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by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations
Replies: 3
Views: 248

Re: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations

Also please search on the many threads we have had in London. Main thing is to realise at most 1 (maybe 2) museums or major sights in a day. 3 hours of the British Museum and you will feel well tired of museums. Assuming the rain is not torrential, the key to London is walking around, even using the Tube and buses. Get a feel for the place. Especially the West End, Royal Parks (Buckingham Palace, St James's Park), walk along the South Bank. Thames River cruise. Of the Cathedrals: Westminster Abbey (Westminster Cathedral is actually a Roman Catholic church, and is in a slightly different location near Victoria) and St Paul's Cathedral. On weekdays you can also walk around the Inns of Court - where the barristers (trial lawyers) work. Lincoln...
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another 'should I get solar' question
Replies: 62
Views: 4131

Re: Another 'should I get solar' question

FWIW, I just had solar installed in Boston. Here are my metrics and financial thinking. -System cost: $23,100 after tax credits -Expected to generate 10,300 kWh / yr (this is the key metric, not the rated DC/AC size) -Retail electricity cost: $0.37/kWh (full net metering in MA, so usage and production offset 1:1 over year) -Electricity value / yr: $3,800 -SREC value: $0.03/kWh (MA subsidy) = $309 -Total Annual Revenue: ~$4,100 -Payback Period: 5.6 years -Usable life: ~30 years -Potential Revenue: $123K -Actual IRR: Guessing 10-15%* So not terrible! *depending on lifespan of system (house is only a few years old, so roof should be good for a while), inverter lifespan, etc. Note there's some degradation in panels (spec is 0.25%/yr), but I ex...
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another 'should I get solar' question
Replies: 62
Views: 4131

Re: Another 'should I get solar' question

Nobody knows what the next few years or ten years will hold in various diverse markets for net metering. The penetration of rooftop solar in the Northeast is so, so much lower than California that I'm not sure that expecting net metering to be aggressively phased down the same way that California is currently doing is reasonable...it is still in most electricity providers' best interests to encourage solar uptake, especially farther into NE where NG pipelines constraints make adding capacity problematic. I realise uptake is low. Except in Massachusetts? Where the subsidies are particularly good? I wouldn't necessarily assume rooftop solar PV rollout will be slow? My reasoning? You have high domestic electricity prices - European levels. Yo...
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another 'should I get solar' question
Replies: 62
Views: 4131

Re: Another 'should I get solar' question

If you have to finance, then use a HELOC - at which point the cost may just make it not worthwhile. Most HELOC rates are currently too high at >8%. There are solar loans you can get from a credit union which are much lower rate, but still currently in the 6.25% range. Rates will likely go down over time, though. But either is a bit too high a rate right now. Good info. Thank you. Mathematically if the IRR of the system > Loan rate, then it's economic. Remembering to do both *after tax*. However given the liquidity constraints - and the fact that the loan repays faster than the solar PV ie the cash flow of interest + principal repayment is likely greater than the cash flow from electricity rate savings - I would agree with you that the loan...
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations
Replies: 3
Views: 248

Re: London 3 days in June - Need recommendations

Hello, We are visiting London and staying for 2 full days / 3 nights. I know it is very short but that's all the time we have. We wanted to see the must-see places in 2 days. Can someone please advise what can we do in Day 1 and Day 2 ? and, if, you tour with a local tour company where you pre-book the sightseeing etc, I will appreciate the names as I have trouble finding tour companies. Wife wants me to pre-book everything ..lol.. :D Thank you. An American certainly does not need to book most things. There are certainly guided bus tours, there's also hop on and off tour bus (sit on the top deck). Things like the London Eye (ferris wheel near Waterloo which gives a view of London) do require advance booking. IanVisits is a website which li...
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

kojima wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:32 am
Valuethinker wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:20 pm Western Europe, which is what BMWs were designed for, is full of just those sorts of roads - well paved and twisting.

Rugged is Eastern Europe or North America.

It's not the car I would want for my relations' farms - unpaved roads, northereastern winters etc.
And the Autobahn is something else... getting the M class BMW up to 120+ mph is an experience that one will never forget.
Yes. Although there's now relatively little of the Autobahn where there is no actual speed limit?

Also traffic congestion.

If that's something one craves, then I suspect membership of a good track is the way to go. Weekend speedster.
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:10 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Investing in the UK
Replies: 5
Views: 490

Re: Investing in the UK

Investnewbie01 wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:49 pm Many thanks
I don't know what ISA products are available for under 45s. There's something called a Lifetime ISA = LISA. But I don't know the rules.

Vanguard is not the cheapest provider out there, but their ISAs are admirably simple and straightforward.
by Valuethinker
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me with my car dilemma . . .
Replies: 10
Views: 617

Re: Help me with my car dilemma . . .

I’m curious what the bogleheads would do about my car dilemma. Last week a disintegrating spark plug destroyed the engine in my 2015 Volvo wagon, which I bought used in 2017. The car has 105K miles and is in generally good but not perfect shape, the ruined engine notwithstanding. Dealer can install a factory new engine for about $15-17K (considerably more than the bluebook value of the car). The car is configured to meet our family’s needs – roof rack, hitch for a small trailer or bike rack, attractive and semi-luxury, super comfortable for road trips, which is its main use. Lots of cargo space without driving a minivan, truck or SUV. With a brand new engine, I think this car is likely to last at least another 6 to 10 years before pesky re...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another 'should I get solar' question
Replies: 62
Views: 4131

Re: Another 'should I get solar' question

Hi. Thanks again for all of the previous input. I now have 2 (fairly similar) proposals: 1. cash price of about $41k, $29k after incentives. Approx. 14kW system with approx. 14,500 kWh 2. cash price of about $45k, $32k after incentives. slightly smaller system of 11.9kW generating 13,908 kWh (+$11k net if I want a battery) my actual/historical spending on electric has been: monthly average full year 2013 $249.54 $2,994.44 2014 $260.93 $3,131.15 2015 $271.04 $3,252.45 2016 $223.17 $2,678.03 2017 $230.63 $2,767.57 2018 $245.31 $2,943.72 2019 $244.21 $2,930.48 2020 $271.81 $3,261.77 2021 $267.95 $3,215.35 2022 $279.80 $3,357.59 2023 $293.27 $3,519.26 $257.97 $3,095.62 January and February of this year were around 50% higher than Jan/Feb of la...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:55 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Investing in the UK
Replies: 5
Views: 490

Re: Investing in the UK

Investnewbie01 wrote: Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:24 pm Hello
Thank you for your reply.
This is for family living in the UK and France
There are ISAs. Probably the best move.

Not sure what the rules are for young people on ISAs. There's something called a Lifetime ISA.

ETFs tracking S&P 500 are easy. Vanguard certainly does one (.co.uk). May not be the cheapest fees.

Definitely look at the wikis here and read Monevator.com

Beware tax consequences of residency and any adverse tax consequences for changing that. (if there are any between France and UK).
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 12:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

An xDrive M3! Looking for something I can daily and take to the mountains in the winter (plus heard good things about reliability for the S58). If you drive less than 12K/year, I think that leasing for 2-3 years would be a good option. It probably doesn't cost a whole lot more than depreciation, and you can change car again in 2-3 years if you so desire. Does the fact that the Original Poster like to go places which are "more rugged" matter? i.e. greater risk of minor damage to paint, body, chassis? Is this a problem if you lease v own? For a sports car with such low ground clearance and low profile tires, I am not sure if “rugged” roads that can cause “minor damage to paint, body, chassis” are a good idea. Perhaps smooth mountai...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 5:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

Hi - have a pretty straightforward question. Recently totaled my existing vehicle (cabinet drawer fell out of the back of a truck in front of me) and received an insurance payout of 17k. Need to purchase a car, and was thinking about getting my dream car (~100k). I’m 30 years old, single, make 260k per year, with a confirmed path to 330k by 33 (vesting stock). Net worth is currently 700k, with 300k in retirement and 400k in savings. No house, and live in a HCOL, with a rent of 2600 per month. No other debt. Was going to buy the car cash - but not sure if it’s a financially ruining decision! Buying new because 1-2 years used only offers a 5-6% discount in the current market. Would appreciate any advice! :confused It's a bad financial decisi...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

DSBH wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:22 am
blahpoopy wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:03 pm An xDrive M3! Looking for something I can daily and take to the mountains in the winter (plus heard good things about reliability for the S58).
If you drive less than 12K/year, I think that leasing for 2-3 years would be a good option. It probably doesn't cost a whole lot more than depreciation, and you can change car again in 2-3 years if you so desire.
Does the fact that the Original Poster like to go places which are "more rugged" matter? i.e. greater risk of minor damage to paint, body, chassis? Is this a problem if you lease v own?

Otherwise the straight economics suggest it's normally better to lease - depending on the interest rate implied in the lease.
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone else seeing sharp rise in homeowner's policy?
Replies: 87
Views: 9415

Re: Anyone else seeing sharp rise in homeowner's policy?

Interesting commentary that States have had to step in to fill the gap as Property & Casualty insurers have withdrawn from some markets.

That's a policy point, and not to be debated here, as to the merits or demerits. But to note what is happening in the market.

Bad loss experience is why premiums are rising. That and insurers withdrawing from markets, in response.
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Utilities cost?
Replies: 57
Views: 4081

Re: Utilities cost?

And it's crazy to me that is so normal in our society that you simply don't believe it's possible to use much much less. I very much do believe it's possible to use much less than average, within reason. 1/2 or 1/3 of average is absolutely possible. 1/8 strains credulity. We may be beating a dead horse, at this point. Yeah, we're probably not going to come to you believing me. I know there are other people out there with similar usage to us, and it would be nice if one of them raised their hand, but I do think it comes down to showers... And there's a societal stigma to that. So maybe we're just dirty. Or clean enough without having to pour gallons of water over ourselves for several minutes every day (barring the child). From a practical ...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: NYC This Year or Wait? Has it sufficiently recovered from Covid?
Replies: 54
Views: 3920

Re: NYC This Year or Wait? Has it sufficiently recovered from Covid?

bostonboglehead123 wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:39 pm
stuper1 wrote: Sun Mar 17, 2024 9:24 pm Thanks to everyone who has responded so far. I wasn't very clear with my question. I'm not concerned about catching Covid. That's not what I'm asking about. I'm asking about whether the city has regained all of its vibrancy yet, or whether it still needs some more time to get back to normal vibrancy?
Yep - it's been fine for a while. You'll have a good time but two weeks is too much - you can probably squeeze in Boston, Philly and NYC in that time.
NYC needs at least a week to scratch the surface. Agree a side trip to Boston or Philadelphia. You lose better part of a day getting between any of those pairs? So too much to do all 3?

Philadelphia can also be done from Washington DC so that might suggest Boston?
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: NYC This Year or Wait? Has it sufficiently recovered from Covid?
Replies: 54
Views: 3920

Re: NYC This Year or Wait? Has it sufficiently recovered from Covid?

My wife and I are planning a two-week trip to New York City in September. We live in the western US and have never visited NYC except very briefly. Given the multitude of other places in the world that we want to visit before the no-go years, this may be our only visit to NYC. I have heard a little chatter on a few podcasts to the effect that NYC still hasn't fully recovered from the Covid pandemic. This got me to thinking that maybe if we want to see it in full bloom so to speak, we should delay a few years before we visit NYC. There are certainly other places we could visit this year. What do you guys think? It's always time to go to New York. Even in the 1970s and 1980s, when the City was deeply troubled and unbelievably squalid compare...
by Valuethinker
Mon Mar 18, 2024 4:46 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Investing in the UK
Replies: 5
Views: 490

Re: Investing in the UK

Are you in France, or the UK?

viewtopic.php?t=427351

The UK has exited the European Union. There will over time be more divergence (not so far) on financial services.
by Valuethinker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 11:55 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Gold As An Emergency Fund In A Country With Insane Inflation
Replies: 29
Views: 3537

Re: Gold As An Emergency Fund In A Country With Insane Inflation

Hello bogleheads, When I dedicate my effort in Boglehead investing philosophy, the first thing that gets recommended is building an emergency fund via bonds or HYSAs. However I live in Turkey where effective year-to-year inflation is %120+ so even the highest yielding savings account and/or bonds get crushed against inflation. I know that an emergency fund should be highly liquid so I thought "Why not gold then?" because gold investment is super common here and selling fractional grams of gold is easy. Moreover, gold's performance is so high that even the benchmark stock index XU100 or BIST 100 has a hard time beating it. But that's because Turkey has a high risk/high volatility stock market. I thought maybe I can try to open a f...
by Valuethinker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

Hi - have a pretty straightforward question. Recently totaled my existing vehicle (cabinet drawer fell out of the back of a truck in front of me) and received an insurance payout of 17k. Need to purchase a car, and was thinking about getting my dream car (~100k). I’m 30 years old, single, make 260k per year, with a confirmed path to 330k by 33 (vesting stock). Net worth is currently 700k, with 300k in retirement and 400k in savings. No house, and live in a HCOL, with a rent of 2600 per month. No other debt. Was going to buy the car cash - but not sure if it’s a financially ruining decision! Buying new because 1-2 years used only offers a 5-6% discount in the current market. Would appreciate any advice! :confused Some things in life you wil...
by Valuethinker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 7:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6490

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

Lee Iacocca called BMW and Mercedes-Benz cars "boutique cars" that are bought for snob appeal. My dream car is the East German Wartburg. I've wanted one ever since I first saw them on my trip to West Germany in 1990. It must be the prole in me. You do not want to be in one of those cars when an SUV slams into you. It's on a different, far lower, plain of safety protection. Fun to take a spin on a Sunday afternoon, maybe? The real proletarian car is the MG Rover. Chinese built. Electric. Doesn't cost any more than an ICE car. Although it is likely that there will be anti-dumping duties in Europe, EVs from China can be cheaper than the average car, and of course much more economical to run -- especially given our fuel prices. So BY...
by Valuethinker
Sun Mar 17, 2024 7:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Utilities cost?
Replies: 57
Views: 4081

Re: Utilities cost?

With all the caveats about without knowing Heating/ Cooling Degree days, and consumption, this is not a terribly relevant calculation. So. London, England. 51 degrees N. Average winter temp probably about 42 F. No air conditioning Small terraced (row) house. Victorian. electricity is about USD 120 pcm averaged over year - about 3000 kwhr pa (electricity is about 27 c US/ kwhr + standing fixed charge) gas is about USD 300 pcm - about 27000 kwhr pa (google tells me 921 Therms) at about USD 12 cents/ kwhr (looks like that is about $4/therm) Price of gas doubled (actually at one point 8x, but there was a government cap on retail prices) when Russia invaded Ukraine. Still about double about what they were. Electricity was about 18 c/ kwhr pre cr...
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

the central area is so well connected by public transportation that it does not matter too much where you stay if you plan to go to the typical tourist sites. I like to stay in the City of London, which is the financial district, because it is quiet at night and not full of tourists. It's nice to be able to retreat to an area like this after spending so much time around crowds. The north part of the City is also close to Islington where you can get more immersed in a residential neighborhood. However, if you want to stay in the middle of the tourist action, this is not where I'd recommend. And the crowds - holy kamoley is London crowded in the tourist areas. Especially when you are going. Agree the City is a decent place to stay - a lot mo...
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

snackdog wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:33 am We like to stay in Mayfair. It is relatively central but very quiet with some lovely places to eat and drink.
It is probably the most expensive place in London to stay, however (after Knightsbridge). Marylebone (just to the north) or South Bank (other side of the Thames) probably are good substitutes if you don't mind a bit of a walk.
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

the central area is so well connected by public transportation that it does not matter too much where you stay if you plan to go to the typical tourist sites. I like to stay in the City of London, which is the financial district, because it is quiet at night and not full of tourists. It's nice to be able to retreat to an area like this after spending so much time around crowds. The north part of the City is also close to Islington where you can get more immersed in a residential neighborhood. However, if you want to stay in the middle of the tourist action, this is not where I'd recommend. And the crowds - holy kamoley is London crowded in the tourist areas. Especially when you are going. Yes re crowds. But South Kensington is very crowded...
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

02nz wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:41 am Stayed last summer at the Autograph Collection Bankside Hotel, which I enjoyed very much. I thought the area (South Bank) was fine and see no reason to avoid it, contrary to your friend's advice.
It is just less convenient to museums. You have to cross the river to get onto the District (Green) line for South Kensington, or to Waterloo for the Northern Line (black) to Tottenham Court Rd for the British Museum.

There are good bits and bad bits south of the river (generally towards the Elephant & Castle is sketchier, but that too is being redeveloped), but along the river is mostly OK. Around Waterloo Station can feel a bit sketchy, but is generally OK.
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

Wife and I are traveling to London for a week late summer. We are museum-lovers, and plan to spend a lot of time in various museums, and perhaps to take some day-trips outside the city. We are real tourists! But, we don't know London - where should we stay? I have one friend who knows London pretty well. His advice was to look at South Kensington and Bloomsbury, and avoid Soho/Covent Garden and South Bank. He recommended Artist Residence ( https://www.artistresidence.co.uk/our-hotels/london/ ) and also suggested looking at hotels in the Sloan Square area. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance. Small Law I went to London last fall and stayed in two neighborhoods - near Paddington for the first bit and then in Islington (at Citadines ...
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Utilities cost?
Replies: 57
Views: 4081

Re: Utilities cost?

Without knowing the Heating Degree Days and Cooling Degree Days of the location, the energy consumption is not particularly useful for comparison. Price is, although that data is also available from EIA (Department of Energy) website, but it varies by utility and energy provider. Americans use something like 2x on average the water consumption of other developed countries. However looking at the data I could find, it's clear the split of agriculture using irrigation and industry has a big impact on that https://www.worldometers.info/water/ USA 3750 l per capita per day Finland 3414 Canada 2740 Australia 1826 France 1257 German 850 UK 351 (that very low number may reflect deindustrialisation, as well as a generally wet climate (but not as we...
by Valuethinker
Sat Mar 16, 2024 12:54 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: SIPP tax relief advice
Replies: 5
Views: 686

Re: SIPP tax relief advice

To answer your core question, there is nothing stopping you from putting money (which must be from your earnings) into a pension in one year (living off your savings in the meantime) and drawing it the next. That is, there is no minimum holding period for a pension contribution. (There are some squirrelly technical rules around both contributing to and drawing from pensions at the same time, but it sounds like you don't plan to do this .) The "squirrelly technical rules" are a real trap. We have people who have joined us late career when they were already drawing a pension. They have inadvertently broken the rules - and that's a real nightmare. I believe the limit on contributions if you are drawing a pension is £4k pa - but I ma...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)
Replies: 29
Views: 2899

Re: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)

"22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22". Acc. to the NYT. https://www.nytimes.com/.../14/books/funny-novels-humor.html Maybe just clickbait. Maybe not. Let me know if you read any of them, and what you think of those you read. Also if any particularly interest you. The list strikes me as missing some by the best (Vonnegut, Toole, Percy, Adams, Saunders, etc...) It's hard to beat Catch-22. I've only read two on the list: 1. Oscar Wao. I really liked it. 2. Portnoy's Complaint. I recall liking it when I read it, but I was about 16 years old when I read it. If you can't access the article, here is the abbreviated list: The Wig, by Charles Wright (1966) Portnoy's Complaint, by Philip Roth (1969) Oreo, by Fran Ross (1974) Tales of ...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)
Replies: 29
Views: 2899

Re: "22 of the funniest novels since Catch-22" (acc. to the NYT)

I listened to Slaughterhouse 5 and then Catch-22; one after the other. Catch-22 wasn’t in the same class as Slaughterhouse 5. Catch-22 is redundant, not all that funny, and definitely not as insightful or impactful. I read both and didn’t care for either. I just didn’t get why they are so popular and well regarded. They certainly did not seem funny, but rather more antiestablishment and mocking, which is not the same thing. I suspect they appeal more to people who chafe at tradition And authority and who want to see themselves as an establishment which I think is why they are so popular with high school and college kids. Like the movie MASH (the TV show is much less biting), Catch-22 and Slaughterhouse 5 are trying to say something about t...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travel Health Insurance (China)?
Replies: 22
Views: 1414

Re: Travel Health Insurance (China)?

Be careful about charge card insurance... any insurance, of course, but some issues are more likely to occur with charge card coverage. That is, are pre-existing conditions covered (or any costs due to pre-existing conditions)? Note that "pre-existing condition" can be defined very differently for travel insurance than how many would define that term in everyday usage (at least in the USA). It's obviously very important to understand all of the Terms & Conditions of any insurance policy, but some problems seem to catch people by surprise than other problems. Here is a link to the Travel Insurance section of CruiseCritic. https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/499-cruisetravel-insurance/ Most issues are not limited to "cru...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Travel Health Insurance (China)?
Replies: 22
Views: 1414

Re: Travel Health Insurance?

I've never bought health insurance for overseas travel. My mother comes here from Europe and purchases a travel health policy. It doubles the price of her trip but better than risking bankruptcy if she's admitted to a hospital with something serious. My mother also travels here from Europe. She has travel insurance benefits from her credit card, which covers healthcare emergencies while in the US. Fortunately, she has not had to use it. Amazed a European credit card would provide US health insurance cover? We buy a world policy, annually. But it will not cover USA - we have to buy that separately. USA health costs really are out there. In my experience, western quality healthcare in Emerging Markets is not any cheaper than it is in the Wes...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Understanding taxes for retired US citizen living in UK
Replies: 24
Views: 2822

Re: Understanding taxes for retired US citizen living in UK

I guess one potential method of hedging, if the USD/GBP rate is favorable at the point of retirement, would be to withdraw all of my USD Roth funds in one fell swoop and transferring the lot to GBP... Theoretically there should be no taxes on either side, but I'd want to wait for a really good exchange rate.... If you are determined to fully hedge to GBP in one single event (that is, to fix a given USD/GBP rate), better would be to move your Roth holdings into GBP assets, but leave them inside the Roth. You could use a UK stocks ETF (perhaps EWU or FLGB ), or at the extreme a GBP cash or ultra-short GBP bond fund. Keeping everything inside the Roth wrapper means you don't face US and UK tax on subsequent gains. The UK equity index is a wea...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

We recently stayed in Bloomsbury and found it to be a very convenient base for all our exploring. We were able to walk to many major sites and due to the great tube, bus and train access, anywhere else was a easy trip. The Thames Clipper is a great suggestion. A good way to get around and to see some of the sites from a different perspective. Certainly easy to get from Bloomsbury also to South Ken -- straight down the Piccadilly Line in the direction of Heathrow. There's a lot about London which is hard to understand unless you see it for the river. For example the Courtauld Institute (one of my favourite smaller art museums) is in the building that was at one time the Admiralty Board ie where the heads of the Navy met - as a sea power, th...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?
Replies: 21
Views: 1646

Re: Advice re London Neighborhoods, Hotels?

Wife and I are traveling to London for a week late summer. We are museum-lovers, and plan to spend a lot of time in various museums, and perhaps to take some day-trips outside the city. We are real tourists! But, we don't know London - where should we stay? I have one friend who knows London pretty well. His advice was to look at South Kensington and Bloomsbury, and avoid Soho/Covent Garden and South Bank. He recommended Artist Residence ( https://www.artistresidence.co.uk/our-hotels/london/ ) and also suggested looking at hotels in the Sloan Square area. I'd appreciate any advice. Thanks in advance. Small Law I and others have posted quite a lot on this so if you do some searches with my name London hotels etc you might find them. His adv...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:40 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Liquid cash for 5year horizon at 5% apy
Replies: 16
Views: 1555

Re: Liquid cash for 5year horizon at 5% apy

ebeb wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:01 am Hello,

I want to keep say $100-200k of easily available money that can be converted to cash quickly maybe with loss of interest or less than 1% loss of principal. But still get above 5%+ apy for 5 years. I see most CDs are paying less than 5% for 5 year terms. This is mostly my sleep well money. Is this doable with some type of investments? :annoyed
Not without risk.

A ladder of FDIC insured CDs is your best bet.

US Treasury bonds ladder will also work but if there were a sharp spike in interest rates, and you needed cash, you could be selling at a loss.

There's nothing magic about 5% yield. Or 4.763% yield. Or 2.1335% yield. US Treasury bonds have traded at all of the above, sometime in their history (or mathematically close to).
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:05 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bond Investing
Replies: 21
Views: 2803

Re: Bond Investing

Hello Forum, I am relatively new to bonds. I am 36 years old, married, and we currently have all our personal investments in VTSAX (90%) and VMFXX (10%)... aside from Employer 401k's, which are 80/20 e/b split. I am a bit stumped on how to diversify into bonds in 3 ways: (1) Types of bonds, (2) Amount of bonds, (3) adding/subtracting the allocations over time. I've been considering: -VBTLX: Medium Duration Bonds (on avg), broad exposure - "U.S. Treasuries and mortgage-backed securities of all maturities (short-, intermediate-, and long-term issues" -VBLAX - Long Duration Fed Bonds - "U.S. investment-grade bonds with maturities of more than ten years. Reflecting this goal, the fund invests about 60% of assets in corporate bon...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 3:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Auto insurance in Scotland / UK
Replies: 5
Views: 665

Re: Auto insurance in Scotland / UK

We are planning at trip to the UK and Scotland next year. I contacted my auto insurance agent and my coverage does not extend over there. We are planning on renting a vehicle through Celtic Legend. I plan on buying the best insurance package possible through them. I do have an umbrella policy here that my agent says applies. Should I pursue any other coverage and if so what? Thank you! As per other poster. Technically "the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". So NI has separate rules for most things - to align with the Republic of Ireland. You can just drive across the border there, with no checkpoint or anything. OTOH on the ferry you may well be checked by UK Border Force - customs & immigration. Great Bri...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 3:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges
Replies: 111
Views: 7178

Re: Dual majors and non big 50 colleges

Going through this with a senior from a typical competitive (borderline toxic imo) bay area high school. One thing I have observed is within engineering disciplines there are wildly different levels of competition for entrance, since most state schools in CA engineering colleges admit by major. The competition in CS admissions (and anything computer related) right now is absurd for all of the UC's as well as many of the CSUs, mechanical engineering and aerospace is a close 2nd followed by bio/biomedical and non-cs EE, then civil. In other disciplines (i.e. industrial, manufacturing, chemical, materials) the competition is less insane. So if your kid ends up applying to one of these most competitive disciplines they should apply broadly and...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 3:11 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Gold As An Emergency Fund In A Country With Insane Inflation
Replies: 29
Views: 3537

Re: Gold As An Emergency Fund In A Country With Insane Inflation

Hello bogleheads, When I dedicate my effort in Boglehead investing philosophy, the first thing that gets recommended is building an emergency fund via bonds or HYSAs. However I live in Turkey where effective year-to-year inflation is %120+ so even the highest yielding savings account and/or bonds get crushed against inflation. I know that an emergency fund should be highly liquid so I thought "Why not gold then?" because gold investment is super common here and selling fractional grams of gold is easy. Moreover, gold's performance is so high that even the benchmark stock index XU100 or BIST 100 has a hard time beating it. But that's because Turkey has a high risk/high volatility stock market. I thought maybe I can try to open a f...
by Valuethinker
Fri Mar 15, 2024 3:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cash or CD's Instead of Bond Funds
Replies: 61
Views: 5444

Re: Cash or CD's Instead of Bond Funds

The rule of thumb is to match the duration of your fixed income portfolio to your needs for liquidity (ie cash). Money Market Funds have a duration near 0. CDs have a duration which is less than the term, but it's probably not wrong to think of it as having a duration = term. The problem is that the yield curve is normally upward sloping. When the Fed signals the end of tightening (higher interest rates) for this cycle, it will quite quickly revert to long term rates > short term rates. So you are gambling that you can gain more from the current ST rates < LT rates before normal yield curves return. Because when they do, you will miss out on the returns from bond funds with longer duration going up, and your interest rate on your CDs or MMF...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 12:49 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Understanding taxes for retired US citizen living in UK
Replies: 24
Views: 2822

Re: Understanding taxes for retired US citizen living in UK

.... Over the years I've been watching things though, the US tax situation for US expats has done nothing but worsen with each congressional term. If retirement is some years or decades off for you then -- and it sounds like it may be -- you will need to monitor things very closely, and perhaps even be ready to move quickly should circumstances demand. At the extreme, renouncing US citizenship at some point could significantly simplify your life. And there's the rub. Sort all this out, come to some level of fuzzy understanding and they will surely go and change the rules on us - again. And it can happen in either country. And probably will in one or the other. Not to mention currency exchange rates and their real impact on costs. I remembe...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:40 am
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: UK Portfolio Advice Please
Replies: 10
Views: 1164

Re: UK Portfolio Advice Please

Sorry for your loss. I’ve not heard of the weird portfolio but the SIPP is a complicated mess. The good news it is very easy to simplify given it is tax sheltered. If you plan on never putting the SIPP into drawdown and just passing it to your kids, personally I would sell the whole portfolio and buy one ETF, vanguard all world accumulating (ticker VWRP). If you want to add bonds then VAGS ETF is a global bond accumulating ETF and a fine choice. No need to make any hasty decisions. Take your time and ask lots of questions. Best to avoid financial advisors for the time being. Thank you Minimalist. I appreciate it. I must admit I do like the simplicity of only having a very small number of investments. I know ETFs were formerly a bigger part...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 8:52 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?
Replies: 302
Views: 27423

Re: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?

Compare being able to communicate with someone on the other side of the world at the speed of light when previously, the only way you could do that was to travel very long distances over weeks by horse, train and then a long, risky boat ride across the sea. That (telegraph/phone) was a massive leap. The internet may be more complex but it is not nearly on the same level. AI is just an extension of current technology. Politely and respectfully disagree again. When my nieces and nephew are my age there will be congressional debates on "what is life?" and "should we give ChatGPT an SSN?" We are talking about the potential birth of a new lifeform which supplants humans as the most intelligent species on the planet. Humans h...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Any investors from the 1981 - 1984 time period here???
Replies: 36
Views: 4323

Re: Any investors from the 1981 - 1984 time period here???

Bought my first mutual funds in 1985. Canadian funds with high front end loads (5-10%). Expense ratios were 2-2.5% pa as well.

I had been buying Treasury bills directly before that - they were paying 13%!

I think I eventually sold them about 1998. One I kept until about 2008.
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 7:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Any investors from the 1981 - 1984 time period here???
Replies: 36
Views: 4323

Re: Any investors from the 1981 - 1984 time period here???

Not responsive to the OP, but since the time frame is right: I recently rediscovered an old investment folder in my files. It contains correspondence regarding my very first investment. At Christmas 1981 I was 16 years old and my father gifted me 5 shares of SJP (St Joseph Light & Power Company, a small utility in Missouri). The company itself eventually succumbed to the utility merger-mania of the 1990s-2000s, and I eventually sold all the stock in the fifth or sixth merger partner as I started converting to a Bogleheads philosophy. What is most remarkable is that as a new stockholder with only 5 shares, the Treasurer of the company sent - along with the stock certificate - a hand-typed and signed letter on company letterhead welcomin...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Check my work: Taking over management of my parent's portfolio
Replies: 23
Views: 3160

Re: Check my work: Taking over management of my parent's portfolio

So this is a fantastic portfolio allocation.

They have certainty of income to meet their needs, so they do not need to hold a higher weighting in bonds than 40%.
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My Portfolio and where to focus next
Replies: 14
Views: 1437

Re: My Portfolio and where to focus next

The amount you have in vested company stock sticks out like a sore thumb. I would sell that as soon as possible and reinvest in your target asset allocation, using fully diversified stock funds. I know too many people who lost their life's savings in their own company (Nortel, once the largest telephone equipment maker in the world). Enron. Worldcom etc. You can work for a good company and be taken over by a bad one - in the movie "Smartest guys in the room " there was an electricity linesman for Portland utility, taken over by Enron. All of his retirement savings were in the dead dull and safe employer stock. Then he had Enron shares and Enron went bust - lost everything. As a general rule that employer equity should not be more ...
by Valuethinker
Thu Mar 14, 2024 5:03 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?
Replies: 302
Views: 27423

Re: Dot.Com Era/AI Era?

The AI hype reminds me of the run-up to the dot-com bubble as well. I'm going to do the same thing I did then - nothing. And by nothing, I mean nothing changes and I stay invested in the low cost broad market funds I'm in now. Cheers. That's wise. Dot-com, commodities, real estate, bitcoin, AI: It seems like the bubbles are forming more quickly, historically speaking, which is surprising to me, since it usually takes a generation to generate a large enough group of suckers with money to fuel the bubble. Perhaps these days people are not being allowed to feel the full impact of their foolishness because that foolishness can sometimes take down the whole economy. The existence of social media on the internet has probably sped up the rate at ...