Just applied for a new job for the first time since a couple of years ago. Here's hoping it works out, since it would pay more, have more PTO, and would give me more retirement accounts to max out (pension, 403b and a 457!). I've been in my current role closing in on a decade. Usually, when I apply for other jobs by the time I get to the interview stages I'm not as interested in leaving. I'll see if that happens this time around or not, since I'm doing this in response to RTO after being WFH for the past 4 years.
Haven't checked my balances this week due to taking an unexpected trip. I'm assuming it's going great.
I've snagged a few deals on CDs but haven't done bonus churning. I feel like having to move my money in and out of various institutions and holding it for the required period is too onerous. I'd rather just shovel any extra funds into investments and forget it.
That's what I'm hoping. My manager has been WFH herself for over 15 years, so I think it shouldn't be a huge issue. Last time I was very upfront about not wanting to go back in, and it sounded like the worst case would be being reclassified as a remote employee. Hopefully that remains the case.
My manager informed me that word is they are going to start pushing RTO again. Last time they tried was the end of 2021 and it failed miserably, since everyone just ignored it. I told her it just doesn't make sense for day to day work when the team is not co-located. We'll see what they do this time around to get people to actually show up. I've now spent an equal amount of time at this job between going in full time (pre Covid) and WFH. I really like WFH and it is one of the major reasons I haven't seriously job searched recently. I may have to ramp up applying to new jobs if this mandate has any teeth.
What are everyone's thoughts about paying off your mortgage pre-retirement?
I got enormously lucky and refinanced at the very bottom of mortgage rates in 2020. Conventional wisdom would be to never pay this off as it's effectively free money. However it is costing us roughly $20k a year in added expenses, which I could see as having a massive impact on ACA and FAFSA (assuming a future child) in retirement.
I'm getting to the point where if I want to pay this off before retirement, without having to sell investments, I'd need to start diverting funds from investments into a cash account (since HYSA is currently > mortgage rate) to have enough saved to lump sum in at retirement. Another option I've been considering is saving enough cash/equivalents to cover mortgage payments without paying it off. However I'm looking at roughly 20 years of remaining payments at retirement and I'm not sure if that is a good strategy or not. Thoughts?
Pleased to realize that between my taxable account and Roth IRA contributions, I now have 5 years expenses saved to support a future conversion ladder in retirement. I'm still a ways out, but it's cool to realize that even if I don't save anymore post-tax, I'll be able to access my funds penalty free.
I'd consider a CD ladder with the amount needed for each tranche maturing at the time I'd need it (depending on rates I could get compared to HYSA rates).
Holy compounding growth! I can't believe that I just crossed the $500k invested mark in January and I'm already just one more good day from hitting $600k. I very well could cross that line in time for the end of month spreadsheet day. (Don't worry, now that I've put that thought out there, we'll certainly see a market crash)
A particularly sucky way to save money: skip your spouse's birthday celebration because you both got sick just in time for their birthday.
I feel especially bad because I dragged them to an event last week and they've been sick since we got home. Of course karma means they gave me their illness and I've been feeling bad since yesterday.
I've done similarly. I reached a breaking point where I'd hear about a show or movie and think I'd like to see it, only for it to be on one of the bazillion services I don't have. Now if there's something I want to watch, I'll check if it's on a service I have access to. If not, I'll get it through other means.
Frugal "win" of the day:
I over stretched my hamstring last week and sitting all day hurts. I was able to scrounge a perfectly sized box to transform my normal desk into a standing desk. Now I'm just hoping I can reduce the pain enough to survive the major tournament I'm travelling for next week.
Next week I'm going on vacation. The senioritis at work is real! I have no desire to do anything productive this week (besides obsessively checking the weather forecast for my destination)
Today's my wedding anniversary (sort of, thanks to COVID causing us to have multiple anniversary dates).
It's amazing how much marrying the right person can accelerate your timelines. My spouse was in the "work til I die" camp when we first met. However, they were always very frugal. Now we both dream of FIRE and have a pretty significant net worth.
Most likely. I would guess 4-5 years if no major changes in lifestyle. Longer, and harder to guesstimate, if we decide to have kids.
My most recent meaningless milestone:
With a 4% withdrawal rate, my current investment balance supports a monthly equivalent to my takehome pay of one paycheck. So I'm basically getting 12 additional paychecks a year from my investment balance.
I decided to sign up for a giant national competition for my hobby sport today. Between entrance fees, flights, and hotel it was a very spendy day.
Build the life you want and then save for it...right?
Also, the last time I tried to do this event I came down with COVID the week before and lost out on a bunch of non-refundable deposits. I'm really hoping that doesn't happen again this time.
I used to work in the news and fires were one of my favorite things to be sent to film. It's so powerful and destructive, yet so incredibly beautiful.
Everyone has a theory, including seven-year-old Zadie: “Maybe a random person just came up and they needed a tree to build a boat or something."
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/12312640
It's an unprecedented – and massive – experiment: Since 2017 the U.S.-based charity GiveDirectly has been providing thousands of villagers in Kenya what's called a "universal basic income" – a cash grant of about $50, delivered every month, with the commitment to keep the payments coming for 12 years. It is a crucial test of what many consider one of the most cutting-edge ideas for alleviating global poverty. This week a team of independent researchers who have been studying the impact released their first results.
I've always been a fencesitter when it comes to having kids. I'm getting to a point where I think I'd like to have a kid. I don't know if it's because I really want one, or there's just nothing major left on the list of life accomplishments and it's a societal expectation.
The thing is, I can think of a million and one reasons not to have one and can't put into words why I would want one. However, I'm starting to have a nagging feeling that I want to start trying. I just don't know if that feeling is something I actually want, or just society telling me I should.
It doesn't help that I don't have a lot of small children I regularly interact with, so I honestly don't have a clue what life would look like after kids, beyond it being a lot of stress and hard work. It also doesn't help my spouse says it's my choice and they'll go along with whatever I want .
Any advice or things that helped you know it was the right choice/time for you to expand your family?
Explore the world's best nature photography. See galleries of images, find out more about the competition and about how to visit this year's exhibition.
I got my father-in-law for the family secret Santa this year. He's super into Marvel/comics and I was thinking of getting him a marvel/superhero themed board game he can play with the family. Google returned a bunch of different options for Marvel themed games, but I can't tell which are good or bad.
What games would you recommend for gifting?
Voters may be asked to approve a single primary election with the top four finishers going to the general election.
I know this is probably preaching to the choir, but I was just baffled by this issue.
I was walking my dog this morning and a lady drove up and asked if I had seen her husky that got loose. I said no and we each continued on our way.
2 blocks later, I see the dog. It was super friendly, came when I called, and was having a blast playing with my dog. Even better news, it was wearing a collar! Until I started looking at the collar closer and realized there were no tags or anything else with contact info for the owner.
I ended up deciding to start walking home, to see if it would follow us. Luckily a few houses later, someone recognized it and was going to call the owner. But, seriously, what if we had not come across someone who knew the dog?
Especially, for a breed that is infamous for running away. Why you wouldn't pay a couple of bucks for a tag, when it could be life/death for the dog?
/End rant
CPR News tested the air quality at the Central 70 Cover Park to see whether it reduced pollution.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7561898
CPR News tested the air quality at the Central 70 Cover Park to see whether it reduced pollution.
The unprecedented die-off represents roughly 90 percent of the eastern Bering Sea population
The unprecedented die-off represents roughly 90 percent of the eastern Bering Sea population
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7122704 >cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7122663 >
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/7122663