Search found 21 matches

by MaiPenRai
Sun Feb 22, 2004 12:23 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Home Appreciation Rates
Replies: 13
Views: 20712

That doesn't surprise me. Las Vegas is always on top of those "fastest growing cities" lists.

It's funny because everytime I drive there (from Phoenix) I pass more suburbs. They'll probably be building them with Hoover Dam views pretty soon.
by MaiPenRai
Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:44 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Home Appreciation Rates
Replies: 13
Views: 20712

I think Asheville's got room for continued growth. I believe one of the large scale migration trends is indeed to the SE and SW. Cities like Pittsburgh are actually shrinking (at least I think that's one of them) and although places like Atlanta are mentioned more often as destinatinos it's suppose...
by MaiPenRai
Sat Jan 03, 2004 5:41 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Home Appreciation Rates
Replies: 13
Views: 20712

When I've got a chance I'd like to dig into this a little, because using MSAs like "Phoenix" or "Boston" just doesn't give the granularity one needs. Boston numbers are up, but from previous articles I've seen areas like Worcester (what do they call it wooster?) have been absolut...
by MaiPenRai
Fri Jan 02, 2004 6:57 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Home Appreciation Rates
Replies: 13
Views: 20712

Egads: Phoenix AZ $210,161 12.4% 55.0% 80.8% Appreciation is great but this makes me worry about a big popping sound someday in the future. The newspaper here says continued strong migration into the state (I mean legal, interstate migration ;) ) are helping us not be a bubble risk, but no way we ca...
by MaiPenRai
Sun Nov 30, 2003 4:36 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: FI or RE
Replies: 12
Views: 18311

Isn't FI a precondition to ER?

I mean how you can one choose ER instead of FI since it implies having that state satisfied as well to enable ER?
by MaiPenRai
Tue Nov 11, 2003 3:31 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Hocus not allowed to post here?
Replies: 16
Views: 20906

I never participated in the post wars surrounding hocus and others, nor have I really taken the time to read enough of them to decide who's right or wrong or whether it was past that being the point.

I will say that I suspect the storage requirements of ElSupremo's server just went down by a lot.
by MaiPenRai
Sun Oct 19, 2003 8:19 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Are you on track to retire rich?
Replies: 34
Views: 29400

The word "rich" is such a relative term too. Retiree #1 - Retires with two million bucks in Manhattan because he loves the vibrancy of the city, especially near NYU. Yes, he wants to keep (and park) his car. Retiree #2 - An extremist version of wanderer who retires in Goa, India with $200k...
by MaiPenRai
Tue Oct 07, 2003 1:57 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Buying Private Health Insurance
Replies: 16
Views: 19558

and heaven forbid you've got a pre-existing, it'd be an anchor on fire plans
by MaiPenRai
Wed Sep 03, 2003 10:54 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Personal inflation vs. reported inflation
Replies: 6
Views: 7783

I suspect that for many in my age group two of the larger areas of our spending pie are relatively immune from a CPI:

mortgage payment (- tax/ins)
student loans

The payments get smaller relative to income over time, wage stagnation of late aside.
by MaiPenRai
Wed Sep 03, 2003 6:43 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Rent Versus Buy
Replies: 11
Views: 10848

My annual mortgage payments are cheaper than the taxes on a particular $600,000 house I saw a few days ago. All I could think about was- "you fools". I get the "you fools" feeling a lot when I see people in hummers. Here in suburbs of Phoenix they've become quite trendy... young...
by MaiPenRai
Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:15 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: working longer and working in retirement
Replies: 2
Views: 4897

As fast as the median age in many Euro countries is rising there's little doubt something has to give. Maybe lower pensions, maybe working until 70, maybe more generous immigration policies, but it's got to be something. They'll be to the point of a retiree picking which worker supports them before ...
by MaiPenRai
Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:12 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Rent Versus Buy
Replies: 11
Views: 10848

I agree. Every way I do the math on renting versus buying it's not even close... and it seems the only way to come out behind when buying is very short rental periods, even when counting big expenses in the first five years like a new air conditioner, termites, etc. As mentioned, it seem many of the...
by MaiPenRai
Tue Sep 02, 2003 3:05 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

remember my travelling companion looking up from her club sandwich in a fancy Istanbul hotel and saying, in a surprised and disappointed tone, "This isn't particularly good." We once ordered a "western style" breakfast of sausage and eggs at a small restaurant in Mae Hong Son. T...
by MaiPenRai
Sat Aug 30, 2003 5:26 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

Yes, that part kinda sucks. You can do three months at a time. You can get a 60 day tourist visa then a 30 day extension, for a total three month jam. After that you have to make a visa run... in the North it's usually to Laos, in the East to Laos or Cambodia, and in the South to Malaysia. One night...
by MaiPenRai
Sat Aug 30, 2003 7:39 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

Thanks wanderer but I'm not as learned in finances as everyone else here so I just kind of follow along most threads trying to keep up and understand. P/E what? Bernstein who? How many pillars? Are they doric, ionic, or corinthian?
by MaiPenRai
Fri Aug 29, 2003 7:23 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

I'd have to disagree. Housing - You can rent a nice furnished house for around $300-$400 month. We're not talking in the middle of nowhere, run-down, or in a slum... we're talking a pretty cool house. Example: http://www25.brinkster.com/cmhome/other/B002.html That's about $365 USD for 3 bedrooms,3 b...
by MaiPenRai
Thu Aug 28, 2003 10:29 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

I hear so much good about chiang mai. One of the funniest things about Chiang Mai is the welcome sign at the airport. Here's a picture we took of it: That's not quite as good as this sign we found in Bangkok: As long as the regulations are clearly stated there shouldn't be any problems right? :wink:
by MaiPenRai
Thu Aug 28, 2003 7:04 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: Wharton: How Much Money Will You Need for Retirement?
Replies: 47
Views: 34217

Speaking of Wanderer: http://www.chiangmaimall.com/expats/retirement3.shtml

:D

Those are actually estimates for some good living, we've scouted some nice rental homes for closer to $300/month and out estimates for cost of living usually run around $750-$900 for the two of us.
by MaiPenRai
Thu Jul 24, 2003 6:38 am
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: How are you gonna implement whatever safe withdrawal rate?
Replies: 41
Views: 31170

I've not been, but sure want to go now. To think I was impressed with a snake farm and $5 hour foot massage....
by MaiPenRai
Wed Jul 23, 2003 2:20 pm
Forum: FIRE Board
Topic: 2nd change of subject/pace: Mortgages
Replies: 14
Views: 11026

My wife and I are under the following plan: 1. Maxed out 401k/457. We live way under our means and are planning on retiring overseas at an even lower cost of living. We reason the money we're not getting taxed on at high rate will almost certainly fall under standard deduction and low rates on withd...