Sorry, I wasn’t being clear. My point is that raising children is expensive, especially when factoring in things like college tuition. Therefore it’s quite possible (in fact, almost certain) that someone who raised children will, ceteris paribus, in the end have less wealth, as measured by their bank balance, then…

And what about “wealth” that doesn’t show up in your bank account, such as college-educated productive members of society which you have raised?

How is this any faster than just doing long hand multiplication?

And (as in buying a car) don’t focus solely on the monthly payment. If you refinance to the same term loan, you “reset” the amortization schedule so even if your payment is lower, you might not be really saving any money in interest (which is what you should be focusing on).

I consider “[living] in...constant fear that my life’s going to fall apart and I’m going to have to weather a long siege until things improve” to be a personal virtue regardless of one’s particular financial situation.

There used to be this (now somewhat dated) web site which allowed you to track Bill Gates’ current wealth in various units, like dollars, yen, euros, or Space Shuttles (around 7 at the time I tried it).

Why are only “Pennsylvania” onions safe? If the grocery store specifically said they are from Idaho or Oregon, they’re not safe?

Another advantage I’ve found is that you can talk/mutter to yourself under your breath whilst out and about and nobody notices.

I would assume the missing sixth site is the Temple Mount?

Either that or they’re giant hogweed seeds and this is somebody’s poor idea of a practical joke.

The only sentence in this whole story that anybody should pay any attention to is the last one.

Company gave us all $1000 tax free to furnish our home offices. I used it to upgrade my workroom with a new table and shelves and buy myself a new monitor which I use on my personal computer. “Dual-use” as they say.

Well said. The entire tax system in this country is so insanely complex that it’s really quite obscene.

Where’s lifehacker.com?

It’s completely ludicrous that we have to go through such a mind-bendingly complex process as part of giving someone else our money.

“Our Best Methods to Clean Stained Bongs”?

These must be the last vending machines on earth that have not moved to some sort of cashless system. A credit card slot, perhaps? Tokens?

I learned about something new today - thanks!

So I see NYC Metro and Albany and Syracuse and Buffalo, but what’s that area in the extreme northeast all about? Champlain Clintonites?

Has fear completely disappeared as a useful parenting tool? My sister and I would never have dreamed of getting up from the table before we were excused because of, you know, fear.