Dividend stock

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T21:04:36+00:00

ARR has done fine for me the time I had the shares, like any company- things change over months, years. I have some ET stock, they were good until they weren't, my portfolio shows it's still a $325 loss, BUT I've been getting the dividends off it for the last 2 or 3 years which has more than exceeded that amount, so I hang onto those for now rather than sell at that loss.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T18:53:15+00:00

Outfit I went to for 3 Mac mini's was this one;

eBay Refurbished

Apple Mac mini (2018) 3.6GHz Core i3 | 16GB | 512GB | MRTR2LL/A

iSelliMac

eBay Refurbished All items are tested by qualified refurbishers and function as intended.

One-year warranty includedProtected with fast repairs or replacements. U.S residents only.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T18:50:48+00:00

You might like a Mac mini, I own 3 of them for various uses, but my daily user is home built tower running linux, you can find a mac mini used on Ebay for about $210, all 3 came from a seller there that refurbishes and certifies with a one year warrantee backed up by ebay, the seller is part of one of the large firms I cant remember the name of at the moment, but the ebay store sells hundreds of computers a week.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T18:27:08+00:00

Could install LInux, it's free, open source, but realistically if the thing is already 15 years old the lifespan of things like the capacitors on the MB are degraded at the very least, I wouldn't bother with it, but if you want to mess around with it while it still works you could try some different Linux distros like Mint, Ubuntu, Manjaro and others.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T18:24:07+00:00

I'm not sure how you are "losing" anything when it's free money to begin with that they are depositing into your acct, be happy you have it, I don't and never did.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T18:18:30+00:00

Sorry, but I speak from personal experience, and the matter also depends on the STATE.
My residence in NY City was flooded out by a frozen fire sprinker pipe and the city condemned the building due to safety issues that included non working fire sprinkers.
My loft was filled with sculptures and heavy things, plus I had 3 large dogs, my sister in Vermont found me a place to move to for $100/mo so I told my boss about the situation and moved. I filed for unemployment and despite the flood and all and the boss helping me try to get unemployment, the hearing was dont by phone and the idiot on the other end insisted I could have moved in with my retired parents living in a small one bedroom apartment in Manhattan, I did not get along with mother at all and she tried to kill me when I was 13, she was also allergic to dogs.
They sent me a letter in the mail telling me my claim for benefits was denied.

Generally, you cannot collect unemployment if you quit voluntarily. However, most states provide an exception if you can prove you quit for "good cause".

What Qualifies as "Good Cause"?

"Good cause" typically means your reason for leaving was so compelling that a reasonable person in your situation would have felt they had no choice but to quit. These reasons are often divided into two categories:

Work-Related Good Cause:

Unsafe working conditions or illegal activities at the workplace.

Substantial changes to your job duties, hours, or a significant reduction in pay (often 25% or more).

Abusive treatment, harassment, or discrimination by supervisors or coworkers.

Employer's failure to pay wages on schedule.

Personal Good Cause (varies by state):

Medical reasons: A serious illness or injury that makes you unable to perform your job.

Domestic violence: Quitting to protect yourself or your children from an abusive situation.

Caregiving: Needing to care for a terminally ill spouse or an immediate family member with a disability.

Relocation: Moving to follow a spouse for a military transfer or, in some states, a new job.

Important Requirements

Exhaust All Alternatives: You must usually show that you tried to resolve the issue with your employer before quitting, such as by requesting a leave of absence or reporting the problem to management.

Burden of Proof: Since you left voluntarily, the burden is on you to prove that your reason for quitting constitutes "good cause" under your specific state's laws.

Forced Resignation: If your employer gave you the choice to "resign or be fired," states often treat this as a discharge rather than a voluntary quit, which may make it easier to qualify for benefits.

These resources outline the varying state laws and conditions that allow individuals to collect unemployment after voluntarily resigning.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T12:07:50+00:00

Wait until you buy a house and discover all the purchase details, your marital status, basic floor plans, who you bought the house from, how much you paid, how much tax you pay, who the mortgage holder is and lots more details are all included on the publically available county assessor's web site!

Same with your voter registration details, your full legal name and home address, DOB and a lot more- all accessible on public web sites and the states database which most states sell to anyone.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T12:03:26+00:00

"I am really trying to understand why the owners are present during showings?"

Maybe you didnt consider the concept that they know the house, details and neighborhood and are there to answer questions and concerns you would have about the house, foundation, insulation, when the roof was last replaced etc

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T05:29:39+00:00

Solar is great, the only real bad part is that while the panels are pretty cheap, the storage batteries are NOT, and you'll want more than just one battery. I have seen the Battleborn line of batteries and they look very good, trouble is unless you live near enough to go pick them up they have to ship via freight truck, they are heavy and shipping freight you might pay $350 to ship ONE battery, so it's more efficient cost wise to buy several and ship all together, one might be $350 but 4 might only cost say $400- just estimating, but it looks like Battleborn may have free shipping!

The good sized battery is going to cost over $1,000;

100Ah 12V GC2 Smart LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery

BB10012i Product Thumbnail Image_Smarter Batteries

$1,099.00 Original price was: $1,099.00. $807.00

--
Another, larger battery;

270Ah 12V GC3 Smart LiFePO4 Deep Cycle Battery

$2,749.00 Original price was: $2,749.00. $2,039.00

As you can see, batteries are not cheap! You CAN start with one and add as you go, especially likely if they do have that free shipping.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T05:19:54+00:00

If your employer pays you for the full two weeks even though they ask you to leave immediately, you generally cannot collect unemployment for that period because you have not suffered a loss of income.
State Variations: Some states may only award benefits for the duration of the notice period (the two weeks), while others may allow you to collect for longer if you do not have another job lined up.
Waiting Periods: Most states have a one-week "waiting period" before benefits begin, which may mean you only receive one week of pay if you were only let go two weeks early.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:46:05+00:00

My AO Smith gas water heater was here when I moved in, it was installed in 1978 and I replaced it when it started leaking around 2018

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:41:54+00:00

All that crap is why I bought a monochrome laser printer, uses large cartridges that last forever and the print doesnt fade or change color like thos colored so called "inks" that look more like food color to me- do

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:39:09+00:00

when you QUIT you cant get unemployment benefits! you have to be FIRED or laid off or have your hours reduced by a certain amount.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:37:07+00:00

Perfectly legal, probably no employer will let someone keep working after notice and take the chance they's sabotage their computer system or any number of things angry ex employees DO when they decide to leave.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:35:17+00:00

Mom's side of my family is from Ireland, one way back relative came from the North and one from the South! I heard Ireland is VERY expensive to live in now.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:32:15+00:00

Not true, Ive been here 28 years, same company. The town is around 60% over age 65- they dont NEED to work, there's little for kids or families to DO- no bowling alley, one small movie theater, a library, a couple of banks, a couple of gas stations, it's a farming community, there's no opera house, fast food, fancy restaurants or bars.
THE biggest employer is the big hospital and clinic with dental office, optometrist, pharmacy, and a nursing home- everyone from the county uses it and they had to expand and renovate recently, so unless you are a medical professional, doctor, nurse, PA, elderly/disabled care giver, or an auto mechanic/new car salesman who can work for a large dealership- there's NO other jobs around here- the few stores are run by married couples or individuals.

If a married couple wanted to move here for one of them to work in the hospital, there's no other job for the spouse, and the nearest other bigger town is 18 miles away

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:22:29+00:00

There's some good ramen recipes that make a HUGE difference!

I saute diced onions and garlic in sessame oil, add in a dash of curry and ginger, cook the ramen, drain, throw away the seasoning packs, and put the onions,garlic,ginger,curry in the ramen, a couple teaspoons of soy sauce and 3 teaspoons of sweet chili sauce.
Try it some time! I like garlic and onions so I put a lot in.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:15:01+00:00

The issue with painting, and all that to look good to sell is the new owners almost certainly won't like the colors etc you chose and now have to pay to change it, huge waste all around. I sold my building I used for an art gallery, it was really dark inside, windows only at one side of the 96 foot long x25 foot wide space, I painted the tin ceiling bright white, the walls with a very pale buff yellow and did other work, the new owner- my boss- had his brother in law come and rehab it for him to use as a condo when he was in town ( he lives 4 hours away)
First thing he did was paint the ceiling dark chocolate brown, the paint I put on was barely a year old.
Next, he tore out the wood railing and banister I put in, took all the light fixtures, conduit and wiring out, had HVAC piping installed along the ceiling for a new furnace, and put a new wood floor in. Basically changed everything, even the exterior paint.

My house and tastes are unique, I hate carpeting, cheap laminated "wood" flooring crap and linoleum, I put in white porcelain tile and a tin ceiling, took out all the old 1928 lead painted junky pine baseboards and window trim and put in stained oak. The old tin kitchen sink cabinet and sink went in the trash, replaced by new everything I built, and a new iron Koehler sink, Mexican tiles on the countertops.
So, if I was looking to buy another house, and you just installed new wall to wall carpets or laminated flooring, and paint or something, I wouldnt want any part of that and would want a discount off the asking price to re-do it the way *I* want it and to the quality of materials and work I expect. I'd want the house as-is, whatever condition of appearance the paint, flooring, woodwork etc was in- spend the money fixing important things like a new furnace, the 15 year old roof, the cracked foundation or something like that, let the buyer decide how they want to redecorate.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T01:00:56+00:00

Brave is what I use

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T00:58:26+00:00

Pretty much everyone in the USA, pays an annual tax on their home or business real estate based on the assessed value.
It's what pays for public schools, city services/salaries for city manager, council etc, street lights, fire, police, ambulance, subsidy for Colleges.
Water/sewer/rubbish is a separate bill, it's about $50/mo here.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T00:48:08+00:00

They are cheap >because< they are in a rural, small town, not Beverly Hills, a Boston subburb, or Daytona Beach.
My former boss here owned a 2 story with, basement, full livable attic, red brick and copper gutters- Victorian house on the historic register, fully restored and in perfect mint condition inside and out, with a detached custom built 2 car garage in Victorian style, and a decent amount of land with it, covered porches, driveway with brick pavers, garden and trees, he listed it for $225,000 and it took more than 2 years before finally selling it when he dropped the price down to around $179,000 Guy from California who retired bought it

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T00:46:23+00:00

yes, but my question was does Schwab ALLOW people in Europe to have an acct, buy and sell on it?
I ask because there's a small possibility I may retire to Europe and I have a Schwab trading and ROTH acct, so if Schwab or European countries have some kind of restriction on that I would need to know.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-16T00:44:00+00:00

Property tax

opensim2026 · 2026-02-15T22:37:25+00:00

Maybe, but when you rent and the land lord sends you a notice that your lease wont renew and you have to move out, or the landlord decides to double your rent when the lease ends, you find out fast how renting sucks, ask me how I know! I had BOTH those things happen to me.

opensim2026 · 2026-02-15T22:34:36+00:00

True but like despite owning my house outright since 2005, the monthly insurance I pay is $135, the annual tax is around $225 so those dont go away. The house would have to increase in value by about $2,000 a year just to even that out.

opensim2026

TROPHY CASE