Does relaxing in bed before going to sleep count against 1 & 4? Assume that I’ve chosen to get into bed at 9pm to read for an hour and a half before my target bedtime of 10:30pm. If relaxing in bed doesn’t count, then I pass 1 & 4 almost every night. I pass 3 most of the time, unless I’m really anxious about…

With a house, you can also cash out tax free assuming that you’ve owned it and lived in it for a certain amount of time. With cars, there is no such provision. With the buy-back, I would imagine that if you pay, say, 10K for one of the affected cars and they buy it back at 12K plus the restitution money, then your…

I’m really looking forward to 2019-2020 when these things start showing up used for pennies on the dollar. You can buy older Volts with less than 50K miles on them for 60+% off of original price (after factoring in the tax credit). I imagine the Bolt will offer the same value in a used vehicle.

I like the fact that you can turn it off on the Bolt. If you can’t get used to it, just turn it off for awhile (or leave it off) instead of having the car drive you crazy.

It is ExxonMobil (no trailing “e”)

I DRINK YOUR MILKSHAKE!

Wal-Mart has a purpose... when it is 10PM and I need a larger slip joint wrench to put together the toilet I took apart 6 hours ago for a 30 minute job and Home Depot and Lowes are both closed and my wife is angry, then I’m happy to call myself a Wal-Mart shopper.

The other main difference is who Tom is working for. If I hire Tom, I’m the person who is paying him. He works for me. If I go to CarSaver at Wal-Mart, they are getting paid by the dealer. Sure, they will try to get me into the car I specify, but in reality they are just a convenience service for the consumer. …

A car will lose ~50% of its value after ~5 years (depends on make and model... luxury cars are far worse). So, in your example the used car would cost $15K after 5 years. Keeping it another 10 years would cost $1.5K per year. Google “car depreciation curves” for images. You’ll see that people have put together the…

The math here is correct, however there is another thing you are missing. If you invest in a Roth, you are using dollars you’ve paid the highest marginal tax rate on. If you invest in a traditional 401K or IRA, then in retirement, each dollar you use should be thought of as being taxed at your average tax rate.

This is an excellent point. A Roth 401K or IRA allows you to effectively save more money than a traditional investment by paying the taxes on it up front.

I’ve received one upgrade to business. I flew Singapore Airlines from Houston to Singapore round trip 5 times, plus one way once over the course of 9 months, so I reached their second highest tier (PPS club) with room to spare. My family and I were flying from Singapore to Bali, and economy was over sold, so I…

We are already in that phase as a nation. We’ve been there for awhile now, and it is getting worse. That is how we end up with Obama as president with a Republican House and Senate. The divide is mid-West vs coasts, mega cities vs smaller towns, religious right against everyone else, open mind vs close mind. I…

I’m on an expat assignment in Singapore, and tipping is not customary here. No tipping in restaurants. No tipping in taxis. And no tipping delivery drivers. You order food, you pay for the food and delivery fee online. The driver shows up and hands you said food. You go inside and eat. It is awesome.

In the US, frequently there is no option to buy E10 vs no ethanol. In non-VOC attainment areas (major cities), E10 is mandatory as it helps reduce the VOC emissions, which contribute to ozone pollution. Ethanol is an oxygenate which helps ensure complete combustion. In farm country, E10 is often mandated by law…

It is pretty clear to me that the other driver was actively trying to get you to rear end him for an insurance claim. Either that or he/she was a complete asshat who decided to single you out and antagonize you.

Wow, OK, good to know... never get divorced in IL.

Well, if I an get one of those new mini NES consoles, maybe I’ll stock up on cereal, milk, & mac and cheese, take a week off of work, and challenge myself to beat the game. I’ll have to turn off the internet, of course.

I’m not certain that my mom (72) could finish Legend of Zelda in one week if my life depended on it (and I’m an only child). I think my dad (76) could do it with if you gave him some paper and a pencil to write out the map. That game is TOUGH without a map and a hint guide.

People don’t like gasoline, diesel, natural gas, or batteries... OK, so what is the alternative? Want to get a job on a farm plowing the fields with an ox? Because that is the alternative.