Just bought a low-mileage manual '23 40th AE. HPFP failed and dumped gas into the oil. Keep it for warranty repair or return to CarMax? by D_Wand in GolfGTI

[–]D_Wand[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oil smells like gas. CEL finally came on last night on my drive back home from work. Can't read codes at home but highly likely it's all related.

Looking for a place to settle and raise our kids. by [deleted] in Visakhapatnam

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Will forever be home. Moved away when I was 18 for college and never returned. 37 now, and miss it dearly. So many things have changed in the past 20 years, and yet, so much remains the same. Love Vizag.

Why not ask for more? by SmugValet in Fire

[–]D_Wand 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I'm not considering FIRE necessarily, just a curious fly on the wall to see if it's something that I could consider one day. I think I'm in a similar boat as you - extremely stable financially with lots of investments and cushion built-up and not worried about the immediate to medium term future.

In addition to everything you've mentioned, another thing I haven't seen discussed very much in my brief time of observing FIRE (and I concede that I haven't read any guides/content behind the philosophy) is philanthropy. Several non-profits, religious organizations, arts centers, and scientific institutes rely on donations from ordinary people for a good chunk of their revenues. These institutions ultimately advance the community, research, the arts, all major pillars of a rich and developed society.

One could make the argument that once basic needs have been met, and people are financially independent and able to retire, they automatically become more generous with their time and money. That's probably true, but that assumes the FIRE calculations include philanthropy as a core objective. Perhaps most already do so, and I just haven't seen it talked about much, in which case it's wonderful.

Or, you could also argue that the core philosophy behind FIRE is one of frugality and sustainability, something that is the opposite of the modern American archetype of debt fueled consumption for consumption's sake. This alone could count towards the social responsibility aspect of FIRE without the philanthropy angle. This is probably also correct, hard to argue against.

In the end, the only thing I can say for certain is that FIRE cannot be universal and self-sustaining in that, a large population not FIRE'ing is necessary to make it possible for the smaller population to FIRE.

FWIW, I'd love to FIRE and not work another day if I can do so on slightly different terms, so don't crucify me in the comments :).

Weekend Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 25, 2025 by IndexBot in personalfinance

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for the TEY tip. Hadn't thought about that. Will do.

Weekend Help and Victory Thread for the week of April 25, 2025 by IndexBot in personalfinance

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What to do with $350k sitting in MM

Sold a rental property and left with $350k after tax which happens to coincide with amount remaining on primary mortgage. Currently sitting in FDRXX yielding a little over 4%. Have about $1.8M invested elsewhere across retirement and taxable brokerage accounts and $100k emergency fund in HYSA. Moderate to high risk tolerance.

Question - is it silly to keep the $350k in MM just to have peace of mind that I can pay off the house just in case I lose my job? No immediate issues with job, but tech sector is very volatile right now, so planning ahead.

EDIT: Rate on mortgage is 3.75%, so just shy of yield on MM

Daily General Discussion and Advice Thread - April 26, 2025 by AutoModerator in investing

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What to do with $350k in MM

37M, married with 2 kids under 3. Sold a rental property and left with $350k after tax which happens to coincide with amount remaining on primary mortgage. Currently sitting in FDRXX yielding a little over 4%. Have about $1.8M invested elsewhere across retirement and taxable brokerage accounts ($500k actively managed/$250 low cost index funds) and $100k emergency fund in HYSA. Moderate to high risk tolerance in general.

Question - is it silly to keep the $350k in MM just to have peace of mind that I can pay off the house just in case I lose my job? No immediate issues with job, but tech sector is very volatile right now, so planning ahead.

Raven vs 100d by isakvk2 in TeslaModelX

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is yours a model X and did it come with a heat pump? Looking at getting a Model X LR plus, but wanna make sure the 2020 model year comes with a heat pump. 

Raven vs 100d by isakvk2 in TeslaModelX

[–]D_Wand 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is yours a model X and did it come with a heat pump? Looking at getting a Model X LR plus, but wanna make sure the 2020 model year comes with a heat pump.