Search found 411 matches

by danwhite77
Wed Feb 05, 2014 7:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: BoA Cash Rewards (1.5%+) Privileges VISA - worth a look?
Replies: 14
Views: 2404

Re: BoA Cash Rewards (1.5%+) Privileges VISA - worth a look?

I'm a CapOne Quicksilver user. 1.5% back on everything no fee and rewards automatically credited to my statement in real time. I love it.
by danwhite77
Mon Feb 03, 2014 7:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on Pet Insurance- Dog??
Replies: 17
Views: 2578

Re: Thoughts on Pet Insurance- Dog??

I'm related to a veterinarian and their take on pet insurance is that it's not worth it. Generally speaking the premiums are high because people that take out insurance on their pets are more likely to seek out medical care for their pets. Just one person's $.02.
by danwhite77
Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Withdrawal Roth IRA to pay down student loans
Replies: 9
Views: 1219

Re: Withdrawal Roth IRA to pay down student loans

I, too, am occasionally overcome with the desire to completely alter our family financial makeup in order to quickly pay off student loans (although in any scenario, I would never incur a 10% penalty). I haven't done so, yet, instead I just weight any new money towards paying off debt. So, for example, recently I decided that whatever money is left over after expenses I would put towards student loans at a higher percentage than the amount put it in any new savings / investments. I would pay off the loans gradually (not all at once) by putting any money left over at the end of the month towards the highest interest rate loan, rather than incurring a penalty on investments to get rid of them.
by danwhite77
Thu Jan 23, 2014 7:06 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Taylor's 90th Birthday
Replies: 272
Views: 43233

Re: TAYLOR'S UPCOMING 90th BIRTHDAY

Happy birthday!
by danwhite77
Wed Jan 22, 2014 8:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Done with School (Finally). Want Savings to be a Priority
Replies: 7
Views: 978

Re: Done with School (Finally). Want Savings to be a Priorit

I am 100% equities, but I would caution that you should only consider such an allocation if you can tolerate watching your account balance plunge by 50% or more. The year 2008 was not much fun for those of us 100% in equities and recency bias with all the gains of the years since has more people thinking about that allocation. Right now it's easy to embrace 100% equities, on the way down it's very, very hard. I think for 95% of the passive investor population, the target date funds are probably the best way to go (as another commenter recommended).
by danwhite77
Fri Jan 17, 2014 1:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Rule of 752 [savings tip]
Replies: 8
Views: 2326

Re: Rule of 752

I had dinner with MMM a few months ago. Great guy. Most Bogleheads would love him. He makes me look like a spendthrift though. Early retirement is great, if that's what you want. If you actually can find a job you like, I think it is more enjoyable to work and loosen the spending reins considerably. I do support him in that he spreads the gospel of Vanguard. That said, he really has multiple jobs. He's a blogger, carpenter, landlord, he fixes his own car, etc. I know that he calls people like me the "Internet Retirement Police" but the fact that he came up with a catchy acronym doesn't mean they're (we're) wrong. But again, I do think he's a positive influence overall since he advocates for being thrifty and investing in index fu...
by danwhite77
Sun Jan 05, 2014 11:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Very unhappy with my Fidelity 401K Fund Availability...
Replies: 27
Views: 4893

Re: Very unhappy with my Fidelity 401K Fund Availability...

You don't like Fidelity's 401(k) options?

Neither do their own employees!

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/23/retirem ... y-lawsuit/

:D
by danwhite77
Sun Dec 22, 2013 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: OTA HDTV - Best antenna to use?
Replies: 54
Views: 14600

Re: OTA HDTV - Best antenna to use?

For anyone else reviewing this thread without the constraint of wanting the antenna inside your room, the Antennas Direct DB8e is the Cadillac of OTA antennas. Works great inside, outside, or in your attic. You can pull stations from about 100 miles away, depending on your geography. I highly recommend it from personal experience.

http://www.antennasdirect.com/store/DB8 ... tenna.html
by danwhite77
Sat Dec 21, 2013 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Climate Denial R Us
Replies: 4
Views: 1019

Re: Climate Denial R Us

Can you please provide a link directly to the page on the site that has the information you're describing? Thanks.
by danwhite77
Fri Dec 20, 2013 11:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Bogleheads Guide to Investing" 8 years ago.
Replies: 6
Views: 1273

Re: "Bogleheads Guide to Investing" 8 years ago.

Taylor Larimore wrote:
"While some mutual fund founders chose to make billions, he chose to make a difference."
Wow. The dedication could not be articulated better. That is absolutely phenomenal. This sentence perfectly communicates what all Bogleheads owe Jack Bogle. In fact, people that still have the billionaires manage their money owe Jack as well, even if they don't know it, because Vanguard forces the other fund managers to lower fees. What Bogle did was transformative.

I'm looking forward to another year of being a Boglehead!
by danwhite77
Tue Dec 10, 2013 5:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Financial decisions to start a business and family (edited)
Replies: 36
Views: 3443

Re: 145k in student loans, 255k in investments, and UNK Futu

That's a great legal job in the current market. Don't leave unless you are *absolutely* sure you can line up something better.
by danwhite77
Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paid off Mortgage today!
Replies: 56
Views: 6791

Re: Paid off Mortgage today!

goodenyou wrote:Congratulations on the "new status symbol". I did the same, but I wish I didn't feel like I was now renting my house from the taxing district :oops:
A good problem to have! :D
by danwhite77
Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on having kids?
Replies: 101
Views: 7728

Re: Thoughts on having kids?

Cue Lady Geek shutting this puppy down in 3 . . . 2 . . . 1 . . . :happy
by danwhite77
Wed Dec 04, 2013 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Thoughts on having kids?
Replies: 101
Views: 7728

Re: Thoughts on having kids?

Only people that want to have kids should have kids, of course.

I'd just like to point out to the childfree people that you're lucky your parents didn't feel that way!

My four kids are the most important part of my life. Having a child is the greatest gift of time, energy, and money that parents ever make.

Sometimes the return on investment can't be measured in dollars and cents.
by danwhite77
Tue Dec 03, 2013 3:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity vs Vanguard
Replies: 44
Views: 15586

Re: Fidelity vs Vanguard

bengal22 wrote: Both Fidelity and Vanguard are motivated to satisfy and meet the needs of their CUSTOMERS.
Not to get too technical . . . well, okay, to get too technical, Fidelity is motivated to satisfy the needs of (and thereby profit from) their CUSTOMERS. Vanguard is motivated to satisfy the needs of their OWNERS.
by danwhite77
Tue Dec 03, 2013 2:33 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity vs Vanguard
Replies: 44
Views: 15586

Re: Fidelity vs Vanguard

I'm a Vanguard investor. Here are two of my reasons: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/23/us-fidelity-debt-idUSTRE7AM2HX20111123 http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/23/retirement/fidelity-lawsuit/ When you invest with Vanguard, you own Vanguard. When you invest with any other company, the company's management may or may not have your best interests in mind. It's impossible to overstate the importance of this ownership structure. http://vanguardblog.com/2010/03/25/yes-virginia-we-are-client-owned/ "Unlike all other mutual fund companies, Vanguard is client-owned. The clients who put their dollars in our mutual funds are the owners of those funds. And those funds, in turn, own Vanguard. The bottom line: Vanguard does not make a profit from...
by danwhite77
Tue Dec 03, 2013 8:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Finishing a Basement
Replies: 30
Views: 4401

Re: Finishing a Basement

One other thing I would suggest is that instead of doing a drop ceiling and reducing head height, go with one of those home grid systems that screw right to the floor joists. They offer the same benefits as a drop ceiling allowing you to remove panels to do work but only take away about 3/4" of your head height. It really makes a big difference in how open a room feels by not loosing six inches (or more) of head height to put in a drop ceiling. They work with just about any style of ceiling tiles so you can still get the look you want. Would you mind elaborating on this grid system? Can you recommend a product? Down the road, I will probably finish my basement and like you, I would like to keep access to as much of the underside of th...
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 27, 2013 7:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: RSS Feeder for Apple
Replies: 1
Views: 228

Re: RSS Feeder for Apple

I don't know if it can handle forums but I use an MBP and I love the web based RSS reader Inoreader.
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 25, 2013 10:29 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Over weighting Real Estate
Replies: 13
Views: 1747

Re: Over weighting Real Estate

I had to chuckle when I had the thought that probably most everyone who owns a house is overweight real estate. A home is, after all, usually the single biggest asset most people own. Not everyone, of course, and I don't mean to say OP is in that situation. For me, personally, I don't hold a single REIT share right now but my house is about 29% of my overall portfolio. Now that, to me, is pretty overweight for a single asset!
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 25, 2013 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What now? Everything maxed
Replies: 14
Views: 2535

Re: What now? Everything maxed

Looks like you have things well in hand. My only comment concerns your emergency fund. You mention that it's in a checking account. Is that a high yield checking account? I keep a relatively minor amount in the checking account and the larger emergency fund amount in an Ally high yield (whatever that is anymore) savings account (under the FDIC max). It's nice to get something (if not much) in return for parking the emergency fund with them.
by danwhite77
Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One Quicksilver: 1.5% reward, thoughts?
Replies: 98
Views: 277541

Re: Capital One Quicksilver: 1.5% reward, thoughts?

will98683 wrote:
Oh, yes. CapOne is far from unscrupulous and not a financial institution.
Sure, they're all scum. But I don't have to put any money into CapOne to get 1.5% cash back. The same is not true for Fidelity. Lesser of two evils . . . two lesser evils, perhaps. At least with CapOne I can keep every available penny in Vanguard instead of diverting cash to Fidelity to qualify for their card.
by danwhite77
Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital One Quicksilver: 1.5% reward, thoughts?
Replies: 98
Views: 277541

Re: Capital One Quicksilver: 1.5% reward, thoughts?

Anyone out there have any experience with the Capital One Quicksilver credit card? 1.5% reward on all purchases, no limits. Thoughts? At 1.5% flat cash back, the Capital One Quicksilver is indeed the best VISA rewards card out there right now. Not true. The Fidelity VISA gives 2.0% cash back on all purchases except for the first $15,000 annually, on which it gives only 1.50% cash back. So, if you charge less then $15,000/year then the Capital One Quicksilver card and the Fidelity VISA card are equivalent, but if you charge more than $15,000/year then the Fidelity VISA is superior. There is no configuration for which the Capital One Quicksilver card is superior to the Fidelity VISA card, so it is the Fidelity VISA card that is indeed the be...
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 20, 2013 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: huge Apple fan here BUT....
Replies: 28
Views: 4319

Re: huge Apple fan here BUT....

A friend of mine had a disappointing experience with a Surface 1 several months ago. As a technical matter, it ran fine and he found it kind of neat. The problem for him was the difficulty in getting media on the device. He tried to buy a movie and couldn't get his credit card to go through. He called tech support, eventually they "fixed" the problem from their end by inputting his credit card information. After hanging up with tech support, he tried to download the movie again and still couldn't. He returned the Surface and bought an iPad mini with which he's been very happy. So his anecdotal experience was not positive, but he returned the Surface out of frustration and might've liked it had he stuck with it.
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 18, 2013 9:15 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Replacing US Total Market by BRK-B
Replies: 35
Views: 7110

Re: Replacing US Total Market by BRK-B

I guess I'm on the other side of the fence as compared to most bogleheads. While I do have some US large cap Vanguard index funds, about half of my US large cap exposure is in BRK.B (an allocation which I'm currently increasing via dollar cost averaging). I have read all of his letters to shareholders (from 1977 on, the years before 77 are harder to obtain), I understand the businesses, and I believe the company will be in good hands with Ted and Todd after Warren is no longer in charge. My reasoning is akin to your own posted at the outset - I view BRK.B as a collection of companies that are largely the cream of the large cap crop. My expectation (maybe hope) is that Berkshire will outperform the S&P 500 on a go forward basis by a perc...
by danwhite77
Sat Nov 16, 2013 5:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity: The Secret To Becoming A Retirement Millionaire
Replies: 15
Views: 3717

Re: Fidelity: The Secret To Becoming A Retirement Millionair

Kulak wrote:
danwhite77 wrote:Yeah, but I would add to this "and invest in low cost Vanguard funds, not Fidelity funds".....
When I had a Fido 401k, some Spartan funds had lower ERs than their corresponding Vanguard funds. (Of course, I doubt the Spartans would exist without Vanguard, and I remember right Fidelity was subsidizing them.) Also, FDIVX (which I owned) had an ER of 1% but consistently trounced VGTSX.
Yeah, but Fido never offered me their 20% loan special.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/ ... HX20111123
by danwhite77
Sat Nov 16, 2013 4:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity: The Secret To Becoming A Retirement Millionaire
Replies: 15
Views: 3717

Re: Fidelity: The Secret To Becoming A Retirement Millionair

Wagnerjb wrote:From the article:
As it turns out, there is no big secret. You just have to start saving earlier, throw a whole bunch of money at your retirement accounts, and stay in equities for a long time.
Just like the Bogleheads have been saying all along :D
Yeah, but I would add to this "and invest in low cost Vanguard funds, not Fidelity funds".....
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 13, 2013 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: I had "that" conversation yesterday with my CEO
Replies: 19
Views: 3823

Re: I had "that" conversation yesterday with my CEO

deanbrew wrote:
indexfundfan wrote:
deanbrew wrote:I was thinking ER'ing had something to do with an emergency room. Either working there or going in on a gurney. I did figure it out. :)
There is another longer term -- FIRE. See if you guess it right. :wink:
The only "FIRE" I can think of is the abbreviation for a category of employment: Finance, Insurance and Real Estate. But I'm pretty sure that's not what you mean.
When I first saw the term, I had the exact same thought as you.

It's Financial Independence / Retire Early or "Financial Independence and Early Retirement" if you're more permissive with your acronyms.
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Dying with $1 in Pocket
Replies: 52
Views: 4841

Re: Dying with $1 in Pocket

A good message, but I think you're preaching to the choir here.
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 13, 2013 9:14 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tweet from Vanguard Executive
Replies: 6
Views: 1554

Re: Tweet from Vanguard Executive

grok87 wrote:
jerome99 wrote:"When rebalancing within taxable accounts, consider selling assets at a loss or minimal bain to minimize tax impact"

Should much focus be on the above. Seems like good logic, just unsure exactly how and when to execute.

Thanks!
How can I sign up for these tweets?
If you are not yet a twitter user, head to www.twitter.com and sign up

Then follow @Vanguard_Group
by danwhite77
Tue Nov 12, 2013 12:06 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Yahoo! Finance Displaying Incorrect S&P 500 Index Data
Replies: 5
Views: 799

Re: Yahoo! Finance Displaying Incorrect S&P 500 Index Data

Buysider wrote:Any one notice an issue with Yahoo Finance since the new website launched? Now, "real time" prices appear to be 5 minutes ago. This refresh looks awful to boot, I may need to find a new financial services website ...
Recently, I've found Yahoo's intraday prices to be more accurate than google's. Frankly, I had expected the opposite. I'm actually enjoying the update although it definitely soaks up more browser resources.
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Need to choose a 529 - Live in CA (no state tax benefits)
Replies: 16
Views: 2426

Re: Need to choose a 529 - Live in CA (no state tax benefits

jah wrote:I too live in CA. I narrowed down my search to the Utah and Nevada (vanguard.com) plans, and finally decided to go with the Nevada plan. Nothing against the Utah plan - it is one of the best - but wanted to keep the 529 funds in the same place as my retirement funds. I also set aside a bit of money for the kid's college expenses in I-bonds.
I also went with Nevada. I chose Nevada over the phenomenal Utah plan because of the incredible variety of Vanguard funds and my trust in Vanguard.
by danwhite77
Wed Nov 06, 2013 9:16 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard implements 20 character passwords
Replies: 69
Views: 14661

Re: Vanguard implements 20 character passwords

neurosphere wrote:
Clever_Username wrote:Well, they aren't (yet) accepting correcthorsebatterystaple as a password, but it's still a step in the right direction.

This is great news; thanks for letting me know.
Awesome. Here is the source of the reference for those who don't know it:
http://xkcd.com/936/
Doesn't everyone know that reference? Or is someone here one of today's lucky 10,000? :happy

http://xkcd.com/1053/
by danwhite77
Tue Nov 05, 2013 8:27 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: should you invest in BRK?
Replies: 19
Views: 3045

Re: should you invest in BRK?

rayout wrote:1 share of BRK.B is all it takes to get a discount on my car insurance through Geico so thats all I hold :)
GEICO's "good driver" discount, which you can receive after a certain period of time during which you aren't involved in any accidents, is an even better discount. If you think that you might qualify, you should call and ask if there are any discounts better than the shareholder discount for which you qualify. I, for example, hold BRK.B shares but do not get the shareholder discount because we qualify for the "good driver" discount (and the discounts are not cumulative).
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 04, 2013 11:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 28 yr old with $200k cash to invest... Advise?
Replies: 9
Views: 2278

Re: 28 yr old with $200k cash to invest... Advise?

I'm 36 and I've been 100 percent stock since about when I was your age (I feel very old saying that). It's been a heck of a ride but as long as you can stomach a 60% loss in the short term you'll do well in the long term. Just don't panic.
by danwhite77
Mon Nov 04, 2013 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 250k Student Loan Payment Schedule
Replies: 67
Views: 12061

Re: 250k Student Loan Payment Schedule

Take it from someone further down the same road you are on, pay down the loans as quickly as possible. The IBR / PAYE / etc. loan repayment options are a terrible "Plan A" and frankly there is nothing that will prevent the Federal government from doing away with the programs at any time.

While contributing some modest amount to your retirement, make priority number one to pay the loans off as quickly as possible.
by danwhite77
Fri Nov 01, 2013 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Feeling like I am forced to contribute more to retirement?
Replies: 82
Views: 9170

Re: Feeling like I am forced to contribute more to retiremen

I have recently found myself trying to push myself even further at the expense of my liquid assets to keep up with the posts on this board about everyone maxing every account and having taxable accounts. Do *not* try to keep up with the Bogleheads Joneses. People that come into eight figure windfalls post here. There will always be someone with more cash than you until you are Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, or Carlos Slim. Just do whatever you feel is the best decision for you personally and remember that many people that are knocking on the door of retirement don't have emergency funds, let alone 401(k)s, etc. Also, I've always viewed Bogleheads posting details such as maxing out accounts as a positive. That is, it's encouragement to do the ...
by danwhite77
Fri Nov 01, 2013 9:42 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Vanguard 529 plan expense ratio reductions
Replies: 6
Views: 1276

Re: Vanguard 529 plan expense ratio reductions

nyblitz wrote:Thanks for posting the news - yay! The cost is even lower!

Personally, I really like not having to remember yet another password.

And I trust Vanguard.

The Aggressive Growth at 70% Total Stock and 30% Total International at 0.21 in a 529 is perfectly reasonable for me.

Can understand why others would make different choices.
Agreed on all counts. Utah, which is the 529 that I would use if Vanguard didn't have a plan, is obviously phenomenal. Most of my friends that have opened accounts use Utah. I would, too, but the breadth of Vanguard fund offerings in the Nevada 529 seems to be unmatched.
by danwhite77
Wed Oct 30, 2013 10:38 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Real Estate vs Equities
Replies: 15
Views: 2093

Re: Real Estate vs Equities

It's not a horrible idea, it just requires a lot more work than passive investing. I don't believe it's accurate to say real estate has a much lower return than equities. In the long run, I'd expect them to more or less even out. I second much of what KyleAAA said. It's not for me, but for people willing to put in the time to learn a market and then as a landlord, they can be successful enough at it. I think the key is to buy in a real estate market that has some chance to appreciate in the future (Palo Alto, NYC, SoCal, etc.). I think the people that are most commonly successful in real estate investments usually have some sort of "angle." By that, I mean that they're real estate agents (so it's their job to know the market), or...
by danwhite77
Tue Oct 29, 2013 4:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Moving all of your funds out of Vanguard
Replies: 75
Views: 9052

Re: Moving all of your funds out of Vanguard

dbr wrote:
pinecrest wrote: There's no question that Vanguard index funds overall are the cheapest on planet Earth.
In this context that is probably true. However, in 401K plans there can be investment trusts that are even cheaper, and the funds in the Federal government TSP are cheaper. I had an SSgA S&P fund in my 401k with an ER of 0.01%. Those low cost funds don't include anywhere near the range and variety of choices offered by Vanguard. It is granted that once having reached the levels available from Vanguard there is not much point in worrying the issue any more either.
FWIW, Fidelity's employees seem to have a rather low opinion of their own 401(k).

http://money.cnn.com/2013/09/23/retirem ... y-lawsuit/
by danwhite77
Mon Oct 28, 2013 3:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Moving all of your funds out of Vanguard
Replies: 75
Views: 9052

Re: Moving all of your funds out of Vanguard

Thanks, I agree with you in regards to selling my Roths to cash and then moving them out as cash, which is probably what I'll do. My W/W holdings make up the majority of my accounts so that introduces complexity to the whole situation, which isn't ideal. I'm going to give Vanguard another call to talk about what's happened and discuss all of my options with them. I've already spoken with Fidelity but it sounds like I'll need to schedule something with them as well regarding my W/W holdings and the ability to transfer them to investor shares. I really dislike the idea of paying $75/sell transaction so that alone would probably mean not moving anything until they've become LT. If you're headed to Fidelity, be sure to ask about their 20% guar...
by danwhite77
Mon Oct 28, 2013 2:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Can We retire now ?
Replies: 24
Views: 5054

Re: Can We retire now ?

You could try early-retirement.org, too. Also, you might want to create a summary rather than putting your data in drop box.
by danwhite77
Mon Oct 28, 2013 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Army First Lieutenant unwilling to open TSP account
Replies: 71
Views: 8674

Re: Army First Lieutenant unwilling to open TSP account

THIS IS INSANE! A TSP account is unarguably one of, if not the , best retirement savings vehicles available to any person in the United States (and possibly world). They measure expense ratios in the thousandths of percentage points. To refuse to take advantage of this incredible benefit of working for the Federal government is just plain nuts. If it helps, I worked for the Federal government for only one year. I knew I would work for the Feds for only one year. I opened up a TSP account. I still have that account today, having opened the account in 2004. The TSP is probably the only retirement savings vehicle that I prefer over Vanguard. In fact, I haven't rolled out of the TSP account, it's still there. The expense ratio is just incompara...
by danwhite77
Wed Oct 23, 2013 7:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Cash back on credit cards
Replies: 29
Views: 6339

Re: Cash back on credit cards

The 1.5% you can get on Capital One is about the best thing going. Also, the cash you get is "tax-free" (assuming you pay off your card every month in full and don't carry a balance). I am fortunate that I can use my cards for business and prioritize as follows: Capital One, 1.5% cash back, unlimited amount. Fidelity Card, 1.5% cash back, deposited directly into a Roth IRA, up to $1500 back a year On those two cards alone I charge enough to completely finance my wife's Roth. At $6500 per year now. Even in the 20% tax bracket, that is equivalent to an extra $8,000+ in income. Citibank Thank You, 1% cash back that I use to pay part of my mortgage. This may not be available to everyone and I cash in everytime I get $100 in the accou...
by danwhite77
Fri Oct 18, 2013 3:27 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard, Schwab or Fidelity [recommend a discount broker]
Replies: 31
Views: 5699

Re: Vanguard, Schwab or Fidelity [recommend a discount broke

Have both Vanguard and Schwab. I strongly prefer Vanguard.
by danwhite77
Fri Oct 18, 2013 11:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: One year of bogleheaddom
Replies: 29
Views: 3013

Re: One year of bogleheaddom

Congratulations and welcome to the Boglehead path!

And, yeah, definitely take care of that engagement ring debt ASAP! Warren Buffett put it best when talking about credit card interest - "If I borrowed money at 20% interest, I'd be broke!"
by danwhite77
Fri Oct 18, 2013 9:19 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: POLL: What is your rate of return YTD?
Replies: 89
Views: 8771

Re: POLL: What is your rate of return YTD?

I understand the discussion regarding the 20% or 5% YTD return.

Personally, I will take the 20% return on a portfolio regardless of size.
by danwhite77
Fri Oct 18, 2013 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Games which "teach investing"
Replies: 14
Views: 1831

Re: Games which "teach investing"

Maybe Jack Bogle is a lurker, here's an article where he's quoted regarding "6 tips from Jack Bogle on teaching your kids how to invest"

http://www.cnbc.com/id/101114651
by danwhite77
Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:41 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Example of What Charities Net
Replies: 25
Views: 2460

Re: Example of What Charities Net

I've been pondering the "efficiency" of different charitable organizations. I've found useful two sites that evaluate charities based on their use of donations for their cause:

http://www.charitynavigator.org/

http://www.charitywatch.org/
by danwhite77
Wed Oct 16, 2013 10:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Games which "teach investing"
Replies: 14
Views: 1831

Re: Games which "teach investing"

The Stanford Marshmallow Experiment evaluates, if not teaches, the most important aspect of investing - patience. It doesn't evaluate patience, it evaluates impulse control in a fairly specific situation. Many of those kids who eat the marshmallow can probably demonstrate patience when there isn't a tasty marshmallow (or similar tasty item they'd really like) in front of them. They probably can demonstrate impulse control in certain situations, too. To me, that's a distinction without a difference. "You can have one marshmallow now or two later" is roughly equivalent to "you can have one dollar now or invest that dollar in a low cost Vanguard index fund and have two dollars later." They are one and the same, the only di...
by danwhite77
Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Why are there so few attorneys on this site?
Replies: 48
Views: 3921

Re: Why are there so few attorneys on this site?

stoptothink wrote:
danwhite77 wrote:Because, in my extensive experience, lawyers are terrible with their personal finances and generally farm out management of their money to an overpriced financial adviser.
Physicians are notorious for being bad with money and fodder for financial advisers, never heard the same said about lawyers, yet there is a very significant population of physicians on this board.
Just trust me on this one. (Says the random, anonymous internet commenter.)

Further affiant sayeth naught.

:happy