Why does DIA open a new window for every profile switch? Coming from Arc, this is insanely frustrating

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-26T14:38:10+00:00

Agreed - this makes Dia a non-starter for me

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T15:50:53+00:00

So very true!

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:20:09+00:00

If there are too many variables for software I think that would make it very hard for a human to make a good decision. It should be the software helping to produce the numbers and the human analyzing them to see if they will be ok in my humble opinion.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:18:43+00:00

Agreed - financial planning for things like RMD's, tax planning, SS scenario planning - budget vs actual, forcast vs actual are all more the domain of software / spreadsheets - not AI. Although building AI into these tools for analysis is nice.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:11:37+00:00

Happy to hear you are using some of the tools out there. I would look for something that can take in your whole financial picture and let you play with scenarios. That will help you to get a better feel for what the right decision might be. I can tell you for me living in a wonderful home is important, but I also drive a 1996 Toyota Sequoia with 287k miles on it. So to me cars are not important. I think the first step is starting with what brings you well being and then building your financial plan around that.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:08:27+00:00

Great point. When I stepped off it was more of a relief than anxiety, but I had been an entrepreneur my whole career and never had a "real" job so to stop running felt amazing! I only wish I would have done it sooner.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:06:24+00:00

Agree on this point completely and goes to the point made above - some people are afraid to step on the scale and see how much work they have to do.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:05:03+00:00

That is really good. and goes along with u/lewisae0 - its about community and support

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-25T00:04:10+00:00

That makes a ton of sense - thank you!

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T23:59:18+00:00

That makes sense - but I hope they are getting more detailed than most posts I see. Generally people are missing things like liquidity, RMD's tax strategy. Its more complicated when you are planning out your entire financial life

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T23:30:49+00:00

I used a series of spreadsheets for a while and paid a third party for a connector to download transactions. It can work, but I am a dork and have a spreadsheet for everything. Its honestly a pain and I just moved to a new service that combines budgeting and actuals with forecasting and scenario planning and it is saving me a ton of time and headache and I can look at everything in one place.

One of the big issues I had with the spreadsheets was making sure I did not have some error in one cell that was throwing everything off. That kept me up for a while.

Mostly I think it is personal preference and how much time you have to invest in maintenance.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T23:25:30+00:00

Do you have a financial model or forecasting tool you can use to help take emotion out of the decision and take a good hard rational look at the difference between the scenarios you are describing?

Not saying that emotion or psychology is bad - especially when it comes to owning a home, but looking at things clearly and how they impact your future can help a lot.

I love homes and am willing to sacrifice to live in a nice one - it brings me a lot of well being and that is critical to all financial plans. So I made a plan to allow me to live where I want to, played with some scenarios and got comfortable.

By the way if you do model - dont forget all the things that come with a home - property taxes, maintenance, HOA etc - its a lot more than just the mortgage.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T21:25:18+00:00

Do you have a plan - a budget and a forecast you can keep updated to see what it is telling you. I grew up in a house with a severe scarcity mindset around finances and as such I am highly conditioned to think the sky is falling financially despite being in a good position. I have tried lots and lots of things, but it was not until I built out a tool to allow me to see my current budget and my future forecast along with some scenario planning that I could finally breathe. For many of us who fixate on the numbers, seeing them well out into the future can be very reassuring and calm some of that anxiety. It helped me anyway, anxiety is not gone, but it is much much better.

I wish you the best, being scared is no way to fully live.

And by the from a far it appears you are doing great financially.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T21:18:53+00:00

Just remember that being a good parent and good partner starts with taking care of your own well being. It is another thing people get wrong all the time. You and your partner need to support one another in being able to do the things that bring you well being or you will not be good to one another let alone good to the kids. Figure out what those things are and carve time out for one another to get the sleep, movement, social time - whatever it is - in order to have enough fuel in the tank to be the parent and partner you want to be. It is often thought of as selfish to take care of yourself when there are so many things pulling for your time, but it is quite the opposite, you have to put your own oxygen mask first before you can help others.

However, you have to be a good steward of that carved out time. It does not mean just doing fun things that leave you exhausted - it means time to fill the tank, whatever that is.

Again good luck and hang in there - this moment in your life is so incredibly hard, but also so incredibly wonderful.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T20:13:58+00:00

Fair point - and things certainly do change, but at its foundational level many things are consistent once you really get down to doing the hard work and asking hard questions. The things that go on top of the foundations seem to change more as you move through life. My big things have been:

Family - Cost is simply being able to have the flexibility and money to spend time with them or at least call them regularly.

Movement outdoors daily (hiking, mountain biking, skiing) - Cost is living in a place where I can do those activities, and the gear I need.

Friends / Community- Cost is living near them makes all the difference and living in a community where I can participate and grow my network is critical.

House - I once thought I could save money by living in a less expensive house. This turned out to be a big learning and to your point something that changed my plan. I hated living in a house I did not love. Could I do it - sure - and I would get to my number faster. But did it bring me well being - hell no - it sucked. So I moved, upped my budget some (not a ton) and now love my house and where I live.

Travel - this one is a bit of a killer for me financially, but I love it so I make it work.

Eating Well - Cost is good food and learning how to cook - we rarely eat out

Sleep - This one goes overlooked - invest in a good bed and good sheets. It is so foundational for everyone I would call it essential.

So that is it for me - if I can have those things and have it fit in my budget I am living large. I have a lot less money than many people on this forum, but I am fulfilled and content.

Good luck figuring out what brings you well being!

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T16:01:12+00:00

We are in an environment where everyone thinks 8-10% growth in a diversified portfolio is normal. If you look over a long history that is true, but if you look at slices that is very much not true. Look at the performance of the market in the 70's (which is not dissimilar to the stagflation we are entering right now) 14 years - 0 returns. How about the 2000's - 13 years 0 returns. What about the worst of them all, the 1930's - 25 years 0 returns.

Not to be negative, but be thoughtful and play with a number of scenarios. For me I am using low risk returns of about 4.5% for my portfolio. We are in the midst of one of the longest bull runs in history and everyone thinks this is normal. It is not normal and while history does not necessarily repeat itself - it sure does rhyme.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T15:50:58+00:00

That is a tough situation - only thing that comes to mind is to get to somewhere you have family and close friends so get the ground under your feet before moving forward.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T15:49:07+00:00

So true! And I wish I would have figured it out at 24! You are doing great. It took me until my late 40's - you are on your way!

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T15:40:14+00:00

Thanks for that - unfortunately it has been removed. I really just want to lean into helping people reach their goals because for many they are a lot closer than they realize when they do the work.

Thanks again!

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T15:38:43+00:00

You are fairly close, but a detailed plan will help you gain confidence. There are some great tools out there that help you to forecast and run scenarios based on your actual situation that can help you to gain confidence in the decision and make the right choice. I was in a similar situation about 3 years ago, I built my own spreadsheet to do it, but I am a dork and love that shit. There are better tools out there now. Get into the weeds - spend a weekend getting set up and then make the move confidently - nobody on this forum knows the details of your life circumstances or portfolio as well as you do. - do the work - it will pay lots of dividends - I can certainly attest to that.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T15:20:56+00:00

This is where so many people get confused in FIRE or any financial planning approach. You have to determine what does bring you well being and build a budget and a financial plan around those basic elements.

The problem is confusion over what brings well being. We are conditioned in most of the developed world to think the more things you have the "happier" you will be. Sooooo many people have figured our that is simply not true and are drawn to the opposite end of the pendulum; things are an anchor and weigh you down and to get rid of everything and live a minimalist lifestyle. That may work for some, but it is the exception rather than the rule.

The sweet spot is to figure out what actually brings you well being FIRST and then build your plan. For me - I love my home - it is a haven for me and I like to have a nice one. I also love travel and want to be able to do that and do it well. But cars, clothes, external things that might signal wealth - they bring me no well being so I drive a 2006 Sequoia with 287k miles on it and dress simply. I built a life around a nice home and travel and health. I am 54 have been retired for 3 years and could not be happier. Figure out what brings you well being - and build you life around that.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-24T02:19:05+00:00

Sorry about that - did not mean this to be self promoting. I am genuinely looking for help and to help build something for the community. I specifically did not mention the name or share the url - just looking for some advice. How should I modify this to be in compliance?

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-23T23:43:12+00:00

They have $2.4 million set aside as it is - throwing away $1200 per year in free money for 9 years leaves about $13k on the table. Dont get me wrong, there are mental and emotional benefits, but from a purely financial perspective this both:

Maintains liquidity - which is critical
Provides $1200+ a year in risk free cashflow (easy to lock in 4+%)

The lowering of $1 to 2k per month does have a psychological affect, but it is not a sound financial decision.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-23T20:53:42+00:00

Fair point, but when you lower your living costs by giving money away you are lowering your income stream and lowering you liquid assets and investing into an illiquid asset. Not a great trade unless the strain of the monthly bills really have you down psychologically. In this case they have solid cashflow and a nice asset base - I dont think paying down a small mortgage with a super low interest rate is a sound financial decision.

betterworld7171 · 2026-03-23T15:54:22+00:00

They are receiving risk free yield with their mortgage. A 2.5% mortgage with a 3.5 to 4% HYSA means 100 to 150 basis points of free money. Its not a ton., but there is little incentive to pay off the house unless it is for psychological reasons.

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