glomag

Is the purpose of these subsidies to maintain oil and gas infrastructure so that the military can also use it?

If the infrastructure is necessary for defense but not necessary for civilian use then it sounds like it should be paid for via tax, be maintained by the government, and counted as defense spending.

This would increase the military’s fuel cost (to the true cost) and higher gas prices brought about by ending the subsidies would incentivize lower carbon transportation methods for civilians.

Yes a mortgage is an investment (which can make a profit or loss just like other investments) but it is also an obligation. With a mortgage losing your job could potentially leave you homeless. That is not what I consider “financially free”. If you have a lot of cash up front you could potentially put it into higher yielding investments and make a profit on the difference between yield and mortgage rate at the end of 30 years but that takes some amount of luck and skill with investing. Especially now that mortgage rate are 7%. If you don’t have all the cash up front then taking out a 30yr 7% loan for 300k will mean you’re paying over 700k for the house with interest included.

Personally, to be “financially free” I would need enough investment income to cover all my expenses without making any sales/withdraws. Ideally this would include owning my home outright. So probably in the neighborhood of one million. I doubt I will ever get there.

As someone who lives in Florida I’ve got to ask, how? When thinking about finances and investments I often feel like I’m in my own bubble and I don’t understand other peoples’ situations, motivations, etc. So I’m genuinely curious. 4-bedroom houses near Orlando can be found in the mid 300s. With your income you should be able to pay in cash after saving for just one or two years (depending on how much savings you’re starting out with). Even if you wanted something more expensive, are mortgages that difficult to get approved even for someone with such a high income?

Exactly, cube rule is inconsistent and needlessly complicated. Both are salads