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"Get out of accounting, get to bigger firms.  With around 2 years experience, this will take some pretty serious networking.  Alternatively, look at an MBA.  Small firms can be good but don't look as good on a resume to start.  ""Non-business graduate"" is meaningless. No one cares as long as its a real degree."


Okay fine, great. I think you fail to see my point.  Experiencing someone dying on the table does not alter the reality of what is behind America's relatively high health care costs, and its not an experience that will give one a special insight into the causes of high prices.  Going back to your first point, economists have looked into the exact same cause you proposed. They have weighted its impact on healthcare and its not the largest driving force in way American healthcare costs so much.


We will not be voting in a Democrat senate in 2018. It's not mathematically impossible, but it rounds down to zero.  ~~As for recusal~~ To the author of the article: he *wasn't* an employee, and didn't have to recuse. It's not even close, and the article can't change that no matter how many times it mindlessly repeats the claim.


Now, is there any clever way to combine FOREX transactions so that you receive the US interest on $100K instead of the $2K you deposited as margin?  Yes, absolutely. But think about it -- why would the interest rates be different? Imagine you're making two loans, one for 10,000 USD and one for 10,000 CHF, and you're going to charge a different interest rate on the two loans. Why would you do that? There is really only one reason -- you would charge more interest for the currency that you think is less likely to hold its value such that the expected value of the money you are repaid is the same. In other words, currencies pay a higher interest when their value is expected to go down and currencies pay a lower interest when their value is expected to go up. So yes, you could do this. But the profits you make in interest would have to equal the expected loss you would take in the devaluation of the currency. People will only offer you these interest rates if they think the loss will exceed the profit. Unless you know better than them, you will take a loss.


My take is that there are many factors to consider when deciding whether to accelerate payment of a debt beyond the require minimum. Ideally you would want to be debt-free with a home owned outright, a pension big enough to lead a nice life for the rest of your days and plenty of savings to cover any unexpected expenses. Being debt-free is not a bad thing but it should not come at the expense of your overall financial health.


i work at a bank. if a private company that we've never heard of wants a loan, we will be more hesitant than if it were a public, household name covered by equity research analysts. requires more due diligence on our part. if they get s&p or moody's ratings, that makes us more comfortable. the company wants the loan more than we want to lend to them, so in my mind, they should be the one paying for it.  i agree that this creates a conflict of interest, and recognize that conflict when using the research.


When people voice or express racist discriminatory views for public consumption they are signifying to the world that they have lost all sense of the concept of socialization, and that they wish to be alone and isolated from civilized educated people.  Politics is knowing when to leave the world stage, and racism is not knowing you are just about to, Mr. Faber. Have fun counting your money you anal sadistic antisocial buffoon knuckledragger piece of sociopathic shit.  Bon Voyagee'....


To me this sounds like a transaction, where E already owns a company worth 400k and can therefore pocket the money from D and give D 25% of the profits every year. There is nothing objective (like a piece of paper) that states the company is worth 400K. It is all about perceived value. Some investors may think it is worth something because of some knowledge they may have. Heck, the company could be worth nothing but the investor could have some sentimental value associated to it. So is it actually the case that E's company is worth 400k only AFTER the transaction? It is worth what someone pays for it when they pay for it. I repeat- the 400K valuation is subjective. In return the investor is getting 25% ownership of the product or company. The idea is that when someone has ownership, they have a vested interest in it being successful. In that case, the investor will do whatever he/she can to improve the chances of success (in addition to supplying the 100K capital). For instance, the investor will leverage their network or perhaps put more money into it in the future. Is the 100k added to the balance sheet as cash? Perhaps. It is an asset that may later be used to fund inventory (for instance). ... and would the other 300k be listed as an IP asset? No. See what I said about the valuation just being perception. Note that the above analysis doesn't apply to all Dragons Den deals. It only applies to situations where capital is exchanged for ownership in the form of equity.


It is completely in the realm of each lender what they request. Some lenders always want to see proof of income, and others have decided to look only at other things. Their decision has nothing to do with you, your situation, your income, or your credit history. You are of course free to go to another lender that does not want proof of income.


Exactly. I’ve heard people bitching about people saying there are no jobs. I literally heard someone say, “I see now hiring signs all over. There are jobs everywhere.” That’s not a job that you can live on. Making 10 bucks an hours at Barnes & Noble is good for a kid but not for an adult. What people need are jobs that require little to no skills but will teach them and pay them well in the meantime. Working at target is not going to be enough. We used to have a ton of low skill jobs in this county.


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> You've made half-assed non-sensical replies to all of my posts in this thread where you obviously have no direct knowledge of the industry.  I currently have one citation, to your zero. I think my one citation, for a pretty big state in the USA, beats your unsubstantiated claim that you have direct knowledge somewhere *not in California*. The fact that you think this is remotely valuable to your argument shows that you also know very little about discourse.  > You're the one that said you want to know where these markets are that have different laws.  I want to know, in the sense that I want to hold you accountable for the claims you are making. If it's so easy to do the research, I'll leave it to you to make yourself look a little less ignorant.


Usually I do not read article on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very pressured me to take a look at and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, quite great post.


Supply and demand. The market needs highly competent software engineers, and will pay out the nose for them. It needs liberal arts majors too, but there are a lot more of them out there, so wages are lower. Oddly enough, it seems more of the liberal arts majors - and I was one of them once - have developed a pretty strong sense of entitlement, and get pissy when they don't see the same kinds of incomes and perks as the guys with the more marketable skills. Cue OWS!


Part of the reason things are so ramped up here is that we'll be under the total occlusion, and historically we have over an 85% chance of clear and sunny skies, making it ideal. A lot of people are banking on decent weather here: personally (it's in the mid 60s here today) I'm hoping for snow just to fuck with people.


"I worked for a small private tech company that was aquired by a larger publicly traded tech company.  My shares were accelerated by 18 months, as written in the contract.  I excercised those shares at a very low strike price (under $1) and was given an equal number of shares in the new company.  Made about $300,000 pre tax.  This was in 2000. (I love how the government considered us ""rich"" that year, but have never made that amount since!)"


Obviously the only way to have good credit is by owing money, and making payments as scheduled. To do this I would do everything I could to place all of your required expenses on a credit card. This can include paying rent, food, transportation, etc.  These are all payments that you already make, but simply move then through a different payment vehicle. It sounds like at this time you may not have a credit card that allows you to do this, but I would watch out for those cards that come in via mail with all kinds of special deals. While you have not mentioned if you have any of this, make sure that you keep up with your past debt and negotiate repayment if needed. Once your credit improves, you should begin to see doors opening that are problems now.


Call the credit card company you used to fund the account and file claims against each transaction used to top up the entropay account.  File it either as merchandise not received, or in your case it sounds like unauthorized transaction would be appropriate as well.  Your (real) credit card company will lodge the dispute and get your money back, usually will credit your account back within a couple of days.  Be sure to follow up with your credit card company, as they usually send you some forms to fill out and sign before they finalize the claim.


> 1)They are the product (or maybe even part of the cause) of suburban sprawl. They encourage car usage and, by virtue of their need for large open areas to be constructed, are often far from where most people work and live. As a result, patrons have to drive large distances from their houses/jobs to the shopping centers. > 2) The parking lots are tremendous waste of space and hugely damage the environment.  Outside of major cities with public transit infrastructure, where ARE people allowed to go then?  And not even for shopping, but pretty much everything outside of the home in these locales requires cars/driving.  That's just reality.  And, actually, I think it would be better to concentrate businesses into one dense area like a mall and then people aren't driving all over hitting up a bunch of different stops.  And, >4) Once they are built and then closed, the space where the centers sat is basically abandoned and turns into blight. Depending on the businesses that were housed in the mall and the businesses that were supported by the mail (especially gas stations), these sites could be toxic.  I think this would be considered a sunk cost.  The malls are built.  If they go under now, then this bad stuff will happen.  If anything this is an argument why this news is bad for the environment.


As you point out, the main benefits of a pension/retirement account over a traditional cash/taxable account are the legal and tax benefits.  Most Western countries establish a specific legal definition for an account which is often taxed less or not at all relative to taxable accounts and which contains some protection for the owner in case of a bankruptcy.  The typical drawbacks for investing within such structures are limited investment choice, limited withdrawal rights (either in terms of age or rate of withdrawal), and maximum contributions.  The benefits are usually very clear, and your decision whether or not to open a pension/retirement account should depend on a careful weighing of the benefits and drawbacks. As to whether you may end up with less than you started, that depends on what you invest in.  As with all of finance, you must take more risk to get more return.  Although the choices inside a pension/retirement account may be worded somewhat differently, they are usually fundamentally no different than some of the most popular investments available for ordinary taxable accounts.


Good question. I have no idea what legal recourse they have to reverse gift and credit card purchases.  Cash people are probably safe.  Like I said, it's unlikely they will do anything, but I would not be holding on to gift cards purchased via gift cards if it was my money on the line.


No, it's not.  You need a BS and a masters to achieve a PhD.  You need a bachelors to achieve a masters.  When I was halfway through my bachelors, no one came and gave me an associates.  When I graduated college, no one gave me a BS AND an associates.  An associates' whole purpose is to show someone has achieved some college.  You don't get two degrees for graduating college in its entirety.    Further, if you achieve an associates and then come back some time later and finish and get your bachelors, you don't need to say you have both.  It is horribly retarded.


To cut the cost of insurance in half, you will have to cut the number of ambulance chasing attorneys in half and stop half of the hail storms. I’m of the belief that lawsuits and defense cost will still be a part of the insurance cost as well as all the current comprehensive risks.   The reason Tesla is doing this is because it’s vehicles are SIGNIFICANTLY more expensive to repair. The mainstream insurance companies are figuring out how to insure them, and it will end up be much more expensive to insure a Tesla than a Toyota.


>This is further supported by the fact that when I go into a Costco it's nearly impossible to find anyone to help me, and when I do, they are just about useless.   I have to completely disagree with this one. It is true that it can be an effort to find help, but in all cases they leave what they are doing and walk with me to help me find whatever I was looking for.  Besides I don't think it's any easier to find help at either Walmart or Target.


So you're telling me you can't commute upwards of one hour away from your work to find affordable housing? That is what Californians do.   High-price houses are a convenience based on location, you can easily find great deals if you're willing to remove convenience.


Contributing the $150 to put you over the $3k mark is somewhat pointless. The reason is that, although you won't be accumulating any fees, you won't be able to use the money, either, because as soon as you take a distribution, you'll be back under $3k.  Instead, I would look at two things: First, are you considering all the ways you can spend this money? Doctor visits, dentist, prescriptions, eyeglasses, chiropractic, and more: there are lots of ways to spend this money, and if you can spend it all in a relatively short amount of time, your problem is solved. The full list of things you can spend it on is in IRS Publication 502.  Second, have you talked to a local credit union? Credit unions often offer an HSA account with only a small setup fee and no ongoing monthly fee or minimum balance. If you roll your current HSA money over into your new account, you can then take your time spending the money until it is gone.  If you are having trouble locating a good HSA, there is a large list at hsarates.com. Look for one that is available in your state (or nationwide) and has low/no fees.


"Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: There may or may not be a medical exam, or a physical, as with a life insurance policy. But your medical history is considered in the underwriting process. Disclosure: I once worked as a financial advisor, and held an insurance license for life, annuity and long-term care. It has been 8 years since I left that line of work. There are some ""knock-out"" questions that the salesperson is encouraged/required to ask just to see if there would be anything obvious that would disqualify you. The only one I can remember from that list is COPD. If you have that as a diagnosis in your personal medical history, the instruction to the salesperson is to not waste anybody's time. There were several other conditions, all with very long technical names.   If you're not disqualified by the no-brainer knock-out questions, your medical history will likely be included in the underwriting process.  Not every serious illness is an automatic disqualifier, including cancer. It may cause your premiums to be a little higher, as the underwriters will take a closer look and increase your risk profile due to the history. There may be some group policies where underwriting is limited or not required at all. As with all group insurance policies, the healthy members in the group are paying more in premiums than they otherwise would, in order to ""subsidize"" the premiums of the less healthy members. It's almost always cheaper to get your own personal policy unless you know you wouldn't qualify for it. Then, the group policy might be your only chance for some coverage. Age 60-62 is statistically the best time to purchase LTCI. On average, if you make it to 62, you have a very high chance of making it to 90. (These were the numbers available to me 8 years ago when I was in the business.) After 62, the prices go up a lot faster with each year of age.  I can't answer with anything helpful about your spouse's specific situation. It would be good to talk to a licensed insurance broker about it (not a salesman from a specific company). The broker is not necessarily bound to disclose personal details you might have shared with them. The company salesman would be obligated to disclose it to their company."


Here's what I'd do.  Show these figures to your bank, and ask if they can offer you some type of account with a small overdraft, say up to $2000.  Typically this won't pay the same kind of interest as your savings account, but it doesn't matter. If such an account is available, then yes, dump most of your savings into the student loan, and keep a few hundred in your new account.  The overdraft on this account is your emergency fund.  This means that in the more likely scenario (no emergencies) you're saving yourself 6% interest on something like $4000 to $4500.  In the case of an emergency, you're still covered; but you'll be paying a larger amount of interest.  Let's say you have an emergency cost and need to dip into the overdraft for $1000.  If the interest is 15%, then you've cost yourself an extra 9% on that $1000 over leaving that debt in the student loan.  This seems to me like a really good gamble - more likely to gain 6% of $4000, less likely to lose 9% of $1000. If your bank won't give you a low-interest account with a small overdraft, then use your credit card as your emergency fund.  The same kind of logic applies; but since credit card interest rates are typically higher than overdraft interest rates, you'll want to keep slightly more in your savings account.  About $1200 to $1500 feels right to me; and move the remaining $3500 to $3800 to your student loan.   So yes, pay off the student loan.  That 6% interest really is worth having, even if you'd be taking a small gamble. Edit - Alexander Kosubek has suggested that I should compare this to matched retirement plans.  The 100% gain in a matched retirement plan isn't 100% per annum; it's 100% divided across the length of time you have to wait until you can get your hands on that money.  Suppose the money is accessible when you turn 60 - a matched plan is a good deal if you're in your 50's, but not so good if you're in your 20's.  The 100% matching is equivalent to 6% interest per annum compounded over slightly under 12 years.   So if you're less than 12 years away from retiring, go for the matched plan.  Otherwise, pay off your student loan first.


Do you know if I can upload files directly to it (I have made html and css files in Notepad++)?  Also do you know if I am allowed to run ads on a site hosted there (I'm intending to use a provider similar to adsense but not adsense)?   Also do you know if I can connect my own domain name to it?    Thank you so much for your help  Regards Birchmark


"I still don't understand this ""analysis.""  Even when the US became the world's largest economy in 1880, the British Pound remained the reserve currency of choice until the 1950s, some seventy years later!  Investors prefer stability and property rights and the US has both, especially when considering the alternatives, i.e. Euro tax takings on bank deposits in Cyprus.    What about the yuan? China may have recently surpassed US economic power, but it is very likely in the midst of a massive credit bubble. China has also been fudging some of their numbers and in many cases, chooses not to keep economic records at all. The fact that many Chinese elites themselves are buying property in Vancouver and the US as a safe harbor also does not bode well for their systemic problems IMO. I'm sticking with the dollar for now."


"You don't need to have a bunch of credit cards lying around; just a couple is fine. Get a ""rewards"" card (without annual fee) that pays you back for use, and use it regularly to buy groceries, for example. Pay it off promptly each month, using the rewards, if you like, to reduce the amount you have to send in. Or you can use the rewards for other purchases; some merchants offer $25 worth of merchandise for $20 in rewards. It used to be the case that you could negotiate a discount for paying cash rather than use a credit card, but that is a lot harder to do now, in many cases because credit-card company contracts with merchants prohibit this practice. Also, merchants often prefer credit cards rather than cash because money-handling is an issue (pay for an armored car to come pick up the day's receipts, or risk getting mugged on the way to the bank, possible burglaries if you leave the money overnight in the store, daily balancing of cash-register trays, etc.) So, not being in debt and being rich enough to not need to be in debt are laudable goals, and you have my best wishes that you will reach them soon, but getting rid of all your credit cards as a part of not being in debt may be more trouble than it is worth. Keep a couple, pay them off promptly, and if you are concerned about being in debt, you can time your charges so that you are in debt at  most 2 or 3 days each month."


"I like this explanation the best.  EV is trying to get at the value of the underlying business, excluding the capital structure you currently have on the company.  If your lemonade stand is worth $100, but the business also comes with $50 in cash lying around (and no debt), then the EV is $100.  But the price you'd pay the owner (the ""market cap"") is $150, because it's like you get an immediate cash rebate."


"The second part of your question is the easiest to answer, how much manual work is involved in settlement processes? Payment systems which handle low value (i.e. high volume) transactions work on the basis of net settlement. Each of the individual payments are netted across all of the participant banks, so that only one ""real"" payment is made by each bank. Some days banks will receive money, others they will pay money. This is arbitrary and depends on whether their outbound payments exceed their inbound payments for that day.   The payment system will notify each Bank how much it owes/will receive for the day. The money is then transferred between all of the banks simultaneously by the payment system to remove the risk that some pay and others don't. If you're going to make or receive a very large payment, you're going to want to make certain that its correct. This means that if there's a discrepancy, you need operations people available to find out why its wrong.   When dealing with this many payments, answering that question can be hard. Did we miss a payment? Is there a duplicate? Etc.  The vast majority of payments will process without any human involvement, but to make the process work, you always need human brains there to fix problems that occur. This brings me to your first question. On every day that settlement happens, a bank will receive (or pay) a very large sum of money. As a settlement bank you must settle that money - the guarantee that every bank will pay is one of the main reasons these systems exist. For settlement to happen, every bank has to agree to participate, and be ready to verify the data on their side and deliver the funds from their account. So there is no particular reason that this doesn't happen on weekends and holidays other than history. But for any payment system to change, it would require the support of (at least) a majority of participants to pay staff to manage the settlement process on weekends. This would increase costs for banks, but the benefits would only really be for you and me (if at all). That means it's unlikely to happen unless a government forces the issue."


My answer is with respect to the United States. I have no idea about India's regulatory environment. You are opening yourself up to massive liabilities and problems if you deposit their money in your account. I managed investment accounts as a private investment advisor for years (those with less than 15 clients were not required to register) until Dodd-Frank changed the rules. Thus you would have to register as an advisor, probably needing to take the series 65 exam (or qualifying some other way, e.g. getting your CFP/CFA/etc...). I used a discount broker/dealer (Scottrade) as the custodian. Here's how it works: Each client's account was their own account, and I had a master account that allowed me to bill their accounts and manage them.  They signed paperwork making me the advisor on their account.  I had very little accounting to handle (aside from tracking basis for taxed accounts). If you take custody of the money, you'll have regulatory obligations. There are always lots of stories in the financial advisor trade publications about advisors who go to jail for screwing their clients. The most common factor: they took custody of the assets. I understand why you want a single account - you want to ensure that each client gets the same results, right? Does each client want the same results?  Certainly the tax situation for each is different, yes?  Perhaps one has gains and wants to take losses in one year, and the other doesn't. If their accounts are managed separately, one can take losses while the other realizes gains to offset other losses. Financial advisors offer these kinds of accounts as Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs). The advisors on these kinds of accounts are mutual funds managers, and they try to match a target portfolio, but they can do things like realize gains or losses for clients if their tax situation would prefer it. You certainly can't let them put retirement accounts into your single account unless the IRS has you on their list of acceptable custodians. I suggest that you familiarize yourself thoroughly with the regulatory environment that you want to operate under. Then, after examining the pros and cons, you should decide which route you want to take.  I think the most direct and feasible route is to pass the Series 65, register as an investment advisor, and find a custodian who will let you manage the assets as the advisor on the account. Real estate is another matter, you should talk to an attorney, not some random guy on the internet (even if he has an MBA and a BS in Real Estate, which I do). This is very much a state law thing.


I dont think we disagree. I believe the notion of control is elusive in this day and age. We have leverage or influence at best. I agree that if the government is asked to invest or subsidize in another organization, it has the right, as should any investor, to expect that its opinions will be heard and its interests will be protected. In that context, if any investor decides that its interests extend to amending management compensation, I think that is reasonable.


I interned at a wealth management firm that used very active momentum trading, 99% technicals. Strictly ETFs (indexes, currencies, commodities, etc), no individual equities. They'd hold anywhere from 1-4 weeks, then dump it as soon as the chart starts turning over.  As soon as I get enough capital I'm adopting their same exact strategy, it's painfully easy


"The can and the should have been discussed in other answers and comments,  and so I will discuss the how.  As others have noted, it is important to make sure that the additional money goes to reducing principal and not towards  prepayment of interest.  Unfortunately, very few bank tellers understand how mortgages work and very few bank officers - even loan officers - understand how mortgages work too. Thus a statement that you want the extra money to go towards principal will likely be met with a blank look. Furthermore, what they do with the money and how it is entered on the bank books that afternoon when the transactions are recorded may have no resemblance to what was discussed and agreed to earlier in the day.  Based on my personal experiences and  many arguments with banks about how they handled my prepayments and how interest was computed, I would  recommend the following (which is easier now that automated payments are possible for the standard monthly payment and additional payments are possible via electronic funds transfer). Make sure that automated payments are made on the day that the payment is due, not at the end of the ten-day grace period that banks love to grant you for making the monthly payment. Yes, there is no penalty for late payment as long as you pay before the end of the grace period, but interest continues to be charged and so more of each graciously delayed payment goes to interest  and less towards principal. Make the additional payment on the same day as the standard monthly mortgage payment is made. This ensures that at worst just one day's interest is owing when the additional payment is made. Also, payment in the middle of the monthly cycle is an almost sure way of getting ripped off on the interest because the bank's computers will post the payment in the manner most favorable to them, and usually contrary to the terms of your mortgage.  I have  complained to banks about mishandled mid-month payments and won every time, and on many occasions the bank officer would grudgingly say ""We have always done it this way and nobody  ever complained till you did today."" I doubt very much if the bank's programs got changed as a result of my complaints. If you are not sure how mortgages work and how interest  is calculated or don't have the time or inclination to go hassle with the bank each time but do prefer not to get ripped off, make the payment as described: on the dot and at the same time as the regularly scheduled monthly payment. The amortization schedule that the bank should have given you shows how much the principal amount is after the monthly  payment is made on each due date.  Assuming that you have  not been taking advantage of the grace periods and so the schedule is correct, make an additional payment not of a round sum but an exact amount (down to the last penny) that will jump you from principal owing after today's regular payment to principal owing after the regular payment N months from today. Here of course you choose N based on how much extra money you were planning on paying towards your mortgage.  By making the extra payment, you will effectively have cut the length of  the mortgage by n months and the same amortization schedule will apply over the shorter period.  Since very little of the principal is repaid in the early life of the mortgage, an additional principal-only payment can reduce the length of the mortgage by years. Paying a specific amount that matches the amortization schedule also helps if you ever need to hassle with the bank. It is their print-out you are arguing from, and not trying to explain to a clueless bank officer how the bank did not compute interest  correctly after you paid $1500.00 extra at beginning of last month."


Normally, yes, you would have to pay. If you are in the US, or a citizen of the US, then IRC Sec. 61 would levy tax on all income. Even if you find money on the ground, that will generally be taxable income (the treasure trove doctrine). If you are paying foreign income taxes, the US may allow credit.


"\*Yawn\*  This was talked about a LOT back in the Y2K era... so maybe people to young to remember that will not have ""heard about it"", but everyone else should have.  And the ""catastrophic"" implications of it (just like the whole Y2K thing) have been ridiculously overblown and exaggerated.  As is the ""level of risk"" for the ""coming decade"".  We really don't know anywhere near enough about these kinds of events to make even the most crude of probabilistic predictions regarding their frequency or intensity, much less what the effects would be on modern systems.  IOW, this is just rather pointless and sensationalistic ""scare mongering"" -- must have been a slow news day (or maybe PBS wants to ""distract"" people from other news)."


The advantage of interest only mortgages is that they can increase your cashflow as you are only paying the interest and not any part of the principle. We have most of our investment loans on interest only for 10 years. When we got the loans about 6 to 7 years ago our LVR was only 60% and the property prices have increased by about 40% in that time. We also place our excess cashflow into offset accounts linked to the investment loans, so there is extra cash available in case things go bad. The disadvantage of interest only mortgages is that you are not paying off any principal for the length of the interest only period. If you are over extended this could cause problems as you need to rely totally on the price of the property going up for your equity to increase. As you are currently paying mortgage insurance leads me to believe your LVR is above 80%, so you would not have much equity available in your home. With an interest only loan this could pose you some problems. You should never try to over extend yourself, the slightest thing that goes wrong could get you into financial troubles. Always try to have some buffer to help you stay on your feet if circumstances do change for the worst.


Indeed. Two summers ago was the last time I did cheap hotels. I need my amazing showers in the evening/morning when traveling, and the place I stayed at had low pressure and luke warm water at best. The next place had jets in the bathtub and sooooo worth it. Also a better bed and view.


"TDAmeritrade, an online stock broker, provides banking services within their brokerage accounts. The service offers all of what you are looking for. HOWEVER, this service is only available for free with their ""Apex"" qualification.  Here is a tariff of their fees and services."


It all depends on your priorities, but if it were me I'd work to get rid of that debt as your first priority based on a few factors: I might shift towards the house if you think you can save enough to avoid PMI, as the total savings would probably be more in aggregate if you plan on buying a house anyway with less than 20% down. Of course, all this is lower priority than funding your retirement at least up to the tax advantaged and/or employer matched maximums, but it sounds like you have that covered.


Apart from the reasons currently given (which have to do with personal relations), wouldn't a good reason to take the loan from the bank be to build up a credit history and/or improve your credit score?


>The problem is that there is not ENOUGH demand to employ a sufficient percentage of the workforce.  The other problem is that we have a system in which large portions of the population fall into destitution or poverty if we don't maintain very-full (just a reminder, but the labor market has absorbed, in the past few decades, large demographics who once simply didn't work, most especially women and many elderly people) employment.


First of all you inbred nit wit . . . Semitics are a group of languages, which includes Arabic, and the Arabs by far outnumber you, so I can't be anti-Semitic.  How the Jews have seemed to take the Phrase Semitic and coin Anti-Semitic to mean a Hatred of Jews seems to me classic Jewish misdirection. You may rest assured I hate no language.  Now If you wish to speak about why I think the Jews have been a plague on Mankind through the centuries and always the root cause of strife and conflict, I have many valid arguments to their display of despicable behavior, starting with Palestine and the Apartheid regime, the world looks away from in shame.  Right here in America, we have the Jewish control of the Federal Reserve and the Treasury and Banking system, which continuously put us through the Boom and bust cycle, we have Jews infesting the white house and driving Policies that are anti-America and pro Israel and the we can argue the subject for as long as you like.  My point here was that the American people have become so blind and docile, that America can be taken to war in Iraq because Israeli intelligence decided that they had WMD and it was a threat to Israel, Syria is also a Threat to Israel and Iran is also a threat to Israel, and so is Afghanistan and of course Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.  From the Looks of it Israel and the Jews seem to think a Majority of the Semitic world is out to destroy them, so it would seem actually the pitiful few Jews left over after the Holocaust are actually the Anti-Semites.  And most surprising is the fact that the pitiful few Jews actually grew in population during the course of WWII, which would actually quite possibly, with that rate of breeding, make them Rabbits. Thus I would have to plead guilty of being anti-rabbits and thank the lord that Rabbits have lots of natural predators or Jews would grow as big as Kangaroos, but fortunately the British had the foresight to not make Israel in Australia, because while they took a pair of rabbits there in the 1700 hundreds, look at their population now.  We would have a serious Jew population explosion on our hands and since they would then be a majority of the Semitic languages, would be forced to neuter the Rabbit population in Australia using biological agents and the few potent ones left we could eat in what could later be called the Big Roast on the Barbie in the biggest act of Antisemitism that never happened.  I am afraid, at this point I would like to take the phrase Antisemitism back from you and suggest you use a phrase closer to what you are trying to say . .try AntiJew, AntiZionest, Jew hater  As for me, I absolutely hate fucking rabbits.


There's the fear that one might forget the debit is coming and still bounce the payment.  Personally, I agree with Dheer's list, I don't want to give someone unlimited access to my account. I make good use of electronic payments where I initiate the payment.  For the credit card I use regularly, I have a $250 monthly payment set to go automatically. If I forget to make a payment or lose the bill, at least the minimum is covered. The monthly charges are enough that when I actually pay the bill in full upon receipt, it just goes in toward current charges.  Bills like gas/electric/phone are different every month, so an auto-debit is actually more trouble than how I handle.


>What, specifically, do you believe it is about the MBA experience (2 semesters of core business skills, and 2 semesters of electives, all taken on top of a bachelors degree) that causes the problem?  Business degrees are incredibly over-rated, I'm speaking as a business owner with quite a few employees here. I speak to a lot of business owners, some with degrees, some without, and most of them say the same - business cannot be taught in a classroom.   The theory side to business is obviously helpful but in no way ensures you will become successful, and they really shouldn't be held with such high regard. In my own company I tend to try and avoid hiring people with business degrees, they tend to be incredibly arrogant (in my experience) and believe they deserve to be treated on the same level as entrepreneurs just because they have a degree.


"I don't think the article is accurate. From https://studentaid.ed.gov/repay-loans/default#consequences Your student loan debt will increase because of the late fees,   additional interest, court costs, collection fees, attorney’s fees,   and any other costs associated with the collection process. Most stories of collection agencies having a debt start with ""I owed $2000"" and the collection agency says ""It's now $4000"" due to interest, late fees, collection fees, etc."


I'd probably off myself if I had to drive a Camry or Corolla though. Unreliable as they may be, I'd much rather drive a Challenger or a charger. At least they have character. Camrys are appliances. Bulletproof and a great value, yes, but soulless as well.


Dummy example to explain this. Suppose your portfolio contained just two securities; a thirty year US government bond and a Tesla stock. Both of those position are currently valued at $1mm. The Tesla position however is very volatile with its daily volatility being about 5% (based on the standard deviation of its daily return) whole there bond's daily volatility is 1%. Then the Tesla position is 5/6 of your risk while being only 1/2 of the portfolio.   Now if in month the Tesla stock tanks to half is values then. Then it's risk is half as much as before and so it's total contribution to risk has gone down.


yeah and yelp has the right to automatically filter reviews from unknown users.  i didn't necessarily mean 'game' in a negative way, just that the site didn't work the way she naively assumed it would.  stupid shit like this is why 'social media consultant' is an actual job these days


In Scotland, each bank issues its own separate notes. It's not uncommon to see identical-valued £10 notes, for example, from three different banks in one's wallet.


The article you link scares me; but I still have faith that the FDIC will keep me protected.  Personally, if the FDIC goes broke, there is something more fundamentally wrong with the government as a whole and dollars won't worry me much. There are lots of issues with the FDIC, and I think the answers lie outside of simply printing more money and funding the FDIC further.  There is likely more bad before this storm is over, and I might be ignorant, but I still want to operate normally. My money would stay where it is with things being how I see them in today


One way is to wire transfer large amounts. If you transfer $5,000 at one go, that $50 fee works out to 1%, same as the $5 on a $500 ATM withdrawal (and ATM fees, hidden and explicit, tend to be higher than $5).  The downside is exchange rate risk (taking more money at one go exposes you to that day's rate, good or bad, vs taking it in multiple chunks). If you're American, you also have to report large transfers and foreign balances on your taxes. Shopping around for a good home bank (with low wire & foreign ATM fees), is quite important.


Stimulus diverts money artificially without actual demand for the sector where it goes, delaying the natural recession that comes when demand tapers off. People spend money when they are better off buying an item. Economics is organic, people trade to improve their lives. Artificially lowering the cost of some services and items (or lowering interest rates) by increasing the deficit only delays the natural decline of demand for whatever services receive stimulus. It was exactly this that caused the Great Depression, when the money supply was expanded (stimulus) by 2/3, then contracted. The 20s boom was created BY the government, artificially creating the appearance of demand, incentivizing overproduction... then when the real demand doesn't materialize, a depression follows.


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Not all limit orders add liquidity, but all market orders remove liquidity presuming there is liquidity to remove. A liquidity providing order is one that is posted to the limit book. If an order, even a limit order, is filled before being posted to the limit book, it removes liquidity. Liquidity is measured by a balance and abundance of quantities posted on the limit book and the best spread between the lowest ask and the highest bid.


Releasing the patents also signals to competition/general public that they're so far ahead in this tech that they can afford to do this. It doesn't necessarily mean future patents will be released.   I didn't answer the question but I hope this gives a point of view on the subject


"Hmm, this site says If you use Quicken, you enter a new transaction of type ""Corporate Acquisition (stock for stock)."" You put investor shares as the ""Company acquired"", Admiral shares as the ""Acquiring company"", and the conversion ratio 0.7997754 as the ""New shares issued per held share"" number. Seems crazy, but maybe that's the way. Edit: This sucks. In the comments, you can see that people have to manually correct the share price for every transaction because of rounding problems."


James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton  6th Lord of Cadzow (c. 1415 – 6 November 1479) was a Scottish nobleman, scholar and politician.   James Hamilton, 1st Lord Hamilton  Early life  James Hamilton was the son of James Hamilton of Cadzow, 5th Laird of Cadzow. He was born at Cadzow Castle, South Lanarkshire. He first appears on record on a charter of 1426, granting him the rights to the lands of Dalserf, which had been alienated by his father.  Douglas connection  Hamilton was intimately connected with the powerful House of Douglas: his mother was a daughter of the Douglas Lord of Dalkeith, and also through his marriage in 1439/1440 with Lady Euphemia Graham, the youthful widow of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas and daughter of Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn. Hamilton became stepfather to the young 6th Earl of Douglas, his brother David, both who would be murdered in November 1440 at the ‘Black Dinner’ at Edinburgh Castle in the presence of James II. Furthermore he was the stepfather of Margaret Douglas, known as the “Fair Maid of Galloway”, who was to marry her cousins William Douglas, 8th Earl of Douglas, and James Douglas, 9th Earl of Douglas.  Laird o’ Cadzow to Lord Hamilton  Prior to 1440 he achieved the status of Knighthood, and circa. 1440/1441 he inherited his father’s estates. In 1445, Hamilton received a charter creating him a Lord of Parliament. This charter raised all his estates into the entail of that rank, with itsCapital Messuage at the Orchard, (later Hamilton Palace), at Cadzow. Furthermore the charter stated that henceforth the lands would be known as Hamilton as they are today.  Hamilton accompanied his stepson in law, the 8th Earl of Douglas, to Rome in 1450, and there obtained permission from the Holy See to convert the Parish Church at the new burgh of Hamilton into a Collegiate Establishment, with endowments for a Provostand six Canons.  Royal displeasure  Hamilton is thought to have accompanied the Earl of Douglas to his fatal meeting with James II at Stirling Castle in 1452. He was certainly with the 9th Earl of Douglas, a month after the murder and following the King’s ravaging of Douglasdale and Hamilton’s lands in Clydesdale. A concord was reached between the King and the Douglas faction at Douglas Castle, in August 1452 that was to last until 1455. In 1453, Hamilton was in England, again with the 9th Earl of Douglas, arranging the release of his brother in law, Malise Graham, Earl of Strathearn. For this action Strathearn granted Hamilton the lands of Elliestoun in Linlithgowshire. Hamilton was again in London the following year, but was back in Scotland by February 1455.  Siege of Abercorn and fall of the Black Douglas  In March 1455, King James took to the field against Douglas, sacking his properties and burning his crops. Hamilton’s lands, he being a partisan of the Douglases, were also particularly devastated. James turned his attention to the mighty Douglas stronghold of Abercorn Castle, and set about besieging it. Douglas mustered his men from Douglasdale, Galloway and the Forest; Hamilton, his levies from Clydesdale. The troops marched to raise the siege, but the Earl of Douglas’ indecision on a plan of attack is said to have perplexed Hamilton, and cause him to withdraw his support for the Douglas cause. Hamilton changed sides and became a partisan of the Royal party. There is evidence to suggest that Hamilton’s uncle, James Livingstone, 1st Lord Livingston had a part in this change of heart. Douglas fled to England, his Castle of Abercorn was slighted, two of his brothers died at and following the Battle of Arkinholm; finally Douglas’ great fortalice of Threave Castle fell and Douglas was attainted, all his enormous patrimony forfeit.  Return to Favour  Following the collapse of the Douglas rebellion, Hamilton was warded at Roslin Castle, in Midlothian for a short while. As recompense for his Volte-Face, Hamilton was created Sheriff of Lanark, in July 1455, and certain of the Earl of Douglas’ forfeited lands were made over to him. These, and his existing lands, being confirmed in Royal charters of October that year. The Barony of Hamilton was increased to include the lands of Drumsergard, Cessford, Kinneil etc., and carefully entailed to whosoever might bear the name and Chief arms of Hamilton. Hamilton was made Bailie of the Priory of Lesmahagow, a Douglas foundation, and was granted the privilege of the lands of Finnart. Hamilton’s new patron was the new Lord of Douglas, George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus, the head of the “Red line” of the House of Douglas, and a supporter of the King.  Marriage and issue  Hamilton married first, Lady Euphemia Graham, daughter of Patrick Graham, de jure Earl of Strathearn and Euphemia Stewart, Countess of Strathearn and widow of Archibald Douglas, 5th Earl of Douglas. They had a daughter:  Elizabeth Hamilton (c. 1442 – c. 1517), who married David Lindsay, 1st Duke of Montrose He married secondly, Princess Mary Stewart of Scotland, daughter of James II of Scotland, and widow of Thomas Boyd, Earl of Arran. By Princess Mary, Hamilton had three children:  Elizabeth Stewart – married Matthew Stewart, 2nd Earl of Lennox. Her descendants included James I of England & VI of Scotland. James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran Illegitimate children included Sir Patrick Hamilton of Kincavil, father of Master Patrick Hamilton, burnt for heresy in 1528 and a Protestant martyr. Lord Hamilton also had a daughter who married Sir John MacFarlane, 11th chief of Clan MacFarlane


Banks buy up, because they get free money at 0.1% interest or so. It does not mean that anybody will afford the houses at those prices in the future. The price will not go up to infinity, unless there is a major inflation round, in which case you will have to wait a decade to sell the house at nominal price after the central bankers let you to do so.   But then again. it is better to own a house in that case, than not having one.


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Someone else might be able to provide more details - but generally yes, of course.  International corporations can pursue debt collection across borders - whether or not they do is a matter of convenience rather than law.  My understanding is that a company's ability to report on your credit report is dependent on their membership in Equifax, USA etc. - so while most of your credit is country by country, international companies or companies with any relationship in other countries can follow you cross-border if they find out your new address and report the debt w/ that address.  Since virtually every major company has some American affiliate, I wouldn't hold my breath that you can escape it indefinitely ESPECIALLY since you don't already have the debt, and have the power to actually pay for the service that you're using.  Also - this is an incredibly scummy thing to do, and no matter how you dress it up as a financial decision it's just theft. Would you leave the country without paying your landlord? Without paying for groceries or other physical goods? Why is stealing from a telecom company any different?


This is a scam. Do you know why Bank of America is doing a refund? Did you own any accounts? Why is India involved in this? If Bank of America in US wants to transfer money to you in US, India is not involved at all. Stop all communications with the scammer and don't transfer any money.


"@Alex B already answered the first question. I want to respond to the second and third: I have heard the term ""The equity on your home is like a bank"". What does that mean? I suppose I could borrow using the equity in my home as collateral? Yes, you can borrow against the equity in your home. What you should keep in mind is that you can only borrow against the amount that you've paid on your house. For example, if you've paid $100,000 against your house, you can then borrow $100,000 (assuming the value hasn't changed). The argument that this is a good deal misses the obvious alternative: If you didn't spend that $100,000 on a house, then you'd still have it and wouldn't need to take out a loan at all. Of course, equity still has value, and you should consider it when doing the cost/benefit analysis, but make sure to compare your equity to savings you could have from renting. Are there any other general benefits that would drive me from paying $800 in rent, to owning a house? Economically: As you'll notice from my parenthetical remarks, this is extremely situational. It might be good to come up with a spreadsheet for your situation, taking all of the costs into account, and see if you end up better or worse. Also, there's nothing wrong with buying a house for non-economic reasons if that's what you want. Just make sure you're aware of the real cost before you do it."


You are correct, a possible Dead Cat Bounce is forming on the stock markets. If it does form it will mean that prices have not reached their bottom, as this pattern is a bearish continuation pattern. For a Dead Cat Bounce to form prices will need to break through support formed by the lows last week. If prices bounce off the support and go back up it could become a double bottom pattern, which is a reversal pattern. The double bottom would be confirmed if prices break above the recent high a couple of days ago. Regarding the psychology of the dead cat bounce pattern, is that after a distinct and quick reversal of prices from recent highs you have 2 groups of market participants who create demand in the market. Firstly you have those who were short covering their short positions to take profits, and secondly you have those who are looking for a bargain buying at what they think is the low. So for a few days you have the bulls taking over the bears.  Then as more less positive news comes in, the bears hit the market again. These are more participants opening short positions, but more so those who missed out in selling previously because prices fell too quickly, seeing another opportunity to sell at a better price. So the bears take over again.  Unless there is very good news around the corner it is likely that the bears will stay in control and prices will fall further. How to trade a dead cat bounce (assuming you have been stopped out of your long possistions already)? If you are aggressive you can go short as prices start reversing from the top of the bounce (with your stop loss just above the top of the bounce). If you are more conservative you would place your entry for a short position just below the support at the start of the bounce (with your stop above the top of the bounce). You could also place an order for a long position above the top of the bounce if a double bottom eventuated. A One Cancels the Other (OCO) would be an appropriate order for such a situation.


Sorry, you're wrong. Last year, they posted just the base options pricing that everyone knew about, and a few videos were posted of people taking test drives in the prototype Model 3's. A few design changes were made between the prototypes last year and the production models unveiled last night. Further, no professional photos were posted of the interior, nor details on range and interior options.   Source: I'm a Tesla owner and Model 3 reservation holder.


I say it's overpriced because they are in essentially a monopoly position for some shows (which the article said) and thus can charge more than I would pay were there alternatives.   I agree there are hurdles to cross in getting new shows out, but really don't care about the entertainment industry's struggles. They provide a luxury service, not an essential one. I suspect that new shows will build an online/word-of-mouth following and be able to make the leap to a wider audience should the demand be there.   For the record, I have internet and also a Boxee (poorly designed; do not buy), but things like NHL hockey games are either on paid channels - which many people will simply not subscribe to at current prices. Centre Ice, for example, is I believe ~$200 per year. If the NHL loses ad-supported channels, profits in their industry are going to plummet.


I'm torn. On the one hand, it will be nice to see kids wearing stuff that doesn't make them look like walking advertisements. On the other hand, the much smaller apparel company I work for has been avoiding placing it's logo prominently on it's clothing since it's inception (I think it's a fantastic logo too). I don't want the added competition.


Usually, it's not a good idea as it will not only raise your debt to income ratios,  but also impact your credit scores. However, if you have extensive credit history, having owned a home or two for a while (read: 10-20 years), taken out multiple auto loans in the past and paid them satisfactory, your credit score may not take a big hit. Possibly ust 5-10 points or it can be 30-40 points. It really depends on the depth of your credit profile.


"> The true problem here is that, just like the music industry, the TV industry has its head in the sand. ""LA-LA-LA-LA"" with its hands over its eyes.  I don't think that's fair. It's hard to find a show on a non-premium channel that's not available for watching free online and/or for digital download on iTunes or elsewhere. And this has been true for years at this point."


Bất cứ khi nào bạn muốn cải thiện điều kiện nhà với vật liệu chất lượng cao của thạch cao hoặc trang trí trần nhà. Nếu bạn có cảm giác rằng ngôi nhà của bạn có vẻ cũ, chúng tôi có thể tân trang thi cong tran thach cao lại cho bạn và triển khai các loại rèm, sơn và trần. Chúng tôi thường quyết định cung cấp cho khách hàng những câu trả lời thân thiện và giá rẻ nhất mà có thể thay đổi sự xuất hiện của ngôi nhà hoặc văn phòng của bạn cho sự dễ chịu. Trần giả có thể được làm từ các chất khác nhau bao gồm Thạch cao, Khoáng chất Khoáng sản và Kim loại.


I work for an electronics distribution company as part of their Accounting team and I hate it. I love doing month-end/year-end stuff because it actually engages my mind, but I hate doing A/P and A/R data entry stuff for a good majority of the year. At this point, I feel like switching career paths to something more engaging or another career in the accounting field.


What You Need To Know Before Having A Dental Implant Dr. Aisha Ahmed and her team Explains: Dental Implants are the best and most innovative treatment dentistry has to offer. If you are missing one tooth or several teeth and want replacements that look, function and feel like natural teeth Dental Implants are your answer.


Take $100,000 base salary, x 1.5 = $150,000 contractor salary, divide by 1,872 hours = $80/hr


Because like many brick and mortar stores BB decided to try and compete with Amazon on price when the entire time they had something that Amazon could not claim. A local neighborhood presence.   Instead they focused on bottom line, cut training, and pissed off the community by abusing employees and being rude and useless to anyone walking in the door.  CircuitCity and CompUsa suffered the same fate. Compete with what makes you unique. Competing using what makes someone else unique will drive you into the ground.


"Microsoft still supports XP with security updates for large enterprise companies that are willing to pony up a few million for the support contracts because it's cheaper than upgrading existing infrastructure.  I know at least 2 of the banks I've worked with are currently paying for extended XP support (although ironically, my understanding is that they're paying for desktop support so they have more time to migrate business critical legacy apps, rather than anything related to deployed ATM infrastructure)  Most ATMs aren't ""online"" in any form that most people would associate with the internet.    AFAIK most of the hacks against ATMs that don't require physical access are for stand-alone or retail based machines (Think of the unbranded ATMs you see in gas stations or stores that only take cash).  Although if anyone happens to have details on a Major bank ATM exploit, I'd love to see the details."


"Are you saying that someone putting on Amway Demos in people's living room is making the same as grocery store owner or a real estate investor? People aren't making that much and after a while consumers don't want you to ""teach them about their shopping habits.""  I mean at first you're like sure come down and do your demo but after everyone knows about your product, its not as easy.  And when you don't make money on the products but on getting people to sell under you, you know its bad."


>Title is click bait and false. This is only for their own products. Amazon is not the only player in the world not even close. The shear amount of packages Fed ex alone ships is insane not to mention their network.  I think what /u/Delkomatic may have meant was anything Amazon is shipping, regardless of who the actual seller is. If Amazon starts shipping all of its listed products using its own shipping company, that's probably a big boost to their bottom line through vertical integration. And, Amazon is uniquely positioned to mandate that all items listed be shipped by Amazon shipping.   It remains to be seen whether they'll actually ship anyone else's products and, if they don't, they aren't really competing with UPS and FedEx.


>What may have been a clever idea in its infancy has grown into a blob which is destructive to the growth-creating and consensus-building prospects of free market capitalism  I wonder how many IPOs this guy has underwritten. I wonder how often he shorts right before earnings to try to make a quick buck.  Hedge funds are all speculation. This guy is completely full of shit. He acts like he is doing some holy duty of balancing the market but all he fucking does is move money around when it's convenient in hopes for rapid returns.


It’s like you don’t listen to what I say, and instead listen to a narrative in your head that you are thinkzing I’m saying.  If you look back, what, two posts from me ago, I specifically say I don’t want either of those options.  Take back control?  How is giving control to the market taking my back control?  There is no control there at all!  If I say, “Okay kids, your parents are corrupt.  You can policevyourself now.” that isn’t taking back control!  That’s giving up all pretense of control!  If Obama and Bush picked and chose their rules, then we have a bigger problem, because that means we have an anarchist nation.  But Trump is following the same abuses of power!  WTF are we doing in Niger?  Why are we attacking Iran? Why isn’t Trump pushing for more accountability, and instead wants more Market Freedom?  This is hipocracy!


"Some are riskier than others. This one in particular is usually filthy and they hire mostly immigrants, who are hard working, but work sick.  It's called the ""bad one"" when differentiating Chipotles.  People who live in Sterling actually bypass this one and drive a few more miles up the road to another one.    https://www.yelp.com/biz/chipotle-mexican-grill-sterling"


I disagree with you. Yes, employees should be helpful and eager to serve.  Customers should not come in rude or disrespectful, or try to bully low-level associates to try to get their way. This is a reminder to the customer to not be an ass. The customer is always right, but not really, and employees should have the right to refuse service if they are feeling harassed and threatened.


You need to understand the business and the books as an owner do it for your parents also the manager could be the issue but it could a lot of things I’d like to see the quarterlies for the last 3 Years and a few other things like monthly statements payrolls some accounts etc... to do the math. it could be a partner? The only way to know this is to follow the paper trail.


This sort of involves personal finance, and sort of not. But it's an interesting question, so let's call it on topic? Short answer: yes. Long answer: it depends who's asking. If you're trying to qualify for in-state tuition, for example, you need to have been in state for a certain amount of time. For tax purposes, the first year you move to a new state you need to file part-time resident returns in your previous and current state of residency


"I've been hanging on to this iPhone 5S now for 3.5 years (including replacing the screen and battery on my own).  I'm holding out for a real game changer...and I hope the iPhone 8 is it.  PS I understand that ""game changer"" is relative, but Apple fanboys will know what I'm talking about here."


Generally speaking, each year, mutual funds distribute to their shareholders the dividends that are earned by the stocks that they hold and also the net capital gains that they make when they sell stocks that they hold. If they did not do so, the money would be income to the fund and the fund would have to pay taxes on the amount not distributed.  (On the other hand, net capital losses are held by the fund and carried forward  to later years to offset future capital gains).  You pay taxes on the amounts of the distributions declared by the fund. Whether the fund sold a particular stock for a loss or a gain (and if so, how much) is not the issue; what the fund declares as its distribution is. This is why it is not a good idea to buy a mutual fund just before it makes a distribution; your share price drops by the per-share amount of the distribution, and you have to pay taxes on the distribution.


The check clears when the receiving bank successfully pulled the money from the issuing account. However, the receiving bank may hold the money for an additional time before giving it to you. Sometimes this is done for good reasons (to prevent Check kiting) and sometimes this is about the bank having the money interest free for a bit, or just their own processing convenience.


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Don't be afraid to shop around. Every couple of years when it's time to renew my auto insurance I call a couple of places to see if I can get a better deal. It's especially important to do this as you get older (because your rates go down assuming you keep a clean driving record). Also as your life changes, e.g. if you get married, move, buy a home, get a new car, etc. At 30 my rates dropped a lot. When I bought a home, I qualified for a discount by combining my home and auto insurance through the same carrier. My suggestion would be to call 3 insurance companies for quotes, all on the same day. You'll need to be able to identify the car you'll be insuring for the most accurate quote. Do you belong to any organizations that offer insurance discounts? (E.g. my college alumni association had a program with one of the larger carriers that had the best rates on auto+home that I could find.)


...which is funny because the Fed established a direct line to Beijing to allow them to buy and sell treasuries without any of that pesky governmental interference (remember, the Fed is a privately held corporation).  This is all just window dressing for mass consumption.  China has been drawing down their treasuries for quite some time now.   HOWEVER.... given how poor the 99% of America is, I doubt that the US would survive getting its direct access to China's plastic teat cut off cold turkey.


Keep up on routine maintenance. That's the best way to prolong the life of your car, and it'll save you money in the long run because you won't have to replace your car as often. Accelerate gently. The harder you push the gas pedal, the more gas you use. Coast to a stop rather than using your brakes. If you can avoid stopping by slowing down well before a red light so that by the time you actually get to the light it is green again, do so. Avoid high-speed driving. At highway speeds, wind resistance plays a big part in how much gas your car uses. If you can plan your trips to take slower routes, do so. Don't be the guy driving 55 in the left lane on the highway, though. Avoid stop-and-go traffic. Keeping to a constant speed is the most efficient. Plan your trips to avoid areas with lots of traffic, lots of curb-cuts and intersections, etc. Leave lots of space in front of you so you have time to anticipate other drivers intentions and slow down rather than having to slam on your brakes at the last second. Avoid short trips. Cars work best when they can get all the way up to operating temperature, and stay there for a while. If you're just going two miles, ride your bike. Live close to work and a grocery store, so you can walk or ride your bike rather than driving. Use your car for road trips and your quarterly trips to CostCo to restock the larder. If you can get away with not owning a car, sell it. Ride your bike, use public transit, or walk. If you can share a car with a significant other and only one of you has a long car commute, there's no sense in you both owning a car.


Well... First off, good luck getting many rational, cogent responses to a hypothetical economics question this sensitive. Lol.   So in the interest of a *purely academic* exercise and expressly not any form of recommendation (!!!) or road map for application (!!!), let's dig in:  You would need to clarify a few things in order to assess the economic impact of adding slaves to your society.  1) Is the supply of slaves limited?  2) is the ownership of slaves limited to a small sector of society or available at large to a wide portion of society.  3) Do your slaves represent a net increase to population? Or are you enslaving some percentage of your population?  4) Does the nature of work that slaves are capable of, compete directly with, or effect the employment levels of your population?  5) is the level of (and relative cost of) automation, robotics and artificial intelligence in your society advanced to the point where slaves would even be beneficial?  6) Does your society have the means of enforcement, security and subjugation (technological or otherwise) to control a population of slaves over the long term.  7) Are other countries (namely your trading partners) also introducing slaves?  8) What are the costs of acquiring, housing, feeding and maintaining slaves? (They are not zero-cost)  Its not possible to answer the question without those answers, but note that the addition of slaves is most likely deflationary in economic terms, as you are increasing productive capacity at (an assumed) lower cost. At the same time you are most likely displacing some percentage of conventional paid workers, thereby increasing unemployment. (Which, if the Phillips curve still applies, edges us towards lower inflation or deflation).


The problem is that once there's no competition, the quality of product will generally go down and/or prices will be raised.  What are you gonna do, go somewhere else?  No small business can match the prices of a place that ~~can~~* buys product in bulk.  Competition is necessary for the free market to not be predatory.  Monopolies pretty much always work out to the detriment of the consumer.


Depends on price range I suppose.  For belts, there are a variety of online sellers who do well priced calf belts. These will last a very long time. Let me know if you want to chat further.


Any investment company or online brokerage makes investing in their products easy. The hard part is choosing which fund(s) will earn you 12% and up.


Then, is it possible to deposit rubles at the same ATM to get USD in my account at the same rate? No this is not possible. Generally deposits into accounts outside country and not offered.


The original poster indicates that he lives in the UK, but there are likely strong similarities with the US banking system that I am more familiar with: The result is that you are likely going to be unable to be approved for 10 checking accounts opened in rapid succession, at least in the US. Finally, in the US, there is no need to have checking accounts with a bank in order to open a credit card with them (although sometimes it can help if you have a low credit score).


Ya, that's a lot of data - especially considering your relative lack of experience and the likely fact that you have no idea what to do with what you're given.  How do you even know you need minute or tick-based bid-ask data?    You can get a lot more than OHLC/V/Split/Dividend.  You can get:  * Book Value; * Dividend information (Amount, yield, ex date, pay date); * EBITDA; * EPS (current AND estimates); * Price/sales ratio; * Price/book value; * Price/earnings ratio; * PEG ratio; * Short ratio; * Market cap.  Among other things, all for free.


"No sweat.   The ""next big thing"" I'm trying to promote is the crazy idea that the people who own the means of production (aka ability to design, write, code) should recognize that they themselves are a factory, and make and sell their own products.   You know… business.  And to stop letting themselves be taken advantage of by con men offering ""free"" money."


"The biggest question is do you want to be a landlord? There are a lot of ups and down to managing property from bad tenants to having to fix a water heater or replace a fridge.   If you aren't interested in being a landlord, it is definitely a bad idea.   If you do want to be a landlord, then the question is how close do you want to be to your tenants?   What if they are up late making noise, etc.?   What if they watch TV all night and you hear it through the walls?   What is your plan?   You ask if people have trouble ""sharing"" a house.   If you are the landlord and the other party the tenant, then you aren't ""Sharing"", you are leasing.   It's a different relationship with different strains."


There was a market in medieval life but there were so many restrictions on it plus there were a lot of elements that undermined the market.  For one thing you were not free to pursue any line of work.  The Surfs were tied to the land and bound to surrender their work to the lords.  In the cities the guilds controlled who could work doing what.  So there was no free market for labor.  The Guilds also controlled prices so I wouldn't call it a free market in any sense.


I wrote an article about FICO scoring which shows that 30% of your score is based on utilization or amount owed. I can't say exactly how much your score will rise, or how long it will take, but your score will improve dramatically from what you propose.    This chart is from Credit Karma, and it shows how zero utilization is actually bad when it comes to your score. I wrote an article on my blog titled Too Little Debt in which I discuss further. Under 20% is ideal, just not zero.


Regarding Asia, I think that it's a matter of relative specialization. HK has primarily developed as the gateway for China financial services, HK will certainly offer Islamic finance, but I don't think that there is a compelling reason why HK would become a hub for such services relative to Singapore.  Singapore is at the center of major Islamic populations and is socially and culturally much more capable than HK of serving Islamic finance investors.  One possible counterpoint in favor of HK would be the One Belt, One Road initiative - perhaps a lot of the capital accumulation in the OBOR countries (many of which are Muslim) would end up in HK, but whether it has a major impact is more of a possibility than a certainty.


"Switzerland is presumably where one moves the money in case of an apocalypse; although, they have lost some of that appeal now with the tax reporting to the EU and USA. Switzerland has a very old, stable banking industry, but this isn't the only appeal.  Their reputation for safeguarding money, be it despot or Nazi, is most of the attraction.  Low to no taxes is the second.  Also, there isn't much financially illegal despite recent changes.  Put that all together, and if a country is about to go to hell in handbasket because it borrowed too much or goes to war while Switzerland stays stable and very strict about paying depositors, those residents are going to try to move as much money to Switzerland as possible before its confiscated for one reason or another, sending the CHF up. Japan is a different duck.   They have persistently ~0% inflation thus low nominal and real interest rates.  With them, the so-called ""cash & carry trade"" or more ubiquitous ""carry trade"" dominates.  Many investors choose to borrow in JPY to buy investments denominated in other currencies.  If the countries of those other currencies are about to take their residents' money or go to war, putting money at jeopardy, the residents doing the carry trading will try to unwind their levered investments to reduce risk, sending the JPY up."


I understand your anger. Still you should consider that the banks are a key factor in economic growth. Hurting them hurts us because its our money that makes them so rich.  As for the feds...you suggest private regulation. Firstly its slightly absurd to have the feds, the regulator of private businesses, controlled privately. Secondly, atleast government is resonable with economic policy in fear of elections, private regulation would do whatever made the tresury and hence business more money. Think bailout without sec regualtions.  There is no denying banking is a ethically dubious business but it is important to appriciate the complexity and genious of the economic system. Change is harder than outrage, it requires a stroke of genious both politically and economically.


"You are asking about a common, simple practice of holding the mortgage when selling a house you own outright. Typically called seller financing.  Say I am 70 and wish to downsize. The money I sell my house for will likely be in the bank at today's awful rates. Now, a buyer likes my house, and has 20% down, but due to some medical bills for his deceased wife, he and his new wife are struggling to get financing. I offer to let them pay me as if I were the bank. We agree on the rate, I have a lien on the house just as a bank would, and my mortgage with them requires the usual fire, theft, vandalism insurance. When I die, my heirs will get the income, or the buyer can pay in full after I'm gone.  In response to comment ""how do you do that? What's the paperwork?"" Fellow member @littleadv has often posted ""You need to hire a professional."" Not because the top members here can't offer great, accurate advice. But because a small mistake on the part of the DIY attempt can be far more costly than the relative cost of a pro. In real estate (where I am an agent) you can skip the agent to hook up buyer/seller, but always use the pro for legal work, in this case a real estate attorney. I'd personally avoid the general family lawyer, going with the specialist here."


Douglas Kass has been shorting the indexes for over two years and is so far in the hole that he can never break even. He is almost as bad as Gartman when it comes to predictions. I am not sure if he is an opposite stater or just an idiot, but according to his past record he is one of the worst analysts in the industry.  Disgraceful


Old uninteresting point that expects humans to behave the same atomistic ways in all situations as if they don't drive on innovation and creativity. Point: There'll be plenty for those with ingenuity drive and creativity to do. Just because we can't glimpse past the fog of absolute uncertainty doesn't mean we're doomed by more automation.


"There's not a single answer here, as the premium you pay for car insurance depends on multiple factors, including (but not limited to): All these factors contribute to the likelihood of getting into an accident, and the expected damage from an accident.  So just having an accident and making a claim will likely raise your premium (all else being equal), but whether or not it will be cheaper in the long run depends (obviously) on how much your premium goes up, which cannot determined without all of the facts.  Your agent could tell you how much it would go up, but even making such an inquiry would likely be noted on your insurance record, and may cause your premium to go up (although probably not by as much). However, the point of insurance is to reduce the out-of-pocket expenses from future accidents, so the question to ask is: How likely am I to have another accident, and if I do, can I pay cash for it or will I need to offset some cost with an insurance claim.  Do you risk making a claim and having your rates go up by more than $700 over the next 3-4 years (the rough time it takes for a ""surcharge"" to expire)?  Or do you just pay for the repair out-of-pocket and keep your premiums lower?"


With the requirement that the money is 100% available immediately and that you can not suffer a loss of principal, the suggestions you gave of an online savings account is a good one. Personally, I use ING.


I could see GM getting rid of all of their non-sports car and non truck model gas versions, but I highly doubt gm will ever kill their gas powered corvette or trucks.  Currently no electric truck can match say a Dodge 4500 when it comes to towing 10,000 pounds for 12 hours a day. Those will be around for a long time.


Before anyone feels bad for him, he had a really simple idea, had really smart people and a lot of investor money build a company which has never come close to making a cent in profit and leaves a multi-billionaire.   He could retire today, buy a house in New York, Paris, LA, and Hawaii and wake up every day and do what he wants and the interest alone will help him make money until the day he dies.


Lotteries and casinos have standards on their rates of failure, though. They're actual gambling, and heavily regulated.  An MLM actively sells to you an idea of success that's completely unreasonable. Also, people that are investing are given all the information. If a broker behaved like one of these MLM people they'd be investigated for fraud.


This is a good and bad thing. Former technology consultant here who dealt with a lot of healthcare orgs including pharmacies. The small mom and pop shops that are around, similar to CVS or Walgreens but MUCH smaller will hurt from this. For us consumers it will probably be good but one of the largest factors for consumers is the ability to go pick up your meds immediately. I have a feeling we might be seeing more Amazon micro types of stores for a miniature brick and mortar strategy where it makes sense to carry items that are often time sensitive.


No, 401(k) and IRA accounts are not at risk when you default on a mortgage, even in states that aren't non-recourse. In states where mortgages are non-recourse loans, the bank isn't allowed to go after you at all. They get the keys and whatever they recover from the house sale is it.


Generally speaking, you realize options gains or losses for (US) tax purposes when you close out the option position, or when it expires so in your example, if you're discussing an equity option, you'd realize the gain or loss next year, assuming you don't close it out prior to year end. But options  tax treatment can get messy fast: Still, if you have no other stock or option positions in the underlying during or within 30 days of the establishment of the naked put, and assuming the option isn't assigned, you won't realize any gains or losses until the year in which the option is closed or expires.


So I should shoot for poverty?  If you want equality should they not be forced to cough up as well? Unless the real plan is to give some people special treatment at the expense  and discrimination of others.


It never ceases to shock me that, with a bit of extra searching online, you can find some of the most distinct pages. It's annoying that more posts like this, aren't noted at the top when I browse with google online, I have actually added you to my favorites, I also have a buddy, that will truly enjoy this page, so ill send her, a link to your blog site, too. I am positive they will actually like it.


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I disagree.  First off the SEC is under-funded anyhow, and most economists agree that there needs to be better regulation of the exchanges; ya know since it can fucking crash our economy and send us into WW3.  Secondly, it's a flat Transaction tax much like any other State Sales Tax.  State Sales Tax is arguably the most successful form of taxation there is, b/c it's so damn easy to implement, and so damn easy to audit.  You're blowing this thing way out of proportion.  They require the markets to charge a Transaction tax, and then they do periodic audits to ensure each exchange is doing it.  The rates go up or down based on the previous quarters number of HFTs.  Outside of said formula, this transaction rate can be altered by a meeting of a few SEC heads, and approved when approved by the appropriate congressional body.  Kills 2 birds with one stone:  * more money to the underfunded SEC * lessens the impact of HFTs and turns the markets back into a market instead of a casino.  It will have minimal effects on buy & hold traders since they typically research for a long time, then buy & hold stock for many months.    It will mainly affect those who buy & unload several times per day.    PS:  If you think that letting a market die and having new ones pop up periodically is a good idea then holy shit.  Financial markets need stability & regulation.  Finance doesn't like uncertainty.  Crash & burn marketplaces will help no one, and will raise uncertainty which we all know investors hate.


Yes, you are correct to go to the credit union first. Get approved for a loan first. Often, upon approval, the credit union will give you a blank check good for any amount up to the limit of the loan. When you buy the car, make it payable to the dealer, write in the amount and sign it. Enjoy the new car!


"It's talked about quite often among more experienced investors. They were/ are used extensively by hedge funds.  Keep in mind that if your option expires when not ""in the money"" you lose the premium you paid for the purchase of the option. That's where the risk comes in.  I've grown really interested in options over the last couple months. Check out McMillan's Guide to Options. It's generally thought of as the quintessential beginners guide to understanding options.  Good luck!"


What worked out well for me is a Capital One High Yield Savings Account, which came with a lower interest rate than most online accounts but higher than a brick & mortar bank. Also, since Capital One has Banking locations now, I can use the ATM card that came with this account to pull out the emergency money if I need it in a pinch at a place that doesn't accept checks.


Well, if the short seller has to pay the dividend out of their pocket, what happens to the dividend the company paid out ??  Sounds like there are 2 divdends floating around, the short's, and the company's, but only 1 share of stock.


> Just because you had 1, 2 or a dozen children, why should that be considered in what your unskilled labor is worth?  1 child per person or 2 per couple should be factored in to what unskilled labor is worth.  The reason is that we need unskilled labor to wash dishes or dig ditches.  Since the system needs them, the system needs to support them.  Support would mean that they can get a modest living working a full time job for their entire lives.  A modest life would include one where basic needs are met and normal human experiences are available.  This would include food, water, shelter, clothes, health care, some entertainment, retirement, and a child to replace them after they die.


If you're being sued, unless it's small claims court, you need a lawyer.  And if/after there's a judgement against you and you want to explore bankruptcy as an option, you'll still need an attorney. Depending on details, your assets may not be protected from the judgement.  So any way you look at it, you need a lawyer.


Wow, everyone tells you different investment strategies. You have all your life ahead of you. Your main focus should not be getting the best return rate, but ensuring your existence. Who cares if you get 7% if you'll lose all in the next market crash and stand on the street with no education, no job and nothing to fall back on? I would go a completely different route in your place: The best advise given above was to not consider this as an option to never work again. It's not enough money for that, unless you want to live poorly and always be afraid that the next financial crises wipes you out completely.


If there are a lot of houses for sale, can you be sure that in a year or two you can sell yours? How long does the average house in that area stay on the market before it is sold? What percentage of houses never get sold?  If it can't be sold due to the crowded market you will be forced to rent the house. The question for you then is how much rental income can you get? Compare the rental income to your monthly cost of owning, and managing the house.  One benefit to buying a house in a market that is easy to rent a house would be if you are forced to move quickly, then you aren't stuck being 3 months into a 12 month lease.  Keep in mind that markets can change rather dramatically in just a few years. Housing costs were flat for much of the 90's, then rocketed up in the first half of the last decade, and after a big drop, they are one a slow climb back up. But the actual path they are on depends on the part of the US you are in.  The rule of thumb in the past was based on the fact that over a few years the price would rise enough overcome the closing costs on the two transactions. Unfortunately the slow growth in the 90's meant that many had to bring checks to closing because the equity gained wasn't enough to overcome the closing costs due to low down payment loans.   The fast growth period meant that people got into exotic loans to maximize the potential income when prices were going up 10-20% a year.  When prices dropped some found that they bought houses they couldn't afford, but couldn't sell to break even on the transaction. They were stuck and had to default on the mortgage.  In fact I have never seen a time frame when the rule of thumb ever applied.


">Yes sir, I'm working on compiling your ""precise evidence,"" and I'll have it printed and bound for you on the double.  So you claim there is not competition, then when shown how many banks there are and asked for evidence, your reply is snarky assholism? And you believe ""there is no such thing as a relation between any interest rates and the cost to service the loans""?  I'm becoming convinced you are either ignorant, a troll, or deliberately stupid. Either you have evidence for your claims or you don't.  >rates are artificial  Since the word artificial does not appear on the link you posted, what do you mean by artificial? How can you differentiate between ""artificial rates"" and ""non-artifical"" rates? What do you think the current rates should be?"


"Benninga's book(s) are pretty much the best crash course to financial modelling with Excel - be aware though, he has two distinct types of book. One is more of a walk-through of financial principles in Excel('Principles of Finance with Excel, 2nd Ed.'), and the other could better be described as a 'glossary' of financial applications in Excel(the oft-recommended 'Financial Modeling') . As far as I'm aware, both contain roughly the same volume of information about the same topics (could be some minor differences, as the walk-through-style book is newer), but are taught in somewhat different ways. It might be useful to obtain a copy of one or the other from a library and see if you enjoy the style of the book before purchasing it. I was fortunate enough to have a roommate where between us, we have both, but doing this individually is a 200+ dollar endeavor, and you will only be duplicating identical information. ;)  If you're interested in reading other interesting material, that may help you develop different perspectives/insight into investing, I would suggest, aside from reading the usual stuff (Intelligent Investor, Random Walk, etc), also obtaining a copy of Seth Klarman's ""Margin of Safety"". You'll have to do so in .pdf form, as the book is entirely out of print (and from what I've heard, Klarman himself bought out many retailers of all of their copies and had them destroyed), but it's an interesting read, that has a lot of modern relevance -  perhaps best evidenced by the fact that it's author, president of one of the largest hedge funds in the world, no longer wants it in print."


I am not preparing for a sudden, major, catastrophic collapse in the US dollar. I am, however, preparing for a significant but gradual erosion of its value through inflation over the space of several years to a decade. To that end, I've invested most of my assets in the stock market (roughly 80%) through major world index funds, and limited my bond exposure (maintaining a small stake in commodity ETFs: gold, silver, platinum and palladium) due to both inflation risk and the inevitability of rising interest rates. I don't think most companies mind overmuch if the dollar falls gradually, as the bulk of their value is in their continuing income stream, not in a dollar-denominated bank account. I also try to keep what I can in tax-deferred accounts: If, after several years, your stocks were up 100% but inflation reduced the dollar's value by 50%, you're still stuck paying taxes on the entire gain, even though it was meaningless. I'm also anticipating tax hikes at some point (though not as a result of the dollar falling). It helps that I'm young and can stand a lot of investment risk.


The card-holder agreement does not explicitly specify a minimum spending requirement. It does though, have the following catch-all clause for closing the account: We may:   • cancel your Account,   • suspend the ability to make charges,   • cancel or suspend any feature on your Account, and   • notify merchants that your Account has been   cancelled or suspended.   If we do any of these, you must still pay us for all   charges under the terms of this Agreement. We may do any of these things at our discretion, even if you pay on   time and your Account is not in default. If your Account is cancelled,   you must destroy your cards. We may agree to reinstate your Account   after a cancellation. If we do this, we may: • reinstate any   additional cards issued on your Account, • charge you any applicable   annual fees, and • charge you a fee for reinstating the Account. One would suspect that American Express would happily collect the fee from anyone who holds the card, but is not using it (in any way). Someone, though, that isn't spending the expected amount of money, but is availing themselves of the 24 hour concierge service, etc., would probably find their privileges revoked and/or their card canceled.