Recent content by wildsun

Sony TV with Google TV built in i have a Sony Brava TV with Google TV built in. Its different and I have not yet conquered the learning curve. But I like the comprehensive integration of steaming services with the rest of the TV, and I like that it knows when to turn on my DirecTV box...

Norton PW Manager I use Norton Password Manager, which comes with Norton AV. I don't know if its the best, and I really don't like most Norton products, but this one woks and gives me options that some of the simple PW managers may not have.

i bought the 55" Sony Bravia wth Google TV embedded. Sony quallity is great, and Google TV is game changer. I liked it so much I bought a 45" model a few months later for a different house. Note that pricing is all over the place on these TVs. I paid $800 for the 55" on sale at Best Buy.

I've always been DIY. My dad was too. When I was 12 he hired a contractor to build us a new house, but with terms where he (my dad) would do a lot of the work by himself. I followed my dad around a lot, so naturally I became his handy helper. We cleared the land together. He put in all of...

I'm already semi-retired. I show down my consulting business last year, but I am still actively maintaining an managing short term rentals on the Oregon Coast that I own. I know I have enough to retire. I haven't done active investing, but I know how to buy into a fund. I'm looking for a...

I am a confirmed DIY guy myself, on just about any task in my life. And I'm learning about investing every chance I get. But I don't have the time yet, and even though I'm a numbers guy, I'm not sure I have the attention required, to do it myself. What do you do if you wouldn't use a...

I'm curious if anyone in the forum has had experience using the CFPs at NW Mutual as advisors. NW Mutual is mutual insurance company, but from what I've been able to figure out so far, their financial planning service looks pretty strong, so I'm considering using their service.

At one point I got thoroughly frustrated with loan officers who were really just sales people and decided I needed to find an indendent Mortgage Broker, and tell him or her up front that I wanted to work with someone who would get the job done and not waste everyone's time. A few hours of...

15-20 years ago I walked away from several refinances with Chase because they couldn't figure out how to consumate approved loans. Sounds like things have not improved. But their credit card department has its act together.

I prefer the "freedom" of owning. If I own I can do anything I want with the house, and I've done some level of renovation to every house that I've owned. Its a way to make it feel more like a "home" suited to my needs & preferences. I've got some maintenance & construction skills out of my...

Amazon Junkie Here I must be an outlier, but with a family, 2 small businesses, and 3 houses to maintain/improve - and with a very strong tendency to "do it myself" rather than hire work out -- I spend $2K to $3K per month at Amazon. - I agree the Prime Days were disappointing, but I did get...

Shop for Umbrella coverage. The costs for the same policy vary dramatically from one company to another. I've had quotes between $200 and $600 for the same coverage on the same day.

I think she has a business, but agree this falls into the grey area. There are good things about operating as a busines, so everyone shouldn't look to justify the "hobby" approach just because it sounds simpler. 1) Wife who watches TV while producing is no different than a warehouse person...

For decades when I traveled my preferences has been vacation rentals, since long before VRBO and AirBnB and the other big listing sites were formed. Reasons? o When traveling with kids or extended family, its almost always the cheaper option, unless you want to jam 4 or people into one...

My Requirements After 35 years of highly complex IT consulting work, I know I need to find something else to keep me busy. I have a habit of finding highly challenging work for myself, and my #1 requirement is to keep it simple this time. My Requirements: 1. No complex difficult obtuse...