Kevin Slater

I don't like holding  very much gold.  It produces no income and in fact takes money to store and secure (even if in the form of an etf).
Kevin Slater

Citibank came out with their new CD rates. No change. Their best rate is still 6 months @ 4.75%. 

I don't like holding  very much gold.  It produces no income and in fact takes money to store and secure (even if in the form of an etf).
Kevin Slater

I don't like holding  very much gold.  It produces no income and in fact takes money to store and secure (even if in the form of an etf).
Kevin Slater

That's an old article from May 2023. This article came out today predicting a rate of 4.25% (2.95% inflation & 1.30% fixed)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/treasury-may-set-new-i-bonds-rate-at-around-4-3/ar-BB1loJWC
 

The link below provides an analysis of what the projected I-bond rate will be, both the fixed and variable rates.  It’s a fairly long video (22-23 minutes) but it explains how the rate projections are arrived at.  
 
For those not wanting to watch the entire video this video projects the fixed rate to be 1.2% and the variable rate to be between 1.98% and 2.8% (I think).  I’d have to rewatch the video to see what the upper-end variable rate would be.   
 
Prosperity to all.  

 
https://youtu.be/g1mVtOxYEHE?si=YU2ZvUViH9EN_UJ2

... cuz if I can't have it, I don't want anyone else to get it?   
Kevin Slater

Again, I'd created a new thread about opining on the appearance of providers.  Let's keep this thread to specific discussion of the escort at hand.
Kevin Slater (qua moderator)
 
 

... cuz if I can't have it, I don't want anyone else to get it?   
Kevin Slater

Yup! 😇

Having been in medical education for 40 years, yikes I am old, the cuts in the time spent in basic medical education alone are startling and the quality of graduates we are seeing now compared to even 10 years ago has dropped precipitously.  Medicine has become lots of algorithems and unnecessary testing. The art has been sucked out of it.  
Shortening the university education would only add to the lack of general knowledge and interactive skills of out future care providers.  Most physicians who take the traditional path have completed medical school at 26, those taking the 6 year course are 24.  Fairly good data shows brain development, especially in males, decision making and maturity, is not complete until at least 25.  The problem is not the length of training, the problem is the cost of training.  Albert Einstein School of Medicine recently received a billion dollar endowment and all tuition is free.  Without the burden of that debt, graduates can face their future without the cloud of untenable debt for years to come.  Two years more of training to allow maturity and a full broad based educated and well trained professional is, for me, preferable to a student who has rushed though medical school, with no other diversity in their education.  Give me a debt free individual who can speak with clarity and concern perhaps in more than one language and who understands medical ethics as well as other classic principles.  This is  who I want taking care of me.  

The problem with trying to answer whether "going to college is worth it" is that you will never really know until long after you have made the choice. It turned out to be worth it, for me, when I made the choice in the middle of the last century. Who knows whether it will be worth it for a particular individual trying to decide today? So much about the world can change within a lifetime, not to mention the changes within the individual. The important things to consider are what you know about yourself and your goals,  and what you know about the choices that are available to you.

According to an article in Fortune Magazine this week (sorry - it's paywalled),  there's a growing number of Gen Zers choosing vocational schools over college. They're learning to be plumbers, mechanics, electricians, etc - and jumping into these skilled careers where they can earn a six figure salary starting out.  Good for them. 

Taylor Swift named billionaire by Forbes as Eras Tour, music catalogue and more amassed massive $1B fortune.
Swift is also the “first musician to hit ten-figure status” solely based on her songs and performances.
Taylor Swift named billionaire by Forbes as Eras Tour, music...
PAGESIX.COM Forbes announced Tuesday that the pop singer is “the most famous newcomer” to the billionaire’s club.  

Most financial advisers and brokerages will have some financial planning tool, usually accessible online.  It'll ask you about your situation and give you the opportunity to input predicted expenditures.  I'm sure the tool doesn't mind if you mislabel hookers as something else.
Kevin Slater

I suspect he'd be much more concerned with what percentage that was of what he took home that week.
Kevin Slater

I suspect he'd be much more concerned with what percentage that was of what he took home that week.
Kevin Slater

Or a dumb joke about his name.
Kevin Slater

but they're no longer going to have a monopoly, either.  (Ok, not 6% cheaper, but most analysis I've read suggests fees may drop to 2 - 3%.)
Kevin Slater. 

but they're no longer going to have a monopoly, either.  (Ok, not 6% cheaper, but most analysis I've read suggests fees may drop to 2 - 3%.)
Kevin Slater. 

but they're no longer going to have a monopoly, either.  (Ok, not 6% cheaper, but most analysis I've read suggests fees may drop to 2 - 3%.)
Kevin Slater. 

Well, I paid 5% on my first home, and 2% on the second.

One lousy inflation report does not make a crisis.   Let’s see how the trend goes in the coming months. 
 
Recoveries from inflation are almost never completely linear. There will be bumps in the road which are normal and expected. 

People conflate the cost of living with inflation. EV's are more expensive to repair just like luxury cars are more expensive to repair, so higher insurance rates are a downstream effect of more people buying costlier cars rather than inflation per se. But it does increase the cost of living.

Yep.
I heavily monetized vacation properties during lockdown, leading me to buy additional homes (to rent).
Mexico City, Key West, Galveston, Port Aransas and Puerto Vallarta...  All on airbnb/vrbo.
Haven't touched my portfolio otherwise and it's rebounded from any dip.