Search found 7 matches

by bogatyr
Mon Mar 07, 2022 7:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card [Update]
Replies: 442
Views: 94544

Re: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card Renewals

I just received notification today that the cash reward rate is being lowered to 1.5% after Dec 31, 2022. I am going to have to start shopping cards again. It was nice to just have one go-to card for almost everything.
by bogatyr
Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Root Canal - dentist or endodontist
Replies: 52
Views: 6123

Re: Root Canal - dentist or endodontist

I have had 3 root canals, all done by general dentists. For the first one my insurance did not have any endodontists on the panel. For the second one I was in the army and was not given a choice. For the third one my general dentist does not do them, so he sent me upstairs to the endodontist. The endodontist wanted $200 up front for consultation, then $1200 for the root canal (one root), then I would have to go back to the dentist for the restoration (more money still). I found a general dentist that did the whole thing for $400. I have not had a problem with any of the teeth since. If money were no object I might have made a different decision, but I'm happy with how it has turned out.
by bogatyr
Thu Apr 04, 2013 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Hearing loss in children and ASL [American Sign Language]
Replies: 8
Views: 1315

Re: Hearing loss in children and ASL

If cost is an issue, I would check out Signing Time from the public library. Each video doesn't contain very many signs, so you could probably master each one in the week that the library lets you have it.
by bogatyr
Sat Jan 05, 2013 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V
Replies: 3372
Views: 1564698

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part V

I'm reading One For the Books by Joe Queenan. It's basically a memoir about his addiction to books. He has good takes on bookstores, book clubs, giving books as gifts, audiobooks and so forth. Rather humorous. What I think is most interesting though is all the books and authors that he mentions that I've never heard of or hadn't considered reading. It is full of recommendations (or cautions to stay away from).
by bogatyr
Fri Jan 04, 2013 6:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How do you purchase funds (avoid market timing)?
Replies: 21
Views: 1518

Re: How do you purchase funds (avoid market timing)?

Thanks for all the great responses. I guess my thought process has been most similar to what stan1 says he does. Rodc, you are correct that for me it is mostly a psychology question. I should probably do what most of you recommended and just buy and not worry about it.

I use ETFs instead of mutual funds because I don't have my IRA at Vanguard, and the $7.95 brokerage commission on the ETF is a lot cheaper than the $75 transaction fee on the mutual fund. Plus, the ETFs allowed me to get in under the minimum amounts.
555 wrote:A big part of the problem is not the "timing" but how to execute ETF trades.
I don't understand what you mean by this.
by bogatyr
Fri Jan 04, 2013 12:52 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How do you purchase funds (avoid market timing)?
Replies: 21
Views: 1518

How do you purchase funds (avoid market timing)?

Hello. New poster here. I've searched the forum but didn't immediately find this question exactly addressed. I fund my Roth IRA at the beginning of the year in a lump sum. Since my portfolio is entirely ETFs, I can place limit orders on the purchase price. So this year the money hadn't got from my checking account to my Roth IRA until after the market jumped up 2.4%. It just kills me to buy everything at that price knowing that the market fluctuates up and down and could probably buy my funds over the next several weeks as prices dip. But then if prices keep going up, I will lose out on that gain. I know what I'm doing is market timing, but again, it kills me to buy right after prices just jumped up. What do you do? Just place a market orde...
by bogatyr
Tue Jan 01, 2013 7:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What was your 2012 return?
Replies: 275
Views: 30954

Re: What was your 2012 return?

XIRR says 13.37%

76% equities, 24% bonds