Search found 9373 matches

by KyleAAA
Mon Mar 18, 2024 10:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: The NAR settlement doesn't mean what you think what it means
Replies: 44
Views: 2650

Re: The NAR settlement doesn't mean what you think what it means

• Residential real estate (which I did not practice) has a median pay equivalent to a Starbucks worker in every survey I've ever seen, and is famously high-turnover. I've never heard of a 'cartel' which doesn't pay much and where the supposed conspirators churn in and out in large numbers. Real estate brokerages are mostly small to mid-sized businesses, and the publicly traded ones where we have actual numbers are not unusually profitable or anything. It's not some kind of 'cartel' guys, it's.... a normal sales job in a normal sales industry It was found in violation of the Sherman Anti-Trust Act, so I think referring to it as a cartel is defensible. And the average narcotics dealer and even drug gang leaders made surprisingly little money...
by KyleAAA
Sun Mar 17, 2024 10:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Awesome Portfolio: 20% Stocks..20% Bonds..20% Cash..20%Real Estate, 20%Gold
Replies: 38
Views: 3943

Re: Awesome Portfolio: 20% Stocks..20% Bonds..20% Cash..20%Real Estate, 20%Gold

Sounds basically the same as the Permanent Portfolio with the addition of real estate

https://portfoliocharts.com/portfolios/ ... portfolio/

Seems like a reasonable portfolio, especially if the real estate portion is directly held.
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

Obviously a huge part of it is whether or not one has a paid off house, but either way, it's laughable. You can live off MM distributions alone right now and still make more than 90% of the population does in 1 year. 30% of Americans have virtually $0 to their name when they retire and rely on SS. The majority of Americans just have no idea what's necessary and what's a choice/luxury. A "frugal" lifestyle is cooking at home (and not a bunch of premade/ready meals) all but maybe one night a week, driving a 10 year old car, not taking a bunch of trips, wearing 5+ year old clothes, etc. And yes, you can do all of those things in coastal California. It's out-of-touch and quite frankly cringey when people say this stuff. Doing all tho...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

Not everybody can just up and move to Arkansas. Few would consider it particularly luxurious to live near family, considering that's long been the norm of human existence . KyleAAA, As per your family experience. My ancestor comes from a place that suffered 800+ famines across 800+years. It is a norm to leave your family in order to survive. It is a luxury to stay in one place. To you as a norm. To others is a luxury. Your experience and point of view is not necessary shared by others. To each its own. KlangFool I wasn't referring to my family experience, or anybody in particular's experience. It's objectively true that the vast majority of humanity has lived near family, since the beginning of time. That there exist some small sub-populat...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there. You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there. +1. Does that include a paid off house? If so, can you please share an example budget for those of us who don't understand and can make some sense of what you and KyleAAA are trying to convey. Even if your house is paid off, it can easily cost $40-50k per year in taxes and maintenance on a normal 3br/2ba home in a VHCOL area like coastal California. Income taxes are also high. The emphasis on VHCOL should be on the V. Until you move ...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

Even if your house is paid off, it can easily cost $40-50k per year in taxes and maintenance on a normal 3br/2ba home in a VHCOL area like coastal California. Income taxes are also high. The emphasis on VHCOL should be on the V. Until you move from a MCOL city to a VHCOL city, it's hard to fathom just how much of a price jump it is. I only live in Seattle, which is much cheaper than the bay area, and my usual response to seeing a $1.2m teardown house is that I should probably buy 3 because it's such a good deal. KyleAAA, And, if you make enough money to live in that area with your lifestyle, more power to you. But, it is choice. It is a luxury. It is not a frugal life style. KlangFool Not everybody can just up and move to Arkansas. Few wou...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there. Yes and no. One thing that people rarely account for in discussions like these is the nuance of mortgage payments. People either project them into perpetuity, or they deduct the entire sticker price of the home from the nest egg. The reality might be quite different. I haven't clicked the link to the article, but I suspect if this person has $5m just laying around and is talking about raising a family, they probably already have a home with significant equity in it and fewer than 30 years of payments remaining. So even if a significant amount of that retirement income is going towards h...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there. You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there. +1. Does that include a paid off house? If so, can you please share an example budget for those of us who don't understand and can make some sense of what you and KyleAAA are trying to convey. Even if your house is paid off, it can easily cost $40-50k per year in taxes and maintenance on a normal 3br/2ba home in a VHCOL area like coastal California. Income taxes are also high. The emphasis on VHCOL should be on the V. Until you move ...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 14, 2024 4:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle
Replies: 180
Views: 15199

Re: 5M, probably enough to retire to a frugal lifestyle

You may be underestimating just how expensive coastal California is. One will definitely need a strict budget to raise a family on $150-170k pre-tax there.
by KyleAAA
Tue Mar 12, 2024 12:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Website Provider Recommendation
Replies: 14
Views: 1164

Re: Website Provider Recommendation

Web hosting for small sites like that are a commodity. It doesn't matter which you choose. Almost all will offer what you're requesting. Buy based on price.
by KyleAAA
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting Vanguard website to work for me
Replies: 11
Views: 1291

Re: Getting Vanguard website to work for me

Is there an error on the Chrome developer tools console when whatever error you're running into happens? If so, that might be helpful to customer support. Vanguard is not going to be able to help diagnose computer problems. Unless other people experience the same problem , the assumption is going to be that it’s a unique issue with OP’s system. And I doubt other brokerages offer computer tech support either. OP, can you do other functions, like exchange between funds or buy shares? You can test these things up until you reach the Submit screen and then choose Cancel. Are you selling to your settlement fund or to your bank or via a mailed check? At a competent webdev shop it would be very helpful. No need for them to make assumptions. If my...
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?
Replies: 302
Views: 27439

Re: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?

LaurenRose wrote: Mon Feb 26, 2024 1:09 pm proclaims AI as the dawning of a new era, a change to overcome all previous changes with untold riches lying just ahead.

I remember hearing this....in the late 90s up to 2000 +, so I feel like I've seen this movie before.
It was true in the last 90s though, wasn't it? There have been untold riches won from the internet. It will be the same with AI. Doesn't mean everyone will share in the riches equally.
by KyleAAA
Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting Vanguard website to work for me
Replies: 11
Views: 1291

Re: Getting Vanguard website to work for me

Is there an error on the Chrome developer tools console when whatever error you're running into happens? If so, that might be helpful to customer support.
by KyleAAA
Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25558

Re: What inferior good do you love?

Doctor Rhythm wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 12:20 pm
KyleAAA wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 11:46 am Any guitar made by Squier.
Went to a Guitar Center for the first time in many years, and realized I could now afford any guitar on the wall. Walked out with the cheapest guitar in the store: a red sparkle Bullet Tele.
I love my American Tele, but no way is it 10x better than the Bullet.
by KyleAAA
Tue Feb 27, 2024 1:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Feel like I won the "game" at 41---Thoughts on Future Asset Allocation
Replies: 21
Views: 3934

Re: Feel like I won the "game" at 41---Thoughts on Future Asset Allocation

Assuming you both want to remain retired, I'd up the equity allocation to at least 50%. Even with a 2% withdrawal rate I'd be uncomfortable with a super-low equity allocation given the time horizon you're looking at. Were I in that situation I'd probably be 60-70% equity.
by KyleAAA
Mon Feb 26, 2024 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 24 year old- money problems
Replies: 50
Views: 6391

Re: 24 year old- money problems

You're doing pretty well. I don't see any red flags here at all. The interest rate on your car loan is higher than you'd like to see, but it's a recent, reliable vehicle you'll easily be able to drive for 10+ years, so that looks fine. You have a 3-month emergency fund. You can move home if you'd like but it seems like you can manage just fine without moving back home. Have you considered getting a roommate to cut your housing expense rather that moving back home? Living with roommates for a lot of your 20s to save money is a time-honored tradition. But if you're willing and your parents don't mind sure, go for it. You should be able to quickly eliminate all your debt if you go that route.
by KyleAAA
Sat Feb 24, 2024 10:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tech Compensation
Replies: 39
Views: 5179

Re: Tech Compensation

Yes, it's true. Anf not just in the bay area.Whether or not it will still be true in 15 years, I don't know.
by KyleAAA
Thu Feb 15, 2024 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25558

Re: What inferior good do you love?

Any guitar made by Squier.
by KyleAAA
Tue Feb 13, 2024 6:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: First time owing federal taxes
Replies: 39
Views: 3608

Re: First time owing federal taxes

You can withhold a little more from your paycheck or make quarterly estimated tax payments. But an $800 overpayment isn't a big deal. Just set aside money each year and pay it in April. Why give up an interest-free loan? Owing a small amount each year is the best possible outcome.
by KyleAAA
Wed Feb 07, 2024 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Why don't hiring managers offer their best offer?
Replies: 9
Views: 1166

Re: Why don't hiring managers offer their best offer?

I was changing jobs and had multiple offers in the area. I dropped a few from the get go and was interested in remaining three because I liked the team etc. I let all three of them know that I have competing offers and should give me their best offer. All of them gave me revised offer. I accepted one and, as soon as I finished the process, I let the other two know that I accepted another offer and will not be moving forward. Both are now saying they will match AND EXCEED the offer I accepted. Obviously I will not renege on the offer I accepted and am moving forward with it. Question : if hiring managers have the budget, why wouldn't they just give me their best from the get go?? Please help me understand this if you have some experience wi...
by KyleAAA
Tue Feb 06, 2024 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What's your allocation for International Stocks?
Replies: 101
Views: 6960

Re: What's your allocation for International Stocks?

International is 30% of total portfolio and 42.8% of equities. Within that international allocation, 41.67% is in VXUS, another 41.67% in AVDV, and the remaining 16.66% in DGS.
by KyleAAA
Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: China trip paranoia [visa requirements]
Replies: 68
Views: 6447

Re: China trip paranoia

We are ending a cruise in Beijing area this April. I thought it would be good to stay in Beijing for a few nights on our own post cruise since we have never been to China. Now I see we need visa’s. I see everyone posting about them hacking our phones and iPad. I see some saying they won’t accept cc or cash. I am beginning to think we should just go home at the end of the cruise and forget the add on I booked at the Marriott. The cruise begins in Hong Kong and goes to Japan, Taiwan and S.Korea. I don’t believe we need visa’s for those. Thanks. I went to China on business and the visa was pretty easy to get. But you should apply now since it might take a few weeks. I didn't have any trouble using my credit card, but for small shops/restauran...
by KyleAAA
Thu Feb 01, 2024 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One 2 Factor verification
Replies: 18
Views: 14049

Re: Capital One 2 Factor verification

If you are referring to Capital One 360, I believe their terms only permit one checking account per person. This isn’t true. We have multiple 360 checking accounts. Maybe this? https://www.capitalone.com/identity-protection/swiftid/ I’ve never seen a way to enable this, alas. Maybe it’s what people are being invited to? They do offer push notifications to your mobile app where you need to confirm it's you if it detects a suspicious login https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/privacy-security/two-factor-authentication/ This is better than nothing, and it does seem to work. I’ve had it enabled for a couple of years. I don’t like that it basically never triggers. You can’t require it on every login. Yeah, I essentially need to connect to a VP...
by KyleAAA
Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One 2 Factor verification
Replies: 18
Views: 14049

Re: Capital One 2 Factor verification

Jeev1 wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 12:04 pm seems like Capitol One is still without 2FA or similar option in 2024!

I called today, the rep took a while to understand what I was asking about; came back to say Capitol One only offers it case by case.

Anyone else is concerned about the bank not offering 2FA ?
They do offer push notifications to your mobile app where you need to confirm it's you if it detects a suspicious login
https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/p ... ntication/
by KyleAAA
Fri Jan 19, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: At what invested net worth do contributions start to matter less?
Replies: 48
Views: 8281

Re: At what invested net worth do contributions start to matter less?

When your portfolio is 10-12x your annual contributions, investment returns will start outweigh new contributions most years. You might even have some negative years despite new contributions.
by KyleAAA
Wed Jan 10, 2024 5:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How big a portfolio is okay for 100% stock?
Replies: 115
Views: 20715

Re: How big a portfolio is okay for 100% stock?

I think it's okay for any portfolio size, but it may be unsafe if you don't have much wiggle room with your expenses. I think if you get down to a 1% withdrawal rate, it's probably safe to do so. I'd probably still keep 10% or so in short term bonds or cash no matter what, but that's just me.
by KyleAAA
Sat Jan 06, 2024 10:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 10 year old wants to sit with me when I do taxes . Should I let him?
Replies: 98
Views: 16147

Re: 10 year old wants to sit with me when I do taxes . Should I let him?

If the kid is interested, I can't think of a compelling reason not to let them sit with you. Seems like a great opportunity to teach them about something they'll need to know anyway. Who cares if they blab about how much you make? It's not like it would be difficult for people to figure out about how much you make if they're interested, anyway. The taboo against discussing money is irrational.
by KyleAAA
Fri Jan 05, 2024 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New to investing in taxable accounts. Help appreciated.
Replies: 23
Views: 6120

Re: New to investing in taxable accounts. Help appreciated.

I have a son who works for Google and gets RSU's. You would immediately sell those once they vest? If so why? I don't want to own individual stock, especially in my own company. While Google is probably not going out of business there is always Enron risk. The question your son should ask when his RSUs vest is "If someone gave me money right now would I use it to buy company stock?" If the answer is yes then leave the RSUs as company stock, otherwise sell. A little story. About 40 years ago my wife worked for a grocery store in Florida named Publix. They were allowed to buy stock in the company (it's not a public company). Her dad gave her $10,000 as a one time investment to buy stock for him. Today after splits that stock is wor...
by KyleAAA
Thu Jan 04, 2024 11:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How did you make your first $1M?
Replies: 148
Views: 33673

Re: How did you make your first $1M?

Got a decent paying job and saved 35-40% of gross income every year. Took 13ish years. Got very unlucky with real estate bought in the year or two before 2008 or it would have been much faster.
by KyleAAA
Wed Dec 27, 2023 10:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to withdraw $430,000. for daughter's down payment gift.
Replies: 36
Views: 5791

Re: How to withdraw $430,000. for daughter's down payment gift.

The 15% capital gains tax bracket stacks up to $492k in 2023, so you might come close to filling that up given your need to raise $420k plus the income you already received. It might be beneficial to split the sales over 2 tax years. But you can net losses against gains so your total gain is probably a lot lower than that. The best course of action tax-wise would be to liquidate all $162k in credit union savings and taxable brokerage cash and then sell every tax lot with a loss from your taxable brokerage account. Can you make your RMD early in the year and use that as well? You're already paying tax on that money anyway. From there, pick the tax lots with the lowest gains to raise the rest of the funds. Paying some tax is probably inevita...
by KyleAAA
Tue Dec 26, 2023 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to withdraw $430,000. for daughter's down payment gift.
Replies: 36
Views: 5791

Re: How to withdraw $430,000. for daughter's down payment gift.

The 15% capital gains tax bracket stacks up to $492k in 2023, so you might come close to filling that up given your need to raise $420k plus the income you already received. It might be beneficial to split the sales over 2 tax years. But you can net losses against gains so your total gain is probably a lot lower than that. The best course of action tax-wise would be to liquidate all $162k in credit union savings and taxable brokerage cash and then sell every tax lot with a loss from your taxable brokerage account. Can you make your RMD early in the year and use that as well? You're already paying tax on that money anyway. From there, pick the tax lots with the lowest gains to raise the rest of the funds. Paying some tax is probably inevitab...
by KyleAAA
Mon Dec 18, 2023 7:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In
Replies: 97
Views: 20665

Re: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In

The market is definitely NOT “so high now.” It’s right around fair value if not just slightly undervalued. Just do it. Hello. Where can I find this information. Every metric I seem to find states the current valuation of the stock market to be significantly overvalued. https://www.morningstar.com/market-fair-value I note the following phrase in Morningstar's writeup: "Morningstar’s estimate of its fair value." Can I assume that there is, somewhere, an explanation of why Morningstar's estimate is more accurate than the actual prices set by the market? Do they expect market price to catch up to their value estimate? How long might that take? If your contention is that the market price always reflects fair value, there's no point us...
by KyleAAA
Mon Dec 18, 2023 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In
Replies: 97
Views: 20665

Re: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In

lane7068 wrote: Mon Dec 18, 2023 12:20 pm
KyleAAA wrote: Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:18 pm The market is definitely NOT “so high now.” It’s right around fair value if not just slightly undervalued. Just do it.
Hello. Where can I find this information. Every metric I seem to find states the current valuation of the stock market to be significantly overvalued.
https://www.morningstar.com/market-fair-value
by KyleAAA
Sun Dec 17, 2023 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In
Replies: 97
Views: 20665

Re: I Messed Up How Do I Get Back In

The market is definitely NOT “so high now.” It’s right around fair value if not just slightly undervalued. Just do it.
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 15, 2023 12:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VPAS [is adding] fees [for smaller accounts] should I downgrade to robo?
Replies: 59
Views: 7239

Re: Vanguard new platform

What are the old and new platforms specifically you're referring to here? I think people assume you mean the old mutual fund platform and the new brokerage platform. If that's is indeed what you're referring to, they've been trying to get everyone off the mutual fund platform for years now. They are probably trying to force smaller accounts off by charging fees to offset the additional costs they generate for Vanguard. Expect the mutual fund platform to become less and less convenient/cost effective over time. It's probably worth letting larger accounts stay on the old mutual fund platform for now, but it's likely they'll eventually be forced off, too. If you're referring to one of the PAS platforms, I have no idea. Maybe the same general i...
by KyleAAA
Sat Dec 09, 2023 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to convince parents of the dangers of financial advisors/fees?
Replies: 147
Views: 33398

Re: How to convince parents of the dangers of financial advisors/fees?

What dangers are you referring to? Your parents will likely underperform over time by about the amount of the added expenses. They are paying for a service. If the service is worth it to them, why are you getting involved? Arguing over a 1 year return is silly and counter productive.
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 08, 2023 3:31 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What Will It Take for International Equities to Significantly Outperform?
Replies: 69
Views: 8461

Re: What Will It Take for International Equities to Significantly Outperform?

The dollar to lose value vs a basket of other currencies should do the trick.
by KyleAAA
Thu Dec 07, 2023 3:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

2. The big difference is going to to be in the "average" or below average students. I have a large network of GT alums, most in the 20-25 year post-graduate range. I'm struggling to think of anyone who likely makes less than $150k per year (I obviously don't know exact salaries, just going based on jobs and what I know about them), and most live in MCOL, not California, NYC, etc. Large majority are over $200k. Many had below average GPAs. Of the many UF grads I know, I can't think of any that likely make more than $200k - granted most were not engineering majors. 3. People regularly say school only matters for your first job. As a blanket statement, this is patently FALSE . It depends on the hiring manager, but I think this is so...
by KyleAAA
Tue Dec 05, 2023 2:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How to hedge cash?
Replies: 13
Views: 1805

Re: How to hedge cash?

I would argue stocks are objectively NOT overpriced, especially smaller and value stocks. But even the S&P 500 is not overpriced. If you want to partially hedge against dollar-denominated cash deposits I guess you could buy a basket of unhedged short-term foreign government bonds denominated in foreign currencies? Not sure that would be any worse than precious metals or commodities. Maybe a bit of all 3? Short-term TIPS would also be a good choice: VTIP has a duration under 2.5 years.
by KyleAAA
Tue Dec 05, 2023 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Just saw harsh criticism of Vanguard VMFXX
Replies: 36
Views: 5631

Re: Just saw harsh criticism of Vanguard VMFXX

Vanguard is required by law to publish the 7-day yield, so that's not a valid criticism. Similarly, what goes into the published expense ratio is controlled by the SEC. Vanguard publishes what they are required to publish. Whether or not you should invest in a money market fund in general is of course a reasonable thing to debate. But as money market funds go, VMFXX is an excellent one.
by KyleAAA
Mon Dec 04, 2023 12:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

One other thought - I hate looking at these choices solely from a ROI standpoint. Which school is a better fit for DD? My son who went into Computer Science was not a great student in high school. I live in Georgia and he likely could have gotten into Georgia Tech because admission standards are lower for in state students which are about 60% of the students admitted. He would have struggled a lot and started out low in his class and in retrospect realistically there is a good chance that he would not have graduated from Georgia Tech. DS is at GT now and has really enjoyed his time. I will say that one downside of GT, which is the same for most publics, is that there will be a high percentage of instate kids and they will not be at the sam...
by KyleAAA
Sun Dec 03, 2023 8:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I pay cash for a house or keep funds in the market?
Replies: 30
Views: 4155

Re: Should I pay cash for a house or keep funds in the market?

yosemite_mountain wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 4:31 pm
KyleAAA wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 10:24 am At 7.5% I'd be tempted to pay cash, especially since the standard deduction is so high these days you might not even get to deduct a good chunk of the interest.
Is this the correct way to calculate how much mortgage interest can be deducted? Trying to understand why the standard deduction being high would matter.
Everybody gets the standard deduction, so there's only a marginal benefit to deducting mortgage interest after you have enough deductions to exceed it. If you only paid $15k in interest and don't have any other deductions, you essentially can't deduct any of it.
by KyleAAA
Sun Dec 03, 2023 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I pay cash for a house or keep funds in the market?
Replies: 30
Views: 4155

Re: Should I pay cash for a house or keep funds in the market?

At 7.5% I'd be tempted to pay cash, especially since the standard deduction is so high these days you might not even get to deduct a good chunk of the interest. If rates move down significantly you can always do a cash out refinance so it's not like you're permanently taking leverage iff the table.
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 01, 2023 5:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

chinchin wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 3:44 pm
acegolfer wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:01 pm
MMiroir wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2023 11:26 am https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/

For electrical engineering, the early career figures are as follows:

Florida: $91,478
Georgia Tech: $96,402
Cal: $202,911
One of the main reasons why DW keeps arguing that we should pay $300k for UCB is because of this stat. But I don't trust these stats 100%.
Now do home prices in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley vs Florida and Georgia.
I moved from Atlanta to Seattle. I owned a house in Atlanta and bought a house in VHCOL Seattle. VHCOL wins by a mile in terms of ability to save.
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 01, 2023 5:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

Undergraduate engineering ranking is pretty meaningless - overall ranking is more meaningful, but still you are right to not put too much weight on them. Stanford or MIT, because they are top 5 universities, are another tier (though not worth $300k), but Florida vs Georgia Tech or Berkeley is largely a matter of geography. For engineering, both Berkley and GT >> Florida. They are elite engineering schools, in the same neighborhood as Stanford and MIT. Florida is a decent state flagship. We can all look at rankings, but what do those rankings really mean? To me, it would mean that we paid $200K out of pocket for something that could have been obtained for $0 in state. How many years would it take to get a ROI of that $200K to say my piece o...
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 01, 2023 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Private equity being prioritized by ultra wealthy, but is that the right allocation for a couple w a net worth of 1.5m?
Replies: 35
Views: 6276

Re: Private equity being prioritized by ultra wealthy, but is that the right allocation for a couple w a net worth of 1.

Maybe Vanguard or similar upstart will disrupt private equity and drive down costs while increasing access just like they did for mutual funds, but that's a ways off. With $1.5mm to invest you probably won't even have access to the good private equity funds to begin with, and certainly won't be able to do so at reasonable cost. If you have $100mm, that's maybe a different story.
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 01, 2023 1:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

+1 UF. It is also ranked #6 public university if that makes you feel better. The money you save by not going out-of-state can be used to help subsidize a co-op program or summer internships (either of which are *highly* recommended) or future grad school. Plus, don't discount the potential value of being in-state and having friends/family closer to help her when times get tough (which always happens). Good luck to your DD! Correct, it's true that, as far as overall university is concerned, UF is ranked higher than GT. But to us, that stat is not important. If we give any weight on ranking, it will be engineering undergraduate ranking, which is what my T5 vs T35 are based on. Personally, I (as a college prof) don't put much weight on these ...
by KyleAAA
Fri Dec 01, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?
Replies: 285
Views: 40171

Re: T5 engineering school or in-state T35 with full-ride?

FAANG recruits from all schools for new grads. Literally, all. They are historically insatiable. I'm not sure if that will change going forward, but for the most part they've started hiring in earnest again at perhaps somewhat lower rates than they did pre-pandemic. This is to say, them not being on campus to recruit isn't an issue as on-campus job fairs are increasingly irrelevant as a way to land an interview, anyway. But with AE in particular I'm not sure why FAANG would be relevant. A lot of it depends on the specifics and UF is a good school. That said, I'm biased because I went to GT for computer science and would absolutely recommend it. I wouldn't have taken on $200k in debt to do so. As a cheat, it used to be the case that out-of-s...