Marine colonel retirement pay

I left in my will everything will be divided equally, in this case 3, the spouse and the two children, I decided to continue as my eldest child but idk what happens to the property previously owned

-orosz oldalon fel lett robbantva a Nova Kakhovka gát a ZNPP atomerőmű hűtése így problémás/nem lehetséges, sőt, a krim vízellátása is veszélybe került, a legrosszabb esetre árvíz szimuláció , oroszország terrorista állam -oroszország katonai alkatrészeket vásárol vissza indiától és myanmartól -oroszországba deportált ukrán gyerekek történetei -ukrán támadás Humveekkel Staromykhailivkánál -az ukránok szerint Bakhmut mellett előrébb kerültek -ukrán harctéri eü part2 -orosz partizánok a szennyvíz csatornán keresztül is támadnak szerintem ez is az orosz közvéleménynek szóló propaganda videó, azt akarja elérni, hogy az oroszok ne bízzanak abban, hgy a kreml képes megvédeni őket -kis ukrán támadás a déli fronton -az USA szerint a kreml elleni drón támadás oroszországon belülről indították ukrajna szimpatizáns partizánok -szabad oroszország légió orosz katonát kap el aki nevetni akar, olvassa végig a kommenteket -a megszállt területeken a civilek ukrajnában akarnak élni ez az öreg néni egy orosz katonának is elmondta -ukrán kommandós egység támad a déli fronton -egyes nyugati szakértők szerint jun 4 lehetett az ellentámadás hivatalos kezdő időpontja , másik cikk politicotól -az UK ukrán harctéri papokat képez ki

drónok, rakéták

-UK hadügy: májusban oroszország 300 iráni drónt indított Ukrajna ellen , nem érték el céljaikat -FPV drón rejtett 2S1 önjáró löveg ellen -Magyar Róbert FPV drónja orosz pozíció ellen

fegyverrendszerek

-ausztrál M113AS4 ukrajnában -ukrán ATGM és MANPADS kiképzés amikor a játék valóság lesz -ember elleni pillangó akna megsemmisítése -ausztrália 41db már hadrendből kivont F/A-18 Hornet vadászgép ukrajnának adásán gondolkodik

friss térképek

-az orosz partizánok újabb területet foglalatak el

Veszteségek

-orosz veszteségek hétfő , 410 troop losses, 7-day troop average: 474, Equipment losses: $83M, 52 landbased losses, 7-day average: 57; kevés orosz támadás <30 -orosz veszteségek kedd , szokásosnál sokkal több eszköz veszteség -oroszok által kontrolált területen orosz T-90M aknára hajt -lengyel önkéntese lövészárok ellen -városi harc -orosz drónos egység orosz aknára futott

ISW

RUSSIAN OFFENSIVE CAMPAIGN ASSESSMENT, JUNE 5, 2023 Russian and Ukrainian officials are signaling the start of the Ukrainian counteroffensive. Ukrainian forces conducted limited successful offensives north and southwest of Bakhmut. The pro-Ukrainian all-Russian Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) claimed that it continues to operate in a Russian border settlement in Belgorod Oblast as of June 5. Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov claimed that Chechen forces are ready to defend against raids in Belgorod Oblast, likely partially in order to keep his forces out of combat in Ukraine. The Russian Black Sea Fleet is attempting to mitigate complications with logistical support in occupied Crimea by shifting resources to mainland Russia. Wagner Group financier Yevgeny Prigozhin is continuing efforts to exacerbate the divide between the Wagner Group and the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD). Russian milbloggers responded to the video of Lieutenant Colonel Venevitin with concern, indicating that several prominent pro-war voices are becoming increasingly concerned over the ramifications of the Wagner-MoD divide. Russian forces reportedly conducted unsuccessful reconnaissance-in-force operations northeast of Kharkiv City and continued limited ground attacks northeast of Kupyansk and along the Svatove-Kreminna line. Russian forces continued limited offensive operations on the Avdiivka-Donetsk City line. Ukrainian forces continued ground attacks in western Donetsk and eastern Zaporizhia oblasts and made further limited tactical gains. Ukrainian forces continue to target rear Russian positions throughout southern Ukraine. Iran has allegedly signed contracts with Russia for about $1.74 million in ammunition for Russia to use in Ukraine. Ukrainian sources and Belarusian sources indicated that Belarus has been involved in the forced deportation of Ukrainian children.

Vége

hétfő reggel

Insurance
Insurance is an "Indemnity"-contract, i.e to Indemnify the an uncertain loss happens in the future. Insurance policy/plans is there to provide protection for yourself, your investment and your business. Insurance is chiefly a risk-management tool meant to offer financial protection to your dependents in the unfortunate event of your death. If you are adequately insured, your life insurance should enable your dependents – spouse, children or parents – to maintain their current lifestyle and pursue life’s financial goals till the time that they are able to set up an alternate income stream on their own.
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My mum is the problem. My dad just allows the behaviour and has been absent on multiple occasions to just avoid fighting in my household. These days I notice he just says things to me to keep my mum not wanting to burn the house down because of my behaviour. They have two different parenting styles and both of them clash and I am the one who ends up at the brunt of both of them because I am always in trouble for something. I always get confused because my parents say one thing, I do that and then suddenly they change their mind and its against our culture. My mum constantly changes her mind every day and I feel like Im walking on eggshells with her. She uses me as her therapist and now that I dont talk to her, she uses my brother.
I would like to know if I just gaslight myself and I am experiencing something or I'm just a bad kid. I dont know how to stand up for myself and it seems like every decision Ive made so far is just a result of pleasing my parents or a result of my parents control. I also have been with my boyfriend for the past year and my mum does not respect me or my relationship because she keeps talking about my marriage to other people. The way my parents treat and talk to me, and the rules they have enforced on me is affecting my relationship. My dad said to me today that my parents will choose who I am marrying. But I want to marry my boyfriend. So im at a loss of what to do without losing my family. But I am aware I might have to go NC in order to be happy. For some context this is what I do in the house or did until I told my mum I wanted some boundaries. I vacuum the whole house (double story 5 rooms) and mop the floors. Make the lunch for me and my brother (M16) when school is on. Study all day every day and come home by 4pm in weekdays. I hardly went out before I had a boyfriend and now he helps me go out every weekend to experience new things. I help with dinner always. I use my petrol to do her little drop offs to whoever she needs to drop things off at. I don't talk back. I don't make noise. I pay for my petrol. Now I just vacuum and mop, make my own lunch cos my brother is 16 so why should I. Still study however extremely burnt out with my grades slipping because of this every day stress and overthinking/anxiety, still use my petrol. But now I’ve added clean the toilet me and my brother share because he pees on the seat. Here is a list of things I have done since turning 18 that have enraged my mum - got my own bank account - got a long term part time job - got my license to drive without a supervisor - got a MacBook with my own money - bought new clothes with my own money - received a scholarship that paid for my years tuition + accomodation (which she told me to decline so I did) - put my food in the fridge cos I couldn't finish it - text my friends on my phone (she must know every person I text) - FaceTime my friends during covid lockdown - see my childhood friend who lives down the street - didn't talk to her after she told me my friends are trash and that she wants me to retire her and finish paying her mortgage - didn't talk to her after she told me I have no focus on life or vision or any ability to get into the course I want to because im dumb and don't take her advice - suggest to swap something she bought me for something my preference (which was cheaper so she would get a refund too) because she bought me something not my style even tho she said she always thinks about what I would like when I have never owned anything like that in my life - go to my cousins house for a family get together she didn't want to go to but I went with my dad - ask her to pay me back the $400 she owes me that she used from my savings for idk what (she has also kept my tax refund for the past 2 years and I just found out (almost around 600 dollars) - tells me I dont spend time with the family but when I come down to spend time she falls asleep or plays on her phone - tells me my friends wont help me and they are just driving this family apart because they are brainwashing me -got my first boyfriend at 20 who is 26 and has a well paying job, has a car, a really really nice lovely family who always includes me in all their family functions, always is kind and respectful to my family. He has absolutely no red flags, but he is Korean and my parents hate him because of his age and he is not indian. To be fair I have done some things which weren't too good and broke my parents trust however, its been exactly two years since and they havent communicated to me about what I should do to help them trust me and I dont know what to do.
Things I have done include - snuck a boy into my house multiple times - hung out with my high school friends that they didn't like -left all those friends and now just have my boyfriend so when I hang out with them my mum asks why cant I spend time with my friends -got into a second year course which gives me job security when I graduate, I will be employed from final year -tell my parents the day of that im going out -turned off my Find My location -dont tell them about my life or talk to them -vaped Im tired of standing up for myself because I keep saying the same thing and nothing changes. I am 20 so I dont have to live here and I dont know what I am scared of. I think I am just scared of not knowing how to move out. Or scared of how to tell my parents Im leaving. I financially support myself in my house, I pay for my petrol, my education, my lunch and all school resources. I do not ask for money or any kind of assistance the only thing my parents provide me is with the car they gave me, dinner and the house over my head. I have about 10K in my savings with 2.2K in my spending. How do you guys suggest I go about navigating this situation

All prices in CAD. Willing to ship worldwide, buyer pays S&H. PayPal F+F preferred, otherwise we will need to discuss their fees. Willing to trade - list of things I'm looking for are at bottom of the post. PM for more pictures.
Verification pic: https://imgur.com/a/msXSpiK
Pictures here: https://imgur.com/a/Aqu8loz
​
-Deathwatch Force (well painted)
Watch Master
Captain Artemis
5 DW Bikers
5 DW Vanguard Veterans
30 DW Veterans
($400)
​
-30k Kratos ($130)
-30k Spartan ($90)
-30k Contemptor (autocannons) ($50)
-30k Contemptor (DA paint job) ($50)
​
-SM Lord Executioner (Captain with jump pack) ($20 OBO)
-SM Chaplain with jump pack ($20 OBO)
-SM Librarian with jump pack ($20 OBO)
-2 x Thunderfire Cannons ($40 each OBO)
-6 Bikers (painted as Crimson Fists) ($60 OBO)
-2 x Razorbacks ($45 each)
-Predator (all bits in place) ($40 OBO)
-OOP SM Models & bits - make me an offer
-5 Vanguard Veterans (no jump packs - otherwise all bits in place) ($30 OBO)
-Drop Pod 1 (NiB) ($50)
-Drop Pod 2 (full model, primed black) ($45)
-Drop Pod 3 (missing internal bits) ($40)
-Codex Deathwatch ($10 OBO)
-Codex Black Templars ($10 OBO)
Also have some older codexes, if anyone is interested in source material, fluff, etc.
​
-Hive Tyrant ($45 OBO)
-GSC Broodcoven & Iconward (well-painted) ($65 OBO)
-Blackstone Fortress Lot (Cultists, Beastmen, Drones - 4 each) - make me an offer
-Grey Knights (large, clean lot, looking to offload as a single army/large chunks, please pm your reasonable offers)
-4 x Dreadknights -3 x Voldus -2 x Crowe -1 x Librarian -1 x Brother Captain Stern -1 x Lord Kaldor Draigo -35 x Strike/Interceptors -25 x Terminators -Combat Patrol - Dreadknight, Librarian, 5 Terms, 5 Strikes
​
-Tau ($450)
Ethereal on hoverdrone
Commander
3 Crisis Suits
10 Fire Warriors
10 Pathfinders
Hammerhead
Pirahna
Riptide
+bits, transfers, drones, weapons (many magnetized)
-Custodes (large lot, looking to offload as a single army/large chunks, please pm your reasonable offers)
Trajan
9 Allarus Terminators
9 Vertus Praetors
10 Sisters of Silence (5 NoS)
15 Custodian Guard
10 Wardens (NiB)
6 Venetari (recast)
2 Conversion Kits for Sagitarum (recast)
1 Galatus Dreadnought (recast)
1 Achilus Dreadnought (recast)
1 Telemon Dreadnought (recast)
3 Caladius Grav Tanks (recast)
+ Big bag of vehicle bits, sprue bits
​
-30k Mechanicum (large, specialized lot, looking to offload as a single army/large chunks, please pm your reasonable offers)
1 Archmagos (40k Belisarius Cawl)
15 Tech-Thralls
5 x 40k Pteraxii (NiB)
3 Myrmidon
1 Macrotek Enginseer & 4 Servo-automata
16 Thallax
3 Ursarax
5 Castellax
3 Vorax
1 Thanatar
1 Krios Tank (missing gunner)
1 Vultarax (needs some glue)
​
--Mantics Firefight minis
All brand new in sealed bags.
Rulebooks + Extras
Warpath, Warpath: Firefight, Sourcebook & dice + markers (not for sale without one of the faction lots)
3 x Plague Gunship upgrades
1 x Plague Character
-Enforcers ($300CAD)
Commander Roca (special character)
20 Enforcers ( + Heavy Weapon upgrade pack)
10 Pathfinders
2 Striders (+ 1 Siege Strider upgrade pack)
5 Peacekeepers
14 Jetbikes
3 Interceptor Gunships
-GCPS ($270CAD)
Major Loren Chard (special character)
GCPS Major General
40 GCPS Troopers
Heavy Weapons Team
2 Striders
3 Mule Transports
3 Hornet Dropships
-Asterians ($190CAD)
Ten'ur Go (special character)
1 Asterian Commander
5 Kalyshi
20 Marionettes
2 x Weapons Drones
16 Cyphers & 2 Sky Razors
Asterian Chira TransporteChroma Force Platform
-Forge Fathers ($200)
1 Forge Lord Ingulf (special character)
1 Chief Brokkr
10 Brokkrs
25 Steel Warriors
1 Jotunn Heavy Hailsotrm Cannon
6 Forge Guard
6 Hammerfist Drop Team
1 Hultr Half-Track
1 Sturnhammer Tank
2 Iron Ancestors
Or take it all (4 armies and the rulebooks + extras) for $850CAD. Great for a small gaming group or FLGS.
​
-Novels ($10 each OBO):
Malodrax
Rynn's World
Scythes of the Emperor
Overfiend
Fall of Damnos
Sanctus Reach
Architect of Fate
The Purging of Kadillus
Legion of the Damned
The Eye of Ezekiel
Wrath of Iron
Hunt for Valdorius
​
What Price Victory
Flesh and Iron
Redemption Corps
Fear the Alien
​
Swords of the Empire
Star of Erengrad
Riders of the Dead
The Ambassador Chronicles
​
Things I would trade for (from highest importance to lowest):
-Unique bits (for my Primaris DW project) -sternguard bits, space wolf/BT bits, bits from various chapter specific sprues, cool 3d printed marine bits, xenos 'trophy' bits, etc.
-For commission painting, please send a few pictures of your work (looking for above tabletop quality work), what you are interested in return and your pricelist. Looking to add to my Primaris SM and Necron armies atm.
-The Lion
-Kasrkin
-New Cadian HWT
-Rogal Dorn MBT
-Cawdor Ridge Walkers
-Primaris Techmarine
-Storm speeder
-Impulsor
-Can someone please 3d print me a replacement head for Abaddon? I have the rest of the model, but no head and nothing suitable from the CSM range to put in its place. If anyone could assist me with this, I would really appreciate it!

Didn’t know whether to flare it as debt or retirement.
So the first six months of 2023 have been incredibly rough. I worked two jobs for the last half of 2022 for about 65-70 hours a week combined, putting pretty much everything I made toward paying down debt so I didn’t save anything. I was still living paycheck to paycheck. After the holiday quarter, hours got cut so drastically at both that I was barely hitting 20 hours combined.
In early March, I got hit with the news that my car needed about $1200 in repairs. I live in an area where I NEED a car and I certainly couldn’t get a different car for cheaper than the repairs would cost. I know just enough about cars to know these repairs were serious and couldn’t wait much longer as it was a hazard to myself and others on the road (both wheel bearings and a disintegrated motor mount). I wasn’t anywhere close to having the money so I took out a 401k loan of $2000 in case it ended up costing more. The repairs actually ended up only costing $1000 so I put the remaining $1000 toward paying off my highest interest credit card as I figured I’d be staying at that job long enough to pay off the loan in time.
Shortly after, I got a letter in the mail saying our complex was not renewing our lease due to my roommate’s difficulty paying rent on time. Not being able to afford housing anymore (as we were still paying the same rent as we did back in 2020) pushed me into a career in trucking so I could live in the truck and pay off my debt. I did some research into 401k loans and everyone said it would just be counted as a withdrawal if it wasn’t paid back. Cool, I’m fine with that.
I come back from a couple weeks of orientation to find a letter in the mail from my previous employer saying that my 401k loan HAS to be repaid by September. Are they just saying that I have to repay it by September for it to not count as a withdrawal? Will letting it go delinquent harm my finances further than just having it count as a withdrawal? Any help is appreciated.
TL;DR: I took out a 401k loan for car repairs and spent all of it since I figured I’d stay at the job long enough to pay it off. I ended up quitting the job and they said I had to pay it back by September. If I don’t pay it off, is there any penalty besides the tax penalty of it counting as an early withdrawal?

Investment Planning for Immigrants
My friends often talk about their investment strategies. They have 401(k) and Roth IRAs, health savings accounts, brokerage accounts, and investment properties. I live in a very nice area, and my friends are well-educated business leaders who had successful parents who taught them well. They are wealthy people. Their parents often encouraged them to set up their investment accounts in their twenties, and they benefited from compounding growth over decades. Many have education savings and investment accounts to pay for their children’s education. Some have just one child. Yet, they often seem incredibly stressed about finances, investing, and retirement. They often tell me I am lucky not to have kids because it’s too expensive and tiring.
As an immigrant, my financial obligations are far larger than that of my friends. And I do not have support. I have to do my investing and retirement planning to ensure I can support myself and my extended family. I am not just planning for my retirement. I am planning everyone’s lives and their retirements as well. I am the backstop. Yet, I do not have anyone to bail me out if I even need support.
What makes it hard is the limited influence one has on their extended family. If I had kids, I could guide them and help them avoid expensive problems in life. I would have visual oversight of them with daily contact. For my extended family, while I financially support them, I do not have as much influence over their decisions. How do you influence the decisions of a parent or sibling? They are adults, and they think they know best.
For example, my father recently sold my childhood home to pay down debt because of a bad business investment. My parents had to go live in their village home, which is called a dacha. Then my sister asked my parents to sell their investment 1-room apartment, which they had bought with money left from the sale of my childhood apartment after the debt was paid. This apartment was meant to give them some monthly rental income for their retirement.
During the war in Ukraine, I had to get my sister, nephew, and half Ukrainian brother-in-law, with Ukrainian last name, out to Mexico on very short notice. Moving them cost me $35,000. That is a significant amount. This is not counting my lost income and lost health due to the tremendous effort, prolonged stress, and weeks of working around the clock. We barely got them to leave the country. I had to buy multiple airplane tickets because they were not allowed to have a layover in some countries without visas, and visas were not possible to obtain. The plan was to bring my parents and brothers next, but after all the work was done to set up my sister’s and her family’s lives in Mexico and sort out their documentation, they suddenly decided to go back.
When it’s your immediate family, you would usually plan such a large expenditure and defer things until they were manageable and more cost effective. As an immigrant like myself with an extended family, I am financially obligated over actions and needs I often cannot control. So, while I plan for my family, my planning often changes if they make financially poor investment choices, or something happens out of their control. I have found that careful planning is less important than keeping a large savings buffer. Strategic and operational flexibility is more important than a plan.
Investing has always been difficult. I have lived in multiple countries. In each country, I would set up a retirement account to benefit from tax-free or tax-deferred benefits and make my contributions. Yet, I never had the opportunity to see the benefits of compounding interest and re-invested dividends. Interest needs time to have an impact. A very long time.
Each time I moved, I had to decide if I should keep the account or cash it out. Rolling it over to my new account in my new country was not even possible. Keeping the account open has many other problems. I have a bank account with money in it, but I cannot move the money. That bank authenticates the login with an SMS but will only recognize a phone number with that country’s area code. I have long since given up that number. The bank will allow me to change my mobile number, but first, I would need to log in and be authenticated with the number I no longer have. The support desk is of little help. They take months to respond.
In another case, I want to pay the taxes owed. It’s not much, but if I owe it, I want to pay it. I have no means of contacting the revenue service in that country. The phones are never answered, and my emails get a response after three to four months. The two checks I FedEx’d were returned since they could not locate my tax account and were unwilling to follow up to authenticate my ID. They basically wanted me to stop bothering them.
In another example, I decided to keep my retirement account in Canada. Yet, I found out the Canadian Revenue Agency would impose a 1% per month penalty on any deposits made while I was not physically present in the country. This is why I have to close accounts as I move.
Americans spend their entire lives trying to understand one set of tax codes and investment options. As an immigrant, I had to spend just a few years mastering each country’s tax code and investing options. And then I had to leave and start over.
To pay for my MBA, I had to sell my house. Yet, that was not the only reason. I was very worried about having so much of my wealth tied up in a foreign country. Many things could go wrong, including the illegal seizure of my property. So, I had to sell and give up the asset appreciation. And pay the full taxes, and get permission from the revenue agency to transfer the money. And pay the transfer fees to the bank and revenue agency. In all the situations above, I did not want to give up my investments. Yet, I had to do so, and often, at a time that was not beneficial for me.
Many of my friends have seen incredible compounding gains from holding 401(k), and Roth IRA accounts since their twenties. Now in their sixties or seventies, they have benefited from almost fifty years of gains. The same applies to their homes. They have greatly appreciated in value. Most bought amazing homes when they were in their thirties and will sell those often fully paid-off homes, downsize to a smaller home, and live off the profits.
Many will not have to downsize. The fifty years of returns from their 401K and Roth IRA accounts will be sufficient. As immigrants, we almost never have the time to fully benefit from the two sources of the greatest wealth creation (time-based home and equity appreciation), as much as people born in the USA. This is something that investment advice does not take into account when advising immigrants. This is why I had to study investing for myself and make my own decisions.
Yet, as an immigrant, each time I move and give up what I have built, I am making a bet on myself. It is an investment I can fully control. It is the only investment I can fully control. That is the path I have taken. My American friends and neighbors slowly built their wealth because they had the power of time on their side to let their assets appreciate. I could not do that. By the time I need my 401(k) and Roth IRA, those investments will not have as much time to grow and compound as my American friends.
I set up my 401(k) last year at the age of 41, only after I was sure I would not move again. I was tired of having to close accounts and lose money. The compounded gains will not be as significant over twenty or even thirty years when compared to my friends. That is a hard barrier I cannot change. Most people try to overcome this hard barrier by making risky investments to earn higher returns to make up for the shorter investing time period. I am not going to do that. I worked too hard to build what I have, and I cannot afford to lose it.
So, what could I do? How would I overcome this barrier? I had to invest in myself to rapidly create wealth and, thereafter, invest it in property and equity. My solution has been to earn more. Then I invest it modestly. Most people focus less on earning more, and pursue aggressive, another word for risky, investments. I would rather invest a hypothetical $1,000,000 and earn 3% after inflation and taxes than invest a smaller $100,000 and aim for 10% after inflation and taxes. The bigger the principal investment, which I get from investing in myself to increase my earnings, the less I need to chase returns. And given the hard barrier of too little time, those returns will not compound as fast anyway. The stock market works over long stretches of time.
I know the salaries of consulting equity partners, investment bankers, and the like. I mentor many of them as my clients. When I looked at the obligations I had for my family, it scared me. When I did the math, I realized that, even as a senior banker or consulting partner, I would need to stay in an apartment, or a very basic house, for probably most of my life, work in a job I did not like, and just barely earn enough to take care of everyone.
If I achieved all of this, I would not be having a great life. I would just get by. This is me working as a corporate finance banker when I did not at all like being a corporate finance banker. And I was good at my job, getting promoted in 6 months to director. I did not just want to get by financially in a career I did not like. I wanted a full life. That is why I built an authority-based business. The goal was to bet on me and build a business around my name that could never be taken from me. Earn more. Invest wisely without chasing risky returns. Help more people. And live a happy life while caring for the people I love.
An authority-based business is not for people who want to get rich overnight. It is betting on yourself and building a business for the long-term. If you are inclined to build your own business the way I built mine, potentially initially on the side while working full time, and want Michael and me to coach and guide you through the process, you are welcome to learn about The Authority-Based Business coaching program and apply to enroll. Levels of effort and installment options are available.
Here are the details:
https://www.firmsconsulting.com/authority-based-business-program/
Take care,
Kris Safarova

Hi everyone 👋 another really cool assortment of gold and Diamond jewelry up for grabs tonight!
All gold is stamped, tested in house, and in excellent condition.
All diamonds listed are all natural! (No lab diamonds)
Proof: https://imgur.com/a/VxvBmOb
1.) 20” 24k Nugget Link Chain 2.1mm 16.0g $1175 https://imgur.com/a/n19G6qI -very unique hand made nugget link style Baht chain.
2.) 22” 22k Baht Chain 2.8mm 30.2g $1960 https://imgur.com/a/Af2qeYa -very cool authentic Baht chain that was hand made in Guam. Great color and in great condition.
3.) 20” 21k Gold Italian Link Chain 6.5mm 29.2g $1800 https://imgur.com/a/QPhDaBL -brand new and absolutely beautiful chain.
4.) 16” 21k Gold Woven Link Chain 2.1mm 5.5g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/aJtSpf1
5.) Size 6 14k Gold and .5ct Emerald Cut F/VS Natural Diamond 9.1g $650 https://imgur.com/a/tOdwq4q
6.) Size 7 14k Gold and 1.2ct Baguette G-H Natural Diamonds 6.6g $570 https://imgur.com/a/FNVJKGx
7.) Size 8 14k WG and 1ct Baguette/Round Natural Diamonds 8.7g $700 https://imgur.com/a/iDWeizG
8.) Size 12 14k WG with 1.1ct G/H Si Natural Diamonds 7.7g $550 https://imgur.com/a/3sFTRdG -full on clean 10 pointer diamonds. Very very nice Men’s ring. Diamonds hit hard!
9.) Size 8 14k Gold with 2.5ct Natural Ruby ring 4.7g $240 https://imgur.com/a/7FtdL3x
10.) Size 7 10k Gold and .10ct Natural Diamonds 2.0g $125 https://imgur.com/a/1DehQ2B
11.) Size 7 10k Gold and .10ct Natural Diamonds 1.3g $100 https://imgur.com/a/1DehQ2B
12.) 24” 14k Gold Diamond Cut Franco 3.5mm 52.4g $2270 shipped and insured https://imgur.com/a/qBAOgZB
13.) 22” 14k Cuban 2.1mm 9.8g $430 https://imgur.com/a/2HsB7MT
14.) 22” 14k Jacoje Diamond Cut Rope 3.5mm 22.0g $945 https://imgur.com/a/zjX9E6W -in excellent condition along with box and Jacoje certificate of authenticity
15.) Size 6 18k Gold 11.4mm Pearl with .80ct G VS Natural Diamonds 8.9g $700 https://imgur.com/a/AcP02bT -brand new 18k with .8ct of true VS natural diamonds and a beautiful 11mm Pearl. Cost of materials to make another would be $1200+ please someone buy this before my wife steals it 😂
16.) 18” 14k Gold Rope 2.7mm 12.4g $500 https://imgur.com/a/tAVuEKJ
17.) 20” 14k Gold Rope 2mm 11.1g $455 https://imgur.com/a/ZNOBQ4u
18.) 18” 14k Mariner Chain 2.7mm 8.5g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/Qey0Kiq
19.) 24” 14k Gold Curb 4.6mm 13.4g $540 https://imgur.com/a/dj8D9XX
20.) 24” 14k Herringbone 1.5mm 2.2g SOLD https://imgur.com/a/WAoNMgB
21.) 14k Gold Sea Turtle Pendant with Ruby Eyes 7.4g $320 https://imgur.com/a/AqkyF5m
22.) 10k Salmon Pendant 3.5g $115 https://imgur.com/a/eVqnqez
Shipping via first class ($5) or priority ($9). All items ship within 24 hours of purchase.
Payment via Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, eCheck, PayPal (It’s a biz acct so I only have G&S which is +3.5% due to the PayPal fee).
I DO NOT ACCEPT FORMS OF PAYMENT NOT LISTED. ABSOLUTELY NO EXCEPTIONS.
Any questions please let me know! Thanks

You can live comfortably in a pickup with a trailer and solar power for like less than 10k a year. That would only require you to work 2-3 days a week. For many homeless people, even with mental or physical problems, this is honestly possible. After 62 you can retire, and the government will pay you from social security.

Read Chapter 1 Here
Previous Chapter Here
My other SSB story, Writing on the Wall, Here
I was sitting here in the dark, pantsless and writing (as you do), and I decided to check how far my progress was going on a few things. Turns out I was way past my "release a new chapter" threshold!
Enjoy the continued adventures of our favorite fuckups.
*****
“...about those sculptures. I know we told the Aboriginal Art Institute of Karnif that they could hold onto them for another two months, but apparently they are part of some shrine and the Governess of the South Pacific is getting on my case about returning them before a holy day.” Jem’si looked to his right, where his wife Torel was walking alongside him. She was his partner in more than just his marriage, and he was a little surprised to see that she didn’t have a pad out to take notes. “Are you paying attention?”
“Not really,” Torel replied. She had been strangely subdued, quiet all morning. On his left, his wife Keller tried to match pace. She was so much bigger than both of them that it was difficult, but she had a lot of practice and the halls of House Chel’xa’s ancestral home were a familiar place.
“Now.” Keller’s word was punctuated by her left arm shooting across her body to grab Jem’si by the upper arm. It was a firmer grip than Jem’si had ever felt from his wives, and for it to come from gentle Keller was doubly surprising. Before he could comment, Torel grabbed his other arm. The pair lifted and Jem’si found himself being dragged along, feet barely touching the floor.
“Put me down!” He tried to wiggle out of their grip, but neither woman seemed to be in the mood to play nice. “If you wanted to have some fun this morning you could have just asked!” Neither Torel or Keller said anything in reply, just continued to drag him along as his commands to be let go turned into pleading whines. They wouldn’t even look at him.
Jem’si wasn’t scared, not really. Just confused. He trusted his family utterly, and even as they maneuvered him out of the corridor, down a hall, and into an empty dining room he felt confusion more than fear. The room was dark, curtains drawn, and Jem’si let out a small “oof” as he found himself practically flung into a chair. The door clacked shut and he was plunged into nearly complete blackness.
After a few moments of sitting in the dark, trying to figure whatever sort of madness seemed to be running in his wives, Jem’si had enough. He raised his voice, put in every bit of commanding tone he had learned through years of Noble intrigue and business with Humans, and called out to the darkness.
“Well?!”
Light flared suddenly from the chandelier, dazzling his eyes. Fear froze his heart as he realized he and his wives weren’t actually alone. It began to thaw right back up as he saw who sat across from him.
“Why were you all sitting in the dark?” Jem’si tried to keep his voice casual.
“For the emotional impact,” Samuel Forsythe-Painter replied.
“Obviously,” Sammi Painter-Forsythe added.
Flanking the pair of tiny humans sat Elera Heleum and Marin Elbruk. Elera reached into her lap and leaned forward, placing something down on the table. It settled on the ancient wood with a dull thunk.
“The same reason I brought this,” she added helpfully.
Jem’si vaguely recognized the pistol. It was a massive hunk of silver steel with a barrel so wide he could stick a finger into it. The same gun that played so prominently in the story of that whole adventure in the frozen north. He hadn’t realized it had survived the rocket attack at the hotel, or that it had been brought to Shil.
Now thoroughly spooked, Jem’si glanced up at Keller where she stood next to him. She had brought him here, but surely she would protect him from these lunatics.
Keller looked down at him sadly, dark eyes showing little more than disappointment. “Sorry, Jem, you’re on your own.”
Torel was no better. She wouldn’t even look at him. When he glanced to the other side of the table, Marin nodded at Elera. The spikey haired Marine leaned her bulk forward and steepled her fingers together, the spindly shadows from her hands falling across the gun on the table.
“Lieutenant Colonel Marin and I had an interesting visitor yesterday. We’ve both been promoted, retired from active service, and given an Imperial Writ to deal with. It’s a great deal, really; we have been ordered by the Empress Herself to protect our little Human friends here.” With that, Elera reached out and gave Sammi what was likely intended to be a friendly pat on the back but nearly knocked the much smaller Human clear of their chair. “And, if things don’t go well, we’ve been ordered to kill them both.”
“I don’t really care much for that part,” Samuel said quietly.
“Samesies,” added Sammi.
“We’ve also been ordered to ensure that nobody learns about the OTHER project. You know the one.” Marin punctuated her statement by placing her own pistol on the table. This one was much smaller, more modern, but at least as deadly. She looked down at it, then glanced at Elera’s. “These are a really poor representation of our orders. Orbital strikes were mentioned.”
Jem’si grasped in his mind for the swordfighter’s calm he had cultivated the last few years, but it wouldn’t come. He had his ass planted in an oversized chair, was surrounded by people who meant him harm, and even his wives had abandoned him. The best control he could manage was to pull in a deep breath, swallow, and try to hold down the sour, sick feeling twisting through his guts.
“I really didn’t know what to do.” Elera put her hands flat on the table, and Jem’si, hyper-focused now on potential dangers, watched as the fingers on her right hand twitched. “So I figured I’d call the only person I knew who might have experience dealing with this sort of thing. Someone who might know why we were suddenly getting orders from the Empress after working so hard to keep this whole thing quiet.”
Keller’s huge hand landed on Jem’si’s shoulder, causing him to jerk. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to.
“The orders make sense, but they leave something very important out. So I’m going to ask you, Jem’si. I’m going to ask you as a holder of an Imperial Writ, ordered by the Empress Herself to ensure the security of the Painter Research Institute and the Lone Caribou Survival Company.” Elera’s hands were fists now and the light from the chandelier reflected in the tears forming in her eyes.
“What did you tell them? What happened to Stace? Is he even alive out there?” The questions seemed to hang in the air, and Jem’si wondered if the wrong answer would kill him. He had never doubted Keller’s loyalty before, but if the Empress said he had to die, would she stop it? He hoped so, but she had been a Deathshead Commando long before she became his wife.
In the end, he only had one response he could give. He swallowed again, cleared his throat, and hoped that the truth would keep him alive.
“I don’t know what’s happening on Nix. I reached out through Iria Stolsk, who often acts as a scientific policy advisor to the Empress, and I gave her everything I had. Much of it was technical documents from the PRI’s research, but not much more than what was used for the investor’s meeting.”
Jem’si cleared his throat again, then jerked in panic as a loud thunk sounded next to him. If Keller’s hand wasn’t keeping him in place, he might have bolted. Instead, he nodded his thanks to Torel and picked up the glass of water she had found for him. A couple of sips did little to steady his nerves; he would have killed for some of that flavored bourbon Stace made.
“As for the… other project. When Stace started making preparations, I gave him access to a highly encrypted data archive. It contains all of the notes Demir Chel’xa made during her time on Nix, all her observations of the people there. Every bit of video we had, audio clips of their language, topographical and seismic scans of the planet… House Chel’xa kept everything, and I gave all of it to him.
“When he started working on his own plans to save Nix, he was linked to that server. I don’t know if it was intentional or just Stace not knowing how he set up his accounts, but all of his notes were backed up to the same archive. I gave the Empress all of it.”
“But you don’t know what She decided. If Stace is being left alone or if he’s in a blacksite prison.” Elera closed her eyes and a single tear slipped free. “If he’s even alive.”
“No. I don’t know, but if the Empress meant to silence this whole enterprise, you wouldn’t have a Writ. You’d have a smoking hole in your skull.”
Elera nodded. “And so would you. We all would.”
“Why don’t we?” Sammi’s voice was so innocent, so free of the pain and fear everyone else seemed to be wrapped up in, that it seemed to shatter the tension in the room. Shoulders slumped, hands unclenched, and Jem’si had the sudden hope that, just maybe, he’d finish this meeting without throwing up in his lap.
Samuel spoke next. “It’s obvious that the Empress, if she hasn’t exactly given us permission for the Nix project, is at least willing to look the other way. I don’t know what’s going on out there, but I think we can count on Stace doing his thing.” He tapped his fingers on the table in a quick rat-tat-tat, blue-painted nails clicking on the wood. “The real question is why she would let us do it at all. Tons of risk with no real reward for the Empire, which is why we agreed to keep all this quiet in the first place.”
“My husband is a businessman.” Torel’s voice was surprisingly affectionate given the circumstances, and when her hand came up to ruffle Jem’si’s hair he relished the contact. It didn’t matter if his coiffure was ruined. “Even if he’s not the brains of the operation, he occasionally makes a deal.”
“The research you two have been doing; is it real?” Jem’si nodded at the two Humans at the table. “Can you really do that incredible line of turox shit you sold to the investors?”
Sammi let out a very undignified snort. “You have no idea. What the investors are getting is real, but it’s babytown frolics compared to what we could really do with it. We’re keeping the good stuff; I wanna see if I can turn a star inside out.”
“That’s… horrifying.” Jem’si felt on firmer ground now; the crisis had passed and he was going to live through this. “Well, I may have passed the word that the technological superiority you’re providing would put us decades, perhaps centuries ahead of the Consortium and the Alliance.”
He let the moment settle with a performer’s ease before dropping the punchline.
“And if we aren’t allowed to fix Nix it would turn out that you two didn’t actually know what you were doing. It would have destroyed House Chel’xa along with the two of you, but it would turn out we were huxsters all along.”
Samuel laughed bitterly. “And to think, if you actually told us your plan we probably would have agreed to it. Instead, we now have to deal with having two members of our family who have signed and sealed orders from the Empress of the Shil’vati to kill the rest of us. Not exactly something that makes it easy to maintain a relationship.”
Elera pulled herself to her feet before picking up the heavy Human handgun. She carefully checked it, then put it in her pocket. Marin followed her example and did the same with her own pistol, and the two Humans hopped down off their chairs.
“I am sorry.” Jem’si firmed up his voice, felt the old confidence start to pool in his chest. “For not telling you, I mean. I don’t regret what I did.”
“Of course you don’t,” Samuel said sadly as the group headed towards the door. “You’re Shil’vati. We’re leaving, by the way. Going home. It doesn’t feel right to be living off your charity. I’d tell you not to follow us, but we can’t realistically stop you since you own a third of the company.”
“Just know that you won’t be welcome,” Sammi added before slamming the door behind them.
Jem’si let out a sigh as he sank into his chair, feeling suddenly boneless. Keller and Torel moved around him, pulling up chairs of their own.
“That went better than it could have,” Keller said casually. She barely seemed bothered by the whole thing.
“Oh, really?” Jem’si really couldn’t see the bright side.
“We could all be dead,” Torel clarified. “According to the scope of their Writ, either one of those two would have been perfectly within their rights to have the entire Chel’xa compound incinerated.”
“....what.”
“Knowledge of Nix is to be limited to the PRI and Lone Caribou. House Chel’xa clearly knows about it, or this whole thing wouldn’t have gotten started.” Keller sounded too matter of fact, too calm. “You may be the one who got this whole thing going, but the Humans wouldn’t have even known about it if you hadn’t told them. You’re clearly a security risk.”
“You could make the argument that Jem’si is in the clear, as part owner of PRI. I do a lot of the clerical work, so I’m safe too.” Torel smirked over at Keller. “Sounds like you’re the odd one out.”
“Yep. It would have been perfectly reasonable, from a legal standpoint at least, if Elera had shot me in the face as soon as we sat down.” Keller smirked. “Not that she would. I think she kinda has a thing for me.”
“And what, you’d have let her do it?” The panic was back, bile sour and acidic in Jem’si’s throat.
“I’m not bulletproof, Jem. Couldn’t have done a whole lot about it.”
Jem’si pressed his hands to the table, slowly pulling himself to his feet. “I think…” He swallowed. It didn’t help. “I think I’m going to throw up. Then I’m going to talk to Iria and see if I can talk to the Empress in person. I need to get a handle on this before someone ends up dead.”
“Someone else, you mean.” Torel gave Jem’si a very unflattering glare. “On top of all the other deaths we’ve had so far.”
Jem’si bit down a retort as he turned away, walking towards the door. Oh yes. Couldn’t forget those.
–
When it came down to it, Lewis could admit that this was at least partially his fault.
He had left the grocery store with plastic bags in his hands and a spring in his step. The rusty minivan parked next to Lewis's SUV completely failed to get his attention, which was likely the whole reason it was chosen for the job. He had just finished putting the bags in the backseat when the van’s side door opened behind him, a bag slipped over his head, and Lewis was bodily pulled into the vehicle. He barely even had time to squeak out a panicked yelp.
Even with his head covered, Lewis knew at once who his captors were. The large hands, the ease with which they were manhandling him, and the sheer brazenness of the kidnapping left no doubt in his mind that he was in the hands of the Shil'vati. They pulled his hands behind his back and cuffed them together before he was plopped down in the middle seat. Meaty fingers stayed firmly grasped around his biceps as the van rumbled to life. They were on the move.
"So..." Lewis tried to keep his voice even. He wasn't a fighter, and if he started throwing elbows he would still end up at his destination. Just with a broken jaw. "If you're sex traffickers, you probably could do better than me."
There was no reply but silence.
As they bounced along, Lewis was surprised to find that he wasn't as frightened as he expected. After nearly a decade fighting the invaders in his own way, the idea of eventually being captured or killed had percolated through his mind for long enough that it was comfortable. In a way, it was a relief; wherever he was going, whatever was going to happen to him, Lewis was done with the fight. He could hang up his spurs, at least until the gallows called.
Instead of dwelling on the situation, he tried to follow where the van was going. It only took a few turns for Lewis to become hopelessly lost. His lack of a sense of direction was legendary among his friends, and thanks to the ubiquitous ease of GPS and smartphones he never really had to pick up the skill. He regretted his reliance on technology now, not that it would really change anything. The van rumbled on, its old and tired suspension creaking with every bump, and Lewis waited to die.
The van pulled to a stop with a lurch and Lewis jerked awake. He had been half-dozing, a fact that he took in with a bit of surprise. After the first hour or so, the anxiety of being captured had faded into a dull shock, which had turned into a stupor. Now he had completely lost track of time. The door to his right slid open and Lewis was pulled out with a sudden jerk. He tried to catch himself on half-numb legs, stumbled, was caught, and found himself being half carried and half marched on the rough gravel underfoot.
Even with the hood obscuring his vision, Lewis could still hear perfectly fine. He could still smell, too, and the rumble of a large diesel engine was accompanied by the smell of rancid exhaust. The gravel under his feet became a metal ramp and he stumbled again, letting his Shil'vati captors drag him up by his biceps. There would be some nasty bruises later, but for now the pain helped him regain focus.
The ramp leveled out and the metal clang was replaced by the dull thud of thin wood under his feet. Lewis was only dragged a few more steps before a quick shove threw him into a chair. It didn't move at all, evidently attached to the floor, and before he could really process the situation further a loud clatter behind him made evident that Lewis was now trapped. The smell of exhaust was even worse here, sour on his throat. Fear was finally beginning to settle in his guts as he tried to prepare himself for the inevitable torture.
"Ashley Lewis. Age twenty-six standard, degrees in psychology and philosophy, currently employed in an administrative capacity for a phone and 'net based therapy service. Being able to telework has made it easy for you to travel for your other job, working as a data courier and soft asset for the terrorist organization colloquially known as The Numbers.
"A few months ago, you were involved in an attack on a man named Eustace Grant that left him nearly dead and eventually led to a region-wide shakeup of law enforcement and the public execution of the Regional Governess." Lewis's head jerked forward as the hood was pulled off in a single sharp tug.
Black eyes with irises like gold rings floating in pools of ink stared at him from a face of purple skin. In the moment, the Shil'vati looked exactly as alien as she was, and the familiarization he had spent years building flashed away as if they were never there. The alien smiled, drawing attention to her tusks, then nodded once. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you."
Lewis took in his captor. She was average height for a female Shil, though not as massively built as the majority of marines he had seen. Her hair was stark white and pulled back into a ponytail, and she wore a long coat of heavy black. Around him, all he could see was dirty wood and aluminum paneling. The rumbling of an engine continued, as did the stink of fumes. He was in the back of a small box truck.
And in front of him stood Investigator Jel’si Chel'xa.
*****
Previous Next
This is a fanfic that takes place in the “Between Worlds” universe (aka Sexy Space Babes), created and owned by u/BlueFishcake. No ownership of the settings or core concepts is expressed or implied by myself.
This is for fun. Can’t you just have fun?

I have a choice between two retirement compensation options with this new job. My wife and I now make around 300k in W2 and rental income. I am looking for outside perspectives and whatever input people are willing to provide.
This job would pay 117k with 1.5-2% annual raises without promotions. I'm going easily get one or two 10% raises on the way up if I stay for a decade. This is a rather easy job that I could relax and excell in for a long time, but I don't necessarily want that.
The choice I have to make is either a 403a with mandatory 9.3% contribution with a 8% employer match, and a 5 year vesting period. I would invest in a market index fund and some tech stocks. Hoping for a solid 10% avg annual return, but who knows!
Or go the pension route
A old school, pension that would allow me access to full social security payments (railroad exemption). The pension is vested after just 10 years, but only pays out at 2.25% per year at 59 years (my goal full retirement age). Being 28 means I could probably max out the pension at 80% with a likely end of career early buy out. Otherwise it would be 69%. Leaving after 10 years would leave me with 17.5% vested.
I am leaning towards the 403a due to my interest in going into real estate/investing full time after I have better equity and cash to leverage. This could happen in 10 or so years.
I also like the idea on living off a small percentage of a retirement account to leave my future children a large inheritance. The pension is also currently underfunded by 40+%..... I'm worried the oversight boards might step in to stop the bleeding. I am uncertain on the death benefits, trying to find that out now.
I feel like I am missing something about pensions, they really don't appeal to me, but everyone seems to think I'm insane for leaning to go with the 403a. Everyone at this new job takes the pension. I'm very worried I'm ignorant of some major factors here.
Thanks in advance! Sorry for my spelling and grammar. I'm really bad about writing like I am speaking.

Hi, everyone. I (23F) currently have $15,000 saved for emergencies and also put roughly $935 into retirement funds (spread across from a Roth IRA, 457b, and CalPERS (California Retirement Savings). In addition to this, I also save 15% of my gross income towards an apartment fund. I no longer save to increase my savings fund, and I currently make about 42k a year.
After subtracting my retirement and apartment fund savings and my expenses (I do not have to pay rent as I still live with my parents but do pay for my own phone bill, braces, gym membership, and among other things), I have around $1,200 left to spend. Since I've reached my initial goal of a $15,000 fund, I have stopped saving and spend my money on whatever I like. Recently, it has been for food, family, fun, and typical expenses. Primarily fun (concerts, going out of town, museums, etc). I used to be pretty strict on my spending but since I don't usually do much, I've been spending more (I guess I'm trying to justify myself. I do work full-time and don't want to only be working and going home as my life though).
I am fortunate enough that my parents do not ask me to pay for anything since living at home (car insurance, rent, groceries, utilities, etc). My parents are immigrants (thus, I am first generation), so they don't want me to struggle to pay for anything and let me spend my money as I please.
So multiple questions: Should I continue to increase my emergency fund? If my emergency fund is decent enough, what should I be doing now? Should I stop my big spending and focus on saving more (for what specifically, probably retirement right?)? What should I do in general?

I am a Canadian working in Boston, Mass, USA. Recently, I came across so many sad news about the Canadian housing market. I wanted to help so I am sharing some stories and ideas to help some young people to make better decisions for themselves.
My Own Little Story (Optional Read)
I studied in Toronto from 2011 to 2013 and worked in Toronto from 2015 to 2019. The rest of my time was spent in Boston.
I really like the lifestyle that Toronto has to offer. Great food, multi-cultural, world class schools, good subway system and having a few good friends.
Starting from 2017, I noticed that Justin Trudeau was increasingly tailoring his policies into industries that would form bubbles - think marijuana, crypto and housing. I also noticed that the housing price to income level is way too out of whack when comparing to other advanced economies like US and Japan.
In late 2018, I have a decision to make:

1. Do I work very hard in Toronto to buy a house with limited great companies to work for but I have my friends and families close to me?
2. Do I move to the USA where I have way more career choices, better pay and I only need to be a mediocre worker to afford a house? The downside - I have less friends and family around.

I was 31 years old when I have this decision to make. During this time period, I noticed that more and more of friends are married and they don't have that much time to socialize anyways. So, I decided to optimize for my career and move back to Boston.
Currently, I am still renting in a suburb in Boston paying $2700 for a 900 sqft apartment sharing with my sister (who also moved down). My income grew dramatically over the past 4 years (think more than 35%) working for the same company. Inflation bites me a little but I am grateful that I am able to navigate around this inflationary environment pretty well.
The Irrationalities of the Housing Market in Canada's Big Cities
In my spare time, I enjoy doing some part time investing as a hobby and so picked up some economics over the past few years. One thing that I have learned about bubbles is that they are caused by irrationalities of market participants. In the housing market - the participants are the renters, the landlords, the home owners and the soon-to-be rent owners. Basically, everyone that lives in the city.
In my opinion, housing bubbles are some of the most dangerous bubbles that you can have. A lot of wealth of a household is tied to their home. Furthermore, governments typically have little incentives to pop the bubble. Popping the bubble would be equivalent to losing an election. For a politician, this means ending your career. For this very reason, I don't believe any politician would be willing to pop the bubble unless they run their campaign on popping the bubble and win. I do have to warn you that popping the Canadian housing bubble (at this point) is quite dangerous because the Canadian economy has become so reliant on the housing market.
Back to the irrationalities. Here are some of the irrationalities that I see in the Canadian housing market:

1. People keep going to Toronto and Vancouver despite knowing the housing there is expensive.
2. Renters willing to bear the exorbitant rent increase for whatever reasons to stay in the big cities. This willingness to bear the rent increases actually increase the house prices in the long run. This will lead investors/landlords to believe that their property can generate however much income they want. Therefore, paying a high value for such property is deemed to be the right investing move. I want to give huge kudos for those participating in the rent strikes. This is the type of movement that smack the investors or landlords to wake up. Their property value do have an upper limit that is governed by how much the renters see fit. If all of the sudden renters disappear, I have high conviction that the housing market crash in these big cities are not far away.
3. Home owners are also showing lots of signs of irrationalities. The main one is no one is willing to profit from an obvious arbitrage (risk-free) opportunity. If I bought a place 6 or 7 years ago, I am sitting on a big pile of equity in Toronto. It is easily in the order of 400k. If I am a rational and emotionless investor, I would sell my property and move elsewhere cheaper. I am potentially able to enjoy a semi-retired life. However, I don't see a lot of people doing that. There are a lot of reasons why this is not occurring. I think one of the common theme is family and friends. Another is probably the belief that the house is the safest investment and there are a lot of room for the house price to increase.
4. Soon-to-be-homeowner's irrationality - I need to get into the market or I will miss out. I think this is a flawed mindset. There is always the option to vote with your feet. Move somewhere else where the quality of life is better.

So, why am I pointing out the irrationalities? I believe the only way for a bubble to pop or deflate is to have market participants to become rational again. Unfortunately, it is not that easy to be rational about where you want to live because there are a lot of emotion ties to the place you live. Even till today, I sometimes think about the possibility of have a great career in Toronto. But, I don't think it is coming.
What Can You Do about It?
In general, the best thing to do when you are living in a irrational market is to keep calm and make rational decision. Over my many years of investing, all I can say it is not easy. But, here is what you can do to make better rational decision on where you live:

1. Find places where you could work at for a reasonably good income (ideally for a long time). These places can be places that requires you to learn a new language or culture like Quebec. If learning a new language can save you 200k over the course of a lifetime, then it is irrational to not learn it.
2. Find out the housing or rental prices for each of the areas that you could work at.
3. Calculate the housing price to income ratio.
4. Go and visit the top 3 to 5 picks based on the housing price to income ratio.
5. Then, hopefully, you can get the courage to move to one of those new places.

Conclusion We live in a capitalistic society. The only way that a capitalistic society can function properly is to have its participant make rational decision. If Toronto/Vancouver has a net outflow of people, then the house prices will eventually go down. I do not believe that Toronto/Vancouver can be completely taken over by migrants. Without locals, I don't think these cities can function at their best. Eventually, the NIMBY folks will wake up to do either 2 things:

1. Leave the cities to where other locals are going
2. Take a loss on their property for the greater good

My advice is to start making rational decision on where you will be living. Otherwise, start getting into politics to change things (which is very hard).

I had trouble getting a job after graduating with a computer science degree, and just kept losing motivation until I stopped applying all together. I only got one in person interview and completely crumbled under the questions. I'm a really quiet person and have a lot of social anxiety. I think it's gotten worse over the years as I spend most my days home alone. I've just been living in my parent's place. My parents have pretty much lost all hope in me, but are too nice to kick me out. I've just grown more and more depressed, but I want my parents to be able to retire. Money has always been tight but they've been working their whole life with nothing saved for retirement because they lent a large sum of money to a relative that refuses to pay it back.
Today I found the motivation to rewrite my old resume and made an account on Indeed and Linked. Mainly searching for Remote only positions. I'm still under qualified for everything just like I was ten years ago. I feel like having a ten year gap of doing nothing will just send my resume into the trash, and even if I did get an interview I wouldn't know how to respond if they asked me what I did for ten years. I submitted a few applications, but I know that no one is going to get back to me.
I know people recommend getting therapy for mental issues, but I don't think its for me. I don't want to be on meds either. I don't need someone to tell me how to cope with things. I just need a job I'm happy in, and can pay bills.
If I'm able to get a Help Desk job or something I'd at least have an income, but it also feels like a dead end job. Also, I don't think I'm cut out for a software engineering role, and don't know how I'll like spending entire days coding. I was wondering if I could do IT or something, but I don't know if a CS degree is even useful for getting a job in that. I was in an environment that just encouraged you to go to a nice college without any long term plans or what to do after graduation.
I don't know if I'm setting the bar too high for myself. I don't know what to do.

TLDR: Do I just have commitment issues that I will work through given enough time and consistent love, or do I really just not love my boyfriend and need to cut him loose?
I met my boyfriend through a mutual friend in late fall of 2022 (we’ve been dating about 8 months now.) When I started dating him, I was going out with a bunch of different people - folks from dating apps, people I had known irl, etc. I was in sort of a manic, date-everybody phase, because I was recovering (or trying to recover) from a really traumatic heartbreak. I hadn’t gotten over this heartbreak yet - didn’t even really see it as being over - and thought of my dates as being something-I-was-doing-to-bide-my-time until my ex saw sense and asked for me back. Before this heartbreak (my best friend of 3 years, with whom I had an extremely codependent-turned-romantic relationship) I was previously in a 4-year relationship with a guy who asked for our relationship to be “open” and said “I know I want to marry you eventually, but not until we’re 30” the entire 4 years we dated. And long before that, my first love was a boy who committed suicide just as soon as we had started to drift apart. Suicide has been a theme around me all my life - neighbors, uncles, classmates, etc - but that one hit the hardest because at 18 I thought he was my soulmate.
Other than these stories, though, I don’t have a history of abandonment. I have amazing parents, a great family, good friends.
So I’m wondering: is the reason I want to break up with my boyfriend just that I have abandonment/commitment issues? Or would my romantic doubts go away if I was with someone I truly loved?
My boyfriend is crazy about me - lately a day doesn’t go by where he doesn’t mention wanting to marry me and “look into my eyes forever” etc. He’s started calling me his future wife. It’s sweet, but I feel so guilty because I feel like I’m lying when I say it back. Ultimately the feeling I have is: “Sure, it would be nice to be this loved forever.” It’s nice to be with someone who adores you. On paper we are totally compatible; his lifestyle and mine work well together. And he’s a really good person. I just sort of find some things about him… annoying. He’s fussy and whiny in ways that I am not. He pouts when he doesn’t win a board game. He can be a little patronizing to me when I don’t make the same choices as him in regard to eating healthy/putting a ton of money in my retirement account etc. He doesn’t command a room in social events; he tends to slink in the background. He tells his friends EVERYthing about our relationship, including sexual anecdotes or embarrassing stories that don’t make me look good. He feels like he is “behind” his other friends, who all have somewhat-higher-paying jobs than him, and some of whom are married with kids. And he’s not… sensitive, in the way the other men I’ve loved have been. Poetic/romantic/in tune with the world/a lover of literature & theatre. Those things are not him. He thinks [redacted megasuperstar pop artist] is the height of lyrical depth. But on the other hand, he is incredibly attentive and affectionate, smart and pragmatic, disciplined and a hard worker, social [with his own friend group, all of whom are deeply good and enjoyable people to be around], kind to his family and mine, an incredible sex partner, and willing to do basically anything for me.
I finally had a conversation with my ex last week where we laid his old feelings for me to rest. It had been hard for me to move on throughout this time, because my ex went from a separated marriage (which I didn’t want to get in the middle of - that’s why I left him) to a new girlfriend right away, before divorcing his wife. And yet while he had the new girlfriend, he would hit on me, or tell me that he was jealous to hear I was going out with new people, etc. Anyway, he finally clarified that he’s happy in his new relationship and doesn’t want to be with me. Fine. That is some relief to me and can allow me to set down the part of myself that expected us to get back together.
But these great loves, like that ex, they come around so rarely. And my current boyfriend is not one of my great, soul-gripping loves. But he is the first guy I’ve ever been with who has committed to me, who I know loves me so much.
I keep waiting to see… if I just wait long enough, if I really will love him back to the same degree he loves me. Am I only pushing him away because vulnerability scares me, or because I’ve been “rejected” so many times that acceptance feels cringey? Do I just feel like I’m supposed to be the one doing the chasing, and having someone else do the chasing feels wrong? Or do I really just not like him, and should I set us both free to find someone else?
I find myself being rude when I’m with my boyfriend - deliberately provoking arguments, texting other guys/being on my phone when I’m in his house, and generally not putting forth as much effort as he puts in. I don’t like these parts of myself. I don’t like the version of me that I am around him. But that’s not his fault. Would I be equally insufferable with anyone else too? Am I the problem?
Am I just using him? Or is this an acceptable part of a healing process where I learn how to be loved? Or is this what love looks like for most married people - should I be happy with this very practical relationship and settle into it?
I’m leaving for the summer for grad school and I’ll be gone for 7 weeks. That’s making me feel like there’s a ticking clock on our relationship - like if I’m going to break up with him, I should do it soon, so he can have a fun single summer and move on. And especially now that he’s starting to talk marriage - I don’t know what I would do if he proposed. Of course it would be so flattering to be proposed to, and would make me feel safe and loved. And there are things I really love about this man. But… I’m just not sure. I felt like I left all these other doors open when I started dating him - I “broke up with” all the other guys I had been going out with, and now I keep wondering whether I might be just as happy with any of them as I am now with this boyfriend.
Is this all just arbitrary? Do soulmates come around so rarely that most people just pick a decent partner and go with it? Am I being ungrateful?
Please help. I am worried he is going to propose and I will say yes with my head and not my heart.
(This is my first time using reddit - thanks in advance for any advice you might have.)

I recently was offered a WFH job which comes with way more benefits than my current job. It does pay .50 less but thats what I’d save on gas not driving 30 mins to my job now. The thing is, I don’t know how WFH jobs work. Do they monitor you like crazy? Its a big insurance company thats kind of always hiring. Is that a bad thing?haha At my current job, theres a lot of wiggle room like days off, leaving early, etc. I also love my boss and my coworkers right now so Im so stuck. He’s an older dentist so he may be retiring soon (He’s 69). That’s another dilemma within itself. This wfh position has room to grow and longevity plus the amazing benefits (insurance, 401k, PTO, etc). A wfh job would be so convenient and my sons school is super close to home so maybe a 5 min drive before an after work. I really need advice. I’m really stuck on whether I take the position. Bonus point is you work/worked for Blue Shield. lol

I had a major health event last year and had to be hospitalized for 5 days. I've never had any medical issues prior to this. I went to the ER and was admitted to the hospital. Months later, I have bills coming from all over the city - different providers, different medical campuses. To this day, a year later, I am still receiving new statements from providers and collection agencies. All and all I'm $20k+ in medical debt, the majority of which is among 4 different collection agencies. I have a payment plan set up with one of the agencies, but the rest are still out there. Since the hospital lacked the space and technology, they had to transport me twice to a different campus via ambulance (5min drive). I was totally fine and capable of taking a $10 Uber but the hospital refused and said I needed to comply with their "policy" and take the ambulance. Now my insurance is refusing to cover the full ambulance charges since it was an "unnecessary service". I'm an additional $10k in debt due to those two ambulance trips.
I live in California. My income is $75-85k a year but my parents are immigrants so I'm helping them out financially. I claimed them as dependents on my last tax return. The only assets I have is $10k in my savings accounts and ~$9k in my retirement account. I have $30k in student loans. My credit score is 758 - this medical debt could potentially ruin that.
I'm a young college graduate and have never been in such a confusing, stressful situation. Going to ER now gives me more anxiety than my illness. I have no idea where to begin. Do I need to pay these collection agencies, or can I ignore them? What are the consequences? Do I need an attorney?
Appreciate this community.

I had a major health event last year and had to be hospitalized for 5 days. I've never had any medical issues prior to this. I went to the ER and was admitted to the hospital. Months later, I have bills coming from all over the city - different providers, different medical campuses. To this day, a year later, I am still receiving new statements from providers and collection agencies. All and all I'm $20k+ in medical debt, the majority of which is among 4 different collection agencies. I have a payment plan set up with one of the agencies, but the rest are still out there. Since the hospital lacked the space and technology, they had to transport me twice to a different campus via ambulance (5min drive). I was totally fine and capable of taking a $10 Uber but the hospital refused and said I needed to comply with their "policy" and take the ambulance. Now my insurance is refusing to cover the full ambulance charges since it was an "unnecessary service". I'm an additional $10k in debt due to those two ambulance trips.
I live in California. My income is $75-85k a year but my parents are immigrants so I'm helping them out financially. I claimed them as dependents on my last tax return. The only assets I have is $10k in my savings accounts and ~$9k in my retirement account. I have $30k in student loans. My credit score is 758 - this medical debt could potentially ruin that.
I'm a young college graduate and have never been in such a confusing, stressful situation. Going to ER now gives me more anxiety than my illness. I have no idea where to begin. Do I need to pay these collection agencies, or can I ignore them? What are the consequences? Do I need an attorney?
Appreciate this community.

As specific as I can; and I come with lots of intentions of healing, finding a state I can call my home and weave in to some sense of being part of a community, grow old, etc…
-27 Male -lived most my childhood and teen life in PR -Joined Navy late 2016 -lived 4 years in NC -(Dec. ‘22) finished 6 years of active duty service in the Navy -Recently became 100% disabled veteran, but I am fully physically able. My disabilities come from my mental & psychological health. -$2k in debt(credit card) -760 credit score -$5k savings acc(I went trough a lot at the end of my service) -$1k checking acc -$4k invested in stock shares -$8k in TSP retirement account -living with parents in PR where I grew up since I lost everything I had when I got out of the service -I only have a electrical bill that I pay for in the house since I use the most electricity (like $200 mo) -Own a old car my dad found for me (it’s all payed) -Recently started receiving prescription medication that takes 4 months to get used to (make me feel loopy) -Started receiving a 3600 pension (it’s not going away and it’s my current source of income.
I guess my goal right now is to feel a little more normal with my meds and move out back in the states. Been considering Colorado for a few months (I feel some people would roll their eyes for saying I’m considering CO. but I mostly hear good things about the place so I don’t wanna hear it) even though it’s on the pricier side. Before y’all ask; No. I don’t want to live in PR. I know it’s beautiful. Trust me I was born & raised here. But for a lot of personal reasons, PR is just not the place for me to grow and settle down. I’m very frightened and jittery but also loopy and tired all the time due to meds and disability, so I’m asking for outside opinions and points of view, What’s next? In your thoughts..and am I doing ok? Or should I be worrying more about something??

As specific as I can and I come with lots of intentions of healing, finding a state I can call my home and weave in to some sense of being part of a community, grow old, etc…
-27 Male -lived most my childhood and teen life in PR -Joined Navy late 2016 -lived 4 years in NC -(Dec. ‘22) finished 6 years of active duty service in the Navy -Recently became 100% disabled veteran, but I am fully physically able. My disabilities come from my mental & psychological health. -$2k in debt(credit card) -760 credit score -$5k savings acc(I went trough a lot at the end of my service) -$1k checking acc -$4k invested in stock shares -$8k in TSP retirement account -living with parents in PR where I grew up since I lost everything I had when I got out of the service -I only have a electrical bill that I pay for in the house since I use the most electricity (like $200 mo) -Own a old car my dad found for me (it’s all payed) -Recently started receiving prescription medication that takes 4 months to get used to (make me feel loopy) -Started receiving a $3600 pension (it’s not going away and it’s my current source of income.
I guess my goal right now is to feel a little more normal with my meds and move out back in the states. Been considering Colorado for a few months (I feel some people would roll their eyes for saying I’m considering CO. but I mostly hear good things about the place so I don’t wanna hear it) even though it’s on the pricier side. Before y’all ask; No. I don’t want to live in PR. I know it’s beautiful. Trust me I was born & raised here. But for a lot of personal reasons, PR is just not the place for me to grow and settle down. I’m very frightened and jittery but also loopy and tired all the time due to meds and disability, so I’m asking for outside opinions and points of view, What’s next? In your thoughts..and am I doing ok? Or should I be worrying more about something??