Search found 2057 matches

by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:41 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Blocking Member Posts
Replies: 17
Views: 1692

Re: Blocking Member Posts

Guess it’s time I will choose to make my exit.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:32 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Blocking Member Posts
Replies: 17
Views: 1692

Re: Blocking Member Posts

whodidntante wrote: Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:24 pm Much like a vanguard mutual fund, phpBB tends to be chosen by rigorous sorting on price.
It’s a definite option within phpBB. There is a Friends & Foes options, where adding a user as a foe blocks their posts from showing in my view. However it appears that Bogleheads only enabled the friend side of the equation. I wish we would consider activating the foe option as well. It’s a great way to avoid conflict and the “foe” doesn’t even know so there isn’t any hurt feelings.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:19 pm
Forum: Forum Issues and Administration
Topic: Blocking Member Posts
Replies: 17
Views: 1692

Blocking Member Posts

Many forums will allow you to block specific member’s posts from showing in my view. Is that possible here?

I find myself getting more and more agitated with certain posters and opposed to leaving the forum I would rather have the option to block, and not see content, from those few individuals.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 8:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

:twisted: 2016 Ford Fusion SE but I don’t drive a lot. It only has about 45k on it. It’s paid off. I have Texas minimum liability. $1k collision and comprehensive. Rental car coverage. What if my vehicle is non drivable after an accident? RSA. I know through your previous posts that you are very budget focused, that's not a bad thing. However you really need to rethink the state minimum liability insurance. I believe Texas is 30/60/25, which is better than a lot of states ... but that isn't much coverage in the rare case you cause an accident. I would think you would want a minimum of 100/300/100. Another interesting thing, when we were shopping for cars for our teenage daughter my agent very specifically and clearly said stay away from a ...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 7:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

Hello. I have State Farm and I was enjoying $56 a month rate but come May it is going up $49 more per month. I’ve never seen an increase this much in my life. I have 2 jump start battery claims. Zero accidents. No changes in my coverage. I also use the app that monitors my driving and my score is really good. What is causing this? I drive around 2k miles a year. I work from home. What causes it: What is the age of your vehicle (older vehicles are more expensive to repair)? Or is a non-generic type vehicle (more expensive to repair)? The cost of repairs has gone up dramatically. That 700 tail light assembly now costs 1K and the cost of labor to install the new tail light has gone up. The cost of parts for older vehicles may have gone up mor...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 6:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

Hello. I have State Farm and I was enjoying $56 a month rate but come May it is going up $49 more per month. I’ve never seen an increase this much in my life. I have 2 jump start battery claims. Zero accidents. No changes in my coverage. I also use the app that monitors my driving and my score is really good. What is causing this? I drive around 2k miles a year. I work from home. What causes it: What is the age of your vehicle (older vehicles are more expensive to repair)? Or is a non-generic type vehicle (more expensive to repair)? The cost of repairs has gone up dramatically. That 700 tail light assembly now costs 1K and the cost of labor to install the new tail light has gone up. The cost of parts for older vehicles may have gone up mor...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

90%+ increase due to inflation is a lie. The fact is that company is loosing money in your state due to incompetent risk management and spreading the cheer (: Better find an independent broker (not insurance agents) and try. Different companies underwrite the same risk in different ways. We have been with Geico for 10+ years and rates have only gone up despite no accidents. I made a determined effort this year to find a good independent insurance broker who got me same coverage for 25% less. In Texas? I always get my rates through online quotes. I had GEICO. They are also low price but doesn’t cover my DoorDash side hustle. Where do you find IB? One way to find good independent brokers is searching carriers online that exclusively use inde...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Our State Farm agent retiring
Replies: 32
Views: 2198

Re: Our State Farm agent retiring

3) I *think* the mechanics of switching SF agents, within the SF family, are simple - let the old and/or new one know who you want to switch to and that's basically it, right? Yes. They all have the same pricing, since that's all controlled centrally. Talk to the new agent and tell them you want to transfer your policies to their office. You don't need permission from the old agent. SF offers what are essentially loyalty discounts, as opposed to other companies that offer discounts to new customers. Not necessarily that easy. I st4ongly suspect SF has some level of no poaching. Poaching is different than an insured choosing to move their policies to another SF agent. SF would not look fondly upon an agent soliciting customers with one SF a...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

90%+ increase due to inflation is a lie. The fact is that company is loosing money in your state due to incompetent risk management and spreading the cheer (: Better find an independent broker (not insurance agents) and try. Different companies underwrite the same risk in different ways. We have been with Geico for 10+ years and rates have only gone up despite no accidents. I made a determined effort this year to find a good independent insurance broker who got me same coverage for 25% less. In Texas? I always get my rates through online quotes. I had GEICO. They are also low price but doesn’t cover my DoorDash side hustle. Where do you find IB? You didn't mention DoorDash initially -- Insurance companies are only just figuring out how to ...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 5:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?
Replies: 140
Views: 5921

Re: My Auto Insurance 6 month premium is going dramatically UP?

All you can do is shop your rates and I wish you luck. Inflation certainly is a reason for the increases, but its the inflation accross all aspects of the business really. Cost of insurance nationally is sky rocketing for a variety of well documented reasons which include employee wage growth, car values increasing, cost of repairs increasing all which are attributable to inflation but another major reason is the lack of market rate adjustments during Covid and pressures for companies to drive financial growth and earning for the investor community. A quick Google search shows that on average auto insurance in Texas specifically is up on average 30% in 2024...this is the average so for some its definitely more. You only mention auto insuran...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:59 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Our State Farm agent retiring
Replies: 32
Views: 2198

Re: Our State Farm agent retiring

We're in a similar boat. Our agent since the early 90s closed shop end of December and all of our accounts were switched to an agent across town. I don't like the location, but at some point here I'll have a chat with her and see if its a good fit. I'm not sure how SF chose where to move the accounts. There are 3 offices within 2 miles of our address. Maybe she has less accounts/more time which could be a good thing from a service standpoint. We'll see. Not knowledgeable about SF, but in another national insurance company with captive agents, when an agent retires, other agents “bid” on the new business and pay for it. Sort of, and there are nuance differences between the carriers, but you are in essence right. The agent maintains some lev...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:51 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Our State Farm agent retiring
Replies: 32
Views: 2198

Re: Our State Farm agent retiring

3) I *think* the mechanics of switching SF agents, within the SF family, are simple - let the old and/or new one know who you want to switch to and that's basically it, right? Yes. They all have the same pricing, since that's all controlled centrally. Talk to the new agent and tell them you want to transfer your policies to their office. You don't need permission from the old agent. SF offers what are essentially loyalty discounts, as opposed to other companies that offer discounts to new customers. Not necessarily that easy. I st4ongly suspect SF has some level of no poaching. Poaching is different than an insured choosing to move their policies to another SF agent. SF would not look fondly upon an agent soliciting customers with one SF a...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Our State Farm agent retiring
Replies: 32
Views: 2198

Re: Our State Farm agent retiring

You can switch agents easily and simply. All that is required is you sign a Broker of Record letter. This is the official document used to move your policies from one broker/agent to another with the same carrier.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 1:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Totaled - Insurance Options
Replies: 22
Views: 1455

Re: Car Totaled - Insurance Options

I'll build on my initial response to take the money and buy a newer vehicle. You described a 20 year old car that is mechanically perfect and aesthetically not. I'm not a huge proponent of what is often talked about as newer being safer, I do think a 20 year old vehicle can be perfectly safe and would not use that as justification to spend $30k+ on a very new vehicle in your described use case. I do think you can find many options that at 8-10 years old that are both mechanically and aesthetically perfect for <$10k and that is where I would focus my search. Not a Honda, but we recently purchased a 8 y/o Altima w/ 80k miles that is both mechanically and aesthetically fantastic with a full documented service history for ~$7,500. I believe spe...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 26, 2024 12:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car Totaled - Insurance Options
Replies: 22
Views: 1455

Re: Car Totaled - Insurance Options

Personally I would take the money and buy a newer car.
by DoubleComma
Mon Mar 25, 2024 8:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Hospital not following up with my insurance for large claim
Replies: 24
Views: 2261

Re: Hospital not following up with my insurance for large claim

jebmke wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2024 2:16 pm I never do anything until I receive an invoice.
It’s a long story and I’ve posted about it a couple times, but I did nothing until I received an invoice after a recent surgery. Invoice came about 190 days after the case, there was a lot of challenges with the billing and I lost my right to appeal the claim because >180 days had passed. I even appealed the “timely appeal” finding and lost that too. Ultimately cost me a significant amount.

Would I have had a different outcome had I been proactive with the hospital, not sure. But I know my passiveness eliminated the possibility.
by DoubleComma
Sun Mar 24, 2024 10:14 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Medical insurance question
Replies: 4
Views: 524

Re: Medical insurance question

Similar experience, had to answer a bunch of questions around the circumstances and location of the accident that caused the injury requiring the surgery. They were searching for any liability by others they could surrogate, there wasn’t any. I went ahead and completed it, other than 10 min or so answer questions and mailing a letter it wasn’t a big deal.
by DoubleComma
Sun Mar 24, 2024 6:27 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What Toys Have You Bought That Have Been Worth it?
Replies: 254
Views: 18393

Re: What Toys Have You Bought That Have Been Worth it?

I’ll admit I’m not the typical Boglehead with respect to being very frugal with how we spend our extra funds. We are fortunate to a decent amount of extra to spend as well. The absolute best toys we have spend money on is our skis. We each have a minimum of 3 sets of skis, today was my 44 day skiing this season and my girls and I did 48k vertical feet in the last 48 hours of unbelievable late March powder. This is followed closely by our wake boat which will be on the water in ~6 weeks and we will surf several days a week. We are easily logging 80+ hours a season on the boat. I realize OP said the experiences you have to pay for aren’t all that…but both of our families passions above are providing unbelievable experiences and family time th...
by DoubleComma
Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3569

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

If a permit is required, there should be an inspection to determine if the permitted work meets code. Try to find out if a permit is needed and ask the contractor if they will be pulling the required permits. I agree with Big Dog. We have a plumber, electrician, roofer, and HVAC contractor each that we've hired before and trust. But that does not guarantee availability in an emergency. That's my problem. I used to have a great plumber, but he is in high demand and doesn't work weekends, so he's not a good resource for emergencies. I know now that a lot of the work I'd previously had done was not up to code and not permitted. Lesson learned. It’s pretty rare that a repair would ever require a permit. Total replacement of one of your mechani...
by DoubleComma
Sat Mar 23, 2024 7:48 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?
Replies: 47
Views: 3569

Re: How to avoid getting ripped off on urgent home repairs?

If a permit is required, there should be an inspection to determine if the permitted work meets code. Try to find out if a permit is needed and ask the contractor if they will be pulling the required permits. I agree with Big Dog. We have a plumber, electrician, roofer, and HVAC contractor each that we've hired before and trust. But that does not guarantee availability in an emergency. That's my problem. I used to have a great plumber, but he is in high demand and doesn't work weekends, so he's not a good resource for emergencies. I know now that a lot of the work I'd previously had done was not up to code and not permitted. Lesson learned. Ask that plumber for a reference to keep in the future. Also, if you have an “emergency repair” that...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 3:19 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can a grandparent give me land? (legal question)
Replies: 6
Views: 648

Re: Can a grandparent give me land? (legal question)

Simple answer is YES they can give you the land...should they is a different question which the answer is circumstance dependent. 1. They can give you the land and complete a tax form removing it from their lifetime gift exemption, currently $13M +/-. So if unless they have >$13m estate, giving this now and documenting on IRS form 709 (I believe) will eliminate gift tax. 2. If they give you this land or add you to the existing deed as co-owner, opposed you inherit this land upon their death, you will NOT get a step up in basis. So whatever their current cost basis is will be yours, whereas through inheritance you would get market value on the day of their death as the new basis. Talking with a lawyer and possible a tax advisor would be a g...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 3:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to be a first-time home buyer if I intend to move in three years?
Replies: 73
Views: 7888

Re: Best way to be a first-time home buyer if I intend to move in three years?

If the area is likely to appreciate 6% per year, could a turnaround make sense or at least not be too bad. If you buy a home with a deadline on which you plan to sell and buy a different home you introduce risk. If you buy the home with the understanding its your starter home and when the opportunity and environment lines up you upgrade you will be just fine. This challenge is putting a 3 year clock on these transactions. If there was no clock, meaning the upgrade could happen in 2, 3, 5, 7 years or possibly never, then the risk is mitigated because you don't have to sell. Personally we bought our first home in SF Bay area in 2003 and were just ecstatic to be able to afford it. We knew it wasn't the dream home, but we didn't have a plan to...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 2:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can a grandparent give me land? (legal question)
Replies: 6
Views: 648

Re: Can a grandparent give me land? (legal question)

Simple answer is YES they can give you the land...should they is a different question which the answer is circumstance dependent. 1. They can give you the land and complete a tax form removing it from their lifetime gift exemption, currently $13M +/-. So if unless they have >$13m estate, giving this now and documenting on IRS form 709 (I believe) will eliminate gift tax. 2. If they give you this land or add you to the existing deed as co-owner, opposed you inherit this land upon their death, you will NOT get a step up in basis. So whatever their current cost basis is will be yours, whereas through inheritance you would get market value on the day of their death as the new basis. Talking with a lawyer and possible a tax advisor would be a go...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 9:08 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New homeowner advice
Replies: 32
Views: 2286

Re: New homeowner advice

We have never lived in a home for 20 years, something always happens that necessitates or encourages a move. We have lived in our current home for 8 years, approaching the longest we have ever owned a single home for, and right now I’ll say what I wish we did was add the additional can lighting in a few “darker areas”. We continue to talk about it, but still haven’t done it.
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:50 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW
Replies: 61
Views: 4655

Re: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW

Should I keep looking for better options? I would take a hard look at using the Portland or Philadelphia airports(or both) instead. I did not look but I would assume that there are lots of direct flights between Portland to Philadelphia which would have multiple flights a day which you could use if there was a problem. I would look at 1) After diner drive or take airport shuttle bus to airport(PHL or PDX) and check into an airport hotel. 2) Catch morning direct flight 3) Drive rental car or airport shuttle to final destination. That would leave little chance of there being major problems and you could likely be at your destination or return home before diner time. I don't know what the total cost would be but flights at regional airports a...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: At what age to tell child about family's finances
Replies: 74
Views: 6102

Re: At what age to tell child about family's finances

This far we have answered questions our kids have asked about our finances, we have not sat them down and shared the details. Regardless my kids know we’re are doing fairly well; they see we have multiple homes, take nice vacations, that were aren’t submitting FAFSA and that they there college will be paid for, they see many of the donations we make to various charities and many other clues that we have reached a reasonable place in our financial lives. At the same time they aren’t given everything they want. They are expected to have part-time jobs in school and the car we provided them was 10 years old. We are trying very hard to raise hard working, value oriented and generous individuals.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: free YAHOO e-mail lock-up
Replies: 10
Views: 1060

Re: free YAHOO e-mail lock-up

hoofaman wrote: Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:35 pm Is it possible someone took over your account? Or did you have 2FA protection on it? If so, you might also want to think about any important accounts linked to that Yahoo email address
If OP had 2FA there wouldn't be a lock out issue. Yahoo would have either OPs cell # or alternative email account on file to send the password reset to.

Good luck ekid - I lost an email account years ago that I wasn't able to recover after a password lock out. I know have secondary email and phone # on file with my personal email account provider.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:36 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW
Replies: 61
Views: 4655

Re: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW

Should I keep looking for better options? I would take a hard look at using the Portland or Philadelphia airports(or both) instead. I did not look but I would assume that there are lots of direct flights between Portland to Philadelphia which would have multiple flights a day which you could use if there was a problem. I would look at 1) After diner drive or take airport shuttle bus to airport(PHL or PDX) and check into an airport hotel. 2) Catch morning direct flight 3) Drive rental car or airport shuttle to final destination. That would leave little chance of there being major problems and you could likely be at your destination or return home before diner time. I don't know what the total cost would be but flights at regional airports a...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 5:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW
Replies: 61
Views: 4655

Re: 40 Minutes to Connect in DFW

I routinely make 40-50 min connections at DFW, by routinely I mean 2-3 time a month. Knock on wood, but in the past 6 months I've not missed a flight. Most of the time my connections are in the same terminal, but I have had to take Skylink between terminals and still made it. There are a couple things to help you...be sure to be seated in the first 10 +/- rows, aisle is preferred. If you are in 32F, it will take 20 minutes just to get off the plane. I always carry-on, I find its more likely that you make the flight and your bag doesn't if you check and have a tight connection. Be aware of when the plane starts its decent, at that time use the restroom on the plane so you don't need to in the terminal in case you are really tight on time. I ...
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 3:18 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Strange Estate Question
Replies: 5
Views: 726

Re: Strange Estate Question

No advice, following purely out of curiosity.

What you describe happened sounds highly unusual to me and against what I understand to be prevailing wisdom. I would have expected the attorney to set up some type of trust to protect the home, but not transfer ownership as that I believe eliminates the step up in basis available when inheriting a home.

It sounds as through you have done the right thing in talking with the attorney who facilitated this. Hopefully someone here with a better understanding of these mechanisms can chime in.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 2:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How to receive an inheritance if options are given
Replies: 13
Views: 1686

Re: How to receive an inheritance if options are given

Add me to the group that doesn’t understand you being taxed up front. You should get a stepped up basis, right? If it’s currently in a Roth, maybe there isn’t a stepped up basis but still that Roth was funded post tax and distributed tax free.

To directly answer your question, I would prefer an inherited Roth IRA.
by DoubleComma
Tue Mar 19, 2024 12:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How worthwhile is Zillow to estimate home value?
Replies: 58
Views: 5238

Re: How worthwhile is Zillow to estimate home value?

Zillow checks all sales in the area and scales for square footage. So why is the model zeroing in on my home at $400/ sq ft vs $700/sq ft for all the neighboring homes on the same street ? We are talking about a 2500 sq ft home for $1.75M and 4600 sq ft for $1.84M. The $700/ sq ft holds true for most of the listings in the zip code, too. For very large homes it goes down a bit to $600. But there is not a single one anywhere near $400/sq ft. Amongst the houses sold there will be some with views, some with solar panels, etc Agree that some homes will have some of those features, but not all homes will have all these features. Especially smaller homes that can't for space reasons. You can't physically fit 70 solar panels on a 2500 sq ft home'...
by DoubleComma
Mon Mar 18, 2024 11:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How worthwhile is Zillow to estimate home value?
Replies: 58
Views: 5238

Re: How worthwhile is Zillow to estimate home value?

Fortunately Zillow publishes this statistic based on metro area, state and full US both for listed and unlisted homes.

In a nutshell for unlisted properties the Zestimate is +/- 7.49%, so there could be as much as a 15% swing from what they estimate.

https://www.zillow.com/z/zestimate/
by DoubleComma
Mon Mar 18, 2024 3:56 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is sewer insurance advisable when renting a house?
Replies: 18
Views: 1731

Re: Is sewer insurance advisable when renting a house?

Interesting question. My assumption is that the sewer coverage isn't about liability & repair, but rather your personal contents if there was a sewer back up. Potentially temporary living coverage if there is a a sewer issue that makes your rental uninhabitable pending repair.

Suggest calling your agent and carrier for clarification.
by DoubleComma
Sat Mar 16, 2024 8:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Discrepancy with employer withholding and federal tax I owe
Replies: 16
Views: 1076

Re: Discrepancy with employer withholding and federal tax I owe

Macro wrote: Sat Mar 16, 2024 8:03 am I checked with my payroll admin and all the information on my W4 is accurate. I am filing single, no dependents, state and local residency is accurate.

Gross wages: 284,686
Federal tax withheld: 55,004

A little over 50% of the 284,686 was a single annual bonus. The payroll admin told me that it was taxed at a flat 22% (as all bonuses are).

Running through my W2 on FreeTaxUSA now and I owe over $11,000 in federal taxes.

I'm still completely confused as to how this discrepancy exists. There is nothing more I can update on my W4 - all the information was correct.
I found as my income started to bump against $300k and then exceed it, I needed to pay quarterly estimates. The amounts were calculated by my tax software
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dumped from PT due to low Medicare reimbursements?
Replies: 59
Views: 4137

Re: Dumped from PT due to low Medicare reimbursements?

Under the impression that Medicare only covers $2,300-$2,400 annual for “therapy services”.

Have you reached your annual cap?
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 7:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Should I Keep Sacrificing or Start Enjoying Myself
Replies: 32
Views: 3769

Re: Should I Keep Sacrificing or Start Enjoying Myself

Didn’t even read anything but the header…a question like that has 1 answer, 100% of the time.

You should “start enjoying yourself” within your means in a responsible manner. There is simply no prize to keep sacrificing forever.
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:51 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

CLKGTR wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:21 pm
delamer wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:09 pm
CLKGTR wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:53 pm
delamer wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:45 pm What year is the vehicle?

It isn’t clear whether you bought it new 6 years ago, or it was “pre owned” then.
2019. Bought it new early 2018.
Then it is probably worth it to repair the vehicle if you are otherwise happy with it.

I’d never knowingly put money into Elon Musk’s pocket, but to each their own.
Would you do it? Market value for the car is only 20k.
Is your suv an X5? If so is it really only $20k, I see them closer to $30 +/ 3.

I would fix it.
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 5:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Parents building a new house - how should they pay for it?
Replies: 62
Views: 5093

Re: Parents building a new house - how should they pay for it?

Everyone, especially the other siblings, owe the sibling in rural Indiana a serious debt of gratitude.

I’m the sibling close to my parents and can attest first hand that it isn’t easy or effortless to be the sibling who is called on for everything.

Im sure your parents won’t, but mine have a significant expectation that I can just jump in at every little hiccup.

I’m equally sure you and your siblings won’t, but mine sit back and rest assure DW and I will handle everything since we are close by.

Yep, I’m resentful.
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unsure of college student residency for taxes
Replies: 13
Views: 1068

Re: Unsure of college student residency for taxes

regarding residency/dependency: juice3 and toddthebodd are correct, doublecomma is wrong. I'm more worried about your statement that she 'made less than $5000'. The requirement for a dependent is gross income less than $4700. Please ignore. I was confused about child dependent vs other dependent. I'm not wrong, I specifically saying what Utah public universities are coaching these kids to do. Most posters here are focused on the issue of residency/dependency, I'm keying in on the reason this is even a question, and that is OP's daughter getting in-state tuition from a state she didn't live prior to college, which required being independent and a resident. I agree it doesn't align with Federal IRS requirements for residency and dependency, ...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Identity theft or something to ignore?
Replies: 18
Views: 1212

Re: Identity theft or something to ignore?

stlrick wrote: Fri Mar 15, 2024 2:08 pm I appreciate the warnings about bills that are legitimate but coming from a different location. In this case, the email states that it is for care in the ER of a specific hospital. She has not been to a hospital emergency room in as long as either of us can remember.
Then ignore and move on.
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Identity theft or something to ignore?
Replies: 18
Views: 1212

Re: Identity theft or something to ignore?

This is really easy, did your wife have any imaging services around the time that the invoice is claiming the radiology group read the images? If so, you might actually owe something. It can get confusing because you are seeing a collection attempt from a place you haven't been, but if this group reads for hospitals, imaging centers, doctors offices all of the state this can happen. Now, if your wife hasn't had any imaging services at all, then you know this a fraudulent attempt to collect something from you and should simply be ignored. A couple years ago I had an MRI, the radiologist who read the image was not local, the invoice I received for my co-insurance came from an office 300+ miles away from where I had the MRI. But guess what, I ...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 1:00 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Great news! No more [fixed real estate] agent commission
Replies: 238
Views: 22606

Re: Great news! No more agent commission

This is all very interesting and I will be fascinated to see how it turns out. On the sell side I don't see much change other than the homeowner negotiating the commission with the selling agent. The seller doesn't really have to come out of pocket per se to pay this commission, it would come off the top at closing, and presumably will set a listing price to account for their fees. Now the buyer side, this is very tricky. Conceivably the buyer and buyer's agent too have to negotiate a commission or fee, where those funds come from is the interesting part. Will the buyers be asked to directly come out of pocket to pay it? Will it be a flat fee or a % of purchase? Will it scale based on how engaged the agent is in the selection process? Will ...
by DoubleComma
Fri Mar 15, 2024 9:02 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Unsure of college student residency for taxes
Replies: 13
Views: 1068

Re: Unsure of college student residency for taxes

I’m assuming this university is in Utah, it’s one of the only states I know that advocates for college age students to establish residency in order to get in-state tuition and they make it very easy to do so. If I’m right, you are unable to claim you daughter as your dependent, while she is receiving benefits of being a resident such as in-state tuition. According to the residency requirements for Utah she should be paying her own way, although I know they don’t really look at where the financial support is coming from. This gets tricky because of how the federal government defines dependency. You paying her bills makes her you dependent, but if you claim her as your dependent she loses in-state tuition. To maintain residency, your daughter...
by DoubleComma
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:59 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Greenlight debit card for teenager.
Replies: 7
Views: 508

Re: Greenlight debit card for teenager.

valleyrock wrote: Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:16 pm Fine so long as you can monitor what's going on. For example, Venmo plus a medical marijuana card (which teens can obtain in some states on their own before they reach 18) can lead to certain issues.
Yeah, if this is a concern in your house I can assure the problem isn’t Greenlight vs Local Credit Union or using Venmo.

When I was a teen there was debit cards, greenlight, Venmo, medical MJ card and yet there zero issues getting anything we wanted.
by DoubleComma
Thu Mar 14, 2024 6:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Greenlight debit card for teenager.
Replies: 7
Views: 508

Re: Greenlight debit card for teenager.

At 13 our CC allowed teens to have accounts and debit cards. We did this.

Although it was super easy to transfer money from our account to theirs, in very short order we migrated to using Venmo or Apple Cash since that is how they work with their friends.
by DoubleComma
Thu Mar 14, 2024 1:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paying cash for a house?
Replies: 49
Views: 4829

Re: Paying cash for a house?

Fellow Bogleheads! TL:DR - We will have the cash/equity to buy our next home in cash. Would you do that in the current interest rate environment? Longer version: Just this week my spouse lost her job unexpectedly and we'll almost certainly need to move to find her next position. We live in a HCOL area and were very fortunate to have bought here in late 2019 just prior to the housing market spike. Thanks to a 20% down payment when we bought, 20-year mortgage payments, and a nearly 70% increase in the value of our home over the last 5 years, we likely have close to $450-500k in equity in our home (about $310k left on a $750-800k home). We have also been aggressively saving and holding cash expecting to upgrade our house locally and have abou...
by DoubleComma
Thu Mar 14, 2024 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Paying cash for a house?
Replies: 49
Views: 4829

Re: Paying cash for a house?

At that point, no, I would not pay cash. Rates are likely to begin to fall as the Fed cuts them. Once you actually find the house you want to buy, then I would put enough down to make the payment manageable and then wait for six months to a year. Then you can refinance. That optionality for me is worth paying some interest for a year and holding onto my cash. Others can't stand paying interest, period. I would not put such a large percentage of my investible dollars into a single, illiquid asset. Honest question because I've never refinanced, but why does the likelihood of falling rates mean you should take a mortgage at higher current rates? Is it easier to refinance an existing mortgage than to get a new mortgage on a house you own witho...
by DoubleComma
Thu Mar 14, 2024 11:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Realtor representing two firms?
Replies: 7
Views: 927

Re: Realtor representing two firms?

Its been a minute since I really looked in to CA Realtor Licensing...DW was mortgage banker 20 years ago, which required a CA real estate license, and it was hung with a Broker which is why I know any of this. 1. A licensed California real estate agent must "hang their license" with a licensed broker. Essentially they will be working under that broker/brokerage, typically as some type of 1099 independent contractor. 2. If this person is actually a California licensed real estate broker they can creating their own business and not be required to hang their license. 3. If this agent has their license hung with a broker, they can still create a "real estate team" that they brand however they see fit, but all the licensed ag...