Bogleheads.org

Dakotah

I just finished acquiring the Amex "Trifecta" (Platinum/Gold/Blue Business Plus). I expect I should be able to generate ~150k in points per year with my typical spend. I intend to pile-up Amex points for aspiration overseas travel that I wouldn't pay cash for. I'm hoping to fly my family o...

Dakotah

I've been having several issues with receiving SMS messages via Google Voice the last couple of weeks...particularly when using it through Hangouts. I've found that texts are not reliably being forwarded from GV to Hangouts. If you think you are not receiving texts because it's not showing in Hangou...

Dakotah

Strong passwords are necessary...and Password Managers make it easy to create them. The real benefit of the Password Managers, however, is that it makes it easy to have completely DIFFERENT passwords for each site. If you use the same strong password on multiple sites, your security is now the least...

Dakotah

With VA and military retirement you have a large cash flow already. Bonds are for potential greater liquidity but you are paying more in mortgage than you can get on bond fund. So I would pay down mortgage before considering bonds. It is not a bad thing to have increased variance in stocks given yo...

Dakotah

Today is the one-year anniversary of my military retirement ceremony...and it's been about 13 months since I posted about my last portfolio review: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=293195&p=4804733#p4804733 Short re-cap: retired from military into a job with a household-n...

Dakotah

Congrats! I've had my Pro 575 for about 6 months now and love it. The mobile app has lots of good recipes that you sort through and mark as favorites. My favorites are the Midnight Brisket, the 3-2-1 Baby Back Ribs, and the Beer Can Chicken. A few things that I've learned over the last few months: 1...

Dakotah

If you had 1 year old $30,000 car with a deeper key scratch, and you keep your cars for > 10 years, would you: - Have a body shop completely fix the scratch (sanding, priming, painting) for $500 - Have a detail shop make it 70% less visible for $80 Since you know your car will inevitably accumulate...

Dakotah

71 (Day), 69 (night). Heatpump w/electric resistance strip aux in Maryland. I'd be willing to set the temp lower at night, but doing so increases the likelihood of the resistance strips aux being used in the morning ($$). Heatpump usage in the winter can be a bit counter-intuitive: lowering the tem...

Dakotah

71 (Day), 69 (night). Heatpump w/electric resistance strip aux in Maryland. I'd be willing to set the temp lower at night, but doing so increases the likelihood of the resistance strips aux being used in the morning ($$). Heatpump usage in the winter can be a bit counter-intuitive: lowering the temp...

Dakotah

How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman.

Dakotah

* Keep the AC to ~78 degrees or higher with a dehumidifier running when I'm not around. As AC / Hot Water Heating / and Fridge, I believe they told me, where the main consumers of energy in a home. Gee, thanks for the Free Tip! :D Then purchase a nice $600 dual-hose 16K BTU? Not sure. Something I s...

Dakotah

I air-sealed my attic and added additional blow-in insulation about 4 years ago. It yielded really significant energy savings. I estimate my AC/Heatpump run-times were reduced ~30%. It has paid for itself several times over. Like you, I had to move the few-inches of insulation to the side and dig ar...

Dakotah

I used to run a Unified Threat Management system as the gateway to my network. Real-time Antivirus scanning, customized firewall rules for each device on my network, DNS filtering, Intrusion Protection system, etc. It used a repurposed desktop computer with additional network interface card. I learn...

Dakotah

This may be overly forward, but...you have $+160k of non-mortgage debt and a very high mortgage rate. Worrying about an investment portfolio right now is putting the cart before the horse. You need to dedicate your financial energy towards reducing your debt burden. Investments will come...but you h...

Dakotah

Did your job in the mil lead to the job offer in January or is it in an unrelated field? Glad things worked out so well for you. I can retire in 6 years, or if I'm still enjoying myself will go beyond 20. I still have some work to do on figuring out what I want to do after retiring, as well as wher...

Dakotah

I feel compelled to share...partially because my path is so unusual...and partially to hold myself accountable for the next few years. 2000: -$12,000 ("dropped" out of college and joined the military with car debt and student loans. Income ~$13k + benefits) 2001: -$10,000 (nibbling away at...

Dakotah

C. Something else. You have to stop all contributions (purchases of a substantially identical investment0 that will happen in the next 30 days AND You must sell all shares purchased in the previous 30 days. (I'm not counting the day you sell for loss, but if you do, then count 31 days). But it is n...

Dakotah

I've managed to pay off all of my non-mortgage debt this year, expanded my emergency fund, and am maxing-out all available tax-advantaged accounts. I'm now moving on to investing in a taxable three-fund portfolio. I've been getting up to speed on TLH in taxable...but am still unclear about wash-sale...

Dakotah

This has been suggested but I do believe the majority of bogleheads recommend this. It leads to a very high stock allocation which many find uncomfortable. https://obliviousinvestor.com/how-pensions-and-social-security-affect-asset-allocation/ Makes sense. I was not considering a super-high allocat...

Dakotah

I was perusing the "Bogleheads Investment Philosophy" portion of the wiki and came this passage from Bogle regarding pensions... Bogle also suggests that, during the retirement distribution phase, you include as a bond-like component of your wealth and asset allocation the value of any fut...

Dakotah

For the sake of tax efficiency it would make more sense to hold bonds in your 401k and all equities in your taxable account. You would have to run the tax numbers, but it may make sense to just hold US equities (e.g. VTSAX/VTI) in your taxable account only (foreign equities have lower qualified div...

Dakotah

I had posted last fall about my situation...Bottom-line: Retired Military, suddenly making a high income. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=293195&p=4804733#p4804733 Some updates since then: -My VA determination came in well above expectations and I seem to have developed ...

Dakotah

My advice is almost always to go with a term policy and invest the difference. I don't see any major reason why this situation is any different. Sure, your company is paying for part of it...but what happens when you leave the company? Do you end up having to pick up the entire premium? I would assu...

Dakotah

Here in MD, I haven't had next next day shipping in several years...and the wait time for new arrivals has grown exponentially. The service has been slowly losing its value proposition.

Dakotah

I've been following this thread with some interest. Long ago I started using passwords that were as complex as the site would accept. I started using a password generator to create them (I sometimes even use the same means to create user names). As the number of accounts proliferated over time (and...

Dakotah

So I have been trying to enhance my internet security recently and have taken the following steps; Using a dedicated device (laptop) connected directly to cable modem (no Wi-Fi). The device is only used for logging into my financial accounts on the web, Quicken and tax preparation program. I also h...

Dakotah

CFM300 wrote: ↑Wed Jan 29, 2020 3:39 pm
MidwestMike wrote: ↑Sun Jan 26, 2020 11:02 am Use nonsensical answers for any security questions.

Mother’s maiden name?

Miami23horse
I think you meant: correct horse staple battery

I hate the fact that I immediately know this reference.

Dakotah

Another favorite tip of mine, though more advanced, is to use KeePass with a keyfile and password. Set the keyfile in Windows to only be accessible to administrators (i.e. not your typically unprivileged user account), and then set the KeePass.exe to always run as admin. This will prompt you every ...

Dakotah

I'll echo what some others have mentioned: you shouldn't connect your computer directly to your cable modem. The firewall and Network Address Translation (NAT) abilities that are standard in essentially all consumer routers serves as an indispensable front-line defense for your computer. Will the Wi...

Dakotah

The "worst case scenario" for stocks is not the same as the worst case scenario for a portfolio that is 80% treasuries. Your recent worst-case (2000-2010) was actually a very good time for your portfolio do to the reduction in interest rates. Take a look at what happened to that same portf...

Dakotah

My employer is in the middle of the exact same change. You may be an employee of the same (very large) employer...maybe not. While the provider of your 401k may be changing, that doesn't guarantee that the available funds are changing. My funds are remaining identical (mostly Vanguard funds) despite...

Dakotah

I've had a Kenmore Elite HPWH for just over 3 years now. I've been very happy with it. I suspect it has already paid for itself...because not only does it save money on the heating of the water, but it also enabled me to permanently retire a dehumidifier in my basement (which was a huge power suck)....

Dakotah

Compared to the normal TMobile users, the data used by Mint devices are of a lower-priority. When the network gets congested, you'll be among the first to notice the effects. Your overall speed may also be slower, even during the best times. This is the case with most MVNOs that piggy-back off of th...

Dakotah

How long has the current manager been with the fund? Any performance history from before their tenure is of questionable value at best.

Dakotah

I've been very happy with Simplisafe for about 6 years now.

Dakotah

I need to upgrade an old heat pump soon too. Question on the smart thermostats ... I suppose they must have an outside sensor for the outside temp to determine if to use the heat strips or not? Where is this typically located? My old heatpump thermostat just has a manual switch to select heat strip...

Dakotah

My Apple MacBook Pro is the best laptop I have ever used. I just bought a Macbook Pro and love it. It should last me quite a while - maybe to the point I no longer want a laptop and just go with a tablet. And 3x-10x the OP's budget. But it will also continue to work VERY well, 3x longer than any PC...

Dakotah

A cloud service will be inherently safer from data-loss. If you value your data, it's the way to go. If you insist on local storage...i would not recommend an external SSD. SSDs need to be powered-on periodically to prevent loss of data. Regular HDD's don't have that limitation (and are cheaper, to...

Dakotah

A cloud service will be inherently safer from data-loss. If you value your data, it's the way to go. If you insist on local storage...i would not recommend an external SSD. SSDs need to be powered-on periodically to prevent loss of data. Regular HDD's don't have that limitation (and are cheaper, to ...

Dakotah

These doorbell cameras fascinate me. Mainly because they sell so many of them these days, and I don't know why. None of the criminals in my area ever seem to use the front door. They use side doors, windows, garage doors, back doors, doggy doors, sliding doors, really anything and everything except...

Dakotah

What's the insulation situation for the top/ceiling of the garage? Is there living space above it? Uninsulated attic space? My garage doors are insulated panels...but it was still unbearable until I added some insulation to the attic area above the garage. That made an enormous difference.

Dakotah

It's never made sense to me to make your portfolio decisions based on such a long time period (30 years, for example). Sure, 100% stocks would seem to be the best mathematical choice...but this isn't an instantaneous process. You have decades to watch your end-date (retirement, for example) approach...

Dakotah

All...thanks for the inputs. I greatly appreciate it. To answer a couple of questions/comments: -Total expenses right now are ~$7k/mo. We are remaining in our same house and don't have any plans for major purchases after the income changes. The car payment is my wife's new vehicle...and I plan to dr...

Dakotah

What about your spouse's TSP account? Can that be rolled out of TSP (and convert to Roth IRA), or even that's not allowed while you are employed there? Sorry I am not a Fed employee so unfamiliar with all the intricacies. Just throwing out the possibilities ... Hmmm...I hadn't even thought of that....

Dakotah

Does TSP allow in-plan Roth conversion? See if you can do that before your income spikes in 2020. Yours is a classic example where Roth conversion is warranted (low income / low tax rate now, expecting high income/higher tax rate later). As much as you can .. Regarding paying off the mortgage -- it...

Dakotah

My wife and I have major changes coming over the next few months as far as income and career trajectories. I will be retiring from the military and have accepted a job with a major tech company. Almost simultaneously, my wife will be re-entering the workforce after 9 years as a SAHM/military-spouse....

Dakotah

My wife just accepted a job after having been a SAHM for the past 10 years. Her new employer has a decent 401k match...but the fund options are atrociously expensive. She still has her TSP from her time in the military, and from my understanding, rolling a 401k into her TSP is an option. I have a co...

Dakotah

After a 20 year career, I'm retiring from the military on 1 January. I've positioned myself well for post-military employment and expect a pretty significant increase in income. Additionally, my wife is returning to the workforce after 10 years as a stay-at-home-mom. Due to the very favorable tax-tr...

Dakotah

A VPN can be useful when you don't trust the network you are connected to, such as when using hotel or public WIFI networks, but honestly, I'd just avoid doing anything sensitive while on those networks anyway. There's no security reason to use one on your own private network.(It can still be used ...

Dakotah

[quote=maxq post_id=4302245 time=1546705002 user_id=56847] Well, I guess we now know at least one reason why USAA issued the odd apology letter: https://www.militarytimes.com/pay-benefits/2019/01/03/usaa-customers-to-receive-more-than-12-million-for-alleged-violations-in-handling-accounts-errors/ As...

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