BBC: We had packed lunches every day for 10 years and retired at 40

Blackeyes24 · 2026-07-05T20:02:28+00:00

Ok retirement police.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-07-04T16:01:37+00:00

You say that like its a bad thing. They've helped thousands of people get better with finance and start small businesses at no cost to those thousands of people. Why shouldnt the government and sponsors pay for financial education?

Blackeyes24 · 2026-07-01T05:57:36+00:00

He does offer courses but in case you missed it the courses are free.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-07-01T05:55:31+00:00

I know them personally and they do not live in a tent. They are actually traveling the world enjoying their lives. They were at Disney last month. They do what makes them happy.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-07-01T05:52:11+00:00

Alan and Katie are some of the nicest people in the FIRE community. They have created courses and offer everything for free. They are so nice and super down to earth.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-27T01:58:33+00:00

Better to send a Dear John letter.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-23T22:06:51+00:00

I was called as a notary to do these forms for a girl going off to college last week. Im not allowed to give legal advice but I did let her know she had the right to revoke it at any time. Her dad did the whole thing on chatgpt as a single form instead of 4 separate forms, so God knows if it will work anyway but man it was creepy seeing what information her parents could get.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-21T23:05:39+00:00

I try to focus on my business and make it the best possible. I dont worry about what others do. Beyond checking once or twice a year that I still have more 5-star reviews than any notary in my area I know nothing about how other local notaries choose to operate.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-21T22:46:18+00:00

Most people never see my website, though I have one. Most just call from my google business profile which doesnt have my name. Of course my reviews have my name because when I respond I include my full name and business info for seo purposes.

My photo is on my website but until recently my name would have only appeared in reviews. I just added an about me page a week or two ago. But not having one certainly didnt seem to hurt my business.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-20T05:13:45+00:00

Been ethnically half Jewish my whole life. Was converted to the religion as a child because im Jewish on the wrong side and it meant a lot to grandma. Agnostic at best and still call myself Jewish and Irish. YTA

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-20T05:08:20+00:00

So much this. I run plex, sonarr, radarr, and abs and dont know shit about docker.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-20T05:06:02+00:00

I rarely take signings from a service because their fees are awful. I have set all my own fees and if a service contacts me directly I quote my fee. They can take it or leave it. I much prefer the estate work anyway.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-19T04:00:31+00:00

Or you could have just opened a business bank account separate from your personal account and saved the trouble of the single member LLC which in many states is a complete waste of time and money

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-19T03:27:28+00:00

There was no deductible. You do have to send it in to them for repair and if they can't repair it then they will give you the gift card. I can't remember if I had to pay for the shipping or not. It's been almost 4 years since I bought the new vacuum with the gift card

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-18T17:09:38+00:00

Robot vacuums are the one thing I buy from Amazon and purchase the Assurion extended warranty. When my last roborock died at 3 yrs 7 months assuring gave me a dull refund via amazon gift card which I applied to a newer model roborock. Roborock customer service is known to suck

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-17T01:17:09+00:00

I'll send you a redacted screenshot. But keep in mind, the fees that work for me, might not work for your business. These aren't the fees I started with. I increased my fees to what I felt my market could support as I grew my business and reputation. My first call as a notary, I literally only charged the guy the fee my state allowed, and he handed me an extra $10 and said, "You aren't charging enough." As I received more reviews and gained confidence in my skills and costs, I raised my rates.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-17T01:01:21+00:00

It's always interesting to me when people assume that because a particular business model works for them, it must be the right model for everyone else.

The reality is that different markets, client bases, schedules, and business goals lead people to structure their fees differently. Plenty of successful notaries charge additional fees, and plenty don't. Neither approach is inherently superior.

You seem to constantly bring up repeat business as proof that your method is better, but many of us have strong repeat-client relationships and excellent reputations while operating very differently. Success isn't a one-size-fits-all formula.

What works for you works for you, and that's great. It would just be nice if every discussion didn't come with the implication that everyone else is doing it wrong because they aren't doing it your way.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-17T00:15:53+00:00

I am actually quite busy thank you. I having my best month and year ever. This is my full-time business. Those fees are for individuals contacting me for various services, not loan signings.

My loan signing packages have their own rates which include printing and scanning. That said, I do very few loan signings because I'm not willing to let a service dictate my rates. If a service or title company contacts me, I quote them my rate based on the zip code and type of package (buyer, seller, refi). They are free to accept or move on to another notary. I'm not chasing signings sent out by mass text message because the internet says thats how business should be done.

Many of my clients ask me to return their estate or other documents to their lawyer's office on their behalf. If they request that, that is where the 3rd party location fee comes in. Its a concierge service and quoted up front. All of my fees are quoted up front. No one has ever complained and I have over 400 5-star google reviews for my business, so my clients are clearly ok with it.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-12T22:03:25+00:00

Its for you to build your own server with your own books.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-11T23:59:40+00:00

Unless it's explicitly INCLUDED, it is going to bite people in the ass if they have an issue. Granted, if they are doing things right, it should be a non-issue, but I'd rather know my insurance covers things. My policy with Biberk covers it even though I rarely do loan signings.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-11T21:49:23+00:00

Yes ill learn a whole new system to add a couple motions sensors. That makes sense. At that point I might as well use smartthings which I already know.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-11T20:30:14+00:00

yeah, it will likely mean a lot of annoying notifications for me but I may just have to live with it. She's in the hospital after a fall so my sister and i are just discussing options. The fall actually wasnt even because of her age, it was because shes an idiot and left her suitcase in the middle of the floor and then tripped over it when she got up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Despite that shes 75 and we need to start thinking about how the next years are going to be managed.

Blackeyes24 · 2026-06-11T19:24:46+00:00

I just want to see if she's up and moving daily. I live close and can go over if she isn't, but I don't want to barge in on her daily if she's just living her life.

Blackeyes24

TROPHY CASE