Astute Zebra

GenX wife, mom & retired CFO & CPA. I value family, homegrown/made cooking, self directed investing, health, travel & FIRE. More a zebra than a horse. UK/USA

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@KelleyKga Basic algebra is the bare minimum for graduating high school. A college graduate should be at a higher level. Stem majors need to master advanced math, including several years of calculus.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@brettboettcher1 Mine has never liked any kind of sauce. He has to eat what we are eating, but he is allowed to have it sauce free.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@PunkyCovfefe We still have a son in highschool, so currently, we do a 5 week international trip in the summer & a three week trip over Christmas break. We also do a few short road trips every year (Disney, Cambria, Big Sur, San Diego). Prices vary quite a bit, so hard to say what the cost is

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

Universities need to return to merit based admissions.

It is cruel to admit someone to a prestigious school like Cal when they lack the basic skills to succeed.

Imagine, your family & friends are so proud, you think you have life made & then you fail class after class.

[Litong Deng @_litongdeng]

Students are failing UC Berkeley CS classes at an alarming rate. More than 35% of students failed CS 10, a course described as “a gentle but thorough introduction to computer science.” In the past few semesters, less than 10% of students failed the class.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@realfrugalmogul I would! My teenager, finally has some earned income, and asked for a Roth contribution in his name for Christmas. He got way more because I appreciated the hustle.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@BoomerDivvies I am with you on all of it, except economy overseas flights. I'd pay a premium, but often it is 3 -5X the price. I'd rather suffer through & travel more often or at a higher standard once I arrive. We have a home (& car) in Europe & that alone has made travel far more comfortable

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@financialsamura I used a glide slope approach.

Pre kids, I worked long hours then reduced overtime when our son was born. When he was 7, I switched to being a self employed consultant & have been slowly reducing hours ever since. He is now in high school, & I consult ~10 hrs/week.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@DadisFIRE Retiring young blows people's minds. We're always discrete, but eventually people realize.

I get treated like a SAHM & offered some menial volunteer project or task no one else wants to do.

My husband gets similar comments, assuming he is looking for a job or working a project.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@PunkyCovfefe Yep! GenX married to GenX, both #earlyretirement

[꧁♛𝓑𝓵✯𝓷𝓭𝓲𝓮𝓼♛꧂ @heyitsmeCarolyn]

VOTE SPENCER PRATT
The people in LA have had enough!

[Vivek Ramaswamy @VivekGRamaswamy]

This is from UC Berkeley’s own faculty, but I couldn’t have said it better myself: “Admitting severely underprepared students to advanced programs at the wrong schools serves no one but administrators who build careers by promoting ideological goals.”

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

My hometown of LA is a mess, but it is worth saving.

[Mr Producer @RichSementa]

TMZ’s Harvey Levin drops the hard truth on L.A.:

"LA is a mess right now... 15 years ago downtown had this renaissance... It was really the place to go. Now the sense people have outside of the area is you're crazy to go downtown... Right now the city is not functioning well."

Progressive utopia delivered exactly what it always does — total collapse.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@MiniRetireMatt African safari - Tanzania & Zanzibar.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@CarsonTalkMoney I had a decent up day. I hit 1 of my 2 big goals for the year & I am close on the 2nd goal.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@BoomerDivvies @MiniRetireMatt Does this exclude balances paid in full each month? Many routinely have credit card balances in this range that are set up to be paid automatically every month or use their card for reimbursable business expenses.

TBH, not as bad as I would have expected.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@loveleesfinance Personally, I am closing in on double my initial liquid "number" for retirement + 3 paid off homes.

My son's college account is nearing 6 figures. I want to make enough return on his college fund to fully cover college costs, so that the principal left over can be a launch fund.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

Not one. I had one gay friend, he was a guy then, and he is still a guy.

[The Seed @theseed59788459]

None.

You?

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@GenXmillionaire @RoaringHammy My kind of meal! Looks good.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@lalovestrump Hamburger Habit is the best. I used to work near the original location. They make great shakes too.

[Astute Zebra @LKPR99]

@RoaringHammy I only eat at buffets when I travel. I am allergic to eggs, so it is less about eating in excess & more about being able to select items that minimize my risk of having a reaction. When I am home (& often when travelling if I have a kitchen available) I prefer to cook.