Prep for an earthquake. This is not techy but very necessary.
What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
371–380 of 573 posts
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#372This seems more of a "West Coast vs. East Coast" article than it is a "San Fran" article. For the most part, the author is highlighting the differences that anybody living on the East Coast will experience in moving to one of the western coastal cities, save perhaps LA, which as everyone already knows is its own little planet. Most of these "hints" hold true for San Diego, San Fran, Portland, Seattle and Vancouver. T…
Definitely true with regards to sports and costumes, but otherwise I'm not so sure this holds any more. Everything around D.C. is much further away than you think, for example, and more than half the people I meet work in the tech sector somewhere. I have friends in Boston and it's much the same there - live in the 'burbs and you won't leave your neighborhood much except to go to work, as the city is very spread out.…
As someone who lives in Boston, I would like to point out the falsehood of this. Boston is not spread out. By area it is tiny. From where I live I can walk through five major neighborhoods in half an hour, some of which are among the most densely populated neighborhoods in the country. Boston has much more in common with SF than it does DC.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#373Any time I see something like this, I always think about writing a counterpoint. Then I realize it's been done by someone else. http://al3x.net/2009/10/04/so-youre-moving-to-san-francisco....
It's still accurate after 3 years?
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#374Earlier quoted context omitted.
Just curious, in your opinion, what should be the net worth target for people making regular tech income in their 30's, 40's and 50's if they want to eek out comfortable living in retirement, inflation-adjusted?
Not my opinion, but I once read somewhere that you should aim for a savings (+investments) of 1x salary by 30, 5x by 40, 10+x by 50.
in light of these new guidelines i'll be getting a job with a drastically lower salary this year. definitely don't want to be behind on savings!
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#375Earlier quoted context omitted.
Seems to me the most difficult is saving 5x between 30-40, especially at that age when a lot of folks get married, have kids and purchase property. How do you save up to 5x - which for a household income of $100,000/yr is half a million dollar; do you really get a lot of tax breaks on mortgages, kids and filing jointly? Also, at the current rate of US inflation; by the time I retire which is in about 40 years, $30K/y…
All of the classic planning advice is based on about a century of economic history, most of that time period having little resemblance to today and things are only getting weirder, faster. Inflation is increasing (and increasingly under-reported), investment returns just--to put it bluntly--suck, social safety nets are falling apart, and we're expected to work for much longer in a world where age and experience don't…
> Inflation is increasing (and increasingly under-reported), investment returns just--to put it bluntly--suck.
This is nearly a self contradictory statement. That is, if inflation were getting out of control, we would see high interest rates accompanying that change.
I'm not saying your advice it bad (savings are a good idea), although maybe a little extreme sounding (too much doomsday feel for my taste). I do, however, wish people would stop it with the "inflation is scary" rhetoric.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#376Earlier quoted context omitted.
I grew up in the South West. I don't miss hundred-plus degree summers, burning my hands on steering wheels and the backs of my legs on car seats. I don't miss the asphalt being tacky because of the heat, or the sandy, sticky, salt-encrusted feeling after spending a day running errands, alternating between air conditioned interiors and sun-baked exteriors. I certainly understand why other people might not enjoy the pe…
I guess that's personal preference. Growing up in Indiana, we hit 100+ in the height of summer (and humid as hell) and subzero in the winter... While I don't _enjoy_ those extremes, it does really lend to a sense of time passing and makes the really nice days throughout spring and fall that much more enjoyable. I miss waking up on Xmas to a foot of snow, despite not enjoying snow, and having to huddle around a fire t…
You make a good point about the seasons. I took the passage of the seasons for granted while growing up. It was just "how the world works." A few years after moving out here I realized that my body didn't know what time of year it was. That was a disconcerting feeling, although I doubt if I could explain why.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#377Wonders how anyone can live without being in the tech industry... then chooses not to buy local.. You are making things a lot harder on the families of SF that have been here for a long time by not shopping local.. please think of that next time you order on amazon from your soma office.
Buy local is the biggest crock (with one exception: if you honestly and truly believe the food is better quality). It causes a net loss for society. Consumers can't purchase as many goods, and the goods being purchased are not being produced as efficiently as the 'non-locals' version. Which means your groceries cost more every week then they would have otherwise. http://mises.org/daily/5283/The-BuyLocal-Canard
Great article..it lacks any sources.. that being said you have to have a fact or 2 in order to have something to be sourced.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#378I considered moving to SF but chose Austin instead. I refuse to live in a state with such a dysfunctional government and ridiculously high taxes. Some of the same reasons I left NY. You can do tech anywhere. You do not need to live in the bay area. If you really like the city pick a place (like Austin) with inexpensive direct flights and go a few times a month. You'll still save money.
But now you're living in TX? Despite Austin being an enclave of politically progressive views, you're still surrounded by well armed pickup truck driving rednecks on their way to the Dairy Queen in 110" heat? Paying the SF "tax" is worth every penny in my opinion.
on their way to the Dairy Queen in 110" heat?
How hot is it? Almost 10'
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#379Earlier quoted context omitted.
Seems to me the most difficult is saving 5x between 30-40, especially at that age when a lot of folks get married, have kids and purchase property. How do you save up to 5x - which for a household income of $100,000/yr is half a million dollar; do you really get a lot of tax breaks on mortgages, kids and filing jointly? Also, at the current rate of US inflation; by the time I retire which is in about 40 years, $30K/y…
All of the classic planning advice is based on about a century of economic history, most of that time period having little resemblance to today and things are only getting weirder, faster. Inflation is increasing (and increasingly under-reported), investment returns just--to put it bluntly--suck, social safety nets are falling apart, and we're expected to work for much longer in a world where age and experience don't…
Do you have links to evidence that inflation is increasing, and over what time period? I thought medium term inflation estimates were still under 2%, which is historically rather low.
Re: What I wish I knew before moving to San Francisco
#380Meanwhile, NFL Sundays will never be the same as 10am kickoffs is something I don’t think I’ll ever get used to. Born and raised in Seattle. Some of my fondest memories growing up were rolling out of bed at 9:45 and sitting down to watch some football in my underwear with a bowl of cereal in my lap. (In college, sweatpants replaced underwear and screwdrivers replaced the cereal.) Now I live in D.C. and it's weird tha…
All of my friends who have lived on both the east and west coast absolutely prefer west coast football times. I find it difficult to stay up until midnight or 1 AM watching Sunday or Monday night football and make it to work the next day. I feel sorry for those who attend the games. On Sunday mornings, there is no time to kill before the games start, and the local teams usually kick off at 1 PM.
I agree except for Monday/Thursday games--prime time football EST ends up being at 5:30 when I'm still at work or trying to get home. Hate it.