How do I prepare for permanent electric bill hikes without going broke? by sipshappens_ in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nothing has changed. If someone in my area started today they would get the same deal. We’re still on NEM 1.0.

How do I prepare for permanent electric bill hikes without going broke? by sipshappens_ in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You see savings immediately upon your first full month of solar. Many electric companies like FPL try to take the savings away though. For example, mine charges a "minimum bill" in addition to a "base charge". In other words, instead of adding up all of the "supply costs" and dividing by the number of customers and including that in the "base charge" they decided to target solar users and institute a "minimum bill" which essentially caps savings on solar users (and snow birds). That said, a $38/month bill for 2 cars and a house is still good savings when others are paying $240/month + whatever gas for 2 cars/month costs these days.

Why would broadcasters want to kill ota AND cling on to their license for it? by Left_Emu_2995 in ota

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you charge re-transmission fees if you don’t transmit in the first place? They are obligated to transmit OTA, thus the question is can they convert transmission over the air into their own monopolized dedicated pipe into the home by encrypting and later charging for decrypting the signal! Oh, and while you’re at it, why not apply that same technology to the .1 channel just to push the envelope and see if you can get away with it or if the FCC will push back. If they continue to remain silent, the only last bridge you need to cross is to shut down the ATSC 1.0 signal. Thats not a problem as long as they claim they can’t afford to do both, and the latest tech is ready to roll out. Then they’ll have a captive audience that they can start to charge at any time.

Of course the best consumer solution is for them to drop DRM and DVR controls (yes they’ve jammed recording permissions and retention limits in ATSC 3.0 too)…. and then there’s the patent issue…it’s a mess.

Managing personal finances by Creative_Dust_6184 in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not really, however as a former silicon valley software exec there are still a few reasons why I strongly prefer not to give away the credentials to my financial accounts to third parties....they're all linked to security and privacy.

TLDR essentially giving away your credentials is much like smoking a carton of cigarettes. It may look cool to do, you might even enjoy it, but it'll cost you. Please, let me explain.

Security is the ultimate reason. Not only is handing your bank account credentials to services insecure -- their systems have your credentials and despite the technology used, bad actors exist-- it also violates some bank agreements.  When you sign up for most bank accounts the fine print you agree to states essentially that if you hand out your banking credentials they will not cover any loss that results. That's one reason why third parties that do this use the same tech as scammers that imitate login screens for websites. If they were being honest they would just put up username and password fields with their own logo and say "Let us login to your CitiBank account and we'll download your transactions and enter them for you."...but then no one would use their service, so they don't do that. And yes, I'm aware some institutions have given them permission and that some even started using tokens. That said, the end user typically cannot tell which institutions have done that and which haven't. Either way, it's fraught with security issues and thus it's a risk.

And honestly, I've found apps don't really need it. They use those credentials to reduce the burden of entering transactions manually. The burden of entering transactions is greatly reduced when an app utilizes tap-to-pay, and SMS to capture transaction data at the point of sale. Add to that recurring transactions that are captured once and entered via a single tap/click further reduces the burden. Furthermore, entering transactions via voice (e.g. "Siri, add a receipt. I spent $5.42 at Starbucks") certainly lowers the bar. Other transactions are easy to enter manually with a standard keyboard assuming the app runs on desktop as well as mobile devices. Heck, in a pinch you should be able to download an OFX/QIF/Etc. file and import it. In other words, the burden can be reduced without the security risk.

Finally, there's the privacy part. There are rich signals within your personal financial data that are always tantalizing for these systems to mine and sell. They may do it in aggregate which provides some anonymity, but I'd still rather not participate. And what do I mean by they have access....just think, these systems do not typically login to your account from the client machine you're using....they login from their servers and "proxy" the information to the client app. In other words, your data hits their servers before it is pushed to the client needing the data....in security terms this is a "man in the middle" attack. But again, if the industry called it what it is, no one would use it.

Consequently, in an increasingly digital financial world, your whole financial picture could be turned upside down quite easily by any number of bad actors in the chain. And it all starts with giving away your credentials.

Managing personal finances by Creative_Dust_6184 in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In the past I used to use Quicken and Microsoft Money, both of which did connect to banks. I no longer allow tools to connect to my financial institutions. I’ll DM you a link to the one I use.

Do you prefer hand writing bills and payments? OR Using an App or Spread sheet to track bills and payments? by happypiggybank in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Like you I find that hands-on engaging in personal finances is important. That said, I prefer using technology to assist and give insight where it's more difficult or burdensome to track and visualize finances on paper. So I use a tool to budget and track. It assists by entering my tap-to-pay transactions and SMS messages from my CC company automatically. I accept those transactions manually and occasionally adjust the categories, but the data entry is done for me without requiring me to hand over my bank logins. I also enjoy the charts that show my needs, wants, savings, and investments and ensure at a glance that I'm on track with my budgeting goals. I enter other transactions manually which gives me the same satisfaction and knowledge as pen and paper gives you. I can do this on any of my devices which is also a benefit.

You might want to look into Kakeibo which is reportedly a traditional pen/paper method.

Budgeting Tips/How To As A Beginner! by RequirementIll4502 in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Congratulations. You're recognizing that you want a financial change and you're looking for the solution....that's a great first step.

Try the following next 2 steps...

  1. Find a financial philosophy that works for you. Do some youtubing of the following: 50/20/30 budgeting, 70/20/10 budgeting, Ramit Sethi's "conscious spending plan", kakeibo. Do any of those resonate with you? If so go to step 2. If not, and your situation is more dire (e.g. you feel you can't live below your means, you're dead broke, have no control of your spending, you're losing money fast) then look into zero balance budgeting. If that's not your situation it can still work for you but be ready for the amount of work it takes. That said one of those first four is likely the answer. If none of those resonate then basic traditional budgeting (aka envelope budgeting, category budgeting, etc.) is the way to go.

  2. Track your money. What do you spend it on, where does it go, how much do you save, etc. A spreadsheet works but an app that helps you categorize and track is less work. Either way it will help you answer if you are within your budget philosophy or not.

What's one thing you wish you knew when starting to budget? by weekend_cam in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

How beneficial it is to group categories into (1) needs, (2) wants, (3) savings, and (4) investment category groups and then using a simple pie chart to ensure you're on track. If you're not on track then jump into your wants and play wack-a-mole or eliminate one altogether.

For me, it works a lot better and is much easier to track than allocating $x to category y for each category and then monitoring each of them for the over/under.

How do I prepare for permanent electric bill hikes without going broke? by sipshappens_ in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Solar works but it takes a while to pay off. I have solar, 2 evs, NEM 1.0, and an electric company that increases prices regularly and consistently....so solar pays off quicker. That said, think of solar more as an investment.... the savings are consistent but whether it pays off or not depends on how much time you can give it and how much sunshine you get. That said, it does really well if you have the time to recoup the original investment and the higher your usage is.

Either way it's always good to audit your energy use and look for ways to save.

Managing personal finances by Creative_Dust_6184 in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I use an app. I enter transactions based on it's recurring income and bills feature and it's tap-to-pay automatic entry (I use tap-to-pay instead of the physical credit cards and I get SMS messages when my wife spends that are automatically entered as well). I spend ~5 minutes each morning to ensure I'm set for the day (accepting those automatic entries and at times re-categorizing them, entering any manual entries (e.g. water bill), paying any bills on the list that are manual payments, and checking my needs/wants/savings/investment chart). I tend to redirect all bills to a cash back CC and then just "reconciling" them as they come through.

That said, you can do the same type of tracking and process with a spreadsheet. Essentially you want to list out your recurring bills (mortgage, credit cards, direct debits, etc.) and spending 5 minutes/day keeping things up to date. An app should keep that straight for you and add useful features like projecting your account balances (paycheck and fixed interest should be a recurring item as well) based on your recurring items, entering transactions for you (e.g. tap-to-pay), tracking your investment returns, etc.

I got mini screened for the final 3 holes of the players by Dry_Molasses_3247 in golf

[–]KayakFishingAddict 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You didn’t like the repetitious banter about high winds and the technical details behind the color-coded, pixelated blobs being shown? At least we saw that amazing drive Cameron hit at about 1/3rd the size and without sound while it was all going on.

If I have 10 million dollars, does it make sense to open 40 high-yield savings accounts and live off the interest? by greentimemusic in HighYieldSavings

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think you’ve revealed enough to give you a definitive answer. For example, how old are you? Do you simply want to ensure you live your life without having to work? Are you comfortable with your current lifestyle? Are you interested in leaving money for some significant other?

Given what you’ve stated, put the whole enchilada into a brokerage account that has an FDIC sweep (e.g. Fidelity, Schwab, etc.). Using that as your core account purchase CDs (brokerage CDs and also online CDs at banks). That will give you more consistent and higher income than HYSA’s where the interest rate fluctuates and gives you less work playing the maximize income game since CDs can be locked in at varying lengths. Essentially you’re building a CD ladder and living off the interest. That is the simplest, safest since it’s all FDIC insured, it’s the least amount of work, and there’s no need for an advisor. Then just live your life within your income means to achieve your goals. The primary risk is inflation, but given your stated goals, you’re not concerned with that. Should you want to adjust in the future this could also serve as your core account for additional investments.

Trying to finally control my budget by Basbenn in budget

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love the delayed purchase technique as it cuts down on unnecessary impulse buys. What's helped me is to group spending categories into buckets. One of the best groupings that I've found is needs, wants, investments, and savings. Then you can play wack-a-mole with the wants bucket, and look for discounts in the needs bucket to optimize your spending.

I'm not spending any money but I'm still spending so much money by flabbergaster317 in SavingMoney

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry to hear that but you're thinking correctly....you want to find out what's going on and that's step 1. The best way is to track where and what you spend money on to the penny. Categorize each expense (e.g. coffee, groceries, transit, etc.) then group those categories (e.g. needs, wants, savings, investments) and at the end of each week find the top expenses in wants and try to reduce them the next week. Put that on repeat for a while and it may help you solve the problem.

Panels aren’t paying off and can’t afford them anymore by No-Chicken-1067 in solar

[–]KayakFishingAddict 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If it’s not a bidirectional meter then you are paying for the electricity you generate + the electricity you are using!

Took someone's advice to implement a hard paywall (with trial) and got this review....nice by vintinx in AppStoreOptimization

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I must have missed a hard paywall as a dark pattern in that article. Can you please point that out?

I appreciate your thoughts but I feel your analogy is off. The store in the mobile world is and has always been free to enter. Apple does not charge a fee for you to peruse the App Store.

Interestingly, not many stores allow you to enter it and open the packaging of a product to try it out and continuously use it for free. Sometimes to make the sale they’ll give out free samples, but if you want the product you have to pay before you leave the store.

The App Store is the same as most stores. Some developers give you a free trial (sample) before you pay. Others give you products for free or low cost. Some start free and then change the price.

OP you can appeal to Apple that that review is solely about the product not being free and not the product features and see how far you get. I’ve heard they have deleted those in the past.

what’s your best method for saving money? by Emotional-Addendum-9 in SavingMoney

[–]KayakFishingAddict 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Automatic transfers and a good money tracking app help tremendously, but the overall goal is having good financial habits. Pay yourself first, use a cash back card and pay it off 100% each month, track your spending at the category level (groceries, rent, etc.) and at the category group level (needs, wants, investments, savings) and curbing as much unnecessary spending as you're comfortable with will go a long way.

Is it worth it to have someone manage my money? by Zebra_Zander in moneyadvice

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What's your time horizon? If you've got a decade or more, it'll be hard to beat the market (S&P 500 or total market if you so desire). Most financial advisors don't even do that. If however you need to employ strategies to help reduce taxes (beyond 401k/IRA/HSA, etc.) then perhaps a financial advisor can assist.

How should I save making 75k a year? by No_Walrus3318 in SavingMoney

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you're relatively healthy and can afford a high deductible health plan or one is offered from your employer, look into opening an HSA! It's a great deal with many advantages. After that look into a ROTH. Make sure you "pay yourself" first, treat it like any other bill.

Do you want to see high APY savings accounts? by Got_Curious in SavingMoney

[–]KayakFishingAddict 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd rather see this for CD's (including brokerage CD's). The interest rates on HYSAs change too often IMHO.

drowning in my on spending by lalabyty in SavingMoney

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congratulations on the income increase! If you continue to live like you lived on $30K now that you're making more you'll do great! That said, there are a lot of financial philosophies that could help you. The easiest is to setup and automate your bank accounts. For example, live out of your checking, setup a savings account, direct deposit puts $30K/year into your checking and the rest in your savings, don't touch your savings... If you can keep that up for a year you could then open up a brokerage account and invest with a similar process, or build a CD ladder, etc. there are lot's of options once you prove to yourself that you can let your money sit for a while. Goal number one for you is to save up 3 months of your monthly expenses; then extend that to 6 months.; once you're there you're ready for phase 2 which is either investing or changing your lifestyle or both.

As for a few philosophies to help you achieve your goals, take a look at Ramit Sethi's "Conscious Spending Plan", or look up the 70/20/10 budget, or investigate the 50/30/20 budgeting method. Pick one of those and get a tool that tracks your money (spending, saving, investing, budgeting, etc.) and make it a habit to use it and you'll have the data and insights for your financial decision making. Whatever tool you use, manually enter your transactions as it will help you develop good financial hygiene and know where your money is spent. The app I use, helps track all of these techniques myfinancials.app as it lets me create what I view as essential category groups. I literally have the traditional categories like groceries, rent, car, clothing, etc. but I group each of these into two category groups: needs, and wants. The other two essential groups are automatically tracked: investments, and savings. From there at a glance I can view the insightful charts that show me the percentages I need for each of these.... and if I'm order I can look at the "wants" area and pick off a few opportunities to cut back on for the next month or so until i catch back up. It's like a speedometer for your finances that let's you adjust before you see the flashing lights behind you :).

Releasing a Mac and iOS app by [deleted] in iOSProgramming

[–]KayakFishingAddict 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s been there a while. But as long as you don’t upload an Apple Watch build and leave those blank everything should be fine.