"100% of people who do not save money do not have any!"--Dave Ramsey

[redpoint5]

If a leak isn't obvious, youtube engine bay cleaning. Once clean, leaks should become obvious.

[Xist]

I believe the Camry's power steering reservoir leaks as well as the timing chain cover.

Replacing the timing chain cover gasket is a big deal.

I did a quick search and ChrisFix's supercleaning video was top, but something appeals to me about this one (he says it takes 5 minutes):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aMKkUcTTJ4

He covers the alternator with a grocery bag, sprays every surface with P21S 13001B Total Auto Wash, lets sit one minute, hoses it off, blows off the water, and takes it for a 10-minute drive.

How can it be a 5-minute job if you need to take it for a 10-minute drive?!

The liter bottle with a spray head is $26 on Amazon, but the 5-liter jug is $68. Obviously it doesn't have a spray head, but I can put it in a bottle from dollar tree.

However, he puts it in a pump sprayer, which seems much faster.

I watched a couple other videos and read a forum discussion. Everyone says that it works great, but the pump sprayer seems much faster!

Do you think that it would clean off the bottom of the Accord transmission?

[Xist]

He posted a video about buying real estate and I decided to see if he said anything that I didn't already know.

He said that people always ask him how to get rich quick.
Get a job, save up, and buy a house.
No, get rich quick.

I went back for a direct quote. He said "Stop thinking about!" and seemed to start talking about get-rich-quick schemes, but he seems to have adopted personality, and I cannot stand him anymore.

I look forward to continuing to read about wasting all of my time chasing get-rich-quick schemes, but since Meet Kevin indicated they don't work, clearly everyone is pushing an agenda based in their own imagination.

[redpoint5]

Wealth, like most things, develops slowly over time, and then all of a sudden.

[JSH]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Wealth, like most things, develops slowly over time, and then all of a sudden.

Exactly. Compounding interest takes time to work its magic. The earlier one starts the less is required per month.

"Branson" line is $100 a month from birth
"Kylie" line is $150 a month from age 15
"Joanne" is $200 a month from 25
"Karl" line is $1000 a month from 55.

All are calculated at a low 5% interest rate.

(Now the Bank of Bozeman's idea that you can earn a steady 5% for decades in a federal guaranteed bank account or CD hasn't aged well)

https://bankofbozeman.com/personal-f...-work-for-you/

[Drifter]

Originally Posted by JSH

(Now the Bank of Bozeman's idea that you can earn a steady 5% for decades in a federal guaranteed bank account or CD hasn't aged well)

No kidding. And it gets worse if you want *real* returns. Adjusted for inflation, the S&P 500 returned 3.5% over the last 50 years (4.5% over the last 20) - and that's with dividends reinvested.

Being a billionaire won't mean much if you need a trillion to buy a loaf of bread

[redpoint5]

Funny that the $500- $10,000 USD bills were eliminated from circulation as inflation has continued to debase the currency.

Makes paying for a car with 130 $100 bills awkward.

[Drifter]

My parents bought a 1998 base model Camry new in cash and counting 150 bills was the least of their hassle. The dealer would not accept a personal cheque unless my parents were willing to wait 2 weeks for it to clear, would not accept a credit card unless my parents paid a 3% premium for the CC fees (~$500), would not cover the wire transfer fee ($50), and would not even cover the cashier's cheque fee ($25). The dealership was pushing hard for them to finance. Truth be told, the dealership was already aggressively pushing them away from that low low advertised base model loss leader, but my parents were like "No thanks, we'll take the car with roll-up windows that you advertised for $14,999" and the dealer was essentially like "but we don't actually have that car, we just advertise it to get people in the door to upsell."

Anyway, they located a base model car nearby and my parents brought in cash. This required the dealership to fill out some extra paperwork the IRS requires for cash transactions over $10,000, which was something that only a handful of sales managers there knew how to do. The dealership was like "we can save this aggravation if you just wire it or get a cashier's cheque" and my parents were like "why should WE pay extra to lower YOUR aggravation?"

Long story short, paying cash for cars over $10,000 (in the USA) means the person receiving the funds is supposed to file a form 8300 with the IRS and later send you a notice that they did so. Today it is pretty easy to do so online, but still an extra hoop to jump through.

[MetroMPG]

Originally Posted by Drifter

No kidding. And it gets worse if you want *real* returns. Adjusted for inflation, the S&P 500 returned 3.5% over the last 50 years (4.5% over the last 20) - and that's with dividends reinvested.

Huh? That seems pessimistic to me.

Top search result I found says:

What Is the 50 Year Average Return on the S&P 500?

Over the past 50 years (1972-2021) the average annualized return on the S&P 500 is 11.17% (nominal) and 7.00% (adjusted for inflation).2

https://www.investopedia.com/ask/ans...urn-sp-500.asp

[Drifter]

My mistake. I didn't look closely enough and assumed "total return" was with dividends. So 3.5% without dividends & 6.4% with:


The market is down this year - last year's returns would have been better...