[Coronita]

[quote=an][quote=Coronita]Or just tell your kids to marry up and not marry down, that would be easier. Why would someone with “considerable real estate holding” actually want to marry significantly downward where a prenup would be necessary….just saying..[/quote]
It just reminds me of Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.[/quote]

Well, like I said. I have some pretty weird friends of friends.

One colleague is a surgeon in late 50ies who married a trophy spouse completely at the other extreme roughly in 30ies. After 3 kids, wife files for divorce and total horndog. While married, asked spouse for a 4-some. I shit u not. The sad part is person is total status symbol driven.. Like all she does is talk about design brand, design this designer now. She’s really annoying. Every single time we see her, both of us wants to drop kick her.

See, what I find very interesting is the people who are really wealthy in my sphere of friends are really cool people and don’t give a flying fck about all these status things. It’s the wannabe wealthy that feel like they constantly have to remind people about the money they have and status. Really ghetto and pretty pathetic. And the most boring ass parties you can possibly attend. I guess that’s why the spouse was into 4-somes, lol.

[Coronita]

[quote=The-Shoveler]Not trying to be sexist, but it is fairly unusual for a woman to marry down.

But times are changing, Going to get harder and harder for a Woman to marry up.

Maybe that’s a good thing[/quote]

Actually, not true. For Chinese from China, there’s plenty of cases that the woman wears the pants of the household. That’s one good thing that Communist China killed.

It quite common that the man has to go work comes home and cooks and takes care of the kids. The wife goes to work as a Director and sucks at taking care of the kids.

But what I would consider is at the bare minimum marriage of equal economics AND/OR equal spending habits. People don’t think it’s a big deal but it is…People get into fights all the time over money for the stupidest reason, and the best way to avoid it is both people share the same view and have similar spending habits.

Then it becomes a merger of equal assets versus a hostile takeover where one party is simply resting and vesting until he/she puts in his/her time and then quits after fully vested (7 years)….ha ha..

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic][quote=flyer]Oh yeah, they both took care of that issue. We’re glad our daughter listened to us on that, since her real estate and other family holdings are considerable, as are his, from various sources. You always hope for the best in every marriage, but you never really know what might happen, so better safe than sorry. We’ve suggested prenups to all of our kids.[/quote]

a prenup should generally only be recommended where one’s childs income is greater than the target. Since media moguls generally make more than physicians, the correct advice likely is no prenup. heck the doctor’s income barely covers the car, driver, and occasional helicopter trip. But then again, consult one’s own high powered lawyer for actual advice.[/quote]

Or just tell your kids to marry up and not marry down, that would be easier. Why would someone with “considerable real estate holding” actually want to marry significantly downward where a prenup would be necessary….just saying..

[Coronita]

No one cares.

[Coronita]

[quote=EconProf]Thanks for all the feedback, both positive and negative.
First, I agree with the crotchety old man description. You young whippersnappers may some day come to the same conclusions as me.
To be clear, I thoroughly enjoyed living in San Diego and still miss aspects of it. But as a long-time real estate investor, I fear for its future and thank Piggington for the opportunity to warn others.
San Diego RE prices are having somewhat of a sugar-high due to factors that are largely temporary: unusually low mortgage rates, an influx of sellers of LA and Bay area properties, and the artificial shortage of buildable land (ocean, the border, Pendleton, mountains, etc.). Above all, CA politics are driving away families and blue-collar types who hope some day to own a house. This will likely accelerate, since CA is 2 to 1 Democrat vs. Republican. It was evenly balanced when I came here, and our housing prices were very similar to other big cities. Now the flight to cheaper states will accelerate.
I suspect Piggs are well above average in income, home ownership rates, and neighborhood quality. But it is a bit unseemly to laud the runup in prices and rents considering who it hurts. Yes, I know–I benefited as well during my decades of investing in San Diego RE. But RE investors should look at long-term demographic trends in their decision-making.[/quote]

um… I call bullshit on that one. You don’t give a shit about us. $20 says you’d much rather see things blow up just so you can rub it in others faces that you are right the rest of us are wrong. Just like others that came before you, you’re not here to really objectively present facts good or bad or care for us because you have a truly since worry for anyone here….please….you’re here like a few others… to look for things to prop up your biased conviction ax grinding mentality and will only look for things that support your biased thesis.

There were many people that came before you for different reasons…

There were those looking for the impending doom and gloom of the great recession would bring 50% off of coastal properties. The folks from say New York city that don’t live here even.

Then there was the know all be all from Chula Vista that likes to compare lizards in far flung areas to Chula Vista.

Then there was the people looking for reasons to justify peak oil.

And the list goes on.

All you people all roll the same way. You are loopsidedly biased based on a bitter, crash, sour grapes mentality, and initially focused on looking at any shred of negativity not support your lopsidedly bad convictions and the longer things go the other way against your conviction, you dig even deeper into a bigger hole reaching for even more far flung poop to try to stay relevant, hoping that eventually the clock shows correct time after it’s long stopped. You dig yourself in this mess with this warped crass conviction, and while no one is really laughing in your face about it, you obviously feel like you need continue down this path to seem relevant, even though you are in Utah now and should be enjoying your time spending with your family and the beautiful places the state has to offer, or even share a few pictures of where you been…because I don’t think if you did that anyone would throwing shades and say Utah is shit, wow those landscapes look like shit, the same way you are kinda going about the CA bash-o-matic non stop…If people are saying you are a cranky old fart, well it’s because you’re acting like one when things don’t even concern you anymore since you’ve long exited CA and even if the state blows up, doesn’t concern you. Get over it.

[Coronita]

[quote=XBoxBoy][quote=svelte]Perhaps not happy until others are unhappy[/quote]
The irony of this statement is wonderful. I mean this thread is chock full of posts that could be used to argue this. Why do so many feel the need to tell EconProf what a miserable choice they’ve made?
[quote]Or unsure of the huge decision he’s made and trying to convince others to take the same path for validation[/quote] How is it different than those that have stayed and want to convince others how wonderful it is where they have stayed and how foolish anyone who left is?
[quote]Or perhaps trying to convince us he is smarter
[/quote]
Oh don’t even try to claim there’s only one side here trying to make themselves feel smarter.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no plans to move from San Diego, but I sure do wish y’all would just let EconProf sing the praises of Utah and help encourage others to move. We got plenty of people here and could easily lose a ton more without degrading our lives.[/quote]

I don’t think people are trying to say what a wonderful place SD or CA is. I think most people here acknowledge there are issues and there are good things. But unless I’m not mistaken, this blog is mainly focused on the SD and to a lesser extent on CA. Why someone who already moved out of this area and CA would need to continue to come back here to trash CA or SD , is borderline mental illness….I think for most part the other piggs that have left the state have moved on…Its not like any of us are camping on a Utah blog telling how effed up the morons are ..
(Side note: Big Mitt Romney fan here…)

and come on now, EconProf main reason for moving had more to do with family and kids than the state of CA. yes, probably CA was getting to annoy a lot more conservative leaning people, but especially someone of his economic standing , none of this would have dramatically impacted his living standard. And knowing him, he would be living in the most conservative parts of the state so he wouldn’t even need to deal with all the black, brown, yellow, purple, pink people in this state which based on one of his Utah posts was also something that bothered him…
If he didn’t like the black, brown, yellow, blue, purple, pink people, there’s plenty of counties and area where that is still a neglible amount here in CA. and a lot of places in the state that are rural that fits that description.

There’s some really nice remote places beautiful places around Mendicito and Sacramento area that are much more red that would fit the bill.

in fact if you take away LA, SF, and a lesser extent SD , a good portion of the state really isn’t solid blue. It’s pretty red…So for a guy who is supposedly all knowing “professor” to gloss over that fact and to lump all of CA as a solid blue state is pretty stupid.

It’s like say everyone Utah is a Bible humping polygomist

As far as the recall goes. Lots of independents and moderate republicans probably don’t like a lot of what some of the crazy far left leaning blue people do, but come on Elders? As long as the GOP continue to entertain Trumpism/Elders, GOP is a losing party.

many including me have already dropped this now crazy party. Pissed off about this, blame the Trumpism that took over this party.

I wasn’t even going to vote for this recall because if the person put in front was like Falconer, I’d be like ok, that’s fine, something on the middle. but the GOP decided to put forth elders..so, it wasn’t more a vote for elders or the democrats as it was a vote against elders/trump extremism…enough is enough…

[Coronita]

I would like to know how many times EconProf got carjacked in CA, robbed, had something big stolen, had someone break into his house, how many times he called the cops because his personal safety was in danger while in CA…instead of just being the Faux News Lemmings

[Coronita]

I find this really interesting… What’s up with people that leave the state and still like to throw salt at CA? Don’t get it… if people are so much happier elsewhere, why do they still need to come back to this thread to try to convince how much better off they think they are? Makes no sense.

Slow bingo night?

[Coronita]

I20…. BINGO!

[Coronita]

I’m beginning to think this was a beautifully executed plan… Elders is so extreme, I’m sure it rallied a bunch of people who wouldn’t have participated in the recall election to vote. Given that even with 25%, he could be the next governor…

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]From the neck down, I look like a trim 35 y.o.

or better, really than I was at 35. Except for a few skin tags, and grey pubes.

Neck up however is terrifying. I can barely stand to see my face. Like the face skin just gave up. Jowly. Wrinkled. Decaying

I’m positive any future grandchildren would be grossed out. I really don’t look in the mirror much anymore.

The level of nose hair is truly mystifying.

I used to sense if I wanted a 2nd wife, I looked like maybe I could match with a 30, 35 year old. Now I’d look very odd with anyone but an old lady.

I recall being disgusted by the elderly as a child and now…it’s happening..to me…!!!!???

Do I smell like an old man? I still have hair, but it’s…old people hair!!!

I can see how women get suckered to pay billions in face care creams and treatments. This is scary shit!!!

I sense this is going to get much much worse.

I’m ok with it.

but maybe I should stop by cvs and check out the face creams. Moisturizer costs need to be accounted for in retirement planning.

I also have this new thing where if I get up too quickly from bed, or sitting, I get dizzy. I asked my Dr. Wife what it was. She said

You old!!!

What should I do?

Don’t get up quickly.

So no more jumping out of bed. Sit up. Check out your head rush, stand up slow

Wtf.[/quote]

You need a miata. Then you can be grownup that refuses to grow up. Hopefully minus breaking 2 transmission back to back.

[Coronita]

[quote=ucodegen][quote=Coronita]
Oh, I wish I was kidding. I’m pretty sure that $700 MRI wasn’t the MRI that I need to get…

And I was wrong. $15,000 was what it was maybe a few years ago…
[/quote]
The MRI spec looks the same, the location I visited was different. I had mine in early 2008. Late 2008 was when UCSDs MRI supposedly came on line. Sharp had already had theirs for a while (cost might have been run off). I also think that Sharp was doing MRIs for different Hospitals at the time. Their machine was nearly booked up.

My MRI took a while, they were looking for an obstruction in the biliary tree. There was a sequence of several images using different spin decays and freq. They also used a very large amount of contrast (almost all the machine could hold). Somewhere around in this mess I call an office space, there is a copy of the MRI on CD/DVD. I had asked for the ‘take home package’. ;-P

On my billing, the Physician Services was not done at Sharp, but the actual MRI was.

There is not much difference in type of MRIs. One of the big differences is the physician work on analyzing the image. From a Physics point of view, MRIs are simple.. but the sensing mechanism on them is tricky. Very simply, the MRI pulls all the dipole atoms in the body into alignment, then a perpendicular electro-magnet fires effectively pulling the dipole atoms and causing them to precess within the primary magnetic field (I like to consider it ‘plucking’ the diapoles). The MRI listens to the cacophony of precessing dipoles and figures out where each signal comes from. The pulling magnet is the grid or structure they put over your chest, abdomen, head – or wherever they are sensing (some MRIs have these ‘integrated’ into the MRI). The amount of energy required to pull/tip is why that part of the MRI gets warm during the MRI. The big, main magnet is the doughnut shaped device you are inserted into. It is also the part that makes it dangerous to have metal on you. The coils inside are bathed in liquid nitrogen to get the wiring of the magnet to be a near superconductor. The main magnet is never turned off during the time the MRI is installed. It take a long time to power up (very high inductance).

I do know that what the insurance actually pays, and what the actual cost is varies greatly from what a person’s bill shows. So much for transparency and consistency in medical billing. Current google lookup shows amounts between $680 to $1750 for abdominal MRI.

[quote=Coronita]They generally knock you out so you don’t even remember it, unless you are like me, when you insist you only want to do a light sedation because you want to stay awake while they are doing the lower one because you think it’s cool and interesting…[/quote]
I tend to want to be conscious during a procedure… partially because of curiosity.. and partially because I refuse to surrender my consciousness…

In terms of qualities of doctors/surgeons.. etc I wholeheartedly agree.[/quote]

I think when my insurance is done, the actual cost is closer to 1/2 or 1/3 of what the list price is. Another issue if you are uninsured. I doubt they will cut you the same deal….

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]When I look in the mirror I do not recognize myself.[/quote]

I look pretty much the same since I was 30. maybe a little a little better shape. Hair thinner, but that’s about it. I’m told Asians don’t really start to show their age until 60ies, and then it rapidly declines from that point. sunscreen helped.

[Coronita]

[quote=scaredyclassic]I have never had any health problem.

The thought of medical care terrifies me.

I recently experienced some arthritis. Death is coming for us all[/quote]

Nothing to be scared of. Just be prepared.

God the most painful thing I experienced with a bowel obstruction and getting stuck in an ER filled with people sick…It literally felt like someone was dragging a knife down my intestines as stuck food slowly passed down…The worst part was as painful as it was, ending up in a packed ER, I was priortized as low priority so doctors/PA couldn’t even shoot me up with painkillers while I waited in the ER hallway for a room…I ended up barfing all over the hallway and it was an ugly mess to cleanup….Then the found me a semi private room and put painkillers in me and put me through a CT scan.. The CT scan dye was so much fluid that it freed up the blockage.

My doctors tell me that is known to happen every so often when you get older, and for some of her patients, it happens every few weeks. Mine seems to be roughly 1 time half year…Fortunately, I’m not a very picky eater so I can just go on a liquid diet and not really feel I’m missing out on anything.

When I put myself on a blended/liquid diet, I lost like 15 lbs in 2 weeks.

[Coronita]

[quote=ucodegen][quote=Coronita]
MRI is around $15k if not covered by insurance
[/quote]

Seriously??? geesh… welcome to the inflation of health costs!! I had an abdominal MRI done 2007, with contrast. I did ask if I got a discount for cash pay on the spot.. which they said that there was.. and it ending up being just under $700 at Sharp Hospital.
[/quote]

Oh, I wish I was kidding. I’m pretty sure that $700 MRI wasn’t the MRI that I need to get…

And I was wrong. $15,000 was what it was maybe a few years ago…

The hospital bill for using the MRI alone is well above that these days, slightly over $16k….On top of that there’s the cost of the doctor/radiologist reading it for $1800, and then the cost of my doctor just doing all the procedural screening $500… And an Xray they require to take if you swallowed a pill camera from your previous capsule endoscopy, because they want to confirm the capsule camera was excreted before the run the MRI, even if you visually confirmed you pooped it out.. (because a metal capsule and MRIs don’t mix and they don’t trust you even if you tell them you saw it pooped out)

[img_assist|nid=27467|title=mri|desc=|link=node|align=left|width=1000|height=800]

It’s always fun dealing with insurance after a procedure, even if it was pre-authed….Sometimes it’s pre-authed and still denied… And it takes about 5-6 back and forth to get them to pay anything. And then when they do, it’s usually the up to $2500 deductible and the 10%copay up to the annual limit like some health plans.

Thankfully, I’m not really sick. I have time, patience, etc to deal with the insurance company.

Lots of insurance do not insure MRI or try to get you to go to a different facility that doesn’t do the correct thing because it might be marginally cheaper. It works for things like if you break your leg or stuff, but if you need a bunch of specialists to monitor a condition, like you want to be at a good GI + Oncology place, and in my experience, the best place to do this is at a medical facility that also does research and has access to research.

People can talk all the want about the sort of connections they have, the amount of money they have, how much they have access to easy investments. In reality, when you’re old, none of that matters nearly as much as how quickly you have access to some of the leading researchers that specialize in your diagnosed condition, and often times, money can’t really buy you that access easily. Because for many of the leading researchers in certain specialization, they are already booked with patients and no longer accepting new ones. So it’s not like you can easily just use your money to be seen. People will know when they get there.I had to do a lot of reaching out to get a hold of a lot of doctors in my group to try to figure out a lot about who I should see, talk to, and then find a way to even get seen because like i said, lot of these folks already are booked solid with existing patients and aren’t open to new ones. And you really have to be your own advocate and do your own research, because a lot of doctors don’t know what the latest is. Doesn’t matter how much money you have.

I’ve been to Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Sloan Kettering New York, Mayo Clinic in Mn, Dana-Farber in Boston, Johns Hopkins in MD, UCLA in LA, Cedar Sinai in LA. To get a 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th opinion years ago…

Side note: fun fact about Cedar Sinai…

Cedar coordinates a lot with UCLA so a lot of doctors from UCLA also are contractors that work for Cedar. So you got to be careful going to Cedar. It’s a great facility if you already done your homework on the type of doctors to see. But there are also a lot of doctors there that operate as an independent contractor that are only looking after their $best interest$ and not your health interest. But if you found a good one, like I did, they know their shit….I had one really bad experience with a surgeon that wanted to slice and dice me open to make money, and a great experience with an oncologist that was fighting against surgery and wasn’t trying to earn my business. He was willing to coordinate treatment with UCSD if I didn’t want to go to Cedar in LA…I got a second opinion from a great surgeon and researcher then at Cleveland Clinic that did years of research, bunch of papers, trials etc, who ultimately advised against surgery and told me to first stick with the oncologist’s recommendations(he’s now at Columbia https://columbiasurgery.org/james-m-church-md)

Be careful about a lot of for profit specialists…
Lots of the doctors charge a lot, ironically aren’t even the top of their game in their field. They are basically built their for-profit business off of the work of some of the leading researchers. I’d prefer going to directly to the source of that research, and bypass the more expensive middlemen/women that try to directly profit off of their work. Many doctors are utterly useless and shouldn’t be practicing imho, probably bought their way into medical school with a fancy diploma from a pedigree school paid by mommy and daddy, but that’s about it. Aren’t leading researchers. no thanks.

UCSD is a pretty high rank research facility. I wouldn’t recommend going to their ER for day to day stuff since they take everyone and it can be hellish to get treatment in their ER (speaking from experience), but a lot of cutting edge research and eveb though some of the lead researchers are no longer at UCSD, they still connect with UCSD.

But back on topic. Yes, medical care can get really really expensive as you get older. So, especially if you know you have a pre-existing condition, that has to be factored into any sort of plan for early retirement imho. Also, as much as we like to think with the ACA, that everyone has medical insurance, you also have to be careful with that assumption because lots of things medical insurance doesn’t cover. So even when I switch employers, medical insurance is something to look at.

Sometimes people say, well if I really get sick, I’ll just put a bullet in myself…(and I think i said that a few times here, tongue and check).. Well, in theory that’s a simplifying solution, and if that’s the case one doesn’t even really need to plan that much for retirement. But the reality of this is unless you are a loner that no one cares about you, it’s not really a solution…Because while that might be perfectly fine with for you, it messes up everyone else that cares about you…Unfortunately, that was a lesson learned too. So to some extent you have to do your part and put up a good fight, up to the point of diminishing returns…..And especially if you have a kid that has the same condition that will most likely go through the same thing, you got to put up a fight so your kid sees what you do, and learns to do the same thing and not give up early.

The one positive thing about dealing with this when you are in your 30ies. Is that you’re well prepared for it by the time you are in your 50ies one way or the other, at a time when most people in their 50ies are just starting to recognize that they might eventually have to deal with something like this when they are in their 60+.

The absolutely worst part of all this is… The annual bowel prep I’m stuck doing….The actual endoscopy is no big deal. They generally knock you out so you don’t even remember it, unless you are like me, when you insist you only want to do a light sedation because you want to stay awake while they are doing the lower one because you think it’s cool and interesting…and only knock you out for the upper one, which in theory you can be fully awake with that one, except it’s a little weird to have a tube down your throat while you are awake..try not to gag..Ive tried that once, and it wasn’t that pleasant. But the main reason is that unlike everyone else, I need to be put under every year at least once. Not sure what the long term damage that might do, as there are some suggestions that it could lead to memory loss. So most procedures I try to do with only localized sedation and try to stay awake. I have this game I play when they knock me out. I stare at the clock to see from the time they put the sedative in, how long I stay up, counting the seconds on the clock trying to remember everything that happened until the sedative kicks in.

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