General Adulthood, Planning for the Future: Business, College, Budgeting, Investments, etc! $$$ - General

[QUOTE=Pascall;50942853]Shit drives me up the wall, honestly. I at least want a good range of what they might pay for the position instead of having to force me to go through the arduous application/interview process before figuring out it pays like $8/hr and me having to tell them that I'm not interested which makes ME look like the asshole. It's dumb. Put your pay rate in your ad. Aaaa.[/QUOTE] i would'nt feel like that there fault for not putting in the rate.

[QUOTE=Pickwickian-;50940343]London is absolutely fucked. The majority of people I know here spend [b]at least[/b] 60% of their income on rent. [editline]24th August 2016[/editline] Ooh, literally just googled this exactly "60% on income on rent in london" and the first 2 articles: [url]http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/london-tenants-spend-60-of-wages-on-rent-10395553.html[/url] [url]https://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jul/16/tenants-in-england-spend-half-their-pay-on-rent[/url][/QUOTE] Why would you live in London if it takes up so much of your income? Wouldn't it just be better to live half an hour outside London, pay way less and just drive/take the train/bus to work?

[QUOTE=slayer20;50943044]I don't think I can handle my current job for another year. Shit's burning me out so fast. I can apply for college in the winter and go in the fall, but I'm definitely not working through the summer again. That shit was fucking dumb. Literally worked two months straight, putting in roughly 14 hours each day, sometimes more. And I mean literally two months, sunday through saturday. One day I clocked in 23 hours. I was only able to get one day off because I threw out my back from working so much and I could barely lift anything or bend over. Anyway, I'm not really looking for advice. Just wanted to rant. Next year couldn't come any sooner.[/QUOTE] what the fuck? how is that legal? what were you doing?

[QUOTE=Anti Christ;50944519]what the fuck? how is that legal? what were you doing?[/QUOTE] Fireworks distributor. We get fireworks from china, people buy fireworks from us, we ship them to people in the states and then they sell stuff at tents. We also have our own tents that WE had to set up and supply for. A couple of our guys ended up having to run a tent because the original people who were going to do it backed out without saying anything. We were supposed to get extra help this year but our bosses are dumb as fuck and wouldn't hire people to help. They said they kept "trying" but I guess they didn't really try hard enough. Btw we only had about 5 people working the warehouse during these two months. Do you have any idea how much it would have helped to have 5 more?

[QUOTE=ejonkou;50944458]Why would you live in London if it takes up so much of your income? Wouldn't it just be better to live half an hour outside London, pay way less and just drive/take the train/bus to work?[/QUOTE] No, because then those are hours you lose elsewhere in your day. Takes away from your time to do other things, including errands or simply relaxing during your time off. Nevermind that the British train system is notoriously spotty and unreliable, I haven't lived there in more than a decade but even I recall common issues with the train from Cambridge to London. Traffic is shit, and parking costs buckets if you don't live in the city. And you probably won't get to park near your workplace, either, so there's that too. tl:dr - living in big cities sucks. Seattle is just getting our train system though, since a bunch of fuckwits voted it down every other time it came up in the past. Now, we have to spend a long time installing it around pre-existing infrastructure. Its sloooooow going, even if our local transit company has been awesome about staying on budget and on schedule :/

Wow, I actually will qualify for some pretty great medical coverage under the ACA through healthcare.gov as a result of leaving work. It's better than the plan my job offers, and costs less to boot. I was expecting to pay $250+ in monthly insurance premiums, but the tax credit I qualify for will reduce my costs to only $60-70/month for the same plans. What a relief! I was planning for my healthcare costs to be much higher, and this takes a lot of pressure off!

Finally breaking from my original PCP that I went to after I stopped going to a pediatrician just because my mom told me to. He's been okay, but he's never been the most understanding or really the most empathetic or caring. He's rushed me through appointments, blown off a lot of my concerns with no explanation, and when I brought paperwork from my university for him to fill out for my disability accommodations, he spent the majority of the time moaning about how he doesn't get paid to fill out paperwork and wondering why the school needs proof in the first place. So now that I'm actually going through with looking for a psychiatric/mobility service dog, I think it's time to find a new doctor that can address my concerns in a much better way than he could. I found one that's a little farther from my home, but it takes my insurance and she has really good reviews. I'm hoping to talk to her about my chronic pain with my GI disorder and ask about the possibility of fibromyalgia to explain my chronic pain in other areas of my body. I'm really hoping the appointment goes well. It's for next Friday. This is a big step of independence for me, I think.

IS GlassDoor a good site to base what a rate is tired of jobs not posting what there basic rate may be ( I have no idea if Glassdoor is based on years working rate / made up or / starter )

Glassdoor seems to be legit. Well, my girlfriend said she has both read accurate things on it and posted stuff about jobs she's had herself. I think it's based on what individual people put on there?

I don't know if there's a better thread for this, but I felt like you guys could help some. My older brother, who, through talking with my parents, found out they are considering tracking my phone and monitoring my location. I'd hate to have to disable location on my phone 24/7 because I regularly use GPS to get around town. I also can't help if they decide to use my Sim card to track my phone via radio towers or whatever. Honestly, I feel like my privacy is being invaded and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm certain they haven't tracked me yet, but I'm sure they'd eventually do it. Is there anything I can do from a legal perspective? I've tried googling this issue and the answers I got were vague at best and inaccurate at worst. For context, I currently live with my parents, am 18, and live in Louisiana.

Are you the one paying for the phone?

[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;50951211]I don't know if there's a better thread for this, but I felt like you guys could help some. My older brother, who, through talking with my parents, found out they are considering tracking my phone and monitoring my location. I'd hate to have to disable location on my phone 24/7 because I regularly use GPS to get around town. I also can't help if they decide to use my Sim card to track my phone via radio towers or whatever. Honestly, I feel like my privacy is being invaded and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm certain they haven't tracked me yet, but I'm sure they'd eventually do it. Is there anything I can do from a legal perspective? I've tried googling this issue and the answers I got were vague at best and inaccurate at worst. For context, I currently live with my parents, am 18, and live in Louisiana.[/QUOTE] How would that even work without installing stuff on your phone? Just get rid of whatever they install/reformat and tell them you really don't want to be tracked. If they don't do it then go from there, you're 18 and totally have the right to not be tracked.

[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;50951211]I don't know if there's a better thread for this, but I felt like you guys could help some. My older brother, who, through talking with my parents, found out they are considering tracking my phone and monitoring my location. I'd hate to have to disable location on my phone 24/7 because I regularly use GPS to get around town. I also can't help if they decide to use my Sim card to track my phone via radio towers or whatever. Honestly, I feel like my privacy is being invaded and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm certain they haven't tracked me yet, but I'm sure they'd eventually do it. Is there anything I can do from a legal perspective? I've tried googling this issue and the answers I got were vague at best and inaccurate at worst. For context, I currently live with my parents, am 18, and live in Louisiana.[/QUOTE] Technically I think if they're paying for the phone/service then they have a right to track their property, you would need to pay for your own service for this to be illegal

[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;50951211]I don't know if there's a better thread for this, but I felt like you guys could help some. My older brother, who, through talking with my parents, found out they are considering tracking my phone and monitoring my location. I'd hate to have to disable location on my phone 24/7 because I regularly use GPS to get around town. I also can't help if they decide to use my Sim card to track my phone via radio towers or whatever. Honestly, I feel like my privacy is being invaded and there's nothing I can do about it. I'm certain they haven't tracked me yet, but I'm sure they'd eventually do it. Is there anything I can do from a legal perspective? I've tried googling this issue and the answers I got were vague at best and inaccurate at worst. For context, I currently live with my parents, am 18, and live in Louisiana.[/QUOTE] why do they want to track you are you there most hated son?

Sorry for the late reply. I'm paying for part of the cell phone bill but my mom bought me the phone in the first place, so it's safe to say it's their property. [QUOTE=theevilldeadII;50951756]why do they want to track you are you there most hated son?[/QUOTE] I got in trouble for lying about where I was once. I think they're overprotective of me mostly because they've been through a lot recently. I lost both my grandmothers only two years ago so both my parents are still affected a bit by that I think. Then my mom lost her best friend that same year. I was also in a serious accident earlier this year that really scared my family. [editline]26th August 2016[/editline] Also I'm basically the middle child so I'm sorta the most hated son by default? My little brother is 9 and my older brother is in his 30s

[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;50952220]Sorry for the late reply. I'm paying for part of the cell phone bill but my mom bought me the phone in the first place, so it's safe to say it's their property. I got in trouble for lying about where I was once. I think they're overprotective of me mostly because they've been through a lot recently. I lost both my grandmothers only two years ago so both my parents are still affected a bit by that I think. Then my mom lost her best friend that same year. I was also in a serious accident earlier this year that really scared my family. [editline]26th August 2016[/editline] Also I'm basically the middle child so I'm sorta the most hated son by default? My little brother is 9 and my older brother is in his 30s[/QUOTE] I would ask your parents what would need to happen for you to regain their trust, but explain that you are now legally an adult and as such you deserve a little more leniency in terms of where you go and what you do (assuming your not a terrible person)

[QUOTE=DesumThePanda;50952220]Sorry for the late reply. I'm paying for part of the cell phone bill but my mom bought me the phone in the first place, so it's safe to say it's their property. I got in trouble for lying about where I was once. I think they're overprotective of me mostly because they've been through a lot recently. I lost both my grandmothers only two years ago so both my parents are still affected a bit by that I think. Then my mom lost her best friend that same year. I was also in a serious accident earlier this year that really scared my family. [editline]26th August 2016[/editline] Also I'm basically the middle child so I'm sorta the most hated son by default? My little brother is 9 and my older brother is in his 30s[/QUOTE] well at least the reason and morals and motives are good

I'm trying to decide between a few different courses of action here, and I could use some outside input. Basically, I'm weighing the pros and cons of selling my pickup truck, pocketing about $3k, and leasing a newer model minivan or passenger vehicle for use in my real estate business; keeping my pickup truck and continuing to make minimum payments on it; or keeping my pickup truck and paying it off as quickly as possible in order to reduce my monthly cashflow. [B][U]Selling Truck and Leasing Passenger Vehicle[/U][/B] 1) [Pro]Puts an extra $3k in my pocket, or about two months of survival money. As I'm getting ready to enter a period of irregular and uncertain income while I work to establish my business, having a deeper survival fund is attractive. 2) [Pro] A minivan is a solid utilitarian choice for my line of work. It allows me to personally transport my clients between properties, rather than travelling separately and meeting on location. This is an appreciated amenity, especially during long days of reviewing many different properties. 3) [Con] My truck is nearly paid off. In the long term, paying off that debt will reduce my monthly cashflow and have a bigger financial impact than a lease (which cannot be paid off). 4) [Con] Leased vehicles can have some restrictions to consider, such as mileage and distance. I won't have the freedom to, say, take a road trip. [B][U]Keeping Truck and Making Minimum Payments[/U][/B] 1) [Pro] My cashflow remains balanced, and the $1700 I would otherwise use towards paying down debt can instead be used to add one additional month to my survival fund. 2) [Pro] I have the freedom to utilize my vehicle however I see fit. 3) [Con] My vehicle is not appropriate for my line of work. It won't hurt me, but it also won't help me. [B][U]Keeping Truck and Paying it Off[/U][/B] 1) [Pro] Though I would lose $1700 in paying off the debt of my vehicle, my monthly expenses would also shrink a good deal, giving a small surplus to my cashflow and making my survival fund go further even with less money under ideal circumstances. 2) [Pro] I have the freedom to utilize my vehicle however I see fit. 3) [Con] My vehicle is not appropriate for my line of work. It won't hurt me, but it also won't help me. 4) [Con] The money used towards paying off my debt could have instead been used to grow my survival fund. 5) [Con] Though my survival fund will last longer with less money under ideal circumstances, I will be less prepared to absorb unexpected expenses such as repairs or medical bills. [editline]26th August 2016[/editline] In any of these scenarios, my business should be established enough after my first year to just purchase the passenger vehicle. I have to make this decision within the next couple of days. The countdown is on for leaving my job, and I won't be able to be approved for any kind of financing or lease options after that point.

Staying the course seems to present the least cons. Plus you own it, and get an extra month or so. The only problem being that the vehicle doesn't help you with your job, but in all the houses I've been shown, I've always preferred to meet the agent at the house simply because I'm too busy. I'd never go all the way to his office just to have him cart me all the way out to a showing, then back to the office to get back to my car. But where you live may be different and you may be dealing with city dwellers who would certainly appreciate the convenient and free transportation, I dunno. How big of a deal is it for you to get a more utilitarian vehicle? Being the only con for that scenario, just how big a con is it?

It's an inconvenience, but not a crushing one. I would definitely like to have the ability to show clients around, and to have a vehicle I could put signage on, but I can definitely make do with my old pickup for the first year if that's the smartest financial move. I guess if I had to break it down to the most essential piece of information, the financials, my options would look more like this: 1) Lump sum of money up front: deepened survival fund. Can absorb unexpected costs more easily, but at a cost of eliminating the possibility of debt paydown (thus maintaining expenses) for the duration of a lease. 2) Stay the course: a balance between extending my survival fund and slowly reducing expenses through debt paydown. 3) Rapid debt paydown: Shrink my survival fund, and ability to absorb unexpected costs, but gain reduced expenses and extend the reach of my remaining survival fund.

I'm not sure if you'd be able to put signage on a leased vehicle? And using a leased vehicle as both a daily driver, and to make consistent trips with clients throughout the day is [I]extremely[/I] likely to have you go over the average 10k/yr miles that most leases entail. Not to mention you'll probably end up having to put money down to lease a minivan, I rarely see cheap lease offers for those. Realistically you should simply continue to make minimum payments on your current vehicle.

[QUOTE=DanTehMan;50956827]I'm not sure if you'd be able to put signage on a leased vehicle? And using a leased vehicle as both a daily driver, and to make consistent trips with clients throughout the day is [I]extremely[/I] likely to have you go over the average 10k/yr miles that most leases entail. Not to mention you'll probably end up having to put money down to lease a minivan, I rarely see cheap lease offers for those. Realistically you should simply continue to make minimum payments on your current vehicle.[/QUOTE] I didn't realize leases were THAT restrictive! Well, that firmly eliminates that option then. Given the other two, I suppose I'll just stay the course. Thanks.

I am so hyped y'all. Just got My American Express Platinum card. It came in this neat little box, with a fancy booklet 'n' shit. (I may sound silly, but i've been working on building my credit, after seeing how much trouble a crappy credit score caused my dad.) Plus, on the unlikely event of my taking an airline flight somewhere, I'm now allowed into these kickass Amex lounges I didn't know existed. [editline]28th August 2016[/editline] [url]http://thecenturionlounge.com/[/url]

Man i'm really at a stump here. So i've been saving up for a new laptop for about 6 months and ate pretty much bare minimum until then, finally saved enough to get it and the laptop came absoloutely fucked, all the games stuttering, runs like arse and just generally doesnt work properly. I decided i didnt want to use this company, and in the UK we have a 14 day policy on returns, both instore and online, there are exceptions for custom stuff but to my knowledge it doesnt transition to buying custom stuff online. So i've initiated a return for a refund, however they seem to be avoiding me now, i did it well within and i am still well within the 14 days, but i havent heard back in 4 days (not including this sunday) The laptop was £1,350. One of those newer custom ones with desktop processors and a 1060 in it. Am i guarenteed a refund if i send it back as a cancellation of the contract? Here is some information to help out because i'm just absoloutely stressed out as it's a lotta money that could be used elsewhere now that i've been put off all of this. [url]https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/right-to-cancel/[/url] The site i used right to cancel policy [url]https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds[/url] Gov information Sorry if this is in the wrong thread. Not sure where to put this.

What do you guys think of my balance sheet? [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1wRIrbh.jpg[/IMG]

Slap that sucker in a spreadsheet with a cashflow statement and you're looking well organized. [editline]28th August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=MxOAgentJohnson;50963589]Man i'm really at a stump here. So i've been saving up for a new laptop for about 6 months and ate pretty much bare minimum until then, finally saved enough to get it and the laptop came absoloutely fucked, all the games stuttering, runs like arse and just generally doesnt work properly. I decided i didnt want to use this company, and in the UK we have a 14 day policy on returns, both instore and online, there are exceptions for custom stuff but to my knowledge it doesnt transition to buying custom stuff online. So i've initiated a return for a refund, however they seem to be avoiding me now, i did it well within and i am still well within the 14 days, but i havent heard back in 4 days (not including this sunday) The laptop was £1,350. One of those newer custom ones with desktop processors and a 1060 in it. Am i guarenteed a refund if i send it back as a cancellation of the contract? Here is some information to help out because i'm just absoloutely stressed out as it's a lotta money that could be used elsewhere now that i've been put off all of this. [url]https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/right-to-cancel/[/url] The site i used right to cancel policy [url]https://www.gov.uk/accepting-returns-and-giving-refunds[/url] Gov information Sorry if this is in the wrong thread. Not sure where to put this.[/QUOTE] I'm not sure that any of us will be able to offer sound advice on this. Your best bet, if you're not able to find a resolution with the company, might be to document as much information as possible (correspondence, tracking numbers, shipping dates, etc) and contact a small claims lawyer.

[QUOTE=Big Dumb American;50955245]I'm trying to decide between a few different courses of action here, and I could use some outside input. Basically, I'm weighing the pros and cons of selling my pickup truck, pocketing about $3k, and leasing a newer model minivan or passenger vehicle for use in my real estate business; keeping my pickup truck and continuing to make minimum payments on it; or keeping my pickup truck and paying it off as quickly as possible in order to reduce my monthly cashflow. [B][U]Selling Truck and Leasing Passenger Vehicle[/U][/B] 1) [Pro]Puts an extra $3k in my pocket, or about two months of survival money. As I'm getting ready to enter a period of irregular and uncertain income while I work to establish my business, having a deeper survival fund is attractive. 2) [Pro] A minivan is a solid utilitarian choice for my line of work. It allows me to personally transport my clients between properties, rather than travelling separately and meeting on location. This is an appreciated amenity, especially during long days of reviewing many different properties. 3) [Con] My truck is nearly paid off. In the long term, paying off that debt will reduce my monthly cashflow and have a bigger financial impact than a lease (which cannot be paid off). 4) [Con] Leased vehicles can have some restrictions to consider, such as mileage and distance. I won't have the freedom to, say, take a road trip. [B][U]Keeping Truck and Making Minimum Payments[/U][/B] 1) [Pro] My cashflow remains balanced, and the $1700 I would otherwise use towards paying down debt can instead be used to add one additional month to my survival fund. 2) [Pro] I have the freedom to utilize my vehicle however I see fit. 3) [Con] My vehicle is not appropriate for my line of work. It won't hurt me, but it also won't help me. [B][U]Keeping Truck and Paying it Off[/U][/B] 1) [Pro] Though I would lose $1700 in paying off the debt of my vehicle, my monthly expenses would also shrink a good deal, giving a small surplus to my cashflow and making my survival fund go further even with less money under ideal circumstances. 2) [Pro] I have the freedom to utilize my vehicle however I see fit. 3) [Con] My vehicle is not appropriate for my line of work. It won't hurt me, but it also won't help me. 4) [Con] The money used towards paying off my debt could have instead been used to grow my survival fund. 5) [Con] Though my survival fund will last longer with less money under ideal circumstances, I will be less prepared to absorb unexpected expenses such as repairs or medical bills. [editline]26th August 2016[/editline] In any of these scenarios, my business should be established enough after my first year to just purchase the passenger vehicle. I have to make this decision within the next couple of days. The countdown is on for leaving my job, and I won't be able to be approved for any kind of financing or lease options after that point.[/QUOTE] I would pay it off and keep it. You might take a hit to your survival fund at first, but it gives you the stability that it's YOUR vehicle, and no matter how bad things get, it's not something that can be taken due to missing payments. And not only that, but if things get bad enough that you have to sell it, then you will be able to count on getting full value from it. You're turning it into an asset from a liability. [editline]29th August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=ytr191;50964526]What do you guys think of my balance sheet? [IMG]http://i.imgur.com/1wRIrbh.jpg[/IMG][/QUOTE] Is this a real try or for a theoretical/school project where values were given? The reason is that I'm looking at your assets, and it appears that the purchase price is being used. What you want to use instead is the appraised (or current market used value) price. While the car may have been purchased for $16,000, it's actual value is much lower because if you were to sell it, it's being sold "used". Same with the bike, phone, computer, etc.

Yeah, that's a good point about the value of your assets. Vehicles and personal property, such as bikes and computers, generally lose value pretty quickly. For a ballpark estimate of the actual current value of your vehicle, check Kelly Blue Book. You may be able to get a general idea of your property's current value through websites like Zillow, but keep in mind this is only a generalized estimation based on comparable property values . Your bike and computer may be a bit more difficult to accurately appraise, though the bike will probably lose value at a much slower rate than your PC (which plummets in value due to the rapid obsolescence of its parts).

Minor adulthood stuff. Gonna be flying for the first time. I managed to get all my shit down to one small backpack for carry on; laptop, misc electronics, a few changes of clothes, travel documents, cash. Any general tips for making the experience smooth, especially the TSA screening?

Make sure your laptop is out of its case before you get to the conveyor belt. Saves time. It has to go into a little bin by itself. Other than that, make sure you have your ID and boarding pass in hand while you wait in line and I wouldn't wear anything with any metal in it if you can help it. At least not on the days you're flying until you get to your destination. Taking extra time to get necklaces or rings or change or belts off if they have metal in them tends to make people behind you get all flustered and frustrated. Better to just forego it. Other than that, TSA security checks at airports aren't so scary. It's really just about making the process as fast as possible. Make sure you don't have any liquids or flammable things in your carry on (I usually just buy bathroom stuff when I get to where I'm going to save time). I've flown a ton of times and people always make a huge fuss about security at airports, but as long as you're prepared and do what you can to save time, it's easy peasy.