Search found 502 matches

by k3vb0t
Tue Jan 09, 2024 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Aruba Car Rental / AMEX Platinum Coverage
Replies: 10
Views: 1611

Re: Aruba Car Rental / AMEX Platinum Coverage

At $13/day and $65 total, I would just buy the CDW and not spend any time researching credit card coverages. Totally worth it for the peace of mind. That is the conclusion I have come to. Of course I'll get there and it'll be $13 for CDW and then $25 for more liability and... whatever. Definitely think we need a vehicle. It isn't like $65 is going to kill us, so we'll go with that. I am a maximizer at heart (something I am working on, not sure if BH helps!) but should've just made that decision a while back. We'll be there again in a few weeks but in the lowrise area. Luckily, we can walk or take the bus to most restaurants. When we do occasionally rent a car to explore, we use the AMEX primary coverage option that you mentioned, though ha...
by k3vb0t
Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Aruba Car Rental / AMEX Platinum Coverage
Replies: 10
Views: 1611

Aruba Car Rental / AMEX Platinum Coverage

Wife and I are headed to Aruba next month. My understanding: Car rentals come with basic liability in Aruba My insurance company does not cover me in Aruba I have AMEX Platinum and it provides secondary rental benefit My only concern is the "secondary" part, which applies primary. If my own auto insurance won't cover, does that mean AMEX won't kick in as secondary? We are staying in Savaneta and the cost of taxis for the distance we are from the main restaurant areas makes renting ($49/day including tax) seem like the better deal. Plus we wanted to be able to explore the island. Rental car company CDW is $13/day, not a huge cost but if my AMEX covers me I don't see the need to spend extra on Hertz coverage. Then again for $65 it m...
by k3vb0t
Mon Aug 14, 2023 1:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Purchase < $1000?
Replies: 231
Views: 28454

Re: Best Purchase < $1000?

Definitely vasectomy. Think it was $650 on our HDHP... where's the blushing emoji? Highest "quality of life" ROI ever. :beer Aside from that, we bought a Breville Barista Express espresso machine in 2021. After years of Aeropress and sad attempts at handheld milk-foaming devices, it was well worth the $600 plus tax. I can now taste the difference in coffee beans and no longer need to add powdered flavoring full of plastic and whatnot to get a good latte every morning. (Of course, now we buy fancy expensive beans and have them shipped to us...) And considering I'd estimate we make 750 cups per year between the two of us... we're already below $0.50 per cup in equipment. And lastly, over the last 2 years, we've spent a few hundred d...
by k3vb0t
Fri Jun 02, 2023 3:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?
Replies: 81
Views: 5593

Re: Wifi for Whole House - Your Recommendations?

I used to dabble with different routers and wiring to Ubiquiti UniFi access points... after our last T-Link router caused problems due to overheating, I gave in and went to Eero 6 Pro mesh. It covers our 2 story home extremely well and even goes well outdoors around the house, to the patio, etc.
by k3vb0t
Mon May 22, 2023 4:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental
Replies: 18
Views: 1341

Re: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental

pizzy wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 10:24 am
k3vb0t wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 10:21 am I've got 48 hours to cancel the reservation
If this means non-refundable after 48 hours, I think that's a terrible idea for a trip in 9 months.
50% refundable up until the week before. Wouldn't be a full loss and comparing to pricing of what is currently available, the $800 at risk seems worth it.

Overall sounds like island is driveable and parking is easy. If that's the case, I'm good.
by k3vb0t
Mon May 22, 2023 10:21 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental
Replies: 18
Views: 1341

Re: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental

Sorry, my brain neglected to type "miles" :oops: after 41k... so yes, not $41k, but 41,000 American Airline miles per person for business class including a connecting leg both ways.

I will look into some of the low-rise options but getting into a small chalet for ~$1,600 with a ~$300 car rental for the week seems to be quite the deal. I've got 48 hours to cancel the reservation I just picked up and will keep investigating.
by k3vb0t
Mon May 22, 2023 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental
Replies: 18
Views: 1341

Re: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental

pizzy wrote: Mon May 22, 2023 8:03 am Why not stay at a resort and skip the rental?
I can book a place where you literally walk out of your room onto the beach for half of what it would cost at one of the resorts, and not be surrounded by crowds. Figure we can use the savings for a rental car/taxi and go as crazy as we want on food or shopping.
by k3vb0t
Mon May 22, 2023 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental
Replies: 18
Views: 1341

First Time Aruba Trip / Car Rental

Hello all, Picked up a great business class set of flights to Aruba in February -- 41k miles round trip per person. Does include an overnight stop in Philadelphia (headed to Aruba) and La Guardia (returning from Aruba) but that works for my wife and me. Staying 5 nights. Never been to Aruba, and have read a few of the threads here on BH. My wife and I are more the "want to walk out and be on the beach in an uncrowded area" type of people rather than the shopping, nightlife, loudness from neighbors type of traveler. She shot down being in one of the tall condo buildings and having to cross a street to get into sand. We are looking at some rentals in Savaneta that fit the bill, but would require a rental car. Looks like Oranjestad i...
by k3vb0t
Sat May 06, 2023 4:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gardening 2023
Replies: 70
Views: 7929

Re: Gardening 2023

I did a drip irrigation system for 7 years, tore it out to reset it but lived without it for 3-4 years, and just set one up again this year. The best way to get started is to get a pre-built kit that covers your area. This gives you all the basics for the hookup. As you use that, you learn how it works, and it is then easy to expand. Build zones based on water usage requirements. Certain vegetables prefer to dry out between waterings. Others need lots of water. Bushes have different requirements. Potted plants may need watering most frequently. I started out with one zone, then did multiple zones the next year. The old timer I used before has been replaced with a fancy internet-connected B-Hyve model. But you don't need to start with anyth...
by k3vb0t
Sat May 06, 2023 1:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I share my plan to retire with my boss?
Replies: 91
Views: 11491

Re: Should I share my plan to retire with my boss?

This sounds very reasonable. A lot depends upon company culture, your company, your boss, your fellow employees. The advice not to burn bridges is very sound. I will just say that for most companies, they just don't care. If you leave and your skills are hard to replace, many companies figure they will find a solution somehow. Shocking, but that is the way things are today. One reason I want to throw a brick at the TV whenever I hear a CEO complain that good talent is hard to find. There just doesn't seem to be a lot of longer term strategic thinking out there today. Everything is about the next quarter. There are some companies however that do care and would value your skills and experience and would want you to train a replacement, but d...
by k3vb0t
Sat May 06, 2023 12:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I share my plan to retire with my boss?
Replies: 91
Views: 11491

Re: Should I share my plan to retire with my boss?

Over a year is too early. Two weeks is entirely too short if your role is as key as you say. If you truly are in a hard-to-fill key position, I'd provide a 3 month/1 quarter notice. Some key positions can take 90-120 days to fill, so that might not even provide time to train a replacement as they may not have been identified and started yet. It depends on your relationship with leadership. I'd provide a quarter worth of notice, and prepare to offer consulting for a month or two after at a reduced number of hours. This does two things: acknowledges you understand it may be difficult to find your replacement maintains relationship for future consulting (your situation might change 1, 2, 3 years after retirement, so don't burn the bridge at th...
by k3vb0t
Sat May 06, 2023 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gardening 2023
Replies: 70
Views: 7929

Re: Gardening 2023

Zone 7a.

Got two 4x10 beds. One for spinach, lettuce, and small green onions. Plant half the bed with greens every 2 weeks and eat salad most of the year. Other bed is for bell pepper, sweet pepper, jalapenos, tomatoes, basil, and cucumber.

Got into gardening during the pandemic and absolutely love it. Very "zen" to see something you built, filled with compost, and seeded turn into the freshest food you could ever get.

Anyone have experience building a DIY drip irrigation system? Would like to stop having to use the garden hose to do it, set it up on a timer, etc.
by k3vb0t
Fri Apr 21, 2023 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Carvana. Registration troubles.
Replies: 51
Views: 8459

Re: Carvana. Registration troubles.

ChinchillaWhiplash wrote: Fri Mar 03, 2023 6:22 pm Good update! Got a tracking number for the title and docs so I can finally register the car. Contact said they are working on getting checks for the taxes and fees that I paid them. Hope that they actually get that to me. Anyway good to have issue resolved.
Curious if this ever got resolved. What an ... experience.
by k3vb0t
Wed Apr 19, 2023 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2024 summer Yellowstone trip - best place to stay?
Replies: 18
Views: 2133

Re: 2024 summer Yellowstone trip - best place to stay?

Highly recommend staying in one of the lodges in the park. We stayed at Lake Lodge last fall with our 2 young kids in September and it significantly reduced drive time, you don't have to worry about getting in early enough to see bison in the early morning, you don't worry about being able to leave before it's pitch black outside, etc. Yellowstone is absolutely massive.

I will say we were expecting... rustic... at all of the lodges in the park, and they still barely met our expectations. But the trade off was worth it despite the very high cost for what you're getting.

I can only imagine the lines at the gates will be absurd in the summer.
by k3vb0t
Wed Apr 05, 2023 8:48 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Re: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome

I would add an element in your annual budget for home maintenance for lumpy expenses; typically this would be 1-2% of the assessed value of the house, or some would estimate $1-2 per square foot. This could cover things such as new roofs, HVAC or large appliance replacement, carpeting, tile or AC duct cleaning, etc. Also a line item for annual vehicle maintenance; I've paid for a rebuilt transmission and it wasn't cheap, but occurs in a "lumpy" fashion. It was worth it because I've driven the serviced vehicle for several years since then. I also think you should start setting firm plans for your family trip to Europe. :beer You know it's funny, I've posted here before about having set aside large amounts of cash for just those pu...
by k3vb0t
Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Re: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome

rockstar wrote: Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:29 pm There are financial shrinks that deal with the more emotional aspects of this. No idea how they’re regulated.

For me I YOLO with trips. I don’t wait to do anything before retirement. I’ve seen too many people die before retirement.

The main reason I keep going is because of healthcare insurance. I also like data science. But it’s a lot of hurry up and wait, so I have a lot of time to dwell on this stuff.
Any idea what the financial shrink would be called? Money therapist?

The bolded part is my fear. I want to be able to enjoy what I’ve worked for, but how to do it and get past the fear I think is the main issue.
by k3vb0t
Tue Apr 04, 2023 5:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Re: ResouI One More Year Syndrome

I suggest you go through your checking account, or how ever else you pay your bills, along with your year-end pay stub and calculate your TOTAL annual expenses. Working only with your budget, which clearly excludes major items, can leave you with higher real expenses than you estimate. Perhaps I have not articulated it well, but I disagree. What major items do you think I am not articulating? There are so many ways to slice this. Do you want our vacation budget? We did spend $12-15k last year on a massive 5.5-week trip with the kids that we had saved up for a few years (prior to my job change where monthly excess jumped significantly). But that isn't a "normal" vacation year for us. That was saving up for a few years. And the sav...
by k3vb0t
Tue Apr 04, 2023 4:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Re: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome

I struggle with this as well... As an example, for simple math (ignoring taxes) that's say our annual budget is $100k with $50k planned savings. Anything we bring in over the combined $150k can be "saved" or "spent". So as an example, if we make $200k this year, that's $50k "up for grabs". Saving it will get us closer to financial independence, which for us personally is a key goal. But again, we've given ourselves "permission" to spend the money. If there's something we want, want to do, someone/something we want to help - we are free to do so. Is it wrong to say I'm glad I'm not the only one with this? :oops: We have something similar above but not on an annual basis -- we have been pretty frugal o...
by k3vb0t
Tue Apr 04, 2023 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Re: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome

1) What is your current annual expense? 2) What is your annual savings/investment? 3) What is the 700K versus your current annual expense? Hey Klang, good to see you're still around. I count annual expense as what we currently budget for, which doesn't include big vacations, but does include things like kid sports, clothing, car payment (which we could pay off, but Honda gave us 1.99% last year which means we're making money on the loan currently; and we'll keep vehicle for 10-11 years like we did the last car my wife drove), small fund for home maintenance items like light bulbs, air filters, etc. same for car maintenance, real estate tax, insurances, etc. Also doesn't include tax or anything employment related, just based on what lands i...
by k3vb0t
Tue Apr 04, 2023 3:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome
Replies: 29
Views: 2572

Resources for Overcoming Fear of Making Mistake w/Spending or One More Year Syndrome

I have no idea if this is the right forum for this; mods feel free to move. I've read about "One More Year" when it comes to continually wanting to delay retirement due to fear of ever running out of money. The most extreme cases I've read (some here) are tied to an illogical paranoia about "what ifs" even though you could have a 1-2% withdrawal rate and die after 40 yours with money leftover. People with well into the 7 figures in investments are afraid to pull the trigger on moving to the next phase of life because they have been savers their entire lives. It ends up being a behavioral or psychological issue rather than a financial one. I find myself in what I would call a related position but more along the lines of m...
by k3vb0t
Fri Mar 17, 2023 3:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Road Bike Seat Recommendations
Replies: 40
Views: 3136

Re: Road Bike Seat Recommendations

Sorry for lack of response, my work situation has gotten more complicated in the last two weeks with taking on additional responsibilities.

Yes, I am wearing padded bike shorts from Amazon vendors. Cheap, some effective enough. I think I'd be willing to invest more in the future if there was a considerable difference.

My bike fit is probably off, yes. Need to get to a shop to do a proper fit; did my best out of the box and watching some YT videos.

Thanks for all of the advice, will get to it when I can :annoyed
by k3vb0t
Fri Jan 13, 2023 7:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Road Bike Seat Recommendations
Replies: 40
Views: 3136

Re: Road Bike Seat Recommendations

Are you wearing padded shorts? If not, that's the other half of the equation when it comes to sitting on a bike. And don't buy cheap shorts, which have very soft padding and don't last long. Kevbot, Do you have more specific complaints about your current saddle? And do you use padded shorts? If not, “feels like concrete” is not necessarily bad, if the saddle is feeling like concrete against the correct places (ischium and pubic rami). You just probably need some padded shorts. However, if you have any numbness or pressure on your perenium, another saddle option is likely justified. I will echo the others that finding one is mostly personal. I will add that a cutout is what makes anatomical sense for most people. Also, list me as the third ...
by k3vb0t
Tue Jan 10, 2023 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Road Bike Seat Recommendations
Replies: 40
Views: 3136

Re: Road Bike Seat Recommendations

Alright, sit bone width is something I had not heard of. Time to do some Googling.
by k3vb0t
Tue Jan 10, 2023 9:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Road Bike Seat Recommendations
Replies: 40
Views: 3136

Road Bike Seat Recommendations

About a year ago I purchased a new road bike (a Tommaso), first one in decades, and the seat it came with is like sitting on concrete after about 30 minutes when Zwifting. Curious if there are any road cyclists on BH that could recommend brands to look at. I've looked on Amazon and found these two with 8k and 11k reviews: Velmia MTB ($40) Wittkop MTB ($40) Both come in three sizes -- city, touring, and MTB. Even though I am road biking, MTB looks like the better option on both because I'm not sitting super upright and casual during my Zwift workouts. If there are better brands out there (I am more and more hesitant of Amazon's cheap knockoffs), curious what they are and what the price difference is. A lot of the reviews on each seat are for...
by k3vb0t
Tue May 10, 2022 8:32 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Rollover 401k & HSA, Best Independent HSA Option?
Replies: 3
Views: 314

Rollover 401k & HSA, Best Independent HSA Option?

Started a new job and believe I need to rollover both my 401k and HSA to new providers. My previous employer's 401k has both a Traditional and a Roth 401k that I foolishly used when I was younger. HSA has a "Savings" portion (required to have $2-3k in before you can invest), the remainder in investments. Want to see if I have this down correctly: 1. Identify costs of staying with current 401k and HSA providers. My understanding is any account maintenance fees my employer was paying now become my responsibility, so want to move someplace where those are zero or minimized. Need to triple-check though. I am not unhappy with current providers, they have Vanguard investment options, etc. If moving to new providers... 2. Identify which ...
by k3vb0t
Thu Oct 28, 2021 1:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1201723

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

Odd - I was able to open an account fine last week for myself.

Went in to open one for my wife today and being told she must send in the Signature Guaranteed form before they can open an account. Wonder if it is because of the same IP address or computer was used?

That's... annoying. Guess no 3.54% on this one... will have her send it in and see how long that process takes, assuming our credit union has someone that can provide the Signature Guaranteed thing.
by k3vb0t
Tue Oct 19, 2021 12:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1201723

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

Shorty wrote: Tue Oct 19, 2021 12:14 pm How are you getting 2.05% for your rewards checking? Are you referring to a bonus after spending the money (more is possible via CC)? Is this amount limited, locked in, or have other hoops/gotchas?

The only better guaranteed returns I'm tracking are bonuses, which can be a PITA.
Nope, a straight 2.05% rewards checking account. Requires a certain number of debit card swipes per month, and is capped at $25k per account. Had it for... a long time. Probably a decade. Has worked well to hold emergency fund (compared to "high yield" savings accounts, CDs, etc.).
by k3vb0t
Sun Oct 17, 2021 7:09 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1201723

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

Two things: First, to all the newcomers interested in I bonds due to the attractiveness of a 7.12% rate, please keep in mind that the expected real return of new I bonds is 0% (and less than 0% after taxes). That shouldn't dissuade you from purchasing them (I have been buying them for 8 years, they are the largest component of my bond holdings). And it's possible to get a positive real return, given that inflation in affecting certain sectors much more than others, so the return may be more than your personal inflation. (E.g., if you have solar power and don't need to purchase a car anytime soon, you're insulated from two of the main drivers of high inflation right now). But don't get too excited about the headline number, it's just runnin...
by k3vb0t
Tue Mar 30, 2021 7:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I pay off my mortgage or invest?
Replies: 44
Views: 4331

Re: Should I pay off my mortgage or invest?

Dropping $100k immediately after an emotional event (losing parents) while not being fully educated on investing seems a bit rash.

Getting the money out of the house -- when you go to move in the future -- is obviously not as easy as having the cash handy.

I would take a few months to process, keep learning, read the Bogleheads Wiki, etc. before making any significant decisions.
by k3vb0t
Thu Mar 25, 2021 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tales from this insane real estate market [Home sales]
Replies: 2904
Views: 515005

Re: Tales from this insane real estate market

Problem is, your buying power hasnt changed no matter how much your home goes up. ONly way it matters is if you downsize or leave the area. I’m not in NOVA but I’ve been incredibly tempted to list our house for 25-50% more than it’s worth to see if someone bites, buy a used RV, and come back in 2 years when I can buy my house back at it’s actual value. We considered selling to buy another house for about 6 seconds before realizing you can’t turn around and get a deal with your profits because everyone else is buying up those homes, too. It’s crazy. What will you do when you get tired of living in an RV after 2 years and you turn around and your house has doubled in value since you sold it? Funny how Bogleheads decry market timing in stocks...
by k3vb0t
Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tales from this insane real estate market [Home sales]
Replies: 2904
Views: 515005

Re: Tales from this insane real estate market

ponyboy wrote: Wed Mar 24, 2021 6:41 am Problem is, your buying power hasnt changed no matter how much your home goes up. ONly way it matters is if you downsize or leave the area.
I’m not in NOVA but I’ve been incredibly tempted to list our house for 25-50% more than it’s worth to see if someone bites, buy a used RV, and come back in 2 years when I can buy my house back at it’s actual value. We considered selling to buy another house for about 6 seconds before realizing you can’t turn around and get a deal with your profits because everyone else is buying up those homes, too. It’s crazy.
by k3vb0t
Tue Mar 23, 2021 8:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to Deal with Worry of job loss and providing for family?
Replies: 127
Views: 14210

Re: How to Deal with Worry of job loss and providing for family?

Do anyone of you worry of a job loss or firing? How do you get over these worries when an employer can cut you loose at anytime? Do you diversify your income sources? I feel a lot of responsibility because I am the single earner for a family of 5 and I worry if I were to lose my income what would happen. Lots of good responses in this thread; curious what OP thinks with all of it? Things I've done with the same concerns: For Unemployment: kept a 1-year emergency fund; if neither my wife nor I could find some sort of employment within a year, there are much bigger problems in the world For the future: saved a large % of our income - if you can LBYM (live below your means) then that really means you could take a significantly worse job to ma...
by k3vb0t
Wed Mar 10, 2021 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Contractor unable to obtain materials, holding deposit
Replies: 8
Views: 1637

Re: Contractor unable to obtain materials, holding deposit

Have you talked to the contractor about the predicament? He’s got your money, and at some point should understand you being concerned about that. However, you’re concerned about the price going up due to rebidding in the future and balancing that against it taking forever to get the job done. It sounds like you have two options: 1. Wait it out and the project gets done when it gets done (but you need an estimate... are we thinking another 6 months? A year?) 2. Get your money back and end up paying the same or more in the future with a contractor in the future What is the solution you want? A refund and scrapping the project? If so, go ask for that. Otherwise be prepared for alternative solutions. Contractor can’t make material appear out of...
by k3vb0t
Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Weird problem with our Whirlpool fridge
Replies: 14
Views: 1633

Re: Weird problem with our Whirlpool fridge

I’d move that thing into the garage ASAP until it is fixed if it is waking you up.
by k3vb0t
Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Homeowner's Insurance Coverage Questions (Service Line and Water Backup Coverage)
Replies: 5
Views: 837

Re: Homeowner's Insurance Coverage Questions (Service Line and Water Backup Coverage)

I highly recommend getting the sewer backup protection. I had a home in which roots had infiltrated the main sewer line and it caused the most g-d awful mess to backup into nearly every sink and bathtub in the house. Luckily I was home and was able to take action to prevent any overflows or damage. But if this had occurred when I was not there, my house would have been severely damaged. Since then, I always make a point to carry the sewer backup protection on my homeowners policy. Yeah, I want to get it but I don't know how much I should get. With no basement and a $5k deductible, not sure how high I should go. And not sure if Service Line coverage is worth it at more than a 10% increase in premium. Check that your $5k deductible applies. ...
by k3vb0t
Fri Feb 05, 2021 7:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What are your staple healthy meals?
Replies: 122
Views: 12293

Re: What are your staple healthy meals?

Oatmeal with apples, bananas, a dab of butter, and a healthy tablespoon or two of chia seeds for omega-3. Starting your day with a nutritious, filling breakfast helps avoid high carb/sugary snacking, at least for me.
by k3vb0t
Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: My dad is rich but I think he needs to manage his money better
Replies: 30
Views: 5347

Re: My dad is rich but I think he needs to manage his money better

If he's interested, he could most likely save on expense ratios and possibly AUM fees at Edward Jones, by moving to Vanguard. Moving away from Principal and EJ would be the biggest "wins" as far as unnecessary expenses go. Maybe encourage him to join Bogleheads.org. Regards, Okay, I was under the same impression. Thanks a million. He loves his FA at edward jones. My Dad forms strong relationships with people. I don't know if I can get him out of EJ but he's on board with transferring out of Principal And that’s how they get people. Two things to help convince Dad to leave EJ: Question to ask the EJ rep, live, in person, with Dad present: “Do you have a fiduciary duty to him?” Anything but an assertive, immediate, “Yes, and here’s...
by k3vb0t
Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does paying off mortgage really reduce Sequence of Returns Risk?
Replies: 278
Views: 19213

Re: Does paying off mortgage really reduce Sequence of Returns Risk?

4. Perhaps you live longer because you don’t have the stress of monthly obligations hanging over your head therefore your health improves I like #4. I can't prove I would live longer, but I might sleep better without the mortgage. There's something to be said for that. And there other “knock on” effects, at least for me. The problem with this whole discussion is it is really based on your personal situation, your expenses, your psychology around money, your illogical tendencies with money (or your spouse’s), etc. I’m 36 and just paid off my house with a large sum of cash that we had been saving for a variety of rainy day emergencies. We had a castle, with a moat, and gorillas on top of the castle with bazookas all ready to defend us for ca...
by k3vb0t
Wed Feb 03, 2021 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does paying off mortgage really reduce Sequence of Returns Risk?
Replies: 278
Views: 19213

Re: Does paying off mortgage really reduce Sequence of Returns Risk?

Another thing to consider is what does paying off your mortgage early at different ages (40, 45, 50, etc.) provide and how might that impact SORR risk. For example, you could: 1. Reduce emergency fund and invest it, offsetting some of the cost of paying off the mortgage 2. Make your remaining portfolio during accumulation years more aggressive, so larger nest egg than keeping a more conservative but larger portfolio with mortgage (say you go from 75/25 during accumulation to 90/10 and keep it there for a longer period of time because you paid off mortgage earlier in life) 3. Take more (potentially profitable) risks with your employment, which would have a much larger impact on your nest egg assuming no cost of living increases 4. Perhaps yo...
by k3vb0t
Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Stay in job or Lose $420k?
Replies: 37
Views: 5645

Re: Stay in job or Lose $420k?

Stay unless you can negotiate your next role to include a sign-on bonus similar to what you’ll receive by staying. Seems pretty cut and dry to me. Allows you to keep interviewing, building your network, but no one is going to look at your sideways if you say you’re interested but can’t make a move until you get the retention bonus. (Well, they might look at you sideways if you interviewed now, but not necessarily in say mid October or later.)
by k3vb0t
Sat Jan 30, 2021 1:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Ally Bank Invest (Temporarily Shutdown)
Replies: 15
Views: 2307

Re: Ally Bank Invest (Temporarily Shutdown)

Vanguard went down as well; just providing a counterpoint to the above stating that Vanguard was rock solid. It was not. Was broken for about the first 2 or so hours on the day when everyone else was struggling.
by k3vb0t
Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:34 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Retirement Income Thought
Replies: 20
Views: 2613

Re: Retirement Income Thought

All dividends are is a return of earnings to shareholders. There are multiple ways to return earnings to shareholders. Some examples: 1. Pay out dividends. 2. Buyback shares to raise stock price. 3. Reinvest earnings in growing the business, which generates more earnings in the future, which not only allows you to do either 1 or 2 above, but more earnings x what investors are willing to pay per earning means higher share price. For example, if stock is currently at $10/share and generates $1/share in earnings so a 10 P/E ratio... earnings get reinvested and next year, earnings are $1.20/share. If investors think stock is still a “10 P/E” worthy business, the price goes to $12/share. You sell off some of that growth and still have the same a...
by k3vb0t
Wed Jan 27, 2021 6:39 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Autodesk stock lost $48 per share in two weeks?
Replies: 9
Views: 1294

Re: Autodesk stock lost $48 per share in two weeks?

The responsibility of the individual stock holder is to understand the individual stock, no?
by k3vb0t
Wed Jan 27, 2021 10:06 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Brokerage outages
Replies: 96
Views: 3562

Re: Vanguard is very slow and Site is not loading

Nicolas wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:57 am You can move many of the Vanguard funds “in kind” to E*Trade without converting. I’ve done it.
I thought some brokers charged fees to buy/sell (rebalance) existing mutual fund shares? I figured ETFs are universal for no-fee while the mutual fund equivalents might not be depending on the broker.
by k3vb0t
Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:40 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Brokerage outages
Replies: 96
Views: 3562

Re: Vanguard is very slow and Site is not loading

BolderBoy wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:37 am
Indexer99 wrote: Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:32 amOn January 27, 10:30, the site is not loading all of my account information.

Is this what others are experiencing?
Just logged on 1036ET. No troubles.

But I'm not sure that my experience (or anyone else's) is going to be meaningful to you.
Now try to initiate a buy/sell on anything. Not even going through with it, just getting to the screen to begin getting a quote or to begin transacting. Does the site break? Has been down all morning for me.
by k3vb0t
Wed Jan 27, 2021 9:36 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Brokerage outages
Replies: 96
Views: 3562

Re: Vanguard is very slow and Site is not loading

Was about to post the same thing. Apparently the GME, AMC, and other short squeeze stuff (and retail investors wanting to hop in) has broken everything. Or it could be an odd coincidence. Or could be there was a Verizon fiber line cut yesterday on the east coast.

Either way, it's not a good look. I know people have complained about Verizon customer service and website issues in the past, but not being able to login, not being able to transact (not participating in the short squeeze stuff) is just unacceptable for an organization their size.

Heavily considering taking up a brokerage bonus and moving all of our assets away... but would have to convert our mutual funds to ETFs first. Woof. :oops:
by k3vb0t
Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:19 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Which US brokers allow trading on TSX-V?
Replies: 1
Views: 238

Which US brokers allow trading on TSX-V?

I’m in a similar position to this post about best broker for “play” account but with one added caveat.

I’ve got my eye on a few Canadian microcaps that trade on TSX-V (Toronto Securities Exchange - Venture). These companies do have OTC equivalents trading on US exchanges but the liquidity is essentially zero. Volumes are much much higher on TSX-V.

I can’t seem to find reliable information on which brokers allow trading directly on that exchange and at what trade cost. Was curious if anyone has experience with this.
by k3vb0t
Tue Jan 26, 2021 6:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best way to sell Tractor and vintage (1920s) Truck?
Replies: 9
Views: 1008

Re: Best way to sell Tractor and vintage (1920s) Truck?

If the truck is in great restored condition then hire a photographer, a good one, and take it to a unique location for a photoshoot. Then prepare every detail you can think of for a listing on BringATrailer. Record a cold start video, include photos of the undercarriage, and prepare to print money. Good luck.
by k3vb0t
Mon Jan 25, 2021 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1712448

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

Currently reading: Shop Class as Soulcraft. I’m a few chapters in, but enjoying it. Promoting the positives of working with ones own hands (and potential long-term economics of not being “offshoreable”).
by k3vb0t
Sun Jan 24, 2021 8:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to invest money that is maturing from CDs
Replies: 46
Views: 4512

Re: Where to invest money that is maturing from CDs

Sorry if I’ve missed it, but really dissecting one part of your overall portfolio without discussing the bigger picture is unwise. I’d review this post and then add a reply that provides a bigger picture on things like total portfolio, asset allocation, potential SS benefits, and expected income need in retirement, etc.

The idea is okay, you’ve got $350k but is that 50% of your portfolio? 10%?

For example if you’ve got a $700k total portfolio and half is in fixed income, you’re going to get different advice than say you have a $3.5M portfolio.

Again if I missed it in all of the replies I apologize.