Goons Getting Ahead: Incremental Improvments BFC Edition

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Goons Getting Ahead: Incremental Improvments BFC Edition

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Not as much about my improvement as a friend's, but my former supervisor and now close friend is wanting to replace his aging heap of a car. I'm a SINK and have lots of savings, while he is married with a kid and unexpected house issues keep dipping into his savings.

He was telling me about his plans to buy his parents' old car and the potentially awful financing situation available if the amount he planned to borrow ($2-4k) didn't qualify as an auto loan (low rate) at his bank, and instead moved over to a personal loan with a much higher rate. We're in the process of working out a personal loan between us. Initially I was going to not charge him any interest, but he and his wife insisted they pay me more interest than the bank would've gotten on the lower auto loan rate. I'll talk them down to something less than what the lower rate was, but I'm glad to see I can help them get some better stability and a more reliable car with a lot less paperwork on their end and only minimal paperwork on mine. Good thing I turned down an offer to join his team at work, since I'd rather not owe money to my boss.

# ¿ May 8, 2013 06:41

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 17:55

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Lyon posted:

Just got a 31% raise! Really this just brings me up to where I should have been for the last two years but still pretty jazzed. Still waiting to hear on bonus amounts, this raise also will be back paid to April 1st I believe so it will be like a double bonus sort of.

That kicks rear end, good for you! Not really for this thread, but in line with your fortunes, my boss gave me an extra something today on top of the max $75 bonus award (i.e. reimbursable dinner) I got a few months ago.

Outside of work, he gave me a box of ammo that has been very hard to find in stores for months that works with the new revolver I bought but haven't been able to try for lack of ammo. And it didn't set him back much because it was spare he bought off of his dad. Time to play! :freep:

# ¿ Jul 11, 2013 07:29

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Hip Hoptimus Prime posted:

But anyway, yay, budget. My goal is to pay off CC #1 and the student loan in full, and then only owe about $2,000 more on CC #2 by the end of 2013.

What are the interest rates on all 3? Would it benefit you more to work on CC #2 before the student loan?

# ¿ Jul 24, 2013 17:08

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Hip Hoptimus Prime posted:

I can also go shopping for some new work clothes guilt free in cash

New-new, or new to you? Because you could save a bit more by purchasing used clothes, assuming they'll be suitable for you.

# ¿ Aug 11, 2013 05:01

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

That's so kickass, and not something most people can swing. Good for you!

# ¿ Oct 23, 2013 05:48

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Orange_Lazarus posted:

edit: My opinion on mortgages has changed a bit. The next time I buy a house I would like to have the money to pay it down completely but mortgage it instead. As long as I can keep my budget down to something that two minimum wage jobs could support (plan for the worst) I'll be OK no matter what.

To clarify, you mean you'd like to have enough to cover the house outright, but want to leverage your money instead with a (hopefully low interest) loan so that you can invest the money in other areas?

# ¿ Jan 11, 2014 04:25

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Somehow, my TV has turned into a lucrative investment vehicle. I bought it almost exactly 3 years ago for $1000 out the door and got a 3-year SquareTrade warranty on it for about $87. It mysteriously died on me about 2 months ago after leaving it unplugged for a while while remodeling, and the technician they sent out couldn't fix it with what he had available or even really figure out the true problem. After about 2 months of everyone pussyfooting around or parts not being available and them not getting me fixed up, SquareTrade told me today they'd be doing a payout for me in the form of the purchase price + ~~30%~~ as an Amazon gift card.

~~That's like 6% year I just made on my TV + warranty due to sheer luck! Now to see if I can find a used TV that's better than the one I had, but a good amount less than $1000...~~

Edit:
Nope, it was purchase + just over 3%, I misheard him on the phone. Still not complaining, it's like I leased the thing for a total cost of $50 over 3 years then!

SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 07:27 on Jan 28, 2014

# ¿ Jan 23, 2014 08:03

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Shadowhand00 posted:

I was finally able to get my girlfriend to sit down with me and put down all of her financial obligations on paper. She just graduated from Art Center so she has a buttload of student debt that we'll be paying down (hopefully quickly). Thankfully, she grabbed an amazing job at Square so we're not too worried about the job search anymore.

Anyway, I feel like we had a small victory as a result of actually putting everything down onto paper. She's realizing how long its going to take her to pay down her debts as well as her outstanding CC debt.

The next step is for me to convince her to borrowing money from her mom to pay off the rest of her CC debt is not the best choice. She's receiving a signing bonus that will easily cover the CC debt but she's just so impatient.

Will she pay less in interest by borrowing from her mother now, or are the familial strings attached not worth the hassle, even if she pays her back promptly with the signing bonus?

# ¿ Feb 11, 2014 23:05

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

The last year or so has also been a bunch of huge gains for me--more than incremental like the thread title says, but still:

As I posted in May of last year, my coworker/friend of mine had a car loan out from me. He and his wife paid me off one month early on it
Same coworker found me a good deal on Newegg for a cable modem to avoid a monthly rental fee to Time Warner Cable
I got a modest raise about two months ago
I divested myself of most of my company stock last year and moved that money to safer diversified investments at Vanguard
I went from hitting my employer's max 401(k) match to maxing my personal contribution this year
I've resumed Roth IRA last year 2013 and am maxing that too (hadn't contributed anything to it in almost 10 years)
I'm currently pricing out car insurance changes to save myself a couple hundred per year.
The above insurance change will help offset the rising cost maid service from a college friend - I'll be doubling the frequency of her visits now, which helps keep the house cleaner and me less stressed. And it makes me a job creator!
For a family reunion / grandma's 90th birthday in India this year, my parents offered to pay for my plane ticket since this one's a big deal. Can't argue with that!
Mint says that my net worth had essentially doubled over the last 3 years to be about 2.5x my current gross income -- granted, this is largely due to great growth in the overall stock market over this period, but I didn't realize that even two years ago I was saving as much as I was back then, and I'm saving even more now.

So with financial stuff in order, my goal now is to get in better shape than I was at 20 when I hit 30 this year. Unfortunately due to past me's habits, it won't be as difficult as it sounds. I probably won't end up as light in terms of weight, but I'm fairly sure I'll have a lower BF % and be more athletic than back then if I can keep my current trends going.

# ¿ Jun 12, 2014 06:03

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Yaos posted:

Update on this, I'm learning a lot more than I thought. There was no documentation, not ticket system, backups were running but broke the very morning I started (not my fault!) , no inventory (technically we have it on a BIOS locked laptop of a guy that's on vacation), numerous compliance issues, poor management of existing materials (I found in-warranty desktops marked to be junked), no DR plan, terrible OS image management, no program install management, tape backups but they are never taken off-site. I'm sure I'll find plenty more as I check things off my list. The previous guy hated it there, I wonder why.

I get to learn how to fix all of this, which is better than learning how to just maintain it. I'm starting from scratch on a lot of what needs to be done so I'll know it better than I would have other wise.

Good lord, that sounds rough. I don't know much about sysadmin work (I'm just a SW project manager myself), but that has to wear you out.

# ¿ Jul 18, 2014 04:38

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Just sold my last two quarterly lots of ESPP stock for the year and put a good chunk in my taxable account (tax advantaged retirement accounts are already maxed, no debts). I also put about a third into an additional payment to my mortgage principal -- equivalent to the P portion of 4 months' worth of regular payments.

Lastly, the somewhat large remainder of the cash is going to checking so I can give my brother a big gift to go on a musical tour next year with his chorus, possibly buy a new console and PC over the holidays (still on the fence, not entirely convinced on the truevalue of any of it... depends on holiday sales), and maybe do a little remodeling and renovation around the house.

Plus with the modest raise I got last month, I can start maxing my retirement accounts from the get go in 2015 and still come out like $20 ahead per month on my paychecks compared to today.

Edit: all just before I turn 30 next week.

:feelsgood:

SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 15:21 on Nov 8, 2014

# ¿ Nov 8, 2014 14:57

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Last week, my new ESPP grant & sale means that my taxable brokerage accounts--NOT including my checking, emergency fund savings account, and retirement accounts--have just exceeded my remaining mortgage balance, with 12 of 15 years left at 3.75%.

The only problem now is the urge to foolishly cash a large portion of that out and prepay whatever's left after taxes. I keep fantasizing that my entirely monthly payment would go away if I paid it all off, even though about a third of it right now is homeowner's insurance and property taxes.

# ¿ Feb 11, 2015 04:01

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Higgy posted:

Just sat for and passed the PMP certification exam today! 4-day bootcamp was $1900, test was $500+ and I paid $0 since my work tripped over themselves to pay for it all (even told me to charge labor for the 4 days I was sitting in that class). Now let's see if I can turn this into a nice little promotion/raise this year.

Also found out the mortgage appraisal came back good, the mortgage was approved and we're all set to close in two weeks and I get to get out of DC and back to a nice low cost of living area. Life is good.

Way to go! I jumped on a groupon for some ridiculous $1120 online PMP prep course marked down to $80. I figured even at that price if it's not that great, no huge loss. Gonna hopefully go through the modules soon and sit for the test later this year to get my cert. Trouble is that it won't be worth poo poo pretty much at my current company (MBAs and PMPs aren't really that useful in our R&D org, anyway), but if I go looking at other companies I can see it being extremely useful to have.

# ¿ Mar 12, 2015 23:09

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Amended some old tax 2011-2013 returns due to some room rent I forgot to account for and a 25-year deferred interest coupon my parents bought that matured a few years ago. Paid about $1850 in back taxes there, and had only about $75 in additional fees. Best part is, that $75 was taken out of a refund given through an amendment to last year's taxes where I didn't properly account for an RSU and ended up overpaying.

Since I essentially wrote it all off when I amended all those forms, it feels like I got a fat $260 check in the mail out of nowhere, even though my analytical brain knows otherwise. Gonna ponder what to do with it over the course of the month when this year's RSU also comes up as sellable.

# ¿ May 12, 2015 03:32

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

anitsirK posted:

Realized today that I get excited for pay day just to be able to budget out the next X amount ahead, and see the charts move in happy directions... not because I care about my bank balance.

Ha, same here. I forgot it was the 15th, and while I was sitting at a light on the way to work, I realized it was payday and that I'd have enough to transfer to savings between ESPP sales, roommate's rent payments, and a few other inflows of people paying me back some petty cash that I'd have exactly as much extra in my checking account over the usual buffer amount as I'd need to fully fund my Roth IRA for 2016 on Jan 1. So I launched my Mint app and logged in and yelled out "getting paid, muthafuckas!" just to give myself that little confidence boost.

# ¿ Dec 16, 2015 06:34

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Were you expecting the new offer, or did you suddenly pull the eject handle on the current job and accidentally stumble into another one? If you had an offer on the way, I'm surprised you didn't wait to get that in hand before quitting the first job.

# ¿ Dec 28, 2015 21:14

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Got slapped with a $1500 car repair bill this week. It's my A/C and I'm in Texas, so I'm going to need it. Luckily, I took in a roommate about 5 months ago, and the added cash flow has made this bill relatively painless because all of his rent has been going straight to savings and investments this whole time.

It's a shame he'll be moving out in a couple months, because it's worked it really well, he helps take care of my dog when I go out of town, and he adds very little wear and tear to the house.

# ¿ Mar 10, 2016 13:54

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

drat man, that's some solid dedication and great work!

# ¿ Jul 20, 2016 05:13

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Just recently found out my company will reimburse rec sports league fees as part of their health & wellness initiatives. I knew they covered full team fees if it was more than half employees & spouses, but had no idea they would do individual fees too. They just reimbursed about $200 of summer and fall soccer fees for me, and moving forward I expect to save around 500-600 a year across my leagues this way. :cheers:

# ¿ Sep 23, 2016 02:45

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Don't get too crazy. Get yourself some new toothpicks. Splurge for the Mint flavored ones if you've really got a wild hair.

# ¿ Oct 25, 2016 02:48

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:

As far as incremental improvements BFC, how did everyone do with the holidays? We overspent but not by more than $100, which I consider to be a resounding success.

We had a major overseas family vacation over thanksgiving for my parents' anniversary and it didn't cost me much at all aside from incidentals and some side trips (thanks mom and dad!), so I can't complain. Got about $100 in souvenirs for friends. Neither my mom nor brother will be home over Christmas, so I'm driving home to hang with my dad and see friends around town.

The beauty of it all is that we came to a tacit agreement several years back that if all of us aren't together for Christmas, then we don't go out of our way to get each other gifts since we really just buy things for ourselves when we want them throughout the year. So no real family spending planned in that regard, and since I'm single there's not much else.

For myself, since my Pebble Time 2 pre-order was cancelled and I don't have a watch replacement in mind, I spent some of that refunded money on new Xbox One controllers so I could play Broforce in my living room through the Fire TV stick, streaming from my desktop PC. Totally frivolous purchase when I could've used my 360 controllers hooked up to my PC, but you know.

Every year I also cull my wardrobe and donate what's still good to a local women's and children's shelter (soccer leagues leave me with too many t-shirts especially). The working plan is to make a concerted effort and actually spend a few hundred dollars buying some nicer clothes for work and casual wear than the jeans and t-shirts or polos I usually wear to work. I can't keep looking the part of a typical developer forever since I have a management track ahead of me. I used a lot of my spare time during vacation shopping around, but at my height (5'0"), very little adult men's clothing fits me well and it's all extremely frustrating because teenage clothes have fewer selections and usually aren't as durable because everyone but me is expected to outgrow it.

gently caress, I hate clothes and shoe shopping. Anyway, the little I bought will sit in the bag until I come back after Christmas and try everything on again to see if I actually like them our just wanted to leave the store with something. And I'm dreading getting a new suit for a wedding to take the place of the 9 year old one I've used since college for interviews. Alterations of the rack are hit or miss. I don't mind spending the money, but there's so little out there that'll work for me.

# ¿ Dec 23, 2016 20:50

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:

https://zady.com/ popped into my orbit a little while ago; we haven't bought any clothing for ourselves since about August but yeah, we are refocusing our efforts to buy some things that last longer, are nicer and produce less carbon.

(There is men's stuff although I do not know how it fits).

Thanks, although all I was able to see on there was under women except for one photo of a dude. My friend's wife recommended a site called Stitch Fix to me. The blogs I saw seem useful enough that maybe the stylists will be too. I think monthly subscription boxes are wasteful and mediocre in general (and I also think that so called stylish clothing is way too expensive), but the terms on their site seem reasonable as far as only keeping what you like and not requiring that you get automating mailings every few weeks.

Although, of course their pant inseams don't go shorter than 30 inches into my territory. :smithicide:

Well I'll email customer service and see if they have some way of working with me.

SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Dec 23, 2016

# ¿ Dec 23, 2016 22:20

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

EAT FASTER!!!!!! posted:

Paid off my second of 4 credit cards. Third will be paid off today. Fourth will be paid off by May 1!

Honest question: given your ridiculously high household income compared to most of us (if I remember correctly from another BFC thread), how or why did you end up accumulating balances on your credit cards that require months-long payoffs? Or are these 0% introductory offers where you're not paying interest anyway?

# ¿ Jan 31, 2017 02:41

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

FateFree posted:

it feels great knowing that I'll have extreme stability when they come.

When who comes? The government and their black helicopters? :tinfoil:

# ¿ Mar 8, 2017 01:25

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

I guess I voted with my wallet a different way. I'm trying to payoff my Wells Fargo mortgage many years early (targeting somewhere in the next two years), but I recently opened up a WF checking account to take advantage of the $250 sign-up bonus, and I know for sure they won't be making anywhere near that much money off of me through the life of this account.

# ¿ Apr 20, 2017 18:41

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

spwrozek posted:

Nice job man! Having a roommate is killer in keeping the expenses down.

My roommate/renter just told me he's buying a condo and moving out. It's been a good living arrangement over the last year. Gonna miss his dog and the cash flow, especially since I'm looking at getting my siding and windows replaced now.

SpelledBackwards fucked around with this message at 18:51 on Oct 7, 2017

# ¿ Oct 7, 2017 18:46

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Purple Prince posted:

Now, if I'd actually listened to the advice from older and more cynical goons a year or so ago, most of this wouldn't have happened, but disregard that.

It sounds like you're one year older and more cynical now than you were, and are telling me to disregard your own advice? :crossarms:

# ¿ Nov 3, 2018 15:55

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Based on my friend's hassle with only being able to use appraisers from a pre-approved list of providers to drop his PMI, his situation probably means his mortgage servicer gets a kickback...

# ¿ Nov 4, 2018 17:07

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Chaotic Flame posted:

Well, I've just accepted a job offer that's:

1) a dream job
2) a 1.6x salary increase and a 2.1x total comp increase
3) in an awesome (though more expensive) city closer to family
4) bursting with awesome ancillary benefits that are going to save me a lot of money while I'm there

I'm moving back to NYC but I'll be saving more than three times as much as when I left it and earning more than double. Once I crunched the numbers, I had no qualms coming back. Here's to living AND saving in NYC!

Did you mean +60% pay (0.6x increase, or 160% of baseline), or did you mean +160% pay (1.6x increase, or 260% of baseline)? Either one is drat impressive, but precision of terminology is very important here and people say the wrong thing all the time.

# ¿ Jul 28, 2019 12:35

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DJCobol posted:

I now need 2 commas in my "assets" category in mint, and my overall net worth isn't far off from needing an extra comma as well.

Are you Russ Hanneman?

# ¿ Aug 29, 2020 06:35

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Can you do an online seminar got an hour with all of us in attendant and count it as 300 hours? Like a mass wedding, only less bad with money and life.

# ¿ Oct 1, 2020 03:59

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

Happiness Commando posted:

It's always mid tax year?

If you subscribe to my newsletter, you'll get access to secret info like the 2 tax-free weekends out of the year you can employ my conversion / state moving trick!

LEARN WHAT THE IRS DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW!

# ¿ May 30, 2022 06:32

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

H110Hawk posted:

It's EMERGENCY cocaine ok!

Without it, I could go even blinder! Right?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOyJmMLl2BY

# ¿ Aug 25, 2022 03:17

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# ¿ May 1, 2024 17:55

SpelledBackwards: Jan 7, 2001; I found this image on the Internet, perhaps you've heard of it? It's been around for a while I hear.

And I learned from my relatives in India that rather than anchor to the English million, they anchor to the lakh (100,000) and crore (10,000,000). So 10 lakhs to a million and 10 million to a crore. No idea how often they use those terms outside of money, and maybe even if they use it at all outside of specifically Indian rupees.

# ¿ Apr 14, 2024 19:20

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Ask/Tell > Business, Finance, and Careers > Goons Getting Ahead: Incremental Improvments BFC Edition