Men Over 30

[quote name='mtxbass1']Personally I just don't agree with paying someone else to make money off of my money. If they can get me 8%, but take a 2% commission, and I can get 6% all by myself, why would I even pay them?[/QUOTE]

Agreed. With all the funds like the one I have that rebalance quarterly and auto adjust level of aggressiveness as you close in on retirement, there's just no need for a financial adviser for most people--even if you're not knowledgeable and don't care to learn much about investing like me.

The exception would be if you came into a big inheritance or something, as if you suddenly have six figures or more of cash to deal with, then yeah maybe you need some expert help.

I'm really lucky with being in higher ed and having TIAA/Cref as they have no fee IRAs for us and I think we can even get free financial counseling if we want etc.
 
[quote name='plasticbathmonki']Well, after 6 years, the GF and I called it quits, and congrats to the CAG community for being the first to hear about it! I won't bore you all with the details, but suffice it to say, I'm actually relieved that it's finally over. I'm getting way too old to deal with traditional relationship bull-shite. The only thing that sucks is we have a few shared bills.[/QUOTE]

Sorry to here that. As noted I'm recently out of a six year one myself. Also relieved, and it was amicable.

Only slightly crummy thing is I'm renting her place (she left the country for work/visa issue over the summer) and she's not happy and may come back to her job here this summer--so I may be moving for the 3rd straight summer which is getting old.
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']

Slowdive, you really should do some more research in to your 401k. If you have money in Fidelity cash reserves, you likely either got paid dividends (and didn't reinvest) or something else is screwed up. With a 401k, you typically pick a number of funds you want to invest in and you rarely (if ever) put money directly in to cash.
[/QUOTE]

Basically I had to roll it over when I lost my job, so there is only about 2K in the account. I went over different funds and everything, found the ones I wanted with one of their employees, and he said they will switch me to the funds I selected. About a month later I got a letter stating I would have to add money to my 401K because my balance is too small. To me it wasn't worth tying up more money. I just got my year end tax doc and it says I made $1.13 this year for my 401K.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']Basically I had to roll it over when I lost my job, so there is only about 2K in the account. I went over different funds and everything, found the ones I wanted with one of their employees, and he said they will switch me to the funds I selected. About a month later I got a letter stating I would have to add money to my 401K because my balance is too small. To me it wasn't worth tying up more money. I just got my year end tax doc and it says I made $1.13 this year for my 401K.[/QUOTE]

I think they might be penalizing you for not having a minimum of $2500 in there. They usually waive that requirement if you aren't making regular contributions though. So is the money just sitting there, rotting now? Did you roll it over into an IRA?
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']I think they might be penalizing you for not having a minimum of $2500 in there. They usually waive that requirement if you aren't making regular contributions though. So is the money just sitting there, rotting now? Did you roll it over into an IRA?[/QUOTE]

It's basically rotting. It believe a 401K is technically an IRA (non-roth) once it is rolled over. They basically won't let me do anything else with it, if I don't drop more money into the account.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']It's basically rotting. It believe a 401K is technically an IRA (non-roth) once it is rolled over. They basically won't let me do anything else with it, if I don't drop more money into the account.[/QUOTE]

Are you planning on putting anything else in it?

You could always cash it out since it's so small. Your taxes/penalty wouldn't be TOO awful, but not ideal either.
 
Odd how a slightly tasteless joke I made shifted the discussion towards retirement accounts...

I tend to ignore the one with my current employer since I've got a bunch going into it and when I get my yearly summary it's over 5%. I very actively manage my Fidelity IRA and I've got a 401(k) from WAY back when I worked for Sprint that I'm not touching because all fees are waived on it and it makes a decent gain every year. I was pondering doing the one time hardship deal and using that as an additional chunk for the down payment on the house but was advised not to given that I needed to show potential collateral if I went south on the mortgage.
 
Haha this is awesome. 30 year olds with a love for videogames. Something I don't see everyday you know, so I'm literally amazed :) I'm still 20. But when I have a child in the future (hopefully), he or she better kick my ass in video games. He/shell have to learn to play smart and not just have fun. It'll be a video game boot camp that ill set up at home. And ill write create a book filled with video game terms like "bunny hop" "reload cancel" shit like that... And ill test my child on it.. Then I send them to tournaments and compete. And then ill keep all the moneyzz. Nah I'm kidding lol
 
[quote name='mtxbass1']Are you planning on putting anything else in it?

You could always cash it out since it's so small. Your taxes/penalty wouldn't be TOO awful, but not ideal either.[/QUOTE]

Do you have to be working to contribute to your 401k? That may be the reason I coudn't do anything with it.
 
I think you may have to due to the pre-tax nature of the investment vehicle. You could always do a Roth-IRA instead which is post tax for the principle.
 
[quote name='slowdive21']Do you have to be working to contribute to your 401k? That may be the reason I coudn't do anything with it.[/QUOTE]

Yes. Unless you've rolled it over to an IRA. I thought you did that already?
 
I think I've discovered the fountain of youth! The Screwdriver! As in Vodka and OJ, not the flathead or philips tool...
Aside from a little stumble around 2pm, if I have one with breakfast I'm usually feeling pretty good all day until I can get home and start the normal drinking again. It's wonderful and I strongly suggest that all you lushes give it a whirl. Vodka, it's what's for breakfast
 
[quote name='nasum']I think I've discovered the fountain of youth! The Screwdriver! As in Vodka and OJ, not the flathead or philips tool...
Aside from a little stumble around 2pm, if I have one with breakfast I'm usually feeling pretty good all day until I can get home and start the normal drinking again. It's wonderful and I strongly suggest that all you lushes give it a whirl. Vodka, it's what's for breakfast[/QUOTE]

Monster + Grey Goose = Fun! As long as I chug a Gatorade before bed I'm usually good to go when the kids wake me up at 6. Just tired but not hurting.
 
[quote name='nasum']I think I've discovered the fountain of youth! The Screwdriver! As in Vodka and OJ, not the flathead or philips tool...
Aside from a little stumble around 2pm, if I have one with breakfast I'm usually feeling pretty good all day until I can get home and start the normal drinking again. It's wonderful and I strongly suggest that all you lushes give it a whirl. Vodka, it's what's for breakfast[/QUOTE]

I'd be worried about my breath smelling in the morning.
 
make sure to do your stretching!

I'm having a rough week in the depression area. I just can't seem to get my head out of the sand no matter how hard I try.
 
I'm noticing that after I turned 30 (turning 31 this year), I did start to go out less. Working 10AM through 7PM and then gym after work takes a toll on me sometimes. Fridays I love staying in with my fiance. When I go out with friends, I do drink less, but if I do drink a lot, I notice the hangover is a LOT worse than when I was younger.

And what's up with this white hair coming in? I'm starting to look like Reed Richards a little bit!
 
I don't think alcoholism is much help with either the big 3-0 or depression....

I drink a fair amount myself as I love good beer, but seldom more than 1-2 beers a couple nights a week. Drinking in the morning to have a good day is a bad slippery slope to start going down.
 
[quote name='dothog']Try Monster and Grey Goose. Sources claim it works wonders with a Gatorade chaser.[/QUOTE]

I take it all back. I got hammered on Friday following my usual strategy and I'm still recovering. I don't know what the hell happened except I ended up playing roulette until past 4AM and pretty much all of Saturday, Sunday and Monday I wanted to die.
 
[quote name='RockinTheRedDog']I'm noticing that after I turned 30 (turning 31 this year), I did start to go out less. Working 10AM through 7PM and then gym after work takes a toll on me sometimes. Fridays I love staying in with my fiance. When I go out with friends, I do drink less, but if I do drink a lot, I notice the hangover is a LOT worse than when I was younger.

[/QUOTE]

I was never much of a drinker. I think I've gone out with friends drinking a grand total of less than 10 times my whole life. If we do drink, we usually stay in and do it.

10AM to 7PM is pretty good hours. You start late enough that you can kinda sleep in, but you get off early enough that you have time in the evening. I think 10am-6pm is the ideal shift.
 
Yeah, I've never been a morning person. That's may favorite thing about working as a professor. I log a lot of hours, but I can work them when I want for the most part, so I seldom have to be at work early.

I tend to get up between 8-10am. Some days I go to the gym and then the office, other days straight to work. Stopping time is usually between 6pm and midnight most days. Usually between 6 and 9pm with a short break for dinner.
 
[quote name='2DMention']I was never much of a drinker. I think I've gone out with friends drinking a grand total of less than 10 times my whole life. If we do drink, we usually stay in and do it.

10AM to 7PM is pretty good hours. You start late enough that you can kinda sleep in, but you get off early enough that you have time in the evening. I think 10am-6pm is the ideal shift.[/QUOTE]

Yeah my hours aren't bad but my commute is an hour to/from. Mornings are fine, but getting out of work at 7PM, then finishing the gym at 8:30PM. Usually by the time I get home, it's either 9:30-10PM (I live in NYC...trains get crappy at night). So by the time I get home, eat dinner, it's usually time for bed.

Wash, rinse and repeat Mon-Fri.
 
[quote name='Javery']I take it all back. I got hammered on Friday following my usual strategy and I'm still recovering. I don't know what the hell happened except I ended up playing roulette until past 4AM and pretty much all of Saturday, Sunday and Monday I wanted to die.[/QUOTE]

I feel you there. As I said earlier in the thread I just can't get hammered any more. Hangovers come easier, are more severe, and last longer than when I was younger.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']I feel you there. As I said earlier in the thread I just can't get hammered any more. Hangovers come easier, are more severe, and last longer than when I was younger.[/QUOTE]

I have recently found though that if I take two aspirin with a lot of water before I go to bed, my hangover the next day is non-existent or is very mild. After a nice shower, iced coffee and a vitamin, you're right as rain.
 
That type of stuff used to help me as well, but doesn't as much as in the past. It helps for a moderate night of drinking. But if I go get shitfaced like I used to I'll feel crappy the next day regardless of what I do. A lot of water etc. before drinking does still help with the severity of hangovers still, but I can't just shrug them off in a couple hours the next day like I used to be able to.

You should take ibuprofren rather than aspirin or tylenol after drinking though as the latter two can cause liver problems when mixed with alcohol.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That type of stuff used to help me as well, but doesn't as much as in the past. It helps for a moderate night of drinking. But if I go get shitfaced like I used to I'll feel crappy the next day regardless of what I do. A lot of water etc. before drinking does still help with the severity of hangovers still, but I can't just shrug them off in a couple hours the next day like I used to be able to.

You should take ibuprofren rather than aspirin or tylenol after drinking though as the latter two can cause liver problems when mixed with alcohol.[/QUOTE]

Aw aspirin is included in that don't drink with alcohol? I thought it was Tylenol only.
 
[quote name='RockinTheRedDog']Aw aspirin is included in that don't drink with alcohol? I thought it was Tylenol only.[/QUOTE]

Yep. Though it's stomach risks rather than liver like Tylenol

"Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking this medication. Alcohol may increase your risk of stomach bleeding."

http://www.drugs.com/aspirin.html
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']That type of stuff used to help me as well, but doesn't as much as in the past. It helps for a moderate night of drinking. But if I go get shitfaced like I used to I'll feel crappy the next day regardless of what I do. A lot of water etc. before drinking does still help with the severity of hangovers still, but I can't just shrug them off in a couple hours the next day like I used to be able to.

You should take ibuprofren rather than aspirin or tylenol after drinking though as the latter two can cause liver problems when mixed with alcohol.[/QUOTE]

Same here. I take ibuprofen before and after a night of drinking. I don't get hangover type headaches - I'm usually OK in that department but this time I felt like I was going to vomit pretty much all day. I'm still not sure why.
 
I get bad headaches even with a mild hangover--always have.

The nausea comes with severe hangovers, with a day of vomiting/dry heaving if I really over do it, and in that case I'll probably still feel a bit crappy the second day as well.

So I just limit my drinking. Seldom have more than 1-2 and try to never have more than 5 or so even when celebrating something etc. Maybe a couple more if I'm drinking 5% or under beers rather than stronger beer or liquor or wine.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']So I just limit my drinking. Seldom have more than 1-2 and try to never have more than 5 or so even when celebrating something etc. Maybe a couple more if I'm drinking 5% or under beers rather than stronger beer or liquor or wine.[/QUOTE]

Same here. This past weekend was the first drinks I've had since New Year's and it will be well into the summer before I have another (I usually BBQ in my back yard and have a couple of drinks while hanging out). Drinking is one giant overrated hassle. Not worth it, IMO.
 
I only drink more often as I LOVE good beer. But I don't like getting drunk much and agree that's over rated.

So I just have 1-2 good beers a few nights a week for the most part. Maybe a few more if I'm hanging out with friends and not driving.
 
[quote name='Javery']I take it all back.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, as soon as I read the Monster/vodka tip, I thought "Ye gods, man, you're recommending that as a 'safe' tipple?"

"I take it all back" is the sentiment I usually express after a night of >1 cocktails. It rarely occurs anymore, but when it does, in the moment I'll devise some elaborate scheme to justify running head first into the inevitable. I'll tell myself, you deserve a tasty cocktail, and to stave off the ill effects, you can guzzle 3 liters of water before going to bed! THIS PLAN CANNOT FAIL!

No matter how much water I drink or how many vitamins I take, the next day I wake with a 3-ton bag of sand where my brain used to be, and all the thought that bag of sand can generate is, "If only I could go back and tell me NOT to have the second cocktail." It's just that single extra cocktail. It's amazing what an incredible pussy I am.

I've heard that the type of booze can be correlated with the severity of the hangover, but it's pissing about with a few % difference at best. Hung over is hung over, whether it be rye hungover or vodka hungover.
 
Well, with cocktails it's how strong it's mixed that can mess you up as you may go somewhere that makes them 2 or 3 times stronger than the places you usually get them etc.

That's why I usually stick with beer or wine so I know exactly how much alcohol I'm drinking.
 
[quote name='dmaul1114']Well, with cocktails it's how strong it's mixed that can mess you up as you may go somewhere that makes them 2 or 3 times stronger than the places you usually get them etc.

That's why I usually stick with beer or wine so I know exactly how much alcohol I'm drinking.[/QUOTE]

I tended bar all of the way through undergrad and grad school, so I'm usually aware of when I'm getting it strong and when I'm getting it weak. (Most drinks are poured weak, unless you're a regular who tips. It's just safer -- and cheaper, of course -- for the house to pour weak.)

In my experience, I avoid beer/wine tippling as much as possible. Make for lousy hangovers. I realize that contradicts my earlier message, I was just thinking spirits. But man. The worst hangover I've ever had was a friggin sangria hangover. Sangria. Jesus.
 
Yeah, wine hangovers are the worst. I just know my limits on beer and wine, not so much on cocktails.

As you note, most places make them weak, but you stumble across places that make stronger drinks sometimes and that's been a recipe for disaster for me. :D

Plus I'm just not much in to liquor or mixed drinks. I like the occasional bourbon or scotch on the rocks and like margarita's on the rocks sometimes in the summer, but that's about it.
 
I love spirits, I love manhattans, rye old fashioned, gimlets, and smart tiki drinks (slings, mai tais, etc.). It all started as a kid, when my grandpa would have me mix his drinks for him in the little bar he built for himself in the basement. I loved that feeling of being behind the bar, it was a very special place. So once I got to drinking age while schoolin', tending bar was automatic. I loved it.

If a place is pouring strong consistently, my guess is either there's a very green bartender at the other end of that pour and/or the place is poorly managed. I've worked 5 different places, and they were all very particular about pouring too strong, to the extent that a few calculated how many extra cases of booze they had to order per year if, for example, just one bartender made a habit of pouring with a half-jigger too much during his shifts.

Anyhow, as for my limits with cocktails, I know mine, too. One (1). Any more than that, and all the hydration and electrolytes in existence won't save me from the day after.
 
Tanqueray and Tonic is my poison, but mixed drinks are always short poured. I used to tend bar in the UK and all shots were pre-measured, so spirits were a better option. I also used to drink Vodka and Redbull back then. Of course I stopped after I gave the club an unsolicited karaoke performance of Rollins Band "Liar" and I broke a tumbler on my head.


Edit: I am so glad camera phones did not exist yet.
 
[quote name='dothog']
If a place is pouring strong consistently, my guess is either there's a very green bartender at the other end of that pour and/or the place is poorly managed. I've worked 5 different places, and they were all very particular about pouring too strong, to the extent that a few calculated how many extra cases of booze they had to order per year if, for example, just one bartender made a habit of pouring with a half-jigger too much during his shifts[/QUOTE]

That's probably a lot of it.

I've also noted that a lot of times the crappy little hole in the wall basement bars (which I love) often pour stronger than the nicer bars--don't tend to use shot glasses or anything and just pour straight into the glasses etc.

Also, if it's a female bartender and not a hottie that gets hit on all night every night, some flirting and good tipping tends to get stronger drinks, free shots etc. sometimes! :D

I tend to just get whiskey on the rocks etc. if I don't drink beer, so it's just a matter of certain places using less ice or getting an extra finger pour after tipping well on the first drink etc.
 
Turning 29 this week, I haven't had a drink in a month. Partially because I had surgery, but mostly because my hangovers have got so bad in the last 6 months it's downright not worth it sometimes. I don't want to deal with a big hangover while I'm taking it easy. But I'll probably have a couple of drinks for the birthday, and a couple can easily turn into 10.

I've tried new remedies and different drinks, but I've only had limited success. Seems that these days I'm better off with liquor instead of beer (which is unfortunate because I prefer beer), and peptobismol is my new BFF.
 
I prefer mixed drinks usually, really doesn't seem to effect me much. I tend to get talkative, won't shut up, but I'm not falling over drunk.
 
Another reason why I don't/can't drink is because I take meds for bi-polar, and we all know drugs/meds don't mix. I'm ok if I drink 1-2, but I don't dare drink anymore than that.
 
[quote name='dothog']Sangria. Jesus.[/QUOTE]

You aren't kidding. I've been wine-free since the summer of '97 and I don't regret a thing. Even in moderation I get awful headaches from drinking the stuff - and I was 22 back in '97! Sangria makes it even worse for some reason.
 
It's probably the sugar in the fruit juice that makes sangrias worse on that.

Simple carbs like sugars get absorbed quickly, so when drinking sangrias you probably absorb the alcohol faster.

I get terrible headaches from wine, but only if I over do it. I can have 2 or 3 glasses with no issues, same as beer or liquor.

The one thing I still can't stand to drink is Vodka. I got really sick on cheap Vodka a couple times back in college (97-98 back somewhere around there) and just haven't been able to stomach the taste of vodka since.
 
[quote name='Javery']I take it all back. I got hammered on Friday following my usual strategy and I'm still recovering. I don't know what the hell happened except I ended up playing roulette until past 4AM and pretty much all of Saturday, Sunday and Monday I wanted to die.[/QUOTE]

Phew. I relate to your story there, Javery. If I go completely "next level/let's do this" like that sometimes it lasts for days: Saturday is completely wasted (as in, can't even get out of bed), Sunday I feel terrible and Monday I still feel pretty bad. Pretty expensive price to pay for one night of fun.

I don't know if this is a product of aging either (I'm 35 btw) but I find that I generally feel depressed, malaise or remorseful after even one big night... even if I didn't do anything really all that stupid. Which is odd, since I used to do really dumb things all the time when I was young and would drink and I'd feel pretty much fine.
 
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