This might not be of much practical use to most of you, but I though it might be interesting to see the experience of an outsider. Especially as I am one of those evil anti-smoking expats that the community at 20min warned you about.
Originally posted here.
EDITED I clarified a few points that came up in the comments. So if a comment looks like they didn't read the text they actually did.
It is now just over 5 years since I (32/male) moved from the UK to Switzerland. There have been many surprises along the way. I moved here with a 1 year temporary contract and had vague plans to work, see the country at weekends, and then move on elsewhere after. During this time I have moved house, moved job, been unemployed for a few months, explored the country, met and worked with Swiss people from various parts of the country and Expats of various backgrounds, oh and gotten married to a Swiss person.
This is not an all out guide (there are plenty of those), more my reflections and a few lessons learned.
I have posted before after 1 year and after 2.5 years.I have also written pretty extensively about travelling here and Switzerland in general – an overview post of all that is here.
---Resources---
I came in knowing practically nothing other than a frantic check of anything I needed to do to avoid being kicked out.

• The book “Living and Working in Switzerland : A Survival Handbook” by David Hampshire, is very useful.
  
• Various dedicated websites with more serious official information sem.admin.ch, and Ch.ch, and to an extent websites like SwissInfo.
  
• Various websites with more unofficial but helpful information. The EnglishForum.ch is a treasure trove of information and experiences. But there are endless other places like Newlyswissed, and Swiss and Chips that vary between useless fluff and very useful info.
  

---Why and how---

• I did a PhD in the UK and as I was finishing it up and looking for a PostDoc I basically just got a job here in a place I had never heard of through chance by a chain of contacts. I had been looking to move abroad but for some reason Switzerland had never occurred to me.
  
• Initially I arrived on a 1 year contract with Firm A, with the strong likelihood of it being extended to 2 years. It ended up as 2.5, by which time I was moved in with my girlfriend and I was set on sticking around. Job hunting was slower than I expected, so before starting on a new position at Firm B I applied to unemployment benefits for what turned out to be just a month (not sure I need to be so secretive really, but why not).
  
• I basically just moved with my laptop and as much clothing as I could fit in a 60L backpack. I didn’t botheforgot to declare anything (not that I brought anything of any value with me).
  
• I got lucky with housing, but that could have been the biggest problem. Initially I had been expecting to stay at a flat rented by the company for a month or two until I found my own place. This got cancelled at the last minute and I found myself trying to find a flat to move straight into. In the end I staying at a hostel for a week and moved into a shared flat found through WGzimmer.ch before the end of the week. There are not many shared flats where you can quickly jump in compared to the UK, and applying for a flat of your own often feels more like applying for a job or dating with the process dragging on for much longer than the “You like it? OK pay the deposit and sign here” method in the UK. Starting early and getting help from your company is certainly advisable there. The only time I ever use my Dr title is on job and housing applications.
  

---Bureaucracy, Rules, and Paperwork---
I had feared this would be a slow and complicated torture, but to date this has all been very quick, easy, and painless. In large part probably because I had a job already, I was an EU citizen, and I had an address lined up quickly. I know it gets more complicated for non-EU citizens.

• Dealing with the local authorities has always been fast, efficient, and friendly. Other than collecting my residency permit every so often when a contract has been renewed I have only had to deal with them very periodically, but any phone call or visit has taken no more than 20 minutes with very little waiting. This might just be because I live in a small city – maybe in Zürich or a tiny village it is different.
  
• I had a slight delay in getting my permit and bank account activated as I waited for the landlord to approve my place as subtenant and give me a contract for proof of address (despite the fact I was already living there). This didn’t create any problems, my firm just gave me an envelope stuffed with bank notes for my first payment.
  
• Setting up a PostFinance bank account was easy (even with a language barrier then). 20 minutes of filling in a form and showing a few documents.
  
• Despite the reputation for rules and order I have not noticed much difference to life in other industrialised western countries. If anything it is more relaxed in many ways. There are some stricter rules like having to use pre-taxed bin bags or minimal noise on a Sunday, but these are mostly reasonable enough. It is nice not hear endless lawn mower engines on a Sunday afternoon. The only rule that seems pointless is having to tie up paper in a perfect bundle for recycling. Maybe if I ever try and build a house or plan an extension the rules will get more complex and painful.
  
• You are supposed to swap your driving licence within a year, or unable to drive in Switzerland and be made to repeat the test again if you want a Swiss licence. I didn’t apply at first given that I never intended to drive here or stay much longer at first. When I did apply after 2.5 years through the standard process (just to see what would happen) I actually did just get given a Swiss licence without being asked to go through the whole testing process.
  
• The mandatory health insurance is easy enough to set up with all the big companies offering English support. I have mostly done the bare minimum I need to do here and have yet to start being truly Swiss and chasing the best deal every year. The cost is painful, but the health care system has always been efficient and effective for me.
  
• Tax was originally paid at the source (as is standard for foreign workers up until you are on a C permit) which made life very easy there, but now being married and treated as a combined legal entity I am paying tax through the standard method.
  
• Going through the marriage process was also easy. Being an EU citizen marrying a Swiss citizen helped. There was some confusion when they asked for a statement from the UK govt saying I was not married as this apparently has not been given out in years, but a quick chat resolved that problem. A British friend who married a non-resident Russian had a much harder time.
  

---Money---

• I make roughly 100k CHF per year. This is more than decent by Swiss standards. Given my education and experience I could get more in another firm/position here, but I am happy with my workplace and would be very reluctant to give up my scenic riverside commute by bike.
  
• Saving money has not been a problem. Even bearing most of the household costs with a studying partner. Not having a car, pets, kids, or eating/drinking out much helps there. My main non-essential expense is the general train pass and food/accommodation costs for weekends around the country.
  
• The high prices take some getting used to at first, but when you work here it isn’t so bad (once you learn to stop converting them back to your native currency). The positive side is that when you leave Switzerland everything is suddenly so cheap.
  

--- The Swiss ---
I like the Swiss.

• I have never had any problems with the Swiss; despite the number of comments I see online bemoaning the fact that whilst Switzerland is a beautiful country it would be terrible to live in as the locals hate foreigners. I have never had a moment of hostility and experience less general rudeness than I would expect back home in the UK (even with language/culture barriers to push the patience).
  
• I am however white, from a north-western European country which doesn’t have many expats in Switzerland, and educated (outside the expense of the Swiss people). So I am probably not going to be the target of much racism or xenophobia.
  
• Whilst not the warmest people in the world there is a certain friendliness, especially in informal situations. Put a Swiss person in the countryside and they will be friends with anyone. In rural restaurants especially sharing a table with strangers and saying hello/goodbye to everyone there as a whole is standard practice.
  
• I am amazed by how relaxed and trusting they can be. Once for example whilst eating outside at a quiet restaurant I asked for the bill and a coffee, the owner left the restaurant wallet on the table with me and went to get the coffee. Likewise I went to a bike shop I had never been in before, said I was interested in quickly testing a 3000 CHF mountain bike and they just handed it over and told me to have fun - no request for ID or anything.
  
• I am also more on the introverted side so a quieter and orderly country is probably more my sort of place than some of the commenters.
  

---Making friends---
My friendship group is a mix of Swiss and other expats. It is easier to integrate with other expats, though I find that the younger generations of Swiss are much more open than the old jokes of knowing a Swiss person from birth or for 40 years to be their friend would suggest.
Moving in with a Swiss man of my age right away made this much easier. I basically got an instant friend and guide to all things Swiss.
---Language---
I have written fairly extensively about Swiss-German before. Though I do like Swiss-German and I much prefer High-German with a Swiss accent to the standard German High-German.

• I had some very basic German in the distance past from school. Then started learning before I arrived. Now I am B2/C1 with German and (very slowly) working towards A2 with French, with the aim of having at least some very basic Italian.
  
• Oddly even living in a German speaking area it can be hard to use it, especially now not being out and about much. My work is in English and it is conducted between workers in German or whatever language most people in the meeting speak (which is typically English), my home life is mostly English as I met my wife when I didn’t speak much German and we got too used to speaking English together.
  
• I didn’t need to get a language certificate (still don’t really). Partly I put it off thinking I would wait until the next level, and partly that the grammar and me are not friends. In the end the updated rules for my canton meant I needed evidence of my language skills to get a C permit rather than just staying on the B. So I have finally taken and passed the TELC B2 exam for German which more than covers everything I need (including citizenship). Long term I am thinking about aiming for certificates for C1 in German, B1 in French, and A2 in Italian – but those would just be to help set goals rather than be requirements.
  
• The Swiss are very patient with language. I got one or two comments from shop workers that I should learn German if I was going to live here at first – but nothing that felt like it had any bad intention or resentment to it. If anything I have a problem getting the Swiss to speak German with me, many of them will switch to English as soon as they get a hint of my accent. I expect that in a touristy area like Interlaken, but it happens everywhere from the butcher to a remote farmhouse restaurant in the Jura. I am never quite sure if they are being polite, want to practise their English, or can't stand the idea of dealing with High-German.
  
• As noted above English is very widely spoken.
  
• If you live in a city and work in an international workplace then knowing the local language isn’t really needed. Once you have a flat and bank account all the interaction you need is self-service machines at the supermarket (and even those you can set to English). Though I certainly don’t recommend doing that.
  
• It is natural to think that everyone here speaks German/French/Italian fluently (and maybe some Romansch), but that is far from the case. Some do have all 3, many are fluent in 2, but very often English is the preferred common language outside of their mother tongue. Likewise the way the language regions tend to have very hard borders without much overlap was a bit surprising at first. I often find that French speakers would rather (or can only) speak English rather than German.
  
• Being in a country with multiple languages will never get boring. Especially somewhere that actually is bilingual like Biel where it isn’t uncommon for a shopkeeper to forget what language they were speaking to you in and switch from German to French.
  

---Surprises---

• Those bastard fancy landscape photos didn’t show the fog did they? From September to February temperature inversion means that much of the low lying middle of Switzerland can be sat in/under a thick fog. How bad this is varies by location; some places barely get any whilst others turn into Silent Hill for weeks on end. Already shorter winter days can be shortened by hours as the light is swallowed. The plus side is that above the fog you get super clear views, but it gets depressing after days of daily life sat inside it.
  
• The country is much livelier than I expected. The stereotype of a grey serious place might have been true decades ago but certainly isn’t now. Especially in summer there are constant music festivals, lively bars, and flotillas of people floating down the rivers in inflatable flamingos. Granted it still isn’t Latin America.
  
• I was not prepared for Swiss-German, my then basic German knowledge didn’t stand a chance. I have been working on this and managed to put together as comprehensive collection of resources as you are likely to find anywhere for Swiss-German.
  
• Sometimes it feels like being back in time. Shops close early (or don’t open at all on Sunday) and at some cinemas they pause the film and have a 10 minute intermission. Things that went away in the UK before I was born.
  
• The Swiss love to shake hands. For me they are something for the first time you meet someone, or maybe for professional acquaintances you see infrequently. Not for everyone in your group of friends at the start and end of the evening. Kids shaking hands with the teacher everyday is still a strange concept to me.
  
• The Swiss see summer as BBQ season in a way that makes the Aussies look like amateurs. I have seen people lighting up fires on tiny balconies in Zürich to BBQ on.
  
• How much there is outside of the Alps. Maybe it was my ignorance before, but I was surprised by how many beautiful spots there are even in the topographically boring parts of the country.
  

---My Swiss Achievements---

• Aromat on the table.
  
• Making a fire in the countryside to roast a cervelat.
  
• Phoned the police to lodge a nose complaint (the Bünzli award). It was 2am on a weekday and the 5th night in a row. I haven’t started to phone the police because my neighbour sneezed too loudly on a Sunday (yet....).
  
• Raclette grill and Fondue caquelon in the kitchen.
  
• Waking up at 3am for the Morgestraich in Basel and tolerating other parts of Fasnacht like bands outside my window at 2am on a Tuesday morning.
  
• Swimming and floating in lakes and rivers during the summer.
  
• Visiting more places in Switzerland than most Swiss people I know. A new country is always more interesting than your own backyard in fairness.
  

---Why I am still here---
I certainly never thought I would be here 5 years later, but I am very happy to still be around.

• It is a beautiful and safe county with nice people, high quality services and infrastructure. Having put in the effort to understand the culture and learnt the language is an incentive too.
  
• I keep finding work. The Swiss level income is a nice bonus, but it really isn’t the thing that is driving me to stay here. I am not very career driven, so long as I have enough money to enjoy myself and find the work interesting enough I am happy.
  
• The thing I would find hardest to give up is the freedom of the landscape. The extent of the paths and smaller roads around the country that are open to anyone is amazing. Making it so easy and carefree to get out and anywhere, especially by foot or bike.
  
• It is much more varied than you would expect. Both in landscape and culture there is plenty of different things to see and take in so there is always something interesting to do.
  
• I also dislike driving, so the extensive public transport system is fantastic.
  
• The self-service machines in Supermarkets are actually used in addition to normal checkouts rather than a replacement. And they actually trust you and don’t weigh your goods and shout at you if anything is 1g out of place. It might sound like a strange point to be so happy about, but compared to the UK shopping experience these days it is so nice.
  

---What I dislike---
Not much.

• Less smokers and more Australian like rules on smoking would be very nice (eg: no smoking in areas where people are eating, including outdoors). It would be nice to sit down on a terrace at a restaurant and not worry if a chain smoker is going to sit down at the table next to you.
  
• I still have problems quickly picking the right coin out of a pile of change. Why half of them have to be so similar is beyond me, especially when the notes are so vivid and clear.
  
• More exotic food and longer shop opening times would be nice (seeing the supermarkets closed at 18:30 was a hell of a shock at first) but I have gotten used to that. I don’t demand 24 hour shopping, but until 20:00 would be fantastic.
  
• Jobs are mostly advertised without a salary, which you then discuss in the interview. For me at least this is rather awkward.
  

---Regrets---

• Not getting a language certificate earlier.
  
• Not joining a social club. I have looked but nothing has taken my fancy.
  

---Changes with time---

• I have gotten too used to the landscape. I still admire the view from the train window, but it is never as special or exciting as during the first few months.
  
• My town has seen a dramatic increase in English speakers. Mostly due to the growth/arrival of a few big MedTech firms.
  
• E-bikes are increasingly everywhere. I had never seen one before I arrived and was surprised to see them all over town back in 2015. Now they are all over the countryside too with mountain E-bikes being very common in places that were previously only the domain of the most hardcore riders.
  
• The climate seems to be getting warmer and drier every year. The amount of snow in the flat land isn’t that different to the UK these days.
  
• The amount of rubbish and anti-social noise (especially blue-tooth speakers) seems to be getting worse. People seem especially unable to bother carrying their empty cans and disposable BBQ with them from the riverside during summer. The increasing number of people (not even just teenagers) who need an absurdly loud speaker at all times is sad, thankfully it isn’t common in the countryside (yet).
  

Table of contents:

• General Information about Nexo
• Buybacks
• Licenses and regulations
• Interest / Earning with your Crypto assets
• Dividend
• Competitors
• Frequently asked questions
• Important information

General Information about Nexo

What is Nexo?

Nexo delivers the The World’s First Instant Crypto-backed Loans, thus resolving a crucial inefficiency for the crypto world. Up to this very moment, no alternatives existed for digital asset owners to enjoy their crypto wealth except selling them. The innovative model of Nexo brings to the crypto community the best of both worlds - retaining 100% ownership of their digital assets while having immediate access to cash.

What are Instant Crypto-backed Loans?

The Instant Crypto-backed Loans are an automatic, flexible and cost-efficient way of obtaining liquidity that is secured by the value of the client’s digital assets. The whole process is completed in just a few simple clicks. No hidden fees, no capital gains taxes, no credit checks. Transparency is guaranteed through the use of blockchain technology, smart contracts and algorithmic processes executed by the Nexo Oracle.

Notes for US (United States) Customers

• You will not be able to exchange NEXO within the upcoming exchange. This is NOT due to Nexo, but because of the SEC.
• You can receive dividends, but paid in BTC not Nexo (Unless you're an accredited investor, then you can be paid in Nexo).
• It's pretty complicated to purchase Nexo (right now) for US customers.
• You can not receive the additional 2% bonus if choosing to get paid interest in Nexo.

How can I buy NEXO?

Currently, until the Exchange comes out, you will have to use a third-party platform to purchase NEXO. You can use the following:

• Changelly (Via the Nexo app, click on the banner on the homepage, at the top) [Note, very high fees/interest rate, but easy to use]
• Huobi.com (Not available for US customers) Send USDT, BTC, ETH to your Huobi wallet, trade it for Nexo. If you complete KYC you get a $10 fee deduction on trades.
• Uniswap. You have to buy ETH first somewhere and then swap it to Nexo. Good solution for 4 figure exchanges and under, above that, there is too little liquidity.
• Buy BNB from Binance, use Binance DEX to convert BNB to Nexo.
• Bitmart.com exchange.
• Hotbit.io exchange (very low liquidity)
• ChangeNow.io - Swap to NEXO

How is Nexo connected to Credissimo?

Nexo is powered by Credissimo, a leading FinTech Group serving millions of people across Europe for over 10 years. Credissimo has always operated under the highest regulatory requirements and strictest supervision by multiple European Banking and Financial Services Regulators. Now the same Team and its Board of Advisors, empowered by the ever-growing community of Nexo supporters and the enormous demand for the Instant Crypto-backed Loans, are unlocking the value of the digital assets in a rapidly expanding token economy that will alter the very fabric of a $5 trillion dollar market.

Who are the Nexo Founders?

Nexo was founded by the Credissimo team who have been in business for over 10+ years and awarded as one of the top 100 Financial Tech companies in Europe.

What happens when NEXO doesn't have enough cash to loan out?

They can't loan out without raising money, of course. So either they have to loan themselves with better terms, raise money through other means, or steadily process the loans facing a supply drought and customer loss. I could imagine that it would be technically legal for a certain % of the collateral to be sold, just like banks are not required to keep 100% of their customers cash in liquid form, but I have quite frankly no clue how this applies to nexo and crypto assets.

What happens to the deposited BTC/ETH if NEXO fails? Who holds the private keys to them coins?

Since nexo is properly registered in the EU, and given the EU's tendency to protect customers rather than company's, Id honestly assume we would have a novelty court case over this issue, with the expected result that the collateral has to be given back out, if it is still available. But as it often happens in crypto, if the coins are sold illegally its hard to reverse that kind of damage, and its even more tough to access them if they were sent to another wallet. I do not really think that there is a reasonable possibility of this happening without nexo deliberately destroying their business/turning criminal, because of the nature of this business and the contracts, and I would assume that not turning criminal is a much, much more profitable strategy in the long run, because nexo is well positioned to assume dominance in this market for what we know so far.

What happens if people fail to pay back the money, but at the same time the deposited BTC/ETH loose value and are not able to cover the loan amount any more? (With people then realising their collateral is valued at less then the money they have to pay back, thus being incentivised towards defaulting rather than paying back to get their crypto.)

If the collateral does not cover the loan due to falling prices, the loan agreement as far as I know will be automatically terminated, with the collateral held in the nexo account. The customer must either default through the prices not covering the loan amount, or with failure of payback itself, its not really possible that both the customer fails to pay back the money AND the collateral declines in value below the worth of the loan unless the market crashes so spectacularly that the collateral cannot be automatically sold. However the outcome is technically the same, nexo itself does not lose money if the client defaults (unless prices crash faster than nexo is able to sell, or the volume is gone, et cetera., which I think at this point is relatively unreasonable to assume.), and I think the "take a loan -> buy more crypto -> take more loans" scenario is incredibly unreasonable given that you can easily margin-trade with much higher leverage and less trouble than what nexo could loan out to you, so I dont assume loans are being taken for actual crypto investments, I rather think people believe in the collateral assuming value and see it as a locked up investment with extra short term utility

How is NEXO profitable?

Lending is the most profitable crypto market segment. Businesses are now parking their idle cash with crypto lenders. This trickle will soon become a flood. Nexo is arguably the most profitable lender. NEXO made ~$20 mill profit last year, paying a $6mill dividend.

Is Nexo trustworthy?

Considering that the founders of Nexo are some of the same people behind Credissimo an established successful award winning FinTech Group founded in 2007 which is still around gives gives me reassurance that my coins are somewhat safe. At the end of the day we're all taking a risk here. I'd be very surprised if Nexo just runs off with all our money in the process tainting all the work they've put in from Credissimo to here. It is poor that they haven't done much to reassure us that our crypto/money is as secure as they say but they have a track record that seems to speak for itself. Not many other defi platforms can do the same and we are seeing that almost every second day with the hacks occurring in the ecosystem.
There are actual people behind this thing that we can hold accountable. People who have Forbes articles written about them. People who have been on the news. I'm not saying it's still not possible for a security breach but again their track record seems to speak for itself.

What happens to my assets if NEXO goes under?

In the unlikely event that Nexo goes under, yes, your money is gone. There is no insurance in the world that covers something like that I'm afraid. It's the same for Cel, CDC, or any wallet provider.. remember, not your keys not your crypto. There is always a risk.

How can NEXO afford such high interest rates?

Simple, they borrow your money for ~8% and they lend it out for ~11.9% (no loyalty, this used to be 24.9% but I guess they changed it because it made them look like loan-sharks).
The concept behind Nexo is to make Crypto as liquid as possible for clients. Instead of selling crypto you can temporarily supplement it for a small loan.
Their average loan is well above the 5.9% minimum and more people are using the service to borrow rather than lend.
They are profitable, but don't expect the stablecoin interest to remain at 8%-12% long term, it's to attract new customers! Just like Crypto.com did.
One thing to note, the business model is SOLID, but only in a stable or bullish market. If for some reason Crypto market tanks, then it'll be an issue.

What happens if the market crashes?

The Loan-to-Value (i.e. ~50% for BTC and ETH) is dynamically determined by the Nexo Oracle algorithms, depending on the current and historical volatility and market liquidity of the asset. If the assets decrease significantly in value and you do not contribute additional assets to your Nexo Wallet after receiving a warning from the Nexo Oracle, Nexo may initiate small liquidations to cover any insufficiency.

Buybacks

Nexo announced a Buyback, has it been done, how can I track it?

The buyback has started, it seems like they are doing the buyback bit by bit instead of the full amount all at once. They purchase these tokens from the open market, where there is liquidity (Huobi for instance). You can check how many tokens have been bought back so far here: https://etherscan.io/address/0x1C433CBF4777e1f0dCe0374d79aaa8ecDC76B497#tokentxns

License and Regulations

Is NEXO compliant with the SEC?

Yes: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1732097/000173209718000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml

Could SEC investigate NEXO the same way they did with Ripple (XRP)?

Nexo is registered and compliant with the SEC when they did their ICO (Initial Coin Offering), there is nothing to worry about.

What is NEXO's insurance?

Nexo use BitGo (https://www.bitgo.com/) as their cold storage provider. This includes a $100m policy that covers third-party hacks, theft, loss of keys, etc.
The safety of clients funds is the main priority for Nexo. Cold storage Wallets are provided by BitGo, the leader in digital asset financial services. BitGo Custody carries $100,000,000.00 in insurance protections through a syndicate of underwriters through the Lloyd's, the world’s specialist insurance and reinsurance market. And this premium service comes in at no additional cost (details can be found here and here).
The $100 million policy covers digital assets where the private keys are held 100% by BitGo in the event of:

• Third-party hacks, copying, or theft of private keys
• Insider theft or dishonest acts by BitGo employees or executives
• Loss of keys

Nexo has chosen BitGo as its custodian because BitGo provides 100% cold storage technology in bank-grade Class III vaults and the BitGo platform is SOC 2 Type 2 certified. Advanced authentication mechanisms are employed to ensure the authenticity of data, and assets are distributed geographically and organisationally.
It is the account holders’ responsibility to safeguard their accounts by means including but not limited to using a strong password, enabling two-factor authentication and controlling all login credentials to Nexo. Clients remain owners of the crypto assets placed into Nexo accounts.

Why is their insurance only for $100m if they have $4B+ in assets under management (AUM)?

They don't keep the all of their assets in the one wallet.
Their custodian, BitGo, keeps funds in many smaller wallets - the likelihood of all those wallets being hacked at the same time is something approaching zero.

Is there details on Nexo's bank license?

Not yet, Nexo is not a bank yet, but it's possibly coming soon, as they just switched banks to IBS Lithuania UAB. (Not announced but since Lithuania gave Revolut a bank license it's very possible!)

What does an ISO/IEC 27001 certificate mean?

Nexo’s information security management system (ISMS) has been successfully audited by CISQ, a member of IQNet and the world’s largest provider of management system certification, and by RINA, who have decades of experience in certifications, ensuing in an ISO/IEC 27001 compliance certificate. This guarantees that Nexo's security infrastructure is of the highest standard and carries minimal risk to clients and investors thanks to rigorous security policies, impeccable risk assessment, data protection, and state-of-the-art cybersecurity.
Nexo’s ISO/IEC 27001 certificate was issued to it's Estonian entity, the subject of this certification is Nexo’s information security management system, rather than a specific registered entity. As such, it is irrelevant which Nexo entity the certificate was granted to.
Please also note that information provided on www.nexo.io is valid for all Nexo services and operations, as the aggregate of companies within the Nexo group. These include entities registered across the globe, all of which are fully compliant with local regulations.

Licenses and links

License: https://www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org/EntityDetails.aspx/COMPANY/1898755
License: https://mtr.mkm.ee/juriidiline_isik/236278/valjavoteEdit?tulemus=Tegevusluba
SEC: https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgadata/1732097/000173209718000004/xslFormDX01/primary_doc.xml
Estonia's Business Register: https://www.teatmik.ee/en/personlegal/14520507-Nexo-Services-O%C3%9C
Estonia Approval (Allows operations to all non-estonians): https://www.fi.ee/sites/default/files/2019-03/20190304%20Hoiatusteade%20Nexo.pdf

Interest / Earning with your Crypto assets

I transferred my assets yesterday and have not gotten any interest yet???

You get your first interest payout the day AFTER you deposit. This is normal, to avoid people cheating the system.

I am not getting my 10% interest!

It may not be clearly explained within the app, but in order to get the full potential for rates, you need to max your loyalty level as well as get paid in Nexo. Depending on how much NEXO is part of your portfolio, your loyalty level changes, so to achieve Platinum, you must have at least 10% of your crypto portolfio in NEXO. The bonuses for each level are as follows:

• Base = 5%* on Crypto, 8% on Fiat/Stablecoins
  
• Silver (1-5%) = 5.25% on Crypto, 8.25% on Fiat/Stablecoins
  
• Gold (5-10%) = 5.5% on Crypto, 9% on Fiat/Stablecoins
  
• Platinum (>10%) = 6% on Crypto, 10% on Fiat/Stablecoins
  

Crypto = BTC, Etherium, etc.
Stablecoins = USDC, Tether, etc. Fiat = Euro, GBP.
They get converted to their equivalent stable coin after depositing!
All % are PER YEAR NOT DAILY OR MONTHLY.
Remember, you get paid extra if you decide to receive interest in NEXO and not in-kind (same asset, so BTC to BTC for instance). This bonus is not available for US customers.

Example of interest earned:

Assuming you have 1 BTC in your Savings Wallet on NEXO, you would accumulate 5% per year if you do not hold any Nexo as well. 6% if you hold 10% worth of a BTC as Nexo in your account.
And additionally 2% more if you choose to receive the interest in Nexo and not BTC, so then it would be 7 or 8%, but this is not available for US customers.

I am not getting my 7% every day?!!!

Just like pretty much everything in this world, interest is shown PER YEAR. This means, you get 7% per year, not per day. ANY company, regardless if it's crypto or not, that tells you you can even make 1% back per day, is a ponzi / scam (unsustainable business).

How do I calculate what I should get % per day?

Simplified, and not 100% accurate, but very close, you should take the spot price of the asset at the moment of daily payout, multiply it by your loyalty / bonus level, and divide it by 365.
A more advanced, accurate calculation would be as follows (thanks to masashi_t):
Example: BTC interest is 6% in-kind and 8% in NEXO.
If you choose to earn in-kind, take into account of compounding interest, it would give you [(1+0.06)1/365-1]*100 = 0.0159% per day, or 6% APY
If you want to earn in NEXO instead, you will get (0.08/365)*100 = 0.022% per day, or 8% APR.
BTC and NEXO are both appreciating assets, you are free to pick which one you think will give you a better return in the future.

Small note regarding compounding interest:

The daily interest rate you receive for the like-kind reward already takes into account the fact it compounds to end with the stated annual interest rate. The interest rate you see for like-kind reward only is achieved if you keep it for 365 days. If you keep it for a lesser time, you actually get a lower interest rate.
I am not sure why this isn't mentioned in the app, as far as I know.

I am not getting back interest on my NEXO assets?

You do not get interest on NEXO token assets you hold in NEXO. Instead, you get dividends. Nexo give out 30% of their profits back to their customers that hold nexo tokens. Read this article for more information.

Do my assets on Nexo get locked-up / stake period?

NO! Unlike, CDC Crypto.com, you do not need to lock in your assets with Nexo, you can withdraw them at any time.

Do I get interest on my collateral?

Any assets in your Credit wallet do not get any interest, so you can not borrow 0.5BTC with 1BTC as collateral and make interest on the 1BTC at the same time. The only asset that "technically" makes % while being in the Credit wallet is Nexo tokens, where you get dividends regardless of which wallet the tokens are in.

Dividend

What is a dividend?

To "reward" loyal customers who support the project and Nexo token itself, Nexo have decided to do (yearly*) dividends, this means they give 30% of the benefits (profits) the company earned since the last dividend back to the nexo holders. Based on how many tokens you have and knowing there is currently a fixed supply of 560 millions tokens you can calculate what % you should get. Furthermore, they have an extra "bonus" for those who have held onto the tokens for a long time. This bonus is small, but it helps differentiate those who are holders and those who purchase nexo tokens before a dividend to cash in. Read the question below about frequency.

How regular are dividends, when is the next one?

So far, dividends have been yearly, in August. There have been mentions from Nexo that they'd like to do it more regularly. As any business/stock that do dividends, the price of the token/stock decreases drastically after dividend payout. Do not be alarmed.

Do US customers get dividends?

Yes, but paid out in BTC. EDIT: Apparently, you can receive it in NEXO as well, but you must be an accredited investor. Read this

Do I need to verify/kyc to receive dividend for my NEXO tokens?

Yes, advanced verification is necessary.

Where do I need to hold NEXO Tokens, in order to receive dividends?

NEXO Tokens must be held/staked in your Nexo account (doesn't matter if it's in the Credit or Savings Wallet) at the ex-dividend date. The ex-dividend date will be communicated in advance.

Competitors

CELSIUS vs NEXO

Summarized: Celsius do a much better job at engaging with their customers, and their token CEL has performed better than NEXO, however, NEXO appears much more professional (imo of course), by taking things slowly but surely. Everything works perfectly, everything is tested, no downtimes, no trash-talking by the employees. CEL at this point seems like a cult, Nexo seems like a business.

Why is CEL so high compared to NEXO?

Visibility, marketing? Various reasons. IMO looking at their trading volume, its VERY low. If even a small-sized whale decided to sell their bags, it would crash. Basically, it's artificially inflated due to low liquidity.
Also keep in mind, Coinmarketcap and Coingecko show incorrect Market Cap data for Celsius. You can see the real value by visiting the Celsius website. It will crash soon, and hard. Again, my opinion.

Frequently asked questions:

Are there any airdrops/giveaways/freebies?

No. There are currently no giveaways. If you get contacted via Facebook, Twitter, Telegram or anywhere else, it's a scam. The only "giveaway" that is currently running is the fact that you can win 100k Nexo tokens for voting for which coin should be added next to the platform (You can do this via the app, on the home screen, scroll the top banners to the right until you find the one about voting.)

When will the Card (Crypto Credit Card) be released?

There are no official announcements yet, but all we know that is it currently in a private beta. A select few European (non UK) customers have been given cards to test the upcoming platform.

When will the Exchange be released (Buying and selling crypto within the Nexo app/webapp)?

Just like the card, there is no official news yet. All we know that there are a select few IOS users who have been given early access to test the functionality of this exchange. Currently, users are reporting a 1.5%~ spread on the exchange, which is quite high.

How long does Verification/KYC take?

Generally, it takes about 2 business days, although lately with the increase of users signing up it can take a big longer. If you don't hear back after a week I'd suggest contacting their support.

Support is not answering my emails?

One tip is to go on their website, open the live chat and type in "speak with human" "talk to agent" "human" to get transferred to a real person.

Are deposits and withdrawals free?

Yes, withdrawals are completely free, although deposits depend on which exchange you use to send your assets to Nexo with.

Difference between CREDIT and SAVINGS wallets

You must take into account that you have TWO wallets per asset within the Nexo platform. One for SAVINGS, which will give you interest on any assets you hold in it, and one for CREDIT which is basically your collateral, which you use for taking out crypto-backed loans.

Will Brexit affect UK customers?

There is no official information so far.

Does NEXO have a bonus/referral system?

No, you can not get $ or bonus for referring other users right now. The only thing you can do is share a link to the CARD page, to increase your position in the waiting list.

When are payouts made?

Usually around 12:00AM UTC, daily!

What coins are accepted as collateral?

BTC, ETH, XRP, LTC, XLM, BCH, EOS, LINK, TRX, stablecoins, PAXG, NEXO and BNB. More information

What is Collateral?

Collateral is crypto assets you would put up for a loan (if you don't repay they will sell it to cover the default). You do not earn interest on crypto that you use as collateral. If you are not borrowing from Nexo then your funds are held in a "savings wallet" where it can earn interest until it is either moved off the platform or used as collateral on a loan.
Nexo tokens do not earn interest the same way as other tokens, but do provide dividends from the profits of the company.

What are the loan-to-value (LTV) rates?

A Loan-to-Value (LTV) ratio is an indicator representing the size of a loan compared to the value of the assets securing the loan.
The Loan-to-Value percentages of each asset are dynamically determined by the Nexo blockchain oracle algorithms, depending on the current and historical volatility and market liquidity of the asset.
More info

How many confirmations does my transfer need?

• BTC deposit require a minimum of 6 confirmations
• All ERC20 deposits (ETH, PAXG, NEXO, USDT, TUSD, USDC, PAX, DAI) require 50 confirmations
• LINK deposits require 40 confirmations
• XRP (Ripple), XLM (Stellar), BNB, NEXO BEP2 and EOS - near-instant
• BCH deposit requires 16 confirmations
• LTC deposit requires 6 confirmations
• TRX (Tron) deposit requires 20 confirmations

How can I find a list of important announcements, information?

https://support.nexo.io/hc/en-us/sections/360002501674-News-and-Updates-2020
On the sidebar, you can go back to 2018.

When will NEXO be listed on Coinbase?

It's very unlikely, because they are considered competitors. Furthermore, Nexo token is very clearly a security, based of the dividend payments and now the buyback program, these big exchanges aren't licensed to deal in securities, hence they will not list Nexo.

Will the (possible) upcoming bill regarding regulating self-hosted assets affect US NEXO customers?

No, Nexo is not self hosted. BitGo is their custodian.

How often does NEXO add new coins?

Not regularly at all.

Can NEXO be mined?

There is a fixed circulating supply of Nexo, the remainder the Team have said are locked until TBA.
So there isn't a dilution, as there are no new Nexo created - the dividend paid in Nexo needs to be bought from existing circulating supply by the company in order to be paid to holders.

Important information

NEXO's Roadmap?

• Banking license: Nexo is trying to either acquire a company or get their own banking license (like Revolut and Monzo) so they have more flexibility in their operations. It would be a huge step for a crypto company to get this and shows their ambition
  
• Credit Card: This will be similar to CDC and they'll offer generous cash back incentives of 2% when you get your credit card.
  
• Referral Scheme: Currently Nexo has done this massive growth without incentivised referrals, and when they turn this tap the company can likely see a lot of users pouring in for their great savings rates and crypto credit lines. But take a moment to think.. who do you trust more, a company that acquirers users based on their services/product, or a company that gives out bonuses to those who promote/spam their product..
  
• Exchanges and more Coins: The ability to exchange crypto within the eco system will go a long way to keeping users within the system. The plan is to let users buy and stake virtually any legitimate crypto asset.
  

And with this massive roadmap, the core principle they started with by sharing back with the community, they keep everyone's incentives aligned.

Where can I view statistics and information about Nexo?

https://nexologist.com/
https://nexostatistics.com/
https://www.hodlfire.com/go/hf-sheet/

How can I compare the earn rate of Nexo vs BlockFi/Cel/CDC/...?

https://blockscompare.com/

Important reads:

Liquidations: https://medium.com/nexo/why-liquidations-are-needed-and-how-they-protect-us-all-9d426ac70dc2
AMA from the Co-founder Antoni Trenchev: https://youtu.be/LBTrd8C5n1c
Nexo Help Center: https://support.nexo.io/hc/en-us/categories/360000766354-Nexo-Help-Center
Whitepaper: https://nexo.io/assets/downloads/Nexo-Whitepaper.pdf

Telegram Communities

Official Telegram
NEXOnians
NEXOnews
NEXOstatistics

Small thanks?

Took me quite a while to gather and write all of these if something is missing please let me know! Feel free to get me a beer if you'd like :)
(NEXO): 0xa6a87d29c362d63df60cf7667cacdfe411ee30e0

The Ottoman rework has been teased for a long time so I know you’ll be happy to hear it is finally here and ready for you to enjoy! Not only that, but the National France rework comes with it two, along with several other new focus trees. We’ve also spent time working on other changes, such as letting you recall volunteers, along with many bug fixes and performance improvements. We hope you enjoy the changes and have fun playing Kaiserreich!
Note: As always this patch isn’t save-game compatible. If you would like to continue your game please use the manual download found here:
- The KR4 team
Changes
Notable Additions

• Completely reworked the Commune of France’s generals, admirals, and military ministers
• Russia’s foreign policy has been overhauled to accompany the changes to the Middle East and the Caucasus
• Added “Recall Volunteers” button
• Expeditionary Forces no longer count towards the division limit

New Focus Trees

• Syria
• Iraq
• Hejaz
• Georgia
• Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem
• Suez International Zone
• Cyrenaica

Reworked/Expanded Focus Trees

• Ottoman Empire
• Egypt
• Tripolitania
• Jabal Shammar
• National France

Tweaked Focus Trees

• Russia
• Russian Socialist Republic
• Romania
• Ireland
• Portugal
• Oman
• Yemen
• Germany

New Events

• Romania
• National France
• Syria
• Iraq
• Hejaz
• Georgia
• Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem
• Tripolitania
• Ottoman Empire
• Egypt
• Cyrenaica
• Jabal Shammar
• Ikhwan

Tweaked Events

• Russia
• Commune of France

New Decisions

• Ireland
• Romania
• National France
• Portugal
• Syria
• Iraq
• Hejaz
• Ottoman Empire
• Egypt
• Cyrenaica
• Jabal Shammar

Tweaked Decisions

• Commune of France
• Russia

New Custom Country Paths

• Ottoman Empire
• National France
• Egypt

GFX

• New focus icons for Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Colombia, Germany, Mittelafrika, Peru, the Union of Britain and Venezuela
• New flags for Alash Orda, the Commune of France, Illyria, National France, the Ottoman Empire and Ulster
• Adjusted the Africa loading screen to match the new situation
• New or updated portraits for:
  • Afghanistan: Amanullah Khan
  • Armenia: Berç Kerestecıyan, Hamazasp Babadzhanian
  • Assyria: Agha Petros, Dawid d’Mar Shimun, Shimun XXI Eshai
  • Austria: Alfred Jansa, Alfred Klahr, Eduard Barger, Erhard Raus, Franz Böhme, Franz Dinghofer, Friedrich Adler, Friedrich Materna, Georg von Trapp, Heinrich Pergler von Perglas, Julius Ringel, Karl Eglseer, Karl Renner, Lothar Rendulic, Ludwig von Eimannsberger, Pierre Ramus, Sigismund Schilhawsky, Wilhelm Miklas, Wilhelm Zehner
  • Belgium: Adelbert I, Georges Timmermans, Jean Baptiste Piron, Maximilien de Neve de Roden, Victor Billet, Victor van Strydonck de Burkel
  • Britain: Anthony Pugsley, Ebeneezer Edwards, John MacCormick, John Strachey, Robert Oliver
  • Bulgaria: Ivan Variklechkov, Kimon Georgiev, Konstantin Bekyarov, Konstantin Lukash, Nikola Hadzhipetov, Nikola Nakov, Sava Ivanov, Teodosi Daskalov
  • Cameroon: Karl Atangana
  • Cyprus: Leontios II
  • Cyrenaica: az-Zubayr bin Ahmad as-Sharif
  • Don-Kuban: Andrey Shkuro
  • Egypt: Abbas II
  • France: André Lemonnier, André Marty, Charles Delestraint, Charles Luizet, Diego Brosset, Ernest Petit, Gaston BIllotte, Georges Blanchard, Georges Catroux, Henri Tanguy, Jacques Sadoul, Joseph Putz, Louis Buisson, Marcel Gensoul, Marie-Pierre Koenig, Philippe Auboyneau, Raoul Castex, Raoul Magrin Vernerey, René Olry
  • Georgia: Ekvtime Takaishvili, Evgeni Gegechkori, Giorgi Bagration, Kakutsa Cholokashvili
  • Greece: Pangalis Tsaldaris
  • Hejaz: Abdullah bin al-Hussein, Abdul Qadir Pasha el-Jundi, Ghazi bin Faisal al-Hashmid
  • Hungary: Árpád Szakasits, Béla Kun, István Bethlen, Oszkár Jászi
  • Ireland: Frank MacDermot, Seán Murray
  • Ikhwan: Nidā ibn Nuhair, Sultan ibn Humaid ibn Bijad, Zaidan ibn Hithlain
  • Jabal Shammar: Abdallah ibn Mitab ibn Abd al-Aziz, Muhammad ibn Talil, Saud al-Subhan
  • Lebanon: Bechara el Khoury, Emile Edde, Emile Boustany, Farajallah el-Helou, Fuad Chehab, Pierre Gemayel, Saeb Salam, Youssef Chmeit
  • Lithuania: Augustinas Voldemaras, Mikas Reklaitis
  • Mutasarrifate of Jerusalem: Esat Sagay, Raghib al-Nashashibi
  • Najd: Saud bin Abuldaziz al-Saud
  • National France: Aimé Doumenc, André Mallarmé, Aubert Frère, Camille Chautemps, Edouard Daladier, Eugène Deloncle, François Darlan, François de la Rocque, Henri Mordacq, George Groussard, Georges Thierry d’Argenlieu, Henri Roger Marie Meric de Bellefon, Jean Decoux, Jean-Marie Charles Abrial, Jean Touzet du Vigier, Louis Franchet d’Esperey, Louis Marin, Louis Napoléon Bonaparte, Marcel Descour, Maurice Grisot, Philippe Leclerc, Pierre Boyer, Pierre Étienne Flandin, Pierre Lelong,
  • Ottoman Empire: Asim Gunduz, Cahit Toydemir, Fahrettin, Hayrullah Fisek, Kazim Orbay, Mehmet Ali Ülgen, Mehmet Hayri Tarhan, Kazim Karabekir, Fevzi Çakmak, Mustafa Kemal, Mustafa Muglali, Nafiz Gurman, Hüseyin Rauf Orbay, Mahmud Muhtar Katırcıoğlu, Nihat Anılmış, Nuri Yamut, Ömer Fahrettin, Osman Fuad, Sukru Okran, Tahsin Yazici
  • Poland: Konstanty Rokossowski, Mikolaj Boltuc
  • Romania: Nicolae I
  • Serbia: Zivko Topalovic
  • Siam: Luang Karjsongkhram, Luang Kriengsakpichit, Phraya Wichitjakkrit, Seni Pramoj, Sindhu Kamolnavin
  • Sweden: Ernst Linder
  • Syria: Adi bin Hassan, Akram Hourani, Aziz Ali al-Misri, Hashim al-Atassi, Husni al-Zaim, Khalid Bakdash, Muhammad Abdel Moneim, Rushdi al-Kikhiya, Said al-Jazairi
  • Tripolitania: Ahmad Faqih Hasan, Bashir Saadawi, Salim Bey al-Muntasir
  • Trucial States: Hamad Bin Isa Al-Khalifa, Shakhbut bin Sultan Al Nahyan, Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
  • West Indies: Eustace Fiennes
  • Yunnan: Lu Han

Music Mod

• Added Ottoman songs: Resadiye Marsi, Ottoman March, Izmir March, and March of the Ottoman Expedition
• Added Indonesian song: Rayuan Pulau Kelapa
• Added Polish song: Marsz Obozowy
• Added Mongolian Song: Chingges Khaanii Magtaa
• Added German Song: Komm Zurück! There’s also a new version of Das Gibt Nur Einmal (It’s the same recording, just with less background noise)
• By request of the French Team, the French music list has been reworked. The new songs are: Ça ira mieux demain, Ce que c'est qu'un drapeau, Cocorico, Debout la France, Hymne de L'Infanterie de Marine, Ils ne la gagneront pas, Ils Reviendront, La France de demain, La Galette, La Royale, Le Chant des Girondins, Le Cuirassier, Le Rêve Passe, Marche des Tirailleurs, Nous autres de la chasse (Us of the Hunt)", La Renouveau, Rhin et Danube,Semons le Grain de la Lumière and a new version of La Marche Lorraine. French songs that have been removed: Partant pour la Syrie (main theme, will be re-added later), Au 31 du mois d'août, Maréchal Nous Voilà, La Victoire est à nous, Aida Triumphal March, La Grenadière, Primer Imperio Francés, Veillons au salut de l'Empire

Mapping

• Ningbo is now a city
• Added Poti and moved Batumi to Trabzon
• Made the Trans-Saharan railway a special crossing
• Split Wales into North and South Wales
• Merged the Barotseland states
• Strategic region updates for Britain and the Congo
• Ifni is now a separate state from Rio de Oro
• Added new border states in Panama and Costa Rica
• Restored the correct borders of Burkina Faso
• Removed Lake Volta, as it doesn’t exist in 1936
• Split Flanders into Antwerp and Flanders
• Split Wallonia into Hainaut and Liège
• Curaçao and Qatar now have ports
• Chinese provinces are now displayed on the state screen

Miscellaneous

• Added a British Exile trait for CAN generals and admirals, showing which leaders will return to GBR when it is formed
• Added coalitions for Uruguay, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Panama
• If Shanqing forms Qing, they can integrate parts of China
• The Manchu Coup is no longer really democratic, and ends elections after 1945
• Japan can no longer annex China for a smaller cost
• Legation Cities now keep their current government when puppeted
• Legation Cities can request allied Chinese concessions
• MacArthur can now secure all of Texas and Oklahoma before the Civil War starts
• Tennessee and North Carolina are now more likely to stay with MacArthur.
• Added a way for Austria to bribe Bulgaria with Macedonia for an alliance if DAB exists after annexing Serbia.
• Added the ability for Austria to give core Serbia to Illyria (it cannot core it).
• Delayed Austria's entry into the WK - they’ll only do it if they’ve chosen their reform path and done the focus, and if Germany has lost Bavaria or has over 30% surrender progress.
• If Canada is invaded by anyone other than America or one of its allies, a non-socialist America will join the war in favor of Canada.
• Anqing and Nanjing Clique Yiguandao/KMT decisions have been improved and cleaned up.
• Rocket artillery and motorized rocket artillery added to companies
• Ireland now starts with an AuthDem Minister of the Interior, instead of NatPop
• Romania's Iron Guard content expanded, especially the middle Legionary tree. King Nicolae I can succeed instead of Michael.
• Michael I is now localized to Mihai, just as other Romanian kings are localised.
• Gave player more control over whether or not Carol II dies in the assassination event.
• Added decisions to Carol's post-unification path
• American Union State can now join the Entente
• Venice now begins with a military malus for a couple of months, when it revolts
• Russia no longer sends volunteers to Xinjiang
• Reduced Kumul's out of supply boni and lowered their starting troop count by 2
• Transylvania can now be granted to a non-aligned Romania.
• Several new event pictures for Russia and the Commune of France
• Removed Volkerschau events
• Portugal’s Colonial Development focuses have been turned into decisions.
• Custom GUI in the stateview that shows which Province Chinese states belong to, similar to the new Ottoman GUI
• The above GUI now shows the status of replacing the governors in the Reestablish Order decision tab for Anqing
• Germany can now influence the Portugal-Mittelafrika peace deal
• Redone the Socialist Anti-Colonial Committee focus for the Commune of France to match with the changes in National France
• Added camels to the Middle East nations, Ethiopia, Somalia and National France
• Internationale and Entente/Reichspakt countries will now embargo each other when joining the faction
• Twilight Struggle is now removed if the Internationale is defeated.
• The Internationale will now collapse if a suitable leader cannot be found.
• Poland now gets claims on Germany upon allying with Russia.
• Majors now have an increased factor towards researching CAS and NAV.
• Moved the Isle of Man to Lanark
• Poland now gets claims on Germany upon allying with Russia.
• Poland can now annex Gumbinnen if it has annexed Konigsberg.
• Can no longer go down to “Disarmed Nation” voluntarily
• Removed Arabian cores on the Levant
• NatPop SIC now more likely to join Entente
• Added a couple of tooltips to three Russian events
• Updated Persia-Russia peace deal
• Ecuador now starts with a mountaineer template
• Smedley Butler now dies after the Second American Civil War
• GEA and RUS will now send lend-lease to the United Front if possible
• Added Aland annexation decision
• Added Romandie annexation decision
• Aland is now demilitarized again at the end of wars
• The Phalanstere's assistance can now be refused.
• AI USA now builds more tanks
• Xinjiang may now be given to the Central Asian Federation
• Updated AI factors for the conscription laws
• Chen Jiongming no longer invites a corrupt Zhao Hengti to the Federalists.
• Legation Cities can now request concessions that their allies hold
• Removed dates from loading quotes
• Chile will now receive Tierra del Fuego if it can't be returned to Argentina by whoever is releasing it.
• Belgium's AT ideas now give piercing boni instead.
• Updated AI factors for the conscription laws.
• Tags that revolt from Andesia now automatically join a faction to work together to crush Argentina
• If Brazil is a puppet or was Balkanized by Patagonia then they too can join the faction to crush Andesia
• When a tag revolts against Andesia it automatically goes to war, no longer can you opt to not go to war
• Andesia now peaces out with the revolters after its full collapse
• The NFA and GBR foci about the British-French relationship are now linked.
• Added unit limit bonuses for the SCW
• Added a small unit limit bonus for Yucatan
• Russia can now invite Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania to its faction
• Hawaii can now be granted to GEA
• Added an Ukrainian rename for Kuban
• Some nerfs to the CSA military ideas
• Lithuania will now refrain from rebelling before the WK
• The UK will target in peace conferences, and then no longer release, Malaysia or Sarawak unless decolonised.
• Romania’s Great Game decision category now warns you when you’re losing stability
• Memel can be granted to an allied Lithuania
• “Restoring Napoleon” loading tip replaced with “Restoring monarchies”
• USA can now break the ceasefire if the PSA is losing against a third party
• New unique American designers
• Removed any mentions of Hitler or Heydrich
• Added a dynamic description to the Siamese engineers event
• Reduced the time for Yunnan's war declarations
• The Brazilian Greenguards idea now has a more fitting effect
• Guatemala will now try to get rid of Monroe as soon as possible
• The UK now gets a claim on South Georgia alongside the Falklands
• Russia will now refrain from attacking Japan while Germany is still alive.
• Increased suppression values for armoured cars, camels, and bicycle battalions
• The Third Internationale will now research oil tech more but has fewer bonuses for it.
• Greece now gets Northern Epirus via the Treaty of Budapest.
• Hawaii now gets two destroyers from each purchase
• Russia's military AI should now focus less on Finland and more on EE
• Changed the Russian attack on Germany to be focus-based
• Occitania has been fully removed
• Ukraine's mission to peace out with Germany now cancels if they reach 50% surrender progress
• AI republican Poland will now wait for the WK to join a faction.
• Foreign volunteers to the CSA are modifiable
• Ulster’s parties have been redone
• Transylvania will no longer rejoin a capitulated Romania.
• TAN can now integrate China if led by a Han regime
• The Gruppa di Difesa Della Donna template added for the SRI is no longer locked
• SRI can no longer join the Third Internationale if it declares war on a fellow socialist country before joining the faction
• All SRI decisions to build factories now require PP and civilian_factory_use, and take longer to build; they no longer need to be done only one at a time, however
• The bonuses provided by many SRI economic and military ideas have been significantly nerfed across the board
• Italian focuses which add resources have been moved to decisions, so they can be available to other tags if/when Italy is united
• Legionary Italy now gets its navy back from Venice, upon taking Venice during the revolt

Fixes
Notable Fixes

• Fixed Portugal not joining the Entente if MAF is dead, again
• The Netherlands no longer trade with their enemies
• Fixed Japan's collapse resurrecting a dead Russia in Transamur
• ROM can no longer release Greater Hungary
• ANI Italy actually tries to beat Venice, for real this time

Other Fixes

• America can now actually ask for their vote back in the Legation Council
• Panama’s politics now make more sense
• Fixed Legation Council vote timer appearing for nations not on the Council
• Norway no longer has identical companies
• Austria can still do their Secret Deal path
• If the Left Kuomintang are a puppet then they will only be able to take Army/Navy/Air national foci to prevent your puppet from doing major changes to their government (1st congress etc) without your knowing.
• Removed the white border around the Hunan flag
• Fixed the resolution of the Rassid Arabia flag
• Fixed Persia returning Herat to Afghanistan
• Fixed MAF-released Rhodesia not owning Nyasaland.
• Fixed a number of XSM typos
• Fixed Persia returning Herat to Afghanistan.
• Fixed France not getting claims on Wallonia if they annex all of Belgium
• Fixed the Dutch Revolution news event using the wrong description
• MAF can no longer release its constituents while at war
• The CSA Constitutional Congress popularity gains now reflect the actual politics
• Fixed a Yunnan focus bypassing incorrectly and added extra AI factors to their war foci
• Post-ACW emergency mobilization is no longer locked
• Fixed and improved the Hunan faction joining decisions
• Fixed the post-Great Game trees' availables
• WIF can no longer get spontaneous coups late game or when a conflicting game rule is enabled.
• Fixed Fate of Kurdistan not transferring the states
• The party popularity GUI now correctly reflects the party providing the PP gain
• Fixed the Brazilian volunteer division not being removed when the ACW ends
• Fixed the CAN-CSA peace triggering the Fall of Boston event incorrectly
• Fixed the terrain around Vancouver
• Fixed the endonym for Kisangani/Stanleyville
• Fixed some misleading tooltips in the Unification Conference starter mission
• Fixed Fengtian being able to join Japan's faction when already in it
• Added an alternative response to the Manchu Campaign news event for their enemies
• No more errors from unplanned offensives
• Fixed Natal's tree being unlocked before the Boer War begins.
• Fixed the Peruvian foreign policy foci.
• Fixed frontline bug in Cabinda
• Fixed a SIK decision giving steel while referring to oil deposits.
• Romania can no longer join the Entente if at war
• The LKMT no longer commits suicide by Japan
• Fixed the inverted BHC civil war leaders.
• State modifiers are no longer overlapping in the UI.
• Some fixes and improvements to the Chinese army reform system.
• Mongolia and Tibet can no longer join the Unification Conference
• Some fixes and improvements to the Chinese army reform system
• Mantetsu is now disabled if Japan dies
• Fixed Russia starting an early WK by attacking Ukraine in the middle of their revolution.
• Fixed a Yunnan focus not accounting for the exiled Federalists
• Fixed Fengtian offering Japan protection
• Fixed a wrong scope error in the UK files
• Fixed and optimised a bunch of EGY-ETH rivalry events
• increased AI CAN emphasis on suppressing Quebec
• Fixed and improved the SAF-ENT peace deal
• Riga now checks if it can actually declare war on Latvia in its focus
• Fixed a broken ANQ tooltip
• Canada can no longer get the Fate of New England
• Fixed the spawns of the Romanian legionary volunteers
• Illyria can no longer release Slovenia
• Fixed the SOV Gosplan idea swaps
• Belgium's AT ideas now give piercing boni instead
• Yunnan's demand events now keep the original government when puppeting Hunan
• MYS core is removed from Malabar Coast once the PRF revolt is done
• Fixed an ANQ flag not being cleared and breaking the Conference event
• Fixed a Greek focus not accounting for the Dodecanese and Cyprus
• France now gets partisan bonuses
• Fixed Edwin Barclay's portrait being overwritten by vanilla's
• Fixed a broken failsafe in the LEP Move Quickly missions
• Fixed a misleading Siamese event option
• Fixed GXC not being able to declare war on FNG
• Fixed original United Front member countries leaving the alliance
• Fixed a post-war CSA event firing mid-ACW
• No more irregular provinces in Zambia
• Some rebalancing of the MAF building slots
• Fixed the Peruvian foreign policy foci
• Fixed Serbia coring Anatolia
• Fixed Tang Jiyao leading two parties at once in the UPC.
• Fixed a Yemeni focus only targeting Oman
• Fixed and improved old Egyptian decisions
• Fixed Egypt instantly getting rid of illiteracy
• Renamed Andalucía to a more fitting name
• Fixed Yunnan being able to peace out with Japan due to Burma
• Fixed a duplicate JAP tooltip
• Fixed Stalin being killed by Patagonia while in Russia
• Bolivia no longer gets the Fate of Northern Chile
• Fixed the USA not being able to purge the Longists
• Fixed a number of BOL bypasses
• When releasing Turkish borderlands with annexation decisions, cores are not granted to neighbors when the states are given to them.
• Fixed KR operatives with non-KR portrait references
• Added missing AI factors to a number of GEA decisions
• Transylvania will no longer rejoin a capitulated Romania
• Fixed a BOL war decision being visible when the targets are already owned
• AI and performance improvements for the Swiss NatPop decisions
• Qing now sends volunteers correctly
• Fixed CAN not being able to release a claimed AST.
• Fixed the Democratic CEN elections
• KMT Yunnan can no longer use the generic Form China decision.
• Fixed Sichuan moving its capital to Chongqing when it's already there
• Fixed a Federalist focus not bypassing properly
• Tried to improve the flow of the United Front code.
• Fixed Mongolia not getting its claims when the Ma Clique sues for peace
• Fixed the layout of the Zimbabwe army tree
• Fixed a number of missing Shan icons
• TAN can now integrate China
• Fixed the missing checks for the formation of the Belgo-Dutch research group
• The RKMT will no longer accept Federalist ultimatums
• Fixed the UPC decisions not showing up correctly
• AI Qing will no longer go for war decisions before 1938
• Fixed MAF claiming Sudan
• Fixed Wallonia not getting cores on Antwerp
• Fixed an unlocalised FRA tooltip and improved the checks on the Phalanstere decisions
• Liberia can now be released normally by NFA, GER or GBR.
• Fixed the QIE ally integration decisions being visible while invalid.
• Fengtian's attack decision now invalidates if the conditions are no longer met
• Fixed Poland getting generic PatAut leaders
• Some improvements and a fix to SQI's German Collaboration mechanic
• Slight fix so Chinese tags don't get claims on their cores
• CSA can no longer get rid of its org debuff before winning the ACW
• Fixed a broken PUE idea desc
• Fixed Fengtian being able to invite Japanese companies while at war with them
• SAF's AI will now prioritise attacking direct neighbours when multiple targets are available
• Fixed SIK keeping the Rumors of Discontent idea after winning the war
• Liangguang now joins its targets' wars when puppeting KMT cliques
• Fixed some TEX decisions not appearing correctly
• Fixed a MTG-only ROM event firing for non-owners
• Fixed two RUS loc bugs
• Fixed a mass replace bug in the ENG naval OOB
• Fixed the Beijing Government reverting to the Qing Empire.
• Fixed Finland's suicidal AI
• Fixed a couple of naval variant bugs
• Fixed the broken targeting for albania.50
• Fixed the CSA being released too late in Landon's route
• Fixed the SAF annexation tree switches
• Fixed the loc for the annexation of Dvinsk
• Increased the AI factor for Romania coring Silistria
• Fixed Egypt instantly getting rid of illiteracy.
• Readded a bunch of missing US company logos
• Fixed socialist SAF getting Nuweweld decisions
• Fixed the Ma Clique peace and collapse events
• Countries will now leave the Kaiser Wilhelm Society when no longer in the Reichspakt.
• Fixed the Italian names of PAP's Catholic divisions
• Fixed Russia not taking the Alands.
• Fixed Manchu SQI causing a focus lockout for the LKMT
• Fixed Wallonia not gaining cores on Liège
• Fixed the double Momentum Lost ideas
• The LKMT can no longer attack FNG before doing the prerequisite focus
• Fixed the SZC NPA focus not allowing for joining it instead
• Fixed Austria not getting a core on Burgenland.
• Fixed FNG not getting cores on China when released by Japan
• XSM will now give Chamdo to Tibet when releasing them
• Fixed the traits of a CHI company
• Fix your eyes, you’ve been reading the patch notes for too long
• Fixed the Roads to Riga idea not being removed if Riga dies
• Removed a meme description from the Persian Balochistan focus
• Fixed the DEI focus tree building factories on INS states
• Fixed a missing Sichuan loc entry and a typo
• Fixed Yunnan not getting claims on Sichuan when forming the KMT government
• Fixed Sichuan retaining cosmetic tags when puppeted
• Fixed Japan getting the Fading Sun after annexation
• Fixed Iceland staying in the Reichspakt's wars after breaking free from Denmark
• Upon completion of the Cod War in Iceland, a unit is generated so that they have some form of defence for naval invasions
• Added missing vanilla tooltip about extra aircrews
• GEA will now lose the Vietcong ideas when peacing out with INC.
• Jerusalem's province is no longer a desert
• Fixed Nasir Shah not keeping his original trait when returning to Kumul
• Reduced Kumul's out of supply boni
• Fixed a MEX idea swap not giving any new modifiers
• Fixed the United Front leader's faction not reforming properly if it was not the original leader of the faction
• Fixed the duplicate decisions for leaving the United Front
• Fixed FOP not being properly released by The Revolution Successful
• Added a bunch of backup countries to Wilhelm's death event, so it finally fires correctly
• Fixed the layout of the Zimbabwe army tree.
• Iraq no longer gets a core on Qassim, and Britain no longer claims Kufra
• Jin Shuren's mission to unify Xinjiang is now removed if Sheng Shicai takes over
• Fixed Long Yun's non-civil war takeover not adding the correct ministers.
• Serbia's decision to attack Austria now has ITA- and POL-specific targeting to preempt issues
• Fixed DDR and GRU getting cores on Memel without owning Königsberg
• Fixed all countries in the world going for Grand Battleplan
• Replaced the UoB's concentrated-dispersed focus dichotomy with another idea level, to avoid needing tech triggers
• Fixed the trigger for the Gumbinnen annexation
• Fixed YUN losing manpower in a civil war event without combat
• Removed a deprecated GER focus to invade Denmark (now better handled by a DEN decision)
• Fixed a POR event referencing the wrong year
• Fixed the POL-UKR peace deal having inverted loc
• Fixed a GXC decision taking two years to complete
• Fixed Japan ceding the Legation Cities to Fengtian via their foci
• Fixed SOM being referred to as an empire
• AI Fengtian will refuse to start the Conference if set to pro-Japan in the game rules
• Fixed the peaceful HOL revolution not loading the socialist tree
• Fixed the Harass Political Enemies decision for Romania decoupling the influence values
• Fixed Serbia attacking Austria during the Venetian war
• Fixed Serbia joining two factions at once
• Fixed RUS not getting resistance on LAT and EST states
• Austria's event to return lands now checks for any puppet- and ally-held areas as well
• SAF is no longer arbitrarily restricted from releasing Namibia or Mozambique
• Fixed Canada not getting the Fate of America
• Fixed SOV's tree being blocked by a player finishing the war too quickly
• Fixed missing infantry equipment bonus to camels (vanilla bug), by adding a new subcategory of mounted infantry (includes camels and cavalry)
• Added missing bicycle and amtrak bonuses to some techs
• Replaced `var:faction_leader` with the new `faction_leader` scope.
• Added missing hardness bonuses to rest of motorized battalions from mech 1
• Your soldiers now can learn both, how to ride a horse and how to shot from AT-rifle (vanilla bug of infantry AT weapons not applying to cavalry, and cavalry not being in category “all infantry”)
• Adjusted airtech window grid to vanilla standards, removing the need to use scrollbars to see scout planes while using FullHD. You can now see all planes in same time
• The Andesian Rebellion events now have localization
• SRI attack decisions will now disappear if the target no longer exists
• If syndicalist France is released after annexation, it is puppeted to the releaser if no faction exists for it to join
• Removed the duplicate SRI decision to join the Phalanstere
• SRI socialist welfare idea now costs consumer_goods_factor instead of adding it
• Additional units are no longer transferred from Legionarry Italy to Venice upon the revolt breaking out; any Italian units left in Venice are teleported away
• Romania’s AI should now core Transylvania much more efficiently

We hope you enjoy playing Kaiserreich as much as we did making it!
- The KR4 Team: Alpinia, Arvidus, Augenis, Blackfalcon501, DSFDarker, Carmain, Dr. Njitram, Drozdovite, Edouard Saladier, Eragaxshim, Flamefang, Fort, JazzyHugh, Jeankedezeehond, Jonjon428, Jonny BL, Krco, Liegnitz, Maltesefalcon, Matoro, Nijato, NukeGaming, OperationsManagementDecisions, PPsyrius, Pietrus, Rei VL, Rylock, SPQR, Starguard, Telcontar101, The Alpha Dog, The Irredentista, Thomahawk2k, Vidyaország, WordZero, Yard1, Zankoas and Zimbabwe Salt Co.

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Section 0: Background
Hi everyone! I’m trying to tailor this a bit more to reflect the UK Money Diary style where I give context on the week before and reflect on it after. I also added in some of the questions from the recent thread about what Refinery29 should ask diarists (see here).
I wrote this the week of Thanksgiving; my partner and I stayed in NYC instead of going home to either of our parents’ homes. We wear masks and stay socially distant when we leave the house. I’m thankful that we live close to a park and live on a block where we know and enjoy talking to our neighbors.
This was a relatively normal week for us during a pandemic, save for me spending a bit more than normal and it being Thanksgiving. We’ve both lived in the city since college and have so-so relationships with our families, so we didn’t leave for “home” when the pandemic hit.
I also just named my boyfriend instead of giving him an initial. He’s the only person I actually saw this week, but the initials always throw me off when I read these.
What do money and success mean to you? What are your end goals?
It helps me to see money as a tool. I never resonate with people who say “money doesn’t buy happiness” because to a certain degree, it does. Money enables me to live the life I want.
I’m pursuing FIRE (financial independence, retire early) and hope to be financially independent (able to live off my investments) by my early 30s. To do so, I save 60%+ of my income per month. I want this because working for 40 years isn’t sustainable for me—I have a very cushy tech job and still get anxiety and rage about waking up every morning to work, the rat race, and being paid inequitably to male peers. I’d like to give myself the option to leave this world as soon as possible.
As an alternative, I could see myself successful if I open a product consultancy, where I advise early-stage startups on product management, what to build for their MVP, and product-market fit. I’m really interested in tech ethics and the questionable practices in venture capital, so I’d love to be in a place where I could be picky about what clients I take and help truly mission-driven businesses thrive. I could see this also working as a small business incubator—why not apply what works in startups to small businesses?
I don’t yet have a firm picture of what I’d like my life to look like when I retire. I’m interested in spending a lot of time reading, traveling to new places for extended periods of time, and potentially writing a book. I get extremely interested in niche topics. Right now if I had to guess, I’d be writing a book about the ways multi-level marketing companies (MLMs) manipulate women.
Are you a spender or a saver?
Definitely a saver. My partner is more of a spender, and we’ve influenced each other well. Seeing him spend money on himself for video games helps me realize I can spend more money on myself for things I just want (see my big purchase for myself this week).
In turn, seeing me save a lot of money has motivated him to up his 401k contribution and overall savings. He’s also interested in FIRE, although I’d say my timeline is more aggressive.
If you could go back in time, what's the one piece of financial advice you would give to your past self?
Learn about investing, look up the terms you don’t know, and start doing it as soon as possible. Ask questions to people you know or on the internet.
On to the diary!
​
Section One: Assets and Debt
Investment Balance
$131,175

• Retirement (includes 2 company 401ks and 1 rollover IRA): $55,730
• Brokerage: $27,233
• Roth IRA: $25,439
• Managed account: $17,923
• HSA: $4,850

Equity if you're a homeowner
N/A, I rent in a HCOL city. No plans to own anytime soon
Savings account balance
$10,270
Checking account balance
$3,433 in checking account for bills

• This fluctuates, but I try to invest anything over $2k. I’m pretty conservative with my checking account buffer, and don’t worry much about the interest I’m “losing,” especially because interest rates are so low right now

$2,518 in checking account for rent

• I keep a holdover account that’s connected to Venmo and Zelle to pay rent

Credit card debt
N/A. There’s $1,348 currently on my credit cards, but I pay them all off in full each month. My parents signed me up for a credit card as soon as I was old enough and taught me about how important it was to pay in full. In fact, I think this was so hammered into my brain that doing anything other than that each month was never an option. Because of this, I’ve always thought of credit cards as similar to debit cards—only spend money you have.
Student loan debt (for what degree)
I was fortunate to go to college on a full scholarship, including living expenses. I studied psychology and sociology, and I graduated without any student loan debt.
​
Section Two: Income
Main Job Monthly Take Home: $6,570/month
I maxed out my 401k early this year, so for 8 months I was contributing $2,500/month out of my paychecks. That ended in September, so it changed my monthly take-home from about $4,650 to $6,570/month.
Deductions:

• 401k: $0/month (was $2,500/month)
• Medical: $128/month
• Dental and vision: $11/month

Income Progression

• I started in customer support right out of college, making $40,000/year + overtime, which ended up being about $52,000/year (thanks OT!).
• About a year later, I moved into an entry-level product role at the same company and received a raise to $60,000/year.
• The next year, I moved to a new company for a half-step promotion where I was making $82,000/year + 15% yearly bonus. The bonus was dependable enough that it was assumed as part of our total compensation, so let’s call it $95,000/year.
• Early this year, I switched companies again (noticing a theme?) for a promotion and now make $122,000/year.

I don’t have any other sources of income outside my main job. My partner makes a similar amount to me—about $117,000/year with bonus.
​
Section Three: Expenses
I live with my partner and we don’t have combined finances, but split many expenses 50/50. We use Splitwise to log transactions. He’s more laid-back about being paid back, but I’m much more “I don’t want to owe anyone anything, and I don’t want anyone to owe me anything” (I know, rigid, but I’m working on it!).
Splitwise is nice because it’d be ridiculous to Venmo request each other for a $4 coffee, but we can see how expenses are adding up. If someone has racked up a few hundred dollars of spending for both of us, the other person will cover our expenses for awhile. It works for us!
Rent
$2,200 for a 2 bed, 1 bath apartment in Brooklyn. We split rent 50/50.
Renters insurance
About $7/month for my portion. This covers all our possessions plus my boyfriend’s watches. He pays 75% of it because half of the monthly cost comes from the extra watch overage.
Savings contribution
I try to have about $10,000 sitting in my savings account at any given time, because it makes me feel safe in case of an emergency. I also like the freedom it enables, in case I wanted to leave my job and take a significant amount of time off. This is already at the $10k I want, so I don’t contribute to it monthly.
Investment contribution
It varies but on average I contribute $2,500/month to my brokerage account and Roth IRA (combined).
Donations
I try to donate about $200/month, but it’s pretty sporadic. This month I donated to the Yellowhammer Fund and Northwest Abortion Access Fund. One of my major goals for 2021 is to step up my donations and create an actual strategy around them, potentially involving a donor-advised fund.
Gas/electric
Our gas is $20-25/month and electric is $50/month. I pay gas and Will pays electric, both go in Splitwise. About $37/month total for me.
Wifi
Our wifi is $60/month, which goes into Splitwise—I pay $30/month.
Cellphone
I’m still on my parents’ phone plan—sheesh! This is convincing me that I should Venmo them for it each month.
Subscriptions
I pay for Hulu with ads, $5.99/month. My boyfriend pays for Netflix and we share a Spotify family plan with a couple of his friends, which I chip in $4/month for.
I also pay for the budgeting software YNAB (You Need a Budget) which is $84/year. I only pay it once a year in September.
Medical
I recently had to go to the emergency room for an overnight stay and follow up with some specialists. (I’m okay!) Because of that whole shindig I’m expecting to max out my deductible (and potentially my out-of-pocket-max) right at the end of the year. This will be about $4,000, but none of the claims have come through yet so I’m not sure of the exact total. I have a category in my budget for my deductible, and the rest will come out of my emergency fund.
Physical therapy
This month I’m starting pelvic floor physical therapy for dyspareunia (pain with intercourse).
I’d tried everything the internet suggested (“just relaaaaaax”) before getting the courage to find a new ob-gyn and ask her about it. She had some recommendations, but ultimately physical therapy was the “last resort” option that I’m now exploring.
My new physical therapist comes highly recommended but is out of network with insurance. Each session is $250, and I’ll go once every 2-3 weeks for the next few months as part of treatment. If you’ve worked through this problem (or are experiencing it now!) I’d love to hear your experience.
​
Section Four: Additional Questions
Was there an expectation for you to attend higher education? Did you participate in any form of higher education? If yes, how did you pay for it?
Absolutely. My dad was the first in his family to attend college and my parents made pretty calculated decisions about where they would live so I could go to the absolute best public school possible. Over 90% of students at my high school attend a 4-year college, and we start talking about it freshman year. To say college was encouraged in my environment is an understatement.
Growing up, what kind of conversations did you have about money? Did your parent/guardian(s) educate you about finances?
My dad has worked in finance since I was about 10. He’s always been really knowledgeable about both higher-level economic concepts and the minutiae of personal finance. My family is frugal, too: we clipped coupons and got clothes on super-sale at Kohl’s and Goodwill. I know there was a period of time when he became self-employed and money got very tight for a few years, but the bulk of those worries were largely kept from me.
Did you worry about money growing up?
Yes. While we were comfortable, we lived in such an affluent place that our family was in “the middle class” of the town and it made me worry more about money than I probably needed to. Think The Stepford Wives for context.
At what age did you become financially responsible for yourself and do you have a financial safety net?
In college, I became maybe 80% financially independent as I had a scholarship and worked part-time during school and over the summer, but I was still on their insurance.
I remember being frustrated in college because even though I knew I was extremely privileged, my friends in college had their parents pay their summer apartment rent and gave them an “allowance” of spending money, and I was “limited” by the options I could afford with the job I had. My dad told me at the time, “This is frustrating but it’s preparing you for actually having to live off the money you make in the near future.” (Great, great advice Dad.)
I’m technically still financially dependent on my parents for my cell phone bill, but otherwise I pay for everything: rent, insurance, utilities, food, therapy, and all wants in the form of clothing, workout classes, etc. I could ask my parents for money if I absolutely needed to, but would use it as a last resort.
Do you or have you ever received passive or inherited income? If yes, please explain.
I have an account (mentioned above) that a family friend who’s a hedge fund manager, well, manages. I believe the initial deposit was $1000 over 10 years ago, but that money wasn’t mine either, it’s all a gift. It’s not very liquid—it’d take me several months (and some very good reasoning) to get any of that money withdrawn, since it’s supposed to be for “the future” (which I guess I could argue is now?).
I might receive a small amount of money when my grandmother passes, but it’d probably be around $1-2k, if at all.
​
Day 1 Wednesday, November 25, 2020
8:30am Wake up and shower, take my vitamin C gummies, then make coffee. I wasn’t much of a daily coffee drinker until my offices had it for free, and now I’m definitely addicted. I don’t really care if the coffee is shitty or not, I just put some milk in it and it’s great. Right now I’m trying to drink half or three-quarter cups so I can attempt to pull back my addiction a bit. I log onto work at 9am.
11:30am Eat leftovers from last night for lunch—quesadilla + Spanish rice. There’s an incredible Mexican restaurant by us, and now I am ruined for the tacos, quesadillas and nachos from any other place.
12:30pm Will picks me up in the U-Haul. We’re driving about 20 min away to pick up a butcher block desk he bought off Craigslist, which ends up being from a small office that’s downsizing. The desk is $150 which he pays for. We love the office’s style (and the owner is super nice!) and walk around while he shows us what else he’s trying to get rid of.
We end up buying an extra-large ZZ plant and two side tables from him for an extra $120, way less than we would have paid for the quality elsewhere. My half will be $60, and I’ll split the U-Haul too, $44.51. $82.26
2:45pm That ended up taking a lot longer than we expected! We get back and unload the van, then I bring stuff inside while Will returns the van to the U-Haul location. I jump back onto work—so much for a slow afternoon before Thanksgiving. AWS is down, which powers a lot of our engineering work (and a lot of the internet!) so a lot of our teams are basically twiddling their thumbs. We chat about how to message the outage to customers.
5:45pm Will starts making dinner (braised chicken and veggies) and I sit down to read with a strawberry Chobani, but I end up just reading Reddit and searching for new podcasts to listen to.
7:45pm Dinner was great! Now…ice cream.
9:43pm I remember that my mom sent me ideas for her and my dad’s Christmas presents, so I order on Etsy and Amazon. My dad gets a mug with an Ernest Hemingway quote (“write drunk, edit sober”) ($21.54) and a book on writing ($16.63), and my mom gets this food warming tote contraption she wanted ($43.52). We’ve been paring down Christmases over the years—this year I asked for the Europe version of Ticket to Ride. $81.69
11:15pm I finish up the first episode of Real Housewives of Salt Lake City with some white cheddar Cheez-Its to snack on. After, I start on the dishes from dinner. I listen to the Product Market Misfits podcast while I do dishes—the episode with Kristen Anderson from Catch is great, highly recommend if you’re tired of just hearing stories about stereotypical Silicon Valley tech companies.
Day 1 Total: $166.69
Day 2 Thursday, November 26, 2020
10am Wake up super late since I stayed up scrolling on my phone too late last night. We make coffee and set out for a long walk around 11:15am.
12:05pm At the end of our walk, we swing by our local liquor store and buy 4 bottles of wine (red, white, rose, champagne). Will pays, total is $63.15 for everything. We haven’t had wine in the apartment for ages and I’m excited to have some stocked up. $31.57
12:30pm Get back from the walk, shower, then turn on football. I actually don’t really care about any NFL teams (I like college football a lot more), but it’s such calming background noise for me that I find myself looking for games when I have downtime. We also recently found out that Will’s friends’ dog only has a few months to live, so we order some jerky treats and a squeaky toy for him. $14.07
2:30pm We head out to the restaurant we’re going to for Thanksgiving lunch, a local place a short walk from our apartment. They’re doing a prix fixe menu of the classics—turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, and a phenomenal tarte Tatin with ice cream for dessert.
We eat outside under heat lamps. It’s super cozy. With our bottle of wine and tip the total is $208 (I try to tip over and above the norm because it’s a pandemic and Thanksgiving). My half will be $104.
5:53pm Get back from the restaurant. We have a ton of leftovers which is awesome (I think it’s excessive frugality, but I almost expect to stretch takeout or restaurant meals into two meals). Exchange some texts with my friends about their socially-distant Thanksgiving celebrations.
I turn on the Washington vs. Cowboys game right at the halftime show, which is Kane Brown with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. They’re all wearing masks (except for Kane) and it’s so odd to see them dancing in masks. I mean, I’m glad they’re wearing them, but it just seems like we could have gone without the halftime show this year.
9:21pm I order contacts from Contacts Direct. I got a new prescription but didn’t have a great experience with the eye doctor, so I’m hesitant about this order—only ordered one box of 90 lenses for each eye instead of a year’s worth of lenses. I’ve been getting headaches pretty frequently, so I’m hoping getting a new pair of glasses and alternating those (instead of wearing my contacts for 16 hours a day, every day) will help. $29.98 after insurance benefits
Day 2 Total: $179.62
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Day 3 Friday, November 27
8:56am Wake up super last minute, run to sign onto Slack and then start grinding coffee beans. I’m online and drinking a big mug of coffee by 9:10. (So much for half cups.)
10:45am Come up for air from work and grab the stuff to make a bagel. Everything bagels and plain cream cheese are my go-to combo.
12:03pm I grab a bag of clothes to drop off at the donation bin and a couple library books to return. The library is about a 25 minute walk so it’ll be a nice lunch break diversion.
12:56pm After the library I stop by the grocery store for some paper towels and sponges, since we’re almost out. Total is $22.62, my half is $11.31
1:09pm When I get home I jump back into work and put the USA vs. Netherlands game on my second monitor. By the 75th minute, the US is up by 2 goals so they start putting in some younger players—it’s fun to see Midge Purce and Sophia Smith play! I also throw some bagel bites in the oven for a quick snack and promise myself dinner will be healthier.
4:23pm I zone out of work and start playing Among Us. I end up playing for over two hours. We open a bottle of wine at some point and I get super tipsy.
6:50pm Turn on the tail end of the Notre Dame vs. UNC game. It turns into Jeopardy, which turns into Wheel of Fortune, which I’m not mad about. P isn’t as into the game shows and leaves to microwave a plate of leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner and play video games.
8:40pm Finally getting hungry after my bagel bites and Cheez-Its this afternoon and make a plate of Thanksgiving leftovers—turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans and cauliflower. Yum.
Will and I end up getting in a tiff about the mess in our apartment so we take a break, cool down and talk it through. I watch a couple episodes of Sister Wives and go to bed around 1:30am.
Day 3 Total: $11.31
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Day 4 Saturday, November 28, 2020
10:05am I stayed up late (again) so it’s nice to sleep in. I play Among Us for awhile and have a couple rounds where I’m the impostor and get some great kills and wins. I run out into the living room and celebrate with Will. We laugh because it’s silly how much we love the games we play. Around 10:45 I start making coffee.
11am We desperately need new sheets because our fitted sheet has a huge hole at Will’s feet (and it’s growing). I search a women’s personal finance group I’m in on Facebook for recommendations and we end up buying a queen sheet set from Belk. Total was $100.71 with their sale. $50.35
1pm I was planning on returning a package to the post office today, but forget it closes at 1pm on Saturdays so I decide to run to Target instead. I have a lampshade to return and want to look for a shower caddy as well. I also have an old iPad to return, which Will tells me I can do at Best Buy. He finds an old iPod and flip phone I can take too.
Take the MTA there ($2.75 for a single fare). When I get there, it’s a madhouse and I remember that I have sillily (is this a word?) decided to come on the weekend of Black Friday. I stand in the returns line for about 15 minutes and get $10.89 back, but ditch the idea of trying to look for a shower caddy. The checkout line looks like 100 people long. -$8.14 because of return
Next I go to Best Buy, but who am I kidding—the line to get in the store is even longer than the Target checkout line. I walk back to the subway and get on to go home. $2.75
2:30pm Since Best Buy was a no go, I search for electronic recycling around me on the way home just to see where I could drop off the devices I have. Apparently there’s an EcoATM not too far from my subway stop. It’s more for selling devices, but if they can’t give you money for something, they’ll recycle it, which is exactly what I wanted. I put each of the pieces in the scanner, and end up getting a whopping $2 total (for Will’s old iPod). Still cool because I was just expecting to recycle it all. I’ll give Will the $2.
2:44pm There’s a Dunkin nearby so I pop in to grab a couple donuts ($2.90). There’s a woman outside asking for money, so I give her $5 cash. $7.90
3:00pm Last stop—our favorite deli is nearby and Will mentioned he wanted to get bacon there recently. I get a 1/2 lb and salivate on the way home. This is one of those things I won’t put in Splitwise because it’s small and because it’s fun to get for P as a tiny little present. $3.50
3:45pm Once I’m home I’m super hungry from only eating carbs all morning so I have a snack of carrots, hummus and some pepperoni. I head back out to drop off a bag of clothes and shoes at a drop box a few blocks away. The neighbors are outside at the park near our house so I stop and chat with them for a few minutes. Their kids are the cutest.
6:47pm For dinner I make a ham and cheese sandwich (panini style with rosemary butter) and more carrots and hummus. I put on another episode of Sister Wives. These people are so fascinating to me—first off, I think the husband is completely full of himself. But I’m also so curious about the wives. There are a lot of talking head testimonials where the parents explain that they’re “oppressed” because they’re different and want to go public so the world can see polygamy as a valid family style (I’m only on season 2).
I know they’re probably playing up the “we love our other sister wives and have so much fun together even without Kody” aspect because people expect sister wives to be catty and hate each other, but I can’t help but wonder why they need to be in plural marriage to get the same friendship they seem to value so much. I also doubt they’d extend the same grace and tolerance they want to people who are “different” because they’re LGBTQ, or “different” because they’re in an open relationship or marriage.
9:15pm I mix together oatmeal chocolate chip cookie batter and put some cookies in the oven. While I’m waiting, I browse Zocdoc for well-reviewed providers—I want to make a podiatrist appointment for a lingering toe issue and an audiologist appointment for a routine hearing screening. I got the idea to make these appointments since I’ll hit my out-of-pocket max with the hospital visit, making them free or very discounted. I make two appointments for next week.
I also lust over a Farm Rio puffer jacket that feels overpriced but I just love. Maybe I’ll buy it tomorrow since they’re having a 30% off sale.
Day 4 Total: $64.50
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Day 5 Sunday, November 29
8:58am Wake up and switch between scrolling on Reddit and playing a few Among Us games. After a bit Will gets out of bed and makes coffee for us.
9:45am Will finishes the movie he started last night and we start on breakfast. We’re making the bacon I bought yesterday, breakfast potatoes with onions, and a fried egg for Will (I can’t stand the taste or smell).
11:00am Yum! Breakfast was great. I watch a couple episodes of Sister Wives and mull over buying that ridiculous but amazing puffer jacket from Farm Rio. I’ve still been thinking about it since last night and I might take the plunge.
1:25pm I get a jolt of motivation to work out and do a 20 minute Sydney Cummings video on Youtube. I heard about it from a recent Money Diary posted here! After it’s done I’m so, so tired. I stretch and unpause my episode of Sister Wives.
2:22pm I help Will move the butcher block slab for his desk out to our backyard. We live on the first floor of a single-family home that was converted into apartments, so we get the backyard too—it’s awesome to have outdoor space in the city. P works on sanding it and applying poly for the next couple hours.
5:07pm Will suggests pizza for dinner and I am always, always down for pizza. I order pickup from the spot down the street—one grandma, one cheese and 2 orders of garlic knots come to $38.60. We’ll have leftovers for tomorrow too. $19.30
5:50pm We pick up the pizza and dig in. While we’re eating we turn on the Chiefs vs. Buccaneers game; Will has a few players on his fantasy team in this game.
6:57pm I sign up to write letters to Georgia residents encouraging them to vote in the Senate runoff elections in January. This is through Vote Forward—I did 20 letters for the general election in November and want to participate again. I’ll print the letters at a local coffee shop since we don’t have a printer at home.
Will sends me this Reddit comment about campaign finance since we’ve been talking about it recently. I decide I’m convinced by the argument and set up a $5 monthly donation to Brand New Congress. $5
8:19pm After texting back and forth with my friend all day, I buy the puffer jacket—so excited. She encouraged me to get it and is pumped for me too. $228.64
I also notice my paycheck has started processing in my checking account (I get paid tomorrow), so I enter the amount in YNAB and budget it all. I earmark about $1500 to go into my brokerage account tomorrow. I won’t include it here as “spending” since it’s included in the overview section above.
Day 5 Total: $252.94
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Day 6 Monday, November 30
8:43am Wake up and turn on my Slack. Will started the coffee process and I finish it up by pouring the water into our Chemex and letting it steep (I know there’s a coffee-centric word for this...).
8:56am I check my Citi card and my YouTube TV trial rolled over—I was going to cancel it this morning, which I thought was the last day. I email support to see if they’ll refund me, because (I promise I’m not just saying this!) I did have a pretty bad experience. The Roku app was glitchy for us every time we watched something. Maybe they’ll feel nice today! $64.99
9:35am After responding to a few work messages, I run out the door to the post office to avoid a long package line. I did the Warby Parker 5-day home try on and have to return my box of glasses today. I found a pair I really like and am excited to get in the habit of wearing glasses again, instead of just my contacts.
Thankfully the line is only a few people long. The employees are also super nice every time I go, so I try to be really pleasant too. The lines are usually long and I’ve seen more than one adult have a fit at this post office. It’s rainy today and I couldn’t find our umbrella, so my flimsy rain jacket gets pretty soaked through on the walk back.
11:35am My podiatrist appointment is supposed to be tomorrow morning, and they call me to tell me since I haven’t hit my deductible, I’ll have to pay out of pocket for the visit. I explain that I’m 100% going to hit my deductible, the claims from the hospital just haven’t processed yet. I ask her to bill my insurance first for the visit, then I can pay whatever ends up not being covered (if anything). She agrees!
Maybe this is standard, but I’ve never had it happen before—even if I haven’t hit my deductible, I’ve always been to offices that bill insurance first, then I pay the remaining balance.
1:05pm Lots of meetings today. I break for lunch and heat up the braised chicken with veggies. It’s definitely on its last good day, so I’m glad I used it up. Still yummy!
2:20pm Woohoo! Get an email that my YouTube TV charge was refunded. -$64.99
Will ran to Home Depot today to buy some tools for his desk and also got a shower curtain liner since ours is ripping. I go to put it up in the bathroom but my arms are so sore—like I got my flu shot type of sore.
5:05pm Sign off work after trying to wrangle a supremely frustrating SQL query. I don’t get it but figure I can ask our analyst team for help tomorrow. Will will have a late night working, so pizza and Sister Wives is in my near future.
While watching, I update YNAB to reflect the end-of-month balances for my investment accounts. I get a huge dopamine hit by seeing my net worth number go up. I’m also anticipating it going down a bit next month because of my medical bills, so I relish the moment.
8:09pm It suddenly dawns on me that my arms are sore because I worked out yesterday. It’s so rare now that I literally forget when I do it. Ha!
9:15pm We watch the Eagles vs. Seahawks game and I absentmindedly play Among Us. I end up getting ...bullied by a person playing it? They get mad that I figured out they were the imposter and start saying all these schoolyard-type digs throughout the next couple rounds, but level 100 of cruel.
I’m embarrassed by how sad it makes me but think maybe it’s a good thing I don’t immediately know what to say to bully people back. Such a weird experience. I end up going to bed around 11:30.
Day 6 Total: $0
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Day 7 December 1, 2020
7:07am Wake up late for my alarm at 7. I’m up a lot earlier today because my podiatrist appointment is first thing. I get dressed in the dark, kiss P goodbye, grab my water bottle and run out the door to the subway by 7:30. $2.75
8:10am Get to my stop and swing by Starbucks before the appointment. I get a vanilla latte and the bacon cheddar and egg sandwich. Total is around $10 but I have a gift card loaded onto my Starbucks app.
My spending here went way down when I switched jobs to an office not close to a Starbucks, and then stopped going into an office at all.
8:30am My appointment goes great, if a little painful when she numbs my toe. I had to get an ingrown toenail removed. I danced ballet and pointe for years so I’m (unfortunately) used to them, but this one was terrible. The doctor and I bond over both being dancers with bad feet and they schedule me for a follow up two weeks out.
She actually says there’s been a rise in these procedures because people aren’t getting pedicures since the pandemic and aren’t cutting their toenails well! Wild.
I look silly on the subway in December wearing Birkenstocks and socks with a huge toe bandage. It looks like one of those cartoon characters who stubs their toe and it becomes 10x bigger than their other toes. $2.75
9:40am I get off at the stop before mine to stop at Rite Aid. I grab Neosporin, band-aids and epsom salt and check my notes for anything else she mentioned about caring for my toe. $12.97
10:00am When I get home, I hop into work and working with our engineers on a promotion for the New Year. I also catch up with Will since he stayed up late last night and I got up early for my appointment. He says he ended up staying up until 3:30am (!!) cleaning up his tools, working on his desk and putting up the shower curtain. I’m floored that he is functional right now after waking up at 8.
12:15pm Heat up the last of the pizza for lunch, along with hummus and carrots.
5:20pm Work is average-paced for the rest of the day. Not doing nothing, not totally over my head. Will puts in potatoes for baked potatoes to have later, which we’ll pair with a salad. We’re getting close to needing a grocery run again, so the meals are becoming more of a mishmash.
We listed a couple things on our local Buy Nothing group last week, so a woman comes by to pick up a wifi router we can’t use anymore. Would totally recommend looking up if there’s a group in your area—they’re usually on Facebook.
6:30pm After dinner I watch more Sister Wives and look up RIP Medical Debt, a nonprofit one of my friends shared for Giving Tuesday. They buy unpaid medical debt from collections, so $1 ends up paying off $100 of someone’s medical debt. I give $50 to the Arkansas campaign, which will clear $5,000 of medical debt.
As Will said earlier today, “medical billing in America is a racket” so I really hope this helps clear a burden from an individual or family. Doing this reminds me to check my insurance portal, which is steadily going up as each separate claim comes in. Ahhhh, modern healthcare! $51.49
At the end of each day please tally up your daily expenses. Then at the end of your diary please tally up all expenses in the following categories:
Total: $719.33

• Grocery + Dining Out: $157.77
• Fun + Entertainment: $0
• Home + Health: $164.67
• Clothes + Beauty: $228.64
• Transportation: $11.00
• Gifts + Giving: $157.25

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Reflection This week felt like a big spending week for me. I checked YNAB and since January, I’ve spent about $1600 per month, not including rent—so about $400/week. That’s why this week’s $719 feels so high!
Writing this diary helped me understand how many things I have going for me. I’ve recently been in a huge funk—about my health, my performance at work and my relationships with family, friends and P. Going to the hospital, needing physical therapy to have sex and being in a pandemic will do that to you.
I was able to zoom out a bit and understand how stable and gratifying my life is. That being said, I’m so glad this community exists. I really love it and learning about all your spending and saving habits. Thanks for being here and sharing :)