Search found 204 matches

by Wabbit
Wed Feb 14, 2024 2:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Dumb Phone
Replies: 20
Views: 2363

Re: Best Dumb Phone

The "Light phone" philosophically aims to be a middle ground between 2000s flip phones and smartphones. It has a qwerty keyboard for texting, and you can set up speech-to-text. The Kindle screen works in dark and direct sunlight. They include some fancier options like music and podcasts, but no social media.
by Wabbit
Wed Feb 07, 2024 7:57 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Budget-Friendly Venue Ideas for Young Kids' Birthday Parties
Replies: 28
Views: 7694

Re: Budget-Friendly Venue Ideas for Young Kids' Birthday Parties

I'll second the idea for a public park, and maybe buy some fun games / things for them to do.

You didn't mention siblings of guests; I found it was common for the adults to bring siblings of the guests along. At least if one doesn't specifically state "no siblings". I understand though. Depending on how local everyone is, if you have to drive 1/2 hour for a 2 hour party it makes more sense for the adult to just stay there. At that young age the parent might stay there for the kid anyway, and if the other parent is busy elsewhere, they will need to watch the sibling somehow.
by Wabbit
Tue Oct 31, 2023 12:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: buying a used car online without seeing it
Replies: 18
Views: 2022

Re: buying a used car online without seeing it

I was about to describe my experience with Shift's 7-day return guarantee. I did buy a car through them but ended up returning it and they did refund everything without much hassle. BUT, going to their website shows they recently filed for bankruptcy....

Anyway, maybe other online car sales sites offer a similar guarantee? It would let you at least try out the car or take it to mechanic and return it later.
by Wabbit
Wed Oct 11, 2023 8:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommended rechargeable batteries?
Replies: 29
Views: 3106

Re: Recommended rechargeable batteries?

PeninsulaPerson wrote: Wed Oct 11, 2023 6:53 pm I have had Energizers that seemed good but they eventually wore out.
How many charge cycles do you think you got out of them? I see the Energizer website advertises "hundreds of recharge cycles", but that is a little question-begging.
by Wabbit
Wed Sep 06, 2023 10:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Engagmenet in 5 months - prenup questions for newbie
Replies: 105
Views: 11271

Re: Engagmenet in 5 months - prenup questions for newbie

You'll get a lot of opinions on Bogleheads about prenups... you can search some past threads on it.

But as far as the process goes, I think it is

1) Talk to a lawyer yourself and understand what are the "defaults" for separating assets with no prenup. Maybe the defaults are what you want anyway, or close enough you decide you don't want a prenup.

2) If you decide you want one, she will need to have her own lawyer advise her before signing it. (aka a different one than yours.)
by Wabbit
Tue Aug 15, 2023 1:20 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Reduced bond allocation if I have a pension
Replies: 15
Views: 2185

Re: Reduced bond allocation if I have a pension

IMHO the question should be, "why gamble a little bit?" instead of "why not?" You used to see the "need, willingness, and ability to take risk" phrase more often on the forum. Most of us need to take a significant amount of stock market risk to (hopefully) get investments to an amount on which one can retire, but if you don't need to, then why would you? Behavioral risk due to portfolio downturns is also one of the risks of investing. Some do consider a pension as a bond-like part in a portfolio. I would instead think of it as subtracted from your estimated retirement expenses. Then allocate a portfolio to accomplish the remaining needed income. Maybe that's tomato, to-mah-to, but it's the way I would think abo...
by Wabbit
Thu Jul 13, 2023 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to get started with camping?
Replies: 86
Views: 7008

Re: How to get started with camping?

For gear, I'd recommend renting if you can. Some local camping stores and REI locations have camping rental packages with most everything you'd need.

If you'd like to find / go with experienced campers to learn from, maybe look for outdoors clubs near you? Or (since you said "family") join an outdoors-oriented youth organization like Scouts or Camp Fire?
by Wabbit
Thu Apr 27, 2023 9:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any Trumpet Players?
Replies: 40
Views: 2212

Re: Any Trumpet Players?

If it looks like he'll stick with it for a while, this might be a good item for you...

https://www.amazon.com/Yamaha-SB7X-2-Tr ... B01MTOAHSA
by Wabbit
Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shutterfly ending the share sites
Replies: 14
Views: 2718

Re: Shutterfly ending the share sites

Thanks for the suggestions! Looks like smugmug and the band app are the top alternatives folks are moving to.
Anyone know how this works? Do I receive another email once high res photos are available?
I have downloaded albums in the past, and the process worked like you just described. After a while I received another email with a link to download a zip of the album. I haven't tried this with any share site albums yet though. (gotta get those copied into my personal account soon...)
by Wabbit
Sat Feb 04, 2023 10:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shutterfly ending the share sites
Replies: 14
Views: 2718

Re: Shutterfly ending the share sites

TN_Boy wrote: Sat Feb 04, 2023 9:50 am I think the group should at least reconsider the "free" requirement and replace it with "low cost."

At a quick glance, things like smugmug and flickr (I think the former owns the latter) can give you good, ad-free accounts for less than $10 a month. I didn't look through all the membership features to ensure they would fit all the needs you cite, but they satisfy a lot of the requirements.

No matter what, a strategy to move again if necessary should be considered.
Yes, the era of free unlimited online storage looks to be over. I did say the list was "desirable" features. I (or others) will look at smugmug and flickr, thanks! Others reading please feel free to post more suggestions too! :)
by Wabbit
Sat Feb 04, 2023 10:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shutterfly ending the share sites
Replies: 14
Views: 2718

Re: Shutterfly ending the share sites

Yes, I stand corrected: It looks like Google does not own your photos, and their terms of service are similar to other companies providing similar services. Thanks for the correction!

https://policies.google.com/terms?hl=en
Your content remains yours, which means that you retain any intellectual property rights that you have in your content. For example, you have intellectual property rights in the creative content you make, such as reviews you write. Or you may have the right to share someone else’s creative content if they’ve given you their permission.
by Wabbit
Sat Feb 04, 2023 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shutterfly ending the share sites
Replies: 14
Views: 2718

Re: Shutterfly ending the share sites

(yes, a bump to get back on the landing page) please let me know if anyone has suggestions!
by Wabbit
Mon Jan 30, 2023 11:14 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shutterfly ending the share sites
Replies: 14
Views: 2718

Shutterfly ending the share sites

Shutterfly is ending their "share sites" where a community group can collaborate with posting photo albums, videos, and signup sheets. My kid's school relied on it extensively - does anyone have suggestions for a replacement? (The main Shutterfly photo-printing service is remaining, it is the share sites that are closing.) Desirable features would include: - Terms of service where you retain ownership of the material you upload (to increase privacy for kids in photos) - Unlimited photo storage, able to download full-resolution photos (maybe download complete albums) - Free (although it seems the era of free online storage is ending) - Phone app for uploading/browsing photos, viewing other features - Membership in multiple groups, ...
by Wabbit
Sun Jan 22, 2023 11:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Portfolio Question
Replies: 40
Views: 2156

Re: Portfolio Question

For your question #1, boglehead "thefinancebuff" wrote an article on TSP traditional vs. roth, where he argued most folks expecting a pension should prefer Roth contributions (with no pension he argued for traditional, in a separate article):

https://thefinancebuff.com/most-tsp-par ... h-tsp.html
by Wabbit
Fri Jan 13, 2023 10:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: yubikey or keypass?
Replies: 4
Views: 569

Re: yubikey or keypass?

I thought those are basically two different things: keypass is a password manager, and yubikey is for physical two-factor authentication.
by Wabbit
Mon Dec 19, 2022 9:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 2023 Rav4 Prime SE - $3500 over MSRP
Replies: 67
Views: 9661

Re: 2023 Rav4 Prime SE - $3500 over MSRP

Honest question, why does MSRP matter? I've thought of it as a number that historically manufacturers made up to anchor your thinking to a higher price. Problem comes now when a shortage drives up the market price higher than that number.

For the OP, I think of "good deal" more as being I paid less than some others that are buying the same kind of car right now. At the moment, that average price is higher than MSRP for many kinds of cars. Of course, it is hard to find those numbers to know for sure.
by Wabbit
Wed Nov 30, 2022 9:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Extracurricular activities for 5 year old
Replies: 49
Views: 4768

Re: Extracurricular activities for 5 year old

02nz wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 7:50 pm
nydoc wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:16 pm
02nz wrote: Wed Nov 30, 2022 6:09 pm Harvard will definitely reject your kid if there's not a record of extensive extracurricular activities in kindergarten! :P
You hit the nail. Let me confess- Is this really true? I was seriously thinking about this.
That was very much tongue in cheek!
Along these lines, I am reading a book "How To Raise An Adult", which among many other things shows reasons and research that kids benefit greatly from unstructured time, aka time where adults aren't monitoring and involved. So in that spirit I would also encourage not too many set activities and even reserving space on the calendar for unstructured time.
by Wabbit
Mon Oct 24, 2022 8:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Has anyone donated large furniture to charity?
Replies: 41
Views: 3173

Re: Has anyone donated large furniture to charity?

I'm not in Boston area, but still in a larger city. My experience was that the charities I asked basically didn't want my "very good condition" furniture. I think they get enough practically new donations that my very good condition didn't compare. I'll second the craigslist suggestion.
by Wabbit
Sun Sep 25, 2022 10:19 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dollar Savings Direct 3% savings rate
Replies: 12
Views: 3897

Re: Dollar Savings Direct 3% savings rate

If Dollar Saving Direct is still the "rate-competitive" arm of the bank, it sounds like a good move.

Way back, I had an account with Emigrant Direct, and stayed there without realizing the same bank had started up Dollar Savings Direct. DSD had competitive interest rates, and they left Emigrant Direct rates flat to catch folks like me who weren't paying attention. Once I realized what happened, I left them entirely. But if you're paying attention, you won't be fooled if they try that trick again.
by Wabbit
Sun Sep 18, 2022 7:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Book recommendations: 10 year old doesn’t listens
Replies: 16
Views: 1276

Re: Book recommendations: 10 year old doesn’t listens

I will recommend the "Positive Discipline" series. They have specialty books for particular age groups, but if I were to say 1 book, "Positive Discipline A-Z" which has illustrated ways to handle many common scenarios.

Also the famous yellow book, "How To Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk".

For other posters, I believe actual relationship advice is off-topic for Bogleheads... I could say more about why I made these recommendations but I didn't want to stray into relationship advice, just a recommendation of parenting books to buy.
by Wabbit
Fri Sep 02, 2022 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: help us with the math? How much house can we afford in the current interest rate environment?
Replies: 40
Views: 4137

Re: help us with the math? How much house can we afford in the current interest rate environment?

There are quite a few calculators on the web for this, here is one:

https://www.calculator.net/house-afford ... lator.html

I put in your 550k income, 6% loan, 15 years, and 200k down payment, and got $1.3 mil as the answer for the 28/36 rule. My understanding is that lenders would let higher-income families go beyond the 28% rule. Bogleheads tend to be conservative with questions posted about how much house they can afford. I would say the traditional rule would suit you well, especially if this amount will get you a house you like in a neighborhood you like. If not, it might be worth stretching a little bit, since those houses tend to have the best appreciation. Good luck!
by Wabbit
Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:22 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice regarding recurring credit card fraud
Replies: 45
Views: 3797

Re: Advice regarding recurring credit card fraud

andypanda wrote: Wed Jul 13, 2022 8:17 pm I use one Visa card for monthly auto-pay and keep 2 others for internet purchases and travel, etc.
You beat me to it, my suggestion was also for one credit card dedicated to auto-pay.

For what it is worth, I have had more credit card fraud from in-person use than online purchases.
by Wabbit
Sat Jun 11, 2022 2:29 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: [Belgium] Wrong time to start - asset allocation
Replies: 16
Views: 2112

Re: [Belgium] Wrong time to start - asset allocation

A 25-year-old who is actively saving for retirement should get down on his knees and pray for a decades-long, brutal bear market so that he can accumulate stocks cheaply. I think that quote from The Investor's Manifesto is the best way to think about these things - if you look at a total return chart of total stock, you barely see the blips from 30 years ago. BUT, as Bernstein also says in "If You Can", it is simple but very hard to tune out noise, and keep to your plan. I think 70/30 is a good place to start, but would encourage you to carefully see how you feel in the next few months. Historically, the worst thing you can do is capitulate and sell at the bottom. So I would start investing everything now, and if stocks go down i...
by Wabbit
Fri May 06, 2022 9:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: RepublicWireless -> US Mobile?
Replies: 11
Views: 1375

Re: RepublicWireless -> US Mobile?

I found two small gotchas with US Mobile's pricing: the taxes aren't included, and a "month" is 30 days, not a month. Neither of these was enough to keep me from switching to them. Also they do offer both Verizon and AT&T sim cards, I think.
by Wabbit
Thu Jan 27, 2022 8:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How many times has it been "different"?
Replies: 47
Views: 4830

Re: How many times has it been "different"?

Recommend reading Bernstein's book "Deep Risk". Sometimes it really is different. But those times are fewer than the times that people think it is different.
by Wabbit
Fri Jan 21, 2022 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Helping Divorced Mom Manage Finances
Replies: 35
Views: 4018

Re: Helping Divorced Mom Manage Finances

I'll reply to some questions that I have better opinions on (or at least I think): 4: I’d like to give her an idea of how much she can afford to spend per year and have no risk (er, limited risk) of running out of money.
 I have no idea how much she currently spends per year, and she doesn't know either. So I added together the amounts you listed as currently in 401ks/ taxable index funds ( 600k, 130k, 610k, 1730k) to get 3070k. A common rule of thumb is the 4% rule. (which you can search to find a lot of discussion here!) I'll be a little more conservative and use 3%, which puts her withdrawing around 92k per year. I'd suggest that as a planning number for now. I didn't include the cash in checking account or the house equity since you men...
by Wabbit
Thu Jan 13, 2022 4:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone heard of Proton email?
Replies: 38
Views: 4942

Re: Anyone heard of Proton email?

They have a good summary page of the encryption:

https://protonmail.com/support/knowledg ... encrypted/
by Wabbit
Mon Jan 03, 2022 3:43 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Seeking advice: Where to invest 250k?
Replies: 7
Views: 794

Re: Seeking advice: Where to invest 250k?

I think we need to ask the question, what is the new financial goal you want to put the 250k toward? Retirement? Something else?
by Wabbit
Sat Dec 25, 2021 2:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Computer mouse suggestions
Replies: 40
Views: 3149

Re: Computer mouse suggestions

I like this vertical mouse:

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-Wireless-V ... B00BIFNTMC

edit: for precision you also might look at gaming mice.
by Wabbit
Fri Dec 03, 2021 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: can each parent use a dependent care FSA?
Replies: 26
Views: 2157

Re: can each parent use a dependent care FSA?

1. No, a married filing jointly couple are limited to a total of $5000 together for 2022. That is my understanding, corroborated by several websites but I don't have an actual IRS link handy. That limit had been increased for 2021 partway through the year, but you would have had to increase it with your employer at that time I think. 2. Yes, since you have more than 1 child you should be able to get some amount for the Dependent Care Tax Credit. (the calculations are different for only 1 child vs. more than 1 child.) I think the allowed expenses for 2021 also increased to $16,000 for 2 kids, so if you missed increasing the DCFSA for 2021 this will still give you something. Turbotax will tell you better than I can, but I think the calculatio...
by Wabbit
Thu Dec 02, 2021 9:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: TSP contribution optimization: worth it?
Replies: 15
Views: 1948

Re: TSP contribution optimization: worth it?

The only thing that would give me pause is if there is uncertainty about when the TSP elections will take effect. I've never been sure exactly when they do, and if you guess wrong and the election didn't take effect until the next pay period, it would throw off your calculations. If you're sure about when the elections take effect then sure, go for it.
by Wabbit
Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help selecting a 4G dumb phone
Replies: 19
Views: 2522

Re: Help selecting a 4G dumb phone

Maybe more than you're looking for, but I recently found out about the Nokia 2720 V Flip:

https://www.verizon.com/basic-phones/nokia-2720-v-flip/

Flip phone with some smarter features. The reviews are mixed but I'm not sure how much to believe online reviews these days.
by Wabbit
Sun Nov 14, 2021 9:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bike Helmet Recommendations
Replies: 12
Views: 1054

Re: Bike Helmet Recommendations

I'd double-check on the "scooters, etc" part. My understanding is that safety-wise you can use a skate helmet for biking but not vice-versa. A bike helmet doesn't provide as much protection against falling backward that a skate helmet does. Non-safety wise, the skate helmet likely won't have as many cooling vents like a bike helmet. But double-check to see what you find on that.

The retrospec Lennon you mentioned does look like it comes down the back of your head more, maybe it can be used for both. But I'd check if the product info says it. Of course, wearing any helmet for scootering is better than no helmet!
by Wabbit
Sun Nov 14, 2021 4:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kids 24" Bike Recommendations
Replies: 13
Views: 1159

Re: Kids 24" Bike Recommendations

I wonder how accurate the % of body weigh comparison is. I agree that lightweight bikes are best (assuming they’re durable) but if two adults 150 lb and 300 lb are riding a 30 lb bike, it doesn’t seem like the bike would be 60 lb in comparison for the 150 lb adult.
Well, yes it's just an analogy. I don't mean to sound like the folks that weigh their bikes to the gram, that gets a little much for me. :) But like the other poster, I think having a bike on the lighter side helps kids a lot. It is a good time to be looking - kids' bikes in general were out of stock since the beginning of the pandemic, just getting back in stock now!
by Wabbit
Sat Nov 13, 2021 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Kids 24" Bike Recommendations
Replies: 13
Views: 1159

Re: Kids 24" Bike Recommendations

+1 for the woom 5. Lightweight really does help, and they are well-built. When you think of it as a percentage of body weight, a 30 lb bike for a kid is like you riding a 90 lb bike.

Not mentioned yet, guardian bikes also get pretty good reviews and they have a flashy teal like you asked about:

https://guardianbikes.com/products/24-i ... 8133916765

Not quite as lightweight as the woom but closer to the price you're looking for.
by Wabbit
Wed Oct 20, 2021 8:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Any reason to stick with group life through work?
Replies: 6
Views: 559

Re: Any reason to stick with group life through work?

I don't think you're missing anything, I had a similar experience. The only thing I can think of is, maybe compare the quality / stability of the insurance company behind your work's policy to the quote you got from the private company.
by Wabbit
Tue Oct 05, 2021 12:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Budgetting for a new child in SF Bay Area?
Replies: 22
Views: 2756

Re: Budgetting for a new child in SF Bay Area?

Small comment even farther in the future for you. You said private school is not an option. If your only reason for preferring public is financial, this can depend on the cost of afterschool care (of course if you need it). Sometimes the total cost of public school + afterschool care is not too far from the cost of private + afterschool care, at least in elementary school. If the aftercare program picks up the kids and brings them to their site, that can add considerable cost. This is more common if the private school is a parochial school, less if it is a secular private school. It never hurts to look at what options you have in your area when the time comes.
by Wabbit
Sat Sep 04, 2021 10:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Checking Back In After 6 Years
Replies: 16
Views: 5415

Re: Checking Back In After 6 Years

4. As sole income earner with a small child, I have started thinking about Term Life policies lately. I do have some life insurance through my employer, but it's only about 2X my salary. Is there a list of "approved" Life Insurance providers I should look at? Googling makes me a little wary as a lot of the results seem shady. Don't want to waste my time with pushy salespeople. There are websites that will give you comparison quotes, and does your state have anything similar to the "justified consumer complaint" list? My example is CA. Probably any of the top 15 companies will be fine. http://www.insurance.ca.gov/01-consumers/120-company/03-concmplt/lifecomposite.cfm You didn't ask, but how about disability insurance? It...
by Wabbit
Tue Jun 29, 2021 7:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: [Bank in Indianapolis area with excellent web presence and offers safe deposit boxes?]
Replies: 26
Views: 3010

Re: Need to abandon Bank of America

I'd suggest you put Indiana or Indianapolis in the title of your post, it sounds location-specific. Sorry I don't have suggestions for your actual question...
by Wabbit
Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help with Excel number formatting
Replies: 3
Views: 595

Re: Help with Excel number formatting

This link: https://www.excelforum.com/excel-new-us ... ation.html

shows that entering a custom "Type" of

0.0#####,"E3"

should do what you want. (US style decimal point) It looks like it worked on my old Excel.
by Wabbit
Tue Jun 22, 2021 9:47 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Customer Reviews
Replies: 32
Views: 2668

Re: Customer Reviews

Thanks, before your post I would discount online reviews but still consider them. I didn't realize the amount of shenanigans going on with them now. Consumer Reports isn't what it used to be, and sure they have biases in what they consider important, but I don't know of a better source for reviews / info.

XKCD has a comic about star ratings/review: https://xkcd.com/937

Image

(I believe that site's creative commons license allows to link the comic image here)
by Wabbit
Sat Jun 05, 2021 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Eye mask for sleeping on planes
Replies: 20
Views: 2117

Re: Eye mask for sleeping on planes

I like the "bucky® 40 Blinks Sleep Mask", for the contoured eye pads. Enough space to keep pressure off my eyes, and even off my eyelashes. It does wear out after a while but not too expensive, I just buy another.
by Wabbit
Sat May 22, 2021 5:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Basic Airline Fare and seat selection
Replies: 46
Views: 4765

Re: Basic Airline Fare and seat selection

I’ve found that the last minute seating algorithm usually takes care of this. Occasionally, flight attendants will have to move people around (and probably grouse that you should have paid for assigned seating, are causing a delay, etc.). I feel pretty strongly that it’s not my problem. Then pay for the privilege. It sucks to be asked if I will move so that a parent and child can sit together, when I have paid extra for my seat of choice. This is the reason I hate this new airline policy. In the name of low costs they are creating a social problem amongst the passengers. Even the potential exaggerated costs another poster dreamed up, like a separate charge for the bathroom, don't foster this kind of social problem. I would encourage flying...
by Wabbit
Sat May 22, 2021 12:34 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Roadtrip: Wisconsin to San Francisco/Yosemite
Replies: 56
Views: 7380

Re: Roadtrip: Wisconsin to San Francisco/Yosemite

If you like light hiking, I'd recommend seeing a redwood forest. There are some close by SF, and farther north along the coast (not sure how far you planned to go). Muir Woods is just north of SF in Marin County, and could be either a half-day trip from SF or as you are heading north. I think you need to make reservations for the parking lot there. You'll cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and can stop at the north vista point. When you go to Yosemite you can also see the giant sequoias just south of the park. In SF, there are many great restaurants you can find from a web search, but it is better to call - sadly many of them didn't survive through the pandemic. You can get a great view of downtown from Twin Peaks. The afternoon light is better ...
by Wabbit
Fri May 14, 2021 2:04 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Thinking Outside the Box - Other ways to invest outside of investing in Mutual Funds and Stocks
Replies: 12
Views: 2377

Re: Thinking Outside the Box - Other ways to invest outside of investing in Mutual Funds and Stocks

- Commodities (CCFs)
- Farmland
- Timber

There are many topics on bogleheads on these and more. Note that alternatives will likely have higher fees and less liquidity.
by Wabbit
Sun Mar 14, 2021 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Max out Roth TSP and Traditional IRAs
Replies: 7
Views: 628

Re: Max out Roth TSP and Traditional IRAs

Some food for thought on that has been written by the finance buff:

https://thefinancebuff.com/most-tsp-par ... h-tsp.html
by Wabbit
Sun Mar 14, 2021 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Youtube converter
Replies: 15
Views: 1904

Re: Youtube converter

FYI, it seems that downloading youtube videos violates their terms of service (unless there is a "download" link already there on youtube):

https://law.stackexchange.com/questions ... deos-legal

but please correct me if I'm wrong.