If they have internet you can do a voip service.

Google is free. Just buy a cheap used smartphone and install google voice. It will work just like a landline. You don't need to buy cell service (it won't work without wifi, obviously).

If you have to attach an old standard phone because gramma can't read the screen, then majicjack sells a phone adapter and telephone number for a few bucks a month.

Look at the prime directive in the right hand bar, it will tell you what to do the with the money.

You don't really give us any info about income vs expenditures so can't comment on how well your are doing. If your savings rate is 20%+, you probably are going to be ok presuming your expenditures are not ridiculously high. But again, without knowing specifics we can't say.

Why not put your info into a retirement calculator, and then figure out what you could live off with using the 4% withdrawal rule (use 3% if you want to be conservative).

I would question buying gold simply to use it as an inflation hedge as the value has moved drastically over the last few decades.

https://www.forbes.com/advisor/investing/gold-inflation-hedge/

Ok, so I will presume the amount is in the millions.

The risk of the money being lost in fire/flood/etc is a concern. Simple theft is also a concern as burglary is not that uncommon.

At the end of the day, it is his money. He can make a fire with it if he wants. I would just present your concerns and at the end of the day, he will have to make the final decision. What else can you really do? He can also consider buying something with value (like property, precious metals, etc...) Maybe he just wants it in something he can touch?

Well, his cash is already on fire and burning up at a rate of 8% a year.

If he is unwilling to let go of the cash, how about a safety deposit box? If you want it safe, you have to remove the cash from the home.

As your research has shown, fire proof bags will not protect the money if there is a fire and the house burns down.

Also, what amount are we talking about here? If it's $30k, I wouldn't even bother with any of this stuff and let him be. If it's $5 million, I would take this very seriously and push him non-stop for something safer than keeping it under the bed.

My wife loves gardening and brings in a lot of plants for the winter. We always have some (nothing like OP, just see one flying in front of the computer screen here and then).

Those yellow sticky pads work really well and I put one in every pot. I also will spray down the plants with insecticide before bringing them into the house. I've also used those small bug zappers and fan operated glue traps and those work as well. I don't think there is universal fix but if you stay on top of it, it's just one or two here and there.

Links to products I've used:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01IMTVAI6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08CDB8PDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You don't know that without access to the data set.

Also, they are negotiating for the same contract. So pretty much all the drivers have access to the same pay scale and benefits.

There is nothing flattering or unflattering about a statistic. It's a number. The mean (average) salary is $110k.

But if you mean relative salary to other professions, truck drivers are way above. And they are way way above when adjusted for education level prerequisite. I don't know why you make it seem like these guys are making minimum wage? What other profession makes this kind of money without only a high school diploma and such good job security? Not a lot.

There may be some exceptions, but the rules linked are pretty clear so it's not that restart rule is utilized constantly, it would not make any sense. Also, at the end of the day, it's up to the driver how much they want to work. Most likely those doing maximum hours are doing it because they want to earn more money. And at that hourly, who would blame them.

But it's beside the point as you are not arguing that work hours should be limited (and they aren't either), they just want more money.

So question, how much should a high school equivalent job earn in your eyes? Obviously low 7 figures is not enough and the fact that they guys are earning more than teachers, nurses, etc... who have college level requirements as comparison confirms that.

"Mean" is the average,... not a median or mode.

The regulations strictly say 60 hours in 7 days or 70 hours in 8 maximum. So I don't know where you are coming up with those numbers. And that's a maximum. Where are you getting that over 60 hours per week would be attainable or 70 in an 8 consecutive period.

I think you are stating your opinion as fact or regulation. Please provide links to actual regulations or data if you think these numbers are inaccurate.

Actually, the company has legal obligations when it makes statements about employee costs as if it lies, it can be fraud against the share holders. So it is highly likely that those official quoted numbers are correct.

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Also, drivers are legally limited in the number hours and how long they can drive.

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https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/summary-hours-service-regulations#:~:text=Drivers%20are%20allowed%20to%20extend%20the%2010-hour%20maximum%20driving,adverse%20driving%20conditions%20are%20encountered.

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Listen, I'm not "supporting" either side, but you shouldn't just make things up. If you have real data that supports falsehoods the company is making, present it. I don't know, it is a little hard to feel sorry for a salary of $110k with good benefits when people with the same education level are making near minimum wage.

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Truck driving seems to be a great avenue to make 6 figures without a fancy and expensive college degree.

Do you have data for those hours and that the $110k includes benefits? Average compensation is pretty easy to get and most likely accurate.

As I understand it, these drivers get paid pretty well considering the requirements of the job is a drivers license for truck driving (which can be obtained in a 6 week truck driving program). Not too bad for somebody with a only a high school degree compared to other work.