Bogleheads.org

bottlecap

Generally, don't fix small leaks. Certainly not for $1,500 a pop. If you are tempted to do these things that dealers tell you, stop taking it to dealers.

To drive an old car, you've got to become savvy about these things. Otherwise replace every 10 years. Or lease.

JT

bottlecap

MathWizard wrote: ↑
Sat Oct 13, 2018 4:13 pm
J C Penny's

Just what I was thinking.

JT

bottlecap

A welcome relief from the 400% increase since it's enactment, no doubt.

JT

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The Pilots and Highlanders look so much like minivans nowadays, that you might as well consider one. But I do think that the Sienna is the only offering in AWD.

JT

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All the times when I've almost died, I've actually almost died. Lol.

Glad to hear the autonomous emergency braking works in a pinch. I do wish it wouldn't go off from approaching vehicles on narrow roads.

JT

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Most of the statements are hard to dispute. If their conclusion is that the central bankers are the problem, however, the solution of giving them more power is laughable. And there is no early warning system. If there were, few economists would agree on what it was. And those on the Federal Reserve ...

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I’ve never felt guilty, in part because I don’t tell people how much I make, how much I spent on my wife's engagement ring, and only take two weeks of vacation a year anyway. But if I did more than these things, I still wouldn’t feel guilty. Contrary to popular belief, what you earn is yours and you...

bottlecap

bobcat2 wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:34 pm

bottlecap wrote: ↑
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:09 pm
Yup. I was talking about his conclusion in the original link.

JT
The conclusion in the two articles is the same. The metaphors employed are the differences in the two articles.

BobK

Conclusion is different from theory.

JT

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I'm not sure there is anything to discuss. Much of it is self-evident. My two thoughts are 1) that the author puts way too much faith in the effect of small caps and 2) it weird to say in one breath that target date funds treat every the same regardless of age and in the next say that different allo...

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Paul Romer blog post on economic growth. People are reasonably good at estimating how things add up, but for compounding, which involved repeated multiplication, we fail to appreciate how quickly things grow. As a result, we often lose sight of how important even small changes in the average rate o...

bottlecap

A worthwhile purchase. Android Auto is crap, though. Even worse than Apple Carplay. I woould just get a unit with a decent Bluetooth feature. You can still advance through songs and such on the unit. I also did not find having navigation on the screen was worthwhile. It was easier to use the phone. JT

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Paul Romer blog post on economic growth. People are reasonably good at estimating how things add up, but for compounding, which involved repeated multiplication, we fail to appreciate how quickly things grow. As a result, we often lose sight of how important even small changes in the average rate o...

bottlecap

Have you tried using a double edge safety razor? Razors are cheap :) No thanks. I used those cheap double-edged safety razors before discovering the Mach 3. It's not just that the Mach 3 has 3 blades, but the way it's spring-loaded cartridge functions. Try it out and you probably won't go back. If ...

bottlecap

Ah, to be so young and so certain again....

I miss those days!

JT

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We had someone side swipe our parked vehicle when they backed out of a parking lot. And drove off. $3,000 worth of damage. 3 weeks in the shop. Insurance paid for the damage and the 3 week rental under collision. I don't know whether it makes mathematical sense, but insurance sure made my life a lit...

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I disagree that it's so clear cut you can afford a $75k vehicle. One market downturn and all your nice looking figures are gone. You could be close to 50, have a $350k paid off house, a sub $600k retirement fund, and no job. Then that $75k car is going to feel like a bad decision. At least that's w...

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I disagree that it's so clear cut you can afford a $75k vehicle. One market downturn and all your nice looking figures are gone. You could be close to 50, have a $350k paid off house, a sub $600k retirement fund, and no job. Then that $75k car is going to feel like a bad decision. At least that's wh...

bottlecap

I do not believe that becoming a diplomat is or should be a financial decision. It is a completely different life for both you and your family, immediate and extended. Either you really want it or you don't. Money should little to do with this decision. Since the money is an issue for you, I would ...

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madbrain wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 04, 2018 11:31 pm

bottlecap wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 04, 2018 9:19 pm
Not like moving to Tennessee would.
Yeah ? Why don't you post the costs for the bronze plans in TN ?

Oh, they are similar to the OP, as I've indicated.

But you did not read my posts. And you are not familiar with the market in Tennessee. I’m not talking about ACA plans.

JT

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I recommend getting an HDHP+HSA plan. Use the money you saved on premiums to put towards the deductible and HSA. You will find that the prices the OP is quoting are HDHPs. At leas they are in my area. JT Just checked coveredca.org in California in my zip code for family of 4 with OP family's ages, ...

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alter wrote: ↑
Thu Oct 04, 2018 3:15 pm
I recommend getting an HDHP+HSA plan. Use the money you saved on premiums to put towards the deductible and HSA.

You will find that the prices the OP is quoting are HDHPs. At leas they are in my area.

JT

bottlecap

It's coming at the end of 2019. You heard it here first.

JT

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Health insurance costs have become outrageous, and the cost hits especially hard for the self-employed and small businesses. It is largely controlled by government regulation now. Let your representatives know you are unhappy with the current course, directly and indirectly. In the meantime, short t...

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Isn't it a good idea to invest 10-15% of portfolio in well known, famous unicorn companies that are pretty commonly known? Now obviously market timing and stock selection does not work. However... These two statements are not compatible. If you believe stock selection doesn't work, you have your an...

bottlecap

Welcome. You've come to the right place. Most of use don’t know the ticker symbols, however, so you should revise your post with the full names of the funds. I did look them up. A typical three fund portfolio is Vanguard Total Stock Market, Vanguard Total International Stock Market, and Vanguard Tot...

bottlecap

I would not wear brown shoes and a brown belt with a black suit.

JT

bottlecap

He's ignoring facts that are obvious.

But who cares? It’s your decision when to retire. Don’t listen to anyone else.

Nothing is guaranteed in life. Especially retirement.

JT

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"2 days after closing". You win. Unless they can show you knew there was an issue before closing.

And obviously, your state law matters, but this is just tough luck on their part. They can either buy new or get a home warranty. They did not.

JT

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Ding, ding, ding, we have a winner. Long term, this is bad for low income people. It drives out competition that can't absorb the increased labor cost as readily as Amazon, increases the cost of doing business, and increases the ROI of automation and of outsourcing to other countries. Net effect - ...

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Amazon will not benefit unless it is successful in establishing a federal minimum wage that competitors and mom and pop stores can't compete with. That's the crazy like a fox part. Walmart supports higher minimum wages, too. It drives out competitors who can't compete. The idea that simply raising w...

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The conclusion is that actually the emergency fund's point is not what you said. It's not here to avoid selling when the market goes down. It's to avoid selling altogether when you need to spend money on something that you did not expect. Regardless of the market level. I trimmed to narrow it down ...

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Do you have evidence that AMTRAK was forced into this deal unwillingly? If not, why do you care? Businesses do things because they think it will benefit them. There is no reason to be concerned if it does or not. In this deal, it seems like you are also the one paying - exchanging your precious time...

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Well, if market had tanked 40% in 2017 or after your withdrawal, wouldn't you be glad? No one has Crystal ball so you did what's best for you under those circumstance. Well said - your post offers an excellent perspective for all of us! This is not true. Just because somebody does something doesn't...

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Somehow we all got into this idea that banking show be free. Then when the bank sets guidelines as to how much money you need to keep in an account to avoid charges (and so that they don’t lose money providing you an account), we then deem it "stupid." Any other business that had a product that was...

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Somehow we all got into this idea that banking show be free. Then when the bank sets guidelines as to how much money you need to keep in an account to avoid charges (and so that they don’t lose money providing you an account), we then deem it "stupid." Any other business that had a product that was ...

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Market timing is moving money in and out of the market based on your guess as to whether the market is heading up or down. Having an emergency fund is knowing that occasionally the market goes down - way down for periods of years - and also knowing that you need to eat while it does. Please explain ...

bottlecap

Apparently drawing seniors' business to the bank isn't as profitable as they initially thought. Such policies are pretty standard.

You can't really expect them to apply the rules to everyone else but you, can you?

Find a better deal, I guess.

Good luck,

JT

bottlecap

I think you're right. Extra principal payments is the winner, hands down.

Good luck,

JT

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Just make your uninsured claim.

You can try for diminished value, but don't hold your breath.

JT

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The short answer is because politicians, the Fed, and many economists believe that they can successfully reguate the economy through such measures and eliminate (or "smooth out") booms and busts. It just doesn't work well in practice. JT Others have different opinions and conclusions. Of course the...

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I don’t think it’s sad. It’s normal. In, fact, it's great.

Sears is just the name of a company that provides goods. If they don’t do it well they go out of business and are replaced by another company with another name.

And consumers are better off.

JT

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Sometimes childish stunts violate federal law.

Hopefully this instills some maturity.

JT

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I hestated to post earlier. But new girlfriend, both have kids, and moving in sounds like a really bad idea. I would slow down, not have her move in at all, and decide down the road if you are compatible, financial or otherwise. Then have the money talk. Then perhaps a marriage/commitment talk. What...

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It's a waste of your time, but feel free to meet with them if you have nothing better to do.

JT

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The short answer is because politicians, the Fed, and many economists believe that they can successfully reguate the economy through such measures and eliminate (or "smooth out") booms and busts. It just doesn't work well in practice. JT Others have different opinions and conclusions. Of course the...

bottlecap

The short answer is because politicians, the Fed, and many economists believe that they can successfully reguate the economy through such measures and eliminate (or "smooth out") booms and busts.

It just doesn't work well in practice.

JT

bottlecap

You won't find a real answer here. Your calculation is far too simplistic on a number of levels, however. The most obvious being that incomes don't necessarily rise with inflation and, when they do, it's not necessarily at the same time or even commensurately with inflation. The next is that your pu...

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It may also have to do with lifestyles of the covered. The population is getting older, and 40% of American adults are now obese (in 1990, it was less than 15%). You could make a good argument that Americans have the worst lifestyles in the developed world. A quick google search proves this wrong. ...

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I think they're both commons dilemmas. I've cut out the rest of the post for brevity, not for any other reason. If you based subsidies on wealth, you have the same problem. People would hide wealth or store it in other forms that did not fit the ACA definition of wealth. The problem is that when yo...

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Never had a reaction. Never had the flu since getting the shot. I'll take my chances with a bad reaction rather than have the flu. YMMV.

JT

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