Search found 6511 matches

by MathWizard
Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: how to open paper milk carton "cleanly"?
Replies: 32
Views: 2005

Re: how to open paper milk carton "cleanly"?

I buy half gallon cartons with a screwtop cap on the side of the top.
I suspect because the problem you have is common.
by MathWizard
Wed Mar 27, 2024 8:47 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Underspending Paradox
Replies: 32
Views: 2955

Re: Underspending Paradox

I don't think that it is a paradox. Being prudent, especially in early years of retirement, will likely have one gaining money in nominal terms for most of retirement. Would you want a retirement where you have a 50/50 chance of running out of money? We don't know how long each of us will live, and future downturns in the economy, inflation, and taxes are all unknowns. Guarding against these is difficult. Annuities help, but few are inflation adjusted. I'm doing my best using Roth conversions as a hedge against taxes, and waiting until age 70 to claim SS, since it is inflation adjusted. We are spending more on expensive travel early in , since we'll be unlikely to do it much longer, but otherwise will enjoy our retirement.
by MathWizard
Wed Mar 27, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Never selling shares
Replies: 57
Views: 4357

Re: Never selling shares

Your father did very well for himself/ his family in doing so.
He likely started attend investing at time when stock investing took
more work, and the transaction costs for small investors making a dividend strategy for income attractive.

With 401ks and the availability of mutual funds and ETFs without front or back end loads, and low ERs, those of us who are younger can invest differently, and more easily.

His strategy may not be optimal now, but it may have been when he started investing.
by MathWizard
Wed Mar 27, 2024 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When brand names matter and when they don't
Replies: 194
Views: 11902

Re: When brand names matter and when they don't

gunny2 wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:53 pm
MathWizard wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:33 pm Spaghetti sauce: store bought is unpalatable to me.
I'd love to get you in on a blind taste test :wink:
Do you have a couple of brands that you would recommend?
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need a new phone, looking for dual-sim
Replies: 14
Views: 1383

Re: Need a new phone, looking for dual-sim

I use Google Fi with a pixel phone , since I do travel to Europe and Canada occasionally. It works just like in the US, no extra s required.

Most new phones have both a physical sim and an esim.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 25, 2024 10:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need a new phone, looking for dual-sim
Replies: 14
Views: 1383

Re: Need a new phone, looking for dual-sim

legio XX wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:41 pm
Doctor Rhythm wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 11:40 am ... A $7 adapter will connect 3.5 mm audio plugs into the Lightning port. ...
:oops: I don't believe analog me never though to ask about adapters - students are amazed at the number of wires I can pull out of a backpack. That's one thing less to worry about. Thank you.
We have an adapter that has an audio plug along with a Lightning port, so that you can charge and use wired audio at the same time.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 25, 2024 7:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 12 months before retirement what do you wish you had done
Replies: 72
Views: 8850

Re: 12 months from retirement what do you wish you had done

brcarls wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:21 pm
MathWizard wrote: Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:13 am I left on the first of a month, which got me full benefits for that month.
Note that this is NOT a universal policy.

At my megacorp employer, benefits end at midnight on your last day. But, here is the evil part of their policy: if you retire before the end of that pay-period, you pay the insurance premium for the entire month. So, retiring on the first of the month would not be ideal.

-Brian
Yes, OP should check with the benefits office on the policy.

I was fortunate that the benefits office was very eager to help.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 25, 2024 7:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Reasonable sized smartphone: does such a thing exist in 2024?
Replies: 39
Views: 2542

Re: Reasonable sized smartphone: does such a thing exist in 2024?

I also like a smaller phone.

Iphone SE
or
pixel 8

are both in the range of size for me.

The pixel 8 has 7 years of updates, which was a big
selling point for me.
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 24, 2024 10:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Toys Have You Bought That Have Been Worth it?
Replies: 259
Views: 18717

Re: What Toys Have You Bought That Have Been Worth it?

A Tablo over the air DVR. I can record , time shift programs, and fast forward through commercials

Not sure if it counts as a toy.
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: It is really that simple to do it the Bogleheads way?
Replies: 87
Views: 8195

Re: It is really that simple to do it the Bogleheads way?

Yes it is that simple, but you need a mindset that makes it blatantly obvious. When I grew up, those I knew fell into 3 camps: 1) Borrow money, just keep ahead of payments, no savings 2) No debt, spend as it comes in, no savings 3) Save only to spend it later. vacation rainy day Christmas I realized that I had to have money work for me. If I couldn't start a business, I could own a piece of every business in the US by buying an index fund. I have family members who think of the stock market as a gambling casino, and want to know what the hottest stock is to make a quick win. I think of the market as a business owner would. A business has a value because it makes a profit. Business owners can pull some of those profits for themselves (divide...
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 23, 2024 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flash drives vs external HDs?
Replies: 63
Views: 3930

Re: Flash drives vs external HDs?

madbrain wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 5:57 pm
gunny2 wrote: Sat Mar 23, 2024 5:52 pm Why? Just start the backup right before bed and check on it here and there throughout the day.
Because I actually need to use the computer during the day. I cannot wait for 15-24hrs for it to be done. The backup slows things down. And If I'm installing updates or software, I may need to reboot, which would interrupt the backup. I schedule the backups at 2am and the most it takes is about 4hrs for a full one. Much less for incremental.
Are you running production systems for yourself and/or others?

What Operating System?
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 23, 2024 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flash drives vs external HDs?
Replies: 63
Views: 3930

Re: Flash drives vs external HDs?

I don't need an SSD flash drive though. It's a backup, so speed is irrelevant. Flash is solid state. If speed is irrelevant, spinning disk is cheaper per TB. A 7200 RPM spinning drive is going to give you around 75 to 150 MB per second when doing backups if you have good backup software and a good filesystem. The USB flash drives are not reliable enough to depend on for backup. USB 3 spinning USB drives are typically 5400 RPM,but that is still fast enough for backup. I really like ZFS for a filesystem, but it is made for a UNIX filesystem like Linux. If you have one: Backups are almost instantaneous, since the backup just incorporates only the changes from the last backup which are tracked and maintained in the active filesystem . ZFS also...
by MathWizard
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what age to tell child about family's finances
Replies: 74
Views: 6107

Re: At what age to tell child about family's finances

gips wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:32 pm
MathWizard wrote: Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:18 pm He knows that we have over a million in financial assets , our own home and no debt.
And now we all know.
I often feel like I'm one of the laggards on this group. Millionaire status is not what it used to be.

I'm comfortable with this anonymous forum knowing financial details as they are often necessary for questions. If somebody is asking about the back door Roth, you have a lower bound on their salary

I am careful not to reveal personal identifiable information (PII). This comes from my former job which among other things involved
cybersecurity.
by MathWizard
Fri Mar 22, 2024 10:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 12 months before retirement what do you wish you had done
Replies: 72
Views: 8850

Re: 12 months from retirement what do you wish you had done

9 months retired.

Worked long enough in the year to fill up tax advantaged. Used tax deferred as that provided an advantage in state taxes.

I cashed out the max allowed for vacation. It would have been better for me if I had taken it as vacation, since I was only paid salary and not benefits like health insurance, but it would have caused problems for my team, so I did not .

I left on the first of a month, which got me full benefits for that month.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what age to tell child about family's finances
Replies: 74
Views: 6107

Re: At what age to tell child about family's finances

Financial aid applications for college used to reveal a lot more information than they do now,but some info is still made known to the student.

Let them know before they need to take over.

I let my oldest know quite a bit at age 28 when we filled out documents. He is the backup on finances of both my wife and I become incapacitated. He knows that we have over a million in financial assets , our own home and no debt.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 21, 2024 10:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When brand names matter and when they don't
Replies: 194
Views: 11902

Re: When brand names matter and when they don't

Boring topic of the day :) I've found this a curious study over the years as it all varies. Sometimes brand names matter and do you really get what you pay for. But IMO more often than not, this simply isn't true. Marketing and advertising people of course hate to hear this as they and their companies spend billions trying to convince us otherwise with fancy labels, persuasive ads, etc. Anyway, here are some random things and whether I think brand name matters or not (this does not include high-priced brands found only at "boutique" stores like Trader Joes etc, I'm talking "regular" grocery stores): Brand/Does pricier mean better: OTC medications like aspirin, heartburn meds, etc: No. The active ingredients are the same...
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 21, 2024 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roth Conversion - Source for Paying Taxes
Replies: 31
Views: 2744

Re: Roth Conversion - Source for Paying Taxes

There is a slight tax drag with maintaining taxable rather than using it to pay taxes on conversions, or even using taxable to live on to increase the amount of the conversion.

Some may prefer taxable due to step up in basis, so capital gains is never taxed, but that is for people with more money than I have.

Another factor is whether tax deferred is taxed at the state level.
If it is not, but taxable is, then it would be preferable to drain taxable.
by MathWizard
Wed Mar 20, 2024 7:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What kind of unexpected expenses come up late in life?
Replies: 18
Views: 2077

Re: What kind of unexpected expenses come up late in life?

From my extended family's experience:

Disabled child.

Major modifications to house or having to move for disabled spouse,or your own disability.

Wheel chair and van for mobility impairment.
by MathWizard
Wed Mar 20, 2024 2:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IRA to ROTH conversion analysis
Replies: 8
Views: 930

Re: IRA to ROTH conversion analysis

Doing the conversion now makes sense.

Federal taxes will go up in 2026. The 12% bracket will revert to 15%, and all but about the last $10 K of the 22% bracket will go to 25% .

You do need to check if you go beyond IRMAA limits, as that affects Medicare premiums 2 years later.

It is likely that 85% of your SS benefits are already being taxed since you are well into the 22% bracket, so that makes the analysis easier.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another 'should I get solar' question
Replies: 90
Views: 6526

Re: Another 'should I get solar' question

I have 4.6 KW of rooftop solar, and pay 13 cents/KWh, but only get
7 cents/KWh for what I export to the grid.

If you get snow, realize that unless you have a steep roof, snow will
cover roof mounted panels for weeks at least during the winter.

Batteries might help,but would add to the expense.

My system may pay off in 17-20 years,but that ignores time value of money.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sending Copy of Driver License and SS Card by Email Question
Replies: 36
Views: 3746

Re: Sending Copy of Driver License and SS Card by Email Question

I would not send them, and just skip this institution.
This is a good reason to use a local institution.

My local Credit Union offers 5% on checking up to $20K.

Another one offers 6% on checking up to $25K.
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 17, 2024 4:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Reevaluating social security
Replies: 49
Views: 4603

Re: Reevaluating social security

The difference between claiming earlier than FRA for the lower earner is typically not large when I have run open social security.
It had my wife claiming 2 years before FRA.

My wife is waiting until FRA to allow a bit more room for Roth Conversions, and to avoid taxation of SS benefits in those 2 years.

I think the tool is a good one to see the effects of various claiming strategies, rather than just for only looking at the strategy it picks as optimal. This allows one to take personal plans into account, and seeing what the effect on SS benefits will be.
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 17, 2024 2:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mobile finance apps - do you use them?
Replies: 52
Views: 4187

Re: Mobile finance apps - do you use them?

No.

I only use a laptop
in my home
over encrypted wireless
through https (SSL encryption)
along with
2 factor verification, and
long passwords.

I am trusting this with my life savings. I am not going lessen security for a small amount of convenience.
by MathWizard
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:18 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Should I Keep Sacrificing or Start Enjoying Myself
Replies: 32
Views: 3771

Re: Should I Keep Sacrificing or Start Enjoying Myself

A lot depends on the reason for the $300K debt followed by quick payoff, and ability to live in 20% of (presumably net) income.

Are you a physician?

That is the one case that I can see for getting to $300K in debt,
then being able to clear it quickly.

If that is the case, you might want to look into the White Coat Investor website, as physicians have a unique situation.

If not, then I would be concerned with behavioral issues with going back to a free spending lifestyle.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 14, 2024 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files
Replies: 93
Views: 7928

Re: Cloud based backup options for sensitive files

Are there any viable cloud based storage options that would be safe for backups of sensitive documents? I wonder if the amount of data these options hold in total make them high value targets. In other words, why do you rob banks, because that's where the money is. I also wonder if using one would void insurance provided by brokers. Looking forward to the discussion. Box is supposed to be encrypted. I'd make sure the transfer is encrypted as well. Of course, you could encrypt the files on your system before sending them to the cloud. Amazon's GovCloud has options for different FISMA levels. I assume HIPPA as well. I always transferred any sensitive data with encryption, and did not keep it in the cloud, but on systems under my control. The...
by MathWizard
Tue Mar 12, 2024 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPad Buying Question for Younger Kids
Replies: 25
Views: 1996

Re: iPad Buying Question for Younger Kids

The only issue would be if the schools are using them.
My nephew is a middle school principal, and apparently
ipads for school assignments are a thing.

If that is the case, I would check with the school for compatibility,
though in my nephew's school, the school was handing them out for consistency.

Other than the above case, a generation behind should work fine
by MathWizard
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: One spouse retiring earlier than the other?
Replies: 38
Views: 3079

Re: One spouse retiring earlier than the other?

My wife retired just as Covid came to the US, as there was no WFH option available.

I used WFH for 15 months, then returned to office, retiring last year.

My wife was wanting me to retire, as it was quite boring for her, without a job to go to. I was earning the most ever, allowing me to save over 50% which was needed for a good retirement.

I would retire at the same time if possible.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 11, 2024 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No contingency offer on land in 12 hours - how do they do it?
Replies: 22
Views: 2665

Re: No contingency offer on land in 12 hours - how do they do it?

I have been outbid on several houses with bids over asking,
some with no contingencies, on the day it went on the market.

My son paid 5K over asking on a house 2 years ago, having failed
on bids on previous houses. The realtor was pushing for no contingencies, but I advised him against that.

In your case, with an older house in the land, the plans may have
been to tear down the house, so as long as there were no problems with the land which would likely be obvious, they could go with no contingencies. Contracts typically have language that serious problems which are not obvious have to be made clear.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 11, 2024 7:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much Roth Conversion should I plan on?
Replies: 18
Views: 2572

Re: How much Roth Conversion should I plan on?

You will likely need to go into the 22% bracket to just below the first tier of IRMAA. The 22% bracket is set to go away in 2026. You may need to go into the 25% bracket after that. RMDs and taxation of social security are likely going to cost you more.

Even with no growth, and living off taxable and converting 120K each of the 11 years, you still. have 700K in tax deferred. Assuming even a modest 4% nominal return in the 401k, you would only be converting a small fraction of the 401k to Roth.

You have enough to be OK either way though.
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 10, 2024 10:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Estimate Return Rates for Retirement Planning
Replies: 67
Views: 6239

Re: How to Estimate Return Rates for Retirement Planning

I obtained a table of historical returns and inflation from
https://pages.stern.nyu.edu/~adamodar/N ... retSP.html

I used that to generate mean and standard deviation for real returns from stocks and from bonds to use for Monte Carlo.

I start by discounting stock valuations by
20/CAPE , then run simulations from that lower portfolio valuation.

Currently the 95% success rate gives me about the same results over 35 years as using a constant rate of 2.55% for a 65/35 AA.

YMMV.
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 09, 2024 7:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend a month on food?
Replies: 336
Views: 30457

Re: What's normal for grocery costs for a family?

We are at about 500 to 600/ month for 2 adults.
We rarely eat out.

There was a huge money back offer on a subsequent trip a couple of weeks ago, and we bought everything that would last or was expensive like some over the counter medicine, and we paid $350 which was astronomical for us.

We don't buy organic, but do buy lots of fruits and vegetables, and not as much meat as in the past.
Meat has gotten quite a bit more expensive in the last few years.

Also, no alcohol, and no boxed cereal, just oatmeal.
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 09, 2024 3:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "When" do you sell equities during Retirement?
Replies: 29
Views: 4527

Re: "When" do you sell equities during Retirement?

I sell proportionately most of the time. My AA is 65/35 so my withdrawals are 65% from equities and 35% from bonds, or thereabouts. I don't worry about my AA being slightly different from 65/35 unless it deviates significantly, typically from an extended bull market, or from a sudden drop in stocks. When it has deviated significantly, I either rebalance or I draw completely from the one that is higher that desired (stocks if they are over 65% or bonds if they are over 35%). The latter tends to move my AA back to where it is desired, but at a slower pace. It also makes it quite easy. One need only look at the AA occasionally when stocks are slowly but steadily going up. In the first decade of the 2000's they were several severe drops where o...
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 09, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what point did you prioritize health over money?
Replies: 65
Views: 8594

Re: At what point did you prioritize health over money?

at 65


I had planned to work until 68,but retired instead last year at 65 1/2
The frustration with the politics at work was causing increasing health problems. When I talked with my boss about why I was leaving, I told her that more time was now important than more money.
by MathWizard
Fri Mar 08, 2024 6:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Checkup: I'm way behind. Hope for late bloomers?
Replies: 42
Views: 5520

Re: Checkup: I'm way behind. Hope for late bloomers?

Yes there is hope.

We had a negative net worth at 31, and a NW of about
120K counting retirement accounts at 41, with total salaries of
about $80K in today's dollars.

We bought a fixer upper at age 41, and put a lot of sweat
equity into it.
We are retired with about $2.3 million 25 years later,not counting about $400K in real estate.
Household income never exceeded $145K in today's dollars.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Promotion to the next level. How does it work?
Replies: 24
Views: 3075

Re: Promotion to the next level. How does it work?

I had to write the entire justification, and make my case to
get the promotion to Director.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 07, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Your Original Medicare OR Advantage Experience: Nightmare or Sublime?
Replies: 156
Views: 10632

Re: Your Original Medicare Experience: Nightmare or Sublime?

Sublime.

I have additional insurance which covers copays and most costs for medications.
We end up paying almost nothing out of pocket.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 07, 2024 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Longtime iPhone user looking at Pixel - what to know?
Replies: 60
Views: 5037

Re: Longtime iPhone user looking at Pixel - what to know?

The biggest difference is probably FaceTime.
I can send text messages to my wife's iPhone, and she can send them to me.

I have 2 MacBook pros, iPad, apple TV, both my wife and I have iPhones (cheap with TracFone) , but my regular cell phone is
a pixel, now a Pixel 8.

The pixel 8 comes with 7 years of updates, which I really like.
I have had two other google phones with Google Fi which I love.

I traveled to Europe for work, and now early on in retirement, and it
just works when I walk off the plane. Data is the same cost as in the US (expensive if you use a lot, which I do not).
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 07, 2024 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question
Replies: 48
Views: 4972

Re: Mental health or Money: navigating the OMY question

frugalecon wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:55 pm
AnnetteLouisan wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 1:37 pm You used the term burnout and called it severe burnout. I assume you aren’t using those words lightly. If you think there’s a risk of things worsening or getting into an accident then honestly, it’s pencils down, isn’t it? If not I agree with the other commenters.
Thanks for the perspective. It is the 2:00 am panic attacks and general sleeplessness that makes it feel like it is getting untenable.
I had the 2:00 sleep interruptions and popped antacids for years , but not the panic attacks.

If I had panic attacks, and had the money to leave, I would leave.
by MathWizard
Thu Mar 07, 2024 2:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Argument against people that say stock market is rigged, so don’t invest in it
Replies: 80
Views: 5752

Re: Argument against people that say stock market is rigged, so don’t invest in it

The thing that I find difficult with people who talk to me is that they believe that you should only hold winners and not losers. If I thought that they (or I) could pick the winners, I would invest that way. By picking the winners (buying individual stocks) you are in a sense gambling, just like picking which football team will win. Investing in the total market, you aren't picking the winning stocks, you are accepting that a few will lose, but others will gain. Since companies as a whole make money, you will earn some of that money because you own a piece of every business (or a proxy thereof). I struggled at first thinking that I know more than the average person, so I should be able to earn more than the average investor. Once I accepte...
by MathWizard
Tue Mar 05, 2024 6:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways
Replies: 58
Views: 5612

Re: Flying to London - Delta or British Airways

TarHeel2002 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:27 am This will be our first trip abroad with our 3 kids.

These are our options:

Detroit to London direct round trip Delta $6250

Chicago to London direct round trip British Airways $4200

Any suggestions with this? Chicago is an hour extra driving time for us. Thank you!
Parking at Chicago airport would be expensive. Saving $2K would certainly cover that expense,
but you might want to look at either
a train ride Detroit to Chicago, or
rent a car in Detroit to drop off in Chicago.
Your car gets to stay in the garage at home, and you save the wear and tear on your car.
by MathWizard
Tue Mar 05, 2024 3:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What if you can't access your money?
Replies: 45
Views: 4359

Re: What if you can't access your money?

As mentioned, a natural disaster, like a flood, may necessitate cash. I have been in that situation where they handed out grease pencils on entry, and we wrote the price on the cans for the checkers to use, and paid cash, exact change was appreciated. A bank failure could cash issues. The federal reserve needs to come in and take over, do you may not be able to access cash in the bank at a moment's notice, whether brick and mortar or online. I keep a few hundred at the house for those occasions, plus a few thousand at the local credit union. We keep canned goods at home, a lifestraw, and have a gas/propane generator, and a small battery/inverter that hooks up to portable solar panels . I've lived through some natural disaster, so it's good ...
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 04, 2024 6:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Aggressive savers: Reduce stocks % the closer you are to your target numbers?
Replies: 32
Views: 3662

Re: Aggressive savers: Reduce stocks % the closer you are to your target numbers?

I did it based on age/ time to planned to retirement, though
of course this was somewhat correlated to portfolio size.
by MathWizard
Mon Mar 04, 2024 12:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3703

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

Assuming all other things equal: If you can pay off your house, your job is one that is relatively secure, and you have enough extra to handle unexpected expenses then I would favor payoff. This improves cash flow, and you have an assured rate of return, likely better than any bond you could get. Paying down a mortgage isu h riskier even under your assumptions, since you have reduced your liquidity, but have not reduced cash flow until the final mortgage payment. This is what I did, though my wife wanted to pay down the mortgage, even when we were paying 3.75% and making 12% (not an assured 12% though, and the 3.75% was after 3 refinancings each lowering the rate from the original 7%, and reducing the term. We paid the 3.75% off when we had...
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6721

Re: Question about Solar panels

If a portable generator is too muc bother (maintenance for example) and you do not want an EV which has the capability to feed the house (not all have this) , there is one other option, though I have never tried it, and have no endorsement of it: CarGenerator Basically just a pure sine wave inverter made easy to hook to your car battery. This allows you to have a generator that is easy to start and is maintained, you just hang it on the front of the car and hook clamps like jumper cables on the battery. Caveats: the model for all weather is much more expensive ,but needed in bad weather. You must run the car out of and well away from the house (to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning) It provides only a small amount of power You will likely need...
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should we consider a Roth 401k?
Replies: 8
Views: 479

Re: Should we consider a Roth 401k?

I used tax deferred to get down to the top of the 12%
bracket and Roth for the rest .

I am certain that my marginal rate will be 12% or more
in retirement
by MathWizard
Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6721

Re: Question about Solar panels

I'd say get a portable generator like I have,but I think that California is moving towards restricting their use. The restriction is for the sale of new gas powered generators after January 1st 2028. They can still be used after that date. Thanks for the info. To the OP: I bought the best dual fuel generator that I could get after a major multi-state,multi-day outage. If I could do it over again, I would have waited a bit to get an inverter generator. They are more expensive, but much quieter,especially under low load. The one I have is very loud, and I would never use it at night, so I'll need to get some sort of battery backup for my wife's CPAP. I might run a quiet inverter generator at night during an outage, but not my noisy one. That...
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 02, 2024 10:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 12% Now, 12% Later: Roth Conversions Worth It?
Replies: 41
Views: 5457

Re: 12% Now, 12% Later: Roth Conversions Worth It?

In addition to the previous excellent responses, you or your spouse is unlikely to be in the 12% (or even 15%) bracket after one of you passes away.

That is the major reason why I am doing Roth conversions.
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6721

Re: Question about Solar panels

One option available from Germany is the SMA Sunny Boy grid tied inverter.

This has a method for providing up 2000 Watts went the grid is down but the sun is shining.
This could be paired with something like a Bluetti or Jackery "solar generator" which you can use like a UPS, but also being charged from the one circuit.
by MathWizard
Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6721

Re: Question about Solar panels

One option available in Australia is the Sunny Boy grid tied inverter.

This has a method for disconnect from the grid and providing a single 120 V outlet for use only while the sun is shining. This could be paired with something like a Bluetti or Jackery "solar generator"
which you can use like a UPS, but also being charged from the one circuit.