Search found 158 matches

by lolbatross
Sat Nov 19, 2022 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?
Replies: 22
Views: 2182

Re: Are Kona coffee beans really worth $40/pound?

Was in Maui a month ago. Visited O’O farms and did their coffee tour breakfast. I highly recommend if you’re a coffee & food person. Their bags were $30 and $90 for 12oz or between $40 & $120 per pound! I believe the tour/breakfast was $175 but included plenty of coffee to drink. Back on the mainland now and honestly the Maui coffee isn’t any different than what I normally drink. For me the things that move the needle are that the coffee has a roast date and is less than a month old. Next the roast degree which for me I prefer medium or Full City. Next the actual bean and how it was processed. I greatly prefer dry process as it tends to have more fruity notes. Beyond that I can’t think of anything that matters to me. Hope this helps!
by lolbatross
Fri Oct 21, 2022 12:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Short Term Loan Options
Replies: 12
Views: 890

Re: Short Term Loan Options

JoeRetire wrote: Fri Oct 21, 2022 11:06 am
lolbatross wrote: Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:44 am I'm taking on a home solar project early this spring that may cause a 30-50k cash need. In March I expect bonuses & tax refund to cover 100% of that.
  • Wait (don't like this one!)
The project is in "early this spring" and the bonuses are in March.

So why don't you want to wait? How long would you have to wait?
There is a really good chance that this is what ends up happening. However, I wanted to understand my options.
by lolbatross
Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Short Term Loan Options
Replies: 12
Views: 890

Re: Short Term Loan Options

London wrote: Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:56 am This board will tell you that a 401k loan is a disaster but in cases where the market is generally falling; it can be used as a defacto “short” position. Not saying it’s right in this use case, but don’t be afraid of it.
My 401k loan option is $50 fee up to 50K at 7%. I'm thinking this might be an ok option if the gap is very short and I want to avoid selling taxable at all costs.
by lolbatross
Fri Oct 21, 2022 10:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Short Term Loan Options
Replies: 12
Views: 890

Re: Short Term Loan Options

Stevenjohnson wrote: Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:53 am I believe there are some tax implications to Helocs, it has been a while but you could at one point deduct the interest for home improvement projects on your taxes. They do take time, I have had two (not at the same time) and both took upwards of 1 month to close. One from Discover Home Loans and the other from a local bank. If you could find some sort of introductory offer on a Heloc that might be a good option?
Any idea if you can get a HELOC if you don't have a primary?
by lolbatross
Fri Oct 21, 2022 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Short Term Loan Options
Replies: 12
Views: 890

Short Term Loan Options

I'm taking on a home solar project early this spring that may cause a 30-50k cash need. In March I expect bonuses & tax refund to cover 100% of that. In the short term (a few months) what are my options to manage this cash flow need? Am I missing any of them? The options that I am aware of are Wait (don't like this one!) Cash flow it (will be tight & depend on timing) HELOC? (I have no primary mortgage now) Sell some taxable (prefer to stay in the market, tax implications) 401k loan (yikes) Margin Loan (fidelity 7%+) Loan from solar company Personal Loan Taking on loans in not something I am familiar with. My desire here is to keep my assets invested in the market (especially given the recent drop) and also minimize any fees while k...
by lolbatross
Wed Apr 06, 2022 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Max Home Purchase Price?
Replies: 31
Views: 4080

Re: Max Home Purchase Price?

The first online calculator I found seemed to indicate that you could afford max 2M given 500k down and 350k income. I doubt anyone here would recommend that. Still if you are willing to put 500k down then the question is can you manage an 800k mortgage. I'm sure you can.

The questions that would concern me are - any kids, plan for kids or any reason why one of you would stop working. In that case you may no longer afford such a place.
by lolbatross
Wed Apr 06, 2022 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another Coffee Grinder thread
Replies: 47
Views: 4742

Re: Another Coffee Grinder thread

I have bought 4 or 5 baratza grinders for family members as gifts - we are all coffee drinkers. They are great products. However, given your light use requirement and price point desire I would think the capresso recommendation is best. Unless you can find a used encore or virtuoso.
by lolbatross
Wed Mar 23, 2022 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Am I already in CoastFIRE?
Replies: 31
Views: 4718

Re: Am I already in CoastFIRE?

Coast FIRE means covering only your current expenses and stopping retirement contributions. If your expenses are 100k/yr you would need 2.5M at retirement. For 1.6M to grow to 2.5M over 21 years requires about 2% (real) growth. [ 1.6M * x^21 = 2.5M ] I think Firecalc is a great tool for playing with this. If I do a 22 year run (21 years of growth and then spend 2.5M on year 22) we get an idea of how often you will still be able to retire in 21 years. I get about 88% that you would have at least 2.5M then with no college or house considered. You can add your lump sum adjustments to cover your one time expenses. If I do that for you I get about 73% that you still have at least 2.5M for year 22. If we add in your 31.2k savings for the next 21...
by lolbatross
Tue Mar 22, 2022 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Am I already in CoastFIRE?
Replies: 31
Views: 4718

Re: Am I already in CoastFIRE?

Coast FIRE means covering only your current expenses and stopping retirement contributions. If your expenses are 100k/yr you would need 2.5M at retirement. For 1.6M to grow to 2.5M over 21 years requires about 2% (real) growth. [ 1.6M * x^21 = 2.5M ] I think Firecalc is a great tool for playing with this. If I do a 22 year run (21 years of growth and then spend 2.5M on year 22) we get an idea of how often you will still be able to retire in 21 years. I get about 88% that you would have at least 2.5M then with no college or house considered. You can add your lump sum adjustments to cover your one time expenses. If I do that for you I get about 73% that you still have at least 2.5M for year 22. If we add in your 31.2k savings for the next 21 ...
by lolbatross
Mon Mar 21, 2022 11:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Anyone regret paying off mortgage early?
Replies: 2483
Views: 293921

Re: Anyone regret paying off mortgage early?

No, not yet.

I paid off my mortgage in Oct of 2021. I do not regret paying it off. The purpose of paying it off was 1.) to reduce overall leverage & risk and 2.) to improve cash flow. Both were accomplished.

FWIW I am maybe only at 60% of FI number in my late 30s.
by lolbatross
Tue Feb 01, 2022 11:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pay off mortgage? 2.75%, 30 yrs
Replies: 28
Views: 5238

Re: Pay off mortgage? 2.75%, 30 yrs

There are certainly compelling arguments to invest instead of paying off the mortgage. We had done that for the past decade and it worked out quite well. However, last year we eliminated a mortgage of about half your size and at a similar rate of 2.875%. As the years went by I no longer wished to be close to 100% equities and with debt(leverage). Instead I wished to lower the risk of my AA to somewhere between 90-10 and 80-20. The problem is that bonds can't compete with 2.75% guaranteed return. The draw back to paydown is how illiquid it is. However, by completely paying off the mortgage we lowered our monthly and improved our monthly saving. This should support our goals of early retirement and supporting our kids through college at the s...
by lolbatross
Sat Jan 29, 2022 6:04 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Opening taxable account with large investment
Replies: 5
Views: 737

Re: Opening taxable account with large investment

Fidelity taxable account it a great option. You will probably find many different opinions here on what the perfect option is - Vanguard? Fidelity? ETF? Mutual Fund?

Personally I use Fidelity and the FSKAX mutual fund.

I think the zero funds would also be fine but they lack any portability should that be necessary.
by lolbatross
Tue Jan 11, 2022 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to determine my life insurance needs?
Replies: 23
Views: 1957

Re: How to determine my life insurance needs?

If they fund these things, is there enough to fund their retirement accounts? How much will social security survivors benefits provide? How much will taxes go up when they move to single rates? Putting numbers to that and some may be zero, will get to your answer. I'm not sure about grad schools or weddings being something we want to pick up. Social Security Survivor benefits is something I never really looked into. I went to the ssa site and got a statement. Doing some quick math it seems like the value of the survivor benefits (DW + 2 kids) is something like 700k in my case. This is quite substantial. Do these numbers make any sense? This post seems to confirm it for me. https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=352819 Taxes seem ...
by lolbatross
Tue Jan 11, 2022 7:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to determine my life insurance needs?
Replies: 23
Views: 1957

Re: How to determine my life insurance needs?

twh wrote: Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:28 pm Most companies I worked for allowed you to buy into life insurance worth 5x (6x?) your annual salary for a reasonable price.
My work does. Wifes does not. Previously I found Term to be cheaper than this option as well as not being tied to my employment. The catch is you have to have a medical screen.
by lolbatross
Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to determine my life insurance needs?
Replies: 23
Views: 1957

Re: How to determine my life insurance needs?

My 30,000 ft take is that you are financially secure and do not have high need for additional life insurance. In round numbers, family can maintain lifestyle on one income. I'd be thinking about how accessible the investments are (taxable vs tax-advantaged accounts) and what sort of nest egg, if any, would be needed for a single parent to take care of kids until age of majority in the event of death of one spouse. Thinking through things like taking extended time off work, need for child care support, proximity of family support , etc. Not knowing more details, your LI seems appropriate to me. I'd probably be letting the earlier coverages lapse naturally. FWIW I am in similar age / NW / family situation cohort. I assume your estate plan / ...
by lolbatross
Mon Jan 10, 2022 10:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to determine my life insurance needs?
Replies: 23
Views: 1957

How to determine my life insurance needs?

What amount and duration of term LI would you say we need? Background Ages- 37 2 kids under 7 NW - 2.2M, 1.8 is investments No mortgage 529s funded to desired level, not adding more Expenses 100k/year Income - DH: 150k+20%, DW: 120k+25k Current LI DH - 300k work, 1M T3, 1M T13 (years left of original term) - 2.3M total DW- 50k work, 0.5M T3, 0.5M T13 - 1.05M total Total cost $105/mo Over the past 7 years since we put LI in place our NW has grown 3-4x and our income has increased 1.5-2x. DW's income has grown from 30% of total to closer to half. The original plan was to be able to self insure as the policies fell off. However as I look forward to a few years from now I am not terribly comfortable with only have 3-4x income coverage on DW. Th...
by lolbatross
Mon Jun 28, 2021 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

Based on feedback in this thread I've decided: Not to purchase a 55k car. My 5k car works. Shift my near term focus to eliminating my remaining mortgage Sell remaining btc and put towards mortgage Get rid of traditional Emergency Fund. Liquidate savings account. Throw most towards mortgage. Keep 20k in checking for now vs my historical 5k checking+50ksav Put monthly savings towards mortgage for remainder of 2021. Previously this had been taxable I'm sure I traded some various hotly debated boglehead positions for others, but -btc, -EF, -mortgage, -consumption(or at least deferred) seems like it aligns with more of my family's goals (own my home, retire early, build wealth). In the future I still plan to purchase btc and I'll probably buy an...
by lolbatross
Wed Jun 23, 2021 10:05 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling used car for near break-even then buying back new
Replies: 25
Views: 2966

Re: Selling used car for near break-even then buying back new

The used market is so shallow for teslas/EVs right now. I found one with 40k miles listed for more than would I could order new. Presumably you need to dig to find out what all the little differences are. For example the new model3 and y no longer have radar and rely only on cameras. The model Y just removed some seat adjustments in the passenger side. Also the self driving feature is a 10k add on. I assume your 2019 didn't include that. The global chip shortage is impacting the entire market place - less new cars are able to be produced. I think there is an opportunity here, but it may be short lived. If the incentives get reset I would expect demand to further increase and with it prices. I would get a firm real offer from somewhere and t...
by lolbatross
Wed Jun 23, 2021 9:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

BTC just crashed, so it might need to sit. Take a margin loan from your brokerage if the rate is cheaper than your car loan and cash flow as much as possible to fill the hole. IB rates are lower. BTW, what other assets you have that brings your NW to 2M? Do you have equity elsewhere than what's listed here? Can you tap into that? Just a thought. My brokerage is Fidelity which has terrible margin rates (6.575% for me). Moving to IB would be a hassle just to buy a car. I'm not seeing a big sign up bonus offer though I didn't look too hard. Of the 2M, 1.75 is investments/cash/btc. The other .25 is home equity. I could do a cash out refi and get a similar rate for a longer term. I could pull much more than the 55k. I've been actively trying to...
by lolbatross
Tue Jun 22, 2021 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

fyre4ce wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:09 pm My general guideline is no more than 25% of household income in the value of cars. In your case that’s $62,500. Depending on the value of your spouse’s car, this purchase may put you over the limit. If so, I’d look into a cheaper model, or buying low-mileage used.
Your guideline is twice as restrictive as Dave Ramsey's! He says 50% of income...
by lolbatross
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

Get a 5 year loan from DCU for 1.24%, do not pay off early, keep your money invested. Also, is the $55k post Federal tax credit? This is intriguing. I might apply if I go the loan route. In the past I have been a big proponent of invest in lieu of paydown, however over the past few years I have paid down my 2.875% mortgage because I don't want a mortgage forever. My oldest is 7 and I don't want a mortgage payment when my kids hit college age. I feel I have enough in the 529s to cover 50% of a state education. Combine that with having less cash flow needs (no mortgage) I should have the flexibility to support 100% private if necessary/desired. As far as the federal tax credit - currently there is no federal tax credit and the 55k reflects t...
by lolbatross
Tue Jun 22, 2021 3:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

tashnewbie wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 2:07 pm Check out Big ERN’s blog series about going with 0 EF for more information on that perspective.
I'm familiar with that article and it definitely made me contemplate my EF. I've considered holding some bonds in taxable or iBonds or just have no EF. I think last we discussed it DW feels good with a savings EF and I didn't feel strong enough to eliminate it.
by lolbatross
Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Re: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

fyre4ce wrote: Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:36 pm Is there a less expensive car that meets your needs?
Yes my current car is fine. 10 years old. We bought it new for 25k. It has 105k miles on it. It is likely to survive for several more years.

New car being evaluated is an EV. Within the EV market there are some less expensive options that don't quite do it for me. Some are too small and some have more limited range. PHEVs bring added complexity and are a half measure. Clearly at least half the cost of the planned vehicle is luxury as it is about 2x the prior vehicle.
by lolbatross
Tue Jun 22, 2021 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?
Replies: 24
Views: 2305

Best way to fund large expense? Taxable, EF, btc, loan?

I'm thinking of buying a new car for 55k. For large purchases I usually cash flow or borrow from the EF when I can and avoid touching the taxable. However, in this case its probably large enough I need to pull from the taxable or get a loan. Situation Age 37, DW & 2 young kids 2M NW, 250k income, IL, 24% fed 1M retirement 450k taxable (all ltcg) 50k Cash (EF & buffer) 30k btc (50/50 ltcg) about 4k/mo positive cash flow (doesn't include retirement inflows) For 2021 & beyond I will be paying NIIT. My current car is worth maybe 5k. Option 1 - Sell some taxable and pay cash for the car. Pay IL+LTCG+NIIT Option 2 - Loan at 2.5% & Pay off early with future cash flows Option 3 - Wait & save fully then buy (1year) Option 4 - Rai...
by lolbatross
Thu May 27, 2021 11:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Crypto Fees for International Transfer?
Replies: 20
Views: 2829

Re: Crypto Fees for International Transfer?

You will probably pay an exchange fee to purchase, then a transaction fee on chain and then an exchange fee on the other end to convert to local currency. During the time of the on chain waiting to confirm you will be carrying price risk. BTC for example can easily move 1% in a matter of minutes. https://pro.coinbase.com/orders/fees https://www.binance.com/en/fee/depositFee https://jochen-hoenicke.de/queue/#BTC,24h,weight You will have to do the math yourself because it is ever changing. Good luck. Another option might be to purchase gift cards and transfer them via giving away the code. You will still have the first 2 fees plus the card fee. Not what you are asking but imo for 1k you will not save enough to be worth the risk... unless you ...
by lolbatross
Thu May 27, 2021 9:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 42 yrs old - How are we doing?
Replies: 53
Views: 15566

Re: 40 yrs old - How are we doing?

What you are doing right Great income Saving / living below your means overall Investing & putting your money to work You have the main things right. You can diverge from BH philosophy and likely still be very successful. However, there is room for improvement! What you are doing sub optimally (IMO) Using a ton of leverage Concentrated in real estate Have car loans Cash on hand (50k) is low considering monthly obligations Stock investments choices neither indexed nor cohesive Crypto + a lot debt increases your risk What I would change. The weakness in your current situation is your cash flow needs require your continued employment. In the event of a job loss or medical situation you might be forced into a painful situation. I would seek...
by lolbatross
Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Talk me into paying off my mortgage...
Replies: 61
Views: 10958

Re: Talk me into paying off my mortgage...

Hello Bogleheads, I am 41 years old and married with one child. Net worth of $2.49 million. I have 14 years left on a 15 year fixed rate mortgage at 2.85%. The market value of our house is $260,000 and there is $126,000 of mortgage debt remaining. We have no other debt other than the home mortgage and i am now maxing out my Roth 457. We have two paid off rental properties and a taxable account (90% stocks and 10% bonds) worth $1,770,000 mainly from inheritance. I have a government job with future pension that pays $60,000 and my wife is a stay at home mom. So we are high net worth but relatively low income when it comes to earned income. We make withdrawls out of the taxable account to help cover living expenses. The reason i am considerin...
by lolbatross
Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:38 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: If you bought Bitcoin, when do you plan to sell?
Replies: 393
Views: 47483

Re: If you bought Bitcoin, when do you plan to sell?

Tamalak wrote: Thu Jan 07, 2021 8:06 am I love that there's not a single mention in this topic of using Bitcoin for its intended purpose.
This thread was about selling which I interpreted to be as exiting the overall position or at least significantly reducing it. I used btc 8 times in 2020 to purchase things/services. Probably most notably was using btc to pay for most of my holiday gift purchases. In order to use btc for Amazon I was forced to purchase a gift card with btc and then load the gift card on Amazon. It worked well and its something I will do again.
by lolbatross
Wed Nov 11, 2020 12:15 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Highest US Fed Debt to GDP Ratio - Hedge w/ Bitcoin?
Replies: 19
Views: 1648

Re: Highest US Fed Debt to GDP Ratio - Hedge w/ Bitcoin?

OP bitcoin is much to volatile to be an effective hedge against modest inflation.

If you want a hedge against USD then buy other govt currencies that are much less volatile than btc. You also could buy real estate as a hedge.

I like & own btc. Its about 1-2% of my portfolio - though I dont count it as such much like I dont usually count cash in spending accts. I use it when I can. I love the fact that there isn't a few policy makers somewhere deciding if they are going to inflate away my savings. I love that for a small fee I can move substantial money to anywhere in the world in about 5-10 minutes. I like being my own bank. However, in the near term the cons of volatility make it impractical as a replacement for USD.

Good luck.
by lolbatross
Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Crypto Exchange goes bankrupt after owner dies with only password
Replies: 111
Views: 18132

Re: Crypto Exchange goes bankrupt after owner dies with only password

pdavi21 wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 9:04 pm
JustinR wrote: Mon Feb 04, 2019 8:47 pm A lot of people are saying he faked his death and it's an exit scam.
It is a pretty good currency to use when faking your own death.
No its not. Its a public ledger. As soon as someone starts using that btc from those addresses the manhunt will begin.

Edit: I guess I dont know exactly which crypto was lost, but generally this is public ledger.
by lolbatross
Tue Sep 04, 2018 12:01 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Max you should invest in a 529?
Replies: 193
Views: 17646

Re: Max you should invest in a 529?

KlangFool wrote: Tue Sep 04, 2018 11:01 am OP,

1% to 5% of your net worth excluding the house. So, for most people, the answer is nothing.

KlangFool
Seems arbitrary. Care to explain the 1% to 5% range?

We are at 10% but also are probably done contributing (2 years maxed for 2 kids each).

10% is high by your standard but what we get:
  • IL state deduction (5%)
  • no capital gains (20% of gains after 18 years)
  • Family contributions (+5-7% of balance)
Seems like the right amount is above 0% for many on this board though I admit not everyone will have the same state & family situation.
by lolbatross
Wed Jun 06, 2018 9:00 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 529 College Saving question
Replies: 15
Views: 1378

Re: 529 College Saving question

Looks like a great plan.

We did 20k each of the first 2 years for each of our kids in the IL 529. This got us the full tax break for 4 consecutive years. We are 100% invested in the index equity portfolio. Most here would probably prefer age based over our approach. Going forward we will add gifts from family and re-evaluate yearly. We are not aiming for 100% funding but rather plan to split between 529 & cash flow.
by lolbatross
Mon May 07, 2018 7:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Start 529 Plan?
Replies: 45
Views: 3820

Re: Start 529 Plan?

black_knight_32 wrote: Sun May 06, 2018 3:57 pm Thanks for all the advice!

For those who are funding above what expected college/grad expenses will be, what are your plans to do with the excess money? After kids graduate change the beneficiary to grandkids?
Based on historical returns & inflation we have about a 25% chance of being over funded for 4 years at IL flagship. (Our 529 goal is to fund ~50% and cash flow the rest - a trade off between tax advantage and downside risk of over funding) In the event that we are over funded we will pay the taxes and reinvest in our taxable.
by lolbatross
Tue May 01, 2018 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Checking Reasonableness on Home Purchase
Replies: 9
Views: 1305

Re: Checking Reasonableness on Home Purchase

You are spending a lot. But you can afford it. Suppose loans were not an option. Would you be willing to trade your cash plus ~700k of your retirement savings for the house? If you woke up tomorrow and had the house and only ~700k in retirement would you be ok? If that makes you uncomfortable from a retirement perspective would you then take out a loan against the house to then invest in retirement savings? Is some of your retirement savings in taxable? If it was me I'd pull maybe 300-400k from taxable retirement, put ~567k down making the mortgage only 270k and still be looking at $1M in retirement savings. From there I would make sure I was putting ~5k/mo in taxable for retirement/wealth building. Summary - Get the house, with a ~270k mor...
by lolbatross
Tue Mar 06, 2018 8:47 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Another reason to steer clear of Bitcoin. As if we need another reason...
Replies: 48
Views: 9931

Re: Another reason to steer clear of Bitcoin. As if we need another reason...

It's a risk along with so many others, that yes, I determined it's another reason to steer clear of Bitcoin, et. al. What others you say? 1. exchanges being hacked and millions lost 2. USBs/computers lost and millions lost 3. passwords lost and millions lost 4. governments shutting down exchanges or disallowing use of the currency 5. the value itself plummetting (and millions lost) through normal volatility 6. numerous competing currencies coming out daily taking market share affecting the price of the remaining currencies... This is a great list. If I can take it another way - for those who choose to pursue bitcoin you need to know, understand and mitigate these risks. Here is some quick thoughts. 1. Store your own btc - take as much off ...
by lolbatross
Tue Jan 23, 2018 11:22 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard chief says "You will never see a bitcoin fund from us"
Replies: 33
Views: 4352

Re: Vanguard chief says "You will never see a bitcoin fund from us"

I am glad that Vanguard is not creating a bitcoin fund - a bitcoin fund serves one purpose which is speculation / investing indirectly in the price of btc. Wall Street and even retail speculators are not doing much to ensure bitcoin's future even if they may be driving the price higher. As someone who hopes for the long term success of bitcoin I am more excited by seeing people interested in managing their own wallet and even running a full node. I would recommend that people invest the time in learning about what bitcoin is. Right now there is so many people with uninformed strong opinions both on these forums and elsewhere. It doesn't matter weather or not the price of bitcoin crashes. Bitcoin is like Tesla - there is tons of promise and ...
by lolbatross
Sun Jan 21, 2018 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson
Replies: 94
Views: 12757

Re: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson

There is no blockchain without bitcoin. Without Bitcoin, it is just another database. Then I must ask, if blockchain's only reason for existence is Bitcoin, then why is blockchain such a big deal? If its only value is to support a speculative, pyramid "investment", does it really have the value everyone seems to attribute to it? :| Blockchain was invented to solve the double spending problem and thus was part of the birth of bitcoin. Unfortunately after bitcoin has come 1000s of altcoins and other degrees of scams including Bitconnect. Make no mistake there is mania around the Blockchain technology as much as there is about crypto currencies. A decentralized cluncky database using Blockchain technology does not make sense for ton...
by lolbatross
Sat Jan 20, 2018 2:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson
Replies: 94
Views: 12757

Re: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson

Thank you for all of the responses including those who shared their similar stories from the dot com era. I’m done with crypto. I had a very bad 15 day “affair” from my Boglehead lifestyle and it cost me $30k. I will make sure to turn this into a positive and never let this happen again. It could have been much, much worse and I am thankful that it wasn’t. Eyes on the future. The next time, there will be a next time because you saw everyone around you heeing and hawing about their winnings and you wanted in - do this first: go to vanguard college planner, put in your child’s age, the amount you were planning to speculate with, time to college, amount it calculates you will have. That is what you could lose. After you do that, you’ll think ...
by lolbatross
Sat Jan 20, 2018 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson
Replies: 94
Views: 12757

Re: Lost money through Bitconnect scam - learned my lesson

[quote=RRAAYY3 post_id=3731679 time=<a href="tel:1516467432">1516467432</a> user_id=42235] I despise Bitcoin and can’t wait for it to just go away. If you bought it in 08/09, sell this BS ASAP and consider yourself lucky Blockchain technology is valuable - Bitcoin is a FOMO driven nothing. If you’re not a sci-fi Villain or drug dealer, it should be irrelevant to you. If you replaced bitcoin with all other crypto coins aka [(removed) --admin LadyGeek] I would agree with your statements. BTC has no board of directors or ICO or marketing team. All other cryptos do. In my opinion BTC is valuable and everything else is essentially a scam. Altcoins are to bitcoin what Edward jones is to vanguard. To OP, sorry for your loss. Thank you f...
by lolbatross
Sun Jan 07, 2018 4:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much are you putting in a 529?
Replies: 111
Views: 17272

Re: How much are you putting in a 529?

analyticalron wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2018 3:37 pm as someone who be opening a 529 fairly soon, what rate of return do ya'll estimate when deciding what to contribute?
Depends what you are trying to estimate. I use 2% real for growth vs college expense (I’m 100% equity). I use 8% nominal for estimating tax savings vs ltcg in taxable.

Historically the cost has risen by over 6% for the last several decades. Last year it was only 2%. Hopefully that continues.
by lolbatross
Sat Jan 06, 2018 7:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much are you putting in a 529?
Replies: 111
Views: 17272

Re: How much are you putting in a 529?

We did 20k ( IL state max deduction) for the first 2 years of each kids life. So 40k each and then let it ride. Kids are almost 2 and almost 4. Balances are 50k &55k. That’s about 3 of 8 years worth of U of I. With some growth we should cover a good portion with the 529. Our strategy was always to get some tax free gains while cash flowing or taking out loans on the rest.

At this point we are done with planned contributions. We of course will revisit periodically especially with IL state tax constantly rising.

Depending on our kids we made decide to have them take out loans for most or we may write a check for it. Our taxable or Roth’s can be tapped if needed as well.
by lolbatross
Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can/Should I retire now?
Replies: 57
Views: 9944

Re: Can I retire now?

duplicate
by lolbatross
Thu Jan 04, 2018 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can/Should I retire now?
Replies: 57
Views: 9944

Re: Can I retire now?

Yes.

Your rental nets 1,800/mo. You need 6,000/mo. The difference is 50,400/year. That's about 2% of your 2.55M of stocks & bonds. Your dividends should about cover that. You still need medical so either get a part time job with benefits or draw more off of your 2.55M.

Alternatively you could get out of the real estate game and have about a 3M portfolio to support something about 100k /year with medical. Thats 30x - should be good.
by lolbatross
Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: General question on college savings
Replies: 60
Views: 4538

Re: General question on college savings

Are there any Bogleheads out there who are in the same situation as we are? a. have children b. have a large taxable account c. do NOT fund 529 accounts A. Yes (2), b. Yes, c NO. Our strategy is to fund the 529 to ~33% of cost of college and the cash flow the rest if needed. U of I is 38k/year. College inflation has been north of 6% but last year was only 2%. We did 2years of 20k each to max out the Illinois tax advantage when each kid was born. We stopped at 40k and will let that grow. We will very likely be underfunded but will get the growth all as tax advantaged. I don’t know how things will go in the future but I like our chances. We balanced current tax savings with future tax savings. Our chance of overfunding is low. Good luck!
by lolbatross
Thu Dec 28, 2017 6:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 and the new tax law
Replies: 4
Views: 904

Re: 529 and the new tax law

How long have you had the 529? Are there substantial gains? Are you still contributing? How much is enough for college? Less than 180 today?

If you are sure you have overfunded and have substantial gains I would use the 529 now, otherwise I would not unless there is a major state tax break.
by lolbatross
Sat Dec 23, 2017 8:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2016 Nissan Pathfinder S with 3rd row seat
Replies: 11
Views: 1421

Re: 2016 Nissan Pathfinder S with 3rd row seat

Our trusty minivan was totaled last night. Fortunately, all are well. I'm interested in a mid size SUV, prefer used. I travel often using rental cars and have driven this quite a bit: 2016 Nissan Pathfinder S with 3rd row seat. I like the ride and comfort but have never thought about for a family. Thoughts? 3rd row seating would be used occasionally. There were a few posts on the Honda Pilot. We'll be checking the Pilot out too. Thanks in advance. We love our 2016 pathfinder. It works well for us. However we almost never use the 3rd row. It’s not appropriately sized for most adults. You could put kids aged 2 to 12 back there comfortably for medium or long trips. Given that the 3rd row is important to you I would check out the minivan optio...
by lolbatross
Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:14 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bitcoin in Freefall
Replies: 191
Views: 29653

Re: Bitcoin in Freefall

tadamsmar wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:09 am There is lots of speculation on why it crashed.

I say it was because analysts said that Bitcoin's quarterly earnings outlook was bleak.

:twisted:
Good point. BTC is only up 195% since October 1. Seems the market had priced in several hard fork dividends but now are projecting only a few.
by lolbatross
Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bitcoin in Freefall
Replies: 191
Views: 29653

Re: Bitcoin in Freefall

alpine_boglehead wrote: Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:39 am John Bogle: The stock market is a giant distraction to the business of investing.

And so is Bitcoin. :)
Bitcoin distracts me from tinkering and otherwise not staying the course. :beer
by lolbatross
Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bitcoin in Freefall
Replies: 191
Views: 29653

Re: Bitcoin in Freefall

It's also interesting to note that the S&P500 is flat so far - some evidence that there is little correlation? some evidence that there is no possibility of a spill over? Given the relative market volumes & values of the 2 assets it's really difficult to make assertions about the lack of correlation of one v. the other. When you have the volatility bitcoin has shown this year, I am not sure a correlation coefficient tells you much, in any case. I am mostly prodding people who were fearful of bitcoin having any impact on the equity markets. I think we are far from that because as you point out the size differences. I'm wondering what had more impact on this apparent lack of confidence - Roger Ver + coinbase collusion & insider t...
by lolbatross
Fri Dec 22, 2017 9:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Bitcoin in Freefall
Replies: 191
Views: 29653

Re: Bitcoin in Freefall

It's also interesting to note that the S&P500 is flat so far - some evidence that there is little correlation? some evidence that there is no possibility of a spill over?