Trigger warning!
Lolā¦Do I need introduction?
Iāve been busy, going anywhere to make a living. Increasing my group of Financial Advisors so I can earn a reputable income for life via residual payments. I am just about to open this plan, Capital Split Dollar retirement plan for this SV CEO. About $60K in commission. As you may (not) remember, I can open 401Ks, any defined contributions or defined benefits for companies as well as life insurance, you name the financial activity except stocks, I am there.
Do you want to make a good living? Ask me, I will teach you what I know. Just get your life only insurance license and talk to me.
I am 3 days away from the oath ceremony that will turn me into yet another grumpy American not knowing what I choose or pick, but with enough guilt to go around blaming others for my mistakes. Am I going to be your typical American? You bet! 
I remember my grandpa, a barber, who by the way wouldnāt sharpen the blades when cutting my hair because I was a rascal, told me once that the only time you would know if people loved you was when you died. Also, he said that unfortunately you wouldnāt be able to listen and react anymore since you would be as stiff as a pole. Just donāt go loaning money to friends, or trusting them to salvage your reputation, believe me, trust me he said, friends will disappear immediately. Funny how savvy old people becomeā¦
Hmmmā¦it seems the politic field is full of emails. Poor Hillary, came out undamaged legally but with some obstacles to climb. I bet she will survive. On the other hand, how disgraceful to know emails fly out of this country to end up on the email accounts of foreign dignitaries requesting money from them to help āfill the blankā during the elections, so āfill the blankā can make the US great again. As if they give a damn about it. 
Be ready to suffer if you are disgruntled with life, and to have fun if you have an open heart.
I am back! 
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Welcome Buying!
Maybe Iāll join you in the American Dream er grumpy American. Actually Iām planning on being the crazy relative that drives everyone crazy. Iām sure my kids will love me ā¦not. 
I have a torn tendon in my foot. The doctor gave me a choice of a cast or a boot that I could take off at night. I think he figured me out. The boot won and I got something called the level up which fits over the shoe to match the boot height. This alone should allow me to be grumpy.
I find my self doing things I never dreamed of. Hubby has some sort of cognitive issue that has yet to be diagnosed. Likely Early Alzheimerās. Heās acting like my mother did years before her diagnosis. Cat scans and all sorts of tests.
I am now certified to make Rick Simpson oil and similar which one of the neighbors thinks Iām doing a horrible thing. Saving at least one more liver is worth it. It allowed my mom to take horrid medicines that could destroy her liver. Her liver was perfect when she died. Helping cancer patients is new. My kids think Iām cool. Noooo! That could never happen. Maybe they are sick.
I decided this is the perfect time to travel with my kids individually and together (maybe a very short trip as the oldest expects everyone else to fall in line and the youngest is revolting against being told what to do). Iāll take hubby to a couple places he wants to go to and then I will travel on my own. It will certainly be a fun year. I fear the next year or the year after my job will become driving hubby everywhere.
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Thanks Nanomug!
You are very kind. I feel sorry about your foot. I used to play soccer and believe me, I used to fight against bigger guys for the ball and never got injured. One day, as the enemy kicked the ball into our own penalty area, they caught me too far away from it. Knowing myself I ran backwards, feeling cocky you know, and I bent my left foot. I had to take some shots to fix it. It hurt big time, and so my dignity, hurting myself. Your tendon will get better with the passing of time, just donāt disobey the order or you will get worse.
When it comes to your husband, love him while he remembers you if the Alzheimerās come to be the guilty party. Then you will need to love another guy, the one that comes and goes like a lover. You will be split into the old lover and the new one.
We had at home our own Alzheimerās case, but it wasnāt one, something similar. We loved this old lady, my mother in law, gave her all the respect and care, only to be treated back like garbage. Believe me, thereās so much you can stand, like watching her at midnight, stepping on a chair, step on the counter, grab 2 glasses, one on each hand, slide slowly to kneel over the counter, step on the chair while holding both glasses with both hands and never, ever put the glasses on the counter to be careful. She did that a few times while I was watching her, right in the middle of the night! Had she fallen, and diedā¦we would be paying for her funeral or care!
Finally, love was broken, she had to go, unfortunately she went back to Guatemala only to die due to her own negligence 6 months later. I know, I feel guilty, but things happen for a reason and you canāt force the outcome of an event when the other party wants different result.
Yes, travel, spend some dough to have some fun. As I said, I hope whatever your husband has it is not the beginning of Alzheimer, but in case, cherish him while he is who he is and who you loved, because the future guy may not even want to be with you because he will think you are a stranger. I hope that wasnāt too hard on you.
May peace be with you.
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Hard on me? LOL. I thought you were nice and understanding.
The kids are having a difficult time. They would rather believe their father is acting like a jerk (they used other words) than that he has cognitive issues.
We worked hard, planned for retirement and raised a family including a few extras that moved in and stayed along the way. Itās time to have fun and create good memories with the kids.
Life is both precious and fragile.
Hope you and your family to create lots of cherishable memories.
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Thank you Jane.
I made the decision to be open and keep a sense of humor about the issues my family is facing rather than close myself off. It certainly has been a journey between my daughters health issues (we almost lost her) and my husbandās decline. While my foot adds a challenge to the mix it has forced the kids to assist in what needs to be done. An opportunity for memories and conversations we might not have had time to have.
Life is precious whether we are in our prime of life, old, healthy or ill. Life is a celebration whether of joy or sadness. I am learning what is important.
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Couldnāt agree more.
My prayers are with your family.
I am glad for you Nanomug.
Finally, I can read somebody who has achieved that goal of enjoying life taking her investments for that moment of retirement. I keep suggesting or throwing up on the air that what good it makes to be so worried about making money, thinking about money, money, only money, to have a stroke, lose a limb, lose the entire family because you never took in consideration that thereās no life if money takes its place.
9 years ago I was with the dilemma. Should I lose my legal status by traveling to Guatemala to give my then cancer dying sister a last hug, or suffer here waiting for that dreaded call telling me of her passing away? Believe me! I wanted to have all the money in the world for her to come here so she could have a second opinion on life or at least live longer than her 6 months.
Thanks to her love for her God and her love for me, she suggested me to hold on to my desire. Though dying, she promised me that I would stay in this country and get my green card, I promise you that brother she said, I know you want to hug me, but think about your family. 9 months later after she passed away, when present at our first immigration court hearing, my wife told me she was pregnant with our daughter. A miracle she said, she knew it was impossible for her to be pregnant. As a small secret, she never takes pills. Then the judge retired, sending my paperwork to another pile which helped my case since my wife needed 7 years of continuous living in the US, she was at 6 at that time. Miracle after miracle happened, then I became resident and tomorrow I will be a citizen of this glorious country. Believe in miracles, they exist!
Hang in there! Have faith something else will be on your way. Prepare for the worse, expecting the best. 
Congrats. .the swearing in ceremony is very movingā¦Went with my wife many years ago. ā¦In the Russian tradition we got drunk afterwards. ā¦lol
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Ah buying I so enjoy your stories.
Because of my spending problem I live simply except for my affinity for appliances. Fortunately for me the need to buy appliances doesnāt come up often. My mother grew up on a farm and food was a resource never to be wasted. For her nothing was to be wasted. Reuse and repurpose was drilled into me at an early age. My spending problem will allow the adventures to begin.
Raising a family and a career have been time consuming. I started my family late, likely what is considered the norm these days. Some of my childhood friends are expecting great grandchildren. I have finally accepted that hubby will not retire until forced by his employer or health. He canāt see anything beyond work. He taught at Standford decades ago and talked about returning to academia. He has volunteered in the kids classrooms and would be an excellent sub or volunteer. Something is going on in his brain that is unknown. Hopefully a diagnosis will be fast.
I will organize and take him on the trip of his dreams for his birthday in a couple of months. Everyone should have the opportunity to have a special dream realized. For me my special trip involves food and Europe which does not excite my husband. It is a trip that my youngest would love and will be a fun trip when she graduates college. My oldest travels to a different drum and we have not figured out what that special thing/trip would be great. In the meantime the kids and I will do some road trips, visit family and have fun. Their life education is lacking and itās far past the time for them to spend time at the family farm. Cows, pigs, chickens, bailing hay and spending an afternoon fishing can be life changing.
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Hello everyone, Iām actually a former lurker at Redfin, I donāt think I posted at allā¦ever. But I did appreciate the insights you all had, and would like to keep reading more, and potentially posting a little bit.
Iām not an investor or even a home ownerā¦Iām actually deciding whether to try to buy a house or whether to move to a different rental, as we are moving out of our current rental in the East Bay for health reasons.
Unfortunately, I have only recently secured my current job with a somewhat decent salary and benefits, so was unable to buy a house when things were cheaperā¦which is a major bummer.
Anyways, thanks for the interesting ideas, hope to continue to learn from you all!
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My name is mike and Iām another lurker from redfin !
I really enjoyed the banter and whatnot in the old place, and will try to participate in here instead of lurking
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Are you the original Mike from 2010? The perma bear?
Any one knows the email or EL Katz? Any contact with El Katz?
I was accused of being El Katzā¦we are both old and crankyā¦He was mister fixitā¦too preachy for me. ā¦There are lots of ways to fix thingsā¦He insisted his was the only way
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I think I PMd El Katz before the old forums went away about the new ones.
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Yes nanomug, take your sweet heart somewhere he can feel realized, it doesnāt need to be anything extravagant, just something he will enjoy. It also has to do with ourselves, doing something of value for our other piece of the pie.
I tried to do that to myself in 1998 when I tried to get an American visa to come to the US. I didnāt have any clue what was going on inside the consulate. I had some politic issued for what I needed to get away ASAP. I waited for the chance to be interviewed by the officers in charge of qualifying the applicants and after several hours my turn came. I faced the most rigorous battery of question I ever faced, not even in my court hearing I had so many inquisitive questions.
My story to come to the US was that during my childhood, when I could watch TV because we couldnāt afford it (1960ās) I fell in love with Disneyland. And that was the reason I wanted to travel to the US. Had I said anything about asylum, they would have denied my visa anyway, so the only way, lying!
So, I told my story to this American officer. His eyes I believed at that time had X rays. He let me talk all I wanted while interrupting to ask a solid question. I could have earned a spot on any movie in Hollywood because I felt my act was so convincing I was just about to cry. He looked at me at the end, asked me how much $ I had in the bank, looked at my checking account and spot those deposits made lately, very suspicious if you know what I mean and saidā¦āwell my friend, I understand you, you want to visit Disneyland to see the world of fantasy. OK, I will let you live in that world because you aināt gonna see it, and stamped my passport with a horrible word of deniedā.
Only posted a few times in old BA forum but username was same as it is here - bought SFH in Pleasanton in 2011 and like to keep up with real estate happenings, not sure if we will move up to a larger home yet as it is very hard to buy right now
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Season 2 or was it 3? the nano household underwent great changes and nano continues to be plagued with visits to the hospital. Bronchitis then pneumonia and a clean chest X-ray is needed for foot surgery. Strange things occur in hospitals and strange things required for feet.
The interns left and are still confused over the reality show they didnāt get paid for. Perhaps lessons were learned or not.
Nanoās youngest won the genetic lottery with two genetic diseases coming from both sides. Canāt complain that one parent didnāt share. The youngest is taking time off from school to get health issues under control.
Oddly nano and youngest were both diagnosed with fibromyalgia shifting the season from houses to health.
Nanoās husband makes an appearance, unexpected and even surprising to him. At long last answers to cliffhangers have been found. Husband has been off to rehab. Unfortunately he came back worse than when he went. He runs when words like kids, tuition, budget and money are mentioned. He is not expected back for the next season. It was not an easy decision to not renew his contract.
Nano is ok. She is sick and could use a bit of coddling here and there. But overall she is fine, doing well and figuring out whatās next after the pesky foot surgery that will take her 8+ weeks to be back on her foot. Oldest has been hired as nanoās personal assistant and that means spending a large portion of Christmas break caring for mom. No free lunch.
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