Balta1701

QUOTE (StrangeSox @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 09:27 PM) You'd need a lot more than $250k to retire at 65. That buys a lifetime annuity approximately $1200 a month at age 65. Effectively that would leave social security as 50% of a persons retirement.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 09:02 PM) Are we really worried about those who are exceeding this amount? Aren't they usually going to be sophisticated enough to find better investment vehicles? I thought this was about the guy who can't save any money? One would have thought that too, even at lower levels, until indymacbank went down in 2008 and a lot of people got hit by that limit.

Kings officially have filed to move to Seattle with the league.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 08:48 PM) I'm not disputing that...but if the monies are going to current beneficiaries or into special treasuries, what is the real difference between my money going there or into a bank, where it is federally insured by that same US Gov't? Additionally, if the problem is the person who makes $50k and cannot afford to save, how is taking more money out of that person's paycheck going to help them? The federal government only insures what, $250k of bank deposits?

Plantar fascia tear for Pau Gasol, out at least 4-6 weeks, maybe longer, no surgery decision yet.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 06:37 PM) Gotcha. I wasn't necessarily proposing the privatization of USPS. All things considered, they do a pretty good job IMO with the regular mail. I was inferring that a private company would have realized they were hemorrhaging money due to a non-essential service years ago, and would have stopped the bleeding much quicker. (This isn't actually why they're losing money. They're losing money because Congress passed a law a few years ago requiring them to pre-fund their pension plan out to 75 years by 2016, something that I'm pretty sure no one has to do anywhere. Without that enormous pension pre-funding, the USPS would actually be operating at a profit right now, despite being required to maintain saturday delivery and maintaining unprofitable post offices throughout the country in rural areas).

Anonymous broke into the Federal Reserve's computers and at the very least has published personal information and login passwords of quite a few bank executives.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 06:46 PM) And what are special treasuries? A way of storing the small overpayments that were generated by the system deliberately to prepare for the baby boom.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 06:26 PM) Does that 20% of the population only accept mail on Saturdays? No, I'm saying that if the USPS were a private company, it would make no sense to have delivery outside of population centers. The USPS is required by law to deliver to everyone. If they were a private company and able to make that decision, then people in rural areas would receive mail rarely, once every few weeks, if at all. Fedex and UPS don't even try to serve a lot of those areas, they just contract with the USPS since the USPS is going there anyway.

QUOTE (LittleHurt05 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 06:22 PM) What a joke that it took this long. If the USPS was a private company, this would have happened years ago. It also wouldn't deliver to 20% of the population of the country.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:37 PM) And what about in 2012/2013 when the market rose back to it's 2000ish level? http://www.moneychimp.com/features/market_cagr.htm If I invested $1 in 1970, including inflation, that dollar is now worth over $9. Even if that's a conservative estimate, it's long been the norm that a return is 6-7% annually, adjusted for inflation. If I invested $1 in 1999, that $1 is now worth $.73 after adjusting for inflation and assuming no fees.

QUOTE (Cali @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:34 PM) I'm giving you a +/- based on ONE number, right in the middle. The number in which every single sports team in every league is judged. 85 is around 81, so is 79, so is 80... And yet, the Sox are still closer to averaging 90 wins than they are to averaging 79.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:27 PM) They are definitely not fail-proof but IU pulled in a great class by their standards this season. I have every confidence in their ability to disappoint.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:28 PM) Since the 70's that fund has earned over a 10% return. That's not some modest gain if you're reinvesting your earnings and adding contributions. There are several funds just like it. But for comparison, as of 2009, the S&P had lost money relative to inflation since the 1970's.

QUOTE (RockRaines @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:20 PM) You are above 3 pretty good football schools so thats really positive. The only thing I can take from that is that I shouldn't trust those rankings.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:23 PM) He did, my mistake. My point remains. Last I checked the ability to have a kid isn't a right. If you can't adequately provide for one, you shouldn't have one. That's one of the basic problems we have in this country that gets ignored because "don't worry, the Great Provider will help you if you can't!" Actually, I'm pretty sure that there is a right to privacy somewhere that overlaps with the right to have a kid.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:20 PM) So pick the Vanguard S&P 500 index fund, pay like .2% in fees and enjoy a steady growth that matches the market. There's no rocket science involved. It takes some reading and research. Just like it takes some reading and research into buying a car, buying a home, having a kid etc. - things that will probably end up costing the same or more over the course of your lifetime than potential losses on your investments. And, as we've noted...that leaves me deficient in retirement.

QUOTE (Cali @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:15 PM) Which is still right around .500 which is 81 wins. So normal is +4 which falls into my +/- and ya know, the most important thing, missing the playoffs. Except that 79 wins is just as far from the team's average performance as 91 wins and a likely playoff birth is. If 85 wins is "around 81 wins", then within your error bounds, the Sox average being a playoff team also.

QUOTE (Jenksismyb**** @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:18 PM) I'm 100% behind idea #1. As to #2, how about you start by not having 4 kids? This goes back to the personal finance skills and responsibility point I was making. 10000 years ago if you couldn't provide enough food for your family, you either didn't do it, or you died. You didn't look to your neighbors and say "hey boss, I had 2 more kids than I could feed. Can you and everyone else pitch in so my kids can eat?" He said "a family of 4", not "4 kids". But I'm sure "only the rich should have more than 1 kid" is a great policy.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:13 PM) So we're expected to believe that you know all of the 401k systems flaws, and that those flaws are greater than any of it's advantages, and yet, you can't even pick a mutual fund out of your own plan? There's a difference between picking them and having any confidence in one's choices.

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:10 PM) Well if you want to use that reasoning, we should eliminate all kinds of personal freedoms for the sake of the greater good. Or, we could just recognize that switching to a 401K system has produced a lot of hardship for a lot of people and adjust our safety net somewhat in response.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:08 PM) All of the new flagship Android devices will have 1080P displays, 4.7-5 inch screens, quad core processors or new ARM-architecture dual cores, 2GB of RAM, and probably a 13 MP camera. In the end, it really comes down to which OEM's software you like the best and how good the development support for that phone will be in case your carrier takes a dump on firmware updates (bound to happen). I'd go with Samsung just based on the latter. Samsung phones always have a large development following because almost every Android phone is a Samsung. It's just a guess, but an educated one based on some surveys...I think the GS4 is going to have about as many new, seemingly groundbreaking concepts for integration with people's lives that consumers will be seriously impressed. Like "new iphone model" level impressed.

QUOTE (Cali @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 05:08 PM) I'm not saying 79 on the dot is normal, I'm saying around .500 is normal. Like + or - 3 or 4 games, which is what you're all mentioning. Dude, seriously, you're pretending that 79 is normal when normal is 85. That's - 6 games right there.

QUOTE (knightni @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 04:58 PM) I bet that some fan bases would kill for 79-84 wins every year on average. (85).

QUOTE (iamshack @ Feb 6, 2013 -> 04:56 PM) I understand that...but all kinds of s*** is...why does my income have to subsidize the roads Balta uses, the food he eats, the schools his offspring might go to in the future? I mean come on, that is a ridiculous statement. But it is the exact same point you made about a guaranteed income retirement plan like social security.