Investing

[oblong]

I hate having to pay to pay.  I get why we do it because it costs the municipality a fee too and if you owe them $$ they want all of it so they aren’t going to eat it.
 

I can mail an old fashioned check to pay my property taxes or water bills. But we never write checks. And checks cost money. And stamps. We have some scattered around but I couldn’t tell you right now exactly where they are. One of 3 locations. I could drive to my bank or credit union and withdraw the money and take it to city hall. But that’s like an hour of time plus gas.  I have the money.  Right now. You can immediately have it.  
 

what gets me is the stupidest pay portal the city uses has a more restrictive password policy than my company.  Is there an issue with people going in there and paying bills?  Your ID is linked to your property.  You can’t go pay other people’s stuff. I have to change my password every time because I can’t remember it every 6 months. 

[Screwball]

I got an email today from the Water company from the ticket I submitted that I should give them my banking information so it will be a direct withdrawal and there would be no fee. This is exactly what I figure would happen, and exactly why I didn't want to do that to begin with. I don't like giving these company's my bank information and automatic pays. It's not like I don't have the money, but I want to see the bill before I pay it, and pay it when I want.

This would all be moot if I could change the pay date on the banks bill pay website, but I can't. I suppose I could ask the bank what is going on, but I'm sure that would raise my blood pressure to unsatisfactory levels, and they might have me on ignore anyway since the last dust up we had last year. Which they never addressed, I might add.

I would like to ask them why they work so hard to suck so bad.

[gehringer_2]

5 hours ago, Screwball said:

I don't like giving these company's my bank information and automatic pays. It's not like I don't have the money, but I want to see the bill before I pay it, and pay it when I want.

Absolutely agree SB. I don't give any vendor access to my bank account ever. I let the phone company bill Visa automatically for a $5 credit - am not interested in the additional $5 they would give me for direct bill to a bank account. I keep a separate bank account at  different bank to isolate my paypal account from any other funds so it's liability its absolutely limited only to what I deposit there for purchases.

Haven't had your issues with my regular bank's bill pay system, though is it in general slower than it should be.

Edited December 20, 2024 by gehringer_2

[Screwball]

I hate giving that stuff to anymore places than I have to, but at this point they know more about us than we do. Nothing is secret or safe anymore. Big Brother won.

The stupid part of this, and I now wonder how long this has hosed me because I obviously didn't pay close enough attention, is why the bank won't let me pay this bill when I want to. I can only pay it after it was due.

Even though this is archaic enough they still send a check (wonder why that is?), if I pay enough ahead it should still get there. It isn't like I just bought a 50 grand worth of Exxon Mobile and seconds matter. It only goes a state over. Last I looked we got away from horse and buggy years ago.

Just for ****s and giggles I decided to ask my bank why this is going on. I only spent 15 or 20 minutes and failed to contact a person. For my blood pressure and a buck and a half - it ain't worth it - so I went and drank beer.

Edited December 21, 2024 by Screwball

[CMRivdogs]

Big News

 

[gehringer_2]

Be interesting to see what kind of cars they do together. Hondas are good vehicles but pretty pedestrian. Of the the Japanese brands I think Nissan is the closest thing to a driver’s car. 

[ewsieg]

Being in Network Security, I recommend to others and applaud those of you that limit what information you share.  Also because I'm in Network Security, I share all my banking details with 3rd parties I deal with because heck, it's already out there anyway.  

(*note - the correct response is to limit info you give out)

[Screwball]

51 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

Being in Network Security, I recommend to others and applaud those of you that limit what information you share.  Also because I'm in Network Security, I share all my banking details with 3rd parties I deal with because heck, it's already out there anyway.  

(*note - the correct response is to limit info you give out)

I think network security, like military intelligence, is an oxymoron. You can do everything possible to secure a network, but it can still be unsafe. Anytime data goes from point A to point B, it can be hacked. TCP/IP packets are hackable. Wall Street has been doing it for years. The "cloud" is not safe. Nothing is. The internet is the playground, and we are the victims. Mining our data and selling it is huge money, and big tech owns most of DC. It will only get worse over time. An example I happen to run across today;

Forget Chrome—Google Starts Tracking All Your Devices In 8 Weeks - Forbes

[Deleterious]

None of you seem to use my method of security.  Being poor.  Cant steal things from me if I have nothing.

[ewsieg]

2 hours ago, Screwball said:

I think network security, like military intelligence, is an oxymoron. You can do everything possible to secure a network, but it can still be unsafe. Anytime data goes from point A to point B, it can be hacked. TCP/IP packets are hackable. Wall Street has been doing it for years. The "cloud" is not safe. Nothing is. The internet is the playground, and we are the victims. Mining our data and selling it is huge money, and big tech owns most of DC. It will only get worse over time. An example I happen to run across today;

Forget Chrome—Google Starts Tracking All Your Devices In 8 Weeks - Forbes

My only pushback is that while you're absolutely right that nothing is safe, there are a lot of protections companies and individuals can do which can make it more difficult to steal from you.  As you mention data mining, unfortunately many that do that don't even have to worry about doing anything illegal to get that info, it's offered up to them by willing participants.  

[Screwball]

4 minutes ago, ewsieg said:

My only pushback is that while you're absolutely right that nothing is safe, there are a lot of protections companies and individuals can do which can make it more difficult to steal from you.  As you mention data mining, unfortunately many that do that don't even have to worry about doing anything illegal to get that info, it's offered up to them by willing participants.  

No argument - and they should.

It amazes me how some take the security risk as no risk at all. You can't be too careful, but I assume many just don't know the risks. The cloud is one example. I want no part of a cloud storage. I can do the very same thing with an external drive or even a thumb drive if it is big enough. I think I paid less than 10 bucks for a 64 gig thumb drive. That stores everything I need to back up and it never leaves the house. 🙂 

But I'm talking about a computer on my home network, which I have secured. The phone is another animal, and I don't think mine is as safe as it should be because I know next to nothing about these damn things. I hate them with a passion. While we are carrying around a mini-computer that does so many neat things, it is still a traveling security risk in various ways.

[gehringer_2]

3 hours ago, ewsieg said:

My only pushback is that while you're absolutely right that nothing is safe, there are a lot of protections companies and individuals can do which can make it more difficult to steal from you.  As you mention data mining, unfortunately many that do that don't even have to worry about doing anything illegal to get that info, it's offered up to them by willing participants.  

Right, the “outrunning the bear” metaphor applies. In most cases you don’t need to be perfectly secure, just secure enough that someone else becomes a more attractive victim. 

Edited December 23, 2024 by gehringer_2

[chasfh]

On 12/20/2024 at 8:04 AM, oblong said:

what gets me is the stupidest pay portal the city uses has a more restrictive password policy than my company.  Is there an issue with people going in there and paying bills?  Your ID is linked to your property.  You can’t go pay other people’s stuff. I have to change my password every time because I can’t remember it every 6 months. 

Pay $36/year for LastPass, or even less for NordPass. I think a lot of security suites like Norton offer password management as well as part of your package, as well. Whichever way you go on it, totally worth it. I have had LastPass for going on ten years now.

[oblong]

 I use 1Password and it’s fine but I usually pay my municipal stuff on my work laptop because that’s the inky time I think about doing it so the little add on extension isn’t there. 

[Screwball]

Observation on the Fed rate cuts. I'm looking at the 10 year yield, which some say follow housing interest rates. Not sure how true that is, but nevertheless, an indication of how well the Fed is doing. Depending on what, exactly, they are trying to do, which might be different than what they say they are trying to do. I like to call it Fedspeak.

A 9 month chart. Looks like the 50 bps cut was priced in, the second did its job for a while (going with the assumption they were trying to lower interest rates - what part of the curve I don't know), but then went back up, so they cut again in Dec. Still going the wrong way as we speak, and almost back to where it started 9 months ago. Funny that...

 

Edited December 30, 2024 by Screwball

[gehringer_2]

we really haven't had normal looking yield curves since mid '22. Things are beginning to look a little more normal now - at least from 1 to 20 years rates now increase continuously (monotonic)  - you should get a larger premium on a longer term investment. Curve is still goofy from zero to 1 yr though.  I'd guess a lot of investors believe the new admin will drive up inflation, which belief usually puts upward pressure on long term rates.

I would also guess the Fed isn't too unhappy with the way it's trending though because if long term rates are holding or even floating up, they can cut short term rates more, which will make their political overlords happy, but wont have much inflationary effect if longer term rates stay up.

Edited December 30, 2024 by gehringer_2

[Deleterious]

A lot of different reasons for it probably.

The inverted yield curve unraveling is certainly part of it. 

Inflation is still a big concern on main street even if the CPI says it isn't.  I need higher yields to lock my money up long term if I feel the rate isn't that far off from the inflation rate.  

Maybe our debt isn't that attractive right now.  Changing administration means a different fiscal policy.  Maybe people are taking a wait see approach.

I also think the Fed doesn't have nearly as much influence on long term rates as short term.

[Deleterious]

Standard when a former president dies.  I didn't read the article but I think its usually closed on the day of his funeral.  

 

[oblong]

Yeah that’s also the national day of mourning.  

[Deleterious]

US credit card defaults jump to highest level since 2010

Quote

Defaults on US credit card loans have hit the highest level since the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, in a sign that lower-income consumers’ financial health is waning after years of high inflation.

Credit card lenders wrote off $46bn in seriously delinquent loan balances in the first nine months of 2024, up 50 per cent from the same period in the year prior and the highest level in 14 years, according to industry data collated by BankRegData. Write-offs, which occur when lenders decide it is unlikely a borrower will make good on their debts, are a closely watched measure of significant loan distress.

“High-income households are fine, but the bottom third of US consumers are tapped out,” said Mark Zandi, the head of Moody’s Analytics. “Their savings rate right now is zero.”

 

[Edman85]

On 12/24/2024 at 9:24 AM, chasfh said:

Pay $36/year for LastPass, or even less for NordPass. I think a lot of security suites like Norton offer password management as well as part of your package, as well. Whichever way you go on it, totally worth it. I have had LastPass for going on ten years now.

LastPass has some breaches no? From wirecutter (which recommends 1password)

LastPass Free was once an easy recommendation, but in December 2022, LastPass announced a data breach that exposed encrypted password vaults along with personal details, including names, email addresses, IP addresses, phone numbers, and some billing information. Account passwords weren’t exposed, but hackers can theoretically access password vaults by guessing master passwords. If a master password is weak, that exposure could happen quickly. The breach was so bad that security experts recommended that anyone who uses LastPass change all their passwords and consider moving to another password manager. In February 2023, the company revealed that an attacker had also gained access to a LastPass employee’s home computer, snagging the employee’s password for a corporate vault in the process. This doesn’t affect the already bad state of customer accounts, but it does make the company look even worse. Since then, the company has changed some policies to improve the security of vault data.

[Deleterious]

I stay away from all centralized password managers.

I use KeepassXC.  That saves an encrypted password file on my PC then I use SyncTrayzor to distribute it to phone/tablet/laptop.  I have it set that anytime something is plugged in to charge and is on my wifi network, it syncs the file so my phone always has my updated password file.  

[Screwball]

To manage/update passwords I have a page and a half Word document named passwords.doc. The hackers shouldn't miss that one.

I would like to rename it, but if I do, I will forget the name.

Giggle

Edited December 31, 2024 by Screwball

[Screwball]

6 hours ago, Deleterious said:

US credit card defaults jump to highest level since 2010

 

Once the plastic runs out...

U.S. homelessness rises 18% amid affordable housing shortage - NBC

[chasfh]

13 hours ago, Edman85 said:

LastPass has some breaches no? From wirecutter (which recommends 1password)

LastPass Free was once an easy recommendation, but in December 2022, LastPass announced a data breach that exposed encrypted password vaults along with personal details, including names, email addresses, IP addresses, phone numbers, and some billing information. Account passwords weren’t exposed, but hackers can theoretically access password vaults by guessing master passwords. If a master password is weak, that exposure could happen quickly. The breach was so bad that security experts recommended that anyone who uses LastPass change all their passwords and consider moving to another password manager. In February 2023, the company revealed that an attacker had also gained access to a LastPass employee’s home computer, snagging the employee’s password for a corporate vault in the process. This doesn’t affect the already bad state of customer accounts, but it does make the company look even worse. Since then, the company has changed some policies to improve the security of vault data.

I saw this at the time, and I actually signed up for NordPass earlier this year for cheaper (I still have an active membership) and thought about migrating to it, but it is sooooooo much slower on te PC platform that it’s practically unusable.

I stuck with LastPass because I have a master password security.org says would take 17 quadrillion years to crack (literally said that), so I feel OK about it. Besides, for the most important websites involving money, if someone with a suspect IP address attempts to log in—including me when I am on the road—they generally trigger 2FA protocols.