Search found 268 matches

by jasonlitka
Thu Nov 21, 2013 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: what is the formula?
Replies: 12
Views: 1552

Re: what is the formula?

http://www.bankrate.com/calculators/sav ... -tool.aspx

Type in the numbers you mentioned, stick the "Years of Withdrawals" at a high number since you want to run to zero, click View Report once done.
by jasonlitka
Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you ever used your credit card's warranty extension?
Replies: 27
Views: 6149

Re: Have you ever used your credit card's warranty extension

Yes, my AMEX Blue Cash covered the repair of my (slow) leaking washing machine. Total bill of around $280 (parts of around $60, $220 in labor for two service calls, diagnosis + repair).
by jasonlitka
Fri Nov 08, 2013 12:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: should you invest in BRK?
Replies: 19
Views: 3045

Re: should you invest in BRK?

1 share of BRK.B is all it takes to get a discount on my car insurance through Geico so thats all I hold :) GEICO's "good driver" discount, which you can receive after a certain period of time during which you aren't involved in any accidents, is an even better discount. If you think that you might qualify, you should call and ask if there are any discounts better than the shareholder discount for which you qualify. I, for example, hold BRK.B shares but do not get the shareholder discount because we qualify for the "good driver" discount (and the discounts are not cumulative). The quote I just on the Geico website implies otherwise. It said I qualified for $66.62 on "Good Driver" and another $32.84 for "P...
by jasonlitka
Mon Oct 28, 2013 12:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Young investor looking into 401k
Replies: 20
Views: 2047

Re: Young investor looking into 401k

Right now, i would be comfortable saving $500 a month for a 401K. And if i did this for 40 years, i would have just over $1M, with 6% interest. (Obviously this contribution is conservative). Isn't that enough? Maybe it is and maybe it isn't. At 3% inflation, $1MM 40 years from now is about $300K in today's dollars. Think briefly about how you'd feel now if you were 63 years old and sitting on $300K. If you had worked up until 63 and made $50K/year in 2013 dollars you'd be getting about $1350/month from SS. Assuming that plus a 3% (fairly safe) withdrawal rate, you'd have about $2000/month in income without a major risk of depleting your savings. If you didn't have a house payment and lived modestly you'd probably be OK. Of course, if you d...
by jasonlitka
Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lease: Who controls master alarm code?
Replies: 3
Views: 915

Re: Lease: Who controls master alarm code?

We have two commercial leases at work. Neither one allows the landlord to have unrestricted access to the buildings. Both, however, require us to let them or their agents in (escorted, if we choose) during business hours for any reason, or off-hours for any emergency maintenance.
by jasonlitka
Wed Sep 18, 2013 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Refi Question...
Replies: 13
Views: 1725

Re: Refi Question...

deanbrew wrote:Since you plan to be there less than 10 years, you should compare the initial interest rates and adjustments for fixed and adjustable mortages. According to Bankrate, the interest rates are around 4.5% for a 30-year fixed, 3.7% for a 10/1 ARM, 3.3% for a 7/1 ARM and 3.0% for a 5/1 ARM. Given your time horizon, perhaps a 10/1 or 7/1 ARM would be prudent. You would be protected for 7 or 10 years. Now, if there is much chance you will be there more than 10 years, I'd go ahead with a fixed-rate loan.
PenFed also has a 5/5 ARM for 2.875%.
by jasonlitka
Wed Aug 14, 2013 12:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Has anyone used Ascensus for 401K admin?
Replies: 9
Views: 3304

Re: Has anyone used Ascensus for 401K admin?

The company I work for does. I just checked with our Finance Manager and she said they're very responsive and helpful, particularly compared to our previous provider. We don't use Paychex so I can't speak to the integration.
by jasonlitka
Fri May 24, 2013 12:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How Commodities Can Help a Portfolio
Replies: 129
Views: 13929

Re: How Commodities Can Help a Portfolio

I've found that holding a diversified collection of Gibson Les Pauls, well kept amplifiers, and analog pro-audio is an excellent diversifer for stocks & bonds. Rebalancing can be fun. Just kidding, sort of. These "hard assets" may be less liquid, but they are certainly less flawed than commodity derivatives. contago bleed, counterparty risk, heavy turnover. They have everything indexers love to hate. I prefer vacuum tubes from the 60's. :) They hold value pretty well, even when used, and, in times of short supply (which is pretty much always), can be worth well more than you put into them. I've sold a few Mullards off for more than twice what I paid. You'll need to pry the Telefunken CCa tubes out of my cold, dead hands thoug...
by jasonlitka
Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Worldofwatches
Replies: 9
Views: 1464

Re: Worldofwatches

JDaniels wrote:Just make sure you don't spend $5000. Lol.
Nothing wrong with enjoying the fruits of your labor. If an expensive watch makes someone happy then that's fine by me. I've got a Tag 1887 that I love. Not quite $5K but close enough that people here would probably condemn the purchase. The choice wasn't one of pricing, it was simply the watch I liked the most.

To OP, try jomashop.com as well. I'm guessing the site you mentioned is similar in that they both sell international parts without a US warranty (eg. "Gray Market"). Most will provide a warranty through them that matches the factory so it shouldn't really be an issue unless you're the kind of person who wants to deal with a local shop for everything.
by jasonlitka
Thu Jan 17, 2013 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: FAFSA Rules [Free Application for Federal Student Aid]
Replies: 19
Views: 2929

Re: FAFSA Rules

It could make a big difference to a lot of families. I don't have any children, so I'd be at least 18 years out on this scam (by which time they will have plugged this loop hole), but I make considerably more than my wife. If we only had to declare her income the picture would be completely different.
by jasonlitka
Thu Jan 17, 2013 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Berkshire Hathway B Fund - Fun Money - Worth It?
Replies: 36
Views: 3771

Re: Birkshire Hathway B Fund - Fun Money - Worth It?

skbogle wrote:Does anyone suggest and brokerage to use? I use Vanguard for my portfolio, but I know you have to have $3000 in a Money Market to open up a brokerage. Any other recommendations?
No you don't. When you open a brokerage account at Vanguard you need to declare a MM fund as your sweep account. Once you've done so the minimum balance requirement goes away. I've got $14 and change in mine now as leftover from a VSS purchase a month or so back.
by jasonlitka
Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Ridiculous lawn service
Replies: 55
Views: 8977

Re: Ridiculous lawn service

My lawn service bills similarly for their weed & feed packages, plus an additional sum at the end for aerating/seeding. I do 1 on/2 off with them. On the off years I walk around myself and spread fertilizer. I'll admit, it does look better the years they do it, but not horrible when I do. Not $1000 better though.
by jasonlitka
Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: FAFSA Rules [Free Application for Federal Student Aid]
Replies: 19
Views: 2929

Re: FAFSA Rules

Heh. So the kid is ready to apply for college, parents get divorced, lower-income parent gets custody but they continue to live together, parents get remarried after college is done. Sounds like a plan to me.
by jasonlitka
Wed Jan 16, 2013 11:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Where to find 4% munis?
Replies: 9
Views: 1866

Re: Where to find 4% munis?

Occupier wrote:You can buy munis with a 4% coupon, but they will be selling at a premium so the yield will be lower. Seems like Suzi's accuracy has not improved much. Maybe some lower rated bonds like B might have a 4% but your taking quite a bit of a risk if you go that low. Dave
I still think it's ridiculous that "B" is bad. We should force all the schools in the country to switch their grading systems to the same used for bonds. B = Pumping gas for a living!
by jasonlitka
Mon Dec 31, 2012 9:58 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Silver question [Purchasing as investment]
Replies: 11
Views: 3084

Re: Silver question [Purchasing as investment]

bertilak wrote:If it's Zombies you are worried about, melting down silver bars to make silver bullets might help, if I have my horror legends sorted out properly. But this is not on my worry list.
You don't. Silver bullets are for werewolves, and depending on who you ask, sometimes witches. With zombies anything works so long as you inflict enough trauma to the head.
by jasonlitka
Mon Nov 26, 2012 12:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you have money in taxable? What percent?
Replies: 74
Views: 8200

Re: Do you have money in taxable? What percent?

My wife and I are around 50/35/15 for Taxable/401K/Roth. Based on current contribution levels (both max out roth, one of us is hce-restricted on 401k contribution) and expected growth in each (401k is mostly bonds), I expect this to shift towards taxable and Roth as time goes on.
by jasonlitka
Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anyone ever have a front door replaced?
Replies: 32
Views: 5444

Re: anyone ever have a front door replaced?

I looked into having the front door on my home replaced late last year but ultimately decided against it due to high cost (wood door w/ glass at top, double sidelights). A few weeks back I stripped all the old paint off the door, filled the dents and scratches, repainted, rehung it so it was straight, replaced the lockset, and replaced the storm door with a new full-view glass door (double pane). It looks and feels like a brand new door but at a fraction of the cost. Lots of work though. Huh, looks great...our door is this weird metal-on-wood composite and the metal is warped and dented. The frame has big chunks out of it like it was eaten by termites, but probably due to a pet. But possibly it could be salvaged, and then we'd have just a ...
by jasonlitka
Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anyone ever have a front door replaced?
Replies: 32
Views: 5444

Re: anyone ever have a front door replaced?

SteveB3005 wrote:^ Based upon my vast experience with the paranormal, I believe there is a leprechaun spirit trapped between the entry and storm doors of that house.
Nope, just my reflection (and I'm 6"3).
by jasonlitka
Wed Oct 17, 2012 10:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Knives set recommendations
Replies: 43
Views: 6363

Re: Knives set recommendations

I'm a big fan of Wusthof "Classic Ikon" series. They fit better in my hands than the "Classic".
by jasonlitka
Tue Oct 16, 2012 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anyone ever have a front door replaced?
Replies: 32
Views: 5444

Re: anyone ever have a front door replaced?

I looked into having the front door on my home replaced late last year but ultimately decided against it due to high cost (wood door w/ glass at top, double sidelights). A few weeks back I stripped all the old paint off the door, filled the dents and scratches, repainted, rehung it so it was straight, replaced the lockset, and replaced the storm door with a new full-view glass door (double pane). It looks and feels like a brand new door but at a fraction of the cost. Lots of work though.

Bad pic, sorry.

http://i.imgur.com/GOfgY.jpg
by jasonlitka
Mon Oct 15, 2012 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Taxable vs 401k
Replies: 4
Views: 854

Re: Taxable vs 401k

Conventional wisdom is to avoid taxable investing until you've maxed all other tax-advantaged accounts, but that doesn't mean it's right for everyone. If you're looking to save to put money towards a home, education, or early retirement, if your 401k is plagued with extremely expensive or under-performing funds, or if you're in a low enough tax bracket that your LTCG rate is 0%, then taxable investing might be for you. Personally, at 15%, I'd max out a Roth IRA and probably a Roth 401k, but not a traditional 401k.
by jasonlitka
Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401(k) provider recommendations for small business
Replies: 28
Views: 8605

Re: 401(k) provider recommendations for small business

Hi jasonlitka , It has nothing to do with Plan Asset. Outs was around 350K when we converted it to Vanguard. It all depends on whether you want the cost to be pass down to your Employee or not. Vanguard/Ascensus gives .10% credit of asset back to to Employer for all Investor Class Funds. For Single Share Class Employer does not get this credit. When we looked at our plan instead of paying 3450 fees If we provide all the Investor Class share we would have got around 300$ in credit. Instead of us getting the credit we decided we should give our Employee the low cost by providing all the Signal Share Class available to us. Vanguard Calls this Record-keeping credit 1 - Recordkeeping credit assumed for plan's investment in Vanguard Investor Sha...
by jasonlitka
Thu Oct 11, 2012 10:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401(k) provider recommendations for small business
Replies: 28
Views: 8605

Re: 401(k) provider recommendations for small business

Hi StarmanDeluxe , I was in same Boat 3 month ago. We decided to go with Vanguard/Ascensus route. Our conversion from ADP to Vanguard/Ascensus has worked really well for my company. Also with Vanguard we were able to secure all the Signal Class Shares in the new 401k which brought down the Employee cost by 75%. (e.g from 4K to 1K), While Employer cost went down by 15%. Also, Before signing the deal with Vanguard/Ascensus Small Business 401k, I was able to confirm that this Asset does count toward Voyager , Voyager Select, Flagship Status. I am already Lobbing Vanguard to merge this new Vanguard/Ascensus Small Business 401k account into my other Vanguard IRA account. Let's see when this will be done. Right now I have two separate accounts t...
by jasonlitka
Wed Oct 03, 2012 2:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Poll: What percent equity do you have in international?
Replies: 50
Views: 9750

Re: Poll: What percent equity do you have in international?

50/50 for me (with a slight emphasis on EM). As I get older I'll shift further towards the home team.
by jasonlitka
Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rule of Thumb...Credit Card Limit
Replies: 52
Views: 7483

Re: Rule of Thumb...Credit Card Limit

My guideline is that the limit across all your cards should be at least three times what you expect to charge across a rolling 3 month period (assuming you pay it off each month). For example, across two cards I have ~$35K in credit. My typical monthly CC spend is in the $3500-4000 range sticks me at ~10% credit utilization. This allows for plenty of headroom when the spendy months of the year come around (vacation, anniversary, Christmas) and my monthly spend doubles. It also gives me the flexibility to call up AMEX and get them to toss a promotional 0% rate on my card for 6 months if I want to spread payments out to regulate my cash flow due to unexpected expenses (such as needing a new Air Conditioner, which I will probably need next yea...
by jasonlitka
Wed Oct 03, 2012 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard/Ascensus Question
Replies: 7
Views: 1565

Re: Vanguard/Ascensus Question

joe8d wrote:Probably not. You do not hold a direct realationship with VG when you go through a 401k custodian account.I still would check with VG.
That's true, but since Ascensus is where Vanguard sends you if your plan has less than $20MM in assets and there is a formal relationship between the two, I thought it might be an exception. We'll see next month.
by jasonlitka
Tue Oct 02, 2012 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard/Ascensus Question
Replies: 7
Views: 1565

Re: Vanguard/Ascensus Question

SurfCityBill wrote:A quick call to VG will probably get you the answer you seek.
Busy day, I was hoping someone would know. I'll call them.

EDIT: Just got off the phone. They have no idea.
by jasonlitka
Tue Oct 02, 2012 10:14 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard/Ascensus Question
Replies: 7
Views: 1565

Vanguard/Ascensus Question

The company I work for is switching our 401(k) to Vanguard/Ascensus. Does anyone know if funds held in that account contribute to an individual's Voyager/Voyager Select/Flagship status? Vanguard's site is somewhat vague on this.
by jasonlitka
Fri Sep 28, 2012 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Insights please on 401-K Account
Replies: 13
Views: 1006

Re: Insights please on 401-K Account

dbr wrote:Investment performance over a period as short as 3/4 of a year isn't something meaningful to evaluate.

I guess one question would be what you did expect and why?
I'm assuming the expectation would be returns similar to what you'd see in in a even-split 3-fund approach of Total Stock, Total International, and Total Bond, which would be about 11% YTD.

Honestly though, considering that 25% of the funds listed are held in cash, I'm really not surprised. 8% YTD is about what you'd get for 25/25/25/25 Total Stock/Total Int/Total Bond/Cash and the portfolio above is missing small-caps and is over-weighted in international (which have lagged US stocks YTD).
by jasonlitka
Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Waiting a month or two before investing?
Replies: 20
Views: 2307

Re: Waiting a month or two before investing?

InvestorNewb wrote:October has also been a bad month historically
I thought October was an OK month and September was the bad one?

Seriously though, unless you're investing for short-term goals (in which case, international stock funds probably aren't the way to go), the gain or loss you may see over a 2 month period isn't likely to amount to anything in the long run. If it makes you feel better, DCA your stash into your AA over the next few months.

EDIT: I don't remember 100%, but it's possible that my first statement was limited to S&P 500 returns, not the entire US or World market).
by jasonlitka
Thu Sep 27, 2012 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apple Experts: Macbook Air vs Pro to run Parallels/Quicken?
Replies: 34
Views: 5194

Re: Apple Experts: Macbook Air vs Pro to run Parallels/Quick

I am relatively new to the Apple world and am using a Macbook Air 2011 with 4 GB of RAM. To use quicken, I have to allocate 1.5 GB to a virtual Windows machine; leaving only 2.5 GB for the Mac OS. Parallels and Windows take too long to load. My machine is mostly docked or used in a condo (not for travel). I am considering either a Macbook Air 2012 with 8 GB of RAM or a Macbook Pro 15" Retina (SSD, 16 GB of RAM) to replace my current MBA. Would a Macbook Air be sufficient or is it worth moving up to the Macbook Pro to run Parallels and Windows? I don't video edit but clearly need more RAM. Thanks in advance for any thoughts. Roosevelt. My rMBP screams but you should know that since Windows doesn't support HiDPI screens very well runnin...
by jasonlitka
Tue Sep 25, 2012 12:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance
Replies: 19
Views: 2915

Re: Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance

I don't have it, mostly because the "Dismemberment" part doesn't pay much and I'm already covered on the "Death" bit with a few Term Life policies. If you want coverage for Dismemberment then go with STD & LTD.
by jasonlitka
Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Understanding the Gen Y investor.
Replies: 15
Views: 2545

Re: Understanding the Gen Y investor.

femur wrote:But after watching him invest in tech stocks through the 2000 recession and then push back retirement because of this latest depression, can you blame me?
I'm fairly risk-tolerant for my age but I agree completely with not blaming "Gen-Y" for their reservations. I just barely missed the tech bust (but saw the adults around me get hammered) and took a beating myself a few years back, having just recently started investing right before the market troubles. Thankfully I'm far enough from retirement that I don't really care, but it drives my wife nuts to see wild swings in her account balance, so I keep her investments in "safe" funds like Target Retirement 20xx (Roth IRA) and Wellington (401k).
by jasonlitka
Mon Sep 24, 2012 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard - Money Market for dividend
Replies: 9
Views: 1278

Re: Vanguard - Money Market for dividend

jsl11 wrote:You can do that. However, the minimun needed to open a MM fund is $3000. Once the fund is open, then you can use it to collect your dividends if you wish. If you later reduce the fund to less than $3000, Vanguard may or may not let you keep it that way. Vanguard has the right to require you keep the minimum balance, or they can liquidate the fund and send you a check. This is not always enforced.

Jeff
I have never had $3K in my Vanguard MM and they've never said a word about it.

If you've got a balance of $50K or more with Vanguard then open a Brokerage account attached to your taxable account. They will setup a MM fund account as the sweep fund and there will not be a minimum to avoid a fee or account closure.
by jasonlitka
Tue Sep 18, 2012 2:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax-free portfolio
Replies: 3
Views: 1204

Re: Tax-free portfolio

livesoft wrote:Plug it into TaxCaster (bing it).
Didn't you hear? Microsoft gave up on trying to get people to use "Bing" as a verb.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/13/33246 ... erb-search
http://www.bgr.com/2012/09/12/microsoft ... re-google/
by jasonlitka
Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cloud Based PBX
Replies: 5
Views: 1105

Re: Cloud Based PBX

You can certainly migrate to an off-site system but be aware that this means that your internal office calls will now need to leave the building and then come back, potentially burning more bandwidth than you're prepared for, and you'll also get a lot less flexibility than you're used to with Trixbox. The flexibility is the part that worries me somewhat with knowing what can be done. You can do pretty much anything you want with an Asterisk system. ANY other platform you migrate to, on-site or otherwise, will come up short if you just do a straight feature comparison. The system we bought to replace our SwitchVox platform was a 6-figure project and while it's a huge improvement in reliability and scalability, there are still "simple&q...
by jasonlitka
Wed Sep 12, 2012 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Seller Financing?
Replies: 9
Views: 1242

Re: Seller Financing?

If his credit is that good why isn't he just getting a 5/1 or 5/5 ARM? He'd pay less than 3%.

Anyway, I wouldn't take it. He's asking for a 10% discount over the appraisal, plus you to take the closing costs, plus you to take the non-payment risk.
by jasonlitka
Tue Sep 11, 2012 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cloud Based PBX
Replies: 5
Views: 1105

Re: Cloud Based PBX

I'm previously a SwitchVox (now owned by Digium) user. It worked great when we were smaller (up to maybe 20 simultaneous calls) but beyond that we had real issues with scalability and support. They didn't sell any larger hardware so we were forced to find what worked ourselves. It didn't help that they stripped many common drivers out of the kernel... Finding working hardware aside (FYI, Dell R610 works like a champ as long as you order with the older PERC6 RAID card), their support also stunk. When we had problems we had no recourse except to wait for one of their techs to fix the problem, almost always having to escalate to a 2nd or 3rd tech with a call back, because it's a completely locked system. If you try and boot from a LiveCD and t...
by jasonlitka
Fri Sep 07, 2012 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Limits on life insurance
Replies: 12
Views: 1348

Re: Limits on life insurance

No, I do not have a special reason, I just thought to get enough so my family could live from the gains and not touch the principal. I know what I have is enough to cover them for a good period of time, but for the price and being debt free it was a little "luxury" for us that won't break the bank. Thank you again. When I added some private term life a few months back the carrier I went with explicitly told me that whatever I had through group term at work wouldn't be considered towards any limit they might impose. If yours is the same way you might be able to pad it a bit by picking up term through your company and your spouse's (if available). Really though, I think you've got enough. I've currently got about 11x my annual sala...
by jasonlitka
Mon Aug 27, 2012 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have you received new 401K fee disclosures at your company?
Replies: 33
Views: 4575

Re: Have you received new 401K fee disclosures at your compa

I got mine today. Listed the overall asset fee, plus the expense rations of the individual funds. Everything was as expected except one target date fund with an ER of 5.50% (typo, I think, the other similar funds are all in the 1.1-1.3% range).

The real info came in the comparison of returns to the fund benchmarks. Only 17 out of 69 met or beat their benchmark, most that did only did so by 1-2%, and the ones that missed lost BIG. We're talking 6-10% off the benchmark as an average with a few in the 15-20% range.
by jasonlitka
Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: current best cash back credit card?
Replies: 55
Views: 12527

Re: current best cash back credit card?

Carl53 wrote:Priceline Visa 2% on everything
Amex Blue Cash Preferred 6% grocery store purchases (Including gift cards that can be used in lieu of the card above in many instances), 3% gas/dept store, 1% else but has $75 fee
PenFed Platinum Rewards 5% gas, 3% grocery and 1% else (no foreign transaction fees)
The Amex Blue Cash (the old one) is the card I'm using. I did the math on my spending YTD about a month ago and the card I have looks like the best deal. The newer Everyday card would only get me about 83% of what I got with the old card. The Preferred card was about a 3% increase after the $75 fee but that's close enough I don't want to risk it just in case my spending habits change.
by jasonlitka
Mon Aug 20, 2012 2:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Investing Priority
Replies: 19
Views: 3120

Re: Investing Priority

You might also skip the 401k after the match if you have a particularly bad plan or if you're an HCE and will be getting the cash back anyway because your company fails the annual testing.
by jasonlitka
Fri Aug 17, 2012 1:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Hardwood floor warped
Replies: 11
Views: 4266

Re: Hardwood floor wrapped

Depending on how well it was glued it may not come off and be salvageable. Using a vapor barrier on concrete (at a minimum) is flooring 101 so if you were the one that paid to have that floor installed in the first place I'd go after the contractor. Most would have used a barrier plus ply-wood if you put down actual hardwood and not engineered.
by jasonlitka
Sat Aug 11, 2012 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to do on a test drive?
Replies: 27
Views: 4096

Re: What to do on a test drive?

1. Get a test drive by yourself. If the dealer insists on going with you then go somewhere else. I had one Audi dealer tell me I needed TWO people to go with me to test drive a $38k A4. Another dealer let me take out an $75k loaded A7 for a 30 minute drive after about 15 minutes at his desk talking about what I was looking for. Note: I didn't buy either, my wife decided to go to grad school instead. 1a. I have no proof of this, but I believe a nice watch has more to do with dealer-cooperation than the car you arrive in or the clothes you're wearing. 2. Make sure the car is comfortable. If you have even the least bit of ergonomic trouble after a 10 minute drive then imagine what it will be like after an hour or two of driving. The only excep...
by jasonlitka
Thu Aug 02, 2012 9:31 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bank Deposits--typical account balances for individuals?
Replies: 40
Views: 5158

Re: Bank Deposits--typical account balances for individuals?

KYBOSH wrote:Bogleheads wouldn't keep over $1k in a mere CHECKING account anyway....right?
My wife and I have the bulk of our pay deposited into a checking account so that we can pay our bills. The average balance is about $10K. If it dips too low (as it did a couple months ago due to a bathroom remodel) then we pull from savings. If it goes too high (say, $15K for more than a month) then I sweep some out to savings. When savings gets too high we move to the taxable account. When savings gets to low we stop spending so much money until it recovers...
by jasonlitka
Wed Aug 01, 2012 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why does my bond allocation need to be so high?
Replies: 33
Views: 4381

Re: Why does my bond allocation need to be so high?

Cb wrote:I think people's tolerance for risk varies MUCH more than you'd guess by reading this board. Some people are comfortable deriving their income from a small business, while others wouldn't dream of leaving a corporate gig to do that. Similarly, some people are comfortable scuba diving, flying private aircraft, rafting, and riding motorcycles and bicycles on roadways and others aren't.
I'm only not mountain climbing because my life insurance says I can't for the next ~2 years. I never did it before but once they told me I couldn't I got an overwhelming urge to go climb something...
by jasonlitka
Tue Jul 24, 2012 3:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Educational help for 25 YO slow-starter son??
Replies: 41
Views: 5737

Re: Educational help for 25 YO slow-starter son??

For-profit schools are a scam. Don't give them your money. A+ certification is basically useless (I don't hire people that make a prominent position for A+ on their resumes) and 36 weeks to get it is way too much. Most people I know with them self-studied for a weekend with a book and had no issues. A few people that got them out of high school took a 3-day class. Some Microsoft certs (the development ones, for example) are very good and others hold about as much weight as A+. Basically, if it's something you can get certified in without any prerequisites then I won't care about it on a resume. As someone who has been in a position to hire IT workers for the past decade or so, anyone with just certs as experience on their resume, especiall...
by jasonlitka
Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AT&T's new sharing plans
Replies: 16
Views: 3079

Re: AT&T's new sharing plans

Dan_ wrote:
jasonlitka wrote:I'm in wait-and-see mode. I like the fact that the new plans include the iPhone WiFi hot-spot and can bundle in the iPad (mine is primarily WiFi, but I use 3/4G once or twice per month so I keep the plan active), but I'm not happy with the price.
You might be able to find an app that would do this for you. I have an Android phone and use Fox-Fi as a WiFi hotspot. I imagine there is something on the app store that would let you work around the ridiculous fees the carriers charge for a feature that should definitely be free.
Tethering apps do pop up in the store form time to time but then tend to only last a day or so before Apple yanks them. There are plenty if you Jailbreak but I don't.
by jasonlitka
Mon Jul 23, 2012 1:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are we ready (enough) to buy a house?
Replies: 29
Views: 3936

Re: Are we ready (enough) to buy a house?

My wife and I made a little under that combined when we bought our first house a few years back. We were looking at 25-40 year-old 4BR/2.5BA places (1800-2400 sq-ft) in the lower half of your price range. Honestly, given your outstanding debt, low liquid savings level, high monthly expenses, and the fact that you're looking to put down basically nothing, I'd say no, you're not ready. I put down 10% on the house and made sure that what we had left in cash after that covered at least 6 months of REGULAR expenses (not the level we'd cut back to in the event of a lost job). Then again, we were also a year or two older than you. Since moving in I've put close to $15K into a bathroom, $3.5K into a laundry room (including a new washer & dryer)...
by jasonlitka
Thu Jul 19, 2012 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: AT&T's new sharing plans
Replies: 16
Views: 3079

Re: AT&T's new sharing plans

I'm in wait-and-see mode. I like the fact that the new plans include the iPhone WiFi hot-spot and can bundle in the iPad (mine is primarily WiFi, but I use 3/4G once or twice per month so I keep the plan active), but I'm not happy with the price.

I'm suspecting that AT&T will disallow corporate discounts on the lowest 3 or 4 plans (just as they did recently for iPhone data plans, only allowing discounts on the $50/month plan), making this a huge increase in my monthly bill.