Search found 79 matches

by neuro84
Thu Apr 14, 2022 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations

palaheel wrote: Thu Apr 14, 2022 3:35 pm
neuro84 wrote: Thu Apr 14, 2022 2:36 pm
The dealer took down the web page with the advertised price by the time I made this thread, so I don't know for sure whether or not that car had the same VIN, but this is a rare enough vehicle (hybrid version of a car which is much more frequently purchased as gas-only), that I suspect it was.

Might it be available on the Wayback machine?
Great minds think alike. I did check, but unfortunately Wayback did not index the page with the ad. I think it was only up for about 48-72 hours.
by neuro84
Thu Apr 14, 2022 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations

As always, I appreciate the good advice from the Bogleheads. I think I am going to chalk this one up to naivete and just try to learn from my mistake going forward. The dealer took down the web page with the advertised price by the time I made this thread, so I don't know for sure whether or not that car had the same VIN, but this is a rare enough vehicle (hybrid version of a car which is much more frequently purchased as gas-only), that I suspect it was. Generally I'd rather conduct this kind of transaction entirely online, removing the dealership haggling drama, but DW insisted that we test-drive the car before purchasing it sight unseen. We could have walked away after the price changed that day, but we didn't - so I certainly understand...
by neuro84
Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations

Johndoefire65 wrote: Wed Apr 13, 2022 9:04 pm So he said the 48500 was for a different car and this car is 9500 more. You didn't bother to see what you were getting for an additional 9500? You know, compare the two vehicles? Apples to apples.

If a dealer is even a hair fishy I just walk out. Plenty of other good dealerships out there there will take your money. Your fault 100% for not doing research and no proof showing that he didn't have the window sticker on the car.
This was my first time buying a new car, and one of only two times I've purchased a vehicle at a dealership. So, now I know. Live and learn, I suppose.

What was that GWB quote? "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me... can't get fooled again."
by neuro84
Wed Apr 13, 2022 8:05 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed MSRP sticker for negotiations

JoeRetire wrote: Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:38 pm
BTW, it's called a Monroney Sticker. See: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monroney_sticker"

Are you sure the car is new? What was on the odometer?
Thanks for the info. I am fairly certain the car is new. It only had 20 miles on the odometer.
by neuro84
Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations

A cursory google search shows a few lawyers who will take cases of auto fraud. I am not really interested in filing a lawsuit, but I am perturbed enough by the behavior that I'd like to express my discontent in some way. Ideally with some kind of repercussions for the dealership for removing the sticker. What proof do you have that the sticker wasn't on the window when you bought the car, and that you didn't remove it yourself and put it in the glove box? What proof do you have that you were told the MSRP was $58k? Did the online listing not show the VIN? These days I find a lot of online listing saying "MSRP $x", as opposed to in the old days, "$x", with the MSRP of course meaning they are not offering the car for sale...
by neuro84
Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Re: Auto dealer removed MSRP sticker for negotiations

Cobra Commander wrote: Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:28 pmAnother unrelated thought but can't you usually get the MSRP from the manufacturer's website when you configure the car?
Yes and maybe I am conflating two terms (MSRP vs sticker price) but in this case they were very close to the same value, about $48k.

I may not be using the correct term when I'm saying MSRP. The price advertised, and the price on the sticker, was 10k lower than their first offer, and they indicated that the price on the website referred to a different car, and they ripped off the sticker.
by neuro84
Wed Apr 13, 2022 7:21 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations
Replies: 101
Views: 12721

Auto dealer removed window sticker for negotiations

I bought a new car this weekend. The advertised price online was $48,500. Once I arrived to the dealership, my wife and I drove the car. We liked it. We did not notice that there was no window sticker on the car. When it came time to sit down and discuss sales price and financing, their offered price was $58,000. I mentioned the advertised price and found it on their website with my phone. I was told by the salesperson, "That price was for a different car. This car is $58,000." (insert comments about special paint coat.) I stated that I was there because of the advertised car and interested in the advertised price. The sales manager came out to hem and haw. He stated there were only three of this particular vehicle available in my...
by neuro84
Sat Feb 05, 2022 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IRA rollover from old employer 401k, questions
Replies: 3
Views: 345

Re: IRA rollover from old employer 401k, questions

>> A rollover is not part of your annual contribution limit. However, having money in a tIRA at the end of the year will cause the backdoor process you did last month to be pro-rated with the tIRA. >> Since it is a small amount, I would just convert it to Roth IRA and pay the taxes. >> The other alternative is to roll the tIRA into a current work plan such as a 401k. You need to do this by the end of this year to avoid the pro-rating mentioned above. >> No. This does not solve the pro-rating problem. Thank you very much - this is quite helpful advice. I will convert it to a Roth IRA and pay the taxes. Do you know whether Vanguard will send me a specific form to report this with next year? I have been doing our own taxes using freetaxusa an...
by neuro84
Sat Feb 05, 2022 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: IRA rollover from old employer 401k, questions
Replies: 3
Views: 345

IRA rollover from old employer 401k, questions

Hi Bogleheads, I have some questions about IRA rollovers, and the consequences of these when making annual backdoor contributions to a Roth IRA. I am an early-career attending physician and my main job is as a partner in an outpatient private practice. In addition to my main job, I also have an employed position at a local hospital, where I work infrequently, only about 10 days per year. When I started this "side hustle" hospitalist job, I initially elected to contribute 0% of income to their retirement plan, since I have a separate retirement plan through my private practice, where most of our tax-deferred savings goes. However, after I'd worked at this hospital for a year, they started to automatically deposit a % of my paycheck...
by neuro84
Mon Mar 22, 2021 8:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 34 Y/O faced with life decisions
Replies: 14
Views: 4925

Re: 34 Y/O faced with life decisions

Value of many MTG cards has approximately doubled in past year. This is a market that did very well during the pandemic. Hopefully OP did not listen to advice to get out of MTG cards in 2020!
by neuro84
Thu Mar 18, 2021 3:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changes to LastPass free
Replies: 215
Views: 20259

Re: Changes to LastPass free

The only difference in functionality that I've noticed is that the BitWarden mobile app doesn't auto-fill other apps. For example, if I open my Chase mobile app, and tap the username or password field, LastPass will pop up with an "autofill with LastPass" option. I haven't been able to figure out how to get BitWarden to do this. However, it's not too difficult to just open the BitWarden app, copy the password, and paste it in the other app. So this is not a deal-breaker for me. Here's a help article for getting autofill to work with Bitwarden on Android. There are multiple Bitwarden and OS settings you have to make. It seems to be working the same as Lastpass for me now. https://bitwarden.com/help/article/auto-fill-android/ Thank...
by neuro84
Thu Mar 04, 2021 7:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changes to LastPass free
Replies: 215
Views: 20259

Re: Changes to LastPass free

I appreciate all the replies and helpful info. Based on this thread I ended up switching from LastPass to BitWarden. The migration was relatively painless, and I find the functionality to be much the same as LastPass. On PC, the ctrl-shift-L shortcut is very easy to use. There's also a setting in the BitWarden browser addon that will autofill your user/password and even automatically log you in when you're signed into BitWarden - that's super convenient. The only difference in functionality that I've noticed is that the BitWarden mobile app doesn't auto-fill other apps. For example, if I open my Chase mobile app, and tap the username or password field, LastPass will pop up with an "autofill with LastPass" option. I haven't been ab...
by neuro84
Tue Feb 16, 2021 8:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Changes to LastPass free
Replies: 215
Views: 20259

Changes to LastPass free

I have been using LastPass to store all my passwords for about 5-6 years now, I think based on a recommendation from this forum originally. In that time the company has changed ownership once but I have remained satisfied with the product. Although I initially paid for the subscription version (this was $1/mo when I started), I later "downgraded" to free, since the free version did everything I needed it to do. However, now this is going to change soon, per an email I received today: What's changing in LastPass Free? Beginning March 16, 2021, LastPass Free will include access on one device type of your choice. The first device you login with on or after March 16 will set your active device type. If you choose computer as your devi...
by neuro84
Mon Nov 12, 2018 6:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Earners - What's Your Profession?
Replies: 1217
Views: 223997

Re: High Earners - What's Your Profession?

Just to keep you all from being jealous of physicians as a group:

Age 34, graduated medical school in 2014 age 30 (spent last 4.5 years working on avg 60-70h/wk during residency and fellowship). In 2018 I expect my income to be about 70k with moonlighting. In mid-2019 it finally goes up to ~200k.

Physician training kind of sucks, financially. Something to keep in mind when comparing numbers is the lead-in to these salaries. Physician income has a long flat period until we've finished 4 years of graduate school followed by 3-7 years of postgraduate training. Meanwhile my same-age friends who went into management consulting have been making six figures for the better part of a decade now.
by neuro84
Fri Jan 12, 2018 7:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Poll: BHs who rent - what % of gross do you spend on rent?
Replies: 84
Views: 8610

Re: Poll: BHs who rent - what % of gross do you spend on rent?

Well, I may as well set an upper bound for this thread. We spend 27.4% of our gross income in rent, in a low-medium COL city (Atlanta). One income (medical resident), DW is a graduate student (school fees/grad stipend are basically a wash), 2 kids, 3br/1ba in a nice in-town neighborhood.

In 18 months what we currently pay for rent will be about 7% of my post-residency gross income. At which point we will start aggressively saving to buy a house.
by neuro84
Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What's your weighted average expense ratio?
Replies: 65
Views: 6291

Re: What's your weighted average expense ratio?

0.16%. All our assets are in Vanguard Target Retirement funds for now.
by neuro84
Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How does a mere mortal navigate healthcare/insurance issues
Replies: 55
Views: 8507

Re: How does a mere mortal navigate healthcare/insurance issues

marcopolo wrote: Mon Nov 13, 2017 7:06 pmWhat is the point of charging $2800 in the first place, if they will accept $180 in most cases? Do any other businesses/professions operate this way?
I don't know about the anesthesiology group, but hospitals do this to increase their "charity care" numbers. They can say they provided X million in "charity care" and therefore keep their nonprofit status, get social capital with the community, etc.
by neuro84
Fri Sep 15, 2017 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Early mortgage payoff vs investing
Replies: 19
Views: 2486

Re: Early mortgage payoff vs investing

I would do b (some into investments and some into mortgage), but fire the adviser and manage your investments on your own using a Vanguard Target Retirement fund. As other posters have mentioned, nobody can guarantee what you'll earn in the market, and the mortgage 3.5% is guaranteed, so there is more risk in investing than in paying off the mortgage - but probably higher long-term return in index funds. That being said, you can use paying off the mortgage as a safer investment, and treat it as a lower-risk part of your overall portfolio. You can use the index fund for higher returns and higher risks. Putting some money into both seems reasonable as a way of diversifying your overall investments. This is going on very little info - if you h...
by neuro84
Mon Aug 07, 2017 3:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Love your family car? Under $16,000 Used? Please share!
Replies: 57
Views: 10138

Re: Love your family car? Under $16,000? Please share!

I love my Mazda 5. Seats our family of 4 comfortably and doesn't drive like a van at all. Heck, it corners better than my Honda Civic.

It's been a great car for our family. My wife was hesitant about a van but I'm so glad we didn't go with a gas guzzling suv.
by neuro84
Mon Jul 31, 2017 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Philosophy major and future law student
Replies: 93
Views: 9393

Re: Philosophy major and future law student

Others have cited more objective data, so I'll just throw in my anecdote. I was a philosophy major who really, really enjoyed college. I was fortunate to travel globally with my philosophy professors, one of whom left an indelible mark on my life. As someone who works 80+ hour weeks now, I am so happy I spent my early 20s traveling and reading/discussing great books. When I later decided to pursue medical school, philosophy was not an impediment to my application, but like your son I am a good test-taker. Now that I am in a neurology residency, I find that it's usually easier for me to communicate with patients and families than most of my colleagues. I am frequently told that I have explained a condition in such a way that the patient is o...
by neuro84
Sun Jul 23, 2017 8:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternatives to Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player
Replies: 63
Views: 12136

Re: Alternatives to Sansa Clip+ MP3 Player

I've enjoyed my Sansa Clip Jam, which I have owned for about a year now. It has played any MP3 file I put into it. I have not tried playing audiobooks, but I have converted my favorite podcasts to MP3 without any problems playing them.

Battery life is good, price is right, and drag-and-drop file storage makes it easy to use. I never owned a Clip+, but the Clip Jam is probably the best portable music player I've ever had.
by neuro84
Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:11 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Are Younger people funding 529 Plans?
Replies: 109
Views: 11993

Re: Are Younger people funding 529 Plans?

I am 32 and we have a very small (< $1000) 529 set up for our 2yo daughter. It is basically a placeholder account for when we start earning more after I finish residency. We put about a hundred dollars a year into it, and relatives give token amounts at birthdays and Christmas.

Right now, the IRAs take priority, and I have trouble enough funding them. I don't contribute to a 401(k) yet as my work provides no matching and I struggle to fill the IRAs. So 529 will have to wait until after these other two buckets are filled, after I'm making attending salary.
by neuro84
Sun Aug 14, 2016 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help my parents
Replies: 14
Views: 2719

Re: Help my parents

Anyhow OP, congrats to your dad for liking medicine enough to keep going! I am a family doc, and still enjoy medicine and my patients, but quality metrics and the idea that I am responsible for my patients behavior made me decide an earlier exit is desirable. Of course, Bogleheads advice on investing made this decision possible. Well, he made a career move to academic medicine about 20 years ago, and now he does about 50% clinical medicine and 50% teaching. A significant portion of his job satisfaction comes from the educational side, and a significant portion of his frustration comes from the clinical side (not the patients themselves, but all the new administrative burdens you mention). Thanks for choosing a specialty that really helps p...
by neuro84
Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help my parents
Replies: 14
Views: 2719

Re: Help my parents

Regarding AA, I've linked them the wiki article on AA here. They're familiar with "age in bonds" as a theory and they feel this is too conservative for them, but I think they agree that 80/20 is a little too aggressive for a couple five years from retirement. They likely need an AA somewhere between 80/20 and 40/60. It sounds like by the time your dad eventually retires the portfolio will have likely grown for a another 5+ years and he will have made 5+ more years of retirement account contributions. If I understand it correctly they retirement expenses will likely not be high enough for them to come anywhere near spending down their retirement nest egg. Yes, I believe this will most likely be the case. They currently have about ...
by neuro84
Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help my parents
Replies: 14
Views: 2719

Re: Help my parents

His SS benefit, if he retires at 65, is about $2.8k/mo. This goes up to about $3.6k/mo if he pushes it off until 70. My mother's benefit is significantly smaller, about $400/mo at 65. Your mother will be eligible for a spousal benefit of half your father's PIA if she applies at her FRA, which is either 66 and 4 months (if she was born in 1956) or 66 and 6 months (if she was born in 1957). If your father's benefit age at 65 is about $2.8K/month, then his PIA is probably around $3K, which means your mother can collect her maximum $1500/month starting at her FRA (or reduced if she wants to collect before then). Of course, she won't be able to collect her spousal benefits until he files for his retirement benefit. He may well want to wait unti...
by neuro84
Sat Aug 13, 2016 10:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I backdoor Roth or just stick with taxable?
Replies: 17
Views: 2549

Re: Should I backdoor Roth or just stick with taxable?

My wife and I are two tax brackets below you and it was a very easy decision for us to go with option 2 last year (sans backdoor, just Roth conversion - her tIRA had about 20k in it, and we'll never be in such a low bracket again, after completing residency training).

At the 28% bracket, you have to think about how much you're likely to be taxed in retirement before you decide. I think I would still do option 2. There's something appealing about getting the pain over with while you're young. That Roth space is a lovely thing, and it feel nice to boost it by a considerable percentage.
by neuro84
Sat Aug 13, 2016 9:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help my parents
Replies: 14
Views: 2719

Re: Help my parents

Thanks for the helpful posts! I agree you could simplify, and also reduce equity share. But it would help if you (they) clarified the likely date and ages at retirement. Also, in order to estimate needed income in retirement, it would help if you specified when they intend to file for Social Security. As a general recommendation, they should wait til age 70 to maximize monthly payments. Also, you should be able to get an estimate of SS income. My father will most likely retire at age 65, but he may choose to keep working after that (he likes his job). His SS benefit, if he retires at 65, is about $2.8k/mo. This goes up to about $3.6k/mo if he pushes it off until 70. My mother's benefit is significantly smaller, about $400/mo at 65. I do not...
by neuro84
Sat Aug 13, 2016 2:22 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Help my parents
Replies: 14
Views: 2719

Help my parents

Hi Bogleheads, I am posting on behalf of my parents, who taught me to read, be aware of my privilege, and thoughtful about my life choices from a young age. I owe them all I have and will become. They bought me a copy of The Little Book of Common Sense Investing , which itself sent me to this forum, and made me a Boglehead. My paternal grandfather influenced them in their investment choices and he was not an indexer (had individual stocks and did well) so their portfolio is a hodge-podge with mostly mutual funds (some high ERs as you'll see) and a minority of individual stocks, mostly inherited. My dad is a family physician, age around 60, thinking about retirement in the next 5-10 years. My mom was a SAHM, currently volunteering with many ...
by neuro84
Tue Jun 28, 2016 3:01 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Disability and Life Insurance- Military Resident
Replies: 11
Views: 1131

Re: Disability and Life Insurance- Military Resident

You do need disability and (term) life insurance, but you should shop around more. The DI pricing is high, and the life insurance pricing is probably inaccurate because it's most likely not a level-term policy. I am a 32-yo medical resident (non-military) and I pay about $1600/yr for a $5k/mo benefit DI policy. For a 30-year level-term $1m life insurance policy, I pay about $750/yr. When comparing premiums, it's important to make sure we are talking about level premiums; ie, premiums which will not go up year after year. It is easy to find cheaper policies whose premiums increase every X amount of years. The AMA wants to sell you these kinds of policies. Those letters go straight to my recycling bin. Check out http://www.terminsurancebroker...
by neuro84
Thu May 19, 2016 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New Physician Looking for Advice
Replies: 22
Views: 4294

Re: New Physician Looking for Advice

Good job recognizing the importance of savings. I think the majority of medical residents don't have any retirement savings. Congrats on developing this habit early - your later self will thank you for maxing that Roth space now, while you're still at the 12% bracket! Congrats also on finding a residency program with an employer match. Mine does not offer such a benefit to PGY-1s. As someone only very slightly ahead of you, at this point accumulation matters more than asset allocation. If I were you, I would keep things simple for now. For the 403(b), I would just pick the two Fidelity spartan funds, and for the Roth I would just do VTSMX and VBMFX. Better yet, pick target date funds. You can worry more about slice-and-dice once you have a ...
by neuro84
Sat Apr 23, 2016 7:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Physician Specialists Looking for career advice
Replies: 42
Views: 10955

Re: Physician Specialists Looking for career advice

As a resident, I'd like to thank all of the Boglehead physicians who took the time to post in this thread. I'm taught by doctors who chose to do academic medicine, and they've only ever known the employee model (and a very specific version of it - employed by a large academic healthcare system). As such, the career advice I get from my attendings is often a bit monochromatic in tone. It's very refreshing to hear accounts from physicians with experience in other employment categories. I would like to one day join a partner-owned practice, because autonomy is second to none in my career goals. It seems the vast majority of young physicians go immediately for employed models (either community hospital-owned PP or large academic system). I hope...
by neuro84
Sun Apr 10, 2016 8:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Saving for a down payment on a house
Replies: 7
Views: 2021

Re: Saving for a down payment on a house

I've been very happy with my Ally online savings account earning 1%.

Depending on your timeline, you could also consider a CD ladder.
by neuro84
Sun Mar 27, 2016 7:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Term Insurance Questions
Replies: 6
Views: 909

Re: Term Insurance Questions

I ran your numbers in the calculator here - http://www.terminsurancebrokers.com/ins ... ance-quote

A 10-year level term policy for a healthy male born in 1960 (roughly equivalent to the one you have now, since it has about 10 years left) runs around $1200/yr. So that price is about right.

Refer to above post regarding whether or not you actually need life insurance.
by neuro84
Sat Mar 12, 2016 11:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 25 year old...what to do next?
Replies: 14
Views: 2558

Re: 25 year old...what to do next?

Where do you bank, to have access to that 3.25% checking account? That's a pretty sweet deal. Way better than my online savings account at 1%.
by neuro84
Thu Feb 25, 2016 9:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: buy more shares of vtsax now or wait?
Replies: 8
Views: 1801

Re: buy more shares of vtsax now or wait?

I always buy as soon as the money is available. Time in the market > Timing the market.

I also agree with the above post. Pick a plan and stick with it. Less fiddling around, more investing stoicism.

Stay! The! Course!
by neuro84
Sun Feb 21, 2016 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Don't understand nutrition and exercise
Replies: 340
Views: 45109

Re: Don't understand nutrition and exercise

As per PJW's post - keep up on your vaccines! Seriously, I think your intake is fine. You need to prioritize healthy sleep, and you need to get more regular exercise. IMHO, it doesn't really matter what you do, as long as it gets your HR up to 75% of maximal (220 minus your age) and you can do it for 20-30 minutes at a time, at least 3x/week. The problem most people have with exercise (in my experience as a physician trying to talk many patients into exercising more) is that nearly everyone views it as a chore. You have to make it enjoyable somehow, or you'll never keep it up. After you make it a habit for several months, exercise becomes its own reward, but in the wind-up phase, you may have to tie it to some external reward (not something...
by neuro84
Sat Feb 13, 2016 2:32 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Is there life after AMEX COSTCO?
Replies: 2
Views: 1090

Re: Is there life after AMEX COSTCO?

If that's the Blue Cash Everyday card, it's been around for awhile. Looks like they increased the signup spending bonus from $150 to $300.

There's another version of the same card (Blue Cash Preferred) with twice the cashback at grocery stores (6%) and the gas station CB goes up to 3%, but it has an annual fee of $75. This card is popular among Bogleheads. I've been using it for about a year. The annual fee pays for itself (when compared with the free 3% card) if you buy more than $75 / 0.03 = $2500 in groceries per year. I think most families probably top this amount.

http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-c ... sh-review/
by neuro84
Tue Feb 02, 2016 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income
Replies: 31
Views: 9310

Re: Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income

Next year, I'll file in March!

I'll do the 1040X after waiting a few weeks to make sure no more documents come sneaking along.

I got a small federal refund and I owed a small amount of state. I'll send them both a check if the $20 changes the amount owed.

I really appreciate the advice, Bogleheads. You guys are terrific.
by neuro84
Tue Feb 02, 2016 6:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income
Replies: 31
Views: 9310

Re: Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income

Thanks for the replies. No dead bodies, just a busy schedule and I'd rather not go through the headache of an audit.

I will look into filing an amendment. Sorry for asking something I probably should've figured out on my own!
by neuro84
Tue Feb 02, 2016 5:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income
Replies: 31
Views: 9310

Already filed taxes, didn't include small amount of interest income

Hi Bogleheads, In 2015, my wife and I gradually started incorporating some of the sound advice here, including starting an Emergency Fund at Ally Bank. I'm a medical resident and I had a lighter month in January, so I worked on getting all our taxes done early so that I wouldn't have them hanging over me in Feb/March (which are busy months for me). I was especially proud of myself for navigating my wife's 403b-to-Roth IRA conversion and we did pay income taxes on the conversion. I filed with TurboTax last week, and TurboTax informed me my returns had been accepted (Federal and State) on Friday. Then, yesterday (Monday) I came home to find one more tax document in the mail: our Ally Bank interest income! I had totally forgotten about this in...
by neuro84
Sat Jan 30, 2016 9:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Public school or private school (with school data)
Replies: 102
Views: 12694

Re: Public school or private school (with school data)

In choosing private schools, you may be moving your children into a relatively isolated sphere of society, where a large percentage of the child's acquaintances will go to similar schools, have similar careers, and live in similar affluent neighborhoods. I would certainly avoid putting a child into that society unless I was convinced that the child had the ability both to compete and to thrive in it. When my father retired from the military, he moved to a community that was then said to have the highest percentage of millionaires of any city in the country. I was not impressed with the friends that my younger siblings grew up with. (I had already left home.) Many of their friends suffered from affluenza , with symptoms that included alcoho...
by neuro84
Sat Jan 23, 2016 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Stats on Americans 'cutting the cable' ?
Replies: 98
Views: 20219

Re: Stats on Americans 'cutting the cable' ?

I work at a University and I have to say I am yet to talk to someone under 30 who has ever paid for cable TV. The new term for these people are the " cord nevers". Rest assured the cable companies have strategies in place to ensure their revenue. Comcast, for one, has bought NBC so they have a hand in the content no matter how you obtain it. They also still own the last mile of pipe to your house. They've successfully introduced most of their subscribers to tiered data speed plans. Now the are rolling data capping on top of that. I predict the $150/mo cable bill is not in any danger. This is why we pray for Google Fiber to come. What will google fiber do and how much will it cost ? Google Fiber is rolling out to a few cities in A...
by neuro84
Sun Jan 10, 2016 11:10 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I increase stock%?
Replies: 7
Views: 1332

Re: Should I increase stock%?

A 5% drop is relatively modest compared to 2000 or 2008, for instance. Were you in the markets during those years? Did you feel the same way then?


Even if you did, risk tolerance is only half the equation. The other half is need to take risk. As someone in a high-earning profession, you can sock away quite a lot of dough during your earning years, and your need to take risk may be a little bit lower than if you made less. Something to consider.


I myself am 90/10 but I have no real assets to speak of (low five-figure portfolio) and I'm only 30yo. I think once I become an attending I'll go down to 80/20 and then dwindle down to 60/40 over twenty years.
by neuro84
Fri Jan 08, 2016 8:57 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Which of these horrible funds should my girlfriend choose for her 401k?
Replies: 20
Views: 2396

Re: Which of these horrible funds should my girlfriend choose for her 401k?

I'm not experienced enough to know the answer, but those do seem like really terrible options. I don't know how they get away with a 0.7% ER on the "cash equivalent" money market fund. What on earth are the fund managers even doing to deserve that 0.7%!?

Can she talk to her employer about how awful these options are? Or is this a situation where the employer's brother is the IRA manager?
by neuro84
Thu Dec 31, 2015 3:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Disability Insurance - Employer vs. Private Plan
Replies: 13
Views: 1941

Re: Disability Insurance - Employer vs. Private Plan

I don't know if there is an industry-wide standard for "catastrophic," but the two policies I was comparing phrased it this way: MetLife: A catastrophic disability means that due to injury or sickness, the insured has complete, irrecoverable and irreparable loss of: (i) the use of both hands, or both feet, or one hand and one foot; the sight in both eyes; speech; or hearing in both ears; or (ii) are totally disabled due to Alzheimer’s disease or other irreversible form of senility or dementia; or (iii) are totally disabled and have aphasia; hemiparesis; paraplegia; or quadriplegia. Guardian: - A cognitive impairment that requires substantial supervision - The loss of two or more Activities of Daily Living (ADL)- bathing, continenc...
by neuro84
Tue Dec 29, 2015 2:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Disability Insurance - Employer vs. Private Plan
Replies: 13
Views: 1941

Re: Disability Insurance - Employer vs. Private Plan

I just went through the process of getting DI. If your employer could change in the next 30 years, I think it's very prudent to go with a private plan. The FIO riders are important, if you expect your income to increase in the future. And I would be sure to get a strict "own-occupation" definition. Regarding some of the riders you selected - I chose not to get the catastrophic rider. The vast majority of disabilities are temporary and partial. I think most things that would leave me "catastrophically" disabled would also leave me with a significantly reduced life expectancy. So I opted not to pick it up. Regarding many of the other riders, the decisions about these are highly specific to your situation, and just like wit...
by neuro84
Tue Dec 15, 2015 11:31 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: OPM breach and credit freeze
Replies: 296
Views: 72857

Re: OPM breach and credit freeze

1. Accept all OPM offers. If your identity is misused, you will be able to demonstrate that you took all prudent measures. ... 4. Freeze your credit at four major Credit Reporting Agencies (CRA), i.e., Equifax, Experian, Trans Union, and Innovis. For those of us who froze our credit before being advised of one or more of the breaches, is there consensus on whether it makes sense to unfreeze our credit, sign up for the credit monitoring offered by OPM, and then refreeze our credit? My wife and I had previously frozen our credit after she was the victim of ID theft about a year ago. I opted not to unfreeze for this. I asked the OPM / ID Experts person over the phone whether there was any advantage to unfreezing and she said, "Not really...
by neuro84
Mon Dec 14, 2015 9:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Employer-sponsored vs separate disability insurance
Replies: 9
Views: 1233

Re: Employer-sponsored vs separate disability insurance

I currently have two policies - 60% of income through my employer (which is not "own occupation" and paid with pre-tax dollars, so benefit would be taxable) and another one which pays 5k/mo even though I currently only make about 4k/mo.

My case is somewhat unique in that I'm a resident physician, and my income will likely go up ~300% after I finish residency in 2.5 years. Still, it goes to show that insurers are willing to write policies covering over 60% income replacement.
by neuro84
Sun Dec 06, 2015 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Security freeze & Internet credit card transactions
Replies: 10
Views: 1645

Re: Security freeze & Internet credit card transactions

goshenBogle wrote:So a credit freeze does not impact credit card purchases made online, right?
It hasn't affected any of my credit card purchases, online or offline.

The only time it comes into play is during any transaction where the merchant would pull your credit. Eg, I was buying a new Google Fi phone and I had to pay for it upfront rather than participate in their 0% loan over 1 year program. Not a huge deal to me, other than missing the opportunity for a 0% loan.
by neuro84
Tue Dec 01, 2015 8:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: the business of marketing watches ?
Replies: 11
Views: 2165

Re: the business of marketing watches ?

jdb wrote:We are inundated in cheap junk made overseas, mostly China and Asia but also Mexico and South America. Not just watches. Almost every brick and mortar store and catalogue and online operation predominantly sells this junk. So just accept it? Or actually look for more expensive quality products made in USA or in Europe like Swiss watches? What bothers me is even all my favorite tools now being made in China. So I wear an Apple Watch. At least made here.
The Apple Watch is manufactured by Quanta, a Taiwanese company with most of its factories in South China.

http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/06/20/ ... tch-maker/