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2tall4economy

Pick up some books if you're really curious. There's actually a huge body of research and knowledge on this in the HR world. It's hard for people who haven't been in all roles to understand where the line is drawn (and truthfully, that line is murky anyway) but the books help tremendously. Philosoph...

2tall4economy

you're only losing cash because of the financing, not because of the fundementals. If the cash out of pocket is a concern then refinance it. It's a fundementally sound investment.

2tall4economy

My current day job is CFO of a subsidiary of a Fortune 10 company, and in terms of likely growth before retirement, the only two options are CFO at a larger sub or CEO of the current (or larger) sub, either of which I would welcome. I recently posted on these boards about my midlife / existential cr...

2tall4economy

I've worked at a start up (4th employee) that was built and sold, a 1,500 person company, and a fortune 10. You can always join a small company in a decent job if the big company doesn't work out. The opposite isn't true. That's all you need but if you want more, keep reading. Small companies let yo...

2tall4economy

Wth respect to my countrymen, you should completely ignore the advice of most of the people on these forums who are from the country which has more anti middle eat sentiment and ignorance than any other I've known. I used to be the same way until I left the USA and got some international experience....

2tall4economy

It was an appraisal report for the rugs, but no way to know if the merchant was the guy doing the appraising or not. It was left with the rugs to be shipped along with them (I couldn't take the rugs on the airplane with me). It wasn't included

2tall4economy

Yes, nothing in writing. I did have something in writing but it the merchant "accidentally" forgot to include it in the mail when he mailed the art (silk Turkish Rugs in this case)

2tall4economy

I tend to use my credit cards to easily categorize my spending and get rewards, but from time to time I need to reverse the charges against a merchant for double charges and fraudulent charges. Recently I purchased some art objects based on the assurance that it would meet a certain appraised value....

2tall4economy

I'd keep it. I also own a bunch of rental properties and some of them look like yours on paper. I'd say it's a very average example of an average rental property investment. Depending on your fully loaded expenses it could be beating or tieing the stock market (because rental returns are after infla...

2tall4economy

There are two discounts. The friends and family ("supplier") price and the employee price. Employee price is better and is generally only allowed for immediate family by there are occasionally (like once in 3-5 years) times when this price is generally available. Both are fixed and are wri...

2tall4economy

Spark cash from capital one. 2%?cash at time of purchase, auto redeemed whenever it crosses $25 threshold as a credit to your bill, has not fx fees, low annual fee, and a chip for oberseas travel. Best card out there. The only better deal is having X number of specialty cards and using them at diffe...

2tall4economy

If you're on the fence about land lording buy a duplex live in one side and give it a whirl then sell it when you relocate. I land lorded from afar once. I don't recommend it. But don't let the work scare you off. being a landlord, if you don't buy in the ghetto, is one of the lowest effort things I...

2tall4economy

I'm cheap. A skinflint. A tightwad. However, I pay for door to door moving services ever since college and I've moved over a dozen times in as many years, mostly international by not always. Not sure if the quantity of moves affects my philosophy or not, but this is definitely one of a handful of th...

2tall4economy

The flaw is that you are ignoring the initial tax deduction and that multiplication is commutative. If the tax rate in retirement is equal to the tax rate when a deductible contribution is made all earnings in a tIRA (including capital gains, and qualified dividends as well as ordinary dividends, o...

2tall4economy

Recently I was advising my brother with a decision on whether to cash out his tIRA to pay down some punishing debt or not and realized he would more or less be better off never investing in a tIRA again. It got me thinking about Roth's My wife retired in her early 30s with low six figures in her 401...

2tall4economy

I'll be the odd man out here but I think anyone in your position (young, no kids or only one kid, moving for work, still early in accumulation phase) should strongly consider buying a duplex with the rock bottom 3.5% down payment and renting out the other side. I did it when I was 26 years old and h...

2tall4economy

either buy the $600k house now and rent out some rooms or buy the $200k house now, progress in your career, then buy the $600k house and rent out the $200k house

2tall4economy

401k -> hsa/backdoor roths -> emergency fund -> mortgage/taxable

i want to like 529s enoguh to invest in them but I've looked into all the details and run the numbers many times and I just can't see a scenario where they are better than a taxable investmentbecause they are so inflexible.

2tall4economy

I went into engineering since I liked stem subjects and it paid the best. When asked why I chose engineering, I told professors and the other members of my class it was for high pay. If say 50% of the class admitted to the same. Then I got my masters in EE because it wa worth an extra $10k starting ...

2tall4economy

DaleMaley, The map colors weight all UHMW individuals from $30M to $1B+ the same. $30M seems like a pretty low bar to be lumped in with Warren Buffet Billionares. I'm curious where the really super-rich live. Did your Investment news magazine reference a source for other maps with numbers of say $1...

2tall4economy

just buy VTSAX... the fees saved will make up any AA issues.

2tall4economy

Another vote for Bose. I have the in-ear version because I don't want to carry bulky items with me every time I travel (which is a lot) and they work more or less perfect. If something isn't drowned out I just turn up the volume of what I'm listening to a notch and it goes away. Over ear would proba...

2tall4economy

Disappointed by the first world problem jabs. Quite frankly the more money I have the fewer places I can discuss it openly and this is one onthe safe places without judgement , but not with that kind of posting. Anyway... I went through / am going through something similar to op. It started last yea...

2tall4economy

Q1. Does your family (parents, siblings) know about your net worth (ball park figure)? After it passed $500k or so only 3 people of ~20 immediate family know. Q2. Do you know their net worth? In very rough terms for immediate family yes, but mostly because I'm the "financial guru" in the f...

2tall4economy

I went to a po-dunk high school, an above average (but public) state college in STEM and didn't think too hard about it (I went where the application process was easiest - believe it or not). Didn't get a big name employer but did have multiple offers upon graduation and I got hired at a *very* good...

2tall4economy

what idiot bank didn't put a floor on their interest rates. They deserve to go out of business.

2tall4economy

I'd say your use of the land is open and notorious. That's enough for you to have gotten it as a "squatter" I think. But I'm not a lawyer.

2tall4economy

This can be really expensive or really cheap. And, for the most part, it's out of your hands (at least on the first child). If your wife is anything like mine or any other wives of anyone else I know, she will no doubt have very strong opinions on baby clothes / toys / furniture / etc... and good lu...

2tall4economy

Live in the rental, rent the primary. Add more rental properties. The value of my rental properties are 10x the value of my home. Cut life insurance, you don't need it, invest the premiums. Don't buy a new primary residence (unless it's on your list of "luxury" items that you don't worry a...

2tall4economy

I. Can't add anything specific to your situation but your high and low plan are very normal in the fortune 500 world. The high plan is more or less an exact Match to my employer.
This will be the new normal if it's not already.

Hsa and high deductible caps to the rescue.

2tall4economy

We were in Germany for three years mid 2009-2012. Companies got a lot stingier after the financial crisis and given the slow down in the Euro zone I would expect both housing allowances and any "ex pat" bonuses to be a lot smaller. Frankly, ex pats are the low-hanging fruit when it comes ...

2tall4economy

Pardon spell - I'm on an iPhone. I've spent half my professional career working outside the usa. However, I worked for a U.S. company and was paid in Usd. That said, I've recoeved job offers from direct employers that are non usa based so I've gone through it before. To answer your questions at a hi...

2tall4economy

There lots of reasons to own vs rent which are non financial. Financially though it's really easy to decide what's best. Houses have a P/E ratio too, which is sale price / 12 * monthly rent. Rule of thumb - If that ratio is below 10 you should clearly buy because renters are way overpaying. If it's ...

2tall4economy

Forgive my spelling as this is coming from an airport on an iPhone. Unfortunately for many, the business world needs math and hard science primarily. I work for a fortune 10 and hire/fire at most levels, in most departments. Here what I can tell you. I'm targeting the best career compensation wise t...

2tall4economy

I'd never own a Japanese car, ever. Do your research to confirm but the quality gap is perception and not reality (certainly model by model there are a few outliers but in general). Quality is the baseline for competitiveness nowadays. However, the market prices still reflect the perception that non...

2tall4economy

Pay off the debts first. No reason not too. Too many unknowsns if you wait.

The 46 spouse can keep working if they feel nervous, which I would be too if I didn't expect to get 50% upon divorce since the lions share is the 57 year old and 500k that the 46 has isn't enough to retire on.

2tall4economy

Coming from an extended family where fully half are or were officers (not me) and an enlisted grandfather, I personally think you're crazy - they'll treat you like dirt and constantly make fun of you, plus its a terrible financial decision unless you're paid very little currently, and going there to...

2tall4economy

I don't travel a lot and I don't spend much in legitimate expenses so for me it has to be almost all manufactured spend and I prefer cash bonuses to miles. Over many years I've done this a few times but it gets tedious and merchants and cards have implemented rules to make it more difficult. They a...

2tall4economy

14% of gross income goes to rent; not including bonus. By the looks of things, NYC is expensive. Owning is basically out of the question around here. My wife (then girlfriend) and I lived in Manhattan for a few years after living in a lower cost area of the Midwest. When we left the Midwest we: Sto...

2tall4economy

I've got most all of you beat - I pay: $0 pi $0 taxes $0 utilities $0 insurance $0 maintenance $0 hoa And I live with just my family in a luxury home vs on a base with a bunch of people. And for that matter I have a car with the same cost breakdown. Of course I'm cheating though - im an expat and it...

2tall4economy

Not sure why people don't know about it but capital one has had a 2% cash back (at time of purchase) auto-deposit card for years now. And it only costs $59. And it has no fx fees.

Spark 1 cash.

2tall4economy

http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/01/13/the-shockingly-simple-math-behind-early-retirement/ That link has a good take on it. I'm lukewarm on that site for the most part (too penny pinching) but the thinking turns the question on its ear and is a much better way to think about it. What you should ...

2tall4economy

I'm 75 25 in favor of usa; no bonds. Of the 25, 100% is emerging. I'm just not convinced there is any gas left in declined former empire markets with socialist employment policies. Certainly the German and French companies operating now do well, but when was the last time a new blue chip emerged fro...

2tall4economy

My employers plan allows me to put after tax contributions in it to hit the maximum each year. The costs are low and the funds are cheap, and I fully intend to do a mega backdoor into a Roth ira, but the problem is I can only do that when I retire or exit my employer and I have at least 5, maybe ten...

2tall4economy

*people might answer with links saying the %-tile cutoffs are precisely X or Y% of households, but AFAIK there are significant methodological issues in nailing it down precisely; it's much harder than for top 1% reported taxable income which comes right from IRS' data; nailing down high percentiles...

2tall4economy

Man, am I ever glad I saw this poll!! I only got 5% this year in my 401k, which is the worst I've ever done vs the S&P (I only track vs S&P annually for simplicity) and naturally assumed I completely borked it. My 401k allocations spent most of the year as: 20% Mid Cap (ARAIX) 30% Small Cap...

2tall4economy

$12million has always seemed like a nice number to me. It's one of those numbers that I feel like once I hit it, I could sleep well with 100% stock or 100% bonds. I can keep my expenses low and use less than 1% of That being said, I don't think I'll hit it. My total yearly income right now is about...

2tall4economy

I have less than $1M invested and doing very well......nice cruises and other vacations annually, new cars regularly, nice home, lots of entertainment and restaurants.. It is according to where you live and your particular expenses. I live in a low cost area. (example, $200 K homes here may be sold...

2tall4economy

As bobk has pointed out many times, and I agree with: IMHO the focus on " the number" is silly. You need to focus on what a yearly source of income, which you need to cover your needs and some extras to be comfortable and be secure and comfortable in retirement. The discussion of "th...

2tall4economy

mptfan wrote:If my number is $2 million, which option should I select?

I'll go ahead and assume you'll earn $0.01 of interest on that money the next morning, so you can choose $2M - $5M

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