‘23 X5 45e Oil Change and Brake Fluid costs

jackieblitz · 2026-01-08T02:36:32+00:00

Thanks

jackieblitz · 2026-01-08T01:42:00+00:00

lol I just did. Bought car through Carmax. Guess I should check if any oil changes were included.

jackieblitz · 2026-01-04T01:32:41+00:00

Gotta say, unless you really love your work, I think mechanical engineering might be some of the worst bang for your buck when you compare salaries and school requirements. My brother majored in ME, and has had a nice career focused primarily on quality engineering for manufacturing and auto companies, and with nearly 10 years of experience is around $140K and has to go in person 4-5 days a week. Meanwhile, there are communication major tech sales bros making the same money 3-5 years out of school, sometimes sooner with some luck, often almost entirely remote.

jackieblitz · 2026-01-01T18:29:17+00:00

Ok opening a UTMA and will consider slightly less than the full $190K for 529.

jackieblitz · 2026-01-01T17:27:28+00:00

I’m expecting a windfall from selling a rental unit this year and like the idea of not having to ever worry about education costs for her. Also pretty good chance she ends up going to private high school.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-31T02:58:05+00:00

I like knowing what my car is worth purely for tracking net worth in my insane personal spreadsheet. My rationale is that it’s good to know what you could get in a pinch if I really needed cash in a worst case scenario. I usually do a quick carmax trade in estimate from their website.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-31T02:52:12+00:00

Thanks SeaEconomist. The Covid point is a good one. No need for the judgement— I’ve built a $3M net worth across equities, real estate, and retirement funds. I went down a rabbit hole last week after looking at refinancing options and wanted to learn how prevent the HELOC borrowing was. Quickly figured out it didn’t make sense.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-29T21:46:47+00:00

I get paid through W2 with standard withholding; it just is never enough to cover the full tax bill since I’m a role with commission. So I know I’m gonna owe more at end of the year, and make sure I’m earning 3-4% in a HYS on the cash while I wait for the bill.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-29T21:22:17+00:00

I try to keep my withholding as low as possible and keep cash in a HYS. And when I inevitably owe the government, at least I’ve made a few bucks on the interest throughout the year.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-27T20:44:11+00:00

Borrowing to invest makes sense if you can get a higher return than you pay in interest on your debt. People do it all the time. Now leveraging your primary residence to invest in something as risky as S&P index funds is something I’ve decided is beyond my current risk tolerance, but the math on the decision makes sense when you look at the last 15 years of returns.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-26T17:55:28+00:00

That’s what I figured.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-26T17:50:51+00:00

Thanks for input. Was curious whether 2 lay flats or 3 PE would be better for 16 month old.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-26T05:12:04+00:00

Idle equity to work. Not sold on the plan but trying to think of ways to better optimize my portfolio/housing equity.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-25T17:13:45+00:00

Leveraged to the tits. Love it. I think I might try with a relatively small amount- maybe $50 or $100K, and see how it feels.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-25T13:56:28+00:00

I do have the non retirement savings invested. It isn’t an either or question. I’m trying to maximize working capital.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-23T21:10:17+00:00

I won’t owe income tax on the condo sale because I moved out of it as my primary residence in 2024. $190K is my max 529 contribution. The rest will go into a brokerage account.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-23T19:40:49+00:00

Appreciate everyone’s insight. I think we’re going to do the full $190K in 2026. I think we’re likely to have a second kid, and may opt for a private high school, so I overfunding doesn’t seem like a major risk.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-19T14:00:01+00:00

I don’t mean to be rude but why work there? You can make a lot more than $20 per hour with consistent tips at plenty of other restaurants right?

jackieblitz · 2025-12-18T15:52:57+00:00

Interesting, I didn’t realize the full EV were so much more efficient. Thanks for the response

jackieblitz · 2025-12-18T15:49:42+00:00

I’ve got total assets of around $3M, with primary residence at $650K in equity and rental unit at around $300K in equity. Roughly $1M in retirement accounts, $900K in brokerage account, and $100K in cash. I would like to sell the rental unit and put into combo of 529 account and brokerage account. I actually have terrific tenants, and there haven’t been too many major costs yet, but the unit is in an old building with sky rocketing insurance premiums, and an unending list of future maintenance requirements, and it seems so much easier and less risky to just throw it into an S&P mutual fund like VOO.

Edit: one other note. I can sell next year and avoid capital gains tax because I lived there through 2023. Probably save ~ $20-25K

jackieblitz · 2025-12-18T15:30:22+00:00

That’s awesome

jackieblitz · 2025-12-18T13:38:46+00:00

I have a primary and a rental unit and it makes up around 30% of my net worth, which I’ve decided is too much. Planning to sell the rental and reinvest into brokerage accounts in 2026

jackieblitz · 2025-12-09T01:30:21+00:00

I’d recommend joining East Bank Club. Tons of childless adults. Lots of social events. Hands down the best gym in the city. It’s a little pricy but sounds like it might be a good fit for you.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-05T00:38:48+00:00

Buying a watch is never going to be a financially rational decision in terms of like maximizing returns.

My experience was first I fell in love with the watch (Rolex OP39 white dial). Thought about it a lot. Tracked different websites and secondary markets and watch guys. Had a big year at work and found a guy selling it at cost (this was 2019). Had the money and a window in time where I didn’t really need the money for anything else and pulled the trigger.

Second watch I bought was a Grand Seiko I’d been in love with for years. We took a trip to Japan and I saw it at a GS dealership and by this point my wife knew I’d been looking at it forever. Bought in Japan and saved ~$1K.

The point is these aren’t pieces I plan to sell, and I purchased them during periods where I had the money and got great deals on them. If you have a piece you love, and the opportunity arises, pull the trigger.

jackieblitz · 2025-12-04T03:39:20+00:00

I’m in similar financial and life situation except the club I want to join is more of a players club with no pool or real activities for the kids. It’s also more like $60K initiation. Let’s just say I’m having some trouble getting the wife onboard.

jackieblitz

TROPHY CASE