Bogleheads.org

Howie

So you've hit your number prior to your anticipated retirement age. From a positioning perspective, do you immediately shift to an ultra conservative strategy in an effort to stay at or above said number until you finally shut it down or do you continue to plow ahead with your current portfolio? I'm...

Howie

You can list your yearly spend at lean, fire and fat fire, but there will be intense disagreements on what kind of nest egg you need. And no one knows because no one knows the future. Shoot for fat fire assuming 3.5-4% swr and adjust to fire or lean if things go bad is my approach. I like this appr...

Howie

Nobody should put up with service like that where you call for days and can't get through. Vote with your feet and leave. That's really beyond the pale. And people seem to have this idea that any of the "other" places are just full of conartists that want to steal your money. So what are ...

Howie

rkhusky wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 6:26 pm
Howie wrote: ↑Wed Dec 16, 2020 3:40 pm Currently on hold. Wait time has been advertised as 20-30 minutes.
Still on hold?

Nope. Hung up after 45 minutes.

Howie

Currently on hold. Wait time has been advertised as 20-30 minutes.

Howie

This was a tweet from Rick Ferri a few month back Goals for Retirees based on 385 clients < $2M - not run out of money 2-5M - live comfy, travel, tax efficiency 5-10M -live, comfy, travel, tax eff, legacy for heirs, charity, low tax >10M - philanthropy, legacy for heirs and low tax when asked about...

Howie

Amazon has a pretty good cloud photo service as well for Prime members. Don’t forget it as an alternative. I wonder if there is a way to easily get one’s collection of Google Photos transferred to Amazon Photos which doesn’t involve downloading to a hard drive and then uploading to the Amazon cloud?

Howie

Reading the currently active thread on the pros and cons of owning a big home got me thinking about the couple who retires without children or other heirs. What’s the strategy to pursue concerning place of residence in retirement? Simply rent for the rest of ballgame? Buy a home and pursue a reverse...

Howie

If you have 25 times expenses without considering social security income that should give a good buffer, if you hit several years of down markets right? (Even if SS gets cut by 20% in the future).. Absolutely. Depends on your expenses of course... If you spend $300,000 a year, SS isn't going to hel...

Howie

What are the specifics behind $5K health care annually? My FIRE timing could be accelerated if this were the guaranteed max exposure of this expense.

Howie

If I understand your setup correctly you would run an Ethernet cable from your Orbi router to a switch in the office from where your devices are located. I have a similar setup with the Google Wifi system and don’t require a second router. Out of curiosity do the Orbi satellite units have backhaul c...

Howie

How do prescription drugs factor into both plans? For the HDHP, prescription drugs count towards the deductible and out of pocket maximum. For the PPO, it's a separate deductible and out of pocket maximum. You have a good plan then as many of the HSA Plans have a separate Out-of-Pocket Maximum for ...

Howie

How do prescription drugs factor into both plans?

Howie

Six years ago I purchased a private LTD policy and annually there was an opportunity to increase the monthly coverage for a modest premium increase. This rider has expired and, in order, to re-initiate this rider for six more years I would need to again go through the application process. This inclu...

Howie

sk2101 wrote: ↑Wed Aug 07, 2019 3:06 pm
ETA2: No VPN or wired connections (only 1 ethernet port on the main unit) though. You could configure your old router as a bridge and run the VPN and wired connections from there.

For Ethernet backhaul a switch behind the main Google Wifi router also works well.

Howie

msi wrote: ↑Sun Jul 21, 2019 1:59 am If you're planning to buy... the 2019 RDX has a 2/5 for reliability from Consumer Reports. Q5 gets a 3/5.

But in my experience with Acura, the repairs and maintenance are fairly cheap. Never owned an Audi.

Didn’t realize Honda’s quality had dropped off so far...

Howie

Evernote.

Howie

psteinx wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2019 1:04 pm
Jags4186 wrote: ↑Fri May 17, 2019 12:48 pm Could someone educate me on what the “lower Ivy League” schools are?
Brown, Cornell, Penn (outside of Business) and Dartmouth.

In the most recent WSJ college rankings, the Ivies placed seven of their eight institutions in the Top 11. Dartmouth was #17.

Howie

Turbo29 wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:24 pm
Howie wrote: ↑Sat Apr 20, 2019 6:18 pm
Afty wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:21 pm Capital One 360 MM account at 2% interest, FDIC insured.
The amount >$10K. The dollars below that threshold receive a lower rate.
They pay it on the entire balance so long as you have >=$10000

Thanks for the correction! Seems a decent rate for parking one's EF.

Howie

Afty wrote: ↑Sat Jan 26, 2019 4:21 pm Capital One 360 MM account at 2% interest, FDIC insured.

The amount >$10K. The dollars below that threshold receive a lower rate.

Howie

I've received this email three or so times over the past couple of months. I assumed it was a result of Personal Capital fouling something up as it periodically updated its aggregating information but now I'm not so sure. Each time I've gone through the process of setting up a new password and got b...

Howie

+1 on the CSR card, even for domestic/ economy travel. Priority Pass offers free meals at restaurants as well as lounges. For instance, our home airport is IAH. At IAH my wife and I have the choice of two restaurants (Cadillac Mexican Kitchen & Bar - Terminal A, Landry's Seafood, Terminal C) an...

Howie

It seems Philo is a nice relatively inexpensive complement to You Tube TV for channels YTTV doesn’t currently offer.

Howie

Wow. Great tool. Just stumbled onto this and have spent the past hour digesting and analyzing. I believe this, coupled with FIRECalc, are the only two retirement assessment tools one might need in terms of deciding "how much is enough" and "is it ok to retire"? Not sure that I a...

Howie

So I'm curious- as the Genesis brand is the luxury Hyundai brand, is the "upgrade" on par with what Toyota has done over the years with the Lexus?

Howie

So for one who might be considering a 35 year retirement horizon and wanted to wind up with $0 left at endgame, what % rule might be considered? It seems the vast majority of scenarios utilizing the 4% rule or less results in a large chunk of change remaining. I guess a SPIA would be the ultimate ap...

Howie

I should make this my new signature. It's not about a rigid withdrawal strategy... It's the rough goal for financial independence. Once you hit 25x expenses, you're in pretty good shape. Wouldn't the more accurate multiplier take into account SS and pension streams? I understand for most FIRE membe...

Howie

I should make this my new signature. It's not about a rigid withdrawal strategy... It's the rough goal for financial independence. Once you hit 25x expenses, you're in pretty good shape. Wouldn't the more accurate multiplier take into account SS and pension streams? I understand for most FIRE membe...

Howie

Glad I happened to notice this thread as I completed my tax returns yesterday and, fortunately, thought best to hold off e-filing for a couple of weeks in case there were any updates to the software. I hadn't realized my consolidated 1099 from Vanguard wasn't comprehensive and the second account the...

Howie

As the number of providers of such degrees has increased over the years the comparative value of an MBA from a Top 30 program has only grown. Often times this can become a tiebreaker with respect to garnering an interview and an MBA from one of the elite schools carries much more weight than one fro...

Howie

Wow. Great tool. Just stumbled onto this and have spent the past hour digesting and analyzing.

I believe this, coupled with FIRECalc, are the only two retirement assessment tools one might need in terms of deciding "how much is enough" and "is it ok to retire"?

Howie

You'll probably experience a slight drop in fuel economy.

Howie

Bogleheads: Pat and I took out a low-interest 30-year mortgage loan in our early 80s. We put the money into two Single Premium Immediate Annuities (SPIAs). The idea was (and still is) that we would rather spend the money than have it tied-up in our home. We put the money into two SPIAs which guaran...

Howie

Nowizard wrote: ↑Thu Jan 31, 2019 1:12 pm Nope, monthly credit cards we pay, but mortgage equal to about 1/2 the equity by choice.

Tim

Implied in that is you could pay off if desired? To me, this constitutes being "debt-free" even though one is still carrying debt.

Howie

Ooma has been working great for me; and call quality is better than when I had a landline. I have no idea how this company makes money. I pay like $5/month. And those of us who have been Ooma customers since early on in their history actually pay nothing per month (no monthly fee, no taxes, zilch).

Howie

Is there a difference in how prescriptions are handled? In some HDHPs, there is a higher out-of-pocket maximum for prescription drugs and the PPO-type co-pay doesn't usually commence until the full medical deductible is satisfied. Depending on one's familial needs, this could be a factor in the deci...

Howie

My usage of it overseas a couple of months ago resulted in reimbursed ATM fees as well as no international usage fee (unlike the Fidelity Cash Management card). That's has not been my experience... I was in London last week and pulled 200£ at Heathrow via Fidelity Cash Management. I've already been...

Howie

My usage of it overseas a couple of months ago resulted in reimbursed ATM fees as well as no international usage fee (unlike the Fidelity Cash Management card).

Howie

I like the Fidelity Rewards Visa Card . But it seem like I am only getting 1.5 points for every dollar I spend (1.5% cash back) instead of the 2 points (2% cash back) advertised. Points from statement https://flic.kr/p/29fD5JP points according to advertisement https://flic.kr/p/Nvr9iu I seem to rec...

Howie

For a week away from home, what precautions do you take? I normally shut off the water to my washer, bump up the thermostat, have a neighbor check mail/deliveries, and leave a light or two on. What else is recommended?

Howie

Same problem here. "Too many redirects". Typical Vanguard.

I'll note I tried three different browsers- one of which I've never used with the Vanguard site.

Howie

The majority of responses suggest paying it off. Is there a lower interest rate level where- at or below- it might be prudent to, instead, keep the mortgage?

Howie

They botched a simple Roth recharacterization of mine a couple of years ago and it took them months to finally rectify. I was so turned off after experiencing their struggles on such an elementary transaction I considered parting ways and adding to my Fidelity holdings. I never pulled that trigger b...

Howie

3% raise, 30.4% bonus (formulaic based primarily on profits).

Howie

IMHO, anything less than a 3% WR is overly conservative for anyone aside from those interested in leaving behind a larger portfolio for their heirs, charity, etc. than they started with. That being said, here it is. The nominal ending balance in 2017 would have been $1,798,773, which would have bee...

Howie

Great post. This reinforces 4 things to me in my particular financial situation (others may be different), that I need to keep in mind going forward. 1. Keep SPIA's on the option table. 2. 25X is not enough, maybe not even close going forward (I don't have a pension or very many alternate income st...

Howie

For years and years, I used to automatically say roll it over, but I've recently changed my tune on this. The expenses you cite are not exorbitant for a 401k plan, and by rolling it over to a tIRA, you potentially make a backdoor Roth contribution much more costly in the future. I made this mistake...

Howie

My wife’s Keurig bit the dust recently. She likes the K-Cup concept and I understand there are options beyond Keurig that could utilize this format. Looking for thoughts on whether to stay with the Keurig brand or go with another? I’d value reliability/durability greater than simply looking for the ...

Howie

Furthermore, exposure to UV radiation is cumulative; unfortunately most of our sun damage comes when we're <20 (myself included). So, if one were >50, how much help would embracing a consistent sunscreen application program actually provide if the majority of the damage is already done and has been...

Howie

I've been using Vivaldi for a period of time and find I use it most often on my Win10 machine. There are many features built into the browser and I find their tab stacking feature indispensable. It's built from the Chromium core and its code is updated frequently. As it relates to FF, the new versio...

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