Search found 655 matches

by Point
Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: navigation system for car
Replies: 51
Views: 2182

Re: navigation system for car

by Point
Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wool slippers worth it?
Replies: 53
Views: 5225

Re: Wool slippers worth it?

Birkenstock sandals for arch support and insulation from cold floor (cork base), smartwool socks for warmth and washability.
by Point
Sat Mar 16, 2024 8:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: State income tax , working in TX, living in NM
Replies: 6
Views: 372

Re: State income tax , working in TX, living in NM

The following appears to cover the details of what the state of NM requires:

https://casetext.com/regulation/new-mex ... -residency
by Point
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 3869

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer than other colors???

I can tell you based on a lot of bicycle long distance 24hr nighttime riding, colors don’t show up in low light conditions. That’s why I wear light reflective materials. And I have reflective materials on my bike, along with flashing lights.

With cars, given the choice I go with white. I use my headlights (with taillights on) in low light conditions, including during rain or fog. Many people don’t use headlights during the rain, or only use daytime headlights (taillights off).

Another bike trick: spray 3M transparent reflective coating on parts of frame and forks, in addition to using reflective tape. Something to consider with the car… bumpers, tire sidewalls…
by Point
Thu Mar 07, 2024 8:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home phone (copper) solution for parents
Replies: 26
Views: 2493

Re: Home phone (copper) solution for parents

We found OOMA worked really well because we could white list numbers and the rest would go to voice mail. Spam numbers would not go through at all. Really cut out the people trying to get access to them, and also eliminated the long distance switcher scams.
by Point
Sat Mar 02, 2024 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6284

Re: Question about Solar panels

With NEM 3.0 in CA, the benefit of solar has declined considerably. For backup, as mentioned below, a generator is a great idea. Sit down and look at the circuits you'll want to have running, this is the same process you'd have to do for solar: fridge, freezer, heater, A/C, lights, garage doors... What demand will they have in terms of load? Then price out a generator to meet that demand, and have a transfer switch installed to cover those circuits. If you have other reasons for solar than a few days without power every year it may be worth it, but... For very limited power requirements you can get a small gas or propane powered inverter generator for less than a $1,000 and sometimes significantly less. And if you move in a few years you ca...
by Point
Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do electric cars stop making sense?
Replies: 210
Views: 16094

Re: When do electric cars stop making sense?

It’s funny, we all lean into our biases. EV’s and solar are two very big ones. Pseudo religion. I have solar, on each of my homes, and I have battery storage, and an ev charger, but no ev. They don’t pencil out for me, for my driving patterns, my distances, my recharge needs, nor my operating budget. My ICE vehicles are paid for and doing just fine. Down the road, when I replace my long ago manufactured ICE, it will be with a plug in AWD hybrid, if prices come down… can anyone say BYD? In California, I watch the BMW’s, Audi’s, Tesla’s fly by me in traffic, and on the interstate 5, doing 85+ MPH, jumping in and out of lanes… because they can. Because they have such incredible acceleration. And I know they don’t get great mileage, carbon, gre...
by Point
Wed Feb 28, 2024 8:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do electric cars stop making sense?
Replies: 210
Views: 16094

Re: When do electric cars stop making sense?

If the numbers don't pan out, then don't get one. The break even on carbon is ~80K miles EV VS ICE, so there's really no rush, particularly if you have an existing ICE, then it's even a longer time to break even (the carbon to make your current vehicle is already in the can...). Like anything else, if you want to see a reduction in consumption (production of carbon in this case) drive less! Cut out the casual driving, reduce your miles by 20% and you get a reduction of carbon output by 20%.
by Point
Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Prescrption processing outage?
Replies: 6
Views: 976

Re: Prescrption processing outage?

It was covered in todays WSJ:

The American Hospital Association urged healthcare facilities to disconnect from a major technology provider and to check their systems after a cyberattack against one of the largest U.S. commercial prescription processors.
by Point
Wed Feb 21, 2024 10:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Advice Needed
Replies: 34
Views: 3214

Re: Car Advice Needed

Here's an interesting reference you might explore a bit:

http://www.autowyse.com/honda_element_s ... lutch.html
by Point
Sat Feb 17, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get my road paved
Replies: 77
Views: 5861

Re: How to get my road paved

One thing I’ve done at times when locals can’t prioritize fixing things is to do it myself. It gets their attention, shows you’re not just complaining but willing put your own dime into it, shames them a bit, and as a result, they step up. They’ll probably chastise you for fixing a couple of potholes, but you’ll gain the respect of the maintenance workers and they’ll pay attention to fixing it for you.
by Point
Thu Feb 15, 2024 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hose end sprayer to reach tall trees (over 2 stories tall)
Replies: 36
Views: 2192

Re: Hose end sprayer to reach tall trees (over 2 stories tall)

Hire a pro. Think about the overspray, drift, etc. and potential issues with neighbors. Hiring out to a licensed and insured pro shifts any issues to them.
by Point
Tue Feb 13, 2024 10:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New iPhone (upgrade from XR to 13 or maybe 14) anything I am overlooking?
Replies: 33
Views: 2945

Re: New iPhone (upgrade from XR to 13 or maybe 14) anything I am overlooking?

If you're really geeking out over cameras, go with the latest and greatest camera features.

Otherwise, speed is better overall with the latest phones, my iPhone XS Max still works well (I replaced battery more than once), but my wife's 14 runs circles around it doing updates and anything intensive.

Lastly, the satellite feature is really important on the recent iPhones if you'll be off grid on your drives, hikes, etc. You won't need it till you need it....
by Point
Tue Feb 13, 2024 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have you ever replaced a perfectly fine car just because?
Replies: 111
Views: 8484

Re: Have you ever replaced a perfectly fine car just because?

Sometimes we find ourselves struggling to do something that goes against our core identity. In this case it sounds like you know what got you here, ie, to your financial security, and are concerned that it will mess with your ability to stick with your regimen. As long as you’re secure in your ability to stick to your processes, get the car you want, enjoy the journey, and breathe a little. You’ll be fine.
by Point
Mon Feb 12, 2024 4:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Furniture - It's glued, right?
Replies: 91
Views: 7540

Re: Furniture - It's glued, right?

The remove the door, doorframe, and drywall idea isn’t necessarily bad— it may be the first step in making the room better walker and wheelchair accessible.
by Point
Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbor irrigation flooding into my property
Replies: 37
Views: 3566

Re: Neighbor irrigation flooding into my property

In california we are not allowed to change the flow of water from its natural path, ie direct it onto one neighbors property vs another. The drainage patterns and routes are fixed and we have to work with them. If I have water coming onto my property, I can capture it in a drain or French drain, and channel/pipe it to the natural exit point, or to the street gutter.

It’s something that one has to evaluate before buying a property- know the flow of water and what your options are, if any, to mitigate problems.

As others have noted, check easements, and local authorities for regs and options, consult a landscaper too. And, you might need to have a current survey to determine actual property lines and structures (drains, etc).
by Point
Sat Feb 03, 2024 9:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I gained 21% this year so far in my IRA. What should I do?
Replies: 49
Views: 6168

Re: I gained 21% this year so far in my IRA. What should I do?

Just to clarify a few points: 1. This is not my main retirement account. My main retirement account is dedicated to the Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX). As it stands assuming a 10% annual return I will have seven figures in that account if I stopped adding to it today based on growth. But I'm not retiring soon so I will continue with that strategy which makes me pretty much a Boglehead. 2. Investing in tech stocks and the Nasdaq 100 is not gambling. Tech stocks make up ~35% of the S&P 500 and the Nasdaq 100 is an even larger percentage than that. Yes they both have higher volatility than the 500 but if you could somehow create an index of the 500 that carved out both your returns would be pretty dismal over the past 20 years. 3. I do a...
by Point
Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How do Trustee Services work?
Replies: 25
Views: 2547

Re: How do Trustee Services work?

This hadn’t occurred to me until I read this thread- re:management cost of trust: once your gone you’re no longer an expense to yourself, and I would say in most cases, 1.1% of total assets is a low expense rate when you factor yourself (cost) out of the equation.

Yes, 1.1% is greater than zero, but so am I as a living cost.
by Point
Fri Feb 02, 2024 9:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How can I tell if Solar Panels are working effectively?
Replies: 21
Views: 1892

Re: How can I tell if Solar Panels are working effectively?

If you don’t have the ability to monitor your production and consumption vs what you send to the grid, you can look at the product from sense.com and see if their solar monitoring product will give you better insight.

Yiu probably have the ability to view your individual panel production to determine if a panel is not performing well. Also, eliminate any question of shading- ie trees growing into the panel view and blocking part of the day.
by Point
Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?
Replies: 113
Views: 7459

Re: Best car for icy weather? Advice about driving in snowy conditions?

Sometimes road conditions are ok, then coming upon our road, on the back side (no sun on asphalt, 4500’ elevation ) there will be ice and some leftover snow. I’ve learned to anticipate ice at any dip inroad (frozen accumulated water) or shady spot. I slow way down and put the Subaru Outback with mud and snow tires into X-mode, and keep it at very low speeds. It keeps traction across all four wheels behind what AWD alone will do. It also prevents quick acceleration, and keeps me off the brakes. It’s worked very will for me.

Ideally I don’t drive in bad conditions, but sometimes it is unavoidable and xmode is terrific.
by Point
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Return My New Apple Watch?
Replies: 83
Views: 6305

Re: Return My New Apple Watch?

I use mine for exercise, sleep management, reminders when I don't carry my phone around the house, cooking timers (great as I can name them: boil water, eggs, veggies, etc and have many simultaneously, washer and dryer timer, turn off heaters at 4pm when high rate Elec use kicks in, texting via voice. Seeing key stock price. It's just easier and quicker to use the watch. It's always available and ready for my beck and call... And, if I wanted, fall 911 calls.
by Point
Sun Jan 21, 2024 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lots of white exhaust smoke after oil change
Replies: 22
Views: 2827

Re: Lots of white exhaust smoke after oil change

Jazztonight wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 7:12 pm Major tuneup: new spark plugs, etc. Mechanic said: "The smoke is somewhat normal in this cold weather condition. I do smell some oil burning from the tail pipe. Normal with higher mileage vehicles. I will add an engine additive to help with the valve seals."
He took the valve covers off and examined them. Yes, I'm burning some oil, but no blown head gasket or cracked block.
He will do further tests later this week.

I passed the CA smog test in the fall. No idea what the measurements were.
Back in the day we would hold a paper towel or Kleenex to the tailpipe and see if there’s any evidence of oil in the exhaust.
by Point
Sat Jan 20, 2024 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Domed skylight and summer heat
Replies: 9
Views: 1097

Re: Domed skylight and summer heat

You can shade on the outside, or on the inside. Absent that, replace it with one that is darkened, has UV, and/or has shades built in to the design. You could also install one with venting and a screen.
by Point
Thu Jan 18, 2024 8:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wallet stolen at work. How to keep handbags/totes secure at work?
Replies: 29
Views: 3704

Re: Wallet stolen at work. How to keep handbags/totes secure at work?

If she can’t carry her stuff at all times, and if a locking drawer is not enough, put a drawer safe in the locking drawer. Then use it.
by Point
Thu Jan 18, 2024 4:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opinions on Accelerating RMDs from Kid's Trust?
Replies: 9
Views: 762

Re: Opinions on Accelerating RMDs from Kid's Trust?

If his tax rate is low and his earnings won't affect your tax rate, then why not take the distraction, and have him work to gain income at the max amount to contribute to his own Roth while he's in the low tax rate, Ie, $7,000 in 2024? He can max out the Roth and still have spending money for other needs. And he'll learn the benefit of both work and compounding.
by Point
Wed Jan 17, 2024 7:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using Gmail with native Apple mail app?
Replies: 12
Views: 1714

Re: Using Gmail with native Apple mail app?

Have you considered using safari to access gmail via
Web?
by Point
Tue Jan 16, 2024 7:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much mortgage with unstable income?
Replies: 21
Views: 1605

Re: How much mortgage with unstable income?

How long is your runway? Current ages? Expected retirement timeframe? Medical issues which may complicate full employment? Do you carry life insurance to cover debts and expenses? What loan term?

Just a few things to think about that go beyond affordability.
by Point
Sun Jan 14, 2024 8:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stay put or upgrade houses?
Replies: 29
Views: 4044

Re: Stay put or upgrade houses?

Logistics like child care, schools, doctors, sports, traffic, friends locations all play in at some point. With any house, take a close look at the heating and cooling aspects too, particularly with multi floor houses. And that brings into mind electrical capability if you have to do re-work. Is the panel large enough to support changes, open slots for new breakers, space for additional panel, routing of wiring upstairs for mini splits, space to route heating / cooling if using central air. Have pros assess the capacity of existing setup, and potential for change as necessary. Also, be mindful of the electrical situation in the new neighborhood - will you need generator or battery capability? Is there risk of water flow, ie proximity to cre...
by Point
Fri Jan 12, 2024 10:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Will SS last?
Replies: 15
Views: 1628

Re: Will SS last?

Plan on having multiple sources of income during retirement so that if any one source driers up or greatly diminishes, you won't be put in a predicament. This means living well below your mean, stay away from the shiny stuff and allocate to pre and post tax investments so that you can take advantage of compounding over time. Don't expect anyone, or the gov to bail you out. There is no free lunch, and as your assets grow, this becomes even more true.
by Point
Fri Jan 12, 2024 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to record phonecall on Iphone?
Replies: 5
Views: 949

Re: How to record phonecall on Iphone?

this has a good assessment of the ins and outs: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to ... -an-iphone
by Point
Wed Jan 10, 2024 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to fix my roof leak?
Replies: 33
Views: 4873

Re: How to fix my roof leak?

Head through the drywall, remove all insulation and other stuff so you can see plywood/composite boards above (the layer under the felt paper/waterproofing, which is under the shingles. How wet is the wood? How much water damage is visible (material eroding, water present, rings on the wood emanating from the pipe area? This tells you what the next step is. The more damage, the more you need to go from the top and repair wood, redo water barrier, replace flashing, seal and redo shingles.
by Point
Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2015 MacBook Air - time to replace it?
Replies: 24
Views: 1733

Re: 2015 MacBook Air - time to replace it?

Your upgrade issue may be disk space related. Regardless, updating to an M1 or M2 based system will blow your socks off.
by Point
Tue Jan 09, 2024 8:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Real Estate Windfall Amid Family Drama
Replies: 96
Views: 16957

Re: Real Estate Windfall Amid Family Drama

You mentioned you don’t need the gift. You’ve talked to your siblings and it appears they might benefit more from it. There’s your answer.

If your worries it’s a scam and don’t want to burden your siblings with a scam, why not have your father donate the property to charity?
by Point
Sat Jan 06, 2024 8:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Apple ... stay the course or scale back?
Replies: 155
Views: 27343

Re: Apple ... stay the course or scale back?

You’re going to get answers all over the map. My two cents— the industry and the industry press is terrible at predicting the future of apple. The industry press has historically been biased towards Microsoft. Having been in tech for decades, I’ve seen it first hand, the institutional bias towards MS, and years before, IBM, Compaq, Dell, Sun… one thing the press gets wrong is Apple innovates its way to success. Yea, it can make some mistakes. But by and large it does well with innovation and the stickiness of its customers says it all.

My take- the company will do well over the long term.

Would I be 100% Apple? No. You determine your needs and comfort level.
by Point
Tue Jan 02, 2024 7:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: your system for reviewing credit card transactions
Replies: 86
Views: 9313

Re: your system for reviewing credit card transactions

Every transaction I make gets entered into Banktivity- at the time the transaction is made. When statements come I reconcile them.
by Point
Sat Dec 30, 2023 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What vehicle to carry bikes in on vacation?
Replies: 30
Views: 2997

Re: What vehicle to carry bikes in on vacation?

I had a buddy that would keep his tandem in—line recumbent trike in a wells cargo trailer.

I’ve had my scorpion single recumbent trike in a Honda pilot.

Take a look at these trailers - seems like a nice, secure, no eyeballs, solution:

https://inventory.wellscargo.com/2022-w ... -oG8k.html
by Point
Fri Dec 29, 2023 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Book recommendations for emotional control
Replies: 34
Views: 4149

Re: Book recommendations for emotional control

Switch is a well regarded book that discusses the challenges of keeping on a path when the mind wants to stray.

https://heathbrothers.com/books/switch/
by Point
Tue Dec 26, 2023 3:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Santa Barbara in Winter
Replies: 14
Views: 2643

Re: Santa Barbara in Winter

Breakwater resturant, Brophy Broa, Litos, Chicken Ranch, Jeanine’s, Moby Dicks, and a number of places on Coast Collage Road, and by the Bird Refuge, Reunion Kitchen.

Alice Keck park, the Mission, Shoreline park.

Bikes rentals. Wine tours. Whale watching.

Hiking in the foothills.

If you go to Carpinteria: The Spot resturant. Anything on Linden Ave.
by Point
Tue Dec 26, 2023 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: To Job Hunt or Not To Job Hunt
Replies: 24
Views: 3381

Re: To Job Hunt or Not To Job Hunt

25 is the time to take risk, grow, learn, expand, fail and recover. What are you waiting for? Life will happen, step outside the perceived bubble of safety and get on with it.
by Point
Tue Dec 26, 2023 7:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to I (safely) heat a cold bedroom?
Replies: 49
Views: 5700

Re: How to I (safely) heat a cold bedroom?

Get a thermal imaging camera like the following and determine where the cold areas are in the room. Leaks? Insulation? Windows, doors, slab, walls, cracks around outlets… fix these first.

Klein Tools TI250 Rechargeable Thermal Imaging Camera, Camera Displays Over 10,000 Pixels with 3 Color Palettes, High / Low Temperature Points


From there, layer up in clothing, knit cap too.

After that, electric blanket, down comforter, plug in heater (oil radiator type), or mini split. If you use a plug in heater understand the draw at the outlet and don’t overdraw the wiring. Make sure the wall outlet does not heat up. Don’t use multiple outlet strips don’t use other high amperage devices anywhere in that circuit.
by Point
Mon Dec 25, 2023 1:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45480

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

If you’re thinking about a battery and how that would help with outages over some period of time, you also need to understand both your weather and your consumption. With rain or substantial cloud cover we had most days last week where we had 3-4x consumption over production. We can cut back consumption dramatically, ie, no washer, no dryer, no space heater, run pellet stove for heat, no AC, no hot water recirc pump, no electric cooking and get by for 2 days, maybe 3 on 16KWH battery without solar charge. But we would not be charging an EV either during that period. Our fridge and freezer would stay up. Minimal lights, little TV, etc. So… we don’t have an EV, and we have a Generac as a backup to the solar and 16kwh battery. Solar is not nir...
by Point
Mon Dec 25, 2023 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45480

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

Another factor to consider, production declines over time as panels degrade. This means you’ll need to consider as cost for electricity goes up, your ability to offset it with your own production declines. There is also an intersection with the inferred resale value of your home being enhanced by having a solar array: over time, the value of your array decreases due to loss of production. https://i.postimg.cc/25ghv89J/IMG-9603.jpg Wouldn't upgrading the panels over time just be part of routine maintenance, like a roof? You would think so, however, codes change, mounting hardware changes, faults happen with panels, wiring, micro inverters, comparability issues arise between micro inverters, backup panels, inverters and panels, etc.
by Point
Mon Dec 25, 2023 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hair cracks on ceiling
Replies: 24
Views: 2876

Re: Hair cracks on ceiling

You can always get a laser level and look at each room to see how far off the doors, ceiling and windows are from plumb and level. The floors too.
by Point
Mon Dec 25, 2023 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45480

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

Another factor to consider, production declines over time as panels degrade. This means you’ll need to consider as cost for electricity goes up, your ability to offset it with your own production declines. There is also an intersection with the inferred resale value of your home being enhanced by having a solar array: over time, the value of your array decreases due to loss of production.

Image
by Point
Mon Dec 25, 2023 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Solar Worth It?
Replies: 193
Views: 45480

Re: Is Solar Worth It?

I’m in california and under net metering 2.0 my solar installations paid off, both of them. In < 4 years. With net metering 3.0 they would not give me a good ROI as the cost of grid power would be 100% and the buy back of solar power would be in the 20-25% range. Looking at my annual data. 65% of my solar production goes to the grid, and 55% of my consumption comes from the grid. Do the math! The other gotcha is time of use: we are retired and time consumption to sync outside of high rate time periods. We don’t use appliances or air conditioning from 4-9pm beyond what the solar production will support, thus only marginally tapping our 16kwh battery. We have a Bosch electric dryer with internal venting so it helps heat the downstairs when we...
by Point
Sun Dec 24, 2023 12:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Low Voltage System for entire home
Replies: 17
Views: 2312

Re: Low Voltage System for entire home

Why? Cost differential? Better control of devices? Coolness factor?

We run LED via 120v, and have smart lights where needed controlled by WiFi remotely (apple home). We also have solar, so our annual cost is zero for electricity (sunk cost).

We have zero negative impact long term too due to 120V standard.
by Point
Sun Dec 24, 2023 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much do you think you need to retire?
Replies: 279
Views: 56429

Re: how much do you think you need to retire?

David Jay wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 3:37 pm To retire @55: 33x expenses
To retire @60: 30x expenses
To retire @65: 25x expenses

If you can't project your expenses, you can't project your required portfolio balance.
This is the key: need is a function of costs, both known and unknown, anticipating additional lifestyle creep, if any.
by Point
Sat Dec 23, 2023 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Mark Cuban's vision for healthcare in America the right one?
Replies: 6
Views: 1182

Re: Is Mark Cuban's vision for healthcare in America the right one?

Healthcare is probably the largest are of increasing costs to the consumer, besides higher education. So, there's plenty of opportunity to lower costs with price transparency and competition. That's what he's doing on his end. Amazon is also looking to improve things not just with drug cost, but with access to services both online and in person. Of course, getting the cost down on prescriptions is only part of the battle -- decreasing demand for prescriptions is, I think, the bigger challenge.
by Point
Tue Dec 19, 2023 10:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop ugrade...............
Replies: 47
Views: 4365

Re: Laptop ugrade...............

I use a MacBook Air with the M2 chip - love it! Great power life on battery, and performance is fantastic.

I use brother printers, but your HP is listed by HP as supported: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/i ... 2489772-16
by Point
Fri Dec 15, 2023 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Instant Pot cooking
Replies: 70
Views: 12365

Re: Instant Pot cooking

Just did 4 pounds of pork the other day. Get a shoulder of some other clump of pork. Garlic powder, salt, paprika, pepper, cumin. Put it on thick. Set pot on brown and nicely brown each surface of the pork. Add 1/3 cup water. Set to pressure cook high for 90 minutes and let er rip.

Do pretty much the same with a chunk of beef chuck. Don't add the cumin. Add some quartered onions and carrots. 90 mins.

Brown rice: 1-1/3 C water to each cup rice. Add the same spices, no cumin, some spicy paprika. Cook for an hour.

Black or pinto beans: 1#, soak for 6 hours, drain and rinse. Add to cooker, spices (salt, garlic powder, 1 C onion dry flakes, pepper). 2 Tbl olive oil. Fill to line with water, or a bit less. Beans setting.