Posts by Paul Campbell3

Bryan Palmer9 said:Try using a different computer to contact the bank and see if it works. But honestly, I read somewhere that banks will never send you stuff via email asking you to fill out forms or activate anything.

Look, they weren't even asking me to fill out or activate anything. They just wanted me to summarize my payment info so they could wire the money to my account—info that’s already sitting right there publicly on my website.

ironcyclist58 said:Since this supposed bank is based in Mali, I'm definitely skeptical about whether this is actually legit.
List the things you replaced with xxx, otherwise we can't really help you much.

Here is the email address used for the initial contact:

Final-Recipient: rfc822; attijariwafa.bim.bank@instruction.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0
Remote-MTA: dns; mx00.mail.com. (74.208.5.20, the server for the domain instruction.com.)
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 Requested action not taken: mailbox unavailable

Btw, thanks everyone 🙏

In the meantime, I emailed the main bank in Morocco to see if they can figure out what's going on since this was just a branch, so now I'm just waiting. 🕺

Hey there!

So, I sent an email to a bank out of state because they needed me to answer some standard questions about a transaction hitting my account.

They got back to me with the questions—nothing weird, just stuff you could probably find on the company's public website anyway—but when I tried to send my replies three days later, Gmail bounced it right back at me with this:

Address not found
Your message could not be delivered to unknown address xxxxx because the address can't be found or doesn't accept email.

Here’s the breakdown:
Final-Recipient : unknown
unknown
unknown
Remote-MTA: dns; unknown(196.200.90.154, the server for the domain xxxxx)
Diagnostic-Code: smtp; 550 5.1.1 User unknown

I'm low-key panicking now because a friend told me this might be a phishing scam. But here's the thing: there are several different email addresses listed on their actual website, and I can't send anything to ANY of them. I keep getting this exact same error.

What's going on? Is their server just totally dead, or am I actually being targeted by a scam? 😲

🤷

Thanks!

Here’s my situation: I want to run a beauty salon—nails, lashes, makeup, massages—out of my private home. I have this idea where clients get treated to a few different types of coffee, sparkling water, and maybe even a muffin while they wait, specifically during the summer months on the patio outside.
How do I make this legal?
Do I actually need to open a full-blown cafe, or is there some other way to register this kind of thing?
🤷

graniterider10 said:The IRS determines the amount based on their own internal tables. For instance, I work in an office owned by my mom, and we set the lease at $100. At $0.37, Penn State calculated the value for that space, and that's what Mom pays taxes on; they don't really care about the $100 part. If she were to pay more than the amount they've benchmarked, the tax would just go up.
Just pick a baseline amount; they don't really care about the specifics as long as it's written in the contract, because they'll just use their own math anyway.
You'll just need the standard property tax filing form so the tenant gets registered and can receive the tax assessment in the mail. 🙂🙂

Yeah, even my brother confirmed that, but apparently there’s a loophole where the owner just gives him written permission to run the business. Now he just has to check with the local Chamber of Commerce to see if that's even an option for this type of business.

Jack Young said:Take $2,500.00, subtract 30% for standard expenses, and you get your taxable base. $583
$1,750.00 times a 12% tax rate equals $70 plus any local municipal surcharges.

Basically, she gets $833 deposited into her bank account, then pays off the taxes $70 along with those extra local fees.

In any case, it’s definitely smarter for the small business to pay rent directly. It counts as a business expense, which helps lower the overall taxable income.

As for those technical building requirements, I honestly haven't a clue if they're necessary or not.

Fine, but what’s the point? You set up an LLC, don't register for sales tax, pull in somewhere between $5,500 and $6,500 a month (meaning you could theoretically stay under the simplified tax threshold where your monthly payments for Social Security, Medicare, and federal tax would be about $417), and then you just pay your wife $2,500 from that money—which she then pays tax on because you're essentially renting space from yourself?

I mean, does that garage or workshop have to be officially registered as a commercial property first or what?

And what about the people making dolls, bedding, or quilts at home? They've got the sewing machines and tools, working out of a garage making rag dolls and blankets. Are they also "renting" from themselves and paying tax on that after they've already paid their initial taxes?

I'm asking because I see that bike repair can be registered as a side hustle, and maybe a repair shop qualifies under "repair of personal items and household goods" per the NAICS codes, which might allow you to run that kind of business right out of your own house.

So, I was reading up on this, and apparently, you can register a bike repair business as a secondary occupation. If that’s the case, you just need to prove you actually have a place to work—like showing a lease agreement, a purchase contract, or some kind of property deed.
Which means maybe a full-blown contract isn't even necessary if you've got the property records to back it up. 🤔
My cousin actually reached out to Google about it, but honestly? Total waste of time. They didn't know a single thing; they just read him the exact same bullet points from their website about how to start a small business 🤣 and then basically told him to go bother the Department of Commerce instead. 😬

So, if he sets up a lease agreement for, say, $833 a month, how much tax is his wife actually going to be stuck paying on that?
Does she also need to worry about getting some specific technical certifications or compliance permits for the garage to be legal?

I’m a little lost here—does this mean she has to officially register the garage as a commercial business space? 😲

Brenda Chase3 said:In that case, you could opt for a simplified tax filing structure. You'll just need to draft a lease agreement between the garage owner and the business entity (or if you own both the house and the garage, then an agreement between yourself and the business). That contract needs to be submitted to the IRS, among other places, so they can properly calculate the rental taxes and surcharges.
As for the actual registration process, perhaps someone else on this forum could walk through the steps? It would be great to hear from someone who has recently navigated the paperwork so you can get some firsthand insight.

I'm not the one opening it, my cousin is. And the garage belongs to his wife... basically, it's their house.😁
Wait, I don't get this: so he's going to pay rent to his own wife, in the same house they live in, just so he can fix bikes in the garage?

Brenda Chase3 said:If my memory serves me right, you can't register retail or hospitality businesses under a simple sole proprietorship setup. Since selling bikes falls under retail, the IRS and local licensing boards likely won't let you go that route. Maybe someone else here who runs a small business can weigh in and confirm.

My bad, I misspoke: I meant repair services, not sales. Total brain fart there. 😁
I definitely know retail and food service are off the table for this setup.

Hey there!
Quick question: can I run a bike repair and sales shop as a sole proprietorship? What kind of paperwork am I looking at—do I need any specific certifications or permits since I'll be running everything out of my home garage?
Thanks!

Nice, warm, and straight from the hip 🙂

Carol Ramirez23 said:Ugh, I get those kinds of threats too, and I really don't understand why other people feel the need to manage my life. And I honestly don't get what they mean by "you won't be able to." Like, what am I supposed to do? Start a shootout? 😂 If someone told me they were living paycheck to paycheck in a tiny studio apartment in downtown Chicago, I would probably just say, "Hey, you'll figure it out," and maybe offer some help or a suggestion if I could. But it seems like people just don't want to see others doing well!🙂

Totally agree. Sure, experience matters, and you shouldn't just ignore advice from people who have been through the trenches.
But at the same time, I constantly run into these "urban legends" that get passed down like they're gospel truth. 😁

Every baby is different, and every parent is different too.

My favorite is when they start with the horror stories: "Just wait until you realize you won't get more than three hours of sleep..."

Newsflash: I've been getting about three hours of sleep a night for the last month because insomnia has been kicking my ass lately, and I'm still functioning mostly fine. I steal an hour here and there during the day and still manage to get my remote work done.

🤣

The typical "expert" parent lecture: "just you wait," "you won't be able to pull this off," "back in my day, things weren't like this," or just straight-up condescension. 🙄

And honestly? It’s ten times more annoying when it comes from couples whose own kids have zero discipline.

It’s like they think my kid is suffering through some massive tragedy, and they're using every ounce of energy they have to try and talk me out of my chill approach. 👎

Robin Rivera4 said:Shouldn't that test be done in the morning? 😕 I’ll admit, I've always been one of those people who tunes out when pregnant women start sharing their experiences, so I'm completely in the dark here...

I did mine at 9 PM. The day after my period was late. Just a cheap drugstore test. Zero errors.😁

John Wilson9 said:Honestly, people in these comment sections are such a joke, obsessing over whether your belly is too small or too big. I actually ended up at the hospital for a checkup because they were worried my bump wasn't measuring right, but the doctor just told me it looks huge because I’m tiny. But hey, apparently, all those other "experts" on the internet know better, acting like they're surgeons with their "oh my god, mine was way bigger at four months" comments.
It's a lose-lose situation. If it's small, you're failing. If it's big, you're doing it wrong.
At the end of the day, who cares about the circumference of my stomach? As long as the baby is healthy, that's all that matters. 🙂

Haha, I totally get you. 😁

The other day, a woman at the checkout counter goes, "Is there just a little bit left?" And I'm standing there completely confused because I didn't catch what she meant—honestly, I forget I'm even pregnant half the time, so it's not always top of mind for me like it is for everyone else.
Then I realized what she was aiming for and said, "Oh, right, yeah, just 'only' three months to go." 😬

Then later that same day, someone asks me dead serious if I'm having twins. 😂

But the absolute worst are the ones who constantly fawn over you (yeah, I've dealt with this too 😲)—like, "Oh my gosh, you are such a beautiful pregnant lady, I haven't seen a pregnant woman look this gorgeous in ages!"

Look, I mean, it's not like it isn't nice to hear 😍, but coming from a total stranger across the street... man, the whole guy turned around to look, and I was just standing there thinking, "Someone please just swallow me whole." 😳..🤣

Charles Moore49 said:First off: Excuse me? That’s not how it works at all because it really does depend on the woman, and honestly, it depends on who he's going to rely on...I don't think there's a single man out there who is going to grab a screaming infant right out of someone's arms and insist, "let me soothe them," or step up and say, "don't worry, I'll handle this diaper change"...so, in reality, it actually does depend on you, specifically regarding how much space you provide and how much you encourage him to step up...

And personally, I still believe gender plays a role here...since I'm not talking about mothers who happen to love their biological children less than the father does...

Hmm, my godmother’s husband does exactly that: he takes the little one right out of her arms when she starts crying to calm her down, changes the dirty diapers, and helps with bath time by filling the tub and holding her while she gets her hair washed. 🤷

So the kid doesn't just depend on the woman; in a normal situation, they should be depending on both parents.
My dad used to warm my bottles and feed me just as much as my mom did, and that was nearly 40 years ago. 😬

The other day, my husband came home from Target all excited because he picked up a jacket for the kid at a great price—even got the right size for winter—without me even prompting him or giving him the green light. 😍

Bottom line: it isn't about gender, it's just a mix of things.

On topic, it absolutely drives me crazy when women give me these weird looks because I don't sit around glorifying "maternal instincts."😁
When people ask how I'm feeling and I tell them honestly that nothing feels particularly special—other than the fact that I suddenly have this huge belly with something kicking inside it daily, I've gained 25 pounds so my heels ache when I walk, and my moods swing depending on the weather—they start hitting me with those annoying questions about "maternal feelings" and all that nonsense.
Honestly, I have no idea what that's even supposed to be, and I don't even know what to tell them in response to such a stupid question. 🤷

James Cox6 said:The one thing that actually gets under my skin is finding out someone’s pregnant... whether it's a beta level of 150 or just finding out they're expecting... all those damn congratulations...
I honestly still don't get it—to this day... what exactly am I supposed to be congratulating anyone for??
What does "being pregnant" even mean? It’s a big nothing... there’s so much that can change, especially in those first 12 weeks... so if anyone wants to take offense, it's the damn celebrators 😠
Congratulate me when, God willing, 🙂 the baby is actually born...
I'll play along and offer congrats on this forum just because it's the default setting here, but in the real world... the moment someone brings it up to me... I'll cut them off mid-sentence... and they won't hear a word about that topic from me ever again...

Hehe, that gets on my nerves too. I've never understood the whole congratulating thing either.
Exactly—what is there to celebrate yet? 🤷

Another thing that drives me crazy is when people start treating me like I'm "disabled" instead of just pregnant.
Like, stop it. Don't grab a grocery bag out of my hands just because it's heavy 😕. Don't offer to grab the broom, or the rag, or carry me up the stairs, or chew my food for me—hello?
I know perfectly well when something is exhausting and when it isn't, and I'll take care of my own rest. Sure, I'm not going to go chop wood for an hour, but nobody's going to die because I swept the patio or the porch after a snowstorm.
😳

Honestly, I have the exact opposite experience. 🙄

Everything we own was handed down from relatives or friends who already had kids—double strollers, cribs, even a bassinet with a bath, plus a mountain of clothes and car seats. And what do I get? People hitting me with comments like, "You can't use that," or "You really need to buy a new stroller," or "How do you know it isn't worn out?" They act like because we don't buy everything brand new, we must be blowing our money on winter tires or weekend trips to a spa resort instead. Just total nonsense. 😬

At the end of the day, how someone spends their money is their business. It seems insane to me to drop thousands upon thousands of dollars on stuff that’s only going to be used for a few months when I have the chance to get it all for free.

I know some people find it beneath them to let their kid wear "used" gear.

Me? I'd much rather open a savings account and put a few hundred bucks away for my kid every month. Because let's face it: the faster they grow, the more expensive they get.

To be perfectly honest, I couldn't care less if someone drops 15 $0.00 on baby gear before the birth or 30 $0.00 on a private hospital, regardless of whether I would personally do the same.

Everyone does what they can and what they think is best. Priorities vary from person to person, just like life philosophies, and that should be respected. 🙂

slybadger99 said:Quick question for everyone—which test should I actually bother taking if I want a reliable result the day before my period is supposed to start?

Which one tends to be more sensitive?

I just grabbed the cheapest one at $8.25. Two days before my period was supposed to start, it showed two lines so dark they looked like a house! No doubt about it, nothing faded.

I was honestly a little shaken up. I even called my OB-GYN to make sure it wasn't some glitch, and he basically told me that once you get a positive, it’s almost never wrong. 😁

Morgan Kim2 said:We always said we’d get married once I got pregnant—everyone just kind of rolled with it. But the second we actually picked a date and a guest list, all hell broke loose. Suddenly it was: "Why are you having such a tiny wedding?" (It was just 16 of us; we both wanted it small, plus I was on bed rest at the time—what was I supposed to do, watch everyone else dance while I sat there?) 🙂, then: "Why isn't it in a church?" or "Why didn't you invite Cousin Vinny?" We only invited the elders, our godparents, sisters, and two grandmas. Then there were the comments about my 5-inch heels—as if being pregnant makes me ineligible for style—and a thousand other nitpicking questions. But the absolute kicker? My aunt had the nerve to tell me that if we didn't baptize the baby, she’d just do it behind our backs 🙂. Like, excuse me? She didn't even bother asking if we *wanted* that to happen. Well, newsflash: we do. 😂

Ugh...😁
We skipped the whole thing. Well, I did. For basically the same reasons. I just flat-out told people there wouldn't be a wedding because I wasn't about to pile extra stress on myself while pregnant.

And while we're on the subject, people who immediately jump down your throat with "So? When's the wedding?" the moment they find out you're expecting really drive me crazy: 🙄