Grow up

[Angelfishtitan]

You need a minimum of $1K to open up a Money Market fund, then you are free to put that however you choose into ETFs (with the same options and less fees than the mutual funds to boot). You need to open a Roth IRA brokerage account though which will give you two accounts, one for your money market and the other for your shares. Only issue is you can only buy full shares so you may have some leftover.

[jdoolin]

I was telling a coworker that I plan to buy a bike and learn how to ride it next Spring and she said, "You are a grown up. Buy a car. Kids ride bikes." It reminded me of this thread :)

If someone actually said it that way to me, I'd have a *very* hard time not coming back with something pretty condescending.

[Abe]

My parents are concerned that I won't be taken seriously when applying for a job after training (as a surgeon) because I want to keep my 12 year old Honda. Has anyone had an issue like this happen to them when applying? I told them that I can just borrow their car for a day!

[Osprey]

My parents are concerned that I won't be taken seriously when applying for a job after training (as a surgeon) because I want to keep my 12 year old Honda. Has anyone had an issue like this happen to them when applying? I told them that I can just borrow their car for a day!

Hey Abe. Medical specialities are like clubs, and very proud of it too. Seems like it's OK to have one thing "wrong" as long as you fit in 100% in all other aspects. So if you look a certain way and talk a certain way, they won't call your car into question. However, if you are a different demographic or don't talk like you belong or are not a dashingly handsome (well I don't know, most general surgeons I know are dashingly handsome, even the women) then you'd better have a shiny new car...

Now if you were interviewing for family medicine I'd say go ahead and keep the Honda ;)

[willn]

My parents are concerned that I won't be taken seriously when applying for a job after training (as a surgeon) because I want to keep my 12 year old Honda. Has anyone had an issue like this happen to them when applying? I told them that I can just borrow their car for a day!

I'm guessing there are a few assholes who would use that against you.  And its a sure sign that their brain stem is connected directly to their ass.

So, do you want to work for someone who cares what car you drive?

I've know a few surgeons.   A couple owned very shitty cars.  They didn't give a fuck what anyone thought, they just got the job done and laughed off any criticism of their vehicle.  And well they should, they were elbow deep in guts, saving lives, while their critics were doing bong hits in front of a video game.

[Bruised_Pepper]

I also frequently get the "just watch, you'll be buying a house in the suburbs when you're ready."

I hate this mentality from people.  It's basically saying "your opinion doesn't matter because you'll realize how stupid you are any minute now." 

[Kaspian]

...people telling me I need to "stop being so lazy" and get a car instead of riding my bicycle.

Hahaha... This made be burst out laughing!  I live on the 5th floor across from a large fitness club.  Every few months I'll hear a ruckus coming from my window and look out to see two people in the club's lot arguing over a parking spot closest to the front door.  I like to yell down, "You idiots!!  Don't you see the irony here?"  Usually the response is confused looks, "Huh?  ...Irony?  What're you talking about, pal?!  I was here first!"

[ichangedmyname]

I was telling a coworker that I plan to buy a bike and learn how to ride it next Spring and she said, "You are a grown up. Buy a car. Kids ride bikes." It reminded me of this thread :)

If someone actually said it that way to me, I'd have a *very* hard time not coming back with something pretty condescending.

LOL Well she is older than me and I do respect my elders. I just bite my tongue.

[mm1970]

I'm a Gen-Y er, and I get older people telling me I need to "stop being so lazy" and get a car instead of riding my bicycle.

Yeah, I don't get it either. Must be a boomer thing.

Not just a boomer thing.

My officemate is 32 and made a complaint about the lazy 20-somethings who don't have a car.  Too lazy to work or get a "real life".

Well, he's also the guy who is pissed that he cannot afford a house.  Admittedly, it's expensive here (his budget is $600k).  But when the  market was slow, the only thing he could afford was a 2BR house.  He's not interested in a condo or anything smaller than a 3BR house.  The market has picked up and he's priced out of even the smaller houses.

[ender]

For what it's worth I give my close friend a hard time about not having a car -- because he frequently uses other people's vehicles for rides/etc. He doesn't have to get rides but sure does it a ton for "not needing a car." Especially now that it's winter.

There's a difference between, "I don't have a car and rarely use one in my lifestyle" and "I don't have a car but other people frequently take me places."

[mgreczyn]

After getting my MBA, I always played my car off as a "not ready to change yet since this has fantastic mileage."  Especially since people got really obsessive about it sometimes.  The excuse worked decently until Mother Nature destroyed my awesome 98 Corolla in a hailstorm.

I'm now getting the "you're not an adult" judgement since I don't want to buy a house in the suburbs.  I also frequently get the "just watch, you'll be buying a house in the suburbs when you're ready."  So signing up for a 1 hour each way commute is like a rite of passage now?

Maybe it's not so much the commute as a rite of passage as the school question.  Personally, we moved to "the burbs" to cut down on commuting time since for a while we actually lived close to downtown (initially for my job) and my wife found a job in "the suburbs" (really just a smaller town on the edge of the metro).  However, before we decided to move our daughter was on the verge of turning 3 so we started the pre-school dance of ridiculosity and we could tell that schools were going to be a major PITA. That issue magically sorted itself out when we went from Denver County to Boulder County.  I get the feeling from talking to other parents that a lot of folks in my area bite the bullet and move to the burbs because of schools, often taking on life-shortening commutes in the process.  It seems when the choice comes down to seriously sketchy public schools (unless you win some sort of silly school lottery) or hideously expensive private schools, many folks choose C) The Suburbs.