Comments for fivecentnickel.com

Comment on Clean and Maintain Your Windows Computer for Free by Ferret

Ferret — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:37:15 +0000

@Peter – If you seriously think IE is as secure as Firefox, you don’t need to be in IT.

@Rory – I think the purpose of the post was to make the computer work better, not to obtain one that freezes more than Windows Vista and, even on its best days, can’t do what a PC can. Drink all the Mac kool-aid you can find. (Psst…it’s actually anti-freeze!)

@Hope – Zone Alarm causes strange issues. Avast is faster than AVG 8, though AVG 9 promises to fix that. Ubuntu Linux is only for those who do zero gaming and are okay with learning alternatives to pretty much every office app in existence. For browsing, it’s great. For everything else, it takes a lot of work to get it doing what you want it to do.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Penny

Penny — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 04:12:33 +0000

I am about to purchase a new home.. which will be my new residence and I have lived in my home that I own now for over 5 years….
But, I am not selling my old home I am going to rent it… So do I get the $6500 because I am purchasing a new residence….

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by APRIL DAYS

APRIL DAYS — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:29:14 +0000

I FOR ONE HOPE THAT THE FIRST TIME HOMEOWNERS TAX CREDIT IS EXTENDED BECAUSE IT HELP ME AS A FIRST TIME HOMEOWNER AND A REAL ESTATE AGENT. I NEED THIS TO HELP ME IN MY SITUATION BECAUSE I AM TIRED OF BEING A RENTER , I WANT TO OWN A HOME AND FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE I COULD GET AHEAD. THIS TAX BREAK WILL HELP A LOT OF PEOPLE UNLESS THE REPUBLICANS DON’T WANT TO HELP PEOPLE OR THEYT DON’T WANT TO SEE AMERICANS GET AHEAD OR BREAK EVEN, APRIL

Comment on How Much to Budget for Car Maintenance? by JB

JB — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 23:14:16 +0000

I drive a 1999 car and save $60 a month for car repairs, oil changes, tires, etc. I save $200 a month separately for my next car. It’s come in handy many times, and planning ahead makes unexpected car repair less stressful. I do none of my own work.

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by Greta

Greta — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 19:36:47 +0000

My significant other and I bought a house in February 2009. My boyfriend is a first time homebuyer who makes over the $75,000 limit at around $90,000; and I have owned a house in the past three years. We don’t qualify for any credit at all. But under the new Obama rules, if we would have purchased after November 6th, he would have qualified for $8000, or I would have qualified for $6500. It’s not fair that the new rules aren’t retroactive for 2009! It’s disgusting that we get nothing for this and our neighbors down the street who make more than us get $8000 plus a better deal on their house. This is ASS!

Comment on Clean and Maintain Your Windows Computer for Free by Jay

Jay — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 18:28:40 +0000

Don’t forget nCleaner 2nd for turning off widows firewall and windows defender…also use the start up manager to only have essentials start up with your computer. It seems like every program you install wants on the startup list.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Bryan

Bryan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:36:24 +0000

@Doug – you said it… if you simply delayed the closing, it would have applied, in Sept. there was a lot of talk about the possible extension and changes. Why didn’t you wait it out?

@Karen – My daughter bought her house this past January and claimed the credit with her 2008 taxes.

Comment on Dish Network Technical Problems: This is Getting Ridiculous! by Sympathetic Dish TSR

Sympathetic Dish TSR — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 16:29:25 +0000

@ Bonnie: Is your HD tv a Flatscreen LCD style? If so then a new remote should have fixed the problem as long as the new remote was put in UHF mode, instead of IR. LCD HD Flatscreen TV’s can cause IR (infra-red) interference making the #1 remote to work sporadically if at all. The solution for this is to send a new remote and place it in UHF mode by inserting the green chip in the bottom that says “1 uhf” not just green with a “1″ on it. Your best bet is to go to the website and do a tech chat with an agent. All of the tech chat agents are advanced tech support agents and that way they can email you screenshots and pictures of how things should be set up to make the remote work with the receiver. I am sorry that you have had so many problems with getting this fixed correctly. The agent that sent you the new remote should have insured that you knew how to correctly set up the new remote to correct the issue.

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by John DeFlumeri Jr

John DeFlumeri Jr — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:44:30 +0000

Thanks for explaining the tax credit. Too bad for those who purchase in the gap.

Comment on How Much to Budget for Car Maintenance? by Hank

Hank — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:10:32 +0000

I always budget $100 a month for car repairs. I constantly find myself going months without a repair bill and then getting hit with $500-600 bills.

One of the best ways to find out exactly how much you should be saving is to look at what you have spent in the past. This is one example where past performance usually mirrors the future.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Karen

Karen — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 13:41:28 +0000

Because my income is commission based & way down this year, I’ll qualify for the existing home owner’s credit, but plan to buy a house in January. Can I put the claim in against 2009 income, or will it have to be against 2010 income which I hope to have over the income limit?

Comment on Help a Reader: CDs at a Defunct Bank by Eugene

Eugene — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 11:00:53 +0000

To whom it may concern:

I have an Aunt that passed away sometime ago and left several CD’s for her childrens. Who do I need to contact first to find out about these CD’s? I don’t where to start.

Regards,

Eugene

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Doug

Doug — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:44:56 +0000

This is RIDICULOUS!!!!

We closed on our house on September 9th, so those of us who are responsible homeowners, put 20-30% down, and are propping up this whole f’ing economy are once again SCREWED. I have HAD it with this crap. If I had simply delayed the closing this would have applied. What a sham.

Comment on Establishing Credit With a New Taxpayer Identification Number by keith

keith — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:58:11 +0000

Hi , what are the companies that I can apply and recieve a credit card to start my own business

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by Financial Samurai

Financial Samurai — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 04:13:40 +0000

They gotta RAISE the married couple income limit to at least $500,000. Why is it that only people $225,000 and under can get the free monay?

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by Chris I.

Chris I. — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 23:44:43 +0000

“While this might not seem fair,…”

The original tax credit for first time home buyers as well as the new one for existing homeowners are inherently unfair. There is nothing fair about giving money to a small subset of the population that is paid for by all taxpayers. It’s a simple transfer of wealth. Unfairness (or the perception thereof) is a natural motivation for people to cheat on their taxes.

Of course, I find it particularly unfair since I bought a house less than three months ago, and would qualify for the $6500 credit if I was buying now instead of then. Oh well….

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by John

John — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 22:21:09 +0000

My question about the $6500 credit is how easy will it be to fleece this program for free money? What is to stop neighbors bob and doug from selling their houses to one another for no reason other than to pocket the $6500 each from the gov?

Comment on Is it Possible to Live Without Credit Cards? by Moneymonk

Moneymonk — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:38:10 +0000

I have not had a credit card in 15 years and bank account is so fat. My debit card is my credit card!!!

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Margaret

Margaret — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:15:49 +0000

So I have a question about this new tax credit, $6,500.00 as I didn’t qualify for the $8.000.00 due to income and the 3 years requirement.

I am currently buying a house as a divorcee, who was the owner of a previous house via marriage. I was bought out of the house in 2007.

Question…I lived in the previous house 7 out of 8 years; was joint owner for 7 years; I am scheduled to close on my house November 27th….do I qualify for the $6,500 tax credit?

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:37:59 +0000

@Donnie:

Yes, go to the Lending Club website and click on the “Trade” tab at the top of the screen. There’s a secondary process to get you set up to buy secondary market loans, but once this is set up, the site is integrated with LC, so your balance carries over to the other site (called Foliofn). Once you purchase loans, they get shown back on the Lending Club main site in your portfolio(s) there.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Donnie

Donnie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:33:03 +0000

@Seth

Do I do the secondary markets through LC website? How do I get started or at least read up on this? Your help is greatly appreciated!

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by s jensen

s jensen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:25:12 +0000

I have two loans on LC now. How does this work out with the IRS? What will I get from LC about the interest I have earned?

Thanks!

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by kev

kev — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:06:02 +0000

I keep hearing different things about the effective date. Since it is primarily an extension, it leads one to think that it would take place December 1st since the prior credit expires Nov 30th. On the other hand, I’ve also read that it becomes effective the day Mr. Obama signs it.

Does anyone know the answer to this? It actually matters to someone I know who is closing this month. His salary is above the current 75,000.00 limit, but below the new 125,000.00 limit. I told him he may want to push his closing back so that it falls after December 1st.

Comment on How Much to Budget for Car Maintenance? by Jim

Jim — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:00:03 +0000

Wow. Consider me a maintenance minimalist. I do all my own maintenance. I change the oil every 5k miles with synthetic. Cost of filter and 5/6 quarts of oil: Approximately 25-30 dollars. Rotate tires myself. Every 3-4 years I buy new tires at around $800. Combined yearly average for maintenance is about $450?

Comment on The Dish Network Runaround by Jon Warfen

Jon Warfen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:18:26 +0000

Dish Network is the worst company I have ever dealt with. They ignore certified mail to their registered agent. They assert contractual commitments that do not exist. They demand return of hardware that they installed 60′ above ground, and which is by law now a permanent part of the home, apparently as a way to harass customers and attempt to extract more money. DO NOT MAKE THE MISTAKE I MADE, DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE CREEPS. If you are considering canceling service with them, make sure that you change the number on any credit card you have ever used with them. If you ever let them draft a payment on your checking account, close the account and open a new one. No matter big the hassle and expense, it is nothing compared to what they may do to you. PLEASE: Write your state’s attorney general about these folks – they need to be put in their place.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Amy

Amy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:17:28 +0000

I have the same question about the income limit increase as Freebird. I closed on my house on June 30 and was just above the original income cap so I figured I wasn’t going to be able to get this. So now they increase the income cap, does that mean I’ll be able to claim this on my 2009 tax return or am I stuck with the original terms of the tax credit? I keep hoping the IRS will clarify in their FAQ. Anyone had any luck figuring this out?

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Freebird

Freebird — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:09:37 +0000

We closed on our home on Sept. 24th. My income was just above the old income limit. Now, I would get the tax credit with the new limit! Am I out of luck? Also, I purchased the property with my boyfriend who was laid off for part of 2009, thus qualifying for the $8,000 credit. Could we both claim the credit or is it simply $8,000 total per property?

Comment on Dish Network Customer Service SUCKS by Terri

Terri — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:42:07 +0000

I think the Feds ought to step in and clean up both these companies. We signed up for Dish Network, and they got all our personal info, and never showed up to install. We were lucky!

Comment on Did Congress Make the Homebuyer Tax Credit Retroactive? by Craig

Craig — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 17:16:50 +0000

Agree, it does not seem to make much sense at that point although if I was buying a house I would love that and to take advantage of it.

Comment on Dish Network Customer Service Salvation (For Real This Time?) by Former Dish Supervisor

Former Dish Supervisor — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:56:47 +0000

I am a former Dish Netwrok call center supervisor in Texas. Ater leaving Dish Network I started researching in depth the seemingly ovewhelming number of angry customers AND angry former employees of this company.What I have found is astonishing. EVERY forum, website, report and database I have looked at the sentiments are the same. Dish Network’s customer service is horrible. So, it was not difficult to put it all together and fgure out where the problem comes from. First of all, you all need to understand that not all Dish Network customer service reps (CSR’s) are from India. In fact 80% of them are here in the US with 8 full time call centers in the United States alone. Of these CSR’s the average tenure for their length of employment is 3-6 months at best. The call cente I worked in near Houston Texas has a turnover rate that is sickening. Of 600+ full time employees in his call center, 25 of them have a year or more of tenure. The rest are new agents, many of whom are likely still in “training.” The reason for the high turnover rate is because of the impossible working conditions and the poor management staff. The CSR’s are held to near impossible standards and are expected to resolve each customers issues in 8 minutes or less. If they are unable to fix your issue in less than 8 minutes they are held accountable. So, when you are on the phone with Dish if it takes longer than 8 minutes for the agent to fix your issue, rest assured there is a supervisor or manager standing close by.These agents are required to work many long hours at just above the new minimum wage. They get no sick time or decent benefits. The policies of the company are Hitler-like.
Agents get 6 weeks of “training” from a trainer who has the equivilant experience of a waiter or waitress. All new agents are put on “live” calls after only a few days of training. The majority of agents in these call centers are extremely unhappy and in some cases disgruntled and these are the people who have access to your personal information, including credit cards, viewing habits, addresses and phone numbers. The supervisors (coaches) are even more stressed and unhappy. So…what you get are frequent mistake in billing and other related issues. I have personally witnessed agents making changes to accounts without the customer even being on the phone. Beware…your personal info is at risk with this company. MAny of the agents I worked around for the last few years are drug abusers…yes they drug test, but it is not hard to pass a drug test! Many have recent criminal records…the company still hires criminals depending on the charges. There are no managers with anything more than a high school diploma. The people with college educations find jobs elsewhere. The company claims to be customer focused, but I can assure you that they spend much more time finding ways to mistreat employees. In the 2 and a half years I was there I never saw them offer any training on actual customer service. They are more focused on making money as quickly as possible at the expense of the poor kids who just needed a job.
So…in summary…before you decide to call and complain, please understand that the person you talk to is most likely just as angry, bitter and disappointed as you are. They are just doing what Dish tells them to do, but if you call spewing your venom to the agent and they are in fact a disgruntled employee…do not be surprised when you find things on your bill that do not make sense.
Your best option at any resolution is to #1) Call and ask to speak to “Loyalty Team” and tell them you want to cancel for whatever reason. They will give you the world to keep you as a customer.
#2) Threaten to sue. You will be immediately transferred to Executive Resolutions Team who will also give you the world to keep you as a customer.
#3) Go to Direct TV or cable. They have better service and happy employees.
I hope this helps a little bit….Good luck!!

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Seth @ Boy Meets Food

Seth @ Boy Meets Food — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:32:10 +0000

@Donnie
As MITBeta said, they do allow you to participate if you go through their secondary market. You cannot contribute to new loans, but you may purchase existing loans, or sell any that you might buy.

I had to do this as well. I am in KY, and we are not on the approved list either.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Donnie

Donnie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:02:08 +0000

I too, would like to join LC, but they are not authorized in my state(OH). Can someone explain to me why this is, and can I get around this.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Nickel

Nickel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:38:28 +0000

After thinking about this a bit more, the extension to existing homeowners doesn’t make much sense to me, as it won’t change the supply/demand equation. By enticing *new* homebuyers into the market, demand goes up, but supply remains the same (or goes down).

I do, however, see the value of this if the goal is to stimulate spending. Speaking from personal experience, whenever we’ve moved, we’ve spent a lot of money setting up the new place.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:36:07 +0000

LC isn’t authorized to sell loans in my state, but I can buy them on the secondary market. The nice thing about this is that the loans all have history which makes picking them less dicey, in my opinion. On the other hand, the loans are all less than 36 months and there are far fewer to choose from.

Also, on the secondary market people try to sell loans for more than the interest payments are worth, now or in the future. You’d have to be stupid to buy these. I spent two hours on a Saturday morning buying 6 loans for a total of about $450. I’m annualizing over 12% and everyone is current.

So far, so good.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Seth @ Boy Meets Food

Seth @ Boy Meets Food — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:24:23 +0000

Did they ever declare the winner of that big giveaway for new people signing up? I signed up, but never heard anything else about it.

So far, I have 2 loans, just bought a 3rd today, and they are current, and going well. I don’t know my return yet, because my status on the loans still says New, even though I have received a couple of payments from each. I went the high risk route, but did a little research and even though they are at 18% interest rates, they have been paying, so I guess I am happy with it so far.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Boyd

Boyd — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:19:39 +0000

I feel that this doesn’t really help the home sales market and only helps the political capital of the congress-persons who supported it. A single windfall of $8000 for a buyer that the seller doesn’t know about helps in the purchase of a home. It truley is $8000 that helps with the purchase. However, if the windfall is available to nearly everyone and is widely publicized then the $8000 is just factored into the purchase price and pricing negotiations. Home prices will just gradually go up by the amount of the credit and after the credit expires they will jsut drift back down again. The only winners are the politicians and the only losers are the taxpayers.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Nickel

Nickel — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:13:38 +0000

Dan: Good question. My loans max out at around 6 months, as I started in May or so. You can, however, look at historical data from LC to get a better feel. I wrote about this back in June. Here is the link.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by John DeFlumeri Jr

John DeFlumeri Jr — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:05:48 +0000

That’s positive news for the housing market, and it’s a psychological morale booster for non homebuyers as well.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Dan

Dan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:58:13 +0000

Nickel,

What’s the average age of your portfolio? Those of us who were early adopters of Prosper have had a difficult time making money. It’s great and all that those LC lenders have gone 6 months and made a few bucks, but long term data from Prosper isn’t very favorable. My lending “over there” occurred from May 2006 – July 2007, and I will not be making money when it’s all said and done — no matter how favorable the six month returns were looking.

I’d like to see how LC folks are doing at the 18 month mark or so.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Dan

Dan — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:53:17 +0000

@Michael Harr –

That’s one point I’d forgotten. $8k in and of itself isn’t a compelling reason to buy a house… but the state of the economy IMHO is more about people’s perceptions, feelings, and emotions than anything else. The sucky part about being a consumption based economy is that if people aren’t spending, the economy is suffering. So we need them to spend.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Michael Harr @ TodayForward

Michael Harr @ TodayForward — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:35:45 +0000

@Travis – to your point about gov’t injected demand, it is an old trick, but if the gov’t can get people feeling a little better (looser with the purse strings), real demand can increase to pickup where fiscal spending will leave off. I wouldn’t count on these tax credits going away until the gov’t is feeling pretty certain home sales won’t take another nosedive.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Fiona Young-Brown

Fiona Young-Brown — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:54:04 +0000

It still won’t benefit us as homeowners hoping to move since apparently it only runs until April.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Travis

Travis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:56:52 +0000

I believe the credit is simply shifting demand and we will likely see a big lag in home sales once it is gone and really wish the government would stop handing out money right and left. However, I am glad they extended it for one reason. I am upside-down on my mortgage because we lost 25% of the value of our home and want to sell so we can move back to Oregon and be with family. We are sure this will help keep some buyers and entice new ones to the market when we list early next year.

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Travis

Travis — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:52:29 +0000

@Eric

It basically follows the original however two notable differences are:

- It has a credit of up to $6,500 for existing homeowners (lived in a house for at least 5 of the last 8 years) who buy a new residence
- Income limits for people to be eligible are increasing.

Comment on How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit by CRYSTAL

CRYSTAL — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 06:05:50 +0000

i was told today i did not qualify because i would be getting a construction loan. But don’t you close the construction loan and then buy the house.

I thought if i stayed the night in the house before April 30, 2010 or June 30, 2010 which ever one it is. Would that not make me quilify for the loan?

Comment on How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit by Chris

Chris — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:59:09 +0000

I sold my first home of 7 years in July 2009. I have been building a house since then. We moved into the partially finished basement. My question is that we are scheduled to have the house finished in December will I qualify for the $6500 or did I miss out because we had already moved to the property? We have not finilized a mortgage or filed homestead yet as I do not have to until December 31, 2009.

Comment on Lending Club Update – October 2009 Performance by Patty

Patty — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:29:32 +0000

So far all is good – averaging about 14.8%. Everyone is paying, though a few haven’t made their first payment yet (last month’s investments).

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Eric

Eric — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:25:22 +0000

So does the new credit follow the same rules as the old credit? Just that it’s for people who bought homes after May 1?

Comment on Congress Extends $8000 Homebuyer Tax Credit, Adds New $6500 Credit by Peter

Peter — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 03:08:24 +0000

I’m sure it will be signed tomorrow. Can’t say I think it’s a good idea adding expenditure upon expenditure – although I’m sure it’ll be good for blog traffic!

Comment on How to Claim the First-Time Homebuyer Tax Credit by Stephanie

Stephanie — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:18:19 +0000

We owe back taxes and will close on our house on Nov. 17th. We borrowed (bond loan) the money for our closing costs with the agreement to use the 8k to repay it within 90 days. My questions are these:

a) Will they repay our tax debt from the 8k,
b) We paid our tax debt for 2009, will we get that back, and
c) Will they allow for us to repay the bond loan first (since we borrowed it from the government), and then pay our debt?