Search found 3716 matches

by hicabob
Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying an Expensive Car
Replies: 81
Views: 6488

Re: Buying an Expensive Car

blahpoopy wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:03 pm An xDrive M3! Looking for something I can daily and take to the mountains in the winter (plus heard good things about reliability for the S58).
I am also looking at replacing my daily driver, a 2006 Tacoma with a new vehicle and I want a nice one too. I gave my nice car to one of my kids. X3 seems nice but imo Porsche Macan looks/drives better.
by hicabob
Mon Mar 11, 2024 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: California housing prices vs net people moving out.
Replies: 17
Views: 1146

Re: California housing prices vs net people moving out.

Prices have dropped in the SF Bay Area. Following is from Newsweek 1/31/24

"The average San Francisco home value was $1,216,087 as of December 31, down 5.6 percent from a year before, according to data from Zillow. Redfin writes that the median sale price of a home in the city dropped even lower, down 7.6 percent from a year before. The median sale price per square foot in San Francisco is $874, down 3.8 percent compared to a year before, according to the company."
by hicabob
Sun Mar 10, 2024 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Calif Really That Expensive - Or Am I Missing Something?
Replies: 133
Views: 15487

Re: Is Calif Really That Expensive - Or Am I Missing Something?

I moved to California after living in Utah and Arizona my entire life. In my unique circumstances, this is actually an affordable place to live. I live about a 2 minute walk to the beach, and the entire town is walkable and has bike infrastructure. That means I don’t need a car. The lack of a car payment, insurance, gas, and registration means I save thousands per year. Since I am near the beach, the climate stays 45-75 degrees all year round. So I don’t need a heater or air conditioning, which in turn results in extremely small utility expenses. Living in Arizona, my utility bill would easily be over $300/month for electricity alone in the summer months. My town has public WiFi, so I technically don’t need to buy my own internet access if...
by hicabob
Mon Feb 26, 2024 9:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best water heater with solar
Replies: 55
Views: 5248

Re: Best water heater with solar

The "hybrid" heaters that use a heat pump are the most efficient but have increased complexity. They will cool and dehumidify the area they are installed in significantly which can be good or bad depending.
by hicabob
Sun Feb 18, 2024 6:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?
Replies: 168
Views: 18035

Re: What email address is "okay/acceptable" to use then?

I use yahoo for "junk emails" and gmail for more serious stuff. A fledgling realtor noticed my yahoo email at an open house sign-in and commented that she used yahoo email too but someone told her it was not very professional and she should use gmail which I told her I agreed with . Sort of silly I suppose but true. Gmail does seem to have better filtering.
by hicabob
Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25545

Re: What inferior good do you love?

vnatale wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:32 pm
Crest Cavity Protection Toothpaste Regular - 8.2 oz, Pack of 5

Maybe not the best for price but the best value in terms of taking care of your teeth.
Why is it higher fluoride? I buy Sensodyne with Novamin which is expensive because it has to be imported for some strange reason.
by hicabob
Wed Feb 14, 2024 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25545

Re: What inferior good do you love?

Harbor Freight tools.
by hicabob
Tue Feb 13, 2024 12:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?
Replies: 114
Views: 16157

Re: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?

As someone who has recently passed the estate tax exemption amount I was doing some reading and became aware of the "7 year gift rule" which I have not seen mentioned here yet seems like a good HNW estate planning tool. "If you die within 7 years of gifting the asset, then the gift will count towards your nil-rate band, as we mentioned above, meaning that it may still be subject to IHT. After 7 years, the gift doesn't count towards the overall value of your estate. This is known as the 7 year gift rule in inheritance tax." It's worth noting that this is referring to United Kingdom tax situations, and not to USA situations. Drat!, That would explain why it doesn't get mentioned. I should have realized at the use of "...
by hicabob
Tue Feb 13, 2024 11:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?
Replies: 114
Views: 16157

Re: Who In Their Right Mind Files Gift Tax Returns? And Why?

As someone who has recently passed the estate tax exemption amount I was doing some reading and became aware of the "7 year gift rule" which I have not seen mentioned here yet seems like a good HNW estate planning tool.

"If you die within 7 years of gifting the asset, then the gift will count towards your nil-rate band, as we mentioned above, meaning that it may still be subject to IHT. After 7 years, the gift doesn't count towards the overall value of your estate. This is known as the 7 year gift rule in inheritance tax."
by hicabob
Mon Jan 29, 2024 2:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Interactive Brokers (Best Kept Secret)
Replies: 924
Views: 207708

Re: Interactive Brokers (Best Kept Secret)

... I cant be a fidelity client anymore ... How did you get banned? when i was going trough severe mental health challenges with hospitalization, i acted up in a local fidelity office. I expect that could do it. I got a lifetime ban many years ago from Scudder and then TRowe Price for using a nice arbitrage strategy I discovered and abused. Not before a nice profit though. I'm just curious, what is the definition of "abuse" in relation to arbitrage? Arbitrage normally redistributes money from somebody who loses on a trade to somebody who wins (and who possibly took some risk except when it's really risk-free arbitrage), all the while making markets more efficient. Somebody spent time on research, and gets rewarded, which makes ma...
by hicabob
Sun Jan 28, 2024 5:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Interactive Brokers (Best Kept Secret)
Replies: 924
Views: 207708

Re: Interactive Brokers (Best Kept Secret)

grtwallchina75 wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 10:06 pm
Cocoa Beach Bum wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 6:11 pm
grtwallchina75 wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 5:31 pm...
I cant be a fidelity client anymore ...
How did you get banned?
when i was going trough severe mental health challenges with hospitalization, i acted up in a local fidelity office.
I expect that could do it. I got a lifetime ban many years ago from Scudder and then TRowe Price for using a nice arbitrage strategy I discovered and abused. Not before a nice profit though.
by hicabob
Tue Jan 23, 2024 6:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: bitcoin exposure in 401k self directed brokerage
Replies: 6
Views: 774

Re: bitcoin exposure in 401k self directed brokerage

"as I found bitcoin will head into 500K range before 2027"
How did you find that out?
by hicabob
Mon Jan 22, 2024 10:01 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂
Replies: 429
Views: 41941

Re: 🎁 🎉Happy 100th Birthday to Taylor Larimore 🎊🎂

The insurance companies rue the day Taylor bought his SPIA's. Well done Taylor!
by hicabob
Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is anyone else putting “fun money” into NVDIA?
Replies: 54
Views: 6223

Re: Is anyone else putting “fun money” into NVDIA?

TimeIsYourFriend wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:47 pm
hicabob wrote: Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:45 pm I've had it forever . Current basis is < $2 / share. It's wild.
Wow: what made you buy it to begin with?
I had a specialized software program that required high level graphics decades ago. After going thru a bunch of vendors I tried out nvda and was hooked so used NVDA based cards in my product. I was impressed enough with the company that I invested. Thank you Jensen!
by hicabob
Fri Jan 19, 2024 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is anyone else putting “fun money” into NVDIA?
Replies: 54
Views: 6223

Re: Is anyone else putting “fun money” into NVDIA?

I've had it forever . Current basis is < $2 / share. It's wild.
by hicabob
Thu Jan 18, 2024 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Things to do in Branson, MO in early June
Replies: 27
Views: 2225

Re: Things to do in Branson, MO in early June

I did some work around there. I found Branson to be a bit strange. "Vegas if Ned Flanders ran it" has some truth! Nearby Springfield where I was working has the original Bass Pro Shop store and it's a nice one! The locals I worked with were great too.
by hicabob
Fri Jan 05, 2024 6:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Devices to Increase Hand-Grip Strength
Replies: 49
Views: 7606

Re: Devices to Increase Hand-Grip Strength

As glockenspiel mentioned hanging from a bar is a great exercise for hand grip strength and easy to install if you own a garage. You can start with assisted dead hangs if need be. The world record for a proper dead hang is about 1 hour 21 minutes!
by hicabob
Thu Jan 04, 2024 10:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How did you make your first $1M?
Replies: 148
Views: 33618

Re: How did you make your first $1M?

Very good salary and I owned 3% of the startup which got bought out.
by hicabob
Thu Jan 04, 2024 9:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plumber's Auger - Clogged Shower Drain
Replies: 44
Views: 5654

Re: Plumber's Auger - Clogged Shower Drain

Here's an outside-the-box solution that might also work for you. We were having this problem pretty frequently in an upstairs shower, even though we used a hair mushroom etc. I would either augur it or pour Draino, and a week or two later it would be back to draining slowly. I surmised that there is something not quite right about the shower drain pipes. Maybe there's an obstruction on which gunk was catching, or some pipe section with a slope that isn't steep enough, or perhaps the vent to the outside is somehow clogged. In any case, what finally solved the problem was actually to install a flow limiter on the shower head. I think the slightest bit of hair and gunk would slow the drain rate so that it became less than the rate at which wa...
by hicabob
Sat Dec 16, 2023 7:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seek Flooring Advice; Repairing Flooded Basement
Replies: 29
Views: 3179

Re: Seek Flooring Advice; Repairing Flooded Basement

Rubber gym tiles are excellent for weights and look decent although perhaps a tad industrial.
https://www.rubberflooringinc.com/rubber-tiles.html
by hicabob
Fri Dec 15, 2023 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Radiator Flush How Often How Much
Replies: 61
Views: 10852

Re: Radiator Flush How Often How Much

Because I enjoy such things I flushed my old Tacoma at 120k miles and 17 years old. You do need to use the correct fluid. The stuff coming out looked very much like the stuff going in. It is an easy procedure for a mechanically inclined person on most vehicles.
by hicabob
Sat Dec 09, 2023 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Metal “minimalist” wallets?
Replies: 42
Views: 6274

Re: Metal “minimalist” wallets?

I have been using this for a while now. Best wallet ever . $10, very compact, ripstop nylon, holds plenty of cards and ID in zippered compartments and has a place for folded cash.
https://www.amazon.com/Chums-Surfshort- ... 156&sr=8-5
by hicabob
Fri Dec 08, 2023 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who looks after your home while you are away for travel?
Replies: 45
Views: 5451

Re: Who looks after your home while you are away for travel?

henry wrote: Fri Dec 08, 2023 12:17 pm I actually don't travel much but can make a suggestion regarding the mail. The US Postal Service has a "hold mail" service. It's easy to use. Go to usps.com and sign up. You can pick up your held mail at the post office or have it delivered when you get back.

As for the lawn, I use a lawn service year round.
I used to use USPS "hold mail" but the last two times they never delivered the mail and could not "find" it at the post office. USPS is not nearly as proficient as it used to be in my experience so I minimize my usage.
by hicabob
Sun Nov 26, 2023 12:23 pm
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

FrugalInvestor wrote: Sun Nov 26, 2023 12:20 pm
Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 7:30 pm I used to work in a company where we designed and built our own measurement equipment for natural gas lines. We used non-magnetic steel wool to block any holes to the outside world to keep out varmits. Use a magnet to test the steel wool as there are various alloys and if the magnet sticks, it's no good, will rust and disintegrate.
I've also used copper mesh which can be purchased on Amazon to fill gaps and holes to exclude mice and other critters.
"Chore boy" copper scrubbers work too.
by hicabob
Sat Nov 18, 2023 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is a panamera worth it?
Replies: 48
Views: 6788

Re: Is a panamera worth it?

I test drove a Panamera a while back. It was a few years old , very nice car but no blind spot monitors with huge blind spots.
by hicabob
Fri Nov 17, 2023 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: HVAC inline fan
Replies: 6
Views: 1088

Re: HVAC inline fan

I like to use a variac (variable AC power supply) for fine control over fan speed. You can get them for $40 or so.
by hicabob
Sun Nov 05, 2023 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Soundproof home gym in new house
Replies: 74
Views: 5952

Re: Soundproof home gym in new house

ScubaHogg wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 11:58 am
pizzy wrote: Fri Nov 03, 2023 11:13 am
I’m positive you will regret this type of setup on the second floor of your primary residence.
Can you say why?
The large gym I use has the spin room under where members do deadlifts, etc. Even though it's a nice modern building with concrete floors you can hear/feel the weightlifters when spinning.
by hicabob
Fri Nov 03, 2023 7:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: House is cold at night - need suggestions on what to do!
Replies: 110
Views: 11210

Re: House is cold at night - need suggestions on what to do!

Modern heatpumps are great and can fit into current venting. You have excellent heatpump climate there. $10k or so to upgrade to modern equipment?
by hicabob
Fri Nov 03, 2023 8:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Mobil 1 extended performance full synthetic oil really good for 20k miles?
Replies: 97
Views: 18626

Re: Is Mobil 1 extended performance full synthetic oil really good for 20k miles?

My muffler change on a '69 VW was difficult. I had to make it fit. My skills and tools were lacking. I was better at oil changes and valve adjustments (10mm wrench and a .004 feeler gauge). I had this book: "How to Keep Your VW Alive for the Perfect Idiot" or something like that. Gas was 29 cents a gallon until is wasn't. "How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot " What a book! - it was my guide for rebuilding my '69 bug motor and other fixes. Back in the day I worked with a German mechanical engineer whose hobby was pen/ink drawing and who liked VW's although he drove a BMW. I gave him a copy and he was enthralled with the illustrations. - you can see them in the Ama...
by hicabob
Thu Nov 02, 2023 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Mobil 1 extended performance full synthetic oil really good for 20k miles?
Replies: 97
Views: 18626

Re: Is Mobil 1 extended performance full synthetic oil really good for 20k miles?

For folk that change their own oil an interesting spot experiment is to cut the filter open and have a look, which is easy with a hacksaw. I was impressed with how clean mine was on my old Tacoma after the usual 7500 mile oil change.
by hicabob
Sun Oct 15, 2023 7:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Chromedome maintinence
Replies: 18
Views: 3058

Re: Chromedome maintinence

Sunscreen and/or hats are super-important! The top of the head gets more sun than any other part of the body.
by hicabob
Wed Sep 27, 2023 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Flood insurance, should I get it and how much?
Replies: 28
Views: 2950

Re: Flood insurance, should I get it and how much?

riskfactor is a good website for investigating flood and other risks. If your "risk" is 1 I would not bother with insurance.
https://riskfactor.com/?utm_source=floodfactor
by hicabob
Sat Sep 23, 2023 4:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Saving on Seafoood! Suggestions
Replies: 21
Views: 3008

Re: Saving on Seafoood! Suggestions

Sardines are among the healthiest fish and are economical and quite versatile.
by hicabob
Tue Sep 19, 2023 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: stationary exercise bike with arm movement
Replies: 11
Views: 1037

Re: stationary exercise bike with arm movement

The Schwinn Airdyne is the classic and common to see in commercial gyms.
They seem well made and resistance is via a giant fan which cools the user.
by hicabob
Sun Sep 17, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite limited series podcast?
Replies: 17
Views: 2375

Re: Favorite limited series podcast?

The Theranos podcast, "The Dropout", is really well done and interesting .
Along the same vein "Spellcaster: The Fall of Sam Bankman-Fried" is decent.
by hicabob
Sat Sep 09, 2023 6:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gym etiquette [exhausted-put a fork in it]
Replies: 82
Views: 8533

Re: Gym etiquette

I've found almost all gym goers to be decent folk. If you are able to go between noon and 3pm that's generally the least people so more access to the machines. If you usually go at the same time you get to know the other "regulars" quite quickly, which perhaps tends to make people more civil?
by hicabob
Fri Sep 08, 2023 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: what kinds of careers do bogleheads like?
Replies: 45
Views: 4713

Re: what kinds of careers do bogleheads like?

B-heads are almost always analytical folk. You have to be a bit of a numbers nerd to find it interesting.
by hicabob
Fri Sep 08, 2023 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Aids for slowing down speech when talking with hard-of-hearing
Replies: 52
Views: 5421

Re: Aids for slowing down speech when talking with hard-of-hearing

My Mom was deaf from getting mumps when she was about 40yo. Mumps can cause nerve deafness so get your kids vaxxed! The European country she was born in had virtually no mumps so no-one had immunity. She was an avid hearing aid user but by the time she was 90 she had 99.9% hearing loss so aids did little. We tried voice to text on ipads but it seemed to annoy her. The low tech solution that ended up working really well was a small white board with erasable markers. She was considering cochlear implants at about 70 but she thought she was too old. I wish I had been a stronger advocate for them back then.
by hicabob
Wed Sep 06, 2023 2:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Snow chains, AWD, or both for winter mountain driving?
Replies: 75
Views: 5417

Re: Snow chains, AWD, or both for winter mountain driving?

Chains work very well but are not so nice to drive on. It's important to practice putting them on before you need to . Carry thin gloves, a flashlight and something waterproof to kneel on to make the process a little more pleasant. A fwd car actually has more traction reversing up hills in slippery conditions than going forward.
by hicabob
Tue Aug 29, 2023 12:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: electric car stocks. What's your opinion?
Replies: 118
Views: 10922

Re: electric car stocks. What's your opinion?

Vinfast (VFS) is an interesting to watch electric car stock but I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Valued behind Tesla and Toyota but ahead of all other auto makers. Their vehicles are apparently horrendous but at least they haven't sold many. A very weird stock.
https://news.yahoo.com/whats-going-vinf ... 37200.html
by hicabob
Mon Aug 28, 2023 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is Hyundai the value sweet spot?
Replies: 164
Views: 23248

Re: Is Hyundai the value sweet spot?

I ended up with a Hyundai Sportage rental recently. Being a person that likes the latest driving doodads, it had about the best "lane holding" I've experienced wrt keeping it centered in the lane, and was otherwise fine too. I think they are a good price/performance auto maker.
by hicabob
Fri Aug 25, 2023 1:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rooftop Solar Shingles
Replies: 14
Views: 1677

Re: Rooftop Solar Shingles

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Fri Aug 25, 2023 1:09 pm Look into your "normal" roofing cost and then into the solar shingles that I assume you mean Tesla. I did the math and for me in New England, Tesla cost 3 times what my normal roof would cost.
Tesla have only done about 3000 installs over the years. A fraction of the hyped amount and supposedly they are cancelling reservations. It seems silly to put solar on non south , southwest facing parts of roofs.
by hicabob
Fri Aug 25, 2023 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Starlink
Replies: 19
Views: 2336

Re: Starlink

My brother has had a home unit for a couple months since it became available where he lives in semi-rural MD where Xfinity stops a few houses away. Cheaper and better than ViaSat which he had previously. He's happy with it.
by hicabob
Mon Aug 14, 2023 8:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Grandma wants to get a divorce (San Benito County, California)
Replies: 55
Views: 9803

Re: Grandma wants to get a divorce (San Benito County, California)

Nolo's divorce books are useful to get an understanding.
https://store.nolo.com/products/divorce ... orce-books
IANAL but in California I believe the $$ earned after marriage will be split 50/50 as it is a community state.
Collect all the financial statements that you can.
by hicabob
Sun Aug 13, 2023 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Zojirushi boilers?
Replies: 11
Views: 1553

Re: Zojirushi boilers?

under sink hot water dispensers with a countertop spout used to be popular in "upscale" kitchen remodels in the US. They seem to have gone the way of the trash compacter though.
by hicabob
Sat Aug 12, 2023 9:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: security setup tips for vacationers?
Replies: 16
Views: 1648

Re: security setup tips for vacationers?

The Tor browser works well and is free and open source.

"The Tor Browser is a web browser that uses the Tor network to anonymize web traffic and protect your identity online. The Tor network redirects web traffic through a series of routers called nodes, which hides your IP address and browsing activity."
by hicabob
Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Safe deposit box-have one? What's in there?
Replies: 115
Views: 10532

Re: Safe deposit box-have one? What's in there?

My local wells fargo closed down their safety deposit boxes. The banker told me they are a money losing proposition for the bank.
by hicabob
Sat Aug 05, 2023 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Getting rid of my wallet?
Replies: 101
Views: 10639

Re: Getting rid of my wallet?

My son-in-law uses a"binder clip". Image
I thought it was peculiar at first but it works for him. Usually has a couple CC's, license and a 20 or 2. Seems to be about the most minimalist solution other than carrying cards/cash loose which I suppose would work with zip pockets!.
by hicabob
Mon Jul 31, 2023 11:24 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Have you recovered from the market downturn?
Replies: 117
Views: 10801

Re: Have you recovered from the market downturn?

Yes and then some. My Nvidia stock from my pre-boglehead days helped a lot. The dilemma now is when to sell it and convert the $$ to index funds!