Anyone ever heard of them or have a policy with them? Any good?

I love my country, USA. I'm 52, and in a position to soon early retire. As I stress test my retirement plan, there are only a few things that could sink it. One of them is healthcare. Though my income will be low and I'll obtain discounts on premiums, healthcare costs are still a major stressor to my retirement plan should I eventually need care.

It seems crazy, but does it make sense to retire abroad (e.g., Costa Rica, Mexico, Malaysia) simply and ONLY because of healthcare costs? Does it seem insane to do that only for healthcare?

It just seems crazy to me to consider where to retire based only on healthcare and no other considerations. I'm healthy, no health concerns, but I have to bridge 52 to 65 before medicare kicks in.

Would you retire somewhere other than USA only because of healthcare? Doesn't that seem totally nuts?

Does anyone else over 50 one day feel like retiring, living off scraps and being minimalist, then the next day feel like starting a business and trying to make a million? One day you feel like moving to a smaller place, the next you wouldn't give up your current home for anything? One day you feel like quitting your job, the next you're happy to simply have one?

It almost feels like your ultimate fate and decisions depend on how you feel on the given day. How do you make decisions when every path is viable and desirable?

Too much freedom over 50. Stay at work or retire early in Malaysia?

I can't be the only one feeling this way.

Thinking of moving to Cochin, Sask. I've heard the crime rate in North Battleford is very high. Can someone comment on just how bad it is? Are there bad folks walking the sidewalks making it feel very unsafe at night? Do you feel safe taking to the highways at night from Cochin to North Battleford?

Any info you could provide would be appreciated. Thank you.

For the life of me I cannot find out where to bring old stains and chemical cleaners for disposal. I've cleaned out my shed and have old chemical liquids, some of which have been diluted with water, and I need to dispose of this. Old paints and stains and such.

I know I can bring old used oil to Walmart, but where do I bring all this other stuff? Do we not have a place in Missoula to drop off hazardous materials for recycling?

Any leads would be appreciated, thank you!

I'm closing down my justhost.com site, but will keep the domain name. I built a site in Canva (free edition), and want to redirect users to my Canva site when they go to my old justhost.com site and see that it is closed. So, I'll close justhost but keep the domain name.

Can I redirect users from my domain name to my Canva site without upgrading to Canva business? I'd like to continue using the free version of Canva if possible, it is all I need for my site.

Thank you!

I'm early 50s, am a teacher (male), but have always felt like I was meant for more. Don't get me wrong, I do like teaching the kids, it's just that I feel like I could be doing so much better $$$ if I expanded and managed to speak to larger audiences. I am an excellent communicator, very articulate, love speaking in front of large audiences and am skilled at managing a room, a spontaneous sense of humor and think fast on my feet with humor that comes out of nowhere at the right time, and I'm pleasant to look at (I've been told I'm an attractive guy, I'm in shape and pretty good genetics). I want to market these skills and make big $$$ if I can. I want people to pay to hear me speak.

I'm very confident, but not cocky, I just know my skill set and feel frustrated by it not being put in practice. I'm not challenging myself to actualize these skills in the marketplace and feel very frustrated by it.

I feel like I should be speaking to groups of 100 participants or so, to people who value what I have to bring. I am very down to earth and connect with people very easily when I want to. People feel like I'm sincere, genuine, and I wear my heart on my sleeve, so they feel good around me in that stage/performance atmosphere.

What are my career options that would capitalize on those talents? Where do I find my "stage" for performing that pays for what I have to offer? My dream job would be performing/speaking about once/month and the rest of the time creating material in private/quiet and working toward preparing for the next gig, similar to being a teacher, but not daily, and not to kids but instead to adults who value my energy/charisma a lot more.

Some have told me I should try breaking into comedy and be a stand-up comedian as I'm also quite philosophical and come up with new "material" fairly often. But how realistic is that? I probably can't make much money doing that and would love to make $$$ on my strengths. Would love to have regular speaking engagements.

Would appreciate any ideas. A lot of people hate performing/speaking in front of large audiences. I love it though. I'm a quiet, shy person in everyday matters, but when on stage I light up and I know there has to be a way to establish a career doing this more than teaching kids. I feel like my talents are going unrecognized and I need to break through, and want to see how much $$$ I can make challenging myself to attract an audience. It's not about the money really, but I feel like what I have to offer currently isn't being renumerated as it should and that I'm capable of much more. I feel like a frustrated artist unsure of his outlet to expend all that energy.

I welcome any ideas, thank you! Any feedback is much appreciated. To all of the above, I should note as well that I *think* I'm good at these things, but as some of you have noted, the market will be the final judge on that. I totally agree. I think what I'm saying is that I'm ready to find out where I stand in the REAL market, not a teaching job where I'm not really being rewarded for whether I have those skills or not. After years of gaining experience teaching, I'm ready to test the market to see if I can maximize on those skills (if I do have any, I'm confident I do, but I'll let the market decide, I want the market to reward or not reward me for whatever I do or don't have).

Increasingly, I find myself playing lines and runs leading up to chords where I do not know what line or run I'm playing, only that it sounds and feels good, almost like the reason why I'm playing a half-step rather than a full-step here or there has nothing to do with theory but everything to do with anticipating the sound of the next note I want to play. I then finish the run and play the chord and often the run suited the lead up to the chord very well.

But if you ask me what run I did play and why I chose those notes, I wouldn't be able to tell you whether it was theoretically correct in any sense. I may not even be able to repeat the line exactly.

I was watching Joe Pass in concert and was wondering whether he knew the runs he was playing or whether he just knew what was going to sound good here or there leading up to the chord. Kind of like whether the next note was a half-step up or down was a decision made in the moment. That's how I'm feeling like I'm starting to approach playing - moment to moment, improvising, but without too much theory guiding me. Some theory, yes, but only to be in the correct "neighborhood," that's it. Kind of like thinking "Yeah, this should be fine if I do this," but only finding out for sure once I play it."

I am no Joe Pass, but would be curious how others approach this. Do you know you're playing an arpeggio, and are you aware of when you're going outside the arpeggio to implement a risky or tasteful deviation? Or, do you treat the guitar as though all notes are "allowed" and simply depend on your ear to anticipate what will next sound good?

Joe Pass relied heavily on his ear to know what to play, but I'm wondering the extent to which he actually knew whether what he was playing made sense theoretically. Passing tones and that kind of thing, it's increasingly feeling like every note in any context is playable, and I feel more and more I'm just trusting myself with my own anticipation of what is going to sound good. Yes, I may start out with an A minor pentatonic, but then as I go down the neck I end up outside of that structure and could not name the scale or deviation (from Am) I'm playing. And, increasingly, I know that if I play this or that note, it's going to be a note I spend a blink of an eye on because it's a risky one, but I could not immediately tell you why it's risky. I just know my hand tells me it's going to have to be a passing tone.

I've been playing for 40 years (not all jazz, mostly fingerpicking, blues, etc.), but last 10 or so increasingly trying to figure out players like Joe Pass and adopt/understand his style.

Would be interested in any feedback on these ideas and how you experience the fretboard in relation to feel vs. theory or both.

To be clear, I'm not an accomplished jazz musician by any means. More wondering whether what I'm going through is a sign I'm improving (that is, the way I'm processing my playing and keeping theory slightly at bay).

Thanks!

I'm a Cipher Digital fan (investor) right now, but just wondering how those holding IREN are feeling. IREN, Cipher, are down, but do you all feel optimistic that IREN will bounce back to 60s? Or, do you feel like the air is out of the balloon until earnings show progress?

IREN has been up and down over the past year, are you predicting the same cycle into the Fall which would bring it back up?

Anyhow, just curious. Cipher is 17-18, but I'm expecting a bump to 25 whenever we get some good news, not sure when that will be though. If Cipher moves, I'd expect IREN to do the same. Closely watching NBIS to see if/when it recovers too.

No fire yet, but I'm imagining my house burned to the ground. I'm insured for 200k dwelling, but, the cost of actually replacing my house would likely be more, closer to 250-300k.

If my house did burn, could I simply request a check from the insurance company for 200k, sell the land, and move? Or, is the 200k only for rebuilding?

My home is paid off in full. I owe the bank nothing.

Thanks,

State Farm. Have been a customer for 15 years, no claims ever. Multi-discount with 2 cars. Never a claim not even a speeding ticket.

My home insurance just went up from $800/year to $1200. I'm underinsured anyway, as dwelling is only about 200k and it would take between 300k to 400k to completely rebuild my house if it burned to the ground. My deductible went up from 9k to just over 10k.

$1200 invested in the stock market yearly at an average rate of 10% generates 217k at the end of 30 years, courtesy of AI.

I realize canceling home insurance is not wise, but anyone else loathe paying these increases especially if they are underinsured anyway?

I know many will say I'm still getting a great deal at $1200, but an increase of 50% I'm just not okay with especially that my policy sucks either way.

Fun planning budgets and finance when your insurance company can spring 50% increases on you without notice. "Oh, by the way, loyal customer, here's your new rate!" Not cool.

Just got the bill for my home insurance for the coming year. Up 50% from what I've been paying for the past 15 years. State Farm.

Can anyone relate? I'm this close to calling them and telling them they have lost a loyal customer forever. Never had a claim, I also insure two cars with them, never a claim, not even a speeding ticket.

Definitely going to shop around to see if I can get a better rate.

Anyone call their insurance company, threaten to leave, and they bring down your rate back to what it was? 15 years I was pretty much at the same rate. A 50% increase does not go well with me.

Would appreciate any advice or stories of how your insurance has gone up as well and what you did about it. Has anyone just canceled home insurance and gone without? Oh, I'd love to do that, but realize it's probably way too risky. Home is paid for, so no bank to force me to carry insurance.

I'm looking at my policy and seeing things I don't think ever existed on it. Arson reward, bed bugs (?), fuel oil release? Could be that they've simply made an error on my policy, I'll check on Monday.

Thanks,

Home built 1993, septic tank installed. 1000 gallon tank. I've owned the house since 2010. Pumped on schedule, no issues. Only me in the house with occasional guests (who I don't feed so they have less chance at contributing to the tank . . yes, I'm very minimalist and cheap! Haha).

So, the tank is 33 years old. Plan on having the house another 20-30 years. Last pumped 2016, plan on pumping in the next couple of weeks.

Other than regular pumping (I pump every 10 years, I'm super careful of what I put in the septic, no harsh chemicals, no garbage disposal, as little toilet paper as I can and use "Scott's 1000 sheets per roll", etc.), any maintenance costs I can anticipate?

Will the septic likely need replacement in the next 20-30 years, or work on the leech field, or am I probably in the clear of repairs like this if I treat the tank right?

I wash clothes with All, free and clear detergent, and run a dishwasher with Great Value Automatic Dishwasher powder (phosphate free).

Nothing else goes down the tank since 2010 (I don't know what the prior owners did).

Just trying to budget for costs in the next 20-30 years.

Thank you!

I pay about $400/year for trash pick-up. Why am I doing this? Why not the following as a solution:

1. Organic matter, compost it. I hardly have any organic waste as it is.
2. Soda cans, ketchup bottles, mouthwash bottles, and so on, make a yearly trip to the local recycling center and get rid of for free.
3. Plastic bags, cardboard, same as for #2, recycle for free every few months.

Tell me my plan won't work please, and what I'm not considering in my plan.

EDIT and UPDATE: I could recycle every 2 months or so, it's free for me to recycle cans and such. So, every year is a bit much, I'll do it every 2 months on my way to shopping.

Thanks!

Suppose Amazon or Google try to buy them out for total ownership of their power. Would Cipher likely agree to this?

Cipher has long-term 15-year leases with Amazon AWS, Google and Fluidstack. What would prevent these giants in say, 2-years, canceling their agreements with Cipher and simply developing their own power resources?

I'm trying to see this from Amazon, Google, etc. perspective. Is Cipher (and other companies such as IREN, etc.) simply bridges to their own power sources 2 years or so down the road? Will Cipher and IREN and others be left at the altar once hyperscalers get their stuff together and power their own AI applications? Or, are they really at the mercy of what Cipher and others (IREN, etc.) have to offer?

Trying to estimate how much hand Cipher and IREN, etc. have in all this, and for how long. Will Google still be paying Cipher mega bucks years from now for energy? Is the energy bottleneck that massive?

Any insight much appreciated, thanks! I'm not posting this to the Cipher page because I'd like non-biased opinions, not those of investors. Trying to see this objectively to understand how much demand there is for what Cipher and others (bitcoin to data center transition companies) have to offer right now.

Bought my house in 2010, house was built in 1993. I believe the former owners changed the pump in 2005 or so, but they used it repeatedly for water for their horses.

Since I moved in, in 2010, I've had zero well expenses, everything has worked fine. I use water regularly, nothing extensive, just normal use. Just me in the house.

What expenses can I expect in the next 20-30 years? Pump? Water pressure tank? Anything else?

Is there anything I can do to make the well last longer, or will I likely need to replace the entire well in the next 20-30 years?

Just planning ahead as I'm trying to semi-retire at home soon and budgeting for all expenses down the line.

Thank you!

My 1st month (August) having no Direct TV bill. Here's what I won't miss:

1. Logging on to see what my bill will be this month. Will it be $115? $119? $122.01? Am I being charged too much? Why is my bill higher this month than last? Why can't I just get a regular bill???? Why are they doing this to me?
2. Wondering whether there is a special going on that if I called in, threatened to leave, they would knock off 50% off my bill, but then thinking f-it, I'll just pay the bill it's too much trouble to play games over the phone with some person I don't know.
3. The $100+ dollars going nicely to purchasing DVDs so I can watch movies, to point #4.
4. Actually watching movies on DVD the way the producer meant it to be. Yes, foul language, nudity, everything the writer wanted us to see and hear, instead of watching some edited crap on channels like AMC which are supposed to be movie channels but are so edited that you wonder why you're watching this crap. "Fuck you!" I want to hear it. I don't want it edited.
5. I will not miss commercials every 5 minutes it seems, and commercials at the worst possible point in the movie. "He told me you killed him." "No, Luke, I am your . . ." commercial. Have had enough of that!
6. Commercials that show starving dogs asking for money. I'm an empath to the nth degree and need to change the channel each time. I can't handle that stuff. I respect their efforts to raise money, but I can't handle those images. Same with St. Judes every few minutes. I totally value them trying to raise money, but personally I just can't watch.
7. $100+ per month in my pocket to help with groceries, pretty soon I'll be able to afford a Walmart steak assuming beef prices keep being fairly reasonable at $500/lbs.
8. Tik-Tok is BETTER! YouTube is better! Need some down time, grab the tablet and watch a few of your favorite movie flicks or a music video. Gets it done. Back to work.
9. Cable news shows that teach us to hate each other because we have different political viewpoints. So done with that crap. The news shows I get on my smart TV are better, toned down, almost real news instead of that amped up political slop.
10. That receiver on my counter that just makes for more clutter. Gone!
11. Watching a movie on a "movie channel" then waking up to Everyone Loves Raymond because they realized playing sitcoms over and over makes money than showing movies. It's a movie channel, but it really isn't. It's a sitcom channel.
12. The History Channel that USED to be about history. Now it's about Ancient Aliens. Though I will miss the Smithsonian channel.
13. Loved the "Food that Built America" series. Of course that didn't last. "Cars that build America" was great. That's gone too. So am I.
14. No more Honey-Boo-Boo. No more reason for cable.
15. Sports is a waste of time. That'll be the test, next month, NHL fan, but trying to get off it. Sitting watching athletes who don't give a f about a regular season game and having your emotions tied to that? Trying to get off that. If I go back, it'll be because of sports, but I'll probably stream instead if I need my sports fix.
16. Used to keep cable to watch Nadal, Fed and Joker in tennis. After you've watched them for 15 years, watching tennis just isn't the same. The Golden Age of tennis is over. So is my need for cable.
17. AMC FearFest used to be good in October. Now it sucks. More edited movies. Sure, let's watch the Shinning and adapt it for kids. No thanks. It's not the Shinning anymore.

If you're thinking about it, do it! Feels very freeing and I've gone 15 days so far and don't regret it.

IREN is known for diluting their shares like crazy, yet the stock hit upper 60s this year (down right now, but will likely bounce back). Hive on the other hand, can't seem to break past 4-5 dollars.

I know there are other factors involved, but Hive can't be down simply because investors fear dilution, can it? I don't understand how Hive, which has a good balance sheet and seems to be doing everything right in the transition, is so low.

I'm considering going all in on Hive, but first want to understand why their stock has not surged like so many of the other data center stocks (IREN, Core Scientific, etc.). The market seems to be pricing them like a bitcoin miner with no contracts or anything, when that simply isn't true. Their future looks very promising, yet the stock seems so cheap. Canada, Sweden, Paraguay, seems like such a promising future, yet the market prices them like they are a failing bitcoin company.

Is it simply because Hive is a smaller company? I keep hearing they are undervalued, but why the wait for them to catch up in price to many of the others? What is holding Hive back from breaking out?

Is this a challenge to see how much investors can sell off these stocks? I mean, really, all of a sudden no value in Hive despite its strong looking future?

I want to make my OSB board on my shed look like a flat wall, without being able to see the flakes. Is using Zinsser Cover Stain or any other pretty cheap primer the best way to achieve this, and then paint/stain over that primed surface?

I'm trying for the cheapest way to get this done, it's not a shed I want to invest a lot of money in, just want to make it look good to complement the house.

Any advice would be appreciated, thank you!