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Reagan1k

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About Reagan1k

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  1. Often, it's not so much the risk of being completely burned as it is the opportunity cost of better market returns with diversification. A family member is a good case study I try and always remember. She held T as her sole equity position prior to the break-up and then held the collective basket of entities for +50 years until her death - hanging on to that step-up in basis for dear life. Had the taxes been paid at any point and the balance simply invested in the S&P 500, the value would have been 10x at her death. She let a fear of taking gains and paying taxes dictate the investment decision instead of being just one facet of the decision. Would I invest X% of my assets in this today is the question everyone wakes up to, whether they realize it or not. If I wouldn't buy it today, why do I still own it is an interesting question to ask about any portfolio holding.
  2. If only my Model 70s could be sold for what Collectors puts on theirs........
  3. We're everywhere! Last weekend I had to participate / co-chair a rather larger event that included an open bar. Before things kicked off it was still quiet and I went to the bar and ordered a Topo Chico with lime. When the bartender gave me the drink, he commented that I watched him make the drink like someone who wanted to make sure he got it right. I told him I didn't drink at all and that everyone was happier for it. He laughed, stuck out his hand and said "I'm T.J. and I've got 10 years." We talked some about our time and stories, and he took extra care to make sure he was the only bartender who made my drinks as the evening progressed. At the end of the night I gave him a healthy tip on the side, he came out and hugged me and told me to keep doing the deal. CSB - I know. It's happened to all of us and has happened to me before, but I believe it to be important to stop and recognize it for what it is.....and it ain't a coincidence or accident.
  4. That's a good one to discuss with your sponsor who probably sees it from an objective perspective. Could easily be the EX just stirring up shit. Most teens won't even look up from their phones long enough to realize a parent slipped out for an hour and a half to get to a meeting and back. If you're intentional about the time you do spend with them, I'd venture to make a SWAG that it isn't a real issue. I'd go sit down with your sponsor and then maybe sit down with the kids individually and talk it out. Find the truth for each one and adjust if needed from there. It's always a balancing act that ebbs and flows, but as you said....the reality is that without the program there is no dad in the picture at all.
  5. For a few years, we hunted from the cab of an old Ford truck that had broken down and been left for dead. The steering wheel and windshield had been taken out and we just used the bench seat- all the cushion was gone, plywood cut to cover the seat frame and we sat on pillows. Called it the Park-N-Shoot.
  6. I’ve been looking at those to tinker with when on the phone. Looks cool!
  7. For me personally - with no dog in the fight.....I firmly believe in the power of properly funded permanent insurance when the need is there. But, I would never call it an investment and don't consider it as such. It also has no benefit and may even be detrimental to most. It's a funding vehicle for certain situations and a flexible asset I can use to my advantage - but again...it isn't an investment for me and in my mind. I'm a business owner and have seen how it works, how it works for me and what it did for my predecessors over my 35 year tenure and the company's 80 year life. It's a fantastic tool for me to use in planning and funding certain obligations....both professionally and personally. It is also a horrible tool for one of my shop guys to buy when he's barely able to even fund his 401(k) to grab my matching dollars. I control an ESOP, and I must plan for buying out certain employees at their death or in retirement - whichever comes first. I fund that obligation with permanent life insurance. If they retire prior to them dying, I use the cash in the policy (that protected me from the liability of them dying early) to pay them off via a loan and I have negligible cost to access those funds. When they die, I recoup all of my premiums, their buyout, and then some. All the while I was protected from an unfunded obligation in their early years for pennies on the dollar. My working capital was protected. I have a close friend with a handicapped daughter. He peels off a fraction of his estate annually and funds a permanent policy that will take care of her at his death, without disinheriting her siblings. He spends 1-2 percent of his estate anually on those premiums. His estate and the other children will get that spend back at his death (with a multiplier) and his disabled daughter will have perpetual care. It's an asset class and not an investment in my mind. Two things can be true at the same time.
  8. It's a tool - nothing more nothing less. When used properly in the right situation to solve the proper problem, it is highly effective and has enormous benefits. When used in the wrong application, it's akin to trying to cut down a tree with a screwdriver. Investing in hedge funds and fine art is ridiculous for a 20-something with a 5-figure income and 4 kids, but that doesn't mean those don't have a place for someone else. The stigma associated with cash value life insurance is associated with certain salespeople and how/where they sell it, but that doesn't mean its a bad product.
  9. I can't figure out what anyone is arguing over. Unless this is just a personality clash or a lover's quarrel, it appears that everyone is saying the same thing. No plan has a 100% success rate regardless of any future/unknown event. A "plan" of any kind is based on assumptions and past experience. A 4% withdrawal rate is considered to be a reasonable rate and backtests to a high probability of success (nothing is guaranteed including the full faith and credit of the Federal Government). A 6% withdrawal rate is risky - I can't figure out who said otherwise. Sequence of risk is dampened by any more conservative withdrawal rate and further dampened by a separate cash reserve. It moves the success rate higher for any given rate. What's the bone of contention?
  10. Only made a few hundred before a trademark battle with the Grizzly semi-auto and labor costs to machine parts and hand tune one at a time ate them up. Old employees state that the production was only in the 100's even though they have 4-digit serial numbers.
  11. Mikkenger Arms / Dallas, TX (Edmund de la Garrigue) Model: Grizzly- 44 mag
  12. Hint - "The frame on these (grip frame and "main frame") is one-piece. There is a side plate on the left side of the gun that allows access to the internals. The side plate is held on by a screw hidden under the left grip panel. By using a one-piece frame, the guns are strong enough to handle .44 Magnum pressures while being the size of a Colt SAA."
  13. Anyone want to take a stab at this one? Obscure to say the least.
  14. This is good advice worth investigating. Gotta check with HR first. If it doesn't and you have any sway in the company, ask them to amend the plan. A good 401(k) provider will have resources and people available to educate you and walk you through the steps and pitfalls.
  15. Check the ratings sheet for what it can handle. May only be rated for .300 subs and for certain barrel lengths.
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