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[quote=flu]
there is a point in life where you want to arbitrage a low interest loan with higher returns higher risk investment and take additional risk to build wealth

there is another point in life where you want to protect what you’ve built

People get screwed when their goals get mixed up. Those decisions I make irrespective of what the market is actually doing. Why take on extra risk if you don’t need to?

I use to regret paying off my loans. I don’t anymore, because my cash and investment portfolio has basically returned back to the same level last November and went over the previous level end of December. And now all my properties in SD are free and clear. So technically I don’t need to work. Then again, current company is paying me a lot and I get a senior management position so why not. if I stayed at home, I’d get fat and and lazy. Whereas I like going to the free company gym.

I’m not a proponent for doom and gloom. I am not a proponent of pie and the sky euphoria. I’ve learned taking profits and doing something with it constructively is the best thing for me because it’s self-governing to prevent an unexpected disaster from wiping out what you gained . [/quote]

Totally spot on.

I’m at that point too flu where I’d rather just have everything paid off and not worry about strategies to capture that last penny.

With regard to saving, it is very tricky to determine how much to invest and how much to spend. Last thing I want to do is get hit by a truck tomorrow and not have enjoyed any of the money I worked so hard to get. Figure out what makes you happy and pursue that…after you’ve stashed away enough to be set in retirement should you be lucky to make it that far.

I used to calculate how much I’d need to have to spend as I do now well into my 90s. As I’ve grown older and watched others grow old, I realized chances are very good that if I should be fortunate enough to make it even to my 80s, I’ll probably be so feeble I’ll just be watching TV and surfing the net. So my financial needs will be much lower.

Sure I want to leave money to my kids and I don’t see many ways that won’t happen, but I also want to enjoy life while I’m here.

It would be so much easier if I knew when I was gonna die. Wait scratch that. That would be a terrible thing.

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[quote=ltsdd]

You could monitor your security cameras remotely with the free ip camera viewer app. Upgrade to the pro version for $4 and you’ll be able to record videos remotely (create your own cloud).[/quote]

Great idea, but I’m not sure I want to create a path to my cameras from outside.

There are so many ways for vulnerabilities to be exposed that I’d prefer to leave that worry to the established companies, though one could argue they aren’t doing so hot at it, witness Ring:

https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/dekalb-county/-wake-up-woman-says-someone-hacked-surveillance-system-yelled-at-her-dog/1017442073/

https://www.wmcactionnews5.com/2019/12/11/family-says-hackers-accessed-ring-camera-their-year-old-daughters-room/

I’ve been reading up on cameras a lot. Looks like I’m not the only one to think a wired/local setup supplemented by wireless/cloud cameras in hard-to-reach places is a good combination.

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I’ve been thinking through my surveillance system upgrade today.

Think I’ll go with some cameras that use cloud based storage, and some that use local storage.

In that way, I can monitor strategic cameras while I’m away (the cloud cameras), but keep my bandwidth usage down and have weeks and weeks of history (local storage cameras) without paying the cloud host huge monthly fees to store it.

A side advantage: If a thief finds one system or the other, they’ll disable it and assume they’ve disabled all cameras. While that won’t be the case.

Layers of security. Like an onion.

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[quote=spdrun][quote=FlyerInHi]Security cameras that upload to the cloud use a lot of data.[/quote]

Suckurity cameras that upload to the cloud destroy privacy. If you use them in your home, you’re a fucking fool. If you aim them towards public property or a neighbor’s property, you’re a scoundrel that enables Amazon’s or Google’s surveillance networks.[/quote]

That’s your opinion.

Back to FIH’s point, it is valid – cloud-based security storage does eat up bandwidth. I’m looking to upgrade my surveillance system, so I’m glad he mentioned that aspect.

Right now, I store all my footage locally…which has both pros and cons.

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[quote=FlyerInHi]I’m going to give t-mobile a try when available in my area.
I hate cox because they have 1TB data cap. [/quote]

That’s about 10 4K movies or a couple hundred high def movies.

We’ve never hit that limit…better things to do with our time.

If you’re that much of a megauser, you can buy 500GB more from Cox for $30 more or unlimited for $50 more.

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We go there a lot.

I’ve said for decades that I love visiting that city, but never want to live there.

We have friends we stay with sometimes, and I have to admit the neighborhood is appealing to me…as a visitor. I enjoy the time I spend there. But that’s just because I can leave the downsides behind when I go home after a few days.

The living room window of our friend looks out over a popular neighborhood corner. It is amazing to have pedestrians stick their head in the window and say they like that song, or “hi”, etc. I have never lived or visited a place like that before. We were there last St Patty’s day, so maybe everyone was just feeling extra friendly that day. Kinda fun.

And the grocery store is across the street, several good bars and restaurants within a few hundred feet, it basically eliminates the need for a car.

The flip side of having something that open is obvious. But it sure is fun as a visitor.

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We got rid of cable TV five years back, and really don’t miss it at all. Roku you’re the greatest!

As you point out, we still need internet service so my wife upgraded us to Cox Premiere 150 mbps. In retrospect this was a very wise move because we have all sorts of data going over the internet now and I’m sure we’d be feeling it had she not upgraded our service.

As much as I hated Cox Cable, I am very happy with Cox Internet. The service to our house has been rock solid and that’s important to us since we rely on it for so much now.

I’m almost afraid to find out what all would be affected if we lost internet service!

One note: you should check your internet speed and ensure you’re receiving what you’re paying for. Shortly after my wife upgraded us, my son and I didn’t feel we were getting 150 mbps so we checked and sure enough we were only getting about 40 mbps. I isolated the internet connection (removed routers, etc) to prove that, and called Cox. After a couple of calls and technicians, they were able to determine they had an incorrect setting on their end. Once they flipped it to the correct position, we were getting the speed we signed up for.

Cheers

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Definitely 401K is not for everyone, but it is good for most people.

My employer offers some very good mutual fund choices, but even if they didn’t most offer an index fund choice and since those typically come with pretty low fees, that’s a pretty safe bet.

And you’re also right that the company match adds to the 401K value considerably.

I can understand your preference to rental units vs 401K especially since switching employers often complicates the 401K situation – it is hard to know how future employers will have their 401Ks set up. But it is also hard to know how laws will affect rental properties also, witness this years rent increase limitations.

Thanks for the heads-up on the inherited IRA proposed changes. I’m in that boat. Luckily it appears I will be grandfathered in, but the upcoming changes may influence my decision on how to flow $$ to my kids once I pass.

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[quote=flu]
10 years goes by really fast. Life is short.[/quote]

That’s why I keep my life really simple. More time for things I enjoy.

Also a reason I’m not a landlord – I watched my dad do it and it was such a time sink and frustration in his life. I know here in SoCal that is how you can really build wealth, but I cherish my free time.

Also, the real estate route is promising here in SoCal, but in most of the rest of the country it is not nearly as financially beneficial.

I agree with Hobie who stated they should have a LOT more on financial planning in high school. I’ve also always thought they should have a course on preparing for work life also: interviewing, resumes, proper workplace behavior.

Those types of topics would truly prepare one for adult life.

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[quote=flu] If you bought a truck with the blindspot gimic…[/quote]

Might be a gimmick on a single cab with no camper shell. Otherwise there can truly be blind spots on trucks.

A few years ago we bought a car that just happened to have blind spot detection. Once we became used to it, we have insisted it be on every car we have since then. It doesn’t replace looking over the shoulder and mirror usage, but it is one additional check mark that gives us greater peace of mind when changing lanes/turning.

Same with front and rear sensors. At first we were “whatever”, but now that we have them, man do we love them! Just additional data points we can use to determine whether we are positioned correctly. Manufacturers are getting much better at placing the sensors so they are better integrated into the car and don’t look like someone drilled holes into the bumper and slapped in a sensor.

So I guess you can blame my wife and I for all the new electronics in cars. We love them. Our older cars feel like covered wagons when we drive them now.

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As if on cue, Jalopnik posted today about Cadillac XLR LED taillights going for about $3K…

https://jalopnik.com/why-a-cadillac-xlr-brake-light-can-cost-more-than-a-use-1840556672

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[quote=flu]

My 2000 Audi had a LED display screen that started to pixelate and fail around the 10 year mark. I found an electronics guy that desoldered the screen and replaced it with a compatible screen that is still functional. The Mercedes had a similar issue that I didn’t bother having repaired. These original led screens where used for informational purposes only, so while they were an eyesore, were not critical to driving the car. [/quote]

Looks like where there’s a need, someone will step up with a solution. $150 if you supply the defective cluster.

PIXEL DISPLAY REPAIR SERVICE for AUDI A4 S4 A6 S6 TT INSTRUMENT SPEEDOMETER CLUSTER DASH

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I’m torn on the statement that cars won’t age well because of the increasing electronics in modern cars.

On the one hand, that will certainly be problematic. I have a friend who, about two years ago, told me something went out in his 2009 Charger SRT8 and he couldn’t get that part from Dodge…it was an electronic part (seems like it was part of the dash cluster? can’t recall) and all that was available was a rebuilt replacement. The car was out of warranty but not that old by any means.

So that points to flu being right.

On the other hand, the average age of a car is now approaching 12 years old, an all-time high. If electronics are hurting their aging, then how can this be? Perhaps the average age will head south here in a few years as the technology laden cars age?

It will be interesting to watch.

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Thanks for posting this, as well as the follow-up.

May happen to one of the rest of us some day, and perhaps this will keep us from a sleepless night before the county offices open the next day.

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[quote=flu] A guy I knew did worse, he rolled his RS4 at Willow Springs. He wrote that off…
[/quote]

From the looks of things, he didn’t have a choice!

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