Bogleheads.org

An Ikea foam mattress is portable and comfortable to sleep on, much more comfortable than typical air mattresses. They come as compressed rolls, but even once they self-inflate the twin size are easy to move.

I gave up on Amazon magazine subscriptions when the price jumped from $5/year to $30 at renewal time. I switched to the magazine website and it's been $5 ever since.

The best services are those where friends and family voluntarily share ad hoc stories about the person. Often, many attendees know only one or two aspects of the person's life, but once stories start to flow everyone can share in the a joyous, more complete picture. I once knew a man through an organization we both served; I knew he was a good plumber, a great chef, and a superb organizer and motivator. At his funeral I learned he had a definitive historic impact on a far more famous organization, and his colleagues there were delighted to hear my stories. He willed me his old metal toolbox, and every time I reach for it, I think of him and am inspired by how bold and effective he was. (Also, one of the best decisions of my life was disrega...

I used an Olympus TG-5 camera that's almost indestructible and took great photos on my week-long whitewater trip.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... amera.html

Also get a floating wrist strap.

spammagnet wrote: ↑Fri Feb 10, 2023 1:21 pm Some banks allow you to include pending charges in your payment amount to get as close to zero as practical. Those pending transactions are subject to change for some things that might include a tip, or some test transactions like gas pumps, but you can judge for yourself which to include.

Are you saying your bank restricts how much you can pay on your credit card? I don't see how they'd reject a bank transfer for any amount. Mine never have, including when the result is a credit balance.

delamer wrote: ↑Tue Feb 07, 2023 4:59 pm The problem is that you won’t know if you can get the care that you need in-network until the time comes.

Even if a provider is in-network now, that could change anytime, with or without notice. Last year, one of my providers was dropped by Blue Cross just after my benefits open enrollment deadline. And this year, there was a big public game of chicken between Blue Cross and Hopkins, where Hopkins announced they were removing every provider in their network from the Blue Cross network, until they reached a last-minute agreement before the end of open enrollment.

What a glorious industry we have, so focused on patient care.

We replaced our old Sanyo mini split a few years ago with a Mitsubishi, and the installer recommended we move an interior unit over a bookshelf. That was a big mistake. In winter, the unit would turn on for a few minutes then shut off, leaving the room cold. Occasionally it would turn on briefly, then shut off again. A ceiling fan made little difference. It was creating a bubble of heat in the corner above the bookcase and concluding its work was done. When we added an external thermostat on the far wall, the problem essentially disappeared. Even on the coldest days it heats well. It's annoying the Mitsubishi standard install has a thermostat only in the wall unit, which is usually the worst place in a room to sense the temperature. Our San...

I am lucky enough to have a very memorable library card number, such that half the librarians I tell it to make a comment about it. I tack the number onto my name or initials when creating new login ids. In my youth I had an account at a very local financial institution that issued sequential account numbers. After a couple of bank buyouts I had the privilege of going to an out-of-state branch of a regional megabank for a modest withdrawal, and gave my 3-digit account number. The teller said I needed to provide an "actual" account number, and I said "That is my account number, try typing it in." She was flabbergasted when it worked, and perhaps that is the closest I will experience to retail celebrity. Shortly thereafte...

UpperNwGuy wrote: ↑Tue Jan 31, 2023 7:46 pm Keep the electrons. Shred the paper.

I don't get any paper. All I have is electrons, which take up little space.

stoptothink wrote: ↑Sun Jan 29, 2023 8:03 am I don't know why more people don't get their fix with caffeine pills.

My experience is that I feel coffee in about 5-10 minutes, while pills take 30-40.

A friend of mine had some negative press coverage about 15 years ago. He hasn't been involved in any activities and hasn't been in the news since then. He has had an [removed] Bank account for about 10 years, and he was just notified that they're going to close his account in 30 days because of the news article from 15 years ago. This is all very vague, but it sounds likely the bank would say they closed his account because of those "activities" your friend did, not the negative press coverage. Those activities sound pretty dramatic to still be relevant after all this time, and I suspect may be highly illegal and/or damaging to others. Blaming the press sounds like a Scooby Do villain blaming "those pesky kids" at the e...

In the mid-Atlantic at least, if you register your license plate on the EZ Pass website, you'll never get any extra fees, even if you forget the transponder at home. The transponder is secondary.

We have one transponder and two cars, with both license plates registered to the transponder, and everything works great.

Last month I rented a vehicle from Enterprise from Denver Airport for just over a week. Upon returning it several hours early, I was delighted they gave a credit for unused time.

My ophthalmologist, like other specialists, tells me when I should see them next as I end each appointment. I call the office to schedule the appointment, but the doc sets the timing.

Your analogy may actually help explain why some people have a problem with it. Car insurance is a fairly straightforward transaction. The coverage is fairly well-defined, and it's understood that the insurance company is making a profit on the premiums once all the costs are amortized. The problem with a prenup is that you're not offloading risk onto some insurance company that's raking it in, you're offloading it onto your prospective life partner who is expecting to shape their life around you. Relationships (and by extension divorces) are very complicated and nuanced, and it's hard to really assess what's fair ahead of time, regardless of whether you have a clear head. I think the aversion to prenups is that one party gains all the powe...

btq96r wrote: ↑Wed Dec 28, 2022 3:36 pm My real beef with Southwest is the no assigned seat.

I find it interesting that most people ready to extend the airplane boarding process to give everyone assigned seats almost certainly drop that expectation when they go to a restaurant, bar, classroom, hospital, train, or hotel and take whatever spot is available as they arrive. Airplanes are very special.

Also analyst's predictions aren't very helpful -- at the time I bought the target price for stock analysts was higher than the price and they only downgraded their price estimates after the stock had already dropped. I remember learning this lesson. Analysts come up with those expected share prices using detailed valuation spreadsheets, but they turn out to be nearly worthless. If the stock goes up, they push their target price up. If the stock goes down, they push it down. I'm sure they fiddle with the numbers in the spreadsheet to manipulate the target price, but I'm not sure that even matters. I think I learned this lesson with Metricom (MCOM) who had wireless internet technology before WiFi or 3G cellular could offer it. It even worked...

protagonist wrote: ↑Mon Dec 12, 2022 7:15 pm It seems bizarre to me me that the IRS does not offer their own free e-filing program, and that one has to turn to commercial alternatives. Odd that one should have to pay for tax software.

You can thank lobbying by Intuit, H&R Block, and other firms protecting their "industry" by prohibiting the IRS from "competing" with free filling software.
https://www.npr.org/2019/04/15/71338797 ... ing-system

Jack FFR1846 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 04, 2022 6:30 pmI think if someone from any financial place told me those things, I'd stop them and ask "May I ask where you went to college? Because you sound like you're a graduate of Clown College".

The professional clowns I know definitely don't do this sort of thing.

afan wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:56 pm

miamivice wrote: ↑Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:29 pm

I don't havre any suggestions, but let me tell you, I really despise wealthy misers. My in-laws are like that. They own three houses worth nearly $2-$3 million plus an unknown amount in their IRA accounts and also some inherited stock.

A new concept. Misers with three houses. I would have cut off my definition of miser at any figure greater than 1.

A billionaire with 3 yachts and 5 mansions is still a miser if they go to a restaurant in the United States and don't tip reasonably.

arf1410 wrote: ↑Mon Nov 21, 2022 5:27 pm just got a new Dell laptop, that has USB-C charging only, not the normal Dell Barrel plug used for the last 20 years.

I had 2 Dell laptops with barrel plugs, and they looked similar but weren't interchangeable, which was a royal pain. And who doesn't have a box of old proprietary adapters, unsure what specific device(s) each one fits?

USB-C is now the "normal" way to power a laptop, or a phone, or a flashlight, or many other devices. As long as the power supply provides enough wattage, they just work. It's an awesome new world.

miket29 wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 3:24 pm

chance wrote: ↑Sun Nov 06, 2022 10:35 am I got my Pixel 6a under my Google Fi plan for $240. It's based on a $10 per month subscription plan for 2 years. Seemed better than the $349 upfront cash deal. You may want to look into it if you have Fi.

They might like you better than me, or else you got a deal they're not offering anymore. I just checked and for me they just offer the 2 year subscription at $15/mos

The $15/month Pixel 6a subscription offer I see includes optional device protection for $5/month.

As long as you want to be comfortable inside (where it's warm) and outside (where it's cold) there's really no way to beat the versatility of 3 layers: base layer, mid-layer like fleece, and windproof she waterproof outer layer.

But perhaps you can get better options than your had before. A store like REI (if you're willing to pay for quality and comfort) or Bass Pro (for a bit more economy) will let you try on and figure out what you like best, and staff who can help identify what you'd like best when you're out.

billaster wrote: ↑Wed Nov 02, 2022 8:20 pm I wonder why Treasury raised the I-bond rate/lowered the price if demand exceeded the supply. Usually if demand exceeds supply you raise prices, not lower them.

The whole point of I-Bonds is that the inflation component of their interest rate rises with inflation, over their entire 30-year term. Otherwise, they'd offer no inflation protection.

Are you sure they're both available? When our 11-year old Bosch dishwasher stopped draining, we bought a new dishwasher a few weeks ago. Only the base Boschs were available from any local retailer, none of the 300s or higher levels were available in less than a month. We ended up with a Maytag.

Co-op insurance in Maryland is usually a straightforward HO-6 policy, under which you decide whether to cover specific perils (like sewer backup, mold, earthquake, and volcano eruption) and set the policy limits. Agents here seem willing to offer guidance, but I've never heard of agents wanting to read the co-op master policy. Insuring a co-op seems no more complex than insuring a normal home.

Our experience has been that OpenTable policies are so cumbersome that their points are worthless.

Good luck.

Amazon email receipts no longer even list the items I purchased! I find that feature really aggravating. Let's say I have two orders in progress and I ordered something to be delivered to the animal rescue folks also. How the heck am I supposed to know which order an email is about. My theory is Amazon does this so people will go to the website to see which order it is and buy something else while they're there. I am not that stupid. They haven't done this for many years. The reason is likely that there were services that would track your Amazon purchases by giving them access to your email. Amazon doesn't want that information leaking to other vendors. Indeed, imagine if your grocery store receipt listed only the total cost and they said ...

Our neighborhood as an online group, where once or twice a week someone posts a misdelivered Amazon package, and everyone looks for it. I avoid ordering from Amazon because their deliveries are so shoddy, and because Amazon email receipts no longer even list the items I purchased! (This means my email history is useless to track prior Amazon orders.) But last week I needed something available only from Amazon; the driver didn't even leave their vehicle, and tossed the package onto our front lawn next to the street. The only way I found the package was because Amazon's photo showed our front yard. Don't expect Amazon deliveries to be reliable; Amazon doesn't give their drivers enough time or money to do a good job. Just report your order as ...

anon_investor wrote: ↑Mon Oct 17, 2022 9:45 pm I feel loke everyone should have at least 2 buckets of money to access in case you lose access to 1.

My spouse and I have different primary banking institutions, which came in very handy when their account was hacked a couple of years ago. For a month, all the credit card payments came from my account

We each have 3 credit card institutions, only 2 of which overlap. This came in handy when we were overseas and a primary credit card was locked due to fraud.

It's also wise to keep one's savings and one's mortgage at separate institutions.

It might just be a straight return. I've never really liked the "pressure" feeling that ANC causes and while using them in a noisy environment where it was maxing out the ANC, it caused me to feel a bit of nausea and a headache. I could just turn the ANC off, but then I'd ask myself why I'd pay for the feature in the first place instead of a pair of non-ANC buds where presumably the money goes into better sound/build quality instead of ANC. I have a set of wired Bose QuietComfort that definitely have the "pressure" feeling. I recently purchased a set of Pixel Buds Pro which have ANC designed to avoid that feeling. I find it works well. The Pixel Buds Pro also work very smoothly with Android and do not require a separate...

Fremdon Ferndock wrote: ↑Wed Oct 12, 2022 9:24 am I ran across this, which attributes the 24.6% loss in the S&P 500 this year to just 9 bad days.

Why is days the chosen unit? If you've got the superpower to predict which days will be up and down, just time it a little finer and arrange to be in the market only on the hours it's going up.

Or even better, just be in the market when it ticks up, and out when it ticks down. I'm pretty sure you'd transform $100 to a $billion in less than a month.

Whether in Google Photos or a good NAS (like Synology), one of the great things about online photos is they can be quickly searched for various parameters, including concepts like "photos of Aunt Mildred", "photos from March 2016", and "photos taken in Madrid". Google does a rather good job recognizing people and pets, although Synology still does only people for now.

It takes seconds for me to pull up any photo I remember on my phone or laptop, from anywhere, compared to a several minutes rifling through photo albums, which are accessible only when I'm at home.

celia wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 12:15 pm As trustee, you need to ask them to send proof of indebtedness, what is it payment for and the date of service or goods received. Send the letter back to them with a copy of their letter using certified mail and request a proof of receipt. I sent such a letter back to a debt collector and never heard back from them. The claim could have been bogus or they just didn’t have sufficient proof that they should have received when they purchased the debt at a discount from the provider.

This is what I did when settling an estate. I also got phone calls, and told them I needed evidence for the alleged debt in writing and there was no point in talking further until I received it.

jebmke wrote: ↑Wed Sep 28, 2022 11:33 am Over time if the risk has increased, rates will remain high and continue to increase. It would seem the only alternatives are to pay up or move out.

In addition to high claims, there are other key factors leading to high rates and insurers leaving the state. Florida's unique laws mean the state has more lawsuits against insurance companies than the rest of the country combined.

https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-p ... ig-issues/

The cost of our annual Travelers auto policy went down $6, also no changes.

WoodSpinner wrote: ↑Mon Sep 26, 2022 9:07 pm Used ratchet straps and lots of rope!

Do not use ratchet straps that broke and were hand-sewn back together. I know someone who lost a big load this way.

Our emergency fund has long been in I-Bonds.

One chart i saw said 37% of people used a storefront (accountant, H&R Block etc). They will not benefit from this. I know several people who dislike accounting enough that they hire a retail preparer to complete their taxes -- but if the IRS were to prepopulate online forms with values from W-2s and other submissions, they'd very much appreciate the money and time saved by logging into an IRS website and filing their 1040 without having to work with, or pay, anyone else. Given the massive scale of IRS data systems, which have been underfunded for decades, it would certainly be challenging for the agency to update their systems. Regardless of politics, the nation needs to modernize our tax collection system sometime. Given how pointless...

talzara wrote: ↑Tue Jan 11, 2022 12:51 pm Congress has never authorized the IRS to provide return-free filing. I cannot explain the reasons on this forum, but you probably already know why.

But now we can discuss that the IRS has been funded $15 million to investigate the agency providing free e-filing!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-polic ... ile-biden/

Finally, there is hope!

Marylander1

Our consumption of processed chocolate bars has dropped considerably since we found how tasty and wholesome the beans are.
https://goodking.co/collections/shop/pr ... t-salty-80

jpohio wrote: ↑Sat Aug 13, 2022 12:53 pm Thank you for all the replies. Speed Queen looks very good. I also subscribe to CR, and while I note that LG ranks very high, I can't ignore the multiple stories from both repair people and folks who own them that reliability is poor and parts are impossible to get.

My impression is that LG has high reliability--which is also what Consumer Reports says, and CR collects a lot more data than anyone's personal anecdotes. But when they do go wrong, repair companies and parts for LG are hard to find.

We bought a set of LG front loaders from Costco in 2016, perform the (trivial and easy) routine maintenance, and they've never had any trouble.

I used an inherited IRA to pay Roth conversion taxes when a sudden health catastrophe severed my income, but provided a good opportunity for lower Roth conversion tax rates. It seems a wise plan to me.

lillycat wrote: ↑Mon Aug 08, 2022 9:46 amI absolutely have closed more resale estate deals as an investor and made more $$$ by using the principles in “Influence, the Power of Persuasion” by Robert Cialdani. It is a Classic that has been recently updated and I am listening to the new version now.

I find most "self-help" books as painful as religious conversion texts provided by door-to-door evangelists (and sometimes quite similar). But I very much enjoyed Influence by Cialdani when I read it in a prior century. I'd call it applied psychology, the same category as Thinking, Fast and Slow by Kahneman.

Others are free to think differently, of course.

Of all the companies to NOT trust to execute auto-payments in a benign manner, Comcast is at the top of the list, along with Equifax, Spirit Airlines, Wells Fargo, and your local furniture store that's had a going out of business sale for the past 11 years.

wootwoot wrote: ↑Sat Aug 06, 2022 10:50 am Verizon prepaid. $25 a month for 5GB of data and the best coverage.

One of the reasons I left Verizon Prepaid for Fi is that Verizon Prepaid had huge deliberate dead spots, including all of Western Maryland and Puerto Rico. When I called Verizon to inquire, willing to pay roaming costs to have access in those areas, even some of their customer support people didn't know about the dead spots and were surprised to read about it in their own documentation. There was simply no service at all, and none available.

I know you said you prefer airbnb, but I'll add that lodging in the park typically has excellent sales on Black Friday in November. That's when we book our stay the following year. There are many superb ranger programs that are much more convenient if you stay inside the park.

tunafish wrote: ↑Fri Jul 22, 2022 2:47 pm I've had new lenses put into eyeglass frames a number of times over the decades.

My understanding is that the wholesale price of glasses frames is $10 to $20 Luxottica has bought up almost all of the competition so they could make crazy profits off eyeglass wearers by convincing us they "should" cost hundreds of dollars.

I've always gotten new frames with new glasses, but from Costco or other non-Luxottica opticians.

Thieves have keys that open the blue mailboxes where we live. When they steal the mail they don't even bother to close the mailbox afterward.

Marylander1

Expro wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 4:01 pm We Bogleheads should try our hands at writing a few Headlines - technically correct but agendized in some way.

Pandemic Continues as Cryptocurrencies Suffer Biggest Drop Since Before Black Death