|
This is kind of a weird issue. I was hired for an analyst position around 2 years ago. Assigned a program and was diligent at improving and expanding the program. Things going well. The unit manager wanted more employees so they hired more and shuffled things around. A new analyst was assigned my program (which is a junior program to my new assignment) and I was moved onto a long-tenured analyst's program to assist its expansion. Except...I have relatively little work to do and the tenured analyst is totally able to handle the workload on their own. It's also not a program where the workload can be split easily, doing so would essentially create additional unnecessary work for both of us. I do 15 minutes to 2 hours of work a day and am extremely loving bored. While I get a lot of people would love this, I prefer to be more productive, learn new things, solve problems etc - dumb work ethic poo poo and being unproductive is giving me a fuckload of anxiety. I would like some advice for how to handle this. I want to bring it up to my manager and the unit manager and request re-assignment and have my own program but afaik there isn't other work to do - another new employee also has essentially zero work until the end of the year also. Should I just keep my dumbass mouth shut?
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 16:22
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 21:02 |
|
|
Have you considered a second job?
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 16:23
|
|
|
Happiness Commando posted:Have you considered a second job? Yes, but I don't have much of a skillset to grab another full remote, undemanding, loosely scheduled job. While I'm very qualified for my current position, I consider myself pretty lucky to have been hired - my work history didn't really support the job description (which was wildly overblown). My current one does have occasional online meetings and I have to go in office a few days. I would also not want to risk my current employment, if it were discovered I was working another job on the clock I do not think it would go over well and I want that loving pension.
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 17:46
|
|
|
dreesemonkey posted:y Ally has no-penalty CDs (can withdraw after 6 days with no fee) at 4.55%, as well as traditional CDs 9 or 12 months at 5.00%, and 18 months at 5.15%. I'm sure there are better returns with a similar degree of safety but 5% is a lot more than 0% and it's very easy to set up
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 18:23
|
|
|
Ammanas posted:I would also not want to risk my current employment, if it were discovered I was working another job on the clock I do not think it would go over well and I want that loving pension. Then take classes. Get your cpa. Hell, will work pay?
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 19:01
|
|
|
Yeah, sounds like a golden opportunity to "invest in professional development" (read: have fun studying whatever interests you).
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 20:55
|
|
|
remote desktop into your home computer and take courses there
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 21:02
|
|
|
Ammanas posted:This is kind of a weird issue. I was hired for an analyst position around 2 years ago. Assigned a program and was diligent at improving and expanding the program. Things going well. The unit manager wanted more employees so they hired more and shuffled things around. A new analyst was assigned my program (which is a junior program to my new assignment) and I was moved onto a long-tenured analyst's program to assist its expansion. Except...I have relatively little work to do and the tenured analyst is totally able to handle the workload on their own. It's also not a program where the workload can be split easily, doing so would essentially create additional unnecessary work for both of us. I do 15 minutes to 2 hours of work a day and am extremely loving bored. While I get a lot of people would love this, I prefer to be more productive, learn new things, solve problems etc - dumb work ethic poo poo and being unproductive is giving me a fuckload of anxiety. I would like some advice for how to handle this. I want to bring it up to my manager and the unit manager and request re-assignment and have my own program but afaik there isn't other work to do - another new employee also has essentially zero work until the end of the year also. Should I just keep my dumbass mouth shut? Alternatively just take online courses in your free time and learn new things. Whatever you do, I wouldn’t directly tell your manager that you have too much time on your hands.
|
|
#
?
Oct 18, 2023 21:15
|
|
|
Vegetable posted:If you’re serious about it, you should find new problems to solve, rather than wait for your managers to give you stuff. Go talk to people outside your team and understand what pain points they have. Then help them informally or ask your manager for a more formal responsibility. Thank you, this is good practical advice. WFH has made us very segregated both in tasks and socializing, think I'll make an effort to reach out to other new coworkers.
|
|
#
?
Oct 19, 2023 17:31
|
|
|
Is there like a starting a business thread or anything? I'm still on the step of making sure my idea is vaguely feasible, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm even thinking about all the right things to check. I live in a rural area full of pretty mountains a couple hours north of NYC, and I'm thinking of opening something that's partway between a campground and a bed and breakfast : the idea would separate rentable cabins on a mess of land with a more central house where guests can get a home cooked meal. Think rustic resort for people not trying to break the bank. I've looked into financing, and that seems okay so far or at least not too bad. The state is trying to increase that kind of tourism so I have a good shot at subsidized loans. Zoning is a whole process (obviously) but I've gone through the relevant laws for the places I'm looking at and that also seems feasible (if annoying). I've got some people who might be interested in going in on the scheme with me, so I think we're good in terms of construction and actually running the place. Land is actually pretty cheap right now with some good acreage for sale. I'm assuming there are going to be some titanic problems with this, I'm just trying to figure out what they might be. In fact, there are good odds that it's a crazy idea and I just haven't realized that yet. Can anyone point me to some other things to look into to see if this idea has any legs? Sorry again if this is the wrong place to ask.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 23:39
|
|
|
Xiahou Dun posted:Is there like a starting a business thread or anything? I'm still on the step of making sure my idea is vaguely feasible, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm even thinking about all the right things to check. I live in a rural area full of pretty mountains a couple hours north of NYC, and I'm thinking of opening something that's partway between a campground and a bed and breakfast : the idea would separate rentable cabins on a mess of land with a more central house where guests can get a home cooked meal. Think rustic resort for people not trying to break the bank. I'd be interested in an entrepreneur thread. Insurance is always something that people tend to forget, and is way more expensive than you think it would be.
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 23:46
|
|
|
Insurance! Good call!
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 23:47
|
|
|
Those types of places rule. Seems very much a lifestyle to own and operate one. The people who do it seem like they enjoy it. Is there already a spot with buildings? Or is building part of this potential venture?
|
|
#
?
Nov 15, 2023 23:56
|
|
|
Epitope posted:Those types of places rule. Seems very much a lifestyle to own and operate one. The people who do it seem like they enjoy it. Is there already a spot with buildings? Or is building part of this potential venture? At least some construction is currently being assumed and that's part of the plan/proto-budget*. One of my potential partners is a carpenter and I have some experience, but it'd still be nice if we could build onto prior construction to some extent. We're currently looking into older, isolated farmhouses that we could refurbish, rezone and then we can slowly add cabins to over time. And yeah, part of this is because years ago I would've loved a place like this and I'm trying to monetize my desire to hike and make enormous fancy meals. *Fake name I just made up for the process I'm doing now of figuring out all the stuff I need to put in an actual budget.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 00:09
|
|
|
Baddog posted:I'd be interested in an entrepreneur thread. Insurance is always something that people tend to forget, and is way more expensive than you think it would be. I had to look back a bit, but there was a startup/entrepreneurship thread here: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3438506 it's old and now locked. it someone wants to create a new one, I say go for it. throw a lil' elbow grease into the OP
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 00:24
|
|
|
Xiahou Dun posted:Is there like a starting a business thread or anything? I'm still on the step of making sure my idea is vaguely feasible, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm even thinking about all the right things to check. I live in a rural area full of pretty mountains a couple hours north of NYC, and I'm thinking of opening something that's partway between a campground and a bed and breakfast : the idea would separate rentable cabins on a mess of land with a more central house where guests can get a home cooked meal. Think rustic resort for people not trying to break the bank. https://www.amazon.com/Write-Business-Plan-Mike-McKeever/dp/1413323197 It will help you think through everything, and was great for helping me think through starting my own business. It walks you though everything-marketing your widgets (renting time in your cabin is still a widget), selling your widgets, pricing your widgets, paying for your widgets. How to figure up all your costs, startup, fixed and variable, walking you through how to estimate those and all the categories you haven't thought about (insurance is always a big one-I know nothing about liability insurance for something like rental cabins but I imagine it is not super simple or cheap, and your insurance company's requirements for your cabins are going to factor hugely into your construction costs). It comes with some really helpful excel spreadsheets to plug all those revenue and cost estimates into to get some rough 'is this feasible' profit guestimates. A by no means exhaustive list of questions you need to answer, that the book will help you think through: Who do you think will come to your campground? How many of those people live within a reasonable distance? You say you're looking at people who aren't trying to break the bank-how much are they willing/able to pay to spend a night at your place? When are they going to come-is this going to be seasonal or year round, and if seasonal can you make enough in your busy seasons to survive the rest of the year? How many people will your property accommodate? Are there other campgrounds or hotels nearby that might be competition? How much are they charging and what amenities or experiences does your place offer that they don't? Do you have any idea how much getting a cabin built will cost? How about a cabin with a life safety plan, sprinklers, and whatever else the fire marshal might require for temporary lodging? To maintain? Are you able to make small repairs yourself, or will they all have to be hired out? Same but for a commercial kitchen in the big house? Do you know anything about bookkeeping or accounting? How good are you at dealing with the insane people who may be your customers? Have you ever worked in the hospitality industry? Where are you gonna get tiny shampoo bottles and soaps? How much do towels cost, how long do they last, how much do they cost to wash, and how much does a washing machine big enough to wash 10 sets of towels and sheets a day cost? What are the relevant regulations around your industry or businesses in general in your area? and taxes? How much personal startup capital do you have? Are you/your spouse employed and could y'all keep doing your current jobs while starting up this new business? Can you/your business partners afford to have zero (or negative) take home pay for two years? Banks are really wary of lending to first-time business owners, because most small businesses fail and you're going to need to have plenty of your own skin in the game, not the bank's. They are much more likely to lend to a first-time business owner if they have quite a lot of prior experience in the relevant industry. Having a business partner can be great or really bad. Don't get in business with someone unless you are prepared to potentially have your relationship with them destroyed forever. Starting a business is a huge financial decision and you need to make sure you have a good support network and that everyone in your family (ESPECIALLY your spouse, if you have one) is fully on board. Much like renovating a house, starting a business has destroyed many, many marriages. Kaiser Schnitzel fucked around with this message at 02:25 on Nov 16, 2023 |
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 02:21
|
|
|
Also see whether similar businesses already exist or used to exist in the area, and figure out why they were or weren't successful. Some other stuff to consider regarding long-term outlook for the business and/or a selloff exit strategy is researching how weather and climate have changed in the area over the last few decades and are expected to continue changing--that may shift your busy seasons or significantly alter demand, maintenance and repair costs, or insurability. Maybe it'll mean more droughts and higher fire risk, or conversely it could be more rain, flooding risk, structure rot, and disease-carrying insects. Later on down the line if you want to sell the business and do something else, you may have trouble finding a buyer if the business proposition itself is much less viable to enter into at that point for a newcomer.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 06:55
|
|
|
If I were to open something like that, I'd have a ton of fun coming up with ideas for spaces that are instgrammable - cool hammock spots, hot tub with a view, big art installations in nature. The reality is you're buying yourself a minimum wage housekeeper job for the first year or three but that's not too bad, I used to help my mom houseclean for tourist spots and usually we got like half of our food from the fridges cause they buy like, a whole big thing of oatmeal and then don't want to schlep it home. I'll totally come stay at your campground and leave you some oatmeal, OP.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2023 08:02
|
|
|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:This is the book you want: these are all great questions. market research to determine what your customer base looks like and whether or not you can actually draw enough people through the door at a net positive rate is the single most important thing i'd also ask how your home repair skills are, and what the costs are going to be when guests inevitably flush a towel down the toilet, destroy some furniture, carve their initials in the cabin exterior. shrinkage and excess wear and tear turn up everywhere in this space, in ways that would really surprise anyone who doesn't have experience running a motel or shortterm rental. a lot of first time business owners focus on really well researching the initial startup costs, but the ongoing expenses that they didn't account for can be major killers
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2023 20:53
|
|
|
Xiahou Dun posted:Is there like a starting a business thread or anything? I'm still on the step of making sure my idea is vaguely feasible, and I'm not 100% sure if I'm even thinking about all the right things to check. I live in a rural area full of pretty mountains a couple hours north of NYC, and I'm thinking of opening something that's partway between a campground and a bed and breakfast : the idea would separate rentable cabins on a mess of land with a more central house where guests can get a home cooked meal. Think rustic resort for people not trying to break the bank. I would ask the question "why would people go there?". If it is just a place to glamp with nothing to do that will not go so well. I would make sure there are plenty of trails and other things to do. Although maybe folks in NYC are a bit different in that regard.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2023 21:12
|
|
|
These are all great questions that I should have an answer to! Thanks so much, and I'm definitely getting that book.
|
|
#
?
Nov 18, 2023 22:03
|
|
|
Is there a megathread for Auto Loan/Car buying/Leasing/Financing/ Negotiating? Need some financial advice on my next car.
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2023 15:32
|
|
|
drhankmccoyphd posted:Is there a megathread for Auto Loan/Car buying/Leasing/Financing/ Negotiating? Need some financial advice on my next car. Yea, its in Ask/Tell, here's the link: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3213538
|
|
#
?
Dec 4, 2023 15:44
|
|
|
Got a letter from LexisNexis saying "we added some negative poo poo to your file lolol" When you call to try to figure out what it is, before you can talk to anyone, they attempt to get you to record you saying basically every goddamn detail of your life for "verification". SSN, DOB, drivers license, etc etc... in your own drat voice. I tried to bypass as much as I could, and I still feel uncomfortable doing it. What happens if *they* get hacked? Plugging all that info into their web page just gets you your report snail mailed to you. I went to figure out wtf mistake they made and start fighting it asap, but they make it incredibly hard! edit - Apparently they send the letter if you have more than 8 pulls in the last 12 months, even soft. And every time I looked at my credit score on american express' site, it was a soft pull. I thought that was coming off of amex existing data! Anyways, I'm sure they will change the number soon, but for now if anyone needs a direct line LexisNexis Consumer Center 1-888-497-0011 They try to get you to give everything down to drivers license to "verify' your identity, but you can tell them to gently caress off after giving social/address/phone #. Baddog fucked around with this message at 21:43 on Jan 22, 2024 |
|
#
?
Jan 22, 2024 21:06
|
|
|
Sorry if this has already been addressed, but does anyone have recommendations for a good budgeting/personal finance app or website? I used Mint for a long time, but Intuit is shutting it down.
|
|
#
?
Jan 27, 2024 01:20
|
|
|
Bloody Mayhem posted:Sorry if this has already been addressed, but does anyone have recommendations for a good budgeting/personal finance app or website? I used Mint for a long time, but Intuit is shutting it down. whole thread for YNAB type discussion: https://forums.somethingawful.com/showthread.php?threadid=3599364
|
|
#
?
Jan 30, 2024 02:22
|
|
|
Is there a discussion about High Yield Savings Accounts anywhere that I'm just glossing over? I'm way overdue to move my emergency fund in to one and not sure about the best options that aren't just super sketchy or likely to drop the yield a few months after the money is in. If this is the right place I'm looking for -Highest yield I can get at a place I don't have to worry about it not existing next year -Don't care if there is a small direct deposit requirement but don't want to have to redirect my whole paycheck there. Say $500 or less a month -Don't care about ATMs or physical locations, this is money I need to have liquid in case of an unexpected expense but it taking a few days to transfer over to my main checking doesn't matter. Any advice?
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2024 13:31
|
|
|
Marcus or Ally are both good bets that should take care of all those items.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2024 13:38
|
|
|
I keep about 1/3 of my emergency fund in an Ally account that is linked to my Ally checking account, so it is available immediately. Until the last year when savings rates rocketed, I kept it all there. With rates at ~1%, it didn't seem worth looking around for the, at most, 1s-10s of dollars a year chasing the highest rate. I think for the vast majority of people, that's still fine, but if you want to put in a little extra work, the list at doctorofcredit is reputable (they don't post referral/affiliate links like most sites who keep these lists), and frequently updated. I've had good luck with Ivy Bank, but read the reviews at that page and I'm sure any of the well reviewed ones are fine. Most of them have web sites from 1999, but that also means most of them have someone who will pick up the phone right away if there's a problem.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2024 15:30
|
|
|
Ymmv but I went with a brokerage account buying USFR instead because of this tl;dr post. Like it says, this is not for long-term and won’t be ideal if interest rates go low again, but it seems like a very good expected rate with minimal hassle for now.
|
|
#
?
Feb 2, 2024 18:49
|
|
i like nice words
|
I'll give all of those a look, thanks.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2024 13:29
|
|
|
I'll just mention that Ally has had a couple high profile security incidents in 2023 which prompted me to move over to SoFi, which also has a higher rate. DoctorofCredit is always my go-to resource though when I decide to churn another bank account bonus.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2024 19:04
|
|
|
Alliant added $300 to my savings account as part of some year-old promotion I don't remember entering but also will not refuse.
|
|
#
?
Feb 3, 2024 21:19
|
|
|
I don't see like a small business thread anywhere so I guess I'll ask here. I'm a tiny business owner looking to hire my first very part-time W-2 employee. I've had a buddy help me for years but he was always happy with a 1099 so I've never had to navigate all this stuff. I've got a local payroll company handling all the payroll, I-9/E-Verify/state new hire reporting stuff and have gotten worker's comp coverage (not actually required for me in my state at my small scale, but I definitely need it). I'm in an at-will, very employer-friendly red state. Do I need a written contract with this employee? Or is saying 'I'm paying you $20/hr, fill out this W-4' sufficient? It's been forever since I had a W-2 kind of job and can't remember what's normal. If contract, is any randomly googled 'free employee contract form' fine? It's like 10 hrs a week maybe, no paid benefits/vacation/sick/personal time. It seems like even if no contract is technically required, both of us signing a piece of paper where we agree that he's getting paid x/hr, no benefits, either of us can terminate the employment at any time seems good just to make sure our expectations match.
|
|
#
?
Feb 21, 2024 23:59
|
|
|
You may want to ask the taxthread.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 00:42
|
|
|
Kaiser Schnitzel posted:I don't see like a small business thread anywhere so I guess I'll ask here. I'm a tiny business owner looking to hire my first very part-time W-2 employee. I've had a buddy help me for years but he was always happy with a 1099 so I've never had to navigate all this stuff. I've got a local payroll company handling all the payroll, I-9/E-Verify/state new hire reporting stuff and have gotten worker's comp coverage (not actually required for me in my state at my small scale, but I definitely need it). I'm in an at-will, very employer-friendly red state. Do I need a written contract with this employee? Or is saying 'I'm paying you $20/hr, fill out this W-4' sufficient? It's been forever since I had a W-2 kind of job and can't remember what's normal. If contract, is any randomly googled 'free employee contract form' fine? It's like 10 hrs a week maybe, no paid benefits/vacation/sick/personal time. It seems like even if no contract is technically required, both of us signing a piece of paper where we agree that he's getting paid x/hr, no benefits, either of us can terminate the employment at any time seems good just to make sure our expectations match. I would highly recommend talking to an employment attorney. At least in the state I'm in you need to give new hires a bunch of documents and it's recommended to have an employee handbook outlining a bunch of stuff
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 01:28
|
|
|
Not an ad, but an account I follow on instagram (@personalfinanceclub) started a new business centered around flat-fee fiduciary financial advisors. The sales pitch is $150/hr for financial advice "without the sales pitch". I might give it a go in regards to getting advice on my specific situation in terms of "I'm self employed, this is our AGI and effective tax rate from 2023, should I do a Roth backdoor thing to convert my previous employer's 403b blah blah blah" as opposed to reading blanket advise on the internet trying to guess if it applies to me or not. https://hellonectarine.com/
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 14:07
|
|
|
dreesemonkey posted:Not an ad, but an account I follow on instagram (@personalfinanceclub) started a new business centered around flat-fee fiduciary financial advisors. The sales pitch is $150/hr for financial advice "without the sales pitch". I'd be more comfortable pulling someone local from NAPFA (National Association of Personal Financial Advisors) than Instagram. If this person is associated with NAPFA and you like them from following their gram, then all the better.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 15:23
|
|
|
I'm also extremely suspect on the "we sell no products" line. This feels way too much like the beginning of a sales funnel that will eventually have someone trying to get you to buy some annuity product.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 15:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? Apr 27, 2024 21:02 |
|
|
LanceHunter posted:I'm also extremely suspect on the "we sell no products" line. This feels way too much like the beginning of a sales funnel that will eventually have someone trying to get you to buy some annuity product. I think this is likely innocent. Coming from that industry a decade or so ago, the sale of products and misaligned incentives for advice was sooo bad, planners are super explicit of all the things that they don't do to assure people that the hourly rate covers the clients needs and not their own. Nothing about that website/model seems off to me, however, for big areas like this I'd like to work with more credentialed and well established planners/firms. It's just all too important than to potentially get someone that has been focusing on social media marketing and a slick webpage with minimal experience working for clients as they get their start. Don't be someone else's experience building is my point. Better to pay up (probably ~$150-200/hr anyway) and get the advice/planning you need from someone that is BORED with your situation because they solved it soo soo long ago.
|
|
#
?
Feb 22, 2024 15:49
|
|