Saturday, June 14, 2014

How to buy a car

Because you don't want to be the 45 year old dragging your father out to do your car negotiating for you. Or a 70 year bringing your son- here is how to buy a car.
1. Figure out your monthly payment from your budget. Use the internet to figure this out. If you do not budget, don't buy a car.
2. Multiply your payment by your maximum term. Do you want special financing rates? Those generally max out at 60 months. 72 months is common but stretching the value. Looking at used only? How long your term can be depends on a combination of the year of the vehicle and the mileage.
Example: I can afford $200 a month payment for 72 months= I am paying $14,400 with tax and interest.   200X72= 14,400
3. Realize that this amount isn't going to get you very much car. Weigh your options-
a- lease!- I will write a separate post about how nice leasing is.
b. up your budget.
c. settle
4. Okay lets use a reasonable amount now- $350 X 72= $25,000- (I took some off for fees) again with tax and interest.
So how much can the VEHICLE cost?
EX. Total amount- tax= Cost X 1- tax rate= 25,000 X 1-.07= 25,000 X .93= $23,250.
- Interest rate
5. Interest? I can always get 0% financing.

No you can't. Really. Lets plan for 2%

On $20,000 of vehicle you are looking at around $2,000 of interest. Just go with it. The formula is complicated.

So moral of the story is really for a $250 payment you should be looking at cars right around $20,000.


6.Now you get to do some research! What kind of vehicles are in this price range?
Sticking with the $250 payment- small cars or used. Were you hoping for more? Lots of options?
Now again you have the option to increase your budget or settle.

Serious research questions-
A. Reliability and cost of ownership- What are the real costs of service?
B. How long are you planning on keeping this vehicle?
C. Capability- Do you live in snowy CT or bone dry AZ?

Now I am going to divide this into 2 more blog posts- NEW purchases vs. USED purchasing tips

Monday, June 9, 2014

AI in healthcare AWESOME

http://www.wired.com/2014/06/ai-healthcare/

http://www.wired.com/2014/06/healthcare-gov-revamp/

Thursday, January 23, 2014

Deadly choices review

This is a great book. Quick, easy read. I didn't know that the anti-vaccine movement has existed for so long. It really seems to be growing and picking up steam in this era of social media but it was all started in 1982 by a television program.

This book seems to really tie in with an article I read the other day- The end of expertise. Social media is allowing everyone to shout their "informed opinions" from the rooftops. Who should you listen to about your child's health- the other parents you know on facebook, or little ole' me without kids but with a degree in public health? You should listen to me. I know how to read scientific articles and I have done so and examined the evidence. The internet is chock full of information. A lot of it is wrong. Many people still quote the very discredited Andrew Wakefield. Every anti-vaccine movement seems to anoint one doctor to be the crowning researcher to discover the horrible side-effects. That was Andrew Wakefield was to the autism- thimerosal crowd. At this point, his doctors license has been removed and his articles have been redacted from the journals that published them. Now the people that are anti-vaccine are conspiracy theorists so they believe that this is because the medical establishment is HIDING them. Instead, this is the standard that scientists hold each other to, they found that he had changed his data which is completely unacceptable. Yes, that is right, I called anti-vaccers conspiracy theorists. I put them on the same plane as people who think 9-11 was a conspiracy or that the JFK assassination was a set-up.

Now you may ask what is the real danger of some parents making bad choices for their own children? Well the problem is the kids that can't get a vaccine. AV have even twisted this to show that it implies that vaccines don't work. The problem is that vaccination rates are now really really low in some areas. The flu strain this year is a resurgence of H1N1. This strain can kill young, healthy people aka the people least likely to get the vaccine.
http://news.discovery.com/human/health/h1n1-flu-strain-on-the-attack-this-season-140121.htm

http://theinvisiblegorilla.com/blog/2011/01/02/book-review-deadly-choices-by-paul-offit/

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/map-day-high-cost-vaccine-hysteria

614.4708
Paul Offit