Search found 82 matches

by SteveGo
Mon Apr 07, 2014 12:35 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: IB removes min 10 USD charge for >100K accounts
Replies: 9
Views: 5970

Re: IB removes min 10 USD charge for >100K accounts

You can set up TWS to ask for a confirmation before transmitting the order. In fact, I believe that is the default setting, which you have to decide to turn off. Back when I played with option spreads, I turned it off, since I was trading multiple times a day. If I made a mis-trade, I just reversed ...
by SteveGo
Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:47 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: IB removes min 10 USD charge for >100K accounts
Replies: 9
Views: 5970

Re: IB removes min 10 USD charge for >100K accounts

There is still a minimum $10 monthly market data charge, if you do less than $30 in trade commissions. This is for the normal non-pro market data, which does not include real time bond prices or options. You can turn the market data off for the months you are not trading in the account. I believe th...
by SteveGo
Sun Mar 16, 2014 8:48 am
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Redemption fee of Vanguard LT treasuries?
Replies: 6
Views: 4779

Re: Redemption fee of Vanguard LT treasuries?

Sorry if I used the wrong word. Texan is my native language  ;) There were no commissions, fees or other charges on the redemption of 2 Treasuries I sold within the last 2 weeks. All of those items showed as $0.00 on the detailed transaction history. Munis, commercial, and mortgage backed bonds have...
by SteveGo
Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:41 am
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Redemption fee of Vanguard LT treasuries?
Replies: 6
Views: 4779

Re: Redemption fee of Vanguard LT treasuries?

I have sold Treasuries on Vanguard. No commission. They hide it in the spread, like most other brokers. There is no explicit $100 commission.
by SteveGo
Sat Mar 15, 2014 10:39 am
Forum: Bonds
Topic: Buying bonds online with IB and Fidelity
Replies: 3
Views: 3012

Re: Buying bonds online with IB and Fidelity

I have never had to wait for more than a minute or so. It is slower than an equity transaction. Have you turned on the Bond Market Data? If you are not getting real-time prices, you may not have set your order limit at an executable price. The Bond Market data costs $1 per month, but you can turn it...
by SteveGo
Mon Mar 03, 2014 12:49 pm
Forum: Cash
Topic: SHV vs. Cash, I am sure this has been covered 1000 times
Replies: 1
Views: 3426

Re: SHV vs. Cash, I am sure this has been covered 1000 times

If by "IB" you mean Interactive Brokers, you can by any marketable US Treasury there. I have done it. The bid ask spread is at the market, and the commission is small, $5-$10. One idea would be to construct a short term ladder with bills and notes. That is what I am doing. If you were not talking ab...
by SteveGo
Mon Feb 10, 2014 4:15 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize
Replies: 6
Views: 4053

Re: Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize

The garage end of the house has settled. The house is on sloped ground. The foundation is a post-stressed slab, and in good shape elsewhere. My own feeling is that if you go ahead and fix the big things, then you are in a better position to resist downward pressure on the price. When prospects see a...
by SteveGo
Mon Feb 10, 2014 11:53 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize
Replies: 6
Views: 4053

Re: Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize

No, it would not wipe out my emergency funds.
by SteveGo
Mon Feb 10, 2014 10:33 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize
Replies: 6
Views: 4053

Advice on how to finance home repairs to downsize

I am (mostly) retired. I would like to downsize in the next few years, from our 2 story 3500 sq ft home to something more suitable for an aging couple. I am looking at foundation, roofing, and HVAC repairs to get the house ready to sell. These costs will be on the order of $30,000. We live off of So...
by SteveGo
Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:32 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Does a New Credit Card Hurt One's Credit Score?
Replies: 10
Views: 7784

Re: Does a New Credit Card Hurt One's Credit Score?

Tortoise, Do you have some sort agreement with your bank that ties your credit card that requires you to keep a deposit account open as well? I haven't heard of such a thing before. I have personal checking accounts with Schwab Bank, plus a local bank that ranks very well in the bank safety ratings....
by SteveGo
Tue Nov 12, 2013 9:22 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Update on Chromebook
Replies: 14
Views: 9661

Re: Update on Chromebook

Right after I bragged here about getting a free Chromebook from Google, it quit working. My old Dell Inspiron 9400 (beast) has become unreliable, so I needed some type of laptop to replace these. I settled on a new MacBook Pro. So far I am very happy with the choice. It is a little larger than the C...
by SteveGo
Sat Oct 19, 2013 12:51 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Update on Chromebook
Replies: 14
Views: 9661

Re: Update on Chromebook

I got a chromebook prototype (CR48) for free from Google. Before they rolled out the product they shipped out a few hundred to people who asked for them, in a kind of lottery.  I remember filling out a questionnaire, and the final question was, "Why should you be one of the people given this opportu...
by SteveGo
Wed Oct 02, 2013 8:01 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: help!
Replies: 5
Views: 2474

Re: help!

Given:
18.5 (10-n) / n = 18.5

Divide both sides by 18.5:
(10-n) / n = 1

Multiply both sides by n:
(10-n) = n

Add n to both sides:
10 = n+n, or
10 = 2 * n

Divide both sides by 2:
5 = n
by SteveGo
Wed Oct 02, 2013 5:06 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Any HB-like podcasts
Replies: 7
Views: 4115

Re: Any HB-like podcasts

I enjoy the Freakonomics Radio podcasts, and the Planet Money podcasts.

There are some sporadic podcasts from Tim Harford, the latest being Pop-Up Ideas.

All of these are free on iTunes.

There is little to no politics in these, at least for the time I have been listening.
by SteveGo
Wed Sep 04, 2013 11:46 am
Forum: Gold
Topic: Goldmart Password Storage
Replies: 6
Views: 3987

Re: Goldmart Password Storage

It does not bother me. When I get such emails, such as from a "lost password reset" or the opening of a new account, I immediately go in and change the password. I could not find the email they sent me when I first opened an account, but if it contained a password, I am sure I changed it to somethin...
by SteveGo
Sun Feb 17, 2013 5:59 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Primer
Replies: 18
Views: 6540

Re: Primer

That movie was made in North Dallas. The Richardson Public library, and UTD feature prominently in location shots. I recently watched it again. Some of the fan-folk have constructed complex charts and graphs of all the different time lines. It provides a much more satisfying treatment of closed time...
by SteveGo
Mon Nov 05, 2012 5:03 pm
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: To Check or Not to Check, That is the Question!
Replies: 8
Views: 4752

Re: To Check or Not to Check, That is the Question!

Once a month, after the market closes at the end of the month. I already made my decision about the PP, so I am just recording the data...
by SteveGo
Thu Sep 06, 2012 1:13 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Atlas Shrugged Part II
Replies: 9
Views: 3039

Re: Atlas Shrugged Part II

I am reminded of the most recent Jack in the Box Commercial, wherein his "SO" spells out "NONOOKIE" in response to his nonsensical word play. That is the way Ayn Rand worked with disagreement. Alan Greenspan himself was "denied" when he wanted something special from her, after a disagreement. She wo...
by SteveGo
Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:28 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Stand-Up Desks
Replies: 50
Views: 20750

Re: Stand-Up Desks

I have several computers. I operate a software business, and am a geek anyway. I have my Mac Mini set up at a standing desk, and my other main Windows PC set up at a sit down workstation. I can easily do anything I want from either system, since I can remotely access all these computers from each ot...
by SteveGo
Sun Aug 26, 2012 10:24 am
Forum: Permanent Portfolio Discussion
Topic: Vanguard Fees
Replies: 16
Views: 7777

Re: Vanguard Fees

877-662-7447
by SteveGo
Sat Aug 25, 2012 6:17 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Neil Armstrong, He ran out of heartbeats
Replies: 5
Views: 2341

Neil Armstrong, He ran out of heartbeats

In 1969, I was a very young married man. My wife and I were making out on the couch while Neil landed on the moon. It was a very good day. I remember Walter Cronkite talking about Neil's disdain for the aerobic training the astronauts were made to do back then. He said, "I only have so many heartbea...
by SteveGo
Mon Jul 30, 2012 5:09 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Putting a timer on your router and modem
Replies: 9
Views: 5780

Re: Putting a timer on your router and modem

I think I would look at your signal quality and such at the modem. You may be suffering from a deteriorating connection on your cable. I had a similar problem, and the cable technician found a loose connector on the cable run coming into the house. Once that was repaired things got much better. Most...
by SteveGo
Mon Jul 30, 2012 4:58 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Happy Birthday Dr. Friedman
Replies: 3
Views: 2831

Happy Birthday Dr. Friedman

July 31, 2012 marks the 100th birth date of Milton Friedman. I remember his television series and book, "Free to Choose," as a brilliant tutorial on free market economics. If you go and watch some of his lectures and other videos, you find someone who can speak to you in such a way to make plain and...
by SteveGo
Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:01 pm
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: "The problem is, choice can be a terrible thing."
Replies: 27
Views: 10916

Re: "The problem is, choice can be a terrible thing."

+1, LW As to software, which I have been selling for quite a little while: my customers appreciate the simple interface, with defaults. If they want to change them, they can, assuming they read the help file. I think software these days is much better, much more bug free, and much easier to use. Hey...
by SteveGo
Tue Jul 10, 2012 9:34 am
Forum: Other Discussions
Topic: Cheaper smartphone plans
Replies: 12
Views: 7001

Re: Cheaper smartphone plans

I use the t-mobil pay as you go plan. You buy minutes, they last for a year after you have spent a few $$ with them. Their phones are GSM, meaning they have SIM cards. You can buy a tmobile phone, or an unlocked phone (that is set up to work with t-mobil). My wife wanted a smart phone, so I bought a...