[earlyretirement]

[quote=flyer]With our coverage, we have very small co-pays, regardless of which medical group we choose–UCSD, Sharp, or Scripps (which is our favorite), or other.

Even if we choose a doctor or facility elsewhere, we’re still covered, and it has been our experience that all will bill you if you don’t pay the required co-pay up front. We’re so glad to have such great coverage, that we’re more than happy to meet that requirement.[/quote]

Which begs the question flyer, which provider/company do you use?

I didn’t know what to expect with Kaiser Permanente because I’ve never used an HMO before but I have to say so far in the past several years I’ve been happy. What I really like is how everything is so organized and they utilize the latest technology.

I like going online and being able to email my primary care physician (or even specialists that I’ve seen) and they typically email me back the same day. My primary care physician is AWESOME where he typically emails me back within minutes of when I email him.

Anytime I need a prescription, he just calls it in for me without me having to visit him first. If I have a question, I just email him and he answers. All my visit information is right there online. All my results from tests are right there.

When I get blood work it’s pretty amazing how they will send you an email as each result comes in. Seeing a specialist is typically pretty easy as well. I do have to drive out to San Marcos typically for specialist visits/MRI but that center there is nice and the physicians have all been friendly.

Don’t let my post give you the wrong idea. I’ve always been super healthy and spent decades paying for medical premiums and never used it. I’ve pretty much always owned my own companies so I essentially paid for my own insurance coverage for myself and my family which typically was/is expensive.

But I never used it myself until I moved to San Diego and used Kaiser.

One example is last year I had severe stomach pains. To the point where it would be daily. My primary care physician tried a few things but they never could solve it or figure it out. They had me do stool samples that nothing ever picked up.

So they referred me to a specialist in San Marcos where I had to do an endoscopy and colonoscopy (YUCK..my first time ever). They did a biopsy of my stomach and found I had something called H. Pylori. I guess something like 50% of the world has it but they don’t have symptoms. Mostly in underdeveloped or developing countries.

I do so much darn traveling that I picked it up on one of my travels. I was so happy once they got it figured out and solved it!

Another example is I have chronic neck pain from an accident when I was a kid. Constant migraines and about every 6 or 7 years for the past 2 decades I’ve been asking my doctors if there is anything that can solve it. Typically the answer is no.

Well, I met with a specialist and they had me do an MRI and they will do this surgery called Radio Frequency Ablation (RFA). Essentially burning the nerves. So I’ll do that here soon.

Hopefully all goes well. It was funny as I’m going in next week for a procedure and someone from Kaiser called me yesterday and was going through this list of questions including, “do you have a will, do you have advanced directives, etc. LOL. Needless to say I got a bit nervous after that list of questions…

But totally happy with Kaiser and it’s good to have the feeling of people that really care about you.

Any hoo….. if you don’t see any more posts from me after next week…. you know what happened… I’m just saying…

[earlyretirement]

[quote=UCGal]I’m pretty sure Kaiser Permanente will bill you, and hound you if you don’t pay at time of service.

It’s part of the negotiated rate for group insurance. My sister and I both have Kaiser. She has a $10 copay, mine is $20. Because they premiums and copays were negotiated by different employers.

I guess you could not pay it – but they could come after you for it. Perhaps your doctor decided the cost to bill is more than the copay… but if enough people do it – they’ll come after you.

Just curious – do you pay your deductible if you’re in a car accident and get your car repaired? Or is that optional also? Do you pay the full ask when you get a haircut – or do you pay a lesser amount and hope they don’t mind too much?[/quote]

Just not pay it? That’s cute.

Places like Kaiser you can’t even see the doctor until you have paid the fee before the visit. When you signed up for the health plan you agreed to certain fees via a fee schedule. Different types of visits have different co-pays.

Visits for specialists cost more than visits for primary care, etc. MRI or Chest X-ray might have a higher cost.

I have Kaiser Permanente and so far really happy with them. “Shake down fee”. Hmm…. maybe next week when I have a procedure done I’ll tell them I don’t want to pay my co-pay and see what happens. LOL.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=6packscaredy]i am less beautiful than average, but more lean and muscled. I am also funnier than the average person.

I am not confident i could make 3% returns on a pile of money over the next 3 years. i am pretty sure i could lose 30% or gain 30%, but i can’t promise which.[/quote]

Ha, ha. Funny. Hey, a good sense of humor is priceless I always say. That’s the problem as scaredy mentioned…. it would be fine and dandy if people were just aiming for that mythical 3%. The problem is most people don’t want that 3%. They want that 30%. Instead of just a move to first base, lots of people are going for grand slam home runs each time at the bat.

Or people do make home runs but then they lose it ALL. Lots of people like that as well. Watch this movie on Netflix. Fascinating.

http://movies.netflix.com/Movie/Revenge-of-the-Electric-Car/70184161

Guys like Elon are risk takers. See how close he came to his entire world crumbling…he lost almost his entire hundreds of millions of dollars of his Paypal fortune to start another. Watch the movie and see how close he came to losing it ALL. He was down to his last $2 million.

[quote=ocrenter]

The quarterly drilling does ultimately factor into my willingness to work. It really is the case of deminishing returns. Which actually works out for the family. :-)[/quote]

You nailed it OC. That’s why since moving to California I don’t have any big desire or motivation to take on any of these positions. I’d rather do consulting when I pick and choose vs. taking a big salary and getting the bulk of it paid in taxes. As you say, it sure works out for the family! More free time for them.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=ltsdd]

ER,
Most people on this board should be savvy enough to be able to get a return of 3% annually on their investments, no?[/quote]

ltsdd,

Most people should be savvy enough not to over leverage, spend above their means, or lose incredible amounts of money on speculative investments. But it still happens every day in San Diego from people that I would deem to be intelligent.

Like I said before, people think they are more savvy than they are. It’s just plain human nature. It’s not just in investments. It’s in real life as well. People think they are thinner than they are, more beautiful, nicer, polite, funnier. The problem is those other traits don’t affect you as much as people that mistakenly thing they are more savvy with finances.

Yes, any reasonable person would be able to make more than 3% a year but no guarantees in life. Again, this isn’t for everyone. You just have to crunch all the numbers and look at your personal situation and tax rate and any applicable exemptions and see what is right for you.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=CA renter]

Last one out’s a rotten egg!

In other words, if you have the money to pay them off, and plan to live in your house “indefinitely,” it’s probably wise to pay them now rather than later. Again, in some cases (like yours, ER), paying these bonds off is a complete no-brainer.[/quote]

Ha, ha. Bingo. Exactly CA renter. You guys don’t have MR up there…no? Nice not to have to think about? We’ll have to get together for a coffee or lunch again soon. Enjoyed our last visit.

[earlyretirement]

Also, I believe I posted this earlier in this epic thread but I’ll repost it as clueless included it in part of a message to me and I hope he/she posts more details about their CFD #99-1 experience.

This is what I think is in most CFD’s and probably how they will justify stopping to end CFD pre-pay offs in the future.

“Notwithstanding the foregoing, no prepayment will be allowed for Assessor’s Parcels eligible for prepayment pursuant to the first paragraph of this Section G (the above paragraph) or pursuant to the paragraph immediately above unless the amount of Annual Special Taxes that may be levied on Taxable Property, net of Administrative Expenses, shall be at least 1.1 times the regularly scheduled annual interest and principal payments on all currently outstanding Bonds in each future Fiscal Year and such prepayment will not impair the security of all currently outstanding Bonds, as reasonably determined by the Board.”

The key phrase I believe they will use is, “and such prepayment will not impair the security of all currently outstanding Bonds, as reasonably determined by the Board”.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=ocrenter]ER, a depressing read indeed!

Line 1 recommended taking standard deduction?! Just to avoid the AMT? For real??? Talk about the medicine being worse than the disease itself.

The best part was line 25: Intangible Drilling Costs!!! My CPA didn’t tell me about that loophole!!! I’m on the phone so he can submit that amendment STAT! :-)[/quote]

Yeah, it’s sad isn’t it ocr? Talk about a “parallel” universe! LOL. Yes, very very depressing.

Yes, the medicine is definitely worse than the disease itself but at least with the ATRA (American Taxpayer Relief Act) from 2012 there were some great changes including the index for inflation.

This AMT was intended for wealthy people but it was starting to affect people that clearly were NOT wealthy. So at least some changes were made last year with the indexing and also raising the exemptions. (Hey every little bit helps!).

In 2013 about 4 million people I believe will be estimated to pay about $26 BILLION in AMT. Without the modification of ATRA it would be something like 25 million Americans having to pay AMT! And over 50 million by 2025 or so.

So I guess things could be worse! You know the old saying…. “I could complain about my taxes but who would listen?”. LOL.

More positive read: http://www.taxpolicycenter.org/numbers/displayatab.cfm?DocID=3968

PS. ocr – there is usually drilling going on but it’s usually the IRS doing the “drilling” and I guess it’s not so “intangible”. It hurts me every time! LOL.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=ocrenter][quote=joec]

If you are very wealthy, it’s worth considering, but some downsides I see is that you would lose the tax break that everyone is taking when paying these yearly. The tax break is pretty big for high income folks (45%?) Another thing is the time value of money. $5000 30 years from now even if increased 2% a year is not the same as $5000 today which is worth a lot more.

[/quote]

People hitting that AMT yearly would not be able to deduct their property tax, including the MR. Judging by the income survey, that includes a lot of piggs.

This would all be exactly right and accurate if the government didn’t devise a way to allow for double taxation known as the AMT.[/quote]

LOL. Exactly. Darn AMT will get you every time! Your accountant can be skillful but no way some of us can find loopholes to avoid AMT!

Death and taxes and all….

A depressing read:

http://www.kiplinger.com/article/taxes/T056-C000-S001-how-can-i-avoid-the-amt.html

[quote=joec]

I think a lot of people don’t pay them off because, for 1, they don’t have the cash, 2) they rather just keep the cash themselves since no one knows what will happen and if they will stay in the home long term.

If you are very wealthy, it’s worth considering, but some downsides I see is that you would lose the tax break that everyone is taking when paying these yearly. The tax break is pretty big for high income folks (45%?) Another thing is the time value of money. $5000 30 years from now even if increased 2% a year is not the same as $5000 today which is worth a lot more.

There’s little to no inflation now (according to the fed, but tons of inflation in things like education/healthcare, etc…)…

That said, similar to a mortgage, the CFD could be worth a lot in saving high income people a lot of taxes and if inflation were to come back, the mortgage and the CFDs won’t be as bad in 20-40 years neither.

All that said, you really have to just do the math to see if it makes sense for your situation.

No plans to pay here since we don’t have the money and could use more funds for business instead.[/quote]

Joe,

Yep. Lots of people don’t pay them off because they don’t have the cash. True. But even if they have the cash, most people VASTLY over estimate their investment abilities. Most people I know think they are stock gurus and in an upmarket like now they think they are Warren Buffett Jr.! (A few years ago….um not so much).

I saw grown men need some Depends adult diapers during the financial collapse! LOL. I saw grown men weeping and scared at the amount of paper losses they had. So I’d say spare me the details of “I can easily GUARANTEE to double my money in X years”. Sorry but there is no such thing as guaranteed ROI with NO RISK for the most part.

As you mentioned, no it doesn’t make sense for everyone. You just have to look at your personal situation, how long you will stay in the property, etc.

Well, we already covered the AMT lesson so scratch your idea on that for a large % of the people that probably have the cash to pay it off to begin with. As OCrenter mentioned….we get raped in AMT.

But to be sure, paying it off isn’t for everyone. You just have to look at your individual situation. But in my experience, people will always find excuses why they shouldn’t pay them off. Typically mostly related to them thinking (or explaining to me) how they will make much better returns somewhere else. When I ask them if it’s GUARANTEED with NO risk…. well the answer is always no.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=FlyerInHi]I like Bernanke. He’s an academic who’s focused on doing his job and he doesn’t seek out the limelight.

Greenspan and Summers socialize too much with the fatcats, it seems.[/quote]

I’m blah on Bernanke. He was REALLY asleep at the wheel just before and during the crises, IMHO. I still remember him making bonehead comments at the start of the crises when it was clear that things would turn out VERY bad.

It’s almost as if he thought if he kept repeating that things would be ok they would. That he could somehow wish things to normalize and they would. LOL. He pretended that housing wasn’t going to get as bad as he clearly knew it would. That’s the main thing I have against him.

I spent several years strongly criticizing the guy. He should have been upfront and honest and not been in denial or at the very least not told people that things weren’t as bad as they were.

Read some of his past comments right before the crash and even after the crash happened. Just obscene some of the comments/thinking/denial.

Goldspan got too caught up on the image of “Goldspan”. His problem is he started getting a God complex and thought he was more important and knew more than he did. Seeing himself on CNBC almost gave him instant “wood” and he probably fantasized about watching himself with that stupid briefcase.

He plays a HUGE role in the blame for housing and didn’t do what he should have to reign in oversight and leverage. He let things turn into the monstrosities of mass destruction and kept fighting in the need to reign in that leverage.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=Hobie]Since they have a 15yr warrantee they probably are already prepping well, but be sure they grind ( lightly) the concrete and you might consider some kind of slip additive. ie: No slip when wet. If they include a clear coat as well you are getting a good value.[/quote]

Yeah, I figure with the 15 year warranty they are using quality products and taking care installing it. It was very clear that they are super competent and been doing these forever.

I’ve found through my experience doing tons of renovations and projects that the ones that will stand behind their product and service with a long warranty are doing it right. And the company has actually been around long enough where you know they will honor their product.

Paul was super. He measured the humidity all throughout the garage floor and explained everything well. They will put an additional barrier to protect against humidity damage from below. That’s where the other company said they get killed on warranties and why they only offer the 1 year warranty.

That’s one reason I think mine costs a bit more. The humidity level in the front of my garage was high. So they have to put some more waterproofing material in.

I noticed when I bought my house a few years ago the previous owner was watering the side of the house too much. They had NO business watering the side of the house to the extent they were doing. As soon as I bought the house I immediately capped the sprinkler heads at both sides of the house.

Apparently, there was a bit of water under there and Paul said that it can take up to 9 years to evaporate. Even though there is no problems with foundation it just takes YEARS to fully evaporate. Which seems like where the other epoxy companies get killed. Paul, nailed it there. He even noticed that I capped the heads and said I was doing all the right things. He took care to note the gutters that I reinforced and the low water plants/landscaping I did around.

He CLEARLY knows what he is doing.

I’m totally thrilled to get it and really appreciate the referral. That’s what these boards are about. Thanks guys.

[earlyretirement]

So Paul from Perkins Flooring – http://www.perkinscustomcoatings.com just left. Man, these guys are on the ball and super super professional.

He came out and measured and gave me a formal quote. Showed me tons of samples (which were much better and higher quality than the ones I saw yesterday). I signed a contract on the spot. GORGEOUS material this Spartaflex. The quality was head and shoulders better than what I saw. Thicker and looked much nicer and smoother than the normal Epoxy samples I’ve seen.

$3,050 for parts and labor and installation including the stem walls. They have been doing this a long time. Paul is a real professional. They are scheduled out about a month or so. Signed the contract and looking forward to it.

Anyone looking for Epoxy flooring should check these guys out. A BIG THANKS to ljinvestor for the referral!

PS. The lady that came out yesterday gave me an inaccurate measurement. Paul said it was only about 725 sq. feet. Yeah, this Spartaflex seems more expensive than some Epoxy quoting but it’s still less than the quote yesterday and the quality is head and shoulders better.

[earlyretirement]

Oh I totally agree Rich. They made some big blunders but then again so did many other individuals, institutions and lenders and other governmental agencies.

I’m no fan of the Fed. One of these days we will have to have lunch and I will show you some other blogs I posted on. I used to tear these guys apart with complaints for their stupidity.

I actually know several players at the Federal Reserve Bank as they were a former client of mine.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=Rich Toscano]There are so many legitimate reasons to be critical of the Fed… THAT’S what you pick to complain about?[/quote]

Yeah! No kidding. I do agree that several of those guys were asleep at the wheel. Especially in the early years during the Great Recession when it was OBVIOUS that were were heading for problems in the housing market and they were saying everything is ok and we can see “the light at the end of the tunnel”. (Only they didn’t know that light was an oncoming speeding train!)

But I WILL say that these are pretty sharp guys. I have met Tim Geithner a few times and he is an extremely level headed and intelligent guy. You’re always going to get Monday morning quarterbacking going on.

The reality is that most people complaining couldn’t do any better. The task these guys have is tremendous and even if they want to do something individually they really can’t.

I’ve found that the people that complain the most, you ask them what their plan would have been and really they can’t begin to comprehend how complicated and difficult everything is.

Yes, LOTS to complain about but also their task is an almost impossible task sometimes.

[earlyretirement]

[quote=ocrenter]

agree with ER.

“potential extension into 2043” = we got you until 2043.

no question about it.

the blocking of prepayment may be because they are already counting on the 2033-2043 payments, if you prepay, they don’t get “their” money.[/quote]

Ha, ha. Yep OCR. Even when I was paying mine off, I inquired with them regarding the possibility of getting extended (CFD #4 PUSD). It went until 2041 but he also was very clear to mention, “it could also get extended”. I asked him to explain under which circumstances it could get extended.

His response was something like, “It’s a bit complicated to go into”. LOL.

No thanks! Guys, you have to realize that these entities will do WHATEVER they need to do to try to extend out these CFD’s. They take comfort in the fact that the vast majority of taxpayers have NO CLUE nor seem to care about this. They just pay the figure on the tax bill each year like dolts.

That’s why you saw a situation of taxpayers paying up to double of what they were supposed to pay under that KPBS investigative report. It’s a good example that people are clueless and they don’t have any idea what is going on.

The vast majority of people out there are NOT like us wise Piggs. The masses are clueless and where these CFD’s (and their administrators) thrive and have job security is the fact that no one knows anything about these things.

If you have followed this closely you will see that the CFD’s and administrators are waking up to the fact that we’re sharing information now on prepaying off CFD’s. They never imagined people would be doing these to the levels they are. They don’t like it.

I don’t have the paperwork in front of me but when I was doing the due diligence to pay it off, there was all kinds of technical legal jargon and verbiage in the legal documents that I do believe the CFD’s will use to try to claim that allowing more people to pre-pay off their CFD’s ahead of time will be a detriment to the future budget and they will ban it.

The only people that will be off the hook are those of us that saw the writing on the wall and pre-paid it off ahead of time. And it’s kind of a catch 22 because the more people that pre-pay it off ahead of time means their budgets in the future will probably be light.

After all, I don’t expect these CFD’s to be doing wise things with my $61,000+ that I prepaid ahead of time. That money is in their coffers now and it doesn’t seem like there is any oversight anyway administering and spending these funds. So you MUST imagine by the time these CFD’s were originally set to expire….they probably will be short….. and how will they cover that shortfall?????

Probably being “forced” and extending the CFD’s out further….

[earlyretirement]

[quote=Clueless]CFD 99-1 for carmel valley schools is the one I try to pay off.

Dolinka Group answered my request timely and sent me the doc without charge. They were very good in returning my call. I checked on website and found John Addleman should be the contact person, but an associate answered me instead. In the doc, there is a prevision on prepaid term. One has to do it before the house was built. Does not make any sense to me. That is why I want to get your expert’s opinion.

I will PM you tomorrow.

Thanks.[/quote]

When you say “they sent you the doc” which document are you referring to? I assume you mean, he sent you instructions to pay off your CFD? Or did he send you some other paperwork referring to CFD #99-1?

Can you cite the exact provision regarding the prepayment term? Or was that only something he told you verbally? If he told you verbally, call back and ask them to cite the exact verbage and clause regarding the prepayment. As well, ask them to cite exactly which paragraph it is located at. If you have that, PM me and I’ll take a look at it.

I’ve been mentioning here for a while that I do believe that some of the various CFD’s will ban prepayment in the future. And ultimately if you look at that it’s because it’s for THEIR advantage….NOT ours as taxpayers. Which in and of itself tells you quite a bit regarding if you should pay it off or not.

“Potential extension until 2043”. Yeah right! No Thanks!!!

[Author]

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