Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[ixtap]

My parents are taking a river cruise this summer. I am equal parts "Are you nuts??" "Hmmm, I have enough details that I could surprise them" and "That is a LOT of money."

For some reason, I woke up this morning just not caring about diseases (we are all vaccinated, but I am in general wary of the mutations spreading around), so only the last two are fighting it out.

It is a lot of money when compared to our average annual spend (~10%), but not so much when compared to our annual savings. And we are already FI. My parents are in their late 70s. I am leaning towards bringing it up with my partner, but did I mention that is a LOT of money?!

[dragoncar]

Hmmm... Sounds like it would be a lot of money

[ixtap]

Hmmm... Sounds like it would be a lot of money

Upon discussion, we agreed that we may well spend that amount when we travel to see them in the late summer/ fall, but it will be a longer trip and seeing more of the family. We aren't that interested in where they have chosen, having lived in the general area and seen much of the scenery. I was just a bit giddy about the idea of surprising them.

I was so happy with my choice that I made a donation today, instead. Much better use of our monies.

[Malee55]

I get remarks at work when I decline doing higher duties about me being lucky to not need the extra money (nothing about me not spending on coffee or clothes all the time)

[NorCal]

I had a large very large unwanted capital gain realization this year (it’s a long story), but now I have to pay taxes on it.

Since I don’t categorize capital gains as income, the taxes will bring my 2021 savings rate from ~60% to 35%.  This will be the first time in over a decade that the savings rate went below 50%.

All my internal metrics are screwed up. I feel like I’m failing at the FI thing, even though I know this windfall actually got me a year closer. Logic is conflicting with my spreadsheet tracking.

[Mighty Eyebrows]

Since I don’t categorize capital gains as income...

Well, there is your problem right there.

[Plina]

I had a large very large unwanted capital gain realization this year (it’s a long story), but now I have to pay taxes on it.

Since I don’t categorize capital gains as income, the taxes will bring my 2021 savings rate from ~60% to 35%.  This will be the first time in over a decade that the savings rate went below 50%.

All my internal metrics are screwed up. I feel like I’m failing at the FI thing, even though I know this windfall actually got me a year closer. Logic is conflicting with my spreadsheet tracking.

If you don’t categorize capital gains as income, why do you categorize the taxes from them as a cost?

[Dicey]

My parents are taking a river cruise this summer. I am equal parts "Are you nuts??" "Hmmm, I have enough details that I could surprise them" and "That is a LOT of money."

For some reason, I woke up this morning just not caring about diseases (we are all vaccinated, but I am in general wary of the mutations spreading around), so only the last two are fighting it out.

It is a lot of money when compared to our average annual spend (~10%), but not so much when compared to our annual savings. And we are already FI. My parents are in their late 70s. I am leaning towards bringing it up with my partner, but did I mention that is a LOT of money?!

A story from pre-Covid times. For my parent's 50th Anniversary, my folks, their six kids, all the spouses and all the grandchildren (20 in all) assembled from around the country for a 4-day Mexican Riviera cruise out of Long Beach. My aunt who lives near Long Beach was invited, but said she had prior commitment and couldn't go. Imagine our surprise when she greeted us at dinner on the first night out. She was on the same cruise with her bridge group! She had made the connection but hadn't told any of us. Quite the surprise for all and very memorable.

Since it was my folk's 50th, on the first night of the cruise, each of their kids wore something from my parent's old wardrobes. We had smuggled them out when my parents were downsizing their house earlier in the year. Everyone but we six and my SIL were fashionably "late" for dinner, which made my mom a bit testy. One by one, we each arrived wearing my parent's vintage togs. Finally, my brother arrived arm-in-arm with our SIL. Both had lost weight and were small/skinny enough to fit into dad's Air Force uniform and Mom's wedding suit, just like in their wedding picture. Not a dry eye in the bunch. And then my aunt appeared out of nowhere, laughing because she had last seen my parents in those clothes at their actual wedding.

A few years later, all of us plus her five kids and their families did a long weekend on the Queen Mary in honor of her 80th birthday. It was equally memorable.

My parents are gone, and my aunt is now 90. Due to my parents passing and the pandemic, it was the last large family gathering. We all cherish those memories.

It goes without saying that my vote is to spend the money and surprise them.

[Taran Wanderer]

If you don’t categorize capital gains as income, why do you categorize the taxes from them us a cost?

I love wise questions like that, Plina!

[MudPuppy]

The Dyson vacuum we got from our wedding registry 10+ years ago has a small tear in the hose now and we have to buy a $20 replacement hose before we can effectively use it again

[NorCal]

I had a large very large unwanted capital gain realization this year (it’s a long story), but now I have to pay taxes on it.

Since I don’t categorize capital gains as income, the taxes will bring my 2021 savings rate from ~60% to 35%.  This will be the first time in over a decade that the savings rate went below 50%.

All my internal metrics are screwed up. I feel like I’m failing at the FI thing, even though I know this windfall actually got me a year closer. Logic is conflicting with my spreadsheet tracking.

If you don’t categorize capital gains as income, why do you categorize the taxes from them as a cost?

Fair question.  It's simply that I cut a single check to the IRS for my quarterly estimated taxes (I have no regular tax withholding this year), so it's all just one expense that happens each quarter.  It turns out that I under-estimated my 2020 withholding by a bit, so my tax expense is also coming in higher than I budgeted for unrelated reasons as well.

I realize this is a mindset issue and not a real issue.  It just bugs me every time I open my spreadsheets.

[Sugaree]

The Dyson vacuum we got from our wedding registry 10+ years ago has a small tear in the hose now and we have to buy a $20 replacement hose before we can effectively use it again

I might try $2 wirth of duct tape first.

[rantk81]

I keep a monthly line graph of my net-worth.  Starting from 2006.
In recent times, the graph is now starting to just resemble the graph of VTSAX.

[PMG]

The Dyson vacuum we got from our wedding registry 10+ years ago has a small tear in the hose now and we have to buy a $20 replacement hose before we can effectively use it again

I might try $2 wirth of duct tape first.

I was thinking shoe goo and electrical tape. Or gaff tape. Whatever’s on hand!

[MudPuppy]

It’s in a weird spot, unfortunately

[TomTX]

It’s in a weird spot, unfortunately

Well, turn the vacuum on so that it sucks the Shoe Goo and/or Duct Tape down into the weird spot... ;)

[Alternatepriorities]

It’s in a weird spot, unfortunately

Well, turn the vacuum on so that it sucks the Shoe Goo and/or Duct Tape down into the weird spot... ;)

This makes a remarkable amount of sense to me... It's the kind of solution you come up with when it's 200 miles to the nearest hardware store...

[dragoncar]

The Dyson vacuum we got from our wedding registry 10+ years ago has a small tear in the hose now and we have to buy a $20 replacement hose before we can effectively use it again

I might try $2 wirth of duct tape first.

I was regularly repairing my hose for a while until I got get up and ordered a $13 aftermarket hose.  It's like $16 now but this is the one I got and it's worked great for three years: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005YO98SM
That fits my 20 year old dyson though maybe not the same as yours

[Imma]

Someone in our family is dying and they want to leave their car to Mr Imma.
It's a small car, don't know the exact model but it's a A- or B-segment, which is considered a regular sized car in Europe, probably extremely tiny by American standards. It's not too old but it's not brand new, it's apparantly cheap in taxes and efficient in fuel.
Mr. Imma is seriously considering accepting it, for practical and sentimental reasons.

BUT.

Neither of us have a driver's license. I'm working on getting it for work, but in all likelihood I won't get get medical clearance to drive a manual car. I won't need to own a car for work, I'm supposed to use a company vehicle when necessary. Mr. Imma has been thinking about getting his license ever since he came of age, but that's nearly 20 years ago and he hasn't wanted that license enough to get around to taking lessons. The cost of a driver's license is €2000-€2500 each, which is a lot, but we can afford it. Getting a driver's license is useful so that part is not something I object to.

But the car.... We don't need a car. We live in urban Europe, on the edge of downtown in a big city. Everyone we know lives in urban locations so we take the train to visit them. Fuel is expensive here and parking is a nightmare too. We take train holidays too, I hate car holidays. I hate sitting in a car in general, which is why I never bothered to get a license in the first place. Our jobs are within walking/cycling distance and so is the grocery store. Driving there would be less efficient because our city has lots of car-free zones. We are in our 30s and have never needed a car. The only thing we'd need a car for is to occasionally transport big things, but I don't think this car would be big enough for that. It's just big enough to transport a couple of people and maybe some groceries.
Currently we solve that issue by renting a van once a year and asking a friend of us to drive it. Friend doesn't have money, we don't have a license, so they drive, we pay, and we both do all our necessary transport in one weekend. The main thing is a yearly trip to the dump because our city doesn't offer bulk thrash pickup.

It's not my inheritance so I don't feel I have a say in this decision, and our finances are mostly separate, but I just really can't imagine what kind of use we would get out of that car. I don't think selling and keeping the money would be an option.

[Plina]

Someone in our family is dying and they want to leave their car to Mr Imma.
It's a small car, don't know the exact model but it's a A- or B-segment, which is considered a regular sized car in Europe, probably extremely tiny by American standards. It's not too old but it's not brand new, it's apparantly cheap in taxes and efficient in fuel.
Mr. Imma is seriously considering accepting it, for practical and sentimental reasons.

BUT.

Neither of us have a driver's license. I'm working on getting it for work, but in all likelihood I won't get get medical clearance to drive a manual car. I won't need to own a car for work, I'm supposed to use a company vehicle when necessary. Mr. Imma has been thinking about getting his license ever since he came of age, but that's nearly 20 years ago and he hasn't wanted that license enough to get around to taking lessons. The cost of a driver's license is €2000-€2500 each, which is a lot, but we can afford it. Getting a driver's license is useful so that part is not something I object to.

But the car.... We don't need a car. We live in urban Europe, on the edge of downtown in a big city. Everyone we know lives in urban locations so we take the train to visit them. Fuel is expensive here and parking is a nightmare too. We take train holidays too, I hate car holidays. I hate sitting in a car in general, which is why I never bothered to get a license in the first place. Our jobs are within walking/cycling distance and so is the grocery store. Driving there would be less efficient because our city has lots of car-free zones. We are in our 30s and have never needed a car. The only thing we'd need a car for is to occasionally transport big things, but I don't think this car would be big enough for that. It's just big enough to transport a couple of people and maybe some groceries.
Currently we solve that issue by renting a van once a year and asking a friend of us to drive it. Friend doesn't have money, we don't have a license, so they drive, we pay, and we both do all our necessary transport in one weekend. The main thing is a yearly trip to the dump because our city doesn't offer bulk thrash pickup.

It's not my inheritance so I don't feel I have a say in this decision, and our finances are mostly separate, but I just really can't imagine what kind of use we would get out of that car. I don't think selling and keeping the money would be an option.

It has taken my parents years to understand why it is inpractical  for me to own a car as my needs for one is limited and it brings more hassle then it is worth. I have a driving license and I rent when I want or need to use a car. It is actually a lot cheaper then owning a car and I always get a late model car.

[Imma]

Someone in our family is dying and they want to leave their car to Mr Imma.
It's a small car, don't know the exact model but it's a A- or B-segment, which is considered a regular sized car in Europe, probably extremely tiny by American standards. It's not too old but it's not brand new, it's apparantly cheap in taxes and efficient in fuel.
Mr. Imma is seriously considering accepting it, for practical and sentimental reasons.

BUT.

Neither of us have a driver's license. I'm working on getting it for work, but in all likelihood I won't get get medical clearance to drive a manual car. I won't need to own a car for work, I'm supposed to use a company vehicle when necessary. Mr. Imma has been thinking about getting his license ever since he came of age, but that's nearly 20 years ago and he hasn't wanted that license enough to get around to taking lessons. The cost of a driver's license is €2000-€2500 each, which is a lot, but we can afford it. Getting a driver's license is useful so that part is not something I object to.

But the car.... We don't need a car. We live in urban Europe, on the edge of downtown in a big city. Everyone we know lives in urban locations so we take the train to visit them. Fuel is expensive here and parking is a nightmare too. We take train holidays too, I hate car holidays. I hate sitting in a car in general, which is why I never bothered to get a license in the first place. Our jobs are within walking/cycling distance and so is the grocery store. Driving there would be less efficient because our city has lots of car-free zones. We are in our 30s and have never needed a car. The only thing we'd need a car for is to occasionally transport big things, but I don't think this car would be big enough for that. It's just big enough to transport a couple of people and maybe some groceries.
Currently we solve that issue by renting a van once a year and asking a friend of us to drive it. Friend doesn't have money, we don't have a license, so they drive, we pay, and we both do all our necessary transport in one weekend. The main thing is a yearly trip to the dump because our city doesn't offer bulk thrash pickup.

It's not my inheritance so I don't feel I have a say in this decision, and our finances are mostly separate, but I just really can't imagine what kind of use we would get out of that car. I don't think selling and keeping the money would be an option.

It has taken my parents years to understand why it is inpractical  for me to own a car as my needs for one is limited and it brings more hassle then it is worth. I have a driving license and I rent when I want or need to use a car. It is actually a lot cheaper then owning a car and I always get a late model car.

I think that makes a lot of sense for people in urban areas. I think in older generations, owning a car is also a bit of a 'status' thing. You are in Sweden right? About a decade ago I travelled through south Sweden on my own, by train, and it was a lovely holiday. People were very friendly and curious and it was easy to travel from Stockholm to more rural historical locations that I wanted to see. 

[amberfocus]

The IRS flagged my federal tax return this year for identity verification. I go to their website, for which they require a phone number for two-factor authentication in order to register/login.

Except that they apparently don't accept cell phones on pre-paid plans.

After much struggle, the resolution was that they had to mail me a code... via snail mail.

[LennStar]

Well, it makes sense. With a prepaid you have basically a free-of-jail card as far as identification goes.
Here in Germany we still often use post-ident: You go to the post office and the person there looks at you and your ID card and if they think you are what is written on that card, they sign the stuff (that was send to your adress before) and send it to the company. 
It it is not "safe" as in really sure, but a lot safer than any online ID. And not much of a hassle (putting aside Corona and the possible distance in low density areas).

Neither of us have a driver's license. I'm working on getting it for work, but in all likelihood I won't get get medical clearance to drive a manual car.

What medical things prevent you from driving a manual car but not getting a drivers licence for automatics? A lacking arm is the only thing I can imagine, and even there you just get a special car/steering wheel afaik. (Of course feel free to not talk about your medical stuff. I am just really curious.)

[Plina]

Someone in our family is dying and they want to leave their car to Mr Imma.
It's a small car, don't know the exact model but it's a A- or B-segment, which is considered a regular sized car in Europe, probably extremely tiny by American standards. It's not too old but it's not brand new, it's apparantly cheap in taxes and efficient in fuel.
Mr. Imma is seriously considering accepting it, for practical and sentimental reasons.

BUT.

Neither of us have a driver's license. I'm working on getting it for work, but in all likelihood I won't get get medical clearance to drive a manual car. I won't need to own a car for work, I'm supposed to use a company vehicle when necessary. Mr. Imma has been thinking about getting his license ever since he came of age, but that's nearly 20 years ago and he hasn't wanted that license enough to get around to taking lessons. The cost of a driver's license is €2000-€2500 each, which is a lot, but we can afford it. Getting a driver's license is useful so that part is not something I object to.

But the car.... We don't need a car. We live in urban Europe, on the edge of downtown in a big city. Everyone we know lives in urban locations so we take the train to visit them. Fuel is expensive here and parking is a nightmare too. We take train holidays too, I hate car holidays. I hate sitting in a car in general, which is why I never bothered to get a license in the first place. Our jobs are within walking/cycling distance and so is the grocery store. Driving there would be less efficient because our city has lots of car-free zones. We are in our 30s and have never needed a car. The only thing we'd need a car for is to occasionally transport big things, but I don't think this car would be big enough for that. It's just big enough to transport a couple of people and maybe some groceries.
Currently we solve that issue by renting a van once a year and asking a friend of us to drive it. Friend doesn't have money, we don't have a license, so they drive, we pay, and we both do all our necessary transport in one weekend. The main thing is a yearly trip to the dump because our city doesn't offer bulk thrash pickup.

It's not my inheritance so I don't feel I have a say in this decision, and our finances are mostly separate, but I just really can't imagine what kind of use we would get out of that car. I don't think selling and keeping the money would be an option.

It has taken my parents years to understand why it is inpractical  for me to own a car as my needs for one is limited and it brings more hassle then it is worth. I have a driving license and I rent when I want or need to use a car. It is actually a lot cheaper then owning a car and I always get a late model car.

I think that makes a lot of sense for people in urban areas. I think in older generations, owning a car is also a bit of a 'status' thing. You are in Sweden right? About a decade ago I travelled through south Sweden on my own, by train, and it was a lovely holiday. People were very friendly and curious and it was easy to travel from Stockholm to more rural historical locations that I wanted to see.

I am in Sweden. In the southern parts if works pretty well with public transport. In the northern parts, were my parents live, it is a lot more difficult at least if you don’t live in an urban area. It is also a status thing, at least partly. I think they have come to see it as a more of urban vs countryside thing. I also rent a car to make excursions when they visit and it has made them see all the hassle with parking and traffic in cities.

[Mighty Eyebrows]

We are in our 30s and have never needed a car.

I love that places exist where this can be possible.

For what it is worth, we have car-sharing co-ops that are good for occasional car/van use. It certainly saves on ownership costs.

[amberfocus]

Well, it makes sense. With a prepaid you have basically a free-of-jail card as far as identification goes.

It doesn't seem to stop every single other financial institution from accepting my cell phone number for their two-factor authentication texts.

[dragoncar]

Well, it makes sense. With a prepaid you have basically a free-of-jail card as far as identification goes.

It doesn't seem to stop every single other financial institution from accepting my cell phone number for their two-factor authentication texts.

Pretty sure in this case they are interfacing with telcos to confirm that the phone number is registered under your name.  Creepy maybe but it’s a technologically easy way to add confidence that you are who you say you are because telcos already do identity verification for postpaid accounts. 

[Imma]

We are in our 30s and have never needed a car.

I love that places exist where this can be possible.

For what it is worth, we have car-sharing co-ops that are good for occasional car/van use. It certainly saves on ownership costs.

We are in urban the Netherlands! Our lives are bike-centered here. We chose our neighbourhood on purpose because it's so central. We also have those car-sharing things but we've never really needed that either. Bulky thrash has basically been our only problem so far - and that's only because we are buying all those things secondhand. If you buy a new fridge or washing machine from the store, they are obliged to take your old ones back with them, and furniture stores generally offer that as a service too. But by the time we are replacing our used stuff, they are in a bad enough shape that no one even wants to pick it up for free.

[LennStar]

Well, it makes sense. With a prepaid you have basically a free-of-jail card as far as identification goes.

It doesn't seem to stop every single other financial institution from accepting my cell phone number for their two-factor authentication texts.

Pretty sure in this case they are interfacing with telcos to confirm that the phone number is registered under your name.  Creepy maybe but it’s a technologically easy way to add confidence that you are who you say you are because telcos already do identity verification for postpaid accounts.

Don't you have to identify yourself for opening that account?
That is where ID is verified. The two-factor phone is not to verify that you are you, but to identify you as you and not someone else trying to sneak through after the verification process.

Or in other words, one process is about making sure you are the person you say you are, the other process is to make sure it is that identified person that now does things.

Your mother knows you are you when you stand in front of her. On the phone it might be someone imitating the voice (so she might ask you something only you two know). Same principle.

[Sugaree]

We're having issues with my husband identifying himself to Ally.  We ended up having to pull his Lexis Nexis report and it turns out that there is a freaking boat registered to him that's not his.  But damn if it's not one of those questions they ask.  Along with a telephone number from nearly 15 years ago.  We finally got that set up and now have to send in a signature card.  I don't recall having to do that when I set up the first account last year.

[dragoncar]

Well, it makes sense. With a prepaid you have basically a free-of-jail card as far as identification goes.

It doesn't seem to stop every single other financial institution from accepting my cell phone number for their two-factor authentication texts.

Pretty sure in this case they are interfacing with telcos to confirm that the phone number is registered under your name.  Creepy maybe but it’s a technologically easy way to add confidence that you are who you say you are because telcos already do identity verification for postpaid accounts.

Don't you have to identify yourself for opening that account?
That is where ID is verified. The two-factor phone is not to verify that you are you, but to identify you as you and not someone else trying to sneak through after the verification process.

Or in other words, one process is about making sure you are the person you say you are, the other process is to make sure it is that identified person that now does things.

Your mother knows you are you when you stand in front of her. On the phone it might be someone imitating the voice (so she might ask you something only you two know). Same principle.

That’s what I’m saying.  Some government systems verify identity at least partially by piggybacking off of phone records.  This is a separate issue from two-factor authentication after the fact

Read this

https://help.id.me/hc/en-us/articles/360021332874-Why-is-a-mobile-phone-required-to-prove-my-identity-

What if my mobile phone is not registered in my name?

As long as the phone number you provided is associated with your financial records, then it does not matter if the phone is in your name, or the name of a family member or a business.

However, if your phone number is not associated with your name or financial records, then you will be prompted to provide a different number.

[Sibley]

We're having issues with my husband identifying himself to Ally.  We ended up having to pull his Lexis Nexis report and it turns out that there is a freaking boat registered to him that's not his.  But damn if it's not one of those questions they ask.  Along with a telephone number from nearly 15 years ago.  We finally got that set up and now have to send in a signature card.  I don't recall having to do that when I set up the first account last year.

Um, boat?!? How do you fix that?

[SwordGuy]

We're having issues with my husband identifying himself to Ally.  We ended up having to pull his Lexis Nexis report and it turns out that there is a freaking boat registered to him that's not his.  But damn if it's not one of those questions they ask.  Along with a telephone number from nearly 15 years ago.  We finally got that set up and now have to send in a signature card.  I don't recall having to do that when I set up the first account last year.

Um, boat?!? How do you fix that?

You write to the registration authority and report to them that you do not own that boat.   Ditto with the credit bureaus and whatever organization any money might be owed to.    Be sure to include the phrase "FRAUD" and "FRAUDULENT" in that notice.

[Sugaree]

We're having issues with my husband identifying himself to Ally.  We ended up having to pull his Lexis Nexis report and it turns out that there is a freaking boat registered to him that's not his.  But damn if it's not one of those questions they ask.  Along with a telephone number from nearly 15 years ago.  We finally got that set up and now have to send in a signature card.  I don't recall having to do that when I set up the first account last year.

Um, boat?!? How do you fix that?

You write to the registration authority and report to them that you do not own that boat.   Ditto with the credit bureaus and whatever organization any money might be owed to.    Be sure to include the phrase "FRAUD" and "FRAUDULENT" in that notice.

What we've actually discovered is that the boat is correctly registered to someone with the same name as my husband.  Still not an ideal situation, but better than having to deal with both Lexis Nexis and the DMV.

[Sibley]

We're having issues with my husband identifying himself to Ally.  We ended up having to pull his Lexis Nexis report and it turns out that there is a freaking boat registered to him that's not his.  But damn if it's not one of those questions they ask.  Along with a telephone number from nearly 15 years ago.  We finally got that set up and now have to send in a signature card.  I don't recall having to do that when I set up the first account last year.

Um, boat?!? How do you fix that?

You write to the registration authority and report to them that you do not own that boat.   Ditto with the credit bureaus and whatever organization any money might be owed to.    Be sure to include the phrase "FRAUD" and "FRAUDULENT" in that notice.

What we've actually discovered is that the boat is correctly registered to someone with the same name as my husband.  Still not an ideal situation, but better than having to deal with both Lexis Nexis and the DMV.

Still. Messy.

[Sibley]

I switched jobs recently, and have to figure out what to do with the old HSA. I determined that leaving it where it was isn't an option due to fees, so Fidelity it is.

Went online, tried to open an account. Found out that I apparently have a Fidelity account. Forgot about that, so get them to tell me the username and reset password. Log in. Try to open HSA. Weird problems. Log out/close, go back in, try again. Success! Then try to request a rollover. Weird problems.

I now have 2 HSA accounts, no rollover started, and no clue what went wrong. And their customer service hours aren't all that convenient. Sigh.

[Morning Glory]

I got my pension IRA rollover check today but Vanguard's mobile check deposit won't work for me. (There wasn't an option to have it mailed directly to Vanguard). Tried two devices. Now I will have to go to the post office on Monday and probably won't graduate my net worth race this month... Maybe a little market correction this week would brighten my mood...

[dragoncar]

I think I’ve been banned from staples/giftcardmall for buying too many visa and other gift cards.  I’ve got a few chase ink cards which give 5% back, worth 7.5% with the sapphire reserve so I usually run all my miscellaneous spend through there.

But this year I started running estimated tax payments through $300 visa gift cards.  The math is you pay $309 for a $300 gift card and you can make 12 payments as debit cards for $2-3 flat fee (it’s two transactions per quarter per processor (3) per SSN (2 for married)).  This it’s something like 3.7% cash back for paying your taxes or around $134 per quarter in points.  Normally only takes a few extra minutes of my time so the $/hr is high although there’s some risk that cards can be lost/stolen although that’s never happened to me yet (and if I do better than one in 27 I come out ahead)

But between January and April estimated tax payments, then regular taxes in may, plus paying state taxes at a less lucrative rate but unlimited transactions... I started getting up there.  Nowhere near the $25k/year limit on ink rewards but I guess something got flagged and they started canceling my orders

Searched around and I guess it’s a thing that happens... maybe they are worried about money laundering or maybe they actually lose money on these transactions.  I wasn’t shut down by chase, which would have a stronger claim to do so because they are certainly losing money overall

Pigs get slaughtered I guess.. a warning to you all

Contemplating ordering an authorized user card for my parents to continue the game, but at some point it’s just easier to give it up

[Sugaree]

About two years ago, I started trying to find a vanpool that works with my schedule and would come anywhere close to my house.  I kinda let up on looking when the whole Covid thing started (and was working a bunch of OT), but now that the vaccine has been given to everyone who wanted it at work, I'm feeling better about it.  I finally might have found a route that works perfectly, but the route coordinator isn't being very responsive to the Enterprise rep that handles our routes.   

Still looking for a ride.  I guess the group I was trying to get in with last month has changed the times they work so that they don't have to be here until 30 minutes after I do.  There's another group I'm now waiting to hear back from. 

I think that I have figured out that the problem lies in the fact that work pays for the van.  The vans will hold up to 6 or 7 riders, but as long as there are at least 4, the entire cost is covered.  However, there's no benefit to adding extra riders because the stipend is worth up to $X and there's no refunds allowed.  So the current riders are paying $0 whether there's 4 riders or 7.  As far as I can tell, there's nothing that requires a van to add riders even if they have empty seats.  I don't necessarily blame a group for not wanting to add more people if it's not going to save them any money personally but it's making my search difficult. 

[SwordGuy]

About two years ago, I started trying to find a vanpool that works with my schedule and would come anywhere close to my house.  I kinda let up on looking when the whole Covid thing started (and was working a bunch of OT), but now that the vaccine has been given to everyone who wanted it at work, I'm feeling better about it.  I finally might have found a route that works perfectly, but the route coordinator isn't being very responsive to the Enterprise rep that handles our routes.   

Still looking for a ride.  I guess the group I was trying to get in with last month has changed the times they work so that they don't have to be here until 30 minutes after I do.  There's another group I'm now waiting to hear back from. 

I think that I have figured out that the problem lies in the fact that work pays for the van.  The vans will hold up to 6 or 7 riders, but as long as there are at least 4, the entire cost is covered.  However, there's no benefit to adding extra riders because the stipend is worth up to $X and there's no refunds allowed.  So the current riders are paying $0 whether there's 4 riders or 7.  As far as I can tell, there's nothing that requires a van to add riders even if they have empty seats.  I don't necessarily blame a group for not wanting to add more people if it's not going to save them any money personally but it's making my search difficult.

Maybe you could negotiate a 30 minute earlier start time?

[Sugaree]

About two years ago, I started trying to find a vanpool that works with my schedule and would come anywhere close to my house.  I kinda let up on looking when the whole Covid thing started (and was working a bunch of OT), but now that the vaccine has been given to everyone who wanted it at work, I'm feeling better about it.  I finally might have found a route that works perfectly, but the route coordinator isn't being very responsive to the Enterprise rep that handles our routes.   

Still looking for a ride.  I guess the group I was trying to get in with last month has changed the times they work so that they don't have to be here until 30 minutes after I do.  There's another group I'm now waiting to hear back from. 

I think that I have figured out that the problem lies in the fact that work pays for the van.  The vans will hold up to 6 or 7 riders, but as long as there are at least 4, the entire cost is covered.  However, there's no benefit to adding extra riders because the stipend is worth up to $X and there's no refunds allowed.  So the current riders are paying $0 whether there's 4 riders or 7.  As far as I can tell, there's nothing that requires a van to add riders even if they have empty seats.  I don't necessarily blame a group for not wanting to add more people if it's not going to save them any money personally but it's making my search difficult.

Maybe you could negotiate a 30 minute earlier start time?

I thought about that.  I'm on an alternate work schedule so every 6-12 months I have to justify why I get to come in earlier (and get off earlier) than normal.  If TPTB had their way, the entire 3000+ workforce would all come in at the same time and leave at the same time.  It would be a logistical nightmare with traffic and parking, of course.  But it makes policing who is on time and who is late much easier.  I'm afraid that any request to change my schedule will result in my having to go back to the "normal" tour.  While that would probably make finding a ride easier, I do kind of have things that need to be done in that first hour.   

[Morning Glory]

I got my pension IRA rollover check today but Vanguard's mobile check deposit won't work for me. (There wasn't an option to have it mailed directly to Vanguard). Tried two devices. Now I will have to go to the post office on Monday and probably won't graduate my net worth race this month... Maybe a little market correction this week would brighten my mood...

Update: My account credited today so I get to graduate. I was just starting to think that if it happened at the same time as my house sold I could probably skip a grade... That would be fun.

[Taran Wanderer]

Found out today that I got a raise.
MPP #1: will have to figure out where to save it.
MPP #2: part of the raise is based on long term performance and won’t be payable until 2023. I might be FIREd by then and so wouldn’t actually get it.

[Alternatepriorities]

Found out today that I got a raise.
MPP #1: will have to figure out where to save it.
MPP #2: part of the raise is based on long term performance and won’t be payable until 2023. I might be FIREd by then and so wouldn’t actually get it.

Congratulations on both accounts!

I was asked in an interview once where I saw myself in 5 years. I answered honestly that while I could commit to five years, after that I was planning to spend at least a year traveling the world. They thanked me for my honesty and offered me the job.

[Sibley]

I switched jobs recently, and have to figure out what to do with the old HSA. I determined that leaving it where it was isn't an option due to fees, so Fidelity it is.

Went online, tried to open an account. Found out that I apparently have a Fidelity account. Forgot about that, so get them to tell me the username and reset password. Log in. Try to open HSA. Weird problems. Log out/close, go back in, try again. Success! Then try to request a rollover. Weird problems.

I now have 2 HSA accounts, no rollover started, and no clue what went wrong. And their customer service hours aren't all that convenient. Sigh.

Managed to call them and get everything sorted out.

[Antonia_Caenis]

Aspiring MPP: cancelling Netflix and having to finish two shows till the end of month to finish the story.

Maybe more legit problems:
- it's not easy to set the shower at my Grandma's place to a temperature that is cold enough for my new comfort zone.
-apparently family members now think I'm financially irresponsible because I'm not jumping at the chance to buy every insurance under the sun.

[BicycleB]

Aspiring MPP: cancelling Netflix and having to finish two shows till the end of month to finish the story.

Maybe more legit problems:
- it's not easy to set the shower at my Grandma's place to a temperature that is cold enough for my new comfort zone.
-apparently family members now think I'm financially irresponsible because I'm not jumping at the chance to buy every insurance under the sun.

Good luck braving the cold cold world without unnecessary insurance.

[ixtap]

I have some gripes about our roommate. Since we are FI and our earnings are in the 90+th percentile, pretty sure that is just an MPP. We could certainly afford to kick her out if it really bothered me often enough.

[never give up]

I climbed into the back of my car as instructed, while the two masked strangers climbed into the front. The driver turned to me and held out their hand demanding the key from me. What do I do? As I reached out to give them the key a million thoughts raced through my head. Was I about to seal my own fate here? Would history look back and say I should have scrambled out of the car and ran as fast as I could at this moment? If this were a film would everyone watching be screaming “Don’t give them the key you fool!” Or “As if someone would be so stupid in real life.” But I am stupid and I am a fool and as the key slipped from my hand into theirs my act of submission was complete. My life was no longer in my own hands. The masked strangers could now do with it as they liked.

The driver started the car and I looked for what could be a final time at my lovely little Mustachian home. Would I ever see it again? As far as I know there is no Superman, Batman or Spidey around here. Ideally I guess, I would love to be saved by Wonder Woman, but that too would have a downside. I would probably faint into her arms, as she eye rolls at my sheer incompetence, and mutters under her breath, “Not another one.”

Anyway, there was no one to save me. As the realisation of this dawned on me, thoughts of super heroes faded from my mind. I saw familiar streets flash by that somehow looked different from the back seat than they did from the front. Perhaps it was memories clouding the view combined with the increasing stark reality that this was my final trip.

My thoughts turned to my family and indeed my MMM journal followers. There will be no weekly update this week. Will my journal followers even care? Will they be annoyed with me that I haven’t posted on time, express their frustration with me, and then all give up posting?  My journal would slowly fall down the pages and end up in total despair on page 87 before the slow march to a page count in treble figures. I couldn’t bear the thought.

I must escape! I was very much conscious that I had been through the phases of fear, acceptance and now hope in a remarkably short time frame. This couldn’t be good for my mental state. Was I really going to make the best decisions right now? As the thought of being saved by a whole chicken (with legs and everything) flashed through my mind I realised, that yes, I wasn’t quite in the right frame of mind to make good decisions right now. I was losing it.

The masked strangers started talking to each other but I couldn’t really hear their whispers from the back seat, what with the masks and the road noise. Would they interrogate me when we reached their destination? What could I know that they possibly would want to know? I realised that I did hold the secrets of how to become financially independent. Perhaps that’s what they wanted to know? That thought scared me. Becoming FI is no get rich quick scheme. How angry would it make them if I told them to spend less than they earn, invest the difference in a low cost globally diversified index tracking fund and then wait about a quarter of a century? My goodness! That may push them over the edge. I now realised I was in a very dangerous situation indeed. I didn’t have any leverage at all with which to bargain for my life.

We reached their destination. Gulp. I regret to announce that interrogation was their objective. They asked me one question followed by another and then swiftly followed up with third and fourth questions. Would I give the right answers? Would they let me go if I did so? Was I about to meet my maker?

They concluded that they would like to buy my car from me. We all got out of the car that was now back at my house again. With the test drive complete, I took them through the paper work in a socially distanced manner in my garden. I looked at the bundle of cash I now had instead of a depreciating asset, and let out a “phew” at the adventure I had just been through.

Honestly, if you had told me eighteen months ago that in April of 2021 I would be in the back of my car while two masked strangers were driving it, the only conclusion I could possibly have reached was that I was being kidnapped! A sign of these very strange times if ever there was one!

I’ve sold a more expensive to run car and replaced it with a cheaper to run car. So my Mustachian People Problem this week was an overactive imagination while selling my car.

[Dicey]

^^LOL!^^

Last week, I committed a "reverse" robbery. Wearing a mask and a hat pulled down low, I walked into a bank, carrying a bag full of cash,. The teller gave me a hand-written note. I thrust the bag of money past the bulletproof glass and fled with a piece of paper.

In actuality, I was depositing the donations from a community food drive and getting a cashiers check, which I then delivered to the Food Bank. I still cannot get over going into a bank wearing a mask. Oh, and the note from the teller? It was her personal email address. She  asked me to send her a link so she could make a virtual donation to the Food Drive. Sweet.