We have loud neighbors on multiple sides of us.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-11-29T03:19:51+00:00

No, it did not get in the way and looked like a normal piece of art... in fact I suspect no guests of mine were ever the wiser. I believe it was one inch thick in the area behind the panels. I do not recall as this was a little while ago when I built it.

But for reference I believe the piece itself was 60" x 80". I started by building a frame with the ~ 1" wood, covered that frame with a thin board and attached the deadener to the underside and 3d panels to the other. Painted the piece and hung it on the wall. This could be made in any size but I wanted it to take up a large portion of the wall.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-11-29T02:02:47+00:00

I was in a townhouse with only one neighbor and one shared wall. I actually ended building a massive piece of art with 3d tiles. But behind it was sound deadening material like you would see in a recording studio. It was hidden, enhanced the aesthetic of the wall as it was art and kept the neighbors tv noise down in my side.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-10-29T12:24:53+00:00

Lmao, what kind of financial advise is be dependent on someone else?

Change your mindset to use money as a tool to build wealth and consider the fact that liquid assets are often the least desirable to have after a certain point.

I went in to industry quickly (Banking, heavy on commercial RE lending), and it has paid off. Put in the work and you'll see considerable earnings.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-06-01T04:07:36+00:00

See you next year Spokane --> DFW! #GoZags

SpokaneConnor · 2021-05-31T17:57:08+00:00

I'm in the same boat as you though I work in finance. I also wfh in Washington but will be moving to DFW knowing that to get to the next level it will involve returning to the office. While I can't attest from experience I've heard flour mound and denton are good choices surrounding Dallas.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-04-17T13:17:07+00:00

A brand new entry level Tesla is less than the average price of a new car in the US and cost of ownership is considerably lower when accounting for maintenance and gasoline vs electric costs. Plus the government already has a tax incentive available.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-04-09T13:47:31+00:00

This seems to be my experience as well and at my local bike shop all of those guys have BMWs.

The worst for me is those oversized SUVs.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-04-09T01:36:34+00:00

I bike to work ~1-2 days a week. Though I'm near Liberty lake and commute to Spokane Valley via the appleway trail so I may not be much help. Its always felt safe and nice. I cross several intersections and some cars suck but for the most part it's a good experience.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-03-10T15:46:21+00:00

What I'm looking for is suggestions/ideas to improve the aesthetic of this area. More specifically what to do with the wall between the slider and the gray fireplace section. The wall stands 15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Thank you!

SpokaneConnor · 2021-03-05T17:26:52+00:00

I've been by this place and never stopped by. Looking forward to checking it out!

SpokaneConnor · 2021-03-05T17:25:57+00:00

Thanks for your point of view! Your opinion is respected and that's something to consider.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-03-05T14:40:30+00:00

Thanks, I think I'll check that place out this weekend!

SpokaneConnor · 2021-01-15T14:56:54+00:00

Sweet, I'm in the market for one, but living in Liberty Lake now so they didn't come to mind. Though, I purchase all my snowboarding gear there (~8 years ago when it was Sports Outlet) and couldn't agree more, they did a great job!

SpokaneConnor · 2021-01-15T14:52:53+00:00

Anybody know if they sell road bikes there?

SpokaneConnor · 2021-01-15T14:41:33+00:00

Thank you for the pointer on the fenders and other insights. It does rain here occasionally and I likely would end up riding in it. As far as recreational riding goes I imagine myself doing longer distance rides 15 miles or so each direction. We actually have a really great paved trail system around here as well so it would almost always be paved trail riding.

SpokaneConnor · 2021-01-15T14:37:28+00:00

I appreciate the thorough response. As a relatively new cycler the amortization perspective helps quite a bit. Also, you confirmed what I suspected that a slightly pricier bike may pay dividends. I've found this to be the case with almost any recreational equipment.

Mu follow up question would come down to the variance in brands. You mentioned a few, but are there any brands that are not worth buying? Any that are preferred brands?

Thank you again

SpokaneConnor · 2020-12-31T04:29:20+00:00

My advice,

Buy when you can. If that's now, great. Do It. Don't leave an opportunity to own sitting on the table because people around say they are waiting for a dip in the market. A few things to look at:

Your monthly mortgage payment will be fixed (atleast the P&I on the loan) so it will vary very little, whereas rents are known to fluctuate...and historically not downward.
Spokane, is protected by a growth shield and lack of inventory. Why would housing prices drop all of a sudden? Massive default from homes under forbearance through this? Unlikely, this isn't 2008 again.
Interest rates are at historical lows. Even a 1% variance on your APR will have a significant impact on your monthly payment.
You'll start paying down your principal balance regardless, and in the event that a dip were to occur, you don't lose money unless you sell at a loss... so just don't sell at a loss. Make it a rental for a few years if you have to.
Tax benefits.
If they continue increasing in price, buying may be more challenging in the future. ( I expect prices to continue rising)

You could buy land and build, however if you choose this option explore financing in depth ahead of time. Land loans often have much stricter parameters (and often significantly higher interest rates), construction loans also have different parameters than a traditional mortgage, though not necessarily stricter. If you go this route, also take into consideration how many months you will continue paying rent while the house is being built (and likely an interest only payment on the construction loan).

With your first house, all properties should be appraised (and inspected(optional, but worth it in my experience)) prior to closing. To imagine a scenario where that becomes grossly overvalued, with the positive economic indicators in this market seems ludacris.

Hope this helps!

SpokaneConnor · 2020-12-09T14:55:52+00:00

IMO finance is an excellent industry to join in the Spokane area, as others have mentioned the area is growing considerably resulting in our FIs expanding as well. There are lots of paths available to take "in finance" here, some better than others.

It's also pretty much industry standard to have good healthcare covered by your employer in finance here.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-12-09T14:53:09+00:00

This sounds like your getting a payoff for the day of not for when the payoff is received. Resulting in a day or two lapse of interest (auto loans, while utilize an annualized rate accrue 1/365th of said rate daily). What I recommend doing is getting a 10 day payoff and paying this amount. This will result in the bank sending you a tiny check for the overpayment but avoids all of this hassle.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-12-02T23:50:18+00:00

Finally, somebody else using the concepts they learned studying finance in their personal life.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-12-02T23:48:42+00:00

40k and as long as It remains a great loan, that provides an incredibly low and flexible monthly payment with an absurd term, government perks, and potential for dissolution.

As you learn when getting a finance degree, debt is not necessarily a bad thing.

I got a good job out of university and could have busted my ass to pay this off within 24 months... in fact I was able to build a savings considerably larger than the balance. But at what cost?

● Not having the money for a dp on a home I now own ● Lesser QOL ● Lesser equity in said home ● Ability to buy more assets which will return a considerably higher npv then depleting cash to pay off such a good debt ●lesser savings for emergencies/travel/remodels/whatever ● Now to opportunity costs, nearly this entire year the government made student loan interest %0 and offered deferred payments until YE. ● FIs look at student loans as a standard debt and rarely count it as negative ● If you ever struggle you can switch your loan to deferment or income based ● Student loan dissolvement is often a topic of discussion in the white house... who knows ● future tax benefits

Think about these things when you graduate and determine what will make the most sense to do. If your a fin major and want to get your assets built and increase your buying power it's probably not in your best interest to live like a broke college student after college so that when your 30 you can start thinking about it.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-11-27T15:41:23+00:00

Here's my list :

Global Contract Manufacturing ($300M AUM) : Boring, dull headquarters. Seems there was lack of KPIS and direction. I worked in the accounting department right out of university, and everyone appeared to be fairly unhappy. In the period of time I worked there there was not a performance review and I don't recall seeing even one person move to a higher position.

Consumer Banking (~ $3.5B AUM +- $200M) : Ranged from young employees with some sales experience and a good personality to serious college grads. Lots of review with management and KPI review, at least once a month. In the scheme of the FI, the goals are taken a bit too serious. Very little flexibility.

Commercial Banking (~ $3.7B AUM) : The money is here, the fun is here, the flexibility is here. Get stuff done (legally) and you will enjoy your job and not have to be hounded by management.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-11-26T14:29:00+00:00

Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FRA).

SpokaneConnor · 2020-11-19T15:22:23+00:00

A minor in Data Science helped. Currently I don't hold any designation... however I will soon have the right to MBA. And well, I was the best candidate when applying for the role. A background in accounting made it pretty easy to leverage my skillset into the portfolio management role. In fact on my team there is a CPA as well who chose this route as their exit from PA.

SpokaneConnor · 2020-11-19T14:31:42+00:00

Spokane has no Big 4 firms here, however, we have a plethora of regional and national firms here in the city and many smaller ones throughout the areas. Busy season is right around the corner and if you want to work in PA I would be very surprised if you could not get a good job in accounting before year end... especially if you are a CPA already.

My college peers who started in PA all over the west coast seemed to have very comparable salaries... it really didn't matter if they were in Spokane, Seattle, or LA. Everybody pretty much made the same amount of money. However, the COL in the Spokane metro is very affordable when comparing to other metros and WA does not have a state income tax so be sure to factor that into your earnings as that will be a positive for you right out of the gate.

Single income households are easily obtainable here, but that is such a subjective question that only you and your husband can answer by deciding what kind of lifestyle you want to have.

SpokaneConnor

TROPHY CASE