I just put as much money into retirement accounts as possible, and that keeps me from spending it. I put 20% of my paycheck into my 401k, and then also deposit $250/month into a Roth IRA. I'm on track to save $15k-$20k/year.

Couldn't agree more! And don't get me wrong, I have had a tendency to overbuy plenty of things in the past. At the time you can always talk yourself into all of the things you could use it for, but then in reality it turns out you never really need it. I also have a basement full of nice tools I could have rented...

At…

I think this also speaks to our larger obsession with always having "the best" stuff that prepares you for any situation when in reality you can get something that fits your need for much less. I think about this all the time living in Colorado, where everyone feels they must have an AWD/4WD SUV/Truck because they…

I think yours has some bug where it loads backward

Colorado hasn't failed us yet. Don't know if that is due to lazy testing or pity. My wife has a 2003 Passat that they failed just because the light was on (didn't even look at what it was) because the cat converter was running outside of the intended range. I reset and took it back and it was fine. I guess it depends…

I would do this to someone in my life I didn't particularly care for. I would put zero down and get them the most expensive lease option, in their name, of course.

... plus I live in CO where Check Engine is an automatic emissions fail. With a scanner you you can clear the code and still possibly pass emissions!

Yeah I just bought a cheap OBDII scanner on Amazon for like $10-$15. It just gives you the code, but that is all you need.

China?

I agree. I'm not sure what I would be concerned about other people knowing, and I find it fun to look back.

Yeah. I don't think I've ever tipped less than 20 percent. I even do it at takeout and I hate it. Yesterday I bought a pound of coffee at a local shop and left a $3 (15%) tip, just because its habit, and all they did was pour beans on a scale and then into a bag.

I tip regularly, though at Starbucks I generally don't end up tipping due to the convenience of using a credit card and avoiding the awkward situation.

Its a pretty simple calculation from finance. Use your annual annuity payment and divide by the assumed discount rate. This is actually for an annuity with no set term, but when you are discounting 30 years out into the future you start getting pretty close to zero with most discount rates. You could always put…

I thought "substantially identical" generally allowed for different companies (i.e., T for VZ). I always assumed you can't buy two ETFs that track the same industry, though you can sell your shares in a company and buy the ETF that tracks it (i.e., sell T and buy a Telecom tracking ETF).

This was all based on cursory…

... it also involves some risk, but you could also sell a stock you plan on holding for the long run by selling now, taking the loss, and then buying back after the wash sale window has closed. I think its 30 days, but I could be wrong. If you are trading this probably isn't a good idea, but if its a stock you are…

It can be a benefit, however, if you can buy a similar instrument. For example, you could sell out of one ETF to take the losses (at your marginal rate) and then buy into a similar ETF and ideally take the gains at the capital gains rate.

I agree with this sentiment. I got a degrees in Ethics, History, and Public Policy and now have a job I very much enjoy in finance, that also pays well.

The liberal arts can teach many useful skills, especially to the types of people who are often successful in business. This includes writing, persuasion, and a general…

Its a high variance degree. When you look at the averages they aren't great (far below a lot of STEM disciplines), but some of the top people have business degrees. It really depends on what school you go to. If you go to a Top 20 school and meet lots of successful people, then it can lead to a great paying job. If…

For a lot of people, going to a four year college seems like an automatic choice when they graduate from high school. The reason is obvious—more income. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, a college degree accounted for $15,000 in additional income per year versus a high school diploma…

8. If your employer offers matching on your 401(k), take as much of it as you can get.