Contrarian Saver
@ContrarianSaver
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Blogger with a unique, irreverent take on #financialindependence. I started this account to amuse and to educate.
Los Angeles
Joined November 2019
Me 10 years ago (was 1 year old): - No solid food - Can't talk - No education Me now (at 11 years old): - Eat what I want - Full sentences - Rising 5th grader - Shelf full of attendance awards What a difference 10 years can make. Sign up for my newsletter to see how I did it.
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The government shutdown is hurting those of us with rentals near national parks But it would ease the pain if we were to permanently cut some useless programs such as: - social work - mental heath - homeless outreach - low income housing Good causes but colossal wastes of $.
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A friend (and business partner) is buying a $150k Range Rover because it can be 100% depreciated in the first year of ownership. That’s over $50k in tax savings. Do you know anyone doing this?
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If your kids aren’t being affected by taking a week off mid year for a cheap vacation…. Something has gone horribly wrong with their education. It may be time to re-think the variables impacting this like your location or even career…
It’s 2025 and I actually have parents trying to defend pulling their child out of school for a vacation. I get a death. I get granny is turning 100 and lives out of state. But to get a cheaper vacation- nope. Can’t ever support that.
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A friend put about 60% of his savings into an annuity linked to the S & P 500. The first 10% of losses are shielded in any given year so downside is somewhat limited. The kicker: all annual gains capped at 10%. Also 1.1% annual fee How do I talk him out of renewing this?
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A friend (not close) just passed away yesterday: - lost his job in the pandemic (travel industry) - spent five years traveling the world and posting about it - does at 55 from liver disease (he was a raging, lifelong alcoholic) Now everyone is celebrating his sense of
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Another reason why it costs so much to live in CA - and always has
If you've been there, you won't be surprised. America's best weather can be found in California. Large portions of the California coast have by far the highest number of "Perfect" weather days.
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One nice and rarely discussed benefit that Gen X has had: secretaries. I have had one in virtually every job since grad school. Yes I usually “shared” one but they planned travel, set up meetings, and generally eased office life. Do you/have you had support staff like this?
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Interesting point of view. I have a tendency to think most treatments like this are a far better spend than say, travel sports. Thoughts?
If you can afford it, get your child that cosmetic treatment as soon as you can. The braces, do it. The acne treatment, do it. Invest in their appearance as much as you are investing in their education.
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Cheating. It’s as American as apple pie. I’ve never known anyone to go to jail for it and this includes one who ran a Ponzi scheme and another who bribed a bank officer (7 figures) to choose him to manage a public offering. Know any cheaters that have gotten away with it?
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Update on friends (4) looking for work: now we’re up to five. The latest got laid off from his job at UCLA. Universities are struggling with funding cuts and ballooning expenses. Others were in - Entertainment - Event marketing - Fashion - (govt funded) research AMA
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I keep seeing this on my feed. Is there no value assigned to not handling sewage every day from dawn until dusk? By the way: in the City of LA, garbage men make an average of $47k, teachers $66k. So handling sewage pays less too
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A private school client of mine was approached about being featured in a documentary about teaching neurodiverse kids. Price: $20k So many docs are pay to play advertisements for NGOs or even private companies. Don’t be scammed by watching them!
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Haven’t seen many posts lately claiming that riches are to be found in “the trades”…
Construction job openings are the lowest in a decade.
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At the beginning of the summer, 6 friends were unemployed (all 50+): - 1 got a job for the city - 1 is retiring early - The other 4 still looking Two other friends have been informed of future layoffs but hanging in there. DON’T retire in your 50s - but be ready to do so
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Any time you see a headline with “record high” or “highest ever” you know a scam is coming. Prices sometimes rise fast, sometimes slow… but they are virtually always rising and “highest ever”
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I believe that an American flag hung on the porch discourages the homeless from coming around, while a Pride flag does the opposite. The co-owner of the property I’m referring to disagrees. Who is right?
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Saving early for retirement, eg in one’s 20s, is simply unnatural. People can’t conceptualize a world 30 years into the future. Those that do save early are neurotic about money, are compensating for some sin with this “virtue”… or on some level, something is wrong with them.
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Is a significant portion of the population simpy math impaired? For example, they don’t understand concepts like compounding interest; or the relative size of numbers (eg a billion is 1000x a million)? How many do you think fall in this camp?
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One thing to think about if considering a move to Europe: the weather sucks. September isn’t even over and you see lots and lots of rain, chilly temps, nights in the 40s and below. In a month even S.Europe will look like this…
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