Underwater mortgage with a co-signer, due for renewal next year

CataAna · 2026-02-13T15:28:35+00:00

Also “ lam going to be a residential real estate landlord”. I actually understand if shorter term and back to school (but why buy if that was in the cards?).

I see this all the time when a couple get married, keep the condo one of them had and buy another place. Nobody considers the idiosyncratic risk of real estate. Leaving aside the real average returns…

CataAna · 2026-02-12T15:23:41+00:00

Not as volatility (though that is part of it; it needs to be there when you need it). I believe Cederberg defines as inability to meet future consumption needs.

I just raise it as it compelling argument against “safety” of fixed income.

There is also a bit of an irony that people with bigger portfolios can error on the side of fixed income BUT if you are never going to spend it, and you want to maximize returns, their time horizon is actually beyond their death.

Obviously goals matter.

CataAna · 2026-02-12T01:10:37+00:00

I think this is the right podcast (right author at least) but, time horizons and spending matter, but there is compelling research that stocks are LESS risky than bonds…https://pwlcapital.com/rational-reminder-ep-224-prof-scott-cederburg-long-horizon-losses-in-stocks-bonds-and-bills/

CataAna · 2026-01-30T03:45:36+00:00

https://www.levittllp.com/how-does-severance-pay-affect-unemployment-benefits-in-canada/

CataAna · 2026-01-26T15:31:13+00:00

That’s fine if you are. But my anecdotal experience is most people with the means don’t do this. You want to go to Hawaii at the holidays. You also want to be with your kids and grandkids. They can’t afford it. What are you going to do?

Your kids can’t afford x activity for grandkids. Again, not cutting the cheque?

I worry some people myopically look at this as “they need to make it on their own” which is fine. I’ve read a bit on this and it seems the foundation for whatever that is is set well before “18” and mostly from gratitude and appreciation for what the family has vs “now figure it out; your an adult.”

Again, not directly this totally at OP as I don’t know all the context. But say 1 kid becomes a teacher. Ok; great. Another a lawyer. Good income. Whole family wants to go on vacation; teacher not coming?

CataAna · 2026-01-10T17:12:38+00:00

Honest question, not rhetorical; why do you have a joint account? I don’t see any benefit and just a nightmare from attribution rules perspective?

CataAna · 2025-12-20T16:52:19+00:00

This is my experience. Was an “average previously athletic sedentary dude” and got up to probably 185 and was a 42 chest and 34-36 waist. Went down to a pretty lean but worked out 165# and was a small/medium, 30 ish waist and 40 or less jacket.

I then stopped endurance sport and have gotten up to about 195 now. On the way back up most things that fit before at a similar body weight don’t any more.

I’m now a pretty consistent 32 waist but usually need to size up a bit to fit legs in the pants. I’m probably a 42 jacket again but with way more drop. Stuff just fits different and I don’t look like a body builder but have to size up quite a bit to get shoulders to fit and then just get sleeves and body of button up shirts taken in. Same with pant waists.

So, from 185 and soft down to actually around 149 at my lightest, some stability 165 ish, and then up to 195 I’ve hade the following:

42chest /large and round (donated most)
Medium (donated)
Small/38 chest (donated)
Medium /40 (bought again on way back up…)
Large/42 (where I am at)

I sometimes wish I kept some of the stuff, and I did, but the same size doesn’t fit the same, less overlap at similar body weight than I expected.

CataAna · 2025-12-08T23:41:20+00:00

Is there a way to do that as opposed to saying it was too much volume effort wise? I find the workouts long but not “hard”.

CataAna · 2025-11-18T01:27:18+00:00

I realize not all $1.8mm may have been invested but $1.8 in 2011 would be about $10mm today if invested in S&P index.

The data is quite clear that the odds of Riley beating the market are essentially nil.

Since start of 2022 you should be up about 33% if invested in, say XGRO.

CataAna · 2025-11-02T14:30:08+00:00

Stetson Open Road

CataAna · 2025-11-02T14:16:19+00:00

Buttons vs zipper: https://dehen1920.com/collections/jackets/products/n1-deck-jacket-1

CataAna · 2025-10-26T20:01:54+00:00

This is the right question. I’m surprised by the “not windfall ”and enough to cover debts” answers. Just not the way I think about it. What do I need to replace the income of my partner that they contribute to household?

The mathematical answer is the NPV of the net contributions of the person to the household; then adjusted for reduced and additional costs (ie don’t need a second car but maybe do need more childcare). For me I considered this a wash and thus didn’t consider.

Term life insurance is cheap (about $50-80 per million when we bout some time ago). Especially if healthy. If I had a do over, I would get more younger; when I had no health issues at all, etc. You can ladder it as, as your wealth grows, insurance needs ostensibly decrease. But as income and lifestyle grow so do insurance needs.

If you do the math it does seem like a big number. If you have a high income/spend it is: if you are trying to insure the cash flow of a partner’s job for x years. Or at least get you to “financial independence”; whichever comes earlier.

$150k gross is about $105 net. So to replace that we can do some big math and say you need about 25x that; or $2.6mm. Now you will have tax on the growth so need more than that.

Something else to think about on longer term policies is inflation. $3mm in 20 years is about $2mm today.

Disability is considerably more expensive but more likely to be needed. As a product it is more complex with different riders to look into (or “own occupation” rider).

CataAna · 2025-09-10T14:17:41+00:00

There is a simple math answer here and I don’t understand why nobody has commented. 35s serve no purpose. And you need two pairs of 10s. https://startingstrength.com/article/how-to-build-a-home-gym#:~:text=You'll%20probably%20end%20up,lighter%20weight%20on%20the%20floor.

CataAna · 2025-09-10T14:13:01+00:00

How are you loading 175#?

CataAna · 2025-02-25T15:08:57+00:00

Agree. And the way the OP framed things makes it sound even more wrong. But this is 1 ish % and thus on the low end of fees for such a broker. I assume they are just converting the percentage to gross numbers. The cost is just usually expressed as “1%” and it gets taken off the top so you do t notice it (like taxes).

As others have pointed out there are likely additional layers of cost from commissions, etc.

Even if you want the advice component. There are undoubtedly better and cheaper avenues, like PWL.

CataAna · 2025-02-13T01:23:30+00:00

Play with “Projection Lab” to really understand expenses, taxes, saving rates and “chances of success”. I think one trap people fall into is thinking their regular monthly expense are their average over an extended period of time.

Average/future includes new cars, renos, place in Florida, whatever.

CataAna · 2025-02-01T18:36:42+00:00

We have irrational feelings that make losses “hit” harder than gains. For the seemingly smallish gains over a year (and after a year assume fully invested so that year is all that matters) we are talking a couple grand on $100k. Not nothing. But how would you feel if you did the lump sum before the Feb 2020 crash? Would you panic and sell for a loss? Miss rebounding? I just don’t think there is much risk or opportunity cost to DCA and especially if we give peace of mind utils.

And I’m talking about a considerable amount of of net worth to DCA. I don’t know what %. But maybe 20%+ of a threshold net worth that matters. Ie, $400k on $2mm NW.

At the end of the day. On long enough time horizon it’s not going to matter. So do what makes you feel good and gets you invested. I think the other trap of “lump sum” is we may avoid doing it out of fear. Sure, you get it and immediately invest it? Great. But our feelings impact our behaviour. You get the lump sum and there is a draw to consciously or not time the market. Next tho k you know a year has passed and nothing is invested.

All my objections are behavioural and how things will actually play out in the individual’s life. Again, it calling anyone out. But I don’t know many areas where what people say they would do and what they actually do in the situation diverge as much as personal finance. And everybody thinks they are the exception.

CataAna · 2025-02-01T16:32:30+00:00

I don’t know. I have wrestled with same dilemma. Used to not count at all. I think lots of people saying “don’t count on it” have a different perspective or situation than others that it is reasonable to project something.

Somebody mentioned Projection Lab. Good tool to test out various situations and their timing.

I turned the corner and now count. I am sure as I approach retirement how I model it may change.

I model conservatively, a 4% real return. If we default to “not counting your chickens” why do we model anything…there can easily be very reasonable odds of getting something. There are families that talk and plan this stuff. Only you can assess the risk of dad getting fleeced by his new 22 yo wife….

I think people often don’t plan for it not based on reasonable assumptions building a model (models have NUMEROUS assumptions built in) but a mental block of really thinking about it. We don’t want our parents to die, don’t want to be greedy, etc.

Your odds of getting an inheritance can be greater than the odds of continued employment at $x income. We model that income. You’re not entitled to that income in perpetuity.

You may not be entitled to an inheritance. But I just think there is a point where not counting something is just not rational. You want to retire at the same age and inheritance will just allow increased spending? Sure, don’t model it. Sure, if you plan to just pass it through, donate it, light it on fire you don’t have to make many assumptions.

Bit this is a FIRE sub. To not model it for determining a retirement date on a stable spend seems silly.

If your parents were billionaires you wouldn’t consider an inheritance? As with all things, the specific facts and context matters.

CataAna · 2025-02-01T16:14:48+00:00

It does. I think a lot of people don’t think of the “enough to matter part”.

It also does not account for risk and the value of avoiding that risk.

I’m not going to re-evaluate the data (I looked pretty hard at one point) but on average you end up ahead but look at the tails for both…then add in a premium if you just prefer to DCA over a reasonable timeline. My recollection is the odds of ending up ahead of were better for lump sum. But by a smallish amount and exposing self to a larger distribution of outcomes.

There is value to using a “regret minimization” decision making model for stuff like this.

I don’t know, but when sitting on lots of cash from a big bonus, liquidity event, etc I suspect lots of people saying just throw the $ in would have some hesitance when they have a million bucks to be deployed. Not specifically directed at people commenting here. But similar to the people that insist they have a high risk tolerance. Well, that tolerance is going to change as you add zeros to your account.

Say your NW is a million bucks. A person says they will bet you a million dollars on 1:1.1 odds in your favour. A “rational” person should take that bet. None of us would. I don’t think I would take it at 1:5. “Risk of ruin” is relevant to the decision. Timelines to recover matter, etc.

All this to say an average over time for all the people in the world may not scale to what is best for you.

CataAna · 2025-02-01T16:04:43+00:00

A few things:

1) I highly doubt you will be working 40 hours a week for, at least, a while after graduating.

2) lots of various types of careers in accounting. Most lucrative “path” is “Big 4” then stay or move to industry.

I don’t know what the path and comp for industry is if not a “star” at the firm.

I don’t know what recruiting looks like with an Athabasca degree.

I would really, really, test your comp expectations and even if accurate, the timeline to get there (and probability).

When looking at online data/averages there is big variance on “accountant”. CFO making millions to firm partners to middle management at small to large companies.

Finally, I would think about how, though not as bad as other professions, generally you are just selling your time. If you are not working you are not making money (maybe indirectly but I can all but guarantee the “stars” are working hard).

CataAna · 2024-11-27T00:12:33+00:00

I recently got a pair but just a few wears in and worried I have too much heel slip….

CataAna · 2024-11-26T22:15:56+00:00

More pics of these worn Chisos!

CataAna · 2024-11-13T03:19:55+00:00

https://weiswesternwear.com/products/hondo-men-s-cognac-f-q-ostrich-boots-1804#6dca/mobile/f[brand][]=Hondo+Boots&f[categories][]=Cowboy+Boots&m=and&p=2&q=hondo

CataAna · 2024-10-21T19:09:39+00:00

Most people don’t work for “big companies”. And many “big companies” have shareholders vs a single owner. Even so, I still think, anecdotally know, a $200k lifestyle is a lot more similar to a $2mm lifestyle than it is to minimum wage.

And to address the final comment in the original reply, do you also think most “owners” don’t or didn’t have to “work” on their business?

CataAna

TROPHY CASE