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I live in west-central Florida. My homeowner's insurance policy is currently with Citizens, the state-sponsored insurance company. I just got a letter saying that a company called Homeowners Choice (headquartered in Clearwater, FL) will assume my policy unless I opt out. Their web site says...

World Series here we come!;D

Anybody know of a better current deal than PenFed's 5.49% APR for 120 months with no points or closing costs? Thanks.

Trombone Al's strained back muscle thread reminded me that I've been wanting to ask this. Anybody know of a good resource on putting together a full-body strength training routine using dumbbells only? Al, where did that Dumbbell Squat photo come from? I've got a full set at home, ranging...

I recently opened a Roth IRA at T. Rowe Price. I plan to dollar cost average into a fund over the next 30 or so years. I have the option of investing up to 4 days of the month. How often do you dollar cost average per month, and how did you come to that decision? Has there been any studies...

I have a rental property. Last tennant had a cat. New tennant has no pets but is complaining of flea problem inside house. I've removed the old carpet (needed to be replaced anyway), and want to treat the inside for fleas before installing new carpet. I don't have pets so don't have much...

Hi all, I could use some help deciding what to do about the bond allocation in my 401(k), which will be 10% of total (other 90% in stock funds). I have the following choices: Stable Value Fund 1) Fixed Income Fund, ER 0.24% The Fixed Income Fund has the following underlying securities: US...

Hi all, I'm wanting to replicate the Morningstar 9-box style grid of the Vanguard Total Stock Market Index Fund (VTSMX) using a handful of funds in my 401(k). The funds I want to use are: S&P 500 Index Fund, Expense Ratio 0.005%, use VFIAX as a proxy Hartford MidCap Fund HLS IA, ER 0.68%...

Hi all, I'm looking for opinions on Dimensional Fund Advisors Global Equity Portfolio Class I fund (institutional shares), ticker DGEIX. Is it a good long-term fund for accumulation phase in Roth IRA? What do you think of the asset allocation? Do you think it's worth the expense ratio of 0.59%...

Hi all, In this article, William Bernstein states that Vanguard Target Retirement funds could/should be juiced up with the addition of small value, large value, and REIT index funds (he does not give specific percentages): Holy Grail I have about 30 years until "normal" retirement age (65)...

Hi all, I'm a relatively inexperienced landlord and could really use some help. I'm trying to learn how to best determine the "market rent" of my property. It is a single family home, 800 sq ft heated, 2 bedroom/1 bathroom/carport on a good size lot (75' x 127') in a nice location/neighborhood...

Howdy, I'm looking for a less expensive source of quality smoked wild Sockeye and/or King salmon fillets. I like the kind that is vacuum-packed in a pouch so that no refrigeration is required until opened (and they will keep for years). I recently purchased a 12 pack of 1.25lb smoked wild...

I think there are a few of us on this board that invest in Fidelity Freedom funds, so I wanted to give a heads up.....I just discovered that the Expense Ratio increased from 0.75% (Feb 2007) to 0.81% (5/31/07):rant: I could barely stomach paying 0.75%, but I think the increase pushed me over...

We purchased a new 2006 Honda Odyssey minivan last summer. I'm trying to decide where to have it serviced. Does it make a big difference to resale value to have all maintenance done at an authorized dealer? Do dealers rip you off? This is the first new car I have ever owned so kinda learning the...

Geez, I'm having a hard time figuring this out! I have what seems to be a good S&P 500 index fund in my Fidelity 401(k) plan, it's called the "Daily S&P 500 Equity Index Fund" and is administered by Northern Trust Global Investments. It has a stated expense ratio of 0.05%. I'm wanting to mate...

Hi all, John Bogle states in his book Common Sense on Mutual Funds, that if you are going to attempt to select actively managed funds, "the surest route to top-quartile returns is bottom-quartile expenses". He states that the lowest-cost quartile for LARGE CAP STOCK FUNDS would have expense...

Hi all, Forgive my basic questions..... How do I come up with a reasonable assumption for the projected annual real growth of my retirement portfolio? For simplicity assume my portfolio is 100% Vanguard Target Retirement 2035 fund (VTTHX) and is valued at $400k and is equally split between...

I'm trying to decide on a large cap value fund in my Fidelity 401(k), my choices are: AIM Basic Value I (GTVVX), 0.72% Expense Ratio Fidelity Equity-Income (FEQIX), 0.67% Expense Ratio Vanguard Windsor Adm (VWNEX), 0.24% Expense Ratio As you can see the Windsor Admiral fund is the lowest cost...

Accumulators (and others) using Target Retirement or other "life-cycle" funds Hi all, I'm a 36 yr old electrical engineer, my wife is 37 and stays at home with our two kids. We have amassed a decent amount in our Roth IRAs ($197k) and my 401k ($193k), about $390k total. We have a $140k mortgage...

I recently (past few months) started jogging 5-6 days a week in the early morning and am really enjoying it. I live in St. Petersburg, FL and jog on what's called the Pinellas Trail which is basically an old railroad route that was paved over and made into a recreational trail. So I'm jogging...

Hi all, I'm 36 years young and recently (over the last 6 months) became much more interested in taking care of my health. I've established a regular aerobic exercise program and am paying much more attention to the foods that I put into my body. I've read about the benefits of drinking green...

4.52% YTD ROI per Quicken as of 5/19/06 100% stock retirement portfoilio (401k and Roth IRAs) Age 35 Hoping to stay positive for the year ???

Hi all, I belong to a stock investment club which purchases an annual subscription to Value Line Investment Survey.  I usually read the "Selection & Opinion" publication that comes out each Friday, specifically the "economic and stock market commentary" section on the front page, for their take...

Hi all, I've got a small 800 sq.ft. 2 bed/1 bath home in a nice neighorhood (one block away from my residence) in Saint Petersburg, Florida that I want to rent out.  I think I have a good renter lined up, now I just need to come up with a residential lease.  I am a first time landlord. Any...

Hi all, My older brother is thinking of putting his $8K Roth IRA contributions into First Trust Portfolios "Target Focus Four" unit investment trust (a local financial advisor is recommending it as "a new investment opportunity): http://www.ftportfolios.com/retail/dp/dpsummary.aspx?fundid=4255...