james22

Sure, but all that matters is what Xi, surrounded by yes-men, believes. Luckily, he's recent reasons to question his military's capability.

1. They're interesting, being at the intersection of history, engineering, art, and fashion. 2. Watches are Real in a way my (symbolic analyst) work and much of today's digital/disposal world isn't. 3. Like any collection, an interesting problem (curation) to solve. People who buy them as such are soon disappointed. NO ONE notices your watch.

Love Nomos. Every Rolex sports watch is worth more than its MSRP. It's just near impossible to buy one at MSRP without having an in.

Mine as well. Loved that car. I'm an Omega fan boy, but if you can buy a Rolex at MSRP, you should. You make money walking out the door.

According to official figures released on Wednesday, Chinese women had fewer than half the births in 2023 than they did in 2016 — the year Beijing finally repealed that slow-rolling disaster known as the One-Child Policy. https://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2024/01/17/chinese-women-are-voting-against-communism-with-their-uteri-n4925570

A proud tradition. Corruption seems to have played a major role; many Chinese shells appear to have been filled with cement or porcelain, or were the wrong caliber and could not be fired. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Yalu_River_(1894)

When does Fidelity add a 1-2% FBTC allocation to their Target Date Retirement Funds?

If it makes you feel any better, you might not like the 911 as much as you think. I've a Cayenne and Boxster and am really looking forward to downsizing to one car. But it'll be a Macan (GTS) rather than a 911 because after a lifetime of sports cars, I'm shocked to realize how much I prefer the better visibility and ease of entry/exit of a higher seating position. Go test drive one - it may make you realize you're not missing anything. (Then swap the X3 for an X3 M.)

What's funny is retiring with some wealth only to realize most of the toys you thought you'd be interested in are more work than fun. A second car and boat is hassle enough. A second home/ranch, plane, or RV would be too much. Not to mention there's only so much time (even if you'd the energy). One toy takes time away from others.

I'd long planned to build a large house out by the lake when I retired. Turns out I'm happy enough in my 1-bedroom downtown condo.

Go after my wife in a real underhanded way and I won't be especially reasonable about it.

That's my excuse!

Over the past century, if the wealthiest families had spent a reasonable fraction of their wealth, paid taxes, invested in the stock market, and passed their wealth down to the next generation, there would be tens of thousands of billionaire heirs to generations-old fortunes today. The puzzle of The Missing Billionaires is why you cannot find one such billionaire on any current rich list. There are a number of explanations, but this book is focused on one mistake which is of profound importance to all investors: poor risk decisions, both in investing and spending. Many of these families didn’t choose bad investments– they sized them incorrectly– and allowed their spending decisions to amplify this mistake. The Missing Billionaires book offers a simple yet powerful framework for making important lifetime financial decisions in a systematic and rational way. It's for readers with a baseline level of financial literacy, but doesn’t require a PhD. It fills the gap between personal finance books and the academic literature, bringing the valuable insights of academic finance to non-specialists. Part One builds the theory of optimal investment sizing from first principles, starting with betting on biased coins. Part Two covers lifetime financial decision-making, with emphasis on the integration of investment, saving and spending decisions. Part Three covers practical implementation details, including how to calibrate your personal level of risk-aversion, and how to estimate the expected return and risk on a broad spectrum of investments. The book is packed with case studies and anecdotes, including one about Victor’s investment with LTCM as a partner, and a bonus chapter on Liar’s Poker. The authors draw extensively on their own experiences as principals of Elm Wealth, a multi-billion-dollar wealth management practice, and prior to that on their years as arbitrage traders– Victor at Salomon Brothers and LTCM, and James at Nationsbank/CRT and Citadel. Whether you are young and building wealth, an entrepreneur invested heavily in your own business, or at a stage where your primary focus is investing and spending, The Missing Billionaires: A Guide to Better Financial Decisions is your must-have resource for thoughtful financial decision-making. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1119747910?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details Great.

Increased demand.

But by your earlier definition (one is only wealthy if one is happy and content), there isn't. Seneca didn't say "be wealthy."

But by your definition, anyone anyone who has "enough" is wealthy (agree) and anyone who does not isn't (disagree). Not very helpful.

OTOH, you have to spend your money somewhere. Homes can be enjoyed every day.

Guys, just remember, if you get real lucky, if you make a lot of money, if you go out and buy a lot of stuff -- it's gonna break. You got your biggest, fanciest mansion in the world. It has air conditioning. It's got a pool. Just think of all the pumps that are going to go out. Or go to a yacht basin any place in the world. Nobody is smiling, and I'll tell you why: Something broke that morning. The generator's out; the microwave oven doesn't work; the captain's gay; the cook's quit. Things just don't mean happiness. Ross Perot

Better to threaten and be thought weak than to invade and remove all doubt.

Can't wait for the synthetic cyrpto offerings that bet on their performance.