Posts by Joshua Chavez

He might be able to snag one for free from those rental companies that lease out equipment.

Zack said:Why isn't a single one of these links working?

The first one actually works, but you have to change the extension from .us to .com for the second one to function.

jademoose10 said:Heh, it’s always the same logic. Of course a Charles Schwab advisor has to make a living somehow. It's just basic business—the firm they work for has to pay them, just like they pay their agents.

I don't know, I've always been pretty skeptical about people who get paid by someone else to "help" me with advice. Doesn't that strike you as a massive conflict of interest?


Quote:Independence means that when someone says, "I want X and Y within this specific timeframe, and my budget is roughly this much," the advisor goes out into the market to find the best options that fit those exact parameters. Once the client is presented with two or three different solutions, they pick the one that works best for them. At that point, they usually don't care if it's Chase, Bank of America, or some insurance company; they're making a decision based on the actual numbers and criteria provided.
But how am I supposed to know if those three options are actually the absolute best ones for my situation, rather than just the ones that happen to pay the highest commission to the "advisor"?


Quote:An added benefit of using a financial advisor is that they can offer specialized programs you wouldn't be able to access just by walking up to a teller at a local branch.
Like what, for example?

Ronald Castillo5 said:If the advice is free, how does the advisor actually make a living?

They live off the commissions paid by the banks or insurance companies they’re doing business with. All this talk about independence is just noise.😁

To rent out a space, he just needs a simple majority of the residents to agree (on the surface), not everyone. However, if you're looking at changing the actual use of a space, you need unanimous consent from everyone. There’s actually been talk about amending this part of the law for a while now because it creates so many headaches during building renovations—especially when dealing with attic expansions—but as it stands today, that's the rule.

George Rogers3 said:One more thing—does he need consent from a majority of the residents or every single one of them?

It's the owners who hold 51% of the building's total square footage.
If there's an unauthorized renovation happening, you should report it to the local building inspector. Any kind of repurposing or structural reconfiguration requires a formal building permit.

Michael Miller39 said:I’m actually looking for the USD/DEM exchange rate from back in 1980 or 1985. I'll figure out the rest on my own once I have the data. Does anyone know where I can find this?

Of course, looking at old numbers doesn't tell you anything about what's coming next—who knows what the future holds—but regardless of that, I want to see what was happening 20 to 25 years ago.

It's a pretty straightforward question, I just don't know where an archive like that would be kept...

Maybe try checking the Federal Reserve's website. If anyone has a deep enough archive for that kind of historical data, it would probably be them. Or at least they used to. As I recall, the rate was somewhere around 1 USD = 1.1 DEM.

Chris Ruiz10 said:Run for the hills, but whatever you do, don't let him touch the money from the jobs you're doing. Clients need to be paying you directly into your own business account (you should probably sit down with every single one of your clients personally to explain what's happening), and if he wants to sue you over some verbal agreement, then let him try. 🙂

And honestly, in the eyes of the law, verbal agreements hold just as much weight as anything written on paper. 😁 Once people start playing dirty, I guess you have to play by the rules... even if those rules involve getting a little dirty yourself.

Reach out to ALL your clients immediately. Keep it brief—don't get bogged down in unnecessary drama—and just let them know that this guy has absolutely nothing to do with your company anymore and that all future business goes through you directly. You might lose a few people here and there, but most of them will likely stick with you.

All things considered, it’s a pretty strange story 😁

I have to admit, I’m feeling pretty lost here because you’re only giving me half the story. 😢
1. Who actually owns the company? Is it just you, him, or is it a partnership?
2. Is he technically an employee of yours?
3. Do you guys have any kind of written contract in place?
4. What is his official role or relationship with the business?
5. And what is your actual legal standing with the firm?
6. How long have you been in business?
7. How long has he been involved in this, and what exactly is his status?

Nothing, you’ll get through this. Every bit of training comes with a price tag, and honestly, this was pretty cheap 🙂 You should probably start looking for work on your own. I’m sure you have a million friends out there, so tell EVERYONE you need a job. Something will always turn up eventually. For starters, just take whatever comes your way, no matter how small, just to get some experience under your belt and build a network. In a few months, you’ll likely look back on this and laugh.

Angela Newman33 said:I get that... I just don't want to end up looking like a total jerk.😢

They're going to screw you over anyway, so why worry about being the bad guy?
At the end of the day, business is business. Everyone involved is looking out for their own interests, including you. 🙂

Angela Newman33 said:What really drove me crazy was when a contract that was already settled (under my firm's name and mine—I had actually already started working on it) was handed off to some other guy just because he apparently felt like a 50% cut wasn't enough money.

And now I’m stuck facing all sorts of taxes for a job I won't see a single cent from.

Gle, if someone pulled a stunt like that on me, I wouldn't just stop doing business with them forever; I wouldn't even grab a coffee with them. I'd honestly rather go hungry than let someone walk all over me like that.

Is he actually a co-owner of the company? If he is, you need to deal with him immediately. 🙂
Generally speaking, a standard commission is somewhere between 10% and 30% gross of the total deal value, and that’s only once the client has actually PAID. Anything beyond those numbers is pure fantasy; he can dream about that all he wants. Personally, I usually pay around 10-20% gross for referrals, and even then, I only cut the check after the job is finished and the funds have cleared. I'm talking about IT services and software development, so the business structure is pretty much identical to yours. All of his overhead—taxes, gas, coffee, social security, whatever—is his responsibility and should be baked into that percentage. It's all included in that gross figure. And honestly, I don't bother with any kind of retainer or recurring fee; that just doesn't make sense to me. Even when I hand off a project to someone else because I either lack the specific expertise or just don't have the bandwidth, I still only take a 10% cut. As for how I pay, I strictly use direct deposits via a 1099 contract, or I pay their LLC/business directly upon receipt of an invoice. Occasionally, if they're a student, I might use a student work arrangement, but that's about it.

It’s been a long road 😁
Honestly, I'm struggling quite a bit. My child has everything they need 😢

Honestly, it's still a bit too early for me to be thinking about gold. If we were talking about a company, sure, that would be a solid investment, but right now? Not quite my speed.
A watch? That’s actually not a bad idea. Maybe a nice Swatch's would work out okay. Thanks.
A housing fund? I don't think she really needs 😁

Does anyone have any actual ideas for what we should be giving kids for their First Communion these days? I’m looking for gift suggestions for a 10-year-old princess celebrating her First Communion. Honestly, I'm feeling pretty stuck. She already has way too many toys, she'll probably get plenty of clothes from the rest of the family, and she's already set when it comes to big stuff—bikes, rollerblades, a swing set, a tent, a computer, a tablet, a TV... you name it, she's got it. I'm completely out of ideas here. 😢

Since you live and work outside the US, you have the legal right to open a bank account wherever you choose. You might want to look into this here:

Offshore Bank account

You might want to check with Bank of America; they offer Mastercard options if you provide a security deposit. For instance, if you put down $1,500 as collateral, you could get a card with a $1,500 limit. That deposit stays in your account permanently while you just use the card to pay your bills as they come in. Basically, you aren't actually spending your own deposit; you’re paying your expenses like any other customer, and the deposit just acts as a safety net. It's essentially like giving yourself a line of credit, though you'll still be on the hook for interest and monthly fees 😁 Wells Fargo has something similar, but their ratio of deposit to credit limit isn't nearly as favorable. Of course, there’s no guarantee they’ll approve your application just because you offered a deposit. It might be worth a shot, though.

You’ll find it in every single drugstore aisle stocked with honey products. It's in every health food store and local pharmacy you come across. And if you're looking for the real deal—pure, straight from the source—you'll find it at every single bee farm out in the countryside.