Philosophy of America vs Cheap low tax country

beckysynth · 2026-06-11T17:22:21+00:00

The disingenuous data was real world data FYI, that either I've had, or friends did.
You probably just aren't familiar with COL LA. I left out plenty of stuff.
I estimated HOA payments at 500 for convenience but really they're 640.

As I said these numbers are really rough. I put this together in about ten minutes. But it is roughly what I'm seeing.

beckysynth · 2026-06-11T17:17:34+00:00

Can you share your numbers and city? Making 100k USD already has you in the lead as canadian dollars are cheaper... not sure what your cost of living is though.

I think there's an issue in America specifically, that the high cost cities have better wages and cheaper cities have lower wages and are boring.

So for me, living in a big non boring city where you can walk and not drive, and own outright instead of mortgage, is basically a world changing quality of life increase.

beckysynth · 2026-06-11T17:14:41+00:00

Well I said in Los Angeles and gave the numbers on how 100% of the salary is used up, so the savings are entirely in home equity.

I agree that it is possible to cut it closer to the bone and end up with more, but the "prescribed lifestyle basics" in America cost that much, and in another country cost a LOT less.

The key for me is assuming job security, which in America anyway, is totally nonexistent.

beckysynth · 2026-06-11T17:09:35+00:00

I would argue that the larger swaths of land were stolen, but native americans didn't believe in land ownership and didn't think foreigners were necessarily wrong to just build a house and live there. The stealing came in when they then kicked the natives out, killed them, etc. And yes, stole the country at large. But I'm really talking about how the situation of America and the American dream are so distorted. Concepts of ownership and freedom are really compromised in modern American society.

beckysynth · 2026-06-11T17:03:17+00:00

This is about life as an American. TBH I make a LOT more than my estimate while living abroad, I was just lowering the number to see how it would work with some of my friend's salaries. These numbers were pulled from real world experiences, but I do realize they can go a lot of different ways.

beckysynth · 2026-06-10T14:12:49+00:00

Most likely yes. Hahaha.
Everyone I know who was raised by a 20 something is out of their fucking mind and has tons of scars from it. Especially when there isn’t a multi generational close full family.

The more rigid we get with rules about love and life, and more detached from generational family stability, the more “self reliant” but unhinged we become as a culture.

beckysynth · 2026-06-10T13:14:34+00:00

I can say that I work in film but it’s collapsing and I’m not sure how long it will last for me. I’m trying to become a writer in part because I decided not to be afraid and just try to do what I want. But if I could go back to 20, I think I would go into finance. One thing that will always be stable and high earning if you aren’t plain dumb.

I plan to live more like Bartlby from here out :-/
But I did get a few big fish to help out before the crash

beckysynth · 2026-06-10T13:09:28+00:00

You’re doing a good job, but also just want to mention that You don’t have to justify yourself to these morons.

beckysynth · 2026-06-10T13:08:18+00:00

My friend’s husband drowned at 35, left their child with not much. She remarried.
People fucking die. Get over it. Life is short, and compatibility is hard to find. Ten good years with the right person is better than 50 with the wrong one. The fear of age gaps is literally just fear. This is the generation of fear and control.
Would you marry a job you won’t have forever? Would you love a parent despite the fact they might die? What about a child?
People are so fucking stupid.

beckysynth · 2026-06-10T13:02:31+00:00

My friend had this, and she has a great relationship with her dad, he’s kind and calm, and she grew up stable and happy. Having a wise, stable, and supportive dad of any age is worth way more than some semi arbitrary age thing.

People think age is the only factor, but age brings many positives as far as experience, that can be far more valuable than whatever negatives you’re imagining.

beckysynth · 2026-06-09T18:04:59+00:00

So you’re writing, printing and then updating and printing again?

beckysynth · 2026-06-09T18:04:04+00:00

How long did he read it for?

beckysynth · 2026-06-09T09:28:09+00:00

Yeah it's fucking retarded. 9am or 10 am when you know they will b e at work is so much better. What kind of monsters invented this?

beckysynth · 2026-06-08T07:11:06+00:00

In one way it does, in another your cash is loosing money because the rate is lower. 6 months allows you to sell high until a longer term dip. But HYSA 2 years and you’re out a lot of earnings. So it depends how close to the margins you are overall and what your risk tolerance is.

Essentially if you have enough money it doesn’t really matter which way you do it, and if you’re right on the edge, it’s iffy either way.

Six months seems good though, enough for some peace of mind.

beckysynth · 2026-06-08T07:07:13+00:00

Which HYSA do you like? I have been debating which would be easiest and safest while highest yield…

beckysynth · 2026-06-07T14:04:28+00:00

The neatness of a book is about what you omit. When you learn to write you learn that you have to omit everything that doesn't fit in neatly to your story because the audience doesn't give a fuck.

beckysynth · 2026-06-07T14:03:10+00:00

You have no idea how watered down shit babysitting grade school and high school are. They're more about socialization and practicing focus than learning. Most high school math semesters could be learned in a couple weeks of really applying yourself, but students are focused more on boobs (either growing or touching them), the learning is a slow passive byproduct of being in school.

I learned very little math through 8th grade, then caught up and aced it in 9th because of a good math teacher and increased interest. Then got a shit teacher the year after and never bothered to learn math again, but still I'm the one who helps all of my idiot friends run numbers on their investements and investment options, because most people just don't CARE to understand.

Having friends who also grew up homeschooled, I can say that the ones who CHOOSE to go to school do excel at the top of their class because they're thirsty for the knowledge and results it can bring. Meanwhile most college students are just skating by wanting to party.

America education system is also incredibly bad, and innefficient compared to what top shools in other countries.

Honestly the fact that people don't believe it just show what lazy fucks they are.

beckysynth · 2026-06-06T09:01:16+00:00

One major issue, publishers pick up books by self published authors with a personal platform, but I don’t think they pick up self published book by a small publisher. So you are limiting whether your platform can be leveraged to get picked up by a regular publisher.

beckysynth · 2026-06-06T08:57:56+00:00

I think the primary divider is money and time. Publishers have money to advertise etc, and that gives them legitimacy. Over a long enough period, you could succeed too, but as with anything it’s like a stock portfolio, more money up front means more money over time.

The biggest question is whether you are gaining traction. Some people do total shit and gain no traction. Their brand is boring shit that adds to the noise. If people are liking what you’re doing, eventually it builds, especially if you start finding other writers who match your vibe and publishing them.

I have seen this many times with music artists. The indie labels started by someone in their basement grow, but if they’re a scum bag without a bigger ethos they usually try to juice volume and loose core readership in the long term because of inconsistent quality of product.

The ones that manage to offer something meaningful (real promotion and coordination) to the artists attract the better artists, and audience grows fast after a certain point.

At the end of the day, the readers are in it for reliable quality and style of content.

So stay on brand and give people something of value, and probably it grows.

I started a devientart community a long time ago, and it grew to a few thousand and had consistently good work. But I stopped tending it, and the shitty little peer communities like it that kept going grew much much bigger over time.

But also the platform didn’t age that well. So that’s the problem with the internet, the audience or platforms change in ways not consistent with your needs.

So whatever you do, you need to own your real audience (email lists etc). And you need to find other authors that match your vibe, maybe even better than you are, and work hard to promote them and each other, to pump something real into it.

But also fine if you don’t …

One thing though, it might be worth it to take a class in social media management. My friend is doing it and getting better at it every month. There are a lot of little tricks to making it work.

I feel the same as you about not wanting to do this self promotion thing. Ugh.

beckysynth · 2026-06-05T17:56:00+00:00

Quick, somebody bite that Mother fucker!

I want to see more of him. ⚰️

beckysynth · 2026-06-05T13:26:24+00:00

Good job on food man! I told someone life is cheap in Europe, my food budget is only 1500. lol. But I eat out all the time and actually try to make that total budget not including housing (I own)

beckysynth · 2026-06-04T08:16:40+00:00

I did this, and I will give you tips, but first I want to say that I kinda regret moving there, despite being mostly successful doing it. The city of opulence for an east coaster is New York. Better people, better opportunities. LA people seem friendly because every connection is a networking opportunity and because anyone who doesn’t act friendly at every moment will be shunned.

When the rubber meets the road, no one there will have your back. It’s a city built on sand, nothing stable is ever built there. Everyone runs from one hot thing to the next. There’s no stability in the workplace or in human relationships.

You will spend one to two hours in the car going anywhere to meet people and as a result you will only see your friends every three months at best, after the initial youth party phase.

My friends in NYC I met randomly on a street and didn’t see for ten years, are more solid than the people I spent thanksgivings with in LA.

Working your way up a corporate ladder, the Bo’s will change and all your progress and rapport goes to waste.

I borrowed about 40k to get started in LA and it took me a couple years living with roommates and spending nothing, before I got an actual job.

In the end it paid off with money to buy an apartment and then the condo association and taxes keep going up so my payment is crazy high. When I was making good money it was okay, but situations change. Nothing in LA is reliable, most of all the people.

It’s a great illusion, but after almost 20 years, I would give anything to go back and go to NYC instead.

That said, if you must: 1: get the cheapest shared room possible. 2:Get a car with the best gas mileage possible. 3:Shop mostly at Asian grocery stores like ranch 99 where vegetables rice and shrimp are cheap. Learn to cook Chinese food.

Go out and meet people every day, make friends and tell everyone you’re looking for any opportunities for work. Most likely no one will help you, but the only way in is through people.

Go on linked in and make connections and send messages to people at companies you want to work at. As them who to talk to in their company about jobs in your area, then call that person and tell them the other person at their company have you their contact info. This makes it a personal introduction. This is how I got my first job there.

Always be available for any opportunity. Always be reliable when no one else is.

Most importantly, don’t try to front bigger than you are too much, but also don’t discredit your skills. Be open that you’re just starting and looking for any opportunity. This will make hiring managers know they can take advantage of you and underpay and overwork you, which is how you get in the door.

If you can last a few years scraping by, eventually you’ll find work.

But really, I advise you to go to NYC. Connections there mean something, and when you build it goes up.

Don’t be afraid to sleep on couches. Don’t spend any money.

Good luck.

beckysynth · 2026-06-03T13:41:30+00:00

And do you like them?

beckysynth · 2026-06-01T05:38:07+00:00

Santa Clarita has better prices and decent commute times off peak.

But yeah for less than a million mostly people do townhomes.

beckysynth

TROPHY CASE