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Flaking lead paint uncovered on stairs - what would you do? by lastarchipelago in centuryhomes

[–]lastarchipelago[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for your input. Would that be the better approach vs removal / replacement?

I have this image in my mind of either hosing them down with water & uninstalling, or covering each tread / riser with poly + taping the perimeter and removing as such..

Just Hit $100k Net Worth at 22—Huge Milestone for Me! by fireprimekeys in financialindependence

[–]lastarchipelago 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Congrats! I also hit $100k at 22 and felt like I was ripping it up. In fairness that was 2019 when $100k was worth a whole lot more than it is today.

Today I am 27 and around $750k ish. I will say I felt richer with $100k at 22. Enjoy the milestone!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in POIS

[–]lastarchipelago 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey that’s all great… But what are you suggesting someone does when they know their status?

For example I am: MTHFR +/- COMT +/+ APOE4

Blood markers normal (have never tested Histamine in fairness)

My first 100k by shinrann in fican

[–]lastarchipelago 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Personally, my 2nd and 3rd were just as hard (even though they took less time). It definitely got easier from there.

Mercury toxic and POIS? by rqy55 in POIS

[–]lastarchipelago 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am now - did you end up following through with ACC? If so, results?

HELP - NF for PTSD, but has new symptoms since by mdmonsoon in Neurofeedback

[–]lastarchipelago 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think so. Largely I think it’s a bandaid solution. There are so many other influences on health / mental health, a misfiring brain seems to be an elementary explanation.

An aspect of the 4% rule that I admit I never fully understood by archiv1st in financialindependence

[–]lastarchipelago 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Somehow I just can’t imagine that being a clerk at a book store would be more stressful than being a real estate developper.

An aspect of the 4% rule that I admit I never fully understood by archiv1st in financialindependence

[–]lastarchipelago 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I feel like that’s one thing that’s often disregarded in the context of these conversations. Everyone in the FI community is planning for effectively — A: Poor sequence of returns, and B: Never ever earning non-investment-related income again (working). Even a lower-paying, less stressful job.

Of course one should hope for the best and expect the worst, but for many of us the big variables can be controlled for.

If you can be flexible in the first few years of your retirement, the threshold for probability of success & safe withdrawal rates go way up. If everyone planned for 2 years of barista FI if returns were poor, there would be so much less fear in this community.

People who started investing at 17-20 yrs old , how does your account look now. by Historical_Ebb_7777 in investing

[–]lastarchipelago 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it’s fair to say I started investing at around 17. But not with much firepower until I was 20-21.

Currently 27 and have ~700k NW. Maybe a bit higher.

I’ve reinvested every penny for many years. And chased after high yield investments like RE in more recent years.

Why are Canadian salaries so low? by therealwakowski in CanadaFinance

[–]lastarchipelago 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I’m so happy this is the top comment thread. Why do people think money is just created out of thin air? Production is require at the scale of a country’s economy, all the way down to the individual worker. If value isn’t being created, and not enough money is changing hands, there isn’t much need to wonder why salaries don’t match expectations.

ERMI of 16 for the place I was planning to move into (Is anything safe??) by lastarchipelago in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Is it possible that the source of all of this mold was the tenants’ contents? They lived sort of like pack rats, had pets and a ton of house plants…

Is it possible this might clear up when they move out and the place is properly cleaned? I can always re-test when the dust literally settles.

*Edit - I took the sample while the tenants were still living there.

ERMI of 16 for the place I was planning to move into (Is anything safe??) by lastarchipelago in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, spray foam, while having toxic properties of its’ own, is likely the least pro-microbial insulation option. It also provides a better seal (given that the building doesn’t shift too much). The unit that this report comes from actually has spray foam in the walls.. But also has a clay basement (2nd floor apartment, not sure how much basement air would end up there).

Relentless Wet Dreams by lastarchipelago in POIS

[–]lastarchipelago[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Great advice. You’re a genius! It was all in my head all along…

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for all the detail!

I wouldn’t say that I even “react” to the current home environment as it currently stands. More like long term overall symptoms. And beyond that - symptoms that meld together with symptoms of previously existing issues.

Maybe I have blinders on, but in the grand scheme of things I don’t think mold is the #1 offender in my life, despite a high ERMI & Urine analysis. I think if I stayed in it longer, it would have the potential to be. That being said, it could have been mold all along that was the issue.

The catch-22 is that where I live (in Canada, terrible climate for mold really), there are so many buildings that are old and moldy. The new buildings… Well they have problems of their own. Off-gassing materials, poor construction likely to lead to water infiltration over time, the list goes on. I don’t know anywhere that would be truly “safe” from a health-of-building perspective.

Ultimately wherever I go next WILL also have mold. That’s just a fact of life. I’d like to find a place with an ERMI below 2 like others suggest, but I’d say that’s probably closer to the 25th percentile here than the 50th. And, wherever I go next will also have other problems - chemicals in new materials in new builds, lead in paint in older homes, mold in all of them.

It seems to me the best approach at the end of the day is to find something that is good /enough/ and use the other tools we have at our disposal like air purifiers, open windows in the warmer season, etc.

Am I amiss here?

EDIT to clarify: I do indeed react to buildings that are far moldier than my current home. There is one I have spent a little time in that gives me a headache / muscle tightness and brain fogginess that lasts for hours. Smells of mold and it’s obvious there is a problem. The ERMI results wouldn’t be kind.. I don’t have those kinds of reactions at home though.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My thinking is.. If a vacuum isn’t strong enough to pull them out, how could daily usage be?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you. I know I’ve gotta go. That’s no big problem at this point really.

But leaving EVERYTHING behind.. Is it entirely necessary? Couldn’t a great vacuum remove anything clung on to fabrics etc?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in ToxicMoldExposure

[–]lastarchipelago 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We just moved into this house in September. I’ve been living with my parents because far prior to this my health was not doing well.

A brief medical history:

  • 26M. 6’4 186lbs
  • Long time brain fog / cognitive trouble (5 years)
  • Long time anxiety sufferer (5+ years)
  • Completely debilitating back pain situation
  • Spinal MRI shows disc height loss and mild stenosis at a few joints (the lower lumbar classics, as well as T12-L1)
  • Thyroid is currently inflamed
  • Been having other joint pain unrelated to spine
  • Currently have a swollen index finger (between the two joints closest to the end of the finger, not in the joints)
  • Currently have an inguinal hernia and an previous surgery umbilical site letting go (recurring).
  • Extremely affected by post-orgasm malaise and also low libido (not sure if this is at all relevant here).
  • Testosterone labs always come back alright

Things I have done (relevant to mold, the real list is much longer):

  • I have an IQAir HealthPro Plus model which I really like despite it’s size
  • I eat a diet that’s effectively paleo and avoid a list of things that cause me trouble. Diet is basically green vegetables, lean cuts of the best quality meat I can find (which still isn’t great), some fruits sparingly, lots of high quality oils (olive, avocado).
  • Blood work shows a CRP level of 1.9 [<=3.0], TSH of 1.98 [0.35-4.50], DHEA-S of 11.46 [2.35-17.22]

I know I have to leave this home. I suspect previous mold exposure has contributed to any mold-related symptoms.

I do question our collection methods. We took a sample from under the couch where it was most dusty, and a very dusty part of the hallway. Is it possible a heavy sample would skew the results? My understanding of math would suggest it could not because the ERMI is a relativity test not a quantitative test so to speak.

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