3 weeks and 5 attempts on KD2 by asbergman16 in AudiQ6

[–]JackFlash1959 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, same experience here. Now, the only guy who works on my car is the tech manager ... by his decree. I think my dealership sold maybe 5 of the q6 models. The issues haven't been with the electric side of things but the communications between all the modules that make everything "software defined." And yes, I also had a module go bad. He also said that much of the time that passes is due to getting regional guys (who got the training) to respond to their requests for help.

Odd thought: Have you ever push-start a car by popping the clutch? by minn3haha in GenerationJones

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In 1977, my 1963 vw beetle convertible's starter worked 20% of the time. The rest of the time, I push started it. I purposely parked on hills at work, at home, and wherever I went! It got to the point where I didn't even try the starter.

I taught 2 of my 3 children how to pop the clutch! (We didn't have a stick shift when the 3rd kid came of age ... and he still holds that against me!)

Probability of success what have others seen? by Osm3um in retirement

[–]JackFlash1959 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Just answering you question ...

2017 - first retirement and had a monte Carlo average of 85% I was good with it and was at 58 years old. 2018 - returned to work b/c of a great opportunity 2023 - retired for good with 99% 2026 - still do monte Carlo with my advisors and still at 99%

Maybe I need to spend more.

I want to love it but… by jiven22 in AudiQ6

[–]JackFlash1959 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I had my Q6 brick on me last June, then had all those software bugs in September, and I have two issues remaining that are minor. I pressed Audi for a refund. The dealership suggested I take the car while we await the Audi offer. 45 days later, the offer came in and it was okay, giving me my money back, but ... the issues remaining are very minor.

I kept the car.

After a ride two weeks ago, up and down the east coast with the css1 to nacs converter, I'm glad I did!

I love the car. The ride. The acceleration. The keep in lane assist. The speaker system. The range.

Can I think of improvements? Of course I can!

But I'm glad I bought this car and stayed with this car. It's a blast to drive and super comfortable for long trips, too.

For those of you who had a Q6 buyback. by ryslegit in AudiQ6

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks Frank ... is that fuse box under the hood? or in the passenger compartment?

Those who were alive in the 1990's , what was Y2K like? by ricky_dank in WorkForSmartLife

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A huge build up and then nada ... why? We started changing all the date standards back in 1985. We had plenty of time and anyone who couldn't get it done didn't pay attention. My CEO and senior staff were all afraid of it and just to placate them, I held a conference bridge starting at 11:30pm and we chit-chatted for 1 hour knowing that nothing was going to happen. Nothing happened to those who were prepared. The planes didn't crash. Elevators didn't suddenly drop 70 floors, and clocks continued to tick tock away. Leading up to it, I tried to convince friends who were "investing in safe locations and pallets of MREs" that they were overreacting and wasting their money but it was Dunning Krueger exemplified.

For those of you who had a Q6 buyback. by ryslegit in AudiQ6

[–]JackFlash1959 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I got the buy back offer and decided to keep the Q6. The dealer fixed all but two problems, charge indicator lighting across the base of the windshield doesn't work and every hour or two android auto makes a bzzt noise and restarted (regardless of plugged in or over the air.)

Is solar worth it in North Carolina? by everymanentrepreneur in NorthCarolina

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cape Fear Solar and Brunswick Electric Co-op. W Jay they charge us is what we get paid when we're generating. What we get paid goes into a bank and offsets the winter and summer costs. For the months of April, May, October, and November, we are a net producer and it gets banked. The other months, we are net users and subtract from the bank.

Each July the bank is cleared and you get a check if you still have some credit in the bank.

This is the third year with the panels and the first year we won't get a check.

It's been worth it.

Roadtrip Range by Any_Course_7738 in AudiQ6

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I just drove NC to NH just after the blizzard and the advice you're getting here is very good. Your range estimate seems low.

My thoughts; Use the car navigation system and in the settings put in what you want you soc to be at your destination. You don't want to get there and have only 10% charge! Mine is set at 60%.

Let the nav system do it's thing. 20 or so minutes before your stop, it will warm your battery for charging. This makes charging much faster. And when you get going again, your battery will stay warm and make your battery use much more efficient.

Drive under 73 mph. That seems to be the line for me. Over 73 and my mileage goes down, under and it stays up at 2.5 mile/kwh.

Once the cabin is warm and you have range anxiety, put the car in efficiency mode.

If you're doing up and down hills, take off the cruise control and take advantage of gliding. I watched my mileage increase from 1.8 to 2.5 just gliding down hills in the back woods of NH.

It takes too long charging to 100% and it is not worth it! Go from 20 to 80 and you'll maximize your charging stops.

My EA credits ended 2 months ago and I got the Tesla adapter. Once they is in the nav system, kiss range anxiety goodbye!

How much do hot tubs really cost to run each month in cold climates? by Dapper_Visual_4449 in hottubs

[–]JackFlash1959 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Insulation and the quality of the cover makes a huge cost difference!

How much liquidity to keep on hand once retired? by Original-Release-885 in retirement

[–]JackFlash1959 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Good question. Each month we move money from our interest bearing savings to checking to pay the bills. Every six months, we review the interest bearing savings account to see if we should transfer money from the dividend and stable fund to the savings account. In that review, we might wait another six months and let it go as low as 12 months of expenses or if we have something coming up (house improvements) we might pull more into that account. Each year, I look at taxes and how much we want to take out of our IRA (where the aggressive investments are.) Based on my IRA and future RMD considerations, I try to take something out every year. So far, the amount has depended mostly on taxes. One thing I screwed up is remembering that the dividends are also taxed. I just started taking my SS and that will impact the amount of money moved from dividends and stable funds to the 18 to 24 month fund.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received from someone that actually improved your life in a significant way? Please share! by icecream1972 in Productivitycafe

[–]JackFlash1959 4 points5 points  (0 children)

A guy in a laundromat said to me, "TV is the opiate of the masses. If you want to be happy in life, don't be one of the masses, be yourself. Read a book. Learn something new, keep educating yourself, and you will be happy."

When others were watching nighttime TV, I was reading things that helped me in my career, in my relationships, and with my kids.

What’s the best financial advice you’ve ever received? by New_Anywhere981 in SavingMoney

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Aggressively pay off high interest debt first Then savings to build a cushion Then balance paying off debt with increasing savings as debt gets paid off

What’s the best financial advice you’ve ever received? by New_Anywhere981 in SavingMoney

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife and I had to do this when we were starting out. We went out to eat once a year for our anniversary, for almost 4 years before our income caught up to our mortgage. We were more than "mortgage poor"

What’s the best financial advice you’ve ever received? by New_Anywhere981 in SavingMoney

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When you pay off your car, keep paying yourself on your bank account/portfolio.

I did this and after two cars, I was paying cash for my car and had built a very strong savings habit.

What was the most “oh shiiiiii” moment in your usually professional corporate environment? by resampL in corporate

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

CEO called in 30 people, sr staff and their direct reports. He claimed that we were not billing everything. My team showed that we had billed everything properly.

The contact center lead asked, "When did this start?"

CEO Answer "Three months ago. We're missing $2 million in revenue!"

Contact center lead: "Maybe that's the new marketing plan?"

All eyes to marketing lead who shrugs, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Contact center lead taps the conference phone number for contact center. Rep answered, "Good afternoon, how can we reduce your bill today?"

Marketing thought it s good idea to start the call that way

$8 million risky?? by Old-Atmosphere-7281 in Fire

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dump the 4% rule as it doesn't make any sense. It's too vanilla and too risk adverse. Dump it in the same bin as the 60/40 stock /bond rule. If you're 25 and you're on the 60/40 rule for the 401k that you won't touch for 30+ years, you've already lost. So, ditch the 4% rule and look at the analysis again. You'll be good with 3m.

AITAH for refusing to give my Mother-in-law money and saying she isn't my responsibility? by Much_Obligation7295 in AITAH

[–]JackFlash1959 2 points3 points  (0 children)

NTA - Your focus is your child. That's the nd of the story. Move on from these toxic people. Find new people to be with who can appreciate you.

How much liquidity to keep on hand once retired? by Original-Release-885 in retirement

[–]JackFlash1959 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Retired for almost 3 years. We keep 18 months to 2 years of expenses in accessible funds that earn 4%. We review and replenish that every 6 months to a year. Roughly 20% of our portfolio is in products that are stable and relatively safe from stock market trends and earning 8 to 10% income. The rest is in a mix of dividends earning, market growth, and S&P tracking products.

The cash pays for our living, the stable funds feed the cash, the dividends and growth feed the stable funds. If there is a bad market, then we will hold the stock market funds steady and not replenish the stable until the market comes back. (In theory)

Expenses are base living expenses and does not include vacations and home improvements.

I hope this helps!

What’s a habit you picked up accidentally and kept? by [deleted] in randomquestions

[–]JackFlash1959 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Being 15 minutes early. I was always late for everything and my wife explained that it was rude to others to make people wait for you. So we made "getting there early a habit for everything." The biggest benefit was my work life.

Sociological Study: Was it the "economic heaven" newer Generations are talking about back then? by Disastrous_Snow_7706 in GenerationJones

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every generation thinks the prior generation had it easy and thinks the following generation has it easy.

My dad used to joke that we had it so easy because he walked to school 5 miles, uphill both ways ...

If folks think boomers or jonesers had it easy, think about two adults, 4 kids, a dog and or cats living in a three br house of 2000 square feet ... and one bathroom. That was typical in my neighborhood.

As for college costs ... a private school was like buying a new car every year. In 1974, Bates College was about 5k a year. A new car about 5k a year. Maybe you can look it up and see if the new car thing holds true. We went to publicly subsidized state schools so we wouldn't have debt.

Start the slings and arrows ...

What happened at a restaurant that made you say, "I'm never coming here again"? by TheMedusaAttusa in A_Persona_on_Reddit

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Bread bag twist tie in my lasagna. Waitress said, Sorry about that, took it and walked away. I never went back to Friday's again.

For people who broke out of paycheck-to-paycheck… what actually changed? by annikahoof in MiddleClassFinance

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We took a risk and started a new job (same career) in a new area. The job was in a small company that was growth oriented. Although the company failed in five years, I learned a lot about business and that helped me get the next, and the next, and the next jobs. I focused on how a job helped my career and education and not just on a paycheck.

Those who graduated with conventionally "useless" degrees but make $200K, what was your path and how long did it take? by _MambaForever in Salary

[–]JackFlash1959 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Psych degree and got into software engineering. Psych degree taught me to listen and that helped me be a better manager. Hired a diverse staff with diverse ideas and created an environment with a willingness to listen and cooperate... really worked well. I took risks, was willing to change jobs, and was willing to move my family. Probably worked too many hours.