Search found 69 matches

by engin33r
Wed Jul 19, 2023 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: EVs and “real world” range in winter?
Replies: 72
Views: 4993

Re: EVs and “real world” range in winter?

We are in northern UT with a Model X and our winter range is about half of the summer range, it really is that bad.
by engin33r
Sat Jul 01, 2023 1:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: So we made the mistake of trying to build a home...
Replies: 170
Views: 29538

Re: So we made the mistake of trying to build a home...

you should look up the town, county, and state tax bills for the comps to verify for accuracy.
by engin33r
Wed Dec 07, 2022 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Exercising stock options in a private company
Replies: 17
Views: 1821

Re: Exercising stock options in a private company

The great thing about vested options is the *option* to purchase shares at the strike price. There is no need to exercise while you’re facing potentially 5 years of uncertainty. Once the uncertainty has passed is when you should exercise. Sure, you’ll pay more in taxes, but I’d rather do that than exercise too soon and then watch the company implode.

(I say this as someone who exercised options after leaving a private company because I did not want to lose the equity I’d earned. Turns out all I accomplished was flushing money down the toilet)
by engin33r
Sat Nov 12, 2022 7:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Toaster Oven
Replies: 44
Views: 3960

Re: Toaster Oven

If you want something truly amazing, check out the June Oven at juneoven.com. I have had one for 3 years and it is the single appliance I cannot live without. It gets used 5+ times per day for a household of 6 people and cooks all kinds of stuff. We love it so much we recently added a 2nd June oven to our kitchen, and our two wall ovens are basically never ever used. It toasts, air-fries, bakes, roasts, makes insanely good pizza, the list goes on. It heats incredibly quickly and precisely. Before the June, we had a Breville for probably 5 years, which was pretty good, but the June is on a whole other level.
by engin33r
Tue Oct 11, 2022 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New Home - What Inspection?
Replies: 22
Views: 1571

Re: New Home - What Inspection?

$450 is going to be the least of your concerns owning a million+ dollar house. I'd get the full package.
by engin33r
Tue Jun 28, 2022 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mitsubishi mini-split vs the mice and the mice won
Replies: 26
Views: 5078

Re: Mitsubishi mini-split vs the mice and the mice won

Our 10 year old Mitsubishi mini-split stopped working over the weekend. Service guy came out yesterday and discovered severe mice damage such that the outdoor compressor requires a total replacement to the tune of approximately $5500. We've had problems with mice for some time. One service guy showed me an approximate 2" hole in the bottom of the unit a few years back. He said it was to allow for access/drainage, etc. (I patched the hole with hardware cloth) In any case, I'm hesitant to go with another Mitsubishi unit. I also question why we can't keep the existing indoor wall unit and line set (which are undamaged) . Anyone have experience with alternatives to the Mitsubishi brand? The model in question is M#MUZ-GL15NA-U2 . Got pics ...
by engin33r
Tue Mar 29, 2022 9:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need Help! Who makes the best American Made Laptop?
Replies: 44
Views: 5359

Re: Need Help! Who makes the best American Made Laptop?

Apple is probably your best bet.
by engin33r
Fri Mar 25, 2022 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can we afford 5M house with ocean view?
Replies: 480
Views: 51513

Re: Can we afford 5M house with ocean view?

FrugalConservative wrote: Fri Mar 25, 2022 7:32 am I have nothing to add other then I belive I found the house. The views are extraordinary. Something out of a movie. Good luck OP.
Please post the link (or DM me)! Can't leave us all hanging!
by engin33r
Tue Mar 22, 2022 8:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tonal Home Gym
Replies: 81
Views: 8985

Re: Tonal Home Gym

Forme Lift has been vaporware for a couple of years right? Who knows if they’ll ever get to market.
by engin33r
Tue Mar 22, 2022 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tonal Home Gym
Replies: 81
Views: 8985

Re: Tonal Home Gym

I have had my Tonal for 3 years now and I am still a huge fan. I’ve shed so much weight and built so much muscle, especially over the last year where I finally started using Tonal daily instead of 2-3x week. My love for the machine has only grown…the software and class content keeps improving. For me, the class content is super important…I end up doing exercises I’d never choose on my own at the gym. And as a result, I’m pretty strong everywhere. Happy to answer any other questions you have.
by engin33r
Sat Jan 22, 2022 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: DIY Trust software - do you have experience with Nolo/Quicken Willmaker and Trust or other software?
Replies: 43
Views: 4818

Re: DIY Trust software - do you have experience with Nolo/Quicken Willmaker and Trust or other software?

How do you know if an estate attorney is competent? How is this different from the financial situation where by the time you have enough information to identify an advisor’s competency, you have enough information to DIY it? Recently I did pay a popular and recommended estate attorney to do our will but he did not seem to be extraordinarily competent and I didn’t leave the process feeling like we nailed it. We have since moved states and now I need to re-do it, but since I can’t confidently assess an attorney’s competence (nor can I assume that any recommendation has been accurately assessed for competence), I am honestly not sure what I’ll end up doing for this next version of our will.
by engin33r
Wed May 19, 2021 12:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Making offer well-over asking price?
Replies: 58
Views: 14776

Re: Making offer well-over asking price?

You can bet the winning bid waived the appraisal.
by engin33r
Fri Jan 01, 2021 7:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: buying a 2021 Toyota Sienna in the next few days
Replies: 34
Views: 3804

Re: buying a 2021 Toyota Sienna in the next few days

talzara wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 3:23 pm
The Chrysler Pacifica is very unreliable. Consumer Reports gave it a very low predicted reliability rating, and previous model years in the same generation have also proven to be unreliable. The Pacifica is built on the same platform as the Jeep Cherokee, which is also a very unreliable car.
Do you have a source for your claim that Pacifica is a Jeep Grand Cherokee platform? My understanding was that FCA spent $2B to design the Pacifica platform from the ground up.

(I own 2020 Pacifica Limited. I am wary of Chrysler but was somewhat comforted by being 4 years into the redesign. 6 months in, the Pacifica has been trouble-free, knock on wood)
by engin33r
Mon Oct 12, 2020 12:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)
Replies: 71
Views: 7574

Re: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)

This thread is just like the Peloton thread where the people who haven’t used the product say that a regular bike on a trainer is the same thing for much less cost. Anyone who has actually used the product knows it’s a night and day difference.
by engin33r
Sun Oct 11, 2020 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)
Replies: 71
Views: 7574

Re: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)

Tonal seems worth it for a lifter who is trying to gain strength or bulk. I am in my late 60's, and am more at a point where I'm lifting for maintenance, as my joints were getting injured with increasing weight. You write that your husband is in his early 60's so I wonder if the unique benefit of Tonal will be worth it over time. It's the opposite; it's a poor alternative to a barbell and compound movements in this respect. It actually meets the needs of someone in your position well though. How exactly is Tonal a “poor alternative to a barbell and compound movements”? How is a cable system a poor alternative to a barbell and compound movements as far as hypertrophy and gaining strength :shock: ? Not only do compound movements mimic actual...
by engin33r
Sun Oct 11, 2020 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)
Replies: 71
Views: 7574

Re: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)

stoptothink wrote: Sun Oct 11, 2020 9:30 am
n8healer wrote: Sat Oct 10, 2020 7:54 pm Tonal seems worth it for a lifter who is trying to gain strength or bulk. I am in my late 60's, and am more at a point where I'm lifting for maintenance, as my joints were getting injured with increasing weight. You write that your husband is in his early 60's so I wonder if the unique benefit of Tonal will be worth it over time.
It's the opposite; it's a poor alternative to a barbell and compound movements in this respect. It actually meets the needs of someone in your position well though.
How exactly is Tonal a “poor alternative to a barbell and compound movements”?
by engin33r
Sun Oct 11, 2020 8:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)
Replies: 71
Views: 7574

Re: Anyone Have a TONAL. Home Gym? (Or a TEMPO Home Gym)

I have a Tonal which we bought in early 2019. It’s way more than adjustable dumbbells. Regular weights can only adjust in 5lb increments and it takes time to change the weights. Tonal adjusts in 1lb increments, instantly. This means it can do unique things like spotter mode, which detects you struggling and backs the weight off until you can complete your rep, and eccentric mode, which adds weight only in the portion of the exercise where you are “lowering” the weight. Tonal also suggests the right weight for me for each exercise, and increases that weight as it senses that I’m getting stronger. It shows me every time I hit a new PR for a given exercise in terms of single rep max force, total lbs for the set, or output watts. There’s a lot ...
by engin33r
Sun Oct 04, 2020 4:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IPO windfall advice
Replies: 36
Views: 5140

Re: IPO windfall advice

Since you have to wait for the lockup to expire, consider the fact that the value of your holdings may be substantially different from what it is now. If this is SNOW, I might prepare for a less rosy scenario. Regardless of which company it is, I would sell immediately when able. Get that cash money before the stock has an opportunity to decline further. In my case, my employer’s stock tumbled 40% by the time I could sell. Not complaining though.
by engin33r
Mon Jul 20, 2020 11:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Received wrong chair from Herman Miller
Replies: 30
Views: 3930

Re: Received wrong chair from Herman Miller

Monday mornings are the worst in terms of needing customer service from many businesses. Mid-to-late-week is often less busy. Agree that Tuesday - Thurs right at 10am on the dot will likely be best.
by engin33r
Mon Mar 23, 2020 7:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wash Sale - Previous 30 days?
Replies: 1
Views: 169

Wash Sale - Previous 30 days?

There's one aspect of a wash sale that I don't quite understand, and that's the "previous 30 days" stipulation. Google tells me that the definition of a wash sale is: "A wash sale occurs when you sell a security at a loss and then purchase that same security or “substantially identical” securities within 30 days (before or after the sale date)"

If I buy FOO at $100/share on day 1, and then on day 15, I sell FOO at $50/share, is that a wash sale since the security I sold at a loss was purchased less than 30 days before the sale date? If yes, how can a loss ever be captured without holding for at least 30 days?
by engin33r
Sun Sep 08, 2019 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Early exercising NSOs
Replies: 11
Views: 1648

Re: Early exercising NSOs

Lots of Silicon Valley companies are extending the duration that employees can exercise options after terminating employment. 90 days is still standard but there are dozens that now offer 3, 5, 7, or 10 years to exercise after leaving the company. As a worker bee, this change in how the handcuffs work is a welcome one.
by engin33r
Wed Jul 31, 2019 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Whole-house generators - Generac, Kohler, or Briggs?
Replies: 145
Views: 19120

Re: Whole-house generators - Generac, Kohler, or Briggs?

I’m *this close* to pulling the trigger on a generac 22kw setup, and I had the same concerns about brand quality. I’m in northern GA and Generac is heavily favored around here so I’m leaning in that direction due to ease of service and parts availability.

Re: noise, I am of the mind that all of these air-cooled gensets must be in the same ballpark. They are all identical sized engines of the same style running the same fuel at the same RPM. Other than enclosure style or exhaust system, what factors could possibly impact the noise? (I know you can get an 1800 rpm liquid cooled genset, but those are gigantic and not in consideration for my first genset experience)
by engin33r
Wed Jun 19, 2019 3:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where to Live? N. Orange County, CA or Vancouver, WA or Atlanta
Replies: 82
Views: 8886

Re: Where to Live? N. Orange County, CA or Vancouver, WA or Atlanta

I moved my family from San Jose, CA to a suburb north of Atlanta. Been here 3 years so far, no regrets. Beats the heck out of Silicon Valley in every category except weather. Very nice neighborhoods, good schools where I am, lots of tech jobs, extremely affordable. By the way, there's traffic everywhere. Atlanta is bad but not as bad as Silicon Valley or LA. I'm pretty sure traffic around every major metro is abysmal, especially when we're looking back at how things used to be 20+ years ago.
by engin33r
Thu Dec 20, 2018 1:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: TLH Questions [Tax loss harvesting]
Replies: 38
Views: 1708

Re: What is “Substantially Identical” when TLH?

The closest you can practically get to "substantially identical" without actually being identical is moving from something like a Vanguard SP500 fund to a Fidelity or Schwab SP500 fund. Even those would probably be considered different because they'll have different ER's, maybe different dividend dates, and the holdings wouldn't be exactly the same. I have reviewed tax cases on this and have seen the IRS nail people to the wall over things like this. This is probably sailing too close to the wind. If you are going to do this, talk to a qualified tax consultant. Are you saying you can 100% confirm the IRS considering two different ticker symbols to be substantially identical? This is the first I've ever heard of such a claim so I'...
by engin33r
Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Spousal Wash Sale?
Replies: 8
Views: 539

Re: Spousal Wash Sale?

Ok, is there any way to clean this up? If I sell the X that I bought today, would that help?
by engin33r
Mon Dec 17, 2018 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Spousal Wash Sale?
Replies: 8
Views: 539

Spousal Wash Sale?

In my taxable account, today I sold some Y and bought some X
My wife today sold some X from her taxable account and bought some Z.
Neither I nor my spouse had any transactions at all in the previous 30 days.

If we file taxes MFJ, is there a wash sale here?
by engin33r
Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: objective data on quietest cars?
Replies: 26
Views: 4893

Re: objective data on quietest cars?

Bluetooth quality is all over the map. In fact I think BT quality is probably much more important than sound pressure levels for the purposes OP is talking about.

2018 Ford Edge had excellent bluetooth voice call quality. The Tesla Model X BT quality is garbage...worse than the 2013 Audi A4 that I drive. The Ford’s was crystal clear compared to the muddled garbage of the other two.
by engin33r
Sat Nov 24, 2018 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [USPS.com security weakness exposed account data]
Replies: 12
Views: 1552

Re: USPS.com site hacked

A vulnerability was found and fixed but I don’t see where the site was actually hacked?
by engin33r
Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How high can House prices go
Replies: 67
Views: 9726

Re: How high can House prices go

Scrapr wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 10:13 am
engin33r wrote: Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:36 am Bigger issue with new construction is that the value almost certainly declines in the first 5 years...you are paying a premium for brand-new and getting to specify finishes and all of the upgrades are overpriced for that reason. In my nearly-finished neighborhood in an in-demand suburb north of Atlanta, homes that have been resold are selling for ~7-8% less than their purchase price 1-3 years prior.
sounds like a lot of the decline could be attributed to Realtor costs
I don't think so. Even if the resale price stays the same or increases, you'll still take the 8%-10% transaction haircut there. What I see is a decline in the ultimate resale price because the original sales price from the builder was inflated.
by engin33r
Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite "free stuff"?
Replies: 137
Views: 14162

Re: Favorite "free stuff"?

2% cash back from my Citi Double Cash card, which is dutifully paid in full each month.
by engin33r
Thu Nov 08, 2018 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How high can House prices go
Replies: 67
Views: 9726

Re: How high can House prices go

Bigger issue with new construction is that the value almost certainly declines in the first 5 years...you are paying a premium for brand-new and getting to specify finishes and all of the upgrades are overpriced for that reason. In my nearly-finished neighborhood in an in-demand suburb north of Atlanta, homes that have been resold are selling for ~7-8% less than their purchase price 1-3 years prior.
by engin33r
Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which one: Lyft or Uber?
Replies: 57
Views: 5736

Re: Which one: Lyft or Uber?

novemberrain wrote: Fri Oct 12, 2018 1:15 am Uber is way better than Lyft
Can you be more specific? I find them to be virtually identical but with Lyft I often get friendlier drivers and a slightly better fare.
by engin33r
Mon Sep 10, 2018 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Botched countertop installation - leave it as-is or risk the repair?
Replies: 78
Views: 10742

Re: Botched countertop installation - leave it as-is or risk the repair?

Add me to the list of people who thinks it's insane to consider redoing everything because of a missing caulk bead. You already know they do a crappy job since they didn't read the instructions and missed the initial bead. Why on earth would they do anything other than a crappy job during the removal and reinstallation? What are the chances they'll screw something else up (scratches, knicks, or worse) during such a process? Hint: it's 100%. I am a fairly extreme perfectionist myself, but I have learned that in the trades, the level of quality is quite low, and no matter what, you probably won't get what you want done to the level quality you want . If I were you, I'd do the work myself of redoing their crappy caulk job, and there's no way i...
by engin33r
Sun Sep 09, 2018 7:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Windfall at 40.5
Replies: 15
Views: 3836

Re: Windfall at 40.5

I’m gonna guess Dropbox. Congrats!!
by engin33r
Wed Jun 13, 2018 1:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Normal equity offer in startup for early employee
Replies: 12
Views: 1958

Re: Normal equity offer in startup for early employee

Being an early employee of a startup is a sucker's deal. The most likely chance of an exit is acquisition for a single-digit number of millions after a few years of work. The founders might make a couple mil (FI achieved!!), and the early employees will make on the order of $100k. The early employee is definitely better off at a bigger company with liquid RSUs. Now, if you can be a founder instead, that's the ticket. I worked at a couple of startups...even got 2% at one of them. I worked my tail off for years and the equity went to zero. I vowed to never invest so much of myself into my work unless it was for my own startup. Edited to add: the recruiters or founders will blow a lot of smoke about the value of the equity package and their ch...
by engin33r
Fri Jun 08, 2018 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To take or not to take delivery of Tesla 3
Replies: 1326
Views: 159004

Re: To take or not to take delivery of Tesla 3

I have a Tesla X with Autopilot. Just because the car tells you to put your hands on the wheel does *not* mean your hands aren’t already there. Teslas don’t have “hand presence” sensors. They have a motor that rotates the steering wheel that can also sense resistance. The “put your hands on the wheel” message pops up if you aren’t satisfying their detection by applying some lateral torque to the steering wheel, even when such input is not actually needed. It’s quite frustrating when you’re driving down a straight section of highway with hands on the wheel and A/P engaged and then it stays yammering about me needing to put my hands on the wheel!! They’re already there!! Before I discovered the torque trick to silence it, I tried all sorts of...
by engin33r
Sun Jun 03, 2018 7:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: For those who worked in tech and then changed industries, where did you go?
Replies: 14
Views: 1683

Re: For those who worked in tech and then changed industries, where did you go?

Subscribed.

I have the same question. I'm late 30s with 2 young kids. While we thankfully have achieved FI, both my wife and I are still working software development jobs. We made the move out of Silicon Valley to a lower COL (north Atlanta). Right now, we're each working remotely for SV companies but who knows how long that will last. My wife is more content with her job and isn't necessarily looking for a change of pace. For me, I feel like software development has become rote and since I have the safety blanket of FI, I just don't care in the way that I used to. I feel like I'm at a point where I at least need to start thinking about what's next...but I have no idea what that will be.
by engin33r
Fri May 11, 2018 7:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Water leaking from shared wall in condo - next steps?
Replies: 21
Views: 6577

Re: Water leaking from shared wall in condo - next steps?

The leak is probably behind the wet drywall. I’d guess either a drain pipe or supply line is slowly leaking.

Only way to diagnose is to hire a plumber. He will rip out some drywall and sort you out. And then you’ll need someone else to come drywall and paint. What fun :-)

Personally I’d worry about who is ultimately responsible (HOA vs insurance vs paying out of pocket) only afternoon the leak is fixed. You don’t want the leak to continue for weeks while you try to sort out responsibility.
by engin33r
Sat Apr 14, 2018 2:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mid-40s in tech - how to pass off as acceptably young
Replies: 111
Views: 17280

Re: Mid-40s in tech - how to pass off as acceptably young

2. You're talking to a youngster. They're busy, they don't even want to do the interview. They have done no prep whatsoever, probably haven't bothered to read your resume. Are you sure the younger interviewer is busy, doesn't want to be there, and hasn't prepped? You can’t be sure, but you can guess with a likely high degree of accuracy. I’ve been in FAANG-type tech companies in silicon valley for 15 years and it’s been a consistent pattern that people would rather be doing anything else besides conducting an interview and for what it’s worth, I’ve never heard of an interviewer doing any kind of prep except a glance over the resume or linkedin page. I work in engineering. I’m not saying there aren’t exceptions but I do feel these assumptio...
by engin33r
Thu Apr 12, 2018 9:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mini Air Compressor
Replies: 22
Views: 2463

Re: Mini Air Compressor

I’m a fan of this Senco compressor because it’s quieter than most and also weighs in at 20lbs. Some of the other recommendations in this thread are between 40-60lbs which is, in my opinion, way too heavy given my only occasional usage.

Senco PC1010 1-Horsepower Peak, 1/2 hp running 1-Gallon Compressor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0000AQK78/re ... F3IHTdCWOw
by engin33r
Wed Apr 11, 2018 8:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I prewire my home network myself?
Replies: 40
Views: 4046

Re: Should I prewire my home network myself?

To the people saying don't bother with wired because wireless is the future, I thought the same thing as I was building my house in 2016. I now regret not fully wiring the house. I've put a pile of effort into configuring the highest-performance WiFi network possible. I have a Neatgear Orbi with 2 satellites, and my wired connection is gigabit fiber service from AT&T. When wired, I'm able to realize ~990 megabits. Over WiFi, it's more like 400-500 megabits. Through much effort, I've been able to ensure that this great WiFi is usable anywhere inside the house or outside in the yard. After all that effort, WiFi still isn't good enough for some applications, like video conferencing. As I work remotely, video conference is something I do re...
by engin33r
Sun Apr 08, 2018 4:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 529 plan use in 2018 - Homeschooling
Replies: 28
Views: 4881

Re: 529 plan use in 2018 - Homeschooling

Please post your reply. I am interested!
by engin33r
Mon Mar 05, 2018 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Converting old home to open plan layout?
Replies: 45
Views: 5432

Re: Converting old home to open plan layout?

bungalow10 wrote: Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:01 am Be conservative on the open kitchen. It is much less popular today than it was a decade ago. Separate dining rooms are also being utilized more.

Do you have a source for these assertions?

I'll provide some anecdata: though we have a formal dining room, we never use it and instead eat every meal at the table in our open-floor-plan first floor.
by engin33r
Fri Feb 09, 2018 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What do to following a Trojan horse clean-up?
Replies: 7
Views: 1337

Re: What do to following a Trojan horse clean-up?

Do you know which Trojan was found? (I have *never* heard of a Mac catching something like this, but hey, first time for everything, right?)
by engin33r
Wed Jan 31, 2018 10:31 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How do I open a nondeductible IRA
Replies: 24
Views: 2479

Re: How do I open a nondeductible IRA

Wait, have I made a big mistake? I’ve been contributing to nondeductible IRAs for the past ~6 years for my wife and myself. What is the big deal with this form 8606 you mention? Should I roll over to a Roth and just eat the capital gains taxes? My wife and I are both high earners in our 30s if it matters.
by engin33r
Wed Jan 03, 2018 4:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Comparing advisor's performance against VTI?
Replies: 6
Views: 1159

Comparing advisor's performance against VTI?

My parents have a financial advisor but are intrigued by the boglehead approach I've repeatedly espoused over the years. They're at a point now where they desire to compare their advisor's performance over the past few years against a lower-cost approach (e.g. 100% VTI or 70% VTI / 30% BND). I'm not quite sure how to perform this comparison myself, and I'm also not sure which questions I should ask the advisor, or which data I should request. And then once I have this data, how can I perform the comparison? Are there spreadsheets out there or should I basically start from scratch? Has anyone done something like this before?

Thank you,
engin33r
by engin33r
Wed Dec 06, 2017 8:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Holiday Tipping
Replies: 30
Views: 3565

Re: Holiday Tipping

We have a nanny who we've really grown to appreciate over the past year, and I think a tip is definitely in order. What would be appropriate?
by engin33r
Tue Nov 14, 2017 7:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Draft a will with legalzoom or other online legal help
Replies: 104
Views: 14417

Re: Draft a will with legalzoom or other online legal help

I too am looking for an estate planning attorney in the state of Georgia. Please PM me if you have recommendations or other info.
by engin33r
Thu Feb 02, 2017 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Another can I afford this $2M house thread...
Replies: 70
Views: 12307

Re: Another can I afford this $2M house thread...

I don't disagree with you. But my anticipated timeline is 15-20 years, so I'm reasonably confident that even if we are in a bubble, my loss, if any, will be minimal 20 years from now. Naive? One final point: how long have you actually been in the workforce? I ask because at the beginning of the career, the sky's the limit and everything's amazing. But after a few years, the cracks in any life plans can begin to show. For the first maybe 6-8 years, I was ridiculously jazzed about my career and trajectory. I felt fairly certain that I'd be in engineering in the bay area for life. Fast forward to now and I've left the bay area due to dramatically shifted priorities that come along with having kids. I couldn't be happier with where we are now,...
by engin33r
Wed Feb 01, 2017 4:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Another can I afford this $2M house thread...
Replies: 70
Views: 12307

Re: Another can I afford this $2M house thread...

A 15-20 year timeline is an awful long time. Back in 2007, I bought a townhouse in San Jose thinking I'd stay with my then-current employer more or less forever. 3 years later, I left voluntarily for a new gig (with a waaaay worse commute too). Basically, I don't think any of us can see very far into our futures, so I wouldn't move forward for this transaction unless you'd be comfortable with the outcome even if you have to sell in 3, 5, or 10 years or anywhere in between.