If you're drowning, and I offer you a lifeline, and you turn it down for any reason, you'll die.  Is that a test, or is it just the way things are? Is that your Jesus? He throws a lifeline into the water and gives you a choice of whether to take it or not and be condemned to eternal torture if you ...

I was once a devout Christian but today I have serious doubts about whether Jesus was the Son of God who rose from the dead and gives us eternal life if we will only believe that he is who the Bible says he is and that he really did rise from the dead. Or else the alternative is that we're going to ...

I will get thirtsy, hungry, I might get a headache, and I might need suncreen. I don't know how likely these events are, so I will be agnostic in how I prepare for this trip. 1 kilo of water, 1 kilo of food, 1 kilo of aspirin, and a 1 kilo of sunscreen. Perfectly unbiased, agnostic. 25% - 25% - 25%...

Suspended without pay for four games. Also, the team is fined $1mm and loses two picks, including their 1st round pick next season. https://www.facebook.com/AdamSchefter/posts/954309457955029 Yikes. I expected the Brady suspension to be between 1-4 games, but losing that 1st round pick...brutal. $1...

I still say Tom should just take his 4 super bowl rings and his deflated footballs and go home to Giselle. I heard he was talking about going into acting any way.

So much pissin' in the wind about nothing I've never seen in sports before.

I would propose a very simple solution to the threat to attack our domestic military bases, Reub. They could actually arm the soldiers who are being threatened and let them defend themselves. I speak as one with military service predicting this will not be done. The constitution may guarantee the ri...

You getting laid off is one thing, but quitting because you were reprimanded for stealing an immaterial amount of money from the company is a different story. Well that could happen because my company provides me with an iPhone which I gave to my wife for her personal use because I don't need it. H...

Brady's stats were better in the 2nd half, I don't dispute that. But is it really relevant? Very relevant I think, if you really love football as I always have for some inexplicable reason. I admire the pure talent. I don't watch football because I admire their integrity in following the rules. I m...

I'm going to break from my pacifist, "blame America first" libertarian mold and state that if ISIS is going to come over here and kill American citizens on American soil to get us to stop insulting Mohammed then I would like for them to know that unlike Al Qaeda who mostly hid in caves aft...

So Brady does something "illegal" in the context of his own sport and we're supposed to admire him if he thumbs his nose at the NFL and walks away from the game? As if he didn't know the risks. As if he didn't run through every single possible scenario resulting from his actions. Ask Lanc...

Anybody else have an opinion on this most important story in the news? Always been a fan of Tom Brady though I don't know why. Maybe I've developed a man crush in my old age. I liked Joe Montana too who was Tom's boyhood idol. When and if I ever grow up I want to be like them both (which hopefully n...

When you consider all the possible hiding places available in a home it makes me think that with a modicum of ingenuity you can reduce the possibility of a burglar ever finding it to something close to zero. Does anybody have any stories to share about how somebody hid some gold coins in a place the...

ochotona wrote: The terms of my settlements require I can't name the firms involved in 2009. Lessons learned.

Settlements? You took some legal action against target date funds?

Please do enlighten us to what extent you can without violating your terms, if you don't mind.

madbean, Yes, I'm aware.  Here are some notes from my Lutheran Study Bible on the subject in case you are interested.  Are they consistent with your teachings?  As an aside, the sermon really is good, might be worth the 10 minutes or so it would take you to listen. I did go back and listen to the w...

Yes, this is a big problem, even with target date funds. The managers are so intent on beating other target date funds that they make risky bets with their asset allocation, leading to reduced performance when Mr. Market lowers the boom. IIRC, several years ago the manager of a Vanguard bond fund m...

I discovered the secret last year.

Don't look.

I resolved to not look for one full year and when I did last February I had WAY more money than I thought I would.

I'm thinking maybe it's a quantum mechanics/Schrodinger's cat thing. Looking at it affects the outcome so just don't do it.

What good is squeezing out that last 0.01% of heart attack risk.... Reminds me of the first time I had my cholesterol checked. I think I was about 55, so about 11 years ago. I remember when the test came back the lab had written in bold letters in red ink so the doctor didn't miss it that I had a 1...

lordmetroid wrote: I simply haven't found the topics to be very interesting as of lately.

I think it's mostly a case of being nothing new under the sun, as the Bible said. Seems like just about every thing has been discussed to death and everybody knows where everybody else stands.

I've been looking into Instacart, and in my area you can use it to order from Costco without the need for a Costco membership (!).  And the $3.99 delivery fee is a much better deal than the $12 car service or the $18 parking.  Not only that, but I can pay for the Instacart order online with my Blue...

Sometimes (often?) the cashback that you get varies.  It may be you get no cashback at Costco. Cash-back on my Fidelity Amex doesn't vary at all. It's been 2% on every thing since I've had the card, for about 5 years now. I use it wherever I can and have been averaging about $700/year since I've ha...

Immigration and the tax burden on the middle class. Am I the only one to think these might be contributing factors?

I had algebra and 3 semesters of calculus.  While I was proficient at that, I don't know that it did anything for my ability to think critically.  Critical thinking (unlike algebra) is a skill that would be helpful to everyone, and it should be taught to everyone.  Well a good deal of educational c...

It's just not that straight forward. Amex doesn't get the whole 1% you refer to; it is shared with the merchant's processing bank and maybe other intermediaries. Also, Amex makes money on interest, fees, co-branded offers and other avenues. They've never gotten a penny in interest or fees from me s...

Could have said the same thing about buying IAU at around $16 when I first jumped in. Some said gold was going to the moon and others said it was in a bubble and about to crash. In hindsight, it would have been better to have waited but my crystal ball was in the shop at the time. The only HB radio ...

Google says many retailers pay 1/3 to 1/2 more to American Express than to Visa. That is also true. We only accept V,MC,Discover at 2%. If we want to add Amex, the fee for Amex would be around 3% as of my last quote IIRC. With my Fidelity Amex I get 2% back so at 3% Amex would be pocketing 1%. At ....