Mustachian People Problems (just for fun)

[Sugaree]

My HSA is through HSABank, who announced that they were discontinuing the investment portion through Schwab in favor of an in-house investment platform. 

Uh what?! Sounds like I have a new MPP also!!

https://hsabank.com/HSABank/Members/HSA-Investment-Options

Ugh, same.  This is the first I've heard of this; thanks for the heads up.

I saw the e-mail for this too. Not looking forward to dealing with that...

I don't know about the HSAbank side, but Fidelity makes it very easy on their end to establish and transfer in an HSA balance.

Is it normal to take almost a month to make the transfer happen?  I'm being told it would be August 22nd before the Schwab-to-Fidelity move is done.  I did end up deciding to move the IRA to Vanguard and they are saying 7 days.

The Fidelity transfer showed up this morning.  Actually it's still showing up in Schwab and Fidelity, and my Empower finally connected to Fidelity so it looks like I have a whole lot more money than I actually do, lol.  Still waiting on Vanguard to get the IRA moved. 

[pasadenafr]

The Fidelity transfer showed up this morning.  Actually it's still showing up in Schwab and Fidelity, and my Empower finally connected to Fidelity so it looks like I have a whole lot more money than I actually do, lol.  Still waiting on Vanguard to get the IRA moved.

Oh I remember when I rolled over my old 401(k) to Fidelity and Personal Capital thought I was a suddenly super rich. Good times :)

[crocheted_stache]

The Fidelity transfer showed up this morning.  Actually it's still showing up in Schwab and Fidelity, and my Empower finally connected to Fidelity so it looks like I have a whole lot more money than I actually do, lol.  Still waiting on Vanguard to get the IRA moved.

Oh I remember when I rolled over my old 401(k) to Fidelity and Personal Capital thought I was a suddenly super rich. Good times :)

I had some transfer go the opposite way. It showed as deducted from the sending account before it appeared in the destination account, and there is still this little notch out of the graph where it was "missing" for a day or two.

[crocheted_stache]

My MPP: DH, who had a mustache from long before we met, remains stubbornly convinced that his holey socks are sacred.

I have threatened sabotage and abduction at various times, and concluded I have better things to do than to fight that fight.

Recent additions to his sock drawer have been from Darn Tough, so I'm hoping they will last longer and if he ever does wear through them, we can send them in for warranty. He still has an awful lot of miscellaneous old ones in circulation, though.

[Alfred J Quack]

My MPP: DH, who had a mustache from long before we met, remains stubbornly convinced that his holey socks are sacred.

All praise holey socks! 😜

[Sibley]

Just don't allocate him more drawer space. If he wants to fill up his drawer with old, worn out socks, that's his choice. He gets no accommodations.

[GuitarStv]

If a sock covers 60% of the foot it's still fine.  Dipping below 50% and it's time to think about new socks.

[RWD]

If a sock covers 60% of the foot it's still fine.  Dipping below 50% and it's time to think about new socks.

Important info for sock portfolio management

[crocheted_stache]

If a sock covers 60% of the foot it's still fine.  Dipping below 50% and it's time to think about new socks.

He tends to wear through at the ball of the foot and the heel, and I'm pretty sure it's just a bit too far from this eyes and his brain to attract much notice. What's sometimes successful is reminding him about the time he got a painful blister walking with no cushion or absorbent friction reduction between those parts of his feet and his shoes.

Just don't allocate him more drawer space. If he wants to fill up his drawer with old, worn out socks, that's his choice. He gets no accommodations.

The drawer hasn't changed in the 10 years we've been married. He's worn through a couple Costco sock bundles, now mostly gone. He doesn't buy himself socks because the drawer is already full of all the motley socks he's still working on wearing out, or something. It's not filling, but it's not emptying very fast.

Anyway, this is here because it's no more a serious problem than "the transaction took a few days and it made my spreadsheet look funny."

[Taran Wanderer]

I started buying Darn Tough socks about 10 years ago.  Over the years, I accumulated a number of pairs so that I can go 2-3 weeks before I have to do more laundry so I have my Darn Tough socks to wear.  My MPP:  In over 10 years of wearing, I still haven’t worn out a pair of Darn Tough socks, though one sock does have a tiny hole starting on top.  And I rarely wear my other socks anymore because they’re just not as comfortable as the Darn Tough socks.  So my sock drawer is full, and I can’t buy any new socks!  Wait, maybe that’s a feature, not a problem…

[crocheted_stache]

I started buying Darn Tough socks about 10 years ago.  Over the years, I accumulated a number of pairs so that I can go 2-3 weeks before I have to do more laundry so I have my Darn Tough socks to wear.  My MPP:  In over 10 years of wearing, I still haven’t worn out a pair of Darn Tough socks, though one sock does have a tiny hole starting on top.  And I rarely wear my other socks anymore because they’re just not as comfortable as the Darn Tough socks.  So my sock drawer is full, and I can’t buy any new socks!  Wait, maybe that’s a feature, not a problem…

A few years back, I got a bunch of Darn Tough socks, then went through and got rid of a lot of the previous ones. I besides those that were sprouting leaks, I tossed anything that drooped or fit badly, which was more of the old ones than it should have been. I mostly wear the Darn Tough anymore. One of many things I like about Darn Tough is that they come in more sizes than, "fits 6–10," which do not fit 6 very well, and probably don't fit 10 too well, either.

I did get to send back a few. I got three pair of the ultra-light running socks, which I wore at least weekly for a year or two. Those came apart right on the joint on either side of the heel. They were all identical, so I wore them until five of the six had the same holes. I paid return postage for the batch, and they sent account credits roughly equivalent to their replacements.

None of their medium or thick socks are anywhere close to failure, and some of them are at least as old and well loved.

DH seems to be okay with his Darn Tough socks so far, but the conversion for him is far from complete.

[Taran Wanderer]

The only thing I’d add is that I tried to save a few bucks by buying the synthetic fabric instead of the Merino wool. Everything works great with them except that after 4 hours my feet start to itch. I still have the 3 pairs and only use them when I know I won’t have to wear them for more than half the day (e.g. flip flops in the morning, socks for yard work in the afternoon). I’m a Merino fan.

[Gerard]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

[Metalcat]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

Or you could just not care if other people care if your socks are mismatched.

Why does it need to be a trend to do it??

[dandarc]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

Or you could just not care if other people care if your socks are mismatched.

Why does it need to be a trend to do it??

+1 - I do this myself.

[Dollar Slice]

I used to buy six packs of different socks from the same company, all the same sock but in different patterns in complementary colors. You can mix and match them and it looks fairly intentional. And if you lose one, NBD.

[GuitarStv]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

Or you could just not care if other people care if your socks are mismatched.

Why does it need to be a trend to do it??

+1 - I do this myself.

I buy all the same sock.  Usually 18 - 24 pairs.  Then I never worry about sorting or matching socks.  Every four or five years when they're all worn out and we're getting down to only seventh wearable pairs I start looking for a new type of sock at reasonable price and repeat.  This fixes the problem of throwing out one good sock when there's a hole in the other one and saves untold time doing laundry.

[NorthernIkigai]

I’ve worn out Darn Tough socks. When I brought them back to the local reseller, they said “well, nothing lasts forever” and replaced them. So I didn’t lose any money, but I was a bit disappointed in the whole “socks for life” not working out as I had planned.

I love me a good cushioning, so I by even fluffier and dirt cheap merino wool socks from the sports store and mostly wear those. Probably not as sustainable for the sheep or the factory workers as Darn Tough, though.

[RetiredAt63]

I’ve worn out Darn Tough socks. When I brought them back to the local reseller, they said “well, nothing lasts forever” and replaced them. So I didn’t lose any money, but I was a bit disappointed in the whole “socks for life” not working out as I had planned.

I love me a good cushioning, so I by even fluffier and dirt cheap merino wool socks from the sports store and mostly wear those. Probably not as sustainable for the sheep or the factory workers as Darn Tough, though.

The sheep need their haircuts.  The more wool used, the more sheep.  The sheep want you to wear their socks.

[jeroly]

I’ve worn out Darn Tough socks. When I brought them back to the local reseller, they said “well, nothing lasts forever” and replaced them. So I didn’t lose any money, but I was a bit disappointed in the whole “socks for life” not working out as I had planned.

They were socks for life - you just didn't fulfill your end of the bargain and die. Nice of the local reseller to let you weasel out of it.
Strange of you to be a bit disappointed in it not working out that way, though.

[NorthernIkigai]

I’ve worn out Darn Tough socks. When I brought them back to the local reseller, they said “well, nothing lasts forever” and replaced them. So I didn’t lose any money, but I was a bit disappointed in the whole “socks for life” not working out as I had planned.

They were socks for life - you just didn't fulfill your end of the bargain and die. Nice of the local reseller to let you weasel out of it.
Strange of you to be a bit disappointed in it not working out that way, though.

Haha, thanks for the laugh on a Monday morning on my way to the office! I had expected more of a blah blah with the local reseller instead of such a smooth swap, but would indeed have been even more disappointed if he had tried to murder me to prove the marketing claim right.

Weirdly, the old pairs were both being used by me as spouse's larger size pair felt a bit too tight for their liking, but the new (supposedly identical ones) feel more stretchy, so spouse has now started wearing theirs. So I guess that's 1.5 or 2 lifetimes, then? Assuming these ones hold up and/or the local reseller continues playing along.

The sheep need their haircuts.  The more wool used, the more sheep.  The sheep want you to wear their socks.

I know, but I (have been influenced by marketing to?) believe that one should favour non-mulesing merino. And I really doubt my fluffy 3 €/pair socks are that ethical. Yet I still buy them. Come to think of it, they've held up at least as well as the Darn Thoughs... From a sustainability point of view, the ideal would be to buy some socks, wear them forever, and then they would preferably be compostable once I'm dead unless someone wants to inherit them (yuck). But I think all these different versions are a merino-synthetic blend.

My MPP seems to be that in these times of war on my continent, the climate crisis, civil unrest in various corners of the world (including where I have friends), and whiffs of stock market crashes due to recession fears, I seem to think a lot about socks.

[crocheted_stache]

Update: two grocery bags mostly full of holey socks are now out of the house. None of them came out of the drawer today.* They'd been previously culled** and were sitting there in a pile for some time, waiting for someone to go through them and sort out some other, donation-worthy stuff. We got around to it today. As best I can tell, there's no such thing as textile recycling here, so they're in the trash bin.

*I am still trying to figure out why his sock drawer is full, when so much more stuff has apparently come out of it than has gone in. I'm beginning to suspect there are sock reserves somewhere that I have not accounted for.
**I am still trying to figure out exactly how big the hole(s) need to be for DH to agree that it's time for a sock to go, given that it does seem to have happened quite a few times before. Even with all these old ones gone, I often see skin poking through where it should not be when he puts his feet up.

[sonofsven]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

I have a lot of extension cords, air hoses, water hoses, etc, and I have found old socks are ideal for using as a tie to secure them.
I quit wearing socks last year because it was too difficult to put them on (bad hip), as well as any shoes with laces.
It's ok because I can't walk far, either!

[pasadenafr]

**I am still trying to figure out exactly how big the hole(s) need to be for DH to agree that it's time for a sock to go, given that it does seem to have happened quite a few times before. Even with all these old ones gone, I often see skin poking through where it should not be when he puts his feet up.

I think it's a guy thing. My Dad likes to tell the story where he would visit a customer at their home, take his shoes off, and realize his socks had a big patch on them, which wasn't exactly a professional look. Because my (maternal) grandmother would take them to mend them* and she was a practical sock mender**, not a subtle one. So that's how he learned to throw away his holey socks. I do remember those days, and got my fair share of mended kiddie socks and clothes, so that was well after he got married to my Mom.

Just so I don't make him sound ungrateful, he also said recently "I wish she was still around to fight about mending my socks".


*I think the word is darn? ahah, tough. Nevermind.
** Yes, that's a thing.

[Sugaree]

I hate to keep harping on this transfer stuff, but guess who didn't realize that fractional shares of VT/VTI don't transfer to Fidelity has about $275 still stuck with Schwab's HSA?  And guess who also got dividends in her IRA three days after the transfer went through and thus didn't transfer?  And also, guess who forgot to have cash positions to cover the transfer fees and transferred -$50 to Vanguard?  Oof.  This is one of those learning experiences, right?

[pasadenafr]

I hate to keep harping on this transfer stuff, but guess who didn't realize that fractional shares of VT/VTI don't transfer to Fidelity has about $275 still stuck with Schwab's HSA?  And guess who also got dividends in her IRA three days after the transfer went through and thus didn't transfer?  And also, guess who forgot to have cash positions to cover the transfer fees and transferred -$50 to Vanguard?  Oof.  This is one of those learning experiences, right?

How long ago? When I transferred my accounts (brokerage and Roth IRA) from VG to Fidelity, fractional shares were sold and transferred a few days after the main transfer was completed. Same for residual dividends/interests.

[crocheted_stache]

This may be more of a mustachian people perk for me. Does it count if it's only a Problem for the salescritter?

Someone called me this afternoon on behalf of my insurance agent, but it wasn't his usual staff. It went to voicemail and I returned the call within about 5 minutes. Guy had to look up what he'd called me for, which is weird, because what the called me for was to see if I needed any life insurance or mortgage protection insurance. All I can figure is he'd gone on to the next person and needed to check again what I didn't already have.

My mustachian people perk: I have no more mortgage, and even I don't depend on my earned income anymore.

[Sugaree]

I hate to keep harping on this transfer stuff, but guess who didn't realize that fractional shares of VT/VTI don't transfer to Fidelity has about $275 still stuck with Schwab's HSA?  And guess who also got dividends in her IRA three days after the transfer went through and thus didn't transfer?  And also, guess who forgot to have cash positions to cover the transfer fees and transferred -$50 to Vanguard?  Oof.  This is one of those learning experiences, right?

How long ago? When I transferred my accounts (brokerage and Roth IRA) from VG to Fidelity, fractional shares were sold and transferred a few days after the main transfer was completed. Same for residual dividends/interests.

Transfer went through on the 2nd.  Both accounts still showing fractional shares and residual dividends.  In fact, there are a few more dividends that were just added to the IRA.  Right now, the plan is to sell off the fractional shares in the HSA so that they are held as cash.  Sometime next month, everything that's in cash will sweep into my HSABank cash account and that should close out the HSA with Schwab.  I'm also going to hold tight with the IRA to see if those residuals eventually make it to Vanguard.  If not, I may take the tax hit and just throw it into my kid's UTMA, which is the only account staying at Schwab.  So, all that to say that I'm going to see if this is one of those situations where procrastination does, in fact, fix things.  We're talking less than $300 combined, so I'm more concerned with just getting the accounts closed than I am missing out on gains.

[ixtap]

We don't give much thought to payday other than to verify that everything went where it was supposed to (some taxes, but mostly 401k/MBR). Somehow I was convinced that we bought in after last week's blip, until I got a paystub notification yesterday. So sad we missed it...

[Alfred J Quack]

I'd like it if a mismatched sock (or glove) trend took off. It's a drag to throw out two of something because one is holey (or gets lost).

I guess I could wear the mismatched socks around the yard. Or start the trend myself?

I have a lot of extension cords, air hoses, water hoses, etc, and I have found old socks are ideal for using as a tie to secure them.
I quit wearing socks last year because it was too difficult to put them on (bad hip), as well as any shoes with laces.
It's ok because I can't walk far, either!

I have ankle length socks so not long enough for binding.  But, I have a boatload of velcro cable ties (like the plastic ones but reusable, and pratically from from a otherwise useless company giftcard) and they are awesome! From cable binding to making sure the window can't blow open and everything in between :D

[Alternatepriorities]

We don't give much thought to payday other than to verify that everything went where it was supposed to (some taxes, but mostly 401k/MBR). Somehow I was convinced that we bought in after last week's blip, until I got a paystub notification yesterday. So sad we missed it...

We've apparently become so complacent about payday that when DW's employer accidentally paid twice we didn't even notice until they sent her and email warning her not to spend it as it would be withdrawn that night. I probably wouldn't notice until the next time i wandered through the transactions looking for mistakes or fraud.

[crocheted_stache]

Inside one of my retirement accounts, there's a transaction that amounts to "swap the money in the ABC Total Market Index Fund into the Total Market ABC Index Fund." I don't think this did anything but change the name slightly.

The MPP: Empower is counting the transaction out of the old version toward last month's cash flow without counting the transaction into the new version, so the graph looks like I spent a six-figure amount.

[ixtap]

Inside one of my retirement accounts, there's a transaction that amounts to "swap the money in the ABC Total Market Index Fund into the Total Market ABC Index Fund." I don't think this did anything but change the name slightly.

The MPP: Empower is counting the transaction out of the old version toward last month's cash flow without counting the transaction into the new version, so the graph looks like I spent a six-figure amount.

If this was a workplace plan, they probably swapped out what fund they are using. Sorry about the tracking. Our checking account tracking feature works the opposite way. Anything we transfer in is income, but transfers out to financial institutions are not spending. That leads to some interesting results when you move money through checking rather than directly linking other accounts....

[crocheted_stache]

Inside one of my retirement accounts, there's a transaction that amounts to "swap the money in the ABC Total Market Index Fund into the Total Market ABC Index Fund." I don't think this did anything but change the name slightly.

The MPP: Empower is counting the transaction out of the old version toward last month's cash flow without counting the transaction into the new version, so the graph looks like I spent a six-figure amount.

If this was a workplace plan, they probably swapped out what fund they are using. Sorry about the tracking. Our checking account tracking feature works the opposite way. Anything we transfer in is income, but transfers out to financial institutions are not spending. That leads to some interesting results when you move money through checking rather than directly linking other accounts....

That's what I figure. I may have ignored an email titled, "important disclosures about your funds" or some such.

It's so common that Empower does stuff like that, that I saw that I'd "spent" $x00,000 and went straight for the transactions screen on the hunt for what got mixed up this time, with scarcely a moment of, "wait, what?"

They haven't asked me the generic survey question lately, but how likely I'd be to "recommend Empower to a friend or colleague" would depend a great deal on what that imaginary friend was trying to accomplish and how well I thought they'd handle this kind of weirdness. If they were just starting to invest or get hold of their spending, it  wouldn't be my choice. Personally, I don't spend much time on the cash flow report and don't need to, but it's been handy for highlighting stuff with excess fees, among other things.

[crocheted_stache]

They haven't asked me the generic survey question lately, but how likely I'd be to "recommend Empower to a friend or colleague" would depend a great deal on what that imaginary friend was trying to accomplish and how well I thought they'd handle this kind of weirdness. If they were just starting to invest or get hold of their spending, it wouldn't be my choice. Personally, I don't spend much time on the cash flow report and don't need to, but it's been handy for highlighting stuff with excess fees, among other things.

They have since sent me exactly that survey, and I used the comment boxes to suggest that transfers, rebalancing, etc. getting handled as an expenditure, especially without the corresponding deposit or repurchase, doesn't make for a useful cash flow or budgeting tool. I doubt they'll get right to work on it for me, but at least I can point out the problem.

My new MPP: in a book I'm reading, there's a list of work-related expenses people may hope to reduce or leave behind when retiring: car maintenance and commuting costs, tolls, parking, work wardrobe and dry cleaning, lunches out, and so on.

I long ago eliminated virtually all of these costs while still working. I bike to work, bring lunches from home, and dress casually at work in clothing I keep a long time, some of it secondhand.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Our credit card was compromised, which is a hassle (it was my husband's card so he'll have to straighten it out) but in the meantime the fraudulent charges are just sitting there in YNAB taunting me!

[Catbert]

Our credit card was compromised, which is a hassle (it was my husband's card so he'll have to straighten it out) but in the meantime the fraudulent charges are just sitting there in YNAB taunting me!

are

You should consider setting your credit cards to email/text you each time they are used but not "present", e.g. online purchases and recurring charges.  The notification comes pretty quick.

[fuzzy math]

My label maker was missing for 2 months in the back of a closet and I missed out on properly labeling my 5% cash back cards when the quarterly switch came July 1. It flows downstream to other cards that have the "get X% back" on 1 category and its been impossible to remember what is what lately. I logged in and one of our 5% cards hasn't been used at all, which is very non optimized :(
The cards are now labeled and hopefully I can be a good little point earning cog.

[Turtle]

My label maker was missing for 2 months in the back of a closet and I missed out on properly labeling my 5% cash back cards when the quarterly switch came July 1. It flows downstream to other cards that have the "get X% back" on 1 category and its been impossible to remember what is what lately. I logged in and one of our 5% cards hasn't been used at all, which is very non optimized :(
The cards are now labeled and hopefully I can be a good little point earning cog.

Oh, that’s a bummer.  Glad your label maker turned up.

[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.

[zolotiyeruki]

Is this also a way for the company to weasel their way out of actually paying out the stock grant?

[crocheted_stache]

Is this also a way for the company to weasel their way out of actually paying out the stock grant?

I doubt it. They're shutting down the whole office here. The kind of weasel-y MO seems to be that they buy up smaller outfits with adjacent technologies, operate them as (under-resourced) subsidiaries for a while, and absorb the intellectual property into HQ, without actually keeping (m)any of the intellects. The past year or so, HQ has been demanding that DH's outpost integrate some of their business systems, without actually letting them/helping them do that integration. It's never a fun model if you're working for a subsidiary that gets consumed, but I expect DH's particular stock grant was the furthest thing from their minds when they decided when to pull up stakes here.

Sooo glad we do not depend on having the income: https://giphy.com/gifs/like-a-boss-pirates-of-the-caribbean-ship-o0eOCNkn7cSD6

DH reports that he just got the most irrelevant recruitment message ever. He's an engineer, and they're recruiting for a CFO. In another state. I can only imagine that someone, somewhere is getting paid for "contacting a nationwide pool of 150,000 qualified prospects," never mind whether their qualifications are remotely related to the position. Are irrelevant, bulk cold contacts becoming the recruiting equivalent of the pointless, rambling preamble that precedes every recipe on the Internet these days? I smell a misaligned incentive.

[BicycleB]

Just had a conversation with my boss about possibly going full remote. My husband already works full remote. Which means the entire lower 48 states could be available to us. And I'm almost frozen with indecision. It's just too many options. The reason this is an MPP is that money is basically no problem. We make about 200k between us with 0 debt (we rent). I even have 900k invested so can very easily just coastFI if I'm happy enough otherwise.

I threw out the idea to my manager and was not expecting to get a "we could probably make that work" back.

Congrats, @glacio09!

[crocheted_stache]

I'm signed up for the Fidelity feedback surveys and sometimes get around to completing them. They're currently test-flying an emergency savings benefit where you get a savings account and can make direct deposits. The thing they're apparently trying to sell is that there would potentially be an employer contribution, contingent on making some contribution per paycheck/quarter/year. They were also floating an option to earn another couple hundred bucks by taking a financial literacy class.

My MPP: there was no text box on today's survey to tell them that I'd sign up for the monetary incentives, not because I need the savings help or the class. For me, maximize the employer contribution and let me skip or test out of the dang class. I'm envisioning something every bit as riveting as the various required safety and compliance classes. Worth it even for $200? Maybe if I can test out without sitting through hours of stuff I already know.

[pasadenafr]

I'm signed up for the Fidelity feedback surveys and sometimes get around to completing them. They're currently test-flying an emergency savings benefit where you get a savings account and can make direct deposits. The thing they're apparently trying to sell is that there would potentially be an employer contribution, contingent on making some contribution per paycheck/quarter/year. They were also floating an option to earn another couple hundred bucks by taking a financial literacy class.

My MPP: there was no text box on today's survey to tell them that I'd sign up for the monetary incentives, not because I need the savings help or the class. For me, maximize the employer contribution and let me skip or test out of the dang class. I'm envisioning something every bit as riveting as the various required safety and compliance classes. Worth it even for $200? Maybe if I can test out without sitting through hours of stuff I already know.

This sounds like the new PLESA account from Secure Act 2.0.

[Alternatepriorities]

We started a house addition yesterday. I am planning to do much of the work myself, but I've lined up contractors for a couple of things. My MMP? It's really strange watching others do something I "could" do, even if they are better at it and bring much better tools to the job than I have. I've spent so long doing it myself I'm a little uncomfortable not doing.

[crocheted_stache]

I'm signed up for the Fidelity feedback surveys and sometimes get around to completing them. They're currently test-flying an emergency savings benefit where you get a savings account and can make direct deposits. The thing they're apparently trying to sell is that there would potentially be an employer contribution, contingent on making some contribution per paycheck/quarter/year. They were also floating an option to earn another couple hundred bucks by taking a financial literacy class.

My MPP: there was no text box on today's survey to tell them that I'd sign up for the monetary incentives, not because I need the savings help or the class. For me, maximize the employer contribution and let me skip or test out of the dang class. I'm envisioning something every bit as riveting as the various required safety and compliance classes. Worth it even for $200? Maybe if I can test out without sitting through hours of stuff I already know.

This sounds like the new PLESA account from Secure Act 2.0.

I'm honestly glad to learn this thing exists, or will. I'm glad Fidelity is looking (ahead) at how to support it. Being that I'm not the target demographic, I'd mainly be interested in contributing to the extent that there's some monetary advantage, like an employer contribution. I'd like the recommended employer contribution at least high enough that it's worthwhile over the cash bonus for opening a new savings account at a bank down the street. I'd like not to need to sit through irrelevant-to-me financial education to take advantage of it. That's assuming I'm not over some income threshold, of course.

For the people it's meant to help, I wonder how it's supposed to be any likelier to not get spent on a new TV, or just  keep getting applied to "emergencies" by someone with chronic car trouble or who was otherwise barely making ends meet. Maybe there's a little "out of sight, out of mind" factor, if it's labeled "emergency" and going somewhere besides the main checking account. I guess we'll know when it rolls out and has existed for a few years.

[ProxyRetired]

Have two vehicles, work vehicle (which is essentially a lease), and the 10 year old family van. Work  vehicle is almost our daily driver now (but we don't drive daily being a WFH family).

Family van has starts throwing dashlight errors (brake, airbag, and fuel gauge dies). I troubleshoot for a bit, finally drag to shop to be checked over. TIPM is corroded. Dodge recalled them years ago. New one would cost $2,000, but Dodge doesn't manufactured them currently. Resell shops might sell them, but not guaranteed to work.

Checked out used prices online for a new van. Guess we're gonna have a van without a working fuel gauge for a while. Just have to train the family drivers to reset the trip mileage every fuelup...

[fuzzy math]

I got a significant raise this year, but it barely registers in the brain as something exciting. Its all just going to the same place (retirement savings and paying for stuff). Money as a concept (to me) has just become ridiculous, especially when compared to people I know who are scraping by on shit wages.

[Dicey]

Have two vehicles, work vehicle (which is essentially a lease), and the 10 year old family van. Work  vehicle is almost our daily driver now (but we don't drive daily being a WFH family).

Family van has starts throwing dashlight errors (brake, airbag, and fuel gauge dies). I troubleshoot for a bit, finally drag to shop to be checked over. TIPM is corroded. Dodge recalled them years ago. New one would cost $2,000, but Dodge doesn't manufactured them currently. Resell shops might sell them, but not guaranteed to work.

Checked out used prices online for a new van. Guess we're gonna have a van without a working fuel gauge for a while. Just have to train the family drivers to reset the trip mileage every fuelup...

It might be a reasonably good bet that the majority of them were replaced. Therefore, your local pick-a-part might provide you with the needed part for a small price. That van was popular for a very long time (I had two of them and loved 'em). They're old now and junkyard parts might be more readily available than one might expect. Good luck to you!