Search found 737 matches

by nordlead
Mon Jun 29, 2015 1:30 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Updated - Propane Oven Makes Me Sick - Repair or Buy New?
Replies: 35
Views: 5374

Re: Propane Oven Makes Me Sick

Sounds like either one of two things.

There is a propane leak, and for whatever reason you aren't identifying it as propane (The energy supplier should be able to check for leaks).

or

There is poor ventilation and you are breathing a lot of carbon monoxide and/or uncombusted propane.

Breathing propane also causes the same symptoms you describe.

I wouldn't use the stove until you can figure out what the problem is. Even replacing it with a new gas oven may not solve the problem if the problem is outside of the oven.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 2:25 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

I've had minimal luck with Google's app backup/restore. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. If you don't care about app settings, then there is no reason to back them up. On the other hand, Google's data backup/restore works great.

Also, I would do the factory reset as I describe, as you need to wipe the cache and then factory reset. You can't do this from inside Android.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you buy used cars like a Boglehead actually should?
Replies: 168
Views: 40540

Re: Do you buy used cars like a Boglehead actually should?

We've always driven used cars and have never bought new. We're in the market for a minivan (two young kids and one likely soon to be on the way). What I've found in at least in this sphere is that name makes all the difference. We have been looking at Toyota, Honda, and Chrysler. All retail for around 30k new. We are looking to spend under 20k. I can get a 2014 Chrysler with <30,000 miles for under 20k, but the Toyotas and Hondas in this range are around 24-27k. There's no way I would do that. I'd just buy new. We looked at a Buick Enclave that took a similar large initial depreciation hit. What I've decided is that if you want to buy used, you sort of need to buy the "unsexy" cars as they seem to take the biggest hit initially (...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Unauthurized Credit Inquires
Replies: 5
Views: 1515

Re: Unauthurized Credit Inquires

According to the FCRA, a person can access your credit report only if: A court has ordered that the credit information be shared. That person is a lender and you are applying for some form of credit. A creditor may also pull your report if you currently have an account open with them or if you have a balance that's past due. The person is working on behalf of an insurance company that's underwriting your insurance or a government agency that is considering giving you a license or other public benefit, such as social services. An individual has requested your report for employment purposes and has obtained your written authorization to view it. A person can prove a legitimate business need to view the report. For example, if a landlord is co...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 10:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Squirrel nemesis
Replies: 72
Views: 19579

Re: Squirrel nemesis

DaftInvestor wrote:OP: You stated "Eco-friendly" - not sure if you meant "animal-freindly".
I had some mice in a woodpile a few years ago and put some rate poison trays in the wood pile. It killed the mice but I also found a dead squirrel near by. So mouse poison may do the trick if you don't want the squirrel around (and are adverse to guns).
Rat poison is not a legal way to kill squirrels in any areas that I know of. Also, it is not especially effective on squirrels as they aren't likely to eat it (not that they won't, but they aren't the target, rat/mice poison is meant to attract rats/mice).

As I said, know your local laws.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:47 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

Browser wrote:Interesting that the instructions on the Moto link are actually incorrect. It says to press the vol up button for 10-15 seconds and tap the Power key to initiate the recovery menu options. Actually, you have to press the power key and then tap the vol up key, as detailed here:

http://www.gottabemobile.com/2015/03/17 ... ems-fixes/

You would think the motorola support site woud be correct, wouldn't you?
haha. I honestly almost just told you to hit some combination of power and volume up/down until you got to the recovery screen, but figured the Motorola instructions would be more accurate :oops:
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Emergency Funds - Money Market vs Savings Acct?
Replies: 7
Views: 2112

Re: Emergency Funds - Money Market vs Savings Acct?

Well, Money Market Deposit accounts (FDIC insured) are not the same as Money Market Funds (not FDIC insured).

Money Market Deposit accounts at a traditional bank often offered better rates and more features (at least in the past, I'm not so sure that is true any more).

At an online bank, there is often almost no difference except that a Money Market Deposit Account can have checks written against it and you can withdraw money via an ATM.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

bpp wrote:Dumb question. How does one find out what version of Android one is running? I noticed my icons changed last week. Does that mean it upgraded?
Go to Settings->About Phone->Android Version.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

Thanks for the update. I restarted my phone this morning and the problem is still there. I cleared the cache yesterday but didn't cure it. Since I'm no expert, what are the steps to doing a factory reset and backing up? Will I then have to download and install 5.1 again? I'm afraid the problem might still be there after I do all this. Yes, there is a chance there is still a problem after a factory reset. The BEST way to possibly eliminate the problem is to re-image the phone, but that is more intensive. Anyways, http://www.ghacks.net/2013/01/12/how-to-backup-all-android-data-without-root/ is one way to backup. If all your content (photos, music, etc...) is already backed up (say with google drive or dropbox or something), then I'd just do ...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 8:03 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Squirrel nemesis
Replies: 72
Views: 19579

Re: Squirrel nemesis

Check with your animal control department about borrowing a squirrel trap. This is a spring triggered cage that closes when the squirrel touches the bait. Then take him for a five mile "ride" and turn him loose. There have been cases of squirrels returning from 25 miles away (straight country road right next to the original site). If you are going to do this, I've read that releasing them at night, further than 10 miles away and with a non-straight path gives you the best chance they never return. But they'll probably die as you moved them out of their environment and they have to make a new home. One company released squirrels caught on their property over 3 years and the ones that made it back home looked pretty bad (according ...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 26, 2015 7:55 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Squirrel nemesis
Replies: 72
Views: 19579

Re: Squirrel nemesis

If you take extreme prejudice, make sure you read your local laws. In my area, if you catch and release it has to be on your own property (on public property is illegal, and you have to have permission on someone else's, and even then I don't know if you can transport them without a license). Even if you do release them far away, they tend to make it back (one extermination company did a test by tagging some they caught on their property and released at various distances and travel patterns). So, effectively, you have to kill them, so the have a hart traps are a waste. Also in my area, it is only legal to "hunt" squirrels for a certain portion of the year with a small game license, unless they are damaging your primary residence, ...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:27 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Home renovation funding
Replies: 51
Views: 8156

Re: Home renovation funding

$600k would build my 2ksqft home from scratch 3x :shock:
skteam wrote:When you take what we paid for the house and add what it will cost to renovate it, our basis in the house will be significantly below its current marketable value.
If that is the case, then get a HELOC as you should have plenty of equity to tap.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 2:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What happens if new cars are hailed on in dealer's lot?
Replies: 16
Views: 4254

Re: What happens if new cars are hailed on in dealer's lot?

No one, including the dealer, is making a huge amount on this. Insurance companies don't pay out more than they have to. Exactly. The repair shops make out and that is about it (if the cars get repaired that is) as it is more work created by a storm. But they have to do real work. If work was slow it is really good for them. The dealership breaks even, but gets a cash infusion up front (essentially a partial sale of inventory). The only way they benefit otherwise is if consumers are willing to pay more for the car then what it is worth. In other words, the consumer gets to buy the car for the cost of new - cost of repair - lost value. Some consumers would see that as a benefit, others will buy the discounted car and get the repairs done.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:35 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Just bought a new couch [0% interest on purchase]
Replies: 14
Views: 2476

Re: Just bought a new couch [0% interest on purchase]

Personally, I'd setup an auto-pay for the minimum, and then have it pay the balance on the 35th month (just to make sure there are no stupid rules that kick in and cost me interest on the original balance). If that wasn't an option (for whatever reason), I'd go for pay it all now as it isn't worth it for another monthly responsibility. EDIT: I also wouldn't have opened the CC for 10%, but instead I would have bought gift cards for ~17% off with a 2% CC, and then paid that off right away. I need a new couch. How do you get a gift card for 17% off? That's new for me. There are various websites that buy/sell gift cards and currently JCPenny is hovering around 17% off. Some offer 100 day guarantees, others offer other features. I personally us...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

pochax wrote:does your phone use a microSD card and do you have apps on it? i have this issue with my Nvidia Shield tablet and i read online that it is because it needs to optimize any apps on the SDcard.
Moto X (1st and 2nd gen, and any device by Google really) doesn't support SD cards.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

Something is probably corrupted. Hopefully a cache wipe or a factory reset will fix it.

At least with the MotoX you should be able to re-install android 5.1 if it comes down to it. It is a little complicated, but there are tools that make it fairly foolproof.

EDIT: before you do a factory reset, you may want to do a backup, but that is up to you. Everything I have on my phone (that I care about) is synced with either my google account or some other online account, so I rarely do a whole backup to my PC.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

I don't understand why the optimization process would have to repeatedly rerun, overnight or otherwise. The previous update I installed went through the process only once during installation. I always turn the phone off overnight to save battery life, since I don't need to have it on. The optimization process should only happen either when you upgrade your phone or you install the app (it'll optimize during the install process and just not tell you). That is because the way these programs work is they are written and compiled into an intermediate language and put on the Play Store. When the program is installed on your device it is then compiled into the final object optimized for your device. This allows the programs to be written once, b...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:43 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)
Replies: 52
Views: 12698

Re: Annoying problem with Lollipop (new Android 5.1 OS)

the easy solution is stop turning off your phone. I only reset my phone if it is acting up (for example, an app is getting stuck and draining the battery). Outside of that, I'm would suggest booting into recovery and clearing the cache. If that doesn't work, the next step would be clearing the cache and doing a factory reset. After that, it looks like something is wrong with the factory image, and you'd probably have to roll back to 4.4 and then re-image to 5.1. I've seen a few threads where factory reset + cache wipe doesn't do the trick and some people sent their phones in for replacement units (refurbished). Which phone do you own? If it is a Nexus phone, you can easily install whatever you want. If it is a Verizon phone you are probably...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:28 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: 10 year old car
Replies: 27
Views: 6053

Re: 10 year old car

Personally, I'd only paint if there is a risk of it starting to rust. I've never painted any of my cars outside of a roof that started to rust through, and I'm yet to own anything newer than 7 years old. I rarely wash them too (mostly in the spring/winter to get rid of the salt).

However, I'm going to buy a new minivan, and that I intend to wax for at least a few years to keep the paint in good shape (to hopefully prevent rust). I figure it'll help the vehicle last as long as possible since it is going to be a big purchase for me.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 25, 2015 8:16 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Just bought a new couch [0% interest on purchase]
Replies: 14
Views: 2476

Re: Just bought a new couch [0% interest on purchase]

Personally, I'd setup an auto-pay for the minimum, and then have it pay the balance on the 35th month (just to make sure there are no stupid rules that kick in and cost me interest on the original balance).

If that wasn't an option (for whatever reason), I'd go for pay it all now as it isn't worth it for another monthly responsibility.

EDIT: I also wouldn't have opened the CC for 10%, but instead I would have bought gift cards for ~17% off with a 2% CC, and then paid that off right away.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 24, 2015 12:12 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What percent of your spending is "basic" and what percent is "discretionary"?
Replies: 42
Views: 10502

Re: What percent of your spending is "basic" and what percent is "discretionary"?

Going by categories that are typically considered basic (housing, utilities, food) or discretionary (shopping, restaurants, misc) my breakdown for the last 12 months is 82% basic, 18% discretionary.

If you wanted to go into more details, it would probably trend closer to 72%/28%, as the extra principal payments on the mortgage would come out of basic, and there are probably some discretionary expenses in the grocery and utilities categories.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 24, 2015 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: tap IRA to pay off CC debt?
Replies: 31
Views: 9823

Re: tap IRA to pay off CC debt?

Citi has a 0% for 21 month with a 3% balance transfer fee card right now (citi simplicity). Personally, I'd just do that and go after it aggressively with regular income. And if you still don't have it paid off by then, then tap the IRA as the amount should be much lower.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 24, 2015 11:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Bad Credit - Long time Hertz Rental?
Replies: 8
Views: 3344

Re: Bad Credit - Long time Hertz Rental?

A quality used car can be had for ~$1-2k/year in operating costs, much less than the $6k/year rental rate you are quoting. I'd go spend $2k right now and hope you get more than 4 months out of the car. If it passed inspection on the day of purchase you should get at least 1 year out of it, making it cost ~$166/month.

If you can afford $500/month in rental fees AND save money, you can replenish that $2k in less than 4 months.

Your credit will not rebound in 6 months enough to do anything meaningful unless a bankruptcy is about to fall off of your history. In other words, you won't save much if anything on interest by waiting and will pay much more in rental fees.
by nordlead
Mon Jun 22, 2015 12:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blue Apron
Replies: 155
Views: 31273

Re: Blue Apron

For those of you who can't see the appeal at all, do you work full time, commute, do the food shopping, cooking and cleanup? All of that is time consuming and I hate grocery shopping. I work full time and probably cook ~30% of the dinners, and I'm perfectly fine doing the grocery shopping as it is on the way home from work (and only 1 mile from my house). Not only do I cleanup, I also cleanup for my 3 kids who are 5, 3, and 1. Let's put it this way. It takes me ~15 minutes to get everything I need to cook pizza 3-4 times (I make pizza every weekend). And I actually do grab that much in terms of ingredients, but sometimes I freeze the cheese and pepperoni if I won't use it all in time. Those 2 pizzas serve 8 people, for a total of 24-32 mea...
by nordlead
Mon Jun 22, 2015 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Blue Apron
Replies: 155
Views: 31273

Re: Blue Apron

I just don't understand. Those meals cost $1.50-$3 to make yourself and that gives you $7-8.50/waste per person per meal. And if your herbs are going to waste, either learn to cook things that take the same herbs close together, learn to store them, or by dried herbs (sure, not quite as tasty, but last plenty long).

If I'm going to spend $10 I'd much rather have some casual fast food or takeout.
by nordlead
Fri Jun 19, 2015 2:15 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Anyone have A/C fail on an older Honda CRV?
Replies: 54
Views: 24417

Re: Anyone have A/C fail on an older Honda CRV?

No manufacturer builds the perfect bulletproof car. Sometimes you get unlucky even with <insert amazing name brand here>.

As for cost, who knows. It could be the coolant is low (and therefore the clutch is no longer working), or it could be the compressor sized up. One fix costs $40, the other will cost ~$450 + labor (say 2 hours or so).
by nordlead
Fri Jun 19, 2015 8:59 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Pre-approval and credit score
Replies: 5
Views: 1503

Re: Pre-approval and credit score

Anything over a 720 is golden. Credit Karma uses Vantage Score 3.0 (not FICO), and they are typically close, but under certain circumstances they can be significantly different (100 points or more). If you generally have good credit (no late payments, no bankruptcy, no derogatory marks), then they should be pretty dang close. It took years, but my FICO is now over 800 (billing snafu when I moved, as a creditor turned off auto-pay on me). I now have no hesitation opening cards, as it would take a lot of hard inquiries and new accounts to drop that below 720. Hard inquiries only really impact your score for the first few months, and even then it is only a handful of points. By 1 year, they are essentially meaningless, and they are gone after ...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 19, 2015 7:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Applying for mortgage - How much financial data to reveal?
Replies: 10
Views: 2603

Re: Applying for mortgage - How much financial data to reveal?

What your mortgage company or bank are going to want are the complete (every page) statements for whatever accounts you list as an asset for your mortgage. They will also ask for signed tax returns fro the past 2 years as well as income verification. You can get pre-approved of course without showing them anything but applying is another thing. Good luck, I'm doing the same thing. This. I had to provide 2 statements for every account I told them about. I told them about my Ally and First Niagara accounts. I didn't tell them about my TIAA-CREF, Vanguard, and Chase accounts. Why? Because they don't need to know my retirement assets, stock investments, and my Chase account I'm using to deposit paper EE bonds and then transfer the money. My cu...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 18, 2015 8:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Short term holding cell
Replies: 6
Views: 1640

Re: Short term holding cell

Non-insignificant could be as small as 20k or as big as $200k or more. Either way, 2-3% APR over a 4-month period on $200k is ~$2000. The thing is, you could lose $2000 in those same three months too, even in bonds where everyone is expecting interest rates to rise. If you have to have the money, then a Savings account is the right choice.

I did a quick google, and if I read the right FAQ, you can't pay it back in lump sum, instead it comes out of your pay at a rate of 40% of pay, but you can increase that (possibly to 100% of each check).

You should figure out the actual repayment plan, and if you can live on 60% of your pay, then I'd just invest the separation pay now per normal.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 17, 2015 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Any reason not to take the cellphone subsidy?
Replies: 14
Views: 3825

Re: Any reason not to take the cellphone subsidy?

Ting is either Sprint or T-mobile. If you don't want to leave Verizon, then I suggest a Verizon MVNO, like Straight Talk or Page Plus (both of which offer LTE on Verizon). I'm now running both a Sprint and a T-mobile (wife's) cell phone on Ting. I love their service. Anyways, as for not taking the cell phone subsidy, there are lots of reasons not to. Mostly being in a contract and the higher costs (look into Verizon Edge http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/more-everything/#how-it-works ). Edge saves you $15-25/month depending on your data plan. If you already own your phone and don't intend to upgrade, switching to Edge will save you money immediately. Of course, switching to an MVNO will save even more and provide most of the servi...
by nordlead
Wed Jun 17, 2015 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How much do your children cost per month?
Replies: 83
Views: 31258

Re: How much do your children cost per month?

I believe that anyone can eat cheap, but that is pretty impressive (and more likely missing data) for a family of 4. The USDA thrifty food plan (the plans are thrifty, low-cost, moderate-cost, and liberal) for your family of four comes out at $571.00/month, which comes to $1.57/meal, compared to your ~$1.75/day. Meat is expensive, and even a single 1/4lb cheeseburger (with no toppings) comes out to over $1. That would leave $0.75 left to eat for the rest of the day. Our family of 5 spends ~$870/month on "groceries", which includes all cleaning supplies, paper products, bath supplies and baby products (diapers mostly). The USDAA Thrifty plan for our family comes out at $633.08, the moderate plan comes to $995.6. So, I figure we are...
by nordlead
Tue Jun 16, 2015 10:23 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dehumidifier for the laundry, furnace room
Replies: 22
Views: 6697

Re: Dehumidifier for the laundry, furnace room

Seal the vents in the basement and buy a dehumidifier. If any appliances need venting from outside, do that directly rather than venting the entire basement. Basically, the same thing others said.

One thing to add, is you can paint the cinder blocks with drylok (or equivalent), which will reduce moisture leaking through.
by nordlead
Mon Jun 15, 2015 11:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gifting Money at Parties
Replies: 220
Views: 42435

Re: Gifting Money at Parties

I understand the concept of at least covering the cost of your plate, but to me that is completely voluntary and should not be expected. In my mind, if they want to pay for a big party that's fine and I'm happy to attend. But to me there is no obligation to help out with paying for their choice of an expensive party (although it is entirely possible that I might want to). Exactly my thoughts. As far as I am concerned, there are no customary "expectations", and the numbers being thrown out in this thread sound crazy (at least in my part of the country, apparently). I'm glad I read through this thread. I thought people everywhere in the country knew to cover the cost of the plate in their gift. At least if I invite some of my frien...
by nordlead
Mon Jun 15, 2015 9:11 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Gifting Money at Parties
Replies: 220
Views: 42435

Re: Gifting Money at Parties

Skipped most of the replies, but I disagree with giving $125-200 (cost of plate). I'm in upstate NY, and we paid ~$25/plate for a nice wedding dinner, and I didn't expect people to give me anything at all, but I was thankful if they did.

We typically give $70-100 for a wedding, but I haven't gone to one in years, and at the time that was a lot of money for us. I didn't estimate costs they spent on us, as that is immaterial to my decision. Now if I went, I could justify giving $200 to close friend/family, but they are all married now.

For other gifts (graduation, birthday, etc...), I typically give/spend $25-30. Every once in a while I spend more, but that is my starting point.
by nordlead
Mon Jun 15, 2015 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plumber question
Replies: 28
Views: 5478

Re: Plumber question

You should put a carbon monoxide detector near the water heater and furnace. Even if you get the supposed back draft problem fixed now, that doesn't mean something doesn't clog the chimney later and it becomes a problem.

This website has a good guide for checking for backdraft yourself and what to look for that might be causing the problem - http://www.structuretech1.com/2013/09/w ... ing-signs/
by nordlead
Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online shopping account hacked
Replies: 22
Views: 6589

Re: Online shopping account hacked

If you don't know your password, how are you logging in? Either: 1) They use their browser's "remember this password" feature. Which is terrible, please don't ever do that. or far more likely 2) They use a password program, that creates, stores and use a random password for you. This is the only way to go. For example, I register at a new site, Boogleheads. When it asks for a password, my PW program (LastPass for me, but there are others) creates a random password (something like "6fg7Rt$fZ"). It then stores the site Boogleheads.com with this newly created random password. Next time I need to login, Lastpass recognizes the domain, logs me in, and I'm done. And I never know what random string is my password. I can always...
by nordlead
Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:42 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Innovis Credit Bureau
Replies: 4
Views: 1438

Re: Innovis Credit Bureau

The answer is there are many more than 3 credit bureaus.

The thing is most people only care about the big 3 national credit bureaus as those are the ones pulled for consumer CC's, car loans, and mortgages. If you lock those 3, odds are you locked enough credit agencies that any fraudster will find someone else's identity to steal. However, the are also credit bureaus for businesses, renters, and regional ones too.
by nordlead
Thu Jun 11, 2015 3:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Non-Bogleheads approach to changing cars?
Replies: 44
Views: 8958

Re: Non-Bogleheads approach to changing cars?

Our first two cars were given to us by our parents. Car#1: Oldsmobile Delta 88 (94 I think) - Received in 2005, Donated in 2006 to Rescue Mission due to too much rust repair needed (gas line went, recently fixed break lines, didn't want to put up with it) Car#2: Ford Tempo (94?) - Received in 2002?, towed in 2006 and never bothered to reclaim it Motorcycle #1: 2001 Yamaha YZF600R - Bought in 2005 for $3.2k, wrecked in 2007 Car #3: 1996 Honda Accord - Bought 2006 for $4200, sold in 2013 for $1k, it transported my first 2 children Motorcycle #2: 2001 Honda F4i - Bought 2007 for $3.2k Car #4: 2005 Subaru Forester - Bought 2012 for $6.5k, it currently transports 3 children Car #5: 2015 Honda Oddysey. This will be my first new vehicle ever. My p...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 11, 2015 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tree Trimming Etiquette with Neighbors
Replies: 30
Views: 18898

Re: Tree Trimming Etiquette with Neighbors

My neighbor called the town for a code violation on me while I was actively working on resolving the issue (she didn't even talk to me).... She hasn't mowed in a few weeks now, I'm just waiting for the grass to get tall enough that I can call the town on her :twisted: Unless your neighbor actively said "I called code on you", don't assume. My neighbor assumed I called code on him from his toy hauler and boat being parked in the driveway, but I did not. Code violation officers do random neighborhood sweeps around here. Sometimes you just get unlucky on the timing of those sweeps. I agree with you, and I do try to be reasonable about it. The thing is, I know the town didn't do a sweep, or else they would have flagged me on more obv...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 11, 2015 10:04 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: IPhone Financial stuff
Replies: 26
Views: 4723

Re: IPhone Financial stuff

I use my Nexus 5 to access Ally bank and I have used it to access vanguard. For Ally I use echeck deposit, bill pay, money transfers, and everything else on my phone. It is extremely convenient. I haven't even considered doing transactions for Vanguard on my phone. The one time I used the vanguard app I wasn't too impressed.

Although, I'm not sure why anyone would access bank accounts on vacation unless these are extended vacations (like 2 weeks or more). For me, everything goes on a CC or cash is withdrawn ahead of time or with my Ally ATM card (reimbursed fees).
by nordlead
Thu Jun 11, 2015 9:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Tree Trimming Etiquette with Neighbors
Replies: 30
Views: 18898

Re: Tree Trimming Etiquette with Neighbors

What state do you live in? http://na.fs.fed.us/spfo/invasiveplants/factsheets/pdf/common-and-glossy-buckthorn.pdf If they are quick growing weed like trees with black berries sounds like they probably have buckthorn growing there. Buckthorn is a nasty invasive weed tree/bush. Where I live you are required to remove any buckthorn as its deemed invasive. You should check with your city too, mine for instance as a compliance office you can call and ask for the city inspector to come investigate the property for maintenance issues. Calling the city to do a code violation fishing expedition on your neighbors is a GREAT way to cause major problems. :oops: My neighbor called the town for a code violation on me while I was actively working on reso...
by nordlead
Thu Jun 11, 2015 9:17 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Online shopping account hacked
Replies: 22
Views: 6589

Re: Online shopping account hacked

The more important thing is using unique secure passwords at every website.

I've been storing my CC numbers on all sorts of websites for years and I really am not worried about it. Each website has a unique password that even I don't know. If someone gets in, it is a quick 10 minute call to the CC company and life goes on. So far, I've saved more than 10 minutes by having my CC numbers stored on websites I frequent.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:55 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Redeemed paper saving bonds: neither fast nor simple.
Replies: 7
Views: 16953

Re: Redeemed paper saving bonds: neither fast nor simple.

I opened a chase account (free $$$ with deposits on both the savings and checking account) and just deposit all of my EE bonds there.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cable Cord cutting.. alternatives/ideas? Speed Choices?
Replies: 30
Views: 4896

Re: Cable Cord cutting.. alternatives/ideas? Speed Choices?

kjvmike wrote:While I'm doing the upload at home, the Netflix or Prime TV gets fuzzy/buffers etc. We can't get webpages to load in reasonable time frames.
Mike
This can easily be resolved by setting a decent router (not anything the cable company provided) with a quality of service setting giving every device a minimum upload speed of 100Kbps (or 1/1th of the upload speed). I do this myself when I'm backing up multi GB files so the phone stays on and the wife can use the electronics.

Even with the 6Mbps you'll have problems if the upload is using 100% of the bandwidth, it'll just be done in a handful of days instead of a week or two.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 1:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Credit Karma
Replies: 16
Views: 4464

Re: Credit Karma

CreditKarma uses the Vantage Score 3.0. This is a legitimate score as much as FICO is, it just isn't nearly as popular (FICO controls like 90% of the credit score market).

The important thing with using websites like CreditKarma and CreditSesame though, is that they allow you to check your credit report (the important thing) more often than once per year for free. If you have no negative marks and a few years of credit history, it doesn't really matter what your score is. I can almost guarantee it'll be above 720 FICO, which is considered excellent.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 11:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cable Cord cutting.. alternatives/ideas? Speed Choices?
Replies: 30
Views: 4896

Re: Cable Cord cutting.. alternatives/ideas? Speed Choices?

If you have 60GB of pictures and a 1Mbps upload link it will take (under optimal conditions) ~5.98 days. We'll call it 6-7 days.

A 5Mbps is 5x as fast, so it'll be close to 1.5 days, but that is assuming that the service (google drive, icloud, etc...) allows you to run at 5Mbps upload for long periods of time.

You don't seem to need the extra download speed, so personally, I'd just kick off the uploads and forget about it for a few days. If you find you run into this problem more often, then I'd switch to something faster. Business lines are also an option and tend to have faster upload speeds available.

EDIT: since you want to upload to two different spots, it will take 2 weeks, not 1 week
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 7:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: baby grand piano
Replies: 6
Views: 2077

Re: baby grand piano

A baby grand is 4'11"-5'11", and then you have to add the seat, and some space around the piano.

So, at a minimum, the thing is going to take 5'x9', granted some of that 9'ft length will be open due to space needed for the pianist to move the bench and sit down. But, you'll probably want 1ft or more on all sides of the piano, so really more like 7'x10'. Basically, this thing is going to take a quarter of the room up.

Sure, you can put a couch in there too, but to me, that size room is going to end up more like a music room than a living room, which is perfectly fine if that is what you want.
by nordlead
Wed Jun 10, 2015 7:29 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Advice Needed - Has Anyone Chosen Work Life Balance over Extra Money?
Replies: 112
Views: 21630

Re: Advice Needed - Has Anyone Chosen Work Life Balance over Extra Money?

Currently I have an awesome work life balance. 40hr work weeks, flex any time you want with minimal approval, vacation at last minute is almost never a problem, family is always important, etc... You would have to pay me at least 50% more to make me switch to a job that demanded 50hr/week permanently. I just did 50hr/week from September to May and I was worn out by the end.

And I only earn $80k salary with a family of 5 (3 small kids). At $180k, you couldn't make me move to a more time consuming job.
by nordlead
Tue Jun 09, 2015 8:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Barclay doing away w/ the 2 screen login process
Replies: 9
Views: 3628

Re: Barclay doing away w/ the 2 screen login process

abuss368 wrote:What is the point of the two screen sign on to begin with? Was the additional "security" a log on "picture" that the user selected?
Typically (but not always) the second login was a picture and maybe a quote.

The idea is that it prevents fishing, as when you enter your username it would display that and if you didn't see it you knew it wasn't the official website. But, as mudpuppy pointed out, it is easy to defeat. The fake website just requests the page for the username you entered and forwards the image and quote and now it is a useless tool.
by nordlead
Tue Jun 09, 2015 7:39 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Junk Bond default rates
Replies: 13
Views: 3605

Re: Junk Bond default rates

coachz wrote:Does this 2.4% default rate mean the high yield (junk) bond investors lost all of their money?

http://www.pionline.com/article/2015012 ... 2014-at-24
A default just means the obligation wasn't paid in full as agreed.

The 2.4% default rate appears to be in terms of cash value (not number of borrowers) in the high yield market. If an investor was invested 100% in a single company that defaulted and was unable to pay back anything on the bond, then yes, they would have lost all of their money. However, a default could also mean they can pay $0.80 on the dollar and that is what is negotiated in bankruptcy.