Aviator Guy's Account Talk

[Tempest]

Ahhh, So your bimmer is a bike.

I'm working on a car right now .... and the parts are Expensive.

I have just need the Catalytics and I'm done, then I will also enjoy cruising SoCal in my 850!

Cost of parts went to hell for on my Moto Guzzi's when Italy dumped the lira for the Euro.
Guzzi parts use to be so cheap. I guess it's the same with any other Italian and German bikes. Italians hate the Euro-it lowered their buying power and their exports cost more.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I really enjoy riding my BMW boxer twin. One of the best trips was to Yosemite. I actually ran into some hail at higher elevations and this was in August!!!... I was thinking about taking my bike up to Montana this summer. It can get pretty cold up there even in the summer, but I have heated grips and a warm jacket.

One thing I have found is when you’re having a bad day with your TSP investing is to either go for a long walk, or just start the bike up and go for a ride. It helps to clear out the cob webs in the mind and it puts everything into perspective. Life is good, I still have my health, a good wife, great kids, good job and a house.

Ahhh, So your bimmer is a bike.

I'm working on a car right now .... and the parts are Expensive.

I have just need the Catalytics and I'm done, then I will also enjoy cruising SoCal in my 850!

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I have been in it since 1985 and I have never had a down year yet. The fed TSP plan will be my main retirement income when I check out. I just hope the TSP'ers who have gotten slammed this year dont get discouraged!!

Even the TSP folks who inadvertently or intentionally DCAed all the way down from 2000-2002 and then inadvertently or intenionally DCAed all the way up 2003 and then accumulated in 2004, 2005, and 2006 are smelling like tulips right now. DCA is the redeemer of many a mistake. Even this correction has its merits.

 

[Dodge_Em]

Sounds like you really have it good. My friend and I were looking at houses in the Newport Area, but so much for that. I'm waiting a bit longer and saving some pennies here and there for a good down payment. :worried:

You definately need a beefy double income to own anything decent out here.

 

[Show-me]

Sounds like you really have it good. My friend and I were looking at houses in the Newport Area, but so much for that. I'm waiting a bit longer and saving some pennies here and there for a good down payment. :worried:

You definately need a beefy double income to own anything decent out here.

Don't know how you folks in SoCal do it. I moved in '92 and never looked back. Expensive is an understatement.

 

[Tempest]

What reall makes me angry about SoCal - and Californaia- is that kids who are college age don't get to stretch their wings. When I went to UCLA in 1974 you could rent an apartment in Santa Monica. Nothing fancy but liveable. You could strike out on your own. Young adults (lets face it they are not teenagers) don't have that option now. That's not right.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I moved to So Cal in 2001 and I love it out here on the left coast. Before I accepted my current job, my co-workers told me horror stories about California. The only one that was correct was the high price of real estate. I purchased my current home in March of 2002. Had I waited until Mar of 2006, that same house would have almost doubled in price!!! The extra fed locality pay for So Cal helps us make ends meet.

I’m a career fed worker and I have lived / worked in IL, TN, CA, WA, GA, IN, VA and finally back to CA. I enjoyed all of my Navy / Fed travels, but if I had to pick the top two, I would say CA and GA. I guess the trick is to just make the best of wherever you live?

What reall makes me angry about SoCal - and Californaia- is that kids who are college age don't get to stretch their wings. When I went to UCLA in 1974 you could rent an apartment in Santa Monica. Nothing fancy but liveable. You could strike out on your own. Young adults (lets face it they are not teenagers) don't have that option now. That's not right.

 

[Gaetaone]

It's nice to see there's a few Fed Civ. Travelers out there... I've been working for the Navy for 20 years... San Diego, HI, DC, Lemoore, Monterey, Italy and Nevada.... Looking forward to another move down the road... Ain't Life Grand!!!

Best of luck this week!!

John

 

[Aviator_Guy]

3-23-07, 15 UK sailors captured at gunpoint by Iranian military is being reported. This is a huge geo political event that will affect markets. Iran has proven to be a major player when it comes to escalating the war in the Middle East and they just upped the ante big time! My prayers are with the sailors families.

 

[nnuut]

UK: 15 Marines seized by Iran

POSTED: 8:38 a.m. EDT, March 23, 2007

LONDON, England (CNN) -- Fifteen British Marines on patrol in the Persian Gulf have been "seized" by the Iranian navy, the British Ministry of Defense said.
The Marines were "engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters," the ministry said in a statement on Friday.
A U.S. military official who monitors the region told CNN the Marines stopped an Iranian ship suspected of smuggling automobiles, and boarded it for an inspection.
While the Marines were on board, six Navy ships from the Iranian Revolutionary Guard showed up and claimed the British had entered Iranian waters.
A dispute ensued over whether the Marines were in Iraqi, international, or Iranian territorial waters, and the 15 were then seized and taken to Iran, the U.S. military official said.
An Iraqi fisherman told Reuters the incident took place in the Shatt al-Arab waterway that marks the southern stretch of Iraq's border with Iran. His account could not be immediately confirmed.
The British ministry's statement said the Marines "completed a successful inspection of a merchant ship when they and their two boats were surrounded and escorted by Iranian vessels into Iranian territorial waters."
The statement added: "We are urgently pursuing this matter with the Iranian authorities at the highest level and on the instructions of the Foreign Secretary, the Iranian ambassador has been summoned to the Foreign Office. The British Government is demanding the immediate and safe return of our people and equipment."
There was no immediate word from Tehran on the incident.
The U.S. military official said the British Royal Marines are believed to be unharmed. It was not immediately clear where in Iran they were taken.
The British Foreign Office said Iran's ambassador in London had been summoned and Britain was demanding their immediate safe release, Reuters reported.
http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/03/23/iran.uk/index.html

 

[Aviator_Guy]

Good news this morning on the initial jobless claims and the GDP numbers are better than expected and that’s Das Gud.

Bad News is the Iranians are still stirring things up with their illegal capture of those UK sailors. For this reason, I’m very cautious, so I will be in the market very short term. Good luck with your TSP investments!

 

[Aviator_Guy]

Good news this morning on personal spending / income and corn futures. The overnight Asian markets were up and the European markets are still mixed.

Bad news is still Iranian political belligerence. The world might wake up and see how dangerous it would be to have that country with Nukes. It appears their government is being run by the revolutionary guard. This event has driven up the price of oil 7 percent just in the month of March!

Gulf naval forces on all sides are at their highest alert. I wouldn’t be surprised if there is another Gulf maritime incident soon, but it won’t fare well for any Iranian forces who dare to get their feet wet. For this reason, I’m jumping out of the market by the COB today. Good luck with your TSP investments!

 

[airlift]

Excellent viewpoint! Thank you

 

[Aviator_Guy]

The 1st Quarter of 2007 has been one wild roller coaster ride and it was a lot of fun! I’m moving into April with caution, but I’m very optimistic there will be a lot of opportunities in the 2nd quarter to grow our accounts in the green. Good luck with your TSP investing!

Note: I have enclosed my XLS file that I use with my Treo 700 to track my funds.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

They are releasing the UK hostage’s and that’s good news. The bad news is that Iran still wants to build Nukes. I would think this will be good for the markets. It should have a positive impact on oil prices too.

I decided to move from the “I” fund this morning (4-4-07), but after the news of the hostages, I changed my decision and will stay in the I fund for another day. I’m still very cautious and will probably move away stocks tomorrow. I’m just trying to stretch my gains out for another 24 hours. Good luck with your TSP investments!

 

[Dodge_Em]

...

I decided to move from the “I” fund this morning (4-4-07), but after the news of the hostages, I changed my decision and will stay in the I fund for another day. I’m still very cautious and will probably move away stocks tomorrow. I’m just trying to stretch my gains out for another 24 hours. Good luck with your TSP investments!

Good call Aviator Guy,

Have a great weekend ... The weather is going to be great. Nice time to do a little cruising.

 

[Aviator_Guy]

Sounds like you really have it good. My friend and I were looking at houses in the Newport Area, but so much for that. I'm waiting a bit longer and saving some pennies here and there for a good down payment. :worried:

You definately need a beefy double income to own anything decent out here.

Real Estate market in Southern California is not dropping much in price in my neighborhood yet, even though the foreclosures are increasing. Those “No Doc” loans are really hurting the people who had no other alternative in order to get into a house. It’s really sad, but I think it will continue for the next year or so.

My home has doubled in price since I purchased it in 2002, so even if there is a correction in real estate, I should be safe. If I were you, I would look for foreclosures to move into. I think you might be able to find something, even in Southern California if you keep looking. The “for sale” signs don’t stay up too long here.

Being a home owner really helps reduce your federal and state tax burden and that means more of the green stuff in your pocket. I just don’t see how the market can go higher in price than it is today, but I said that same thing I said when I purchased a home in Southern California in 2002!! Back then, I didn’t even haggle for the price. I gave them what they asked for because the demand was great. The general rule is that if you know you’re going to live in a place for more than two years, it pays to buy vice rent. And it pays a lot more to buy and hold than buy and flip.

My wife owns a house in AZ, so we’re lucky enough to write off a lot of the interest of two homes during tax time. I love California and AZ is ok too, but I found a scorpion in her AZ house once and that’s like a bad thing in my book! She told me that they can be found in any home in AZ. I captured it and put it in a jar. It lived for about a week before it when off to scorpion heaven.

Anyway, good luck with your TSP investing!

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I decided to move out of the “F” fund and into the “I” fund, but it was not an easy choice. I will lose money on the F fund trade today, but I’m feeling pretty good about a positive Asian market tonight and Euro tomorrow morning. This is very short term for my account.

Good news on the USA job report and higher personal income last week indicate the American economy is heating up again. But, I really like the news of oil going below $64.00 a barrel. Reducing energy cost will heat up any market.

Bad news is the concerns over inflation. I think the likelihood of a fed cut next month is unlikely, but as long as they don’t increase the rates, I’m a happy camper. I’m still worried about Iran’s Nuke program. I think it will come to an end, but it won’t come through diplomacy! I just hope I’m not in the market when that happens.

 

[Dodge_Em]

Real Estate market in Southern California is not dropping much in price in my neighborhood yet, even though the foreclosures are increasing. Those “No Doc” loans are really hurting the people who had no other alternative in order to get into a house. It’s really sad, but I think it will continue for the next year or so.

I haven't really done the math on how much I would save if I had a mortgage. Hmmm ... that's definately something to think about.
I might start off with a Condo.:suspicious:

I'm still waiting for a Big Quake to scare people out of California ... Did you feel the little one centered in Monrovia last week at about 4:30AM??? :nuts:

BTW ... So much for the good Easter weather ... can you believe that, it was warmer on Christmas Day!

 

[Aviator_Guy]

I haven't really done the math on how much I would save if I had a mortgage. Hmmm ... that's definately something to think about.
I might start off with a Condo.:suspicious:

I'm still waiting for a Big Quake to scare people out of California ... Did you feel the little one centered in Monrovia last week at about 4:30AM??? :nuts:

BTW ... So much for the good Easter weather ... can you believe that, it was warmer on Christmas Day!

I have been living on the left coast since 2001 and have only felt two, both very minor. During the Northridge quake prior to my arrival, it took out a big hunk of the overpass (I 5 and I 14) and that closed Interstate I 5 for a couple of months or so. That’s about 6 miles from my house.

I didn’t feel the 430am Monrovia California tremor you mentioned. I get out of bed at 5:00am, so I must have been snoozing, so I missed it! The USGS has a couple cool web links for earthquake data…

World wide earthquake data:
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsww/Quakes/quakes_all.php

USA (Take a look at recent activity between Memphis and St. Louis)
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/eqcenter/recenteqsus/