Bogleheads.org

I've been looking for alternatives to Amazon for many items and have been reading about Temu - so I checked it out - website and app - and for less expensive consumer items it seems to have a large price advantage and shipping - well, now that Amazon has been taking longer to ship items to me, that erases that advantage. Temu return policy does not seem as generous, however. Knowing this, I might not order some categories of items such as shoes, etc. I was wondering if anyone here has any direct personal experience with ordering from them? and can vouch or offer any details regarding their experience? My sister orders from a similar Asian retailer - Shein and says she has had good luck. Thanks I ordered a drone from Temu once and it took f...

Tell Tina you want to invest in her deals and ask her to share documents.

TravelforFun

I am 78, wife is 75. Have small ($50K) IRA, paid for (~$250K) home and ~$200K in taxable brokerage account with a 1.25% fee. And, that account is entirely ETF’s and MF’s. No need to leave any funds to kids. They do quite fine. Simply want to gradually withdraw $7K-$10K annually to live our years. And with lower or no fees. Think I could do fine with the appropriate ETF’s in a robo account or a zero cost brokerage account and be rid of the advisory fees (or have a significantly lower annual fee with a robo). I really do not want to spend much time to manage an account. Did that for the better part of my life. Looking for advice on my fee reduction ideas and thoughts on where (robo or self)? TIA If there's no need to leave money for heirs, y...

If not the builder, who should I hire to get this squeaking issue fixed? A framer or someone else? I am confused. The original contractor would be your best bet. The problem with getting another building contractor is that this job will likely be to small and not worth the time and effort. A general handyman sort of person might be your next bet, but skills can vary and generally, the good ones will already be booked through the end of the year. Honestly, my recommendation would be to remove the drywall yourself and do some diagnostics of the noise. Once you've identified where it is coming from, then it is easier to know who to hire to fix the issue and the mess you made. If the house is still under warranty, do not bring anyone in to try...

The other day I met a millionaire- happily driving a 2014.5 Toyota Camry Hybrid. That person could easily afford any/most expensive sub $1 million car that’s out there (with cash). But, happy to own/drive that Toyota. What he said was priceless: I’ve never been to dealerships to fix/repair anything on his vehicle — and said: he never finds Money or Honey at those service centers; even more importantly - his time is “lot” more valuable - than making frequent trips (wasting time) to dealership service centers. Hence, he is happy to save “time” (yes, monies too — but to him, it’s secondary..) His monies are invested in market (highly liquid) and in his business (somewhat illiquid) Makes you wonder why so many people want to be a millionaires ...

brian91480 wrote: ↑Sun Feb 26, 2023 9:52 am My sister is the executor of my estate. Once per year, I give her an updated list of accounts, values, and passwords.

Nobody else in the family knows anything, despite them all being equal beneficiaries upon my death.

--- Brian

Same here. I give my adult son who is our wills' executor an updated and detail accounts of what we have every year.

I'm named executor on 5 different wills but no one has shared anything with me. It's gonna be a long slog when any of them passes.

TravelforFun

"Once you are retired, you can withdraw from the HSA an amount equal to your past medical expenses plus any current expenses tax-free, and withdraw from your other accounts for non-medical expenses. HSAs can be used to pay medicare premiums and other medical expenses in retirement." So once you are retired, is there any benefit in continuing to defer HSA withdrawals, or at that point do you just start drawing down your HSA to pay for current year medical expenses (as well as cobra / medicare premiums)? I'm retired and continue to let my HSA grow tax-free without touching it. I'm pretty sure my medical expenses in the last few years of my life will be more than what I will have in my HSA. I'm 70 and currently cash flowing all my m...

jebmke wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:32 pm

TravelforFun wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 4:36 pm

mrmass wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:53 pm I think the shortest timeout is 15 seconds. Perp graps phone, runs, is 15 seconds enough or not? Do you feel lucky?

Perp can keep the phone alive by tapping, scrolling, opening and closing apps, etc. Or first thing they do is changing settings.

TravelforFun

Hope he replies to my older sibling to stop using the canned email replies.

I don't undertand this comment.

TravelforFun

smitcat wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 12:53 pm "i have heard or read that in general there is mostly dissatisfaction or buyer remorse when purchasing LTC insurance and that premium increases are a regular occurrence."
Not in our case, I suggest you do your own research.

Not in our case either and I've been paying the premium the last 15 years. I'm glad we have it.

TravelforFun

mrmass wrote: ↑Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:53 pm I think the shortest timeout is 15 seconds. Perp graps phone, runs, is 15 seconds enough or not? Do you feel lucky?

Perp can keep the phone alive by tapping, scrolling, opening and closing apps, etc. Or first thing they do is changing settings.

TravelforFun

The return you are looking for is the internal rate of return or IRR. It is calculated based on the $200,000 downpayment, all cashflows out during the 7 years, all cashflows in during the 7 years, and then the final cashflow in. You can calculate it on Excel by setting up a table like the following: Year $ 0 -200000 1 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 2 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 3 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 4 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 5 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 6 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent 7 -5319*12+taxbenefit+rent+500000 and then using the IRR formula like =irr(B2:B9) where B2 is the $ for year 0 (the down payment) and B9 is the $ for year 7. As you can see, I have put in placeholders for "taxbenefit" and "rent." The interest cost i...

Ed Slott talks about the cream in the coffee rule, which means if your traditional IRA has some after tax basis, then combining the IRAs will cause the basis to be spread over all the IRA money rather than staying in just the traditional IRA. Whether this makes a difference to you depends on your personal situation. I would keep the traditional IRA separate, which is what I have done. In my case this will allow me to distribute (rollover) my after tax basis in my traditional IRA to a Roth in 2024. Interesting thought. I had forgotten about that. The large 401k at Fidelity is 100% pre-tax, so no basis. The smaller 401k at John Hancock does have a small basis. And all the IRA's are pre-tax, so no basis there, of course. Is it possible to cle...

Ed Slott talks about the cream in the coffee rule, which means if your traditional IRA has some after tax basis, then combining the IRAs will cause the basis to be spread over all the IRA money rather than staying in just the traditional IRA. Whether this makes a difference to you depends on your personal situation. I would keep the traditional IRA separate, which is what I have done. In my case this will allow me to distribute (rollover) my after tax basis in my traditional IRA to a Roth in 2024. Interesting thought. I had forgotten about that. The large 401k at Fidelity is 100% pre-tax, so no basis. The smaller 401k at John Hancock does have a small basis. And all the IRA's are pre-tax, so no basis there, of course. Is it possible to cle...

'Don't wait to buy real estate. Buy real estate and wait.' - Will Rogers.

TravelforFun

nisiprius wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:56 am

martincmartin wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 10:00 am

nisiprius wrote: ↑Sat Feb 11, 2023 8:33 am You can't spend the exact maximum, with the goal that "the check to the underwriter will bounce," unless you can accurately predict your personal single-case sample-size-of-one lifetime.

Did you mean undertaker? Because if you meant underwriter, then I'm confused.

I was the one who was confused. I meant "undertaker." Fixed now.

Yes you can spend the exact maximum. Just convert everything to an annuity.

TravelforFun

I cut the cable and went with YouTube TV two years ago and never looked back. It has all the channels we want and more, more DVR space than we need, and for $70 a month, I'm able to share my account with a daughter who lives in a different house. Another plus for me is we no longer have a cable box and wires for every TV in the house.

TravelforFun

Watch questions will invariably elicit Timex and Casio responses from bogleheads.

TravelforFun

IsabellaH555 wrote: ↑Wed Feb 08, 2023 4:44 pm I’m quite sure that the reason for this call was to bring in patients for the resident doctor (who is not well-liked).
I reported this incident to management two weeks ago with no response.
I am unsure what to do about this…..I could just let it pass and find an outside doctor (transportation could be a problem as we no longer drive).

You don't have to see doctors you don't like. Do you have access to ride share services like Uber or Lyft in your area? They're very convenient to use and not that expensive.

TravelforFun

I need to spend $10,000 on my new Visa credit card in 90 days to qualify for my $1000 bonus. What is the easiest way to do this? I am thinking grocery store and Amazon gift cards. I suppose I could pay taxes (I owe a bunch) but I'd have to pay fees to do that. Other ideas? - Ask friends and family members to see if anyone planning on making big purchases (furniture, TV, appliances, mattresses, etc.). They could use your card but must pay you back right away. - Use your card to make your regular charitable donations. - Autopay bills that allow you to pay with a credit card without fees. - Grocery shop with that card - Use your card to load up on gift cards (Home Depot, Costco, Amazon, etc.) - Move up home improvement projects, car repairs, ...

Deliverance, starring Burt Reynolds and John Voight. It was on Turner Classics last night. A truce classic. One of my favorites: music, archery, scenery, rafting, suspense, danger. Probably a movie for the guys. It was this movie that showed me that Burt Reynolds (RIP) really could act. I had a lot of respect for him since. Ned Beaty deserves special credit. And those canoe scenes were real. Ned struggled, Burt was injured. They were nuts to do that themselves! This film is in the Library of Congress as "significant," and it deserves every bit of it. When I go hiking, I still occasionally see people wearing prank T-shirts that say, "Paddle faster, I hear banjos." No movie stereotypes Appalachians more than 'Deliverance'...

I posted this in the Reddit forum but thought it may get more views/help here. I owe 192k on a 3.125% fixed rate mortgage with 28 years left on it. I have 192k in cash that I’ve considered paying off the mortgage with but with rates so high I’d rather put it in an investment earning a higher rate than the mortgage. My monthly free cash flow is rather tight so I’m not going to invest in anything with risk. (I have risk in my IRA’s) I’ve been looking at these option…Schwab’s money market fund SWVXX, SGOV ETF, 1 year Cd earning 4.85% and also considering laddering 3, 6, 9 and 12 month t bills with an average yield of 4.78. As long at rates stay higher than the mortgage I won’t pay it off. If they drop below, I will. Of the above options what ...

topaz318 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 4:00 pm

proudowner333 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:54 pm

topaz318 wrote: ↑Mon Jan 23, 2023 2:27 pm

proudowner333 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:58 pm Hello

Since the Tesla Model Y price has gone down, I am looking to buy it. Any recommendation on an auto lender, and can we do something like a home mortgage, such as if I keep a certain amount in the account to drop the rate, etc...

I got 3.99% for 60 months for the 2023 Tesla Model Y from Berkshire Bank (https://www.berkshirebank.com/Personal/ ... icle-Loans) in Massachusetts which includes the quarter % discount for opening a checking account. 36 months rate is even lower.

That’s a damn good deal. I will look into it right away.

dm me and i refer you to my loan officer if interested

I'll dm you for your loan officer's contact info.

TravelforFun

Some people find it's hard to decumulate; my problem is that I find it too easy.

TravelforFun

So, let me put it this way. What annuity product do I need given the following? I am trying to account for two things, based on the starting point of already having guaranteed income to cover ALL basic expenses: Future inflation. Upon my death, the guaranteed income stream will be significantly reduced. My wife will lose her social security (she will keep mine) and lose half of the pension. I want whatever I do to produce guaranteed income. She will already have a big enough nest egg to produce all the extra income she might need but that would require careful management. By creating an additional, guaranteed, income stream, that level of attention to the nest egg will not be needed. A deferred annuity, especially one that could delay annu...

Let's assume you are using a mesh router setup like Google Nest or similar - get another access point for the mesh for the dock side. You want 2 Ethernet to fiber transceivers - one for each side. The Ethernet side of the transceiver connects to the router/AP/mesh on each side. The basic idea is it takes the fiber and converts that into some electrical specification that is used in router/AP/mesh. These from Amazon (that don't need SFP's) will be fine: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Ethernet-Converter-Multi-Mode-MC200CM/dp/B003AVRLZI Then you need enough multi-mode fiber (not single mode fiber) to get from the house to the dock. The fiber is buried and at the ends you have some sort of box like an irrigation lawn box or it comes into the g...

twh wrote: ↑Sat Jan 21, 2023 5:07 pm Burying fiber and having some Ethernet SFP transceivers is about as easy as it gets and cheap and parts will always be available. The downside is you gotta get it buried, but it isn't any more work than burying an invisible dog fence wire.

OP here. The reliability of the wired connection appeals to me. If I was to bury a fiber, can you tell me all the equipment that would be involved and since I'm not a techie, please be as detailed as possible: what to get, typical brands, what go where, etc.

I get 500 mbps download speed at the house and I want WiFi at the dock to have at least 100 mbps speed.Thank you.

TravelforFun

Rex66 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 12:17 pm I am a doc

95 percent if not better are happy with their MA plans in general.

The 5% have situations where the MA denies things that the regular Medicare doesn’t. MA plans like to claim they cover the same but it’s like mostly the same.

I'm in the 95% group and have had an Advantage plan for 5 years.

TravelforFun

buckeye7983 wrote: ↑Thu Jan 19, 2023 6:17 pm Under what conditions might one expect better medical care, broader provider access, or quicker access to specialists with Medicare Advantage as compared to Original Medicare?

None.

The only advantage Medicare Advantage has over Original Medicare is financial. Advantage plans have maximum out of pocket cost for hospitalization (mine is $8K) while Original Medicare has no cost limit.

TravelforFun

- Toilet bidets
- Dusk-to-dawn light bulbs for porch and patio
- Doorbell camera
- Cordless stick vacummn cleaner

Not a home improvement item but has increased my quality of life: my electric bike.

TravelforFun

azphx1972 wrote: ↑Fri Jan 20, 2023 7:09 am Another option: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AalzIWqM208

Is this what you have?

TravelforFun 8

A couple of questions… 1) Is the power on the boat dock part of the same service in the house? If so you could try a power line Ethernet adapter. I’ve used these for shorter distance and they worked fine but I can’t attest to how they might work for that distance. 2) Is there Line if sight to the boat dock? An external Wi-Fi antenna might do the trick. For that distance I doubt you would need anything fancy. I remember reading an article about some guy that made such an antenna out of a Pringles can and some wire was able to supply Wi-Fi to his neighbor a mile or two away; he lived in the country. I’m all for trying to make something, so here’s a few ideas… https://www.makeuseof.com/10-diy-long-range-wi-fi-antennas-you-can-make-at-home/ 1)...

I'm going to build a boat dock which is about 400' from my home. What kind of equipment should I get to provide WiFi on the boat dock using the existing modem/router inside my home? I can run cable from inside my home to the outside wall but I don't want to run cable all the way out to the boat dock. When I built my house, the electrician installed electrical outlets near the water edge for the future boat dock so I have that. Hoping some of you have run into the same situation and would share your experience. TIA.

TravelforFun

PS: Usage would be mainly to check email and surf the web for a family of 10, cellular signal is weak here so Hotspot doesn't work.

If you take the $640K and buy an immediate annuity, you'd get $41K a year. Subtract out the cost of insurance you would have to pay for the 10 years before you reach Medicare age, the annuity is about equal to your annual pension amount. With those two things being equal, the next question is do you think your longevity is higher than average? If you do, take the lump sum and buy an SPIA; and if you don't just take the lump sum.

TravelforFun

I wish you had done this show before the annual enrollment ended last month.

TravelforFun

I guess I'm the only one on this thread who don't complain about having to pay IRMMA. I'm 70 and have paid IRMAA 4 out of last 5 years.

TravelforFun

I have accounts at several places and I move my them around when there are transfer bonus offers.

TravelforFun

So the EV tax credit is good until March 2023 but what if you order the car in January and don't get it until April?

TravelforFun

canderson wrote: ↑Fri Jan 13, 2023 9:46 am Adding a bidet to your main toilet is life changing and not expensive or complicated.

I added 6 at my house recently. They do improve QOL.

TravelforFun

Fremdon Ferndock wrote: ↑Thu Jan 12, 2023 12:37 pm My new Apple watch slipped into the innards of my sofa and after hours of attempts, there's no way to get it out of there without destroying the sofa. Even had a furniture fixer-guy come over and try. I'm wondering if homeowner's insurance will pay for this kind of loss? What do you think?

I'd be surprised if they would. You still have the watch.

TravelforFun

I’m not saying work for free. I’m saying enjoy the work you do, or try to find paid work that you enjoy. Leisure for too long is not what it may seem. I am saying that if you aren't willing to do it for free, even for a once a year event, claiming that it is rewarding in and of itself is hot air. I tend to agree with this. In the end, a job is trading your time for money. If money is no longer a consideration, then you are trading your time for the experience/satisfaction of doing the job. If you love your job as much as you say (it is it's own reward), then doing it for no pay should still be a valuable trade-off. If, on the other hand, you say, "no in that case i would rather go do something else", then you should go do that so...

Firemenot wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 6:56 pm

B4Xt3r wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 6:51 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4L_aJ ... PeX1hGhyLi

This guy is awesome, and has done an entire 150ish part video series on building a house from scratch. He's entertaining & educational.

Thank you!

I watched the entire series before I built my vacation home last year. Very educational but his building site is in the Northeast so the materials and techniques he uses may not be typical in your area.

TravelforFun

Firemenot wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 6:56 pm

B4Xt3r wrote: ↑Sun Jan 08, 2023 6:51 pm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn4L_aJ ... PeX1hGhyLi

This guy is awesome, and has done an entire 150ish part video series on building a house from scratch. He's entertaining & educational.

Thank you!

I watched the entire series before I built my vacation home last year. Very educational but his building site is in the Northeast so the materials and techniques he uses may not be typical in your area.

TravelforFun

$363 for 45 minutes of face to face, plus admin work before and after the session, plus overhead doesn't sound bad to me.

TravelforFun

You could act as a general contractor and hire subcontractors to do everything. Your job would be to coordinate the subs and deal with the city, HOA and neighbors; and you would save perhaps 15% of the prject cost, not 50%. Of course you would save more if you do some or all of the work yourself but without experience and extra bodies, it could be a real slow and frustrating slog for you.

TravelforFun

Harry Livermore wrote: ↑Fri Jan 06, 2023 3:58 am My wife lost it at a high school event we were chaperoning this past fall. I have not been able to find a replacement.

How did your wife lose your jacket at a school event you two were chaperoning? You WERE there!

TravelforFun

Dave Ramsey's question: if you didn't live in the Bay Area, would you buy a rental house there.

TravelforFun

'Don't wait to buy real estate; Buy real estate and wait.' Will Roger's

TravelforFun

Avoid Medicare advantage at all costs. I don't have a vision plan because as any 65-year-old would have although I'm 70 now, there are always some eye diseases so the annual exam is a medical condition. And dental, either get some dental insurance which really isn't worth it or just pay rack rates and get on with it. Never do Medicare advantage, you never want to have to get a private private approval when you're an old person. I see anybody I want and everybody in New Jersey takes Medicare I've had Medicare Advantage for five years now and am very happy with it. The insurance company has never declined a procedure or a specialist recommended by my primary care physician. I pay the same premium as those who have the original Medicare but I...

adamthesmythe wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 6:40 pm Expensive vision problems (cataracts, retinal problems, etc.) are covered by medical insurance. Glasses are a relatively minor expense.

I was pleasantly surprised when I discovered I only had to pay $500 for cataract surgeries on both of my eyes.

adamthesmythe wrote: ↑Fri Dec 23, 2022 6:40 pm Think very hard before signing up for a Medicare Advantage plan because it offers vision and dental benefits.

I chose Advantage plan because it has the same premium as the original Medicare but it limits my out of pocket cost (original Medicare doesn't), offers some dental and vision coverages, plus free gym membership.

TravelforFun

You can't help them until you got a fancy house and a fancy car. . Seriously, you can't help someone who doesn't want your help.

TravelforFun