General

Can’t say I did much homework. I decided yesterday I was going to actually do it and today they got done. I did put actual thought into the two designs, both Pearl Jam tattoos. One is the Stickman that’s on the front of a hoodie I got in 2009 and that hoodie is in rough shape. That’s on my wrist/inner forearm area. The second one is on my outer forearm and it’s the 3 hearts from their song Smile. I suck at making images appear here so I apologize if they’re all wonky. I’ll link the images I used as reference for my ink today.

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/839851030482690261

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/324681454370861561

Edit fudging 48: apparently I suck at image tagging things so I left the links. God help me if I figure out how to share the pictures of my actual arm.

What's the worst thing to hear while you're getting a tattoo? "Oops"

Hahahaha probably. I distinctly remember thinking that the stencils the guy created looked like crap but I trusted the process and they came out amazing.

Never owed IRS for taxes, ever. This year I owe $8k, FML. I knew changing from a 0 to 3 for withholdings was a dumb move. Gahhhh

MrBean wrote:

I always tried to plan my tax withholding to be close to even or to owe a bit without owing so much I got penalized. I've heard so many people say, "I want them to take out as much as possible through the year so that I get a big refund". I would ask them if they understood that by doing it that way they were simply having a savings account with the government that didn't pay them interest? Get your money through the year, earn interest on the money (or use it to make some tax free income with a side hustle), and then pay back a little if you need to.

I've read several articles in the last few years saying how, since the government has our income information, they could simply send everyone a tax bill that they can pay or send in forms showing why the amount should be adjusted. Many other countries already do income taxes this way. HR Block and Turbo Tax have lobbied the US government to keep the current system that makes us pay tax preparation services to prepare and file our tax returns. The government agreed to this as long as the companies offer "free" tax preparation.

Yep, it's some bs that we still manage taxes the way we do. Others have figured it out but there's too much money in taking advantage of the customers.

Tony wrote:

With the rate most banks are giving on savings accounts, it's a trifling amount of interest.

https://www.bankrate.com/banking/savings/average-s...

0.58% on average.

So if you were having the IRS withhold extra so you could get a $5,000 refund, you would have lost out on just $14.50 in interest at that rate.

(5,000 X 0.58%, then divide by two since your withholdings are probably taking place regularly throughout the year so the average time the government held it for would be 6 months.)

Obviously you could probably do better with investments rather than a savings account, but for people who use the IRS as a temporary storage, they may not have great money management/discipline skills. So if they had gotten that extra money in their paychecks it would probably have been spent anyway instead of saved.

I just found out after everyone was telling me I could deduct mileage and car maintenance on my taxes for my commute ended up not being true. The reason is because of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. Only if I'm self employed or own a business can I deduct my mileage and car maintenance on the taxes.

Of course, even if I was able to do that, plus donations I made in 2023, and other stuff I could write off, it just wasn't enough to be more than the standard deduction.

benstylus wrote:

That is assuming that you'd keep it in a normal bank account -- which makes little sense. The reality is that you can fairly easily get about 5% these days from very safe high yield savings accounts at Schwab, Fidelity, and other major players.

Now we're talking about $250 -- which matters a bit more. (Even if we divide by two to $125.)


This is the real reality. The fact is that overpaying your taxes and getting a refund is more like forced savings for people who otherwise would not do anything special with it through the year.

Also, don't forget that we're all paying more because Trump signed things into law that would continue to hurt the non-rich for years when it comes to paying taxes. Makes the current President look bad for something that the previous President enacted...

John wrote:

That is my assumption for people who would go this route. They see Schwab/Fidelity and they think complicated/too many choices/not FDIC insured.

Especially if they got burned on a 'hot stock tip' or crypto or other get rich quick promise previously.

Went out shed hunting with the family. Found two dead carcasses picked fairly clean by coyotes, but no antlers. About to pull into the driveway and see 15-20 deer in the field across from my place, probably 150 yards away. SMH! They likely cut through my property.

KCPenguins wrote:

Saw this guy across the street last weekend.

image

KCPenguins wrote:


Wondered why this would be negged. Bucks naturally shed antlers every year, doesn't hurt them. The mice usually eat them. I was looking for them for my dogs. They like to chew on them. The deer carcasses were natural, coyotes ate them as did my doggoes.

KCPenguins wrote:

At first I though that you and the family were heading out to Home Depot and Lowe's, looking for a new shed.

Yeah I thought they were going to build a small backyard structure too.

They gotta keep the shed populations low before they grow into man-eating gazebos.

"everything bubble" sounds scary, wonder if I should sell my stocks and hide my money for awhile...

bill wrote:

This is true for most everyone. Unless we are being lied to, for any given 10 year period, the US Stock Market has outperformed every other type of investment. I've read Market analyses that say even someone who invested in the Stock Market the day before the crash that started the Great Depression was better off 10 years later than if they hadn't.

Every time there is a short term lull or drop in the Market, my financial counselor says "let it ride". Unless you are invested in a single stock that can be lost if the company fails, you want to be there when the market bounces back. The only individual stocks the average investor should buy are in companies that you know will be around in 5 years.

In 2008, my 401K lost about 40%. In 2018, it was up by 50% or more over where it had been before the drop. I had a co-worker who pulled his 401K money out of stocks and put it into guaranteed return investments. He actually made about 2% in 2008. I don't know when (or if) he went back to stocks, so I don't know how that move turned out for him in the long run.

Indeed. I'm a Boglehead when it comes to retirement investing. Lots of fun reading, but the simple summary (at least, what I do based on my reading):

1. Don't try to time the market.
2. Hold long-term without worrying about lots of changes. Don't worry about the day to day (or even month-to-month or year-to-year in most cases).
3. Extremely diversified portfolio -- often recommended (and used by me) is the "3-fund portfolio" consisting of: a Total US Stock Market Index, a Total International Stock Index, and a Total US Bond Market Index.

I'd get into it more, but this is the Random Thoughts thread and it'll all be lost in a day anyhow.

This is the way.

Is the NBA the most laughable league out of the 4 major sports?? I didn't watch one second of the All-Star game but from reading articles and seeing tweets about it, i heard it was abysmal. I haven't been a fan of the NBA for years, but after reading about the joke of the all star weekend (sans the Curry/Sabrina 3 point matchup, which i thought was pretty cool idea), the entire weekend is sad.

Totally get it, but being a big dumb ape, and the dialogue that's happening, combined with the insanity of the data showing ... that we're possibly going to dwarf the 2008 crash. I can't help but feel like cashing out and dumping into a high yield savings account for a bit, may be the safe bet. I truly don't know. I think it's time to actually hire a financial advisor.

MrBean wrote:

To be clear, that is the dialogue that's happening with a very limited set of people. Lots of people do NOT expect some great crash coming.

There is a lot of politics involved. The economy has looked pretty good lately. There is a great incentive for SOME people to want to make a crash look imminent.


Stats show that holding through 2008 would have been fine. Heck, holding through the Great Depression, if you could, would also be fine.

Without a crystal ball that no one has, it has been shown repeatedly that you're better off NOT trying to time the market.


They don't know either. Always remember that. The market has generally beaten any individual investment advisors over and over and over again. There are some exceptions for some crazy funds where you need millions just to get in. But, ignoring those and only looking at what normal people can do, a total market fund, an S&P 500 fund, or a simple target date fund have pretty much always beaten any advisor or individual public fund over any significant period of time.

I support using "financial advisors" when it comes to making decisions related to taxes and such. And when very near or into retirement when it is time to start selling things and knowing what makes sense to sell from a tax and availability standpoint. But for anyone under, say, 60, I'm not convinced that a financial advisor makes much sense.

And, if you DO use one, use a fiduciary who charges per hour. Not a percentage of your investment.

(Note that all of this may not apply to someone who is having financial issues and/or not contributing significantly to their retirement. In THAT case, it might help to have someone there going "Yeah, you need to put more into your IRA/401k/HSA/Roth so that you have money to retire on several decades from now!" But that's a different issue than WHERE to put that money once you've done that.)

For sure @John, your points are very valid. I just have a nice chunk of stock, IRA, and 401k that I think it's time to have someone much smarter than me manage. We put around 45%of our money away and all done so with limited knowledge/Google/luck.

Somehow we've done (minus good Ole GME and DOGE) ... Well enough, but time to get smarter. Recent rabbit holes led me down a path last night that I wanted to dump a lot but this is why it's probably ideal to hire someone to hold my hand =)

If anyone is interested in investing in crypto (which has outperformed the market), link in my bio!

For emergency purposes, I sold off all my stocks I had on robinhood last year... funny thing is... when I got the tax paperwork this week... it said I made a $25 profit....

MrBean wrote:

I got you. But, again, my point is the same: most financial advisors don't do better than buying a total market fund (along with an international index and a small amount of a total bond index) -- or even just the S&P500 Index -- or a Target Retirement Date index.

So, like I said, if you want advice, find a per-hour fiduciary and pay him to look over what you have and make some suggestions -- but not to invest for you where he takes a percentage. These guys simply do not beat just using wherever you have your money (Schwab, Fidelity, whatever) and buying a decent Target-date fund to get started. (You can always move to more diverse funds later if you want.)


That I can see.

Got connected to a guy that my buddy uses (that does insanely well for himself), and he's made my friend a ton of money, initial consultation is free. Will see what his options are and how best to utilize. Some great points above @John, thanks! End of day, I'm amazed I've made it this far... Someone who knows what they're doing, can probably send me in a way better direction overall!

Pay attention to the fees. If the guy is just investing in some ETF/mutual funds, not a big reason to pay too much. I think I pay $100/year and I think that is a bit high. If he mentions the initial consultation is free... how much does he charge to manage?

Please don't say Edward Jones... Please don't say Edward Jones... Please don't say Edward Jones...

shadyfozzie wrote:

The NBA All Star Game is likely to go the way of the NFL All Star Game. In the far past, when guys needed the extra paycheck and the winning team got a lot more than the losing team, they played it to win like any other game. When the salaries became so great the extra pay wasn't needed, the biggest name players didn't want to participate and no one played hard for risk of getting hurt,

If you have a large amount of money, get a financial advisor. You likely don't have the time to study the world economic situation from multiple sources in order to get the information you need to make wise decisions.

Do not get a financial advisor that takes a cut every time he moves your money from one investment to another.

Don't wait to start saving for retirement. The sooner you begin, the longer you have to take advantage of the "miracle" of compounded interest.

If you employer offers a match to your 401K contribution, take advantage of it.

We can agree to disagree. You don't NEED to "study the world economic situation from multiple sources" to make most wise investment decisions.

All of that is trying to time the market. History has repeatedly shown that even the best experts can't do it better than a buy-and-hold-diverse-market investment.

But, yes, if you want help -- find an advisor that you pay for his time only. Not one that takes a percentage of your total investments regularly (quarterly, yearly, whatever) -- nor one that gets a percentage when you buy into or sell out of any investments.

A great portfolio can easily be made with no-fee funds.

Do not go to Edward Jones! Period.

Nah, this dude is an independent. Hoping to connect this week. I think he has a flat fee structure and doesn't charge per transaction. We'll that's what my buddy has, and he's... A millionaire so dunno if I'll get the same treatment.

MrBean wrote:

You probably would be too if it weren't for those figures and stuff that you hide from your wife

benstylus wrote:

Hahaha, this... This is very true. We have a nice portfolio but we regurally look at each other and say similar, TF is wrong with us? She can be bad, not as ridiculous as I am, but... We enjoy our lives and that's ultimately what matters most. Still, we should be way better off! We both grew up very under the poverty line and continue to impress ourselves with what we've accomplished.

Me personally, I overdo it because I came from so little, broken home and all kinds of bad stuff that I still mask too much of it in indulgence... I know this, but do I change it? Not really! Maybe this financial advisor will help kick me in the balls once and for all to bring forth some change.

Hey, we're all here to kick you in the balls too.

Help me understand something, GTZ. The wife and I just moved into a new apartment. It’s very expensive but we didn’t have a ton of time to search at all because our former landlord made a very abrupt decision to sell the building - and considering we were tenants at will, we had to find a spot quickly.

Anyhow, her and I have anxiously been wondering if we misunderstood the terms of the lease regarding late fees. How would you interpret the wording here:

“Your rent is due on the 1st of each month. If we do not receive your rent and other recurring charges, in person before the close of business, or electronically by 11:59 pm local time, on day 30, you will be charged a late fee as follows:

5% on the 31st”

Am I to understand that, should we have a remaining balance after the 1st, there would be a 5% fee applied to each day that the balance exists — which would then be billed as a lump sum on the 31st day? Or is it saying we have a 30 day grace period to get the remaining balance paid off before the late fee is applied?

We figured it was the latter, but I’ve been in my head about it the entire last month. I’ll email them to be sure but just figured I’d ask for opinions here. We never plan to be too late paying if we miss the due date, but that’d obviously become a lot more difficult if fees are building each day. Bi-weekly paychecks be damned.

Ask them? Bad advice? Really don't know. Some landlords are fine. Others are garbage.

Yah I plan on emailing them in the morning anyhow. This is an apartment complex, so I feel like it’s all fairly uniform.