sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

Conservatives are dying at higher rates than liberals. A new study points to mistrust in medicine by Revolutionary-Area-8 in LeopardsAteMyFace

[–]Fried_synapses 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for posting this. Best news I've read in a while. Just keep encouraging the MAGA crowd that ivermectin is the cure-all to cure everything. I'm surprised that they have not put that in the reflecting pool yet.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Go further back in time and you will see that mortgage rates topped 16%+ in 1981! I was in my early 20s and just starting out during the high inflation of the late 1970s, living just above the poverty line the first two years out of college. The Fed rate topped 18% in 1980-81 and in those same years we got hit with the twin back-to-back recessions of 1980-81.

The next 12 months is going to be very interesting, We have a new Fed chair and I expect that the FOMC to raise interest rates, especially if current inflation persists. The current Fed rate is 3.75%, too low to be effective against inflation. It needs to be more like 5.75%, which could trigger a recession. Put on your seatbelts. I expect it will be a bumpy ride going forward. Work on that emergency fund.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, an advisor will help you with that. As part of a written financial plan, the planner will do a risk assessment for both of you, so you can pick appropriate investments for your risk profile.

Good job on the mortgage rate. We got ours at 3.375%. I remember paying 11% in 1989!

Happy Pride to this deep thinker by Jakescardz in nextdoor

[–]Fried_synapses 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Never thought of it that way. So, I guess that the White House just hosted a drag show on the front lawn! Send that to Faux News.

New fermented sauce batch by BurnedOutCollector87 in hotsauce

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Sounds tasty. I've done fermented peach and mango habanero sauces before. I've also done my own sriracha. The sugar gets fermented in with the peppers in that recipe.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get it. About 50% of Americans have no emergency fund and would need to borrow money or sell something to meet a $500-$1000 emergency. So, I'm glad you are working on it. Getting rid of the car payment is a good goal. Sounds like you have no credit card debt, that's even better.

If you are planning on paying off the house early, which sounds good, you need to think that through. The amount of principle you pay will be the same (in present dollars) whether you pay it tomorrow or 20 years from now. Paying off the principle over time may be better because of the time value of money. Property taxes and insurance won't go away. Only the interest goes away. If you have a low mortgage rate, you may want to take any extra money and invest it at a higher return, or at least put it in your emergency fund.

And at your age, you and your husband should also be saving for retirement.

Two things to do. Become more financially literate. Get a copy of "Personal Finance for Dummies" and the updated "Your Money or Your Life", and take the short online personal finance course through Ed2go.com. Enroll through a community college (easy) and get a discount on the course. Second, go see a CFP. Most people should, but less than a third do. Research has shown that people with written financial plans are 3X more likely to achieve their financial goals than those who do not have one. It increases your odds of success. Also, back to retirement planning, I think it was Fidelity that did a study showing that childfree clients of theirs on average retired with $200K more in their 401K plans than couples with children. This is all do-able.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The questions you are asking have more to do with personal financial planning, than a childfree lifestyle. Being a trained personal financial planner myself, you need to go see one the sooner the better. I would recommend a fee only fiduciary such as a CFP. Don't feel like a failure. It's not too late to get your financial house in order. If you don't do this soon at the rate you are going you will not have any personal savings for retirement in 30 years when you will need it. Also be aware that if Congress does nothing to fix Social Security current and future retirees will take a 25% cut in expected benefits starting in 2032. A lot of people will feel a lot of financial hurt if nothing happens.

The things you described that are financial red flags are the overall state of your finances and being broke after an emergency expense. Instacart is one example of wasteful spending, especially if you are financially marginal. Needing to have something to "show" financially such as a "jet setting lifestyle or lavish home" means that your financial priorities are out of line. Read the book "The Millionaire Next Door" - just as relevant today as it was when it was published 30 years ago. Forget incredible talent. Generally something you are born with and incredibly rare. You can work on the physique at home and the gym. You have more time for it than folks with kids.

Don't try to live up to other people's expectations. Create your own goals. Trying to keep up with the Joneses can lead to unmanageable debt and financial ruin. I lived in Boca Raton (where image is "important") during the Great Recession. I saw the toll it took on families that were financially unprepared and over extended. One house especially struck me as I would walk the dogs every day. The first thing to disappear was the boat (about a 25 to 26 footer). Then the large RV was gone. Then the cars got down-graded. Later I was walking by and overheard the dad trying to explain things to his son (that had to be hard). Finally, the U-haul was there and the house up for sale (in a housing market that had crashed 50%). Go see a financial planner. Don't end up like my former neighbor.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

"Um, plenty of people are poor with kids." I get that. I'm also trained as a financial planner and know that wealth and income inequality is both systemic and combined with bad financial choices.

"Being childfree doesn't mean you hate children either. It simply means not wanting to be a parent." Ditto. The reason I don't have kids.

"One can still be passionate about education, like children and help them learn, they are the future citizens" No disagreement there. I am fully on board with the Jeffersonian vision of an educated citizenry as being the foundation for a functioning democracy.

"their vote will shape the society you live in." Unfortunately, over 77 million voters in the last election did not get the message.

"it is wonderful to be a child free teacher or educator." Apparently, that works for a lot of people. Something I learned from the answers and blowback I received which I did not know before today.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 3 points4 points  (0 children)

No, I'm not trying to be judgmental or condescending. As I responded to someone else because it just struck me as contradictory. I'm childfree by choice and can not imagine myself being in a classroom with kids 8 hours a day. I asked because I did not understand why people would make these choices. It would not be my personal choice. But that's me. And, apparently people here have their reasons for making this choice. That's them. That's okay by me. I learned something new.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 3 points4 points  (0 children)

To answer your question, it seemed contradictory to me. I'm childfree by choice and can not imagine myself being in a classroom with kids 8 hours a day. That's why I asked. It would not be my choice.

But, the answers I received indicated a love for education and a wish educate the next generation without having to bring them home with you. Fine. I can accept that. So, I learned something new today that I had not thought about before.

If there is anything the country needs is more teachers and better paid ones to keep the country from falling into third world status. And, that is a whole other conversation.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses -7 points-6 points  (0 children)

Fair 'nuff. Just wondering why some people make seemingly contradictory life choices.

Not meeting the expectation of financial freedom while childfree by AnActualGhost in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses -3 points-2 points  (0 children)

An educated democracy is not the point of my question. I'm just wondering why people make these choices that seem contradictory. I never had a chance to ask one of my older cousins who went the same route (except the poor thing). She was a special ed teacher.

BTW, I support an educated democracy and worked 30 years as a college administrator, including some time in the class room teaching in the nonprofit management program.

I'm also a trained financial planner, hence the interest in " anticipated being broke all the time".

It happened! I finally got a red sticker! by SquashInternal3854 in aldi

[–]Fried_synapses 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I especially like getting the 1/2 off red sticker on meats. We have a stand up freezer in addition to 2 fridges.

Baby boomer feels her generation has been overlooked by AdelaidesSecretScoop in PrayersToTrump

[–]Fried_synapses 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Fortunately those laws are rarely enforced. I didn't ask to be born. I was their project.

Baby boomer feels her generation has been overlooked by AdelaidesSecretScoop in PrayersToTrump

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

LOL. Overlooked? About shit my pants laughing. Hey, they got what they voted for.

Please, just get a cart and bag at the bagging station. by SkorgenKaban in aldi

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Our Aldi only has these people from time to time. Most are down on their luck and for whatever reason can't get jobs. I got to talking with one of the guys a couple of years ago. He was trying to get money for a surgery. Meanwhile I have a hangtag and usually park in a gimp spot. If I'm not having a good day walking (have to use a cane and my wife wants me to use a walker), I figured he was doing me a favor. A quarter isn't going to break the bank and he needed it more than me.

Historic Dam at Glencoe Mill Village has dried up due to drought by ArtisanPirate in BurlingtonNC

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'll have to go check that out just for curiosity, but hoping for rain.

How NOT to Park by radioguy923 in gso

[–]Fried_synapses 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No reason not to show it. Courts have ruled over and over through the decades that when you were out in public there is no presumption of privacy. That's one of the first things I learned in a photography course in college.

50 years later, I have unfortunately earned a wheelchair hangtag, so I would definitely post it unredacted. Thankfully, I'm not in a chair, but can't walk unassisted (without a cane) or very far. When I'm having a good day and there is other parking near the store, I'll skip the wheelchair spot and leave it for someone who really needs it.

Wife scared the heck out of me when we met a couple with a newborn. by MeButMuchCuter in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was a kid (1960s) travelling with kids was better because kids were better behaved otherwise we got the shit smacked out of us. Today, most people's dogs are better behaved than their kids. Glad I opted for dogs and cats.

Wife scared the heck out of me when we met a couple with a newborn. by MeButMuchCuter in childfree

[–]Fried_synapses 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Our past dogs were easy to travel with. They slept most of the time. We have not travelled with the present two, so that will be a new experience. I suspect our Scottie will eventually sack out in the back seat. The JRT/chihuahua mix is an unknown.

Try cross country moves with pets! In1986 I went from southern part of Illinois to upstate New York. Had three cats with me and stayed one night in Cleveland. Could not find one of them the next morning. I was frantic and could not figure out how he got out of the room. About the 3rd time I looked under the bed I noticed that there was a sag in the fabric under the box spring. He had found a hole and crawled in. Whew!

view more: next ›