Search found 2105 matches

by beardsworth
Fri Oct 19, 2018 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

At the end of our Alaska cruise 3 -4 yrs ago we traveled from Seattle to Minneapolis and the train was 26 hours late. I lost a days' worth of work and I will only travel by Amtrak again after I retire. That's horrendous and unfortunate, and no doubt incredibly frustrating from a passenger viewpoint. As has been pointed out earlier in this thread, and other threads about traveling Amtrak, it is only in the corridor from Washington, DC, to Boston where Amtrak actually owns the rails on which its trains operate. Elsewhere it pays rent to run passenger trains over freight lines, who also do their own dispatch work. They are supposed to give priority to make Amtrak run on time, but often do not. There are many places in the country with an inad...
by beardsworth
Fri Oct 19, 2018 11:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

Do you know if it is possible to visit USMA West Point? It is. https://www.usma.edu/visiting/SitePages/Home.aspx https://www.usma.edu/visitors/SitePages/Home.aspx https://traveltips.usatoday.com/tours-west-point-new-york-56400.html But that's a separate issue from getting there by train. West Point is above the west bank of the Hudson, but Amtrak and the Metro-North commuter railroad run on the east bank. The town directly across the river from West Point is (appropriately) Garrison, which is a stop on Metro-North but not on Amtrak. The next nearest Metro-North towns to West Point (again, all on the opposite side of the river) are Cold Spring and Beacon (to the north of Garrison) and Manitou and Peekskill (to the south). Like Garrison itse...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 18, 2018 4:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 30 yr TIPs auction: Oct. 18: 1.2% real yield?
Replies: 44
Views: 4974

Re: 30 yr TIPs auction: Oct. 18: 1.2% real yield?

Auction yield was 1.235% which I think is about 2.5 bps higher than where the secondary was trading just before auction. I.e. the auction”tailed” massively I.e. the market hates long term tips right now. I deployed all the spare cash I could. Wish I had bought more. grok, always interested to read your comments on this subject. I wasn't sure whether to ask the following in a PM to you, or post it here on the public forum, since I don't mean to draw your thread seriously off-topic. This question does relate to TIPS, but not specifically to the 30-year. Then I thought there was a chance other readers might be interested, too, so I'll ask it here. For purposes of starting to fill a just-begun ladder, what's your view on some of the shorter-te...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 18, 2018 1:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 30 yr TIPs auction: Oct. 18: 1.2% real yield?
Replies: 44
Views: 4974

Re: 30 yr TIPs auction: Oct. 18: 1.2% real yield?

Auction yield was 1.235% which I think is about 2.5 bps higher than where the secondary was trading just before auction. I.e. the auction”tailed” massively I.e. the market hates long term tips right now. I deployed all the spare cash I could. Wish I had bought more. grok, always interested to read your comments on this subject. I wasn't sure whether to ask the following in a PM to you, or post it here on the public forum, since I don't mean to draw your thread seriously off-topic. This question does relate to TIPS, but not specifically to the 30-year. Then I thought there was a chance other readers might be interested, too, so I'll ask it here. For purposes of starting to fill a just-begun ladder, what's your view on some of the shorter-te...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

Example: Sandpoint specifically (doing this from memory but Sandpoint is relative close to me so I have seriously looked at this ): open platform only, no parking, no waiting room, train scheduled in the middle of the night and stops only upon signal. Yes, the westbound Empire Builder (if on time) stops in Sandpoint shortly before midnight, and eastbound at 2:30 a.m. Sandpoint is an "unattended" station, and it's out on the fringe of downtown where (unless real estate development has expanded) you're not really in plain view of anyone else. I stopped there once, westbound. Was the only person who got off, or got back on, continuing westbound, on the following night. My former city-boy background caused me to feel slightly, uh, cr...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 18, 2018 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

If it were me, I'd leave out of Oregon, head southeast through Boise and Salt Lake and stop in Denver, then fly the rest of the way. If this is intended as a train trip recommendation for the OP, it can't be done without going ridiculously out of the way to use multiple trains. Amtrak did once have a train, The Pioneer, which traveled from Chicago to Salt Lake, then headed northwest and did indeed serve Boise and onward to Oregon (or, vice versa when eastbound). But The Pioneer was discontinued over 20 years ago. In the present Amtrak route system, Salt Lake City and Denver are stops on The California Zephyr between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area. The only Amtrak stop in Idaho is Sandpoint, in the state's northern panhandle, nowher...
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

For the past year or so I've been thinking of taking a trip to the East Coast (Boston, New York, etc.) to visit friends and family. I'm pretty sure now that I'm gonna do it next spring. I've flown across the country many times (I live in Oregon). Now I'm toying with the idea of making the trip via train. . . . You would take The Empire Builder from Portland (or one of its other stops along the Columbia River Valley) to Chicago. From there you have a choice. Another poster above mentioned The Capitol Limited. That goes from Chicago via Pittsburgh to Washington, DC, after which you'd have to change trains to get from DC to New York and Boston. But there are frequent trains along that corridor, the closest thing in the U.S. to European train ...
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

If you check online schedules to Denver they will have you transfer in Sacramento. I would recommend transferring in Davis instead. Only a half hour or so difference and the Davis Amtrak depot is real close to the UC campus, lots or food places and when I was there a few years back a Whole Foods grocery store. Good chance to stretch you legs & stock up before eastbound. Amtrak's Davis station is, of course, still close to the university and to the charming downtown. But as part of a corporate contraction, Whole Foods closed its Davis store. The excellent Davis Co-op is a few blocks further away. I remember reading some where the Cardinal from Chicago through DC to I think NYC was less direct but some of an anomoly in the system as it h...
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cross-country trip via Amtrak
Replies: 58
Views: 10013

Re: Cross-country trip via Amtrak

If it were me, I'd leave out of Oregon, head southeast through Boise and Salt Lake and stop in Denver, then fly the rest of the way. If this is intended as a train trip recommendation for the OP, it can't be done without going ridiculously out of the way to use multiple trains. Amtrak did once have a train, The Pioneer, which traveled from Chicago to Salt Lake, then headed northwest and did indeed serve Boise and onward to Oregon (or, vice versa when eastbound). But The Pioneer was discontinued over 20 years ago. In the present Amtrak route system, Salt Lake City and Denver are stops on The California Zephyr between Chicago and the San Francisco Bay area. The only Amtrak stop in Idaho is Sandpoint, in the state's northern panhandle, nowher...
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 17, 2018 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What do you consider 'enough'?
Replies: 96
Views: 13069

Re: What do you consider 'enough'?

intangiblemoney wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:32 pm Does anyone out there in their working years have a way of figuring out what is 'enough' in terms of income to support their current lifestyle and to also save for the future?

I know it's different for everyone but I'd be curious to hear your thoughts on if and how you calculate how much is 'enough' money for you.
Looks like you're new to the forum in the last week-and-a-half. Welcome.

That search box at the top of each forum page can be your friend. There have been many previous discussions here on this subject. For example, the following, which you may also find helpful:

https://www.google.com/search?sitesearc ... +number%22
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 17, 2018 2:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Not convinced with insurance
Replies: 45
Views: 4449

Re: Not convinced with insurance

I have been reading about insurance this week, but I am not convinced. . . . My conclusion so far . . . No term until we get a kid. What do you think? OP, here's another Bogleheads thread-in-progress, providing one example of why it may be a good idea to start life insurance before you "get a kid" and while you won't have medically-based underwriting issues. Seeing that thread reminded me of yours. Right now you can afford the insurance but don't think you "need" it yet. Some years from now you may decide that you need it, but your health circumstances, or your wife's if she would be an insured, may have changed and you'll have trouble qualifying for a policy at all. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&am...
by beardsworth
Tue Oct 16, 2018 2:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: CREF Global Equities as 403b VTWSX equivalent?
Replies: 8
Views: 1129

Re: CREF Global Equities as 403b VTWSX equivalent?

Perhaps the real question is how GOOD an equivalent of VTWSX is the CREF Global? If it isn't that good, should I just go with CREF Stock? I'm not sure the difference really matters all that much, unless you're really dedicated to a specific breakdown between domestic and foreign. I take it you mean the difference between Stock and Global? I agree. I went with Global and am making myself stick to it. The bigger problem I have as an investor is thinking I always have to do something to optimize. At this point I just need to pick something and stick to my guns. A natural human tendency, I think. Or at least you and I are both prone to it, but I know we're not alone. :) I think there's a lot of wisdom in the saying that "The enemy of a go...
by beardsworth
Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
Replies: 216
Views: 21377

Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina

Here's a tax map - TX, IA, and ID are "neutral" and NC is favorable. https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/taxes/T055-S001-kiplinger-tax-map/index.php I look at those things, too, so I'm not dismissing the information in the link. But it's of limited usefulness in specific terms. A person who's going to rent, and has decided to pay a certain amount of rent to get a certain type of apartment, will be only indirectly aware of property taxes. A person who doesn't shop much will not receive much benefit from living in a state without a sales tax. And so on. These shorthand summaries by Kiplinger and others are also subject to change, depending on what's being evaluated, how much weight is being given to each kind of taxation, and whether th...
by beardsworth
Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: CREF Global Equities as 403b VTWSX equivalent?
Replies: 8
Views: 1129

Re: CREF Global Equities as 403b VTWSX equivalent?

Perhaps the real question is how GOOD an equivalent of VTWSX is the CREF Global? If it isn't that good, should I just go with CREF Stock? For a long time, CREF Global Equities, despite its "global" name, only held stocks in developed markets, while CREF Stock, whose name makes no mention of international stocks (CREF Stock has been around since the 1950s), had branched out to include both developed and emerging foreign stocks. TIAA's online prose description of Global Equities now states that it includes emerging markets, but I couldn't find many details, or whether they're held at something approaching market weight. I find TIAA's complicated website to be often unhelpful. CREF Global Equities will be closer to a true global fun...
by beardsworth
Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Long-term Care Insurance
Replies: 184
Views: 13153

Re: Long-term Care Insurance

In addition to issues of rising premiums, there has also been a drastic reduction in the number of companies, especially highly-rated "safe" companies, which offer this product at all. Yep. IIRC, there were over 100 providers of LTC insurance twenty years ago, and now there are fewer than ten. Someone buying LTC insurance should question whether it's reasonable to believe that their insurer will still be in this business in five or ten years. You will see some people, typically those with sizable financial assets, saying that they have decided to "self-insure." That's a misnomer. True insurance involves pooling risk with other people, some of whom will end up needing insurance benefits and some of whom will not. There i...
by beardsworth
Mon Oct 15, 2018 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
Replies: 216
Views: 21377

Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina

Here's a tax map - TX, IA, and ID are "neutral" and NC is favorable. https://www.kiplinger.com/tool/taxes/T055-S001-kiplinger-tax-map/index.php I look at those things, too, so I'm not dismissing the information in the link. But it's of limited usefulness in specific terms. A person who's going to rent, and has decided to pay a certain amount of rent to get a certain type of apartment, will be only indirectly aware of property taxes. A person who doesn't shop much will not receive much benefit from living in a state without a sales tax. And so on. These shorthand summaries by Kiplinger and others are also subject to change, depending on what's being evaluated, how much weight is being given to each kind of taxation, and whether th...
by beardsworth
Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Long-term Care Insurance
Replies: 184
Views: 13153

Re: Long-term Care Insurance

The more I read about long-term care insurance, the more I think it is probably a good thing to have. . . . What do you think? That search box at the top of the Bogleheads forum pages can be your friend. This subject has been discussed here many times, in considerable depth. Here are search results, for the terms long term care insurance, and LTC , which you may also find helpful. https://www.google.com/search?sitesearch=bogleheads.org&q=long+term+care+insurance https://www.google.com/search?sitesearch=bogleheads.org&q=LTC In addition to issues of rising premiums, there has also been a drastic reduction in the number of companies, especially highly-rated "safe" companies, which offer this product at all. You will see some...
by beardsworth
Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.
Replies: 127
Views: 19008

Re: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.

It was hard for a retailer catering to mass tastes like Sears to keep up. Agree. I've already commented, with links, elsewhere in this thread, on the fact that "changes in retailing" do not provide the whole story of what happened to Sears, and what was done to Sears, under its current management. But this "mass taste" phenomenon is certainly part of the story. And it has been a problem for department stores in general. They typically offer a little bit of everything, but not a whole lot of anything, and shoppers with substantial disposable income have increasingly gone to stores that specialize in particular product types. Median incomes for Americans have stagnated since 1980 (average incomes have risen but most of th...
by beardsworth
Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Have you annuitized some of your money?
Replies: 67
Views: 7610

Re: Have you annuitized some of your money?

I agree that TIAA is "different", and isn't the "average annuity insurer", etc. We'll probably go over the state "guarantee" (in quotes, because it's not really a full guarantee, but that's a separate issue) at TIAA. But just as we do - and will continue to - keep investments/money in more than one financial institution, we'd do that with annuities. The amounts may not be equivalent. . . . ResearchMed, thanks for your prompt and extended reply to mine above, which I haven't quoted again here, or fully quoted the rest of yours, in the interest of reducing visual space. I think you and I are more or less in agreement on the main points. My wife and I consider the risk of TIAA failure so remote, and TIAA's annuit...
by beardsworth
Sun Oct 14, 2018 6:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.
Replies: 127
Views: 19008

Re: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.

An interesting overview, in today's New York Times, of the history of Sears as a national retailer, and what was done to Sears as a business organization.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/14/busi ... er-11.html
by beardsworth
Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Have you annuitized some of your money?
Replies: 67
Views: 7610

Re: Have you annuitized some of your money?

We definitely plan to spread it around, such that no one vendor has much more than the so-called "guarantee" per our state. Coverage by state insurance guaranty associations, which are not actual agencies of state governments, range from $100,000 to $500,000, depending on the state. I won't ask you to name your state or its limit, but previous conversations here and on Morningstar have made clear that you're a TIAA participant. So am I. Am I correct in understanding your statement above to mean that, even for a company with the financial strength and long history of TIAA, you still won't annuitize more than the dollar limit of your state guaranty association's coverage limit? I could see following that rule for "lesser"...
by beardsworth
Sat Oct 13, 2018 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Federal Money Market compared to Prime Money Market
Replies: 22
Views: 12374

Re: Vanguard Federal Money Market compared to Prime Money Market

I'm reading all of the responses and I guess I still don't understand the difference between the Federal and Prime MM Funds. Some other posters here have already mentioned, briefly, a distinction between "government" and non-government money market funds. Here's a more detailed explanation from Vanguard's own prospectus, explaining how this distinction applies to Prime Money Market: "In July 2014, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) implemented a number of regulatory changes designed to enhance the stability and resilience of all money market funds. The reforms have created three categories of money market funds: • Retail money market funds, which may maintain a stable net asset value (NAV) but are subject to liquid...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 11, 2018 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone done a Hair Transplant?
Replies: 79
Views: 10144

Re: Anyone done a Hair Transplant?

Since I'm also interested in the OP's subject, I have to assume that he's as frustrated as I to see three dozen posts so far, most of which (although offered in a cheerful and supportive spirit) are completely irrelevant to what he requested: feedback from men who actually did a hair transplant. I hope such respondents may yet appear in this thread. What percentage of males in the US get hair transplants? What percentage of males in the US visit Bogleheads? Now, intersect the 2 groups. I would guess that Bogleheads with hair transplants will reply if/when they read this thread. Always good to hear different perspectives. Many threads would be very short or have no replies. Which may be just fine. Better a short thread with on-target respon...
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 11, 2018 12:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone done a Hair Transplant?
Replies: 79
Views: 10144

Re: Anyone done a Hair Transplant?

Since I'm also interested in the OP's subject, I have to assume that he's as frustrated as I to see three dozen posts so far, most of which (although offered in a cheerful and supportive spirit) are completely irrelevant to what he requested: feedback from men who actually did a hair transplant. I hope such respondents may yet appear in this thread.
by beardsworth
Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: anybody sell I Bonds to buy something else?
Replies: 49
Views: 6735

Re: anybody sell I Bonds to buy something else?

I'm rethinking that approach, given the recent increases in interest rates. I could use those funds [proceeds from redeemed I Bonds] and very likely get better returns from CDs or short term bond funds. Just wondering if anybody else has sold their I Bonds for similar reasons. The downside, obviously, is that they can't be re-purchased. You don't buy I Bonds for their earnings. You buy them for protection from inflation. Exactly. CDs, depending on the chosen maturity, will pay you a fixed interest rate for 1, 2, 5, years, and then have to bought again if you still want to own CDs. Short-term bond funds have a changing internal portfolio but a relatively constant average maturity, typically 2–3 years. By contrast, an I Bond will pay you tax...
by beardsworth
Wed Oct 10, 2018 9:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Allan Roth doesn't like single premium annuities
Replies: 198
Views: 15600

Re: Allan Roth doesn't like single premium annuities

But I don't see cognitive decline mentioned in this thread , and that's what tips the scales for me. While I may be confident that I can manage my investments in a way that is superior to an SPIA, I may eventually reach a point where I can't even manage the simplest of portfolios (or worse, I make some very poor decisions or get taken advantage of). So when I approach an age where mental decline is more likely (or if I see any signs of early decline), I think an SPIA (for some of my $) would attractive. This is a very persuasive argument, and, in our own household, especially to my wife. Although we're both in good health, family history (which is, of course, just one longevity factor among many) suggests that she'll substantially outlive ...
by beardsworth
Tue Oct 09, 2018 8:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
Replies: 216
Views: 21377

Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina

cmwahl wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 7:47 am You should consider the Coeur d alene, ID area. . . . Low cost of living. Lots of affordable housing. And lots of Californians who are relocating here.
If the Northwest places we've checked out are a reliable guide, an influx of Californians (and the money and services expectations they bring with them from their California careers and the sales of their California real estate) marks the imminent disappearance of "a low cost of living" and "lots of affordable housing" in their new location. That's not a criticism of Californians, just an observation of an economic phenomenon we've observed in several previously low-key and affordable places.
by beardsworth
Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:41 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Paul Romer & William Nordhaus share Nobel Prize in Economics
Replies: 16
Views: 1994

Re: Paul Romer & William Nordhaus share Nobel Prize in Economics

Hi bobcat2, Every time when the Nobel prize in economics is awarded I am disappointed that the most deserving person John C Bogle has again been bypassed. But what do Swedes know of low cost Index funds which have caused a revolution in how people can retire? John Bogle is not a professional or academic economist. His work has not advanced the state of economic knowledge - we do not know more about the world through his work. What he did was apply the developments of Modern Portfolio Theory to the real world - created a very large company. . . . Thus he is not a realistic candidate for a Nobel Prize in Economics (it's not actually the Nobel Prize, but we can all look up the distinction). I think that's a fair summary of Bogle's contributio...
by beardsworth
Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina
Replies: 216
Views: 21377

Re: Thinking of moving to Texas, Iowa, Idaho, or North Carolina

TallBoy29er wrote: Sun Oct 07, 2018 8:44 am
Wilderness Librarian wrote: Wed Oct 03, 2018 11:19 am
Several points related to this whole discussion.

I grew up in Idaho but have lived in several other states throughout my life. Retired and moved back. ... In my section of Idaho the winters are not harsh ( often freeze thaw snow and melt a few days latter) For my tastes they are actually too mild.
Wilderness Librarian, could you share with me what section of Idaho this is? We are taking a scouting trip to Idaho in December/January, and the climate you are talking about sounds nice (to us). Maybe PM me if you don't want to share w/ everyone, but would be comfortable otherwise?
TallBoy29er is not the only person curious about the answer. Please do "share w/ everyone."
by beardsworth
Sun Oct 07, 2018 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Has anyone used software to write a Will?
Replies: 66
Views: 6542

Re: Has anyone used software to write a Will?

That search box at the top of the forum page can be your friend. These were some Bogleheads forum results from a simple search combining the terms software and will.

https://www.google.com/search?sitesearc ... tware+will
by beardsworth
Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice on Three-Night English Road Trip
Replies: 30
Views: 2981

Re: Advice on Three-Night English Road Trip

OP, is your wish to rent a car simply based on wanting to get to a large number of fairly rural places, or do you/spouse have mobility issues which would hinder a lot of walking? I ask because, IMO, your planned English itinerary seems overstuffed, and it doesn't seem like you're going to have much time to relax and savor the individual places, and whoever is the driver will be needing to pay more attention to the road, and to parking, and to watching for a handy petrol station, than to the scenery. A car can be both an aid and a nuisance. Bath is served by fast train from London. Wells is served by local bus from Bath. Oxford can be reached by train from Bath or London; Oxford also has frequent train service to Moreton-in-Marsh (one of the...
by beardsworth
Fri Oct 05, 2018 10:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I use the VBINX balanced fund?
Replies: 2
Views: 983

Re: Should I use the VBINX balanced fund?

Hi Everyone, got general question, i am 6 years from retiring and I have quite a bit in socks , example i have 80 percent in stocks suck as appl, atvi, xom, mro, cop, bp, wfc, pxd, mtch, apa, wmt, hal, cg, and many more, i am up pretty good on some of these as I bough a lot of oil stocks when they were beaten up a few years ago, I do have 20 percent in VFINX S&P fund and contribute 1000 per month to it, i am thinking about taking some profits off of the stock table and going into a more balanced fund VBINX and contribute 500 a month to that and 500 a month to the VFINX, I do have a retirement pension coming from my work. I think Vanguard's Balanced Index Fund is definitely preferable to keeping a lot of money in socks, or in stocks tha...
by beardsworth
Fri Oct 05, 2018 7:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Where is that value premium?
Replies: 57
Views: 5519

Re: Where is that value premium?

The value premium is like Bigfoot or the Yeti. It goes long periods of time without being seen. :)
by beardsworth
Sun Sep 30, 2018 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Beginner. Want to get mega-rich. Help with portfolio, tips, etc.
Replies: 87
Views: 11017

Re: Beginner. Want to get mega-rich. Help with portfolio, tips, etc.

LiquidSky, As a number of people have mentioned, this forum is not really a place for advice on how to get "mega-rich" "mega-quick." The forum is named after John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard group of mutual funds, who has long preached, with sound evidence to back up the approach, that investors should pick a broadly diversified portfolio of mutual funds, particularly index funds with low expense ratios, decide on a stock/bond/cash allocation that suits their risk tolerance, and then "stay the course" through the ups and downs of markets. In addition to the links furnished by other posters above, here's an excellent summary of "the Boglehead philosophy" which also characterizes the major themes of ...
by beardsworth
Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.
Replies: 127
Views: 19008

Re: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.

Changes in retailing are a part of how such a legendary company came to be in this sad condition, but they're by no means the entire story. https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2017/03/22/sears-holdings-ceo-eddie-lampert/99487518/ https://www.businessinsider.com/how-eddie-lampert-set-sears-up-to-fail-2017-5 https://www.marketwatch.com/story/yes-sears-is-likely-to-collapse-but-eddie-lampert-will-be-just-fine-2018-05-30 https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevendennis/2018/08/20/eddie-lampert-just-cant-stop-picking-at-sears-carcass/#73ced2a37180 +1 Sears is as much a victim of being a leveraged buyout that gutted the company as changing times. I actually got some of the links in my post above by doing a Google search whose entire terms were the two...
by beardsworth
Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard’s small cap index fund NAESX Asset Allocation
Replies: 11
Views: 867

Re: Vanguard’s small cap index fund NAESX Asset Allocation

Sgt.Pepper wrote: Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:11 pm In Personal Finance’s assets allocations, half of that amount is listed as mid cap stocks, half as small cap stocks.

What's the reason for this?
There was another thread along similar lines, several months ago:

viewtopic.php?t=247099
by beardsworth
Wed Sep 26, 2018 6:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Economic reasons for rate increase by the Fed?
Replies: 71
Views: 7360

Re: Economic reasons for rate increase by the Fed?

The principle was most succinctly and humorously stated by William McChesney Martin, chairman of the Fed for most of the 1950s and all of the 1960s, who said that it's the Fed's job "to take away the punch bowl just as the party gets going."
by beardsworth
Sun Sep 23, 2018 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Minimalist Lifestyle
Replies: 92
Views: 14127

Re: Minimalist Lifestyle

Alexa9 (original poster) wrote: Sun Sep 23, 2018 9:52 am . . . I read a story about a couple that sold everything except a few suitcases and lived for extended periods around the world. It sounded frightening at the time but also very adventurous. . . .
Perhaps these?

http://www.homefreeadventures.com

And that search box at the top of the forum page can be your friend. Here are some previous Bogleheads threads about living minimalist:

https://www.google.com/search?sitesearc ... minimalist
by beardsworth
Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:41 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Seattle folks - looking for reviews of Sandpoint cc
Replies: 1
Views: 18834

Re: Seattle folks - looking for reviews of Sandpoint cc

I don't have the specific information you seek.

But that country club in Seattle is Sand Point (two words),

https://www.sandpointcc.com/

and there have been other threads on this forum discussing the town of Sandpoint (one word), Idaho, which also has a Sandpoint (one word) Country Club.

I'd suggest you log in and correct both the thread title and the text of your original post. This still won't guarantee that you'll get on-target answers, but at least it will eliminate potential confusion about the question, and will enhance the ability of future forum users to topic-search your thread.
by beardsworth
Sun Sep 23, 2018 7:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: HOA Donation in Remembrance of Deceased Owner
Replies: 40
Views: 4803

Re: HOA Donation in Remembrance of Deceased Owner

I'm the past president and current treasurer of a small HOA where my wife and I have lived for 15 years. The association always personally greets new residents with a housewarming gift, typically a houseplant in a decorative container. And we always send funeral flowers when a homeowner passes. Yes, it's "a community-building exercise," as current jargon describes such practices. More specifically, it's the simple human kindness of treating others as we would wish to be treated, welcoming those who have joined us and honoring (and comforting the families of) those who have left us. In the overall picture of our finances, it's a small amount of money, well-spent, needed only intermittently, and no one in the neighborhood has ever o...
by beardsworth
Sun Sep 02, 2018 3:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Retire in Your 30's with $1 Million in the Bank
Replies: 148
Views: 23557

Re: How to Retire in Your 30's with $1 Million in the Bank

There was already a lengthy thread in progress, based on the same New York Times article linked in the original post here, but it seems to have disappeared. I no longer see it listed in any of the recent forum topics.

If I saved the right URL, it was this:

viewtopic.php?t=257992

Anybody know what gives, i.e., where it went?
by beardsworth
Tue Aug 28, 2018 11:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Pass on Money Against My Sister's Wishes (Ethics and Finance)
Replies: 74
Views: 8744

Re: How to Pass on Money Against My Sister's Wishes (Ethics and Finance)

stargazer, in writing this post I'm thinking about the emotional/familial aspects of the situation.

Let's assume, as seems likely, that your sister will predecease all four of her children.

What is your own relationship with the 4th child whom your sister wishes to exclude from this money, and what do you want that relationship to be in the future, depending on whether you do or don't follow your sister's wishes? Or, to put the question another way: Do you feel the same about that child as your sister does, and are you willing to be estranged from that child when your sister is no longer here?
by beardsworth
Sun Aug 26, 2018 12:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Christine Benz: "75 Must-Know Statistics About Long-Term Care"
Replies: 31
Views: 6804

Re: Christine Benz: "75 Must-Know Statistics About Long-Term Care"

Note that this thread was started by gkaplan a year ago, went dormant, but has now been revived.

It might be more appropriate instead to add new comments to the following thread, started within the past week, discussing the latest edition of Christine Benz's now-annual article about LTC statistics:

viewtopic.php?f=10&t=256938
by beardsworth
Wed Aug 22, 2018 10:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retirement location planning
Replies: 19
Views: 2811

Re: Retirement location planning

I'm always amazed when people consider retirement to places characterized by sprawl development without any meaningful or convenient public transportation. It seems they're assuming that they'll never face any limitations on their ability to drive.
by beardsworth
Mon Aug 20, 2018 7:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Teachers Who Have Net Worth of $1 million +
Replies: 191
Views: 36095

Re: Teachers Who Have Net Worth of $1 million +

Gardner's Son wrote: Sun Aug 19, 2018 7:07 pm As the OP, I'd like to thank everyone for sharing their "The Millionaire Teacher Next Door" stories.
Since many other posters here responded to your request by divulging details of their financial lives and discussions of how they reached their goals, is there any particular reason why, as a retired teacher, you haven't done the same, for the benefit of others reading this thread?
by beardsworth
Tue Aug 14, 2018 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: As an American, where are some great places in the world to retire?
Replies: 152
Views: 18689

Re: As an American, where are some great places in the world to retire?

gunn_show wrote: Tue Aug 14, 2018 3:20 pm ... you say nothing about where he lives now... does he want to move... what can they afford... what does your dad and mom like, to eat, do, climate, types of neighborhoods... you asked a completely open ended question with no guided background...
Well, it seems like the OP is trying to get the parents to consider someplace more interesting or adventurous than coastal Alabama and the Florida Panhandle.

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=256408
by beardsworth
Mon Aug 13, 2018 11:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help explain TIAA Traditional to me
Replies: 21
Views: 5193

Re: Help explain TIAA Traditional to me

OP, numerous publications about TIAA Traditional are available just by doing a simple search for that term at TIAA's own website. They include Frequently Asked Questions, and comparisons of different contract types. Did you try that?

https://www.tiaa.org/public/search-resu ... raditional
by beardsworth
Sat Aug 11, 2018 12:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Preparing for a bear market
Replies: 43
Views: 6402

Re: Preparing for a bear market

. . . Go back and read the 08/09 threads here to see how the mentally unprepared fared. The following thread occurred some time after the crisis of 2008-2009, during another period of market turbulence, but is one of the best things I've seen on the subject of "evaluating your jitters," and typical of the intelligence this forum has come to expect from just about every discussion initiated by the poster nisiprius. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=79939 The most cleverly designed portfolio is no match for the person staring back at you in the mirror. That statement could be interpreted in more than one way :) , but one of the ways is this: Regardless of what advice anyone else may give, the OP has the unique advant...