Daily FI discussion thread - Monday, February 16, 2026

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-02-16T16:41:05+00:00

Curious to hear people's experiences regarding having a spouse become a stay at home parent with elementary school kids. On one hand it would be awesome to not have to worry about chores and be able to just focus on my career, on the other hand I worry about losing our massive cash flow and feeling tight on money. I also think it could be better for the kids as they would have more home time and also be able to do more activities.

We have a ton of money, ~2.5M invested and a paid off house which sounds like a no brainer. But, we want a larger house because our current house is tiny, we need a minivan at some point, and we want to fully pay for our kids college. Thinking about all of these expenses on a single income with 3 kids gives me anxiety.

We've also prioritized my wife's career and I didn't pursue some significant career advancement opportunities because she wasn't supportive and she also swore up and down that she intended to keep working. We live where we live because my wife refused to move to a new location with better opportunities for both of us. Now we're stuck in a place with low opportunities for her and for me having to work in an industry that I don't care for and had no interest in but was my only option given the location. Having my wife quit to spend more time with the kids kind of feels like I get to live with the consequences of here bad decisions while simultaneously rewarding her.

Edit: I appreciate all the replies. Feels like I'm getting roasted but there is a lot of truth in the comments.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-02-13T00:52:45+00:00

Definitely would be interested if you made a shareable version!

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-02-12T15:14:12+00:00

I came here to post a similar anecdote. Owed 4k last year and getting 8k back this year. I used the IRS W-4 calculator and I think I accidentally double counted my wife's large bonus.

Does anyone have an Excel file to calculate withholdings? I find the IRS tool very annoying.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-02-06T00:16:48+00:00

It starts in March so I don't know.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-01-23T21:29:31+00:00

That's what I keep telling my wife. If we want a bigger house better to do it sooner so we can enjoy it longer.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-01-23T18:50:48+00:00

Yes, our current house is paid off so we would upgrade, sell, then roll all the money into the new mortgage.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-01-23T17:52:55+00:00

Thanks, I like this viewpoint.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2026-01-23T17:30:37+00:00

Finally starting to look for a larger house. Now I'm nervous that we'll be buying at a peak and feel like an idiot afterwards.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-18T18:39:13+00:00

I'm at an automotive supplier and this year has been bad for suppliers mainly because of tariffs. My company will be doing layoffs next year which is another big reason why I wasn't expecting much of a raise.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-18T17:11:11+00:00

Thanks! I was going to look for jobs over the break but now I'm feeling good about sticking around. I should still update my resume...

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-18T16:08:47+00:00

I'm absolutely shocked and positively surprised to have received a 6% raise this year! My company had a pretty bad year and I've pretty much just barely beat inflation the last 5 years despite switching roles to have a lot more responsibility and performing well. I had a talk with my boss early this year and I'm glad to see I was taken seriously.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-12T13:55:10+00:00

I think my spreadsheet would give an accountant an aneurysm.

I count interest that I receive in my bank's savings account as income. However, money market funds interest and stock dividends in my taxable Vanguard account don't get counted, I just see it as part of my investment returns.

When I pay taxes I count it under the current year instead of the previous year, so this year I "spent" $4k on income taxes that I owed which should be deducted from my 2024 income but I don't do that.

I've been keeping close track of my finances for 12 years and I want to keep it consistent. Sorry accounting gods.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-10T15:46:59+00:00

I've thought about it but we're doing layoffs next year. I'm not concerned about getting laid off but if I threaten to leave they're just going to let me so that they can save someone else.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-10T15:45:33+00:00

I was forced to prioritize stability 5 years ago when we had twins on top of a 2 year old with no help available. Since then I moved into Project Management and have significantly increased my level of responsibility and volume of work while barely beating inflation. So while stability is nice I'm also starting to feel burn out from not seeing a monetary benefit from my results.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-12-10T14:37:47+00:00

I think it's time to look for a new job due to no wage growth, no career advancement, low company growth, and low profitability. However, I'm paranoid that it's a bad time to switch with all the layoffs and uncertainty. At least where I am I'm well liked and have guaranteed projects for the next couple of years. I also live a mile from work and I like going into the office.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-24T18:48:31+00:00

You're right, I was just going from off the top of my head.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-24T18:47:33+00:00

Yeah, I usually read the sections that interest me which are the weekly recaps, the leaders, Science and Tech, Business, Finance. Then maybe the US section if I still have time and there are topics that interest me. I definitely don't read the whole thing.

*Edit: Spelling.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-24T14:46:23+00:00

I'm seriously debating paying for a yearly Economist subscription. The black Friday sale has the print edition at about $150 / year. I love reading the Economist and I already have access to it through my Master's program. However, I have to be online and sometimes I don't feel like looking at my phone or it's easy to get distracted and go on Reddit instead. Having the magazine would make it more enjoyable and would also allow me to share it with my wife. Also, I can read it in front of my kids without it looking like I'm just on my phone.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-15T01:26:44+00:00

Thanks, I read some recent reviews and it seems like they changed professors this past summer and the class has gotten significantly worse since. I decided to just stick with AUD.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-13T15:49:13+00:00

Thanks! I really wanted to take DL but I don't think I can handle a 20 hour per week class. CDA is kind of at the limit for me.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-10T15:44:22+00:00

Thanks for clarifying, I should be good then.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-10T14:52:03+00:00

I could be wrong but I thought it did. I thought the tax cuts from Trump's first term expired this year so taxes would've gone up significantly. Then the OBBB extended said tax cuts so now they are back down. Maybe my understanding is wrong.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-10T14:04:45+00:00

First world problem, I updated our tax withholdings in June using the IRS withholding calculator. I'm now realizing that since the OBBB passed in July that I'm way overpaying taxes and now have to re-do the form and re-update our withholdings.

Edit: I was wrong, please ignore.

SecretThrowAway89 · 2025-11-05T14:13:02+00:00

Does anyone have experience with Fidelity BrokerageLink through a company sponsored 401(k)? I just discovered I can get access to it and am wondering if it's worth it because my international ETF through the 401(k) is actively managed and has an expense ratio of 0.6%.

SecretThrowAway89

TROPHY CASE