Search found 1464 matches

by Stonebr
Tue Jan 14, 2020 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK)
Replies: 15
Views: 4161

Re: ARK Innovation ETF (ARKK)

I own it. Less than 5% of portfolio. Just for kicks.
by Stonebr
Tue Apr 02, 2019 5:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Repair Bosch Dishwasher or Buy New?
Replies: 35
Views: 7290

Re: Repair Bosch Dishwasher or Buy New?

I'm not the least bit handy, but I've been surprised at just how easy it is to repair a lot of household appliances. I've repaired a wall oven, a washing machine, dishwasher, and even a toaster over. None of the parts were more than $100 on the high end and nothing took me more than 15 minutes of time. Each of them are still running now, years later. I used to just assume I had to replace things when they broke, especially if they were getting a little older, but now I at least give it a shot if it doesn't seem too pricey of a part. I get a nice dose of self satisfaction and save one more thing from clogging up a landfill. That's been my experience too. We have a 10-year-old dishwasher that had easily diagnosed repairs twice in the last 4 ...
by Stonebr
Tue Apr 02, 2019 3:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Can A Watch Be Considered An Investment?
Replies: 33
Views: 3456

Re: Can A Watch Be Considered An Investment?

Speaking of beanie babies, back in the 90s some friends were into collecting Swatches. They had hundreds, including ones they swore were worth $thousands. My friends had fun with the hobby, but they didn't make any money. I liked my Swatch, but only as a cheap plastic watch that looked cool.
by Stonebr
Tue Mar 26, 2019 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 60/40 now or closer to retirement?
Replies: 32
Views: 5452

Re: 60/40 now or closer to retirement?

I used 60/40 as a portfolio allocation from 1981 through 2011. (This included a long stretch before bogleheads existed.) I chose this allocation because I had read that big pension and endowment funds tended toward 60/40. In 2011 I retired and went to 40/60. Simple and effective.

You don't need to make things complicated to meet your goals.
by Stonebr
Wed Oct 31, 2018 8:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How much for retirement ?
Replies: 21
Views: 2996

Re: How much for retirement ?

Congratulations on getting a solid early start to thinking about retirement. We started out in our early 20's as well. If you can manage to live debt free it delivers an amazing life style. After paying off each house and rolling the proceeds into our next house and paying that off ASAP we found ourselves saving close to 50% of our income. But one thing to consider is a target income during retirement. We deferred as much as legally allowed, utilizing every loophole, but now find ourselves in retirement in a much higher tax bracket than when we were working. We should have not deferred as much as we did and put it into a taxed account. For that reason, the roth has many advantages including no RMD and, I believe, no tax on the investment g...
by Stonebr
Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Apartment, city noise
Replies: 43
Views: 4413

Re: New Apartment, city noise

I moved from rural Maine to the suburbs of Boston and then a decade later to downtown Boston -- about a block from a fire station. After about a week I slept pretty well. I got used to it. What bugged me most was the cats out back yowling on top of a dumpster.
by Stonebr
Mon Oct 01, 2018 7:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Deleted]
Replies: 153
Views: 16981

Re: Barron's Making the Case for Gold

GRP wrote: Mon Oct 01, 2018 5:58 pm 10% or so core holding in gold should be at the heart of any investor's assets.
My advice: start with 5% and watch it drop to 3%. Repeat.

Don't get me wrong. I still own gold, but I've been disappointed since 1980. Over and over and over...

Gold is not an investment, it's a hobby. I wised up to this in the early 2000s when I changed my strategy to collecting the coins by date. If you want a commodity, buy cans of beans and store them under your bed. If you want money, invest in supermoney (also known as capital, ownership of companies, stock). If you don't understand the concept of supermoney, read the old book by "Adam Smith" called Supermoney.
by Stonebr
Tue Sep 25, 2018 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pension security question
Replies: 5
Views: 930

Re: Pension security question

It is a single employer plan and it is covered by PBGC. I would say bankruptcy is a very real possibility. One article I read recently (last week) estimated that the company would be gone in 5 years. I think you can relax as far as the plan itself. What happens is all the plan's assets and liabilities get sucked into the PBGC trust fund. The last I heard, the PBGC assets were all in a gigantic indexed balanced fund on the asset side. They then take over all the benefit payments, and this is done seamlessly so that plan participants never miss a payment. If you are not yet retired, you would go directly to the PBGC when you reach retirement age and claim your benefit from them. If your company does go bankrupt and all this comes about, you ...
by Stonebr
Wed Aug 22, 2018 4:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My: the 10 commandments of retirement
Replies: 7
Views: 3264

Re: My: the 10 commandments of retirement

Another issue is there is not a competitive market for inflation adjusted annuities Why is this? Are these markets just not feasible? Robert Shiller has written much about products to mitigate financial risks that individuals face but nothing much ever comes out of it. https://press.princeton.edu/titles/7479.html With inflation-adjusted annuities TIPS (or derivatives based on them) are the only security out there that an insurer could really count on. TIPS have low yields, so the price of TIPS-backed annuities will always be high. Suppose an insurance company wanted to back an inflation-adjusted annuity with something other than TIPS. What would they use? Real estate? Stocks? Commodities? What? Then hyperinflation comes along, they lose th...
by Stonebr
Sun Aug 05, 2018 2:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do you keep your math skills sharp?
Replies: 40
Views: 3850

Re: How do you keep your math skills sharp?

I tutor math students at our local adult education program as an unpaid volunteer.
by Stonebr
Thu May 03, 2018 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should reliability rankings eliminate Jeep Grand Cherokee?
Replies: 117
Views: 28028

Re: Should reliability rankings eliminate Jeep Grand Cherokee?

I never used to pay much attention to reliability reports. Then I found myself with a couple of Toyota products. Sheesh! was I wrong. I would never go back to vehicles that don't get top reliability ratings.

Life is so much simpler now! :happy
by Stonebr
Thu Mar 29, 2018 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Duffel >62 linear inches but won't be full...oversize fee?
Replies: 11
Views: 1626

Re: Duffel >62 linear inches but won't be full...oversize fee?

My experience is that airlines are more concerned about weight for checked bags. They weigh every one of them, but I've never seen a tape measure. Carry on bags are the opposite: they might measure if the bag is too big.
by Stonebr
Thu Mar 29, 2018 3:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Total return vs dividends
Replies: 54
Views: 12432

Re: Total return vs dividends

alex_686 wrote: Thu Mar 29, 2018 8:55 am
OP, here is another active thread on Berkshire Hathaway. It is famous for having a high return and never paying dividends. It digs a bit more into the theory. Warren Buffet has suggested that selling shares is the correct way to generate cash-flow for his family who holds this stock.

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=245413
But Berkshire Hathaway, itself, has many holdings that produce gushers of cash, particularly the wholly owned subs. It is the cash flow from its holdings that Berkshire uses to make new acquisitions. The fact that BRK doesn't pay dividends doesn't mean that Buffett hates dividends. He hates paying them, but getting them? That's a different story.
by Stonebr
Thu Mar 22, 2018 4:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fuel additives
Replies: 21
Views: 2407

Re: Fuel additives

newbie003 wrote: Thu Mar 22, 2018 8:07 am Are these of any real value?  Years ago I was always told there was no reason to use any sort of additive of any kind.  But I see a lot of products now with hundreds of great reviews, and am wondering if I should be using something. 
Actually additives have been around since prehistoric times. Nobody needed them back then, and nobody needs them now. But like a lot of unnecessary products they sure sell.

A quick look in your owners manual will tell you what the engineers that designed your car recommend for fuel. Chances are, they know more about your car than the additive people.
by Stonebr
Tue Jan 30, 2018 5:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The Vanderbilts
Replies: 26
Views: 5720

Re: The Vanderbilts

As I understand it Biltmore Estate in Asheville, NC is still in the Vanderbilt family.

Pretty big asset to ignore. William Amherst Vanderbilt Cecil died last year at 89. He was the grandson of George V, who bilt :wink: the thing, and bought all the land that ended up as Pisgah National Forest.
by Stonebr
Mon Jan 29, 2018 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seeking Yosemite advice for late March
Replies: 9
Views: 1279

Re: Seeking Yosemite advice for late March

Many years ago I camped at Sunnyside -- the walk in campground for climbers and hikers. It's right near the big Yosemite Falls. It was early April and the waterfalls were humongous with snowmelt. For that reason alone, it's a wonderful time to be there. Earlier in the season you may be treated to frozen waterfalls -- even better. Some of the upper trails were chock full of snow and closed, but many were already open. It was busy, but apparently way less crazy than later in the season. Highly recommended.
by Stonebr
Mon Jan 29, 2018 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Paris Hotel Recommendations
Replies: 21
Views: 3063

Re: Paris Hotel Recommendations

I recommend an apartment rental. We got one near the Louvre for a week in 2010. It had a kitchenette with a washing machine and dryer.
by Stonebr
Sun Jan 28, 2018 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Does anyone own gold?
Replies: 108
Views: 15078

Re: Does anyone own gold?

I've owned gold for many years -- mostly purchased in the early 2000s at an average price of about $400 an ounce, but also some old Liberties and Indians purchased in the 1980s. I am (or was) a coin collector and bought coins by date. In those days gold got even less respect than it gets today. I put together a complete date-set of the gold eagles in various denominations because the price was so good and the hunt for dates was fun. At this point I'd just as soon sell, but the taxes are prohibitive. So I'll probably just pass them on to the next generation. I don't look at it as part of my portfolio. I read the Harry Browne books in the late 80s and thought the Permanent Portfolio idea had some appeal, but today consider him a crackpot.
by Stonebr
Sun Jan 28, 2018 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Impreza vs Corolla
Replies: 27
Views: 3083

Re: Impreza vs Corolla

I've owned both Subaru and Toyota.

Subarus are fun to drive for people who have never driven a German car. People who have never owned a Toyota consider Subarus to be reliable.
by Stonebr
Sun Jan 28, 2018 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: FIRECalc et al. - user experience
Replies: 11
Views: 2638

Re: FIRECalc et al. - user experience

We retired 6.5 years ago and did cash flow modeling on both FireCalc and Otar. I found Jim Otar's spreadsheet more flexible for my needs, and more detailed. Results, however, were fairly similar, giving me confidence that neither was leading me far astray. The free calculators at the various mutual fund sites were fairly useless by comparison. I was a math major in college, and worked in financial services for 30 years, so I actually found this modeling to be fun. Otar's retirement planning book, essentially a manual for using his spreadsheet, was also excellent. We made our best guess at living expenses in retirement and then added some additional splurges and started testing. Otar calculator was great, showing survivability of various pla...
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pay off mortgage with Roth IRA?
Replies: 23
Views: 3607

Re: Pay off mortgage with Roth IRA?

Earl Lemongrab wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2018 4:09 pm Bad idea. Roth space is precious.
+1. I hate debt too. Paid off mortgage in 1999 after selling stock in my taxable account.

Like the man says, "Roth space is precious."
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Does anyone not rebalance?
Replies: 66
Views: 8710

Re: Does anyone not rebalance?

As I recall, Jack Bogle does not rebalance.

But I do.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dumb lump sum question
Replies: 6
Views: 1073

Re: Dumb lump sum question

Stipe wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2018 5:52 pm but my pas says it’s a wise decision to put it in now....
"The best time to invest is when you have the money." -- John Templeton
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Looking for something with slightly higher yield/risk than online savings
Replies: 17
Views: 2314

Re: Looking for something with slightly higher yield/risk than online savings

Treasury Direct. You can buy Tbills, Notes, Bonds, TIPS with zero expenses. Hold to maturity and roll over.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 8:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: When did the bad news start in 2008?
Replies: 135
Views: 18148

Re: When did the bad news start in 2008?

Well if you were a trend follower using the 200 day moving average, you would have exited the TSM in Dec., 2007, and not reentered until June, 2009. If you were smart and invested in TBM instead of literal cash, your 2008 return was 5.05% instead of the TSM's -37.04%. Trend following isn't just back-tested, data mined voodoo. I hope this is tongue-in-cheek. I followed 200-day moving averages back in the 1990s. The reliability of the method was well-known even in prehistoric times. :twisted: It was tough work, getting and sweating the numbers from Barron's Financial every week. There was no internet with its gusher of easy data back then. You had to read the numbers from the paper and type them into a computer spreadsheet. If you were on va...
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 4:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Who is buying 20 and 30 year bonds?
Replies: 15
Views: 2978

Re: Who is buying 20 and 30 year bonds?

g$$ wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:59 pm I think you underestimate the portion of the market that is held by large institutional pension investors.
Not to mention insurance company general accounts, endowments, sovereign wealth funds, and so on. These institutional funds can buy a few $billion in this stuff just to tweak their portfolio duration.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Derisking my Portfolio with a Leveraged Mutual Fund
Replies: 38
Views: 4331

Re: Derisking my Portfolio with a Leveraged Mutual Fund

This idea of yours is so diametrically opposed to the Boglehead philosophy that you will get almost no sympathy or support here.

I suggest you try reading the wiki pages.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 27, 2018 2:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: First time investor seeking Vanguard Roth IRA opinions
Replies: 9
Views: 1457

Re: First time investor seeking Vanguard Roth IRA opinions

I completed my Vanguard Roth IRA application and was told my identity could not be verified and would need to mail in a paper application. I spoke to a customer service rep and was told that this is common for new investors, and once the paper application was received there shouldn't be a problem with opening an account. I moved 7 months ago, and also put freezes on at the credit bureaus after the Equifax breach, but the rep told me that likely was not the issue. I mentioned that because the above was an issue and huge hassle a few months ago when opening a savings account.. So I download the application and it says Vanguard Brokerage Account retirement application which was confusing to me because I never saw an option to select brokerage...
by Stonebr
Fri Jan 26, 2018 4:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: When did the bad news start in 2008?
Replies: 135
Views: 18148

Re: When did the bad news start in 2008?

Here's a thread from late 2008 that shows the flavor of discussions: Even Taylor and larryswedroe get to talking about "Plan B" -- bailing out.

viewtopic.php?t=30085

But the end result was that most of us stayed the course. Another big theme was that many Bogleheads used the bear as an opportunity to tax-loss harvest in our taxable accounts. This provided a "war chest" of tax loss carry-forward that lasted for many years.

Take particular note of Adrian Nenu's comments. I recall he was DVA-ing into the market and claimed to have upped his AA from 60/40 to 85/15. He was a prolific poster in those days and his insights are missed by some of us.
by Stonebr
Thu Jan 25, 2018 3:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Small Value Premium - How Do You View It?
Replies: 128
Views: 14519

Re: Small Value Premium - How Do You View It?

I've heard that the trouble with this "premium" is that it comes in spurts, and the spurts can be decades apart. There was one in the 1970s, according to legend...

My observation of how this worked from 1982 through about 2012 (my own "accumulation" period) was that there was no Small Value Premium except for a very brief spurt in the early 2000s. I held small value mutual funds of various sorts for years and years, then finally got a 2 or 3 year payoff followed by another long dead period. It was not worth the trouble. My hair turned gray while waiting for small value to kick in, and by the time it kicked in, everybody knew it and the small value funds filled up and closed to new investors, and then it was over.
by Stonebr
Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Classifying rent income from a flatmate
Replies: 4
Views: 960

Re: Classifying rent income from a flatmate

Offset to the monthly cost.

Think what would happen if the IRS got hold of your computer and found all that unreported "income"...
by Stonebr
Wed Jan 24, 2018 7:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Your bond allocation when you were 48
Replies: 125
Views: 11636

Re: Your bond allocation when you were 48

60/40 in 1999.

Happily retired now.
by Stonebr
Wed Jan 24, 2018 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Socially responsible bonds
Replies: 15
Views: 2116

Re: Socially responsible bonds

VFTSX (Vanguard Social Resp. Index fund) is an excellent Vanguard index fund. It would make a wonderful long term investment. As for bonds, you could always just use a government bond fund.

VFTSX has a higher ER than the broader market index funds that Vanguard offers (and a small tilt to growth), but I remember when Vanguard 500 Index had expenses much higher than this, and it didn't ruin anyone's retirement to own it.
by Stonebr
Wed Jan 24, 2018 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Life insurance company wants money back
Replies: 45
Views: 7030

Re: Life insurance company wants money back

If possible, find the agent that wrote the business. They could possibly have a record of the original application and sales agreement, and they might also go to bat for the customer.
by Stonebr
Mon Jan 22, 2018 1:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Work-out schedule for those in 60s
Replies: 78
Views: 9910

Re: Work-out schedule for those in 60s

1. Hike up a mountain at least once a week.
2. Ride my bicycle at least once a week.
3. Heavy yard work (gardening, snow removal, leaf raking) at least once a week.
4. 1-2 hours yoga at least once a week.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 20, 2018 7:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Brake Pads
Replies: 97
Views: 12323

Re: New Brake Pads

Seems a reasonable price.

This is why you want a good mechanic doing routine things like an oil change. They look around and notice things. Sure, they've got a profit motive, but it's that profit motive that keeps a car well-maintained and safe. At your local minute-lube, they don't care because their business runs on volume.
by Stonebr
Fri Jan 19, 2018 3:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Closing Credit Card affect credit score or help
Replies: 6
Views: 1182

Re: Closing Credit Card affect credit score or help

In August I closed my oldest credit card account. I wrote to the CEO and informed him that I thought he was, in effect, a devil-worshipping monster and his megabank could go rot. The account had been open since 1987, and it had been my go-to credit card. I'm now using a local bank.

My credit score at the time was 830. Today it's 805. Big, fat, hairy deal.
by Stonebr
Thu Jan 18, 2018 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you adjust side mirrors in a car?
Replies: 61
Views: 6511

Re: How do you adjust side mirrors in a car?

AAA recommends the way you do it -- flared out so that you see the blind spots. From the AAA Auto Guide Driving Survival , " Side mirrors should expand your view to the side of your vehicle and reduce blind spots. If you can see your fenders in the side mirrors, the mirrors are misadjusted ." The method they suggest for setting the mirrors is to lean to your left so that your head almost touches the glass of the driver's door window. Then set the mirror so that you can barely see the left fender. Next, lean to the right about 4 to 8 inches from center. Set the right side mirror again so that you can barely see the edge of the right fender. When you return to normal driving position, your mirrors will be set correctly, eliminating ...
by Stonebr
Mon Jan 15, 2018 8:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to pay off mortgage (considering investment returns)
Replies: 9
Views: 2408

Re: Best way to pay off mortgage (considering investment returns)

I paid off my mortgage in 1999, getting lucky with the timing. But paying off in 2000 or 2009 would not have been so lucky.

It's probably better to do it when the skies are sunny, the bulls are running on Wall Street, and all your friends tell you you're crazy. Happy days don't last forever, and I found that those nasty financial meltdowns were a lot easier to handle with a roof over my head. Staying the course was a lot easier with one less worry.
by Stonebr
Sat Jan 13, 2018 10:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: wireless dead again - router suggestions?
Replies: 35
Views: 3462

Re: wireless dead again - router suggestions?

jbuzolich wrote: Sat Jan 13, 2018 9:54 am These types of devices are designed to be left running untouched for years at a time. Leaving them turned on is what they are supposed to do.

My routers tend to die within five years regardless but I don't spend much on them either.
We turn ours off every night and always when we go on vacation. We have never lost one to anything but obsolescence. Our current one is over 5 years old. The previous one was 6 years old when we moved. These are nasty little phantom loads that can and should be turned off with a power strip when not in use.
by Stonebr
Fri Jan 12, 2018 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How many years of fixed income for Sequence of Return Risk
Replies: 26
Views: 3605

Re: How many years of fixed income for Sequence of Return Risk

I went through calculations and modeling for months trying to answer this question a few years ago. Ended up at age in bonds. :sharebeer
by Stonebr
Tue Jan 02, 2018 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [How much should I give to charity?]
Replies: 24
Views: 3808

Re: Generosity

10+% of gross income to charity and about 6 hours a week volunteering is what I do. Don't know if that's generous or not. If a billionaire did that, I'd think he/she was a cheap SOB, but I'm not a billionaire.

I give to charities that address extreme poverty and life-saving health interventions, following guidelines of effective altruism and charities rated by Givewell.org
by Stonebr
Sat Dec 24, 2016 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bought a house for 560k in 2007
Replies: 73
Views: 12869

Re: Bought a house for 560k in 2007

Sunshine22 wrote:Sometimes I think of selling that house but it's selling for 500k and in that case I will lose my equity.
You don't have any equity. The market price is the market price, and that alone determines whether or not you have equity. I think you should sell.
by Stonebr
Tue Nov 22, 2016 8:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: for a friend TIRA question
Replies: 8
Views: 1511

Re: for a friend TIRA question

Can we assume there are no other invested assets like 401k? Can we assume she's thought about her asset allocation and risk tolerance? If so, these are all excellent choices. An IRA is the best place to own a balanced mutual fund. I don't have a strong preference among them. However... I've found that explaining the concept of index funds to a complete novice is not all that easy. It's hard enough to understand what a mutual fund is, let alone a mutual fund that doesn't have a manager and why that's a good thing. Because of this, I've found it's best not to try. When I've suggested choices like this to my own friends, they've always picked Wellington for some reason (or ignored me completely). The beauty of Wellington is that it's easy to d...
by Stonebr
Wed Nov 16, 2016 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Portland or Dallas (Southlake area)
Replies: 36
Views: 6194

Re: Portland or Dallas (Southlake area)

In Dallas you will spend your life in a car, either in traffic or in a hot parking lot.

In Portland, OR you may actually be able to walk around.
by Stonebr
Wed Nov 16, 2016 7:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Comedians' best lines of financial wisdom"
Replies: 20
Views: 5995

Re: "Comedians' best lines of financial wisdom"

A couple more...

Groucho: "Alimony is like buying hay for a dead horse."

Groucho: "While money can't buy happiness, it certainly lets you choose your own form of misery."
by Stonebr
Sun Nov 13, 2016 7:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Age 92 Dad Wants to Boost stocks
Replies: 71
Views: 14103

Re: Age 92 Dad Wants to Boost stocks

White Coat Investor wrote:
BetaTracker wrote:My father, 92 years young, told me today that he wants to raise his allocation from 30% stocks to 50%.
After talking to him again about the dangers of market timing, he's willing to moderate his stance a bit.
For someone his age and with an adequate portfolio to meet his needs, do you think 50-50 is too risky? What about 40% stocks?
There are very few 92 year olds competent enough to decide on their own asset allocation (Taylor Larimore is one of them obviously.) Make sure your dad is one of them before you let him monkey around with stuff like that.
You've got a lot of nerve.

50/50 isn't exactly betting the farm, and it's HIS farm.
by Stonebr
Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Safe Deposit Box Fee (Bank of America)
Replies: 35
Views: 40605

Re: Safe Deposit Box Fee (Bank of America)

TD Bank offers a free small safe deposit box as part of their senior account package.
by Stonebr
Fri Nov 04, 2016 9:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fish again
Replies: 17
Views: 5044

Re: Fish again

Teague wrote:
Barefootgirl wrote: Then I read that because humans are eating lower on the fish food chain, we're depleting stocks of small fish and larger fish are going hungry and dying out.
I'm curious where you read this, because to me it does not seem to make much sense from a biological perspective. But then again, it's been a long time since my undergraduate years where I learned about this kind of stuff, so I could be wrong.
National Geographic, for example...

http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/oce ... erfishing/
by Stonebr
Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fish again
Replies: 17
Views: 5044

Re: Fish again

Barefootgirl wrote:
What to do? find our omega 3s in chia seeds?
Fish don't manufacture Omega-3s themselves, the get it from algae they eat in the wild. That's why farmed fish are so much lower in omega-3. You can take a pill and bypass the fish. Health food stores have DHA and EPA pills sourced from algae. Or you can do flax or chia.