Search found 1411 matches

by tyrion
Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Navigating Speakers for in home theater
Replies: 41
Views: 2647

Re: Navigating Speakers for in home theater

In my opinion this is an area where the 80/20 rule definitely applies. You can get 80% of the quality or sound value for 20% of the cost. And small incremental improvements for the last 20% (of 'sound quality') which will be very expensive. I gave up running a dedicated 7.1.2 system in our living room in favor of a 5.1.2 Atmos soundbar when we moved houses for all the normal reasons. Ease of use, visual appeal, wireless rear channels, etc. Moved the 10+ year old Onkyo receiver to the bedroom where it still does a great job for music and movies with Elac speakers and a dedicated sub. And the 20 year old Pioneer receiver is still driving a subwoofer and 4 outdoor speakers around the pool through google chromecast audio. So I guess my real adv...
by tyrion
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?
Replies: 51
Views: 4427

Re: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?

If you go the hot tub route I highly recommend looking into salt water hot tubs. It really minimizes both the routine maintenance and chemical smell aspects.

I previously had a bromine tub. Stinky, and I was always trying to balance the water and keep it sanitized. Now the smell is imperceptible and I only check it every few weeks for chemicals (dip a test strip) and rarely need to do anything other than change the salt water cartridge every 4 months.

On the con side, it is more expensive.
by tyrion
Sun Mar 03, 2024 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: The Psychology of Retirement (Your thought and experience, please!)
Replies: 38
Views: 5042

Re: The Psychology of Retirement (Your thought and experience, please!)

On the work side, I agree with others that trying to rethink your daily schedule is worthwhile. Not 'quiet quitting', instead think of 'optimizing for the holistic you.' Build in that daily morning walk. Put it in your calendar if you need to. Use that vacation time and turn one day every other week into a half day. You get the afternoon off to do whatever you want - garden, organize, read a book, etc. And don't feel guilty about it. Enjoy the time off. The work will still be there the next day. A few years ago I gently floated the idea of going part time. I was told it wasn't an option, but it did lead to some further conversations about tailoring the job to something that better suited me. And now I get to focus on the parts of the job th...
by tyrion
Sat Mar 02, 2024 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Real Stories of College Savings: what was your plan, and what happened?
Replies: 98
Views: 7337

Re: Real Stories of College Savings: what was your plan, and what happened?

3 legged stool model Each kid has: roughly 50k in UTMA accounts. Stock gifted when they were infants roughly 50k in a Cloverdell ESA/529. Started long ago, and I transitioned the younger kid to a 529 but it was a hassle so going to leave it in the ESA for the older one Parental contribution of 4k/year (to get the tax credit) and potentially more if needed. The idea was to cover 4 years of in state tuition, room, and board. We're in California so there are many school options. Kid 1 started college this year. Got a partial scholarship to a UC. Also working part time in a job he enjoys. In all likelihood will exit college with the full UTMA intact, plus fully fund a Roth IRA ever year. With the 4k parental contribution, ESA account, and salar...
by tyrion
Fri Feb 23, 2024 10:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: College cheating, what would you do?
Replies: 64
Views: 4353

Re: College cheating, what would you do?

I have a freshman away at college. If he were to bring me this problem-

I would not advise him to report a roommate cheating. Limited upside, nearly unlimited downside. Having a toxic roommate situation can be truly awful. And potentially dangerous.

Next year, in a new living situation, I would let him decide whether an anonymous report is worthwhile.
by tyrion
Tue Feb 13, 2024 3:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I quit or slog through
Replies: 62
Views: 7574

Re: Should I quit or slog through

I agree this seems a common theme. Not your specific circumstances, but getting burned out when approaching the finish line and having less tolerance for some of the more mundane aspects of the job. I'm early 50s and have a job that while not all that hard seems to consume a lot of my time and definitely has some dreary aspects to it. What has helped me: Understanding some things are business and not personal. Performance reviews. Certain meetings. Just get through them. Offloading things I don't enjoy. To the extent that I can. Saying 'no' to certain things. No, I can't spend the week between Christmas and New Years driving to a location 3 hours away to help with some tedious relocation project. Find someone else to do that. Feeling more e...
by tyrion
Thu Feb 08, 2024 3:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Paying for A Car Boglehead Style
Replies: 64
Views: 7102

Re: Paying for A Car Boglehead Style

Facing a similar problem of needing a replacement car in the next month. I sold VTI, specifically long term shares with the highest cost basis.

If the stock market was down, I would still sell VTI but would have a corresponding move in my 401k to sell bonds and buy stock. Not needed in this case, and cashing out some VTI is kind of a like a mini-rebalance.

I definitely don't want to take on a car loan at anything approaching 6-9% interest. Also don't want to mess around with taking out Roth contributions.
by tyrion
Fri Jan 26, 2024 1:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New house replacing locks
Replies: 36
Views: 4076

Re: New house replacing locks

Don't forget to clear the garage door opener codes. Lots of people have them programmed so the universal remote in the car can open the garage door.

Clear all the codes then re-synch any remotes you plan to use.
by tyrion
Thu Jan 25, 2024 9:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you use BOTH gas AND electric (heat pumps) to heat your house?
Replies: 26
Views: 3321

Re: Do you use BOTH gas AND electric (heat pumps) to heat your house?

I have a forced air gas furnace and a mini split in the master bedroom. San Diego, so it doesn't get all that cold in the winter but does get hot in the summer. In the winter I use mostly gas to heat the house. The master is on the second floor, heat rises, and gas is much cheaper than electricity in my market. I will occasionally turn on the mini split heat if I'm only going to be in the bedroom for the day. In the summer I set the mini split to be a few degrees cooler than the main AC. It's 25 SEER vs 16 for the central air, so I try to let it do most of the work since cool air sinks to the second floor. The central AC will run occasionally to cool everything and circulate air. It sounds like you should be able to tinker a bit and come up...
by tyrion
Mon Jan 08, 2024 1:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)
Replies: 164
Views: 25502

Re: Finding cost effective mid-tier colleges (Computer Science)

This discussion has taken an interesting turn into anecdotal evidence that people with unrelated degrees (or no degree at all) have succeeded at obtaining software engineering jobs at the top companies. I don't think anybody disputes that software engineering can be self taught. Much like investing. But the real question is what gives this young person the best chance to succeed? What school/program will best prepare them to land that valuable internship or first job out of college? And it seems to me (a parent with a kid in a good UC CS program) that a 'name' program with good connections to industry gives them the best opportunity. And being surrounded by other talented hard working kids is helpful. Sure, there are many paths to Dublin. B...
by tyrion
Wed Jan 03, 2024 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: The "Hot Upstairs" Topic
Replies: 90
Views: 13141

Re: The "Hot Upstairs" Topic

I did the minisplit install for a similar issue. 2150 sq ft, no issues keeping the downstairs nice and cool but it gets warm upstairs in the afternoons. Only return air was downstairs. Not a lot of luck trying to equalize temps with fans blowing air between the 2 floors, and the attic is warm but well ventilated and reasonably insulated. I put in a single minisplit for the master which is about half of the upstairs, with 2 smaller bedrooms being the other half. It's perfect for keeping the master cool, and for now it does enough for the other upstairs bedrooms (along with the whole house AC). The kids will both be off at college in 2 years so I didn't bother with a multi zone solution. I opted for just one wall unit for both efficiency and ...
by tyrion
Mon Dec 18, 2023 12:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: MIL Long Term Care policy lapsed due to non-payment... as a resulf of memory issues
Replies: 17
Views: 1878

Re: MIL Long Term Care policy lapsed due to non-payment... as a resulf of memory issues

I'm not a lawyer but this was relatively easy to find for the Texas dept of insurance: https://www.tdi.texas.gov/pubs/consumer/cb032.html Under long term insurance 'renewals and cancellations' A company can’t cancel your policy for nonpayment of premium unless you haven’t paid the premium for at least 65 days past the due date. When your premium is 30 days past due, the company must tell you and someone you designated that it will cancel your policy. If the company cancels your policy for nonpayment, it must reinstate the policy if you send proof that you didn’t pay premiums because of a mental or physical impairment. You usually have about five months to do this. The company must also pay any claims for covered services. You’ll have to pay...
by tyrion
Mon Dec 11, 2023 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: CA Solar Decision
Replies: 90
Views: 12003

Re: CA Solar Decision

I have a friend in Orange county who has battery and NO solar and he showed me his cost savings. (He has an EV too). I don’t know how it works in Orange County, but many of the incentives (SMART and ConnectedSolutions) in Massachusetts are only available if you charge your batteries from solar. I have 2 Tesla Powerwalls in SDGE territory. They only charge from solar (by policy) with the one exception being stormwatch which will charge the batteries ahead of any storm with potential to disrupt the grid. In theory they are also only allowed to discharge to power your home, not to feed the grid. But I was on a beta project this year which allowed the batteries to discharge to the grid during peak hours (as deemed by the utility). There were s...
by tyrion
Wed Dec 06, 2023 8:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?
Replies: 115
Views: 20250

Re: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?

One thing I would warn about is that with test optional admissions, the game has changed in just the last few years. Speaking with people whose children have already graduated will honestly have information that is out of date. Application numbers have skyrocketed and acceptances are just not as predictable as they once were. Our kids' guidance counselor now recommends applying to 8-10 schools unless you're planning on attending an in-state school and make the auto admit cutoff. I have a freshman at a top liberal arts college, she has a merit scholarship and a small fine arts scholarship, total cost around 45K. She applied to 13 schools. I agree that test-optional (and test-blind) have radically changed the equation, at least they have at ...
by tyrion
Wed Dec 06, 2023 5:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?
Replies: 115
Views: 20250

Re: Parents of recent college applicants: How did it play out?

Kid #1 is a freshman at a UC this year in a very competitive (impacted) major - CSE. He applied to around 15 schools, pretty even distributed between "safe", "range", and "reach". Applied to the top half of UCs and 2 Cal state type schools. Didn't get into any reach schools, but they were all 5% acceptance schools. Got into a few range schools. And not as many 'safe' as expected. He did get a merit scholarship to a UC, which is somewhat rare. Not huge in dollar amount, but has a bunch of useful perks like priority class registration every year. He's happy with the end result but the journey was super stressful. Perhaps more relevant is the plan for kid#2 who is a high school junior this year. She is going to ap...
by tyrion
Mon Dec 04, 2023 9:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire in 4 weeks?
Replies: 109
Views: 19644

Re: Can I retire in 4 weeks?

I believe the rule of 55 applies to all 401k, 403b plans. Under the rule of 55, the IRS permits you to withdraw money from your current 401k or 403b plan before age 59½ without paying a 10% penalty on the amount withdrawn if both of the following are true: Withdrawals occur in the year you turn 55 or later, and you have left your employer (for any reason). Apparently the key is whether or not your 401k/403b plan allows partial withdrawals. Some only allow you to take out the full lump sum, which is not helpful in most cases. Only if you had multiple 401ks. From the wiki: If you are retiring and are 55 years old or older, the IRS allows you to withdraw from the 401(k) without paying the 10% early withdrawal payment that normally applies to ...
by tyrion
Mon Dec 04, 2023 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can I retire in 4 weeks?
Replies: 109
Views: 19644

Re: Can I retire in 4 weeks?

I'm in a similar situation so your post is helpful and it seems like you are in a good spot. We are: 2-3 years younger ~300k less total portfolio Have much more in tax deferred and less in taxable. 60% tax deferred, 24% roth, 16% taxable. Similar 85k expenses but haven't fully nailed it down yet as kids are still in high school and college. I think you are on the right track on spending. Details will matter as you will be paying attention several thresholds (tax brackets, ACA, later IRMAA instead of ACA). But you have a ton of flexibility on what to draw from. In the early years if you are not 'rule of 55' eligible you may want to intentionally take gains to the top of the lower tax brackets, so draw from something other than money markets....
by tyrion
Wed Nov 29, 2023 7:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Personal print and use of laptop at work
Replies: 42
Views: 5537

Re: Personal print and use of laptop at work

I've been in IT a long enough time to have exposure to most of this. Medium size Megacorp. Print jobs - yes, there is a log. We did check it but normally looking for excessive volume rather than a small personal job. Job names only, as storing the print images takes too much space. If you want to print something minor you can always name it something innocuous before sending it to the printer. Web traffic - yes, absolutely being tracked and logged. A number of years ago we would provide it to managers if they asked. Usually for an employee who was already on their radar. I believe current policy is not to provide it but wouldn't be surprised if it was still part of any HR/legal action above a certain level. Exceptions (going to the wrong ki...
by tyrion
Tue Nov 28, 2023 5:19 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: CA Solar Decision
Replies: 90
Views: 12003

Re: CA Solar Decision

krafty81 wrote: Tue Nov 28, 2023 5:11 pm Just checked it is actually 6 cents!
6 cents is actually just the delivery if you use the CCA - San Diego community power. You pay SDGE 6.1 cents and then the CCA the generation amount which in the winter is 6.3 cents. But that's only if you're on the CCA plan, which was the default.

Or if for some reason you opted to remain with SDGE (would have required an action on your part) the combined rate is 14.5 cents.

Either way it's better than 50 cents
by tyrion
Tue Nov 28, 2023 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: CA Solar Decision
Replies: 90
Views: 12003

Re: CA Solar Decision

Thanks for the thoughtful replies. I clearly have more work to do. I have scrutinized my SDGE bill over the last year and cannot figure out how my true up got so high. I think I need to talk to one of the "experts" on that. I also need to understand the difference between NEM 2.0 and 3.0. My solar guy told me, since I am always paying at true up time, that a move from 2.0 to 3.0 is not that big a deal. I'd discount the installers feedback. He is finally incentivized to sell you a system upgrade. Are you charging your car during the day? You shouldn't. Night time rates are not be 49 cents. Look into getting a battery without solar. You can pull from the grid during off peak hours to use during peak hours. Adding a battery also won...
by tyrion
Tue Nov 14, 2023 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How long should I keep this car?
Replies: 26
Views: 2508

Re: How long should I keep this car?

I kept a 2007 prius as a rarely used third car for a year so my kids could drive it once they turned 16. It was worth it since it was a known quantity and I didn't need to worry about comprehensive/collision insurance.

My only qualm would be about ESC - electronic stability control. I think for that year Accord they only put it on the V6 models.
by tyrion
Mon Nov 13, 2023 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Seeking advice regarding Adult child WFH Job and Finances
Replies: 101
Views: 8954

Re: Seeking advice regarding Adult child WFH Job and Finances

Why don't you just tell her more or less what you've written here?

"We are happy to have you living at home, but we want to make sure you're being smart with your money and not getting used to a lifestyle that won't be sustainable once you have rent or a mortgage to pay."

She has a masters degree and a job.

Most of the insurance will take care of itself as she transitions to the new job. Medical, dental, etc.

Price car insurance with/without her then decide how you want to handle it - either she reimburses you or goes and finds her own.
by tyrion
Tue Nov 07, 2023 6:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Seattle area residents, how should I think about your housing market? [Potential move for job]
Replies: 81
Views: 8599

Re: Seattle area residents, how should I think about your housing market? [Potential move for job]

In west Seattle, anything under $1M is a tear down. Unless you’re into Burien. But then you’re in Burien. Baker and Seward Park are just flat out undesirable (unsafe) Communities. I would not recommend raising kids there nowadays. That's not what the crime stats say. Nor is it what the owners of lakefront mansions say. Many of the newer residents are fleeing crime from northside neighborhoods. https://seattlecitygis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=94c31b66facc438b95d95a6cb6a0ff2e And there are plenty of nice properties under $1mm in West Seattle that are neither in Burien nor teardowns. Not sure where you get that from. Have you ever been there? A 30 second search on Zillow disproves that easily enough. This might not be yo...
by tyrion
Tue Nov 07, 2023 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Planning to Engineer My Own Layoff for Retirement
Replies: 29
Views: 4939

Re: Planning to Engineer My Own Layoff for Retirement

As an earlier post said if you have good rapport with your manager just let them know that if you are asked to leave with a severance package you could accommodate that. At one Megacorp where I worked that's what I did when I heard that layoffs were on the horizon. It's a whole lot easier on the manager if they have willing employees in the pipeline when layoffs situations arise. Don't tell anyone else or it could get messed up. Being open to a layoff is not limited to retirement situations by any means. Yes, this is how it works in my division at megacorp. The person with control over the 30ish people in the region has a ranking of employees who report up to him. Those at the bottom are the ones he will let go if forced to by senior manag...
by tyrion
Fri Nov 03, 2023 9:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: House is cold at night - need suggestions on what to do!
Replies: 110
Views: 11195

Re: House is cold at night - need suggestions on what to do!

I'm in San Diego - assuming you are as well based on your user name. In our previous 1200 sq ft home built in 1960 the best improvement for us was replacing single pane windows. Sounds like you already have double pane so may not benefit as much. After that it was blowing insulation in the walls (which had zero) and more in the attic which had some but not enough. After insulation and windows it was fine for our wall unit heater in the living room for most nights. No ducts. At the coldest times of year we would run space heaters set at 65 or 70 degrees. That house was just north of mission valley, between the 805 and 15. I would agree with asking neighbors, especially those in the same model house and those who look like they have upgraded ...
by tyrion
Mon Oct 16, 2023 4:30 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check
Replies: 6
Views: 873

Re: Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check

To follow up, I did call Vanguard. After some back and forth between the agent and the processing team, I think this will all get sorted.

I need to send in the checks, endorsed to indicate an indirect rollover, along with a letter of instruction/explanation.

More time out of the market, of course. For better or worse.


I think I will leave my son's ESA as is. Thanks MHC for the reference to IRS pub 970. I looked at it before but must have been looking at qualified expenses in a different section (tax credits), as under the ESA section it's clear that room and board are qualified.
by tyrion
Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check
Replies: 6
Views: 873

Re: Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check

We have a remaining ESA as well for D2. We (myself or D2) haven't received any communication from Vanguard regarding desire to close or transfer this account. Maybe its because we don't have a 529 available to transfer it to? I'm curious since I've seen a couple of these threads, did Vanguard send a secure email or snail mail communication about closing the account? Did the communication come to you or the beneficiary? Originally an email to the account holder. And more recently snail mail that says: "In the coming months, we'll stop accepting additional contributions to ESAs, and we're helping all account holders transition to another saving alternative" So up for debate what 'helping all account holders transition' really means...
by tyrion
Mon Oct 16, 2023 9:59 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check
Replies: 6
Views: 873

Vanguard ESA to 529 conversion - they sent me a check

Vanguard is doing away with their ESA accounts so are prompting people to convert them to 529 plans. I submitted the paperwork for my daughter's ESA that had both a target retirement account (held as a mutual fund) and a money market fund (held on the brokerage side). The target retirement fund was converted normally to a 529 plan. However they sent me 2 checks for the brokerage money market fund, one for roughly 9k and then another one for a few dollars of interest. My questions: How do I get these moved to the 529 plan without having to pay taxes on the distribution. My daughter is still in high school so does not have eligible expenses. I also have a son who has started college. I plan to do the same conversion for him and he has similar...
by tyrion
Fri Oct 13, 2023 11:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Two apple watches with one iphone
Replies: 15
Views: 1822

Re: Two apple watches with one iphone

How about an oura ring?
by tyrion
Thu Oct 12, 2023 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help picking 2 computer monitors....
Replies: 31
Views: 2616

Re: Help picking 2 computer monitors....

So, here was my logic for the 2 monitors. My wife is not very technologically savvy and I was trying to make it easy for her. On one screen would be where she writes out her essays/homework assignments. The other screen would be for doing the research. I thought having identical screens would make the layout clean and functionality simple. Am I missing something? That makes some sense, but it's really intuitively easier to have 1 ultrawide and just use WindowsKey + left or right arrow to split the screen. Or just drag and size windows. And then you have the option for 1 big window as well. And just one set of icons on the bottom. I have a 34" LG ultrawide which I think is $300 from costco. I actually have both setups using USB-C docks...
by tyrion
Tue Oct 10, 2023 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help picking 2 computer monitors....
Replies: 31
Views: 2616

Re: Help picking 2 computer monitors....

So, here was my logic for the 2 monitors. My wife is not very technologically savvy and I was trying to make it easy for her. On one screen would be where she writes out her essays/homework assignments. The other screen would be for doing the research. I thought having identical screens would make the layout clean and functionality simple. Am I missing something? That makes some sense, but it's really intuitively easier to have 1 ultrawide and just use WindowsKey + left or right arrow to split the screen. Or just drag and size windows. And then you have the option for 1 big window as well. And just one set of icons on the bottom. I have a 34" LG ultrawide which I think is $300 from costco. I actually have both setups using USB-C docks...
by tyrion
Wed Sep 20, 2023 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What length of time to have Term Life Insurance?
Replies: 69
Views: 5418

Re: What length of time to have Term Life Insurance?

Bought 20 year term for both of us right before the first of 2 kids was born.

Now the kids are 18 and 16 and we have 1 or 2 years left. No plan to get more life insurance since we have accumulated enough assets that we don't need it any more, but we will keep the 20 year term in place. It's cheap.
by tyrion
Wed Aug 16, 2023 12:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Electric Wall/Baseboard Mounted Heater for Bathroom
Replies: 3
Views: 377

Re: Electric Wall/Baseboard Mounted Heater for Bathroom

A number of years ago we lived in a house with no central heat. Southern California so not a huge deal, but my toddler daughter's room was a bit cold in winter.

We used one of the electric panel wall heaters and it did the trick to keep the room warm. We connected it to a thermostat that plugged into the electrical outlet to modulate the panel which only has an off/on switch.

In a bathroom I would probably go with a timer or wifi switch that can act as a timer.

All this assumes you have a wall that would work and a standard electrical outlet.

I think we had a 400W panel for a 120 sq ft room but they make smaller and larger sizes.

Link to one bundled with a thermostat:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07BN2TH5V/ref=emc_b_5_t?th=1
by tyrion
Tue Aug 15, 2023 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 3 Day Trip - New Orleans
Replies: 43
Views: 3427

Re: 3 Day Trip - New Orleans

fishmonger wrote: Tue Aug 15, 2023 11:10 am would love for some ideas in terms of areas we could explore on foot (say the NOLA Museum of Art, Frenchmen St) and mix in some food, music, culture, etc. along the way.

We're both adventurous eaters and travelers, so any recommendations would be appreciated!
We did a historic bike tour that was a lot of fun. A nice mix of historical places, landmark houses (and the celebrities that own them), and local history.
Garden district, Warehouse district, and French Quarter.

I didn't think I would enjoy it when the rest of my party suggested it, but in hindsight it's one of my favorite memories.
by tyrion
Sat Aug 12, 2023 1:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What motivated you to save money?
Replies: 232
Views: 27992

Re: What motivated you to save money?

Most impactful was probably reading 'The richest man in Babylon' in middle school. My friend had a copy and lent it to me.

I grew up solidly middle class and my parents modeled good financial habits. So I'm a natural saver as are my siblings. But that book pushed me across the finish line in terms of investing and planning.
by tyrion
Mon Aug 07, 2023 8:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need to buy new vehicle quickly
Replies: 43
Views: 4285

Re: Need to buy new vehicle quickly

We are out of the car show season, so I would suggest finding one of the dealer neighborhoods where there are plenty of dealers in close proximity. Walk around the lots, see what you like and ask to test drive if you like. But I would highly recommend to buy used, maybe 2-3 years old. A no haggle used car place like Car Max is a good option. Caution: Used car prices may not be rational at the moment, so if you can’t get a nice discount for used, then consider buying new. In rational times, cars depreciate heavily in value during the first few years, but have most of their easy ownership/low maintenance days still ahead. Another advantage of CarMax is that they have a variety of vehicles from different manufacturers on their lots, so you ca...
by tyrion
Wed Jul 19, 2023 4:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: credit card question - upcoming large charges
Replies: 21
Views: 1823

Re: credit card question - upcoming large charges

Thanks everyone for the feedback. There were a few things I hadn't considered- Paying balances before the closing date to avoid the reporting to credit bureaus Prepaying and then reusing the card(s) with the highest rebate % I managed to pay for the bulk of it today using 5 cards. All went through without a hitch. I did get one new card last week, 3% rebate and no payments/interest for 15 months. Most of the rest went on Fidelity cards with 2% cash back. The remaining 10% went on 1% cash back cards. I will probably apply for one more new card to cover the rest of the project. Ideally a combination of reward and deferred payments. And I may pay down the balances a bit (halfway?) prior to the close date to avoid having the banks do anything t...
by tyrion
Wed Jul 19, 2023 11:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: credit card question - upcoming large charges
Replies: 21
Views: 1823

credit card question - upcoming large charges

Hello everyone.

We are going to be putting some large charges on credit cards very soon to pay for a kitchen remodel. We will be paying for this using 5 or 6 cards, each up to 90ish% of the credit limit.

Balances will be paid off at the next statement date. Just using cards to capture the 1-3% benefit. No advantage (discount) to paying cash with this business.

Don't care about impact to credit score.

Is there anything we should do to make sure the charges go through? I'm thinking along the lines of a 'travel advisory' that some cards allow you to put in.
by tyrion
Mon Jul 17, 2023 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Adding panels to an existing solar panel system for EV purchase
Replies: 27
Views: 2583

Re: Adding panels to an existing solar panel system for EV purchase

I have a similar system in San Diego. SDG&E. 6.2 KW and 2 Powerwalls. NEM2.0. No EV yet but I have been reading up on it to determine how it would work with SDG&E. We have a rate where you can pay a fixed monthly fee ($16 I think) and in return get much lower rates at night to charge your EV. It looks like you do not have an equivalent rate for SCE. At least for now. Are you already on TOU-D-Prime with the .26 offpeak and .66 peak rates? Or some other rate with the baseline allowance? Are you using time-based control on the powerwalls to send all solar to the grid during peak times while running all of your electrical use off the powerwalls? Keep in mind with powerwalls higher peak rates are actually beneficial in NEM2.0. So pick th...
by tyrion
Thu Jun 08, 2023 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Setting up banking for a new college student
Replies: 18
Views: 1264

Re: Setting up banking for a new college student

My 13 and 16 year olds also have Fidelity Youth Accounts. Great choice for their teen years. I believe the Fidelity brokerage account does not reimburse ATM fees, so if they use the debit card they should switch to Fidelity's Cash Management Account . It works very similarly to the brokerage account except that you are not allowed to choose a money market fund as the core account. Instead, the default (and only) core account is the FDIC insured sweep account (currently yielding about 2%). If they want their core account to be a money market fund, they could use a Cash Management Account along with a Brokerage account. The CMA would be used as a checking account with debit/ATM card, with their emergency fund and investments in the brokerage...
by tyrion
Tue Jun 06, 2023 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lost Interest in Dream Car? UPDATED
Replies: 147
Views: 18241

Re: Lost Interest in Dream Car?

I have been a typical car nut since I was a teenager in the 70s. I poured over MT and R&T for hours reading about spectacular cars, especially those from Europe (911 turbo, Lagonda, Mercedes 6.9). I visited San Francisco when I was 14 or so and was agog at all the BMWs, which were otherwise pretty rare in those days. I had never seen a 7-series in person before then. I had a high school teacher who drove a Lotus Elan which drove us all nuts. A neighbor had a Mercedes 6.9 and a 300SD. I was distracted in college (early 90s) by a couple older friends who collected Cadillacs from the 50s-70s. So, during working years I had a few interesting cars including '76 Fleetwood Brougham D'Elegance, Corrado (manual), AMG C32, IS300 (m), X5 M50i, et...
by tyrion
Fri Jun 02, 2023 5:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!
Replies: 158
Views: 17896

Re: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!

That means older employees like myself are getting paid less, relativity speaking, despite our knowledge base. By "relatively speaking" I assume you mean you "might" still make more or as much as these younger workers? Or are they making more than you? Sorry if I missed this in the follow up posts. Sounds like you have yet to come to the realization that Tenure and Years-of-experience aren't really valued by companies. What is valued is Getting the Job Done. If someone younger can do it at the same (or lower) price with less experience and tenure - why should the employer care as long as the work done is comparable. Times continue to change. Even with these younger employees getting promoted and salary increases - they ...
by tyrion
Thu Jun 01, 2023 3:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!
Replies: 158
Views: 17896

Re: Everyone is Getting Promoted!!

The company I work for is promoting just about everyone in our department that is under 30 yo. What used to take 8 years they are now promoting in 3. That means older employees like myself are getting paid less, relativity speaking, despite our knowledge base. Are you experiencing the same or is your company increasing your salary accordingly? Any solutions beside threatening to quit? I still have 5 good years left in me. My lead told me the promotions are due to inflation, I reminded him that inflation is affecting me also. I am also about 5 years out, although younger than you in my early 50s. I'm seeing others get some promotion opportunities that weren't necessarily available to me, but at the same time I'm pretty sure they weren't som...
by tyrion
Thu May 18, 2023 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Swimming Pool maintenance
Replies: 35
Views: 3051

Re: Swimming Pool maintenance

I have the recommended Taylor Test kit. Weekly- PH Chlorine Every few months- CYA I used to check when we first moved in but now I know they are very stable- total alkalinity calcium hardness Chemicals used- chlorine in reusable bottles from pool store muriatic acid also in reusable bottles a bucket of chlorine pucks Winter is mostly chlorine pucks (one every 2-3 weeks), summer is mostly liquid chlorine. If we have lots of swimmers, pour in more chlorine. Also have a dolphin pool robot, run it daily and clean it weekly. In 4 years I have had 2 occasions when I got behind on chlorine and had to SLAM it (check trouble free pool for an explanation) for a day or so. But overall it's really easy once you learn what your pool needs. When we first...
by tyrion
Fri May 12, 2023 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New Parent: Investing for Child Spending Money
Replies: 17
Views: 1403

Re: New Parent: Investing for Child Spending Money

Are you talking about a way to take gifts others give to your son and invest on his behalf for future expenses? We had UTMA/UGMA accounts.

If I could go back in time I would skip them and keep the money in our name but have it earmarked for each kid. It would just be a lot easier to manage as well as better for college financial aid. As it is both kids have somewhat substantial UTMA accounts, the first one gained access at age 18, we have had to file taxes for them most years. It's all turned out fine, but as I said I would take the simpler route if I could do it over again.
by tyrion
Fri May 12, 2023 11:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Old swimming pool - repair or remove?
Replies: 33
Views: 2825

Re: Old swimming pool - repair or remove?

Personally I would fix it. We have a chlorine pool. We don't use it as much as we used to now that the kids are almost done with high school, but I still like to swim. And on hot summer days (San Diego area) it's great to be outside around the pool. On chlorine, if you do the pool chemicals yourself (and it's not hard) then you can barely tell the difference between chlorine and salt water. No need to keep it super chlorinated like public pools. You do need to keep a proper CYA (chlorine stabilizer) level which means you can't just throw chlorine pucks in feeder and expect it all to work. For my pool I use mostly pucks in the offseason and liquid chlorine in the summer. But if you're going to redo it anyway I would certainly price salt wate...
by tyrion
Wed May 10, 2023 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Brother Liquidated His Entire Retirement and I'm ... Jealous?
Replies: 224
Views: 27210

Re: My Brother Liquidated His Entire Retirement and I'm ... Jealous?

I occasionally run through this mental exercise when I have similar feelings. Assume you do follow through, liquidate everything, say goodbye to that job..... What are you going to do now? My list has included things like - mountain bike a few times a week Take time to make better healthier meals Train for a 2 week PCT hike Visit my parents Reconnect with friends who live out of state Okay, you've got your list? Great, now figure out what things you can do on that now without having to quit your job and liquidate everything. Sure, if your list is to spend a year circumnavigating the world by sailboat then you can't do it. But you could figure out how to rent a sailboat for 2 weeks this summer. If your list is to sleep in every day until noo...
by tyrion
Tue May 09, 2023 12:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No SAT required in college
Replies: 61
Views: 5530

Re: No SAT required in college

I think I understand the crux of your question: How do colleges adjust for not having the SAT as a common metric? Does that place more emphasis on which high school they attend? I have a graduating senior this year. He took the SAT and did quite well (no prep classes, mid 1500s in his one try). He was able to submit the score to a handful of schools but most wouldn't consider it. I think the answer is that admissions staff *are* placing a greater emphasis on the high school, what kind of kids come out of there, what the AP options are, etc. Certainly at the state level they are going to know the high schools and adjust GPA for the school. A weighted 4.25 GPA at one school may be better than at another, depending on how rigorous the academi...
by tyrion
Tue May 09, 2023 11:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No SAT required in college
Replies: 61
Views: 5530

Re: No SAT required in college

I think I understand the crux of your question: How do colleges adjust for not having the SAT as a common metric? Does that place more emphasis on which high school they attend? I have a graduating senior this year. He took the SAT and did quite well (no prep classes, mid 1500s in his one try). He was able to submit the score to a handful of schools but most wouldn't consider it. I think the answer is that admissions staff *are* placing a greater emphasis on the high school, what kind of kids come out of there, what the AP options are, etc. Certainly at the state level they are going to know the high schools and adjust GPA for the school. A weighted 4.25 GPA at one school may be better than at another, depending on how rigorous the academic...
by tyrion
Tue Apr 25, 2023 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which car should we trade in?
Replies: 9
Views: 757

Re: Which car should we trade in?

I would keep the Civic and sell the Subaru.

It's newer, more fun for you to drive, will have fewer issues going forward. 5k/year is still 100 miles every week. Enough that I would want the newer fun car.

Unless you value the Subaru AWD. So which new car your wife gets would come into play. Depends on where you live, obviously. Even though we live in San Diego I like to have one AWD vehicle for going up to the mountains in winter.