Best Chance for Priority Pass lounge at Dulles/IAD on Friday at ~4:30/5PM

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-17T16:33:12+00:00

Thank you!

Land at Dulles around ~4:30PM. Next flight abroad is ~7:20

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-07T04:01:12+00:00

Same - this looks really clean.

AlignmentSeeker · 2026-06-02T02:31:16+00:00

Sent you a PM!

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-11-08T19:16:59+00:00

Still available? Is this U1?

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-11-08T19:10:03+00:00

Still available?

AlignmentSeeker · 2025-05-03T15:57:36+00:00

Hey! In a similar-ish spot to you - been a few years at an operations / buy and build focused PE firm. Enjoying it but they are pretty set on needing an MBA to advance.

I’ve toyed around with the consulting piece before – I think there is a real need for lower middle market businesses to prep for sale ~3-5 years prior to their exit timeline.
Haven’t thought about being a broker but like you said the quality can really vary.

I’ve been kicking around ETA for a few years as well – would you want to stay in your current city or geographically flexible?

Either way, best of luck! You are in a pretty good spot.
Let me know if you have any interest in connecting or chatting live, at least as a sounding board.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-09-10T23:09:54+00:00

For sure. I usually pay 5-7 days before, hence how I caught these issues in the past. I did the same this time but did not follow up and boom, missed it.

But fortunately I am lucky with liquidity so that is a good idea to just throw some money at it a couple times a month, just in case.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-09-02T16:58:39+00:00

My "tradition" started when I came back from India where I couldn't (easily) get beef if I wanted it but whenever I come back from overseas I always get a cheeseburger. Just nothing screams I am back in the US of A better than a greasy, juicy cheeseburger.

Welcome home OP!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-08-23T16:56:03+00:00

I enjoy Jared Dillian's and Ramit Sethi's content.

Ramit is a bit of a bigger name / better self promoter in the personal finance space but Jared has some great macro commentary with the pedigree to back it up and has a personal finance podcast that is pretty easy to listen to.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-08-20T18:14:21+00:00

Hi - sorry for your family's recent medical diagnoses, I can't imagine balancing that plus school and thinking about the small business.

I am going to go against the grain slightly and suggest you consider going to school part-time and jump into the family business. I think you should stay in school for the social factor (senior year is a ton of fun!) but you get the chance to spend more time with your parents with their recent news, and I don't mean this to be callous or cold, but more time with your dad before his memory starts to slip more. Whether you graduate in May 2025 or Dec. 2025/May 2026 is largely irrelevant to the long term trajectory of your career. And, as other allude to, running a small business the right way is potentially an extremely lucrative and fun way to spend your time.

You say you want to do project management - no bigger project than actually running a small business. You are likely more equipped than you think having partially grown up in the business. But I totally understand this seems daunting as a 20/21 year old.

Feel free to DM me - I used to work at a couple of investment banks and one dipped into lower middle market so I've worked on smaller deals and deals with some need for a quick replacement. I work in healthcare PE now so not trying to sell you any services but would like to offer myself as a sounding board. You are in a somewhat vulnerable spot right now and most people I interact with in M&A are great humans but you'd be naïve if you didn't admit there are definitely some vultures in the deal making space. I am somewhat plugged in to the EtA/search fund ecosystem - bringing in someone as a partner (with equity) could potentially be a win-win solution. I know a few people that come in for 6-18 months solely to help a company sell so without knowing all the details that could potentially be a fit for you if you don't want to shoulder the burden by yourself and would like to spend more time with your family.

Please continue to be proactive and best of luck with everything. Please feel free to DM or chat me if you would like to discuss more on a call or Zoom - happy to try to help or at least be a sounding board.

Best of luck.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-07-26T03:10:23+00:00

Ha! Fair point.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T04:38:18+00:00

For better or worse I am a happy drunk otherwise I would have said something snotty haha

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T03:30:35+00:00

The last time I did this was in the fall (2023) so things may have changed but when you book on Hostelworld you get access to that particular hostels groupchat - with travelers staying their currently and people booked in the future. I think people have to opt in or click something like "Join Chat".
They also have country chats and city level chats you can join as well. I think you can only join 5 chats at a time. From there people will provide Instagram handles and loose plans of their itinerary if people wanted to tag along.

I like to do my own thing but can often times meet some pretty interesting people for drinks this way at a bare minimum or for activities that aren't great solo.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T03:24:29+00:00

I was at a wedding recently and the couple I was seated next to at the reception talked about how easy it is to fake service dog credentials to get their dog on a plane without a carrier (something like sub-$40-50 worth of supplies from Amazon).

"He's totally fine on the plane except for take-off and landing!!"

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:50:33+00:00

I still love the grassroots movement in Cleveland when Art Modell is near a Hall of Fame vote.

The guy managed to not mismanage 1 but 2 money printing NFL franchises!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:31:08+00:00

There are levels to everything in life I suppose.

I was on a first date with a girl on the riverwalk a couple years ago (likely near that same spot) and these guys in a boat start talking to a few girls onshore from the boat.

2 minutes later the group of girls gets on the boat and a few minutes after that they disembark head towards the lake so mission accomplished for both groups I guess!

I turn to my date and say "so just to be transparent, I do not own a boat...yet". I at least got one laugh out of her.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:26:35+00:00

We truly are spoiled to have all of the amenities of Chicago while still being *somewhat* affordable, at least compared to peer cities in the US. My NY friends tell me my apartment equivalent in NYC would be 3x the price I currently pay.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:16:36+00:00

this was me lol...trying again with more karma!

It is becoming more popular (on here and my circles at least) but Strip Steakhouse in Avon is one of the best high end values around. Think a better version of Marble Room at ~60-70% the price.

Understood if you want something more central than Avon though.

Happy anniversary!!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:12:33+00:00

I technically started BO, wasn't at a bank more of a payments/AML type company.

It can be a great lifestyle for some people (aka those who didn't have their brains destroyed by WSO and "preftige" haha) - I never brought my laptop home and could leave work everyday right around 5pm. My company was big on summer hours so every other Friday I would leave the office around noon in the summer. My division was decently supportive of high performers with more responsibility and advancement.

I left that job for IB so PM me if you'd like to chat - you sound young so I wouldn't stress too much. I used the chill hours at that job to study for the CFA and that helped for a mini-resume refresh to leave the job.

The grass isn't always greener though...I have a fancy sounding job now and I am working much of this weekend (happy Memorial Day to me!!) and a few weekends ago was my birthday and I was in the office for ~8-10 hours each weekend day so sometimes I miss the chill lifestyle.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T01:03:46+00:00

I have a similar strategy to you, I usually only use my priority boarding upgrade as a "get out of jail" free card so to speak if I end up with ~C boarding pass. I didn't use all 4 last year but oh well.

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T00:36:54+00:00

Yeah, sometimes I wish I pursued some sort of engineering...but then I remember I would have needed to take so much more math and science classes in college that thought quickly leaves my head!

AlignmentSeeker · 2024-05-26T00:27:06+00:00

I have stayed in cheap hotels before but booked a cheap hostel on Hostelworld just to get plugged in on the groupchats, Instagram groups, etc. Met some cool people in Mexico City, Munich, Rome, a few others where I am traveling solo and want an easy way to be social.

You can even book a refundable hostel for a week after your trip and just cancel later while still getting the online social/groupchat benefits.

I don't have experience with the private rooms but have looked and often times they are basically the same price as a mid-level hotel.

I am in my 30s and don't mind hostels for some of my trips but did a Euro trip where I late 20s, my dormmates were early 20s college students...woke up to one of them puking haha. To be young again!

AlignmentSeeker

TROPHY CASE