Search found 128 matches

by charis23
Sun Nov 05, 2023 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 38128

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

I've been keeping track of this the last 9 years. I've paid $22.49 the last 4 years for Deluxe + State. The last 2 years I bought it on 11/25. Date Year Title Vendor Price Black Friday 1/2/2015 2014 H&R Block Deluxe + State Amazon $21.99 No 1/24/2017 2016 TurboTax Deluxe + State Amazon $39.86 No 12/11/2017 2017 H&R Block Deluxe + State H&R $14.95 No 11/23/2018 2018 H&R Block Deluxe + State Amazon $18.00 Yes 12/5/2019 2019 H&R Block Deluxe + State Newegg $22.49 No 11/27/2020 2020 H&R Block Deluxe + State Newegg $22.49 Yes 11/25/2021 2021 H&R Block Deluxe + State Amazon $22.49 No 11/25/2022 2022 H&R Block Deluxe + State Amazon $22.49 Yes impressive track record (except for the unnecessarily expensive purchase ...
by charis23
Fri Nov 03, 2023 4:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block 2023 software offer
Replies: 246
Views: 38128

Re: H&R Block 2023 software offer

I've been keeping track of this the last 9 years. I've paid $22.49 the last 4 years for Deluxe + State. The last 2 years I bought it on 11/25.

Code: Select all

Date	Year	Title	Vendor	Price	Black Friday
1/2/2015	2014	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Amazon	$21.99	No
1/24/2017	2016	TurboTax Deluxe + State	Amazon	$39.86	No
12/11/2017	2017	H&R Block Deluxe + State	H&R	$14.95	No
11/23/2018	2018	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Amazon	$18.00	Yes
12/5/2019	2019	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Newegg	$22.49	No
11/27/2020	2020	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Newegg	$22.49	Yes
11/25/2021	2021	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Amazon	$22.49	No
11/25/2022	2022	H&R Block Deluxe + State	Amazon	$22.49	Yes
by charis23
Thu Nov 02, 2023 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)
Replies: 14
Views: 1738

Re: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)

marti038 wrote: Thu Nov 02, 2023 10:03 am
charis23 wrote: Sun Oct 29, 2023 11:50 pm Which plan would you choose?
I'd go with HSA then start emailing HR to ask why they're subsidizing so much more of the healthcare premiums for the non-HDHP folks?

I've worked two places that offered HDHP with HSA, and in both cases the delta in premium from the PPO and HDHP was directed into my HSA by my employer. That way everyone was receiving the same benefit from the company without regard to the plan they selected.

Granted, it's only two cases, so maybe it's not as common as I think. It still won't hurt to ask.
Thanks for sharing your experience in using an HSA with a family. I'll probably choose it again this year.

And also great idea asking my employer about redirecting some of that premium into an HSA.
by charis23
Thu Nov 02, 2023 12:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)
Replies: 14
Views: 1738

Re: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)

TinyElvis wrote: Mon Oct 30, 2023 3:16 pm An HSA isn't a type of plan; it's a component that is added to a high-deductible plan that can be either a PPO or an HMO.

Is the high deductible plan with the HSA component a PPO or an HMO? If a PPO, then anything with an HSA component is always the way to go (IMHO).

If the HDHP is an HMO, you may want to consider if having the HSA component is worth the restrictions an HMO can place on you.
Sorry for not being clear, both are PPO that I'm considering. One is a HDHP/HSA, the other one isn't.

I also have Kaiser available to me but I generally have had a better experience with non-Kaiser medical care after using Kaiser for 6 years.
by charis23
Thu Nov 02, 2023 12:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)
Replies: 14
Views: 1738

Re: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)

I think you are right dabretty, I'll be paying 100% of the cost up until the family deductible. For the HDHP/HSA plan, it's 20% coinsurance across the board after that.

For the PPO plan, it's a mix of 20% coinsurance and copays. For example an ER visit is $150 copay but a hospital stay is 20% coinsurance.
by charis23
Mon Oct 30, 2023 1:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)
Replies: 14
Views: 1738

Re: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)

Thanks for both of your input!
by charis23
Sun Oct 29, 2023 11:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)
Replies: 14
Views: 1738

HDHP vs PPO (Both Premium-Free)

Hi Bogleheads, With open enrollment approaching, I wanted to some double checking on my math. My employer generously pays for all employees health premiums. We can pick either HDHP + HSA or PPO. The details of each plan are (all for a family in network): PPO Deductible: $1,200 OOP Max: $6,000 Co-insurance (after deductible): 20% HDHP/HSA Deductible: $3,400 OOP Max: $6,000 Co-insurance (after deductible): 20% The company contributes $1,000 to the HSA. If I max out the rest of the HSA and contribute $7,300 (since HSA max is $8,300 for 2023), at a 24% marginal tax bracket, that's a $1,752 in tax savings so the HDHP/HSA starts out $2,752 ahead vs PPO. Is this the right thinking? In 2023, my kid had multiple trips to the ER that basically wiped ...
by charis23
Sun Apr 09, 2023 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Could AI break voice identification security?
Replies: 43
Views: 5519

Re: Could AI break voice identification security?

Because of this thread, I turned off the only Voice ID I have at Schwab. You have to call in to do it.
by charis23
Sun Jan 01, 2023 2:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ten-Year Checkup
Replies: 12
Views: 2475

Re: Ten-Year Checkup

How did you contribute $6,500 to a backdoor Roth IRA? I thought the limit in 2022 was $6,000.
by charis23
Fri Dec 30, 2022 1:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New California Middle Class Tax Refund
Replies: 274
Views: 35031

Re: New California Middle Class Tax Refund

Does anyone know why they sent the refunds via debit card? Seems like they could've used ACH for everyone.
by charis23
Fri Dec 30, 2022 2:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New California Middle Class Tax Refund
Replies: 274
Views: 35031

Re: New California Middle Class Tax Refund

Got my debit card today.
by charis23
Wed Nov 23, 2022 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New iPhone 14
Replies: 23
Views: 3656

Re: New iPhone 14

Visible is running a pretty good promo if you port in a number: you pay full price for the phone but get a $250 gift card (you have a choice of merchants incl. Amazon) and free Apple Beats Studio Buds wireless earphones. That's about a $400 value in all, and you pay $30 per month per line for unlimited everything. Visible is a Verizon subsidiary and (of course) runs on that network. https://www.visible.com/shop/smartphones/iphone-14/?sku=MPVR3LL/A ETA: The phone is automatically unlocked after 60 days. Can confirm it worked perfectly on mine. This is a pretty good deal. Do you use Visible? What are your thoughts? I recently switched to Visible. Generally, have been pleased with it. I have run speed tests in many places. Highest speeds were...
by charis23
Wed Nov 23, 2022 1:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New iPhone 14
Replies: 23
Views: 3656

Re: New iPhone 14

02nz wrote: Tue Nov 22, 2022 12:38 pm Visible is running a pretty good promo if you port in a number: you pay full price for the phone but get a $250 gift card (you have a choice of merchants incl. Amazon) and free Apple Beats Studio Buds wireless earphones. That's about a $400 value in all, and you pay $30 per month per line for unlimited everything. Visible is a Verizon subsidiary and (of course) runs on that network.

https://www.visible.com/shop/smartphone ... =MPVR3LL/A

ETA: The phone is automatically unlocked after 60 days. Can confirm it worked perfectly on mine.
This is a pretty good deal. Do you use Visible? What are your thoughts?
by charis23
Mon May 30, 2022 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?
Replies: 18
Views: 1537

Re: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?

Should I take the tax hit and convert the full $15k trad IRA to Roth in order to do a backdoor Roth contribution without having to pay the pro-rata amount? What's wrong with pro-rata conversions? Nothing prevents you from making backdoor Roth contributions, that is, non-deductible contributions, to your IRAs every year. Then you can make Roth conversions at your discretion, using the pro-rate rule to decide how much in extra taxes you want to pay each year. No need to do the whole $15K at once and taking a big tax hit in one year. :thumbsup Glad to see this. A perfectly good solution if your year end TIRA balance cannot be 0 without paying taxes on all the pre tax TIRA assets you converted to get to that 0 balance. The ND contribution coul...
by charis23
Mon May 30, 2022 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?
Replies: 18
Views: 1537

Re: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?

My wife has a small traditional IRA balance ($15,000) which is about 5% of our total investable assets. We hit the income limit this year so we can't make normal Roth IRA contributions anymore. Should I take the tax hit and convert the full $15k trad IRA to Roth in order to do a backdoor Roth contribution without having to pay the pro-rata amount? I lean toward doing it. I figure as long as the law doesn't change to disallow backdoor Roths, this would enable backdoor Roths every year. I'm at a 24% federal marginal tax rate and 9.3% state. Thanks for the help. It’s hard to give specific advice without knowing the full details of your portfolio, goals, etc. Consider editing your post (use the pencil icon) to follow the BH portfolio review po...
by charis23
Mon May 30, 2022 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?
Replies: 18
Views: 1537

Re: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?

My wife has a small traditional IRA balance ($15,000) which is about 5% of our total investable assets. We hit the income limit this year so we can't make normal Roth IRA contributions anymore. Should I take the tax hit and convert the full $15k trad IRA to Roth in order to do a backdoor Roth contribution without having to pay the pro-rata amount? I lean toward doing it. I figure as long as the law doesn't change to disallow backdoor Roths, this would enable backdoor Roths every year. I'm at a 24% federal marginal tax rate and 9.3% state. Thanks for the help. Do you have the option to roll that tIRA into a 401k? I did that a few years ago. Unfortunately not since my wife doesn't work anymore. And she can't roll it into the 401k from her pr...
by charis23
Mon May 30, 2022 7:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?
Replies: 18
Views: 1537

Should I convert a small Trad IRA to Roth IRA to enable Bakckdoor Roth?

My wife has a small traditional IRA balance ($15,000) which is about 5% of our total investable assets. We hit the income limit this year so we can't make normal Roth IRA contributions anymore. Should I take the tax hit and convert the full $15k trad IRA to Roth in order to do a backdoor Roth contribution without having to pay the pro-rata amount? I lean toward doing it. I figure as long as the law doesn't change to disallow backdoor Roths, this would enable backdoor Roths every year.

I'm at a 24% federal marginal tax rate and 9.3% state.

Thanks for the help.
by charis23
Wed May 04, 2022 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HELOC - which one would you choose?
Replies: 10
Views: 903

Re: HELOC - which one would you choose?

samsoes wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 11:58 am Choose the no fee option. Eschew fees, always.
This is what I'm leaning toward.
by charis23
Wed May 04, 2022 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HELOC - which one would you choose?
Replies: 10
Views: 903

Re: HELOC - which one would you choose?

exodusNH wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 11:52 am
charis23 wrote: Wed May 04, 2022 10:15 am Two options for HELOC, which one would you choose?
  • $250,000, 5%, no fees
  • $200,000, 4.5%, $750 fees
I don't have any immediate plans to draw on the HELOC. I plan to use it as an emergency fund on top of some emergency fund cash (6 months spending) . There is a chance I may use the HELOC also to purchase a second home but no hard plans for that now, it's more for having the option to take advantage of opportunistic purchases.
Are those teaser rates?
No they aren't teaser rates.
by charis23
Wed May 04, 2022 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HELOC - which one would you choose?
Replies: 10
Views: 903

Re: HELOC - which one would you choose?

My home is held in a trust so I thought Third Federal wasn't an option.
by charis23
Wed May 04, 2022 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HELOC - which one would you choose?
Replies: 10
Views: 903

HELOC - which one would you choose?

Two options for HELOC, which one would you choose?
  • $250,000, 5%, no fees
  • $200,000, 4.5%, $750 fees
I don't have any immediate plans to draw on the HELOC. I plan to use it as an emergency fund on top of some emergency fund cash (6 months spending) . There is a chance I may use the HELOC also to purchase a second home but no hard plans for that now, it's more for having the option to take advantage of opportunistic purchases.
by charis23
Sun Jan 16, 2022 11:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Walmart Plus worth the $98 per year?
Replies: 27
Views: 6742

Re: Is Walmart Plus worth the $98 per year?

Is Walmart Plus worth the $98 per year? Do they really give you free delivery on everything at the store with no minimum order size? Seems too good to be true. We've done the trial and it's been pretty useful for us. Both in terms of delivering things (mainly groceries) to us and delivering things to our friends who might be sick or in need. I like how Walmart doesn't charge more if you order online like other retailers do. I also like how you don't generally have to order a 24-pack of something like you do on Amazon. I'm on the fence for whether to do it on top of Amazon Prime. When I was at a Walmart, I saw some of the employees doing some of the shopping for presumably these pickup and delivery orders. They use a huge cart with multiple...
by charis23
Sun Jan 16, 2022 6:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social security question
Replies: 11
Views: 1431

Re: Social security question

My wife became a SAHM a number of years ago. In reviewing her social security statement, I see that she has 37 credits. From what I understand about social security, she needs 40 credits where 1 credit is $1,410 of earned wages. The benefits listed on the statement assume "Your estimated taxable earnings per year after 2020: $43,000" which is likely not going to be true since she probably won't return to work. Does anyone know if there is a way to run scenarios, e.g. if my wife works for a few months at Starbucks to get to 40 credits, what the retirement benefit would be at her retirement age? I'm just curious whether it's even worth it for her to do that. You may be overthinking this. If you have been married for more than 10 ye...
by charis23
Sun Jan 16, 2022 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social security question
Replies: 11
Views: 1431

Re: Social security question

Try https://ssa.tools/calculator.html. As that calculator notes, the first thing is for your wife to logon to the Social Security website and grab her earnings record. Then pretend she had 9 months (3 quarters) of earnings in 2021. Add a line for 2021 with some estimated dollar amount to her actual earnings record. Then paste it all into the calculator. Wow thanks for sharing this calculator. I wasn't aware of this tool and was trying to do this myself in a spreadsheet :oops: Going through the calcs, working to get 3 more credits leads to a monthly benefit of $1,000 which is certainly "worth it." I wonder how many other people are in this range of having earned 30-39 credits and would benefit from working a little longer. The SSA...
by charis23
Sun Jan 16, 2022 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social security question
Replies: 11
Views: 1431

Social security question

My wife became a SAHM a number of years ago. In reviewing her social security statement, I see that she has 37 credits. From what I understand about social security, she needs 40 credits where 1 credit is $1,410 of earned wages. The benefits listed on the statement assume "Your estimated taxable earnings per year after 2020: $43,000" which is likely not going to be true since she probably won't return to work.

Does anyone know if there is a way to run scenarios, e.g. if my wife works for a few months at Starbucks to get to 40 credits, what the retirement benefit would be at her retirement age? I'm just curious whether it's even worth it for her to do that.
by charis23
Fri Nov 26, 2021 7:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Oddly Difficult to Find Items During the Pandemic
Replies: 572
Views: 75937

Re: Oddly Difficult to Find Items During the Pandemic

Add saline nasal drops for infants to the list. Sold out on Amazon, Target and pharmacies near me. Had to drive 30 mins to pick some up.
by charis23
Tue Nov 09, 2021 12:32 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Thank you Boglehead Admins, Moderators and participants
Replies: 36
Views: 3849

Re: Thank you Boglehead Admins and participants

Thank you for the admins for creating a sane place where so many great ideas can be shared and many of us can come and learn.
by charis23
Sat Oct 23, 2021 12:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advance Child Credit - Anyone just get their first check in October?
Replies: 10
Views: 1449

Re: Advance Child Credit - Anyone just get their first check in October?

ChiKid24 wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 8:59 am
an_asker wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 7:00 am When did IRS process y'all's year 2020 taxes?

They haven't processed ours yet; we are yet to receive a single check :oops:
Ah good point. Didn't get my refund until September. Now it makes sense. The back up on my 2020 return caused the delay in receiving the credit. Surprised at the amount too, but won't complain.
I had to file a corrected federal tax return and got my refund in September so that was probably why.
by charis23
Tue Oct 19, 2021 1:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advance Child Credit - Anyone just get their first check in October?
Replies: 10
Views: 1449

Re: Advance Child Credit - Anyone just get their first check in October?

I'm in a similar boat. I received my first CTC check in October for $950.
by charis23
Mon Sep 06, 2021 1:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting
Replies: 24
Views: 3248

Re: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting

I went ahead and started a return for my child and with $1,500 in long-term capital gains and $100 in dividends and filing as a dependent, this leads to $0 in federal taxes. Surprising? If you are seriously asking, with those numbers not surprising. There's no bank interest which is ordinary income. If any of the dividends were non-qualified, they would fall in the unearned income standard deduction. If all dividends were qualified then there's $1600 in LTCG + QDIV. The standard deduction on child unearned income is $1100. That leaves $500 taxed at LTCG rates. The LTCG rate for child unearned income from $1101 - $2200 is 0%. So $500 x 0% = $0. One of the disservices we do around here is refer to the standard deduction as the 0% bracket som...
by charis23
Thu Sep 02, 2021 10:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting
Replies: 24
Views: 3248

Re: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting

I went ahead and started a return for my child and with $1,500 in long-term capital gains and $100 in dividends and filing as a dependent, this leads to $0 in federal taxes. Surprising?
by charis23
Wed Sep 01, 2021 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting
Replies: 24
Views: 3248

Re: Help with UTMA and tax gain harvesting

In what situations does one need to file taxes for their child if they have a UTMA account? I've done capital-gains harvesting the last couple years and they've generally been under $2,000 and thought I didn't need to file.
by charis23
Sat Jun 05, 2021 1:29 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Kids money in UTMA versus account under my name
Replies: 10
Views: 1918

Re: Kids money in UTMA versus account under my name

I plan to gift my kid (just born) money every year with plans to put it in a mutual fund like VTSAX and just let it grow in an UTMA/UGMA account with Vanguard. I read lots of topics about assets under the kid’s name decreasing financial aid. I understand that for the most part, but is there any harm/fraudulence to open an additional taxable brokerage account under my name with the kid as the beneficiary, rather than an UTMA, invest the money I plan to give the kid in the account under my name, and give the money to the kid 15-20 years later? Also, if the money accumulated to a hypothetical 100K, could I even give that amount? I am limited by 15K a year, correct? Sorry, the kid stuff is confusing, any help appreciated. I am not interested i...
by charis23
Sat Apr 24, 2021 10:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Fidelity Health Savings Account Mega-Thread]
Replies: 1252
Views: 192487

Re: [Fidelity Health Savings Account Mega-Thread]

Those are the two choices. 1. For trustee-trustee transfers, which is what I do, you can initiate it from your employer's HSA's end or from Fidelity's end. I've done both and for me, HealthEquity initiated took about 2 weeks and Fidelity initiated took about 3 weeks. So I always initiate it from HealthEquity. HealthEquity doesn't use ACH - they cut a check and send directly to Fidelity. You can do this as often as you like. I do it whenever the cash position at HealthEquity reaches around $1000 (which for me is every 3 pay periods), being careful to keep the minimum $25 in my HealthEquity account that they require. 2. HSA rollovers which you can do only once a year and is as you describe. I adjust my paycheck HSA contributions to maximize ...
by charis23
Fri Feb 19, 2021 1:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Boglehead Lessons From the Texas Winter Storm?
Replies: 226
Views: 23244

Re: Any Boglehead Lessons From the Texas Winter Storm?

HomeStretch wrote: Thu Feb 18, 2021 2:35 pm
4. At a minimum, buy a portable generator, get the setup installed (manual transfer switch with key circuits, pad and special interlocking plug on outer corner of house) and do a test run. Write down instructions on how to use the set up properly.
After reading this and another BH TX thread, I’m going to stock a few shark bites/connectors and emergency clamps for leak emergencies.
How much does this cost to do?
by charis23
Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:32 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Happy 97th Birthday, Taylor Larimore
Replies: 146
Views: 12378

Re: Happy 97th Birthday, Taylor Larimore

Happy birthday Taylor!
by charis23
Fri Jan 22, 2021 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: H&R Block Recovery Rebate Credit claim for 2nd stimulus checks?
Replies: 28
Views: 2535

Re: H&R Block Recovery Rebate Credit claim for 2nd stimulus checks?

I checked today and it looks like the Federal forms were updated and it includes the 2nd stimulus check now.
by charis23
Thu Jan 21, 2021 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Purchase Iphone 12- use my carrier? Amazon? Apple?
Replies: 9
Views: 1093

Re: Purchase Iphone 12- use my carrier? Amazon? Apple?

I also buy direct from Apple. If you do, you can also use Rakuten for another 2% cash back. For a $750 phone, that's $15, which isn't too shabby for being so easy.
by charis23
Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any productivity podcast?
Replies: 8
Views: 1112

Re: Any productivity podcast?

I'm a big fan of Cal Newport. He started a podcast called Deep Questions that is really good: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d ... 1515786216. I've implemented his idea of time blocking the day and that's helped me tremendously. His book Deep Work is also great.
by charis23
Fri Jan 08, 2021 6:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vehicle quality (the real data, not anecdotes)
Replies: 139
Views: 11355

Re: Vehicle quality (the real data, not anecdotes)

I've used this website as a source for long-term car reliability: http://www.dashboard-light.com/. The data comes from 269,338 vehicles sold at auction. If you love data, this site is a treasure trove. According to their data, Toyota is one of the most reliable manufacturers: http://www.dashboard-light.com/reports/Toyota.html. Score is 82. The best American brand looks like Chevy which scores 48. Wow! Last time I went through the Consumer Reports data I believe that Subaru and Audi scored pretty well, Jeep not so much. The inverse is true in the above table. From the website: The Quality Index Rating(QIR) offers an overall score based on the frequency of powertrain issues, the mileage distribution of when those issues take place, and vehic...
by charis23
Fri Jan 08, 2021 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vehicle quality (the real data, not anecdotes)
Replies: 139
Views: 11355

Re: Vehicle quality (the real data, not anecdotes)

I've used this website as a source for long-term car reliability: http://www.dashboard-light.com/. The data comes from 269,338 vehicles sold at auction. If you love data, this site is a treasure trove.

According to their data, Toyota is one of the most reliable manufacturers: http://www.dashboard-light.com/reports/Toyota.html. Score is 82. The best American brand looks like Chevy which scores 48.
by charis23
Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My LenderFi refinance is going well
Replies: 1849
Views: 213993

Re: My LenderFi refinance is going well

Went through another refinance last year with LenderFi to 2.5% on a 30-year. Very painless - it only took 20 days from initial inquiry to loan being funded. Though I think this is the 4th no-cost refinance I've done since 2018 so it's not my first rodeo :wink:

1. 12/9 - initiated
2. 12/10 - locked rate
3. 12/23 - signed closing docs
4. 12/29 - loan funded
by charis23
Thu Dec 10, 2020 3:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Refinance Mega Thread
Replies: 12862
Views: 1265574

Re: Refinance Mega Thread

BrandonBogle wrote: Thu Dec 10, 2020 11:47 am To help prove I’m not against the invest vs. down payment, last month I took out $30k at 1.74% on my paid off car and invested it. The risk of losing money in this investment was acceptable to me.
I didn't know this was a thing, though now I know "auto equity loans" are possible.
by charis23
Tue Dec 08, 2020 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878858

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

Has anyone else heard whether BofA is reducing their preferred rewards program? https://www.doctorofcredit.com/survey-bank-of-america-might-eliminate-75-platinum-honors-bonus-2-62-5-25-etc/ Quick summary is that BoA sent out a survey asking about potential changes to the Preferred Rewards program, and one proposed change is to reduce the Platinum Honors multiplier from 1.75x to 1.5x. That means that Cash Rewards categories could fall from 5.25% to 4.5%, and Premium Rewards cashback on all purchases could fall from 2.625% to 2.25%. This will definitely affect whether I continue to pay $95 for the Premium Rewards when I can get 2% with no AF for Citi Double Cash. To be clear nothing has been announced yet, and perhaps new benefits could be a...
by charis23
Mon Dec 07, 2020 5:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878858

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

Has anyone else heard whether BofA is reducing their preferred rewards program? https://www.doctorofcredit.com/survey-bank-of-america-might-eliminate-75-platinum-honors-bonus-2-62-5-25-etc/ Quick summary is that BoA sent out a survey asking about potential changes to the Preferred Rewards program, and one proposed change is to reduce the Platinum Honors multiplier from 1.75x to 1.5x. That means that Cash Rewards categories could fall from 5.25% to 4.5%, and Premium Rewards cashback on all purchases could fall from 2.625% to 2.25%. This will definitely affect whether I continue to pay $95 for the Premium Rewards when I can get 2% with no AF for Citi Double Cash. To be clear nothing has been announced yet, and perhaps new benefits could be a...
by charis23
Mon Dec 07, 2020 12:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards
Replies: 7041
Views: 878858

Re: Bank of America/Merrill Edge - Preferred Rewards

Has anyone else heard whether BofA is reducing their preferred rewards program? https://www.doctorofcredit.com/survey-b ... -5-25-etc/
by charis23
Fri Dec 04, 2020 4:31 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: BlockFi Interest Account (8.6% APY) with Stablecoin
Replies: 166
Views: 27090

Re: BlockFi Interest Account (8.6% APY) with Stablecoin

What I've been able to determine so far: You can earn 8.6% interest on certain types of stablecoin held in a BlockFi account. BlockFi claims that "BlockFi client funds are structured to be at the top of the capital stack, senior to BlockFi equity and BlockFi employee capital," so "BlockFi would take a loss before any client would." But funds deposited in a BlockFi account are not federally insured. You only get one free withdrawal per calendar month. Any further withdrawals may be subject to a fee. Sources: https://blockfi.com/earn-bitcoin and https://blockfi.com/rates/ I am not affiliated with BlockFi. I have not invested anything with them yet. The interest rate is enticing for those looking for a higher yield their s...