Search found 3166 matches

by illumination
Wed Mar 27, 2024 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Does the IRS care if I report a basis of zero?
Replies: 20
Views: 2945

Re: Does the IRS care if I report a basis of zero?

I would make a good faith estimate (maybe research like the lowest price the year you think you bought them) or even just enter a nominal amount like $1-something a share (unless you think you were buying penny stocks or have reason to believe that's not accurate). But the IRS will definitely not penalize you for over estimating what you owe if you put zero. But if it were me, I'd make a low-ish estimate.

FWIW, I remember a financial planner with a long career telling me he never came across a case where the IRS ever second guessed someone's cost basis guess in a situation like this. So I wouldn't bend over backwards and overpay an amount you know isn't accurate just out of fear.
by illumination
Tue Mar 26, 2024 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: To buy or not to buy a big SUV
Replies: 42
Views: 3488

Re: To buy or not to buy a big SUV

We're in a similar position, ideally I would love to have a "Suburban" sized vehicle maybe 1 month out the year for travel. I just don't think it's cost effective to rent vehicles like that (or deal with that set of headaches). I just did, it's close to $200 a day. It adds up very quickly. But I don't want to own a Suburban sized vehicle 365 days a year. We settled on something more mid/large (Lexus GX) that has a 3rd row and just make it work.

If cargo is the issue, look at like a hitch a cargo carrier.
by illumination
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Apple ... stay the course or scale back?
Replies: 177
Views: 33373

Re: Apple ... stay the course or scale back?

Apple has had 2 downgrades this past week and the stock has taken a major drubbing the last 30 days. We've had major financial successes with the exception of these past 30 days. How are fellow BH's responding if by chance they have Apple in their portfolios. Rebalance or stay the course? My immediate concern is the Federal government according to the newswires "might" take Ap;ple to court on another antitrust suit which definitely will impact the share price. What say you? I have about a 4% allocation to AAPL which is less than VTI, but it is an individual stock position nonetheless, so I try to follow the company, albeit from a distance since my allocation is relatively small. I'm staying the course. None of the reasons you cit...
by illumination
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Totaled - Insurance Options
Replies: 22
Views: 1453

Re: Car Totaled - Insurance Options

I think a reliable "beater" is worth keeping around as an extra car. Especially if you are forced to park in areas that seem to attract trouble.
by illumination
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Those complimentary dinners for retirees by investment advisors
Replies: 137
Views: 10167

Re: Those complimentary dinners for retirees by investment advisors

I get them all the time, I just would feel slimy taking advantage of something like this if I had zero interest in what they were selling. Seems like bad karma. I know I shouldn't feel sorry for somebody that sells timeshares (or other financial services that I would argue are bad for consumers and only good for the salesperson) but there are people that (unfortunately) want these things. The company selling them is making an expenditure hoping to grow their business and it feels dishonest to take that if you have zero interest. Also, I'd rather just pay for my own meal than have to potentially get in a "back and forth" with a pushy salesperson. Much of why I want to go out to eat is to have a relaxing, enjoyable setting. Not bein...
by illumination
Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: buying mutual funds seems easier than buying ETFs
Replies: 64
Views: 4874

Re: buying mutual funds seems easier than buying ETFs

The sort of ETFs you probably "should" be buying, market orders are fine. For example VTI, I almost always just do a market order. Even if you could make a case I might be "overpaying" a penny or two a share a share doing it that way, it's trivial and it's worth it to me to just make sure the transaction goes through. I've had to "chase" orders before. If though I was doing a really large order at once (like around 6 figures) say in a TLH situation, I think limit orders are prudent (but even then, I think it's probably me being overly cautious). Rick Ferri had a Boglehead podcast where he said if you're doing like 7 figures, you probably want to call your brokerage and have them handle the transaction. More thi...
by illumination
Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pressure Washer
Replies: 20
Views: 1580

Re: Pressure Washer

I bought an electric Karcher at Costco, I find it has plenty of power for what I need. If anything, I almost always step it down.
DeWalt has a battery powered one that I may purchase, has gotten good reviews. You can even just fill a bucket of water and use that as the water source if you cant get a hose somewhere.

I personally think gas ones are likely overkill for most homeowners and just have a lot more maintenance and upkeep. Also usually takes up more space. I hate having to fire up gas tools that hardly ever get used, always seems to take more time. But zero question gas powered ones are far more heavy duty.
by illumination
Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:01 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Boeing (BA) stock: at some point it has to be a bargain
Replies: 197
Views: 19400

Re: Boeing (BA) stock: at some point it has to be a bargain

FWIW, I had a decent sized position from a long time ago before I embraced a more Boglehead index approach. I sold the last of it a few weeks ago. I fortunately had a stop loss that got triggered when the first 737 Max crash happened several years ago when it was around $300 a share, regret not having sold every share with that stop loss. Hated the company ever since but still carried a largish gain and my exit plan was for it to get back to $300 and then sell. Finally threw in the towel with the last few shares a few weeks ago. Still had a gain, but that amount would have probably been 2-3x had it just been in Total market. The only case I can see for BA is for national security and what the taxpayer might be forced to do to keep it going,...
by illumination
Fri Mar 22, 2024 11:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Replacing 10 year old MacBook Pro: M3 MacBook Pro or M2 MacBook Air
Replies: 52
Views: 5009

Re: Replacing 10 year old MacBook Pro: M3 MacBook Pro or M2 MacBook Air

I'm a longtime MacBook user, my advice is go cheap and just upgrade more often. Usually the battery life becomes the issue anyway after several years. You're not going to really see a difference with the faster chips until you do things like video editing.

The only issue is, Apple is purposely stingy with memory because they want to sell you their cloud services, so just make sure you have enough or get an external Solid State drive. But it's very frustrating that you have to spend a lot of money to get like a 1TB hard drive.
by illumination
Thu Mar 21, 2024 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windshield Replacement - Zero deductible Insurance vs. Pay out of pocket
Replies: 11
Views: 1091

Re: Windshield Replacement - Zero deductible Insurance vs. Pay out of pocket

In my state, it's against the law to raise rates on windshield replacement history, but I always suspect there are enough loopholes that if its excessive, you probably will suddenly have an increase in rates. But for a "regular" interval of windshields (like 1 a year or less) I doubt it has any effect. I do the zero deductible because I have had a few ultra expensive windshields and the additional coverage barely raised my rates, like $10 a month. We just live in an environment with lots of rocks on the road (desert) My wife had a newer Lexus and at the time, the only windshield available was factory and like $1200. That was almost what I paid in insurance premiums that entire year. The windshield on my current car I suspect will ...
by illumination
Wed Mar 20, 2024 10:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Used Tesla shoppers: Quality?
Replies: 48
Views: 3787

Re: Used Tesla shoppers: Quality?

If someone was determined to buy a used electric car, I would absolutely say Tesla is the best bet if you had concerns. Tesla has had its issues, but compared to what other used EV maker do you think is a better bet for parts, service, support in the future? I think some of these electric models out there from companies just sort of still feeling its way around EVs are probably ticking time bombs outside a factory warranty. I have a friend that was a loyal Tesla user, owned several and loved them (would sing their praises) but had "issues" with Elon (he's very political) so he bought a different electric car out of spite. It's been terrible, lots and lots of problems (I dont know the brand) but he's going to probably dump it here ...
by illumination
Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: free YAHOO e-mail lock-up
Replies: 10
Views: 1060

Re: free YAHOO e-mail lock-up

Once you get this resolved, I would drop Yahoo. It's absolute garbage as an email provider. They really dont want to provide free email anymore and are doing everything they can to either get people to pay for it or encourage them to leave.

I was one of those people that also held on to mine way too long. Finally when they stopped "free" forwarding, I migrated fully over to Gmail. I regret not getting rid of Yahoo ages ago. It really was not as big a deal as I thought it was, it basically took a single day of making some updates and I was done. I monitored the old one for a while and looked for gaps I may have missed.
by illumination
Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:40 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Dividend shock: Help me reduce dividends
Replies: 30
Views: 4025

Re: Dividend shock: Help me reduce dividends

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 4:24 pm I'll tell you what I'm doing as I've retired and gone on Medicare and am also doing big Roth conversions.

Anything that pays dividends or interest is being sold. I'm buying BRK/b. Simple as that. The end.
Also explore having a growth tilt in taxable. Less dividends. You can have a value tilt in tax advantaged accounts to offset it.
by illumination
Mon Mar 18, 2024 2:22 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Which industry will benefit from new real estate commission fee structure?
Replies: 120
Views: 9452

Re: Which industry will benefit from new real estate commission fee structure?

I think all aspects of the real estate business from benefit from the collapse of the fixed fee structure. They will add new fees and hide them in all kinds of new ways we can't even imagine today. In place of a single bundled commission fee there will be a plethora of new fees and charges to deal with. The possibilities are endless, advertising fees, fees for "for sale" sign placement, rental, and removal, open house charges, walk-through fees for showing the home to prospective purchasers, listing fees, hourly charges for accommodating appraisers and home inspections, etc, gobs and gobs of fees like you've never seen before. Many of the fees might not be dependent on the closing of a sale. Perhaps akin to the collapse of high (...
by illumination
Sun Mar 17, 2024 2:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to fix sewer back up?
Replies: 28
Views: 1896

Re: How to fix sewer back up?

"State Disclosure Laws The days when a seller could say, "Here's the house, hope you like it," while failing to mention its hidden flaws, dangers, and weak spots, are pretty much over. Almost every U.S. state has passed laws mandating that sellers give buyers specific information about what structural and other features the house contains, and their condition. In some cases, the brokers must speak up about hidden conditions, too. Many states have created standard forms with which sellers are expected to record and pass this information to buyers. Find out more about your state's rules here." https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/state-state-seller-disclosure-requirements OP has been using a plumber at least 4-5 times ...
by illumination
Sun Mar 17, 2024 12:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to fix sewer back up?
Replies: 28
Views: 1896

Re: How to fix sewer back up?

Did previous owners disclose this defect? Has plumber worked on this house for previous owners? Maybe you can sue to have it corrected. Previous owners did not disclose this issue. I would love to recoup some of the costs of construction and loss of value of the house. Can we still sue the previous owner for not disclosing this? Does the one plumber that does work in the town remember working on this house before you? That would be the "proof" you could use that the seller knew it was a material defect and didnt disclose. My guess is, the previous owner knew and chose to hide it. Awfully big coincidence this happened just as you were moving in. All that being said, you can sue anyone for anything, just doesnt mean it's worthwhile...
by illumination
Sun Mar 17, 2024 12:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to fix sewer back up?
Replies: 28
Views: 1896

Re: How to fix sewer back up?

Have one of these drain cleaning bladders for your house and learn to use it. Basically attach a garden hose and drop it down your clean out valve. https://www.storeseven.com/assets/images/products/EJD/display/4829271.jpg I sort of have the same issue, but not nearly as bad. More like a few times a year things get backed up. I had my plumber take his camera down my sewer line and he said I have a slight "belly" that causes issues. The only real permanent fix is to dig up my long cement driveway and redo the line. He said if I were him, he would just do what I've been doing, clear it myself and wait until you're redoing your driveway to really address it. I also had him hydrojet the lines and that did seem to make a difference. My ...
by illumination
Fri Mar 15, 2024 6:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: I will need a new car or repair one
Replies: 46
Views: 2206

Re: I will need a new car or repair one

Went to a shop for oil change and they said it needs a new ball joints that need to be replaced in 6-7 months or so. (costs $4000) and possibly leaking differential which needs $900 to seal it and etc. Just understand that many shops make oil changes loss leaders in order to then upsell other services. So it's almost rare that you will go in for just an oil change and the tech doesn't come back with something that they can actually make money on. I personally am suspicious that it cost $4000 for new ball joints or that it really needs them at all. Not saying it's 100% not true, but that sounds crazy high to me. I've replaced ball joints myself and had a shop do them and it wasn't a big deal (but all cars are all different). Also, "nee...
by illumination
Thu Mar 14, 2024 9:14 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Termite Quotes & Repair vs Damage warranty
Replies: 33
Views: 1976

Re: Termite Quotes & Repair vs Damage warranty

My understanding is they never actually pay a warranty claim if there's damage to the home. They'll just point the finger that you didn't alert them in time, etc.

I just know I had a longstanding contract with Terminix and they basically never came by. After like 10 years, I needed a treatment as i saw some termite evidence.,I called and the guy is there for about an hour. That's it. The THOUSANDS I spent over the years for that one hour just seemed pointless. I'm in the camp that the whole way this service approached is something of a scam for consumers.

Unless you have some real persistent termite issue in your area that needs constant treatment, I think just paying for treatment as you need it is usually best.
by illumination
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:53 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Furniture prices... is this normal?
Replies: 60
Views: 10060

Re: Furniture prices... is this normal?

I'm in the camp that would rather go cheap for furniture and just replace more often. I think even the more expensive stuff nowadays is not well made either and likely comes from China. I just got what I consider to be an expensive cabinet and immediately the soft close drawers don't close properly. Company gave a refund, but it was hard fought.

I definitely think a generation or two ago, it was more "you get what you pay for" and more expensive usually meant better quality that lasted a lifetime. I think that's mostly gone now.
by illumination
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "Rich Man's Roth" / 7702
Replies: 37
Views: 5557

Re: "Rich Man's Roth" / 7702

When you pull out the money you can borrow against it so it's 'tax free' I don't understand why people always say this about these scams policies? All loans are "tax free." What exactly do people think they are getting here? There are three significant tax breaks with life insurance that are very real, although only one is unique to life insurance. I'm not even sure the agents understand this since they typically just talk about the tax free loans. The first is that as you do partial surrenders of the policy, the principal comes out first. That's very unique for life insurance. For annuities, it's the opposite. For investments, it's a blend. So it's not "tax-free income" for life insurance, but it is tax free spendable ...
by illumination
Wed Mar 13, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home
Replies: 23
Views: 2005

Re: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home

Amien wrote: Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:30 am
New windows aren’t worth purchase to achieve so-called “energy savings”. Buy good quality lined drapes instead.
I would agree with that also.

The main reason I had my Master bedroom's windows replaced was they were original to the home and were single paned. Bedroom has a lot of enormous picture windows. Lots of noise transmission and heat/cold. The rest of the house had more modern windows.

After dropping around $20k on windows, I found the new thicker drapes made a MUCH bigger difference than the windows did. I would have just kept the original windows had I known that. Happy with the end result, and they are without question way better, but live and learn.
by illumination
Wed Mar 13, 2024 1:00 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Sell relatively expensive fund and generate tax hit?
Replies: 8
Views: 681

Re: Sell relatively expensive fund and generate tax hit?

My advice would be to just keep it and invest the dividends elsewhere IF you want to just stay in emerging markets. If there's a big drop in the market and/or you find yourself in a lower bracket, you can then look to sell it.

FWIW, the actively managed fund has almost twice the annual rate of return as the index. My opinion is they "earned" their fee.
by illumination
Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home
Replies: 23
Views: 2005

Re: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home

the Marvin windows feel leaps and bounds better than the Pella windows with respect to overall construction/look/feel/operation. I definitely felt the Marvin's product was better than Pella. I almost went with them but went another direction last minute. I personally didn't like Pella's sales channel, but that can be very local. The salesperson I met with was absolutely clueless. They also spend quite a bit of money on marketing, I probably get more Pella mailers and flyers than I do Renewal by Anderson. I feel like I'm paying for a lot of marketing when I buy from companies like that instead of towards the actual product. I would also heavily lean towards fiberglass over wood, but that's not always an option. Pella had some pretty signifi...
by illumination
Wed Mar 13, 2024 11:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home
Replies: 23
Views: 2005

Re: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home

themesrob wrote: Tue Mar 12, 2024 9:42 pm
This echoes the concern of one of our neighbors who hired him. This gentleman actually requires you to supply the ladders, supplies, etc. All he brings are his tools. Highly eccentric, possibly underinsured, but apparently excellent work.

I personally would instantly disqualify him over that, that just raises a lot of red flags. Just sounds more like a retired handyman and my guess is if anything goes sideways on the project, you'll be holding the bag.
by illumination
Wed Mar 13, 2024 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Microsoft Office 2021 for Home
Replies: 47
Views: 3511

Re: Microsoft Office 2021 for Home

Another vote for Libre Office that's free, I think 99% of people can get by fine with it. But I've purchased several copies of Office on stacksocial.com, I learned about it here on Bogleheads. I think I paid $30 recently for a version of 2019 Office. The download comes directly from Microsoft and the license has my name. The link LadyGeek provided says StackSocial is an authorized Microsoft partner. I think people are being overly paranoid to "not" buy this way, at least when it comes to StackSocial. Microsoft has the resources to drag a company like this into court if they thought it was illegal. However, further searching of the OP's link and google came up with this: Buy Microsoft Office Professional for Windows for $45 right n...
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home
Replies: 23
Views: 2005

Re: Looking for window restoration/replacement guidance for older home

My biggest concern would be the quality of work, so I would probably lean towards option 3 or 4. I would pay more if you thought the finished product was better. I would avoid option #2 altogether, Renewal is just a sleazy outfit in general. As someone that just spent a lot of money on windows and with through a lot of brain damage on the project, my advice is really be sure you "need" windows. Don't do it for energy savings, it's probably not going to be the game changer you think it is. It certainly will NEVER pay back something like $38k+. If the windows didn't bother you until someone said something and one of them leaked only once during a bad rain, maybe just have that window fixed? Some sealant could be all it needed. Espec...
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 4:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPad Buying Question for Younger Kids
Replies: 25
Views: 1993

Re: iPad Buying Question for Younger Kids

Get the generic pencils. If it's something they really get into, you can always upgrade. I got my kids the Apple ones...they basically sat unused after a few days.

I also would just go cheap on the iPads, refurbished ones will work fine. My iPad is like 8 years old and works great.
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Preparing for Marriage
Replies: 47
Views: 4811

Re: Preparing for Marriage

Prenup. Not kidding. +1 #1 best piece of advice you can get here. The most important form of financial insurance and far more consequential than your asset allocation imo. In modern times, it should have no stigma. I know several recent divorcees, ALL of them will insist on a prenup next time around. I have never met someone that regretted asking for a prenup. You also have far more in assets than the person you are marrying. I would wager the student loans are more than their entire net worth. I have a friend that just shortly before getting married found out his soon to be wife has $350k in student debt. Just sort of forgot about it I guess. You can look at any stats you want, but I think everyone would agree without knowing specifics, t...
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Preparing for Marriage
Replies: 47
Views: 4811

Re: Preparing for Marriage

Prenup. Not kidding. +1 #1 best piece of advice you can get here. The most important form of financial insurance and far more consequential than your asset allocation imo. In modern times, it should have no stigma. I know several recent divorcees, ALL of them will insist on a prenup next time around. I have never met someone that regretted asking for a prenup. You also have far more in assets than the person you are marrying. I would wager the student loans are more than their entire net worth. I have a friend that just shortly before getting married found out his soon to be wife has $350k in student debt. Just sort of forgot about it I guess. You can look at any stats you want, but I think everyone would agree without knowing specifics, t...
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Mouse nest in engine compartment after recent service
Replies: 27
Views: 2195

Re: Mouse nest in engine compartment after recent service

At least in the times I have had this happen, it was not immediately apparent when you opened the hood. More like you would see a little debris in the engine that they carried with them that could be anything.

My understanding is for the sake of being biodegradable, they now make the rubber insulation from soy and it's attractive to rodents.

If I were in this situation and I had to park outside, I would put those bait traps in the lot around your vehicle and check them regularly. They can total a car. The amount of wires in modern cars is staggering.
by illumination
Tue Mar 12, 2024 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Underfund vs overfund decision for 529
Replies: 12
Views: 1118

Re: Underfund vs overfund decision for 529

You can't buy a house with excess 529 funds, at least not without incurring the usual 10% penalty plus paying taxes on the gains as ordinary income. You can roll it into a Roth IRA, but there's a lot of gotchas and caps imo that I'm not sure make much sense to purposely plan for excess funds. More of a nice escape option if you overfund. I would shoot for slightly underfunding it. You can always gift the same money, set up a custodial account, pay tuition directly, etc and have more flexibility for the difference. For example, you could set aside an index fund position in your own account and mentally designate it for your kids. Then gift that fund to them, and they would then pay the taxes as an adult starting out. Very likely they could t...
by illumination
Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Parking place for college students early inheritance
Replies: 14
Views: 1353

Re: Parking place for college students early inheritance

Legally, a 20 year old can't buy alcohol, to also say they have the potential to make some bad financial decisions seems prudent. But, a 20-year-old can also legally go to war. I think this is a case-by-case situation where we don’t have to assume OP’s son will blow all the money. Only OP can assess what the risks are in reality. We're not making the assumption, the parent is. The whole point of the OP's question was the parent had concerns on how to make sure this doesn't happen. Without knowing any of the people involved, I'm simply saying I have seen real life examples of this play out and extra caution is prudent. It wasn't all blown in Vegas, just lots of poor decisions where it evaporated very quickly. Most of it honestly was someone...
by illumination
Sat Mar 09, 2024 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Interesting Price Differences For $4k Streaming Increases...
Replies: 10
Views: 1747

Re: Interesting Price Differences For $4k Streaming Increases...

Also, take in consideration not everything on these platforms is natively Ultra HD or 4k. I don't know what the percent is, but something to keep in mind. Most programming has probably been upscaled, something a 4k TV does also.

We have 4k OLED TVs, I have the non-4k option for Netflix because I just don't watch much Netflix, and it still looks amazing, just depending on the show. It was something I had planned to go up to at some point, but just don't really feel the need anymore. I also feel I like to push back a bit as a consumer. Something that is regular High Def on say a BluRay can look better than 4k, there's just so many factors besides bitrate. Something that looks amazing in 4k probably also looks amazing without it.
by illumination
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:48 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Parking place for college students early inheritance
Replies: 14
Views: 1353

Re: Parking place for college students early inheritance

FWIW, every young person I have known that had a windfall at their disposal, made bad decisions. Nothing "crazy" and they weren't bad people, just not smart decisions. A combination of frivolous spending and bad investment decisions. Counterpoint I had access to a largish UTMA at age 21 (my college account before there were 529s) and I lived on that through grad school and still had funds left for my first house purchase. I kept it invested in the same vanguard funds my grandfather had started. My parents raised me well so that I couldn’t stomach spending a lot of money on frivolous stuff. I do have friends who racked up credit card bills in college on big TVs and video game systems, as well as travel. The sort of people that are...
by illumination
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Window Warranty
Replies: 25
Views: 3433

Re: Window Warranty

Alaska_Skeeter wrote: Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:22 am
The performance of the low-maintenance exterior glass coating on products with Low-E4® glass


Just to pass on some advice after we did a lot of windows, I would absolutely NOT use E4 if E3 was available. The E4 can really add a blue/green tint to things. To some people, this is not an issue and want the extra efficiency, but when you have something white behind it (like curtains, drapes, shutters etc) it doesn't look good in many situations.
by illumination
Sat Mar 09, 2024 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Parking place for college students early inheritance
Replies: 14
Views: 1353

Re: Parking place for college students early inheritance

Can he still fall under the age of a UTMA account? I think some states have different ages and go up to age 21 and even age 25, that might give you some more time to be in control.

Or would he simply let you be in charge of it? Can a separate account be opened in his name and only you have access? I personally would just drop in something like a Money Market and get 5% if a home purchase is in the near future.

FWIW, every young person I have known that had a windfall at their disposal, made bad decisions. Nothing "crazy" and they weren't bad people, just not smart decisions. A combination of frivolous spending and bad investment decisions.
by illumination
Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure
Replies: 63
Views: 4722

Re: Drop Homeowner Ins- Self Insure

I know someone that's ultra wealthy that does this, the way they feel is they they can just self-insure because it would not be financially devastating to them for a loss. I couldn't do this, but I can understand the reasoning if your home is just not a major part of your net worth.

In the OP's example, that does seem like a high premium for what is being insured.
by illumination
Fri Mar 08, 2024 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???
Replies: 45
Views: 4177

Re: Are white, red, blue and other bright colors safer [for cars] than other colors???

I wouldn't buy a color based on the increased safety, but I do think it matters in certain situations. I like a charcoal, dark gray color for cars, which is probably the absolute worst as it blends into the road. I remember one time I had a car that color and birds would run into my car while I was moving, seems they had issues also seeing it.
by illumination
Fri Mar 08, 2024 8:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 3007

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

If you are squeamish about dishwashers I recommend you never look into the kitchen behind your favorite restaurant. I used to run one of those Hobart commercial dishwashers. I would load up a rack with 20 big plates, slide it into the dishwasher, push the button and it was done -- not 2 hours, not 1 hour -- 1 minute, that is 60 seconds total, for wash and rinse. They also have an actual person that is a "dish washer" clean dishes before it's loaded into the appliance. They don't just take a plate directly off the table and load it in there. Nonsense. There is no manual "dish washer" who cleans the dishes first. That's the whole point of the Hobart machine. We would just load dirty dishes directly into a rack on the righ...
by illumination
Thu Mar 07, 2024 9:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 3007

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

billaster wrote: Thu Mar 07, 2024 8:34 pm
If you are squeamish about dishwashers I recommend you never look into the kitchen behind your favorite restaurant. I used to run one of those Hobart commercial dishwashers. I would load up a rack with 20 big plates, slide it into the dishwasher, push the button and it was done -- not 2 hours, not 1 hour -- 1 minute, that is 60 seconds total, for wash and rinse.

They also have an actual person that is a "dish washer" clean dishes before it's loaded into the appliance. They don't just take a plate directly off the table and load it in there.
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 6:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 3007

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

The worst part is, the "savings" from these proposed regulations would be like a penny a month. Someone that has a grass lawn wastes more water in a few days of irrigation than what these dishwashers save in an entire year. This sounds similar to complaints about low flush toilets. The early designs weren't always great but they made better designs They were terrible, you would have to flush several times. I replaced a house full of the early designs. It's a pretty textbook example of what I don't want to happen with a new dishwasher where I have to wash them dishes multiple times to get them clean and/or simply replace it and dump it in a landfill because I need to get the "better" design that actually works. Let's wai...
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 2:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vanguard just won't stop sending me paper mail
Replies: 36
Views: 3910

Re: Vanguard just won't stop sending me paper mail

I've also had issues with my brokerage (Schwab) sending mail for certain things. I'm not sure if some of it is for legal reasons, or what. Where it was really an issue is for my (elderly) father who is something of a hoarder. It really did get out of control because he was insisting on everything being mailed still, but he finally relented when he saw how much we needed to shred. He would have like several year old prospectuses for index mutual funds, etc piling up on his desk.

When I call, they just don't really have an answer as his settings are for e-delivery. To be fair, 90%+ of it is no longer mailed.
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lemon Law Question in Pennsylvania
Replies: 17
Views: 1250

Re: Lemon Law Question in Pennsylvania

I would ask the dealer if you can try the Apple Car Play issue on a brand new Subaru on the lot. If it works on a new vehicle, ask for them to replace the infotainment system on yours under warranty. But it could be your specific phone. The charger issue is more Apple's fault then Subarus, imo. I'm not sure how Subaru really addresses it. Tried 3 different phones including brand new iPhone 15. Same problem. And the call drop/mute thing takes 10-15 minutes to happen. Not sure it would replicate on a brand new car unless I drove it for an hour, which isn’t gonna happen. I will push for replacement of the infotainment system before fully flexing Lemon options. Can you rent a brand new Subaru for a day and see? Does the dealership have loaners...
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Lemon Law Question in Pennsylvania
Replies: 17
Views: 1250

Re: Lemon Law Question in Pennsylvania

I would ask the dealer if you can try the Apple Car Play issue on a brand new Subaru on the lot. If it works on a new vehicle, ask for them to replace the infotainment system on yours under warranty. But it could be your specific phone.


The charger issue is more Apple's fault then Subarus, imo. I'm not sure how Subaru really addresses it.
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Calls from "Palumbo Wealth Management Team"
Replies: 37
Views: 3617

Re: Fidelity Calls from "Palumbo Wealth Management Team"

Are your parents on the federal "Do Not Call" List? https://www.donotcall.gov/ If they aren't already, this would be a good idea. Might even want to "help" sign up for them. :wink: I would think unless they have a pre-existing relationship with this firm, they can't legally solicit you. Their firm having a relationship with Fidelity doesn't give them a blank check to then go after every Fidelity customer. They aren't Fidelity anymore than me having an account with Fidelity means I'm Fidelity. They probably are Fidelity. I'm assuming this is them: https://palumbowm.com/how-we-serve-you/ This isn't "Fidelity", even if they use Fidelity's platform. I don't think a call directly from Fidelity would use the introdu...
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 11:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Selling used appliances
Replies: 9
Views: 941

Re: Selling used appliances

I also think you're being overly paranoid. Sell as-is, and it's up to them.

I will say, I have heard of some goofy court cases that involved this, but in this litigious age, that can happen with any transaction. FWIW, I try to make myself as anonymous as possible when selling things. Mostly because there's just weird people out there.
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:52 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Calls from "Palumbo Wealth Management Team"
Replies: 37
Views: 3617

Re: Fidelity Calls from "Palumbo Wealth Management Team"

Are your parents on the federal "Do Not Call" List?

https://www.donotcall.gov/

If they aren't already, this would be a good idea. Might even want to "help" sign up for them. :wink:

I would think unless they have a pre-existing relationship with this firm, they can't legally solicit you. Their firm having a relationship with Fidelity doesn't give them a blank check to then go after every Fidelity customer. They aren't Fidelity anymore than me having an account with Fidelity means I'm Fidelity.
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 10:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 3007

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

Wow. My Mom's 1980's push-button dishwasher lasted 20+ years and cleaned everything spotless. I'm lucky to have one last 5 years and I've still got dirty dishes after a 3-hour cycle. And now they need "softward updates?" That's progress! The notable decrease in efficiency can be traced to federal regulations regarding water usage by dishwashers. Currently the standard is that dishwashers use no more than 5 gallons, but there's a proposal to cut that to 3.5 gallons. Older dishwasher weren't constrained by regulations, used more water and cleaned better. Here's a (paywalled) WSJ article about it if anyone is interested in the particulars: https://www.wsj.com/articles/energy-department-rule-dishwashers-efficiency-environment-biden-a...
by illumination
Wed Mar 06, 2024 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When to switch from dealer to independent for service
Replies: 52
Views: 4331

Re: When to switch from dealer to independent for service

As soon as the warranty is over, I start looking elsewhere for service. I'm not a fan of dealerships, but I would definitely compare prices, sometimes we just assume an independent shop is way cheaper. I would just make sure the shop specializes in what you have, the "we do everything places" I would usually avoid.