Search found 472 matches

by Parthenon
Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wordle [Anyone playing Wordle?]
Replies: 393
Views: 43952

Re: Wordle [Anyone playing Wordle?]

Supergrover wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 10:58 pm
czaj wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 7:17 pm
Supergrover wrote: Wed Dec 20, 2023 7:10 pm It’s fun and pretty addictive! If I’m up at 11 pm, I sometimes try to stay awake till 12 so I can play the new one the minute it comes out. :wink:

You can temporarily adjust the time on your phone to a time zone past midnight without waiting, if you wish!
Thanks! I would have never thought of that!
And thanks to LadyGeek for that open source link. Good stuff :happy
I usually play late at night and on occasion have waited too long or some days have forgotten to play a particular day. If I set the date back one day on my computer I can catch up for that missed day then change the date back to the correct day and continue on as usual. I've never tried to go back several days but that might also work.
by Parthenon
Wed Nov 15, 2023 2:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?
Replies: 71
Views: 11051

Re: Vanguard Flagship Tier still active?

backpacker61 wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:58 pm
Kaintucke wrote: Wed Nov 15, 2023 12:16 pm If anyone is aware of any benefit to "Flagship" status, please post it; all advantages seem to me to have disappeared.
Free wire transfers.
Don't count on it! Early one month they did one for me; later that month they rejected one to the same bank and person.
Ed
by Parthenon
Mon Aug 21, 2023 1:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard wire transfer
Replies: 6
Views: 1382

Re: Vanguard wire transfer

For the past 5 years or so I would have Vanguard wire money to my daughter's account with USAA. I would do this several times a year to eliminate the possibility of losing a check in the mail. This year in April I did the same but a month later I tried to do another wire transfer. After providing all the information the representative had to get his supervisor's approval. When he returned, his supervisor rejected the request. Gave no reason just said no. Eventually I sent an email to the CEO of Vanguard and received a phone call from one of his executive associates. She explained that it was up to the prerogative of the supervisor and her no was the last word. Subsequently, I ended up moving well over 7 figures to Fidelity and no longer hav...
by Parthenon
Wed Apr 19, 2023 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Power company AC override? I am gone 15+ days a month and no one is home for context.
Replies: 45
Views: 4276

Re: Power company AC override? I am gone 15+ days a month and no one is home for context.

I've been doing this for as long as I can remember, well over 30 years. For 4 months in the summer the electric company gives me a $10 credit each month for allowing them to shut off the electricity to my Air Conditioning unit outside. I can't remember them doing it more than once in any year and then only for about 2 hours. I've never missed the air conditioning because I seldom need to use it unless the overnight temperature doesn't dip down into the 60s and the humidity gets high. With a whole house fan that cools off the house overnight and the house being sealed up in the daytime, there is seldom a need to turn the A/C on.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Mar 23, 2023 12:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Water hammer laundry machine. Let plumber handle?
Replies: 22
Views: 1784

Re: Water hammer laundry machine. Let plumber handle?

Don't most water pipes in a home have a vertical pipe about 12" long near each faucet or valve for the purpose of acting as an air cushion to prevent water hammering as a valve is shut off? Over the years those air chambers can fill with water to render them useless and the answer is to shut off the incoming water and drain both hot and cold water lines in the house. This would drain the vertical pipes and allow air back into the chambers. Then when the water is turned on again the air would act as a cushion as it was originally intended. What you describe is one type of water hammer arrestor (it is really just a dead end piece of vertical pipe). These are not so commonly used today since they fill up with water eventually and become ...
by Parthenon
Wed Mar 22, 2023 11:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Water hammer laundry machine. Let plumber handle?
Replies: 22
Views: 1784

Re: Water hammer laundry machine. Let plumber handle?

Don't most water pipes in a home have a vertical pipe about 12" long near each faucet or valve for the purpose of acting as an air cushion to prevent water hammering as a valve is shut off? Over the years those air chambers can fill with water to render them useless and the answer is to shut off the incoming water and drain both hot and cold water lines in the house. This would drain the vertical pipes and allow air back into the chambers. Then when the water is turned on again the air would act as a cushion as it was originally intended.

Perhaps this only applies to homes plumbed with copper pipe, as mine is. May not be the case for homes with plastic piping.
by Parthenon
Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TiVo for Samsung HDTV
Replies: 23
Views: 1952

Re: TiVo for Samsung HDTV

Last year my Tivo Romaio OTA died and was replaced with the newer Tivo Edge, only two tuners. Not as good as the original Romaio with 4 tuners. The big issue is that my Samsung 65'' smart TV doesn't immediately recognize the Edge when changing sources from the TV or a DVD player. Sometimes it would force me to pull and reinsert the HDMI cable running to the Edge. Another method required me to select the back button on the TV remote when the onscreen message said to check the connection to the Tivo. I finally figured out that a more reliable method was to use the voice control on the Samsung remote and tell it to "change source to HDMI 2" which is the port that the Edge is connected to. Hard to tell if the problem is caused by the ...
by Parthenon
Fri Sep 30, 2022 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which is the best pizza in a chain store?
Replies: 110
Views: 10041

Re: Which is the best pizza in a chain store?

If you live near an Aldi check out their Mama Cozzi pizza. Around $6 for a 16" pizza. You will be surprised by what you get. I usually get a Pepperoni and you can hardly see the cheese for the amount of meat covering the surface. The cheese pizza is thick with, if memory serves me, four different cheeses.

Ed
by Parthenon
Tue Jul 05, 2022 11:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Central A/C bad capacitor symptoms?
Replies: 55
Views: 15540

Re: Central A/C bad capacitor symptoms?

Had a similar problem pop up on my Trane XR15 several years after the initial installation. Upon opening up the outdoor cabinet I found a wire going to the capacitor had separated from the terminal connected to the start capacitor. Apparently corrosion had caused the separation. Cleaning up the wire and adding a new connector solved the problem. Sometimes the solution is simpler than imagined. Take a close look and see if the problem is simple.

Ed
by Parthenon
Tue Feb 01, 2022 11:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wordle [Anyone playing Wordle?]
Replies: 393
Views: 43952

Re: Wordle [Anyone playing Wordle?]

Now that the NY Times has purchased Wordle the chances of turning it into a money maker have just vastly improved. If you are interested in keeping it before that happens here is an article that shows you how to load it onto your computer desktop and avoid a future paywall.

https://gizmodo.com/how-to-play-the-ori ... 1848463004

Ed
by Parthenon
Fri Jan 21, 2022 11:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [On-going Scams - Post them here]
Replies: 1376
Views: 167191

Re: police fund phone calls?

The last time I received such a call I interrupted his sales pitch and asked "Are you a real person?" He hesitated and his reply was "I understand" with a sad voice and hung up. I noticed some peculiarities to several of these calls and realized they were computer generated.

Ed
by Parthenon
Tue Oct 19, 2021 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what net worth, income, etc. can I justify purchasing a watch for $5k?
Replies: 175
Views: 13252

Re: At what net worth, income, etc. can I justify purchasing a watch for $5k?

If you need a watch; buy a watch.

If you need to spend $5,000 spend $5,000 dollars on something worth $5,000.

What makes a watch worth $5,000?

Someone's willingness to pay that much for it?

Intrinsically it has no value.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can anyone help me find a solution to my QCD problem?
Replies: 55
Views: 4432

Re: Can anyone help me find a solution to my QCD problem?

A point of minor relevance... I have Vanguard write the checks,send them to me and then I send them off. I can go to the Vanguard site and there is clear documentation that the check was written to "The ABC Charity". Making a copy before sending it off is not a bad idea, but if you neglect to do that there is this backup. What I don't care for when Vanguard writes the check and sends it to me is I have no way of knowing if the charity actually receives and cashes the check once I send it to them. The documentation at Vanguard does say a check was written but doesn't acknowledge that it was actually cashed. You have to call Vanguard and have them check for you. The US mail service in some areas has been unreliable and a lost check...
by Parthenon
Fri Aug 06, 2021 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: food prices going through the roof?
Replies: 124
Views: 14097

Re: food prices going through the roof?

egrets wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 10:59 am ..... A dozen eggs have gone from $3 to $5.
I just paid $1.09 for a dozen eggs at Aldi. If there are any in your area you may want to check them out.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Jul 08, 2021 11:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medallion signature guarantee
Replies: 121
Views: 18412

Re: Medallion signature guarantee

prd1982 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 7:54 pm In addition to finding a financial institution, you need to know their dollar limit. For example, most credit unions are limited to transactions valued at less than 100K.
Finding a bank with a greater than 100K limit can be a problem. The two banks I am affiliated with only have insurance up to 100K. I needed medallion guarantees for over that amount for some transactions with Fidelity. Luckily I was able to get the signatures verified at a local Fidelity office.

Not an easy situation to resolve. If I had to get a medallion for a Vanguard transaction I wouldn't be able to do it.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wish I could quit Vanguard for poor customer service
Replies: 187
Views: 23768

Re: Wish I could quit Vanguard for poor customer service

A week and a half ago I called Fidelity to inquire about a 1035 exchange from Transamerica. The agent told me I'd get a call back from a licensed agent. When that didn't happen after several days I used their online request for a call back. As of today that hasn't happened yet either. So either they are inundated with requests or they don't really need the business. Apparently, poor customer service isn't limited to Vanguard.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Apr 28, 2021 11:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Question about Vanguard including my name on a check for a QCD
Replies: 5
Views: 557

Re: Question about Vanguard including my name on a check for a QCD

I've been using Vanguard checks withdrawn from an IRA for distributing QCDs since 2016 and their checks always included my name along with the charity. I don't recall it being any different than what they do today.

Ed

Edited to change 2018 to 2016.
by Parthenon
Sat Mar 20, 2021 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AT&T Email Problem (and how to solve it)
Replies: 6
Views: 1020

Re: AT&T Email Problem (and how to solve it)

Actually ATT started informing customers of the "Secure Mail Key" back in 2019. Seems like it wasn't fully implemented until just recently.
Had the same problem with emClient. Occasionally it would download correctly, then it wouldn't.

https://www.att.com/support/article/ema ... KM1240308/
by Parthenon
Tue Jan 05, 2021 12:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacement batteries for a drill
Replies: 27
Views: 2215

Re: Replacement batteries for a drill

Years ago I bought a Makita drill combo with two batteries and charger. Eventually the batteries died and, like others above mentioned, replacements cost more than another combo set. Depending how much you need or use a portable drill you might be better off buying an el cheapo from Harbor Freight. They run sales that can cost you anywhere from $17 to $20. When they die just toss them. I've had good luck replacing the nicad batteries in the Harbor Freight drills with nmh batteries for just $20 bucks and some soldering.
by Parthenon
Sun May 31, 2020 4:10 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: What does OP stand for?
Replies: 12
Views: 2991

Re: What does OP stand for?

tomd37 wrote: Sat May 30, 2020 8:06 pm In my working lifetime (now 83) if I would use an acronym I would write out the words the first time being used and follow those words by the acronym in parenthesis. Thereafter I would only use the acronym. For example: total stock market (TSM) or Vanguard (VG). :idea: On this site when discussing funds I use the name of the fund followed by its symbol. Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSAX).
This is the most rational way of using acronyms but today it's often the norm to avoid punctuation or capitalization at the beginning of a sentence so it's not a surprise to see acronyms without an explanation.

Ed
by Parthenon
Fri Apr 03, 2020 6:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online / Gun Dealer Recommendations
Replies: 101
Views: 11647

Re: Online / Gun Dealer Recommendations

Lextalionis wrote: Thu Apr 02, 2020 1:13 pm Also, if you have time on your hands, build your own: https://www.1911builders.com/
A little pricey for around $1,000. Back in the 80's I got a hold of a similar 'kit' for under $100.
It came with a parkerized receiver and replacement parts that needed to be smoothed out.
Eventually, I got the trigger pull down to 2 lbs. and reasonably accurate firing.
If you are adventurous, go for it!

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Apr 02, 2020 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online / Gun Dealer Recommendations
Replies: 101
Views: 11647

Re: Online / Gun Dealer Recommendations

Last year I purchased a Glock from https://grabagun.com online who shipped to a local FFL who only charged about $25. At the time their shipping only amounted to $7.99 for a 43X and I believe there was even a discount for responding to their online offer. Worth checking out.

Ed
by Parthenon
Sun Mar 15, 2020 1:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Google sheets vs Excel; end of life Office 2010
Replies: 37
Views: 3339

Re: Google sheets vs Excel; end of life Office 2010

I've been using Excel 2000 for the last 20 years. It still works fine. If you don't need some of the newer features of the newer versions of Excel why change? It came during Win 98; applied it to a Win 7 machine; currently it's functioning on a Win 10 computer.

Ed
by Parthenon
Mon Feb 24, 2020 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Guitar for a 45 year old beginner
Replies: 52
Views: 5660

Re: Guitar for a 45 year old beginner

Several years ago I was looking for a cheap guitar just to practice and learn finger style picking. I saw an article, on line, similar to this one https://sound-unsound.com/best-cheap-acoustic-guitar/ and settled on a Jasmine for under $100. Today it's a little more but if you're not sure if you really want to pursue playing the guitar you can't go wrong. Eventually, you may want to get serious and buy something worth more.

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat Oct 19, 2019 9:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apparently Left Store without Paying
Replies: 12
Views: 5119

Re: Apparently Left Store without Paying

I was picking up a prescription at Walmart with a large package of toilet paper in the basket. The clerk didn't scan the toilet paper which didn't dawn on me till I got out to the car.
The next time I went to Walmart I picked up the exact brand and size of toilet paper and ran it through the self checkout scanner twice. Problem solved!

Ed
by Parthenon
Tue Sep 10, 2019 4:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Costco washer/dryer delivery: tipping?
Replies: 54
Views: 15739

Re: Costco washer/dryer delivery: tipping?

carolinaman wrote: Tue Sep 10, 2019 7:53 am I am restricted from lifting for a while after surgery last week,
I'm curious; did you also tip the surgeon? Apparently he/she did an excellent job too!

Ed
by Parthenon
Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Minivan alternatives?
Replies: 54
Views: 7052

Re: Minivan alternatives?

hillman wrote: Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:01 am I have a Ford Flex and love it (owned since new, 10 years, 200,000+ miles).
With four kids, the captain's seats in the middle could allow for easy ingress and egress to the third row.
I believe this is the final model year and I am thinking hard about getting one.
It drives great and is a smooth ride.
+1

Replaced a '96 Ford Windstar in 2016 with a 2016 Flex and couldn't be more satisfied.
Although it only has 12,000 miles on it, it's been to Boston twice and it's a pleasure to drive on the highway.
Two grandchildren love sitting in the rear two seats because they tip back for an easy exit.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Apr 10, 2019 10:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Direct deposit social security into Vanguard fund
Replies: 7
Views: 1335

Re: Direct deposit social security into Vanguard fund

Sign in to your account, go to My Accounts, Account maintenance, Direct Deposit.

Follow the information. After you chose which fund to deposit into they will give you all the information you need.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Mar 28, 2019 4:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite Chess App for Windows 10
Replies: 5
Views: 712

Re: Favorite Chess App for Windows 10

I have an old Fidelity Designer 2000 chess board that I occasionally pit against https://nextchessmove.com/ just to observe as a spectator.
Even at the highest lever of the Designer, nextchessmove has never even come close to losing.

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat Mar 16, 2019 11:52 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Please fact check Vanguard statement RE Social Security
Replies: 6
Views: 1447

Re: Please fact check Vanguard statement RE Social Security

spencer99 wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2019 10:59 am
"If you're going to collect on your ex's record—unlike collecting on your own record—there's no advantage to waiting past your ex's full retirement age, though claiming before your ex's FRA would reduce your benefits."


Remember 'full retirement age' doesn't include the extra gained by waiting to age 70.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Mar 13, 2019 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How many companies have you worked for?
Replies: 125
Views: 10753

Re: How many companies have you worked for?

1. Started at age 17, retired at age 53 in 1997.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Customer Service with Vanguard
Replies: 386
Views: 40251

Re: Vanguard Customer Service is Horrible

Grt2bOutdoors wrote: Sun Feb 17, 2019 9:07 pm You could write a letter to the CEO of Vanguard. While he may or may not personally read it, I’m sure you would receive a response back from them. Sometimes a squeaky wheel gets a better response. Personally, I would have asked to speak with a manager or supervisor. Not sure if you tried that.
Last year I did exactly that when I was unable to stop Vanguard from sending quarterly statements on several annuities. They responded but never succeeded in stopping those statements. Every three months here come new statements through the mail. I'm currently in the process of liquidating those annuities as opportunities arise.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Feb 28, 2019 11:12 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard is Discontinuing their VanguardAdvantage Accounts
Replies: 645
Views: 93396

Re: Discontinuing VanguardAdvantage Accounts

Nala wrote: Thu Feb 28, 2019 9:39 am What I find most galling is Vanguard's claim that “we have determined that VanguardAdvantage is no longer meeting the range of needs articulated by our clients.”
That must be why, several years ago, Vanguard quit offering free Turbotax to it's flagship clients. It no longer met the range of needs articulated by their clients.

Ed :annoyed
by Parthenon
Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do You Tip the Folks at the Feed Store?
Replies: 22
Views: 2377

Re: Do You Tip the Folks at the Feed Store?

flyingaway wrote: Fri Feb 22, 2019 12:04 pm I wish the students could be allowed to tip the professors, and a business owner could be allowed to tip a government official, legally.
I often wondered is it legal to tip an officer for dispensing a speeding ticket or other traffic violation.
He/She is doing an excellent job if they caught me because I seldom violate the law while driving.
Exceptional service should be rewarded!

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Feb 21, 2019 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Robocall from someone in my phone contacts?
Replies: 24
Views: 2632

Re: Robocall from someone in my phone contacts?

prudent wrote: Thu Feb 21, 2019 8:30 am I think it was a coincidence that the robocaller's fake caller ID happened to match one of your contacts. I notice more and more robocalls using local (to me) numbers with their spoofed caller ID info.
After four rings the answering machine picks up and they never leave a message. That is what tells me it's a robo-call. A legitimate caller would start to leave a message and that is where I intervene to answer the caller.

Ed
by Parthenon
Mon Feb 18, 2019 3:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wife filled our gas engine car with diesel fuel
Replies: 111
Views: 14379

Re: Wife filled our gas engine car with diesel fuel

nick evets wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 11:38 am
I know -- you'd it would be binary...
Just curious, exactly what were you trying to say?

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Feb 13, 2019 11:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bank Needs my Annual income for a Money Market Account?
Replies: 10
Views: 1771

Re: Bank Needs my Annual income for a Money Market Account?

windaar wrote: Wed Feb 13, 2019 8:52 am
sport wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2019 11:46 am I would use the Vanguard Money Market Prime fund. Its current yield is 2.47%. There are no restrictions on withdrawals.
Excellent advice! I will do just that.
Don't forget that any checks written on the account must be for $250 or more.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone bought a Ford recently? Advice please...
Replies: 58
Views: 9581

Re: Anyone bought a Ford recently? Advice please...

Longruninvestor wrote: Tue Jan 29, 2019 9:36 pm
  • Honda sells four or five trim levels which makes it easy to comparison shop. The F150 has trim levels but something else too which I think are called option packages (things like towing, appearance and technology packages). I’ve been unable to crack the option package code; sometimes there’s a 36 gallon gas tank and other individual options. Mostly I’ve been printing out specifications for individual trucks and going through them with a highlighter to identify the differences. Anyone got a secret decoder ring?
Enter the VIN of the vehicle you are interested in and you will see exactly how it was built at the factory.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/vindecoder.php?

Ed
by Parthenon
Sun Dec 16, 2018 9:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shell $0.05/gal discount card
Replies: 27
Views: 2462

Re: Shell $0.05/gal discount card

bob60014 wrote: Sun Dec 16, 2018 9:14 am Unfortunately Shell is consistently higher here in the Chicago area. Even with the discount it is higher than others.
In Westmont, a western suburb of Chicago, Shell is $.10 higher than the BP across the street. Not much of a bargain with the card!

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Doing taxes by hand
Replies: 82
Views: 7197

Re: Doing taxes by hand

MrJones wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 11:48 pm https://sites.google.com/site/excel1040/ is a person offering a free Excel sheet that computer taxes. Donations accepted. Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with this site, but I've used his sheet to cross check my results and it is extremely well done.

Another advantage of not buying software is you don't support the companies that lobby against simplifying our tax code.
I'll second this. The current 2018 draft is available at https://sites.google.com/site/excel1040 ... ew-tax-law

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat Nov 10, 2018 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Worth fixing a 30-year-old Maytag dryer?
Replies: 77
Views: 22887

Re: Worth fixing a 30-year-old Maytag dryer?

Liam wrote: Tue Feb 12, 2013 12:42 pm
but the noises seem to be coming from the drum rollers and/or the drum bearing.
About 10 years ago our '30 year old' dryer developed the same noises. The plates that support the two pins that carry the rollers had deteriorated. If you are handy and have some material to replace those supports you can save the machine. It's not that difficult but you will have to dismantle the machine just to get to the problem.

So far mine has lasted longer than I would have thought possible.

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat Jul 14, 2018 10:19 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: massive Roth conversion
Replies: 40
Views: 4600

Re: massive Roth conversion

I saw that you are 50 years old. Have you begun to consider how and what you want to donate to charities? A friend of mine, CPA retired, told me about QCD or qualified charitable deductions that you make BEFORE AGI; best to check it out: Who can make a qualified charitable distribution? An individual donor can contribute up to $100,000 per year in QCDs, as long as that individual is 70½ years old or older. For married couples, each spouse can make QCDs up to the $100,000 limit for a potential total of $200,000. Here is a link to a brief discussion: https://www.kitces.com/blog/qualified-charitable-distribution-qcd-from-ira-to-satisfy-rmd-rules-and-requirements/ I'm thinking of doing a QCD after I consult a tax accountant. +1 I retired at 53...
by Parthenon
Thu Jul 05, 2018 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is there a current car without a console between the front seats?
Replies: 66
Views: 40481

Re: Is there a current car without a console between the front seats?

It's what I miss the most when I traded in my 1996 Windstar for a 2016 Ford Flex.
It was so convenient when bringing food home from a restaurant to place the container on the floor in between the front seats.
And when traveling it was easy to reach into the second row for drinks or snacks.
There is literally no place in the front seat for storage for such items.
The space under the front seats is occupied by emergency equipment.
Now everything goes in the 'trunk'.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Jul 04, 2018 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Monthly Water Usage
Replies: 61
Views: 5830

Re: Monthly Water Usage

2 Adults; retired.
3,000 Gallons every two months.

Ed
by Parthenon
Thu Jun 14, 2018 11:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: convert 4 wire to a 3 wire switch
Replies: 15
Views: 2277

Re: convert 4 wire to a 3 wire switch

A four wire switch is usually found between two three wire switches which means there are three switches controlling the same light. If that is the case you'll need to do some additional digging to find out what is going on.

Ed
by Parthenon
Wed Jun 13, 2018 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Confused about 2018 capital gains tax rules
Replies: 11
Views: 2235

Re: Confused about 2018 capital gains tax rules

HueyLD wrote: Wed Jun 13, 2018 11:43 am Raybo,

The exact amount is $77,200, not $77,000. You can find that amount in the actual Bill H.R. 1.

Good luck.
Actually, It's $77,400

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat May 19, 2018 11:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Helping Adult Children (but not too much)
Replies: 152
Views: 17499

Re: Helping Adult Children (but not too much)

After graduation from college, when they started working, insisted they max out their 401Ks. I replaced what they put into their 401ks for several years just to get them started saving on a regular basis.

Since then, I have been generous with Christmas, Birthday and Anniversary cash and occasionally paid for vacations we have shared. They don't need it but appreciate the gesture. Give it to them now when it comes in handy; eventually they will get it all.

The grandkids get regular payments into their 529s.

Ed
by Parthenon
Sat May 19, 2018 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What’s your phone/internet bill?
Replies: 92
Views: 9673

Re: What’s your phone/internet bill?

AT&T Uverse

Internet $20; Phone $20; Tax, Surcharges $8

Ed