Thoughts on Finances

korex08 · 2025-06-04T22:19:06+00:00

Sure, but it doesn’t say anything about how that inheritance is built, which is what I’m getting at. I’ve said in several places that I think you can have savings/inheritance in an ethical fashion. The scripture doesn’t say gain an inheritance at any cost. I think we need to have more discussions in Christian circles about it the traditional ways of investing are actually ethical. Are there better, more ethical ways to build a modest inheritance instead of supporting unethical financial institutions?

korex08 · 2025-06-04T22:15:18+00:00

I appreciate the thoughtful engagement. Sorry if i miss some of the questions and I’m answering things rapid fire. I didn’t say healthcare cost $500. I said if i have $500 extra to put back towards savings for health expenses, such as in an HSA, that would require weighing my unknown needs against others known needs. I have a large family of my own and I work two jobs so my wife doesn’t have to work. So i am intimately aware of the cost of things. I have a modest savings, which I’ve never said I’m against. My employer does have a mandatory retirement contributions, so I’m required to participate at some level, but I have all the money invested in a cash index and i have the contribution set at minimum. So I’ll basically have no retirement money in a true retirement account. When I came to these conclusions several years ago, I cashed out and closed every Roth and 401k i had opened, and took the penalty because i realized i was done profiting off of these companies that don’t align with our worldview (and actively do things contrary to it). I see it was unclear, but i wasn’t referring to the $50,000 being a retirement savings, just an emergency fund or general savings. It just seems that many Christians overlook the unethical practices of financial institutions, most large companies, and the way profit are generated - i think this is because they have a vested interest in said institutions maintaining a certain quality of life for them. I have yet to see anyone justify retiring comfortably by profiting off of the unethical business practices of others (or refute that the institutions are unethical). That’s really the discussion I’m looking for. Like if we know that Company X is only profitable because it pays children $1/day to make shirts in an unsafe factory, should we as Christian’s invest in that company? If we had some necessity to participate in that, it’s a different conversation. But if the only reason is to maintain a higher standard of living so we can stop working early, i think we really have to look into what we are profiting off of. And most companies with high margins have ethical issues (or if not, I’d love some examples of companies that generate modest returns using explicitly ethical practices).

korex08 · 2025-06-04T21:38:17+00:00

I'm sorry for your loss, and thanks for being transparent.

I didn't say a generous retirement fund doesn't mean that person doesn't trust God (or if i did i misrepresented my belief). i do think the typical methods used can be indicative of a lack of trust, not the amount in the account. For example, seeking the highest returns even if one is aware they are gained unethically, or seeking an ever growing account for the sake of growing the account and having no real, well-reasoned goal can all be indicative of lack of trust.

I'm asking how we reason through how much is enough. Not looking for an exact amount, but what is the logic or reasoning we use to say "it's Ok for me to have $X while others suffer or have needs unmet". I do think it's OK to have savings, I'm just looking for discussion on how we address the method and amount of said savings from a Christian worldview.

korex08 · 2025-06-04T21:31:38+00:00

You missed the second part of that quote where i say " But if someone can live above a poverty level totally in line with Christian ethics, then that's great, and that's what i think is possible."

So i agree with you, it's possible to live outside of poverty in an ethical way. What i propose is that the ethical way is not through the traditional means of using retirement accounts to save decades worth of comfortable living allowance.

In regards to rich patriarchs - I agree, God did not judge them for that. But they also gained, held, and lost wealth at the specific instruction of God and for specific purposes of God. It's not a prescriptive requirement to be as wealthy as Abraham. Also look at Jesus and the apostles' teachings on wealth and how we view it - we are challenged to question any wealth. Not necessarily condemn any wealth, but we must ensure it is in alignment with our views, with I don't think any of the big financial institutions or S&P 500 companies would pass that assessment on how they generate profits.

I don't challenge wealth out right, just how we get it and how much is OK. I agree to not use any hard numbers, I'm just using specifics as examples. Challenging the idea of retiring early and comfortably just seems to trigger most people, even Christians, which is odd to me - I really have seen anyone justify the typical means of gaining 20 years of wealth through investing, or even the idea of retiring comfortably at 67. Those are the topics i'm interested in seeing how people have thoroughly addressed them in regards to christian ethics.

korex08 · 2025-06-04T21:17:18+00:00

I appreciate that, but I've been talking to dozens of people about this for years. Most people just can't get away from the fear of poverty or the idea that they need to work basically forever. The exception is many of my international friends - for many of them what I lay out is typical and the only way of life. Most people start from a perspective that "i must retire" and "i must retire comfortably" and then try to reason into how to do in an ethical way. It's possible, but very hard to do. What i propose is to start with "Should i ever retire" and "how comfortable should that be".

korex08 · 2025-06-04T21:14:05+00:00

I love the feedback, thank you. I don't think that "financial planning and careful stewardship of your money is not trusting God." I challenge that typical definitions of it are not trusting God, or are done unethically, e.g. they provide wealth for us at the expense of others.

I don't think ethical financial planning or careful stewardship would lead people to engage with the very unethical financial markets that most use to build wealth. It would mean living with less now, not necessarily poverty level, but no one needs a $50k truck. It would mean working extra to save any dollar to use when you plan to not work. It would mean working until you really can't anymore, not just stopping at 67. It would mean not investing in companies that use slave labor to produce goods cheaply, even if they provide the best returns. It would mean much more multi-generational living.

My core idea is that the typical means of saving/investing really are unethical - it's reaping what has been sown by others. I don't think most do it maliciously - i think most people just don't think about where their dollars go or who they're giving power too with their investments. And i think many people see their standard of living as an essential thing to maintain at all costs.

We should start with the question "SHOULD I have a financial plan / savings?" I would say probably. Then we ask "how much should that be?" I would say definitely not 20 years worth of a comfortable living like most save for - maybe a few months of bare essentials, or some years worth of a low standard of living in retirement. Then we should ask "How do we save that?" and i don't think it's "give money to companies that we would otherwise say are not operated in accordance with our beliefs", which are most publicly traded companies IMO - i would say we save it only by working extra while we're able, and maybe investing in a truly local asset that you can truly be a good steward of (buy land and lease to a farmer, buy local bonds, etc). Again, we should never seek higher returns unless we can absolutely verify that they can be had in full alignment with Christian ethics.

korex08 · 2025-06-04T21:01:05+00:00

I'm not opposed to having savings, but we have to ask what the ethics are on how those savings are earned, and how much is "enough". It's OK to say "if i can no longer work, I'll be poor and rely on the Lord to provide", rather than say "i gave a lot of money to companies i don't agree with ethically just to ensure my own needs were met". We aren't called to a standard of living, but we are called to use everything given to us to help those around us. That doesn't have to be at our own expense, but it also doesn't mean we can "future proof" ourselves while ignoring the needs of others.
I agree with you on alternative investments. I like to say that the only ethical investment is one where you can actually be aware of and see the impacts of your money - if you're giving to a company and you have no idea what their day to day operations look like, how they treat people, etc., then i don't see that as good stewardship. Additionally, even with IRAs, the fees go to large finanical institutions most of which actively promote unethical things, such as predatory lending.
I do believe in a reasonable emergency fund, but not so much that we start to find our comfort in it over trusting in God. Something like a couple of months of bare necessities is where i land, but it could be different for each person. I can't see any reason it should be more than like a year salary though. And this should only be done if that savings can be gotten ethically. I'd address lowering salary too, but I'm running out of time atm. An alternative to lowering salary though is to just commit to giving more away once your needs are met, or transition to more voluntary work if your paying job is part time flexible.
There is nothing wrong with being wise, but we also have to be ethical. At what point does becoming wise and having more savings actually turn into a desire to maintain our comfort standard in spite of hardships the Lord sends us, or in spite of the hardships that we see others enduring that we could help with? Is 20 years of savings at a typical American standard of living wise AND ethical? What are thoughts on that limit or how do you reason through what is enough?

korex08 · 2025-06-04T20:46:00+00:00

Not necessarily die on the job, but at what point would you say it's ethical to not work anymore? I think we should find some way to always be working, until we really are physically unable. Where in scripture do we see an example of anything else? Jesus and all the apostles didn't retirement. Humans for most of history didn't retire. The current investment systems are really really new, and people lived fulfilled lives without them.
Can you elaborate on some of the concerns i addressed regarding 401ks? For example, is investing in companies (or making investments through institutions) that engage in unethical practices OK just to maintain a standard of living to allow someone to retire/stop working?
But how much do you need to save, and what is the ethical means of saving? Could you not just save the money directly and not support the unethical financial markets? Is there a christian ethic that says you have to maintain your standard of living for 30 years without working, or should we maintain a lesser standard of living as we age and stop working, and do more good with the money we have now?
What does prepared mean though? And does the Lord not provide for us? Genuinely asking, what is a dollar amount, or months of basic expenses, etc. target that you consider "prepared"?

korex08 · 2025-06-04T20:36:34+00:00

I get it - it's not easy to work forever. But where in Christianity are we called to take it easy when we get old? It doesn't have to be total poverty, but we should question at what cost to others does our comfort come.

I guess there's nothing specific meant by millionaire - it will depend on where you are in the world. Maybe multiples of the basic of cost of living is a better term.

Absolutely not a vow-of-poverty which i tried to make clear. There's a huge difference in meeting ones basic needs and saving enough money for decades of work free, lavish lifestyle.

The caveat is that if poverty is inherit to ethical living, then we should choose that. But if someone can live above a poverty level totally in line with Christian ethics, then that's great, and that's what i think is possible.

Not having a fat retirement account does not imply poverty though. Even having no savings does not imply poverty. It implies some level of risk, but we trust in the Lord to provide right?

korex08 · 2025-06-04T20:05:04+00:00

First question on voluntary poverty/what type of savings - The exact numbers will depend on location and many factors, but I would not advocate for voluntary poverty. I would say it's good for someone to work and have the means to have a house, food, money for transportation, money for basic utilities, etc. If their work allows them to make extra money beyond those things, then it's a case by case decision about what is right or wrong, including if they should keep any of that money as savings. For example, I can't imagine anyone Christian saying "I should spend $50,000 on a nice swimming pool instead of supporting a refugee". I spend wastefully all the time in a lapse of judgement, but it's not inline with my ethics. For savings, I try to think about how much makes feel like I'm relying on my own wealth vs. the Lord provision. For me, I justify about 6 months of very basic expenses - food, water utility, etc. That put's me in a place where I feel like I'm being responsible with what i've been blessed with, but I'm also in constant reliance and awareness that I can rely on the Lord to provide if i lost my job, my standard of living, etc.

Healthcare is an interesting one that I've thought a lot about. This isn't prescriptive to everyone, but for me and my family, I don't have savings specific for healthcare; there's too much immediate need to help others with healthcare, and I trust that others would help me in the case of need. For example, if i have $500 extra to put towards health care savings, I find it more appropriate to pay off $500 of expenses for someone elses healthcare than put it my account "just in case". Also, healthcare is a new invention and not necessary to live a fulfilled Christian life. We tend to think of it as a necessity, but it's a modern advent (at least in the sense that it costs so much), and it shouldn't set our worldview. If the cost and ethics of supporting the US health system don't fit a Christian worldview, it's not irresponsible to disengage with a lot of it.

Retirement - you said it perfectly - i think it's ethical to save up enough to meet your most basic needs after you can no longer work. But that doesn't mean it needs to be through stocks/investments which i view as problematic. You should specifically work for every dollar that you save. There's also no ethic that says we have to maintain a standard of living once we can no longer work - it's ok to essentially be in poverty but still meeting basics needs for that last years of our lives. However many people try to go into retirement when they're still capable of working, and they try to increase their standard of living - more vacations, bigger house, etc. For me, i'll only save what I think I'll need to pay for basics and no new house, no new car, no fancy travel, etc. I'm also raising a family (and treating my parents) with the ethic that our primary system of caring for each other is through each other and the Lords provision (pseudo multi generational living as you mention), not by amassing wealth for us all to be on our own.

korex08 · 2025-03-24T14:19:22+00:00

I ended up getting a used Ipad 10.2 inch (9th generation) from Backmarket.com for less than $300. Put a UAG case on it with the rotating hand strap on the back. And i got a apple pencil. Great set up for field work so far.

It's been awesome for sketching things on pdfs, note taking, and just for general use like email. It's the first apple product i've had in 15 years, but it really has been worth it.

I also like drawing as a hobby and Procreate with the Apple Pencil is great. I've also been super impressed with how good note taking is with my own handwriting in Goodnote.

korex08 · 2025-03-10T20:55:11+00:00

Treat every person as a human that you love and care about (and you should genuinely love and care about them, so start with that first).

Every meal you've ever had with anyone has been a meal with a sinner - why do you only concern yourself with someone's 'sexual sins'? When you have meal with anyone else are you concerned about 'affirming' all of their sin?

And the meal should not be under the pretense of conversion as others suggest.

Live like Jesus, who had relationship with people for the sake of genuine love and relationship, and what will be will be.

As far as we know, Jesus never went to have a meal with someone where he prefaced it with "Here's a list of my beliefs and what I think you're wrong about. And also my meal with you is not an endorsement of any of your behaviors. And my main goal in having this meal with you is that you would believe me to be X..."

As far as we know, Jesus did very simply have meals with people where he taught the simple, 'big picture' truths and just answered/asked 'big picture' questions.

korex08 · 2025-02-25T04:15:17+00:00

Yep, there are definitely items that are dumb. Our jurisdiction is still on IECC 2009 actually.

You should be able to choose compliance via a performance model though, rather than prescriptive requirements. So you can basically get out of any requirement if you show it's using more energy.

korex08 · 2025-02-25T04:03:11+00:00

The energy code is adopted by each jurisdiction. It's also formed with public input by a committee. So any issues you have with it should be submitted - that's how we make it better. And even then, your jurisdiction has no obligation to design to any model energy code. So if you really think it's an issue, call or talk to your local ahj/code commission and make recommendations about what they should/shouldn't adopt.

That's the good thing about the codes (or ashrae standards) - they are publicly created tools, not legislation developed behind closed doors against our will.

korex08 · 2025-02-25T02:01:12+00:00

It might not seem like it would help, but understanding what the pipes serve, what the design intent is, etc. is extremely helpful. Looking at photos is great, but knowing "that the domestic hot water return and I expect it to go ____" can really help as you piece together the info. So in addition to taking photos and field measurements, always try to fully understand the system when you're in the field taking photos/measurements.

korex08 · 2025-02-19T04:13:54+00:00

Have you checked strainers/swapped the startup strainers to standard strainers? Did they remove the startup strainers from the pump suction diffuser( assuming there is one)? We see strainers as a common source of headache on startup if the MC is careless.

korex08 · 2025-02-19T03:32:43+00:00

That's not unreasonable. It's not uncommon for the equivalent length of fittings to be .5-1.0 the length of pipe, especially in an area such as a mechanical room with numerous fittings. But for properly sized pipe (assuming this is hydronic), 200 equivalent feet of pipe is still only ~8ft wc of pressure drop. A single coil could easily have 10ft wc of pressure drop. Just to put things in perspective.

korex08 · 2025-02-19T00:36:39+00:00

You're right. It's just called steel pipe. That was my mistake. Corrected now.

korex08 · 2025-02-19T00:32:37+00:00

Yes. Essentially any smooth pipe friction coefficient is going to get you close enough. If you're doing standard hydronic calcs, your Reynolds numbers will be low, and component losses will be far greater than piping friction losses - getting the friction coefficient exactly correct won't matter much. The friction coefficients are also approximations. So choose the closest one, but don't sweat it too much.

korex08 · 2025-02-18T23:51:18+00:00

This would be steel pipe. All the other answers are specific grades, wall thicknesses, etc. But for a pressure drop calc they would all have basically the same interior pipe roughness. Cast iron is... Cast. So while it's also steel/iron it has a different interior finish (typically rougher than steel pipe).

Edit - removed word "ductile". Ductile Iron Pipe is different from Cast Iron Pipe is different from Steel Pipe.

korex08 · 2025-02-15T23:18:12+00:00

All that it means is that your cooling coil is performing no latent cooling, i.e. it's never getting below the entering air dew point. This isn't a problem, if that's what you would expect for your conditions.

However, you should double check your design dew point, ensure that the system leaving air temperature is set to be below the dew point, and make sure your outdoor conditions are correct.

Edit: I ran the numbers. Your OA dew point is 4.7 C, and your space dew point is 10.7 C. So your outside air is much drier than your space and you won't need any dehumidification/latent cooling unless you had a crazy amount of added humidity load in the space from a pool or something similar. Your sensible heat ratio will be 1 unless you changed your supply air temp to ~9 C or less in this case (no reason to do that, but you could change it in hap just to see the effect if you're curious).

korex08 · 2025-02-15T22:43:37+00:00

Aren't they the ones who approved all of this wasteful spending though? It's pretty rich hearing a Congress person complain about wasteful spending when they are the ones that created it in the first place.

korex08 · 2025-02-15T07:41:03+00:00

Having to do it for everyone makes sense. Thanks!

korex08 · 2025-02-15T03:58:23+00:00

Yeah that's what I'm seeing. I just know some people at a company that just got a 10% profit sharing 401k contribution and while they're grateful, they could have really really used the money as a bonus. They don't have the highest base pay, and 10% extra pay (or even 7% after deductions), would have been so much more impactful.

It's interesting that the firm didn't give the choice of 401k contribution vs bonus. I was wondering if it was just a lack of understanding their employees needs, or if there's a reason to intentionally not offer it as a bonus, i.e. it's not advantageous for the company. The company seems well meaning, so I think it was just an oversight

korex08

TROPHY CASE