Search found 2417 matches

by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Apr 17, 2023 7:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car
Replies: 945
Views: 150261

Re: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car

Vulcan wrote: Fri Apr 14, 2023 8:45 pm A picture worth a thousand words.

Wife's car.

Image

(That's '97, thankyouverymuch)
Love the humor. Reminds me of the little kids t-shirt that says "I'm a handsome tax deduction" :D
by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Apr 17, 2023 7:46 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car
Replies: 945
Views: 150261

Re: Flaunt Your High-Mileage Car

2007 Lexus ES (bought used for $20k in 2010).
225k miles - drivetrain going strong, despite body showing it's age.
It's not been exactly flawless - other than usual wear and tear items, needed to replace the alternator, oil pan, and water pump, and the front wheel bushings may need to be replaced in the near future.
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Lost 1 million ! Any body else in same boat ? Looking for some reassurance
Replies: 394
Views: 59519

Re: Lost 1 million !who else ?

Jimsad wrote: Mon Jun 13, 2022 5:45 amI am trying to reason the same and hope not to draw from portfolio for another 10 years hopefully ; still a bit unsettling especially with more negative news on horizon
Cheer up - you are now accumulating stocks at a 17% discount that will grow/compound for, not just the next 10 years, but the remainder of your investment life. The darker the news on the horizon, the bigger your discounts will be for any new stocks you accumulate.
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jun 14, 2022 2:42 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: hitting your "number", "25X expenses", "4% SWD rate" not all that?
Replies: 53
Views: 13767

Re: hitting your "number", "25X expenses", "4% SWD rate" not all that?

If someone calculates their number based on Jan. 2022, hits it, and then retires in Feb. 2022, how do they account for the fact that they are now over 15% lower than their number (assuming a 60/40 portfolio), and may be much lower than that in another few months? Have you read Bill Bernstein's " Retirement Calculator from Hell "? http://efficientfrontier.com/ef/101/hell101.htm Long story short: Almost all retirement calculations are done with a straightforward amortization algorithm (via a handheld financial calculator or a software product) that does not take into account the fluctuation in returns. The risk being, if you get a string of bad years at the front end of your retirement, you could run out of money long before the ca...
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed May 04, 2022 8:32 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How do 529 withdrawals work?
Replies: 14
Views: 1974

How do 529 withdrawals work?

Time to harvest after 18 years :-)

The college payments are set up as autopay from the checking account, not the 529 account.

So let's say on a certain month the college pulls $1500 pull from the checking account, how do I replenish it from the 529?
1. do I simply make an equal amount transfer from 529 to checking?
If yes,
2. how do I "prove" to the IRS that the transfer was for college fees and not new golf clubs?
3. how quickly do I need to make that transfer, same month, same year, any time?

Thanks a lot as usual,
Sunny
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: OLED TV alternative
Replies: 78
Views: 8094

Re: OLED TV alternative

EnjoyIt wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 2:21 pmYour thought is that OLED is substantially better than the older Panasonic Plasmas?
Yes - the blacks are comparable, but the OLED is much more bright & crisp.
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Nov 24, 2021 3:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Which Costco wifi router? (Is mesh best)
Replies: 18
Views: 3863

Re: Which Costco wifi router? (Is mesh best)

CorradoJr wrote: Wed Nov 24, 2021 10:34 amWe have a small 1100 sq ft. home
I found mesh to be over-engineering for our 2100 sq. ft. home. A simple WiFi 6 router, not even the latest one, placed in the open living room area gives me 400 mbps wifi signal at the farthest corners of the small house.

Also, I personally found more success with tp-link compared to netgear & asus, but that's probably anecdotal as all of them have a good reputation.
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Nov 24, 2021 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: OLED TV alternative
Replies: 78
Views: 8094

Re: OLED TV alternative

For picture quality, there simply is no alternative. We own both OLED and high end non-OLED, as well as an older (previous champion) Panasonic plasma TV - and the OLED is not just marginally, but noticeably, better.
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri Jan 01, 2021 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bogleheads Cell Phone?
Replies: 81
Views: 7720

Re: Bogleheads Cell Phone?

Why does everybody automatically assume that a "Bogleheads Cell Phone" has to be the "cheap" or "budget"?

It doesn't.

Being a Boglehead doesn't mean being cheap - it means being smart about not spending our money on dumb things like mutual fund fees, and that does not exclude spending money on things that actually add value to our lives - and that could be anything we use and enjoy a lot like a good phone, tv, bed, hobby equipment, books, whatever floats your boat. For me, a phone is something I have to use all the time so I don't mind getting whichever I need, but that guitar hanging on my wall like a decoration - that's been a dumb expense (so far at least).
by Sunny Sarkar
Thu Dec 31, 2020 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are Strong Passwords Really Necessary?
Replies: 313
Views: 19610

Re: Are Strong Passwords Really Necessary?

This piece of jester wisdom and Lastpass - together they changed my life. Long separate passwords are the answer.

Image
by Sunny Sarkar
Thu Dec 31, 2020 9:21 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No Peeking - 2021 Goal to not look at balances
Replies: 94
Views: 7111

Re: No Peeking - 2021 Goal to not look at balances

FIREchief wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 11:53 am
Sunny Sarkar wrote: Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:09 am There is actually data/evidence that no peeking leads to higher portfolio returns (someone please help locate Bill Bernstein's article on this from his archive on efficient frontier), plus the intangible benefits of reduced stress and enjoying life.
There is also "evidence" that CAPE 10 is useful and that Bigfoot exists. :P
Yeah, but there's a small diff in the amount of rigor in the evidence - kinda like the diff between the amount of rigor behind big bang/singularity and some creation myths that sound like singularity :happy :)
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Dec 30, 2020 9:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No Peeking - 2021 Goal to not look at balances
Replies: 94
Views: 7111

Re: No Peeking - 2021 Goal to not look at balances

No Peeking - 2021 Goal to not look at balances
Really worthy goal. There is actually data/evidence that no peeking leads to higher portfolio returns (someone please help locate Bill Bernstein's article on this from his archive on efficient frontier), plus the intangible benefits of reduced stress and enjoying life.

I made no peeking my goal 2 years ago, and last year upped it to no fiddling (except hands-off automatic investments). It felt great.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sat Jul 18, 2020 9:40 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Obtaining my Credit Score online (without "enrolling" in something)
Replies: 11
Views: 1614

Re: Obtaining my Credit Score online (without "enrolling" in something)

Discover will give you a free real FICO 8 score based on TransUnion credit report even if you are not a customer...
https://www.discover.com/free-credit-score
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:35 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Single Favorite Mutual Fund
Replies: 102
Views: 14714

Re: Single Favorite Mutual Fund

Vanguard LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund (VSMGX) 42% Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund 18% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund 32% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund 08% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund Seven years later, are you happy with the performance of that particular mutual fund? Seven years ago, I was invested in admiral shares of the individual components of this fund (except international bonds, which I didn't own). It perfectly satisfied all the the portfolio engineering aspects of my IPS - especially low(er) costs from the admiral shares. With every passing year, I learned & internalized more and more how portfolio engineering is overrated, and how it's much less important compared to the...
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Single Favorite Mutual Fund
Replies: 102
Views: 14714

Re: Single Favorite Mutual Fund

SpaceX wrote: Sun May 31, 2020 9:30 pm
Sunny Sarkar wrote: Tue Jul 30, 2013 10:34 pm Vanguard LifeStrategy Moderate Growth Fund (VSMGX)

42% Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund
18% Vanguard Total International Stock Index Fund
32% Vanguard Total Bond Market II Index Fund
08% Vanguard Total International Bond Index Fund
Seven years later, are you happy with the performance of that particular mutual fund?
Yes.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Jun 28, 2020 7:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: I'm Buying a Boat...
Replies: 112
Views: 9459

Re: I'm Buying a Boat...

I'm Buying a Boat..
My condolences :wink:
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri May 08, 2020 5:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: IE, Chrome or Firefox, that is the question.
Replies: 53
Views: 4332

Re: IE, Chrome or Firefox, that is the question.

Another vote for the Brave browser on the PC (I don't like the mobile version as much). The inbuilt features are great.
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:47 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Zero Funds = Best 3 Fund Portfolio
Replies: 52
Views: 10488

Re: Fidelity Zero Funds = Best 3 Fund Portfolio

While I'd be perfectly OK investing with low cost Fidelity index funds or other low cost options like iShares, etc., when I have the option to choose from all of them and Vanguard, my bias will always be towards Vanguard, because... Fidelity zero fund ERs are artificially lowered to get my business, there's no way a fund or any other product can have zero expenses. Vanguard ERs are upfront. Fidelity is profit driven. Zero funds are loss leaders to get me into the door to look at their other wonderful more expensive products. Vanguard, a mutual company, has its heart in the right place. Same reason I prefer USAA checking over BoA free checking for banking. Vanguard is the OG of index funds, and I assume knows how to execute index funds bette...
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Apr 28, 2020 7:27 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: What is a Boglehead? Some Fun.
Replies: 53
Views: 4757

Re: What is a Boglehead? Some Fun.

who instead of taking a bus to work, runs behind it to save the fare; then realizes his mistake and looks for a limo next morning.
by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:03 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Two Days of Truth In 365 Days of Snake Oil"
Replies: 11
Views: 2421

Re: Scott Burns article: SPIVA report, managed funds, snake oil

Sunny Sarkar wrote: Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:07 pm [Thread merged into here, see below. --admin LadyGeek]
Dang it! @Taylor Larimore beats me at everything. I've absolutely got to take up sailing now.
by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Apr 20, 2020 5:01 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Two Days of Truth In 365 Days of Snake Oil"
Replies: 11
Views: 2421

Re: "Two Days of Truth In 365 Days of Snake Oil"

Fantastic!

p.s. A tad disappointed that my favorite investment company would not put such great content front and center on their site - and it'd fall on an obscure forum in some corner of the internet :-) to save the speeches with all that wisdom from its founder.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Too soon to get another credit card?
Replies: 21
Views: 1317

Re: Too soon to get another credit card?

Over the long term, the age of your oldest credit cards will affect your credit score quite a bit. So, if you get another one, I'd get one with no fees which I could hold on to regardless of whether I'm using it actively or not. Your first card, Discover, checks that box. Personally, I keep my old cards open & active by charging a small regular transaction (like netflix subscription) and setting up auto payments.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Apr 19, 2020 4:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Two Days of Truth In 365 Days of Snake Oil"
Replies: 11
Views: 2421

Re: Scott Burns article: SPIVA report, managed funds, snake oil

I was looking for a link to a timeless speech/article by Jack Bogle called "Majesty of simplicity". Does anyone have a link to that (and to his other speeches like alpha and omega, & such)? Vanguard.com used to maintain a "bogle_site" where they used to be.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Apr 19, 2020 2:07 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Two Days of Truth In 365 Days of Snake Oil"
Replies: 11
Views: 2421

Scott Burns article: SPIVA report, managed funds, snake oil

[Thread merged into here, see below. --admin LadyGeek] Scott Burns, proponent of the "Couch Potato portfolio" (one-half U.S. stock market, one-half U.S. fixed income) published a new article with his take on the latest SPIVA report. Twice a year, we get to see just how poorly managed funds perform. It’s the SPIVA report, Standard and Poor’s regular examination of how managed funds have done relative to the index they aim to beat. The report findings have gotten pretty repetitive... What’s that finding? Managed mutual funds are a loser’s game. But the snake oil folks are out there banging their drums — all day, every single day, all year. Who are the snake oil folks? Well, they are the mutual fund companies, for starters. They hav...
by Sunny Sarkar
Sat Apr 18, 2020 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New laptop/desktop for [Work From Home]?
Replies: 58
Views: 5432

Re: New laptop/desktop for [Work From Home]?

Another vote for Dell XPS 13.

It's not perfect (odd videocam position for the refurb model I bought), but it's simply awesome in function, form, aesthetics - you name it. Best laptop I've experienced, like it better than my Macbook Pro work/company laptop.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Apr 07, 2019 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Heard Jack Bogle on NPR Freakonomics Radio today
Replies: 2
Views: 1283

Heard Jack Bogle on NPR Freakonomics Radio today

Miss that voice.

http://freakonomics.com/archive/ (today's episode not on the website yet).
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Sep 20, 2017 9:43 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Bogleheads you would most like to meet and why?
Replies: 134
Views: 17353

Re: Bogleheads you would most like to meet and why?

Taylor - for that hearty smile and the warm hug I get :-)
by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Sep 11, 2017 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When calculating net worth, how do you value your house?
Replies: 167
Views: 18297

Re: When calculating net worth, how do you value your house?

coinflip wrote: Wed Sep 06, 2017 8:24 am Do you use purchase price, appraisal value, property assessment, Zillow's Zestimate, or something else?
Not in favor of including primary home's equity in net worth calculation - can't sell part of the house to pay for an emergency. Gotta live somewhere.
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri Sep 08, 2017 7:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Equifax customer information leak
Replies: 711
Views: 96118

Re: Equifax customer information leak

AAA wrote: Thu Sep 07, 2017 7:30 pmAfter entering my information, it brought up a window telling me that I could enroll in the service they're offering on such-and-such a date. There was no explicit statement of whether my information had been impacted or not.
They did tell me clearly that I was impacted. Maybe that means you're not - but then why wouldn't they tell explicitly that you're not? To me that means they don't know.
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri Sep 08, 2017 8:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Equifax customer information leak
Replies: 711
Views: 96118

Equifax says info stolen. What's my best course of action?

[Thread moved into here, see below (Page 4). -- admin LadyGeek]

The equifaxsecurity2017.com site said that I "have been impacted".

What's my best course of action at this point?

Have enough credit cards, but I'll be shopping for a mortgage around the end of this year.

I'm assuming signing up for credit freeze and credit monitoring are the obvious steps - but there must be some details of other todos and perhaps also a best sequence of what steps to take.

Thanks as always,
Sunny
by Sunny Sarkar
Sun Jul 23, 2017 7:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Commuters (that drive), what do you listen to?
Replies: 60
Views: 5711

Re: Commuters (that drive), what do you listen to?

NPR local station, NPR One, or my favorite podcasts (also mostly NPR). Once in a while switch to favorite music CDs.
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How many tech devices do you have?
Replies: 74
Views: 8920

Re: How many tech devices do you have?

Have:
Laptop PC
iPhone
Chromecast
Apple TV (older version - don't need it, but the remote is a work of art)
Fitbit

Could easily get by with:
Chromebook
Chromecast
Cheaper andriod phone
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jun 13, 2017 9:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best windows based laptop
Replies: 24
Views: 3106

Re: Best windows based laptop

Dell XPS 13
by Sunny Sarkar
Sat Mar 25, 2017 5:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card [Update]
Replies: 442
Views: 94093

Re: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card

Switching to this card. 2.5% is best in the market.
Was using 2% Fidelity card & Citi double-cash.
by Sunny Sarkar
Sat Oct 22, 2016 8:51 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Latest Jason Zweig article on DFA: Making Billions With One Belief: The Markets Can’t Be Beat
Replies: 21
Views: 6153

Re: Latest Jason Zweig article on DFA: Making Billions With One Belief: The Markets Can’t Be Beat

Robert T wrote:In the grander scheme of things, consistent savings and staying the course are a much larger determinant of investment success than the use of DFA or non-DFA funds to achieve portfolio factor load targets.
This is precisely the reason I decided not to "tilt". My fear is I would "fall" when tracking error goes negative - I'd second guess the heck out of myself. If I've learned anything from 15 years of being a Boglehead, it's this: portfolio engineering is overrated, avoiding behavioral mistakes is where the money is.
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri Aug 19, 2016 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Building kid's credit history
Replies: 29
Views: 4525

Re: Building kid's credit history

Do it! Your children will be thankful. As a young adult with a credit history that originates from my early teenage years, I benefit from an excellent FICO score despite (being fortunate enough to) not having installment loans or debt. OP following up here... She's 13 now, and just yesterday she received a pre-screened offer from AmEx for the gold card. We had a good laugh. FWIW, she also has her own little investment portfolio that contains some of her favorites like Disney, Netflix, and Starbucks, in addition to a couple of strange things (daddy's choices) that start with a V. These mysterious 'V's have started to generate some very welcome questions from her. Driving forces: I immigrated to this country in my late 20s and "length o...
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Aug 17, 2016 11:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are you on Facebook?
Replies: 179
Views: 20777

Re: Are you on Facebook?

I grew up on the other side of the world, and people I care about are scattered all over the world geographically. I find facebook to be invaluable and indispensable tool for keeping in touch. Sure, the formula: "in-person > phone > email > social media" is true, but the magic of social media is that it's a push mechanism, i.e. I don't have any action item like sending an email or picking up the phone before I get to know the basics of a what's going on in a friend's life. It really works for me.
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Aug 17, 2016 10:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1413250

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

The more I look around investment options, the more I gravitate towards one simple index fund of funds.
The more I look around CC reward options, the more I gravitate towards one simple 2% cashback credit card.
:sharebeer
by Sunny Sarkar
Mon Jul 25, 2016 8:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Does buying international stock index make me a "market-timer'?
Replies: 13
Views: 2413

Re: Does buying international stock index make me a "market-timer'?

MikeT wrote:I have 25% of my household portfolio in cash awaiting allocation tomorrow.

If I increase my percentage of international stock, does that make me a "market timer"?
Yes.

Why? Because...
MikeT wrote:In my gut, I do feel the USA stocks will fall (perhaps based on the presidential election).
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: new Fido Visa card & mint.com
Replies: 5
Views: 1798

Re: new Fido Visa card & mint.com

On a different but related note: curious about why do you use Mint instead of another account consolidation software like Yodlee (direct from Yodlee or inside your Vanguard/Fidelity account)?
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jul 12, 2016 9:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: new Fido Visa card & mint.com
Replies: 5
Views: 1798

Re: new Fido Visa card & mint.com

Ok - they must have added that recently then. I knew about Elan and Fidelity Rewards and looked for all that - even called Fidelity about it, and they had said it wasn't set up yet. Will try again.
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: new Fido Visa card & mint.com
Replies: 5
Views: 1798

Re: new Fido Visa card & mint.com

I was unable to add the Fido visa card to Mint.com
What is the name under which the card appears in the Add New Account search, and which login credentials did you have to use? Fidelity login?
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri May 27, 2016 10:44 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?
Replies: 7203
Views: 1413250

Re: What's Your Credit Card Rewards Strategy?

TOJ wrote:Simplicity, like my investments. The single card that offers the most cash back for all purchases, year round. In my case, it's the fidelity 2% visa.
+1

Another under-appreciated feature of this card is auto-redemption... every month the cashback gets auto-deposited/invested to my daughter's 529 account like clockwork... zero action items.
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri May 27, 2016 12:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living without a checking account
Replies: 48
Views: 6977

Re: Living without a checking account

I've used only a brokerage account with check writing facility and it worked just fine.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB122645109077719219
(scroll down to the "Alternatives to Banks" section at the bottom)
by Sunny Sarkar
Tue May 24, 2016 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FICO Score - Can You Explain This
Replies: 25
Views: 6882

Re: FICO Score - Can You Explain This

Sheepdog wrote: Penfed Visa 860
I thot the ceiling was 850. Aw shucks... now my fico-ego is deflated :oops:
by Sunny Sarkar
Sat May 07, 2016 11:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Outrageous Index Funds
Replies: 12
Views: 3113

Re: Outrageous Index Funds

In my first job, we had an ING administered 401k which sported a small cap index fund with an ER of 2.11%, and this is before the other fees charged by the 401k to the participants. :oops:
by Sunny Sarkar
Thu Apr 28, 2016 9:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Financial Impotence - difficulty living below means
Replies: 14
Views: 2790

Re: Financial Impotence - difficulty living below means

The Wizard wrote:Unfortunately, this article has been discussed already and locked as being OT:
viewtopic.php?t=189553
In my humble opinion, unless our forum wants to characterize the whole field of behavioral finance as other peoples' stupidity, we should not block these kind of conversations. It's too judgmental. Looked at it this way, everything from mental accounts to low insurance deductibles can be judged as "stupid" - so we shouldn't discuss them? :oops:
by Sunny Sarkar
Thu Apr 28, 2016 8:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Financial Impotence - difficulty living below means
Replies: 14
Views: 2790

Financial Impotence - difficulty living below means

There is an article on The Atlantic that challenges our general opinion on this forum that living below our means is a choice. It talks about how many Americans despite making a middle class income (even upper middle class income) are not being able to make ends meet. It puts the price tag of being able to pull out $400 in case of an emergency at annual $130k annual income. The article was also featured on NPR yesterday...
The Secret Shame of Middle-Class Americans
Nearly half of Americans would have trouble finding $400 to pay for an emergency. I’m one of them.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/arc ... me/476415/
Thought you'd be interested.

Best wishes,
Sunny
by Sunny Sarkar
Fri Apr 01, 2016 11:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cordcutters - Playstation Vue
Replies: 30
Views: 5490

Re: Cordcutters - Playstation Vue

A short Sling TV review:

Cord cutter here for almost 5 years now - over the air channels plus netflix. Recently added Sling TV sports package to watch international soccer and cricket. Good price, but terrible streaming quality - constantly goes down to low resolution and buffering. Never HD. Not happy at all.

p.s. I have 50mbps Fios internet and AC wifi router - so that's not the bottleneck.
by Sunny Sarkar
Wed Mar 30, 2016 9:24 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: No Intl. DM, Just Intl. EM? [International Developed Markets, Emerging Markets]
Replies: 23
Views: 3871

Re: No Intl. DM, Just Intl. EM? [International Developed Markets, Emerging Markets]

higher expenses to gain exposure abroad... Regarding the cost drag of emerging markets, there's much much more beyond the usual suspects... The bad news is that if a nation’s economy grows at x% per year, per-share earnings and dividends do not also increase at x% per year—they increase at (x% - y%) per year, where y% is the amount of share dilution. ... In a recent volume of Journal of Investing, Larry Speidell and three coauthors used our algorithm to measure dilution in several emerging markets, and their results were eye-popping: double-digit dilution rates—as high as 30%—in most Asian markets. In Latin America, which has had a harder time of it economically, dilution was in line with Western levels. What does 30% annualized dilution m...