Just found out the wife ran up some serious credit card debt

There is nothing "safe" about owning stocks. That mindset can get you burned badly.

 

Oh, I definitely understand the sentiment. I share it. But eventually, somewhere down the line, a whole shitload of people who paid in by mandate with the expectation that they would get it back are going to get shafted. I've long been making my financial plans based on the assumption that I would be among the shafted. It does seem logical, though, to me, that a means test implemented earlier would be better than paying benefits to people who who absolutely do not need them.

Ahh, who am I kidding. We have to fund those Pakistani gender studies somehow.

 

I understand what you mean. I tried to qualify it by saying "rather safe"...I guess I'm looking at it as a spectrum of risk.

 

But I am FORCED to pay into it and won't ever see a penny... it's my money too!

 

Makes me think of the old JG Wentworth commercials for settlement payout conversions.

"It's my money and I want it now!"

 

Meh, no clue. I’m down 55% since I bought in, but I bought very little of it so I’m not really worried either way.

 

Dividends are a little bit complicated. They are definitely not free money. They have a significant impact on growth.

 

As far as I am concerned, they are free money.

Any money that comes in without me devoting any of my own time or energy to it, is free money.

I didn’t have to do any work, sign a time sheet, etc. I didn’t have to travel across the world or even leave the house.

I literally did nothing, and money went into my account. So for me, that is free money.

 

Not quite... Look at what happens on ex-dividend dates. Your stock's price drops the amount of the dividend. Generally, usually, most of the time, the price recovers back to the valuation metrics pretty quickly, often on the ex-div day before the market close.

But yeah, dividends aren't quite free.

That said, they're a much more important part of my personal portfolio than they were when I was younger.

 

You could say the same thing about a CD but no risk.

And hey there up to 4 percent now.

 

And your purchasing power is only melting by the "official" CPI.

 

Well yeah but could change.

By the way I think you need more emoji that's only three, you can do better than that.

 

A good example is a company like Ruger. They have paid a strong dividend for a long time. However, their growth has been basically zero over the last five years. Most companies of the same caliber (hehe) are way up in value over the same timeframe.

 

Like I said, I am only concerned with getting money without having to do anything for it.

I could probably make more money by mowing yards every day, or working 2 jobs, or washing cars in my days off. But that’s not the point.

The point is I did absolutely nothing. I didn’t devote any of my time or effort, and money went into my account.

I’ve considered rental property, but don’t want the hassle of tenants and/or people messing up my shit.

 

I think you’d be a natural at rental and tenancy management. You’re such a people-person.

 

Been away for a while. How did it work out?

 

Didn't read the whole saga here, but after a "lesson" like this, it would be my suggestion to separate finances completely.

Both sides pay 50% of all household expenses.

Credit cards are in individual names. Which, is good on multiple points because then she has her own credit score/history.
Can be a positive thing in the for a wife if her husband leaves this world. Then, she's already established as her own credit entity.

If the husband makes more and is feeling generous, he can cover the car insurance. Past that...nah.

My two cents (pun intended). I'll never co-mingle my finances with anyone again.

 

The ONLY way I would do it would be if I could turn it over to an agency to manage and I simply get a check every month.

But even then, it would mean id have to interact with the agency, so fuck that.

This subject (people person) came up when I had the latest addition done to my tattoos. The wife was like “You are a big dude and you always have this mean look on your face. You never smile at people, and now with the big tattoos, you look even less approachable. People will be scared to go up and talk to you”.

I was like “Mission fucking accomplished”.



They’ve always been wear I could cover them up if I wanted to, with a long sleeve button up shirt. But not anymore. Even with a shirt that buttons you can now still see the one that comes up/around my right chest because it comes up into the front/bottom of my neck.

Then of course, when I have on a short sleeve shirt the entire upper half of my right arm is tattooed.

I reckon I might could still hide all of it if I buttoned the VERY top button, the one you button when you wear a tie. That actually might hide everything. But I have only worn a tie like 3-4x in my whole life.

 

That's how I do it. Sure I could make a bit more, but I'd rather pay 10% of the rent to people who do this for a living and have relationships with every possible vendor you'd ever need. ESPECIALLY being that I live 388 miles away from the rental. It's a bit far for me to come by & unclog the sink.

 

Now see, I could get into that. When we move to Houston I could always rent out the house in TN.

It would make good financial sense. I’d have the rent money coming in every month, but still own the house. So it is back to my “free money” thing.

But I’d need to find an agency that works like yours does where they handle everything and I’m not involved at all. I don’t even want the renters to know who I am.