Search found 228 matches
- Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:39 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: For those retired or FI, how much do you spend annually?
- Replies: 112
- Views: 10232
Re: For those retired or FI, how much do you spend annually?
Our average over the last 5 years for a couple is $56,000 per year. We did not make any vehicle purchases during this period. It does include property taxes and travel.
- Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:12 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Smoke Detector Battery Life
- Replies: 23
- Views: 1616
Re: Smoke Detector Battery Life
The detectors will beep if the battery gets too low before your next routine replacement.
- Fri Dec 04, 2020 11:03 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Inactive sump maintenance?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 584
Re: Inactive sump maintenance?
My sump pump runs during a heavy storm once every few years. If it hasn't run in several years, I will test it during a storm when the water level rises. I stick something in the sump and raise the float enough to turn it on. One year it didn't run, so I bought the exact same model of pump and repla...
- Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:52 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Kill the Mortgage or no?
- Replies: 42
- Views: 2617
Re: Kill the Mortgage or no?
If you take the standard deduction then you really should pay it off.
- Wed Dec 02, 2020 11:32 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Equifax - how to freeze credit again?
- Replies: 11
- Views: 549
Re: Equifax - how to freeze credit again?
I always thaw for a specified period of time rather than indefinitely. I can do two CRAs online and the third I have to do over the phone because online doesn't work. It hasn't been difficult for me.
- Mon Nov 30, 2020 12:36 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: LG refrigerator failure - any hope of compensation?
- Replies: 34
- Views: 2633
Re: LG refrigerator failure - any hope of compensation?
I have owned a LG french door refrigerator, a LMX25, for 10 years and its been perfect so far. It's still very attractive even compared to current models. But when I was shopping with my mother last year for a new frig, I steered her away from the LG model that she wanted because of the difficulty t...
- Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Quicken 2017:I've blocked *.quicken.com; will I have trouble?
- Replies: 8
- Views: 636
Re: Quicken 2017:I've blocked *.quicken.com; will I have trouble?
I blocked the Quicken program using Window's firewall and I haven't had any issues using Quicken 2016 which I got for $10.
Control panel, Windows Defender Firewall, Advanced settings, outbound rules, create a rule for Quicken.
Control panel, Windows Defender Firewall, Advanced settings, outbound rules, create a rule for Quicken.
- Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:56 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: WSJ Subscription at $4/month
- Replies: 29
- Views: 2942
Re: WSJ Subscription at $4/month
Some people on another site said that it is difficult to cancel over the phone due to very long waits. But it is supposed to be easy to cancel if you use Paypal because you can cancel it on Paypal's website without speaking to anyone.
- Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:51 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Credit freeze and free credit report
- Replies: 9
- Views: 920
Re: Credit freeze and free credit report
I always have a problem with one or two CRAs using the annualcreditreport website. So I download the pdf form at annualcreditreport.com, fill it out and mail it in, which never fails. They mail the reports to me and I receive them within two weeks.
- Sun Nov 08, 2020 2:33 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Wall Street Journal $4 per month
- Replies: 22
- Views: 3136
Re: Wall Street Journal $4 per month
I signed up for this around noon Friday. If I use a browser that I haven't used in a while, Edge, and go to www.wsj.com , click on subscription options at the bottom, I still see the deal.
- Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:11 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What it's like to get locked out of Google indefinitely
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1247
- Mon Nov 02, 2020 12:10 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What it's like to get locked out of Google indefinitely
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1247
Re: What it's like to get locked out of Google indefinitely
No. I should also add that I was unable to access my history of texts to my google voice number.
- Mon Nov 02, 2020 11:54 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What it's like to get locked out of Google indefinitely
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1247
What it's like to get locked out of Google indefinitely
I got locked out of google voice a year or two ago. The rest of my google account such as gmail still worked, but my goole voice phone number and phone log was no longer accessible. I had been giving out my google voice number as my contact number and using it for 2FA, so it was a hassle to change t...
- Mon Sep 28, 2020 10:18 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity HSA - Account Closed (Risk Department)
- Replies: 31
- Views: 7262
Re: Fidelity HSA - Account Closed (Risk Department)
Get it here.whodidntante wrote: ↑Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:27 am Fidelity pulls EWS (Early Warning System). You have a right to access the report for free. It involves filling out form and sending it in. Pull that report and see if there is something sinister or wrong on it.
- Fri Sep 25, 2020 9:22 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Erasing everything off a computer? Any software?
- Replies: 40
- Views: 2716
Re: Erasing everything off a computer? Any software?
Microsoft has a free utility that will erase free space, SDELETE.exe. Just google it.
- Wed Sep 16, 2020 10:46 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Identity Theft
- Replies: 3
- Views: 438
Re: Identity Theft
I would also freeze at ChexSystems.com . Also report at https://des.az.gov/services/employment/ ... efit-fraud
- Mon Sep 14, 2020 12:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity CC declined, they deny declining
- Replies: 41
- Views: 3765
Re: Fidelity CC declined, they deny declining
Called Fidelity (UMB) they stated that they did not decline anything, have no record of anyone attempting to get approval. It does seem that my wife was able to use it for a "card present" transaction this morning. So you're talking about the debit card for cash management, not the credit...
- Mon Sep 14, 2020 12:11 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity CC declined, they deny declining
- Replies: 41
- Views: 3765
Re: Fidelity CC declined, they deny declining
Did you call the 888 number on the back of the card?
- Tue Sep 01, 2020 3:59 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Walmart+ service ($98/year = free delivery w/ $35+ order). Thoughts?
- Replies: 122
- Views: 8808
Re: Walmart+ service ($98/year = free delivery w/ $35+ order). Thoughts?
You already get free shipping if you order $35 or more from the website. The advantage of Walmart+ is for delivery of what would otherwise be curbside pickup. We use curbside pickup about once a week for groceries and sundries, so it would end up costing us about $2 to have each pickup delivered if ...
- Sun Aug 30, 2020 9:44 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Someone filed unemployment claims in my wife's name! (CA)
- Replies: 12
- Views: 1658
Re: Someone filed unemployment claims in my wife's name! (CA)
Dealing with the 1099-Gs will be a hassle for many people.
- Fri Aug 21, 2020 2:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Should I become a Professional Gambler?
- Replies: 84
- Views: 8458
Re: Should I become a Professional Gambler?
I had a friend in college that played blackjack professionally for a few years. He dressed up in cheap suits to resemble a car salesmen. He was kicked out of several casinos for counting cards. He finally quit because he couldn't handle all the smoke in the casinos. It's still an issue in some locat...
- Fri Aug 21, 2020 1:52 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Beware of Low Credit Card Limits
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1601
Re: Beware of Low Credit Card Limits
My lowest limit card ($2,500) gives me 3% CB on online purchases, so I'm fine with it. I don't answer the update your income questions, so I think the limit will stay where it is. It's less to worry about in case it gets compromised.
- Fri Aug 21, 2020 10:23 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Dental insurance for seniors
- Replies: 29
- Views: 2638
Re: Dental insurance for seniors
We have had insurance from Delta Dental since I retired. I keep a spreadsheet of our claims, and like medical insurance, the provider discounts are much greater than the insurance payments. Overall, we have saved a lot with the insurance, but of course, it depends on how much work is done. Our plan ...
- Wed Aug 19, 2020 4:09 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Liquidating Home for Beneficiaries
- Replies: 3
- Views: 364
Re: Liquidating Home for Beneficiaries
The trust will owe tax on any capital gains, so the question is, is the market value of the house significantly higher than the purchase price+improvements? If so, you all would be better off not selling as long as she is living because then you get a stepped up basis=market value at time of death a...
- Tue Aug 18, 2020 6:07 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Getting through to Equifax
- Replies: 38
- Views: 2571
Re: Getting through to Equifax
I always have one or two CRAs that don't work online. So I download the pdf form from annualcreditreport.com and sent it in by postal mail and about two weeks later I get my report.
- Tue Aug 18, 2020 5:31 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Thinking of moving Seattle or Vancouver, WA
- Replies: 88
- Views: 6445
Re: Thinking of moving Seattle or Vancouver, WA
The perfect solution for some might be to own one condo in Florida and another in WA. I spent weeks at a time consulting in Seattle, Portland and Miami. The winters are perfect in S FL and the summers are perfect in the PNW.
- Mon Jul 13, 2020 3:46 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Have I reach the Need for an Umbrella Policy?
- Replies: 24
- Views: 2068
Re: Have I reach the Need for an Umbrella Policy?
Paying out the policy limits may not extinguish the "duty to defend" unless there is a release of liability against the insured. Under no circumstances, does an insurance company ever write a $250k check to the insured unless it's for a UM/UIM claim or property damage to an insured's vehi...
- Mon Jul 13, 2020 11:52 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Have I reach the Need for an Umbrella Policy?
- Replies: 24
- Views: 2068
Re: Have I reach the Need for an Umbrella Policy?
Paying out the policy limits may not extinguish the "duty to defend" unless there is a release of liability against the insured. Under no circumstances, does an insurance company ever write a $250k check to the insured unless it's for a UM/UIM claim or property damage to an insured's vehi...
- Wed Jun 03, 2020 4:38 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Chase reducing credit card limits
- Replies: 141
- Views: 15906
Re: Chase reducing credit card limits
Just picked up the mail, and my limit was lowered from 20k to 10k. I don't think I have ever had it above 2k, and I pay it off every month. This is for the Chase Freedom card with 5% CB on a different category each month. I only use it for the 5% categories. Update: I received another letter from Ch...
- Sat May 30, 2020 4:34 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: New iPhone SE?? has anyone bought and used one?
- Replies: 30
- Views: 2662
Re: New iPhone SE?? has anyone bought and used one?
My sister's 6s+ stopped working, sent her this review and she bought one.
- Sat Apr 25, 2020 11:36 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Tax return lost in mail (during weird pandemic times...)
- Replies: 20
- Views: 1486
- Tue Mar 10, 2020 12:01 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Parent has ALS; Need Financial & General Advice
- Replies: 68
- Views: 2955
Re: Parent has ALS; Need Financial & General Advice
www.alsa.org/als-care/resources/medicar ... ation.html has some good information about what sorts of home care and hospice Medicare will pay for.
- Tue Feb 04, 2020 5:49 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: How much does a nanny cost?
- Replies: 25
- Views: 2696
Re: How much does a nanny cost?
If you are of sufficiently high income, a nanny is worth the cost and more.
- Thu Jan 30, 2020 5:51 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Just answered telephone political poll. Now concerned.
- Replies: 70
- Views: 21532
Re: Just answered telephone political poll. Now concerned.
Hi i actually work at one of the call centers that makes these calls. We get the numbers names and addresses from voting records which is public information and its for research purposes. I was getting so many political calls, so I re-registered to vote and left off my phone number and now get no m...
- Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:23 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Anybody else have trouble with USPS Informed Delivery?
- Replies: 36
- Views: 6301
Re: Anybody else have trouble with USPS Informed Delivery?
My ID email has been missing the last two days, but the scans are there if I sign in.
- Thu Jan 02, 2020 4:37 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: What financial podcasts do you listen to?
- Replies: 52
- Views: 6778
Re: What financial podcasts do you listen to?
I owe my early retirement to https://www.bloomberg.com/audio/shows I have been listening to these since 2010.
- Sat Dec 14, 2019 3:49 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Get Rid of Culligan System
- Replies: 13
- Views: 1264
Re: Get Rid of Culligan System
Looking at my local CraigsList, I see one Culligan Mark 100 system asking $100, and a Mark 89 asking $385.
- Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:25 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Washing Machine is loud - replace the bearings?
- Replies: 9
- Views: 587
Re: Washing Machine is loud - replace the bearings?
Just went through this with a 4.5 year old Whirlpool washer. The bearing was in the gear case and that part cost about half of what I paid for the washer, so I had to replace the washer. Searching, I found many other people had the same problem. It's a shame that these poorly designed machines are e...
- Sun Nov 17, 2019 1:44 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Gift Card Already Used?
- Replies: 23
- Views: 2094
Re: Gift Card Already Used?
Some scammers buy these or something similar, scratch off gift cards in the store, take a pic of the code, put these stickers back on, then wait for someone to activate it.
Of course, they would be deterred by this quote on Amazon's site, "for Business Games and learning purposes".
Of course, they would be deterred by this quote on Amazon's site, "for Business Games and learning purposes".
- Sun Nov 10, 2019 3:47 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Hard Wired smoke alarms. Recommendations.
- Replies: 49
- Views: 3865
Re: Hard Wired smoke alarms. Recommendations.
Our smoke detectors are hard wired. We have one inside and outside each bedroom, 8 in total. One night they all went off at 2 in the morning for about 20 seconds. After checking that there was no smoke or fire we all went back to bed. I wondered which detector set them off. So next day, I read the m...
- Fri Nov 08, 2019 1:46 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: iPad air- purchase from Apple store of Costco?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3113
Re: iPad air- purchase from Apple store of Costco?
Any veterans, or families of, here's a real deal on an Apple iPad Air 10.5" 64GB: https://www.shopmyexchange.com/apple-ip ... fi/1864369
- Tue Oct 29, 2019 5:43 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Please advise re wiping laptop SSD before gifting
- Replies: 25
- Views: 2502
Re: Please advise re wiping laptop SSD before gifting
To wipe deleted files so that they can not be recovered use this: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysint ... ds/sdelete
- Wed Sep 11, 2019 11:11 am
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Overpaying Medicare Part B when first collecting Soc Sec
- Replies: 10
- Views: 1314
Re: Overpaying Medicare Part B when first collecting Soc Sec
I was in this situation a few months ago. My first SS payment included my three month payment to CMS ($406.50) that I made the month before. They did this without any intervention.
- Tue Sep 03, 2019 12:34 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Got a free dehumidifier under warranty after 4.5 years
- Replies: 5
- Views: 712
Got a free dehumidifier under warranty after 4.5 years
The old one was a Frigidaire, 70 pints, 4 and half years old, and ran normally except it no longer produced any water. The warranty for the sealed system is 5 years. Just an FYI in case you have a similar failure. So I called warranty service and discussed it with a representative. Questions and ans...
- Tue Aug 27, 2019 10:29 am
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: iPad air- purchase from Apple store of Costco?
- Replies: 15
- Views: 3113
- Sat Aug 24, 2019 1:41 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Windows 7 movie maker replacement(solved)
- Replies: 11
- Views: 1192
- Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:48 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity login security
- Replies: 21
- Views: 2682
Re: Fidelity login security
I have lockdown "on" for all accounts, and only turn it off when I do the annual RMD to move money from IRAs into brokerage. Maybe its a false sense of security, but it gives me the warm fuzzies to hope the accounts are better protected. I'm trying to get the warm fuzzies, but I don't see...
- Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:28 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity login security
- Replies: 21
- Views: 2682
Re: Fidelity login security
I just got an email about this option. But if someone hacked your account login in order to send money out, they could just turnoff lockdown. What's the point? When I turn lockdown on/off, I receive an email alerting me to the change. If someone hacked my account, they'd have to change my alerts &a...
- Thu Aug 22, 2019 4:17 pm
- Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
- Topic: Fidelity login security
- Replies: 21
- Views: 2682
Re: Fidelity login security
I just got an email about this option. But if someone hacked your account login in order to send money out, they could just turnoff lockdown. What's the point?
- Fri Aug 16, 2019 2:39 pm
- Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
- Topic: Ponder this, BH's... is Ben & Jerry's worth it?
- Replies: 142
- Views: 12397
Re: Ponder this, BH's... is Ben & Jerry's worth it?
That's a tough one.Texanbybirth wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2019 2:35 pmWhat if it's the former?testing321 wrote: ↑Fri Aug 16, 2019 2:30 pm I think the question is, does buying better ice cream or wine motivate you to consume more or less? If the latter, spend more on better.