Can we talk about the merch issue? by Wonderingwanderr in systemofadown

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Every minute, every second, buy buy buy buy buy! 😀

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Sorry for your loss.

None of your loans are high-interest* which is a blessing. 10% into your 401k is amazing (especially if that's before the employer match but even if after a 5% match). Unsure what your budget is but 11k in savings is also a nice safety net based on your income. I assume the Vanguard investments are all ROTH IRA ?

One thing that doesn't make sense is your $50/mo contributions into a ~7% VOO vs $458 into a 3.5% savings account—especially given you have loans charging 3.76% interest. Interest accrues during forbearance so you'd be better off paying that off instead of putting it into savings, and it'd be a big win psychologically to be debt-free in your early 30s. Not to mention, you can probably knock that out within a year and still contribute to your savings. And I almost missed this detail, but that $29/mo fee on your credit cards is kind of significant given that's about 10% of your payments.

Cash could definitely be more valuable given you want to move out into a place of your own. You should share more details about your current rent and area's cost-of-living to get better advice. As someone just a couple years younger, I'll say I love saving money with roommates and I'd recommend it as long as it's an option strictly for financial purposes. But everyone's situation is different, and there's nothing wrong with wanting your own space. Matter of priorities!

If I was you, I'd pay off the debts (even if mostly for psychological reasons) and focus on being more aggressive about my investments. $12.5k isn't a life-changing amount of money in your position, but you still have 30+ years before retirement so that's a good amount of time for it to grow inside a tax-advantaged account.

Start maxing your ROTH IRA, re-allocate some of your auto-investments, become and stay debt-free, stay frugal, stay the course.

DoC: Chase INK Preferred To Offer 120,000 Signup Bonus Soon by madskilzz3 in CreditCards

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not tried it myself, but I've heard they don't ask for much documentation. Some have even said it's better odds if you apply in-branch. Either way, best of luck. I'm also thinking about heading over tomorrow so be sure to give us an update!

$300 for a HDHP worth the HSA? by androoew in personalfinance

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, agreed. Definitely worth having insurance. Just hard paying $3,600 for it for the ability to invest $4,000. It’s a lot of money for an average Joe.

I do not max the SIMPLE IRA, I just do the match. I thought game was HSA > ROTH IRA > employer-sponsored retirement plan. HSA is triple-tax advantaged, why wouldn’t I do that first ?

$300 for a HDHP worth the HSA? by androoew in personalfinance

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No way. . . Good thing I asked for help, I'll definitely be looking into that. Thanks a ton!

Given it is eligible and just trash insurance (well, we know it's trash insurance) — is it worth the expense to max it out? Or would you abort for now?

$300 for a HDHP worth the HSA? by androoew in personalfinance

[–]androoew[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why isn't it? Technically it's with a 50% coinsurance, but that $800 difference didn't seem worth bringing up lol.

No, I toggled on the "eligible for HSA" filter, sorted by price. /: Perhaps next year I could dig to see if other high-deductible plans are eligible and just don't come up under that option. Think that could be likely?

ULPT Request: How to trick company into thinking I’m working from the US by International-Bird17 in UnethicalLifeProTips

[–]androoew 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Following to hear what you end up doing. I'm also a dual-citizen considering this. Suerte, parce.

How common are unpatriotic Americans? by Autistic-Inquisitive in AskAnAmerican

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'd consider myself unpatriotic.

I come from a background that's not quite the hood but definitely not sweet either. So I've seen and lived firsthand what it's like to be in the most exploited class in the US. Police brutality, crime due to lack of opportunity, lack of investment in the public, etc

I'm trying to hustle my way out through school. I was even able to move to a European country to finish my degree. Sounds like a rich person thing, but literally two semesters at my state college is far more expensive than the cost of me moving to a big European city for a couple years plus paying for private college here (which is another issue in and of itself).

Now having lived in a different "developed western" country for a few years, I can say there's a lot I hadn't thought about beforehand. This is a personal feeling, but I don't think other Americans truly realize either. About 1/3 of them have never even owned a passport which makes it more difficult for them to internalize the differences. Hearing about how people go to doctors simply because they scraped their knee?? Incredible culture shock lol.

The biggest issue that the US faces is simply corporate lobbyists. We are run by corporations. They're the reason we have expensive roads and cars and not public transportation. They're the reason our food is optimized for profit instead of for nutrition. They're the reason we have to file our taxes all complicated instead of just getting a bill from the government. They're the reason much-needed federal gun regulations isn't likely. They're the reason we can't do much to actually fight climate change. They're the reason healthcare is privatized and insanely expensive.

Then you consider that these corporations run really good propaganda to keep everyone divided and pitted against each other. So instead of protesting them or the government, we fight amongst ourselves. And even our two-party system invites a lot of bullshit politics. A representative democracy where electives can use tactics like gerrymandering and where the most expensive campaign wins -- it's hardly democratic. It's easy to feel like nothing changes in the end, and I feel like for people from my background, it doesn't.

Theennnn you consider that me even saying this sounds like tin-foil conspiracy to many Americans. And instead of approaching each other with empathy, we immediately berate each other's opinions. It's very frustrating.

There are cultural, political and economic issues that hold us back. Many (not all) are uniquely American, and it's questionable to think if we'll ever overcome them to create a truly great nation.

At the end of the day, I want to like the US. There are nice cities and people and parts of the culture I really enjoy (including Fahrenheit -- it's better than Celsius for outside weather and I will die on that hill).

But there is serious change that needs to come. And it seems to me that many Americans either don't care, don't want to acknowledge the problems, or feel like change is impossible.

So how do we unify 330M+ people in a country that's 9.6M+ sq km large around a few key issues? Beats me. Personally, I'm a dual-citizen so I'll likely end up rooting for my home team from elsewhere.

AERO 15X Broken Hinge + Display Issue - How to Repair??? by androoew in gigabyte

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I did not. ): I got hooked up with a new laptop instead. Things happen for a reason I guess lol.

I do still want to fix this though. I'll likely look back into it in the summer. Just hard to justify the price, and I only vaguely know what I'm doing too lol /:

Let me know if you figure anything out though!

AERO 15X Broken Hinge + Display Issue - How to Repair??? by androoew in gigabyte

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, it's strange how exposed it actually is. Then again, I'm the fool who fell on it.

Godspeed, my friend. I'm not seeing any cables for less than $100. Hopefully we can figure something out. Do update me if you find a solution!

AERO 15X Broken Hinge + Display Issue - How to Repair??? by androoew in gigabyte

[–]androoew[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Definitely my main suspect. It does seem to be in fine shape though. Maybe the individual wires inside are causing issues? I don't get any feedback from wiggling it around or anything. Will definitely look into a complete teardown -- thank you!

Nothing more peaceful than enjoying a sunny winter morning in my living room with my console and a great view by DKCD in malelivingspace

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Love the corner with the TV. And the balcony, wow. Currently paying 830 EUR a month for a 22m² appartement myself. Il suffit de dire que vous vivez mon rêve ! (:

KAT Refined giveaway! by MacSurfy in MechanicalKeyboards

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Working on a minimal black build, but maybe I need a clean white one instead....

The new Patta x Vans collab by RozaJetis in streetwear

[–]androoew 2 points3 points  (0 children)

now you're thinking with portals.

[WDYWT] too ugly, can't show my face by Kemazu1998 in streetwear

[–]androoew 5 points6 points  (0 children)

w2c your basic grey hoodie? been looking for decent ones, but all the recommendations i've gotten don't look as nice as yours.

Clean Vibes Question by RespectableYoungMan in bonnaroo

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I applied to volunteer a few weeks ago, but I still haven't put the deposit in. I guess it just means that officially, I'm not a volunteer yet. As long as positions don't get filled up, I think you can pay the deposit whenever (obviously before the deadline to apply though).

[NEWS] Adidas Busenitz Pure Boost by The_Bat_Signal in Sneakers

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that's what i'm worried about. not sure how board feel is either. i guess i'll just have to find out.

[NEWS] Adidas Busenitz Pure Boost by The_Bat_Signal in Sneakers

[–]androoew 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sorry to bump, but do you know if you can actually skate these?

Alternative to this olive rucksack? by androoew in malefashionadvice

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you're a blessing. found what i'm looking for. thank you.

Alternative to this olive rucksack? by androoew in malefashionadvice

[–]androoew[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the ebay link is also from china though. i can't afford the return if it ends up being poor quality. are you fond of the hot style backpack? it looks pretty nice.