jas007

The first question is this: what kind of income does the person have? Thai baht? Some other currency? And how is that income ever to be stabilized? No matter what you do, prices fluctuate. Even if you own a condo in your name, what's to keep every other cost in the world from increasing? People in the USA are right now seeing the fallacy of home ownership as some sort of shelter. They may own the home, but if every cost associated with home ownership increases as the value of the dollar decreases, where are they? Property taxes, homeowner's insurance, maintenance costs. As the Fed inflates, the value of their house declines.

Unless I'm missing something, isn't that presuming a bit much? What happens if the bank becomes insolvent? No interest, no dividends, no nothing. At this juncture, is there really anything that's 100% guaranteed? I don't think so.

I managed to escape the USA before they could murder me with their COVID jabs, and I didn't feel like having a digital "passport" of any kind. So I got on a plane and the rest is history. I'm 73 and I could die today, or, I could have another 20 or 30 or 40 years. If family history is any guide, I'll probably be around for a long time. But if not, it won't be because I didn't try. In any event, I'm sure being dead isn't anything to worry about. From what I've read, something like 125 billion human beings have lived so far, but the gene pool survives.

Make work? There's work, but some people either don't do it or they do it as slowly as humanly possible. I could sit here all day and tell you stories. Some you wouldn't believe. One place I worked had a lady who ran here own little real estate agency right at her desk. I'm not sure if she ever did any other work. But she did get paid every two weeks. At another place, there was some man that sat out in the hall all day, every day. And yet he was supposed to be working there, somewhere. In that same building, depending on which section you ventured into, you could smell the aroma of marijuana being smoked,. At another place, there was a person who was the "Union Rep." She somehow managed to parlay that into a full time job, even though it was only supposed to take half a day. I also spent two years on active duty in the US Army during the Vietnam era. Talk about people sitting around and doing nothing.

How many government agencies have you worked for? I think I've worked for about four, with some time in between. Anyway, some are more well managed than others, but I'd have to say that every place I've been had about 50% of the people who were basically worthless. They might show up to work, but that's about it. Once they're there, they do nothing. The problem is identifying who is who. Civil service rules, unions. It's difficult to make quick cuts. But those cuts are needed and wouldn't hurt anything.

If I'm wrong, I'll gladly come back and concede/ But I'm not wrong. The deal is all but done.

You still don't get it, do you? That was for public consumption, only. Behind the scenes, this NATO quickly agreed that Ukraine will never be a part of NATO. And if you think otherwise, just watch and wait.

He doesn't have to. NATO is done. Over. Finished. They don't have the money, and they certainly can't put boots on the ground. Anyone whoo thinks otherwise is brainwashed beyond all belief.

Well, if you knew what you're talking about you'd know he didn't start this one. Wake up! Russia won the war. Putin holds all the cards. And Trump knows this. The killing will stop soon.

That's probably how it's going to be. And Zelenskyy surrenders.

I wouldn't put it quite that way, but yes. If Russia's existential strategic interests are ever threatened for any reason, then Russia would of course counter those threats.

Everything. You should probably just look it up. It's about to be removed from the drinking water in US cities, and the side effects on the human body are not good.

The program is intact for now, and full benefit payments should continue until approximately 2034. After that, and unless there's some fix to the program, benefit payments could be reduced as much as 25%. Payments go out automatically, so for most, that should mean no interruption. Benefit payments are indexed to the CPI. Of course, those figures are a big lie and mostly fiction, but it's best the nothing.

If it wasn't on this thread it was on another. This is nothing new at all for Putin. It's exactly what he has been saying all along. No ceasefire until Russia is assured of a lasting peace, including assurances that there will be. no NATO in Ukraine. It wants assurances that its existential strategic interests are protected. I presume it's Rubio that's the problem here. His "shuttle diplomacy" between Ukraine and Russia, coupled with the fact that he's probably unduly influencing Trump, has the whole process at an impasse.

There's an old saying on Wall Street: "There's no substitute for experience, and experience is expensive." In other words, she should probably forget it. The easiest way to make money is long term. And the best way to do that is to dollar cost average into well researched stocks that you understand. With dollar cost averaging, you put in an equal amount every month, but when stocks are lower, and that automatically gives you more stock at the time. Exactly what you should be doing. As Warren Buffet would say: "Be fearful when everyone is greedy, and greedy when everyone is fearful." I used to day trade, but the best I could ever manage was 38% a year. About the same as the S&P500 index for that year. And in doing that, I was tied up to computers and monitors all day long. I could have just as easily bought an S&P500 index fund and done something else every day. Some brokerages let you open an account to "paper trade" imaginary money. That can be somewhat educational, but you waste a lot of time, and using imaginary money isn't the same as using real money. There's a girl on YouTube your wife could watch that doesn't charge anything, but she gives a lot of good advice for anyone wanting to pursue day trading. Her YouTube channel is "Humbled Trader."

The last thing you want in your toothpaste is any kind of fluoride. Unfortunately, that kind of toothpaste is getting harder to find.

I buy Lindt 85%. Don't ask me what I pay for it, though. Little bars at the TOPs store. I just pay whatever it costs. Next time I go, I'll look. I don't eat too much, in any event. Maybe a couple of squares a day.

Update: Schumer blinked and will now support the House GOP funding bill. Big win for Trump.

Believe it or not, sometimes I actually know a thing or two. Back in 2020, everyone thought PLTR was a "meme" stock. Wall Street analysts were falling all over themselves laughing at a $35 valuation. They would tell anyone who would listen that the company was only a "consulting firm." The only thing those people understand is their spreadsheets. Their problem: they fail to recognize the huge disruptive potential of PLTR. I did, though. I knew what it was, and I had no problem whatsoever spending every spare cent I had picking up shares in the $6 to $10 range. I think I also bought some at prices up to $15. I knew the stock was going higher, I just didn't know when. Anyway, I sold some before the end of 2024 (LTCG) just to hedge my bet, although in retrospect, that was a mistake. It's all good at this point, regardless. Once again, let's revisit this issue in a year or two. Big $$$$ for anyone who can see the future. BTW, I still have some Bitcoin I bought at $1100, and a few other long term investments that keep on giving.

Believe what you want. You didn't understand a word I said. You equate Tesla to DJT stock? LOL. That tells me everything I need to know. Let's revisit the Tesla stock valuation in a few years. It probably won't take that long, but that's a good estimate. I should be buying now, although I already have a bunch. I guess I can't resist the temptation to time the market, and I think stocks may move lower before they move higher because of an impending debt market crisis, although usually, trying to time the market is a fools game.

I think you miss the point entirely, but that's OK. The general idea is to make money on Tesla Stock. Tesla the company, which could stop all car production and still, the stock would be worth many times more than it is today. The FSD technology can be leased out to companies around the world, including Uber. Robotaxis are coming as soon as this year. And the Optimus robots will be taking over human jobs sooner than anyone seems to realize. Fortunately for anyone buying the stock today, many on Wall Street seem to think Tesla is a car company, and that's why their customers will miss out. You seem to think that, as well. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I went to some different banks yesterday, trying to open a separate account strictly for bill payment. Kaisikorn would do it with some sort of tourist pay card that you can access through an app. But I tried to give them 30,000 baht cash and they wouldn't accept it. They said I had to deposit US dollars. Why they couldn't covert the Baht to Dollars and just take my money, I'm not sure, but the guy was insistent. Anyway, if the game is to always keep the account in US dollars, then that sort of defeats the purpose. If the dollars become worthless, then I have no momey in that account. None of the other banks knew what I was talking about, although one suggested I first needed to open an account there, and show them a work permit and a bunch of other nonsense. So, I decided to use my regular Kaisikorn account, but with a 20,000 baht daily withdrawal limit. That way, if someone hacked into the account, they couldn't do too much damage in any one day. So I downloaded the app, but then when I tried to set it up from home, it was only in Thai. So I guess I'll have to go back to my bank and have them help me with an English version and also set it up for the lower daily withdrawal limit. Thanks everyone for the help.

It appears as though the Senate Democrats don't want to give Trump a year's reprieve on the debt ceiling, and so a US Government shutdown is in the works. The Republicans needed 60 votes to overcome cloture, and the votes aren't there. Looks like certain senators don't want the DOGE people looking into certain matters. For this on Social Security and Government pensions, those checks should continue uninterrupted.

Just remember, Trump isn't dealing with a fantasy world constructed by some delusional Neocons. He is at the table with Russia, and for Russia, any kind of missiles that are close enough to hit strategic targets within Russia are an existential threat, including any missiles that might be deployed by NATO or European forces. That's reality. Putin has been saying that for years, and he means it. That's the reality that Trump will have to accept. Russia won the war. It's over, except for mopping up the mess. The real trouble is yet to come. The Middle East. That's a real powder keg, and unfortunately, it's a big problem.

In the long run, we're all dead. In the meantime, if I can double or triple or quadruple my Tesla investment in a year, I'm a happy camper. I see Cathie Wood jumped in early the past few days. PLTR also, I see. That was a home run for me the last few years. Bought tons in the $6 to $10 range. I knew it was a winner, but I wasn't expecting so much so soon. Anyway, it's working out well.