Bogleheads.org

tuningfork

If I were starting fresh, I would go minimalist on all the "stuff" I tend to acquire. In my younger years I remember my apartment and first house having very little furniture or other decor, and making efforts to buy things to fill the rooms. Now I have a crapload of stuff that I really don't need. ...

tuningfork

BS and MS in Computer Science. The degrees contributed nothing to my understanding of personal finance, which was zilch when I graduated. As others have said, the math is mostly basic high school math. The degrees gave me the earning power to have money left over which needed to either be invested o...

tuningfork

I'm retired but not yet collecting SS or taking RMDs. I have a mutual fund in a taxable account that throws a large capital gains distribution in December, and other funds in taxable that pay dividends and interest throughout the year. All those are deposited into a savings account that funds my spe...

tuningfork

I'm wondering if the same people here not obsessing about expense ratios are the same people in the other thread obsessing over Vanguard's web site change that makes seeing expense ratios an extra click away.

tuningfork

I change my IPS if I learn something new that improves it. Yeah, that's hard to pin down. But I always take my time making any decision to change. That's not written in my IPS but I suppose it should be. Usually I spend several months thinking about and doing further research before committing to a ...

tuningfork

John, how many funds do you have. Would you mind posting some of them along with ticker symbols? Paul Sure, heres what I see: DFTCX $47,500 DFTWX $21,500 QTMRX $18,000 DFSMX $13,700 DFTIX $13,000 BTIIX $18,000 DGEIX $11,500 DFUVX $10,600 DURPX $10,600 AMOMX $1,500 DFSVX $7800 DFSTX $6000 DFVIX $950...

tuningfork

Nearly every day I run Moneydance on my PC, which connects to my banking, credit card, and investment accounts, downloads any new transactions, and updates share prices. Very little effort on my part. I mainly do this to verify and categorize all transactions while my memory is fresh. I do have emai...

tuningfork

If you're running Windows 10, go to Display Settings and see what the scale factor is set to (a.k.a. "Make everything bigger"). Windows chooses it automatically based on pixels-per-inch. Your laptop display has more pixels-per-inch than your desktop display so the laptop is probably set to something...

tuningfork

I've had the new layout on my old-style mutual-fund-only account for a few months. Personally, I prefer the new layout. The tiny fonts with everything jammed together in the old layout would be fine for younger eyes, but not mine. I really don't use the website very often anyway since I use Moneydan...

tuningfork

Are you telling me I could move everything to Fidelity with in-kind transfers? And thus I could completely eliminate any time out of the market? Confirming others' experiences with moving IRAs. I have a couple of IRAs that started out at TD Ameritrade, moved them to T Rowe Price, and later moved th...

tuningfork

I had the same experience - 3 times. I know my answers were correct so obvious they have something wrong. I basically only get junk mail anyway (have gone paperless with all banks, brokerages, bills) so wasn't going to go through the trouble of going to the post office. LOL. The irony of getting ju...

tuningfork

I have six-figure balances in both FSTVX and FTIPX in an IRA account at Fidelity, and five-figure balances in those same two funds in a Roth IRA. I'm thinking about performing an experiment. In one or both of those accounts, exchange exactly 50% of the balances of each fund into the new ZERO total U...

tuningfork

I agree with others that you have enough $ to retire if you choose to, with future health insurance and other healthcare expenses associated with your condition being the wild card. If your condition is causing your job to be physically exhausting, is it possible to find another role at the same emp...

tuningfork

It's so easy to manage your own funds. No need to pay an adviser such a large commission. My Rollover IRA at Fidelity is invested in the three funds Duckie mentions above. Since your funds are all in a tax-deferred retirement account you can make changes at any time without tax consequences. Figure ...

tuningfork

Don't install any browser extensions except for the absolute minimum for security. For me that would include my password manager, my ad blocker, and my privacy blocker. No others. Don't install Flash or Java. If you use a browser like Chrome which includes Flash, make sure it's disabled. Don't let a...

tuningfork

Since you're already using Arq to backup to the cloud (OneDrive) why not use it to also backup to a local NAS? It can do both. That's what I do. I have the local backup scheduled every hour and the cloud backup overnight. Everything happens automatically. Disclaimer: I don't have a Mac and my NAS is...

tuningfork

About 50 years ago my parents bought me an expensive trumpet. About $500 then as I recall. Similar models now seem to be $3000 to $4000 new. That trumpet played so much better than the cheaper cornet I learned on. I'm sure I became a better player because of that trumpet. It was a good investment. ...

tuningfork

deltaneutral83 wrote: ↑
Tue Jul 17, 2018 9:15 am
Only thing I'd buy an extended warranty for is a foreign car.

Toyota? Honda?

tuningfork

About 50 years ago my parents bought me an expensive trumpet. About $500 then as I recall. Similar models now seem to be $3000 to $4000 new. That trumpet played so much better than the cheaper cornet I learned on. I'm sure I became a better player because of that trumpet. It was a good investment. A...

tuningfork

No. Every dishwasher I have owned has lasted longer than 5 years.

tuningfork

I retired at 55 several years ago. I don't get those kinds of questions from many people. Although it's not a secret, I am careful about who I tell I am retired. I spend much of my time now on artistic hobbies, so I usually tell people I'm an artist. For people who knew about my previous career I te...

tuningfork

Thanks for the responses! Lots of good information to consider! Hopefully I can avoid the counterfeit products. Olive oil has a pretty low smoke point, so high-heat cooking probably robs it of the flavors, etc that presumably one would be using it for. That's mostly the type of cooking I do lately, ...

tuningfork

Olive oil is our staple oil. We use extra virgin for marinades and dressings, and plain/pure for sautes. We rarely use other oils. Sometimes canola oil when we think the flavor of olive oil will clash with other flavors, and sometimes peanut and sesame oils for Asian dishes. When it's time to buy ol...

tuningfork

I use Arq Backup software. It can backup computer to computer, and computer to your choice of cloud provider (I use Backblaze B2 storage). One-time fee to buy the software, and monthly fee to the storage provider based on the amount of storage you're using. 1 TB is about $5 per month. One thing I li...

tuningfork

I just finished bingeing Season 1 of Salvation on Amazon Prime. Enjoyed it very much. Political intrigue, interpersonal relationship conflicts, generally believable science. It's a current CBS series, with Season 2 just now starting up. I don't watch regular TV, so I'll have to wait until the season...

tuningfork

I've been retired for 5 years and haven't had to consider cutting spending yet. In fact, I'm trying to increase spending since my withdrawal rate is way below what many would consider a SWR. If the economy tanks and I have to make cuts, I could easily cut back on food, travel and hobby expenses. I w...

tuningfork

I'm one with a long IPS (10 pages) but that's because it's more than an IPS. The actual investment policy, as most people here describe it, is less than a page. It also includes target asset allocation with listing of acceptable funds in each asset class at each financial institution I use, when and...

tuningfork

If I want to upgrade, can I keep my combo, stop using the N router and buy a separate Google Wifi? Would that work? That should work. Disable the wireless in your modem/router combo device settings, then connect a cable from it to the Google Wifi base unit. Google Wifi may complain that it detects ...

tuningfork

Vanguard needs to really add TOTP software security tokens instead of just SMS. And not the silly Symantec VIP nonsense, which ties you to a single vendor. It's great they support U2F Fido hardware tokens. I'd buy a Yubikey except I don't 100% trust the security of USB. Just curious, what is it abo...

tuningfork

I'm as close to 3-fund as I can get with my accounts across several financial institutions. Vanguard Total US Stock, Total Intl Stock and Total Bond index funds in my Vanguard accounts, equivalent Fidelity index funds in my Fidelity accounts, equivalent ETFs in my HSA brokerage account at TD Ameritr...

tuningfork

I'm a child of the electronic age, so please excuse my ignorance. Without the ability to do electronic bank transfers, nor the ability to use the internet to manage my accounts, I'm having a hard time figuring out how it all works. I currently do everything at Fidelity, but I've been thinking of cr...

tuningfork

Here's one case where someone was sued for posting a negative review on yelp, lawyered up, and won. http://pacevegas.com/2016/04/attorney-marc-randazza-beats-bad-business-suing-yelp-reviewer/ The court found on April 7th, that the lawsuit brought by iQTAXX was indeed an attempt to stifle public disc...

tuningfork

We had one issue with poor customer service. The executor played weeks of phone tag trying to speak to the assigned Vanguard rep in person. The Vanguard rep would leave a message on her landline, she would leave a message asking him to call her cell since she was never home during Vanguard's busines...

tuningfork

It's only the second time Amazon has increased the cost of its annual Prime membership since it was first introduced in 2005, with the company in 2014 raising the price to $99 from $79. Once again, Amazon missed the obvious. The price should be a prime number as it originally was. 79 is a prime num...

tuningfork

I'm gradually simplifying my taxable accounts due to the tax implications. I've been at it for 5 years, carefully managing my income to keep capital gains tax rates low. Thanks to the new tax code I'm placing a greater emphasis on Roth conversions for the next few years, so I'll hold on to my remain...

tuningfork

I believe ABS in combination with ESC (electronic stability control) are the most useful safety features to help you avoid accidents. ABS alone helps you stop faster if you don't know how to optimally pump the brakes (even if you know to pump, you might start pumping after ABS would start). ESC help...

tuningfork

I use nothing but unleaded regular gas (w/10% ethanol, I'd prefer without but can only buy this here) on both my rider mower, my push mower, and my snowblower, never drain them off-season and never add any storage additives, for sixteen seasons so far, 32 seasons for the push mower. At the end of t...

tuningfork

About power failures with cordless landline phones, the landline system I bought recently (base unit plus three cordless phones) will work during a power failure, powered by the battery in whichever phone is plugged into the base.

tuningfork

By the time OP reads all the responses to this thread, Fidelity would have finished linking OP's bank account. :sharebeer I moved almost all of our investments from Fidelity to Vanguard. The main reason was unsolicited calls from my Fidelity "Account Executive" urging me to take advantage of some fl...

tuningfork

What's the reason that people split their non-taxable investments from their taxable ones in different places? In my case it was chance. I had accounts at lots of financial institutions due to historical reasons, and began an effort about 5 years ago to consolidate to one or two. I no longer wanted...

tuningfork

I recently had an estate planning session with my Fidelity rep and a Fidelity estate planner. Fidelity maintains a list of estate planning attorneys that have been recommended by other Fidelity customers. If you are a Fidelity customer, you can access that list by logging in and using their online e...

tuningfork

I use H&R Block Deluxe desktop software to e-file Federal, and I transcribe H&R Block's state results onto my state's tax web site for free. I abandoned TurboTax years ago due to all their shenanigans attempting to upsell me to a more expensive product that I don't need, as well as not particularly ...

tuningfork

If both machines have serial ports, you can just connect them with a crossover cable and run Kermit. But most modern PCs don't have serial ports. You can get a serial-to-USB adapter to add a serial port to a modern PC. Trendnet makes one that I've used. I'm surprised Kermit is still around. You als...

tuningfork

I have a chunk of money in some active T Rowe Price mutual funds in a taxable account, invested long before I knew about expense ratios or index funds. I'm generally satisfied with the performance of my TRP funds over the years, and their expense ratios are not outrageous. But my goals now are to si...

tuningfork

I'm not a techie or security expert, but is there a mechanism that could theoretically "hack" a password by random or guessing over a phone line? Seems like after a few failed attempts it would bail out. I don't know if the phone line channel would work any differently. It would be relatively trivi...

tuningfork

they have you plug something into the OBD port. its not through your phone. Wrong. Several insurance companies now offer an app for this. Not all states or all drivers have the mobile option though. How would an app know if I'm driving my car, or if I'm a passenger in another car being driven by a ...

tuningfork

Back in the day I scanned a bunch of multi-page paper documents using Xerox OCR software that created a file format called XIF, thinking Xerox was a big company that would be around forever. Well, they still are but they abandoned that application and file format long ago. I keep a Windows 98 virtu...

tuningfork

I feel completely secure and future-proof saving documents exclusively in PDF. There are thousands of companies that save contracts in PDF. My company digitized all of our old paper contracts, and we exclusively use PDFs for new contracts, 99% of which are digitally-signed, with pen never touching ...

tuningfork

If it is the case where you used the same password for a different (website) compromised account Fidelity should not be able to know. Fidelity should be hashing your password which would mean they don't know your actual password. Hopefully they are hashing passwords. Possibly there have been multip...

tuningfork

Surface Pro 4. Comes with pen and Drawboard PDF reader that allows you to annotate, draw and highlight. The screen is large enough that you can work with a full size page without scrolling. It's light enough to hold like a book.

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