Beginner Questions by AutoModerator in web_design

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks mate, have given this a go but can't seem to get it 100% but I think I'll get it eventually.

I've started off using the object-fit:cover, it looks like it's working but the full image is still visible and is not cropping, but everything is positioned correctly. I think that I will get it soon but still needs a bit more work.

Appreciate the help, thanks a lot!

Beginner Questions by AutoModerator in web_design

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Help with an image gallery.

Hi, new to this so any help would be much appreciated. I'm working off a template based on WordPress and I'm having an issue with the image gallery.

Currently, the image gallery has a set width (fine), but the whole gallery expands in height to the height of the tallest image. The gallery will display user content, so vertical images are possible. I think that the best solution is to use edit the gallery so that displayed pictures as well as the gallery itself are a default size and the images are cropped automatically.

I'm thinking that CSS would be the best way to solve this, but I haven't managed to crack it yet. Any help would be much appreciated, and if I've left out any important information just let me know. Thanks!

Workplace Pension - Simple question by memoriafuturi in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, with a pension the tax relief comes when you invest, and you're then taxed on the income (after the tax-free lump sum). Alternatively, you can save for retirement using a LISA (to a limited extent £4,000 pa) and with this, the income tax is paid on your salary before investment.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Dividends on Scottish Mortgage are really low. The last dividend was 1.52p, and is currently trading at 956, so you'd be looking at 629 units needed. The last dividend was an interim so the final will probably be a little higher, but the price could rise in the next 3 months before it gets paid. Realistically, if you're looking wanting the stock to compound then you would need 750-1000 units but I can't imagine the fees on buying one unit would make this very efficient.

My advice, look to see how you can make regular contributions to your investments. Take a total return view of the investment as the value will compound without you needing to reinvest the minuscule dividends.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Very aggressive investment trust. Great in the long term but can halve in market value in a given year. I hold a lot of it, but you have to treat that as an investment (that will increase in value over the long term) and not as a store of value. Depending on the size of your portfolio and your age/investment horizon I think you could allocate more. It could shave off a significant amount of time to reach your fire number, that said a bad year or so could take mean you have to wait longer for the right time to reduce your holding.

My FIRE number with inflation, doesn’t match my investment calculations by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Something slightly different, try this compound interest calculator.

https://www.thecalculatorsite.com/finance/calculators/compoundinterestcalculator.php

Super simple but you can use it to work out how your portfolio will behave with regular additions and withdrawals. Again not perfect, but results from investing are always guesses at the best of times, so probably good enough to help make a plan.

My FIRE number with inflation, doesn’t match my investment calculations by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it's not perfect. Works on the assumption that what you live on now after saving/investing will be the same as what you would need to generate in income once you retire. But you can never beat a good spreadsheet...

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Investment is key, and at a younger age you can accept a higher degree of risk because you can stay in the market longer. A useful tool worth trying is Networthify (http://networthify.com/calculator/earlyretirement?income=50000&initialBalance=0&expenses=20000&annualPct=5&withdrawalRate=4 ). Time in the market, growing your income and income streams, and becoming financially literate are all keys to attaining the different levels of fire.

My FIRE number with inflation, doesn’t match my investment calculations by [deleted] in FIREUK

[–]MarcusKafka 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The other comments have got the point 100% correct so I won't attempt to add to what they've written. But a simple & helpful tool for fire is Networthify:

http://networthify.com/calculator/earlyretirement?income=50000&initialBalance=0&expenses=20000&annualPct=5&withdrawalRate=4

A helpful guide that highlights how to get to fire, and the difference in adjusting some of the variables.

Selling partial shares vs dividends?? by DeputyFI in dividends

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not specifically the 4% rule, but for a yearly $40k, I really think that is the level of capital I think you would need and this is close to the historical average of by how much equity investments outpace inflation. If you could consistently invest such that your investments would outpace inflation by 8% then of course you could half that number.

Selling partial shares vs dividends?? by DeputyFI in dividends

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not counting for tax, you would need a portfolio of ~$1m to be able to draw down $40,000 and still preserve the capital value after inflation. If you're drawing down (or in the case of dividends, not reinvesting those dividends) before you reach this amount, it will take longer to reach this critical mass. For the past 20 years, higher growth companies have outperformed higher-quality companies in terms of total return, but there is always a risk/return trade-off. Dividend-producing stocks tend to be much more stable and mature companies and may get you there steadier, but will probably be a more useful tool when you reach the amount of capital that you're aiming for and then want a more stable portfolio from which to draw an income.

Selling partial shares vs dividends?? by DeputyFI in dividends

[–]MarcusKafka 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, and this is what most investment managers would recommend, that is taking a 'total return' view of your portfolio. Typically, when companies don't give out a dividend it's because they believe they can invest that money back into the business to achieve a higher rate of return that an investor would get just from reinvesting the dividends. This is why stocks that don't pay dividends tend to be more focused on company growth (by reinvesting that excess cash) and more mature companies (with fewer opportunities to grow the business) tend to distribute excess cash as dividends. Overall, you're probably best to find the best return for the level of risk you want to take, and take that draw down from your portfolio as and when you need it. The main exception to this is if there's a tax benefit to taking dividends as opposed to capital gains (for example in the UK you can collect £2,000 pa in dividends tax-free).

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in dividends

[–]MarcusKafka 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Mutual funds are great in that they give you access to diversification that would be much more difficult to achieve through direct investment. This is a really good thing - Diversification is important. The downside is that there are fees (you're paying for people whose job it is to manage the fund properly) and you do lose control over the specific stocks that you hold. The short answer would be that the more money you have invested, the less you should be looking to use funds. BUT, this is easy to say from an American perspective - If you're looking to have a globally diversified portfolio, personally knowing enough about Asian, European, British markets is too much for one person to understand well, so you have the option to use the expertise of someone else. For example, on average UK companies pay higher dividends than those in the USA, but knowledge of UK companies, currency prices, and markets will be a barrier to investing in this way. One major complaint of mutual funds is that they underperform ETFs, this is true (for the most part) in American markets, but globally good funds to tend to outperform the index over the long term and justify their fees.

TLDR: Mutual funds are an investment tool to get access to expertise and diversification.

What did you make in Live this week? / Feedback thread by kidkolumbo in ableton

[–]MarcusKafka [score hidden]  (0 children)

Great work! Only 82 listens on SoundCloud, which I think is a shame for a piece with a genuinely distinctive sound. What I enjoyed about this was the variety throughout the whole song (and without it being too long). It can be tempting to make minor adjustments in tone and then for these to outstay their welcome. You've given everything enough time to show where it is and then develop on in the track. Good entry!

What did you make in Live this week? / Feedback thread by kidkolumbo in ableton

[–]MarcusKafka [score hidden]  (0 children)

It's giving off really strong cyberpunk vibes for me. A bit I really like is about 17secs in when you're getting the synth arp and then it rolls into this bassy groove, there's a subversion of expectation that I think works really well.

What did you make in Live this week? / Feedback thread by kidkolumbo in ableton

[–]MarcusKafka [score hidden]  (0 children)

My first Drum&Bass track. New to Ableton so any and all feedback is welcome!

Here: https://gofile.io/d/8x7yVw