BeamerBikes

Your services are the Lord’s work in some ways.  Most therapists are definite clock watchers.  Sometimes people just need to be heard in addition to the ancillaries.  

My god man, that hit deep and VERY close to home.  

You want to pool resources and hire a string a house boys until we find a trustworthy one that will take care of us into old age? We’ll make him the Grand Budapest promise,  “all of this will be yours, minus whatever we have spent on Whiskey and Whores”
 

Update: I've lost some 30+ lbs. It's been fairly consistent weight loss over 6+ months
I've gotten the lecture from well intended coworkers about unknown long term side effects with new medications. My response is simple: I know what the long term side effects will be if I don't make this change from my own experience: Sleep apnea, lower back issues, high triglycerides, high blood pressure meds, multiple abdominal hernias, family history of early cardiac death / disabling strokes.  
My doctor asked if I have a specific goal in mind, I just want to be sub obese 5'8" 180s. 
Will I continue to be on this drug for maintenance after goal weight?  Unknown. I'll make the decision later in the year with input from my doctors. 
For me, this continues to be the right decision with manageable side effects.  

I've been on the journey since August 2023.  I'm plateauing out 1.7mg/week right now past couple months.  The side effects were manageable with little indigestion/nausea for me.  I've dropped roughly 25 lbs since August.  
It's not the right decision for everyone, but I feel this is the right decision for me. There's always a cost for any of our decisions.  Not doing anything to reduce the weight and continuing to lie to myself that I can diet and exercise my way out of 2 decades of obesity, comes with a side effect of remaining as heavy as I have always been.  
Family history has some significant overlaps, and I don't intend to repeat the same pathologies.  I know what my likely life expectancy would be if I stay on that path.  

He’s a twink, who bakes, and has a love of old land yachts.  When I was 20 years younger, I would have likely married him on the spot.  Now, I still would wanna hang out with him.  Mainly for the baked goods.  

There was a Monopoly slot machine that had old Uncle Pennybags occasionally exclaiming - “Gold never gets old”. I flirt with the idea of gold as an investment, but then Warren Buffet words about investing in 100ounces of gold versus 100 acres of farm land - in 10 years the farm land would have produced something for society.  One day I might buy a coin or two but it will be more to look at/admire than serious investment. When shit truly hits the fan, you can’t eat gold. 

Opening a thread on folks best practices around handling credit cards.  
I'm re-evaluating my annual rewards card landscape.  I was loyal to United for years then switched to Southwest for their reward program fairness. Now I'm considering would it better to go the route of a single high priced annual fee like an AMEX Platinum versus carrying multiple travel cards - CapitalOne, Airline, Hotel cards.  
 
 
 

There was a Monopoly slot machine that had old Uncle Pennybags occasionally exclaiming - “Gold never gets old”. I flirt with the idea of gold as an investment, but then Warren Buffet words about investing in 100ounces of gold versus 100 acres of farm land - in 10 years the farm land would have produced something for society.  One day I might buy a coin or two but it will be more to look at/admire than serious investment. When shit truly hits the fan, you can’t eat gold. 

There was a Monopoly slot machine that had old Uncle Pennybags occasionally exclaiming - “Gold never gets old”. I flirt with the idea of gold as an investment, but then Warren Buffet words about investing in 100ounces of gold versus 100 acres of farm land - in 10 years the farm land would have produced something for society.  One day I might buy a coin or two but it will be more to look at/admire than serious investment. When shit truly hits the fan, you can’t eat gold. 

He’s a twink, who bakes, and has a love of old land yachts.  When I was 20 years younger, I would have likely married him on the spot.  Now, I still would wanna hang out with him.  Mainly for the baked goods.  

He’s been a bit of a busy beaver lately from the recent reviews on RM.  I enjoyed my time spent.  He’s gotten beefier than the earlier days dancing at Shoe I remembered him from.  We used google translate for communication since his English is roughly the same as my Spanish.  It worked out well enough.  
If you are looking for a vers very toned to muscley circuit dancer fantasy, he’ll check those boxes nicely.  

He’s been a bit of a busy beaver lately from the recent reviews on RM.  I enjoyed my time spent.  He’s gotten beefier than the earlier days dancing at Shoe I remembered him from.  We used google translate for communication since his English is roughly the same as my Spanish.  It worked out well enough.  
If you are looking for a vers very toned to muscley circuit dancer fantasy, he’ll check those boxes nicely.  

The new rate was just posted on the Treasury website. 2.86% inflation rate plus a 1.10% fixed rate for an overall interest rate of 3.98% after rounding.

What someone pays in income tax relative to what I pay in income tax has no bearing to my approach to tipping.   
My fight with taxes is with my respective government officials, not with someone providing me a service that isn’t in a tax scale.  
 I don’t assess any service provider by what I perceive they pay in taxes.  If there’s great - reliable - consistent services rendered, I will choose to show appreciation in a variety of ways.  Cash just happens to be the most commonly appreciated.  
 
All that being said - I likewise endorse the idea that in lieu of tips, being a low drama reliable respectful client means more to any provider than a one timer who’s takes up your time and still ends up trying to short pay.  Having a regular client that states hey are you free tonight at 7pm (and usually shows up on time), there’s minimal back and forth, and a generally pleasant interaction for both - there’s base income that will keep the lights on.  
 
Another good sign - if you are still getting your appts taken by provider, odds are they okay with the arrangement.  

I won’t be giving any financial advice for anyone.  I rebalanced in February, and thought I was crazy.  Now it’s officially crazy times.  Everything to follow is your mileage may vary. I’m not a professional advisor. Just middle aged single income a bit cynical doing alright for myself. 
 
The thumb is on the scale in the markets, and speculation is a fool’s errand.  Agreed with BuffaloKyle in this case.  If you are in the market, keep some quality companies and time for diamond hands.
 
If you can’t stomach the gyrations, just don’t put new money in. Build up a “sleepy money fund” in high yield savings/iBonds. Sleepy money isn’t bad if it helps YOU sleep better. 
 
Back to basics - try to zero out your debt, live within your means, etc. it’s not get rich quick, but it’s peace of mind. 

I won’t be giving any financial advice for anyone.  I rebalanced in February, and thought I was crazy.  Now it’s officially crazy times.  Everything to follow is your mileage may vary. I’m not a professional advisor. Just middle aged single income a bit cynical doing alright for myself. 
 
The thumb is on the scale in the markets, and speculation is a fool’s errand.  Agreed with BuffaloKyle in this case.  If you are in the market, keep some quality companies and time for diamond hands.
 
If you can’t stomach the gyrations, just don’t put new money in. Build up a “sleepy money fund” in high yield savings/iBonds. Sleepy money isn’t bad if it helps YOU sleep better. 
 
Back to basics - try to zero out your debt, live within your means, etc. it’s not get rich quick, but it’s peace of mind. 

I actually just read another article and this guy is predicting a fixed rate of 0.9% next month. I think I'll actually just buy one at the end of this month. I really don't wanna risk missing out on that 1.2% fixed rate.
https://seekingalpha.com/article/4774305-series-i-savings-bonds-a-potentially-higher-yield-hideout-from-trump-tariff-impacts
 

This is unlike any other environment in my opinion. There are massive active inputs being put in place by Washington in unheard of time frames. As result, I don’t think the old advice other than “Cash is King” and “No debt is best” applies until things settle out.  
 
My other concern would be making sure to take advantage of any gift cards or loyalty points.  If the company associated with them goes bust or falls on very hard time, the gift card value evaporates with them or points gets devalued. 

I won’t be giving any financial advice for anyone.  I rebalanced in February, and thought I was crazy.  Now it’s officially crazy times.  Everything to follow is your mileage may vary. I’m not a professional advisor. Just middle aged single income a bit cynical doing alright for myself. 
 
The thumb is on the scale in the markets, and speculation is a fool’s errand.  Agreed with BuffaloKyle in this case.  If you are in the market, keep some quality companies and time for diamond hands.
 
If you can’t stomach the gyrations, just don’t put new money in. Build up a “sleepy money fund” in high yield savings/iBonds. Sleepy money isn’t bad if it helps YOU sleep better. 
 
Back to basics - try to zero out your debt, live within your means, etc. it’s not get rich quick, but it’s peace of mind. 

I won’t be giving any financial advice for anyone.  I rebalanced in February, and thought I was crazy.  Now it’s officially crazy times.  Everything to follow is your mileage may vary. I’m not a professional advisor. Just middle aged single income a bit cynical doing alright for myself. 
 
The thumb is on the scale in the markets, and speculation is a fool’s errand.  Agreed with BuffaloKyle in this case.  If you are in the market, keep some quality companies and time for diamond hands.
 
If you can’t stomach the gyrations, just don’t put new money in. Build up a “sleepy money fund” in high yield savings/iBonds. Sleepy money isn’t bad if it helps YOU sleep better. 
 
Back to basics - try to zero out your debt, live within your means, etc. it’s not get rich quick, but it’s peace of mind. 

Let me add - so enjoy your collections and treasure it as it makes you happy.  If you can start parting with the collection to someone else who shares the interest, all the better.  

Yeah, I'd want to work in some capacity. Ideally, keep the hours flexible, stress to a minimum and decent Healthcare benefits. 

I'd even work as a volunteer as a docent at a museum, or coat check at a male strip club... Just something related to the arts.  I don't need employer provided health insurance... My pension will be enough to cover that.

This is unlike any other environment in my opinion. There are massive active inputs being put in place by Washington in unheard of time frames. As result, I don’t think the old advice other than “Cash is King” and “No debt is best” applies until things settle out.  
 
My other concern would be making sure to take advantage of any gift cards or loyalty points.  If the company associated with them goes bust or falls on very hard time, the gift card value evaporates with them or points gets devalued. 

To be clear, I’m not trying to time the market for advantage. This is more I didn’t feel comfortable with the risk of being all-in even with just target date funds. Given the outsized returns of the previous couple years and all the uncertainty, I wanted to sleep better knowing that a significant chunk was safe at 4-5%.  If I had overreacted - tariffs go in and the market didn’t think any of it, I’d go back in.  
 
In this case, I may have rebalanced/profit taken at the right time and/or just got plain lucky at the Stock Market Casino.   Either way, I know I will end up going back in eventually for long term growth.  I just don’t recognize the valuations, and I don’t buy into the AI hype train. I stick with businesses I understand in the Vegas brokerage account. Mostly stay in target date low expense funds for the vast majority of the retirement.  I’m not going to try to time the bottom, and I accept I might miss out on some upswing.  
 
Bigger believer in accumulating via saving versus growing aggressively.