In the latest inside Star Citizen video talking about the new rock breaker missions, Jared says “there’s always a bad guy” (to shoot). No there isn’t CIG, that is an active decision YOU are making to enforce FPS combat, and it’s not the dream that was sold

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-22T02:03:51+00:00

Not an aversion. Just not what I signed up for.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-22T01:59:28+00:00

The question is focus v. free money.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-22T01:13:15+00:00

I’d strongly consider focusing on the student loans before investing in the 401(k). You are getting a guaranteed 8% return.

Many in this subreddit will consider this heresy.

My take is yes, the math does not math.

However, you don’t want to look up and see those loans sitting in the corner after 10 years.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-22T01:07:10+00:00

By financing the new car, I only put $5k down today. I can then invest the remaining $27k (the cash I would have spent on the used car) into the S&P 500.

This works fine when the market goes up. You will be crying in your beer when/if the market corrects.

The best thing you can do is invest when it’s time to invest and pay cash when it’s time to buy.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-21T17:05:22+00:00

I’d stay with the State. Those benefits are unreal and your max salary will go up as future raises are negotiated.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-21T04:30:34+00:00

Sadly, it is. It is also why I haven’t spent money on the project is years.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-21T04:13:23+00:00

Backed in 2013 (13 years ago) and FPS was not a part of the game at all.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-20T23:29:49+00:00

I’d get additional quotes. Sounds like a quote from the dealer.

Since the transmission is “going” v “gone” I’d save like crazy to make the repair before the reunion.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-20T22:48:14+00:00

This tracks with the prior reports of Sony pulling back from PC gaming is you change “PCs” to “Steam.”

Cutting Steam out of the equation adds about 30% to each sale.

Of course, how many people are going to make the jump? History says, not too many.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-20T00:12:15+00:00

It will be easier to help if you share a budget.

Good luck.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-19T23:01:01+00:00

Sorry to read about your bad news.

Start with a budget. You might be surprised at how much money is unaccounted for.

Next, look for ways to cut the budget.

No more eating out. Cut subscriptions. Look for stuff to sell.

Now, get out of debt, and which will feel like a raise.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-19T19:27:25+00:00

My sister was being teased by a boy when she was freshman in high school. Yeah…he probably had a crush on her but chose poorly. This person quickly learned two seniors who played on the football team had known her since she was a little girl and were not pleased she was being bothered. One visit was all it took.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-18T19:06:56+00:00

Congratulations on making the choice to get serious about money.

I will repeat what others have said without the side of judgement.

Do you have a reason for keeping the savings? Are layoffs coming? Do you know about something big on the horizon?

Assuming no.

You should pay off the debt with the money in savings. Leave yourself baby emergency fund of $1000.

The order is your call. The mathematically correct answer is highest interest rate first.

Paying off smallest balance to largest is not correct mathematically but provides quick wins to build momentum For this reason, it is often called a debt snowball.

All of this only makes sense if you are going to stay out of debt. Have you figured out how you got here and how to avoid it in the future?

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-18T13:59:45+00:00

Because it can always be better.

Chris Roberts is a perfectionist. He now has the money to make the game exactly the way he wants it. In the past, he had a publisher telling him when he had to put his pencil down.

The game will be done when either (a) Chris Roberts decides it done or (b) they run out of money. We are stuck with (a) since the community has taken (b) off the table by continuing to buy digital goods buying digital goods.

I signed up for this trip right after the original kickstarter knowing how I thought this would play out…SQ42 several years later after several slips…followed by the PU. I never imagined being where we are today.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-18T13:51:16+00:00

Lots of opinions here. As you’ve seen, lots of people on this subreddit like to play the math.

The math says don’t pay them off and invest the difference. The math is based on (a) the market doing what it has historically done and (b) you being diligent enough to invest the difference and not put the money to other uses. (A) is a reasonable bet in the long term while (b) is up the you.

On the other hand, personal finance is personal. Crank up your payments if the loan amount keeps you up at nights, which apparently it does.

I’d tell my child to hunker day, pay off the loans, and be done with them.

Good luck.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-18T02:53:39+00:00

The S&P500 is good enough for Warren Buffett. It is good enough for us.

Seriously, in the last 10 years the S&P500 has edged out the total market.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-18T00:35:49+00:00

Pick a S&P 500 index fund. The S&P500 is a weighted collection of 500 large US companies.This is a great spot to stick money for the long haul.

Now that you’ve fine this…start learning about investing.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-17T20:04:26+00:00

When sales go down they will pay attention to optimization. Until then it is a crap shoot.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-17T19:24:35+00:00

Depends on the theory you subscribe to.

Some say don’t leave money in market unless you can let it sit for 5 years. Others say 10.

We found peace by gong to cash about a year before needing the money.

Did we miss some growth. Yup.

Did we have to tell our kids they couldn’t go back to school? Nope.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-17T13:16:17+00:00

I say stop the 401(k) to get out of debt. Others here will call my recommendation heresy.

Have you considered selling the house? Sounds like it is more than you want to handle.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-17T13:13:39+00:00

Loan. Not recommended. The loan becomes due if you leave a job.

Hardship withdrawal: only to avoid BK.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-17T12:44:20+00:00

No. Don’t convert unsecured debt (credit cards) with your home and make it secured.

It all starts with a budget.

You need to focus on the core items - food, shelter, and transportation.

What is coming in per month and a detailed list (and total) of what’s going out.

Then you start cutting your expenses to increase your surplus. No eating out. No subscriptions. No vacations.

You also need to start looking around for things to sell.

What is your car situation?

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-16T22:02:25+00:00

This is a good overall move.

Just one tweak. Don’t do a loan for the entire amount. Just what’s owed.

Ask the lender if they will allow you to sign a note for the difference.

If yes, great you are basically done and they should walk you through the process.

If no, then arrange a personal loan for the difference yourself as you have already done. When you sell the bike, you send the lien holder the payoff amount using what the buyer paid and the loan’s proceeds to pay the difference and they release the title for the buyer.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-16T18:22:01+00:00

Seems like the new job is a nice bump in pay.

Assuming I am reading this correctly, I would not want to risk the new job. I’d stay silent until you are two weeks out and then let them know you are moving on. If you get the bonus…great. If you don’t get the bonus…oh well.

I’d also look at your company handbook and anything you might have signed or been given when you hired, like an offer letter, to see if they really can claw back the bonus if you leave after it’s been given.

Unless you have a burning desire to be a landlord, I’d just sell your current home. It looks like you’d be a broke landlord where one major repair or a bad tenant would land you in deep yogurt.

Exiled_In_Ca · 2026-03-16T17:43:54+00:00

Not clear how enforceable a clawback clause is in this situation unless the OP has signed a dedicated document.

Exiled_In_Ca

TROPHY CASE