Search found 485 matches

by Millennial
Mon Mar 25, 2024 8:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help me choose a new heating and air system - NYC (HVAC)
Replies: 28
Views: 1917

Re: Help me choose a new heating and air system? (HVAC)

Mitsubishi Hyper Heat ducted heat pump is the best choice IMO. We just had a 30 year old York furnace fail and evaluated several options, this was the best overall.

What state are you in? Some have good heat pump incentives - MA has a $10k rebate for a whole-home heat pump. Made it cost competitive with replacement with a gas furnace.

Breaker shouldn't be an issue if you have AC now. If you don't have AC now, you might need an upgrade. We are running off a 100A panel, but dryer/stove/HW heater are still has so there are no other big draws.
by Millennial
Tue Mar 19, 2024 10:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Frostless hose cock rebuild/replace
Replies: 14
Views: 1781

Re: Frostless hose cock rebuild/replace

I would replace it it a Prier C-144 (or P-164 if you like quarter turn) and never worry about it again. Just to note that I bought the P-164 from Amazon ( https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0051966QW?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details&th=1 ). I have no doubt that it is a high quality device. But the quarter-turn feature is NOT a ball valve! The valve actuator moves horizontally along the axis of the unit, seating a resilient circle against the interior end of the device. I wanted a ball valve (brass on brass), in the hope it would last longer than a rubber washer. Yes, the 1/4 turn version just uses coarser threads on the shaft. It's largely the same mechanism. Ball valves are not brass on brass. They generally have Teflon seats between the ba...
by Millennial
Sun Mar 03, 2024 10:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Furnace/AC replacement questions: when, how, and heat pump?
Replies: 6
Views: 1058

Re: Furnace/AC replacement questions: when, how, and heat pump?

When will be hard to answer. 10 years isn't that old, and the payback when switching from high efficiency gas heat can be long (depending on local utility rates). It is very easy to swap - they will reuse all of your existing duct work and possibly your lineset (copper) if the size works. They will likely need to run a new wire from the air handler inside to the condenser outside. It's likely you'll need minimal other electrical work - unless the size is changing, they should be able to use the 240v line to your existing condenser and whatever power source your furnace is using inside. Check for rebates through the federal government, your state, and your utility provider. We're about to swap an old (lower efficiency) gas furnace with attac...
by Millennial
Fri Feb 23, 2024 6:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Punctured tire on Model 3 - WWYD
Replies: 16
Views: 2070

Re: Punctured tire on Model 3 - WWYD

I would replace all four with something more efficient.
by Millennial
Thu Feb 08, 2024 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Spice My Chicken
Replies: 15
Views: 2349

Re: Spice My Chicken

Er Jing Tiao chilis are the perfect thing to add. I highly recommend getting them from Ma La Market - quality is better than any of my local Asian stores.

https://themalamarket.com/products/er-jing-tiao-chili

If you don't have it, Fushia Dunlop's book The Land of Plenty is the Bible for Szechuan recipes.
by Millennial
Sun Feb 04, 2024 6:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Automatic Water Shutoff Valves: brands, installation, experiences?
Replies: 40
Views: 4209

Re: Automatic Water Shutoff Valves: brands, installation, experiences?

I have had a Flo by Moen for about 5 years. I like it, though the app/detection can be a bit clunky sometimes.

The install was very easy (I cut out a section of copper pipe just after my city water meter and soldered on two threaded connectors. Flo screws right in between them and comes with a "dummy" plastic pipe you can install in it's place if you need to remove it for some reason.

It's been very reliable and the integration with WiFi water sensors is nice - makes me more comfortable since we have a second floor W/D and DW.
by Millennial
Mon Jan 22, 2024 9:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bosch Crystal Dry - any personal experiences with this witchcraft?
Replies: 47
Views: 21555

Re: Bosch Crystal Dry - any personal experiences with this witchcraft?

I'm planning a kitchen reno and doing appliance research as a result. One goal is to have an energy efficient dishwasher (therefore no heated dry) that will still produce dry dishes. Miele auto-open doors seem perfect, as right now I've had good luck getting dry dishes when I can open DW right as it finishes. Downside is they're $1,800. Bosch has a new tech called Crystal Dry which, allegedly, dries dishes using heat produced by zeolite crystals stored in a chamber in the back. This is a much cheaper option, with models around $1,000. Crystal Dry This seems way too good to be true - no extra energy usage and bone dry plastics? No need to replace the magic crystals? Does anyone have experience with this system, either positive or negative? ...
by Millennial
Mon Jan 15, 2024 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Gifting partner highly appreciated stock from taxable account
Replies: 16
Views: 2214

Re: Gifting partner highly appreciated stock from taxable account

WillyMcG wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 10:55 am
senex wrote: Mon Jan 15, 2024 8:57 am Yes, all taxable income is added together to calculate federal AGI (adjusted gross income).

Even if a type of income gets favorable tax *treatment* (like 0% long term cap gains), the income is still reported on your tax form, and still increases your AGI, and may cause other types of income to be taxed more heavily. It's a complicated system.
Then gifting her $18k (or more) would put her in the 12% tax bracket and she'd owe 12% compared to me paying 15%. Although realizing the gains myself could push my income 200k.
To be clear, that's only true if you gift it and she sells it. If she holds it then only dividends (if any) would add to her income.
by Millennial
Fri Dec 08, 2023 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Heat Pump Propaganda?
Replies: 173
Views: 21678

Re: Heat Pump Propaganda?

Yes, what in think you've found here is that if you live in a cold place with relatively expensive electricity and access to natural gas, it can be slightly more expensive to run a heat pump. For folks hearing with oil, or where electricity isn't so expensive, or where it doesn't get as cold, heat pumps provide savings. The majority of households fit into that latter group so that's what a lot of the "propaganda" is written around.

The other way to get savings is zone control. When we had mini splits, we'd use the gas to keep the house at 65 day / 55 night and the mini split in the bedrooms to provide a little more warmth. This provided a big cost savings since it let us keep 80% of the house much colder.
by Millennial
Wed Dec 06, 2023 1:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla - ARgh [Frustrated with tech support]
Replies: 60
Views: 10518

Re: Tesla - ARgh [Frustrated with tech support]

Eventually these problems will be sorted. But this is still the early adopter phase. Tesla has been making and selling cars for a decade now. Even the Model 3 is six years old. How long does the early adopter phase last? When there are sufficient charging stations and ICE comparable times for repairs post accidents. I have no idea how long that will take. Maybe it's regional, but we're there now in New England. I have an ICE car and my wife has an electric car. When we bought hers in 2018 we felt good about road trips because we had mine to fall back on, but we haven't done that once in five years. Unfortunately parity with ICE cars on the repair front has occurred the wrong way - both ICE and EVs now experience delayed repairs.
by Millennial
Wed Dec 06, 2023 1:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Housing question: How would you pay for this?
Replies: 16
Views: 2110

Re: Housing question: How would you pay for this?

What is the cost basis of that taxable account? Could you really stay in the 15% CG bracket and avoid NIIT?

The other thing to note is you don't need all of this on day 1. If you don't even have plans yet, you're probably a year or 18 months away from the final check you'll write for this. Can you save another 100k during that time to minimize borrowing?
by Millennial
Wed Dec 06, 2023 9:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: TPMS with new tires
Replies: 12
Views: 1351

Re: TPMS with new tires

With an 8 year old car, I would replace TPMS when doing tires. It's not likely the original sensors will make it to the end of the new tires, and replacing sensors is much easier and cheaper when the tires are already off.

That said, I can't tell from your receipt description what happened. And they should not replace TPMS without talking to you first. If they didn't replace them, no programming should be needed.
by Millennial
Fri Dec 01, 2023 2:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage transferred to Mr Cooper - question about payment dates
Replies: 21
Views: 4084

Re: Mortgage transferred to Mr Cooper - question about payment dates

You're never going to skip a month - that would impact your end date and technically even payment amounts (if you don't at least pay the interest, principal will increase). You should pay December 1.
by Millennial
Mon Nov 20, 2023 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Frostless hose cock rebuild/replace
Replies: 14
Views: 1781

Re: Frostless hose cock rebuild/replace

I would replace it it a Prier C-144 (or P-164 if you like quarter turn) and never worry about it again.
by Millennial
Mon Oct 30, 2023 6:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio Feedback
Replies: 10
Views: 1444

Re: Recast mortgage so one income can cover costs?

At 3.25%, I wouldn't. I don't really follow the reasoning, either... Why force sell SCHB now rather than, worst case, sell slowly in the future to supplement your income if you do exhaust the EF?

Really, my takeaway here is that your EF is not sufficient. The whole point is to keep you from worrying about things like this. If I anything, I think building that up is the right solution.
by Millennial
Mon Oct 16, 2023 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: car insurance deductibles
Replies: 35
Views: 3528

Re: car insurance deductibles

Even then, it's the percent chance of being in an accident where YOUR insurance pays out. If the other party's insurance covers the loss directly or if your insurance subrogates, the deductible doesn't apply and you get the same payout regardless. Not if the other party doesn't have insurance.... Depends, do they have assets? I worded my response specifically and stand by it. If the at-fault party has no insurance and recovery isn't possible, then OP's insurance would pay out and my statement wouldn't apply. Obviously there are times when you may not be at fault but still need to use your insurance, so I didn't mention fault in my post. If you don't have collision coverage or UIM property damage coverage, there is nothing for your insuranc...
by Millennial
Mon Oct 16, 2023 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: car insurance deductibles
Replies: 35
Views: 3528

Re: car insurance deductibles

tj wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:32 am
Millennial wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:24 am
Even then, it's the percent chance of being in an accident where YOUR insurance pays out. If the other party's insurance covers the loss directly or if your insurance subrogates, the deductible doesn't apply and you get the same payout regardless.
Not if the other party doesn't have insurance....
Depends, do they have assets? I worded my response specifically and stand by it.

If the at-fault party has no insurance and recovery isn't possible, then OP's insurance would pay out and my statement wouldn't apply. Obviously there are times when you may not be at fault but still need to use your insurance, so I didn't mention fault in my post.
by Millennial
Mon Oct 16, 2023 11:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: car insurance deductibles
Replies: 35
Views: 3528

Re: car insurance deductibles

cmr79 wrote: Mon Oct 16, 2023 8:03 am
CuriousIndexer wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2023 9:35 pm
Thanks! A $1000 deductible increases the 6 mo. premium by $83.95.
So if you paid that extra $83.95 every 6 months and got hit tomorrow. It would only have been cheaper to stick with the $5000 deductible after 23 years of having the policy period.
The actual calculation that you need to do is the length of ownership multiplied by the percent chance of being in an accident and the cost of repairing damage from that accident.
[/quote]

Even then, it's the percent chance of being in an accident where YOUR insurance pays out. If the other party's insurance covers the loss directly or if your insurance subrogates, the deductible doesn't apply and you get the same payout regardless.
by Millennial
Fri Sep 15, 2023 3:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Approaching mortgage lender to buy out loan?
Replies: 33
Views: 2814

Re: Approaching mortgage lender to buy out loan?

Is this the right way to understand this: Made up numbers here: A house was purchased at the agreed upon price of 500,000. A down payment of 20% was made and then borrowed 400,000 at 3%. The loan is say 3 years old - so has a balance remaining of 374,176 and 34,877 in interest has been paid. The mortgage holder, wants the lender to accept LESS than the 374,176 that is still owed to close out the loan? that doesn't sound like it benefits the lender all that much... Wouldn't it be in the Lender's best interest to call in the loan and if the mortgage holder can't pay it in full - for the lender to evict the mortgage holder and sell the house?? It benefits the lender because that asset (the mortgage) is not worth $374k currently. In today's in...
by Millennial
Fri Sep 15, 2023 8:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unexpected insurance rate hike
Replies: 32
Views: 4047

Re: Unexpected insurance rate hike

Also in MA. I have historically purchased homeowner's, auto and umbrella from one provider. I had Geico until two years ago, when they significantly increased premiums. I got quotes from a few providers and Amica ended up being cheapest (essentially flat with my previous Geico rates). Amica's increase YoY this year we're modest. My only complaint with Amica is when I switched cars - on their website it allowed me to quote my annual increase for the new car ($197). When I actually added it, the increase was $298. They would not honor the quote on their website - even though I could replicate the quote while I was on the phone with the agent. There were no differences in the car or options that I entered for the quote. Not a ton of money, but...
by Millennial
Tue Sep 05, 2023 3:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to procure funds for elderly family member?
Replies: 8
Views: 1299

Re: Best way to procure funds for elderly family member?

Are you sure it's worth keeping the properties? Obviously I'm guessing because you didn't share numbers, but if the income from a number of paid off properties isn't covering the bills for the grandparent, it strikes me as a warning that the return on equity here might be quite small. If that's the case, before I tried to get a loan on these properties (which would provide one-time cash but further lower operating income), I'd consider whether you (and other heirs) want to be in this business long term. If not, what income would you expect from a relatively conservative investment portfolio using the proceeds of a sale (net taxes and other selling expenses)? If yes, can you sell these properties and use the proceeds as a down payment to buy...
by Millennial
Tue Sep 05, 2023 3:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Husband cracked his iPhone screen
Replies: 53
Views: 6591

Re: Husband cracked his iPhone screen

I successfully got a Google Pixel repaired through a credit card warranty after I dropped it very soon after purchase. The process was easier than I expected.
by Millennial
Tue Sep 05, 2023 1:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Switching Home owners Insurance midway
Replies: 31
Views: 2820

Re: Switching Home owners Insurance midway

I've done this several times and never thought it was an issue. Agents for GEICO, Amica and Progressive have always addressed this as standard business practices when I've gotten quotes.
by Millennial
Tue Aug 29, 2023 3:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowners Insurance Deductible and Premiums (How much savings do you require?)
Replies: 18
Views: 1834

Re: Homeowners Insurance Deductible and Premiums (How much savings do you require?)

Your post does not consider the additional cost of insurance after a claim, so it's not necessarily a $3k win of you do have a claim in the $2-5k range, though maybe that wouldn't matter if you wouldn't make a claim below $15k anyway.

I plan to go well over 13 years without making a claim and in the event of a catastrophic claim the $3k wouldn't make much difference to me, so I'd take the higher deductible in your case.
by Millennial
Fri Aug 18, 2023 6:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Scotland / London…where to stay?
Replies: 70
Views: 4775

Re: Scotland / London…where to stay?

I highly recommend that you stay one night on the train. Specifically, the Caledonian Sleeper from Inverness to London. Beautiful views and a comfortable ride. It's cheaper than a flight and hotel, and it's by far the easiest way to make that journey.
by Millennial
Sat Aug 05, 2023 11:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tesla Lease $7500 rebate?
Replies: 0
Views: 333

Tesla Lease $7500 rebate?

We are considering purchasing a Model 3 AWD Long Range (just under $50k). We are over the income limit for the federal $7500 rebate. There is a well known work around for cars/buyers that don't meet eligibility - if you lease the car, it's considered "commercial" and the rules don't apply. The includes origin requirements as well as buyer income limits. However the $7500 goes to the manufacturer, not the leasee. There are some manufacturers, like Kia, which immediately pass the $7500 on to leasees (and even seem to expect some leasees to immediately purchase the car - basically a "backdoor" rebate). I can't find anything on tesla doing this, either on their site or in the news. Just wondering if anyone has had sucess acc...
by Millennial
Sat Jul 29, 2023 8:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Car Should I Buy If Money Were No Object?
Replies: 116
Views: 14138

Re: What Car Should I Buy If Money Were No Object?

For me, given your goals, the answer would absolutely a Volvo v90.
by Millennial
Thu Jul 20, 2023 9:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage underwriting problem
Replies: 17
Views: 1449

Re: Mortgage underwriting problem

ResearchMed wrote: Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:36 pm I'm surprised they allowed "the money" to come from a loan of any type, including a 401k loan. The idea is, I thought, the total debt limit. So suddenly announcing a noticeable 401k loan could trigger fresh underwriting. :oops:

RM
Underwriting doesn't view it as a loan, since you're borrowing from yourself and the consequence of default is tax/penalty instead of collections. I am not sure if it was all banks or just this one, but it was a clean, no-questions-asked, source of funds.
by Millennial
Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage underwriting problem
Replies: 17
Views: 1449

Re: Mortgage underwriting problem

I ran into this issue doing a re-fi right after getting married, and I couldn't find a way to win with the bank. In my case it wasn't one large check, but many smaller ones. We had to bring a modest amount to closing for the refi due to a low appraisal, but still got tripped up. I don't know the amounts involved so it may not work, but I got around it by taking a 401k loan and using funds from that to close. That meant they didn't need to see any bank statements. I immediately paid off the 401k loan from my bank account. I was upfront with my HR about it. The bank's loan officer also knew what I was doing, but he just wanted to close. It all felt very stupid, but at the end of the day I basically paid a $150 processing fee to get a clean ch...
by Millennial
Tue Jul 11, 2023 5:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Worth doing a masters without a bachelor's? [in Australia]
Replies: 91
Views: 7184

Re: Is it worth doing a Masters instead of Bachelors degree?

alex123711 wrote: Tue Jul 11, 2023 5:48 am Aren't all universities for profit?
No. The vast majority (at least all the ones you've heard of) are non-profit. Over the last decade or so, it has become apparent that a number of for-profit universities left their students in debt without providing a useful education or marketable skills.
by Millennial
Wed Jul 05, 2023 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to select estate planning attorney (in MA)
Replies: 26
Views: 1704

Re: How to select estate planning attorney (in MA)

I am fairly sure the estate tax laws changed in MA earlier this year. I am looking for an estate lawyer myself so I have been doing research. I am interested to see what others say. "Estate Tax – The House bill increases from $1 million to $2 million the threshold at which the Massachusetts estate tax applies, and eliminates the so-called “cliff effect” by providing that only the amount of the estate that exceeds $2 million is subject to tax. This is accomplished by subtracting $2 million from each estate." They have not changed yet, the bill your quote references is not yet law. Per forum rules we can't discuss pending legislation, but I think in this case OP should probably research the legislation to decide on when it is prude...
by Millennial
Mon Jun 19, 2023 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cheated out of advance seat assignments?
Replies: 124
Views: 14090

Re: Cheated out of advance seat assignments?

If you want a small victory, you can book you and your wife in the aisle and window seats for (presumably) $160. By their kids policy, they'll put the 4 y/o between you by default. It hurts to pay for a seat assignment to a middle seat.
by Millennial
Fri Jun 09, 2023 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lease renewal early termination clause?
Replies: 18
Views: 1689

Re: Lease renewal early termination clause?

It seems like there are some words missing after the second "(60)". Is there a chance the two months refers to the notification period? So it's just saying that you have to pay the normal rent for the two months after you give notice? In that case, the "break fee" would just be your security deposit.

All of this would be very odd in my area. Typically neither party can break the lease during the term.
by Millennial
Thu Jun 01, 2023 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)
Replies: 61
Views: 4559

Re: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)

Skip the overnight stay in Providence and the night on Cape Cod and stay in Newport RI instead. It has a nice summer New England beach vibe. The old mansions are lovely. Stop at Brown for a few hours on the way up to Boston. I like this idea. A few people suggested dropping the rental car idea and I’m starting to lean in that direction. So maybe we skip New Haven and spend the night in Newport instead. Is it possible to take public transit all the way from NYC to Newport RI? Or does it make more sense to take a train from NYC to Providence and then a Lyft/Uber to Newport? Very possible, though it gets slightly complicated: NYC to New Haven - super easy and frequent, using either Amtrak (book ahead, leaves from Penn Station) or Metro North ...
by Millennial
Wed May 31, 2023 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)
Replies: 61
Views: 4559

Re: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)

Tirebiter wrote: Wed May 31, 2023 2:50 am
Millennial wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 5:27 pm Seaport is fine, but it's a new manufactured neighborhood with nothing historical and poor subway access. I'd suggest somewhere downtown with access to a few subway lines. You'll use the red line to get to Harvard. Ideally you'd walk to BMG.
Would a hotel close to City Hall fit the bill? Is it reasonably safe to walk in downtown Boston after dark?
Yes, anywhere in that area is an improvement over Seaport IMO. You could stroll through the North End or Beacon Hill easily from there, along with the more touristy stuff right around City Hall.

The vast majority of Boston is very safe to walk around day and night, and that definitely includes the area around City Hall. It also includes the Seaport if you end up there.
by Millennial
Tue May 30, 2023 5:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)
Replies: 61
Views: 4559

Re: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)

Seaport is fine, but it's a new manufactured neighborhood with nothing historical and poor subway access. I'd suggest somewhere downtown with access to a few subway lines. You'll use the red line to get to Harvard. Ideally you'd walk to BMG.
by Millennial
Tue May 30, 2023 2:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternatives to booking on RENFE (rail travel in Spain)
Replies: 22
Views: 1612

Re: Alternatives to booking on RENFE (rail travel in Spain)

Probably also easy to just do this in person at the train station It's easy, but it could cost more. Trains that accept reservations use dynamic pricing. The later you buy the ticket, the more it costs. I sort of doubt that basic local train travel has dynamic pricing in Spain. Is that really true? Yes, and it can be more than double if you don't book in advance. I'm not sure what you mean by "basic local train" but generally that wouldn't describe something that you're trying to book on Renfe's website anyway. Their subways and "commuter rail"-type train (for instance - both Metro and Cercanias in Madrid) are static pricing / no reservations. But if you're going inter-city, it's generally reservations and dynamic prici...
by Millennial
Tue May 30, 2023 12:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)
Replies: 61
Views: 4559

Re: Planning East Coast Trip (NYC, Boston)

I agree on skipping the Cape. You could get a similar feel by doing a day trip to the north shore of MA (Ipswich, Gloucester, etc) with a lot less driving, frustration, and crowds.

The train from NYC to Boston (Amtrak Northeast Corridor or Acela) will also be much, much nicer than driving. Book seats on the right side, coastal views from New Haven to Providence are great.
by Millennial
Mon May 29, 2023 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternatives to booking on RENFE (rail travel in Spain)
Replies: 22
Views: 1612

Re: Alternatives to booking on RENFE (rail travel in Spain)

talzara wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 2:08 pm
Are these payment problems or other problems?
Renfe's site is just not ready for prime time, especially if you are not fluent in Spanish. Constant timeouts, won't stay in your selected language, and some parts don't translate even when you do select a language.
by Millennial
Sun May 28, 2023 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: HD TV & "looks fake"
Replies: 45
Views: 4233

Re: HD TV & "looks fake"

It sounds like the TV may have had motion smoothing on. Many TVs come with it on by default, and it looks terrible.

https://www.vulture.com/article/how-to- ... ur-tv.html
by Millennial
Sat May 20, 2023 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Resort in Maui for older couple with pool and lazy river
Replies: 19
Views: 3498

Re: Resort in Maui for older couple with pool and lazy river

The Westin in Kaanipali has a big pool complex, including pools that connect with short "rivers" through caves, etc, but it's not a true lazy river. They also have no-kids pools.

If you're going to Kaanipali, do a little research on the current state of the beach and the path that connects the resorts. It has eroded and I don't know how much has been (or will be) restored. It's not as easy to hop between resorts, or to get to locations where the boats load.
by Millennial
Fri May 19, 2023 5:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best options for calling/data plan for European travel
Replies: 23
Views: 1993

Re: Best options for calling/data plan for European travel

If you switch to ATT before you go, you can use your phones just like you would at home for $150 total. They have an international day pass ($10/day first line, $5 /day second line) with a max billing of 10 days per month (free after that).

One note on Android using the tech above - the phone got very picky about how my numbers were formatted in contacts. Typically in the US, starting with 1-XXX or XXX (where XXX is the area code) both work. In Europe the phone did not associate contacts unless the country code was present. I was surprised that the phone's behavior changed when we crossed internationally, but it did. That did not happen the last time I was abroad.
by Millennial
Wed May 17, 2023 11:40 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unavailbility of Chartreuse Liqueur
Replies: 3
Views: 516

Re: Unavailbility of Chartreuse Liqueur

The monks who make it have scaled back production to minimize their environmental impact and to devote more time to their service to God. As far as everyone knows, there are no plans to increase production. I suspect the shortage will only get worse. This link has more explanation (gift link / no paywall): https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/14/dining/drinks/chartreuse-shortage.html?unlocked_article_code=T76t_aJS2DHoxY5iCwqGknR0T0C-_8FxYDC2uh8DnblWnEfneL6rfY6U3X-J_9gGdacDl_E9qCQUW0XFt6SrltDmkzcuc-5mqcHxNxFhUQHhb-HaqFapfwGC0mKvqTJzrF4UZjrioC5YovKahqBrYTLlZq2iqm8y_39aVk_RtQs5-vquXIK2YbJi5YHCNzio1AiaUgjvDX-GOdX6e0vkzMYpZEZQP7y2kYtXNEhTW2pI_bFVmA24Zm6lOs0Zc_vYl0umJUExrw1pNqEGoi6a_jeO9VAX6_ZO2P5Jz8l1OutaY6kFS6XTZ6cG9IXtKhCT0DQ2wLzLEiT4G1MdOsmF92J4wg...
by Millennial
Fri Apr 21, 2023 11:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Summer home in the mountains
Replies: 20
Views: 2559

Re: Summer home in the mountains

Can you define what "excellent weather" means to you?

Lakes region in NH is at the south end of the White Mountains, which are really spectacular, and 1.5-2 hours to Boston for a major airport. Closer to Manchester NH or Portland ME airports but those are smaller.
by Millennial
Mon Apr 03, 2023 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tenant Agreement - Non MLS Listed Properties
Replies: 19
Views: 1784

Re: Tenant Agreement - Non MLS Listed Properties

I think it will be hard for this board to give you a good answer, as real estate (and especially rental real estate) varies by locality. In metro Boston (where I am a landlord), very few rentals hit MLS. Most units are listed on craigslist, apartments.com, etc, by apartment rental agents who work for the landlords (and aggressively solicit this work). They get paid by the renters typically with one month fee. You need to figure out what's normal for your locale, then try to work with that to get a situation where you both protect your interests and don't present like an impossible tenant. That balance can be tough, unfortunately. If you need a realtor to find MLS-listed apartments (because they're not listed elsewhere) and an exclusive agre...
by Millennial
Sat Apr 01, 2023 7:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Overdraft key bank
Replies: 5
Views: 590

Re: Overdraft key bank

Check will likely still take a few days to clear, but Key Bank may make some part of it immediately available - check with them on the amount, if any.

Since it's a Saturday I think that limits your wire options.

How much money are we talking about? Can you transfer to BOA, get cash, bring that to Key and deposit it?
by Millennial
Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is the US facing major EV home charging problems?
Replies: 83
Views: 4997

Re: Is the US facing major EV home charging problems?

Add to that, there's other costs such as many EVs go through tires much faster I didn't know this. Why do EVs go through tires faster? They don't use the same type of tires that many passenger cars use because they are very heavy vehicles to begin with and thus the tires wear out faster. They also do more damage to a roadway vs. their ICE cousins. At the moment there is no way to tax them for that damage i.e. they don't use gas so they don't pay for gas taxes at the pump. Eventually someone will have to figure out a way to collect taxes from EV owners to maintain the roads. Last time I checked those vehicles used to maintain a roadway still pollute a lot and now they'll be repairing the roads more frequently i.e. causing even more pollutio...
by Millennial
Sat Mar 18, 2023 10:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is the US facing major EV home charging problems?
Replies: 83
Views: 4997

Re: Is the US facing major EV home charging problems?

This reads like a conclusion in search of evidence.

Our home has a 100A service, but since we have mostly gas appliances we had no issue adding a 50A charger for our EV. Yes some homes might eventually need upgrades, but the same is true for those replacing gas furnaces with heat pumps or gas stoves with induction.

We got 52k miles out of the OEM tires on our model 3.

Obviously some people will need electrical upgrades, and some will tear through tires... But it's not universal.
by Millennial
Thu Mar 09, 2023 4:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how to compare property tax rates (massachusetts)
Replies: 10
Views: 1215

Re: how to compare property tax rates (massachusetts)

N.Y.Cab wrote: Thu Mar 09, 2023 2:30 am I would use this website http://www.tax-rates.org/massachusetts/property-tax
Unless I'm missing something, this website is not set up for MA. It calculates tax based on county average tax rates... But MA property taxes are set and collected by cities and towns not counties. Rates can vary by more than 100% between cities in the same county.

Edit to add: ya this site does not work. I just used it to check my house and it's out by more than 30%.
by Millennial
Thu Mar 09, 2023 4:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how to compare property tax rates (massachusetts)
Replies: 10
Views: 1215

Re: how to compare property tax rates (massachusetts)

There are two things you need to check in MA to understand what you'll pay - residential exemptions and low assessments. Assessed values are recalibrated on a 3- year schedule in MA. This wasn't always the case, but it seems like a lot of towns now set assessments pretty close to sale prices after houses sell. To check this in the town you're looking at, use Zillow or Redfin to find a few houses that have sold in the last 3-4 years and compare their assessments (listed on the city assessor's website) to the sale prices. Also check if the town you're looking at has a residential exemption. As long as you're planning to live in the house this is value you will not be taxed on. For example if you buy a $1M house in a city with a $250k resi exe...