Search found 5807 matches

by H-Town
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lawn care for first time home buyer
Replies: 33
Views: 1510

Re: Lawn care for first time home buyer

Do as little as absolutely possible. Do you want to own your home or your home to own you? Don't water the lawn ever. It will dry out and turn brown in the summer and you won't have to mow it. In the fall when the rain returns it will green up on its own and start growing again. Best answer yet. :beer Natural plants to the area will grow, die, and come back to life with seasons change. You don't need to have a neatly trimmed lawn like everyone tells you to. You're not British royalties. You don't need to water the lawn or mow the grass as you think society expects you to. Just stop wasting water and let natural plants do their things. To me, grass and weed are the same green thing. OP: the only thing you need to do is to keep the tree in t...
by H-Town
Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: navigation system for car
Replies: 51
Views: 2173

Re: navigation system for car

The navigation system in my car has gone to heaven, or the other place, and according to the dealer and my actual mechanic there is no newer one that can be substituted because the car is old (2003 Lexus LS430) and the existing one is intertwined with other systems in the car. So I am looking for a substitute. Without having paid any real attention to them, I think I have seen photos of systems sitting on dashpads (where do they get power, I wouldn't want a battery to go dead in boonieland.) People have tossed off remarks like get a holder for your smart phone, and my flip phone was really insulted. I do have a nook tablet and perhaps that could be rigged up. I will have to look at it. But I am thinking one of those apparently stand alone ...
by H-Town
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: I will need a new car or repair one
Replies: 46
Views: 1913

Re: I will need a new car or repair one

CLKGTR wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:21 pm
delamer wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:09 pm
CLKGTR wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:53 pm
delamer wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:45 pm What year is the vehicle?

It isn’t clear whether you bought it new 6 years ago, or it was “pre owned” then.
2019. Bought it new early 2018.
Then it is probably worth it to repair the vehicle if you are otherwise happy with it.

I’d never knowingly put money into Elon Musk’s pocket, but to each their own.
Would you do it? Market value for the car is only 20k.
Yeah I would. My car worth 3.5k per KBB, but I dropped 1.2k to fix leaking coolant and overheating engine. Buying a new car would mean 30k. It's pretty easy decision. I expect the value of my car is $0 when I'm done with it.
by H-Town
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Election spam texts
Replies: 41
Views: 2465

Re: Election spam texts

Do you get election spam texts? I'm sick and tired of it. Every other day I get some candidate or committee trying to hit me up for money. Today, I got one from someone running for DA across the other corner of the country (USA). I haven't donated in over two years. Even when I did donate, it was always small amounts of $5-10. I've tried replying with word 'stop'. About a hundred+ times. I've tried reporting it as junk, a feature on iPhone. The pace of texts has not stopped. Even increased. I'm at my wits end with this. Do you deal with it better? If so, please share some wisdom with me. Yes, it would be my mental break. I would text back and ask for donation for whoever run against their candidate. I would donate $100 to the opponent and ...
by H-Town
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:40 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?
Replies: 207
Views: 14902

Re: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?

AerialWombat wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:24 am
VanityPlate wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2024 3:08 pm I think the better topic would be: if you keep cash in your home, why?
I live near a town in which most merchants do not accept credit cards. If I want to eat or shop there, it’s cash or nothing. Thus, I keep cash on hand.
I live in a city where most places do not accept cash. Many stores got broke in and they don't want to put their employees in harm way. Cash is useless around here.
by H-Town
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Election spam texts
Replies: 41
Views: 2465

Re: Election spam texts

Do you get election spam texts? I'm sick and tired of it. Every other day I get some candidate or committee trying to hit me up for money. Today, I got one from someone running for DA across the other corner of the country (USA). I haven't donated in over two years. Even when I did donate, it was always small amounts of $5-10. I've tried replying with word 'stop'. About a hundred+ times. I've tried reporting it as junk, a feature on iPhone. The pace of texts has not stopped. Even increased. I'm at my wits end with this. Do you deal with it better? If so, please share some wisdom with me. Yes, it would be my mental break. I would text back and ask for donation for whoever run against their candidate. I would donate $100 to the opponent and ...
by H-Town
Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Filed 2023 Return and Received K1 Today
Replies: 7
Views: 928

Re: Filed 2023 Return and Received K1 Today

As the title states, I already filed our Federal and State 2023 return and my wife received a K1 today. I had to mail the returns as I had to include a form that was not eFile allowed (Form 4852). The returns were mailed out last week on 3/7/24. This morning, my wife informed me that she received an email from her CFO that included her 2023 K1 Tax Estimate. She joined this company last September and was awarded a small percentage of equity in the company. She/I should have anticipated a K1 but it wasn't on my radar when preparing taxes this year as we have never had to deal with K1s before. So I now have to figure out how to enter the K1 data into FreeTaxUSA and then how/when to amend our returns. Based on the K1 data I have entered, it sh...
by H-Town
Wed Mar 13, 2024 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What UN-frugal thing do you do? What do you splurge on?]
Replies: 785
Views: 82844

Re: Frugal heros - what is your one guilty consumer splurge?

[Thread merged into here --admin LadyGeek] I get a lot of insight on efficient spending from people on this board. I think we all probably have at least one area where we are willing to loosen the purse strings for some reason. It is weird but many of us are very frugal in almost every way, daily, then we splurge at odd times almost as a relief valve to the frugality. There can be huge diversity here, based on my conversations with others. For some people it is sporty cars, others jewelry/watches, and some entertaining or travel. For us, it is probably housing. We are willing to pay way over our frugal minimum to live in a house with the location and design that appeals to us. We manage to keep the capex around 20% of our net worth and the...
by H-Town
Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Preparing for Marriage
Replies: 47
Views: 4721

Re: Preparing for Marriage

My quickest and best advice is to treat all money as one pool. Get out of the idea of thinking of “your money vs my money.” Then work everything out through discussion and agreement. It’ll make your life a million times easier. And the longer you are married the easier it’ll make your life Also: don’t do the Boglehead thing of cheaping out on life insurance Agreed there. I make it very clear on my goals for the future and show her what we need to do to achieve them and how much needs to go where. I am definitely the more financially savvy one and these types of things is what I genuinely enjoy doing. I have no problem creating a budget and enforcing saving/paying down debt to the tune of 'we can't go out to eat tonight because we are over ...
by H-Town
Mon Mar 11, 2024 12:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?
Replies: 207
Views: 14902

Re: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?

At home? It's a kinda odd question to ask. Looks like a questionnaire from the home robbers. I usually don't keep large amounts of cash with me. All the cash I have is in my wallet. But sometimes I need to pay in cash. Recently, we've been replacing our old fence and have had to split the costs with neighbors. Gladly, the contractor told me in advance that he doesn't accept cheques, so I could withdraw the requested amount before their arrival. Yup. Scammers and robbers are working very hard. I'm surprised that people are so willing to share how much cash they keep at home or in their car. It's not hard to trace your IP address or look you up on social media. Carrying cash makes you a target for robbery. It seems like on the news everyday....
by H-Town
Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Preparing for Marriage
Replies: 47
Views: 4721

Re: Preparing for Marriage

Hi all, I am getting married later this year (November 1, 2024) and I wanted to ask the group here a simple question: what smart/savvy financial moves or savvy risk management moves did you do to prepare for or shortly after marriage? I am referring to items such as life insurance, wills, joint accounts, etc. Our wedding funding is secured via parents and a little bit by ourselves. To help, (not sure if actually helps; just giving a high level overview) I am including the below: Age: I am 30 and fiancé is 26 residing in MN Emergency funds: yes, 3-6 months expenses Debt: -no credit card debt, we both don't carry a monthly balance and pay them off monthly -his car: 1.9% -her car: 6% -house: 2.875% -her student loans: rates vary per loan, not...
by H-Town
Sun Mar 10, 2024 11:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?
Replies: 207
Views: 14902

Re: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?

grogu wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 8:31 pm
afan wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 7:10 pm For those who keep cash at home, why do you do this? Why not keep it in a bank and use a credit card when you want to buy something?
More and more businesses charge a screw-you fee for credit cards these days. In the past couple of years, I have found myself using cash more frequently than ever (either because I had to or because the cash arbitrage was greater than my credit card reward), particularly with restaurants. Plus various other cash-only industries/transactions.
Ugh. I hate cash. Sweden has moved to a cashless society. Great move! It helps to eliminate opportunities for crime.
by H-Town
Sun Mar 10, 2024 4:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?
Replies: 207
Views: 14902

Re: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?

Hi, In addition to all of my regular investing and Emergency Savings, etc., many years ago I started keeping an envelope hidden in my home and every time I go to the bank to take out cash, I take $40.00 off the top and save it in the envelope. I'll also put occasional cash gifts we get from our parents in there. My husband knows and supports this extra saving strategy. It's come in handy over the years because when a bigger than normal expense comes up, I can use my envelope money and not feel it at all in any of my other accounts. Now, the amount in my envelope has reached $3,700.00 and I'm starting to think that I should invest this money in my VTSAX fund so it can earn interest. I'd love to know your thoughts and how much, if any, money...
by H-Town
Sat Mar 09, 2024 6:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend a month on food?
Replies: 334
Views: 29209

Re: What's normal for grocery costs for a family?

Thanks for replies so far. 4 people - including 1 HS athlete. M/HCOL area. I just did a quick analysis of my Costco bill today and this is what I found: Breakfasts: $110: Coffee beans, creamer (flavored Starbucks, a favorite of a one person in our household), 1/2 and 1/2, Bacon thick cut, granola, Eggs, Pierogi, Greek Yogurt, Kielbasa Dairy: $26: Grated cheese, goat cheese, other cheese Vegetables $35: Spinach, Tricolor peppers, raw vegetables, broccoli, avocados Dinner meats $107: Ground beef organic, chicken (5 pounds), rotisserie chicken, T-bone steaks Snacks $62: Chip multipack for lunches, almonds, pecans, chocolate strawberries, cookies Pantry $67: Tomato sauce, Diced tomatoes, flour, hot sauce, spice, oil, Worcester sauce Protein $8...
by H-Town
Sat Mar 09, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend a month on food?
Replies: 334
Views: 29209

Re: What's normal for grocery costs for a family?

My grocery spending is higher than what I would like and it seems to have risen suddenly (although that may just be my perception). I used to not really be too concerned with grocery spending but now sometimes I wince a bit at the grocery bill. In addition to groceries, we still end up eating out a couple times a week on average. When I look at the grocery bill, it all seems reasonable, but as a whole it seems really high. Costco is our primary source of groceries but we buy other household items there too which may be driving up my perception that we are spending too much on groceries. I don't want to shop at multiple places because I plan a higher value on my time. Groceries across all sources is probably $2,000 - $2,500 a month (exclude...
by H-Town
Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: NJ “unsafe lane change” law
Replies: 14
Views: 1325

Re: NJ “unsafe lane change” law

Under NJ law, “unsafe lane change” is defined under NJSA 39:4-88B as follows: “…a vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely with a single lane and shall not be moved from that lane until the driver has ascertained that the movement can be made with safety.” I had to cross a couple lanes of traffic at an intersection to get to a gas station. A cop stopped me and said I wasn’t allowed to cross lanes of traffic like that. The statute merely says I can’t move lanes unless I’ve ascertained that doing so can be done safely. I did that. There was no oncoming traffic and I made sure it was safe. How is this a ticketable offense?! $186! No idea if points attach. I plan to fight this nonsense. Any views?! Since when we can cross lane...
by H-Town
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 3866

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???

BeachPerson wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:02 am [Title edited for clarity. Moderator Pops1860]

When driving in the rain, black color cars seem to blend in with the road, and silver and gray color cars tend to blend in with the atmosphere. Seeing car accidents in the rain, it seems the black, silver and gray color cars are on the side of the road hit.

I prefer red, blue and white colors since they seem easier to see in bad weather.

Anyone else prefer these colors for safety?
Is bad weather common in your area? Common sense suggests we should drive during bad weather that you couldn’t see clearly… Pull over safely to a parking lot or a store and wait it out. If you can’t even see 20ft ahead of you, would car color help you?
by H-Town
Fri Mar 08, 2024 6:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

2 paid off cars (2021 Mercedes GLE, 2008 Honda Accord) You have two paid off cars why throw money away! The 16 yr old Honda lacks a lot of newer safety features. But it's in excellent shape and could probably run another 10 yrs. I guess my rationale is if I don't spend my money, what am I going to do with it? I don't have kids and I'm not much of a charity guy. I didn't live frugally saving money just to leave it all behind when it's my time to go. If I want to buy a Porsche, I would already buy it yesterday. I don't think you need to justify your purchase to strangers on the internet. There is something else, isn't there? Buying a $150K car is a big financial decision for me. It's no different than asking Bogleheads if upgrading to a bigg...
by H-Town
Fri Mar 08, 2024 2:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

nextmilenium wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:46 pm
Marq1 wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2024 12:52 pm
2 paid off cars (2021 Mercedes GLE, 2008 Honda Accord)
You have two paid off cars why throw money away!
The 16 yr old Honda lacks a lot of newer safety features. But it's in excellent shape and could probably run another 10 yrs.

I guess my rationale is if I don't spend my money, what am I going to do with it? I don't have kids and I'm not much of a charity guy. I didn't live frugally saving money just to leave it all behind when it's my time to go.
If I want to buy a Porsche, I would already buy it yesterday. I don't think you need to justify your purchase to strangers on the internet. There is something else, isn't there?
by H-Town
Thu Mar 07, 2024 10:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

nextmilenium wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 3:04 pm Here's a good quote. Not sure who said it but it makes perfect sense to me.

"Money is money only if you spend it. Million dollars in the bank is only papers if you don't use it"
I'm sure one the dealership owners said that. Million dollars in your bank doesn't mean anything if you spend it at his dealership.
by H-Town
Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

valleyrock wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:03 am
H-Town wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:02 pm
valleyrock wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:09 am It all depends on what the car will be used for. Basic transportation? Wowing the neighbors? Curb appeal ?Drag racing? Uber on the side? Something to work on? Something with a great warranty at a great dealership? Etc?
Just speaking for myself, my car is sitting on the driveway collecting dust and pollens all week, except for a few errand trips here and there.
So, curb appeal, then!
Exactly! It carries a message to anyone who wants to break in my car to move along as nothing can be taken here.
by H-Town
Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:49 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Argument against people that say stock market is rigged, so don’t invest in it
Replies: 80
Views: 5448

Re: Argument against people that say stock market is rigged, so don’t invest in it

exodusNH wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:44 am I just used this a few minutes ago. Quite apropos:
Never argue with an idiot. They will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

- Mark Twain
Bingo!
by H-Town
Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

nextmilenium wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:56 am
I'm leaning towards 911 more and more. I just have to justify the purchase in my mind. :mrgreen:
I enjoy watching Fast & Furious movies, but I don't enjoy driving fast car on the streets in my city. It takes disciplines driving fast car outside of a racetrack. You don't want your fast car wrap around a tree. RIP Paul Walker.

I drive American muscle car. Not in the same class as 911. But thankfully, I drive much slower now...
by H-Town
Wed Mar 06, 2024 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much car can I afford?
Replies: 114
Views: 9005

Re: How much car can I afford?

valleyrock wrote: Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:09 am It all depends on what the car will be used for. Basic transportation? Wowing the neighbors? Curb appeal ?Drag racing? Uber on the side? Something to work on? Something with a great warranty at a great dealership? Etc?
Just speaking for myself, my car is sitting on the driveway collecting dust and pollens all week, except for a few errand trips here and there.
by H-Town
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you can't access your money?
Replies: 45
Views: 4213

Re: What if you can't access your money?

We live part of the year on the Gulf Coast and are used to being prepared for hurricanes. The rest of the year we live high in the mountains where power outages from wind or heavy snow are common. We use most of the tricks mentioned in this thread for those times. Sometimes, after a hurricane, we have been out of water and power for over two weeks. We fill our bathtubs and catch rainwater and use candles and generators for those times. We help our neighbors and make do with what's in our pantry. Ice is a valuable commodity then. Just today, several media sites like Facebook and Instagram had outages due to "technical issues". I imagine there are more customer visits on those sites than most banks or brokerages. They're tech leade...
by H-Town
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you can't access your money?
Replies: 45
Views: 4213

Re: What if you can't access your money?

As mentioned, a natural disaster, like a flood, may necessitate cash. I have been in that situation where they handed out grease pencils on entry, and we wrote the price on the cans for the checkers to use, and paid cash, exact change was appreciated. A bank failure could cash issues. The federal reserve needs to come in and take over, do you may not be able to access cash in the bank at a moment's notice, whether brick and mortar or online. I keep a few hundred at the house for those occasions, plus a few thousand at the local credit union. We keep canned goods at home, a lifestraw, and have a gas/propane generator, and a small battery/inverter that hooks up to portable solar panels . I've lived through some natural disaster, so it's good...
by H-Town
Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:56 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you can't access your money?
Replies: 45
Views: 4213

Re: What if you can't access your money?

Consider a black swan event that either wipes out a lot of your savings or blocks your access to it. Think: a world-wide internet outage, a bank or brokerage crash or a war or inflation trigger that spreads across the economy. You want to prepare for this now so what could you choose to do? I thought of cashing out a large CD at our bank, like we did for our down payment. Now I have cashier's check for $200,000. Do I cash that into paper money, buy gold or silver coins? Then where do I put it? I understand it will erode with inflation, but at least it's spendable. Where do I hide it? The proverbial mattress gets a lot of laughs, but what would you do? Of course this is unlikely, but that's what a black swan is. If that's the case, money is...
by H-Town
Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.
Replies: 88
Views: 13588

Re: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.

As others have noted, you're actually already spending quite a bit of money on non-housing expenses. My suspicion is that you don't have a good handle on that, and as a result, are probably spending more than you think on 'small' stuff - that is - it's easy for people who make good incomes to spend a LOT of money on things like - coffee out once or twice a day, eating out daily or several times per week, subscriptions you don't really use, weekly shopping trips that end up filling up your space with stocks of products you don't really need, and so on. Unless you comprehensively go through your yearly spending and tabulate all of those expenditures, you probably don't really realize how much you are spending on these things. At your stated ...
by H-Town
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Financial coach as a side hustle?
Replies: 22
Views: 2214

Re: Financial coach as a side hustle?

barnaclebob wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:57 am The problem is that the people who need coaching on personal finance either cant afford it or they want to have their "money guy" make them feel good and manage their money so they can tell their friends about how good their "money guy" is and that they always beat the market.
^ this.

OP: I do it for free. I coach and mentor people who reach out to me for coach and mentorship in personal finance. I get paid too much already. I can't accept money from people who are already struggling in their personal finance.
by H-Town
Sun Mar 03, 2024 9:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Moving to San Diego from Sleepy Low Cost Area
Replies: 64
Views: 6191

Re: Moving to San Diego from Sleepy Low Cost Area

JustGotScammed wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:02 pm I've gotten board where I live and am thinking about moving to San Diego. It looks like a fun, healthier lifestyle. Is this affordable at all? Any idea for how to navigate costs, and what annual income would be necessary to live a "middle class" lifestyle, would be appreciated. I am thinking of the Little italy area, assuming it can all work out.
Why move to San Diego when I can visit San Diego several times a year whenever I like? :beer

Little Italy has amazing food, but too noisy for me to to live there.
by H-Town
Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting new car
Replies: 53
Views: 6233

Re: Getting new car

mtwistercapitalist wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:06 pm
H-Town wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:05 pm How much money do you have? Maybe that beater car and being on your parents’ insurance isn’t a bad deal after all.
Enough for a new sedan. The beater car isn't trustworthy for highway and I'd be going way for a distance worth of 3 days' drive. Registering in original state and then moving to the new state and doing 3 days drive by myself is going to be a big task.

Thanks!
If I have enough for a new sedan, I’d keep the beater car and learn how to do most repair and maintenance myself. That’s what I did in my early adult life. I was on top of everything on my beater car. That money was invested and returned more than double what I had.
by H-Town
Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting new car
Replies: 53
Views: 6233

Re: Getting new car

mtwistercapitalist wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 6:56 pm Hi everyone,

It seems that I am going to end up in Colorado and might need to buy a new car. I'll be getting off the parental insurance and their beater car as I establish my own adult life. What are the steps one should take in order to nail it after flying into Colorado?

Thank you!
How much money do you have? Maybe that beater car and being on your parents’ insurance isn’t a bad deal after all.
by H-Town
Fri Mar 01, 2024 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Complain About Bad Boss?
Replies: 56
Views: 5821

Re: Complain About Bad Boss?

Hello all, I'm an engineer working in a MegaCorp that I joined in April 2023. My boss, who hired me, has turned out to be someone who is very incompetent making work very stressful. Examples: She flip flops on her decisions all the time; very confusing for everybody She routinely blows off meetings with me and other people Does no planning at all, projects are chaotic and stressful Clearly doesn't plan ahead, requests big tasks done last minute (Not with me) Has offended many people with curt style My boss's boss (call her M) is having a strategic review in a couple of weeks. My best friend (who is a manager in our department, worked with him at 3 companies since 2007) has suggested to talk to M about it, she is very open about feedback et...
by H-Town
Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.
Replies: 88
Views: 13588

Re: Feels impossible to take the foot off the pedal of saving, but saving at the boglehead pace is stressful.

I'm terrified of my family being denied the pleasures of "the good life" that we have potentially/maybe earned through blood/sweat until we are too old and kids are too grown. I'm also terrified of being old and limited financially. The problem is of course the uncertainty of the future and the vast dispersion of outcomes, including fat tails both ways. I do feel confident about overcoming the latter problem (old and financially limited) if we continue on the path that we've been on for the last 5 years or so. But that path is stressful to me, feels really limiting, and in general feels like our enjoyment of modest comfort/experiences/travel is hurting for some unknown future which my kids, while being kids, will not know, and wi...
by H-Town
Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbor Got Burglarized, How To Prevent
Replies: 74
Views: 8327

Re: Neighbor Got Burglarized, How To Prevent

RJC wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:45 am Hi friends,

Just found out that a neighbor got robbed in our neighborhood. They apparently broke through the sliding door in the back when no one was there.

What are some of the most cost-effective ways to deter a burglar?

Thanks in advance.
A big mean dog.
A shotgun.
A back-up 9mm.
Camera. Maybe prevent theft. But if burglars mean business, cameras won't deter them.
Neighborhood patrol. Our HOA contracts with our local police department for their patrol service. HOA already paid for it, so it doesn't cost extra.

In that order.
by H-Town
Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: BMW named top pick in CR overall brand rankings
Replies: 55
Views: 5573

Re: BMW named top pick in CR overall brand rankings

whodidntante wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:23 pm I enjoy watching Toyota fanbois discredit a source they previously extolled. I don't know why, though. There is nothing wrong with 5th place.
LOL exactly what I thought.
by H-Town
Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Divorce and co mingling asset question
Replies: 42
Views: 5684

Re: Divorce and co mingling asset question

Speaking from personal experience, being proactive is a great idea. I thought I had a really stable marriage, and apparently I didn't. I started to clean up my finances, as far as keeping records and keeping things separate once I got on this board. I still didn't think I was getting divorced, but I am glad I did more than nothing. Keep us updated. I wonder how it works in non-community property states. I assumed you didn't have a prenup? A prenup would spell out inheritance and separate assets prior to marriage. In Texas, it's pretty much 50/50. If you make more than your ex, there will be alimony. If you have a child/children, there will be child support. The key here is to work together to come to a settlement. If you fight, you gonna w...
by H-Town
Tue Feb 27, 2024 11:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Talk me out of buying a Nissan Armada!
Replies: 29
Views: 1937

Re: Talk me out of buying a Nissan Armada!

You can buy a school bus for under 9k. We always hear that "someone got hit by a bus", but never ever heard "a bus get hit by... a bigger bus".

Image
https://www.thebusspot.com/
by H-Town
Sun Feb 25, 2024 6:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits
Replies: 45
Views: 4028

Re: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits

25K for a PD limit is ridiculous. That was ok when cars sold for 10K, but it should be at least 50K or 100K today. Of course that would make policies more expensive and more folks might go without and exacerbate the problem Are you living in a fantasy land? Where in the world people drive cars value at least 50k or 100k? Multicar accidents. Secondary property damage. You cause an accident with a car transportation carrier. It seems like my 2M umbrella won’t be able to cover that. What’s your advice for me then? By the way, Texas has minimum 30/60/25 rule. $30k per bodily injury, max 60k per accident, and 25k property liability. Good luck out there for everyone who drives 50k or 100k car. I'm guessing you live in Houston, do you not see all...
by H-Town
Sun Feb 25, 2024 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits
Replies: 45
Views: 4028

Re: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits

exodusNH wrote: Sun Feb 25, 2024 3:46 pm
H-Town wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2024 4:07 pm
pshonore wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2024 1:33 pm 25K for a PD limit is ridiculous. That was ok when cars sold for 10K, but it should be at least 50K or 100K today. Of course that would make policies more expensive and more folks might go without and exacerbate the problem
Are you living in a fantasy land? Where in the world people drive cars value at least 50k or 100k?
Multicar accidents. Secondary property damage.

You cause an accident with a car transportation carrier.
It seems like my 2M umbrella won’t be able to cover that. What’s your advice for me then?

By the way, Texas has minimum 30/60/25 rule. $30k per bodily injury, max 60k per accident, and 25k property liability. Good luck out there for everyone who drives 50k or 100k car.
by H-Town
Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What got you out of poverty?
Replies: 111
Views: 12845

Re: What got you out of poverty?

For those who grew up in poverty and now have that far behind you, what do you see as some of the biggest decisions/opportunities/whatever, that got you out? And if the answer is basic Boglehead principles, what was different about you or your decisions that allowed you to get out, but not those around you? In my case, I left the third world country that I was born. Essentially I left family, friends, and the life back when. I put myself through college while working very hard. At one point, I had 4 different jobs going at the same time. Academic success and work experience since 14yr old helped me land a starting job. My work ethics and no nonsense approach helps me with raise and promotion in short period of time. I still maintain the li...
by H-Town
Sat Feb 24, 2024 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits
Replies: 45
Views: 4028

Re: Vehicle damaged and liable party has low coverage limits

pshonore wrote: Sat Feb 24, 2024 1:33 pm 25K for a PD limit is ridiculous. That was ok when cars sold for 10K, but it should be at least 50K or 100K today. Of course that would make policies more expensive and more folks might go without and exacerbate the problem
Are you living in a fantasy land? Where in the world people drive cars value at least 50k or 100k?
by H-Town
Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: insights on living in the Blue Ridge Mountain region?
Replies: 27
Views: 4829

Re: insights on living in the Blue Ridge Mountain region?

I'm seeking insights from individuals with experience living in the Blue Ridge Mountain region. My wife and I, nearing retirement in the next year or two, are eager to relocate from the upper midwest to a more favorable climate. We're known for our active lifestyle, often spending our free days hiking, kayaking, walking our Labrador, or engaging in exercise. Therefore, finding a region that aligns with our energetic pursuits is paramount, alongside essential amenities like healthcare and groceries. We've explored areas such as Asheville, Boone, Roanoke, SMNP, and Johnson City, all of which seem promising. However, we're keen on spending an extended period in a location before committing to purchasing a home. Could those familiar with the r...
by H-Town
Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FIRE vs Loving your work
Replies: 101
Views: 8356

Re: FIRE vs Loving your work

balofagus wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:07 am
jebmke wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:50 am If you define balance as 50/50 or better, sure.
Work better not take up anywhere close to half my time and life :shock:
Alright. I'll bite.

Sir, what do you do? What's your job? What kind of full time job that does not take half of your time and life?

I didn't get to where I am right now if I didn't put 100% effort into it when I started. At top executive level, we deal with strategies rather than tactical, day-to-day stuff. So sure, I get my work week done in less than 10 hours a week. But boy do I remember 70-80 hours week during my 20's.
by H-Town
Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you live healthy?
Replies: 107
Views: 8114

Re: How do you live healthy?

Pensionisten2024 wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:47 am Most Bogleheads has a very good economy. But one of the most importen things in life is to have a good health.

How do you live healthy?
I do much more of "getting busy living" part than the "getting busy dying" part.

Live life with purpose
Enjoy yummy food, from variety of culture
Sleep at least 7 hours a night
Lifting
Outdoor activities
Go to places to explore, to learn, and enjoy our vacation
DIY home projects, gardening
We haven't been worried about money for a while now. So we do what we do, without thinking about money
by H-Town
Thu Feb 22, 2024 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Funding a New Vehicle
Replies: 33
Views: 3295

Re: Funding a New Vehicle

Many people have noted that I likely still have plenty of life left in this vehicle given that I bought it new and maintained it well. This is a valid point as it’s not likely this is a “ticking time bomb” or something like that. I’ll need to keep that in mind. Another consideration is that I see value in the newer features such as the adaptive cruise control and updated infotainment systems. So if you WERE going to buy a new car, would you save up cash or withdraw from your taxable account and just replenish that over the next year? So far, 2 replies said that you sell stocks for LTCG. Use up TLH if you have it. It also depends on your income. Every month we have a net cash surplus of ~20k. So we could set aside cash for 2 months and we s...
by H-Town
Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FIRE vs Loving your work
Replies: 101
Views: 8356

Re: FIRE vs Loving your work

If you love your work and do not plan to retire even when you can afford to, what do you do? When I hear my friends saying the reason they're still working even when they're at retirement age and can afford to retire is because they love their job, boss, coworkers, etc; I would ask, 'would you continue to go in if they didn't pay you?' Then cricket. TravelforFun If they pay even less than they paid me last year + 10% COL, then I'm gone. No hesitation. Not even saying goodbye :mrgreen: It all boils down to money. TravelforFun 100%. We don't call work "volunteering" for a reason. The reason I'm still working is first the money, then the perks that come with it, and fulfillment and whatnot. But if money isn't there, it wouldn't work.
by H-Town
Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: In the event of an untimely death, what is the best way for family members to have immediate access to funds?
Replies: 53
Views: 5156

Re: In the event of an untimely death, what is the best way for family members to have immediate access to funds?

I am in my 50's and in good health, but it occurred to me recently that if I were to be hit by the proverbial bus and killed today, my sister and brother-in-law would end up having to do a lot of work to settle my affairs. (I am single with one minor child and both of my parents are deceased). What is the best way for my sister to have immediate access to, say, $5,000.00? If I open a separate HYSA at Ally with her named as the beneficiary, would it be quick and easy for her to access that money? My son is currently named as the beneficiary of all of my accounts. When you designate 'beneficiary', then the transfer should be quick and easy. You just need to let the beneficiaries know that they are the beneficiaries, so they know to contact t...
by H-Town
Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FIRE vs Loving your work
Replies: 101
Views: 8356

Re: FIRE vs Loving your work

TravelforFun wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:04 am
Marjimmy wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:18 am If you love your work and do not plan to retire even when you can afford to, what do you do?
When I hear my friends saying the reason they're still working even when they're at retirement age and can afford to retire is because they love their job, boss, coworkers, etc; I would ask, 'would you continue to go in if they didn't pay you?' Then cricket.

TravelforFun
If they pay even less than they paid me last year + 10% COL, then I'm gone. No hesitation. Not even saying goodbye :mrgreen:
by H-Town
Thu Feb 22, 2024 9:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FIRE vs Loving your work
Replies: 101
Views: 8356

Re: FIRE vs Loving your work

I've never understood those that had every financial means capable of retiring early yet continue to work for pleasure. I'm interested to see those of you that "love your job" what your job / industry is in.... Perhaps it's time for a career change for some of us as I do not fall into this category. If you love your work and do not plan to retire even when you can afford to, what do you do? There is a quote that I live by: "get busy living or get busy dying". I don't love my job, I don't hate it either. What I love is to trying to make something better when I touch it, make people life easier when I'm around, make my communities better when I'm a part of it. I could retire several years ago and would never run out of mo...