Search found 206 matches

by Imbros
Mon Jan 08, 2024 2:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do we need a new car?
Replies: 70
Views: 8945

Re: Do we need a new car?

I was pretty much in the same spot 3 years ago, and ended up getting a CPO Ford Hybrid, which worked out great. Much newer with lots of safety features, quiet ride with decent fuel efficiency. I was also considering Mazda CX5, which is a great vehicle.

Also, let me know if you decide to sell the Civic. I am right across the border (in WI) and I would be interested (will need a 2nd car).
by Imbros
Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Small business labor market... insanity or loosening up?
Replies: 8
Views: 1091

Re: Small business labor market... insanity or loosening up?

billaster wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 10:06 am
mikelovda wrote: Mon Jun 12, 2023 12:33 am It's insanity.
What's insane about it. It just the market telling you there are probably too many dentists and not enough hygienists.
Agreed. Also, it might be anecdotal but I have heard the same thing from several people now: The official inflation numbers are 5-6 percent, but things like Home and Auto Insurance, Health Insurance, transportation and certain groceries have been going up double or treble that number. So, maybe some employees demanding double digit increases is not that odd.
by Imbros
Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:49 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 400859

Re: GameStop GME: anyone joining?

What I am seeing is, the whole WSB acts like this is a one way street for the Hedge Fund, and they can never give up a couple of hundred million. They might very well go the other direction. Then what? We are past that point. If they were responsible, they would have closed out their small short position weeks, or months ago. They decided to play chicken with reddit, and lost. The more they dug their heels in the more of an existential bet it became. That's why this thing has blown up into epic proportions... Seeing retail traders get an investment thesis correct, and in the process go to war and take down a gigantic hedge fund that thought they could smoosh the small guy... well, I seriously hope they make a movie about this someday. I un...
by Imbros
Tue Jan 26, 2021 4:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 400859

Re: GameStop GME: anyone joining?

What if the shorting Hedge Funds decide to cut their losses and announce that they have lost this battle. Then what happens to the stock price? Immediately would shoot up I think because they'd have to purchase all those shares to cover their shorts. That's the squeeze. I know there were some posts and links at WSB earlier today, stating that the Hedge Fund is doubling down and also they got some cash injection. This was before Elon Musk and some other high profile people shared their 'support' for WSB. What if the Hedge Fund says "everyone is ganging up against us, therefore we are taking million or billion dollar losses and accepting what the market says"? What I am seeing is, the whole WSB acts like this is a one way street fo...
by Imbros
Tue Jan 26, 2021 3:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 400859

Re: GameStop GME: anyone joining?

What if the shorting Hedge Funds decide to cut their losses and announce that they have lost this battle. Then what happens to the stock price?
by Imbros
Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard balanced funds
Replies: 26
Views: 3713

Re: Vanguard balanced funds

Mario2222 wrote: Sat Sep 12, 2020 10:36 am My wife wants to invest her Roth IRA in a 1 or 2 funds portfolio. She doesn't like the high percentage of the international stocks in the TDFs and the international bonds. She is thinking to add international index fund to VBIAX. She is 39 years old. Any recommendations? Thanks.
FFNOX (Fidelity Four in One)

60% US Equities
25% International Equities (ex Emerging)
15% US Bonds

Aggressive enough, yet does not have International Bonds and Emerging Equities. It re-balances itself and has 0.11 Expense Ratio.
by Imbros
Tue Aug 04, 2020 6:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: FFNOX thoughts? [Fidelity® Four-in-One Index Fund]
Replies: 23
Views: 5774

Re: FFNOX thoughts? [Fidelity® Four-in-One Index Fund]

Fidofan wrote: Tue Aug 04, 2020 12:43 pm Thanks everybody. I mainly asked because of the FOMO compared to MFs like FSKAX or VTSAX. But this has reassured me a fair bit :)
I am in the exact spot you are and I am considering using FFNOX in taxable, in addition to my existing tax deferred & protected accounts.

This thread clarified the questions I had, and confirmed that this fund will be an easy all-in-one solution for me.
by Imbros
Mon Jul 15, 2019 10:47 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VGCIX - Global Credit Bond Fund for Short Term
Replies: 0
Views: 429

VGCIX - Global Credit Bond Fund for Short Term

We are potentially considering purchasing our first home in next three to five years. We are totally fine with renting, so the home purchase might be pushed further away from five years. Also, we would be fine with losing 10% or so of this down payment. We would simply adjust the type of property we purchase or the timing.

I have been looking into moving the funds from Prime Money Market to somewhere with slightly more risk and more return, and I noticed this new Vanguard fund. It seems to be well diversified and contains both corporate and non-corporate bonds.

What do you folks think about this fund? Do you think this fund would fluctuate a lot in the next three to five years?
by Imbros
Thu May 23, 2019 2:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4685338

Re: U.S. stocks in free fall

I find it very interesting that while economy seems to be doing just fine and we are seeing record unemployment, etc, S&P 500 is actually back to where it was about 18 months ago.
by Imbros
Thu Apr 11, 2019 2:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Replacing Main car to get better safety features
Replies: 51
Views: 3034

Re: Replacing Main car to get better safety features

In an accident, I would rather be in my 10+ year old SAAB sedan than a brand new Subaru Impreza, which is the same size. Based on what information? While I think IIHS and Eurocap are doing their best to assess the crash safety of cars, it is really up to the car manufacturer to put the extra effort into making a car safer than others. All modern cars are definitely safer than the cars designed and built several decades ago and we are not questioning that. What I would question though, is that even though all these cars go through crash tests and the information is publicly available, some manufacturers are (and have been) ahead of others when it comes to designing cars with safety in mind. For example, Volvo has its own Crash Test center b...
by Imbros
Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Replacing Main car to get better safety features
Replies: 51
Views: 3034

Re: Replacing Main car to get better safety features

smitcat wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:50 am
stoptothink wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:46 am
Utahdogowner wrote: Wed Apr 10, 2019 8:35 am His comments were that every three or four years the safety feature improvements were significant enough to warrant rotating the car for personal use, and if it was for corporate use where corporate exposure could occur they rotated the cars every two years.
Yeah, that's total nonsense.
He is driving 15 and 6 year old cars - the safety features have improved greatly and it is not nonsense.
But it is up to the potential buyer to weigh out the value of these features.
It is not just safety features like automated braking, but also how well the car was built with safety in mind.

In an accident, I would rather be in my 10+ year old SAAB sedan than a brand new Subaru Impreza, which is the same size.
by Imbros
Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Weed stocks?
Replies: 36
Views: 3443

Re: Weed stocks?

Oddball wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:37 pm You can check out the MJ ETF
While MJ ETF has a pretty good diversification, I do not like it for two reasons:

1- 0.75% ER is a little on the high side for me.
2- At some point, Tilray and Cronos, two companies that had artificially inflated stock prices (I think), were making up almost 20% of the ETF's portfolio. Their performance over the past year impacted the ETF return negatively.
by Imbros
Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Weed stocks?
Replies: 36
Views: 3443

Re: Weed stocks?

Esq123 wrote: Wed Mar 20, 2019 9:26 am Should I gamble a lot of money on weed stocks? Marijuana may be legal soon here in NJ.

Only kidding, sort of. Lol.
As someone who has put all his fun money in a couple of well respected Canadian and British companies over a year ago, I am going to say you are a little late to the party. Depending upon how you handle big fluctuations, you could still do some due diligence and wait for a good entry point.

The industry is slowly taking its shape and the stock prices of big players (Canopy and Aurora) are slowly becoming more stable. But it is not uncommon to see 5-6% up and downs in daily stock prices for many smaller players.
by Imbros
Wed Jan 02, 2019 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does this car repair quote seem reasonable???
Replies: 19
Views: 1777

Re: Does this car repair quote seem reasonable???

Seems to be dealer pricing.

The sunroof related fix is probably priced fairly and it needs to be done. You don't really have many options for that one (my suggestion would be to avoid sunroofs altogether in any vehicle other than Toyota/ Honda).

I am not sure why they are replacing the whole exhaust though. The price seems to be on the high side. I doubt that they need to replace all that, and even then, an independent shop would probably charge 1/2 of that.

The whole transmission case gasket is the biggest question I have. How is that leaking in a car with only 60k miles?! They need to drop the whole subframe for that?!
by Imbros
Thu Dec 27, 2018 1:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Will the real contrarians please stand up?
Replies: 58
Views: 4946

Re: Will the real contrarians please stand up?

According to the Vanguard Portfolio Analysis page, I have a value tilt thanks to the Wellington fund, and have 2X Emerging Markets exposure.

Value tilt has not bothered me a bit and I really like the Wellington fund. I can't say the same for the Emerging Markets. I will probably scale down the Emerging Market tilt over time.
by Imbros
Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buying vs renting - can I afford either?
Replies: 30
Views: 2810

Re: Buying vs renting - can I afford either?

Luv2Perform wrote: Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:10 am You might consider looking for a job as a night custodian at a school or a night watchman. You won't have to interact with others and shouldn't get flack from bosses as long as you get your work done each night.
Yes. Most nightshift jobs are great if you want to avoid people.
by Imbros
Thu Dec 13, 2018 11:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [Robinhood to offer 3% cash management program, not a bank account]
Replies: 153
Views: 15636

Re: Robinhood to launch 3% Checking & Savings Accounts

I like that Vanguard Prime MM account yields about 2.3% right now. No need for a separate savings account. But if Robin Hood actually goes live with this 3% plan, I would give it a shot. I am in the waitlist..
by Imbros
Tue Nov 13, 2018 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?
Replies: 37
Views: 3311

Re: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?

RootSki wrote: Tue Nov 13, 2018 6:26 am
Sandi_k wrote: Mon Nov 12, 2018 8:19 pm
Imbros wrote: Fri Nov 09, 2018 10:22 am
Sandi_k wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 10:40 pm
Priorities: 30 mpg, comfort, low noise, reliable.
Not a plug-in but hybrid, but some Volvos would check your checkboxes. Have you considered a new XC40 or a Certified Pre-owned V60?
Not willing to buy Volvo now that it's owned by Geeli, a-wholly owned Chinese company.
Volvo is more Swedish now, than when Ford owned them. Geely has been nothing but great for Volvo.
I agree with this statement. Ford and GM did nothing good for the Swedish brands they owned back then. Volvo is starting the new S60 sedan production in the U.S this year (South Carolina I believe).

Also, I personally would not take any surveys seriously (including CR) that puts Audi and/or VW above Volvo.
by Imbros
Fri Nov 09, 2018 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?
Replies: 37
Views: 3311

Re: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?

Priorities: 30 mpg, comfort, low noise, reliable. Not a plug-in but hybrid, but some Volvos would check your checkboxes. Have you considered a new XC40 or a Certified Pre-owned V60? He did have reliable on the list:) If you are willing to relax the gas mileage (i.e. the volvos are above 30 on the highway but well below on combined) there are a bunch of other compace SUVs to look at. Mazda CX5 was the quietest of the ones I test, CRV supposedly gets the best gas mileage. One car I forgot about is the crosstrek hybrid. It is an A3 sized car. It isn't remotely as well refined. It is supposed to have a plug in version next year. If you are willing to goused Lexus CT200h is sort of luxury prius though it is a bit smaller. Definitely not a drive...
by Imbros
Fri Nov 09, 2018 10:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?
Replies: 37
Views: 3311

Re: Anyone with an Audi A3, Sport hatchback e-tron?

Sandi_k wrote: Sun Nov 04, 2018 10:40 pm
Priorities: 30 mpg, comfort, low noise, reliable.
Not a plug-in but hybrid, but some Volvos would check your checkboxes. Have you considered a new XC40 or a Certified Pre-owned V60?
by Imbros
Fri Nov 02, 2018 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sell or Donate [Car]
Replies: 10
Views: 1492

Re: Sell or Donate [Car]

Thevillianinbrown wrote: Wed Oct 31, 2018 4:42 pm Hello Fellow Bogleheads,

I'm in the process of ending my attempt sell of my beloved Nissan Maxima vintage 1997( so many memories). I have had it since 2002, it has served 16 harsh Minnesota winters and extreme summers on top of that and it's still going strong, 180,000 miles. When I retire, I plan on finding the another Nissan Maxima 1997 GXE and restoring it. I was given a quote of $250.00 from CarMax, but I'm probably going to end of donating it to school for mechanics and taking the tax write off. My question, will it be off the Kelly Blue Book, and will I be able to write off the total amount on my 2018 taxes. Is this correct?
Curious, is there a reason why you haven't been able to sell it? Too much rust?
by Imbros
Wed Oct 31, 2018 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: People with older car, share your unusual repairs
Replies: 84
Views: 6951

Re: People with older car, share your unusual repairs

Hi, I am trying to make a judgmental call here on whether it is time to start shopping around for another car (not right now exactly, but after a year). Below is what I spent so far on my car, and would like to know what others have spent on similar cars with similar mileage or age. 2009 Hyundai Sonata, currently 125000 miles Unusual repairs since I bought it as a used car in 2014: - Couple of hundreds (probably $400) for something related to gas issue (gas nozzle was getting disconnected when the tank is only half way full) - Forgot what I changed exactly. - Around $400 for overheating issue - Transmission oil change after check engine light came on, all mechanics advised to rebuild the transmission!! But the oil change fixed the problem....
by Imbros
Wed Aug 29, 2018 5:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Just put $100K into TUR. Analysis inside
Replies: 71
Views: 5425

Re: Just put $100K into TUR. Analysis inside

Keep in mind many Turkish companies are used to hedging currencies. They have dealt with hyperinflation before. This is something most European and American companies have never experienced. I think the bottom is occurring in Turkish assets right now (in dollar terms). Let's go back to the economy. Unlike most "third world" nations, Turkey has a very advanced capital market. Many companies are multinationals. Nigeria and Egypt have less than 50 public companies; Turkey has several hundred. - Turkey is not a third world country. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_World - Both Nigeria and Egypt declared their independence in 1950s and 1960s. Turkey has been independent since 1920s and has been integrated to the capitalist order si...
by Imbros
Wed Aug 29, 2018 4:31 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Just put $100K into TUR. Analysis inside
Replies: 71
Views: 5425

Re: Just put $100K into TUR. Analysis inside

The fact that you guys are so negative just confirms the value I am getting. How would you have reacted if everyone had supported this play? I believe markets are comprised of two components: fundamentals and sentiment. When fundamentals and sentiment both look awful, it's almost always time to buy. If everyone was positive on Turkish risk assets, then I'd be hesitant of my idea. Mean reversion works here, as well. Going back to the 1980s, every time Qatar fell for three years in a row, it then bounced hard. Whether it's technical or fundamental, who knows. What is going on in Turkey nowadays is not a typical emerging market crisis. This is a collapse and the economy will stay weak for a very long time until the inevitable happens. The num...
by Imbros
Wed Jul 25, 2018 12:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Turkey/Turkish Stocks down 32% - approaching 2008 levels
Replies: 106
Views: 14821

Re: Turkey/Turkish Stocks down 32% - approaching 2008 levels

Pajamas wrote: Tue Jul 24, 2018 12:20 pm Rich people are fleeing Turkey almost as fast as they are from Venezuela. It's much too early to try to speculate on upside in their economy as the situation is more likely to continue to deteriorate rather than stabilize and improve in the near term.
Correct. This is the best observation and forecast here.

Turkish economy and Turkey as a whole has changed a lot since 2008, and not necessarily in a good way. 2008 was nothing compared to what is happening now. I would short Turkey, but as a principal I don't do any shorting.
by Imbros
Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX) - anomaly or good investment
Replies: 24
Views: 5723

Re: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX) - anomaly or good investment

TheTimeLord wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:27 am
Imbros wrote: Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:22 am So, it is basically a large cap growth fund that is overweight in IT and consumer discretionary with ER of 0.82%. It was bound to over perform since the crisis. That ER is way too high for my taste.
Wow, glad to know this was foreseeable. What is bound to over perform the next 10 years so I can reposition my portfolio?
If this is your attitude towards my post, why do you even ask whether or not this is a magic fund?

It is pretty obvious what this fund invests in, and it is also obvious what kind of stocks and industries likely to perm well after a big crisis.
by Imbros
Thu Sep 21, 2017 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX) - anomaly or good investment
Replies: 24
Views: 5723

Re: Fidelity Blue Chip Growth (FBGRX) - anomaly or good investment

So, it is basically a large cap growth fund that is overweight in IT and consumer discretionary with ER of 0.82%. It was bound to over perform since the crisis. That ER is way too high for my taste.
by Imbros
Thu Sep 14, 2017 10:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live
Replies: 102
Views: 13297

Re: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live

Tennessee is a great place to retire. I would avoid the Memphis area but Jackson is a pretty laid back small city. Since I live in West Tennessee and have a home in East Tennessee ( Knoxville area) and a daughter who has lived in Nashville for 2 years my suggestion would be East Tennessee would be my choice. Nashville is now a very progressive city and building is extensive, excessive traffic and high cost of living. Chattanooga would be great as well. Mountains in both areas in East Tennessee are very inviting and progressive activities happening somewhat as well. JMO! :happy Thank you for the information on TN. Are you familiar with the Chattanooga area? How would you compare cost of living in Eastern TN to other places you have lived in?
by Imbros
Wed Sep 13, 2017 2:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car
Replies: 945
Views: 151266

Re: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car

Imbros wrote: Mon Dec 07, 2015 2:27 pm 2006 SAAB 9-3 with 105k miles. I picked it up last year with just under 100k miles.
The plan is to run it for another 100k miles with minimal maintenance. So far so good.
Bought it for peanuts and maintenance is very inexpensive thanks to a mechanic I know.
112k miles now with minimal maintenance. Still going strong.
by Imbros
Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live
Replies: 102
Views: 13297

Re: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live

I have been looking at Chattanooga area lately due to reasonably better (better than Midwest) climate year-round, low cost of living and housing and no state income taxes. They are also phasing out taxes on dividend and interest income.
by Imbros
Fri Aug 11, 2017 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio Checkup - Major Life Event
Replies: 17
Views: 3230

Re: Portfolio Checkup - Major Life Event

Questions: 1. I guess what I would really appreciate is a once over to make sure I am getting on the right track. I made some stupid investment mistakes over my first 4 years of investing and I am still recovering from them. I consolidated a lot of my old funds/stocks/etf's into primarily vanguard ones. 2.I plan on getting to my goal allocation through new contributions. It will take at least 2-3 years to add enough bonds/equities to offset the heavy cash and precious metals position. 3. In terms of marriage, other than tax planning MFJ vs. Single, are there any other implications/considerations from an investment standpoint? 3. Any and all suggestions/feedback are welcome. It is funny.We are about 4-5 years older than you guys and we rece...
by Imbros
Wed Aug 09, 2017 10:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: news yesterday that Buffett has $100,000,000,000 in cash now
Replies: 65
Views: 11989

Re: news yesterday that Buffett has $100,000,000,000 in cash now

Mr. Buffett has offered his sage advice with a crystal clear plan for what most investors should do, and trying to time the market isn't part of it. Average your contributions over time, invest in a low-cost broad average like the S&P 500/Total Stock Market, and you'll do much better than those trying to pick the best time to invest or trying to pick the best stocks. Trying to perform 'above average' is a very competitive zero-sum game. For some people, competing may make sense if that's their profession. I'll put my efforts into my day job and trying to earn more there, and with my investing take the simple strategy that ensures I won't be on the losing side of beating the averages in the trading game. Isn't that what Buffett is obvio...
by Imbros
Fri Jul 07, 2017 12:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My Favorite Alternative Funds
Replies: 229
Views: 50700

Re: My Favorite Alternative Funds

Grap is not alone with the gloominess I'm afraid. I was a Lending Club investor for a couple of years (from 2011 to 2014 I believe) before they began accepting institutional investors and changed the way they connect borrowers and lenders due to new SEC regulations . Before Lending Club and P2P lending started becoming popular, there were fewer restrictions regarding privacy of the borrower and you could actually ask the borrower almost anything you wanted. Believe it or not, but that was incredibly important. You can tell someone's credit worthiness simply by reading their answer to questions or even their use of grammar. Once restrictions had kicked in, I knew things were going to change. The default rate of the loans (notes as they call ...
by Imbros
Fri Jul 07, 2017 10:40 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: My Favorite Alternative Funds
Replies: 229
Views: 50700

Re: My Favorite Alternative Funds

whodidntante wrote:How did you determine hypothetical 2008 performance?
I'm particularly curious about back testing of LENDX. There was no Lending Club and probably no Prosper back then. How do you back test something that did not even exist?
by Imbros
Wed Jun 21, 2017 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Used cars in high demand
Replies: 16
Views: 3688

Re: Used cars in high demand

You are not receiving those letters because those cars are high in demand.
by Imbros
Wed Jun 07, 2017 10:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to buy another car key?
Replies: 16
Views: 3189

Re: How to buy another car key?

jbmitt wrote:My 2012 Subaru has a chipped key, meaning if I just copy it, it won't work. You probably have to use a dealer, or someone who specializes in auto keys to get another one. For some reason, I'm thinking I have a code or they use my VIN if I need more. Mine came with two keys with the built in remote locks, alarm, trunk, one valet, and one extra chip. If you purchased from a private party, did you ask the prior owner? If you bought from a dealer, they probably gave you everything they received.
This.

It used to be as simple as paying a couple of bucks and making a duplicate, but not anymore in most cases.
by Imbros
Wed May 24, 2017 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rant (purchasing air tickets)
Replies: 4
Views: 1253

Re: Rant (purchasing air tickets)

In my experience, it happens more often than it should and many times I can go back the next day (or even after a couple of hours) and find the same ticket for the same price.
by Imbros
Mon May 15, 2017 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Check engine light comes on, need advice
Replies: 27
Views: 2674

Re: previous post for check engine light on need advice

Alright.
1- Get an inexpensive OBDII code reader, so you can reset the code by yourself.
2- Get a can of throttle body cleaner from Autozone, Advance Autoparts etc. (less than $5)
3- Google "aveo throttle body cleaning" and read some board posts, articles about how to do the cleaning yourself. It should be easy.
4- If the code comes back, you need a new throttle body or a MAF sensor (not sure what usually goes bad in Aveos). Replacing it by yourself shouldn't be that difficult.
by Imbros
Fri May 12, 2017 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Beware Citibank Bonus Promotion
Replies: 42
Views: 17232

Re: Beware Citibank Bonus Promotion

I remember hearing about Citibank's extremely poor customer service several years ago and have never done business with them.

I guess I will keep it that way.
by Imbros
Fri May 12, 2017 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Does a new car purchase make sense?
Replies: 40
Views: 4842

Re: Does a new car purchase make sense?

My question is whether a new car purchase make sense; I'm mostly asking if the safety concerns outweigh taking on a car payment. We have an 8-year-old subcompact car that we purchased new and has been fully paid off for years. We made that choice because we were moving to one income and I wanted to be reasonable. I realize now that it was a mistake. My spouse hates the car and my FIL (who lives cars) is often harping about the lack of safety. I vacillate between feeling frustrated at taking on a car payment (that we can afford, but it does cut into what we can save) and wondering whether such a small car isn't the best choice for a commuter (roughly 1.5-2 hours each day total). We have discussed the replacement car being a Camry (or simila...
by Imbros
Fri Apr 28, 2017 10:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cost of car compared to Gross Income
Replies: 138
Views: 19179

Re: Cost of car compared to Gross Income

I just read this by blogger Financial Samurai A car is the #1 personal finance killer given it is an unnecessary luxury that rapidly depreciates over time. I suggest spending no more than 1/10th of your gross income on the purchase price of a car. If you make $50,000 a year, then buy a nice second-hand Honda Civic for $5,000. If you make $500,000 a year, that new 4 series BMW coupe is quite alright. And if you only make $20,000 a year, then consider taking public transportation or biking. The last thing the median earning household should do with their $51,000 income is buy the median priced $30,000 car after taxes. I'm planning to buy a car that will be 13% of our gross income. I don't think it's that much since we live below our means an...
by Imbros
Fri Apr 21, 2017 4:26 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Investing in Norway, Denmark and Sweden
Replies: 9
Views: 1642

Re: Investing in Norway, Denmark and Sweden

I like Fidelity Nordic fund (FNORX) for it's diversification, but its expense ratio is way too high for me. I have been looking at other alternatives, like iShares, but they are not diversified enough.

I would be willing to pick up some FNORX if Fidelity was more reasonable with the ER (I'm OK with anything under 0.50).
I have absolutely no idea why the ER is so high (0.98) for a fund investing in easily accessible markets like Sweden and Denmark. :annoyed

http://www.morningstar.com/funds/XNAS/FNORX/quote.html
by Imbros
Wed Apr 12, 2017 10:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax preparer charging for past tax PDF's copies
Replies: 49
Views: 7309

Re: Tax preparer charging for past tax PDF's copies

As far as I know, if you want TaxAct or other similar applications to pull your taxes prior to the last years, they charge a fee. It is customer's responsibility to save past tax return copies.

Even though that doesn't make me happy as a consumer, I think it is understandable that they charge a fee for their time/resources.
by Imbros
Tue Apr 11, 2017 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Honda Pilot good 1st vehicle for teen?
Replies: 46
Views: 10159

Re: Honda Pilot good 1st vehicle for teen?

Is the Pilot too much car for a 16 year old? Absolutely yes. - Rather big. This is good in terms of having some more metal for protection, but it's also heavier and slower to stop than a sedan. Just because it is big doesn't mean it protects better. It is a 10 years old vehicle. Also, driving a normal size vehicle would teach him to pay better attention to his surroundings. - Lots of seats, it's a 3-row. Plenty of room for friends. Is this really relevant? - Too much power? Probably not, hopefully the weight would discourage reckless driving. Pilot is 50% heavier than a Civic but has 150% more power than a Civic. We'll pay maintenance on this vehicle, they'll pay for gas. About 50% more compared to a compact car? Do yourself, your son, and...
by Imbros
Tue Apr 04, 2017 3:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Brokered Recommended CD - good option?
Replies: 21
Views: 2799

Re: Brokered Recommended CD - good option?

I would go with the Synchrony Bank CD.
by Imbros
Fri Mar 31, 2017 2:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I don't understand how commercial real estate making money
Replies: 41
Views: 6505

Re: I don't understand how commercial real estate making money

A great question I have been wanting to ask the great folks here.

I live in a midsize Midwestern college town, and I have been seeing more and more vacant commercial properties all over the city (including the downtown - high traffic areas) over the past 2 years.
by Imbros
Thu Mar 30, 2017 8:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Cars - possible recession indicator?
Replies: 21
Views: 4592

Re: Cars - possible recession indicator?

Monthly sales hit 18.6 million around the end of 2015 and 18.7 around in December 2016, which is great, but when you look at the overall monthly numbers it is pretty obvious that there is no upwards momentum anymore. Over the past 2 years, the monthly sales numbers have been roughly between 17.5 and 18.5 million a month.

Also, since last fall, delinquencies in both secured and unsecured loans are slightly up.
by Imbros
Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice for Used Car Buying
Replies: 30
Views: 6789

Re: Advice for Used Car Buying

GoUBears wrote:Background: We need to replace a 15 year old minivan in the next 6 months and plan to once again buy a 2-4 year old car in cash and drive it until it dies. We have in mind 2 different replacement models (Mazda CX-9 and Nissan Rogue with 3rd row) based upon research, rides, etc and don't feel particularly emotionally tied to either, just preferring the best value for the car.
Just a heads up that pre 2016 and 2016+ CX-9 are completely different animals. The first generation was based on Ford CD3 (Ford Edge, Fusion) platform whereas the new one based is on a 100% Mazda platform. I have heard great things about the newer one. Can't say the same for the old one.
by Imbros
Fri Mar 24, 2017 2:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The Sweet Spot for Yearly Car Costs
Replies: 54
Views: 8860

Re: The Sweet Spot for Yearly Car Costs

The Dan wrote:I am wondering what the Bogleheads think is the sweet spot for the yearly cost of having an automobile.
...
So what do you think is the sweet spot for yearly car costs?
It has to be under $1,000 a year for me.

Actually, I have been spending about $500 a year for my European compact luxury car over the past 2.5 years. This includes all maintenance, repairs and depreciation, but not the insurance and gas (almost negligible).

Although, I'm probably an exception: Purchased the car almost fully depreciated and needing some repairs, I drive less than 5k miles a year, I go to a guy who does all my repair/maintenance for a fraction of the cost at dealer, and I know the car like the back of my hand.
by Imbros
Tue Mar 14, 2017 3:50 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why don't things "feel" bubbly?
Replies: 76
Views: 12152

Re: Why don't things "feel" bubbly?

I think for it to feel bubbly you need "non-investors" to influence the market. Lots of people who otherwise wouldn't have bought stocks during the tech boom. Lots of people bought houses they couldn't afford. There's the old saying that when your shoe shine boy starts giving you stock tips it's time to sell. People who aren't otherwise investing really aren't in this market. The only "bubble" I see is people who got out of low yielding bonds and into dividend investing. Certainly if yields go back up, there will be a shift back, which could affect the market. Right now if I were to guess, if the market goes down it'll be more of a correction than a crash. I could see a 15% dip just based on valuations, but nothing to m...