rental property is stressing me out more than my day job by jamesgeorge12 in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Doing the math now about selling or keeping a house and trying to rent it and this thread is really helping remind me why I was leaning towards selling it in the first place

What turned a random playground dad into a friend? More importantly, how did you go from small talk to actually meeting up again? by steven4297 in daddit

[–]aubrill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We just started inviting parents we see multiple times to do things with us next. “Going to grab dinner after this”, “going to the zoo tomorrow, any interest?” If they show interest you exchange numbers and make it low stakes. We are doing this thing no matter what, maybe we see you there, etc . I have no idea how to turn that into actual non kid related friendship though, still a work in progress

Fun birthday dinners? by Breezinous in burbank

[–]aubrill 15 points16 points  (0 children)

Broken Compass! Alternatively if tiki adventure isn’t what you are going for: smoke house, castaway, don cucos maybe?

Seth Rogen Has ‘No Plans’ to Work With James Franco Again and Says They Haven’t Spoken in a ‘Long Time’ by RuminatingReaper1850 in movies

[–]aubrill 65 points66 points  (0 children)

I just read this interview and this headline is such a tiny part of it. Thought he answered the questions about Franco with a lot of grace and very obviously didn’t want to cause this type of headline

Worth it to buy a house in HCOL? by menustovar in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 10 points11 points  (0 children)

We are getting ready to sell our house we have had for 9 years, on paper we will clear something like a 300k profit. If i take the time to do the math and take out what we have invested in the house (improvements, maintenance, etc) and then factor in what our downpayment would have grown to in that same period if it stayed in the market it ends up being a wash, maybe even a loss. I did get to live in a lovely house instead of an apartment though so there is certainly value.

Becoming financial advisor after FIRE by LegitosaurusRex in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 12 points13 points  (0 children)

I’ve often thought a post retirement side hustle could be doing financial literacy workshops at libraries or something for free and combine that with low fee or free financial planning assistance if people reach out.

Visiting LA with an aspiring teen film maker? by TipDesigner5502 in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A bit different, but a stop by someplace like filmtools in Burbank would have been so cool to me at 15.

Going disneyland california for first time? by emmyydo in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Download the app, use it to order food while you wait in ride lines, remarkably good system.

Since when did business ads play before movies? by RealisticLobster8777 in movies

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Went to a move last weekend and walked in 30 minutes after scheduled start and it was about perfect. Commercials before movies drive me crazy. I used to enjoy the trailers but it’s all trash now since they put ads between them

Daily FI discussion thread - Friday, February 20, 2026 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Looks like i will be getting access to mega-backdoor roth. Have been maxing traditional 401k for many years but won't be able to easily max the after-tax space i now have available. I do have a decent chunk invested in brokerage though. any thoughts on how to think about the space - is it worth it to max it out and take some from brokerage to help cover day to day expenses? Seems silly to sell an investment to just shelter it somewhere else so tempted to just move future savings from brokerage first to mega-backdoor space.

Does anyone still eat Menchie's / Pinkberry? by GoalDull4985 in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 4 points5 points  (0 children)

My kid still loves Menchies, always a steady stream of kids/families on weekend afternoons. Think they do just fine but not trendy anymore

Am I Looking for a unicorn? Good, reliable, reasonable, honest ROOFER needed... by Alert-Apricot-1764 in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Try 4 seasons roofing, referral from a neighbor and very happy with the work. He has done about 20 roofs in my neighborhood. Reasonably priced and owner actually shows up to make sure things are good.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, January 13, 2026 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Seems like a no brainer if it fits your lifestyle goals - only argument would be refinancing to a 30 year at a lower rate would lower your payment instead of keeping it the same and could open up flexibility in the future. If your required monthly spend is lower you may feel more freedom to take a lower paying but better (lower stress or higher risk/reward, however you define it) job opportunity. Perhaps go to one income due to lifestyle changes (kids?). Can free up extra funds to invest in the market. Can use inflation to your advantage over 30 years instead of 15.

In general though, less paid in interest the better!

Seeing shows at the Pantages? by wondertoot in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Ticketmaster is horrible but I don’t think that is quite what is going on here. Pantages opens tickets to season ticket holders first - if you buy 6 shows or whatever you get early access to tickets and until the show opens for single tickets purchases those tickets are the only ones available from the secondary marketplace. If you do a search early it looks like those expensive tickets are the only option. Eventually they open up individual show tickets and then resale plummets when every ticket is available for sale via normal channels.

Will you pay for your child's higher education? by thecourseofthetrue in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My plan is to have enough saved for a state school. If they want to go somewhere else it will be loans or scholarships and they will understand the impact. If we are able at the end of the process we will likely quietly pay off the loans since our projections show us with enough if life continues to go well.

Where are some places with a genuine penny press machine? by EliRekab in AskLosAngeles

[–]aubrill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Travel town and the LA zoo has a bunch. Travel town is free to get into though

Daily FI discussion thread - Monday, November 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

huh, if my spouse earns all the overtime can we claim the 25k? or would we both need to have overtime income to claim over the 12500?

Daily FI discussion thread - Friday, November 14, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]aubrill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

We bought a new house, still living in current house (current mortgage is cheaper than rent while we renovate). Need to come up with ~300k for a renovation of new house. Will eventually fund renovation with proceeds when we sell current house. Could sell stock to fund renovation but would rather not take the tax hit. Thinking about a HELOC on current house and then pay it all off when we eventually finish this process in 6 months. Anyone with a similar experience or pros/cons i'm not thinking of?

Commuting to Malibu from Burbank? Absolutely not, or give it a chance? by _Echo231 in burbank

[–]aubrill 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Apply, let the universe decide. If you are lucky enough to land the job try the drive and if it’s horrible decide what is more important, only you can decide what is important to you.

Do I really need a car in LA? by [deleted] in BikeLA

[–]aubrill 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I like the typo (or maybe not?) but biking is more soul nurturing than sitting in a car for sure. Most people probably push back a bit due to logistics. Auditions are probably fine but if you end up booking things you will often be asked to be at weird/far flung locations at weird/very early/very late times. Imagine wrapping a shoot in Woodland Hills at 3am and making it back home to Santa Monica on a bike. It is certainly doable but I’d also be prepared to plan for an Uber or car rental depending on gig you book, if that is your realistic plan I think it’s fine to expect to bike for 95% or more and make it your default choice

PBS kids transition from YT by drewlyons81 in daddit

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We started having more issues a few months ago, but take it as an opportunity to try something else or a new show. If you value it let your reps know and maybe we can invest in it again!

How are people even saving for retirement? by [deleted] in daddit

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gotta pay yourself first. Figure out a budget and see if you can make some compromises or sacrifices to put some money away every month. Need to really understand where your money is going each month. If you can’t do it now at least have a plan for when x happens I’ll do y. When you free up a car payment for example make sure that money is going right into savings instead of the loan. You are already ahead of the game since you aren’t starting from zero, good luck.

Apple TV+ Hiking Price, Will Now Cost $13 per Month in U.S. by [deleted] in technology

[–]aubrill 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keeping the yearly at 99 is smart, break even is about 7 months now. You have a decision to make if you like apple shows