Search found 1350 matches

by gwe67
Sat Jul 02, 2022 11:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: booked flights on American without assigned seats UPDATE
Replies: 36
Views: 5014

booked flights on American without assigned seats UPDATE

I booked a couple of flights on American. All of the "no extra charge" seats are taken. I did not select seats at this time. Will I later be assigned to one of the "extra charge" seats without paying extra? These are short flights so I don't care what seat I get, as long as I get a seat. Is it possible that all seats will be sold and I'll get bumped off the flight?

I wonder whether there are some "no extra charge" seats that are unassigned to passengers, but not visible to me.

This is the message:
"If you don’t want to pay, we’ll auto-assign seats at no charge after you check in. You have the option to change seats later, but a fee may apply."
by gwe67
Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:20 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund Dividend
Replies: 12
Views: 1650

Re: Vanguard Federal Money Market Fund Dividend

anon_investor wrote: Tue Jun 28, 2022 10:12 am I think you can guestimate the monthly yield by looking at the daily price, which would should you the annualized yield for each day. You can divide that yield by 365, and that would tell you the yield earned each day. Then you would have to add up the yield for every day for the month to figure out the monthly yield. Kind of crude math, but I think that would give you the number you want.
The daily price is always $1.00 per share. How do you compute monthly yield from daily price?
by gwe67
Sat Jun 25, 2022 10:13 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Trust for kids 100k each
Replies: 41
Views: 4809

Re: Trust for kids 100k each

Chadnudj wrote: Sat Jun 25, 2022 9:27 am The gift tax limit currently is $16k, which mean you/your spouse could give each child $32k per year.
That's not correct. Not even close.
by gwe67
Wed Jun 22, 2022 9:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital gain tax exemption from selling primary residence
Replies: 38
Views: 4426

Re: Capital gain tax exemption from selling primary residence

ryman554 wrote: Wed Jun 22, 2022 2:01 am
gwe67 wrote: Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:02 pm If your taxable income is low enough, you can be in the zero percent capital gains bracket.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2022-cap ... 41395.html
If the person is owing >$100k in taxes, even if it is all LTCG, it implies over $666k in actual gains. It's California. Having >$1M in profit is not unheard of these days. That's well beyond the 0% LTCG bracket, regardless of other income.
My point was: maybe take a year away from work and sell the house.
by gwe67
Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:30 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Questions for landlords
Replies: 7
Views: 958

Re: Questions for landlords

Based on those numbers, that's a poor investment. Are a significant number of the units in this development rented out? If not, that should tell you something.

Cost of maintenance and damages upon lease turnover can range from $0 to $450,000.

Side question: Who pays the HOA fee? If you require tenant to pay and tenant does not pay HOA fee, then what?
by gwe67
Mon Jun 20, 2022 5:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Capital gain tax exemption from selling primary residence
Replies: 38
Views: 4426

Re: Capital gain tax exemption from selling primary residence

If your taxable income is low enough, you can be in the zero percent capital gains bracket.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/2022-cap ... 41395.html
by gwe67
Mon Jun 20, 2022 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Liquidating Inherited Jewelry
Replies: 26
Views: 3026

Re: Liquidating Inherited Jewelry

DoubleComma wrote: Sun Jun 19, 2022 7:12 pm Be happy you aren’t trying to unload china, crystal or sterling out of the dining room…it’s basically worthless as resale unless you have something really special.
I'm trying to sell some sterling and am seeing quotes from 70 to 90 percent of silver spot value.
by gwe67
Fri Jun 17, 2022 4:59 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Need advise on how to buy Treasury Bills through Vanguard
Replies: 21
Views: 7122

Re: Need advise on how to buy Treasury Bills through Vanguard

Using a Mac: don't try using Safari to purchase bonds/CDs thru Vanguard, doesn't work. Chrome does work though. Haven't tried Firefox.
by gwe67
Thu Jun 16, 2022 11:35 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Thoughts on PFIX?
Replies: 6
Views: 1107

Re: Thoughts on PFIX?

by gwe67
Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:36 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Transferring Assets prior to Death/Inheritance
Replies: 70
Views: 6521

Re: Transferring Assets prior to Death/Inheritance

Not going to read all of the posts here, but I can tell you that a trust does not have an executor. And there is no executor of an estate until someone dies.

Better read up on what happens when money is gifted within the Medicare look-back period for your state.
by gwe67
Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:26 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: YouTube Ads
Replies: 13
Views: 1266

Re: YouTube Ads

cashmoney wrote: Fri Jun 10, 2022 10:06 pm I love me some YouTube and couldn't imagine watching those ads anymore.You can block them on Chrome and other browsers with Ublock origin.I pay 11.00 a month for Youtube Premium to block the ads when watching on TV
YouTube relies on advertisement revenue. Ad blockers are theft, plain and simple.

"Discussions of dishonest behavior or bypassing the law is totally unacceptable."
by gwe67
Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:06 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: 77 and a little worried
Replies: 38
Views: 7670

Re: 77 and a little worried

You have more wealth and income than almost everyone who is your age. Don't worry.
by gwe67
Mon Jun 06, 2022 7:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Men's Crew Neck T-Shirts
Replies: 19
Views: 3455

Re: Men's Crew Neck T-Shirts

Quality does seem to vary depending on country of origin (or even which side of the island the factory is on). I bought two packs of Hanes from Amazon at the same time, same order. One said made in Dominican Republic, the other said made in Haiti. The DR shirts were thicker, longer and wider.
by gwe67
Thu Jun 02, 2022 1:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Masters Augusta National ticket
Replies: 48
Views: 7330

Re: Masters Augusta National ticket

sc9182 wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 1:35 pm
gwe67 wrote: Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:45 am The online ticket lottery starts today. I'm not able to log in. :confused
able to now - seems good to go !
Yes, I am entered. Let's hope for the best. Apparently it's against their policies to sell tickets on the secondary market so maybe this is my only hope of attending?
by gwe67
Wed Jun 01, 2022 8:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Masters Augusta National ticket
Replies: 48
Views: 7330

Re: Masters Augusta National ticket

The online ticket lottery starts today. I'm not able to log in. :confused
by gwe67
Tue May 31, 2022 9:12 am
Forum: US Chapters
Topic: Searching for Lost Contributors
Replies: 544
Views: 140536

Re: Searching for Lost Contributors

I miss RickBoglehead. I wonder if he got banned.
by gwe67
Sun May 29, 2022 1:12 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are these Wells Fargo CD rates for real?
Replies: 11
Views: 2858

Re: Are these Wells Fargo CD rates for real?

Retiredby54 wrote: Sun May 29, 2022 12:39 pm WF is under an asset cap order so they have no interest in encouraging more deposits for their balance sheet.
It seems like this is the most likely reason, although the order may be lifted this year. Any chance WF would decline opening a new account at around $500k?
by gwe67
Sun May 29, 2022 12:17 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Are these Wells Fargo CD rates for real?
Replies: 11
Views: 2858

Are these Wells Fargo CD rates for real?

Screenshot from the Wells Fargo site:

Image

If correct, how do they even sell any CDs when their pathetic rates are no better than their savings account rates? And why are the CD rates the same (basically zero) regardless of term?

Actionable: I'm going to be trustee on an account that will be at Wells Fargo and would like there to be some return on investment.
by gwe67
Sat May 28, 2022 8:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you shipped car from NY to CA? - tell me how
Replies: 16
Views: 1774

Re: Have you shipped car from NY to CA? - tell me how

If you would allow someone to drive it, I'm sure you would get someone that would do it for free. Maybe even me. In the 70s, there were lots of people offering to drive cars coast to coast for free and agencies that arranged this. I forget how they were found but I had friends who did this (as an alternative to hitchhiking). You could also get free flights by acting as a courier....I flew somewhere that way in the 70s though I forget where (I think somewhere in Europe)...it was great. I got to bypass all the lines. A cursory google search turned this up as the first hit: https://www.moneytalksnews.com/how-to-drive-across-the-country-for-free/#:~:text=You%20can%20drive%20across%20the,to%2Dnothing%20alternative%20to%20renting. This makes me ...
by gwe67
Sat May 28, 2022 2:43 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Have you shipped car from NY to CA? - tell me how
Replies: 16
Views: 1774

Re: Have you shipped car from NY to CA? - tell me how

If you would allow someone to drive it, I'm sure you would get someone that would do it for free. Maybe even me.
by gwe67
Fri May 27, 2022 1:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: RMD age has no real impact?
Replies: 33
Views: 2034

Re: RMD age has no real impact?

RMD age has changed in the past and may change in the future.
by gwe67
Wed May 25, 2022 11:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Help us select a car to buy...
Replies: 35
Views: 4524

Re: Help us select a car to buy...

Just got a loaded, almost-new RAV4 from Carmax at your price point. The process is fast and painless. While it's not a hybrid, fuel efficiency is very good.

I believe if you want a hybrid, you'd need to buy new to get any "green" credits/rebates.
by gwe67
Mon May 23, 2022 5:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: What movie should I show for a movie in the park event?
Replies: 63
Views: 4924

Re: What movie should I show for a movie in the park event?

ResearchMed wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 10:49 am
bob60014 wrote: Mon May 23, 2022 10:05 am As it's the 40th anniversary, how about E.T. ? Many of the kids haven't seen it and most of the parents and grandparents loved it.
[emphasis added]


This is the one.
Many current youngsters may not have seen it, and adults will probably have fond memories.

RM
Make sure it's on a night with a full moon.
by gwe67
Sun May 22, 2022 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card [Update]
Replies: 442
Views: 94554

Re: USAA 2.5% Cash Back Credit Card [Update]

Got my mug too. By the time the deal ends at end of year, I will have made over $10k in cash back.
by gwe67
Wed May 18, 2022 9:50 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: People who backed up the truck on I bonds in 2001
Replies: 55
Views: 9237

Re: People who backed up the truck on I bonds in 2001

So glad I didn't buy I-bonds or have access to a stable value fund in the 401k. I would probably still be working.
by gwe67
Tue May 17, 2022 1:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Rent vs Buy in Bay Area: (my) number-driven approach
Replies: 71
Views: 7746

Re: Rent vs Buy in Bay Area: (my) number-driven approach

Congrats, you are renting for less than 0.4% of the home's value. That's a great market for renters and a horrible market for landlords.
by gwe67
Mon May 16, 2022 8:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: ITunes Won’t Close on IPhone
Replies: 27
Views: 2054

Re: ITunes Won’t Close on IPhone

Now, if someone can just tell me how to get rid of that U2 album that I didn't want.....
by gwe67
Wed May 11, 2022 5:58 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Trillions wiped out of retirement/personal investment accounts.
Replies: 17
Views: 2872

Re: Trillions wiped out of retirement/personal investment accounts.

Trillions wiped out, all in the name of "taming" inflation. Recession, maybe.

Me, I'd rather have high inflation.
by gwe67
Sat May 07, 2022 2:23 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Kids saving account
Replies: 11
Views: 1263

Re: Kids saving account

secondopinion wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 2:17 pm
gwe67 wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 1:14 pm
jtdavid wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 1:03 pmIbonds!
That would be teaching a child who has a long-term investing horizon that market timing is a good idea, since i-bonds are a terrible long-term investment.
What? I-bonds are just fine even for long-term investments; they are conservative in all honesty. Unless you think all bonds (TIPS or otherwise) are bad for long-term investing, that statement is not accurate. And think of the tax deferment they offer.

No, I use them even for long-term investing since they are very versatile in a portfolio.
What is the real rate of return for i-bonds, and is that an acceptable rate of return for someone with a 71 year remaining life?
https://www.lifeexpectancycalculators.c ... cy-tables/
by gwe67
Sat May 07, 2022 1:14 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Kids saving account
Replies: 11
Views: 1263

Re: Kids saving account

jtdavid wrote: Sat May 07, 2022 1:03 pmIbonds!
That would be teaching a child who has a long-term investing horizon that market timing is a good idea, since i-bonds are a terrible long-term investment.
by gwe67
Thu Apr 28, 2022 5:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Arkansas trip for Memorial day weekend, any suggestions?
Replies: 17
Views: 1331

Re: Arkasnsas trip for Memorial day weekend, any suggestions?

Please correct the spelling of Arkansas in the title so that future searches will bring up this post. Anyway, I think that's how it works.
by gwe67
Wed Apr 27, 2022 2:22 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Another I Bond Gifting Question
Replies: 9
Views: 1247

Re: Another I Bond Gifting Question

Congrats...there are now 10 i-bond posts on the main page.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 25, 2022 7:11 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fair inheritance
Replies: 25
Views: 3729

Re: Fair inheritance

iamblessed wrote: Mon Apr 25, 2022 6:53 pm I would sell the house write each one a check. I have seen to many wills go wrong.
Get "Beyond the Grave" if you want to read about wills going badly.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 25, 2022 3:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Fair inheritance
Replies: 25
Views: 3729

Re: Fair inheritance

Leave the house and contents to charity. Then, the kids can whine to each other about what a bad person you are. It could be a great bonding experience for them.

Otherwise, they will race each other to the house the moment you pass, and the first one there will clean the place out. The loser will forever hold a grudge.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 25, 2022 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Interviewing while pregnant
Replies: 99
Views: 8078

Re: Interviewing while pregnant

In my experience, a contingent offer of employment would be rescinded if a pre-employment physical revealed a physical limitation that would prevent the person from performing the essential functions of the job, even if it is a temporary condition. Pregnancy is not a disability that requires reasonable accommodation. https://www.eeoc.gov/fact-sheet/facts-about-pregnancy-discrimination "The Pregnancy Discrimination Act amended Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Discrimination on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions constitutes unlawful sex discrimination under Title VII ..." Not all jobs are sedentary office positions. Maybe an essential function of the job requires moving heavy items, stooping...
by gwe67
Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Interviewing while pregnant
Replies: 99
Views: 8078

Re: Interviewing while pregnant

In my experience, a contingent offer of employment would be rescinded if a pre-employment physical revealed a physical limitation that would prevent the person from performing the essential functions of the job, even if it is a temporary condition.

Pregnancy is not a disability that requires reasonable accommodation.
by gwe67
Sun Apr 24, 2022 5:05 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Forgot every security question for Treasury Direct
Replies: 45
Views: 11205

Re: Forgot every security question for Treasury Direct

Storing usernames/passwords/security question answers in a password manager is risky, because you could lose access to the password manager. Enter them into a password-protected spreadsheet as a backup.
by gwe67
Thu Apr 14, 2022 9:10 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Has anyone used eSignature Guarantee?
Replies: 5
Views: 2770

Re: Has anyone used eSignature Guarantee?

Yes, I used it successfully. My only complaint was that for a single transaction, two forms required medallion and they charged me for both signatures when really they are only guaranteeing the one transaction. They should only charge once per transaction.
by gwe67
Sun Apr 10, 2022 12:04 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: selling comic books
Replies: 22
Views: 2515

Re: selling comic books

Jack FFR1846 wrote: Sun Apr 10, 2022 11:41 am Is there any kind of shop near you that sells things like old games and comics? I'd tend to bring them the bin, leave it a week so they have time to go through it and take whatever offer they give you.
I wouldn't do that. Any valuable ones could go missing or substituted with books of a lower grade.
by gwe67
Sat Apr 09, 2022 8:21 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Windall Coming... AA recomendations?
Replies: 20
Views: 2634

Re: Windall Coming... AA recomendations?

You've won the game, why keep playing?

$3 million would buy a joint life annuity paying about $10,000 per month until both are dead.

CD's would do almost as well (especially when rates rise), without sacrificing the nest egg to an insurance company upon death.

Real estate investing is a good way to lose your "windall".
by gwe67
Sat Apr 09, 2022 2:57 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is it market timing if the Fed told us they're raising rates
Replies: 62
Views: 7503

Re: Is it market timing if the Fed told us they're raising rates

Is it market timing if a pandemic is obviously looming? Is it market timing if a superpower is obviously about to invade another country? Sometimes market timing isn't a horrible idea, and your portfolio should be agile. Maybe you've won the game and see a good time to get out.

However, changing your investments because Kiyosaki or Musk tweeted something inane is poor market timing.
by gwe67
Sat Apr 09, 2022 1:24 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Vanguard password length
Replies: 27
Views: 2988

Vanguard password length

About 9 years ago, Vanguard increased the maximum password length from 10 to 20 characters, which is still the limit today. Is this a security concern? For comparison,

social security - 64 characters max
Capital One - 32 characters max
Red Lobster - 15 characters max
Schwab, Fidelity - no maximum?

I generally use 36 character passwords generated by a password manager. Rarely does a website require passwords to be shorter than 36 characters.
by gwe67
Sat Apr 09, 2022 12:53 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bathtub replacement. Does this estimate sound right?
Replies: 40
Views: 6916

Re: Bathtub replacement. Does this estimate sound right?

You might consider a shower panel instead of the traditional faucet/spout/head set-up. They cost less, and less labor is required. The models that have spouts also work with tubs as well as showers. They are easy to replace (no handyman/plumber needed). I like being able to set the exact water temperature, as they have temp displays. Some have jets, mood lighting, clock/timer, etc...

https://www.google.com/search?q=shower+panel
by gwe67
Thu Apr 07, 2022 5:51 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: New Computer Missing Activation Key
Replies: 30
Views: 2523

Re: New Computer Missing Activation Key

The best solution is to buy Apple products.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 04, 2022 10:17 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How I got American Airlines to answer the phone
Replies: 19
Views: 4218

How I got American Airlines to answer the phone

This forum isn't flyertalk, but here's a tip for AA customers. While booking online, I got the dreaded message that I must call AA to complete the reservation. I called their main U.S. number 800-433-7300 and was notified that my options were either to hold for three hours or get a call back in about 11 hours. That wouldn't work because my "on hold" reservation would expire by the time I got a human on the phone.

So, I called the Puerto Rico number (it is part of the U.S. after all) 800-981-4757 and pressed 2 for English. Got connected in about 10 minutes, routed to another person after another 10 minutes, and finished up five minutes later.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 04, 2022 2:10 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Time to Sell Bond Funds at Loss?
Replies: 52
Views: 9138

Re: Time to Sell Bond Funds at Loss?

rick2427 wrote: Mon Apr 04, 2022 1:52 pm Which fund/ETF would one tax loss harvest VBTLX (Vanguard Total Bond Market Index-ADM) into?
Why bother buying another fund? You can't buy one that's equal to your original investment, and if you buy something else, you may be stuck with it for a while. I'd suggest you sell VBTLX and leave it in your money market settlement fund for a month. Good chance that this will make you more money when you repurchase VBTLX later at a lower price.
by gwe67
Mon Apr 04, 2022 1:43 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Time to Sell Bond Funds at Loss?
Replies: 52
Views: 9138

Re: Time to Sell Bond Funds at Loss?

You shouldn't have bond funds in an account that can use tax loss harvesting.
by gwe67
Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:21 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is it really a bad time to buy a car?
Replies: 47
Views: 5766

Re: Is it really a bad time to buy a car?

Just started looking at Toyotas. Am I correct in saying that used car prices seem higher than comparable new car prices??