Search found 49 matches

by pheleven
Sun Mar 20, 2016 12:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Did I take appropriate steps to ensure proper insurance coverage for medical procedure
Replies: 42
Views: 4899

Re: Did I take appropriate steps to ensure proper insurance coversge for medical procedure

A couple posts alluded to it, but I've seen specialist nurses bill separately (out-of-network) for surgeries at a hospital. It's pretty out of control ridiculous for patients. For example, a friend told me that even if someone goes to the ER at an in network hospital, some procedures or tests may be read by an "out of network doctor or lab tech"- Once I went to see a specialist (in network) and the blood work (taken at the lab inside the doctor's office) was sent to an out of network lab for interpretation. We got charged out of network costs for thst. Now I ask about the details of every medical test or procedure. . When I was in the hospital once, I told them I wanted in-network providers for everything. Said it a few times. Aft...
by pheleven
Tue Mar 08, 2016 1:01 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Guidance on buying Mom's house
Replies: 13
Views: 2054

Re: Guidance on buying Mom's house

She might be able to figure out part time residency but it's not a great option - she lives and works a few hours away (and in Nevada). I agree after the taxes and transaction she's not in good shape, which is why I'm thinking we may explore more creative options. I'm not sure what her tax bracket is, but I'd guess 25% fed. In these discussions I found out the reason she refi'd it so heavily was to roll in debt from her divorce (they started a business and had significant debt still). The values fell pretty far in the area in the recession so she didn't feel like she could sell it, and now she's stuck on taxes from having rented it. From my understanding the terms on the current loan are 4.25% w/ 27 years left. I've started looking for an a...
by pheleven
Mon Mar 07, 2016 7:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Guidance on buying Mom's house
Replies: 13
Views: 2054

Re: Guidance on buying Mom's house

How much did she pay for it? That would be hard to say. It was 'hand built' in the early 1990's when I was a kid. How long has it been a rental? 5 or 6 years How much was it worth when she put it into rental service? Probably very close to what it's worth now. If she has owned it a long time and it has appreciated tremendously in value, she may be hit with a lot of income tax for the depreciation recapture plus any remaining capital gains tax. So even if you can get a mortgage, it doesn't sound like she will clear a heck of a lot from the sale after paying off the mortgage(s) ... especially if she sell it to you for less than FMV. I'm gathering as much. From what I understand so far I dont think she depreciated much in her taxes, but she h...
by pheleven
Mon Mar 07, 2016 6:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Guidance on buying Mom's house
Replies: 13
Views: 2054

Re: Guidance on buying Mom's house

I suspected posting here would enlighten me considerably. As always, thank you! She likely has very little basis in the house as her and her ex-husband built it ~25 years ago, and yes she fairly recently refinanced it to pay for a lot of debt she assumed in the divorce. I don't think she'd considered having to pay nearly as much in taxes as it looks like she's going to have to in order to sell. So that brings me to our other potential options; How likely is it for me to be able to co-sign a new mortgage and leave her name on it for the long haul with the expectation I'd get (all of) it in her will? It's not likely to end up in a fight - I have a single sibling (on her side) and I am very likely to be the executor anyway. Obviously this pose...
by pheleven
Sun Mar 06, 2016 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Guidance on buying Mom's house
Replies: 13
Views: 2054

Guidance on buying Mom's house

I own a home, worth ~$240k, and owe $65k. I currently live in it and it's smaller. I bought it with the intent of renting. My mom wants to sell her house in the same region. I've been considering buying when a great deal came around for a couple years but haven't loved the buying environment. My mom's house is fairly nice and I wouldn't mind living there. It's worth in the ballpark of $320-360k. She owes $225k and has a long standing (25 year) personal loan from when it was built of $25k that may come due (borrowed $15k from a family member with a 'pay me $25 if/when you sell it'). She's been renting it for several years and, being out of the region, doesn't like the hassle, plus collects less than the mortgage. A couple key things I'd like...
by pheleven
Mon Jan 04, 2016 6:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much is your house worth?
Replies: 71
Views: 9580

Re: How much is your house worth?

Ouch.

Redfin - $148k
Zillow - $234k (down about 10% from last spring)
Trulia - $251k

Redfin is comparing my house to several houses that were sold at auction quite literally falling down over the last few years and houses half the size of mine (that sold for far more than the estimate?). The sales they're comparing mine to have since re-sold or are listed for $300-400k.

IMO Zillow is probably pretty spot-on if I sold my house as-is and considerably low if I put $5-10k in to fix a few deferred things like the floors. The median selling price in my area is $535k (Redfin) and median price per square foot puts my house over $265k.
by pheleven
Sun Jan 18, 2015 12:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Securing my Laptop Prior to Repair
Replies: 15
Views: 1664

Re: Securing my Laptop Prior to Repair

DSInvestor's suggestion is probably the best one. Giving them your password or not doesn't matter. You can defeat a Windows password in a minute or two if you have physical access to the machine and it's not encrypted. You can defeat a BIOS password in a minute or two by moving the hard drive to another machine. If you move the hard drive to another machine there is no need to defeat the Windows password. Your data is not secure if it's in someone else's hands, unless it's encrypted (well). That said, the computer techs probably don't care much about your data unless you've got embarrassing pictures/video for them to laugh about. Also, the guys doing the soldering job are probably only making $10-15/hr and are not usually super adept beyond...
by pheleven
Tue Jun 03, 2014 12:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe
Replies: 15
Views: 2473

Re: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe

Admittedly in your original message you did mention pictures taken so I will amend the request to be specific to what we're discussing and that's a stolen device that's remotely wiped because none of the case cited had to do with that. I wont claim to have read all the court briefs, but my understanding is a big deal was made of wiping the teachers information off the laptop, not just the pictures. The fact they waited, took pictures, etc meant the teacher had more time to put personal data on the computer, which was then later remote wiped. It makes for a better front page story when the headline is 'naked pictures!' In any case, if I have some time I'll try to pull up additional information. The reality is this hasn't been tested well in...
by pheleven
Mon Jun 02, 2014 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe
Replies: 15
Views: 2473

Re: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe

There are cases of people having stolen laptops putting personal information on them, having them remote-wiped/pictures taken/geo-located by the original owner and winning cases claiming they lost data/privacy/etc. Could you cite some cases? While this case might *seem* ridiculous, this is exactly the sort of behavior the mobile device protection/management services boast about and provide. BYOD is worse. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/07/susan-clements-jeffrey-absolute-software_n_951943.html There will be many more, lawyers are looking for these; http://www.npr.org/2010/11/22/131511381/wipeout-when-your-company-kills-your-iphone http://www.zdnet.com/au/byod-can-put-companies-in-legal-bind-analyst-7000008396/ http://www.zdnet.com/th...
by pheleven
Sun Jun 01, 2014 3:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe
Replies: 15
Views: 2473

Re: Laptop (Win7 Pro) Remote Lock & Wipe

There are programs that purport to do this - as others have mentioned it's very far from foolproof though because if it's not connected to the internet (or the program isn't currently running!) it can't be activated. The effectiveness is rather low to someone who is actively looking to steal data - the dead and beaten horse of encryption is the right answer. If you do choose to install spyware type applications that can lock/track/wipe the machine you should talk to a lawyer first - it can be legal in some cases but can get you in trouble in others. There are cases of people having stolen laptops putting personal information on them, having them remote-wiped/pictures taken/geo-located by the original owner and winning cases claiming they lo...
by pheleven
Mon Apr 21, 2014 3:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good scotch recommendations, where to buy
Replies: 55
Views: 14089

Re: Good scotch recommendations, where to buy

+1 for the Laphroaig 10yr - very nice and reasonably priced. I've got about 10 bottles of scotch on the bar and it's one of the cheaper and better ones, definitely the best value. I also think the distillers strength is worth the premium if they happen to have it.
by pheleven
Sun Sep 08, 2013 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best medium for long-term digital storage?
Replies: 65
Views: 7342

Re: Best medium for long-term digital storage?

So I didn't see anyone else say it in the thread but some solid state media will begin degrading after a very short time period (3-6 months) without power. I would suggest against using one for archival unless you make sure you get one designed for that task and store it properly (low humidity, etc).

This isn't an easy task. Libraries and people trying to store digital media long term constantly cycle their data to new storage every few years and to new mediums.
by pheleven
Sat Aug 24, 2013 1:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "15-Year Fixed Mortgage is Usually Preferable to 30"
Replies: 45
Views: 7901

Re: "15-Year Fixed Mortgage is Usually Preferable to 30"

True but interest rates for 15 and 30 year mortgages are usually not the same Perhaps usually, but not always. When I got my mortgage, the 15 year and 30 year had the same rate with 1/8 point (for 15-year that took it down 1/8 %, for 30-year, it took it down 1/4 %), but the 15-year had a 1% origination fee and the 30 year had no such fee. Both mortgages had a promo going that waived all other closing costs except for title insurance. Totally was MUCH more worthwhile for me to get the 30 year. Just food for thought that sometimes, it pays to looking into "limited" points. I used to only look at 0 points before, but in this case the 1/8 point was totally worth it. I'm not doubting you, but this is almost unbelievable and should not...
by pheleven
Sun Aug 18, 2013 2:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: VZ FIOS knows your personal WiFi Password, is this normal ?
Replies: 19
Views: 3121

Re: VZ FIOS knows your personal WiFi Password !!!

That sounds pretty lame. Is this support/billing page using only HTTPS (I hope)? Your own suggestion of your own router is probably your best bet. That said, I suggest never trusting wireless even at home with a strong WPA2 passphrase for anything you want complete privacy with (IE Banking).
by pheleven
Thu May 30, 2013 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Looking to Improve Home network / Backup System
Replies: 6
Views: 1191

Re: Looking to Improve Home network / Backup System

I wouldn't get too hung up on the hardware level encryption. For encrypted backups to your NAS device, you could take a look at Duplicati. It is a very promising backup application based on Duplicity and Rsync from the Linux world. As far as encyption or compression with backups, it is a double edged sword. Below is from the author of Cobian Backup, another great backup application to consider. "Compression is a good thing in theory. You have X bytes of data and, voila, now you have the same data, but using less space. There are different methods of compression and all of them have different advantages/disadvantages in relationship to the other. But compression as cool at it seems has actually some disadvantages: all your data is stor...
by pheleven
Sun May 26, 2013 10:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dr. Web security software
Replies: 20
Views: 2619

Re: Dr. Web security software

How on earth could I have a web server if I didn't activate one? Wouldn't there be some XAMPP or other info on my computer or would some company just have installed one for free? Sorry, I was being a smart-ass in claiming you might have a server set up (at least to some degree). That server is a Linux or Unix server sending you a purposeful report saying "I updated my Dr Web databases!". You wouldn't have "accidentally" set something like that up. It was someone else's typo. The reverse DNS indicating secureserver.net means someone has a GoDaddy hosted website/webserver and they were meant to get the emails you're getting. You could try calling godaddy, but I suspect it's not going to get you very far. If you go to 208....
by pheleven
Sun May 26, 2013 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dr. Web security software
Replies: 20
Views: 2619

Re: Dr. Web security software

I didn't read everything because it got redundant but Mudpuppy is right; someone put in your email on accident for their administrative email (in regards to the DR Web emails) or you have a web server.

Bottom line, just block it all if it's not yours. It's probably not easy or worth it to try to track down the source, especially if the reverse DNS is coming up "xxx.secureserver.net".
by pheleven
Sat May 18, 2013 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.
Replies: 26
Views: 3725

Re: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.

The way it works with "Out of Network": If they pay 70%, like in your case, of "Reasonable and Customary", that means they (your insurance) will pay 70% of what they will pay an In-Network doc to do the work. You are responsible for 30% of the In-Network charge, plus the balance due. I have no direct experience with this aspect of insurance reimbursement, so this could be absolutely correct. I thought that the "reasonable and customary" for some plans could be higher than the in network allowable charge. If they are the same and out of network is 70% vs 80% in network, then the insurance co pays less for the same procedure out of network, which sees strange. I believe this difference is them begging you to sta...
by pheleven
Sat May 18, 2013 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.
Replies: 26
Views: 3725

Re: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.

Your health insurance probably has different numbers for In Network Deductibles, Out of Network Deductibles, In Network Maximum Out of Pocket, Out of Network Maximum Out of Pocket. For this reason, I prefer HSA-compatible plans that equalize these numbers to roughly match the maximum tax deduction. In other words, put $6K into an HSA account, get a $6K tax deduction and the maximum medical costs you could pay is $6K whether in network or out. But if you're an ordinary grunt worker, you are stuck with whatever plan your employer offers if you don't want to go through the hassle and costs of a personal policy. You really have to look through the plan details to figure out what the maximum theoretical hit is. Unfortunately you're wrong about ...
by pheleven
Fri May 17, 2013 4:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.
Replies: 26
Views: 3725

Re: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.

Yes, so your OON deductible works like this:

You pay 30% of the "In-Network" cost, up to an out of pocket $2,000. Then your insurance starts to pick up 100% of the tab, up to the In-Network cost. You are still on the hook for all costs above and beyond the In-Network costs.

In all, it's a horrible deal for the insured, but it makes sense from an insurance provider perspective - They can't just pay whatever they're charged and expect to have any ability to come out ahead. They aren't going to buy that $100 tylenol without a hefty discount like you're expected to. In-Network is a controlled cost, OON is not.
by pheleven
Fri May 17, 2013 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.
Replies: 26
Views: 3725

Re: Uncertain of cost burden from out-of-network surgeon.

The way it works with "Out of Network": If they pay 70%, like in your case, of "Reasonable and Customary", that means they (your insurance) will pay 70% of what they will pay an In-Network doc to do the work. You are responsible for 30% of the In-Network charge, plus the balance due. Your insurance company has negotiated much, much lower rates to be billed to them from in-network providers. For example, if a procedure has a "list price" of $100,000, your insurance might have negotiated that down to $20,000 for In-Network providers. So You take an out of network doctor for the work, your insurance pays $14,000 (70%), you pay $6,000 (30%) plus the balance due of $80,000 - $86,000 your cost. In-Network there is no...
by pheleven
Wed Apr 24, 2013 11:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Frontline--The Retirement Gamble
Replies: 325
Views: 59359

Re: Frontline--The Retirement Gamble

<<snip>>I know several people who work for large companies, know that indexing is great, but their large companies do not offer those choices and have no desire to add them. What are they to do? Others here have posted good success with doing the math, bringing it to their HR/Benefit people and having good success; not a guarantee, but if they can get a few people "in" on the presentation it might swing the "vote." At the very least, pointing to the Frontline episode and then asking for TSM and TBM as options can't hurt... I was planning on asking my company to include index TSM/TBM options prior to this, but it made it a LOT easier. I got to work this morning, chatted with a coworker and found out he too watched this F...
by pheleven
Tue Apr 02, 2013 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do I really need a Smartphone?
Replies: 433
Views: 46486

Re: Do I really need a Smartphone?

You : ...and that concludes my report. Boss : Excellent work. I know you didn't include it in your presentation but share with me the <insert whatever> document right away so I can review numbers while we're discussing this. You : Right away sir, let me run back to my office and send it to you right now. Snarky Kid : No need, I have it right here on my smartphone. File is on the way boss sir. <2s later> Boss : Great job snarky kid - I see it right here. You are now super awesome kid instead of snarky kid. Here is a $5000 bonus and the keys to my penthouse - feel free to stay the night. Snarky Kid is fired at my place of work if he keeps important documents on his cell phone. That said, occasionally my smart phone makes me far more efficien...
by pheleven
Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card
Replies: 26
Views: 22368

Re: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card

gkaplan wrote:Wouldn't work for me, because I fill up at ARCO, which is not a gas-only enterprise.
So because I can buy a bad hotdog, it's not a gas station? :?
by pheleven
Thu Mar 28, 2013 12:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card
Replies: 26
Views: 22368

Re: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card

Does this work for every grocery store, apart from Walmart? My cashback card sucks at actually working for the higher rewards *most* of the time. Stores "cheat" the system and mark themselves "merchandise" instead of "grocer" or "gas" because they pay lower fees. Most Exxon's, Arco's, Safeway's (Vics - supermarket), and local supermarkets all say "merchandise" on my cash back card, yielding me 1% instead of the advertised bonus rate. That's odd. That hasn't been the case for my Bank of America Visa nor my Barclay MasterCard. The Barclay even has Walmart and Target as "supermarkets" giving me 2%. I suppose I should clarify; Mine's not a Amex, it's a CapOne Mastercard. I've found th...
by pheleven
Wed Mar 27, 2013 10:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card
Replies: 26
Views: 22368

Re: American Express Blue Cash Everyday card

jay22 wrote:Does this work for every grocery store, apart from Walmart?
My cashback card sucks at actually working for the higher rewards *most* of the time. Stores "cheat" the system and mark themselves "merchandise" instead of "grocer" or "gas" because they pay lower fees. Most Exxon's, Arco's, Safeway's (Vics - supermarket), and local supermarkets all say "merchandise" on my cash back card, yielding me 1% instead of the advertised bonus rate.
by pheleven
Mon Mar 25, 2013 1:47 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help solve problem. Viewing holdings from road or work.
Replies: 12
Views: 1167

Re: Help solve problem. Viewing holdings from road or work.

Do you have corporate VPN access? That is what I use whenever I'm in a hotel. Most well set up companies even force you to VPN in to use corporate WiFi. Once you are VPN'd in, all your traffic is encrypted and you don't need to worry about a thing (other than your laptop being compromised, but then you have bigger problems). This is a good option (if allowed). Just know that all your browsing goes through your work network, so don't expect your browsing to be completely private. Please note that some VPNs do not send all of your traffic over the corporate VPN. Mine does not; it only sends the requests for the corporate network resources. All DNS goes over the corporate VPN though, so if you browse unsavory sites while connected, IT knows a...
by pheleven
Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vacation ideas in California - on the beach !
Replies: 12
Views: 1465

Re: Vacation ideas in California - on the beach !

Yea, the water just doesn't get warm like Hawaii. As tj mentioned, the more southerly the less cold it is, but it's still not going to be the bathwater Hawaii has. If the water is your main attraction, go south - San Diego has excellent weather and is beautiful. I've found it to be a lot more fun for a young adult than children though. Maybe I'm wrong. If you're more into the natural beauty, culture, food, etc I would suggest you go to various central coast areas. My favorites are Monterey, Santa Cruz, Mendocino and Fort Bragg. Each have very unique opportunities (Aquariums, Redwood Forests, Boardwalks, Castles, and much much more), and lots of culture/small town appeal. You probably aren't going to find many "beach front" condos,...
by pheleven
Sat Mar 23, 2013 12:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: House Appraisal Drops Right before Refinancing
Replies: 19
Views: 2309

Re: House Appraisal Drops Right before Refinancing

I find it interesting how many people hate zestimates. I've found my region (Northern CA) they're a bit low, but we're also seeing massive appreciation on 'lower end' houses in the 0-250k range -- 5-10% a month lately. The Zestimates are showing this kind of growth, but they're a month or two behind the list prices (which are generally being over-bid).

I've found them to be very helpful, if you assume they're just a general guess at an average house within that size and area with known upgrades. You can see when people are WAY out of whack on their listing price, unless they have a goldmine in the back yard or termites.
by pheleven
Tue Mar 19, 2013 9:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question for computer geeks [facebook phishing?]
Replies: 11
Views: 1265

Re: Question for computer geeks

A common misconception with e-mail 'fishing' attacks is that opening the e-mail will cause your computer to get a virus. That's not true. There is no harm in opening up any e-mail that you receive so long as you DO NOT CLICK ANY LINKS OR OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS! This is not always true. Email clients have gone to great lengths to reduce your risk, but there have been flaws in a variety of mail clients over the years which have allowed code to be executed by simply opening the email. It's not something I would fear day to day, but it is simply untrue that you're "always safe" if you don't click on a link. It's also trivial to make any email look like it comes from any person/account. Just because it says it's from aunt jane doesn't m...
by pheleven
Mon Mar 18, 2013 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tipping a hairdresser
Replies: 85
Views: 9990

Re: Tipping a hairdresser

Depending on what her color involves, she may be able to do that with an $8 box from the drugstore. At least here in CA any product that *works* (well) and lasts is only available to licensed cosmetologists. They don't trust a consumer to play with chemicals... not that all of the licensed people should have been granted the ability either. In any case, with what the OP describes, she is either being done by a 'higher end' stylist, with assistants, or she probably isn't getting a particularly good job done - otherwise as people above said, the time doesn't add up. A lot of people don't know how good (or bad) a job they are getting until they switch. If she's using a stylist with assistants, tip the assistants (or split the tip yourself). T...
by pheleven
Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bit Rot: A Threat To Digital Data?
Replies: 24
Views: 3274

Re: Bit Rot: A Threat To Digital Data?

Valuethinker wrote:We should also be aware that any kind of high atmospheric level atomic detonation, or a specifically designed Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapon, could wipe out much of the data in a wide area below it.

So if there was some sort of 'high altitude war' that led to say 10-20 atomic detonations in the stratosphere, a *lot* of data would be corrupted, forever....
Better get one of these to hold your (properly hashed) backups... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
by pheleven
Sat Mar 16, 2013 3:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bit Rot: A Threat To Digital Data?
Replies: 24
Views: 3274

Re: Bit Rot: A Threat To Digital Data?

Most of these answers are not about bitrot - they're about media obsolescence. Both are problems, but very different ones. Media obsolescence is a medium to long term problem and one you can likely easily mitigate against if you're talking about storing relatively small quantities of data - as you likely are for personal data. Bitrot is a (potential) problem today, compounding tomorrow. Bitrot occurs in a static copy from media going bad (hard drives, cd/dvds, tapes, etc having mechanical failure - often intermittent and undetected - or wearing out), it can occur during a copy for a large number of reasons such as your RAM 'flipping a bit' (solar flare, power surge - less common bitrot), and it can occur from a software error (your OS or a ...
by pheleven
Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Phishing
Replies: 33
Views: 5423

Re: Vanguard Phishing

nisiprius wrote:The story says
My girlfriend received a call from someone claiming to be an employee of Vanguard. Without providing any verification, this person then proceeded to ask for the answer to one of her security questions.
If the story is accurate it seems to me like an unacceptable practice on Vanguard's part. But I can't help feeling there is more to the story than this. Fidelity local reps have occasionally cold-called me to let me know about seminars or wondering whether I had any questions etc. Vanguard never has, but even if they were trying to drum up business, I don't understand why they would ask for the answer to a security question.
In the comments he said they turned out to be calling to verify a change of address.
by pheleven
Fri Mar 15, 2013 12:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard Phishing
Replies: 33
Views: 5423

Vanguard Phishing

With the threads about computer security floating around here I wasn't too keen to come across this article this morning!

http://benplesser.com/2013/03/15/vangua ... atttempts/
by pheleven
Thu Mar 14, 2013 8:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Today's Internet Security, Do you still feel safe?
Replies: 51
Views: 4666

Re: Today's Internet Security, Do you still feel safe?

ok I see the problem. I did not say buy a VPN from your bank.. But buy one from the many available online by independent services. Buy one and log into your VPN before go on your bank's website. Done That definitely does not do what you think it does.I'm quite aware of how VPNs work; network security is a large part of my day job. You are (almost certainly) no more secure using your purchased VPN than not using it, unless you bank primarily in coffee shops. There is a very narrow exent when a VPN provider who is terminating your connection is helpful: - You want to hide something from your internet provider (most often bittorrent or similar) - You want to appear as if you're connecting from a different location (such as to use a different ...
by pheleven
Thu Mar 14, 2013 1:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Today's Internet Security, Do you still feel safe?
Replies: 51
Views: 4666

Re: Today's Internet Security, Do you still feel safe?

coolguy954 wrote:pay for a VPN problem solve
I don't think that's doing what you think it is... unless the bank is letting you VPN directly to them (they are not).
by pheleven
Tue Mar 12, 2013 3:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: tiny cheap server [Raspberry Pi]
Replies: 24
Views: 5312

Re: tiny cheap server [Raspberry Pi]

First off, this is an awesome project. Do note though that the CF cards are not especially known for longevity and certainly are not more reliable than a disk. Doing something like writing a database will wear them out fairly quickly if it has high volume - they have limited write life like an SSD but most don't have as good of wear leveling. As others mentioned, with static/fairly static content these are perfect for low volume web hosting and are also great for complex sensors and in some cases media centers, if you're into DIY.
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Virus: Win32.Downloader.gen
Replies: 27
Views: 5737

Re: Virus: Win32.Downloader.gen

CountryBoy wrote:My Virus: Win32.Downloader.gen showed up soon after downloading IE10 from CNET.
They usually install things that are simply advertising related and not truely hostile - or at least not trying to steal information or damage your computer/files. With the very generic name, it's possible the detection is against something CNET installed.

I should probaly clarify that I will download things from download.com if I simply can't find it anywhere reputable - by all means get it from download.com if the only other option is a search engine ad link, just make sure you uncheck every box that says I want X crapware you can and uninstall any cool toolbars and whatnot that it comes with.
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 2:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Virus: Win32.Downloader.gen
Replies: 27
Views: 5737

Re: Virus: Win32.Downloader.gen

... by the way I always download from http://www.download.com which is cnet. they verify no spyware with downloads. This is absolutely not true. I suggest avoiding them if at all possible. Always download from the source of the program if at all possible. http://insecure.org/news/download-com-fiasco.html (they are not the only ones who complained... cnet has improved some after much egg on their face but still attempt to install crapware sometimes) On a side note, we've been getting large numbers of malware infections from people searching for program installers on google (7-zip, safari, firefox, etc) and clicking the first link (a google ad) which claims to be the download source. It's not, it's a malware laden downloader, which may or ma...
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement account advice
Replies: 6
Views: 796

Re: Retirement account advice

Bob's not my name wrote:Are you sure your Fidelity 401k gives you no access to Spartan funds?
Unfortunately it doesn't. I may be able to get my boss' ear after a few drinks in Las Vegas at a coming convention though :wink:
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement account advice
Replies: 6
Views: 796

Re: Retirement account advice

You are not eligible for a tIRA and should contribute to your Roth IRA for tax diversification. Your 401k options absolutely stink, sorry about that. I'd keep the Bond fund you are contributing to but would rethink the Overseas fund at 1.51%. To your questions: 1. This is a tough one. Those ERs are simply terrible. I might be tempted to go with the lowest cost fund (The Bond fund in the case, not counting the MMF) and go all in on that. It might throw your target AA off but those high ERs represent the theft of your returns with the other funds. I'd keep 100% of the Roth in TSM and go for the Bond fund in the 401k. Interesting. Ok. I'll play with my spreadsheet and see how that looks. 2. I would love the opportunity to have a rental proper...
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement account advice
Replies: 6
Views: 796

Re: Retirement account advice

Bob's not my name wrote:I suspect you are neither eligible for a deductible traditional IRA contribution nor at risk of the 28% bracket.
I am not eligible for the tIRA, you're right - I didn't realize I was over the phaseout. I hit 28% in 2012, but wasn't fully funding my 401k (but was getting match), which will put me below the line. I also didn't quite have the 401k at the true maximum contribution in 'future contributions', I changed that. I'll edit my original post to reflect those changes! Thanks.
by pheleven
Wed Mar 06, 2013 1:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Retirement account advice
Replies: 6
Views: 796

Retirement account advice

First, thank you all for all the knowledge thrown about these forums! I'm struggling a bit trying to make my (current) 401k be friendly with my portfolio, both from ER and future contributions... here's the breakdown: Emergency funds: ~6 months Debt: 83k mortgage @ 3.75% (29yrs left) Tax Filing Status: Single Tax Rate: 25% Federal, 9.3% State State of Residence: CA Age: 30 Desired Asset allocation: 80% stocks / 20% bonds Desired International allocation: 25% of stocks Current Retirement Assets ~50k Current retirement assets Taxable 2% prosper.com (enjoying the hands-on and idea of it) Current 401k 25% Fidelity Advisor Overseas Fund (FAERX) (1.51) 25% Fidelity Advisor Total Bond Fund (FEPTX) (.77) 3% Fidelity Advisor Small Cap Fund (FSCTX) (...
by pheleven
Sun Mar 03, 2013 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rent or Sell Condo?
Replies: 10
Views: 1007

Re: Rent or Sell Condo?

My mortgage broker told me that I can't claim rental income against a new purchase unless I have 30% equity in the rental unit. I haven't thoroughly looked into this, nor would it hinder me in my next purchase, but it was an interesting fact (assuming it's true). So basically you need to be able to afford BOTH mortgages on your income, until you have equity and renters.
by pheleven
Mon Feb 25, 2013 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: is window 8 good ??
Replies: 49
Views: 4948

Re: is window 8 good ??

So does this mean I'll be forced, in effect, to trash my 2002 Dell Dimension 4550 running XP Professional (with a Pentium 4 2GHz processor and 2 GB RAM) by April 2014? I love this PC. :( I feel like I could run this thing almost indefinitely. And I've bought programs that probably won't transfer to another machine. :( --Pete Desktop operating systems - Windows 7 Latest service pack - Service Pack 1 End of mainstream support - January 12, 2015 End of extended support - January 14, 2020 Is there much difference between "mainstream" and "extended" support? Sheesh, at most that's still less than 7 more years for Windows 7! Why should we opt for a PC that will become obsolete within 7 years?? You can always switch it over to...
by pheleven
Sun Feb 24, 2013 9:21 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why do Vanguard and Fidelity have such weak passwords?
Replies: 86
Views: 9781

Re: Why do Vanguard and Fidelity have such weak passwords?

Working in computer security, this is disgusting to hear :annoyed Generally with the 3 strikes system, no, someone can't easily brute force your password, still if a hacker finds a weakness that lets them try more, this is bunk. The real (likely) risk comes more from someone getting the password hashes though - which apparently are most likely exceptionally trivial to crack if one gets a hold of them, or re-use of other passwords/derivatives of them. I'd guess it significantly increases password-reuse likelyhood with the short limitation and case-insensitivity. Passwords in general are quite fallible, especially with how everyone's been taught to create them. This is quite relevant: http://xkcd.com/936/ PS - Jack_R2 - You should really cons...
by pheleven
Sat Feb 23, 2013 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best place to keep emergency funds
Replies: 10
Views: 2072

Re: Best place to keep emergency funds

FYI - My credit union advertises 2% APY on their checking w/ direct deposit. When I was looking at it closer (after it had been open for a while), it's 2% on the first $500 and then 0% on anything further... So I was earning .1% net for a while :oops:

I assume they have something somewhere that has the fine print that shows that, but it doesn't show up on their website. It's rather unfortunate. They don't have any options with decent returns (even by today's standards), so I'll probably be moving some of my money elsewhere that I don't need day-to-day (I otherwise really like them).
by pheleven
Wed Feb 20, 2013 1:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Go For It? (House Purchase)
Replies: 20
Views: 2289

Re: Go For It? (House Purchase)

So I'm new here (cut me a little slack), but I think purchasing my home was a great deal, even though I ended up with some PMI. I found a REO, listed at 95k owned by Fannie. I got pre-approved for the maximum FHA loan. I offered 90k+3 points and they accepted. The lenders all balked at the 'minuscule' loan, and wouldn't take it if I paid 20% down, but agreed to carry 90k (which necessitated the PMI). Sure, I probably could have re-organized with a conventional, but I likely would have lost the offer. In the end, I own a home and I went from paying $900/mo rent (500sq ft) in a bit nicer location but poorly repaired place to $680/mo PITI for my own place (1200sq ft). I may refi to 15 yr as I'm on that payoff projection anyway and it would sav...