Miscellaneous

Lazy.  That's what you call someone that posts one tidbit every quarter.  Hello, I am lazy, nice to meet you.

And this post isn't so much a work of art or a spew of vitriol... It's more of an update.

The home front

I mentioned here and here we were trying to build a house.  And while the schedule has been oh-so-lax and not-quite-met... I believe it is actually about to begin.  There's a plan.  There's a builder.  There's a rough outline drawn on the ground with my truck parked in the "garage."  Now, building a house is probably not all that unique, so I probably won't be leaving updates here every 3 hours (unless there is something particularly interesting to post).  For friends/family/stalkers I'll try to keep a running set of photos on Picasa.  Other disinterested parties may silently ignore that.

I would, for the record, like to point out the builder selection process:

• Builder 1 - hired to draw plans and bid on the house.  Copied/pasted plans from a web site.  Fired.
• Builder 2 - Seems.   Like.  A.  Nice.  And.  Honest.  Guy.  That.  Talks.  A.  Little.  Slow.  For the record, I'd like to mention that 2 out of 4 times I have been to his office, I had car trouble bad enough that I had to be towed home.  No, this was not the same car.  Jinx?
• Builder 3 - Seemslikeareallyniceguythattalksreallyfastanddrinkstoomuchcoffee.  We actually went a few rounds with him, telling him how we wanted to do some of our own work and he mysteriously just decided (weeks into this) to stop returning our phone calls.  Nutjob?  Or stringing us along?  Who cares.  Fired.
• Builder 4 - The most highly recommended builder by the girl that eventually drew our plans (not by the copy-paste method).  "He would build my house," she said.  Then we talked to several subcontractors that slowly shook their heads no.  "He doesn't pay his bills and you cannot ever get him on the phone."  Fired.
• Builder 5 - A slick used car salesman that deals in 2x4's and plywood.  I was ready to leave the office about the time I shook his hand.  Fired.

From the above, you can probably deduce we went with Builder 2.  If you're still wondering about the possible jinx, I'd also mention his office caught on fire about a week before we signed with him.

The Chambers

Ellie May has had the idea for several years that she wanted a shiny new (old) Chambers range in her kitchen.  We even drew the plans with the odd sized hole in the cabinets for it.  We've been watching Ebay/Craigslist for over a year, bid on a few and never found the right one at the right price.  And then they fell out of the sky.  Last week we found 2 of them for the price of 1.  Neither is pristine by any means, but they're both mostly complete and I feel certain I can build one working stove out of the 2.  I'll also have a spot on Picasa for the restoration of these guys... and possibly have some blog entries here as there do seem to be a crazy bunch of rabid fans (Ellie included).

Suggestions for naming the ranges are now being taken.

Quitting the quitting

Even as a quitter I am a quitter.

I officially accepted an offer today. Don't ask me who with -- I just sort of like to keep names and, you know, facts, out of my rantacious musings. Things are much easier when you deal with loose conjecture, rambling, lampoonery and much less subpoenable items. If your curiosity is killing you, look me up in linkedin under less pseudonymous nomenclature. Obviously my geeky interview skills are at least semi passable... or I was the only applicant -- a possibility that is extremely plausible given the narrow scope of my experience and the job description.

I must say it is seriously weird to think of returning to work after almost 3 years of vacation. I know Ellie doesn't necessarily view it as vacation, but I certainly did. I fully expect to think back of the days living in a toolshed as "good times." But life has been on hold for a while -- no significant investment, no house, limited entertainment and toys, hillbilly bifocals... It will be nice to get back on the road to retirement (though my supercool cacti retirement graphs have come really close at times to hitting the target.)

That probably means fewer rants here... and maybe, just maybe -- more entries on house building.

And a big "thanks" to those of you that may have given references -- whether they called you or not. I'll assume they did and you and you alone were the sole reason I got the job. How's that?

from the mailbag...

Interesting... I just got an official memo. I have been approved for mowing.

Subject: Please open immediately. Urgent material inside. (bulk postage)

Dear Farm Boy,

The Flower Czar has determined that as of May 20, 2009, the following areas may be mowed:

* The entire cleared "homestead" area, including up the hill towards the uphill neighbor, around the grapes/bonusberries and around the butterfly garden.

* The front woods, both sides of the driveway. The Flower Czar can help you pick out things not to be mowed.

* The meadow, down to the bee tree, avoiding the Indian paintbrushes and the planted flowers (there are t-posts).

* A small area immediately around the pecans, to keep them visible and to keep them from competing for water.

Areas *not* ready to mow:

* The power line right-of-way is just beginning to bloom. Please wait until the black-eyed susans have finished blooming before mowing, possibly right before July 4.

* In the meadow, from the bee tree to the back of the property, there are some wildflowers (coreopsis/black-eyed susans) about to bloom. You should be able to mow this area at the same time as the right-of-way.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,
Flower Czar

Semi apology

Ellie May has chastised me for not documenting my home made corned beef. My feelings were that it just wasn't that interesting. I wasn't sure it belonged in the Spork Hall of Cured Meats.

But I will assure you: it was awesome. If nothing else, next time the urge hits you, do not, I repeat: do not go buy one of those sad cryovac pre-packaged thingies. No, just do it your damn self. Sure, it takes 5 days, but there is almost no effort involved whatsoever.

If you really need documentation, just think pastrami... then simmer it instead of smoking it.

Calling all wieners

Ellie Mae has started an attempt at a timewaster blog -- you know, the kind that businesses hate because their employees just have to check Cute Overload one more time before they get back to work. There isn't much content there... and the hope is that the dregs of society (i.e. "the internet") will supply the majority of the content.

So if you have a wienerdog, know a wienerdog, or even love a wienerdog... check out Long Little Doggy. And if you would like to see your favorite wienerdog's face become famous by being on teh interwebs... well send it in.

snappy title here

Odd coincidence. My uncle had just emailed me a photo of the fauna he found on his property. (Note copyright violation: this photo was totally used without permission.) Ellie Mae id'ed it as a garden spider. I explained to Uncle Joe how I had an affinity for spiders... they eat all the awful bugs that I personally don't care for. Nieces and other assorted femalia often are off put by my tendency to save them. In fact, Ellie Mae calls me Jesus of Spiderus. I'll walk in the room and see a tupperware container turned upside down on the floor. That's the international symbol for "if you don't put this thing outside I am going to squish it."
Years of spider salvation. And last night they pay homage to me and return the favor, trapping my arch enemy and leaving it wriggling half alive like a good kitty leaving a headless rat on the back porch. Note that this is precisely where my feet are when I wash dishes.

Ellie makes fun of me

Okay, chicks can move right along. Don't bother looking. The reason here is that the sex appeal included below may be too much for you. Honest. I am warning you.

So Ellie makes fun of me. For lots of reasons really. But I just wanted to share 2 of them.

First off, she doesn't think much of my bubba bifocals. I don't know why. They work just fine.

Secondly, (and she is really to blame for this) for my snorific chinstrap. See, I snore something awful. And its starting to bother not just her but (gasp) me. I would wake up in the morning so dull and lifeless (and yes, more dull and lifeless than usual) that it would take an hour to really come to consciousness. And yes, I am fully aware this is really hard on me. I started looking into a do-it-yourself CPAP. Do you know you have to have a freaking prescription to buy a CPAP? Now I could make my own with an air compressor and a bit of bubba engineering. And that might actually be dangerous. I mean if the pressure was 140 PSI, I might bust a lung. But I cannot imagine why a CPAP needs a prescription and hence a hugely expensive sleep study. I mean, we're easily talking 4 or 5 grand here.

There is also a little bit of evidence to suggest that serum cholesterol is actually affected by apnea. (No, not bacon, apnea. That's my theory and I like it a lot so shut up.)

So I went with a chin strap. And yes, more than just looking sexy... it actually seems to work somewhat.

I warned you it was sexy.

normally I wouldnt say anything

...but since Ellie Mae posted her scores, I thought I pretty much have to post mine. I am one serious catch girls... then and now.

83 As a 1930s husband, I am Very Superior Take the test!

Some things from the 30s are better left unchanged. Bring me a martini, would you dear?

Most. Expensive. Oil change. Ever.

Time for the first bit of maintenance on the tractor and ... holy mother of Bob! $232 for an oil change. Jumpin Jehosifat! Now I have to buy Ellie Mae 50 something more rose bushes.

Ellie Mae says I cannot talk for more than 5 minutes without turning the subject to tractors. This is, in my mind, an improvement, as she used to complain that I couldnt talk more than 5 minutes without saying something completely and utterly inappropriate. At least now, instead of offending people, I am boring them. She might argue that I was boring them before -- in the 4:59 before the inappropriate comment.

Speaking of tractors: I guess this was my mid-life crisis Corvette. It is a lot cheaper -- though a bit slower. But it is a little more immune to turning to tiny bits of fiberglass on the slightest touch by a station wagon.

I had a near tractor emergency over the weekend. I looked down to see gas ¹ pouring out of the fuel filter. That cannot be good. It was a good 15 minutes after the parts store closed on Saturday, meaning no tractorification until Monday. How would I survive? After short bursts of panic and swearing, I started to take it apart. I clamped off all the fuel lines to keep air out of them and pulled off the entire fuel filter assembly. Once off, it appared as if the bowl was just cross threaded on the mounting bracket. I dont know if this happened at the factory or if I whacked it with a big stick cleaning up the "big ugly" out back. Anyway, a re-tightening and a bleed of the fuel system and I was back on the road.... errr I mean back off the road.

Footnote for very picky pilots:

¹ By "gas" I mean "fuel". I dont mean gasoline. Gasoline in a diesel engine would probably cause it to asplode. I also do not mean the gaseous state of matter -- it was definitely a liquid. I also do not mean "it was really funny" because -- it wasnt. I do not mean to imply that it was trying to poison me either, nor that it was flatulent. It was definitely diesel fuel and that is all I mean to imply.

First Waffles in 50 years

Some people do odd things. I always need some sort of project, even if it is a stupid one. I take projects and sit on them... sometimes for years. The latest was a 1950-something waffle iron that Ellie Mae bought off of Ebay. The problem here is

Lots of modern appliances are crap. They are coated with teflon for non-stick. The 2 problems with teflon are (1) it works just fine under normal conditions, but it turns toxic at high heat and (2) it scratches and doesnt last for more than a couple of years before you have to throw it out. Well I dont know about you, but we actually use our appliances and/or pots and pans to cook with. And cooking normally involves heat. Since heat turns teflon toxic, WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE. EVERYBODY PANIC. RUN FOR THE HILLS.

The conspiracy here is that someone (probably the same Russians that are trying to kill us with a weather machine) is trying to kill us with teflon.... or they are just trying to sell us cheap crap that has to be replaced every 2 years. I am not sure which.

So anyway, what is all the hubub about non-stick? Grandma didnt have it and stuff didnt stick in her pan. Oh yeah, she had cast iron or cast aluminum -- which had a nice seasoning on it.

So we set out to find a no-no-stick pan (or a "stick pan"). They are really hard to find (outside of cast iron skillets). So Ellie bought this POS waffle iron from 1950 off of Ebay. It sat in a box for a year and a half, and last week I finally got it in my head to make it work. I got a bunch of high-heat wire and re-wired it (trying to breathe as much asbestos as I could for later lawsuits).

I snapped a nice picture of Ellie Mae making waffles for the first time in 50 years, but she didnt like it. So I will have to show this picture that is NOT of Ellie Mae cooking waffles.

She can claim that 2 times is a coincidence, but now the count is up to three. Apparently she put this one in my pants, then they got into the laundry by mistake.

Twice. Two times in six days. Today I felt the tiny hairs on the back of my neck prickle as something tickled my chin. I looked down only to see Ellie had planted a second scorpion on me. The first was large, black and crunchy. This one was tiny and light colored. I can only assume it has a more deadly sting than the first -- though I was able to smash it before it got me.

I think Ellie Mae is trying to kill me. Now, before you tune out, listen to this:

First off, for years she has been making me eat really good food. I am convinced this is purely an attempt to create hardening of the arteries and to weaken my heart.

And yesterday, sensing my heart was in a weakened state, I am pretty sure she put a stinging scorpion in my shorts. This is an obvious attempt to have it sting my naughty bits, cause a heart attack -- and the entire Stump Farm would be hers.

Fortunately for me, it missed my naughty bits and stung my inner thigh. And when I went to her to get a little sympathy, all I got was "You shouldnt leave your clothes on the floor." If that isnt an admission of guilt, I do not know what is.

Is that a 15 foot Palm tree made from bridge iron?

This takes some back story. Dateline Thanksgiving 2006. Like any good story, this one starts with a little alcohol. Our birdfeeders had been robbed the night before (and, quite frankly, every night before). A family of raccoons would empty them every single night. Ellie Mae took a rum punch to the family Thanksgiving dinner. I believe it is called "Red Rooster." Well, she gets to yacking about the racoons and starts yacking to her brother in law. Bro-In-Law is a talented welder, quite artistic and, to be honest, a smartass with a very dry sense of humor. It starts with "you should make me a birdfeeder stand that is racoon proof". Next it goes to "no, it should hold FOUR birdfeeders." And as we were by my sister-in-law's pool, staring at her pool decor of neon palm trees, the Red Rooster says (via Ellie Mae) "You should make us a life sized neon palm tree racoon proof bird feeder holder."

Six months later, an unexpected truck pulls into the yard pulling a trailer. On the trailer is a MASSIVE bird feeder stand. It came in a massive crate. It is at least 15 feet high and has palm fronds cut from junker car sheet metal parts. It is the most massive, sturdiest, heaviest and coolest bird feeder stand I have ever seen in my life. I guarantee this thing weighs near a thousand pounds. (Everyone in Ellie Mae's family builds things well beyond hurricane strength.)

We struggled with it for a couple of hours. After dropping it once and a couple of tacks with the welder, here it stands. It is still braced while the cement cures.

Ah, spring

Spring. It is my favorite time of year. And, even though I am married, I do find that this time of year my mind wonders. I try to remain focused and give Ellie Mae the appropriate amount of attention, but I am a man. This time of year my eyes tend to wonder to... well... you know...

Yes, tractors. Of course, as an unemployed (unemployable?) semi-retiree, it is really hard to justify the cost of a tractor, though I am still trying really hard.

What if... I started mowing pastures and bought it as a business expense?

What if... I joined the circus and used it to scoop elephant poo?

Pretirement

Several times I have heard folks gasp (or scoff) in wonderment of how in the world could I afford to quit. Well, if you really want to know, here's your lesson.

Lets start with a few definitions of what I am talking about:

• pretirement - a period BEFORE retirement where you take time to pursue other interests. This may imply you still work -- and probably at a lower income.
• retirement - a decision to stop "work" entirely. Like pretirement, this doesn't mean you are not doing something productive. It means you are not getting a traditional paycheck.
• financial independence (aka FI) - a level of net worth that allows you to decide whether or not you WANT to work. This is determined by both your net worth and your expenses. In other words, maintaining a 5000 square foot house and an always new car may take a net worth of 5 million... while living on the cheap might be maintainable with MUCH MUCH less.

First off, I really haven't quit forever. If nothing else, I plan to work at least enough to be able to put the maximum dollar amount in a Roth IRA. My understanding of the tax laws are that you cannot deposit more than you earn. So, you cannot totally quit if you want to keep building your Roth. But I am getting ahead of myself... This is what I did... I am sure it isnt the only road. I am also pretty damn sure that other folks are on the wrong road(s). I digress.

PICK A GOOD PARTNER

This has to be the absolute most important thing for me. When it comes down to it, marriage is nothing but a legal business partnership. Granted you may be sleeping with the boss (or one of you is) but from a legal standpoint, it is important not to over romantasize or over religiousize. (Hey, look, I made up a new word.) If you want to pretire or be financially independent, you had better pick someone that also has that goal. The opposite of financial independence is to be in debt. If you compromise between the two, that just means you have zero equity and you live paycheck to paycheck. You have got to be on the same page if this is your goal. If you have a bad business partner, your business wont be profitable. If you have a bad spouse/boyfriend/girlfriend, you wont reach independence. Financial dependence means more than debt, too. It points towards all sorts of self esteem issues. If you notice someone is bad with money, that is probably a big warning sign in other parts of their life too.

LIVE BELOW YOUR MEANS

This is just simple math. If you want to be FI, you have to spend less than you earn. Its like going on a diet: calories in has to be less than calories out. There is no quick plan or easy way to do it. My savings rate varied month to month. And there are always unexpected expenses (like foundation repair!) I cannot stress enough that spending (or not spending) is more important than your income level. It is not how much you make, but how much you keep. My savings rate was pretty consistently 50% or more.... sometimes peaking as high as 80%... and yes, sometimes it bottomed at zero. And yes, I tracked this -- even graphed it automagically. More on that later.

AVOID DEBT

This sort of follows with living below your means, but some folks dont get it. What I mean here is: if you do not have the cash, do not buy it. Do not put it on a credit card and expect to pay for it later.

More than that, this means do not go to the BMW dealership (or Ford for that matter) and buy a big expensive car that will take you 7 years to pay off. If you cannot buy a BMW outright, then it just isnt the right time for you to have one. This means you have to buy a car you can afford, even if it is a 10 year old Ford.

If there is something you want/need (that BMW, for example) then start paying for it BEFORE you buy it. Pay that $500 a month to yourself into a savings account (or money market or CD or T-bill or ...). When you have the cash, buy it outright.

This may be a little harder with a house, so it is probable you will have to get a loan for that. But -- quite honestly -- it is in the realm of possibility to buy a house the exact same way as that BMW: save up and write a check. The belief that you can buy it now and pay later -- and that it wont catch up with you -- has got to be one of the biggest irrational mistakes Americans make. It is pervasive from the bottom consumer all the way up to the Federal government. Just look some day at how much GWB has run up the national debt. And when taxes go up in the future to pay for it, that will of course be someone else's fault!

REQUIRED FUNDS

By "required funds," what I mean is: what different accounts you will need. Basically, this means: you have to start really looking at what you are saving and where that savings is going.

• first and foremost, you need an emergency fund. This is what keeps you from having to put those unexpected large charges on your credit card. This is also an insurance fund that lets you live if you lose your source of income. This should be in some sort of liquid asset: like a savings account, money market, rotating CDs, etc. In my opinion, you need a year's worth of expenses.
• secondly, you need retirement savings. Lots of it. If your company matches 401k (or 403b), then put every penny there up to the match point. Do not get suckered in to putting the max percentage here (unless you are going nuttier than I did on savings.) There are better places to put your money. Remember, you are putting pre-tax dollars into a 401k and you WILL BE TAXED at whatever the going rate is when you take it out. If you look at how the government is currently writing checks it cannot cash, you can assume that the tax rate will go up.
• Roth IRA. Max out this puppy. If you are married, then max out 2 of them. This is the greatest tax scheme you will ever find. You WILL NOT BE TAXED on the principle or the interest when you start withdrawing. Given the previous assumption of a rising tax rate, this is the best deal going.
• HSA. These are really new and so far, the pickings are slim. But if you were to get you a very high deductible health insurance policy that is HSA compatible, you can contribute to an HSA. This sounds like it will one day be as good a tax scheme as the Roth IRA. You can roll unspent funds forward and eventually use this as a retirement account. And if you plan on pretiring, you are going to need health insurance anyway.
• Pretirement fund. Lets face it: you cannot really take anything out of any of the above funds without serious tax implications. What this means is that if you want to pretire (or early retire) you are going to have to have a big sack of cash that you can get to before you turn 65. Way before you turn 65. So you have to save a big chunk. I might suggest mutual funds. Find a low cost online broker and start investing in no load funds. Index funds are the dummy's friend. The price is computed off an index. Instead of being managed by a highly paid manager, it is managed by a low paid computer.

OWN A HOUSE

By "own" I do not mean "go through a realtor and buy a house." I mean: OWN a house. Get a house you can afford, negotiate the absolute shortest length of a mortgage you can find with a fixed interest rate and pay it off.

If you need a 30 year mortgage to afford it, you cannot afford to buy it. If you need an 80-20 loan, you cannot afford it. If you need an interest only loan, you cannot afford it. That doesn't mean dont buy a house. That means dont buy THAT house.

Imagine for a moment how much you are paying in monthly mortgage payments and imagine that money going straight into a retirement or pretirement fund. Imagine the interest payments that YOU pay the bank being reversed and that the BANK pays YOU. At $1000 (or $2000 or $3000) a month, you could save a LOT of money. Fast.

Now, I cannot tell you how many folks will argue that you want a big payment so that you get an income tax deduction. That has to be the dumbest argument ever made. That is like saying you will give me a dollar to buy 3 shiny quarters. Paying a lot to save a little doesn't make sense. True, if you legally have deductions, you should do what you can to maximize them... but spending money in one place for the sheer purpose of saving (and saving less than you spent!) does not make mathematical sense.

NEVER RENT WHAT YOU CAN BUY. NEVER BUY WHAT YOU CAN RENT.

What I mean here is: if there is something you are going to use -- really use -- dont rent it. I do not care if the car salesman tells you it makes sense to lease a car. It doesn't. Oh sure, he can show you how your monthly cost is lower. Whoopie. But look at the cost of ownership. Isnt that really what matters? Furthermore, as I mentioned above, if you have to finance a car then you cannot afford it. I know that flies in the face of 99% of all Americans. I know they always finance. But a car is a constantly depreciating asset. Outside of a few highly collectible cars (which does NOT include Triumphs) you will never make money on a car unless you are a car salesman.

This means: buy what you can afford to buy outright. If you cannot afford to buy a car, this means you are going to have to buy a real clunker. Then make "payments" to yourself. That car fund will pay for repairs to your clunker and will eventually pay for a real car -- once you have saved up enough to buy one. And once you buy one, drive it until the wheels fall off. (If it is a Triumph, you are allowed to drive it PAST the point where the wheels fall off.) Do not tell me that it costs too much to repair a clunker. It costs less than a car payment.

And to never buy what you can rent... For me, the big draw here is tools. I collect tools the way chicks collect shoes. I have the urge to buy big tools to get a particular job done. I finally had to make myself a rule: If you are going to rent it 3 times, buy it. Otherwise, rent it. This, of course, applies to the midsize tools. Larger tools will have a longer payback.

LISTEN TO ADVICE, BUT CHOOSE YOUR ADVISERS CAREFULLY.

This boils down to "emulate success" -- but with a corollary: evaluate your criteria for success very very carefully. Driving a Beamer and living in a beautiful house may look successful. But if the balance sheet has a net value of zero (or negative) it is NOT successful. My first real lightbulb moment with this was reading The Millionaire Next Door where the author does statistical analysis of real millionaires. They are NOT Donald Trump. They are every day working stiffs. They do NOT drive Beamers. The statistical majority (by a huge margin) drove 10 year old Ford Pickups. Seriously.

Ellie Mae got me to read Millionaire. And she also got me listening to a variety of radio/TV talk shows. Each of them has something to offer and most have a common theme. They are all common sense people.

• Suze Orman - She is a harsh mistress. I like her "tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear" style. She is a little too worried about "whats my FICO score," but if you can ignore that part, she is pretty good to listen to. Really: If you are financially independant, who cares what your FICO score is? FICO is just a measure of whether someone wants to loan you money. Wouldnt it be better if you didnt NEED to borrow money? Her show is on CNBC on Saturday night.
• Dave Ramsey - Dave's main thing is debt and how to get rid of it. He is also very into personal responsibility for one's actions. He is a little too tied up in religiosity for my taste, but if you can ignore that (or latch onto it if that is your thing) he has very sound advice. Dave has a radio show (times vary by market) and you can also listen to it online.
• Michelle Singletary - Her advice is based on growing up with a common sense grandmother. She was poor, yet never had financial problems. Her bills were always paid and she always had food and shelter. Michelle has since become quite financially successful, all based on the advice of her grandmother. She writes a syndicated column and also has a TV show.
• Clark Howard - The ultimate cheapskate. Mostly he is a consumer advocate and a proponent of how to do things cheaply. He has a radio show, which can also be heard online.

DO IT YOURSELF

Okay, it isnt always cheaper, but it usually is. It doesn't matter if the project you are going to tackle is something you know how to do or not. You really CAN learn as you go. You will make mistakes. Sometimes costly ones. But you will learn. And the next project will be easier and will have less learning overhead. And most of all: I get more pleasure from looking at a project that I did myself that is merely 'adequate' than I would from looking at a project someone else did that was masterfully crafted.

TRACK YOUR PROGRESS

On this point, I have become obsessed. I have been obsessed for well over a year. We used to sit down and figure out our progress every couple of months. Ellie Mae would put a dot on a bit of graph paper and we would watch ourselves slowly eek up (usually) towards our FI goal. Then I thought: hey, we are using an open source program to handle our finances (GnuCash) -- I wonder if I could parse the file. I started parsing the gnucash file and spitting out "digested" data. From that, I started automatically generating graphs. And I mean all kinds of graphs: Asset v. Liability, Asset Types, predictive graphs, etc. Last I counted there were probably 50 or 60 different financial graphs. Now this obsessive-compulsive type of tracking is probably not necessary. But it was what really pulled me into the finances. It was no longer just something Ellie Mae handled well... it was something I was really a part of.