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And while I am thinking about it... You also will most likely be unable to get a local bank account until you have a local address. Unfortunately, you need a bank account with a local IBAN to rent (e.g. TransferWise IBAN will likely not be accepted). It creates quite the paradox. A few other...

Renting an apartment as a US citizen, especially without French permanent residency (i.e. only on a one year visa), may be extremely challenging. A few thoughts: You absolutely will have to have a bank account, and this is difficult if you do not have a university or work affiliation...

I do suppose you are correct. I just wish fewer people felt they had so much to prove.

What surprises me, is that so many vehicles do need those adjustments. I've also never had a headlight get mis-aimed, so I'm unclear on both how it happens so often, and how people don't notice when it does happen. We have a very windy 4-lane (2 in each direction) mountain road with heavy...

In general, most of the new cars with LED headlights, albeit bright and very high color temperature, are reasonably aimed. I find them a lot more challenging than older halogens or even HID lamps, but they're usually manageable. One of the bigger problems is that (extremely bright!) LED...

Thank you ! Apparently my portfolio is too boring and bland, as there is no reference in the information e-mail on any lending interest. That's a shame, as any additional return within tax-advantaged accounts would be very much appreciated.

If you recall, or if you don't mind looking, which document were the securities of interest noted? I may have missed a section or perhaps don't hold anything that is relevant. I received 3 documents: MSLA (master services lending agreement), proof of Fidelity counterparty collateral at...

It does appear that additional tax consequences for lending vs receiving direct dividends are being (partially or more than fully, depending on marginal tax bracket) handled by Fidelity. The FAQ for the program states: "To help offset the potential tax burden...

I also just sold a car through Carvana on Friday. They offered close to retail blue book value, 25% higher than CarMax's on-line quote, and about 10% more than I paid for the car new (including a high state sales tax at purchase). Everything seems to have gone extremely quickly and smoothly...

There are quite a few travel insurance plans that you can purchase, likely less than $100/mo with $50k + in coverage. For longer than tourist stays (or some visa country stays) this may be required and easier to deal with than a standard US health care company since they will have translated...

I don't think it is ever completely clear how and when large scale science experiments will pay off. One could question whether money spent on the LHC would have been better spent on some other fundamental endeavor, but I do think that we, as a global people, have and will reap significant...

Extremely good point - having maximum insurance history showing no accidents cut insurance rates by 50% for us in France. Fortunately, we didn't have to have the document translated for the insurance company we went with (some said they required a translation).

I moved to France with my wife somewhat recently, and although I am not confident in direct applicability of my situation to yours, EU regulations may make some areas similar. Note that I am a US citizen only, whereas my wife has dual citizenship. Bank accounts: It sounds like you already have...

And now, almost a year after the first time around, I've managed to top the two comma mark again. It's disconcerting to continuously invest new money and have my account balances stay reasonably flat. Or drop, what with a heavy equity and international tilt to investments. Since this is also...

Almost any chemical reaction will start slowly, be it acid or oxidizer. Surface areas are low, there are a lot of inert materials, most electrical components have cases, and many boards and components have conformal coatings (plastic based spraycoat to keep out moisture or other materials)...

If I had come up a few dollars short, I'm pretty sure I would have been counting up the coins in the change jar and looking up exchange rates on all the small bills in various foreign currencies (the recent euro fall would have made all of a $10 impact!). At least now I can stop looking at my...

As of market close today, I have breached the two comma club by all of $117. The first, I'm sure, of many a trip back and forth across that boundary as bills get paid and the market fluctuates, but it still brings just a hint of a grin when I see the numbers on the spreadsheet. Seeing the...

Thanks for the links - after reading a bit more and thinking a bit, it really comes down to the following: 1) are in service distributions available 2) is money needed within the 5 year post-conversion time period If the answer to 1 is yes and 2 is no, this makes complete financial sense. If 2...

My almost-megacorp has recently added the capability to add funds to an non-ROTH after-tax 401k (>20k in addition to the 17.5k present limit on the tax-deductible portion). I have not yet ascertained whether in-service distributions go along with this (although the e-mail stating this new...

Dealing with some similar thought processes but in a different region of the country, I would toss out the following suggestion: run a couple of scenario calculations and see if they are manageable within your financial and retirement plans. First, a bad case: what happens if the house drops in...

The primary reason that you won't see many age-related dollar-amount savings goals is because it really isn't relevant without additional information. The primary numbers that dictate savings are 1) your expected retirement date, 2) your expected expenses in retirement, and 3) your present net...

Assuming the static coefficient of friction is equal for all vehicles isn't bad for a first order approximation. On the other hand, it's simply not correct. Although I don't have any sources on hand, I recall numbers ranging from maybe around 0.5-0.9 for different tires on the same type of...

Independent of vehicle mass, yes, but there is a potentially poor assumption that the coefficient of static friction (or traction) is the same between light and heavy mass vehicles. (We'll also make the reasonable assumption that all vehicles are able to lock up their tires and skid at any...

It's a matter of perspective on what travel means. One of the benefits of retirement is having more time that can be fully allocated to one's desired pursuits. Being a salary-man may mean holidays are limited to a quick two-week jaunt, but the retired person has so many more options. Rent a...

I think this thread is an excellent eye-opener into how people's lifestyles and situations vary. I don't see that any of the numbers are unreasonable on either the low or high end as long as they are effective relative to income and/or SWR. Whether someone owns a residence, has spouse and...