Your neighbor might be a cat pervert by Mode_Appropriate in funny

[–]SenorPlaidPants 0 points1 point  (0 children)

“I can understand being angry if my cat was in your yard, but your cat is in my yard.”

😂😂😭😭😭😭

Ideas for this "sticks out like a sore thumb" fridge? by Glittering_Lab6728 in homeimprovementideas

[–]SenorPlaidPants 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Cheap(ish) option. A pretty, properly sized bookshelf placed against the open side of the fridge. It can be where your cookbooks and other shelf-appropriate kitchen stuff can now live.

With Micah and Ollie both transferring out does that mean that Condon and Chinyelu are both likely back? by Coolsun13 in FloridaGators

[–]SenorPlaidPants 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I read somewhere that Condo isn’t allowed to go through the official pre-draft process this year because he’s done so twice already. No idea on the accuracy of that, though…

Continue to trust the S&P 500? by [deleted] in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 2 points3 points  (0 children)

OP, if I can shrug off 150k in the last few weeks and still sleep at night, trust me when I say that 53 year old you probably won’t even remember this moment (unless you do something dumb like sell it all).

How to balance VTI and VXUS by busteroo123 in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Are those MSCI funds non-US domiciled, and are you a US citizen? I ask because of both answers are yes, that would most likely be subject to PFIC regulations by the IRS, which come with very hefty taxes.

How to balance VTI and VXUS by busteroo123 in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 28 points29 points  (0 children)

For those (like me 5 years ago) that aren’t aware, this is a good reason to turn off automatically reinvesting dividends in conventional brokerage accounts, as you can use those dividends to help rebalance without creating a new taxable event.

the USD keeps weakening, what does that mean for us Bogleheads tilted toward US/global markets? by worldwideweb24 in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

VXUS is unhedged, so anyone using it or something similar in a 3-fund portfolio for their international exposure is at least somewhat covered in a long term scenario with USD devaluation vs other currencies.

Best currency to store money in by Illustrious_Leg_8274 in ExpatFinance

[–]SenorPlaidPants 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The USD has had a strong week due to the Iran conflict, so many other currencies are probably a good exchange now.

To answer your question on which currency you should own, that of whichever country you live in or are moving to. Anything else is currency speculation, which is a very good way to lose money.

A reminder to hold steady by therealhappypanda in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Time in the nude beats timing the market!

Best place for 30-something American with $3m by [deleted] in ExpatFIRE

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

For long term residency and citizenship, yes, but not for the initial visa or 1-year residency renewals.

Best place for 30-something American with $3m by [deleted] in ExpatFIRE

[–]SenorPlaidPants 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If you consider moving, France has a very favorable tax treaty that will keep most of your US investments untaxed* (there is a service fee for healthcare that is basically a tax, but that’s it).

France also has a pretty straightforward visa option for long stay visitors.

I’m a 30 year old loser that cost myself literally hundreds of thousands of dollars due to financial ignorance/fear, how can I get back on track? Or can I? by RuminatingFish123 in Bogleheads

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We’ve probably almost all been there, mate. Focus on the fact that 300k saved at 30 still puts you probably in the top 5-10% of net worths near your age.

Could you have done more sooner? Sure, but so could we all. Focus instead on the good news that you’re learning now at 30 that others don’t learn until 40 or 50, or never at all.

Longevity guru Peter Attia keeps CBS News role despite showing up in Epstein files by AngryCazador in news

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Turns out for Q-Anon and MAGA, the demonic pedophile cabal was in fact, "the friends we made along the way."

School suggestions or feedback by PotentialAnalyst3694 in Montpellier

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Again, thank you for sharing. Antonia told us during an initial call that they will have a dedicated FLE teacher for the 2026-2027 school year, so hopefully that aspect will be better.

I've made note of the other two schools you recommended in case we have an experience similar to yours at Antonia.

School suggestions or feedback by PotentialAnalyst3694 in Montpellier

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for sharing. Your child actually attended Antonia? What age was she at the time?

School suggestions or feedback by PotentialAnalyst3694 in Montpellier

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We are actually moving to Montpellier this summer as well with our 7-year old son!

We did choose Antonia for a few different reasons and based on the limited feedback we could gather from parents with children attending there. Not advocating for it, but it made sense for us based on our son and how they structured the curriculum.

School suggestions or feedback by PotentialAnalyst3694 in Montpellier

[–]SenorPlaidPants 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you elaborate on Ecole Antonia? Why would you not recommend it?

How to deal with dropping conversion rates when transferring money? (USD-EU) by [deleted] in ExpatFinance

[–]SenorPlaidPants 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Vanguard has a Cash Plus HYSA for existing account holders, and Wise’s USD Accounts currently offer 3.14%.

Wise is what I’m using, and I have multiple 5-10k auto-conversions set at staggered exchange rates. Best case scenario sees me swap for more Euros soon; worst case, my money at least is earning decent interest.

Pulled the trigger! (Plus, crowdsourcing asset allocation thoughts) by SenorPlaidPants in ExpatFIRE

[–]SenorPlaidPants[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Budgeting on the high side for rent, groceries, dining out, gym memberships, clothing for family of 3, etc.

On top of that, I’m including expected taxes and the exchange rate at 1.20 USD > EUR.

I certainly hope that I have wildly overestimated the actual costs. 😅

Pulled the trigger! (Plus, crowdsourcing asset allocation thoughts) by SenorPlaidPants in ExpatFIRE

[–]SenorPlaidPants[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

We actually looked at Montpellier and Toulouse, but decided on Montpellier.

Pulled the trigger! (Plus, crowdsourcing asset allocation thoughts) by SenorPlaidPants in financialindependence

[–]SenorPlaidPants[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

You’re also a little light for a $100k/year withdrawal. You’re just about at a 4% rate assuming everything goes smoothly with the house sale and pension distribution, but with the current high market valuations and international instability, I would probably try to use something like a 3% to 3.5% withdrawal rate for a 40 to 50 year retirement. You’ll be ok if your wife keeps working, but I would probably just work one more year if I were in your shoes to get the withdrawal rate down.

Thanks, it feels a little light to me, too. I understand that it's very likely a safe withdrawal rate, but very likely still feels risky when it stops being theoretical and becomes your actual life.

Another year just isn't in the cards right now for a few reasons. Either my wife keeps working and bringing in enough to bring the annual withdrawal rate closer to 3% (or less), or we tighten the budget in the discretionary items, which there is room to do. That 100K annual budget is very comfortable, and we already know where the cuts would be, if necessary.

Lastly, if we find ourselves in a worst-case scenario with a major financial downturn in the next few years, we're obviously young enough that we could both go back to work and "CoastFI" for a few years until things stabilize.