I've always used FedEx whenever I've had to file paper returns. Do you think that's safer?
Search found 6229 matches
- Tue Mar 26, 2024 10:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: California tax return lost in mail
- Replies: 8
- Views: 949
- Mon Mar 18, 2024 6:07 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: how to disable "See results closer to you?" - Chrome
- Replies: 25
- Views: 2265
Re: how to disable "See results closer to you?" - Chrome
Why not just use Brave? Why do you need Chrome?zaplunken wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 6:33 pmNo! I never click on anything or agree to anything that I can avoid. I often copy a URL from Chrome and go to Brave to get away from a pop up that won't let me read something. I find myself using Brave more each passing month.unclescrooge wrote: ↑Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:31 pmCan't you just agree to it?
The only thing worse than targeted ads is untargeted ads.
- Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:33 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Furniture prices... is this normal?
- Replies: 60
- Views: 10072
Re: Furniture prices... is this normal?
But I returned it and choose a full grain leather sectional from Scandinavian designs. Apparently no one ever chooses full grain leather so it has to be custom ordered from Italy with a seven month wait. It is being delivered next week. It was 3 times the cost of the Costco sectional. Ive still got my dads full grain leather overstuffed couches that are probably 25 years old at this point and get daily use. Aside from the areas where the dog scratched at it to make a nest, They are in near new condition. Unfortunately, the 6 month old couch has not held up well. I have two dogs - 8 and 15 lbs each, and just their walking on it has left scratches. I'm not happy. 🤬 I guess dogs and leather furniture don't mix... I have two other much cheaper...
- Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:31 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: how to disable "See results closer to you?" - Chrome
- Replies: 25
- Views: 2265
- Tue Mar 12, 2024 8:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Furniture prices... is this normal?
- Replies: 60
- Views: 10072
Re: Furniture prices... is this normal?
Unfortunately, the 6 month old couch has not held up well.barnaclebob wrote: ↑Mon Mar 11, 2024 5:29 pmIve still got my dads full grain leather overstuffed couches that are probably 25 years old at this point and get daily use. Aside from the areas where the dog scratched at it to make a nest, They are in near new condition.unclescrooge wrote: ↑Sat Jun 24, 2023 10:37 am
But I returned it and choose a full grain leather sectional from Scandinavian designs. Apparently no one ever chooses full grain leather so it has to be custom ordered from Italy with a seven month wait. It is being delivered next week.
It was 3 times the cost of the Costco sectional.
I have two dogs - 8 and 15 lbs each, and just their walking on it has left scratches. I'm not happy.
- Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:35 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Emerging Markets Stocks have been a complete disaster
- Replies: 175
- Views: 17690
Re: Emerging Markets Stocks have been a complete disaster
Charlie Munger, Ray Dalio, Vanguard, Fidelity You gave me names. Why do they think China is an excellent place to invest? What is their track record on this issue? Because it represents a dominant global GDP that’s likely or already has surpassed the US China hasn’t surpassed the US in GDP. The gap between the size of the US economy and China has actually increased since the GFC. Goldman Sachs estimates that no major country will catch up to the US in terms of GDP, GDP per capita, and size and depth of financial markets for the next several decades (if ever!). https://i.postimg.cc/fb94zgmp/IMG-8509.jpg https://privatewealth.goldmansachs.com/outlook/2024-isg-outlook.pdf Didn't GS predict in early 2000s that China would overtake US GDP by 20...
- Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:32 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Financial coach as a side hustle?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 2287
- Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:21 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Vanguard just won't stop sending me paper mail
- Replies: 36
- Views: 3911
Re: Vanguard keeps mailing prospectuses
Schwab likes to mail me a postcard informing me of my ability to download the prospectus online.Mike Scott wrote: ↑Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:06 pm Vanguard does not but Schwab keeps sending me random bits of paper mail.
- Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Question about Solar panels
- Replies: 92
- Views: 6710
Re: Question about Solar panels
This cannot be true. I have a friend in Orange county who just has Tesla batteries that he's charged at night from the grid.
- Sun Feb 25, 2024 11:26 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: AlphaArchitect launches BOXX: 1-3 Month Box Spread ETF
- Replies: 308
- Views: 44842
Re: Boxx by Matt Levine
I moved my emergency fund from t-bills into boxx last summer.camillus24 wrote: ↑Sat Feb 24, 2024 8:54 pm Thoughts on this moving money from Vanguard money market fund to this (BOXX)?
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... nd=premium
I see prior threads discussing this but difficult to tell where the community is landing on this, especially pros/cons for the median Bogleheads user (or even the less financially sophisticated ones like me)
It's really complicated to understand and explain but after reading the box spread strategy post on this forum I became more comfortable with it.
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:56 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Heavy Value Tilt Away from Mag 7 stocks
- Replies: 221
- Views: 14197
- Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:56 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Heavy Value Tilt Away from Mag 7 stocks
- Replies: 221
- Views: 14197
- Thu Feb 22, 2024 11:32 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
- Replies: 244
- Views: 29146
Re: High Salary (>$500,000) careers
Highly doubt fresh graduates are getting paid these salaries.Vulcan wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 12:06 pmAt highly-selective trading firms new grad SWEs (and traders) start at these levels.HawkeyePierce wrote: ↑Thu Feb 22, 2024 10:49 am Software engineers can make that much at the staff level at large tech companies.
https://www.levels.fyi/t/software-engin ... C&limit=50
Programmers at HFs need domain knowledge of markets, and highly specific technical knowledgeable for coding trading strategies.
- Sat Feb 10, 2024 12:42 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Why BlackRock not used as much?
- Replies: 45
- Views: 5432
Re: Why BlackRock not used as much?
You are confusing BlackRock with BlackStone. They have very different business models.
- Wed Jan 31, 2024 2:39 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: 2FA seems out of control; any way to make it better?
- Replies: 39
- Views: 3743
Re: 2FA seems out of control; any way to make it better?
For several months, the fact that I had a VPN software running was preventing the "do not ask again" function from working on Chrome/Windows. The software was running but I was not using a VPN. This was recently fixed.
There are also Chrome plugins that create similar issues.
- Sun Jan 21, 2024 10:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: first time into Commercial Real Estate
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1649
Re: first time into Commercial Real Estate
Why are you pursuing this?atlanta_dad wrote: ↑Sat Jan 20, 2024 8:44 pm Hi everyone! I'm interested in venturing into commercial real estate investment (forming an LLC with a couple of friends) and would love some guidance. We have some experience in residential real estate.
Do you have some insider knowledge of your local CRE, or excess capital, or are you just bored?
- Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:42 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?
- Replies: 94
- Views: 15637
Re: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?
Compared to TF Ameritrade they all sucked.Small Savanna wrote: ↑Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:45 am My brokerage account and IRAs are with Schwab, 401k and 403b are with Fidelity, and Inherited IRA is with Vanguard, so I get to experience all three of the major platforms. In my experience, Schwab is no worse than the other two.
RIP TD!
- Sat Jan 13, 2024 1:41 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?
- Replies: 94
- Views: 15637
Re: Horrified by Schwab Platform -- Where to Next?
I was forced into Schwab back in November. I'd heard the UI is terrible, and that has been my experience since having the account forcibly transferred over. It's ridiculous, and nearly impossible to monitor investments in an organized or rational manner. I had considered pulling all my money before the switch to Schwab because it seemed like UI aside, most research indicated it was best for long-term investors (and they offered a de minimis retention bonus so I thought I'd give it a try). However, it's now at the point where I feel the need to use a third party platforms that allow me to better monitor my investments because I'm not able to accurately keep track of how my investments are doing easily through Schwab's app (I started out wit...
- Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:44 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Short Term Rental investment in The Great Smoky Mountains!
- Replies: 16
- Views: 2983
- Sat Jan 13, 2024 12:39 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Leaving home unattended for extended periods?
- Replies: 37
- Views: 4951
Re: Leaving home unattended for extended periods?
When I had a vacation house across the country I had a service that visited every couple of weeks. They checked things out, collected mail. In areas with many vacation houses there will be multiple services of this type. The real question for OP is what would happen with house insurance if there was a heating failure or water line break that went without notice for months. Insurance companies probably have exclusions for houses unoccupied for a significant time. 3 months is probably way too long. If your house is vacant for over 30 days and you don't have a rider, insurance will not pay anything. In 2018 there was a house on my street that was undergoing renovations for a couple of months. A homeless person broke in and set fire to it, bur...
- Mon Jan 01, 2024 10:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 47yo looking to retire, $3.7MM, VHCOL (NYC)
- Replies: 24
- Views: 6794
Re: 47yo looking to retire, $3.7MM, VHCOL (NYC)
- Mon Jan 01, 2024 9:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Short Term Rental investment in The Great Smoky Mountains!
- Replies: 16
- Views: 2983
Re: Short Term Rental investment in The Great Smoky Mountains!
I own 3 STRs in California wine country.
Wear and tear and utilities are higher, property management fees are high (25%), and transient occupancy tax absorbs excess profit (14%).
But I get a bit of personal use out of them.
The properties are slightly negative. I bought them because of a larger tax break that allowed me to get back almost my entire 20% down payment as a tax refund.
Negative carry is easier to swallow when the government subsidies your purchase by 20%.
Wear and tear and utilities are higher, property management fees are high (25%), and transient occupancy tax absorbs excess profit (14%).
But I get a bit of personal use out of them.
The properties are slightly negative. I bought them because of a larger tax break that allowed me to get back almost my entire 20% down payment as a tax refund.
Negative carry is easier to swallow when the government subsidies your purchase by 20%.
- Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:34 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Tax help: real estate depreciation
- Replies: 1
- Views: 340
Tax help: real estate depreciation
I am selling two rentals I've owned since 2005 this month.
I am doing my 2022 tax returns (I'm late... Different issue) and I was trying to estimate actual capital gains owed on these sales.
I looked at IRS form 4562 and saw prior depreciation was set to zero!!!
I went through old returns and found the prior depreciation calculation stopped being recorded after 2016 for both properties .
The depreciation for one property has been correctly calculated as $3/yet and had been deducted.
But the depreciation for the second property changed from $2800/yr to $210/year when I refinanced the property in 2017.
Q1. What steps do I need to take to fix these issues?
Q2. How do I implement these changes in TurboTax.
I am doing my 2022 tax returns (I'm late... Different issue) and I was trying to estimate actual capital gains owed on these sales.
I looked at IRS form 4562 and saw prior depreciation was set to zero!!!
I went through old returns and found the prior depreciation calculation stopped being recorded after 2016 for both properties .
The depreciation for one property has been correctly calculated as $3/yet and had been deducted.
But the depreciation for the second property changed from $2800/yr to $210/year when I refinanced the property in 2017.
Q1. What steps do I need to take to fix these issues?
Q2. How do I implement these changes in TurboTax.
- Mon Dec 11, 2023 1:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
Telsa's app will ask for your peak and off-peak rates. Then you can choose whether to optimize for cost or self-generation and it will automatically switch between solar, grid and battery back up for you.krafty81 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 10, 2023 10:45 am Anyone with experience adding a battery to their home to harness solar energy? I am looking at adding one and using it during peak hours instead of paying the high rates during that time. Looking for brand recommendations. Looking at putting it inside my garage to work with existing solar.
I have a friend in Orange county who has battery and NO solar and he showed me his cost savings. (He has an EV too).
- Sat Dec 09, 2023 11:12 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Wine - Alcohol-free suggestions?
- Replies: 25
- Views: 2620
Re: Wine - Alcohol-free suggestions?
Why waste money. Just drink milk.
- Thu Dec 07, 2023 2:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Private High School - worth it?
- Replies: 164
- Views: 28798
Re: Private High School - worth it?
Can't find the source, but I read that student outcomes are directly correlated to parents wealth & education levels.JBTX wrote: ↑Tue Dec 05, 2023 7:29 pm Generically, on average numerous studies have demonstrated that once you adjust for demographics, outcomes for any particular individual for public and private grade schools are comparable. Of course, that may or may not hold true to any one particular circumstance.
You could pay for a lot of extra tutoring if they went to public school.
- Wed Nov 29, 2023 10:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Transitioning my Company's 401(k) - Trying to Decide Between Fidelity, Vanguard, Employee Fiduciary, and Ubiquity
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1690
Re: Transitioning my Company's 401(k) - Trying to Decide Between Fidelity, Vanguard, Employee Fiduciary, and Ubiquity
Have you looked at Betterment for business?
They are quite competitive on pricing.
But make sure you choose someone who integrates with your payroll software. I've heard this can be an administrative headache.
They are quite competitive on pricing.
But make sure you choose someone who integrates with your payroll software. I've heard this can be an administrative headache.
- Tue Nov 28, 2023 5:06 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
So I spent a very useful 30 minutes with Jonathan from SDGE. He was very helpful and here is what I figured out. My usage went from 4,416 KWh per year to 8,110 KWh this year. Panels working fine as they always have. The increase is almost totally due to a combo of increased rates and charging my EV. My commute changed in March from 8 miles per day to 23. Here is the other reason for my situation... I am NOT on TOU(bad) I am NEM1(good). Thus, I have been charging my EV at night paying over 50 cents per KWh! Dumb. They can change me to EVTOU5 and it will be .15/KWh. Big saving there, glad I have only had the new commute for six months! Other improvements - I can add up to one KW to my solar and stay on NEM1. I may do that (two panels). Add a...
- Tue Nov 28, 2023 1:12 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I clearly have more work to do. I have scrutinized my SDGE bill over the last year and cannot figure out how my true up got so high. I think I need to talk to one of the "experts" on that. I also need to understand the difference between NEM 2.0 and 3.0. My solar guy told me, since I am always paying at true up time, that a move from 2.0 to 3.0 is not that big a deal. I'd discount the installers feedback. He is finally incentivized to sell you a system upgrade. Are you charging your car during the day? You shouldn't. Night time rates are not be 49 cents. Look into getting a battery without solar. You can pull from the grid during off peak hours to use during peak hours. Adding a battery also won...
- Tue Nov 28, 2023 10:58 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I clearly have more work to do. I have scrutinized my SDGE bill over the last year and cannot figure out how my true up got so high. I think I need to talk to one of the "experts" on that. I also need to understand the difference between NEM 2.0 and 3.0. My solar guy told me, since I am always paying at true up time, that a move from 2.0 to 3.0 is not that big a deal. I'd discount the installers feedback. He is finally incentivized to sell you a system upgrade. Are you charging your car during the day? You shouldn't. Night time rates are not be 49 cents. Look into getting a battery without solar. You can pull from the grid during off peak hours to use during peak hours. Adding a battery also won...
- Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:56 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I clearly have more work to do. I have scrutinized my SDGE bill over the last year and cannot figure out how my true up got so high. I think I need to talk to one of the "experts" on that. I also need to understand the difference between NEM 2.0 and 3.0. My solar guy told me, since I am always paying at true up time, that a move from 2.0 to 3.0 is not that big a deal. I'd discount the installers feedback. He is finally incentivized to sell you a system upgrade. Are you charging your car during the day? You shouldn't. Night time rates are not be 49 cents. Look into getting a battery without solar. You can pull from the grid during off peak hours to use during peak hours. Adding a battery also won...
- Mon Nov 27, 2023 8:49 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: CA Solar Decision
- Replies: 90
- Views: 12408
Re: CA Solar Decision
My opinion? Forget it, rooftop solar is dead in California, it just doesn't know it yet. Still pending but almost guaranteed: Fees per kw of installed solar (last I saw, $8/month per kw installed was proposed) This was stripped out of NEM 3.0 but it is NOT dead. "income based" monthly fees - this is already approved by the legislature and must be finalized by April 2024. For high earners it will be something in the range of $75-100/month. It supposedly will come with reduced per kwh costs. That means there is even less incentive to have extra solar capacity, since you will be offsetting "cheaper" power and cannot offset the income fees. Frankly @ $5/gallon of gas, electric cars are starting to be non-viable at PG&E ...
- Sat Nov 25, 2023 12:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for kids?
- Replies: 51
- Views: 4885
Re: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for kids?
Our boys were around 9 and 7 when they did about 1.5 years of BJJ. They enjoyed it, although I'm not convinced they learned enough to make any different in a real fight. At their age, there was no practice sparring or "real life" tests, other than slow motion "bad guy pretends to grab you". As we felt they were not really progressing further in the "kids" class (I think < 12 years old?), we decided to stop the classes. If they want to restart BJJ training, at what age do you think is more optimal to practice real life sparring, etc.? Maybe 16. Personally, I'd find a different gym. Your experience is totally different than that of our kids, then again they no longer attend the kids classes. Ditto. Sounds like i...
- Sat Nov 18, 2023 10:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Electric SUVs in the pipeline
- Replies: 119
- Views: 11921
Re: Electric SUVs in the pipeline
That's what I originally thought, but isn't there twice as much complexity and things that can break?
- Sat Nov 18, 2023 8:35 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Is a panamera worth it?
- Replies: 48
- Views: 6832
Re: Is a panamera worth it?
Yes, what is the best car for around $100k, give or take $10k?Nekrotok wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:01 amFor a porsche, "is it worth it (vs spending less)?" is the wrong question. Instead, the right question would be "If I spend $$$$$$, what is the best car?" The extra cost needs to be of no concern (because you have an abundance of wealth). Either that or you're an enthusiast that really wants that specific car for its particular characteristics.RichIn7Years wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 3:03 am I’ve always seen Porsches as 2 seaters, but the car itself looks nice. Is it worth getting? (Not asking this for myself)
As a side note, I went to the dealer to test drive the Porsche Taycan. I'm 5'10 and 212lbs and I could barely fit in the car. I got claustrophobic and immediately got out.
- Sat Nov 18, 2023 9:16 am
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Is VXUS investing in China too Risky?
- Replies: 71
- Views: 6993
Re: Is VXUS investing in China too Risky?
China is around 17% of world GDP, but its stock market is only 3% of the world equity market. If they close that gap over the next few decades, buying in at market weight today is going to have huge returns. Personally, I feel like not investing in China is too risky. Put some numbers on that rhetoric, please. The math here is a little tricky--attributing thing with exponential growth is tricky--so do check my work as I might have screwed up. Results first, then details. .... Within that $100,000, we have 3% or $3,000 invested in China, it grew by 13.62% per year, or 24.62X, to $72,962. Without China, we would have invested only $100,000 - $3,000 = $97,000, and would have seen it grow to only $429,187 - $72,961 = $356,225. That is a compou...
- Sat Nov 18, 2023 7:59 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Should I Buy A House?
- Replies: 79
- Views: 8494
Re: Should I Buy A House?
I have been a landlord when I can generate positive cashflow from rentals, and I have been a renter when a landlord is willing to subsidize my rent. This is how I built a lot of wealth.
If you can rent a house for 1/4th the price of owning it, it would be financially illogical to buy it. That is not how one builds wealth.
- Thu Nov 09, 2023 12:15 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Hard to Buy a House
- Replies: 90
- Views: 8955
Re: Hard to Buy a House
Thanks everyone. I do have my list and have been touring and researching for years, but it isn’t helping. Houses are consistently going for 200-300K over list price within a couple days, all cash , zero contingencies. And appreciating 200-300K per year for the last decade too. I just got outbid on a dump ; 7th in the queue for a total POS house. I have been living this nightmare for 10 years now, and am now at an age when most people are into their 3rd house with kids. But I’m stuck in an apartment with no kids and no hope of getting My first home. My dad keeps yelling at me that I’m a loser for not owning a house because “nothing has changed” since he bought his first house in 1970. A few things stick out at me. First, you can be a succes...
- Thu Nov 09, 2023 11:46 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: How to determine gains on sale of rental property?
- Replies: 0
- Views: 1300
How to determine gains on sale of rental property?
I just sold of my rental properties.
It's been rented non-stop since 2005 and I want to invest the proceeds into QOZ funds.
How do I determine what the cost basis/depreciation recapture is?
It's been rented non-stop since 2005 and I want to invest the proceeds into QOZ funds.
How do I determine what the cost basis/depreciation recapture is?
- Wed Nov 08, 2023 9:19 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: International Exposure without International Funds: Which Domestic Fund?
- Replies: 34
- Views: 3419
Re: International Exposure without International Funds: Which Domestic Fund?
Jack Bogle said you don’t need international funds and with my investing experience back to the late 80s I am becoming more and more convinced he is right. International used to be 40% of my equity exposure and over time that has become 20%. This seems to have been exacerbated since the wide adoption of ETFs. From day to day the performance of US equities seems to drive the price of US based international ETFs seemingly without great regard to what international markets did overnight. Intellectually I’m drawn to modern portfolio theory but emotionally I’m pretty disappointed with international funds. I get there is some recency bias there since US has been top dog for some time now. I guess that realization keeps the 20% in the portfolio f...
- Wed Nov 08, 2023 7:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Hard to Buy a House
- Replies: 90
- Views: 8955
Re: Hard to Buy a House
When I buy a $100 pair of shoes, I do an hour of research. When I buy a $5,000 vacation, I do a week of research. When I buy a $25,000 car, I do a month of research. When a property hits the market, I have to act within a day (so limited opportunity to do advanced research), and then I’m given all of 30 minutes to tour a property and study its numerous details, condition, pros, cons, etc. all while a pushy talkative salesperson asks me annoying questions the whole time. And due to the climate, I then have to figure out if I’m going to make an offer within the following hour, and what that offer will look like exactly (price, terms, contingencies). And with bidding wars galore, the list price means nothing. People are tossing around 7 figur...
- Wed Nov 08, 2023 6:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: SGOV dividend payment timing error?
- Replies: 35
- Views: 2341
Re: SGOV dividend payment timing error?
Well this sucks. So by them holding off on the monthly reinvestment for 1 day they are consistently short-changing me by 12 days of interest every year?! Shame on you Schwab! Duly noted in terms of future business. How do you think Schwab offsets the cost of commission-free trades? It's irritating that they pocket a couple of days worth of interest, but the investor today pays a lot less than the investor is 25 years ago. Fidelity offers zero commission trades and doesn’t pull this shenanigan. So it’s not like Schwab has to do this. 12 days isn’t a couple. When someone says “look at the happy couple”, they aren’t referring to 12 people. Comparing cost of investing today to 25 years ago is an irrelevant strawman argument to my grievance. Ma...
- Wed Nov 08, 2023 3:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: SGOV dividend payment timing error?
- Replies: 35
- Views: 2341
Re: SGOV dividend payment timing error?
How do you think Schwab offsets the cost of commission-free trades?
It's irritating that they pocket a couple of days worth of interest, but the investor today pays a lot less than the investor is 25 years ago.
- Tue Oct 31, 2023 7:31 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Are there important long-term benefits of parking a car in the garage?
- Replies: 130
- Views: 12905
Re: Are there important long-term benefits of parking a car in the garage?
For to earthquake retrofit, previous owner converted 2 car garage into two separate bays.
I tried parking my 2010 Acura tax (small Japanese sedan) in my garage and ended up dinging the mirror. The other bay is 6 inches smaller and could barely fit a golf cart.
Now our SUVs just live in the driveway in sunny socal.
My wife's 10 year old Hyundai Santa Fe looks just fine on the outside. Even the dashboard looks fine.
I take better care of my Acura rdx and after 4 years it looks fine too.
- Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:40 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: If International, what specifically?
- Replies: 98
- Views: 12112
- Sun Oct 22, 2023 12:23 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: If International, what specifically?
- Replies: 98
- Views: 12112
Re: If International, what specifically?
AVES is only 25% China.nedsaid wrote: ↑Mon Aug 24, 2020 10:57 pm
Sigh! I was going to take some of my Emerging Markets money and flee to Avantis Emerging Markets Equity ETF (AVEM) and found that it was "only" 36.52% China. Then I checked Templeton Developing Markets A, which I have owned for many years, it has 28.28% China, that is a little more like it.
- Fri Oct 20, 2023 7:08 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Need Advice: Navigating Concerns with My CFP's Investment Strategy and Practices
- Replies: 64
- Views: 6071
Re: Need Advice: Navigating Concerns with My CFP's Investment Strategy and Practices
Thanks, that makes sense.
Can the insurance company lower the guaranteed rate in the future?
- Fri Oct 20, 2023 9:50 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Need Advice: Navigating Concerns with My CFP's Investment Strategy and Practices
- Replies: 64
- Views: 6071
Re: Need Advice: Navigating Concerns with My CFP's Investment Strategy and Practices
If you can't stomach the volatility of stocks, maybe you should consider a deferred index annuity. The max you'll ever get is probably 5-6% but you'll never have a down year. I disagree with the suggestion of an indexed annuity. Most Bogleheads aren't fans of indexed annuities. If you want guaranteed growth without the risk of loss, many Treasuries are yielding more than 5% right now. Also, multi-year guaranteed annuities (MYGAs) are paying more than 5%, and that can be locked in for +-7 years, with deferral of tax reporting until funds are withdrawn. But please don't go down the rabbit hole of buying an indexed annuity. Bonds can go down in value. In fact, they have. For three years in a row. If you stick to 90-day T bills you won't lose ...
- Fri Oct 20, 2023 9:42 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Fast Money: Verizon $10/mo discount per line retention credit
- Replies: 40
- Views: 8960
Re: Fast Money: Verizon $10/mo discount per line retention credit
Are you sure it didn't unlock and phone and also not generate a pin?
- Thu Oct 19, 2023 10:55 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Fast Money: Verizon $10/mo discount per line retention credit
- Replies: 40
- Views: 8960
Re: Fast Money: Verizon $10/mo discount per line retention credit
But wouldn't your number now be unlocked and open to potential fraud?