mmmmm...beer

No... there was no "incident" or ultimatum. It's been a gradual decline to almost zilch now. Just don't find it joyable anymore. Bang for the buck just isn't there. Even if I don't get buzzed I sleep like sh!t. If I do get buzzed I sleep worse. Oh and then feel out of sorts for a few days. Meh... it just doesn't enhance my good time at all, rather quite the opposite. PS... I do reserve the right to try an edible or two once I'm not a fed anymore. Never have partaken, but curious if it would chill me out a bit... a few more months for that.

What's the PayPal address again?

So as I stated in my Japan thread we recently sold our house. Did pretty decent and made $223k all said and done. That being said living in Japan on base we are provided a house for 3 years so no mortgage/rent. We've bought and sold 4 houses in our last 20 years of marriage. I've been really kicking around maybe not buying when we get back. I'll have to run the numbers but with the interest rates where they are currently, taxes, insurance went through the roof lately as well. Reading and watching more about how many folks well off don't buy/own their home anymore. I mean.. maintenance... sheesh... I can't tell you how many Home Depot trips and thousands of dollars I've poured into homes.

So retirement in a few months. As a .gov employee I've had to keep my mouth shut for the most part about any .gov administration, agenda, or what they've supported. Also... any social media I've been on or social discourse as been subject to self censorship as I needed to just get to that goal of 50 and out. I feel like there could be a reckoning once my bit has been released. Or... I may not care enough to do more than a few comments here or there. Probably mostly "get off my lawn" type of talk. That being said, I'm a little disappointed I won't be around work with the freedom of "fock you, and I retire before you can get me on anything" time. I feel I would be much much more of a sassafrass. If you could say whatever you wanted too... whenever you wanted to... ie you're uncancellable, what would ya do? Work or Socially are exceptable scenarios in your answer.

Not a lot... very little.

These situations always suck. I never armchair QB them as I wasn't there in the totality of it all. Horrible for the young man and the cop. I will say... unless you've been in a situation where a firearm as been pulled on you, it's very hard to understand the body's response, and juat how little time you have to do something or not. Bad situation over all. I have a friend who had to shoot someone on duty. He shot himself a few years later.

Dumb statement and shows bias. No we don't.

Ohhh thought you were talking about some sort of place. Which... I guess you are. Haah...

@seafoam1 What's ACN?

Ah just got on. I don't know you or you me but I'm an almost retired fed. Wife is civilian DOD. Just got PCS'd by choice to Japan. I'll be heading back over in October to retire. We'll be there 3-5 years depending on.

If one of these isn't Dooby Gilllis you don't win.

The market is all being falsely driven up by Blackrock, Vanguard, and the like right now.

I like secrets:

Listen I'm not saying buying a house is horrible, all I'm saying is I'm seeing more and more people with a lot of money say they'll never own a home. I came from nothing... riding on the coat tails of smarter people. I'm still learning. There are many avenues I've seen. There is no perfect way for everyone. I've bought and sold 4 houses, and maybe haven't seen my last. All I'm saying is I'm doing research.

Oh for sure... also... depending on how old you are... 2008... several of my buddies were absolutely upside down in their house... hundreds of thousands. Took a decade to make it up.

If you sell within a year it's short term cap gains... which is like 40%. If you hold it over a year it's long term... which is really about your current tax bracket. That being said... use it as a retirement account. Let that thing grow... when you need... start drawing... $1k...$2k a month. In the meantime.. VOOG or SCHG are over +15% average return since inception with low low fees.

On base in a free house!!! Muahahahaah!!!!

Not nessicerily bro... you really have to crunch ALL the numbers. Many times it's a break even... With 7-8% interest rates not so much.

Just put it in a growth account and don't sell it.

I think his point is... after you've paid $550k for your $400k mortgage. Just throwing excess money from renting into a S& P500 account averaging over 11% for the last 75 years it would be a ton more than the 400k house in the 30 year mortgage lifespan.

The of the $223K I "made" on the house I invested it all. $15k in Roth IRA's $5k to a UTMA for the 5 year old daughter. The other $203k in a brokerage account, bought SCHG. That was about 3 weeks ago. It's up about +$9k I will probably never have the opportunity to have that much capital to invest again for awhile.

Reading a lot of stuff on this. The "American Dream".... for mortgage companies anyway.

Sums it up... plus I'm gonna work on my Shinobi skills in Japan.

More a observation? Wasn't planned or any a forethought to it. Over a few years... all of the sudden I don't drink much at all.

You mean like the housing market crash in 2008 when everything went half price damned near?