Search found 406 matches
- Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:36 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Can I retire with $1.75M at age 43?
- Replies: 169
- Views: 10803
Re: Can I retire with $1.75M at age 43?
Thank you for the replies. I know that I can make this work with my disciplined lifestyle. I’ve never felt miserable living on $35k a year. The risks are health insurance and health problems. I have been very proactive about being healthy. I have no major problems at age 43. Being fearful of health problems is not a reason to avoid retirement. Whether I’m working or retired, catastrophic health events will be a problem. You have to hope for the best and be positive. But retiring early guarantees healthy active years that I won’t have if I worry and work much longer. Having $5M vs $2M won’t make a huge difference if you are diagnosed with aggressive stage 4 cancer and have a short time to live. And insurance coverage won’t be that different...
- Fri Jan 26, 2024 2:54 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What video games are you currently playing?
- Replies: 528
- Views: 86669
Re: What video games are you currently playing?
Still playing World of Warcraft.
My friends asked me how much I've played the game over the years and I went through each character I still have, and typed "/played" to see how long I played each one. If I estimate the time played for the characters I deleted, I've played the game for about one full year of my life. That's a lot of WoW but not nearly as much as a lot of other people.
My friends asked me how much I've played the game over the years and I went through each character I still have, and typed "/played" to see how long I played each one. If I estimate the time played for the characters I deleted, I've played the game for about one full year of my life. That's a lot of WoW but not nearly as much as a lot of other people.
- Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:18 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Thermostat - Ecobee vs. Nest vs. Others?
- Replies: 49
- Views: 5581
Re: Thermostat - Ecobee vs. Nest vs. Others?
We also have an Ecobee with three remote sensors. During the day, it will adjust the temperature based on the average temperature of the hallway (the actual thermostat) and the sensors in the living room and basement. At night, it will adjust the temperature based on the sensor in the bedroom only.
There's also the "Follow Mode" where if you spend all day in a room, it will notice this and only adjust the temperature based on the temperature in that one room instead of the average of all the sensors. So for me, if I'm home alone and spend all day in the basement, it won't look at the sensors in the hallway or living room because nobody is there.
There's also the "Follow Mode" where if you spend all day in a room, it will notice this and only adjust the temperature based on the temperature in that one room instead of the average of all the sensors. So for me, if I'm home alone and spend all day in the basement, it won't look at the sensors in the hallway or living room because nobody is there.
- Fri Oct 06, 2023 8:35 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Sim Card for Use in Another Country
- Replies: 52
- Views: 5386
Re: Sim Card for Use in Another Country
Try not to overthink it. There are probably several places in the airport where you can buy a SIM card. So if the line for the first is long, keep moving and you'll probably find another one not too far away. And unless you're staying in the middle of nowhere, there are probably plenty of places close to where you're staying that sell them as well. This has been my experience anyway.
- Sun Sep 24, 2023 4:39 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: TV, Internet, and Phone Bill- Thoughts on Current Price and Suggestions to Lower Bill
- Replies: 50
- Views: 5467
Re: TV, Internet, and Phone Bill- Thoughts on Current Price and Suggestions to Lower Bill
A) What speed for your Internet? I did a speed test and my download speed was 24.01 Mbps and upload speed was 71.11. B) What TV package? My TV package is FIOS Preferred HD. C) Do you really use the DVR option? Yes, we do use the DVR option enough to justify it. D) Do you have cable competition in your area? Yes, absolutely. In general, if you are paying too much, it is probably your TV package. Starting get rid of the TV option/channels that you do not use. Do you look at your bills and start breaking down what do you pay for each services? 1) Internet? $117 base for internet + TV 2) Phone? $80 before discount. 3) Router rental $15 4) Setup box rental $12 5) DVR? $12 6) TV package? TV not broken out from internet. Your internet speeds are ...
- Wed Aug 09, 2023 8:11 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: $900+ Plumber Bill for 1 Hour Work
- Replies: 81
- Views: 9022
Re: $900+ Plumber Bill for 1 Hour Work
This is probably what I would do. Write a review and just state the facts. Add what the plumber said that lead you to believe it would take multiple hours and require multiple people.Parkinglotracer wrote: ↑Wed Aug 09, 2023 4:20 am One google review stating your customer experience in three short sentences would help everyone find an affordable plumber in the future. Don’t forget to add the good work they did!
- Wed Aug 09, 2023 8:02 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Cost for new bathroom
- Replies: 34
- Views: 4440
Re: Cost for new bathroom
I'm in PA but a few years ago, we got a quote to add an 8' x 10' master bathroom onto the back of our house, attached to our bedroom. Basically, take over some of the back patio to have a master bathroom. That quote was ~$60k. We did not go through with it.
We just got a bathroom completely redone where they went down to the studs. That cost ~$15.5k. I also know someone in MA who had a bathroom redone, similar to what we had done, that cost ~$16k.
If you're talking about taking over the closet space, I would put your estimate somewhere between $15k and $60k.
We just got a bathroom completely redone where they went down to the studs. That cost ~$15.5k. I also know someone in MA who had a bathroom redone, similar to what we had done, that cost ~$16k.
If you're talking about taking over the closet space, I would put your estimate somewhere between $15k and $60k.
- Tue Aug 08, 2023 1:50 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: $900+ Plumber Bill for 1 Hour Work
- Replies: 81
- Views: 9022
Re: $900+ Plumber Bill for 1 Hour Work
I was thinking the same thing. If the plumber quoted one hour but ended up taking four hours, I'm willing to bet they would have charged more to cover the extra labor costs. So why not the other way around?knightrider wrote: ↑Tue Aug 08, 2023 1:46 pm Surprised by the folks victim blaming. The plumbers rate was $150/hr so you owe them $150.
- Tue Jul 25, 2023 10:33 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: At what income/age to stop backdoor Roths?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 2701
Re: At what income/age to stop backdoor Roths?
My wife and I are in a similar situation as OP except our income is closer to the OP's 2022 income, we don't have any children, and our retirement income goal is an inflation-adjusted $50k/year.
My wife and I are currently:
Maxing out HSA
Maxing out my 401k
Maxing out wife's SIMPLE IRA
Maxing out backdoor Roths x 2
Almost maxing out mega-backdoor Roth
Only after maxing out the mega-backdoor Roth will we put anything into our taxable brokerage accounts. My suggestion is to do what we're doing. This lowers our taxable income today as low as possible today but when we retire, the bulk of our income will come tax-free via the Roth accounts.
My wife and I are currently:
Maxing out HSA
Maxing out my 401k
Maxing out wife's SIMPLE IRA
Maxing out backdoor Roths x 2
Almost maxing out mega-backdoor Roth
Only after maxing out the mega-backdoor Roth will we put anything into our taxable brokerage accounts. My suggestion is to do what we're doing. This lowers our taxable income today as low as possible today but when we retire, the bulk of our income will come tax-free via the Roth accounts.
- Wed Jul 12, 2023 4:01 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Millennials Need 3-4 Million To Retire
- Replies: 504
- Views: 59879
Re: Millennials Need 3-4 Million To Retire
I quickly went over the article but I didn't go through all these responses, but is the $3-4 million supposed to be per millennial or couple or is it an exercise for the reader? I consider myself a Gen Xer but I'm right on the dividing line (born in 1980, turned 43 last week), and DW and I have a net worth of about $1.2 million combined at 43 & 41, so are we good or not according to this article? I didn't mention our spending because the article didn't either so apparently that doesn't matter.
Also, I don't know which deserves more of an eye roll, reading articles like this or responding to articles like this (hypocrisy acknowledged). I'm going to have a drink.
Also, I don't know which deserves more of an eye roll, reading articles like this or responding to articles like this (hypocrisy acknowledged). I'm going to have a drink.
- Wed Jul 12, 2023 12:16 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: 2023 raises [Salary]
- Replies: 47
- Views: 5884
Re: 2023 raises
~6.5% @ software company where I work in marketing.
- Mon Jul 03, 2023 9:55 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Anyone still favor Vanguard?
- Replies: 359
- Views: 48391
Re: Anyone still favor Vanguard?
I'm in the process of moving the last bit of money I have at Vanguard, a Roth IRA, to Fidelity. When the transfer is complete, the only money I'll have outside Fidelity will be my current 401k at Schwab, my current HSA at Health Equity, online savings at Capital One (RIP ING Direct), and checking at a local credit union. I'm moving to Fidelity to consolidate and because I prefer Fidelity's website. I've had zero interaction with anyone at Vanguard but I've had a little bit of interaction with people at Fidelity and it was fine. If I were to retire today, I'd move my current 401k and HSA to Fidelity but I may change my mind when the time comes.
DW has her money spread around including an IRA at Vanguard.
DW has her money spread around including an IRA at Vanguard.
- Tue Jun 13, 2023 7:48 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Ice cream containers with no seals
- Replies: 28
- Views: 4150
Re: Ice cream containers with no seals
My wife came home with store-brand ice cream (Weis) the other day and it had a tamper seal around it. I was actually surprised when I went to open it and thought to myself, "Good, nobody licked this ice cream"!
- Mon Jun 05, 2023 8:12 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Last Week Tonight on timeshares
- Replies: 137
- Views: 17037
Re: Last Week Tonight on timeshares
Aren't those that go to these presentations and receive free goods or discounted stays, with no intent of buying (and have a rejection plan) going in, actually "scamming the scammers"? Seems bogus all the way around to me. Not necessarily, it depends on how everything is phrased. "Sit through this 90 minutes no-obligation seminar about our timeshares and receive free..." If I sit through it, I upheld my end of the bargain, now it's their turn. This was timely since we just agreed to attend a timeshare presentation in Mexico next month in exchange for an ultra cheap 5-nights all inclusive vacation. Wife and I are on the same page - we do not want to purchase one. We have decent income, so we are probably good "targe...
- Thu Jun 01, 2023 7:21 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: How much money to keep at home
- Replies: 120
- Views: 9382
Re: How much money to keep at home
We have about $2k stashed in a hidden safe for emergencies. I very rarely carry or use cash so the hidden cash would be for unforeseen circumstances like power outages, middle-of-the-night bail, ransom payoffs, or to roll around in when I'm feeling down.
- Fri May 26, 2023 10:40 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Pizza Delivery Tip Question
- Replies: 27
- Views: 2332
Re: Pizza Delivery Tip Question
One scenario will have a human there to receive the money and the other won't.spammagnet wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 10:12 amHow does delivery to your door vs delivery to your hand affect tipping? Delivery is delivery. You received a service.Carno wrote: ↑Fri May 26, 2023 8:03 am I have been offered a free pizza delivery if I attended a virtual webinar. I am told tips have already been included in the delivery of pizza. My question is if they leave the pizza at the door then obviously no need to tip; however, if I personally receive the pizza box from the delivery person, should I tip again or not?
I'd give $5 bucks and enjoy the pizza.
- Thu May 11, 2023 9:16 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Verizon FIOS - wireless vs wired ?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 3179
Re: Verizon FIOS - wireless vs wired ?
I think some Verizon FIOS Optical Network Terminals (ONT) connect to your router via Coax, which limits the speed to around 100 Mbps. You need to connect to the ONT via Ethernet for speeds above 100 Mbps. This is the easiest thing to check. If the ONT to router is Ethernet - preferably at least CAT 5a, better CAT 6, then I'd say the next likely explanation is that your 10-year old PC has a 10/100 Ethernet card. It's fairly cheap (I'm seeing <$10) to pick up a Gigabit PCI LAN card and see if that boosts things. My iPhones and PC are too old to utilize 5G. To clarify, it's not 5G cellular data. It's the 5 Gigahertz (abbreviated GHz) band WiFi channel on your router vs. the 2.4 GHz band. You need to go into the router configuration settings t...
- Wed May 10, 2023 2:21 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Verizon FIOS - wireless vs wired ?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 3179
Re: Verizon FIOS - wireless vs wired ?
I assume you're connected to the 5G version of your Wi-Fi and not the 2.4G? I have Fios too and when I'm on my 5G Wi-Fi I get about 300+ Mbps up and down. When I switch to the non-5G version, I get ~80 Mbps up and ~50 Mbps down from about 2 feet away from the router. This is using the speakeasy link you provided.
Edit - Those numbers are when using my iPhone.
Edit - Those numbers are when using my iPhone.
- Wed Apr 12, 2023 7:52 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Do anti-tailgating bumper stickers help?
- Replies: 144
- Views: 9822
Re: Do anti-tailgating bumper stickers help?
I just stopped caring when people tailgate me. If I'm in the right lane on the highway, I don't care. If I'm passing someone, I'll get over as soon as I can and let them go around me. If I'm slowly passing someone, I'll speed up a little to get around them, just to get it over with, but I'm not going to go 90 mph. If I'm on a two-lane road and I'm going a few miles over the speed limit and I'm being tailgated, they can wait, I just don't care anymore. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or it's because I drive a full-size pick-up but again, I don't care.
- Wed Apr 05, 2023 10:32 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Another Mega Backdoor Roth Question!
- Replies: 32
- Views: 3317
Re: Another Mega Backdoor Roth Question!
For my 401k at Charles Schwab, my Mega Backdoor Roth money goes into the "Employee After Tax Voluntary" bucket, then gets immediately and automatically converted and moved to the "EE A/T Voluntary Roth Convert" bucket. That's why the "Employee After Tax Voluntary" bucket is at 0% (there's currently $0.44 in there because I guess didn't make it over the last time). Are you saying you have 0% in your equivalent "EE A/T Voluntary Roth Convert" bucket and a non-0% in the "Employee After Tax Voluntary" bucket? If so, it seems like you never made the conversion and you'll need to decide whether you still want to do that or not. Now to your question, you'll need to check the plan to see if you're a...
- Wed Apr 05, 2023 8:09 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Hierarchy of Tax Advantaged Accounts?
- Replies: 24
- Views: 2556
Re: Hierarchy of Tax Advantaged Accounts?
From the first bullet under General Strategy: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Tax-eff ... l_strategy
"If your investments are all in tax-advantaged accounts, fund placement will not have a large impact on your returns. Tax-advantaged accounts include tax-deferred accounts, such as traditional 401(k), 403(b), and Traditional IRA, and the tax-free Roth versions of those accounts such as Roth IRA."
Since you only mention 401k (tax-deferred) and Roth 401k and Roth IRA (tax-free), it doesn't matter where you put the money. If you had a taxable brokerage account, I wouldn't use it to invest in bonds.
"If your investments are all in tax-advantaged accounts, fund placement will not have a large impact on your returns. Tax-advantaged accounts include tax-deferred accounts, such as traditional 401(k), 403(b), and Traditional IRA, and the tax-free Roth versions of those accounts such as Roth IRA."
Since you only mention 401k (tax-deferred) and Roth 401k and Roth IRA (tax-free), it doesn't matter where you put the money. If you had a taxable brokerage account, I wouldn't use it to invest in bonds.
- Mon Feb 06, 2023 9:46 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Roth 401K after tax contribution vs non-deductible IRA
- Replies: 9
- Views: 613
Re: Roth 401K after tax contribution vs non-deductible IRA
You can typically contribute a lot more to your employer's after-tax Roth 401k (Mega Backdoor Roth) while you're limited to $6,500 in 2023 for the non-deductible IRA (Backdoor Roth).
For Backdoor Roth, you'll have more fund choices for your contribution vs the Mega Backdoor Roth. However, if you're happy with the choices provided by your employer, then that advantage disappears.
I am confused as to why you can only do one or the other though. If it's about not having enough to contribute to both, you can split it up and contribute half for the Backdoor Roth and the other half for the Mega Backdoor Roth. As far as the IRS is concerned, these two things are mutually exclusive.
For Backdoor Roth, you'll have more fund choices for your contribution vs the Mega Backdoor Roth. However, if you're happy with the choices provided by your employer, then that advantage disappears.
I am confused as to why you can only do one or the other though. If it's about not having enough to contribute to both, you can split it up and contribute half for the Backdoor Roth and the other half for the Mega Backdoor Roth. As far as the IRS is concerned, these two things are mutually exclusive.
- Fri Jan 13, 2023 8:19 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Push Mower - which carburetor?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 939
Re: Push Mower - which carburetor?
I think you need to determine the engine model or part number in order to determine the carburetor. It should be stamped somewhere on the engine itself. When you find it, Google "Craftsman Part number ..." or whatever. From there I'd find the part number for the diaphragm and buy a new one (see the link below as an example) for the carburetor to see if that fixes the issue because they are only $5 or so. I had similar issues with my Craftsman mower and this did the trick every time. If it does fix your issue, just buy a few more to have them handy.
https://www.partselect.com/PS9306850-Br ... ID=5208501
https://www.partselect.com/PS9306850-Br ... ID=5208501
- Fri Jan 13, 2023 7:29 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: BOS to SINGAPORE via Dubai or Seoul?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 2190
Re: BOS to SINGAPORE via Dubai or Seoul?
I'd go from Singapore to Newark on Singapore Airlines then to Boston. I've done the SIN-EWR in Premium Economy on Singapore Airlines and it wasn't bad.
- Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:09 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: My experience with Discount Tires vs Sams Club
- Replies: 44
- Views: 12475
Re: My experience with Discount Tires vs Sams Club
I usually buy my tires through Tirerack and use one of their recommend installers, Pep Boys the last two times. Pep Boys used to operate like you described Sam's Club, but they have since transitioned to a "service advisor" model where there's a guy, probably working on commission, who tries to sell you a bunch of other stuff and pump up the bill somehow. I got out the door for $25/wheel for mounting and balancing but it was a battle from start to finish. When I got home I found out each tire had been overinflated to 40 psi. I won't be going back there. I research and buy the best tires I can afford from TireRack and have them shipped to a local mechanic and then pay ~$100 for installation. When it's all said and done, the price ...
- Tue Jan 10, 2023 8:49 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Fidelity HSA? Thinking of switching.
- Replies: 57
- Views: 8670
Re: Fidelity HSA? Thinking of switching.
I rolled over my HSAs from my previous two employers to Fidelity and have had no issues. I also don't use or plan to use it until retirement but I had ~$1,000 sitting in cash because I thought I had to, like most other HSA providers. I did a quick search on Fidelity and found the following quote. "You can choose to invest some or all of your HSA money for potential growth. It's a great way to prepare for health care costs in retirement. Fidelity HSAs are brokerage accounts, giving you more options for simple, seamless investing of your HSA money in a range of mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, Treasuries, and more." Based on that quote, I just invested what I had in cash with the rest of the money which is in FZROX, the 0% expens...
- Tue Jan 10, 2023 8:29 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Fidelity HSA? Thinking of switching.
- Replies: 57
- Views: 8670
Re: Fidelity HSA? Thinking of switching.
I rolled over my HSAs from my previous two employers to Fidelity and have had no issues. I also don't use or plan to use it until retirement but I had ~$1,000 sitting in cash because I thought I had to, like most other HSA providers. I did a quick search on Fidelity and found the following quote. "You can choose to invest some or all of your HSA money for potential growth. It's a great way to prepare for health care costs in retirement. Fidelity HSAs are brokerage accounts, giving you more options for simple, seamless investing of your HSA money in a range of mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, Treasuries, and more." Based on that quote, I just invested what I had in cash with the rest of the money which is in FZROX, the 0% expense...
- Sun Jan 01, 2023 10:04 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: REGISTRATION FOR THE 2023 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST
- Replies: 672
- Views: 40217
- Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:28 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2170
Re: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?
I've gotten Kona coffee from https://www.greenwellfarms.com/ while on the Big Island and enjoyed it. I wouldn't pay $40/lb regularly but as a treat, sure. I like the Chocolate Macadamia Nut coffee personally.
- Sat Nov 19, 2022 10:21 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Question regarding Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
- Replies: 8
- Views: 1197
Re: Question regarding Chase Sapphire Reserve Card
Yes, mine always kicks in sometime after July, which is my anniversary date.
- Tue Nov 01, 2022 10:55 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Switching HSA providers
- Replies: 9
- Views: 839
Re: Switching HSA providers
I would expect that they would sell any securities and you'll start over with cash, but I'd start by asking your employer and the new HSA administrator. As an edit, to answer your second question, I switched funds from the HSA provider originally used by my employer to Fidelity a few years ago. I had to liquidate all funds and go to cash. I simply reinvested once the funds were transferred. Thanks! I will reach out to the benefits helpline to confirm. I haven’t wanted to look at my HSA balances after this awful year but I guess I’ll have no choice. My plan is/was not to touch these funds for 25 years. They’re just on autopilot but perhaps this is my chance to get out of the high-fee growth fund that I’ve held onto for no good reason (ok, m...
- Thu Sep 15, 2022 3:36 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Crazy for not taking job with salary of +$40-50k?
- Replies: 49
- Views: 5840
Re: Crazy for not taking job with salary of +$40-50k?
If you want to try something new and challenging, do it in a different part of your life. Learn jiu-jitsu or the piano, become a mentor, build something.JV wrote: ↑Wed Sep 14, 2022 6:21 pmI struggle with this a lot. A part of me says to try something new, to not be conservative and comfy for a change, but then the other part me says that's fine, but in 6 mths I'll be miserable. I've been working exclusively from home for a decade now, and while the walls can close in during the winter, we've built our lives around it, so it would be an extreme change, at least compared to our current situation.
- Thu Sep 08, 2022 3:19 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.
- Replies: 312
- Views: 37322
Re: I am losing my house cause of my ignorance. Please advice.
I imagine it could be set up as the OP being both part owner and renter at the same time. For example, if the mortgage is $3000/month but it could be rented out at $4000/month, the OP writes a $2000 check to the OP and another $2000 check to the friend. Then both OP and friend write $1500 checks to the bank. I don't know the actual logistics of this but the OP pays rent and half the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and upkeep while the friend pays the other half of the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and upkeep. However, if the friend has not been paying his/her share of the mortgage, taxes, insurance, and upkeep since the purchase of the house, he/she needs to get caught up on that since the OP has been the only one paying. One does not get to buy ...
- Wed Aug 31, 2022 12:44 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Seller disclosure of a house on a flight path
- Replies: 91
- Views: 8838
Re: Seller disclosure of a house on a flight path
I can't answer whether it should have been disclosed or if you'll get your money back but I suggest you go to the house and see how loud it would actually be because this may not be an issue. Go on Flight Aware or the airport's website and see when some flights are coming in. Then go to the house and either sit in your car with the windows down or park and go for a short walk and listen for the planes. If it's too loud, then you know what you need to do. If it seems tolerable while you're outside, it'll be even quieter inside. I live right under a flight path and seven miles from a smaller airport. The largest commercial planes are A320 / 737 type planes. There are also cargo planes (FedEx and UPS), military planes with four turboprop engin...
- Tue Aug 30, 2022 12:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Car Broke Down - Made Me Think, When Did Yours?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 4598
Re: Car Broke Down - Made Me Think, When Did Yours?
The alternator on my brand new 2005 Ford Focus ST died while on the highway in February...3 months after I bought it. The second alternator died about 4.5 years later. Both were under warranty so it was just an inconvenience but still wasn't fun.
I'm currently on the fourth car of my life and that was the only car that ever broke down.
I'm currently on the fourth car of my life and that was the only car that ever broke down.
- Mon Aug 22, 2022 7:52 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: WiFi - do I need more Mbps?
- Replies: 47
- Views: 3744
Re: WiFi - do I need more Mbps?
I have 100 Mbps Verizon Fios and the wifi has two speeds, 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz. I just ran a speed test on each and the 2.4 GHz speeds are 59.4 Mbps download and 79.3 Mbps upload. The 5 GHz speeds were 107.4 Mbps download and 84.2 Mbps upload. These were done while my wife was on a video call. If you have a similar setup, make sure you're on the faster of the two and run another speed test. Having said that, I work from home 100% of the time and my wife about 80% of the time and we're both on video calls at the same time with no issues. However, I recently bought myself a little docking station so my work laptop is now hard-wired to the router along with my personal desktop. The laptop and desktop speeds are both over 100 Mbps download and upl...
- Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:25 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Should I purchase an Certified Electronic Diploma?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 718
Re: Should I purchase an Certified Electronic Diploma?
I just finished my master's degree and was offered the same thing. I did not get one because I didn't see any use for it. I did get the paper diploma and if anyone wants to see it, I'll take a picture of it or show it to them in the frame.
- Tue Aug 16, 2022 4:18 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: I buy extended warranties, here's why.
- Replies: 105
- Views: 11739
Re: I buy extended warranties, here's why.
I'm testing this myself currently. I never bought an extended warranty until I bought a desk chair at Staples. The chair cost $300 and the three-year warranty cost $50. I scanned the receipt and saved it in a Gmail folder labeled "Warranties." I also marked my calendar at the two-year and 10-month mark to file a claim, if I hadn't done so already. We'll see what happens.
- Tue Jul 19, 2022 12:15 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Eastern Massachusetts home inspector recommendation
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1148
Re: Eastern Massachusetts home inspector recommendation
David was awesome! The entire home inspection took 3+ hours and he looked at everything, seen and unseen. For example, he reached his hand up under the bottom siding all along the house and found some rot. I was impressed.
https://homeinspectionmassachusetts.com/
https://homeinspectionmassachusetts.com/
- Tue Jul 19, 2022 8:07 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Pay raises for 2022
- Replies: 421
- Views: 63157
Re: Pay raises for 2022
I'm in marketing at a large, private software company. My raise was about 10% and went into effect back in May. We also get bonuses every quarter and my bonus in the 1st quarter was about 8%. I'll find out what my 2nd quarter bonus is in a few weeks.
- Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:25 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Trailer/Bike hitch: 1 1/4" or 2"
- Replies: 41
- Views: 3460
Re: Trailer/Bike hitch: 1 1/4" or 2"
For $60, let Uhaul do it. I installed a Curt 13390 class 3 2" hitch on my old Outback using a friend's car lift and while the lift made it much easier, it wasn't a one-person job and took us about 2 hours or so. If you're absolutely positive that you'll never tow anything, it doesn't matter which size hitch to get. If there's a remote chance you may tow something, get the 2" hitch. "The standard 2.5L 4-cylinder engine has the power to tow up to 2,700 pounds" - from a google search. I know that Subaru says the max is 2,700 pounds but I towed 1,500 pounds in my 2.5L 4-cylinder Outback on the highway, up and down hills and it was not fun. I'd step on the gas and the engine would rev up but there was no acceleration. So ther...
- Fri May 06, 2022 7:52 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: How to deal with outrageous medical bill?
- Replies: 93
- Views: 10073
Re: How to deal with outrageous medical bill?
Assuming it is diagnostic and can wait, I normally ask about pricing before a procedure is done. I got a CT scan done and read by a radiologist for $125 at a local diagnostic imaging lab, without insurance. The hospital wanted thousands. This is advice I wished we had when my wife needed a CT scan. She had gone to the ER and the ER doctor said there wasn't any reason for her to get a CT scan because it wouldn't show anything. We followed up with a neurologist, per the ER doctor's instructions, and the neurologist was surprised we didn't get a CT scan at the ER and thus ordered one. We went to a place affiliated with the hospital and had to pay a little over $3k. Had we'd asked, it would have been cheaper had it been done either at the ER o...
- Thu May 05, 2022 8:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Dog Poop & Pee Sign for Yard
- Replies: 84
- Views: 6404
Re: Dog Poop & Pee Sign for Yard
First off, I always clean up after my dog while on a walk. I see two signs like that on my regular dog walking paths. When we walk by those houses, I either put my dog on a short leash thus not letting her off the sidewalk and onto the grass, or walk on the other side of the street. I have no opinion of the people living in those houses. I try not to let my dog onto yards where the owner obviously takes extreme care of their lawn unless I know they have a dog themselves. I don't let my dog in yards that have been marked as being sprayed with fertilizer or herbicide. I try not to let my dog go #2 in yards where people are outside the house. I try not to let my dog go #2 next to cars parked on the street, even though those seem to be her favo...
- Wed May 04, 2022 6:55 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Disinherit a Child
- Replies: 71
- Views: 11795
Re: Disinherit a Child
Check out the book, Beyond the Grave: The Right Way and the Wrong Way of Leaving Money to Your Children (and Others). This may give you ideas on what and what not to do, which you can then present to your lawyer.
People who are saying to specifically state names in the will, it reminds me of a story from the book where a man wrote, "leave everything to my children", or something like that. Well, it turns out he had a child he never knew about. That child was entitled to part of the man's estate based on the wording of the will. The book is fascinating and I don't even have children.
People who are saying to specifically state names in the will, it reminds me of a story from the book where a man wrote, "leave everything to my children", or something like that. Well, it turns out he had a child he never knew about. That child was entitled to part of the man's estate based on the wording of the will. The book is fascinating and I don't even have children.
- Wed Mar 16, 2022 9:20 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Flying economy instead of business class even though business class is allowed?
- Replies: 128
- Views: 10615
Re: Flying economy instead of business class even though business class is allowed?
Huge price differential, I'd go with premium economy, United Economy Plus, for example. I've have flown a lot of miles and Economy Plus is just fine. When the price is ok or an upgrade, Business is better, but not for megabucks. That's what I did. I reached out to my boss and he agreed the price difference was a lot. He didn't explicitly say I had to fly one or the other. He left it open for me to decide. Seems a lot of folks here think $7k expense is peanuts. But I wonder if they consider it peanuts if it were their own money? If not, why the double standard? The ratio of my company's yearly revenue to my salary is about 10,000-to-1. So that $7,000 to the company would be about $0.70 to me. I wouldn't worry about paying an extra $0.70 on ...
- Mon Mar 07, 2022 7:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Skydiving, have you ever been?
- Replies: 83
- Views: 5302
Re: Skydiving, have you ever been?
I did once. There were two things that I wasn't prepared for. 1. The plane I went out of was a single-engine Cessna-type plane that you couldn't stand in and could only hold the pilot, the videographer, the person I was tandem to, me, and another random jumper because there was room for one more. When it was time to go, the other jumper just went (he was just wearing a tee-shirt and shorts too while the rest of us were in jumpsuits). The videographer climbed out on the wing & strut and I got to the edge of the door. The thing I wasn't prepared for was that the person I was tandem with also needed to get to the edge of the door, which meant I was just hanging out the side of the plane. It goes against nature to scoot out of the plane wit...
- Tue Feb 22, 2022 12:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: 3g shut-off
- Replies: 46
- Views: 5368
Re: 3g shut-off
After getting mixed messages from Cricket Wireless, who uses the AT&T network, my wife's phone stopped working today. At first, they said her Samsung S8 wouldn't work, then said it would work, and then said again it wouldn't work. She has consecutive text messages saying these things.
We had already bought her a new phone and were waiting (a) to see what happened and (b) to the end of our billing cycle to switch to Verizon Prepaid plans.
We had already bought her a new phone and were waiting (a) to see what happened and (b) to the end of our billing cycle to switch to Verizon Prepaid plans.
- Sun Feb 20, 2022 2:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Anyone an expert mouse catcher?
- Replies: 68
- Views: 7062
Re: Anyone an expert mouse catcher?
The cabin we stay at when we go snowmobiling has mice from time to time. The owners set up these traps with 5-gallon buckets and there's always mice in them, so they work. The bucket just gets emptied in the woods and refilled with water and peanut butter.
https://fivegallonideas.com/bucket-mouse-trap/
https://fivegallonideas.com/bucket-mouse-trap/
- Wed Feb 09, 2022 11:45 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Who Pays? [Neighbor developing backyard "discovered" my sewer lateral]
- Replies: 99
- Views: 16233
Re: Who Pays? [Neighbor developing backyard "discovered" my sewer lateral]
It may not matter but, aside from the repaired crack, what's the condition of the sewer lateral? If it's 50+ years old and would need to be replaced in the not too distant future, I'd be more amenable to dividing the cost up someway.
- Tue Feb 08, 2022 9:20 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Sharing cost of vacation property with family members
- Replies: 35
- Views: 2890
Re: Sharing cost of vacation property with family members
I would not do this. However, if I were, I would split the purchase of the house three ways, and then when a family occupies the house, they "rent" it from the group. For example, if the house costs $300,000, each family pays $100,000. Then when family A is at the house, they pay $120/night to the group (so $40/night to themselves and $40/night to families B & C). Then the families split the upkeep three ways. Or if a family has eight members while the others only have four each, you can set up something like $20/person/night or whatever. Either way, those that use it the most, pay the most while still getting a vacation home at a discount. The details and logistics of deciding what upkeep to do and when and by whom would need...