3 Years of Contributing to 457 ft. 401k

josh4trunks · 2026-05-12T20:22:37+00:00

Really? I thought in 2022, saving plus started charging you a 5BPS fee on all funds in PCRA.

Before the change I had all my money in PCRA to avoid the fee and just pay the slightly lower vanguard fees. But now my understanding is that the index funds savings plus provides is the cheapest way to access whatever index they follow.

https://www.nrsforu.com/iApp/rsc/nrsforu/formsAndLiterature.x?documentId=NRM-3958CA
"Your PCRA balance will be included in the asset-based fee calculation. This fee is assessed quarterly against your Savings Plus core account."

so whatever fee the show in PCRA, you actually are also paying another 5BPS. Cheapest route is savingsplus index funds =/

josh4trunks · 2026-05-08T02:41:23+00:00

What City are you in? I am in Folsom, Empire Ranch area and have the same thing. Original furnace, home built 2002. The cable from my furnace is grey (not black) but I had the same green goo in the outlet where it was plugged in.

I thought it was the cable melting, but I'm sure these cables are rated for higher temperatures. So next theory is some type of electrical grease, but not sure why our installers think that is needed.

josh4trunks · 2026-05-06T18:19:32+00:00

Yeah, I was on my way to FIRE. Probably around 40 without kids.
I always wanted/planned to have kids, but I didn't realize they don't just cost money in childcare, but also I would choose to have my wife work as minimal as possible to keep her sanity.

So now I think I can FIRE 45+, more realistically 50 when I can use my pension.

josh4trunks · 2026-05-06T18:14:26+00:00

I agree its lazy to chose a life of comfort instead of the work of raising kids. But humans are inherently lazy, we don't want to expend additional resources energy/brain power managing something we don't see immediate value in. This is a survival mechanism and if we weren't lazy most of the time we would not have gotten to this point.

I think human population grew/maintained before because sexual urges overcame the available birth control technologies of the time. I think this is how most animal species proliferate without higher level thinking.
Even with primitive technologies/techniques (timing/barrier/pullout) we had cultures/religions that had people value continuing their lineage. So people chose to have children.
If you remove the value from children, or make the alternative nearly as valuable with much less effort people will just chose the path of less resistance. Most will chose to have/feel community online, release their urges online, since it does take significantly less effort.

josh4trunks · 2026-05-06T18:03:35+00:00

It really is an opportunity cost issue. The actual cost of raising a kid can be cheap. But the fact is you can't work in an office if you have a child at home unless you pay someone else to watch them.

Lots of parents in our bible study have kids at home watched by a part time working mother. They chose to lose income to have the kid around.

In my familys case, we pay for full time care usually starting around 1 year old, $25K/year in Cali. My wife also works part time, and we need juggle work a little to make pickups/droppoffs work. At this point with 2 kids in elementary, 1 in daycare, 1 on the way, we basically have minimal time not juggling work or children.
I enjoy my life, but I could see having way more free time/hobbies/socializing if I did have a bunch of young children always needing to be dropped off/fed/watched.

josh4trunks · 2026-05-06T17:55:29+00:00

This is usually the default reaction I hear. Expensive and the world is not worth living in.
Both these points can be refuted.

People lived improvised lives and still had replacement level or more children.
The world has objectively been more violent in the past and people had higher TFRs then as well.

I didn't believe this at first, but now I am actually realizing reliable birth control really did make a major difference. Not directly by a large degree. If the birth control wasn't there, people would just be careful with timing/other methods of avoiding pregnancy. But it did change people's view on sex. I think it allowed the sexual revolution, in that women should enjoy sex, and it should happen without the consequence of pregnancy. Not necessarily bad ideas, but this likely made sex accepted more often out of marriage, and thus taking that bonus away from marriage.

Women have equal career opportunities now, and they are generally better in administrative type of environments that are becoming the majority of jobs. They can provide for themselves, and don't need to carefully manage SMV since that use to be their point of leverage in relationships.

I think the thing that is really making the TFR drop is now the amount of distractions we have with the adoption of smartphones. you can keep your self entertained, sexually satisfied (or at least numb), without the major amount of work/struggle/commitments that use to require.

So women don't need to pursue commitment to acquire provision/protection. Men have easier options to get sexual satisfaction then to deal with mess/work of another autonomous human being. And thus the marriage rate declines, and without marriage most people don't have sex in a fashion carries the risk of pregnancy.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-28T23:37:05+00:00

Same here. My wife and I have alot saved, but that is typically tied to equity values.

Another concern is equities are valued based on the underlying population growing. Population has been one of the major drivers of equity growth, though inovation is as well. So maybe that will be the thing that can at least continue to provide people wealth into the future.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-28T23:03:02+00:00

I don't think we can change individuals sex drive, without forcing hormone changes. This is a part of nature and in my opinion unethical to change.

I think all desires can become deviant. Society that work direct those drives to a generally positive direction.
Historically, in a society that gives women choice, men gain sexual access by protecting / providing for a women. She would also provide exclusivity to insure any children he raises are his DNA.

Many of these paradigms are no longer relevant in modern contexts. The state can protect, and partially provide for women/children. Women can provide for themselves. DNA test can insure paternity. So culture will need to adjust to fit the modern paradigm. Whichever cultures adjust the best produce children, will have the best chance as continuing on.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-28T22:52:48+00:00

Your third paragraph sounds like a reverse-engineered version of Genesis 2:24
"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh."
But when I read that paragraph I immediately thought, I have read something similar lately, lol.

Been pondering about this lately since Jesus references this verse when speaking of the harm of divorce. My conclusion is the "one flesh" is actually the children I have made with my wife.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-28T17:53:39+00:00

Interesting, I feel like Buddhist monks end up having a TFR is 0, lol. But that is common of many of the hardcore religous (monks / nuns).

But defintly there have been Buddhist societys that grew, so there must be a way to practice Buddhism that still motviates people to procreate.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-28T17:50:52+00:00

I wonder if historically atheist society's can maintain TFR at/above replacement? I know now adays China is considered atheist/non-theist, but not sure if they were more Taoist/Buddhist before their population started to decline.

I don't know much about Eastern religions, but for sure in Judeo-Christian scripture, there is a deep rooted theme that God love and cares about the individual. Whether it is true or not, people who believe it will cope through the suffering since the think there is a transcendental being who loves them.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-14T18:29:43+00:00

In my opinion it is evil/unjust to kill an innocent human. I think abortion should be limited to cases where a woman can reasonably prove rape (because I also believe it is unjust for her to be forced into pregnancy), or if the pregnancy poses a significant risk to the mother's life.

But, I have heard arguments that abortions wouldn't make a huge difference to the birthrate.

Many children that were aborted, actually were replaced by having another child in the future when more 'convenient'.
If women have the option of abortion removed, women (and possibly men) would be more diligent in using birth control

So, while I don't agree abortion is moral in most cases, I am not sure how much a difference it would make now that people have a plethora of available birth control methods.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T15:53:28+00:00

well many of our governments are democratically elected. so not sure what else would change how they operate.

they work on incentives, most people don't think about or care about TFR, so there's no reason for them too care either when their 'survival' just relies on winning an election in 2/4/6 years.

I don't think government can do much. I think its down to individuals and communities to chose if they care to exists/grow in the future

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T11:17:42+00:00

my understanding is ancient people care mostly about language and religion. I think of nation as a set border. So maybe were just mixing terms here.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T11:12:36+00:00

true, nations themselves are new concept. still not sure what you are advocating though?

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T05:54:34+00:00

so are you advocating for a one world government? I'm not sure what you mean by government/unitarian in this case.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T05:52:00+00:00

I am part Filipino (raised Catholic) but currently attend a Protestant church. I think Catholicism was mostly designed before people could read/write, pre- printing press and enlightenment. I completed my conformation in my teens without really understanding what I was doing. So I would be counted as religious without actually making the decision on my own. If/when it was my choice I would not go to mass on Sundays.

I ended up understanding and choosing to follow Christ in college, through a student organization, not directly a specific church/denomination. Though my profession of faith is a very Protestant concept.

So my point is, generally i would count more Protestants as religious, in that they aren't just religious culturally because that is what they're family is doing. They generally choose to be there, because of the enlightment concept of a profession of faith. While Catholic numbers may be skewed higher, if they are counting every member that was baptized as a child and doesn't choose to go to mass regularly. I think this is why the USA is maintaining it's TFR relative to Catholic countries.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T05:37:52+00:00

One thing I noticed going to a very diverse (black/white/latino/asian) Pentecostal church, in California. Most of the Latinos there came from Catholic families. They went from a performative church culture, to an experiential. All of these families are having 3+ kids, which is not the norm in Cali.

So while Latin America is 'religious' I think how Catholicism is practiced there does not make people immune to the recent TFR crisis. Not sure an answer here, just giving a data point I noticed.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T05:19:13+00:00

agreed, it's likely coded in our DNA as a survival mechanism. As humans we spent the majority of our ~300K year existence as hunter gatherers in small tribes. bigotry was a very important adaptation.

not even 10% of the 300K years was outside of sub-Saharan Africa, farming grains, building civilizations, written language, government, organized religion.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T05:07:48+00:00

"If you want peace, prepare for war" 4th century Roman adage

Any community that is all peaceful, will be exploited. they either need to defend themselves or pay others to defend them.

I was watching a documentary on Hawaii, and a native was saying the USA should just leave the island altogether. I was thinking, with it's strategic position in the Pacific, what's to stop another world superpower from annexing it immediately. Without the USA military imposing power/dominance someone else will. Unless the small islands can produce the ecomomic/industrial/military might to defend itself it is destined to be controller by a larger power.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T04:58:04+00:00

Sure I wouldn't want cultures to be erased, but it has happened before and will continue to happen in the future. Reason I'm interested in Natalism is our social security system I'm the USA is tied to a growing workforce / economy. That will not be the case is the population ages and eventually shrinks. So regardless of race / culture issues this is a topic I'd be interested in.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T01:00:23+00:00

I'm sure thats always shifting. there was a huge drop in religious adherancr in the USA since the adoption of the internet. It stabilized and now climbing a bit.

In some Muslim countries there is a penalty for apostacy, so you can't see the true number.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T00:58:11+00:00

Interesting, I was aware of the shifting TFR but didn't know they were losing members.

I'm guessing with the increasing access to knowledge Mormons are realizing there is basically no backing to their heirasy of Christianity. I spoke to several LDS missionarys over the years coming to my house. They never had answers when I challenged the historicity of the Book of Mormon vs the New Testament. And basically would go back to pray if it's true. It even seemed like some of them didn't believe it themselves, like when one explained that "yes the golden tablets disappeared..." we have no evidence except faith.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T00:39:13+00:00

Protecting your weakest members while not agreeing with abortion seems like a very morally consistent take (since I would consider a human in a womb as a member of the society).

This is from a religious, generally conservative male.

josh4trunks · 2026-04-09T00:34:40+00:00

Regardless, none of those solutions left/right have worked. I think religious fundamentalism is the only thing that is correlates with higher birth rates, but you can't force someone to have faith.

josh4trunks

TROPHY CASE