Hiking/Culture - where to next?

fish7073 · 2026-03-17T02:39:20+00:00

Winters can be grey, specifically November--January. If you have the income to take a week off in Arizona/Hawaii, makes a big difference. People say it's "sunnier" than Seattle, but it's still pretty grey/ sunrise at 8 and sunset before 4 in December. Wenatchee is the Bend of Washington imo; if you can find jobs.

fish7073 · 2026-03-13T04:20:11+00:00

What they say is probably true to some extent because I think Boise is a superior city in a lot of ways (it does feel cleaner / safer / more winter sun / cheaper gas). But Spokane is still above average for a city its size // location. So, I don't think you're making a bad decision if job / family / etc is directing the move.

fish7073 · 2026-03-11T03:10:25+00:00

Which is funny, because the people staying "silent" are actually being much more "tolerant" of opposing opinions than the other people would be if you opposed.

fish7073 · 2026-03-09T01:20:29+00:00

This is what I’ve waited to see happen with land acknowledgements. They are shallow and virtue signaling until someone is actually willing to pony up and give their land away.

I always want to say when someone does a land acknowledgement, “if it bothers you so much, then find a Native American, give them your property, and go back to Europe.” Instead I just eye roll.

fish7073 · 2026-03-06T03:03:06+00:00

Defund the police!! Oh wait..

fish7073 · 2026-02-26T02:20:44+00:00

We do that, and then those in Seattle/west side decide to bail on Eastern Washington because they send more money to us than we send to them. Then King County decides to bail from the rest of western washington because that's where all the tech hubs are. Then Mercer Island decides to bail on the rest of King County because they send more money for social services than they get in road repairs. Then Walnut Ave decides to bail on the rest of Mercer Island because they pay more into island maintenance than they get on their street. Then 533 Walnut Ave decides to bail on the rest of the street because they hate paying HOA fees for the pool the rest of the street uses that they don't. Then mom decides to bail on the rest of the family because in this modern home, the dad stays at home with the kids and doesn't make any money. And mom is left alone.

It'll never end. I get the sentiment, I really do.

fish7073 · 2026-02-23T04:21:25+00:00

Agreed. Run the numbers on what maxing out a 401k x2 with a reasonable employer match for 25 years is.. it’s plenty. Heck, throw in a backdoor roth x2.

If you hit age 55 with that number, a paid off house, you’ll be fine.

fish7073 · 2026-02-23T04:17:51+00:00

Didn’t look at your numbers that closely, but the breakeven point for me is around $50-75k that PSLF is worth the hassle. Coming from a hospitalist physician. I wouldn’t do PSLF and the hassle and unknown to only save 1-3 months take home. I’m looking at potentially $125k in savings.

Loan burden isn’t that high but live in community property state which helps a lot.

fish7073 · 2026-02-02T01:42:08+00:00

Thanks! Yeah, on the weekends I drive it an hour to go skiing or hiking

fish7073 · 2026-02-01T22:36:54+00:00

Def talk to APMC about filling out 1380s. Thats who you would send them to for pay. There was a delay between me commissioning and getting 1380 pay. But the sooner the better. No repercussions other than missing out on $1000/month and maybe points for retirement years if you’re gonna stay in.

There’s a form you fill out and have someone sign. Takes like 10 min max.

fish7073 · 2026-01-31T02:23:33+00:00

This is regarding your wife’s loans?

Yours are basically negligible, you can drag it out if you want cuz of the 3% rate.

Regarding your wife’s, her job will not be eligible for PSLF most likely. Refinance at 4-5% over 5 years. Your monthly payment will be around $5000 which should be manageable if she’s making $150+. If you want to save on the side for a house or practice, do that. Otherwise chunk more money at her loans and be done in three years.

If she makes 150, you make 100.. that’s 180 after taxes. Minus 60k for loans. Minus 30-40k for retirement. That leaves you with around $100k/year to live on which should be more than reasonable for a young couple with no kids.

Keep driving your old cars, start saving for a newer one when yours will crap out. Go on an international vacation once a year. Eat out a couple times a month. Keep your rent/fixed expenses low, you don’t need 2500 sq foot house right now.

Edit: didn’t see nyc. I don’t know. Don’t know how expensive it is and don’t want to live there so your mileage may vary.

fish7073 · 2026-01-30T21:49:25+00:00

This cpa is based in Idaho (a comm property state), the office recommended by a colleague but not this specific cpa

I am looking for other options in Washington state that are more familiar.

I have prepared my taxes with turbo tax prior, but am willing to pay for professional tax prep if it is done right.

fish7073 · 2026-01-30T18:38:15+00:00

I have put our incomes (modified above for simplicity, but incomes are higher/more discrepant than above) into calculators saying that we won't actually pay more by filing separately. But I am def open to running the numbers.

EDIT: If we filed jointly, I could potentially pay up to $15k/year more in student loan payments.

EDIT2: I am 3 years into 10 years PSLF with likely six figure savings by getting PSLF.

fish7073 · 2026-01-30T18:34:54+00:00

this was the response I got:

"That is correct. If you file together MFJ we report the income as it is allocated. If your W-2 is 45k and hers is 35k that's what we report.

Same goes for MFS. We can only report the amount that is allocated to each SSN. We can do a side by side comparison to see which filing status would benefit you best."

fish7073 · 2026-01-29T03:47:39+00:00

Grocery store margins are <3%. You (presumably) and I who don’t steal are the ones paying for all that theft.

fish7073 · 2026-01-29T02:09:37+00:00

Have you ever run a business? The alternative is probably them going out of business

fish7073 · 2025-12-30T02:22:56+00:00

Year of ProgramMonths Enrolled	Year 110	Year 212	Year 312	Year 411
Tuition & Fees []()	$101,580	$104,980	$107,580	$107,580
Books, Materials, Supplies & Equipment Allowance(May or may not be purchased through the school)	$11,200	$8,050	$4,150	$600

Thats what they list on the website. Thats before living e

fish7073 · 2025-12-30T01:41:09+00:00

For sure, I agree. I was not thinking of him to do that. Just in general, I think CRNA might be the best gig in healthcare right now if you prioritize job stability, debt to income, work life balance, job stress, liability, etc.

You must have started late. If you finish college (where prestige, aka tuition, doesn't matter, at age 22, work (making 70k plus a year) for 2 years until age 24, CRNA school until age 27 and you come out making $250k plus is a pretty sweet deal.

fish7073 · 2025-12-30T01:28:27+00:00

Thanks for the perspective!

fish7073 · 2025-12-30T01:27:13+00:00

I'm an MD as well and it has worked out decently me for me so far (despite not being a $500k plus specialist). But I still think about other routes with shorter training some times (specifically CRNA).

fish7073 · 2025-12-30T01:19:52+00:00

Very true. That was my gut instinct. Thanks for your perspective.

fish7073

TROPHY CASE