Search found 1573 matches

by clip651
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:19 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Age and probability of needing long term care?
Replies: 258
Views: 25895

Re: Age and probability of needing long term care?

To insure or not to insure, that is the question. Well, it’s not car insurance, we don’t have to do it. And it’s not health insurance, but it’s kind of close. The probability that any one insured person needs it is rather high, which means that if one’s individual risk is lower, you should opt out. Past that, I have no further insights. See the statistics I’ve already linked to and come to your own conclusions. The probability that an insured person will need care is NOT high. If the probability that an insured person would need care was high, long term care insurance could not exist. The probability of an insured person needing long term care is lower, much lower, than the probability of someone in the general population needing care. Cou...
by clip651
Thu Mar 21, 2024 8:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pretty set financially, but considering relocation to VHCOL (Bay Area) for the career/adventure
Replies: 49
Views: 5283

Re: Pretty set financially, but considering relocation to VHCOL (Bay Area) for the career/adventure

Don’t move and store a lot of stuff back at your old location. Downsize to fit your new place and move on, if you move. Unless you have priceless heirlooms, you may pay to store stuff for years that you’ll never retrieve or use again.
by clip651
Sat Mar 16, 2024 9:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Age and probability of needing long term care?
Replies: 258
Views: 25895

Re: Age and probability of needing long term care?

3. So who needs LTCI? *Healthy people* who have longevity in their families, are somewhat likely to live into their 80s and beyond, and can’t guarantee family will assist. Who needs help with ADLs? The very elderly. Who are the very elderly? Those who were healthy most of their lives. That’s me. I agree with your points. In addition, the other folks who need LTCI are those who have (or are very likely to have) chronic but non-life-threatening medical problems, and also have a chance of living a long time. Unfortunately, this group may not qualify to buy LTCI. One of my family members was in that category. LTCI providers could see this family member was a bad risk, and refused to offer a policy while this family member was still working age...
by clip651
Thu Mar 07, 2024 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?
Replies: 40
Views: 3366

Re: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?

We have used Soresto collars for years with no issues. Our cat doesn’t mind the collar at all. We had several vet friends recommend them. +1 on the seresto collars. We had issues until our vet recommended this product. Also, they last a full 8 mos for about $60 per collar. Does your cat go outside? I've thought about using collars, but I'm concerned they might get snagged on something and hang the cat, or other wise keep it from getting home. For example, I've seen them run and jump to the top rail of a low chainlink fence before jumping to the other side. It seems a collar might get snagged on the upper strands of the fence when they do this. Also, our cats have never worn collars and I'm afraid they might panic. Not sure if these worries...
by clip651
Thu Mar 07, 2024 11:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?
Replies: 40
Views: 3366

Re: Flea Remedies That Have Worked for You?

We have used Soresto collars for years with no issues. Our cat doesn’t mind the collar at all. We had several vet friends recommend them. +1 on the seresto collars. We had issues until our vet recommended this product. Also, they last a full 8 mos for about $60 per collar. Does your cat go outside? I've thought about using collars, but I'm concerned they might get snagged on something and hang the cat, or other wise keep it from getting home. For example, I've seen them run and jump to the top rail of a low chainlink fence before jumping to the other side. It seems a collar might get snagged on the upper strands of the fence when they do this. Also, our cats have never worn collars and I'm afraid they might panic. Not sure if these worries...
by clip651
Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much to tip movers?
Replies: 46
Views: 6174

Re: How much to tip movers?

maxInfo wrote: Sun Mar 03, 2024 8:44 am About 6 months ago, I moved from a small apartment in Austin to another part of the city, not too far, maybe a 15-minute drive.
So, did you tip the movers??
by clip651
Tue Feb 27, 2024 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Struggling with appropriate level of financial help for an aging parent
Replies: 41
Views: 5318

Re: Struggling with appropriate level of financial help for an aging parent

dagsboro wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:22 am Your mother seems relatively young and in good health. She seems content to live where she lives now. It may be premature to relegate her to any kind of dependency. Many older people live out their lives blooming where they are planted.
The OP says their mother was done with her current very rural location and ready to be closer to OP. If that’s the case, at 70, the sooner the better!!
by clip651
Tue Feb 27, 2024 8:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Struggling with appropriate level of financial help for an aging parent
Replies: 41
Views: 5318

Re: Struggling with appropriate level of financial help for an aging parent

ScubaHogg wrote: Tue Feb 27, 2024 5:38 am
HomeStretch wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2024 4:31 pm In my experience, 1-3 hours away is too far as a single parent ages when they need regular help or have a medical crisis. Consider buying or renting housing very close by you
+100

Our parents didn't need much help, until suddenly they needed a ton of help. Getting a phone call at 7am about something that requires a lot of intervention (and a chunk of the day) has happened more times than I can count
Agreed. It may be worth the extra money to have her closer than the 30 minutes away OP mentioned in recent update, depending on OPs finances. Especially since there are kids to juggle as well.
by clip651
Tue Feb 20, 2024 10:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Just did my own taxes for first time - owed $5k
Replies: 57
Views: 8019

Re: Just did my own taxes for first time - owed $5k

I just did my taxes for the first time in my life (whoooop) but owed an additonal $5k at the end of it. My situation is that I have my employer take the full withholding so I never thought I would be in a situation like this. I work in sales so I have salary + commission and my income was unusually high in 2023 - like $214k vs $120-150k. Obviously, throughout the year I encountered a few extra large commission checks and wondering if that's why this happened? Been spending the past 6 hours reading up on taxes, since I finished doing my own this monring. I don't seem to be missing anything major, but obviously hoping to improve on my taxes next year so wanted to see if there is anything that comes to your mind on why this would have happene...
by clip651
Tue Feb 20, 2024 9:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Just did my own taxes for first time - owed $5k
Replies: 57
Views: 8019

Re: Just did my own taxes for first time - owed $5k

That makes sense. I was ready and it was no trouble because I save such a large % of my income but I was just surprised. I don't ever want to incur penalities and I wouldn't think this would be a case for that It’s good to have the approximately correct amount of withheld and/or use estimated payments to get there. But don’t freak out about the penalty if you miss the mark by a small amount. I’m helping my parent with their taxes and they owe a few thousand, and they missed staying within their safe harbor. The big scary penalty in their case is like $7. Not worth losing sleep over if you are in the ballpark. Just pay the small penalty and move on. It is good to know how to estimate your taxes ahead of time though so you can try to be as i...
by clip651
Thu Feb 15, 2024 3:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends
Replies: 133
Views: 21854

Re: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends

That’s good to know. There are various fall alert devices with pros/cons for each so everyone should evaluate what works best for them. The Apple watch was too complex for my mom (with just normal age-related cognitive decline but had vision issues) and for my dad (with advance dementia). The watch would have become just another electronic that I would have needed to be the phone IT-help desk for them. The Life Alert device worked well for them as long as they kept wearing it. I suggest putting a couple of Alexa's around the house so they can be called out to when help is needed. When my Dad needed his call pendent one the night, it was in the charger next to the bed, he was in the bathroom. Alexa is a potentially good idea, but there are ...
by clip651
Thu Feb 15, 2024 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends
Replies: 133
Views: 21854

Re: Managing your affairs when you live alone and have no family or true friends

That’s good to know. There are various fall alert devices with pros/cons for each so everyone should evaluate what works best for them. The Apple watch was too complex for my mom (with just normal age-related cognitive decline but had vision issues) and for my dad (with advance dementia). The watch would have become just another electronic that I would have needed to be the phone IT-help desk for them. The Life Alert device worked well for them as long as they kept wearing it. I suggest putting a couple of Alexa's around the house so they can be called out to when help is needed. When my Dad needed his call pendent one the night, it was in the charger next to the bed, he was in the bathroom. Alexa is a potentially good idea, but there are ...
by clip651
Wed Feb 14, 2024 9:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Elderly family member still has AOL email
Replies: 28
Views: 2828

Re: Elderly family member still has AOL email

Lou Sevens wrote: Wed Feb 14, 2024 7:07 pm I have used it for ~ 30 years .
I year or two ago I had someone help me with my resume and they said not to use a aol address, but I thought that was a bit overboard, great resume writer though.
Depends on who's hiring. One of my supervisors uses an AOL email address. But I sure don't work for a FAANG company!
by clip651
Tue Feb 13, 2024 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How old were you when you hit the "No-Go Years?"
Replies: 77
Views: 13688

Re: How old were you when you hit the "No-Go Years?"

Damn, I am 50 and feel like I am in the slow(er)-go years already Same. I started falling apart in my late 40s. Any dreams of hiking the Appalachian trail or something are long gone. The AT was my retirement dream too and now at 55 I'm not so sure that will happen. Working a desk job the past 15 years has really started to take it's toll. My knees are shot, I've gained a ton of weight and I just don't have the motivation to do much of anything anymore. There is no better time than the present to begin working on your health. What you do today will play a huge role for your future. To be honest, what is the point of working, making money, only to retire and be too unhealthy to enjoy retirement. There is a better path for you. Yeah, I've bee...
by clip651
Sun Feb 11, 2024 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cleaning mold on water bottle gaskets
Replies: 25
Views: 2302

Re: Cleaning mold on water bottle gaskets

livesoft wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 11:37 am
clip651 wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 9:59 amBoth of those should rinse out pretty easily. And both are used in foods/cooking (oil and vinegar salad dressings, baking soda in lots of stuff). What would be the concern if a tiny bit of either doesn't rinse out of a bottle?
Wait you mean like bleach? ;)
I don’t have a concern about bleach either. Guessing you’re ok with any of the above? You need a sarcasm font or something. And that’s with me already knowing half or more of your posts are somewhere on the sarcasm scale.
by clip651
Sun Feb 11, 2024 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cleaning mold on water bottle gaskets
Replies: 25
Views: 2302

Re: Cleaning mold on water bottle gaskets

livesoft wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:13 am
backpacker61 wrote: Sun Feb 11, 2024 8:08 am A mixture of vinegar and baking soda could also be tried. They are both toxic to most molds.
But wouldn't one end up with vinegar and baking soda residue in the water?
Both of those should rinse out pretty easily. And both are used in foods/cooking (oil and vinegar salad dressings, baking soda in lots of stuff). What would be the concern if a tiny bit of either doesn't rinse out of a bottle?
by clip651
Wed Feb 07, 2024 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: half high income physician, half financial illiterate
Replies: 95
Views: 12071

Re: half high income physician, half financial illiterate

Big Shon wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2024 5:54 pm At age 44, you have 3 dogs and 1 child. I just don't get scenarios like this.
Dogs are likely older than the 1 year old kid. And we don’t know how long OP has been married, how many kids they want, the age of the wife, etc. No idea why out of all the issues in the OP this is what stands out to you as odd?
by clip651
Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sleeping struggles with two people one bed
Replies: 71
Views: 7013

Re: Sleeping struggles with two people one bed

tetractys wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 9:43 am Your portfolio is far too conservative. Consider a 75/25 allocation of stocks and bonds.
Is this in the wrong thread, or just a non-sequitor to lighten the mood? :D
by clip651
Sun Feb 04, 2024 11:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help! 25 Maxed out credit cards.....
Replies: 268
Views: 34504

Re: Help! 25 Maxed out credit cards.....

Do you have the time and interest to babysit the kids part of the time? Might reduce their childcare costs, would help them without directly giving them money, and you'd get to know the step grand kids, and you could be a good influence on those kids.

Aside from that, I think leveraging the wife's motivation to right the ship is the best bet for all involved. She may have better luck getting him on board than you will, if she's lucky.

Obviously therapy is critically important due to thoughts of suicide.

Rough situation, OP.
by clip651
Sat Feb 03, 2024 8:55 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How Taylor Larimore made a difference in my financial life - Salute to Taylor's 100th
Replies: 53
Views: 10305

Re: How Taylor Larimore made a difference in my financial life - Salute to Taylor's 100th

I often spend more time finding Jack's appropriate "Words of Wisdom" than I spend writing the Reply. Your comment is appreciated. Best wishes. Taylor Jack Bogle's Words of Wisdom "The Bogleheads forum is a treasure trove of information, as its contributors and visitors alike help one another, with no axe to grind, in all matter of topics that essentially cover the entire field of investing." Taylor, I also really appreciate you posting quotes from Jack! In what is now about 10 years of reading on this forum for me, your posts along with the quotes you include so often serve to remind us all of the important things, the big picture, or whatever else we need reminding of when discussions get off in the weeds. And you brin...
by clip651
Mon Jan 22, 2024 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Return My New Apple Watch?
Replies: 83
Views: 6493

Re: Return My New Apple Watch?

I sometimes appreciate the notifications when my phone is not in reach. Say I'm cooking something and the phone rings, I can glance at my watch to see if I want to answer it. Also some of the emergency features nice, like fall detection etc.
by clip651
Thu Jan 18, 2024 10:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Decision] Leave my job or wait to be let go?
Replies: 75
Views: 7126

Re: [Decision] Leave my job or wait to be let go?

Does your wife work (and does she want to keep working)? Can you get health insurance through her work, if you're worried about access to a really good health insurance plan? What does your wife think would be a good decision for you? As others have pointed out, you have enough money to do whatever you want. So you need to figure out what you want to do. Do you want to keep working at all? Do you want to keep working at this job, or try something else? If you retired, what would you do to put yourself onto a path of better health, lower stress, and contentment with your life? If you keep working, what can you do to put yourself onto a path of better health, lower stress, and contentment with your life? There are some good ideas in previous ...
by clip651
Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio
Replies: 649
Views: 113123

Re: Don't pay full price for SiriusXM radio

Just an update. My promotion expired this month, the bill reverted back to $43+ for 2 cars. I used the chat now feature, and in about 10 minutes, was able to get that down to about $18 a month with taxes for 12 months. They also pro-rated the promotion back to this month. It is a little harder than it used to be to find the chat feature, and you have to get through a bot to get to a rep, but it's still pretty easy and worthwhile if you enjoy the service. I couldn't find an active chat link - where did you find one? I found the chat button, but it was always greyed out and not clickable on multiple days and multiple browsers, despite hours of operation being listed next to the nonfunctioning button. I resorted to calling when I needed to ca...
by clip651
Sat Jan 13, 2024 4:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?
Replies: 2857
Views: 230302

Re: Bird watchers – what birds are you seeing?

A few days ago I saw (and heard) several large Vs of sandhill cranes flying over our house. They were flying lower than I usually see them, and we usually see them in late fall and early spring, not in January. Though of course I'm not out in the yard listening for them as often in January. But it still seemed like an odd time to see them. Today at the bird feeders, along with the usual suspects, we had two male redwing blackbirds. That's definitely unusual for January here. I don't remember ever seeing them here in the middle of winter, or with snow on the ground (unless it was one of those brief mid to late spring snow storms). We had a really mild December. A big snow storm came through here this week as it did across a lot of the countr...
by clip651
Thu Jan 11, 2024 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Guest sleeping options
Replies: 39
Views: 5694

Re: Guest sleeping options

RubyTuesday wrote: Thu Jan 11, 2024 7:31 am Inflatable mattress in your office FOR YOU and they sleep in your bed. When you have larger budget upgrade?
This is probably the best solution unless those older adults are really nimble.

If they have knee arthritis or other issues an air mattress on the floor, or even a low to the ground futon, may not work for them at all. Too hard to get in and out of. May not have the support they need, etc. Or they may be terribly uncomfortable and too polite to say so. If they are tent campers when not visiting you that’s different of course.

If these are your family members have an honest discussion with them about what might work and what would be too difficult for them.
by clip651
Tue Jan 09, 2024 9:48 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION
Replies: 579
Views: 40030

Re: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION

Dukefan wrote: Tue Jan 09, 2024 5:27 pm
clip651 wrote: Mon Jan 08, 2024 6:23 pm
Dukefan wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 8:08 pm5123.45
Hi Dukefan,
Just FYI, I guessed this number a few days ago, so yours won't count unless you change it to something no one else has guessed yet.
cj

Thanks, cj. I’ll go with 5123.46. Feeling bullish 😉
You're welcome! You need to go back to your original post and edit that though for it to count, as far as I understand the rules. Go back to your first post, use the icon that looks like the pencil, and make your edit. :-) Good luck!

[Edited to add, I see Silk McCue posted the same info for you above. Thanks in advance Silk McCue for extracting all our guesses!]
by clip651
Mon Jan 08, 2024 6:23 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION
Replies: 579
Views: 40030

Re: 2024 BOGLEHEAD CONTEST REGISTRATION

Dukefan wrote: Sun Jan 07, 2024 8:08 pm5123.45
Hi Dukefan,
Just FYI, I guessed this number a few days ago, so yours won't count unless you change it to something no one else has guessed yet.
cj
by clip651
Fri Jan 05, 2024 6:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard: "Important: We've been unable to reach you by email"
Replies: 129
Views: 15258

Re: Vanguard: "Important: We've been unable to reach you by email"

I've received the letter 6 times in the last few months and called Vanguard 5 times but have made no progress toward a solution. I had been getting all expected emails, but this week did not not get the immediate email-confirmations of my transactions that I've gotten hitherto. That's worrisome because immediate notice of transactions allows for timely reporting of any fraudulent transactions. I'm not aware of a problem receiving emails from any other source. I also did not get email confirmations of my transaction submissions this week. One transaction was in a mutual fund account. The other was in a brokerage account. I usually get those promptly. I usually have no problems receiving emails from VG, and have not received the "unable...
by clip651
Thu Jan 04, 2024 8:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: ACA Plans -> Zip code / Address Importance ?
Replies: 29
Views: 3374

Re: ACA Plans -> Zip code / Address Importance ?

Fantastic summary of your experiences,@clip651 - thank you and appreciate this reality check as we look to early-retire and examine ACA plans in our county. Some learning from our initial research so far. 5. For early retirees who plan to travel, ACA plans add what could be a showstopper. All the EPO plans I see offer *zero* out of network besides an ER visit. Any additional costs - even a lab test or a consult when you're traveling in on your own dime. So some research on travel medical insurance may be warranted. Glad it was helpful. Another thing to keep in mind - if a provider is out of network, they may just refuse to see you (e.g. if you're traveling, or you really want a consult with someone local who is out of network). I have trie...
by clip651
Tue Jan 02, 2024 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

End of year, end of quarter, and going into the holiday weekend is not a typical Friday. And they don't promise anywhere I'm aware of to have the prices done by 7 pm. Moreover, reporting data errors that get corrected do occur from time to time with all fund companies. It is a good idea to wait until the next day before capturing data to be used for analysis. In this case you need to wait till January 8th. My watchlist was updated correctly Dec 29 by about 10pm EST. And has stayed correct since. No need for me to wait, other than a few hours. So I had access to closing MF prices same day, despite the holiday and end of year and end of quarter, not that I really needed them. I don't see any problems with the data on my accounts (share numbe...
by clip651
Tue Jan 02, 2024 3:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

It's not typical for a Friday. I download mf prices almost every day, including Fridays, by 6:30 - 7 pm EST. End of year, end of quarter, and going into the holiday weekend is not a typical Friday. And they don't promise anywhere I'm aware of to have the prices done by 7 pm. Moreover, reporting data errors that get corrected do occur from time to time with all fund companies. It is a good idea to wait until the next day before capturing data to be used for analysis. In this case you need to wait till January 8th. My watchlist was updated correctly Dec 29 by about 10pm EST. And has stayed correct since. No need for me to wait, other than a few hours. So I had access to closing MF prices same day, despite the holiday and end of year and end ...
by clip651
Tue Jan 02, 2024 8:25 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

baconavocado wrote: Tue Jan 02, 2024 3:35 am It's not typical for a Friday. I download mf prices almost every day, including Fridays, by 6:30 - 7 pm EST.
End of year, end of quarter, and going into the holiday weekend is not a typical Friday.

And they don't promise anywhere I'm aware of to have the prices done by 7 pm.
by clip651
Mon Jan 01, 2024 1:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

Very late? Thread was created at 8:06 PM Eastern on Friday before year-end and before a holiday. Wait until start of next business day. What's the crisis? Agreed. Additionally, at the top of the statements page, it says: "Statement Frequency: Account statements can be generated monthly or quarterly and are available online approximately five days after each respective period’s end." So it's a bit much to be looking for statements on 12/31 (or 1/1). It's definitely sloppy that they posted statements early with stale data, but I'm sure the correct statements will be posted in due time, and they pulled the bad ones. I find it pretty common for financial institutions (banks, Vanguard, other brokerages per various postings over the ye...
by clip651
Sat Dec 30, 2023 7:39 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

Clarky wrote: Sat Dec 30, 2023 6:40 pm OMG. I’m a (diagnosed mind you) obsessive compulsive and I’m still in awe of the posts on this thread. I’m gonna talk to my doc about reducing my dose. :sharebeer
:D :beer :mrgreen:
by clip651
Sat Dec 30, 2023 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?
Replies: 168
Views: 38417

Re: Vanguard closing mutual fund prices for Dec 29?

It is Saturday morning now (Dec. 30) and as of 8:30AM my personal watchlist I set up for my funds that I own is still not updated with Dec. 29 closing NAV prices. It still shows Dec. 28 prices. Usually that is done and updated withing 3 hours of the 4PM market close. Yes, they were finally updated if you access each individual fund last night at about 11PM EST, 7 hours after the market close. Again, those are usually updated within 3 hours of the market close. Bewildering it takes even that long because NAV Prices for Mutual Funds and Bond Funds posting the 4pm closing prices are usually calculated within 10 minutes of the 4PM closing thanks to computers, but Vanguard takes up to (usually) 3 hours to post them. And last nite it took them 7...
by clip651
Wed Dec 27, 2023 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner
Replies: 63
Views: 10250

Re: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner

I'm sorry to sound so discouraging. The really short version of my advice is that you will be the most help to your partner (and your future self) if you really take care of yourself financially as well as mentally/physically/medically during the foreseeable future. And since you are not independently wealthy at your age, the best way you can do that is to keep working, keep saving, keep learning and planning. And support your partner in your free time in hopes that they too can become more independent and more healthy. You can always re-evaluate in a year, or two, or longer. Perhaps your partner will be much improved by then! Continue learning about investing, how to diversify your portfolio, how to pick an appropriate asset allocation, wr...
by clip651
Wed Dec 27, 2023 1:44 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is Switching to A Vanguard Brokerage Account Absolutely Necessary?
Replies: 104
Views: 32327

Re: Is Switching to A Vanguard Brokerage Account Absolutely Necessary?

An overdue update. I thought that I could create a useful year-end statement for each of my mutual funds, but NO. It's not the same at all. I cannot get a separate page for each fund that contains columns for date, transaction, amount, share price, shares transacted, total shares owned, and total value. It just doesn't happen. So I'm one of those who resents being prodded, even insulted, by phrases like "just suck up and do it". Is it unreasonable for me to request that in return for switching to a brokerage account Vanguard should continue to provide me with the same type quarterly statements that I'm used to getting for my individual mutual funds? They don't need to mail them to me. Continuing to provide downloadable pdfs would...
by clip651
Wed Dec 27, 2023 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner
Replies: 63
Views: 10250

Re: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner

Hi All, I have been doing a bit more research on healthcare costs, and I would appreciate your input. I just want to warn in advance this post might be depressing and I apologize for any unintended effect. As a quick recap, I am 41 and plan to retire in a couple of years to take care of my sick partner with a serious mental illness. My expenses should be less than $30k annually in a couple of years but one thing that is unclear to me is the health care costs, especially long-term care. We don't have kids, and with my partner's health issues, it is likely I may need outside care services, such as long-term care when I am unable to take care of myself. I did some research on long-term care costs and I noted the following: Retirement communit...
by clip651
Wed Dec 27, 2023 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner
Replies: 63
Views: 10250

Re: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner

Hi All, I have been doing a bit more research on healthcare costs, and I would appreciate your input. I just want to warn in advance this post might be depressing and I apologize for any unintended effect. As a quick recap, I am 41 and plan to retire in a couple of years to take care of my sick partner with a serious mental illness. My expenses should be less than $30k annually in a couple of years but one thing that is unclear to me is the health care costs, especially long-term care. We don't have kids, and with my partner's health issues, it is likely I may need outside care services, such as long-term care when I am unable to take care of myself. I did some research on long-term care costs and I noted the following: Retirement communit...
by clip651
Tue Dec 26, 2023 9:03 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Was accidentally placed on Medicaid.
Replies: 14
Views: 3381

Re: Was accidentally placed on Medicaid.

Was this perhaps a spam phone call? Did they ask you for personal info? I'm surprised they would be contacting you by phone instead of mail. But perhaps that varies by state. Did you do an ACA application just prior to that phone call?
by clip651
Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Continuing Care facilities
Replies: 48
Views: 5424

Re: Continuing Care facilities

I'd be interested in hearing how CCRC's have worked out for folks without any family support. We have no children and we may not have any extended family to help us, so a CCRC seems likely to be our best option. A CCRC can be part of the solution, but it's not sufficient by itself. There were quite a few threads discussing this specific issue in the past, and they didn't converge on a great solution. There isn't really some service out there that can replace trusted family in terms of overseeing your care and finances. You can have a CCRC, trust company, fiduciary, etc. but you still need to have someone close that you can trust to manage, adapt, and supervise all that for you when you lose your capacity to do it yourself. +1000 Great poin...
by clip651
Sun Dec 17, 2023 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to afford vet school for sophomore kid?
Replies: 106
Views: 14559

Re: How to afford vet school for sophomore kid?

AlwaysLearningMore wrote: Thu Dec 14, 2023 1:41 pm . As all of us who have pets know, veterinarians are well compensated and she should be able to repay her loans.
Not true. Vets are poorly paid, particularly for their level of training and their expensive education.

As a pet owner, you may think vet care is expensive (I'm a pet owner, and I sometimes feel this way, too). But it's also expensive for the vet to provide it (the practice needs a staff, and xray machine, surgical equipment and on and on). The net that the vet makes per year is just not that much. Their plumber makes a lot more in many cases. Many vets have big challenges paying off those big loans.
by clip651
Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare part d shopping was surprising
Replies: 19
Views: 3180

Re: Medicare part d shopping was surprising

Unfortunately it's not remaining the same. Wellcare is switching its Pharmacy Benefit Manager (PBM) services from CVS to Express Scripts, effective January 1, 2024. This complicates things for someone like me who will be new to Wellcare in 2024. I was able to create my Wellcare account online after receiving my member ID card, and also create an online Express Scripts account. However, when I log into my Express Scripts account, I get a welcome popup that states "Your benefit plan starts on January 1st. Get the most out of your plan starting January 1st. Until then, take a moment to explore these features" and ends with "We'll see you on January 1st when your benefit plan starts" followed by a logout button...no other o...
by clip651
Tue Dec 05, 2023 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Edward Jones New Low
Replies: 110
Views: 19923

Re: Edward Jones New Low

Mullins wrote: Tue Dec 05, 2023 11:51 am Bumping for feedback in the updated original post.
Have you tried a certified letter instead of phone calls to Edward Jones? Make a paper trail with good records might hit you somewhere rather than phone calls.
by clip651
Sun Dec 03, 2023 2:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner
Replies: 63
Views: 10250

Re: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner

Hi All, .... I realize it might be difficult for me to retire this early in the next couple of years, but I am trying to save for the future as much as I can, and I am open to any advice you can offer, whether it is investing in different stocks, reducing expenses, or anything at all. Here is my financial info: Emergency funds: $15k in bank, cover 3-6 months expense Debt: Mortgage, $65k (outstanding balance). 2.75% fixed interest rate. Minimal credit card debt. Tax Filing Status: Single (partner’s parents have legal guardianship for her and they are filing on their behalf) Tax Rate: 24% Federal, 2.5% State Age:41 Asset allocation: 100% stocks (I realize this might be aggressive but thought this might be needed in the short-term and then ca...
by clip651
Sun Dec 03, 2023 1:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trouble logging in to Vanguard?
Replies: 39
Views: 3885

Re: Could you please help me verify Vanguard login?

Their site is fixed now. I can log in without issue. They didn't ask me to reset my password. I didn't sleep well last night. I know this is due to their system maintenance. I probably shouldn't be logging in late Saturday nights anymore. Is there anything I can do to make sure my Vanguard account won't be hacked? Good to hear it is working now. Stick to logging in during business hours to be least likely to run into “down for maintenance” issues which may appear as if something else is wrong. Any problem seen on weekends, late nights, early mornings, etc, it makes sense IMO to assume system maintenance and just try again during business hours rather than drive yourself crazy. This doesn’t just apply to Vanguard, I’ve hand similar things h...
by clip651
Sun Dec 03, 2023 6:55 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Post your Financial Milestone Announcements Here
Replies: 3622
Views: 569061

Re: Post your Financial Milestone Announcements Here

livesoft wrote: Sun Dec 03, 2023 6:07 am It seems that finally we have used up all our carryover losses from tax-loss harvesting back in 2009. I'm a little melancholy about that.
Definitely a milestone. Congrats/sorry about that.
by clip651
Sat Dec 02, 2023 11:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner
Replies: 63
Views: 10250

Re: Advice for early retirement to take care of sick partner

Thank you for the suggestion. Given my partner's health condition, she is not able to be around anyone else with extreme anxiety, but I will keep this in mind for the future. If you take on her care, keep in mind this may mean you are not able to be around anyone else either, or at least not often or only in limited circumstances ... That is not going to be a sustainable long term situation for you. You will need other relationships in your life besides just your partner (and she should have other relationships besides just you and her parents). For you, friends, at a minimum. But also think about all the other times you need to interact with others, and either she will have to interact too (or you'll have to help her avoid having to inter...
by clip651
Sat Dec 02, 2023 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question (non-medical) for physicians, e.g., PCP
Replies: 48
Views: 5052

Re: Question (non-medical) for physicians, e.g., PCP

I’ll give my thoughts as PCP. If it is going to take me less than 2 minutes, secure message is the way. (Less time used by my staff which seems to always be overworked). However routine vaccines don’t need a prescription for any insurances I work with. If it is a vaccine we carry at our office and your insurance covers through your medical (not prescription plan), make an appointment with the MA only. I don’t need to see you. If through your prescription plan- get it at the pharmacy. Ironically if you need travel vaccines- yes make an appointment. That takes a while to review what you have had, review CDC website on what you need and order (and at least in our area only 1-2 pharmacies carry a lot of those vaccines. In fact, it is probably ...