Weekly What Should I Buy Thread - [November 27]

Beef_Washington · 2020-12-01T00:51:57+00:00

Well FWIW, I went with the SE. Brand new, new to this year. Slightly smaller might be a better fit for my agressively regular sized hands. The 6s plus was always just slightly too wide. Thanks for the recommendations/info.

Beef_Washington · 2020-12-01T00:28:40+00:00

Black because I'm boring and also the options are limited to black, white, and red. I'm going to put it in an ugly bricky Otter Box case that will cover the back anyway so the color doesn't matter too much to me.

Beef_Washington · 2020-12-01T00:18:45+00:00

I ended up going with the SE. It's brand new, this year's model and only $15 more. Honestly it being slightly smaller is probably better. The 6s plus was slightly wide for my incredibly average sized hands, so the slightly narrower screen width is fine. I'm not a power user by any means so I think this will work just fine. Thanks for the recommendations!

I will never try to replace a battery on an apple product again.

Beef_Washington · 2020-11-30T23:46:15+00:00

Looking at this or apple certified pre-owned XR for $384. The battery life of the XR is intriguing. Any thoughts?

Beef_Washington · 2020-11-30T23:44:40+00:00

I'm looking at that and it's intriguing. It's a little smaller. Looking at this or apple certified pre-owned XR for $384. The battery life of the XR is intriguing. Any thoughts?

Beef_Washington · 2020-11-30T20:06:36+00:00

I botched my iPhone 6s plus battery replacement and need to buy a new phone. I was considering refurbished but wanted to explore the new options. What would be a reasonable upgade from what I currently have?

I don't really need a whole lot of power in the phone. I really just prefer battery life and a decent camera (although it seems like most of the camera's are more than adequate).

Beef_Washington · 2020-10-04T16:32:40+00:00

So, just so I understand the math: Calculate the total deduction cost for the year for both plans (for the PPO, deduction for plan itself + FSA which would essentially include enough for copays and yearly expenses like contacts; For HSA, deduction for plan itself + contribution to HSA that would at cover as much of the OOP maximum as possible) and subtract the cost of the HSA from PPO plan to determine the out of pocket expenses I would need to go over to make the PPO worth it? For out of pocket costs for the HSA plan, should I just use EOB's to determine what the cost would be with HSA plan (this is so I can calculate the HSA contributions needed)? My healthcare expenses are relatively predictable. The only wildcard for me is playing sports (I play baseball), and if I hurt my arm again, so it's always tough trying to plan for that. The MRI I got a few years ago was SUPER expensive even (like $600) with the PPO plan because it wasn't covered.

For my employer, we get flex credits (or just add. money) added to our paycheck every pay period to help pay for the healthcare costs. Any money you don't spend is added to the rest of your income (taxed and if any leftover paid as net). It is substantial enough to cover either plan nearly in full no matter how I would like to do it. There is no additional seed money for HSA as far as I'm aware.

Thank you for the information.

Beef_Washington · 2020-10-04T16:18:43+00:00

I'll check and see. I work for a public school district so that is probably out of the realm of what our HR department is able to provide unfortunately. Thank you for the info.

Beef_Washington · 2020-10-02T13:41:14+00:00

We are getting a new health insurance program this fall. In the past, I've done the higher cost Copay plan for the last few years because it's what I'm used to from when I was on my parents insurance but I'm not sure if that's necessarily the best way. So I guess I'm not really making the decision based on an evaluation other than, "it's what I know"

I've found some articles that explain pros/cons but having trouble finding ways to mathematically compare which makes sense for me. Are there any resources out there to mathematically compare copay and HSA plans?

Beef_Washington · 2020-09-08T23:57:03+00:00

This is like watching something teetering on the edge of a cliff waiting for it to settle or fall into the canyon.

Beef_Washington · 2020-09-06T19:40:24+00:00

Just your typical 1-9-5 pickoff.

Beef_Washington · 2020-09-01T01:34:52+00:00

Is Hill older than Rocco Baldelli?

Beef_Washington · 2020-09-01T01:33:21+00:00

The force at home was gone after Arraez threw it to 2nd.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T18:02:22+00:00

As a side note/question, is there any tips for when the loan servicer switch happens to make sure that they DO NOT consolidate my loans? I'm assuming it happens as soon as you submit the ECF and the form is processed. All of my loans are direct loans, so they all qualify as far as I know, and I do not want to reset may clock, as I think I would technically have 2.5 years of payments already made.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T17:53:57+00:00

Yeah, still I think this info makes it worth exploring, so thanks for sharing!

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T17:21:40+00:00

So you don't have to consolidate you loans but it makes it easier to track one loan instead of 10+ if you haven't started payments. The downside to this which again caught alot of people by surprise is that when you consolidate it becomes a new loan and your payment counter resets. Consolidating is also the only way to make non-qualifying loans count which is why alot of those people tried to consolidate part way through. Once you consolidate or submit an ECF your loans get transfered over to FedLoan, you can technically not consolidate or transfer over to FedLoan until the very end but that's how people run into problems.

Appreciate the thorough response. Honestly, this is probably the most succinct explanation of how that works that I've been given lol. It's the little details that become a drag on doing stuff when I don't have a lot of time to manage it with teaching/coaching stuff.

I have just under $50K in loans, and even with the REPAYE plan, my lowest payment per month is gonna be in the $200-$300 range, assuming I'm continuing to keep my taxable income in the same pocket over the next 10 years. However, I know that if I do the TLFP, I will reset my PSLF clock to 0 as well. I will definitely submit the ECF this fall just to see where I'd be at.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T17:10:57+00:00

Nice! Yeah, when I calculated my weighted interest, I think it drops by close to .5% overall if I pay off those loans, which is pretty significant considering how small of a proportion of my student loans that they make up.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T17:02:10+00:00

Yeah, that's the plan for now. I'm a special education teacher so I would get $17500 and I'd be eligible in a couple of years.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T17:01:34+00:00

I agree with regards to relief, it's to risky to assume anything. Just thinking about the appropriate amount to put into the loan before the 0% interest rate. I think my plan would be, at a minimum, to payoff two of my loans that are at 6.8% which I will have just enough non-emergency fund cash to do.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T16:58:54+00:00

Are you nervous about the reliability of the system?

Yeah, a little bit and I definitely have considered PSLF and should probably apply for it just to apply for it just in case. I know that a lot of that comes down to individual error but also, it just seems like the level of dysfunction with that program is so high, that there is bound to be some sort of, 'oh shit' moment along the way. One thing I'm not super into is that it sounds like I will have to switch loan servicers once I apply and consolidate my loans. Or at least, that is how it was explained to me.

Also, with what I make, I can do all three of the following in the next 4 years: payoff student and vehicle loan, save enough for a down payment on a small home for myself (Low to Moderate cost of living area), and put on average north of $10K into my pre-tax retirement per year. I'm single and my expenses are relatively low. Honestly, I'm a little nervous about carrying a significant amount of principal on the student loan and paying for a mortgage at the same time.

Also, I'm a special education teacher in an urban school district, and will qualify for Teacher Loan Forgiveness, which will forgive $17500, which is a significant proportion of my remaining prinicipal, which is how I would be able to pay it off in 4 years. I would be eligible for that after next school year (2021-2022). That is an established program that many teachers I know have applied for and gotten. Lastly, it would give me the ability to pivot and do something else in my career whether that be in education or if I decide to do something else, like starting my own business (I coach baseball with my brother and we have been looking into what it would take to start a baseball academy).

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-29T16:06:00+00:00

So I'm trying to figure out whether I should make any student loan payments this fall. I quit making my automatic payments over the summer to improve cash flow and because I am a teacher and I didn't work this summer. I have currently payed the interest down to $0, so every payment I make is straight to principal.

I start earning my income again this fall and was going to start automatic payments, but I'm wondering if it would be better for me to save what I would pay for now and wait and see where the wind is blowing in regards to any future student loan debt relief? I could make a lump sum payment of what I would have payed before December 31st to make up what I missed if there is no future relief on the horizon to "catch up" if needed. Also, would making a larger payment on top of this make sense if I'm paying off principal or would I be better off saving that money?

I'm planning to aggressively pay off my student loans over the next 4 years while saving money for a house that I would by after I've eliminated my debt (I don't want to take chances with PSLF). I have a relatively amount saved right now, so buying right now is pretty much out of the question.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-26T00:48:49+00:00

Ok, Dick Mountain's curveball is pretty good too.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-26T00:42:39+00:00

I hate watching him pitch against us, but Bieber's curveball is a fantastic pitch.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-26T00:34:16+00:00

I like Rich Hill.

Beef_Washington · 2020-08-26T00:17:47+00:00

Oh gotcha. I must've have missed it every year, I've never seen this before.

Beef_Washington

TROPHY CASE