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earlywynnfan

Haven't seen this: If he's taking a car, make sure you have AAA.

earlywynnfan

Pretty much all I read are WWII Pacific books. I'm lots of fun at parties!

Really like Hornfischer as an author. Another author I like is Bill D Ross. Informational yet reads like a novel

I usually don't choose "interview" books, but recently finished "The Pacific War Remembered" by John T Mason. Full of oral histories from admirals and generals, I found it quite insightful.

One book that really jumped out, for some reason one WWII book that hooked me like no other, is "The Heart of Hell" by Mitch Weiss. About a gunboat during the Iwo Jima invasion. IMHO, just an incredible book. I took it on a beach vacation, and I found myself reading instead of going outside.

earlywynnfan

Nobody asked me, but I'd like to chime in with looking at a Miele. Installed it myself, only had it two years, but absolutely love it.

earlywynnfan

Speed Queen!! (I'm known in my circles for yelling that out whenever anyone talks appliances. I also don't get invited out much.)

You'll use more water, but less electricity because it runs a much shorter time than others.

I have a Miele dishwasher and vacuum, I love their quality, but SQ all the way, and made in America. I don't know if you can buy them anymore without electronic boards.

earlywynnfan

This is a cool thread! My father is in his early 70's, small business owner. He'll die at his desk, and he'll be happy the whole time. FiL (teacher) retired at normal age. First year, he was miserable, and miserable to be around. He had zero purpose to life. He eventually filled his time at the senior center, both enjoying and leading activities. Plus golf and grandkids, he enjoyed himself until he passed. The message I learned by watching him is that I need to be around other people, don't just sit home. The TV is NOT interactive, or healthy. DW and I are looking at retiring in 8-10 years. We have been proactive in what we want to do. We've bought the snowbird home, we're scouting trips we want to take. We are active outside. I know I will...

earlywynnfan

Keenobserver wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 10:42 am Checkout Cadalac Lyriq

Gorgeous-looking car! I called my local dealer and he said there's no way to drive, you just have to order one. I like the Polestar, too.

I'm in line for two Fisker Oceans for next year. Too late for tax incentives, and I cannot imagine the price won't go up. Their Pear is intriguing, too, and supposed to be built in OH.

I'm able to wait for the car I want. If my current car gets totaled today, I'm probably buying a Bolt.

earlywynnfan

Personally, found Sling limited and Hulu awkward to use. Have fubo, like it a lot.

earlywynnfan

I'm on my second fully electric car. I had a Tesla 3 and decided I wanted something bigger. After shopping around, I did go with another Tesla, a used Model Y. The EV6 and Ioniq and MachE are great cars, but the Y is bigger with more storage and at this point in time (but probably not for much longer) Tesla has the only charging infrastructure to allow road trips with little inconvenience. I've also gotten very spoiled by the constant over-the-air improvements and the ability to precondition, not have a physical key, etc. As far as how long it takes to charge, it's just a different way of thinking. I've NEVER run out of miles during my daily drive, and I drive quite a bit. Kid drop off, work, activities, date night dinner all in one day. I...

earlywynnfan

Two reasons why I am looking forward to replacing my aging ICE vehicles with all-electrics is the lack of maintenance issues (oil changes, etc) and never having to stop at a gas station again. So to me an EV is strongly preferable to a hybrid. To me, a hybrid or plug in hybrid is superior to an EV due to 1.) MSRP 2.) Equipment needed to home charge 3.) Amount of time needed to charge up vs fuel up 4.) Maintenance is not as big a problem as EV enthusiasts lead you to believe 1.) EVs are still much more expensive than ICE or hybrids/plug in hybrids. My Prius was $24k brand new. (Now they are $27-$33k). EVs are $66k on average. Cheaper if you want a bolt, which I absolutely do not want. 2.) I just had solar installed ($28k) and still need to ...

earlywynnfan

When we visited Asheville last summer, we loved Early Girl eatery. Simple, farm-fresh ingredients, definitely not pub fare. Might be a great breakfast option.

earlywynnfan

When our fridge was getting wonky, I dove into the research and was intrigued by a Beko. But the repair was simple so I didn't buy, it's just in my saved list.

As for actually buying, I have had great luck buying online from AJ Madison

earlywynnfan

I will let others answer as to the ROTH conversion aspect. But for Q3, I'd like to offer my 2 cents: SIMPLICITY! From what I'm seeing, you've won the game. You have accumulated more than you will ever use. Congrats! If I were in your shoes, I'd look for two things: Don't squander it , and set myself up so I don't have to think about it in any way , except "Honey, we got another check, how shall we spend it?" You will get all sorts of amazing advice on where to put this to make it grow more. Regular rebalancing, watching, etc. But it doesn't seem like you have an interest in that, and I really don't see why you'd want to. I'd rather be at the beach, or horseback riding, or flying my family for vacations. Or doing wordle on my patio...

earlywynnfan

I'm not your big expert here, but I feel I know just enough to be dangerous. Here is the advice I'd give my 21-year old, or, the advice I wish someone would have given me long ago.

I agree that the Fido costs are a little high. Not nearly as bad as some on here, but noticeably worse than Van. I'm a huge fan of Target Date funds, but in this case I'd just plow it all into your Van choice (me: VINIX.) If you believe in bonds at your age (I'm quite aggressive), then earmark 10% to VBTIX. Or add some International if you choose.

Question: do you have the option to make this ROTH? You might still be a good candidate for a roth. If so, I'd suggest 401K to at least the match, then IRA Roth maxxed, then any more into the 401K.

earlywynnfan

What about buying a vacation rental? A property manager will take a bigger bite (mine is 20%), but other than major repairs it's run quite smoothly. You get to use it for two weeks vacation every year, more if you work on it while you're there. It won't give you the payback other assets would, but it doesn't sound like you need to be squeezing out dimes anyways. Solid, slow-grow investment that you can also use. And down the road, you might appreciate a destination spot much more than a rental house around the corner. Your kids might enjoy growing up with regular trips to the beach or lakefront or something.

earlywynnfan

richard.h.gao wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 9:55 pm
student wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 9:49 pm
d404040 wrote: ↑Thu May 12, 2022 9:17 pm
Just transfer to Merrill Edge, it's essentially a same no fee self-directed account you're getting a Fidelity.
I did that to keep my BOA credit card, However, certain transactions are like 20 bucks. I bought once and that fund just sits there now. I have a separate one at Vanguard.

earlywynnfan

Everybody needs to understand asset classes, tax implications, and how you manage your investments. Why? At various times I've heard every should know how to: change their own oil, grill a steak, choose a healthy diet, do their own taxes, measure to the nearest 1/16", balance a checkbook, be fair and balanced in a political argument, and more. Why?? If daughter A wants to know all about investing and makes intelligent choices while understanding asset classes, tax implications, and how to manage her investments while continuing to fully plan for and fund her retirement accounts, and daughter B doesn't want to know anything more about investing besides she has a target date fund and she continues to fully fund her retirement accounts, ...

earlywynnfan

saver1 wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 2:41 pm
earlywynnfan wrote: ↑Wed Apr 27, 2022 12:52 pm Is your friend far out from retirement? Perhaps if he has a cheap Vanguard total market fund available (I have Institutional Index, I know that's a popular one), maybe he can choose it and let it go wild. Maybe make a note to himself on his investment folder something like this: "Self, when you hit 50, open an IRA and add some bonds."
Yes, he is far from retirement, but I still think the target date fund is best for him.

I'd agree, just throwing out another suggestion. I think TD funds are fantastic for the overwhelming majority.

earlywynnfan

Is your friend far out from retirement? Perhaps if he has a cheap Vanguard total market fund available (I have Institutional Index, I know that's a popular one), maybe he can choose it and let it go wild. Maybe make a note to himself on his investment folder something like this: "Self, when you hit 50, open an IRA and add some bonds."

earlywynnfan

I am several years away from joining you retirees, but this thread is great for me.

Question: When budgeting, did any of you try to follow the 4% rule, or some variant? I'm asking because an article a while back has really stuck with me. It described more of a sliding scale, so early in retirement you'd aim for, say, 7% withdrawal. But by a later age, you're barely taking 3%. This assumes that as you get up there, you are much less likely to take those trips or renovate the bathrooms. Plus, early on you still can be a bit more aggressive with the investments. This seemed to make a lot of sense to me.

Is anyone putting something like this into practice?

earlywynnfan

If your daughter is down on herself for not getting into the "Tier 1" schools that her classmates got into, perhaps she would be best off at somewhere completely different. College is a step, not the destination. She will blossom if she finds HER setting. Which campus did she like better? Did she feel "at home" at any of them?? I'm sorry, this is very important, too. Personal side note, my daughter loved Pitt. Her mother and I couldn't get past the fact that to get to the building where she'd be spending most of her time, she had to walk past bums and payday loan shops. We didn't love the armed guard at the door. So we nixxed Pitt. Sorry, daughter. (We kept touring, found another school. Walked around campus, even chatte...

earlywynnfan

Looking for opinions: HS senior daughter about to turn 18 and graduate. In the fall she'll be going to college in the next state, roughly 5 hours away. She currently has a 2016 Honda HR-V w/ 66K miles that we got for her almost two years ago. The goal is for her to have a solid car through college and into adulthood. We feel that the car she has is perfect for that. However, with trade-ins being what they are, I am debating upgrading for her. I found the same car, but a new 2022. Obviously, upgraded tech and safety features. Trade-in value looks about 15K, new car out door 27K. So my dilemma is, is this worth the 12K to upgrade? Instinct says no. Important for a kid to learn the value of having enough, and to earn their way to more. Only c...

earlywynnfan

audioengr wrote: ↑Fri Apr 01, 2022 1:31 pm https://cars.usnews.com/cars-trucks/compare

When I compared the two models - Honda HR-V LX CVT 2016 to Honda HR-V LX CVT 2022, hardly any changes.

We talked about upgrading our 16 yr old son's 2011 Hyundai Sonata to something with newer safety features, but couldn't justify the cost difference.
We're putting the $10K we would have spent into his UTMA.

Yeah, this thread made me go back and look. The civics have all sorts of improvements, but the HR-V seems to be pretty much the exact same car. That's a definite check in the No column.

earlywynnfan

Pretty sure you missed my point with this thread. I am not buying my kids an expensive car every two years. I have bought them each a quality car to last through college and into adulthood, hopefully. The point of my asking was whether, due to abnormal trade-in rates, it would be a smart money move to put the money into upgrading this car now and buying off years/mileage/future repairs. That's it. I know we all have different backgrounds and we have different ideas on how to raise our children. But my kids are hard-working and have suffered, struggled, and succeeded (and failed) to get themselves where they are, too. They are not lazy freeloaders; they are good kids who are putting in the work to make themselves successful in life. I'm sor...

earlywynnfan

No part of you wants your children to have an easier time than you had? 2016 Honda with 66k miles in 2022 (so 6 year old car) is ALREADY an easier time than I bet most of us had as teen-agers. And SOME adversity is good for the soul... It builds character, and you appreciate what you have more.. Don't ever buy a kid a new expensive car... Then they will never appreciate it. It will be their normal. It's good to live in a crappy apartment and drive a crappy car when young; then you're actually pretty happy with just a decent apartment and a decent car, and ecstatic when you get a house and a nice car. Start them at awesome, and what do they have to look forward to or strive for? Too late. I bought them an expensive car and turns out they di...

earlywynnfan

Didn't expect so many replies so soon! Thank you to everybody. Couple clarifications: She could survive without a car at college, but she will be doing field hours from the very start. Most of these will involve a 20 min ride to the next big city, but some will be to other locations around the area. This only came up because I don't feel re-sale values will ever be like this again in the near future. A plan is in place for college expenses, and we are already helping her with a ROTH. There are no plans to buy a new car after college. The plan is for this one to get her through and hopefully beyond, when she starts her adult life she can either enjoy a car that's still a plus or choose to buy a new one. If I am so inclined at that time to he...

earlywynnfan

Looking for opinions:

HS senior daughter about to turn 18 and graduate. In the fall she'll be going to college in the next state, roughly 5 hours away. She currently has a 2016 Honda HR-V w/ 66K miles that we got for her almost two years ago. The goal is for her to have a solid car through college and into adulthood. We feel that the car she has is perfect for that.

However, with trade-ins being what they are, I am debating upgrading for her. I found the same car, but a new 2022. Obviously, upgraded tech and safety features. Trade-in value looks about 15K, new car out door 27K.

So my dilemma is, is this worth the 12K to upgrade?

earlywynnfan

I am in the Q for a Fisker SUV. Won't be arriving until 2023, except the top of the line version. I can wait.

I did look into the Polestar, it isn't available anywhere near me. The dealer laughed when I asked if any would be available, unfortunately.

Looked into the Rivian, it's size is nice but it's far more money.

earlywynnfan

https://www.doctorofcredit.com/

Great place to see the current rewards.

earlywynnfan

Not much more to add, but I fall into the "pension means I can be more aggressive" camp.

I'd like to second the suggestion of Vanguard's Lifestrategy Funds. If you can find your comfortable risk level, then you can park the money there and never have to tinker. (I know myself well enough to know that I cannot start tinkering, it will be my doom.) I am all-in on the 80/20, and during retirement my goal is to be at 60/40.

Whichever you decide, I think plowing money into one of these funds, at a level that you can ignore the temptation to fiddle with, is a fantastic 40-year plan that will lead you to a very happy destination.

earlywynnfan

I get them, too

earlywynnfan

So I want to buy an EV. Budget around $55-60k max before any credits, but the cheaper the better. We will have 2 cars, one will still be an ICE. The first question seems to be Tesla vs the Competition. The Competition seems to be improving rapidly and there are lots of intriguing cars. ID.4 and Ioniq 5 would probably be the ones I'd look at primarily. The issue here is the charging network. We take a lot of road trips from the SF Bay Area down to the LA area, and also go to Nevada and Arizona once in a while. The Supercharger network from here to LA seems very extensive and well thought out. Electrify America, not so much. Superchargers also seem to be in "safer" places (esp at night) like near hotels or 24/7 truck stop type area...

earlywynnfan

So I want to buy an EV. Budget around $55-60k max before any credits, but the cheaper the better. We will have 2 cars, one will still be an ICE. The first question seems to be Tesla vs the Competition. The Competition seems to be improving rapidly and there are lots of intriguing cars. ID.4 and Ioniq 5 would probably be the ones I'd look at primarily. The issue here is the charging network. We take a lot of road trips from the SF Bay Area down to the LA area, and also go to Nevada and Arizona once in a while. The Supercharger network from here to LA seems very extensive and well thought out. Electrify America, not so much. Superchargers also seem to be in "safer" places (esp at night) like near hotels or 24/7 truck stop type area...

earlywynnfan

I've had two Brauns and both were Meh to me. I bought an Andis and love it. It doesn't have a trimmer, which really sucks, and it is about as loud as a chainsaw. But I love how well it works.

earlywynnfan

I'm a big believer in simplicity even if it costs me a bit in the long run. Your Target Date fund has unfortunately high(ish) ER, but I don't think you'd be unhappy 40 years from now if you just stuck with it.

My kids are a little younger than you, and I have them in US total market. They won't freak and pull out when times are tough, so no bonds for them until way down the road. The 1/3 slices are an excellent suggestion, again you will have a great retirement portfolio in the end, but you might want to ask if you want that much in bonds right now, or in overseas.

earlywynnfan

anoop wrote: ↑Sat Mar 05, 2022 1:25 am
earlywynnfan wrote: ↑Fri Mar 04, 2022 12:09 pm If you like the Bose wave (I love mine), ebay or Amazon will surely have unopened old stock. That's pretty much the only place I'll buy electronics.
Why not directly from Bose since it is still available?

Price; I'm cheap

earlywynnfan

If you like the Bose wave (I love mine), ebay or Amazon will surely have unopened old stock. That's pretty much the only place I'll buy electronics.

earlywynnfan

My oldest is still in college, and she and I agree that 10% to retirement is both fair and doable. She will probably decide to up that when she gets a "real" job, but she's my saver.

earlywynnfan

Freefun wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 1:54 pm
earlywynnfan wrote: ↑Wed Feb 16, 2022 12:07 pm For me, it's simple: I love the Lifestrategy funds.

The rest I have in Fidelity, though.
+1

I like the lifestrategy funds as well but I have them through Schwab. Superior customer service.

makes sense, I've been lucky or clueless enough that I haven't had to use customer service for them, so I have no critique. I just log on occasionally and move some money.

I also have Fidelity, and I agree that SO much info is there that I get overwhelmed trying to find something, but I figure that's more a "me" problem than a "them" problem.

earlywynnfan

For me, it's simple: I love the Lifestrategy funds.

The rest I have in Fidelity, though.

earlywynnfan

Based only on your age (which is not the only factor involved) I'd suggest something between 80% stocks on the aggressive side and 65% stocks on the conservative side. Do you have any ideas at this point where you want to be in terms of risk? I am ok with risk. You would recommend 80% stocks and 20% bonds in each of the accounts? This will not get fixed until you are ready to leave your Edward Jones advisor, but so far, you have not mentioned that. What are your thoughts? I told them I want to simplify and go to less expenses, he is offering to reimburse me expenses to setup a stock based account. I am trying to figure out if I should have them sell the assets or move in kind over and sell somewhere else? Any advice ? A general guideline i...

earlywynnfan

I know there are a lot of "where do I keep my downpayment" type threads, but this one has me at a loss. MiL gave both of my daughters a small amount of seed money, which we are going to put aside for house funds for them. We're talking 4 figures. By nature, I'm a pretty aggressive investor for my own finances, but I'd hate to see this lose value. My girls are 18 and 19, so there's maybe a 5-7 year window?? I'm also an ostrich, so I don't want to have to shuffle it around, just somewhere to set and forget.

So where would you guys park this?

Thanks, Ken

earlywynnfan

Well, if it's uplift you want, SFIA has an entire episode on literal uplift . ETA: More seriously, YouTube built around showing you things that you are personally very interested in. I linked SFIA because I'm interested in science & futurism, and, yes, he gives you very good reasons to be optimistic about the future. If you're mostly interested in police chases, natural disasters, crime, and politics, well... that's what's going to show up on your feed. The latest channel I'm thoroughly addicted to? The Charismatic Voice - a professional opera singer offering her first reactions & vocal analysis of various songs (including a lot of heavy metal, which I'd previously never enjoyed; still not my thing, but it gave me a better respect ...

earlywynnfan

I love theDodo, stories about people adopting shelter pets.

earlywynnfan

Are you close to the ocean in SC? I have a home on one of the barrier islands, and that SC sun is a killer!! The metal roofs there all show fading, and it's not pretty. It's expensive to keep replacing shingle roofs, but at least they look nice.

I looked into a metal roof for my OH home a while back, and no matter what I looked into, it was twice the life expectancy for twice the cost. That didn't seem like a win.

earlywynnfan

2nd the West Side Market in Cleveland, but don't buy fruit/produce from the outer ring, it's usually old.

In Columbus, I suggest Skillet restaurant for breakfast. True Farm-to-Table, it's amazing!

earlywynnfan

We saw a beach condo we really liked and went ahead and bought it with cash . Yeah, we know market is high but we had the cash and this is exactly what we wanted to buy and was the last one in this particular spot .We love it and enjoy it ! We want to enjoy it before our kids are out of the house in 3-4 years and plan to hold it long enough for our grandkids to enjoy We figured it won’t make a difference if we hold it for another 15-20 years This is kind of what we were thinking when we bought last year. It's in our happy place. The house had been on the market for a long time, and this was just at the beginning of things going gonzo. It's one of the smaller houses in the resort, and we feel we paid a fair price. Worst case scenario: we ge...

earlywynnfan

Filed electronically on Oct 14, received Fed within 3 weeks. Haven't heard from State yet. Guess I'm a lucky one!

earlywynnfan

I cannot comment on the Cordless Miele, but we have a cannister version, and I'm amazed at how well it picks up around the edges of the baseboards. I would be amazed if you got the Miele and, once in your hand, thought of a Hoover. No way!!

earlywynnfan

Another vote for Speed Queen. My wife and I have a pact: If our house ever catches on fire, after we get the kids and dogs out, she'll run back in for the family photos and I'll run back in for the Speed Queens.

earlywynnfan

I have friends in this position. My advice to them is to pick a Vanguard/Fidelity/Schwab target date index fund and plow as much as they can into it. A 3-fund with rebalancing will possibly earn a bit over over a long run, but for the simplicity of it, a TD is nearly perfect for a large population.

(Assuming this is just about portfolio wealth accumulation. Advisors can help with other financial dealings.)

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