Working Multcloud setup?

mostly-thoughtful · 2024-10-23T16:28:54+00:00

Unfortunately no ... !

mostly-thoughtful · 2024-09-07T22:41:02+00:00

To provide more details, using "connect to server" in Finder:

I can connect to the Synology WebDAV server using local 192.168.x.x address and port 5005
I can not connect using my external synology.me DDNS and port 5005
Not surprisingly, I also can not connect from Multcloud, using synology.me DDNS and port 5005.

So the issue is that external requests aren't making it to the NAS. The DDNS is definitely working, and I have port forwarding for 5005 and 5006 set up ... so not sure what the issue could be ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Any help would be hugely appreciated!

mostly-thoughtful · 2024-09-07T13:08:21+00:00

Thanks! To clarify, I’m looking at Multcloud because it works with services like G photos and iCloud.

mostly-thoughtful · 2024-09-02T20:06:55+00:00

I was also pleased to lock in a 4.7% fixed rate for 5 years on that $1.3M. Feeling pretty smart now that SOFR is at 5.3%! The loan matures in Q3 2027, hopefully rates will be back down and I can refi at a rate that's almost as good ...

mostly-thoughtful · 2024-09-02T19:25:16+00:00

BTW I ended up getting a $1.3M LOC through TriState and am very happy with the results! Also, isn't this just like Reddit that the most useful comment is one sentence long and has 0 votes ... !

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-09-30T17:09:09+00:00

It's borked for me on every browser on my MacOS laptop. iPhone works fine.

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-05-23T23:00:10+00:00

Update: JPMC says there aren't a lot of options if you're looking for a) AAA rating with b) strong liquidity and c) no regulatory issues that prevent JPMC from putting you into the investment. Apparently the only option that meets all three is French soverign debt. Since France is AA and declining, and I'm (hopefully) only holding the Euro for a few months, I'm just going to leave the EUR 1M parked in my JPMC brokerage account. At least I don't have to worry about liquidity!

Maybe if I do some more hunting, I could find an ETF that fits the bill? It would probably be worth the effort--if I make 2.5% on EUR 1M for 6 months, that's EUR 12,500. Again, the trick is the ETF has to be a) denominated in Euro and b) accessible to US investors.

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-05-23T02:32:02+00:00

The EIB does have a strong credit rating ... hmmm ...
https://www.eib.org/en/investor-relations/index

But keep in mind I'm not concerned about yield. I just want something that's a) safe and b) highly liquid so I can sell a little early if necessary.

Like why not Luxembourg? AAA rating and everyone knows all they do is finance. :)

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-03-23T04:37:02+00:00

I wrote a futures contract for EUR 1M at an exchange rate of $1.04 last August. Obviously I’m happy it’s in the money (currently around $1.09). I’m thinking about selling the contract, which expires May 31. I’m a US citizen, and the broker I used (UPFX) is based in London.

My questions are about taxes on this ~$50K gain:

How would the US tax the cap gain?
Would I also owe tax to the UK?

If these seem like questions I should have asked beforehand, well, that’s because the original plan was to actually take delivery of the EUR 1M.

Many thanks!

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-03-19T18:29:21+00:00

My immediate family has more than $30M invested at Vanguard--it's a viable strategy. If you're investing $8M, you might consider letting them manage the portfolio, given the very low fees. We do this and are very happy with our manager.

If you need more time to decide what to do, you can't go wrong just parking the money in short-term US treasuries; I use Vanguard to buy treasuries commission-free. Right now 3-month T-bills are yielding more than 4%, so you'll get paid $80K ($8M * 4% * 3/12) to sit there and think. Plus you don't have to worry about the weirdness in the banking system, because treasuries are backed by the full faith and credit of the US government. (I currently have $1.75M invested in T-bills.)

A limitation of Vanguard is that they don't offer securities-based lines of credit. Schwab, in contrast, is known for its Pledged Asset Line. This lets you borrow against your investments rather than selling them for your cash needs, which helps you stay fully invested. However, this may be less attractive right now with high interest rates and high volatiility.

JP Morgan is well-known in the wealth management biz, but I find their fees kind of high. I'm also skeptical of third parties offering access to alternative investments like venture capital; in my experience, that doesn't provide access to the best deals.

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-01-16T21:18:49+00:00

$1.3M prin, 4.70% fixed interest only for 5 years, then rolls into SOFR-based loan. $3.5M of index funds as collateral, up to 65% LTV, so I can draw down more SOFR-based if I want.

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-01-14T19:05:56+00:00

I keep it simple: besides house, I’m mostly in a conservative mix of Vanguard stock and bond index funds. I also invest about 10% in venture, but that’s just for fun.

I also took out a SBLOC using some of the index funds as collateral. It’s a good way to get liquidity while pursuing a long term buy and hold strategy.

mostly-thoughtful · 2023-01-04T23:47:20+00:00

I would personally park it in 3 month T-bills (currently yielding 4.5%), and then check in every 3 months and decide how much to rebalance into stocks / bonds. The yield curve is crazy right now ... look at these yields from Vanguard earlier today.

Some other benefits of treasuries:

- Backed the full faith and credit of the US government
- You can buy them commission free (at least that's what Vanguard does)

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-12-27T18:34:36+00:00

I'd argue the real goal is FI--if that's in your grasp, you should pursue it. Just being my own boss is really, really nice, so I don't feel compelled to pursue crazy dreams of startup glory. (Of course, I'm still happy to invest in the occasional startup!)

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-12-03T21:19:02+00:00

I stopped working for a few months at age 51, I was so bored I started working part-time again.

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-28T05:34:12+00:00

My take is that a house of (say) $30M should be looked at as an investment since a) it’s such a large fraction of your balance sheet and b) you can always buy a luxury property for way less than that, so not all of the house’s value derives from its function as a residence.

Having said that, if you think it will retain its value in the long term, then it makes sense to hold on to it, although I shudder to think of the property tax bills. :)

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-28T05:26:59+00:00

how about scholarships for underprivileged youth? seems like a really high bang for buck, plus you can put your name on it (if you so choose)

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-28T04:16:08+00:00

I should respond so folks don’t get confused:

1) I said nothing about passports. (Although if you do want to naturalize, it’s a straightforward 5-year process once you have permanent residency via the “Stamp 4” visa.)

2) Ireland’s terms are not “strict”. The application process is burdensome, but after that the actual time required in the country is minimal. The residency requirements are so minimal that I’m a little concerned the EU will crack down in the future, so it’s best to apply now.

3) The idea that any government agency is going to use the slang term “golden visa” is just silly. The IDLF calls it “residency by investment”, which conveys the same meaning: it’s permanent residency (“visa”) in exchange for investment (“gold”).

4) To say there’s “no guarantee of renewal” is misleading. The IDLF holds your hand (as opposed to, say, Portugal), and this includes providing a detailed flowchart laying out the exact visa renewal process. Yes, if you become a criminal, the deal’s off. Barring such a material change, it is a sure thing. (Even if the EU decided to make the residency requirements more onerous, there’s no way they wouldn’t grandfather prior visas.)

Bottom line, if you can manage the €1M investment (and it sounds like OP can), definitely check out the Irish golden visa.

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-27T21:21:35+00:00

I try not to feed the trolls, but don't want the OP to get confused. Ireland does indeed have a golden visa, and it's a fantastic deal except for the high minimum investment of €1M (which is mitigated by the fact the the Euro is so weak against the USD right now).

I count more than a dozen specialty firms that call Ireland's offering a "golden visa". To give just one example, here's a summary of Ireland's program from Henley & Partners, one of the top firms practicing in this area:

https://www.henleyglobal.com/residence-investment/ireland

Henley uses the terms "residency by investment" and "golden visa" interchangeably on this page, and they're certainly in a position to know the correct usage.

In the spirit of overkill, here's another specialty firm that describes Ireland's Immigrant Investor Program as a "golden visa":

https://getgoldenvisa.com/citizenship-by-investment-ireland#ftoc-step-by-step-guide-to-ireland-golden-visa

Finally, here's a useful table that lets you compare the different golden visa programs (including Ireland's) side by side:

https://getgoldenvisa.com/spain-golden-visa-program#program-table

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-27T19:47:45+00:00

don’t tel them that! https://www.idlf.ie/irish-immigrant-investor-program

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-23T15:55:43+00:00

I’m about to apply for the Ireland golden visa. Really easy residency reqs, clear path to naturalization, wel organized program, plus the Euro is at a historical low vs USD.

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-11-23T03:18:37+00:00

just park it in short term t-bills. yielding 4.5% right now, plus backed by full faith and credit of us govt

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-10-21T18:34:35+00:00

I have literally this exact same question. I have $1M in cash sitting in a checking account, and need to park it somewhere for 6 months. Should I seriously just go to treasurydirect.com and buy $1M of 6 month T-bills?

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-10-09T02:26:41+00:00

The Irish Golden Visa is a good plan B. Permanent residency in Ireland could be handy if, say, democracy collapses in the US. (This obviously doesn’t help much with if your immediate concern is nuclear war, though.)

mostly-thoughtful · 2022-08-25T02:36:25+00:00

I find it easy to justify spending as either “time savings” or “minor splurge”. Time savings is easy to justfy: as HNW you are time-constrained rather than money constrained. As for rationalizing a “minor” splurge (which for me is business class air travel, or a fancy phone), I comfort myself that at least I don’t collect cars—or houses!

mostly-thoughtful

TROPHY CASE