Search found 3997 matches

by 22twain
Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Online Social Security application [question]
Replies: 17
Views: 1183

Re: Online Social Security application [question]

My wife turns 70 on June 28th, so I filled out the application to start benefits in July and clicked done. Her 70th birthday is in June so you should request to start her benefit in June. First payment will be in July. To help eliminate any confusion re: benefit starting month and first payment month, you could add a comment that she wants to start her benefit at age 70, with maximum delayed retirement credits. I applied online last October, for benefits to start at age 70 in January, first deposit in February. After I submitted the application, I was given the opportunity to save/print a copy of the information that I had entered: Background Information for 22 TWAIN Your information was received on October xx, 2023 at hh:mm:ss AM. [snip l...
by 22twain
Mon Mar 18, 2024 7:12 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire with $1.75M at age 43?
Replies: 169
Views: 11192

Re: Can I retire with $1.75M at age 43?

Have you investigated how much Social Security you'll receive, at least under the current rules? (Of course, this is subject to the future machinations of our Congress-critters, but it will be at least a starting point.)

At age 43, you've probably worked for about 20 years. Your projected benefit will depend a lot on your total SS-covered earnings to date, with your earlier earnings being "raised" according to the national average wage index. At the upper extreme, if your current salary is around $160K and you've been making that amount (inflation adjusted) for most of your career, you could be in line for about $45K of SS per year (in today's dollars!) if you start collecting at age 70, even if you never work for pay again.
by 22twain
Sun Mar 17, 2024 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: ETF vs Index Fund
Replies: 6
Views: 815

Re: ETF vs Index Fund

Which ETFs are you looking at?
by 22twain
Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: MIL's inherited Taxable (sell right away?)
Replies: 3
Views: 744

Re: MIL's inherited Taxable (sell right away?)

runner9 wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:24 am The gain in this fund is fully taxable at her normal rate instead of capital gains rate if we sell before she's owned it 12 months, correct?
No, inherited assets in a taxable account are considered to be long-term regardless of how long she holds them.
by 22twain
Sat Mar 16, 2024 3:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Utilities cost?
Replies: 57
Views: 4086

Re: Utilities cost?

Our monthly water meter readings are usually in the 500s. On our bill, they’re multiplied by a factor of 10 to get the gallons that we’re charged for.
by 22twain
Fri Mar 15, 2024 10:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Utilities cost?
Replies: 57
Views: 4086

Re: Utilities cost?

We live in the Southeast, so we pay more for gas (heat) in the winter, and more for electricity (A/C) in the summer. Last year we averaged about $314 per month for everything (gas, electricity, water, sewer, garbage pickup). In 2022, $316. In 2021, $329.

This is for a 1500-1600 sq ft house, two people. No hot tub.
by 22twain
Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Cash or CD's Instead of Bond Funds
Replies: 61
Views: 5449

Re: Cash or CD's Instead of Bond Funds

DireStraits wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 12:51 pm Is anyone holding cash
What does "cash" include, for you?
by 22twain
Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need Help Finding a Hobby
Replies: 76
Views: 6013

Re: Need Help Finding a Hobby

Veiled wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:18 am Walk through a JoAnn or Hobby Lobby. [etc.]
in the same vein, check out hobby shows at local convention centers and other venues. Coins, stamps, postcards (these are often combined), comics, model trains, guns, hunting/fishing, horses, boats, classic cars...
by 22twain
Thu Mar 14, 2024 12:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare and SS payment timing
Replies: 10
Views: 884

Re: Medicare and SS payment timing

I paid Medicare Part B premiums via EasyPay automatic ACH debits before starting SS at 70. I did not do anything to stop EasyPay explicitly.

My final EasyPay debit for $174.70 was in January. My first SS payment was for January but was actually paid in February, with $174.70 withheld for Medicare. There was no EasyPay debit in February. A few days ago I received a paper check from the US Treasury for $174.70.
by 22twain
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Website Provider Recommendation
Replies: 14
Views: 1164

Re: Website Provider Recommendation

bluebolt wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 5:34 am You have "UTF=8" for the <meta charset> attribute. It should be "UTF-8"
:oops: Thanks for catching that. I've fixed it. Both Safari and TextEdit (when rendering the HTML) tolerated '=' instead of '-' there.

I transcribed those bits of code by hand from the code for my own home page, and the two symbols are on adjacent keys, so it's an easy typo to make.
by 22twain
Thu Mar 14, 2024 5:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Website Provider Recommendation
Replies: 14
Views: 1164

Re: Website Provider Recommendation

Here's a bare-bones index.html that you can use as a template. It assumes the image file is named "'myimage.jpg". <!doctype html> <html lang="en-US"> <head> <meta charset="UTF-8"> <title> This appears in the title bar at the top of the browser window or tab </title> </head> <body> <h1> Page heading which displays in large bold font </h1> <p> <img src="myimage.jpg"> </p> <p> A paragraph of text in your browser's default font. You can have more of these if you want more paragraphs. Note the image above is in its own "paragraph". </p> </body> </html> I created this file using the TextEdit app on my Mac. When I double-clicked on it, my default browser (Safari) opened it and displayed it as a web...
by 22twain
Tue Mar 12, 2024 2:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Have any of you Frugal Zebras Changed Your (Spending) Stripes?
Replies: 130
Views: 10772

Re: Have any of you Frugal Zebras Changed Your (Spending) Stripes?

I drive to hobby-related events in my region about once per month. I used to do these as day-trips, even if it meant a 3-4 hour drive each way.

Now, I stay over a night or two, taking a more leisurely drive with some sightseeing, one or both ways, and/or doing some extra sightseeing at my destination.

I've also upgraded the level of accommodations that I use on these and other road trips, from Super 8 / Days Inn / Motel 6 level to Hampton Inn level.
by 22twain
Mon Mar 11, 2024 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Far in Advance to Apply for Social Security
Replies: 56
Views: 11054

Re: How Far in Advance to Apply for Social Security

Completing this saga, my first SS payment now shows as "Pending" in my checking account. But wait... there's more! 8-) Yesterday, March 11, I received a paper check via snail-mail from the US Treasury for $174.70. I had been paying my Medicare Part B premium via Easy Pay (direct draft from my checking account). The last such payment was in January. My first SS payment in February, being a month in arrears, had January's Medicare part B premium withheld from it. So I double-paid my January premium, and this is the refund of the extra payment. I would have thought they would simply credit the amount directly to my checking account, because I use(d) the same account for direct debits of Medicare premiums and direct deposits of SS. B...
by 22twain
Sun Mar 10, 2024 8:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tax question
Replies: 22
Views: 1500

Re: Tax question

Younglearner wrote: Sun Mar 10, 2024 1:04 pmNever found something on the bogleheads that fully states the reasons why someone believes in 100% US stocks.
I'm sure you can find something in this "US vs. the world" mega-thread which is currently ongoing, with more than 5000 posts. :twisted:

viewtopic.php?t=409214
by 22twain
Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Question about bund funds, NAV, and growth
Replies: 7
Views: 928

Re: Question about bund funds, NAV, and growth

DavidJack wrote: Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:01 pm What makes the NAV move up or down at all then for a bond fund?
The resale values of the individual bonds in the fund move up and down in response to the interest-rate environment, just like with individual bonds that you might own.
by 22twain
Sat Mar 09, 2024 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend a month on food?
Replies: 334
Views: 29235

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

How many people are in your family?

$2K-$2.5K seems awfully high to me, but you might have six kids for all I know.
by 22twain
Sat Mar 09, 2024 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mega Thread on Speed of 2023 Tax Refunds
Replies: 43
Views: 5035

Re: Mega Thread on Speed of 2023 Tax Refunds

Filed both federal and state returns online 2/29.

Federal refund arrived yesterday, 3/8, via direct deposit.

State (SC) hasn't taken our money yet.
by 22twain
Sat Mar 09, 2024 12:02 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Social security approval
Replies: 15
Views: 2043

Re: Social security approval

Some people are required to do a phone interview to review the application. In our case, they sent a letter asking us to contact a particular person in an SSA office in another state to set up a date and time for the phone interview. At the end of the interview, my husband was approved and things progressed very quickly after that. I was made to jump through a few hoops before getting approved, so it took longer. This may depend on how explicitly you specify your wishes in your application. I delayed until age 70 in order to receive the maximum monthly benefit. At the point in the online application where I had to specify my starting date, I gave the following answers: Benefits to start in 10/2023: No Benefits should start in: 01/2024 The ...
by 22twain
Fri Mar 08, 2024 1:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Social security approval
Replies: 15
Views: 2043

Re: Social security approval

Here's my full timeline, from another thread. I applied for my benefit to start in January (payable in February). Yesterday I received an email telling me that my application had been approved. Just now I logged onto my SS account and saw the following: 1. We received your online application on October 19, 2023. 2. We conducted a review of your application on January 3, 2024. 3. We have made a decision to approve your application on January 3, 2024. We have sent a detailed notice to you with your benefit information. You should receive your notice within 10 to 15 days. As I noted in a previous post, I received my "Notice of Award" on January 12. The next day, I mailed my Form W-4V to my local SS office, with my desired federal tax...
by 22twain
Wed Mar 06, 2024 9:11 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: RMD withdrawal
Replies: 5
Views: 881

Re: RMD withdrawal

After you take the RMD, will you use it to cover part of your spending for this year, or will you re-invest it in your taxable account(s)?

If you're going to re-invest it, I would use some of the VTSAX for the RMD, and then re-invest it in VTSAX in taxable. This would be the most tax-efficient path for the money, going forward.
by 22twain
Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: VTI
Replies: 21
Views: 4726

Re: VTI

Cocoa Beach Bum wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:44 am I don't think there were any ETFs back in 2012
SPY was launched in 1993. It was the first ETF in the US.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPDR_S%26P_500_Trust_ETF

VTI was launched in 2001.
by 22twain
Tue Mar 05, 2024 12:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?
Replies: 51
Views: 4431

Re: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?

123 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:12 am A sauna is strictly an indoor experience
...except in cultures where it's customary to run outside afterwards and jump into a nearby lake. In winter, one cuts a hole in the ice beforehand. :wink:
by 22twain
Sat Mar 02, 2024 11:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trip from KC to Bozeman
Replies: 41
Views: 2806

Re: Trip from KC to Bozeman

mhc wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:06 pm KC to Sioux Falls:
Pony Express museum in St. Joseph
The Patee House (hotel) museum three blocks up the street is also worth visiting. The Pony Express's post office was located there. There are exhibits about the Overland Mail stagecoach service, and other transportation related stuff. Oh, and Walter Cronkite's father's dental office.

I got a lot out of my stop in St. Joseph, on my way between Omaha and Kansas City some years ago.
by 22twain
Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:47 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SS Delay Bridge - But how?
Replies: 21
Views: 2191

Re: SS Delay Bridge - But how?

Woodnut wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 12:35 pm I will be retiring in September this year (at age 65) and would like to set up a 5 year social security delay bridge to last until I turn 70 in 2029.
What percentage of your savings/investments are your projected annual expenses? (including health insurance and taxes)

What percentage of your expenses will SS cover when you finally start collecting it?
by 22twain
Thu Feb 29, 2024 4:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Things to do in Minnesota
Replies: 43
Views: 3181

Re: Things to do in Minnesota

If the kids are interested in trains, Duluth has the Lake Superior Railroad Museum. It runs excursion trains (the North Shore Scenic Railroad) along the lake to Two Harbors. I’ve never done it, but I want to do it someday.
by 22twain
Thu Feb 29, 2024 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retiring in one year - How to generate a safe cash flow?
Replies: 19
Views: 2944

Re: Retiring in one year - How to generate a safe cash flow?

I may have simply overlooked it, but I don’t think you’ve mentioned how much cash flow you need or want. What are your anticipated expenses during retirement?
by 22twain
Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:10 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "How much should I have in my 401k" article for various ages - thoughts?
Replies: 45
Views: 6222

Re: "How much should I have in my 401k" article for various ages - thoughts?

GreendaleCC wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 9:11 am
By Age 50
If you don’t, now would be a good time to start making those catch-up contributions and to start saving in other retirement vehicles such as a Roth or Traditional IRA as well.
Yikes
Around here, a lot of people would say you're supposed to be FIRE'd by age 50!
by 22twain
Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When did your Net Worth surpass your lifetime earnings?
Replies: 93
Views: 11642

Re: When did your Net Worth surpass your lifetime earnings?

I started my first full-time job at age 29, and retired at 63. At that time, my portfolio (in today's dollars) was about 60% of my total adjusted earnings (including employer contributions to retirement plans, in today's dollars, with each year's earnings adjusted for inflation). Now, at age 70, my portfolio is about 70% of my total adjusted earnings in today's dollars. About 25%-30% of my current portfolio stems from an inheritance that I received in my mid 50s. So if I hadn't had the inheritance, the percentages above would be about 42%-45% at age 63 and about 49%-52% now. While working, I saved an average of 25% of my earnings (including employer contributions to retirement), lower in the early years and higher in the later years. I'm an...
by 22twain
Tue Feb 27, 2024 8:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to deal with/spend too much money?
Replies: 91
Views: 8904

Re: How to deal with/spend too much money?

4nursebee wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:24 am I know there have to be related threads on the topic, feel free to post them.
Indeed, this topic comes up over and over.

https://www.google.com/search?sitesearc ... spend+more
by 22twain
Mon Feb 26, 2024 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When did your Net Worth surpass your lifetime earnings?
Replies: 93
Views: 11642

Re: When did your Networth surpass your lifetime earnings?

For this comparison, shouldn't we adjust previous years' earnings upwards for inflation, in order to express everything in today's dollars?
by 22twain
Sat Feb 24, 2024 5:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM
Replies: 11
Views: 1297

Re: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM

To me, ten bucks plus a few days' interest, caused by my own mistake, isn't enough to get worked up over.
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: PIA Question
Replies: 10
Views: 1195

Re: PIA Question

rockstar wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:13 pm If I’m already over the second bend, and both the bend and my wages increase by the same percentage, then once I’m over, I’ll always be over even if I don’t work another year, right?
Yes. To be more precise in terminology, "wages" = "indexed earnings", i.e. your wages after applying the indexing factors. The indexing factors increase each year, not only for your current year's earnings (which are zero if you stop working) but also for all your previous years' earnings.
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: PIA Question
Replies: 10
Views: 1195

Re: PIA Question

rockstar wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:35 pm But I have no clue how the bends are determined.
From the "horse's mouth": https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/piaformula.html

That page shows how the SSA calculated this year's (2024) bend points, starting with the bend points for 1979 (which I assume are written into law somewhere) and the average wage indices (AWI) for 1977 and 2022.

If the AWI increases by 5% from 2022 to 2023, then the bend points will also increase by 5% from 2024 to 2025.

If you have no earnings this year that contribute to the total indexed earnings for your highest 35 years, then your total indexed earnings and your averaged indexed monthly earnings (AIME) will also increase by 5%, matching the increase in the AWI.
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 3:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM
Replies: 11
Views: 1297

Re: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM

The two cards have the same PIN. In retrospect, that was a mistake, and I should change one of them. I didn't think about it because I don't ever remember using the PIN on a credit card.
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Property Tax Rates - How are they calculated?
Replies: 12
Views: 1136

Re: Property Tax Rates - How are they calculated?

Glockenspiel wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 1:08 pm Where is Harris County?
As far as I can tell by Google-searching Wikipedia, there are two possibilities.

Harris County, Georgia (county seat is Hamilton) has a population of about 35,000.

Harris County, Texas (county seat is Houston) has a population of about 4,700,000.

I'm laying odds of 134:1 that the OP is in... :wink:
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 11:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM
Replies: 11
Views: 1297

Re: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM

Since the "cost" of my mistake was relatively low - I considered it paying a "stupid tax" and vowed to avoid paying it again in the future. That's how I feel about it. I also view this as a learning experience, watching how the fee and interest play out, as you note below. I've never taken a cash advance from a credit card. It's also been many years since I carried a balance from one month to another, which I did only a few times. I would suggest that it may not be a be a "one and done" thing with any interest accruing (and what charges start accruing interest). If I remember correctly - I think it took two billing cycles to completely clear the interest and fees for my mistake. That's what I'm curious about. ...
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM
Replies: 11
Views: 1297

Debit card vs. credit card at the ATM

Yesterday I needed some cash, so I decided to "exercise" the debit/ATM card for my secondary checking account. I put the card in my wallet (it's normally in my desk because I almost never use it) and went to the local branch of that bank. Upon driving up to the ATM, I opened the bank's app to unlock the card, and inserted the card in the ATM. The interface looked unfamiliar, but I figured that was simply because I normally use my other checking account at a different bank, where I'm familiar with its ATM. I got my cash, card and receipt from the machine, then opened the app to lock the card again. I saw a text alert for the transaction, as I expected. However, instead of saying something like "ATM withdrawal for $100 from che...
by 22twain
Fri Feb 23, 2024 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
Replies: 244
Views: 28598

Re: High Salary (>$500,000) careers

Wannaretireearly wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 8:29 am
vanuber wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 7:58 am
Wannaretireearly wrote: Fri Feb 23, 2024 1:37 am
I manage Architects who reach around this comp.
What kind of architects?
I don’t want to get too specific. Technology area senior Architects.
So not the old-fashioned kind of architects? You know, the ones who design buildings. :wink:
by 22twain
Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
Replies: 244
Views: 28598

Re: High Salary (>$500,000) careers

An annual income of $500K puts one in the top 1%-2% of their age group in the US.

https://dqydj.com/income-percentile-by-age-calculator/

I realize this is Lake Wobogle where everybody is in the top 10% to begin with, but I hope the OP isn't going to lead his kids to feel that they've failed if they don't reach the $500K mark.
by 22twain
Thu Feb 22, 2024 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
Replies: 244
Views: 28598

Re: High Salary (>$500,000) careers

Godot wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 3:43 pm I also received a faculty discount at the school cafeteria.
My wife and I both had that, at a small private college in flyover country. We ate our big meals there. 8-) We never earned more than about $175K combined, in today's dollars, including the college's contributions to our 403(b) accounts. But we're doing fine in retirement in our 70s, still with about 50x current expenses in our portfolios, plus Social Security. However, we didn't retire particularly early, at ages 62 and 63.
by 22twain
Thu Feb 22, 2024 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
Replies: 244
Views: 28598

Re: High Salary (>$500,000) careers

sunset wrote: Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:19 pm OP here. Thanks to everyone who posted. Pls keep the stories coming.
How are you going to use this information, in a personally actionable way? (or for a family member or friend)
by 22twain
Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Super beginner question about my current work retirement funds
Replies: 16
Views: 1914

Re: Super beginner question about my current work retirement funds

Does your current employer offer a retirement plan (401K, 403B, etc.)?
by 22twain
Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)
Replies: 53
Views: 5323

Re: Best place to buy personal domain? Best place to host it? (for email)

I've also used Namecheap for my domains, for about ten years now.

For email I use Google Workspace, the paid version of Gmail. (You can't use a custom domain with free Gmail, unless you have an old account that's grandfathered under their old rules.) I went that route because the college where I worked before retiring used GW so I was familiar with the user-level interface. I did have to learn admin-level stuff. Google provides instructions for setting up GW with various external domain registrars including Namecheap. The lowest level version of GW, called Business Starter IIRC, is sufficient for my needs.
by 22twain
Mon Feb 19, 2024 11:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25552

Re: What inferior good do you love?

vnatale wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 5:45 pm
22twain wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:11 am There's a state that doesn't have Waffle Houses? :shock:
Until this post I had been reading Waffle House as being generic, not the actual name of a chain of stores. I live in Massachusetts. Looks like the closest one to me is 238 miles away in Pennsylvania.
I should have looked at the Waffle House web site, or the Wikipedia page about them. :oops: They're in only 25 states, mostly in the southeast and midwest, where I've spent most of my life. None are in New York, New England, or the west coast states. The furthest west they go is Arizona.
by 22twain
Mon Feb 19, 2024 2:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get my road paved
Replies: 77
Views: 5878

Re: How to get my road paved

In my area, board members have roads to their neighborhood well maintained and paved. My state (SC) maintains a lot of roads that in most other states would be maintained by local authorities (cities and counties), including the street that passes our house in a residential subdivision. There is a rural road that I occasionally drive on as a shortcut to an out-of-town destination. For many years, it was in slightly ragged condition, mostly OK but I had to watch out for potholes and crumbling sections. Most of it is maintained by the state. One section, a few hundred yards long, is bracketed by signs saying "END STATE MAINT" and "BEGIN STATE MAINT". This section is maintained by the county, and has usually been in better...
by 22twain
Mon Feb 19, 2024 1:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Investment Account Newbie -- Taxes on Monthly Dividends?
Replies: 13
Views: 1060

Re: Investment Account Newbie -- Taxes on Monthly Dividends?

Raspberry-503 wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 10:19 pm Your expectation of paying taxes only on selling is likely because you have held stocks that pay no dividends.
From his opening post:
killjoy2012 wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:32 pm I've been investing in tax advantaged accounts for decades, but jumped into regular investment accounts last year...
by 22twain
Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:27 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement investments
Replies: 12
Views: 1658

Re: Retirement investments

mhadden1 wrote: Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:05 am
Leah/Banks wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 9:52 pm I do not consider it a skill of mine to do market research and know what individual stocks to buy.
Yes, me neither. That's why the Bogleheads approach resonated with me - it favors buying and holding inexpensive index funds to get market returns. No need to research companies and make stock-picking decisions.
Me three. Don't try to find the needles in the haystack. Just buy the haystack, and you'll get the needles along with it.
by 22twain
Sun Feb 18, 2024 12:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What inferior good do you love?
Replies: 232
Views: 25552

Re: What inferior good do you love?

jaqenhghar wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 6:44 pm
ScubaHogg wrote: Thu Feb 15, 2024 2:03 am Waffle House
+ 1.
Fun story: grew up in a state that had many Waffle Houses
There's a state that doesn't have Waffle Houses? :shock:

I ate lunch at one just yesterday, on a day-trip to a hobby event in the suburban fringe of a nearby city. I've eaten at that particular WH many times on my way into that city. Sausage, egg & cheese hashbrown bowl, yum. 8-)
by 22twain
Fri Feb 16, 2024 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?
Replies: 47
Views: 3628

Re: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?

We both started SS at 70: my wife, five years ago; I, this past week. Our combined benefits currently more than cover our expenses. We also have more than enough assets to cover the projected cuts if Congress does nothing about them.
by 22twain
Fri Feb 16, 2024 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Western Europe Traveling Apps?
Replies: 28
Views: 2206

Re: Western Europe Traveling Apps?

Surely most cities must have public transport apps. Vienna has the official WienMobil app which does routing and tickets.

It probably helps to use keywords in the appropriate language when searching. I found WienMobil in Apple's app store by searching for "wiener verkehr". It doesn't turn up when I search for "vienna public transport".