Search found 13 matches

by rotosound
Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any other travel freaks?
Replies: 117
Views: 13442

Re: Any other travel freaks?

The only reason I have real job is to afford to travel. Here's my rundown of where the family and I went last year. Our trips tend to be outdoorsy or at the beach. But when the kids get a little older, I'm hoping to do more international travel.

One week on Big Island of Hawaii
10 days visiting Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, and Zion
One week at NC Outer Banks.
Five days at Sunset Beach in Florida
One week at Carolina Beach in NC
One week hiking in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
One week at Disney World
Two weeks in Kauai
by rotosound
Thu Nov 14, 2013 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help with Med School Refinance
Replies: 17
Views: 2459

Re: Help with Med School Refinance

How did you accumulate $600,000 in loans? I've never met another doc with that kind of educational debt.

Edit for clarity. I don't ask this to be judgmental. I can easily image how he/she got to that level of debt (private schools, changing majors, other life circumstances, etc). But OP's debt is extreme and other med students or college age Bogleheads may be able learn something to avoid this kind of situation. I do not mean to imply OP did something wrong or foolish.
by rotosound
Thu Nov 07, 2013 3:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Asheville NC as a final destination
Replies: 65
Views: 8092

Re: Asheville NC as a final destination

I currently live in Chapel Hill, NC which is about a 3-3.5 hour drive from Asheville. I really like living in Chapel Hill and this area would also be a great retirement destination, but my ultimate goal is to move to Asheville in the next few years. If you are into biking, hiking, outdoors in general, it is a fantastic place to be. Great music and food. Friendly people. Good weather.
by rotosound
Wed Oct 09, 2013 12:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How did you/your child pay for college?
Replies: 151
Views: 15597

Re: How did you/your child pay for college?

I played bass in a rock band in college. The guitarist and I bought a huge PA system with money his father loaned us (him really). We used that for our shows. But we realized we did a better job running PA for bands than most of the other sound companies in town, so we started offering our PA as a service to other bands. That business grew and we started getting hired for other venues. We paid back his dad and went into business for ourselves. That and a scholarship that paid for 50% of my tuition covered college costs for me. I went to an inexpensive state school. We worked late nights several days a week and many weekends, but I finished college debt free. I wouldn't say that it was the best way to pay for college, but it worked and I lea...
by rotosound
Wed Sep 04, 2013 2:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Burned by Non-PPO Providers in PPO Network Hospital
Replies: 19
Views: 1537

Re: Burned by Non-PPO Providers in PPO Network Hospital

mathwhiz wrote: My only option seems to be to try and negotiate with the doctor, call and write letters and be a royal pain in the ass, or tell the doctor to stuff it and not pay.
[OTcomment removed by admin LadyGeek]
by rotosound
Fri Jul 12, 2013 11:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Premium Products That Are Worth It To You
Replies: 368
Views: 65430

Re: Premium Products That Are Worth It To You

High end mountain bikes and road bikes. I'm talking about the super bikes the pros ride in the Tour du France. But when I go for a ride that is not near my house, I carry the bikes in the back of my 10 year old Toyota Pickup. You aren't a serious cyclist unless your bike is worth more than your car. :happy
by rotosound
Wed Jun 19, 2013 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What age did you reach 100K networth?
Replies: 433
Views: 102004

Re: What age did you reach 100K networth?

At 35. Fortunately I hit $200K at 37. Hopefully that growth will continue.
by rotosound
Fri May 31, 2013 8:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: One doc's interesting revolt against the payment system
Replies: 65
Views: 10100

Re: One doc's interesting revolt against the payment system

[quote="Scooter57"]I see a huge amount of whining from doctors who believe that because they put a lot of years into training the world owes them a princely living for the rest of their lives.

Classical music springs to mind. Professional writing. People still pursue these careers and live fulfilled lives.


You are comparing classical music and writing to the practice of medicine????? That is completely absurd. I am a doctor and an musician. Music has always been a huge part of my life, and I've been a musician much, much longer than a doctor. I briefly considered a career in music, but it never once occurred to me that I should be making a physician's income as a musician.
by rotosound
Fri May 31, 2013 8:31 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: One doc's interesting revolt against the payment system
Replies: 65
Views: 10100

Re: One doc's interesting revolt against the payment system

The doctor in the first story is just trying to maximize his income. But the problem with US healthcare is hardly that doctors don't earn enough. To keep perspective on the issue, keep in mind the extraordinarily high levels of compensation for doctors in the US. Here are the median incomes by specialty. A large part of the problem of health care costs in the US is that doctors are overpaid. http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2013/05/24/business/24may-economist-reinhardt1/24may-economist-reinhardt1-blog480.jpg source: http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/05/24/debating-doctors-compensation/ Your chart is misleading. You are not taking into account the high cost of running a medical practice. As a radiologist, for my practice to buy a ne...
by rotosound
Thu May 30, 2013 8:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trip to Tokyo!
Replies: 44
Views: 5776

Re: Trip to Tokyo!

The Tsukiji fish market is a must. You can watch the local fish merchants butchering the freshly caught fish. The market is really fascinating and very busy. There are a number of sushi bars all around the market. I think Sushi Dai and Daiwa Sushi are the more popular ones, but all the ones I tried were very good. I've gone there several times and never get tired of it.
by rotosound
Tue May 28, 2013 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: travel to japan for the first time
Replies: 11
Views: 1820

Re: travel to japan for the first time

If you plan on taking a train anywhere, be on the platform early, ready to go at the scheduled departure time. If you 2 seconds late, you will miss the train.

If you want to take a day trip somewhere, it is a short train ride to Hiroshima for the atomic bomb memorial. Himeji is on the way, and the Himeji castle is a fantastic site to visit.
by rotosound
Fri Apr 26, 2013 6:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Choosing a medical school with debt or a tuition-free MD/PHd
Replies: 24
Views: 3605

Re: Choosing a medical school with debt or a tuition-free MD

You would be missing out on 2-4 years worth of physician income by going the MD/PHD route. So the opportunity cost of the MD/PHD route is pretty high. Financially it makes more sense to go the MD route, live a frugal existence in Med school, and pay off the debt later. Most docs don't have any problems paying off their loans. I would only go the MD/PHD route if: A. You really plan to stay in academics and do research. Keep in mind that if you do this, your income may be considerably lower as an academic/research physician than a doc in private practice. In my specialty, radiology, the salary gap may be as much as $200000-$300000 between academics and private practice. But this is also dependent on specialty, location, etc. or B. You feel th...
by rotosound
Fri Apr 12, 2013 8:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Spouse wants to purchase a bicycle for 5000.
Replies: 129
Views: 12652

Re: Spouse wants to purchase a bicycle for 5000.

As an avid cyclist I would say yes if you have the disposable income for it. Sadly for us cyclists, a $5000 bike is not extraordinarily expensive. It's pretty average for a high end bike but far from top of the line. Most bike manufacturers have bikes in the $10000 range (which is absurd). For me and a lot of other cyclists, to buy a new bike that is better or even as good as what I currently have, I'd have to spend about that much. My last bike cost me $5500, and it was not even the top of the line model. But I also drive a 10 year old truck and don't waste money on other stuff and finances are pretty solid. If my wife had a hobby that was as important to her as cycling is to me and she wanted to drop $5000 on it, I wouldn't say no.