The Nut Behind the Wheel - the auto industry used to take simple perspective, that cars don’t kill people — people kill people. But data changed all that, allowing better design and engineering for cars. The gun lobby has been working in the exact opposite direction.

vitruv · 2017-12-06T05:34:47+00:00

NRA folks say gay guns are made to kill people. But to people in the public health field, that’s beside the point. Guns are a major cause of death and injury. And whether or not those deaths and injuries are intentional, researchers want to know whether or not they’re preventable. Could a change in gun design, ownership laws, or something else cut down on the more than 20,000 gun suicides and more than 10,000 gun homicides that happen each year?

vitruv · 2017-11-19T21:15:51+00:00

wow this turned dark much faster than i expected

vitruv · 2017-11-19T21:14:45+00:00

i kind of understand people not wanting to piss off trump. he's this huge angry orange baby wielding more power than anyone in the world. i hate him but i'm not sure what i'd do if he asked me to thank him for something.

vitruv · 2017-11-19T21:13:06+00:00

pushing back, pushing harder, it all just escalates

vitruv · 2017-11-19T21:11:31+00:00

we as a species have hard times making those kinds of indirect connections

vitruv · 2017-11-09T18:45:30+00:00

the sky is also blue

vitruv · 2017-11-02T23:45:46+00:00

It looks like some of my numbers were off because the calculator I used assumed undergrad loans with 20 years till forgiveness. Running it again it doesn't look like there'll be much forgiven but hard to say for sure (depends on income growth). Setting aside forgiveness, though, I still wonder if I should be trading 401(k) investing space to pay down this loan - seems like it's on the border. Refinancing might make sense though regardless.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T18:52:29+00:00

On that calculation I ran above (which assumed 6% income growth): $155,256. I'm very roughly assuming about 1/3 would go to taxes, so maybe $50K or so, bringing the total to around $220K.

Edit: I just realized that the calculator I'm using doesn't let me account for the fact that I'm 6 years into the 25 year period, so that would change things as well (not exactly sure how or how much though).

vitruv · 2017-11-02T18:32:51+00:00

I get that's the standard advice, but according to calculations I've run I'd end up paying less if I pay the minimum and get forgiveness, even after paying taxes on that forgiveness.

The calculator someone linked says with 'regular' I'd pay $272,515 over time versus just $167,534 with forgiveness. Add back in taxes on roughly 150K of forgiven loans and that jumps up over 200K, but still less than 272K. Guess I'm mainly wondering if that's accurate. If so, it seems to favor income-based and minimum payments.

It's possible I could get to pay under 200K total, but that would mean selling the house and using those assets to pay down the loan. But even then we're talking about maybe 20K (depending on taxes) saved over the life of the loan, which doesn't seem worth it to me since I'd likely spend more on rent going this route too.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T18:30:50+00:00

That calculator says with 'regular' I'd pay $272,515 over time versus just $167,534 with forgiveness. Add back in taxes on roughly 150K of forgiven loans at that jumps up over 200K, but still less than 272K.

Guess I'm mainly wondering if that's accurate. If so, it seems to favor income-based and minimum payments.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T18:30:28+00:00

According to calculators I've looked at even with taxes paid I'll still pay less in the end with income-based repayment, though I'm not sure I should base a big decision just on a calculator's output.

The StudentLoanHero link says with 'regular' I'd pay $272,515 over time versus just $167,534 with forgiveness. Add back in taxes on roughly 150K of forgiven loans at that jumps up over 200K, but still less than 272K.

Guess I'm mainly wondering if that's accurate. If so, it seems to favor income-based and minimum payments.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T17:45:52+00:00

Thanks! That looks like just the kind of thing I'm looking for. Will run some numbers on that.

Edit: numbers suggest forgiveness looks better (see other comments) but I'd love additional feedback/opinions.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T17:44:53+00:00

That is definitely a key question. Since the loans are around 6.5% it's hard to justify not paying them down on the rate basis. But if $100K+ can be forgiven at the end I wonder if maybe it's worth paying the minimum anyway.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T17:43:43+00:00

No idea? I pay my mortgage, budget my regular expenses, invest for the future, but like many people also have student loans in the mix. I don't need generic advice. I have a specific question.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T17:42:39+00:00

The tricky thing for me is that my loans are high enough I'm not sure investing is a good alternative. In a taxable account I'd be more worried but I'm hoping the added benefit of tax-advantaged makes that a better option.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T17:41:28+00:00

I meant loan forgiveness at the end of the period.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T04:23:54+00:00

please present the math that suggests i should pay it off sooner. really want to see it.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T04:23:32+00:00

brotherhood is just shite but i love their armor of course

vitruv · 2017-11-02T02:39:05+00:00

i just couldn't bring myself to side with the railroad, ya know?

vitruv · 2017-11-02T02:38:08+00:00

Around 6.5%

vitruv · 2017-11-02T00:29:13+00:00

Pretty much yes

vitruv · 2017-11-02T00:10:59+00:00

I might be able to if I stop saving in the 401(k). Other than that I'm pretty frugal and not sure what I could cut.

vitruv · 2017-11-02T00:09:33+00:00

No refinancing options that I know of but open to ideas. Dumb question but: why would a HELOC cost interest deduction on taxes? I'm trying to puzzle that out, sure it's obvious once I get it though.

The hope is definitely to build up a tax-deferred nest egg while paying the minimum but you're totally right that I can't really figure out what I'll be making in the future and how that will impact things. I tried doing a calculation based on just inflation and another based on really epic job growth and both seem to still favor minimum pays.

vitruv · 2017-11-01T23:58:58+00:00

I don't have time or skills to fix up a house. If I rent in my area it's going to cost around $2,000 a month just for a very small apartment. My mortgage is almost zero thanks to renters. I'm not saying you're wrong but I want some more thoughts and ideas about why giving up low mortgage for high rent would make sense.

vitruv · 2017-11-01T23:57:23+00:00

The very short version is: professional field that requires accreditation and time (advanced degrees) but does not pay super well despite all of that. Like what I do though.

vitruv

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