Bogleheads.org

SmileyFace

If you aren't a boglehead why are you asking for boglehead approval?
You disagree with the fundamentals of bogleheads so why seek their approval?
"I don't agree with how you all invest your money, can you approve how I spend mine?" Just sounds like trolling to me.

SmileyFace

Welcome to the forum.
If you haven't spent time yet in the wiki there is a lot of great reading there.
Relevant to your question:
https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Safe_withdrawal_rates

SmileyFace

All worth it: - stay at home parent decision (biggest ticket item) - house - children's educations - new cars - some big memorable vacations - inground swimming pool and landscaping (my spouse and I argued on this one for a bit but in retrospect it was worth every penny - lots of memories and still ...

SmileyFace

Since your electric bill is only a bit over $100 a month I wouldn't bother with Solar - I would go with Roth.
Have you done the math on your ROI for solar? It's likely not worth it for you.

SmileyFace

I'm asking why, in your opinion, is this advice to pay down the mortgage so prevalent in the personal finance industry? I believe the advise from Ramsey and others is because if most folks don't use extra money to pay down their mortgage they will use the extra money to buy toys (cars, boat, etc) o...

SmileyFace

Congratutions to your daughter. At two of the top US Universities there is no merit aid and at your income there is no financial aid. Your other choice isn't simply to drop into a State U - if your daughter applied to other great private U's where her standing is above the average for those U's they...

SmileyFace

pahkcah wrote: ↑Tue Apr 13, 2021 4:32 pm Buying/leasing a vehicle. Always ask which credit bureau will be checked, and only unfreeze that one.

In my experience there is no credit check unless you are taking a loan (or lease which is a loan of sorts).

SmileyFace

It's a five minute process to temp unfreeze while it can take years to unravel identity theft.
I don't want someone pulling my credit without my knowledge in any case so like having the check in place. Credit cards, loans, some bank account types are the only times I ever need to temp unfreeze.

SmileyFace

The kids can flip off swings or top of slide or top of ladder just as easily as fall off the bridge so not sure what the concern is. I would get the bridge - you should have proper material under the entire play structure anyway to assure a fall won't result in major injury.

SmileyFace

The reason I mentioned it is that my wife is not investment savvy. So, the interest in PAS is mainly for the event where I am not around. Fidelity will give your wife free access to a CFP at this account level. I agree with others that have suggested Fidelity or Schwab rather than Vanguard for cons...

SmileyFace

1. Inherited money 2. You were given/gifted a significant sum of wealth such that you could not have possibly earned in in the traditional sense 3. You have the unconditional financial backing of family benefactor Good definition! If you started with a high negative networth like many of us (school...

SmileyFace

Update: Ordered a car! After riding out this crazy year, I finally decided to pull the trigger on a 2021 GTS 4.0. Almost the exact same engine/transmission/suspension/body as the Spyder but cheaper (and I like the wheels better :) ). Income and savings have actually increased exponentially this yea...

SmileyFace

Yes. It allows me to not have to cash out stocks at bottom of market (Most likely to lose job when market crashes) and also doubles as a large purchase fund (new car, etc). I had about 2 years expenses but I shrunk it down as I started buying iBonds as a second tier. This topic has been discussed pr...

SmileyFace

Metsfan91 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 12, 2021 12:45 am Salvation Army dropoff location... Dropoff boxes for other charities available as well.

These places typically don't want well worn clothing - only gently worn clothing. If it's worn through or ratty - trash is the place it goes.

SmileyFace

Cheez-It Guy wrote: ↑Sun Apr 11, 2021 2:14 am I don't like a thong between my toes, ...

I agree with this - "comfortable flip flops" is an oxymoron in my book. Slides or Sandals are they way to go - I have been wearing a very comfortable pair of Merrell sandals the last few years.

SmileyFace

I thought it was pretty well known for some time to NOT use the USPS for anything time sensitive. Use UPS Expess or FEDEX. But thanks for sharing another story letting us know this is still true.

SmileyFace

Buying a new car I have saved extra money by taking a loan instead of paying cash - that is the only reason left for me.
I am not sure if I would call this debt since I have the money sitting in the bank and typically pay it off in a month or two (unless the loan is 0%).

SmileyFace

ESPP charges are typically negotiated by company and broker - there is usually a trading fee regardless of which broker is administrating the ESPP. You can buy VTI or ITOT at Fidelity with no fees (and unlike Vanguard can also get fractional shares in these). There are many threads comparing Vanguar...

SmileyFace

This is starting to sound like a Fidelity Forum :happy . Remember folks, we are BOGLEHEADS. It's because Fidelity provides good things for bogleheads - low (or zero) cost index funds and ETFs and other good value financial products (such as the credit card being discussed). So why shouldn't it be a...

SmileyFace

I like it - no problems. Switched a few years ago after several problems with the Citi 2% card.

SmileyFace

The only decision I have made in many years is "stay the course" - feels good to know I am on track with my goals/retirement savings. Boglehead principles work well. It's been a long time since I've made the micro decisions some are talking about here - luckily it was small amounts of mone...

SmileyFace

I am a fan of ASICS as well. I use hiking shoes in the woods/trails but for daily walks ASICS running shoes are fine. Understand your foot pronation and make sure whatever sneakers/shoes you buy are desinged for it (under, neutral, over) - it makes a difference. Google foot pronation and match the w...

SmileyFace

A mirrorless with external flash is going to weigh less than a DSLR with built in flash. And if you go mirrorless (whether it be Nikon, Canon, or Sony) you are investing in the future rather than the past. I just leave the external flash connected (have a compact one for when I want to stay light) d...

SmileyFace

Appreciate all of the advice in here. Right now the highest assistance offer he has is 37k total and as he goes from a high school freshman to senior that offer will go up. Its from a school I have never heard of but if they are accredited, I'm sure its fine. Other name schools have lower offers bu...

SmileyFace

I went with FZROX. There can be a lot of speculation of which might perform better over time - the one thing you know for sure is which will have an advantage by having the lowest Expense Ratio. FZROX won the game for being the lowest. But see Financial Planning (8/14/2018) "Fidelity Zero vs V...

SmileyFace

If I was going to pay double in expenses for a fund, then somebody better do some justification of what makes the "special sauce". Actually, you aren't paying double, you are paying infinitely more expense with FSKAX. :wink: Of course with FSKAX at 0.02% that infinitely higher ER only amo...

SmileyFace

The answers lead me to believe that any retirement spending over what I spend is "high on the hog." Anything less than that isn't. Interesting. Similar to the fact that everyone going slower than me on the road driving is a slow-poke while everyone going faster is plain-old-crazy :) For m...

SmileyFace

If I was going to pay double in expenses for a fund, then somebody better do some justification of what makes the "special sauce". Actually, you aren't paying double, you are paying infinitely more expense with FSKAX. :wink: Of course with FSKAX at 0.02% that infinitely higher ER only amo...

SmileyFace

UPDATE FOR ANYONE IN THE FUTURE THAT TRIPS ON THIS AND MIGHT BE INTERESTED: I initiated the rollover from Schwab - received the check via next-day UPS express. I then used Fidelity Mobile Deposit taking a picture of front/back check to deposit it into my IRA. Easy-peasy. Next day I had the money rei...

SmileyFace

I went with FZROX. There can be a lot of speculation of which might perform better over time - the one thing you know for sure is which will have an advantage by having the lowest Expense Ratio. FZROX won the game for being the lowest. https://youtu.be/v_H-tM1RkXA This guy ran the numbers for the p...

SmileyFace

https://youtu.be/v_H-tM1RkXA This guy ran the numbers for the period starting when each Zero fund began, and the Zero funds very slightly outperformed their older Fidelity siblings (assuming reinvested dividends, of course). This was true for FZROX, FZILX, and FZNILX. But see Financial Planning (8/...

SmileyFace

I went with FZROX.
There can be a lot of speculation of which might perform better over time - the one thing you know for sure is which will have an advantage by having the lowest Expense Ratio. FZROX won the game for being the lowest.

SmileyFace

With a 4:1 ratio the easiest and perhaps most equitable way to do it would be for the high income earner to pay ALL the taxes. At least this is my opinion for a couple that doesn't fully combine assets/earnings and has such income unequity. We have always combined all money and for 20 years have had...

SmileyFace

I always file as soon as I have all my stuff. Why wait? The rate of ID-theft fraudulent returns are down but they still happen.

SmileyFace

Ratios are off - its 83/10/7 - described here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Approximating_total_stock_market Perfect!, thanks SmileyFace for your help.. This is exactly what I was looking for.. 83% Fidelity 500 Index Fund (FXAIX) 10% Fidelity Mid Cap Index Fund (FSMDX) 7% Fidelity Small Cap Inde...

SmileyFace

Ratios are off - its 83/10/7 - described here: https://www.bogleheads.org/wiki/Approxi ... ock_market

SmileyFace

Fidelity will allow a Mobile Deposit of the paper check which gives me some relief.
Instructions are here:
https://www.fidelity.com/retirement-ira ... -ira-steps

thanks all for the input.

SmileyFace

This is probably going to be in the live and learn column. Always understanding how matching is paid out and what parts of your pay include 401K contributions is key. This happened to me many years ago and I have since learned to plan and adjust accordingly to get full matching. I have had the same ...

SmileyFace

Ego is the way to go.
I started with the leaf blower back in the fall. Here is the thread:
viewtopic.php?t=329150

Here it is:https://egopowerplus.com/blower-650cfm/

SmileyFace

You don't have a red wine habbit

Sounds like you are doing things right, not wrong.

SmileyFace

Interesting investment for all those that ask "should I take the 0% (or 0.9%) loan from TMCC" across this forum. If you are about to pay cash for your car - take the TMCC loan then invest the money back into TMCC.

SmileyFace

Thanks for all the input!

SmileyFace

Subarus are overrated in my opinion. Their overall performance, reliability, safety features and aesthitics are not particulary noteworthy compared to other brands. That nifty all wheel drive thing they have going on is a dime a dozen now. Subaru owners remind me a lot of Volvo drivers from the 80'...

SmileyFace

Subarus are overrated in my opinion. Their overall performance, reliability, safety features and aesthitics are not particulary noteworthy compared to other brands. That nifty all wheel drive thing they have going on is a dime a dozen now. Subaru owners remind me a lot of Volvo drivers from the 80'...

SmileyFace

Are we thinking this peice of paper will mean something - no watermark, etc - really it's just an honor system if someone wants to see it as proof of vaccination (can download from internet and fill out yourself). I saw New York is the first that has announced plans for an electronic passport but I ...

SmileyFace

Subarus are overrated in my opinion. Their overall performance, reliability, safety features and aesthitics are not particulary noteworthy compared to other brands. That nifty all wheel drive thing they have going on is a dime a dozen now. Subaru owners remind me a lot of Volvo drivers from the 80'...

SmileyFace

Subaru sold about 600k cars in 2020 in the US. Toyota sold 2.2 million. Maybe recalibrate what you think is popular? That said, it’s the cheapest way into AWD and people want AWD. OP asked about Colorado where Outback is the best seller so the OP actually calibrated pretty well. Subarus get more po...

SmileyFace

Subarus are overrated in my opinion. Their overall performance, reliability, safety features and aesthitics are not particulary noteworthy compared to other brands. That nifty all wheel drive thing they have going on is a dime a dozen now. Subaru owners remind me a lot of Volvo drivers from the 80'...

SmileyFace

In the Northeast you see a fair number in Massachusetts - More in New Hampshire and Vermont - and even greater numbers in Maine where they seem to be a go-to vehicle. Others have nicely summarized the benefits. I like the Outback because it gives you some of the utility of an SUV and yet still drive...

SmileyFace

I've always had to use a paper check for rollovers, as that is what my 401k's required. There was no other option, even in 2020. My recommendation would be to use Fedex or USPS Express Mail to minimize time out of market. If the 401k is with a major brokerage, you can probably go directly from 401k...

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