Search found 3153 matches

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: 51
Views: 4105

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: 1674

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: 1674

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: 1674

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: 1927

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: 1888

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: 9475

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: 5439

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: 1866

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: 651

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: 1866

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: 1866

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: 3291

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: 1866

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: 1922

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: 4723

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: 4723

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: 2122

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: 1075

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: 1283

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: 1686

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: 1283

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: 3348

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: 1283

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: 4444

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: 3873

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: 2903

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: 2903

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: 2903

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: 3800

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: 16
Views: 1069

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: 16
Views: 1069

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: 3504

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: 916

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: 3504

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: 2903

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: 4115

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.
by illumination
Tue Mar 05, 2024 2:35 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 2903

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

TLL24 wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 2:32 pm
illumination wrote: Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:58 pm It almost sounds like the tech made it up to be honest. I definitely think the manufacturer should be paying for a repair like that if truly did need some software update to function properly, even if it's outside the original warranty. Did they hook something like a laptop up to it and then download a patch?
Yes, they attached a laptop, ran diagnostics and took about 10 min to update.
I feel like any dishwasher with a data port is just asking for trouble with service calls like this. Give me a 100% mechanical dishwasher, I'll gladly pay the extra $1 a year in water waste to go old school.
by illumination
Tue Mar 05, 2024 1:58 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update
Replies: 33
Views: 2903

Re: Non-WiFi Dishwasher Needed Software Update

It almost sounds like the tech made it up to be honest. I definitely think the manufacturer should be paying for a repair like that if truly did need some software update to function properly, even if it's outside the original warranty. Did they hook something like a laptop up to it and then download a patch?
by illumination
Mon Mar 04, 2024 4:03 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Where to cap 529 contributions?
Replies: 64
Views: 4927

Re: Where to cap 529 contributions?

Are you able to max out other tax-advantaged accounts for yourself or is it an "either or" decision between 529 and say a 401k, HSA, Roth IRA, etc? You're usually better off falling off a bit short imo, assuming those same funds would be invested elsewhere because there's more flexibility elsewhere and I would prioritize your own retirement goals. The only time I see being comfortable really "overloading" a 529 is when you're just maxing everything else out and you're eager for tax shelters. Also, something that doesn't get brought up is, I'm of the opinion that big 529s mean people make decisions they ordinarily wouldn't with respect to college tuition costs and spending it down. Some people might say that's always a po...
by illumination
Mon Mar 04, 2024 3:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: MS Office Subscription and Activation - seeking advice
Replies: 19
Views: 1666

Re: MS Office Subscriptin and Activation - seeking advice

If you decide to continue with a purchase of MS Office then proceed with caution on the cheap lifetime copies of MS Office. Some of these are License Keys from Volume License Sales or MSDN subscriptions and may be in violation of Microsoft’s License Agreement. I believe Microsoft no longer sells individual lifetime licenses for Office post the 2021 versions. I’m not saying they won’t work and may work for many years but there are reports of folks finding the key has already been used. Also, Microsoft do have the ability to disable the software should they decide they no longer want people using their software in violation of the agreement. I've purchased these several times over the years for various devices, never an issue. I just dont se...
by illumination
Mon Mar 04, 2024 3:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: MS Office Subscription and Activation - seeking advice
Replies: 19
Views: 1666

Re: MS Office Subscriptin and Activation - seeking advice

Buy him a non-subscription version of Office. I bought one from StackSocial for like $30, totally legit. downloaded from MicroSoft. It was a 2019 version. It might be worth it to just solve it once and for all for this person that can't juggle subscription services. I personally HATE software subscription services. I do think though for 90% of people, download Libre Office and and you could do everything that Microsoft Office does and its free. Not at all hard to use, open and edit Excel and Word docs,etc. Another good free program is Open Office. Works fine for me for documents and spreadsheets (although mine are simple). Yes, there was some split where many original OpenOffice programmers left and did Libre office. I've used both, but my...
by illumination
Mon Mar 04, 2024 1:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?
Replies: 36
Views: 3322

Re: At what point in a car’s life do you try miracle elixir fixes?

AT-205 is not the typical sludge/snake oil. I'm against any of those things. AT-205 is not that. It is absolutely worth trying. +1, I would try it, it has some credibility. FWIW, I had a similar issue on a low value pickup and used a (different) seal conditioner did made a dramatic difference. But I would also evaluate how much of a leak are we talking about? If it's like a tablespoon a month, I would do nothing. The reality, your car is just going to be worth very little in the next few years. I don't personally see a realistic scenario where putting these types of seal conditioners as directed in the oil will "ruin" anything. The risk is mostly just you wasted your money on something that didn't work. The types of "stop le...
by illumination
Mon Mar 04, 2024 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: MS Office Subscription and Activation - seeking advice
Replies: 19
Views: 1666

Re: MS Office Subscriptin and Activation - seeking advice

Buy him a non-subscription version of Office.
I bought one from StackSocial for like $30, totally legit. downloaded from MicroSoft. It was a 2019 version. It might be worth it to just solve it once and for all for this person that can't juggle subscription services. I personally HATE software subscription services.


I do think though for 90% of people, download Libre Office and and you could do everything that Microsoft Office does and its free. Not at all hard to use, open and edit Excel and Word docs,etc.
by illumination
Sat Mar 02, 2024 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Solo 401k $500 annual tax credit from Secure 2.0? Anyone understand this?
Replies: 24
Views: 2523

Re: Solo 401k $500 annual tax credit from Secure 2.0? Anyone understand this?

retirement_enthu wrote: Fri Mar 01, 2024 7:32 am $300 sounds outrageous for a 10-15 min restatement work for existing clients. They are having a webinar today (3/1/24) at 4 pm EST, I am not a client, but I hope a brave soul confronts :). I have nabers solo401k.com. I have not heard about this credit from them, yet.
Maybe makes sense to give them a little time to rethink the fees.
Agreed, I like MySolo401k.net, I think they've been great and recommend them. But it really should be something they do for free or maybe just a nominal $100. Maybe I'm misunderstanding what's involved, but to me it looks like a copy and paste add on document to me. Not customized paperwork.
by illumination
Sat Mar 02, 2024 3:38 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 401K Administrative fees: Are there better options?
Replies: 9
Views: 555

Re: 401K Administrative fees: Are there better options?

I wouldnt call it standard, I had a friend in small firm that got a quote from I believe Employer's Fiduciary (FWIW, they didn't use because they didn't like the person they worked with) and I want to say the quote was like $1500 a year in Admin fees pad by the company and then and additional .08% AUM in employee fees. And then you could get low cost funds like Vanguard and whatever their expense ratio was. Fees weren't the issue, their customer service seemed to be lacking and I think they wanted something more full service. So 1.0% AUM is not reasonable imo, but maybe that covers additional services? I think regardless, even with a 1% expense passed on to employees, you still contribute up to the company match at a minimum. And maybe find...
by illumination
Sat Mar 02, 2024 2:34 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Convert $1M+ to Roth while in high tax bracket?
Replies: 33
Views: 4271

Re: Convert $1M+ to Roth while in high tax bracket?

The biggest flaw I see to this analysis is assuming you stay in the highest tax bracket over the next several decades and you have no better opportunities to convert when you're in a lower bracket. My whole life, I've seen the "best laid plans" with a variety of people come out way different than how we expect.

If you were 100% sure your job and salary was that secure (at age 38) that you'll forever be making over $731,000+ a year (top bracket for a married couple) then yes, I think you can make some good cases to convert even at the top of the bracket. Much of it for estate planning purposes.
by illumination
Fri Mar 01, 2024 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Faucets for Bathroom Sinks?
Replies: 19
Views: 1779

Re: Best Faucets for Bathroom Sinks?

I just asked my longtime plumber this as I'm replacing a bathroom faucet, he said Delta. I also asked a plumbing parts counter this question, they said Delta or Delta's high end line, Brizo. Almost every single person in the plumbing trade I have asked this question says Delta. I don't recommend Price Pfister, but had good luck with Kohler. To be fair, pretty much all the major brands will just mail you replacement parts for free. I also don't recommend the ultra high end European ones or ones that aren't well established. I had a shower that was some odd German brand that I believe went out of business and it was almost impossible for me to find parts for it. Went to all sorts of plumbing supply stores and found one place that had it.
by illumination
Thu Feb 29, 2024 8:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Window Warranty
Replies: 25
Views: 3348

Re: Window Warranty

Another vote against the Renewal by Andersen. I think Andersen's regular line of windows is okay, but the Renewal wing of the company is just a different animal. Honestly, the whole industry is just full of cons, but it might be the worst. Replacing windows and doors in a house is a huge pain, I just went through it.
by illumination
Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Neighbor Got Burglarized, How To Prevent
Replies: 74
Views: 8334

Re: Neighbor Got Burglarized, How To Prevent

Cameras make a big difference, it's more about the burglar just going to the next house that doesn't have a camera.

As far as beefing up physical security, we had a rash of burglaries that would simply throw a rock through a window and walk in. The "gang" was recently apprehended.

Modern cameras are one of the best upgrades I made to my home, well worth the menial cost.