PhileasFogg

I'm with BSR. It was not the pandemic that caused inflation, it was a 40% increase in money supply. The text book cause of inflation is "too much money chasing too few goods." To be fair, supply disruptions contributed to too few goods, but not nearly as much as the 40% increase in money supply (linked so you can see it graphically) Inflation is coming down now because money supply is shrinking - something that rarely happens and almost always, when it does, results in a recession. I don't want to even skirt politics, but not all of the stimulus, in my view, was necessary and exacerbated the inflation. But since all stimulus resulted from bipartisan cooperation and/or compromise, it's not a political statement. The problem that remains in America is that deficit spending is inherently inflationary. In addition, the US can't reduce rates as fast as Canada because we have an epic deficit to fund and lowering rates too far will cause US Treasury securities to be unattractive to investors. So, "Rock" meet "Hard Place"

For the record, my comment was macro-oriented and is valid. And, I never said inflation was a good thing. I said it was "not a problem if..." As a retired person, there is no scenario where I see myself as maintaining a lifestyle if I rely exclusively on fixed income securities and "cash assets" - especially in a time of increasing rates.

PPS is a theoretical measure that means nothing. It is not supported by any other measure of size - the us remains the largest importer in the world and accounts for about 15% of china’s exports. Our exports are half the size of China’s. China (and the world) need our consumption of foreign goods. If that’s the measure you choose, let’s agree to disagree. t

Maybe he didn’t understand that, when he arrived, that you’d be glad to do the driving?

I’m with you. Sometimes we are attracted to what we are not…and I’m not lean like that anymore.

In defense of the fact that the US really is the world, I’d point out that the US represents 4.2% of the world population but about 25% of the world economy. While the 25% is down from 40%, the decline is because China grew - driven much by exports to the US - and not because the US shrank. By comparison, the provinces to the north of us have .5% of the world’s population and 1.2% of the world’s economy. If I’m mildly offensive, I apologize. But, at the core, a comment like “The US is not the world” is enabled by a certain deafness to Maslow’s Hierarchy and the overall lift to global prosperity and standard of living made possible by the US’s standing in the world. And all because a thread got moved?

First, I respect your position on this immensely. Assisted Living is a spectrum. Level 1 is not "institutionalized" in a traditional assisting living environment. It's essentially an apartment with concierge services. However, if you were sharing an apartment with a Level 4 partner (I honestly don't recall how many levels there are) it may seem a bit more restrictive. But as you say - 3 miles isn't that far. It's great that you have a place that meets your needs so close. My parents (now deceased) needed help. I cut a deal with them - give it 60 days - I'll sell nothing and if it doesn't work, we're get you in-home assistance. After two weeks then told me to sell everything.

I have a FaceTime call scheduled with him later today to see if I think it's worth some travel expense. My hope is that he doesn't come across as too immature for my tastes.

I’m sorry you’re dealing with that. I hope the transition goes well for both of you.

I have no need for life insurance either. But it makes sense for a business owner whose death may trigger a sale of the family’s business to pay the taxes. I think long term care insurance is a good idea for spouses where depleted assets could impair the healthy one’s ability to cover living expenses. But I’m single and my investment income can cover LTC. And, if I’m really sick, I’d probably not survive more than a couple of years with plenty to still leave to my family when I die.

I will add - price inflation is not a problem unless wage growth is slower than the rate of inflation. If wage growth equals the rate of inflation, then you are simply not better off from the increased wage. If wage growth is higher than the rate of inflation, your purchasing power still increases. As others have noted though, inflation is a “basket” of different goods and services and Housing is a big part of it - but my housing costs haven’t increased a dime in nearly a decade (except for flood insurance at my coastal home) Cars are more expensive (and I’ve had five new ones in 6 years) but I don’t borrow to buy them so part of that expense is mitigated. My current car is a PHEV, so my fuel costs have actually dropped from 22¢/mile to 5¢/mile as most of my driving is in town on electric charge. Groceries are up a lot, but they’re < 5% of my budget - so maybe they’re gone from 3.5% of my spending to 4%? But, I’m an active traveler and plane tickets have probably tripled for me But I can cut back from First Class to Comfort and still manage costs if I want to. CPI is a necessary benchmark but your mileage will vary depending on your actual “basket” Years ago, I reset my quicken categories to match CPI definitions. I figured out I was far from normal in the weighting of my actual expenditures. It was an interesting exercise.

I’m a score junky although I don’t borrow money (but may under the right situation) I keep my score in the 840’s by paying off my cards 2-3 times per month. The effect of a closed account like JC Penny will fade quickly. The 20 point drop is a reaction on the assumption that you defaulted. Does JC Penny even still exist?

Inflation doesn’t “fall.” It “slows.” The “Rate of Inflation” may “fall” or “go down,” but prices are still increasing. I’m being pedantic, but people don’t understand inflation unless they understand this distinction. “Disinflation” is a slowing of the rate of inflation and only helps the consumer if wages are increasing faster than prices. ”Deflation” is when the rate of inflation is negative and this usually coincides with a catastrophic economic situation that we’ve not had in America in a century.

I have a family member in a coastal area that refers to it as “self insuring”. I remind her that unless she has cash in the bank to cover the loss, it’s called “taking the risk”

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You missed my point. But I’ll leave it there.

Perhaps making a suggestion is not bitching. But the statement you made following the suggestion(and the title of this thread) is.

Wow

After a sleep study, I was diagnosed with sleep apnea on my back. I didn’t like the cpap and I don’t sleep on my back, so I did nothing - except - losing weight. Now I’m fine

After a week in St John next week, I’ll be in Boston in two weekends with a friend. After a week in St. John with no tan lines, I don’t think we will want to mess it up in Boston. So, I’m thinking of ferrying to P-Town to visit Herring Cove Beach. All the online info seems dated and not very useful. Does anyone have any more recent insight or guidance? Is it still unofficially nude? Is nudity common? Is it risky to be caught? is it easy to access from the ferry? are there any nearby facilities and/or showers?

Yes, regularly. In my home gym, I’m always naked. Weights, rowing, elliptical, etc. I’ve tried naked cycling (road bike) and jogging, but my stuff (especially my balls) flop around in painful discomfort.

Correlation does not prove causation. Age by itself leads to reduced ejaculate. Also, Aging correlates with hair loss for those so disposed. The addition of the growth products may just be a coincidence that they are correlating to the outcome. We won’t know unless they stop using it and things return to normal. When propecia was first released decades ago, I was among the 2% who had reduced libido and ED. I stopped quickly and things worked fine again. That proved causation to me.

Ok, am I the only one? While I love nudity and being nude outdoors, the thought of Big Richard and The Twins flapping from side to side for a 5K run doesn’t sound very appealing 🫣 In fact, it sounds painful

Try it. It sounds like if it doesn’t work, cultural biases will allow you to return.

That's a sh!tty conclusion