Posts by Ryan Carter52

I think Wells Fargo sends out payment confirmations through online banking for free, at least according to what they say on their website, whereas most other banks charge you $1.75 for a confirmation.
But besides that, there's an option to just click on the confirmation where it shows everything—like who paid, when, who received it, which account was used, and even includes the bank's logo—so if you just print that out, I guess it's totally free and looks official enough to serve as proof, and then you could always request a formal document from the bank later on if any kind of dispute ever comes up.

So I think you get $227 about 9.8 lbs, and while my protein costs about the same, you end up getting maybe an extra pound or so, though honestly, the quality is just what it is. You get what you pay for, I guess.

Should I grab my protein or just go with ON?
You can actually find both listed on eBay, and honestly, the price ends up being pretty much what you'd pay if you just ordered it online here in the States without having to deal with any weird import fees or customs stuff.
I think you might find those massive 4.5kg tubs a little bit cheaper, maybe around $33, if you were looking over in Mexico, but unless you're heading down there yourself or have someone bringing it back for you, paying for shipping just doesn't make much sense at all.
Just keep in mind that anything coming in through the mail gets hit with duties once it passes $53, so you might want to check that out first.

Gary Garcia10 said:Is Optimum Nutrition Whey basically the best, most expensive option out there, or what?
Where do you guys usually pick yours up?

I guess there might be some kind of formula to figure out how many grams of protein I should be hitting daily based on my height, right?

People usually suggest about 1.5 grams per kilo of body weight.
But honestly, it feels pretty individual since there isn't really one strict rule, though I think some health sites say maybe 50-60 grams a day is enough for an average adult—like someone who's 5'7" and around 150 lbs. That's just what those wellness blogs tend to claim.
I suppose you'd want to spread those 60 grams out over maybe 5 or 6 even meals so your body gets a steady supply, rather than just slamming it all in one go in the morning and having nothing left for the rest of the day.

So, what's the deal with this one?

It claims to be a 100% whey isolate, but I guess you have to wonder how much you can actually trust those labels on the packaging, right?

I hope I didn't scare you too much talking about night vision issues.
It’s not like you’re going to lose it or anything, but I guess it’s pretty important that they get a really precise measurement of your pupils in low light so they can calibrate the laser accordingly.
You made a smart move looking into those two clinics, because over the last six months, I've heard from a few people who had their procedures done at Optocentar, and it seems like most of them are actually doing quite well with their night vision.
The doctors over at Optical Express seem pretty solid too, though I’m not personally a huge fan of how their laser works with such a small optical zone, but then again, there are plenty of patients there who are happy with their results, and I suppose you can never really know how it'll turn out for you specifically. You should definitely just go in for the consultation and ask the doctor every single question on your mind before deciding if you want to go through with the surgery or not.

If you don't mind the extra travel—you know, dealing with the costs and finding a place to stay—there is also an excellent doctor in New York City at the LaserFocus clinic, Dr. Mirko Jankov.
He actually has an interview on YouTube if you want to check it out.

I think I might head over there for a consultation myself after the New Year just to see what his take is.

Best,

James Doyle24 said:I could really use some advice

I’m thinking about getting surgery to fix my nearsightedness.
I’m 43, with a prescription of L -6.00 D -4.50 and a little bit of astigmatism in my right eye. I’ve been wearing soft contact lenses for over 20 years now.
I’m pretty active and into sports, too.

I’ve read through some posts here, but honestly, with all the misinformation and constant ads flooding the media, the internet, and even this forum, I’m having a hard time figuring out what's actually true.

So, I wanted to ask those of you who actually know their stuff or have gone through it yourselves:
Which clinic should I pick (in Washington, D.C.) and why?
Which method is best and why?

Thanks so much in advance.

The biggest thing is how thick your cornea is, because that determines how much they can actually correct your vision.
Your pupil size matters too, along with how the doctor adjusts things and which laser they use—all of that is crucial for your night vision so you don't end up dealing with glare or double vision later on.
It’s pretty normal for a tiny bit of your prescription to come back right after the procedure; if it stays under -1, most people can still function totally fine without glasses, and doctors usually count that as a huge success.
I’d say be careful with promises about free follow-up procedures if you need them; everyone makes those claims, but once you're facing an actual issue, nobody wants to take responsibility. I'm just speaking from my own experience!

From what I’ve seen, and what a lot of folks on here have said (if you check the last 10-15 pages of this thread), I might steer clear of certain big-name places during peak hours. Some places look okay, but they use specific lasers that seem a bit questionable to me, and frankly, when a place advertises way too much, it doesn't exactly inspire confidence. Then you have smaller clinics that feel more personal; they have a steady flow of patients, the doctors are great, they play it safe rather than rushing surgeries through like they're on a factory assembly line, and you aren't just being checked out by some intern straight out of med school, but by the actual surgeon performing the procedure.
Then there's the newer options, which are still relatively fresh; I haven't run into any of their patients here yet, but that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't good.
The major players often use essentially the same laser technology.
At the end of the day, the surgeon's experience matters way more than just the machine they use.
If I were you, I’d probably visit a few different clinics and just take your time to decide.
Some places offer free consultations, and others might waive the fee if you book the surgery right then and there, but it varies.

As for the method, I’d probably suggest PRK since your prescription is under 7 diopters, especially if your cornea is a bit thinner.
You'll recover faster with LASIK, but PRK tends to be better in the long run because it preserves more of your corneal thickness, which you'll definitely want to have as you get older!

Good luck!

Quick question for anyone using the 5kg tub of Optimum Nutrition whey.
I was just wondering if it actually comes with a scoop inside or not, I guess?

Thanks so much for sharing your experience.👍
A buddy of mine actually suggested the same thing—that I should just file a claim for a paid shipment that never showed up.
It’s been about 15 days since the money was charged to my card, even though the package was supposed to travel from western Germany to northern Italy, so it really should have arrived within five days at most.
On a different note, I once ordered a little something on eBay all the way from Singapore to the US.
Despite all the typical customs headaches, Overseas managed to get it delivered here in just eight days! So, this current order definitely should have made it by now.

Anyway, the owner of the web shop emailed me tonight, so I just told him I wasn't interested anymore and asked him to go ahead and issue a refund since I ended up buying the item somewhere else.🙂

Arthur Richardson said:I also wanted to ask if it's possible to receive an international wire transfer onto this card? Additionally, when I'm using PayPal to pay, can I use a different shipping address for my order—say, somewhere in Canada or Mexico?

I guess you totally can, where you just set the shipping address to somewhere else but keep the billing address matching the card, though I suppose some shops might be picky and refuse to ship if they don't match, since they do that to prevent fraud, I think.
With PayPal, you can probably just set up an automatic transfer to that card so the money moves from PayPal to your card on the 1st of every month, although it might take about 3 to 5 days to show up and I believe PayPal takes a tiny little fee for withdrawing funds.
But then again, you could probably just request a manual withdrawal whenever you want, too.

So, about ten days ago, I ordered something from an online shop over in Germany for around $110.
I haven't seen the package yet, and honestly, the seller just isn't getting back to me at all.
I was wondering if it might be better to file a dispute stating the goods were never delivered to get my money back, or if I should just claim it was an unauthorized charge on my card... or maybe there's some other way to handle this? I guess I'm not sure if I'm just overthinking things here.🙂

Hey everyone!

P.S. I'm definitely not trying to give my bank a hard time, I'm just curious about what my options might be.🙂

Thomas Ortiz3 said:Your conclusion is flawed because you're comparing apples to oranges...
You claim their rates are "pathetic," yet the tables clearly show that if you deposit, say, $25,001, Goldman Sachs offers 3.35% while Citigroup gives you 4.05%, which invalidates your point. Besides, from what I can see, Goldman Sachs doesn't even offer terms longer than a year, which is a much bigger issue than a slight rate difference since a one-year fixed rate is practically variable these days. I’ve used Citigroup before for a 5-year fixed term with multiple deposits at 4.25%, and once for 3 years, where the rates were quite decent...

In this "direct" comparison, Goldman Sachs wins for small players under $2,500, but for anything from $5,000 upwards, Citigroup has the edge...
A 12-month deposit between $10,000 and $25,000 at Citigroup (assuming anyone at the FAA actually uses 12-month terms) is 3.60% fixed, so I'm not sure where you got 2.50% from...

Bravo, you have shown me the way!!
I guess someone sitting on $25,000 isn't going to be doing active saving, but rather just setting up an annuity and enjoying those monthly payouts.
Active saving is more for building up small amounts over time, so I was mostly looking at smaller sums rather than anything over $25,000, because, well, it's not like we're living in Switzerland where everyone is walking around town with $25,000 in their pocket!🤷
Besides, at Goldman Sachs, for instance, you can deposit any amount from $1 to $25,000 and get the same fixed rate of 3.25%, whereas if you look here, the rates for anything under $2,500 are quite different regardless of the term.

So, that's my take on the whole apples and oranges situation, and how I probably don't know much about anything. 🙏
And I won't even get started on how "safe" it feels to park large amounts of money in big, reputable institutions like Citigroup, when it seems like every other day there's some news story about embezzlement or financial scandals...

Lawrence Cruz said:You should probably take a look at your transaction history—because whether you're moving money around or not, they are almost certainly hitting you with a service fee. 😉

As for that whole account closure thing, that was a long time ago—back before these fees existed. These days, those monthly fees essentially count as "activity" on the account, whether it's your checking, savings, or foreign currency account.

The thing is, those fees aren't hitting me at all, because if there's no activity, there shouldn't be a fee, and I guess I'm observant enough to see what my balance looks like at the ATM.
If a monthly fee were actually being taken out, I’d probably be deep in the red by now, especially since nothing has hit this account in five months.
It's the same deal with the statements they mail me every three months when there isn't any activity.
I also have a checking account over at Erste, and when I was opening it, I made sure to ask the teller point-blank what would happen if I didn't use it, and she told me quite clearly that there wouldn't be any maintenance fees if there was no activity.
I honestly don't get why this is such a weird topic?🤷

Rachel Flores34 said:So far, my experience has been great. They’re polite, and I have a savings account with them pulling 4.85% interest, which I think is pretty solid🙄 do you guys know of any banks offering anything higher?🤷

The rates they're offering are honestly kind of a joke!
If you put $25,000 in a 12-month fixed CD, the rate is just 2.50%, and even their premium savings account is only at 3.04% APY.
Just for a quick comparison, Goldman Sachs offers an active savings account where you can make multiple deposits, and if you fix it for 12 months up to $25,000, you get 3.20%.
Citigroup interest rate
Goldman Sachs interest rate

When you're applying for a credit card, you usually get a couple of choices:
A Visa Classic, which is basically a card with a grace period where they just charge the whole amount at once.
Or a Visa revolving card, where you can just pay off about 5% of what you spent each month. (I think with Mastercard it's closer to 10%).
I actually requested a Classic one, but I guess they activated a revolving line for me instead🙂, so unless I manually pay off the full balance before the billing cycle hits, they just take that 5% and then you're stuck with a 12% interest rate.
It probably takes about two or three weeks depending on things, but I suppose you go into the bank to see your personal banker, fill out an application, and then you have to take it to your employer to get them to verify your work history, salary, and add their official stamp and signature before bringing it back to the branch.
After maybe two weeks, you might get a notice in the mail saying your card was approved along with your credit limit, and you'll also get this wage garnishment authorization form that you pretty much have to get notarized and then drop back off at the bank.
Then, eventually, they send out the actual card and your PIN in separate envelopes.

That's just how it works at the Federal Reserve, though I think at some other banks, if you bring in that notarized form, they might just hand you the card right then and there.
If you're really just looking for something for online shopping and don't care about buying things on credit, I'd probably suggest skipping all that hassle and just getting a Visa Electron paired with a checking account.
The ones from JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America, among a few others, seem to work perfectly fine for everything online.

Steven Reed said:Ryan Carter52, where exactly are you getting this idea that Zabka doesn't charge a maintenance fee if there’s zero activity on the account?
I’ve scoured their website and found nothing to support that—plus, I’m pretty damn certain when I set up my payment assistant, they were hitting me with fees for a $3.00 standard checking account regardless of whether I actually used it or not.

@dustybear9, it all depends on which Mastercard you’re carrying. If you’ve got a revolving card—like a Chase Freedom—you can always deposit funds directly onto it (just use that 72... number or head to a branch and ask them to credit your card). On the other hand, if you’re using a standard Mastercard, you can't deposit straight to the card; you have to put the money into your checking account first so it clears by the next billing date. Keep in mind, every bank charges a fee for using a credit card at an ATM 😉—with a revolving card, you're also staring down interest on that credit line, whereas with a standard Mastercard, it’s "just" the cash advance fee.

Just speaking from my own experience, I don't have any fancy bundles or special checking plans, just a basic account where I get a couple of deposits a year, and during the months where nothing happens, they don't seem to take anything out at all, I guess.
I also think they have a policy where if you don't have more than $17 in there or show any activity for maybe 6 months, they just close the account automatically.
Actually, I think it used to be 6 months, but maybe it's been a full year now, I'm not entirely sure.

I wonder if you can just ask for a regular paper debit card instead of this chip one for the ATM?
For example, I have a foreign currency account over at the Federal Reserve, and I ended up returning my chip card since it wasn't working for online shopping anyway, so they just made me this paper version, and now I don't have to worry about any monthly maintenance fees regardless of how much I spend.

I remember when I first set up my savings account over at Wells Fargo, they gave me a PIN and a little cardboard card instead of a regular ATM chip card.
It just had my card number and my account details printed right on there.
So, I’d just take that card number and my PIN, head over to their login page, and I could see all my deposits, withdrawals, and fees pretty easily.
It was actually a pretty sweet setup, since you don't have to pay extra monthly fees for online banking just to check your balance like some other banks make you do.

Of course you can make a payment, you just head down to the bank with your cash and a Mastercard and deposit it straight onto your credit card account.
If you pay everything back before they run the monthly statement, I guess you won't have to deal with any revolving interest.
But man, they will absolutely skin you alive for withdrawing cash at an ATM; in my experience with RBC for $667, $17 there's a fee for using cash, plus you'll probably get hit with another $2.25 in interest for the withdrawal itself.
That specific interest isn't even related to when you activate the revolving credit line—that's a separate thing, which is usually around 12-13% annually.

I mean, honestly, it feels like dealing with loan sharks or something... 🙂

Laura Harris said:🤣
Fine, let me get this straight—if I don't actually have an income, and my balance just sits there in my checking $0.00 for a few months straight, does that mean I can dodge the service fees?

Well, if there’s no activity on the account at all, then they usually don't charge the standard maintenance fee (I'm talking about the regular checking fee, not the Zaba fan fee), but if you don't keep a minimum of $17 in the balance or if there hasn't been any movement for more than 18 months, some banks might just automatically close the account.

Since you mentioned being a minor, I'm guessing you're maybe around 15 or 16, so it might be a bit tricky to open an account without getting your parents to sign off on everything first.
The first thing a banker at somewhere like JPMorgan Chase will probably ask you for is your state ID or passport, along with your Social Security number verification, which I assume you already have handy.

Maybe your brother could just open a new checking account in his own name and then give you a debit card to use?
That way, you could just head over to an ATM with the card and your PIN to grab some cash whenever you need it.
He could even try setting up a power of attorney for that account, so you might be able to withdraw money right inside the bank branch instead of just using the ATM.
(Though, of course, you'd still need to have your ID on you.)
And if you just need someone to transfer money to you, you can simply give them that account number.
I'm not entirely sure why there's such a big issue with the older folks in this situation, because if your own brother isn't willing to help you out when he can, I guess it's hard to know who would.

Good luck!