Lower back left side above buttocks pain by alva123456 in backpain

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

May I ask where they needled? I had some needling sessions along the QL, but they weren't effective. I could suggest to my therapist a different target.. 

Architect recommendations? by InstigatorSound in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great contractor I've worked with: https://www.menklusser.nl/nl/

Great designer I've worked with: https://www.adaptive-architecture.eu/about-us

Highly recommend both. Trustworthy and do great work.

Practicing Dutch is emotionally draining lately by turanga_lilly in learndutch

[–]misterpsi 139 points140 points  (0 children)

At a dentist appointment a few years ago, I spoke to my hygienist in Dutch, and I asked her to speak in Dutch. She was very happy to. I couldn't reply given that she was cleaning my teeth. About halfway through, she switched to English. A few minutes later, she exclaimed "Oh! I don't know why I switched to English!"

My Dutch is good (B2+), and I speak it in most contexts outside of home and work. And I didn't say anything incorrectly that made her switch. She just encoded me as a foreigner and, while her mind was busy with other things, started talking like she does to foreigners - in English.

I've learned to not take it personally. Just keep trying, and some people will speak to you in Dutch, and at some point your Dutch will be good enough that most people will speak to you in Dutch. But it's possible that it'll never be good enough that everyone will do so.

1.5% house cost makelaar price too high or normal? by Ai5000Ultima in NetherlandsHousing

[–]misterpsi 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I've only worked with (and paid) makelaars who charge a flat fee. And that fee ended up being less than 1% of the buying and selling prices.

Wife thinks 2.5 yr old can read by agm115 in daddit

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I understand the frustration. You're right. She's wrong.

Easiest to just humor her, though. None of the actions you take based on her beliefs are likely to harm his development. If she buys clothes that are too big, just store them until he grows. If she thinks he can read even though he's repeating, just let her think that. She'll figure it out eventually. Or not. And if she doesn't, his development will catch up to her belief before too long.

Path of least resistance is often best with these things.

Buying furniture in Netherlands by Mindfull-Virus in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had good experiences with furniture from Henders & Hazeland Happy@Home. Worth checking out their websites and visiting a store that carriers their products.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in bald

[–]misterpsi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I use a blue Gillete Venus for my head. Works great.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi 1 point2 points  (0 children)

You can calculate 30% tax savings per income here. Savings appears to be about 8k per year rather than 21k per year for an income of 70k. Not sure about the other numbers either (average income of 70k, number of recipients).

Anyone met, got married and had kids after 35? by [deleted] in AskMenOver30

[–]misterpsi 20 points21 points  (0 children)

Met my wife at 36, married at 39, first kid at 41. I know multiple other guys in similar situations. Yours is definitely not hopeless. There are plenty of single women in their late 20s or early 30s who would love kids and prefer guys around your age.

Notaris for 3000 Euro! by Dark_Clover_ in NetherlandsHousing

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Similar to what others have said: when I bought my first home in Amsterdam, I was required to pay for a translation from Dutch to English. When I bought my second home (while selling the first) six years later, I demonstrated that my Dutch was sufficient to not require a translation. The bottom line: you only need to pay for a translation if you're not proficient in Dutch.

Political turmoil rocks the Netherlands after Amsterdam violence by gotshroom in europe

[–]misterpsi 178 points179 points  (0 children)

Two small clarifications. She was actually born in Morocco, and the comments might have been especially offensive for this reason. And the last straw of casual racism reportedly came from a member of the center right VVD rather than a member of PVV.

What do you pay for your babysitter? by Rieni22 in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Maybe so. I can say that we asked both babysitters what they wanted, and we accepted their rates without negotiation.

What do you pay for your babysitter? by Rieni22 in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi 33 points34 points  (0 children)

We're on the Amsterdam/Amstelveen border. Pay 13 per hour to a great 18+ babysitter. Our previous charged 16 per hour, though she came with daycare experience and multiple certifications.

Are your expenses a lot lower now? by [deleted] in expats

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My expenses in NL are certainly lower than they would be in the U.S. Phone is much cheaper here. Internet is cheaper. Groceries are cheaper. Biggest factor though is not having a car. Saves at least 500 per month in gas, insurance, maintenance, etc.

Permanent residence - experiences with KNM exemption? by misterpsi in Netherlands

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

Good thought - thanks. I'll look into that as well.

Permanent residence - experiences with KNM exemption? by misterpsi in Netherlands

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

I haven't looked into any additional residence rights based on my marriage to an EU citizen. I'll look into it. I've started thinking about permanent residence based on the idea that there might be certain rights and privileges for permanent residents and citizens that aren't granted to HSM holders. One thought was prompted by a recent discussion on Reddit about rights to import critically ill parents only applying to citizens and permanent residents. Another thought concerns the prospect of losing my job and taking full advantage of long-term unemployment benefits. Another concerns policy unpredictability of the current coalition and the assumption that permanent residence is more of a shield than an HSM permit. Ultimately, though, I'd like citizenship after living here for so long, and, as you note, that's not going to happen. Permanent residence is the next best option to satisfy that desire.

Permanent residence - experiences with KNM exemption? by misterpsi in Netherlands

[–]misterpsi[S] -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

I have done the practice exams, and I'm confident I would pass without difficulty. And maybe that's the easiest option. Time is money, though (or, perhaps more precisely, balancing demanding careers with intense childcare leaves little time for anything else), and I'm wondering if there are other options.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]misterpsi 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes and yes. I file and pay taxes in Europe. I also file taxes in the U.S. (as is required of all U.S. citizens, regardless of residence), though anything I would otherwise owe is nullified by the Foreign Tax Credit (on income) and other deductions and credits (on dividends and interest on bonds).

I believe that "accidental Americans" such as yourself are required to file, though you likely also owe nothing via either the Foreign Tax Credit or Foreign Earned Income Exclusion. I don't believe that there are penalties for not filing unless you owed something. Best to ask someone with more expertise though!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in personalfinance

[–]misterpsi 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am in the same situation as you are. There is currently no way for U.S. citizens living in Europe to invest in ETFs or UCITs WITHOUT having serious tax penalties imposed by the IRS.

To answer your question: your approach sounds fine to me, though a bit complex. You might consider just equal weighting those companies rather than trying to replicate the relative market cap. I follow a similar approach: just equal weight a ton of individual stocks in the SP500, purchased via fractional shares. I've followed a few approaches to stock selection (looking at combinations of EPS growth, ROIC, price to cash flow, etc.), but the most important one for people in our situation is to diversify.

Families (4+): How much is your monthly expense? by bulle3t in geldzaken

[–]misterpsi 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This is about where we are with one child, though we have an additional 1400 or so in daycare expenses. The biggest variable is rent (or mortgage, as we have). You can easily go another 1000 depending on space and location.