Redstickbaw

If she makes 20k and you take 10k out your 401k then your combined income is still under the 32k standard deduction for married couples. If you add in social security income you would fall into the 10% bracket or possibly 12% depending how much you get from social security. Also have to look at your state tax brackets to see what you would be taxed at the state level. My goal in retirement is to try and avoid the 22% bracket as much as possible but I will most likely have some that fall in that bucket.

Looking at how I am managing my personal finances in regards to car purchases or any large expenses that might occur. I usually invest any extra money in my taxable brokerage since i keep around 20k in a high yield savings account for any immediate cash needs. In the scenario for a car purchase one day is it better to just take a car loan out when I need new car and direct some of what would be invested into car payments or would it be best to sell some of my index funds and pay cash for a car (will have to pay capital gains taxes tax.)? How do others plan for car purchases or big purchases? My car could break tomorrow or in 10 years so it’s hard to align when I would need to make a big purchase.

I’m not really concerned about $100 million but I will be interested to see if this starts a trend and brings some bigger players following this move to do the same.

I think the advantage of real estate is the ability to leverage your money and make money with the banks money while the stock market is based on the actual cash you have. Obviously there is an added risk when you start talking about leveraging your money and that can amplify your profits but also amplify your losses. Realistically 80k is probably only enough for a down payment on 1 property and also have a small reserve fund for repairs and surprises.

For those who have experience with rental properties and just simply investing in index funds which route would you recommend going with. Are the rental properties yielding higher returns than the historical average of 12% on the s&p? What kind of return is a good benchmark to aim for when looking at return on rental properties? If you could do it all over again would you have invested differently one way or another? I have 80k in index funds right now and seeing its worth moving to rental properties. I know 80k won’t get me very far in real estate but it’s a starting point and I can save more over time to add to it.

Hey don’t reveal all our secrets. The OT is supposed to think we do 12 hours straight of back breaking work for pennies on the dollar.

Most operators in my unit hit $200k every year. There are a couple that get close to $250k but not very many. There are several of us that have hit over $1MM in retirement accounts before 40. Excellent 401k matching, health insurance, and vacation time. Most here retire somewhere by mid 50s. I’ve heard several of our engineers state they wished they would have gone the operator route. An unscheduled weekend day you earn over $1200 for the day. You have every other Friday-Sunday off. To answer the question I’m sure the LNG plant operators are earning in the mid to high $50 per hour

Mom is in her 70s and I have no sister

I saw the post about the LSU basketball budget and was thinking that would help the budget out

Has any school ever kept a coach on but just lowered the next contract amount due to performance?

Personally I like the garden district/bocage/hundred oaks general area. I find it easier to get around coming from that area and I feel like there is more history and originality in the older homes in that area. I think it’s a more convenient area to be in to access lsu, downtown, government st. businesses, Towne center area, and not a terrible to drive to things in south br. You are also within 3 golf courses city park, Webb and BR country club as well and tennis for Bocage racquet club. I do see the desire to be in college town area and highland road also. At the same time I think the rouzan and willows also have nice homes in it. That’s just my opinion and the market is priced as others opinions see fit based on demand. I understand the areas I mention are adjacent to high crime areas but it is obvious given home values that it doesn’t bother most people as there are homes there priced high. Crime generally stays within its own neighborhoods and most people from BR know that.