Hello good people of Watts Island. I’m back to talk a little about Shanann’s friends and do something akin to ‘Who were they and where are they now?”
The idea behind this post came from “Beyond the Headlines: The Watts Family Tragedy” that I recently watched on YouTube. I have much to say about these interviews and the narrative that was and is forced on the public regarding Shanann and her relationship with Chris.
So, let’s get into it.
The Watts Family Tragedy Includes Never-Before-Seen Footage Beyond The Headlines Special LMN
Maybe some of you have seen this before and maybe some have not, me included. I came across this just a few nights ago and I feel there are some things that could be addressed. A “set the record straight” if you will. I figured that we would use this opportunity to talk about these women who call Shanann their “friend”, their connection to her and what has happened in their lives since this crime made them semi-famous.
Most of you know that I have researched this crime relentlessly. I have learned a lot about the people involved. I also became very familiar with the business of MLM’s and the dichotomy that exists in the friendships that develop within them. It’s all very, very interesting. After reading all of this, go back and rewatch the above video once again. It has a performance vibe to it. Shanann’s gruesome demise brought fame and glory to Thrive and its promoters and many of them still use their connection to her to bring in sales. We will get into that later.
The main characters to discuss in this video are:
Cristina Meacham, Cassandra Rosenberg, Cindy Derossett, and CBI Agent Tammy Lee. We will touch on Mr Rourke and Mr. Wrenn but this is about the women and their connection to Shanann. There is also a news reporter featured in the show but she is a paid talking head, so not of interest to me. She is merely the messenger of the narrative. She did not actually construct it. However, she had a big part in pushing it out into the world.
On with the show…
I want to start with Cristina Meacham. Before I give you my thoughts on her interview, I want to say that the loss of her husband, Deloye (DJ) is a tragedy and I feel for her and her daughter.
DJ was a retired US military serviceman. He was a certified diving instructor and owned his own recreational diving company in Hawaii called Deco Divers. On October 13, 2023, just two days after Cristina returned from Puerto Rico where she had attended the funeral of her grandmother, DJ passed away from complications that occurred while he was diving in shallow water. He suffered from some sort of emergency while in the water and died as a result. He was 53.
The Meacham’s appeared to have had a good marriage if you believe what’s on social media. But we all know that things aren’t always what they seem. That’s neither here nor there. Cristina and Nickole Atkinson have always seemed the most genuine of Shanann’s “friend group” (their words not mine.) Cristina struck me as honest. Yes, she is a hunbot. Yes, she does participate in an MLM. But she doesn’t sell the fake lifestyle like Shanann did. At least, not as aggressively.
I think the two women were close. Talking on the phone everyday. Brainstorming on how to coax more suckers into promoting Thrive. But Cristina’s livelihood didn’t hinge on building a bigger downline. Shanann had quit her job and Chris’ paycheck didn’t begin to cover their basic expenses.
Back in 2015, while Shanann was still working and making decent pay, money was extremely tight. The house payment alone absorbed over half of his monthly salary. After utilities, car insurance, minimum credit card payments, Shanann’s shopping habits, clothing and food, the Watts were well into the red. Shanann juggled the bills each month in order to try and keep them afloat. But it didn’t work and in June of that same year, the Watts filed for bankruptcy protection.
By Chris’ account, he was floored by the need to file bankruptcy. Shanann had complete control over their finances. She insisted and Chris wasn’t one to tell her ‘no.’ She chose to marry him, in part, because of that little fact. Chris was easily pushed around by his wife. He was conflict avoidant by nature. Combine that and his fear of Shanann’s italian temper and you have a recipe for financial disaster.
By the time summer of 2018 had rolled around their money problems were significantly worse. Shanann no longer worked that decent paying job. The girls were now enrolled full time at Primrose to the tune of $500 per week. Still, Shanann would pump hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars a month into promoting Thrive. This meant that the house payment would go unpaid for months at a time and/or only partial payments were made. The HOA had filed suit against the Watts for unpaid dues that stretched back more than a year.
Shanann knew that things had gotten to the breaking point where money was concerned. She used deceptive tactics to draw friends and family into the Thrive pyramid scheme. Maybe this is why Cristina Meacham always appeared genuine to me. Her sales pitch didn’t have the desperation behind it like Shanann’s. I suspect that the majority of the women promoting Thrive were in the same predicament as Shanann. Trying to keep a roof over their families heads is hard when your fake lifestyle soaks up all of the money. They continue to throw money at the Thrive monster in order to keep up appearances in hopes that some poor schmuck will fall for the same tired sales pitch and go all in on promoting the product. Downlines on downlines on downlines. It’s impossible for someone like Shanann to make this MLM business structure lucrative. It’s not going to happen. Most huns see it fairly quickly and this is why most of these “sales consultants” LOL actually throw in the towel in the first 6 months. The super hunbots with delusions of grandeur sacrifice everything they and their partner have built in pursuit of the life they “deserve” despite it being completely unrealistic. These women build teams of lovebombing stepford wives, all of which are hell bent on clawing their way to the top of the pyramid.
With this dynamic at play in all MLM’s it’s hard to know if the relationships between hunbots are legitimate or if they are a product of the MLM. Cristina may have been “close” to Shanann but in the MLM game that doesn’t necessarily equate to genuine friendship.
Let’s keep it real. Cristina was in the front row of the Shanann Show more than once. The first week and half of August 2018 had Cristina in the trenches. Shanann texted her literally day and night spouting hateful accusations at Ronnie and Cindy Watts. Followed by prolonged rants on why Chris didn’t want to touch her or talk to her. Cristina could surely see why Chris may have been upset with his wife. Anyone with any semblance of normalcy could read those text messages and see that Shanann was not a supportive or caring wife. She wanted her husband to choose her side in a battle she orchestrated against his family. A highly disordered personality has to be the culprit.
Cristina is used in the voiceover during the intro of the show. She speaks in a strange tone that I hadn’t heard from her before. I have watched an embarrassing amount of this woman’s social media content and believe me when I say that this voice is new.
Cristina has a lot to say about who Shanann was and while I don’t believe that their friendship was anything rock solid, I do think that Cristina knew Shanann better than anyone else outside of her husband and family.
Cristina was starting to get a picture of the real Shanann, though. The text exchanges between Shanann and Cristina during July and August 2018, were eye opening to me. I have read and reread some of those messages and found myself shaking my head in disbelief. Shanann was not a nice person. Cristina has had years to mull over the details. She didn’t seem comfortable with the way Shanann was treating her husband and in-laws. Her responses to Shanann’s vitriol are interesting. They suggest to me that after spending eight weeks at Saratoga Trail and watching Shanann in her element, Cristina was seeing things for what they were. Shanann wanted to be in control. If her wants and needs weren’t met, there was going to be a problem. She was a bully and a…bitch honestly. Cristina resorted to the obligatory head nodding after her initial attempts to encourage Shanann to be calm and level-headed failed miserably.
While Cristina and Koral were in Colorado in late summeearly fall of 2017. Shanann was in the throes of Thrive and most of us know what that entailed.
Shanann had quit her job at the hospital to Thrive full time. The girls were dropped off at daycare at approximately 7 am each weekday morning, where they stayed for nine plus hours. Chris was sent to retrieve them after his twelve hour shift ended at Anadarko. He brought them home where he was tasked with bathing, feeding, brushing teeth, administering meds, and reading bedtime stories, before putting them to bed by 6:30 pm. Shanann would often make Chris perform live for her Facebook friends in addition to his nightly dad duties. Giving piggyback rides on camera. Dutifully obeying his wife's demands to do pushups and squats with screaming children clutching his neck and head. All of this is punctuated by being the punchline to all of Shanann’s not-so-funny, mean jokes. The laundry was always waiting patiently for his attention after the girls were put to bed. Sometimes even the dishes were on his list of things to do before he was allowed to rest after his long day.
Cristina knows all of this. She was right in the thick of the action, so to speak. Not only was she a witness to this unequaled dynamic but she also utilized Shanann’s beast of burden herself on many occasions, as he was also a great babysitter. Cristina trusted Chris, once upon a time. Trusted him so much that she would leave her toddler in his care while she and Shanann took a weekend trip to Las Vegas. She also left Koral with Chris several nights per week. Shanann and Cristina went to dinners, movies, bars, etc while Chris stayed at home with both of his toddlers and Cristina’s as well. He didn’t even have access to a vehicle during these times. What kind of man would put up with that kind of treatment? A nice man. A genuinely nice man. That’s who Chris was and Cristina Meacham knows it.
Her knowledge of what their marriage was really like behind the doors on Saratoga Trail is the reason why Cristina doesn’t shed one real tear in the above video. Look closely. No tears. Her voice lifts and squeaks as though it is full of confusion and emotion but there’s no there, there. Performative.
Cristina knows that Chris was an excellent father and husband until that day in August. She also knows that Shanann pushed and pushed and pushed. It was her way or no way at all.
They use a few of Shanann’s text messages as proof of her broken heart after Chris began to pull away but what they don’t show is the manipulation and abuse that filled the other 99% of her texts during that same time period. The way that Shanann spoke about her husband and his family in text messages she sent to Cristina Meacham during the summer of 2018 shows the real, down and dirty deal. It is more than obvious from Cristina’s replies to those messages that she knew Shanann was full of hatred and malice toward Chris’ parents and sister. Hell, not even his young niece and nephew were safe from Shanann’s vitriol. It’s not as if Cristina hadn’t been privy to that side of Shanann. She had seen it firsthand. This is why Cristina cries with dry eyes.
Don’t get me wrong. I believe that Cristina is affected by the loss of someone who was a big part of her life in the final two years leading up to the murders. But what you can’t convince me of is that Cristina truly believes that Shanann was the living, breathing angel that she is portrayed to have been.
If there is anyone outside of Shanann and Chris' respective families who saw who Shanann really was, it’s Cristina Meacham.
Cristina ruminates on the atrocities that Chris committed that August morning. Strangely though, she leaves the girls out of their own murder. It’s quite obvious that the point of this whole thing is to shove that same old narrative down our throats. That Shanann was an angel and Chris is the devil. They pushed this on the public from the day that Chris was arrested. There was no investigation. No defense team to pull the skeletons out of the closet and dust them off for the world to see. No friends or family of Chris were given a platform to tell their truth. Nope. It was and still is the “Shanann Show.” Propagated by the Weld county DA’s office, the Rzucek family and the powers that be at LeVel.
Cristina’s description of Shanann is a caricature. Maybe this is why the tears just aren’t there. She calls Shanann a good person and a good wife to Chris. Would a good wife insist that her husband cut all ties with his parents for the 2nd time in six years? Do good people use Facebook as a weapon against their in-laws? Does a good wife heap all of the childcare and chores on her husband every evening after he worked a 12 hour shift? While she sat at home and spent money that they simply did not have? These are just small examples of the shit that Shanann put Chris through. We won’t even talk about how she separated Chris from his family and friends through manipulation and deceit. She made sure that he had no life outside of the house on Saratoga Trail. Even his position at Anadarko was for Shanann’s benefit. His work as a mechanic just didn’t fit into her vision for him. How can she call Shanann a good person when she was well aware that Shanann used her children as leverage against the people that loved them? It’s honestly disgusting.
If Cristina was such a close friend of Shanann’s, why didn’t she speak up and tell her that the way she treated her husband was wrong? Cristina had the chance to bring some truth and clarity to the situation while Shanann and Chris were still in North Carolina? The way that Shanann insulted and degraded her husband and his family was shameful. Cristina never once spoke up to bring Shanann back down to earth. That’s not a real friend.
Let’s talk about Cassie Rosenberg. Oh, Cassie, Cassie, Cassie. Shanann’s champion and “best friend.” Cassie is one of those people that were made for MLM’s and the like. Opportunistic but likable and empathetic. She dove into Thrive, head first. Just like Shanann. She was fresh off of a foreclosure and feeling low when Thrive rescued her and her husband, Josh from a life of boredom and laziness.
Shanann and Cassie met around November of 2017. Cassie lived in Arizona with her husband Josh and their three children. Stair step in ages. Two girls and one boy if I remember right. Not really sure as the Rosenberg children didn’t get the screen time that Bella and Celeste were forced to endure. Then again, Cassie had an actual career. She is an RN and therefore worked during the day instead of sitting at home and playing on her phone.
Cassie and Shanann instantly clicked during their initial meeting. Cassie had been part of Shanann’s invisible audience by way of her involvement in Thrive. Cassie was drawn to Shanann’s Thrive celebrity so to speak. Cassie was new to LeVel when the murders occurred.
Then there’s Cindy Derossett. She is another Thriver. She also lives in Arizona. Cindy is a LeVel millionaire recipient who owns a small boutique in Queen Creek, AZ. She has been with LeVel for 10 years.
So, here we have three of Shanann’s fellow Thrivers speaking about her character, pushing out the agreed upon narrative to the public. There are so many things wrong with this and it’s difficult to pick a place to start.
Why were these women chosen for this program? I understand that Cristina Meacham was probably the closest thing Shanann had to a real friend. Even though their friendship was transactional, Cristina knew Shanann for fourteen years. Even if you didn’t count the twelve years that they didn’t see one another, Cristina was still Shanann’s oldest friend. Yes, that’s correct. While Shanann had hoards of acquaintances that she would eventually pester to join the Thrive experience, she had no close friends before she joined LeVel.
Back to the question of why these particular women were chosen to represent who Shanann was in life…I believe they were the only people who would or could give the public what it wanted; a tragic main character that propagated sympathy.
Cassie wonders whether we ever really “know” someone else. She questions how Chris could commit such a horrible act without showing any signs of what was to come.
Of course it’s possible to truly “know” others. However, Cassie barely knew Chris. It hadn’t even been a full year since she had initially met Shanann face to face. Trips they took with LeVel were their only physical interactions with one another until the Rosenbergs popped up in Colorado during that holiday weekend in 2018. Of course Cassie didn’t know Chris and truthfully she barely knew Shanann.
Cindy began her “friendship” with Shanann on Facebook. Cindy was a Thriver from way back and she was introduced to Shanann by Addy Maloney.
Cindy, who calls herself a “spiritual coach” and motivational speaker, is an accomplished lovebomber. If you didn’t know better you would think that Cindy Derossett had been an integral part of the lives of Shanann and the girls. She had never actually met either of Shanann’s daughters. Cindy would see Chris on the LeVel trips but that was the extent of her relationship with him. She barely knew this family and yet, here she is on television speaking about them as though she were some kind of authority on who they were.
Both Cassie and Cindy agree that everyone that met Shanann couldn’t help but be her friend. If that were true then why was it that Shanann had no friends to speak of before joining Thrive? Sure, Shanann knew a lot of people and she would often refer to them as “friends” but in reality Shanann couldn’t maintain anything deeper than a surface level connection. Interpersonal relationships couldn’t be sustained.
She was engaging and fun on the surface but that would change as the relationship progressed. There were no friends outside of Thrive. Even the women she met before she started Thrive were eventually used to expand her downline.
While reading the text messages between Shanann and her circle, it’s obvious that each of these relationships were centered around Shanann. It was her problems that were discussed. It was her accomplishments that were celebrated. Every conversation was dictated by whatever it was that Shanann had going on in her life. Shanann surrounded herself with empathetic people in order to exploit them. Like Chris.

Cassie and Cindy are asked to describe Bella and Cece. I, myself, who have never met those children, would have done better. Their answers are full of platitudes that have been repeated over and over for the last five years. Neither of them say anything heartfelt about the girls. 

This is because Cindy had never met either Bella or Celeste. She saw via Shanann’s facebook posts but she had never actually been in the same room with them.
Cassie had only met the Watts girls once. This was in May of 2018 when the Rosenbergs traveled to Colorado for a local that Shanann was hosting. The family of 5 spent the Memorial Day weekend with the Watts on Saratoga Trail.
Both girls spent 9 hours a day, five days a week at daycare. They were in bed by 6:30 every evening.
On the weekends, Chris kept the kids out of Shanann’s hair so she could “run with her amazing team.”
So when exactly did Cassie and Cindy spend enough time with Bella and Cece that would constitute them being asked to speak about them post mortem??
At first I didn’t get it. It took a moment or two for me to catch on to why these people were invited to tell their story. People that didn’t really know them.
Then it clicked. This entire production was about Shanann.
This show aired for the first time in 2020. Just about the time that this case was generating renewed interest for different reasons.
Two years had passed since the murders occurred. Plenty of time to read and reread the discovery. Shanann’s facebook videos were compiled on YouTube channels and sent out to the morbidly curious. Like myself. Two years it took for people to begin to question the narrative. Was Shanann an innocent victim in this crime? Was she a good wife and mother who was married to a monster?
Or, was there something else to see here?
These women were brought into this case by way of their MLM connection to Shanann but they have remained as main characters to push the narrative. They have told us that Shanann was everything right in the world and Chris killed her because he was a cheating, lying piece of shit.
While some of you may believe all of that to be true, there are those of us who dug deeper into the lives of the Watts family leading up to the murders and what we have found flipped the case upside down. It’s the reason that this case remains in the front row of the true crime cases that we can’t let go.
The has-it-all image Shanann presented on social media was a dissimilation. Behind closed doors she had created an environment filled with intense levels of stress for her family.
Chris and the girls lived in constant apprehension. Creating a perfect picture for the outside world had become a responsibility for this family and anyone that threatened it would be discounted. Shanann’s selfishness caused uncertainty, insecurity, depression and probably fear.
Cristina, Cassie and Cindy talk as though they had spent considerable time with them when in fact they had not.
Truthfully, they barely knew Shanann. The amazing mom and wife that they were acquainted with was a veneer and the lifestyle that she showed off on social media was a sham. Nothing but a simulation of the life she dreamed of having.
Pay attention to what it is that they are saying and not saying about Shanann. Their characterization of her is anecdotal. The entire vibe is disingenuous and insipid.
Cristina insists that Shanann was a go-getter and was determined to create the best life for her family. But is that really true? Is that what she was attempting to achieve? Or was she hung up on material things? People who spend their families into financial ruin aren’t caring for them properly. Sliding into a second bankruptcy and a foreclosure on their home so that she could keep up the traveling, wealthy, suburban mom facade isn’t what I would call “trying to create the best life for her family.” Her vision board was a testament to her mindset. Yachts, beach houses, the list goes on and on. Someone with this kind of juvenile thinking isn’t what I would call a “go-getter.”
Cindy claims Shanann taught her girls how to love. Again, how would Cindy know this to be true? Teaching them to love? By fostering a golden child/scapegoat dynamic between them? By encouraging them to throw their food at their dad when they were displeased or impatient? How about when she screamed at their Mimi that they would never step foot in their grandparents home again?
Was it love she was teaching them when she dressed them up in lovely clothes every year to sit on Santa’s lap and find entertainment in their terror and distrust?
But most importantly of all…was she teaching them to love when she subjected them to her own sadistic form of Babywise from the minute they were born? Leaving them alone in their cribs to cry-it-out?
Cindy says when Shanann posted videos to Facebook, it was their “joy” to watch. It was likely they were required to watch by their MLM leaders.
Cassie calls Shanann “captivating” but all I saw was the exploitation of her children.
The reporter even dodges the facts by claiming that Shanann’s “main job” was as a consultant for a nutritional supplement company. There’s no way that this educated woman doesn’t know that Shanann was participating in an MLM. A pyramid scheme does not equate to a “main job.” Mostly because that “main job” doesn’t actually pay you for your work.
We will continue my reaction to Beyond the Headlines: The Watts Family Tragedy, later this week. I have a lot to say.
Thanks for reading.
Del
Pt2 https://www.reddit.comDel_Boca_Vista_4eva/s/keBnGlmySn
Pt3 https://www.reddit.comDel_Boca_Vista_4eva/s/WMm7qWetaY

Just watching my toxic ex, let's call her M, get karma from a distance was so sweet, and I feel pretty petty about enjoying it so much, even though I wasn't involved getting even. I'm sure if I could document all the ways she made my life a living hell here you'd agree, but I can at least give you some of the highlights.
I met M through mutual friends in a remote Australian city in the early 1990s. Not only was it remote, but we were part of a small counter culture group, so everyone kinda knew everyone else. The mutual friends were my housemates and we started dating when she was coming around to visit them after breaking up with her fiancé. Let's call him Brian.
Brian was living off an inheritance and didn't work. He spent his time on playing RPG's with friends (including me) and vanity projects like DJing and being the front man for his band. The story she told is that they argued a lot, and he wouldn't pay for anything while she was studying for a science degree. So M was working as an office cleaner after hours. She claimed Brian kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable he might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping Brian buy and furnish a house.
It didn't take long before we hit it off as she was always visiting my housemates. She couldn't move back with her parents as there was bad history there. They were both very strict Christians, both going on to become ministers, and viewed her interest in the counter culture we were both involved in as satanic and evil. She claimed they kicked her out when she was still 16/17, or made living together so uncomfortable they might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by as they lied about the reasons she left home.
So began our relationship in the mid 1990s. We bought a house together, got married and spent about 15 years making each other miserable. Hindsight is 20/20, and believe me that I can see all the red flags now that I missed at the time. M was a classic narcissist, using verbal abuse to undermine my confidence and gaslighting me and distancing me from my friends and family. I'll give some examples, feel free to skip them as needed:
-As Brian was popular in our group of friends she convinced me they all were taking his side. He claimed they were not broken up and were reconciling when we started dating, and she was the one that moved out unexpectedly. After M and I broke up I found out this was not the case at all. Our group was small and many people went on to date their friends ex's
-She emotionally blackmailed me into asking her MOH to be my best man ahead of my two brothers as she continually accused my family of disproving her and trying to break us up

• Her deciding after destroying her own career we'd try a 2 year trial of living in her country of birth, near her extended family by the way. On the opposite side of the Earth from all mine. She came home one day from work declaring she'd quit her job and bought her ticket, and if I loved her I'd hurry up and quit mine and get my visa. Which I did, but not quickly enough for her, so she moved without me, claiming it was my way of "getting rid of her" until I finally got my 2 year visa and joined her. Once we were there she didn't want to return and I had to get a permanent spouse visa
  
• Criticising everything I did, whether it was DIY, cleaning, housework, my cooking, etc. even the way I breathed!
  
• Alternating between accusing me of cheating ( I know now that's a red flag for cheaters) or of being gay, as she said she got more attention from the guys she worked with than I gave her.
  
• Her forgetting our 10 year wedding anniversary, and somehow blaming me for it as I didn't make a big enough deal about it.
  
• Spending so much on designer clothes, skin care and stuff we couldn't afford that I had to give up my hobbies and sell off most of my hobby collections.
  
• Accusing all of my close friends of being jealous of us and either insulting her or trying to make a move on her
  

I'm not claiming I was perfect, and I've certainly learnt a lot through therapy if how I contributed to some of our problems, but M would never accept she had any fault. She'd always guilt trip me into getting her way, and if I ever tried to discuss our marital problems or bring up anything she'd done that was hurtful, she'd immediately go on the attack and bring up something from the past, real or imagined. I just shut down. Her constant ribbing that "a real man" would be able to support his wife meant I threw myself into my work which also was criticised for "putting my work before her".
Soon I was in a trap where I had to work hard to earn bonuses just to stay on top of our massive credit card debt from her overspending. I'm sure she was just treating me worse and worse to trigger me, so that I would break up with her. But I'd always viewed marriage as forever, and something you should work on to maintain. Despite our problems I stayed faithful, and never suspected she would be unfaithful or be less commited than me to try and make our marriage work.
In the end I realised there were two M's. The public M that everyone else saw, and the private M that would disparage everything I did or said in public after the fact, and twist it into yet another way I was disrespecting her. It took me way to long to realise the M I loved, the public M, was just a mask.
Eventually I started to assert myself. She refused marriage counselling as our problems were all my fault do my responsibility, and when I insisted in 2011 my mother and brither visit, some 10 years since we moved countries and a good 7 years since I'd seen them on a visit home for my brother's wedding, she asked for a separation. What a great 40th birthday present! And the torture continued with constant mind games right up till our divorce. Despite her being the one wanting the separation, and many times declaring our marriage over, she still acted as the victim when it was I that sued for divorce.
I initiated divorce after one of her stupid mind games 3 months into our separation caused huge drama at a friend's wedding. We were separated but still living under the same roof at that time, but it was the event that finally made mylecrealise just how delusional and attention seeking she had become. I was the main breadwinner as I'd kept my professional career going, but she'd jumped from career to career and had fallen in with an alternative healing crowd and set up a business as an "energy healer" that barely broke even, if that. So she refused to move out as it would "lower her living standards", and as I covered all our living costs, she could not, or would not take them over so I could move out.
Side note: Her interest in increasingly weird and unfounded alternative healing scams had been one of the major argument topics we had towards the end. I could accept accupuncture, or reiki as pretty well established eastern healing techniques. This one she'd jumped into was the type of thing with a guru or leader, who is the only one that can teach, or connect you to the healing energies ( fit a few of course), that never guarantees a cure as it's a "holistic" healing modality, but claims many unverifiable stories of cures, ranging from stiff joints to cancer. You had to be connected by this guru to be listed on his website as one of his healers, which is what M did to set up her healing business.
Anyway, 3 months after I started the divorce she'd run off to Spain. I found out from mutual friends she claimed I kicked her out, or made living together so uncomfortable I might as well have, leaving her destitute and barely scraping by, after helping set up the house we had in the UK. (Is it just me or is this story eerily familiar?). It had to be Spain you see as it was cheap to live there and I'd left her unable to afford living in the UK.
I later found out she'd run off to live with one of her new alternative healing friends, but I didn't find out till after the divorce was finalised, almost a year later. I suspect she was trying to hide it out of some misguided motion it would affect the divorce settlement, but one of our Australian friends let it slip that they'd visited her and stayed with her and her new boyfriend during our separation after the divorce was final.
The UK divorce laws could have seen her getting more than 50% of our assets, and spousal support, due to the disparity in incomes. So I pushed to settle out of court, and we did, very favourably for her. I was on the verge of bankruptcy. There were some assets she wanted to contest, against legal advice: land I inherited jointly with my brother's long before we started dating, and share options from the comany I worked for that would mature in years, but only if I stayed at the company, effectively worthless.
My lawyer advised me to try and settle out of court even though she had no claim on these assets as going to court to fight it would be expensive. So I remortgaged the flat we'd bought striping out as much equity as I could to give her a cash settlement, signed over my pensions, paid off her credit cards but even then, that wasn't enough. So I agreed to installment payments for 2 years. She refused the term spousal support in the agreement as she claimed "she didn't want any support from me", but I suspect the real reason is that maintenance is terminated if the receiving party gets remarried or enters a civil partnership. It's also probably why she blocked me on all social media, and was hiding her new relationship.
And this is where karma starts kicking in. During our separation I had met the most wonderful girl. If not for one of her mind games, this Angel would never have crossed paths with me and entered my life. We fell madly in love and now have been married for coming onto 10 years. My wife has shown me what a true marriage should be. I can't think of any better revenge than ending up in a truly happy relationship after all that M put me through.
But the karma kept on coming. Remember those share options that were effectively worthless, well within weeks of agreeing the finances of our divorce a venture capitalist announced a takeover ofy employer, delisting them and crystallising those options and giving my a much needed cash injection. But even without that, no longer having to keep up with my ex's excessive spending on designer clothes, skin care and accessories meant I could easily afford for my now wife to be a stay at home housekeeper.
But the real kicker for me, and why I feel just a bit petty, was finding out about six years after our divorce and after running off with a boy from this energy healing cult, she died alone but for her esteanged parents in 2018 after battling breast cancer. I wouldn't wish cancer on anyone, but in this case, after all the arguments about opening my mind to accept alternative healing without question, I feel poetic justice was served!

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Synopsis:
Juliette Contzen is a lazy, good-for-nothing princess. Overshadowed by her siblings, she's left with little to do but nap, read … and occasionally cut the falling raindrops with her sword. Spotted one day by an astonished adventurer, he insists on grading Juliette's swordsmanship, then promptly has a mental breakdown at the result.
Soon after, Juliette is given the news that her kingdom is on the brink of bankruptcy. At threat of being married off, the lazy princess vows to do whatever it takes to maintain her current lifestyle, and taking matters into her own hands, escapes in the middle of the night in order to restore her kingdom's finances.
Tags: Comedy, Adventure, Action, Fantasy, Copious Ohohohohos.
Chapter 235: Honest Work
I blinked as colour returned to my eyes.
Corn.
I was surrounded by corn.
Everywhere I looked, I was threatened by a commoner’s breakfast, lunch and dinner growing to my waist. The yellow corn stuck out between broad leaves, eerily still to a breeze which didn’t exist.
Nothing did. Because this assuredly wasn’t real.
Gone was the tea table stacked with a house of cards in the midst of falling. Gone was a farmstead filled with peeling rooftops. Gone was a baroness smiling in quiet anticipation. Gone was the moon and all the stars.
Instead … there was a pale sky shorn of a sun, casting light from behind clouds I could not see.
I held out my hand, flicking the edge of a leaf. It didn’t toil from my touch. It merely turned into a swirl of faded green, twisting like oil upon liquid, before finding its shape once more.
I blinked again, hoping to see a new scene.
My wish went unanswered. And so I was given this. A fully grown field to take the place of the barren soil which had made up the baroness’s farmstead. But this wasn’t the past I’d entered. It was something else entirely.
Because beyond the fields of corn, there was only white.
A mist as solid as a chalk cliff. A white ocean engulfing an island of crops. Or the illusion of crops.
There was no life to it. No aroma. No soft soil beneath my boots. It was sterile and without detail. Like a distant memory on the fringes of being forgotten. There were no lesions in the leaves, nor caterpillars to cause them. There were no burrows in the soil, nor quailing badgers within as they waited for me to pass.
As I strolled a few steps without direction, no rustling was left in my wake. The crops failed to brush against my legs, instead melting like waxwork before once again pieced together. A field of homogenous green, speckled with hints of dim yellow.
The only exception was a blot of red in the distance.
A single barn, bright as an apple.
I took in a deep breath, tasting nothing of my countryside or what had replaced it.
Very well.
This was strange.
Not the kind of strange which troll merchants brought to the Royal Villa. But actually strange. The kind of strange I only experienced after sleeping beneath the creaking ceiling of a common inn one too many times, and suddenly the next dream was about a palace of floating candy floss and marshmallow knights while I was being serenaded by a choir of tap dancing ducks.
“Boo!~”
“Hiiieee?!?!?”
But no matter how strange my reality became, I could be comforted in the knowledge that I didn’t need to face it alone … just after I’d finished being exasperated as well.
“Coppelia! What have I told you about committing treason?!”
My semi-loyal handmaiden beamed, leaning this way and that as she sought the finest angle to be amused at my expense.
Still with her scythe at the ready, she held it against her shoulder.
Black clouds wriggled against its moonlit blade, ethereal and unexplainable. And yet I knew dark wisps held more substance than whatever unwanted place we’d now found ourselves in.
“Ahahaha~ sorry, sorry. I couldn’t resist.”
“You shall resist! The next time we find ourselves wandering a bizarre landscape, I expect you to immediately see to whatever impractical demands I have at the present!”
She giggled as her response. I generously took that as a yes.
“Neat, huh?” she said, mimicking my earlier action with a flick of a leaf. It collapsed into a swirl of green, before reforming once again. “Definitely don’t experience these very often. And I’ve been to all sorts of weird places. This is in the top five … no, top ten. It might go into the top five.”
“Depending on what, dare I ask?”
“Depending on if something tries to eat us or not.”
I groaned.
“Please no. To meet my end in a field of corn would be to die several times over. Even if my body perishes, my soul would continue to be tormented. Do you have any notion of where we are?”
“What if I told you we’ve been sucked into a shiny bauble, and now we’re stuck on top of a Yule tree?”
I gasped in horror.
That … That was awful! Baubles could hang anywhere … except the top! If I was to become a seasonal decoration, then I’d be the angel at the top! No exceptions!
“Please tell me you jest.”
“Ahaha~ I am, don’t worry … probably.”
“Probably?!”
“I mean, I wasn’t kidding when I said these aren’t experienced very often. Because I’ll be honest, I don’t really know what this is. Well, other than some super powerful spell. You heard it too, right? That guy went all big when he spoke. That’s automatically in the deep end of the forbidden magic pool, and no lifeguards are paid enough to go there. Whatever that guy was drinking, it must be amazing.”
I quietly groaned.
Come the 4th glass of wine, everyone thought they had what it took to exhibit ultimate power. But this drunkard went beyond that. Was this the effects of skipping the glass and going straight to the bottle? Did magical power suddenly accumulate through sheer drunken force of will?
… If so, no wonder the halls of adventurers were always so slovenly! They weren’t merely drinking themselves into an early grave! They were legitimately seeking the road to ultimate power!
“So the baroness managed to hire herself a drunkard whose abilities are apparently complemented by his state of inebriation.”
Coppelia nodded, her smile hardening.
“He must have been really drunk, then. Because that guy–is super strong.”
“Is he? I’m hardly experienced in assessing individual power, but he hardly struck me as noteworthy. Other than the strength of his kidneys, of course.”
“I mean, I thought the same. When I first saw him, he was just Random Human #250519E to me.”
“... Coppelia, please don’t tell me you assigned something like that for me too.”
“Oh, don’t worry. You were special from the start. You got Crazy Girl #2.”
My mouth fell open in horror.
“Who … Who is #1?!”
“I passed by this cultist in Lissoine. She was setting up a trout as a god. Made an altar with a fish bowl and everything. I almost joined for the introductory bonus. She was nice. But definitely bonkers. I still have the leaflet. Wanna take a look?”
Coppelia tapped the pouch by her waist.
I pursed my lips … and decided this stranger could keep the #1 spot.
“But yeah,” she continued, flicking another leaf for fun. “That was only at the start. The moment that guy began to do something other than drowning his sorrows, he stopped being Random Human #250519E and went straight into the bucket list of things to chop in half instead. I could feel the magic he was giving off. And let me tell you, it was super forbidden.”
I didn’t have the strength to look exasperated.
Of course it was forbidden. Why be a mage if not to regularly break all sense of magical taboo? It’s not like it was their kingdom they were throwing fields of corn at.
“Wonderful. A mage with his own aura of power. Because they’re always the most reasonable.”
“I mean, that’s the thing. I don’t think he’s actually a mage.”
“No? But he did the … finger point thing.”
“Mmh~ that’s important. But he was also using 0% real mana juice. Magic comes from blood. That’s why it’s easy to detect. It’s always swirling around. But I didn’t get that from him at all. When he started his spell, he was drawing his power from somewhere else. Somewhere which reeeeaally didn’t want to be touched. I thought we were going to explode.”
I was glad we didn’t. Not only because that’d look awful. But because every explosion avoided was a triumph against the odds.
The next victory would come when we left this … whatever this was.
I frowned as I turned in all directions.
Corn as far as the eyes could see. A truly inhospitable climate. I’d survive longer in a desert.
“Very well … are we in some kind of illusion, then? A magical maze like a minotaur’s labyrinth? Or have we been teleported somewhere else entirely?”
“Nah, illusions make your eyes go all swirly. And teleportation always comes with someone falling over if they’re not used to it. Did you fall over?”
“No.”
“There you go, then.” Coppelia looked around herself, before humming in thought. “If I had to guess, it’s probably closer to the shiny bauble theory.”
I shook my head, refusing to accept the possibility.
If I was ever absorbed into a bauble, it’d be one filled to the brim with strawberry shortcakes. Nothing else was capable of defeating my highly astute mind.
“This is far too dull for any bauble. But no matter. How do you suggest we exit?”
“Eh, I guess we can try the normal way.”
Without further ado, Coppelia hoisted up her scythe.
After all, if it wasn’t something she could kick, it was something she could cut in half. Usually.
“[Coppelia Throw]!”
With an inquisitive smile, she simply launched her scythe into the thick mist, shredding the tips of a field of corn as she went. A technique I fully expected her to teach my peasants as well.
It swept into the mist … and then vanished, failing to return.
I turned to Coppelia.
“Did you learn anything?”
“Yep. I definitely need my own sword of heroism.”
“Excuse me?”
“A sword of heroism. The ones we give to our official heroes are really good at stuff like this.”
“Being thrown into the distance?”
“Mmh~ but also cutting down unexplained magical barriers. It really annoys the bad guys who spend ages on them. Most of them don’t even bother anymore and just let the heroes walk in. Or if there are barriers, then they’re basically just for show. This one’s real, though.”
I nodded. Excellent news.
We weren’t in Ouzelia.
That was the worst case scenario averted.
“Very well, then … and will you go retrieve your scythe now?”
“Nah. It’s gone.”
I offered a look of grievance on her weapon’s behalf.
That scythe only came out when it was fashionable to do so. To be lost after being casually lobbed into nowhere was far too demeaning a way to go.
“Ahaha~ don’t worry. My scythe and I have a special understanding. Even if it’s lost in some mysterious outer plane with no exit, it’ll come back on its own.”
I gave a short sigh, then turned towards where the only source of irregularity existed.
A red barn in the distance, more ominous than any stock dark tower from a brochure. A place where a door could be found, one way or another.
“Then we’ll make your scythe’s journey easier. I refuse to be permanently trapped anywhere that’s not my bedroom. And not without also ensuring it was stocked with all the bestsellers only I apparently haven’t bribed couriers to fetch yet.”
My loyal handmaiden’s smile twitched.
Indeed, as an assistant librarian, she must know full well the pains of paying for couriers. I dared not consider how much she had to pay without the generous princess discount I received.
With little else for us here, we made our way towards the barn, strolling through bundles of crops as if wading through a puddle without weight.
As we walked, I became conscious of the lack of resistance beneath my steps. It was no floating palace of candy floss, but it was the closest thing. A waltz through the clouds.
And one I intended to bring crashing back down to the wondrous ground of my kingdom.
Eventually, the barn and all that was beside it neared. The details were clearer here. Splotches and blemishes in the red paintwork. Chips in the wood. A fracture in the wheel of a cart. Grass stubbornly clinging to a small patch of soil, even as it was being worked.
Shook. Shook. Shook.
Again and again, a pitchfork dug into the ground with practised movement.
And the one to hold it was a drunkard in a dirtied waistcoat and a tweed cap
Unbothered by his guests, he tended to his little stretch of dirt. A bead of sweat ran down his cheeks. And for a moment, I saw the drunken expression replaced with something close to a smile.
Suddenly, a feeling of unease gripped my heart.
A discomfort I was keenly familiar with. And one which only grew as he lifted his pitchfork from the soil, using it to instead scoop up a bundle of corn leaves in a single, elegant movement. He dumped them into the nearby cart, forming a tidy heap.
A single movement which spoke more about himself than any introduction could have.
And if that wasn’t enough–
There was his smile, almost as lazy as his drawl.
“Still satisfying,” he said, nodding towards the heap. “Glad the feeling never changes.”
I gasped, unable to recoil away fast enough.
Why, the way he tended to these crops with monotonous repetition … the way he spoke, his words slowed by more than the wine upon his breath …
This … This was no mere drunkard.
And this was certainly no mage.
No … this was an adversary more deadly than any I’d ever faced before. A foe known only to me in my deepest nightmares, spun by the bedtime stories told to all princesses.
This man … was a farmer.
Stopping in his work, he wiped his brows, then offered his pitchfork out to me.
“Want to have a go?”
I covered my mouth in horror.
Soil and corn fell from the dull prongs. A blotch of sweat covered the wooden shaft.
A moment later–
Coppelia held me as I collapsed.
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In mid-April, Bloomberg reported Red Lobster was considering filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. Some observers were quick to blame the financial woes on its decision last year to make its “Endless Shrimp” promotion, which used to be an occasional, limited-time offering, permanent. But the story about what’s gone wrong with Red Lobster is much more complicated. The brand has been plagued by various problems — waning customer interest, constant leadership turnover, and private equity’s meddling in the business. For the full story on Red Lobster’s downfall, and how it serves as a precautionary tale for businesses,

Hey y'all. I've also posted this in the other bipolar subs. I desperately need advice, ideas, perspective, anything. This is me proud begging for help.
BP2, with ADHD and severe CPTSD to boot. I take 100mg quetiapine right now, with 200mg lamotrigine, and just started topiramate (25mg for now, titrating up to 75mg, and I'll be doing it for the next month, a limited course of medication). I was a daily cannabis user, started in my early 30s, and since last summer, I've microdosed a few times a month to deal with trauma symptoms from my CPTSD.
I've been really struggling lately. Short backstory - my life fell apart shortly after getting my correct diagnosis and getting on the right meds in October of 2021. Lost my partner (he left me, too hard loving someone mentally ill), struggled with housing insecurity, finances ruined/filed bankruptcy, almost lost my job, the list goes on. By the beginning of 2023, I started making really good progress on getting stable, getting things like FMLA accommodations in place at my job, improving my medications, etc. Last summer, my ADHD meds began to really severely affect me and undermine my stability, so I went off them, and everything was continuing to slowly improve. Not great, but better.
Fast forward to the end of last October, and a woman t-boned me and totaled my car. For a variety of reasons, this totally spiraled me out. I had to go on leave for a week for both my physical and mental health, and I just haven't been able to recover since then. I kind of held it together until the holidays, and then just have been constantly breaking down. I don't have clinical depressive episodes anymore, just hypomania and mixed episodes. By the time the Big Dark hit in December (I live in Seattle), I was so exhausted I could barely hold it together. I didn't almost lose my job, but I was missing a ton of work. In January, my old prescriber wanted to put me back on my ADHD medications, and we tried it, twice, in February and March - both times I started to have intense manic symptoms with psychotic features, and that had never happened before, so I stopped again (I was on them for 9 years previously, with short breaks, and while they were not good for me towards the end, I had really terrifying symptoms I'd never had before). In March I was finally able to find an in-network therapist and started doing twice weekly therapy, and I was shortly thereafter able to start seeing an in-network psych nurse for my medication management. When we sprung forward with DST, I thought I'd start having mild hypomania because that's what normally happens, but instead I started having a severe mixed episode. That week I met with my old prescriber and we upped my quetiapine to 150mg; 2 weeks later, I started with my new prescriber. I've been on quetiapine at some dose for like 12 years, though I was on a sub-therapeutic dose (50mg) for most of that time, as I was misdiagnosed MDD. At 150mg, I was exhausted to the point of not being able to function. With my old prescriber, we had tried upping my lamotrigine to 125mg a few times, and every time, within two days, I became too irritable to function normally, so we always stopped. 5 weeks ago, with my new prescriber - who does specialize in bipolar, ADHD and CPTSD treatment - we upped my lamotrigine to 150mg and cut back my quetiapine to 100mg, in the hopes of stabilizing the mixed episode and getting my energy back; he also had me start cutting back on my weed with the goal of stopping entirely, reducing caffeine intake to no more than 200mg (two cups of coffee), and trying to reduce my nicotine intake (I am a trash person and vape those flavored pods; I started last summer). I made really good progress on all of this - sticking to the caffeine rules, dialing back weed use to two nights a week for the first week, then none for two weeks, stopping my allergy meds because they're a stimulant, trying to keep going to bed at a regular hour, all of that. On top of it, I've been able to actually be really productive and get things taken care of - filed taxes, making appointments for things I need to get done, dealing with car accident fallout that is still in the works, all that kind of stuff.
When we first upped my lamotrigine 5 weeks ago, I became super irritable and anxious overnight, which didn't surprise me. I thought I'd just push through it, but no dice. It got to the point that I've only been able to work on average 20 hours a week because if I'm forced to work in an environment with other people, I become so incredibly irritated I act out, sometimes violently (throwing things, shouting, that kind of thing, and I've never been a violent or angry person). I'm unable to socialize because I'm so irritable and angry. Like it's to the point that the only human I can see in person is my BF, and that's been hit or miss. My thoughts are racing constantly, my SI - which for my whole life has always been pretty bad because of the CPTSD - has become more or less constant, my ability to perform sexually with my BF disappeared overnight (though my sex drive is out of control, to the point of having intrusive thoughts), and I started having severe sleep disturbances. I've always had poor sleep, but it went from taking my meds and being in bed for 8 hours a night while for sleeping 6 hours, waking up once or twice, to being in bed for 8 hours, sleeping 3 to 4, and waking up once every hour to 90 minutes. My meds are also not knocking me out anymore - I take them around 10:30-11pm most nights and always have, and would be out by 11:30pm/midnight, but now, nothing. I'm up until 3am on a good night.
I also started to have what might be "maladaptive daydreaming." I write, and while I used to be a big reader, and like I watch a good deal of YouTube and regular television, I lost my ability to focus on any of it, and found that it started to make me angry, for no reason. It's almost like something about the screen itself makes me angry - it's to the point that I can't even watch pornography (which has always been an indulgence of mine to cope with the hypersexuality; it's never been a problem, it's just been a regular coping mechanism). What's worse, every day at some point, I find myself literally sitting and staring, just thinking obsessively about the stuff I need to write about (like worldbuilding in my head), without actually being able to do the writing, and sometimes I do this for multiple hours a day. When I get home sometimes, I just sit in my car staring for an hour silently thinking because I can't face my roommates without exploding. The only other things I seem to be able to do regularly are to go on reddit - sometimes obsessively, for hours, like it's a compulsion - or I read Wikipedia, semi-mindlessly. I stopped using what little social media I had last year because it was making me too sad, and when I've dipped my toe back into Twitter - sorry, X - for pornography a few times, I instantly become so angry and ragey - and I don't even know why - I have to stop.
On top of all this, I'm having incredible anxiety, over nothing. I've been dealing with long term anxiety for a while, but it's always been about concrete things. I'm behind on taxes, for example, and that's a legitimate source of anxiety, but I've always been able to manage that anxiety because I have concrete steps I can take to deal with the situation and so I can "mindfulness" my way through the anxiety caused by that situation. Now, it's been taken to a whole new level. I visited my mother two weekends ago and nearly had a panic attack while driving to see her (she lives down in Portland) because I was so nervous about sleeping somewhere aside from my own bed; I started having the kind of homesickness you have when you're a young child who is just learning how to have sleepovers away from your parents. While there, she butt-dialed me while I was driving to pick up dinner for us, and when she didn't respond while I was talking to her, and she didn't hang up the phone, I became utterly convinced she'd fallen or was choking and drove racing back to her, like at breakneck speed, in a total panic. Then I panicked because I didn't want her to see me panicking. I'm even having mild panic attacks at night before I take my meds because my meds have started to cause me to have a kind of unusual reaction where I suddenly feel like I'm in someone else's house, only it's like I'm in someone else's life and it is really, really unsettling. All of this has become unmanageable. It was bad enough that I scheduled an appointment a week early to check in with my prescriber.
We met this last Monday and talked everything through, and while he was impressed about me doing the caffeine and weed cutback, and sticking with my meds, he was concerned about all my symptoms flaring up so badly; he talked me off quitting weed cold turkey, and . However, he wanted increased my lamotrigine again to the 200mg I'm now on, and he also started me on topiramate, which I'll be on for a month. I started both of those on Monday night. I'm in the process of titrating up the topiramate - 25mg this week, 50mg next week, then two weeks at 75mg. Tuesday I actually felt mostly normal for the first time in weeks, though Monday I got very little sleep, and Tuesday night I got even less sleep. I took Wednesday off because I wanted to make sure I didn't have any weird side effects from the med change, and felt slightly less normal, and was unable to get to sleep at a normal hour or get more than about 4 hours of sleep. I made it to work yesterday and got through the day kind of okay, but my SI came back really severely during the day and started to get to me, and I started to get increasingly irritable. Last night, I made sure to take my meds early, eat a good dinner, and get in bed at a good hour. Evidently I got 8 hours of sleep.
Boy howdy, today was a bad day. I made it to work and got through one hour before I had a total meltdown and had to leave, and I don't anticipate I'll be able to leave tomorrow. There were a bunch of triggering things that happened this morning, and I went instantly to blood red rage - quietly screaming, throwing things, acting out at a coworker. I didn't get in trouble, and I'm not violating any sick time rules (plus I still have FMLA days for this month) but still, it was really bad, and it scared me.
I'm reaching the end of my rope. I literally cannot cope well enough to function day to day at this point. Like I'm sure I'm going to have to take another FMLA day tomorrow, but I can't afford to not work like this. I'm trying to get on a paid disability program that we have through the state but it's going to take a while for that to work. I want to start looking for a new job - I took my current job because I just needed some kind of work in order to survive - but I'm so unstable that I'm afraid to look for a job at another company because it would mean losing my intermittent FMLA arrangement with my current company, and without it, I'd get fired overnight. Now that I have this extra layer of rage in there - and I do recognize that it is being triggered by having to be around other people - I just don't know what to do. My doctor wants to see me again in about two more weeks to check in, and I really do want to try to stick it out, but I can't survive another week like this, let alone two. I think the topiramate was/is helping - I mean it felt like it for perhaps 2 days - and I'm only on the lowest dose, but I don't know if I can even hold out until getting up to the full dose.
Has anyone ever dealt with this before with these meds? Has anyone ever dealt with interpersonal problems like this before? How do you manage working when something like this is happening?
I don't even know if I'm dealing with a mixed episode now or hypomania or what - I have all the symptoms of both except for the "intense" melancholic features of a mixed episode, which did stop, (the incredible ruminative sadness), and I am not having any kind of euphoric or positive mood symptoms of hypomania, which have not materialized even a little. It feels like the only thing I want to do is to sit and stare into space silently. Any ideas or thoughts or anything that any of you have would be helpful, as my brain is kind of done churning out ideas to help me. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm at the end of my rope.

Hey y'all. I've also posted this in the other bipolar subs. I desperately need advice, ideas, perspective, anything. This is me proud begging for help.
BP2, with ADHD and severe CPTSD to boot. I take 100mg quetiapine right now, with 200mg lamotrigine, and just started topiramate (25mg for now, titrating up to 75mg, and I'll be doing it for the next month, a limited course of medication). I was a daily cannabis user, started in my early 30s, and since last summer, I've microdosed a few times a month to deal with trauma symptoms from my CPTSD.
I've been really struggling lately. Short backstory - my life fell apart shortly after getting my correct diagnosis and getting on the right meds in October of 2021. Lost my partner (he left me, too hard loving someone mentally ill), struggled with housing insecurity, finances ruined/filed bankruptcy, almost lost my job, the list goes on. By the beginning of 2023, I started making really good progress on getting stable, getting things like FMLA accommodations in place at my job, improving my medications, etc. Last summer, my ADHD meds began to really severely affect me and undermine my stability, so I went off them, and everything was continuing to slowly improve. Not great, but better.
Fast forward to the end of last October, and a woman t-boned me and totaled my car. For a variety of reasons, this totally spiraled me out. I had to go on leave for a week for both my physical and mental health, and I just haven't been able to recover since then. I kind of held it together until the holidays, and then just have been constantly breaking down. I don't have clinical depressive episodes anymore, just hypomania and mixed episodes. By the time the Big Dark hit in December (I live in Seattle), I was so exhausted I could barely hold it together. I didn't almost lose my job, but I was missing a ton of work. In January, my old prescriber wanted to put me back on my ADHD medications, and we tried it, twice, in February and March - both times I started to have intense manic symptoms with psychotic features, and that had never happened before, so I stopped again (I was on them for 9 years previously, with short breaks, and while they were not good for me towards the end, I had really terrifying symptoms I'd never had before). In March I was finally able to find an in-network therapist and started doing twice weekly therapy, and I was shortly thereafter able to start seeing an in-network psych nurse for my medication management. When we sprung forward with DST, I thought I'd start having mild hypomania because that's what normally happens, but instead I started having a severe mixed episode. That week I met with my old prescriber and we upped my quetiapine to 150mg; 2 weeks later, I started with my new prescriber. I've been on quetiapine at some dose for like 12 years, though I was on a sub-therapeutic dose (50mg) for most of that time, as I was misdiagnosed MDD. At 150mg, I was exhausted to the point of not being able to function. With my old prescriber, we had tried upping my lamotrigine to 125mg a few times, and every time, within two days, I became too irritable to function normally, so we always stopped. 5 weeks ago, with my new prescriber - who does specialize in bipolar, ADHD and CPTSD treatment - we upped my lamotrigine to 150mg and cut back my quetiapine to 100mg, in the hopes of stabilizing the mixed episode and getting my energy back; he also had me start cutting back on my weed with the goal of stopping entirely, reducing caffeine intake to no more than 200mg (two cups of coffee), and trying to reduce my nicotine intake (I am a trash person and vape those flavored pods; I started last summer). I made really good progress on all of this - sticking to the caffeine rules, dialing back weed use to two nights a week for the first week, then none for two weeks, stopping my allergy meds because they're a stimulant, trying to keep going to bed at a regular hour, all of that. On top of it, I've been able to actually be really productive and get things taken care of - filed taxes, making appointments for things I need to get done, dealing with car accident fallout that is still in the works, all that kind of stuff.
When we first upped my lamotrigine 5 weeks ago, I became super irritable and anxious overnight, which didn't surprise me. I thought I'd just push through it, but no dice. It got to the point that I've only been able to work on average 20 hours a week because if I'm forced to work in an environment with other people, I become so incredibly irritated I act out, sometimes violently (throwing things, shouting, that kind of thing, and I've never been a violent or angry person). I'm unable to socialize because I'm so irritable and angry. Like it's to the point that the only human I can see in person is my BF, and that's been hit or miss. My thoughts are racing constantly, my SI - which for my whole life has always been pretty bad because of the CPTSD - has become more or less constant, my ability to perform sexually with my BF disappeared overnight (though my sex drive is out of control, to the point of having intrusive thoughts), and I started having severe sleep disturbances. I've always had poor sleep, but it went from taking my meds and being in bed for 8 hours a night while for sleeping 6 hours, waking up once or twice, to being in bed for 8 hours, sleeping 3 to 4, and waking up once every hour to 90 minutes. My meds are also not knocking me out anymore - I take them around 10:30-11pm most nights and always have, and would be out by 11:30pm/midnight, but now, nothing. I'm up until 3am on a good night.
I also started to have what might be "maladaptive daydreaming." I write, and while I used to be a big reader, and like I watch a good deal of YouTube and regular television, I lost my ability to focus on any of it, and found that it started to make me angry, for no reason. It's almost like something about the screen itself makes me angry - it's to the point that I can't even watch pornography (which has always been an indulgence of mine to cope with the hypersexuality; it's never been a problem, it's just been a regular coping mechanism). What's worse, every day at some point, I find myself literally sitting and staring, just thinking obsessively about the stuff I need to write about (like worldbuilding in my head), without actually being able to do the writing, and sometimes I do this for multiple hours a day. When I get home sometimes, I just sit in my car staring for an hour silently thinking because I can't face my roommates without exploding. The only other things I seem to be able to do regularly are to go on reddit - sometimes obsessively, for hours, like it's a compulsion - or I read Wikipedia, semi-mindlessly. I stopped using what little social media I had last year because it was making me too sad, and when I've dipped my toe back into Twitter - sorry, X - for pornography a few times, I instantly become so angry and ragey - and I don't even know why - I have to stop.
On top of all this, I'm having incredible anxiety, over nothing. I've been dealing with long term anxiety for a while, but it's always been about concrete things. I'm behind on taxes, for example, and that's a legitimate source of anxiety, but I've always been able to manage that anxiety because I have concrete steps I can take to deal with the situation and so I can "mindfulness" my way through the anxiety caused by that situation. Now, it's been taken to a whole new level. I visited my mother two weekends ago and nearly had a panic attack while driving to see her (she lives down in Portland) because I was so nervous about sleeping somewhere aside from my own bed; I started having the kind of homesickness you have when you're a young child who is just learning how to have sleepovers away from your parents. While there, she butt-dialed me while I was driving to pick up dinner for us, and when she didn't respond while I was talking to her, and she didn't hang up the phone, I became utterly convinced she'd fallen or was choking and drove racing back to her, like at breakneck speed, in a total panic. Then I panicked because I didn't want her to see me panicking. I'm even having mild panic attacks at night before I take my meds because my meds have started to cause me to have a kind of unusual reaction where I suddenly feel like I'm in someone else's house, only it's like I'm in someone else's life and it is really, really unsettling. All of this has become unmanageable. It was bad enough that I scheduled an appointment a week early to check in with my prescriber.
We met this last Monday and talked everything through, and while he was impressed about me doing the caffeine and weed cutback, and sticking with my meds, he was concerned about all my symptoms flaring up so badly; he talked me off quitting weed cold turkey, and . However, he wanted increased my lamotrigine again to the 200mg I'm now on, and he also started me on topiramate, which I'll be on for a month. I started both of those on Monday night. I'm in the process of titrating up the topiramate - 25mg this week, 50mg next week, then two weeks at 75mg. Tuesday I actually felt mostly normal for the first time in weeks, though Monday I got very little sleep, and Tuesday night I got even less sleep. I took Wednesday off because I wanted to make sure I didn't have any weird side effects from the med change, and felt slightly less normal, and was unable to get to sleep at a normal hour or get more than about 4 hours of sleep. I made it to work yesterday and got through the day kind of okay, but my SI came back really severely during the day and started to get to me, and I started to get increasingly irritable. Last night, I made sure to take my meds early, eat a good dinner, and get in bed at a good hour. Evidently I got 8 hours of sleep.
Boy howdy, today was a bad day. I made it to work and got through one hour before I had a total meltdown and had to leave, and I don't anticipate I'll be able to leave tomorrow. There were a bunch of triggering things that happened this morning, and I went instantly to blood red rage - quietly screaming, throwing things, acting out at a coworker. I didn't get in trouble, and I'm not violating any sick time rules (plus I still have FMLA days for this month) but still, it was really bad, and it scared me.
I'm reaching the end of my rope. I literally cannot cope well enough to function day to day at this point. Like I'm sure I'm going to have to take another FMLA day tomorrow, but I can't afford to not work like this. I'm trying to get on a paid disability program that we have through the state but it's going to take a while for that to work. I want to start looking for a new job - I took my current job because I just needed some kind of work in order to survive - but I'm so unstable that I'm afraid to look for a job at another company because it would mean losing my intermittent FMLA arrangement with my current company, and without it, I'd get fired overnight. Now that I have this extra layer of rage in there - and I do recognize that it is being triggered by having to be around other people - I just don't know what to do. My doctor wants to see me again in about two more weeks to check in, and I really do want to try to stick it out, but I can't survive another week like this, let alone two. I think the topiramate was/is helping - I mean it felt like it for perhaps 2 days - and I'm only on the lowest dose, but I don't know if I can even hold out until getting up to the full dose.
Has anyone ever dealt with this before with these meds? Has anyone ever dealt with interpersonal problems like this before? How do you manage working when something like this is happening?
I don't even know if I'm dealing with a mixed episode now or hypomania or what - I have all the symptoms of both except for the "intense" melancholic features of a mixed episode, which did stop, (the incredible ruminative sadness), and I am not having any kind of euphoric or positive mood symptoms of hypomania, which have not materialized even a little. It feels like the only thing I want to do is to sit and stare into space silently. Any ideas or thoughts or anything that any of you have would be helpful, as my brain is kind of done churning out ideas to help me. Thank you for taking the time to read this. I'm at the end of my rope.

Happy Friday, Barkada --

The PSE lost 54 points to 6647 ▼0.8%

Shout-out to @kirito500m for the relevant HOME meme (a large filing cabinet labeled "EXCUSES"), to Jing for staying out of the STN madness, to ApCap for their FILRT optimism in the face of all the FILRT realism, to echAir for supporting my stance against bandless trading events, to Correct_Being, Ok_Primary_1075, and Terminatorn for laughing with me at the "quick maffs from Team Villar", and to arkitrader for the hydration vibes.

▌In today's MB:

• DITO FY23 net loss: P8.1-B (30% improvement)
• Union Bank sets SRO entitlement ratio at 0.11:1
• Leandro Leviste acquires 8.5% stake in ABS-CBN
• Steniel hits trading band floor on 2nd day

▌Daily meme Subscribe (it's free) Today's email

▌Main stories covered:

• [EARNINGS] DITO FY23 net loss: ₱8.1-B (30% improvement)... DITO CME [DITO 2.38 ▲7.7%; 602% avgVol] [https://edge.pse.com.ph/openDiscViewer.do?edge_no=27c2e753d00394fcabca0fa0c5b4e4d0] posted a FY23 net loss attributable of ₱8.1 billion, which is a 30% improvement over its FY22 net loss attributable of ₱13.8 billion. Revenues were up 54% to ₱11.2 billion, with the dominant contribution coming from DITO’s main subsidiary, Dito Telecommunity. DITO’s average monthly revenue per user (ARPU) was ₱128, which is a 54% increase from the ₱83/usemonth it generated in revenue in FY22. DITO’s subscriber count stood at 9 million at the end of 2023, which was down 40% from the 15 million subscribers that it reported at the end of 2022. DITO booked ₱5 billion in forex gains on its massive debts denominated in US Dollars and Chinese Yuan. DITO said that it will attempt to raise funds through a follow-on offering in the first half of 2024 with the proceeds going toward “the Group’s telecommunications and digital businesses funding requirements.
  
  • MB: What’s there to say about DITO that hasn’t already been said? They’re seemingly building out their network as per the conditions of their franchise, and from a technical perspective, the network they’ve built (so far) seems to be performing very well. Yes, they got to book a ₱5 billion gain as the forex winds blew in the right direction, but that’s only a 70% recovery of the ₱7.2 billion it lost on its forex debt the year before, and the FY24 forex winds do not appear to be blowing in DITO’s favor. Yes, they have a higher ARPU, but how do we analyze that against their subscriber base that mysteriously lost 6 million subscribers over the past year? Yes, they’re planning to raise some money in a follow-on offering in the next couple of months, but with rates not going anywhere, most analysts are not optimistic about the PSE’s near-term prospects so they might be selling into a weak market. DITO’s stock is up 15% off of its all-time post-Dito Tel infusion low that it set last week, but it’s still down 12% year-to-date and down 35% from its October 2023 intra-year high of ₱3.69/share.
• [UPDATE] Union Bank sets SRO entitlement ratio at 0.11:1... Union Bank [UBP 39.80 ▲3.4%; 77% avgVol] [https://edge.pse.com.ph/openDiscViewer.do?edge_no=452f011bc1971602abca0fa0c5b4e4d0] set the price of its stock rights offering (SRO) at ₱30.57/share, and set the entitlement ratio at 1 rights share for every 9.1382 UBP shares owned, or (roughly) 0.11 new shares for every existing share. UBP plans to sell 327,118,089 UBP shares through this offering to raise ₱10 billion.
  
  • MB: That price is way below the ₱33.73 to ₱38.23 range that UBP provided last week. The market price of UBP’s shares has fallen considerably since mid-April’s ₱45/share level when this plan was being put together. That really appears to have dragged the resulting SRO price down when the price formula was applied, which calls for a 25% discount from the 15-day volume weighted average price prior to May 2. It just so happened that UBP hit a three-year low on April 30th on heavy volume, so there you go.
• [NEWS] ABS-CBN reveals Leandro Leviste as 2nd largest shareholder... ABS-CBN [ABS 5.10 ▲18.1%; 79% avgVol] [https://edge.pse.com.ph/openDiscViewer.do?edge_no=ad7e60c637e79857abca0fa0c5b4e4d0] disclosed that LL Holdings (LLH), a subsidiary of Leandro Leviste’s private holdco, Countryside Investments Holdings Corp, acquired 76,500,000 shares of ABS equivalent to a 8.5% stake in the former broadcasting giant. Mr. Leviste, who is the son of Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda, released a statement saying, “I hope there may now be a way for us to be of help, for the benefit of ABS-CBN’s shareholders and employees, and the media industry of the Philippines.” Ms. Legarda was a news anchor with ABS for 12 years, and recently abstained from the vote on ABS’s franchise renewal in 2020 due to what she called a “conflict of interest.” Shares of ABS rose 18% in yesterday’s trading session.
  
  • MB: I didn’t see any reports claiming that these shares were primary from ABS, so (to the best of my knowledge) this stake doesn’t give ABS shareholders any new capital to work with. Still, investors seemed to like the development and Mr. Leviste’s vague call to action. The truth is that ABS is running out of “outs”, and it’s basically at the point of having to negotiate with lenders to avoid bankruptcy while it sells off assets to meet obligations. Compared to those problems, having a new shareholder with an 8.5% stake doesn’t really sound like much help. Unless, of course, that new shareholder is really just the point on a political wedge that has greater plans for ABS that could have a direct impact on its topline. The topline is the only thing that can save ABS at this point.
• [UPDATE] Steniel falls 30% in second day of trading... Steniel Manufacturing [STN 0.89 ▼29.9%; 71% avgVol] [https://www.investagrams.com/Stock/PSE:STN] dropped 30% in its second day of trading. STN opened the trading day flat, but soon started a consistent downward trend that would drag on STN’s price the whole session. Trading volume was relatively high at 9.1 million shares (~60% of Thursday’s 14.7 million) through 586 trades. The daily loss was the maximum allowable by application of the PSE’s trading band for the day.
  
  • MB: This clown show is nowhere near finished, but the fact that STN bounced lightly off the floor twice over the final two hours of the session tells me that there’s still a lot of downside left in this stock to wring out before we get any kind of stability. The most recent “no band” trade that we’ve had, LFM Properties [LPC 0.06 unch; 0% avgVol] took five straight trading sessions to shed 40% of its value. Will STN follow a similar path? Hard to say, but the time it spent on the floor says that we’ll probably see at least one more day of red. The only thing all these “no band” stocks have in common is that over the long term, they retain only a fraction of their first-day trading gains. They’re a one-day game of musical chairs.

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I’m assuming this sub is familiar with Hartley Peavy.
In 1974 ish Hartley was on a sales trip and visited Reds Royal Amp in Hollywood CA. Back then Peavy sold mostly guitar amplifiers.
Fender sales reps had recently threatened Red with loosing the ability to sell Fender guitars and amps because they carried Peavey amps. Hartley was pissed and loudly complained, then said “I can just build guitars, you won’t need Fender”
A guitar tech working for Red at the time heard this, and told Hartley he could build guitars better than Fender could. That tech was Dave Schecter.
Hartley took Dave very serious and flew him to Meridian to scout a guitar factory location. Hartley offered Dave $200 a week and $0.25 per guitar built.
Ultimately Dave declined the offer, and in 1976 started his own guitar company, Schecter Guitar Research in Van Nuys CA.
From 1979 till their bankruptcy in 1984 Schecter built some of the best Fender knock offs ever called ‘Dream Machines’. Anything built at the Van Nuys factory is collectible and very expensive today.
Had Dave partnered with Hartley instead of his idiot partners in Van Nuys, Peavey guitars might have been the best ever. Oh well.

Wishing nothing but hate and negativity to the person or people responsible for the abomination of industrial design that is the disposable peets coffee lid. If your business requirements were something along the lines of, "Hmm, how can we engineer a lid that will ruin people's mornings and cause a spectacular trail of chaos and destruction wherever it goes?" Well, congratulations, you've succeeded beyond measure.
Do you even have a shred of decency? Did you not consider the consequences of your incompetence? Or perhaps you did, and you simply derive pleasure from the suffering of others. I lament for your family and loved ones, who must endure the shame of being associated with such a despicable entity. I imagine the disappointment in their eyes, the shame in their whispers as they bear witness your moral bankruptcy firsthand.
As for me, I've recently found solace in religion, not out of piety, but solely for the purpose of praying on your downfall. I beseech whatever higher power may exist to deliver swift justice upon you, to smite you with the full force of divine retribution for the havoc you've wrought upon unsuspecting coffee drinkers like myself.
I hereby curse thee. May misfortune follow you like a relentless shadow, trailing you like your mediocre, overpriced coffee has trailed the lower half of my right pant leg and sneakers.
May every traffic light you encounter turn red as you approach, prolonging your agonizing commute to work. May your internet connection be as unreliable as your sense of decency, dropping out just as you're about to complete that important online purchase or stream your favorite show. May your socks mysteriously disappear in the laundry, leaving you with mismatched pairs that mock your futile attempts at organization. May your alarm clock fail to go off on the most important days, causing you to oversleep and miss deadlines, meetings, and opportunities. And may every umbrella you own betray you in the midst of a downpour, leaving you drenched and cursing the heavens for your perpetual misfortune.
May your significant other cheat on you, their heart straying to another as easily as your lid leaks coffee, leaving you drowning in a bitter brew of betrayal and heartache. May your phone remain silent, devoid of texts and notifications, a constant reminder of your own insignificance in the eyes of others, much like the empty void that remains beneath your lid following the short but painful jaunt to campus. May your parents look upon you with disappointment, their hopes and dreams for your future crumbling like the brittle plastic of your defective lid beneath the weight of your failures. And may your career stagnate and wither, like a flower denied sunlight and water, your ambitions wilting and dying within the suffocating confines of your cubicle, much like the wilted lid that fails to preserve the structural integrity of your already substandard beverage.
In short, may the universe conspire against you in the most mundane and infuriating ways possible, just as your wretched lid conspired against my morning caffeine fix. Go bears, I will return tomorrow.

This all started about a year ago when I was about to graduate college. I got a bill in the mail for a credit card which I knew wasn’t mine. I’ve always paid my one credit card on time and it was from a different company. My mom said she added me on her credit card as an authorized user, which is why I received that bill. This ended up being red flag number one.
Fast forward to about a month ago and I’m looking into new apartments as I’m moving for my job. I found one I liked and applied for it, not thinking anything of it as my salary was well over their minimum requirements. I received an email saying my application was denied. A few days later, I got a letter in the mail explaining it was due to my credit.
I figured it had to be a mistake so I ended up taking a look at my credit score for myself. This was I think the first time doing it since I got my credit card a few years ago. I was floored when I saw my score - 490 - and I had several accounts in collections.
After some crying, I decided to call the electric company which one of the collection accounts was for, and they confirmed the address was my mom’s current address. I got in touch with one of the credit card companies I saw and the listed address was the same. I really didn’t want to believe my mom opened these accounts so I called her about them last week.
My mom claimed to have no idea about the accounts and said I probably got hacked. She had never really done anything to betray my trust in the past so I (foolishly) believed her at the time. One of my friends said I should report it to the police or otherwise I could end up owing tens of thousands of dollars. I made a police report and gave them all of the information.
I called my mom and told her about the police report and she said I needed to call and cancel it because it wouldn’t do any good. She tried saying it was just wasting their time and I should call it off and just ignore it. Of course I told her I couldn’t do that because I didn’t want to be on the hook for what ended up being around $30,000. She said I had to do it because she opened the accounts.
We went back and forth for about 20 minutes and I was pissed. She finally said I just needed to “take the hit on this one” and declare bankruptcy. She literally told me I should be grateful to her for letting me go to college so I should cancel the police report before they find out it was her. Between scholarships, grants and a small amount of student loan debt, she didn’t pay for anything at all.
I’m kind of conflicted, I don’t really want my mom to go to jail but from what I’ve read, declaring bankruptcy would basically prevent me from doing anything with my credit for a few years and it would take a full decade to drop off.
There are 9 accounts total with 3 in collections. What would you guys do?

This is for those in the US who want to understand more, how long it has been going on, why students should not be dismissed as "uninformed", date/time contexts, availability of data, legislation, investigations and some good citations sources that are legally recognized as legitimate in both Congress and the courts including the Supreme Court. Good for parents/family/friends, students/graduates, and general tax payers.
"Did some research crowd before you _______"
Well lets hop in on the fallacy; its really pointless. I might as well carry a gallon of water in a desert with colander at best a strainer is not a bad way of looking at it. Without contexts below taken into account you wouldn't bother making it if your not just trolling or apathetic to it; fair points that is why this post is not for you. For those in the older crowd this is why you should be even more cautious making this fallacy to people like myself outside of merely stating your opinion. The problem is we are now at a point to where it is going to affect you on a common factor such as taxes (state and federal), fiscal budgets of states and federal, as well as new regulations.
Why this post: I am documenting this as part of my journey to all of you outlining on how I arrived to getting my BDoR approved, and my loans discharged as well as what is not told going through the process much less before it and about it. Not so y'all can argue with yourselves, although your free to do so, is the intent. This is for explaining to those that "don't have skin in the game" as they actually do, serving as a really formed rebuttal against news media's clear motive on emotional engagements over pragmatic information.
I am a person foremost a Dad and a professional in the economy. It has and still is painful in various ways. My perspective is that I gained far more in personal finance understanding, debt and its implications, and the struggle of getting out of it made me hungrier to succeed as well as modeling to my daughter those principals.
Time Range - When something occurs especially in law time and dates really matter. Many attorneys informed me of this not only in my child custody case, my initial attempts in bankruptcy for adversarial proceedings, your tax filings, and of course the programs forgiving loan debts. Through this process I was given advice by legal counsel so I must certainly say this is for people and in no way shape or form constitutes legal advice in your own situation nor would I irresponsibly claim otherwise.
This is short circuit number one and to prevent the same wet blanket statement as a rebuttal I am going to set a timeframe that is applicable to myself. I am mostly looking at those that graduated high school from 2000 to 2004 as well as College grads in for-profit schools prior to 2009. That does not mean others cannot benefit from it outside this time range. If you were in the earlier 2000 - 2010 surge in technology you'd also know that <15% of Americans had access to the internet during this timeframe. The internet now is not what it was back then and must be recognized as such. You'll understand why as we go through this post, specifically in the next context.
Locality (Geolocality) - Laws when passed or litigated in court against persons or entities this is important. when rulings are made, being appealed, and when they are applicable. Luckily I was raised by my mom to keep good records in her short time working as a paralegal before she opened her day care that she ran for 15+ years.
One such example is if I looked up legal documents in California yet the lawsuit is filed in Denver they will not show in CA gov databases was very common back then. Private brokers of cross-walks did exist as I later found out often behind paywalls that at the time could very well be prohibitive especially in my journey. Prohibitive in what matter you may ask? I entered the local southern California economy as a graduate in May of 2008. According to Wikipedia: In the United States, the Great Recession was a severe financial crisis combined with a deep recession. While the recession officially lasted from December 2007 to June 2009, it took many years for the economy to recover.
Now that I mentioned Wikipedia let also establish another good factor to the "Did you research" statement: Wikipedia, a free-content online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers known as Wikipedians, began with its first edit on 15 January 2001. Looking at the timeframe I listed earlier that'd make me a Sophmore in High School. Depending on your school's location and budget would play a role in the: Internet Access in U.S. Public Schools and Classrooms: 1994-99 (ed.gov) which challenged schools to have internet access by 2000 putting myself as an early adopter as the library had no more than 10 computers available for student use often with time limits per student.
Ok let's take a look at this in context assuming I would "Just Google'd the college". I went to Westwood college. According to Google Trends queries to the actual college entity vs the owning company alongside state localities to understand For-Profit colleges: For-profit colleges in the United States, Alta
Such a simplified query can encompass both good or bad results for students/parents/etc as determined by Google's search algorithm implementation they had in production at that time.
I can easily say we all enjoy the Wikipedia and Google search abilities, except those that were around BEFORE IT.
Alta College became an entry in October of 2009 according to Wikipedia's version history, I attended from 2005 to 2008. Yes, you may say this is anecdotal and situational. To that however I would state in regards to the information I've listed above in terms of accessibility of information including my lack of knowledge in LLC formation therein already is grounds to the why the statement of "If you did your research" come up short. Additionally the college I attended had its first wikipedia page published in July 2006 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Westwood_College&oldid=65337438 now as I stated earlier I entered in August 2005. A good source of objective information on both companies DID NOT EXIST.
Another implicit assumption on each student would be the understanding behind incorporation, the legal benefits to do so and the implications of not doing so. Earlier I mentioned my mom owning her own business as a LLC. Oddly it never occurred to ask why'd you would have chained LLCs until I took my economics course in late 2008; I also can assert she wouldn't have been able to tell me either as she passed away in early 2008. I can firmly state it was not covered in my High School. Taking location in mind along with the time frame the Google Trend would make sense to me without this knowledge as a precaution when making my choice. If we improved American history classes to teach more about actual universities in High School as well as the business concepts of Inc, LLC, Liabilities ect we'd be more aware going forward. I cannot change the past, just learn from it. That is a point I think most can agree on. I only know this now in hindsight.
This now raises another misconception I encountered; that this is a "recent problem". No. It is not. When I researched how to approach my mounting student loan debt making $30K annually in California where my job was as a junior developer bankruptcy looked like a viable option. After speaking with several law offices I found out that was not an option. One case in particular was cited to me: United Student Aid Funds Inc. v. Espinosa (No. 08-1134). Toby J. Heytens, an assistant to the U.S. solicitor general, told the justices that “there is an important public interest at stake here, which is that the Department of Education is reinsuring all of these loans.”. Um I wasn't alive in 1980 much less in school. I can clearly affirm, even under perjury, that court case was never covered in any formal school setting. I will not assume for others.
This seemed odd to me as the IRS has insolvency guidelines which must be read, signed under perjury, if you're attempting to go through bankruptcy. According to the law office I was working with this is standard procedure. During that time I did more digging and found: Getting By: Economic Rights and Legal Protections for People with Low Income - Helen Hershkoff, Stephen Loffredo - Google Books that prior to 1976 student loans were dischargeable in bankruptcy like other unsecured loans. An undue hardship test was introduced for federally insured loans under five years. Higher Education Act of 1965 was a result of January 1965, President Lyndon Johnson told Congress that higher education was "no longer a luxury but a necessity" and urged Congress to enact legislation to expand access to college.^\3]) Representative Edith Green of Oregon introduced H. R. 3220 this would be amended a lot through the following decades.
To me this was a pivot point in 2009 when my daughter would be born. This new sense of urgency to continue my career growth grew exponentially to say the least. I would later find out that as I did what I thought was the right thing in making more money I would eventually come into a catch-22 where I no longer could be insolvent due to income growth over my last 5 years yet not making enough to cover a realistic cost of living / quality of life. I like to call this the "green gap" where you make too much but not enough when taking the time and place of the person in question into account.
That last part is important in another way. On April 20, 2009, the United announced that Alta Colleges had agreed to pay the U.S. government $7 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that Alta's Texas schools submitted false claims for federal student aid funds. The college admitted no wrongdoing and was not required to change any of its practices. 1863 was when it got passed. The laws are on the books, in Texas... GEOLOCATION matters here! Denver and California are not in Texas, nor does Alta College accept students. I realized later I was structing my searches in the context of California not Texas thus missing what could have served as a red flag and impeding troubles.
Did you also get that odd tidbit there? I went to Westwood College, owned by Alta College. Westwood College at one time had 17 campuses across California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Texas and Virginia, as well as an online campus. Westwood College offered 27 degree programs, including in business, design, technology, industrial services, justice and health care. I didn't find that correlation until after I graduated while pulling fiscal records for approaching bankruptcy for the second time which again proved fruitless for the new reason. I made too much, according to the insolvency guidelines.
Talk about looking for the wrong thing in the wrong place. Veterans with GI PAY ATTENTION HERE. These documents I found on a google query back on May 2018 listed as plain pdf files in an IIS server that didn't have directory exploration OFF so it was indexed by Google. This led me to fine the following:
United States Senate HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS COMMITTEE Tom Harkin, Chairman Benefitting Whom? For-Profit Education Companies and the Growth of Military Educational Benefits.
Entered December 8th, 2010.
Lets get one thing straight when reviewing Congressional Investigations: Perjury is liable on both Congressional party as well as those called into testify them as well as the documents of record. Citing these documents is the same as litigating in court which carries far more weight than any news headline on repeated blast. Lets check which side of congress this falls on: U.S. Senate: About : The Supreme Court in landmark cases has broadly upheld congressional powers to conduct investigations, as long as inquiries are related to subjects on which Congress can validly legislate. During the Senate investigation of the Teapot Dome scandal in the 1920s, the Supreme Court held in McGrain v. Daugherty (1927) that congressional committees can issue subpoenas, compel witnesses to testify, and hold them in contempt if they failed to comply. In another decision, Sinclair v. United States (1929), the Court ruled that a witness who lies before a congressional committee can be convicted of perjury.
Now that we have a good citation source, unlike most news reporting, take a look at Page 3 of the report above: As a result of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, combined with the growing economic need for postsecondary education, over the past few years Congress has fundamentally re-examined its commitment to providing educational benefits to a new generation of veterans. With the passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008 (Post-9/11 GI Bill) on June 30, 2008, almost all servicemembers, including reserve troops who serve a minimum of 90 days active duty after September 10, 2001, became eligible for educational benefits up to 36 months at an average of $458 per credit hour
This is the beginning of how this snowball started especially for me. For-Profits took advantage of Veteran GI benefits with them having to show for it as the report further explains. Additionally, this is now a PRIME target for money.
Between 2006 and 2010, combined VA and DoD education benefits received by 20 for-profit education companies increased from $66.6 million in 2006 to a projected $521.2 million in 2010, an increase of 683 percent: o Between 2009 and 2010 alone, revenue from military educational benefits at 20 for-profit education companies increased 211 percent. o In the first year of Post-9/11 GI Bill implementation, the VA spent comparable amounts ($697 million and $640 million respectively) on tuition for students attending public schools and students attending for-profit schools, but the VA funded 203,790 students at public schools compared to 76,746 at for-profits. o Revenue from DoD educational programs at 18 for-profit education companies increased from $40 million in 2006 to an expected $175.1 million in 2010, a 337 percent increase. o Revenue from VA educational programs for the same 18 for-profit education companies increased from $26.3 million in 2006 to an expected $285.8 million for 2010, including a five[1]fold increase between 2009 and 2010. o Revenues from military education benefits at 20 for-profit education companies increased more rapidly than overall revenues for every year between 2006 and 2010.
Well, what about non-veterans? Now that these companies earned the ire of Congress because the GI money for education was not being used wisely a wide range of investigations opened up starting mostly from what I found in 2009; in simpler terms after I went through the program. Another report on September 30th 2010: 9 U.S. Senate Comm. on Health, Educ., Labor & Pensions, “The Return on the Federal Investment in For-Profit Education: Debt Without a Diploma” is an excellent accompaniment.
Now lets talk sales. The how/why of students, parents and guarantors agreeing to this madness. Well if you've learned ANYTHING from the prior sections with timeframe, locality, accessible information and how to apply all of it correctly we run into a sales person's dream buffet. We can see in HELP-ALTA-000271 that distrubition of reports clearly targeted veterans which correlates the findings in the Senate's investigation.
Often what is not discussed in detail is what is covered in document HELP-ALTA-000123 Key Responsibility #2 Lead Development. An internal training shared with counselors assisting in student sign up. Cross reference this with internal document HELP-Alta-000262 (Document 10 Page 2) that outlines new hire standards to meet a volume standard of 70% to 80%. Disclosure of these internal non-public, therefore NON-RESEARCHABLE documents was done via subpoena. Begs the question: How can a student research something they don't know about. Outside of the attorneys I have met in life this is well over the head of a lot of people I have had direct interactions with however I will NOT extrapolate over the US as a whole. Use the information in context with your experience.
Next lets look at what was the motivation to "sell" the student for the signup. IN HELP-ALTA-000002 page 2 we find the following: During the first 90 days, all Admissions Representatives will receive an evaluation every 30 days using the 30-60-90 review template which will provide critical feedback on performance each 30-day period. During the initial 90 day period, the Director of Admissions will closely monitor the performance of each Representative to ensure sufficient progress is being made. Insufficient progress of the Representative can result in termination of employment.
When cross referenced with HELP-ALTA-000042 this is no longer just retention of the position at stake. We find incentives at the director level through the exec level: Motivating your Admissions Team is of critical importance to the Director of Admissions. To assist a Director to effectively recognize his/her team, Admissions has established a national recognition and awards program. For all national recognition programs, refer to the current year Recognition and Awards Guide [HELP-ALTA-000243]
HELP-ALTA-000026 lists a section for Admission Representatives to take as part of their training on Page 8: Process for Handling Objections 1) Challenge all smokescreens: Listen 2) Verify 3) Isolate 4) Resolve 5) Gain Agreement 6) Re-Close
Here we are seeing a pattern of what, myself and others MEAN by predatory. In HELP-ALTA-000265 Page 5
Standards of Performance The matrix below outlines Standards of Performance that Admissions Representatives must strive to achieve in order to contribute to the overall success of the organization. Each Standard should be used as a guideline when assigning individual goals to achieve personal success. In addition, Representatives will have standards of monthly volume and start standards for each class which are outlined on subsequent pages.
In the next section they define: Minimum Performance Guidelines The focus of all Admissions team members is on achieving the goals agreed upon with their supervisor according to the Standards of Performance. While the requirements of each office or team may vary by region and Division, the following matrix highlights the absolute minimum requirement of an Admissions Representative.
Reaching the established minimum requirements is not acceptable as standard performance; Representatives who are not progressing appropriately or fail to achieve minimum requirements are subject to corrective action up to and including termination. Guidance and feedback will be provided through One on One’s, Observations, 30-60-90 Reviews, Term Reviews, Action Plan Guides, coaching and other periodic reviews.
Yes, they were paid in accordance to how many students the admitted and compensated / terminated for it. When it became clear to the executives about retention rates they implemented a restructure to how long the programs would take in a strategy document HELP-ALTA-000067 (this is its own post in its own right).
You may be wondering, where was this taking place, this is where Step 3) Isolate takes place. I have established that locality is important. Sales taught me that is also good leverage too. First is Online which is covered in 000067. During June 2005 to October 2005 with ~20% Tv Ads, 35% Search Engine Ads, 35% in Internet Ads, Friend/Family at < 10%, Student AdvisoTeacher <5%, 0% from Employer.
This is where I made, in my life the worst mistake I have made in 18+ years. I saw the Ads on TV first during late-time hours in the Summer of 2005. I had graduated High School in 2004, now 18, working full time as data entry clerk, renting the floor from a family member (not a room, you read it right).
I watched as opiate addiction was ruining my mothers health, entering her in rehabs still holding my job down taking the bus. December 2004 I got my first ever bonus. In January I used it to get my first car as my mom urged me to get a degree. She had watched as I flipped burgers in 2003 for McDonalds to this data entry job knowing full well what CoL was in our area. Being tech savy as I built my own PCs for others, though never my own, when I was only 14 I turned to the internet to fact check these tv ads. NEVER believe what ya see on TV as the mantra. I found lots of materials of praise yet hardly anything at all in the reverse. Man if I only knew SEO tactics now as a Senior Full-Stack Engineer in this industry! Doesn't do any good to think about that now though, lets go back to 19 year old me. I made an appointment, toured the campus with my mom and here is how they got me. I could earn a Bachelors in 36 months in programming.
She knew full well I had technology in my DNA feeling assured I would excel in such a field. What went through my mind wasn't salary, it was my mother's health. The admissions rep stated I required a cosigner. My mom said she'd cover it so her last child can get a good job in a now fast growing industry. We talked it over deciding to visit a local JC. Their we found that I would not be able to attend for nearly 9 months out. Seeing the price differences I said maybe that was smarter. To my surprise my mom objected with getting me degree as fast as possible was a better idea. I didn't know why she said that till much later. "You just need the degree son, sometimes employers are even ok with it not being in the same industry as what ya get it in.". I signed the dotted line...
She died in March 2008, never seeing me graduate in May 2008; I completed the degree in 2.75 years in which I overtook, getting a Bachelors, over my sister's AA which she started 5 years ahead of me. To her grave she thought through and through everything was going to turn out well for me especially given my chosen field. In that regard she was not wrong because I MADE it that way. I still to this day have never let that degree define my credentials, nor would I let it stop me from providing for my daughter.
The last point in my long post here is the statement above make one other misconception. It assumes that you have a support network. I didn't. Dad left when I was 2 and never bothered with our family or siblings. Mom passed away. Lost the grandparents to Cancer when I was 9. With my nearest family member 1900 miles away from me I instilled a do or die attitude. My wife passed in 2021 from a hit and run so it is just me raising our daughter. 4 years to go until she is 18... Want to guess what I have told her about student loans, debt and credit cards? Spoiler: NO.
When my BDoR was approved it was not to "fix" my mistake. It was a breach of contract when the school lost accreditation and no longer deemed to meet the government standard for receiving loans for education. These loans are now a ledger correction in the eyes of the government, which if you've understood my points about timeframes was setup long before I was born. Any tabs on what transpired through various lawsuits from Sallie Mae -> Navient -> now MOHELA shows poor book keeping. I will simply echo "Too big to fail". This is where older folks best be wary... You setup the systems in place, voted or didn't vote is not relevant, at best you knew and at worse you didn't pay attention when it was under your nose. The reverse is also true though. My degree is not valid either according to the government. I didn't get one for nothing or no accountability.
I often do wonder what my mom would feel like if she had seen what happened, though I am glad she didn't have to see how the good intentions paved a hellish road.
I am 1 of 43 million borrowers. If y'all interested I can do a follow up post on where the training materials were used to artificially inflate student placements in jobs or other topics. Let me know.

Listen I've finally wrapped my head around filing for bankruptcy, anyone have tips for milking the system but not looking like I am (committing fraud) I want to set myself up to be ok post bankruptcy but not raise any red flags or get rejected. Any advice is appreciated.

Hey PersonalFinance community,

Contact us: [(877) 706-2008](tel:(877) 706-2008)

I've been diving deep into the world of debt relief and stumbled upon some interesting information regarding Active Debt Relief and other similar programs. Given the common questions and skepticism surrounding debt relief options, I thought it would be helpful to share and discuss what I've learned.
Is Debt Relief Real? First off, yes, debt relief programs are indeed real. Companies like Active Debt Relief offer services like debt consolidation, debt settlement, and even debt elimination, promising significant reductions in your total debt owed. They work by negotiating with creditors on your behalf to reduce the amount you owe.
Government Debt Relief Programs There are queries about government-backed debt relief programs too. While specific government programs directly targeting consumer debt aren't as prevalent, there are government-regulated options like bankruptcy or non-profit credit counseling services that can facilitate similar benefits.
https://activedebtrelief.com
The Effectiveness of Debt Relief Programs Is it worth enrolling in a debt relief program? The answer largely depends on your financial situation. For some, these programs can offer a path out of debt by lowering debt amounts or consolidating multiple debts into a single, more manageable payment. However, the effectiveness can vary based on the amount of debt you have, your creditors, and your ability to meet the program’s terms.
Impact on Credit Scores One of the biggest concerns is how these programs affect your credit. Debt settlement, for example, can negatively impact your credit score since it involves stopping payments to creditors as part of the negotiation process. It’s crucial to weigh the short-term impact on your credit against the long-term benefit of reducing your debt.
Are There Scams? Unfortunately, the debt relief industry is not immune to scams. A red flag to watch out for includes companies that contact you with unsolicited offers or those that require upfront fees before providing any services. The FTC and other consumer protection agencies regularly issue warnings and guidelines to help consumers identify legitimate services from scams.
Given all this, I'm curious to hear your experiences or any advice you have concerning debt relief programs. Have any of you used these services before? What was your outcome?
https://activedebtrelief.com/blog/
Looking forward to your insights and discussion!

DebtRelief #FinancialFreedom #DebtManagement #CreditScoreImpact

Me and the boyfriend have e bikes now and I'm looking for some means of tracking GPS, ideally via cellular. Main utility is theft recovery; if it gets stolen while I'm out I'll have time to get police involved before they find the tracker or redundant trackers if they're cheap enough.
Air tags are an option but I like the ability to query location even in remote areas where air tags/tiles wouldn't work. I'm considering getting a broken air tag as a decoy actually. I may still end up using air tags in the end but a small GPS tracker that uses cellular would definitely be preferred.
In any case, I want it to have a self-host friendly API or mechanism for updating location to email and/or home assistant. I'm good with Node Red so I could setup a dedicated email to receive updates that node red is connected to. I want to avoid hosted services or apps to avoid denial of service by bankruptcy.
I don't even really need any of this automation wise since I have my phone already for most of that. Mainly want a little box that sends GPS over cellular to something; email or self hosted API. If I can't find anything I may explore ESP32 dev boards with GPS and sim cards but keeping those tiny may be a much larger challenge.

Diversifying your investment portfolio with precious metals is a smart move, especially for securing wealth against market volatility and inflation. And when it comes to retirement planning, a self-directed IRA is an ideal choice for investing in precious metals. However, with numerous gold IRA companies available, it can be a daunting task to pick the best one.
We have conducted extensive research to compile a list of the three most trusted precious metals IRA companies for 2024.
Our article includes a comprehensive review, fee comparison, and crucial details to help you decide the right company for your precious metals IRA investment.
These companies excel in offering competitive fees, excellent customer service, and diverse storage options, ensuring that your precious metals IRA is in safe hands.

Top Gold IRA Companies Reviewed

• Augusta Precious Metals 🥇 — The Leading Gold IRA Company
• Goldco 🥈 — Runner-up, Trusted Company
• American Hartford Gold 🥉 — Best for Smaller Investments
• Birch Gold Group — Best for Variety of Precious Metals
• Advantage Gold — Best for Low Fees
• Noble Gold Investments — Best New Gold IRA Company

All of these companies offer gold IRA accounts; however, despite providing similar services, they each have their unique advantages and disadvantages. Continue reading to learn more.

1. Augusta Precious Metals — Best Gold IRA Company Overall

Augusta Precious Metals has gained recognition for its high-quality gold and silver IRA products, as well as transparent pricing. The company doesn't have any hidden fees, ensuring their customers enjoy cost-effectiveness and a clear understanding of the expenses involved.
The company specializes in gold IRA investments and presents a broad selection of gold bullion and premium gold alternatives, which include popular coins like American Eagles, Canadian Maple Leafs, American Eagle Proofs, Gold Canadian Eagles, American Buffalos, Australian Striped Marlin coins, and more.
The company prides itself on offering coins and bars with a 99.5% purity level. Augusta does not impose management fees; however, customers must be aware of the IRA setup and depository storage fees.

• Minimum deposit: $50,000
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
Augusta Precious Metals is the best gold IRA company you can find online. As someone who has been researching and investing in precious metals for several years, I can confidently say that Augusta Precious Metals is one of the best companies in the industry.
One way a business can distinguish itself from the competition in this market is to prioritize transparency. Augusta Precious Metals has accomplished this by implementing a simple and transparent fee system. As a result, they have emerged as one of the top gold IRA companies overall.
Thanks to its dedication to educating customers about gold and silver investments, Augusta Precious Metals is a trusted gold IRA company that provides complete information regarding expenses when setting up a gold IRA account with them. This includes one-time fees, transaction-related costs, and yearly expenses. The company's philosophy is that informing customers of their upfront expenses helps them be better prepared for their investment journey. As a result, customers feel more confident and assured when investing in their gold IRA.
Furthermore, Augusta Precious Metals offers a buyback guarantee if customers are unsatisfied with their services. They also have price protection policies to help first-time gold IRA owners and investors navigate buying gold without taking on excessive risks.
While Augusta Precious Metals excels in transparency and customer service, they have received criticism for their limited product selection and high investment minimum. Specifically, the company does not offer a wide variety of palladium and platinum products and focuses on gold and silver bullion and coins. Also, the customers must invest a substantial amount at the outset to begin working with them.

2. Goldco — Best for Customer Service

Goldco is an exceptional choice for individuals seeking to add gold to their IRA portfolio. The company offers self-directed gold and silver IRAs and offers customers various funding options. These include rollovers for 403(b)s, thrift savings plans, savings accounts, and IRAs, offering customers flexibility in how they fund their accounts. Goldco is one of the biggest names in the industry, so you can expect high-quality customer service through every step of the way.

• Minimum deposit: $25,000
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
Investor education is crucial in making informed and confident investment decisions. Goldco, a prominent company in the precious metals industry, stands out for offering its customers an extensive investor education program.
Upon becoming a Goldco customer, gold IRA investors gain access to a library of informative materials, including blogs, eBooks, webinars, and free guides. The company's website also provides customer-exclusive tools, such as real-time price monitors and precious metals market analysis. The goal is to present information in an easily digestible format, enabling customers to make the best possible investment decisions.
Goldco's "white-glove service" is another standout feature. As a customer, you'll have total peace of mind throughout the entire Gold IRA rollovetransfer process. A trained precious metals specialist will guide you through every step of the transaction, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience.
Goldco is absolutely transparent when it comes to fees. Here is the current information regarding the company's fees:
A minimum investment requirement of $25,000 to open a gold IRA account is currently the second-highest investment minimum in the industry.
Overall, Goldco boasts a fast order-clearing rate, with transactions completed within hours to a day.

3. American Hartford Gold — The Lowest Minimum Investment

American Hartford Gold offers a diverse selection of IRA-approved gold coins, bars, and silver products, similar to other gold IRAs mentioned in this review. In addition, it provides rollover support from a range of accounts, such as traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, thrift savings plans, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, and 457 plans.
American Hartford gold is a good option for smaller investors who cannot afford to put more than $25,000 or more into precious metals.
The company's gold selection includes various options, such as Saint Helena Sovereign Gold, Australia Wildlife Gold, Canadian Buffalo, American Eagle, American Eagle Proof, and more.

• No minimum deposit
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
Like other precious metals IRA companies, American Hartford Gold promises competitive product pricing and reasonable fees. However, where the company truly excels is in its customer service.
Reviews have consistently praised the attentive and professional staff at American Hartford Gold. They are known to respond promptly to inquiries and swiftly address client concerns. Additionally, the company's hotline is available 24/7, ensuring customers can transact with them regardless of location and time of day.
Unfortunately, American Hartford Gold is infamous for its relatively slow transaction speeds. It can take 3 to 5 days for an order to clear, with shipping taking up to a week. Furthermore, the company only offers to ship to customers within the US.

4. Birch Gold Group — Best for Variety of Precious Metals

With a long track record of helping investors with gold IRAs and earning top marks from consumer rating agencies, Birch Gold Group is the best dealer for a variety of metals. Their dedication to superior customer service has earned them top marks from reputable rating agencies such as an A+ rating from Better Business Bureau and a five-star rating from Consumer Affairs among others. Not many businesses in this industry can say the same!

• Minimum deposit: $10,000
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
One of the primary reasons that Birch Gold sets itself apart from competitors is by offering investor-direct pricing. By working as a dealer-direct company, customers avoid the fees typically charged for purchases of gold, silver, platinum, and palladium bullion or coins. This means that customers can invest more without paying high fees.
While not much information about fees or account minimums is offered on Birch Gold Group's website, it is known that there is a minimum investment of $10,000 disclosed in marketing materials. However, potential customers should contact them directly before signing up to get all the necessary information.
But what truly makes Birch Gold Group stand out from other dealers are its customer service practices. Their account managers strive to understand each customer's objectives so they can offer tailored recommendations specific to each client's needs. Account set-up can be done either online or over the phone, making it accessible and convenient for investors.
If you're looking for a reputation built on excellence in customer service coupled with unbeatable investor-direct pricing choices for precious metals investment options like gold IRA's then look no further than Birch Gold Group. They're sure to help you secure your financial future through investing in these shiny commodities with ease and reliability!

5. Advantage Gold — Best for Low Fees

Advantage Gold is the best gold IRA company for low fees. With hands-on customer support and a comprehensive educational platform, Advantage Gold is also a great option for first-time buyers.
If you're looking for low fees while still enjoying top-notch customer service and educational resources to invest in gold IRA arrangement then- look no further than Advantage Gold.

• Minimum deposit: $25,000
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
One of the standout features of Advantage Gold is their commitment to superior customer service. While the company is relatively new to the business, their experienced management team and highly trained staff make up for it in spades. The company offers resources and educational materials that can help new investors get started with gold and other precious metals without feeling pressured or intimidated.
Advantage Gold works with Strata Trust Company for custodian services at a low $50 setup fee and $95 annual account fee, plus either commingled ($100) or segregated storage ($150). There are also processing fees of $40 on purchases, sales, or exchanges. One unique feature of Advantage Gold is that there are no minimum order values required.
Advantage Gold also has a liberal buy-back program offering repurchases at the going market rate - higher than the spot price offered by some competitors. Moreover, they offer investors an asset comparison tool that shows how different investment amounts have performed during different time periods against 5 assets types - gold, S&P 500, NASDAQ, Dow Jones index and oil along with savings account comparison making it easy for investors find their suitable asset type within allocation percentage.
When it comes to storage needs, Advantage Gold partners with Brink's Global Services USA and Delaware Depository — two reputable vault companies known for their safekeeping practices.

6. Noble Gold Investments — Best New Gold IRA Company

Noble Gold Investments is a newer player in the gold IRA space, having been established in 2016. However, it has quickly become a popular choice for new investors due to its low minimum investment and extensive educational resources.
If you're considering investing in gold, Noble Gold Investments offers excellent value for money while providing personalized support backed by informative resources along with reliable partners handling custodial services as well as insured secure storage location ensuring your investments stay safe during these volatile times.

• Minimum deposit: $2,000
• BBB Rating: A+

General overview
While the account minimum at Noble Gold is said to be $2,000, the lack of standardized disclosure forms can make it difficult to confirm. Nevertheless, the company has gained favorable ratings with Consumer Affairs and BBB.
One key aspect that sets Noble Gold apart from other gold dealers is its commitment to personalized service. Potential customers receive an initial consultation where their needs and objectives are discussed before being assigned a trusted advisor who guides them without high-pressure sales tactics.
The fees at Noble Gold are competitive with new customers not being charged a setup fee. There is an $80 annual service fee and a $150 annual storage fee that covers segregated storage thanks to Noble's partnership with International Depository Services (IDS). The IDS facility provides Lloyd's of London insurance policy giving their clients peace of mind knowing their investments are covered.
The company also provides competitive pricing on gold purchases through its wide network of partners and suppliers. Additionally, they offer a "no-questions-asked" buy-back service which makes investing even more stress-free.
Noble Gold's custodian is Equity Institutional while IDS takes care of storage located across three locations in the US and Canada two based in the US with Lloyd's of London insurance policies covering all storage accounts.
Lastly, potential customers can take advantage of Noble Gold's comprehensive website where they can consult educational materials at length before approaching representatives for assistance on account registration completing the process under professional guidance.

How We Ranked The Best Gold IRA Companies

We evaluated several factors to rank the top gold investment companies, including reputation, experience, and client reviews. These companies have excellent reputations and extensive expertise in the market, and their clients have given them positive feedback for their exceptional service.

Reputation and Reviews

Reviews are the most significant factor when selecting a gold IRA company. Our list includes companies prioritizing customer service, offering comprehensive guidance, and adhering to IRS standards. In addition, each company has received an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau and positive client testimonials.

The Ease of Setup

Ease of use and setup is another essential factor when selecting a gold IRA company. All the companies on our list provide representatives to guide you throughout the setup process, ensuring that everything complies with IRS standards.

Costs and Fees

These are the most challenging factors to detail, as prices in the precious metal world can change rapidly. While we could not find up-to-date pricing information on each company, we offer general details on what you can expect to pay. Gold IRA providers typically charge a commission based on a percentage of your precious metals purchase, around 5%.
Additionally, expect a one-time setup fee of less than $200 and annual fees of around $300 for account maintenance and storage. The best gold IRA companies are known for transparency, and representatives should disclose all fees upfront.

Selection of Products

The selection of gold and silver products is essential when choosing a gold IRA company. All the firms we reviewed offer IRS-approved precious metals, including gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Additionally, they provide educational resources to learn more about the various products.

Potential Buybacks

Potential buybacks are an essential consideration as well. All the companies on our list participate in buybacks, allowing you to sell precious metals if needed. However, if you cash out any of your funds before you reach the age of 59.5, you will pay a 10% penalty to the IRS. Therefore, we recommend precious metals investing only if you can afford to forget about the value until retirement.

Other Gold IRA Companies We Considered

There are numerous precious metal IRA companies currently operating within the U.S. However, not every company meets the criteria to be featured on our curated list. In the following section, we provide an analysis of several well-known companies that, despite their popularity, were not selected for inclusion in our list.

1. Red Rock Secured

Red Rock Secured provides services to safeguard clients' retirement savings through strategic diversification in precious metals and gold. However, they didn't make it to our main list due to insufficient data regarding their expenses and fees. Also, Red Rock Secured has recently become a target of a federal lawsuit, so we cannot recommend this company.

• Minimum deposit: $10,000
• BBB Rating: Not Rated (Under Investigation)

2. Patriot Gold Group

Despite its popularity, Patriot Gold Group currently has limited customer reviews on TrustPilot and the BBB, which may make it difficult for potential investors to gauge company's overall performance. Also, their aggressive marketing approach may deter some investors from choosing them as their gold IRA provider. Read our Patriot Gold Group review to learn more.

• Minimum deposit: $25,000
• BBB Rating: A+

3. Lear Capital

On March 2, 2022, Lear Capital requested reorganization under Chapter 11 of the federal Bankruptcy Act, with case number 22-10165. For this reason and a number of complaints on Better Business Bureau and other websites we cannot recommend this gold IRA company. The company currently operates under court's supervision. There is more information about this company in our review of Lear Capital.

• Minimum deposit: $5,000
• BBB Rating: C+

4. Oxford Gold Group

Oxford Gold Group is a reputable precious metals IRA company; however, it did not make it to our list primarily due to a growing number of complaints reported on BBB. Over the past three years, the company has received a total of 17 complaints, with 14 of them being lodged within the last 12 months.

• Minimum deposit: $7,500
• BBB Rating: A+

5. Orion Metal Exchange

We didn't include Orion Metal Exchange into our list of the top precious metals IRA companies because it has high prices and the biggest gap between the selling and purchasing prices of precious metals compared to other gold IRA providers.

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What is Precious Metals IRA?

For those aiming to protect their savings from inflation and economic downturns, a precious metals IRA is one of many options available. But what distinguishes a precious metals IRA from a traditional IRA?
A traditional IRA is a retirement savings account funded with pre-tax dollars that enjoy tax-deferred growth. Conversely, a precious metals IRA is a retirement account that is funded with physical gold, silver, platinum, or palladium. A precious metals IRA offers investors greater investment choice flexibility and control, making it a favored option for those looking to diversify their investment portfolio.
Unlike traditional IRAs, which have annual contribution limits of $5,500 (or $6,500 for those over age 50), precious metal IRAs have much higher limits of $30,000 per year. Investors also have the option of rolling over their existing 401(k) or 403(b) accounts, making them an appealing choice for those looking to boost their exposure to precious metals.
However, it's important to note that managing a precious metals IRA can be complicated and costly. An IRA custodian is responsible for managing the account and a depository vault stores the physical assets. Special IRS rules also apply to the use of a precious metals IRA, and failing to meet certain conditions can result in tax penalties. Additionally, maintaining an IRA can cost up to $300 per year, not including fees incurred when purchasing and shipping precious metals.
Despite the complexities and costs associated with precious metals IRAs, they remain a popular choice for those looking to protect and diversify their retirement savings.

What Are the Advantages of Precious Metals IRAs?

Setting up a precious metal IRA has several compelling reasons. Firstly, diversifying your portfolio by investing in physical precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium can add a less volatile asset class with a finite supply, reducing your overall risk.
Precious metals come in different forms such as coins, bullions, and bars from various countries, offering additional diversification opportunities. Some IRAs also allow for the storage of digital currencies like Bitcoin, providing even more diversification opportunities.
A precious metal IRA also offers the ability to invest in other assets like stocks and bonds for generating passive income while preserving the value of your savings. Income generated from these assets may be subject to tax deferments or exemptions, making them an attractive long-term investment option.
In uncertain economic conditions, a precious metal IRA can provide safety and stability. Precious metals have high intrinsic value and demand, making them a reliable investment that can withstand market fluctuations and inflation. Investing even a small portion of your wealth in precious metals can protect the majority of your savings from economic volatility.
Finally, a precious metal IRA offers a level of control not found in other retirement solutions. You can customize your IRA to contain only the assets you prefer, whether that be gold, silver, palladium, platinum, or rare coins and bars. Moreover, every IRA company has a process in place to facilitate the buying and selling of assets within the account.
Although there are limitations in place to prevent tax-related abuses, a precious metal IRA is an attractive option for diversifying your portfolio, generating passive income, and safeguarding your savings from market volatility.

Why Buy Physical Precious Metals?

Several financial experts suggest that mutual funds and stock markets may be at risk of correction and overvaluation, similar to historical incidents in 1929, 1987, 2000, and 2008. In order to balance the market risk, stock market investors must consider investing in precious metals, not just gold stocks, as they are vulnerable to market risks and volatility, which can impact their business risk. During times of financial instability, physical gold has been a top-rated financial asset. Precious metals are an investment class that does not pose liability to anyone else.

The possibility of inflation

To prevent a recession, the U.S. government has utilized an easy monetary policy and increased spending to inflate the economy. Precious metals have historically provided protection against inflation and profit opportunities, as demonstrated by the significant rise in precious metal prices in the 1970s when inflation rates reached double digits.

The 21st century wealth protection

Rising levels of national and international strife, terrorism, war, devaluation of the U.S. Dollar, overvalued stocks, bonds, and real estate markets are legitimate concerns for investors today. These economic events also increase the possibilities of inflation, deflation, recessions, depressions, and even more challenging times in the near future.
For thousands of years, in good and bad times, physical precious metals have offered investors a dependable, long-term, and tangible method of holding wealth. Unlike paper investments such as stocks and bonds, which can be worthless overnight, precious metals investments have genuine intrinsic value. Given the current uncertain environment, it is appropriate to consider investing in precious metals as an alternative strategy.

Top Precious Metals Investment Options

For those looking to diversify their retirement portfolios, a variety of precious metals can be added. These metals hold significant value due to their rarity, usefulness in multiple industries, and ability to store value. Common choices include gold, silver, platinum, and palladium. Read on to learn more about each option.

Gold

Gold is the most renowned and popular metal for investment. For this reason, lots of investors turn to gold individual retirement accounts (gold IRAs). Gold stands out due to its malleability, durability, and its conductivity of heat and electricity. It is predominantly used for crafting jewelry and as a form of currency. It is also crucial in industries such as electronics and dentistry.
Gold has always been considered valuable since its discovery. Investors often choose gold investments over other financial instruments like bonds and stocks. Gold is a go-to choice during periods of political or economic turmoil and as a safeguard against rising inflation.
Various methods exist for investing in gold. Some individuals may purchase physical gold in the form of coins, jewelry, or bars, while others may opt for gold stocks or shares in royalty and mining companies.
Each gold investment option has its pros and cons. Drawbacks may include storage and insurance costs and the potential underperformance of gold stocks. On the flip side, advantages of gold investments may include the ability to monitor prices and the potential to outperform gold stocks and ETFs.

Silver

Following gold, silver is the second most well-known precious metal commodity. Silver is an indispensable industrial metal in fields such as photography, electronics, and electrical manufacturing. Its electrical properties make it crucial for solar panels. Silver is also used in jewelry, coins, bars, and silverware production.
In certain situations, silver's value can exceed gold prices during periods of high investor and industrial demand. However, due to its dual role as an industrial and precious metal, silver's price tends to be more volatile than gold.

Platinum

Gold and silver investments prove to be the most stable ones. But what about platinum? Similar to silver, platinum is predominantly found in the industrial sector. Its properties are vital to the automotive industry, where platinum is used in the production of catalytic converters, reducing vehicle emissions. The computer and petroleum industries also rely on platinum.
Platinum belongs to a group of six platinum-group metals (PGM), which also includes palladium, iridium, rhodium, ruthenium, and osmium. These metals have shared properties and are often found in the same mineral deposits.

Palladium

Although palladium is a rare and valuable metal, it is not as heavily focused on by investors as gold and silver. Consequently, gold IRA companies typically offer limited palladium options in their offerings.
Palladium has applications in industrial products and the electronics market. Additionally, it is used in groundwater treatment, medicine, jewelry, dentistry, and certain chemical processes.

Is Silver or Gold IRA Good for Retirement Investment?

Precious metals such as gold, silver, platinum, and palladium can be stored in a precious metals IRA in various forms such as bullion coins, small bullion bars, and proof coins. These products can be sourced from the United States or from other nations across the globe, as long as they are approved precious metals before storing in precious metal, gold, or silver IRAs.
It's important to note that in the past, the circulation of internationally-minted products was not allowed, limiting investment options to American Gold Eagles and Gold Buffalos, as well as some US-specific bars and coins. However, in 1997, the IRS began allowing coins from other countries to be circulated in US IRAs.
To ensure compliance, it's essential to verify that what you are buying passes IRS standards and is an approved precious metal. For gold, this means the purity must be at 99.95%, while for silver, platinum, and palladium, the purity must be at a near-perfect 99.99% or higher.
Counterfeits are another issue to consider when investing in precious metals. The federal and state governments are cracking down on the circulation of fake coins and bars, but the problem persists. To protect your investment, it's vital to only make purchases through a legitimate and reputable gold IRA company. By taking these precautions, a Silver or Gold IRA can be a sound investment option for retirement.

How Much of Your IRA Should Include Precious Metals?

If you're thinking about storing precious metals in your IRA, it's essential to diversify your investments. Experts suggest you allocate only 5-10% of your IRA to precious physical metals rather than putting all your eggs in one basket.
You shouldn't invest 100% of your IRA in precious metals for a few reasons. Firstly, diversification is vital to protecting your investments and reducing your risk. Secondly, precious metals aren't great at generating income, unlike stocks and bonds that pay dividends.
The only way to profit from precious metals is by selling them, which can be complicated and come with fees. Plus, precious metals aren't always recession-proof, despite what some people may believe.
To protect your investments and hedge against economic downturns, spreading your money across different market sectors is a good idea. By making small, thoughtful investments in different areas, you can build a diverse portfolio that will give you the best chance of success in the long run.

How to Open a Precious Metal IRA

Opening a precious metals IRA can be a bit more complicated than setting up a standard IRA due to several differences. However, that doesn't mean you can't anticipate the process. Here are some steps you can expect when opening a precious metals IRA.

Find a self-directed IRA custodian

Unlike regular IRA companies, none of them is allowed to manage precious metals IRAs. Instead, you'll need to find a self-directed IRA custodian, a bank, an equity trust company, or another IRS-approved institution. Make sure to research and choose a trusted custodian and be aware of any fees they may charge.

Choose a precious metals dealer

Once you have a custodian, you must find a reputable dealer to purchase precious metals. Look for dealers in industry groups like the Industry Council of Tangible Assets, the Professional Numismatists Guild, or the American Numismatics Association. You can also ask your IRA company for recommendations.

Decide what products to buy

The availability and prices of gold and silver coins and bars can fluctuate, so do your research and choose products you're familiar with. Start with standard products like American Gold Eagles or Canadian Maple Leaf coins and gradually move on to rarer and riskier products.

Choose a depository

The precious metals IRA company won't store your purchases, so you must choose an IRS-approved depository facility. Look for one that's close to you and fits your budget. Also, consider choosing segregated-type vault storage for extra security.

Complete the transaction

Once everything is set up, you can complete your purchase. Your custodian, IRA company, and depository service will manage your accounts and assets, but check the value of your orders regularly.

Choosing a Trustworthy Gold IRA Custodian

When you acquire precious metal IRAs, the responsibility of storing these valuable metals falls on you. However, the IRS prohibits gold IRA owners from keeping the metals at home. Your optimal choice is to entrust your assets to a reputable gold IRA custodian.
Custodians are often credit unions, banks, brokerage firms, or other financial organizations that have obtained federal authorization to offer asset custody services. While gold IRA companies may suggest particular custodians, clients are free to select any dependable custodian for their precious metal storage.
Finding the ideal custodian for your gold IRA storage can be daunting. We advise you to carefully evaluate multiple custodians, focusing on their credentials. A trustworthy custodian should possess the necessary licenses, insurance, and registrations to deliver reliable services and safeguard your assets.
Assessing a custodian's reputation can help gauge its dependability. Browsing gold IRA reviews on the BBB website allows you to learn from others' experiences with custodians and gives you an insight into what you might expect.
Similar to conventional IRA options, you will need a broker to invest in a gold IRA. Fortunately, the companies on our list serve as brokers, streamlining the entire process of acquiring precious metal IRAs.

How Do You Make a Withdrawal from a Precious Metals IRA?

When withdrawing from your precious metals IRA, you have two options. The first is In-Kind, which involves physically delivering your precious metals to your address. While this option might entail shipping costs, you can sell your gold on the market at your discretion.
The second option is a purchase by the depository, whereby the storage facility will buy your requested gold withdrawal at a price that closely mirrors the current market value. However, remember that IRA withdrawals are subject to tax laws, and failure to sell within two months can result in tax penalties. That's why consulting with a financial advisor, or lawyer is recommended before deciding on your IRA withdrawals.

Where Are the Precious Metals Inside Your Gold IRA Stored?

The storage of precious metals in a gold IRA account requires particular measures. Personal safes with advanced home security systems are insufficient to store gold investments.
The IRS regulates the storage of physical gold, silver, platinum, or palladium in a Gold IRA. According to the IRS, these precious metals must be in the custody of a trustee, such as a federally insured bank, credit union, savings and loan, or another pre-approved facility. These entities can store the precious metals as a single, shared fund or detail individual assets.
To comply with all relevant accounting, security, reporting, and auditing standards, a trustee that is not a bank must demonstrate to the IRS that it will. A custodian may choose to use a private depository with an endorsement from a commodities exchange.
An acceptable storage entity must have top-tier security measures, including devices that detect sound, movement, and even slight vibrations. High-tech timed locks that automatically relock are additional security measures. In addition, these facilities typically have 24/7 monitoring.
Furthermore, storage facilities must carry substantial insurance policies of up to $1 billion. The storage facilities used by the best Gold IRA companies we recommended come with a top-tier reputation. If a company proposes a dubious storage arrangement, including storing your precious metals, it is a significant red flag.
Any unofficial or unapproved storage facility or arrangement for physical gold storage will result in your gold IRA being disqualified by the IRS. Goldco, Augusta Precious Metals, Birch Gold Group, Noble Gold Investments, and Advantage Gold are among the best Gold IRA companies, each with its storage options.
Storage locations used by the best Gold IRA companies with IRS approval have the security and insurance to protect your precious metal investment. If you have any questions about storage, consult with your Gold IRA representative; ultimately, the decision rests with you.

What Is a Gold IRA Rollover?

The gold IRA rollover is a fundamental concept in the alternative investment process, transferring value from a traditional retirement account to a gold IRA.
You can transfer value from a traditional or Roth IRA without tax penalties. Once you select a gold IRA company, you will complete an application and a transfer request form. Since you will not possess the funds, the rollover is a direct transfer from your existing IRA to your gold IRA account, which may take up to two weeks. Your representative will then assist you in purchasing precious metals.
Gold IRA rollovers are also possible from a 401(k), 403(b), 457(b), or Thrift Savings Plan for federal employees, provided that you no longer work for the entity that provided the account. If you are still employed, you may perform a partial rollover if you meet age requirements.
When a direct transfer is used, the existing custodian will send a check to the gold IRA company to assist in purchasing precious metals. You will receive a check in your name if the transfer is indirect. You must deposit these funds and forward them to your gold IRA company within 60 days.
If you are not yet 59.5 years old and miss the deposit deadline into your precious metals IRA account, you will be subject to a 10% tax penalty for early withdrawal.

Final Thoughts on Gold IRAs

Choosing a gold IRA investment path is a great option to diversify your retirement portfolio and reduce the fluctuation of your assets. By partnering with the best gold IRA company, you can benefit from a seamless setup process, collaborate with a financial advisor who has the required industry knowledge, and select from an extensive range of precious metal coins and bullion.
To find the most suitable gold IRA service for your requirements, we suggest having a consultation with each company and weighing their pros and cons. However, since all the gold IRA providers on our list offer comparable services, you can confidently choose any of them to assist with your gold IRA investment if you're ready to convert your IRA to gold IRA.
If concerns about your retirement fund have been bothering you, a gold IRA investment might be the solution. Explore the companies on our list today to initiate the transfer of funds from your existing retirement account to a more secure gold IRA.

When you dwell in the world of Turkish tv series, as a teenager there is always a desire to feel related and belong to the pretty picture on the tv screen. Well that is exactly what attracts the viewers of teenage years to the screen when it shows adventures of teenagers in the high school that is full of mystery or romance, friendship and wild essence of being young. What better way to attract teens than a pretty girl protagonist and a walking «red flag» handsome main lead man with a potential redemption arc.
Güneşi Beklerken (Waiting for the Sun) is a youth drama Turkish television series signed by D Productions, directed by Altan Dönmez, starring Emre Kınay, Hande Doğandemir, Kerem Bürsin, Yağmur Tanrısevsin, Ismail Ege Şaşmaz and Ozan Osmanpaşaoğlu. The series has 54 episodes and was realeased on July 27, 2014. Demet is an altruistic woman who is both a father and a mother to her daughter Zeynep. However, the modest life that the mother and daughter have established in Gölyazı is turned upside down by the bankruptcy of the shop that Demet runs. Demet, who has fallen into financial difficulties and hides this situation from Zeynep, gets a helping hand from her best friend Jale. Jale is the principal of the Private Sayer College, one of the most prestigious colleges in Istanbul. She makes an offer to Demet and Zeynep that they cannot refuse. The Bunch who is preparing to make a new start in Istanbul is actually nervous. Getting used to Istanbul, where she came by force, will not be easy for Zeynep either. From the very first day at school, they come face to face with the spoiled child Kerem Sayer, who has almost declared his own kingdom. Burning with the fire of revenge, Kerem has already started counting down for his plan to disgrace Zeynep to the entire school.
Küçük Sırlar ( Little Secrets ) is a Turkish teen drama television series aimed at teenagers and based on the American television series «Gossip Girl» ( 2007–2012). A world, sparkling, dazzling and seductive.And the dark side of that world, betrayal, lies and the most dangerous games imaginable.Little Secrets tells the story of the fun yet harsh sides of young people whose glamorous and sparkling lives center on romance and popularity; and it also tells the stories of their families, which are dark, complicated and interwoven with despair and hatred as well as with love in darling and striking manners as never been told before. The series is centered on the lifestyles of young people in a world where appearance is everything and yet nobody is as they seem.Almost all characters in Little Secrets live inside a “display window”. We recognize pretty much all of them from the second page news in newspapers’ magazine supplements. That's why while they seem so far away, they are actually very close. There are no limits to the money they own and the power that comes with it. In such a world of opportunities, it is impossible to hold onto one's love, friends, family and one's own self.
Pis Yedili (Bad Seven) is a youth and comedy Turkish television series signed by Ballpoint Pen Film, which was broadcasted on Show TV between 2011 and 2014. It consists of a total of 3 seasons.Pis Yedili, group of young students, are left exposed because a fire broke out at the high school where they study. Ms. Filiz places them in a private high school. But their classmates don't like them at all and start calling them "slums". Although headmistress Esma Sultan, who strictly maintains the success indexed system of the college, does not want these students to have them out of concern that they will lower the GPA of high school, with the support of Hasan Pasha, the assistant principal with a golden heart, and Ms. Filiz, a whole new life begins in the life of these seven students at their new school
Surely, there is a lot of series that revolve around high school like «Tozluyaka» and «Day Beni» and etc. But what lays under every theme is the dichotomy of innocence and dissonance, the dynamic between poor and rich, love and friendship. Thus very hyperbolized, this is a normal experience for most teens. Should i study or should i go out? Should i date my bully or not(no one ever experineced that one)? How can i be like the cool guys? Where do i even fit? And here comes the pretty picot of this tv series, the dresses, the drama, the beautiful teens..How do you expect teens not to use this type of TV series in order to escape mundane issues of repetitive routine.

Erica Rhodes & Greg Fitzsimmons join the show and hear about Ellen’s latest stand up set where she talks about being ‘kicked out’ of Hollywood. Greg then chats about taking mushrooms and Erica recalls her days playing the cello. Next, Adam shares an unfortunate interaction he once had with Jerry Seinfeld.
Lastly, the gang plays a round of Blah Blah Blog before Chris reports news stories on Seinfeld blaming the death of TV comedy on the extreme left, Taylor Swift courses being taught at colleges, Red Lobster on the verge of bankruptcy, and Kanye West starting an adult entertainment studio.
“I've been sober from alcohol for 7 months.”

I've taken a bit to digest everything before making this post. I'm an earlier EOD subscriber and it hurts me that the company has changed so much. For those who don't know, BSG started Tarkov with the mindset that they don't want heavy microtransactions and were out to change the gaming norm of loading products in the game that take away from player experience. We were all told the All DLC Season Pass aspect of the edition meant that you wouldn't have to spend another dollar on the game if you invested over 100 dollars over the base price of the game to support their development.
Now, all I see is greed compared to that of EA, but what should be your biggest red flag is that the new edition promises all future DLC, just like the old one. Before, they were starting out, had low popularity, and needed to get off the ground and could afford to allow their starting player base to have that unlocked. Now that the game is in the mainstream with countless influencers playing it, this promise is not sustainable.
They have already made this promise once and broken it unapologetically only because of possible legal repercussions. If this continues, the next broken promise DLC that actually harbors legal consequences will be them using bankruptcy and/or a shell company to get out of it. These baby steps are just legal workarounds and we won't get an apology because that assumes fault.
I'm not telling you how to spend your money, but be incredibly careful on how you proceed with Battlestate Games Limited.
EDIT: A video from 2020 for you to think about. Try to ignore the bias and just understand the details instead of the opinions. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_G3p0UED4w