Pets are members of the family and belong in the house. As much as possible, keep her indoors for her health and safety. If you had other cats, which you don't, you wouldn't bring a new cat into the house without first having the new cat tested for feline leukemia.
We had the joy of living with the most amazing cat ever for 18 years. He's been gone for two years now, and I still miss him curled up in my lap in the evenings.
Search found 75 matches
- Sat Nov 14, 2015 4:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Deleted
- Replies: 67
- Views: 8165
- Fri Oct 23, 2015 6:49 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Bigger House: Can I afford it?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2715
Re: Bigger House: Can I afford it?
While I have no comment on whether you (considering your finances) can afford the bigger home, I can say that we were very surprised how much more it cost to furnish and maintain a larger home when we went from 1800 to 2800 square feet. This is a good thread to read:
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=126619
Edited to add: What we found was that so much more of our money (and time!) went into supporting the larger house, that it negatively affected how much we were able to save and invest. Being in the south ourselves, the house was never going to appreciate in the way our investments did. If we had to do it over again, we'd have stayed in the smaller house or moved to a moderately larger house.
viewtopic.php?f=11&t=126619
Edited to add: What we found was that so much more of our money (and time!) went into supporting the larger house, that it negatively affected how much we were able to save and invest. Being in the south ourselves, the house was never going to appreciate in the way our investments did. If we had to do it over again, we'd have stayed in the smaller house or moved to a moderately larger house.
- Thu Oct 22, 2015 6:42 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Wool Carpet
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1351
Re: Wool Carpet
If you can afford wool carpeting, get it. We avoid carpeting now, but our house in the 1990s had it. When it was time to replace it, we installed a Karastan wool sisal-look carpeting (somewhat similar to what's shown here: http://www.karastan.com/carpet/karastan-wools.aspx) and it was gorgeous. Soft, easy to clean, and wears like iron.
- Fri Oct 16, 2015 11:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Do you prefer pulling a trailer with your car, or a car with your RV?
- Replies: 50
- Views: 9592
Re: Do you prefer pulling a trailer with your car, or a car with your RV?
You're asking this on an investment forum? You might check out the Airstream forum (http://www.airforums.com/).Browser wrote:BTW, I was looking at Airstream and they make a 16-foot trailer which, while rather pricey, is an Airstream. Base weight is 2860 lbs. Wonder what you think of that one and if a SUV tow-rated at 3500 lbs. is enough.
- Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:39 pm
- Forum: US Chapters
- Topic: favorite bogleheads posts?
- Replies: 118
- Views: 36350
Re: favorite bogleheads posts?
This thread had me enthralled one weekend. It was eventually locked, but was a fascinating read while it lasted.
Quitting job and starting law school in the Fall - help!
viewtopic.php?t=112751
Quitting job and starting law school in the Fall - help!
viewtopic.php?t=112751
- Thu Jul 23, 2015 10:31 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: I'm a spender?
- Replies: 44
- Views: 8013
Re: I'm a spender?
I second the recommendation to use YNAB to make and follow a spending plan (aka budget). YNAB is fun to use and attractive, and you will find yourself looking for every opportunity to open it, give your money jobs, and simply gaze upon the beauty of it all. I'm in it everyday because I love it so much. Used correctly, YNAB will ensure that you're prepared for all current and future obligations. It will incentivize you to pay off any debt and save for big purchases. Over time, it can turn you from being a spender into being a saver/investor. And ultimately, it will give you the freedom to spend guiltlessly because you know you've got everything else covered. In the absence of that, "spending" all your money to pay down debt is cert...
- Tue Jul 21, 2015 8:04 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Greatest money lesson movie
- Replies: 71
- Views: 11677
Re: Greatest money lesson movie
Lost in America.
"Say it, say it! Say 'I lost the nest egg.' Go on, say it!"
"Say it, say it! Say 'I lost the nest egg.' Go on, say it!"
- Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:32 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Suze Orman Show Summary
- Replies: 55
- Views: 11639
Re: Suze Orman Show Summary
So, were you approved? I'd guess yes. I'd guess also it was about a car. Do tell!Meg77 wrote:I even called in once years ago for the Can I Afford it segment! Haha good times.
- Wed Jul 08, 2015 8:05 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Suze Orman Show Summary
- Replies: 55
- Views: 11639
Re: Suze Orman Show Summary
Suze used to annoy me too, but one day I suddenly "got" her and from then on I found her style funny and somewhat endearing. She was fun (while Dave is often angry or ranting) and I was sad when her show ended. I thought the 3-part format was very good: part 1 - focus on a person or a couple and their money issues, part 2 - can I afford it, and part 3 - how am I doing -- focusing on someone not too far from retirement. I'm essentially a money voyeur, hence my presence here, and so I found the the stories interesting. I thought the "can I afford it?" segment was great. If you were a regular listener, then over time it would sink in how much money you should really have (no debt, savings for emergencies & retirement) b...
- Tue Jun 23, 2015 6:17 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Convince me not to buy Porsche
- Replies: 190
- Views: 47615
Re: Convince me not to buy Porsche
You don't make enough money to buy a $70k Porsche, especially if you want to race it. If you were making $250k, then maybe. I agree with others -- get a used Miata for racing. Check out the Forums on Miata.net (http://forum.miata.net/). There's both a Performance Driving and Track Driving forum.
If you want a cheaper daily driver -- cheap to buy, cheap to own -- that's a BLAST to drive, look at the new Miata. The fourth generation body is just being released this summer:
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/05/2016 ... pre-order/
Miatas (I've had 3) have been my daily driver for 30 years, but I recently sold my 2011. I'd be all over this new one, but I'm looking at 5+ years before I'll need a car again.
If you want a cheaper daily driver -- cheap to buy, cheap to own -- that's a BLAST to drive, look at the new Miata. The fourth generation body is just being released this summer:
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/05/05/2016 ... pre-order/
Miatas (I've had 3) have been my daily driver for 30 years, but I recently sold my 2011. I'd be all over this new one, but I'm looking at 5+ years before I'll need a car again.
- Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Best place to purchase a summer hat
- Replies: 26
- Views: 4776
- Thu Jun 04, 2015 9:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: What's my next step?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 2464
Re: What's my next step?
Typically people in your tax bracket shovel all they can into tax-advantaged investments -- 401ks (not Roth 401k), HSAs, etc. Taxable investing is only done if you have anything left over after maxing out your pre-tax options.
As to filing separately, I think there would be no advantage to that. It's only when incomes are similar that there may be an advantage. But again, I'm no expert.
Your income has risen so fast, so quickly, it's obvious you haven't thought a lot about taxes. I think your idea to hire a tax advisor to look over your situation is a great one. The advice you get could save you a bundle every year.
As to filing separately, I think there would be no advantage to that. It's only when incomes are similar that there may be an advantage. But again, I'm no expert.
Your income has risen so fast, so quickly, it's obvious you haven't thought a lot about taxes. I think your idea to hire a tax advisor to look over your situation is a great one. The advice you get could save you a bundle every year.
- Wed Jun 03, 2015 11:21 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: What's my next step?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 2464
Re: What's my next step?
Congrats on your success. You've done a lot of things right and now you're correcting the wrong things. Yeah, get that term life insurance ASAP. We've always gotten ours from SelectQuote.com. Minimum 20 years. As to knowing where your money goes, I'd recommend YNAB. With it, you don't go back into history to try to figure out where your money goes. You start from where you are right now and once you're up and running, you know exactly where you stand and how you're directing your dollars. I don't know how we ever did without it. Besides the lack of life insurance, the biggest thing that stood out for me was that your 401K contributions are post-tax. How much tax are you paying every year? I'm no tax expert, but at your income it seems to me...
- Tue Jun 02, 2015 10:06 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Perpetual Travelling
- Replies: 80
- Views: 20448
- Sat May 23, 2015 1:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Budget allocation between LARGE student loan burden and Retirement_Updated details
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11186
Re: Budget allocation between LARGE student loan burden and Retirement_Moving Forward to next steps
1) Resources: What are resources that folks use to keep up different funds, specifically. I signed up for morningstar, but are there other recommendations? And how does one explore some of the finer details in trying to determine asset allocation (eg between 60% domestic stock versus 75% domestic stock)? Where can I read more about such details and keep up with them as I manage our portfolios long term. Don't make things complicated, because it's not. With the kind of Boglehead-type investing most of us do where we're selecting from the best of 401k-available funds (selecting only the low-expense index funds) or selecting a fund or two for our Roths at Vanguard or from the Spartan funds at Fidelity, resources such as Morningstar are not ne...
- Fri May 22, 2015 6:57 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Budget allocation between LARGE student loan burden and Retirement_Updated details
- Replies: 33
- Views: 11186
Re: Budget allocation between LARGE student loan burden and Retirement_Moving Forward to next steps
2) Organization: What is the best tool to keep up with portfolio over time, including rebalancing etc. Excel? Are there templates out there that I can use to get started. Others might be able to recommend something better but I'm happy with a Google spreadsheet based on the one that Sammy posted in this thread: http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=64464&start=50 Look about 9 posts down to Sammy's spreadsheet link. The spreadsheet uses GoogleFinance functions that automatically pull in fund prices and other data, along these lines: http://googledrive.blogspot.com/2010/08/tips-tricks-googlefinance-in-google.html I only use the first sheet. I removed some of the stuff from the top section I didn't need or care about, and modifi...
- Tue May 05, 2015 7:29 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: French press recommendation?
- Replies: 32
- Views: 9213
Re: French press recommendation?
We have 2 Frielings, 17 oz and 36 oz polished stainless steel, that will probably last longer than we will.
- Sun Apr 26, 2015 9:18 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Help getting rid of debt
- Replies: 56
- Views: 6211
Re: Help getting rid of debt
It's never a good idea to withdraw from retirement accounts, even for a loan. That money is your seed money and is tremendously important to your future self.
Instead, I'd look to transfer the debt to a 0 percent interest card, assuming your credit is still good. I strongly recommend you look into YNAB (budgeting software) so you know where every cent is going. I've seen a lot of amazing success stories over there from people in much worse shape than you (Journals section).
Then I'd start working as much overtime as possible or looking for a job that pays more.
Instead, I'd look to transfer the debt to a 0 percent interest card, assuming your credit is still good. I strongly recommend you look into YNAB (budgeting software) so you know where every cent is going. I've seen a lot of amazing success stories over there from people in much worse shape than you (Journals section).
Then I'd start working as much overtime as possible or looking for a job that pays more.
- Mon Apr 20, 2015 7:33 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Has anyone changed their asset allocation
- Replies: 58
- Views: 6304
Re: Has anyone changed their asset allocation
We retire later this year, and so yes we (reluctantly) changed our AA just last week. The length of the bull market might have had a teeny bit to do with it along with the imminent Fed action and its unknown effects combined with the fact that it was time to reduce risk. Even though we expect to withdraw less than 1 percent a year for the first 5 years of our retirement, we changed our AA from 74/26 (where it had crept up from 70/30) to 60/40. I don't expect to go lower than that for a long, long time. I read here on Bogleheads once that if it doesn't feel good, it's probably a good move. It didn't feel good.
- Tue Apr 14, 2015 1:10 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: JOWPYN - The Joy of Working Past Your Number
- Replies: 55
- Views: 11379
Re: JOWPYN - The Joy of Working Past Your Number
To all those 30- and 40-somethings who can't understand the rush to retirement, I say, you just wait. I'm sure I felt the way you did all those many years ago. But after 36 years of corporate life (and I have a great, low-stress, high paying job), I can't stand being here another minute. Unfortunately, I have 244800 more minutes before I leave the office for good.
I have many things I'll be retiring to, but one of the biggest things is the ability to sleep and exercise all I want. As you get older, the effects of sleep deprivation and sitting in a chair five full days a week can be deadly.
I have many things I'll be retiring to, but one of the biggest things is the ability to sleep and exercise all I want. As you get older, the effects of sleep deprivation and sitting in a chair five full days a week can be deadly.
- Fri Mar 27, 2015 7:27 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Can I afford a $500,000 house?
- Replies: 43
- Views: 27550
Re: Can I afford a $500,000 house?
When do you want to retire? If 55 or earlier, don't buy the big house.
- Sat Feb 28, 2015 10:57 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Wife doesn't want to retire - I do
- Replies: 65
- Views: 11529
Re: Wife doesn't want to retire - I do
Putting myself in your spouse's shoes, I'd only feel resentful if I worked all day and came home to all the chores too, while my husband had been reading and at the beach all day. Do the lion's share of the household chores, and I'd think she'd be delighted. Try to get everything done during the week so the two of you can play all weekend.
- Thu Feb 19, 2015 1:44 pm
- Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
- Topic: Dave Ramsey Lashes Out at His Financial Critics
- Replies: 89
- Views: 30925
Re: Dave Ramsey Lashes Out at His Financial Critics
sesq wrote:Solid point.tfb wrote:Dave Ramsey lashes out at critics the same way MMM lashes out at critics -- "Don't bug me with these details. Look at the big picture!" The details are kind of important.
I strongly disagree. The two have nothing in common beyond their views on debt and "living like no one else so you can live like no one else." When Ramsey lashes out, he's angry and mean. When MMM responds to critics (I'd never characterize it as "lashing out"), he's funny. He also provides plenty of details.
- Wed Feb 11, 2015 10:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly serious.
- Replies: 118
- Views: 12196
Re: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly seri
Yes, it's great for landscapes, interiors, architecture, people, street photography, walking around. Not for wildlife or sports.bhsince87 wrote:I tried a Fuji X-100T and a Canon mirrorless (don't remember the model number).
They were great for people shots and landscapes/travel stuff. The Fuji was actually amazing as a point and shoot for people pics.
But they were useless for anything that moved faster than a brisk walk. I returned them both.
- Wed Feb 11, 2015 9:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly serious.
- Replies: 118
- Views: 12196
Re: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly seri
Do you think canon or Nikon could play catch up? Also, would canon lenses work with canon mirrorless cameras? I'm guessing they won't. I have no idea if they'll catch up. In the meantime, my brand loyalty has shifted to Fuji, and I imagine one day my investment in lenses will also. As for Canon lenses working with mirrorless cameras, well maybe on a Canon mirrorless system. But the main appeal of mirrorless is the smaller size and weight, so I'd want lighter, more compact lenses too. Interesting video. But he seems to be saying that the reason for the mirror in a DLSR is to provide a viewfinder, while implying there is no viewfinder in the mirrorless camera. Did I misunderstand? The Fuji X100 and other higher-end Fujis have viewfinders tha...
- Wed Feb 11, 2015 6:17 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly serious.
- Replies: 118
- Views: 12196
Re: Looking for a DSLR that will allow me to get fairly seri
I'm a longtime Canon shooter who thinks the future is with the mirrorless cameras. I think Canon and Nikon have serious trouble ahead. http://www.eoshd.com/2014/09/market-dslrs-shrinking-dramatically-canon-nikon-blame/ I currently have a 7D and several L lenses, but these days I'm using this kit for wildlife only (birds) and so I'm really only using one of my lenses. I never travel with it anymore (too much trouble, too heavy), although once we take off to full-time in our Airstream next year, it'll always be with me. I'm planning one last Canon lens purchase -- the new Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM Lens. I figure it'll be good for everything from hummingbirds to buffalo to African safaris. I'll likely sell the others. For all other ...
- Fri Feb 06, 2015 6:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Healthcare Premium Credit in Low Income Year
- Replies: 10
- Views: 2044
Re: Healthcare Premium Credit in Low Income Year
There was a thread about this recently on the Early Retirement forum:
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ ... 74843.html
http://www.early-retirement.org/forums/ ... 74843.html
- Mon Nov 03, 2014 6:51 pm
- Forum: US Chapters
- Topic: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2015!
- Replies: 256
- Views: 78038
Re: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2015!
September 30 for me! DH will follow on December 31.
- Sun Nov 02, 2014 6:53 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Donating Your Body to Medical School, etc.
- Replies: 44
- Views: 6941
- Fri Oct 03, 2014 10:16 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Slingbox to "Wire" TV two floors away?
- Replies: 22
- Views: 4040
Re: Slingbox to "Wire" TV two floors away?
We had a similar problem in our short-term rental -- the only cable outlet was in the laundry room. We had a small TV there, but our main TV was located a few rooms away. Here's what I finally worked out: 1) connected a Slingbox to the laundry room cable box, 2) bought the Slingplayer app for my iPhone (another $15), 3) already had a Roku connected to the main TV. To watch something, these were our steps: 1) first turn on what we wanted to watch (live or recorded on the cable DVR) on the small laundry room TV (having this TV wasn't needed, but it was easier to navigate to our show rather than doing everything on the iPhone), 2) then open the iPhone Slingplayer app to see the show playing, 3) then on the app, connect to the Roku, where the s...
- Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:51 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: 403(b)/general advice for first post-residency job
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4134
Re: 403(b)/general advice for first post-residency job
Questions: 1. Does my very early/near term strategy of contributing only to domestic stock index funds need reconsideration/adjustment? It would be better to take Duckie's advice and invest 20-30% of your stock portfolio in international (in your Roth). Also, whether you choose 100% stock or 10-20% in bonds is a toss-up. If I were you, I'd probably forego bonds for the time being, assuming you have the fortitude to ignore any market drop. Does my focus on paying off debt initially make sense? Absolutely! You are to be commended for holding off on upscaling your lifestyle. You're doing everything right. 2. Are there hidden fees / contractual pitfalls among the 403b providers that I may not know about? Just the ones mentioned above. Choose F...
- Wed Jul 16, 2014 7:16 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Refinance ?
- Replies: 14
- Views: 1853
Re: Refinance ?
Is your mortgage payment plus all the work/money that goes into maintaining a house much more than renting would be? If so, you might consider selling and downsizing now into a small apartment. I only mention this because my husband and I, at 57/58, also had a mortgage that we had no hope of paying off before retirement. Since we knew that living in the big house was essentially not sustainable into retirement, we sold the house a few months ago and moved into a rental duplex very close to work. The result is that we're saving much, much more than we ever thought possible and having a great time living a carefree lifestyle similar to when we were college students. But with two professional incomes, we're really socking it away and will reti...
- Tue Jul 08, 2014 7:01 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: When you retire you plan to?
- Replies: 44
- Views: 5352
Re: When you retire you plan to?
What we plan to do next year when we retire isn't a choice in the poll. We're going mobile and will full-time RV (Airstream) for several years and travel around the country depending on the weather. We just sold our house and our stuff and are renting for our last year until we take off. When we're ready to settle down again, who knows where we'll end up. But I'm hoping I remember how carefree renting can be.
- Mon Jun 30, 2014 9:53 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Please help us decide where to live
- Replies: 169
- Views: 15594
Re: Please help us decide where to live
Please update us after your year is up. I can't wait to hear what you think of the place. My husband and I, stuck in Florida, spent many years thinking we wanted to live there after hearing Noah Adams on NPR one night on our (separate) commute home. He was riding the train from Chicago to the West Coast and reported from a different stop each night. That night he'd stopped in Boise and we both came home dreaming about moving there. That had to be 15 years ago.
- Sat Jun 21, 2014 1:19 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: out of residency since 07 - please advise
- Replies: 29
- Views: 4886
Re: out of residency since 07 - please advise
Pay off the student loans. Then buckle down for another 6 months and save/invest another $250K. Then buckle down again and buy yourself/wife a nice car to replace the 12-year-old Honda.
About the house -- don't renew the lease for another 3 years. That's a really long time. If the military couple love the house and want to live there for another 3 years, let them buy it.
About the house -- don't renew the lease for another 3 years. That's a really long time. If the military couple love the house and want to live there for another 3 years, let them buy it.
- Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:31 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: On the Road/Air/Water Retirement
- Replies: 57
- Views: 7942
Re: On the Road/Air/Water Retirement
Here's the couple that use repositioning cruises:
http://homefreeadventures.com/
Here's another (younger) couple. They full-time RVed from 2010 until this year. They're now traveling in Europe.
http://everywhereonce.com/
Note that Everywhere Once doesn't post sequentially. They were in Spain for most of March-May, I think, and now they're in England because of Schengen rules. But during this period, sometimes they'd publish a photo/post from one of their US stops, so it can get a little confusing.
http://homefreeadventures.com/
Here's another (younger) couple. They full-time RVed from 2010 until this year. They're now traveling in Europe.
http://everywhereonce.com/
Note that Everywhere Once doesn't post sequentially. They were in Spain for most of March-May, I think, and now they're in England because of Schengen rules. But during this period, sometimes they'd publish a photo/post from one of their US stops, so it can get a little confusing.
- Sun May 25, 2014 10:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Question for renters that are happily renting..
- Replies: 44
- Views: 11539
Re: Question for renters that are happily renting..
We just sold our house on Friday. After 32 years of home ownership (3 homes altogether), we couldn't be more thrilled to be renters. What a carefree life compared to homeownership. We plan to retire soon, do some international traveling, and then becoming full-time RVers for many years. We might buy again in 10 years, but maybe not. Our net worth would be considerably higher had we rented all these years. I spent a ton of money making each home a beautiful, voluntary prison. Almost all our free time, including vacations, was spent on chores and house projects. And when not working on the house, I only wanted to stay home to enjoy it. Living out in the suburbs, we were too far away from the places we'd want to go. Now in our 950-foot downtow...
- Sat Mar 22, 2014 9:14 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Aargh, investing!!
- Replies: 79
- Views: 11549
Re: Aargh, investing!!
You know (don't you?) that when the market crashes, you don't get out. You don't sell any stock funds. You continue to buy stock funds. You stay the course.hojo wrote: To the poster who asked me about why I think I know more than seasoned investors, my response is: I think they know. But if you're a seasoned investor and see free money from the Fed in the billions of dollars a month, why wouldn't you take advantage of that while it's around? That's actually what a seasoned investor would do, IMO, right? And then get out when that money dries up, which is why the market will crash. It's an artificial bubble.
Just making sure you're clear on this.
- Mon Mar 17, 2014 6:30 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Do you love your job? What do you do?
- Replies: 134
- Views: 18231
Re: Do you love your job? What do you do?
I'm a technical writer in an IT department. I make good money, have almost no stress, and work at home 2 days out of 5. I've always enjoyed the writing process and the opportunity to learn new things (that I then write about). For 35 years, I was happy to go to work every day. But in my mid-50s, that suddenly changed. Perhaps it was a recognition of my own mortality, but all of sudden I could see age 70 RIGHT THERE. And I didn't want to spend another minute of my life working for the man. I wanted my time to be mine. All of it, not just the leftover evening hours or weekends after chores are done. But of course we have to be responsible, and in this case that means working another 18 months. For my part, it's an effort to not resent every d...
- Fri Mar 07, 2014 7:35 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Considering moving to Oregon
- Replies: 71
- Views: 12853
Re: Considering moving to Oregon
I feel like not moving to Oregon was the worst decision of my life. I sure wish we'd moved there when we were young and just starting out. Instead we stayed in Florida where the family is and where we had jobs. Living your life in a state you don't enjoy becomes a sort of prison. I can't wait to be released when we retire soon. And then we're going to Oregon, at least for the summers.cluto wrote:Moving to Oregon was the best decision of my life and I don't have any plans of living anywhere else.
- Fri Feb 21, 2014 7:46 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: What would YOU do with $300K?
- Replies: 28
- Views: 4397
Re: What would YOU do with $300K?
I believe the OP wants to use the 300K as a down payment. She's asking whether to buy a house now or, if not, where to put it in the meantime.
- Fri Feb 21, 2014 3:22 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: What would YOU do with $300K?
- Replies: 28
- Views: 4397
Re: What would YOU do with $300K?
Milk the free housing as long as you can. If you'll be losing the housing because your job is going away, don't buy until you know where you'll end up.
In the meantime, you could put the money in CDs or a short-term bond fund. Others may have better ideas.
In the meantime, you could put the money in CDs or a short-term bond fund. Others may have better ideas.
- Sun Feb 02, 2014 11:30 am
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Resident physician wanting to get started
- Replies: 15
- Views: 2726
Re: Resident physician wanting to get started
Because a Roth can be used as an emergency fund (contributions only) and because your income is now as low as it ever will be, start a Roth.
- Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:16 pm
- Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
- Topic: Bogleheads.org Homepage
- Replies: 76
- Views: 7118
Re: Bogleheads.org Homepage
I use the homepage to find threads of interest, but I agree with the OP and Peculiar_Investor. The homepage is a design disaster and presents a very poor impression to newcomers. I make sure not to send its link to those I'm trying to attract to the site.
Personally, my main objection is cosmetic. All the font changes (different sizes, colors, italics, Times!) makes it look amateurish -- precisely what Bogleheads is not.
Personally, my main objection is cosmetic. All the font changes (different sizes, colors, italics, Times!) makes it look amateurish -- precisely what Bogleheads is not.
- Tue Jan 07, 2014 3:18 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Personal Organizer
- Replies: 4
- Views: 1071
Re: Personal Organizer
Evernote.
- Fri Dec 27, 2013 8:26 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Where To Stop - Pensacola to Ft Myers
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1577
Re: Where To Stop - Pensacola to Ft Myers
Low-key Hideaway in Cedar Key.
http://www.lowkeyhideaway.com/
Never been there myself, but I've been reading the proprietor's blog (http://everymilesamemory.com/) for years (starting back when he and his wife travelled the US in an RV) and it sounds like a great place to stay.
http://everymilesamemory.com/
It has excellent TripAdvisor reviews.
http://www.lowkeyhideaway.com/
Never been there myself, but I've been reading the proprietor's blog (http://everymilesamemory.com/) for years (starting back when he and his wife travelled the US in an RV) and it sounds like a great place to stay.
http://everymilesamemory.com/
It has excellent TripAdvisor reviews.
- Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:10 pm
- Forum: Personal Investments
- Topic: Considering a "Year Off" from retirement contributions.....
- Replies: 64
- Views: 8291
Re: Considering a "Year Off" from retirement contributions..
The OP is 36 with almost $1M in investments not including real estate. His income is $360K a year. He won't be riding a bus when he's 70.
OP, take your year off. You'll be fine.
Should you get the new car, remember the excitement of the first few weeks -- the anticipation of seeing it in the morning, driving it to work, lovingly giving it a bath, admiring it from afar, breathing in that new car smell. Six months later, you may find it's a car like any other, and you'll wonder where the excitement went.
OP, take your year off. You'll be fine.
Should you get the new car, remember the excitement of the first few weeks -- the anticipation of seeing it in the morning, driving it to work, lovingly giving it a bath, admiring it from afar, breathing in that new car smell. Six months later, you may find it's a car like any other, and you'll wonder where the excitement went.
- Sat Dec 07, 2013 5:32 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: A caution to those contemplating LTCI
- Replies: 63
- Views: 6894
Re: A caution to those contemplating LTCI
No more lifetime benefit policies, I believe. And more importantly, inflation-protection options have become so expensive as to be unaffordable.mss wrote: Her policy had these features:
Lifetime benefit (don't know if you can get this anymore)
90-day elimination period (you pay first 90 days)
$150/day benefit
5% simple interest escalator
premium coverage (Waives the premium when receiving the benefit, otherwise you would have to keep paying.)
- Sat Dec 07, 2013 3:46 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: A caution to those contemplating LTCI
- Replies: 63
- Views: 6894
Re: A caution to those contemplating LTCI
If I were single, I would not purchase it. But I am married, no kids, with enough assets to protect, but not enough to self-insure. My fear is that one of us gets Alzheimer's and requires many years of longterm care, thus decimating our assets for the surviving spouse.
I don't want these worries to keep me up at night so in spite of all the negatives, I'm leaning strongly to getting it. I've been shopping and am leaning to Northwestern Mutual.
I don't want these worries to keep me up at night so in spite of all the negatives, I'm leaning strongly to getting it. I've been shopping and am leaning to Northwestern Mutual.
- Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:38 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What do early retirees actually do in Florida?
- Replies: 238
- Views: 22546
Re: What do early retirees actually do in Florida?
The mentions of hurricanes have been almost as if they were passing summer breezes. :D What are the practical meanings of hurricanes? Boarding up windows? Evacuations? Why the levity? Inquiring minds want to know! I am interested in the responses, too. My uneducated opinion on the subject is that the main danger of hurricanes is to the property and insurance availability. If I rent, I'll probably avoid 90% of the hurricane threats. Victoria Hurricanes aren't a big deal, except when they are. Mostly, everybody gets all prepared and then the storm goes another path or weakens and doesn't do much damage. That's why over time people get complacent. First, unlike tornados or earthquakes, you have days and days of warning, plenty of time to leav...