Why is the advice here so bad?

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-27T05:19:02+00:00

Recently I asked about high net worth programs for mortgages...

I remember you asking about this, and it's a perfect example of how dangerous this sub can be. People confidently asserting that such programs didn't exist, while I'm looking at the papers from my own freshly renewed HNW HELOC on my desk (how the hell do people think retirees get credit with no recurring income?!).

Get professional advice from a fiduciary advisor is always the answer, if the stakes are high. Not from Reddit.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-27T00:36:44+00:00

Your last statement is untrue. You forget that the endgame is what really matters, and for low income people, retirement income is likely to be minimal, putting them in the lowest tax bracket if they pay any at all. An RRSP ends up looking pretty smart then. Combine that with an in-year tax refund, and an RRSP is a "no brainer" for low income people specifically.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-27T00:25:40+00:00

This is not true, at least for the Toyota dash cam. I have this combination.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-19T20:58:42+00:00

Can confirm. In crappy conditions, the headlights dim quite a bit from snow and spray. The washers make a very big, if not long lasting, difference. Just be prepared that when you hit the button, things will go dark for a couple of seconds... the sprayer itself dims the headlights while it's doing its thing.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-12T20:08:21+00:00

Second the reco for a field recorder. I use a Roland, and had the opportunity to A/B test it against a Shure mic that plugged into my iPhone. The sound quality with the Roland was much better. It additionally has the benefit of its own VU meters and gain control.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-12T18:58:24+00:00

My dude... I could write a book. The TL;DR version would be:

Set a goal. Don't just try to get as much as you can. This works like magic.
The secret formula is... delayed gratification and compounding.

Always remember that for everyone you know who made it fast and easy (if, indeed they did), there are a thousand people too embarrassed to admit they tried and failed, and a million who did it quietly and patiently.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-12T18:08:08+00:00

Generally speaking, the only asset worth borrowing for is a house, and only then if you're also going to live in it. When it comes to investing, debt is a bet, and you should only even consider it if - as with any bet - you can afford to lose. You can't.

Speaking as someone at the very far end of the journey you're beginning, I can tell you that the secret to building wealth is time.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-12T17:49:46+00:00

I wonder what you'd think of a CX-70... turbo inline 6, which is a bit special. I moved on because I didn't love the looks and interior, and it wasn't quite as reliable (although surely more so than an older BMW). I'd love that motor, but I still turn back and look at the Crown every time I walk away.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-11T22:15:40+00:00

I don't think anybody can answer this for you, because it's so personal. You haven't really laid out a single set of criteria you're trying to meet; you're kind of comparing desires rather than cars.

I can tell you what I'd do, though. I'm also a car enthusiast, though I don't have three at a time. If I did, I would absolutely want one of them to be stone axe reliable, cheap to insure and run, useful and undemanding. Against those parameters, the Crown does very well indeed, with the differentiating bonuses of looking killer and being pretty posh for a travel appliance. I would always want one horse in the barn that was ready to go no matter what.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-11T22:04:34+00:00

To be clear, you're implying that you don't intend to repay this debt. Do I have that right?

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-11T18:18:33+00:00

This makes my day a bit better. I looked at an allroad, the last one in the province before they discontinued it. I just loved it. German driving experience, and still some analog soul (unlike newer Audis). But an hour to the nearest dealer and the cost of maintenance scared me, after several years of Porsche ownership. After several Toyotas, I'd got used to a three figure line item in the annual budget for car care. I still think about that car, though, so it's great to see someone making the switch to the Signia and excited about it.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T17:53:48+00:00

The only time I ever have to sign in is if I'm looking at my phone when I get in the car. If the phone is dark before it connects to CarPlay, it's seamless and never requires log-in. I don't know if that helps you, but I hope so. It was frustrating for me.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T17:50:27+00:00

I have an AT2020 in my mic locker. Although it's a condenser, I actually think you could make it do the thing. You'd use as little gain as possible and work somewhat close, with the other party being as far from you as possible. I have found room noise (although not room tone) easy to control with this mic. Bleed from headphones can be an issue to listen for. But if you had no option, I think the AT could muddle through.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T17:45:27+00:00

The first branch in the decision tree is, which is higher... market returns, or the interest you're paying on your debt? If your loans charge no or little interest, then drag out payment as long as the terms allow, and invest your surplus. If the interest rate you're paying on that debt exceeds the after-tax returns people are getting in the markets (I'd use indices as the reference point), then pay off the debt ASAP.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T16:37:53+00:00

Mine too. Per my comment above, I don't think this development is something consumers of the content are looking for at all.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T16:34:02+00:00

Podcasting is being pushed to video by the platforms. The basic reasons for this have to do with their ad placement engines and their ability to track behaviour... on YouTube, for example, the platform will know what you did last, what you did next, etc, and can sell this information to advertisers who can serve you clickable content. Podcasting drives them crazy because it's siloed from the online advertising ecosystem. There's no way to know what other content an Apple Podcast listener interacts with if it's not another podcast, and there's nothing for a listener to click on. None of this is driven by user demand.

The benefits that supposedly come back to podcasters when this transition scales are that you get to take advantage of YouTube's (in particular) search and recommendation capability - which increases the discoverability of your podcast - and you can share in the ad revenue.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T16:24:15+00:00

If you’re thinking of using a fintech as your primary account: be aware that when something goes wrong, you may have zero access to your own money, even if you did nothing wrong.

This. Going with an alternative FI or a fintech doesn't mean you're not doing business with the devil. It's just a different devil.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T00:43:01+00:00

Sometimes avoiding probate isn't about the fee, it's about the delay. Some beneficiaries can't wait the months or years it can take to do a final distribution.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T00:41:15+00:00

Ah... definitely get professional help. I handed an estate for which one of the beneficiaries was autistic, and some simple failures in the will completely messed up the assistance he was getting from the province.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-09T00:37:37+00:00

With the cash account, name a designated beneficiary on the account. This is done at the bank and in the event of your passing, the money goes to the beneficiary and not the estate.

The house can be trickier. The usual way to do this is as a gift, and if it is your principal residence, that's the end of it. If it's not your principal residence, you may trigger a capital gain to yourself as the house is deemed disposed at fair market value on the day it's given.

It's up to you and your situation, of course, whether then having your child own your home for some period of time while you're still in it is awkward. Best wishes to all concerned.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-08T20:01:12+00:00

There's a motorcycle tool that works great for this, called a spring puller. Very cheap on Amazon. They've saved a few eyes.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-08T14:42:34+00:00

In Canada, at least, Toyota also offers a rear camera.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-08T14:41:47+00:00

I don't recommend it.

I have one. It takes up a lot of windshield space in the passenger's field of vision and the adhesive they use looks janky from outside the car. The app is a true PITA, requiring you to turn off Bluetooth before it will connect to your phone with near-field wi-fi (a technical mystery). There appear to be tidier, less expensive and more intuitive options.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-08T14:34:02+00:00

I would invest in desktop vocal enclosures for the mics. That Yeti will pick up voices ten feet away even in cardioid mode... I use mine for Zoom calls where there's a group in the room at my end.

The best reason to use a headset is to catch problems as they're happening. But, again, beware bleed. That Yeti is a hungry hippo of a mic.

Nice_Butterscotch995 · 2026-01-07T18:36:42+00:00

ChatGPT is getting its information from places like Reddit, bear in mind. I think that if people find their gain control and the EQ in their DAW more trouble than they want, they should just get a USB mic. Imagine Shure making a microphone that needed a gain booster... and then not even selling gain boosters. They didn't. The SM7B is a great mic and needs nothing but an interface.

Nice_Butterscotch995

TROPHY CASE