[spdrun]

I’m saying, I’m not sure how the government would treat a gift that’s not given out of the goodness of one’s heart, but in exchange for a service. My feeling would be not as a gift, but as taxable income. So make sure that you can afford to have the deduction disallowed in the future, with interest.

[spdrun]

Here’s the interesting thing about Medicaid — this doesn’t just apply to rich foreigners. I read about an American family who was asset-rich but had nearly zero income for a given year (the father was starting another company). They applied for insurance on the ACA/Obamacare site and were REQUIRED to take Medicaid as their only option because qualification is strictly income-based, not asset-based at this point.

As far as the small-box retailers, I honestly don’t care, not while Amazon, Apple, and the like pay zero corporate tax. I’m just stating that what you claim to be doing probably won’t pass a smell test during an audit.

[spdrun]

Regarding Trump and Xi, they’ve agreed to continue talking, but it’s far from a done deal. Plus any easing of tensions may have a paradoxical effect on stocks by raising interest rate expectations for this year. We’ll see, but markets have been basically bouncing off of the same highs for the past 18 months.

[spdrun]

I’m not sure if this is true. The annual gift limit is $11,000 per year. If someone gave you $5,000 per year, claimed it was a gift out of the goodness of their heart, but it was actually compensation for work done for them, the IRS would demand tax on that money if you were caught. Probably fines too. Volunteering is legal. Gifts are legal. But the combination of the two would likely be seen as taxable.

Same thing with your tuition dodge. They may see the gift as not freely made, but as compensation for the payment of tuition. They might demand payment, fines, and you’ll end up on their audit shitlist for a decade.

Give another example. Is a donation to a charity really a donation to a charity if the charity kicks you back the exact same amount in cash? IRS would likely say “hellz to the no.”

Now the gray area would be barter. What if you paid $5000 of tuition for the student and their family gave you a used car worth roughly $5000 as a gift?

[spdrun]

What they should be doing is encouraging states to set up good/cheap public universities. If NY (one of the most expensive states in the US) can do public university for $6-7k per year or even less, so can Oklahoma.

[spdrun]

Stock market has been basically stagnant since 2018, retracing the same highs, then dropping. People were still buying property and stocks in late 2007, just before the 2008 partytime.

[spdrun]

Sure I will. I won’t respond to anything other than personal messages outside of working hours, and will have the minimum of crApp installed on my phone. Or I’ll just leave the phone at home some times.

VoIP “landlines” are actually dirt cheap. Things like Magicjack are $30 per YEAR or so.

[spdrun]

I just talk/text, I don’t use WhatsApp. If I’m not in a place with working Wifi, I probably don’t want to be bothered anyway, and no, I can’t fucking help you. I need a healthy amount of time where I’m off the c(l)ock. Data is just another way for assholes to intrude on your life.

[spdrun]

T-mobile voice/text only is $15/mo as well if you do autopay. It’s actually very nice not having data as a distraction.

[spdrun]

What will a general strike in Hong Kong do to China’s finance industry? Fun to watch, anyway, and the Chinese have their hands tied — there’s too much money and press for them to reenact Tiananmen Square in 2019.

[spdrun]

I think the death of all retail is overblown, especially in urban areas — it’s really NOT more convenient to wait for delivery than buy what you need, if the store is sufficiently close. Plus, being able to try and view items in a store (especially food/clothing) is a good thing.

[spdrun]

Not naming names, but undergrad wasn’t particularly affordable, and I felt I was pushed into attending a private US school by my HS guidance department. Not because they necessarily wanted me to be successful, but because “prestigious” schools improved the high school’s stats.

[spdrun]

So a parent who never went to university is more qualified to speak about college choices than someone who actually went to school in different countries? Also, $5000-$10000 per year vs $20000-50000 per year (in the US) is a hell of a difference price-wise.

Problem is that both parents and HS seniors tend to be exposed to limited choices, and not realize how easy it is to go outside the US and bypass the whole debt-whore game. To give you an idea, my high-school counsellor didn’t even mention LOCAL public universities other than my state’s as an option (guy actually had a fetish for applying to a small private school that was his father’s alma mater).

[spdrun]

You know, having kids isn’t the only way to know about different educational systems — being a student is also a valid option.

Now, are you going to make me shut up, Gramps?

[spdrun]

Wouldn’t schools be wise to that, since they collect information on parental income/job/background?

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