EssentialNPC

joined 1 year ago
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Single payer/socialized heath care vs private vs combined in c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
[–] EssentialNPC@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I care very much. Please read everything I wrote. The system is broken, and we need to fix it. In the meantime, since we must live within the broken system, it is wise to do a thorough cost/benefit analysis before accepting any job. Not everyone can do that, but some can.

We play pretty conservative baseball when it comes to personal finances. We have a smaller house further from the city than my wife's peers at work. We buy cars that meet our needs, but our wants are frequently compromised in search of the lowest total cost of ownership. We make no major purchases without real research first. Our kids have not been to Disney, but they will hopefully be able to go to the college of their choice without a mountain of debt when the time comes.

We are very lucky, but most people that merch our income are not actually in as stable a place as we are. That stability comes from good decisions.

Single payer/socialized heath care vs private vs combined in c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
[–] EssentialNPC@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

That is a good point. We are not paying monthly premiums. Again, over the years we have chosen our employers very carefully. To be clear, we are lucky to have been in the place to do so.

That said, we also did very well when I was a public high school teacher. The pay was awful, but the health insurance we had was better than my wife could get at most corporate jobs at the time. We now use my wife's corporate benefits because my family's needs have placed me as a stay-at-home dad for several years. Once she got in with a company that actually values its employees, we made the decision to stick it out.

Single payer/socialized heath care vs private vs combined in c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
[–] EssentialNPC@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago (6 children)

I live in the US and was born here. This is true of my wife as well.

I hate to say it because I know how bad many people have it here, but our health care experiences have been excellent. IVF? We paid a few grand by the end of everything, but that's it - most of the cost was one hormone in particular. My cancer that almost killed me? We paid $15 co-pays for doctor appointments and physical therapy appointments, nothing for any treatments (radiation, chemo, surgeries, hydration, etc.), and about $15 co-pays for each prescription medication. My upcoming rotator cuff surgery? I'll pay similar to the cancer. Regular in-home therapy services for our children with special needs? Free.

This was not by accident or dumb luck. My wife and I have always chosen jobs in large part based on benefits in general and health insurance in particular. We may not make as much money on paper as job hoppers and those who chase the highest number on their paychecks. Do you know what we do have? No medical debt. Great parental leave. More vacation time than most. A legal plan that paid to set us up with every estate planning and life management document one could need.

So it's hard. Our system is fucking broken - too many people cannot get the care they need, or they go into debt to get it. It needs to be fixed. That said, I also have friends who just made shitty choices. They actively chose direct income over benefits. They gambled and some of them lost.

We need to fix US healthcare in or much every way. In the meantime? My wife and I choose to play the game by the rules as they are currently written, and we play with intent to win.

You're given the chance to send one singular piece of media to aliens. what do you pick to make the best impression? in c/asklemmy@lemmy.world
[–] EssentialNPC@lemmy.world 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I send Independence Day and to tell them it is a documentary. Now they know not to fuck with us.

The fuk? Please help me complete this insane captcha in c/memes@lemmy.ml
[–] EssentialNPC@lemmy.world 0 points 2 months ago

Oh, I see your mistake. Those are Samsung fridges. Nothing has a shorter lifespan than a Samsung fridge. Since there are two they will die together to maximize the inconvenience factor, and they thus must be clicked simultaneously. That is the only way a fake Samsung fridge could mimic the frustration caused by a real one.

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Selecting a CFP - not just the basics (lemmy.world)
 

How would you go about selecting a Certified Financial Planner?

My wife and I are financially successful adults, but we need guidance with the next steps, including:

  • Private equity co-investment
  • College savings for children with special needs who may or may not attend university
  • Retirement savings beyond the standard 401k and IRA options
  • The tax ramifications of all of the above

My friends are generally not at this level of planning needs, so those who have worked with a CFP have had only much more basic questions. We have known plenty of financial advisers over the years who just give bad advice or canned advice. I expect our needs will become more complex over the next decade.

How do we find a quality CFP who can help with the above? What is a reasonable price to pay for this help?

Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts!

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U.S. bans noncompete agreements for nearly all jobs (www.npr.org)
 

The Federal Trade Commission narrowly voted Tuesday to ban nearly all noncompetes, employment agreements that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own.

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Cinnamon Roll Sundae - When my high ass has a good idea, it has a REALLY good idea (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by EssentialNPC@lemmy.world to c/trees@lemmy.world
2 comments fedilink
 

Yeah, it's a Pillsbury Grands cinnamon roll topped with Ben & Jerry's Churray for Churros ice cream, salted caramel, and whipped cream.

I mean, this stuff is life.

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Completed mountain feature wall for son's bedroom (photofed.world)
 

It took longer than I wanted, but my son's room is done! Many thanks to the folks here who shared their thoughts on wall repair and LED strips. This project took longer than I wanted, but every step was done right.

Most people who make geometric mountain walls seem to use boards at 45°, but that would have looked awful with the 36° ceiling slope. Matching the cut angles was much harder this way - lots of math and some jigs on my miter saw - but I like this look more. It feels more like the White Mountains where we vacation as a family

The Pinterest examples my wife sent me for inspiration all out up the boards with construction adhesive. These are put up with 2.5" finishing nails into studs, filled, sanded, and caulked before painting. This feature is permanent, but it can be removed like any trim without tearing down the drywall as well.

I had the notion to hide an LED strip in the upper mountains to create a sunrise effect. The actual lights are much more subtle than it looks in the pictures. I wish I knew how to get better photos of LED setups. Of course he can make the LED strips do rainbow zoomies and other such delightful nonsense because he is 11.

Our goal was to make something that will appeal to him now and as he gets older. I think we hit the nail on the head with that, but we will see in time.

Thank you again to everyone who shared their thoughts as I built this.

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Mountain feature wall in child's bedroom (lemmy.world)
submitted 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) by EssentialNPC@lemmy.world to c/homeimprovement@lemmy.world
0 comments fedilink
 

My project is going slowly, but I finished building and painting the feature wall in my son's new bedroom. Now I just need to install and program the LED strip along the top!

My wife got the idea to do a geometric mountain feature wall from Pinterest. I am really happy with this outcome and feel I did a better job than the influencer DIYers who did similar projects that inspired this one. Giving the mountains a 36° slope to match the roof line was a pain in the butt, but the end effect was worth it.

Thanks to everyone here who helps with thoughts on patching wall cracks and LED lighting methods. I'll share photos of the full room once it is complete.

Edit to add: The wall is actually a mildly dark blue-green. Between bad natural light and my phone's camera's limitations, this is the best I can get for now. The mountains are not actually black.

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Can you recommend an LED strip light that can have an unlighted break in it? (lemmy.world)
 

I am putting a mountain feature wall in my son's new bedroom.

Starting on the right, I want to run LEDs along the topmost mountains, switch to unlit cord/wire to go around the window, and then run another set of LEDs along the topmost mountain on the left. This should give a nice sunrise effect.

Do you know of an LED kit that can do this?

Thank you!

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What is the best way to fix cracks before repainting (lemmy.world)
 

I am renovating my son's bedroom and trying to make the walls as nice as is reasonable before repainting. There are a few cracks like this in the paint. It looks like on top of the drywall there is paint, wallpaper, and then a few more layers of paint. The cracks could be at the seams of the drywall from expansion and contraction. They could be at the seams of the wallpaper. They could be something else. Most of the cracks come straightish down below the sides of windows, which makes me think drywall seams.

I gouged out one crack and filled it with joint compound to see how that works. Since the drywall is old, it was really hard to tell if this is at a drywall seam or not - there are places where previous work, maybe mouse damage, and who knows what else has made the drywall crumble from behind. These are the joys of an older house!

How would you handle this?