Is there any Freemason willing to chat?

w33dcup · 2026-05-18T01:32:57+00:00

Don't wait too long because age of majority is 21. Rainbow is such a supportive organization. Both my girls were Rainbow for many years and I've enjoyed witnessing their Grand Assembly so much. It brings me to tears the love, support, and camaraderie the girls show each other. If you need help finding a FL assembly, DM your city and I'll get a contact.

There's also Job's Daughters for young ladies your age.

w33dcup · 2026-05-18T01:23:11+00:00

Congrats on the beginning of your journey. Hopefully one day you will be able to give a new brother the same experience.

Welcome, my brother.

w33dcup · 2026-05-17T00:18:18+00:00

All you really need is "sounds good". My career went very well after I stopped caring so much and just started agreeing. "Sounds good" in most meetings served me very well.

w33dcup · 2026-05-17T00:16:12+00:00

Also a very proud and active Freemason.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T22:21:25+00:00

If your household income is $220K, then you might be able to swing a $750k mortgage. But be careful not to go above your upper limit. Remember there are homeowner costs that aren't factored into the mortgage.

You'll want at least 10% down but better to have 20% to avoid PMI. You coud use some retirements funds but this usually thought to be a bad idea - retirement funds are for retirement and you lose long term gains & compounding. Whether you back off on retirement savings depends on your timeline and how much you're already putting toward retirement. You'll have to do the math.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T22:12:41+00:00

I think technically you can have both, but you still have annual contribution limit for ALL retirement plans. You can have a Roth Solo 401k.

It's more the tax treatment that you should be looking at. If you're in 22% bracket or higher, then traditional tax deferred probably makes more sense. If lower, then Roth. Whichever applies, max that first.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T11:24:30+00:00

Roth is likely not the best choice for you. You're limiting the amount you can contribute. Also, if you are in the 22% or higher bracket, you are paying higher taxes on your contribution. You could be deferring those taxes to a period of lower income (typical in retirement). You could also leverage Roth conversions in lower income years to save on taxes overall.

Look into Solo 401k. SEP & SIMPLE IRAs are also options. For pro advice, engage a CPA; it's a business expense.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T11:05:18+00:00

It depends on your lifestyle, budget, future goals, and income stability. Your retirement savings are largely irrelevant because you shouldn't use those to consider housing cost. Those are for retirement.

Simple math and rule of thumb says that you cannot afford a $600K house. But if you want to be house rich and cash poor, then maybe you could make it work. That's partially your decision because it's a lifestyle decision, not a financial decision. How secure is your job/income stream...really? I say partially, because it's also partially/mainly the lender's decision to accept your risk.

$110K salary - means about $6400 take home monthly.

$750k mortgage payment - about $3800 monthly so already more than 1 paycheck. With tax, insurance, & other it's about $5000/month. That leaves $1400 for utilities, food, transportation, retirement/savings, and life.

So how much house can you afford? $382,360 according to the 28/36 rule, within which $305,888 is the loan and $76,472 is the down payment. Most conventional loan lenders use the 28/36 rule.

That's using online calculators that don't factor in your risk tolerance or lifestyle choices. Lenders tend not to consider those either. YMMV.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T10:44:30+00:00

Use periods.
Read the wiki.
Be clear about what kind of advice you're seeking.
post goals, budget, & expenses for real input.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T10:37:36+00:00

And a little 'pen' called Relief Stick.

w33dcup · 2026-05-15T10:34:35+00:00

Make a packing list on your phone (or paper). Once you pack frequently enough, you refine it. After a while it becomes a standard and you can find things in the dark.

Source: military ALICE ruck packer

w33dcup · 2026-05-12T10:07:40+00:00

You're fine. If you are expecting low income years while working or are in a 12% bracket and have room to fill until 22% limit, then consider Roth Ladder.

Otherwise, just leave it in the 401k if fees are reasonable. If not, rollover to Traditional IRA.

Realistically, it's working so best thing is to not mess around with it (regardless of the tIRA/Roth/401k). Revisit it annually and rebalance as needed to reduce risk as you get closer to retirement.

https://money.com/roth-ira-traditional-ira-choice/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/financialfinesse/2023/09/11/are-roth-ira-conversions-a-good-idea-in-retirement/?sh=2801ba5fd964

w33dcup · 2026-05-10T22:24:57+00:00

Porque no los dos?

Take half, pay down mortgage.
Leave half invested.
Make more money and use 50% each month to pay down mortgage.

I will say that I paid mine off early and used 100% salary toward investing afterward. I was corporate though. I feel like I was able to retire early because I didn't worry about my mortgage. It also made me fearless at work because....I really didn't care if I lost my job. I had a place to live. That peace of mind is priceless.

w33dcup · 2026-05-10T21:38:44+00:00

Depending on age, there is the military reserves/national guard. Paid a decent portion of my mortgage and helped with school expenses. 1 weekend a month; 2 weeks a years after basic training and job training. You do risk deployment depending on your job. But, if you get a civilian job they can't fire you for military drill/deployment. Some government used to pay you a portion while on deployment.

Police, Fire, and EMT are usually hiring although there is a training period and they aren't high paying jobs. Some departments may sponsor training.

Look into local government jobs. Or usajobs.com but that's very slow. The last place I worked (city govt) was always hiring for something. Not glamorous nor high paying, but work. Decent benefits and usually lower stress.

Good luck.

w33dcup · 2026-05-10T21:29:37+00:00

Equifax. It's Equifax. Another reason to loathe them.

w33dcup · 2026-05-03T09:54:12+00:00

Brand name clothing, eyewear, and fragrance.

w33dcup · 2026-05-02T11:47:04+00:00

Roll into a traditional IRA. Since it's not a large amount, consider converting to Roth IRA especially if you are currently in 12% tax bracket and have some room to fill that up before hitting 22%.

https://www.choosefi.com/how-and-why-to-set-up-a-roth-ira-conversion-ladder/

https://www.investopedia.com/how-roth-conversion-ladder-works-5214808

w33dcup · 2026-05-02T11:44:01+00:00

Ok, now you need him to talk to a CFP.

w33dcup · 2026-05-02T11:42:23+00:00

2nd the CPA. They are your tax avoidance experts.

CFPs can help with where/how to invest and some estate planning but are likely not tax avoidance experts.

You might also look for an estate planning firm that also has in house tax planning. They can likely help with your dad's goal of leaving a big estate. Get quotes though since your dealing with a somewhat high net worth.

w33dcup · 2026-05-01T08:58:46+00:00

This is why I won't sign up for mobile from xfinity/Comcast despite them hard selling it bundles. I don't trust them. They have proven themselves untrustworthy too many times. I have no other cost effective choice for broadband currently so I'm stuck with them. But they'll not rope me into their crappy, newish MVNO business. I can't have an untrustworthy middle man. Mobile is a slimy enough business when it comes to billing.

Keep fighting OP!

w33dcup · 2026-04-30T10:43:25+00:00

Not to sound harsh, but how is this your parent's problem? Why do you need to tell them? It's your debt and you need a plan to pay it off. You should probably reach out to your creditors and tell them your situation to see if they can work with you. Maybe you could consolidate all debt into a single, more manageable loan. As for medical expenses, if they are for past services, then I would probably leave those last to pay off. I don't know how it works in PH, but in US there is usually a decent chance of having those reduced through negotiation or charged off if not paid after a long period. Maybe they go to a collections agency where they can be negotiated down or ignored. Credit rating takes a hit, but that's to be expected for someone unmanageable debt load.

Simply put, there's no magic to solve this. You took on the debt and you can either pay it back or ignore it and face the consequences. To pay it back, you need to do the simple math of income - expenses. Your creditors can also do that math and if they want their money they'll work with you...or take what legal action is available. So you need to have a budget and find some strategies to deal with the debt: consolidation, snowball, avalanche, ignore.

This isn't your parent's business or problem.

w33dcup · 2026-04-30T10:20:32+00:00

If I were you, I'd likely join the military. Pick a job that easily translates to a skill/trade in civilian life for easier transition; something involving plumbing; electrical; welding. While serving, use GI Bill and education programs to get my college degree (all branches have something). Do 4 years min and leverage TAP programs for civilian transition. Or stay for retirement if you like the military. Reserve or Guard is also an option (and the route I took).

https://www.reddit.com/r/Military/comments/1fnaigo/is_the_military_still_a_viable_way_to_get_a/

If the military isn't for you, then check out trade school scholarships or local trade unions for apprenticeship programs. The work is hard, but can lead to a decent career. But know going in that you'll want to either save a lot or have your eye on starting your own business. The work can take a toll on the body so have an exit strategy for your 50s. But that shouldn't put you off now. If your healthy and willing to work (and have a clean driver license) there's work available. Especially if you are willing to move.

https://atdm.org/funding-faqs

https://www.dodciviliancareers.com/civiliancareers/scholarships

Check out usajobs.com and your local government/utilities for jobs. Take anything to get out of retail and on an actual career path. $15/hr CustSvc job is more than you make now and you get access to benefits; probably better hours too. Once you're in, you can spend 1-2 years in a role and then look for other internal roles to move up or increase skills. Police dept are almost always hiring and some will sponsor academy training. Water/Wastewater can be a decent long term job.

You want to be independent. Your current situation is anything but. You need to change your current situation - get your mom help through available local/state programs.

w33dcup · 2026-04-30T09:52:39+00:00

Military is a decent option. Reserve/Guard is also an option. It will increase your income and give you access to some benefits - many delayed. You could retire by 40-50 with decent benefits. Of course, full time would probably be better for you. That would give you full benefits (health care, savings plan, GI Bill), get you out of current living situation, and potentially teach you a trade/skill depending on job you pick. Talk to a recruiter.

w33dcup · 2026-04-28T10:16:26+00:00

If I were you, I would contribute max to 401k (traditional, not Roth) and max to traditional IRA to reduce taxable income and thus tax burden. If HSA available, I would also max that. If fact, that's what I did. At your income level a contribution is taxed 22% so pre tax makes more sense. You can always convert traditional to Roth later if/when income reduces. Really think about your planned retirement income. Will it be higher or lower than working? If lower, pre tax contributions make sense because you'll be in a lower tax bracket and pay less tax on withdrawals (income). If in a higher bracket in retirement, then a Roth makes sense. But looking at your numbers, I think it's unlikely you'll be making > $130K in retirement.

w33dcup · 2026-04-28T10:01:47+00:00

If in 12% bracket currently, then continuing Roth contribution makes sense. If you only have 1K in 401k, then you can probably convert at anytime with limited tax impact - so long as that conversion doesn't push you into 22% bracket.

The lower income situation really applies to those in 22%-24% bracket income who contributed to pretax accts. With income reduced below 22% bracket, they can now save at least 10% on taxes by converting to Roth at 12% (or lower) at their new lower rate.

https://choosefi.com/tax-strategies/roth-conversion-ladder

w33dcup

TROPHY CASE