Okay, if it is only audio it's a lot less expensive.  Although it still seems like a waste unless you've already got some targets picked out.  Most of what people say has no strategic value. That's very true, but how do you know you're not a target at any given moment? I have a Chromebook that only...

That's a relief. I still hadn't seen anything about it and thought it odd, but then I'm not allowed to listen to MMM since it makes me crazy. Thanks for the update Storm.

Am I right in thinking this still hasn't been fixed? The only info I can find is articles from last year saying that of course it will get fixed like it always does or recent articles about how the change will slow down everyone's refunds. Hello! What refunds? An extra 28+ million middle class peopl...

First! :D Mine just arrived. I'll get out my red pen while I verify the proofreading. :P Thanks guys. I'm happy to be able to recommend your book now when explaining the PP. Much better than just telling people to read the forum by some random guys on the interweb. Unfortunately many people still ne...

craigr wrote: I'd rather see the company operating it outside the US. Any company with lots of assets and business inside the US is open to pressure to do things that may not be in the customer's interests.

Good point, Craig. More food for thought.

So has anyone here opened an account with Hard Assets Alliance? I'm considering it with international storage to diversify geographically even though the account is in the US. Any thoughts? Not sure if this really qualifies as international diversification. MT or Craig? While I agree that it may no...

So has anyone here opened an account with Hard Assets Alliance?

I'm considering it with international storage to diversify geographically even though the account is in the US.

Any thoughts?

My favorite stock OLN is 29% ammo. I also have some options on ATK (with an open sell order that may or may not have filled today) since I wouldn't mind owning the stock. If you're really speculating on the zombie apocalypse or election stuff I'd go with what Pointedstick suggested. I really don't t...

One of the worst financial articles I've ever read. It's almost as if he's angry and misrepresenting the PP on purpose. Maybe "Robert Platt Bell" is an alias for boglehead Taylor Livermore who killed the original PP thread? ;-) Speaking of free information by the people and for the people...

For the deflationists: what do you make of the fact that prices aren't actually falling but rising ?  For the inflationists:  what to make of record low yields on LT bonds ? Great questions.  I wonder the same things. Everything has a price, including safety. In this case, I think what we might be ...

Talk about a creature from Jekyyl Island...  That's what I zeroed in on as well. Of course he hates gold! :D I suppose the attack on Craig is a good reminder of what can happen when you become a famous (or soon to be) writer. I suppose he's a bit jealous that his "Make a million in real estate...

If gold dropped to $0 or even to $1000 I'd be backing up the truck with my VP and rebalancing the PP. 8) If only. :P I always keep track of the portfolio in both dollars and gold so it's almost always going up one way or the other. If the price of gold fell I would feel like I'm getting ahead. It is...

I agree with AdamA about just getting as close as you can to start with. While the .50 ER index fund may not be ideal, it's really not the worst problem when it comes to these retirement accounts. I would use that for the stock portion. Like Adam said, if there's a money market option in the TIAA go...

I upgraded from Ryobi to a Hitachi with lithium batteries. I love it. It's got good battery life and very lightweight, yet sturdy. I still have a couple of different Ryobi models, but they're not going to get any more use unless I'm doing something that may damage them. 8) I haven't used the Hitachi...

MediumTex wrote: RIMM reminds me of PALM a little more every day.

Thanks for reminding me. I was a PALM fanboy who kept thinking the stock must go back up  (even bought on the way down). I think I must have blacked out that memory for years.

What do you mean dangerous? Every stairwell and deck there seems to have handrails. That's an awesome pic. I suppose the only real danger might be earthquakes.

I think the beauty of Wiggin's suggestion to try and tweak the PP is that it not only engages his readers but forces people to think about why it works and what situations it may not be right for. That is essentially what much of this forum is about. People make up scenarios where they think the PP ...

MediumTex wrote: Even if a bulletproof vest made a lovely headwrap or sarong, I think you would still want to be cautious about modifying its application in this way.

I love this. You may have outdone yourself here. I really hope that the book includes a generous dose of MT analogies.

I don't think there are pragmatic reasons to do this for anyone that has access to treasuries or treasury funds. I have "moral reservations" regarding US treasuries. It would be almost impossible not to when you see how the government spends money. >:( Part of the beauty of the HBPP is tha...

Contrast the above scenario with the PP, which had the following returns in the 1975-1983 period: 1975: 8.3% 1976: 12.2% 1977: 5.6% 1978: 12.1% 1979: 42.1% 1980: 13.4% 1981: (3.9%) 1982: 23.3% 1983: 4.2% Over this 9 year period the PP averaged 13.03% in nominal returns, and with inflation at 8.17%,...

heh! I logged on mainly to post this. That is a great quote. He really puts the current risk situation into perspective. I've seen people analyzing how that can squeeze another fraction of a percent by taking on vastly more risk in a bond fund. A week ago I would have commented on how silly it is fo...

RE life in the 1970s, doesn't this just look like a window into an existence that is less self-conscious and distracted than ours: http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/46615000/jpg/_46615138_4--family-by-stairs.jpg (You may recognize one or more of the people in this photo.) I was thinking about w...

Since the deductible is now $50k I'm seriously considering just investing in earthquake straps for the house and planning on losing $100-150k (total loss of the house) in a worst case scenario situation. Maybe the PP has changed my thinking, but I think we could weather the loss of 15-25% of assets...

That $12k cuts this year's modified AGI to 70,663 just barely getting us into the 15% bracket (using $3k from capital loss carryover). We may modify it a bit later in the year if things seem to be changing or we're cutting it to close. Right now there's only $37 keeping us from going over (70,700 is...

Near Big Bend National Park? I may have to look into this. I loved that area on the trips I've been there. I was fortunate enough to see the Yucca blooming there. As for the RV idea I think I've pretty much come full circle on my ideas. Growing up poor living in a trailer park was the last thing I e...