I've always found time to be a more satisfying donation than money. My Meals on Wheels route gives me a warm glow that my monthly financial support to various charities cannot duplicate.
I love investing with the robo-advisors (Betterment and Wealthfront), not only because of the ease and low cost but because I've quickly been able to educate my investment-indifferent wife in how the robos work, and I'm confident that when I'm gone, she will be able to handle things seamlessly by herself, without having to trust a stranger.
I ate many times at the original Ruth's Chris in Louisiana, and it was great, but my greatest beef meal ever will always be Lawry's The Prime Rib in Chicago.
I lived in Pacifica, California in the 1990s. I watched a whole row of 13 houses below me simply fall off Esplanade Drive into the sea. Three apartment buildings followed. The entire area from the post office to the Safeway will disappear in the next 75 years or so. The ocean wins every time.
We learned a whole different lesson -- prepare for disaster. We went Full Coastal with our beachfront home -- we bought a big one in 2015 as our primary, fulfilling my lifetime dream of Oregon beach life. We knew we'd have to replace the sagging composite decks, repair the rotted stairs to the sand and maintain the stucco walls, but the inspection showed that the tile roof and foundation were in awesome shape, so we didn't have major concerns. And then six weeks after we closed on the house, an early winter storm with winds over 60 mph literally blew through the ocean-facing wall of the main floor and flooded the living room. Turned out an old doorway leak had spread dry rot 30 feet down the wall. The entire wall had to be torn out and replaced, with jacks holding up the second floor wall. We experienced some very cold indoor-outdoor living. 8 months and $80,000 later -- a process during which I was extremely ill and Sarah had to shoulder way too much responsibility -- the house was sound again. We did settle down and enjoy the house very much until 2020, when the pandemic trapped Sarah in China for six months and exposed the anti-Chinese biases of a few of our neighbors. The pandemic also set off a mania for oceanfront homes that had realtors knocking on our doors, so we sold. The price covered our storm repair losses and then some. Parenthetically, Mark, we made the exact opposite decision on decking, going with Canadian cedar over composite because of the cost, and our local experts said cedar would 20 years with some annual staining. We'll never know if it was the right call, because our buyers pretty much tore the house down and replaced it with a monster 50% larger. In the photos I've seen, their massive new deck looks like composite. I still miss the pounding of the waves. And the otters and herons. And low tide.
Yep, Dan and Mark, the answer is yes. If the seller had an attractive mortgage to offer along with the house, it did actually increase the value of the home, at least to a non-cash buyer. And generally the seller's mortgage holder was willing to go along in order to keep a paying account on their books. In those days of double-digit rates, the mortgage business was insanely competitive and the business cost of acquiring a new account was very high. So if the lender could retain an existing account, even at a few points under the going rate, it was worth it. Not an expert... and never acquired an existing loan... just had close friends who were realtors. And Dan, you're correct that many government-backed mortgages are still assumable if the buyer can pay off the seller's equity.
Protest all you want, Dick, but that's the way it comes over. Yes, of course your writings contribute excellent ideas and quality information based on your experience, but they also sometimes give off more than a tinge of smugness and even condescension. If you don't want them to come off that way, then you need to work on your presentation as hard as you work on your content.
I've never had kids or grandkids in the schools, and how other people's children get educated really has no impact on my life, but I have always voted for every local education levy or bond that comes down the pike. I tell people it's out of simple selfishness -- to protect and enhance the value of my house.When a community rejects a school bond, it makes headlines that proclaim a lack of local support for public schools, and any realtor will tell you that home buyers with children will steer away from that community towards one that does support school funding.And the evidence for this is more than anecdotal. A 2020 study by the Harvard Kennedy School found that a 1 percent increase in school spending increases local house prices by 0.95 percent. An earlier study found that for every $1 increase in per pupil school expenditure, per pupil housing values increase by about $20.School bonds in Washington state require a 60% supermajority to pass, and two-thirds of them fail. (They all get simple majorities, but there's a maddening tendency to earn 59%.) So a minority of homeowners voting no to save a few hundred dollars in taxes may have cost themselves and the rest of us thousands in home values. Levies, fortunately, require only 50%.This is, of course, just my selling point. Kids or not, I find it maddening on a personal level that this nation is slashing funding for school lunch programs and school infrastructure and, in my view, deliberately harming public education for reasons I cannot fathom.
Comments
I've always found time to be a more satisfying donation than money. My Meals on Wheels route gives me a warm glow that my monthly financial support to various charities cannot duplicate.
Post: 10 Ways to Give—Without Writing a Check
Link to comment from November 7, 2025
I love investing with the robo-advisors (Betterment and Wealthfront), not only because of the ease and low cost but because I've quickly been able to educate my investment-indifferent wife in how the robos work, and I'm confident that when I'm gone, she will be able to handle things seamlessly by herself, without having to trust a stranger.
Post: Does My Sister Need a Financial Advisor?
Link to comment from November 5, 2025
I ate many times at the original Ruth's Chris in Louisiana, and it was great, but my greatest beef meal ever will always be Lawry's The Prime Rib in Chicago.
Post: Three Peas and a Reality Check. (A Very Tiny Rant)
Link to comment from November 5, 2025
I lived in Pacifica, California in the 1990s. I watched a whole row of 13 houses below me simply fall off Esplanade Drive into the sea. Three apartment buildings followed. The entire area from the post office to the Safeway will disappear in the next 75 years or so. The ocean wins every time.
Post: Coastal Retirement? Have You Considered These Costs?
Link to comment from October 31, 2025
We learned a whole different lesson -- prepare for disaster. We went Full Coastal with our beachfront home -- we bought a big one in 2015 as our primary, fulfilling my lifetime dream of Oregon beach life. We knew we'd have to replace the sagging composite decks, repair the rotted stairs to the sand and maintain the stucco walls, but the inspection showed that the tile roof and foundation were in awesome shape, so we didn't have major concerns. And then six weeks after we closed on the house, an early winter storm with winds over 60 mph literally blew through the ocean-facing wall of the main floor and flooded the living room. Turned out an old doorway leak had spread dry rot 30 feet down the wall. The entire wall had to be torn out and replaced, with jacks holding up the second floor wall. We experienced some very cold indoor-outdoor living. 8 months and $80,000 later -- a process during which I was extremely ill and Sarah had to shoulder way too much responsibility -- the house was sound again. We did settle down and enjoy the house very much until 2020, when the pandemic trapped Sarah in China for six months and exposed the anti-Chinese biases of a few of our neighbors. The pandemic also set off a mania for oceanfront homes that had realtors knocking on our doors, so we sold. The price covered our storm repair losses and then some. Parenthetically, Mark, we made the exact opposite decision on decking, going with Canadian cedar over composite because of the cost, and our local experts said cedar would 20 years with some annual staining. We'll never know if it was the right call, because our buyers pretty much tore the house down and replaced it with a monster 50% larger. In the photos I've seen, their massive new deck looks like composite. I still miss the pounding of the waves. And the otters and herons. And low tide.
Post: Coastal Retirement? Have You Considered These Costs?
Link to comment from October 31, 2025
Yep, Dan and Mark, the answer is yes. If the seller had an attractive mortgage to offer along with the house, it did actually increase the value of the home, at least to a non-cash buyer. And generally the seller's mortgage holder was willing to go along in order to keep a paying account on their books. In those days of double-digit rates, the mortgage business was insanely competitive and the business cost of acquiring a new account was very high. So if the lender could retain an existing account, even at a few points under the going rate, it was worth it. Not an expert... and never acquired an existing loan... just had close friends who were realtors. And Dan, you're correct that many government-backed mortgages are still assumable if the buyer can pay off the seller's equity.
Post: Cash: The False Prophet
Link to comment from October 31, 2025
Protest all you want, Dick, but that's the way it comes over. Yes, of course your writings contribute excellent ideas and quality information based on your experience, but they also sometimes give off more than a tinge of smugness and even condescension. If you don't want them to come off that way, then you need to work on your presentation as hard as you work on your content.
Post: Seniors are a frustrating lot. Here’s why…IMO
Link to comment from October 31, 2025
Me too. I was a relentless Optimizer for decades. It was exhausting. Now I just roll with it.
Post: Optimizer or Satisficer?
Link to comment from October 28, 2025
That was elegant. Turns out Archie wasn't worth a Nickel.
Post: HumbleDollar Friend Request
Link to comment from October 28, 2025
I've never had kids or grandkids in the schools, and how other people's children get educated really has no impact on my life, but I have always voted for every local education levy or bond that comes down the pike. I tell people it's out of simple selfishness -- to protect and enhance the value of my house. When a community rejects a school bond, it makes headlines that proclaim a lack of local support for public schools, and any realtor will tell you that home buyers with children will steer away from that community towards one that does support school funding. And the evidence for this is more than anecdotal. A 2020 study by the Harvard Kennedy School found that a 1 percent increase in school spending increases local house prices by 0.95 percent. An earlier study found that for every $1 increase in per pupil school expenditure, per pupil housing values increase by about $20. School bonds in Washington state require a 60% supermajority to pass, and two-thirds of them fail. (They all get simple majorities, but there's a maddening tendency to earn 59%.) So a minority of homeowners voting no to save a few hundred dollars in taxes may have cost themselves and the rest of us thousands in home values. Levies, fortunately, require only 50%. This is, of course, just my selling point. Kids or not, I find it maddening on a personal level that this nation is slashing funding for school lunch programs and school infrastructure and, in my view, deliberately harming public education for reasons I cannot fathom.
Post: Public Schools and Property Taxes
Link to comment from October 28, 2025