Search found 150 matches

by music_man
Sat Mar 16, 2024 4:09 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: funeral preparations
Replies: 16
Views: 1573

Re: funeral preparations

My parents prepaid their funerals 25 years ago, specifying all the details of the funeral from Burial plot, flowers, welcome cards, guest book, and coffin. My dad passed away just 3 weeks ago and I can't tell you how thankful I am they did this. It's a lot of decisions that would have had to be made in the midst of a whirlwind of emotions. Because of the pre planning, there was very little we had to stress about from a planning standpoint. We met with the funeral home and they reviewed it all with my brothers and mom and me. Aside from a few minor logistical decisions, it was a relief to not have to worry about planning the funeral.
by music_man
Wed Mar 06, 2024 7:20 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47
Replies: 90
Views: 7573

Re: Plateaued with my 45 minute workout - Age 47

You definitely need to back off on the speed a bit if you are sore after every workout. While not intuitive, getting faster doesn't mean running all out on every workout. Distance runners typically run most of their mileage at a slower relaxed pace and have targeted workouts for developing speed. If every workout of yours is a speed workout that's a recipe for burnout and injury. It doesn't sound like you are necessarily focused on distance running, but the principles are still the same. You build up the endurance slowly with a strong base of easy running, and then add in targeted speed workouts where you might run a shorter distance at a heightened speed.
by music_man
Sun Jul 30, 2023 6:16 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Site to track your investments
Replies: 35
Views: 3780

Re: Site to track your investments

samz10461 wrote: Sat Jul 29, 2023 9:17 pm I have tried using rocket money and betterment/ Personal capital but they are good to track overall finance not investments...
What's wrong with Personal Capital (now Empower)? I've been using it for years for tracking investments and find it works quite nicely. It aggregates across multiple accounts, automatically shows asset allocations, has good visuals, tracks history. What else are you looking for to track your investments ?
by music_man
Sun Jul 30, 2023 6:16 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Site to track your investments
Replies: 35
Views: 3780

Re: Site to track your investments

samz10461 wrote: Sat Jul 29, 2023 9:17 pm I have tried using rocket money and betterment/ Personal capital but they are good to track overall finance not investments...
What's wrong with Personal Capital (now Empower)? I've been using it for years for tracking investments and find it works quite nicely. It aggregates across multiple accounts, automatically shows asset allocations, has good visuals, tracks history. What else are you looking for to track your investments ?
by music_man
Wed Aug 18, 2021 10:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: paying $7k to donate whole house?
Replies: 42
Views: 3718

Re: paying $7k to donate whole house?

gips wrote: Tue Aug 17, 2021 2:07 pm Hi,

we are in a 3,200 sq foot house, 4 br house with large cellar, 20 years of furniture/belongings and getting ready to downsize. Received a quote of $7k to take all our stuff and leave the place broom clean. All the goods go to their donation center which is used for families in need.

thoughts?
I would check out Everything But the House. They can do full inventory and price every item out and try to sell for you.
by music_man
Mon Feb 15, 2021 12:28 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: The premise of the "emergency fund" is flawed
Replies: 559
Views: 46328

Re: The premise of the "emergency fund" is flawed

I think you have a good way of thinking about it that better eliminates are tendency to do "mental accounting" of our accounts where we look at our different accounts as separate buckets. I have recently re-evaluated my approach as well similar to your thinking. I've historically just kept 6 months emergency in a savings account, but have since decided to just include it as part of my fixed income allocation amongst my overall 80/20 asset allocation. The only caveat I would have is that if the bulk of your investments are in 401k and you don't have much in investments outside of there, then it would make sense to have cash as a separate account for emergencies since you can't easily access 401k funds free of penalty. However, once...
by music_man
Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:46 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 396687

Re: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]

Since GME is so highly volatile, DTCC decided to increase the collateral amount to reduce their risk of getting stuck holding the bag at settlement. Well, that is exactly what I am asking! From what I have read, the usual 1-3% collateral amount was increased to 100%. What kind of lawyers allow that to be written in contract? I mean wouldn't it be nice if my mortgage contract says in '"difficult economic times" I can unilaterally change the interest rate to zero percent ? [/i] Don't you see my point how one sided the contract is if 1% can be changed to 100% at one party's sole discretion? I don't think collateral requirements were increased to 100%? (Or, were they? I'm not entirely sure myself). My point though is, it's just colla...
by music_man
Mon Feb 01, 2021 10:00 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 396687

Re: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]

Since GME is so highly volatile, DTCC decided to increase the collateral amount to reduce their risk of getting stuck holding the bag at settlement. Well, that is exactly what I am asking! From what I have read, the usual 1-3% collateral amount was increased to 100%. What kind of lawyers allow that to be written in contract? I mean wouldn't it be nice if my mortgage contract says in '"difficult economic times" I can unilaterally change the interest rate to zero percent ? [/i] Don't you see my point how one sided the contract is if 1% can be changed to 100% at one party's sole discretion? I don't think collateral requirements were increased to 100%? (Or, were they? I'm not entirely sure myself). My point though is, it's just colla...
by music_man
Mon Feb 01, 2021 9:45 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]
Replies: 5086
Views: 396687

Re: [GameStop GME trading mega-thread]

Very simple question:- How in the world a trading platform signs a contract with their clearing house which states "DTCC (aka clearing house) can increase the margin from 1% to 100% at our discretion". Because this is precisely what happened which caused some of the trading platform to put buying halt on meme stocks. I hope when I sign a fixed 30 year mortgage contract, there is no clause there which says we can increase your interest rate at our discretion from agreed upon 3% to 300% because of the "market volatility". I also found out that DTCC controls 95% of the trade settlement in US. Is that the monopoly power which allows them to get away this? DTCC isn't charging the platform more. DTCC as the clearing house gua...
by music_man
Fri Oct 23, 2020 8:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Progessive Insurance
Replies: 10
Views: 1181

Re: Progessive Insurance

I have Progressive, and I think they do usually send out renewal notices early, but you should be able to login to your online account and check there.
by music_man
Fri Aug 14, 2020 3:49 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Index annuity
Replies: 60
Views: 3985

Re: Index annuity

It is BS. Indexed annuity products are horrible investments. As others have pointed out, they are typically very costly, 3-7% commission up front, excessive fees during the life of the contract. In addition, you don't truly get market returns with these types of products. Typically, the insurance company doesn't count dividends when determining the return of the index. In addition, they'll typically cap the total credited return you would get. As an example, they might cap at 10%, so if the index goes up 15% in a given year, the return is capped at 10%. To add insult to injury, the actual credited amount one would get is based on a participation rate. If that rate were 100%, then your dad would get the full % return (again, excluding the di...
by music_man
Mon May 11, 2020 11:43 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: post covid 19 office work - was coronavirus a game changer for telecommunting?
Replies: 48
Views: 4564

Re: post covid 19 office work - was coronavirus a game changer for telecommunting?

I think it will definitely cause a shift in the mindset of telecommuting for many companies. Already, as others have pointed out, companies are getting on board with the idea of making telecommuting more permanent even if at least a couple of days a week. I work in financial services, for a big bank, and my direct line manager has already told the group that we can have discussions if people are interested in working from home on a more permanent basis going forward. Bear in mind, this is a bank, which tend to be hyper conservative already when it comes to work place culture.
by music_man
Sat Nov 23, 2019 3:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: LTC Insurance Overpayment
Replies: 4
Views: 478

LTC Insurance Overpayment

My father has been in memory care for the last few years and up until a few months ago his care was being paid for via his Long Term Care insurance policy. The maximum benefit amount was paid out a few months ago and so now his care is being paid for out of pocket. This last week, I received a letter from a company, Asset Protection Unit, Inc that is partnering with the insurance company to "recover overpayments on its behalf". They are claiming that the insurance company overpaid benefits in the amount of $33,000!? The end of the letter says "If you agree that Insurance Company made an overpayment to you please refund $33,000 to us within 30 days of the date of this letter." The company itself seems legit after a brief ...
by music_man
Fri Nov 08, 2019 11:21 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: How much is too much in an HSA?
Replies: 58
Views: 7448

Re: How much is too much in an HSA?

I would argue there is virtually no amount that's too much to have in an HSA. You'll likely have health expenses to be able to use it when you get older. If not, it is almost functionally equivalent to an IRA when you turn 65, except better:
  • You can still withdraw tax free for qualified health care expenses
  • You can withdraw for non health care expenses and tax is just ordinary income (identical to an IRA)
  • No RMD
by music_man
Sun Mar 31, 2019 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Video Camera to check in on Elderly Parent
Replies: 76
Views: 7567

Re: Video Camera to check in on Elderly Parent

+1 on the Amazon Cloudcam. I bought 3 of these on Amazon Prime day for discount and they work great for keeping an eye on my elderly mother. It's all wifi enabled, so all you need to do is plug it into the wall.
by music_man
Mon Jul 16, 2018 3:49 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you ever purchased a pricy musical instrument?
Replies: 106
Views: 10302

Re: Have you ever purchased a pricy musical instrument?

I bought a 12-string guitar back in high school (20+ years ago) for $300 and an Ovation Acoustic /Electric guitar for $600. Within the last 8 years I've bought a Taylor Acoustic / Electric and a Fender Strat electric guitar for $1,000 each. I really love the sound of my latter 2 purchases.
by music_man
Mon Apr 09, 2018 4:06 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Am I Crazy??? [Excess W-4 withholding, got large tax refund]
Replies: 31
Views: 4978

Re: Am I Crazy??? [Excess W-4 withholding, got large tax refund]

I wouldn't call it crazy, but definitely sub-optimal. $20k a year means $1666, monthly cash flow you aren't seeing until the end of the year. To me that would be pretty significant amount to be used for either other necessary expenses or savings. The only way I would justify that for myself is if I felt I was so undisciplined (I'm not) about spending it throughout the year that it made more sense to to let the government hold onto that money for me.
by music_man
Wed Mar 28, 2018 6:19 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Need wireless earbuds recommendations
Replies: 19
Views: 2570

Re: Need wireless earbuds recommendations

I've had the Jaybird Bluebuds for about 2 years. I love them, use them regularly while on the treadmill and haven't had any issues. Audio quality is great, battery life isn't too bad - about 5-6 hours, which works for me since I only use it on the treadmill.
by music_man
Tue Mar 27, 2018 3:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Purchasing an instrument
Replies: 25
Views: 1880

Re: Purchasing an instrument

Definitely check out Craigslist if you haven't already. There are used instruments sold there all the time, though not sure if a harp will be that common, but worth a try. I have several friends that have sold and bought guitars on there at reasonable used prices.
by music_man
Sun Mar 18, 2018 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Keep Dad's Annuity or Transfer
Replies: 4
Views: 723

Keep Dad's Annuity or Transfer

Thought I'd seek some collective wisdom here. My father currently has about $160k in a fixed deferred annuity he purchased many years ago. He is 81 years old and pretty healthy physically, but not mentally and is now in Assisted Living Memory Care. He does not manage any of his affairs any longer (I do that). I'm considering transferring these funds into his Fidelity IRA, but am a bit torn. I expect to use these funds within the next 5 years or so for his care there, where he is currently getting it mostly paid for through a LTC policy he purchased many years ago. The annuity is already past the penalty period for early surrender, so there is no issue there and it is qualified as an IRA. It is not paying out as income, but accumulating at 3...
by music_man
Fri Mar 16, 2018 1:45 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Gordon Equation Update???
Replies: 13
Views: 2111

Re: Gordon Equation Update???

There's a model called the Grinold Kroner model you can have a look at if you are interested in using models to forecast (although your guess on the accuracy of these is just as good as anyone else's based on your own assumptions). It's been a while since I've studied it but you can read it here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grinold_and_Kroner_Model

Essentially, it expresses the expected return on an stock as the dividend rate + nominal growth in earnings - the change in share repurchases + the change in P/E over the time period you are looking at.

The "minus" sign on the change in share repurchases would essentially increase expected returns when a company buys back shares (reduces the number outstanding).
by music_man
Thu Mar 15, 2018 7:09 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: How banks create money, not from deposits
Replies: 135
Views: 17132

Re: How banks create money, not from deposits

Career banker here. It's important to note, that while the banks can "create" money by taking in deposits and loaning that money out, ultimately, the Central Bank, in most all countries is the one responsible for controlling the money supply. They simply use banks as their tools to achieve that goal. In the US, at least, this is typically done in 3 ways: 1. Reserve requirements - Previous posters have already discussed this, where the Fed sets a required reserve ratio of funds the bank must set aside for each dollar of deposits they hold. If the Fed sets a lower reserve requirement, then more money can be lent out, effectively increasing the money supply. This is typically not manipulated as much, because the reserve requirement i...
by music_man
Tue Mar 06, 2018 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should people with HSA pay all medical expenses without it?
Replies: 23
Views: 4210

Re: Should people with HSA pay all medical expenses without it?

I use my HSA in this fashion. I look at it strictly as an additional retirement account and currently pay all medical expenses out of pocket. I scan all receipts and keep the credit card statement stored electronically as well as have a consolidated Excel ledger showing all expenses. When I turn 65, I'll be able to withdraw as much as I spent free of tax!

Also good to note, the HSA has the added benefit of contributions being pre-FICA tax as well (something your 401k and IRA is not), so you save the extra 6.12% (or whatever that % is ) as well.
by music_man
Mon Mar 05, 2018 9:27 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Best way to short the equity market
Replies: 135
Views: 12897

Re: Best way to short the equity market

As others have mentioned, I think the simplest way to do it would be to buy put options on the market whether it be the S&P or a broader market index. The only downside is the cost of the put option itself. There are also a multitude of combination option strategies you could employ. One common one is a bear spread, where you buy put options at a strike price of say, $100 on the market index. Then, you sell put options at a lower strike price say $90. The nice thing is the cost of the $100 option is partially offset by the sale of the $90 strike price option. The trade off, is you limit your profits to $10 (the difference between the $100 and $90). Many other strategies similar to this exist where you can use combinations of options to ...
by music_man
Thu Feb 22, 2018 8:44 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Employee Stock Purchase Plan - is this even valuable/worth it?
Replies: 34
Views: 4520

Re: Employee Stock Purchase Plan - is this even valuable/worth it?

I think it's worth it. If you can sell it the next day, assuming the stock doesn't happen to crash that day, you can get an immediate 5% one day return (or 3.5-4.0% after taxes depending on your marginal tax bracket). With such a small window of exposure, I think your risk is relatively low. Just be sure you are disciplined about selling immediately.
by music_man
Wed Feb 21, 2018 7:56 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Sams' Mastercard Cashback Check Arrive
Replies: 4
Views: 786

Re: Sams' Mastercard Cashback Check Arrive

Just got mine last week. I went to cash at Sam's as well as cancelled my account (since one closest to me closed) and got pleasant surprise of refund on my annual membership as well.
by music_man
Fri Feb 02, 2018 6:18 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Does anyone use Personal Capital, Mint, Tiller, or You Need a Budget?
Replies: 57
Views: 19356

Re: Does anyone use Personal Capital, Mint, Tiller, or You Need a Budget?

I use Personal Capital for managing my portfolio. I think the tool to view your Asset Allocation and holdings is pretty slick.
by music_man
Thu Feb 01, 2018 3:59 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Is changing AA considered market timing?
Replies: 37
Views: 2631

Re: Is changing AA considered market timing?

What you are describing is Tactical Asset Allocation, and is not all that uncommon a strategy portfolio managers use. It's not market timing in the strictest sense where you are always moving in and out of individual positions over a shorter time period, but you are looking at more macro, market or sector conditions and adjusting your allocation accordingly (e.g. lowering your overall bond allocation if you think interest rates are rising).
by music_man
Tue Jan 30, 2018 12:53 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: If you're really rich you're probably not an index-fundi Boglehead
Replies: 61
Views: 14370

Re: If you're really rich you're probably not an index-fundi Boglehead

Intuitively, I would probably guess this is accurate. I think most of the super wealthy are either super talented in a particular area (e.g. famous musicians, actors, athletes), or are extremely smart and willing to take risk - - i.e. start their own business, and have the smarts to grow it. I would guess most (not all) Bogleheads are 9-5'ers who are happy to work and receive a steady paycheck from a job and save diligently and invest over many years. Although, you can get rich this way as many on this forum are, you likely won't become uber rich in the way someone who takes the risk to start their own business (and succeeds) would.
by music_man
Fri Jan 26, 2018 1:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are 100-year old homes junk?
Replies: 62
Views: 3962

Re: Are 100-year old homes junk?

I wouldn't necessarily say it's junk just because it's a 100 years old. Sure, it could have some issues with it, and many of the electrical / plumbing / other standards have changed since then, but at the same time, I think home builders back then probably didn't know how to cut corners the way they know how to today. Hence, I think some of the structure and the build quality is probably better than many newer homes built today.
by music_man
Wed Jan 10, 2018 1:26 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: If I have a million with Edward Jones, in 10 years, how much money has my FA made off me?
Replies: 48
Views: 10496

Re: If I have a million with Edward Jones, in 10 years, how much money has my FA made off me?

Assuming 1% AUM, Edwards Jones will bring in $10,000 revenue from your one account. Many firms pay their advisors based on a grid of how much revenue they bring into the firm. For example if an advisor brings in $0 - $200,000 of revenue, they might get 25% of that, for $201,000 - $500,000, 30% and so on. This might go up to 45% for top producers. So, assuming a top producer, your FA might make $10,000 x .45 = $4,500 for the entire year off your account alone or possibly as low as $2,500.
by music_man
Mon Jan 08, 2018 9:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: any success buying a car at lease end?
Replies: 25
Views: 3719

Re: any success buying a car at lease end?

I work at a large bank that does auto lending and leasing, and I can tell you that for accuracy of the residual value, it's extremely difficult to pinpoint right and most of the time it was a crapshoot as to how close the residual was to market value by lease end. We used 3rd parties that would provide residual value on all makes and models by doing market analysis on every detail you can imagine from lease term, to make, model, options, sales, etc. In good years, we were making a killing when residual values ended up being lower than market values, as we would get back vehicles then turn around and sell them for greater than the residual, but in other years, we would end up having to take a loss. The residual should be spelled out in the c...
by music_man
Wed Dec 27, 2017 6:39 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Checkout 51 and Ibotta?
Replies: 2
Views: 843

Re: Checkout 51 and Ibotta?

I use both of these apps, to get cash back. It does take some work to track some of the deals, but I always look at some third party sites that identify some of the good deals. Many times you can combine cash back rebates in the app along with coupons either printable or from your Sunday paper and the product price is greatly reduced, sometimes even free. It's worth looking into if you don't mind the time spent.
by music_man
Wed Dec 13, 2017 6:02 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Who is Right Me or Spouse
Replies: 51
Views: 4506

Re: WHO IS RIGHT ME or SPOUSE

We haven't done gifts to adults in my family for several years now, as we all agreed to just do white elephant for adults, then use the money for little kids in the family. When we did exchange gifts among the adults, I've always given a single gift to couples whether it was my brother and his wife, or my aunt and uncle. So, if I were in your shoes, I would give $100 and address it to both the grandson and wife.
by music_man
Tue Dec 05, 2017 12:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dollar Store Hacks
Replies: 27
Views: 5731

Re: Dollar Store Hacks

I bought a toilet scrubber from there, cut it down so there was about 2 inches of the wand. The wand then fits perfectly into my cordless drill chuck, and I use it as a power scrubber when cleaning.
by music_man
Thu Nov 30, 2017 1:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Older Software Engineer Advice ~ Languages?
Replies: 41
Views: 7030

Re: Older Software Engineer Advice ~ Languages?

C# is still pretty popular. Hot tech these days seems to be JavaScript based frameworks - - NodeJS, Angular and all those variants. Having a good understanding of databases (SQL Server, Oracle, etc) is also really good knowledge to have.
by music_man
Sat Nov 04, 2017 12:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dispute an auto mechanic charge?
Replies: 3
Views: 644

Re: Dispute an auto mechanic charge?

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:46 am How old is the car? This kind of thing is typically a no cost repair at the dealer. I've had friends have belts replaced in ancient cars at the dealer for nothing.
It is a 2004 model. I took the car to the dealer a 2-3 years ago for different work, and inquired about replacing the seat belt as well since I was there, and I recall being quoted somewhere around $400+.
by music_man
Sat Nov 04, 2017 11:39 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Dispute an auto mechanic charge?
Replies: 3
Views: 644

Dispute an auto mechanic charge?

Hello everyone, wanted to get the community's opinion here if I might have grounds to dispute a charge. I have a Toyota Corolla that I brought into one of the big name auto garages (they're known for selling tires if that gives you a hint at what company it is). Any way, I have a frayed seat belt that I inquired to see if they'd be able to replace. They said they had a mechanic that could handle that sort of work, so I agreed. They ordered the part and replaced the seat belt. I pick up the car and pay with my credit card - $456, which seemed a bit steep, but whatever. However, I notice while I"m driving that the air bag light is lit up. I call them back and inform them when I get home. At first they say their work on the seat belt woul...
by music_man
Mon Oct 30, 2017 6:41 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: An individual who owes me money wants my routing and account numbers for ACH transfer. Safe?
Replies: 76
Views: 10059

Re: An individual who owes me money wants my routing and account numbers for ACH transfer. Safe?

Most of the big banks now allow you to do electronic payments to other members from other banks with just an e-mail address or cell phone that allows text message. I would push for him to do it this way. It's more common and standardized now a days. Most of these banks use a common platform like PopMOney or Zelle and the method is backed by your bank.
by music_man
Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Request for Promotion letter to Senior Management
Replies: 155
Views: 20647

Re: Request for Promotion letter to Senior Management

In my career at Megacorp I leaned many things: 1. If management wants to give you a raise, but raises are "frozen", management will give you a raise. I bumped up against the top pay for my level once. So, I was promoted to a higher level doing the exact same job. Opened up the salary band again for me. 2. If management wants to give you a promotion, but promotions are "frozen", management will give you a promotion. But staffing a newly created position at a higher level works as well. 3. If rules state you must be gone from the company for a year until you can become a contractor, but management wants you, you will be rehired, sometimes the next day after you leave. It totally depends on your value in the eyes of manage...
by music_man
Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Ready to make a change at work in salary but not sure about the order strategically
Replies: 9
Views: 1689

Re: Ready to make a change at work in salary but not sure about the order strategically

In my mind I have 3 options but im not positive on what the best order to do them in would be. • Ask for a raise and provide my case (underpaid, good work, not asking for much, etc) • DON’T ask for a raise and just be patient until I can transfer internally • If neither of those two work, look elsewhere outside of the company I figure it would be best to wait and see what happens with my internal transferring options before asking for a raise because if I were to ask for a raise then continue with my plan of transferring shortly after getting the raise it may look negative on my character. Any guidance would be appreciated, thank you. If you like your current role and your only dissatisfaction is the money, I'd say ask for the raise. If yo...
by music_man
Thu Oct 19, 2017 6:07 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Investing in private companies
Replies: 31
Views: 3238

Re: Investing in private companies

Historically, one had to be an accredited investor to invest in more "exotic" investments like hedge funds and other so called alternative investments like private equity. However, there are now a few crowdfunding investment portals that exist allowing non-accredited investors to make small investments in private companies. There are still some restrictions to the amount allowed to invest and what % of your income you are allowed, but you don't have to be an "accredited" investor. My brother actually launched one, the first in our region of the country, he is registered with the SEC and regulated by Finra. He works with start up companies and vets them, ensuring they at least have some sales and revenue and a viable busi...
by music_man
Tue Oct 17, 2017 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Should I contribute 100% of paycheck to 401k?
Replies: 13
Views: 4205

Re: Should I contribute 100% of paycheck to 401k?

If you can do it and it doesn't impact your match (depending on your employer's match policy), it's better to get it in there earlier. Personally, I normally get pretty sizable bonuses in the 1st quarter of the year, so I always max mine out in the first quarter of the year. My employer does up to 4% match every January for the prior year's contributions, so it doesn't matter if I contributed my 4% throughout the year or all at one time. Check your employer policy on the match though to see how they handle it.
by music_man
Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:55 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Basic portfolio math question
Replies: 6
Views: 951

Re: Basic portfolio math question

Hard to tell with the hypothetical 2 scenarios, but I would approach it differently, and calculate based on expected expenses over the next 10 years, what rate of return you need to not deplete your assets over the next 10 years. Then, at the 10 year mark, do the same but factor in your tax-free lifetime income stream.
by music_man
Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:39 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA’s: What level of risk do you prefer?
Replies: 58
Views: 6867

Re: HSA’s: What level of risk do you prefer?

gunn_show wrote: Sun Oct 15, 2017 1:35 am
alfaspider wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 8:37 am But for me, the record keeping burden of waiting to withdraw is just too onerous compared to the benefit.
snap a photo... upload to dropbox or google drive etc... store in cloud forever till needed...
I think now a days with cloud storage, the record keeping is pretty simple. I scan any receipt and other relevant documentation, and have it uploaded to a single folder with the date in my cloud storage.
by music_man
Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: HSA’s: What level of risk do you prefer?
Replies: 58
Views: 6867

Re: HSA’s: What level of risk do you prefer?

I have it 100% invested in VTI - Vanguard Total STock Market ETF and look at it in the context of my entire asset allocation of all my other accounts combined. I am not currently using it for medical expenses but for long term tax advantaged retirement savings while paying any current medical expenses out of pocket. I do save the receipts electronically, so that I can use them to withdraw from the HSA in the distant future.
by music_man
Sat Oct 07, 2017 8:32 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 3x gross income = house purchase price, should interest rate be taken into account?
Replies: 26
Views: 4183

Re: 3x gross income = house purchase price, should interest rate be taken into account?

It's a good general rule of thumb to start with, but as others have pointed out, you should look into the other variables that can dramatically change whether it's affordable for you - - interest rates, property taxes, age of house (which may affect expected maintenance costs at least in the beginning), size of down payment, your current debt load, other financial goals you might have.

Personally, when I bought my house, I didn't use that rule of thumb at all as a starting point, but just played around with what monthly payment sizes I thought I could afford including taxes, interest rates at that time, expected maintenance, and other variables mentioned above, then backed into an approximate home value based on those variables.
by music_man
Mon Oct 02, 2017 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What's the purpose of having a child's name on a deed?
Replies: 43
Views: 5323

Re: What's the purpose of having a child's name on a deed?

If the goal is to bypass probate, I know in the state of Ohio, a homeowner can have a Transfer on Death form, where they can easily pass the property on to the child upon death, and bypass the probate process. I know state laws vary, so that may not be applicable where OP is at.
by music_man
Wed Sep 27, 2017 7:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I keep a term life policy I don't need if it has a positive expected value?
Replies: 34
Views: 4244

Re: Should I keep a term life policy I don't need if it has a positive expected value?

The $85.32 only represents the expected value for the 1st year though. So, if you are talking about year 1 in isolation $85.32 vs the $25 premium, then you are correct that it has higher expected value. However, if you are talking about say the expected value over 15 years (i.e. assuming you die 15 years from now), then you need to calculate the expected value over 15 years minus the present value of your $25 annual premium over 15 years. That number, for example, would give you a negative expected value.

All that said, I would probably just keep the insurance any way, because $25 a year is practically nothing, and as others pointed out, insurance isn't really an investment but is a hedge against risk.
by music_man
Tue Sep 12, 2017 8:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it really Worth it to brown bag your lunch at work?
Replies: 328
Views: 33261

Re: Is it really Worth it to brown bag your lunch at work?

I almost never brown bag it and eat out for lunch just about every day. This is one of those areas I like to just splurge on (by splurge, I don't mean I eat out at expensive restaurants every day, but I splurge as in eating out every day). I also like to get out and walk around. I've looked at the numbers and in the grand scheme it's really not that much - - $1,800 - $2,000 a year. I already max out all my retirement accounts as well as save a lot in a taxable account, so I look at eating out daily as "living a little".