Search found 713 matches

by 3-20Characters
Wed Sep 30, 2020 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PSA: Never store something on top of water heater!
Replies: 17
Views: 2775

Re: PSA: Never store something on top of water heater!

nisiprius wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 7:39 pm Never perch anything on the roof of a car, "just for a second." Not foam cups of coffee, and not babies in baby seats.
Child Abandonment
https://youtu.be/RV6QlE8MIzM
by 3-20Characters
Tue Aug 25, 2020 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wealth Management groups -- why used if don't make financial sense
Replies: 24
Views: 2099

Re: Wealth Management groups -- why used if don't make financial sense

If wealthy (I know from family who are), they call and demand what’s needed. Reports, tax documents, send this or that to another party and csr takes care of it without any effort from client beyond initial call or email. CSR follows up on docs, etc and wealth management also has their own services for taxes, attorneys, etc as well if desired. It all seems seamless and costs are well hidden and allows client to spend time with family, take vacations, etc with any free time rather than spreadsheets and TurboTax. Almost looks like you’re getting it all cheap. I bet most people who use wealth manager have no idea of actual $$$ costs to them. Not being wealthy, I need to be more on the ball and can’t afford such concierge service (even if I wan...
by 3-20Characters
Sat Aug 22, 2020 2:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stage 4 Cancer and Young Family
Replies: 105
Views: 17123

Re: Stage 4 Cancer and Young Family

I am very touched and I’m sorry for you. You’ve received great advice already and seem to be on top of getting things done. I have personal experience (unfortunately). Don’t assume you’ll be able to continue working. In fact, I doubt that you will be for long (assuming you still are). I urge you to file SSDI as soon as you are unable to work. Your illnesses may qualify you for Compassionate Allowance. If so, your approval will be faster and prioritized so it’s important to find this out and file. See here. https://www.ssa.gov/compassionateallowances/index.htm If SS offices are still closed due to COVID, you may have to mail in important docs such as birth certificate for final approval. You must follow through. Though it seems risky due to ...
by 3-20Characters
Thu Jun 04, 2020 11:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: can I shorten a pdf file?
Replies: 35
Views: 2807

Re: can I shorten a pdf file?

N.Y.Cab wrote: Thu Jun 04, 2020 9:07 am In Safari on iPad or iPhone:
Select Print from the upload icon on upper right of title bar.
Select page range that you want to keep.
Pinch to zoom in on any page.
Click upload icon and select Save to Files.
Choose folder and name to save the new PDF on your iCloud Drive.
Click Done and Cancel to go back to the original page.
I’ve learned something new. Thanks!
by 3-20Characters
Fri May 29, 2020 4:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap
Replies: 13
Views: 8204

Re: XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap

Doc Holiday, thanks. This are the sort of details that I was looking for.
by 3-20Characters
Fri May 29, 2020 3:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap
Replies: 13
Views: 8204

Re: XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap

No interaction is required. The SIM card is your calling/texting plan. It is already established. Back up your current iPhone to PC in iTunes. Do a full backup. Make sure it is on the latest version of iOS. Attach the new phone to iTunes. Both the new and old phone have to be on the exact same version. I usually have to load an update on the new phone. For this, you set up as a new phone temporarily, install all the updates. It takes a little bit. Phone reboots. Etc. Restore your previous iPhone backup to the new phone. Restart. Let the phone install all apps/app updates. Now, power off the new phone. Put the SIM card in your new phone. Restart. Make a call, send a text, send a photo message. Verify everything is working. You will have to ...
by 3-20Characters
Fri May 29, 2020 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap
Replies: 13
Views: 8204

XFINITY Mobile new phone SIM swap

I’d like to hear from XFINITY Mobile Bogleheads who’ve transferred their SIMs from current iPhone to new (unlocked) iPhone? Did the swap require additional interactions with XFINITY? How exactly did you go about it (get XFINITY involved via phone or store and how did it go?)? I’m reading up online about some complications from what should be a simple process.
by 3-20Characters
Sat May 02, 2020 6:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRS Get My Payment up and running
Replies: 369
Views: 32423

Re: IRS Get My Payment up and running

After all the attempts to get our bank info recorded (and finally succeeding), they’re sending a check. :confused
Payment Status

We scheduled your check to be mailed on May 08, 2020 to the address we have on file for you.

We will mail you a letter with additional information on this payment.

If you need additional help or do not receive your payment, please visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
by 3-20Characters
Fri May 01, 2020 7:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRS Get My Payment up and running
Replies: 369
Views: 32423

Re: IRS Get My Payment up and running

Spirit Rider wrote: Fri May 01, 2020 7:05 am
3-20Characters wrote: Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:32 pm I read 3 pages and don’t remember seeing this posted up to that point...

In 2019, I was due a refund but applied it in whole to Q1 estimated taxes, so no check/direct deposit was sent. So I went back to “get my payment” website and this time entered 0 for refund and it worked.
You stopped reading too soon. Several people reported this a couple pages back.
Thanks. I figured as much but thought I’d still post. It’s hard to get through some of these mega threads.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Apr 30, 2020 9:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRS Get My Payment up and running
Replies: 369
Views: 32423

Re: IRS Get My Payment up and running

I read 3 pages and don’t remember seeing this posted up to that point. I could not get the website to accept my bank info because (I suspect) that the AGI or payment/refund amounts I entered didn’t match IRS records. I know I have the right amounts and even logged in to see that my 2019 return is in their system and the amounts match. I even tried using 2018 numbers, just in case. Here’s the gist:

In 2019, I was due a refund but applied it in whole to Q1 estimated taxes, so no check/direct deposit was sent. So I went back to “get my payment” website and this time entered 0 for refund and it worked. Just did it so not sure funds will show up in bank.

Maybe this info helps someone else.
by 3-20Characters
Sun Apr 26, 2020 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Equifax: can’t log in
Replies: 78
Views: 27546

Re: Equifax: can’t log in

14Characters wrote: Sun Apr 26, 2020 4:49 pm I created an account just to say Thank You 3-20Characters!

I've been trying to login for over a year with various browsers and passwords, resets, and calls to Equifax. The last time I Googled there was no post such as this. After following your magic formula I was able to reset my password and login finally!

Thanks again!!!
Glad the thread helped you. :sharebeer
by 3-20Characters
Wed Apr 01, 2020 8:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How do famous people invest?
Replies: 22
Views: 2299

Re: How do famous people invest?

Larry David is both famous and rich. In “Curb,” he has invested in a restaurant, a “spite” coffee shop to drive Mocha Joe out of business (so not interested in profit there), and an invention (a periscope in the car so that the you can look down the road and see what’s going on with traffic). I think he also co-produced a “fatwa” play, and probably made other investments I’ve forgotten. There’s been no mention of low ER index funds that I recall.

Other fun $ facts: he bought top of the line BMW to prove he was actually car shopping instead of his actual purpose (get free Bavarian licorice at dealer).
by 3-20Characters
Wed Feb 19, 2020 6:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits
Replies: 8
Views: 882

Re: First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits

Retiredron wrote: Tue Feb 18, 2020 7:18 pm You must also consider if the employee contribution will be Roth or pre tax. The employer contribution must be pre tax.
Thanks. All pre-tax.
by 3-20Characters
Tue Feb 18, 2020 6:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits
Replies: 8
Views: 882

Re: First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits

Thanks all. I will wait for my cpa to give me exact numbers when returns are completed. I will check into filing as a qualified joint venture next year.
by 3-20Characters
Sun Feb 16, 2020 8:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits
Replies: 8
Views: 882

First solo 401k contribution—employer/employee splits

- My wife and I are each 62 years old.
- We operate a biz as a partnership (file return 1065 for partnership and all income passes through to our 1040 joint return).
- Biz is just the 2 of us—no employees.

Opened a Fidelity solo 401k plan in 2019. Did not fund yet.

Say once our returns are completed, we are each allowed a contribution of $26k each for a total of $52k to solo 401k. Do the contributions need to be split in a particular way re, employer/employee amounts? If so, separate checks for employer/employee contributions to fidelity?
by 3-20Characters
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:39 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Change password?
Replies: 6
Views: 4436

Re: Change password?

TargetingFI wrote: Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:05 am What is "dm200" and how do I get to the user control panel?
It’s the user. In your case substitute “TargetingFI” and it will take you to your own control panel.
by 3-20Characters
Wed Jan 29, 2020 10:12 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why dividends are useful
Replies: 55
Views: 4775

Re: Why dividends are useful

Dividends (thought of as free money or somehow value added) are behavioral error 101. Behavioral errors are hard to overcome (probably because to our brains, millions of years of evolution beat facts and logic...see Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow). Every time I read a divided thread and start thinking about dividends, I can just about convince myself that I should be in dividend stocks and have to go though the detox process again. I should probably stop reading dividend threads but again, behavioral error.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Jan 23, 2020 2:37 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Sad news: LadyGeek's husband has passed
Replies: 352
Views: 37268

Re: Sad news: LadyGeek's husband has passed

LadyGeek, I just saw this. I’m so sorry for you. It’s brave and noble of you post the details here on bogleheads so that others may be helped. I for one, look forward to following your upcoming “Funeral Directors Life Insurance Company” thread.

🙏🏼
by 3-20Characters
Tue Jan 21, 2020 11:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Security Key
Replies: 55
Views: 8230

Re: Vanguard Security Key

Is it more secure to use a google voice number for 2FA over a cell phone number? I use Google voice for our primary phone line. And I use 2FA (with Yubi keys) for my Google account. But I would NEVER use the GV number to send 2FA messages to support my Google log in. That would potentially be giving away the keys to the Kingdom. Someone has both my GV and email, they are set to go. +1. Per donfairplay‘s previous comments Re: porting of both cell and landline numbers, I now use Yubikey as the “primary second factor” for Vanguard and a GV-delivered security code as the backup for Vanguard (GV numbers are locked to porting unless “released” by the user). Also, my GV credentials require 2FA with Yubikey as the second factor. GV restoration is ...
by 3-20Characters
Sat Jan 18, 2020 1:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Does an updated iPad satisfy Vanguard’s security requirements?
Replies: 16
Views: 3116

Re: Does an updated iPad satisfy Vanguard’s security requirements?

This clause reads to me like requirements for a previous generation of platforms misapplied to a new generation. I'm not arguing that that does (or doesn't) matter legally; just that it's ridiculous. There certainly is malware for iOS - but anti virus apps can do nothing to detect or mitigate it unless they use the same exploits to gain elevated permissions that the malware does. Apple isolates each application as part of its security model. It's unfortunate as arguably accessing the site over an iOS device would be, on average, more secure than most of the other options. It feels to me like a car company refusing to honor their warranty unless you have a four leaf clover and a crown air freshener attached to your dash at all times. Sure, ...
by 3-20Characters
Fri Jan 17, 2020 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Toyota recall
Replies: 15
Views: 2179

Re: Toyota recall

I was about to buy a 2019/2020 Toyota Camry then saw that there is a recall: https://www.consumerreports.org/car-recalls-defects/toyota-and-lexus-recall-cars-that-can-stall-abruptly-while-driving-fuel-pump/ Should I still buy one? Maybe. A recall which involves a safety issue and has so many vehicles involved means you could be driving the car for a while under less than ideal safety circumstances. Up to you to decide if that matters to you. My Honda was recalled for takata air bags. Luckily, Honda offered the option of parking it and receiving a free loaner while I waited for a replace the bag. I determined to take my chances based on research, but some people took the loaner. If I didn’t already own the car and I were in the market to pu...
by 3-20Characters
Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: HSA - Spend or Save?
Replies: 16
Views: 1614

Re: HSA - Spend or Save?

DreamsOfRetiring wrote: Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:43 am I do have funds and a reasonable cash flow for now, god knows what will happen when I am older. I guess I am looking at it like, "I have the money now to pay for my medical, so might as well use post tax"
and hopefully I will be thankful in my golden years that I have this extra account well funded.
Money is fungible. It’s all one big pot for the most part. What’s the difference if when you retire you need to take med expenses out of one account or another? Answer: Tax advantage. That’s the reason to invest the money in your HSA.
by 3-20Characters
Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: HSA - Spend or Save?
Replies: 16
Views: 1614

Re: HSA - Spend or Save?

Lots of threads on this. Do a search. There is no one size fits all answer. I am investing the HSA and paying out of pocket but plan to start using the HSA at Medicare age. I save receipts but I figure I can spend down the HSA on medical after Medicare. The receipts are a back up.
by 3-20Characters
Fri Jan 17, 2020 9:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any issues with not making 4th quarter estimated federal tax payment?
Replies: 4
Views: 557

Re: Any issues with not making 4th quarter estimated federal tax payment?

I don’t make a last quarter payment if I’ve already overpaid. Never had an issue but I don’t know the legalities of it so this is not legal advice.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VOO PLUS VTI
Replies: 46
Views: 6201

Re: VOO PLUS VTI

dhuser wrote: Thu Jan 16, 2020 7:14 am I hold both (well the mutual fund equivalents) but I do it because I have S&P 500 fund in my 401k offerings and then I hold Total Stock Market in my taxable for TLH considerations. That's about the only time it probably makes sense to have both as far as I know.
I do something similar. I TLH-ed out of VTSAX into VFIAX in taxable but still hold VTSAX in tax deferred. I added a % Vanguard Extended Market Index Fund (VEXAX) in tax deferred in order to mirror total market over total portfolio but not sure that’s even necessary.
by 3-20Characters
Tue Jan 14, 2020 6:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Helping babysitter manage large insurance payout?
Replies: 11
Views: 1880

Re: Helping babysitter manage large insurance payout?

I would impress on her what a trivial amount of money this is given a lifetime of earning and spending. Additionally, I would impress on her with some arithmetic projections what it could mean for her future if she invested the bulk in an index fund(s) and never touched it for another 40 years. Not sure how to best to convey these ideas to her but I’m afraid unless she can wrap her head around the concept of the power of money invested over time, this will be a squandered opportunity at her age no matter how grounded she is. Telling a young person to do nothing for 6 months or more may not be good idea. A significant chuck of money may disappear in unaccountable ways.
by 3-20Characters
Tue Jan 14, 2020 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VOO PLUS VTI
Replies: 46
Views: 6201

Re: VOO PLUS VTI

hope25 wrote: Tue Jan 14, 2020 11:05 am

To answer some of your questions:

A Vanguard personal advisor, a few years ago, suggested that I add an S&P 500 index to VTSAX in my portfolio.
Am I the only one who finds this surprising? OP, is it possible that you misunderstood?
by 3-20Characters
Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to start?
Replies: 50
Views: 2610

Re: Where to start?

I'm so sorry for your loss. If you do place the monies in an FDIC insured account, you may want to title each account differently to ensure you will receive full insurance coverage. FDIC insurance coverage is currently $250,000 per account title. Here is a summary of how accounts can be titled and there is a link on that page to Electronic Deposit Insurance Estimator (EDIE) to assess your current situation. https://www.fdic.gov/deposit/covered/categories.html Good morning, Does this mean I need to open up six different accounts so the whole of the money is insured in full? Technically, yes. These could be different account types (checking, savings, money market, 3 different CDs, whatever). The bank will tell you which of their products are...
by 3-20Characters
Mon Jan 13, 2020 2:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to start?
Replies: 50
Views: 2610

Re: Where to start?

As already mentioned depending on how large it is deposit it in an FDIC insured account(s) and wait until everything quiets down. I do not believe that an FDIC-insured account is actually necessary. For instance, a Vanguard Money Market fund is not FDIC-insured and would be a very fine place to park money. +1. This is as good or better than FDIC. VUSXX Vanguard Treasury Money Market Fund https://investor.vanguard.com/mutual-funds/profile/overview/VUSXX I personally would be comfortable with this as well. VMMXX Vanguard Prime Money Market Fund https://personal.vanguard.com/us/funds/snapshot?FundId=0030&FundIntExt=INT One big advantage of going this route is that you’d all be set up with a vanguard taxable account when you’re ready to in...
by 3-20Characters
Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: For the wiki: HSA as an emergency fund
Replies: 31
Views: 5021

Re: For the wiki: HSA as an emergency fund

wyoming82240 wrote: Sun Jan 12, 2020 8:37 pm
willthrill81 wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 9:44 pm
klaus14 wrote: Fri Jun 14, 2019 2:01 pm HSA can already be used for medical emergencies. So in that sense very good idea to keep money there for medical expenses. But keeping all the old receipts is too complex.
There is software out there that can keep track of these receipts for you, but it's really not difficult to just scan the receipts and save them for later.
Hello willthrill81, can you tell us what software we can use for this purpose. Thanks.
Wouldn’t one need to keep additional documents besides the receipts to claim these expenses later? I’m thinking tax returns to prove that medical costs weren’t deducted when incurred and insurance reports to show that they weren’t covered/paid by insurance.
by 3-20Characters
Sat Jan 11, 2020 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: phone scam
Replies: 30
Views: 3256

Re: phone scam

Any biz you need to conduct with an org such as a telecom, government agency, etc, you should be calling a legit number or logging onto legit url. If you’re answering someone’s call or clicking email links, you’re playing with fire. I never answer any call unless it’s in my address book and even then, I would not give out personal info or talk in detail with someone I don’t know. If you think it’s legit, tell them you’ll call them back and locate legit phone number to call. They can spoof the number on your caller ID but if you locate the legit number of the org and call it, you’re ok.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Jan 09, 2020 8:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard Security Key
Replies: 55
Views: 8230

Re: Vanguard Security Key

So help me understand this — you can get a physical security key for 2FA, but if you do not have your key you can use the known insecure SMS 2FA? And there is no way to disable the insecure SMS portion? Correct. What Vanguard (V) could improve upon is to offer more user control over the 2FA backup options. As of now, V's 2FA backup option for Yubikey is to send a code to a phone number. To workaround SMS issues, I direct those codes to our home hardline, which provides a robo voice access code. This works for me as I have a low maintenance portfolio and do not trade with any great frequency via a smartphone. I rebalance once per year. I also use the landline option. For a lot of people that is not an option (no longer have a landline). Sin...
by 3-20Characters
Sun Jan 05, 2020 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Jumper cables
Replies: 83
Views: 7170

Re: Jumper cables

Jazztonight wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:24 pm
Big Worm wrote: Sun Jan 05, 2020 1:15 pm Get the one with the battery pack. Don't need another car to jump off.
Doesn't this require that the battery pack always remains charged?
I charge mine twice per year (Spring and Fall).
by 3-20Characters
Sat Nov 30, 2019 11:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ailing parent housing
Replies: 30
Views: 2297

Re: Ailing parent housing

I speak from experience. Your mom has the right idea. If you can find a suitable condo with an elevator it’s the way to go. I am not addressing your financial questions though—only the suitability of the solution. I don’t want to post personal details here but PM me if you like and I’ll tell you more.
by 3-20Characters
Fri Nov 29, 2019 4:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard vs. Fidelity
Replies: 62
Views: 7140

Re: Vanguard vs. Fidelity

I use both but would choose vanguard if you put a gun to my head because I prefer MFs over ETFs. Maybe I’m wrong but I don’t think fidelity has nearly as many good options when it comes to MFs.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Nov 28, 2019 9:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When you look under Google Chrome properties under security what should I see I am the only one who uses the computer?
Replies: 12
Views: 1698

Re: When you look under Google Chrome properties under security what should I see I am the only one who uses the compute

I’m not a chrome user but I assume that once you discovered the hack, you changed your password and implemented 2FA. I don’t see how someone can access your account currently unless they hacked it again. Older data (including emails) would concern me however, because assuming the hacker downloaded it, they have it now. At least my inept attempt to evaluate the situation bumped the thread. Hopefully someone more expert will chime in.
by 3-20Characters
Wed Nov 20, 2019 7:57 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why ally bank
Replies: 98
Views: 18615

Re: Why ally bank

I think their website and apps are if not best in class, certainly up there. Their rates are up there (competitive). I’ve read some complaints here about CS but have not personally experienced any myself. The few times I’ve called, they’ve been great. I don’t chase small % increases in interest (which are often temporary). I also have cash in Vanguard prime MM, so I can easily move money between the two. Not a big CD guy so I’m not looking for long term rates. So the question, why would I switch? I’ve had enough experience with banks to know good is enough is pretty darn good and don’t mess with it.
by 3-20Characters
Wed Nov 20, 2019 5:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Leaving large amount of money in savings at 0.05%?
Replies: 21
Views: 3095

Re: Leaving large amount of money in savings at 0.05%?

thelateinvestor43 wrote: Wed Nov 20, 2019 5:23 am The only thing I worry about with an online bank is getting hacked and losing my money or something. I guess maybe I'm being ridiculous, but I like it in a brick and mortar bank/credit union. Really though, it's not PHYSICALLY even at my bank!
All your banking/money is digital. When you got to your B&M bank, the teller knows nothing about current state of your accounts until he/she looks it up on a screen. If your online account can be hacked, so can your B&M bank account. In fact, best practice whether you use B&M or online bank imo, is to always establish online account, use strong, unique password and 2FA, set up alerts for all transactions.
by 3-20Characters
Wed Nov 20, 2019 5:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Leaving large amount of money in savings at 0.05%?
Replies: 21
Views: 3095

Re: Leaving large amount of money in savings at 0.05%?

No reason to accept such low rates. You don’t have to chase the max interest rate but you should get somewhere in the ballpark for the bulk of you your cash on hand. This can add up to lots of “free” money every year. - Establish ACH transfer to ally and/or MM at vanguard and transfer excess funds freely. - Keep minimum or near minimum in accounts that pay subpar rates (or get rid of those accounts altogether). - Ally savings is paying 1.70% right now, so you should expect an interest rate somewhere in that ballpark. - No penalty CD is 1.90% for $25k. That’s a good option if you have $25k which you don’t need to make regular withdrawals/deposits to (you can still get your money and the accumulated interest out in a pinch). - Vanguard Prime ...
by 3-20Characters
Mon Nov 18, 2019 9:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Apple Pay. Does anyone use it?
Replies: 265
Views: 26399

Re: Apple Pay. Does anyone use it?

apple stuff is amazing It used to be. Now I can't get many things to work. My wife's contacts show up on my phone. My texts show up on my kid's ipad. I have a family plan with individual IDs. Then have to go to the apple store where the "geniuses" are no help. What does “family plan” mean to you? Sharing iCloud storage space or apps/iTunes purchases? Those can be shared among unique Apple IDs but your data (email, contacts, bookmarks, etc, etc.) needs your unique ID to work and sync properly. I’d bet money that you have your Apple IDs shared in some strange way among several devices. If your problem was in any way common to Apple users, alarms would be sounding all over the web. It would be a security and usability nightmare of e...
by 3-20Characters
Sun Nov 17, 2019 11:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Juice Jacking - phone data theft
Replies: 21
Views: 2756

Re: Juice Jacking - phone data theft

This potential threat has been around a while and has been greatly mitigated with security updates and other changes on both android and iOS. If you’re worried, just use the AC adapter and cable. In fact, just do that anyway. Very low on my worry list.
by 3-20Characters
Sat Nov 16, 2019 6:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 50/50 to 45/55
Replies: 38
Views: 4150

Re: 50/50 to 45/55

I’m 50/50. Going to 45/55 is not appreciably different but it can serve as a “gateway AA” to getting to 40% equities or less—if that's your goal. I’ve considered it myself but I have talked myself out of it every time.
by 3-20Characters
Fri Nov 15, 2019 3:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Disturbing experience with Ally Bank
Replies: 221
Views: 35427

Re: Disturbing experience with Ally Bank

OP, sorry for your frustrating experience. Thanks to this thread, I’ve learned something new about push/pull. I may need to rethink how I do things going forward. So far, no problems with ally but I have not transferred large amounts. I suppose it’s good that banks scrutinize ach transfers given the fraud we read about but ally should have a better method to resolve issues in a timely fashion and communicate with the customer. I will stick with ally for now, however, as I am overall quite happy with them so far. Good luck!
by 3-20Characters
Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?
Replies: 47
Views: 7201

Re: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?

ARoseByAnyOtherName wrote: Thu Nov 14, 2019 8:57 pm
Worth noting that in 1Password, when you're in edit mode, you can create new fields of any type including new password fields. So you could create a new password field where the field label is the security question, and the password entry is the answer. It's a little more structured than dumping this info into the notes field, and makes it faster to copy/paste when needed.
The free version of 1Password (which I use) doesn’t have this feature. Notes work for me. I use mark up to create styled text in order to make it easy to read my notes.
by 3-20Characters
Thu Nov 14, 2019 10:15 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Wait for Social Security - breakeven returns
Replies: 107
Views: 12653

Re: Wait for Social Security - breakeven returns

Sure. That's somewhat uncommon though, because it implies that you're already 100% stocks in the portfolio. (This is what Grabiner was getting at above.) One in 10 participants have taken an extreme position, holding either 100% in equities (6% of participants) or no equities (3% of participants). https://institutional.vanguard.com/iam/pdf/HAS2019.pdf And even that overstates the number of investors who are 100% stock, because people have multiple accounts; some investors have stock in their 401(k)s and bonds in their IRAs or taxable accounts. (I am the other way around; my employer plan holds all my bonds, while my HSA, Roth IRA, and taxable account are 100% stock.) I did not realize that my 100% stock allocation put my in such an elite c...
by 3-20Characters
Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?
Replies: 47
Views: 7201

Re: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?

...Many sites I use ask a large number of extra security questions of their choosing - I include all of that in lastpass because I can't remember if I entered "Toyota, Toyota Carolla, or just Carolla" :D Don't answer correctly - make something up and put it in your password manager of choice. What is the model of your first car? That would be "Purple Soda", or was it "Grumpy Grandpa" or maybe "Baby Beluga Bubblegum". Maybe your answer above was for "What was the name of your favorite high school teacher?", in which case it could be a good answer! If you have to tell someone the word during a phone call to access your account - you may sound silly - but better that than a truthful answer tha...
by 3-20Characters
Wed Nov 13, 2019 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?
Replies: 47
Views: 7201

Re: Is LastPass still top in security, any reason to switch?

TLDR I’ve been using the free version of 1Password since forever (I don’t think the free version is still available but I’m not sure). I prefer the free over the paid version (I’ll explain why below). I tried lastpass twice but did not like the interface and had plenty of trouble importing data. That was a while ago so maybe it’s better now. I did a cost comparison and it comes out practically identical to 1Password. I’m not sure why it’s so popular among the BH crowd. All around, 1Password is a better choice for me. I’ve tried bitwarden, mSecure, dashlane and enpass. I have looked at the keepass website but I think it’s only for Windows and frankly, the whole idea seems like some heavy lifting for the user. So, not interested. Of the abov...
by 3-20Characters
Mon Nov 11, 2019 5:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: VPN % question
Replies: 19
Views: 2507

Re: VPN SWR % question

longinvest wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 12:51 pm
50ismygoal wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 11:05 am Longinvest, for some reason I can’t be the worksheet to work, but looking at the table, I’m 53 with a 50/50 portfolio, so it looks like 4.2% for now.
After clicking on the worksheet's link, you need to:
  1. Sign into your Google account (if not already signed in).
  2. Make a copy of the file as follows: File -> Make a copy...
  3. Once this is made, the copy is yours to modify.
Does this help?
I work almost exclusively on an iPad. Using the method described above, I’ve been able to copy and modify the spreadsheet in Sheets on my iPad. I have also copied the raw withdrawal percentage table data into my own Numbers spreadsheet and used the lookup function to work with the data. So I suspect that it’s not iPad issue.
by 3-20Characters
Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?
Replies: 73
Views: 9062

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

I’ll play devil’s advocate. We don’t know what vehicle you have (unless I missed it, you say ford but not the model). Looking up Ford Explorer for example, the price is not out of whack and may even be low. How much the part costs is immaterial. That’s like saying dinner at the restaurant cost me $50 but I could have cooked it myself for $15. Not useful information. Labor is charged based on job—even though it’s listed as hours. If job x is 1.5 hours, you pay labor rate x 1.5 plus parts whether job takes 30 minutes or 3 hours. So how long they took is immaterial. There is no way for people on the internet to know if the job was warranted or not. If you don’t trust your mechanic, this question will come up with almost every repair. Very few ...