Search found 411 matches

by danwhite77
Wed Aug 12, 2020 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Large pay cut for better quality of life
Replies: 82
Views: 9398

Re: Large pay cut for better quality of life

I just did this about a year ago with numbers very comparable to your own. Assets a little higher but age higher as well. I will tell you that for me it's been one of the three best decisions I've made in my life. Best of luck to you.
by danwhite77
Thu Sep 12, 2019 6:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads
Replies: 61
Views: 6252

Re: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads

David Jay wrote: Wed Sep 11, 2019 9:26 pm I feel that I want to run iOS 14 to keep everything current.
But iOS 13 isn't even out yet?

Should be soon though.....
by danwhite77
Wed Sep 11, 2019 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads
Replies: 61
Views: 6252

Re: Calling all iPhone SE Bogleheads

I don't use the SE but when Apple ran a clearance of some SEs a few months ago I snatched up two for our son and daughter to use (after purchasing them from us at a slight discount, of course!). If Apple ever updates the guts of the SE and releases an updated version I would strongly consider getting one. I have large hands but I've always found that form factor the most comfortable.
by danwhite77
Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:36 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rollover Choice: VFIAX ER Now = to TSP C Fund ER?
Replies: 1
Views: 452

Rollover Choice: VFIAX ER Now = to TSP C Fund ER?

Hi All, I remember eons ago when the TSP (i.e., the 401(k) equivalent available to US Federal employees) was a huge advantage of Federal service due to its ultra low expense ratio relative to the plans available in the private sector. Now in Federal service myself, I'm pondering rolling my old 401(k) into either the TSP or a Vanguard Traditional IRA. The funds will be in an S&P 500 index fund in either case. I checked the plan ERs and it looks like VFIAX is now (and probably has been for awhile) at the same ER as the TSP C Fund (i.e., the TSP's S&P 500 equivalent). Based on the links below (sorry, can't format correctly on this PC), they're both at .04% which surprised me: VFIAX: https://investor.vanguard.com/mutual-funds/profile/VF...
by danwhite77
Thu Jul 25, 2019 8:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Ghosted by IKEA after warranty claim
Replies: 49
Views: 8949

Re: Ghosted by IKEA after warranty claim

I've had success on twitter in these types of situations. If I were you, I would loudly, but politely, get my point across to their twitter account as frequently as necessary in order to get customer service to listen. Throw some hashtags on as necessary. #Ikea and the like. Even if you don't have many or any followers corporations do not want people searching for Ikea and seeing angry customers on social media. A friend in the travel industry told me long ago that if you have a problem with an airline don't go to customer service, go to twitter. The social media people are authorized to cut better deals than the customer service people. I recently had a run-in with a large appliance manufacturer. One of their products was very VERY easily ...
by danwhite77
Thu Jun 13, 2019 11:17 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Acronyms
Replies: 7
Views: 1730

Re: Acronyms

For general questions like this, just check out the wiki. Here's the page for acronyms:

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Abbrevi ... d_Acronyms
by danwhite77
Tue Jun 04, 2019 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New refrigerator noise is driving us nuts
Replies: 32
Views: 3917

Re: New refrigerator noise is driving us nuts

We bought a KitchenAid refrigerator a few years ago, which is a Whirlpool brand. Worst appliance I've ever owned. Made an intermittent sound like a rusty chain saw running its teeth over a metal pipe. Then it broke (compressor failed) and made the same noise after the repair.

Bottom line: purchase Whirlpool appliances at your own peril.
by danwhite77
Wed Apr 03, 2019 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Why not 100% World index fund?
Replies: 20
Views: 3120

Re: Why not 100% World index fund?

There are countless Bogleheads threads and opinions on this issue. Use the google search bar in the upper right hand corner to search for 'global equity weighting' and similar terms. Reading them all may take months or years but at the end of the day you just have to decide which approach you're most comfortable with and go with it. You should also consider creating an IPS, Investment Policy Statement, where you write down what you're going to do for investment purposes and then stick to that plan. There's a lot of information in the wiki on IPSs.
by danwhite77
Mon Apr 01, 2019 6:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Folks in their 60s and above. What early investment on health do you recommend.
Replies: 193
Views: 19275

Re: Folks in their 60s and above. What early investment on health do you recommend.

Hmmmm, a resting heart rate in the thirties should be checked by a physician. I don't disagree, but tell me when you get there. :) Ah, this brings back memories. I had an atrial fibrillation episode six or seven years ago (i.e., heart arrhythmia) that lasted long enough for me to go to the doctor. I stayed overnight and woke up to my heart monitor beeping loudly at me. My heart had snapped back into rhythm and resumed its normal rate of about 36 or 38 beats per minute. The monitor was set to sound an alert if the patient's heart rate dipped below 40. Good times! Was nice to know my heart was back to normal, courtesy of the monitor beeping for an emergency. I had a much MUCH greater aerobic capacity back then. Years of no exercise have push...
by danwhite77
Thu Mar 28, 2019 2:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Upgrading iPhone 5S to SE
Replies: 17
Views: 1272

Re: Upgrading iPhone 5S to SE

Why bother with a used phone on Craigslist, you can buy a new 32gb model on Apple right now on clearance. This isn't a used phone it's new, they're clearing out stock. Just use the drop down for 32gb at $250 or 128gb at $300.

https://www.apple.com/shop/product/MP7X ... y-unlocked
by danwhite77
Tue Jan 22, 2019 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best $300 to $500 Telescope
Replies: 19
Views: 2035

Re: Best $300 to $500 Telescope

Second this. I have an Orion XT8 that I love, that said if you're looking to take it camping it's big and I would consider the 6XT dob. The six would be plenty to look at planets and the moon. I also recommend finding a reasonably priced upgrade for an eye piece, moon filter, and possibly a better sight.
by danwhite77
Wed Jan 16, 2019 10:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: John Bogle has died at age 89
Replies: 856
Views: 81314

Re: John Bogle has died at age 89

Thanks for everything, Jack.
by danwhite77
Mon Oct 01, 2018 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones
Replies: 77
Views: 10745

Re: Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones

Literally just purchased a pair of Bose Quiet Comfort II 35 headphones last week. Paying for them is a bummer, but they have been phenomenal. I wear them on my work shuttle bus nearly everyday when coworkers are talking on their phones around me and the bus is roaring. The difference the headphones make is stunning, the noise is reduced almost to zero and once you play a song you can't hear anything outside at all. If I had to buy a pair of headphones again I would absolutely buy these a second time.
by danwhite77
Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Honda CRV All Wheel Drive VS Front Wheel, Which One?
Replies: 88
Views: 40525

Re: Honda CRV All Wheel Drive VS Front Wheel, Which One?

TLC1957 wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2017 9:02 am I am leaning towards the FWD, but at lot will determine availability in my area and what deal I can get. I do plan on keeping the vehicle for at least 10 years so the difference in resale values FWD vs AWD is not something that will influence my decision.
I bought a FWD CRV in December of last year. Been a great car so far, although I'm sure an AWD would be, too (they're both Hondas after all). My own personal reason for choosing FWD over AWD was the AWD seemed like overkill to me. I've only owned and driven FWD for the past 25 years without a problem so I didn't bother with AWD. The mileage has been great so far.
by danwhite77
Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Time for a new laptop?
Replies: 46
Views: 4014

Re: Time for a new laptop?

Probably going to receive a number of negative replies for this, but I would recommend a MacBook or MacBook Pro. I used to spend tremendous time troubleshooting my DOS Box / Windows machines. Finally got fed up with dealing with the headaches in fall 2009 and bought a MacBook Pro. My wife still uses that laptop as her daily driver (I very recently purchased a new MacBook). The MBP has been nearly flawless for eight years running now. I can't recall having a major problem with it. In fact, it still runs well with minimal lag (although I did recently install a SSD and some more RAM). The only thing I don't like about Apple products is paying for them. That MacBook Pro was pricey at around (IIRC) $2,000 back in 2009. But it's been a great lapt...
by danwhite77
Tue Mar 21, 2017 11:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Schwab vs Vanguard vs Fidelity - ER fees
Replies: 18
Views: 6440

Re: Schwab vs Vanguard vs Fidelity - ER fees

Tracking error is another factor to consider. It's not huge, IIRC, but I believe Vanguard traditionally has been the best at tracking.
by danwhite77
Mon Mar 06, 2017 4:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Net Worth Calculation (Question/Opinion)
Replies: 26
Views: 3263

Re: Net Worth Calculation (Question/Opinion)

I determine a conservative sale price using online resources, but mostly my own judgment, and then subtract 10%. I checked the documentation for our purchase of our home and the seller walked away with about ten percent less than what we paid. That amount will vary based on transaction, taxes, etc., but I thought 10% was as good a number as any to decrement the sales price. So 90% of FMV is my answer.
by danwhite77
Fri Feb 10, 2017 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: BRK Annual Shareholder Meeting- is it worth going?
Replies: 20
Views: 4266

Re: BRK Annual Shareholder Meeting- is it worth going?

Regarding the cost of airfare and lodging, when I went in 2011 the price gouging was already underway. I don't know about airfare, but what I did for lodging was to stay in Council Bluffs, Iowa right across the river from Omaha. I think I was in the Comfort Suites or Holiday Inn or some equivalent motel. It was dirt cheap, maybe $150. There's a pedestrian bridge over the river that links Council Bluffs to Omaha and coincidentally is right by the CenturyLink Center where the meeting is held so I didn't even need a cab to get to/from the meeting from the hotel. I just walked. Even back then I remember being amazed that people complained so much about price gouging in Omaha when Council Bluffs seemed to have none of it. It was like people didn...
by danwhite77
Thu Feb 09, 2017 11:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: BRK Annual Shareholder Meeting- is it worth going?
Replies: 20
Views: 4266

Re: BRK Annual Shareholder Meeting- is it worth going?

I went to the 2011 meeting. I think the answer depends on what you're looking for. I went with the intention of just enjoying Buffett's and Munger's personalities, checking out the huge merchandising area, and visiting a few of Buffett's favorite places (like Piccolo's). I wasn't disappointed, Buffett and Munger were very entertaining, the atmosphere was festive, and I had a great time taking in the experience. That said, once was enough for me. If, unlike me, you want to learn something new from the experience you'd probably be fine watching the live stream on Yahoo Finance instead of going to Omaha. I have read all of Buffett's letters to shareholders, a biography on him, countless articles, many videos, etc. What I found at the meeting w...
by danwhite77
Wed Dec 07, 2016 4:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I go for the 2K+ flying squirrel solution?
Replies: 36
Views: 6122

Re: Should I go for the 2K+ flying squirrel solution?

crazyapple11 wrote:So you can take the DIY approach by buying some flying squirrel cages and putting them in the attic? Anyone has done this before and how it works?
I've had mice in our house before and what you're describing sounds more like mice to me. Are flying squirrels nocturnal? Mice are, we used to hear them at night but not during the day. We would hear scurrying and scratching noises in the evening, not sure if that's what the "chewing" sounds you describe sound like. I used Great Stuff and silicone to seal all of the holes and Victor mouse traps (the kind that you see in cartoons) to get rid of the inhabitant mice. The traps were highly effective and cost a little more than a dollar each.
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 16, 2016 11:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Echo
Replies: 88
Views: 22721

Re: Amazon Echo

wolf359 wrote:In a few weeks, our second will be attached to a Christmas Tree, so the kids can turn it on or off remotely. It's like living in the future.
Beware of this functionality. We thought this would be fun, too, but our children are young and eventually they just turned it on and off all the time for no reason. We ended up disconnecting the device and went back to a switch.
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 14, 2016 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Visiting [Sea World, San Diego] in Thanksgiving - Howz weather?
Replies: 13
Views: 4081

Re: Visiting Sea Diego in Thanksgiving - Howz weather?

I am planning to go to Sea World, Sea Diego in Thanksgivigng with my kids ages 7 and 4. Is the weather fine for kids during Thanksgiving? Will the kids be okay outdoor in San Diego during Thanksgiving days. Dude, it's San Diego. The average temperature is 63 degrees in November in San Diego. It's kind of like the weatherman character in LA Story: "Sun! Sun! Sun!" We're from Chicago (so we're used to the cold) and we were there last December from the 26th to the 30th and our kids were playing in the Pacific Ocean in swim suits. Now, mind you, all of the locals were looking at us like we were crazy because that water is definitely cold but the weather was sunny and beautiful. We wore T shirts and shorts the entire time we went to D...
by danwhite77
Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: BRK.B Help me understand
Replies: 3
Views: 1025

Re: BRK.B Help me understand

All of the dividends paid to Berkshire go to the corporate entity itself which is owned by the shareholders as BRK.A and BRK.B. Berkshire and its capital allocaters (Buffett, Combs, Weschler) then seek investment opportunities to deploy the company's capital effectively. Berkshire doesn't pay a dividend because, in theory, the people in charge of capital allocation at Berkshire are some of the most astute investors in the world and therefore they will allocate the capital more effectively than could you or I. The Berkshire stock price should reflect incoming dividends and the ability of Berkshire's employees to deploy that capital. Whether or not this will happen going forward is anyone's guess. I've owned some BRK.B for about a decade now....
by danwhite77
Wed Sep 14, 2016 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Toyota, Honda, Nissan or Chrysler Minivan?
Replies: 43
Views: 6897

Re: Toyota, Honda, Nissan or Chrysler Minivan?

2006 Odyssey owner with 130k+ miles checking in.

Love our Odyssey, we've only had trivial problems over the years. It's been incredibly reliable. We did test drive a Toyota way back in the day, but their salesman was very slimy. We also didn't like how Toyota broke out every single item as an upgrade. After awhile it felt like they were going to charge extra for a steering wheel. Other than a bad sales experience, I don't have any experience with Toyota or the others.
by danwhite77
Wed Jul 20, 2016 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity beats Vanguard in ER
Replies: 30
Views: 4481

Re: Fidelity beats Vanguard in ER

Bill McNabb recently had a great line about this when another firm dropped expenses on some products below Vanguard's. His line was something like:
If you beat us on price today, you better be prepared to beat us on price tomorrow because we set our prices based on cost, not as a marketing gimmick.
That's nice that Fidelity cherry picked some funds that are a trifling amount less expensive than Vanguard, but I'd put a lot of money on Vanguard's fees for all funds being much lower than Fidelity's.

And let's remember that we owe Jack Bogle a huge debt of gratitude. If not for Vanguard, firms like Fidelity would still charge a huge ER for even the most basic funds.
by danwhite77
Thu Jul 07, 2016 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice for Small Law Survivor
Replies: 61
Views: 12517

Re: Advice for Small Law Survivor

Small Law Survivor,

You should definitely check out this thread. A number of men around your age pondering their ability to engage in activities later in life. It's the other side of the coin that you describe, in stark relief. Best of luck.

http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ ... 82072.html
by danwhite77
Wed Jul 06, 2016 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Picking College and College Scholarships
Replies: 650
Views: 96321

Re: Picking College and College Scholarships

Not sure if your son would be interested in Northwestern, but if so they recently eliminated loans. My understanding is that after the parent contribution, any amount that would have otherwise been paid for with loans is eliminated. Not sure if other schools are doing the same. Here are some articles on their approach:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... story.html

http://dailynorthwestern.com/2016/03/03 ... -packages/

http://www.northwestern.edu/newscenter/ ... dents.html
by danwhite77
Tue Jun 28, 2016 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Just bought into a Target Retirement Fund 2060. Now what?
Replies: 22
Views: 5649

Re: Just bought into a Target Retirement Fund 2060. Now what?

Image

Actually, it doesn't suck, just stay the course and let compound appreciation add up.
by danwhite77
Mon Jun 27, 2016 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: I need a new mattress. Memory foam?
Replies: 53
Views: 7075

Re: I need a new mattress. Memory foam?

My wife and I have a Tempur Pedic and we love it. Strangely, I don't like the memory foam pillows but the bed has been terrific. Our old mattress was a standard mattress that (apparently) was not well made because it broke down in a relatively short time period and caused me a tremendous amount of back pain. So far, the Tempur Pedic has been great for my back. I'd definitely recommend one.
by danwhite77
Thu May 26, 2016 4:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Roll call Warren Buffet 90/10 portfolio
Replies: 102
Views: 29285

Re: Roll call Warren Buffet 90/10 portfolio

Basically, yes, among our investable assets. We're a little heavier on cash though, more like 15% cash / 85% equities (virtually all of which are index funds).
by danwhite77
Thu May 26, 2016 4:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Marvin vs. Andersen Windows: The Eternal Struggle
Replies: 64
Views: 119480

Re: Marvin vs. Andersen Windows: The Eternal Struggle

Glad to see my old thread is still kicking and people are getting some use out of it. To the guy in March asking about a $2800 window, absent extraordinary circumstances, that's crazy expensive. We paid about a $1000 per window as I recall. Renewal By Andersen is outrageously expensive in my experience with high pressure sales tactics to boot. They were almost twice as expensive overall as the company we went with. I just saw someone on a home improvement sub on Reddit asking about an insanely high quote from RBA. People who use that service must not shop around anywhere.

As an updated epilogue our windows are still doing just fine no complaints at all. I'm a very satisfied customer.
by danwhite77
Wed May 25, 2016 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Student Loans vs IRA (follow-up)
Replies: 10
Views: 1238

Re: Student Loans vs IRA (follow-up)

belmont8924 wrote:
danwhite77 wrote:make a decision that your comfortable with and then don't second guess yourself
That's actually great advice and a reminder for many situations! :sharebeer
Yes, although I concede that when I have an Alpha Deathclaw charging at me, I sometimes second guess the actions that led me to him.

I like your avatar....
by danwhite77
Wed May 25, 2016 7:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Student Loans vs IRA (follow-up)
Replies: 10
Views: 1238

Re: Student Loans vs IRA (follow-up)

Everybody has a different opinion on this topic, as discussed in the wiki that you linked. So if you ask this question ten times you'll get at least as many answers that are at least slightly different.

The best advice I've seen is to read the wiki and make a decision that your comfortable with and then don't second guess yourself. There is no empirical correct answer.

As you're making your decision remember that student loans are a unique kind of debt that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy.
by danwhite77
Mon May 02, 2016 9:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much House
Replies: 64
Views: 11230

Re: How Much House

Four years ago bought our house for cash. Purchase price at the time was probably around 40% of assets. Approximately 2X earnings. I'm a long way to work, like an hour and a half each way. Where I live that commute is basically unavoidable. Could have bought a house twice or three times as expensive with a nice, big mortgage but fortunately DW and I are on the same page. We wanted to raise our kids in a modest house and we're not big spenders. This turned out to be an excellent decision as our kids' appetite for home destruction is impressive. Also, we don't accumulate junk for the very simple reason that we don't have any place for it. Our house is about 1900 sq ft above grade and a 2/3rds basement and even with a large family we feel that...
by danwhite77
Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: mortgage pre payment, why?
Replies: 103
Views: 17684

Re: mortgage pre payment, why?

boglebill2015 wrote:
For those who support it, when does it make financial sense?
I bought my house for cash in 2012. No matter what happens in the financial markets or with my job a bank will never foreclose on my house.

I view any potential foregone investment income as an expense I'm happy to pay for the ultimate in peace of mind.
by danwhite77
Tue Apr 12, 2016 5:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Honda Odyssey
Replies: 41
Views: 5916

Re: Honda Odyssey

10 year old Odyssey. Been great, all normal maintenance other than at 100k miles an automatic door needed a new roller which I replaced myself. I may not be Honda for life but they will get prime consideration next time we buy.
by danwhite77
Tue Apr 05, 2016 5:31 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thought I was on the right track, but apparently not
Replies: 60
Views: 6883

Re: Thought I was on the right track, but apparently not

Many of those calculators are geared towards telling you to save an incredible amount of money for retirement because they are run by financial companies that want you to invest as much as possible with them.

One of the best calculators is crowdsourced, you can check it out here -

http://www.cfiresim.com/
by danwhite77
Thu Mar 24, 2016 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Birthday Gift To Techie Husband
Replies: 38
Views: 4252

Re: Birthday Gift To Techie Husband

I'm from the same mould as your husband. If you have a lot of pictures (we have about 50,000), you may want to look into a digital picture frame. My personal favorite is the 15" Nixplay Original Wi Fi frame. We loaded thousands of photos onto ours and set the frame to play the photos every 15 seconds. We've had the frame over three years. The kids love it, they watch the frame at least as much, or more, than my wife and I do. It's great fun re-living all of our experiences together. I also bought frames for both sets of in-laws and made photo play lists that display the pictures of the grandparents with our kids for the grandparents' frames. My mom described it as the best gift she's ever received. If you don't have many photos, this p...
by danwhite77
Mon Mar 21, 2016 9:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One 360 New Money Market Account, 1% on over 10k
Replies: 101
Views: 32144

Re: Capital One 360 New Money Market Account, 1% on over 10k

ally has been offering their online savings with 1% for a long time. I had some online offer from Cap One a couple of years ago where the teaser rate was over 1% and then dropped to much lower than 1%. I closed that and moved to Ally since Ally has yet to screw around their savings rate. This was exactly my experience. I used a variety of Capital One savings accounts for a number of years, probably over five. I chased rates within their product line. After awhile, I became frustrated that whatever account I had never seemed to pay their highest advertised rate. I switched to Ally about a year and a half ago. Ally doesn't always have the absolute highest rate, but they're always near the top. I've been very happy, my rate chasing days at Ca...
by danwhite77
Tue Mar 15, 2016 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Schwab
Replies: 27
Views: 2198

Re: Schwab

Schwab has some of the lowest cost ETFs out there so I think some of the previous comments regarding Charles Schwab and his yachts are unfair and misleading for our purposes of low cost investing advice. Both companies are great if you invest in the right products (low cost index funds or ETFs). Your last sentence is the critical point. Schwab has some low cost funds and some high cost funds. This is like the grocery store that sells milk at cost as a loss leader to attract customers, and then prices ice cream at a huge mark up to make a tidy profit when the customer doesn't feel like driving to another store for one item. Fidelity and Schwab do the same thing, they sell some low cost funds to attract customers that they hope will be too l...
by danwhite77
Tue Mar 15, 2016 8:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Schwab
Replies: 27
Views: 2198

Re: Schwab

Charles Schwab's net worth is $5.3 billion. Where do you think he got all that cash? (John Bogle's is $80 million) Are you saying Schwab>Vanguard? No, what he's saying is that Schwab generally charges higher fees from its customers, resulting in founder Charles Schwab's net worth being $5.2 billion more than John Bogle's, who founded Vanguard. So he's recommending Vanguard over Schwab because of Vanguard's lower fees. There's a classic finance book named "Where are the Customer's Yachts?" The book derives its name from a vignette where money managers' yachts are floating around all over New York and someone asks "Where are the customer's yachts?" The joke being that the money managers get rich by charging high fees whil...
by danwhite77
Thu Mar 03, 2016 6:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mac laptop vs. Windows 7 (or 10) laptop
Replies: 63
Views: 7640

Re: Mac laptop vs. Windows 7 (or 10) laptop

My MacBook Pro is about 6.5 years old now and runs almost as well as it did the day I bought it when I was furious over my last Windows laptop flaking out. I'll never go back to Windows, the reliability of Apple products has been well worth the extra expense for me. Apple products aren't perfect but they're light years ahead of anything else out there, IMHO.
by danwhite77
Thu Feb 18, 2016 12:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: berkshire hathaway annual shareholders meeting - general question
Replies: 10
Views: 1959

Re: berkshire hathaway annual shareholders meeting - general question

I went three or four years ago. Stay across the river in Council Bluffs, IA. Lots of rooms there, even when Omaha is packed. You can literally walk over the bridge on the river to get to the meeting site. Make sure you have transportation figured out before the meeting, there likely won't be cabs.

I went to Piccolo Pete's and Kiewit plaza where the headquarters is located. There's not much to see other than Warren's favorite spots, at least in my experience.
by danwhite77
Fri Jan 29, 2016 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Two spenders and buying a house
Replies: 43
Views: 5897

Re: Two spenders and buying a house

goodlifer wrote:My first thought when reading the op was, "How could you fit 5 bedrooms and 3 baths in just 2800 sq ft???"
I had to chuckle at this. We have 2000 sq ft, five beds, and 2.5 bath. There is absolutely no wasted space on the second floor where all of the bedrooms are located.
by danwhite77
Tue Jan 12, 2016 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home window quotes
Replies: 16
Views: 4744

Re: Home window quotes

You probably already saw the thread that I posted a few years ago about Marvin vs. Andersen windows. The link is below in case you missed it. I would encourage you to get an Angie's List subscription (there are coupons all over the web - it's about 10 bucks a year). Then I would select a group of companies that are not offering a coupon on Angie's List (companies do that to get bumped to the top) and have a decent number of solid reviews. I had three or four installers come in for quotes. I liked the least expensive one because they also happened to be the most knowledgeable and least slimy. The range was amazing, 60k to 35k or so. If I were you I would keep looking around because even though I'm not in New England and prices vary by region...
by danwhite77
Sun Dec 13, 2015 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One Online Savings
Replies: 46
Views: 10181

Re: Capital One Online Savings

I moved from CapOne 360 to Ally years ago and I've been very happy. It was a pain to move the money around but worth the hassle.
by danwhite77
Wed Dec 09, 2015 11:37 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Illinois resident seeking 529 help
Replies: 30
Views: 4411

Re: Illinois resident seeking 529 help

Hey fellow Illinoisian. You might want to check out this thread for more information: https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=137239 Long story short, Illinois's 529 used to be terrible, in fact they broke the buck during the big downturn (lots of litigation ensued). Since then, they've gotten much better and I now use the Illinois 529 for our older kids and I now recommend the Illinois 529 for Illinois residents. As I discuss in the linked thread, DO NOT consider the prepaid tuition plan. I'll copy my statement from the other thread regarding the prepaid tuition plan: I strongly recommend that you do not consider this plan. The pre-paid plan is not guaranteed by the state government (which wouldn't be much of a guarantee anyway) a...
by danwhite77
Tue Dec 08, 2015 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wife uncomfortable investing in taxable account
Replies: 41
Views: 4184

Re: Wife uncomfortable investing in taxable account

You might try educating her a bit regarding investing. Since she's comfortable with tax deferred accounts, seems like it's a small step to become comfortable with taxable accounts. This might be the page from the wiki most relevant to helping her understand the benefits and risks of investing and how the Boglehead approach maximizes the former while minimizing the latter:

https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Boglehe ... philosophy
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 30, 2015 4:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Housing one more time
Replies: 28
Views: 4345

Re: Housing one more time

Imputed rent is, I believe what you're missing. How much would it have cost to rent a comparable home for that time? That amount would offset some, or possibly all, of your loss. I say this as a person who is not a fan of real estate, but we all need to live somewhere so you can't analyze a house in vacuum the way you would analyze a stock or bond investment.