Jane:  A fast reply this morning.  You are in my prayers. 

Quote from: Carol on August 15, 2017, 09:52:50 AM
Finished my walking and it sure is cooler at this time of day.  Nice!
I always check Swedish news - and an interesting article is that a group over there has proposed business pay 70% of average income to new and young workers (their attempt at income equality).  At the same time, they are short over 7,000 teachers, short of actual school buildings, and the list goes on because of their acceptance of immigration. 
 

Where do you get the Swedish News?  Is it in English?

Hello Rammel:  There is an APP called Radio Sweden.  Of course, I was brought up to not believe everything in the news but it is interesting to me because of my many relatives in the country.  Some work for the state education and some have their own businesses and so forth. 

Carol, have you also seen an app for Norway?  My late husband's grandmother had emigrated to Wisconsin when she was a teen, met and married my father-in-law's father. I know that she was originally from Bergan or another small town near Bergen.

SCFSue

SCFSue:  I shall look for the Norway app.  Thanks for that reminder.  We have been to Bergen and Oslo - loved the scenery and so much more.  3 grandparents from Sweden and one family is close to the Norway border. 

We just returned from Minnesota.  Our relatives with any lake property are being hammered with taxes on places they have had for years.  There is no tax on clothing. 

Hurricanes and fires are going to up our insurance so be prepared for that issue.  We drove through a heavy fog of smoke in both South Dakota and Wyoming on the way home and it is affecting even the Denver area air quality.  It has to be so daunting to lose homes, jobs, and everything from the hurricanes. 

Carol,  I haven't been able to travel by myself for more than a year due to a fall from a ladder and over-protective sons.  However, I've been looking at Vantage and Viking trips along the coast of Norway and hope to convince the "boys" that Mom could probably manage a trip in 2018.  I'd like to contact my late father-in-law's Bergen relatives before the trip.  So will dig into old papers my mother-in-law left me when she died.  Her husband preceded her in death.  My father-in-law's mother emigrated to Wisconsin sometime in the 1900's.

As for the Hurricane, it hit pretty hard here in Auburn, AL, at least at my home.  It blew a tree down from my neighbor's yard which fell on my roof and caused $2500 worth of damage--and I had to pay cash to the men who cut the tree down!  Double yuck!  I called my insurance company and all their adjustors are still in Florida--so it will be a while before I can be re-imbursed.

I guess that old saying, "It never rains but it often pours" is correct!

Sue

SCFSue:  So sorry about the cost and stress of your tree damage - I don't know what a good price would be for cutting down a big tree but that is a large amount.  Last year, we took the Vantage cruise in France and it was perfect for 10 days.  Lots of free trips.  However, that trip is no longer available as they cannot afford to travel in France with the rules of working only 5 days in a row plus hours, etc. rules.  It was a perfect trip with a crew of people who genuinely liked to work together plus a personable captain.  Can't brag enough about that service and we do not pay for big cabins on top floors.  We slept next to the crew's door.  Quiet and such great service.  I think you could go alone (wish I could join you) and feel perfectly safe since you know how to travel.  Having relatives in Bergen is icing on the cake!

There hasn't been a lot of news on Puerto Rico but I met a woman yesterday (stranger to me) who is from PR.  She has lots of family there and no communication but just enough to know that an 89 year old grandfather needed evacuation.  Good Lord!  What an on-going tragedy.  The country is bankrupt, just about everything under water and a dam was failing this week.  (USA) has to step in and help these people - it will be interesting to see just what can be done without money disappearing.

Rammel:  Did you find that APP on Sweden?  It isn't perfect but what news cast is truthful?   

Quote from: Carol on September 23, 2017, 04:18:40 PM
........
Rammel:  Did you find that APP on Sweden?  It isn't perfect but what news cast is truthful?   

Found this web site, but haven't checked much.  Too many irons in the fire. 

http://sverigesradio.se/sida/gruppsida.aspx?programid=2054&grupp=20817

We just received letters informing us that our most favorite health insurance company has been bought out by Humana.  Here is the rub....  we will lose a lot of coverage and it will be more expensive.  I am so mad I could spit...

OK - I will get over this for sure.  On a day when our country weeps with sadness over a mass murder I have nothing to complain about.  Sometimes, money doesn't always matter.   

I have a call in for the patient advocate at my doctor's office re: the change in insurance plan.  If they will accept a Medicare Supplement then I can stay on and still be covered in other areas - Arizona for instance.  The plan they are advising is not available out of area. 

Carol....We've never been turned down for medical care whether in Iowa, Montana, Alabama, FL,or Texas. We have regular Medicare and the AARP Supplement F.  Yes, it costs a lot more than an Advantage plan where you have a network to deal with, but we have been able to go anywhere, including the Univ. of Iowa Cornea Center without referrals and a lot of paperwork.  We also, of course, have to have a Part D prescription drug plan. 

Advantage Plans are OK for those in one area who like the doctors in those networks.

Jane:  thank you for your input.  It sounds like you have made a good choice. 

I have an idea of what I have to do now and I will lose my doctor (she is  a top doc in the state and we have been meeting for ten years).  She has been so practical - but staying with her would mean that I wouldn't be covered in any place out of state. 

My concern is that many of the patients will not know of the restrictions on the new insurance plan that the doctor's office is recommending. 
 

 

That's too bad, Carol.

I am so irked that I wanted to come in here an send out a warning.  In chatting with the new insurance, they were pushing me to drop my prescription plan.  Don said I should not drop it because the newer plan would be much more costly.  Good to have his expertise -

My advice is for all of us to seek out qualified and practical people for these decisions.  Will be so happy when everything is over. 

Have a good and safe Thanksgiving.   

Insurance people and Brokers --------- Remember, they are all sales people.   

Remembered this post from back in July.
OLED is now at $186.50 and I'm up about 970%.  This thing has been going wild lately. Thanks in part to Apple, who must be using OLED's patents. (This one offsets all the bummers I've had).

Quote from: RAMMEL on July 19, 2017, 11:18:28 PM
As long as this is the "Money Matters" discussion (do we mean money matters, or is it matters of money),

On a whim a long time ago I picked up some shares of (symbol) OLED. It was PANL when it started. They were into development of LEDs (different colors and sources) and the like used in phone screens and a bunch of other things.  They were sluggish (like dead in the water) for a while but it has now taken off.  It's nice to pick a winner once in a while.

Congratulations to Rammel! You have a winner and deserve kudos for your investigation. 

Happy Thanksgiving all. 

Thank You ---

This was a long shot gamble.  Some of my other ventures didn't do as well - with a couple of them just "vanishing".  I thank the powers that be for the ability to do these things.

Got a $20.00 check today for some class action that I must have been part of 

Here are just a couple of old money quotes. 

Too many people spend money they earned..to buy things they don't want..to impress people that they don't like. --Will Rogers

A wise person should have money in their head, but not in their heart. --Jonathan Swift

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. --Epictetus

Money often costs too much. --Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyday is a bank account, and time is our currency. No one is rich, no one is poor, we've got 24 hours each. --Christopher Rice

Wishing everyone good health, fine companions, and good sleeping every night. 

Some good light stuff ------- Thanks

It's a wonderful world, ------------- right?

Seems the more "they" try to fix things the worse it gets.  My only doctor fear is that he will retire.

To keep this on the level ------- Happy Investing.

Carol, when we first got off of "company" insurance Cas was 58 so chose Humana, that lasted until he turned 62 & went with Medicare & we needed to get something different for me... Instead, Humana informed us that they were not going to carry insurance for older people so we had to shop (like you)... and after all the dust settled, we chose Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas that didn't come with the eye glass coverage, not sure about prescriptions since Cas did have the VA & I don't take pills.  A few years later Humana came back with a new offer, not as good & we didn't trust being dumped another time.  So far BC/BS has covered every penny of expense for Cas' surgeries & my valve & 3 bypasses.  Don't know how that is were you are, but I think I read in a newsletter (I'm the worst about details) that BC/BS covers all over the US.  I don't need a referral and allowed to pick any Dr that agrees to take me on (that's a challenge).  I enjoyed the quips, especially Will Rogers.  Carol.

I have no idea how this compares with other states but my neighbor & best friend (same age bracket) use the same coverage & both are wiser than I am so I don't check anyone else.  My DIL's mother moved here from FL with Humana coverage & my understanding is they handle everything, including the Medicare part.....  as you said, money isn't everything & I couldn't tell you exactly what goes out of my checking account for Medicare & BC/BS, but I have only paid for one prescription for hi-dose D... and an antibiotic last year.... nary another penny for X-rays or office visits in emergencies.  I do have the best of the best as a family Dr.  If it mattered I could find out what is taken out for Medicare & the BC/BS every month, but expect different states might be different?

By the way, I did come in to see what advice anyone has for CDs right now.  I had 2 roll over the first week of Jan & it is sitting in a Money Market account drawing next to nothing until I can decide if I want to trust online at 2.5% for 5 years with Goldman Sachs.  I can't believe the LOW rates but not willing to risk at this stage.  I am considering staggering in hopes of increase later this year.... and at 83 a little uneasy at locking up such a big chunk for 5 years.  I did ask about the penalty for if I die or need nursing care... & need to take interest or all....  Thank goodness the main CD is good through 2019 & better than offered right now.  Nobody local has anything worth tying up so far.  Advice welcome~  please!

I think it’s the same story everywhere....banks and credit unions, etc. not paying much on CDs.  In our area of Iowa, a bank or credit union will sometimes offer a “special” for less than 5 yrs, and we’ve put some $$ in those. 

I have some CDs with Ally bank, which is an online bank.  My CDs are for one year at 1.05% (my estimate because I did not check) and my local banks pay more like .5%.  You might look them up online to get their present rates. 

Mary Ann

lest some are not aware of this  ----
           https://www.bankrate.com/

A while back my son told me to take a look at Synchrony

Thanks for that link, Rick..... I bookmarked it.  Nice to hear your son mentioned Synchrony, it runs right up with Goldman Sachs but I had never heard of it before.  Cas was not uneasy about buying online (or by phone/online), but when I handled the CDs we lived in the KC area with plenty of banks & savings & loans to actually go in & talk to.... and CDs were running 8% & more and they were willing to go for a little extra % if you were investing more.  We started lumping some of the CDs together & were careful to make sure all was covered by FDIC by adding the 3 kids as "pay on death". 

Mary Ann, when I first started checking CD rates in Dec (getting ready for the drop from a couple years ago).... the best I could find was Ally but I didn't know anything about it, either.  Been checking how they are rated & hope rates will go up but guess I will bite the bullet & start buying. Before Christmas a local bank offered 2% on a 5 year CD but it would have cost me about $900 to get the money from the CDs one week early.  I wasn't willing to do that.   

Before Cas died Meritrust (used to be Boeing Credit Union) had the best CD rates of all, local offices so easy to do business with.  Not sure why their rates tumbled & so did their star rating.  We had a scare when the company Cas retired from went bankrupt... had a big chunk in "unsecured securities".... we got it all back after several years, without interest.  Sure stopped us from wanting to take chances again.

Thanks for the advice/suggestions, will have to take care of business tomorrow. 

Yesterday, we shopped at COSTCO and I used my Visa card.  Only a few hours later, we had a message that someone had stolen our number and tried to buy $1,200  at COSTCO.  I don't know if it was the same store -  It could be my fault that someone was able to glance and copy my number- otherwise, the card sits securely in a protected zip case that is not able to be copied. 

We are sending for two new cards.  Such a hassle -

Carol....sounds like an "inside" job, to me.  For it to happen that quickly...somebody got more than a glance at it, would be my guess.  To have a new card made with all your numbers, exp. date, etc., they'd have had to almost be on top of you, and I doubt that was even close to happening.

When ours was compromised several times, it was finally traced to a processing center for one of our golf courses.  "Stuff" was bought on ours in Bombay, India, $400 worth of fast food in a week in Hollywood, and $342 at a Charlotte Russe in Biloxi, MS.  We were here in Iowa at the time of all of those and using the card here.  It was all written off, of course, and the bank here had to suck it up.

jane

Jane:  We check our bills daily and that is why the message was caught early.  Still, we sure try to be careful and I am sure you and others here are aware of the necessity to guard our information. 

This has nothing to do with Money - but I am ticked at a telecommunication company that sends me voice mails before 6 AM on the cell phone.  It has two addresses (when I searched on google) and one is in Colorado and the other in Nogales, Arizona. Fast talking and hard to understand the voice mail.  I suppose that in the end it really is about money and they want me to sign on to something. 

Our real estate investments are looking fine at this point.