Search found 121 matches

by misterjohnny
Thu Feb 29, 2024 12:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trust account at Morgan Stanley, move to FIDO?
Replies: 2
Views: 408

Trust account at Morgan Stanley, move to FIDO?

My wife and I are trustees to MiL estate. Her assets were with Morgan Stanley so we set up trust accounts there. We are going to have these awhile, because there is a spendthrift trust for SiL that we need to manage.

As I was putting the money from the sale of the house to work in the MS account, I was informed of a load for the Bond fund :x

So I'm thinking of moving everything to Fidelity or Vanguard, where I already have our family's accounts. Benefits/drawbacks to either one?
by misterjohnny
Thu Feb 29, 2024 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retired, but still have income, so Roth?
Replies: 3
Views: 895

Re: Retired, but still have income, so Roth?

Alan S. wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 5:30 pm
CAsage wrote: Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:59 pm If the income shows up on a W-2, then it's earned income, so you would be good to go.
Actually, the eligible earned income is Box 1 of your W-2 less any amount shown in Box 11.
Thanks for the reply.

The ~$8,000 number the SSA has is W-2 box 1 minus box 11, so it looks like I'm good!
by misterjohnny
Wed Feb 28, 2024 4:20 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retired, but still have income, so Roth?
Replies: 3
Views: 895

Retired, but still have income, so Roth?

I have been retired since 2020, but I am receiving income I deferred back in the day. Currently I am also receiving a pension, a large portion of which was non-qualified so I am taxed on it.

I was on the SSA website looking at my statement, and it showed ~$8,000 in SSA earnings in 2023, from my deferred income. The pension income does not show up on the SSA form.

Does that $8,000 qualify me to contribute to a Roth IRA for 2023?
by misterjohnny
Wed Feb 28, 2024 12:48 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 529 - 2 years until High School Graduation - How Risky should I be?
Replies: 28
Views: 3639

Re: 529 - 2 years until High School Graduation - How Risky should I be?

Given the high yields for fixed income these days, I would go 100% fixed income and take the win.

Run some math. What happens if you go 70% fixed, 30% stock and the market goes up 20%? What if it goes down 50%?

Now run the same numbers at 100% fixed. Is the downside worth the upside? Only you can answer that question.
by misterjohnny
Fri Jan 19, 2024 7:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mobile home investment in inherited IRA
Replies: 1
Views: 338

Mobile home investment in inherited IRA

My wife and I are trustees for a Spendthrift Trust for my sister in law. Mother in law passed away last April (86 yo) and we are working through everything. There are shares of mobile home parks within an IRA held by Entrust that go to the Spendthrift Trust. We have a couple problems. First, the Entrust IRA did not have a beneficiary form. The trust documents and will say it goes to ST, but we are working with a lawyer to work it out. MiL did not take RMDs on this IRA in 2023. In 2022 when she was alive the RMDs came out of her other IRA accounts because they had cash available in them. We cannot take any RMDs until we get the ownership sorted out. That is the first problem. The second problem is the valuation. We got a valuation from the R...
by misterjohnny
Sun Dec 17, 2023 10:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New to Costco
Replies: 239
Views: 60999

Re: New to Costco

One more suggestion for Costco Travel: cruises. Cruise lines have the same pricing no matter who you use as your travel agent. You can book directly with Carnival or RCL, or your local travel agent, or an online agent or costco travel and they will have the exact same pricing and offers. The difference is in the rebates that your TA gives you. Maybe its an onboard credit, maybe they will kick in for a category upgrade. Costco gives you cash rebate. Just went on a 10 day panama canal cruise with 3 other couples. I found the cruise using a good search tool website, and we all booked through Costco Travel. $120 rebate. For the two of us that was about 5% of the cruise costs (before flights, tips, and excursions of course). When the price for t...
by misterjohnny
Thu Aug 03, 2023 9:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Earnest Money Deposit - California
Replies: 14
Views: 1547

Re: Earnest Money Deposit - California

This is a great thread for me as my wife and I are trustees for her mom's house. It is old, very big, on a big lot in Orange County, CA. We are thinking of getting a home inspection because we know it will have defects and we don't want to get highballed by a buyer asking for $50,000 credit for flooring. Get the inspection, give it to prospective buyers, and let them figure it out. There is a fair chance that the buyer will bulldoze the place and build two sets of two on a lot townhomes on the big double lot. Don't want to put 50k-100k in repairs and updates just to get it torn down.
Currently also talking to an aquaintance of one of the daughters who is interested in the place as a private sale. Kind of expecting to get lowballed there.
by misterjohnny
Thu Jul 20, 2023 11:09 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Intl. airline ticket prices... why so expensive / strategies for finding discounts?
Replies: 67
Views: 8223

Re: Intl. airline ticket prices... why so expensive / strategies for finding discounts?

Here is a strategy I started using this year: using a service to find cheap flights for me.
I use GOING.Com, for $50 per year they send me multiple deals a day for flights out of the Los Angeles area airports. Flights everywhere, from economy basic to business class. Some on more obscure airlines that are having a blazing sale. Lots of choices. Last week I got a listing for Business Class to Vienna, Frankfurt, Munich or Zurich for about $2400 between October and May.
by misterjohnny
Thu Jul 20, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: High Income - overwhelmed. Don’t know what to do with money
Replies: 45
Views: 8536

Re: High Income - overwhelmed. Don’t know what to do with money

Buy life insurance naming your parents as beneficiaries, so they are taken care of if you get run over by the proverbial truck. I agree with this recommendation, but just to be clear to the OP, buy term life insurance for this with a reasonable term based on an estimated life expectancy for your parents. You can always buy another term later if either or both live past the first term. Agree also, buy life insurance. I would go with just a 10 year term life policy. Term because you don't need it forever. 10 years because you are a high income person. In the next 10 years you will have earned $6m, taxes will have taken half, and you may have spent 1/2 of that (including paying down debt) which would be the equivalent of spending 150k per yea...
by misterjohnny
Wed Jul 12, 2023 8:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Overfunded 529 solutions
Replies: 17
Views: 2258

Overfunded 529 solutions

Three children, 24, 21, and 19. Oldest did not finish college, and is not interested in finishing (two years left probably if she went back). 21 year old is moving from community college to four year college next month so we know his expenses. Marketing major, may decide he needs an MBA at some point. Youngest finished first year with Theater Arts major, did well and is enjoying it so expenses are known. Not likely to go to grad school. As things play out, we will have about $350,000 in the account when they are done with undergrad. Over the next 3 years, the younger two will have receive about $150,000 in scholarships (one of the big reasons why we are overfunded). We are thinking about withdrawing the scholarship amounts and paying the ta...
by misterjohnny
Thu Jun 08, 2023 10:43 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Medallion Guarantee limits
Replies: 9
Views: 899

Medallion Guarantee limits

I need to change my Vanguard taxable account from a joint account to our trust. I was at our local bank for another estate function and asked them about their medallion signature service (free for customers), but the branch manager said his signature guarantee limit was $250,000 and that Vanguard would reject his stamp since our Vanguard account is higher than that.
Has anyone else run into this problem? Any easy (cheap) solutions?
by misterjohnny
Fri Jun 02, 2023 11:13 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: LG OLED TV (Update)
Replies: 50
Views: 6078

Re: LG OLED TV

LG OLEDs have the best picture out there. Find one at the right size for you and the right price and go for it.
by misterjohnny
Thu Jun 01, 2023 10:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Traveling to LA area late June with trip to Palm Springs and Catalina island
Replies: 23
Views: 1546

Re: Traveling to LA area late June with trip to Palm Springs and Catalina island

I am a golfer who plays the muni courses in Long Beach and PV regularly. Los Verdes Golf Course is a LA County run course with fantastic views of the coastline and Catalina. As an LA muni it gets a lot of play so not in pristine condition. Difficult to get a foursome tee time but on weekdays it is easy to walk on as a single. Price is $44 for walking, electric carts available. Also on PV peninsula is Trump National Golf Course. Beautiful track but very expensive. $150+. Very tight. It was built about 25 years ago (fun fact: 3 holes fell into the sea just before it opened and they had to rebuild it) and CA regulations require "environmentally sensitive areas" that you cannot go into, meaning you can see your ball in the brush but n...
by misterjohnny
Wed Feb 01, 2023 5:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Bad mental math on portfolio or make sense?
Replies: 20
Views: 1559

Re: Bad mental math on portfolio or make sense?

Unless the company knows how much stock you have, and your corporate ladder success is tied to whether or not you have company stock, I also would not recommend owning company stock. I worked at a company that had 400 employees when I joined and later became Fortune 100. I held my options until close to expiration but when I got actual stock, I sold it immediately and bought S&P 500. While not a C-Suite employee I was well compensated in Company Stock and when it eventually got sold to another company, my three years of unvested shares were just fine to give me a very comfortable retirement. I can't fly private like the C-Suite guys can but I can live with that. During that time we had one CEO who wanted all of his direct reports to own...
by misterjohnny
Tue Dec 27, 2022 5:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: A new twist on a Whole Life question
Replies: 34
Views: 2712

A new twist on a Whole Life question

I am a Boy Scout merit badge counselor, and one of the badges I am a counselor for is Personal Management. It is a favorite of mine because it covers a lot of subjects that Scouts would not get educated about anywhere else (like school). It covers time management and financial management. Requirements: http://www.usscouts.org/mb/mb011.asp One of the requirements is for the scout to tell the counselor why someone might buy Whole Life and Term Life insurance. Term is easy, obviously. Most scouts struggle with this requirement, not usually understanding the difference. As an example, I talk about one of our fellow scouts, who has Down Syndrome. I mention that his dad, Mr. Asst. Leader, might want to purchase Whole Life because at some point Mr...
by misterjohnny
Tue Dec 06, 2022 5:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Southwest Companion pass boarding question
Replies: 7
Views: 1110

Re: Southwest Companion pass boarding question

Startled Cat wrote: Tue Dec 06, 2022 11:05 am You need to check in for both PNRs but in my experience the companion and main ticketholder always get assigned sequential positions in the boarding order, so there's no rush on the second check-in.
I have had the same experience. And almost always the companion ticket was one position higher than mine, even though my ticket was checked in first. No idea why, just a quirk of the Southwest algorithm.
by misterjohnny
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Real Estate Private Equity
Replies: 9
Views: 1186

Re: Real Estate Private Equity

Thanks for all the input.
After talking with my sister, I found out it was a friend of a friend who was offering this deal. That's how she ended up with a financial planner who churned her portfolio about 20 years ago.
I love this site and this community.
by misterjohnny
Wed Aug 17, 2022 6:11 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Real Estate Private Equity
Replies: 9
Views: 1186

Real Estate Private Equity

My sister got an offer to join in a real estate investment, buying a 150 unit building that needs renovation, and she asked me to evaluate it.

While the rents in the financial model seem reasonable, and the vacancy rates are current, the one thing that jumped out at me was the percentage of ownership.

Roughly 34 investors of $100,000 each, who would get 10,000 in interest annually for the first four years out of the cash flows, then when they refinance the 100,000 would be paid back in full, and they would retain a 0.8% ownership interest going forward.

The general partner would be managing the project and own roughly 73% of the building without putting in a dime.

Is this a standard way of financing?
by misterjohnny
Thu Jul 21, 2022 6:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 529 Tax/FAFSA questions
Replies: 11
Views: 1212

Re: 529 Tax/FAFSA questions

Schools are in a great position, they get to see exactly how much you can afford to pay before they offer any grants/scholarships, thanks to FAFSA. But it is still worthwhile to fill it out. My youngest (3rd child) is heading off to college this fall. She is a very good student but was not a valedictorian / salutatorian. We live in CA and she did not get accepted to UCLA but did to UCSD. The private schools she applied to offered her scholarship money even though we make far too much money and have too many assets. The reason is they need to fill the school with smart students who have options. If UCSD costs $17,000 per year and Chapman costs $64,000 per year, who would choose Chapman if you got into both? USC and LMU cost similar amounts, ...
by misterjohnny
Sun Jun 26, 2022 3:13 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Changing houses to take advantage of $500k capital gain exclusion in planning home sale
Replies: 21
Views: 4255

Re: Changing houses to take advantage of $500k capital gain exclusion in planning home sale

As for the math, it might makes sense if you think the prices will continue to rise. I live in southern California, near the ocean, and housing is always increasing at a high rate because the weather is great and their is no open land. Yes, there have been market corrections, but it has always quickly recovered. Let's do some hypothetical math. Bought a house 15 years ago for 400,000 that at 7% annualized growth has increased to $1.2m. That is a $0.8m increase. If I sell today, I will have to pay capital gain taxes on $300k, which combined with income would put me in the 20% bracket. I would also have to pay 10% state tax. Today's tax hit is $60k fed.I would also pay about 7% in realtor and other costs to move or $84k. So total cost $144k t...
by misterjohnny
Mon May 23, 2022 10:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What movie should I show for a movie in the park event?
Replies: 63
Views: 4925

Re: What movie should I show for a movie in the park event?

We did The Princess Bride for a Boy Scout event. Most of the boys were 11-14. Big hit. Family friendly too.
by misterjohnny
Thu Apr 21, 2022 6:26 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Immediate Annuities, historical rates?
Replies: 10
Views: 1232

Re: Immediate Annuities, historical rates?

There is no way of tracking that trend, other than generally tracking interest rates. And really no need to. There is no way of predicting when your father will die, what interest rates will be, or how old your sister will be at that time. Those are the factors that determine annuity payouts. The reason for the inquiry, is she has retirement savings (non IRA and IRA) that could buy an immediate annuity now (or very soon), knowing that we each have about $2m coming to us when he passes. He's in good health now, but he's 91. While I don't think I can predict interest rates, its more about have the annuity rates kept pace with inflation or are they lagging. The link from someone else above said that they are closely aligned with 20 year bond,...
by misterjohnny
Thu Apr 21, 2022 2:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Immediate Annuities, historical rates?
Replies: 10
Views: 1232

Immediate Annuities, historical rates?

My father is thinking of setting up an annuity for my sister as part of his estate planning. When he passes, a portion of the money she gets would buy an immediate annuity for her. She's 59 with no kids, so no need to save some for her heirs.

Obviously a couple years ago the payouts for annuities were really low due to the low interest rates. With rates rising, payouts will go up.
Is there a site that shows how big of a difference the payouts might be for a $1m annuity historically? I know I can get a quote today from immediateannuities.com but looking for trends.

If there isn't, is there a benchmark interest rate that is used in these calculations?

Thanks.
by misterjohnny
Wed Apr 20, 2022 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: One week vacation ideas in mid August
Replies: 16
Views: 1922

Re: One week vacation ideas in mid August

Costa Rica. Great people, beautiful country. As much activity as you want.
by misterjohnny
Mon Apr 18, 2022 9:13 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Maui, Hawaii Trip: Need Restaurants recommendations
Replies: 64
Views: 6684

Re: Maui, Hawaii Trip: Need Restaurants recommendations

We were in Maui a year ago and a friend recommended Java Jazz. We went there and loved it. Good food. Amazing Tiramisu. Live music every night, great for a night cap.
It's on Lower Honoapiilani Road by the Aston Kaanapali Shores, right down the street from Slappy Cakes.
by misterjohnny
Mon Apr 18, 2022 9:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestions for trip to Ireland
Replies: 38
Views: 3000

Re: Suggestions for trip to Ireland

We did an Ireland trip with my parents (mid 70's/low 80's at the time) and our children ages 15, 13, and 11. All in a minivan which we called our clown car. A few days in Dublin, recommend a hop on/hop off bus to get an overall look of the city, then spend more time in the places you want. We drove around the country and enjoyed seeing the Rock of Cashel and Bunratty Castle. We even did a little hiking in the Ballyhoura mountains (my parents are in pretty good shape for their age). We loved Galway, and went to the Shrine at Knock because it is in the town where a friend of ours has family. Another highlight for us was Glenveagh Castle and National Park. We were lucky to spend a couple days with my parents' friends at their country house in ...
by misterjohnny
Thu Apr 07, 2022 11:13 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Amended tax forms question
Replies: 1
Views: 237

Amended tax forms question

Using turbotax to help my daughter do her taxes, and we stepped through everything and e-filed her federal statement, intending to mail her state forms to avoid the $25 fee. That's when we noticed the 1099-Misc that she got that we didn't include.
So we have amended the federal return and e-filed the amended return.
What do we do with the State of California?
Turbotax assumes I already filed the state form without the 1099 Misc.
I can do it again outside of turbotax while including the 1099 Misc the first time, but when I am supposed to attach the 1040, do I include the 1040-X?
The amount of the change is $600 in income, if that is important.

Thanks.
by misterjohnny
Mon Mar 28, 2022 6:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Finding a Less Expensive MRI
Replies: 13
Views: 1311

Re: Finding a Less Expensive MRI

I found a really cheap one in CA next to a very large senior living area. It was a 45 minute drive but saved a lot. So look in lower income areas if you are a HCOL area.
by misterjohnny
Mon Mar 21, 2022 9:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Suggestion for one week in DC with 9&7 yr old
Replies: 40
Views: 3225

Re: Suggestion for one week in DC with 9&7 yr old

cockersx3 wrote: Sun Mar 20, 2022 6:49 pm If possible, try to bring the kiddos to see the Udvar-Hazy Center near Dulles. They have all sorts of historic aircraft parked there, as well as one of the Space Shuttles. My girls love it, we spend hours there - definitely worth a trip!
I second this recommendation. So many planes to see, really good for kids. Check out the viewing area of the refurb planes. They had a Star Wars X-Wing in there last year!

One problem is it is out by Dulles Airport, so you have to figure out how to get out that far if you don't have a car.
by misterjohnny
Mon Mar 21, 2022 7:57 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: If you need an ARM now, it's too much house.
Replies: 26
Views: 3706

Re: If you need an ARM now, it's too much house.

In a high cost housing market, it is hard to get into the market. Coastal Southern California. Housing prices go up quickly, yes they have corrections. I bought my first house (shared with my sister) 34 years ago. I've seen the crashes and the booms. If you don't get in today, it likely will be even harder to get in later. Corollary: if you sell your CA home and move elsewhere, good luck trying to get back into this market. So stretch the budget with an ARM and get in as soon as you can (if So Cal is where you ultimately want to be). Like others have said, you can always get another ARM in 3-5 years if need be. And if the housing market crashes (like it did when I bought 34 years ago), you sit in your house and wait it out before you upgrad...
by misterjohnny
Thu Mar 03, 2022 2:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard site not working on Firefox
Replies: 15
Views: 1557

Re: Vanguard site not working on Firefox

Oicuryy wrote: Thu Mar 03, 2022 11:20 am Does this logon page work any better?

https://logon.vanguard.com

Ron
Okay, this worked, so I have no idea why the other way does not. Thanks for the link!
by misterjohnny
Thu Mar 03, 2022 10:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard site not working on Firefox
Replies: 15
Views: 1557

Vanguard site not working on Firefox

I use firefox as my primary browser (PC) and it is no longer working properly. I get to the Personal Investors login page, enter username and password, then hit the big red LOGIN button. Nothing happens. Works fine in Microsoft Edge. I've tried clearing cookies but that didn't help. Running Windows 11 if that matters. Any help is appreciated.
by misterjohnny
Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Golf Membership - What do you pay?
Replies: 37
Views: 6343

Re: Golf Membership - What do you pay?

All these replies make me sad. I live in Los Angeles County and there are no reasonably priced private clubs. A couple suburbs have a city owned course that you can be a member of, but I don't live in those cities. The only golf course in my city of 150,000 residents is a 9 hole where the average length is about 80 yards.
by misterjohnny
Thu Jan 13, 2022 6:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: BH New Tv Opinions
Replies: 25
Views: 3818

Re: BH New Tv Opinions

To follow up on others, not sure why you ruled out OLED. I have an LG OLED, and it is the best picture I have ever seen. Others who have Samsungs and Sonys compliment my TV. Until a new technology supercedes it, I would go with OLED.
by misterjohnny
Thu Oct 14, 2021 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Business Class to Europe - Airlines and Cities?
Replies: 51
Views: 4634

Re: Business Class to Europe - Airlines and Cities?

Thank you everyone for your replies. You gave some great tips and ideas. Definitely will be looking to fly back to LA without a stop elsewhere in the U.S. I will check out flyer talk for a little more in depth info, particularly when we get down to booking and know what planes we will be getting.
by misterjohnny
Wed Oct 13, 2021 5:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Business Class to Europe - Airlines and Cities?
Replies: 51
Views: 4634

Business Class to Europe - Airlines and Cities?

We are looking at going to Europe September 2022. Budapest is definitely on the list, and maybe Venice. Maybe go from Budapest to Vienna to Munich. Very much up in the air but there are so many great places I'm not that picky. So a factor in the decision is where we fly into.
I want to fly Business Class, I've never flown Business overseas but we can afford it and you can't take it with you. What are good airlines to fly business class to Europe, and what cities are good to fly into? We will be originating in Los Angeles, and would like as few connections as possible.
Should we consider first class? Are their airlines where Business is as good as other airlines First?
Thanks.
by misterjohnny
Mon Oct 04, 2021 7:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: WSJ subscription, inexpensively
Replies: 41
Views: 3967

Re: WSJ subscription, inexpensively

I use my son's .edu email account to sign up. My credit card, his email. Student rate.
by misterjohnny
Mon Oct 04, 2021 4:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Long term care insurance for quasi dependent
Replies: 9
Views: 824

Long term care insurance for quasi dependent

My wife's sister is a bit of a deadbeat. Hasn't worked a real job since their father passed away 8 years ago. She's 54 and childless and lives with my mother in law, who pays all the bills. I worked with my MIL to set up a trust for SIL so she is not destitute. She gets a condo and money in a trust that DW and I dole out to her to pay her bills. If she got a lump sum she would spend it all and be broke. The money and the condo will be in a trust so that when she passes, whatever is left goes to all her nieces and nephews. She's not in good health. She is very overweight and has diabetes. My wife's concern is that she will need long term care at some point that she can't afford. But she also can't afford to pay for LTC insurance, so we would...
by misterjohnny
Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 30 year retirement
Replies: 29
Views: 5824

Re: 30 year retirement

My father, who is my financial inspiration, will hit 30 years of retirement in November. Worked his way up from soldering leads on a production line and a high school education to managing a 1000 person production line in the aerospace world. He wanted me to be an engineer, I became a Business-Finance guy instead. He still manages his own investments, and we talk about asset allocation and taxes. We live in CA so taxes are very important.

Me, I'm only in year 2 of retirement. Got a ways to go. :D
by misterjohnny
Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:45 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Please recommend a small wine fridge
Replies: 5
Views: 798

Re: Please recommend a small wine fridge

We just bought a Newair to replace the Avanti we bought when we remodeled the house 15 years ago. Avanti lasted a long time but was LOUD. Newair is a dual zone, undercounter model that is whisper quiet. Very happy with it.
by misterjohnny
Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Charter, NetJets, WheelsUp
Replies: 95
Views: 15018

Re: Charter, NetJets, WheelsUp

I think if you were a celebrity to the point where flying commercial was a nuisance, then I get flying private. But for anyone else… compared to biz class in a nice 787 or 777 those planes are small, noisy and dumpy IMO. Even the nicely done up ones are nice…. but still tiny and prone to turbulence. Maybe you save 30-60min with airport overhead but other than that I don’t get it. With biz class along with precheck or Clear, you can arrive 45-60 min before and just hop on the flight. This is barely enough time to settle in, maybe grab a coffee or light snack before the flight etc. But that's not a complete picture of the time cost. Someone wants to end their meeting at 5, head straight to the airport, and have the plane take off 15 minutes ...
by misterjohnny
Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: For those who live in a beach community. Where did you buy a second home? Why?
Replies: 69
Views: 8961

Re: For those who live in a beach community. Where did you buy a second home? Why?

The mountains of course.
We live 3 miles from the ocean in SoCal, and less then 2 hours away is our mountain cabin. The weather and the geography is what keeps us in California.
by misterjohnny
Mon Jun 07, 2021 7:46 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vacation home…financial suicide or reasonable?
Replies: 80
Views: 14970

Re: Vacation home…financial suicide or reasonable?

I am 56, and we bought our lake house (not on the lake) in CA 10 years ago when our kids were 12, 9, and 7. Initially we were up a lot, but when High School hit, there was always something on the weekends. Didn't get up as much. Now that two are in college, we go up all the time. The high schooler did some zoom classes from the cabin. Previous posters are right about maintenance costs. Ours is in the mountains so snow does a number on the exterior. Get a good handyman on speed dial, plus a plumber and HVAC guy. I outsourced everything and because it is forest there isn't much yardwork. Once a year I have to weed whack the area near the house and trim the lower branches of trees for fire danger. Well worth it from a lifestyle perspective. We...
by misterjohnny
Thu Mar 11, 2021 12:10 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I cancel earthquake insurance?
Replies: 37
Views: 4041

Re: Should I cancel earthquake insurance?

Even within California, the risk varies tremendously. I live in the South Bay area of SoCal, and it is really safe. To get over the deductible, the house would have to be red tagged and virtually destroyed. Not going to happen in my area, too far away from the bigger faults. Yet the premium cost doesn't vary much by area. If I lived in Northridge (and areas north of there like Sylmar), or Palm Springs area, I would reconsider.
by misterjohnny
Mon Mar 01, 2021 10:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 529 fund bonds versus cash in high school
Replies: 12
Views: 1481

Re: 529 fund bonds versus cash in high school

I have switched my AA in my 529 in the last year to almost all bonds, with one child a Freshman in college and another a Junior in HS.
Somebody wrote: Once you've one the game, stop playing. The value of the 529 is enough for college for both of them, so I chose to de-risk the portfolio and move to bonds. Is it optimal? Probably not, but I sleep great at night knowing that college is paid for.

I did like another poster's idea of looking at your entiere portfolio, including 529, within the target AA. Depending on which way you need to move money, 529 account allows you to trade without tax implications. For me that is a great benefit because I hate losing 30% of my returns to the fed/state just to rebalance my portfolio.
by misterjohnny
Wed Feb 17, 2021 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Southwest Rapid Rewards
Replies: 10
Views: 1609

Re: Southwest Rapid Rewards

Fly during the pandemic? Why not? If it were a nexus for spreading the virus, flight attendants would be dropping like flies.

I've got flights from LA to Hawaii in July. Round trip plus an interisland for less than $250 per ticket including fees. And no baggage fees so I can bring my golf clubs.
I will be flying to BWI to help my son come home from college in May, we just took him there in January, on Southwest.
by misterjohnny
Mon Feb 15, 2021 7:10 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 2 to 3 Million Dollar Windfall - How to enter market
Replies: 61
Views: 8158

Re: 2 to 3 Million Dollar Windfall - How to enter market

I would take also max lump sum invest in a 529 account for the kids. I believe you can put 5 years worth of contributions in at once.
by misterjohnny
Tue Jan 26, 2021 10:00 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 80+ inch TV
Replies: 58
Views: 6180

Re: 80+ inch TV

Another vote for the LG OLED. I have one and I love it. My father has a Samsung QLED because they had a larger screen available at Costco but it isn't as good (even though LG makes the panels for Samsung).

If you are going to go that big, get the best quality picture, because it will show if it isn't.

OLED
by misterjohnny
Sun Jan 24, 2021 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best/most comfortable walking shoes?
Replies: 28
Views: 4205

Re: Best/most comfortable walking shoes?

I have found Merrell low cut hiking shoes to be great for walking. I use them when I walk on paved or hard dirt roads (fire roads in CA) and use regular hiking boots for paths where I might need more ankle support.
by misterjohnny
Sun Dec 20, 2020 3:02 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Am I Saving Too Much in My Retirement Accounts?
Replies: 67
Views: 7276

Re: Am I Saving Too Much in My Retirment Accounts?

Another vote for keeping up the retirement account saving.
In a pinch, retirement accounts can be tapped for various things without triggering penalties (although you will always have to pay tax on pretax retirement savings).
Keep saving, with a mix of pretax and Roth. That gives you maximum flexibility in the future.