Search found 188 matches

by TNWoods
Fri Mar 01, 2024 2:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Which pizza shop should I invest in?
Replies: 19
Views: 1504

Re: Which pizza shop should I invest in?

5% of 10% of the net profits of the business is probably going to be a relatively smallish number, so ignore that part of the consideration.

Which brother do you think has the best chance of making a successful business? (Hopefully they aren't twins....)

But this actually sounds like you are trying to make a point about buying stock in two companies, of which one pays dividends and one doesn't.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Feb 27, 2024 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to deal with/spend too much money?
Replies: 91
Views: 9051

Re: How to deal with/spend too much money?

One thing I have been doing for a while is finding small independent restaurants, like the typical Asian cuisine places you find in a small strip mall, and tipping $100 on a $20 check for a banh mi sandwich and gyoza. Same at Waffle House or Denny's when I have a late night cup of coffee or burger. The serving staff at places like these are not making bank, and a $100 tip is significant to them, but insignificant to me. And those servers aren't working at their dream jobs. They are working hard at a job they could get. They may even be working a second job out of necessity. Most of the time I am out the door before they see the tip, so it's not some vanity thing. But at the Asian place the other day the server rushed out to make sure I had...
by TNWoods
Tue Feb 27, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to deal with/spend too much money?
Replies: 91
Views: 9051

Re: How to deal with/spend too much money?

One thing I have been doing for a while is finding small independent restaurants, like the typical Asian cuisine places you find in a small strip mall, and tipping $100 on a $20 check for a banh mi sandwich and gyoza. Same at Waffle House or Denny's when I have a late night cup of coffee or burger. The serving staff at places like these are not making bank, and a $100 tip is significant to them, but insignificant to me. And those servers aren't working at their dream jobs. They are working hard at a job they could get. They may even be working a second job out of necessity. Most of the time I am out the door before they see the tip, so it's not some vanity thing. But at the Asian place the other day the server rushed out to make sure I hadn...
by TNWoods
Sat Jan 20, 2024 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7650
Views: 1724146

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

"Monsieur Pamplemousse"

From the back cover:
"Pamplemousse, formerly of the Surete, now works for Le Guide, France's most prestigious culinary review. Currently investigating the Hotel-Restaurante La Langoustine, he is considering giving it the supreme accolade, the coveted Three Stock Pots award. But when the waiter delivers the platter and uncovers it, instead of the chef's signature dish Poulard de Bresse en Vessie Royal, there is a man's head."

From the San Diego Tribune
"Novels that cause the reader to laugh aloud are a rare commodity these days...funniest whodunit in years..."

By Michael Bond, (the Paddington Bear author).

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon Jan 08, 2024 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: “You’ll know when the right time is to retire”
Replies: 69
Views: 9767

Re: “You’ll know when the right time is to retire”

For me, it absolutely was a financial milestone. As soon as I hit the number, I let my boss know, and gave him plenty of warning for the actual date so he could get someone for me to train to take my place.

I am not one of those people who was lucky enough to have a job they loved enough to just keep going at it.

And I don't need to have a job to have something to do or fill my hours. I love not working. All I need is my time and my hobbies. And this lamp.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Dec 19, 2023 9:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Estimate Income Needed in Retirement
Replies: 34
Views: 2807

Re: How to Estimate Income Needed in Retirement

TL;DR = Calculate normal current life annual expenses, then add a number for the planned retirement extras. I picked 01/01/2024 as my retirement date 3 years ago, and 2 years ago started keeping a spreadsheet of everything I spent, by broad category. If I buy something online, I alt-tab to the spreadsheet and enter it. If I buy in town or on the road, receipts go in my pocket and when I am back home, they get entered. Regular monthly expenditures are pre-filled. So for 2 years with very little effort I know what my "what-it-costs-to-live-my-current-life" amount is. Since I work from home and have no work expenses, I know that number will be the same after I retire. And when I retire I know I want to do certain things, so I added $...
by TNWoods
Tue Dec 12, 2023 2:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]
Replies: 5250
Views: 906934

Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

Up 33.6% (Not counting contributions.) (And there are individual stocks included in there, obviously.)

Allocation:
81 / 1 / 18

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon Nov 27, 2023 12:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What non-index fund investment made you a lot of money?
Replies: 141
Views: 26753

Re: What non-index fund investment made you a lot of money?

In early 2007 I decided to get serious about money and my future, and refinanced my house to generate cash to pay off credit cards, lower my interest rate, and have cash left over to invest. I sat on the cash and began researching stocks & the stock market for several months. And then the market crashed, and I was coincidentally ready to take advantage of it. I bought individual stocks starting in late 2007 / early 2008, then sold much of those in late 2012 and used the proceeds for other stocks I still hold. (Nota bene: Never carried a cc balance again after paying them off in 2007, also paid the house off early several years ago.) F, FpS, SFI, SFIpD, AAPL, MSFT, NVDA were/are the successful ones. Some I still hold. I also bought other...
by TNWoods
Wed Aug 23, 2023 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Photo enhancment software (using AI)
Replies: 20
Views: 1758

Re: Photo enhancment software

I have recently seen some phenomenal work done on subreddit r/photoshoprequest:

https://www.reddit.com/r/PhotoshopRequest/

Volunteers produce an often watermarked version, and will send the final version if tipped. Amount is up to you. Depending on the type of request, some simply do it for free.

Perhaps you could post one, and then choose someone who responds to negotiate for the whole project.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Aug 15, 2023 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?
Replies: 282
Views: 24635

Re: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?

OP, I haven't read the whole thread, just bits here and there, but has anyone addressed the fact that you are talking about 15 years in the future? I agree that 1 to 2 million, retiring early at 60, plus Social Security when available, plus a frugal lifestyle all mean a perfectly fine retirement now, but 15 years from now? I would think 2 million 15 years from now might be cutting things close. This is based solely on gut feeling, not on math or projections or graphs. TNWoods I like to plan ahead. Am I too early? Many here said $2M will be more than enough. Who is right? Did anyone specifically say 2MM would be more than enough 15 years in the future? I only saw people saying that "You can retire with 2MM." If they didn't specifi...
by TNWoods
Tue Aug 15, 2023 2:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?
Replies: 282
Views: 24635

Re: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?

OP, I haven't read the whole thread, just bits here and there, but has anyone addressed the fact that you are talking about 15 years in the future? I agree that 1 to 2 million, retiring early at 60, plus Social Security when available, plus a frugal lifestyle all mean a perfectly fine retirement now, but 15 years from now? I would think 2 million 15 years from now might be cutting things close. This is based solely on gut feeling, not on math or projections or graphs. TNWoods I like to plan ahead. Am I too early? Many here said $2M will be more than enough. Who is right? Did anyone specifically say 2MM would be more than enough 15 years in the future? I only saw people saying that "You can retire with 2MM." If they didn't specifi...
by TNWoods
Tue Aug 15, 2023 1:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?
Replies: 282
Views: 24635

Re: Will $2M be good enough to retire? Will I get there in time? How can I improve my net worth?

OP,

I haven't read the whole thread, just bits here and there, but has anyone addressed the fact that you are talking about 15 years in the future?

I agree that 1 to 2 million, retiring early at 60, plus Social Security when available, plus a frugal lifestyle all mean a perfectly fine retirement now, but 15 years from now? I would think 2 million 15 years from now might be cutting things close. This is based solely on gut feeling, not on math or projections or graphs.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: supermarket sashimi pricing
Replies: 12
Views: 1732

Re: supermarket sashimi pricing

"Sushi Grade" only means the fish was frozen at a very low temperature for a specified amount of time to kill parasites, except for a couple of the Tuna species and farm-raised salmon, which are considered free enough of parasites not to need the process. The term is not an FDA regulated term like all the various Beef Grades, it is not even an industry standardized term. It is a marketing term that most people think means "high quality fish", and conjures the scenes from the Food TV shows of the beautiful tuna being portioned out in some high end Japanese restaurant. The FDA only says that fish sold for raw consumption has to be frozen in a certain manner. "Sushi Grade" fish can be of low initial quality, so lo...
by TNWoods
Fri Jun 02, 2023 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which PC/Specs Are Best For The Task?
Replies: 23
Views: 1231

Re: Which PC/Specs Are Best For The Task?

Depending on what you mean by "gaming", it might be a very bad idea to consider a Mac, especially a portable.

I have been a Mac user since the early 90s, so this isn't coming from a "PCs-Rule-Macs-Drool" perspective.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Thu Jun 01, 2023 4:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TV shows similar to Episodes?
Replies: 6
Views: 940

Re: TV shows similar to Episodes?

I loved Episodes.

It's a great example of a single camera show, without that multi-cam style of writing, with the awkward set-up lines and zinger retorts and laugh tracks every other line.

Other shows that I think of in the same way are:

The Larry Sanders Show
30 Rock
Arrested Development
Parks and Rec
Community
Get Shorty
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Silicon Valley
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
The Office
Jean Claude Van Johnson

Similar to Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul, I think of long story arcs, cinematic style, flawed heroes:

Justified
Fargo
Unreal
Goliath
Westworld
The Sinner
Deadwood
True Detective
by TNWoods
Tue May 30, 2023 8:28 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TDAmeritrade account didnt migrate to Schwab. [Resolved]
Replies: 29
Views: 4789

Re: TDAmeritrade account didnt migrate to Schwab.

Both of mine migrated successfully.

I had gotten many emails over the last couple months, and one of them told me to set up a login identity to facilitate the move, which I did, and I logged in a couple times to make sure it worked.

This weekend I logged in and the accounts were not visible, but this morning they both are visible, so, for me, everything has worked as expected.

I would definitely open a support ticket with them.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Fri Jun 10, 2022 7:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite Free Online Games
Replies: 46
Views: 4631

Re: Favorite Free Online Games

Another vote for The New York Times puzzle/games page, although I don't subscribe.

I play Wordle, Letter Boxed, Sudoku-Medium and Sudoku-Hard there.

Then I play Worldle, which is a geography game where they give you a country outline, you guess, and they tell you how many miles off you are, and what direction.

Then there's Dordle, a two-word Wordle, and then Quordle, a 4-word Wordle.

Googling any of the game names will take you to the page they're on.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon Jan 17, 2022 5:17 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Suggestion for moderators - have sub forums based on net worth?
Replies: 29
Views: 2448

Re: Suggestion for moderators - have sub forums based on networth ?

I think that issue would be best addressed by the OP stating in their title/question "For those of you with net worth north of 100MM...what does your butler say the best yacht wax is?"

Because some of us are not worth 100MM, yet, but we plan to be, and knowing the best yacht wax in advance can save us looking silly at the yacht store.

I would rather see a "5% Funny Money" forum where people can talk about that stuff without the snide remarks from the zealots.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Sat Jan 08, 2022 7:19 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Why do you spend all your time on the Bogleheads forum?
Replies: 230
Views: 25221

Re: Why do you spend all your time on the Bogleheads forum?

Yacht wax and monocle polish recommendations.

Leather shoes that don't crease.

Best watch around $5000 that I can flex with.

And so many more.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Dec 28, 2021 9:01 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks continue to soar!
Replies: 22381
Views: 2139871

Re: U.S. stocks continue to soar!

Why, hello thar. I'll be holding this scepter and crown for a bit.

Very happy to relinquish them to anyone who guessed even higher than I did.

Timboktoo, come get them.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Fri Oct 29, 2021 7:36 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sometimes it's the little things - Excel and Vanguard keep changing name of a fund
Replies: 19
Views: 1738

Re: Sometimes it's the little things - Excel and Vanguard keep changing name of a fund

Could you use OR(name version 1,name-version-2) for your MATCH value check?

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Wed Aug 18, 2021 1:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: is small/value tilting more or less diversified than total stock market?
Replies: 60
Views: 6197

Re: is small/value tilting more or less diversified than total stock market?

Keep in mind that different portfolios always deliver different results over any time period and you just make a choice. I really object to the nomenclature that SCV has "tracking error" as if there is something gone wrong if the allocation does not exceed the returns of TSM for some time. Tracking error should only refer to things like how well an index fund tracks its index. I think the term usually used is "tracking regret". The "tracking error" here refers to making the error of tracking the wrong benchmark for your portfolio. Just as it's inappropriate for someone with a 60/40 AA to track TSM or for someone with a global market cap allocation to track TSM, it makes no sense for someone with a significant ...
by TNWoods
Sat Aug 07, 2021 2:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Excel vs. (Apple) Numbers
Replies: 26
Views: 2869

Re: Excel vs. (Apple) Numbers

I have been an Apple ecosystem user since the early 90s at home, as well as some work.

I have been using DOS/Windows systems professionally starting about the same time.

The vast majority of my work is in Excel, and has been for the last 20+ years.

Excel blows Numbers out of the water, there is no comparison. I use Numbers for my personal stuff, but every time I do anything with it, I sigh.

Even the Mac version of Excel is inferior.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Aug 03, 2021 8:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What is your percentage of debt to NW?
Replies: 203
Views: 20342

Re: What is your percentage of debt to NW?

0%

No mortgage.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Sun Jul 18, 2021 7:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: other Ashevilles?
Replies: 69
Views: 9602

Re: other Ashevilles?

http://whiteducktacoshop.com/menu/
Stand in line to order, food served in plastic baskets with waxed paper liners, find a seat on your own, indoor/outdoor seating

http://www.redgingerasheville.com
Nice indoor downtown dining. As with pretty much all restaurants in Asheville, dress is very casual.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Jul 06, 2021 7:31 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cabin property purchase--advice
Replies: 25
Views: 3540

Re: Cabin property purchase--advice

I have the opportunity to buy property for a cabin and would like Boglehead advice. Background: the property is just shy of an hour drive away from my home. It’s in a mountain area I love. There is a river and lake nearby. I have two friends who own cabins in the same community who have encouraged me to buy a cabin there. They don’t come up for sale too often. There is a lot for sale that is really nice but hasn’t been advertised properly and hasn’t sold in the 35 days it’s been up for sale. I just discovered it. Asking price is $85k, might be able to get it for $80k. A word of caution. Make sure it is truly buildable to the extent you want. I know a guy who found his dream parcel, end of the road up a south facing cove, the build site loo...
by TNWoods
Mon Jun 07, 2021 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: plumber cost to "run snake to unclog pipes"
Replies: 66
Views: 5939

Re: plumber cost to "run snake to unclog pipes"

First pour a quart of that really good drain unclogger stuff from a hardware store down the kitchen. Not the grocery store stuff.

I had a kitchen sink that would overflow when the clothes washing machine would cycle. One bottle of that stuff cleared it forever.

It's in a plastic jug, and that jug is in a very thick sealed plastic bag/sleeve, and then it's in a cardboard box. Some kind of strong acid I assume.

If it doesn't work, then you can call the plumber and it only cost you maybe 10 bucks extra. But might save you 300.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon May 03, 2021 6:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: St. Augustine, FL
Replies: 25
Views: 4019

Re: St. Augustine, FL

O'Steens is great food in a diner setting. It is cash-only, they have an ATM on-site if needed. It is almost always crowded with a line, but it shares a parking lot with a good sized antique mall, and after you leave your name at the restaurant you can go to the mall and wander around, and listen for your name on the antique mall's speakers. It's not a white tablecloth venue by any means, but the food is great. Also shop for Minorcan Brand Datil Pepper sauce at local grocery stores and stock up. I think that brand is better than all the other Datil Pepper sauce brands. It isn't widely distributed, so I periodically by it by the box online. (My local grocery store carries a different brand of Datil Pepper sauce, and it doesn't compare.) TNWo...
by TNWoods
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Spend down cash to bridge to social security?
Replies: 25
Views: 3297

Re: Spend down cash to bridge to social security?

namajones wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:23 pm
David Jay wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:51 pm It depends on how large the 401K is. If you have over a half million in the 401K then you will want to spend to at least the top of the 12% bracket (about $53,000 if filing single) from the 401K to prevent even larger RMDs in the future.

If the 401K is small, then spending the cash is fine.

I would recommend a full portfolio review for better answers: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6212
Good point about the tax bracket. I'll have to look at that.

One advantage I saw in spending down cash is that my income in those years would be next to nothing--ergo, hardly any taxes.
If you have any taxable investments at all with LTCG, this could be an opportunity to realize the gains with no taxes.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Fri Apr 16, 2021 2:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Please suggest a docuseries to watch
Replies: 32
Views: 3986

Re: Please suggest a docuseries to watch

count damoney wrote: Fri Apr 16, 2021 1:01 pm Don't F**k with cats - Netflix
Was going to recommend this one if no one else had.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Fri Apr 16, 2021 8:45 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: There’s a single New Jersey deli doing $35,000 in sales valued at $100 million in the stock market
Replies: 70
Views: 10488

Re: There’s a single New Jersey deli doing $35,000 in sales valued at $100 million in the stock market

Water wrote: Thu Apr 15, 2021 6:00 pm From my view, the article has an erogenous intent.
Who doesn't love money?

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Apr 13, 2021 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 10+ year old used cars?
Replies: 77
Views: 8084

Re: 10+ year old used cars?

3 years ago today I bought a 2006 Tacoma Pre-Runner with 54,000 miles, so 12 years and low mileage. The used Jeep Cherokee I bought before that one was also over 10 years old, and had around 57,000 when I bought it. That's around the limit I set when shopping, 10 years, give or take, and under 60,000 miles. I figure with only 6000 per year, it probably wasn't abused, probably got taken care of. Very happy with both purchases. The mileage and condition of the vehicle is more important to me than the age, so I wouldn't balk at 15 year old vehicle in good condition with the same mileage. Sometime in the 90s I bought a 25+ year old classic sports car, but that's not what you're talking about. As an extra note, I bought a small used pickup back ...
by TNWoods
Wed Mar 24, 2021 9:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Transferring entire 500k taxable account to Bitcoin?
Replies: 169
Views: 13609

Re: Transferring entire 500k taxable account to Bitcoin?

Randy Quaid? That you?

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bought Canadian bitcoin ETF (BTCX.U) in a Roth, bad or good idea?
Replies: 13
Views: 1107

Re: Bought Canadian bitcoin ETF (BTCX.U) in a Roth, bad or good idea?

typical.investor wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:19 pm
And I still don't understand what "investment aspect" is referring to ... Fuzzy...

I believe he is using the term in place of "speculate", as many do. I think he means he is interested only in buy-and-hold, ("HODL"), and not interested in using BTC for purchasing goods and services. To him it is "gold", not "dollars". So the "investment aspect" of BTC, not the "currency aspect".

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bought Canadian bitcoin ETF (BTCX.U) in a Roth, bad or good idea?
Replies: 13
Views: 1107

Re: Bought Canadian bitcoin ETF (BTCX.U) in a Roth, bad or good idea?

An advantage over buying directly is that you have no need to worry about wallets and passwords and private keys. We've all heard about people who have significant BTC but can't access it, or literally physically lost it. So, yes, this is a good way to speculate in BTC without having to worry about those things. Now you just have to worry about whether or not the current value is merely the result of the small number of whales out there artificially creating the appearance of demand and acceptance to the point they have fooled the major investment firms into believing it is real.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Sat Mar 20, 2021 9:18 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Logical fallacies on Bogleheads
Replies: 23
Views: 2287

Re: Logical fallacies on Bogleheads

False Dichotomy and Strawman are the two that crop up most often, in my opinion. Another thing that you'll find in very many threads is that respondents simply ignore the question asked, and demand to know why the poster wants to ask such a dumb question in the first place. Or they will ignore the question and start haranguing the poster. Or they will ignore the conditional statement that begins the question, and then respond with purely irrelevant soap-box speeches. If the poster says "If you have ever < fill-in-the-blank >, what was..." and some zealot who has never done whatever was in the "fill-in-the-blank" portion will respond with something argumentative and irrelevant, and then will keep responding, de-railing th...
by TNWoods
Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Incorporating Crypto into a semiretirement portofolio.
Replies: 21
Views: 2676

Re: Incorporating Crypto into a semiretirement portofolio.

Calculate what your initial crypto outlay would be worth if you had done something all these boglehead purists would have approved, like buying VTSAX or VTIAX, or whatever. Sell enough crypto to have the initial outlay plus double the return plus enough to pay the cap gains tax, and put it into your non-crypto portion of your portfolio. Congratulations, you just beat the market and the bogleheads by 100% on that initial outlay, and you have secured those returns and put them back into the boglehead approved portion of your portfolio. Now the remaining crypto is 100% "found" money, and if tomorrow it goes to zero, you STILL are way better off than if you had done the boglehead-approved thing from the beginning. So HODL if you want,...
by TNWoods
Tue Feb 09, 2021 6:54 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Why A Good Boglehead Must Leave The Bogleheads Forum
Replies: 184
Views: 31843

Re: Why A Good Boglehead Must Leave The Bogleheads Forum

JustinR wrote: Tue Feb 09, 2021 2:27 am Should there be an "Active Investing, Speculation, and Gambling" forum where all that stuff should go?
Yes. The "5% Forum". Or the "Funny Money" forum.

And the mods can simply instantly delete all the self-righteous fanatical zealot posts so that people can have an intelligent discussion about a topic they find interesting without being insulted or run off, like has happened with HEDGEFUNDIE and others.

I mainly use these forums for recommendations on the best yacht wax, monocle polish and leather shoes that don't crease.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Thu Jan 28, 2021 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: will being in high credit card debt hurt my credit score or have other negative impact?
Replies: 20
Views: 1619

Re: will being in high credit card debt hurt my credit score or have other negative impact?

My first instinct was "No, if you make payments on time, that's what they want to see." But I googled and found that was true, but there's a 2nd consideration that may harm your score: from Google: First, the good news. The amount of your last payment is listed on your credit report, but credit scoring calculations don’t consider the amount of your credit card (or loan) payments in your credit score. From that standpoint, making the minimum payment doesn’t hurt your credit score at all. As long as you’re making at least the minimum payment on time each month, you’re actually helping your credit score by building a consistent, positive payment history. Here’s the not so good news. Part of your credit score considers how much of you...
by TNWoods
Wed Jan 27, 2021 2:33 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Why not add a "like" button to Boglehead posts?
Replies: 371
Views: 72616

Re: Why not add a "like" button to Boglehead posts?

pennstater2005 wrote: Thu Dec 20, 2012 4:23 pm Please no like button. I'm not 12.
Great post!

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Jan 26, 2021 2:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I just bought individual stocks and a lot of them.
Replies: 218
Views: 20968

Re: I just bought individual stocks and a lot of them.

And Jack posted here quite a few times when he was alive. He was never "lambasted" nor called a market-timer (although I'm guessing you would have called him out if you had been here at the time) I looked it up, he posted here 20 times. User name jack bogle. He joined January 7, 2009 and his last post was December 4, 2018. His very last post, he defended the concept of the index fund. He posted here about twice a year. Y'all believe what you want to believe. This place isn't very friendly to anyone that does something a little different. Most folks are polite but there is a crew here that quickly turns any discussion into derision and personal attacks. The title of the forum is displayed prominently on the landing page: Boglehead...
by TNWoods
Tue Jan 26, 2021 11:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Buy silver bullion near cost
Replies: 8
Views: 1211

Re: Buy silver bullion near cost

Before you start buying large quantities, buy an ounce. Note that they probably charge you full spot price, possibly more.

Then, the next day, go back to the same place and sell it back to them. Note how much of a discount you get compared to what you paid. There are more enjoyable ways to lose money.

Since anyone can walk in and pay the normal price, why would anyone choose to buy from you, an unknown person to them? How would they be confident they are getting a pound of silver, rather than a half pound of lead covered in a half pound of silver?

Buying, and especially planning on re-selling, physical silver isn't a good idea, in my opinion.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Tue Jan 26, 2021 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Talk me out of buying a Porsche 911 as an investment....
Replies: 151
Views: 18418

Re: Talk me out of buying a car as an investment....

Buy it. Drive it, love it, show it off at Friday night car enthusiast gatherings in supermarket parking lots in your area, enjoy it. If it eventually goes up in value, great. If it stays the same, great. If it goes down, who cares? It won't go to zero. The amount you are spending on it is not enough to make you eat cat food when you are 65. But, as so many others said, don't call it an investment. (Sort of related, I know a couple who went into bankruptcy, and prior to that they had a very bad habit of referring to everything they wanted to buy that wasn't a necessity as "investing". As in, "We decided to invest in a couple jet-skis this summer". I believe their word-choice affected their spending decisions, and that's h...
by TNWoods
Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Looking for Advice on changing course
Replies: 41
Views: 3295

Re: Looking for Advice on changing course

Compare it to VTSAX, Total US Stock Market index, or VFIAX, S&P 500 index.

If yours is better, congrats, you beat the market.

Those two are good enough comparisons for you to get an answer to your question.

TNWoods
by TNWoods
Mon Jan 25, 2021 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Individual stocks? Hear me out.
Replies: 61
Views: 4727

Re: Individual stocks? Hear me out.

John C. Bogle has suggested that if you cannot resist the idea of devoting some "funny money" to speculation, it is OK if you a) literally keep it in a separate account from your "serious money," and that you b) limit it to 5% of your portfolio. The idea is always that if you limit it to 5% you limit your losses to 5%, and a loss of 5% of your retirement savings is not a catastrophe. But the big question that I have never seen discussed is what happens if you lose all the money in your 5% "funny money" account. As nearly as I can tell, it is just assumed that this won't really happen. If it does, there are two possibilities. One is that you really do limit your losses to 5%, meaning you never invest a penny in...
by TNWoods
Sat Jan 23, 2021 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best State and National Parks in the Southeast
Replies: 54
Views: 5434

Re: Best State and National Parks in the Southeast

Anastasia Island with walks on the beach, & day trips into St Augustine is nice.

TNWoods