Search found 15186 matches

by stoptothink
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best & Worst "Mid-Life Crisis" expenditures
Replies: 129
Views: 24362

Re: Best & Worst "Mid-Life Crisis" expenditures

We're having a 3rd kid (I'll be 43, mama will be 38), that will be 12yrs and 9yrs younger than their siblings and was a huge unplanned surprise. Third kid means we pretty much have to buy a bigger home (we have a paid off 1400sq. ft home, but it'll simply be too small as in-laws are moving in with us same time baby comes), a bigger car, and another 529 to fund. We were pretty much financially independent and trying to figure out when would be the best time to call it quits...not so much anymore. I'll come back in 18yrs and tell you whether #3 was the best or worst "mid-life crisis" expenditure. I don't have any tattoos and no longer dye my hair wild colors, but I'm a 42yr old father of two, with a professional career (that involv...
by stoptothink
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

Having expenses of 90k/year in a VHCOL with 2 young kids sounds nearly impossible. Does that include taxes? I would think in VHCOL that fed/state income tax on 420k TC would be 90k or more by itself. Did your FAANG have perks like free-food that you'll now have to pay for which will further increase spending? Also, kid spending has the tendency to increase as well as they get older and involved in more activities. I'm not saying you shouldn't consider the non-profit, but I just caution you to be realistic about what your future projected expenses really are. You're also at your peak earning years, if you voluntarily give up on FAANG earnings at this point in your career you may never get an option like that again. I assume OP is not counti...
by stoptothink
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:37 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

MrNarwhal wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 7:38 am
Valuethinker wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:22 am I agree she will probably have to move out of Florida for her career. But that's also true of Illinois/ Midwest.
This forum is an alternate reality sometimes. BLS data report an estimated 6,940 electrical and 5,030 electronic engineers in Florida with median wage around $100k which is roughly the 90th percentile for the state.

Of course OP's daughter may end up moving out of state but to say that she will "probably have to" do so is a bit much.
Don't you know that all electrical engineers start their career making $200k+ and that $500k+ is a given with a few years in the workforce? We're in Lake Wobegon when it comes to salaries; we're all in the 99th percentile right?
by stoptothink
Tue Feb 06, 2024 6:34 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: No Need for More than 6-Month Emergency Fund?
Replies: 27
Views: 3162

Re: No Need for More than 6-Month Emergency Fund?

Looking at all the layoffs around I'm personally bumping my emergency fund to 12 months. As I've said so many times, I can't juxtapose the "jobs reports" with what I am seeing with my own eyes: layoffs in professional jobs everywhere around me and nobody hiring. Not like I've seen since '08. We've never felt the need for a true emergency fund because we have mid 6-figures in HSA (with receipts), Roth IRAs, I-bonds, taxable account, etc. that we could tap at any point, not to mention credit cards with 0% APR. But I do feel a little more comfortable right now with a big VMFXX cushion (we've been saving for a home upgrade and now a minivan). In OP's situation, I wouldn't stress about it. Just slowly replenish the fund with cash flow...
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:29 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accumulators, what's your response to inflation?
Replies: 146
Views: 12834

Re: Accumulators, what's your response to inflation?

RubyTuesday wrote: Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:26 pm For most workers, real wages are up during the recent periods of high inflation (see St Louis Fed and Bureau of Labor Statistics for details).

You’ve gotten raises, have they not kept up with your personal rate of inflation? i.e. Can you not maintain your savings rate and pay your increased expenses?
I believe the increases in real wages are primarily in low-skill/low-pay jobs. Anecdotally, my and wife's employers have frozen raises for the last 3 years.
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 4:22 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5697

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

The difference between "student-athletes" and the general student body in regards to academic achievement is so vast - even at Ivy (even though they do not technically provide athletic scholarships) and Stanford - that they generally shouldn't even be considered part of the same group. Ivies handle this a bit differently than Stanford does. Ivy rules require the average academic index for all athletes to be within one standard deviation of the campus AI. Even this tends to overstate the difference, as athletes test earlier, usually with little or no prep, and once they get a green light before senior year have little need to test again. There’s a small minority of athletes with relatively low (for these schools) test scores. But ...
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 2:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score
Replies: 67
Views: 5697

Re: Calculating a "true" SAT average admissions score

These types of posts remind me of a joke I once heard: "My SAT scores were so low I almost got a football scholarship." The kernel of truth is, of course, if an applicant is a stellar athlete being recruited by the athletics department, the SAT score is all but irrelevant. The difference between "student-athletes" and the general student body in regards to academic achievement is so vast - even at Ivy (even though they do not technically provide athletic scholarships) and Stanford - that they generally shouldn't even be considered part of the same group. Stanford is the only school with a D1 football team that has standards above the NCAA sliding scale to determine admissions status for athletic recruits, nonetheless th...
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 1:25 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is paying off a 2.99% mortgage always a bad idea?
Replies: 332
Views: 24662

Re: Is paying off a 2.99% mortgage always a bad idea?

For us, we've been there, and there was no psychological euphoric experience outside of the nice dinner we had that night. I wonder why some people (like myself) felt excited by it while others like you and StopToThink didn't. One difference may be when I paid it off, I was far from FI and at a pretty young age. I felt like it was an amazing accomplishment and knew I was on my way to being FI which would open a lot of opportunity. If I had paid it off well beyond FI (say 50x) and had millions, maybe it would have been more of a "meh" feeling. And some people just get more excited with hitting financial milestones while others are less emotional. With that said, I'm not super debt adverse and will likely get a mortgage if I upgrad...
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 12:43 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Accumulators, what's your response to inflation?
Replies: 146
Views: 12834

Re: Accumulators, what's your response to inflation?

We've never had a reason to budget and we are very minimalist compared to most when it comes to spending; savings (which has been >50% of gross throughout our marriage) is just what is left over. Raises have been frozen at both our employers, along with inflation, so we've just accepted that we're saving less right now and there's nothing we can do about it. We're still in a great position.
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?
Replies: 65
Views: 9251

Re: Recently laid off from FAANG, should I go work for a non-profit or try to stay?

I'll echo the sentiment, as another former non-profit worker (and my wife is as well): do not assume that the work environment and work/life balance will be better in the non-profit. In the case of both of us, we'll never go back to the non-profit sector because private industry has offered us better work/life balance, colleagues who we align more with (no other way to say it, in our experience the "go-getters" in the non-profit sector are few-and-far between), better overall work environments, along with the better compensation.
by stoptothink
Mon Feb 05, 2024 11:11 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: DW Laid Off, I'm Panicking
Replies: 166
Views: 20729

Re: DW Laid Off, I'm Panicking

Most ppl posting here have no idea what it costs to live in NY or CA. I live a middle class lifestyle too with similar costs. One vacation a year, no extravagances. No one can believe that. You can adjust somewhere. Our budget when renting a very nice apartment in Manhattan was about 4.5k rent and 4k expenses. 8.5k monthly. Maybe a little extra for travel. We did not miss out on anything and spent freely. So let’s say aside from rent, 5-6k very liberal budget for 2 people. For the OP, Where is the other 8-10k MONTHLY going for the OP? 36k tuition x 2 kids for private school maybe? Plus maybe each kid has $1000 of sports or activities and say it costs $2000 monthly to feed them somehow. We are up to 9k-10k on top of my 6k for a total of 15-...
by stoptothink
Sun Feb 04, 2024 9:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689752

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Currently watching a 2022 Ken Burns documentary, "The U.S. and the Holocaust." Frightening. I stopped watching anything Ken Burns after it was documented how many errors he made in his Baseball series 30 years ago. I expect documentaries to be factual and free from errors that should not have been made. When so many errors are made it casts doubt on just about all in the documentary. It seems that Burns is not a historian but is a storyteller. The former seeks truth while the second bends it to tell a story. https://thegruelingtruth.com/baseball/fallacy-of-ken-burns-baseball-documentary/ I actually do enjoy Ken Burns' stuff, but you just have to accept that he's telling an entertaining story and he doesn't let actual facts get in...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:32 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?
Replies: 230
Views: 23992

Re: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?

Beensabu wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:29 pm
stoptothink wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:15 am the job market flat-out sucks for white collar workers here.
The job creation of the last couple years has been concentrated in the service sector. There are jobs. They are just not the jobs that people getting laid off want. They certainly don't pay as well as the jobs people are slowly losing, though it looks like we're in the stages of trying to at least make them pay well enough that the economy can continue to function once most people end up in them.
Exactly what I'm seeing. I don't claim to know anything, but sure seems like a great time to be a high schooler looking for a job, not so much for established professionals.
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 4:16 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: DW Laid Off, I'm Panicking
Replies: 166
Views: 20729

Re: DW Laid Off, I'm Panicking

$5.5M NW and still nearly $300k/yr in income, what exactly are you panicking about?
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 3:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

+1 If we (LA and SF natives) were absolutely forced to move back to California (we'd have to be forced), it's an easy SLO #1 and north SD county #2. Absolutely beautiful areas, that don't have some of the same issues that most of the rest of the state does. What sort of issues? Crime, traffic, etc....but sounds like it has changed since we last visited. I just did a quick google search but looks like your home state of Utah has more crime per capita than California - https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/crime-rate-by-state I lived in each state for two decades or so. There's nowhere in the state of Utah that has remotely close to the same crime problems as where I or wife grew up or where my brother currently lives - I don't ca...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

ThankYouJack wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 12:52 pm
stoptothink wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 8:29 am
+1 If we (LA and SF natives) were absolutely forced to move back to California (we'd have to be forced), it's an easy SLO #1 and north SD county #2. Absolutely beautiful areas, that don't have some of the same issues that most of the rest of the state does.
What sort of issues?
Crime, traffic, etc....but sounds like it has changed since we last visited.
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 12:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

:happy Thanks for the recommends. I'll start looking into some of the different recommendations. I do love California (especially Santa Barbara and the rest of the Central Coast). It's been a while since I've been to Northern California but may take a trip there this year. Other than the HCOL what I dislike about a lot of California is the suburban sprawl and traffic. Ideally would like more of a town than suburban feel and will look into some of the smaller areas mentioned. I realize everyplace will have some tradeoffs. For weather, I don't mind humidity. I enjoy good snowstorms as well, just not long winters with highs in the 40s or lower for many months of the year. Between your first comment and this comment, I'd look hard at San Luis ...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 8:29 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

:happy Thanks for the recommends. I'll start looking into some of the different recommendations. I do love California (especially Santa Barbara and the rest of the Central Coast). It's been a while since I've been to Northern California but may take a trip there this year. Other than the HCOL what I dislike about a lot of California is the suburban sprawl and traffic. Ideally would like more of a town than suburban feel and will look into some of the smaller areas mentioned. I realize everyplace will have some tradeoffs. For weather, I don't mind humidity. I enjoy good snowstorms as well, just not long winters with highs in the 40s or lower for many months of the year. Between your first comment and this comment, I'd look hard at San Luis ...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:49 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What percentage of spending normally goes to Taxes?
Replies: 59
Views: 5242

Re: What percentage of spending normally goes to Taxes?

TomatoTomahto wrote: Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:33 am I can’t see how it’s actionable or useful, but more goes to taxes than we spend/save/invest. I’m not sure that it will be a good thing when that changes, but I guess it will mean that my wife finally retired :D
Although we're not in your tax bracket, we're also in a position where our federal income taxes alone are significantly more - like 50% more - than our entire annual household expenditures. It sucks thinking about it, but it's (having decent income and low expenses) a good problem to have.
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:36 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689752

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

Currently watching a 2022 Ken Burns documentary, "The U.S. and the Holocaust." Frightening. I stopped watching anything Ken Burns after it was documented how many errors he made in his Baseball series 30 years ago. I expect documentaries to be factual and free from errors that should not have been made. When so many errors are made it casts doubt on just about all in the documentary. It seems that Burns is not a historian but is a storyteller. The former seeks truth while the second bends it to tell a story. https://thegruelingtruth.com/baseball/fallacy-of-ken-burns-baseball-documentary/ I actually do enjoy Ken Burns' stuff, but you just have to accept that he's telling an entertaining story and he doesn't let actual facts get in...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:15 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?
Replies: 230
Views: 23992

Re: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?

Report from yesterday: https://www.challengergray.com/blog/job-cuts-announced-by-us-based-companies-surge-136-to-82307-to-begin-2024-financial-tech-lead/ 11 of the past 12 government reports have been downward revised; let's wait to see what next month's revisions say. December jobs were revised up to 333,000! This economy is booming. More manufacturing jobs than at any point in the last 15 years. The United States is producing more energy than at any time in history. Exporting more energy than at anytime in history. Renewable energy is rapidly coming online as well, wind + solar energy production will surpass coal in the United States sometime this year. We added 1.2 million EVs to the U.S. energy grid in 2023 and electricity use went dow...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:13 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?
Replies: 230
Views: 23992

Re: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?

I continue to wonder how my slice of the world is so different than economic data. I am not intimately familiar with a single larger company around here that hasn't had recent layoffs, many of them for the first time. I work for a large health & wellness; first layoffs (~400 employees) in company history have occurred the last ~6 months - we also have had a hiring and raise freeze for 2 years. ALL of our competitors had massive layoffs this year, some well in excess of 10% of total staff. Wife works for a Bay Area based fintech company, they cut staff >30% (~900 employees) in the last 6-months - first layoffs in their nearly 20 year history. Wife's former cybersecurity firm: first layoffs in company history this past year. My sister (l...
by stoptothink
Sat Feb 03, 2024 7:05 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Your daughter will be successful regardless of where she goes to school. She has the track record to prove it. I hope this is really true. But from my own experience, the college/grad schools that I went to and more importantly the friends I made had a greater impact on who I'm today. After all, we all make biased decisions based on limited knowledge/experiences. Don't get me wrong. I'm not arguing I'm correct and others are wrong. I'm here to listen to different perspectives. Once I'm convinced your statement is true, then my preference will indeed be easy, as many suggested. And how do you know the experience wouldn't have been better had you went somewhere else? That's a question I often ask myself because I risked/paid so much to go to...
by stoptothink
Fri Feb 02, 2024 2:19 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?
Replies: 230
Views: 23992

Re: Echoes of Dot Com Bubble?

Report from yesterday: https://www.challengergray.com/blog/job-cuts-announced-by-us-based-companies-surge-136-to-82307-to-begin-2024-financial-tech-lead/ 11 of the past 12 government reports have been downward revised; let's wait to see what next month's revisions say. December jobs were revised up to 333,000! This economy is booming. More manufacturing jobs than at any point in the last 15 years. The United States is producing more energy than at any time in history. Exporting more energy than at anytime in history. Renewable energy is rapidly coming online as well, wind + solar energy production will surpass coal in the United States sometime this year. We added 1.2 million EVs to the U.S. energy grid in 2023 and electricity use went dow...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 5:57 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best & Worst "Mid-Life Crisis" expenditures
Replies: 129
Views: 24362

Re: Best & Worst "Mid-Life Crisis" expenditures

We're having a 3rd kid (I'll be 43, mama will be 38), that will be 12yrs and 9yrs younger than their siblings and was a huge unplanned surprise. Third kid means we pretty much have to buy a bigger home (we have a paid off 1400sq. ft home, but it'll simply be too small as in-laws are moving in with us same time baby comes), a bigger car, and another 529 to fund. We were pretty much financially independent and trying to figure out when would be the best time to call it quits...not so much anymore. I'll come back in 18yrs and tell you whether #3 was the best or worst "mid-life crisis" expenditure. I don't have any tattoos and no longer dye my hair wild colors, but I'm a 42yr old father of two, with a professional career (that involve...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 5:35 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

+1 I've seen a lot of this in my wife's fintech colleagues; mostly 20-early 30's who just assume EVERYBODY comes out of school (or doesn't even finish) and immediately has a host of $150k+ first job offers and that they can just job hop every 6-months for a pay raise. A lot of them are getting a big dose of reality right now in extended unemployment. Sound a bit like jealousy. What is $150k these days? You can barely afford a started house with that salary. I get it $150k was a lot of money in 2019 and you could live in a nice house, in a nice area with a nice 3% mortgage on that. But those days are long gone. Now are the days of $170k UPS drivers. You should really be focused on that computer science graduates make $20k less than a UPS dr...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 3:28 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

I can't relate to an increasing number of posts - like this one..... Some of the posts sort of remind me of the dot com bust when a lot of younger tech workers who had never seen a bad job market were suddenly surprised to be unemployed with no prospects for a similar job. They assumed that the late 1990s bubble was the new normal and did not realize just how exceptional their situation was since that was all they had ever known. +1 I've seen a lot of this in my wife's fintech colleagues; mostly 20-early 30's who just assume EVERYBODY comes out of school (or doesn't even finish) and immediately has a host of $150k+ first job offers and that they can just job hop every 6-months for a pay raise. A lot of them are getting a big dose of realit...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:48 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

It's always worthwhile to look at it from a different perspective. It's a given that all Bogleheads are exceptional and at least 120% more productive WFH than in the office. Some maybe even 200% more effective! I won't question that. HOWEVER, is every one of your coworkers as productive WFH and do some need more structure? Got it a few of you work in a very small company of only exceptional people. But realistically we all know people whose WFH consists of pet care, personal care, child care, delayed email responses, and "sorry I'm late to the Teams call just got back from the vet". They don't actually get the job done. Managers and executives do see this too. Most companies cannot only hire 1%ers and exceptional people. They can...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 1:31 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

It's always worthwhile to look at it from a different perspective. It's a given that all Bogleheads are exceptional and at least 120% more productive WFH than in the office. Some maybe even 200% more effective! I won't question that. HOWEVER, is every one of your coworkers as productive WFH and do some need more structure? Got it a few of you work in a very small company of only exceptional people. But realistically we all know people whose WFH consists of pet care, personal care, child care, delayed email responses, and "sorry I'm late to the Teams call just got back from the vet". They don't actually get the job done. Managers and executives do see this too. Most companies cannot only hire 1%ers and exceptional people. They can...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 10:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Another "Can I afford this house" thread
Replies: 55
Views: 5197

Re: Another "Can I afford this house" thread

It's not as crazy as it sounds. In my MCOL area (SLC, Utah suburbs) $2.5M isn't some crazy mansion, that's a totally normal home in many neighborhoods around me. "MCOL" is a very wide spectrum these days. Oh, come on. That's not quite true. Housing has certainly gone crazy in Utah and you can certainly find $2.5M homes, but $2.5M is still a VERY nice home in a Utah suburb. Probably 6,000+ square feet, 4 car garage, high end finishes, nice view, close to the canyons etc. The median listing price in Salt Lake County is $575K. There are $2.5M homes in my very nice neighborhood, but most of them are half that much. And there are plenty of nice 3-4000 sq ft homes in nice places for less than a million. Yes, but I don't consider those ...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:54 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

I can't relate to an increasing number of posts - like this one, since I got the first and final advancement/promotion of my career when I was about 25 years old, and often went for many consecutive years without even a nominal, much less inflation-adjusted, pay increase. But I stayed in jobs when I valued other aspects of them. You can always look for another job if you want; just remember that unlike in your case, WFH wasn't even a thing for what, 98% of people until 2020? I think you can waste a lot of time wondering what your employer's motivations are in RTO vs. WFH etc.; management is always changing and tends to move from one theme to another, and you can't necessarily expect to predict, understand, or agree with what they do. Yeah,...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

Thanks for the recommends. I'll start looking into some of the different recommendations. I do love California (especially Santa Barbara and the rest of the Central Coast). It's been a while since I've been to Northern California but may take a trip there this year. Other than the HCOL what I dislike about a lot of California is the suburban sprawl and traffic. Ideally would like more of a town than suburban feel and will look into some of the smaller areas mentioned. I realize everyplace will have some tradeoffs. For weather, I don't mind humidity. I enjoy good snowstorms as well, just not long winters with highs in the 40s or lower for many months of the year. Seeing your list, several different areas of California are the immediate obvi...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 6:47 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

I think you answered your own question in your 'long story short... You basically have 3 choices: 1) relo to the company office (I'd ask for relo assistance since you were hired remote) 2) remain remote and get zero promotions (and likely minimal salary increases) 3) seek another remote job Maybe a better question, what should my timeline be? Jump immediately or wait and see? I like this response since it boils down to options. Unfortunately this scenario is happening more and more lately. It's terribly disruptive for people. I will say this is one of the better situations I've seen since you aren't forced to relocate or lose you job. I think that buys you time. I don't see any reason for you to rush into anything at this point. You said y...
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 6:25 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa [feedback, out of state and received merit]
Replies: 45
Views: 5164

Re: University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa

Pacific wrote: Thu Feb 01, 2024 2:09 am
White Coat Investor wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:04 pm Is there a school associated with the Alabama semi-pro football team?
:D It was semi-pro before NIL -- now it's pro.
:sharebeer
by stoptothink
Thu Feb 01, 2024 6:23 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement [Return To Office]
Replies: 128
Views: 9756

Re: Love my job, told re-lo for RTO or no advancement

I went full time remote as a high level IC with the understanding that I likely would not receive any promotions in the near future. Disclosure: I am basically FI right now, around your same age with a slightly lower income, and have saved nearly 70x my basic expenses. Frankly, the trajectory I was on at the office was the exact same. I have maybe 1 more promotion, and that could take 10 years to achieve with the way they are given at my company. It's more about "butt in seat time + competence" and it doesn't matter how competent you are. So, I decided that instead of being forced into the office 3-4 days per week, I would take WLB over a very minor chance of better career outcomes at my current company. The truth is - the only w...
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 9:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities
Replies: 74
Views: 6937

Re: Best towns with great schools, weather, outdoor activities

stan1 wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2024 9:20 pm Midway, UT winter not too bad and the rest of your points would score high.
Midway is awesome (I live 15 miles away), but winter can get pretty gnarly.
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 4:05 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]
Replies: 5973
Views: 689752

Re: [What TV Show Have You Recently Watched?]

jjunk wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 7:46 pm We've been watching Griselda on Netflix. We're about halfway through but its more interesting than I expected. Apparently its by the same team that did Narcos, which I havent seen but may watch after this.
Narcos is really good. I'm not sure I can take Sophia Vergara seriously portraying the "Black Widow", but otherwise Griselda looks right up my alley.
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:41 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

acegolfer wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:22 pm
stoptothink wrote: Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:01 pm I'm not sure I'd include Ivies either in that list (for a variety of reasons), but I think many would because there is no guarantee that OP's daughter remains in EE or CS (~80% of students change their major at least once) and Ivies have that general name recognition. As you said, all subjective.
Kinda funny. I told my kid that if she wants to go to HYPSM, I'll pay. But she didn't want to. She didn't apply to any school in your exclusive list.
Totally blanked that you were the OP. I had a fantastic offer from Cornell for grad school and all it took was about an hour on my visit to determine it was definitely not the place for me, so I can understand why some have little interest in the Ivies.
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 12:01 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

As Vulcan intimated, if this were MIT/Stanford/Cal/CMU/Cal Tech/Ivies vs. UF - yeah, there is a definite argument. But it isn't, in fact the schools are pretty comparably ranked (overall and in the specific programs) yet the cost differential is massive. I can't comprehend justifying the cost differential unless $250k+ was just a rounding error for us and/or OP's daughter (for some reason) really wanted to stay and work in the Chicago area. Correct but what schools to put in that list (worth paying $$$$) is very subjective. Personally, I would not include any Ivy in that list for an EE major. Instead, I may include gatech, UIUC, UMich, Purdue. Again, all subjective. I'm not sure I'd include Ivies either in that list (for a variety of reaso...
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 11:06 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Another "Can I afford this house" thread
Replies: 55
Views: 5197

Re: Another "Can I afford this house" thread

It's not as crazy as it sounds. In my MCOL area (SLC, Utah suburbs) $2.5M isn't some crazy mansion, that's a totally normal home in many neighborhoods around me. "MCOL" is a very wide spectrum these days. If a 2.5M home is a “totally normal” home, it’s not a MCOL area anymore. Agreed. +1. A $2.5M home is 6x the median home sales price in the U.S. Not "an average middle class neighborhood" Ref: https://fred.stlouisfed.org/series/MSPUS Nobody said this was "an average middle class neighborhood". My guess is OP is looking at a home in a very nice neighborhood in an area that is otherwise generally considered "MCOL". Does anybody consider Salt Lake City, Utah suburbs HCOL? Yet within a handful of miles o...
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 10:44 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

I’m a Big10 ECE grad from the early 90s. I’ve been doing this professionally ever since. I hire and manage a group of 150 engineers. Great engineers can come from anywhere. I’ve seen it time and again. So for me, I do not care one bit about where people went to school. Success is far more about the person than the school. If we were talking UF versus Stanford and the OP didn’t care about the money, I’d say Stanford. I'm certain many of us, in many different fields will echo the exact same thing. In my experience , the relevance of undergrad institution prestige is very industry-dependent. Having previously managed large teams of scientists (ranging from 30 to 150+ depending on the period), I've had employees from pretty much every school y...
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:41 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Another "Can I afford this house" thread
Replies: 55
Views: 5197

Re: Another "Can I afford this house" thread

I'm trying to wrap my head around a $2.5M house in a MCOL area. It seems like if you were forced to sell in the future due to one of many potential scenarios noted in this thread, you would possibly lose a lot of money. What would this same home have been worth 3, 5 and 10 years ago? Did it experience a very big run up in prices recently? You do not want to have the most expensive home in your neighborhood. However based on your current income and financials, you can definitely afford the home. It's not as crazy as it sounds. In my MCOL area (SLC, Utah suburbs) $2.5M isn't some crazy mansion, that's a totally normal home in many neighborhoods around me. "MCOL" is a very wide spectrum these days. I'll echo the consensus; OP can ma...
by stoptothink
Wed Jan 31, 2024 6:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can I afford this house? (Update 3/2/24)
Replies: 68
Views: 8371

Re: Can I afford this house?

Renting is much easier than buying (outside of when you get evicted by a landlord who decides to sell of course) so I wouldn't expect no impact at all. Agreed, and I understand there would be some impact. Just trying to see how much with my current income, and if I were to lose/change jobs, what my income minimum would need to be to sustain my lifestyle while maintaining a decent retirement saving percentage Klangfool has his own philosophy. He kept stating that I can never come out ahead by buying a house vs investing in 401k and ghosted me when I mentioned that my mortgage is $1000 lower than rent. :mrgreen: Take his advice with a grain of salt. I wish the mortgage I'm considering was $1,000 less than what I'm paying in rent or if the in...
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 6:47 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Do you ever have to show HSA receipts?
Replies: 36
Views: 3600

Re: Do you ever have to show HSA receipts?

Artsdoctor wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 6:13 pm If you're keeping a hard copy of the receipts and other documentation, make sure that they don't fade over time.
We have a decade and ~$20k worth of hard copy receipts. I just organized them in December, none were faded, but I should probably start scanning them just in case.

We've never sought reimbursement and currently have ~$80k in our HSA, but with a pregnancy this year and buying a new home, this may be the year to test it out.
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 5:23 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Mortgage Payoff Calculation
Replies: 12
Views: 1392

Re: Mortgage Payoff Calculation

If you are concerned about the market, take some off the table and throw it in a MMF. There seems to be no benefit, in this situation and at the current time, in selling from your brokerage to pay off the mortgage.
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 1:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

At first blush, the full-ride at UF is the obvious choice - it's unlikely that one state school offers an incremental better outcome that justifies +$252K extra tuition cost over 4 years. What may change the decision: which school has a preponderance of graduates at the companies/roles they're interested in? Finding out adds another data point to your consideration - doesn't mean they automatically choose a school based on the answer. It may end up that taking the full-ride is the right choice, as you have future optionality to use the money for a grad program or another opportunity that presents itself 3-5 years from now. You're not JUST comparing schools. You're comparing one school and $252K to another school. I know if I were 20 again ...
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:48 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: college decision: UIUC or UF for ECE?
Replies: 339
Views: 31713

Re: college decision: $63k UIUC ECE or full-ride UF ECE?

Neither UIUC nor GT are worth a quarter mil when UF is free. Sidned, MIT dad x2 If Vulcan says the more prestigious school (for CS or ECE) isn't worth it, it's pretty much consensus. UF is a highly regarded public school with a really good CS program and pretty good ECE program, in-state, and free . Unless $250K+ is absolutely nothing to you, I can't imagine anywhere but UF in this scenario. $250K would be a heck of a graduation gift for your daughter. For the record, I occasionally disagree with stoptothink, but I believe this is the first time I’ve disagreed with Vulcan, ever. Respectfully, I think Vulcan might just be having an off day. He, of all people, knows how quickly an apparent $250k cost differential is swallowed up by internshi...
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:22 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How has your Health Changed after Retirement; What are you doing to Stay Healthy?
Replies: 100
Views: 10092

Re: How has your Health Changed after Retirement; What are you doing to Stay Healthy?

30 min of cardio a day sounds like an achievable target; I wonder if I can make that happen... For me, I was questioning how to work in the 30 min. of cardio daily and came to the conclusion that I couldn't with my current schedule. So to make time, I set the alarm a half hour earlier and now dedicate the first half hour of the day to my cardio. That is sort of how I got to it. For a few years early in my career I had time in early evening for a long bike ride. Later that became an issue and I found a local high school where we lived at the time that allowed the public to use their pool early in the morning. So I'd be there by 6-6:30 and never the first one there -- typically a bunch of old retired guys doing their laps. I'd get in my laps...
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 11:10 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How do you retire when you love your work?
Replies: 163
Views: 12984

Re: How do you retire when you love your work?

livingalmostlarge wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 1:10 am Why? My dad worked as a dr until 90...life's passion. Up to you.
My grandfather worked as a physician up until a week or two before he succumbed to cancer. His work, was his life; I'm not so sure whether to envy the situation he was in or feel sorry for him. As someone who currently has a job that I see no reason to ever stop doing (until they kick me out), my current feelings are right in the middle.
by stoptothink
Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:54 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Struggling to find a dealer that participates in the new POS EV tax credit.
Replies: 36
Views: 3817

Re: Struggling to find a dealer that participates in the new POS EV tax credit.

02nz wrote: Tue Jan 30, 2024 10:49 am
gotoparks wrote: Sat Jan 27, 2024 2:56 am I read that Ford loses 36K selling their EV pickup trucks. Maybe all these credits and incentives hurt the dealer's bottom line, so they are not interested.
Even if that were true (it's not), it has NOTHING to do with the dealer's bottom line.
According to Ford it is https://www.nada.org/nada/nada-headline ... %20hybrids . I see no reason for them to lie when they have invested ~$12B in electric vehicle production.

Correct that it is irrelevant to the dealer.