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fandango

My Personal Advisor has me in three bond funds: Total Bond Index, Short Term Bond Index and International Bond Index. You may want to talk with your Account Executive and see if you can get another Personal Advisor since his/her recommendations seem a little extreme. One reason they are "trying to e...

fandango

My wife had two implants. It was a long tedious process because she had some bone loss that requires a bone graft. If I remember correctly, the whole process to it took almost 6 months. The oral surgeon (a great one by the way) did the bone grafts and inserted the studs. Or GP formed the new teeth a...

fandango

My mother was in a facility ranked in the 75th percentile for 5 years. She required more than average care. Cost was around $40,000 per year. $100,000 per year is the rate for most "nursing home" facilities. So, I am thinking that you may have the two confused. In either case, you will have to liqui...

fandango

I was formerly a Fidelity customer. From my standpoint it looked like a revolving door for the position you are discussing. It is a sales position and nothing more - some people don't make the sales they need to stay employed. Look at small career changes in your government job or enhancing your ski...

fandango

Lunch is our largest meal of the day Usually eat for lunch: Salad with low fat dressing Whatever fruits or vegetables are in season and look good Chicken (broiled) and salmon (broiled) Yogurt, low fat/no salt added cottage cheese Breakfast Decaf coffee High fiber cereal, oatmeal Skim milk Dinner Yog...

fandango

To mitigate this risk: I buy road hazard insurance for all the tires that I purchase (usually form Discount Tire). It is worth it. I bought a complete set of Michelin LTX/MS tires for my Toyota 4 Runner. After I left, I noticed 5 miles down the road that one tire was low and leaking fast. Turned aro...

fandango

We have used SW "Crisp Khaki" in our home for 10 years. We have wide trim and lots of crown molding in SW "decorator white". The two colors go well together and with the various woods that we have in our furniture. I would use flat paint for the walls and satin for the trim. Much easier to touch up ...

fandango

I think a nice (well fitting) blazer and a couple of dark suits (well fitting) for weddings, funerals, job interviews, etc. should be enough in today's environment for traditional wear. Sy Syms used to be my major provider ($1000 suits for $200) but alas they have gone bankrupt. Now that I am retire...

fandango

How about renting or leasing a home to be sure that you like the rural life? Then you are not locked in and can easily move somewhere else if you don't like it. Many seniors are renting now to avoid all the hassle of home ownership. Another possibility is living in one of the more remote suburbs of ...

fandango

I might pay the $119 , but I am thinking about dropping Amazon altogether. "2 day shipping" has evolved to "3 or 4 day shipping maybe", and the value isn't what it used to be. It all started when they began using the USPS for shipping. I had a package hung up in the Atlanta USPS central distribution...

fandango

I negotiate hard and buy new Toyotas or Hondas. Drive 200,000 miles (about 12 to 15 years), then sell at a premium and do all over again.

fandango

I know several people who are in "trials" and could not afford the drugs involved. After their doctor discussed with the "trial leader", they received the drugs a no cost.

These were cancer drugs at Emory University.

fandango

Bad idea.

He'll tell you if he wants you to know.

fandango

To clarify my previous post, I did ask and receive a total of 3 Fidelity "Account Executives". All displayed the same characteristics. The last one seemed shocked when we pulled 90% of our investments and transferred to Vanguard. I got tired of all the "selling" and "posturing" and told him that on ...

fandango

I moved almost all of our investments from Fidelity to Vanguard. The main reason was unsolicited calls from my Fidelity "Account Executive" urging me to take advantage of some flaky investment opportunity. Every call sounded like his hair was on fire and that the world was ending today. Not my way o...

fandango

Hard to believe in this improving economy that a Vanderbilt graduate with a Mechanical Engineering degree can't/won't find a job. New graduates need to realize that the "dream" job is often not there. Best to get employed, start working, and learn from the real world. You can always change direction...

fandango

The reliability bar keeps rising every year.

It's not so much that Toyota and Honda are getting worse - other makes of car are getting better!

fandango

I use Vanguard PAS and am very pleased with the value I have received. My main reasoning for using the service was to set up my portfolio for retirement and have someone for my wife (who has little interest in investing) to rely on if something happens to me. To many sharks out there trying to rip o...

fandango

I have been a Vanguard customer for 30+ years and have never had a problem with customer service.

I have worked with other mutual fund companies (Fidelity, Pimco, etc.) and have not found the customer service to equal Vanguard.

fandango

Just dropped the WSJ for the same reason My rate went up to $465 per year, and I called WSJ and told them that one of my friends who was a new customer had a deal for $198 per year. I asked for the same deal. They said that no existing customer could get that deal. I told them to cancel my subscript...

fandango

The Highlander is a "hot" model, and, therefore, it is hard to get much of a discount off sicker price. So, the car may have been sitting on the lot for a while waiting to get someone to pay this premium.

It will be interesting to see the responses to your email.

fandango

I have been doing 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of weights daily for 10 years. With weights, be careful. High repetition is better than high weights. Ligaments and tendons get less elastic as you get older and can tear (not something that you want to happen!). If you get bored, try something n...

fandango

I negotiate with Comcast every year. Cable and phone companies have a strangebusiness strategy, give new customers a better deal than long term customers. They are turning themselves into a commodity. No wonder people are moving from one provider to another all the time. I bust that business strateg...

fandango

Although I can turn them off, I leave DRL's on all the time.

Any hint of cloudiness, precipitation or darkness , the headlights go on manually. I do not rely on automatic light system.

fandango

FINAL UPDATE:

I just heard back again from Toyota He said: "Fuel additives are neither required nor recommended for your 2017 Toyota Camry. Period."

fandango

Your previous employers did not seem to have a problem with your background when they hired you. Find someone to do a complete background report on you. The cost is probably less than $50. Don't go through life worrying about something that may not be a realistic fear. Do your own background check.

fandango

My nephew is in the Georgia National Guard and was recently accepted into the helicopter pilot program. Apparently, it is quite competitive and only 10% of applicants are accepted through the initial screening. I believe the actual training program lasts one year if you get that far. Although, the t...

fandango

I got a quick reply from Toyota. They called to ask me some more questions about my email. They said that "no gasoline additives were required for my vehicle" and that Toyota USA would be following up with the dealer. Whether this will do any good or not remains to be seen. I was impressed, however,...

fandango

The owner's manual only says to use "top tier" gasoline with at least a rating of 87 octane. I use Exxon so quality of gas is not an issue. I have an email into Toyota USA asking the same question that I have asked here. I will let you know what they say. I will probably be taking my business to ano...

fandango

I just had my first 5000 mile maintenance at a Toyota dealership. Part of my free maintenance foe 2 years/24,000 miles. The service technician said that I should add a gasoline additive to my 2017 Camry every 6 months. He said that ethanol could separate from gasoline interact with bacteria and caus...

fandango

Some suggestions from Bankrate:

http://www.bankrate.com/personal-financ ... inance_mod

fandango

I just found out that I was on the Equifax list of those possible "impacted" by the data breach. In July , my credit card number was used in Istanbul Turkey to purchase $180 of various goods. I haven't been there for 20 years. I had to get a new credit card, change all the accounts where I use my cr...

fandango

Personal observation: Been with BC/BS for 5 years. Never had a single problem with claims administration. In fact, the only issue that I have ever had with Medicare was when the doctor's office mis-coded some procedures/visits. This was quickly corrected by Medicare and BC?BS once the received the c...

fandango

I pay $179 per year for monitoring and get a $200 discount on my home insurance policy for having a monitored system. Check to see if you can get a discount from your insurance policy. We have only had one false alarm in 10 years. I was in Mexico, and my wife left the house to walk the dog and forgo...

fandango

My question for you:

Have you ever taught before? If not, how do you know that you would like it?

Why not shoot for a job in a small to medium size company and teach part-time to see how you will like it?

Teaching is not always what you think/dream it will be.

fandango

I use the True Value price as one of several benchmarks and go to the dealer with my target price. My most recent purchase was $2,000 below the True Value price with lots of other goodies thrown in (like free maintenance for 5 years, lifetime oil changes, window tinting, etc.). It was $500 dollars b...

fandango

We have loaned money to a relative in what we thought was "dire straits". One of our relatives lost his job, and our entire family loaned him money to help his family out. This continued for several years. Eventually he found work again. We have recently discovered he had significant property assets...

fandango

I have invested with Vanguard for almost 45 years. My biggest concern about Vanguard is deterioration in customer service as the company gets larger. I have begun to see it in minor ways already: missed appointments with customer, failure to rapidly respond to technical questions, no continuity of k...

fandango

When benefits are considered, federal jobs pay 30 to 40% more than the private sector. [OT comment removed by moderator prudent]

However, very difficult to get things done and get rid of poor performers. It can be very frustrating for former private sector with any initiative.

fandango

Be sure to check all the fees with the 0% loan from Subaru. Sometimes a few things are added here and there (I have seen $2000) to get the loan.

fandango

I renegotiate my Comcast deal every year. I currently pay $129 for a bundle (telephone, internet, and HD TV). When the rate goes up, I call them that I would like to stay with Comcast, but the rate is too high. I compare it to a rate for a new AT&T customer. They cut the rate to where it was before ...

fandango

What about the cost of maintaining the turbo? Surely that is a continuing expense if you own a vehicle with a turbo charger?

Knowing dealerships and garages, I am sure they want to check them out once per year at around $100 a pop to examine functioning, potential deposits, etc.

fandango

I have noticed a number of new cars that I am interested in now have turbochargers as standard equipment (eg. Honda CRV). Seems to be a trend in the auto industry.

What are the pro's and con's of turbochargers? Any comments on maintenance and reliability?

Thanks.

fandango

Usually salary history information appears on the application somewhere. If not, a good recruiter will get that information over an initial telephone screening review. I was an HR Director for a large corporation for over 40 years and never saw the situation that you described. What if the peer pres...

fandango

I have had GEICO auto insurance for 45 years.

Every few years, I shop around and compare rates. No one has come close to beating GEICO. Usually they say they can't beat GEICO early in the conversation.

Customer service is great. Absolutely no problems.

fandango

I have a Honda CRV, and it is keeper. My mechanics tell me the only issues are electronic - meaning all the stuff you don't use in the driver's compartment. I was considering a second CRV but a turbo is standard on the top end models. A non- turbo engine is available on the LX and EX. Most auto make...

fandango

Be sure to check out the issuing company and their financial stability. Many are struggling now. Your investment maybe for 20 or more years before you receive a benefit.

Recently, Genworth was acquired by a Chinese company. Not sure what that means for the future.

fandango

Check with your local animal control office. Usually they will loan you a wire cage trap, tell you how to bait it, and collect the critter when you catch it. I got a possum out of my crawl space that way. Used a piece of sardine for bait. Be sure to check out your crawlspace after the critter is gon...

fandango

We have been with PAS for a couple of years and are well satisfied with what we get for 0.30% Our CPA works with a lot of trusts and medium to small investors. When I told him during our tax conference a few days ago that I used PAS to manage a large chunk of our money and that the fee was 0.30%, he...

fandango

I has a very good experience when I went to the SS office to apply for Part B. I had made an appointment and the agent was on time and fully answered my questions. Since then, I continue to be impressed with the people in our local SS office as well as the Medicare claims processors. Very well train...

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