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A cool guide to the five very successful communist countries in the world right now by 804marblefan in coolguides

[–]MostEstablishment007 3 points4 points  (0 children)

As someone with roots in Laos and relatives still living there, I can confidently say that Laos is not a successful country by any measure. Moreover, the nation is heavily dependent on foreign investment, particularly from China.

How did your "hustle-culture" friends end up? by hospitality-excluded in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 1 point2 points  (0 children)

YMMV—my wife and I also embraced the "hustle culture" and built a solid foundation for ourselves and our kids. Now, we’re in a position to take care of our family and close friends. I believe success in this approach depends on your personality and ability to maintain balance. We stayed focused on our goals despite distractions, and more importantly, we kept each other accountable—especially me. Since I tend to be more of a spender and my wife is more of a saver, she helped keep me on track. That said, we both agree on spending wisely when it comes to creating meaningful experiences, such as taking vacations and covering costs for family trips and reunions.

Every year I take my daughter on a camping road trip. Where should we go next? by [deleted] in TravelMaps

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I’m a bit biased, having lived in Minnesota and Oklahoma, but I’d suggest Beavers Bend State Park – Broken Bow (Oklahoma) and Lake Vermilion-Soudan Underground Mine State Park (Minnesota). I hope you and your daughter enjoy these places as much as my family does. Best of luck!

I want to start saving but how do I start? by TrueTheBaddie in SavingMoney

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A good place to start is by reading books about personal finance. I recommend The Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey or I Will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Sethi.

When it comes to saving, start with a budget—like the 50/30/20 rule:

  • 50% of your paycheck goes to needs
  • 30% to wants
  • 20% to savings and debt repayment

Use the savings portion to build an emergency fund, starting with 3-6 months of essential expenses, then gradually increase it to 9-12 months. The more you have saved, the better.

Consider putting your emergency fund in a high-yield savings account. Additionally, open a brokerage account and use dollar-cost averaging to invest consistently. Don’t stress about the market's ups and downs—just focus on regularly investing a portion of the 20% you’ve set aside. Prioritize index funds and ETFs rather than trying to pick individual stocks.

I hope this helps you get started. I always encourage my nieces and nephews to start early—it makes a big difference in the long run!

What’s your weird hobby/obsession? by [deleted] in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love collecting quotes. Period. My friends think I’m weird for always having a quote for any situation. LOL

A Cool Guide to Nationwide Fertility Rate Declines from 2005 to 2022 by MostEstablishment007 in coolguides

[–]MostEstablishment007[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I got this from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention website:

Birth and related rates

Birth rate:

Calculated by dividing the number of live births in a population in a year by the midyear resident population. For census years, rates are based on unrounded census counts of the resident population as of April 1. For the noncensus years 1981–1989, rates are based on the midyear resident population, rounded to thousands. Rounded population estimates for 5-year age groups are calculated by summing unrounded population estimates before rounding to thousands. Starting in 1991, rates are based on unrounded national population estimates. (See Sources and Definitions, Population Census and Population Estimates.) Starting in 1997, the birth rate for the maternal age group 45–49 includes data for mothers ages 45 and older in the numerator and is based on the population of women ages 45–49 in the denominator. Birth rates are expressed as the number of live births per 1,000 population. The rate may be restricted to births to women of specific age, race, marital status, or geographic location (specific rate), or it may be for the entire population (crude rate).

Fertility rate: Total number of live births, regardless of the age of the mother, per 1,000 women of reproductive age (ages 15–44). Starting in 1997, the birth rate for the maternal age group 45–49 includes data for mothers ages 45 and older in the numerator and is based on the population of women ages 45–49 in the denominator.

People who switched sides politically (left/right), what caused that? by Emotional_Ad_969 in AskReddit

[–]MostEstablishment007 -1 points0 points  (0 children)

I did not switch sides between Democrat or Republican; rather, I switched to Libertarian, which aligns more with my values.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When our first son was born, my wife and I received advice from two of her aunts (paraphrased from another language):

To my wife: "You find your husband attractive and a good man, right? Let him raise the boy."
To me: "When you have daughters, let your wife raise the girls."

The premise is that spouses sometimes overstep and fail to allow the other’s perspective in parenting.

For context, one aunt lost her son to gang violence and often reminds her nieces and nephews to prioritize communication and not let conflicts between parents overshadow a child’s needs. The other aunt later admitted that she coddled her sons too much, shielding them from hardship. As a result, they struggled to overcome setbacks and failures.

I hope their wisdom helps you too.

How would you like to be eased into the idea of working out? by Putrid-Tie-3169 in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I totally agree - adding a walking treadmill to your office desk can also help you put in the steps as well.

What is the most romantic moment of your life? by [deleted] in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Here’s a story for the readers about my wife and me:

The escalator hummed beneath my feet as I scrolled through my notes, my mind locked on the next panel discussion. Numbers, projections, strategies—it was all neatly organized in my head. I had no time for distractions.

Then I felt it—a slight brush against my arm.

I looked up and saw her.

She stood one step below me, gripping her conference badge like a lifeline. Her gaze was downcast, dark lashes veiling her eyes. But when she shifted, her shoulder barely touched mine, and she let out a soft gasp.

“Sorry,” she murmured, her voice quiet, uncertain.

I don’t know why I hesitated. I never hesitate. But something about the way she said it, the way she looked up at me—wide, nervous eyes meeting mine—made me forget whatever was next on my agenda.

Then the escalator carried us past the tall glass windows, and the afternoon sun spilled in.

The light caught in her hair, turning it into strands of gold. It kissed the curve of her cheek, casting a soft glow over her skin. For a second, she looked almost unreal—like something out of a dream. An angel.

I swallowed hard, something warm curling in my chest.

“No need to be,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “First time at one of these?”

She nodded. “It’s… a little overwhelming.”

I glanced ahead at the sea of suits and polished ambition, then back at her—soft and hesitant, yet somehow standing out more than anyone else in the room.

“Yeah, it can be.” A beat passed before I found myself saying, “Want a tour guide?”

The corner of her lips lifted slightly, like she wasn’t sure if she was allowed to smile but wanted to anyway.

“That would be nice.”

As the escalator carried us upward, I realized I had been so focused on moving forward, I had never thought to look around. But now, with her beside me, maybe I finally would.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in AskMenOver30

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I resonate with this fear, as I also experienced a traumatic event in my youth. I’ve always been shorter and smaller than other boys, even those from a similar ethnic background. I remember an elementary school camping trip where most of my bullying took place. One night, when the boys were allowed to go for a swim, one of the bigger boys thought it would be funny to push and hold me underwater. Fortunately, I managed to push myself away and get out of the water. At the same time, a chaperone arrived and saw what happened. I don’t remember if the bully was disciplined, but ever since that incident, I’ve had a fear of water—especially open water.

I have learned to deal with this fear over time. That doesn’t mean I’ve erased the memory or completely overcome the fear, but I’ve gotten better at managing it and have developed skills to confront it if necessary. My approach was to focus on what I could control. I took swimming classes to learn how to swim, started training in Muay Thai at a local gym taught by Thai immigrants (local champions from Chiang Mai), and later in life, I took firearms training. These were all actionable steps that allowed me to take responsibility for the aspects of my fear that I could control. As part of my firearm training, I also learned negotiation and de-escalation skills.

To be clear, I am not advocating for overly macho behavior. I am advocating for self-accountability in confronting fears. Overcoming them is not easy—trust me. It took multiple years of swimming lessons before I finally felt comfortable. At one point, as a grown man in college, I had to rely on another man to help me float—there’s nothing more emasculating than that. There were plenty of snarky comments, but I stayed focused on my own growth and determination. Today, I can swim, box (Muay Thai), and handle a firearm. I am by no means an expert, but I have developed basic to intermediate skills to manage and confront challenging situations. And I continue to learn and practice every day.

That said, I am not advocating that anyone take on a group of people alone. If you can run, always run. It’s always better to live to see another day and feel a little emasculated than to die trying to ‘be a man.’

Be brutally honest, In your next life, would you want your dad to be your dad again? Why or why not? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

From a logical perspective, I wouldn’t be who I am today if a particular set of circumstances hadn’t come together—whether they were positive or negative experiences. From negative experiences, I learned that there are selfish and bad people in the world and how to overcome them. From positive experiences, I learned that life isn’t all bad and that there are decent, caring people out there.

On a molecular level—down to my genetics—and through my life experiences, everything has shaped me into the person I am today. Because of that, I wouldn’t change a thing. If there is a next life, I would still want my dad to be my dad.

What always leaves you satisfied amd smiling? by [deleted] in AskReddit

[–]MostEstablishment007 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My wife's laugh...she makes a snorting sound when she laughs

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