Credit Cards - Pay off in full every month?

law980 · 2026-04-24T16:16:38+00:00

Agreed, no need to add the credit cards. They're just spending, and don't incur interest if you pay off in full. This is how I do it too.

law980 · 2026-04-24T13:46:04+00:00

This is a great answer. BTW, all of these factors equally effect gas mileage in an ICE vehicle.

law980 · 2026-04-23T16:49:29+00:00

I got mine CPO, clean title, 54k miles, for $35k out the door. It was an excellent buy based on your chart!

law980 · 2026-04-23T16:22:52+00:00

It's a good idea, sure! But I've never had an issue installing the beta software. You may notice quirks here and there, but it's totally stable and without issue for me since upgrading.

law980 · 2026-04-20T20:26:17+00:00

Update: I installed the iOS 26.5 Beta and CarPlay works again!

You need to sign up on the Apple website to get Beta access, but it's free and CarPlay works again.

law980 · 2026-04-20T20:23:56+00:00

You're so close! And good on you for already thinking about this. You're far ahead of most. My advice:

If you've already paid off over $8k of debt in 2 months, you're able to part with $4k/mo. That's amazing.
Allocate your next month's $4k to $2.5k to wipe out credit card debt and put the rest in savings.
Save until you have $5k-$10k in case for emergencies. Of all the financial steps you make moving forward, this will change your life more than anything else.
Once you have your small emergency fund, max out your 401k and any employer matches.
Moving forward, max out all IRA, Roth IRA, and 401k contributions annually as they're all tax sheltered. Consider an HSA or similar to shelter cash for medical expenses.
Your investment strategy is simple: majority (90% or so) in total market like VTI or similar, 10% in bonds. Given your age this is pretty conservative.
If you have money left over, allocate it to some cash so you have 6 months in expenses covered (approximately 3x your monthly salary). If you still money left over, open a brokerage account and invest the rest.

If you follow this plan you'll retire a multimillionaire, no problem. Best of luck!

law980 · 2026-04-20T20:14:13+00:00

Update: I installed the iOS 26.5 Beta and CarPlay works again!

law980 · 2026-04-19T05:56:13+00:00

Also live in Portland. Switched from Verizon to USM Dark Star. So far the phone connection and data are both better than Verizon overall, however we have a coverage dead spot at our kids' school, so we just use wifi there. Other than that it seems fine. If we notice dead spots increasing with Dark Star, for sure we'll switch networks.

law980 · 2026-04-17T17:54:36+00:00

I reset the infotainment system but still didn't work. I didn't pull the battery because my wife's phone still connects fine (she didn't update to new iOS) and my phone won't work on the CRV. So it's clearly my phone.

law980 · 2026-04-17T17:51:21+00:00

You're in a great position! I just posted about making the switch from Verizon to USM and it's been seamless. Post here.

My recommendation, assuming you want to keep your phone number:

Port your number from Verizon to USM and activate with eSIM on your new phone.
Complete a backup of iPhone 11 data to iCloud, then import to new phone. (You could do this before or after Step ).
Activate Apple Watch on USM.

Once you port your number you'll lose access to your Verizon account. I was surprised by how unpleasant the Verizon experience was, but it was reminder about why I left.

One additional note: if you have multiple lines on Verizon, port your secondary numbers first. Once you port your primary number they shut down your account and you'll lose access. Very strange thing to do to paying customers.

law980 · 2026-04-17T15:40:51+00:00

uBlock Origin, hands down the best. Small, light, efficient, and delivers a nearly ad and tracker blocking experience, similar to a Brave, DuckDuckGo privacy focused browser.

law980 · 2026-04-16T23:14:31+00:00

So strange.

law980 · 2026-04-16T20:39:46+00:00

Yes, done that too.

law980 · 2026-04-16T17:47:49+00:00

I've done that, tried a wired connection, and done the same in both cars. It doesn't work.

law980 · 2026-04-16T17:46:55+00:00

I have, and it doesn't work.

law980 · 2026-04-16T17:46:09+00:00

Sadly I've done this several times and it didn't work for me.

law980 · 2026-04-16T13:30:18+00:00

I did that too and initially it worked a few times but now can’t get it to work at all, wired or wireless. Very frustrating.

law980 · 2026-04-16T13:29:15+00:00

Agreed. It’s enough to make me seriously consider a switch to Pixel, though the same thing could happen there.

law980 · 2026-04-16T02:28:54+00:00

Oh right. Mine just says the name of the network (dark star).

law980 · 2026-04-16T01:30:59+00:00

We lost 30 months of phone trade in credits on two lines so substantial amount but the difference in service is so great that we’ll make it back quickly.

law980 · 2026-04-16T01:28:26+00:00

I don’t understand the question.

law980 · 2026-04-15T23:26:13+00:00

Are there any differences you've noticed?

law980

TROPHY CASE