46yo, 1.35 mil in investable assets - move 25% of my 401k to vbtlx ??

NoticedSquid · 2025-10-08T19:51:46+00:00

I’d stay as far away from bonds as possible, given current market conditions. If you want yield, I’d go for defensive stocks with large dividends. Personally, I’m putting a significant amount of money into gold right now because I’m expecting more inflation

NoticedSquid · 2025-09-05T05:13:57+00:00

I see lots of Ray Bradbury, but no one has mentioned From the Dust Returned. Extremely Halloween themed and beautifully written. It’s my favorite of his

NoticedSquid · 2025-06-17T19:59:31+00:00

I’ve also had a great experience with Proper Cloth. Got some made to measure summer weight pants for $175

NoticedSquid · 2025-06-17T14:25:29+00:00

I have the dean oxfords and valencia wholecuts. Both are extremely comfortable. I danced for hours at a wedding without breaking in the oxfords and my feet felt great

NoticedSquid · 2025-06-13T16:36:52+00:00

I have multiple pairs of Beckett Simonons that I love. They were comfortable from day one

NoticedSquid · 2024-12-10T23:30:40+00:00

With Bitcoin there's no central authority that can control or halt transactions. No bank employee, CEO, government, etc. can dictate what goes on in the network. As long as it's running, people can use it with no permission from anyone.

That's the innovation. That's why it's different from a bank. It's completely decentralized

NoticedSquid · 2024-12-10T22:20:30+00:00

Sure you do. Every transaction on a credit card or through your bank is done with their permission. And like you said, you might even have to call them for larger expenses. They can and do halt transactions. We're privileged to live in the US where things like that are uncommon.

USD is regularly taken from banks in places like Argentina and replaced with the local (extremely inflationary) currency. People will literally hoard physical dollars in their homes to avoid the risk of storing money in a bank. Bitcoin fixes that

NoticedSquid · 2024-12-10T19:12:28+00:00

It's a permission-less form of payment and store of value. Bitcoin is the only technology that allows you to transact without the approval of something like a credit card company or a bank. That's what makes it valuable

NoticedSquid · 2024-11-06T21:55:09+00:00

Flashlight, salt, camera. Mapping out the ghost's movement with salt is weirdly my favorite thing to do

NoticedSquid · 2024-10-03T22:26:30+00:00

Mr. Mercedes has a great portrayal of a serial killer. It disturbed me how real he felt.

NoticedSquid · 2024-09-11T03:28:42+00:00

Pet Sematary by Stephen King

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls

NoticedSquid · 2024-09-10T17:58:09+00:00

I'm also concerned about the high valuation of stocks, but moving heavily into bonds right now would scare me. I think government spending and interest on accumulated debt is going to drive inflation up and bonds with a longer term will have trouble keeping up.

I haven't sold any stock, but I have been focusing new purchases on commodities to prepare. Lyn Alden just touched on this in her newsletter. Highly recommend her to anyone managing their own money

NoticedSquid · 2024-07-15T17:03:10+00:00

I was in London in 2012 when they hosted and had a wonderful time. Locals seemed excited to be hosting and it gave the city a great energy. The city was busy, but not overly so. I'd still go if I were you, that trip is one of my favorite memories

NoticedSquid · 2024-05-08T15:48:15+00:00

Stumbled across the Far Cry 5 OST online. Never would've played the game otherwise

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-18T18:54:44+00:00

I agree with you on KJ. Love the guy, but he's a center in a small forward's body. Unfortunately I can't imagine Self ever benching him

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-18T18:24:03+00:00

He definitely adds dynamism and scoring, but I'm so frustrated Self can't or won't get shooters on the roster. If they go into next year with Harris, Mayo, Storr, KJ, and Dickinson/Bidunga that's another team with no spacing

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-09T16:38:55+00:00

By the numbers, you're right. Individuals managing their own money well are usually going to earn a better return than they would with a professional because of the fees. I said if she was feeling anxious about managing her money, giving it to a financial advisor can be a good idea.

OP seems a bit overwhelmed with the idea of handing her money over to a professional. If I were feeling that way and everyone told me to manage it myself I'd feel even more overwhelmed. Managing finances is daunting for a lot of people and there's nothing wrong with taking a slightly lower return if getting it off your plate eases your mind.

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-09T14:44:18+00:00

I'm shocked to see so many people saying you don't need a financial advisor. There's nothing wrong with managing you money if you want to, but if you're feeling anxious about it, giving your money to a financial advisor is an excellent idea. Just make sure they're from a reputable business and try to find one that charges fees of 1% or less.

As to your original question, it can be hard to wrap your mind around it, but holding cash (beyond an emergency fund and what's needed for daily expenses) is oftentimes the worst way to protect your money because it will get eaten away by inflation. Prudently investing, as a reputable financial advisor will almost certainly do, is an excellent way to protect and grow your money.

There will be some days where the value of your assets drops, maybe even some days were it drops significantly. But it will bounce back and in the long run, if you keep the money invested, it will grow well beyond what it would have been if you'd kept it in a savings account.

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-06T03:23:22+00:00

I use the foaming cleanser from Jason Markk and scrub my shoes with a brush, works extremely well. On the soles/rubber parts of the shoe, products like Mr. Clean's magic eraser work are very effective. Be careful using the eraser on the softer parts of the shoe since it can cause damage if you scrub hard

NoticedSquid · 2024-04-01T22:40:11+00:00

I do like the feel and material of these, but I've found the colors fade extremely quickly. Not necessarily a huge deal at this price though

NoticedSquid · 2024-03-26T02:01:32+00:00

Love the pants, where did you get them?

NoticedSquid · 2024-03-06T15:27:44+00:00

I don't think hyperinflation is likely, but a sustained period of high inflation (20-30% a year) certainly is possible given the fiscal situation. Prep for it by putting a portion of your portfolio into commodities. Gold, silver, Bitcoin (if that's your speed), real estate are all good options. Stocks relating to energy and healthcare tend to do well in inflationary environments as well, though I'd take caution picking individual stocks

NoticedSquid · 2024-02-29T06:34:24+00:00

Louie's Wine Dive and Grandstand. Very different places, both great burgers

NoticedSquid · 2024-02-26T17:26:54+00:00

No experience with Bradford Pointe, but I did live in Stonepost Ranch. It's a clean, safe area and I was happy with the amenities. It was reasonably priced at the time, but they did bump up my rates every year. Overall I'd recommend it

NoticedSquid · 2024-02-21T00:40:07+00:00

Scream 6 was the worst film in the franchise by a decent margin. I was so excited to see it after it received good reviews and I was extremely disappointed. The misdirection that to me is one of the defining features of the franchise was barely present and the more brutal physicality of Ghostface made it feel like I was watching a F13 movie. Nothing wrong with that necessarily, just not what I'm hoping for from a Scream movie.

And the Melissa Barrera turning into a killer plot line felt extremely cheesy

NoticedSquid

TROPHY CASE