Search found 1261 matches

by roymeo
Mon Dec 04, 2017 7:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Facebook's malware scan- legitimate or malware? Invasive?
Replies: 52
Views: 15732

Re: Facebook's malware scan- legitimate or malware? Invasive?

Facebook has had several rounds of chasing after people using stage names, drag names, etc. which I find remarkable considering the account I made for my neighbor's dog has never had a problem.
by roymeo
Fri Nov 03, 2017 4:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How to utilize newly available Vanguard funds in my 401K
Replies: 17
Views: 2618

Re: How to use newly available Vanguard funds in my 401K

Use. Utilize would be if you were making use of something that isn't ordinarily used for the purpose.

(Mostly I'm just wanting to watch the thread, needed to say something.)
by roymeo
Thu Oct 19, 2017 11:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Sitting on cash....Waiting for a crash
Replies: 175
Views: 36827

Re: Sitting on cash....Waiting for a crash

People are waiting for the real estate market in San Francisco to normalize---since the early 70's.
by roymeo
Wed Oct 04, 2017 6:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What's my next move? Clearly a novice at investing.
Replies: 16
Views: 2146

Re: What's my next move? Clearly a novice at investing.

Assuming you don't otherwise change your mind about the rate you're paying your mortgages (and I have no opinion on that):
Wouldn't it make more sense to push the extra mortgage payments onto the highest rate loan so it gets paid off sooner?
Once that's gone you can shift to the lower primary residence one. PLUS that way once the first is paid off you have less of a monthly obligation should some sort of emergency strike.
by roymeo
Tue Sep 05, 2017 3:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Funny/frustrating FedEx situation
Replies: 19
Views: 3938

Re: Funny/frustrating FedEx situation

Get a smaller card at a Motorola store and get your account swapped over there? That's what I did last time via AT&T.
by roymeo
Fri Sep 01, 2017 11:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What to do when a parent's money runs out?
Replies: 275
Views: 56318

Re: What to do when a parent's money runs out?

My wife deals with this sort of thing (and hoarders, also mentioned) professionally, and she hands out copies of this book to clients/families:

Tips for Helping Your Aging Parents: (without losing your mind)
by Kira Reginato
http://amzn.to/2xEmPiJ

McCharley wrote: Thu Aug 24, 2017 12:10 am Am I wrong to feel totally fed up?
Anyone who tries to tell you how to feel is probably not worth listening to. Especially internet strangers who try to tell you how to feel.
by roymeo
Wed Aug 30, 2017 7:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: First time getting into the market. DCA?
Replies: 14
Views: 1420

Re: First time getting into the market. DCA?

While I want to agree with Jack above (and I do in spirit), I also must admit that I watched the heck out of my accounts when they & I were newer. Having feelings about accounts with less in them than the weekly delta now. So be honest with yourself, and see how close you can get to just pulling the trigger. Maybe 50% and then X% every Y timeperiod if that makes you feel better.

In San Francisco there's a story about a guy who had money to buy a house but was waiting for the prices to go down again to reasonable levels. That was in the 70's and he's still waiting.
by roymeo
Wed Aug 16, 2017 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I put other jobs on my resume?
Replies: 14
Views: 1497

Re: Should I put other jobs on my resume?

What do you want to talk about in an interview? Put the things on your resume which will start those conversations, and any other backup/justification that you think necessary to show you have the skills enough to call to talk to.

YMMV of course, different professions have different standards. Plus the recruiters and hiring managers may have their own bias. Some people will toss anything with a gap, some people will toss anything with a typo, some people will toss anything over a page, etc.
by roymeo
Wed Aug 16, 2017 5:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Credit score dropped 100 points overnight
Replies: 31
Views: 6666

Re: Credit score dropped 100 points overnight

I'd certainly want to know what changed just to be aware if someone else has opened something, but I have to ask what credit score use you foresee needing in the near term?
by roymeo
Fri Aug 11, 2017 4:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How far would you travel to see The Eclipse?
Replies: 259
Views: 26321

Re: How far would you travel to see The Eclipse?

I'd "turn around".

(turn around bright eyes)
by roymeo
Fri Aug 11, 2017 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do not buy new cellphones on ebay
Replies: 54
Views: 9825

Re: Do not buy new cellphones on ebay

Sorry, I bought plenty of phones on eBay and Amazon from secondary sellers when I was responsible for a stable of 500+ mobile devices for software testing. You do have to know a bit about what you're buying--some of the makers made it very hard to figure out whether the version someone was selling was really for US, etc. Sometimes it was "hey seller, can you take a picture of the left-hand side of the box, cause that's the only place I can see the code i need to see".
by roymeo
Fri Aug 11, 2017 12:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4685355

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

It was Oct. 19th, 1987, not Oct. 9th. I grew up near the Falls Shopping Center in Southwest Miami. The story of someone going to the Falls, killing his broker, then himself soon after the Oct. 19 drop has fascinated me. Had the client taken the Bogle view of staying the course, or don't do something, just stand there, the client would have come out smelling like a rose within a year or two and beyond. The client probably got a margin call. What your portfolio can take when you're unlevered and long-only is way different than what it can handle levered. can you explain margin call in this context,please? When you own securities bought on margin (loan from brokerage) and the value of the investment falls below the amount borrowed, the broker...
by roymeo
Thu Aug 10, 2017 3:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4685355

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

Lenny Bruce is not afraid, and neither am I.
by roymeo
Mon Aug 07, 2017 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: NYT: Buy more takeout and hire a maid, study suggests
Replies: 36
Views: 7502

Re: NYT: Buy more takeout and hire a maid, study suggests

So, money can buy you (more) happiness?
by roymeo
Mon Jul 31, 2017 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non Stick frying pan
Replies: 73
Views: 10497

Re: Non Stick frying pan

Teflon still releasing enough toxic chemicals into the air it kills people's birds the first several times you use it?

Looks like it:
http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm ... 9&aid=2874
by roymeo
Tue Jul 25, 2017 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Life insurance as a tax diversification strategy
Replies: 39
Views: 3635

Re: Life insurance as a tax diversification strategy

Have we ever heard a story where an insurance salesperson looked at someone's financial setup and said "Nope, you don't need anything more."?
by roymeo
Wed Jul 12, 2017 6:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?
Replies: 142
Views: 26910

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

telemark wrote:Someone or other described war as long periods of boredom punctuated by brief moments of terror. Perhaps the same applies to investing?
Except you have to reconcile this with "“the market can stay irrational longer than you can stay solvent."
by roymeo
Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "Bond wipeout has just begun"???
Replies: 84
Views: 15109

Re: "Bond wipeout has just begun"???

Following in case this turns into a "US Stocks in free fall" thread.
by roymeo
Thu Jul 06, 2017 4:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it Safe to Get Your DNA Tested?
Replies: 86
Views: 14627

Re: Is it Safe to Get Your DNA Tested?

Wow, according to the numbers I'm seeing here Ancestry.com's expensive compared to 23andMe.com. And they're the ones that ended up working through the FDA regulations for some of the medically important ones.
by roymeo
Fri Jun 30, 2017 6:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Those who max 401k
Replies: 55
Views: 11086

Re: Those who max 401k

It has depended on my employment situation.
When I was making a lot more than my expenses on a contract that could end at almost any time I'd put a LOT on ASAP. (When that contract finally ended at the end of the year, the last paycheck came through for the next year, so I got almost none of it as I'd set my 401k percent to whatever the max was--80% or so.)
When the income/job is steady, I'll generally calculate it out and do an even amount every paycheck to hit the max at the end of year or shoot for less depending on my cashflow needs.
by roymeo
Mon Jun 19, 2017 10:04 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?
Replies: 142
Views: 26910

Re: Anyone else gotten totally bored with investing?

Yep. Though I keep my eye on whether the different funds get too far out of target, I've also been amazed at how much time I used to spend at that.
by roymeo
Fri May 19, 2017 11:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Convince me to get back into stocks!
Replies: 83
Views: 10389

Re: Convince me to get back into stocks!

What if the market goes up 25% before it experiences a 15% drop? That would be fine. All I want is for it to drop by 15 percent so i cam buy. lol.. you made my day In case you missed the poind here that entertained aqan so much: You've said that as long as the market drops by 15%, you'd buy--even if you were paying 10% more for the stocks than if you bought today. Would you REALLY rather pay 10% more than today's prices just for the satisfaction of a 15% drop happening too? I mean, sure, I wanted the satisfaction of turning off the light when I was 4 but someone else did it first so I turned it back on so **I** could be the one to turn it off, but I didn't end up with a sunburn from doing it. I understand the satisfaction, but I (almost) n...
by roymeo
Thu May 18, 2017 10:36 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Funny Letter [Canceling Escrow Account]
Replies: 39
Views: 8259

Re: Funny Letter [Canceling Escrow Account]

When purchasing, I didn't see anything pro or con enough either way so I just went forward with it.
After chasing them around for screwing up my taxes, calculating poorly, etc. money bouncing around when my loan was sold, I was ready to take care of myself when I refinanced. No problems since.
by roymeo
Wed May 17, 2017 6:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Convince me to get back into stocks!
Replies: 83
Views: 10389

Re: Convince me to get back into stocks!

It's never too late to come up with a plan.
by roymeo
Wed May 17, 2017 6:17 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4685355

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

They may have fixed that USA Today article, it now says "Thanks to the market's "Trump Bump," someone who had invested $100,000 in an index fund tracking the 500 largest U.S. companies on Election Day would have seen that money grow to $112,300 at the market's recent record high on May 15 after a 12.3% rally. But that same investor would have suffered a loss of roughly $2,044 in Wednesday's stock selloff which resulted in a 1.8% loss for the S&P 500 stock index."
by roymeo
Thu May 11, 2017 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: question about changing brokerage account
Replies: 8
Views: 1044

Re: question about changing brokerage account

I'm not sure that the right way to evaluate this is comparing his compensation vs. her profit.
by roymeo
Mon Apr 24, 2017 3:20 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Larry Swedroe says "Goodbye."
Replies: 445
Views: 80252

Re: Larry Swedroe says "Goodbye"

Munir wrote:Is anyone going to correct the word "goodby" in the title by adding an "e" at the end of it?
I did, but I guess I got too political in an observation on local events on a statement Larry made. Which I knew was probably out of place on Bogleheads.
by roymeo
Fri Apr 21, 2017 7:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: [Should I invest in an IPO?]
Replies: 11
Views: 2349

Re: [Should I invest in an IPO?]

Q: Should I invest in an IPO?
A: I don't think gambling counts as investment.

Q: Should I invest in individual stocks in my Roth IRA?
A: No.
by roymeo
Thu Apr 20, 2017 7:08 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Larry Swedroe says "Goodbye."
Replies: 445
Views: 80252

Re: Larry Swedroe says "Goodbye."

+1 on the good things.
by roymeo
Tue Apr 18, 2017 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing in company stock
Replies: 8
Views: 1030

Re: Investing in company stock

What's the hold period? I recommend taking advantage of any discount (AKA free money) as long as the holding period means you can sell it as soon as you buy it. if there's a waiting period then you have to do some longer term thinking and risk taking. I know every public company I've worked for has tended to drop in share price when internally things seemed to be going well and making sense, and prices go up when everything inside seems a wreck, so I don't trust my internal employee view. If you have the ability to risk, then you can consider holding longer...though if you have the ability to risk, why not buy some company stock on your own? If you don't already own stock in your company, don't let the offer of free money change your behavi...
by roymeo
Mon Apr 03, 2017 2:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Weird house buying experience
Replies: 123
Views: 13352

Re: Weird house buying experience

I've finished the first page of replies, I'm wondering:

Is this about $100, or $1000?


Did both the OP and the builder make a minor mistake in listing a number?

roymeo

(edit after finishing thread)
So the builder-agent actually provided some sort of price list for a bunch of items and that price list later changed? And most of the changes were in the buyer's favor?

What happens if that price list changes again in a month or 18?
by roymeo
Mon Mar 27, 2017 3:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help Overcoming a Lead Paint Phobia
Replies: 32
Views: 4445

Re: Help Overcoming a Lead Paint Phobia

And make sure your moonshine wasn't distilled in an old car radiator that had been patched with lead.
by roymeo
Fri Mar 24, 2017 1:31 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help Overcoming a Lead Paint Phobia
Replies: 32
Views: 4445

Re: Help Overcoming a Lead Paint Phobia

Also as has been reported in Oakland with lots of Stucco houses: watch out for people power-spray cleaning their exterior painted surfaces. And don't plant a garden right there where you just power-washed all the lead paint off the side of the house.
by roymeo
Wed Mar 15, 2017 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to do with all these passwords ?
Replies: 125
Views: 24070

Re: What to do with all these passwords ?

"What problem are you trying to solve?"
by roymeo
Fri Mar 10, 2017 4:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What to do with all these passwords ?
Replies: 125
Views: 24070

Re: What to do with all these passwords ?

LastPass Premium, and we just got LastPass Enterprise at work. And they integrate together so I can access either at work.

And I remember that moment after about 3 months of using LastPass where I realized I didn't care any more about what my passwords were...started making 26+ character random string passwords.
by roymeo
Fri Feb 24, 2017 6:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why own individual stocks?
Replies: 103
Views: 14683

Re: Why own individual stocks?

But if you're saying you beat the easy-to-construct hypothetical "If I bought X of the S&P on such-and-such a date in 2014" you can't really compare that to "I made a bunch of buys on different dates which eventually added up to X, plus there might be some other sell-n-buy with the money in there which i haven't mentioned."
Ignoring air resistance (and fees?).
by roymeo
Mon Feb 20, 2017 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why own individual stocks?
Replies: 103
Views: 14683

Re: Why own individual stocks?

Motley Fool used to be very much in line with the spirit of this board, and then it morphed into providing their own programs. Seemed to be a split between "here's what you ought to do" and "here's what makes an entertaining show and brings in subscribers".
by roymeo
Wed Feb 15, 2017 7:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Why own individual stocks?
Replies: 103
Views: 14683

Re: Why own individual stocks?

Because your employer gave them to you and you haven't had time to sell them.
by roymeo
Fri Jan 27, 2017 7:12 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The market knows, except for mutual funds
Replies: 39
Views: 4931

Re: The market knows, except for mutual funds

Bobo wrote:I read most of one article.
That does seem to put your suggestion on better footing than most investment schemes already!
by roymeo
Thu Jan 26, 2017 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: The market is on fire
Replies: 134
Views: 19024

Re: The market is on fire

DOW 20,000!!! But what's the makeup of the Dow today compared to 3, 5, 10, 15 years ago? Oh, they change it up to whatever's HOT? Great index to peg something to. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dow_Jones_Industrial_Average : On February 19, 2008, Chevron and Bank of America replaced Altria Group and Honeywell. Chevron was previously a Dow component from July 18, 1930, to November 1, 1999. During Chevron's absence, its split-adjusted price per share went from $44 to $85, while the price of petroleum rose from $24 to $100. On September 22, 2008, Kraft Foods Inc replaced the American International Group (AIG) in the index.[4] On June 8, 2009, General Motors Corporation and Citigroup were replaced by The Travelers Companies and Cisco Systems, th...
by roymeo
Thu Jan 26, 2017 6:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Requirements to change passwords frequently?
Replies: 42
Views: 4877

Re: Requirements to change passwords frequently?

dm200 wrote:I have dozens of login IDs and passwords! Keeping track and up to date is a chore!
I have a unique password for almost every account I have because I use modern tools!
by roymeo
Mon Jan 23, 2017 6:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Requirements to change passwords frequently?
Replies: 42
Views: 4877

Re: Requirements to change passwords frequently?

Requiring frequent password changes is a good way to push people to us LastPass or some similar password vault.

I remember how about 3 months into using LastPass I realized I didn't know or care what most of my account passwords were anymore.

This is ALSO something to think about before you go off and suddenly die leaving someone unable to get into anything that might make cleanup easier--I called the guy who did the 1st appraisal (foreshadowing) of my house for a re-fi and the phone was answered by his widow who told me he'd died suddenly and she didn't have access to anything.
by roymeo
Fri Jan 13, 2017 6:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thinking about leaving Ameriprise
Replies: 52
Views: 13023

Re: Thinking about leaving Ameriprise

Roman07 wrote:I trust myself to mess around with stocks, but handling my entire financial future is a little intimidating.
I believe you've got that reversed in which is harder to "guess right" on.
by roymeo
Thu Dec 15, 2016 6:34 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: U.S. stocks in free fall
Replies: 36221
Views: 4685355

Re: U.S. stocks in freefall

https://lygsbtd.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/the-graduate-plastics.jpg I've wondered, but I don't know how to find out... the more often I see that, the more I wonder whether it's intended to be a stock tip and/or a career recommendation, not for polymers in general a substances, but for GE Plastics in particular. That is, is the line really "There's a great future in plastics?" Or is it "There's a great future in Plastics?" GE Plastics was for a long time one of the biggest and most important of the plastics producers. GE spat it out circa 2008. If you never seen it, take a look at this industrial movie, The Kingdom of Plastics . In addition to an impressive castle prefiguring Disneyland, the point of the title is that ...
by roymeo
Thu Oct 27, 2016 4:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Beer
Replies: 1071
Views: 204170

Re: Boglehead Beer

Hayden wrote:Just had Firestone Walker Velvet Merlin. Wonderful oatmeal stout!
originally Velvet Merkin, but the board which approves labels wouldn't approve the name.

http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/prod ... vet-merkin
http://www.firestonebeer.com/beers/prod ... and-winter
by roymeo
Fri Oct 07, 2016 4:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Join AARP
Replies: 56
Views: 7163

Re: Join AARP

I'm also interested in why I would join (or pay to join) an insurance company/lobbying group.
Also: Why would I, a decent human being, join a lobbying group for older people only after getting old--if their mission was good and right, shouldn't I join when much younger?