Bogleheads.org

I wouldn't recommend putting the money in an index fund. I did it as an experiment during the last 8 years. I quickly saved up the money for a future car purchase over 2 years. Then I put it in a 60/40 fund and held it for 6 years. My overall return after taxes was about 3% per year vs about 0.5% pe...

I have some knowledge of CalPERS and I'll try to answer a few of the questions that have come up: 1. If CalPERS doesn't hit its' target and if there is a yearly funding shortfall, then the individual Cities, Counties, State, or special districts (fire, water, wastewater), have to make up the differe...

I just preordered this: https://coffeejackstore.com/ No idea how good it will be, but I drink a lot of coffee and thought it was worth a shot! I used to have a Philips Saeco espresso maker. It was the lowest cost one, about $120. The espresso was OK, maybe 3 out of 5 stars. It was bulky and I switch...

I used to work as a plumber and I had a lot of experience with sewer laterals. A couple comments: Home inspectors usually don't look at the sewer lateral and probably aren't going to be responsible for it. You have to have a specialized camera for that. Roots in the sewer lateral will usually cause ...

My favorite sleep mask is from Allbirds.

For earplugs, you may have try a couple of different types in order to find ones that fit better.

I do shift work and the more expensive sleep masks are worth it.

You are probably going to have to start at the City level first.

The City Engineer or their office is usually involved with ADU's at some point. I would start with them.

Each City can have it's own process and then you could also have County regulations as well.

For Port Douglas the rainforest was really fun to see. The town is really touristy though. If you are looking a quieter town with less people I would recommend Trinity Beach. There were a couple restaurants, one hotel, and a quiet beach! The only downside is that the only transport was a bus system ...

Has anyone taken an at home food sensitivity test and how did it work out? I'm considering one from Everlywell.

I know it's not FDA approved and may be completely useless.

I've lived in both Dallas and NorCal. I'll 2nd the weather comment. It is not unusual in Dallas for it to be hot from March to November, 80 degrees+. I remember always going from one air conditioned place to another. I would really try and envision your family's life outside of working hours. If you...

I went through similar confusion with a conforming vs jumbo loan last year. From my own research and talking to the loan officer, the jumbo loans can sometimes have a lower rate due to less paperwork and regulatory requirements. It seems backwards to me, but because they aren't involved with Fannie ...

I went to a co-ed boarding school in the early 2000's for my last 2 years of school. Overall, it was one of the best experiences of my life. Pros: Small class sizes with teachers who were actually interested in teaching and learning. Required sports participation, everyone had to play some sport or ...

I did include the vehicle registration fees in my calculations. I just didn't itemize them. Part of the registration fees can be tax deductible for State taxes. I paid $200 or less every year for registration fees, if I remember correctly.

This post is for people who are interested in cost of living data. I tracked the cost of owning a 2012 Honda Civic for 6.5 years. I bought the car new and recently sold it at 75K miles. All of the associated costs (maintenance, insurance, tolls, gas) are SF Bay Area prices. Summary: New car cost (i...

What about the $500 a month to park downtown if you work downtown? Or the many place that charge $10 a hour for parking? What about it? He's providing data on his own expenses. Not arbitrary "what if?" scenarios. I didn't have to pay for parking at work and I don't typically deal with SF parking. D...

So in cost per mileage terms, seems you were right around 50 cents per mile. If rideshare was at this price or lower, would you give up car ownership and exclusively use their services instead? Yes, I would switch right now if I could. Not having to deal with stop and go traffic on my commute would...

This post is for people who are interested in cost of living data. I tracked the cost of owning a 2012 Honda Civic for 6.5 years. I bought the car new and recently sold it at 75K miles. All of the associated costs (maintenance, insurance, tolls, gas) are SF Bay Area prices. Summary: New car cost (in...

I just finished going through the mortage rate process so I can comment on my experience. I started by checking rates with the pre-approval process at a local Credit Union, Wells Fargo, and a local mortage broker. You can have your credit report pulled multiple times for a mortage inquiries for 45 d...

I'm considering buying a condo during a pre-sale for a new development. The location is in the SF Bay Area. The complex meets all my housing desires in theory (still under construction). I would be planning on living there for 10+ years. I was wondering if anyone has done this before and what their ...

I enjoyed this cheese tour...

https://foodandfarmtours.com/project/ch ... vers-tour/

I wanted to know if I should record the following documents with my County in California.

Otherwise do I just keep the originals and notify the involved people about their location? For the living will I know that I need to get my doctor a copy.

Documents:

-Will
-Power of Attorney
-Living Will

I've been in the SF bay area for almost 10 years now. Unless you are familiar with SF I would definetly rent at first. Most SF public schools are below average for the area as well. Each area of the city is a little bit different. If you working in the city I would look into the peninsula or Marin c...

I wanted to comment on the pension. I'm in a similiar situation with a public pension and 457 plan. I also have a ROTH IRA. Since you are only 32, the pension amount may not be fully there when you retire at 55. 70% of your final salary is on the generous side for a pension. Even if it's a public se...

My siblings and I went to Southlake schools between 1996 to 2006. We had to moved to Texas from the Midwest and I've lived in multiple states since 2006. Some of my info might be out of date. The culture at the Southlake school's was heavily geared toward sports. They have an indoor football practic...