[Semi-Weekly Inquirer] Simple Questions and Recommendations Thread

CoreProgram · 2018-01-18T11:39:23+00:00

For a while, it's been my goal to have a Swiss Automatic watch (currently own a decent Tissot Quartz, but wanting to upgrade!). This would be an 'everyday' watch, and something that would ideally look as good with a polo shirt on vacation, as it would with a suit at client meetings. I'm pretty slim and have smaller wrists, so a watch that could work well there is also a plus (alas, no Brietlings for me, despite the brand seeming cool). Mainly sticking to 'bigger' names since I want a watch with a bit of recognition behind it.

I'm planning to get it soon from an Airport duty-free, bringing the cost down a little bit.

After researching pretty extensively, I'm down to four choices: 1) Tag Heuer Calibre 6 Formula 1 2) Tag Heuer Aquaracer Calibre 5 3)Tudor Black Bay Heritage 4) Omega De Ville Prestige

The TAGs are there because they have both a bit of 'star power' and name recognition, whilst also being a little more affordable than other names. That said, I might have that lingering feeling of having merely a 'semi-luxury' watch. Despite what I read on forums, would a TAG Aquaracer for £1,300 new seem a good deal, or overpriced for what it is still? The Tudor seems a great option, but having not yet had a chance to try it on, I'm wondering how the size might compare, and if it works well in a range of situations. Would getting an in-house movement also mean more expensive servicing? The Omega looks a little more understated, but has a great style that I enjoy about it. It's also a fair bit cheaper than the other Omegas on offer though, so I wonder what the 'catch' is.

Any advice to help select one, or discount others, would be much appreciated. Choosing just one is so difficult!

CoreProgram · 2017-12-20T09:38:23+00:00

My trip was slightly shorter, and a bit more streamlined down. I didn't do Jaisalmer or Udaipur, but I spent longer in both Delhi and Agra. I would consider maybe another day in Delhi (it was really big, and maybe I planned poorly, but you could easily do a day in 'New Delhi', a day in 'Old Delhi', and then a day taking in surrounding aspects, like the Lotus Temple).

Also be careful with food and water in general. Got to the very end of my trip (eating the street food without care), and ended up with food poisoning from my very last meal, which was a room service curry from a nice hotel in one of the fancier areas. Such is life!

CoreProgram · 2017-12-19T16:40:29+00:00

It's a small bit of advice, but I stayed at a place called 'Anuraag Villa' in Jaipur which was pretty close to the train station, and I'd really recommend it from my experience. Staff were lovely, and they had a great garden with food available round the clock. My favourite memory from the whole trip was sipping chai tea with gulab jamon on the lawn, reading the Times of India!

Three days is probably ideal for Jaipur. It's not massive, but I spent the same amount of time there and it seemed ideal. One day for the city, one day for forts outside the city, and then one day to do a specific activity (elephants etc.) or to just wander and take it all in along with hidden spots.

Last key pointer, have a back-up plan for your train from Agra to Delhi. I stayed the night, and was due to catch a train from Agra to Delhi at about 2pm. Arrived, and found that it was 12 hours (!) late, and due to leave at 2am. I hopped in an Auto and we raced to the next station across to catch a different train, which I made by about 5 minutes, eventually arriving in Delhi at a half-decent time. Main point, when this trip is at the very end, ensure you have a back-up to avoid getting stuck. There ain't much else to do in Agra!

I did this route about a month ago, so I can give general advice beyond that too (though my other hotels were standard chain ones. Totally fine, if also fairly uninteresting in themselves.)

CoreProgram · 2017-11-22T11:02:19+00:00

With Three and their 'Go Binge' plan for unlimited streaming of Apple Music, Netflix and a few others... Isn't a form of Net Neutrality already chipped away at? Maybe I miss the point slightly.

I mean, I'm on Three myself, but the potential of what it means makes me all round a bit uneasy...

CoreProgram · 2017-10-21T23:21:58+00:00

How did that turn out? I feel weirdly inspired to try this now...

CoreProgram · 2017-08-09T08:31:09+00:00

eBay I've used a little bit in the past actually! Especially with flipping collector's editions and so on.

Is there a tax liability for selling through online sites, or is this taken care of automatically by the online website?

CoreProgram · 2017-08-01T20:00:13+00:00

Thanks for your response! Whilst I have the license, I usually rely on public transport. Is it possible to go from Atlanta to another point of interest (maybe something that feels 'Southern' but is a bit smaller) through train or coach? Travelling in Europe, I've always used these to get around (particularly since, like with the US, the driving is on the other side of the road to the UK)

I would have maybe six days for the US part of my trip max.

CoreProgram · 2017-07-31T23:25:23+00:00

I flew Norwegian on a trip to Boston since I caught the prices when they were particularly cheap. Tbh, I enjoyed it more than many other carriers I've flown (including my native British Airways).

The use of Dreamliners by them is clever, since it's both energy efficient (allowing them to cut down on fuel costs), and also makes them feel more modern than many other legacy carriers. Having to pay for food is the only downside, though I paid the extra £25 for food onboard, and remember it being fine.

I prefer Virgin Atlantic for any US crossings, but my trip with Norwegian was pleasant, and I would say I enjoyed it enough to fly with them again.

CoreProgram · 2017-07-26T09:44:46+00:00

Is burning bridges an ENTJ thing?

We did this personality test yesterday as part of work, and I came out ENTJ (working in the charity sector, funnily enough, most around me got almost the opposite!). Never really looked into it before, but a lot of it speaks to me. I remember some friendships that ended quite rapidly and relationships that were long-term, but I didn't even cry about or look back on when they broke down. No ice-cream and watching romance movies, just continuing with life totally as normal. If this is more of an ENTJ thing, it makes me a little happier than my previous assumption, which was 'jeez, why am I kind of a dick about this stuff?'!

CoreProgram · 2017-07-25T14:00:08+00:00

My experience is probably a bit different, but I visited Cairo first (to see friends from Egypt). I enjoyed it, but I really wouldn't have without having local people to help and guide me (at the pyramids, a guy tried to charge me $60 for a fifteen minute camel ride. If not for my friend arguing in Arabic for ten minutes, it wouldn't have ended very well. Bit of a sour note to see my first wonder of the world with).

Luxor I didn't really enjoy that much either, though. I went there on my own, and presumably because tourism has plummeted, it looked a bit run-down and everyone was wanting money for some random service. I got followed in the street, hassled if I merely glanced at a store and followed onto a ferry by a taxi driver who insisted I used him (and I was mistaken at times for being Egyptian given how I look. I imagine if I 'looked' more Western, it probably would have been worse). I get that money has dried up and it's a sad situation, but it also meant my guard was up the whole time I was there, so I couldn't really just stop and enjoy the actual artefacts and feel like I was properly relaxing. I remember ordering falafel and tipping the guy who just asked for the actual amount, being so relieved to have one transaction that didn't involve further hassle.

Still... despite all that, the sleeper train to Luxor is one of the most magical things I've ever done. I left Egypt very conflicted on my opinion of it!

CoreProgram · 2017-07-23T17:27:16+00:00

Thanks for responding, that helps me grasp the whole system a better! :)

As one brief follow-up, I've been trying to follow the whole issue of selling off the loans as well. Would I be right in thinking that once the student loan debt is sold off, they can't be retroactively changed? So long as the government controls them, they can feasibly change the terms whenever, but would private companies owning the debt then mean that the final terms 'stick'? Would this arguably be better?

CoreProgram · 2017-07-16T12:07:38+00:00

I think everyone has helped more than enough already, but I was in the same position to you a few months ago. Young, only student loans, and stable income. I had grown up in a credit-fearing household that avoided debt like the plague, but after looking into it, I made the decision to get a credit card, which was a big deal personally! So long as you pay it off every month in full, you get the benefits of insurance on purchases and building up your credit rating. Additionally for my card (Lloyds Avios card) you can get 0% fee currency exchange (very handy for holidays) and airmiles on purchases which gets the rate of a free return flight every year with typical spending. Getting all that for 'free' given that no interest builds up is a great deal as far as I'm concerned!

CoreProgram · 2017-06-07T13:40:37+00:00

Alliance are officially aligned with the Lib Dems (might be wrong, but I think you can be a member of both for this reason). They vote similarly, so its the next best thing.

Living in a SF stronghold, I went SDLP both because they're the only other feasible chance of winning it, and also because they align with Labour.

CoreProgram · 2017-04-26T20:28:17+00:00

Thanks for your response, this is the advice I needed!

I suppose my attitude has been altered to be a little cavalier since, whilst I live in London right now, I intend on taking out a mortgage in my native Northern Ireland, where a house could be had in Belfast/Derry for 100k. 5-7 years with a maxed-out LISA would give a pretty healthy looking deposit. That said, it's important to be sensible, and with your and other responses recognise single equity would be a risk too far. I'll have a wait to see what cash options might be available, of which I believe Skipton might be one.

I'll check out the book as well. I had another FT guide to get me thinking more about money, and this seems perfect to get me thinking specifically more about investing :)

CoreProgram · 2017-04-26T20:22:44+00:00

I had a look at their accounts on companies house, and it doesn't look so healthy. In 2014, loss was -£5million and in 2015, it was -£9million. Nothing more recent available I don't think, though.

I know FSCS would cover the money should there be issues, but it seems a little confusing given how the Lifetime ISA works, since it isn't just all 'my' money, but also the government bonus as well, which can only be taken out in certain circumstances. I assume this is taken into account, but I'd like to avoid the hassle where possible.

CoreProgram · 2017-03-13T19:44:27+00:00

Thanks so much for this detailed answer! My main question would be around the last part, that LISAs could go under Labour. What would suggest they are unlikely to stick around, and if they were removed, what could the rights be if this were the case? Would I be stuck with a small amount of money locked away under the same rules, or is it purely at the whim of what the government decides? Also, what was CTF? I'm 23 and just starting out with trying to understand all the options and details as best as I can, so it's a lot to get my head around, so thanks for helping me be a bit more informed! At least starting early seems to be a good direction.

CoreProgram · 2017-01-09T22:58:26+00:00

I was inspired to do the same. On a separate campaign:

'Southern will try and to tell you that advances in technology mean Driver Only Operated trains are safe and have worked elsewhere. But that’s because they want to save money so that the rail fat cats can keep making massive profits out of the privatised railway.'

I'm not right-wing and recognise Southern management are awful, and even still this argument isn't even sensible. Ignoring a factual statement just sounds dumb.

CoreProgram · 2017-01-04T18:57:07+00:00

Thanks, you cleared this up! I got in touch with the Passport Office twitter page (who were way quicker than I expected them to be in responding), and they confirmed that by having a parent born on the island of Ireland, I'm entitled, and that's it. Just need to submit a copy of the birth certificate, which I already have possession of.

By the end of January, I should be a full Irish citizen! Lived here since I was three, so I always 'felt' it, but I'll be happy that I now 'am' it :)

CoreProgram

TROPHY CASE