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Thanks for this Sunsnow. Did you do a calculation of your return (a percentage is fine) over the time you were a landlord? As a remote landlord myself I made certain choices that there are no regrets (i.e. Buy-and-hold now going on 25 years as a primary residence and for the last 15 years as a...

I've heard the same thing regarding the best exit strategy. After the 1031 exchange loophole closed several years ago there isn't really any other good option to avoid that recapture tax. As far as property goes, if you go for a higher-end market (SFH instead of multi-unit rentals) it makes...

Was catching up on my reading this morning and came across Wired Magazine's 10 items they really want to buy now after Comdex. One of the items (March 2013 issue) was this phone from XPal Power called the Spare One. $100, single lithium AA battery lasts 15 years, and you just pop in a GSM SIM...

Would love to hear from anyone who has a non-monitored video system. Looking at the offerings on Amazon there doesn't seem to be anything that comes across as 'this is easy to setup and works very well as a DVR'. Would be particularly interested in a set of wireless video cameras, if anyone has...

Thanks Rodi for the kind word. Good luck on getting mortgage-free next year!

How about a great pancake recipe? Scooterdog Pancakes from Scooterdog I'm not sure where this came from but it is our household staple. Have tried many recipes but this one gets lots of approval from the little ones (especially enhanced with chocolate chips or fruit). 1 c flour 1 T sugar 1...

Good guess Rodi - actually the rental house is in the Westside of Los Angeles. We lived in Solana Beach for a few years about 10 years ago now, and got to know the area. Who knows, my current Mega Corp has HQ there, so in the career ladder it might lead us back, but it would have to be for...

+1 our Miele is four years old and still cranking along. (Bought with AMEX points.) Yes they are expensive but now I can't imagine needing to replace it for a long time. A year ago we got a Dyson DC35, which has been a very nice complement to the Miele. Great for quick pick-ups in the...

Here's a recent Washington Post story, entitled "401(k) breaches undermining retirement security for millions", quoting the same study. Check this blog entitled '401k savings plans are for suckers' written from an HR perspective - an infographic states that 1 out of 2 live 'paycheck to...

You are correct Rodi, the property taxes are very low, no Mello Roos, and it is the capital gains that would be eliminated should we move back into the place ~15 years from now when the youngest hits college. 1700 sf is fine for two adults, for a family of five we cannot imagine living there...

Good point Thanks for the input. Perhaps one problem is that we don't know where we'd like to retire, as it may be affected where the kids are located after they graduate (what, 15-20 years from now?) Or maybe we just make up our mind that it's San Diego CA and be done with it - the kids have...

New here, enjoy what I'm seeing, and here are my details: - married with kids ages 10, 5 and 3, living in a high-cost area (Washington DC suburb) - aim to retire at 67 (and haven't planned on doing it earlier) - currently have $450K in 401k/IRAs, 65% index mutual funds, 20% index bond funds, 15%...