Search found 85 matches

by mako171
Fri Sep 04, 2020 1:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Daughter almost ready to launch into professional life
Replies: 45
Views: 5129

Re: Daughter almost ready to launch into professional life

1. In your first job, your key task is to make your boss good.
2. You don’t know anything. Humility is valued in the workplace.
3. Work harder than your peers. Or don’t, just know this is why you aren’t getting ahead.
4. Don’t worry about titles; focus on the value of the work you are assigned.
5. Starting at the bottom is ok. I made 32k in my first “real job” out of college.
6. Don’t worry about the job politics; some day that will be important. But not now.
7. Practice writing “glanceable” emails. No one wants to read 1000 words. Or if the communique genuinely requires that, put a very concise bullet pointed summary at the top.
8. Remember to enjoy this stage of life and don’t (constantly) worry about the next one.
9. See #3.
10.
by mako171
Thu Apr 02, 2020 6:15 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Home office deductions for mandatory work at home?
Replies: 18
Views: 1508

Re: Home office deductions for mandatory work at home?

The bar for a home office deduction is very high. If I remember correctly, the room has to be used exclusively for work. No use by kids or your spouse even briefly. Someone more knowledgeable should chime in. Bottom line: if you can work from home, tame your greed and count your lucky stars in this difficult time. Countless number of people (will) have no work. Tame your greed and count your lucky stars!?! Ridiculous. That millions are suffering has nothing to do with the OPs question, which I think is totally valid and worth researching. I was told to work at home, so cleared out an room that is only for work purposes. I plan on researching the deductibility as well. Not sure how it will end up, but certainly worth looking at.
by mako171
Sun Mar 29, 2020 8:38 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: garage projects
Replies: 21
Views: 2017

Re: garage projects

Rowing or sailing dinghy
by mako171
Wed Feb 26, 2020 9:29 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: DCA vs LS for Life Changing Windfall?
Replies: 25
Views: 2121

Re: DCA vs LS for Life Changing Windfall?

Ron, get yourself a bottle of Lagavulin to celebrate.
by mako171
Wed Jan 29, 2020 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: "Relinquish" my index fund portfolio when moving to hedge fund?
Replies: 19
Views: 2174

Re: "Relinquish" my index fund portfolio when moving to hedge fund?

Homestretch is exactly right. This is the way it works at large hedge funds.
by mako171
Wed Jan 08, 2020 5:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

What no. This is wrong. I just confirmed my statement on Google maps, says 11 min. Try it during rush hour. Twice a day and give me a call. +1 to suggest there is not rush hour traffic in the tri-state area is naive at best and really insulting to the hoardes of people sitting in it day in and day out at worst. I absolutely don't have a dog in this fight, but as a datapoint, at 5:07 pm EST on a Wednesday--which I would expect to be rush hour--Google Maps is saying 22 minutes in either direction. This conversation is pretty meaningless without a specific origin and a specific destination. An additional 22min each way is massive if you are commuting from NYC. If you are commuting from Stamford to Port Chester, that's probably not bad at all....
by mako171
Wed Jan 08, 2020 12:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

I’m going to repeat: Stamford CT. It’s literally 10 min to the border in Port Chester and you are in WC. This location is great. Near the water: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/32-Carlisle-Pl-Stamford-CT-06902/177189887_zpid/ This is a great house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5-Madeline-Ct-Stamford-CT-06907/177186005_zpid/ Both in your price range. 10 minutes if you own a magic carpet. 30-45 minutes for the rest of us. 95 and the Merritt parkway are parking lots What no. This is wrong. I just confirmed my statement on Google maps, says 11 min. Try it during rush hour. Twice a day and give me a call. +1 to suggest there is not rush hour traffic in the tri-state area is naive at best and really insulting to the hoardes of people si...
by mako171
Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:46 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

BV3273 wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 11:29 am
mako171 wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:15 am I’m going to repeat: Stamford CT. It’s literally 10 min to the border in Port Chester and you are in WC.

This location is great. Near the water: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/32-C ... 9887_zpid/

This is a great house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5-Ma ... 6005_zpid/

Both in your price range.
10 minutes if you own a magic carpet. 30-45 minutes for the rest of us. 95 and the Merritt parkway are parking lots
What no. This is wrong. I just confirmed my statement on Google maps, says 11 min.
by mako171
Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:35 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

FrugalConservative wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:17 am
mako171 wrote: Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:15 am I’m going to repeat: Stamford CT. It’s literally 10 min to the border in Port Chester and you are in WC.

This location is great. Near the water: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/32-C ... 9887_zpid/

This is a great house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5-Ma ... 6005_zpid/

Both in your price range.
You couldnt pay me to live there. Stamford schools are at best ...bad.

Did you even click the link for the first home. Iol. That house needs a complete remodel.
Stamford is huge; several good schools, even a few IBs.

Re the first link...location brah, which was my point.
by mako171
Wed Jan 08, 2020 10:15 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

I’m going to repeat: Stamford CT. It’s literally 10 min to the border in Port Chester and you are in WC.

This location is great. Near the water: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/32-C ... 9887_zpid/

This is a great house: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/5-Ma ... 6005_zpid/

Both in your price range.
by mako171
Tue Jan 07, 2020 11:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle
Replies: 340
Views: 27279

Re: Living in a HCOL and making a middle class salary is a struggle

I live in Greenwich, CT. The only reasons to be here are (very) high paying jobs, great schools, and LI Sound boating. Life is expensive as heck. You could look at Stamford, CT - great houses there in the 4s and 5s; and not too far from where you are now.
by mako171
Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:45 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: NYT: Why Don’t Rich People Just Stop Working?
Replies: 18
Views: 4158

Re: NYT: Why Don’t Rich People Just Stop Working?

Starfish wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 5:21 pm
BogleGreatHuman wrote: Fri Oct 18, 2019 3:09 pm Because many rich people are passionate about what they do, hence the reason they are rich in the first place. To be great at something you must love it.
Or the other way to see it is that they don't know anything else.
I don’t think so. I love fishing more than anything else. If you don’t love fishing as much as me, it’s not because you don’t know what it is. It’s because you are passionate about something else. We all like what we like.
by mako171
Thu Sep 05, 2019 6:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help Responding to the IRS
Replies: 19
Views: 3028

Re: Help Responding to the IRS

OP here. Wanted to follow up and say thanks again to everyone who responsed. Posts by Taylor, dododechahedron and Armeliusc were particularly helpful. I followed the advice at the time, and the IRS sent me a letter today saying they had closed the issue and zero’d out the amount due. So thanks again everyone.
by mako171
Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:28 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Negotiating" Salary
Replies: 74
Views: 7788

Re: "Negotiating" Salary

Ha, yah we do this too. I just didn’t want to muddy my point.

I work on the buy side, and 10k is an easy number to tack on the someone’s base. My fun thing thing to do is settle on a number verbally, then send the offer letter for slightly more and say something to the effect of: “hey good news, we are so excited for you to join the team that I was able to get you a few more bucks.”

That goes a long way.
by mako171
Thu Aug 15, 2019 7:09 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Negotiating" Salary
Replies: 74
Views: 7788

Re: "Negotiating" Salary

Is the reason to avoid the question because you don’t know what you are worth? Or is it that you are worried that you are worth more than they are willing to pay? The reason to avoid the question is to try to extract the maximum amount of employer surplus possible in the case of a wide salary range for the position while minimizing the chance of excluding yourself from consideration prematurely. An example with easy round numbers: if a position has a range of $100k to $150k, and the candidate would settle for $110k but wants $160k, and at the end of the interview process the green light is given to hire the candidate with a salary up to $140k, the candidate might have screwed themselves out of $20k or $30k/year of base salary if they gave ...
by mako171
Wed Aug 14, 2019 1:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Negotiating" Salary
Replies: 74
Views: 7788

Re: "Negotiating" Salary

TomatoTomahto wrote: Wed Aug 14, 2019 9:46 am
... Plus this whole “first one to say a number loses” idea is old timer stuff.
Yeah, I have to admit it’s been more than 2 decades since I interviewed for a job, so I’ll defer to your more recent experience.
Hope this wasn’t taken in an offensive way by you, tomato. Apologies if it was. I normally very much agree with your outlook in other posts!!!
by mako171
Wed Aug 14, 2019 7:38 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: "Negotiating" Salary
Replies: 74
Views: 7788

Re: "Negotiating" Salary

You don't answer that question if you can avoid it. Also, if he's interviewing, he's not negotiating. Ideally, he would say "I'm looking for a total package - salary, bonus, profit-sharing, benefits - that reflect what I am able to contribute to the company's success (or bottom line)." A professional employer should never ask him the question. They have a compensation range for the job, they interview candidates, find the best one, and make an offer usually below the midpoint of the range. Disagree with just about everything you wrote here. A professional company would seek a meeting of the minds on compensation at the outset so as to not waste anyone’s time. A well-prepared candidate should have done enough homework at the outse...
by mako171
Tue Jul 23, 2019 6:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Share your moving from HCOL to LCOL stories
Replies: 36
Views: 4767

Re: Share your moving from HCOL to LCOL stories

I'm looking for information on how your expenses changed when moving from HCOL areas to LCOL areas. Any and all information regarding overall expenses, income, and quality of life changes are welcome. Where are you considering moving from and to? j From NYC suburbs to somewhere to be determined. Carolina's seem nice. The goal would be to move up my retirement date by a few years and enjoy warmer weather for a longer period. Would be bringing wife and school age children along. How often do you head into the city? How much do you value the proximity to NYC? Because that’s what you’re paying for. If you love NYC AND reside IN NYC, then I wouldn’t suggest you move. But a suburb? Yes. I don’t see anything remarkably different about the lifesty...
by mako171
Tue Jul 16, 2019 12:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help Responding to the IRS
Replies: 19
Views: 3028

Re: Help Responding to the IRS

These are all great responses. I will work on this tonight. Thank you!!!
by mako171
Tue Jul 16, 2019 10:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Help Responding to the IRS
Replies: 19
Views: 3028

Help Responding to the IRS

For the avoidance of doubt, I am not asking for legal advice, just some views on how to explain this event to the IRS so I can be done with it... I received a notice from the IRS stating that they believe my taxable income for 2017 was $13k higher than I reported it on my tax return, and therefore I owe ~$7k in taxes, penalties, and interest. I disagree, and want to make sure I explain the situation correctly to the IRS in my response to them. In early 2017, I withdrew $13k from my Roth IRA, which had an account value of about $20k at the time. I withdrew $13k because this was the exact amount of contributions I had made to this Roth since 2008. I am under the impression that Roth contributions themselves can be withdrawn at any time tax fr...
by mako171
Mon Jun 24, 2019 5:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Favorite mountain lodge destinations in the west?
Replies: 49
Views: 5558

Re: Favorite mountain lodge destinations in the west?

My wife has her elderly mother visiting next summer and they were thinking maybe of visiting Yellowstone National Park. But it appears that the destination park hotels are already booked out for 2020, at least for the dates she is looking at. Anyone have any suggestions for nice National Park style mountain lodge destinations in the west within a day's drive of Portland? My mother-in-law is mid-80s and still spry but not up for anything rustic. But she loves wilderness destinations. I was thinking of maybe doing the ferry up Lake Chelan to Stehekin WA and staying in one of the mountain lodges up there at the entrance to the North Cascades National Park. But am open to any suggestions in the Northwest or Canada. We are basically looking for...
by mako171
Fri Apr 26, 2019 9:37 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Side Hustle courses
Replies: 45
Views: 6078

Re: Side Hustle courses

I don’t know what your background is, but for most people, the best thing for the long term is to work on developing their first career. Unless you’re thinking this is a business you want to eventually transition to full time, the better bang for buck, so to speak, is usually to focus on your career. Get better job skills, a better job, that kind of thing. I am controller of a small non for profit company, so I am underpaid due to industry, but I have only been at this job for 2.5 years, and vesting in 401K and company stock is 3 years, so I should get that, plus it looks better on my resume to stay for a while as my last two full time jobs were at startups that failed, so I want to establish some job stability, but I also have been told t...
by mako171
Wed Apr 24, 2019 9:11 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: When is it worth it, and not, to live in a (very) high COL region?
Replies: 31
Views: 3559

Re: When is it worth it, and not, to live in a (very) high COL region?

i've posted before about my situation. wife and i are 32 years old and thinking about starting a family soon. we live in NY state, just outside of Manhattan, in Westchester County. for those of you familiar, it is one of the highest COL areas in the entire country. real estate is astronomical - especially given what you get for your money (think high $700K+ for a 50+ year old home in need of updating) - and property taxes are just as bad. right now we rent a 1br for a cheap-for-this-area $1900/mo. wife and i make ~$230K gross. wife is a teacher in NY (one of the better and higher paying places to be one) and i work in finance. her job and both of our families/support systems are what's keeping us here but there are times when i wonder if t...
by mako171
Sun Mar 24, 2019 6:38 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Leadership literature or advice
Replies: 12
Views: 1409

Re: Leadership literature or advice

I have found my subscription to Harvard Business Review to be valuable (disclosure: my company covers the cost).

HBR sends me a digest of new articles every day on topics I read a lot on...entrepreneurship, managing teams, mentor ship, etc. I peruse an article or two on the train each morning, and I find this helps me stay in a mindset of learning and thinking about new ways to be impactful for my team.

The Captain Class is also a good read...basically using sports to show how the best captains carry water (sometimes literally) for the team’s super stars, so they can do what they do best.

I had not heard of a couple of the suggestions above, and will check them out, so thanks for starting this thread.
by mako171
Mon Mar 11, 2019 7:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I leave my local bank
Replies: 43
Views: 7859

Re: Should I leave my local bank

WSJ just did an article on this, which was an interesting read: https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-proble ... 1551502885

Someone above mentioned POPMONEY. Ha, my local bank has that; what a joke. Hard for the little guys to keep up.
by mako171
Thu Feb 21, 2019 8:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Negotiating a pay raise
Replies: 24
Views: 2553

Re: Negotiating a pay raise

Unfortunately i cannot name them off the top of my head, but there have some incredible posts and threads on this topic over the years. Real gems. You just need to dig for them.
by mako171
Fri Feb 01, 2019 9:08 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Why doesn't a lot of money feel like a lot of money?
Replies: 205
Views: 26180

Re: Why doesn't a lot of money feel like a lot of money?

Wannaretireearly wrote: Wed Jan 23, 2019 7:19 pm Play a game...keep your checking account low (ish)
And get back in the mode of ' how am i gonna pay that bill and that bill?' Ignore the fact you have a significant vanguard account....the 'new money' will become more important :)

I.e. mentally forgot all your other accounts and value those checking account $. This is my situation today and i cant wait to get my next 'bonus' :)
I do this too.
by mako171
Fri Dec 28, 2018 5:20 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bathroom Dripping-Potential Leak Question
Replies: 20
Views: 3070

Re: Bathroom Dripping-Potential Leak Question

lws6772 wrote: Fri Dec 28, 2018 4:39 pm Sometimes the vent pipe for the exhaust fan/light can accumulate water condensate and cause a drip.
This.
by mako171
Mon Aug 27, 2018 5:53 pm
Forum: Non-US Investing
Topic: Asking for portfolio advice.
Replies: 79
Views: 15591

Re: Retiring. 28 y.o. $5M in cash. Asking for advice for portfolio.

I don’t understand. You are not going to do ANY work for the rest of your life? That could be 75 years. You referred to yourself as an entrepreneur...aren’t you going to want to do something to keep busy or entertained? I think an entrepreneur would naturally want to figure out a way to monetize that. Whatever “that” is. It’s just their DNA.

But good luck! You must be a pretty talented person to bootstrap yourself into this position.
by mako171
Wed Jul 11, 2018 2:00 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Management at Megacorp
Replies: 26
Views: 3917

Re: Management at Megacorp

HEDGEFUNDIE wrote: Tue Jul 10, 2018 10:17 am What is "management"? How do the duties of management differ from the responsibilities of non-management?

It would help if you told us what function you're in. In my team at MegaCorp, you don't have anyone reporting to you until you get to the Director level, at which point you're 7-10 years in and making $300k/year. Your main responsibilities shift from making slides and excel spreadsheets to building relationships with people in other part of the corporation in order to build influence for you and your team.
Is this right? Is the main responsibility of a middle manager to develop relationships intrafirm and expand influence/impact? Can you explain more? Thanks!
by mako171
Fri Feb 16, 2018 5:55 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Vacation in May. Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Ogunquit (cancelled Bar Harbor)
Replies: 35
Views: 4207

Re: Vacation in May. Boston, Martha's Vineyard, Bar Harbor

Former Maine/Mass/NH person here. While I love Maine, I would recommend not trying to add on a Bar Harbor trip to all you want to do in Mass. It's a LONG way (pretty much a day there and a day back) and it will be pretty chilly still. It really deserves its own trip. I would add a day trip to Portland (and Freeport is only about 20 mins north if you're an LL Bean fan). The city is quaint and great for foodies. The Portland Head Lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth is worth a stop. You will recognize it from many ads and movies. There is so much to do in Mass. The Cape would be great at that time of year but it will probably be chilly (like maybe not sitting on the beach weather). Newburyport/Plum Island (you can drive to the island), Walden Pond/L...
by mako171
Wed Feb 14, 2018 6:18 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: L.L. Bean, Citing Abuse, Tightens Its Generous Policy on Returns
Replies: 41
Views: 6314

Re: L.L. Bean, Citing Abuse, Tightens Its Generous Policy on Returns

Love the screen name...sounds exactly like what Bean will need to get out of this...

This American Life did a segment on this policy in 2016 that I recall as pretty good.

https://www.thisamericanlife.org/591/ge ... neys-worth
by mako171
Wed Feb 07, 2018 7:17 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: 7/1 year ARM loan and additional monthly payments
Replies: 17
Views: 1770

Re: 7/1 year ARM loan and additional monthly payments

JamesSFO wrote: Wed Feb 07, 2018 2:27 am What are the caps on the per year change in the ARM? How about the lifetime cap?

Given the changes in the tax laws for 2018+, a new mortgage might not be deductible to the same degree based on the amounts mortgaged so that's another question for you to clarify.

Personally, I would continue paying the mortgage down extra and need more info on the questions about to suggest further thoughts about when/if to refinance.
James - refi'd mortgages are grandfathered in under the current $1m cap. Only new mortgages are subject to the $750k cap. So nothing changes from a tax perspective, UNLESS he refis for more than a mil and his current mortgage is less than than (via some HELOC maneuver). In that case, your point is good.
by mako171
Wed Nov 15, 2017 9:01 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How unwise is it to move to a high-tax fiscally-shaky state? (Connecticut)
Replies: 50
Views: 6168

Re: How unwise is it to move to a high-tax fiscally-shaky state? (Connecticut)

I think the OP was pointing out that fiscal issues extend to the city level in places like Hartford, not that he was moving to Hartford. But I could be mistaken.
by mako171
Wed Nov 15, 2017 7:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How unwise is it to move to a high-tax fiscally-shaky state? (Connecticut)
Replies: 50
Views: 6168

Re: How unwise is it to move to a high-tax fiscally-shaky state? (Connecticut)

I moved to Fairfield County from Houston in 2015 for a job opp. Everything more expensive here, but the pay differential was substantial. Taxes are less than Westchester County. We can use public schools. Everyone is busting their butt to provide for their families. Nice people (yes really!) Lots of amenities. LI Sound is close by and great for boating. NYC 55 min away by train. Worked for us...but man is housing expensive!
by mako171
Tue Oct 17, 2017 6:17 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Best way to make some dollars on a 10 day vacation?
Replies: 57
Views: 7421

Re: Best way to make some dollars on a 10 day vacation?

A thousand bucks huh? I bet you could spend a few hours each morning optimizing your bills/expenditures - cutting the fat or renogotiating - and end up with savings over $1k over the course of the year.

Then spend another hour every day exercising. And another hour reading bogleheads.

You'd still have the half of each day free for whatever hobbies keep you mentally healthy.

Be like a machine getting these done each day for your vacation, and it will be way more valuable than driving Uber for 10 days.

Or call GLG and ask to be added to their expert network as a mechanical engineer with expertise in X. Google this for details.
by mako171
Mon Oct 09, 2017 6:09 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: What advice to give 21 year old?
Replies: 133
Views: 14729

Re: What advice to give 21 year old?

All: The kid is going to work for a hedge fund. Likely a big one. In terms of comp, CS software engineering job at a tech firm is not the same thing. Good for him! I was not at all ready for that at age 22. Hopefully he gets some wanderlust out of his system next summer!
by mako171
Tue Jul 18, 2017 7:12 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you guys accept first Job offer or negotiate?
Replies: 26
Views: 3378

Re: Do you guys accept first Job offer or negotiate?

To the posters debating a rescinded job offer: Being a straight forward negotiator is one thing. Quibbling over $5k in what sounds like a highly compensated position is another. I agree that a rescinded offer for a reasonable negotiation seems extreme. In my circumstances, any salary negotiations during a hiring process happened at the stage of the process where the person I was communicating with could make it happen. So it got hammered out in about 5 min of conversation.

To the poster whose company offered more than he asked for. That has happened to me too!
by mako171
Sat Jul 08, 2017 9:37 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Shopping for first bike since I was a kid
Replies: 121
Views: 12771

Re: Shopping for first bike since I was a kid

Certain bike shops sell used bikes. At least one does near me. Then you can feel good that bike has been tuned up and is not stolen. The other day he had a used Surly Cross Check for $250 that I thought was a pretty good deal.

Another posted about Craigslist in NorCal. Agree with him/her...maybe it was just that area but I was amazed at how few good deals there were on Bay Area CL.
by mako171
Wed Apr 19, 2017 7:07 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Moving from Chicago NW suburbs to NJ/NY area
Replies: 31
Views: 4314

Re: Moving from Chicago NW suburbs to NJ/NY area

I happily moved Maine-California-Texas-NY for work, so have some experience in this. Unless you're actively trying to escape IL, this seems like a silly idea. It's only ~$25k bump pretax. That's not worth it. It sounds like your kids are middle school age? That's a hard time to move, probably the hardest time. You and your spouse will need to completely rebuild your local social network. Are houses $500k in NJ? In northern NJ, I would have guessed more.

Get an offer for double the salary and revisit the idea.
by mako171
Tue Jan 24, 2017 7:00 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are HSAs always a good idea?
Replies: 2
Views: 602

Re: Are HSAs always a good idea?

Hmm, thanks for the quick resolution there Dottie. That solves that.
by mako171
Tue Jan 24, 2017 6:44 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are HSAs always a good idea?
Replies: 2
Views: 602

Are HSAs always a good idea?

Continuing to look for ways to reduce taxable income...

My company pays 100% of health insurance for my family. There are no Copays or deductibles. I plan on being with this firm for the foreseeable future. Is an individual HSA still a good idea? I guess I could use it for kids braces down the road, but that's still 6+ years away, or unforeseen dental expenses...

Thanks for any thoughts.
by mako171
Sat Jan 21, 2017 5:23 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: East Coast And Work/Life Balance
Replies: 68
Views: 10449

Re: East Coast And Work/Life Balance

ubermax wrote:
pshonore wrote:
mako171 wrote: I moved from Houston to the CT 'burbs and work in NYC. Cost of living is WAY higher, but I make a a ton more money now. Will move somewhere cheaper after we get through the high-earning years.
Once you get out of Fairfield County, CT is not that expensive. Taxes are not cheap and you have to like snow and cold weather though.
Very true Pshonore , I suspect Mako lives along our Gold Coast , maybe Darien or Greenwich ? :happy
OG
by mako171
Sat Jan 21, 2017 2:44 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: East Coast And Work/Life Balance
Replies: 68
Views: 10449

Re: East Coast And Work/Life Balance

Curiously, the data shows the time spent working (including commute) is almost the same in NYC as in Houston.

Link: http://comptroller.nyc.gov/wp-content/u ... h_2015.pdf

I moved from Houston to the CT 'burbs and work in NYC. Cost of living is WAY higher, but I make a a ton more money now. Will move somewhere cheaper after we get through the high-earning years.

I kind of like my MetroNorth commute - it's "me time" between work and family stuff.
by mako171
Sun Dec 18, 2016 2:52 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Grandparent wants to max gift 529, but Im confused.
Replies: 20
Views: 2975

Re: Grandparent wants to max gift 529, but Im confused.

Just because someone gifts you 14k in a given year and you also donate 14k to your daughters 529 that same year, doesn't immediately suggest fraud. Those two actions could be entirely unrelated.
by mako171
Thu Dec 15, 2016 9:50 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Friend wants to pay for my kids' college expenses: how best to do this
Replies: 23
Views: 4797

Re: Friend wants to pay for my kids' college expenses: how best to do this

Thanks for following up, I remember this post from the summer. Your husband must have been a very good man. Happy holidays.
by mako171
Sun Nov 20, 2016 9:34 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Recommended YouTube Channels?
Replies: 12
Views: 3833

Re: Recommended YouTube Channels?

Sailing La Vagabonde. Two magnetic Australians who knew nothing about sailing are voyaging around the world. They are currently in the South Pacific.
by mako171
Tue Nov 15, 2016 6:53 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How much is business worth?
Replies: 49
Views: 8511

Re: How much is business worth?

Is it a pure barre?