jawjateck

Today's destination is......... OH . . . . . IO

Day 2 through the mountains of Utah and Colorado.....just spectacular! So many amazing scenes, and varying weather including falling snow and frozen lakes at 11000ft just east of Vail. Wednesday, we move on to a university town.....Columbia, MO, and we promise to stay out of significant trouble while we are there. 😁 🤭

Day 1......mission accomplished. Beautiful scenes along the way! Today, we drive to Limon, Colorado. Wave if you see us pass by. 😋

We shall miss thee......until our sweet reunion in 2024. 🥰 Oliver and I hit the road within the hour. Tonight's stop will be Richfield, Utah. Feel free to comment on the sights and scenes and make recommendations along our journey back to Ohio. See y'all!

The provider never provides a rate to my proposed scenario, but is clear that an (sometimes unknown) upfront deposit will be required to book the session. Those are time wasters and scammers.

I underestimated by 8 basis points.....dang it! Effective Monday......4.3%, including 0.9% fixed component.

March CPI is out, so we know the inflation adj rate for I bonds will be 3.39% beginning May 1. Darn it, I missed my estimate by 3 basis points. Haha. I do expect the bump up in the fixed component. Invest accordingly gentlemen. You can get the current 6.8+% for next two weeks and it will pay that for 6 months, then adjust down.

February CPI came out last week and was hotter than expected, so the article's variable interest rate calculation/estimate is low. My estimate is that the May rate will be 3.42% (variable) + 0.8% (fixed) = 4.22%. I'll have to re-visit this in May to assess my prediction. We will definitely know the variable interest rate when the March CPI is released in the second week of April.

I've ended sessions early numerous times. Depending on circumstances, I have occasionally paid the full fee because I accepted the risks of procuring unknown talent or the reason for the shortened meeting was on me, but more often, I have prorated the fee for time spent. When I've done that, no provider has ever objected to my payment, because in all of those cases, the provider performed poorly and knew it and knew that I was unsatisfied. I have never withheld the entire payment in any circumstance.

This happened to me last year for a different reason. The card on file to pay for my premium membership is a VISA. They have charged it numerous times, but when I decided to sponsor an escort (for the first time) using that same card, which they already know is valid, RM sent me that BS message.

You can create an account at treasurydirect.gov. For those who caught last year's I-bond mania; it is the same account. It is linked to your bank account, and you can purchase bills, notes, or bonds directly from the US treasury on the days they auction the securities. It is considered a non-competitive purchase, but I started buying bills and notes last fall (3 month, 4 month, 6 month, 1, 2, 3 year), and I have always been assigned an interest rate a few basis points above where those securities are trading on the open market at the time. There are no fees. If it's a bill (one year or less), the bill is discounted on the date of issue, and then that amount plus the interest are automatically returned to your bank account when the bill matures. If it's a note (2 to 10 years), an interest payment is made to your bank account every 6 months, and the principal is returned to your bank when the note matures. Easy peasy! You can view the list of upcoming auctions, and decide what you want to buy and when. They post interest rate results almost immediately after the auction, and the minimum purchase of any security is fairly modest. I've bought as little as 200 at a time; pretty sure you can go lower, and I've bought 10,000 at a time. Like I-bonds, the interest is subject to federal income tax, but exempt from state/local income taxes.

I feel compelled to channel our dearly missed friend, Epigonos, and to share his voice about the PS weekend. He would urge everyone to attend, make plans, and just do it. Don't assume you will be here next year. Don't assume the event will be held next year. We have this year and this opportunity. Epigonos might well say....."it's now or never!" I look forward to meeting dear friends again, and making some new ones too. See y'all in PS.

Uh huh.....I buy a 6-mo T-bill every week at auction, so I snagged this week at 5.03%. The 1 year is also above 5 now. The monthly auction is next week, and I'm buying it too.

Lap seating would have been your only option on this journey. 😁

I'll buy more in January, then wait until late April to decide if I get the rest then, or wait until May.

Nope. I laugh thinking about that conversation would have gone between us.

I assumed the fixed component would rise based on the actions of the Federal Reserve, and given the rate path they continue to pursue, it will likely bump up again May 2023. I will buy more in January, but hold back some of the 10k until the third week of April to check out the effect of Fed rate increases and the CPI numbers. Then decide if the rest should be bought in April or May. Congrats to all you 9.62%-ers!!!!!

I'm stunned, grieved and in the same place with you, Oliver. Through this forum, Epigonos became one of my best friends ever in this life. Not just the PS events. He regularly invited me to stay at his home; shared countless meals, took vacations together. We were planning another 10 day trip in the spring. We were always calling each other talking about life inside and outside of the hobby. I can hear his laugh right now, along with peppering me with a bazillion questions about everything. But what I especially loved about our phone calls is, when the call was over, it was over, time to hang up and move along with the day. I could always count on him to get to the point! Despite the gruff, funny persona PS attendees got to know, Epigonos was a loving and generous man. I experienced it and saw it in so many private interactions, involving his family, friends, and neighbors. Epigonos was completely satisfied with his life, and I assure you he had no regrets about his major life decisions. He lived, and he died in full satisfaction with who he was, who he loved, and how he lived. To him, I say, "well done, my friend"! I will miss him for the rest of my life, and hope that my life decisions will leave me just as satisfied when my departure date arrives. I will have a good cry today, and will raise a glass and toast him tomorrow. He would have it no other way.

One of my faves is mid 20s, takes meds for anxiety, depression, ADHD, and a sleeping aid. It takes it toll. Problems with digestion, uneven sleep, and getting and maintaining an erection. And yep, he takes a pill to help with that when needed. He's honest with me and let's me know when He cannot be his best.

If you top up to 10k by the end of October, you will return 8.045% over the next 12 months.

CPI-U report is out. Hotter than expected. Looks like the inflation adjustment on the I-bond for the 6 months beginning in November will be 6.47%. Maybe they'll add some basis points on the fixed income component too.

Hey there, welcome back to you and all of your n's. 😄

Oh, I definitely remember you.....you handsome devil!!! 🤩 I sat next to you at the Saturday dinner. 😉

When next week's CPI-U is released, we will be able to calculate the inflation adjusted interest rate for the six months beginning in November, but we won't know until then if the Treasury is raising the fixed interest rate component of the bond. Demand is high, so they could keep it at zero, but past Fed actions like we've experienced this year would indicate the fixed component of the bond will finally rise above 0.00%. Yay!

I hope he is well and prospering in this season of his life.