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

Yeah, that seems to be the idea. My laptop is in my backpack, so it's not TSA approved, but I have it at an easy access pouch so I can quickly take it out. I also am keeping electronics in a small bag in the backpack so I can quickly slip that out as well. The only metal things I'll be wearing are a belt and maybe a watch, which will be easy to take off and put back on. I also will be getting toiletries once I got down there, figured it would make more sense than risking leakage and confiscation. [editline]29th August 2016[/editline] I also managed to print my boarding pass ahead of time, got a few copies. Should save some times.

As a general airport note: keep your ID and boarding pass handy, because you will need to present them several times. When you get to the terminal and are waiting for boarding to begin, know that boarding is often done by section or boarding group. You should have a letter or number on your ticket indicating which section or group you are in, so you will know when it is your turn to get in line and board. Otherwise, they might do it be seat number if it is a smaller plane. Just pay close attention to the announcements, and if you have any questions you should be able to present them to the folks behind the counter at your boarding gate. And don't nap. I accidentally napped once, and nobody woke me up. My plane boarded and left without me. I had to buy another ticket for a plane that didn't board for over twelve hours! Burned up a whole day of my military leave. :(

Can I nap on the plane though? This is direly important.

Plane napping is highly encouraged. The drone of the engines are quite relaxing. [Editline]I[/editline] Also, don't be tall. Flying while tall is terrible. Trying to cram yourself into the ridiculous little seats as a tall person extends beyond simple discomfort into the realm of actual physical pain.

I'm already used to being tall and having no room on buses, in rear car seats, etc. I'll manage.

Your confidence will be your undoing in the trial you face ahead. The airlines will only mock your self assurance by shrinking the seats even further.

After all my trials, my hardships, I refuse to be undone here!

would I be able to comfortably live with a paramedic's salary (in an apartment) or should I think about getting a side job too? always wanted to be an EMT but kinda worried that it's too much stress for too little pay

-sNip- dumb joke

[QUOTE=IcyTruth;50969725]would I be able to comfortably live with a paramedic's salary (in an apartment) or should I think about getting a side job too? always wanted to be an EMT but kinda worried that it's too much stress for too little pay[/QUOTE] My friend went through EMT training and my impression was that it certainly takes a certain type of person. He is pretty good with blood, intense situations, and belligerent people. He said it can actually be pretty boring though. Varies between very very low intensity and different amounts of high intensity. Ultimately, he didn't go through with it. He just didn't really like it. My impression is that the salary is typically good enough for a basic living, though it varies pretty drastically place to place. Canada would probably be pretty different than the States I would assume. I imagine paramedics are paid differently depending which hospital they work for?

From casual browsing of /r/ems I would say that making an EMT-B salary is too much stress for the work. Paramedic gets more pay, but it's still not very good in most cases. Lots of routine stuff and high attrition rates due to injury, workplace stress and such. Many end up going into RN or medical routes. In Canada or the UK or such it is better, I believe, though I met a few ex paramedic doing medicine due to back injuries. It's a very valuable job, but check with people in the business.

[QUOTE=SGTNAPALM;50969376]Can I nap on the plane though? This is direly important.[/QUOTE] Yeah, fly enough times all over the US and world like me and you'll become a plane narcoleptic. Once the wheels are up, I'm out like a light. Bring a small pillow and go for the window seat, by placing the pillow between you and the fuselage you can get padding and some sound/vibration insulation for your head. Nyquil is also a valid choice for planes. My parents would give it to me and my sister when we were 4/5 and flying transatlantic to/from the UK :v:

[QUOTE=IcyTruth;50969725]would I be able to comfortably live with a paramedic's salary (in an apartment) or should I think about getting a side job too? always wanted to be an EMT but kinda worried that it's too much stress for too little pay[/QUOTE] I don't know much about the work conditions of EMTs, but Google tells me that the median pay is about $31,700. That break down into a monthly pre-tax income of about $2642. Using the "50/20/30 rule" I link to at the bottom of the post, that would leave you with a budget of $1321 for fixed costs like rent, car payments, utilities, minimum debt payments; $528 of liquid income for savings and goals; and $792 for flexible costs like groceries, gas, and shopping. Coming in under budget on your fixed or flex expenses causes the extra money to roll over I to liquid income. However, the idea of "living comfortably" is pretty subjective. I think liquid income is the biggest factor in this, as it's surplus money that you can use for whatever goals or purposes you want. So, you need to determine what level of liquid income will fit your idea of a comfortable lifestyle. What does that mean for you? As an exercise, try starting with that number, and then using it to determine your actual income needs. So, first you would identify how much liquid income you want to have each month (x), and then decide what percentage of your actual income that would represent (y). Divide x by y to determine your monthly income needs (z) to accomplish that [B](x / y) = z[/B] Taking it further, you can use that result to determine your budgetary allowance for living expenses (d) by subtracting your liquid income goal (x) from your monthly income (z). [B](z - x) = d[/B] You can also determine your annual income needs by multiplying your goal (z) by 12. [B](z * 12) = Annual Income[/B] For example: [quote] [I]If you want to have $450/month of liquid income, accounting for 20% of your monthly income:[/I] 450 / 0.20 = 2250 2250 * 12 = 27000 [I]You would need to make at least $2,250/month ($27,000/year) to achieve your liquid income goal. Subtract your liquid goal from your monthly income to determine your budgetary allowance for expenses:[/I] 2250 - 450 = 1800 [I]Your expenses must be $1,800/month or less to meet your goal.[/I][/quote] I don't know if this is helpful or not, but I hope so! Some people plan their lifestyle around their desired career, but I prefer planning my career around my desired lifestyle. Identifying what I want out of my life, and the level of disposable income I would need to accomplish that, makes it easier for me to calculate my actual income needs, and thus narrow down what lines of work are likely to help me accomplish or exceed my lifestyle goals. Start with what you want, and then use that to determine what you need. It's not a [I]perfect[/I] estimation, because this doesn't include taxes, but it's a nice to get a general idea of things. If you want to incorporate some rough estimations for taxes, you can use your estimated income goal as your [I]post-tax[/I] goal, and then dial in to your actual income needs [URL="http://www.paycheckcity.com/calculator/salary/"][U]using a simple tax calculator[/U][/URL]. [editline]30th August 2016[/editline] Also, I found this interesting article on budgetary guidelines: [url]https://www.learnvest.com/knowledge-center/your-ultimate-budget-guideline-the-502030-rule/[/url] It lays out a helpful budgeting guideline that should help you keep your expenses in check, or to help you calculate the level of income you need to reach to meet your liquid income goals as outlined above. [quote][B][U]The 50/20/30 Rule[/U][/B] [I][U]50%[/U] of your income goes towards fixed expenses (rent, mortgage, utility payments, car payments) [U]20%[/U] of your income goes towards reaching financial goals, such as paying down debt or contributing to savings goals or emergency funds. [U]30%[/U] of your income should be budgeted towards flexible monthly expenses, such as groceries, nights out, shopping for clothes and other essentials, etc. Anything that isn't spent from this category rolls over to your financial goals and savings plans.[/I][/quote] So, basically, you should try to set a goal of having 20% liquidity of income, at minimum. Your flex spending and fixed expenses can turn into liquid income if you manage to come in under budget, but otherwise you should consider it accounted for. Using this, you can feed 20% (0.20) as your minimum default value for "y" in the calculations above.

Update: I breezed through TSA in like 3 minutes. I prepared well so no issues happened while flying at all.

Is it possible that we could create a discord or a skype group and make a sort of mastermind group for our thread?

A family member(my dad) was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. My mom is incredibly busy at work doing a three person job by herself. I'm considering quitting my full time to job to be around the house more and help out my folks. What does FP think? And to complicate matters I just started working where I am now about a month ago

[QUOTE=ytr191;50976590]Is it possible that we could create a discord or a skype group and make a sort of mastermind group for our thread?[/QUOTE] I probably wouldn't use it, to be honest. Like, I think it's a good idea in theory, but in practice I would constantly forget to check/use it. I only check the mod Slack once or twice a week, unless I get a notification, and the same goes for the old GMF Slack. [editline]31st August 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=KommradKommisar;50977541]A family member(my dad) was recently diagnosed with colon cancer. My mom is incredibly busy at work doing a three person job by herself. I'm considering quitting my full time to job to be around the house more and help out my folks. What does FP think? And to complicate matters I just started working where I am now about a month ago[/QUOTE] I don't think anybody would blame you for that. If you have the ability to leave work without defaulting on your bills, then being there for your family during this awful time might be for the best.

Hey guys, just in the need for some advice right now. I graduated from Uni about 2 months, and I've yet to get a graduate job, and the ratio of jobs I've applied for to responses/interviews has been fairly abysmal. It's starting to depress me a fair amount, and I'm just wondering if there's anything you guys can suggest that might help to put on my CV or cover letter to increase my chances? I'm looking for a developer or software testing job but my work experience year for the university was in a tech support role as my marks and development skills weren't quite up to scratch, I wasn't much of a people person either. All of these are things I've worked on but I'm being rejected on an experience based level, as one of the interviews I DID manage to get told me I interviewed really well but wasn't experienced enough. So any advice towards online certifications or anything I could look at, or CV boosters would be handy. Thanks in advance!

[QUOTE=chills2;50978958]Hey guys, just in the need for some advice right now. I graduated from Uni about 2 months, and I've yet to get a graduate job, and the ratio of jobs I've applied for to responses/interviews has been fairly abysmal. It's starting to depress me a fair amount, and I'm just wondering if there's anything you guys can suggest that might help to put on my CV or cover letter to increase my chances? I'm looking for a developer or software testing job but my work experience year for the university was in a tech support role as my marks and development skills weren't quite up to scratch, I wasn't much of a people person either. All of these are things I've worked on but I'm being rejected on an experience based level, as one of the interviews I DID manage to get told me I interviewed really well but wasn't experienced enough. So any advice towards online certifications or anything I could look at, or CV boosters would be handy. Thanks in advance![/QUOTE] What do you have in your portfolio of external projects? What sort of clubs or other involvements did you have while in Uni? How does the company's work apply to / interest you? Are you presenting genuine interest, in a professional fashion, in your application? I honestly only got my job because I was the only person to email my boss and check in on my application, a week after I submitted it. But they also said my interest was clear, and while I was less experienced than they wanted I was eager to learn and happy to work. Stuff like that can be really helpful.

So my college might be in the projected path (as in, severe rain+wind+possible storm surge) of Tropical Storm Hermine and may possibly get hit in the timeframe of Friday-Saturday... they've not cancelled classes, but I've personally never really been through a major weather event like that (save for a few really bad thunderstorms when I was much younger). Anyone have any tips for preparing should things go south?

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;50981291]So my college might be in the projected path (as in, severe rain+wind+possible storm surge) of Tropical Storm Hermine and may possibly get hit in the timeframe of Friday-Saturday... they've not cancelled classes, but I've personally never really been through a major weather event like that (save for a few really bad thunderstorms when I was much younger). Anyone have any tips for preparing should things go south?[/QUOTE] I was born and raised in southern Louisiana, so I've lived through quite a few category 3, 4, and 5 hurricanes. There are a few key things: 1) Be ready for the power to go out, it's almost guaranteed to happen. At the minimum, have a way to heat food/water without electricity (it's why most people in louisiana have natural gas stoves/water heaters/etc). A solar powered battery pack/phone charger nowadays is a great thing to have. Unplug things like computers and all beforehand. I usually leave my tv and router plugged in to a GOOD surge protector, but still unplug them after the power goes out, and only plug them back in once the power has come back on. 2) Make sure your vehicle has a full tank of gas. People have generators. They need gas to power them. Trying to get gas after the storm passes gets difficult. 3) Fill up your tub and sinks with water before the storm in case something happens with the water company. 4) Relax. The wind will be bad, but you will survive. If there isn't shit flying everywhere, don't be scared to go outside where it's safe and experience the wind and power of mother nature. I went outside under our carport during Katrina (Category 5 Hurricane) just to see what it was like and it was amazing. 5) The best way to ride out a storm is to get some friends together, a fuckton of booze, a lot of food, and have a hurricane party. Everyone shows up before the storm, and you party until it's over.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50981595]I was born and raised in southern Louisiana, so I've lived through quite a few category 3, 4, and 5 hurricanes. There are a few key things: 1) Be ready for the power to go out, it's almost guaranteed to happen. At the minimum, have a way to heat food/water without electricity (it's why most people in louisiana have natural gas stoves/water heaters/etc). A solar powered battery pack/phone charger nowadays is a great thing to have. Unplug things like computers and all beforehand. I usually leave my tv and router plugged in to a GOOD surge protector, but still unplug them after the power goes out, and only plug them back in once the power has come back on. 2) Make sure your vehicle has a full tank of gas. People have generators. They need gas to power them. Trying to get gas after the storm passes gets difficult. 3) Fill up your tub and sinks with water before the storm in case something happens with the water company. 4) Relax. The wind will be bad, but you will survive. If there isn't shit flying everywhere, don't be scared to go outside where it's safe and experience the wind and power of mother nature. I went outside under our carport during Katrina (Category 5 Hurricane) just to see what it was like and it was amazing. 5) The best way to ride out a storm is to get some friends together, a fuckton of booze, a lot of food, and have a hurricane party. Everyone shows up before the storm, and you party until it's over.[/QUOTE] I'm in a large brick+concrete college residence hall in downtown Charleston, I'm not particularly worried about direct damage- though yes, you make a good point about likely having power loss and/or surges due to the weather, in addition to the potential water issues. I don't have a car down here (no room to store it due to urban garage pricing), but there's lots of bikes and I've got an emergency phone battery cell and universal USB/mUSB power boost pack for my phone if the power's out long enough to prevent a recharge from happening in a timely manner. While my roommates and I do have a pallet-size case of bottled water on hand, I'll definitely try out that tip on pre-filling the tub and sinks, especially if the last-minute forecasts tomorrow look any worse than so far. Thanks for the tips, Silence. Here's hoping TS Hermine's less powerful than expected (Florida's going to get very, [I]very[/I] wet regardless though). EDIT: I do hope my college does remember to cancel classes if the forecasts are correct and we do get a direct hit- I've got a bunch in a building right on the water. :ohno:

A tropical storm is usually nothing to worry about, but I'm biased. I grew up with hurricanes, so tropical storms to me aren't shit. I helped my friends move into their apartment DURING a tropical storm one year. They don't phase me one bit. I'm also looking at getting a little of Hermine as well here in Augusta Georgia. Not nearly as bad, but some thunderstorms from it for sure.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50981745]A tropical storm is usually nothing to worry about, but I'm biased. I grew up with hurricanes, so tropical storms to me aren't shit. I helped my friends move into their apartment DURING a tropical storm one year. They don't phase me one bit. I'm also looking at getting a little of Hermine as well here in Augusta Georgia. Not nearly as bad, but some thunderstorms from it for sure.[/QUOTE] Oh well, let's hope everything goes well for anyone in the path. Also, it's funny you mention Augusta- my hometown's right across the river. :v:

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;50981791]Oh well, let's hope everything goes well for anyone in the path. Also, it's funny you mention Augusta- my hometown's right across the river. :v:[/QUOTE] Well I'm just here until we finish building the 2 new AP1000 reactors at Vogtle. The weather says we're supposed to see thunderstorms and 25+mph winds friday, but they haven't said anything about shutting the site down yet.

[QUOTE=Silence I Kill You;50981878]Well I'm just here until we finish building the 2 new AP1000 reactors at Vogtle. The weather says we're supposed to see thunderstorms and 25+mph winds friday, but they haven't said anything about shutting the site down yet.[/QUOTE] Huh. Stay safe man, I know it's just thunderstorms, but I do remember a few times my neighborhood on the SC side of the river had some pretty nasty lightning during late summer storms, and a few near-direct hits on my house. Neat that you mention the new AP1000s at Vogtle, some of my family and friends are working on MOX over at SRS.

[QUOTE=ScriptKitt3h;50982069]Huh. Stay safe man, I know it's just thunderstorms, but I do remember a few times my neighborhood on the SC side of the river had some pretty nasty lightning during late summer storms, and a few near-direct hits on my house. Neat that you mention the new AP1000s at Vogtle, some of my family and friends are working on MOX over at SRS.[/QUOTE] Well if we do have work tomorrow (my boss said this morning that he's 90% sure they will shut down the site), we have no choice but to stay safe. They take safety VERY seriously out here. There are 3 phases: Phase 1: Lightning detected within a 20 mile radius of the plant. No action required, prepare for phase 2. Phase 2: Lightning detected within a 10 mile radius of the plant. Proceed to a sheltered location and remain there for the duration of the phase 2. Phase 3: All Clear. No lightning detected within a 20 mile radius of the plant in the last 20 minutes. So work tomorrow would just be an entire day of Phase 2, meaning we would have to just stay in our offices all day, and can't go outside (not even to smoke) unless you are going home. Workers can't work in the rain, and cranes can't fly anything with winds above 20 mph. But once again, my boss is 90% sure they will just shut down the site. Back home, internet, cable, phone stays up but the power goes out. Over here, the power is reliable, but Comcast (my cable and internet) drops in a gentle breeze. If I could get the same 75Mbps download on AT&T Uverse (I do a bunch of things like 4k streaming to my TV while downloading things on my computer), I would switch in a heartbeat.

Is it wise to look at my own personal home as an expense rather than an investment? I ask because seeing it as an expense allows me to compare it to rent, or at least to see it as rent equivalent but way cheaper. Which, with expenses, because they are necessary you keep them to a minimum, so that makes owning superior to renting. However, if I see it as an investment, my particular situation including the type of house I'm looking for, the size, and the location, and my inability to put up a sizeable down payment, all intersect at a specific place where it really doesn't seem like I can make any money out of it. They're all bad investments. If I had enough for a big down payment I may come out -slightly- profitable, but that's only if the house doesn't need major repairs down the line (which, obviously, it will). Without a down payment though and with the stupid high percentage I'll get on the mortgage as a result of that, no house in my price range would appreciate enough for it to be a good investment. They all will be worth less than what I'd put into them for 30 years. It doesn't matter if it's not a sound investment if it's just considered a necessary expense, though, so that pretty much negates that whole line of thinking and opens my home buying options up a lot more. I can get a much better house for less money if I'm cool with not making a profit when I sell it. And there's also rental income to consider, I may never want to sell it if it's a good income generating property.

That's my perspective on it, yeah. My home is unlikely to considerably appreciate in value over the duration that I intend of holding it, and may actually marginally depreciate depending on how extreme the upcoming market turnaround is going to be. I don't expect to do much more than break even on the sale, and accept the possibility of losing money in the end. But that's okay, because the expense of ownership is almost half the cost of rent here, and the very low interest rate I got means that I have more money available to put my long term career and investment goals. It is a necessary expense, but one that I carefully chose to keep as small as possible. I could have afforded a home three times the cost of this one, but kept myself as liquid as possible. Expenses so low allow me to put my money towards things that will offer much greater returns than the house would have provided. As for rental income, keep in mind that making a profit from renting is a little bit more involved than simply buying a house and letting people live in it. You need to compare the cost of the mortgage to the cost of rent, obviously, but you also need to account for ignoring maintenance costs, capital expenses, vacancy rates, etc. Most consumer level deals, meaning single family homes scooped up for market price, are not going to be profitable rental properties. Finding the margins you need generally means buying for 20-30% below market value, and having 10-20% cash on hand for a down payment to finance even less of that. Two rules of thumb for rental properties: [B]The 2% Rule[/B] [I]Your rental rate should be at least 2% of your purchase price. Check the rental rates for comparable properties in your area, use them to determine what you could afford to pay for a property.[/I] [B]The 50% Rule[/B] [I]The 50% Rule says to estimate that half of your rental income will go towards expenses other than debt service. Whatever is left over will got towards debt service (mortgage), and the remainder is what you will pocket. So, check rental rates, cut them in half, and compare the remainder to your mortgage payments. Is there enough money left over to make a worthwhile income stream?[/I] Most properties fail these rules. Keep in mind that, like all codes of thumb, these are just general guidelines. Your mileage may vary.

I'm having serious thoughts about quitting my current job. There's a list of shit I can't stand about the place (typing on my phone atm so can't detail right now). But I haven't started looking for a new job and finding one that pays the same and is as close to home as it is will be impossible. This place is burning me out hard core right now. I seriously need to get out of this town and away from these people.