It really only affected me after the fact. First 5 minutes was intensely hot but then it was manageable. I ate my lunch about an hour later and then I was in the bathroom feeling like my stomach was being ripped apart. No luck in throwing any of it up so I just suffered until it died down.

They can also get away with it because of the 30% tax credit plus it offsetting your existing electric bill so people see it as a net win even though they're way overpaying. With current rates, the financing isn't that enticing either if you don't do the dealer fees. On a 25 year loan my most recent install would cost over 100k if I didn't pay any extra towards the principal. My average utility bill would have to be $300/month more to break even after interest but then I also have to consider panel and inverter replacements by that time.

I'm at a crossroads because part of me wants to wait it out but then we've also seen costs go nuts on everything in a short time so I don't want to get left in the dust either.

I'm wondering where these jobs exist that I keep seeing, even in a technical field I can't find 401k matches that are worth a damn. My current match is 8.5% which was nearly impossible to find. All other job offers I've gotten have either been 3% or 4%.

If he's looking to leave then the pension doesn't mean much, no? At least with the (insane) 401k match the money is his.

I'd switch just for the 401k match. It's a massive difference and will snowball your retirement. Also, if you're looking to move out of your job with a pension then it probably isn't doing you much good since you're not looking at it as a long term opportunity.

You don't have to be maxing out your 401k before investing elsewhere. By priority it goes 401k match -> max HSA -> max Roth IRA -> max 401k.

Your PPO looks way better though so it'll be up to you if you think access to the HSA is worth it.

Yeah, I think most people would rather stick to one employer if they had the chance but there's almost no incentive to. Especially when you're younger and you have the whole acceleration of income thing where you're hoping to set you up for your middle aged years where you want probably want stability over jumping around. I'd rather sacrifice job stability in my 20's and 30's (when I'm more "desirable") so that I can find the right job later in life and be fairly compensated so I don't feel the need to move around.

This happened to me the first time I smoked with a bong. Didn't smoke frequently at all but I took an absolutely massive hit and then proceeded to die and basically hallucinate on a bean bag chair for a few hours. That sucked.

The US is just really inefficient with how our income is utilized. According to this chart I'm around the 90% mark as a sole income earner (my wife doesn't work due to medical issues) and I don't feel very secure. If I was by myself I'd be okay but adding all her expenses really sucks up a majority of what would be my expendable income.

A lot of it really comes down to having no (or unreliable) safety nets. If she was at least getting SSDI that she should be getting then we would be in a much more comfortable position but instead I'm footing the bill for our crappy system.