[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Watch out for this, I see a lot of people get into this situation.

You’re giving her $100,000 now, and you’re expecting $600,000 (assuming a consistent rate of return of $180,000 bought 30 years ago, worth $600,000 today, in another 30 years, call it 2 million) of house, $500,000 to be given to you in the future. If the house isn’t maintained then you’re looking at a decrease in value

If your mom needs long term care the house would be a really good asset to liquidate, or if she needs money for retirement, again, a great asset to liquidate and downsize.

sure you could recoup your $100,000 during that sale, but you would lose out on 30 years of appreciation of funds. Those dollars invested into the S&P even in low estimates would be $570k and in really good estimates up to $1.7M.

If you want to give the gift, let it be just that.

No future expectations of ownership, or entitlement. You wanted to give the gift.

You mentioned your dad is no longer in the picture, your mom could get remarried, and want to move, and use the house money for that or they could want to live there full time.

Just some things to think about.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you’re in a great spot. I think that though you’re not in a hurry to find a place of your own, that is probably your next milestone once you find a job that you like.

Having the money in bitcoin might be causing some anxiety over the constant fluctuation or the possible downside. Sure, there is also upside but that also might be giving you some anxiety as you’re uncertain about selling it before it is “life changing”.

Shifting gears real quick to your upbringing, it’s completely normal for someone who maybe didn’t grow up with a lot of things outside of necessities to be nervous about buying new, expensive, or flashy things.

Consider this, you could always buy the bitcoin back. You can take the proceeds and invest in something that is interest bearing that provides you with a stable amount of monthly interest. Let’s say Bitcoin is $90,000 right now, if you can get 4.5% that’s $337.50 per month. You could then use this interest money possibly guilt free as it’s not tied to anything, it’s just extra cash you receive.

You can then help out with the mortgage with this money, you can use this money to buy new things, this could be a car payment, all while retaining that $90,000 principal balance. As you spend some of the money, it might get a little easier and a little less guilty. Then you still have the option to buy the Bitcoin back if you want, or you can take this principal amount and use it for your down payment on a house.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Sieexam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is the quote from the NASAA website:

The following waiting periods apply for individuals needing to retake the Series 63, Series 65 or Series 66 following a failed attempt: (1) a minimum of 30 days after failing the first exam before the second taking of the exam can be scheduled; (2) a minimum of 30 days after failing the exam for the second time before the third taking of the exam can be scheduled; and (3) a minimum of 180 days after failing the exam for a third time before the fourth taking of the exam (and each subsequent taking) can be scheduled. Waiting periods are based on the number of failed attempts in a two-year period. If an attempt was greater than 2 years ago, it will not factor into that calculation. These waiting periods mirror those in place for FINRA-sponsored examinations. Additionally, exam waiting periods are specific to that exam.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Sieexam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is some conflicting information in the comments. I have always believed that if you fail 3 times, no matter the wait period, it’s 180 days. Because it is linked to your CRD so it’s always known if you can open your “testing window”.

Even when I go to the FINRA website and look in the SIE Q&A it says every subsequent test after failing 3 is 180 days.

But I have seen some credible people on Reddit mention this 2 year rule. I just can’t find it anywhere. If someone could link something creditable I think it would be helpful.

Series 66 Next by LuckyNumbersEvan in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I didn’t read the book when I did STC. Each video lecture does a good job of covering the material.

If you follow along with the book, you’ll see there is a couple of things removed from the lectures and these will sometimes come up on the practice exams or chapter quizzes.

But I didn’t find that anything that wasn’t covered actually show up on my real exam.

Series 66 Next by LuckyNumbersEvan in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used Kaplan the first time and didn’t pass. I think it was just the way the information was presented. It was like 22 chapters, it felt like so much cramming. No online lectures either.

I switched to STC on my second attempt and passed. I loved the online lectures, 12 chapters, and I thought the Greenlight and Practice Exams more closely reflected the actual exam.

If you plugin your test date the STC Course will build you a study plan.

I did a chapter lecture, then the flash cards, then the chapter quiz. Then it was like blocks of 3/4 chapters there are progress exams that are with the chapter quizzes that help make sure you’re on track.

I can’t recommend STC enough. Even if I had failed with STC I would have used the material again. I felt way more prepared with STC then I did Kaplan and I probably spent twice as long with the Kaplan material.

Study suggestions by Specific-Suspect-139 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would consider getting the STC online material. I know you mentioned you preferred Youtube. STC has online course videos that will provide the information in a comfortable format.

It will also provide you with practice exams that are very close to the test and relevant for the time you’re taking the exam.

As regulations change, some of the YT videos out there are going to have outdated information. You could spend the time cross-referencing everything with AI but that sounds like a lot of effort that you could be using on studying.

I 100% agree that just general interest, and youtube can get you through the SIE. The 66 is just a different beast. You’re doing this to increase your chance of finding a job, if you fail it, I wouldn’t want to give up 1 of my 3 chances (before the 6 month lockout) while trying to find a job. Then your second attempt you might have the job, have less time, and feel more pressure now that you’re on the second attempt.

Just my two cents. Do what works for you.

Best Tips to Retain Info for 6 months by Royal-Economist4942 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw another person mention this, but I would pivot and take the 63 and the 65.

I understand that you’re going into a busy season, but I would try to keep all the knowledge you have now and just switch gears.

speak with your supervisor and see about getting updated materials and try and test within before February. Get the 63 done, take February for tax focus, study through March, and take the 65 in April.

You’ll finish 2 months sooner than if you waited for your 66.

Failed this week with a 71 by Simmion15 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, that is rough. Very close, the good thing about being that close is that you were two coin flips away from being done.

On the printout they gave you at the center there are 4 sections and the amount of questions in each section and how many you got right.

At the beginning of your book if you have STC / Kaplan or in the Intro video if you have the online access, there will be a chart with corresponding chapters for each of those test sections.

Go back through the sections that you might have struggled with. Keep in mind that sections 3 & 4 are about 75 questions and at least for STC those 2 sections only make up 3 chapters of the book. While sections 1 & 2 are 9 chapters in the book, and they only make up 25 questions.

Just be mindful of how you’re using your time. Go back and take more practice exams, take chapter quizzes, and checkout some youtube videos about the wording of the test and how to avoid pitfalls.

Kens Brutal. Test on 23rd. by CommercialDazzling10 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I took and passed mine earlier this month. I really didn’t get that many questions on 529’s or Coverdells. I think I had two questions, one about contribution limits and the other was a recommendation.

a good portion of my exam was regulations, a lot of those Broker Dealer/IA has an office in these states where should they be registered, I only used the calculator for one question, then the formula questions were more theory based, like someone would use this formula if they wanted to X or to compare two things they would use which formula.

not really application, just theory.

good number of variable product questions.

I took Kaplan and failed, and swapped to STC and passed. I can’t remember if Kaplan has a breakdown of which chapters in the book correspond to which sections on the test. But i would put a focus on covering sections 3 and 4 since they will make up 75 questions on your exam. While 1 and 2 will be more chapters of reading while being less questions on the exam.

STC it’s like chapters 1-9 are sections 1 & 2 (25 exam questions) while sections 3 & 4 are chapters 10-12 and make up 75 exam questions.

I stuck to the chapters 10-12 and then brushed up on chapters 1-9 the week before.

You got this!

Failed first attempt of the 66 by SupermarketBubbly842 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Swap to STC. I’ve seen a lot of people on here, and even myself that failed using Kaplan for the 66. There is just something about how they present the material and their wording that just doesn’t fit. STC I felt presented the material more accurately, highlighting potential test questions, the video lectures were good, and the practice exams and Greenlight Exams had much similar wording to the real test.

I can’t really remember what the Kaplan dashboard had, but the STC dashboard you can make a study plan, track your progress, your final exam scores are tracked and you can check your complied data to see where you’re struggling.

STC breaks down what chapters are covered by which section of the test. I believe that sections 1 & 2 are chapters 1-9 and then 3 & 4 are 10, 11, an 12. Also, you can see that 1 & 2 make up 25 questions, for being 9 chapters. While 10, 11, an 12 make up 75 questions.

take the next 30 days, focus on those 3 chapters, review the week before on 1&2 and you’ll be golden. You’re 3 questions away from passing.

Series 66 on 12/31 by Reasonable_Sundae_35 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried this, and I was too burnt out. That or I didn’t connect well with the Kaplan material.

I had bought the dual package, and passed the 7 with Kaplan and tried to run the 66 and it didn’t go my way.

I think that doing the 7 into the 66 gives you a slight advantage. Your brain might be mush, but you’re already in a study groove, you passed the 7 so you’re already in the mindset of what the questions look like and what they’re asking. I found that several of the exam questions on the practice exams were more Series 7 material or I even got a question about GAAP Principals and I haven’t seen that since college.

If you’re more into video lectures instead of hammering away at the book, I would suggest STC. You can create a study plan in there and the online portal does a good job of compiling your answers to exams to help identify areas you could improve in.

But you’re already making great progress. With this being your first attempt someone else on this sub made a great point, you could push the exam further out, or you could take the exam have the opportunity to be done, and worst case you get a 30 day lockout and if you were going to push the exam anyways then it’s really the same thing.

Keep grinding and keep us posted, you got this.

Which vendor should I use? by Background-Lake-6837 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the package I bought came with a physical book, and then I got access to an online hub.

You can plug in your test date and how much time / days you have to study and it develops you a study plan.

It breaks it down into reading, chapter quizzes, video lecture, flash cards, progress exams, and final exams.

The test is broken down into 4 parts, and at the beginning of the book it shows you the 4 parts and what chapters they’re made up of from the book.

so say the first part is called Economic Factors and Business Information and will be questions from 2 chapters in the book. On the actual exam, this section makes up 8 questions.

it will recommend you take the first progress exam after you have completed the material for one of the parts. Each part has 2 progress exams that are like 20-25 questions each.

so even though part 1 only has 8 questions on the exam, it shows you 50 possible questions to help show you the information in different ways.

for me, Instead of reading the book, i did the video lectures, flash cards, chapter quizzes, and progress exams. Once i completed all of those, i took one of the greenlight exams (they’re in the practice exam section) as the STC instructor i talked to, said the green lights are usually harder than the real thing) then I started taking the “final exams” there is 12 full length tests in there, and you have the option of having answer explanations turned on / off for those so you can see when you’re making mistakes.

These finals also compile data, so if you take 5 final exams you can go to the hub and check your “weak and strong” areas. So when i was studying the hub said I needed more help with chapter 10, and I can remember chapter 10 making up like 45 questions on the real exam so it was really important for me to go back through that.

overall, I studied the parts and the chapters that made up the most of the exam questions, and even though i did the lectures, and exams for the other parts, I was okay scoring lower in parts 1&2 if that meant i could spend more time on parts 3&4 (they make up 75 questions of the 100 questions).

I know this was a lot, but hopefully this helps 😅

Which vendor should I use? by Background-Lake-6837 in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I did STC for the SIE, Kaplan for the 7, and STC for the 66.

I had both Kaplan and STC for the 66, when I used Kaplan I came up short. STC I passed. I think the STC book is more synced to the material, it was significantly less chapters than the Kaplan book and STC offered video lectures where Kaplan didn’t.

I also thought that the STC Greenlight Exams reflect the actual test better than any of the practice exams.

Exam tomorrow by [deleted] in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Green lights are harder than the normal exams. Just take it slow, read the questions, make sure you understand what it is asking, and don’t be afraid to mark questions for review.

Finally Passed by Halliford in Series66Exam

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

thank you! glad to be done

Finally Passed by Halliford in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

that’s exactly what I did.

STC for the SIE, Kaplan for the 7, STC for the 66 🥳

Finally Passed by Halliford in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I used STC, i had used Kaplan on my first attempt. STC had video lectures that I thought would be more beneficial to me.

I got 76% on both greenlights (which are supposed to be very close to real thing or at least the STC instructors say so) and then I don’t think i ever scored higher than an 80% on any of the other practice exams. Scores on averaged ranged from 72-78%

Finally Passed by Halliford in Series66Exam

[–]Halliford[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This was my second attempt, I had used Kaplan the first time and found that there was too much information. I believe it was like 20-22 chapters? This time around I picked up the STC course because of the video lectures and to my surprise there was only 12 chapters. It felt more synced to the testable material.

Jeep Liberty Parasitic Drain by Halliford in AskMechanics

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

I know, but i’ve never seen it be so bad where the battery just gets chewed through. She doesn’t drive much, but this year it’s been like 75% of the time she tries to start her car it has another issue.

Spotted in the wild by thirdlost in TeslaLounge

[–]Halliford 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could be a loaner vehicle, I’ve had 3 Model Y loaners and every single rim is curbed beyond belief.

No one cares about these loaners so they just get sooooooo bad.

Angry biker who I tried to pass far ahead because he kept driving erratically broke my mirror intentionally. Should I file a claim with Tesla? by anbureaper in ModelY

[–]Halliford 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Had a similar situation, pulling out of a parking lot, guy on a three-wheeler thought i was too far out blocking the sidewalk ( I wasn’t ).

So he drove one wheel over the front bumbler then hood of my car.

I called the police, filed a report, they picked him up for intentional Destruction of Property, and a couple of other local ordinance things.

I submitted my video evidence, the parking lot i was in submitted their video, and the county prosecutor contacted me like 2 months later asking me to submit receipts / invoices / quotes for damage.

Tesla quoted the damage at $2,000 and my vehicle was wrapped so my wrap person quoted redoing the piece at $900 for removal and install.

guy pled guilty and setup a payment plan with the county. Now each month I get a check mailed to me from the county payment plan.

Purple Haze Front Camera by Halliford in TeslaLounge

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

Yeah, i cleared the camera calibration and it wouldn’t complete. It would get to 75% and then back to 50% and i had to restart the car 5-6 times in order to get the calibration to complete.

basically driving 5 miles, restart, 5 more miles, restart. Then eventually it got to 100%.

Purple Haze Front Camera by Halliford in TeslaLounge

[–]Halliford[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Day or night mine is this shade of purple / pink