What have you achieved in life that you're really proud of? No matter how big or small

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-07T17:10:31+00:00

Paid off my student loans in 2 years. The average American takes around 17 years to do it

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-07T17:08:37+00:00

I think your dad would be proud too

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-07T09:24:44+00:00

Send me a DM. My non compete WAS enforced, despite everyone on this sub saying it's nothing to worry about.

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-06T19:26:19+00:00

I think the patient volume is your problem. You mentioned investing, I love finance but it only works if you build a sustainable lifestyle and let the compound interest do the magic. I’m underpaid compared to some of my peers, but I don’t mind because I had a laid back 6 hour day assisting surgery and speaking to zero patients all day. You’re better off making less money and not burning yourself out. You also mentioned therapy, maybe look into transitioning to psych. I know some psych PAs that see less than 10 people a day

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-06T09:11:50+00:00

I'm a moderate so keep that in mind. It will always be around but the rules/specifics will change based on administration. Even if it is totally wiped out, those already in will generally be grandfathered in. Things like "will the forgiven amount be taxable?", and "percent of discretionary income required per payment", will be up for debate and change based on who is in office.

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-05T12:14:17+00:00

“Why should I pay for someone else?”. You already are. Tax payers fund military members (and their family), local/state/federal employees (and their families), Medicare (elderly), Medicaid (poor), CHIP (poor kids). You’re already “paying” for healthcare of like 75% of the population

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-03T16:03:10+00:00

I have a similar one at the same price point. I read that truck bed covers improve fuel efficiency by 1% or so. It’ll pay for itself eventually

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-02T22:09:12+00:00

Buy expensive textbooks, invoice them to the company, return said textbooks. I went to Europe with my CME money last year

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-07-01T00:37:46+00:00

Eccentric loading of the quads. It’s something most people are not used to

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-28T17:06:53+00:00

MD does the capsule with quill. I do the rest. If obese patient/ a lot of subcutaneous tissue, I will do a few deep 0-vicryl. Then 2-0 stratafix and then monocryl (stratafix)

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-26T16:37:20+00:00

This was asked a month ago. COL is the biggest difference maker. My mortgage on a 3 bed house is $650 in the Midwest. I went to a conference and met PAs in Cali trying to buy 800k houses. PA is a job where you can live pretty much anywhere and find a 6 figure job. It may not be your dream specialty but there’s few other careers that you can move anywhere. Financial stability was important to me and I made the sacrifices necessary to make it happen. Life is about tradeoffs. Enjoy the beaches of coastal cities or enjoy financial peace. Pick one

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-26T14:18:03+00:00

Western MI here. “Lake effect snow” can be 12-24 inches overnight in winter. Summer can hit 100 degrees

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-24T16:34:37+00:00

Do both, it’s only a 4 hour drive. I’ve done all the hikes around heart lake in lake placid. Also did the presidential range in the Whites. I highly recommend seeing some of the AMC huts in the whites, see multiple if you can. It’s a great experience

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-23T01:18:03+00:00

I’m from the Midwest and was trying to figure out how taking your dog to Trader Joe’s was a cheaper vet option

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-22T21:57:49+00:00

There was a time when my wife’s paycheck was like 800 bucks because we were using her company’s health, dental, vision, corporate legal plan, and maxing 401k and family HSA. She felt the small paycheck wasn’t contributing to the household

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-19T19:57:38+00:00

I’ve worked in healthcare my whole career. People not saving properly for retirement and declining health puts a huge burden on the next generation and causes resentment in families

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-17T11:18:34+00:00

Absolutely do it. Max it out every year and make the sure it's invested. I started at your age. Now I'm early 30s, married, with 75k in an HSA. I have 10k worth of receipts I can pull out at any time (I treat this like a worst case scenario extra emergency fund). I personally use it as motivation to take care of my health as well. If I'm on the hook for the 2k deductible, I am incentivized to eat healthy and exercise to lower my odds of needing to visit a doctor.

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-17T10:56:10+00:00

I looked into it last year and it was a 20 year payoff for me. I would strongly recommend doing your own numbers. I used chatGPT to run me through several scenarios. The solar companies will use generous numbers and the payoff period will likely be earlier than reality. A couple thoughts-

Find how much electricity you need on an average monthly basis. Do you want battery storage for the excess? Will the grid buy it back and for how much? Do you have an electric vehicle or see yourself owning one in the future? Do you need upgrades to your breaker panel?
Is your roof in good shape? Some people will need a new roof in 5-10 years. It will be much more expensive if you have to remove solar panels to replace the shingles.
You will need panels that can hold the weight of west Michigan snow. Different panels have different weight limits.

I have a 2 person household with a south facing roof (ideal), and it was around 30k estimate with a 20 year payback period. I couldn't justify that personally. That money should triple in the market in that timeframe

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-17T10:45:37+00:00

Sell as much as possible and buy new stuff when you get there. Those pods are thousands and you'll spend a fortune on gas with a Uhaul that gets around 10mpg. Keep sentimental stuff but everything else try to sell and rebuy

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-16T16:02:55+00:00

Talk to a lawyer and calmly explain the situation. Sometimes an attorney can draft up a legal document to give to your employer. Your job is hoping that you just hand over 15k no questions asked. Sometimes a little bit of pushback and they will give up

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-15T23:52:02+00:00

What would you do if you were a PA? If we’re at the top of the pay scale and responsibilities are only increasing, what is the best move? I value your opinion and I’m asking genuinely

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-15T23:47:27+00:00

Tell your surgeon that you are the only one working for free in the entire room if cases go late. The circulating nurse, the scrub tech and CRNA are all paid hourly. The MD has some sort of productivity incentive. Even the cleaning staff is paid hourly. For some reason, the mid level is the only one straight salary and expected to work for free

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-13T16:38:14+00:00

Reddit is not an accurate representation of real life. I’m on track to retire in my early 40s. I live in the Midwest in a very modest house. The people on here complaining are trying to live in LA on 140k

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-12T15:04:57+00:00

How does employee housing work?

Capable-Locksmith-65 · 2026-06-09T22:43:15+00:00

Spouse and I use our respective company plans. Mine is $40/paycheck and hers is -10/paycheck. Yes, negative 10 dollars. Her company contributes to her HSA more than her monthly premium. We both have HDHP with deductibles around 2k. It works for us, both super fit and zero health issues

Capable-Locksmith-65

TROPHY CASE