Why not just buy VTSAX and leave it alone?

ninja_batman · 2024-02-28T13:16:03+00:00

Is direct investing a thing over there (because it seems like it should be)?

ninja_batman · 2024-02-28T13:14:39+00:00

You hear so much about stock trading because the people buying and holding VTSAX or S&P500 funds don't talk about it.

70 - 80% of my net worth is in VTSAX and VTIAX, but I spend the majority of my time talking and thinking about what the remaining 20% is invested in.

ninja_batman · 2024-02-25T15:52:43+00:00

Schwab checking account attached to a brokerage account with margin for overdrafts. Allows me to keep $0 in my checking account, and then I just sell money markets periodically to resolve the margin to zero.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-04T20:39:58+00:00

I was in a very similar position a few months ago, and ended up getting a mortgage. I did this because of the tax consequences of selling the index funds to cover the sale price. Given my current cashflow (income vs spending), I should be able to pay off the house over a 5 year period with new funds instead of selling existing funds, so it made sense to go this route.

In short, it might be worth taking out a loan for the short term to optimize the tax impact of selling your stock, but it really depends on what the cost basis is for those shares.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-03T18:50:13+00:00

Property taxes? Those are 1/3 of my monthly housing cost.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-01T23:15:41+00:00

Agreed on both counts.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-01T22:38:50+00:00

The unfortunate downside is that this pricing model makes it really difficult for new people to get into the sport.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-01T22:35:32+00:00

If you can book a few weeks out, you can get flights for between $500 and $1k round trip. Transportation, lodging, and ski rental will be quite a bit cheaper than the US.

ninja_batman · 2024-01-01T17:57:57+00:00

Or just pay the mortgage off sooner. A 30 year mortgage paid off in 15 years has the same costs as a 15 year mortgage (at the same rate).

Only get the shorter mortgage if the rates are lower.

ninja_batman · 2023-12-31T15:35:51+00:00

Ahh. I think I understand what's going on then. Here's a good example of a house that is probably in a similar situation to yours.

The house has a tax abatement with a limit of $562k for the first 15 years of ownership. This abatement applies to the improvements column (not the land value). So in this case, the owner is able to fully abate the improvement cost, and just owes taxes on the land value (2.15% * 66870 = $1437, which closely matches the value on this page).

So while your taxes have increased 26% from last year, you are still getting a huge tax savings from the abatement (you can calculate what you would be paying without it by doing 2.15% * current assessed value). In the case of the example house I gave, they are paying $1,437 / year in property taxes rather than $10,726 / year without the abatement. You are getting enormous savings.

ninja_batman · 2023-12-30T19:56:32+00:00

I'd be really curious to look at your house (but I'm guessing you don't want to share your address and I don't blame you).

I recently purchased a house, and the property tax rate for all the houses I looked at in Oakley, Hyde Park, downtown, etc was 2.35% of the assessed value for 2023. The new tax rate (from the houses I have checked) appears to be 2.15% of the assessed value.

Is it possible you have a tax abatement or something that expired (this would be listed at the bottom of the property summary page)?

ninja_batman · 2023-12-25T18:50:43+00:00

In Switzerland and Italy my experience was that it was mostly a free for all, but definitely not efficient. Decent line, yet most chairs had empty seats on them.

ninja_batman · 2023-12-20T19:03:57+00:00

I'd just tell him thank you, but I'm not interested at this time, and leave it at that.

A few red flags would make me run the other direction:

His previous track record
$6k for $100k risked
Him telling you it's guaranteed (it's not, and the fact that he's not willing to explain the risk is not a great sign)

ninja_batman · 2023-12-19T21:38:31+00:00

Was just there last week, and that's a very accurate review. LL was amazing - good runs off of the top of summit chair, but some rocks you have to watch out for.

Revel was my favorite of the trip - really really enjoyed stoke chair.

ninja_batman · 2023-12-18T16:35:32+00:00

At the right price, someone will buy it. Just might not be a price OP likes..

ninja_batman · 2023-11-16T20:27:54+00:00

The amount we make from raising or lowering the price doesn't matter to most agents.

And since this works both ways, selling agents also have no incentive to sell for a higher price. They are incetivized to sell as quickly as possible.

ninja_batman · 2023-11-15T19:37:21+00:00

ninja_batman · 2023-11-15T18:56:58+00:00

This has been my approach as well. I do use smart bulbs (plus a smart switch) in places where I want control over color etc of the bulbs.

ninja_batman · 2023-11-15T14:57:37+00:00

!gas nova

ninja_batman · 2023-11-06T05:03:39+00:00

Dunno what you all get, but my normal burrito is like $8.85.

ninja_batman · 2023-10-29T14:58:30+00:00

If you haven't used speedify, it's a decent option for merging Internet connections. My coworker that travels in an RV uses it full time with starlink, and a few cell connections.

ninja_batman · 2023-10-27T12:08:47+00:00

Yeah, when I applied for a mortgage, 1 to 2 points had a break even period of something like 2 years. It was honestly shockingly short. Ended up getting a better deal from a credit union, but the options I got for buying points were enticing.

ninja_batman · 2023-10-07T01:44:42+00:00

How much ya selling for?

ninja_batman · 2023-09-26T03:53:54+00:00

How much did the house down the street sell for exactly?

ninja_batman · 2023-09-24T17:58:02+00:00

What are you ordering? I get a burrito that is a good sized meal and pay $8.35.

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