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criticalmass

Just pay it from your bank's bill pay. How do you determine the amount due to pay via a third party bill pay service when you can’t access the web page or statements containing the balance due? For the OP, both the IOS application and website have been working for me all week. Perhaps another brows...

criticalmass

Just wanted to share my experience with a Citibank bonus offer in case anyone else is tempted to chase banking offers in this time of low interest rates. The deal was to put at least $15,000 in Citibank checking/savings accounts (combined - they make you get both), leave the funds for a 60 day qual...

criticalmass

I don't think that is true anymore. Last time I made a return (purchased with a gift card with a receipt) and got a store credit they wrote my name on the card in permanent marker It's good to keep your cards clean so any marker residue doesn't stain your leather wallet or pants. A little denatured...

criticalmass

I used an old oral b electric toothbrush for many years and it stopped working few months ago. As in stop charging. Back then electric toothbrushes were expensive, like a hundred dollars or so and now when i check amazon, im shocked at how low the prices are and the great reviews of these. If you a...

criticalmass

Does it make sense that a car dealer needs to do a hard pull if you pay in full by check (cash)? Yes if it is a personal check. In all the paperwork you sign there is likely something that allows them to set up a car loan for you if your check bounces. Part of the credit check is also go through so...

criticalmass

Didn't like almost everyone's ssn get hacked from the Equifax breach? I guess, welcome to the club. Yup. I think it was like half of Americans. After that I simply just froze all 3 of my credit accounts. The Equifax breach was likely executed by a certain nation state. Strange as it sounds, I trust...

criticalmass

In 2019 my younger son had to have significant oral surgery to remove an infected tooth followed by an implant. It was difficult to get the appointment. When my wife arrived on the day of the scheduled surgery she was presented with this notice, which I have a photograph: ATTENTION ALL PATIENTS Eff...

criticalmass

Even better, sign up for Nexus. Nexus is $50, good for five years, and includes Pre Check and Global Entry privileges. Need to interview at specified locations along US/Canada border. I don't believe this is quite true. According to the DHS website , while Nexus does include TSA Precheck which gets...

criticalmass

Even better, sign up for Nexus.

Nexus is $50, good for five years, and includes Pre Check and Global Entry privileges. Need to interview at specified locations along US/Canada border.

criticalmass

No issues logging in with the website. One of my 3% certificates will mature this year, so I'm sad about that issue.

criticalmass

I don't know if you can also determine/shop for how long it will take for one's mortgage to close. Were doing a refinance with Navy Federal, and we're going on 4 months and still haven't closed (and we've provided any documents asap when requested). Not sure if that's a common problem? Maybe start ...

criticalmass

Dear Bogleheads Community, I am in the process of buying home. I just booked a new home and it should be available to me sometime in mid to late July. The builder is D. R. Horton. The builder himself offer financing for mortgage. Currently they are offering a 30 year for 2.99% interest or APR of 3....

criticalmass

It's more fun when you pay a vendor who insists on ACH conversion with an account that doesn't allow ACH conversion.
Then it's up to them to redo the transaction as a check.

criticalmass

... I like AAA because in my area a badged truck and a uniformed AAA employee shows up, not someone dispatched from Cooter's Bait, Tackle, and Towing Service. Got no time, or desire to vett unknown companies sent when DW is alone and needs help. ... This is one reason I stick with AAA and because I...

criticalmass

The longer term post office trend has been the closing of many Processing and Distribution Centers, circa 2011-2016. As the P&DCs were shut down, mail delivery got slower. From 2011 to 2016, the on-time rate for single-piece first-class mail dropped from 91% to 84%. However, that's not the caus...

criticalmass

You are providing numbers from 2019- September 2020. That is interesting, is not related to my earlier comment. PDCs continue to operate 24 hours a day; there is no "end of day." It is related to your comment that there were backlogs from November 2020 to January 2021. That's only for par...

criticalmass

I don't believe this is accurate information. A relative works in a processing and distribution center, which is where mail is sorted. She reports the center operates 24 hours a day. November through January had huge back logs due to super high volume, reduced density due to COVID, and reduced empl...

criticalmass

Hoping someone with more experience on HOAs/Home Owner's Insurance Claims can offer some advice on this... Back to the original problem of the association asking for a big payment (probably a "special assessment"), this can happen as a result of mismanagement, long legal disputes, or larg...

criticalmass

I'll never understand why anyone would want to buy property under the thumb of an HOA. There are plenty of zoning rules, laws, and regulations out there already, can't imagine adding an HOA with a bunch of activist busy-body tyrants to the mix. Neighborhoods without HOA seem to be capable of functi...

criticalmass

Step 1: Sent documents to vanguard via USPS certified mail took 3 weeks to get to Vanguard and I received a confirmation of delivery to vanguard *after* I received the filled out forms back from vanguard. Step 2: This is the step I'm currently in. I sent the completed forms to TSP via certified mai...

criticalmass

If your roof is nearing the end of it's estimated useful life What do you mean by that? Who is doing the estimating? A roofer? A salesman visiting the neighborhood? A home inspector? An insurance adjuster? A home buyer? A home seller? What kind of roof is it? A slate roof can last 100-200 years, bu...

criticalmass

Hoping someone with more experience on HOAs/Home Owner's Insurance Claims can offer some advice on this... In-Laws recently purchased a town-home with an HOA in September 2020. The real estate listing read the following "2013 & 2014 STORM LITIGATION HAS BEEN SETTLED. :-) ". Fast forwa...

criticalmass

HOA is such a nonsense. Its a free country people! Why would you get Involved with HOA in the first place. Freedom is an illusion. There are countless laws and regulations that effect every moment of our lives. There are even rules that govern my response to you here. It appears the OP's in-laws mi...

criticalmass

I'm very close to moving everything to Fidelity for my financial life but one aspect I'm curious about is the Fidelity 2% Cash Back Visa Credit Card. I love how it has a flat 2% cashback rate but I'm a little miffed that it's through Elan and handled by a 3rd party. Does anyone use this as their ma...

criticalmass

But I just have a Chase Freedom card only as a backup card, and I can never keep its rotating categories in my brain. Is it 5% on gas this quarter? I just print a label with the quarterly bonuses for {Discover Card, Chase Freedom} and tape them to the card for the quarter. If there are no interesti...

criticalmass

Yes, there is one extra day to move from the mutual fund account. If you were to convert the mutual fund account (so all accounts are brokerage accounts), then you could do an "exchange" between funds - even in different accounts - so the assets do not need the extra step of going through...

criticalmass

I lived in an HOA where the board was proposing new restrictions on rental units. Here are my observations: 1) MOST people in an HOA community dont want to get involved. They will sign any petition to get a neighbor off their doorstep but few really want to do anything 2) Most HOA boards wanting th...

criticalmass

My parents’ condo association wanted to limit rentals but couldn’t come up with an equitable way to implement a % cap - i.e., which owners would be allowed to rent to stay under the cap. Instead a restriction was put in place that a unit could only be rented to one tenant for up to 3 consecutive mo...

criticalmass

Working/activated Win 7 is not needed for a Win 10 upgrade; you just need to have a Win 7 key and Win10 upgrade on a USB stick/CD. I agree that a new fresh install including deleting existing hard drive partitions and creating new would be best. I Google'd the seller. He works in IT at a community ...

criticalmass

Very basic question about moving assets withing Vanguard: I have both a Vanguard mutual fund account and brokerage accounts, for taxable and retirement. When making IRA contributions from personal (taxable) mutual fund cash, I decided I would use the IRA brokerage account. I can transfer into the IR...

criticalmass

I recently received an Acer laptops that I bought on eBay. The seller had Windows 7 Pro installed. I promptly upgraded to Windows 10 Pro which Microsoft still allows and is legal. Then I noticed something odd. Under Activation, it said, Windows is activated using your organization's activation serv...

criticalmass

When you rotate (or someone rotates) your tires in a standard cross pattern, you will have new and old tires on different axles. Why not have all four tires match?

criticalmass

If you are into limited hoops (not too bad), see HM Bradley for 3% up to $100k. No time required each month, once setup. Per the HM Bradley website: "HMBradley rewards you for how you spend and save – not by how many zeros are in your account" OK, that may work well for some. But I wish t...

criticalmass

I bought a brand new townhouse about 14 years ago and when most of the units were owned by the homeowners that actually lived here. Fast forward 14 years and now it seems like most of the units are being rented out by the owners. Our HOA has rules where we can't rent out our units for short term re...

criticalmass

Try using a credit union to find a "high"-yield savings account. Banks have to pay outside shareholders and corporate income taxes. Credit unions pay no corporate income tax and have no outside shareholders. If they are doing well, the money gets distributed back to members in the form of...

criticalmass

If the Fed uses "Open Market Operations", buying bonds to get the market to the rates they're targeting... is there a difference? Yes, there is a significant difference. The most common fed tool in "open market operations" is simply targeting the short term federal funds rate , ...

criticalmass

Is there is specific science behind the 1 year interval? I understand the thought of condensation, but isn't the oil in an essentially closed system? What's somewhat odd is that for a typical wakeboard boat, the manual says to change the oil BEFORE winter storage. Shouldn't that instead be done 1st...

criticalmass

Do you invest in the Fed or in bonds? The bond market sets bond yields, not the Fed. If the Fed uses "Open Market Operations", buying bonds to get the market to the rates they're targeting... is there a difference? Yes, there is a significant difference. The most common fed tool in "...

criticalmass

Try using a credit union to find a "high"-yield savings account. Banks have to pay outside shareholders and corporate income taxes. Credit unions pay no corporate income tax and have no outside shareholders. If they are doing well, the money gets distributed back to members in the form of...

criticalmass

T-mobile bank. Limited bank functionality in some regards but they pay 1%. Additional bonus rates for t-mobile customers. What's your experience been like and how long have you banked with them? I've been thinking about opening an account there but honestly cannot see how they will be able to conti...

criticalmass

Do you invest in the Fed or in bonds? The bond market sets bond yields, not the Fed. If the Fed uses "Open Market Operations", buying bonds to get the market to the rates they're targeting... is there a difference? Yes, there is a significant difference. The most common fed tool in "...

criticalmass

Also, try doing a load of wash with no detergent at all. You may be surprised by how clean clothes will get as there is likely much detergent in the clothes already. Over sudsing can get worse over time and can change how water drains, etc.

criticalmass

To recap, Fidelity does NOT charge a 1% FTF for ATM withdrawals. This is great information sir, I guess I'll just carry 1 Schwab DC and Fidelity DC should I go travelling. Good idea, that's exactly what I do, and keep them in separate locations, one in the house and one in my pocket. It is always a...

criticalmass

Wondering whether the BH community might have problem-solving abilities that I lack with respect to our several years-old LG front-loading washing machine. Two issues that have recently developed: 1. After the spin cycle is complete, the clothes are all in the far end of the drum. 2. After the spin...

criticalmass

Hi there, After searching around for a bit I have found that Schwab is basically the only provider that offers a no foreign transaction fee, reimburse all ATM fee debit card. ... I know fidelity has cash management, and it does reimburses atm fees, but Fidelity charges a 1% foreign transaction fee....

criticalmass

I tend to buy new cars that include “free” maintenance for 4 years. Oil changes are covered as required by the service indicated in the on-board computer. This is mileage/usage determined or every 12 months if mileage is low. Good enough for me. What brands include free maintenance for 4 years? A n...

criticalmass

It says to change the oil every 5000 files or six months. If the manual says to change the oil every six months, then you should change the oil every six months. The Ford Escape manual says to change oil when the oil life monitor says to change, which can be up to 12 months or 10,000 miles, dependi...

criticalmass

For a few years now, my car has had the type of battery that you have to add water to. Before this one, the last several batteries I've had (for the same car) have been "maintenance free" (i.e. you don't have to add water). However, those didn't last as long as my current one has lasted. ...

criticalmass

Stay invested....until when? At some point you may need your money to buy a house, for tuition, to buy your SS Boglehead yacht, to satisfy the RMD rules, pay your long term care bill, to pay a healthcare provider, to build a business. The long term is a nice and ideal goal, but in the long term, yo...

criticalmass

... The first incident was wife's car which had dead battery. It would not start and I was unable to jump start it. I called AAA and they dispatched someone to my house in about 30 minutes. He determined the battery was weak and he replaced it on the spot with a quality battery at a competitive pri...

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