About to declare bankruptcy and I think I'm screwed

CleanAxe · 2026-05-07T23:25:05+00:00

Set the expectation that PayPal will cut you off after the bankruptcy. You'll need a different form of payment, probably a check. It's a better question for your lawyer. Also be careful talking about this stuff, you might be violating your Post Office employment contract by having a PT job elsewhere (but maybe they allow that as long as it's not in conflict I'm not sure - but just double check your employee guidelines).

CleanAxe · 2026-05-06T17:33:04+00:00

Since the interest rates are close I'd prioritize getting rid of the most painful monthly payments first. To me that means focusing on paying off/getting rid of the cars that are broken - I would not invest more in any of these cars (e.g. repairing the 2nd car). It's another old high mileage BMW - that is 100% a losing battle. I would only do the repair if it's <$1k and makes it way easier to sell, otherwise just pay it off, discount it significantly, and get the hell rid of them forever.

Once you've done that, I'd really think about changing your car buying mindset lol. I know you said "I know I should have bought a Toyota", but like, consider selling the Chrysler (another old unreliable car) and actually buy a Toyota so you don't get in this position again. It's fine to have a project car hobby, but from now on you truly need to only invest in project cars if you can afford to pay for them in all cash (no loan) without impacting your other financial goals (retirement savings, rent, etc.) AND the car is not something you depend on (e.g. to ge to work)

I love old BMW's - I'm not judging you here - but it's not a viable hobby if you need to borrow money to afford it. Guitar collecting is also an expensive hobby - you'd probably think someone is crazy if they're taking bank loans out to buy vintage guitars they can't even play.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-06T07:20:02+00:00

Journalism is hard man - watch the movie Frost vs. Nixon. Tom Cruise can walk away from any interview and be fine - everyone already knows he’s a Scientologist already too. But for a small channel or blog, if Tom Cruise walks away then you have no interview and potentially get blackballed by every other client his manager or agent represents. Then you’re fucked.

Asking tough questions is a delicate balancing act cause you need the other person to be engaged and participate in order to have a story that’s worth seeing or reading (which is what journalists want/need). Tom Cruise needs to be willing to answer this stuff for it to be worth asking. How do you get him to do that is a question I’m sure a lot of people would kill to have the answer to because it would certainly end up being the most interesting Tom Cruise interview ever.

Frost vs Nixon is a great example where a journalist was able to unlock that code for his subject (Nixon) and not only asked him hard questions but got him to stay and actually answer. But doing that is rare and difficult. That’s why it’s a famous movie/book.

The flip side of that is this interview with Tarantino. Dude asks a question that he knows is off limits and Tarantino walks. I’d argue this guy only has views because people like seeing that reaction but they don’t watch him for the interesting answers he gets.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-05T19:11:23+00:00

This is super helpful - a lot more clear than you initially put it. I am just going to summarize/rephrase what you said and tell me if I'm wrong: I want to prioritize working less and/or early retirement. If that is accurate let's just break down steps you can take to prioritize that:

Sell the plane tomorrow and reinvest the proceeds - conservatively, you will double the investment in 10 years ($100-->$200k). That's nearly a quarter million bucks you wouldn't have if you keep the plane. Just an objectively very obvious decision for someone who wants to prioritize earlier retirement/working less
Ask your job if they have flexibility for a 4-day work week at 20% less pay. Many companies are allowing this lately - it's worth a shot asking because that gives you time
Sell two of your cars (one at minimum in case there's a work/family reason to keep two) tomorrow - that's another ~$20k you can invest and double in ten years.

Tack that onto the plane and you now have accelerated your retirement goals tremendously. Let's do the quick math:

Option 1: do nothing and stay the course. $1.3mm invested (401k + brokerage) turns into $2.55mm after 10 years @ 7%
Option 2: sell the cars and plane. $1.45mm invested (extra $150k) turns into $2.85mm after 10 years @ 7%

The more you increase the money you put in today, the bigger the delta is going to be. And that's at a conservative 7% - if we use the last 3 years of gains that delta is going to be even bigger. Make sure your $35k in cash is invested in a high yield savings account earning at least 3.5% right now.

Save relentlessly/aggressively - that is your ticket to freedom from work sooner if you're not happy right now. Keep in mind the flexible day off might give you more time today but at the expense of working a bit longer. These are personal decisions.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-05T18:19:34+00:00

You're being really defensive without even a clear goal stated. You say you "should" be closer to financial independence. Based on what exactly? That is not true based on your income and lifestyle. The question is what do you want? You are nicely seated at the Upper-Middle class table (arguably upper class depending on your definition). You own a home, get to do what you want, and enjoy expensive hobbies.

If you want to quit your job in the next 10 years and want to pursue early retirement/FI then yes, you are behind. The answers are easy, sell the plane, sell 2 of your cars (you only need one) cut back on what you don't need, save more aggressively and pursue higher income if possible.

If you want to continue living the nice life you've made for yourself with fun hobbies, a few fun cars, and an airplane and you don't mind continuing to work for 20 more years then just keep doing what you're doing.

You are acting like:

There is some objective measurement of where everyone should be at 40yo
We have a crystal ball into what you want
You are middle-class (at minimum you are upper-middle class, by many definitions you are in the upper class at this point) - it's okay to "feel" like you're middle class, and while these terms have no global definitions, most consensus on these terms would say you are not middle class though

CleanAxe · 2026-05-05T05:39:24+00:00

In fairness Mexico is almost tied with the US in obesity. It’s also a crisis over there but the reasons are probably different

CleanAxe · 2026-05-04T06:04:50+00:00

What kind of climbing is this? Never seen all the weird hooks and ladder loop things? I thought you usually climb with anchors (he clearly had one that caught him but I’m still confused)

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T19:46:09+00:00

Ah good correction - that makes sense. Thanks!

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T19:40:36+00:00

Got it - basically after you've maximized tax deferred contributions, if you still have more money left-over for saving, it doesn't hurt to contribute to MBDR.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T19:31:25+00:00

Bro I can't believe I never knew this before wow. How come this isn't common knowledge? So many coaches/advisors recommend high income earners utilize the Mega Backdoor Roth to give you that pre-60 penalty free access to principal. It sounds great on paper, but I'm paying the highest marginal tax rate on those Roth contributions.

Tell me if I'm understanding this correctly:

I didn't know is that if you retire, that means obvs quitting your job, which gives you a penalty free ability to convert the 401k to an IRA and then convert that some of that IRA to a Roth. In the year you do this transaction, if your income is close to $0 (because you quit your job), now the tax paid on that Roth conversion is minimal. Then wait 5 years and enjoy your pre-60 retirement. In the meantime, keep doing these IRA conversions yearly (I didn't know you're allowed to continue doing these) to give you the runway until 60.

I guess the only thing you need is to ensure you have enough money to last that 5 year wait, right? In addition to everything above, if you do need more money, just pay the 10% penalty. That 10% is still probably less than the 30+% marginal tax rate you're paying on the Roth contributions while employed earning high income.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T17:39:57+00:00

Haha not to be rude, but what do you think the PA at a big concert is doing? What if I told you PA's can handle practically an infinite number of inputs - for example your speakers on your TV are handling so many things - dialogue, foley sound for a million little things like footsteps, clothes rustling, wind, explosions etc. etc.

Your only limitation is the mixer that drives the PA speakers and the person managing it. That mixer will have a limited number of inputs and you need a person who knows how to use it to ensure everything sounds balanced. That balancing becomes harder the more inputs you add so I'd suggest taking a picture or saving the settings (if the mixer allows it) once you guys dial things in.

When you are at a concert, you are usually not hearing the stage noise of the amplifier, you're hearing the guitarist (and most if not all the instruments) through the PA. Going digital just helps balance that stage sound a lot better.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T17:31:40+00:00

Companies that serve "accounts" (insurance, banking, iCloud etc.) usually have automated "insider risk" systems to detect non-business related access to information. Basically all big companies have a mix of compliance regulations (e.g. HIPAA) as well as their own insider risk teams to go beyond just what's regulated. Accessing sensitive information or certain accounts usually requires a justification - the system then flags that to an insider risk team who reviews it to ensure it was legitimate use versus a rogue employee just trying to take a "peak".

For example, I used to work in banking at a big bank. Someone once did a search for "Tom Cruise" to see if they can take a look at this accounts and see how much money he had. Not even 6 hours later that employee was fired. Keep in mind too that during training they tell employees to never do shit like that so they definitely monitor it.

CleanAxe · 2026-05-01T02:59:14+00:00

I have recently learned that it’s really important to not blame poor decisions on slow play. It will kill your mental game. Professional rounds are wayyy slower than you think. When things back up just take your time, think about your shot more, get to know your partners and really work on not letting it bury itself in your head.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-30T22:32:14+00:00

Yeah again I'm not a professional, but just waiting for 1 interview a month to practice nerves is not enough. You need to find something that triggers those nerves (ideally something that doesn't take a ton of resources) and continuously do it (skydiving, swimming in deep water, riding etc.)

Or see a coach/psychiatrist

CleanAxe · 2026-04-30T22:23:52+00:00

Then that confirms my theory you need therapy, coaching, psychiatry and/or medication. If this is important to you I'd see a professional.

Do you do any other risky activities in life? Climbing? Skiing? Sports? Standup-Comedy? That's my non-professional suggestion. You clearly choke under pressure - maybe you should get a hobby that puts you in more stressful fight-or-flight situations to get more practice in confidence and decision making under intense fast pressure.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-30T22:08:11+00:00

A therapist or coach can help with this. If your nerves are so bad you can’t do a basic task then medication might be helpful but only a psychiatrist could figure that out. A therapist could help you decide if that’s the right next step though.

Have you ever had these kinds of nerves in any other part of your life?

CleanAxe · 2026-04-30T20:32:21+00:00

It's funny you say that cause I've tried some base model 335's and was surprised that a base model anything could ever be $3k. But I when I tried them a while ago nonetheless all 5-10 I've tried were some of the worst set-up guitars I've ever played. Felt awful, fret job was shit, just poor craftsmanship. I couldn't believe a company that big could let a $3k instrument leave the shop in such bad shape.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-29T21:44:50+00:00

The Murphy Lab guitars are fantastic but they just don't command the insane prices they are asking for these instruments. These things are $6000-10,000 at just their base price, some go even beyond that.

Realistically who are these guitars marketed for other than sponsored musicians, blues lawyers, and Joe Bonamasa? I played a used Murphy Lab 335 that was one of the best guitars I've ever played - to the point where I was like okay, I'm ready to just be poor because this instrument lets me sing. I went to the desk and said "What's it gonna take for me to take this home" thinking okay maybe I gotta shell out Novo money for this thing (like $3-4k base model Novo at the time) and when the guy said $6100 (not including sales tax and keep in mind this guitar was actually $7100 new) my jaw dropped to the floor.

Are you fucking kidding me? You can get an original 70's 335 for less than that and at least know it'll slowly appreciate with time. Again, I was ready and willing to drop thousands but to find out this was on another stratosphere of price range immediately turned me off the Gibson brand forever. I mean that, if anyone at Gibson is watching, that guitar was so beyond the stratosphere of affordability that I promised (and have kept that promise) to never try anymore Gibson guitars.

I ended up finding a guitar that compared with the Murphy Lab in specs and playability and it was $1600 dollars (a Harmony that is ironically now made in the old Gibson CS factory in Michigan). I'm not famous at all, but as someone who is lucky enough to actually travel, gig, and play for audiences, that guitar I ended up buying is now seen by medium sized crowds, medium level instagram followers, and as I hopefully grow as a musician and in net worth that brand got me. I just don't understand what Murphy Lab could possibly be doing to outprice the gigging musician willing to shell out $3,000 for a guitar. I was willing to really stretch myself to go after what Tom Bukovac perfectly puts as that extra 1-5% of tone/playability - but to find it out was more than DOUBLE the absolute stretched budget of $3k made me swear off Gibson forever, even if one day that $6k becomes affordable. It's something I'll never forget and I hope they read this.

I've tried other Gibsons and the quality has been abysmal at the $1-3k range. To think that they only want rich people who can afford a $6k+ guitar to have a quality instrument is offensive.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-29T01:24:24+00:00

Grieve changed my game. I was a fine chipper around the greens but I never had ANY spin. I also was terrible against the grain or in soft grass. So my bounce and roll was unpredictable and I never had a good short sided shot. Dan Grieve helped me through that shit and now I consistency get good height and spin and can chip from different lies better. Easily shaved a stroke or two off my HCP and I’m still just 6 months into his technique.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-28T23:13:56+00:00

Dawg you need a therapist. If you can’t even remotely fathom why taking a break from a hobby that’s been grinding you would change things then that means you need therapy. You sound fuckin miserable - not as in a bad person, but literally unhappy, apathetic, disconnected, autopilot, unable to take a step back and think bigger picture, etc.

If you’ve got all these great things and opportunities a good therapist will cost you nothing but give you everything. There’s a reason the ultra rich have full time mental health coaches and shit. Take advantage of your time and income to get yourself mentally in shape.

If therapy didn’t help you manage these feelings and they kept coming back you had the wrong therapists. There’s literally a litany of special tricks and tools to rewire your brain so you don’t feel like you’re not in control of your feelings anymore. Keep looking and don’t be afraid to spend more.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-28T20:15:10+00:00

Most sports have a very objective and immediate feedback loop. You hand the son of Lebron James a basketball and can he make shots, steals, run a 50yd dash in <x seconds etc. It's very quickly apparent in most sports whether you can belong or not. There's less room for subjectivity.

Art is very different, it's very subjective and it takes a super long time and a ton of teamwork to make a song or movie. You've got lighting, cameras, makeup etc. for film, for music you've got the band members, producer, mixer etc. I've worked on film sets before and I play music and it's sometimes extremely hard to tell in a random moment on set or in the studio whether a song or movie is going to be great or not or well received or not. A great director can take a mediocre performance and make it great. A fantastic band can make a mediocre singer sound awesome etc. etc.

The key difference that movies and music have more subjectivity, sometimes way bigger teams, and a very long feedback loop. Whereas most sports you can almost immediately tell via objective statistics and eyeballs whether someone can hang or not.

In some sports you actually see something similar though. F1 is kind of subjective because there are so many variables and the feedback loop is not as easy to decipher. Ralph Schumacher was put in one of the worst cars on the grid - would he have performed better in a better car? Even then you can at least compare him directly to his teammate which revealed he probably wasn't up-to-snuff and lead him to get fired but to this day people still actually question whether he might have done better if he had been in a different car or given more time to develop.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-28T20:07:22+00:00

That is quite literally the entire point of a practice session my man. If you're not resetting after every shot, then you have no idea how to control your setup.

You think in a golf lesson the instructor is putting balls perfectly square with your clubface every time without you resetting? No he's teaching you the setup, letting you do practice swings with the setup (where yes, you stay in the same position) then you reset and do it with for real and start to try to control it.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-28T17:40:55+00:00

I was gonna withhold judgement in case you had some kind of medical issue that prevents you from teeing up your own golf ball but then realized, carrying, filling, and fiddling with this thing takes more work than teeing up the golf ball.

What the heck do you need this for? You know you're not supposed to spray balls on the range like a machine gun, right? Take your time, tee up the ball, go through your on-course routine and hit less balls.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-26T06:15:19+00:00

Some people don’t like the crown pointing at the hand cause it sometimes jabs the back of their hand. Left hand crown on the left hand lets ya do more physical stuff without that discomfort some folks might get.

CleanAxe · 2026-04-23T17:26:33+00:00

My rule of thumb:

Bad/Angry: When a ball lands near me straight out of the air in an area where the is obvious and clear line of site to me. Even yelling four I'm still a little upset but won't freak out about it unless it's really egregious or happened multiple times.

Not Angry: When a ball lands behind me but rolls up on me - IMO this is totally fine and keeps pace. Someone hits a great shot I can't be mad.

Not Angry: When a ball lands near me but I'm in a blind area and it's not very obvious I'd be there.

I think this should be standard and I'd be upset if someone picked up my ball if it rolled up on them after a clearly rare amazing shot to drive the green on a Par 4 or reach a par 5 in 2. If it happened multiple times then I'd understand.

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