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fishndoc

My wife and I go to KW every February, and love it. We made our first trip there 6 years ago, and now will probably never again "bother" with the rest of Florida again, KW is just so perfect for us. Great food, perfect winter weather, friendly and interesting and eclectic locals, you can b...

fishndoc

I have towed a pop-up with a larger vehicle. I would not tow one with a vehicle rated for only 1500lbs. I don't know about these vehicles specifically but if you check the tow rating may be for a mostly-unloaded tow vehicle - you probably can't fill the vehicle (which you typically will do with a p...

fishndoc

As has already been mentioned several times, Bogleheads are not the norm. Physicians, despite years of education, are just as clueless as the general public on investing basics.

For 90% of the docs I know, this would be the best $399 they will ever spend.

fishndoc

Basalt, Carbondale or anywhere in the Roaring Fork Valley - if you can afford housing. Frying Pan is a spectacular fishery; nice size trout rising to dry flies every day of the year, plus all the conveniences of civilization a short bike ride away. Only place I know where you can find a Whole Foods ...

fishndoc

I strongly doubt the 6% return is real - read the fine print. It's either going to be a very low maximum amount on which you can earn the 6%, or more likely it will be like the high % guaranteed returns promised on variable annuities: The "6%" is only earned in "monopoly money" (...

fishndoc

My (misguided) time spent with ML ended shortly after I received my first year end statement for my "managed portfolio". In reviewing my overwhelming number of trades, I went back and reviewed the intra-day prices on a good number of the trades: I found that most of my buys were at or near...

fishndoc

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-court-edison-401k-fees-20150519-story.html#page=2 A unanimous high court said Monday that employers can be sued if they fail in their "continuing duty to monitor" mutual funds in 401(k) accounts for unnecessarily high fees, potentially shaking up the ...

fishndoc

If your lodging is in the Old Town area, I would definitely not bother with a rental car to get around Key West. Many of the bike rental companies will actually pick you up at KW airport and drop you, your luggage and your rental bikes off at your lodging. Just be sure lights and a locking cable are...

fishndoc

Above my computer, I have posted a quote from a wise Boglehead, posted here many years ago (sorry, I don't have name to give credit): "A simpler portfolio keeps smart people from doing stupid things" . Was is zotty? http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=804228#p804228 Actually, ...

fishndoc

I for one think it's a lot harder to stick to an allocation strategy when you have a bunch of different equity pieces: large cap, small cap, value, momentum low vol, quality factors, european developed, pacific developed, emerging, etc. etc. You just get too microscopic looking at all the pieces, r...

fishndoc

40% Vanguard Total U.S. Stock Market Index (VTSMX) 20% Vanguard Total International Stock Index (VGTSX) 32% Vanguard Total Bond Market Index (VBFMX) 8% Vanguard Inflation-Protected Securities (VIPSX) I would only quibble about your bond allocation: one thing that really shined during the '08-'09 me...

fishndoc

Studying history in this way (daily news reports and editorials) can provide a perspective one can't get by picking up a history book. Our understanding is always slanted since we know the outcome. When you start "living" the events day to day, you begin to appreciate that to the people li...

fishndoc

FARGO, N.D. (AP) - A class of sixth-graders from North Dakota has schooled some of the best college business students in the country on the stock market. It started as a competition between the regular and advanced math classes at Fargo's Oak Grove Lutheran School, where Dave Carlson was teaching h...

fishndoc

While I have not lived in Charleston, I have spent a good bit of time in Savannah. For someone not personally familiar with the heat and humidity you will be facing, I would highly recommend spending maybe a month - July or August - in Charleston before making the move. I realize some people can dea...

fishndoc

Well, if you have an electric car and live in metro-Atlanta, do not try to charge it at your children's school, or you will end up in jail, even for only 5 cents worth of electricity:

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/314 ... h-of-juice

fishndoc

My wife drew BlackJack FIVE times in row on her last visit to Vegas (seriously)- sure doesn't mean she has a skill that means anything for the next trip. Always easy to find someone in retrospect who beat the market for several years, but that info is worthless - predicts nothing for going forward. ...

fishndoc

I call them,

I'm amazed that you can find a number to call and actually talk to a human (or did you actually talk to someone?)!
The difficulty in reaching a real "live" customer service rep when you need one is about my only complaint about Amazon.

fishndoc

In one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes, George Constanza has an epiphany that all of his instincts have been wrong, and that he would be best served by doing the opposite . It seems that many, if not most, investors would benefit from the same epiphany. Excellent article Larry. I believe those las...

fishndoc

I should be using. I had the option to put money into a fund that guarantees a 5% return. I can only allocate money into it once a year. I ended up putting about 40% of my "traditional" retirement into the fund. Could it be that this "fund" is actually a variable annuity with a ...

fishndoc

Pros and cons to both bond funds and CDs - I actually use mainly CDs, Treasuries and TIPS, and keep enough in bond funds to rebalance occasionally. But remember, pretty much all of the "wisdom" espoused on this forum about the superior performance of bond funds has been "learned"...

fishndoc

If one believes in destiny, then you have to believe Kennedy's "calling" was to lead us thru the Cuban Missle Crisis without stumbling into WWIII - I doubt any other political leader of that time could have accomplished that. I have always believed that like Lincoln, once his mission was a...

fishndoc

I think their assumption is that this is a slippery slope into active management. A complicated portfolio depends on a complicated rationale -- . A very wise Boglehead once posted the following on this forum (sorry, I don't have the original link to give proper credit): A simpler portfolio keeps sm...

fishndoc

Either way, the income taken from the policy is tax free to the policy holder. Gee, maybe you could help this young man with his tax problems from all this "Tax free income": http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=116341#p1694390 Again, you are using generalities, trying ...

fishndoc

Fishndoc, what am I trying to show (or determine) is if the tax-free nature of life insurance performs outweighs the fees that are being charged on it, compared to a taxable investment account with management fees also on that. Could you explain the "tax-free nature of life insurance" (in...

fishndoc

Well, there are two options here: 1. Invest directly in a low cost, broadly diversified portfolio of bonds and equities (also buying low-cost term insurance to cover your obligations until you have saved enough), and receive ALL the returns from your investments, OR 2. Give your money to the insuran...

fishndoc

Two thoughts: 1. It is not so much that index funds outperform active funds, it is that low cost, low turnover funds outperform high cost funds. Most Vanguard active funds are fairly low cost. 2. Past performance does not predict future returns. I will stick with my core of super-low cost index fund...

fishndoc

HomerJ wrote:
mk2013 wrote:However there are products that perform better and allow for better income than say a buy-term and invest the difference.
No there isn't.

Well, at least those products do provide better income for the insurance salesman.
Out of the pocket of the client.

fishndoc

Sure they might be other opportunities elsewhere, but life insurance should be considered as an investment, especially for the wealthy I've known a fair number of people most of us would consider wealthy, and a couple (one a relative) who would be considered very wealthy (9 figures). Not a single o...

fishndoc

There was a post on this forum a good many years back that I copied and have pasted above my desk, just in case I get the urge to do something stupid with my portfolio. Sorry, I don't have the name of the original author: ...I continue to think investing is as much or more psychological/behavioral a...

fishndoc

This is one of those bad decisions we all make occasionally in life; I'm certainly no insurance expert, but sounds like trying to keep this policy afloat by putting more money in is just gonna compound the problem, and you eventually will get backed into a corner and have to deal with it (unless you...

fishndoc

.I guess every person in the country who sells these products is an evil dishonest thief.That is what the bogleheads believe I guess.It is not like Mr.Bogle did not become very rich selling all of you his mutual funds.Vanguard sells variable annuities...what about that??? I'm afraid you know even l...

fishndoc

You might find it helpful to pick up one of Dave Ramsey's books - he gives great advice on getting out of debt and living within your means.

Just skip over his (very limited) investment advice, as most of us on this forum consider it misguided at best.

fishndoc

This is a *long* thread. Would it be possible for you or someone else to summarize it in a few paragraphs or is it something I'm just going to have to read? Young whippersnapper thinks he has everything figured out and loses his shirt. and becomes much wiser for the experience. As should anyone who...

fishndoc

Anyone who considers using leverage for their portfolio should spend the time to read thru what I think is the classic thread on this forum:
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... sc&start=0

fishndoc

While I had always previously followed the drive-it-easy-during-breakin-period philosophy, when I last purchased a new F-150, I picked it up from the dealer just a couple of days before we set out on a month-long cross country trip, loaded with 2 kids, a bed full of gear and luggage, and towing a 30...

fishndoc

What will be the reaction of the advisors and their personnel situation if I meet with them and tell them I am going to file for arbitration? Are they going to be willing play their hand in arbitration? We are talking about them and their position not the company! From what I've read, even very leg...

fishndoc

Medical is the big outlier. They do have supplemental insurance and it's one of the bigger expenses each month. However, if the nursing home situation happens, it will wipe them out and end up on medicaid for sure. Trading their home equity for cash may have been a mistake, if one of them needs nur...

fishndoc

Vermont's already taking advantage of this waiver: it plans to implement a single-payer system in 2017. :idea: Thanks for the link. I had not heard about this. Should be a very interesting experiment: in Vermont, the idea is that everyone would be insured through a state-funded pool called Green Mo...

fishndoc

Before a major election such as this, both sides drink their own kool-aid, believing that when their candidate(s) win, and everything will be OK.

After the election, reality sets in for both sides, as they realize there are serious problems ahead, and no magic bullet.

fishndoc

Assuming you told him you didn't want to lose money and you wanted this money in five years, yes, you were given bad advice and he is not someone you should trust. In your situation, the best thing to do is find a good 5 year CD . You should be able to find something paying a little more than 2% ri...

fishndoc

A more “natural” allocation plan for how real people act is to start lower in stocks and then build up over time. For example: Ages 20-25: 40% stocks Ages 26-30: 50% stocks Ages 31-40: 60% stocks Ages 41-60: 60%-80% stocks depending on risk tolerance Ages 61 >: Whatever financial needs dictate Rick...

fishndoc

Here is an article Britain in the American Civil War on Wikipedia The Confederacy, and its president Jefferson Davis, believed from the beginning in "King Cotton" -- the notion that British dependence on cotton for its large textile industry would lead to diplomatic recognition and mediat...

fishndoc

wbond wrote:Somewhat off-topic and anachronistic question: would Sherman - as the first president of LSU - have been a college football fan?

If Sherman were reincarnated as a college football coach, he would have to be Nick Saban.

fishndoc

Maybe not the most complete history of the war, but by far the most interesting (IMHO) is "April 1865, the Month that Saved America" by Jay Winik. He reviews all the pivotal events of that single month, from Lee's surrender, the final military events of the war, and Lincoln's assassination...

fishndoc

i went to art school and have been doing web design for years getting by... working in webdesign i have been able to keep our heads above water... Perhaps you should use some of the money to train yourself for a new career? A better paying job that you enjoy would likely be the best "investmen...

fishndoc

I suppose it depends on a person's political leanings, but unfortunately it is just about impossible to find a news source that doesn't have a significant bias in favor of one political party or another. :oops: Try BBC - especially good for world news, and a different perspective on issues here in ...

fishndoc

The best source I have found for a non-biased discussion of energy matters is the R-Squared Energy Blog: http://www.consumerenergyreport.com/columns/rsquared/ Here is a brief article from the site on "The Effect of New Production Methods on U.S Oil Output": http://www.consumerenergyreport....

fishndoc

Dear Wife loves it cold, especially when we sleep, so I added a small window unit to our bedroom a few years back, and it seemed to drop our electric bill, and definitely added to comfort. The noise which some complain of is actually very soothing after a short while - now we have trouble sleeping w...

fishndoc

Because of potential changes next year, Vanguard is hosting a webcast "The urgent state of estate planning" on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7PM EDT. You may wish to register to participate. I plan on listening in. Jim Thanks a lot. Been worrying about this very problem, as we get closer to end o...

fishndoc

mickeyd wrote:
many of the other typical organizations that turn a profit from death: florists, cemetery, Church/Temple, pensions funds, etc.
Funeral homes, attorneys, auction houses, insurance agents...

and Family members if there is life insurance.

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