Search found 124 matches
- Tue Oct 20, 2020 12:10 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: WSJ Case Study on Retirement
- Replies: 48
- Views: 6318
Re: WSJ Case Study on Retirement
The free version of the article looks like it was written in another language and translated to English via Google Translate. Close enough that you get the meaning, but not the way any native English speaker would write.
- Tue Jul 21, 2020 1:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Refinance Mega Thread
- Replies: 9513
- Views: 664469
Re: Refinance Mega Thread
Has anyone actually collected the Better Price Guarantee, either at the $1,000 or $100 level? Better.com did not come close to my loan estimate, and, oddly enough, they have not contacted me in the several weeks since I filed a claim. Better has already beaten 2 competing LE's by $100 each for me.
- Tue Jul 07, 2020 2:13 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Refinance Mega Thread
- Replies: 9513
- Views: 664469
Re: Refinance Mega Thread
I'm just starting the process and have what might be a dumb question. My first application is with LenderFi. They pulled credit and gave conditional approval. Do I need to provide all the necessary documentation (pay stubs, W2's, etc.) first in order to get an actual Lender Estimate?
- Wed Jul 01, 2020 1:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Refinance Mega Thread
- Replies: 9513
- Views: 664469
Re: Refinance Mega Thread
For someone like myself who's just starting the refinance process, is it recommended to apply with several lenders at once, and then see if they will beat the lowest rate/cost? Also, I do have a personal Amex card, so I assume I'd qualify for the Better.com $2,500 rebate, but from reading the thread...
- Tue Jun 09, 2020 10:50 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Redeeming Citi Costco rewards without visiting Costco?
- Replies: 12
- Views: 6669
Re: Redeeming Citi Costco rewards without visiting Costco?
This is my problem with Costco. You have a rewards card, why not just credit the rebate back to the card? Amazon does this with their card. Checks get lost, the one they give my 91 year old Dad I have to go to see him and get him to Costco to redeem. I am sure many people do not redeem their check ...
- Thu May 21, 2020 10:24 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Secrets to a great lawn
- Replies: 65
- Views: 5557
Re: Secrets to a great lawn
If you want to know when to apply crabgrass pre-emergent, Michigan State University has a website where you can sign up for email notification for when they determine the appropriate soil temperature for your zip code. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/use_gddtracker_to_schedule_applications_to_turfgras...
- Sat Apr 18, 2020 10:46 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: New laptop/desktop for [Work From Home]?
- Replies: 58
- Views: 4471
Re: New laptop/desktop for [Work From Home]?
If you get a laptop with USB-C, this is a great little USB-C hub that I use, connected to 2 external monitors.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0841T9KC9
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0841T9KC9
- Sun Apr 05, 2020 6:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Boglehead Beer
- Replies: 954
- Views: 178928
Re: Boglehead Beer
Previously hated IPAs, now I love IPAs. My two faves right now: Deschuttes Fresh Haze and Cigar City Jai Alai Funny how that happens I think a lot of breweries went for the full bitter without giving much consideration to taste, resulting in a lot of micro-brews producing something truly horrendous...
- Wed Apr 01, 2020 10:52 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Wine Club Recommendations?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 1305
Re: Wine Club Recommendations?
I'd recommend selecting a wine club from a winery that you know you like the wines. Too many wine clubs just are unloading random wines of varying to poor quality.
- Thu Feb 27, 2020 1:40 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: How Do you Exercise Indoors?
- Replies: 127
- Views: 10167
Re: How Do you Exercise Indoors?
During the winter months, it's usually on my road bike which is on a (Kurt Kinetic) trainer. Will only do the treadmill if there's ice on the roads because it's boring as hell. Have a big ass fan pointed at myself on the bike or treadmill and Netflix/Amazon via a TV on the wall. Also, swim several d...
- Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:48 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Myfreetaxes gone temporarily or for good
- Replies: 9
- Views: 1189
Re: Myfreetaxes gone temporarily or for good
I used FreeTaxUSA last year for my taxes and it worked well
- Sat Nov 23, 2019 9:34 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Good waterproof ear plug?
- Replies: 4
- Views: 458
Re: Good waterproof ear plug?
Have you tried this type of moldable earplugs? https://www.swimoutlet.com/p/macks-soft-moldable-silicone-putty-ear-plugs-kids-size-1181/?&color=10881 Have some of them leftover from when my kid surgically had ear tubes placed. Looks like the kid ones would work for myself, and I suspect they ha...
- Tue Oct 15, 2019 5:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Why are Mazda CX-5’s sales so much less than other brands?
- Replies: 69
- Views: 9063
Re: Why are Mazda CX-5’s sales so much less than other brands?
For whatever reason, it seems like each Mazda vehicle is somewhat smaller than competing vehicles in the same class, which may have an impact.
- Wed Oct 02, 2019 12:33 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: How to find the best credit card promotion?
- Replies: 47
- Views: 4402
Re: How to find the best credit card promotion?
Agree that Doctor Of Credit and ThePointsGuy are good places to start. If you're willing to spend a good amount of time reading up on info, the churning sub-reddit already linked has lots of info on approaches and good Q&A discussion. However, be aware that the churning sub-reddit members expect...
- Wed Oct 02, 2019 10:31 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Deleted
- Replies: 4
- Views: 708
Re: Ceiling soffit removal
I agree with lthenderson. You need to see what's actually in the soffits to see what's there. We removed soffits when we remodeled our kitchen. We needed an electrician to move some wiring and a plumber to move a water pipe that went through the soffit (for no apparent reason). However, there was a ...
- Fri Jun 21, 2019 8:23 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Passport photos cheap
- Replies: 72
- Views: 5102
Re: Passport photos cheap
I've done DIY for my and my wife's passports and the kids 2x over the past 5 years and had no issues.
- Wed May 29, 2019 7:28 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Bosch , Season 1, on Amazon Prime. I haven't read the books, as I'm mostly into sci-fi. My first impression - Bosch is a modern-day incarnation of Joe Friday. The short back-and-forth "just the facts" dialog is eerily similar to the Dragnet TV series I watched when I was kid - I watched e...
- Thu May 09, 2019 9:44 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Season 3 of Sneaky Pete on Amazon Prime was just released, so that's my current binge.
- Thu Apr 11, 2019 1:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Trader Joe's Fans - good value?
- Replies: 164
- Views: 27328
Re: Trader Joe's Fans - good value?
I go to TJ once a month for one product only. Their dark chocolate covered almonds, 73 percent cacao, from Belgium. Worth the trip for that product. And I can use the express checkout lane. Good luck. Interestingly, I'm a huge fan of TJ's "regular" dark chocolate almonds (comes in a 16 oz...
- Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
- Replies: 6279
- Views: 1425316
Re: What Movie Have You Recently Watched?
Layer Cake on Netflix. Very strong cast. Daniel Craig (of James Bond fame) is a middleman in an organized crime group, and plans to get out. Mayhem ensues and drags him into things he can't avoid.
- Tue Mar 05, 2019 12:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Riding lawn mower recommendation
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1038
Re: Riding lawn mower recommendation
We just bought a new Simplicity Regent lawn tractor to replace one that was about 15 years old. Have had good experience with Simplicity in the past. We have about a 1/2 acre of grass and a decent amount of hills and it does well. It was just under $2,500
- Fri Mar 01, 2019 10:17 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Is the Bonvoy Boundless card worth the $95 annual fee?
- Replies: 20
- Views: 1928
- Sat Feb 23, 2019 10:50 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Currently watching The Umbrella Academy on Netflix and it's pretty good. Kind of a combination superhero/mystery series.
- Tue Feb 12, 2019 3:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Preparing Your Own Taxes
- Replies: 13
- Views: 1526
Re: Preparing Your Own Taxes
If you get the forms and associated instructions from the IRS and don't have super complicated tax situations (e.g. depreciation, etc.) it's not hard to do your taxes yourself. I have a spreadsheet setup where I actually estimate my taxes in advance based on expected income and available tax forms (...
- Tue Feb 12, 2019 10:42 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Bad Idea or Good Idea? - Investing in 529 College Savings Plan
- Replies: 70
- Views: 5193
Re: Bad Idea or Good Idea? - Investing in 529 College Savings Plan
529 plans are not a great idea if you are not wealthy, expect financial aid, or you have not contributed maximums possible to your retirement plans. Let me address each item. Let me start by saying I have used a 529 account that had a balance that reached a little over $300K for my 3 kids. 1) I am ...
- Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:43 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Deleting scanned pages with Brother multifunction printer
- Replies: 7
- Views: 810
Re: Deleting scanned pages with Brother multifunction printer
Am I correct that you just want to delete one or several of the pages of the PDF that was created by the scan? If so, just open the PDF with Google Chrome, select "Print" from the menu (or hit CTRL+P) and then print to PDF instead of your printer and enter the page numbers you want to keep...
- Tue Jan 22, 2019 12:16 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Bogleheads Drink Up! [Bogle Vineyards Wine]
- Replies: 35
- Views: 9533
Re: Bogleheads Drink Up! [Bogle Vineyards Wine]
The Bogle wines listed above are pretty solid, especially for the price. Bogle also produces a "Phantom" red blend and a Chardonnay that are even better and are still reasonably priced, around $15.
- Mon Jan 21, 2019 12:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Finished season 1 of a new series on Amazon Prime, "Informer" and thought it was very good. In some ways, it reminded me of the series "The Night Of", where someone who seems like a really nice guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time and subsequent events really mess with hi...
- Mon Jan 21, 2019 10:22 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Finished season 1 of a new series on Amazon Prime, "Informer" and thought it was very good. In some ways, it reminded me of the series "The Night Of", where someone who seems like a really nice guy is in the wrong place at the wrong time and subsequent events really mess with his...
- Thu Jan 17, 2019 3:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Swimming, do you? Advice sought.
- Replies: 91
- Views: 9472
Re: Swimming, do you? Advice sought.
+1 more to the many posts mentioning how important technique is when swimming. You can pick up a lot from watching YouTube videos of swimming. Also, the website https://www.swimsmooth.com has lots of videos and tips as well. However, getting at least a few lessons and/or coaching sessions would like...
- Thu Jan 17, 2019 2:07 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Netflix Recommendations
- Replies: 53
- Views: 7034
Re: Netflix Recommendations
I'd suggest checking out two existing topics on the board, which have lots of great suggestions for Netflix and Amazon Prime: -What TV Show Have You Recently Watched? https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=181257&start=1000 -What Movie Have You Recently Watched? https://www.bo...
- Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:58 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Snow Plowing
- Replies: 54
- Views: 3041
Re: Snow Plowing
We've got about a 1/2 acre of grass and a 400' hilly driveway, so we have a lawn tractor that does double duty as a lawn mower in the summer and a snow thrower in the winter. We used a plowing service our first winter in the house, but it was a pain as they usually wouldn't come until a storm was cl...
- Tue Jan 01, 2019 10:51 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
- Replies: 2544
- Views: 257734
Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Just finished Patriot (2 seasons) and Homecoming on Amazon Prime. Both were very interesting and different.
- Mon Dec 31, 2018 10:36 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Tips on preventative home maintenance?
- Replies: 46
- Views: 6466
Re: Tips on preventative home maintenance?
Good point. Also try the water cut off valves behind the toilets and sinks to make sure they actually work too. If they have not been used in years they may not. Also locate the natural gas cutoff and know how to turn it off in an emergency, especially if you live in an earthquake prone area. You c...
- Sat Dec 15, 2018 11:04 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Annoyingly Expensive HP Ink Cartridges
- Replies: 34
- Views: 3077
Re: Annoyingly Expensive HP Ink Cartridges
We gave up on ink cartridges years ago due to some of the same frustrations. Have been really happy with our Brother laser printer. Initial cost is about the same as most inkjet printers, the toner lasts a long time, and have been able to use 3rd party replacement toner. We just go to Walgreens or C...
- Sat Dec 08, 2018 10:39 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Portable Bluetooth Speaker Recommendations (loud and good sound quality)
- Replies: 33
- Views: 2510
Re: Portable Bluetooth Speaker Recommendations (loud and good sound quality)
My kids have the JBL Flip 3 and Sony (not sure of the model number) bluetooth speakers and both of those do a very good job of sounding good, no matter where they're placed or where you are relative to the speaker. I have the Oontz XL and while it sounds great if it's pointed right at you, the sound...
- Thu Dec 06, 2018 3:29 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Quality Kitchen Faucet Recommendations?
- Replies: 36
- Views: 3412
Re: Quality Kitchen Faucet Recommendations?
Not a fan of Delta. Our Delta Ashton faucet looks great and worked great at first, but within a few months, it gets to the point where there is only a single spot you can put the handle or else it drips and the spray always comes on regardless of if you pushed the spray button or not. Delta provides...
- Sat Dec 01, 2018 4:58 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: declining employer benefits?
- Replies: 36
- Views: 4323
Re: declining employer benefits?
A former employer of mine would give you like $200/month if you declined their health insurance and showed proof of coverage elsewhere, but did away with the "rebate" around the time that Obamacare came out. Similarly, my employer would give any employee that declined healthcare benefits ...
- Sun Nov 25, 2018 2:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Best LED lights for Kitchen Cabinets?
- Replies: 5
- Views: 997
Re: Best LED lights for Kitchen Cabinets?
When we remodeled our kitchen, I replaced the fluorescent under-cabinet lights with MaxLite LED bars and we really like them. Was able to use existing wiring and the light bars are very low profile.
https://www.prolighting.com/brands/maxl ... tbars.html
https://www.prolighting.com/brands/maxl ... tbars.html
- Tue Oct 23, 2018 12:47 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Best location to rent in Rome for vacation?
- Replies: 7
- Views: 859
Re: Best location to rent in Rome for vacation?
We also stayed in an apartment (HomeAway) near Campo de Flori and thought it was a great location. Easy to walk to most of the sites you'd want to see and lots of restaurants nearby. Most places within the historic center (aka Aurelian Walls) are good locations and easy to walk to, though the area n...
- Fri Oct 19, 2018 1:01 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: When to change tires; and what brand
- Replies: 131
- Views: 10243
Re: When to change tires; and what brand
Sometimes at Costco - they do not always have the desired tires in stock. It can make sense to check with them a bit before you need to have the desired tires installed. If they don't have the tires in stock, you can usually buy them on their website and they'll be delivered to your local Costco wi...
- Wed Oct 17, 2018 12:24 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Sneakers with good arch support
- Replies: 33
- Views: 2156
Re: Sneakers with good arch support
I agree with the suggestion of just getting insole inserts if you're just looking for insoles with good arch support and which can be moved to most shoes (as long as their insoles are removable). I have several pairs of the green SuperFeet insoles (picked them up on sale over time) as well as custom...
- Sun Oct 07, 2018 10:42 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What purchase saved you the most money?
- Replies: 136
- Views: 14086
Re: What purchase saved you the most money?
Also, appropriately named for this forum, any of the Bogle wines. They're surprisingly good without even needing to throw in the qualifier "for the price" (they're great for the price)
- Sat Oct 06, 2018 9:19 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Boglehead Beer
- Replies: 954
- Views: 178928
Re: Boglehead Beer
If you like beer and you like bourbon, you'll like Founder's Backwoods Bastard. Tyranena's Rocky's Revenge is another good beer with bourbon hints, a brown ale aged in bourbon barrels. Not sure if it's available outside Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana.
- Fri Aug 17, 2018 8:24 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Costco penny install sale & road hazard terms
- Replies: 31
- Views: 3605
Re: Costco penny install sale & road hazard terms
We bought a new set of tires from Costco earlier this year. Two weeks later, one of the tires got a nail in it. When I took it in, they replaced that tire for free because the nail was too close to the edge of the tire to patch. The warranty only covers the damaged tire(s) and is prorated based on t...
- Tue Aug 07, 2018 11:45 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Maui Hawaii Trip - How to save money?
- Replies: 52
- Views: 5934
Re: Maui Hawaii Trip - How to save money?
While you're at Costco, check out their restaurant gift cards. They usually have gift cards for Roy's and a few other restaurants for $79 (with a value of $100).
- Sun Aug 05, 2018 10:27 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What’s your Value Colombian coffee?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 4378
Re: What’s your Value Colombian coffee?
I'm a big fan of the Colombian Supremo coffee beans at Costco. Very good flavor, about $5/lb. Haven't noticed any off or stale flavors. barreg, How do you brew your coffee? Expresso? Costco store roasted coffee bean tend to be over-roasted because they use a big 1,000-pound coffee roaster. If you d...
- Sun Aug 05, 2018 10:13 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What’s your Value Colombian coffee?
- Replies: 53
- Views: 4378
Re: What’s your Value Colombian coffee?
I'm a big fan of the Colombian Supremo coffee beans at Costco. Very good flavor, about $5/lb. Haven't noticed any off or stale flavors.
- Wed Aug 01, 2018 9:15 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: How to Learn Italian (a little) Before Trip to Italy
- Replies: 34
- Views: 2551
Re: How to Learn Italian (a little) Before Trip to Italy
I took an Italian class at a local community college before our trip to Italy and it came in quite handy. While you can get along with English in most of the major tourist cities, knowing Italian came in very helpful at the small train depot in Tuscany when the person behind the counter understood n...
- Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:01 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Insight Card (APY 5%) full personal review
- Replies: 63
- Views: 8731
Re: Insight Card (APY 5%) full personal review
I'm withdrawing the full balance (ACH originating from Ally Bank)