You likely can find comparable prices to Black Friday around February or so. There are often new models coming out in the spring, so they try to liquidate the old models.

I was about to mention this too. The idea is that you invest it and only take out enough to cover your expenses. People typically use 4% as an estimate for average annual growth in the stock market, so 25x your annual expenses would theoretically allow you to maintain it indefinitely.

For reference, $40,000 annual expenses (including taxes) would require $1,000,000 invested, so that’s an easy reference point.

I think ma’am is a better default for strangers. It’s the best female equivalent available for sir. Miss sounds patronizing unless you are using it in place of Mrs.

Yeah, it’s essentially triaging people in need. If money is the limiting factor for how many people you can save, then not using it to save people efficiently would make you an asshole.