Search found 555 matches

by MN-Investor
Thu Sep 21, 2023 1:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Everything to Fidelity
Replies: 112
Views: 14956

Re: Everything to Fidelity

Vanguard was nagging me to move my two mutual funds from a Vanguard mutual fund account to a Vanguard brokerage account or they were going to charge me $25 per year per fund. I wasn't real happy with how the funds were performing - VAIPX and VWIUX - so I thought about selling them. But my only two options at Vanguard if I sold them were to either immediately reinvest those funds or they would send me a check. I didn't know what I wanted to invest that money in, and I certainly didn't want a check of that amount going through the mail. So I solved the problem... I transferred the two funds to my Fidelity brokerage account! Phooey on Vanguard. I'll sell the funds at Fidelity and put it in a 5% money market account.
by MN-Investor
Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Everything to Fidelity
Replies: 112
Views: 14956

Re: Everything to Fidelity

GaryA505 wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2023 3:06 pm Incidentally, VAIPX and VWIUX are Admiral shares which will transfer to Fidelity but you won't be able to buy more of that share class. You would have to buy VIPSX and VWITX, both of which have higher expenses.
I think I'll sell them at Vanguard and put the money into a money market fund at Fidelity which is paying 5%. I'll generate long term capital losses from selling those two funds, so I'm going to have to look at my investments to see what to sell to offset that with.
by MN-Investor
Wed Sep 13, 2023 2:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Everything to Fidelity
Replies: 112
Views: 14956

Re: Everything to Fidelity

Well, dang, now this thread has me thinking. About 7-1/2% of my portfolio is in a taxable account at Vanguard, in VAIPX and VWIUX. My husband opened the account when we had some money to invest.

What's the easiest way to close that account out and move the money to my Fidelity brokerage account?
by MN-Investor
Sat Sep 09, 2023 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pros and Cons of "Do Not Resuscitate"
Replies: 209
Views: 51722

Re: Pros and Cons of "Do Not Resuscitate"

A number of years ago I helped my mom fill out the forms when she moved into a nursing home. A week later my brother - a physician who also lived nearby - called me and said that one of the nurses had called him. One of the forms my mom signed had to do with resuscitating. Being younger and healthier and having watched all sorts of TV episodes where CPR is so effective, of course I told Mom to sign the resuscitate form. Oops. Mom had severe osteoporosis. My brother told me that CPR would break every one of Mom's ribs and Mom would be bedridden and in misery if she survived that attempt. Of course we had Mom sign a DNR form. It's important for children with aging parents to understand all of end of life options and to discuss them with their...
by MN-Investor
Wed Jul 12, 2023 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: If retired early, what do you tell people you do?
Replies: 338
Views: 30159

Re: If retired early, what do you tell people you do?

A letter to advice columnist Dear Amy, when asked this question, replies "I do nothing, but I do it in the morning so my afternoons are free." :D
by MN-Investor
Wed Jul 05, 2023 12:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: New fee for Vanguard mutual [and brokerage accounts - July 2023 updates]
Replies: 2094
Views: 217641

Re: New fee for Vanguard mutual accounts [June 2023 update]

FYI - This is the text from an email I received from Vanguard on 6/27 - Act now: Transition your trust account to avoid fees We're working to retire our legacy investment platform you've used to invest in our mutual funds as we continue to enhance and invest in our more modern investing platform: the Vanguard Brokerage Account. Please take a moment to transition your account using the link below. If you haven't migrated your trust account holdings off our legacy platform by September 1, 2023, you'll be charged an account service fee of $25 for each fund held in the trust account. You can expect to see a total fee of $50.00 appear in your transaction history in September or early October—unless you take action now. I have about 470K in two f...
by MN-Investor
Mon Jul 03, 2023 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost 1 million ! Any body else in same boat ? Looking for some reassurance
Replies: 394
Views: 59843

Re: Lost 1 million ! Any body else in same boat ? Looking for some reassurance

After a high in Aug 2021, I had a 18.7% drop by Sept 2022. Definitely more than $1M. But I didn't change anything and now my drop from the maximum is about 12%, so less than $1M. A couple of comments. First, at age 70 and widowed, I'm fairly sure that I have sufficient funds for the rest of my life. Second, using a rolling 12-month period, my income from Social Security, interest, and dividends are about $177K. My house is paid for, my car is paid for, my biggest expenses are gifts. I'll be fine. Back in 2009, my husband and I were in the accumulation phase of investments. Our investments dropped by about 1/3. We stayed the course. Basically, we always said that we believed in American business and we believed that over time American busine...
by MN-Investor
Sun Jul 02, 2023 11:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you reconcile your personal accounts?
Replies: 112
Views: 7825

Re: Do you reconcile your personal accounts?

I track my bank account and credit cards on Quicken, logging into the online account every few days to make sure everything is correct.

I update my investment data in Excel - one spreadsheet for current values, one spreadsheet tracking interest and dividends received.

I've been doing this for years. It really doesn't take must time.
by MN-Investor
Fri Jun 30, 2023 8:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]
Replies: 5250
Views: 906497

Re: What are you up YTD? [Year To Date]

I'm up about 2.9% year-to-date, which I'm thrilled with. This is a great year for gift giving - over $100K so far including $50K for a cello and bow for a very talented niece. But, like I said, my portfolio is still growing, so all is good.
by MN-Investor
Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:57 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Do you read / watch the financial news? Daily? Never?
Replies: 109
Views: 6982

Re: Do you read / watch the financial news? Daily? Never?

If you produce a financial magazine / newspaper / television show, etc., you have to constantly generate content. Because of the quantity required to fill the time / space, you end up with a lot of dreck that you have to sift through. The key is figuring out what is actual news and what is just noise.

Since financial news probably won't change how I save or invest, I pretty much ignore most of it.
by MN-Investor
Tue Jun 27, 2023 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medallion signature guarantee conundrum
Replies: 44
Views: 4527

Re: Medallion signature gurantee conundrum

My husband's uncle passed away in 2005 leaving his retirement account at TIAA-CREF to my husband, me, and various relatives in Iowa. It was no big deal, at that time, to get a medallion signature guarantee from our primary bank - USBank. Just saying.
by MN-Investor
Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Iphone vs Android
Replies: 181
Views: 11123

Re: Iphone vs Android

I am a Windows user - Internet browser, Microsoft Excel, and Quicken mostly, with TurboTax during tax time - with absolutely no desire to own a Macintosh desktop or laptop computer. As a long time Windows user, and not a fan of Apple at the time, I only reluctantly replaced my Palm PDA with an Apple iPod Touch in 2011. It was the best choice at the time. When I wanted a tablet in about 2013, I bought a Google Nexus 7. Again, I was not a fan of Apple. But the next generation of Google tablets didn't have great reviews, and my husband was using an iPhone at work, so I bought iPads for both of us. They would integrate easily with my iPod Touch and his work iPhone. And my brother's family - only an hour away - was all Apple, all the time. It's ...
by MN-Investor
Mon Jun 26, 2023 11:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone decline a debit card for checking account?
Replies: 55
Views: 5931

Re: Anyone decline a debit card for checking account?

mhalley wrote: Sat Jun 24, 2023 8:09 am My bank allowed swapping out the debit card for an atm only card. Not all banks let you, as they want the money from debit charges, but check and see.
That's exactly what I did.
by MN-Investor
Sun Jun 25, 2023 3:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What do Fidelity branch offices do anyway?
Replies: 38
Views: 4545

Re: What do Fidelity branch offices do anyway?

My Seattle sister's wife passed away in April, so I visited my sister for a couple of weeks in May. We went to the nearest Fidelity office where we opened a joint account for us and I transferred money from my Fidelity account to the joint account so that my sister had a ready source of funds in case something came up before she received the life insurance proceeds. My sister brought along a copy of a voided check so that money transfer to her credit union could be set up. The Fidelity rep was a joy to work with, making everything easy. A couple of weeks later my sister got her life insurance proceeds and went back to the Fidelity offices where she set up her own account and put the money into a decent interest paying money market account.
by MN-Investor
Thu Jun 22, 2023 12:52 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bob Brinker's newsletter Market Timer is shutting down
Replies: 191
Views: 53457

Re: Bob Brinker's newsletter Market Timer is shutting down

My husband did a lot of traveling for business and enjoyed listening to Bob Brinker when he was driving. One concept my sweetie really liked was Bob Brinker's critical mass . Per Bob Brinker's website - Critical Mass : A state of freedom from worry and anxiety about money due to the accumulation of assets which make it possible to live your life as you choose without working if you prefer not to work or just working because you enjoy your work but don't need the income. Plainly stated, the Land of Critical Mass is a place in which individuals enjoy their own personal financial nirvana. Differentiation between earned income and assets is a fundamental lesson to learn when thinking in terms of critical mass. Earned income does not produce cri...
by MN-Investor
Sun Jun 18, 2023 3:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)
Replies: 94
Views: 6145

Re: What periodicals do you subscribe to? Cost? Print or digital? (2023)

I'm a strong advocate for supporting news organization so I've increased my paid subscriptions in the past 5 years. They easily fit into my budget. I subscribe to - America's Test Kitchen - $74.95/year Atlantic - $74.99/year Consumer Reports - $39/year Guardian News - $25/year LATimes - $97.76/year New Republic - $29.97/year New Yorker - $99.99/year NYTimes - $323.88/year Readers Digest - $12.50/year Minneapolis StarTribune - $249.08/year Vanity Fair - $29.99/year Wall Street Journal - $72/year Washington Post - $100/year All, except for the Readers Digest, are digital only. I'm only subscribing to the Wall Street Journal until my one year $6/month trial subscription expires. I've been subscribing to Consumer Reports, the Readers Digest, an...
by MN-Investor
Wed Jun 07, 2023 4:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: In-Laws financial advisor charges 1.0% on AUM. Say something?
Replies: 129
Views: 10450

Re: In-Laws financial advisor charges 1.0% on AUM. Say something?

My dad was a brilliant physician. That made him think he'd also be a great investor. No, the former does not predict the latter.

Sometimes a financial advisor earns his fees by just keeping his clients from playing the stock market.
by MN-Investor
Wed May 31, 2023 12:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thinking about stock picking again
Replies: 57
Views: 4807

Re: Thinking about stock picking again

As long as you have sufficient funds saved and invested the Boglehead way for retirement, you can speculate to your heart's content with your extra funds. If you think you need $2.5M for retirement and you have $3.0M available, keep the $2.5M invested in a Boglehead approved manner, and play with that $500K to your heart's content. That's exactly what my husband and I did (not those exact numbers) and it worked out very well for us. Just my opinion.
by MN-Investor
Mon May 29, 2023 11:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Should couples combine finances or keep personal accounts?"
Replies: 236
Views: 26199

Re: "Should couples combine finances or keep personal accounts?"

One absolute that I've learned from reading Bogleheads is that the best answer for combined vs separate accounts is Whatever Works For You.

Ever person is different and every couple is unique. I guess the best advice is to discuss this issue BEFORE you get married or move in together. And be prepared to discuss this again if you discover that your original decision is not working, or if there is a major change in your life such as the birth of children.

My husband and I married shortly after graduating from college and easily agreed that we would combine our finances. We had similar attitudes on spending and saving, so it worked well for us.
by MN-Investor
Mon May 29, 2023 7:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Short term investing of life insurance? CDs?
Replies: 7
Views: 742

Re: Short term investing of life insurance? CDs?

Thanks for the info. I discussed it with my sister and, since there's a Fidelity office near her, she's going to put the money into a money market account there. That will allow her the greatest flexibility while she's figuring out her finances as a widow.
by MN-Investor
Sun May 28, 2023 11:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Short term investing of life insurance? CDs?
Replies: 7
Views: 742

Short term investing of life insurance? CDs?

My sister has just received $230K life insurance payout from the death of her spouse. I think she'll be using that over the next four years until RMDs from her IRAs begin. So I'm thinking that $230K should maybe be invested in some sort of CDs over the next two years? The 10-month CD her credit union is promoting has a 4.65% rate. So I looked to see what Fidelity - where I have my IRA - has for CDs and there's a whole list of 5+% CDs from all sorts of banks available. I'm overwhelmed. How does one even approach this? If there's advice at the Wiki or in a previous post, just point me there. Or give me some basic advice on where to start. (By the way, I am a long time investor myself, but that's in low expense ratio broad based index funds, n...
by MN-Investor
Mon Feb 20, 2023 11:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Gift Roth to my grown daughter?
Replies: 17
Views: 1974

Re: Gift Roth to my grown daughter?

At the same time, also give your daughter Investing Made Simple by Mike Piper. It's a very quick read and will help your daughter understand investing.
by MN-Investor
Fri Feb 17, 2023 10:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: please help me get started with TV streaming
Replies: 152
Views: 18226

Re: please help me get started with TV streaming

I'm surprised that I have to go all the way down to this post to find someone suggesting OTA TV. If OP wants local TV, this is the 1st option to consider before paying for streaming service. Sooner or later, the streaming service will be the new cable companies charging $$$ with annual contracts. Except that the OP mentioned that sports are important to him. If you want access to lots of sports programming, you need something more than OTA. I've never subscribed to cable, but I do know that in many places you have a choice of one cable company and that's it. There's no competition. At the moment there are a number of cable-like streaming services competing with each other. There are also a number of free, ad supported streaming services. I...
by MN-Investor
Thu Feb 16, 2023 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: please help me get started with TV streaming
Replies: 152
Views: 18226

Re: please help me get started with TV streaming

If you’re curious, sign up for a free trial period with Hulu or You Tube TV. The only downside there is that you need a streaming device like Roku or Firestick. Very easy to cancel if you are not satisfied. You can view YouTube TV on a phone, computer, tablet or smart TV in addition to on a streaming device. The vast majority of people watch on actual televisions. The devices you refer to work well on lunch breaks or waiting in a doctor’s office. I can just imagine a family of 5 crowded around your iPhone 13 watching their favorite show😁 We never had cable, but large trees behind our house will interfere with OTA stations when it's windy, so after my husband passed away five years I signed up for YouTube TV and love it. I used to use DSL f...
by MN-Investor
Tue Dec 27, 2022 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tesla [stock] still a good option?
Replies: 113
Views: 15120

Re: Tesla still a good option?

MN-Investor wrote: Fri Dec 16, 2022 1:40 pm
muffins14 wrote: Mon Dec 20, 2021 1:14 pm Yes I am 100% sure there will be a massive gain in 2022. Just wait and see. :thumbsup:
I was just curious so I looked back on old threads. This thread ran a year ago. One year ago, on Dec 20, 2021, Tesla stock closed at $299.98. As I write this, Tesla stock is trading at $150.60.

A 50% decrease in value.

And this is why Bogleheads invest in low expense ratio broad based index funds. Yes, the total market stock fund I invest in is down 15% for the same period, but 15% < 50%. I can live with that.
Since I resurrected this thread 11 days ago, Tesla stock has continued to drop. Its 52-week high was $402.67, it is currently trading at $112.11. It has dropped 26% in past 11 days.
by MN-Investor
Sat Dec 17, 2022 6:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Christmas gifts for adult relatives
Replies: 76
Views: 8312

Re: Christmas gifts for adult relatives

The basic philosophy in our family is that you buy for your own children and you buy for one sibling. We rotate through which sibling you buy for each year so the cycle repeats every five years. We've probably been doing that for 35 years. I wonder if one reason we've continued this tradition was so that our youngest, unmarried sister could always be assured of getting something for Christmas. Of course, now that I'm widowed, I guess that applies to me too. I don't think anyone cares how much is spent on them. My youngest sister hasn't a lot of extra money, so if she spends $50, that's perfect. I, on the other hand, have no one else to buy for so I'll spend whatever I want. A few years ago, when I had my brother's name, I bought him color-b...
by MN-Investor
Fri Dec 16, 2022 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tesla [stock] still a good option?
Replies: 113
Views: 15120

Re: Tesla still a good option?

muffins14 wrote: Mon Dec 20, 2021 1:14 pm Yes I am 100% sure there will be a massive gain in 2022. Just wait and see. :thumbsup:
I was just curious so I looked back on old threads. This thread ran a year ago. One year ago, on Dec 20, 2021, Tesla stock closed at $299.98. As I write this, Tesla stock is trading at $150.60.

A 50% decrease in value.

And this is why Bogleheads invest in low expense ratio broad based index funds. Yes, the total market stock fund I invest in is down 15% for the same period, but 15% < 50%. I can live with that.
by MN-Investor
Thu Dec 15, 2022 10:44 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bogleheads Mostly Employees?
Replies: 79
Views: 7266

Re: Bogleheads Mostly Employees?

My husband and I were both employees. We invested a large percentage of our 401(k)s in our employers' stocks. My sweetie sold his stock when he retired. I still own my company stock. It makes up about 12% of our portfolio.
by MN-Investor
Fri Dec 09, 2022 10:28 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TD Ameritrade to Schwab
Replies: 161
Views: 13771

Re: TD Ameritrade to Schwab

michaeljc70 wrote: Fri Dec 09, 2022 7:51 am I hated that at TDA I had to have 4 different logins for 4 accounts. Stupid.
:confused

I log into my TDA brokerage account. From there I can see and manage my conventional and Roth IRAs. I think I've always had that ability.
by MN-Investor
Fri Dec 09, 2022 12:48 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: TD Ameritrade to Schwab
Replies: 161
Views: 13771

Re: TD Ameritrade to Schwab

We had our Roth IRAs at Scottrade, and that's where my husband rolled his 401(k) into when he retired in 2016. It was shortly after that that Scottrade was acquired by TD Ameritrade. Ok, whatever. So now TD Ameritrade is being swallowed by Schwab. Sigh. Ok, whatever.

My husband (now deceased) and I listened to advice from Scottrade, and from TD Ameritrade. But followed our own mostly Boglehead approach. I'll be curious to see if Schwab contacts me. Fortunately, Schwab is just a few miles up the street, fairly close to Fidelity where I rolled over my 401(k). Having a real office within 10 miles of us was always important to my husband and me.
by MN-Investor
Sun Dec 04, 2022 12:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax info for self employed cello player
Replies: 3
Views: 384

Tax info for self employed cello player

My 19-year old niece is a junior in college majoring in cello performance. She's amazingly good and has started to earn money playing at weddings and accompanying choir groups. I'm sure she'll be getting some 1099's for the first time in her life after year end. As a former accountant - many years ago - I'd like to help her figure out her taxes but I'm wondering if there are any books or websites specifically dealing with the expenses that self-employed musicians run into. Or just general advise for a budding musical entrepreneur. One expense unique to musicians is buying an expensive instrument which retains its value. My niece's current cello cost about $9K, but she's currently looking to buy a cello in the $40K range with money gifted to...
by MN-Investor
Sun Nov 27, 2022 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your Net Worth Regression
Replies: 350
Views: 60127

Re: Share your Net Worth Regression

I'm down 13.0% from my high water mark in Aug 2021, down 12.4% for the year. Looking back, I'm about where I was in Jan 2020.

Our investments dropped a lot more during the Great Recession, and, like then, I'm staying the course, investing current interest and dividends into stock funds. I've dipped into my short term bond fund when needed, but that is what it is there for.
by MN-Investor
Wed Nov 23, 2022 9:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What should I be looking for in a new TV?
Replies: 29
Views: 3202

Re: What should I be looking for in a new TV?

I don't know if the article from TheWirecutter will help, but it might answer some of your questions - The Best TVs
by MN-Investor
Sun Nov 13, 2022 12:20 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How many of you are staying the course with bonds?
Replies: 190
Views: 25891

Re: How many of you are staying the course with bonds?

I'm an almost 70-year old widow. When my sweetie retired in 2016, we agreed on a 40/60 stock/bond split. I've decided to let the bond portion drift down a bit by re-investing interest and dividends into stocks, so my bonds are currently sitting at 56%. If it ends up 50/50, that would be fine by me.
by MN-Investor
Tue Nov 08, 2022 11:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: tax credit for buying a new window or door
Replies: 2
Views: 467

Re: tax credit for buying a new window or door

Check out the government's Energy Star web page.

You will use form 5695. The instructions are here.
by MN-Investor
Sun Nov 06, 2022 12:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Microsoft Office - 365 vs Home & Business 2021
Replies: 20
Views: 2132

Re: Microsoft Office - 365 vs Home & Business 2021

kxl19 wrote: Sat Nov 05, 2022 11:09 pm I've switched over from the standalone version to the annual license, for similar reasons that there's a ton of value for $70/year (1TB Onedrive per user, sharing office with others in the family). I also find it handy to be able to pull up documents on my phone or PC using Office for iOS.

If you're still employed, check if your employer has a discount for the annual license. (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/workpla ... nt-program)

Otherwise, Costco usually has a discounted subscription https://www.costco.com/microsoft-365-fa ... 62462.html
I'm retired, but I did buy this laptop from Costco so I'll check out their software.
by MN-Investor
Sat Nov 05, 2022 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Microsoft Office - 365 vs Home & Business 2021
Replies: 20
Views: 2132

Microsoft Office - 365 vs Home & Business 2021

I just bought a new laptop running Windows. I'm a former accountant who's been using spreadsheets since the Visicalc days. My current laptop has Microsoft Office 2013. My question is should I buy a subscription to Microsoft Office 365, or buy the standalone Microsoft Office Home and Business 2021 for my new laptop? Cost is not a factor in my decision. Either solution easily fits into my budget. What I am most concerned about is the functionality, especially, of Excel in the two versions. I've seen that you can pull stock info into the Excel 365 version whereas you can't in the standalone version. That would be nice. However, based on a thread here, I do have a Google spreadsheet which pulls in stock info. The vast majority of my spreadsheet...
by MN-Investor
Sun Sep 18, 2022 11:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apple Watch 41mm vs 45mm
Replies: 8
Views: 1722

Re: Apple Watch 41mm vs 45mm

According to an article about the Series 7 Apple watches, the weights of the aluminum vs. stainless steel watches are:

41mm Aluminum - 32g
45mm Aluminum - 38.8g

41mm Stainless Steel - 42.3g
45mm Stainless Steel - 51.5g
by MN-Investor
Sat Sep 17, 2022 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Apple Watch 41mm vs 45mm
Replies: 8
Views: 1722

Re: Apple Watch 41mm vs 45mm

First of all, make sure you buy the aluminum case instead of the stainless steel one if you want to keep the weight down. According to one website I found, the 41mm watch weighs 32g, the 45mm watch weighs 38.8g. I know 6.8 grams is not much, but it is 21% heavier.

Personally, I'd go to an Apple store and try the two sizes on. I think the smaller one makes more sense, but it really comes down to what you think looks and feels best on your wrist.
by MN-Investor
Wed Jul 13, 2022 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is AAA membership worth it?
Replies: 197
Views: 27408

Re: Is AAA membership worth it?

My husband of 40+ years passed away in 2018. One of the very first things I did after his death was to get AAA. I've only used it twice - both times to start a dead battery. But it's nice to know that there's someone I can call if I have a problem on the road. It's well worth the price for my peace of mind.
by MN-Investor
Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPad Pro 13" vs Air
Replies: 12
Views: 1472

Re: iPad Pro 13" vs Air

You said that your daughter will be using the iPad for digital art. Depending on how your daughter uses the iPad, she might have an opinion worth considering. Take her along when you check out them in person.
by MN-Investor
Fri May 13, 2022 9:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dazed by the downturn
Replies: 79
Views: 11921

Re: Dazed by the downturn

I feel yah, I really thought my crypto was going to be my hail Mary retirement savior but it's looking more bleak by the day. Luckily my wife talked me out of doubling down on it during the ramp up. All I know is that if my crypto hits my target number again, I'm selling instantly and getting out of there! Until then, I'm gonna hold onto it because you don't get hurt unless you jump off the roller coaster. Try thinking about this in another way. Assume you currently have crypto which you paid $5,000 for and it's currently worth $1,000. If you had $1,000 cash today, would you invest it in crypto now, or a low expense ratio broad based index fund? You can have $1,000 if you sell your crypto. Besides putting the money into a better investment...
by MN-Investor
Tue May 03, 2022 1:17 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bonds: What Are They Doing? Are They Doing Things?? Let's Find Out!
Replies: 2297
Views: 257969

Re: BND freefall

A little under 1/3 of my investments are in BND and I'm going to stay the course. It's down about 7.5% from when we bought it back in 2017, but it produces steady interest income greater than what a bank pays.
by MN-Investor
Sun May 01, 2022 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you balance your checkbook?
Replies: 200
Views: 15473

Re: Do you balance your checkbook?

I've used Quicken for years. I update it every few days with any checks I may have written - which are fairly rare - and with any credit card charges.

I've set up my credit cards so that I get an email every time there is a charge to each card. Because I have a number of streaming services, news websites, etc. which automatically charge to my credit cards, I keep a very close eye on those charges. The automatic notification came in handy when I was notified - on Day 1 of a three week vacation - that there was a bogus charge to a credit card. Fortunately I had a backup card with me. Now I have a second backup card, just in case.
by MN-Investor
Sun Apr 24, 2022 12:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Color Laser Printers
Replies: 38
Views: 3974

Re: Color Laser Printers

The Brother lasers do a good, workman-like job on both B&W and color print jobs. If you want a magazine cover quality glossy photo print, put the photo on a thumb drive, and go to the nearest Kinko's. They can produce amazing quality prints. Ralph Thanks for reminding about photo printing services. I love my monochrome laser printer, and my inkjet printer is acceptable for everything other than photos. So I guess it's really good photo printing that I need. I can turn to my brother with his expensive great color printer, but he's busy and I hate to bother him. But I forgot that photo printing services are available. I found three articles evaluating the various photo printing services available - The Wired - The 6 Best Photo Printing S...
by MN-Investor
Thu Apr 21, 2022 4:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Color Laser Printers
Replies: 38
Views: 3974

Color Laser Printers

I've owned monochrome laser printers for 30 years, first HPs, now a Samsung. I also have an HP inkjet printer which is so-so in my opinion.

So I'm curious. For those of you who own a color laser printer, what are your experiences? How does it compare, overall, to an inkjet printer? Do you ever print photos with it? Is there a brand / model you would recommend?

(By the way, cost is not an issue. I think I spent about $1,100 for my first HP LaserJet IIIP in 1991.)
by MN-Investor
Tue Apr 05, 2022 11:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Raising chicken in backyard for eggs
Replies: 76
Views: 7313

Re: Raising chicken in backyard for eggs

How much will it cost to construct the habitat for these chickens? How much time will be spent feeding, cleaning, collecting eggs, etc? If your time is worth at least minimum wage of $15/hour, ultimately what is the cost of each egg your chickens lay? Will you eat all those eggs? Give them away? Will you have to pay someone to tend to the chickens while you are on vacation?

When we were young, we did things ourselves. Over the years we realized that our time is precious and it makes sense to do the things you enjoy doing and pay others for the things you do not.
by MN-Investor
Tue Feb 22, 2022 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: End of life ... on one's own
Replies: 189
Views: 26354

Re: End of life ... on one's own

My husband's bachelor professor uncle in Ames, Iowa had a good relationship with his local bank which had a trust department. He designated them as executor of his estate. The bank was excellent at working with my husband on decisions re fixing up his uncle's house before its sale and arranging two auctions - one for his coin collection, one for household goods - for dissolution of the remainder of his non-investment estate. There's no way my husband, a state away, could have handled everything that was necessary including the income tax, estate tax, and inheritance tax returns.
by MN-Investor
Fri Feb 04, 2022 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone wish they purchased a smaller house?
Replies: 112
Views: 11609

Re: Anyone wish they purchased a smaller house?

I assumed our first home, bought in 1980, would be a starter home. I thought we would buy a newer home at some point. But it sure was nice to pay off our mortgage in 14 years, and, with no children, a 1200 sq ft house is plenty big. Back in 2000 we did replace the small 2-car garage with a 3-car garage. And now, at 69 years old and widowed, this house is perfect for just me. I have updates to do in this house, but we saved in order to do them. In the four years since my sweetie passed away, I've upgraded the insulation in the attic, added gutters, and bought a new furnace and air conditioner. It's a process.