Eff You Money

[Ross812]

32 minutes ago, james22 said:

 

I'm closing in on my press/bench/squat/deadlift 1/2/3/4 plate target (at 165#).

 

Haven't experienced neck pain in a year.

 

Damn, a 4 plate DL at 165# is stout. I hit 315 on DL and squat at 180# and started increasing reps instead of adding weight. I messed up a shoulder in September and it still feels like I'll never hit 1/2 plates on press/bench again.

[Ross812]

16 minutes ago, thepupil said:

I have a good amount relative to my age..though am not as young as I once was and honestly it's hard to tell what numbers mean anymore because everyone else is getting more nominally rich too. 

 

One of my problems is only 20% of my total pre-tax liability, pre transaction costs net worth is accessible/liquid/spendable. 

 

So I feel a lot poorer than my personal capital calculator would suggest.

 

home equity, IRA/HSA/401k/etc, a private RE investment, a small trust comprise the other 80%, all of which are illiquid/restricted/come with tax penalties. I've become more focused on increasing the accessibility/liquidity of these than maximizing the actual number...which isn't where I want it to be either.

 

 

401k loan, Roth conversion ladder, 72t probably in that order for liquidity. At least fill out your tax bracket with a Roth conversion if that's important to you. 

[james22]

4 minutes ago, Ross812 said:

I messed up a shoulder in September and it still feels like I'll never hit 1/2 plates on press/bench again.

 

You will.

 

I began lifting after rotator cuff surgery and the other shoulder had been separated a year earlier. 

[CorpRaider]

Why you benching half plates?  j/k. 

 

I quit doing real bar bench b/c of old man shoulders.  Just do dumbells, standing presses (have to go lighter of course), incline, and use the machines.  I don't go above 315 on DL anymore either.  I also only front squat (although I usually do hack squat machine).

Edited February 4 by CorpRaider

[alxcii]

29 minutes ago, Ross812 said:

 

Damn, a 4 plate DL at 165# is stout. I hit 315 on DL and squat at 180# and started increasing reps instead of adding weight. I messed up a shoulder in September and it still feels like I'll never hit 1/2 plates on press/bench again.

 

Injuries suck - for shoulder pain/rehab I highly recommend looking into using a reverse grip for bench (around 4:10 for info re: shoulders):

 

 

[TwoCitiesCapital]

1 hour ago, Ross812 said:

 

Barbell squats and deadlifts 2-3 times a week reversed all the knee and back pain i had. The human body is amazing. 

 

Gotta be careful to be a bit balanced with the fitness though. 

 

I was working out 3-4 times a week and working primarily on big compound lifts for full-body efficiency in minimal time/reps. My bench/squat/deadlift combo was ~1,100 lbs (I'm 180) and my left shoulder/neck/shoulder blades constantly hurt and had tension. 

 

I always thought it was related to a shoulder injury from snowboarding ~10 years ago where I completely tore 2 of the 3 muscles in my left shoulder.

 

Only recently found it was due to underdeveloped mid/lower traps vs my upper traps from deadlifting. A single exercise targeting mid/lower traps thrown into the routine eliminated ALL of my neck and shoulder tension/pain after a single day.  

Edited February 4 by TwoCitiesCapital

[thepupil]

21 minutes ago, Ross812 said:

401k loan, Roth conversion ladder, 72t probably in that order for liquidity. At least fill out your tax bracket with a Roth conversion if that's important to you. 

I'm doing roth conversions at close to max bracket. it doesn't make sense from a net worth/current cash flow maximization standpoint but starting in 2028 my housing costs will be sustainably covered. I probably won't actually take money out then, but building the ladder now. 

[Parsad]

1 hour ago, cubsfan said:

 

100% - I never thought about money.

 

It's so much fun when you retire and live like a kid again. 

 

Hmmm, I don't know about that.  It was more like I thought about money and being wealthy one day, but was very happy to make 25 cents doing specific chores, so I could go down to the corner store and maximize the treats I could buy for a dollar.  Money doesn't make you happy, but it does solve a lot of problems and gives you options.  Cheers!

[Ross812]

@TwoCitiesCapital I was doing the 5/3/1 program (press/bench/squat/DL day) with an additional 5x10 following the main lift then three accessories with 5x10 pullups as one accessory on upper body days. I  do the slalom waterski coarse 3 days a week in the summer and started playing pickleball in the off season. I think pickleball was too much with the lifting routine. Damn dangerous game that pickleball - I'm kind of embarrassed.

[Whensthepaintdry?]

Wife and I are flirting with 2m. I have 15 years till my pension, which I roughly count as having 1.5ish of fixed income if I make it 30 years. We haven’t slowed down working yet. We still hustle more than most, but we are starting to feel a little silly with some of the things we do to make extra money. I am thinking about going back to school for my bachelor’s in financial planning. If anyone has any feelings towards that degree, positive or negative, I would love to hear them.  

[longlake95]

10 minutes ago, Whensthepaintdry? said:

Wife and I are flirting with 2m. I have 15 years till my pension, which I roughly count as having 1.5ish of fixed income if I make it 30 years. We haven’t slowed down working yet. We still hustle more than most, but we are starting to feel a little silly with some of the things we do to make extra money. I am thinking about going back to school for my bachelor’s in financial planning. If anyone has any feelings towards that degree, positive or negative, I would love to hear them.  

Good for you. You don't need a degree in financial planning. You've already got it figured out. That doesn't mean stop learning though. Focus on making good investments as that's what will move the needle for you, with a couple of mil under your belt. Flirt with your wife. Go skiing.

Edited February 4 by longlake95

[gary17]

i'm in my early 40's and  based on a few different calcs, fairly sure i can be OK retiring now.

 

my job is fun but there's one partner that's a little not great to work with.  other partners thought so but we are canadians... too nice to do anything lol.    AND, after 20 years at it, feel like i owe it to myself to explore something else. 

 

Really toying with the idea of stepping back, may be instead of retiring, can reduce my hours, etc.  I think it'll be scary to not go to work one day though i am sure.     Still have a kid in elementary...so can't really travel the world just yet. 

 

thanks for all those who shared their path.... nice to read.

[cubsfan]

36 minutes ago, Whensthepaintdry? said:

Wife and I are flirting with 2m. I have 15 years till my pension, which I roughly count as having 1.5ish of fixed income if I make it 30 years. We haven’t slowed down working yet. We still hustle more than most, but we are starting to feel a little silly with some of the things we do to make extra money. I am thinking about going back to school for my bachelor’s in financial planning. If anyone has any feelings towards that degree, positive or negative, I would love to hear them.  

 

Agree with @longlake95 You'll learn plenty here. 16 years ago, when I went on my own, I took a couple accounting classes, which helped a lot. Also a finance class, which I would have skipped, as I knew most of it already. There's so much good stuff available on line now. Keep learning on your own.

[Whensthepaintdry?]

@longlake95 @cubsfan Thank you, I definitely need to ski more. It is hard to throttle back though when you have been being frugal and picking up extra shifts the whole way up. I was thinking financial planning may lead to a career of some sort down the line. I am mostly interested in doing it in a small scale/part time way. Most places I have looked require a bachelors degree which I do not have. 

[cubsfan]

4 minutes ago, Whensthepaintdry? said:

@longlake95 @cubsfan Thank you, I definitely need to ski more. It is hard to throttle back though when you have been being frugal and picking up extra shifts the whole way up. I was thinking financial planning may lead to a career of some sort down the line. I am mostly interested in doing it in a small scale/part time way. Most places I have looked require a bachelors degree which I do not have. 

 

Yeah, on that career question, I'd defer to the RIA guys, not me.

As a private investor - to get better at investing , my way & @longlake95, makes the most sense.

[Gregmal]

Yea definitely need to grind down in the homestretch. Basically when a double changes your life you re within reach of owning your time. I’d probably call that $1.5m or so for most. So double meaning $3m NW. 

 

Otherwise, if a double doesn’t do shit for you, whether you’re above those goals or below them…settle down and just find a good balance and keep slogging. 

[thepupil]

9 minutes ago, Gregmal said:

Yea definitely need to grind down in the homestretch. Basically when a double changes your life you re within reach of owning your time. I’d probably call that $1.5m or so for most. So double meaning $3m NW. 

 

Otherwise, if a double doesn’t do shit for you, whether you’re above those goals or below them…settle down and just find a good balance and keep slogging. 

we taking 100% positions now?

[Gregmal]

17 minutes ago, thepupil said:

we taking 100% positions now?

Nah, just means that even if you suck you’ve got less than seven years to go. 

[Whensthepaintdry?]

Ha, that’s comforting. 

[Red Lion]

On 2/4/2025 at 9:54 AM, TwoCitiesCapital said:

A single exercise targeting mid/lower traps thrown into the routine eliminated ALL of my neck and shoulder tension/pain after a single day.  

That's incredible. 

 

I don't have nearly as impressive numbers as the rest in this thread, on the long road back from a herniated disc. Physical therapy has been life changing though, and I think in my middle age I'm going to keep going regularly to avoid these weird little imbalances like your example above. 

[73 Reds]

1 minute ago, Red Lion said:

That's incredible. 

 

I don't have nearly as impressive numbers as the rest in this thread, on the long road back from a herniated disc. Physical therapy has been life changing though, and I think in my middle age I'm going to keep going regularly to avoid these weird little imbalances like your example above. 

@TwoCitiesCapital what is the exercise?  I have been dealing with neck and shoulder pain for years from C4, 5, 6 and 7  arthritis.  Willing to try something new since nothing else has worked.

[TwoCitiesCapital]

3 hours ago, 73 Reds said:

@TwoCitiesCapital what is the exercise?  I have been dealing with neck and shoulder pain for years from C4, 5, 6 and 7  arthritis.  Willing to try something new since nothing else has worked.

 

Similar to body-weight dips, but instead of bending your elbows, you're basically shrugging and unshrugging while keep arms straight. 

 

Didn't listen to the audio, but he demonstrates the exercise at the end of the video: 

Edited February 6 by TwoCitiesCapital

[73 Reds]

52 minutes ago, TwoCitiesCapital said:

 

Similar to body-weight dips, but instead of bending your elbows, you're basically shrugging and unshrugging while keep arms straight. 

 

Didn't listen to the audio, but he demonstrates the exercise at the end of the video: 

 

Thanks for that.  I tried doing them using the arms of a chair - seems a bit awkward.  Did they hurt your neck/shoulders to do them at first?  Do you do as many as you can?

[TwoCitiesCapital]

1 hour ago, 73 Reds said:

Thanks for that.  I tried doing them using the arms of a chair - seems a bit awkward.  Did they hurt your neck/shoulders to do them at first?  Do you do as many as you can?

 

No discomfort for me doing them, but I was doing it on equipment like the guy in the video and haven't tried tall chairs/stools as stand in. 

 

I typically will do a 2-3 sets of 20 at body weight or where a weighted belt of +25 and do sets of 10-15. 

[73 Reds]

18 minutes ago, TwoCitiesCapital said:

 

No discomfort for me doing them, but I was doing it on equipment like the guy in the video and haven't tried tall chairs/stools as stand in. 

 

I typically will do a 2-3 sets of 20 at body weight or where a weighted belt of +25 and do sets of 10-15. 

OK thanks.  Looks like a standing dip bar would work.  And didn't mean to hijack this thread but we could have a whole other discussion about fitness!