u/DegreeConscious9628

They recently changed to quarterly distributions and aiming for 12%. Do you guys think this is sustainable? That’s quite the jump up from ~7%

I do own a bit of it, I like the diversification. Kinda wish they kept it a bit more conservative

I’ve always thought of credit card fees as the cost of doing business but nowadays more and more places are passing off the 3% to customers that use credit cards. A lot of local shops in my area are charging it. A lot of dealer parts counters are using it. And the most recent kick in the dick was Worldpac charging it starting November.

Do you owners eat this cost or pass it on to customers? I feel like it’s dirty to add on 3%. Kinda like those “surcharges” at restaurants. At the same time I am losing about 20k a year (I negotiated 2.1%) in processing fees

What’s your thoughts?

Getting close to retiring off dividends (@42, less than 3.5 years to go, I think that’s getting close?) and fine tuning my portfolio, would like a peer review on my holdings.

My total portfolio is as follows: retirement is 100% in VTI that won’t be touched for 20 years, 62% of my brokerage is in dividend growth (3.25% yield, ~8% five year div growth rate) the part in question is the other 38% that’s in derivatives/income.

Derivatives / income holdings
GPIQ, GPIX, OVL, ADX, QQQI, SPYI, MLPI, NIHI, IAUI, IYRI, BTCI, PFFA, IDVO
Total yield is right about 12%, 36k a year.

Downsides are i know im pretty heavily concentrated on NEOS funds and also pretty concentrated in the SP500/nasdaq but I like the strategies used by all these companies. Not to mention the ROC used by these funds will help me out a lot with my taxes

Doing the math this total blend would yield 52k a year at 6.25%. I’ve been tracking my spending and my average yearly spend is 42k, I will have other income (24k a year for 4 years)coming in from a sale of a business and 100k in a HYSA to use for downturns and emergencies so I’m fine with a 30%, hell even 50% cut in distributions from my income funds as long as it eventually recovers. The dividend growth portion should keep me above inflation.

What sectors am I missing here? I like to be well diversified. I was thinking adding CEFS and UTG. Any recommendations?

As an auto shop owner if pretty much anyone on a roadtrip happened to have car problems I would do everything in my power to help that person out. ESPECIALLY if they are in the business.

I’m on vacation in a small mountain resort town, red death of triangle + CEL came on in my Prius. Driving fine, checked the basics like the inverter. I wanted to see what the fault code was so I can determine if i should make the drive home or get it towed.

The local shop which most certainly can’t repair hybrid issues and they are booked out for weeks anyway.

I started off by saying I’m in the industry and if i could get a scan so i can figure out my options. They said 70 bucks. I declined. I’ll risk the 45 min drive to next town over to use an auto zone scanner.

Am I being cheap? Yeah probably, but is professional courtesy dead? I guess I’m being cheap. lol but I would never charge someone in my situation at my shop

Edit- I’m not mad at either point of view. I get both sides. I stupidly forgot to bring my spare scanner with me this trip. Lesson learned. Also maybe I’m too nice, I guess I should start charging people for quick 15 second scans myself huh? Lol

Edit edit - man you guys are a miserable bunch. I guess I shoulda known since this is the mechanics sub. How many of you are shop owners anyways? As a tech I understand not wanting to waste non billed time but as a owner if this is how you operate you are the people that give auto repair a bad name

Been in this shitty career far too long. I’m 3.5 years till quitting time. Definitely burnt out. But I need a profitable 3.5 years to hit my retirement number.

So, to make the rest of my time doing this horse shit tolerable, what do you guys think about a repair shop that does 4 10’s? As a customer would you be good with that? How would you techs feel? Any shop owners doing that? Currently I’m doing 5 8’s but the very thought of having to be there 5 days a week makes me irrationally angry. Since we work on appointment basis I think I can make it work.

Maybe I’ll try every other week and see how it goes for a while. Honestly I have kick ass techs, we can definitely put out 5 days of work in even 4 8’s if we needed to. I know 2 of my guys would love it, 1 guy will be indifferent about it. I guess the biggest thing would be am I gonna lose customers by not being open on Fridays. I’d imagine a handful for sure.

So yeah, customers, techs, service writers, owners- give me your input because 4 day work weeks would be awesome

Just this morning I made my quarterly contribution to my brokerage account from my business account and I have hit $2000 a month in divvies! (4.8% yield, 5.9% YOC)

I have been tracking my budget and 2k is my minimum monthly spend to have a roof over my head and (heathy) food in my tummy along with 1 weekend camping trip to the mountains (def need it for my sanity lol) I can officially not freak out about being able to afford to live if I ever lose my business. Pretty stoked!

Goal is 4k a month, should get there in 3.5-4 years. Then it’s off to early retirement

Oh, and did I mention I don’t have to sell any of my shares?

(Brokerage consists of SCHD, various individual dividend kings/aristocrats/champs, derivative income like GPIX/Q and NEOS, preferred, BDCs, REITs. Retirement accounts in growth since I won’t touch them for 20+ years)

Since every other sub shits on dividends sharing it with my like minded folks.

I’ve discussed this with as many people as I can (2, lol. Only guys in my friend group that are on the FIRE path) and countless hours asking AI (I mean, who else am I suppose to talk to that’s free?) so next is ask Reddit

This is the plan I have:

Will retire at 42 (4 more years god willing)

750k in brokerage. Current allocation is 65% dividend growth (SCHD, div kings and aristocrats, champs and contenders, couple REITs, couple BDCs, mlp etf) 25% derivative income (GPIX/Q, NEOS stuff, PFFA, IDVO) 10% VOO. Total yield is 5.5%.

250k retirement. 100% in VTI not to be touched till 60. Hopefully will be about a million by then. 100k cash HYSA, 120k from selling my business

The idea is to have my brokerage bridge my early retirement until I hit 60, then 62 for SS, and then ultimately till ~65 at which point I’ll buy an annuity. The 65% in my div growth bucket should keep up with inflation, derivative income will rise and fall I’m aware. The 10% in VOO is to sell to fund shortcomings. The cash is for emergencies, the business note is to be split up 6 years so 20k a year. Yearly spend is 48k ideally, 24k is the absolute penny pinching floor. Excess will either be spent on hookers and blow or reinvested. Plan is to “die with zero.”

I feel like I mitigate SORR very well with this current plan. Welcoming feedback (currently sitting in an airplane bored out of my mind, help)

Planning on retiring at age 42 (wife 46) with an estimated net worth of 1.1m

750k brokerage
250k retirement accounts
100k cash HYSA

On top of this I am structuring my business sale to my employee so that I’ll be getting 20k a year for 6 years. (Yes there is risk of defaulting but I will have contingencies written into the sale documents such as retaking the business)

I’m a dividend investor first and foremost, im allocating my brokerage account to yield me 5.5% (just about 42k). My retirement is in growth, not to be touched till I hit 60.

My yearly spend is going to be 48k so effectively with my business note I’m way above what I need to be and the excess will be reinvested. 48k is my ideal spend, my absolute floor is 24k. Mundane, boring, coupon clipping life but enough to have a roof over my head and food in my belly.

Plan is to “Die with zero” so will be buying an annuity when I hit around 65 years for me and my wife. That combined with social security will let me live comfortably.

So basically I need my brokerage and business note to bridge my gap from 42 to 62 (SS) and then 65 (annuity)

Obviously everyone’s worry is running out of money, I feel like I got a solid plan. Would love feedback on my strategy. I feel like I mitigate SORR risk not to zero but largely with my business note helping me out for the first 6 years along with my cash

Not a bot. Bot bot bot. Currently sitting on a plane bored to shit. Help keep me entertained 😆

This sub comes up pretty often in my feed and it does pique my interest so I read them every so often. Im just here to say a lot of it is a bunch of horseshit. This is coming from a full blooded Japanese.

The plague of the earth influencers love to say stupid shit like NEVER eat/drink on the commuter train. Japanese people DONT wear shorts. Don’t talk in trains that’s EXTREMELY rude

I’m literally sitting in the train, drinking a kaku highball, in my shorts, next to a guy in shorts, next to a couple groups having a conversation in normal volume.

So, just use some fucking common sense (I.e don’t eat stinky food on the train, don’t have loud ass conversations), don’t be an idiot, and you will be fine

Anyways, my stations coming up so you all have fun

I’m somewhat active in leanFIRE subs (got banned from FIRE sub for arguing against the 4% rule LOL) and recently made a post about retiring, not about investing and just wrote that I’ll be getting ~5.5% of dividends from my brokerage.

The first comment I get is a guy telling me that “maybe you could do it if you got rid of your dividend stocks and put it in VT.”

The best part of it was the super snarky “although you don’t have enough assets to do so”

So tell me, my consistent, reliable 5.5% dividend portfolio (no cuts from any holdings EVER save for I think ARCC that lowered their divs by a small amount during the GFC) pays me enough to retire comfortable. Why in the FUCK would I sell that, pay cap gains, and sell off 4% a year to make LESS income AND be told I dont have enough assets?

Am I retarded? Or is this guy retarded? I’m pretty drunk but I’m pretty sure he’s a dumbass

Been recently doing some deep dives into which one I would rather do. The numbers are gonna be the same regardless- I HAVE to work another 3.5 years as per my contract which I intend to fulfill which SHOULD leave me with at the age of 42:

~750k in brokerage, mostly in div stocks yielding 5.5%
~250k in retirement in VTI not to be touched till 60yo
100k in cash in HYSA
120k from a business sale split up over 6 years

The question I’ve been grappling with is, do I geoarbitrage in Japan or move to my preferred MCOL area in the US. I have dual citizenship so no issues on visas and what not. Soon to be married to my also Japanese fiancée, extremely low maintenance (thank god) so she says “I’m good with whatever, you decide”

Pros for geo arbitrage in Japan:
- I can live VERY comfortably for 2000 usd a month. This includes all bills, going out for dinner and drinks frequently, vacations in-country
- These exchange rates currently is insanely good for me
- super cheap healthcare.
- I do have a lot of friends and family over there. Especially my mom, she’s getting older and I would love to spend more time with her
- I could geoarbitrage for a couple years and let my investments build up then move back

Cons:
- I can’t do my favorite hobbies I can to the extent of being in the US while being as young and capable as possible. That includes mt biking, dirt biking, hiking, splitboarding (which yes, you can do it in Japan but it’s just not as good as the US and tbh my hobbies are WHY I want to retire)(japow is overrated, saying that as a Japanese guy)
- taxes. Since I’m a Japanese citizen as soon as I establish residency in Japan I’ll have to pay taxes to Japan from the investment income I earn from my US accounts. I believe they take 20% from my dividend income (not including ROC)(no dual taxation due to their tax treaty)
- most of my CLOSE friends are in the US
- no idea about future currency exchange rates

Pros for FIREing in MCOL in the US:
- I love the town I plan to go to
- GREAT outdoor access
- great friends
- after my business note is done ill keep my MAGI low enough that my healthcare should be state subsidized (if that’s still around)

Cons:
- even though i consider it a MCOL place it still is a lot more expensive than japan. 2000 would cover my rent and utilities and other random bills but that’s about it.
- everything is more expensive. Going out for dinner, beers, groceries, etc. (kinda redundant- It’s all about $)
- for the first 5 years or so I’m going to be above the subsidy income level for health insurance so I’d be paying a decent amount. Don’t exactly know how much but substantial I’d imagine

No matter which one it be I still plan on visiting the other for at least a few months each year. Trying to decide which country to spend the majority in and pay taxes in.

The ultimate plan when old (thinking late 60’s) is definitely to move back to Japan (old people care is so much better over there) but I’m trying to live the best life possible when young

So! If anyone read this far- I’m kinda drunk, had a shitty day at work, and just counting down to early retirement. Thanks for following along!

So I run my business as a S Corp and every quarter I take a 25k distribution to invest into my brokerage and it’s coming up on that time. Im a dividend income investor 4 years until retirement. I also like to buy stocks that I think are cyclically down. Let me know what your thoughts are:

VOO (kinda redundant because I max my 401k and hsa all into VTI or VOO)
SCHD
GPIX
GPIQ
LMT
MAIN
MSFT
PG
HD
MCD

VOO and SCHD are kinda no brainers. It’s for the long haul. I really like GPIX and GPIQ’s strategy. Some people would say it’s too early to invest in these but I disagree and I like the dopamine hit. As for the individual stocks I feel these are all good companies, profitable, sustainable and growing dividends.

If you see any red flags and suggestions on individual stocks that are down point em out!

(Not sure if it’s clear but I hold other positions as well. I have a total of 34 stocks and funds in my portfolio. These were just the ones I’m considering buying now)

Just curious what the people of LEAN FIRE spend. I can’t fathom how people spend what they do reading about it on the regular FIRE sub

My lean FIRE # is 1.05m with a “die with zero” philosophy. Soon to be married, no kids, no one to leave money to. I make about 230k. Hoping to retire in 4 years at the age of 42.

My monthly spend currently is:
-1200 rent (includes utilities)
-116 insurance
-90 cell phone
-Health insurance through work
-~100-120 per week for groceries
-id guess 100 for gas not including road trips (very short commute, my truck takes 37 gallons so only fill up every couple months)
-50 bucks on dining out (I pretty much refuse to go out to eat locally since it’s so god damn expensive, I go out to eat pho like twice a month lol)
-I do take numerous small road trip vacations every month and a longer week+ international trips a few times a year (family lives abroad)

Averages out to about 3500 a month. Could easily be 2000 a month if I really buckled down and didn’t go on trips but I would go absolutely stir crazy

So, obviously covered call funds are a sore topic for a lot of investors but the more research I do into these the more im having a hard time seeing the downside to them. Now keep in mind, I’m only about 4-5 years till retirement and I consider myself an income investor.

+ tax efficient, great yield, only writes calls on 25-75%, NAV appreciation so while it might take longer for it to bounce back in the event of a crash it will recover nonetheless

- obviously will lag underlying (duh but once again I’m an income investor), if the underlying takes a shit so will these and the payout will be lower till it recovers, option strategy at the mercy of the managers

It’s not like the old days where funds wrote calls on 100% of the holdings and bled NAV

Would like opinions from you all. Not gonna full port into it like a dumbass but would be great to be able to put in about 15-20%.

Not a bot - shamalamadingdong