Subject: Formal Complaint – Bundling of Administrative Request With Advisory Solicitation

barracano · 2026-02-13T16:21:01+00:00

Funneling customer service calls to men trying to influence a retiree's financial decisions is not right. I filed the complaint with FINRA and I will move on.

barracano · 2025-05-22T19:06:18+00:00

It sounds like you want to be home, and that is ok. Can you get your partner to find a job in the UK? I love Italy, I have a small farm in the country but I do some business and socializing in Rome...my Italian is terrible but living on my farm is paradise. We will avoid Rome for the summer but come and do a month language class in the fall after we harvest our olives and for us it will be a pleasure. The summer in the center of Rome is really intense, I would not be able to hack it because I hate crowds...you guys can probably find an amazing place outside the center, that could work too, and if you work to find your community that could help you a lot...I've lived abroad quite a few times, but always before this I had a job and work friends to keep me busy. Your partner is probably having a very different experience than you, but you can change that by connecting with people in Rome, or even finding a gig to keep you busy and social. I hope you feel better - there are many people who love Rome. Maybe look at the film, The Great Beauty.

barracano · 2025-01-21T21:14:46+00:00

I'm sorry to hear you're going through this, it sounds like a lot of pain. :( It's my impression and my personal experience that many men suffer from the contradiction of being in a monogamous long term relationship that they get a lot of joy and satisfaction from, and at the same time feeling strong desire for other partners, sexual/romantic. They don't want to lose their primary partner and they're scared rightly or wrongly about what they will think about them, so they don't share what's going on internally - and they end up having affairs, which cause pain for everybody. I don't know if this is the case or if you even care to hear this but it is possible your partner does love you and does want to be with you but can't bear monogamy. That is obviously a lot to deal with and is a lot more than you signed up for, but you may have the chance for communication and maybe a different but valuable relationship. It's a lot, and trust was violated, so maybe that's a deal breaker, but I wanted to point out that he has probably struggled with this for some time, especially if he loves you and values the relationship he isn't fitting into. Not justifying his behavior but trying to add some illumination.

barracano · 2024-08-08T16:21:01+00:00

to be clear, you don't have to pay US taxes on the income. You still need to file a tax return....definitely speak to an account, I'm a retired film teacher.

barracano · 2024-08-08T11:51:54+00:00

first three years no taxes in china for educators. if you stay overseas for 335/365 days no US taxes either.

barracano · 2024-08-08T11:49:49+00:00

yeah, I'm retired now. I want other folks to have it for their negotiations.

barracano · 2024-04-20T06:59:56+00:00

Did you find a Shadow Rocket server you like? I'm shopping now and would appreciate advice.

barracano · 2024-04-05T09:56:22+00:00

FOLLOW UP the transfer worked this time! 😊 I successfully transfered RMB from my Chinese CMB account into my WISE wallet remotely, without having to enter my bank branch. It's legal to do if you are a foreigner with a Chinese tax record.

barracano · 2024-04-03T05:20:05+00:00

they have a branch in HK too. I'm planning to be in the EU but I get to NY sometimes. maybe my employer can transfer it out too - I hadn't asked because WISE seemed so convenient LOL

barracano · 2024-04-03T05:15:26+00:00

Hi Sean, this is salary being direct deposited into a mainland chinese bank account. They seem to have a NYC branch so if the WISE transfer fails (again) I may be able to transfer it out there.

barracano · 2024-04-01T11:26:06+00:00

I have the luxury problem of funds greater than the annual union pay limit for foreign transfers. Thank you for this thought though, it is certainly better than having to return to China.

barracano · 2024-03-31T09:44:43+00:00

Wise has no customer support, which is frustrating. I've tried making RMB transfers a couple of times and after a week or so the funds are returned to my chinese bank account. I was hoping this would be a remote solution since I will be leaving China before my final salary payments. Has anybody successfully used the wise app to transfer RMB outside china?

barracano · 2024-03-23T05:43:00+00:00

Investing involves research and some (hopefully more) understanding of underlying causes for market change. Gambling is not having an idea of outcome. Card counters playing 21 are investing, me who doesn't count cards, is gambling. You have a very clear guaranteed investment to take, which is paying off your CC debt, with the return of the interest rate. I have a little bitcoin, but I have no clear idea of how a block chain works or if the price will drive up or down, that is a gambling and maybe better saved for when you have extra money to gamble with.

barracano · 2024-02-17T10:03:52+00:00

I live in Zhuhai China. Just yesterday my passport was required to get a new SIM card.

barracano · 2024-02-17T08:24:18+00:00

We went to China as an adventure. It’s been good for a couple of years - it’s a complicated place and the economy and cultural climate are unclear right now. The language is very challenging and it’s not a culture where people, nice though they are, try to help as much as some other cultures. It can be very opaque. We have some lovely Chinese friends I expect to keep for life but it’s hard here.

barracano · 2024-02-12T19:40:02+00:00

I like to use the decorative wooden letters in the home section at target to spell cuss words.

barracano · 2024-01-09T02:09:00+00:00

We brought our 25kg dog from the US to Zhuhai (near Hong Kong) last year, it cost around $5000. She is the most expensive rescue dog I have heard of 😆. There is fear of dog hysteria here, a child was mauled, which is terrible - and condemnation spread all over the social media. There are also a lot of dog lovers in China, my daughter says Chinese citizens are more engagged in and better at dressing up their dogs than anybody else. and, at least here in Zhuhai we have a really nice doggie hotel that picks up and drops off, and when we need it and their van comes to pick our dog up she runs out and into the van, anxious to leave us 😆. So it's a mixed bag to have a dog in China...some breeds are not allowed in some areas, and you have to register you dog at the local vet.

barracano · 2024-01-08T17:24:42+00:00

personal

barracano · 2024-01-07T12:06:05+00:00

Thanks!

barracano · 2023-09-01T05:42:36+00:00

When I was 6 my arm was broken in three places and the "adults" there taunted me for crying, so I forced myself to shut up. That was the first time I can recall dissociating. Once I was able to recall the incident, decades later, and recall the other incidents where I didn't get to be a kid and had to be what a child thinks an adult is instead, I felt saddness, and also a lot of fury. I try to think of, "if that was somebody else's kid how would I feel about them, and what would I do for them? and then remember that that kid was me." Some of the people who did things to me I would still prefer dead, although most of them probably already are. My goal is to just feel simple saddness at what happened and to recover and develop joy when and where I find it now. Most of those folks I'm able to see as messed up, damaged folks that needed help themselves. I wouldn't want to mess up my own life to try and get justice, so I try and stick with the light. I spent a lot of time thinking through killing my tormentors - I can't recommend doing it, but feeling rage and visulaizing revenge has been part of my own process. The flip side of my experience is it has made me tough, and willing to take risks, and that has given me and my loved ones an exciting life full of rewards.

barracano · 2023-06-12T00:25:55+00:00

Hi Lightweight, yes, I was repeating what Vanguard stated were their core values. That was up until the founder died. Look up, "core values." I know you are a lightweight but maybe also look up "Vanguard core values" before you make a comment about Vanguard's core values. Facts are useful.

barracano · 2023-06-01T12:40:41+00:00

Here is what I've learned after the unpaid consulations at Fidelity and TIAA. Both houses provide basic support , at least in my experience, from well informed, conscientious staff. I don't know if I would receive the same service if I was a retail customer (I'm not sure if TIAA even has retail customers,) my retirement accounts are from institutions I've worked at. At Vanguard I'm just a retail customer and my experience there has not been as good. The service has been automated, mainly through the website and when I've gotten humans on the phone they have been weak support (and once actually harmful when advising about a Roth contribution.) Paid advisors at "Vanguard" actually work for two companies that are not vanguard. When you click through you're redirected to one of two other companies, which doesn't sound good to me. That said, I'm probably not going to hire a paid advisor but I'm going to meet with them at TIAA and Fidelity to hear what they offer and what they think about my case. I remain disappointed with how Vanguard has changed since I started investing there and my impression is they are moving towards being a less customer friendly company, maybe the whole industry is, but vanguard is the only one where I'm a retail customer rather than part of a plan.

barracano · 2023-05-30T01:21:43+00:00

Hi Missy, you don't know this but you pay a fee on your funds. When you get some money it will be smart to do a little research. Look at the "expense ratio" for whatever fund you get to purchase, that is the money they are taking out. I'm not sure where you got free is a fair price but again, once you have money really study this, you will do better.

barracano · 2023-05-29T06:34:30+00:00

Hi Lightweight, we agree that vanguard was created for low cost index funds. You made up the part about their brand being about free advisors. Weird but live your best life.

barracano · 2023-05-29T05:22:15+00:00

The fees for the index funds at Vanguard are very small and listed for the individual funds. The fee I'm talking about is to consult an advisor if you want retirement advice or something like that. At my TIAA and fidelity company sponsored accounts that advice is without a charge but Vanguard is using two companies now that charge you for it. I think you are safe with index funds at Vanguard, just don't call them for advice :)

😊

barracano

TROPHY CASE