u/Strok3MyWookiee

I have an EcoWater ERR3700R20. I started to get low water pressure in high output faucets like bathtub and shower. The pressure issue stops when I put my softener in bypass mode, so I it’s definitely isolated.

I have tried all the tricks I’ve seen on the internet. Extended backwash, cleaning with iron out, etc. I even took apart the top section and check the connections for clogs. Unless I’m wrong, I’m pretty sure I’ve isolated the issue to the resin tank, or in this softener’s case, since it’s a “water refiner,” the stratified media bed.

Does anyone have experience with this unit or this issue? It sounds like it’s gonna be easier to just get a new softener that doesn’t have this issue.

Has anyone tried to get an Umbrella Policy lately? I increased my auto coverages so that my home and auto would be high enough for a USAA umbrella policy. I was quoted at a premium of $1k for a year.

I live in NV (89131) so I know the rates are typically higher here, but from what I’ve been reading, I was quoted at double of what I should be. My wife and I are the only drivers on our policy, we have 2 cars and a paid off home worth $580k. We have no at-fault accidents for at least the last 5 years. No pools, pets or anything else high risk. I got a traffic ticket in 2022, but that was plead down to a parking ticket and I presented USAA with a clean driver history from the DMV. They wouldn’t even give me a quote without this correction, so maybe that’s the reason?

The umbrella salesperson seemed pretty anxious to get me quotes with other non-USAA carriers, so maybe USAA is trying to get out of or limit the umbrella business? I haven’t gotten those premiums yet because I was floored at this price, but maybe those will be significantly better.

Update

I’m not sure if USAA employees are reading this or people are schilling for them, but there are several other comments that are being downvoted cause they are noticing the same astronomical rates for new and existing premiums. Definitely appears like USAA is trying to get out of the umbrella business.

So currently, I utilize my post-tax 457b and my wife’s Roth IRA as a unified portfolio to keep costs down, as anything on my 457b, aside from VITSX, is more expensive than I’d like it to be.

I have a 75/25 split between the 2 accounts, with the 75% side being US Markets (VITSX and FSKAX) and 25% being international (was FSPSX, just changed it to FTIHX).

I have read that a 60/40 split is the approach that Vanguard follows, but I feel more comfortable having a bigger bias in the US Market. I lately considering moving from FSKAX/FTIHX in my wife’s account to just having VT, but I think that takes away far too much of my international exposure.

Does anyone have an argument for what % my international exposure should be and why?

I have a Forbright Growth Savings Account that I opened after Capitol One bought Discover Bank and I wanted a better APR. I transferred my HYSA funds over to them and the money settled about a week ago and I closed the Capital One account.

I attempted to transfer some funds from Forbright to my external checking account, which was already linked, and got a call from Forbright saying that I could not make this transfer. They could not give me a reason and told me that their policies stated that the money had to go back to my Capital One account and then go to my checking account from there. I informed them that I closed the Capital One account and they stated that they still could not transfer to my checking account and they would have to escalate the matter to their “Leadership Team,” which would take 1-2 business days for a response.

So as of now, I CANNOT GET MY MONEY OUT OF FORBRIGHT BANK. They do not have a wire option for Growth Savings accounts and I am stuck in bank purgatory. Thankfully, I don’t need these funds quickly.

If you use Forbright, please consider moving banks. If you are thinking about them, don’t. I read nothing but good reviews but if you can’t get your money out of a bank, what exactly is the point? I will be transferring everything out of this bank and closing the account once this is concluded.

***Update***

Forbright called me back the next day and said they would allow me to transfer the money. I initiated the transfer, which is now in review/pending, so we’ll see what happens.

***2nd Update***

I initiated a 2nd transfer, which was again blocked. I called back and now the Fraud Investigations team has blocked the transfer after the Leadership Team approved it. Conveniently, that team went home before the email was sent, so now I can’t speak to anyone until tomorrow. I was told the turnaround time is 10-14 days before the funds will be available. I cannot even close the account to bypass this. There is not a law enforcement or government entity freezing these funds, it is simply the bank doing it.

They have no issues taking my money in, but now they refuse to let it out.

***3rd Update***

Shortly after posting the 2nd update, I went to go back into my account and discovered that it’s been disabled at login. I am completely out of control of my money.

I have a Forbright Growth Savings Account that I opened after Capitol One bought Discover Bank and I wanted a better APR. I transferred my HYSA funds over to them and the money settled about a week ago and I closed the Capital One account.

I attempted to transfer some funds from Forbright to my external checking account, which was already linked, and got a call from Forbright saying that I could not make this transfer. They could not give me a reason and told me that their policies stated that the money had to go back to my Capital One account and then go to my checking account from there. I informed them that I closed the Capital One account and they stated that they still could not transfer to my checking account and they would have to escalate the matter to their “Leadership Team,” which would take 1-2 business days for a response.

So as of now, I CANNOT GET MY MONEY OUT OF FORBRIGHT BANK. They do not have a wire option for Growth Savings accounts and I am stuck in bank purgatory. Thankfully, I don’t need these funds quickly.

If you use Forbright, please consider moving banks. If you are thinking about them, don’t. I read nothing but good reviews but if you can’t get your money out of a bank, what exactly is the point? I will be transferring everything out of this bank and closing the account once this is concluded.

***Update***

Forbright called me back the next day and said they would allow me to transfer the money. I initiated the transfer, which is now in review/pending, so we’ll see what happens.

***2nd Update***

I initiated a 2nd transfer, which was again blocked. I called back and now the Fraud Investigations team has blocked the transfer after the Leadership Team approved it. Conveniently, that team went home before the email was sent, so now I can’t speak to anyone until tomorrow. I was told the turnaround time is 10-14 days before the funds will be available. I cannot even close the account to bypass this. There is not a law enforcement or government entity freezing these funds, it is simply the bank doing it.

They have no issues taking my money in, but now they refuse to let it out.

***3rd Update***

Shortly after posting the 2nd update, I went to go back into my account and discovered that it’s been disabled at login. I am completely out of control of my money.

***4th Update***

Apparently there’s a digital handshake mechanic where if one linked bank account is locked for fraud, then it locks some external account features. So now that Forbright is locked out, the external bank options on my checking account is completely locked out.

I decided to check when the transfer rejection email was sent by Forbright, and it was 6:30pm EST. I find this amusing since I was told that the Fraud department closes at 5pm EST, an hour and a half before my rejection email.

So my wife and I upgraded our living room furniture today. Instead of forking up the $5k up front, we decided to finance at 0% for 24 months.

For reference, we are at BS7 and have a net worth of over $900k. I don’t agree with Dave on everything, for example we put bills and other necessities on credit cards simply for the cash back.

Our mindset is we may as well keep the $5k in a HYSA or index fund and earn on it instead of paying up front.

Did I do a stupid broke person thing? If I screwed up too badly, I can just pay it off immediately at no penalty, I’m just curious for some feedback.

I am trying the near impossible task of installing new matching cabinets to my existing kitchen cabinets that are from ‘07.

Has anyone here had to do that and, if so, who would you recommend for the work?

So I have been running Kirkland Pellets on my Traeger Pellet Grill for awhile now. I’ve been testing different pellet brands and flavors to see if there’s a difference. I started with using the B&B Post Oak on a Trisket and now I’m using Bear Mountain Hickory on 2 pork butts.

I thought that a single flavor pellet would be 100% that wood, but I’m finding out that it’s still typically a blend, for example Bear Mountain uses a base wood and is only about 30% hickory.

So do pellets actually matter? I haven’t tested enough to know one way or the other and I’m curious what others have found before I start shelling out for different types of wood when Kirkland will do the same thing. I’m fine with paying more for better/different flavor, just want to make sure it’s actually there.

So my wife and I just had our 2nd a few days ago and it’s thrown our routine into the wind.

With our first, we were in the suck together at night and we’d get naps in throughout the day. Now, that isn’t as viable since we have a toddler. My wife is exclusively breastfeeding the newborn, so she’s waking up at night to feed even when I take the newborn at nights for her.

My question: how are other parents dividing the workload? We’ve debated me keeping the toddler’s schedule and my wife being available for the newborn, but it isn’t sustainable since I’m going back to work in 3 months and work 2p-12a. Maybe by then the newborn will regulate? This option also is just throwing my wife to the metaphorical dogs that are a newborns at night.

We’re currently doing this hybrid thing where once the toddler goes to bed, my wife winds down and tries to sleep herself, and then halfway through the night, we switch. But neither of us are getting long enough amounts/stretches of sleep this way.

Any advice is appreciated. I’m typing this as I have to be up in 5 hours for the pediatrician, because new newborn patients are her first of the day, as if our sleep schedule didn’t suck enough already.