St. John's Church, Richmond, Virginia March 23, 1775. MR. PRESIDENT: No man thinks more highly than I do of the patriotism, as well as abilities, of the very worthy gentlemen who have just addressed the House. But different men often see the same subject in different lights; and, therefore, I hope it will not be thought disrespectful to those gentlemen if, entertaining as I do, opinions of a character very opposite to theirs, I shall speak forth my sentiments freely, and without reserve. This is no time for ceremony. The question before the House is one of awful moment to this country. For my own part, I consider it as nothing less than a question of freedom or slavery; and in proportion to the magnitude of the subject ought to be the freedom of the debate. It is only in this way that we can hope to arrive at truth, and fulfil the great responsibility which we hold to God and our country. Should I keep back my opinions at such a time, through fear of giving offence, I should consider myself as guilty of treason towards my country, and of an act of disloyalty toward the majesty of heaven, which I revere above all earthly kings. Mr. President, it is natural to man to indulge in the illusions of hope. We are apt to shut our eyes against a painful truth, and listen to the song of that siren till she transforms us into beasts. Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those who, having eyes, see not, and, having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation? For my part, whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, I am willing to know the whole truth; to know the worst, and to provide for it. I have but one lamp by which my feet are guided; and that is the lamp of experience. I know of no way of judging of the future but by the past. And judging by the past, I wish to know what there has been in the conduct of the British ministry for the last ten years, to justify those hopes with which gentlemen have been pleased to solace themselves, and the House? Is it that insidious smile with which our petition has been lately received? Trust it not, sir; it will prove a snare to your feet. Suffer not yourselves to be betrayed with a kiss. Ask yourselves how this gracious reception of our petition comports with these war-like preparations which cover our waters and darken our land. Are fleets and armies necessary to a work of love and reconciliation? Have we shown ourselves so unwilling to be reconciled, that force must be called in to win back our love? Let us not deceive ourselves, sir. These are the implements of war and subjugation; the last arguments to which kings resort. I ask, gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen assign any other possible motive for it? Has Great Britain any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none. They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which the British ministry have been so long forging. And what have we to oppose to them? Shall we try argument? Sir, we have been trying that for the last ten years. Have we anything new to offer upon the subject? Nothing. We have held the subject up in every light of which it is capable; but it has been all in vain. Shall we resort to entreaty and humble supplication? What terms shall we find which have not been already exhausted? Let us not, I beseech you, sir, deceive ourselves. Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated ourselves before the throne, and have implored its interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult; our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne. In vain, after these things, may we indulge the fond hope of peace and reconciliation. There is no longer any room for hope. If we wish to be free² if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending²if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained, we must fight! I repeat it, sir, we must fight! An appeal to arms and to the God of Hosts is all that is left us! They tell us, sir, that we are weak; unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance, by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations; and who will raise up friends to fight our battles for us. The battle, sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable²and let it come! I repeat it, sir, let it come. It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace²but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! This speech is the best response I can give.


"Hi, ""guy"" here! This was me. I think we have a PNC shill on our hands. Anyway, slrrp you're missing the point, I was called and asked specifically about why I'm buying bitcoin and was then told that PNC wants nothing to do with bitcoin. That is news. Me refusing to answer the question is not news, it is not about the response from me or them, it's about the initial impetus to call me."


It won't hurt your credit rating. I wouldn't worry about it. The company can certainly pursue debt collections across borders but unless its a massive sum.. they will write it off. Now.. what the right thing to do is to take care of it... 1. for karma's sake and 2. so you don't make a bad name for foreigners.


"You can't individually have 100% ownership if the 50/50 LLC is the owner of the new business; however, you can be allocated 100% of the profits and losses from the new business with the 50/50 LLC as owner of said business. It requires a new LLC operating agreement that specially allocates profits and losses from the new business to you. There is one catch under the Treasury Regs, the special allocation to you must have ""substantial economic effect"". See Treasury Regulation (26 CFR) Section 1.704-1. http://www.medlawplus.com/library/legal/irsrulings/treareg1704-1.htm"


"Yes you can do the withdraw if you turned 55 during the year you separated from service. http://www.401khelpcenter.com/401k_education/Early_Dist_Options.html#.VdMrqPlVhBc Leaving Your Job On or After Age 55 The age 59½ distribution rule says any 401k participant may begin to withdraw money from his or her plan after reaching the age of 59½ without having to pay a 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. There is an exception to that rule, however, which allows an employee who retires, quits or is fired at age 55 to withdraw without penalty from their 401k (the ""rule of 55""). There are three key points early retirees need to know. First, this exception applies if you leave your job at any time during the calendar year in which you turn 55, or later, according to IRS Publication 575. Second, if you still have money in the plan of a former employer and assuming you weren't at least age 55 when you left that employer, you'll have to wait until age 59½ to start taking withdrawals without penalty. Better yet, get any old 401k's rolled into your current 401k before you retire from your current job so that you will have access to these funds penalty free. Third, this exception only applies to funds withdrawn from a 401k. IRAs operate until different rules, so if you retire and roll money into an IRA from your 401k before age 59½, you will lose this exception on those dollars."


I believe we already do? We have subsidies and stuff to entice companies to move to certain cities for example. Also the defense companies are still businesses in the end. I used to work at one for what it's worth. But sure if it somehow makes a difference instead of businesses we can fund infrastructure projects, public transportation, education, or really anything else that benefits society in a more direct way.


Credit is very important even if you are wealthy. One thing you may not realize is that rich people typically have comparatively little cash on hand. If they're smart, most of their assets are not liquid - they're tied up in safe, long-term investments. They use credit for their day-to-day expenses and pay it off from the dividends on their investments (which might only come in once a quarter). There are also tax advantages to using credit. If a rich person wanted a new car, he'd be smarter leasing it for his business (immediate write-off of the lease payments on taxes) versus buying it (depreciation over several years plus property tax liability in some states). There are more elaborate tax dodges but the point is that buying a car outright is the worst option in terms of tax avoidance. Another way the rich (mis) use credit is so that they don't risk their own money on business ventures. Let's say I have $1,000,000 in my personal bank account, and I want to buy a business that costs $1M. If I am dumb, I clean out my bank account and put all my money in the business. I get 100% of the profits, but I also bear 100% of the risk. If I'm smart, I loan 200K of my own money in the business and put the rest someplace safe, and get a loan from a bank for the other 800K. If the business succeeds, the bank gets their money back plus interest. If it fails, the business declares bankruptcy and the bank eats the 800k loss. If I structured the debt right, my personal loan to the failed business gets paid back first when the company is liquidated, and the bank gets whatever is left over (if anything). The most of my own money I can possibly lose is 200k, and probably it's closer to zero if I have a good accountant.


"Since doodle77 handled arbitrage, I'll take goodwill. Goodwill is an accounting term that acts much like a ""plug"" account: you add/subtract to it the amount that makes everything balance. In the case of goodwill, it generally only applies to mergers & acquisitions. The theory (and justification) is this: firms buy other firms at prices other than the market price (usually higher), and it is assumed that this is because the acquirer values its acquisition more than other people do. But whether you use historical prices or market prices when you add (subtract) assets and liabilities to to (from) your balance sheet, this will never add up, because you paid more (less) than the assets are worth in the market, so more (less) cash flowed out than assets flowed in. The difference goes into the goodwill account, so firms with a large goodwill account are ones that have made lots of acquisitions."


u just dont understand how econoics work. private debt was over 41 trillion dollars while public debt was a mere 8 trillion in 2008. giving pple money to spend will stimulate the private sector of the ecnomy to recover, and m2 will grow and generate much more lasting revenue for govt. you pple just dont understand anything.


You don't. When you get to Japan, use your ATM card to withdraw local currency. My bank (ETrade) doesn't charge me int'l fees.


"As an exercise, I want to give this a shot. I'm not involved in a firm that cares about liquidity so all this stuff is outside my purview. As I understand it, it goes something like this: buy side fund puts an order to the market as a whole (all or most possibly exchanges). HFTs see that order hit the first exchange but have connectivity to exchanges further down the pipe that is faster than the buy side fund. They immediately send their own order in, which reaches exchanges and executes before the buy side fund's order can. They immediately put up an ask, and buy side fund's order hits that ask and is filled (I guess I'm assuming the order was a market order from the beginning). This is in effect the HFT front running the buy side fund. Is this accurate? Even if true, whether I have a genuine issue with this... I'm not sure. Has anyone on the ""pro-HFT"" side written a solid rebuttal to Lewis and Katsuyama that has solid research behind it?"


Expecting accurate accounting in a war-zone is unrealistic. Money is used to buy loyality that would be lost if it got out that they had accepted infidel invader's money. Secrets are a characteristic of all wars. Expecting accurate accounting in a wallstreet investment firm is completely reasonable.


You really have no idea what you're talking about right now. You jump to nonsensical conclusions. Wages in the US can not support the economy. Until you can accept that I know I'm dealing with someone who believes ideology over reality.


"This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](http://news.ehealthinsurance.com/news/affordable-care-act-health-insurance-will-be-unaffordable-in-2018-for-many-middle-income-american-families-ehealth-analysis-shows) reduced by 94%. (I'm a bot) ***** > The Affordable Care Act considers health insurance to be &quot;Unaffordable&quot; when annual premiums for the lowest-priced plan in a market cost more than 8.16% of a household&#039;s modified adjusted gross income. > eHealth, Inc. owns eHealth.com, a leading private online health insurance exchange where individuals, families and small businesses can compare health insurance products from brand-name insurers side by side and purchase and enroll in coverage online and over the phone. > eHealth offers thousands of individual, family and small business health plans underwritten by many of the nation&#039;s leading health insurance companies. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/73ecm7/ehealthcom_has_just_published_a_new_study_that/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ ""Version 1.65, ~219483 tl;drs so far."") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr ""PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome."") | *Top* *keywords*: **plan**^#1 **health**^#2 **insurance**^#3 **eHealth**^#4 **City**^#5"


Ad-based business model is the hands down best way to go. Imagine an internet where you had to make micropayments to every website you visited. It is just not viable. The thing is, there are proper and improper ways to do ads. A banner ad? A text ad? Fine. Whatever. An noisy, seizure inducing ad? Gross. A 30-second video ad to watch a Youtube video? Disgusting. A website that is 90% advertising and 10% content? Worthless.


I suspect you were downvoted because you wanted to increase the size of the pie rather than argue about what percentage of it everyone gets. And the Fed is a bigger perp today than energy for wealth inequality. Wealth creation is a far more sustainable and commonsense way to create value for the individual. Lower energy = more wealth freed up for other things. The 1970's were the beginning of the totalitarian seizure of many areas of our economy by central planners- education, healthcare. Yes fossil fuels accelerated on their exponential cost curve but the big impacts came from gov't.


Bingo. The problem is most people associate the warranty as “warranty vs. total replacement” ($300 now vs. $3,500 later) instead of “warranty vs. repair” ($300 now vs. potentially $300 later). The fun part is when they still charge you. Edit: Your grandma has had the same appliances for 15+ years without needing any repairs.


Don't sit on it, because the money does not work for you. Add more money to it and buy a stock or stocks of the company.


There are non-financial costs to having a debt: you need to remember to make monthly payments, perhaps keep track of changing interest rates, be aware of conditions of the debt, archive the related paperwork. Life is simpler with fewer debts, and that has value. Of course, if the difference in interest rate is large, then that is more important and the higher interest should be paid off first. But if the difference is only half a percentage point or so, you may decide that having fewer debts is in itself worth the bit of extra interest you pay.


I haven’t looked at their financials but the fact that everyone is getting into the SmartTV box space means they have very stiff competition. I personally have an AppleTV, FireTV, and a Roku. I love my Roku (headphone jack in the remote FTW) however one of my most used apps recently rolled out a major update and Roku was the last of the 3 (I believe chromecast got it earlier too) to receive the update, about 3+ months after my first device got it. If developers begin seeing Roku as a platform to develop for “when we get to it” then I see them suffering the same fate as, Windows, BlackBerry, and Amazon phones.


Even with scenario and stress testing, VaR is still rather useless. Im sure your VaR simulator was a great piece of work but at the end of the day when things go crazy VaR as a model fails when you need it the most. Risk management in the larger banks is reporting while at funds is more active.


I think that's unreasonable. If you had read the article and clicked on the Amory Lovins link you would have seen this - an article in which he talks about there being more oil in Detroit than Saudi Arabia. Energy + Genius The Saudi Arabia Beneath Detroit Amory Lovins, 10.09.08, 06:00 PM EDT Radical efficiency can decouple us from oil for far less than making more.


"I believe the answer is ""no"", if I remember discussion at the time correctly. A reference librarian could show you how to research this. (Undervalued resource, and they love an excuse to show people how to get the most out of a library.)"


EFA must be bought and sold in US dollars. XIN allows people to buy and sell EFA in Canadian dollars without exposing their investment to unpredictable swings in the USD/CAD ratio. This is what's known as a currency-hedged instrument. Now, why the chart sums up to over 100% is anyone's guess. Presumably it's the result of a couple hundred rounding errors from all the components. If you view their most recent report, it also sums up to over 100%, but at least the EFA component is (sensibly) under 100%. P.S. I'm not seeing where it says there's only one holding. There's the primary holding, plus over 100 other cash holdings to effect the currency-hedging.


Actually to be truth full..it was a little more.I believe 62 before closing costs.We also had to do a few repairs....However still yea it would be hard to buy the land and build for that price.Unless your in a really depressed area.


As a new graduate, aside from the fact that you seem to have the extra $193/mo to pay more towards your loan, we don't know anything else. I wrote a lengthy article on this in response to a friend who had a loan, but was also pondering a home purchase in the future. Student Loans and Your First Mortgage discusses the math behind one's ability to put a downpayment on a house vs having that monthly cash to pay towards the mortgage. In your case, the question is whether, in 5 years, the $8500 would be best spent as a home down payment or to pay off the 6.8% loan. If you specifically had plans toward home ownership, the timing of that plan would affect my answer here, as I discuss in the article. The right answer to your question can only come by knowing far more of your personal situation. Meanwhile, the plan comes at a cost. Your plan will get rid of the loan in about 5 years, but if you simply double up the payments, advising the servicing company to apply the extra to principal, it would drop to just a couple month over over 4. As you read more about personal finance, you'll find a lot of different views. Some people are fixated on having zero debt, others will focus on liquidity. In the end, you need to understand each approach and decide what's right for you.


This form is due March 15. This year, the 15th is Saturday, so the deadline is Monday March 17th. Keep in mind, the software guys would have two choices, wait until every last form is finalized before releasing, or put the software out by late November when 80%+ are good to go. Nothing is broken in this process. Keep in mind that there are different needs depending on the individual. I like to grab a copy in early December, and have a preliminary idea of what my return with look like. I'll also know if I'll owe so much that I should send in a quarterly tax payment. The IRS isn't accepting any return until 1/31 I believe, so you've lost no time. When you open the program, it usually ask to 'phone home' and update. In a couple weeks, all should be well. (Disclosure - I have guest posted on tax issues at both TurboTax and H&R Block's blogs. The above are my own views.)


Both seem to be reasonable. To decide you need to guess if the value of the house will go up or down between now and when you sell. If you think the value will go up - reach a calculation agreement now. If you think the value will go down - wait until the house is actually sold. So ya pays yer money, and ya takes yer chances... I think I understand the two scenarios Unless you are absolutely confident that you understand both scenarios - make sure your lawyer gets involved and explains them to you until you do understand.


The point is that the starvation response is not limited to crash diets (did you read the whole article?), and is apparently permanent. If you lose a significant amount of weight by any means, your body is likely to make you feel hungry for the rest of your life. Fun...


Totally. The way they're trying out a store with no check out lines for their employees..I could see why they decided to buy Whole Foods. Just curious if they will price Whole Foods competitively with other grocers like Walmart, Kroger, etc.


Once a debt has gone to a debt collector, you have to work with the debt collector to settle your debt. Essentially, the department store sold your debt to the debt collector so they don't have to deal with it anymore. You have rights when contacted by debt collectors. You can negotiate a deal so that the amount you actually pay is lower than what you owe. It is illegal for them to quote you for a higher amount than what you actually owe! Also, they can't threaten you or pretend to be a credit bureau. Your best bet is to work with them and negotiate a better payment. Don't give up. Collectors often times purchase the debt for a very low amount, so even if you pay less than what you actually owe, the collector will still make a profit. https://www.credit.com/debt/collections-crash-course/


Such activity is normally referred to as bartering income. From the IRS site - You must include in gross income in the year of receipt the fair market value of goods or services received from bartering. Generally, you report this income on Form 1040, Schedule C (PDF), Profit or Loss from Business (Sole Proprietorship), or Form 1040, Schedule C-EZ (PDF), Net Profit from Business (Sole Proprietorship). If you failed to report this income, correct your return by filing a Form 1040X (PDF), Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return. Refer to Topic 308 and Amended Returns for information on filing an amended return.


One potentially useful option to avoid the crippling tuition fees in the states is to instead get your degree abroad. Numerous European countries have very low tuition fees, even for international students. Tuition can be as low as a 1000 EUR and housing is generally also very affordable. There is of course the language barrier but many universities are oriented towards receiving international students, providing relocation assistance and offering courses in English. As a bonus, most Europeans speak excellent English and are generally quite happy to practice it so you shouldn't have any problems off-campus either. Going to the UK is an option but likely considerably more expensive than colleges in mainland Europe. This article, while written for a Nigerian audience, lists some of the most attractive options for the international student. The quality of the education is also generally very high for these colleges. As an example Belgium, one of the cheapest options in the list, has two universities ranked in the Top 100: Leuven and Ghent. Many other German, French, Dutch or Scandinavian universities figure in that list.


In general, a warrant is a security issued by a company allowing the holder to purchase a certain number of a particular class of shares at a certain price for a particular period of time. They differ from exchange traded options (i.e. calls and puts) in that they are issued by the company that issued the underlying shares that they allow you to purchase whereas calls and puts are generally written by other investors. The other big difference between options and warrants is that options are standardized. Any call or put you buy on a particular exchange has basically the same set of rules governing use. By contrast, a warrant may have all kinds of stipulations that must occur before you can execute, such as price events (e.g. only if the stock hits a certain price) or business events (e.g. only if the company elects to defer payment on a bond issued at the same time as the warrant). Warrants are generally a bad choice for small and inexperienced investors since each warrant issue is different and you often need a lawyer or other qualified professional to fully understand all to possible outcomes.


It is because 17th was Friday, 18th-19th were weekends and 20th was a holiday on the Toronto Stock Exchange (Family Day). Just to confirm you could have picked up another stock trading on TMX and observed the price movements.


PWC sold off their consulting to IBM in 2002 and has been rebuilding, now makes 7.5B out of 29B from consulting KPMG spun off their consulting as BearingPoint in 2001 and has been rebuilding E&Y spun off their consulting as Capgemini in 2000 and has been rebuilding, now makes 4B out of 23B from consulting. Deloitte didn't spin off consulting and makes 8B out of 29B. Actually, none make more from consulting than audit, but consulting is a big chunk for all the big4.


a MUST READ for business owners who wish to improve not only their business credit ratings but also their chances of qualifying for excellent credit deals later on. please read it and suggest it to all your friends, most especially to those who are currently managing small shops and stores!


Advance technology has resulted in new and different gadgets and equipments being invented on frequent basis. Mostly all of the invented gadgets or equipments need electric supply in order to function. Therefore, regular testing and tagging of such appliances, working on electricity, becomes one of the most essential needs to be considered by you.


Maybe a bit under the radar for the average/amateur investor, but I love 'em. Started trading them in college.. I love the variety of strategies one can employ, and risk management is easier (to me) than going long or short the underlying in many cases. Pick up Hull's text on Futures, Options and Derivatives for your starter reading, then pick an economic sector that makes the most sense to you and learn it. For me, it was ag crops - corn, wheat and soybeans. Keep learning the mechanics of trading this asset class and paper trade for as long as you can.


No they wouldn't. That's from a pure math standpoint. People would cancel like crazy if they did this, which would probably cost them money in the long run. EDIT: As you can see by $NFLX stock today after MISSING projections on earnings but CRUSHING subscribers, it's all about subs, not hard cash. My point is proven.


you either tell your financial department about them (e.g. I used to get a student's tax discount), or you file them separately. But you don't have to file anything by default. That is a comment connected to the question. In the united states you can almost achieve this. 90% of the numbers on my tax form are automated. The W-2s are sent to the IRS, the 1099-s for my non retirement accounts are also sent. The two biggest items that take time are charities, and the educational benefits. Nobody has to claim every deduction they are entitled to. They must claim all the income, and decide to take the standard deduction. It would probably take less than an hour to finish the families taxes: both federal and state.


They just started advertising locally. For a whopping $13.25 part time you get to spend your day doing these awesome things. This is copied from their site. Things you should know about working in an Amazon Delivery Station: Safety, it’s more than wearing a reflective vest. We’re committed to providing one of the safest work environments, which means stretching, safety tips, and yes… following the rules.Customer-obsession. It makes your day to make someone else happy.Quality is key. You have high standards, and it shows in your work. We’ll hold you to it, but only because we know our associates can handle it. We like to keep you on your toes, associates will rotate tasks multiple times throughout the week.Amazon lets customers order whatever they need, whenever they need. Flexibility is key, associates should be open to extra hours, time off, and a rapid pace.Layer up! You should be comfortable working in an environment with varying temperatures. Many buildings have dock doors that open throughout shifts, this can cause the temperature to be high during the summer or cold during the winter depending on the location. Got it? Okay, but what will you actually be doing? Keep on truckin’. Manage the receiving of truck deliveries and packages.Pumped up kicks. You’ll stand in one place for extended periods of time, and be walking a good distance around the facility – good shoes are a must!All hands on deck! You can expect to handle packages from small envelopes to boxes ranging up to 49 pounds.On the move. You should be willing and able to operate carts, dollies, hand trucks and other moving equipment to move large quantities of merchandise.Potential opportunity to operate PIT equipment, special training is offered to associates based on interest and availability.Keepin’ up with the times. You’ll use a smartphone, apps, handheld devices, and can even scan a bar code or two. Hourly Pay Rate: $13.25 Let’s sweeten the deal… Weekly pay scheduleHoliday overtime payBasic Life, AD&D insuranceOn-the-job training and skill developmentEmployee Assistance Program We want you to join the team if you can check these boxes: Blown out the candles – you are at least 18 years old.Flex, not just your muscles – you don’t mind a curve ball every once in a while and you can be flexible in responsibilities.You are willing and able to work extra hours as required, bringing smiles to our customers doesn’t take time off.Let’s get physical – associates must, with or without reasonable accommodation, be able to lift up to 49 pounds, stand/walk for up to 8-10 hours, and be able to frequently push, pull, squat, bend, and reach.Step it up – be able to continuously climb and descend stairs safely (applies to sites with stairs)Must be able to work on a secure mezzanine at a height of up to 40 feet (applies to buildings with mezzanines)Must be willing and able to work on powered equipment-for example forklift or cherry picker


For two reasons primarily: For one, it is very simply because China is at a different stage in its economic development than the USA. That is just a fact. Secondly and more verbosely, the nation of China is experiencing predictable short-term gains that are primarily the result of modernization in best practices, technical skills, and equipment. The reality of the Chinese economy is that it is mostly fueled by a global need for cheap labor and a lot of it. This is thrusting many of China's still 3rd world citizens into modern era industry and production through the many nationalized development and relocation projects taken on by the government. These base realities of Chinas 'economic development', when set against any relevant metric, are in no way indicative of economic success. If anything, the growth China is experiencing underscores the ever-present reality and impact of capitalistically driven market-based economies. In the short term, the nation will have increasing challenges appeasing and suppressing the nation's workforce as workers fight for improved workers rights/conditions. In the long-term, the nation/government will struggle with managing and planning the nation's inevitable transition into a market-based consumer economy as all those workers, in turn, spend their newly acquired wealth. In all truth, the Chinese government is almost singularly driving growth by sacrificing untold amounts of money and Chinese lives to advance an agenda that increases domestic production and attempts to modernize the largely 3rd world population into the 21st century. *As a final note. The nations concerning disregard in the pursuit of modernizing its workforce and domestic production can best be classified as a series of human rights violations. Especially when considering the impacts and conditions for many in Chinas workforce.*


Ask someone in Human Resources. I seriously doubt you are the first person to ask this question for their company and they should be more than happy to help.


Simply put, it makes sense from the moment you can afford the loss without negative consequences. For example, if your car costs $20000 and you happen to have another $20000 laying around, you can choose not to insure your car against damage. In the worst case, you can simply buy a new one. However, not insuring your car has a hidden cost: you can't long-term invest that money anymore. If your insurance costs $500 a year, and you can invest those $20000 with a return on investment of more than 2.5%, it still makes sense to invest that money while having your car insured.


Have you checked to see if anything else went missing? Walmart says that because I was not the original purchaser of the gift card, they could not help me directly Just to build on what @littleadv already gave you, my personal experience on this is that none of the companies that you'll likely be dealing with in a situation like this will be falling over themselves to help you out. Unless it also helps them for some reason, or if they're compelled by consumer laws. If you think you should be protected from this sort of thing happening, feel free to reference the FCRA to see if you might get any consumer protections. But just from what you've said here, it doesn't sound like you do. So if anything else went missing (or even if not), it might have been someone working for Citi, who may have had access to more of your personal information than just your card. ID theft is unfortunately common, as a fairly easy crime to commit, a hard one to protect yourself against, and a very hard one to prosecute. When did you last check your credit report?


"This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.higherrockeducation.org/blog/economic-analysis-of-the-solar-eclipse) reduced by 90%. (I'm a bot) ***** > According to the law of demand, as prices increase, the quantity demanded of a good or service decreases. > Factors other than price can shift the entire demand curve and cause an increase or decrease in the quantity demanded at every price point. > The slight decrease in the market price due to new suppliers was not offset by the significant increase in the demand for products and services in the path of totality. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/6xtrl7/economic_analysis_of_the_solar_eclipse/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ ""Version 1.65, ~203519 tl;drs so far."") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr ""PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome."") | *Top* *keywords*: **price**^#1 **demand**^#2 **supply**^#3 **people**^#4 **totality**^#5"


You could use a stock-only ISA and invest in Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs). ETFs are managed mutual funds that trade on open exchanges in the same manner as stocks. This changes the specific fund options you have open to you, but there are so many ETFs at this point that any sector you want to invest in is almost certainly represented.


There are 2 questions here; My father, an NRI, sold inherited land in India ... This transaction is taxable in India. As its inherited land, and assuming its Non-Agricultural, your Dad will have to pay tax on gains, 20% with Indexation and 10% without indexation. He wants to move the money to the USA, with minimum tax. How to go about it? Money can be moved to US, there is a limit on the amount that can be freely repatriated, the limit is more if the funds are being moved for investment, like property etc outside India.


Windows 8 was made specifically for the Surface. People may say otherwise, but Microsoft would not spend so much resources on a touch bases OS unless they were making it specifically for the Surface. They are starting to do what made Apple so successful in the past decade. Pairing your own software with your own hardware.


"The ""more money"" aspect is only true if you ignore the lack of symmetry between employment and contracting. Consulting is another story altogether. Companies are willing to pay consultants for a number of reasons but the most important is deniability. If a decision is recommended and goes wrong then the consultants can be sued. Liability cover is expensive. Cynicism aside, it often isn't cost-effective to keep specialists permanently on the payroll for tasks that are performed once a year. Recently I've noticed that the nature of consulting is changing. Companies are starting to assemble brains-trusts of internal consultants who can create and manage projects while outsourcing only the labour-intensive data-collection roles. Expect this to have a big impact on the management consulting industry."


Just to make this a little less vauge, I will base everything on the Mercedes Benz American Express (MB AMEX) card, which is the closest to a $100 annual fee I found on American Express's website. The benefits of a card with an annual fee generally are worth the cost if (and only if) you spend enough money on the card, and avoid paying interest to offset the benefit. Using the MB AMEX card as a reference, it offers 5X points for Mercedes Benz purchases, 3X points at gas stations, 2X points at restaurants, and 1X points everywhere else. Even if we only make purchases at the 1X rate, it only takes charging $10,000 to the card in a year in order to make up the difference. Not too hard to do on a card someone uses as their main method of payment. Every dollar spent at the higher rates only makes that easier. There are a number of other benefits as well. After spending $5,000 on the card in a year, you receive a $500 gift card towards the purchase of a Mercedes Benz car. For anyone on the market for a Mercedes Benz, the card pays for itself multiple times with just this benefit.


> there is no way they will let it collapse Do you think they would have let it get to the point of imminent collapse, if they could do anything about it? Why do you think they will have any more power over the next stage in this debacle?


A standard mortgage lead generation strategy even so, is usually to purchase meticulously picked out lists of probable customers via mortgage lead generation companies, tailored in lead generation. The lead technique could cost substantially when compared with advertising, nonetheless in the lead structure, your service must be zeroed in on for preferred customers so, and who could possibly be engaged to obtain your product or service. Thus likewise supplies mortgage lead generation job opportunities, generating a beneficial win-win answer for all.


"When people (even people in the media) say: ""The stock market is up because of X"" or ""The stock market is down because of Y"", they are often engaging in what Nicolas Taleb calls the narrative falacy. They see the market has moved in one direction or another, they open their newspaper, pick a headline that provides a plausible reason for the market to move, and say: ""Oh, that is why the stock market is down"". Very rarely do statements like this actually come from research, asking people why they bought or sold that day. Sometimes they may be right, but it is usually just story telling. In terms of old fashioned logic this is called the ""post hoc, ergo proper hoc"" fallacy. Now all the points people have raised about the US deficit may be valid, and there are plenty of reasons for worrying about the future of the world economy, but they were all known before the S&P report, which didn't really provide the markets with much new information. Note also that the actual bond market didn't move much after hearing the same report, in fact the price of 10 year US Treasury bonds actually rose a tiny bit. Take these simple statements about what makes the market go up or down on any given day with several fistfuls of salt."


So wrong, on so many levels. You trust content from WP? Full of IC operatives and presstitutes. The little restrictions we have on imported steel do nothing to slow the market inundation of poor-quality (read: Chinese) steel. Since when does the Pentagon have the USA's economic interests in mind? Lastly, Buy-American/Sell-American is guaranteed to reinvigorate the country's economy. The money is reinvested in OUR country. And the surplus can be exported. We make quality goods, not mass production goods of lesser quality like Xi Ping's knock-off steel. #MAGA


I wrote this in another thread but is also applicable here. In general people make some key mistakes with property: Not factoring in depreciation properly. Houses are perpetually falling down, and if you are renting them perpetually being trashed by the tenants as well - particularly in bad areas. Accurate depreciation costs can often run in the 5-20% range per year depending on the property/area. Add insurance to this as well or be prepared to lose the whole thing in a disaster. Related to 1), they take the index price of house price rises as something they can achieve, when in reality a lot of the house price 'rise' is just everyone having to spend a lot of money keeping them standing up. No investor can actually track a house price graph due to 1) so be careful to make reasonable assumptions about actual achievable future growth (in your example, they could well be lagging inflation/barely growing if you are not pricing in upkeep and depreciation properly). Failure to price in the huge transaction costs (often 5%+ per sale) and capital gains/other taxes (depends on the exact tax structure where you are). These add up very fast if you are buying and selling at all frequently. Costs in either time or fees to real estate rental agents. Having to fill, check, evict, fix and maintain rental properties is a lot more work than most people realise, and you either have to pay this in your own time or someone else’s. Again, has to be factored in. Liquidity issues. Selling houses in down markets is very, very hard. They are not like stocks where they can be moved quickly. Houses can often sit on the market for years before sale if you are not prepared to take low prices. As the bank owns your house if you fail to pay the mortgage (rents collapse, loss of job etc) they can force you to fire sale it leaving you in a whole world of pain depending on the exact legal system (negative equity etc). These factors are generally correlated if you work in the same cities you are buying in so quite a lot of potential long tail risk if the regional economy collapses. Finally, if you’re young they can tie you to areas where your earnings potential is limited. Renting can be immensely beneficial early on in a career as it gives you huge freedom to up sticks and leave fast when new opportunities arise. Locking yourself into 20 yr+ contracts/landlord activities when young can be hugely inhibiting to your earnings potential. Without more details on the exact legal framework, area, house type etc it’s hard to give more specific advise, but in general you need a very large margin of safety with property due to all of the above, so if the numbers you’re running are coming out close (and they are here), it’s probably not worth it, and you’re better of sticking with more hands off investments like stocks and bonds.


>it was simply a vote on the definition of celestial bodies in the galaxy being voted on by an international coalition of scientists (IAU). He changed it at the Hayden Planetarium before the vote. >since it's larger than pluto It's not. It is more massive, not larger. >Xena was going to be the 10th planet in the solar system after it was discovered Ok? The definition of planet is arbitrary and it would be easy to make a definition to include or exclude. The decision to lead the charge for declassify is a publicity move that worked very well for him.


between two people purchasing a house together, one with good and one with bad credit, will having both persons on the loan raise the interest rates. If the house deed is on both names, generally the Bank would insist the loan should also be on both of your names. This to ensure that Bank has enough leverage to recover the house in case of default. If one of you has bad credit, bank would raise the interest rate, assumption that bad credit would drag the good credit and force him to some activities / actions that could stretch the finance of one with good credit. If timely payments are not made, it would make your good credit to bad. If the house deed is on only on your name and you can get the loan on your own, this would be a better position. If the house deed is on only on your name and you would like to loan to be on both names, then the positive side is credit score of the person with bad credit would start showing improvement over period, provided both of you make timely payments. As pointed out by keshlam, there are enough question where people have entered into agreement without deciding what would happen if they separate. There is no right / wrong answer. It would be best you decide how it would be with respect to the ownership in the house and with respect to payments and if in worst case you part ways, how the settlement should look like.


"You bring up good points. But Facebook is getting a lot of bad press and folks are starting to get a little paranoid. I can see the website's traffic decrease because of this (at least form users in the ""Western"" world). So perhaps my idea might work for Facebook? Maybe they should offer a two-tier system before it loses its users?"


Yes, retail stores will let you use multiple cards to make a purchase. Just be sure to know the exact balance on each one and tell the cashier how much you'd like to put on each card. If you don't know the balance and try to charge more than what is available, your card will be declined.


"For those not using ad and script-blockers: > TOKYO (AP) — The head of Japanese automaker Subaru bowed deeply in apology Friday as the company admitted that it has been carrying out flawed inspections of its Japan-made cars for years. > The announcement by Subaru's chief executive and president, Yasuyuki Yoshinaga, was the latest in a flurry of such scandals. Earlier this month Nissan Motor Co. recalled more than 1 million domestically made cars because of faulty routine tests. > Subaru will submit a report on the problem to the government on Monday, Yoshinaga told reporters. He said a domestic recall is likely, spanning the entire Subaru lineup totaling 255,000 vehicles. > ""We are truly sorry, and we apologize,"" Yoshinaga said, after bowing deeply. ""We all wanted to do the tests properly."" > The government ordered automakers to check their inspection procedures after Nissan apologized for allowing unauthorized employees to do final vehicle checks for years. > The scandals have stunned the public and cast a shadow over this nation's prized image for ""monozukuri"" or craftsman-like production, reputed for high quality and meticulousness. > Yoshinaga said the faulty inspections for Subaru's finished products had been going on for 30 years. The workers involved did not fully realize their method was wrong, and a thorough review of the entire inspection system is needed, he said. > Workers who didn't have enough experience to do checks borrowed Japanese ""hanko"" seals from authorized employees and stamped documents to show vehicles had passed the tests, according to the company. The recalls are expected to cost 5 billion yen ($44 million), it said. > Subaru, formerly called Fuji Heavy Industries, is partnered with Toyota Motor Corp., a top shareholder. Toyota and Honda Motor Co. have said they did not have dubious inspections. Toyota said it was checking with Subaru on the reported irregularities. > Nissan is recalling more than a million vehicles in Japan to re-inspect them, and has set up an investigative team that includes a third party to get to the bottom of the scandal and prevent a recurrence. > The problem does not affect Nissan vehicles sold outside Japan and is not believed to have affected vehicle safety as they were final-stage checks. > But the scandal raises serious questions about ethics and professionalism at Nissan, which makes the Leaf electric car and Infiniti luxury models, and is allied with Renault SA of France and Mitsubishi Motors Corp. of Japan. > Reporters peppered Subaru's Yoshinaga with questions about why it took so long after the Nissan scandal for Subaru to come forward. > ""I always wanted to make my company a great company, and I now know we had not done enough,"" he said. ""I am so ashamed that my company has become a cause for tarnishing Japanese monozukuri."" > The auto industry has been hit by a series of scandals. > Nissan took a controlling stake in Mitsubishi Motors last year after that company was caught inflating fuel economy figures for its minicar models, which are also sold under the Nissan brand. > Japanese supplier Kobe Steel acknowledged recently it had systematically falsified data on its products, including steel, aluminum, copper and other materials, affecting some 500 companies including major global automakers, as well as the aircraft, electronics and railway industries. > Volkswagen AG of Germany acknowledged in 2015 that it had equipped its diesel cars with illegal software that enabled cheating on U.S. emissions tests. Volkswagen has agreed to more than $20 billion in fines and civil settlements over the scandal. > Air-bag maker Takata Corp. filed for bankruptcy protection after some 100 million air-bag inflators were recalled worldwide. The defect has been linked to 19 deaths and dozens of injuries."


I certainly do not agree and you are making some sweeping statements without backing them up. What I am saying is that a company cannot make a promise of credit to an employee without having something to back that up. If you don't have that then you cannot offer pensions or other futures that you cannot ensure are going to be properly funded. No one forces a company to offer pensions in this day and age (there are exceptions of course) so they do not need to offer it at all. Things like pensions are often used as incentives that can be provided in lieu of cash payments to the employee. If we are going to make cash like exchanges of value then that value should be just as guaranteed as it is when the company promises to pay back a loan. In short you should not be able to hire employees on a financial promise you cannot keep in good faith. If for some reason you cannot keep that promise, just like with standard credit it should hurt you. Or you know, as a company don't make BS promises and just pay people what they are worth.


Since insurance is priced for profit, the price will be more than the price of a new phone multiplied against the chance of loss and payout. Otherwise insurance would not be offered since there was no money to be made by the insurance company. The idea of insurance is that you are pooling your risk with everyone else. You all definitely pay a little (insurance premium) instead of any of you maybe paying a lot (when a phone is destroyed). The question is not whether it is a good investment (almost surely no), but whether the loss at a random time would be too crippling to be absorbed by you when it happened. If you can afford a new phone without financial difficulty if it were destroyed then you should generally not buy insurance. One other factor could be that although you are in the same risk pool as everyone else (everyone pays the same rate), but your situation has a higher risk than most, insurance can be a better deal, though the better investment over time would be to correct the risky situation instead of buying insurance. This could be that you have a habit of losing things, live in an area where phones are stolen often, have pets that destroy your belongings, etc. Statistically, you will come out ahead not buying insurance, but you are accepting an unknown outcome.


"No our fiscal cliff is the result of, in part, a terrific degree of uncertainty of the market in 2013. The analogy would be more like ""we know the guy who has been taking our milk money might want to take our lunch money next week."" So businesses across the board are being more cautious."


Investing is really about learning your own comfort level. You will make money and lose money. You will make mistakes but you will also learn a great deal. First off, invest in your own financial knowledge, this doesn't require capital at all but a commitment. No one will watch or care for your own money better than yourself. Read books, and follow some companies in a Google Finance virtual portfolio. Track how they're doing over time - you can do this as a virtual portfolio without actually spending or losing money. Have you ever invested before? What is your knowledge level? Investing long term is about trying to balance risk while reducing losses and trying not to get screwed along the way (by people). My personal advice: Go to an independent financial planner, go to one that charges you per hour only. Financial planners that don't charge you hourly get paid in commissions. They will be biased to sell you what puts the most money in their pockets. Do not go to the banks investment people, they are employed by the banks who have sales and quota requirements to have you invest and push their own investment vehicles like mutual funds. Take $15k to the financial planner and see what they suggest. Keep the other $5K in something slow and boring and $1k under your mattress in actual cash as an emergency. While you're young, compound interest is the magic that will make that $25k increase hand over fist in time. But you need to have it consistently make money. I'm young too and more risk tolerant because I have time. While I get older I can start to scale back my risk because I'm nearing retirement and preserve instead of try to make returns.


Great blog you have here but I was wondering if you knew of any community forums that cover the same topics discussed here? I’d really like to be a part of online community where I can get advice from other experienced people that share the same interest. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks a lot!


I think it's going to be a tough sell for their older user base. Most of their clientele is probably not going to jump online to watch the latest CSI/NCIS spinoff. If they want this to succeed, they should go after a younger demographic with shows like How I Met Your Mother and whatnot.


"The IRS doesn't tax ""increased wealth"" They tax Revenue -- income. If this money or property came to you as a gift, you would owe no tax on it but the giver probably would owe gift tax. If it came to you as a loan, you would owe no tax on it but the lender would owe tax on any interest you pay (and must charge at least minimal interest, though they could give that to you as a gift and possibly not have it be taxable). But if came as payment for goods or services or investment or anything of that sort, and you aren't demonstrably tax-exempt, it is income and you are responsible for declaring it as such and paying tax on it."


"If you want to have your wife stay home with kids, you'll have to make a plan to get there. As you point out, your situation right now won't support this. Create a budget that will work for you with a single income -- a ""zero based"" budget, not a budget based on your current expense structure. Figure out what you can afford on just your income for housing, church, food, transport, etc. Or apply the same idea on the assumption that she will keep working -- budget based on a second income plus child care expenses. Then you can decide what you have to change in order for that to work: maybe it means selling your house, renting, relocating, selling a car, finding a better or second job, etc. Then decide what you need to do in order to make these changes."


Wikipedia has a detailed article explaining this. A standard, commercial letter of credit (LC) is a document issued mostly by a financial institution, used primarily in trade finance, which usually provides an irrevocable payment undertaking. So yes, they are primarily for use by businesses. If you will read the article stating the terms and conditions for payment and shipment you will realize that such model won't be of much value to and will create many hurdles for a typical consumer. Yes, you can cash a letter of credit but only once the conditions in the letter have been met (e.g., delivery/shipment of goods/services). An array of documents need to be presented as well. Whether it is easy or not is a very subjective question. A bank will issue a letter of credit only when it is reasonably sure that its risk is covered --either backed by a bank deposit or by conditions in the letter itself. Obviously derivatives on these letters have evolved as well.


"I was wondering how ""future cash flows of the asset"" are predicted? Are they also predicted using fundamental and/or technical analysis? There are a many ways to forecast the future cash flows of assets. For example, for companies: It seems like calculating expected/required rate using CAPM does not belong to either fundamental or technical analysis, does it? I would qualify the CAPM as quantitative analysis because it's mathematics and statistics. It's not really fundamental since its does not relies on economical data (except the prices). And as for technical analysis, the term is often used as a synonym for graphical analysis or chartism, but quantitative analysis can also be referred as technical analysis. the present value of future cash flows [...] (called intrinsic price/value, if I am correct?) Yes you are correct. I wonder when deciding whether an asset is over/fair/under-valued, ususally what kind of price is compared to what other kind of price? If it's only to compare with the price, usually, the Net asset value (which is the book value), the Discount Cash flows (the intrinsic value) and the price of comparable companies and the CAPM are used in comparison to current market price of the asset that you are studying. Why is it in the quote to compare the first two kinds of prices, instead of comparing the current real price on the markets to any of the other three kinds? Actually the last line of the quote says that the comparison is done on the observed price which is the market price (the other prices can't really be observed). But, think that the part: an asset is correctly priced when its estimated price is the same as the present value of future cash flows of the asset means that, since the CAPM gives you an expected rate of return, by using this rate to compute the present value of future cash flows of the asset, you should have the same predicted price. I wrote this post explaining some valuation strategies. Maybe you can find some more information by reading it."


yAnother potential tool for you would be a Monte Carlo Simulator. here's one http://financial-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Business+Fundamentals I know that past performance is no guarantee..... but I think it's in many cases not exactly a flawed tool, and especially with respect to money managers a good way to find good ones. If a manager has shown an ability over time to consistently beat the market, yes he might be due for a bad day, but you'd generally expect that they should be able to continue that trend. I'd apply the same logic to pundits. If their track record sucks, and they constantly seem to whipsaw you with their advice, why listen to them other than


Your example shows a 4% dividend. If we assume the stock continues to yield 4%, the math drops to something simple. Rule of 72 says your shares will double in 18 years. So in 18 years, 1000 shares will be 2000, at whatever price it's trading. Shares X (1.04)^N years = shares after N years. This is as good an oversimplification as any.


"Yes... but it is a matter of balancing risks. It is wiser to keep a small amount of ""ready cash"" as an emergency/buffer -- and to suffer the gradual loss to inflation... Than it is risk becoming ""stuck"" in an emergency with zero dollars in any (low or no cost) source of funds -- those kinds of ""emergencies"" ($500 or $1,000 ""unexpected/unbudgeted"" expenses) are fairly frequent and virtually inevitable. You lose vastly MORE money when you are forced to borrow those amounts (interest -- even **low-rate** loans -- is virtually always higher than the average inflation rate)."


There are many reasons for buying new versus used vehicles. Price is not the only factor. This is an individual decision. Although interesting to examine from a macro perspective, each vehicle purchase is made by an individual, weighing many factors that vary in importance by that individual, based upon their specific needs and values. I have purchased both new and used cars, and I have weighted each of these factors as part of each decision (and the relative weightings have varied based upon my individual situation). Read Freakonomics to gain a better understanding of the reasons why you cannot find a good used car. The summary is the imbalance of knowledge between the buyer and seller, and the lack of trust. Although much of economics assumes perfect market information, margin (profit) comes from uncertainty, or an imbalance of knowledge. Buying a used car requires a certain amount of faith in people, and you cannot always trust the trading partner to be honest. Price - The price, or more precisely, the value proposition of the vehicle is a large concern for many of us (larger than we might prefer that it be). Selection - A buyer has the largest selection of vehicles when they shop for a new vehicle. Finding the color, features, and upgrades that you want on your vehicle can be much harder, even impossible, for the used buyer. And once you have found the exact vehicle you want, now you have to determine whether the vehicle has problems, and can be purchased at your price. Preference - A buyer may simply prefer to have a vehicle that looks new, smells new, is clean, and does not have all the imperfections that even a gently used vehicle would exhibit. This may include issues of pride, image, and status, where the buyer may have strong emotional or psychological needs to statisfy through ownership of a particular vehicle with particular features. Reviews - New vehicles have mountains of information available to buyers, who can read about safety and reliability ratings, learn about problems from the trade press, and even price shop and compare between brands and models. Contrasted with the minimal information available to used vehicle shoppers. Unbalanced Knowledge - The seller of a used car has much greater knowledge of the vehicle, and thus much greater power in the negotiation process. Buying a used car is going to cost you more money than the value of the car, unless the seller has poor knowledge of the market. And since many used cars are sold by dealers (who have often taken advantage of the less knowledgeable sellers in their transaction), you are unlikely to purchase the vehicle at a good price. Fear/Risk - Many people want transportation, and buying a used car comes with risk. And that risk includes both the direct cost of repairs, and the inconvenience of both the repair and the loss of work that accompanies problems. Knowing that the car has not been abused, that there are no hidden or lurking problems waiting to leave you stranded is valuable. Placing a price on the risk of a used car is hard, especially for those who only want a reliable vehicle to drive. Placing an estimate on the risk cost of a used car is one area where the seller has a distinct advantage. Warranties - New vehicles come with substantial warranties, and this is another aspect of the Fear/Risk point above. A new vehicle does not have unknown risk associated with the purchase, and also comes with peace of mind through a manufacturer warranty. You can purchase a used car warranty, but they are expensive, and often come with (different) problems. Finance Terms - A buyer can purchase a new vehicle with lower financing rate than a used vehicle. And you get nothing of value from the additional finance charges, so the difference between a new and used car also includes higher finance costs. Own versus Rent - You are assuming that people actually want to 'own' their cars. And I would suggest that people want to 'own' their car until it begins to present problems (repair and maintenance issues), and then they want a new vehicle to replace it. But renting or leasing a vehicle is an even more expensive, and less flexible means to obtain transportation. Expense Allocation - A vehicle is an expense. As the owner of a vehicle, you are willing to pay for that expense, to fill your need for transportation. Paying for the product as you use the product makes sense, and financing is one way to align the payment with the consumption of the product, and to pay for the expense of the vehicle as you enjoy the benefit of the vehicle. Capital Allocation - A buyer may need a vehicle (either to commute to work, school, doctor, or for work or business), but either lack the capital or be unwilling to commit the capital to the vehicle purchase. Vehicle financing is one area banks have been willing to lend, so buying a new vehicle may free capital to use to pay down other debts (credit cards, loans). The buyer may not have savings, but be able to obtain financing to solve that need. Remember, people need transportation. And they are willing to pay to fill their need. But they also have varying needs for all of the above factors, and each of those factors may offer value to different individuals.


Buy gold, real coins not paper. And do not keep it in a bank.


"The tax system in general, and income tax in particular, is used for several purposes at once. One of those purposes is to raise money to run the government. It isn't the only purpose of income tax, and income tax isn't the only source of money to run the government. Try a thought experiment: let's say it costs $10,000 per person per year to run the government. (It might actually cost far more or far less, that's not the point.) A super simple tax system would just ask each person for $10,000. But such a system isn't fair. Some people don't even earn $10,000 so they are literally not able to pay that. Some people, who earn a lot, can easily afford to pay more. So a still-pretty simple approach asks each person to pay a particular percentage of their income, and the hope is that this will add up to enough to run the government. This still doesn't feel fair to everyone - 10% of your income is hard to find when you're spending it all on rent and food, and easy to find when you have way more than you ""need"". So many countries have what's called a ""progressive"" system of income tax where you pay no tax on the first X of your income, then a small percentage on the next Y, a larger percentage on the next Z and so on. But you asked about business profit. Some places don't tax business profits at all - they just collect income taxes on people once the money reaches them as salary or dividends. Other places do. Just as a person who doesn't earn any income can't send the government money, a business that spent more on expenses than it brought in as revenue can't send the government money either. So the tax is on profit. That seems fairer to most people anyway. Things then get even more complicated for both business and personal income taxes because the government uses the system to encourage certain behaviours and to help people facing hard times. If you want to encourage people to get training and move into higher paying jobs, you might make tuition tax deductible. Most countries give a tax deduction for each small child you have. This isn't because people with children use less of the services government provides, is it? Instead it's an acknowledgement that people with children generally have less money to spend. Or an encouragement to have children, or something. Tax motivations are complicated. If you charged all businesses a flat tax regardless of whether they were making or losing money, people might be hesitant to start companies that lose money at first. There might be less entrepreneurship in that country. If instead you only tax profits, it feels fairer and more people are likely to join in. So that's what most governments do. Is the imaginary business owner who is not turning a profit somehow getting a free ride? They are still paying tax. If they took any salary for themselves, there was personal income tax on that. Everything the company bought, it paid sales tax on. There may have been excise taxes and such in other things they bought. The economic activity of the business has been driving the wheel of the local economy and spinning off some taxes at various levels that whole time. Whether the business itself is chipping in some corporate income tax too may not end up being particularly relevant. Example: a sole proprietor has revenue of $100,000 and spends $10,000 on supplies and such. If the salary to the owner is $89,000 the company has a $1000 profit which it pays tax on. If the salary to the owner is $91,000 the company has a $1000 loss and doesn't pay tax (and may be able to use the loss to reduce taxes in a future year.) So what? The owner is paying personal income tax on roughly $90,000. The government is getting the support it needs. Yes, some owners do all the ""encouraged"" things so that some income is not taxed either in the business or the personal sphere. That is presumably what the government wanted when it set those things up as deductions. Making charitable contributions, hiring new employees, building new facilities ... essentially the government is paying the business to do those things because they're good for the country. The overall government budget (funded by personal and corporate income tax along with sales tax, excises taxes etc) is supposed to achieve certain goals which include roads and schools but also job creation and the like. This is one of the ways they do that."


First of all any loan will have the last payment be slightly different than the rest. Even if the interest rate is zero it is hard to have a perfect monthly payment amount. By perfect I mean the amount of the loan divided by the number of months would be $ddd.cc0000... When looking at the amortization table the last payment will either be slightly higher or lower to adjust for the rounding that was done. My suspicion is that the rounding would have resulted in a left over 12 cents. It is also possible that you are paying it off slightly early and the computer is simply taking the leftover amount an spreading it over the remaining period of the loan. You could be paying it early because for the main part of the loan was paid to a company that rounds all payments to the higher dollar, or has a minimum monthly payment amount. I looked at the company you mentioned in the question, and searched the site for an amortization tool. I found it, and used the pre-filled in example. https://www.edfinancial.com/amortizationschedule?pmts=120&intr=6.8&prin=25000 If that last payment is not adjusted the borrower will still owe $0.12. The fact it equals your situation is a coincidence. But is does show what can happen.


"XE Trade advertises the following features: So if you think you can predict where rates are going enough to set your bid at a level that you think will be a good deal, you have the opportunity to do that with XE's service. I do not work for XE trade and do not care or receive any financial benefit if you use them or not. I'm just aware of an offering out there that seems like it might answer the question you've asked and am providing an answer that seems like it might be helpful. If you do find the answer helpful, feel free to upvote/accept as appropriate; if you are aware of significant cons or limitations please comment or edit. While this may answer the question you asked, the underlying question cannot be addressed without knowing more about what's behind ""Sadly I cannot sell the property."" When it's clear you think ""having stupid Spain in my life is like a ball and chain around my leg,"" sale of the property seems like a good option."


"So my read on the question is ""How do I invest 300k such that it earns me a 'living wage' without the ongoing grind inherent in most formal employment?"" Reading the other answers to date it looks like most of them are thinking in terms of investment accounts and trying to live off of the earnings from such. I wanted to throw out a couple of alternative choices that may be worth considering... The first is real-estate investing. $300k should allow you to pick up 2 or 3 single family dwellings with little or no mortgage. Turning them into rentals placed with a good property management company should easily pay their expenses and provide a consistent income with minimal effort/attention from you. Similar story with buying into multifamily housing or commercial real-estate. Your key concern here is picking the right market in which to buy and finding a reputable manager to handle the day to day issues on your behalf. Note that you are not overly concerned with the potential resale value of the property(s), but the probable rental income they can generate, these are separate concerns that may not align with each other. Second is buying/founding a business that has a general manager other than yourself. Franchise ownership may be a potential option for you under the circumstances. The key concern here is picking the business, location, and manager that make you comfortable in terms of the risk involved. You need the place to make enough money to pay for itself and the salary of everyone working there, with enough left over for you to live on. Sounds easy enough, but not so much in practice. Generally you can expect at least a few years of being hands on and watching things very closely to make sure it is going the way you want it to. Finding a mentor who has done this type of transition before to walk you through it would be strongly advised. So would preparing yourself for a failure or two before you work out the exact combination of factors that work for you."


Another thing that's often overlooked is the hiring of felons. I'm not going to say I support it. But now adays companies can pay $1 and get a nationwide background check that often includes even things that were expunged off records. In the past as a felon you just had to go to a different state and you could get a job anywhere. Most didn't do background checks anyway.


"Is that it? You hardly put any effort into it . . over the last week you have desensitized America and now you have to top talking smack to a war veteran widow to deliver Americas week end Cringe worthy Moment. Come one . .lets get your blood flowing The Iranian Ayatollah called you a ""Mental Retard"", thats Persian for ""Fucking Moron"" 3...2...1 Your on!!"


They are like the other extreme from Apple. Apple hoards way too much cash but RIM didn't hoard nearly enough. Had RIM just waited they'd be able to buy the entire company now for what they spent on buybacks in 2011. That is mind blowing.


The usual lazy recommendation: See what similar objects, in similar condition, of similar age, have sold for recently on eBay. That establishes a fair market value by directly polling the market.


Thanks for your reply. I agree shooting down the majority of Chinese as being shady is perhaps unfair. I was just left with a really bad taste after all the crazy situations I was in during those 10 years. I am sure they have some strong opinions about Americans also. On the USA side I did bring my usual law firm in on a consultation and even contacted and consulted with a firm who specializes in Transportation Law. My wife and the Chinese side thought that was a waste of money - but it was valuable on answering many of the questions you bought up, including things like a DOT registration and so on. As for it being salvageable, I think not, as I cannot work with someone I don’t trust. The “recovery” is not much - just under $3000, as it was caught before the warehouse lease was signed/etc. part of the problem was I required a “good faith” payment from them before the lease signing which they did not do. The Chinese side is scared of me for some of the reasons I alluded too in my original post - and they have agreed to pay that amount on Monday. I will give them a receipt for their payment, and move on without any further action. I think my wife has learned a lot from this - I have perhaps also - both about my wife and what she is willing to do and how much she wants to start a business. I agree that my demeanor is perhaps not 100% when I feel slighted - I will try to temper that some in future - but most importantly - through clearly defined roles and responsibilities. Thanks again!


Keep in mind, there are times that house is in such bad shape that it's going to need 6 months of renovations, in which case you might ask the town if they are willing to reappraise a lower value until the work is completed. Keep in mind, you'll get a new appraisal when permitted (I mean pulling a permit from the town) work is done. I finished my basement and the town was eager to send the appraiser over even before work was fully complete.


There is no margin call. Inverse ETFs use derivatives that would lose value in the case you describe though this doesn't force a margin call as you may be misunderstanding how these funds are constructed.


To add technical detail to other answers, your (and some commenters') estimates of storing that data is woefully (many orders of magnitude) off. Let's take your 10MB of transaction data per user. You're only estimating text records like in Quicken. Now add on the volume of storing everye check's image. That's 100K (if not 500Kb depending on resolution of the scan) per check. If you have 100 checks per year (not unrealistic, if you pay all utility/morgage bills by check, as well as purchases), you now have 10Mb/year to 50MB/year. Now you're asking for 10 years of this, so you have 100-500MB per customer. NOT 10MB-70MB as you initially assumed. Let's take a mid-range figure, 300 MB. You were estimating using consumer grate cheap-o storage (which Facebook can afford for their data, as they don't store transaction data). Now let's up that to enterprise server hard drives. Your storage costs just rose 2x-5x. Now, typically you'd have RAID. So 2x more. Most large financial institutions have multiple data centers. You typically store all data's copies in those data centers for DR purposes. Your multiplier added another 2x-4x Most production data servers have multiple copies (Write DB server + one or more read-only copies). Multiply by 2x-4x With some rare exceptions, most banks don't just have one central database server. Each major app / business line would have its own DB, so you multiply that by 2x-20x depending on the bank, especially if it's arrived at its size by merging with other banks and has dozens of inherited legacy systems. multiple backups. Regulatory backup requirements means you don't just back up your data once a year. You do it daily, till the data is purged from DB. Meaning, you don't store ONE copy of your transaction in backup. You stored, say, 10*365 copies, assuming 10 year retention) So, at the low end, your cost estimates are 30*2*2*2*2*2 = 900 times off (3 orders of magnitude) just for live database storage, and 3500 times off for backup costs. At the high end, they could be 50*5*2*4*4*20=16,000 times off (4-5 orders of magnitude) At this range, no, it isn't worth it for the bank to keep your transactions available in DB and online any longer than bare-bones absolutely critically necessary.


I wouldn't only consider the entry/exit cost per trade. That's a good comparison page by the way. I would also consider the following. This depends if you are planning on using your online broker to provide all the information for you to trade. I have lower expectations of my online broker, not meant to be harsh on the online brokers, but I expect brokers to assist me in buying/selling, not in selecting. Edit: to add to the answer following a comment. Here are three pieces of software to assist in stock selection


"It's a matter of social policy. The government wants people to make long term investments because that would lead to other long-term government goals: employment, manufacturing, economical growth in general. While speculative investments and day-trading are not in any way discouraged, investments that contribute to the economy as a whole and not just the investor are encouraged by the lower tax rates on the profits. While some people consider it to be a ""fig leaf"", I consider these people to be populists and dishonest. Claiming that long term social goals are somehow bad is hypocrisy. Claiming that short-term trading contributes to the economy as a whole is a plain lie."


Are my mortgage terms locked in? Who oversees this? Yes your terms like rate, balance, penalties, due dates, are all covered in the mortgage documents. Those will not change. If the mortgage is an adjustable or has a balloon payment those terms will be followed by the new company. That being said, mistakes can be made. Double check everything. I had a transfer get messed up once, and all the terms were wrong. It took a few months but everything was worked out. In fact because they first tried to stonewall me I was able to negotiate some additional concessions out of them. Running your own escrow account is one thing you always want to do. That makes sure that the taxes and insurance are always paid by you, even if the servicing company has a glitch. Generally you have to have enough equity to not have PMI in order to get them to agree to the self-escrow option. If you have a problem with the servicing company then contact the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau a part of the US Government. They have only been a round a few years, thus I have no experience with them. Have an issue with a financial product or service? We'll forward your complaint to the company and work to get a response from them. The last few times I applied for a mortgage or refinanced a mortgage the lender had to reveal as part of the application stage the percentage of recent mortgages they still own/service. Check those numbers the next time you apply.


I'm going to guess that you found this because of a stock screener. This company went through a 1:20 reverse split on June 30, so every 20 shares outstanding became a single share. Where before you had 20 shares worth $100 you now have 1 share worth $100, the value of the company doesn't change because of a split. This company was never trading for $30+ per share. Reverse splits are typical of a floundering company trading on an exchange that has a minimum share price requirement. While reverse splits don't change the value of the company, just the number of shares outstanding and the price per share, no healthy company performs a reverse split. Reverse splits are generally a massive signal to jump ship... The company seems to be trading for $1 right now, why the value fell from a pre-split $1.65 ($33/20) to $1 is anyone's guess; how the company ever got to $1.65 is also anyone's guess. But looking at the most recent 10-Q there are numerous causes for concern: Note 2. Capital Stock On March 6, 2017, the Company issued as compensation for services provided a total of 650,000 common shares with a fair value of $390,000 to a third party. The fair value of the shares was based on the price quoted on the OTC pink sheets on the grant date. this indicates a share price of $0.60 ($390,000/650,000) as of 3/6/2017, just to reinforce that the google price chart doesn't show the true past but a past adjusted for the split Results of Operations The three months ended March 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016 For the three months ended March 31, 2017 compared to the three months ended March 31, 2016, total revenues were $0 and $0, respectively, and net losses from operations were $414,663 and $26,260, respectively. The net losses were attributable to costs attributable to operating as a public company, in particular, common stock with a valuation of $390,000 that was issued to an investor relations firm in the first quarter of 2017. Going Concern As of March 31, 2017, there is substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern as we have not generated sufficient cash flow to fund our proposed business. We have suffered recurring losses from operations since our inception. In addition, we have yet to generate an internal cash flow from our business operations or successfully raised the financing required to develop our proposed business. As a result of these and other factors, our independent auditor has expressed substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. Liquidity and Capital Resources We had no cash as of the date of March 31, 2017. Additionally, since there is no balance sheet in the last 10-Q (another bad sign), the last annual report 10-K has this balance sheet: So the company: So why did the stock value plummet? It's anyones' guess but there is no shortage of ways to justify it. In fact, it's reasonable to ask how is this company still worth $3mm ($1 * 3mm shares outstanding)...


"You're conflating LLC with Corporation. They're different animals. LLC does not have ""S"" or ""C"" designations, those are just for corporations. I think what you're thinking about is electing pass through status with the IRS. This is the easiest way to go. The company can pay you at irregular intervals in irregular amounts. The IRS doesn't care about these payments. The company will show profit or loss at the end of the year (those payments to you aren't expenses and don't reduce your profit). You report this on your schedule C and pay tax on that amount. (Your state tax authority will have its own rules about how this works.) Alternatively you can elect to have the LLC taxed as a corporation. I don't know of a good reason why someone in your situation would do this, but I'm not an accountant so there may be reasons out there. My recommendation is to get an accountant to prepare your taxes. At least once -- if your situation is the same next year you can use the previous year's forms to figure out what you need to fill in. The investment of a couple hundred dollars is worthwhile. On the question of buying a home in the next couple of years... yes, it does affect things. (Pass through status? Probably doesn't affect much.) If all of your income is coming from self-employment, be prepared for hassles when you are shopping for a mortgage. You can ask around, maybe you have a friendly loan officer at your credit union who knows your history. But in general they will want to see at least two years of self-employment tax returns. You can plan for this in advance: talk to a couple of loan officers now to see what the requirements will be. That way you can plan to be ready when the time comes."


It's time she look into what employer provided retirement plan she can use. She's at the point where she should think about investing for the long term, with retirement in mind.


It is possible. You'll have to call the bank and ask what documentation is required, I'm pretty sure they'll want notarized authorization by all partners, at least.


"The first rule I follow is pretty simple: Get paid for what you do. Earn a return on what you own. If you are running your company prudently, you should earn a salary for the position and responsibilities you hold within the business. This salary should be competitive. You should be able to replace yourself in the business at this salary. If your title is ""President"" or ""CEO"" - look for market rate salaries for others in that position within your industry and company size. If you wear multiple hats in a small business, you will likely have to blend this salary based on those various positions. Based on how you run your business, the money left over at the end of the year after you and your team takes a competitive wage is your profit. If there isn't any profit, then you might want to do some work on your business model. But if their is a profit, then it's a clear return on what you own and not just a payment for work completed. The idea would be that you could exit the business as an operator, pay someone else to do exactly what you do, and you would continue to get that profit return at the end of the year. This is when a business acts like a true asset. Whether you take your money in salary or profit distributions (or dividends) depending on your structure, taxes are about the same. W2'd salaries get normal employee contributed taxes, but then of course the company matches these. It is identical if you take a guaranteed payment or distribution that gets hit with self employment taxes. Profits are also going to get hit with the same taxes. Follow ups: 1) A fair salary would be a competitive market wage for the position you hold within the business. What is left over would be considered true profits and not just fabricated profits by taking a lower than market wage to boost the appearance of profitability. 2) Shareholders requesting salary information would be covered in your Operating Agreement or Shareholder Agreement. This might be terms you set with your investors. Or you might simply set a term that you only need approval if a single salary exceeds a cap (like $250,000). Which would mean you would need to present why you deserve a higher salary and have your board approve (if you are governed by said board via your investors). Profitability is a different ballpark. Your investors most likely have a right to see a monthly, quarterly, and/or annual Profit & Loss statement which should clearly state profitability. I can't imagine running a completely closed book company to my investors. Actually... I can't really imagine ever investing in a company where I am not permitted to see the financials. Something to also consider here is the threat of trying to keep your profit numbers low in order to not pay taxes or to pay yourself a higher salary. If you ever plan to sell or exit the company, most widely accepted valuations of a business are done from profits (or EBIDTA). You might think you are saving yourself a couple points on taxes by avoiding profits in the short term, but if you exit the business and get a 3-5X (or even up to 12X in some cases) multiplier on your annual profits, you might be kicking yourself for trying to hide them through your accounting practices. Buyers will often sniff out an owner who created false profits by not paying themselves, but what's harder to do is figure out how much profits should have been when there were none on the books. By saving yourself $100,000 in taxes this year, could add up to close to $1,000,000 in an acquisition. Good luck."


I'm the last guy to argue in favour of increasing the protections around creative works, but I don't think I'd categorically agree that the best artists have regular jobs. My favourite books were all written by pro authors, my favourite games by pro developers. Even when I listen to indie music, the best ones are playing the touring game, making them pros. Arguing against DRM doesn't require deriding professional creatives.


">It's the lion's share of the annual expenditures in the health sector and up there Dude - no. Healthcare is [almost 4 trillion dollars a year](https://www.forbes.com/sites/danmunro/2014/02/02/annual-u-s-healthcare-spending-hits-3-8-trillion/#1ec0a80276a9) in the US. None of the links you posted show that the majority of that cost is due to regulation. Even if we *did* spend billions and billions on drug research - that's still a minor piece of the whole pie. >If you don't have a problem with it then contribute the share of your income you see fit voluntarily. But who entitled you to decide for others that they have to do the same I advocate UH because it would save us money. *All of us*. Even folks like you who don't envision being old or sick. Even rich people who are able to pay ridiculously high premiums without feeling it. Because it brings the total cost of healthcare down as a segment of the economy. Care for which we currently pay [twice as much as other developed nations](http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/issue-briefs/2015/oct/us-health-care-from-a-global-perspective). This isn't about handouts. This is about saving American money *and* doing the right thing. >But I'd prefer the US to cut subsidies to 0, replace them with nothing and finally lower taxes. Which will eventually leave a lot more people with enough money to easily get private insurance. Just without the administrative effort and without forcing people to partake. A simple example to show why this is purely wishful thinking. In the US - a heart stint (which is a big deal when you need one) is 50K. In the UK - it's 17K. In Spain - it's 12K. The median savings for American families is 5K. That means prices in the US need to come down 90% in order for people to be able to afford life saving surgeries. Do you really, honestly, believe that cutting taxes and allowing mom and pop surgery centers or correspondence course MD schools will bring prices down that much? If so, do you *really* think we'll have favorable health outcomes that way? Because remember - money isn't the only objective here. Healthy Americans is the desired outcome of this process. >exploiting a minority against their will is the right thing to do. The world is more nuanced than that. And this is in general why I think the left tends to look down on the right alot. Very black and white. Very is or isn't. No reasonable person thinks that asking the wealthy or businesses to help pay to *maintain the house they live in with us* is the same thing as slavery or even ""exploitation"". And do you really think they're paying their fair share now? Romney paid 15% in taxes man. Trump, likely, hasn't paid taxes in years. Apple paid 0%. The list goes on and on. They've built a tax system so complex that *the only people paying* are you and me. And they're so slick with this shit that people like you come out here and defend them while they fuck the both of us. Shit blows my mind. >You can try to seek refuge behind sources, but you can't refute the moral argument with those. I've sourced every argument I've made clearly. That's not seeking refuge that's having an informed opinion. For the latter, you claim taxation is theft. If that's the case, then I claim it's OK to steal to heal sick people."


It also reduces risk from the bank's eyes. Believe it or not, they do lose out when people don't pay on their mortgages. Take the big 3 (Wells, Chase and BoA). If they have 50 million mortgages between the 3 of them and 20% of people at one point won't be able to pay their mortgage due to loss of income or other factors, this presents a risk factor. Although interest payments are still good, reducing their principal and interest keeps them tied down for additional (or sometimes shorter) time, but now they are more likely to keep getting those payments. That's why credit cards back in 07 and 08 reduced limits for customers. The risk factor is huge now for these financial institutions. Do your research, sometimes a refi isn't the best option. Sometimes it is.


"Bitcoin Well, the market cap is still way too low to transfer ""huge"" amounts of money, but that's hopefully a temporary problem. See also Bitcoin Stackexchange for further questions."


I think Buffet is a strong indication that the writing is on the wall for Walmart. It may take a few years, but the peak has happened. And Walmart doesn't have the executive culture to pull off anything that will gain ground against Amazon: Amazon's thing is to continually reinvest money into expansion and forgo tidy profits. Walmart is a cash cow to make the Waltons and gang a bundle of money for their debauchery.