Search results

+1 based on 5-20 year timeframe

I was not a fan of bond funds as I invested for retirement. Now 5 years into ER, I'm considering the addition of bonds into my fixed income ladder which is currently all CD's and Treasuries. Still don't like bond funds, however, recently started looking into fixed maturity ETF's as an...

Elmira and Binghamton airports are other options, both on the Southern edge of the Fingerlakes region. Buffalo is the farthest option from the area.

I was having the same issue a few months ago. To get the exact specs on a F150 I was looking for, the dealer had to factory order with a $500 refundable deposit and no guarantee on delivery month. Dealer gave me the MSRP and was not willing to negotiate up front. After doing some research I...

Fully agree, adjust to new time zone before travel as best you can. Additionally, don’t nap or sleep during daytime on day of arrival as that will set you back. Keep busy, have an early dinner and go to bed just a little early on day of arrival.

Visited HCM City about 8 years ago on a business trip with a weekend stay over. Everyone was friendly. Studied how to walk across a wide street from my hotel window - quite fascinating. Key is to start walking at a normal pace and NEVER look towards oncoming traffic. Cars, scooters, bikes...

Pop-up campers are great when: 1) planning to stay at destinations for a while, not moving around a lot 2) camping in 55F (night) to 85F (mid-day) temp ranges (shade preferably when hot). Need electric not only for AC, but for furnace if it is run excessively as the blower will eat battery...

After knocking my head against the wall with hour+ long wait times, I now attempt to call VG between 8-10 am. Have found much shorter waits, often between a few to 10 minutes. Have had mixed experiences at VG over the past year, ranging from exceptional to horrific. Usually the service is...

Have fond memories of SPAM from my camping days. Really good when fried in bacon fat! Had a private tour of the factory in Austin MN about 10 years ago and a nice meal at the SPAM museum afterwards. https://www.spam.com/museum I recall that the meaning of the SPAM acronym was lost to...

I had a Garmin Novi some years ago. Worked fine but I found the need for a bigger screen. Also, found lifespan was limited. So I took a different approach almost 8 years ago which I still use on occasion today, both on land and on the water. Using an IPad mini bluetooth connected to a Bad...

An earlier post brought Virginia’s personal property tax (PPT) on vehicles into the debate which kind of implied that funds collected were directed to roads. However, that tax is a local (county/city) tax collected to fund local government (schools, etc.). Moving to Virginia a few years ago...

I volunteer at a State Park in Virginia and also serve as campground host 2 months a year. It’s amazing how booked up the RV sites are on weekends and how empty the campground is from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. My message to retirees struggling to find a campsite is “Arrive on...

Wondering how much consumer stockpiling of food contributes to the real issue of Food Waste. USDA estimates that food waste in the USA at the retail and consumer levels is around 31%, amounting to 133 billion pounds and valued at $164 billion annually. https://www.usda.gov/foodwaste/faqs...

Congrats on firing your financial advisor and making the decision to simplify your holdings with index funds. I recently did the same, moving all accounts over to VG which is where my 401k happened to be. Prior holdings in non-401k accounts were active managed mutual funds with annual fees...

Thanks for the quick responses. My taxable account is of little concern as few equities remain there. Harvested all gains there over past few years to fund expenses in years 2-4 of retirement while putting us in the 0% federal tax rate and staying just under the 400% poverty rate for ACA...

I currently have a mix of actively managed and index (passive) mutual funds in a reasonably diverse portfolio. Am looking to shift the bulk of the actively managed funds to index funds in order to reduce management fees. Given the recent market downturn and volatility, I have concerns about...

Ring alarm systems have a water/freeze sensor that can be added to their system for $35 (1 time purchase). It’s a little puck that you place where you want to monitor. You can set it up to notify you by email or push notification. If you have the subscription based protection plan (I don’t)...

Additionally, Annuities are regulated at the state level AND every state has an Guaranty Association that generally guarantees at least 250k of an annuity. Some states are much higher (NY = 1 million cap). Likely not as good as pension protection through PBGC, but it’’s pretty good protection...

Some old money multi-billionaire families I know own companies with diversified business holdings run by non-family professionals. It’s essentially their own large mutual fund that evolved from great-great-great granddaddy’s startup. They realize others can run the business better, thus they...

In case anyone cares, the common name of this species of bird is “Canada Geese”. “Canadian Geese” would be any type of geese that reside within the Dominion of Canada and pledge allegiance to the Queen, but they are not a species. Not all Canada Geese are Canadian, most are multinational. ?

Personally, I would never consider hosting at a commercial campground. From what I’ve seen over the years these businesses staff up primarily through “workamping” where they give you a (usually crappy) site and a little pay in exchange for you taking on a job with set hours (run store, clean...

The bathhouse is cleaned twice daily by rangers at the park I’m at. They only ask that we alert them to issues and do minor sweeping if needed (only once 3 weeks into the gig). However, tasks vary by park, so it’s important to read park specific expectations before signing up. So far most...

Now entering our 3rd week as campground hosts at a State Park in Virginia. Always wanted to give this gig a try when I retired, now I’m doing it.. Have been a lifelong camper with travels across the US and Canada, usually in “touring mode” where we only spent 1-4 days in any given park in...

Seems like an odd layout to me. When we remodeled/rebuilt, we converted 2 bedrooms into a master suite. Ended up having a foyer-like area (4’x6’) when you first walk into the master suite. Turn left through a 5’ wide opening into bedroom, straight to bathroom door and right through double...

Installed a Generac 22 KW whole house generator about two years ago when we started our house rebuild. It’s the largest air cooled model that is made by any brand. Have an automatic transfer switch to a 200 amp panel. Propane powered - we have a large tank that could run the generator for...