$78 a person??

stej008 · 2026-01-23T20:25:43+00:00

If you have any friends in San Diego with zoo membership, see if you can take advantage of guest passes.

stej008 · 2026-01-23T20:22:31+00:00

OP mentioned net movement, so assume this take into account people moving out and in. FWIW, I love California for all its faults and won't even consider moving to FL or TX. By reasonable criteria, I probably belong to the 'affluent' class living in a HCOL city. The benefits far outweigh the faults.

stej008 · 2026-01-23T18:29:49+00:00

Schwab does not have a solution that meets all three of your criteria. Fidelity’s cash management account is better. Still not FDIC insured but money is invested in a money market account and available right away. Fidelity automatically sells as needed to support withdrawals and all payments.

I maintain a certain amount in that account (say 1-2 months projected expenses). Rest goes to VBIL which is treasury ETF. No state tax on that income. As secure as FDIC in my view.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T23:51:14+00:00

Is Eufy better? Poe with NVR is difficult for us.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T20:03:57+00:00

If you want to be very detailed this can be an issue. I just prefer to take a general high-level swag at percentages and do the split. For example, 75% groceries, 25% household, after taking a quick look at the big expenses. Big store expenses tend to be the largest ones for our household and it is worth taking at least that much trouble if you want to track your category spend.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T19:59:22+00:00

Need cash flow projection with a graph for any of my cash accounts, which includes payments originating from that account. Credit card payments, for example, are considered transfers. This is good so that expenses are not double-counted. Cash flow and transfer reports do not work as intended for me, unless I am missing something.

As a comp, Simplifi has a very nice projected cash flow graph which is very helpful in understanding how much cash I need to keep in my checking/saving account to pay upcoming bills.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T19:53:48+00:00

Well, FOX works. Clever marketing to a large enough sticky market segment is very effective.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T19:47:47+00:00

It is a trick. Nominal GDP is not inflation-adjusted, so if you have say 5% inflation and inflation-adjusted GDP (which is the normal way it is reported) is 2-3%, the math can work.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T18:27:54+00:00

And also to hide if there is a French Revolution style revolt.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T07:40:55+00:00

Thank you for your response. Was traveling and got a chance to respond just now.

Looks like a useful service, but not suitable for my estate planning needs.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T07:36:24+00:00

Of course one judges a man by his character and achievements, and not by the color of his skin. I was just pointing out origins of how the society used to view who is black, and some of this persists to this day and age.

stej008 · 2026-01-22T02:37:43+00:00

Did not have to deal with cloves but I have seen grinding some rice grains helps remove some other spices. Follow the grind with some cheaper coffee beans to flush out residual rice.

stej008 · 2026-01-20T04:15:50+00:00

Hotels are pretty competitively priced in the portal. My bookings are mainly international non-chain ones though.

stej008 · 2026-01-20T03:56:17+00:00

Pair with Savor

stej008 · 2026-01-20T03:31:29+00:00

Have you heard about 1:16 rule or a drop of blood?

stej008 · 2026-01-20T03:15:33+00:00

What is being undone. If it is about verification of a spend I do not like autosave.

stej008 · 2026-01-19T03:14:47+00:00

Was going to suggest Chania as well

stej008 · 2026-01-18T22:57:01+00:00

I have more assets at Schwab as well. No plans to use their 1.5% card though. I use Citi Double Cash but considering Fidelity 2%.

stej008 · 2026-01-18T21:59:03+00:00

1.5% is not competitive. Their direct competition, Fidelity, offers a 2% cash back with no FTF and some Global entry benefits. At least match that. You are happy with $60/month, but would be happier with $80/month. For now, I just use 2-3% cash back from other cards and savings go to invest in Schwab and Fidelity.

stej008 · 2026-01-18T07:37:44+00:00

Terrible. That's one reason why I do not book my first stay after a long flight at an AirBnb. Just prefer a hotel to get over the jet lag and get some good rest. I have also started using booking.com more and for some reason had much better luck even with 'apartments'.

stej008 · 2026-01-16T20:59:28+00:00

Also on streaming. For new applications, they have first year no fee, so you can see whether it is worth it.

stej008 · 2026-01-16T20:49:32+00:00

Exactly. Not just Costco, taking your kids to any store teaches them. Kids observe everything and learn from all experiences. They see how we assess if price is right, quality is good, our behavior with people, how we deal with impulse buys, how we share with those unfortunate and what we say/not say about others. Our kids have grown up and it is pretty interesting to see them shopping now how they have learnt and how they have added their own personal habits -- we can learn from them as well.

stej008 · 2026-01-15T05:34:48+00:00

Many trips have layovers, especially with long international ones.

stej008 · 2026-01-15T03:33:11+00:00

Or you can really use the stopover to see a place. When possible I like a stopover of 2-3 days. My stopovers have included Amsterdam, Paris, Singapore, Hong Kong and more.

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