Sabine Nooteboom

Comments:

• We paid $0 today to fill up our Fiat 500e from our solar panels and PowerWall. Panels were installed while we were still working; PowerWall was free courtesy of PG & E. My advice to anyone planning to retire is to do what you can while still working to reduce your fixed expenses in retirement - it leaves more money available for the fun stuff…….

  Post: Gas Pains

  Link to comment from June 15, 2022

• Amazing! We haven't had any credit cards (except a Chevron card) for over 25 years - we only use debit cards, because it's the simplest way for us not to accidentally overspend - and have no debt so even though we pay the very low Chevron card balance off each month our FICO score is always at around 800. Kind of a peculiar system we have, that rewards people for having access to more credit.........

  Post: A Perfect Score

  Link to comment from June 8, 2022

• Getting around in an EV on the West Coast has become much easier - more charging stations and lots of good apps to find/reserve them. But they’re definitely still a niche vehicle for those wealthy enough to own more than one vehicle and/or have solar power/charging stations at home plus ideally also at work. So, much harder in general for renters…….

  Post: Driving a Bargain

  Link to comment from May 21, 2022

• Sigh. Nice post, but it made me realize why phasing out the use of individual internal combustion autos is such a challenge in the US. Most of us sure love the ability to drive where we what when we want as quickly as we want. We are slowing getting used to depending on our EV (a used Fiat 500e, arguably the cutest car ever built) for most of our local driving (we live in the country and have solar panels with a Tesla PowerWall), but still own our farm truck, a bare bones Ford F-150 that we bought new in 1994, plus a 2013 VW hybrid Jetta (also bought new) for longer trips. We’ll keep the Ford as long as we live out here but will probably trade the Jetta for a new long-distance EV next year……….

  Post: Driving a Bargain

  Link to comment from May 21, 2022

• Just a couple of comments: (1) one major advantage of a single payer system like the UK‘s NHS or large HMOs like Kaiser Permanente is simplification and cost savings in billing. If you enjoy podcasts check out Michael Lewis on this topic - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/against-the-rules-with-michael-lewis/id1455379351?i=1000555532510 - it‘s shocking, but also very funny. (2) shopping for a second opinion is very difficult if you don‘t want to damage the relationship you have with your doctor - inevitably some trust is lost. It‘s a bit easier if you‘re seeking a second option for your child (“I completely trust your competence and expertise, doctor, but I want to be able to tell my child that I did everything I possibly could to ensure all medical options were considered.”)

  Post: Can’t Help Ourselves

  Link to comment from May 7, 2022

• Unfortunately healthcare sharing plans often have exclusions for pre-existing conditions and certain illnesses (e.g.,mental health conditions)

  Post: Can’t Help Ourselves

  Link to comment from May 7, 2022

• In the late1980s, a property that my father inherited from his father was finally sold (20 years after my grandfather‘s death). My father chose to split this money between me and my sister, about $50K each. My sister was in her late 20s, I in my early 30s, and both of us were married with stable jobs. We each decided to use the money as a down payment for a first house. That gift from our dad had a much greater positive effect on our lives than the far greater amount that we inherited decades later when he passed away.

  Post: Generosity Delayed

  Link to comment from April 20, 2022

• Great article, thank you!

  Post: A Bad Business

  Link to comment from April 9, 2022

• I’m kind of embarrassed to admit this - I’m afraid that I might sound like a testimonial or endorsement - but I like SoFi Financial. I’m a retired financial planner who occasionally provides pro bono assistance to very busy organic farmers. One couple was looking for an inexpensive robo investment platform and also needed some basic financial planning assistance (I no longer have access to professional level software so was limited in what I could provide), so I searched online for free or very low cost financial services that had received good reviews and stumbled on SoFi. Of course, I didn’t want to recommend a product I hadn’t tried myself, so I signed up for their free planning service and robo platform. The financial planning service turned out to be very good at creating a plan for someone with relatively simple finances like SoFi’s target demographic, which appears to be young college graduates just starting their careers. They used the RightCapital professional software, which allows the client to add some data and is relatively robust and easy to use. I worked with a very polite and competent young man who was studying for his CFP designation; he had some minor but very good suggestions for how I could improve my plan. I did not feel any sales pressure. The SoFi robo platform is also pretty good, offering the usual standardized portfolios based on risk tolerance and diverse mix of ETFs, some of which are SoFi branded and charge slightly higher fees than Vanguard or BlackRock. It does not include a tax loss harvesting feature. I ended up staying with SoFi after trying them out, mainly because I loved how simple their app is to use. Once they received their bank charter I moved a checking and savings account over to their bank (current interest rate is 1% on balances up to $50K if you have direct deposit). I like their Vaults, which allow you to set aside funds for specific goals without actually opening separate sub-accounts. SoFi does have some negatives, including their promotion of active trading and various financial products, but these are mainly found on their app. So far all emails and calls I’ve received have involved transactions I’ve made; no sales calls. Still, overall I like having so many financial services available within a single app. Cheers, Sabine

  Post: Off the Hook

  Link to comment from April 2, 2022

• If one goes the self-publishing route one needs to find an excellent editor or editors who are not afraid to offer constructive criticism and suggestions for tightening up the writing, strengthening the plot, etc. It may help to join a writers’ workshop. Like a politician or CEO who surrounds herself with sycophants a writer who only has herself and uncritical friends and family as proofreaders and editors will not succeed in the long run.

  Post: How to Be Bookish

  Link to comment from March 16, 2022