XPost: alt.home.repair, uk.d-i-y, alt.sci.physics   
   From: CFKinsey@military.org.jp   
      
   On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 18:48:21 +0100, Rod Speed  wrote:   
      
   >   
   >   
   > "Commander Kinsey"  wrote in message   
   > news:op.z28dwvo9wdg98l@desktop-ga2mpl8.lan...   
   >> On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 18:26:08 +0100, Rod Speed    
   >> wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >>>   
   >>> "Commander Kinsey"  wrote in message   
   >>> news:op.z272xqduwdg98l@desktop-ga2mpl8.lan...   
   >>>> On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 14:26:27 +0100, devnull  wrote:   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> On 6/11/19 8:49 AM, Commander Kinsey wrote:   
   >>>>>> On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 13:14:33 +0100, Xeno    
   >>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> On 11/6/19 9:54 pm, Commander Kinsey wrote:   
   >>>>>>>> On Tue, 11 Jun 2019 12:32:27 +0100, Daniel60   
   >>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Commander Kinsey wrote on 11/06/2019 8:09 AM:   
   >>>>>>>>>> On Mon, 10 Jun 2019 10:53:25 +0100, Daniel60   
   >>>>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> Commander Kinsey wrote on 10/06/2019 12:50 AM:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> On Sun, 09 Jun 2019 10:01:28 +0100, Daniel60   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>  wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Commander Kinsey wrote on 8/06/2019 4:04 AM:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, 07 Jun 2019 03:46:18 +0100, Bob F   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> wrote:   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>    
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> You know this for every supplier in the world?   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Well if you live in the desert maybe you can actually make   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> real   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> money   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> instead of stealing it from the taxpayer.  But in most places,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> solar   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> panels are next to useless unless you want to charge up a   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> couple   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> of AA   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>> batteries.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> No farm, just a normal 3 bedroom house with 20 solar panels   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> that   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> I   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> installed about two years ago costing about $4,500.00.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Last month, being the start of Winter, i.e. lower sunlight   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> levels, my   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Solar rebate (after any power I might have used during the day)   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> was   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> $21.49, so, even at this low sunlight rate, I'd repay the panel   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> costs in   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> about 17.5 years.   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> O.K., I'd have not earned interest on that $4,500 for that   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> time,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> but,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> then again, I'd have been getting 'free' daylight power myself   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> for   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> that   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> time!!   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Taking into account the greater quantity of power I will(/have)   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> be   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> generating during Summer, that pay-back time would be reduced   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> (to,   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> maybe, 10 years'ish!!).   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>> Just saying!!   
   >>>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> I wouldn't buy something that took 10 years to break even.  Ever   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> heard   
   >>>>>>>>>>>> of an ISA?   
   >>>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>>> No!   
   >>>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>>> Might be a British acronym.  It's a long term savings account.   
   >>>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>>> Is that something like what U.S.A'ians cal a 401K ... what we in   
   >>>>>>>>> Australia call Superannuation??   
   >>>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>>> No idea, I don't have one.  You put money in and don't touch it for   
   >>>>>>>> 5   
   >>>>>>>> years and earn a higher interest rate.   
   >>>>>>>   
   >>>>>>> Compounding interest is key.   
   >>>>>>   
   >>>>>> Not what I meant, the % is much higher in the accounts where the bank   
   >>>>>> knows you can't withdraw it for 5 or 10 years.   
   >>>>>   
   >>>>> US bank accounts are a lousy place to invest because they are paying   
   >>>>> less   
   >>>>> than the inflation rate.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Normal ones, yes.  But you can get about 3% on a 5 year ISA here in the   
   >>>> UK.   
   >>>>   
   >>>>> And if you don't have the money stored in a tax-free IRA, you'll pay   
   >>>>> income tax on your losses.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Dunno what an IRA is, but all ISAs are tax free AFAIK.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Hang on, losses?  Surely you pay income tax on your income, not losses.   
   >>>   
   >>> He means they pay income tax on the pathetic interest   
   >>> which is worse than the inflation rate and so you effectively   
   >>> pay income tax on those notional, not real, losses.   
   >>   
   >> What a funny way of thinking about it.   
   >   
   > No its not.   
      
   It is, because you are not paying tax on what you lose.  You pay tax on what   
   you're getting back.  If you have £10000, somebody steals £1000 of it, then   
   you go out and earn £1000 to replace it, and pay tax on it, you aren't paying   
   tax on your losses.   
      
   >> If you put the cash under a mattress, you'd lose all of the inflation, not   
   >> just the tax bit.   
   >   
   > Under the mattress isnt the only alternative.   
      
   It was an extreme example to demonstrate my point.   
      
   > Your ISAs are indeed a much better alternative   
   > because they pay an interest rate closer to   
   > inflation and they are tax free too so you   
   > don't lose that way either.   
      
   Depends where you go, I just checked and TSB is 1.6%, inflation is 2.1%.  I'm   
   sure TSB was 3% a few months ago.   
      
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