Search found 310 matches

by randomwalk
Tue Mar 12, 2024 5:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What is your favorite book?
Replies: 186
Views: 19919

Re: What is your favorite book?

Henderson the Rain King by Saul Bellow

and

The Moviegoer by Walker Percy
by randomwalk
Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 6220

Re: Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?

Just to close the loop on this, I ended up getting a 20-year term for $750k from USAA for $31/month and waived FEGLI.
by randomwalk
Mon Aug 11, 2014 9:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 6220

Re: Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?

retiredjg wrote:It's been a long time, but I seem to remember that you get a certain amount of life insurance for free. Is that incorrect?

Waiving FEGLI seems like a bad idea to me.
No, I do not believe there is free insurance. The Basic coverage is subsidized, however, and as described there is an "Extra Benefit" for those under 45. If you could give any reasons why it seems like a bad idea, that would be very much appreciated.
by randomwalk
Mon Aug 11, 2014 8:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?
Replies: 12
Views: 6220

Should I waive Federal Employees Group Life Insurance?

Greetings all - Starting employment with the federal government after Labor Day and am trying to work through the FEGLI question. My instincts are to waive coverage entirely and stick with term policies, but I want to make sure I'm not missing something since it is so difficult to get FEGLI if you waive it at the start. I'm 33 and in good health. I already have a $1 million term policy good for another ~25 years. My wife has ~$2 million between her term policies and employer policy. We have two children, 4 and 1, and that's all we plan to have. Let's presume I still want additional coverage of ~$750,000 for myself, and that my wife and I are comfortable not having any life insurance once our children are out of college. My federal base sala...
by randomwalk
Thu May 08, 2014 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thrift Savings Plan question
Replies: 13
Views: 2174

Re: Thrift Savings Plan question

rhoptry wrote:Keep the TSP account forever. It is simplicity itself along with the lowest fees possible. And the G fund, which can't be beat as a fixed-income, bond fund. And you can rollover either kind of IRA into your TSP account. https://www.tsp.gov/planparticipation/t ... lity.shtml
That's not quite right. From your link:
The TSP will not accept Roth rollovers that have already been paid to you and it will not accept transfers or rollovers from Roth IRAs.
by randomwalk
Fri Mar 21, 2014 3:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

Recently finished A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeiki.

Now reading The Good Lord Bird by James McBride.
by randomwalk
Mon Oct 07, 2013 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished A Terrible Glory by James Donovan, Stillness and Speed by Dennis Bergkamp, and Euthyphro by Plato.

Now reading Apology by Plato.
by randomwalk
Thu Sep 26, 2013 8:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.

Now reading A Terrible Glory by James Donovan.
by randomwalk
Thu Sep 19, 2013 7:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished Enemies by Tim Weiner.

Now reading Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown.
by randomwalk
Mon Sep 16, 2013 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished The Healing by Jonathan Odell.

Now reading Enemies by Tim Weiner.
by randomwalk
Tue Sep 10, 2013 8:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner.

Now reading The Healing by Jonathan Odell.
by randomwalk
Mon Sep 02, 2013 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.

Now reading Legacy of Ashes by Tim Weiner.
by randomwalk
Mon Aug 26, 2013 11:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished The Unwinding by George Packer.

Now reading The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer.
by randomwalk
Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished Mary Coin by Marisa Silver and The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg.

Now reading The Unwinding by George Packer.
by randomwalk
Thu Aug 15, 2013 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I recently finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and Thomas Jefferson by Jon Meacham.

Now reading Mary Coin by Marisa Silver.
by randomwalk
Thu Jul 25, 2013 7:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.

Now reading Thomas Jefferson by Jon Meacham.
by randomwalk
Wed Jul 24, 2013 12:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Angel in the Whirlwind by Benson Bobrick.

Now reading Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke.
by randomwalk
Sat Jul 20, 2013 10:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.

Now reading Angel in the Whirlwind by Benson Bobrick.
by randomwalk
Thu Jul 18, 2013 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner and Our Lives, Our Fortunes, and Our Sacred Honor by Richard Beeman.

Now reading For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway.
by randomwalk
Mon Jul 08, 2013 12:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Son by Philipp Meyer.

Now reading The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner.
by randomwalk
Wed Jul 03, 2013 8:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

In the three or four books I've read on Vietnam lately...the Americans had one serious and persistent enemy. Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat (A friend gave me a stack of "Infantry" magazines published by the Infantry School at Ft. Benning. They recommended this book....so I put it on my Amazon wish list years ago....and finally read it.) by James R. McDonough http://www.amazon.com/Platoon-Leader-Memoir-Command-Combat/dp/0891418008 The author was a Lieutenant....Commission....West Point...Class of 69...jump school, ranger school...jungle school...IOBC Fort Benning..4 months troop time in the 82d Airborne. He served in the 173d Airborne in Vietnam in approximately June 1970...returned summer of 71...was platoon leader...
by randomwalk
Mon Jul 01, 2013 8:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Transatlantic by Colum McCann.

Now reading The Son by Philipp Meyer.
by randomwalk
Thu Jun 27, 2013 8:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis.

Now reading Transatlantic by Colum McCann.
by randomwalk
Mon Jun 24, 2013 11:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Now reading Revolutionary Summer by Joseph Ellis.
by randomwalk
Mon Jun 17, 2013 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Blood of Heaven by Kent Wascom.

Now reading Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer.
by randomwalk
Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Now reading The Blood of Heaven by Kent Wascom.
by randomwalk
Mon Jun 03, 2013 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini and Guests of the Ayatollah by Mark Bowden.

Still reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
by randomwalk
Wed May 22, 2013 9:24 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Cooked by Michael Pollan.

Now reading Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.
by randomwalk
Fri May 17, 2013 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Admirals by Walter Borneman and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.

Now reading Cooked by Michael Pollan.
by randomwalk
Thu May 09, 2013 1:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.

Now reading The Admirals by Walter Borneman.
by randomwalk
Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Immortality by Milan Kundera.

Now reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
by randomwalk
Thu Apr 18, 2013 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Outpost by Jake Tapper.

Now reading Immortality by Milan Kundera.
by randomwalk
Wed Apr 17, 2013 1:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do billionaires use Vanguard?
Replies: 31
Views: 7368

Re: Do billionaires use Vanguard?

boggler wrote:II think you may be right. Question is, why? How are their needs so different from someone with much less?
If nothing else, you're talking about completely different time horizons. Most of us think about how to make our money last our lifetime, maybe leave something to our kids if we're lucky. The amounts you're discussing constitute multi-generational wealth, in some ways more akin to the concerns that institutions have with their endowments.
by randomwalk
Tue Apr 16, 2013 1:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New Interface at AmEx Savings Bank - Summer 2013
Replies: 0
Views: 408

New Interface at AmEx Savings Bank - Summer 2013

For those who like the yield at AmEx Savings Bank but not the clunky website, looks like this summer will provide some relief:

http://personalsavings.americanexpress.com/Tour/
by randomwalk
Sun Apr 14, 2013 7:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Thurgood Marshall by Juan Williams.

Now reading The Outpost by Jake Tapper.
by randomwalk
Fri Apr 12, 2013 1:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

Bungo wrote:Now starting volume 1 of Robert Caro's biography of Lyndon Johnson, The Path to Power...
I've been wanting to read that for awhile, but I try not to start a series until I know it is finished. Caro has been particularly frustrating, since what was supposed to be a three-volume series then became four volumes, and now is set to run to five volumes if Caro survives to finish.
by randomwalk
Wed Apr 10, 2013 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Justice Brennan by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel.

Now reading Thurgood Marshall by Juan Williams.
by randomwalk
Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Chief Justice by Ed Cray.

Now reading Justice Brennan by Seth Stern and Stephen Wermiel.
by randomwalk
Mon Apr 01, 2013 10:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.

Now reading Chief Justice by Ed Cray.
by randomwalk
Thu Mar 28, 2013 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Wild Bill: The Legend and Life of William O. Douglas by Bruce Allan Murphy.

Now reading Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple.
by randomwalk
Mon Mar 25, 2013 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.

Now reading Wild Bill: The Legend and Life of William O. Douglas by Bruce Allan Murphy.
by randomwalk
Wed Mar 20, 2013 5:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished In Spite of the Gods by Edward Luce, Hugo Black by Roger Newman, Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name by Vendela Vida, and King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild.

Still reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.
by randomwalk
Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished Benediction by Kent Haruf.

Now reading Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie.
by randomwalk
Sun Mar 03, 2013 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller and Scorpions by Noah Feldman.

Now reading Benediction by Kent Haruf.
by randomwalk
Wed Feb 27, 2013 5:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

bengal22 wrote:Big Thumbs Up to anything by Russo
I agree. Empire Falls is my favorite, but The Risk Pool and Nobody's Fool are right up there, and Straight Man was good as well.
by randomwalk
Sun Feb 24, 2013 7:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1560587

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I just finished The Risk Pool by Richard Russo.

Now reading The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
by randomwalk
Fri Feb 22, 2013 5:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Surprise! New credit card with your refi
Replies: 10
Views: 1205

Re: Surprise! New credit card with your refi

bottlecap wrote:I would raise hell about this to no end.
Yeah, maybe it's just the lawyer in me, but you are being much more calm than I would be in the same situation. They would probably lose all my business, not just the new credit card.
by randomwalk
Wed Feb 20, 2013 9:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Circumventing the income limits on the ROTH IRA
Replies: 4
Views: 1530

Re: Circumventing the income limits on the ROTH IRA

DanSandberg wrote:
Just found this link myself. Sorry for posting the question before finishing my search.
No problem. I didn't know about this option before I joined this forum.
by randomwalk
Wed Feb 20, 2013 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pool fence replacement
Replies: 3
Views: 651

Re: Pool fence replacement

How permanent does it need to be? We have a locked, gated fence around our entire backyard, which satisfied the city's requirements for safety, but we also wanted a pool fence so that we could let our small child play in the backyard without getting into the pool. Since we won't need the pool fence once she's older, we got one of these removable mesh fences (though we hired a local installer):

http://www.allsafepool.com/mesh-pool-fences/

We've had it a couple years and it has held up very well. It is also pretty easy to remove when we are having parties.