The NYT is showing me a paid post by Vanguard on the main page asking:
Are You Making the Most of Your Investing?
Test your financial decision-making skills in a new game.
Welcome to your financial life! The economy has been doing great these past few years. You’ve been saving and investing steadily, and you’re feeling good about the future. But you know how life goes! At every turn, you have to make the most of the situation you’re in, to protect your savings — and come out ahead. Can you do it?
There appear to be six dilemmas you must go through to get the result. Oh, an apparently it's best played with the sound on so get your headphones!
happysteward wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:44 pm
I kept the old car and lost points, bummer
Haha same here. I take issue with the question. What's wrong with the engine? What if I can get another 100,000 miles out of the car by spending $2000 on a repair? That's certainly better than buying a new car.
happysteward wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:44 pm
I kept the old car and lost points, bummer
Haha same here. I take issue with the question. What's wrong with the engine? What if I can get another 100,000 miles out of the car by spending $2000 on a repair? That's certainly better than buying a new car.
+1 Same here, didn't get the full points because of the confusing car question. Incidentally, I was in that exact position with my old 2004 VW Jetta. I spend $3k to keep it running in 2015, and kept it another 4 years.
Sconie wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 8:57 pm
I did. "Talk about" lame!
Seriously! I wonder what this cost them. Five silly questions, not even rotated. I don't know if this is supposed to me marketing or financial education. But as either it's pretty pathetic, even for a totally non-Bogleheads audience.
happysteward wrote: ↑Tue Jan 21, 2020 9:44 pm
I kept the old car and lost points, bummer
Haha same here. I take issue with the question. What's wrong with the engine? What if I can get another 100,000 miles out of the car by spending $2000 on a repair? That's certainly better than buying a new car.
+1 Same here, didn't get the full points because of the confusing car question. Incidentally, I was in that exact position with my old 2004 VW Jetta. I spend $3k to keep it running in 2015, and kept it another 4 years.
You're not thinking like the Vanguard executive, who's probably better compensated than you or I. Of course we won't know since Vanguard doesn't tell us "owners" that information.
On the flip side, one of my cars is a 20-yr old SUV that keeps chugging along. I spent less on it than I would have buying a new car, especially factoring in insurance, registration, and taxes.
guyinlaw wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:06 pm
Note: if the arrangement is pay per click, every time we play the game.. Vanguard is likely paying NYtimes small amount..
If you click vanguard link at the end, they might be paying much more.
Anytime anyone has a complaint about Vanguard's website or other aspects of customer service (including outright errors), there's a chorus of "it's fine with me because it keeps costs low." Seems to me they ought to be fixing the basics rather than this kind of silly marketing.
guyinlaw wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:06 pm
Note: if the arrangement is pay per click, every time we play the game.. Vanguard is likely paying NYtimes small amount..
If you click vanguard link at the end, they might be paying much more.
So if enough Bogleheads click on the link, the ER of VTI will go up???!!
SlowMovingInvestor wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:16 pm
I hated the car question too -- just not enough information to make an informed decision. I am not even sure how it ties into the investing theme.
My guess.
Putting money into a car that will cost you more over time is a bad "investment"
Money you don't waste is available to invest.
What size mortgage you get, what you spend on transportation and where you live can have big budget consequences.
SlowMovingInvestor wrote: ↑Wed Jan 22, 2020 5:16 pm
I hated the car question too -- just not enough information to make an informed decision. I am not even sure how it ties into the investing theme.
My guess.
Putting money into a car that will cost you more over time is a bad "investment"
Money you don't waste is available to invest.
What size mortgage you get, what you spend on transportation and where you live can have big budget consequences.
For sure. But Vanguard's car question didn't really give enough information to make clear that the car was a lost cause...
And agreed entirely with the comment that financial literacy should be taught in schools. The idea that Vanguard's quiz could be educational for an adult is somewhat scary and underscores the lack of financial literacy in the U S. Unless the quiz is aimed towards children... In which case why would Vanguard's ad appear in the NYT?
That's a "game?" I haven't had so much fun since I took the SATs... Hasbro they ain't.
P.S. Yeah, I missed the car question, too.
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness; Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.
I really want to play but it won't load on my desktop or phone... I click "play now" & it changes to the next screen, blurred out movie theater looking with no text or buttons. Bummer...
"Oh look another bajillion point declin-Ooooh!!! A coupon for pizza!!!!" <--- This is what everyone's IPS should be. ✓✓✓
