Search found 4054 matches

by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cameras, Binoculars and Jackets for Alaska Cruise
Replies: 21
Views: 1249

Re: Cameras, Binoculars and Jackets for Alaska Cruise

On my last Alaska cruise I brought a DSLR with a 600 lens and was able to get some really good photos of bears fishing for salmon and other wildlife shots. Still, it's not exactly convenient to haul that kind of equipment and if I were to go again I'd probably just try using my iPhone 15 Pro Max, possibly with a small adjunct lens to further improve telephoto capability, e.g., https://www.sandmarc.com/products/telephoto-lens-edition-iphone-15-pro I wouldn't expect DSLR quality images, especially if you might want to enlarge prints, but suspect the tradeoff for convenience would be worth it. My second choice would be a bridge camera like the Sony RX10 IV, with a fixed but powerful telephoto zoom lens. Easier to carry than a DSLR body and se...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cameras, Binoculars and Jackets for Alaska Cruise
Replies: 21
Views: 1249

Re: Cameras, Binoculars and Jackets for Alaska Cruise

...1. What camera would be best for the cruise?.. 95%+ of the time a current model iphone or similar will get the job done. For the extra 5% the sky is the limit on how much inconvenience you can endure, shots you will miss in preparation, and expense you can bear in acquiring "better" equipment. Given that the OP said: c. Primarily to take photos of people with backgrounds, some nature shots of glaciers etc, not looking for too many wild-life photos that need high zoom etc (I figure I can get far better ones off NatGeo :wink: ) A smart phone might be okay. I imagine there will still be lots of times that a decent optical zoom would be nice, even for landscapes. I have a number of landscape shots I like taken with my smart phone,...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Age and probability of needing long term care?
Replies: 221
Views: 22368

Re: Age and probability of needing long term care?

If it helps, here is how I decided. Obviously it isn’t medical insurance, it’s for folks who need help with bathing, dressing, eating and standing up and who need verbal cues to do essential functions. 1. The general rule is if you know for sure (how can anyone?) that you can self fund, or if you can’t afford the premiums, don’t get it. I fall in the big middle group with assets to protect from long term care costs but not enough to self fund. 2. People who have serious chronic diseases and pass in their 60s, which is unfortunately a lot of people, probably don’t need it, which is why the marketing statistics mention people over 65. Lots of the biggest diseases get you before 65. 3. So who needs LTCI? *Healthy people* who have longevity in...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 18, 2024 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!
Replies: 377
Views: 84234

Re: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!

I would say Yes. Here are the official ratings: Definitions of Player Skill Ratings - USA Pickleball It's not just physical ability, but understanding strategy and tactics. You need to play for a while to get accustomed to what those descriptions mean. Interesting... Those descriptions are way off compared to the skill level at my club. All the 3.0s at my place appear to be 3.5s or even 4.0s based on that (we all can mostly control depth of return, and have a drop shot, and are decent at dinking, and you definitely don't want to pop it up too high and give any of us an overhand slam opportunity) Very weird that those descriptions act like it's hard to return a serve. Like 3.0s aren't even consistent at hitting the very first return. (???) ...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 12, 2024 9:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to take Senior on Caribbean vacation?
Replies: 13
Views: 1020

Re: Where to take Senior on Caribbean vacation?

Hello, I want to take my 80 year old Mom on a one week vacation to a relaxing spot in the Caribbean. She walks a mile every day but may find it hard to walk a steep incline or on very uneven surfaces. She prefers doing one small sightseeing trip a day. We can go upscale if it is worth it. Any recommendations for which island/country to visit? Any recommendation on a hotel? We don't drink and are mostly vegetarian so the all-inclusive resorts may not be the best deal for us. We are wondering if somewhere like Aruba or Barbados would work. Any help is greatly appreciated! Take her on a cruise. Easy to do a flat one mile walk on a cruise ship (usually top deck has a walking track), and she can get off at various stops. One small sightseeing t...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 11, 2024 10:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No contingency offer on land in 12 hours - how do they do it?
Replies: 22
Views: 2567

Re: No contingency offer on land in 12 hours - how do they do it?

Piece of land (with an older house on it - has all utilities) went under contract in about 12 hours over asking price from being listed. No contingency. Close in sought after suburb with top schools. How is this possible? Do developers pre-analyze every parcel in key areas? Do they have processes and connections to look at all aspects (zoning, setbacks, liens, taxes up to date, soil composition etc...) in a few hours? Or somebody says - well if there's a house there already in an established neighborhood, that's good enough? In my state, the buyer has the right to cancel an offer within three days of making it. In fact, that happened to us. Buyer made best offer, we accepted. Then they looked at a couple more things and decided against the...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Your ****Coffee Bean*** discoveries and preferences: Brand-type-source? Grinds? Brews? Presses? Drips? Perks? Pour overs
Replies: 272
Views: 26533

Re: Your ****Coffee Bean*** discoveries and preferences: Brand-type-source? Grinds? Brews? Presses? Drips? Perks? Pour o

I've been reading this thread with interest - a lot to learn and benefit from here! However, I have a specific problem. We use a french press. We have purchased many coffee bean grinders, and they quickly become jammed up. I have to open and clean them frequently, which is really a hassle I'd like to avoid. Recently, we've been buying Primos brand from Amazon, coarse ground, to avoid the jammed-up grinder issue. I'd like to buy and grind our own beans - is there a solution to the grinder problem? If we can grind our own beans without this difficulty we will move to organic beans. But finding a good seller that will coarsely grind organic beans has been impossible. Thank you. Primos: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0713P1N2Y/ref=ppx_yo_d...
by TN_Boy
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax-Deductibility of LTC
Replies: 7
Views: 904

Re: Tax-Deductibility of LTC

Thank you all. I will look at some of the past threads related to this topic. This is the relevant IRS publication: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p502#en_US_2022_publink1000178975 There is a section on long term care, though this document covers all medical and dental expenses. The document is, contrary to preconceptions about the tax code itself, relatively straightforward. If one is paying thousands per month for LTC, it's usually easy (for most people/incomes) to meet the 7.5% threshold and have enough medical deductions to zero their federal taxes. LTC is expensive, and once you are over the 7.5% threshold you'll also be deducting co-pays, dental expenses, prescription drug costs, eyeglasses, etc. Note that the linked document descr...
by TN_Boy
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax-Deductibility of LTC
Replies: 7
Views: 904

Re: Tax-Deductibility of LTC

I asked an AI engine this question, but probably either got the wrong answer or did not ask the question correctly. Your answer makes more sense - thank you. If you are looking for detailed .... correct .... factual information ... on subjects like tax law. ... an AI engine may be the wrong place to go. I don't want to derail this thread -- we've had some good long threads on AI, with a lot of stuff on chatbots, and they are worth looking up if you like to use AI engines. There are things I would (and have) used AI engines for, but looking up facts where I need the answer to be 100% correct is not one of them. Ultimately I wound up looking at the relevant IRS document to answer this question when I needed to know the answer was correct.
by TN_Boy
Thu Mar 07, 2024 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle
Replies: 62
Views: 6524

Re: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle

That sibling lives with my parents, is about 65 years old, and is a difficult person in his own right (very, very temperamental). He makes more trouble for my parents than provides help. For some reason, my uncle apparently favors him. In fact, it will be very difficult dealing with him because my uncle gave him control of the checking account - a clear conflict of interest. He doesn't want to spend any of uncle's money because anything left is going to him. Yeah, this is a type of elder abuse. I haven't yet read the rest of posts down thread from your response to my post but you're likely going to need to consult an elder law attorney. Bro needs a "Come to Jesus" meeting or the process of removing him as a Trustee or Fiduciary n...
by TN_Boy
Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle
Replies: 62
Views: 6524

Re: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle

OP, At this stage you can pretty much count on a crisis happening where uncle makes a trip to the hospital after some kind of medical issue. It sounds cold hearted but when this happens you mom (and or your siblings) should refuse to take him home so he is forced into skilled nursing. His $200k will last for a while during which time disposal of the house should be arranged. Where is the sibling who is inheriting everything? This should be the person coordinating care. That sibling lives with my parents, is about 65 years old, and is a difficult person in his own right (very, very temperamental). He makes more trouble for my parents than provides help. For some reason, my uncle apparently favors him. In fact, it will be very difficult deal...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

My dad counseled me with "Fair" is not always "Equal". Wise words I think. My feeling is that it is your money to do with as you wish. Our spending is a reflection of our desires and values. If your kids can't understand that, then maybe it would be appropriate to remind them of what your desires and values are. It is most surely the OP's money and decision. That said, I'd reference again the book I mentioned, with many interesting stories. One theme that came up several times is that when unfairness was perceived, that sometimes caused a rift between the children. Yes, one might argue, life is not fair, etc etc. Life is not fair, but children want their parents to be fair. Of course, that book was focused on estates, a...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

snip I can't, in this situation, give to them all equally; if I take money out of retirement funds, it will push me into the next tax bracket and IRMAA territory. Which is why I want to borrow it short term and just give a leg up to my grandchild's parents. Still undecided about what to do, so if you all have any more thoughts FINANCIALLY, I'm happy to take them into account. I'm a little surprised that taking 7k from a taxable account would generate enough of a tax hit to cause you annoying tax issues but you've probably done the math on that. I mean, e.g. if the basis for the sold investment was 5k you of course are looking at only 2k in capital gains, assuming no carryover tax losses. If it didn't cause a tax problem I'd vote for the ta...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

$7000 for me is a small amount of money in the scheme of things ..... Financially, is borrowing from myself and paying back quickly out of cash flow the right was to approach this? As long is it does not push you into a higher tax bracket or cause an early withdrawal penalty I would tend to just make a withdrawal and pay the taxes. The taxes will be paid sooner or later either when you spend the money or when your heirs spend the money. The real problem with this is that you should be able to handle a $7,000 unplanned expense out of your emergency fund so in the future you should set up your finances so that you can more easily handle expenses like these. It sounds like you have some extra cashflow so you could use that to save up an emerg...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

It's your money to do with as you please. Besides, your other children shouldn't even know about the gifts you've made. Well, until maybe they find out later and are not pleased with mom "punishing good behavior" by only helping the one in trouble and not the responsible ones. Whether that is a reasonable view or not is a different question and obviously purely a relationship issue. But depending on family secrets to remain a secret may work out badly. If the other kids have a problem with mom giving $7,000 to her struggling child with "physical and mental health problems," they deserve nothing in the first place. If there is no problem, why hide the gift from the other children? Agree, if the child has continuing healt...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

Watty wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:09 am
BarbBrooklyn wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 7:34 am ..... (my child) works very part time, due to both physical and mental health issues. Loan was for $7000.
....
in part due to a misadventure on my adult child's part.
As long as the mental health issues are not untreated drug addiction or alcoholism then I would tend to err on the side of being generous if I was in your situation. In part I would do it as much for the grandkid as anything.

The nature of the "misadventure" is also important. If they went on a cruise with the rent money that is a lot different than made a mistake which is unlikely to be repeated.
That is well said.
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

It's your money to do with as you please. Besides, your other children shouldn't even know about the gifts you've made. Well, until maybe they find out later and are not pleased with mom "punishing good behavior" by only helping the one in trouble and not the responsible ones. Whether that is a reasonable view or not is a different question and obviously purely a relationship issue. But depending on family secrets to remain a secret may work out badly. If the other kids have a problem with mom giving $7,000 to her struggling child with "physical and mental health problems," they deserve nothing in the first place. If there is no problem, why hide the gift from the other children? Agree, if the child has continuing healt...
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

toddthebod wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:41 am It's your money to do with as you please. Besides, your other children shouldn't even know about the gifts you've made.
Well, until maybe they find out later and are not pleased with mom "punishing good behavior" by only helping the one in trouble and not the responsible ones. Whether that is a reasonable view or not is a different question and obviously purely a relationship issue.

But depending on family secrets to remain a secret may work out badly.
by TN_Boy
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Giving (unequal) money to adult children
Replies: 90
Views: 8256

Re: Giving (unequal) money to adult children

I trust the mods will close this if they feel it's strictly a relationship issue. I have three adult children, all married, two with children. Two are thriving. One (married and with a small child) is not. My ex-DH and I both contribute to supplement grandchild's life--think summer camp, afterschool enrichment. Adult child's husband approached me in 2022 to act a guarantor on an interest free loan from a benevolent society to catch up on late rent, mostly due to pandemic related lack of income. (He now has a steady civil service job; spouse (my child) works very part time, due to both physical and mental health issues. Loan was for $7000. That loan is almost paid off; he approached me last week because they need to re-borrow that amount fo...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle
Replies: 62
Views: 6524

Re: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle

I can say this. My Uncle never interacted with the medical system and made it to 90 reasonably healthy for his age. Then he had a fall and gashed his head. After 1 week in the hospital and 2 weeks in "rehab," the cut on his head has healed but he is in much worse shape - now totally bedridden. I don't think there was any rehab done in "rehab." He is home now - much happier - but probably not a sustainable situation. We will see how it goes. This seems to the situation you had in your first post, which was a problem. Has anything changed? Did you get any actionable suggestions from the visit by Ethos? The success of rehab depends upon whether rehab is possible, the quality of the rehab facility, and whether the patient i...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 04, 2024 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Charity donation strategy: cash instead of assets?
Replies: 5
Views: 436

Re: Charity donation strategy: cash instead of assets?

For the last couple of years I have been donating appreciated assets to our DAF using "misfits" in our portfolio. These are smaller holdings that simply clutter up the portfolio and add no real diversification value. So, I have been donating an amount equal to approximately 30% of our AGI which is the maximum deduction. We have concluded recently that it is likely that our entire estate will eventually go to charity. Likewise, the plan now is for our RMDs to go to charity to the extent that they meet the maximum allowed. I have not made any moves for 2024 yet. I have been thinking that perhaps a different approach might be worth looking at. If we were to donate cash in stead of appreciated assets, I believe the maximum deduction ...
by TN_Boy
Mon Mar 04, 2024 7:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

It appears the OP has gone away. I was hoping they'd answer my question about what their definition of a market index would be.

Also the OP appears to have edited a number of their posts to remove the content.
by TN_Boy
Sun Mar 03, 2024 6:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle
Replies: 62
Views: 6524

Re: Advice on Paying for Care of Elderly Uncle

I just got through a week of awfulness with a relative’s health aide agency. I wish I could say the perception of these services was untrue but a few months in we’ve already encountered issues ranging from negligent care to abandonment to very strange conflicts and odd management. Without providing more detail I can offer the following: 1. Some care places hold patients before a definitive diagnosis is reached by a credentialed medical specialist and will not let them leave without a 24h aide. It is critical to confirm the diagnosis early. 2. Some aide agencies have personnel who are immature or not properly trained. 3. The health care field is under stress and quality is not uniform, even in private pay. I'm not sure why 1. is a problem. ...
by TN_Boy
Sat Mar 02, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225781

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

It's fun to watch birds hunt. I've not seen a Peregrine in action. I like to take pictures of Herons hunting, eagles and ospreys taking fish, etc. I found it amusing that while I was laying on the couch reading, some serious bird action was taking place about 10 yards away and I didn't notice! Wish I'd been looking out the window when the hawk scored a meal. A few years ago I got the show of my life. I was turning over my compost pile and out of nowhere a Carolina Wren flew between my legs and landed on the pile. I'm like: "Hey, there little guy!" And out of the corner of my eye I see a hawk coming at us with full flaps and talons out. At the last microsecond, it turned away. I was being used as a human shield! Amazing. Nobody wa...
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

Are stocks guaranteed to outperform bonds over long periods? No. But that bet seems much better supported by the evidence than other choices. Unless you can foretell the future, why not take the path that has usually worked out the best? Because I don't have to make that bet in order to get to enough for me. Okay, but this subthread was started because you stated that asset allocation didn't matter, even for long term accumulators and I questioned that statement. Now you are saying (I think) that your personal financial situation does not require the potential (I would claim likely but I think you disagree with that) extra returns that a higher equity allocation might give you over time. Which implies that asset allocation does matter, at ...
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 2:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

Yeah ... to me your 1) is saying that higher returning assets are not really higher returning assets, just more volatile ones... Whether a higher returning asset is a higher returning asset for a particular person (and the magnitude by which it is a higher returning asset or not) is dependent on their specific investment period. This is true, but there are still percentages to be played, as it were. Over a long time period, an investor with a high equity percentage would have outperformed an investor with a low equity percentage almost all the time, often quite significantly. I also think over long time periods, the higher equity holder very very rarely significantly underperforms a bond-heavy investor. Again, long time periods, like that ...
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225781

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

Red-tail munching on a former squirrel in the back yard. :shock: Last week I stepped out on my patio and a hawk took off from about 5 yards away. It moved so fast and surprised me enough that I didn't get a good look. We have a lot of red-shouldered hawks in the area and sometimes see Cooper Hawks; I think it was one of those two; I just didn't get a good look. Cooper Hawks specialize in eating smaller birds, but the red-shouldered hawks will take songbirds as well. Under our feeder was a large collection of small gray feathers, almost certainly what used to be one of the Dark-eyed Juncos still around. No corpse, just lots of feathers. It looked sorta like a junco exploded. I come across similar former birds on the lawn around our property...
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 9:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2851
Views: 225781

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

JAZZISCOOL wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 5:27 pm
jebmke wrote: Wed Feb 21, 2024 7:21 am Red-tail munching on a former squirrel in the back yard.
:shock:
Last week I stepped out on my patio and a hawk took off from about 5 yards away. It moved so fast and surprised me enough that I didn't get a good look. We have a lot of red-shouldered hawks in the area and sometimes see Cooper Hawks; I think it was one of those two; I just didn't get a good look. Cooper Hawks specialize in eating smaller birds, but the red-shouldered hawks will take songbirds as well.

Under our feeder was a large collection of small gray feathers, almost certainly what used to be one of the Dark-eyed Juncos still around. No corpse, just lots of feathers. It looked sorta like a junco exploded.
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare
Replies: 168
Views: 11410

Re: Medicare: 64 Year Old Eyeing 2025 Medicare

What's the advantage :mrgreen: of original Medicare if you still have to deal with hassles and trickery of the private insurance industry via a supplement? You may know of a different experience, but in my experience this has never been an issue. It all happens automatically and I have seen no trickery. For what it is worth, that was my experience when managing affairs for a relative. They had Medicare + a good supplement. The amount of work I did to have the supplemental insurance do the right thing was .... kinda zero. I'd get these big statements from Medicare and they paid their part and the supplemental paid the rest of it. Amount due = $0. Done. The ONLY thing I ever had to do was call and remind a couple of providers about the suppl...
by TN_Boy
Fri Mar 01, 2024 7:53 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

But so what? Is your argument that a young investor can safely invest in anything in the very early years, then switch "at the right time" to a "better portfolio?" It's that: (1) high returning assets (being highly volatile assets) will periodically "give up" gains, with the returns of aggressive and moderate allocations converging at various points (2) cash flows have a greater effect than returns on portfolio size during early accumulation (and sometimes through mid accumulation, depending on the time period) Or do you think bonds will typically do that well versus stocks? Do you think that stocks will typically do as well as they have the last decade versus bonds (a period of ZIRP followed by rapidly rising...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

I disagree. That's okay. Play with the endpoints a bit (for example, try 2000 to 2024 or 2010 to 2024). That's changing the start points to look at shorter periods. The end point remains the same. For example, at the two other endpoints I mention above, portfolio 1 has a very substantial difference in ending value over portfolio 3. Even if you change the start points, the difference always begins in mid-late 2013. The last decade has been excellent for US equities. The end balance at any point is always going to be higher for whichever portfolio has a greater allocation to the asset with the highest returns in the most recent years. If you play with the actual end points, you'll see that. Sorry, my terminology was confusing. I varied the s...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?
Replies: 57
Views: 7507

Re: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?

Only a fool would sell a goose that lays golden eggs. We should all just go back and look at the dozens/hundreds of threads on dividends. I suspect no-one's mind has been changed. But we've certainly hashed out all the dividend-related points. The bit about the golden egg tells me all I need to know. I am unable to resist pointing out that if you change the test in the portfolio visualizer link above to withdraw rather than contribute, you had less money with SCHD at the end of the test (the actual result would vary depending upon endpoints chosen, which is typical of these backtests). SCHD doesn't look like a bad fund at all. But it's very arguable that the fund is a better choice than total market or S&P 500 as your core US equity ho...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 11:17 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

I wasn't quite sure what point you were trying to make with this comment: asset allocation doesn't matter during most of accumulation It matters very very much. You want a significant allocation to equities, ideally in the form of low-cost index funds. If you want to say that it doesn't much matter which well-diversified low cost equity fund you own, I might not quibble. But the accumulator, especially a younger one, doing something like holding mostly bonds is likely making a big expensive mistake. Asset allocation absolutely matters. And cap-weighted broad market funds have a well-proven track record. Nope, for someone who starts from scratch and contributes regularly over the long-term, it doesn't matter much at all until late accumulat...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 11:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?
Replies: 57
Views: 7507

Re: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?

41 yo with 10-15 years to retirement. I was originally all in on VT, and still have a decent chunk of it in my portfolio, around 20%. But IMO VT is not going to perform well over the next 10 years so I sold out of my green lots over a year old. VT still pays a 2% dividend and im not going to sell my remaining portion until it is well in the green, but I've just been disappointed with how it's held up the last 3-5 years, and I don't think its going to get better anytime soon.I know lots of people hold a lot of VT and like it. I just didn't want to hold it anymore. And so I have a bunch of cash and capital gains earnings that needs to go somewhere, and im looking into my options. I think my 20% VT is fine I just need to figure out the other ...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 11:01 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?
Replies: 57
Views: 7507

Re: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?

I have more than 1/2 of my portfolio in SCHD. It has performed very close to the S&P and it has provided more than double the income at the end of the day. Who would be displeased with this result? https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=2GT7K1grEqjZxk6j1DPviD Well income is irrelevant because you can sell stock when you want in the quantity you want for cash you require. You are not limited to income/dividends. The income mindset typically leads to poor decision making. Only a fool would sell a goose that lays golden eggs. We should all just go back and look at the dozens/hundreds of threads on dividends. I suspect no-one's mind has been changed. But we've certainly hashed out all the dividend-related points....
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!
Replies: 377
Views: 84234

Re: Who's up for pickleball? Zero-zero-two. Game On!

Given enough courts, I don't think the sorting of players is a bad thing ... better or more competitive players can put together foursomes at their own levels. Without enough courts, I think the better players in a foursome have to tone it down. They can work on their third shot drops or something ... I've been meaning to post this picture for a while. It's from a website in Seattle. I've played quite a bit in Seattle when I visit there, and I've played at Green Lake where this is supposedly from, but I've never actually seen this system in use. I think you'd have to have a lot of players to make this work. Basically, you point your paddle in the appropriate direction, and when you get 4 players, you get a court if you're next in line. In ...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

That is depressing. Taxes are more than all other spending combined now. I had thought that may change once earned income ended. I pay a lot in taxes now (about 1/3) and will probably have a pretty good tax bill later. But this is a choice. There's nothing keeping someone from spending more than 1/3 of their money on charity or travel or whatever. I would propose that most retirees are choosing to spend less than they could. That's the whole point of this thread. There are some very well off posters (in this thread) who could obviously chose to spend more. But a lot of people are thinking well, bad stuff happens, and I have no income generating possibilities late in life. So I'll be somewhat conservative living a lifestyle I still enjoy. I...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

If anyone is "playing favorites", it's the Wall Street stock pickers that determine the market proportions in the first place. Yes. Now we are getting somewhere. You can't tell people who have decided to ride the market to stop riding the market (in the form of market cap weighted index funds). That's their plan, and they're sticking to it, as they should from a rational standpoint. That's because asset allocation doesn't matter during most of accumulation (but contributions do). And it still doesn't matter all that much if you've accumulated more than enough to withstand a terrible sequence of returns by the time you reach withdrawal (but maybe it might if you haven't). stuff deleted I wasn't quite sure what point you were tryin...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?
Replies: 57
Views: 7507

Re: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?

I have more than 1/2 of my portfolio in SCHD. It has performed very close to the S&P and it has provided more than double the income at the end of the day. Who would be displeased with this result? https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=2GT7K1grEqjZxk6j1DPviD Well income is irrelevant because you can sell stock when you want in the quantity you want for cash you require. You are not limited to income/dividends. The income mindset typically leads to poor decision making. Only a fool would sell a goose that lays golden eggs. We should all just go back and look at the dozens/hundreds of threads on dividends. I suspect no-one's mind has been changed. But we've certainly hashed out all the dividend-related points....
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Swim Mask
Replies: 14
Views: 1833

Re: Swim Mask

Lou354 wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 6:41 pm
tetractys wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:40 pm The proven traditional defogger method is smearing spit on the glass inside the mask.
Dilute baby shampoo works really well. Mix it up in a little spray bottle.
The spit method has never ever worked very well for us.

I pay for the little bottle of defogger which also fits in my swimming trunks while snorkeling, so I can add more if necessary in the water.
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Swim Mask
Replies: 14
Views: 1833

Re: Swim Mask

If you wear eyeglasses then it would be good to look into getting a prescription mask. A custom mask can be pretty expensive if they are made exactly to your prescription but you can also buy prescription masks which use premade lenses which are just base of the diopter which do not have adjustments for things like astigmatism. I bought a premade prescription mask from this web site for less than $100 which made a huge difference in being able to enjoy snorkeling. https://www.snorkel-mart.com/snorkel-masks/prescription-masks/ Be sure to try it out in a swimming pool before you go on your trip. Yes, masks with correction are very cool. I try on masks and get one that fits which also has replaceable lens, then order the premade lens with dio...
by TN_Boy
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Swim Mask
Replies: 14
Views: 1833

Re: Swim Mask

I am traveling to Mexico next month and plan on doing some snorkeling. When I dug out my old mask which I haven’t used in awhile I discovered it leaks.So anyone have a mask that they like? Keep in mind i do not snorkel a lot. Thanks BF Terrible way to shop for a mask. Better way: Go to a dive shop and try on twenty. Buy the one that fits the best. My advice is about the same for rock climbing shoes, ski boots, backpacks, and many other things. With all of these things it's all about fitting your body. Absolutely. It doesn't matter what masks "work" for other people, what matters is if it fits you and there is no substitute for actually trying them; a dive shop is a good idea. Most snorkel operations will provide masks; trouble is...
by TN_Boy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?
Replies: 118
Views: 8895

Re: Do cap-weighted funds strictly align with BH philosophy?

thatbrian wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:44 pm
pascalwager wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 7:42 pm If anyone is "playing favorites", it's the Wall Street stock pickers that determine the market proportions in the first place.

Yes.

Now we are getting somewhere.
Sure, I'll play. What portfolio would be the "non-stock pickers" portfolio?

You say it's not total market index. What is it then? What is your definition? If you cannot define what "the market" is, then obviously you cannot define what stock picking is.
by TN_Boy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

I think that's what a lot of people do. I surmise it is relatively uncommon for people to retire and *increase* their overall spending, though I'm sure it happens. Depends if you include savings. Nearing retirement we were probably saving $80K/yr, now zero. Per spending, we added a second residence in the area where we have vacationed for decades and travel quite a bit more (two children w families out-of-state) because no longer limited by work vacation time. Eat out even more because our schedule allows hitting all the happy hour deals, etc if we choose. We are in the go-go years and likely will lower our pace in another decade, likely will go to one residence only, etc. (Our nominal investment assets have actually increased since my ret...
by TN_Boy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

I'm 68. I retired at 64. I've yet to take a distribution from my retirement accounts and probably won't until my first RMD. I could potentially be spending double what I spend now, but I'm just spending at the same level now as when I was working and saving. I have not made a shift from being an accumulator to a decumulator. I like watching my portfolio get bigger each year. I like knowing I have more than enough. Reading this report, I see I'm typical. That's a relief. I was starting to wonder if there was something wrong with me for not "living it up" with my wealth. We retired when our portfolio and income streams like SS supported our pre-retirement spending. So by definition, we spent about the same. Once we start taking SS,...
by TN_Boy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blocking callers on Iphone
Replies: 22
Views: 2142

Re: Blocking callers on Iphone

I want to thank all who responded to my topic. Did not know about being able to silence non-contact callers on IPhone. This should provide some relief. Thanks for the tech support. Silencing unknown callers is almost certainly the best solution. But retiredjg's caveat is important. Not that many years ago I was managing care for an elderly relative. I was getting lots of phone phone calls from various medical providers/caregivers, you name it. Sure, I had all the medical provider office numbers in my contacts. But I'd get a call from a nurse or a doctor or a CNA via a cellphone ... that wasn't in my contact list. And I'd miss the call and get to spend the next day playing phone tag with people in that office. So I decided I couldn't silenc...
by TN_Boy
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?
Replies: 57
Views: 7507

Re: Going all in on VYM/SCHD?

I have more than 1/2 of my portfolio in SCHD. It has performed very close to the S&P and it has provided more than double the income at the end of the day. Who would be displeased with this result? https://www.portfoliovisualizer.com/backtest-portfolio?s=y&sl=2GT7K1grEqjZxk6j1DPviD I would be. SCHD provided more *dividends* not more income (which is really irrelevant since in your example the dividends were re-invested). If you change the test to withdraw 4% adjusted for inflation, with annual rebalancing, SCHD also leaves you with less money in the end. I don't think SCHD is a bad fund, and if I was into the dividend thing would consider it a good option, but .... why is it better to have less money? And as toddthebod notes, in a ...
by TN_Boy
Tue Feb 27, 2024 12:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

An SPIA makes sense some of the time. It partly depends on what percent of your likely spend is covered by SS. Most people already have a nice, inflation indexed pension in the form of SS. For a while after the last time SS was "fixed", most people probably felt they had a nice, inflation indexed pension in the form of SS. Now nobody knows how much if anything they'll receive from SS in the not-too-distant future - even if they're already eligible for or claiming SS today. If the government does nothing, benefits will be reduced to something like 70% of current payouts (forget the exact projections). We can all make our own guess on how likely the government is to do absolutely nothing and anger a segment of the population that r...
by TN_Boy
Tue Feb 27, 2024 11:15 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

I'm not sure what the premise of the discussion is I'm not sure, myself. I just think this is an interesting observation that reflects that people over a wide asset range appear to adjust their lifestyle to maintain substantial assets throughout retirement. This is how people actually behave, regardless of how they think they will behave. Possible ramifications (just SWAGs, not reccomendations): 1) a) standard retirement plan begins with a target of 80% initial assets non-inflation adjusted 35 years in, or something recognizing an ASSET buffer as opposed to a probablility buffer, lifespan buffer, etc. (even if they are financially IDENTICAL); b) actually advocate a substantial cash etc buffer for early retirement rather than a "cash i...
by TN_Boy
Tue Feb 27, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirees apparently tend to maintain assets - lessons for BH investors?
Replies: 129
Views: 16924

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

RadAudit wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:27 am
TN_Boy wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:26 am But as we don't know:

1) when we are going to die
2) what our unavoidable expenses in later life will be (LTC, child needing help, etc)
3) what market returns will be

Anybody that says entering retirement they have a PLAN to die with zero is either not very smart or doesn't understand the points above.
The part that really concerns me is
4) how long will my spouse live after I die?

That adds a wrinkle of complexity to my financial planning. I have always believed that anyone who puts up with me for that long deserves to be provided for.
I think most couples should/do plan in terms of "last surviving spouse."