Search found 406 matches

by lindisfarne
Sun Oct 27, 2013 12:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Insurance tracking your car
Replies: 49
Views: 3474

Re: Insurance tracking your car

Right now, in many states, the data can be accessed, without your permission, & used against you (or in your favor) in a court. Thank God. We just recently had a woman driving at least twice the speed limit in SF, crash into another car and kill a boy and seriously injured 5. Earlier background: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Driver-in-deadly-S-F-crash-released-on-bail-4856233.php Mention of the 'flight recorder' down a bit at "Crash Clues" http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Insider-BART-training-for-strike-when-2-killed-4912280.php#page-2 I suspect in that situation, there were all sorts of other ways the police had of estimating the speed that have held up in court for decades. The damage done to the c...
by lindisfarne
Sat Oct 26, 2013 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Insurance tracking your car
Replies: 49
Views: 3474

Re: Insurance tracking your car

At some point in the not too distant future (and right now for some vehicles), your car will be "tattling" on your driving habits, whether you sign up for it or not. Intelligent transport systems (ITS) is a set of standards by which vehicles wirelessly communicate their current status to anything within range of the wireless broadcast. The standards have already determined the broadcast frequencies, message types, and message formats, so this is not new technology. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if the insurance device collects these messages for the vehicles which already support the technology. NPR has a nice article on Event Data Recorders which are built into most new cars now http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013...
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 24, 2013 9:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Washington Post article on personal Debt
Replies: 23
Views: 5162

Re: Washinton Post article on personal Debt

My guess is though that this generation will not be as prosperous as their parents. A combination of rising demographic burdens plus starting life with much larger student loans. AND a really tough job market. It's why we have to keep fighting the good fight, because relatively small amounts of cash flow in 20s and early 30s, invested in index funds, can be worth a lot in 30-40 years time when they look to retire. That is my guess as well. I am observing that, on average, younger professionals (under 35 year old or so) seem to be more conscious about not accumulating debt and saving then the older ones. I am particularly amazed by the spending habits of adults in their 40s and 50s in this country. While I absolutely will agree that (1) sta...
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 24, 2013 12:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: DCA on Down Days?
Replies: 27
Views: 3031

Re: DCA on Down Days?

I have a lot of money that I plan on DCA-ing into Vanguard funds over the next year (I understand this may not be optimal, but it helps me sleep better). Rather than DCA-ing on a set schedule, would it be more beneficial to buy more of a fund on days that it will be expected to close down (by monitoring the ETF)? Any studies done on this as opposed to an automatic set schedule? There are threads on here which talk about why dollar cost averaging is *not* better (on average) than just investing it all in one step, at least, when you remove emotion. For emotional reasons, people might feel better with DCA, but research shows it does not give better results. Search for these threads, or see the wiki http://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Dollar_cost_...
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 10:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: A Message from Jack
Replies: 25
Views: 7976

Re: A Message from Jack

Dear Mr. Bogle: Thank you for your integrity and your willingness to fight for all investors, including the "little" ones. I've become aware of your advice gradually (and I wish it had been years earlier), but once I found this forum, I learned a lot very quickly from all those who have learned from you. You understand investing like most of us never will, since you've worked in the industry so long and obviously, have a great deal of insight most others do not. Thank you for being willing to share what you've learned. Your willingness to share really does make a huge difference to the small investor. What you've shared and done in your life will end up making my retirement a much more comfortable one (and this is true for many, m...
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheapest way to own and operate a car
Replies: 18
Views: 3497

Re: Cheapest way to own and operate a car

The Civic lease (which they seem to have been running for years) is actually below $200 per month, but once you spread out the down payment and fees over 36 months of the lease, it comes out to around $200 per month. If you run the course of a 36 month lease, at the end you have not lost any equity in the car. You never had any, you were paying only for the amount of the car that you planned on using. My point in mentioning this lease deal is that the cost is steady over the course of the lease with no unexpected maintenance expenses. Someone with shaky finances/cash flow and a $2,000 car could face a series of $500 repairs in a short period of time. Or the whole thing could self destruct and then you suddenly need $2,000 for another car. ...
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Insurance Bureau score - anyone know what factors in?
Replies: 24
Views: 2729

Re: Insurance Bureau score - anyone know what factors in?

turno77 wrote:
lindisfarne wrote:I finally got the information I was entitled to under state law regarding why the credit for "insurance bureau score" on my insurance policy had decreased.


Care to share what caused the decrease?
Too many credit inquiries. As long as they apply rules the same across all state customers, they can use that to jack up rates. (Of course, the question is whether they're doing it consistently. I think the state may be looking into that.) They did not make clear what constitutes "too much" although I apparently crossed that invisible line.
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 9:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: the games brokers play at your expense
Replies: 15
Views: 2608

Re: the games brokers play at your expense

Unfortunately, many Americans get paid relatively little, and work in relatively stressful jobs, and they don't have time to educate themselves on investment (assuming they have any money at all to invest). Many work more than 40 hours/week just to meet basic needs. I don't know if you can regulate away the kind of things that the article mentions, but there certainly needs to be greater accountability. Allowing a broker to say "it was in the fine print", or even worse, fail to explain anything, is just not acceptable. They need to be required to provide very clear, detailed information about these kinds of things and how it impacts the investor's bottom line. Managers of active funds should also be required to show how their fees...
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neurosleep - does it work?
Replies: 17
Views: 2946

Re: Neurosleep - does it work?

To add to my previous reply:

If you believe neurosleep will help, there's a good chance it will. Not because of what is in it, but because the PLACEBO effect is quite powerful. (That belief may even help you relax more than normal so you can go to sleep.).

I'll tell you something, however: the available scientific evidence tells us a warm (not hot) bath before bed is just as good, plus a thick, not terribly interesting book for 15 minutes.
by lindisfarne
Tue Oct 22, 2013 1:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neurosleep - does it work?
Replies: 17
Views: 2946

Re: Neurosleep - does it work?

I'm suspicious. I'd have to see peer-reviewed studies that assess (1) whether this is safe and (2) whether it produces normal sleep cycles. Pubmed.com has no such studies. If you do not have normal sleep cycles, you may be in bed for 8 hours, but that does not mean the sleep you get is as restful as normal sleep should be. Many medications out there that purport to treat insomnia have this problem - they don't produce normal cycles when you're supposedly "sleeping". Thus, the "sleep" they provide is not as restful or healthy as the sleep one should get. Some drugs create more problems than they solve - they are never the preferred first line of approach. Focus on sleep hygiene, first and foremost. Google "sleep hygi...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: U-Haul Insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 6171

Re: U-Haul Insurance

Most auto insurance policies explicitly say they do not cover rental of moving trucks. Even if your policy does, ask yourself whether it's worth risking a claim on your policy. Additionally, do you have a deductible? Do you have enough coverage to cover the truck in full, plus any extra charges U-haul makes for them not being able to rent the truck while they repair the damage you did? You likely would have to spend time dealing with insurance issues as well. U-Haul trucks are bigger & thus, you may have an accident simply because you're not used to driving a big truck. I'd go for the Safemove Plus. $28 is cheap given what damage to the truck could cost you. If you're driving one-way, I'd suggest Penske over U-haul. (I don't understand ...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 21, 2013 7:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheapest way to own and operate a car
Replies: 18
Views: 3497

Re: Cheapest way to own and operate a car

Fixing a car one currently owns can be a good decision - although it depends on the make of the car & what the statistics say about how long that specific car typically lasts. You have to have a good mechanic who will adequately assess what other systems on the car might go bad in the next few years, & give you estimated costs for fixing them (plus an estimate on how likely the problem is - but there are no guarantees here), plus the estimated cost for what's currently wrong. Then, you have to assess the risks & decide whether to fix it. For someone for whom money is really tight, I'd suggest looking into busing, biking, and walking as options. I lived in Southern CA & when I moved there, everyone said I had to buy a car - b...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 21, 2013 5:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment
Replies: 255
Views: 30420

Re: Home values in Miami, Florida

I won't dispute a Nobel Laureate about nationwide housing as an investment, but in our area (Miami, Florida), most homes (especially waterfront homes) have gone up in value faster than the S&P over long periods of time. Best wishes. Taylor Sell fast. Those waterfront homes may be under water (literally! I don't mean in the sense of the financial metaphor) in 30 years. But I agree that in many areas, homes have gone up in value. My sister purchased a home for 71,000 in 1993. Currently it is worth 190,000 (about $20K less than 6 years ago). It is paid for - she now only has homeowners insurance & taxes (plus, of course, maintenance) to cover monthly. She's happy and never wanted mobility. She's worked at the same employer for 20+ yea...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help! I withdrew from my Roth IRA emergency fund
Replies: 17
Views: 2745

Re: Help! I withdrew from my Roth IRA emergency fund

Bogle101 wrote:Wow this seems like almost a loophole. I thought once you remove your Roth IRA contribution for an emergency that was it. Just another reason Roth IRA is such a great investment tool for the little guy.
Read Publication 590. This is clearly allowed.
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 21, 2013 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Auto accident - Repair it or keep the money for next vehicle
Replies: 12
Views: 1481

Re: Auto accident - Repair it or keep the money for next veh

Have you verified that $700 would cover the cost of the repair? Bumper repairs - even those that do not appear to leave damage (at least not visible just by looking on the outside) - can be expensive. A damaged bumper is a safety issue; if it's not repaired, it may not protect you properly in another accident.
by lindisfarne
Sun Oct 20, 2013 11:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much storage space do you have?
Replies: 18
Views: 2814

Re: How much storage space do you have?

I consider the entire house storage.
by lindisfarne
Sun Oct 20, 2013 10:54 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help! I withdrew from my Roth IRA emergency fund
Replies: 17
Views: 2745

Re: Help! I withdrew from my Roth IRA emergency fund

It would be good to call Vanguard and have them walk you through the correct process. This is exactly what you need to do. You cannot return the money via the internet. You also need to insist that you talk to a specialist who is intimately familiar with the process of returning money to a Roth IRA within the 60 days so it counts as a "rollover". I did this last spring and I had someone who was not a specialist told me he could process the return of the money, no problem. I was skeptical and told him before I had made the withdrawal, I had called several time, and talked with multiple people to be sure I understood the process and could do this, and that I had received incorrect information from Vanguard employees who were not sp...
by lindisfarne
Sat Oct 19, 2013 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Insurance Bureau score - anyone know what factors in?
Replies: 24
Views: 2729

Re: Insurance Bureau score - anyone know what factors in?

I finally got the information I was entitled to under state law regarding why the credit for "insurance bureau score" on my insurance policy had decreased. I would not have received this information had it not been for the intervention of the state office that has oversight over insurance - the insurance company's first reply to that office did not provide the information, but the office replied back and made it clear they were required to under law (their initial contact had also made this clear). The company is also being required to go through their records & provide a list to the state of others similarly affected in the last 24 months (and presumably, those people will be contacted). I'm glad my state insurance commission...
by lindisfarne
Fri Oct 18, 2013 1:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard, Schwab or Fidelity [recommend a discount broker]
Replies: 31
Views: 5682

Re: Vanguard, Schwab or Fidelity [recommend a discount broke

Fidelity charges $50 to close each account.
Vanguard doesn't. Vanguard's fees are as low if not lower than Fidelity for the things I care about.
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 17, 2013 10:40 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 6 tips from Jack Bogle on teaching your kids how to invest
Replies: 18
Views: 1874

Re: 6 tips from Jack Bogle on teaching your kids how to inve

Aside from his oldest son, now a hedge fund manager, Bogle's children did not display much interest in investing. Bogle never forced the conversation on them.
I wonder if they've agreed to not discuss certain topics (especially when Warren Buffett comes to dinner). :D
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 7:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment
Replies: 255
Views: 30420

Re: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment

If I were to rent my home, I would be paying more than I currently pay for mortgage, tax, & insurance, plus I'm building equity. If it is true that rents are way out of line with ownership costs, the rational investment decision would be to move out and rent your home for a substantial profit, and then find a neighborhood where you could rent more cheaply. You've failed to take into account the costs of that option ... etc, etc. All you have told me is that you have a highly illiquid investment, which is really an argument against self ownership in the first place and decreases its value. A high premium of rent to ownership is a market anomaly that cannot persist forever. It can take a while to adjust because of the illiquidity of home...
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Games which "teach investing"
Replies: 14
Views: 1831

Re: Games which "teach investing"

danwhite77 wrote:The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment evaluates, if not teaches, the most important aspect of investing - patience.
It doesn't evaluate patience, it evaluates impulse control in a fairly specific situation. Many of those kids who eat the marshmallow can probably demonstrate patience when there isn't a tasty marshmallow (or similar tasty item they'd really like) in front of them. They probably can demonstrate impulse control in certain situations, too.
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment
Replies: 255
Views: 30420

Re: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment

If I were to rent my home, I would be paying more than I currently pay for mortgage, tax, & insurance, plus I'm building equity. If it is true that rents are way out of line with ownership costs, the rational investment decision would be to move out and rent your home for a substantial profit, and then find a neighborhood where you could rent more cheaply. You've failed to take into account the costs of that option. You haven't factored in the value of the time it would take to find a renter and hope they treat the home as well as I do, which is very unlikely, and thus, I would experience increased maintenance costs. The vast majority of tenants treat rental property with great disrespect and can cost landlords a fortune in maintenance...
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How many square feet is your home?
Replies: 162
Views: 17816

Re: How many square feet is your home?

Based on the replies here, BHs (on average) live in homes that are larger than the average home!
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment
Replies: 255
Views: 30420

Re: Shiller Thinks Owning a Home is a Terrible Investment

If I were to rent my home, I would be paying more than I currently pay for mortgage, tax, & insurance, plus I'm building equity. With each passing year, what I pay is a smaller percentage of what I would have to pay in rent. I do most work myself so maintenance costs are not too bad. I will end up saving money by owning over renting (I would have utilities to pay if I rented). However, the longer I own this house, the more I will save. I would not advise people to buy a home thinking they will make money (after all maintenance, taxes, & insurance are considered). You should not buy a home if there is a good deal of uncertainty over whether you will have to switch to a job more than about 50 miles away. However, long-term ownership (...
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: outdoor security camera?
Replies: 9
Views: 2178

Re: outdoor security camera?

Thanks THY4373 for the very useful information!
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recumbent stationary bike recommendations Please?
Replies: 8
Views: 2288

Re: Recumbent stationary bike recommendations Please?

There's a thread on here about stationary bikes; there were some recommendations for recumbents in that thread.
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How Often Do Gamblers Really Win?
Replies: 51
Views: 7330

Re: How Often Do Gamblers Really Win?

I read the WSJ article earlier.
Data. Beautiful data. It's so much better than opinion. Of course, it doesn't always change people's opinion, but if the research is good, it will change mine (I have been always of the opinion it's a waste of money to gamble).
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:36 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Delay Social Security to age 70 and Spend more money at 62
Replies: 203
Views: 74703

Re: Delay Social Security to age 70 and Spend more money at

This is an excellent thread. It changed my mind, although doing as suggested by OP requires having put away enough $ for years 62-70 (or else working for those years).
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 14, 2013 4:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Social security at 62 vs 70
Replies: 76
Views: 9672

Re: Social security at 62 vs 70

There are many very good discussions about this issue on here, many well worth reading. They will pop up if you do a search.
This was one excellent thread.
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... 0&t=102609
by lindisfarne
Sun Oct 13, 2013 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their broker
Replies: 39
Views: 10566

Re: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their br

JamesSFO wrote:
Why/where is this a right?
I question why this isn't a legally protect right. There has to be an appropriate balance between the needs of an employer, employee, and a society to have a thriving, healthy economy and society.
by lindisfarne
Sun Oct 13, 2013 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their broker
Replies: 39
Views: 10566

Re: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their br

How can this possibly be legal? The employer is dictating where the money is held. That seems to be a conflict of interest. The OP is an employee at will, OP does not have to work anywhere he does not desire to do so. If he disagree's with company policy that is meant to protect the firm and himself from criminal implications, he does not have to work there. The employer is not dictating, they are requesting - failure to comply results in termination of employment - there is no illegality involved. Being an "employee at will" doesn't have to mean you give up rights. Employers who employ "employees at will" do not have the right to violate OSHA regulations, or minimum wage regulations. I question why our legal system all...
by lindisfarne
Sat Oct 12, 2013 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their broker
Replies: 39
Views: 10566

Re: New employer requires me to move my accounts to their br

How can this possibly be legal? The employer is dictating where the money is held. That seems to be a conflict of interest.
by lindisfarne
Sat Oct 12, 2013 2:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone run a remanufactured engine in their car?
Replies: 21
Views: 2564

Re: Anyone run a remanufactured engine in their car?

My brother put a rebuilt engine & tranny in a 2000 corolla for me 6.5 years ago. Still running. Very few repairs required since, although it burns a lot of oil (not so unusual in an 8th generation corolla). Knock on wood.
by lindisfarne
Fri Oct 11, 2013 8:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: FYI- PenFed certificate rates increase
Replies: 3
Views: 955

Re: FYI- PenFed certificate rates increase

Those rates are so depressing, considering how long the $ is tied up for.
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 10, 2013 9:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Reasons to have accounts at multiple institutions
Replies: 30
Views: 5955

Re: Reasons to have accounts at multiple institutions

There may be fees when you close accounts so find out what they are and see if there's a way to avoid most if not all of them (perhaps by consolidating funds at one institution into one type of account at that institution). At one institution I was at, it was having a brokerage account that caused me to incur a fee when I closed all my accounts. I think if I had closed the brokerage account first, as a separate transaction, I could have avoided paying a $50 fee. I'm not sure if you can do this at Bank of America, which loves to charge fees, but it's something to think about. Regarding the credit union question: Some credit unions have a presence in multiple states, but you can't know where you'll be moving to in future. Thus, you can't real...
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Jack Bogle says rebalancing is overhyped?!
Replies: 149
Views: 24241

Re: Jack Bogle says rebalancing is overhyped?!

This isn't anything new from Bogle. He's said he's willing to tolerate a good deal of variation from your planned asset allocation. 5% variation is not too much. But when stocks consistently do well, a buy-and-hold strategy delivers superior returns. "Market sentiment tends to persist, so if you're buying low, you may not see a rebound for decades," says Christopher Jones, chief investment officer at Financial Engines, an advisory firm founded by Sharpe. As an individual investor, you're in no position to do complex market studies, so what's your right frequency? "Every year may be too often, since good performance tends to persist," says Bernstein. "Every two or three years is probably right." And given how ha...
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 10, 2013 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: dishwasher vs manual dish washing
Replies: 54
Views: 6470

Re: dishwasher vs manual dish washing

The answer depends on how you go about washing dishes by hand. If you leave the water running on full from the time you start washing until the time you end washing, the dishwasher probably uses less water. But, one can wash dishes by hand very differently and use a minimal amount of water. The concern with dishwashers is not simply the water used, however. If you want to know about overall costs & impact on the environment, washing dishes by hand (without using copious amounts of water and using an environmentally friendly soap) wins hands down. It takes all kinds of resources, including water & petroleum to manufacture a dishwasher & ship it to the store then to your home. Don't forget mining certain resources using other reso...
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 10, 2013 1:25 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The new safe withdrawal rate
Replies: 292
Views: 29490

Re: The new safe withdrawal rate

While I agree that most Americans don't have much money when they retire, and I agree that it is possible to live on far less than many bogleheads think they need for retirement, it is the case than invested funds fluctuate in value, sometimes by a lot. In a worse case scenario (lets say someone retired in 2005 and had 60% in equities), it takes a good number of years to get back to where you were (before 2008) and you also aren't realizing any gains (from where you were before 2008). The market has been strong the last couple years, but I don't think anyone expected that a priori, and there's no guarantee it will stay that way. Thus, if this hypothetical individual had had the amount many bogleheads think they need, it is possible that far...
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 09, 2013 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lead paint inspection prior to home purchase?
Replies: 18
Views: 7475

Re: Lead paint inspection prior to home purchase?

I would assume that any house built prior to 1980 has some lead paint. If you're concerned about lead pain, you shouldn't purchase a house built before that date. Yes, there are serious concerns about lead in paint. There really is no safe level, although as exposure drops, so do the risks. As standard practice, pediatricians ask parents when their house was built and test children for lead levels. As mentioned, keeping your home in reasonable repair helps a lot. A huge percent of the nation's children grow up in homes with lead, even in affluent families (however, for low SES families, failure to keep home (including rentals) in adequate repair does increase the risk for lead exposure). However, it's important to keep things in perspective...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 7:13 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone else freaking about the state of the market?
Replies: 95
Views: 10986

Re: Anyone else freaking about the state of the market?

I'm hoping a lot of people sell & the market drops. I'm not expecting a crash, but 5% would be nice. I just got some cash I plan to invest. The market will recover (even if it drops more than 5%).

Too bad I couldn't have invested on June 24, 2013, when the market was 10% lower than it is today (with the starting comparison point 1-year ago today).
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What Each Spouse Should Know About Finances (WSJ)
Replies: 6
Views: 1957

What Each Spouse Should Know About Finances (WSJ)

Good article (at least for starters) on managing finances so both spouses have basic knowledge in case one spouse dies:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000142 ... p_jrmodule
Start the list with financial accounts, including 401(k)s, individual retirement accounts, brokerage and checking accounts. ...

Add insurance policies, indicating where those policies are held, ...

In a prominent place on this list should be the couple's emergency fund and how to access it. Both spouses also ought to understand how their partner is compensated, including stock options and other deferred compensation.
If you can't access via link above, put title in google search & click on the hit.
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Annoyed with Vanguard. How do you cancel [exchanges]?
Replies: 72
Views: 12920

Re: Annoyed with Vanguard. How do you cancel [exchanges]?

EdwardL007 wrote:I think their policy discourages market timing traders - not investors. If you think the market is going up at the beginning of the day, then see it is not going your way, why give you the benefit of that hindsight?
If you wait until the end of the day to make the exchange, you can still engage in timing. Not that a true boglehead would!
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 11:57 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Creditor protection of IRA and 403(b) accounts?
Replies: 7
Views: 2639

Re: Creditor protection of IRA and 403(b) accounts?

The Wall Street Journal had an interesting article about this. See here
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... hilit=+wsj
There are also numerous threads here about this issue - you'll learn a lot if you do appropriate searches & read.
IRA laws vary by state.
401k laws are generally governed by federal law (I'm not sure if there could be details where state law applies).
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Quick ?: Will Vanguard let an individual have >1 account?
Replies: 9
Views: 2012

Re: Quick ?: Will Vanguard let an individual have >1 account

I'm not so paranoid that I want to work with another company. But, there have been discussions on here about the problems with Vanguard's security. I'm very careful when logging in - only over wired (making sure to shut off wireless), and always opening the browser new so no other tabs are open, and shutting down the browser immediately after. I also have decent internet security program on my computer. Still, there are cases where people have done all of these things & their accounts have been hacked (the pentagon gets hacked, too, as do major corporations). I am aware of Vanguard's fraud policy. While that's nice, I'd rather prevent a major headache if possible. Having multiple accounts would be a way to reduce the pain caused by bein...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Annoyed with Vanguard. How do you cancel [exchanges]?
Replies: 72
Views: 12920

Re: Annoyed with Vanguard. Poor tech. How do you cancel trad

Vanguard clearly says that exchanges cannot be changed once made. They do this online & over the phone. If you don't like that policy, you have to go elsewhere. I'd suggest waiting until less than an hour before the end of trading day if you're not sure - that way you are as sure as you can be when you make the trade. I'd done that.
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Norton Internet Security vs Trend Micro Titanium
Replies: 18
Views: 5546

Re: Norton Internet Security vs Trend Micro Titanium

Norton in the early 2000s (before NIS) was clunky & bloated but it got much better - I used it from about 2006 - 2010 and it was fine. I have Trend Micro on my work computer and I do *not* like it (in part because somehow, it let a virus through a couple of years ago & took about 2 months to catch it). I don't know that I'd go first to Consumer Reports on this issue (as much as I love CR) - there are other better review sites for this sort of thing. You need more than anti-virus, you need malware protection & god knows what else (I haven't had to buy this for about 3 years so haven't stayed caught up) - I'd get something that is recommended by computer magazines. NIS had decent ratings a few years ago. None are perfect - you hav...
by lindisfarne
Mon Oct 07, 2013 1:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Quick ?: Will Vanguard let an individual have >1 account?
Replies: 9
Views: 2012

Quick ?: Will Vanguard let an individual have >1 account?

Does anyone know: will Vanguard let an individual have more than 1 account. I don't mean just different IRAs (I have multiple IRAs), for example, but rather, different accounts that you use different log in credentials to get into (they would both be linked to same SS#, etc.)

Perhaps I'm a little paranoid, but it would at least protect some funds if someone hacked one account but not the other.
by lindisfarne
Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bogle - Swap Treasuries for Corporates
Replies: 59
Views: 7746

Re: Bogle - Swap Treasuries for Corporates

Bogle has been saying this for a while now - at least a year.
by lindisfarne
Wed Oct 02, 2013 11:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Canon Laser Printer
Replies: 15
Views: 1769

Re: Canon Laser Printer

Have you tried google to see if someone else had the same problem & found a solution? Type in the model number as well as relevant key words - you may have a lot of irrelevant hits but you might find the answer.