nunya

I’m making 30% less and working 90% less at 69% WB FO than 8% NB FO. So far this year I haven’t had problems making my schedule work, but I definitely didn’t get the vacation I wanted off the bat.

At least that'll be less wasteful than the Afghan C-130 crews we trained.

They can also be an incredible ally in one of the hardest years of your life. Certainly I've seen them be a drain - and that couple usually ends up divorced. My wife of 20+ years was with me before and through UPT and she made my life during training infinitely easier and more comfortable. She also found a part time job so she wasn't cooped up in the house all day just waiting on formal release. To CaptainMorgan's point... we weren't complete newly weds and it would have been more shocking to go from honeymoon to UPT in days instead of months. That's fine. And I agree 100% - don't let your Tinder/Insta/Grindr/Bumble/Farmers Only flings distract you. But my only advice is don't be so closed minded that if the right one drops into your life that you ignore her for the wrong reasons.

Watchtower. I'm running generic Ubuntu, not Synology, and it looks like Synology might require a few extra hoops, but apparently it can be done. https://mariushosting.com/synology-30-second-watchtower-install-using-task-scheduler-docker/

I like how you use 300k as your example on which to base your math. Of course if you low ball it or use new hires, your math looks right. 300k is an 82 hour monthly average for a WB FO or 69 hour monthly average for a NB CA. 82 hours is hardly hustling or playing the games and 69 hours is coasting (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) But man, you do you and keep training those financially illiterate pilots.

Except... Compensation in a Safe Harbor plan does not include bonuses, like profit sharing, which has been good for us post-COVID and pays the same 17% into your 401k. A healthy, pensionable profit sharing check can make up for the under 50 crowd, and even for the over 50 crowd if they're playing the game well. I'm not saying everyone can reach these levels, but it's certainly not unheard of and will be more common when co contributions go to 18%. BTW, nice attempted flex. You were so, so close to the knock out.

An average CA or a hustling FO at a major with ~16-19% company contributions doesn't have to contribute a dime to reach IRS maximums by Thanksgiving, so I think you'll find plenty that don't contribute from their paycheck to a 401k. The question would be how many are not socking way with IRAs, HSAs, 529s, brokerage, crypto, Cubans (the cigars, not the bipeds), or gunpowder and lead. I suspect that number is near 0.

I don't know how I feel about the change, but it's a response to their inability to hear audio from AS1282 (the holy 737) and others. 1282 only had a 2 hour CVR.

Yep. I've been buying SPRXX every pay day and had various auto transactions set up. No more need for those extra brain cells in a few weeks!

I first saw it in the official Fidelity reddit from their customer service people. It's also on your March CMA statement in the Additional Information and Endnotes:

0% if they're filed off as they often are once they enter the underworld. I looked for a stat about how many guns used in crime have altered/removed SNs, but I couldn't find anything. A decent number of guns are already untraceable because they have altered SNs. https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/report/nfcta-volume-ii-part-iii-crime-guns-recovered-and-traced-us/download Between 2017-2021, 48,601 guns couldn't be traced to a buyer because their SN was altered. 25,904 crime-linked guns traced back to a .gov owner! Opposition to un-serialized firearms is not about crime prevention - it's simply about placing obstacles and red tape between citizens and legal firearms and creating the groundwork for a future confiscation database.

Vanguard was outstanding, as long as I didn't need anything from a human. I was happy with them for many years, until... My specific experience was needing to move 6 figures out of my brokerage account. It was too much to move online so I had to call. I waited on hold for cumulative hours over several days. I was completely unable to move the money before a deadline. Luckily another party covered for me while I moved the money out in several installments, staying under the online maximums. I talked to others with similar experiences. I already had a good chunk at Fidelity and had never waited more than a couple minutes for a rep, so I bailed on Vanguard. I was probably hasty, but I don't regret it one bit.

Back on the personal finance front... Fidelity will allow SPAXX as your sweep account in Cash Management Accounts (CMA) starting around June 15. IMO this makes CMAs a no brainer. No need to mess with separate online savings accounts to get higher rates on your cash. I know this took me a while to wrap my head around and I wish somebody had broken it down for me earlier, so for those that don't habla CMA, here's the skinny... CMAs are brokerage accounts that operate "like" checking accounts. Debit cards, ATMs, fee reimbursement, checks, online bill pay, direct deposit, etc. Your cash balances by default are kept at various banks around the country. You can see which banks, but there's no reason to care. You get FDIC protection, ~2.7%* interest, and manage your cash centrally via Fidelity. If you elect to keep your cash in SPAXX, you give up FDIC coverage, but you can get ~5%* on your cash balances. Vanguard just started "Cash Plus" accounts to compete. I'm sure they'll be great accounts, but I moved from Vanguard because (IMO) their service starting slipping around 2020 and became untenable. Bottom line, especially for the young dudes: Look beyond USAA for your banking needs. With some work, you'll be very wealthy one day - learn to manage it well now. *all rates are as of 4/15/24

Nope. USAFA dude. While I find Ranger school weird for him, too, he had a helluva resume even before Ranger school (except for the UPT quit/washout part).