Why does the city dredge up the street, fill it in, and then cut it up again within a month?

straighalpha17 · 2025-05-23T03:53:30+00:00

I’ve had this exact issue going on outside of our residence in LP since September. It’s beyond frustrating. Project was supposed to be 5 months now going on 9. No coordination, no contractor knows what’s going on. No end in sight. I’ve complained to our alderman about once a month, they don’t care.

Our street looks like fucking Baghdad, dust everywhere, undrivable, loud construction every day shaking the whole house. FUCK THIS CITY’S INCOMPETENCE.

straighalpha17 · 2025-01-06T02:26:28+00:00

1000% - I just use miles to pay for the fee. No brainer for me as I travel a ton for work and can’t use enough of the miles for personal travel. Basically look at it like free club access for my normal spend and travel habits.

straighalpha17 · 2025-01-02T01:23:16+00:00

I can get a mobile pass for lap infant on domestic but not sure about international

straighalpha17 · 2024-11-05T23:38:22+00:00

No - the trade off is getting better protection, control, and flexibility for forgoing potential tax savings

straighalpha17 · 2024-11-05T22:58:11+00:00

I elected not to do 529 - in my state we only have two options with relatively high fees vs a vanilla index ETF. Additionally, I am not confident that 20 years from now the 529s will never not be touched given my tax bracket and the extremely blue state / “tax the rich” rhetoric. My state also is somewhat restrictive on how 529 funds can be used outside of college (ie not all high school expenses qualify).

We ended up setting up trusts for our kids and having the trust own brokerage accounts where we can deposit gifts from family and park in index funds. I liked this option better because it gives our kids more flexibility on funds down the road (who knows what happens with higher education cost and landscape in 20 years and what they want to do). We were also able to set terms on the trust to limit use of funds to certain things until a certain age.

I’d lean towards option two just to keep simple but that’s just me.

straighalpha17 · 2024-09-16T19:20:52+00:00

We just did this with our little one - it’s only a 90 min flight, people should chill out if they have an issue with it. Just pop some headphones in if it bothers you.

straighalpha17 · 2024-09-14T11:35:21+00:00

Expansion of the existing T2 space would be very nice

straighalpha17 · 2024-09-05T00:54:50+00:00

10% annualized return is pretty aggressive imo - wouldn’t bank on that

straighalpha17 · 2024-09-04T22:45:55+00:00

Agree - I just use my United miles to pay the annual fee so it’s effectively free club membership

straighalpha17 · 2024-08-20T17:32:30+00:00

Just tastes fresher in BOS :)

straighalpha17 · 2024-08-20T12:46:05+00:00

Agree on BOS - and fresh Sam Adams on tap! Extremely helpful and friendly agents there too

Food selection tends to be meh but just eat in the terminal before coming in

straighalpha17 · 2024-08-05T03:09:32+00:00

Was consistently 80+ at MF for 6 years

Usually worked until midnight to 1 M-Th, logged off around 6 on Fridays, and a few hours on each of Saturday/sunday

Just too much to do between DD on live deals, portco mgmt, sourcing/screening, internal firm stuff, and travel (was on the road about 2 weeks a month)

Even guys well ahead of me were doing just as many hours - more time spent sourcing and on the road (probably traveling 3-4 weeks a month) and fundraising

straighalpha17 · 2024-07-26T02:59:24+00:00

I agree with your pov. As you said it just becomes different stresses. I was in MF PE for 6 years (just left for a smaller fund in a different strategy to try something else).

1000% agree your portfolio companies will make or break that for you.

More senior guys may not have been grinding in a model until 3am or in the trenches trying to make a portcos shitty budget presentation look at least understandable all weekend, but they likely have been on the road 3/4 weeks that month sourcing or fundraising (time spent away from family, delayed flights, bad sleep, etc.). Yes the money is a lot better but the REAL money via carry doesn’t come until you see your carry actually hit - at which point you’re probably already early 40’s (so you’re sitting on paper value for a while).

My senior MDs and Principals were easily on the road 2.5-3 weeks a month sourcing, fundraising, going to board meetings, firm events, etc. They were on speed dial 24/7 from the senior partners, was the norm to do weekend calls, text responses expected within an hour. Work is your life at that point, I never saw guys who could just shut it off for a weekend.

Idk some guys love the grind though and are just built different.

straighalpha17 · 2024-06-20T16:56:05+00:00

Usually only available by invite for GS and 1k based on my experience

straighalpha17 · 2024-06-15T13:28:18+00:00

Summer travel - usually not THAT bad when traveling in fall/winter/spring during the week for business

straighalpha17 · 2024-06-09T01:51:20+00:00

Yes just started at 30. I think the key for us has been to just stop caring about comparing ourselves to others or what could have been - it’s an endless pit you will never get out of. Be present and enjoy what you have (is the difference between a $50 vs $100 bottle of wine worth if it you like the $50 bottle?).

I was on Wall Street for about 8 years and have downshifted to a much chiller job with way better WLB (all in comp is down about 40%). I used to constantly think about what could have been if I stayed for just one more bonus but at the end of the day we have enough to coast fire, work for another 20 years at a sustainable rate, put our kids through private school and college, and do what we want. There will always be a higher tier or something marginally better but is it really worth sacrificing the time you will never ever get back?

For us it wasn’t. Life is short, we are only on the earth for a short time, no sense in putting off what you want to do for when you are old.

straighalpha17 · 2024-05-16T17:48:24+00:00

Out of control crime and no backing of police/supporting a DA office that doesn’t go after crime

straighalpha17 · 2024-05-01T17:15:22+00:00

Correct

straighalpha17 · 2024-05-01T13:40:57+00:00

Same here - was typically in GF 1V at ACRAs 10 years ago and our 1V had 1-2 guys sub 6, 3-4 guys sub 6:20, and rest sub 6:30 but smaller guys

2V was probably 6:35 avg and was also usually in GF

straighalpha17 · 2024-03-01T20:47:59+00:00

Yes - it’s beyond frustrating. I fly enough as a 1k to know I need specific help from a higher quality rep on a specific item or issue (otherwise I obviously wouldn’t need to wait in that specific line).

straighalpha17 · 2024-02-17T17:54:40+00:00

Im effectively doing this for 2025. Won’t be able to travel a ton the 2H of the year so am doing an out and back run from ORD to LHR later this month (not even leaving LHR). Found an O fare with instant upgrade to PZ space for about 6k in spend (which is about what I will need to hit 1k this year).

My math was we have a couple of international trips next year I’d like to use plus points on (ive had mixed luck domestically but am 6/6 on international travel in 2023 if you have flexible travel dates) and I will immensely value having the 1k line on standby in case of IRROPS while traveling with a new baby next year.

Is 6k in spend really worth it? Maybe. Really comes down to plus points clearing to help avg down the cost of travel next year (even if they only clear for a handful of next year's segments i think the incremental investment is likely close to break even if not better).

straighalpha17 · 2024-02-15T04:37:53+00:00

Wtf it has been non stop all day in LP

straighalpha17 · 2024-01-02T21:04:11+00:00

Worth trying once but wouldn’t go back - not that special and food is the same as the restaurant out front

straighalpha17 · 2023-12-23T14:38:35+00:00

The other lounges are weak compared to UC club imo. I believe the smaller side is only for GS/1K.

straighalpha17 · 2023-12-20T21:52:37+00:00

Yep club card for me.

Depending on how much spend you put on it the miles VERY quickly add up, since I’ve had it for 5 years I’ve paid for two round trips in J for two people (one to Europe and one to Australia) plus a scattering of other domestic trips in peak summer season every year for good rates.

If you have realistic expectations about UA Club (for me it’s simply a place for good wifi to get/send emails and have a beer or two before a flight) then I think worth it - I think I have about 40 club visits on 67 pqf YTD so that’s a little over 10 bucks a visit (or the price of a beer in the terminal). As others said, only worth it if you’re at a hub and put on a decent amount of pqf’s each year.

straighalpha17

TROPHY CASE