Investing megathread extravaganza

[DaFace]

A place to talk about investing stuff.

[scho63]

Someone requested an update on my living at the office situation so here it is.

So as of August 15th it was a solid two months. It is getting easier and more comfortable, which is starting to scare me. I have adapted to this as if it was my natural home.

I bumped my 401K from 10% to 20%, 15% regular and 5% catch up. I haven't noticed a thing. I currently have only (4) monthly payments and two of the four are going to be gone in the next 90 days. By December, I will have only my car payment and car insurance to pay. The car payment will then be the next payment I will erase as I am saving money pretty well. I think I can get rid of that completely by Feb.

I'm doing some things pretty well but I need to get to the gym more often as that was one of my combined goals. Lose weight with saving money.

I still eat great and the full kitchen is perfect. My locker and shower photos are attached along with my bedroom.

I thought I would only do this for 4-5 months but I might make this a year project. No issues and the cleaning lady from El Salvador is my friend now because I offer her soda, food, help her to realize when no one is here and tell her not to bother with certain cleaning issues when everyone is telecommuting for the day.

Two weeks ago I had to get a hotel because they were going to stripe and paint the parking lot. I stayed at a Sheraton for 3 nights and I slept better at the office on my air mattress!

The A/C is on all the time and the lights are on a 6:10 am until 10pm then it goes to safety lighting, which is perfect.

I get up everyday at 5:50am, deflate my air bed, move the fan to my desk, put in my contacts, make a cup of coffee, and read the news before I take a shower at 6:15. All my items are put away 30 minutes before anyone comes in.

I use my storage locker to leave the bulk of my clothes, which is only 2 miles away.

I watch Pirates baseball and Chiefs football on large computer monitors in the office and even have a projection screen should I want to use it.

I store some food in the fridge freezer to save money

I go to sleep and blow up my airbed around 9pm each night. I have a lock on the door so I can keep the cleaning lady out when she vacumns and I want to sleep early.

The weekends I keep my bed blown up from Friday night until Mon morning.

That's about all I can think of.

EDIT: NO WHORES OR ESCORTS FOR THE LAST 8-9 MONTHS SO I AM TRULY SACRIFICING!

[lewdog]

This is still so ****ing legit Scho! Can't believe you can do it and how well you seem to have adjusted to living like that.

Awesome stuff.

[scho63]

Originally Posted by lewdog

This is still so ****ing legit Scho! Can't believe you can do it and how well you seem to have adjusted to living like that.

Awesome stuff.

I have lived on both extreme ends of the spectrum: flying first and business class to Hong Kong and Beijing and Tokyo being picked up in limousines. Traveling all over the world to great countries (38) so far, top notch restaurants and sleeping with hundreds of women. Having money falling out of my pockets because I had so much. Mega clubs and drugs and celebrities and athletes as friends.

Then I have also gone through several times of absolute despair of homelessness for 3-4 months, losing a business and several hundred thousand dollars, having some crazy legal issues that cost me dearly, losing my drivers license at least 12 times with 48 points in NJ because I drove like a maniac and sped in my Jaguar or Eldorado.

I have a real problem with moderation and impulse control. I'm balls out and extreme and a big risk taker. It's not for everyone

No one can ever accuse me of not getting my money's worth out of life.....

[Jewish Rabbi]

Originally Posted by scho63

No one can ever accuse me of not getting my money's worth out of life.....

Except you like the Pirates and Chiefs...

[scho63]

Originally Posted by Jewish Rabbi

Except you like the Pirates and Chiefs...

[scho63]

My bed making process. I have a fan to blow cool air all night as well. I make sure it's all taken care of. Air pump, perfect space, hidden nice in storage room. From deflated to fully inflated and firm at 4-5 minutes. Deflates in 1 minute. Setup takes 7 minutes, take down about 5 minutes.

Weekends I can sleep in-no one ever shows up early and only in a blue moon does someone come in on Saturday

[lewdog]

Only question left to answer............


How's the cleaning lady between the sheets?

[scho63]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Only question left to answer............


How's the cleaning lady between the sheets?

She's too hard looking, old and worn out but once in a while she brings her hot daughter age 20-24 max in to help her clean and teach her the ropes. I would like to lick her daughter's pupusa like the sexy little El Salvadorian she is!

[scho63]

Lewdog-this is what I'm aiming for retirement in 3-5 years.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2-92088#photo6

Here is the property I had when the dotcom bubble crashed. I had a 1997 sq ft property under contract for build with Pinnacle Builders along with a full gunite pool with rocks from California Pools and Spas. I gave the property back to the builder and he gave me back my $25,000.

The new contract people built a much large house

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2_M10215-66837

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by scho63

Lewdog-this is what I'm aiming for retirement in 3-5 years.

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2-92088#photo6

Here is the property I had when the dotcom bubble crashed. I had a 1997 sq ft property under contract for build with Pinnacle Builders along with a full gunite pool with rocks from California Pools and Spas. I gave the property back to the builder and he gave me back my $25,000.

The new contract people built a much large house

http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...2_M10215-66837

I love the idea of a nicely finished townhouse when you are older and kid free. That's definitely more tastefully done than that second house you posted. I forget, have you lived here before?

[scho63]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I forget, have you lived here before?

From 1996 until 2001 I spent an enormous amount of time in Scottsdale and was contracted to buy that new house in 1998 in Pinnacle Canyon at the Troon North Golf Course. Put up $25,000 had mortgage approval, had pool designed, had house moved on pie shaped lot to maximize one side and then 20 days before construction began the market crashed. Then our company's funding dried up and the rest was history. The market in Scottsdale was so strong that the builder refunded 100% of my deposit and resold the place for an extra 40K.

I know the Scottsdale real estate market as good as anyone. Look at it every day for last 17 years.

My house there went from $284,000 to $715,000 in 3 1/2 years AFTER I turned it back.

Bad timing for sure.

[wutamess]

WTF? I missed this story. You doing this out of your office that someone owns or you own? Does anyone there know about it or say anything?

[DaFace]

Originally Posted by wutamess

WTF? I missed this story. You doing this out of your office that someone owns or you own? Does anyone there know about it or say anything?

...

Originally Posted by scho63

I'm now living rent free, utility and cable free, property tax free, renter insurance free and I've cut back on going out to an expensive late lunch or dinner 5-6 nights a week until at least December. I've moved into my office. At 120-130K income for the year the money should accumulate rapidly.

I have complete bedroom setup, clean clothes, shower and locker room, full kitchen with convention oven microwave, full refrigerator, dishwasher, normal microwave, free tea, free coffee, snacks,safe and quiet environment.

I have a car payment, which I want to pay off the $14,600 in November, a few other small bills and a Fed Tax bill from 2010 of around $7,000. My 401K has grown faster in 2 years than any other of my savings attempts in 30 years. I'm moving it up from 10-15% and can utilize some catch up provisions.

I'm single and decided to set aside 6 months of serious sacrifice to jump start my retirment goal of living in Scottsdale.

Originally Posted by scho63

The main boss and only he knows I am here as I got his approval first. I had been thinking about this for 3-4 months before my townhome lease expired and I launched the plan so it was effortless. I told him I would be staying here for the next 4-5 months or UNTIL someone found out and complained. Told him it was solely to save money. As of this moment, no one knows but I think the Hispanic cleaning lady probably has a good idea because I am always here on the computer until they leave.

I spent $54,500 on rent and utilities for the last two years and also lent the ex-girlfriend $11,000 of which she gave me back a paltry $1,000 total. That's $64,000 AFTER TAX dollars I spent which is around $90,000 GROSS INCOME. When I look back at the fiasco of renting a place too big and too expensive because of her and all the money I pissed away, I wanted to do something very radical in the opposite direction.

I just rented a storage unit in a super clean and safe well known building where I moved all my belongings that costs $75 a month. Keypad entry and I have 3 hanging wardrobe boxes that I have my clothes hung on to rotate what I wear. I have several days of clothes along with clean towels in my trunk. Our building has a complete shower and locker room where I store all my shampoo, soap, razor, toothbrush, etc in a locker with a lock on it. Only two out of ten are being utilized.

I rented a PO box for 6 months for all my mail and all shipments like Amazon are sent to my office.

I have an twin raised air mattress 22" off the floor that blows up with the electric pump in 3-4 minutes and deflates in 1 with the quick release. I blow it up around 9pm after the cleaning people have left and deflate every morning during the week by 6am.

The office I sleep in has a lock on the door so I can prevent someone if they ever showed up from coming in.

The bathroom-shower is directly across from our office and I can go any time at night with no one seeing me.

I have shower pants and a Tshirt I use with flip flops when I change into my sleeping gear. Sleep in my undies.

This commercial building has only two floors and has little to no early workers. It is has two large offices next to us which have been vacant for a while so occupancy is light.

The A/C is on all week and only shuts off on Saturday around 1pm. I have a small Honeywell electric fan that works perfect that I set up to blow on me when I sleep. On Sundays I have to plug in a small lamp in the shower room as the main lights and A/C are off only on that day.

I have a large box with two pillow, two comforters, a cotton blanket, a sheet and the airmattress all fit in that I store on a shelf with my name as PERSONAL. I also have a small little lamp on the desk and I use the flashlight feature on my phone when needed.

I put all my dirty clothes in a hefty garbage bag in my trunk and drop off at a Hispanic run laundry that does wash and fold for $1.25 a pound. It's 10 minutes away and I drop off my laundry once every 8-10 days in the morning and by evening all my clothes are washed to my instructions and folded perfectly, better than I can do! Costs me around $45 a month for laundry service. Very cheap.

There are only 11 other people that work in the office with me and they sometimes telecommute.

I have a full kitchen with coffee, tea, snacks, juice, soda, full fridge, freezer, convection oven, and large table.

So far I've been here 5 1/2 weeks and it has flown by. My bank account is growing again and I should be in great shape at the end of the year.

This is a big trend out in Silicon Valley and certainly not for everyone but it is working out perfect so far for me. Took some planning for sure.

Now you know.....

[lewdog]

Wanna know how many here use their Roth also as an emergency savings vehicle like this article suggests since contributions can be withdrawn tax/penalty free? I see this posted a lot lately and it makes sense for many I would think after you have a savings account emergency fund but still wanna have an option to stay relatively liquid without parking in a savings account and getting nothing. Any of you do this? What kind of funds do you use?

https://blog.mint.com/saving/does-us...d-idea-052012/

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Wanna know how many here use their Roth also as an emergency savings vehicle like this article suggests since contributions can be withdrawn tax/penalty free? I see this posted a lot lately and it makes sense for many I would think after you have a savings account emergency fund but still wanna have an option to stay relatively liquid without parking in a savings account and getting nothing. Any of you do this? What kind of funds do you use?

https://blog.mint.com/saving/does-us...d-idea-052012/

I don't believe you can withdraw contributions penalty free, as any withdrawal from a Roth is a distribution. So if not a qualified distribution, it would be subject to the 10% penalty, though not taxes unless you got through all your contributions.

https://www.irs.gov/publications/p59...link1000231061