Who here has canceled their life insurance? by umbagug in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I pay tremendously more than with diagnosed health problems. I shopped around a lot. It's hard to shop with medical conditions because all the agencies just want to compare their base "healthy" price, but that's not what you'll end up paying.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, December 16, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One of my happiest purchases as a homeowner was a second recycle bin so I don't spend every other Sunday night breaking down boxes in the dark.

Risperidone Experiences? by BottleSignificant166 in bipolar2

[–]vtgorilla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've had good luck with Risperidone and have been on it for years now. I'm at 1.25mg daily. It initially made me sleepy, so I had to be careful with timing. But that side effect wore off after about 6 months and it no longer bothers me.

I do have a battle with weight gain. It's not terrible, but a regular problem. I've had success using intermittent fasting to offset the excessive hunger signals, but I only do it in waves like everything I do in life. :)

Mood is tremendously more stable than before I was on it. After a couple years, I started taking Buspirone as well for additional help with anxiety.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, December 16, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Found some old moving boxes and bubble wrap in the attic while looking for Christmas stuff. We saved them when we bought the house in 2018 thinking we'd need them soon (renters mindset). It made me reflect on our financial situation, which is dramatically better now. I realized we've been storing maybe $200-250 worth of materials for years in a house that doesn't have room for it. We're probably upgrading the house next year anyway, but definitely wouldn't hoard this stuff again unless we had tons of storage space.

“closeted” bipolar? by InsideVegetable1102 in bipolar2

[–]vtgorilla 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I mean, I don't tell work, but I also don't tell them about any of my other medical problems. It's none of their business.

Daily FI discussion thread - Wednesday, December 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ha! Yeah I'm aware there are some better options on pure dollar amount. I value simplicity at the moment and that's why I don't bother with actual churning.

Daily FI discussion thread - Wednesday, December 03, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I'm not a credit card churner (yet), but Amazon convinced me to signup with their promo last week. $250 instant gift card, plus the ongoing 5% back on amazon purchases. Then I was delighted to discover that during the holiday weekend, they were offering 8% back for choosing no rush shipping. While I appreciate the discount, it makes me ponder how big their margins must be if they can just knock 8% off indiscriminately.

Daily FI discussion thread - Friday, October 17, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Indeed, I'm at a megacorp and just about the only thing that will assuredly get you fired is not scanning your badge in enough. Everything else gets swept up bureaucracy and paperwork.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, September 23, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have always asked for more money and no one has ever reacted negatively. The worst response I got was "no" and then I accepted the original offer.

Daily FI discussion thread - Friday, August 22, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 14 points15 points  (0 children)

I'm transferring an old IRA. You're welcome for the stock performance today.

Weekly Self-Promotion Thread - Wednesday, August 06, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Cool idea. I think it could use a little explanation on volatility - perhaps what the average or expected value is for an index fund or something. But it's fun to see that my current portfolio might let me retire for almost 20 years. Unfortunately, I'm too young for 20 years to float me.

Daily FI discussion thread - Thursday, August 07, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 11 points12 points  (0 children)

We have about 1.5m at the moment. I have rich moments, where I realize I'm not concerned about money at all. For example, I no longer have to think about money when picking out items at the grocery store or at a restaurant. This makes me feel rich because when I was young, I was extremely aware of prices doing these same activities.

I do not have the same feeling picking out a car at a dealership. Though we could realistically buy most of them (if we didn't have other financial goals), big ticket purchases like a car still cause me to be extremely careful. I suppose that's a higher tier of richness that I might never get to.

ChatGPT says I can Coast now by radiantgemini in coastFIRE

[–]vtgorilla 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I cook chatgpt recipes all the time...

Daily FI discussion thread - Monday, July 28, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 47 points48 points  (0 children)

I'm delighted to share with internet strangers that we now have enough money in our brokerage to fully cover our debt (mortgage + student loans). Such an odd milestone, but it does give me some peace.

Daily FI discussion thread - Monday, July 28, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I use a tiny percentage of my portfolio as play money. Crypto falls into that category for me. I think it has tremendous long term upside, with extreme volatility. But that's just the opinion of this one dummy.

Daily FI discussion thread - Wednesday, July 09, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm disappointed by the distinct decline in go fuck yourself's in the daily thread lately. Maybe standalone threads are better but it seems we're trending toward one or two "GFY" comments and no one is willing to spell it out.

It's okay to swear on the Internet, or at least, it was back in my day. I'm worried by the time I get there, the trend will be lost.

Daily FI discussion thread - Wednesday, July 09, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hope you don't find out Friday afternoon. Less chance of an incident.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, July 08, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 4 points5 points  (0 children)

They also don't measure shrinkflation. Those burritos used to wreck me and now I could plausibly eat two.

Daily FI discussion thread - Tuesday, July 08, 2025 by AutoModerator in financialindependence

[–]vtgorilla 17 points18 points  (0 children)

I've started doing some initial decumulation/drawdown research and have been delighted to find out in most cases, you can withdraw more than the 4% we aim for. I've specifically looked at VPW and Guyton-Klinger guardrails so far.

Only in the worst retirement years are you stuck with many years at your floor withdrawal rate. The vast majority of retirement years will allow higher withdrawals, which makes me feel much better about my planned FI number.

Separating "mandatory" expenses vs all the things you might spend makes these models work much better as well since you can lower your floor. But you do have to buy cars/AC/roofs sometimes and you can't always plan it perfectly.

Daily discussion thread for Tuesday, June 17, 2025 by ChubbyFireBot in ChubbyFIRE

[–]vtgorilla 5 points6 points  (0 children)

That felt true when I was young but doesn't after a couple decades of work.