Search found 52 matches

by emilyinsf
Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

Plus, likelihood of naked people in Burlingame seems lower than in Marin, if that’s a concern for you. Personally, I am not much bothered by the naked people as long as they keep to themselves but find it funny that so many here mentioned it. As if that is the biggest problem in San Francisco.
by emilyinsf
Sat Feb 22, 2020 8:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

It’s important to realize that most of the people here responded based on the city of San Francisco, not the suburbs. At that income, and assuming you’re commuting to downtown SF, I’d live in Tiburon, Mill Valley or Larkspur and take the ferry. You won’t find a more beautiful place, and its very safe and has good schools. Marin has its own brand of woo woo, and I can’t promise you’ll never see a naked person, but it’s pretty unlikely. Most of the naked people have been priced out of those towns. You’ll get much more house and an easier commute from Marin than the Peninsula (someone recommended Burlingame). The Sausalito ferry and Caltrain from Burlingame take the same amount of time - 25 minutes. Is Marin really cheaper than San Mateo Coun...
by emilyinsf
Sat Feb 22, 2020 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

It’s important to realize that most of the people here responded based on the city of San Francisco, not the suburbs. At that income, and assuming you’re commuting to downtown SF, I’d live in Tiburon, Mill Valley or Larkspur and take the ferry. You won’t find a more beautiful place, and its very safe and has good schools. Marin has its own brand of woo woo, and I can’t promise you’ll never see a naked person, but it’s pretty unlikely. Most of the naked people have been priced out of those towns. You’ll get much more house and an easier commute from Marin than the Peninsula (someone recommended Burlingame).
by emilyinsf
Fri Feb 21, 2020 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

CodeMaster wrote: Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:36 am
the bums are mainly 2 small area... very easy to avoid. the rest of city is gorgeous beyond breath taking

:sharebeer
IMO, this was true until about five years ago. I now routinely see mentally unstable people and open drug use in nice, family areas like West Portal, the Inner Sunset, and Glen Park.
by emilyinsf
Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

The City itself is very expensive. Depends where you are working as far as schools and neighborhoods. I would check out Walnut Creek, Danville area. Great communities and schools. There is a commute but Bart is available if you don't want to drive the 45 min. Cost of a nice home is 1.2 and up. This is the East Bay. West bay San Mateo is far more costly for housing but closer and they also have the train. I lived in San Carlos and Belmont and both are great family areas. The housing costs are high. The market in Walnut Creek and Danville are very "Hot" right now. My son is currently looking in the east bay and most homes in the 1.2-1.4 range sell in the first few days. Go to Realtor.com and take a look in SF and these areas. The s...
by emilyinsf
Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco with a Family
Replies: 90
Views: 7445

Re: San Francisco with a Family

I’m not sure what area of SF are nice for families, good schools, not crazy commutes. If you're referring to public schools, in San Francisco they're assigned by a lottery system, not by where you live. Are you sure you'll be working in San Francisco and not on the peninsula? There are many good neighborhoods for families on the peninsula (you'll spend more than $1.25 million but that's true in San Francisco too). Edit: Sounds like you have a job offer in SF. Depending on where in SF, it's possible to get there faster from the East Bay than from many parts of SF. It’s not a pure lottery. For neighborhood schools, which are the majority, students are given priority based on a few factors, which include neighborhood where you live (your assi...
by emilyinsf
Thu Feb 20, 2020 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: HS Latin or Spanish/ASL?
Replies: 63
Views: 3826

Re: HS Latin or Spanish/ASL?

I took four years of both Spanish and Latin in HS. I think building Spanish fluency will be the most useful for a career in healthcare, so I would encourage your child to finish the Spanish sequence and possibly travel to Spanish speaking places to practice. Latin was helpful, but I don’t think one year would very useful, especially after studying Spanish for three. They are very similar languages. I don’t know much about ASL.
by emilyinsf
Fri Feb 14, 2020 9:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Retirement: Filling the time?
Replies: 98
Views: 12378

Re: Retirement: Filling the time?

I’m not retired but a SAHM and my youngest started kindergarten this year, so I have some time on my hands. I play tennis a few times a week. It’s not hard to learn as an adult. Your local rec center or community college should have beginning classes. It’s a fun sport and very social. You’ll get exercise and community. I volunteer occasionally and hope to do it more regularly. I also learned to paint with acrylics. I started with YouTube classes and then took one at a rec center. I listen to a lot of audio books while I clean the house and cook.
by emilyinsf
Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Minor's structured settlement check - utma/ugma/trust
Replies: 28
Views: 1747

Re: Minor's structured settlement check - utma/ugma/trust

TheCowbell wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 5:35 pm
emilyinsf wrote: Thu Feb 13, 2020 4:52 pm What state is this in?
NY
Ok, then I don’t have advice. You might want to discuss with the attorney who represented your daughter.
by emilyinsf
Thu Feb 13, 2020 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: $2-2.5M House?
Replies: 80
Views: 10528

Re: $2-2.5M House?

You are suggesting moving to a higher priced home in part to be closer to a high risk high stress job that you might want to take a step back from. I would do a bit of soul searching about your job before making a decision on the home. I am concerned that you might hesitate to take a new job that would improve your quality of life because it involved a commute from the new house and a pay cut that would make the mortgage payment stressful. Agree. It’s hard to tell how you and your wife feel about your work. You say you feel a lot of stress from your job but also that you both plan to continue working for 10+ years. Why? At these numbers, one or both of you can probably take a step back from high stress work instead of the new house. You mi...
by emilyinsf
Tue Jun 13, 2017 12:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Resorts outside San Francisco
Replies: 20
Views: 3234

Re: Resorts outside San Francisco

Traffic between SF and Tahoe for 4th of July is bad. I'd hate to do it with a 2 yo. If you do it, try to time the drive so that you're not going when everyone else will be. That said, Tahoe would be my first choice followed by Carmel. I don't know specific resorts.
by emilyinsf
Thu Apr 06, 2017 10:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: STEM & "coding" toys for little ones ?
Replies: 41
Views: 4837

Re: STEM & "coding" toys for little ones ?

Those toys look too advanced for independent play at their ages. I think they are even too young for most legos. Magnatiles are good for those ages, as are wooden trains and tracks, which develop spatial reasoning. The younger is too young to play with a marble run unsupervised, but they are great for age 3 and up. Kiwi Crate is also fun but requires adult participation for the building aspect. You could bring "crates" with you, build them together, and leave the toys and books for the kids to play with. The Robot Turtles board game is fun and would work for the older one but also requires adult participation.
by emilyinsf
Mon Nov 28, 2016 1:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Relocating from NY to CA for a job offer
Replies: 51
Views: 7729

Re: Relocating from NY to CA for a job offer

Yes, housing here seems much more expensive than in my in laws' Westchester neighborhood. Belmont and SAN Carlos are possible less expensive options with good schools, but they are not cheap. Commuting from Orinda, Danville, or Walnut Creek would be awful. It is way too far/too much traffic. You wouldn't see your kids much during the week and would be exhausted on the weekends.
by emilyinsf
Sat Oct 29, 2016 9:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone have experience with au pairs?
Replies: 21
Views: 5755

Re: Anyone have experience with au pairs?

We loved our au pair. We are hoping to go visit her in her home country next year. The total cost was about $20k/year, but she did not drive. In our area a nanny is at least $60k/year, so it was a huge savings. It depends on the person, but our au pair was much more open to feedback/change than our career nanny had been. We are in a large city and went with a large agency, so she did not want to sit around our house when she wasn't working and made lots of friends. Rematch also would have been easy if we had needed it. The hours are much more flexible than a nanny. Highly recommend.
by emilyinsf
Wed Apr 27, 2016 12:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Women business clothes - what brands make the right impression?
Replies: 64
Views: 12614

Re: Women business clothes - what brands make the right impression?

People notice womens' clothes quite a bit, especially when they are speaking in public. I was a trial lawyer, and the jurors always commented on the female attorneys' clothes after a trial. They never commented on the male attorneys'. To be honest, it sounds like your wardrobe could be a bit more modern. Mock turtlenecks can easily make your outfit look dated. I don't think the brands matter as long as your clothes don't look cheap. It's more about a flattering cut. I agree that a Nordstrom personal shopper is probably the quickest way to update.
by emilyinsf
Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best place to live in CA for a young family
Replies: 82
Views: 12041

Re: Best place to live in CA for a young family

Maybe Rocklin (further from the coast than you'd like), Davis (ditto), or Santa Rosa (not sure about current housing costs). I don't know Southern CA as well, but it sounds like it might be a better option for you.
Public school assignments have not been based on neighborhood schools for a number of years to encourage diversity.
This is not really accurate. Public elementary school assignments are currently heavily weighted towards neighborhood schools. There is a lottery, and the process is probably not worth getting into here, but the vast majority of kids will have the option of going to their local neighborhood school if they stick through the process.
by emilyinsf
Fri Jan 15, 2016 10:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pizza Stone / Homemade Pizza Advice
Replies: 58
Views: 8289

Re: Pizza Stone / Homemade Pizza Advice

We love making homemade pizza. For the dough, we use the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day olive oil recipe but without the pan of hot water to create steam that they recommend. It makes about 5 pizzas. It might not be the best recipe out there, but it is easy and forgiving with time, so we like it. We don't try to slide the pizza onto the stone any more. It required too much flour/cornmeal and would stick if left out for topping too long, which made it difficult for the kids to "help". Instead, we make the pizza on parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet. You can slide the parchment and pizza easily off the cookie sheet and into the oven. Then slide the parchment out from under the pizza as soon as the dough is set (a few minutes...
by emilyinsf
Mon Nov 02, 2015 10:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Organic Food: Costco vs Trader Joe's vs Local Super market
Replies: 33
Views: 7727

Re: Organic Food: Costco vs Trader Joe's vs Local Super market

Different Costco stores carry different things, so yours might not have all of these things, but here's my price list for some of your items

Beer - Lagunitas IPA $23.99/24 bottles
Frozen blueberries $10.89/3 lbs
Frozen pineapple $6.49/4 lbs
Organic milk (Clover) $11.99/2 gallons (our local grocery store (Safeway) is $7.99/gallon for Clover, TJ's is $5.99/gallon for the TJ's brand)

Things like dish detergent, face wash, garbage bags, etc. are all cheaper at Costco v. Amazon. I haven't compared to other stores.
by emilyinsf
Fri Oct 16, 2015 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who Gets a New iPhone Every Year? Why?
Replies: 62
Views: 9615

Re: Who Gets a New iPhone Every Year? Why?

I have a 4s on its original battery, which is running IOS 8.4 with no issues (knock wood). I don't really see a need to upgrade, but I'm a pretty light user.
by emilyinsf
Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is The Bay Area Worth It?
Replies: 159
Views: 29841

Re: Is The Bay Area Worth It?

I love the Bay Area. I think it's worth putting up with a lot to live here. But I do not love San Jose, at least those parts with which I am familiar. I am sure that there are nice areas that I haven't been to, but you'll want to familiarize yourself to make sure you can find somewhere nice to live that works with your budget. You'd be a bit limited because just North of San Jose is where real estate goes nuts, and you run into the mountains pretty quickly to the West. And traffic really does suck, even on the weekends, which means you wouldn't get to the wine country, Marin, or the Sierras much, and that takes away some of the fun. But since you don't have kids, maybe you wouldn't mind it as much and be able to take advantage. You can feel...
by emilyinsf
Thu Oct 15, 2015 6:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice
Replies: 51
Views: 9837

Re: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice

You will have a hard time reducing childcare expenses if one of you loses a job with little kids. Maybe it's easier in elementary school if you're using aftercare and can pop the kids in and out. You can't pull kids out of preschool and expect there to be spot available when you find another job. All of the schools and daycares (at least in SF) have wait lists. Probably similar down in the Valley? Plus, if you're going to be looking for a new job, it will be difficult to if you're also taking care of four small children full time. Au pair contracts are for a year, which means you commit to pay for a year in advance. There may be a way to get out early due to a job loss, but I think you lose the agency fees (which are significant). Plus, if ...
by emilyinsf
Tue Oct 13, 2015 11:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice
Replies: 51
Views: 9837

Re: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice

Ryan, I take your word for it. OP, it's unfortunate, but I really don't see how it works at $2.5, and even $2 is really tight. As far as schools, it's an interesting issue. I don't think you can just assume that the district with the highest test scores will be best for your kids because of the issues with pressure and competition discussed earlier. Of course those aren't unique to Silicon Valley, but it's hard not to think that they are magnified there, and recent news articles certainly make it sound like they are. Also, with the demographics changing so quickly, I imagine many "bad" schools will be considered "good" by the time your kids are older because demographics largely drive test scores. You have reasonable hou...
by emilyinsf
Tue Oct 13, 2015 12:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712617

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Valuethinker, it is quite interesting. Talbot recently did an interview about the current transition on a blog called Bernalwood if you care to read his thoughts.
by emilyinsf
Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice
Replies: 51
Views: 9837

Re: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice

Btw, my $8k mortgage estimate is the whole enchilada (mortgage, prop tax and insurance).
by emilyinsf
Mon Oct 12, 2015 11:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice
Replies: 51
Views: 9837

Re: Bay Area tech couple looking for advice

Say you put down your $1M on a house next year and qualify for a $1.5M mortgage, what's the monthly mortgage payment? About $8k (I suspect in the ballpark but have not done the math)? So, you're essentially adding over $50k to your monthly expenses (taking up your entire current after tax savings). Soon you will need another $50k post tax for child care expenses (which seems high, esp for an au pair, but I think I'm reading your post correctly). So, that will take your annual pretax saving to something in the range of $0-$50k, depending on how taxes play out. I dunno. Maybe you'll get promotions, more stock, etc, and it will all work out. The purchase is not insurmountable for you, and I think it's what "everyone" is doing right n...
by emilyinsf
Thu Oct 08, 2015 10:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where in the U.S. can I buy a house for under $250k that's a nice place to live?
Replies: 152
Views: 22049

Re: Where in the U.S. can I buy a house for under $250k that's a nice place to live?

I've spent time in most of the Central Valley towns listed by Mudpuppy. I'd avoid Stockton at all costs. It's a very dangerous and economically depressed town. Modesto is my favorite of those mentioned, and it has a decent little downtown. Visalia does too, but it's smaller and further down 99. Davis would be my first choice in the Central Valley. I haven't looked at prices, but I suspect they are over $250k. If you're looking in the Valley, how about Chico? Sonora is a cute mountain town, and it looks like they've got houses in your range.
by emilyinsf
Thu Oct 08, 2015 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712617

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Season of the Witch by David Talbot - a history of San Francisco from 1967 to the early 1980's. I am 25% of the way in, and it is great so far. It is told through in-depth studies of various historical figures and groups and is very entertaining. Kept me up way too late last night. For anyone who happens to be in SF, the public library is holding several events related to the book this month.
by emilyinsf
Thu Oct 08, 2015 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Christmas Presents for 3 and 4 year old
Replies: 24
Views: 1499

Re: Good Christmas Presents for 3 and 4 year old

The most used toys at our house are

scooters - mini micro is the best 3 wheeler if they are not ready for a 2 wheeler
large shovels and rakes (get those that are about as big as the kids that are sold with the beach toys - fun, exhausting, and can be used for anything outside, not just sand)
large construction vehicles (excavator is the most popular followed by the dump truck)
wooden train tracks and trains
magnatiles
legos
dress up clothes
wooden blocks
books
by emilyinsf
Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Self-directed 401k imperfections
Replies: 5
Views: 646

Re: Self-directed 401k imperfections

btw, another reason I left the money in the money market with my 401k provider is that the fees for short term holdings (less than 6 months) were higher. That might be the same as a redemption fee, but check on that as well.
by emilyinsf
Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Self-directed 401k imperfections
Replies: 5
Views: 646

Re: Self-directed 401k imperfections

I had the same issue. Beginning on January 1 of each year, I requested that my entire paycheck be sent to the 401k until I reached the annual max contribution (I put it into the money market account because if I had it in any other fund, I would have had to transfer it to the money market account before transferring to the brokerage account). Once I reached the annual max, I logged into the 401k provider's site and sent the money to the SD account. I then logged into the SD account and invested the money in my ETF's. You also could probably put it into a money market and set it to periodically invest in the market, but this was not worth the trouble for me. This approach has downsides, which you can probably easily see, but it does mean tha...
by emilyinsf
Fri Sep 11, 2015 9:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Schwab lost me thousands ... mostly venting, wondering if any recourse?
Replies: 52
Views: 10957

Re: Schwab lost me thousands ... mostly venting, wondering if any recourse?

Wow, how frustrating. Aren't they required to send you a copy of the prospectus when you invest in a new fund? Did you ever get any of those or did you somehow opt out of receiving them? At least it would have alerted you to the issue earlier. Good luck.
by emilyinsf
Sat Jul 11, 2015 1:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Francisco Bound - Need Salary Advice
Replies: 55
Views: 9138

Re: San Francisco Bound - Need Salary Advice

I agree that the answer is "maybe". I think your apartment plus parking estimates are probably low. My brother just rented a 1 br in Noe Valley for $3500/month (it includes parking but most apartments here do not). It was much cheaper than anything else he saw, and I doubt you would consider it a "nice" apartment. His experience makes me wonder whether the average rents in the Valley Voice article above are accurate. Also, most apartments here include water and garbage but not gas/electric, internet, cable, etc. Gas/electric is pretty cheap for a 1 br here with minimal heating/AC bills, but internet/cable can be expensive. So, all told, I'd add about $1000 to your housing/car/utilities. Regardless, $265k/year is definite...
by emilyinsf
Fri Jun 12, 2015 12:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shoe Recommendations for a one year old
Replies: 10
Views: 1178

Re: Shoe Recommendations for a one year old

Agree with Carson. We used the same brands plus Stride Rite. Once they are ready for harder soles, you can find more and cheaper options.
by emilyinsf
Wed Jun 10, 2015 2:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Buying in Bay Area (redux)
Replies: 72
Views: 13325

Re: Buying in Bay Area (redux)

It sounds like your a ways off from saving a down payment. Maybe set some savings goals and check out the occasional open house to get a feel for what you want. By the time you have enough money to buy, you can re-visit the decision. Maybe the market will have crashed by then. Maybe you'll have a family and different needs, etc. We bought in SF a while back. One issue I had not anticipated is that there are a lot of real estate choices around here SFH, duplex, condo, TIC, co-op, and it was difficult to decide what we wanted. I truly do not know if I'd buy again today with the market the way it is.
by emilyinsf
Wed Jun 10, 2015 12:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Profit Sharing Plan Rollover Delay
Replies: 0
Views: 766

Profit Sharing Plan Rollover Delay

Hello Bogleheads, I left my job on 5/15/15. That day, our HR person faxed a form to our profit sharing plan administrator telling them that I want to roll over my money in the plan. The profit sharing plan has always seemed odd to me - no information about fees and no control over investments. We were told that the plan is complicated due to interaction with the 401k. In any event, I'd like to get what ever I have in there into an IRA. I was told that I would receive forms to fill out to execute the rollover in the mail. I still haven't gotten any forms, and it's been three weeks. I've followed up with our HR person twice who has been emailing the administrators of the profit sharing plan. Today I asked our HR person to give me the email ad...
by emilyinsf
Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Window Blinds
Replies: 15
Views: 15931

Re: Window Blinds

We have Bali honeycomb blinds. We got most of them through Lowes and a few through the cheapest internet seller I could find. They are exactly the same. Lowes installed most, and I installed those that we bought online. It was very easy. You do need a bigger drill bit than the one recommended on the guide, but it's not hard to figure out which one by comparing the screws to the bits. We've had them for three years, and they have all held up nicely.
by emilyinsf
Tue Aug 12, 2014 12:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I "super-fund" my 529 for my kids?
Replies: 13
Views: 3660

Re: Should I "super-fund" my 529 for my kids?

I posted something similar a while back. Here's the thread:
http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtop ... 1&t=141480

The only drawback I see is if this would leave you short on savings in other areas - although that may not be much of a concern per the discussion of withdrawals in the above thread.

Have you gone over the numbers and decided that you need $84k for each child? We are in CA and chose $75k for kids of a similar age - roughly projected to cover a UC education. If you're in a state with a cheaper public university, you might want to fund at a lower level.
by emilyinsf
Thu Aug 07, 2014 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Affording a 1.3 million home?
Replies: 122
Views: 33196

Re: Affording a 1.3 million home?

My concern would be your current savings rate of 15% of your take home. Will the increase in mortgage payment plus childcare expenses mean that you're spending all the money you take home every month? Are you ok with that?

Childcare expenses have also gone up with the real estate market. Research your area, but in SF, you'd be looking at around $1500-$2500/month for each child. Once they are preschool age, costs go down a little.

I'd keep the current place until your kids are elementary school age and then look at moving again.

Good luck. It's tough out there.
by emilyinsf
Mon Jul 14, 2014 10:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: america the beautiful national parks and lands pass
Replies: 66
Views: 10065

Re: america the beautiful national parks and lands pass

There are hot springs just outside of Yellowstone. I cannot remember exactly where they are, but you should be able to find them if you Google.

Yosemite is not as crowded in winter. If time is not an issue and you can be spontaneous, I'd spend some time on the CA coast in March or April and make the trip inland to Yosemite when you find out that the next couple of days are going to be unseasonably warm and sunny. This kind of weather happens every year.

Point Reyes National Seashore is not off the beaten path but is a wonderful place to visit - especially if you like biking.

Have fun!
by emilyinsf
Mon Jul 14, 2014 4:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: High end purses
Replies: 119
Views: 20539

Re: High end purses

I have a couple that were originally priced in the $300-$500 range, but I got them on sale, and don't think I've ever spent more than $150 for a purse. My work dress code is business professional, so I need bags that match. Nordstrom is great. I took some D&B bags from the 80's there to be refurbished (leather, only logo is a small picture of a duck), and they did it for a small charge. Their return policy has always been very generous, so if you're going to spend the money, it's worth spending it there. Outlets/discount stores like TJ Maxx and Ross have big discounts, but often have a smaller selection and limited colors. If you're looking for a classic bag that she'll carry every day, I would probably lean toward just going to Nordstr...
by emilyinsf
Fri Jun 20, 2014 4:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Too Much in 529's?
Replies: 25
Views: 3007

Re: Too Much in 529's?

Lazyfabs - ours is all in Vanguard total stock market portfolio. We will switch to an age-based fund or start balancing with some of the bond funds when the kids are older.
by emilyinsf
Fri Jun 20, 2014 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Too Much in 529's?
Replies: 25
Views: 3007

Re: Too Much in 529's?

ourbrooks - thanks for the information. I do anticipate that if we had to dip into these accounts for emergency funds it would be before they had time to earn much interest - hopefully we'll be able to build up all of our other accounts by the time these are really compounding. letsgobobby - interesting idea. It's a little more sophisticated than where we are right now, but maybe we'll reevaluate in the future. Squeak - also an interesting idea. I have been looking at the current costs plus a 3% inflation figure. I realize that this is probably under-estimating the cost if we can predict it based on past history (especially recent history, especially with the UC system), but I think there is going to be a change for the better in college co...
by emilyinsf
Fri Jun 20, 2014 10:33 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Too Much in 529's?
Replies: 25
Views: 3007

Re: Too Much in 529's?

I did not realize that the principal could be withdrawn from 529's without penalty. Very, very important information. Thanks so much!

Yes, I do mean an IRA would not be deductible for us. We've looked into back door roth and decided against it at this point - we've got a fair amount of money already in an IRA and are in a high tax bracket. We're keeping it in mind in the future. Hopefully one or both of us will be able to scale back on work in a few years, and we'll reevaluate then.
by emilyinsf
Thu Jun 19, 2014 6:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Too Much in 529's?
Replies: 25
Views: 3007

Re: Too Much in 529's?

Thank you for the responses.

We're maxing out our 401(k)'s. We're not eligible for IRA's right now.

Our plan at this point is to fund with $75K each even though plan limits would let us put more in. Our $75K each should translate to something close to what a UC education will cost by the time our kids are college age. We'll reevaluate as we get closer and have a better idea of where they'll be going.

I doubt we'll qualify for aid. I love the idea of taking this off of our plate.
by emilyinsf
Thu Jun 19, 2014 4:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Too Much in 529's?
Replies: 25
Views: 3007

Too Much in 529's?

We have a 3 year old and a 6 month old. We have 529's for each of them, and we're trying to decide how much to put into them. We want to pay for their college educations in full. We are willing to take the risk of paying the taxes/penalty if the kids end up not going to college. We live in California, so our thinking is that we will fund the plans with enough to pay for the projected cost of a University of California education. We believe that this roughly equates to funding them with $75K each this year. We've already put $50K into each this year and are wondering whether we should put an additional $25K each into the plans. I believe that as long as we put $75K into each account this year, we can spread the "gift" out over 5 ye...
by emilyinsf
Wed Apr 02, 2014 1:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?
Replies: 30
Views: 10200

Re: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?

Thanks for the response, tfb. We did use Intuit, but our accountants told us that the payments should be reported on Schedule H instead of the forms Intuit uses (940, 941). This actually created some confusion with Social Security because we were using Intuit and reporting the same payments on Schedule H, so it looked like we were paying double what we were. The confusion has since been resolved now, and I am not sure that it matters which we use going forward (as long as we are only using one), but that's why we stopped using Intuit.
by emilyinsf
Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?
Replies: 30
Views: 10200

Re: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?

By the way, we are in the Bay Area.

Any suggestions for a local CPA? I like the idea of using someone out of State, but the CA payroll tax filings for household employees seem to be unique, so I think we should stick with someone local in the event that we have questions/need help with those.

Thanks!
by emilyinsf
Wed Apr 02, 2014 12:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?
Replies: 30
Views: 10200

Re: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?

Thanks for all the replies. I think we'll take the suggestion of completing shadow tax returns this year and also do a shadow payroll form this quarter and then break out on our own or find a cheaper accountant. Knowing how to complete these tax forms is probably an important life skill that we should have :happy I guess what I find frustrating is the suggestion that these accountants are experts on household employee tax issues followed by extensive research on what I view as the most basic questions about au pair taxes. Au pairs may not be a simple tax issue, but they are common household employees, so if you tell your clients that you are a household employee tax expert, I feel that you should be able to advise your clients of the basics...
by emilyinsf
Tue Apr 01, 2014 11:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?
Replies: 30
Views: 10200

Is Our Accountant Over-Charging Us?

Our family has been using an accountant to prepare our income taxes and payroll documents for household employees for the last few years. Our income taxes are not complicated. We are W2 employees, and our investment income is from index and mutual funds. We've been subject to the AMT, so we haven't even itemized deductions for the last couple of years. Our accountants were recommended by family members and market themselves as high-end accountants. They have several people on staff and have people who say that they are experts in various areas - business taxes, foreign taxes, etc. We hired them before we knew much about personal finance and when taxes seemed very confusing. Now that we've done some research, they don't seem so confusing. Th...