Search found 259 matches

by thatme
Fri Feb 09, 2024 1:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?
Replies: 115
Views: 10474

Re: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?

With all of that additional detail I would lean heavily towards UK. Top of the class at UK will still have a shot at mid-law in Nashville, KY, Cincinnati, etc... so you're not foreclosing a ton of opportunities. And if you don't end up top of the class at UK, you won't have had a great experience at Vandy so you'll have all of the debt and none of the fancier opportunities.
by thatme
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:55 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?
Replies: 115
Views: 10474

Re: Law School Debt: Is It Worth It?

I am enrolling in law school next year and am currently deciding where to attend. I have to decide between paying around 150k to attend a prestigious (T20) school with good employment outcomes or paying 30k at my state flagship university's law school that has decent but not great employment outcomes. I know there are a few lawyers on the forum. How did you think about taking on debt for your law degree? If you took on a lot of debt, was it worth it? What advice would you have for a mid-20s guy weighing this decision? Opinions and perspectives from non-lawyers also welcome. Background: Lawyer, went to a T14 school, did a few years in NYC Biglaw, now in-house at a F500 company. Married to someone who went to a T6 (HYSCCN) school (and was ma...
by thatme
Sun Nov 26, 2023 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pair of pricey college football tickets?
Replies: 70
Views: 8704

Re: Pair of pricey college football tickets?

So I did buy the pair of tickets ($1250)…and another one for my son because he loves Michigan football! So far no buyers remorse…we are all VERY excited! 🏈 With the game now over, I’m curious if you feel that the purchase was worth it. And if you think that your answer would be different if the game’s outcome would have been different as well. I'm a big OSU fan and spent big bucks for great tickets to the Peach Bowl last year against Georgia. We lost in the final 45 seconds. Bummed with the outcome, but the experience was totally worth what I spent, especially since I was able to go with my wife and we had a great few days in ATL. No regrets, and had I spent the money to go to Ann Arbor yesterday, I wouldn't have regretted it. Sometimes yo...
by thatme
Mon Nov 06, 2023 5:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pair of pricey college football tickets?
Replies: 70
Views: 8704

Re: Pair of pricey college football tickets?

Since THE GAME is in Ann Arbor this year I assume you're a U of M grad. As a result, I fully support you spending lots of money to watch the Wolverines lose to my Buckeyes.

Signed, an OSU alum who spent even more than what you're proposing to tickets to last year's Peach Bowl - which was a fantastic game until the last 45 seconds or so. No regrets, spend the money and have a good time.
by thatme
Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Re: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

Charlottesville, VA., home to UVA, great public school system, proximity to East Coast, mountains, hiking, MTB, good medical care, mid-range COL. 4 seasons w/o any extremes given location. I’ll add Staunton, Crozet, Roanoke, and Williamsburg. Charlottesville is definitely on the list. I almost attended UVA for grad school and really loved my visit there. It really stuck with me for the last two decades and an area I want to go and visit again in the next few years. I actually have been to W'burg and considered going to W&M. Very different than C'ville to be sure. Out of curiosity, looking at a map, C'ville is about 2.25 hours from DC. How far out from DC in the general direction of C'ville is considered commuting distance to DC? Maybe ...
by thatme
Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Re: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

MoonOrb wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 2:21 pm Lancaster, PA

Love that area. Areas west of Philadelphia, for example, around Gettysburg, definitely check many of the boxes.
by thatme
Mon Nov 06, 2023 7:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Re: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

Isabelle77 wrote: Sun Nov 05, 2023 11:57 am OP should clarify how much taxes should play into these recommendations. Illinois, Minnesota, and New York are all high tax states.
Taxes certainly matter but I don't think any of the states you listed are particularly high tax on a relative scale. I think of property taxes in VT/NH (for example) to be potentially disqualifying but haven't looked into it a lot at this point.
by thatme
Sat Nov 04, 2023 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Re: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

beardsicles wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:59 pm
stan1 wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:52 pm
beardsicles wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:48 pm Minneapolis/Minnesota has one of the highest Human Development Index scores in the world and is still relatively affordable.
Might there be a reason? Cold, snow, wind, blizzard for 3-4 months of the year lets people be locked up indoors to develop, but it would send me further south so I could enjoy things outside.
If Iowa City is suggested by OP, that suggests winter isn’t an issue. Plus, winters Minnesota aren’t anything like they used to be. Climate is changing fast.

https://climate.state.mn.us/recreation- ... er-warming

Yeah, winter isn’t an issue. Used to live in Chicago and while winter isn’t my favorite it’s not a dealbreaker.
by thatme
Sat Nov 04, 2023 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Re: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

like2read wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:50 pm Ft. Wayne, Indiana
Thank you, never been there but definitely seems like it would be something to consider.
by thatme
Sat Nov 04, 2023 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE
Replies: 103
Views: 10096

Small to Medium sized cities for FIRE

Lots of smart and diverse people here with a variety of life experiences so I thought I’d ask: What are some not too obvious places to consider for semi-FIRE in the US (wide geographic flexibility)? A bit of background - two small kids who will be in middle school so good public schools are probably the most important - don’t need to be the absolute best but likely needs to be better than average. My wife and I would like to make a move as kids enter middle school, preference for small or medium cities likely in the middle of the country somewhere in order to remain affordable. College towns are a plus as I’ve done some adjunct work before and could be something I’d like to pursue again - for example, Iowa City is somewhere we’re considerin...
by thatme
Fri Nov 03, 2023 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Farmland investment
Replies: 16
Views: 2160

Re: Farmland investment

Relatedly, rather than direct ownership, has anyone invested through Acretrader (or similar)? If you haven't looked into it, their business model is to sell shares of ownership in tracts of land and generally the existing farmer enters into a contract to keep farming, etc... the gist is that you get exposure to the asset class, a small payout each year from the rental income, and then appreciation at the end of the term (generally 5-10 years) when the land is sold - either back to the original farmer or on the open market. They take a management fee each year for managing the investment. The returns don't seem crazy (but they're not pitching them as being very high), and I haven't purchased any shares but thought it looked interesting and w...
by thatme
Sun Aug 27, 2023 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Approaching Home / Landowner to Sell
Replies: 10
Views: 1231

Re: Approaching Home / Landowner to Sell

I did this for some vacant land in an area where I wanted to build a cabin. I sent out ~5 letters and got three responses. One guy had a crazy valuation he wanted, the other was not actually vacant (it was just a separate lot attached to his cabin lot so he obviously didn't want to sell), and the third guy was receptive and ultimately I was able to buy his property. Once I purchased it, I started receiving inbound letters from those "we buy houses" people who wanted to buy the lot for ~1/3 of what I paid. They're just bottom feeders so if you approach the owner with a reasonable offer you might have some success and be able to differentiate yourself from them. Rather than calling, I might try to mail a letter if at all possible an...
by thatme
Sun Jul 09, 2023 9:04 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Trip to Amsterdam
Replies: 53
Views: 4364

Re: Trip to Amsterdam

My wife and I are going to Amsterdam around Xmas this year (not ideal timing as December is fairly cold and rainy, but it's the only time that works for us). In addition to the Amsterdam recs above, any must-see items in Germany to the south? We are planning to stay near Cologne for a day or two and really enjoyed previous trips to the German countryside/off the beaten path villages.
by thatme
Thu Jun 29, 2023 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is uninsured motor vehicle insurance a good idea?
Replies: 58
Views: 5490

Re: Is uninsured motor vehicle insurance a good idea?

My car insurance is clearly much more expensive than everyone else here - my UIM medical only coverage is more than $500/6 months. I assume it's having a teenage driver on my policy that is driving the astronomical cost but it's hard to say for certain. My wife had an at-fault accident about five years ago and that seems to still be "on her record", which obviously isn't helping things (she slid into the car in front of her on an icy road), but I might need to shop this around. Or is crazy expensive insurance just par for the course with a teenager?
by thatme
Sun Jun 11, 2023 2:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Learning Violin as an adult? 7 years, new recording
Replies: 350
Views: 60013

Re: Learning Violin as an adult? 6.5 Year update

One thought on playing with others: an orchestra I've played with before has an "open" night about twice a year where anyone can come and play with the orchestra (it's a fundraiser of sorts, I believe it costs $5 to sit in). It could be a no-commitment way to sit in with a group above your level and see what it's like. It's a fun two hours and there's a wide range of folks who show up to play.
by thatme
Wed May 17, 2023 8:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Significant Hail Damage (Auto)
Replies: 11
Views: 1288

Re: Significant Hail Damage (Auto)

livesoft wrote: Wed May 17, 2023 7:43 am It is unlikely that only your daughter's car had hail damage. She should be talking to her friends and colleagues about their hail damage situations and what happened with the claims of her friends and colleagues.
This is a good point. She has a close friend whose car was already totaled, but there were some extenuating circumstances (sunroof cracked followed by flooding from rain).
by thatme
Wed May 17, 2023 5:31 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Significant Hail Damage (Auto)
Replies: 11
Views: 1288

Significant Hail Damage (Auto)

We had a significant hail storm recently and my daughter's car was damaged. Unfortunately the damage is extensive - 2" hail, approximately 100 hail dents on all surfaces including the sides, cracked windshield, etc. The car is a 2011 Honda CR-V that I bought as her first car for $9500 in the crazy car market a few months ago. I made an insurance claim and have an inspection scheduled later next week. The insurance person I spoke with said that they would inspect the car and potentially cut me a check at the inspection. Does that seem right? I would have assumed that I would need to find a repair shop first, they would fix and bill, etc... but maybe hail is treated differently. If they offer a check on the spot and I accept, does that e...
by thatme
Fri May 05, 2023 9:10 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Land as Asset Class
Replies: 22
Views: 2027

Re: Land as Asset Class

i know Bill Gates and Buffett might own a fair bit of farmland but I found it interesting towards the end of a recent podcast of Tyler Cowen (Conversations with Tyler) with Kevin Kelly Kevin Kelly said at a certain point the Amish (who he said never sell farm land, only buy it) will be the majority owners of farmland in America, because they are continuing to have large families and do still farm (though many do other trades as well) and continue to have to move and buy up land. So in short, the Amish would be your competitors. That's an interesting point. I've read that the Amish will sometimes sell as they move from an area - the problem is that the land is owned collectively so it's not a simple buy/sell transaction, but not impossible....
by thatme
Fri May 05, 2023 9:08 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Land as Asset Class
Replies: 22
Views: 2027

Re: Land as Asset Class

I've read a number of posts where folks have inherited a piece of property and are debating about what to do, and generally the consensus is to sell it, would be better to apply the money to equities in the long-term. But I often read about the mega-rich investing in farmland or ranchland (think Bill Gates, Ted Turner). What's the play there? Is it a scale thing? They're so rich they don't actually care if they get the "best" return for their dollar? I can understand buying development ground in the area where a growing city is heading, but are there smart people writing and thinking about what the US is going to look like in 25, 50, 75 years in terms of population, food needs, etc, such that farm/ranch land well outside of popul...
by thatme
Thu May 04, 2023 5:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Land as Asset Class
Replies: 22
Views: 2027

Re: Land as Asset Class

alpenglow wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 5:10 pm I recently sold some raw land in VT that I held for about 15 years. The market seems very strong and I got a full price offer quickly at a price I never imagined possible just a couple of years ago. After factoring in taxes and maintenance (not to mention some grief), I would have done better with treasuries or CD's. Good luck.

That’s an interesting data point and consistent with what I’ve read from others. Out of curiosity, did you attempt to rent it out (either as farm or hunting ground presumably), or were you purely holding it for speculation purposes? Would there have been other opportunities to monetize it during the holding period that you didn’t pursue?
by thatme
Thu May 04, 2023 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Land as Asset Class
Replies: 22
Views: 2027

Re: Land as Asset Class

3funder wrote: Thu May 04, 2023 4:10 pm My take:

If you inherit land, that's one thing. Otherwise, stick with equities, unless you really know what you are doing.
I guess this goes to part of my question - why would the answer be different if you inherited it? It likely has a stepped up basis so it's a sunk cost fallacy to think you should hold on to it just because of how you acquired it.
by thatme
Thu May 04, 2023 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Land as Asset Class
Replies: 22
Views: 2027

Land as Asset Class

I've read a number of posts where folks have inherited a piece of property and are debating about what to do, and generally the consensus is to sell it, would be better to apply the money to equities in the long-term. But I often read about the mega-rich investing in farmland or ranchland (think Bill Gates, Ted Turner). What's the play there? Is it a scale thing? They're so rich they don't actually care if they get the "best" return for their dollar? I can understand buying development ground in the area where a growing city is heading, but are there smart people writing and thinking about what the US is going to look like in 25, 50, 75 years in terms of population, food needs, etc, such that farm/ranch land well outside of popula...
by thatme
Sat Apr 22, 2023 8:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who is right? Me or the wife? (Business class tickets)
Replies: 193
Views: 17803

Re: Who is right? Me or the wife? (Business class tickets)

Just wait if you ever get to fly private. Commercial, regardless of the class of ticket, is ruined forever. Flew private on a 90-minute flight, best experience of my flying life. Will never happen again. Ha! I have flew private quite a bit at one point, actually it was on VIP governmental aircraft so not really private but probably better. Even flew on the SAM 26000 which was the aircraft that took Kennedy to Dallas that fateful day (now in the museum of Wright Patterson AFB). Anyway as cool as flying that way was, it sure hasn't ruined international F and J for me. I'll say probably the best flight I have ever had public or private was flying Etihad Apartments on the A380. The shower as 40,000 was a nice touch though the Gulfstream 3 all ...
by thatme
Sat Apr 22, 2023 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 4 runner trd pro vs [Lexus] GX [vehicle comparison]
Replies: 22
Views: 2901

Re: 4 runner trd pro vs [Lexus] GX [vehicle comparison]

+1 on the GX. Have an 11-year old one with 135K miles. Extremely capable offroad, never been in something so good in the snow, but doesn't beat you up the way a truck or 4Runner will.
by thatme
Sat Apr 22, 2023 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Who is right? Me or the wife? (Business class tickets)
Replies: 193
Views: 17803

Re: Who is right? Me or the wife? (Business class tickets)

Ninjadoc wrote: Sat Apr 22, 2023 7:56 pm

She's right in that once you go business, you'll never want to go back.
Just wait if you ever get to fly private. Commercial, regardless of the class of ticket, is ruined forever. Flew private on a 90-minute flight, best experience of my flying life. Will never happen again. Ha!
by thatme
Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Re: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

tashnewbie wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 2:22 pm If you only have a week, I recommend something closer to Denver (I guess the Caribbean isn't that far).

I second the Costa Rica recommendation.

I also suggest going before or after Christmas, not the week of Christmas. You beat some of the crowds and have more flexibility if there's bad weather.

I'll look into CR, I don't really know much about it at all to be fair.

And technically we're planning the week following Xmas, but in my mind "Xmas" includes the week before and after.
by thatme
Mon Apr 10, 2023 10:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Re: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

Appreciate the feedback. I started looking into Maui after the rec above and I think that could be a great idea. Lots of previous threads with recommendations of what sounds like a great time
by thatme
Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Re: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

ScubaHogg wrote: Mon Apr 10, 2023 4:25 am
thatme wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 9:06 pm
We live in a city with a major international airport so we’d like to keep it to two flights each way, and we expect to be gone for a week.
What major airport will you be flying out of? Big difference in distance, flight availability, etc. between MIA/ORD/LAX and so on
Good point. Denver. I assume that we’ll need to fly to a hub (NYC, ATL, SLC) and then do a longer flight from there.
by thatme
Mon Apr 10, 2023 7:25 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Re: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

safari wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 11:31 pm I'd go to Southern hemisphere, where it's summer time. How about Australia or New Zealand?

These are both great ideas but I’ve always heard that if you’re going so far, two weeks is a must and I don’t think we have that kind of time unfortunately.
by thatme
Sun Apr 09, 2023 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Re: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

snackdog wrote: Sun Apr 09, 2023 9:09 pm How about Maui?
Good point, I should have mentioned that. I haven't been to HI but my wife has, and we wanted to go somewhere a bit more "exotic" for what it's worth. That said, HI could be a good option so if people think so, feel free to let me know why you would recommend it.
by thatme
Sun Apr 09, 2023 9:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!
Replies: 23
Views: 2344

Xmas vacation 2023 - recommendations welcome!

My wife and I would like to take a Christmas vacation this year, something we’ve never really done. Kids will be with grandparents so it’s just the two of us, and the occasion is to mark my wife’s 40th birthday. We’re leaning towards a beach vacation but open to something else but would probably be concerned about bad weather spoiling our fun. We live in a city with a major international airport so we’d like to keep it to two flights each way, and we expect to be gone for a week. Our initial idea is Aruba but we’re just starting to think about this. If you have Aruba recommendations please send them! Or reasons why that’s a bad idea, please send those too! While not absolutely required I have lots of frequent flyer miles on Delta, so somewh...
by thatme
Mon Mar 06, 2023 3:57 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Credentials for Berkshire Annual Meeting
Replies: 7
Views: 1451

Re: Credentials for Berkshire Annual Meeting

I had the same question and found the answer here: https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com/how ... l-meeting/

I chatted with Schwab and all of the instructions on that page made sense to them. They told me that the information should be available as of March 8, so I'll try back in a few days.
by thatme
Mon Mar 06, 2023 11:07 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buffett's 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter
Replies: 76
Views: 12137

Re: Buffett's 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter

A related question that I thought someone could help with: I want to attend the Berkshire annual meeting in May. I bought a single share of Class B stock last year in my Schwab account. Does anyone know how I get credentials for the meeting? Will I get something in my Schwab account? Someone to contact? I’ve been a Buffett fan forever but never owned any BH stock until now. I really want to attend the meeting while him and Charlie are still in good health. Thanks all! Answering my own question in case anyone else has the same question in the future: https://www.theinvestorspodcast.com/how-to-attend-the-berkshire-hathaway-annual-meeting/ I checked with Schwab and this information can be received on their website absent calling under "C...
by thatme
Tue Feb 28, 2023 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: US Civil War Books: Enlisted Soldier's Experience
Replies: 11
Views: 1166

Re: US Civil War Books: Enlisted Soldier's Experience

Here are the ones I’ve seen recommended over the years but never actually read myself (yet):

The Life of Johnny Reb: The Common Soldier of the Confederacy (Conflicting Worlds: New Dimensions of the American Civil War) https://a.co/d/c1GhbA0

The Life of Billy Yank: The Common Soldier of the Union (Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series) https://a.co/d/dGCMLeb
by thatme
Sun Feb 26, 2023 6:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Buffett's 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter
Replies: 76
Views: 12137

Re: Buffett's 2022 Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Letter

A related question that I thought someone could help with: I want to attend the Berkshire annual meeting in May. I bought a single share of Class B stock last year in my Schwab account. Does anyone know how I get credentials for the meeting? Will I get something in my Schwab account? Someone to contact? I’ve been a Buffett fan forever but never owned any BH stock until now. I really want to attend the meeting while him and Charlie are still in good health. Thanks all!
by thatme
Wed Feb 08, 2023 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Forgot to include 1099-R
Replies: 3
Views: 865

Re: Forgot to include 1099-R

Thanks for the feedback!
by thatme
Tue Feb 07, 2023 5:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Forgot to include 1099-R
Replies: 3
Views: 865

Forgot to include 1099-R

I filed my taxes last week and thought I included everything. I had three retirement contributions last year: (a) Backdoor Roth, (b) regular pre-tax 401(k) contributions, and (c) post-tax 401(k) contributions that are auto-converted to Roth (I believe this is a "Mega Backdoor Roth" but it occurs automatically. I received a 1099-R from Schwab for my Backdoor Roth and included that correctly. After my return was accepted, I received another 1099-R from Schwab for $12K in post-tax 401(k) contributions I made directly via payroll deductions, which is also administered by Schwab. Since this is all post-tax money and there are no tax consequences, will there be adverse consequences if I don't file an amended return? Will it impact me wh...
by thatme
Wed Jan 04, 2023 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All Inclusive Resort for Kids?
Replies: 14
Views: 2613

Re: All Inclusive Resort for Kids?

Thank you everyone - some good recommendations in here, I'm checking them out. I'm also amazed at how expensive this all is. Wow. I had some vague idea when my wife mentioned it, but given that the nicest hotel I've ever stayed in (other than work travel) was $200/night, this is a bit of sticker shock.
by thatme
Tue Jan 03, 2023 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: All Inclusive Resort for Kids?
Replies: 14
Views: 2613

All Inclusive Resort for Kids?

My wife is very interested in doing a "big" beach vacation next summer for our family of 8 (two adults; six kids ranging from 3-16). We are not interested in going on a cruise but have thought about the possibility of an "all inclusive" resort, which I understand is similar to a cruise, just in a single location. Any feedback on these types of resorts and/or recommendations? It seems like Mexico and/or the Caribbean are the most popular places where these sorts of resorts exist, and my wife seems to like the international aspect of it, but if there's something in Hawaii or elsewhere we should consider, I'm all ears.
by thatme
Sun Dec 18, 2022 3:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Move from Target Date Funds?
Replies: 15
Views: 2191

Re: Move from Target Date Funds?

My wife and I are finally in a position to do some taxable investing and I'd like some advice. To date, our portfolio breaks down as follows (%s of the total across all accounts): His 401K - Vanguard 2050 TD (VFIFX) - 47.8% HIs Roth IRA - Vanguard 2050 TD - 6.5% Her 401K - Vanguard 2050 TD - 24.2% Her 403b - Vanguard 2050 TD - 9.9% Her Roth IRA - Vanguard 2050 TD - 6.5% Joint Taxable - SWTSX (Schwab Total Stock Market) - 5.1% We're maxing all of the tax-advantaged accounts, and we should be in a position to continue growing the taxable going forward. Since I feel like we're a bit behind (ages 40/38), I was inclined to overweight equities a bit and keep putting any extra funds in SWTSX, and leave all of the tax-advantaged stuff in the 2050 ...
by thatme
Sun Dec 18, 2022 3:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Move from Target Date Funds?
Replies: 15
Views: 2191

Re: Move from Target Date Funds?

I'd suggest you think seriously about the role your taxable account would play in your FIRE plan. Because if you would be planning to actually withdraw significantly from your taxable account, you are potentially exposing yourself to a bad sequence of real returns. You can potentially do things like sell fixed income assets in your tax-deferred to buy more stocks as you are selling stocks in taxable, but that doesn't necessarily really fix the problem, including because now you might then also be exposing the next phase of your financial plan to SORR. And the predictable lifetime tax consequences of doing it that way are not necessarily as favorable as some seem to think. Of course without a lot of details, I don't have any specific advice...
by thatme
Sun Dec 18, 2022 9:05 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Move from Target Date Funds?
Replies: 15
Views: 2191

Re: Move from Target Date Funds?

I was going to mention I-bonds too. They should be thought of having tax efficient bonds in taxable space. Taxes are due only if you sell them, or they reach maturity 30 years later when you are of ages 68 and 70 respectively. And unlike bond funds, they never lose principal. Given that you can buy only $10k per person per year, move fast to buy this year's complement before December 29th. Treasury Direct requires 1 business day to fulfill your order, and this year December 30th is the last business day. So if you haven't already bought I bonds, you should open Treasury Direct account, link Bank account, place the order and fund the purchase - all before 29th December. Hurry!! This is not like Roth IRA that you can fund until the tax deadl...
by thatme
Sat Dec 17, 2022 9:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Move from Target Date Funds?
Replies: 15
Views: 2191

Move from Target Date Funds?

My wife and I are finally in a position to do some taxable investing and I'd like some advice. To date, our portfolio breaks down as follows (%s of the total across all accounts): His 401K - Vanguard 2050 TD (VFIFX) - 47.8% HIs Roth IRA - Vanguard 2050 TD - 6.5% Her 401K - Vanguard 2050 TD - 24.2% Her 403b - Vanguard 2050 TD - 9.9% Her Roth IRA - Vanguard 2050 TD - 6.5% Joint Taxable - SWTSX (Schwab Total Stock Market) - 5.1% We're maxing all of the tax-advantaged accounts, and we should be in a position to continue growing the taxable going forward. Since I feel like we're a bit behind (ages 40/38), I was inclined to overweight equities a bit and keep putting any extra funds in SWTSX, and leave all of the tax-advantaged stuff in the 2050 t...
by thatme
Sun Dec 04, 2022 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should we make a substantial move for better schools (and better weather?)
Replies: 44
Views: 4784

Re: Should we make a substantial move for better schools (and better weather?)

As someone who has been contemplating something similar, one resource that I've found to be pretty good is the US News High School rankings system: https://www.usnews.com/education/best-high-schools/rankings-overview I think it's better than Great Schools, and more data driven. Overall, good elementary schools will feed into good junior high schools, and into good high schools, so I like it as a decent proxy for school quality. The public high school I attended has gone somewhat downhill over the last 20 years but is still ranked ~5500 nationally, and the high school my kids go to is ~3000. It has all of the AP courses, good test scores, etc... but it's not sending kids to Harvard every year (or really very often at all). As a result, when ...
by thatme
Thu Nov 24, 2022 6:53 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accepting payment for vehicle, out of state buyer
Replies: 33
Views: 2293

Re: Accepting payment for vehicle, out of state buyer

Couple hours to receive a wire depending on when it is sent. If it gets sent after noon, it can be hit or miss whether it arrived the same day.

Sounds like the way you did it worked just fine.
by thatme
Tue Oct 11, 2022 5:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: buying into bungalow colony with no price history
Replies: 47
Views: 5694

Re: buying into bungalow colony with no price history

We bought some property in a small mountain community a few years ago. The state is one where no published real estate sale amounts are available, but you can typically find out the previous asking prices, etc… and realtors tend to have good info on what things ultimately sold for. You may want to try a local agent or two and see what they can tell you (even if lots of these are sold with no brokers, you’d be surprised what they learn). Ultimately we decided to buy the property because we liked it and it was scarce (very few sales, most are passed down within families). A few months later, the property two lots down from ours, which was very similar, came on the market for $25K more than we paid. That went under contract in a weekend which ...
by thatme
Mon Oct 10, 2022 9:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: buying into bungalow colony with no price history
Replies: 47
Views: 5694

Re: buying into bungalow colony with no price history

I’ve never heard of anything like this, but is this the sort of thing you’re considering: https://www.brickunderground.com/blog/2 ... munity?amp
by thatme
Wed Aug 31, 2022 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Sell Rav4 Prime at a huge profit??
Replies: 20
Views: 2823

Re: Sell Rav4 Prime at a huge profit??

For what it’s worth, I’ve seen Vroom a fair bit higher than Carvana recently so you may want to try there.
by thatme
Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: International House Swap
Replies: 6
Views: 902

Re: International House Swap

That's a good point. We'd be okay with 3-4 weeks of a swap and then doing a VRBO for an additional 1-2 weeks to see a different part of the country, but definitely something to keep in mind.
by thatme
Tue Aug 23, 2022 9:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: International House Swap
Replies: 6
Views: 902

Re: International House Swap

Thank you both for your feedback and experiences. I really resonate with what was said about being able to experience a place as more of a local than as a tourist, which is exactly what we're looking for. My wife lived in Switzerland for a time years ago and I've debated looking for an expat position in Germany or somewhere similar, so we'd like to use this as an opportunity to spend an extended time in Europe to determine where it's really something we want to pursue (and if we decide we don't want to, then we will still have spent a month in Germany!).