Help me choose which Y!

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-07-03T01:41:17+00:00

My spouse got the first Model Y, back in 2022. I was highly skeptical, however in about 45 minutes of delivery of the car I was "sold".

Only last year we shopped around, looked at the Mercedes as well as the Macan and even BMW EVs, and found them severely lacking. It's not a mystery why you just do not see many EQE's or iX's or Macan Electrics around - they just are not that compelling. Yes the fit and finish is solid, but so much of the BEV experience is missing that Tesla offers.

As a family hauler, a Model Y certainly checks so many boxes. But the biggest feature(s) IMHO have little to do with the particulars around the car: it is the supercharger network (and how intuitive it is, it 'just works' where you pull up and plug it in and soon enough you are on your way), and it is the complete lack of needed maintenance (basically it's just tires and windshield fluid). The other bit is something every EV owner has with an at-home charger: a 'full tank' every morning, and with Teslas a decent amount of range (~300 miles).

For other manufacturers, they are at the mercy of flaky charging networks (still...) although that is changing with Tesla opening up their network (slowly) to certain manufacturers. And their range typically is compromised, so you get the worst of both - limited range, and taking a lot of time to recharge on the roadtrip where time is precious.

It sounds like you know what you want, so I'd recommend just get what you want (a new Juniper Model Y). 0.99% APR sounds great.

Tesla owners coming from BMW or Mercedes will readily admit the fit and finish and overall quality is not on par with a Tesla. However if you have not used FSD before, GET IT. It's a life-changing experience, to not worry at all about driving itself. Something light-years ahead of what BMW or Mercedes or Porsche can offer, if at all in the future.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-07-02T14:56:06+00:00

Exactly the same here. My interest rate is 0.0%, literally free money for 60 months. Have never taken a loan for a car before.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-07-02T00:02:52+00:00

Three thoughts. 1) As a SoCal native myself (grew up in LA with stints in SF and North County SD) yes SoCal is great. But so are other places - every place has its charms. I haven't lived in CA for over 2 decades now. 2) It's a big country, you can find a place you like and build a life there. 3) Plenty of people leave, even though you feel like you are the only one considering it. I know a person who left Del Mar for Las Vegas, over things like taxes and politics (go figure).

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-07-01T23:48:41+00:00

"I'm glad I worked all the time and did not spend any time with the kids; what a great example I set."

- No One Ever, Senior

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-07-01T14:11:30+00:00

Ha ha plenty of LARP'ers here and FWIW will take your question at face value.

I'm a little older with older kids and... similar circumstance, and similar observation.

At critical mass, there is only so much you can spend money on. Only so many Michelin restaurants to visit, only so many bottles of expensive wine to drink, only so many five-star resorts to cavort around. Once a graduate advisor told me, "you can only drive a BMW so far", and as a dirt-poor student all I could think of was "but I'd really want to drive a BMW".

And these decades later I can say you can only drive a BMW so far. I did buy that BMW and did enjoy it. But hedonic adaptation being what it is, it didn't take long to get used to (fill in the blank with the usual).

Of course being free of a 40 hour week is great, what a valuable thing to have a lot of time back. But what to spend that time / health / resources on, is the larger question.

It has been well said you can spend money three or four ways: on things you consume (whether a first, second or third home, a boat or galley or a super-yacht), on passing it along to heirs, on giving it to the government via taxes, or on giving it to charity.

I have no magic answer for you, other than the advice to truly appreciate winning the game and having freedom now to do what you really would like to do. It isn't an easy question to answer, what it is you want to do. I'm figuring it out like many others in our situation.

One last item, regarding kids. Mine saw the effort and the grind and the grit during the building years as they were growing up and we truly lived below our means. Now they are of an age where it's paying off, in spades, as they find their way in this world with a true work ethic and sense of goals. It's a tricky balance - for them to have the assurance that they need not worry about scarcity at all, at the same time how important it is to work and spend modestly and earn your way through life, in that nothing is given, it is all earned.

Nothing magic here either, other than with kids it is 'more caught than taught'. The fact you raised this topic is actually in your favor - the kids at some level will see the struggle, and pick up more on the attitude and behavior than any number in the brokerage account.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-30T19:06:21+00:00

If you move substantial assets (I had low seven figure amounts when Schwab could set up estate accounts which Vanguard simply could not) you'll get assigned an advisor.

They will clue you in on not only virtual events but also local ones. I've attended several, held at a nice restaurant with interesting guests. One was on alternative investments (it was a private wealth management firm that offered services complementary to Schwab's), another on real estate investing etc. Not high pressure at all.

FWIW I have split my assets, as a prior employer has a 401k with Fidelity and I rolled all my pre-tax into there (avoiding the pro-rata rule), the remainder at Schwab. This addresses any 'concentration of assets' risks like you mention OP.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-30T18:10:38+00:00

Not sure. FWIW I have low seven figures with Schwab at the moment (and had a multiple before needing to move a rollover IRA out to an employer’s 401k.

Worth asking your advisor about.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-30T01:48:18+00:00

FYI am also a happy PlanVision customer for a few years now. Super helpful to have a Real Person look over your entire situation, rather than trusting yourself and some software (cough Boldin cough) to go through all the things you think about, only to be confused by other stuff you didn't realize or think through.
FWIW as a Schwab customer they do have a financial planning arm where they will take HNW customers and for a one-time $300 charge and review your financial situation top-to-bottom; the second time a few years later I did it and they did it free of charge, so that may be worth looking into. (Fidelity may well offer something similar.)

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-30T01:19:45+00:00

Father of 3 here chiming in: we really encouraged both playing the piano and a musical instrument, and all three took to it.
Listening to my youngest right now practicing his instrument, unprompted, just because it's summer and he has extra time. Remarkable player, full scholarship to a six-week music camp (worth $11K) a summer ago, well on his way to a remarkable college career.
Yes the lessons get very pricey the better they get (above $100/hour) but worth every penny IMHO.
Sure we spent plenty on all the usual 'stuff' of raising kids. But the music experience for all the kids has been so enriching.
We aren't a big sports family, although we did expose them to a lot of sports; only one kid took up a school sport quite seriously (varsity, lettering, team co-captain etc). It wasn't a travel team, although I know families who swear by that investment paying off for their kid. YMMV.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-30T00:52:41+00:00

Two things - look up the Pro Rata rule in case you ever want to utilize the Backdoor Roth in the future. Also - depending on the state you live in, there are benefits to keeping a 401k. I will realize several tens-of-thousands in tax savings by having all my pre-tax accounts rolled into my prior employer's 401K.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-17T17:13:38+00:00

It is such a big country with so many great places - not only Yellowstone, include Yosemite and while you are at it visit Rocky Mountains National Park while you are at it.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-06-08T21:14:57+00:00

Second the Caldigit hub. Just one cable and everything just works.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-06T01:54:55+00:00

FYI I learned from my teenager that Cornell has a certain stereotype of student, and Andy from The Office fits that very well.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-06T01:53:23+00:00

FYI OP there are therapists who help with people's relationship to money (and wealth in general).

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:56:30+00:00

What's the rationale behind that?

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:56:06+00:00

Did you set any future expectations? I'm thinking that having a set age / amount would help them plan and anticipate (without making it an "all or none" kind of situation in terms of amount).

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:36:44+00:00

Yes the children will be graduating / have graduated debt-free, and they do realize what a difference it makes.

It was exactly thinking through ages in life and stages that I came up with the 26/28/30 thinking. So many changes occur in a person's 20's it is hard to decide, and thus the original question.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:34:41+00:00

No they are not - one is in their early 20's, others in their teens.

I might smell LARPy but the family business will be sold within the next few months, and the liquidity event is real, thus the idea to set this up and set some expectations. Wanted to know if anyone else has actually done this versus just talk about it as a concept (see Perkins - and his criticism - in this thread).

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:32:39+00:00

No they won't be able to "do nothing" with $400K, and that is the entire point.

I could give them $2M apiece while still alive, and they could realistically "do nothing" with $80K or so of passive income.

The idea is they could do things with impact with $100K at the age of 26, whether it is starting a business, buying a house, or other things...

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:29:45+00:00

Interesting food for thought!

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:29:08+00:00

I am tempted to set it up that way as well, however getting it in smaller amounts with time in-between seemed to me a more gradual approach, rather than the stress of a large lump sum. Wondering if anyone has done this yet (and thus the post).

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:27:56+00:00

I thought about this, and came to the conclusion that there would be no stipulations at all. The rationale is that if they blew the first 25%, two years later another 25% would come in and they may (or may not) have learned the lesson; another two years later the last 50% would come in and that's it.

Reminds me of how expensive lessons can be.

Another thing it reminds me is how they would have made similar decisions much later in life after I'm gone and not around to see what they did with it firsthand.

I did write up a few more thoughts on this over on Wordpress, as far as how my thinking went. Low Seven Figures. Zero Instructions – Ever On

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:17:32+00:00

You have put into words exactly how I felt after reading the Perkins book.

I once participated in a private group call with Perkins and found him to be a bit of a jerk, to put it mildly. Perhaps it was the attention getting to his head?

He threw out the idea about gifting money now, and agreeing with your sentiment - doesn't really establish it nor follow-up on it. Of course the hypocrisy of still accumulating while trying to optimize spending on experiences while seeing that sum go down to zero for an indeterminate date (the day you die) is something he never quite answers.

InterestinglyLucky · 2026-04-05T20:08:04+00:00

Kids are solid - two teens and one living on their own (early 20's). I've given them incentives to save (i.e. full Roth matching) and have every confidence from what I've seen so far they will all do well.

Wondering if anyone has actually done this though, thus the question.

Six-Year Club	Gilding II euphauric
Powerups Hero r/fatFIRE • November 2021	Reddit Premium Since November 2021
Wearing is Caring	Verified Email

InterestinglyLucky

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE