funds for things like lumpy insurance payments, I just keep that in the Ally savings account and tracked in the budget program. I lose a little bit in interest from Fidelity MM, but Ally savings rate is still pretty good, and the amount isn’t...
by mrb09
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Return My New Apple Watch?
Replies: 83
Views: 6495

Re: Return My New Apple Watch?

This is what I use my watch for, in no particular order.

- Telling time
- Checking temperature before I go outside
- Using the garage door opener app from my bicycle so I don’t have to drag out my phone from my saddlebag
- Opening our keyless doors
- Sending and receiving texts when I’m running without my phone
- As a fitness tracker
- Using Apple Pay when my phone is in my backpack
- Tapping transit fares when we’re in a city that supports it (San Francisco, for example)
- Asking Siri to add quick reminders before I forget what I need reminding for
- Using Siri for home automation tasks
- Using the timer app for cooking
- As an alert from my phone when needed, as I usually have my phone silenced
by mrb09
Sun Jan 21, 2024 4:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Decent Pinot Noir < $20 possible?
Replies: 31
Views: 3752

Re: Decent Pinot Noir < $20 possible?

I think you can still find La Crema's pinot noir for that price on sale. They label them for which of several vineyards they're bottled from, and it escapes me now which is my favorite ($20/bottle is special occasion price for me)...maybe their Sonoma Coast pinot noir? My go-to pinot noir is Erath, from Oregon, although I think their quality has slipped slightly as they have become more popular. I still like it, though. But just as I often, I look for something I haven't tried before, and I seldom remember the names. Since preferences vary anyways, I'd honestly just suggest trying many (including whatever gets suggested here) and maybe taking notes which ones you like best to serve as your regulars. For Oregon pinots, Erath is good. “Wine ...
by mrb09
Thu Jan 18, 2024 7:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pacific NW trip in August
Replies: 27
Views: 2284

Re: Pacific NW trip in August

The logistics seem a little challenging getting to Victoria, San Juan Islands...I will do some more research. It has been a while, but the last time I went to Victoria I took the bus from downtown Vancouver, right near a SkyTrain stop. It took us to the ferry, onto the ferry where we could walk around the boat for the trip, then off the ferry and to downtown Victoria. The bus station was near the Parliament Buildings, the Royal BC Museum, and numerous eating and shopping places. We could walk almost anywhere we wanted to go. At that time the buses left every hour to return so we could leave when ready and just reversed the trip. You'd need to check to current schedules, but it was easy. If you take the Victoria Clipper from Seattle or Blac...
by mrb09
Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pacific NW trip in August
Replies: 27
Views: 2284

Re: Pacific NW trip in August

GAAP wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2024 3:26 pm I don't see much value in flying to Seattle to hop on a bus or train to get to Vancouver. That would just take more time with no real benefit.
As an efficient means of travel, completely agree.

But if one wanted to spend a few days in Seattle, which is a nice city in its own right, and take a very scenic (and leisurely) train ride, I think it makes sense -- my wife and I have done it before, and we plan to do it again. Really depends on how you feel about train rides, whether they're part of the journey or just something to be endured.
by mrb09
Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pacific NW trip in August
Replies: 27
Views: 2284

Re: Pacific NW trip in August

OMYx3 wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2024 1:52 pm We haven't booked anything, but are leaning towards flying into Seattle, and then taking Amtrak to Vancouver (I was glad to see that recommendation from mrb09). It looks like ferries to Victoria and San Juan islands may be better from Port Angeles and Anacortes (vs. from Vancouver), so trying to figure out how to make that work.
There's also the FRS Clipper (used to be "Victoria Clipper"), it isn't the cheapest option, but a great way to get to Victoria from Seattle. We've done that several times, Victoria is pretty walkable, and we rented a car in Victoria if we wanted to head north.
by mrb09
Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pacific NW trip in August
Replies: 27
Views: 2284

Re: Pacific NW trip in August

OMYx3 wrote: Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:46 am Oh wow, great bear rainforest looks amazing. Already have it on the list for a future trip. Would love to hear your experience in September!
I’ll post a trip report when I get back. We had to make reservations over a year in advance, the September slots fill up quickly.
by mrb09
Thu Jan 18, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pacific NW trip in August
Replies: 27
Views: 2284

Re: Pacific NW trip in August

We booked an Alaska cruise out of Vancouver for mid-August. Since we will be in the area, we are planning to add a week or two on the front-end and/or back-end of the cruise. Before we start booking travel, places to stay, etc., wanted to find out the top things this group would encourage us to check out. We love hiking, biking, spending time outdoors, as well as good local food, farmers' markets, flavorful craft beer and wine. Areas of interest include northwest Washington, southwest BC and we could be convinced to head inland towards Idaho or Montana if there is something spectacular we shouldn't miss. Thanks in advance for your thoughts and recommendations!! :sharebeer If you like farmer's markets, definitely check out the Granville Isl...
by mrb09
Tue Jan 16, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "Unsubscribe" to Emails
Replies: 37
Views: 4410

Re: "Unsubscribe" to Emails

I recently visited replacements.com to browse and did not enter any personal information. Shortly after, I received a gmail saying "You've got $5 off $100 at Replacements. Still thinking it over? Maybe this will help..." I didn't add anything to shopping cart, don't have an account there, didn't opt-in to subscribe to receive email, and didn't even provide my email address. Hmmmm.... If you use the google mail client or web site, and you see a green “ad” in the subject, that’s not actually an email, it is a targeted ad through the mail client. They just make it look like an email, kind of like “paid promotions” look like search results when you do a search. Any site you visit that uses google tracking will know you visited the si...