Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[crocheted_stache]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

[jeroly]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

You don't need a dedicated device- if you have a tablet there are lots of free apps to read epub or mobi files. The downside is they don't work well in direct sunlight like at the beach, but indoors they're good.

[crocheted_stache]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

You don't need a dedicated device- if you have a tablet there are lots of free apps to read epub or mobi files. The downside is they don't work well in direct sunlight like at the beach, but indoors they're good.

Yeah, I've plodded through a number of ebooks just on my phone. I don't have a tablet. One of the library apps likes to full justify the text, so occasionally I'll get to a line with only two or three longer words on it, but spread across the line like they're trying to save a seat for a friend who's not there yet. It's also tough on the eyes for longer stretches.

The device I've borrowed and am considering getting a newer one of when I give it back is basically a tablet but with self-lit e-ink. The reading I've done on it is pretty nice both for screen size and eye ease. The note taking is so-so, and I think it would improve if I actually logged in as myself, which I'm reluctant to do on a borrowed device, for other than a couple specific apps.

[Alfred J Quack]

@Raenia and @jeroly , I'm glad my post inspired some Mustache magic and got you connected with the book you wanted.

@Alfred J Quack are there e-readers you can recommend? And do you do anything with yours besides read? I've been borrowing one that my brother probably wants back eventually, and it seems old (probably because it is) and a little clunky to me. I still read on paper, but for the increasing numbers of books that are electronic and for some of the documents I go through in my volunteer stuff, it would be pretty nice to have something that's easier on the eyes than paper. Personally, I think I'd like something that could start to take the place of many scraps of paper that I tend to accumulate, too.

If you only want to read on it, I'd go with something like a Kobo 7.5 inch model. If you also want to run other apps on it, I'd go for an Onyx Boox app because they can use Google Play Services/store after you enable it (and you can install Kobo, Kindle or other book stores if you have books on their service).

At home I'm using the Kobo Note Air 3C with a color display. I read a lot, comics and books but also read on Reddit and the like. Videos are not very good on it though.

[deborah]

I live in easy walking distance of two shopping centres - one of which has all sorts of medical places (dentists, doctors, chemist, imaging, pathology lab…). So I generally walk to the shops. Almost everything I need is available in walking distance. If I need something heavy, I take the car.

As a result, since retirement I rarely need to use the bus. Earlier this year, I wanted to use the bus, and SO suggested that my bus pass may have expired. Which it had, because I hadn’t used the bus since COVID. So I had to go through the process of getting a new bus pass.

[NorthernIkigai]

Increasingly, the cities I travel to both in my country and abroad have changed their public transport systems so that you can just tap your bank card on the machine and pay that way. Some cities even have complex systems whereby you get a refund if your trip that day exceed the maximum you should pay for one day. (Sounds like a nightmare in terms of administration and banking fees for them, but hey, I’ll take it.) Some also have apps you can download and buy your ticket from.

It al really makes using public transport smoother.

[LennStar]

I am pretty sure they only ask the bank for money once. And even if not, if there is no transaction, there should be no fees.

[NorthernIkigai]

I am pretty sure they only ask the bank for money once. And even if not, if there is no transaction, there should be no fees.

The banking fees for the transport company. Usually, even if private customers have their banking fees either waived or built into whatever fees you pay for having the account, this is not the case for company accounts. So a company will pay a fee for every single payment it receives (used to be between 8 and 50c a couple of years ago, it may have changed now that there is more competition in banking), and also pays a fee for every single payment it makes.

So when I tap in and out of the London tube several times a day with my bank card, money is taken out of my account. When I wake up in the morning, there’s an actual payment of money having come back which is the difference between what I paid the day before and the maximum possible daily fee. Other places may of course organise this differently.

But the money really does move, and tbe banks of course do not do this for free.

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

[Tasse]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Luxury consumables. Chocolate, coffee/tea, soap. It's not stuff but it feels fancy enough that it's a "gift" rather than a "necessity."

[Dicey]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Museum passes? Gift certificates for your fave concert venues?

[Dollar Slice]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Museum passes? Gift certificates for your fave concert venues?

I'm not really looking for ideas, folks, but thanks :-) These are all things I've thought of. It's just one of those things where social/family life is a bit trickier to navigate if you aren't a person with a long list of "stuff I want". A MPP.

[BicycleB]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Museum passes? Gift certificates for your fave concert venues?

I'm not really looking for ideas, folks, but thanks :-) These are all things I've thought of. It's just one of those things where social/family life is a bit trickier to navigate if you aren't a person with a long list of "stuff I want". A MPP.

Obviously your problem, @Dollar Slice, is that you have too many helpful friends. ;)

[Dollar Slice]

Obviously your problem, @Dollar Slice, is that you have too many helpful friends. ;)

Woe! Woe is me! My terrible unfixable problems! (dramatic wrist to the forehead)

Next, let me tell you about how difficult it is to invest all this money... should I do it now?? Or wait???

[ChpBstrd]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Paper U.S. treasury savings bonds, for the retro feel of being a kid in the 80s or early 90s who had a financially-minded grandpa or grandma.

[dandarc]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Paper U.S. treasury savings bonds, for the retro feel of being a kid in the 80s or early 90s who had a financially-minded grandpa or grandma.

Might want to read what it says on the link there - both of the current types of savings bonds are electronic-only (unless you have a tax refund situation for I Bonds - and even that option is going away 1/1/2025). Suppose you could print off an email related to the transactions or something.

[crocheted_stache]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

I suppose light bulbs do not qualify as "fun."

[LennStar]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

I suppose light bulbs do not qualify as "fun."

There are those that can change the light color. Is that fun enough?

[Siebrie]

MPP: it's that time of year again. Mom wants gift ideas and I don't want any more stuff in my small apartment that isn't food or a necessity. But it has to be "fun"! Time to start wringing ideas out of my brain...

Do you have any trips planned? Maybe ask for something on your trip? Dinner at a good restaurant, museum, park entrance fee, etc.?

[ChpBstrd]

My brokerage accounts are up $36k over the past month, and up >88k over the past 6 months, and yet it feels like progress toward my goals is happening so slowly. I have about $400k to go till FIRE.

I suspect this feeling comes from 2 sources:

1) I've not made any major trades or AA changes in the past several months. A lack of effort feels like a lack of progress.

2) I suspect that high valuations + certain changes in government policy could end the gravy train we're currently on. It's a matter of time before the next bear market, as it always is, and then I'll see six figure losses. But I've learned enough to know I can't time the markets. So all I can do is sit and watch.

My boredom with making $36k in a month reflects a disconnect between perception and reality. It's a lot like the vast majority of Americans who thought we were in recession in 2Q2024, when GDP was growing at 3%. It's not reasonable, and thinking this way could lead to bad decisions. That's a MPP and the solution is probably to tune out the noise.

[Sandi_k]

^^^^ Smart. I just looked, and we're up $88K in the past 5 months; it's surreal that we've nearly hit a crossover point where our investments make MORE than our employment income. And you're right - it feels so easy in comparison.

What has helped me is only looking once a month, and then doing a net worth statement on January 1 and July 1. The changes over six months and a year really help me to "stand there and do nothing."

30 weeks left!

[Sugaree]

My brokerage accounts are up $36k over the past month, and up >88k over the past 6 months, and yet it feels like progress toward my goals is happening so slowly. I have about $400k to go till FIRE.

I suspect this feeling comes from 2 sources:

1) I've not made any major trades or AA changes in the past several months. A lack of effort feels like a lack of progress.

2) I suspect that high valuations + certain changes in government policy could end the gravy train we're currently on. It's a matter of time before the next bear market, as it always is, and then I'll see six figure losses. But I've learned enough to know I can't time the markets. So all I can do is sit and watch.

My boredom with making $36k in a month reflects a disconnect between perception and reality. It's a lot like the vast majority of Americans who thought we were in recession in 2Q2024, when GDP was growing at 3%. It's not reasonable, and thinking this way could lead to bad decisions. That's a MPP and the solution is probably to tune out the noise.

This is what I'm trying to tell myself.  I wouldn't mind a fire sale for my retirement accounts, though I'm somewhat worried about my kid's college funds in the coming years.  I've had a long-standing plan to start laddering it to something less aggressive starting in about two years when he'll be going into 9th grade, but I admit that I'm somewhat spooked about what's coming. 

[ixtap]

My brokerage accounts are up $36k over the past month, and up >88k over the past 6 months, and yet it feels like progress toward my goals is happening so slowly. I have about $400k to go till FIRE.

I suspect this feeling comes from 2 sources:

1) I've not made any major trades or AA changes in the past several months. A lack of effort feels like a lack of progress.

2) I suspect that high valuations + certain changes in government policy could end the gravy train we're currently on. It's a matter of time before the next bear market, as it always is, and then I'll see six figure losses. But I've learned enough to know I can't time the markets. So all I can do is sit and watch.

My boredom with making $36k in a month reflects a disconnect between perception and reality. It's a lot like the vast majority of Americans who thought we were in recession in 2Q2024, when GDP was growing at 3%. It's not reasonable, and thinking this way could lead to bad decisions. That's a MPP and the solution is probably to tune out the noise.

This is what I'm trying to tell myself.  I wouldn't mind a fire sale for my retirement accounts, though I'm somewhat worried about my kid's college funds in the coming years.  I've had a long-standing plan to start laddering it to something less aggressive starting in about two years when he'll be going into 9th grade, but I admit that I'm somewhat spooked about what's coming.

I have been spooked since at least 2018. Glad we only went to 70/30 at that time. We would be better off if we had gone to 80/20, but once he put some thought into AA, he wanted 70/30 and I figured it was close enough and much better than our 97/3 we had without planning.

[NorCal]

My brokerage accounts are up $36k over the past month, and up >88k over the past 6 months, and yet it feels like progress toward my goals is happening so slowly. I have about $400k to go till FIRE.

I suspect this feeling comes from 2 sources:

1) I've not made any major trades or AA changes in the past several months. A lack of effort feels like a lack of progress.

2) I suspect that high valuations + certain changes in government policy could end the gravy train we're currently on. It's a matter of time before the next bear market, as it always is, and then I'll see six figure losses. But I've learned enough to know I can't time the markets. So all I can do is sit and watch.

My boredom with making $36k in a month reflects a disconnect between perception and reality. It's a lot like the vast majority of Americans who thought we were in recession in 2Q2024, when GDP was growing at 3%. It's not reasonable, and thinking this way could lead to bad decisions. That's a MPP and the solution is probably to tune out the noise.

This is what I'm trying to tell myself.  I wouldn't mind a fire sale for my retirement accounts, though I'm somewhat worried about my kid's college funds in the coming years.  I've had a long-standing plan to start laddering it to something less aggressive starting in about two years when he'll be going into 9th grade, but I admit that I'm somewhat spooked about what's coming.

I’ve found that target-date funds are a good pick for college accounts. They’re easy to set on autopilot, and the risk/reward ratio of an aggressive AA is a little different due to the ~4 year drawdown period versus a multi-decade drawdown.

[fuzzy math]

I did a backdoor Roth contribution this year in Fidelity. They held my deposit for 17 days due to some fraud BS which is apparently a system wide choice of theirs. So my traditional IRA generated $24 of earnings while my funds were held hostage, which I then transferred to the Roth. Another month later that $24 generated $0.01 so now my traditional IRA is not empty again haha. Time for another transfer
 

[crocheted_stache]

This isn't a new one, even for me, but it recently happened again that one of my accounts is doing some behind-the-curtain administrative gyrations that don't actually change anything, except that for a day or two, one of my accounts was showing up twice. (Or almost twice? I'm guessing maybe the duplicate was a snapshot and didn't reflect the market changes during the time it was separate.) It was even showing up twice at the institution, so not just a reporting/synchronization problem.

Anyway, now there's this big, ridiculous spike in my Empower net worth chart. I would be glad to have that much additional money, but it's going to take a while longer to grow to that point in real life.

I'd finally gotten a year away from the last big but nonexistent twitch, which created a dip where some money I transferred was deducted from the account where it originated a day or two before appearing in the receiving account.

[Alfred J Quack]

Meh, I had a budget at work available that I could spend on welness improvement (gym, sport etc.) but I didn't know what to do with it. So, I bought a 2nd hand bike, a bit fancy with disk brakes and a rubber band instead of a chain because I'm lazy about chain maintenance.
It's a really nice bike. But it's back at the shop a day later because the gearing appears to be setup wrong or defective (doesn't mesh perfectly and sometimes I can pedal half a stroke without it engaging). It's got warranty though so no worries about the cost.

[never give up]

The markets these last twelve months have returned more than I have earned from work for the first time. I always thought my levels of incompetence had a really high ceiling but I’m now so useless that I’m unable to use my 25 years of experience in industry to be the main financial provider in my own personal finances. Passive me is now better than real me. My experience, knowledge and work rate is now being surpassed by something I can't even see. I'm not even capable of out-earning myself. My path to absolute incompetence is nearly complete!

Perhaps if there was a "Mustachian People Solutions" thread I'd be able to write something deep and meaningful about self-obsolescence or something. I appreciate this is one of the better Mustachian People Problems to have :-)

[LennStar]

The next level is when the normal daily fluctuations are more than your monthy salary. That can be quite unnerving, but on the other hand it means you are getting close to FIRE.

[never give up]

Yes I'm not sure how I'll cope with that LennStar, although I only check my numbers every month so hopefully I'll be oblivious. Obsolete and oblivious,  what a combination!

[NorthernIkigai]

The markets these last twelve months have returned more than I have earned from work for the first time. I always thought my levels of incompetence had a really high ceiling but I’m now so useless that I’m unable to use my 25 years of experience in industry to be the main financial provider in my own personal finances. Passive me is now better than real me. My experience, knowledge and work rate is now being surpassed by something I can't even see. I'm not even capable of out-earning myself. My path to absolute incompetence is nearly complete!

Perhaps if there was a "Mustachian People Solutions" thread I'd be able to write something deep and meaningful about self-obsolescence or something. I appreciate this is one of the better Mustachian People Problems to have :-)

You’re just better at investing than at working.

[never give up]

Thanks NorthernIkigai.  Given I'm a 100% indexer and have virtually zero investing knowledge it doesn't say much for my working skills :-)

[mspym]

The markets these last twelve months have returned more than I have earned from work for the first time. I always thought my levels of incompetence had a really high ceiling but I’m now so useless that I’m unable to use my 25 years of experience in industry to be the main financial provider in my own personal finances. Passive me is now better than real me. My experience, knowledge and work rate is now being surpassed by something I can't even see. I'm not even capable of out-earning myself. My path to absolute incompetence is nearly complete!

So, you’ve hit the 4% WR on your working career?

[never give up]

So, you’ve hit the 4% WR on your working career?

No, not connected with WR at all. I just mean the gains in the stock market this year (25%+ I believe) mean my passive investment gain was larger than my annual salary.

[johndoe]

Reading the last few posts in this thread make me think I have a MPP: I may be out of touch with reality!  People saying 'the market is helping my invested net worth (INW) more than my salary is!' made me think 'they must be really close to FIRE for that to be true'.  Turns out I seem to be in the same boat...

• One year ago my INW was ~$390k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $190k) and I contributed ~$60k of that, passive growth was ~130k (~33%) which is ~145% of my salary over the year. 
  
• Two years ago my INW was ~$300k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $280k) and I contributed ~$120k of that, passive growth was ~160k (~53%) which is ~90% of my salary over the two years.
• Three years ago my INW was ~$310k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $270k) and I contributed ~$170k of that, passive growth was ~100k (~32%) which is ~40% of my salary over the three years.

So, if I'm calculating this right, the last few years of 'easy mode market' seem to fit that bill!  That feels quite weird to acknowledge, and I feel like I must have done some calculation wrong!  If we avg 10% annual growth going forward, I'm currently at point where my contributions roughly equal passive gains, and my salary will exceed passive gains for another ~4 years. 

P.S. I will say the 'daily fluctuations greater than monthly salary' sensation has worn off on me; I feel like this has happened pretty routinely... but the thought that 'passive growth is as big as contributions' seems much more monumental!

[Dave1442397]

I noticed that the increase in our net worth this year is more than our actual net worth at the end of 2016, when I first started keeping track.

I always feel as if we don't have money, but with a 34% of gross savings rate, I guess it's adding up in the savings accounts.

[pasadenafr]

My current MPP is that I'm this close to quitting my job without another one lined up:   --> . <--

I can technically afford it. But it would be the stupidest financial decision of my life - for several reasons - and would set me back un unknown amount of time.

Still, I have to repeatedly talk myself off the ledge. It's not even that bad, and I started actively looking for another one. The holidays can't come soon enough - one more week!

[NorthernIkigai]

Thanks NorthernIkigai.  Given I'm a 100% indexer and have virtually zero investing knowledge it doesn't say much for my working skills :-)

I used to help customers make investment decisions, and believe me, index investing is not easy for most people! :-D It's hard to just let the market do its thing (even when you know you're statistically unlikely to outperform the market when considering investing costs and taxes).

[NorthernIkigai]

Reading the last few posts in this thread make me think I have a MPP: I may be out of touch with reality!  People saying 'the market is helping my invested net worth (INW) more than my salary is!' made me think 'they must be really close to FIRE for that to be true'.  Turns out I seem to be in the same boat...

• One year ago my INW was ~$390k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $190k) and I contributed ~$60k of that, passive growth was ~130k (~33%) which is ~145% of my salary over the year. 
  
• Two years ago my INW was ~$300k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $280k) and I contributed ~$120k of that, passive growth was ~160k (~53%) which is ~90% of my salary over the two years.
• Three years ago my INW was ~$310k.  If it's now ~$580k (up $270k) and I contributed ~$170k of that, passive growth was ~100k (~32%) which is ~40% of my salary over the three years.

So, if I'm calculating this right, the last few years of 'easy mode market' seem to fit that bill!  That feels quite weird to acknowledge, and I feel like I must have done some calculation wrong!  If we avg 10% annual growth going forward, I'm currently at point where my contributions roughly equal passive gains, and my salary will exceed passive gains for another ~4 years. 

P.S. I will say the 'daily fluctuations greater than monthly salary' sensation has worn off on me; I feel like this has happened pretty routinely... but the thought that 'passive growth is as big as contributions' seems much more monumental!

I've been bad at keeping track of how much we invest. I know pretty much how much we buy stocks and funds for every year, but some of that money comes from dividends, which muddies the waters a bit.

We have some very old Tesla shares in the stash, so 'daily fluctuations greater than monthly salary' is ... putting it mildly. We're trying to sell them in a tax efficient way, but the damn things have been going up so much lately that it messes with the efficient tax space we have per year.

[LennStar]

Haha!

Yes, I guess it depends a lot on how much volatile single stocks you have and what your monthly salary is. And which days you look at it of course. I was talking about a normal 1% (or less) day.

But really those Tesla stocks...
Less cars than the competition, worse self-driving than the competition, solar and storage has also not played out ("Tesla really is a tech company!!") and it is still valued above them all. 

Stock Markets are rational. But only on the 30 year scale. Inside those 30 years they are deeply irrational.

[GuitarStv]

Stock Markets are rational. But only on the 30 year scale. Inside those 30 years they are deeply irrational.

Not on a 30 year scale either . . . it's not rational to invest in a system built around destroying the planet it requires to exist.  Yet here we are.

[LennStar]

Stock Markets are rational. But only on the 30 year scale. Inside those 30 years they are deeply irrational.

Not on a 30 year scale either . . . it's not rational to invest in a system built around destroying the planet it requires to exist.  Yet here we are.

The stock market is not the system that destroys the earth. You could argue stocks are, at least as long as shareholder value is the only thing that matters, but the exchange? No, not more than any other human activity, like building a house, and probably less so.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Stock Markets are rational. But only on the 30 year scale. Inside those 30 years they are deeply irrational.

Not on a 30 year scale either . . . it's not rational to invest in a system built around destroying the planet it requires to exist.  Yet here we are.

The stock market is not the system that destroys the earth. You could argue stocks are, at least as long as shareholder value is the only thing that matters, but the exchange? No, not more than any other human activity, like building a house, and probably less so.

I mean, sure, but isn't that splitting hairs? The practice of tying human prosperity to infinite economic growth through the stock market is not sustainable for the environment.

[crocheted_stache]

DH just got a pretty nice bonus and a stock grant amounting to about an extra year's salary, vesting over three years. We're FI and then some already, and not RE mainly because it's tough to leave with the fire hose still gushing, and his employer just cranked it up. Time to top up the DAF, I guess.

I posted more details on this one somewhere else here (FU money stories, maybe) and I don't feel like hunting for them, so here's a recap. DH's company declared at the end of February/beginning of March that they all needed to take off a week before the end of March to get some of those pesky liabilities off the books before the next quarterly report. Astute observers will note that this approach is the fiscal equivalent of cleaning your room by cramming the mess in the closet before company comes.

DH did the math, found this edict left him short for our planned vacation in May/June, and, knowing we don't need more money, pushed back on the policy to be able to either save a day or borrow it later.

Employer correctly interpreted DH's objections as restlessness and figured out how to give him an the day the wanted in June, and also followed on with this raise and bonus in an (unnecessary and ineffective) effort to retain him. Astute observers will note that promising to pay people more is a poor strategy for reducing liabilities. (We're FI but not yet RE.)

Cut to the present day. Employer is closing the local office entirely in a few months. DH could apply for a job at headquarters, out of state, but we have no plans to move. No part of the stock grant will have vested by the time he departs. It's an awfully nice thing not to need the money. He's already on my insurance, so nothing to do there, either.

At this point, the MPPs will be pretending to be disappointed when commiserating with co-workers and fending off the recruiters who would love for him to start Monday. (One recruiter contacted him just now, as I was writing this. I guess it's good to be in demand.) He's a little disappointed that all the time and trouble he's put in there will mostly be discarded, so the first part won't be tough.

Mainly, he'd like a little more time off between this job and the next one. I've suggested, for opportunities that are relevant, "Sure, this sounds great. I'll be available next June." Better suggestions are welcome.

My MPP will be deciding whether to hang on a little longer or try to take some extended time off with him.

FIRE drill time, I guess.

DH's last day was last week, so here's the final update. He stuck it out for the severance and isn't too impressed with the attempts by HQ to replace him and a colleague with one brand new person who was basically given a week to learn everything. It's absolutely not his problem. HQ has decreed no contracting by former employees, so I kind of feel sorry for the new guy if they attempt to preserve the product line from the now-closed subsidiary. (Then again, this management has had no idea what was going on here the whole time, leading to terrible support and wildly optimistic deadlines. HQ is certainly not the part we'll miss.)

DH is pretty mild-mannered, but he pressed for an answer about whether they'd consider vesting a prorated amount of the stock grant from March. The answer was no, but at least he got an answer. (We know if he asked, possibly the answer would be no, but if he didn't ask, definitely the answer would be no.)

He's been on my insurance the whole time, so no change there. We're both hoping he'll catch up on sleep, have time to tinker, and maybe get through some honey-do stuff before giving in to selected recruitment attempts.

We have a new MPP. I've been trying to convince him that his two jackets with the old company logo are fine to go on wearing. The alternative is one he's had since high school, and it's starting to get shiny with wear. The company didn't vanish; it just absorbed the local subsidiary into out of state HQ. Also, it's small enough basically nobody has heard of it anyway, and nobody cares but him. But if he really wants, I've suggested the get a patch to sew over the logos that make him unhappy. It could be one from something we support, like the local bike group, or one from something neutral and well-liked, like a national park. I suspect he'll eventually come around to the idea that nobody cares.

The only other MPP left from the former job will be figuring out when to take the added income from divesting of the stock compensation he did earn. The stock has been underwhelming and our portfolio doesn't need it or the concentration, but we really don't need to realize a bunch more income. Maybe it's time I RE, too.

[markbike528CBX]

……snip….
We have a new MPP. I've been trying to convince him that his two jackets with the old company logo are fine to go on wearing. The alternative is one he's had since high school, and it's starting to get shiny with wear. The company didn't vanish; it just absorbed the local subsidiary into out of state HQ. Also, it's small enough basically nobody has heard of it anyway, and nobody cares but him. But if he really wants, I've suggested the get a patch to sew over the logos that make him unhappy. It could be one from something we support, like the local bike group, or one from something neutral and well-liked, like a national park. I suspect he'll eventually come around to the idea that nobody cares.

The only other MPP left from the former job will be figuring out when to take the added income from divesting of the stock compensation he did earn. The stock has been underwhelming and our portfolio doesn't need it or the concentration, but we really don't need to realize a bunch more income. Maybe it's time I RE, too.

On my old company jacket, which has a world famous logotype* in white on a black background , DW just took a black Sharpie(tm) to it. Unless you are waaay too close, you can’t see or recognize it. Sharpies(tm) come in a surprising selection of colors.

Perhaps you should RE ;-)

* A logotype is the logo and written name of the company.  The company handbook for the use of the logo and name was 300 215 pages long. I found the handbook fascinating, as I’m interested in typography and color-confused. It was clear enough that even I couldn’t mess up the colors. The company did not own the logotype, as the previous owner kept it when the company was sold off. Your business can lease the logo.
Edit for size of hanbook.

[Catbert]

Crocheted-stash - Convince your DH to keep wearing those free logoed jackets.  When my DH worked, he got tons of shirts, tees, jackets, etc. with the company name.  I used to joke that it was a shame they didn't hand out logoed underwear.  After 23 years of retirement, he's down to one jacket and one denim shirt. 

[crocheted_stache]

On my old company jacket, which has a world famous logotype* in white on a black background , DW just took a black Sharpie(tm) to it. Unless you are waaay too close, you can’t see or recognize it. Sharpies(tm) come in a surprising selection of colors.

I mentioned this to him, and I may tuck it away for later. My guess is he's going to decide not to care, although it may take a while. Tech-branded apparel is common enough here to be camouflage, and it's kind of a meaningless and unknown name.

Perhaps you should RE ;-)

Ahem! I have a few things I'd like to finish first, personally and professionally. The list really is getting shorter, though.

Crocheted-stash - Convince your DH to keep wearing those free logoed jackets.  When my DH worked, he got tons of shirts, tees, jackets, etc. with the company name.  I used to joke that it was a shame they didn't hand out logoed underwear.  After 23 years of retirement, he's down to one jacket and one denim shirt. 

He probably will, once he's had a while to stop squirming about it. At least around here, there's often an excess of company-logo apparel in local thrift stores, from people that don't still work at LargeCo or don't want to be a walking billboard for it. I may take a Sharpie or a bike group patch to something like that, if I ever find something I'd like to wear, if only it didn't have a logo on it for somewhere I never worked.

[merula]

You can usually get printed logos off fabric with nail polish remover. Of course, then you wouldn't be able to track the course of retirement by the number of remaining branded items.

[crocheted_stache]

If the logo were on glass or stainless steel, I'd try the nail polish remover. On top of other paint or powder coat, I would worry for the base finish. With the logo embroidered on, I'm not expecting it to do much.

I don't expect DH ever to part with a jacket, barring some catastrophe. His favorite is still one he's had since probably high school, and frayed cuffs be damned, that is the one that goes with him most days.

I visited a craft store the other day, and walked past a shelf of Stanley cup* knock-offs marketed as "ready to be decorated with," and then I'm not sure if the thing that came next was a type of paint, decal, or what. They were kind of short staffed for the crowd, and I had a lot of time to contemplate while waiting to check out. If crafters want to decorate this kind of thing, there really should be a group of them that takes the heaps of corporate-branded swag that gets discarded and does the craft equivalent of tattoo cover-ups. Don't remove the irrelevant, unwanted logo if it's going to be destructive; just obscure it or work it into some other design.

*The larger-than-necessary branded insulated mug that trended in the US in the past couple years, not the hockey trophy.

[rantk81]

My MPP Today -

I want to contribute to 2025 non-deductible IRAs for myself and my spouse, so we can immediately convert to Roth IRA (backdoor Roth IRA).

However, I am telling myself I need to wait for a few payroll cycles from work, in order to make sure I have enough W-2 income in order to do both of our IRA contributions.

I am waiting, because of the slim-off-chance that there is any involuntary separation from my employer, which would cause us to not have enough payroll income to contribute the full amounts to the IRAs.  (In order to avoid having to deal with any head-aches of reversing over-contributing.)

There aren't any reasons why I would think that I would be involuntarily separated (re: laid off) from my job in the upcoming weeks... but you never know.  And once my job ends at this particular company, it will be time to "FIRE", as I have absolutely ZERO INTEREST in going through the painful gauntlet applying and interviewing for another software engineering job, and I am at FIRE-level assets now anyway.