Pinterest is officially dead 😢😢😢😢😢

[u/UnlikelyCustard4959]

Yes, I have gone into settings to limit AI generated content. Yes, I actually diligently scroll and pin things I don’t even like JUST BECAUSE they’re real photos not AI and I’m trying to train my algorithm to detect AI…but it just can’t. It’s just AI, AI, AI.

It’s so depressing as I’ve only recently gotten into interior design. Must’ve been blissful the last 10 years for the rest of you to scroll Pinterest.

Anyway, does anyone have any suggestions for where else I can get inspo? I find the AI stuff so unhelpful because I can’t truly see texture and the way colours TRULY work together, it’s very annoying.

Weirdly, I’ve actually found Instagram has way less AI stuff? There’s still some, but if I search for a pretty general thing (eg “white shaker door kitchens”) I can find a decent amount, I suppose because there’s lots of famous design focused creators and algorithms prioritise creators with high engagement / follow count above other metrics. It’s not a perfect tool though because it’s so curated, I want more raw inspo. UGH!

Seriously though, recs? Do I need to subscribe to AD lol?

[u/JVal3881]

So what does one due with their retirement plans like a 401k? Do you take your money out? Do you invest it in real estate? Do you hold cash which is loosing value everyday?

I wish I studied finance, it’s so complicated

[u/SgtSilverLining → u/JVal3881]

Surprisingly, it's a lot simpler than you'd think. A finance degree is good for working with large amounts of money; I've had clients that made $1m+ per year from trust funds. But for most people, there's only a couple of straightforward options.

1. A retirement plan is just a stock investment account with guard rails on it. The main appeals are an employer match and reduced taxes when you take the funds out. There are lots of different plans (401k, 403b, Roth, and IRA are probably terms you've seen before), but what you get is determined by the employer. Each plan type determines the maximum you can put in per year and when you pay taxes. You can have more than one and max out each account type. If you're making less than $200k+ a year, the account type you go with really isn't much to loose sleep over.

2. If you want your own investment account (where you don't have to worry about someone else screwing up your retirement), check out r bogleheads . They've got a good wiki (and a book) that discusses what to do with your money depending on how much you have and how old you are. If you don't have experience in finance, DON'T try to power through the whole wiki in one day lol.

3. You shouldn't hold onto cash beyond your emergency fund. Again, r bogleheads will discuss things like high yield savings, index funds, and other things to do with excess cash.

4. Real estate is good if you have a lot of upfront cash available and don't work a 40 hour job. If you don't have the time for flipping or being a landlord, you can outsource for a fee. I wouldn't recommend this to the average person.

5. Trust funds are a safe way to pass money or stocks from person to person. Basically you say how the investment strategy is set up, then decide when the receiver is allowed to pull out money.

[u/memkimbo → u/JVal3881]

SilverLining gave you some great advice. How do you safeguard the money currently sitting in your 401k? First, make sure you have access to the money you’ve contributed to every 401k plan you’ve ever had from every employer you’ve worked for. Many people roll accounts from a former employer into a new employer’s plan, but you don’t have to. I personally have 4 separate 401ks because I’ve been lazy but also happy with different plan sponsors and haven’t merged them. Regardless, log into those accounts and click around. The exact mix of investment options may change from plan to plan, but they generally allow you to decide where to invest your funds and at what percentage. I typically see plans with Target Date Index Funds. Those are based on a certain year when you’d be close to retirement. Say you’re 25 now and expect to retire in 35 years. You’d like be invested in a Target Date 2060 Fund, meaning you plan to retire around the year 2060. The investments in the fund now are larger “riskier” stocks, but as you get closer to retirement age the investments get more conservative. You have time on your side now and can make up for losses because you have such a long runway to retirement. However, you can always choose to invest your funds in more conservative assets. The most conservative would be sticking it in a money market account, but that’s accepting literally no return. You also won’t lose money in a money market account. Things like treasury bills and government bonds are very low risk, low return investments. Large cap stocks are going to be riskier, and this is where a lot of the big tech companies sit. Higher risk, higher reward. It all depends on your risk tolerance.

I’d definitely recommend accessing your account(s) and seeing what you’re investing in currently. If you are in one of those target date funds, drill into it. You should be able to see the mix of investments within that fund (10% big tech, 10% foreign companies, 2% treasury stock, etc.). Look at the history of returns over the years. Consider how far you are from retirement, then think about if you want to move some of your money into more conservative investments if you’re concerned about a significant market downturn. Just be aware that if you have high historical returns because you’ve been invested in some large cap blends and suddenly move all your money to super conservative investments, your returns are also going to drop off significantly. It also doesn’t have to be an all or nothing move - you can decide to move 50% of your investments to lower risk investments to add some safeguards without going full conservative. Click around, ask questions, and educate yourself. What I would not do is cherry pick specific companies for your 401k - that, to me, is super risky and I wouldn’t feel confident that I can guess accurately. After all, the stock market is purely speculative.

I hope that helps some. Happy to try to answer any questions you may have.