Search found 40 matches

by Kriegsspiel
Fri Jan 03, 2014 10:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend on books a year?
Replies: 47
Views: 4187

Re: How much do you spend on books a year?

$0; I read 89 books this year, all from the library.
by Kriegsspiel
Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you consider paying to play sports a worthwhile spending?
Replies: 32
Views: 2879

Re: Do you consider paying to play sports a worthwhile spend

I think paying to play in team sports leagues is definitely money well spent. If I were you, though, I'd look for cheaper leagues, those two you mentioned seem pretty outrageous; I'd make sure they aren't price-outliers before committing to them. You might have some serious regret if you drop $300 to play volleyball when there is a $30 kickball league too, which is just as fun.
by Kriegsspiel
Thu Jul 11, 2013 6:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fitness Wristbands??
Replies: 13
Views: 2180

Re: Fitness Wristbands??

No, they don't "work." At least, not since I last looked into it, does anyone know of any groundbreaking research into wearing wristbands?!

I wear a wrist band with a very personal reminder on it for motivation.
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Jul 01, 2013 9:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What to do with small cash gift for baby
Replies: 14
Views: 2107

Re: What to do with small cash gift for baby

I was planning on opening a Vanguard account for my new niece and "giving" her a few shares of VT. I haven't checked with Vanguard, if you all already know if that's not possible (minimum contribution or whatever), then I won't bother, and I'll set up a TreasuryDirect account for her instead.
by Kriegsspiel
Sat May 11, 2013 5:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Moving into a 400 s.f. condo?
Replies: 16
Views: 2765

Re: Moving into a 400 s.f. condo?

Rob5TCP wrote:I lived in 250 sq. feet near the UN for over 7 years and loved it. If it's well laid out (I had a Pullman kitchen and Murphy bed) which helped.
I was on the 22nd floor with a good, but not great view.

If your in a good area and plan to stay at least 5 years, it SHOULD turn out to be a reasonable "investment".
As to whether 400 SF is enough, only you can make that determination.
What city is this in?
Are you the guy in this documentary? Or his neighbor :) ?
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/we-the-t ... se-people/
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Apr 10, 2013 7:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in Pittsburgh
Replies: 70
Views: 7615

Re: Living in Pittsburgh

I agree. Even if last summer was unreal with the heat and humidity.

;)
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living outside the US seasonally?
Replies: 28
Views: 3879

Re: Living outside the US seasonally?

That's what I was looking at doing. I'd like to live in Scotland and Ireland for a while, maybe a half a year at a time, and looking at apartments on craigslist, they do NOT look very expensive at all.
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Apr 08, 2013 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living in Pittsburgh
Replies: 70
Views: 7615

Re: Living in Pittsburgh

Southside rocked. If I move back, it would be to Southside (flats), Strip District, or maybe Shadyside.
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Apr 07, 2013 3:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheapest iPhone voice only plan
Replies: 77
Views: 8267

Re: Cheapest iPhone voice only plan

Browser wrote:
Kriegsspiel wrote:Since smart phones are usually linked to your email account, why can't you just email them? That's what I did.
I assume you have to have a data plan to allow email, which is extra cost to voice-only plans.
Well, no, I meant that you could batch email them when you hit a WiFi zone. I don't have a plan anymore for my iPhone (I bought it in Germany, and it doesn't work with the Airvoice SIM), but I still take pictures with it and email them over free WiFi.
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Apr 07, 2013 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living outside the US seasonally?
Replies: 28
Views: 3879

Re: Living outside the US seasonally?

That sounds even cooler. How did you find the condo in te first place, did you just visit the area for a while to get the lay of the land, then find a condo like one would anywhere else they wanted to move? Did you get a furnished condo, or did you furnish it yourself? Was it complicated to buy property in a foreign country?

Are you already retired or can you work from anywhere? Did you settle on that location just because of the windsurfing?
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Apr 07, 2013 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheapest iPhone voice only plan
Replies: 77
Views: 8267

Re: Cheapest iPhone voice only plan

Since smart phones are usually linked to your email account, why can't you just email them? That's what I did.
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Apr 07, 2013 2:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What % of your income are you saving for retirement?
Replies: 228
Views: 35124

Re: What % of your income are you saving for retirement?

rr2 wrote: Thanks. This is very good for your age. By living simply, you can accumulate a decent amount of money. However, you are young, so do spend on acquiring some experiences that you may not be able to do as you get older.
That's true. I have had a pretty full life so far. I'll probably be able to retire, at least for a while, when I'm 30, which will free up my time to do a lot of cool things. Right now I'm taking a tactical pause from travelling around, and I'm doing a lot of reading and self-educating about some stuff I find interesting.
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Apr 07, 2013 9:50 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What % of your income are you saving for retirement?
Replies: 228
Views: 35124

Re: What % of your income are you saving for retirement?

rr2 wrote:
Kriegsspiel wrote:I'm at 75% consistently. I'm 26.
What % of your income goes to taxes such as federal, state, FICA?
18% (no state income tax).

EDIT:

I guess that doesn't really make sense does it? I think I was eliminating the taxes from my calculation. My non-tax cost of living is about 22.7% of my gross pay. Taxes were 18%. So I guess a more accurate savings % would be 59.3%.
by Kriegsspiel
Sat Apr 06, 2013 4:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Living outside the US seasonally?
Replies: 28
Views: 3879

Re: Living outside the US seasonally?

I am a windsurfer, and I spend the winters in el Yaque, Venezuela, on Margarita Island in the Caribbean. El Yaque is to windsurfing or kitesurfing what, say, Belize would be to divers or St Moritz to skiers. The money I save on heat alone pays for my winter expenses. At the end of the year I am surprised at how little I have spent all year, despite not really budgeting, largely due to the savings realized by living there during the time that it is most expensive to live in my primary home (New England), and I am right by the beach, every day is warm and sunny, the food and drinks are good and cheap, and the people are warm and friendly. Venezuela has its complications these days and that causes minor hassles, but they have hardly touched m...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Sep 26, 2012 9:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do You Invest in Vanguard Treasury Bond Funds?
Replies: 29
Views: 3685

Re: Do You Invest in Vanguard Treasury Bond Funds?

linenfort wrote:I used to, but there's some mortgage crap held in those funds.
Vanguard has made it a lot easier to buy and hold treasuries directly (no fees, no more $10K minimum), so that's what I do now.
That's what I do also, since I already have a mix of bonds in TBM.
by Kriegsspiel
Sat Sep 15, 2012 9:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Will you get an iPhone 5?
Replies: 108
Views: 9878

Re: Will you get an iPhone 5?

pennstater2005 wrote:Different smartphone for me. Since I'm in the accumulation phase I try to spend as little as possible on items such as this and direct it towards retirement savings. $25/month plan through Virgin Mobile. My friends tell me I'm cheap and have a crappy phone.
This. But I use a Straight Talk.
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Sep 10, 2012 11:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund
Replies: 85
Views: 9872

Re: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund

At the risk of repetition. A creditor (debt) has first claim on the sale of assets of a company in bankruptcy (Chapter 7). Chapter 11 is a little different (and fairly unique to USA) in that the company can keep running with existing management and a standstill on payments to creditors, if the court allows it. In the movie 'Inside Job' one of the world's leading insolvency lawyers makes it clear that US officials did not understand that when Lehman was put into bankruptcy, the effect in England, under English law, would be quite different from the effect in NY. Here, bankruptcy is what it sounds like (effectively no Chapter 11). All creditors get paid out before shareholders, so for most companies shareholders get de minimis. But for examp...
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund
Replies: 85
Views: 9872

Re: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund

I have the same feelings towards TIPS. It's partly because I don't really have a firm understanding of how the federal government is able to pay back that much, from what I can tell, it's just because they can print the money to pay for it, instead of paying it from increased profits or finding ways to cut costs, as in a business. Actually the ability of businesses to repay debt is much worse than the US government. Businesses go broke all the time, even dead solid 100 year old businesses (think Kodak, or Penn Central Railway, or AIG during the crash). Why? Because directors and shareholders can walk away if the business does. Chapter 11 is widely used to allow businesses to get out of their obligations-- see the US airline industry ------...
by Kriegsspiel
Sun Sep 09, 2012 7:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund
Replies: 85
Views: 9872

Re: Thoughts on the Inflation Protected TIPS Bond Fund

TIPS are sold by the same people involved with creating the inflation they are to protect you from. Stay away from them. Put 5-10% into one ounce gold bullion pieces. I would never touch TIPS just on the principle of the thing. Even Bill Gross, a bond man, seems to be having a conversion experience. http://www.usagold.com/cpmforum/2012/09/07/pimcos-gross-im-leaning-toward-gold-over-bonds/ I have the same feelings towards TIPS. It's partly because I don't really have a firm understanding of how the federal government is able to pay back that much, from what I can tell, it's just because they can print the money to pay for it, instead of paying it from increased profits or finding ways to cut costs, as in a business. Is that about right or a...
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Sep 04, 2012 6:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Most reliable used vehicles?
Replies: 50
Views: 9242

Re: Most reliable used vehicles?

It's cool someone else mentioned MMM, that's how I found out about Bogleheads and Vanguard :sharebeer

Anyways, I'm in the same boat, but I'm specifying a hatchback with all those qualities you are looking for. I'm interested in the Scion Xa and Xd. Consumer Reports had a good article that listed the most expensive cars to OPERATE, as compared to PURCHASE, which are not the same thing. For instance, my BMW 328i has great repair costs for the first 5 years (warranty, duh!), but after that they are astronomical, something I didn't take into account when I bought the thing. So that's something to consider. The article was on the Consumer Reports site.
by Kriegsspiel
Fri Aug 31, 2012 7:42 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Military Deployment - Advice on tax advantages
Replies: 24
Views: 3182

Re: Military Deployment - Advice on tax advantages

billted wrote: As for the new car, that would have been me about 5 years ago. These days a graph of compounding interest makes me far happier :moneybag

BillTed
Exactly right. :)
by Kriegsspiel
Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Military Deployment - Advice on tax advantages
Replies: 24
Views: 3182

Re: Military Deployment - Advice on tax advantages

stevendunbar23 wrote:Look into the savings deposit program. Military members deployed in combat zones, qualified hazardous duty areas, or certain contingency operations may deposit all or part of their unallotted pay into a DOD savings account up to $10,000 during a single deployment. Interest accrues on the account at an annual rate of 10% (per Executive Order 11298) and compounds quarterly.
Definitely do this. Your finance guys should know how to set it up.

Also, don't buy a car once you get back with the money you saved during your deployment. :oops:
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1561095

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

The Singularity is Near, Kurzweil. I'm about 30 pages in, I can tell it's going to be a mind-blower. Just with him laying out his theory, I can see where quite a few sci-fi novels I've read have drawn from him.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Aug 08, 2012 6:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

Ok, I dig it. I already hit the button to exchange my intermediate term for the TBM. With my estimated save rate, I won't have to branch out into municipals for another 3 years or so. Thanks everyone.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Aug 08, 2012 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

Yea I see what you're saying. But I guess since we don't really know if refinancing at super low interest rates will be available in the future, I might as well start with just the one fund and see how it goes.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Aug 08, 2012 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

Ok cool, these replies helped a lot. I wasn't trying to convince anyone, I'm completely new to all of this and still learning the basics. What really started all this MBS whatnot was teh link from the Startup Kit on the wiki where JB said that MBS were "non-bonds." But yea, I will switch my Inter-term over to TBM, and when THAT runs out of space in my Roth, start using the intermediate municipals in taxable. Thanks, it will be simpler than the 3 bond funds I was going to use.
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

grabiner wrote:Corporate bonds have slightly more risk of default in deflation, since corporations will be paying off fixed amounts from declining revenues, but the corporates in Total Bond Market are relatively low-risk.
Wait, I thought bonds wouldn't be defaulted on by corporations, because they would have to declare bankruptcy when they couldn't cover their debts (ie, they would declare bankruptcy when if they were any more less profitable, they wouldn't be able to pay their bond principal?).

And are the corporates in TBM more low risk than the ones in the Intermediate Index? I thought they were equal?
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

1) Don't believe me without checking, but I think all of the mortgage-backed securities in the BarCap Aggregate index, and hence in Total Bond, are federally guaranteed. That makes default risk subtle--it would usually be assumed to be negligible. 2) Larry Swedroe has said repeatedly that he thinks GNMAs have unnecessary risk, to the point where he does not recommend either the Vanguard GNMA fund or the Vanguard Total Bond Market fund. It is very clear that he's talking about something subtle , not something huge. And I don't think he's worried about default risk, I think he's worried about prepayment risk. 3) If you don't like them, you don't have to have them. Just use the Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index fund instead, which does no...
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Aug 06, 2012 10:16 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

Re: TBM as a deflation hedge?

It's the coupon, mostly. If you sort the coupon column in the link below, you'll see there are lots of nice safe Treasuries in there, paying next to nothing. That's a negative real return. To get better than that you have to go after riskier stuff at a lower credit quality. Sometimes much lower. Why? --political comment deleted-- https://personal.vanguard.com/us/FundsAllHoldings?FundId=0084&FundIntExt=INT&tableName=Bond&tableIndex=0&sort=COUPONRATE&sortOrder=web.funds.profile.view.FundsAllHoldingsSort$SortOrder@33b242a It also looked like there were some MBSs down there at the bottom of the coupon rate too though. They are the riskiest (I was trying to use defaulting as an example in my first post, prepayment and refina...
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Aug 06, 2012 7:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TBM as a deflation hedge?
Replies: 21
Views: 1927

TBM as a deflation hedge?

Can anyone tell me I am off base for being weirded out by the MBSs inside the TBM fund? It would seem when bonds would be your workhorse financial asset, like during a deflationary period, wouldn't that increase the risk that people would default on their mortgages? Or is that just a risk like defaulting on every other kind of bond in that fund? I realize it can't be this way, or else the 3 fund portfolio wouldn't really work that well, because the different asset classes wouldn't complement each other, but I don't understand why this is the case. Can anyone break it down Barney-style for me?
by Kriegsspiel
Mon Aug 06, 2012 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Three-Fund Portofolio
Replies: 26
Views: 5097

Re: Three-Fund Portofolio

Johm221122 wrote:I will not go with bond index till yield hits 4%.I only don't like bond index because I did not initially invest in it(lack of knowledge it existed) and did not get capital gains on way down, so I don't want to buy to get capital losses on interest rates eventual rise.I use stable value, savings bonds,and spectrum income.
Can you explain what you mean here a little more?
by Kriegsspiel
Tue Jul 31, 2012 11:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: liquidating stocks to start index funds portfolio
Replies: 6
Views: 812

Re: liquidating stocks to start index funds portfolio

Just wait out the first year? That's what i'm doing.
by Kriegsspiel
Fri Jul 27, 2012 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Intermediate-Term Bond vs Total Bond
Replies: 21
Views: 3918

Re: Intermediate-Term Bond vs Total Bond

I am planning on using the Intermediate Bond Index as my main bond holding, instead of the Total Bond Market Index. When I was going through the startup kit on the wiki, this link influenced me. Granted, it was written in 2007, but I didn't like the idea of "non-bonds" being part of my bond allocation: Dear Jack: I am in the process of reading your new book”The Little Book”and in your chapter on bond funds,you state that “the intermediate-term bond index fund is a truly superior performer”. I owned that fund along with the Long Term Bond Index Fund.Then last year Vanguard developed a financial plan for me in which they recommended that I sell those two funds and purchase the Total Bond Market Index Fund.I did just that and now I a...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Jul 25, 2012 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Which Bond Fund to use?
Replies: 14
Views: 3037

Re: Which Bond Fund to use?

I use the intermediate index instead of the investment index to get more diversity.
by Kriegsspiel
Thu Jul 19, 2012 5:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)
Replies: 8
Views: 1068

Re: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)

I think that would be the smartest move for me right now. Just use the Roth for the taxable intermediate bonds, and just start adding to each of the funds (it will take about a year for my capital gains taxes on all my individual investments to come down to 15%) in keeping with my AA. Once the bonds portion of the AA starts spilling out of the Roth, I'll just start using tax-exempt intermediate bonds. So, start with a 3 fund, then move to a "4" fund (just two different bond funds). I figure I have plenty of time before I have enough to retire early, and then at that point, once I don't really have much income, I can switch some over to the REIT fund for some cash.
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Jul 18, 2012 9:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)
Replies: 8
Views: 1068

Re: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)

Here is what I would do... 1. If I had to put bonds in taxable, I'd go as much in I-Bonds as possible. What does I-Bonds stand for? Intermediate, inflation-protected, investment? 2. I'd ditch the REIT. Many bogleheads use no REITs, so you really don't need it. Well, what is the reason people don't hold REITs? 3. Just go with the 3 fund portfolio that Larry Swedroe and others recommend here: Maybe go with 20% bond, 50% Total Domestic, 30% Total International. I am planning on doing something like that AA, just with a couple different funds, I just haven't seen a post on how best to divide it between a Roth and taxable accounts. The great thing about the three fund portfolio is that two of the three (the domestic and international Vanguard f...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Jul 18, 2012 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)
Replies: 8
Views: 1068

Re: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)

Here is a possible retirement portfolio: Taxable at Vanguard -- $50K -- 77% 61% (VTSAX) Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund Admiral Shares (0.06%) 16% (VTIAX) Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund Admiral Shares (0.18%) Roth IRA at Vanguard -- $15K -- 23% 5% (VGSIX) Vanguard REIT Index Fund Investor Shares (0.26%) 18% (VBILX) Vanguard Intermediate-Term Bond Index Fund Admiral Shares (0.11%) Right, but I was asking as the portfolio gets bigger, the $5,000 limit on the Roth is going to limit the amount I can put into bonds and the REIT, so to keep the AA I'd have to start contributing to one of them outside the Roth. Based on what you said below, I'd say it would be the bonds? Question : is it smart to have only tax-exempt interme...
by Kriegsspiel
Wed Jul 18, 2012 1:46 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)
Replies: 8
Views: 1068

AA and tax efficiency questions (beginner)

Emergency funds = 1 year Debt: None. Tax Filing Status: Single Tax Rate: projecting 25% Federal xx% State State of Residence Age: 26 Desired Asset allocation: 80/15/5 (stocks/bonds/cash) Intl allocation: 20% of stocks Current portfolio: about 65,000. Taxable 4.5% cash for investing 45% VG Total Stock Market (VTSAX) 1.5% Agree Realty REIT (ADC) 1.5% Autoliv Inc (ALV) 3% Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) 5% Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) 1% Corning Inc (GLW) 1.5% Forest Labs (FRX) 1.2% Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) 1% LTX Credence Corp (LTXC) 1% NL Industries (NL) 1% Navistar (NAV) 1% Pioneer Southwest Energy (PSE) 3% Senior Housing Group REIT (SNH) 1% Tessera Technologies (TSRA) 1.5% 3M (MMM) 1% USA Mobility (USMO) 1% Unisys Corp (UIS) 0.5% Visteon C...