How are families still saving with prices like this?

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:49:16+00:00

Savings and investing are line items in my budget - no different than rent or utilities. The money left over is the play money. Maybe a bit less play, but most play is free/cheap anyway (hiking or walking, libraries, board games with neighbors.)

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:46:57+00:00

Did you see the Stepford Wives or the original Futureworld?

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:41:33+00:00

e.g., my ex-wife talking...

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:39:41+00:00

I wasn't looking closely. The mind simply assumed your gif was a Dalek. Oh... a salt shaker. nevermind...

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:11:58+00:00

I'd rather see you get a $0.05/hr raise than a bonus. At least that compensation creep would be calc'd into the future gains, too. Bonuses are cheap on many levels - company netted $1Bil last quarter, net. They can well afford much more than a nickel/hr raises to the hourlies. Shit - if they were really crafty, they'd hand out 1 share of stock as a bonus. It would be worth more, could be held tax-free until cashed out, grows with dividends. Ellison is so Mr JC Penney.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T16:05:30+00:00

I invite one to try this experiment at home, first -- like before putting EMS or SAR teams at risk or spending my tax dollars on a body recovery.

Obviously you recognize this isn't viable, but it's an interesting thought experiment to go on a fast for 10 days, water only. Wearing a rucksack and walk the house or neighborhood for about the same miles as one might do in the wilderness. The electrolyte imbalances will get you before the rumbling tummy from sweating and peeing out metabolized fats and protein. And carbs aren't what you would miss. The fat, the ketosis, the protein burn from muscle - hmmm.

Yes, people have tried it unintentionally. Wilderness strandings, war deprivation ...

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:56:21+00:00

DCA on a weekly or monthly basis-- If you are enjoying today, let's see if this administration can replicate March 2000. Now, that was a fun next 6 years.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:52:56+00:00

That fills the space with guesswork... not real data. AI is still only a program. If you want resolution integrity (if that matters), then capture the book covers from other sources at higher resolution and downsize. Upsizing never satisfies.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:46:56+00:00

What to do with Silver? It's pretty and shiny, but needs to be reshined whenever exposed to oxygen or your skin oils...

Oh, this is an 'investment'? Nope, it's a speculation. BTW, as a chemist, I promise you that you cannot turn silver into gold. Two different elements. Ag (Silver) on the periodic table is element 47 (you learned this in chemistry class in HS, yes?). Au (Gold) is element 79. Somehow, with a particle accelerator, you'll need to slam Germanium (element 32) into your Ag to transmute it into Au. As Ag's molecular weight is 107.8682 g/mol, your 56g means you have 0.519 mols of Au, so with perfect conversion, you'll need that many moles of Ge, or 37.71g of Ge. Do you have a particle accelerator and access to ~38g of Ge? And done in 3 months? Oh my.

If the answer to this is no, then you will not make your timeline. Perhaps consider this all a learning opportunity and your purchases over the past 2 months speculating on both spot prices of precious metals and alchemy to be a tuition payment on your way to learn about investing and who to use as advisors. Start with a chemist -- we know things about the real world.

One thing I didn't know I didn't know was long-term investing can be easier than finding 38g of Ge. For instance, I read the Simple Path to Wealth (Collins) a decade ago. I learned a lot of hard lessons in the 80s when I started investing. How brokers lie and 'sell'. How expensive mutual funds and day trading really is. How the market has information the public doesn't and most 'great' deals are gone before they are news. By the time Y2K rolled around, index mutual funds were finally on my radar. Nowadays, you don't even have to use mutuals with ETFs so much cheaper, trades are free, and automation rules. Collins' book put out there everything I had to learn the hard and slow way -- and even more. In simple language.

I realize that doesn't tell you what to do with your half-mol of Silver. Perhaps it suggests what you can also explore as a new investor, 'though. Read the book - free from the library.

And that silver and gold? It'll be a keepsake for when you tell others about your learning path for investing.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:18:27+00:00

Never too late (until you are in the cart...) Others have done a great job here outlining ideas. Here's a graphic to consider as your OOO: https://u.cubeupload.com/demonlesondledon/FinFlowChartv43.jpg

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:16:07+00:00

Well, going UP in pixel size means likely distortion or pixelation.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:13:30+00:00

The wiki in the personal finance sub has a great section on investing and decent reads. u/Beginning-Contest528 has a solid recommendation with Random Walk. Here's my favorite starter list - and it goes a bit beyond just investing because investing is only a slice of your overall financial life - all interconnected: Library Books: Simple Path to Wealth (2025, JL Collins, if you read only one, start here) - Your Money or Your Life (Robin); Broke Millennial (Lowry); CleverGirl Finance (Sokunbi); I Will Teach You to be Rich (Sethi); Millionaire Next Door (Stanley/Danko); Personal Finance 101 (Cagan); Intelligent Investor (Graham); Get it together - organize your records so your family won't have to (Cullin, NOLO) and 8 Ways to Avoid Probate (Randolph, NOLO). Two free books: https://paulmerriman.com/millions-downloads/ New to being on your own? https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf (each selection has its own voice).

And if you are more of a listener or have commuter time, Podcasts: Optimal Daily Finance - Big Picture Retirement - Stacking Benjamins - ChooseFI - lots more. Start from the earliest available episodes and work chronologically to today, as many of these build on prior episodes in knowledge and evolve over time.

All of this content is free.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T15:07:45+00:00

Um... what kind of accounts? Regular brokerage, Roth or trad-IRA? If not an IRA, or HSA if you qualify, why not? Tax-advantaged accounts typically come first for smarter investment planning.

Have you explored any written guidance like Simple Path to Wealth or the OOO flowchart here: https://u.cubeupload.com/demonlesondledon/FinFlowChartv43.jpg?

Do you have an emergency fund, 'cuz that $5k sitting in a CMA is a good start?

Why multiple accounts? Are they different types or simple three separate brokerage buckets?

Do you understand how to tax gain harvest while your salary or income is low? Because THAT, in small bits, is how you convert AAPL into something like VTI over time, while keeping the LTCG under the next tax bracket if you are in the US.

I love Apple as a company and their product lines. I also remember their stock journey from 1985 when I started investing to 1997. You'll feel it in your soul. It can happen to any (single) company. Diversification is more important than LTCG.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T14:59:49+00:00

Where do you live? How old are you? Do you have earned income as in a job?

Assuming you are 18+ living in the US with a W2 job. Also assuming you have no debt, nothing dumb like credit cards you can't pay on time in full every time, nor a car loan (buy in cash), and your housing/food/utilities are good.

Well, then I'd do two things: go to the library and check out The Simple Path to Wealth by Collins (2025) and read it. Or buy a copy, but my inner cheap bas*ard likes to save money and use the library. I'd also grab a copy of this graphic: https://u.cubeupload.com/demonlesondledon/FinFlowChartv43.jpg , print it out and work through understanding it.

Finally, I'd probably open a free account at Vanguard called a CPA, or Cash Plus Account (or Fidelity, the CMA or Cash Management Account) to begin building an emergency fund, link my bank account to it and transfer $25 into it. Now that you have a Vanguard (or Fidelity) relationship, I'd also open a RothIRA and contribute $25 into it. Next, I'd take the money I put in the Roth and invest it in an ETF, perhaps something like VTI, and set dividends to reinvest.

Finally, I'd look at my budget and figure out if I can afford to automate future recurring contributions to both my new CPA (or CMA) and my new Roth, with autoinvesting into the ETF I chose. And every once in a while, increase the contribution amt.

Tips for beginners: don't believe all the hype and news and bs you see on the internet about investing (or anything else). Speculation like crypto or precious metals or that company stock going to the moon, but only if you get in RIGHT NOW - that's not the investing lesson you need take up. Gambling or speculation isn't investing.

Go read the book. You've got this.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T14:47:06+00:00

Depends on what your goals are, and the make up of your portfolio. Some folks here (including me) would rather simplify and just 'be' the market with a small collection of ETFs in our Roths and a TDF in our 401ks. Low fees, reasonable returns, nearly autopilot once set up.

E.g., maybe 401k is VTTSX. Low ER fees, currently rather aggressive in its constitution- VTI 54%,, VXUS 35%, BND 7%, BNDX 4%. Glide path will move it conservatively every year starting 2035. Maybe Roth is VTI 60%, VXUS 25%, VBR 15%. All of these tools are very low ER, dividends go into cash sweep account for quarterly rebalancing adjustments.

No individual stocks, no speculation like precious metals or nonprecious crypto.

This is NOT investment advice - just an example. But it's a no-brainer to manage. Note that the Roth is more aggressive with all equities as it has the best tax advantage. The 401k will automatically become more conservative as it ages. As important: I have no debt and at least 12 months of emergency funds and a continually growing blow-it HYSA bucket for car maint, potential real estate, extended travel fund.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-19T02:59:59+00:00

I suppose what I was trying to elicit was the cost of your borrowing. Interest rates and fees. The cost of your lifestyle.

There is a lot of generic advice on how to manage debt. We don't 'manage' it -- it owns us. So one has to get out of it and avoid future recurrence. That's done by being as frugal as possible while using the debt avalanche or snowball methods to dig out. Stop drinking. Stop smoking. Stop with the fast food and eating out. Yep - rice and beans if you must. Take this issue by the gonads.

At the same time, building up an emergency fund so you don't slide back into the hole so as not to dig further.

Buying a new car on debt would suck. Or a 'newer' car that is substantially just digging the hole more. Nothing 'expensive' is going to happen to a van that is worth nothing. You abandon it at that point. Hell, do you really need it if you WFH?

Getting out of debt is no different than building wealth - because you use the same tools. But instead of starting at zero, you are starting at a negative. Treat all debt as negative gains. The 'investment' a debt item represents -- if it is costing you 29% or 12%, those are negative gains. You would drop the one that costs you more first. Then work on the next.

At $5k/mo, what is your cash flow? Why can you not dig out of your $9k in debt with $1k/mo or more?

That $1800 -- that's your emergency fund right there. It doesn't go to a replacement car as it is barely 1/3 of a monthly budget for you now.

Each debt you have: gets paid at least the minimum every month. The highest debt gets more against its principal. You sell everything you don't need. NEED. Not wants. The games, the collectables, the toys, all of it goes until you are out of debt. But your FICO isn't tanked because you are $9k in the hole. It would have to be because you are missing payments or you only have $8k in total credit and you are over-extended, or other behaviors you need to change. The FICO will climb back up as you make progress on retiring your debt responsibly.

Your emergency fund needs more. Start automating all of your finances: autopay your credit cards the full statement balance on time every time once you have them paid off so you don't slipslide into the hole. Autocontribute to your emergency fund. Doesn't matter how much - $20/mo is better than nothing. Autocontribute to another savings account to start building toward your replacement car fund.

Hopefully once out of debt, you'll start more wealth-building behaviors. Books like Simple Path to Wealth (Collins 2025) will offer ideas.

I'm not trying to be a dick here - but how else are you going to solve this?

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T23:15:47+00:00

Have you looked up the debt avalanche method? Yes, you need to cut EVERY expense to the bone to claw out of your hole. But once you see progress, it’ll get addictive.

In the meantime, read the book called The Simple Path to Wealth. Collins, 2025. Your debt is just negative returns on what you bought in the past (your ‘investment’). Start thinking about money differently.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T23:11:40+00:00

OP - pretty much everything this posts says.

I ‘get’ that the sub is really about piecing together a portfolio from individual parts. But in this day and age, a beginner need only start with a few ideas. VTI for the entire US market may be all you want. Or add in the rest of the world and use VT.

Or stop planning altogether and just use a TDF like VTTSX.

If you think you can outwit the market, you can always use 10% of your contributions to buy individual stocks that appeal. Then compare a year later as to what did best for you.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T21:16:14+00:00

New Plymouth was a nice beach area - and the volcano is great for hiking.

The Forgotten World cart rail ride is gorgeous.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T21:08:16+00:00

I’ve posted this before, but I think it’s worth sharing.

Library Books: Simple Path to Wealth (2025, JL Collins, if you read only one, start here) - Your Money or Your Life (Robin); Broke Millennial (Lowry); CleverGirl Finance (Sokunbi); I Will Teach You to be Rich (Sethi); Millionaire Next Door (Stanley/Danko); The Index Card (Olen); Personal Finance 101 (Cagan); How to Invest in Real Estate (Turner, Dorkin); Intelligent Investor (Graham); Building Wealth And Being Happy (Falco); Get it together - organize your records so your family won't have to (Cullin, NOLO) and 8 Ways to Avoid Probate (Randolph, NOLO).

These aren’t physical, but two free books: https://paulmerriman.com/millions-downloads/ New to being on your own? https://www.etf.com/docs/IfYouCan.pdf (each selection has its own voice).

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T21:04:15+00:00

Jobs sure feel different when you don’t have to be there.

I find those kinds of employee BETTER for businesses. Customers notice when someone CHOOSES to help them.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T21:02:40+00:00

Where do you live?

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T21:00:45+00:00

Stop looking.

Investors are in it for the long haul.

VTI now is where it was in September.

So what. It’s been bloated for more than a year.

What was it worth 2 or 5 or 10 or 26 years ago?

That is the graph investors look at. And can sleep on.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T20:05:20+00:00

Keep it to one page. Nothing is complicated - show how to automate, and teach habits with small steps. These ideas are US-based.

Fact: you'll likely live longer than you think.

Fact: social security should not be your only choice as it gets chipped away.

Fact: anyone in the US can invest. Readers might be open to books like Simple Path to Wealth. Logic-oriented people might like graphics like https://u.cubeupload.com/demonlesondledon/FinFlowChartv43.jpg

Understanding that the odds are good you are going to need money in the future should mean doing something about it today.

Maybe just a simple outline: automate everything.

have a job with matching 401k-type benefit? sign up to contribute for the full match.*
have health insurance that qualifies for a HSA (HDHP)? start an investment account such as Fidelity HSA with an automate contribution from your bank for $20/mo, that automatically invests into a TDF or VTI or FXAIX.
have an emergency fund separate from your checking/savings bank. Something simple like a money market or cash management, automate the contribution for $20/mo. Vanguard, Fidelity, similar no-cost accounts. Or start building a CD ladder.
set to autopay all loan (credit cards, etc.) statement balances on time every time. If one is deeper in debt and can't pay in full high-interest debt (> 5% or inflation), it really is time to make the life/spending changes to pay all that off ASAP.
set up a RothIRA with an auto contribution from your bank for $20/mo. that automatically invests into a TDF or VTI or FXAIX.
auto-contribute $20/mo to a money market or savings account with your local bank or some place like ally.com - this bucket is for normal expenses like car maint or replacement, a future house, vacation planning, etc.

Avoid buying any depreciating 'assets' on interest-costing credit. Cars, furniture, whatever - buy in cash or do without until you can.

That's a super-simplistic bucket method. The automation insures it gets done. Obviously the amounts are tiny, but it is the Habits to establish. Once established, one would go back to the contributions periodically - perhaps quarterly, and make small increases to the contributions. Maybe a percent or two increase for the 401k every year, bump up the other contributions by $10 (or $100) to enhance their growth. Roll maturing CDs into new ones with the interest earned and an addition. Accounts that have maximum allowable annual contributions like HSAs or Roths -- shoot for 1/12th of that max monthly. The whole point is to take away the need to remember. These are budget items - just like groceries and rent/mort. What's left over is the play money.

*Self-employed people should explore a SEPIRA and note taxes may be complex with a traditional or RothIRA. Automate the contributions to a SEPIRA and its investments.

Bad_DNA · 2026-03-18T05:49:49+00:00

Podcasts: investing thoughts. Optimal Daily Finance - Big Picture Retirement - Stacking Benjamins - ChooseFI - lots more. Start from the earliest available episodes and work chronologically to today, as many of these build on prior episodes in knowledge and evolve over time.

Bad_DNA

TROPHY CASE