Search found 167 matches

by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Jul 15, 2015 5:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lazy Portfolios
Replies: 15
Views: 2455

Re: Lazy Portfolios

I would suggest Simba's Spreadsheet for Backtesting (includes TrevH's data). You'll find detailed results for most of the established "Lazy Portfolios" dating from 1985 through 2014.

http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2520
by Yipee-Ki-O
Fri Mar 13, 2015 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you really need 2.5 million to retire well?
Replies: 267
Views: 74240

Re: Do you really need 2.5 million to retire well?

No. Not if your life does not revolve around possessions.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Mar 12, 2015 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Proactively replace water heater?
Replies: 54
Views: 12369

Re: Proactively replace water heater?

You might be interested in this study from the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety:

https://www.disastersafety.org/studies- ... ure-risks/

Based on its findings,

The rate of failure resulting in a claim begins to dramatically increase for a water heater beginning at age 5 – when 12% of all failures occurred. By the time a water heater reaches age 12, nearly three quarters of have failed.

I think I'll replace my 10-year old tank which was "guaranteed" for 9 years. It was installed without a safety tub underneath and due to its location a failure would be expensive. I'll just look at the expense as an insurance payment.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Mar 08, 2015 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When you put some credit cards in a drawer and not use them
Replies: 17
Views: 2840

Re: When you put some credit cards in a drawer and not use t

Discover closed mine after several years of inactivity, possibly because I never even activated the new cards. Oddly enough, now I get offers from them all the time for a new card.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Mar 07, 2015 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: anyone use a snow fence?
Replies: 2
Views: 685

Re: anyone use a snow fence?

Or for everything you ever wanted to know about snow fence and more :happy, visit Winter Research Services at the Wyoming Department of Transportation website:

http://www.dot.state.wy.us/home/enginee ... vices.html
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Mar 07, 2015 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: anyone use a snow fence?
Replies: 2
Views: 685

Re: anyone use a snow fence?

Snow fence is still common in Wyoming. I think you could use some type of wood lattice fence. Angled would be best (Google "optimal angle for snow fence") but might not be aesthetically pleasing around a home. But even an upright slatted fence will work fine as a snow fence while still being visually appealing.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Mar 07, 2015 11:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Mr. Money Mustache: Hero or Foolish?
Replies: 452
Views: 125579

Re: Mr. Money Mustache: Hero or Foolish?

30 year bond returns will be lower in the next 30 years then in the last 30 years. That is a statement of fact that you can read from the yields. Talking about shorter term bonds is more difficult, but interest rates would have to go up really fast for future bond returns to look anything like the past. But will the next 30 year bond returns be worse than the 30 year bond returns from 60 years ago? Bond returns were pretty bad from 1950 to 1980... and yet STILL 4% worked... 4% is not a number that only works in the best years.. In the 80s, 90s, you could pull 6%, 7% and be fine with a bull market in bonds and stocks... The 4% number is already accounting for bad times... Pfau is making a prediction that the returns for the next 30 years wi...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Mar 04, 2015 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you have done differently when retiring?
Replies: 116
Views: 17712

Re: What would you have done differently when retiring?

I would have retired 10 years earlier (40 rather than 50) and I would have let my employer figure out I was gone rather than giving notice.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Feb 26, 2015 8:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Mr. Money Mustache: Hero or Foolish?
Replies: 452
Views: 125579

Re: Mr. Money Mustache: Hero or Foolish?

Hero is a word that gets bandied about way too much IMHO but MMM is definitely a Stud in my book. He'd be a Super Stud if he were younger (or preferably I was younger!) and thus I would have happened across his blog earlier in life. Although I retired at 50 I could have easily retired 10 years earlier, I had enough but didn't realize it at the time. MMM particularly helps in that regard. So much advice on personal finance oriented sites emphasizes accumulation when the spending part is way more important. I only recently discovered his blog after seeing a mention of him at Wade Pfau's blog. I started from the beginning and am now up to March 2013. I'm not totally on board with everything he says but do wholeheartedly agree with him that a l...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Jan 10, 2015 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: An Excellent Article about 4% Withdrawal Rule
Replies: 10
Views: 3746

Re: An Excellent Article about 4% Withdrawal Rule

oragne lovre wrote:
TwoByFour wrote:That article is a not-too subtle plug for low cost funds (which Vanguard happens to have). It does not discuss the myriad issues with using such a rule of thumb, most importantly, is it even valid in this era of lower returns?

Withdrawal rate (or strategy if one is not using a constant-dollar scheme) is one of the most important decisions a retiree makes. It deserves a much more thorough treatment. IMHO.
Can you recommend any better articles about this 4% rule?
Yes, simply go to Wade Pfau's Retirement Blog and read up. You'll learn about SWR's and much more, all backed up by research.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Fri Dec 26, 2014 12:13 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: My Christmas Message To You -- 70 Years Ago.
Replies: 58
Views: 8941

Re: My Christmas Message To You -- 70 Years Ago.

Thank you Mr. Taylor. Both for your service and reminding me of a Christmas night several years ago listening to my late Marine father reminiscing about a Christmas of his decades ago in Guadalcanal.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Mar 23, 2014 10:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Poll: When did you retire? Would you do it all over again ?
Replies: 103
Views: 19203

Re: Poll: When did you retire? Would you do it all over agai

Age 50. I would have retired earlier if I could have.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Mar 04, 2014 1:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Negotiating with a contractor?
Replies: 12
Views: 1762

Re: Negotiating with a contractor?

Thanks again. The contractor I talked with is located next to a building supply source catering to the construction/design trade (not open to the general public) and the gentlemen who helped me select my flooring took me next door and introduced me to the him. I was comfortable with him and think his bid is reasonable. My concern with the price centers more around the fact that it's a small condo and I don't want to overspend and thus have a lot of unrecoverable expenses if I should sell in 2 or 3 years. When the contractor came out to look at my place he said he would give me a line-by-line proposal so I'd be able to pick and choose among the projects I wanted done based on how much they cost individually. I just need to decide which items...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Negotiating with a contractor?
Replies: 12
Views: 1762

Re: Negotiating with a contractor?

Thanks all. I think I need to get a couple of more bids first rather than trying to beat this guy up on price. And I see a couple of things on the list such as a fee for final general clean-up and perhaps I could do some of the demolition myself. I guess partly it's just a matter of accepting that construction costs more than I think it should. I guess the same can be said for lots of things, including my former profession.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Mar 03, 2014 1:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Negotiating with a contractor?
Replies: 12
Views: 1762

Negotiating with a contractor?

I've had a contractor prepare a proposal for me to do some (relatively minor) remodeling of my small condo in Las Vegas. Among the items included are removal of carpet and tile, demolition of short sections of non-load bearing wall and a mantle/fireplace insert and drywall repair at those locations, relocation of a couple of junction boxes, flooring install and the addition of another layer of drywall plus soundproofing compound to two bedroom walls. For this project I'm assuming he'll at least have a sub for the demolition, a carpenter, an electrician, a drywall guy, a flooring guy and not included in the bid a plumber for some other work associated with the project (plumber apparently wanted a walk-though first prior to naming his price)....
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Jan 15, 2014 2:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity 2% Amex Cardholders: Autopay the Bill?
Replies: 31
Views: 5489

Re: Fidelity 2% Amex Cardholders: Autopay the Bill?

harikaried wrote:
<snip>

On the note of autopay, do people tend to just leave enough cash in a checking account for it to withdraw however much it needs to? I've set things up to pay bills from my checking account scheduled on the 1st of each month, so I transfer in the money needed to cover those bills just before. Or I suppose if one is keeping up with the statements for the external autopay, one would just transfer that much additional.
I try to keep roughly 10k in my checking account at all times which (much!) more than covers my monthly automated debits so I don't have to pay much attention to it. At current interest rates, I figure it's not worth my time and effort to move money over to my checking account on a just-in-time basis.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Dec 28, 2013 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ACA Income Tax Planning Strategies
Replies: 64
Views: 13204

Re: ACA Income Tax Planning Strategies

Assuming this is true (and it makes sense to me), it may be that ACA unleash's a host of knock-on effects. This thread is another example. I wonder how many of these effects were anticipated by the law's architect's? (Even though I have opened the door, please do not go off on a political tangent.)
All legislation causes unintended consequences, both good and bad. Sometimes everyone recognizes certain unintended consequences are good or bad and sometimes the perception of good or bad is entirely subjective. The End before inadvertently falling off the cliff into politics. :happy
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Dec 26, 2013 1:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How many folks have a dog?
Replies: 112
Views: 13516

Re: How many folks have a dog?

I don't have a dog myself, but I do have several neighbors who graciously leave their dogs outside when they leave their homes so that I might enjoy the sound of dogs barking throughout the day and often at random times during the night as well.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Dec 22, 2013 12:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What happens if no longer eligible for ACA credit/subsidy?
Replies: 6
Views: 1315

Re: What happens if no longer eligible for ACA credit/subsid

I'm unsure about my 2014 income as well due to an S Corp investment which after many years of treading water might finally pay a healthy dividend which would be ordinary income. Based on current income the algorithm determined I was eligible for a monthly premium subsidy but I requested that $0 monthly be applied and will use my tax return for the year 2014 to either be reimbursed or not depending upon my income for that year. I'll be paying $100 less monthly for the plan I chose under under the ACA than I presently pay for an individual policy and would rather forgo the subsidy until tax time rather having to repay the subsidy should my income for 2014 exceed the allowable limits.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25
Replies: 331
Views: 55054

Re: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25

I started investing in mid-1986 a year which finished with a somewhat elevated market PE almost exactly where it is now. PE10 ranged from 12 to 15 in 1986, call it 13.5 on average. That is roughly half today's levels. I also would be an enthusiastic buyer of stocks (maintaining my predetermined asset allocation, I mean) at PE10 13, or 15, or 18, or 22. At 25 I get more hesitant. At 30 I get downright worried. Also I want to knock down a strawman that keeps getting erected. I have not advocated for major shifts in allocation based on PE10 moving from 24.9 to 25.1. My IPS calls for a 10% shift out of US stocks if the S&P500 PE10 exceeds 25. That is not very dramatic. Above 30 I would move a total of 20% out. Above 35, 30%. Again, only at...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Nov 20, 2013 12:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinning hair/ hair loss products
Replies: 35
Views: 7588

Re: Thinning hair/ hair loss products

It is perfectly acceptable to shave your head nowadays even if you are 21 years old. If I'd known how much simpler shaving my head would make my life I'd have started doing it way back before my hair began to thin. At one point in middle age I grew a ponytail but then one day I looked in the mirror and asked myself who I thought I was kidding. The guy staring back at me was an middle-age man with thinning gray hair and a receding hairline. The next day I got a crew cut. That worked for quite awhile until I got to thinking there wasn't much difference between short hair and no hair except the former required a payment to a barber. One day I asked a checker at Costco about his shaved head and he gave me some pointers (Skintimate, Schick Hydr...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25
Replies: 331
Views: 55054

Re: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25

Are we going to crash...Who knows!!!

Well, somebody says YES!!! See my post above. Same guy.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Nov 17, 2013 11:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25
Replies: 331
Views: 55054

Re: Shiller P/E 10 hits 25

No one has claimed PE10 or any metric is perfect - far from it.

Well, to be precise one person actually does make that very claim. A certain individual very important to the founding of Bogleheads.org. But we won't go down that road and give him any of the attention he so desperately craves. :happy
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Nov 12, 2013 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Boglehead View on Squirrels
Replies: 112
Views: 11118

Re: The Boglehead View on Squirrels

sscritic wrote:My view of squirrels is down the sight of a 22. I think a pink rifle looks best when I am in my Jimmy Choo's.

http://www.fieldandstream.com/blogs/gun ... en-rimfire
My late father was partial to a 20-gauge shotgun for defense of his pecan trees. Living in the country does increase one's options for thinning the squirrel herd.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Nov 11, 2013 12:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Last minute plane tickets
Replies: 17
Views: 2072

Re: Last minute plane tickets

Well, it's very limited outbound and inbound schedule but living in Wisconsin if you're near Green Bay or Duluth, MN you can fly pretty cheap last minute flight on Allegiant Airlines to Phoenix, Las Vegas or Orlando. Allegiant will nickel & dime you like crazy but you can get a good fare even at the last minute.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Nov 05, 2013 1:25 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Brent Arends: you can beat the market with smart timing
Replies: 89
Views: 9212

Re: Brent Arends: you can beat the market with smart timing

If I recall correctly, Wade Pfau did a study on market timing using PE10. His timing algorithm was that you got into the market as long as PE10 was less than its long term average and got out when it went above. Turns out that, indeed, the algorithm beat "buy and hold" by a percentage point or two. The only problem is, you could be out for years or decades. Now is obviously a time to be out, but there's no guarantee whatsoever that there'll ever be a time to get back in; the long term average might, in fact, be increasing. The amount of self discipline required makes "buy and hold" look really easy. It'd be very interesting to find out what exact algorithm Brend Arends had in mind. I think you bring up a very good point...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Oct 27, 2013 2:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The cult of PE10 - so what?
Replies: 99
Views: 11229

Re: The cult of PE10 - so what?

I have been reading quite a bit here recently. I notice a rather odd paradox, and I would like to solicit thoughts. Why then the interest in debating PE10? What is actionable as a result of this calculation, whilst also considering the prove points of Market Timing? - Jason You cannot accuse the BogleHeads of being a part of the "Cult of PE10", because Bogleheads.org was originally founded in an effort to ban a poster (Rob Bennett) from discussing PE10 and "valuation-informed investing" (his term). If anything, we are the anti-cult. Just a point of clarification, Mr. Bennett wasn't banned because he wanted to "discuss" his investing strategy. He was banned because he demanded that his views and beliefs be acce...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Oct 24, 2013 3:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How Much Does Vehicle Safety Matter?
Replies: 55
Views: 4983

Re: How Much Does Vehicle Safety Matter?

It matters a lot to me. And more every year the older I get. Nobody gets out of here alive but I'd like to delay the inevitable as long as possible. I've always thought dying on the job would be a very cruel twist of fate...dying while driving to get somewhere ranks a close second.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Oct 17, 2013 1:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How many square feet is your home?
Replies: 162
Views: 17816

Re: How many square feet is your home?

1050. A condo. Actually, it's the middle unit of a triplex with an attached 2-car garage but legally designated as a condo. I'm in the middle unit which is ok at present as owners on both sides are quiet. I did have a miserable year some years ago when a previous owner on one side allowed his high school age son and friends to live in his unit when he moved back to his home country. I just about went nuts. Homicidally nuts! Fortunately he sold during the bubble to a quiet single woman who overpaid so she won't be moving anytime soon. If she ever does I'll either move or invest heavily in soundproofing. Cheap living, total expenses--tax, utilities, insurance, etc--less than $400 a month. At present looking to rent part of the year somewhere ...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Oct 05, 2013 10:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The new safe withdrawal rate
Replies: 292
Views: 29490

Re: The new safe withdrawal rate

3) Life-long savers, especially those with frugal lifestyles are going to have an extremely difficult time emotionally withdrawing funds from their portfolio for consumption after decades of accumulation. One way to avoid this "unpleasantness" is to seek out SWR strategies with very low SWR that is consistent with long-term strong growth of principal even during the so-called "deaccumulation" phase. A personal example - I inherited an IRA at the peak of the 2000 bubble and by taking low RMD's (2-3%) I've got a pile of money that's 60% larger now, despite annual distributions and the 2000 and 2008-09 crash. I think that sort of scenario is very appealing to frugal accumulators. Via confirmation bias they are going to see...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Oct 03, 2013 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Signing up for health care
Replies: 324
Views: 38843

Re: Signing up for health care

Open enrollment for the Affordable Health Care Act for the year 2014 is October 1, 2013 through March 31, 2014 ;

source = HealthCare.gov; https://www.healthcare.gov/glossary/ope ... nt-period/

You have until December 15, 2013 to enroll and pay your first premium for your coverage to go into effect on January 1, 2014. No need to be in a big hurry, give the IT folks some time to work out the kinks in the system.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Please help me with Obamacare with low income in MO
Replies: 54
Views: 6661

Re: Please help me with Obamacare with low income in MO

Here's an article which address your dilemma which offers some information and suggestions;

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/24/your- ... .html?_r=0

Another option might be to move to another state. I grew up in Missouri but [political comment removed by admin alex]. It might be better to move to a state more concerned with the welfare of its citizens than ideology.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Sep 14, 2013 11:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Got fired earlier this week, now the boss wants me back
Replies: 123
Views: 20518

Re: Got fired earlier this week, now the boss wants me back

You have sufficient resources to tide you over a period of unemployment so I see no need to reinsert yourself into what would be an uncomfortable bordering on hostile work environment. Your pride is worth something.

Also worth mentioning is that the demand for all positions in health care, especially physician's and PA's, will soon rise significantly as the ACA ramps up to speed in January. Especially since you say you live in a metropolitan area I can't imagine you having much difficulty in finding employment elsewhere. Update your resume, keep your CME current, relax for awhile and then look for a job on your own time schedule. Good luck!
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Aug 04, 2013 12:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Got a PC: Clean crapware & other questions?
Replies: 31
Views: 4614

Re: Got a PC: Clean crapware & other questions?

I think my next pc will be a MS Signature purchased directly from Microsoft to avoid just this problem.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msu ... tSignature
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Jul 31, 2013 8:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How and when did you do it - to get to 1 Million
Replies: 129
Views: 31289

Re: How and when did you do it - to get to 1 Million

Via a large position in my employer's stock held in an ESPP and 401k. That's also how later I came to lose a half million.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Jul 21, 2013 7:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Sad news - Pat Larimore]
Replies: 225
Views: 26695

Re: [Sad news - Pat Larimore]

My condolences as well. I hope it is of some comfort to you knowing she lived a full and happy life and was much loved by her husband and all the others she touched during her time on earth.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Jun 29, 2013 7:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What was your worst investment?
Replies: 100
Views: 13871

Re: What was your worst investment?

Investing in an LLC which made a down payment on a note for a parcel of raw land in southern Utah just before the real estate bubble burst. The syndicators had put together several successful LLC's previously for select parcels across Las Vegas and had expanded to other locations scattered around the West. All of those turned quickly and made great profits for their investors, a fact which was much bragged about at the syndicator's lavish annual gatherings of all the LLC's. I put up a sum of money (not huge but the same as I paid for my first house) which was far below what most of my more deep-pocketed fellow investors were fronting. I told myself at the time when they start looking to small fish like me for funds the party was just about ...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Jun 24, 2013 2:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Auto Seat Covers
Replies: 3
Views: 667

Re: Auto Seat Covers

I bought a pair of Costco Sideless Sheepskin seat covers which I'm reasonably satisfied with. Every now and then they have them on sale.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Jun 12, 2013 12:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pay cash for house, then get mortgage
Replies: 9
Views: 3161

Re: Pay cash for house, then get mortgage

Ok, thanks. I live in Las Vegas so I understand the current shortage of resales is driving up prices and cash buyers generally trump those relying upon financing. While I'll be paying cash it'll be for a house I intend to live in long-term rather than as an investment. I think the shortage of resales is driven largely by banks controlling the pace of foreclosures but whether that's true or not makes no difference, the relative shortage of houses for sale is what it is.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Pay cash for house, then get mortgage
Replies: 9
Views: 3161

Pay cash for house, then get mortgage

http://homes.yahoo.com/blogs/spaces/homebuying-cash-king-again-222401172.html “They pull the money out of portfolios or they borrow it from Mom and Dad, or I know of an instance recently where they basically liquidated everything they had, paid cash on a $700,000 home, then they will go back and take out a mortgage on it and pay themselves back,” says Atlanta Realtor Bill Golden, an independent agent with RE/MAX Metro Atlanta Cityside. Can someone explain the logic behind this to me? If I were to pay cash for a house (which I probably will at some point in the near future), what would I gain by immediately getting a mortgage on that house? And how does one get a mortgage on a house you own free-and-clear, wouldn't that be a home equity loan...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Tue Jun 11, 2013 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tap IRA early or use SS early ??
Replies: 121
Views: 11881

Re: Tap IRA early or use SS early ??

Laurence Kotlikoff has a fee-based program When Should I Take Social Security to Maximize My Benefits http://www.maximizemysocialsecurity.com/ which purports to answer such questions. I have no idea whether it does or not, just providing a link for anyone who cares to take a look. PBS Newshour also has a link to 34 Social Security Secrets You Need to Know Now http://www.pbs.org/newshour/businessdesk/2012/07/social-security-secrets-you-ne.html in which Kotlikoff addresses some of the issues raised in this thread. And apparently PBS is hosting ongoing q&a sessions featuring Mr. Kotlikoff as well; Larry Kotlikoff's Social Security original 34 "secrets", his additional secrets, his Social Security "mistakes" and his Soci...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Wed Jun 05, 2013 6:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: .
Replies: 55
Views: 15690

Re: Selling older car vs. keeping it for low level use

Not every decision comes down to looking only at numbers. If keeping an old car which you're not going to use much but is very convenient to have around for those time you do, why not? I don't have to go out to a restaurant for dinner and could eat more inexpensively at home but I enjoy going out so I do. I think it's a mistake to look at everything in terms of dollars and cents. My 2¢. :happy
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sat Jun 01, 2013 9:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Possible to Get a Positive Return on a Fixer-Upper?
Replies: 18
Views: 2471

Re: Possible to Get a Positive Return on a Fixer-Upper?

The OP is a timely post for me as well. My girlfriend has an older house in Las Vegas (which means 20+ years here :happy) house with good bones and in a good neighborhood but with lots of deferred maintenance. Everything works but is dated. I look at the place and to me it needs new cabinets everywhere, floor coverings, paint, light fixtures, window coverings, a/c and furnace, etc. I've thought maybe we should fix it up before she sells it but I don't have the skills to do it myself. Based on Internet research and what folks have mentioned in this thread I think it's best to sell it as is. Vegas is a peculiar market at the moment...lots of recovery in housing since the Great Recession but my own personal opinion is that much of the recent p...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun May 26, 2013 3:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Walkable Place to Retire
Replies: 86
Views: 12426

Re: Best Walkable Place to Retire

Aspen definitely, but too rich for my blood. Ski towns in general are usually a good bet, albeit usually very pricey. There are areas in most cities which are walkable; downtown St. Louis, Plaza area of KC and LoDo Denver to name a few. I'm looking for the same thing. I'm thinking the idea of looking primarily for a neighborhood with a nearby grocery store and some retail and eateries might prove more fruitful than looking for an entire town/city to fill the bill. Searching for the perfect might be chasing windmills in an automobile-centric country like the U.S.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun May 26, 2013 1:19 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Remember this Memorial Day
Replies: 14
Views: 2092

Re: Remember this Memorial Day

I do. And I remember my father, now resting in Ft. Scott National Cemetery. WWII, Marine, shot by a sniper on Bloody Nose Ridge during the Battle of Peleliu leaving him partially disabled. I'm glad he lived long enough to overcome most of the demons which haunted him from the experience for much of his life. It's still difficult to reconcile the gentle and kind man he became with the father he was when my brothers and I were younger. Time heals all wounds.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Fri May 10, 2013 7:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: another post on dividend strategies
Replies: 26
Views: 2688

Re: another post on dividend strategies

bilperk The problem is that a div strategy IS a value strategy, so you are relying on the value premium, only you don't get really get it, much lower returns than either BtM, P/S, P/E or P/C Again dividends only create an illusion of safety. The idea that we hear that dividends prevent you from having to sell stocks in downturns to raise cash simply shows that people don't understand that the company paying the dividend is in effect selling shares for you to give you cash the price drops reflecting the dividend-the company clearly is worth less by the value of the dividend plus the value of the future earnings on the dividend that was paid) Larry Assuming of course that the retained dividends are employed in such a manner as to be additive...
by Yipee-Ki-O
Thu Apr 25, 2013 8:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are we in a stock bubble?
Replies: 49
Views: 5990

Re: Are we in a stock bubble?

A certain individual very significant to the founding of Bogleheads insists we're in a bubble...and have been since 1996, the year stocks became "insanely overvalued" causing him to bail out of the market. Totally. He's waiting to buy stocks until PE10's drop into the single digits and/or we enter the Second Great Depression. He also stated recently that the S&P 500 Index will drop 65% by the end of 2015. Gar-on-teed! So there you have it. My source has an impeccable reputation :wink: so consider yourselves duly warned.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Apr 15, 2013 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying Tires at Costco
Replies: 38
Views: 38666

Re: Buying Tires at Costco

I've purchased two sets of tires from Costco but will never repeat that mistake again. The last time I waited in line for well over a half hour for my turn with the single person behind the counter. And at least at my Costco you do the same routine whether you want to get your tires rotated or a flat repaired. Or to buy a battery for that matter. Discount Tire offers prices which are equivalent or nearly so and they take appointments. Costco does many things very well but selling tires is not among them, at least in my experience.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Mon Mar 18, 2013 1:05 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: POLL: Withdrawal Rates For Real Retirees
Replies: 87
Views: 10211

Re: POLL: Withdrawal Rates For Real Retirees

tadamsmar wrote:I see some happy heirs in the future :happy
Exactly! My guess is for most Bogleheads the real question is how big a pile of money they leave behind; not the possibility of them running out of money while still kicking.
by Yipee-Ki-O
Sun Mar 17, 2013 10:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: POLL: Withdrawal Rates For Real Retirees
Replies: 87
Views: 10211

Re: POLL: Withdrawal Rates For Real Retirees

I'm with Taylor. Being neither an engineer nor numbers oriented, I just spend what I need to spend. And as the child of Depression Era parents I tend to spend carefully. Sometimes at the end of the year I'll doodle on the back of an envelope to see what percentage I've withdrawn from my portfolio but more often than not I don't because it doesn't much interest me. It's worked for eight years now as my portfolio is larger now than when I retired. And once I hit Social Security age I figure I'll really be in tall cotton. I once worried about my lack of affinity and aptitude for numbers but I've come to appreciate that lacking both traits save me from much of the anxiety I see on display in the regular threads on SWR's.