Search found 461 matches

by noco-hawkeye
Fri Jan 04, 2019 11:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: FAFSA - is it worth filling out?
Replies: 109
Views: 8639

Re: FAFSA - is it worth filling out?

SagaciousTraveler wrote: Fri Jan 04, 2019 6:42 am
DanMahowny wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 8:47 am I did not fill it out. Not willing to trade intimate detail of my finances with no possibility of any benefit.

The end result is the same. I pay for everything.
Bingo.

This thread only solidifies my plan to avoid of things FAFSA and student loans.
For those that feel this way - is there a $$$ amount that you would be willing to share your info with? Very soon I'll be going through the same decision, and we too have a chunk saved up and don't expect aid. But I think what is the harm? If we can get maybe $1k or more (albeit, a relatively small amount) then I would say it is worth it. My financial info is already in the hands of other people, so that part does not worry me as much.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Jan 03, 2019 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: best cheap printer
Replies: 80
Views: 7696

Re: best cheap printer

I used to look for the "best cheap printer" and usually this ended up with an inkjet that worked for a year or two, then ink prices and the frequency of my printing (which is pretty low) leading to dried out ink drove me crazy. I'd then buy another inkjet, it would last a few years.... lather rinse repeat.

Until I bought a color laser multifunction printer on a clearance sale. I don't for-see buying another printer anytime soon and every time I print the output looks great. I think I spent maybe 2x for this printer vs what I might have on an inkjet. I have 0 regrets and believe this printer will be cheaper in the long run. Skip the inkjet is my #1 tip.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Jan 03, 2019 3:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Market closes almost 700 points lower
Replies: 18
Views: 1957

Re: Market closes almost 700 points

They might be glad that the day is over.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Jan 03, 2019 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: COBRA ElectionForm and Coverage?
Replies: 11
Views: 1262

Re: COBRA ElectionForm and Coverage?

In the past I've tried to refill RX's or see a doctor before the coverage went away, and then I played insurance chicken until my new plan kicked in.

The one issue I see that might bite you is if your COBRA insurance rejected a claim. Say you have some issue during this period, and need an MRI. The MRI costs maybe $3k and you decide to elect for COBRA coverage. At this point you are technically covered, but insurance might have some type of issue where they might say "we did not find that the MRI was the best option so we reject this claim". If you already had the MRI, you'd be up a creek and fighting with insurance.
by noco-hawkeye
Sat Dec 29, 2018 8:21 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: College Inflation rate?
Replies: 59
Views: 4506

Re: College Inflation rate?

Exactly why I see no reason to believe the explosive cost structure of colleges as we know them today (or the construct we consider a college today) will exist or be sustainable in even 15 years when my 3 year old is of age to decide what to do. I choose to keep my money out of the mouth of the beast and will invest (or not) in college at that time using plenty of "OPM" if/when the time comes. If you're a typical Boglehead (high earner) at the time your kid is attending college, your family will not be receiving any "OPM" (need-based grants or subsidized loans). It’s my understanding that the tuition price for Private Universities is kind of like the MSRP on a new car, nobody actually pays it regardless of wealth level....
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Dec 28, 2018 3:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: not funding kid's tuition
Replies: 102
Views: 4680

Re: not funding kid's tuition

Since your income might prevent some aid and assistance packages would you be willing to be your child’s aid provider and offer the same advantages other students might have?
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Dec 24, 2018 8:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What was your best investment in 2018?
Replies: 127
Views: 10076

Re: What was your best investment in 2018?

Finished the basement. Ignoring investment performance right now. :wink:
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Costco Tire Quality Seconds/Blems??
Replies: 31
Views: 8811

Re: Costco Tire Quality Seconds/Blems??

The tire manufacturers would view costco as one of their top customers / supply chains. It does not make sense that they would setup a top customer with second rate products.

Likewise costco wants to sell a lot of tires and not do a lot of follow up with customers. It makes no sense they would be interested in this type of product as well.
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Dec 21, 2018 9:46 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What to do with active funds in taxable in current market?
Replies: 11
Views: 1192

Re: What to do with active funds in taxable in current market?

whodidntante wrote: Wed Dec 19, 2018 6:06 pm You do not want to own active funds in taxable in a downtrending market. In addition to your losses, active funds generate wicked capital gains distributions once they run out of losers to sell to offset realized gains.

I would put in the sell order tonight. The market could jump 20% next year and then you'll be in a pickle.

Immediately reinvest in equity index ETFs.
+1 - Though I don't think ETFs vs funds is going to be the end of the world. If you prefer the mutual fund version, I think the difference is going to be relatively small over the long run.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Dec 20, 2018 10:15 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Lively has caved on HSA fees
Replies: 16
Views: 1939

Re: Lively has caved on HSA fees

So does this make them roughly equivalent then? I just started with lively right before the recent Fido news, and I think I'm just going to stay put with Lively.
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Dec 17, 2018 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Stand up desks: Jarvis vs UpLift vs ?? (Help me shop)
Replies: 34
Views: 6403

Re: Stand up desks: Jarvis vs UpLift vs ?? (Help me shop)

OP, Check out Ikea. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/S49022538/ KlangFool I found the Ikea desks to be a bit wobbly. It would be fine for occasional use, but if you work remotely full time I think there are better options for similar money. However, I did use the Ikea desk top (https://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/50106773/) - which came in unfinished wood. I sanded that, put a couple of light coats of poly on it - and it's great. For the base I went to a local office supply place and they sold just the motorized bases (and were much more stable / heavy duty). I would consider / read up on the gerton and jarvis combos. Essentially thats about what I have, except I think my base might be more heavy duty than even the jarvis.
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Dec 17, 2018 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: New attending (MD) 401k question
Replies: 2
Views: 352

Re: New attending (MD) 401k question

jbmitt wrote: Mon Dec 17, 2018 11:20 am Be careful about rolling into a rollover IRA because that may make you ineligible for back door Roth IRA contributions.
Many times you can take a rollover IRA and roll that back into your 401k (if available). Also, I think you technically can still do a back door roth IRA - it just caries some tax penalties that are unappealing.

*I'm NOT an accountant fwiw.
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Dec 16, 2018 11:52 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What Happened to you during the Financial crisis of 2007–2008
Replies: 249
Views: 26921

Re: What Happened to you during the Financial crisis of 2007–2008

Having survived the dot-com bust where I saw my team have 50% of the staff laid off, forced vacation, pay reductions - I thought I had survived something special. What happened in the financial crisis was much more scary to me. I recall investing a larger lump sum into my young kids 529 plans during an especially dark news week. I recall thinking / wondering if the entire financial system was going to unwind into some sort of post apocalyptic world where we rebuild finance & banking from ground zero. Wondering if my 529 contribution would be worth much much less in a very short period of time. I'm usually pretty cold and unemotional but that fear / wondering in the back of my head sticks with me to this day. The saying to be "greed...
by noco-hawkeye
Sat Dec 15, 2018 7:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Forgoing health insurance
Replies: 116
Views: 8398

Re: Forgoing health insurance

In my area virtually any kind of accident/injury/illness that requires overnight hospitalization will end up with a bill of $100K at "rack" rates for the services (room/board/doctors/surgery/etc) rendered. An overnight stay costs over $100k? Our daughter's eight week stay in our local NICU averaged about $10k per night just a few years ago. That included donor breast milk that was billed at $30 per ounce . Dad’s heart attack was $100k for the first six days. The biggest charges happened in the first couple of days when they were trying to stabilize him. Typical? No idea. $100k for almost a week sounds much more in the ballpark than for a single day. Exorbitant as medical costs can be, the only way I can see someone running up $10...
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Dec 14, 2018 7:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: ReFi...Yes or No
Replies: 16
Views: 1367

Re: ReFi...Yes or No

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Thu Dec 13, 2018 6:58 pm Why not sell it?
This ^ +1.

Have you done the math and are confident that this is the best use of your equity?
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Dec 10, 2018 7:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Contractor draws during remodeling project
Replies: 25
Views: 3434

Re: Contractor draws during remodeling project

We've done 50% up front and 50% on completion. We've also done 50% up front and then pay for each portion as it is completed.

I would certainly understand the concern with cabinets. They are pretty expensive and if you contractor is independent it might be a pretty big initial outlay for them. The thing you can also do is just pay for the cabinets yourself and take it out of his concern. We like to take this approach but after a while you start to become the general contractor if you break up expenses too much. Some people may not want to do this.

There are lots of ways to do these projects, just make sure you listen to your gut and advocate for yourself - no one else will.
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Dec 10, 2018 7:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To each his own ( I guess ) [Opinions of traveling in retirement]
Replies: 109
Views: 9581

Re: To each his own ( I guess )

Have either of you already been to Europe or Asia? After visiting there I view travel to there differently. Before I would have said just staying home is fine with me, but now I'd jump at the chance to go to either.
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Dec 07, 2018 7:30 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Why Retirement Is Broken And Needs To Be Reinvented
Replies: 171
Views: 14546

Re: Why Retirement Is Broken And Needs To Be Reinvented

This back and forth of wanting to save, then actually saving - vs knowing how much to save and when reminds me of a encounter I had this week. I was talking with a friend of mine at work who is in his 60s. He is an engineer, I'm sure making somewhere in the 6 figures. Compared to most Americans he is probably in the top 10% of income. He has had one child, who is out on her own and successful / independent. We got talking about social security and he was going on about how he wished he would not be forced to contribute to this - he could do better on his own and didn't want / need the government intervention was his feeling. This is someone who is intelligent, and even spent a bit of a career detour selling insurance stuff. So he has seen e...
by noco-hawkeye
Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pay off Mortgage - performing mortgage
Replies: 27
Views: 2876

Re: Pay off Mortgage - performing mortgage

pdavi21 wrote: Wed Nov 28, 2018 4:12 pm ... Even so, it wouldn't hurt to ask them for a discount to pay off the balance. Chances are your mortgage is going to be worth less as rates are currently rising, so the business case is there.

I don't understand this logic. If you pay it off today (according to terms) you limit the amount of interest you pay. If you string out the payments for X years you will pay more in interest.

So you think that if you pay it off today that the bank would take even less than what they have agreed to take?
by noco-hawkeye
Wed Nov 28, 2018 12:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sell Individual Stocks or Just Keep Them To Avoid Commissions?
Replies: 31
Views: 2199

Re: Sell Individual Stocks or Just Keep Them To Avoid Commissions?

When I was younger some blue chip "safe" stocks included GE & Sears. You never know what the far off future holds - I would sell em.
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Nov 16, 2018 11:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How did I miss this? Roth 401K
Replies: 29
Views: 5629

Re: How did I miss this? Roth 401K

I agree with others have said - re: predicting future tax policy is a very uncertain game.

One thing I would say is that your paycheck will certainly seem smaller if you switch 100% over to roth and pay the taxes today (vs XX years from now).

The other big ticket item that is tough to predict would be if ACA subsidies and if that continues to work well with Roth distributions.

Lots of unknowns, but if you have been doing traditional 401k for years now, I think if would be a good idea to at least try the roth contributions for a while and get a little bit of diversity in some of your tax burden for retirement accounts.

:sharebeer
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Nov 15, 2018 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Oops! Edward Jones tops Vanguard in customer survey
Replies: 50
Views: 6153

Re: Oops! Edward Jones tops Vanguard in customer survey

Oak&Elm wrote: Wed Nov 14, 2018 8:30 am
Edward Jones will become your best friend for about 1% of your net worth per annum.
Don't forget to add the standard 5.75% front end load on the class A funds, and of course all the funds EJ recommends are class A
Well if they are class A - then they must be the best! ... Right?

:wink:
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Nov 09, 2018 9:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alcohol related gift idea - nice glasses for drinking spirits?
Replies: 17
Views: 1942

Re: Alcohol related gift idea - nice glasses for drinking spirits?

I like tulip shaped glasses for drinks where the aroma should be more concentrated. I've found this useful on beer, whiskey, and wine too.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Nov 01, 2018 7:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Selling House Directly to Buyer
Replies: 28
Views: 3172

Re: Selling House Directly to Buyer

We used a flate rate fee realtor to sell our last house ($600). The house sold within 3 days, was more than what we were initially expecting, and we saved a ton of money.

The one thing was that the closing appointment was not clearly communicated to us and we showed up late. Maybe this was from lack of organization or representation? Maybe just a simple communication mixup.

My takeaway was that I would only use a x% (6%?) realtor as a last resort when I sell the next house. The process is not that hard and you can find reasonable ways to sell without losing a bunch on the transaction.
by noco-hawkeye
Tue Oct 30, 2018 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much to offer on new construction home
Replies: 31
Views: 3176

Re: How much to offer on new construction home

My rule - If your first offer is accepted, then you offered too much. I would not blink an eye at 675 at everything on the list including fixing the 2 zone AC stuff, at least to get things started.
by noco-hawkeye
Tue Oct 30, 2018 8:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vehicle recommendations for long commutes in CO mountains
Replies: 72
Views: 6240

Re: Vehicle recommendations for long commutes in CO mountains

Outback or Forester. Drive around Colorado and count how many Subarus you find - it's like that for a good reason. It's a dependable car that can handle what you are looking for and is moderately comfortable. Some of the larger SUVs would work too, but you mention comfort being a priority and the budget is inline with a Subaru. The question is how good are Subarus (or Volvos or pretty much most SUV crowd) with 3' of snow. 18" or so and I wouldn't blink an eye say they are more than adequate for the job. But double the snow and I would want to talk to some people with actual experience in the model under the conditions I drive. Thats starting to be a lot of snow and you might find that the heavy wet snow and inclines you are driving on...
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vehicle recommendations for long commutes in CO mountains
Replies: 72
Views: 6240

Re: Vehicle recommendations for long commutes in CO mountains

Outback or Forester. Drive around Colorado and count how many Subarus you find - it's like that for a good reason. It's a dependable car that can handle what you are looking for and is moderately comfortable. Some of the larger SUVs would work too, but you mention comfort being a priority and the budget is inline with a Subaru.
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Oct 28, 2018 8:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Health insurance after marriage
Replies: 12
Views: 1263

Re: Health insurance after marriage

Just keep in mind. If you decide to stay with the HDHP/HSA and your fiance stays with her PPO, if she enrolls in a general purpose FSA. It will make you ineligible to make HSA contributions after you are married. This will still be true if she drops her PPO coverage and stop FSA contributions and even if the FSA balance were $0. This is what I am trying to figure out. Can I contribute the full $6900 in 2019 before we marry? If he has already signed up to contribute to an FSA fir 2019 are thecontributions from January through May then ineligible and I have to fix it? I have tried this and been penalized at tax time. The max HSA contribution you can make is proportional to the amount of time you spend on the HDHP plan. So if it is Jan-Jun th...
by noco-hawkeye
Tue Oct 16, 2018 8:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What do you consider 'enough'?
Replies: 96
Views: 13069

Re: What do you consider 'enough'?

Enough is usually something like 1M more than I have right now, or maybe 50-100% more than I have.... something along those lines.

What is enough to me today is not the same thing that I would have said when I was 10-15 years younger. As time moves along and your situation changes, this target continues to move.

I know thats kind of philosophical, but I think it's true the more I experience life.

Having said all that - If I had 5M, I'm sure that would be enough. :D
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Oct 12, 2018 5:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: asdfef
Replies: 13
Views: 2004

Re: Vanguard Flagship complimentary CFP services

I called Vanguard about a routine issue, and then said I had a question I wanted to ask a cfp. I posed it to the agent, and he cheerfully set up an appointment with the cfp for me to ask. He told me the cfp would also invite me to consider the pas service but of course no obligation or hard sell. Last week I had a great, 45 min chat with a very nice, smart and helpful cfp. He had some good suggestions and advice around my question. He was in no hurry to get me off the phone. He nentioned the pas and how it worked briefly but I would not even call it a sales pitch. Note they are not on commission. This is the first time I have used this benefit. Note the wording that the free service at flagship level is basically for a single question, not...
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Oct 11, 2018 6:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mold on inspection, need advice
Replies: 30
Views: 2915

Re: Mold on inspection, need advice

s8r wrote: Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:50 pm Mold is usually the result of either poor engineering, poor craftsmanship, or neglect of maintenance. Walk away, you will save money and get less gray hair.
I agree - walk away.

Even if you fix this problem - I would always wonder what else is in poor shape and need repair. And every time I found something that needed fixing, I would kick myself for not listening to my gut on this one. Homes are always going to need maintenance and work - the universe is telling you this house needs extra work.
by noco-hawkeye
Sat Sep 29, 2018 7:09 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.
Replies: 127
Views: 19007

Re: Sears, a 125 year old company is now a penny stock.

Watty wrote: Sat Sep 29, 2018 6:23 am ...

+1

Sears is as much a victim of being a leveraged buyout that gutted the company as changing times.
I agree - but perhaps the hand wringing should have started once the leveraged buyout occurred? :wink: It's both sad and completely inevitable that Sears is currently in the toilet.
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Sep 23, 2018 8:06 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: I-savings bonds: To do or not to do
Replies: 10
Views: 2438

Re: I-savings bonds: To do or not to do

The vanguard money market is now above 2%, which might deserve some attention for at least part of your emergency savings or more stable money.

I don't work with I-Bonds, but have been curious about them. I've just stuck with tax exempt bond funds, which is the closest I think I have to what an I-Bond would be like. It seemed like I-Bonds made sense in some situations, it just wasn't worth the extra effort / complexity to me.
by noco-hawkeye
Sat Sep 22, 2018 8:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Another job interview ‘skip the tie’ question
Replies: 29
Views: 2524

Re: Another job interview ‘skip the tie’ question

I think one of the angles is - What would he feel most comfortable in?

If he wore nice jeans, a button down shirt, and sport coat (no tie) - would this be way too informal? I would think something along these lines would be pretty normal for this job. (agree with the others)

There are some people that would view such an outfit as ridiculously underdressed and some on the other side of the spectrum. Part of this is also finding a job that makes the candidate comfortable. Would he be ok with this type of outfit being the norm?

I've taken a software engineering gig where the dress code changed (to get more formal) and having a dress code you don't really like can be a drag / issue over time.
by noco-hawkeye
Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should we temporarily reduce our retirement contributions in order to pay off our $400k mortgage in 7 years?
Replies: 83
Views: 9259

Re: Should we temporarily reduce our retirement contributions in order to pay off our $400k mortgage in 7 years?

No way.

The most valuable thing you have right now is time. If you decide to save more later on, the math will really not be working in your favor and you will regret it.

If you said you already have 80-90% of your retirement / FIRE / 529 / etc savings already in the bank - then it would be more reasonable to attack your debts. But right now the most valuable thing you have is time. If you save 25k this year and it grows to 250k in retirement - think how much better saving 50k would have been!
by noco-hawkeye
Tue Sep 18, 2018 6:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Spectrum Cable TV Charges
Replies: 19
Views: 2688

Re: Spectrum Cable TV Charges

sport wrote: Mon Sep 17, 2018 5:51 pm ... I am not happy that Spectrum never advised us that lower rates might be available. Apparently, I have been overpaying for at least the last year. :annoyed
This is a key part of the business model. As a shareholder, I want them to make as much money as possible. As a customer, you are on your own to find the best deal for you. I know that stinks and everyone hates the cable company, but this part is not new.
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Sep 10, 2018 11:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: paying mortgage
Replies: 12
Views: 2048

Re: paying mortgage

Could you provide more info?

Other debts?
Current emergency fund?
Other savings / investments etc?
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Sep 10, 2018 10:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 and gift tax forms?
Replies: 11
Views: 1030

Re: 529 and gift tax forms?

We've watched this limit and have not had to file anything extra, so long as you stick within the combined limit.
by noco-hawkeye
Sat Sep 08, 2018 7:06 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buy a house that needs full renovation?
Replies: 40
Views: 2505

Re: Buy a house that needs full renovation?

Have you lived in a home during major renovation before? We've done a couple of kitchens, and it can be pretty rough to live through at times. Doing the whole house would be a whole other ball game. I'd agree with the concerns about doing all the work you describe for only 100k. I'd guess 50k for a kitchen, 10k for each bath, 5-25k for floors, 5k for paint... this still does not include water or mold issue remediation which can be quite expensive depending upon the situation. And if you are at this level, you might as well throw in a new HVAC system.... you are getting close to the point where you can almost level the building and start from scratch. I don't know the market prices in your area, but the prices I have above are fairly modest ...
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Sep 03, 2018 8:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Analysis Paralysis - Mortgage, Emergency Fund, etc.
Replies: 51
Views: 5560

Re: Analysis Paralysis - Mortgage, Emergency Fund, etc.

The thing I see within this thread is that you really can get a good amount of your 529 taken care of right now, and still have some time in the market to let that money try to keep up with the cost of education. Paying down the mortgage is something I would put less emphasis on.

If you can take a chunk of your cash and move it into the 529 plan(s) and then you will also get out of the daycare stage at some point -it is then that your cash flow situation will improve. At this point, start doubling your mortgage payments if you can do that (but at the same time keep saving ~25%).

You are on a good path and have some good options - congrats!
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Aug 26, 2018 8:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage Payoff?
Replies: 27
Views: 3539

Re: Mortgage Payoff?

I assume most of your savings and investing is to cover retirement concerns and you don't have a pension to cover this. I would look at the rough guess as to what your retirement expenses will be and calculate how many years of expenses your current investment account is at. For example - If you expect to spend 150k in retirement, I'd tend to keep the money invested. You will need to hit a pretty big number in total savings and the compounding available to you right now will never be available again. If you expect to need something like 80-90k in retirement then you have a very good start and paying off the house is a more reasonable move. I was in a similar situation (but the numbers were smaller). I calculated that I already had almost 20...
by noco-hawkeye
Wed Aug 22, 2018 6:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Birthday Gift for 50th B Day - Fine Spirits
Replies: 29
Views: 3020

Re: Boglehead Birthday Gift for 50th B Day - Fine Spirits

Nicolas wrote: Fri Aug 17, 2018 10:43 pm
noco-hawkeye wrote: Fri Aug 17, 2018 5:16 am For a scotch drinker, I like Lagavulin 16. I think this would be around your price point.
Noco, sorry for interrupting, but is Lagavulin 16 that much better than say Laphroaig 10? I'm also a fan of smoke and never tasted the Lagavulin, but my Laphroaig is less than half the price. Is it worth it? I just wanted your opinion, thanks.
Yes, I think it is worth it. Perhaps what I would do is try it first at a bar and decide for yourself.

I agree that Islay scotches can have a strong reaction, but the Lagavulin is more balanced and less off putting to most of my non scotch friends. My wife might try a few sips of the Lagavulin, where as Laphroaig she wants to be on the other side of the room with.
by noco-hawkeye
Wed Aug 22, 2018 6:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where should I park money I wont need for 3.5 years?
Replies: 11
Views: 1987

Re: Where should I park money I wont need for 3.5 years?

I moved from a CD ladder into the money market. The rates are going up more quickly than trying to time a CD ladder, from what I saw.
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Aug 17, 2018 5:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Boglehead Birthday Gift for 50th B Day - Fine Spirits
Replies: 29
Views: 3020

Re: Boglehead Birthday Gift for 50th B Day - Fine Spirits

For a scotch drinker, I like Lagavulin 16. I think this would be around your price point.
by noco-hawkeye
Fri Aug 10, 2018 2:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paying off mortgage....risk?
Replies: 14
Views: 1336

Re: Paying off mortgage....risk?

Some of these replies are great.

I would add that paying off a mortgage should be considered when it does not represent the majority of your assets. This is my opinion of course, but I think many in the paid off camp are somewhere along this line of thinking. So if something strange happens to your house and that is 80% of your NW, that is a problem. If it's 25-30%, it's less of a big deal.

You can buy insurance for almost anything, and adding an umbrella policy frequently goes along with paying off a house (at least in my mind).
by noco-hawkeye
Wed Aug 08, 2018 7:35 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pay off mortgage instead of contributing to 401k?
Replies: 61
Views: 5283

Re: Pay off mortgage instead of contributing to 401k?

... Robert Shiller at Yale is probably the foremost academic expert on the US housing market. He has found (and you can Google it) that in most markets home prices have risen, on average, a few percent per year for the past 90 or so years. Contrast that with the overall stock market, which has risen, on average, 9% over the same period. .. This is a great point to keep in mind. I'm glad I have my house paid off, but it's benefit is now that my committed expenses each month are lower. This is not helping my portfolio grow faster, it's making it so I require less cash month to month. Again this is going to help when you have a better picture of your numbers. Paying this off will help drop the expense line. Not paying it off should help give ...
by noco-hawkeye
Tue Aug 07, 2018 4:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401k administrative fees
Replies: 19
Views: 1709

Re: 401k administrative fees

I'm at somewhere around 0.2, as some of the others have reported, also. This number seems a bit high, and I feel a bit better about my fees now.
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Aug 06, 2018 9:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do We need health insurance??
Replies: 137
Views: 11866

Re: Do We need health insurance??

I am very interested in an answer to OP’s question about the availability of very, very high deductible healthcare insurance, as well. Like in the range of $50K to $100K deductible. I view it more as wealth insurance than health insurance. While I don’t have the OPs level of wealth, I would consider taking the risk of self-insuring for the first $50 to $100K if it considerably lowered the premiums of traditional healthcare coverage. While I would certainly wince at a $100K hit, it would certainly not break me. I really just want to protect against the catastrophic event that could wipe me out. No answer so far after 100+ responses on this thread and I have searched quite a bit elsewhere so I assume this sort of coverage does not exist. A l...
by noco-hawkeye
Mon Aug 06, 2018 8:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Pay off mortgage instead of contributing to 401k?
Replies: 61
Views: 5283

Re: Pay off mortgage instead of contributing to 401k?

OP, What is your annual expense? KlangFool We don't really have a budget per se, but I would estimate between housing costs, groceries and utilities, as well as what we help the kids with, and discretionary spending, I'm looking at around $50,000 a year. Add another $10,000 for travel every year too. So $60,000 all told. At the moment, we have medical insureance through our jobs but that won't be the case after retirement unless I get a part-time job that offers benefits, which I understand is rare. My wife has Rheumatoid arthritis which requires some fairly expensive prescriptions,but that's it for pre-existing conditions for us. SS payments will be $4400 a month if I wait til age 66 and my wife waits til age 62. $5200 if she waits til ag...
by noco-hawkeye
Sun Aug 05, 2018 9:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best MacBook Value
Replies: 40
Views: 4041

Re: Best MacBook Value

We've had good luck with a unit from Apple's refurb site.

I've used a direct cable transfer (it was lightening at the time) to transfer info from one mac to another. It worked great, but I'm not sure about macs that are almost 10 years apart - how well that might work or if that might have issues.