Search found 94 matches

by kamo
Thu Jun 15, 2023 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Re Retirement "I wish I'd known..."
Replies: 299
Views: 54688

Re: Re Retirement "I wish I'd known..."

For those of you retired, what is something you wish you had known prior to retirement? Something you found out or discovered only after retiring? I"m not thinking of financial matters only,(though that's a big part) but other aspects of the retired life, too. That owning land would be so enjoyable. I write this sitting on the porch of our country home listening to the different birds chirp, enjoying the five acre view of wildflowers brought about by spring rains this year and a prescribed burn two years ago, watching the fog slowly lift, drinking my coffee and planning my beekeeping tasks for today. I grew up in suburbs and didn’t know stewarding land could be so enjoyable. I only bought land because I had too many hives for our subu...
by kamo
Thu Jun 15, 2023 9:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Re Retirement "I wish I'd known..."
Replies: 299
Views: 54688

Re: Re Retirement "I wish I'd known..."

AlohaBill wrote: Thu Jun 02, 2022 10:46 am I wish I had known when I finished my Peace Corps experience with a 28" waist, at 128 pounds and a vow to "never go to bed hungry again" would lead to a 40+ waist, 210 lbs and CABG 7 in 2021. 8-) :oops:
True dat. I left PC with a 30” waist and 140lbs, and now weigh 210lbs. 😀
by kamo
Mon Jan 23, 2017 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

We snowbird. We have a written checklist with about 20 items on the list. We check stuff off as we do it the last few days. We put closing and locking the garage as the last item on the list. 1. Set the thermostat at 60 to 88 degrees. Cooler kills the house plants. Hotter is bad on furniture and stuff. 2. Fill up water bottles for the freezer and fill it up. Use up fresh and frozen meat and all vegetables. Leave condiments and like stuff in the fridge. It is cheaper to cool stuff that keeps long term than replace them. Put candles and fragile stuff in fridge. Leave the fridge on normal settings. 3. Put house plants in 5 gallon buckets partly filled with water. Set the buckets near windows for light. Then ask your SIL to check the buckets a...
by kamo
Mon Jan 23, 2017 8:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

I leave for abroad every single year for 3 months, for the last 20 years. I have left for as long as fifteen uninterrupted months. Regular car: do nothing. Water: shut off general valve, outside, AND PUT A SMALL PADLOCK IN THE SMALL HOLE PROVIDED. You do not want it turned on while gone. Shut off inside valve, by the water meter. Drain ALL pipes, and empty all toilet tanks and water heater. That takes care of all risk, including washer, freeze, etc., since all pipes will be empty. Turn off water heater. As you leave, take a picture of water meter; your bill should reflect zero usage for four billing cycles. Water is your only enemy while abroad, since you can control everything else. Leave the fridge open. Shut entire electrical off. No me...
by kamo
Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Hi Everyone, We are going abroad for 4 months this year, from February to May. I would like advice from anyone who has done something similar in terms of what we should do with our home, cars, taxes, etc. before we leave? Home. We live in the south so no real concerns about long periods of time below zero. My plan is to set the thermometer to 50 min and 85 max degrees. No one will live in the house and my sisters live very close and can check on it and pick up our mail. Cars. We will have to leave one car outside in the driveway the whole time as the garage only fits one car. We have a 2008 Prius and a 2016 Corolla. Will disconnect and remove the battery from the Corolla, but not sure what, if anything, to do to the Prius. Do I leave both ...
by kamo
Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

artgerst wrote:Just curious, where are you going for 4 months? Work or leisure? I was under the impression that (assuming several places like Europe) you could only go 3 months on a vacation visa before you had to leave the country.
We're heading to Chile where DW is from. Yes, you're right, it is a 90-day visa but we've already planned our trip across the border to Tacna, Peru to renew it.
It's a leisure trip. I'm not working now and we have free accommodation near a beach the whole time so taking advantage of that and so that the boys get to know the other side of their family and learn Spanish.
by kamo
Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Consider: setting your water heater(s) to the lowest setting or completely off Forwarding your mail to your sister's Turing off the home's water service entirely. If you don't, shut off the supply valves to the cloths & dish washers Advise your local police that you will be away, and give them a contact number (yours or your sister's) Realize that if you have not advised your home insurance carrier, and a large loss does occur, you may have a subsequent discussion about coverage (most policies have a clause about extended vacancy period). Good idea forwarding our mail to one of my sisters. Looked online and it appears easy to do, and will save her a lot of hassle. Another good idea notifying the police. Have notified insurance company....
by kamo
Tue Jan 10, 2017 4:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Artful Dodger wrote:
I can legally turn off the water at the street meter?
We have a shut off valve where the water main comes into the house. Maybe you do not. If not, check with your city water dept - they will likely not want you turning off at the meter, but they can. Alternately, at least shut the supply going to the washing machine and dishwasher. Those are the weakest links.

Have a good time abroad. Sounds like a great experience!

Thanks, we're looking forward to it.
I called the city and they said I could turn it off at the meter so I will do that then drain all pipes. Don't know if it will make any difference but will set the water heater to "vacation" mode.
by kamo
Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

123 wrote:Have the sisters who check your mail also run water in the sinks/tubs/showers for a minute every week or two (maybe also flush the toilets). Water in the pipe traps tends to evaporate over time if not replenished. If the water in the traps isn't sufficient it will let noxious sewer gases into the dwelling and contribute to that "stale house" smell (at least).
I was thinking of turning off the water at the street, then draining all pipes before we leave. But it sounds like this won't work if the water in these pipe traps evaporates right?
by kamo
Mon Jan 09, 2017 6:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Carefreeap wrote:In another post you stated that you live in N. Texas.

Are pack rats or other rodents in your area? The reason I ask is I have had problems with pack rats doing significant damage to my cars parked outside in AZ and So. CA. My car actually caught fire from a pack rat nest which was built on my car's exhaust manifold just as my husband was picking me up at the airport just as I was returning from two weeks in Ireland. Car had to be totaled.
We don't have pack rat problems but we recently had norwegian rats in the attic for the first time. I plugged all real and potential holes around the house and set up snap traps and a bait trap in the attic. The recent thread on this was timely.
by kamo
Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Artful Dodger wrote:I second disconnecting the water from the washing machine and dishwasher. We had a flood one time due to a connection in the dishwasher failing. We now shut off the water at the point it enters the house, and turn the hot water heater down to vacation.

Regarding taxes, make sure to ballpark your potential liability, and make an additional payment if you will be short. You can extend the filing, but not the payment. You usually have to be within 10% of the amount owed, or at least have paid more than last year's.
Thanks for this. I can legally turn off the water at the street meter? On the tax liability estimate I suppose I could do a dry run with tax software - thanks for reminding me that I am delaying the filing not the payment.
by kamo
Mon Jan 09, 2017 4:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

Re: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Unless the cars will be driven more than just around the block when you are gone you should disconnect the batteries from both the Corolla and the Prius. If your Prius is like mine (different model year) the 12V battery you need to disconnect is in the back, not in the front with the engine. Fill the gas tanks full. Sta-bil is not necessary for 4 months, but I do put it in when we are not driving the car for 8 months or more. You might overinflate the tires by a few pounds of pressure. If you are obsessive as I can be, you might also put the cars up on blocks to save the tires from getting flat spots. You don't have to have the car completely off the ground, just enough to put most of the weight on the blocks and very little on the tires. ...
by kamo
Mon Jan 09, 2017 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?
Replies: 45
Views: 12310

4 Months Abroad - what to do before we leave?

Hi Everyone, We are going abroad for 4 months this year, from February to May. I would like advice from anyone who has done something similar in terms of what we should do with our home, cars, taxes, etc. before we leave? Home. We live in the south so no real concerns about long periods of time below zero. My plan is to set the thermometer to 50 min and 85 max degrees. No one will live in the house and my sisters live very close and can check on it and pick up our mail. Cars. We will have to leave one car outside in the driveway the whole time as the garage only fits one car. We have a 2008 Prius and a 2016 Corolla. Will disconnect and remove the battery from the Corolla, but not sure what, if anything, to do to the Prius. Do I leave both c...
by kamo
Sat Aug 13, 2016 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SWR for mother-in-law living in another country?
Replies: 5
Views: 755

Re: SWR for mother-in-law living in another country?

cfs wrote:
Her AA is 50/50

Is this allocation invested IN the U.S. [under U.S. protection] or IN the Bolsa de Santiago [Chilean Markets]? I could not find reliable markets return data for the Bolsa de Santiago [i.e annual returns for the past 30-50 or so years]. Too many unknowns to make a call. To your mil, good luck with your investments.

Thanks for reading.

No, it is invested in Chile, in a fund similar to the S&P 500. I could not find historical return data either.
by kamo
Fri Aug 12, 2016 3:07 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: SWR for mother-in-law living in another country?
Replies: 5
Views: 755

SWR for mother-in-law living in another country?

What advice would you give for the initial setting of a safe withdrawal rate (SWR) for a single woman, 73 years old, living in Chile, and with no plans to live in the U.S.? I help manage her finances. Her age and her location make me uncertain how to adjust the standard starting SWR of 4% for someone living in the U.S. and retiring at 65.

80% of basic expenses (rent, utilities, food, etc.) are covered by her pension. The remaining 20% plus extra spending, like visiting us here in the U.S., have to be covered by her savings. I think 90 is a conservative life expectancy estimate in her situation given her family history (no one has lived past 80). Her AA is 50/50.

Thank you in advance for your advice and suggestions.
by kamo
Thu May 12, 2016 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Home insurance - what % deductible for hail/wind
Replies: 0
Views: 509

Home insurance - what % deductible for hail/wind

Howdy,
I'm reviewing our home insurance policy for the first time. We have a 1% deductible for wind/hail damage and we live in N. Texas. I am wondering what other N. Texas Bogleheads have as a deductible for wind/hail. The difference in our annual premium, which is up for renewal, would be $180.
Thanks for taking the time to respond.
by kamo
Thu Mar 31, 2016 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bro Trip suggestions?
Replies: 58
Views: 10325

Re: Bro Trip suggestions?

Excellent ideas so far. A real cross section of interests and geographies that we'll seriously look at. I edited the original post to add in "living history and historical places" (e.g. Williamsburg) as I forgot this common interest among the three of us and thought that it might spark additional ideas from you.
by kamo
Tue Mar 29, 2016 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bro Trip suggestions?
Replies: 58
Views: 10325

Re: Bro Trip suggestions?

[quote="tyrion"]It might be useful to include where the 3 of you live so we can stop suggesting things like Iceland or Maui for a weekend.

2 are in Texas and 1 is in Northeast Pennsylvania.

If you're really trying to make it an annual thing, it might be worth coming up with a loose schedule. Have each brother host every other year - a night at their favorite restaurant, play golf at their favorite course or a day hiking their favorite trail, etc. Then sprinkle in destination locations.

Good thought, thanks.
by kamo
Mon Mar 28, 2016 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bro Trip suggestions?
Replies: 58
Views: 10325

Re: Bro Trip suggestions?

Good ideas re ball games, but likely we'll do it Oct-Nov time period. And we're not big enough fans to pay playoff/World Series prices.
by kamo
Mon Mar 28, 2016 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bro Trip suggestions?
Replies: 58
Views: 10325

Re: Bro Trip suggestions?

WhyNotUs wrote:What time of the year?
October.
by kamo
Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bro Trip suggestions?
Replies: 58
Views: 10325

Bro Trip suggestions?

My two brothers and I are looking for ideas for how to spend an extended weekend together in October. We live in different parts of the country so have to fly in, have fun, and fly out between Friday and Monday. We're all mid 40s-50s. We all like hiking, visiting new places, living history and historical places and, somewhat, golfing. Last year we flew into Vegas, spent two nights visiting Zion National Park, and the last night in Vegas. Hoping to make an annual tradition of this so all ideas will be considered, if not this year then next. Thanks!
by kamo
Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cities good for living abroad?
Replies: 113
Views: 20329

Re: Cities good for living abroad?

But OP needs to name some specific parameters to really narrow down.... OP here. Thank you all for the many interesting responses. Much food for thought. We will be traveling the next couple of days. I will respond in more detail after we get home on Wednesday night. Our ideas are changing / being refined. But here are some comments. 1. We are talking about Europe. 2. Stays of up to 90 days (I read up on the visa thing). 3. Looking for cities that are walkable and safe, interesting, and accessible without a car, moped or bicycle. That means decent bus and subway systems. 4. Looking for a living and eating "culture", defined in terms of coffee shops and pastries, good restaurants, fresh food markets, wine, and the rest. 5. Only af...
by kamo
Wed Mar 09, 2016 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cities good for living abroad?
Replies: 113
Views: 20329

Re: Cities good for living abroad?

Depends so much on your interests. I like London, NY, Chicago and lot of others in the list below. 3-6 months might be adequate in some of these places. Visa stay limits will be a big constraint. Some of the places I have spent a few days/weeks in but are on my "extended-stay" list - ... New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Miami, LA, Seattle, Boston, DC Thank you, Jane, for mentioning D.C. It's surprisingly under-appreciated. Washington is much warmer than Midwestern states and somewhat warmer and less snowy than Boston, NYC, and Philadelphia. Of course, if you are in D.C., other great cities are a short Amtrak ride away. If you live near a D.C. WMATA (Metro) station, you don't need to worry about traffic. If you don't work, you ca...
by kamo
Sun Dec 27, 2015 11:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: A different way to allocate assets? – please critic
Replies: 6
Views: 1339

Re: A different way to allocate assets? – please critic

It is a reasonable approach. Of course it depends on the size of your overall portfolio e.g. what portion of it would 250k be? If you have 2 million - no sweat, if it is 500k then it may still be ok but you have much less of a margin to work with. I think you are wise to think about post retirement allocations being possibly different than in the accumulation stage. Many cross over this life event without thinking things through. Working your allocation from the bottom up also makes sense to me. If you feel that you will have more than enough investable assets to fund your retirement and perhaps even a bit more you may like Dr Wm Bernstein's idea of having 20-25 years worth of drawdown in "safe" investments e.g. CDs, short term b...
by kamo
Sun Dec 27, 2015 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: A different way to allocate assets? – please critic
Replies: 6
Views: 1339

Re: A different way to allocate assets? – please critic

Your idea is worthwhile, but don't forget rebalancing takes care of a lot of the problem. For instance, if the market drops 15% you would be underweight in equity, so the first thing you do is take your withdrawal from bonds to move back toward target AA. If the WD is not enough, then you would rebalance within the account by moving bonds to the equity side if still outside your rebalancing bands. Your idea seems to not include rebalancing except for making withdrawals as needed from the bond side. In the long run, I think you would be better off by actually adding to equities when they are down. A 15% market drop might cause your overall portfolio to drop 6-12% depending on your AA. That kind of drop wouldn't cause a ripple in a strategy....
by kamo
Sun Dec 27, 2015 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend on groceries?
Replies: 109
Views: 12711

Re: How much do you spend on groceries?

Our family of four spends around $800 a month on groceries plus another $200-250 on restaurants/fast food. On the groceries we shoot for natural and organic when not excessively more expensive than commercialized.
by kamo
Sun Dec 27, 2015 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bogleheads: Share how you like to vacation
Replies: 113
Views: 15029

Re: Bogleheads: Share how you like to vacation

Like many have posted, the perennial road trip seeing the beauty of our country and meeting its good folks at stops along the way, in state and national parks, at campsites, etc. is how we like to spend our vacation. Likely inherited from my parents who piled the 5 kids into a '72 Chevy Station Wagon pulling a pop-up trailer every year to visit parts unknown that created a deep appreciation for what we have.

Someone helped me put wealth into perspective when they reminded me that Warren Buffet and I as American citizens had equal ownership of the National Parks, which are worth trillions. Thus making Warren and my current wealth gap of $60 billion (or whatever he's worth) insignificant. :D
by kamo
Thu Dec 24, 2015 10:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: A different way to allocate assets? – please critic
Replies: 6
Views: 1339

A different way to allocate assets? – please critic

Dear Bogleheads, Thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my post. DW and I plan to retire in five years. We will have two teenagers at home then, and their college costs are already covered and accounted for separately from my portfolio questions below. I struggle to define my risk tolerance in percentage terms. And when I ask myself, ‘what’s the biggest loss you can stomach in a year and still sleep well at night?’ I find that it depends on how many years it will take for our portfolio to recover back to its original value – e.g. one year and I would sleep like a baby but ten years would turn me into an insomniac. So I am starting to think about the bond/cash portion of my portfolio in terms of years of spending rather than a ...
by kamo
Sun Feb 22, 2015 7:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What % of your gross income do you spend on mortgage/rent?
Replies: 155
Views: 35060

Re: What % of your gross income do you spend on mortgage/ren

10%. Includes utilities, HOA, insurance.
by kamo
Tue Dec 16, 2014 4:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What are your 2015 Financial Goals?
Replies: 102
Views: 13123

Re: What are your 2015 Financial Goals?

Quit company I worked for 18 years, take a year off work, and travel with DW + 2 sons
Contribute to 1 403b and 2 Roths.
Enjoy first year of post-mortgage life.
Savings rate = 30% until quit job.
Complete a will.
by kamo
Tue Dec 16, 2014 2:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Most/Least Boglehead 2014 Activity?
Replies: 93
Views: 14191

Re: Most/Least Boglehead 2014 Activity?

Most - paid off mortgage! dumped my (albeit low-cost) financial advisor! saved for 1 403b and 2 Roths!

Least - overspent our budget because lacked discipline
by kamo
Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What temperature for house for long winter absence?
Replies: 70
Views: 187975

Re: What temperature for house for long winter absence?

nmcbride wrote:Water is definitely the killer when it comes to freezing temperatures, if you've turned your water off and drained or blown out the lines than even if something goes wrong it should be the end of the world. What thermostat do you use PatSea? I've looked at the NEST. I've also checked out the TEMPSPOT, it's just a WiFi temp sensor though.
OP here. Thanks, that's was my conclusion as well and I turned off the water where it comes in from the city and then drained the lines. Then I set our thermostat at 47 degrees. A wifi controlled thermostat wouldn't have worked since I suspended our internet service until our return.

Thanks again for everyone's help. We used it.
by kamo
Thu Nov 20, 2014 3:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What temperature for house for long winter absence?
Replies: 70
Views: 187975

Re: What temperature for house for long winter absence?

OP here. A big thanks for all the replies and good advice. We'll leave feeling much more secure now. Thanks.
by kamo
Thu Nov 20, 2014 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What temperature for house for long winter absence?
Replies: 70
Views: 187975

Re: What temperature for house for long winter absence?

earlyout wrote:It would help a lot if you told us where you live.

Sorry bout that. We live in north Texas.
by kamo
Thu Nov 20, 2014 10:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What temperature for house for long winter absence?
Replies: 70
Views: 187975

What temperature for house for long winter absence?

Hi,

We'll be away from home for 2 months this winter for the first time. I want to minimize our heating cost while at the same time not damage any appliances/infrastructure in the house. In your opinion, what temperature should I set the house at during these two months?
I don't know if it matters but my sister lives nearby and can stop by if needed while we are gone.

Thanks,
kamo
by kamo
Thu May 01, 2014 10:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: An easy way to save money: Avoid the $300,000 car.
Replies: 152
Views: 28587

Re: An easy way to save money: Avoid the $300,000 car.

HomerJ wrote:Don't buy too much house and don't buy too much car, and you've got 95% of the battle won.

You can waste money on a lot of little $3 and $5 and $20 purchases if you get the house and car right.
+1 for both sentences.
by kamo
Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: anyone here subscribe to The Economist? (renewal question)
Replies: 33
Views: 13912

Re: anyone here subscribe to The Economist? (renewal questio

I've been a subscriber to The Economist for 3 years now. The first year only cost me $44 thanks to a coupon I bought on ebay. I then renewed for $29/quarter for the next two years. They just sent my renewal notice and the price has increased to $36/quarter. It's not a huge increase, but they are currently offering better rates to new customers on their own website. There may be better deals available elsewhere. Sellers on ebay are still offering new subscriptions for $45-$60/year. Has anyone ever: 1. Called a magazine's subscription department (not necessarily The Economist's) and negotiated a better deal? Does this work very often? 2. Cancelled the subscription, then used a "new subscriber" discount coupon to start a new subscri...
by kamo
Sun Apr 27, 2014 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What's your usual retirement day like ?
Replies: 205
Views: 55021

Re: What's your usual retirement day like ?

Louis Winthorpe III wrote:I'm not retired, so I can't contribute, but this is a great thread.
It is a great thread. I can see it becoming one of the longest threads in the forum's history. On the part of contributors it is easy to contribute to (write how you spend your day) and it can be contributed to repeatedly (daily routines change as one ages). On the part of readers not yet retired we see how diverse and full retirement days are, we learn from (and laugh with) our elders, and are inspired.

Thank you.
by kamo
Wed Apr 23, 2014 8:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: deleted
Replies: 89
Views: 23813

Re: Where would you retire, if $ were no object?

U.S. - in an RV cruising around this great land of ours

Non-U.S. - Iquique, Chile or Budva, Montenegro or London, England.
by kamo
Sat Mar 22, 2014 11:35 am
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 like my job - global director of a technical area for a non-profit. Every day I get to engage with people all over the world from the 80 countries we work in.
I love my career - fighting poverty. Aligns with my beliefs and values. For all of human history material poverty has been our master and in my career and lifetime we are overcoming it. A real turning point in human history that is great to be a part of.
by kamo
Thu Feb 20, 2014 10:56 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Safe Withdrawal Rate
Replies: 91
Views: 11800

Re: Safe Withdrawal Rate

I selected 3.3% in the poll. We plan to retire when our portfolio multiplied by 3.3% exceeds our average annual expenses over the previous four years. After that first year of retirement, all options (TLM, VWP, throw darts at a SWR table, etc.) are on the table for future withdrawals. Ideally, our portfolio will be large enough and produce a high enough average return that (% return - % inflation rate) > %($ annual spending / $ portfolio). We do not want to lose the nominal value of our portfolio if possible; we want its value to keep up with the inflation for inheritance/charity purposes. If inflation runs an average of 3%, then a return of 6.3% would keep us in equilibrium. We plan to retire 12 years before taking SS, so hopefully our cal...
by kamo
Tue Feb 11, 2014 3:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Valentine's Day
Replies: 43
Views: 4779

Re: Valentine's Day

Church kindly organizes a 3-course dinner & dance for married couples for $20. Good food, good fun, good times. All with a gorgeous woman.
by kamo
Tue Jan 28, 2014 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you have a Savings Account?
Replies: 64
Views: 8812

Re: Do you have a Savings Account?

MathWizard wrote:Savings account is mainly for smoothing the expenses throughout the year,
saving up for those big expenses that happen one or twice a year
(property taxes, insurance, tuition for kids, unexpected car repairs)
as well as being first tier EF.
+1. car insurance, homeowners insurance, HOA dues, Roth contribution for following year, home/car repair fund, vacation fund, life insurance, etc.
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 9:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any bogleheads work "for the dark side"?
Replies: 36
Views: 5400

Re: Any bogleheads work "for the dark side"?

If so, how do you cope with having your earnings come from the very decisions we choose to personally not make (variable, whole life, high-fee products, etc)? Do you really need money that badly? In my experience, the best salesmen really believe in their product. Find something you believe in to sell. +1. If you do not believe in your product, you probably will not be successful at this. +2. And your unhappiness that results from not being successful will be compounded with the unhappiness that results from compromising your integrity that other posters have cautioned you on. And all this unhappiness will spread throughout your family, to your spouse and kids and then on to their relationships with others. Like the rock thrown into the la...
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What percentage of your income are you saving?
Replies: 208
Views: 26374

Re: What percentage of your income are you saving?

letsgobobby wrote:
Jfet wrote:We save 55% of gross and our annual spending is 1/2 of what we pay each year in federal tax.
Now that would be an interesting poll: ratio of annual savings to federal income tax paid.
It certainly would be more interesting than a straight 'how much do you save?' question. Your ratio gives savings some context (i.e. vis-a-vis federal taxes).
I wonder if you think adding one more variable - consumption - to the ratio would be equally valuable? A taxes:consumption:savings ratio? Or just report them as percentages that = 100%. So either 1:2:1 or 25%/50%/25%. But I guess this would make a poll much more difficult to administer because of the number of choices it would need.
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 7:39 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What percentage of your income are you saving?
Replies: 208
Views: 26374

Re: What percentage of your income are you saving?

Depending on income and cost of living area, there's a spectrum of gaps between "saving enough" and "saving as much as I possibly can". I know my spouse would not enjoy the austerity required to achieve some of the savings rates posted here. Being a boglehead is cool. If I were poking around Mr. Money Mustache, which is fascinating, I would be flirting with miser-dom in a way that's not healthy for me because I could take it way too seriously. :greedy I recommend using ESPlanner software for figuring out a sane savings amount. I still wind up saving more than is strictly required for "consumption smoothing," but I think it's helpful to know what a reasonable savings rate is. If I were younger, I'd probably sav...
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:49 am
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: A Modest Proposal [adding off-topic board]
Replies: 76
Views: 8309

Re: A Modest Proposal

SecretAsianMan wrote: I do believe there is a sizable contingent who would appreciate such a sub-forum.
SAM

Maybe a poll will help you confirm/deny your belief. Frame the question as a yes/no response then wait for the responses to roll in.

I think the moderators, esp. LadyGeek, do an excellent job and would vote to keep things as they are.
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Poll: How much will you spend on Christmas gifts?
Replies: 34
Views: 2875

Re: Poll: How much will you spend on Christmas gifts?

I chose $250<>$500. We have a lot of nieces and nephews and, like many have posted, gift to them but not to their parents.
I like that my wife buys real gifts but I am noticing the older ones starting to prefer gift cards and this seems to take the gifting out of gifts so am wondering whether I should propose gifting only the 12 and under kids.
by kamo
Sat Dec 14, 2013 6:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How long do you keep your cars? Why do you replace it?
Replies: 72
Views: 8028

Re: How long do you keep your cars? Why do you replace it?

Until it wants me to push it more than it wants me to drive it.