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Our windows were manufactured by Peachtree. They went out of business/sold out sometime around 2009. No replacement glass is available, so the repairman special ordered double pane replacements from his source. They fit well & you can’t tell the difference from the original. Once again, just new glass, not new windows.

I tried to pay our property tax bill in January & the county’s fee was exactly 9%. Staggering! So I opted to pay using an e-check with no fee added.

We replaced the double paned glass in (2) 24” x 72” wood windows in 2019. Both were part of a (6) window unit in our great room & badly clouded. The repairman measured & ordered the glass. When the glass came in four weeks later, they removed the individual windows from the unit, changed out the glass by disassembling & reassembling the bottom rail & then they reinstalled the windows. $500 per unit seemed expensive, but when you look @ $10K plus to replace the entire 14’ unit, it was a bargain. Also, it would have been very difficult to replace the entire unit & maintain the structural integrity of that large of an opening.

In the past, I’ve transferred as much as $85K from there to my local bank.

OP,
People that have health issues will choose the G plan because they need it. Why would I pick the crappiest coverage knowing that I will eventually need every joint in my body replaced? Westfall is a talking head & probably falls under the heading of nobody knows nothing. Choose the plan that best fits your needs now & in the future. As medical costs increase & people age, premiums will rise

Millions or thousands?

We are a family of 3 and our house came with an 80 gallon electric water heater. We switched over to a Rheem 50 gallon hybrid unit (was nervous about the size reduction but the premium for 65 seemed large). At the 1 year mark we are very pleased. Seems quiet (down in basement), and we see a real monthly savings and have no issues with hot water even when the in-laws visit. I really like the included phone app. I set it for high performance during the morning hours and economy most of the time. I paid $1,200 for mine after an instant local rebate. Saved another $300 on my federal taxes now, and can't remember what I paid for install but is was about $1,000 (which I thought was high...almost wish I did it myself). Do they still use a thin fo...

We are a family of 3 and our house came with an 80 gallon electric water heater. We switched over to a Rheem 50 gallon hybrid unit (was nervous about the size reduction but the premium for 65 seemed large). At the 1 year mark we are very pleased. Seems quiet (down in basement), and we see a real monthly savings and have no issues with hot water even when the in-laws visit. I really like the included phone app. I set it for high performance during the morning hours and economy most of the time. I paid $1,200 for mine after an instant local rebate. Saved another $300 on my federal taxes now, and can't remember what I paid for install but is was about $1,000 (which I thought was high...almost wish I did it myself). Do they still use a thin fo...

Costco. I know multiple people who own an air mattress purchased there. Apparently, they have had them on sale in the past.

There is currently an article on Insider.com regarding converter thefts.
“ People are getting crushed to death during alleged catalytic converter thefts, a crime on the rise that's now taking a toll on more than just cars.”

Sometimes, karma bites you in the a**. Personally, no pity if you’re that stupid or lazy!

Capricorn212 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:43 pm

celia wrote: ↑Fri Mar 10, 2023 2:06 pm It doesn’t matter that much what you (or us) think. The decision is up to the three of you.

If you’ve received your share of the undisputed estate and it is over $250k (meaning the estate was over a million plus $250k), personally I would just call it a day. Life is too short to spend it on an extended lawsuit.

The entire estate was, about $500 million - and maybe calling it a day, is really the best option and moving on.

If this is an accurate amount, why quibble over $250K?? In the big picture, that’s not much $.

The lower the vehicle sits, the harder it is for some lowlife to steal your catalytic converter. Reciprocating saws are great, but someone did the driving public a disservice by making them battery powered. Etching a D/L or SS number on the converter only keeps the honest scrapyards from dealing with the crook. That still leaves plenty of others willing to buy it. I think it's supposed to be the VIN # to tie it back to its original vehicle. Would not put SS on that. There are anti-theft cages too, but they can cause drag and road noise. I read trucks, sports cars, and Toyota Prius (??) are targets when this type of thing happens. The VIN makes absolute sense. Thanks for the correction! Even with that, only some of the scrapyards will pay a...

The lower the vehicle sits, the harder it is for some lowlife to steal your catalytic converter. Reciprocating saws are great, but someone did the driving public a disservice by making them battery powered. Etching a D/L or SS number on the converter only keeps the honest scrapyards from dealing with the crook. That still leaves plenty of others willing to buy it.

Out of curiosity, during your joint phone call with your brother’s advisor, please ask him how they were able to avoid having a loss in 2022. If possible, please post his response here. My thought would be they kept all funds in a MMF, a savings account, or a safe deposit box, because nearly every investment except cash got beat up last year.

I don’t think anyone knows better than you as to what you can afford & how much it will impact your fun money. If you want it, go get it. To me, it looks like you can certainly afford it. Personally, I can’t imagine heating, cooling, maintaining & cleaning that large home in retirement. FWIW, it sure does sound like humblebrag.

Earlier you mentioned stickers, but you also mention a “transponder.” Transponders are not RFID stickers and should be easily removed /replaced using velcro. Transponders are not permanently installed. Only the RFID stickers are destroyed if you remove them. The country is converting into about 4 toll protocols, and eventually two which will increase compatibility wherever back end systems are connected. License plate scanners have also improved, but some places need a transponder with a switch to declare HOV status for toll free carpools. I understand your point but that is not entirely correct in toll agency terminology. I've learned while dealing with the different agencies that the ones I've dealt with refer to both portable units and ...

Earlier you mentioned stickers, but you also mention a “transponder.” Transponders are not RFID stickers and should be easily removed /replaced using velcro. Transponders are not permanently installed. Only the RFID stickers are destroyed if you remove them. The country is converting into about 4 toll protocols, and eventually two which will increase compatibility wherever back end systems are connected. License plate scanners have also improved, but some places need a transponder with a switch to declare HOV status for toll free carpools. I understand your point but that is not entirely correct in toll agency terminology. I've learned while dealing with the different agencies that the ones I've dealt with refer to both portable units and ...

Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan.

Is the sheet metal box that the fan assembly mounts into secure? If it isn’t, the you will have a significant amount of vibration & noise.

Consumer Cellular. 3 lines with unlimited talk & text, but only 3 gig of data, for $66.50 per month & that is inclusive of taxes & fees. We started on the T-Mobile network in 2016 but that was horrible. About 6 months in, I asked for a switch to AT&T & now everything is great

DW & I have our primary checking & MMA accounts at a small regional bank. We have checking & savings, both with small balances, at Capital One and investor checking at Schwab, to go along with our MMF there.

Next time, an inspection contingency is in order.

vested1 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:25 pm Looking forward to getting back to our walks. My wife had knee replacements done on both knees within the last 10 months, the last one 2 weeks ago Monday. Her knees were so bad that we got out of the routine several years ago. I swim, usually a mile, in our association pool but it's been out of commission for a month. She's 69 and I'm 70. We were walking an hour a day before she couldn't do it anymore.

I hope all goes well for her. Joint replacements kind of slow you down for a little while.

We live in northern Ohio. In 2019 we had a Bosch inverter heat pump, an American Standard air handler & WIFI communicating thermostat installed for $7970 total. I realize that was 4 years ago but the $25K quote you have is totally outrageous & probably could be considered profiteering or gouging. Please keep shopping. I’m sure there are honest contractors in your area.

Here you go:

bi·month·ly
/ˌbīˈmənTHlē/
Learn to pronounce
adjective
adjective: bi-monthly
done, produced, or occurring twice a month or every two months.
"a bimonthly newsletter"
adverb
adverb: bi-monthly
twice a month or every two months.
"the magazine appears bimonthly"
noun
noun: bi-monthly
a periodical produced twice a month or every two months.

I pay the credit card a couple of times a month. That has nothing to do with raising my credit score. I just despise owing money & do not carry a balance.

climber2020 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 9:15 pm

bradinsky wrote: ↑Fri Mar 03, 2023 11:15 am Can you buy any of Honda's or Toyota's models today for $25K?

Don’t know. In 2-3 years when the supply chain catches up, maybe.

My wife got a brand new Civic in 2021 for 20k. The timing was lucky.

I think most of the price increases we’ve seen in our country are permanent. Regardless of the industry or business, it would be difficult & unfair to retract the pay increases employees have received in the last 2 years. Based on that, higher prices & probably reduced inventories will be the norm.

retired@50 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 6:56 pm

ayounginvestor wrote: ↑Sat Mar 04, 2023 11:06 am I missed filing and paying taxes last year, and have moved countries (from the UK back to California) so I would like to get an expert to file last year as well as this year to make sure I'm all "caught up" going forward. Any tips? How did you find your tax preparer?

Thanks!

If it were me, I'd be looking for an Enrolled Agent (an IRS term) or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) to help.

Unfortunately, I don't have any suggestions other than checking with friends and relatives, asking for a recommendation. It's a tough time of year to be looking for help in this area. I suspect lots of EAs and CPAs are already booked.

Regards,

+1 Good advice! A local enrolled agent in your area would be a good choice.

I think about walking

My card will only allow a 10% overpayment. Why not call the credit card issuer & see if they will bump up your limit, whether temporarily or permanently?

My 2022 Lexus has an RFID sticker from the dealership that’s used for their free car wash & probably for check in at the dealers service department. I have a monthly unlimited plan at a local car wash. They use RFID stickers, an access gate & scanner to control access. When the wash sticker was placed 2” above the Lexus sticker, the sensor would never read the sticker. We finally moved the car wash sticker to the underside of the driver’s mirror & it now works fine.

Buy it! Regardless of the opinions of the posters here, you know you can afford it. Some here would still be using a skateboard to save a buck, if their old legs could handle it. I don’t believe that you need to justify your purchases to anyone but your spouse. I’m 70 & I have a difficult time counting all of the cars, trucks & minivans we’ve had as a family over the years. FWIW, it’s not senility but quantity.

Average new car cost in 2022 was $48K.

Why buy an SUV instead of Audi A4 or A6 allroad or Volvo V60 crosscountry? Audi wagons are pretty hard to come by in these parts, and when you do find one they are very expensive. A lot more than I’d like to pay. I did try the newer V60, and it just felt way too small. The newer Volvo wagons have an extreme slope to the back roof (presumably to look sleeker) which is at the expense of cargo space. Just seemed like a waste. You are considering a sedan which is a lot more sloped in the back :). I assume V60 should be bigger than 330. With the caveat that I was never in any of the cars I mentioned, I really do not understand the fascination with SUVs. Everything about them is worse, price, aerodynamics, weight, center of gravity, maneuverabil...

Why buy an SUV instead of Audi A4 or A6 allroad or Volvo V60 crosscountry? Audi wagons are pretty hard to come by in these parts, and when you do find one they are very expensive. A lot more than I’d like to pay. I did try the newer V60, and it just felt way too small. The newer Volvo wagons have an extreme slope to the back roof (presumably to look sleeker) which is at the expense of cargo space. Just seemed like a waste. You are considering a sedan which is a lot more sloped in the back :). I assume V60 should be bigger than 330. With the caveat that I was never in any of the cars I mentioned, I really do not understand the fascination with SUVs. Everything about them is worse, price, aerodynamics, weight, center of gravity, maneuverabil...

The most I ever want to pay for a car is 25k of today's dollars adjusted appropriately for inflation. New. I will only buy Honda and Toyota. The difference in price between a used and new car from these brands is minimal. My last car I drove for 14+ years. Transmission died on the highway. I hope to drive my current one for 15+ years. I will drive it until it also dies on the highway. Will go electric when: - >50% of the cars on the road are electric - Either Honda or Toyota makes an electric car - The price is under 25k in 2023 dollars - The battery is easily replaceable at a reasonable cost (no battery lasts 15 years, which is how long I want to drive the car at a minimum) Don't lease. Don't care about the latest and greatest. Don't care...

Certainly no reduction in Ohio’s major cities! Crime might be down because of politicians pretending it doesn’t exist in their cities & grossly understaffed police forces everywhere. Media reports mass shootings when they occur & there is a mass shooting in Chicago every weekend. Idk. Everywhere I look for crime statistics shows that crime in Ohio is much lower now than it was in the 90s and early 2000s. Not sure where you're getting your data from. This is data from the nearest large Ohio city. The most dangerous city in Ohio is Cleveland. The city has a population of 367,991 and a very high violent crime rate. Cleveland's crime rate is 5.5 times the Ohio state average and 4.3 times the national average.Dec 17, 2022 https://proper...

Sounds more like a minivan set up.

Sounds like and absolutely wonderful place. Like most large cities - they’ve pretty much turned into cesspools. Lol. In the United States, crime is down more than 40% from the early 1990s. Most of us on this board were either growing up or younger adults in the 1990s. If one tree falls in the forest every week and the news media reports on it every week, you'll suddenly think we have a major problem with trees falling in the forest. Certainly no reduction in Ohio’s major cities! Crime might be down because of politicians pretending it doesn’t exist in their cities & grossly understaffed police forces everywhere. Media reports mass shootings when they occur & there is a mass shooting in Chicago every weekend. Lol this guy 😁 I apprec...

Years ago I lived in a large city and had my car broken into twice — once when it was locked and once when it was unlocked . A co-worker advised me he always left his doors unlocked and the windows rolled down halfway. I left the hole in the dash empty where the stereo had been stolen and followed the roll down the windows advice and never had to replace another broken window. Sounds like and absolutely wonderful place. Like most large cities - they’ve pretty much turned into cesspools. Lol. In the United States, crime is down more than 40% from the early 1990s. Most of us on this board were either growing up or younger adults in the 1990s. If one tree falls in the forest every week and the news media reports on it every week, you'll sudde...

Which ever brand you choose, buy the slowest & pokiest model. Your kid doesn’t need a race car when they are just starting out.

You're not leaving money on the table unless you live past the breakeven year, as you know. Otherwise, it's designed to give you approximately the same total dollars over the years, whether you collect at 62 or 70. People who claim at 62 are probably more likely to really need the money more than someone who can afford to wait, so they have no regrets because there wasn't any alternative! There are so many individual factors, it's hard to say. Waiting until 70 is a luxury that many don't have. You'd have to find someone who could afford to wait but didn't, and then was sorry when he reached 70 and wished he had a better benefit. The people who wait until 70 because it provides a higher survivor benefit likely did not save enough money to c...

We’re both on Medicare. I never pay any medical bills, deductibles or copays until we receive our EOBs/paperwork from Medicare. I had an orthotics supplier try to overcharge me, so I called Medicare. The rep there told me that if a practice accepts assignment & they attempt to charge extra, then they are violating their Medicare rules. She told me to call the practice & tell them verbatim what she said. The practice apologized & retracted the bill. Always wait to pay any medical bill. Even if it takes a month is so.

student wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:23 am

bradinsky wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 10:09 am

exodusNH wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:52 am

bradinsky wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:48 am

exodusNH wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:37 am

Or a skimmer device and/or remote camera monitoring captured your card number and PIN entry.

Nope. I'm not & never have been a debit card used. Credit cards or cash.

You never used an ATM to withdraw cash, deposit a check, transfer funds between accounts, or to check a balance?

That's what smart phones & computers are for.

I use the same process. The only time I use such a card is at ATM machines when traveling outside of the USA.

Currently, I carry about $20 cash & 2 credit cards. That will get me through most months. So different from the old days.

Most hearing aids now connect to an app on your smartphone which will help you locate a hearing aid. That only works if the hearing aid still has a charge or battery in it. Going “dead” is a common reason for removing it. My wife has worn hearing aids for over 25 years and she has only lost one hearing aid so it may not be as common as you might think. The reason it that if it comes out you will usually quickly notice it and can look for it. If you are at home when it comes off then it will show up. Not everyone will notice the change in background noise, especially if there isn’t any or they only need one hearing aid. And some people misplace things frequently, especially as they get older. I’ve worn hearing aids for almost 15 years. I’ve...

That happened to me this past January. I used the card one time at the local bank to make sure it was functional & my pin was set correctly. After that, it was locked up in my file safe. January 27th I received a text from Schwab regarding possible fraudulent activity on my card. I called the number on the card & the rep told me someone tried to pay their Spectrum bill with my debit card number. She asked me if the card was in my possession & if it had been used recently. Yes to the 1st & no to the 2nd. She cancelled that card & ordered a replacement for me. She also suggested some security ideas & offered that I shouldn't have overdraft protection on my checking. The new card is locked & safely put away in the ...

That happened to me this past January. I used the card one time at the local bank to make sure it was functional & my pin was set correctly. After that, it was locked up in my file safe. January 27th I received a text from Schwab regarding possible fraudulent activity on my card. I called the number on the card & the rep told me someone tried to pay their Spectrum bill with my debit card number. She asked me if the card was in my possession & if it had been used recently. Yes to the 1st & no to the 2nd. She cancelled that card & ordered a replacement for me. She also suggested some security ideas & offered that I shouldn't have overdraft protection on my checking. The new card is locked & safely put away in the ...

smitcat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:44 am

bradinsky wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:06 am

smitcat wrote: ↑Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:24 am

JaneyLH wrote: ↑Mon Feb 27, 2023 1:00 pm Years ago I lived in a large city and had my car broken into twice — once when it was locked and once when it was unlocked . A co-worker advised me he always left his doors unlocked and the windows rolled down halfway. I left the hole in the dash empty where the stereo had been stolen and followed the roll down the windows advice and never had to replace another broken window.

Sounds like and absolutely wonderful place.

Like most large cities - they’ve pretty much turned into cesspools.

Fortunately, most folks on this board can reasonably choose where they live.

+1 Thank God!

That happened to me this past January. I used the card one time at the local bank to make sure it was functional & my pin was set correctly. After that, it was locked up in my file safe. January 27th I received a text from Schwab regarding possible fraudulent activity on my card. I called the number on the card & the rep told me someone tried to pay their Spectrum bill with my debit card number. She asked me if the card was in my possession & if it had been used recently. Yes to the 1st & no to the 2nd. She cancelled that card & ordered a replacement for me. She also suggested some security ideas & offered that I shouldn't have overdraft protection on my checking. The new card is locked & safely put away in the s...