Search found 276 matches

by Sage16
Sun Mar 10, 2024 9:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Age 60+ AND retired? What's your asset allocation? What type of bonds/Fixed Inc instruments do you use?
Replies: 57
Views: 8525

Re: Age 60+ AND retired? What's your asset allocation? What type of bonds/Fixed Inc instruments do you use?

67/65 both retired 9 years. Pensions and rental income cover expenses.
50% total stock
20% total international
15% total bond
15% Intermediate treasury
by Sage16
Sun Mar 10, 2024 7:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?
Replies: 207
Views: 14919

Re: How Much Cash Do You Keep In Your Home?

We keep $200 to $300 in small bills at home. We use them for tips, gifts for grandchildren on various holidays, the occasional lottery ticket, etc. I had a boss once that said he kept $5,000 cash at home in case he ever needed to bail a relative out of jail in the middle of the night.
by Sage16
Sun Mar 10, 2024 7:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS
Replies: 69
Views: 6696

Re: Sharing why we went with Vanguard PAS

A few years ago we did a test run with PAS. Since my wife has little interest in our investments, I thought a test drive was in order to see if it would be a workable solution in the future. We gave our advisor permission to use active funds as he saw fit. He had our IRA's in I think 7 funds each, I recall the international portion was active but don't recall if anything else was. This was before the PAS only funds existed. He convinced me that Roth conversions made sense for us and ran an analysis on when to start claiming SS. We have some rental property and LLC's but advising us on that seemed to be out of the scope of PAS, at least at the time. But after the initial setup our quarterly calls were fairly quick without much to discuss so ...
by Sage16
Fri Mar 01, 2024 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Safe to Travel to Egypt in 2024?
Replies: 17
Views: 2176

Re: Safe to Travel to Egypt in 2024?

The US Department of State maintains a website of travel advisories around the world.
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel ... ries.html/
by Sage16
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Antartica, tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences
Replies: 23
Views: 2585

Re: Antartica, tips, ideas, suggestions, experiences

We went a few years ago with Hurtigruten. I believe 450 people on board. We went end of season and if we ever do it again we will go mid-season. We had lots of wind and hit a level 2 hurricane leaving Antarctica heading to the Falkland Islands. It was a rough night. On another trip we went up and down the Norway coast with Hurtigruten. On the Norway trip we had lots of fresh seafoods offerings every day and I looked forwarded to that on the Antarctica trip. What I failed to realize is there are no resupply ports on the Antarctica trip so the food was coming out of the freezer as the trip wore on. The other disappointment was they cancelled the excursion to camp out overnight ashore due to the extreme weather, we were looking forward to doin...
by Sage16
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Fish at Costco
Replies: 43
Views: 6087

Re: Fish at Costco

We buy the fresh wild Salmon and Steelhead at Costco if the price looks good. We always have a bag of the Costco frozen wild salmon in the freezer and have it for dinner weekly. We have tried the frozen farmed Salmon but much prefer the wild.
by Sage16
Fri Dec 29, 2023 3:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1713003

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

I 'm currently reading Outlive, the science and art of longevity by Peter Attia. I bought it after seeing a number of recommendations for it on other forums.
by Sage16
Fri Dec 29, 2023 12:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Do you view portfolio risk differently when you retired
Replies: 32
Views: 3806

Re: Do you view portfolio risk differently when you retired

We retired early at the end of 2015. At the time we were 60/40 and still had a mortgage. We have since paid off the mortgage and a few years ago moved to 70/30.
by Sage16
Wed Dec 27, 2023 10:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Men's travel pants recommendation.
Replies: 76
Views: 8919

Re: Men's travel pants recommendation.

Another vote for Kuhl. I also like to travel and hike in Outdoor Research pants if you need a lighter quick drying fabric.
by Sage16
Thu Dec 21, 2023 6:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 5973
Views: 1008936

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

Last month our local Fidelity office sponsored a webinar on Establishing and Maintaining Your Estate Plan. The person presenting works in our local office and is supposedly available to strategize an estate plan. Our current estate plan is overdue for an update and we are considering contacting him to see what he may come up with before we meet with our attorney. Has anyone met with a Fidelity rep on estate planning and was it a value add meeting?
by Sage16
Thu Dec 14, 2023 4:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Christmas Gifts (Cash) for Grandkids
Replies: 51
Views: 10258

Re: Christmas Gifts (Cash) for Grandkids

We are giving our 9 year old grandson a small gift to open, a $100 bill and we added $100 of VTI in his UGMA account. Our 5 year old grandson is getting a few gifts and also $100 of VTI added to his account. Same drill for their birthdays.
by Sage16
Tue Dec 05, 2023 11:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Where do you buy glasses?
Replies: 70
Views: 8182

Re: Where do you buy glasses?

Costco. Good prices, they repair them if needed and take them back if there is an issue.
by Sage16
Mon Dec 04, 2023 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pirate Ship - Save Up to 89%
Replies: 32
Views: 6454

Re: Pirate Ship - Save Up to 89%

My wife loves it and uses it for all her packages. It is nice to be able to print the label at home and then just drop it off. Compares prices and delivery dates with USPS and UPS to tell which is best for each shipment. We learned about it from our daughter that has her own small business.
by Sage16
Mon Oct 16, 2023 12:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you "Roomba"? or other robot vacuums? Which is the best? Roomba Tips?
Replies: 117
Views: 14488

Re: Do you "Roomba"? or other robot vacuums? Which is the best?

We bought a Roomba many years ago. It did a good job and picked up a lot of the dog fur. We had it scheduled to run at night and in the morning we played the game, where is the Roomba. About half the time it made it back to the docking station. We would find it caught under the dinning room table between the chair legs or stuck under the couch. Many times it would go in the powder room and bump the door closed behind it and spend an hour cleaning the 6 x 6 room until the battery died. We stopped using it when our German Shephard started to get anxious when he heard it running, just like the regular vacuum. We will go back to it again when the dog is gone.
by Sage16
Mon Sep 18, 2023 5:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: changing G plan to N supplement plan?
Replies: 64
Views: 6650

Re: changing G plan to N supplement plan?

tj wrote: Mon Sep 18, 2023 12:23 pm
It sounds like you can save $520 per year in premium, that's surprising, I haven't seen that kind of savings with N vs G here.
The difference we faced for our state and choice of insurance company for N vs G premiums was close to $60 a month. So 3 co-pays at $20 a month or a different combo if you throw in ER visits at $50. If we expected to need at least 26 visits we would have decided it was better off to switch to a G plan.
by Sage16
Mon Sep 18, 2023 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: changing G plan to N supplement plan?
Replies: 64
Views: 6650

Re: changing G plan to N supplement plan?

We went with Plan N. We calculated that we would need to pay 26 co-pays a year to break even with the higher premium for G in our state and insurance company. Our doctors and specialist all accept Medicare costs so the risk of the upcharge that G covers was minimal so it came down to co-pays driving the calculation. It would be nice to avoid the co-pays but the cost difference is enough for this Boglehead to go ahead and deal with it.
by Sage16
Thu Aug 31, 2023 1:46 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: "The Place of Social Security in Your Retirement Portfolio"
Replies: 49
Views: 8404

Re: "The Place of Social Security in Your Retirement Portfolio"

Interesting exercise. I calculated the net present value of our combined pension amount with a 3% inflation rate and added the value to our portfolio as a bond. It would change our allocation from 70/30 to 53/47. Under that scenario, I feel way too conservative with our existing portfolio at our present 70/30. I will probably just treat this as an interesting exercise and not let it influence our allocation.
by Sage16
Thu Jul 27, 2023 2:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Best to do Cash Management at Chase
Replies: 4
Views: 616

Re: How Best to do Cash Management at Chase

Super Hans wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:30 pm You can buy VUSXX in the JPM brokerage account, though it takes a day or so to sell, settle, and transfer to checking. Thus it isn't as seamless as working directly out of a Vanguard or Fidelity account, but it's also not too difficult if you want to keep up the JPMC relationship for some reason.
This may be the way I need to go, I am hopeful there are some other options. Thank you for responding.
by Sage16
Thu Jul 27, 2023 2:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Best to do Cash Management at Chase
Replies: 4
Views: 616

Re: How Best to do Cash Management at Chase

Joe Public wrote: Thu Jul 27, 2023 2:24 pm Same as above. I think Chase does have overdraft protection available but only by linking a savings account. One option would be to keep just enough in savings to provide the desired level of overdraft protection and then keep the remaining cash in VUSXX and sell/transfer as needed.
I'm not sure the saving rate is much better than checking, if true, I would just forgo having a savings account and keep the extra in checking. I can see the option of keeping additional available funds in VUSXX and then sell and transfer after it settles, but I am hopeful that there is another option without the lag. I fear I won't find it at Chase. Thank you for your response.
by Sage16
Thu Jul 27, 2023 1:26 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How Best to do Cash Management at Chase
Replies: 4
Views: 616

How Best to do Cash Management at Chase

About a year ago I started moving our banking from Chase to a CMA account at Fidelity to make Fidelity our one-stop-shop and to try to simplify our finances especially if something were to happen to me. We already had a brokerage, retirement and HSA accounts at Fidelity. Interest rates on the CMA were raising and Chase checking was zero so that prompted the move. We kept a Chase checking account with my wife's pension deposited and do some transactions and I like that I can store my Chase debit card in google pay and use it at Chase ATM's and not carry the card. My wife is now voicing discomfort with doing our banking at Fidelity for a variety of reasons (that part is unimportant here) and she wants me to bring all the banking back to Chase...
by Sage16
Thu Jul 27, 2023 12:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Home gym suggestions: cardio and weights?
Replies: 70
Views: 5787

Re: Home gym suggestions: cardio and weights?

We have had Peloton Bike+ for a year now, in fact my wife is taking a class on it as I type this. We find the classes addicting and easy to get competitive with the other riders taking a class at the same time. There is a whole host of other fitness classes available on the bike and the app, I have been doing daily ab classes and irregularly various strength classes. We have a concept 2 rower also and Peloton has just added rowing classes to their app so I have been using the rower with their classes playing on the TV over a firestick. We have an an adjustable dumbbell set and some lighter weights that we use with the classes. We have only been to the gym a few times the past year that we have had the Peloton and thinking of canceling it af...
by Sage16
Wed Jul 26, 2023 9:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: If/when to fly business class? (Length of flight vs. cost)
Replies: 207
Views: 26625

Re: If/when to fly business class? (Length of flight vs. cost)

We always fly first class domestic cross country. Once my wife tried it, it became a requirement. We take 3 international trips a year. We typically select business class if the cost isn't more than 3 times the cost of coach. If we feel the cost to upgrade is just to high we arrive a day or two early to help adjust to the jetlag and time change. An extra night in a hotel to adjust is cheap. We have friends that set their limit at $4k each to spend on just the upgrade over coach on a round trip ticket.
by Sage16
Wed Jul 19, 2023 12:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Crewed Catamaran Charter Experience?
Replies: 0
Views: 277

Crewed Catamaran Charter Experience?

Any recent experience going on a crewed catamaran charter in the Caribbean? We are starting to investigate a 5 to 7 day all inclusive trip for 3 or 4 couples for next March timeframe.
by Sage16
Thu Jun 29, 2023 12:52 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How many agree with this strategy ?
Replies: 12
Views: 1698

Re: How many agree with this strategy ?

So if I read this right, the strategy is to invest in 11 funds and allocate them based on current views of the economy and then (actively?) adjust the allocations as the views change? Seems overly complex to me for the value unless you can timely predict the segments that will out perform. 23% US large cap 8% US Mid cap 1% US Small Cap 9% Treasuries 12% Mortgages 12% Investment grade 3% Preferred 4% High-Yield 2% Emerging Markets After years of tinkering with my portfolio and making it more complex than it needed to be, I have come to love the simplicity of the 3 fund portfolio and feel I am probably better off for it. Granted it is the boring way to invest but it seems to work best for me in my situation. But you may have better luck than ...
by Sage16
Wed Jun 28, 2023 11:59 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Peolpe who have stuck with TBM how you dong?
Replies: 39
Views: 4068

Re: Peolpe who have stuck with TBM how you dong?

Wanderingwheelz wrote: Wed Jun 28, 2023 9:18 am A few years ago we increased our equity from 60/40 to 70/30 (out of BND) to increase our exposure to VTI & VXUS and I’m glad we did.

Being 60/40 here would be more comfortable for me than it was back then. That said, we’re 73/27 currently and are feeling good.
This pretty much describes our allocation position and history also. However, when rates started to rise we did swap out of BND to short term treasuries and a few months ago went back to BND. I wish we just left the BND alone and not tried to market time the fixed income, although it did work in our favor this time. We are also very comfortable with a 70% allocation to equity.
by Sage16
Wed Jun 28, 2023 11:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Viking vs. Tauck River Cruise
Replies: 16
Views: 4430

Re: Viking vs. Tauck River Cruise

We have been on three Viking river cruises and one Viking Ocean. We have been pleased with the company and would use them again. We have not tried any of the other river companies but much prefer their ocean experience to other cruise lines. Viking river is extremely popular, one port we were in they had 3 buses to take us to town. They warned us that Viking had 6 ships in port that day so there were 18 Viking buses and to make sure we got on the right one to go back to the right ship. You travel down the river at night and may dock early in the morning while you are asleep. We keep the curtains open at night so we can watch the world go by from bed as we fall asleep. Friends warned us but we didn't take it to heart that you may wake up in ...
by Sage16
Sun Jun 25, 2023 12:20 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What do Fidelity branch offices do anyway?
Replies: 38
Views: 4519

Re: What do Fidelity branch offices do anyway?

I have had two different experiences with the local Fidelity offices. A few years ago I went in to see what they offered for my situation if I moved my accounts from Vanguard. I was clear that I was DIY and an indexer. I was mixed in my feelings about moving and when I got home then I looked up the vice president they had me meet with and I found a number of FINRA disclosures. I also like to look up to see if they are local home owners as another sign of (financial) stability. After my online search I decided against moving. Over the next few weeks I received two different invites from him and his assistant to attend a free dinner sponsored by Fidelity and a mutual fund company. So even though I had explained I was DIY and an indexer he was...
by Sage16
Fri Jun 23, 2023 5:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Checking Account - Minimum Balance?
Replies: 88
Views: 7215

Re: Checking Account - Minimum Balance?

We keep $2,000 in a big bank checking account that gets little use, mainly as a backup to our Fidelity CMA. The CMA has $5k (down recently from $10k) balance in a treasury MM fund for overdraft protection and the CMA's FDIC portion has a month's worth of expenses plus normally a $3k cushion. I have yet to draw on the treasury MM and can manually transfer from our locked brokerage account if we have a large expense coming up.
by Sage16
Fri Jun 23, 2023 2:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online File Storage vs External HDD?
Replies: 47
Views: 3654

Re: Online File Storage vs External HDD?

Checkout Fidsafe.com. It's somehow part of the Fidelity ownership umbrella. We have our estate doc's stored out there. So far it has been a free service.
by Sage16
Sat Jun 10, 2023 4:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Investing in new "Evergreen" Private Equity Funds and "Democratizing" Private Equity
Replies: 22
Views: 2149

Re: Investing in new "Evergreen" Private Equity Funds and "Democratizing" Private Equity

Bumping your thread. My reaction is that a good Small Value fund would get you a similar benefit to Private Equity but with much lower costs. Not against semi-liquid or illiquid investments, just saying that I prefer liquidity not wanting to tie money up for years. Never know when you might need it. What Nedsaid. We have invested in a few private equity funds over the years with the expectation of diversification and higher returns than the public market. You can be in a fund that invests in 10 companies and wait for a few years for good things to happen. Then one company is acquired at 8x the fund's investment and you feel smart until you realize the other 9 don't survive for one reason and you get back less than your original investment ...
by Sage16
Sat Jun 10, 2023 4:11 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Investing in new "Evergreen" Private Equity Funds and "Democratizing" Private Equity
Replies: 22
Views: 2149

Re: Investing in new "Evergreen" Private Equity Funds and "Democratizing" Private Equity

Bumping your thread. My reaction is that a good Small Value fund would get you a similar benefit to Private Equity but with much lower costs. Not against semi-liquid or illiquid investments, just saying that I prefer liquidity not wanting to tie money up for years. Never know when you might need it. I fully agree with what Ned said. We have invested in a few private equity funds over the years with the expectation of diversification and higher returns than the public market. You can be in a fund that invests in 10 companies and wait for a few years for good things to happen. Then one company is acquired at 8x the fund's investment and you feel smart until you realize the other 9 don't survive for one reason and you get back less than your ...
by Sage16
Tue Jun 06, 2023 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 5973
Views: 1008936

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

JoMoney wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 7:33 am
kojima wrote: Sat Jun 03, 2023 6:09 am
fetch5482 wrote: Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:00 am I love Fidelity Visa too, but I wish they waived Foreign transaction fees, atleast for customers with high balance tiers.
The Fidelity Credit Card has Foreign Transaction Fees?
Yes, the Fidelity Rewards Visa Signature Card has a 1% foreign transaction fee...
https://online1.elancard.com/pdap/terms ... 1HXW76GR47

...but you do get a 2% cash back reward on every purchase, so not as bad as some cards, but not as good as a Capital One Quicksilver rewards card that has no foreign transaction fees and a 1.5% cash back reward.
Do I understand this correctly, you would still net a 1% cash back on a foreign purchase? 2% cash back less the 1% foreign transaction fee?
by Sage16
Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:05 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Which funds to buy in Roth IRA
Replies: 26
Views: 5513

Re: Which funds to buy in Roth IRA

Here's my current repartition between accounts (I'm at Fidelity, hence the FIdelity funds): - Taxable: 100% US Stocks (Total Stock Market with VTI/ITOT) - Roth: 100% US Stocks (Total Stock market with FSKAX) - Pre-tax 401(k): all of my bonds, all of my international stocks, and the remainder of my US stocks (FXNAX, FTIHX and FSKAX) Reasoning: - I want maximum growth in Roth, since none of that is ever going to be taxed again. The more $ I have in there, the better. - I want growth in brokerage, since only gains are going to be taxed, and then at reduced rate (LTCG rate instead of marginal income tax rate). Not interested in dividends either because of tax drag (and unfavorable taxation of non-qualified ones). - I want minimum growth in 401...
by Sage16
Wed Apr 12, 2023 11:33 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medicare Question
Replies: 100
Views: 9593

Re: Medicare Question

I went on Medicare a few years ago and needed to select my prior employer's Medicare supplement plan so that my DW could continue to get medical insurance until she reached 65. Now that her 65th birthday is upon us, we have been looking at all our options. Even though she worked in health care insurance underwriting her entire career, we found talking to a Medicare insurance broker invaluable. No cost to us, she is paid from the plan we select with no impact to our rates. We shared with her our current and anticipated medical needs and we together determined that a plan N was best for each of us and then what insurance company made sense. For drugs, she reviewed what we are taking and for me a plan that cost $1.26 a month was ideal and for ...
by Sage16
Sun Mar 26, 2023 4:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: High Cost of HP Printer Ink
Replies: 28
Views: 2923

Re: High Cost of HP Printer Ink

I have an HP Officejet Pro 8600 Plus. A few weeks ago I gave the remanufactured cartridges from ink4less.com a try after a recommendation from my SIL. I haven't printed much with it yet but so far so good.
by Sage16
Sun Mar 19, 2023 8:56 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Accredited Investors - any benefit for diversification?
Replies: 54
Views: 3380

Re: Accredited Investors - any benefit for diversification?

I have invested in over a dozen private RE LLC's and a couple seed funds. Some have done extremely well, others not so much. You do tie up your funds for extended periods, it complicates your taxes and you wait for K-1's to file your taxes, many years we had to extend because the K-1's came too late. In hind sight, I wish I just stayed with the 3 fund portfolio and called it a day. There is a lot to be said to keeping it simple.
by Sage16
Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mike Piper's New Book ["More than Enough"]
Replies: 55
Views: 11815

Re: "More Than Enough" by Mike Piper

My copy just arrived today. I am looking forward to reading it. Thank you Taylor for the highlights, I look forward to reading the details behind them.
by Sage16
Sun Mar 05, 2023 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1713003

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

I just finished "Key West Normal" by Laurence Shames. Its a light read and entertaining. A couple of happy go lucky homeless guys decide to take an abandoned hot dog vendor's trailer to live in. Turns out the trailer was a front for an illegal activity and people come looking for it.
by Sage16
Wed Mar 01, 2023 12:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Fidelity Core Real Estate Fund
Replies: 9
Views: 2828

Re: Fidelity Core Real Estate Fund

I took a quick look at it a couple months back when I first saw it. We have enough of our net worth in private RE LLC's, at least at the moment, so I decided to pass. What I like and don't like about it is that you get a 1099 for taxes. That makes doing your taxes easier but you lose out on the benefits (and added complexity) of K-1's that pass down tax loses like depreciation. You give up liquidity vs a REIT or index fund of REITs and not sure how you compare performance to them. I may revisit the fund in the future.
by Sage16
Mon Feb 27, 2023 1:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Frugal Tip: Black Tea vs Coffee -- we save around $600 per year this way.
Replies: 248
Views: 22118

Re: Frugal Tip: Black Tea vs Coffee -- we save around $600 per year this way.

I drink my coffee black and have to have it every day. When it was on sale I would stock up on the 2 1/2 lb. bags of Starbuck beans at Costco and grind it at home. I tried switching to Costco's Kirkland of 3 lb. cans of ground coffee and after a week adjusting to it, I cut my coffee costs way down, I no longer grind and enjoy it just as much.
by Sage16
Sat Feb 25, 2023 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI
Replies: 7638
Views: 1713003

Re: What Book Are You Currently Reading? Part VI

The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre.

A true story about a KGB officer that became disenchanted with the USSR and became a double agent for the UK and eventually needed help from the UK to escape from Moscow.
by Sage16
Sat Jan 28, 2023 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: For those who stopping growing vegetables, why did you stop?
Replies: 36
Views: 3353

Re: For those who stopping growing vegetables, why did you stop?

There are so many neighboring trees around our yard that we only get limited direct sunlight so that cuts down the types of vegetables that we can grow. Combined with our an increase and length of travel in the spring and summer months we just have planted anything for a couple years.
by Sage16
Sat Dec 17, 2022 10:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much do you keep in checking?
Replies: 309
Views: 30128

Re: How much do you keep in checking (2022)?

I keep a little more than a month's worth of anticipated expenses in my CMA account plus another $10k in a Treasury MM in the CMA for overdraft protection and piece of mind. I keep the brokerage account walled off from the CMA but can manually transfer funds to the CMA if needed.
by Sage16
Fri Dec 16, 2022 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Autopaying bills - do you use it, and for what bills?
Replies: 122
Views: 8665

Re: Autopaying bills - do you use it, and for what bills?

Everything. I try and put all regular bill on a credit card. For those bills that don't allow the credit card payment, I have an ACH pull including the credit card full balance. We travel a lot so this makes it easier to stay on top of bills. I setup text notifications for every transaction over one cent on my credit card and checking account so I can easily monitor any activity.
by Sage16
Fri Nov 25, 2022 12:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tracking down any (old) union benefits
Replies: 5
Views: 835

Re: Tracking down any (old) union benefits

Seems very unlikely. If she did have any benefits they would be through the company she worked for, not the union. Unions negotiate the collective bargaining agreement with the company who provides the benefits. If the company is still in existence she could contact their HR department. If they had a pension but went out of business, you could see if the Pension Benefits Guarantee Corp. has any records and is providing benefits. This is not necessarily true. A retirement plan could have been through the company, but many unions also run pensions themselves. These are called multi-employer pension plans and are actually backed by a different government agency than the PBGC. (Many are also in a failing position in dying industries, and had t...
by Sage16
Fri Nov 25, 2022 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tracking down any (old) union benefits
Replies: 5
Views: 835

Re: Tracking down any (old) union benefits

Outer Marker wrote: Fri Nov 25, 2022 12:25 am Seems very unlikely. If she did have any benefits they would be through the company she worked for, not the union. Unions negotiate the collective bargaining agreement with the company who provides the benefits. If the company is still in existence she could contact their HR department. If they had a pension but went out of business, you could see if the Pension Benefits Guarantee Corp. has any records and is providing benefits.
The company is long gone. But it could be worth a try contacting the Guarantee Corp. Thanks for the suggestion.
by Sage16
Thu Nov 24, 2022 2:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tracking down any (old) union benefits
Replies: 5
Views: 835

Tracking down any (old) union benefits

In the early 80's, my wife worked for a clothing manufacture. She was a member and paid dues to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Chauffeurs, Warehousemen and Helpers of America but only for a couple of years until they voted the union out. It appears that chapter is long gone. I think it's a long shot but would she have any claim on retirement benefits and if so how would we go about it?
by Sage16
Sat Nov 19, 2022 5:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Alaska Signature Visa Credit Card
Replies: 11
Views: 1055

Re: Alaska Signature Visa Credit Card

We have had the card for years but don't seem to get the value of it. Last month I was charged the $75 annual fee, if it's true that it will go to $99 and require $6k in spending to get the companion ticket, I will close the card. We are finding it harder and harder to fly in coach across the country and can normally find attractive deals to go first class. First class gets you access to Alaska lounges and free bags and we find at our age we are a lot more comfortable and less jet lagged after the long flight if we avoid coach. The Alaska credit card gets you free bags if you buy your tickets on the card. I have bought tickets for my daughter and grandson to visit (using the companion for them) and had to pay for the bags since I was not fl...
by Sage16
Fri Sep 16, 2022 10:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 5973
Views: 1008936

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

I have my Fidelity CMA Debit card loaded onto the Google Pay app on my phone. I tried to use it at a Chase ATM and it won't accept it but did except my Chase debit card on the Google Pay app. I had made sure to unlocked the debit card ahead of time. Anyone else have luck getting cash at an ATM using the Fidelity debit card with the Google Pay app? How do you get cash at an ATM using the Google Pay app? It works on a Chase ATM with my Chase debit card loaded on my google pay app. Just brought up the card on the app and tapped the back of the phone on the ATM area with the symbol for contactless and type in my pin. I have done that a lot of times at Chase with my Chase card on google pay but I tried for the first time to take cash out the sa...
by Sage16
Fri Sep 16, 2022 9:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fidelity as a one stop shop
Replies: 5973
Views: 1008936

Re: Fidelity as a one stop shop

I have my Fidelity CMA Debit card loaded onto the Google Pay app on my phone. I tried to use it at a Chase ATM and it won't accept it but did except my Chase debit card on the Google Pay app. I had made sure to unlocked the debit card ahead of time. Anyone else have luck getting cash at an ATM using the Fidelity debit card with the Google Pay app?