Search found 415 matches

by ondarvr
Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Garmin Watches: do you wear it at night? if not, does it affect stats?
Replies: 32
Views: 2339

Re: Garmin Watches: do you wear it at night? if not, does it affect stats?

Watches bother me too, but I'll wear one for several nights in a row to get an idea of my sleep results, and then not wear it at night for a month or two.
by ondarvr
Wed Mar 06, 2024 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

A transfer switch, depending on the type, may cost from $1,000 to $2,000 to have it installed. The actual cost of materials is low, labor is most of it. The cost of a generator is low for the convenience of having power at any time. Thanks. That's what I would expect as far as labor costs being most of it. There are a few challenges for me as to where I could locate a generator on my lot. I can only think of one place, really, which would be on my elevated backyard. Also, the natural gas line comes on one side of the house, while the electrical panel is on the opposite side. If using a natural gas generator, I would have to run a pretty long gas line, could be over 150ft. And another 150ft of electrical conduit to go to the main electrical...
by ondarvr
Tue Mar 05, 2024 9:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

Most refrigerators are on wheels, they roll out easily, even when full, everything else is even easier. It's not the case for any of our 5 refrigerators/freezer/wine cooler. You can make it difficult, but it really isn't. It sounds like it works well for your situation. Extension cords wouldn't work for us. We would need a disconnect/transfer switch if we were to install a generator. I checked into solar a year ago, it made no sense for what we needed. I changed to very efficient mini-splits and reduced my yearly costs enough that solar would take a long time for payback. Yeah, solar is really dependent on a lot of factors - your utility rates, consumption, estimated production, etc. For us it made sense. A transfer switch, depending on th...
by ondarvr
Tue Mar 05, 2024 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

I picked up a duel fuel, electric start, inverter generator that is capable of running my entire house for $1,000. I haven't put in a disconnect so it can be plugged in to the house yet, but will in the future. Right now I only use extention cords to keep the essentials powered up, it's pretty simple. The disconnect / transfer switch would require permitting in most places in California, even for a portable generator. Extension cords work if all your critical loads are near the generator. But how do you deal with exhaust, unless your loads are all in an open garage ? We have a built-in 48in counter-depth fridge, which is plugged behind the wall. It would not be possible to use an extension cord. Our kitchen is also on the second floor whic...
by ondarvr
Tue Mar 05, 2024 4:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

When you own your house you are vulnerable to non insured disasters or events. I had this happen to my prior house, mortgage balance was very very low, market value was $600,000 , an event took place that dropped the value to zero. I was able to sell the property to the county and at least got something, otherwise it would have been almost a total loss. I don't have a mortgage on my current house and I know I'm taking that risk again. I’m not sure I follow your logic. If you had had, for example, a $400k larger mortgage, then you would have also had an additional $400k in financial assets. So while you may not have cleared anything on the house sale, you would still have those additional financial assets that are not tied to the house. The...
by ondarvr
Tue Mar 05, 2024 3:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

When you own your house you are vulnerable to non insured disasters or events. I had this happen to my prior house, mortgage balance was very very low, market value was $600,000 , an event took place that dropped the value to zero. I was able to sell the property to the county and at least got something, otherwise it would have been almost a total loss. I don't have a mortgage on my current house and I know I'm taking that risk again. I’m not sure I follow your logic. If you had had, for example, a $400k larger mortgage, then you would have also had an additional $400k in financial assets. So while you may not have cleared anything on the house sale, you would still have those additional financial assets that are not tied to the house. The...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 7:32 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?
Replies: 51
Views: 4428

Re: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?

Personally, I think both are pretty terrible as personal property, but especially hot tubs. They aren't worth the maintenance, IMO. They work well as shared property that sees frequent use, such as in hotels, on cruise ships, etc., because then a professional can maintain them and lots of people can make good use of them. I would prefer an indoor jet tub to either of those, assuming your bathroom has the space. I have lived in a home that had one, and it was great. I've also enjoyed them in hotel rooms that had them. You get the massage benefit of the jets in what is otherwise basically a bathtub that you fill on demand. Even if you rarely use it, which tends to be the case, it's not a maintenance nightmare the way an outdoor hot tub is. I...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:58 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

So it's not that the insurance wasn't available, it's that the person chose not to have flood insurance? Is that what your saying? In those specific instances, yes. Prior to the disasters, neither township had been on any floodwatch. Edited to add: "non-insured disaster" could mean either that the disaster could have been insured but didn't, or that no insurance of such disaster could be purchased at all. I am not sure in which sense was the phrase used by @ondarvr. Flood insurance only covers the structure, not the property, and is limited to $250,000. If the property is destroyed and the house is now perched on a precarious ledge, but untouched, it can be tagged and you can't return, even to get your possessions. At this point ...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 2:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What would you do? Corporate Life vs. Business Ownership
Replies: 16
Views: 1392

Re: What would you do? Corporate Life vs. Business Ownership

I had my own business in my twenties to thirties, loved it but hated it.

It can be all consuming, vacations were difficult, it would take several days to decompress, then about the time I was really enjoying the vacation it was over. Weekends and holidays were just workdays, family time was difficult. Everything depends on you all the time. If you can get past this stage it eventually gets better...if you're lucky.

I found a job with the same kind of freedom and fewer responsibilities, and the pay was good enough. Had I stayed self employed I would probably have more money right now, but I'm comfortable and was able to enjoy my life a bit more not being self employed.
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 12:07 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

Not for the occasional use he described, and small very quiet inverter generators that run on propane can be had for less than $1,000 with remote electric start. Add in a couple of extension cords and you can run many things for a week if needed. It's simple, no contractors, no permits, no construction, no complicated spreadsheets to evaluate payback time and cost, etc. It can be fully implemented in an hour at a box store after having lunch on a Saturday afternoon. If it doesn't get used it can be sold later for only a slight loss. I picked up a duel fuel, electric start, inverter generator that is capable of running my entire house for $1,000. I haven't put in a disconnect so it can be plugged in to the house yet, but will in the future. ...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

I didn't list those mold situations, I know it's covered sometimes.

I'm listing times that it's not covered but is still possible.

What happens when you buy a house with an unknown at the time mold problem?
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 11:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?
Replies: 51
Views: 4428

Re: sauna or hot tub, which to get and why?

I have a hot tub now and I'm looking at getting a sauna in the near future.

I really like the hot tub, but just the hot water while looking a sunrise or the stars at night, not the jets.

The sauna will be indoors and easier to access and maintain.
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

After all the other stuff I explained, I paid cash for my current home even with the risks, and I'm somewhat content with that decision. It works out well for my retirement cash flow, although the math works either way.

I was forced to buy my current home cash because I already had a mortgage on a place I couldn't live in, and I couldn't qualify for another mortgage on just my income.

Most people don't have enough money on hand to buy another house right away, again, I was lucky.
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:27 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

When you own your house you are vulnerable to non insured disasters or events. I had this happen to my prior house, mortgage balance was very very low, market value was $600,000 , an event took place that dropped the value to zero. I was able to sell the property to the county and at least got something, otherwise it would have been almost a total loss. I don't have a mortgage on my current house and I know I'm taking that risk again. Can you explain what the non insured disaster was and where the house was located. I live in Minnesota and my insurance will cover any natural disaster. We have tornados, but our insurance covers that. We don't have earthquakes or hurricanes. So unlike florida where it's almost impossible to get insurance, we...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 10:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

So it's not that the insurance wasn't available, it's that the person chose not to have flood insurance? Is that what your saying? In those specific instances, yes. Prior to the disasters, neither township had been on any floodwatch. Edited to add: "non-insured disaster" could mean either that the disaster could have been insured but didn't, or that no insurance of such disaster could be purchased at all. I am not sure in which sense was the phrase used by @ondarvr. Flood insurance only covers the structure, not the property, and is limited to $250,000. If the property is destroyed and the house is now perched on a precarious ledge, but untouched, it can be tagged and you can't return, even to get your possessions. At this point ...
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

Raspberry-503 wrote: Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:32 am I don't understand how it affects holding a mortgage or not. If your house goes to 0 you still need to pay the mortgage, right?

It is an interesting take on home ownership vs renting where the landlord assumes that risk.
The supplier of the mortgage takes on that risk through setting interest rates and required down payments. This assumes you are in a non recourse state.
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?
Replies: 52
Views: 3605

Re: Payoff mortgage or maintain liquidity?

When you own your house you are vulnerable to non insured disasters or events. I had this happen to my prior house, mortgage balance was very very low, market value was $600,000 , an event took place that dropped the value to zero. I was able to sell the property to the county and at least got something, otherwise it would have been almost a total loss.

I don't have a mortgage on my current house and I know I'm taking that risk again.
by ondarvr
Mon Mar 04, 2024 9:05 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: What good is tax deferred?
Replies: 122
Views: 15323

Re: What good is tax deferred?

During accumulation my tax rate was 24%, my 401k contributions keep it at 12%.
My soon to be retirement taxes will be at 0% most of the time, even with RMDs.

This was just how it worked out with some unique circumstances. Roth contributions don't make sense right now.
by ondarvr
Sat Mar 02, 2024 8:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

MathWizard wrote: Sat Mar 02, 2024 7:28 pm

I'd say get a portable generator like I have,but I think that California is moving towards restricting their use.
The restriction is for the sale of new gas powered generators after January 1st 2028.

They can still be used after that date.
by ondarvr
Sat Mar 02, 2024 1:46 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Question about Solar panels
Replies: 92
Views: 6289

Re: Question about Solar panels

If you have other reasons for solar than a few days without power every year it may be worth it, but...

For very limited power requirements you can get a small gas or propane powered inverter generator for less than a $1,000 and sometimes significantly less. And if you move in a few years you can take it with you.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 29, 2024 5:38 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do your intra-company yearly raises keep with inflation?
Replies: 60
Views: 6058

Re: Do your intra-company yearly raises keep with inflation?

Just got my review today, my manage told me how much of a raise I'm getting ... $0.39 per hour - less than 1%. He said that I am at the top of my pay grade so he couldn't give me a better raise. He also said he gave me a bigger bonus - years ago it was based on the profit the company made, last year they started putting stipulations on earning the bonus - I got it for one quarter and nothing else. I didn't argue, at this point I don't care. Tomorrow is March 1st, I turn 65 in June so I can sign up for Medicare - I am. Time for retirement!! :D We tied our sales this month for the best February on record, but they had set a 30% higher than that budget for the month. So no commissions or bonuses are paid out. And there's been no raises in 5 y...
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 29, 2024 3:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) vs. Schwab S&P 500 Index (SWPPX) vs. VOO vs. Vanguard 500 Index Fund Adm Shares (VFIAX)
Replies: 20
Views: 3098

Re: Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) vs. Schwab S&P 500 Index (SWPPX) vs. VOO vs. Vanguard 500 Index Fund Adm Shares (VFI

They aren't the exact same equity packages, and the expense ratios are so low and close that I don't see how they can be a deciding factor.
by ondarvr
Mon Feb 26, 2024 7:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Auto Insurance claim days before cancelling policy
Replies: 3
Views: 866

Re: Auto Insurance claim days before cancelling policy

Your agreement with the current company is in effect until the last day of the contract, so they're on the hook for this incident.

You filled out all the application information accurately at that time, you didn't hide anything. If they ask you again you're obligated to give them accurate information again, which would include this incident. You don't need to volunteer any information they don't ask for.
by ondarvr
Sat Feb 24, 2024 7:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do your intra-company yearly raises keep with inflation?
Replies: 60
Views: 6058

Re: Do your inter-company yearly raises keep with inflation?

My employer hasn't increased anyone's compensation in many years, people end up quitting and going elsewhere, even important people. I quit and they hired me back for more money 6 months later. My division is a good place to work, and is profitable. But they've gone to a private equity business model for the group of companies and are in the squeeze and leverage every division as much as possible mode. I'll be retiring this year so whatever happens in the future won't affect me much.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 22, 2024 8:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help with washer, dryer, dishwasher that are 25 years old and never used
Replies: 22
Views: 2969

Re: Help with washer, dryer, dishwasher that are 25 years old and never used

If they were mine, I would hook them as is and see what happens. They will probably be fine, but I'd watch the first couple times to make sure.
by ondarvr
Tue Feb 20, 2024 2:51 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Has anyone invested in marijuana stocks?
Replies: 92
Views: 12494

Re: Has anyone invested in marijuana stocks?

A close friend of mine got caught up in the pot stock hype, he got in early and kept investing right through the peak, and then into the crash. He'd bought in at around $1.00 and it went to $10 rather quickly, he called me to say he was going to be a multi millionaire within a month, I told him to cash out immediately with the profits he'd already made. He kept investing heavily, now he won't even mention pot stocks, it was painful to watch him go through losing a tremendous amount of money. Now he's on the Tesla bandwagon, all his money has been going that direction, but he got in right after the peak, so it's been going down. It may go up, but I've got my money elsewhere and my soon to be retirement is pretty solid at this point. He alway...
by ondarvr
Mon Feb 19, 2024 9:25 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)
Replies: 6651
Views: 1203419

Re: I Bonds Mega Thread (I Bond Heads Rejoice!)

I found it very simple to log in and download the1099.

It was the same process as Schwab, Fidelity, my credit union and bank.

And I only use my phone for all investing and tracking.
by ondarvr
Sun Feb 18, 2024 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Wanting to top off Fixed Income buffer, am I crazy?
Replies: 7
Views: 647

Re: Wanting to top off Fixed Income buffer, am I crazy?

I'm very close to retirement and rebalanced, selling equities that are up to fill the fixed segment I planned on. The timing was good, or at least it looks that way right now, who knows if that decision will still look good in a couple of years.
by ondarvr
Sat Feb 17, 2024 11:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to exchange $1000 worth of yen for Japan trip?
Replies: 48
Views: 4316

Re: Best way to exchange $1000 worth of yen for Japan trip?

After many years of international travel for work, I never even think of getting cash ahead of time, or even think of getting cash at all.

It's readily available anywhere, I may pick up a small amount locally just in case, but I've ended up with a drawer full odd currencies from not being able to get rid of it before leaving the country. Then I forget to take it with me on the next trip.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When do winter/snow tires make sense? Do you have a second set of wheels?
Replies: 80
Views: 5138

Re: When do winter/snow tires make sense? Do you have a second set of wheels?

Winter tires on wheels, and change them myself. I buy winter tires on wheels on Craigslist or FB Market Place for less than 50% of new. Frequently people sell their car and not the winter set of tires and wheels with it. There's some junk for sale, but keep looking and you'll find them in almost new condition.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 16, 2024 6:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?
Replies: 47
Views: 3627

Re: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?

windaar wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 5:09 pm
GAAP wrote: Fri Feb 16, 2024 4:53 pm As a counterpoint, my uncle claimed at 62. He's now 93, and regrets not waiting.
Taking and putting those 8 first years of SS into the market for 30 years would have been a better idea than waiting until 70.
With no other information how can you say that. More info was provided after your post though.

Had he worked from 62 to 65 he probably wouldn't have received much SS, if any. And would have locked in his lower payment, so taking it early would yield almost nothing in that scenario.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 16, 2024 4:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?
Replies: 47
Views: 3627

Re: Social Security -- What’s in Your Retirement Plan?

68, haven't claimed yet and no plans have been made for a reduction.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:33 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: VTI, VXUS and I Bond? If you could buy unlimited I bonds...
Replies: 30
Views: 3486

Re: VTI, VXUS and I Bond? If you could buy unlimited I bonds...

I'm not sure I'd buy much more because I have about enough to do what need them to do. Being very close to retirement I've already made most of the needed adjustments to my investments

And I don't think dealing with TD is all that complicated, it seems to do what it's supposed to do, and it's not like you need to be fiddling with it very often.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 15, 2024 8:32 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do you spend on work/ dress shoes?
Replies: 86
Views: 9043

Re: How much do you spend on work/ dress shoes?

Zero, I only buy shoes that fit my lifestyle outside of work now. And at this point I don't care if I don't impress people with my attire.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 15, 2024 7:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car recommendations for daily driver
Replies: 26
Views: 1755

Re: Car recommendations for daily driver

Ford Fusion hybrid, I had three of them as company cars, smooth, quiet, comfortable, 40mpg and reliable. You can probably get one at a comparatively low cost now.

We switched to Camrys and everybody thought the Camry was worse in every category.
by ondarvr
Wed Feb 14, 2024 2:48 pm
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2024!
Replies: 136
Views: 42693

Re: Roll Call for the Retirement Class of 2024!

It will be this year some time after June when my wife hits 65.

No hard date yet, but before the end of the year. The quality of the knowledge I've gained from this forum couldn't be replicated anywhere else.
So thank you.
by ondarvr
Tue Feb 13, 2024 3:37 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Fidelity Zero Funds
Replies: 64
Views: 6074

Re: Fidelity Zero Funds

I hold FZROX in a Roth, after looking at it in the beginning, it seemed to be as good as anything else in that category.

If I have a higher balance at the end of my investment period I'll take my wife our to dinner on it. That's about as much as I think about it.
by ondarvr
Tue Feb 13, 2024 12:56 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: (UPDATE) 401K or Roth 401K at this point?
Replies: 8
Views: 1159

Re: (Update) 401K or Roth 401K at this point?

I continued with 401K contributions and recently calculated my retirement taxes again, it appears to be a bit more clear now if this new information is correct.

My plan is to retire this year sometime after June.

The spreadsheet from a tax planner looking at my my income from SS and the small pension shows I may never pay taxes in retirement unless I need to withdraw an abnormally high amount. So contributions to a normal 401K works out much better. That's about $72,000 from SS and $6000 from pension.

The spread sheet shows withdrawals from the 401K of up to $10,000 per year keeps me from paying any taxes. And because the pre tax amount I have is low ($200,000), my RMDs may be lower than $10,000.
by ondarvr
Mon Feb 12, 2024 9:58 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: should i pay off a car at 1.9% or invest in a cd at 5.5%
Replies: 67
Views: 6286

Re: should i pay off a car at 1.9% or invest in a cd at 5.5%

I was in the exact same situation, took the loan and bought CDs, but the payments bothered me. After about a year I paid it off with other money, still haves the CDs.
by ondarvr
Mon Feb 12, 2024 9:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I start my pension at age 65 even though it's not a lot of money or should I let it grow?
Replies: 14
Views: 2260

Re: Should I start my pension at age 65 even though it's not a lot of money or should I let it grow?

My wife and I have pensions of almost the exact same amount as you. I took mine as soon as I could because I wasn't sure how stable the company was, my wife will start hers in June.

It wasn't enough to really plan anything around, so I invested it, which did turn it into something.
by ondarvr
Sat Feb 10, 2024 3:50 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Massage Chairs
Replies: 23
Views: 4148

Re: Massage Chairs

We've had one for a very long time, it works OK, and newer ones are better.

They are like hot tubs, only easier to maintain, initially it gets used frequently, then after a while you forget it's there.

It needs to be located where it's easy to use or you end up forgetting about it, and many aren't very comfortable as a chair to just sit on/in, so they may not be good in a room that needs comfortable seating.

Ours is rarely used and I forget we even have one 99% of the time.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 09, 2024 11:16 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: how much do you think you need to retire?
Replies: 279
Views: 56472

Re: how much do you think you need to retire?

Intersesting thread, so many different answers, and mine is totally different. We were cruising along happily with our plan with retirement, then at 59 everything was reset and I had to almost start over, but this time with only one income due to my wife becoming disabled. It forced a total restructuring of what retirement would look like, and at times I thought maybe we wouldn't get there. We paid off everything as a fast as possible including the house, saved significantly more, and I worked a couple more years. We also adjusted our spending down dramatically. I looked at what our SS would be at certain ages and budgeted to live on less than that, turned out we were just as happy with fewer worries. This resulted in SS covering all of our...
by ondarvr
Wed Feb 07, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to Start Soc Sec
Replies: 61
Views: 6812

Re: When to Start Soc Sec

Sorry if this has been mentioned and I missed it.

Any earned income after a very low threshold will reduce or almost eliminate you from receiving any SS from 62 to FRA. So while just the SS numbers may indicate in a good market you come out ahead claiming at 62, the reality may be far from that.

So this only works for the very low reported earned income segment of people.

I see friends and relatives either claiming, or planning to claim at 62 and not understanding they won't get what they think they will due to earned income.
by ondarvr
Tue Feb 06, 2024 3:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Paying for luggage at the airport in the U.S.
Replies: 26
Views: 3134

Re: Paying for luggage at the airport in the U.S.

You can pay the fee up front when you buy the ticket, or at the airport, whichever you like better.

I frequently do it at the airport because I may not be checking a bag, or I may not know how many at the time when I buy the ticket.
by ondarvr
Mon Feb 05, 2024 10:59 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: When to Start Soc Sec
Replies: 61
Views: 6812

Re: When to Start Soc Sec

If you are working at 62 and take SS you most likely aren't going to get the entire benefit, only a small percentage. Plus you'll lock in the lower dollar amount for life.

Yes you will get the withheld amount back in the future, but you didn't get to invest it from the start. So how does this come out ahead?
by ondarvr
Sun Feb 04, 2024 12:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?
Replies: 55
Views: 4948

Re: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?

30 years of almost weekly travel, I have a company CC and it's direct bill.

I typically stay in nicer places when it's on my own dime, I also eat better. I'm very cost conscious when it comes to spending someone else's money.

Uber tends to be less costly now due to rental car pricing and availability. But that depends on exactly what you plan to do with the car.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?
Replies: 55
Views: 4948

Re: Alternative to Uber/Lyft. Anyone take car service or taxi to airport anymore?

Now I drive to the airport, but where I previously lived I used a car service most of the time. 4:00am on most Monday mornings like clockwork, no hassles and reliable. It was a good discount as a frequent customer.

I'd rather use uber or lyft once I land, maybe a taxi, but it depends on the airport.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 02, 2024 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Gravy train ride over ? Time to reevaluate asset allocation
Replies: 259
Views: 34570

Re: Gravy train ride over ? Time to reevaluate asset allocation

If you didn't sell during that downturn then you didn't lose any money, you're up now.

I invested more during that brief downturn and got my daughter started in investing. I told her I would double whatever she put into a new Roth account. It was an excellent experience for her to see what investing can do over even a short time period. Now she pays attention to what's going on a bit more.
by ondarvr
Fri Feb 02, 2024 10:00 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bedroom air circulation - jumper duct?
Replies: 38
Views: 3713

Re: Bedroom air circulation - jumper duct?

TheGreyingDuke wrote: Fri Feb 02, 2024 6:51 am
Jeepergeo wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 8:07 pm Consider a mini-split system.
We installed a unit that puts a split in each bedroom all plumbed to a central compressor.
The system works great.
The problem with a head unit in each bedroom is that the smallest available unit (8k BTU?) is way more than is needed to heat or cool most bedrooms. In my house the largest bedroom (220 sq ft) has a Manual J heating requirement of 2500 BTU. This would result in short cycling and a hit on longevity. It also could inadequately dehumidify the air leaving you cool and wet :(

Good to hear that you are having success and would welcome details on how you made it work.
They don't short cycle, they are variable speed, so both units throttle down to the needed BTU output.
by ondarvr
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bedroom air circulation - jumper duct?
Replies: 38
Views: 3713

Re: Bedroom air circulation - jumper duct?

I did a jumper vent about 15 years ago, didn't know it had a name.

There wasn't much additional air movement, so I put in an inline fan. The warm air that was supposed to enter the other room was cool by the time it got there, and the inline fan was only marginally affective. And in the summer the air entering through the insulated duct was warm. I will say that no sound came through duct, but neither did much air.
I gave up and never used the system

The under the door route and thru-wall vent are cheaper and more functional.