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PaperclipPerfector  3mo ago (text post)   2205 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for March 1, 2026

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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One thing about the car purchase is that this doesn't have to be a bad investment. If you buy a new BMW 530i yes that's setting money on fire. If you get a 5 year old sedan, you'll only be paying a little in depreciation.

Same with housing in Baltimore. At a 3 year time horizon the appreciation+principal will probably equal the transaction costs, with a lot of utility.

Remainder in vanilla brokerage and growing for when you do want to do something real.

Congratulations on the windfall

Well it's more like a 1 year time horizon. I'm getting my PhD at the latest in May 2027. I will know better what my job plans are more firm in the fall, so planning on waiting until then, although a car would probably be huge.

Thank you!

A used, reliable sedan will give you more than enough utility to compensate for depreciation over ~1yr.

I'll look into it! Thanks!

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