kennypowers816

-2

re: Landscape Architect or Similar Recs - NOLA Area Residential Drainage

Posted by kennypowers816 on 9/20/24 at 9:11 am to lighter345

Reached out to him. Thanks for the rec.

Home & Garden

Landscape Architect or Similar Recs - NOLA Area Residential Drainage

Posted by kennypowers816 on 9/18/24 at 1:42 pm

Looking for recommendations of a NOLA area Landscape Architect, landscape design firm or even someone with fewer “credentials” but plenty of experience in the area.

Specifically, I need help with backyard drainage issues in an older home in Metairie. Not really looking for a lot of aesthetic landscaping work as I’m content with what I have.

Lot is approx 135x50 if that’s helpful. Thanks

Home & Garden

re: FBD - A return of the Hot Corner

Posted by kennypowers816 on 5/3/24 at 4:26 pm to fightin tigers

A few old (first few years) Grand Reserves in there. A few old St Arnold Divine Reserves (maybe 12-14?). Some random BA stuff. 1 or 2 first year Parish Imperial Reserves.

If anyone is interested and can be in Metairie this weekend…
<—-@gmail.com

re: FBD - A return of the Hot Corner

Posted by kennypowers816 on 5/3/24 at 1:01 pm to Glock17

Posted this last night but maybe it will get some more eyes today. Giving away my cellared beers.

LINK

re: FBD Start Me Up!!

Posted by kennypowers816 on 5/2/24 at 8:10 pm to Trout Bandit

Hey FBD folks. Long time since I’ve been on here. Hope everyone is well.

Sadly, I probably need to bite the bullet after a long time away from the fancy beer scene and clear out my beer fridge.

I have a bunch of “cellared” beers from years ago. Old Parish Grand Reserves, SA Divine Reserves, Pumpkinators and other random stuff. Probably around 15 bombers and 15 12oz bottles.

All are at least 6+ years old. Probably some are closer to 10 -12 years old. And they have pretty much been at fridge temps that whole time. Some have probably gone bad but some are probably OK.

Anyone have any interest in them? I posted on Reddit but would probably rather give them to a FBD guy, especially since I probably acquired some of these through some of y’all and/or at old Grand Reserve days back in Broussard.

Not looking for anything in return unless anyone just wants to share an easy drinking 6er when you come get them. I’m in Metairie btw. Looking to get them out my fridge in the next few days if possible.

re: tOfficial Running Shoe Thread

Posted by kennypowers816 on 3/8/22 at 10:07 am to jordan21210

I have been getting back into running for the first time in almost 15 years and need some shoes. I used to get fitted at Varsity Sports in BR back when I used to run.

In NOLA now… which one should I go to?
Varsity Sports Lakeview
Fleet Feet
Louisiana Running and Walking

All are fairly close to my house but leaning towards LA R&W. Not really sure why.

Health/Fitness Board

re: Let's talk Cigars

Posted by kennypowers816 on 12/6/21 at 11:01 pm to TigerOnTheMountain

thanks for the confirmation!

re: Let's talk Cigars

Posted by kennypowers816 on 12/6/21 at 3:47 pm to TigerOnTheMountain

Hey TD Cigar folks…

I want to get a gift card for a guy who likes cigars a lot, but I have no idea what type he smokes though. Location needs to be in Metairie or Kenner. He isn’t an everyday smoker but he likes to smoke them at celebrations or occasionally just a Friday evening at home. He also likes to share with others.

Quick search leads me to believe that Habana Port in Metairie is where I should go. Is that right?

Also, my budget is about $200 but I honestly don’t know if that is a lot to spend at a cigar shop or not much.

re: Diving deeper on Standard Lithium?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/18/21 at 9:58 am to deltaland

I’m out. That only last 70 minutes and my stop limits hit.

Planning to buy back but going to let the dust settle first. This looks ugly in the short term.

re: Diving deeper on Standard Lithium?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/18/21 at 9:03 am to PotatoChip

In for 550 @ 8.94

re: Santa Fe NM

Posted by kennypowers816 on 5/8/21 at 9:59 am to blueridgeTiger

Bumping this thread because of some good dining suggestions. I’m going in 2 weeks with the wife.

Anywhere we should get reservations in advance or just walk in everywhere?

I looked at websites of some of the places recommended in this thread but didn’t see reservation options for any.

Thanks

-1

re: Please help with knives and knife maintenance

Posted by kennypowers816 on 2/4/21 at 2:26 pm to Jibbajabba

quote:
and finding a way to keep your mother in law from cutting things on your granite counter tops.

I physically winced when I read that

But pretty much everything jibbajabba said... End grain cutting board, regularly hone, wash promptly, don’t scrape the board (buy a bench scraper for that), use the right knife, etc

Also, just a personal preference... I have a 3 levels of knives in my kitchen:

(1) A cheap block from our wedding registry - used to do real quick things for kiddo’s breakfast or lunch or whatever. Not real prep work. Throw these in the dishwasher when they need to be cleaned. They were never really sharp to begin with but if they ever get terrible, I’ll just buy a new block

(2) A handful of good quality but not too pricey knives. I take care of these and use a whetstone myself to sharpen them. I use these for most of my every day cooking

(3) a couple of nice Japanese knives that I got as gifts from Coutelier (local knife shop here in Nola). I bring these in to be sharpened professionally once or twice a year. I use these when I know I have a lot of prep work or need my sharpest knives. Probably overkill, but I like them a lot

re: Saving for Home Down Payment - Where to keep the money?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 1/7/21 at 11:09 am to Ruxins Rascals

I was in the same situation a few years ago. I left it in a savings account. To me, the risk wasn’t worth the upside. I wanted to make sure I had my down payment secured to avoid PMI.

If you’re comfortable with potentially losing some of your down payment and having to pay PMI or waiting longer to save more, then I’d put it in an index fund, but if not, just leave it in savings and be happy when you find the house you’re excited about.

Good luck

re: Costco In Huntsville, AL Has PRIME Whole Briskets For $3.49/LB

Posted by kennypowers816 on 7/19/20 at 5:16 pm to walley tux

quote:
most texas brisket is dry

re: Recommend me a destination in Colorado

Posted by kennypowers816 on 1/7/20 at 9:48 am to EasternShoreTider

I'll second the Aspen and Ouray recommendations.

Aspen is wonderful in September. It is "off season" there. No winter skiing crowds and no summer hiking crowds, but the weather is still mild enough to hike as much as you want. Also, the Aspens are changing colors, which is amazing.

I did Ouray/Silverton as a kid with my family. Great trip. Took the train to Durango towards the end.

re: Pros/Cons/Tips of Traveling with 11-14 month old

Posted by kennypowers816 on 1/6/20 at 9:54 am to samson73103

Lol thanks for everyone's thoughts/responses

Pros/Cons/Tips of Traveling with 11-14 month old

Posted by kennypowers816 on 1/3/20 at 3:51 pm

We used to try to take at least one 10-14 day trip every year before the wife got knocked up. We're trying to get back to it this year and because of work schedules, we would ideally want to do it when the baby is just about a year old.

Thankfully, we have options to leave him at him home with grandparents for the duration, but just curious to hear some thoughts on traveling with or without. Obviously, I want him to join us once he can start remembering the trips, but for now, it seems like a bit of a burden, although I've heard from a few family friends that they loved bringing infants on trips.

Destination is still up in the air... looking at 10 days max this time, maybe fewer if we leave him, to not be a burden.

re: Kia Telluride

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/26/19 at 2:18 pm to thatguy777

FWIW, Consumer Reports has the 2020 Telluride rated as the #1 Mid-sized SUV right now.

re: START Program

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/21/19 at 4:33 pm to glaceau

2 general questions for those who know a lot about the program...

(1) - are the AGI ranges for earnings enhancements for single filers or joint or both? Seems like they would list AGI ranges for different filing statuses, but maybe I'm missing something

(2) - assuming your AGI > 100k, the earnings enhancement is limited to 2%. your contribution is tax deductible for state taxes only, and your earnings are tax free (if spent on a qualified expense). It just seems like it isn't a ton of skin in the game for high earners to lock up cash like this. am i being short-sighted? it seems that if the question was max out 401k vs this, you'd go to 401k, right??

re: Total Wine & More Coming to Metairie

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/21/19 at 11:05 am to TH03

Makes sense from a fine wine perspective.

Speaking of... I saw your note about Clicquot. Is that something you sell as part of fine wine? Distributor side?

re: Total Wine & More Coming to Metairie

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/21/19 at 9:41 am to TH03

quote:
TH03

quote:
No, I just literally deal with this everyday so I kinda know what I'm talking about.

You do seem to know a lot about the industry and TW.

Just curious what you do... If you don't mind sharing?

re: Total Wine & More Coming to Metairie

Posted by kennypowers816 on 11/21/19 at 9:39 am to tigers1956

quote:
Cant believe it took them so long to open a store in south Louisiana

Likely, this is at least partially because of LA's 6% markup law. Historically, they haven't moved into new markets with minimum markups, but they recently have started to.

It will be interesting to see what brands they run at 6% as "loss leaders" since some grocery stores run 6% prices on some items already.

re: Parish Release Announcement

Posted by kennypowers816 on 10/30/19 at 3:34 pm to AncientTiger

LINK - Planet Money's Newsletter: Is Your Retirement Fund Ruining Our Economy?

LINK - Original Bloomberg Article

Planet Money Newsletter: Index Fund Questions

Posted by kennypowers816 on 10/8/19 at 12:50 pm

To preface this, I am in my early 30's and far from a recession alarmist. I subscribe to the theory that with a 25-30 year horizon, my best option is to continue to DCA as much as possible into tax-advantaged retirement accounts and invest in broad market index funds. As such my largest holding by far is VTSAX.

I listen to the NPR Planet Money podcast regularly and enjoy it more for its entertainment value, but I found the newsletter today intriguing. I personally hadn't thought like this before, so I'm just wondering what other folks thoughts are about it...

quote:
Burry recently told Bloomberg that he sees another massive bubble happening. This time, he says, it's in index funds...

Actively buying and selling stocks and bonds provides a service to the market: It's called "price discovery." If something is overvalued, traders sell it. If it's undervalued, they buy it. That moves the price of the asset, and it is the crucial mechanism to make sure the price is right, signaling its true value.

But index funds don't really discover prices. Investors just dump money into these investments, which mindlessly hold stock in companies whether they're doing well or not. Burry believes the fall of active buying and selling has led to overvaluations, and he's predicting a crash in the value of the large companies held in index funds. "I just don't know what the timeline will be. Like most bubbles, the longer it goes on, the worse the crash will be," he told Bloomberg. He's now investing in small companies, which he says are often ignored by index funds...

"In this Giant Three scenario, three investment managers would largely dominate shareholder voting in practically all significant U.S. companies that do not have a controlling shareholder," Bebchuk and Hirst warn. They fear this could have drastic implications for corporate governance and competition...

Recommendations for Relatively Easy WiFi Extender or Access Point

Posted by kennypowers816 on 7/9/19 at 11:30 pm

I bought a “TrendNet” extender/access point a couple of years ago that works well for about a day when I plug it in, but then it causes my main ATT router to stop working.

My main router is downstairs and is the standard ATT Uverse router

I have a hard wire Ethernet cable running from the router upstairs to the location I’d like to put another access point.

I don’t need a ton of range from the new access point but just want a stronger signal upstairs

Ideally, I’d like to set it up with the same name/pw as the uverse router so that it transitions seamlessly if possible.

Any suggestions on a product that would fit my needs? Or any ideas why the one I have doesn’t work with the Uverse router?

Tech Board

re: Who do you use for term life?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 6/20/19 at 11:31 am to GREENHEAD22

quote:
We are 30 and have a 9 month old.

I'm pretty close to your same situation, and I looked at 20yr term. My goal is to be financially independent in about 25 years, and I expect to be close enough to that goal in 20 years that my family would no longer need my income replaced at that point. You never know what will happen, but my hope/expectation is that 30yr term would be overkill for me.

quote:
I have seen all debts & childrens schooling plus 15yrs of your gross income. That sound about right?

I'm not an expert, but this seems like a LOT. I looked at a lot of different factors to get an idea of income replacement. I didn't use this as my rule of thumb, but I ended up right at about ~10x gross income. I didn't add current debt or child education to that.

ETA: YMMV on all of this. I just wanted to give a different perspective to think about.

re: Pay off your mortgage or pay off all debt other than the mortgage?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 6/13/19 at 3:41 pm to weagle99

quote:
save towards the purchase so that you can pay cash but invest the money along the way and keep any gains beyond the vehicle cost in the investment account.

That should be a given. You shouldn't buy a car when you want a new one or when you have "saved up for it". You should buy a car when you NEED to buy a car. If you have to finance it, then you have to finance it. If you can pay cash, there is nothing wrong with that. Or you can invest the cash and make some money.

quote:
I don’t plan to ever have a car payment again.

Nothing wrong with that at all. FWIW, I paid cash for my last vehicle because I knew I was about to buy a house and didn't want to take the chance of negatively affecting my credit in the short term. I've got nothing against paying cash. It just isn't the savviest use of your money.

quote:
Might be the expectation but someone, somewhere is accounting for the trillions of consumer debt in the US and I don’t expect this board is exempt.

While I agree this board isn't exempt, the majority of posters active on Money Talk understand the basic concepts of avoiding unnecessary debt. But yes, for someone who doesn't understand simple financial concepts and/or can't control themselves and/or just doesn't want to deal with a car payment, by all means, the general advice should be to pay cash.

re: Some of your favorite cook books?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 6/13/19 at 3:27 pm to Delacroix

quote:
The Food Lab - Kenji Lopez Alt

re: Pay off your mortgage or pay off all debt other than the mortgage?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 6/13/19 at 3:02 pm to weagle99

quote:
I think most of this sounds good on paper but ignores human behavior.

You're absolutely right. It assumes that OP can control him/herself and not spiral out of control into debt. That is the general expectation of this board.

quote:
Finance and pay interest on a depreciating item like a car?

What does a car being a "depreciating item" have to do with any of this?

If you pay for it with cash or if you finance it, the car is going to be worth the same amount a year from now. You may be under water on the loan but you have money in corresponding investments to cover it. Assuming you didn't spend the money on something else, the net value of your car +/- your investments will be the same, excluding interest lost on a loan or (un)realized gains/losses on the corresponding investments.

re: What's your liqour of choice?

Posted by kennypowers816 on 6/13/19 at 2:38 pm to TigersHuskers

Bulleit Rye mainly for old fashioneds
Belvedere for Soda/Lime or martinis
Don Julio Blanco for simple margaritas or ranch water
Bulleit 10 or Glenmorangie Nectar D'Or for sipping neat
Crown is always on hand for the neighbors or for a quick whiskey/water to go