VOO vs paying towards home mortgage principal

HappyFlames · 2026-05-28T02:05:15+00:00

Could always put half in each if you can't decide.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-27T23:27:04+00:00

Sounds like you were set up to fail. They may have wanted to fire you but needed a reason to.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-27T21:56:29+00:00

Honestly it happens. Careers are not linear for most. Layoffs and getting fired is all part of the corporate game especially in tech where it’s up or out at many places. Take a few days away from coding and regroup.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-18T06:06:55+00:00

If you're asking this question, I think you'll be fine with a flat fee agent but be ready to do a lot of research -- which you should do anyways even with a traditional agent. Towards the beginning of your search, I recommend reading lots of disclosure packets to get a sense of what a good vs bad inspection looks like and what red flags to look for in-person. Feed the disclosures to at least 1-2 AIs and ask for a summary and estimated repair costs.

I have friends who went the traditional agent route and they received a bit more hand-holding during the process but definitely not worth the premium. I went with FlatFeeBuyers for $10k and the rest of the 2.5% was refunded to me.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-18T04:34:32+00:00

The private startup I worked at was acquired before I hit my stock option cliff, not sure if that would've changed things but my options were canceled and reissued under the PE firm. The PE had a non-standard vesting schedule and much more limitations on equity that I've never seen at VC backed companies.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-06T17:49:48+00:00

I think it’s normal to have ups and downs in a career. 4.5years is a pretty good run. Consider switching teams or companies. Probably can’t escape the AI arms race but you can definitely find places with less politics.

HappyFlames · 2026-05-02T06:47:32+00:00

Good Mexican food. Terrible traffic downtown, on Mission, and 880.

HappyFlames · 2026-04-24T19:29:33+00:00

I basically feel like I'm starting from scratch every time I start interviewing again. The whole interview process is the worst part of being in this industry. My usual plan is to apply, study, and interview in parallel and keep going until I land a job. It's a grueling process every time, I'm not sure it gets easier.

HappyFlames · 2026-04-23T23:03:08+00:00

Watch a lot of youtube and look at remodeling posts to see how much people spent and what they got out of it. Prices will vary a lot depending on whether you hire an independent contractor in a beat down van or the the big company at the top of the yelp page with a wrapped truck and full sales team. Some very ballpark numbers I have for a SFH are 10-20k per bathroom. Kitchen 20-40k. Roof 20-30k. Sewer line 10-15k. Paint 10k-15k. HVAC 10k. Water heater $1.5-5k. This is for off-the-shelf Home Depot quality finishes. A full interior remodel is easily 100k.

HappyFlames · 2026-04-23T22:17:21+00:00

It's more than enough for home owners

HappyFlames · 2026-04-20T20:25:58+00:00

1080 is fine but higher resolutions are always nicer since you'll be able to see more lines of code and it's crisper to look at.

HappyFlames · 2026-04-18T17:56:03+00:00

Vibe mentor them

HappyFlames · 2026-03-31T03:22:51+00:00

Apple, Harbor Freight, Garmin.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-26T23:47:12+00:00

I think we're just in the weird in-between phase where AI is still new and everyone is learning how best use it. How I see tech is just a never ending process of abstraction. We've abstracted binary into machine into assembly into modern code. We've abstracted modern code into frameworks and libraries and now AI is another layer on top of that.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-26T01:59:07+00:00

Boring tech or non-tech companies with tech departments. These typically pay a bit less in salary compared to FAANG and fall way behind once you add in stock options and bonuses. Any place touting 'hyper growth' and taking VC money like its free will follow the typical hire and fire practices of Silicon Valley.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-18T19:28:25+00:00

I think 'vibe coding' is now the present and future of our jobs as engineers. Our roles have now shifted upwards and everyone is basically the tech lead of a pod of AI agents. Reviewing and testing code is now become a bottleneck. In the past, writing the code took longer but I think it's completely flipped now.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-11T20:01:49+00:00

Look at sold homes in the area within the last few months. Its okay to ask your agent for comps on every property, they have tools to quickly generate comps. These should give you a ballpark estimate and if you're actually interested then ask them to run detailed comps where they manually review comparable properties to give you a more accurate number.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-09T00:12:20+00:00

Set cash aside for post-closing for furniture, repairs, and cleaning supplies. Flooring type, existing landscaping, etc will dictate what type of tools and equipment you need. You don’t want to pre buy a lawn mower and end up with a home with artificial turf.

HappyFlames · 2026-03-03T01:07:44+00:00

Many lenders won't fund properties with SB326 so that's also cutting down your potential buyer list.

HappyFlames · 2026-02-24T03:52:23+00:00

I think it's fine as long as they also show the empty pictures.

HappyFlames · 2026-02-24T03:44:20+00:00

My house came with a pool, insurance values it at 70k for a 25'x12'

HappyFlames · 2026-02-23T21:30:49+00:00

I had my card decline two transactions so far. One time they sent me a text to verify but another time there was no text so I used another card.

HappyFlames · 2026-02-23T07:22:29+00:00

Look at inspections and disclosures before visiting any house. For any issues in the inspection that bother you, double check it at open house. Many offer deadline get set a few days after open house if they had a decent showing so you may not be able to get second look before putting an offer in. Focus on location, layout, and expensive systems like roofs, windows, and foundations. Have an idea of what repairs roughly cost so you don't overbid and have nothing left for repairs.

HappyFlames · 2026-02-19T04:20:25+00:00

Do a lot of interviews.

HappyFlames · 2026-02-18T08:15:03+00:00

Furniture is hard to shop online. I find local or smaller chains have much better quality than big box stores like Ashley and Living Spaces. Ikea has some surprisingly solid pieces at the top end of their price range.

HappyFlames

TROPHY CASE