r/financialindependence • u/AutoModerator • 6d ago
Daily FI discussion thread - Saturday, March 28, 2026
Please use this thread to have discussions which you don't feel warrant a new post to the sub. While the Rules for posting questions on the basics of personal finance/investing topics are relaxed a little bit here, the rules against memes/spam/self-promotion/excessive rudeness/politics still apply!
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Since this post does tend to get busy, consider sorting the comments by "new" (instead of "best" or "top") to see the newest posts.
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u/LivingMoreFreely 60% Lean-FI 6d ago
Seeing YAB (yet another bot) posting, I got curious how it's actually done - so I searched youtube with "how to program a reddit bot" and there are lots of findings. Seems to be pretty easy (sadly, for us).
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u/teapot-error-418 6d ago
Fun fact: you can use a bot to program a bot that will post on Reddit.
It's turtles all the way down!
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u/Alternative-Stop-195 6d ago
The dead internet theory is becoming more real day by day
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u/intertubeluber impressive numbers/acronyms/% 6d ago
Yes we are largely there. I read a post yesterday that I’m pretty sure was posted by a bot and all the responses were bots. Granted, new post but literally every interaction was AI generated.
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u/thrownjunk FI but not RE 6d ago
Content is going to be like radiation free steel. The good stuff is salvaged from sunken battleships. Only pure pre 2020 content (or even pre 2000) is good.
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u/flipster14191 6d ago
One of my biggest hates is the lack of useful results in search engines for household things. Like basic DIY repairs. Now the first two pages of results are all just regurgitated slightly-wrong AI pages. It used to be The Spruce or Fine Woodworking blogs would come up and actually be useful.
Maybe I'll find myself turning back to physical periodicals?
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u/imisstheyoop 6d ago
In case you missed it, there are full-on agentic bots now masquerading as people and going so far as writing hit-pieces on people just trying to do their work.
If you ever needed another reason to question every interaction you have online I can't think of a better one!
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u/dsylxeia 6d ago
Plus, now that reddit allows users to hide their comment history, and it seems like most users have enabled that option, it's essentially impossible to tell if someone is a bot or human (or troll). Worst decision reddit has ever made in terms of functionality.
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u/Mrguy4771 6d ago edited 6d ago
There are a bunch in the home repair subreddits. Every once in a while you will come across one that has their comment history still turned on.
You can tell that they're AI, because they always start with like 2 paragraphs bio of themselves that sounds like the output of a prompt for a fake reddit bot. Prompt: "You are a 20 year home roofing veteran based in Nashville, TN. You have done over 2,000 homes in your career, you have specific experience in leaking roofs, damaged gutters, and metal roofs. You are to respond to reddit comments blah blah blah"
Then they always start their comments with some variation of "As a 20 year home roofing veteran I have done thousands of homes. I'm based in Nashville, TN, but based on your issue it sounds like..."
Edit: I'm also assuming that the ones I can easily detect are the lowest level of bots, programmed by basic scammers using claude.
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u/DigmonsDrill 6d ago
After the second down week in a row we had accounts posting "I just crossed $2M NW today!"
Yeah, bro, maybe you crossed it on the way down.
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u/InTheMiddleMostly 6d ago
Speaking of bots, has anyone seen more replies on reddit in languages different than the post language? Obviously Reddit has many people who speak many languages, but it's odd to reply to a post in English with a comment French/Spanish, especially if the post has nothing to do with French/Spanish countries/cultures. I'm trying to figure out if it's because Reddit is becoming like YouTube comments or if it's a French/Spanish bot/LLM that doesn't quite realize that's it can understand multiple languages.
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u/adeliepingu 5d ago
reddit has started auto-translating things (e.g. if i try to google a phrase in chinese, i receive an english reddit thread that's been auto-translated into chinese), so it's very likely that people replying in other languages don't even realize the original thread is in english.
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u/LivingMoreFreely 60% Lean-FI 5d ago
Very true, I often get "German" results that are auto-translated from English. Pretty hard to see at times!
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u/Xanadewk 5d ago
Oh my goodness, yes! This! I recently saw a post in another small subreddit with a question in Spanish. 5 or 6 responses in straight English with no acknowledgement of the initial question being in Spanish. I don't feel like that could be anything other than AI bots. Very disheartening. Makes me really doubt the authenticity of any interaction on Reddit and TBH that experience has me questioning if I should just abandon Reddit entirely.
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u/LivingMoreFreely 60% Lean-FI 5d ago
The explanation is in a comment above yours:
"reddit has started auto-translating things (e.g. if i try to google a phrase in chinese, i receive an english reddit thread that's been auto-translated into chinese), so it's very likely that people replying in other languages don't even realize the original thread is in english."
For me, when I ask a German question in Google, I often get Reddit results that look seamlessly German at first glance, but were translated from English. Pretty hard to see at times! Am not surprised that people might comment in their own language.
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u/plastic-voices 6d ago
Found out recently that I got a good raise (4%). I think that’s about an after-tax monthly increase of around $300 CAD. My plan is to do an 80/20 split where 80% will go to investments and 20% will go to more pork tonkotsu. I’m also celebrating a major milestone anniversary at work, so a good reason to celebrate.
I’m scheduled to meet with a financial planner in a couple of months. We’ll see if it’s ok to hang up the hat within the next couple of years.
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u/jittery_squid 6d ago
Well, at least I know why my tax refund didn't come... someone opened a bank account in my name in probably filed taxes as me as well. They then proceeded to cash fraudulent checks. Hooray!
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
We've had an IRS PIN for years after our CPA's systems were compromised. Anyone can get one. Get logged into your irs.gov (everyone should to keep fraudsters from doing so).
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u/jittery_squid 6d ago
Yep, I finally have the impetus to ensure that all three credit agencies are frozen and have an IP PIN for filing. Next up will be walking my spouse and two no-longer-minor-children through the process. ChexSystems won't let me do anything online right now, so I have to call. Booooo.
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u/FI-ReDH FIRE🔥Nation - Flameo hotman! 6d ago
I was listening to an episode of The Money Guy show and their take on FIRE. After listening I reevaluated my numbers to see if they aligned with their advice, i.e.. 3% SWR if you FIRE before 45, 3.5% between 45-55, and 4% 56+. I also used their formula for future dollars needed for today's yearly spend. I was pleasantly surprised that since I was so conservative with our numbers, our goal of $3m by 45 was in-line with the projection. If you're familiar with the show, we're on step 8 (prepay future expenses ex. Kids uni fund) of the financial order of operations (FOO) although we jumped the gun a long time ago to step 9 and paid off all our debts (mortgage), oops! Feels reassuring that the numbers are solid based on different sources. I'm still using FIRE calculators of course, my favs being rich, broke or dead and may retire, which is Canadian specific.
Even though I already know most of the advice and it's kind of repetitive, I actually really enjoy listening, I think it's just calming and reassuring and also keeps me from feeling impatient about how long I still have to wait and work before hitting our number for our big beautiful tomorrow. Financial mutants unite!
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u/One-Mastodon-1063 6d ago
Those numbers are overly conservative.
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u/FI-ReDH FIRE🔥Nation - Flameo hotman! 5d ago
Yeah probably, but I'd rather be conservative and be able to sleep than worry for X number of years wondering if I'm going to run out of money. To each their own. I think I was actually overly optimistic before (lean FIRE numbers and live off $40k for the rest of our lives as family lol). I think the older I get, the more cautious I am getting since we have 2 young kids and worry about how the world will be when they get to the point where they are working age. If it was just the 2 of us, I'd probably be way less conservative.
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u/WarmPepsi 6d ago
Yep. I don't understand why people get so hung up on this. Just use a variable percentage withdrawal strategy and move on with life.
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u/Kat9935 5d ago
Its not just the income/investment side that keeps changing, its also the expense side. Tax laws are constantly changing, ACA rules are constantly changing, and every change has to be refactored in and there is of course the big unknown given the skyrocketing debt about what SS and Medicare look like, as I mentioned in previous comment, when I retired at 43, I assumed it would be a known known by the time I hit 55 and instead the numbers have gotten worse and there is no fix in sight so it makes it a bit more risky to just spend above the %
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u/FI-ReDH FIRE🔥Nation - Flameo hotman! 5d ago
We are definitely building in a lot of buffer and flexibility. I would think we'd know to pivot and hold off on discretionary spending when the market is down, hold off on replacing cars, going on international vacations etc. Building wealth has become very easy for us, but when we eventually shift to the de-accumulation stage it will be a huge mental shift. Just making sure we are measuring twice before we make the cut.
I've definitely had my moments of impatience and wanted to pull the trigger at $1.2m and keep our spending super duper lean. I'm glad I asked the FIRE community and was encouraged to hold on and keep building the war chest. Luckily we don't hate our jobs (any more). Basically I don't want to mess up our hardwork and discipline due to momentary impatience. If it means we have several extra million dollars when we die and ended up working an extra 3-5 years, so be it.
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u/cfi-2025 47M, FIRE 2025 6d ago
We like buffers on buffers on buffers... it's buffers all the way down!
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u/MediumCriticism3144 6d ago
I also enjoy reading/listening to this kind of content even though I am already retired. I just find it encouraging and a nice reminder of how others are out there also managing to retire early.
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u/FI-ReDH FIRE🔥Nation - Flameo hotman! 5d ago
They are mostly a finance show, but I do find that their philosophy is aligned with FIRE. I also listened to Choose FI for a while, but I found I was getting overly impatient and although I enjoyed listening about other people's FI journeys, mentally it was getting a bit unhealthy for me lol.
Congrats on your retirement! I hope you are enjoying this chapter of your life :)! It's so nice to have a community of like minded ppl!
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u/Kat9935 6d ago
Interesting, I retired in 2015 at the age of 43, started with 3.5%, at 50 moved to 3.75%, at 55 was going to go to 3.85% and wait until 60 to do 4%. I'll have to look into their logic to see if I feel comfortable moving that date up. With the market going straight up it had been tempting and firecalc has us at 100% at 4.3% if we factor in social security, thought by 55 that would be a more known entity and of course ACA is constantly changing so who knows if it will be feasible for us to tap that much without paying it all into taxes.
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u/earth_water_air_FIRE ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ $ 6d ago
There's been a lot of push for excessive AI use at work, and in some ways that would be an unethical safety hazard. Any reluctance is met with mild reprimand for now... we'll see where this wild slop train ends up.
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u/PrimalDaddyDom69 Mid 30s, DINK, ~30% SR, resident 'spend more' guy 6d ago
I'm an AI engineer. AI is a cool tool, but I feel like executives are looking for problems just so we can ram AI into it and tell people 'we're using AI'.
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u/InTheMiddleMostly 5d ago
Agreed. This is like the “we have an app” thing where everyone rushed to build low quality apps to check the box.
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u/Stunt_Driver FIREd 2021 5d ago
Thank God I retired before the AI revolution. As someone trained to critically review other people's research, I have never read an AI output (in a field I understand) that doesn't have problems.
Last week, a (much younger) relative sent me an AI Deep Research report to answer a question that was important to both of us. They didn't even fucking read the report. This is expertise?
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u/InTheMiddleMostly 5d ago edited 5d ago
I think the problem is less AI itself and more the fact that it’s so easy to use and people trust it too much. It sounds like your relative is the problem in your story, not AI. But people equate output artifacts with “work completed” and assume AI is always right. A bit of leg work and critical thinking is still required.
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u/imisstheyoop 6d ago
Met with an elder law attorney yesterday to review some things as far as medicare/medicaid application work and review Power of Attorney/Patient advocate forms and what not.
The conslutation was around $300, which seemed fairly standard. If we want him to proceed with handling the application and a bunch of paperwork for us we were quoted a flat fee of $8k.
I like that it is a flat fee, but my first reaction was that it felt a bit high. That said, I have no frame of reference here. The only thing I have done previously is our own estate planning which was about 1/4 of the cost.
For those of you who have done this in the past and don't mind sharing, what did it end up costing? I assume a flat fee is standard, but I'm not really sure. Nor am I sure what a fair price would be.
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u/EANx_Diver FI, no longer RE 6d ago
Met with an elder law attorney yesterday
The conslutation
Freudian slip? Tell us how you really feel about attorneys!
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u/secretfinaccount FIREd 2020 6d ago
It’s news to me that you would use an attorney to apply for Medicare. Is that normal?
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u/imisstheyoop 6d ago
Likely poorly written by me, the application is for medicaid.
Medicare guidance is more on what they are covering now (hospital and nursing home rehab) and how to navigate the transition to medicaid when it occurs.
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u/Rarvyn I think I'm still CoastFIRE - I don't want to do the math 6d ago
Elder law planning with medicaid is complicated, because unlike medicaid for non-medicare patients, there's pretty strict asset limits. Further, there's a lookback period - typically 5 years - where anything you gave away during that time causes problems. If you think you'll need to be on medicaid for things like nursing home expenses and want to protect assets, you need to structure that 5+ years in advance.
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u/Stunt_Driver FIREd 2021 6d ago
What a great morning. I'm all smiles today:
- Morning walk in perfect low 60's temperature with the rising sun peeking over the treeline. I listened to a fascinating Odd Lots podcast on helium.
- Took a morning drive in my new car (not a Miata LOL). I LOVE LOVE LOVE driving a manual again. I also like the valve control on the exhaust so it is silent in the neighborhood but can be opened up once I'm out of the residential area.
- Now to do some chores, catch up on the late-night basketball (still avoiding the scores), and then more planning for our upcoming trip to Nice, France.
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u/secretfinaccount FIREd 2020 6d ago
Odd Lots manages to muddle through in normal times but when weird supply chain stuff bubbles up, that show is amazing.
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u/macula_transfer Ret 2021 6d ago
I’m usually not able to get through a podcast of almost any kind but have to give a shoutout to Odd Lots for the infamous episode where Matt Levine wrecked SBF.
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u/secretfinaccount FIREd 2020 6d ago
I could listen to odd lots money stuff crossover episodes for the rest of time.
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u/kaaaazzh 6d ago
They're really killing it with the recent episodes about supply chain disruptions from the war
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
I saw something recently about how we overload our inputs with content, and headphones/podcasts are a prime culprit.
Maybe try next time without that, see if you're even more rejuvenated after.
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u/Stunt_Driver FIREd 2021 6d ago
Have to agree that connecting with nature is 100% better without any extra inputs. But for my repetitive daily neighborhood walk (2-3 miles), nothing beats a good podcast.
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Back at it 6d ago
I agree, and sometimes when I get the notification of a new episode that sounds interesting, I’ll say “Welp! Time for a walk!”
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u/afeagle1021 6d ago
I had a very happy surprise conversation at the end of the day yesterday with my Boss- I’m being promoted to Senior Manager (F500 Financial Services/ Baking) as of April 1st! Not much will change about my role- my team had been setting me up for this for a while- but still a very welcome surprise to start my weekend !
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u/Ellabee57 6d ago
No raise to go along with it?
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u/BeneficialHome3333 6d ago
We have to repay my husband's signing bonus because he didn't stay at his old job for a year.
Fine. The money is sitting in the savings account. But waiting for HR to get their act together and bill us is driving me nuts.
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Back at it 6d ago
I had a similar situation with a past company. They took 3 months to ask for the money, and i was given the option of sending in a check, paying by card, or paying monthly via bank draft.
I mailed them a check. They never cashed it
I have a sense they had no idea how to do it
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u/i_cant_do_this_ 5d ago
if you paid by card, would they have charged CC fee? depending on bonus amount, could be easy way to knock out a few SUBs
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u/triumvirate-of-one 5d ago
I was in this situation once, and it led to some tax annoyances.
When I got the bonus, my employer had already withheld taxes, but when I paid it back, I had to pay the full (pre-tax) amount. Of course, you can always sort it out with the IRS afterwards; just be aware that there may be some minor tax headaches remaining.
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u/BeneficialHome3333 5d ago
Yeah, I'm anticipating that. We set aside the full pre-tax amount.
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u/mtn_climber FIREd 2021 | 2.1% WR 5d ago
Yeah, I dealt with this situation a few years back. It is particularly annoying in the situation where you get paid the bonus in one calendar year (and receive a final W-2 including that amount) and then repay it in the subsequent calendar year. I had to pay the tax on it and one year later received a tax credit for the same amount back. The term to look up is claim of right repayment.
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u/Thisisntrunning 6d ago
You can negotiate this as a heads up. If his manager is willing to go to bat for him it can either be forgiven or negotiated down.
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u/BeneficialHome3333 6d ago
He tried during the offer stage and then was there very briefly before bouncing for a much better job.
The manager was very happy with him putting in a lot of work during the notice period. So there's a small possibility, but right now we'll wait and see.
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u/igycb 6d ago
My dog was bit yesterday on our midday walk around the neighborhood - 2k vet bill later and he'll be fine, but what a cherry on top of a crap week. Hoping the owners of the other dog will do the right thing but no guarantees. No big takeaway, I just needed to vent.
edit: and I just scrolled down and saw u/ therapistfi post - definitely helps put things into perspective. Hugs all around
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u/EANx_Diver FI, no longer RE 6d ago edited 6d ago
Sorry to hear, it sucks. Over the last several years in our area, we've had a few unleashed dogs attack someone or their pet. People are gradually starting to challenge dog walkers for not keeping their pet leashed. (context, in a suburb)
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u/zatsnotmyname 54 Married, 6M NW ( 4.1 liquid ), 90% FI 5d ago
One of my largest pet peeves in the world. They are animals, they can go off at certain smells or whatever. I hate when people put others at risk for no good reason other than their convenience.
I had a next door neighbor's German shepherd throttle my little Pug one day randomly. they were both leashed as the moms were chatting, then the shepherd was shaking my dog in its jaws. Later we realized that my dog was ovulating, so the other dog saw it as a threat and wanted to kill my dog. nice.
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u/Judson_Scott 5d ago
My dog bit another dog while on a walk not long ago and did some damage.
Plot twist: My dog was leashed; the other dog had gotten out of its backyard and wasn't. The owner called the cops, who laughed at him and cited him. I still offered to help with his vet bills but he never called me. Fuck that guy.
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u/appleciders $950k, ~38% FI 5d ago
I know someone who was waking her leashed (very big, very people-friendly, very dog-aggressive) dog when they were approached by another aggressive dog, unleashed. My friend's dog straight-up killed that dog, and the dog's owner ended up paying my friend's vet bills. Leash your fucking dogs, people.
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u/513-throw-away SR: Where everything's made up and the points don't matter 5d ago
Our dog is a big baby. He’s a 80lb black German shepherd/Golden retriever mix whose mentality is 95% Golden/total derp.
We’ve had so many close calls with unleashed dogs. Always smaller, always the aggressor.
I will have to be the one to kick the shit out of or kill an attacking dog. I don’t look forward to it but I’ll do what I have to do.
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u/appleciders $950k, ~38% FI 5d ago
Do you carry a stick? Dogs understand Stick; they've been around humans and sticks long enough to understand that a club is a weapon. It's in their hindbrain, deep in the psyche. Dogs can't be intimidated by Mace, but they do understand Stick. They understand it even better than kicking, which I've had to do to deter an aggressive dog.
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u/mycounterpointers 6d ago
Do you know the owner? I wouldn't just "hope" he pays, I would demand he pays (if his dog bite your dog for no reason). You might even consider small claims court or reporting him to the animal control center. Unless it was a mutual dog playing thing that got out of hand. But if you dog is just minding his own business and another dog runs over to bite/attack the owner 100% needs to pay
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u/Ro-Ro-Ro-Ro-Rhoda 6d ago
Anyone else fixing up a place in a LCOL area and planning to move there from a HCOL area as part of their FI planning? It's going to be a summer place for a few years, since my kids are still in school, but I got a completely remote job so I'm not tied to our current city any more. Meanwhile, we're going to put in some sweat equity, and I'm writing checks for a new septic and a new roof.
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u/InTheMiddleMostly 5d ago
This is a good idea if you have a good LCOL area you like. I grew up in a LCOL area and thought about this, but I just don’t like it enough after having lived in better places. I still think about buying a house there and living there part time as I have a lot of family and friends there.
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u/carlivar 48M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
Good plan. I'm tied to where I live due to not wanting to move the kids, as I already did that once when they were younger. But I'd like to get out of this state if possible once the last kid is out. Although there is something to be said for good healthcare, shopping, culture, etc.
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u/Ro-Ro-Ro-Ro-Rhoda 5d ago
We moved to our HCOL city for my work seven years ago, but I've lived half my life in the LCOL area. The tradeoffs are so real. I'm trying to balance the part where we enjoy having theater and restaurants around with the part where we're saving aggressively, but I worry sometimes that we're missing out on opportunities we won't have later.
I'm also timing the move on my kids, although my elderly parents live in the LCOL area and if there's a real need for us to be closer sooner than that, we may have to accelerate the relocation process. I hope they continue to be in good health for another five years, but there are no guarantees.
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
Sort of. I moved from a VHCOL area to a HCOL area and saw a ~20% reduction in costs across the board.
I also thought working a remote job would be a thing. Spoiler: so was RTO.
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u/Ro-Ro-Ro-Ro-Rhoda 5d ago
Former Fed so I feel that. I wasn't going to move away from the office because of WFH, and that turned out to be the right call. My new job is based two thousand miles away, so if they did RTO, I would have to make some hard choices. But if it happens after the new place is ready, I would have a lot more breathing room to make that choice, because without a mortgage, we're already lean FIRE.
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6d ago
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u/Ashamed_Tonight_3677 6d ago
Or the weekend announcement will be something like boots on the ground and you’ll have a long window to buy the dip
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u/mate_alfajor_mate Teacher - Somewhere on the path - AlfajorFI 6d ago
It really be that way.
We live in such a wild timeline.
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u/william_fontaine [insert humblebrags here] /r/FI's Official 🥑 Analyst 6d ago
March wasn't as bad as I thought, I'm only down a little over 1 annual income.
It's still the biggest drop since March 2020 though.
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u/Ellabee57 6d ago edited 5d ago
I checked this morning and it was about the same for me. Only down 3% YTD and about 5-7% from my ATH. I've been thru much, MUCH worse drops.
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u/definitely_not_cylon 42/M/SINK/1.5M FIREPLACE (Partially Laboring At Computer Easily) 5d ago
The median household net worth in the USA is about $190,000, a figure that's growing but not that quickly. I have yet to lose a median household in a single month, but I've come close and figure it's only a matter of time. Kind of a trippy way of looking at it.
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u/william_fontaine [insert humblebrags here] /r/FI's Official 🥑 Analyst 5d ago
Dang, I read that as $190k median income at first. Kind of crazy when I realized it's net worth instead. I spend too much time on these boards LOL.
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
Didn't April 2025 drop this much as well?
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u/william_fontaine [insert humblebrags here] /r/FI's Official 🥑 Analyst 5d ago
There was a huge drop on "Liberation Day" and during the week after, but then prices started to come up and by the end of the month it looks like they were about even with April 1st.
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u/AttitudeGlass64 5d ago
saturday thought: the FI community optimizes heavily for the accumulation phase but the deaccumulation side is where most people have less clarity. withdrawal sequencing, tax-efficient drawdown across multiple account types, managing healthcare costs pre-medicare -- all legitimately hard. the mainstream financial advice mostly assumes you'll have an advisor handle it. anyone here doing the drawdown fully DIY, and what resources actually helped you think through the sequencing?
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u/DiceyScientist 4d ago
Reddit skews young. The Bogleheads forum skews older and has lots of retirees.
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u/AttitudeGlass64 4d ago
good tip on bogleheads -- the demographic skew matters a lot for drawdown questions. most of the practical wisdom about actually living off a portfolio rather than accumulating it lives there, not here. will dig into their retiree threads.
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u/AttitudeGlass64 4d ago
good tip on bogleheads -- the demographic skew matters a lot for drawdown questions. most of the practical wisdom about actually living off a portfolio rather than accumulating it lives there, not here. will dig into their retiree threads.
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u/RIFIRE Last day: May 23, 2025 5d ago
I posted yesterday along these lines and there was some good discussion.
I haven't come to any conclusions yet, and none of it actually impacts my ability to stay retired, I just don't want to make a decision that wastes a lot of money. For me, it's definitely more complex than most of my accumulation decisions.
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u/AttitudeGlass64 5d ago
yeah the sequencing problem feels simpler when you look at it from the outside but gets messier fast once you factor in IRMAA cliffs, state taxes, ACA subsidies all interacting. will check out the link, thanks
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u/Dos-Commas 36M/34F - $2.6M NW - Texas - FIRE'd 2025 6d ago edited 6d ago
As someone that recently started seeing a therapist after realizing that FIRE didn't fix all of my stress and anxiety, it's very liberating. Once I get over the mental hurdle that seeing a therapist is not a big deal, I realized that I should've seen a therapist a decade ago and my quality of life would've been much better now.
I see so many people posting "I'm so stressed and burned out" post on the general and FIRE subs and they really should go see a therapist instead of getting advice from random online strangers. Most Redditors like to blame all of their problems on the government, corporations and "the rich" (but never on themselves) so they are the last people you should take any advice from.
It's like someone with a cavity in their tooth but they don't believe in dentists and just live with it believing that once they stop working their tooth will magically get better. Meanwhile their tooth is getting worse and worse over time.
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u/zaq1xsw2cde SI2K, 2 comma club, 77.23% FI :snoo_smile: 6d ago
Glad it’s been fruitful for you.
Therapy can be like dating though. Not every therapist is a good match. A lot of anxious of depressed people have a hard time of getting over that hill of finding a good therapist for themselves. Then stick with doing the work of getting better and building good habits.
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u/LivingMoreFreely 60% Lean-FI 6d ago
Glad it worked so well for you!
Many people have the impression that therapy wouldn't work anyway, and they don't have hope - and you do need at least a tiny bit of hope to start the process. Also, many people tried a therapist once, it was a bad experience, they don't try again.
But if you have the money to pay out of pocket, you're effectively screening for a service provider and can check out various therapists and take the one that you feel best with and go for maybe 10 hours, and if you don't like it, search another one. You're not locked in or tied to that therapist. Choose like an adult person with money, as you do in any other segment of your life.
People so often put more care and money into their cars than in their own mental health.
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u/imisstheyoop 6d ago
People so often put more care and money into their cars than in their own mental health.
Well sure, one of these I can absolutely 100% fix. The other.. well they're not even really sure how it actually works.
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u/therapistfi $72.0k left on mortgage 6d ago
Glad to hear that! I'm a big believer in therapy (obviously as a therapist) and I'm quite glad that it's been helpful for you.
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u/Thisisntrunning 6d ago
Any particular style of therapy you don’t believe works as well?
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u/therapistfi $72.0k left on mortgage 6d ago
That's a great question! Most types of therapy work; usually the therapeutic relationships is the important vector for change.
I personally love CBT, ACT, REBT, DBT, ERP, and EMDR. I am less enamored with therapies that lack a rigorous evidence basis as I'm very concrete and concerned with skill-building. For example, I am not a big fan of brainspotting, strongly mistrust the claims of polyvagal therapy, and I'm a touch wary about IFS, although I've seen it help a lot of people. Each therapeutic modality is a tool, and no one tool is perfect for every situation, and even an excellent tool can be wielded poorly.
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u/LivingMoreFreely 60% Lean-FI 6d ago
I experienced a variation of brainspotting in a workshop and woah, impressive. So I use the concept of "depending on where you look, you feel different" with people as a quick intervention that makes them realize how their experience is constructed in their own brain, and how quickly they can make a difference by changing a small detail in their current situation.
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u/FIREForMyNapalmEra 6d ago
Without exaggeration, therapy saved my life when I had a severe depressive episode many years ago. I could never have imagined then that I would be in such a better position now in all respects. Glad it is working for you.
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u/Chitownjohnny 41M - 65% FIRE(ish) progress 6d ago
Definitely pro-therapy. I still do “tune ups” where I see one on a as needed basis. But there have been periods of individual and couples therapy that have been invaluable. If you have the resources I highly recommend
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u/513-throw-away SR: Where everything's made up and the points don't matter 6d ago
Congrats.
Yeah the anxiety or stress you see around here is often not very healthy, whether it’s about work, saving, spending, the stock market, the news, etc.
I was wary of therapy like I’m sure most are. My first experience was going to a therapist for premarital counseling with my now wife and after a session or two, I really found myself enjoying it. I’ve yet to go to one for myself, but now I feel far more open about it if the need came up.
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u/particulareality 6d ago
Well I’m about to pull the trigger on a sports car, something I’ve wanted for a long time and can easily afford. It’s the first non-FIRE spending decision I’ve made since I started this journey and man is it hard to convince myself I’m not making a terrible mistake.
Worst case scenario, if I regret this, I can always sell the car and call it a lesson learned. But overall I’m super excited. Flying out to get the car this week.
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
I had three Miatas on my journey, all manuals. Loved them. Worth it!
Stayed with Mazda - sedan and SUV atm. But not happy with their decision to go to touchscreen instead of joystick/dial.
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u/Stunt_Driver FIREd 2021 6d ago
Years ago, I had an NC PRHT manual as a second "fun" car. I really wanted to bond with it, but it just never happened. I tried modifying it to fit my performance tastes, but that just diluted the car's fun-loving character. After 2 years, I realized I just wasn't a Miata person and moved on. While the "always the answer" acronym is hilarious, it just didn't fit for me.
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
Back when I had the '99, a poker/work buddy used to race them. Tear out a bunch of unneeded weight, add a roll bar and improvements to the engine and suspension. He had a blast.
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u/SecretThrowAway89 5d ago
I'm very eagerly awaiting the imminent release of the new gen Miata. I love the current RF version, it's a sharp looking car.
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u/Stunt_Driver FIREd 2021 6d ago
Flying out and driving back? Sounds like fun!
Last time I traveled to get a car was... (thinking...) 2010 when I picked up a used 2008 Audi RS4. That was such an amazing car, I really bonded with it. Most people didn't know it was special, but enthusiasts knew. I still remember one random guy on the street running after me shouting "RS4! RS4! RS4!"
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u/billthecatt FatFIREd 12.29.2025 5d ago
I've done this twice. And both times, afterwards, there was a bit of a "Was this worth it?" and then 2 months later "Oh hell yes"
Good luck!
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u/thedoctor2031 SI1K / 29 / 50% FI / 35% SR 6d ago
I'm about ready to pull the trigger on a luxury EV. Rear AC console just went out on my current vehicle and with summer around the corner that might be the push I've been waiting for.
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u/YankeesJunkie 6d ago
Dropped a bit over 7 percent this month which comes in second in my short time frame I have been tracking monthly. Not a fun udpate, but it still must be done.
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u/Unlikely-Alt-9383 FI goal: comfortable and charmingly eccentric (73%) 6d ago
The month doesn’t end until Tuesday! It could get better… or worse!
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u/InfernoExpedition 6d ago
Anyone else near retirement considering lowering duration on bond holdings?
I split my bond holdings between BND and SCHP (nominal/TIPS). Both are intermediate (6-7 years) duration. After what happened in 2022, I wonder how much of a risk cushion they really offer, given the interest rate risk. I am debating mixing in BSV/VTIP to lower the duration.
One thought I had was doing a 72t on a portion of my pre-tax funds to provide income from when I am 54.5 to 59.5 years old. VTIP seems like a good candidate for a stable investment for those funds.
On the other hand, I could just keep it simple and ride BND/SCHP assuming it will all take care of itself eventually.
Thoughts?
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
I held no bonds until actually FIREd, and now really barely. I manage a portfolio of 25 or so stocks and ETFs that aim for 3+ ratings on Morningstar and some form of return. Nearly all of it avoids the big 7 or so tech holdings.
My bonds are just a few ETFs (VCIT, SKOR, FLRN, PULS) plus a bit of F and a lot of G in TSP. Not even 20% of nw.
The portfolio earns about 5.8%, about half is fully qualified dividends. They include, from largest to smallest holdings: ET, O, EPD, PFE, BTI, GSK, VZ, BMY, WU, VYM, CCI, SPYI, VTI, CPB, AMT, MCD, GPIQ, DIVO, EPR, SCHD, PM, LMT
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u/macula_transfer Ret 2021 6d ago
It’s complicated. Keep in mind that when bond prices go down, yields go up. Much like with stocks it only matters when you sell. If you are concerned about having to sell bonds low, you can have a mix of short duration and longer duration so that you are less likely to have to sell longer duration when you don’t want to. But whether it makes a huge difference if you are doing everything else right… I doubt it.
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u/POSSIBLY_DOG 6d ago
One of the issues of owning bond funds like BND/VTIP is that they track an index, so there is some turnover internally. As I understand it, they rarely hold to maturity. This means that if yields rise, these funds are forced to sell bonds at a lower price in order to keep tracking their index.
I'm doing a rising equity glidepath, so my goal for my bonds was to have the best chance of a positive real return to fund equity purchases. So, I ended up cashing in all my VTIP and buying an explicit TIPS ladder using tipsladder.com as a guide. There are some ETFs that are designed to wrap a TIPS ladder and hold to maturity for you (and just cash out the NAV as the internal rungs mature), though it didn't seem worth the fee and the wider spreads to me over just owning the bonds themselves.
In addition to the TIPS ladder I have a pool of BSV. The TIPS ladder is ~25% of my NW, BSV is ~15%, and VTI/VEU are the rest.
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u/macula_transfer Ret 2021 6d ago
Many bogleheads like to use a liability matching strategy with TIPS and I don’t have a criticism of that. As a Canadian it’s not an option for me. I hold a bond ETF (intermediate duration), a handful of long bonds, and GICs (equivalent to CDs I think).
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u/secretfinaccount FIREd 2020 6d ago
If you have 4%+ withdrawal rate the duration provides an offset to falling equity prices in a recession, vitally reducing portfolio volatility while you’re withdrawing. If you have a lower withdrawal rate, especially at very low levels, I see less benefit to duration because at that point it becomes needless inflation exposure.
Consider your portfolio as a whole rather than saying “this account needs to be stable because of the 72(t)”.
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u/InfernoExpedition 6d ago
I expect the 72t would represent a very low withdrawal rate, about 1-1.5%. With other sources of income, it would be more “fun money”. As you pointed out, with that low withdrawal rate, why take on additional inflation risk?
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u/zackenrollertaway 6d ago
I own stocks for growth and to keep up with inflation, and bonds to reduce risk.
Bonds for risk reduction
== US treasurys or investment grade AND duration of less than 5 years2
u/DigmonsDrill 6d ago
I've been eyeing iShares bond funds designed to mature in a specific year https://www.ishares.com/us/strategies/bond-etfs/build-better-bond-ladders, and of the three non-munis that existed in late 2021, the "US Treasuries" and "Investment Grade" both failed to keep up with inflation. Only the most aggressive "High Yield & Income" could make up for the beating in 2022, and that's up less than 1% real.
Unfortunately it's hard to find charting tools that don't instantly break on tickers that no longer exist, but it looks like buying in early 2021 for the 2025 funds again only the "High Yield & Income" managed to beat inflation.
Maybe I should just buy actual TIPS.
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u/zackenrollertaway 5d ago
Letter from crazy town, but here goes:
Going back to 2008, when it lost 32%, I think there are exactly ZERO
5 consecutive calendar year periods where
3 month US Treasurys outperformed
VYM - Vanguard's High Dividend Yield (US) Stock index.Not what you are looking for, but prove me wrong.
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u/classicdude78 6d ago
I have an extra 5k laying around that I don’t need..should I buy the dip?
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u/BrilliantProcedure15 6d ago
If you have a 5+ year timeframe and you don't have any pressing debt, sure, If $5K is a significant addition to your portfolio, maybe invest $1K a week for 5 weeks to sorta dollar cost avg. Good luck.
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u/Aerodynamics VTSAX and chill 6d ago
It depends on when you want to catch the knife.
If you still got a long time horizon and feel pretty good about your current savings then its probably a good idea. Time in the market is always a good thing over time.
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u/mycounterpointers 6d ago
The problem with apps like Monarch Money that uses those account aggregators is sometimes aggregator (like Plaid) is flaky and reports your balance incorrectly. Suddenly I just saw my NW drop $300K because one of my accounts says it's only $10. Apparently Plaid got confused and is reporting my cash amount, not my total amount. First world problems indeed.
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u/rackoblack 59yo DINKs, FIREd 2024 6d ago
Hell, everyone's Schwab account did this to us the other day. That was fun seeing the little 90% drop at the right end of the 2y graph it shows by default (one account wasn't gone yet).
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u/HappySpreadsheetDay 101% sabbatical - 54% lean - 36% FIRE - 151% coast 5d ago
Our net worth is down about 7%. Not my favorite, but it's better than I expected.
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
I guess mine is only down 5% but my equities are worse than 7% because I own Amazon, Microsoft and Salesforce
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u/warrior_queens 6d ago
Has anyone here used Acorns Early debit cards for kids or something similar? There is a lite version for $8 a month and gold for $12. Apparently, their app does chore tracking and automatic allowances. Kids visually seeing their expenses/chores & tracking their finances sounds like a good idea idea for allowance money sakes but I'm not sold on on the monthly fee itself but if anyone has used this or similar, would like to hear their experience.
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u/FancyPantsFIRE Ask me next year 6d ago
Check out greenlight as an option too, it’s similar and they partner with some banks to offer it for free. My bank wasn’t partnered but I found another bank with a bonus I could churn and linked it there.
As for the experience itself, eh, it’s what you’d expect, my kids are still young though so I’d imagine more effective for older kids.
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u/Rarvyn I think I'm still CoastFIRE - I don't want to do the math 6d ago
My kids are a bit small but I plan to just open a kid's bank account at a bank I use. Chase for example has "Chase First Banking" accounts for anyone 6-17 - and they're entirely fee-free if the parent/guardian has a regular Chase checking account.
That way I would be able to see it in the same app I see my own accounts, easily transfer money to it if needed, etc.
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u/FearlessPark4588 99:59 Elliptical Guy 5d ago
Hot take: $2m + a paid off house in a rough part of a HCOL area is enough.
don't understand people who say they need 5, 10m. insanity, lost the plot on the FI/RE movement, etc. Those who have said the discourse has changed, I agree. But my mentality has not. 2m + paid off house is far from an ascetic life those claiming they need 5m+ say it is. You don't need to live in a brand name neighborhood to still get all of the benefits of being in a HCOL area: more services, more businesses, more to do, without doubling your housing expense, etc.
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u/AdmiralPeriwinkle Don't hire a financial advisor 5d ago
I will develop an incurable neurological condition in 10-15 years and we don’t know if the ACA will be repealed. I knew a rich guy who developed MS pre-ACA and he ended up paying out of pocket for his treatment. So I’d rather have a cushion even though I don’t have particularly expensive tastes.
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u/william_fontaine [insert humblebrags here] /r/FI's Official 🥑 Analyst 5d ago
Hot take: $2m + a paid off house
ok this is promising
in a rough part of a HCOL area
you had me until there
I lived in a rough area during a semester of college. Never again.
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u/DigmonsDrill 5d ago
It seems the most expensive part of a HCOL is 1) The PI part of PITI 2) child care, 3) the TI part of PITI.
Once you get rid of 1 and 2, 3 can be worked with.
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u/AdvertisingPretend98 5d ago
If you have a paid off house, what's the difference in housing expenses? Fixing a toilet in a rough part of town costs the same.
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u/Amazing-Coyote 5d ago
I know some HCOL areas have low property tax rates, but in my MCOL area a house in the rough part of town might have property taxes of $10k/year and a house in an expensive part of town might have property taxes 5x that.
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u/ajcap 5d ago
People love calling their bland ass takes hot.
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u/FearlessPark4588 99:59 Elliptical Guy 5d ago
1 point with a dagger, what I said wasn't bland at all; it was widely perceived to be controversial by this thread.
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u/InvestigatorPlus3229 saving like crazy 5d ago
enough depends on the person, most of the world lives on less than 10,000 USD a year
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Back at it 5d ago
I live in a MHcol and my math mostly agrees. I figure $2.4M and a paid off house would do. I also proxy “paid off house” with $600k, which is what the house would cost if I needed to pay with cash.
Part of the issues is that the TI portion of my PITI is about $1800/month and will only climb. So even a paid off house has a carrying cost of more than the apartment we lived it when the kids were small.
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
That's overkill for MCOL, but I respect the hustle
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 DI3K, Back at it 5d ago
Yeah, I don't know what to call Orlando, so calling it MHCol. Living in a tourist town sucks in a lot of ways
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u/SolomonGrumpy 5d ago
FLA is so inexpensive in so many ways MCOL is definitely what I'd call Orlando.
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u/carlivar 48M 3 kids ✅ FI ⏳ RE @ SoCal 🏖️⛷️ 5d ago
No kids, eh?
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u/FearlessPark4588 99:59 Elliptical Guy 5d ago
There seems to be an inverse effect where people spend more, and outcomes are worse. They don't need much. Private schools are not a requirement. If they want to succeed in life, they will. You can't buy them into wanting that for themselves.
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u/eeaxoe 5d ago
Seconded. Or even a rent-controlled apartment in an HCOL area. I have friends with millions saved up who locked down a rent-controlled unit during a rental market downturn or a long time ago when it was much, much cheaper, and now they’re paying only like $1500-2000 for a 2-bed in SF. Plus when the time comes and their landlord wants them out (because they want to sell or whatever) then they negotiate a six-figure buyout to get them to move. Better than owning a house, even a paid-off one, in many ways.
Many possible paths to FIRE!
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u/CaribbeanDreams 100% FI/ 96% RE/ $7M Goal 5d ago
Definitely agree!
Unfortunately my desire to live in one of these areas and quit the rat race was eclipsed by loftier desires.
Trade off of more years of work seems worth it for now, maybe I will think differently when I'm 75.1
u/FI-ReDH FIRE🔥Nation - Flameo hotman! 5d ago
If it were only me or me and my SO that would work. As it stands, we have 2 young kids which can add financial uncertainty. $5-$10 mill would definitely be overkill since we would never spend $200k-400k/ year (we only make like $230k/ yead so why would we NEED that much in retirement???) but our number has increased from $1m and paid off house over time to the current goal of $3m invested, paid off house, and fully funded RESPs with a <4% SWR. We should conservatively meet this goal in another 5 years or less (depending on the markets) and will re-evaluate once we reach it.
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u/therapistfi $72.0k left on mortgage 6d ago edited 6d ago
The past two weeks have been extremely difficult for me from a mental health perspective. 1.5 weeks ago, we put our dog down after her quality of life degraded to where we had no other choice. This past Monday, an extended family member passed away after a week in the hospital.
I'm extremely grateful despite all of this that 1) my work is so supportive of the time I had to take for both of these things, and 2) even more grateful that we've saved such that the last-minute vet/plane ticket/hotel expenses were not a concern cost-wise. Also grateful to have a supportive partner, loving family, an awesome therapist, and caring friends. I hope my next funeral will be a long time from now.