As the story goes, a new widow went to the newspaper office to deliver her husband's obituary: "Bob died." When informed that the newspaper had a five-word minimum, she changed it to "Bob died. Toyota for sale."
I use TT and enter the Vanguard consolidated statement info using the document ID. This seems to work like a charm. My observation is with this information TT will automatically treat my Treasury bill and I-bond interest as state tax-exempt. But I must do the work myself in TT when it comes to entering percentages of various mutual funds and their "government-obligations". All the info I need is on the last page of the consolidated statement. I paid a little too much in state-tax before I realized that.
Oh yeah, right.... I am not about to wander into a marital (spellcheck corrected that from "martial") spat about money. Martial - "war-like" - is not too far off, however, in some marriages. Inserting myself into a discussion between a long-time friend and mentor (albeit from afar) and his spouse strikes me as a terrible idea. However, I do have a separate suggestion for both. Consider a BB-2000. You'll have to "google" it. A life-changer that heats its own water. You need a separate circuit.
My dad was in a morning coffee club - another name for a breakfast club - when the new-fangled cell phones were all the rage. The aging men would come in one by one and announce their presence by unceremoniously plopping their prized (and big at the time) cell phones on the table when they arrived. Dad was somewhat intimidated because he was the only one who did not have a cell phone. He brought his garage door opener instead.
My father's memory lives on each year at RMD time, when his grandchildren receive ever-larger distributions from their inherited Roth IRAs. All this talk of optimism and immortality reminds me of the gentleman who wished to be buried in a copper-lined coffin, thinking it would help his arthritis.
I've often thought our local church member directory, in addition to pictures of old people and their contact information, should have brief bios of what those people did in their former professional lives. This would create easy "conversation starters" for seeking out those with similar interests. As I look out over our congregation, I realize everyone there has a wonderful story to tell. Arthur Brooks was a noted French horn player in Barcelona, I think, in an earlier life. That would be it for me.
Instead of purchasing an annuity, I'm thinking of structuring an interest-only mortgage, with a balloon payment later, for a child who lives in a very pricey part of the country. This would take the place of my current allocation to Treasury bills. Win-win in my book. And keep the money where it belongs -- in the family -- even after my death. Details to be worked out later.
I'm just teasing, really. It's quite obvious that in your case lottery tickets are not the foundation for a secure life in retirement. But the subject of government-sponsored lotteries strikes a nerve with me. My observation is that in many cases those least able to afford the tickets are the ones buying in earnest. And they're buying in significant amounts. I take issue with the breathless TV news stories about the latest lottery jackpot amounts, and interviews with people about what they will do with $50 million or $100 million when they win. The on-site reporter's story is always followed by the anchors bantering about buying their own tickets before the deadline. I've written letters to the stations protesting all this - it's not news, it's advertising.
Comments
As the story goes, a new widow went to the newspaper office to deliver her husband's obituary: "Bob died." When informed that the newspaper had a five-word minimum, she changed it to "Bob died. Toyota for sale."
Post: Is Remembered for…..
Link to comment from May 25, 2025
In true HD fashion, I've still got my 2001 Toyota Avalon and do a lot of my own maintenance. At 262,000 miles, I call it my "gold-digger repellent."
Post: How have you decided when it’s worth it to fix an old car?
Link to comment from May 23, 2025
I use TT and enter the Vanguard consolidated statement info using the document ID. This seems to work like a charm. My observation is with this information TT will automatically treat my Treasury bill and I-bond interest as state tax-exempt. But I must do the work myself in TT when it comes to entering percentages of various mutual funds and their "government-obligations". All the info I need is on the last page of the consolidated statement. I paid a little too much in state-tax before I realized that.
Post: Now taxes are filed, I have a question: How did you prepare your taxes?
Link to comment from April 18, 2025
Oh yeah, right.... I am not about to wander into a marital (spellcheck corrected that from "martial") spat about money. Martial - "war-like" - is not too far off, however, in some marriages. Inserting myself into a discussion between a long-time friend and mentor (albeit from afar) and his spouse strikes me as a terrible idea. However, I do have a separate suggestion for both. Consider a BB-2000. You'll have to "google" it. A life-changer that heats its own water. You need a separate circuit.
Post: Replacing the Replacement
Link to comment from March 6, 2025
My dad was in a morning coffee club - another name for a breakfast club - when the new-fangled cell phones were all the rage. The aging men would come in one by one and announce their presence by unceremoniously plopping their prized (and big at the time) cell phones on the table when they arrived. Dad was somewhat intimidated because he was the only one who did not have a cell phone. He brought his garage door opener instead.
Post: My Breakfast Club
Link to comment from August 4, 2024
My father's memory lives on each year at RMD time, when his grandchildren receive ever-larger distributions from their inherited Roth IRAs. All this talk of optimism and immortality reminds me of the gentleman who wished to be buried in a copper-lined coffin, thinking it would help his arthritis.
Post: Forget Me Not
Link to comment from February 17, 2024
I've often thought our local church member directory, in addition to pictures of old people and their contact information, should have brief bios of what those people did in their former professional lives. This would create easy "conversation starters" for seeking out those with similar interests. As I look out over our congregation, I realize everyone there has a wonderful story to tell. Arthur Brooks was a noted French horn player in Barcelona, I think, in an earlier life. That would be it for me.
Post: Some Friendly Advice
Link to comment from January 19, 2024
I drive a 2001 Toyota Avalon. I call it my gold-digger repellent. That's not original, I think I heard it from Charlie Munger.
Post: A Time to Spend
Link to comment from January 13, 2024
Instead of purchasing an annuity, I'm thinking of structuring an interest-only mortgage, with a balloon payment later, for a child who lives in a very pricey part of the country. This would take the place of my current allocation to Treasury bills. Win-win in my book. And keep the money where it belongs -- in the family -- even after my death. Details to be worked out later.
Post: Happily Ever After
Link to comment from December 16, 2023
I'm just teasing, really. It's quite obvious that in your case lottery tickets are not the foundation for a secure life in retirement. But the subject of government-sponsored lotteries strikes a nerve with me. My observation is that in many cases those least able to afford the tickets are the ones buying in earnest. And they're buying in significant amounts. I take issue with the breathless TV news stories about the latest lottery jackpot amounts, and interviews with people about what they will do with $50 million or $100 million when they win. The on-site reporter's story is always followed by the anchors bantering about buying their own tickets before the deadline. I've written letters to the stations protesting all this - it's not news, it's advertising.
Post: ’Tis the Stress Season
Link to comment from December 13, 2023