Search found 46 matches

by petunias
Fri Jun 10, 2016 11:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Nuts & Bolts - hardware question
Replies: 40
Views: 5349

Re: Nuts & Bolts - hardware question

Without reading fully and only knowing the question was where to buy nuts and bolts my answer would be McMaster-Carr.

Take a similar part to Home Depot or Lowes and make sure you have the right diameter and thread pitch.

Knowing that you have exercise equipment I would like to recommend www.fitnessrepairparts.com where I found some parts for my obsolete treadmill.
by petunias
Mon Apr 11, 2016 9:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iOS games for couples to play together (not against each other)
Replies: 9
Views: 5255

iOS games for couples to play together (not against each other)

Hello, Me and my spouse are looking for games that we can play together. We both have iPhones. Sounds easy but not so much. Ideally it would be a game where the two players can be on the same team. If we were just to play chess or checkers or connect four or something against each other it would make for hard feelings if one player always wins. Also we are not interested in playing along with thousands of other real people like world of warcraft or clash of clans. We don't have enough spare time to gather coins in the woods or whatever. So something where two players are on the same team playing against a computer AI sounds right. Sorry if that's not enough info. I'm happy to provide more info. It is just hard to search through all the game...
by petunias
Sun Oct 12, 2014 9:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best solution for clouded auto headlight lens?
Replies: 31
Views: 10212

Re: Best solution for clouded auto headlight lens?

The kits just contain various grits of sandpaper, so you may already have some at home or as was suggested you can get larger sheets for the same price.
Some more expensive kits contain adapters to fit a drill.
Keep in mind no matter the kit the idea is to progress from rough to fine grit.

I tried a DIY two step method on my car:
1. Turtle wax rubbing compound (not polishing compound) $2.27
2. Meguiar's PlastX ~$7

I did this a few months ago on 13 year old headlights and have been happy so far.
It took maybe an hour total.
I have enough leftover product to do 100s more times.
by petunias
Fri Sep 26, 2014 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Author Advice - Advantages/Disadvantages of Co-author
Replies: 33
Views: 5087

Re: Author Advice - Advantages/Disadvantages of Co-author

msj16 wrote:The co-author has co-authored books with three other people so is well aware of the pitfalls and obviously more savvy than me about all of this.
It sounds like you have three references to check!

Ask very basic questions:

Did the author and his agent fulfill their promises?
Would you recommend a newcomer work with the author?
What were the biggest disagreements?
What would you do differently?
etc.
by petunias
Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to safely sell a big ticket item online
Replies: 42
Views: 7293

Re: How to safely sell a big ticket item online

Hello retiredjg, Your experience is not unusual. I occasionally sell on craigslist and would expect several replies from scammers or robots before a legitimate reply from an actual person. In fact for a higher value item unlikely to sell quickly you should expect close to 100% of replies to be scams. There are robots that reply to every craigslist post with vague replies like "I am interested in the item, do you still have it?" Notice that they do not mention the item by name (because they are replying to millions of ads). Do not reply to them. Even if they don't hook you for an actual scam, they have your e-mail address in their list of suckers. I actually include a line like "Reply with your name and phone number. I absolut...
by petunias
Tue Aug 26, 2014 9:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help with 401(a) choices for a new investor
Replies: 18
Views: 5066

Re: Help with 401(a) choices for a new investor

I think either is acceptable. I'd personally go with VALIC for the funds you prefer, rather than TIAA for the reputation you prefer. This is assuming as others have pointed out that there are no 'gotchas' like backend fees. I'd go with VINIX (S&P500 index) or one of the target retirement funds. Note that vanguard lists the VINIX expense ratio as 0.04%. The difference from VALIC's advertised 0.27% tells you how much they tack on. At this stage in your career the contributions are more important than the asset allocation. It is more important to save than to hit the perfect stock/bond/international split. So you can just pick a fund and then revisit your plan once a year or so as the savings pile up. If you think you may work for a govern...
by petunias
Mon Aug 18, 2014 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What do you use to protect yourself on the web?
Replies: 12
Views: 1753

Re: What do you use to protect yourself on the web?

I also use:
adblockplus
ghostery
https everywhere

I recently read about and installed a new plugin from EFF called privacybadger but haven't looked too closely at the settings.

I also have my browsers set up to accept cookies only from sites I navigate to (no 3rd party cookies) and delete all cookies when closing browser.
by petunias
Sun Aug 17, 2014 9:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Windfall and fiduciary recommendations
Replies: 18
Views: 2339

Re: Windfall and fiduciary recommendations

Congratulations on the success of your company.

I cannot address your concerns but only wanted to point out a link to the article "The Best Investment Advice You'll Never Get".
I'm sure I read about it on bogleheads first.
It is about how the new millionaires at google were prepared to face the wallstreet sharks.
by petunias
Sun Feb 17, 2013 10:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Using Clear.com for home internet?
Replies: 10
Views: 1735

Re: Using Clear.com for home internet?

I used clear for a year and was happy with it.

It's nice that there isn't a cable or phone line, so you can place it anywhere in the house.

They advertised 6 or higher speeds but my tested speeds were always much lower.

However I was able to stream Netflix and Hulu without a problem, which are the most intensive things I do. So if you are a super user and your bandwidth needs exceed that, I'd be cautious. But for basic internet usage it was comparable to the cable and DSL plans I've used.

I think I bought the modem outright for $75ish and paid $30-40 on a month-by-month basis.
by petunias
Wed Jan 09, 2013 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Newspaper 7 days a week to 3 days a week.
Replies: 40
Views: 3794

Re: Newspaper 7 days a week to 3 days a week.

I use news.google.com which is an aggregator of other sources. They are sorted so you always know what news topics are trending. I don't sign in but if you do you can customize the stories you're interested in (less pop culture, more sports, etc).

In my area the free weekly 'alternative' paper is the most valuable news source. The other local paper has dwindled in frequency and size to the point it's useless to me.
by petunias
Thu Nov 08, 2012 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Been a while.... Student Loans/Individual Stock Questions
Replies: 7
Views: 725

Re: Been a while.... Student Loans/Individual Stock Question

I can't help with your question about individual stock purchases.

You may have old tax forms 5498 that detail how much you contributed in previous years.

As for the loan vs. IRA, there is a wiki article http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Paying_d ... _investing.

Since there's no 'safe' investment that will return the 6.5% or whatever your loan rate is, it's an easy decision to pay down the loan.

One consideration you don't mention is an emergency fund. If you keep the money in your roth, you know that you'll always have $6,000 in hard times. If you lump-sum it as a loan payment, you can't get it back. So part of the answer depends on if you feel you have a large enough emergency fund.
by petunias
Tue Mar 13, 2012 7:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: what items do Bogleheads buy off Craigslist/Ebay?
Replies: 39
Views: 4548

Re: what items do Bogleheads buy off Craigslist/Ebay?

Craigslist is for large things that aren't cost efficient to ship. Things like furniture, small appliances, washers and dryers, etc. . . I sell more than I buy there. I ask for a measly $5 or $10 to weed out the deadbeats, and if nobody thinks it is worth that much it goes to the trash or the thrift store.

eBay is for hobby items. Things like craft supplies or tools that there's probably not a large enough market to sell locally on craigslist and the shipping isn't prohibitive. Some supplies it's silly to pay full price for, and some things you just can't buy new so they have to be bought second-hand.

Amazon for new, mass-produced stuff like electronics. I trust their warranties / complaint system more than eBay's!

-petunias
by petunias
Tue Aug 30, 2011 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need Agressive Dog Protection While out for Walks
Replies: 61
Views: 9473

Interesting thread.

Before reading the replies, I was going to recommend a walking stick +/- pepper spray.

After reading the replies, I think I'd be sold on the bear spray over pepper spray as well.

I remember seeing the utility meter readers in my old neighborhood walking around with walking sticks. I also noticed lots of pedestrians with walking sticks, golf clubs, bamboo poles, etc... It wasn't until I went walking that I figured out what they were for. What the utility people carried looked like a broomstick with a tennis ball (or something similar) at the end. I think walking with a stick would draw no attention at all.

The scariest situation would be multiple dogs, when they get the 'pack mentality'.

-petunias
by petunias
Thu Aug 11, 2011 12:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Almost got caught in sneaky credit card trick.
Replies: 19
Views: 4442

My first card was a discover card. They did not pull that trick, but I wouldn't put it past them. I don't think it was an accident either.

Lookout for the 'credit monitoring' they try to enroll you in for $8-15 a month, too.

Now that they have a business relationship with you, they can call you and not worry about the federal do-not-call list. It seems to me the discover reps are taught to not let you get in a word edgewise. They go through a spiel trying to add fees to your account without taking a breath allowing you a chance to decline.

Stay vigilant,
-petunias
by petunias
Sat Aug 06, 2011 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Student Loan debt vs 401k
Replies: 9
Views: 2220

I agree with the previous posters about knocking out the 6.8%.

The only thing I don't see mentioned is mention of an emergency fund. This may be taken for granted, but I just wanted to bring it up. It's better to have a cushy e-fund so you can continue making monthly payments if necessary. If you get in a bind and don't have an e-fund, they won't postpone your payment due just because you've prepaid a lot. The monthly due dates just keep coming.

-petunias
by petunias
Fri Aug 05, 2011 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dishwasher Mystery - can you help?
Replies: 22
Views: 4554

I was going to recommend cleaning with vinegar also. Some people recommend citric acid, but I believe vinegar is the go-to #1 recommendation. I'd do this (maybe a few times) even if it looks clean. I've always just poured a slug of vinegar into the bottom, but the book recommends 500mL in a dish on the bottom rack and to not use the heated dry.

I just installed a new dishwasher and the instruction book recommends using about 50% less detergent for soft water than hard water. There's even levels inscribed on the plastic dispenser. If you have municipal water it should be easy to find out the hardness.

-petunias
by petunias
Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Selling Gold Jewelery
Replies: 37
Views: 5609

Hello. I have been away for a few days and unable to reply. Most jewelers do not process gold themselves. They send it to an outside refinery that either returns gold or cash, after taking a percentage. ARA offers the same services to us--cutting out the middlemen. Perhaps an in-kind trade for jewelry would be ok, but you have to factor in their mark-down and mark-up values, just like trading in a car. It would be best to get as much cash as possible and then decide whether to buy more jewelry or not. There are many hobbyists (recyclers, metal detectorists, coin collectors, scrap collectors) who have the same discussions about where to send the gold. I fall into most of those categories. You can search their threads on 'treasurenet' or 'gol...
by petunias
Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:08 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Selling Gold Jewelery
Replies: 37
Views: 5609

I sold to ARA Gold Refinery in Dallas.

I am willing to bet many of the middlemen you encounter ship to them.

There was no minimum quantity, and I didn't feel like a nuisance when I called to check on things.

I sent in a test lot of some rings and earrings, and weighed them on an accurate scale. Their weights agreed with mine.

They even offer to mail back your stones. You can even get back the refined gold, if you're into that.

Do some research. You will find nothing but positive reviews for them online.

You won't regret it.


Happy client,
-petunias
by petunias
Sun Jul 17, 2011 9:52 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Car Guru's: Questions on Shopping for New Tires
Replies: 24
Views: 4734

I don't have any experience with those particular tires. I second the recommendation to spend time at TireRack.com. You will learn a lot and be able to make an informed decision no matter where you ultimately purchase from. It's true you have to balance several factors. I find it hard to weed through the online ratings as many seem to be from immature people who "drive aggressively". Many local tire places have deals with tire companies--they don't sell the full selection available. Different chains will have different tires available. I would not buy any warranty. Many/most tires come with a deal of free or low-cost patching of flat tires, balancing, and rotating so long as you buy 4 and come back to the same place for service. -...
by petunias
Sun Jul 10, 2011 7:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Avocado question -
Replies: 32
Views: 5221

As of now, Hulu has season 9 episode 12 of Alton Brown's Good Eats available for free. The title is "Tasty Avocado Experiments" and mentions picking, ripening, and the unknown-to-me history of the Haas variety.

Try this link or search for 'Good Eats':
http://www.hulu.com/watch/238571/good-e ... xperiments

-petunias
by petunias
Sat Jun 25, 2011 11:42 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can't have it all: ING savings, taxable, or retirement?
Replies: 6
Views: 1639

Definitely get your emergency fund in shape as a first priority. 401k up to the match is free money, so you're right to take it. A Roth IRA is definitely a good idea for you. You can invest $5000/year, and you have the opportunity to withdraw the contributions (not earnings) for other purposes if you wish. Another avenue is i-bonds. You can buy up to $10000/year and let them chug along accruing interest until you decide to use them. There will be no risk of losing money like there would be in stock funds. They also double as an e-fund if held for longer than a year. After that, the remaining can be put into the 401k after the match. It can be hard to anticipate the right amount, so you might underestimate and if you find yourself with cash ...
by petunias
Sat Jun 18, 2011 7:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much down payment?
Replies: 14
Views: 2857

There's a disconnect between "plan to live in the house for 15+ years" and the concern about how much "skin is in the game".

If they have such stable jobs, is there really a significant possibility of walking away? If they're so scared of getting scr*wed, they'd probably want to preserve as much liquidity as possible.

I'd recommend paying 20% to avoid the PMI, then consider the extra as an 'emergency fund' or 'pay-off the mortgage early fund' or 'keep from getting scr*wed fund'.

If they continue to be good savers, they will eventually have enough to pay 100% of the balance with plenty left over. They can debate that when the time comes.


-petunias
by petunias
Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: non-cartoon kids movies recommendations
Replies: 38
Views: 3586

The Goonies
Karate Kid
Swiss Family Robinson
ET
by petunias
Thu May 19, 2011 3:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: T-bills tax question
Replies: 11
Views: 1625

I did rolling 28 day bills in 2006, direct from Treasury Direct.

I received a single form 1099.

The 1099-B and 1099-OID sections say "No Reportable Transactions".

The 1099-INT section has each transaction listed and then the total in bold.

They were all on one piece of paper.


Hope this helps,
-petunias
by petunias
Thu May 12, 2011 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cats
Replies: 23
Views: 4097

Here is a website from Cornell University's veterinary school:

http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochure ... iling.html

Of course it would help to get a clean bill of health before hand.

Sometimes older cats have arthritis and it just physically hurts to get in and out of the box, so it helps to make it as accessible as possible.

It's best to clean spots with an enzymatic cleaner, rather than 'covering it up' with chemicals.

-petunias
by petunias
Wed May 11, 2011 5:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Air Cleaners and Purifiers
Replies: 7
Views: 1717

If in your research you haven't already found:

http://www.air-purifier-power.com/index.html

I'd recommend visiting. I have it bookmarked.

A couple take home points are to only get a HEPA purifier, and that the noisiness and reliability of the motor really matters.

I have heard of people building their own purifiers using a series of progressively finer filters bought from Lowe's/Home Depot, but I haven't had the free time or ingenuity to try it.

I personally have an AmairCare (don't know the model #) which I have been happy with for 10+ years. I keep it in the bedroom as I figure that's where I spend 1/3 of my time.

-petunias
by petunias
Thu Apr 14, 2011 4:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Numismatic Question
Replies: 17
Views: 3350

"Don's World Coin Gallery" is a fountain of information about foreign coins. There's also an easy-ID guide for symbols or images that help to identify what country they came from - helpful for coins with asian, arabic, and cyrillic writing.

-petunias
by petunias
Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Combining Index funds with DRIP stocks...
Replies: 8
Views: 3185

Agree with previous comments. Two additional thoughts: 1. You should be maximizing your tax-advantaged space before investing in taxable accounts, unless your options are especially repugnant. It is unclear to me if your 403b is fully funded or not. 2. If you must invest in a taxable account, try to minimize taxes. I'm not sure where individual dividend stocks are on the tax efficiency ladder, but I'd bet you'd be better off with an index fund. International stock index funds are often recommended. Since you don't want drips in taxable, and can't (practically) hold drips in an IRA or 401k, that just takes drips off of the table. I did not understand these points when I first enrolled. I have closed six drips this year to redirect my money i...
by petunias
Wed Mar 30, 2011 9:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Need critique on my savings goals & emergency fund
Replies: 15
Views: 2267

I don't see any reason to keep $10,000 in your Wells Fargo account if you have a high yield savings account available (I use ING Direct). The time to transfer between the two is usually 2-3 business days. Your Wells Fargo account really only needs as much as you might need *in cash* with less than a 2-3 day warning. I consider sudden auto repair, health, dental, home repair, etc. bills and don't see any reason to have more than $1000 or so.

No opinion on the short term bond fund.

-petunias
by petunias
Wed Mar 23, 2011 11:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax question on selling inherited silver coins.
Replies: 22
Views: 7413

I may be in the minority here, but I wouldn't report it at all. "Junk" silver isn't exactly collectable. It would be no different than if you inherited some "junk" silverware or "junk" silver candle sticks and sold them to the pawn shop years later. In my mind, it's no different than if you inherited the stack of vinyl records or beanie babies or cabbage patch kids and sold them at a garage sale. My opinion might change if this were a huge payday, but you describe it as a "small inheritance". Most coin dealers will pay cash or certified check via local bank. At large coin shows tens of thousands of dollars in cash changes hands and there is no recording of SS or DL #. If you are brave you can try crai...
by petunias
Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax Loss Harvesting Best Practices Question
Replies: 62
Views: 9146

Why is it better to sell losses as short-term vs long-term?

Assuming no other factors, if I am able to specify shares to sell at a loss should I choose short-term vs long-term?

I read the wiki article and am still stumped.

Thanks,
-petunias
by petunias
Wed Feb 09, 2011 7:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Air Compressor [for auto tires]
Replies: 32
Views: 6448

I have a $10-15 portable compressor that hooks into the cigarette lighter outlet. It's from AutoZone, and came with a pressure gauge, light, and a few fittings. It does what it's supposed to do. The down side is that it is very loud and chattery. I use it outside and am always conscious of annoying the neighbors. Another model I had years ago got disturbingly hot even if run for a reasonable amount of time.

I haven't gone with a cheap household current air compressor due to the hassle of storing the unit and the lines and different fittings. I'm also under the impression there's a valve you have to open after every use to drain the condensation.


-petunias
by petunias
Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Roth conversion and a walmart 401K
Replies: 13
Views: 2951

Just my understanding; I'm sure I'll be corrected if mistaken:

Just to make clear, you intend on funding an _aftertax_ traditional IRA and converting it to a Roth? If that is the case, there won't be additional taxes. There would be taxes if a portion of the tIRA was pre-tax (if you are on the borderline of phase-out), or if it was commingled in a tIRA that has a mix of pre- and post- tax contributions.

If you transfer the WalMart 401k to a 'rollover' or pre-tax IRA, there will be no tax consequences. If you plan on rolling over or converting that to a Roth IRA, there will be taxes applied. In either case, you may no longer have access to the low expense funds.

-petunias
by petunias
Sun Feb 06, 2011 9:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio questions format suggestions
Replies: 10
Views: 1065

There could be a question for 'gross income' before deductions, as suggested. Then a question for MAGI with an option for 'I'm not sure'. Appropriate links for figuring it out can be provided.

I agree with the importance of state of residence.

I sympathize with those not wanting to divulge more information about portfolio size, even while 'anonymous'. Anonymity shrinks when others dredge your previous posts and post your locale, profession, family status, school attended, age, etc... I'm not sure how the advice changes knowing a number rounded to the nearest $10(0),000 versus a rough estimate of low- mid- hi-.

I agree that examples of good and bad threads can be helpful.

-petunias
by petunias
Wed Feb 02, 2011 9:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Switching Jobs What to do with 401k?
Replies: 22
Views: 3149

You seem to have a few different questions. Some about your old 401k in particular, and some about Roths in general. 1. Most 401k plans have poor investment choices. Unless your previous 401k was spectacular, you should move the money out. Unless your next 401k is spectacular, you should not roll into it. This leaves a 'rollover' 401k at a brokerage of your choice, like Fidelity or Vanguard. Do this to park the money while you do more reading and research. The 401k money is 'pretax' so the rollover will be considered 'pretax' as well. If you eventually choose to convert to a 'post tax' Roth there will be consequences. 2. If you are on the borderline, contributing to a 401k might lower your income enough to make it possible to contribute dir...
by petunias
Thu Jan 06, 2011 8:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why move from eTrade to Vanguard
Replies: 21
Views: 21180

I switched from eTrade to Vanguard. I am a small potatoes investor, so don't qualify for many freebies. I switched because I was trying to build a long-term buy & hold asset allocation using ETFs. I already held the S&P 500 ETF, and was looking for international, small caps, and bond ETFs. Vanguard funds were always the #1 or #2 in consideration. My fees would have been $9.99 per transaction at eTrade. The fee would have applied not only to the initial investment, but additional investments and rebalancing. When I learned they were free at Vanguard, that clinched the deal. eTrade has a polished website and interface, and Vanguard's website is clunky in comparison. Vanguard takes several days to process and settle some orders, while ...
by petunias
Tue Dec 28, 2010 7:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil
Replies: 58
Views: 9302

I have bookmarked the sites for Autozone and Advance Auto Parts. Then I check out their promotional flyers when it's time to change oil, or whenever I'm thinking about car maintenance. When the Mobil-1 is on sale, I stock up. There may be different chains in your area.

I honestly haven't considered WalMart. I suspect they'd be the cheapest place when not on sale, but the sale prices at the chains might be below the regular price at WalMart.

-petunias
by petunias
Tue Dec 28, 2010 12:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Travel Suggestions for the Carolinas
Replies: 11
Views: 2343

Hilton Head is a great location that I have visited many times. The distance to downtown Charleston is at least two hours, so that might factor into your plans. If you plan on staying overnight in Charleston, that should be OK. Hilton Head is actually closer to downtown Savannah, but they don't have Spoleto.

There are other beaches like Kiawah, Folly, and Edisto (my favorite) that are closer to Charleston, but with fewer amenities than Hilton Head.

-petunias
by petunias
Wed Dec 22, 2010 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Clear 4g internet service?
Replies: 8
Views: 2441

I use Clear in Atlanta.

I was disappointed that the true speed is much slower than advertised. They were advertised to be similar speeds as cable or DSL, and turn out to be about 1/3 of that. However, it is fast enough to watch streaming video, which is the most demanding thing I do.

I paid $80 for the modem so that I wouldn't be locked into a 24-month contract. Service is $35-40/month, cable is ~$55-60.

I haven't had any experience with their customer support. Even if it's horrendous, it would still be on a par with the few cable companies I've used in the past.

-petunias
by petunias
Mon Nov 29, 2010 11:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: $4 prescription drugs - How do they do it??
Replies: 35
Views: 5099

2) These pharmacies generally have longer waiting times and they are counting on customers waiting for prescriptions and doing a little impulse shopping/buying to fatten their profit margins. For Wal-Mart, it's something to get you in the door. By having the pharmacy counter at the back of the store, you pass by $20 of other items that you "need". If you walk by the 42 inch LCD TV enough times, you might just be inclined to buy one eventually. I think all of these hit on the main reason. In my area, cheap generics are offered by Publix, Kroger (grocery chains), Target, and Walmart. I'll bet anything that the Walmart number crunchers know the ideal length of time to make you wait for a prescription to be filled to maximize other s...
by petunias
Fri Nov 12, 2010 12:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Seen Any Good "Depression-Proof" Business Models,
Replies: 52
Views: 6741

Re: Seen Any Good "Depression-Proof" Business Mode

Coffee wrote:that aren't dirty, dangerous or extraordinarily difficult.
I, too, would like a recession-proof job that is clean, safe, and easy.

Your post implies that you HAVE found recession-proof businesses, but they were too dirty, dangerous, etc.

I'm just interested to know what they were.


-petunias
by petunias
Wed Sep 29, 2010 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Selling Silver Coins--How to Get the Best Deal?
Replies: 7
Views: 2113

If you are near any decent-sized metropolitan area, there will be city or regional coin shows at least once a year. You may have to drive a bit to get there. Go in, bring some example pieces, and show them to several different dealers. You can gauge the dealers on their pricing, if they're located close to you, if they seem trustworthy, etc... It's true you have a chance of being 'taken to the cleaners' at an individual coin shop. But when all the dealers get together the competition makes them behave better. For coins that are truly only worth their silver amount, you would get a percentage of the daily price of silver. If you are comfortable and familiar with selling on eBay, go for it. But if you are not, now is not the time to start. Yo...
by petunias
Fri Sep 24, 2010 11:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dollar-cost averaging with commision-free ETFs?
Replies: 12
Views: 5623

I am not familiar with Schwab offerings.

If you search google for "Compare costs for Vanguard ETFs and mutual funds" you will find a calculator that tells you if you'd be better off in VG funds or ETFs. In my case, ETFs won every time. Although the specifics will differ due to being Schwab funds, it might give you a rough estimate. There may be other calculators available that give you a better idea.

Hope this helps,
-petunias
by petunias
Fri Sep 24, 2010 10:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help! Recent grad and need to know where to allocate funds.
Replies: 6
Views: 1551

Hello rfletch. I am in a very similar situation to you. I am also a recent graduate, trying to figure my finances out. There are a couple points that have influenced my decisions, and they may be pertinent to you. 1. Roth IRA Income limits. I don't know your projected salary, but it's possible that this year (and maybe next year) are the only years you will have a low enough income to qualify. I'd take full advantage while you have the opportunity. 2. Student Loan Interest Tax Deduction. From what I have read, you can deduct interest paid on your student loans IF your income is below a certain level. Like the Roth, you may only be below this level for this year and maybe the next. That might tip the balance towards making a larger lump-sum ...
by petunias
Sun Sep 12, 2010 6:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: can I transfer assets in kind to Vanguard (taxable account)?
Replies: 14
Views: 8909

I recently transferred a Roth IRA from E-Trade to Vanguard. I did it completely through Vanguard's website--I did not have to contact E-Trade at all.

Your situation may be similar.

Start at Vanguard's website. Go through all of the steps to transfer an account, read all of the info, and don't click the final button if you still have questions.

-petunias
by petunias
Fri Sep 10, 2010 11:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How embarrassing now is your initial investment approach?
Replies: 82
Views: 11962

My first investment was in a 401k in the early 2000s. The financial advisor was pushing the Legg Mason Value Trust which I and most of my coworkers bought into 100%. I at least questioned how yahoo and eBay were value stocks.

I then invested after-tax in DRiP plans. No Roth or Trad IRA for me! My first three stocks were: Lowe's, because I liked to shop there; my local utility, because they have a gov't endorsed monopoly; and BP, because they were the 'green' oil company.

-petunias