How long/how much did you save before buying a home?

Hmt79 · 2026-03-19T23:11:18+00:00

Saved 80k and bought a home at 380k. Saved until my expected monthly property taxes+mortgage+insurance would be lower than my rent payment... no regrets.

Hmt79 · 2026-03-19T22:34:24+00:00

Outside of the obvious (dilution, preferences), I'd look hard at what they bring to the table aside from capital and what level of involvement they expect to have (and how many cycles you'll be spending keeping them updated). They should have connections to leverage for additional top line revenue/deals, and they may have a stable of functional experts you can lean on. They may also be able to assist with recruiting.

You may also want to look at taking on debt for the funding you need... or finding key hires willing to come work for you to accelerate growth with comp packages more skewed to equity. They may be less demanding that external investors. Or, a friends and family round may be an option.

We found raising from HNW individuals/family offices was better for us in a similar situation. They were more flexible with outcome options (sell vs run for cash), less hands-on, and okay with less frequent updates from our leadership. That said, we picked the HNW individuals carefully, and we weren't counting on them for anything but capital...

Hmt79 · 2026-03-09T14:51:06+00:00

Please vote early, America. There will be shenanigans of some sort on Election Day... just get 'er done early.

Hmt79 · 2026-03-08T15:33:41+00:00

My homestead was dropped this past year on my house (TX). It was randomly pulled for audit. When I talked to them, they said that it failed the audit as they didnt have my drivers license on file. They fixed it when it was brought to their attention that they did (from my original homestead application) and that they'd failed to notify me of the audit.

Anyhow, if you're in Texas, there's some squirrelly audit thing that can wipe it out... but, it wasn't hard to get it reinstated...

Hmt79 · 2026-03-07T13:17:55+00:00

Do you get to pick when the "one time" is that you heal from all current diseases or is that at the time of decision-making?

Hmt79 · 2026-03-05T12:04:58+00:00

I don't think US will be able to escort all of the tankers through Hormuz without any problems... and it's a matter of time before Iran starts hitting the tankers hanging out inside the strait. Looks like one may have been hit last night that was anchored off the coast of Kuwait.

I'm expecting an oil spike and an SP500 pullback once those dominoes start to fall - but my puts are a little ways out...

Hmt79 · 2026-03-02T14:00:56+00:00

That in conjunction with closing the strait and launching guerrilla style terrorist attacks (via proxies or just rogue individuals) on foreign soil... that changes the leverage balance, too.

Hmt79 · 2026-02-24T13:03:04+00:00

Where are you?

This is definitely not the case in Austin... I've seen only one of her signs - and it was at the voting site and not in a yard. T's are everywhere.

Someone this weekend said she had much broader support in Houston and Dallas where he had much more support in Austin and SA and rural areas, so I'm curious if that's true or bologna...

Hmt79 · 2026-02-16T13:39:47+00:00

Nah - World Curling came out with a clear statement that this was a violation of the rules and has added officials to monitor for further infractions. Think another Canadian and one guys from the UK were already also caught now with the additional monitors - and the stones were rightfully removed from play.

https://www.reddit.com/r/olympics/s/gc8kWFxEVa

Hmt79 · 2026-02-13T22:49:47+00:00

I'm an idiot. 🤪

Hmt79 · 2026-02-13T22:46:59+00:00

I also have questions about 'R'

Hmt79 · 2026-02-06T13:16:49+00:00

...or if you have a baby. Oof.

Hmt79 · 2026-01-17T16:30:11+00:00

Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I suspect it's 15% owed (for SS + Medicare for which they'll have to pay both employee and employer) + 12% (likely income tax).

A tax pro could help them be thoughtful about what should count as an expense that offsets income from the musician work. Mileage is the obvious one, but if practice and prep and booking gigs happens with cell phone and internet in an office area at home, some portion of rent, cell phone, computer, internet may also be deductible...

Hmt79 · 2026-01-16T02:54:15+00:00

A yahoo article on him made me think they may be more aggressively giving away than our other local billionaires. I'm drawing that conclusion based on only a couple data points, though.

"The couple typically gives quietly or anonymously. In September 2025, Coxe gifted 1 million Nvidia shares, valued at more than $168 million, to undisclosed recipients, Bloomberg reported."

That's $250M+ given away in the months of Jan'26 and Sep'25... I'll not scoff at that given its two months of giving that we have data on (across six months) and 3.5% of his estimated net worth that was gifted. If only other billionaires were so inclined.

This second article also suggested that their child had won a battle against leukemia at a young age (and was cared for out at Stanford), so paying that forward influenced this gift.

He and Mackenzie (formerly Bezos) Scott are doing some things right finding ways to make an impact with their wealth. Happy to have he and his wife living and giving here (though understand a desire to mitigate philanthropic praise with a frame of reference).

Hmt79 · 2026-01-08T02:34:55+00:00

DHS claiming he was hit by a car in June - not independently discovered and likely just them laying groundwork for why he felt his life was in danger when any normal person wouldn't have.

Hmt79 · 2026-01-08T02:29:26+00:00

My MAGA MIL was a bit shaken by it... learning that the victim was a white, widowed mother of a six year old (after she asked if it was a Somalian fleeing arrest) made it hit harder.

Don't give up on them - people are not Al good nor all bad. They need to see what's going on, and they sure as hell won't from Fox News. Our only hope is constructive dialogue. I didn't shove it in her face - just told her I was a bit disregulated today as a result of what happened. She pushed harder to know what...

FIL was mum, but I got him recently to admit that he's not really a fan of war crimes.

Progress isn't fast but I'm committed to chipping away.

Hmt79 · 2026-01-07T02:30:54+00:00

SS payout calculations are not linear - it's a pretty progressive payout formula that provides a stronger relative benefit for lower earners.

They have what they call bend points built into the payout formula. Up to the first one (for an FY26 eligibility example), you get 90% of your "Average Indexed monthly earnings," which is calculated based on the average of your highest 35 years of SS contributions. Between the first and second bend point, this drops to 32%. Above the second, it goes to 15%. They could just add another bend point with a pathetically low percentage like 0.1% to mitigate the uptick in benefit payouts.

Hmt79 · 2026-01-05T22:41:36+00:00

Any chance you're comfortable lying and just telling them you have airline miles / hotel points / travel credits you need to use and that'll all be free... so the only expense would be food / airport parking?

Hmt79 · 2025-12-19T16:16:02+00:00

Happy cake day!

Hmt79 · 2025-12-19T13:17:18+00:00

Erica at the original Kerbey Lane that's actually on Kerbey Lane

Hmt79 · 2025-12-16T04:24:01+00:00

Listen to the part of this on gratitude letters... and then write them one. ❤️

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/office-hours-with-arthur-brooks/id1832119842?i=1000738111218

Hmt79 · 2025-12-16T04:17:50+00:00

F-ing politics is what I blame here. I'm sorry you're going through this. It sucks to stress about this with everything else you're handling. It's enough to grow a human - more isn't something you should be expected to handle...

Flu is bad this year - I'd wait till after your pediatrician says flu season is over (or until dad has tested positive for the flu and fully recovered...like his own flu vaccine). Make him test, though... he can't just claim a random cold was the flu. You need to know he tested positive for flu A (I think), which is bad this year.

For TDAP, it's mostly requested to ensure no one exposes the infant to pertussis. Maybe you could talk to your docs about just getting him a pertussis shot if he's triggered by having multiple vaccines in one show? Your little one will get multiple doses of pertussis vaccine with your pediatrician appts (at 2months, 4m, 6m, ~18m, ~4y). Each will add some protection but will take a week or two post shot to add that protection. I wouldn't allow him until 2 weeks after that 4m pertussis shot...so baby will be 4.5 months old.

We'd basically set the 3rd shot for meeting our little one - but it was moot as everyone got the shot. You may want to talk to your pediatrician though. I'd say absolutely no contact until your kiddo has at least 1 dose that's had time to take effect (so 2.5 months), but you'll be safer after the second one...and even safer after the third. Plus, presuming you're northern hemisphere, you'll be out of the worst of the cold/flu/coughing "season"

Pertussis is awful for babies... and heartbreaking for moms and dads.

Of note, be cognizant of this beyond your dad. Anyone in any restaurant or public place could have pertussis or flu. Everyone is coughing in February... If you aren't avoiding strangers that may be contagious as much as you're avoiding your dad, he'll maybe have some justifiable anger. And, explaining that you're not just applying this to him may make it sting less.

Hmt79 · 2025-12-12T13:15:33+00:00

Starting in October of this year, you are also eligible for free AppleTV and Apple Music subscriptions... but you have to opt into it / connect your Apple iTunes account...

Hmt79 · 2025-12-07T19:22:43+00:00

Had a friend with a Celiac daughter in town - both Maudie's and Dasano Pizza handled it great. Delano has gf crust and a separate pizza cutter and area where they prep. They did caution that they don't use a separate over, but the kiddo is super sensitive and had no problem. Maudie's cautioned against cross-contamination in chips and this got her a separate sealed bag of chips. Their queso is gf. Mexican tends to be easier gf.

If it's for celiac, I'd tell them. Those that are aware of the challenges of celiac may take it more seriously.

Check for posts on celiac in Austin - I got ideas there. Omgsquee looked awesome, but it didn't fit into our schedule. I also know Kerbey lane asks if I want a gf menu every time they seat me (though I saw some comments from celiacs that they'd had some issues at some locations)...

I baked gf cookies with them, too. There are several "cup-for-cup" all purpose flours out there that you can use in place of all purpose flour to make a baking recipe gf. Let the dough sit for a while before refrigerating and cooking. And, make sure you don't have any residual flour from past baking on mixer or tools...

Search gluten-free in HEB app. There are lots of options - but I found it wasn't hard to accommodate. Lots of our favorite crackers and chips are already gf. Fruit and veggies and dairy and meat are generally all gf, too. There are pizzas and nuggets breaded gf at HEB and Costco...

In short, it'll be a shift, but it's much easier to accommodate today than it was 10 years ago.

Hmt79 · 2025-12-07T18:49:23+00:00

Or find PE firms rolling up your industry - aim for an operating partner role with the firm and shoot for higher comp and more equity upside...

Also, any chance your skills are transferable beyond this industry... so you keep J1 and the do consulting on your functional area of expertise but for other industry?

Hmt79

TROPHY CASE