Recent Posts

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Off Topic / Re: So . . . Canada's on fire, and it's unsafe to breathe the air again :(

« Last post by sonofsven on Today at 02:20:44 PM »

If it's really bad I would wear an N95 dust mask. I buy them by the box (10 per).
I already wore them daily doing construction, now I've been wearing one to mow or weed whack.
I think they'd be pretty effective for smoke and soot.

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Off Topic / Re: The Silent Generation

« Last post by RetiredAt63 on Today at 02:20:05 PM »

I have definitely also noticed the OP's experience with the "silent aka greatest generation" being treated with rose-colored glasses, and the reference to "Saving Private Ryan!" It's right there in the name, and I thought it was ridiculous when I first heard it. It is very similar to the hero worship that is often afforded to every single member of the military, which I also do not understand. There are so many other people/professions that make sacrifices and do amazing things, but somehow if you're in the military you're instantly a hero that should be stopped on the street and thanked for your service. I have plenty of gratitude for people in the military who have made sacrifices, but I'm also keenly aware that the military is a large cross-section of society complete with murderers, rapists, drug dealers, racists, just a person looking for a job, and plenty of regular folks just getting by. And as Jack Reacher points out at some time in the novel series, there's a non-trivial number who specifically sign up to kill other people. But they are to be stopped and thanked too because, you know, military.

I think back to WWII and the merchant marines running supplies in the North Atlantic.   If they were torpedoed they were just dead as if they were in the navy.  The weather was vicious.

What about the civilians on the first convoy into the Mediterranean?  They were taking as big a risk as the navy.

And they were not eligible for military benefits.

I point this out not to downgrade the forces, but to show  that in times of war a lot of civilians are in harm's way by virtue of their jobs.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Slate - A New, Customizable Electric Vehicle for $20,000

« Last post by rocketpj on Today at 02:19:27 PM »

Looks interesting.  Not going to get excited until I see one on the road rather than a graphic mockup.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Natural "Tipping Points"

« Last post by bmjohnson35 on Today at 02:18:58 PM »

We have our place listed right now and will be looking for a replacement soon.  A simple search for "hurricane proof" home builders brings up a few builders that build more robust homes, but none in the area we plan to purchase.  I think this is really an untapped market.  I suspect more people would pay a little more or buy a little smaller home that was more resilient and more energy efficient. 

It's amazing how humans will ignore issues as long as they can. Laissez-faire never seems to go out of style.

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Taxes / Re: Planning for 2025 Taxes: Non-qualified Dividends

« Last post by secondcor521 on Today at 02:15:08 PM »

I use the Case Study Spreadsheet (CSS) personally and really like it (thanks @MDM, I probably owe you a beer or coffee).  I will mention to OP that the way the IRS talks about dividends, how they're reported on tax forms, and how they are entered into the CSS might be a bit confusing to someone the first time.  So make sure if you use that tool that you understand what's going on.  The best way I have found to do this is to enter the numbers for the prior tax year (2024 in this case) from your tax return into the CSS, and make sure that the CSS gives you the same tax liability as shown on your 1040.  Then you can hopefully switch to tax year 2025 and enter the proper numbers in the proper place.

(@MDM, I don't recall details, I have to figure it out again for myself every December, but I think users might not be able to enter ordinary and qualified dividends directly into the CSS.  IIRC I have to enter one or the other of those into the columns on the left, then do the appropriate math and enter the difference in another cell somewhere.  I hope you know what I'm referring to.)

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Taxes / how do taxes interact?

« Last post by mistymoney on Today at 02:15:04 PM »

so say you make 100k. fica is 7650. Does federal income tax go on 100k or 100-7.65k?

then does state tax go where? after fica and fed are removed?

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Off Topic / Re: So . . . Canada's on fire, and it's unsafe to breathe the air again :(

« Last post by RetiredAt63 on Today at 02:13:54 PM »

I'm digging out my Covid masks for outside.

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Off Topic / Re: Musk takeover

« Last post by Poundwise on Today at 01:48:15 PM »

Will the DOGE boys stay loyal to Musk? If so, it would be interesting if tax data for Trump or some of his people gets leaked.

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Off Topic / Re: So . . . Canada's on fire, and it's unsafe to breathe the air again :(

« Last post by PoutineLover on Today at 01:46:56 PM »

I would be very curious as well. I have really young kids and I chose to drive 10 mins instead of walk 40 mins today because I thought it would be safer for them, but I hate using the car for short errands and that driving makes the air quality even worse. Now my dog will need a walk too but I don't know if it's safer to skip it. Really upsetting that this seems to be our new normal.

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Welcome and General Discussion / Re: Natural "Tipping Points"

« Last post by GuitarStv on Today at 01:46:27 PM »

I'd like to see a USA with ~250M people instead of one with ~350M people.

So you're cheering on RFK?




:P