Castanza

PDF version here “there”

Appreciate all the perspectives from the folks above1 COBF never disappoints

Throw in some Insurance and underlying commodity producers that back the other sectors like WFG and I agree whole heartedly.

What'd she say about the boat part? Agree 100% though.....quick trip over to WallStreetBets shows the opposite side of the coin. Dude Yoloing 10,20,30k sometimes 75-100k yearly and posting their loss porn. Always wonder what the rest of their portfolios look like. Or if they have a house, vehicle, student loans etc.

Timing and market conditions have a lot to do with it. I think what Greg and Changegonnacom allude to are soft benefits that you might not see initially on your bottom line. Which makes a lot of sense. But then you can look at things like appreciation of a house from 2009-2023 (200k -> 293k) vs SPY (200k -> 1.3m) over the same period. Lots of luck, time, and market conditions that go into that. But (and it's a big but) it's not as clear cut for people who actively play a role in their finances. I mean in Toronto you could just as easily buy a 2m house only to have the market tank and be stuck with a house with a market value of 1.6m. Then you've got variable rates on top of that.... All depends i guess.

LOL have to admit that is a gangster move to put that in there. I'll have to remember this for future use. @changegonnacome @Gregmal Agree that for 99% of people the mortgage mechanism is a great forced savings tool. Similar to 401k etc. Yeah I guess there could be better options, but sometimes good enough is best and removes the added stress of trying to eek out an additional 10% like Bluegolds alluded to above. Appreciate the thoughts.

Im only tracking it for pure entertainment because you always here from people that a house is a great investment! A lot of people talk about the value of a house in terms of a return for when you sell it down the line. But when you actually look at the numbers, most people are underwater. Really the main benefit is it’s paid off in retirement. Outside of that there really isn’t any advantage from a financial standpoint. I like my house and the upgrades because it’s what we wanted. Most upgrades won’t get your money back. No qualms there! And I agree @Blugolds11 there is more to a house than the financial aspect. But… Realistically most people are looking at what 1-2% CAGR over their 30 year mortgage factoring in inflation (pulled out of ass)? Which triggered my idea of tracking every expense to see how it all shakes out in the end. Im really just curious to see if there are people who go from 25 -> Death who rent their whole lives and actually come out ahead financially vs owning a house. Part of me (the cynical side) think this might be the case in certain areas (probably not in mine). I guess time will tell. At the end of the day this is probably a complete waste of time lol. But maybe I’ll be right at which point in retirement I’ll turn it into a shit book with an obnoxious title like “Don't Ever Buy a F$$$ing House!”. Sell thousands of copies and fund my golden years traipsing around Europe sipping fine wine and driving exotic cars

How do you guys factor costs of owning a home into this long term? When I bought my house (which I ended up paying off early) I wanted to keep track of every single input cost I have so in 30 years or whenever I decided to sell at this point I can see IF I’ve made a positive return. I have a journal titled “The Cost of a Home” where I keep a running tally of every single expensive used on the physical maintenance of the house/property. From every major project down to every box of screws, tube of caulk, paint brush, p-trap, toilet flange, load of mulch, etc. Let me tell you that shit adds up over time! So far I’m ahead based on current market prices and what I could get for it if I sold. Obviously there is typically more upfront costs; but I’m really only through round 1 of repairs/updates over the course of ownership. I keep track of rents in my general area to get a ballpark for comparison. My gut tells me it might end up being closer than some think.

As much as I want to add a bit here, I'm pretty much at a full position in my Roth (plus I'm out of cash!)

Big move for you no? Wasn't BRK your largest position?

Would bet my life savings this guy has a failed substack

Looking more and more like this will not be that big of a deal. No sign of it grounding any jets so far which is a big hurdle. Looking like an extra safety check on a few hundred engines (consider there are thousands of engines in operation).

It's tempting for sure, but who knows how long this will linger

Very nice, that's some solid distance. I've been too lazy to setup a Strava account. Just using the base metrics on my Garmin for now. Typically only run 2-3 days a week as I primarily lift or do CrossFit.

Thanks for the insider insights on this. Been reading about the industry off and on the past few months. What foreign markets do you see as potentially most lucrative?

FRFHF

That SeriousEats article It says searing steaks doesn't actually hold in juice, also says you can cut right into them without letting them rest....Hell even the test kitchen did a cooked from frozen steak and it had less gray banding than one at fridge temp. But the reality is, you don't see any chefs not searing theirs steaks and you definitely don't see them cooking steaks from frozen.....idk about that haha I consider fully thawed and in the fridge to be basically "room temp" from a food safety standpoint. Usually I get it out of the fridge and let it sit about 20min which brings the temp down maybe a handful of degrees. It is an interesting discussion though and you can certainly find articles justifying either or! Different strokes for different folks! I'd rather copy Bourdain, Weissman, Ramsay or Alton than AmericasTestKitchen though.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmC9SmCBUj4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdHE2zgSaxU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4aI_O8kcN8

What kind of mileage are you putting out in a week? I've been trying to shift my running focus to longer clips the past two months from 3-5 to 7-9. Most of my workouts are on trails though.

Do you prefer your carcinogens in liquid or solid form

One of the biggest things people do wrong with any meat (steak, ribs, brisket etc.) is not letting them come to room temp before cooking. You can make solid ribs in your oven in about 2 hours. I do this all winter long if it's crappy outside and don't want to deal with the grill. Baby Back Ribs - Pre-heat oven 350 - Dab ribs dry with paper towels - Lightly rub with honey, mustard, or olive oil - Dry rub seasoning - Put on cookie sheet lined with foil and bake for 1:45-2hrs pending rack size - Pull ribs out and up the temp to 450 - Move ribs to a fresh cookie sheet with new foil - Sauce the ribs - 5-10min - Broil 2-3 Less time is better and minimal sauce is better for oven ribs. Not a true sub for a smoker, but sometimes good enough is better.

+1 and a really good electric induction plate with digital temp can really up your cooking skill. Duxtop makes a really solid one for about $100

Tough to toe that line imo. I try to segregate between long-term investments and more speculative ones. Typically for me the distinction comes down to track record, market position, market cap, outlook, acquisition target worthy, special situation, etc. O&G is just one of those sectors I choose to keep a loose grip on.

Held it in my Roth so it was easier to sell for sure. More so just a trade on oil prices and wanted to allocate more to Fairfax. If we get back below $20 again I’ll take a look again. I still like the company. Mgmt was buying around $16 so that number is in the back of my mind.

Sold remaining VTS, Trimmed CASH 1/3

Doubled my FRFHF position