Search found 1651 matches

by gerrym51
Thu Feb 19, 2015 2:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: help me buy a tablet
Replies: 15
Views: 1864

Re: help me buy a tablet

my kindle surfs the web well. it uses a browser called silk
by gerrym51
Tue Feb 03, 2015 7:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do retired Bogleheads have rising net assets?
Replies: 42
Views: 7202

Re: Do retired Bogleheads have rising net assets?

2 years and assets keep rising. about to buy rv-assets going to take hit :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Sat Jan 31, 2015 8:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard website has Yellow Triangle over lock
Replies: 35
Views: 5738

Re: Vanguard website has Yellow Triangle over lock

i use chrome mostly as browser but Kaspersky as security. Kaspersky often says somebodies security is poor. the new version of Kaspersky says my WEP security on my wifi network is poor.what can i say :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Wed Jan 28, 2015 12:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amazon Prime - good deal or calculated conditioning
Replies: 50
Views: 5823

Re: Amazon Prime - good deal or calculated conditioning

we have prime that we started when we bought a kindle. the good thing about prime is that you never think twice about the costs of shiping. However the products sold using prime are not ALWAYS the best deals.

i'll give you an example. printer cartridges. when i have to put in a new cartridge right after i do it i order one from amazon-comes in 2-3 days later. have it for next time i need it. don't have to go out or stock up.

using this as an example-on this i priced it versus staples and the price was also less expenive(this is not always the case). however if you factor in the hassle componet it is a good deal. Just my opinion.
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 25, 2015 1:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Time to stop driving for 85 yo MIL
Replies: 89
Views: 10449

Re: Time to stop driving for 85 yo MIL

I hope nobody wants to take my licesnse based on age. You should ask Taylor Lattimore what he thinks- isn't he 90.
by gerrym51
Thu Jan 22, 2015 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Rear-ended, medical insurance claims and Medicare]
Replies: 7
Views: 1106

Re: [Rear-ended, medical insurance claims and Medicare]

any doctor,hospital,pharmacy will make you sign a release form for medicare because they have to. it's a law. although car injuries can be paid from auto insurance most providers (since it does not happen often) don't have experience billing it-it would help them if you get the process from insurance company.
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 18, 2015 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Florida in the summer [thinking about moving there]
Replies: 132
Views: 18856

Re: Florida in the summer

snowbirding exists for a reason.

either live north and go to floridafor the winter or live in florida and go north for the summer.
by gerrym51
Thu Jan 15, 2015 8:27 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How low could the 10 year go?
Replies: 16
Views: 2411

Re: How low could the 10 year go?

value goes up though-at least if you already own
by gerrym51
Wed Jan 14, 2015 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Options for moving our pets across country
Replies: 47
Views: 6278

Re: Options for moving our pets across country

Rent a small rv and drive them. there are several vancampers renters that will let you do one way rentals.
by gerrym51
Wed Jan 14, 2015 6:30 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 3%, 10-year CD bought today
Replies: 35
Views: 4846

Re: 3%, 10-year CD bought today

probably brokered cd
by gerrym51
Wed Jan 14, 2015 3:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retirees: Do you work part-time for pay?
Replies: 58
Views: 9018

Re: Retirees: Do you work part-time for pay?

i work 4 hours a week for 40 weeks a year-spread out as i want. it keeps me on the payroll -if i don't work for 120 days i'm terminated. i do this for several reasons.

1. i make a pretty high hourly rate

2. i use the income to pay for my medical insurance.

3.by staying on the payroll i'm still an employee and can exercise my stock options when they come due.
by gerrym51
Tue Jan 13, 2015 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Echo (Alexa)
Replies: 91
Views: 27562

Re: Amazon Echo (Alexa)

i gotthe email last wek and it will come in february.thekey thingisnot what it will do now but what ut willdo as they addcapabilities. this is just a direct interface to amazons computers. they will be able to do many things.
by gerrym51
Tue Jan 13, 2015 1:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How much in I bonds do you own?
Replies: 29
Views: 4545

Re: How much in I bonds do you own?

island wrote:
Jack FFR1846 wrote:Ah, the days when one could log into a treasury direct account and buy iBonds with a rewards credit card. So many trips to Aruba upgraded to first class for the family.......

I had $400k worth a year ago and have unloaded $60k but accrued interest, so shy of $350k now
Used to be able to buy with a rewards card? How long ago was that? Yeah that would have been a sweeeeet deal!

Why "unload"? Sounds like got rid of to get rid of, rather than needed to use, but I may be reading more into that word than intended. I Bonds are new to me, only discovered in 2013. We have a token 40K, but still figuring out if they make sense for us.
for a period about up to 8 years ago you could buy with a credit card. then thegovernment wised up
by gerrym51
Tue Jan 13, 2015 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How does a Boglehead handle stock options?
Replies: 29
Views: 5932

Re: How does a Boglehead handle stock options?

I retired last year but still work 4 hours a week so i am still considered an employee. I exercised options January 2nd for 2 reasons. most of my options are expiring this year and the stock was at all time high. i bought and sold same day.

i say wait but track the stock price and jump in ifit seems good time.
by gerrym51
Mon Jan 12, 2015 2:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Asness: Why individual bonds are no safer than bond funds
Replies: 59
Views: 5743

Re: Asness: Why individual bonds are no safer than bond fund

treasury bonds areas safe as you can get. municipal bonds in most cases are safe(especially if they are tiedto a revenue source like sewer).

corporate bonds in general and are considered junk-which i've never understood. i woluldsay Apple or Wal-mart bonds are pretty safe.
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 11, 2015 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: retirement coming, health insurance?
Replies: 26
Views: 4526

Re: retirement coming, health insurance?

i have an obamacare plan.i get no subsidy. the plan i have is a silver plan but is not the least expensive silver plan. there were 6 silver plans less expensive. mine has an excellent network but it does cost more. the more expensive the plan -in it's color catagory the better the network. you get what you payfor
by gerrym51
Sat Jan 10, 2015 5:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard cd question [Brokered CDs]
Replies: 51
Views: 28879

Re: Vanguard cd question [Brokered CDs]

TravelerMSY wrote:It somewhat pisses me off that the spread in selling in the secondary market goes to dealers. Surprised ther's not an ecn where we can trade these products directly with each other.

Maybe we need a thread for this, although I'm not sure of the mechanics of doing off-exchange bond trades is supported by any discount brokers. I imagine it was a lot easier when there were paper certificates.

would't the entity running this market be allowed to make money.either you pay a fee or they take percentage cut.
by gerrym51
Sat Jan 10, 2015 10:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me to understand time shares
Replies: 61
Views: 9721

Re: Help me to understand time shares

I know a guy who has multiple timeshares bought fo rpennies on the secondarymarket. he says if you knowwhat your doing they can be a good deal-if you buy cheap :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Fri Jan 09, 2015 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me to understand time shares
Replies: 61
Views: 9721

Re: Help me to understand time shares

classic timeshares are a loser.

I however own Disney Vacation Club(dvc) for over 20 years and it has been a winner for us. I would recommend it only if you like going to disney parks(wdw) although you can also use it with other time sharing options companies.

you buy 'points' not weeks and they can be used in a variety of ways. :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Thu Jan 08, 2015 5:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Will my taxable annuity payments subtract from SS amount
Replies: 9
Views: 1269

Re: Will my taxable annuity payments subtract from SS amount

i've withdrawn401kmoneyand it's not counted.

the only things tracked are boxes 1,3,5 on a w2 form.if none of those it is not anissue


however even if it did you donot lose the money-it is just added to your FRA and a larger ss payment starts at your full retirement age

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffreybrow ... not-a-tax/
by gerrym51
Mon Jan 05, 2015 11:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insurance
Replies: 61
Views: 7983

Re: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insur

ltci partnerships with medicaid can also keep non nursing home spouse more money. in my state as long as the ltci policy is for at least 2 years and over 150.00 per day if a person goes on medicaid the spouse gets to keep the equivelent amount that medicaid would have paid. most states havethese partnerships.

the reason is that although some nursing home stays can last many years -most are less than 3 years. medicaid thinks that in most cases the ltci policy will last long enough. thats why they have this rule to encourage ltci purchases.
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 04, 2015 9:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What will be the biggest investment surprises of 2015?
Replies: 84
Views: 13477

Re: What will be the biggest investment surprises of 2015?

VictoriaF wrote:The Federal Reserve will start using Bitcoin as its currency.

Victoria

Now that would be a surprise :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 04, 2015 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insurance
Replies: 61
Views: 7983

Re: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insur

We took out a policy with Genworth 3 years ago.It has an inflation rider and is identical to my brothers policy.It cost us 300 a month and I can write it off through my business.Right now we are 62 and 64 and hope we never use it.My brother is 69 with Parkinsons and has in home 24 hr care.It has been great for him.I forget the terminology but our policy has some kind of protection with the state.The agent told us if one of us had to go in long term to a home that we should put our house in the others name.If you run out of money they cannot take your house and Medicade will pay for the facility you are in...they cannot kick out and put you in a public dumping ground. i have genworth also- however several things. once your in a nursing home...
by gerrym51
Sun Jan 04, 2015 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insurance
Replies: 61
Views: 7983

Re: Yet another study on why not to buy long term care insur

my wife and i each have 4year policies purchased 10years ago 5 percent inflation-now at about250 a day.

however our policy also covers homecare which canmakethe money lastlonger and also alternative type situations.


I hope neither of us have to use it.justbefore i die i'll say i guess i didn' tneed to buy it. :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Sat Jan 03, 2015 3:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What will be the biggest investment surprises of 2015?
Replies: 84
Views: 13477

Re: What will be the biggest investment surprises of 2015?

Oil will stabilize at about 75.00 dollarsa barrel
by gerrym51
Sat Dec 27, 2014 1:14 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard cd question [Brokered CDs]
Replies: 51
Views: 28879

Re: Vanguard cd question [Brokered CDs]

I have several brokered CD's. most are initial offer however one was purchased secondary and was a good deal for me.

the good and bad of brokered Cd's has already been said-so i won't repeat.

the best advice i have as somebody who owns some now and has had others come to term-D'ont buy a brokered CD unless you plan to hold to term.

Make sure they have the SO(survivor option). this is the one time when a Brokered CD can be turned by your inheritor-. they will get full value and CD will not have to be sold on open market.
by gerrym51
Tue Dec 23, 2014 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What % of net worth is your home?
Replies: 127
Views: 27711

Re: What % of net worth is your home?

10 percent
by gerrym51
Sat Dec 20, 2014 8:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gaming PC for son, buy or build?
Replies: 63
Views: 8768

Re: Gaming PC for son, buy or build?

Over the years i've occasionally upgraded video cards and ram memory on computers. eventually i would get a new computer and start again. If money is no object and you think you can hadle it build. then when new components become available-as they always do-you can switch them out-it can be constantly evolving.
by gerrym51
Mon Dec 15, 2014 8:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nearing Retirement, have I forgot anything
Replies: 10
Views: 2347

Re: Nearing Retirement, have I forgot anything

all i can say is 1 dollar over bracket cap suddenly can push ss from being 50 percent taxed to 85 percent taxed. it is a hard bracket.
by gerrym51
Sun Dec 14, 2014 8:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What is the best meal you've had at a restaurant?
Replies: 119
Views: 27964

Re: What is the best meal you've had at a restaurant?

Victoria and Alberts in the Grand Floridian at disneyword
by gerrym51
Sun Dec 14, 2014 11:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Nearing Retirement, have I forgot anything
Replies: 10
Views: 2347

Re: Nearing Retirement, have I forgot anything

it looks ok-but remember-the brackets on ss do not adjust for inflation. waiting until 70 gives you a higher ss payout but then gives you a figure in the tax calculation thet you have no control over. unless the brackets ever get adjusted the tax situation 10/15/20 years down the road can be a problem. the wife and i took ss at 62-we do not need the money-future taxes and the brackets are something to consider. we are trying to kkep our taxes as close to the 15 percent baracket as possible
by gerrym51
Sun Dec 07, 2014 1:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Am I being cheap? [wedding/engagement ring]
Replies: 192
Views: 18846

Re: Am I being cheap? [wedding/engagement ring]

I've been married 25 years. my wife has had her engagement ring upgraded twice from the original. trying to understand women is futile.Ain't gonna happen. :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Thu Dec 04, 2014 1:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon product restricted to Prime members. Is this new?
Replies: 34
Views: 7008

Re: Amazon product restricted to Prime members. Is this new?

i have had prime for a couple years. I use it for my kindle video but also get things shipped. if you have prime no charge for shipping as long as it says it is an item covered by prime.

once you have it i never worry about minimums. i just got something that cost 5 dollars.no shipping fees.

once you get prime you almost never stop. i like it
by gerrym51
Wed Dec 03, 2014 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 1st Moving Violation Traffic Ticket: Lawyer Up or Pay Fine?
Replies: 18
Views: 2609

Re: 1st Moving Violation Traffic Ticket: Lawyer Up or Pay Fi

if you think you can beat it i would show up in court. a lot of times the prosecutor does not show up for these-most people pay up-and the judge will dismiss if no evidence or no prosecutor- i would not hire a lawyer though
by gerrym51
Tue Dec 02, 2014 3:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retirees: Why worry?
Replies: 25
Views: 3843

Re: Retirees: Why worry?

Fear makes you plan carefully. i retired 2 years ago and things have gone well. if the stock market crashed it would be differennt. i'll only know for sure 30 years from now :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Mon Dec 01, 2014 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Best CD rates ...
Replies: 49
Views: 7504

Re: Best CD rates ...

Brokered CD is a bond with fdic CD guarantee. other than the guarantee they are treated like bonds. have to sell on secondary market if you want out prior to term.
by gerrym51
Sun Nov 30, 2014 1:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bah Humbug [managing Christmas spending]
Replies: 52
Views: 8034

Re: Bah Humbug [managing Christmas spending]

we have 4 grown up children . we have several grandchildren. when we retired we decided we could not keep up with all kids/grandkids birthdays/christmas etc.

now each one of our 4 children get 1000.00 dollars at christmas. that know our budget
by gerrym51
Sat Nov 29, 2014 9:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I'm getting Slaughtered in stocks
Replies: 43
Views: 7977

Re: I'm getting Slaughtered in stocks

I do the same thing-at the Roulette table. Roulette has the lousiest odds at a casino and if you stay long enough at it you will ALWAYS lose your money. However the THRILL of hitting a number when you have a bunch of chips on it is unsurpassable for me-what can I say :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Thu Nov 27, 2014 5:37 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Thoughts on Defined Maturity Bond Funds?
Replies: 12
Views: 2045

Re: Thoughts on Defined Maturity Bond Funds?

i own fchpx-municipal bond fund ends 2023
by gerrym51
Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Social Security 62 vs 66
Replies: 58
Views: 23504

Re: Social Security 62 vs 66

one thing to remember-the brackets for deciding if SS is taxed at 50 percent or 85 percent are not adjusted for inflation. will they ever-don't know. however by not adjusting that bracket it eventaully hits more and more as time goes by especially if you have money in tax deferred rmd.

by taking earlier you will obviously have less in the calculations at the time.in a future tax date.

my goal is never to exceed 15 percent taxes in a given year
by gerrym51
Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Social Security 62 vs 66
Replies: 58
Views: 23504

Re: Social Security 62 vs 66

my opinion is the actual net position in your money in taking at 62 versus 70 makes the actual break even age 90. you can look at my prior posts. that is all My break even point is 77.3, but in my opinion "break even" calculations are meaningless. Who knows if the decision you make will garner the most cumulative income? You won't be spending it all at one time anyway, because you won't receive it all at one time. I doubt that your last thought on Earth will be regret over taking SS early or delaying. Since it's all a gamble one way or the other I prefer to take the money off the table in the form of a guaranteed return rather than an assumption that I'll die long before the national average says I am likely to. This is especiall...
by gerrym51
Fri Nov 21, 2014 6:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Social Security 62 vs 66
Replies: 58
Views: 23504

Re: Social Security 62 vs 66

my opinion is the actual net position in your money in taking at 62 versus 70 makes the actual break even age 90. you can look at my prior posts. that is all
by gerrym51
Mon Nov 17, 2014 4:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Take ACA Subsidy vs. Roth coversion???
Replies: 7
Views: 2081

Re: Take ACA Subsidy vs. Roth coversion???

i faced a similiar situation a year ago. fiddle with my income to get subsidy-or not. remember there are 2 things. the subsidy is based on 2nd lowest silver plan-not the one you may want-and the closer you get to 400 percent the less valuable the subsidy is. i took a silver plan that was only the 6th lowest-and my subsidy since i was close to the 400 percent mark would have saved me 100 dollars of my 550. dollar premium. i would be jumping thru hoops and not using the valuable income space i had adjusting my income to make use of all of the standard tax deduction. i decided to forego the subsidy period. :mrgreen: You definitely need to run your numbers. For example, in my state if 2 60 years olds are making 400% of the FPL will have a prem...
by gerrym51
Mon Nov 17, 2014 2:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Take ACA Subsidy vs. Roth coversion???
Replies: 7
Views: 2081

Re: Take ACA Subsidy vs. Roth coversion???

i faced a similiar situation a year ago. fiddle with my income to get subsidy-or not. remember there are 2 things. the subsidy is based on 2nd lowest silver plan-not the one you may want-and the closer you get to 400 percent the less valuable the subsidy is. i took a silver plan that was only the 6th lowest-and my subsidy since i was close to the 400 percent mark would have saved me 100 dollars of my 550. dollar premium. i would be jumping thru hoops and not using the valuable income space i had adjusting my income to make use of all of the standard tax deduction.

i decided to forego the subsidy period. :mrgreen:
by gerrym51
Mon Nov 17, 2014 1:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"
Replies: 132
Views: 21219

Re: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"

genworth could still go bankrupt-but it would be because all their other business went bankrupt at the same time. the LTC division is not lockboxed. if a company go es belly up the government assigns the policies to another provider and payments go to them. in these cases rates can sometimes go up However other big companies have gotten out of selling 'new policies". they still cover and service people who have already bought plans. what does happen is that if they do this no new money is coming into the ltc part of a company. they have to finance from other parts. because ltc insurance is not a growth industry and big companies can't make money on it some of them write off the value of the divisions and then as time goes by fewer and ...
by gerrym51
Mon Nov 17, 2014 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"
Replies: 132
Views: 21219

Re: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"

I think people are misinterpreting this. Genwoth stock is not valueless and they have plenty of money. what they have said is that the LTC division is basically valuless to future profits because they don't make enough profits in that division.

they are far from poor.
by gerrym51
Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HOA resurrection
Replies: 35
Views: 8838

Re: HOA resurrection

If you want the HOA to be effective i would work with these people
by gerrym51
Sun Nov 16, 2014 8:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"
Replies: 132
Views: 21219

Re: "The dangers of long-term care insurance"

My state is one of the 3 states that has refused genworths requests to up premiums for old policies.from what i have been able to learn these are policies prior to 2003. we bought ours in late 2003. we have never had an increase . I have watched GE then Genworth over the years because we own the policies-obviously. the usual -modus operandi- for them all over the country is to create a new product-not as good as past policies-give it a fancy name and jack up the prices for them. it's only a recent development -say in the last 4 years-for them to ask for increases on old policies. they are the largest by far seller of LTC-i did not say they are the largest company overall. since they sell so many policies they put pressure on a state to give...