Cheat Codes for Life I Know at 36 That I Wish I Knew at 26

"If I could describe my former mental illness in five words it would be this: thinking too much about myself."

This is an awful statement in so many ways.

If you're affected by mental illness please don't think that you're the problem. Or that it can be solved by thinking less about yourself. Even if it's the case, it's likely just a symptom, not the cause of your suffering.

You can get yourself out of depressive phases with repression and 'everything-is-awesome-actionism' but it will probably come back to haunt you. The depression wants to tell you something but you have to listen to it, not give it a pep-talk.

Maybe his ways are right for him. But almost every single point can have a detrimental effect on somebody with a mind that works differently.

I hate the way these articles tug on the part of yourself that already shames you anyway for not having 'figured it out'. Even if you know you shouldn't listen, you can't help but feel a little worse after reading it. At least that's the way it is for me. I don't even read this type of content anymore but I felt like I needed confirmation on why I avoid it. Boy did I get it.

Now that I've read it I need to articulate my thoughts and feelings to get it out of my system. It's not to be 'a hater' who wants the author to pay taxes. I wish him all the best and hope that his house of cards doesn't come crashing down again.

Maybe these types of content creators are in kind of a pinch. Even if some part of him feels like he might do a disservice to certain people, he can't really write it out. It would be 'off-brand' to not write in absolutes and it would take away from the persona who knows it all. (Because despite saying he doesn't think he knows it all he comes off very much as someone who thinks he knows it all. 'Cheat codes'...)

But I'm pretty sure this type of content is more damaging than helpful to most people. You can't really 'teach' life. If you know a lot about a person and his circumstances you can point them towards options they haven't considered. But that's about it.

Most self-help is a scam. They sell dopamine. You feel good while reading it (if you believe in it) and making plans, but as soon as your brain is back to homeostasis you see that nothing has changed. I've seen it a dozen times in dozens of people.

The only good literature in self-help is the one that actually identifies a real problem that holds you back and helps you solve it. (Trauma, ADHD, bad relationships, stress for example)

Ah, thanks!

I'm talking about Medicaid — I don't know how it works in other states but in Pennsylvania, one way to qualify for Medicaid/Medical Assistance is by having a MAGI (modified adjusted gross income) below a certain threshold based on family size.[0] (It might only work this way for people with kids under age 21; I'm not sure.)

My husband pointed out that another option available with a solo 401k that is not often available via employer-sponsored plans is the ability to set up a Roth 401k. My understanding is this would allow for much higher Roth contributions compared to a Roth IRA.

[0] https://www.dhs.pa.gov/Services/Assistance/Pages/MA-General-...

In the US, at least, the IRS frowns a bit at people over-using business deductions. "Any new gadget or widget" might be deductible if your business includes, say, reviewing new gadgets and widgets. If you're a software developer, though, kitchen gadgets--for example--aren't generally considered deductible. In fact, if you're a software developer, very few things are.

Yeah, looks like there are resource restrictions if you don't have kids under 21.

Also a bit risky depending on your exit strategy and the assest recovery mechanism.

Not going lie either... this is generally the type of behavior that gives these programs a bad name and creates pushes for reforms - using them them to FIRE while maxing out the 401k. Most people are fine with assisting the needy through these types of programs. The support for these programs completely changes when given situations like this. Especially when knowing the over a third of the state budget is used for this program and that my own medical care is more expensive due to provider taxes to help cover it.