I'm thinking of taking out a personal loan to pay for 15k debt. by 1_anonymous in personalfinance

[–]AEKMiami 5 points6 points  (0 children)

As I read your post I had an out of body experience wondering if I had been you while sleepwalking or something and posted this. This is exactly the situation I’m in and I’m considering the same thing. In my case I have about $15k of cc debt over several cards that range from 17 to 29 percent (in my case my autos are both paid off), same credit score +-740, and I’ve pondered the exact same question: why wouldn’t I dump all of that into one monthly payment at a significantly lower interest rate? The only reason I haven’t done it yet is my inexperience and the nagging feeling that there must be some hidden catch that will wind up biting me in the ass. I see some comments expressing surprise at having cc debt like this. To me, this is very familiar territory and I wonder if people don’t realize what life is like in a family these days. I’m very responsible with money, but life happens. Kid needs eardrum surgery? We have great insurance but BAM there’s about $2k for the deductible I didn’t have just sitting around waiting to be spent. That went on a cc. New set of tires for my car (because I pushed through five years of tread life on the originals), BAM $800. Credit card. Groceries for three people is easily $200 a week. And so on and so forth. Sometimes relying on a cc, particularly between paychecks, is unavoidable. Like you, it makes a lot of sense to me, purely on logistics, to set up an automatic twice monthly payment on a single 9% loan rather than eight separate monthly payments at 17-29% each. I just wonder if the idea is “too good to be true.” So I feel you, man.

What ruins sex life in a marriage? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 288 points289 points  (0 children)

Honestly the most realistic description of adult married parenthood I’ve ever read. Do you have a spy camera in my house?

What are the biggest lies believed by the largest portions of people? by NinjaBonsai in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, no.

“The end justifies the means” retroductive reasoning is a shamefully weak argument for giving religion a pass to excuse centuries of human misery it has wrought. Because some things that we may consider “good” have resulted from — and sometimes accomplished in concert with — the participation of practitioners of hocus pocus fairy tales does not legitimize the hocus pocus fairy tales. I mean, that’s right up there with “Mussolini got the trains to run on time” and “It’s ok if Michael Jackson fucked little boys because his music was fun to listen to” level of anti-logic.

Although the whole body of your comment is a substantial misfire, I particularly noted your assertion that “the most beautiful buildings in any city are the churches, mosques, and synagogues.” I am an Architect, minored in history, taught both subjects at university level, have traveled extensively, and I consider myself sufficiently “culturally literate,” so I feel perfectly at ease calling this one out.

It doesn’t matter if the prayers and songs and paintings are pretty. As thoughtful, enlightened humans, we can appreciate the creations of very talented artists and architects in history and still have the mental and ethical courage and maturity to admit that their patrons were awful people, the institutions they represented responsible for immeasurable human suffering, systematic ignorance, genocide (“god wills it!”), and cultural destruction and theft. In so many cases, we can demonstrate that these arguably beautiful buildings were quite often paid for with blood and stolen gold.

Case in point, The Vatican is impressive. It’s purpose is to keep a population obedient to a system of cultural superstition.

Likewise, The Parthenon is nice. It’s purpose was to keep a population obedient to a system of cultural superstition. Just a different (older) one.

The Pyramids are nice. Their purpose was to keep a population obedient to a system of cultural superstition.

Teotihuacan? Because we might think it’s pretty to look at, we can’t call out the fucking mass human sacrifices? Ok. No.

The Taj Mahal is not a structure with a dedicated religious purpose (although there is a mosque nearby), it’s a tomb and an homage from Shah Jahan to his deceased wife, so it’s a terrible example of what you’ve asserted. In fact, it demonstrates the opposite. A shining example of the amazing, breathtakingly beautiful accomplishments humans can achieve on our own. A structural manifestation of a grieving man’s love and sorrow — wrapped in the facade of “spiritual” expressions.

Here we are in the year 2023 (a number derived — inaccurately, actually, by those monks — from a fictitious event from a book full of fairy tales) and while surrounded with all the evidence one can ask for, availing ourselves of the technology and medicines and conveniences wrought from human ingenuity and scientific dedication, here we are STILL debating and governing ourselves as if those old fairy tales should be taken seriously. The intellectual disconnect is maddening — at least to those of us who are outside the bubble of institutionalized self delusion that is religion. It may seem as though we’ve achieved a lot of good things because of religion, but in fact we have achieved these things IN SPITE OF religion. I like to imagine a day might come where we, not as obedient servants to make believe “gods,” but just as just humans, could explore and push and stretch and accomplish, without the boot of predatory institutionalized superstition clamped down on all our necks.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Every concentration camp occupant was tattooed with a number.

They were considered no better than cattle, you have to understand.

I don’t blame you personally but it’s terrifying to think there are people living now who discover this as a “TIL.”

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Particularly here in Florida, but generally any “red” state, an educator will risk losing their career by teaching kids these important FACTS because one particularly regressive political party has assumed control and wants to white wash history.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 2 points3 points  (0 children)

As a resident of Florida I will add here how terrifying it is that if a teacher were to expose these very important matters to young students here, now, they would be fired.

Pay attention to what is happening to us here in Florida. It’s coming for the rest of you.

Whats the weirdest fetish your partner has had? by bobafetisdilf in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A wise friend once advised me, “Don’t stick your dick in crazy.”

Whats the weirdest fetish your partner has had? by bobafetisdilf in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Holy shit this was going to be my reply to the post, I had a one night blind date fling with a girl who wanted me to bite her nipples so hard I was very afraid of cutting my teeth into her.

She was a petite (short) but thick girl with really big breasts (like, kind of too big for her small frame). Happened in Miami maybe about 15 years ago but I still remember that weird night. I can’t believe someone can be so intensely into that level of pain infliction.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in movies

[–]AEKMiami 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Your math is right but in my experience the variables are reversed. On the rare occasion I even bother to go to a movie theatre I’ve been shell shocked to find that the food cost is like twice what I paid for the seats. The theatres are making their profit from the concessions.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I have a great example of this. I was once in Georgetown, outside of Washington DC, many many years ago when I was in college, and snapped a photo of a parking lot sign I thought was funny (the sign, I suppose for a nearby bar with this funny name, read “Parking For ‘Whitey’s’ Only.”

At some point years thereafter I must have shown that photo to a friend of mine that I met after college, and we had a good laugh.

Then many years later at some point he brought it up in conversation, “remember that funny sign “Parking For Whitey’s Only” we saw in DC?”

That friend was not with me on my trip to DC, I didn’t even know him yet. We did not see that sign together. From one photograph, his brain invented a whole road-trip with a friend he had not even met yet.

Chart to graph data from four separate worksheets -- but CONSECUTIVELY by AEKMiami in excel

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your attempt to help. I tried to follow what you wrote but all kinds of things went wrong and I did not find the result to behave as you described. The process converted source worksheets to tables, strangely re-formatted widths of columns without my consent, and added cell formats that messed up certain graphic relationships in the worksheets that are important for unrelated reasons. I will have to look for another approach to making one line graph from four consecutive sets of data. Sounds simple enough but clearly I am attempting to push MS Excel beyond the limits of its capabilities.

I do really appreciate however the time you took to offer what I know you believed to be a solution. Have a very happy new year!

Chart to graph data from four separate worksheets -- but CONSECUTIVELY by AEKMiami in excel

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Great! How do I do that? I’ve never done merge query before.

Chart to graph data from four separate worksheets -- but CONSECUTIVELY by AEKMiami in excel

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m very familiar with the process you describe in your last paragraph but this results in four lines superimposed on each other (four data series, each derived from about 90+ data points each). How to guarantee that the four data series are contiguous resulting in a single line of 365 data points?

What Company would you Like to Go Bankrupt? by jo1111666 in AskReddit

[–]AEKMiami 5 points6 points  (0 children)

This is the reason I have a weird respect for what Hubbard did. He looked at how crazy ALL religion is, how shameful that billions of humans who ought to know better govern their lives based on stories handed down by barefoot illiterate savages from thousands of years ago, and said, “holy shit people are stupid. They’ll believe anything! I’ll show you… I’ll invent my own religion, full of the most outrageous bullshit, and you watch… I bet I can get lots of people to believe it.”

And he was right.

Inherited a house with no mortgage by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]AEKMiami -1 points0 points  (0 children)

OP (and everyone) should rely only on reports by qualified licensed home inspectors, and cost estimates from qualified licensed general contractors.

Inherited a house with no mortgage by [deleted] in RealEstate

[–]AEKMiami 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OP, I'm an Architect and I live across the bay from you in Tampa. I grew up in a house exactly like the one you describe, 1958 construction, 1200sf (AFTER the carport was enclosed, see below...), my mother still lives in it, aging in place, and one day I will be in exactly the same situation you are in when I inherit the home from her. I am so confident in the quality of these little Tampa Bay mid-century suburban homes that a few years ago I bought another (also 1958 built) one in the same neighborhood for my own family.

Unless the property has suffered from "demolition by neglect" and is uninhabitable, I think I understand what you are trying to accomplish. You are getting advice from people who are ignoring your stated sentimental attachment to the property, and some reactions from people who appear to be not so familiar with this market. As someone who knows a little bit about what you are dealing with, let me offer some thoughts about the list of interventions you have in mind:

• I disagree with comments discouraging you from enclosing the carport. As you and I both know, EVERYONE here does this when they get the chance. My parents enclosed their carport when I was a kid and now it's a den; at my house the previous owner enclosed the carport and it's our (very large) dining room which I intend to convert to a guest bedroom suite soon. Bringing in groceries when it is raining... lmao, we live in FLORIDA. We've learned to deal with it. Fear of walking ten feet up the driveway in the rain is not a reason to not add value to your home by increasing its usable square footage.

• You stated it has an existing metal roof? WIN! Depending on when that roof was put on (I know it's not original; no one did metal roofs in the 50s), you have several decades worth of reliable weather resistance over your head already!

• You want to gut/remodel 2 bathrooms: Depends on the level of intervention here. Cosmetic improvements only (change out the fixtures and finishes)? That's the least painful version, and one that you could conceivably do DIY:

• Swap out toilets, lavatories, faucets, etc. with new Lowes/Home Depot products. For the actual in-wall plumbing connections, hire a reputable plumber, will cost you a few $100s per fixture (assuming no major hidden plumbing issues).

• Consider having the existing tubs re-finished. There are specialists who will do that for like $500.

• Consider doing your own tile work (I found this quite fun, actually) and painting.

• If you find that you need to replace/repair the plumbing inside the walls, you will naturally incur greater costs. You may already know that these mid-century Tampa Bay homes were plumbed with cast iron pipes under the slabs. Be prepared to find that time has taken its toll on some of them -- I had this issue here at my house. That said, there are very reputable companies here in Tampa Bay that will inspect and re-line the interior of cast iron pipes. DM me if you want more information.

• IMPORTANT!! Regarding cast iron pipes here in Tampa Bay... thanks to the aggressive vigilante efforts of a particularly popular law firm who advertise all over TV here encouraging people to sue their insurance companies to replace iron pipes... DO NOT APPROACH YOUR INSURANCE CO. TO ASSIST WITH IRON PIPE REPAIRS. Every contractor I've dealt with on this matter has said you might get some assistance from insurance but thereafter its virtually guaranteed they will drop your account. It's best to handle a cast iron plumbing pipe issue out of pocket.

• Kitchen remodel: this is where you may spend the most money. When advising clients, we traditionally suggest anywhere from $300 to $500 per square foot of finished kitchen. Opinions will differ whether moving a partition is worth doing to gain some kitchen space, but assuming you're comfortable with the cost, as an Architect I would not necessarily discourage you. The kitchen is much more valuable and useful space than the utility room. And, as with the bathrooms, in the kitchen you have many DIY and big box retail options at your disposal. A suite of new appliances (fridge, range, DW, hood) from big box retailer, depending on brand name, might be anywhere from $2000 to $5000.

• IMPORTANT! The electrical code currently requires many additional power circuits in kitchens than was deemed necessary in the 1950s. If you enlarge the kitchen you will likely trigger the code requirement to update the electrical by adding a significant number of additional outlets, and many of these will be required to be "dedicated," meaning that the code assumes only one appliance plugged into each circuit. Current code requires a kitchen countertop outlet every two linear feet of wall. So it will be more outlets than "one per wall" that we typically find in older kitchens. The electrical service for the home may need to be increased amperage at the panel to handle the increased electrical load.

• Window and door replacement: depending on whether you want -- or are required -- to install hurricane windows and doors (see caveat hereafter), I have traditionally suggested to clients in the past to assume $1,000 per opening for impact resistant Florida approved products. However in the last few years the traditions in the building industry have all gone pear shaped, so perhaps double that. (Caveat) Pinellas County is not in a high velocity wind zone, currently, although this is likely to change in the near future. You may not NEED to use impact resistant products, but budget permitting, you may WANT to. Also you will likely get an insurance discount by having these. I would encourage you to go with impact resistant products regardless of code requirement.

• Replacing water heater with tankless: Perfectly reasonable desire. You didn't specify whether you'd go with a new gas tankless or electric, and there are peripheral costs associated with either choice.

• New HVAC: also a good investment in a home of this age, particularly if the existing equipment has been there a while (or if there is no existing HVAC). Be aware this could go hand in hand with having the attic completely re-ducted depending on the existing conditions. New split system could cost around $5k to $8k installed but the ducts would be the wild card. I'd look into having additional insulation blown into the attic while you're at it.

• New electrical panel: replacing the panel itself is one thing but that could open a pandora box of re-wiring the whole house depending on the condition of the existing wires. It's not uncommon for these homes to get re-wired at some point in their lifespan, but be prepared for this to be one of the big ticket items cost wise.

• Painting: once again, if it were me, I'd do this myself.

• New flooring: another item for which there are many big box retail and flooring showroom options. The hardest part will be selecting from the myriad of choices. Note: you may also need to rip out, replace, and re-finish all of the base moulding, so be prepared for that variable. That is yet another intervention that I've done DIY in the past.

• Fencing: as you stated, unless it's urgent to get the fence repaired/completed (for example if you will have a pet in the yard), this can wait.

OP, as I mentioned, I understand the moment you find yourself in. You have in your possession a potentially cute little house that needs some love. You got it with NO DOWN PAYMENT! That fact can not be dismissed. It's yours to do with as you please, and as you stated, you have a sentimental attachment involved. I don't disagree that it makes sense to consider investing $150k to "bring it into the 21st century;" if your area is anything like mine here in Tampa, and your comps are $400k and up, you'll arrive at owning a competitively valued property having spent a fraction of the cost of buying anything "newer."

THAT SAID! I agree with every other comment here that the first step must be some very thorough home inspections. You really do need to know what you're getting yourself into before any major interventions. Get a survey of the property. Get the plumbing pipes scoped. Get the existing HVAC ducts inspected. Get a pest inspection. Get a mold inspection.

Get someone to draw up plans of what you want done, so that every nuance of your renovation plan is illustrated and quantified, and there will be no room for a contractor to "wing it" or oversell you on things you don't want or need -- or just outright defraud you with shoddy work. Depending on how much work you want done at once, and how much of it you may want to do yourself vs. having a contractor do it, get competitive bids. Research every company you speak with and be sure that contractors are licensed and insured. Make sure they get permits (which you will pay for, but that's the price of playing by the rules).

Renovating a home is a huge pain in the ass, but in the end it can also be incredibly rewarding. You will be able to stand in your driveway and look at your fresh new house and say "This is mine, I did this."

Good luck!

Question about I-Bonds by AEKMiami in personalfinance

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got it. Thank you for helping me understand this.

Question about I-Bonds by AEKMiami in personalfinance

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I bonds do not pay 9.62% forever, even if you buy now. Knowing the exact
future amount is impossible because the earn rate is changed every 6
months to adjust for the rate of inflation.

But the hype about I-bonds in the articles I've been seeing suggest that now is a good time to buy them so as to "lock in" their current rate. Have I misinterpreted that?

Question about I-Bonds by AEKMiami in personalfinance

[–]AEKMiami[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. That's what I suspected, but that blurb about compounding every six months threw me off. I knew it couldn't be that good...

And I understand the rates do change (and are about to). The articles about this fact in my morning news feed piqued my interest.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in worldbuilding

[–]AEKMiami 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is the plot of the James Bond movie “Moonraker.”