I work as an iOS developer in a team of 8 developers. We are starting a brand new greenfield project in a financial sector. Few of our team members suggested that we should use TCA for iOS SwiftUI application. I personally have no experience with TCA.
What are your thoughts and recommendations?
Hello,
For a very long time 10+ years I have set the AC setting to 78F. Both upstairs and downstairs. Our house was built in 2000, 3100 sq feet.
78F still feels very hot to me. So, for this summer I am considering 76F.
What do you all set the temp in summer when it is over 100F outside?
Any tips to save on electricity bill (apart from raising the temp)
So I hired a company to do my property tax protests. And they gave me the following result.
Original Assessment
$343,371
New Assessment
$310,425
Tax Savings
$536
The company takes %25 of the savings so that would be $133.93.
When I go to the tax overview I see this:
| Tax Year | Tax Bill | |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 3.85% | $6,656 |
| 2025 | 3.37% | $6,409 |
| 2024 | $6,200 |
So I called them before I thought the tax for 2026 should be lower. They said county has not updated it yet and they will do that in October. Is it safe to assume that my tax bill for 2026 will be 6,656 - 536 = $6120.
I have the following tax deferred accounts:
- My Personal Traditional IRA (Vanguard)
- Spouse Personal Traditional IRA (Vanguard)
- Previous Job 401K (Fidelity)
- Current Job 401K Non-Roth Account
- Current Job 401K Roth Account (Current)
- Personal Roth (No RMD)
My question is that with so many different accounts that are tax deferred, how will I be able to manage required minimum distributions in the future.
PS: Personally I would like to move funds from my personal traditional IRA to my personal Roth account but it will incur a HUGE tax.
We are going on a small trip to NY for 1 week. We don't have car rental or hotel expenses (staying with a friend). Total 3 people going. Wife + 2 kids.
Currently, I have added a new checking account for vacations. I have ordered debit card for that account and that is the only debit card my family plan to use for the vacation.
Is that a good practice to have a debit card with some funds and just be careful of overspending?
3 people for 7 days (no car rental, no hotel) I am thinking maybe around $500. I don't know. I don't think they are going to watch any shows or broadway etc. Probably just going to go sight seeing and eating etc.
What is your grocery + dining out expenses monthly in Houston?
For a family of 4 or a family of 5.
I am 46 years old, married, and have three teenage kids.
My net worth is around $2 million (not including house), spread across my 401(k), individual stocks, and non retirement brokerage accounts.
I have no debt. My house is paid off. My cars are paid off. No student loans or anything like that.
I have always been extremely frugal. I still drive my old 2006 Toyota. I honestly do not care much about cars, but I do love traveling.
The problem is that I have a very hard time spending money on myself and my family.
Even thinking about cashing out some stocks for travel makes me uncomfortable. Spending $10K on a two week trip to another country feels difficult, even though I know I can afford it.
I did not grow up poor, but I worked hard my entire life. During school, I paid my own tuition while working insane hours, sometimes 60 to 80 hours a week. I think that mindset never really left me.
Now I feel like time is moving fast.
There are things I still want to do in life. I want to climb mountains. I want to travel around the world. I want to experience life while I still have the energy and health to fully enjoy it.
But at the same time, it is incredibly hard for me to let go and spend the results of decades of hard work.
Part of me keeps asking:
“What if I need it later?”
But another part of me keeps asking:
“If not now, then when?”
I do not even know exactly what I am trying to say. Maybe I am just struggling with the idea of finally allowing myself to enjoy the life I spent decades building.
PS: My wife will be attending school next year so that will also cost a hefty amount.
UPDATE: I do want to mention that we (family) do go for couple of vacations each year. But most or all of them are in US or other less expensive countries. Like our family has never been to Europe together or Japan or any of those expensive tickets. I look at ticket prices which is sometimes $5K (just for tickets) and then I think maybe next year. For travel in US we go few times a year.