Weekly TSP Talk Poll

[Sensei]

47% think stocks are the place to put your money for the next 6 months. Anybody else think this week's poll could be used as a long-term contrarian indicator?

 

[craigerv]

Thanks Tom!

 

[tsptalk]

Let's start it over. Sorry about that.

 

[Frixxxx]

Yeah, It is a little...maybe Tom will change it to

up to 5.0%
5% up to 10%
10% up to 15%
15% or greater
0%

 

[craigerv]

The poll this week is a little confusing. If you contribute 5% of your salary, which radio button do you select? 1-5% or 5-10%. I think bands would be more descriptive if they were 1-5%, 6-10%, 11-15%, etc.

 

[Sensei]

Ah, the Astrodome... Such a shame to see buildings with history go to pot, like the old Detroit Tigers' stadium. But alas, it's outlived its functionality. I voted to tear it down, but I guess they could turn it into some type of museum/amusement park. In Tokyo, they have a "Dome City" around the ballpark, with museums, rides, and other varieties of entertainment (including a place to book bets on horse racing).

 

[craigerv]

I was also thinking that most of the current posters are much closer to retirement than I. I'm not quite 30 yet but just got interested in finances in general a couple of years ago. This website has been huge for me and I try to tell my colleagues as much as possible about it. I can tell that most are skeptical about taking their finances into their own hands because I don't have a decade of proof yet to show them how well it has worked for me (through ups and downs). I certainly have enjoyed hearing the wisdom from some of the older folks who have seen some real ups and downs so thanks for that!

 

[Frixxxx]

Interesting poll this week Tom,

I was concerned that the number of users are well within the category of getting ready to retire or already retired.....

I wish there was more of a way to get the new gov't employees involved and posting. The old "horse to water" thing!

Thanks to those retirees providing helpful information though!

 

[NiteFlyer]

My vote was no to the pending sequestration; However, if it actually happens, depending on the length of time it goes for, then I think it could push the markets lower but not necessarily into a recession.

 

[Sensei]

"Will the pending sequestration trigger a new recession?"

My vote was "no". The public sector will feel the pain, but I don't see the private sector being effected too badly. In fact, the markets will probably continue on a roll if sequestration occurs, as the big money will revel in watching the little guys shoulder the responsibility of paying back the national debt.

 

[tsptalk]

That's what I saw. About 90 fatalities per day in vehicle accidents, and I saw a stat with 87 gun deaths per day. "About the same".

 

[RealMoneyIssues]

What weekly poll?

 

[burrocrat]

some of my favorites didn't even make the list:

[video]http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DIJNR2EpS0jw[/video]

 

[Sensei]

Since the kids are in bed and I've searched to the end of the Internet, here's a pretty chart from Wikipedia. And the winner is...



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_preventable_causes_of_death

Looks like cars just edged out firearms. I think this was from 2009, by the way.

 

[tsptalk]

Could be.

 

[Sensei]

Is it just me, or does it seem that this week's poll topic could be simply fact checked?

 

[Frixxxx]

This weeks poll is not going well for Mr. Trump!

53% Romney
21% Trump
26% Demo-something


Sorry Buster!

 

[crws]

Another interesting poll......


Illegal search and seizure...... By riding the metro in D.C., does that constitute a viable reason for search? If I wanted to drive my own car into D.C. and got randomly pulled over to do a thorough search of my vehicle, would that be right?

I think this whole search thing is getting outta hand.

I remember when people used to tell me that it was great living in a country where the government didn't have the power to do those things....But if you got your wolf into sheep's clothing and could do things at your leisure and call it good......

hmmmm....maybe that's how MBSs started in the financial world......Evil wrapped in sugar-coated packages or carbon credit trading...making money at the expense of the planet....WTF?????????

Frixxxx, I thought of your post when I saw this: Helluva Ride

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bSRQ5LMhaU

 

[SkyPilot]

This can all be avoided with a "revocable trust"

 

[jimijr]

While you may think that the taxes have already been paid on an estate, that is not really true.

If there were equities, the tax on their gain would be levied only when they are sold which will not happen, now, due to the death of the holder.

If the home increased in value, this amount would be free of taxes against the deed holder were the property sold and the money used to buy a new home, but when it is transferred to the new deed holder this provision does not apply.

So there are good reasons to tax estates. I believe they exempted the first $5 millions which accounts for most of us working stiffs I'd say.