Search found 2545 matches

by TheEternalVortex
Tue Nov 07, 2023 9:24 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Planning to Engineer My Own Layoff for Retirement
Replies: 29
Views: 4944

Re: Planning to Engineer My Own Layoff for Retirement

You can quit but set your last day 2 months from now (or whenever). Then don’t any work. They aren’t going to bother firing you when you already quit so there you go.
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Sep 30, 2023 5:29 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
Replies: 760
Views: 149458

Re: Good Modern Science Fiction

I'm not sure if Arkady Martine's A Memory Called Empire belongs in this thread or not, as it is not merely good but freaking brilliant, both as a story and as an exercise in world building comparable with Tolkien or LeGuin: an entire culture with its own language, history, religion, traditions, non-alphabetic glyphs, jokes, song cycles, epic poems, romance novels, and episodic holoproductions, all of which shape how its members think and act. If you like space opera, you should read this; if you don't, you should read it anyway because it's that good. I will admit, however, to not liking the title. I wasn't a fan of this book, at least for me I found it quite boring and tedious (if I'm going to learn a bunch of dry history I'd rather it be...
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Jul 11, 2023 8:42 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Advice on hiring interior designer for bathroom remodel
Replies: 72
Views: 8225

Re: Advice on hiring interior designer for bathroom remodel

If you are in the Bay Area I can recommend a very good GC I’m using right now for a 2x bathroom remodel (they also did kitchen as well earlier). DM me if you want.

Otherwise I would just look on Yelp and ask like 3-5 for estimates and the pick the one you like. They will do all the permits for you, and even help with design (it’s good if you have a rough idea though).

To give you a rough idea I spent about 8k in materials for two small bathrooms plus 35k for construction. So this would easily fit in your budget since you just have one (of course it depends a lot on the exact work and materials you want etc).
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Jun 10, 2023 10:37 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: House inspections: Mold, duct issues, Remediation or back out
Replies: 35
Views: 3942

Re: House inspections: Mold, duct issues, Remediation or back out

I’ve been working on resolving mold issues in my house. So far I’ve spent $50k because I had to replace a lot of stuff that got affected. And probably about $5k more when I’m 100% done. So be careful when estimating the total cost.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue May 16, 2023 9:45 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Job Offer From Start Up. What To Ask?
Replies: 20
Views: 2779

Re: Job Offer From Start Up. What To Ask?

I’ve researched this quite a bit and the key thing to consider is that startup equity grants are generally “fair”. That means if they offer you $200k in equity at current valuation then the expected value of this is indeed $200k. They will try to talk about how the company will 100x and so you are actually getting $20m but that’s a very high variance outcome. Of course 90% of the time you will get $0 so it is kind of true that if you do make money on equity that it’s going to be much higher (in those 10% of cases).

There are some exceptions like if the company is small and you are adding so much value that you expect it to materially impact their chance of success (compared to another person). But that’s unlikely to be the case.
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Oct 13, 2021 10:09 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Requesting advice as I consider a job offer in Mountain View, CA
Replies: 53
Views: 5756

Re: Requesting advice as I consider a job offer in Mountain View, CA

If you are going to have kids soon I would strongly recommend staying close to the grandparents. It will be invaluable.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Jul 19, 2020 1:06 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: How would permanent WFH reshape Silicon Valley?
Replies: 79
Views: 8128

Re: How would permanent WFH reshape Silicon Valley?

FWIW, Facebook’s pay scaling is trivial. Like maybe 5-10% less going CA -> Kansas. The lower taxes alone make up for it, let alone cost of living.

Despite that I don’t see that many people interested in permanent remote work. Maybe only 5% or so. So I don’t expect a big shift in the area economy.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Apr 26, 2020 2:03 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Good Modern Science Fiction
Replies: 760
Views: 149458

Re: Good Modern Science Fiction

Cycle wrote: Tue Nov 26, 2019 10:14 pm
DanMahowny wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:49 pm
themesrob wrote: Wed Jan 09, 2019 1:48 pm Dark Matter by Blake Crouch was tremendous.
Yes. Hit that one a year ago. Already read it a second time. Tremendous indeed.
I inhaled that one through my eyeballs in one breath.
If you like that one I recommend Everyone by Charles Soule. Crouch’s Recursion is also basically like a better version of Dark Matter.
by TheEternalVortex
Thu Apr 02, 2020 10:04 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Are your personal expenses down during stay home and shelter?
Replies: 180
Views: 15868

Re: Are your personal expenses down during stay home and shelter?

Way down. Probably spent $2k monthly eating out if not more. Also buying less on Amazon with deliveries being what they are.
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Mar 07, 2020 11:54 pm
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Glide path based on $ not time
Replies: 26
Views: 2717

Re: Glide path based on $ not time

This is exactly my strategy, though I have a fairly modest difference regardless. But my goal is 60/40 at $4m, with 80/20 at $0. So at $2m I would be 70/30. If I'm fortunate enough to exceed $4m I could see going more conservative. But at that point I expect I will be financially independent so that's why I picked that amount.
by TheEternalVortex
Thu Feb 27, 2020 9:28 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: iPhone 6s - upgrade to 11 or 12?
Replies: 41
Views: 3985

Re: iPhone 6s - upgrade to 11 or 12?

Replaced my 6S battery for $25. Now it works great, lasts longer than ever. I actually like it more than the 11 which I use for work (TouchID so much better than FaceID)
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Feb 21, 2020 10:01 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do You Have a Long Term Travel Strategy?
Replies: 67
Views: 7109

Re: Do You Have a Long Term Travel Strategy?

Wow, that’s very ambitious. Basically no travel with kids is “low stress” maybe until they are teens. Kids thrive on schedule so it’s never easy to upset that. They may have picky food choices and it can be hard to find what they eat I. The place you are going. Changing time zones is rough even a few hours difference. And you have to bring tons of stuff, it makes flying much more of a pain. My kids are 5 and the best trips we’ve had have been driving. We’ve flown a few times with them and it’s basically not fun at all. YMMV but don’t expect much. In a related note I traveled a lot as a kid (2-3x a year to other countries). Until I was ~14 I basically got nothing out of the specific locations, it was more about being with family and friends....
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Feb 12, 2020 7:49 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Should I find a different job with a better commute?
Replies: 50
Views: 4560

Re: Should I find a different job with a better commute?

If it was only a matter of pay it might be worth it. But worse working conditions is a tough pill to swallow. That’s going to be 8 hours a day of feeling bad instead of the extra 2 hours you have now.
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Feb 07, 2020 3:51 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Tech Jobs (Defense vs. FAANG)
Replies: 21
Views: 4747

Re: Tech Jobs (Defense vs. FAANG)

KyleAAA wrote: Thu Feb 06, 2020 12:55 pm Which big tech? Google and Microsoft, for example, have great WLB and most work 40 and done. Apple, Amazon, and FB are different.
FWIW, everyone I know at FB works 40 hours or less (some even more like 30 hours). It's really hard to generalize about a 50k person company.
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Feb 05, 2020 9:54 am
Forum: Investing - Theory, News & General
Topic: Those Who Want to Work Past 70
Replies: 25
Views: 2987

Re: Those Who Want to Work Past 70

My plan is to be FI by 40. But I don’t expect to retire till way later. But just in case I’d like to be ready. My grandfather is still working at 82.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Feb 02, 2020 12:08 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Engineers - What are you making? ($$$)
Replies: 357
Views: 54072

Re: Engineers - What are you making? ($$$)

mottooscillator wrote: Sat Jan 25, 2020 12:30 pm
shans2000 wrote: Fri Jan 24, 2020 5:52 pm
mottooscillator wrote: Wed Jan 22, 2020 11:17 pm Engineer in Bay Area. Total compensation: $1M/year.

Salary: $300,000
Bonus: $100,000
Stock: $600,000
That is outstanding! How many years experience and is it FANG?
FANG, 20 yoe+, 15+ in Bay Area
So Google?
Netflix doesn’t pay equity.
Amazon doesn’t pay that high a base.
Facebook doesn’t have any level that pays that combination of base and equity.
by TheEternalVortex
Mon Jan 20, 2020 9:26 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Engineers - What are you making? ($$$)
Replies: 357
Views: 54072

Re: Engineers - What are you making? ($$$)

Software Engineer in the Bay Area w/ 10 years experience (well-known large tech company). Last year my W-2 income was $850k, which breaks down as $260k base salary, $80k bonus, and $510k vested stock (I sell immediately, so same as cash). This year I expect it to be slightly higher if all goes well, although I also might leave to pursue another opportunity that will not pay as well, so there's that possibility.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Jan 14, 2020 9:18 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Windows 7 end of support - Jan 14, 2020
Replies: 107
Views: 10570

Re: Windows 7 end of support - Jan 14, 2020

It’s easy enough to turn off all the annoying stuff (no telemetry, cortana, or start menu ads) and after that it’s arguably the best windows ever.
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Jan 03, 2020 9:50 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Net Worth Over $1.5M Under Age 45, Have You Paid Off Your Home?
Replies: 19
Views: 3117

Re: Net Worth Over $1.5M Under Age 45, Have You Paid Off Your Home?

Age 33. Paid off most of it now that we get the less favorable tax deduction because of SALT limits.

Retirement Accounts: 600k
Taxable Accounts: 1m
Home Equity: ~1.4m

Remaining Mortgage: 120k
Mortgage Interest Rate: 3.75%
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Oct 16, 2019 8:39 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Retired Empty Nester Move from House to Apartment
Replies: 27
Views: 5358

Re: Retired Empty Nester Move from House to Apartment

Wow, 5500 sq ft, that's crazy for two people...

You could also just get a smaller house. Some disadvantages of apartments could be hard to get used to (noise, less control over living conditions).
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Aug 07, 2019 9:52 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: San Jose (CA) cost of living
Replies: 36
Views: 4998

Re: San Jose (CA) cost of living

I’ve lived in San Jose for 25+ years. I would recommend living in Willow Glen. That’s where I would live if I were retired. But depends on what you want from your neighborhood of course.

Your numbers seem close. My car insurance and registration is around 30% lower though (for a new $30k car). Utilities would be somewhat higher if you use AC all day. Although if you don’t then it could even be lower.

Eating out is very expensive in the Bay Area because of high labor costs. Groceries aren’t too bad though so the gap is bigger than most places.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun May 12, 2019 4:02 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Can we really afford $1.25M house?
Replies: 44
Views: 7325

Re: Can we really afford $1.25M house?

I bought a house for the same amount in CA a few years ago with slightly lower income (though put 40% down). Compared to how much rent has kept going up it definitely turned it to be good financially. Also my income has kept increasing which was lucky (but I didn’t count on it).
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Apr 26, 2019 10:33 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: QLED vs OLED TV
Replies: 4
Views: 1040

Re: QLED vs OLED TV

Just get an OLED. It's by far the best TV ever made. You won't regret it.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Mar 17, 2019 3:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Housing should be no more than 28% of your income.
Replies: 66
Views: 9507

Re: Housing should be no more than 28% of your income.

If you own a house you should really count the imputed rent else it’s not exactly a fair comparison.
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Mar 15, 2019 8:36 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Most people wish they invested more and sooner. Any of you wish they invested less?
Replies: 38
Views: 5647

Re: Most people wish they invested more and sooner. Any of you wish they invested less?

No, but I also don't wish I had invested more. I think the amount was correct within margin of error.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Mar 05, 2019 7:14 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: How long have you gone without a raise?
Replies: 75
Views: 7425

Re: How long have you gone without a raise?

I’ve gotten raises annually since I started. Now my salary is 2.5x what it was 10 years ago all at the same employer.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Non-budgeters: How do you handle large purchases?
Replies: 47
Views: 5172

Re: Non-budgeters: How do you handle large purchases?

I never spend more than I have in my checking account on large purchases. (The only exception was house downpayment, for which I sold investments from my taxable account). I just try to keep ~3 months expenses in there and that's usually enough to cover most large purchases. After that I let it replenish by not investing for a bit. So far has worked out fine.
by TheEternalVortex
Thu Aug 23, 2018 10:34 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Decent compensation to move to Bay Area CA?
Replies: 290
Views: 29283

Re: Decent compensation to move to Bay Area CA?

If you rent a reasonable house it's probably $5k/month, so you'd want something like $300k/yr to have a similar lifestyle. Of course it will be hard to buy a house on that income unless you have large savings. Also note that many people really like the bay area for various reasons (weather, culture, activities) so you are paying a big premium for that. If you don't actually like the bay area as a location it doesn't really make sense to live here.
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Mar 03, 2018 6:07 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What will you do with your tax refund?
Replies: 87
Views: 9350

Re: What will you do with your tax refund?

Last year I got back $12k but this year I owe $8k. It’s pretty hard to estimate correctly in my situation.
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Mar 02, 2018 9:42 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: What was your % pay raise?
Replies: 179
Views: 24897

Re: What was your % pay raise?

For last year it was ~8%. My highest ever without getting a promotion or switching jobs.
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Feb 21, 2018 9:30 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax loss harvesting and whether robo-investor fees are worth it
Replies: 27
Views: 4508

Re: Tax loss harvesting and whether robo-investor fees are worth it

Most people don’t have regular gains so the value of TLH is capped at 3k*marginal tax rate. And obviously you have to pay those taxes later on when you sell, so it’s even less than that. But at some point a 0.25% fee will exceed that. Since you can’t get TLH without ongoing contributions it’s inevitable. So in the long run it’s never going to be saving you money.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Feb 18, 2018 6:08 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do you wear a wedding band? [at a job interview]
Replies: 157
Views: 16088

Re: Do you wear a wedding band?

Neither my wife nor I wear one. We don’t like the feel of rings. Somehow we haven’t forgotten that we’re married yet.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Feb 18, 2018 2:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Bogleheads with $100K+ MSRP cars?
Replies: 146
Views: 24014

Re: Bogleheads with $100K+ MSRP cars?

To put it in perspective, a $100k car costs about the same as just using ridesharing (Lyft/Uber) for all travel.
by TheEternalVortex
Mon Dec 18, 2017 11:58 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Buying a new sofa with two young kids?
Replies: 36
Views: 5007

Re: Buying a new sofa with two young kids?

Bought a cheap leather couch for $800 six years ago and it’s going strong (we have two young kids). It’s also super comfortable. So I don’t think you have to pay all that much to get something decent.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Dec 12, 2017 11:42 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Do people still use AAA?
Replies: 306
Views: 36749

Re: Do people still use AAA?

I use them for my auto/home insurance so membership is required. Its basically more than free because the total cost is still less than other insurance by around $100/yr. I’ve used it maybe 3 times ever and it was very helpful.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Oct 15, 2017 9:52 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Amazon Prime - Decline in Delivery Service?
Replies: 61
Views: 9079

Re: Amazon Prime - Decline in Delivery Service?

If anything it’s gottrn faster. I often get things in one day rather than two and now they even deliver on Sundays. I think I’ve had maybe 1 missing item in ~1000 orders the past couple years.
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:56 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live
Replies: 102
Views: 13242

Re: Best Lower Cost USA Cities to Live

hicabob wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:31 am
Valuethinker wrote: Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:55 am

Conversely the traffic is generally horrible-- which makes it hard to meet people, meet up with people, maintain friendships and relationships. And it must be quite lonely. There must be a sense that if you are not happy or fulfilled then there is something wrong with you. Community ties are perhaps not what they are in other parts of the USA.
Compared to Southern England the vehicle traffic in the Bay Area and LA area is not bad at all.
http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/20/autos/t ... index.html
by TheEternalVortex
Fri Aug 04, 2017 1:53 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Kicking Betterment to the Curb
Replies: 14
Views: 3352

Re: Kicking Betterment to the Curb

jbolden1517 wrote:
livefreefam wrote:
livefreefam wrote:I do wonder if there is any concern with Schwab being a publicly traded company, though. Something of concern? I don't expect a bait-and-switch like Betterment but it seems more plausible here than with Fidelity...maybe?
I'll just answer my own question here... Betterment is private and they hiked fees 66% and they aren't public so it's likely a wash.
Sorry I'm losing you. Their fees are 25 basis points. Used to be higher (usually 35). What did they hike fees from and to for you?
It used to be 15bp for >$100k
by TheEternalVortex
Mon Jul 10, 2017 9:18 pm
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Is 60/40 too conservative for 31 year old?
Replies: 69
Views: 11791

Re: Is 60/40 too conservative for 31 year old?

I'm 31 and want to switch to 60/40 too because I'm ahead of my saving goals (currently 70/30). So it seems reasonable :)
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Apr 29, 2017 1:40 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Car maintenance for older cars - where do you go ?
Replies: 52
Views: 6555

Re: Car maintenance for older cars - where do you go ?

I've been using YourMechanic. They come to you and my house already has free wifi and coffee ;).
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Apr 29, 2017 1:26 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Cost of car compared to Gross Income
Replies: 138
Views: 19015

Re: Cost of car compared to Gross Income

unclescrooge wrote:
Bacchus01 wrote:The average new car has to be around $30K now. So does that mean the average gross income is $300K? I don't think so.

Unfortunately cars are expensive.
I believe the average car price is $35k. Of these, 30% are leased.

We're also seeing a higher number of defaults on these leases, since the average income is still around $50k.

Hopefully we'll see a huge decline in used car prices in the next few years!
New cars are only ~25% of the car market. So the median person is buying a used car.

My car is ~1% of my annual income. But when I got it it was closer to 100% :). So these guidelines are very arbitrary.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Apr 25, 2017 10:49 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Purchase new, but older model cell phone - Best method?
Replies: 11
Views: 2436

Re: Purchase new, but older model cell phone - Best method?

I think you will save money overall buying a new phone and keeping it longer. Plus you get a better phone on average.
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:25 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: CA State Tax Refund ~ 3 Month Processing Time
Replies: 19
Views: 7106

Re: CA State Tax Refund ~ 3 Month Processing Time

DoubleClick wrote:I'm yet to receive mine:
We received your 2016 California Income Tax return on:Wednesday, March 8, 2017.
We are taking longer than expected to process your return.
Interestingly, I mailed this on Mar 11 ! Didn't know first class mail could be this fast :shock: .

I have a large refund due. Should I prod further or sit and wait?
I called and they said I have to wait twelve weeks. Meh
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Apr 19, 2017 8:16 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Is my electric bill high?
Replies: 60
Views: 15535

Re: Is my electric bill high?

Ours is around $300 but we use AC a lot. So it seems not that unreasonable.
by TheEternalVortex
Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:30 am
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: leaving early from work
Replies: 57
Views: 10286

Re: leaving early from work

Reason number 4. In this company, looking busy means more than being productive. (Especially, looking busy on nights and weekends.) - John P. Greaney, Retire Early Home Page I just wanted to remind everyone of this classic quote. There may actually be some mythical companies out there where 'We don't care how long you work or where you work as long as you get your assignments completed on schedule with high quality.' applies. The only one that I ever worked for was a small family company where that rule only applied to the president and his two sons (no one ever knew what their assignments were anyway). At all of the places that I have been employed at there was he\\ to pay if you weren't at your desk or on assignment at 8:00am every morni...
by TheEternalVortex
Wed Apr 12, 2017 11:02 am
Forum: Personal Investments
Topic: Tax loss harvesting and Betterment
Replies: 26
Views: 6540

Re: Tax loss harvesting and Betterment

Betterment TLH works pretty well. There's no way you will harvest as much as they do without spending a ton of time on it. However, it's probably not worth the fee because you only get to TLH in the beginning but have to pay the fee forever.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Apr 09, 2017 12:50 pm
Forum: Personal Finance (Not Investing)
Topic: Calif Tax Refund Length of Time to Receive
Replies: 19
Views: 3111

Re: Calif Tax Refund Length of Time to Receive

I efiled on March 3 and haven't gotten it yet. I guess I should call them but I'm too lazy. Hopefully I get it eventually without having to do anything.
by TheEternalVortex
Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:54 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: Should I drop Full coverage on my car?
Replies: 17
Views: 2389

Re: Should I drop Full coverage on my car?

I never have collision coverage, even on new cars. But I have enough saved to be able to replace them easily.
by TheEternalVortex
Sun Mar 26, 2017 8:10 pm
Forum: Personal Consumer Issues
Topic: In-N-Out Burger - Best Chain Fast Food Burger Joint?
Replies: 157
Views: 27332

Re: In-N-Out Burger - Best Chain Fast Food Burger Joint?

In-N-Out is my favorite, and I've tried almost everything else mentioned in this thread. Of course de gustibus non est disputandum.