Messages

476

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: New To Investing Thread

« on: April 19, 2013, 09:20:49 AM »

Glad to hear my real-life friends Pete, SD, and Warren Buffet (known EMAW) tout the virtues of Index funds. No surprise they're  .

This post is pretty DNR, so I'm going to bold the highlights.

For those of you new to investing--I'm a big proponent of using Charles Schwab. Their website gives you all the info you'll ever need to know,  but more importantly, their customer service is outstanding. Hold times are negligible, all customer service reps are happy, all call centers are based in Phoenix or Denver, and other banking products are free/outstanding.  Schwab really made a young WonderMeal feel comfortable with investing and answered all of my investor n00b questions, which is why I think they're great for new investors. (Note: I don't pay them for investing advice, since I'm just trying to match the market. I just ask them questions when I have old 401ks/403bs to roll over, etc.) I can't speak for other brokerage firms and I'm sure some others are great, but I've been with Schwab for almost a decade and don't see a need to see anyone else.

my 401 is in a vanguard target fund, vfifx. it's done really well for me, especially over the last year (13.44%).

That return is great, and 'grats, but I think the S&P500 grew by 16% in 2012. The expense ratio of the index fund SD and his Omaha friend use is .13% lower than VFIFX. However, the fact that target date funds become 'safer' near your retirement age makes the slightly higher expense ratio justifiable, and could be a good option for our real life friend KSC.

For investor n00bs who have been swayed by my Schwab sales pitch, I have had lots of success with SWPPX (tracks S&P 500, expense ratio of .08%) and SNFXX (tracks S&P plus the next-largest 500 companies, expense ratio of .29%). Almost every time I have tried to get cute and find mutual funds/stocks/ETFs to outperform these two guys, I have lost.

See you in a few years down at Del Boca Vista (ocean view), SD, Pete, and KSC!

477

Kansas State Football / Re: KU Footballer/Alcohol Addict Drives Drunk, Is Like A Loaded Gun Out There

« on: April 17, 2013, 04:37:46 PM »

That's a great question, LSOC. I would guess at this point he is cruising down Iowa Blvd. with a bunch of empty Listerines rattling around in the back, and now that he's out of mouthwash to chug he's opening a bottle of Robatussin and doing beer bongs with it. Oops, slammed another parked car. And Sizemore drives on anyway, heading due south through the night so he can say that he "went through to Texas, yeeeeah Texas, and [he] had some fun."

It's sad.

Get it together, SB. This board expects more of you.

Hayseed outed.

478

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: MHK tennis players

« on: April 07, 2013, 07:09:44 PM »

Maybe a doubles tournament the friday afternoon before fatty fest?

Oh man.  Would participate.

Wish I could be there, KK.

 

479

Kansas State Football / Re: Football Recruiting Thread

« on: April 07, 2013, 07:08:13 PM »

Dear Wild Wild Cat Fans-

Bad news for the future of our D-line. Will Geary, a commit from Top-Town High, just won the national wrestling title at HWT. I remember reading when we got Britz that people were pretty excited about Britz's wrestling prowess and how that would help Mo's Marauders...but Geary puts Britz to shame on the mat. He's the best heavy to come out of Kansas since at least the early/mid 90s, maybe ever.

I'll leave it to 'Hatter to comment on Geary's hips, motor, and derriere on the gridiron, but I would bet a KatPAK that he would have turned into a real stud.  He's a real "get," if you know what I mean.

My source (A-) says Geary would prefer to wrestle in college, and up until now has been lightly recruited. Well, he just won a natty, so that's about to (/has already) change. Will be if we lose him to wrestling, but I bet we will.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go post in KatKid's tennis thread and then go back to lurking.

Love,
WonderMeal

This scoop, like all other K-State scoops, brought to you by GoPowercat.com

480

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: How Many Credit Cards Do You Have?

« on: March 05, 2013, 09:00:50 AM »

Thanks for the help, guys. (Even Rams, the worst poster on this board by far, has been pretty helpful.)

A few more questions for my new real life friends SD, ChiCat, RaquetCat, and Rams:

How many kids?  If you and your wife both companion passed a kid on Southwest, they could basically fly for free. 

Companion pass is very intriguing. Very. Can I apply for the personal and business (to get 100k RR points) and then have my wife apply for both (to get another 100k), too? And if I can somehow get four SW cards (and thus two companion passes), does her application need to be done on the same day?

Finally, my understanding is that once you earn 110k RR points, you get the companion pass...but that the companion pass doesn't actually cost any of those points. So with the 110k RR points, about how many flights could I get with that? I've never redeemed any bonuses from SW.

I would get the US Air, Gold Amex, AA, and a couple SW cards now if I were you.

When you say Gold Amex, do you mean the AmEx Premier Rewards Gold card (50k membership rewards points w/ $1k spend), or the AmEx Delta Gold card (45k miles after $5k spend in 6 months)? 

When you say AA card, do you mean sign up for both the 50k Visa and 50K Amex? Or if only one, does it matter which one I sign up for?

The only US Air link I found on the "Hot Deals" section listed by Rams is 30K miles for an $89 annual fee (not waived). Is that worth it? Is there something better?

If any of you get bonuses for referring me to these cards, I'm happy to go that route to help out some fellow EMAWs.

wondermeal, did you happen to play tennis at mhs?

481

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: How Many Credit Cards Do You Have?

« on: March 04, 2013, 04:09:32 PM »

Inspired by SteveDave and RickDaris, I've decided to jump into this crazy game. I've even committed myself to reading every page of this thread ( ), and am up to page 40 or so.

Before I finish the thread(and it will take me forever to finish), I have a few observations and a few questions.

Observations (based on the first 40 pages):
-SD is the best at this stuff, so his advice takes precedence over everyone else's. (Sorry, Rams.) RD is second-best, and I know I will be reticent to spend any points I get, just like him.
-SD frequents multiple message boards?! 
-Deals in 2013 aren't as good as they were in 2011.

Questions:
1) What are the best deals out there for a n00b like me? From reading the last couple of pages, it seems like I should bang the Southwest personal and business cards (feel ambivalent about Southwest metal, but they fly a lot of places I go), and maybe the Amex Gold? Is this right?
2) What kind of rewards (plane, hotel, cash) does the Amex provide? It's a little unclear to me.
3) Would any of the cards listed above be good for an everyday card, or should I get a different one for normal use? (Where I'm at in the thread, everyone seems gaga for the Chase Sapphire. Is that still what the cool kids are using?)
4) Any chance there's a good AA deal out there right now?
5) Could I get an AA card and a USAir card (if it exists) and then have the miles combine once the merger is complete, similar to the Continental/United deal?

Background:
-I'm , so meeting the spend on these is not a problem.
-Already have a house, won't be buying a new car anytime soon.
-Travel a lot for family stuff, so plane tix are my primary target here. Hotels are nice and might help get Mrs. WM on board, but they're a secondary focus for me right now.
-Really sad I didn't get in on this game years ago when I was still  with all the cool kids.


Thanks in advance.   

482

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: engagement rings

« on: January 28, 2013, 08:20:00 PM »

color is pretty important. don't sacrafice a whole bunch there. her friends will be able to see the color just during casual conversation. sacrafice some on the cut and then clarity if you need. buy a simple band/ring to go w/ it. she can always upgrade this later if she wants something more interesting. maybe would make a nice 5th anniversary gift! good luck.

Hate to disagree with goE founding father Rick Daris, but I have it on good authority (Canadian friend) that cut is the most important of the four Cs. You want "ideal" or "very ideal" or whatever is the best, and that can hide some of the other stuff if it has too. (Although you shouldn't have to hide anything, )  I'm not saying color isn't important, but it's the cut that makes the diamond most sparkly. Definitely think the diamond separate/simpler band idea is a strong one, the band is easy to change.

I bought Mrs. WonderMeal's ring from BrilliantEarth.com, which was really easy to use, all GIA certified, and all of their diamonds are conflict free. (Most come from Canada, like my Canadian friend.) She'll appreciate the bling and the fact that she can rest assured knowing that her diamond wasn't mined by someone who had their feet and hands cut off shortly after working a 19 hour day in the mines.  A bunch of my EMAW buddies (I see you, SkinBen) have since used Brilliant Earth on my recommendation, and all have been very happy with it.

Also, this is personal preference, but I think gold or white gold is the way to go. Platinum seems kind of like a fad, and also just looks like silver or steel or something to me. But hey, we're all EMAW fans here, so different strokes for different folks .


 

483

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: goEMAW encounters

« on: June 19, 2012, 10:55:42 AM »

Were you left in the wake of our JV i70 championship?

 

484

Essentially Flyertalk / Re: Re: goEMAW encounters

« on: June 18, 2012, 09:34:22 PM »

Pretty sure I played tennis against Kat Kid in HS.

which school are you from?

salina south

Lefty partnered w/ a lefty?

 

485

Essentially Flyertalk / SkinnyBenny!

« on: June 18, 2012, 04:21:28 AM »

Took me forever to figure out how to post these.     

486

Kansas State Football / Re: North Tejas 1989

« on: May 03, 2012, 01:59:35 PM »

            

Turner Gill was a closet     all the way back in 1989!

http://www.fanbase.com/North-Texas-Mean-Green-Football-1989/roster

487

Jerome Tang Coaches Kansas State Basketball / BREAKING: Longtime lurker breaks silence, sheds tears (An open letter to Mr. KK)

« on: March 04, 2012, 09:17:45 PM »

Mr. KK-

Longtime listener, first-time caller.

Full disclosure: I've been lurking like crazy on goEMAW since this fall--mostly on the football board, but sometimes on the basketball board, too. I consider it to be the most elite/premium of any rebel BBS, and am quite familiar with the cast of characters who navigate that little corner of The Tubes known as goEMAW. I anxiously await every _Fan or Pan or 'Hatter or PW post, I couldn't wait for the last of pigaggy to leave (Pondwater Jack is the worst), I despise Fitz even though I've never spent a second on his site, I think SD's "fighting you" threads are muy excellente (though I do think he tries to pad his post count every now and then), and every time I can't figure out an acronym, I just email SkinBenz (or his Canadian friend) about it.

Bottom line: I spend too much of my time on this BBS...and I don't even subscribe to premium!

So when I found out via facebook that Shwan had passed away unexpectedly, I was of course bummed out, and immediately went to goEMAW to see if anyone had mentioned it. When I first checked, no one had, but the bad news was posted pretty quickly after I first went to the site.

As expected, there has been a mix of heartwarming stories, admiration, and tributes to your buddy (and EMAW hero) Shwan. From my acquaintance with him from HS, and from my time on the 'boards, this came as no surprise. Even the outpouring of support from other BBSes wasn't all that surprising, given what I knew about FFF's life online.  Shwan was a fun, charismatic guy, and a huge EMAWer, and he deserves every nice word that has been written about him.

But I can't sit here and write (meaningful) platitudes about Shwan, because the truth is that I didn't know him that well. I kind of knew him from his days of go-rilla tennis, a few conversations we shared about the K-State Cats Purple University football team when we were both in HS, and a conversation we had when the US invaded Iraq (naive HS me was kind of surprised he wasn't super pumped about what it would mean to overthrow SH).

So, given that my interaction with him ceased almost ten years ago, why is it that I've been thinking constantly about his passing this weekend? Why did I Google 'fatty4ksu' and read his old posts on random BBSes (Tennessee? Arizona???)? Why do I keep getting dust in my eyes every time I read some of the nice things being said about Shwan?  I think for two reasons:

1) Because you are a solid dude, were the greatest of #2 dubs partners, and you shouldn't have to be hurting like you are. It makes me sad and mad that you lost your friend, and that Shwan's family lost their brother/son/etc. If I remember right, you're not too into the P's part of "T's and P's," but I am, and at church today I was pretty mad at the Big Guy on your (and everyone's) behalf.

2) Shwan's passing makes me think a lot about what it meant to be EMAW when we were growing up--from Frank Hernandez to Andre Coleman in the Weiser Lock to tearing down KU's goalposts in Lawrence to The Unthinkable Game to the 2003 Dr. Pepper. I never really realized before leaving MHK for college that not everyone completely immerses themselves in college football, or that a lot of people outside of the Sunflower State think it's weird for a grown man to wear purple regularly. I just grew up a faithful EMAW--though certainly not as EMAW as Shwan--and thought that K-State Cats Purple University was all there was to the sports world. When we grew up was a great time to be a Wild Wild Cat, and I'm glad I got to share that with Shwan, and you, and the thousands of other EMAWs.

Truthfully, I became less EMAW during the mid-00's/Wooly years (though I was never a huge bball guy in the first place). It was a combo of the teams being worse (sorry BatCatz, I'll never be that into you), the distance from the Apple, feeling disconnected from Ron P, and the fact that I was growing up and starting to have responsibilities to a future wife/kids. I still watched a lot of games (and made her watch some), but certainly not all of them.

Recently, as I found this BBS and as I realized how into the JYC I was, and as LHCBS brought the team back to prominence, I became more and more EMAW. I watched more games, I bought (and wore) more tees, and made my wife watch more youtube clips (most made by Shwan) so she could just get it like I got it. When I first started reading goEMAW, I never needed anyone to tell me who fattyfatfat was IRL, because I could already tell (It took me longer to uncover you, Mr. KK.), even though I hadn't talked to him in 10 years. His was that strong.

And in large part because of him, my EMAW started growing again. But my EMAW still wasn't as big as it was during DoD--mainly because a part of me kept reminding myself how trivial college sports is, and how little it matters in the context of the real world. Even this January as we lost to pigaggy in the Southwestern Bell, I just turned off the TV and thought, "Oh well, at least we got those bowl practices in...and just think about NEXT YEAR." (#teamsams)

Now that Shwan has passed, I've been thinking a lot in the last 36 hours what it means to be a K-State Cats Purple University fan, and the joy that something so trivial can bring to a group of people--tucks and Rebel BBS'rs alike. Suddenly, an EMAW switch has been flipped in me, and I'm starting to feel again like I felt from 1989-2003. I'm wearing a K-State tee even though it's freezing outside, and dressing my kids in KSU Qhuaåtz stuff, because this part of the world just needs more purple, man. I'm going to skip out of work on Thursday to watch the Phillips 66, which I wouldn't have done a month ago. And when my kids get older, I'm going to brainwash them into loving the KSU Wild Wildcats, even though that means a lifetime of perpetual heartache, and almost-had-its, and "you know purple is a gay color, right?", and just enough happy moments to make them think, "Hey, maybe we really could win it all if only X, Y and Z happens" until they get the inevitable (leave it on the other board). Before this weekend, my kids were going to be K-State fans because their dad was a K-State fan. Now? They're going to be f-ing EMAW, man.

And they're not going to be EMAW because Shwan passed. They're going to be EMAW because his passing helped me realize that it's a true blessing to be a fan of K-State Cats Purple University, and that something as trivial as college sports in the middle of 'flyover country' can mean something (a whole hell of a lot, actually) to a great group of people.

There are few people on earth who love any thing as much as Shwan loved the KSU Cats. And his far-too-early passing will leave a hole in the EMAW world that can never be replaced. Even if we all just cheer a little bit harder to make up for his absence, we all know that it won't be the same without him, and that the OOD/BSFS will be a little less purpley.

Mr. KK, I know these words or any others can't make up for the loss you, your family, and Shwan's family are experiencing right now. But I can tell you this:

On Thursday, I'm going to stop everything and watch my JYCs. And next Fall, before we play the first football game of our first-ever national championship-winning season, I'm going to crack open a CATPAK, cue up "Birth of Kansas State Football," point up to the sky, and try to be a little bit more like Shwan. Because I am a 'Cat football fan, and there is nothing better on the earth.

T's and P's, fatty. T's and P's.