Search found 2066 matches

by Tyler
Thu Mar 22, 2012 11:11 am
Forum: Variable Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Damn Bankers - Ruining it for everyone
Replies: 28
Views: 13102

Re: Damn Bankers - Ruining it for everyone

Think about what the average person is monitoring: 1. Email traffic 2. Text message traffic 3. Cell phone traffic 4. Home phone traffic 5. Office phone traffic 6. Facebook traffic 7. News feed (i.e., entertainment masquerading as news) 8. Market data feed (i.e., investments) 9. Financial data feed ...
by Tyler
Mon Mar 19, 2012 7:19 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Love What You Do
Replies: 45
Views: 20686

Re: Love What You Do

Here's an interesting alternative viewpoint. http://blogmaverick.com/2012/03/18/dont-follow-your-passion-follow-your-effort/ Not sure I agree totally, as I don't see this as an either/or scenario.  You can still pick what you like and work hard at it. But he makes a good point about the value of har...
by Tyler
Sat Mar 17, 2012 8:31 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: Setting Up a Bond Ladder
Replies: 3
Views: 4292

Setting Up a Bond Ladder

So the treasury buying tutorial in the Bonds section is awesome and helped convince me how easy it is to hold LT bonds directly through Fidelity. I'm considering doing the same with my cash by building a 1-3 year treasury ladder.  However, I personally need something "automatic" that doesn't require...
by Tyler
Wed Mar 14, 2012 8:52 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Love What You Do
Replies: 45
Views: 20686

Re: Love What You Do

"Save a lot of money in case you ever want to quit.  Even if you don't, you'll probably enjoy the job more knowing you could walk if you wanted to." That's good advice.  "Love what you do" still usually fundamentally assumes that you're plugged into the matrix of needing to work a full time job for ...
by Tyler
Wed Mar 14, 2012 6:04 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Love What You Do
Replies: 45
Views: 20686

Re: Love What You Do

I've struggled with this myself. Here are a few personal thoughts and observations: 1) Certain personality types (I'm an INTP) thrive on challenges and become unhappy when they feel they've conquered something even if the work is something they enjoy. The trick is to find new challenges to keep your...
by Tyler
Sat Mar 03, 2012 2:01 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: PERM etf / Browne PP gets a write up - A for innovation B- for strategy
Replies: 34
Views: 17180

Re: PERM etf / Browne PP gets a write up - A for innovation B- for strategy

I've found that when it comes to money, most people are brainwashed into a single way of viewing the world. - You take out a bunch of debt to go to college. - You get a full time job, and pour your life into maximizing income. - You buy as large of a house as your lender will allow, and drive a nice...
by Tyler
Wed Feb 29, 2012 12:27 pm
Forum: Gold
Topic: LOOK OUT BELOW!
Replies: 16
Views: 7565

Re: LOOK OUT BELOW!

I'm actually kinda excited.  I needed to buy gold this week for my portfolio, and it just got a lot cheaper.  I'll probably put in my order today.
by Tyler
Sat Feb 25, 2012 1:29 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: HB Fans and Meyers-Briggs Personality Types
Replies: 55
Views: 34217

Re: HB Fans and Meyers-Briggs Personality Types

I'm pretty strongly INTP.  Sometimes the summary descriptions read like horoscopes, but it seems to describe me pretty well.
by Tyler
Fri Feb 24, 2012 12:13 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: The Mayan Lord of Creation and 2012
Replies: 8
Views: 3075

Re: The Mayan Lord of Creation and 2012

From what I've read, the Mayan calendar end date is pretty straightforward.  The most reasonable theory I've seen is that they were phenomenal astronomers, and figured out the concept of orbital precession (where the axis of the earth wobbles over a very long time period).  December 12th, 2012 is wh...
by Tyler
Mon Feb 20, 2012 4:15 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Jumping in the deep end of the pool...
Replies: 27
Views: 13638

Re: Jumping in the deep end of the pool...

I jumped into the PP in full force around September of last year.  The market was crazy as hell, so of course my natural instinct (bred from years of needing to worry about that type of stuff) was to check every day.  In a way, that was the best time to be checking constantly, as it very quickly dem...
by Tyler
Thu Feb 16, 2012 5:57 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Renting to get Rich
Replies: 15
Views: 5299

Re: Renting to get Rich

Once you account for property tax, insurance, and upkeep expenses, I would have to pay 50-60% more a month (using a 30 year mortgage) to purchase the exact same house I currently rent in the Bay Area. The tax deduction would help, but not enough to make sense.  Sure, houses here can make you good mo...
by Tyler
Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:20 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Rebalancing with new money
Replies: 10
Views: 4915

Re: Rebalancing with new money

Personally, I've been taking a hybrid approach -- letting new cash accumulate in a checking account  (or the sweep MM account in my 401k) until it hits about 10k, and then topping off my four assets to make them even each time (or closer than they were, at least).  That way I'm keeping fees low, avo...
by Tyler
Tue Feb 07, 2012 7:23 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: An Iranian EMP
Replies: 67
Views: 25666

Re: An Iranian EMP

So I'm not an expert on Iran or Islam, but here's the argument I've heard. Iran is a theocracy run by people who are not afraid to be annihilated because they believe that sacrificing themselves to start Armageddon (destroying Israel in the process) will initiate the prophetic emergence of the 12th ...
by Tyler
Thu Feb 02, 2012 11:07 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Diversifying One's Career
Replies: 11
Views: 5184

Re: Diversifying One's Career

Lol.  Just on a roll.  Better stop while I'm ahead.
by Tyler
Thu Feb 02, 2012 10:51 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Diversifying One's Career
Replies: 11
Views: 5184

Re: Diversifying One's Career

Well, the human brain doesn't allow broad index funds when it comes to skills.  At some point you do have to do some stock picking.  Just don't put all your money in one stock, and try not to marry yourself to one narrow industry if you can help it.  ;)
by Tyler
Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:29 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman) & Permanent Portfolio Investing Strategy
Replies: 18
Views: 11273

Re: Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman) & Permanent Portfolio Investing Strategy

I actually ran across Josh's blog post before I read Fail Safe Investing or discovered this forum.  It's one of the major things that turned me on to the PP in general. 
by Tyler
Thu Feb 02, 2012 1:22 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Diversifying One's Career
Replies: 11
Views: 5184

Re: Diversifying One's Career

Personally, I think diversifying your career is less about having multiple jobs than it is about having a diverse skillset within your area of expertise and minimizing your counter-party risk. Your skills are your personal portfolio.  You want to make sure your skills are diverse, properly balanced,...
by Tyler
Wed Feb 01, 2012 7:41 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Global Warming
Replies: 143
Views: 50444

Re: Global Warming

not endorsing, citing or claiming "truth" for the following article or its conclusions... just throwing it out as "gas" for the fire ;) http://pjmedia.com/zombie/2012/01/31/the-coming-of-the-new-ice-age-end-of-the-global-warming-era/?singlepage=true it is interesting that the same solutions were pr...
by Tyler
Mon Jan 30, 2012 11:00 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Global Warming
Replies: 143
Views: 50444

Re: Global Warming

1) I don't feel I belittled anything. I simply quantified the actual human contribution to the greenhouse effect so that we can put the discussion in the proper perspective.  Please read the link provided -- it's thorough and very insightful. 2) CO2 is not poison.  It is an essential trace gas requi...
by Tyler
Mon Jan 30, 2012 8:59 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Global Warming
Replies: 143
Views: 50444

Re: Global Warming

One thing often lost by people (scientists and non-scientists alike ) in the global warming discussion is scale. For example, it is absolutely true that CO2 is a greenhouse gas.  And it is also true that man-made CO2 has increased significantly since the industrial revolution. However, it is also ab...
by Tyler
Fri Jan 27, 2012 1:05 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Financial Advice to Friends
Replies: 37
Views: 12676

Re: Financial Advice to Friends

I'd lean towards Melveyr's advice. In general, I think you can rank the investment concepts to roll in as: 1) Save as much as possible, and max out your tax deferred savings. 2) Diversify your money across stocks, bonds, gold and cash.  Even in ETFs, this is light years safer than continuing whateve...
by Tyler
Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:01 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: PP straddled between taxable and tax-deferred accounts
Replies: 20
Views: 9534

Re: PP straddled between taxable and tax-deferred accounts

If all of the taxation possibilities are stressing you out, one healthy exercise is to figure out how much in taxes you're actually "sacrificing" by simply keeping separate 4x25 PPs and not worrying about it.  For me, it's in the ballpark of 0.15% of the total portfolio every year at current interes...
by Tyler
Wed Jan 25, 2012 12:45 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: PP straddled between taxable and tax-deferred accounts
Replies: 20
Views: 9534

Re: PP straddled between taxable and tax-deferred accounts

I struggled with the same issue, and it's a little more compounded for me as I plan to retire by 40-45 and am not a big fan of the idea of the taxable and non-taxable accounts being individually volatile (even if they even out when seen as a pair) as that complicates my ER years. You'll get some gre...
by Tyler
Sun Jan 22, 2012 3:43 pm
Forum: Variable Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Define "can afford to lose"
Replies: 6
Views: 3260

Re: Define "can afford to lose"

If the VP is supposed to be your outlet for wanting to juice your returns using your own personal insights, then for me that has nothing to do with investing.  ;) What I like most about the PP is that it allows me to spend all my mental energy on earning and saving more - activities I know are actua...