Search found 3890 matches

by Ged
Fri Mar 08, 2024 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seen new Dune Movie? Your opinion??
Replies: 226
Views: 19267

Re: Seen new Dune Movie? Your opinion??

I first read Dune as it came out serialized in Analog with the Freas illustrations in 1963. I was 13 then. To me it is the Everest of SciFi. Re-read it a handful of times since. Never particularly cared for the sequels, I suspect in part because John W. Campbell was a great editor who kept the original Dune from wandering all over the place. I still have these Analog issues in a box in my garage. The movies are very good realization of the Freas illustrations. The story is just too big for even two long movies and suffers for that. It has a rushed feeing compared to the text. However I seriously doubt that there will be a better film version of Dune any time soon. Looking forward with great anticipation to anything else Villenueve chooses t...
by Ged
Sat Feb 03, 2024 6:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: House tax sale PENNSYLVANIA escheatment?
Replies: 2
Views: 373

Re: House tax sale PENNSYLVANIA escheatment?

The Supreme Court has recently ruled that funds from the sale in excess of the tax liability should be returned to the property owner.

https://library.nclc.org/article/suprem ... #content-0
by Ged
Sun Oct 01, 2023 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Setting up a trust vs Payable on death designations - which to focus on with elderly parent?
Replies: 25
Views: 3225

Re: Setting up a trust vs Payable on death designations - which to focus on with elderly parent?

bsteiner wrote: Tue Sep 26, 2023 1:03 pm For Medicaid protection, since their estates are modest, they might want to provide for each other in a marital trust to the extent necessary to satisfy the elective share, https://www.ncleg.net/EnactedLegislatio ... cle_1A.pdf, and then the rest in a credit shelter trust. A trusts and estates lawyer should know the specifics of this.
A NJ court decision recently opened testementary trusts to Medicaid recovery. My wife and I have wills that create such trusts and we live in NJ. Our estate will be low 7 figures, which we are very interested on passing intact to our children.

Is it time to do revise our wills?
by Ged
Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice on hiring interior designer for bathroom remodel
Replies: 72
Views: 8218

Re: Advice on hiring interior designer for bathroom remodel

sergio wrote: Mon Jul 10, 2023 10:49 am Are you 100% sure you need permits? In our area if you don't change the layout or mess with the supply/drain pipes, it's considered a "replacement" rather than a remodel and you don't need permits. We basically overhauled an entire bathroom over the weekend without needing to pull any permits.
I had the same experience when I remodelled my 3 bathrooms. Only one needed a permit which was required because we changed the ventilation.
by Ged
Sat Jun 17, 2023 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Strategy for last internal combustion engine car
Replies: 75
Views: 6490

Re: Strategy for last internal combustion engine car

Watty wrote: Fri Jun 16, 2023 6:52 pm Change is slow because cars in general last a long time.

The average age of cars has been increasing and the average car on the road is about 12 years old now. That means that even if 100% of new cars were EV now then in 12 years only about 50% of the cars on the road will be EV.

Only about 14% of new cars were electric in 2022 though and this year it is projected that about 18% of new cars will be electric.

I am in my 60s now and I doubt that the majority of cars on the road will be electric within my lifetime.
I am 73 now. I doubt I will ever own an EV.
by Ged
Sat Jun 17, 2023 3:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need for routine HVAC maintenance?
Replies: 53
Views: 5650

Re: Need for routine HVAC maintenance?

I have a service person from the (relaible) company that installed mine about 15 years ago come around yearly. They did find a component once that they recommended be replaced. I did a bit of research on it and it seemed legitimate.

I would rather pay for that rather than have the heat or cooling not work.
by Ged
Wed Apr 12, 2023 6:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How long have you been in your current house?
Replies: 148
Views: 12394

Re: How long have you been in your current house?

Since 1992 when I was transferred to here in Central NJ.

I am 73 now. I do not anticipate moving.

The climate suits me, plus important stuff like Doctors and Hospital are close.
by Ged
Mon Mar 13, 2023 10:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: $3000 mattress worth it?
Replies: 97
Views: 10679

Re: $3000 mattress worth it?

We sleep on a latex mattress that cost about $1,100, shipped to us from an online distributor. We love it. As another poster commented, solid latex mattresses are extremely heavy. That is the only downside. We have had fairly good innerspring mattresses. They are great for the first five years, then you start to feel you are sleeping in a trough for a few years, then you get a new mattress. I have been sleeping on a latex mattress for several years purchased the same way. After I had it for a month or so I added a softer latex topper because the mattress alone was a bit too firm. The result has been perfect for me. I am a pretty active sleeper, so the weight of the mattress is a real positive for me. My sleeping activity doesn't cause the ...
by Ged
Sun Mar 05, 2023 3:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do any of you use webmail exclusively?
Replies: 63
Views: 5987

Re: Do any of you use webmail exclusively?

I own two personal internet domains and also have multiple gmail addresses. For several years I ran a personal mail server on Linux in order to insure my mail privacy. Then I came to the realization that the I was sending most of my email to people who were using services like gmail and yahoo anyway, and they were most assuredly scanning the contents of the mail. And maybe selling the data to each other. Now that I am in my mid 70's and maybe in cognitive decline and also tired of the bother of running a mail server I moved everything to a Google Workspace account. Shazzam it works very well. The assorted gmail and personal domain addresses get forwarded now to one place. For $6 a month they handle all the bother of maintaining the server r...
by Ged
Mon Oct 31, 2022 6:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's the favorite thing or most important thing you have learned here? [Personal finance]
Replies: 191
Views: 17121

Re: What's the favorite thing or most important thing you have learned here? [Personal finance]

1. Keep it as simple as is possible.
2. There is no free lunch.
3. Time in the market > market timing.
4. Avoid being this minute's sucker.
by Ged
Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why can't we have another 20 years of bull market?
Replies: 224
Views: 22032

Re: Why can't we have another 20 years of bull market?

bikechuck wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:03 pm
I felt more prepared when I was in the accumulation phase. Consequences of a correction that endures for a decade or so are brutal for retirees. You can mitigate but not eliminate that risk.
Why can't you mitigate it? A 70-year old should be 70% in bonds and other stable instruments.
by Ged
Sat Mar 20, 2021 4:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Were You Around During Dotcom Bubble?
Replies: 266
Views: 26693

Re: Were You Around During Dotcom Bubble?

Yes, I was around during the dot com bubble. Pretty much ignored it. Was investing mostly through an employer 401K plan that was broadly focussed.

The primary effect it had on me was a period of unemployment for a few months. Not a big deal. Ended up with a better job.
by Ged
Sat Mar 20, 2021 12:02 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why can't we have another 20 years of bull market?
Replies: 224
Views: 22032

Re: Why can't we have another 20 years of bull market?

Blue456 wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:44 am
bikechuck wrote: Sat Mar 20, 2021 11:41 am Mr. Bogle always reminded us about reversion to the mean.
But what is the mean? Can it change?
The mean is only ascertainable in hindsight.
by Ged
Tue Mar 02, 2021 9:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 1987 Carrier HVAC. Replace or fix?
Replies: 57
Views: 5106

Re: 1987 Carrier HVAC. Replace or fix?

I was in a similar situation 15 years ago. I did this:

1) Get the new system. The 80% efficiency will pay for itself.

I am very happy with the result. Saved a lot on my utilities, got reliable system, an energy credit rebate, and made friends with a great electrician who has done a lot of work for me since.
by Ged
Fri Feb 19, 2021 10:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New version of Microsoft Office won't require you to pay for a subscription
Replies: 71
Views: 8081

Re: New version of Microsoft Office won't require you to pay for a subscription

My family of 4 uses Office 365. With a cost of 25$ per person per year it seems like a good deal.

I have other more questionable expenses that exceed that by far, like my cable and phone bills.
by Ged
Fri Jan 29, 2021 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best 'redundant' backup internet for home work
Replies: 40
Views: 6237

Re: Best 'redundant' backup internet for home work

I don't think there is a solution to this if you don't have a fiber optic service.

My experience with trying to use phones after a weather related outage is that the cell towers go out too or are overloaded. You are lucky to get a text through.
by Ged
Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are plasma TV's gone forever?
Replies: 117
Views: 21447

Re: Are plasma TV's gone forever?

ensign_lee wrote: Tue Jan 05, 2021 9:57 am
Ged wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2017 1:37 pm
TomatoTomahto wrote: Fri Dec 01, 2017 10:03 am I have two OLED TVs that I watch all the time, rather than my 72” LCD, whIcy seldom gets turned on. 55” and 65” OLEDs are, IMO, already affordable for people who value picture quality, but I just can’t get myself to pull the trigger on a 77” $10-15k TV.
I have a nice 70" LCD. While I'd love to have an OLED I'n not willing to go down in size or pay 10K. First world problems I guess.

As far as plasmas go the limited brightness was problem for me.

LG is expanding production like crazy. I hope they can come out with a 70+ OLED for 5K soon...
They already have? You can get a 77" LG OLED for $3600 from Costco right now I thought?
You responded to a 3+ year old message.
by Ged
Sun Nov 01, 2020 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Receipt scanner for home
Replies: 24
Views: 1893

Re: Receipt scanner for home

Some Fujitsu ScanSnap models with appropriate software will do up to 34 inches.
by Ged
Sun Nov 01, 2020 10:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Furnace Filters
Replies: 50
Views: 4704

Re: Furnace Filters

I have a Carrier High Efficiency Furnace and AC - for my setup they recommended a 20x25x5 MERV 12 replaced 2x a year. Cost is $25 each.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004L ... UTF8&psc=1
by Ged
Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:32 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Where would you be if you had invested like a Boglehead from the beginning?
Replies: 107
Views: 9990

Re: Where would you be if you had invested like a Boglehead from the beginning?

I discovered Malkiel's Random Walk Down Wall Street about 1990. Prior to that (from 1978 when I joined the workforce) I was chasing flavor of the year mutual funds in my 401K for about 12 years.

So I guess I lost out on about 25% of my potential lifetime Boglehead accumulation. Would that have made a significant difference in my lifestyle? Not really. I am quite comfortable now.

I wish I could remember how I found Malkiel's book. It may have been a random walk through the local library.
by Ged
Tue Oct 27, 2020 11:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Prime Retention Rates
Replies: 69
Views: 8438

Re: Amazon Prime Retention Rates

Costco has a fairly affluent clientele. I haven't noticed quality issues on the things I've purchased there. Costco often has upscale items for good prices and their return policy is top notch. I generally go there for the gasoline and stop in with a list from my wife, and then shop for items that catch my fancy. The only other brick and mortar store I use routinely is Home Despot. They simply carry stuff I cannot get elsewhere in my area or on Amazon. I have found their in-store people to be extremely helpful as well. Everything else? Amazon. I live in a place where Amazon does their own or subcontracted deliveries. No Post Office unless it is from a third party who doesn't keep stock at Amazon, The result is extremely quick delivery, som...
by Ged
Mon Oct 19, 2020 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trane HVAC - Bad Experience
Replies: 55
Views: 5314

Re: Trane HVAC - Bad Experience

I have had a Carrier HVAC system for about 15 years. Zero problems. The installer's electrician has become our go-to person for recommendation of other contractors. I had them install a Mitsubishi mini-split in my garage as well. Again no problems.

My brother has a Trane that is about 5 years old. We were very careful to pick a good installer for that as well. Zero problems.

The installer really does matter a lot. Also - good installers won't install bad equipment. Brand name is not the most important thing - each brand has good and less good models in their product line.
by Ged
Sun Oct 18, 2020 9:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 very slow (2 year old Dell Desktop)
Replies: 76
Views: 6136

Re: Windows 10 very slow (2 year old Dell Desktop)

A program that I use from time to time is Autoruns, a free Sysinternals tool from Microsoft that enumerates all the programs that automatically start on a Windows machine. With this you can disable a lot of the automatically launched soul - sucking programs that creep in when you install software. Be careful though. Disabling the wrong thing may disable something you actually need. press windows button / start and type in 'msconfig' - there you'll get a list of programs running at start up. No need for software. autoruns has a more comprehensive understanding of auto startup locations than msconfig and has support for looking at the auto-starting images configured for other accounts. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/...
by Ged
Sun Oct 18, 2020 5:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 10 very slow (2 year old Dell Desktop)
Replies: 76
Views: 6136

Re: Windows 10 very slow (2 year old Dell Desktop)

A program that I use from time to time is Autoruns, a free Sysinternals tool from Microsoft that enumerates all the programs that automatically start on a Windows machine.

With this you can disable a lot of the automatically launched soul - sucking programs that creep in when you install software. Be careful though. Disabling the wrong thing may disable something you actually need.
by Ged
Thu Oct 15, 2020 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is programming still a valuable skill to learn?
Replies: 250
Views: 25115

Re: Is programming still a valuable skill to learn?

getthatmarshmallow wrote: Thu Oct 08, 2020 12:45 pm $0.02: "coding" is everywhere, and when it's being taught to 7-year-olds the mere ability to "code" isn't going to by itself translate into a great job for very long.
The good programmers also know some math. Otherwise you won't know how to deal with more than datasets of trivial size. If you are coming from a background that includes a couple of years of college math courses, yes I would recommend learning programming. It becomes a much tougher call if you don't.
by Ged
Sun Oct 11, 2020 4:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Critique draft proposal of fee-only advisor for elderly parents
Replies: 27
Views: 2683

Re: Critique draft proposal of fee-only advisor for elderly parents

Start off re-investing excess dividends into a diversified fund like VTSAX instead of T and ED.

I am a 3 fund person so this advisor's plan seems overly complex to me.

When your parents pass you will likely get a capital gains exemption for their gains over the years making restructuring of the portfolio easier than trying to do something now.
by Ged
Wed Oct 07, 2020 9:40 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax FAQ- Late Arriving K-1 Income
Replies: 10
Views: 1010

Re: Tax FAQ- Late Arriving K-1 Income

123 wrote: Tue Oct 06, 2020 2:02 pm
Personally I'd avoid any kind of investment situation that involves a K-1 because I like to get our tax situation promptly resolved every year.
Yes, investing in something that provides headaches like this doesn't make sense unless you have someone working for you whose job is dealing with these headaches for you.

Sometimes estates can generate K-1s during their settlement process. So just avoiding investments that generate these may not keep you free of K-1s.
by Ged
Mon Oct 05, 2020 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do YOU handle network security?
Replies: 105
Views: 8284

Re: How do YOU handle network security?

Home network security is mostly about having up to date router firmware from a reliable source and strong passwords. Home network security is relatively easy compared to some other problems.

The scariest incidents I've had are spoofed emails delivered with virus payloads as file attachments. Good email software security tools are hard to find.
by Ged
Sat Oct 03, 2020 9:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Dying Broke (On Purpose) Article
Replies: 260
Views: 36775

Re: Dying Broke (On Purpose) Article

I have children who are not as well off as I am. I will be leaving them the bulk of my money.
by Ged
Wed Sep 30, 2020 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.
Replies: 75
Views: 7013

Re: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.

If you are already tied in to the Apple ecosystem you may find the Apple TV works well for you. One of the main reasons it didn't work for me is that I had to set up an Apple account which I don't use for anything else.
by Ged
Wed Sep 30, 2020 5:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon seller requires signature for item shipped via Fedex
Replies: 43
Views: 3612

Re: Amazon seller requires signature for item shipped via Fedex

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:14 pm I have had FedEx shipments diverted to a FedEx center. They notified me when it arrived and I went and signed for it. I was able to divert it with the tracking number alone.
I have done this when the FedEx driver seemingly could not find my address. There are a lot of locations that Fed Ex will drop ship to you where you can go to to sign and pick up the package. This eliminates much of the issue of having to stay home for a delivery. Drug stores seem to often act as FedEx drops.

The FedEx site should have drop locations listed.
by Ged
Wed Sep 30, 2020 4:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.
Replies: 75
Views: 7013

Re: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.

I don’t want a TV package at all. I want to be able to stream movies on demand, preferably in HD, and also be able to browse YouTube content. I assume that all I will need is sufficient internet bandwidth and some sort of streaming box like Roku or Apple TV. Is this correct? A Roku, NVIDIA Shield or Apple TV will offer 4K HDR if your internet bandwidth is sufficient. The picture from such a setup is far ahead of anything you will get from a cable box. I have an 86" Sony, and with recently produced content it is wonderful. Personally I like the NVidia Shield better than the Roku or Apple TV. I wasn’t familiar with NVidia Shield. Does that make sense even if I’m not shooting for 4K HDR? Here is the feature comparison from the NVidia sit...
by Ged
Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.
Replies: 75
Views: 7013

Re: Need some advice for buying my first flat screen TV.

marcwd wrote: Mon Sep 07, 2020 2:14 pm I don’t want a TV package at all. I want to be able to stream movies on demand, preferably in HD, and also be able to browse YouTube content. I assume that all I will need is sufficient internet bandwidth and some sort of streaming box like Roku or Apple TV. Is this correct?
A Roku, NVIDIA Shield or Apple TV will offer 4K HDR if your internet bandwidth is sufficient. The picture from such a setup is far ahead of anything you will get from a cable box. I have an 86" Sony, and with recently produced content it is wonderful.

Personally I like the NVidia Shield better than the Roku or Apple TV.
by Ged
Wed Sep 30, 2020 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Battery issues - SHORT Drive due to COVID (Work From Home)
Replies: 86
Views: 7771

Re: Car Battery issues - SHORT Drive due to COVID (Work From Home)

Good solar trickle charger for your battery and a good car battery tester.

The battery tester will tell you when to replace the battery. 5 years of neighborhood trips will bring most batteries to their knees.
by Ged
Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Many Brokerage Companies Are Too Many?
Replies: 45
Views: 3774

Re: How Many Brokerage Companies Are Too Many?

HermanMunster wrote: Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:22 pm Has anyone ever considered the possibility that some IT guy might accidentally delete your account? Yes, there will be backups, but how often do companies actually test their backups?
You might find this document interesting:

https://www.fdic.gov/news/financial-ins ... 20003a.pdf
by Ged
Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Many Brokerage Companies Are Too Many?
Replies: 45
Views: 3774

Re: How Many Brokerage Companies Are Too Many?

GetSmarter wrote: Wed Sep 23, 2020 2:23 am I have assets at three brokerage companies. I like diversification for safety. I like SIPC Insurance. I'm curious if others have multiple brokerage accounts or consolidate into one. Pros/cons?
We have two accounts, one in my name, one in my wife's name at one broker. Some of the assets in it were inherited. No problems with safety for over 60 years and 2 generations with this company. We do not have more than half a million dollars in each of the separate capacities as defined by SIPC so we should be covered if anything untoward happens.
by Ged
Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Estate considerations with sibling living in home owned by parent
Replies: 33
Views: 3070

Re: Estate considerations with sibling living in home owned by parent

I had a very similar situation when I was executor of my father's estate. The only difference was that the parent's home mortgage was paid off. The will was also very simple. Share the value of the estate equally. What makes you think your sibling would like to remain in that home? It may be unsuitable for him for a number of reasons including being too expensive. If so the cost would certainly be part of the value of the estate credited to the sibling. It well may be that the value of the home is larger than his share of the estate. My sibling moved to another, smaller home with lower maintenance costs. The other siblings helped out with the expenses of purchasing a condo. I don't know about your family politics, but this is what worked fo...
by Ged
Wed Sep 16, 2020 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Furnace / Air Maintenance and Covid-19?
Replies: 15
Views: 1324

Re: Furnace / Air Maintenance and Covid-19?

I am much more worried about Dr visits.
by Ged
Tue Sep 15, 2020 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: charging an EV
Replies: 250
Views: 19604

Re: charging an EV

fareastwarriors wrote: Mon Aug 24, 2020 3:57 pm
Tenesmus83 wrote: Sat Aug 22, 2020 5:02 pm I like the idea of reducing pollution so I'm looking at buying an electric vehicle. My main concern is that the small number of charging stations which would limit long-distance trips. Also, having to wait more than 20 min for a full charge is just too much time.
Anyone have similar hesitation?
Best way is just drive less.


No, I have no hesitation but I also don't do long road trips. Not my style.
This thread is interesting to me since I am 70. No more iron ass and elastic bladder; indeed no more long road trips. A plug in electric may work well except that every few years here in NJ a hurricane goes through and we lose power for a week.

Food for thought.
by Ged
Mon Sep 14, 2020 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Computer Setup for Photoshop
Replies: 47
Views: 3654

Re: New Computer Setup for Photoshop

Instead of a machine with an SSD I would recommend an M.2 drive. Aren't M.2 drives SSDs? just a smaller form-factor (and generally faster but that should be confirmed). So if you get an M.2 drive you are getting an SSD. Yes, an M.2 drive (form factor) is an SSD. Perhaps OP meant an SSD with an NVMe interface (and M.2 form factor), rather than the traditional 2.5" SSD with the older and slower SATA 6 Gbps interface. An M.2 with a SATA 6 Gbps interface will basically be the same speed as a 2.5" SATA 6 Gbps SSD. Thanks to the computer industry for another often confusing naming convention. Can't wait for the next one... NVMe would be preferable as it uses a PCIe connection directly to the CPU (rather than going through data controll...
by Ged
Mon Sep 14, 2020 8:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Computer Setup for Photoshop
Replies: 47
Views: 3654

Re: New Computer Setup for Photoshop

Instead of a machine with an SSD I would recommend an M.2 drive. These are 2-4 times faster. With photo processing you will notice the difference. I would also recommend a Ryzen processor with 8 cores. Photo editing will take advantage of the parallel processing these are capable of.
by Ged
Sun Sep 13, 2020 1:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [Question regarding password security]
Replies: 101
Views: 5132

Re: Security question on one's passwords

I'm annoyed when a site requires your password to have at least one upper or lowercase letter, one number, a special character, etc. You'd think you were creating a pw to access the site for NORAD, but its just some internet forum. If I can't use the pw I want, sometimes I just don't join. Once you start using a password manager it's all cut and paste. It is no more work to use a complex password. I have had passwords stolen from a variety of sites in the past. Usually on low volume site where there apparently was a software breach that allowed the hacker access to the password database. The usual result was I lost the account and message history, and got a lot of spam. Now I make account signups unique. Email, name, password, answers to s...
by Ged
Sat Sep 12, 2020 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Please help me, need to buy a computer
Replies: 144
Views: 9935

Re: Please help me, need to buy a computer

musicmom wrote: Wed Sep 09, 2020 2:04 pm If you have the option, we love buying our computers from Costco.
They include an extra year of warranty at no charge.
I recommend buying a laptop from Costco as well. One of the dark secrets of buying a laptop is that even if you get a DOA machine you usually cannot return it to the seller. You have to send it into for a warranty repair and you may get a refurbished (used) machine back.

Costco is one of the few exceptions to this. They offer a 90 day return period for DOA machines and you can get another new model.
by Ged
Sat Sep 05, 2020 10:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wife is "forcing" me to buy stock(s)
Replies: 112
Views: 11212

Re: Wife is "forcing" me to buy stock(s)

If I were to speculate in an individual company right now it would be NVIDIA.
by Ged
Thu Sep 03, 2020 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: PC Build Thread - 2020... and beyond!!!
Replies: 1358
Views: 140191

Re: PC Build Thread 2020

bugleheadd wrote: Wed Sep 02, 2020 7:45 pm if you really want nvme gen 4, also look into the inland premium nvme gen4 (if you have a microcenter) or sabrent rocket gen4 . they are highly rated drives as well.

nvme gen 3 aint nothing to sneeze at either. although if you are coming from SATA III, that is plenty fast too. the difference is most noticable if you are upgrading from mechanical drive
If you plan on an NVME gen 4 drive, you will need an X570 motherboard to support PCIE 4 to utilize the capabilities of that drive. That will be a bit more expensive than the B550 specified in the original post.
by Ged
Mon Aug 31, 2020 12:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: is a $1000+ herman miller office chair worth the investment?
Replies: 65
Views: 10615

Re: is a $1000+ herman miller office chair worth the investment?

Momus wrote: Sat Apr 04, 2020 4:48 pm Leap V2. https://www.madisonseating.com/leap-cha ... BUQAvD_BwE

https://www.btod.com/blog/steelcase-leap-chair-review/

I refuse to buy a chair without adjustable seat depth, lumbar and arms. That's a must. Mesh gets uncomfortable after a while too. I have the same chair for over 12 years.
I really like LEAP chairs as well. I've been using them for 20 years. Once in a while you have to replace the gas cylinder.

There is a new model now, I forget what it is called.
by Ged
Thu Aug 27, 2020 12:47 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fed wants inflation
Replies: 30
Views: 3687

Re: Fed wants inflation

vtMaps wrote: Thu Aug 27, 2020 10:31 am Is there anything they can do to actually increase inflation? --vtMaps
Nobody knows nuthin'
by Ged
Sat Aug 22, 2020 6:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it worth to relocate for retirement?
Replies: 140
Views: 16000

Re: Is it worth to relocate for retirement?

FIREchief wrote: Fri Aug 21, 2020 12:49 pm Don't forget to consider availability of medical care. That nice hospital with access to highly skilled specialists that is only 30 minutes away doesn't mean anything.....until you need it. 8-)
I suppose I could have a larger house and lower other costs, especially real estate tax if I were to move from my current location in NJ. However I'm also living near my children and long term friends, and a hospital and the associated penumbra of specialists is 10 minutes away.

So the answer for me is that it would not be worth it.

I do think this is a question that each person has to decide for himself.
by Ged
Thu Aug 20, 2020 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Over-allocated (70%) to well performing company stock
Replies: 33
Views: 2432

Re: Over-allocated (70%) to well performing company stock

You didn't specify what percentage of your retirement number this is, or what percentage of your portfolio the quantity of shares that you cannot sell is. However I would certainly sell everything that you can up until you hit your retirement number. If you have amounts above your retirement number, they won't affect you except for luxury budget so you could be more aggressive there. Retirement number - I don't have a retirement number as of yet - While single I had previously considered $3 million to be that number, but an extreme run up in property values (at one point 20% annually) in our local area, and getting married, has shifted that. I am hoping to revisit this with my partner as part of discussing this sale. This is roughly 2 year...
by Ged
Wed Aug 19, 2020 6:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Over-allocated (70%) to well performing company stock
Replies: 33
Views: 2432

Re: Over-allocated (70%) to well performing company stock

You didn't specify what percentage of your retirement number this is, or what percentage of your portfolio the quantity of shares that you cannot sell is.

However I would certainly sell everything that you can up until you hit your retirement number.

If you have amounts above your retirement number, they won't affect you except for luxury budget so you could be more aggressive there.