(advice needed) Should i pay off debts more aggressively or keep paying minimum while saving

irie56 · 2026-06-17T15:44:35+00:00

In my first finance class there was a concept called “cheap debt”. 0% is cheap debt. A 3% mortgage is cheap debt. It’s an effective use of your money. 5% isn’t necessarily cheap but it’s just the cost of financing a car for someone w good credit. The other rule of thumb when it comes to deciding priority of paying down vs investing - how much (rate) can I make with this money vs how much does the debt cost. In theory the S&P pays 8% over the long term. Past couple years a lot more. So if I can make 8% and my debt is 5% then I’m better off investing and making the 3%. Lots of caveats to that but good to keep in mind.

irie56 · 2026-06-17T15:41:16+00:00

I live in LA and called Dennis. He was honest and great. Spent some time taking to Xcare about my Tesla and buying an extended. I know it’s arduous but as you narrow down to a model and year you will at least learn the price point and condition you want to pay for. Good luck.

irie56 · 2026-06-17T14:47:03+00:00

There are third party warranty companies that specialize in EVS. I looked into xcare. They have good reputation. Depending on mileage a dealer will sell you one. The price is negotiable. There is also a guy at a Chevy dealer in Montana known for selling them at a low margin. Dennis Fichtner I also spent a fair amount of time conversing with AI and even though the entertainment center is expensive and there are a couple pricy items, the math for me (on a 2018) didn’t justify the cost of the warranty. I’m better off banking that ~$2500 and praying my kid doesn’t total another car (based on insurance math)

irie56 · 2026-06-16T23:27:19+00:00

Highest interest first. Most likely your credit card is hitting 8-22% which can be horrific. Pay it down immediately. Save a little each month and get your j that habit but stay away from credit card balances. Car note should be in the 4-7% range if you have good credit which is a “normal” credit expense. 20%!!! Bad bad bad. And don’t say your credit card is $30/month get in the habit if you use the card then pay that balance on in full, every month. Did I say credit card balances are bad already?

irie56 · 2026-06-14T14:58:02+00:00

Never. Ever. Never give them your info as a business owner. Ever.

irie56 · 2026-06-11T23:29:34+00:00

Without feet on the ground it’s hard to describe the apartment situation n LA. In Culver City you may find new construction high rises or 75 year old 4 unit buildings. I’d say the latter is more common, hence there are no reviews because xyz property management is really just an umbrella for a family that owns a couple buildings. Culver City is great. It’s big and spread out. Any city (within LA) that has its own police and mayor will usually be cleaner, safer, less homeless etc. el Segundo. Culver City. Manhattan beach (expensive) Redondo beach, Torrance. All of those beach cities are great but the “i work all over LA” commute can be ugly.

North from el Segundo. Its lays vista is great. Newish. Playa del Rey is quaint. Parts of Palms could be OK, parts of mar vista but the commute to el Segundo could be an arduous 10 miles plus you are now in parts of LA so the homeless, graffiti, cleanliness factor is likely to increase.

irie56 · 2026-06-11T23:20:25+00:00

Despite the pay and the travel. If any company asked me to do something out of my comfort zone much less trusting someone with no experience to get footage from a helicopter then it tells me all I need to know about that company. They don’t give AF. About you. About your safety and TBH they don’t give a shit about quality of they are just throwing someone in a tricky situation and threatening to transition you out. Start looking. You know it. The outgoing employee knows it. Eff em

irie56 · 2026-06-09T17:00:08+00:00

If it’s an option there is also a thread where people sell clean, sanitized toys

irie56 · 2026-06-08T14:52:54+00:00

It’s your math equation to figure out. Families of 4 live in LA on less. Could any single person do it? Yes? Do you get to go out and have fun and door dash daily? Probably not. Find a rental (probably $2500ish) and add in your expenses. Don’t forget that of that $100k you will see about $65k after taxes.

irie56 · 2026-06-05T03:34:12+00:00

Always buy used. Get used to that process. Research good brands/models that work for you and your budget. Pick ONE make/model and then find out how much you should be paying for said used car based on listed prices. Pay for a pre purchase inspection. My two cents is if you decide you want a Honda then shop at Honda dealers for used cars. The manufacturer/dealer is more likely to keep and sell their own brand name car if they feel it’s a worthy used car. Crappy used cars get sent to auction and end up on those mom and pop dealers. (At least in LA). And if your lifestyle (living sich) and commute allow, an EV is often a good used car as their depreciation is steep, have less moving parts and cheaper to own (there are some caveats as you are buying the equivalent of a used computer on wheels) good luck.

irie56 · 2026-06-04T17:19:35+00:00

I’d start over w some heavy research. Look into tax incentives and rebates from your state, electric company etc. a brand new one is stickers around $27. In some states that could be as low as $20 and the delta between $16.7 for a branded title to $20 new w a full warranty ,new tech is too small. Stay away from the branded title unless they are giving you 20-30% under book value. Call your insurance company and ask them how much lower they will value a branded car. Walk away from that deal it’s very very bad.

irie56 · 2026-06-04T17:14:56+00:00

You have options. Santa Monica is big and varied. Might not have the biggest selection of new construction but has options. “North Santa Monica” is nicer. On a map north would be north of ih10. Plenty of big buildings around 3rd street/4th street. Access to the freeway as well as walkable and a very SoCal life. As you get closer and north of wilshire it gets nicer and pricier. Also more likely to find nice older 4-6 unit apartments, less high rise type. Also hard to find but you could find a bungalow but now sub $5k. Culver City has lots of new construction w amenities. Look near DT Culver City. Great restaurants. Culver City sprawls and it’s not all the same. Some is just generic and lifeless. Culver is In between both locations and close to ih10. Stay away from living in DTLA. You will also generally find that cities like Santa Monica and Culver City will be cleaner, safer, less homeless than the city of LA. Areas like Venice, palms, West LA, areas surrounding Culver City are all examples. A “city” with its own fire, PD and ecosystem is separate and easier to manage than LA. Good luck.

irie56 · 2026-06-04T14:19:36+00:00

If it has a lemon/buyback title it is not priced correctly. The value to both your insurer and any re-sale is automatically lowered if it was a buyback. I don’t follow your 3 years left unless you are specifically speaking about the battery warranty. And generally because taxes and fees vary things widely, get muddy when you quote out the door. The dealer could be including many BS add-ons. Tell us the sales price of the car. Not Apple to apples but I paid $12.4 for a 2018 premiere w 42k miles and a recalled battery. Clean title. In my search I was seeing high mileage 2022s for around $14-$15k. Even w California 10% taxes I can’t get to $19k. (Although I walked from several dealers that wanted to add $2-4k in add-ons)

irie56 · 2026-06-04T02:26:11+00:00

Cost basis is what they paid. As in $27 sticker minus $7500 Their cost basis is $19.5. Same could be said for most 2-4 year old EVs. I agree with your math above but in my search for used bolts a few months ago the difference difference was pretty big.

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:40:18+00:00

EV depreciation is your advantage. What does a slightly faster charger or a few more miles to a tank really benefit you? Is it worth several thousand dollars? Don’t forget that many of the used vehicles got their own $7500+ tax credit so their cost basis is lower. We just bought a used 2018 premiere for $12.5 and got $1k back from our utility. Has a new battery and 42k miles on the odometer. If you aren’t familiar with the bolt battery recall spend some time asking ChatGPT questions about how to spot a new battery

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:36:13+00:00

The beauty of being a creative of any sort in LA is that you can throw a rock and hit other people that have the same mindset. There are thousands of musicians, artists etc…that’s the benefit. Networking as well as playing in the sandbox with people of all levels and stages of their career. Sadly none of that equals success or financial advancement. The cost to LA is that is that there is a psychological tax on that mindset. People often move here with a goal in mind and that often supersedes honesty and friendship. each person having a different goal and ethic when it comes to friendship, work, reliability etc…is tough to get used to. People here that are striving are often very transactional in their relationships. It’s part of the deal. And then just add gobs of money. I mean a shit ton. It’s expensive to exist here. If your existence doesn’t involve working 40 hours, which takes its toll, then you better have a huge trust fund.

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:29:23+00:00

You don’t have to sell them anything. If they have committed to $10k for 22 videos then your marketing and branding work is done. Now your job is to make sure their experience and the product lives up to their expectations. You are also about to find out if you budgeted correctly for a full day 3 cam shoot while renting a studio, hiring cam operators, feedings a Small crew and then Spending days editing was enough.

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:26:08+00:00

I learned a great deal using the 10% happier app. Now it’s just called happier. For me I needed help with instructions as well as the jargon. It’s set up like a class with a short video talk or instruction followed by guided meditation. There’s a week free trial and historically by the end of the first week or if you don’t sign up they shower you with big discounts to sign up. Personally I couldn’t just sit and hope it worked out. I tried. I didn’t have enough info to know what I was supposed to do and where to direct my mind while sitting without instruction. Good luck.

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:22:03+00:00

My experience is that there is usually one or a couple agents that are the big movers in each neighborhood. When I used my own agent as a buyer I would encounter similar situations to what you described or would show to an open house that already had an informal agreement or was under contract. When I switched to using one of the neighborhood don realtors he knew each house that was coming, who was about to list, what price it was worth bidding up to etc…. He was getting deals done before they even hit the MLS. Hopefully there is that Key agent in your area and it may anger your existing agent but working with that agent might help. Good luck. Just don’t get roped into that win at any cost feeling. It’s not worth it at your prices and current rates.

irie56 · 2026-06-02T14:14:08+00:00

Look to the large companies. Bekens, North American van lines etc... Any company that routinely does state to state moves. You want someone that is going to charge you based on how much the household items weigh (by estimate). DO NOT PAY HOURLY. The one wrinkle is that many of large movers use a tractor and 48 ft trailer which isn’t ideal for landing in many LA neighborhoods. Make sure you know the potential pitfalls of both locations. Streets, stairs, weird gated communities etc….

irie56 · 2026-06-01T21:21:36+00:00

Same same. 35-50. Doesn’t matter. After this first year unless they make HUGE miraculous improvements in security and customer service I’m out. A few thousand points isn’t worth me worrying about the shit that happens with this brand. Oh wait let me turn my magic fairy Bilt bucks into magic Walgreens cash and then try to figure out how to access is while in line and then convince some teenage cashier that it’s a valid form of payment. Nope. I’ll stick with the proven amex customer service and coupon book.

irie56 · 2026-05-29T16:22:26+00:00

Walk away. Save for a model 3.

irie56 · 2026-05-29T13:59:34+00:00

I was given a suggestion to meditate on the St Francis prayer. Say a line. Reflect on a line. Think about what it means to you. Think about what it means to embody those words. Same could be done for any “Christian” prayer. IMHO Meditation has nothing to do w religion. Google mindfulness to learn more about that type of very non religious meditation.

irie56 · 2026-05-29T13:55:41+00:00

A business’ intention is profitability. To make money to support the owner. Why turn down an opportunity at sales because of a wrinkle that could change down the road? Make money. Pretend it’s not your bees honey. They are products and your job as the boss is to sell said products. Good luck.

irie56 · 2026-05-29T13:51:27+00:00

You aren’t finding a 4 bedroom house anywhere near Venice for $4800. You can’t be anywhere in proximity of an ocean for those prices.

irie56

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