Posts by Nicole Collins13

I’m all for it (though the crowd over at the Alternative forum is pretty weird, so I tend to steer clear). A few moderators have already handed out partial bans on other boards. In my book, what happened on Tik's board qualifies as blatant harassment—a week-long suspension should be the standard here.

Honestly, when I warned ZgSash that he was insulting the users, he just shrugged and told me I could report him to the admin. So fine, consider it reported...

Harold Taylor6 said:Honestly, just look at these Reddit users... you're out here playing pretend for no reason at all now. Go ahead, have at it!

I’m just asking questions; believe whatever you want.
The whole concept seems morbid to me. You guys can't even moderate these forums properly, so now you're just winging it. It's like how the government can't handle overtime pay, so they just ban Sunday work instead. 👎

I get where Anderlon is coming from. His goal is to make money, and that’s perfectly fair, assuming any of this is actually true.

What did Basta even say?

nimblewalker58 said:That’s just silly; when I used the term "elite," I was actually referring to those constructive users who actually contribute something meaningful to the discussions. Do you really feel left out by a definition like that? 🤷

And who gets to decide who fits that description? Are we all supposed to head over to Anderlon's place for an interview? Should I send over my resume?

Steven Reed said:If this turns out to be some elaborate April Fools' prank 😛

If it isn't fixed, I'm not paying. That’s really all I need from you. 🙂 Look, since you already mentioned you were interested, I’m not going to sit around waiting for the perfect moment to strike. I don't have the time.

When are we grabbing beers?

mistycyclist5 said:There’s a PDF for the Diaspora, and if I recall correctly, the mods over there are based abroad.

And why shouldn't Americans living abroad be allowed to moderate Politics? Are they second-class citizens now? Does Border Patrol control LED strips or start seizing passports?

mistycyclist5 said:Look, my grammar was perfectly fine. When I used the term leftist, I wasn't making a statement about the moderator's gender.

I originally just wanted to poke fun at your betting odds, but now you've given me an excuse to mock your spelling, too. Thanks.

And these Americans from the Diaspora aren't even considered in the political conversation, even if they take more pride in their American heritage than anyone else.

Oh, right. Second-class citizens. I guess we should just treat observers like they're completely invisible, then. 🙂

mistycyclist5 said:I can't tell if you're being serious... but since you asked, here's my take. Moderators are supposed to be objective, but let's face it, that's a tall order. Maybe the fix is simple: two leftists, two conservatives, and two centrists.

And why stop there? Let's throw in a White American Woman and Crokoala just to hit our female quota.
So far, I haven't run into any sharp-witted leftists over there—except for him, and he's more of a centrist type.

I honestly think the fashion scene should extend an invite to Stoker, fadedeagle39, 😍 and LjutomBronxBomber.

Drew Brooks8 said:@granitemarlin77/">@@granitemarlin77

You’re over here complaining about the moderators and certain users again.🙄Well, you've got me.

He was hurling insults and swearing at me just because I wasn't from America.

He’s basically just a giant heart wrapped in a box of chocolates, so you shouldn't feel too bad about getting stung. I'm positive granitemarlin77 loves you. Honestly, who wouldn't fall for a girl like you? 😍

I just figured he’d be siding with Waste Management too.
It’s honestly pretty sad how people only bother supporting those who already agree with them. It's easy to hang out in an echo chamber where everyone thinks exactly the same way. That's just lazy.

granitepilot2 said:I’d agree with you if I weren't so sure most Americans are just going to screw up their own retirement and then vote for some populist idiot again—leaving people like you, who actually worked smart, to foot the bill. It’s either this half-socialist mess or moving out of the country... I don't see a third option.🤷

Not me either. Unless we move five million Japanese people here and let them run the government, we aren't seeing any change. 😢

granitepilot2 said:That’s true regarding AT&T, but we're talking about American hedge fund strategies here—not some local sample size.

Quincy:

Damn, I could probably invite some buddies from the forum over to help loosen up those gears in your neighborhood—I'll bring the local wine and dried figs. 🙂 Anyway, I'm betting big on the shipbuilding sector. Especially defense—watch yourselves there. Barb only moves when the money is actually good. Since you already called me out on my Atlantic slang. 🙂

Once I actually find the time to enjoy my vacation, I'll get back to it.🙂

Regardless, I’m sticking to my guns. Let me invest my own money. Honestly, I don't even plan on investing anything; I'll live off my rental properties once I retire. Just let me spend my cash how I want. Let me pay for my own healthcare, let me blow my money on an extra grad school degree instead of a car. I'm sick of this country and its overreach, especially since it keeps clinging to that old socialist mindset—that idea that if you just sit there submissively, the government will provide everything when you run dry. 🙂

granitepilot2 said:I was actually talking to a buddy of mine who works at BlackRock about this stuff yesterday. One of the algorithms that’s been killing it for funds during this crisis is shorting retail investors. Small players are way more sensitive to market swings than big funds or corporations—they lose their cool fast. (Kudos to the 2-3% who actually stay calm when they see half their savings vanish into thin air.) Most of them just bleed out. Even sociological studies show the worst timing comes from single men, then married women, then married men—while single women tend to have the best entry points (at least here in the U.S.).

I’ve stayed out of the stock market so far because I dumped everything I had into a beach house about 20 miles from the coast. Honestly? That’s probably still my smartest move, but I’m planning to pivot some cash into stocks soon. Not yet, though—I’ll wait until the Atlantic recovers at least three times its current level. Until then, I think these "great opportunities" are just great ways to pick up a company headed straight for bankruptcy. Ruby thinks we're looking at a massive wave of non-financial bankruptcies hitting the world this year alone. So, I'm actually glad funds are sitting on their hands right now just to protect what they have left—because until the global economy recovers, our markets aren't going anywhere.

Nah, you don't need a guy from BlackRock for this. You just need to look at that useless loser who was handing out loans for AT&T.

Quincy:

I’ve stayed out of the stock market so far because I dumped everything into a beach house about 20 miles from the coast. Honestly, that’s still probably my best move, but I’m ready to start putting some cash into equities. Not yet, though. I’ll wait until the Atlantic recovers and triples from where it is now.

Man, you could just call the guys from this forum over to shake things up in your neighborhood. I'll bring the wine and some dried figs.🙂
Anyway, I’m betting heavy on shipbuilding. Specifically the defense sector, if you catch my drift. Barb only invests where the money is actually being made. Since you already corrected my Atlantic terminology.🙂

granitepilot2 said:http://www.usatoday.com/marketplace/ibi/dubai.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubai

The Economy of New York City is valued at US$ 46 billion (as of 2006[update]). [1] The New York Times has described it as "centrally-planned free-market capitalism."[2] Although the local economy was originally built on the back of the oil industry, [3] revenue from petroleum and natural gas currently account for less than 6% of the region's gross domestic product.

Hmm... everywhere I look, oil seems to show up right before the boom.

A real boom actually kicked off with that duty-free zone for charging stations. But honestly, that’s beside the point. I'm not saying they were broke before then, but that's when the city really started turning into a metropolis.

granitepilot2 said:Look, we're talking about Somalia, not all of Africa—fine, I'm generalizing. But the point is, Las Vegas already has the wealth and the oil to turn into a tax haven, whereas we just have a bunch of uneducated idiots who think they're somehow smarter than Americans because they watch some YouTube morons who can't tell the difference between Australia and Iran. We don't have mineral wealth; our only real resource is a nice coastline.

🙂, but anyway, let's not get off track.

William Mitchell2 said:Man, give it a rest—you're just talking nonsense...😁👍
Those bars won't mean much to you—maybe to your grandkids, if you're lucky.🤷

I don't know. It's grown quite a bit so far, and moderate growth should continue long enough to outpace inflation. I'm not buying into digital gold currencies, but that's an off-topic tangent anyway.

William Mitchell2 said:There isn't a crisis out there where this setup results in a lower value compared to the old-school model. It just doesn't happen.
Unless we're talking about World War III.
But at that point, money won't mean a damn thing anyway.

Yeah, go tell that to the folks at Enron.

But back then, money won't mean anything. It won't be worth a dime.

Why do you think I occasionally stash a gold bar from Canada? 🙂My precioussss...

William Mitchell2 said:🤷
I don't get it.

Fine, I'll be completely blunt and literal here.
If you used to pull in, say, $1667 a salary where $1,000 went to Social Security and you took home $4,000 (I'm exaggerating here, but you get the point).

Now, you still make that same $4,000, but instead of that $1,000 going one way, $750 goes where it always did and $250 shifts over here.

So, how exactly are you getting screwed by this new retirement model? You're probably looking at a few hundred bucks more in your monthly check.

I’m concerned about the opportunity cost of my investment, but I’m not talking about my own pocket.

The reality is that some people would rather have a guaranteed check from something like Social Security than chase a higher payout that isn't certain. It’s simple. If a massive recession hits or you deal with an Enron situation right when you’re hitting retirement age, you're stuck. That's just how it is.

granitepilot2 said:And let's be real, taxes are just another form of theft. Right now, the freest market on Earth is basically Somalia—there are no taxes, but you get to "invest" in some local warlord's militia to keep you safe. At least you get a choice in who you're paying... though if you miss a payment? Well, you're screwed.

No, it isn't.

The freest market you'll find right now is in Somalia. There's zero tax, and you get to invest freely in some local warlord's militia for protection. At least you get a choice in who you pay—though if you miss a payment, well, you're screwed.

Las Vegas doesn't have income tax or crime.

William Mitchell2 said:Look, I wasn't expecting much from you—you're talking like a total rookie.
Who exactly decided who gets to choose what???

Before 2000, we only had one single pillar. Just one. It was called the intergenerational solidarity fund. We all contributed via payroll deductions—no questions asked, no voting involved.
With that setup, after 30 or 40 years of working, you'd retire with a pension worth roughly what $700 would buy you today. $267There are plenty of reasons why that math worked, mainly population aging (mortality rates), wars (casualties and displacement), and the ratio of retirees to workers (back in 2001, I think it was about 1:1.34), plus people working under the table to avoid taxes, etc.

Now, we have three pillars. Two are mandatory, and one is voluntary.
Those two mandatory ones work by taking 15% for the first pillar and 5% for the second.

The amount taken out of our paychecks is technically the same, but we really should be seeing a few hundred bucks more.

Nobody was starting threads when the OMF-based funds were doubling in value unrealistically. Now, suddenly, everyone is complaining because they're dropping twice as fast as they should.
And that’s how it’ll go for the next 30 years—up and down, with varying slopes on the curve.

But the bottom line is this: our pensions will still end up being a few hundred dollars higher than if nothing had changed.

Personally, I’d love to have that 5% handed to me so I could manage it myself.
Sure, I might actually outperform my OMF-managed funds, but that’s probably only true for about 1% of the population.
What happens to the other 99%? Some would blow the whole thing on bad investments, some would make a little profit—though likely less than the OMF guys—but I’d bet my life that over 50% of people would just blow that cash on iPhones or cars...
Then, when they hit 60 or 70—assuming they make it that far—how much do you think that threshold will be? They'll be starving on $167 meager pensions, blaming the government and the state for everything, while refusing to take any responsibility themselves.

p.s. I'm definitely not absolving a huge number of incompetent managers of their share of the blame here.

People should be given the option of a guaranteed pension where the amount is known upfront, even if it ends up being smaller. That’s just game theory, my dear economist. 🙂

It really comes down to two methods: go all-in on one plan, or split it between two. Personally, I’d take nothing at all and just live off rental income, dividends, and my own savings.

granitepilot2 said:It isn't that simple. People want their cash now, but in thirty years when they realize they have zero retirement savings, they’ll happily vote for some populist party—kind of like how people flock to the Democratic Party today—just so they can lean on the government for handouts.

Is a second pillar really the smartest move here? Considering 90% of Americans don't have a college degree—which isn't even the worst part—the issue is systemic. While the market was booming, nobody complained about the second pillar, but the moment things start sliding, suddenly everyone has an opinion. Honestly, hearing someone argue they "lost money" in this climate just tells me they haven't got the slightest clue what's actually happening in the world around them...

No, you should be offering more secure options too, like pure cash, digital gold currency, bonds, or real estate. Nothing revolutionary there. And just to be clear, I don't consider democracy a great way to run things. Personally, I crave an enlightened absolutism led by someone like Franz Joseph (not two separate people like Frank and Joseph).
I agree that OMF-ov investment structures are conservative, but hey, if someone doesn't want that, let them do what they want. They can starve later. :amerikazemljavelika:

Is the second pillar really the smartest move? Given that 90% of Americans don't even have a college degree, it isn't actually that bad. The problem is systemic. While the market was booming, nobody complained about the second pillar, but the moment things started crashing, everyone suddenly had an issue. To me, the argument that someone lost money in this situation just proves they haven't a clue what's happening around them...

Look, I don't like others overinvesting on my behalf either. Just give me my own money. If I go broke, hey, at least the whiskey was good.