Learn it! Speak it! Live it!
Special Student Discount for WORLD!
Click to Print
Include Comments
Whirled Views 4.23
Good morning!
Today’s quote is from an author: “Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.”
Topic: Watercooler Chatter, WorldMagBlog
You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
Today's News | Christian Views
| Home | Community | WorldMagBlog | Commentary | Previous Posts | Podcasts | Contact Us | Subscribe |
CURRENT ISSUE
Family man
Michael Oher went from the streets to the NFL because of an adoptive family
FULL STORY
feedWORLD on Twitter
Humility regarding what man does. Faith in what God does. That means skepticism about politicians' plans to run health care.
About 1 day agoFollow Us On Twitter >>
Executives who run companies should be self-effacing. Add “I” to run and the result is ruin.
About 1 day ago
All original content Copyright © 2009 WORLDmag.com and may not be reproduced without permission
back to top24 Comments to “Whirled Views 4.23”
Today’s quote is from Ayn Rand. Have a great day folks.
Report comment to moderator
Well, Joe B., you are just a fountainhead of info today. When I saw the quote, I just shrugged.
Report comment to moderator
How did things turn out for you, Joe B, or don’t you know yet?
I’m going to write a letter to a leading pro-life attorney in NJ today, and I ask that you pray it will be well received. Thanks.
Report comment to moderator
TJ
Boooooooooooooo.
Terrible pun.
Report comment to moderator
Thank you for all who commented on family size, yesterday. I hadn’t seen the other thread (A Convenient Thread) when I asked my question so I can see similar discussions were going on in two places.
I haven’t reached any conclusions yet, and my husband isn’t sure I should write this article because it’s such a minefield. But I’ve had some interesting, thoughtful interviews. And I’m surprised at how many of my friends have used Natural Family Planning–I had thought that was almost an underground experience, but apparently not.
I don’t need to hear about birth control experiences you’ve all had.
I’ve found the answers divide into three camps: those who didn’t think twice about limiting family size, those who believe the Lord opens and closes the womb and do nothing to get in His way, and the more nuanced Catholic version which is very thoughtful but requires spiritual maturity.
And as we all know, any form of maturity isn’t required to make a baby.
I’m on hotline today, which should make for an ironic contrast.
Report comment to moderator
Dr. Dave,
My brother-in-law is trying to figure out how to make a computer program to make drugs to stop viruses from infecting. I really don’t get it but it seems like your interest in protein folding fits well with his research. Are you interested?
Report comment to moderator
My ex sister in law is married to a man whose ex-wife is an alcoholic. He and the ex-wife have a 7 year old daughter who spends every Wednesday night with ex-SIL and new hubby (daddy). Is that all confusing enough?
A couple of Wednesdays ago Robin (SIL) was getting Marlon (step-daughter) into the bathtub. There were some sores on her torso area. Robin questioned her about them and asked what had happened. The child clammed up and said she didn’t know and didn’t want to talk about it. Robin told her husband and they took digital photos of it. Later my niece was looking at it and identified it as something teenagers are doing rather than cutting themselves. Someone has burned this child with a Bic type lighter. John and Robin have contacted DHR. I spent the morning with Robing this morning. They are going to try to get custody and get the child out of the situation. Prior to this the 7 yr old had been ironing and burned herself with an iron. Please say a prayer for this situation. Thanks.
Report comment to moderator
Dr. Dave,
Jack is a Ph.D from CalTech. Nice guy but he has either left the faith or never got it in the first place.
Report comment to moderator
Thanks NJLawyer. I still have not heard from the hiring manager. At any rate, the Lord is in control
Report comment to moderator
Our first daffodils opened yesterday!
Report comment to moderator
Michelle,
My mom did the overnight hotline regularly for several years, which surprised me–she was willingly losing sleep for a group of people I hadn’t expected her to identify with, pregnant teens. Well, one time I called and Mom answered the phone, “Crisis Pregnancy Center.” (That was, of course, before caller ID!)
I paused, and then said, “Yeah, I’m pregnant, and trying to figure out how to tell my mom.” I wasn’t sure whether or not she’d laugh at that one, but she did.
Report comment to moderator
Well, we’re praying for you, Joe B. (No one believes that God is in control of this sort of thing more than I do. I really believe that’s true.)
And Kim has prayers coming her way, too. That’s a very upsetting story. Luckily, someone recognized it for what it is. Coupled with the “clamming up,” I’m glad DHR was called.
Report comment to moderator
For those who are interested, Lynn’s book (Same Kind of Different as Me–she was the writer on it) is on the New York Times best-seller list. Lynn, if you’re lurking, congrats.
Report comment to moderator
Kim, I’m praying for this dear little girl.
Report comment to moderator
Paperback Nonfiction – New York Times
29 – SAME KIND OF DIFFERENT AS ME, by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent (Thomas Nelson)
Report comment to moderator
Interesting link from National Geographic about super-rapid evolution of lizards–what they say usually takes millions of years took only a few decades.
Here’s the link: http://tinyurl.com/53dnco
Report comment to moderator
Wow! I sure know how to kill a thread! And to think I might have hijacked by posting an evolution-themed link!
Report comment to moderator
Hi friends. I’m feeling pretty down tonight. My husband (and I) have been wronged through some people involved in our ministry. It’s not something I can share details about because I don’t want to gossip. But his (and my) name have been slandered. The other person involved has a real problem with gossiping and embellishing on stories–they have been spreading exxagerated and untrue things around the county about my husband (and our family, and our ministry). My husband, in trying to respond Biblically, is not responding to the attacks at all. If he were to respond to them and defend our name, it would mean involving people who are not actually a part of the problem, hence causing more gossip. So I have been trying to do the same. But, the human side of me is just wanting to scream out to everyone what really happened in the situation, and lift up my husband (and our family and ministry). Would you please pray for us, that we could ride out this storm without causing more problems, and that the tongues of the gossipers would be stopped?
Report comment to moderator
Momoffour, I will be happy to pray for you and your family.
False accusations are hard to bear, thankfully the LORD knows all about it.
God bless you all
Report comment to moderator
Momoffour – I’ll be praying for you and your family and your ministry. Hang in there.
Report comment to moderator
CherylD,
I want to continue some thoughts on personal homes. You mentioned that you didn’t think too many people could pay off there home when ever they needed to. This is an erroneous assumption on your part.
In some cases you are right, but taking one example, many retired people own their own homes outright after paying off a 30 year mortgage. They usually plan not to have house payments when they go into retirement. I tell them this is crazy thinking and is totally against a low risk retirement strategy that maximizes income while reducing risk.
What they end up with is a home that is appreciating but they have no net worth. They haven’t saved anything of note to retire on, as far as net worth goes, so they sell their home, downsize to a smaller one (which they pay off) and then have some way too small net worth to live on even including their social security pittance.
The bad thing for baby boomers is that, as they start to retire now, the real estate market has crashed in much of the country and their only savings they had counted on in now worth 25% or more less than a year ago.
But it gets worse. The number of baby boomers retiring is staggering and since few have saved for retirement, the are all trying to sell their homes because they need to downsize to get some net worth to retire on. They will find out their home price is depressed even further because of all the additional baby boomers trying to do what they want to do – downsize – all at the same time.
Many Baby Boomers have now figured out that they will not be able to retire because they do not have and cannot get the net worth to do so. But they easily could have done so.
They could have refined their home when they had equity in it years before and converted the equity into investable net worth and invested it to build real retirement net worth outside of their home. Since their investments are net worth and very liquid, unlike real estate which is not net worth or liquid as so many have found out the hard way, they could at any time, easily liquidated their investments and paid off their mortgage any time they wanted or needed to. But they could have been making huge piles of profit by not doing so too. You can’t make profits unless you invest net worth.
So your idea that people do not have the net worth to pay off their mortgage any time they want is quite wrong. They just don’t plan properly and do not know how to take advantage of leverage the low risk way. It all comes down to the (6) P’s and simple ignorance. Prior planning prevents piss poor performance. But planning doesn’t do one any good if you don’t know how through ignorance.
Leverage just magnifies profits. If your investments are low risk to begin with then any normal leverage is welcome and completely conservative.
Report comment to moderator
Llama – 21
Notwithstanding the vulgarity of your six P’s. Please tell me if you refi your home at say – 6% interest than the cash you are taking out requires that you earn at least 10 or 12 % return on your money. Assuming that return, where do you get off saying that a 10- 12% return on your money is a “conservative” investment return especially when a typical “conservative” corporate or municipal bond rarely pays more than 5 to 6 % year in year out. Of course there are always “conservative” mutual funds which have paid about 12% average over the past five to ten years:
HOWEVER THE AVERAGE RETURN FOR MUTUAL FUNDS HAS BEEN ABOUT A -6% SINCE LAST FALL. SO IT WILL TAKE MANY INVESTORS USING THIS STRATEGY ABOUT 2 YEARS JUST TO GET BACK TO WHERE THEY WERE LAST FALL.
In short, nothing you have stated in your post is “CONSERVATIVE” but quite risky.
Any investor, novice or experienced knows that “LEVERAGE” magnifies both the return and the “LOSS” when various economic factors such as those in last six months come into play.
Perhaps you should write your book – it could become a comedic best seller.
Report comment to moderator
Joe B: I forgot to award you your virtual drink of the day! Better late than never, right? Enjoy your spiced chai.
Report comment to moderator
Llama,
I wasn’t at all addressing the issue of whether most people COULD pay off their homes, just whether it was wise to keep paying a mortgage payment when one doesn’t have to. Your strategy works for you, so bravo. I myself wouldn’t do it, wouldn’t advise it. I want the security of knowing my home is mine. I don’t think deliberate debt (even if one has the money to pay it off) is wise, and I’d argue that it may even violate Scripture, where we are told to avoid debt.
In fact, most people I know have the opposite problem–they’re still in mortgage debt (and other forms of debt) well into their fifties.
I have no choice but to have a mortgage now. But I expect to have it paid off by the time I’m 50 (I’m on track for 48 or 49, but am hoping to make it earlier). After that, my costs will go WAY down, and I can save more. If Social Security would return all the money I’ve paid through the years, I could pay off my home NOW, have enough left over for a good used car (mine is 14), and in ten years, saving only the money I’m currently paying in mortgage and Social Security, I’d have the equivalent of four years’ income–more if I invested it well.
I have no desire to “get rich.” But my strategy of living within my means and avoiding debt should still allow me plenty of surplus in my later years. For me personally, I don’t want to risk my home on an investment, and I think it would be unwise for most people to do so. I don’t care whether a home is “liquid.” I haven’t bought it as an investment. I bought it to live in. My car isn’t an investment either; I bought it to drive, and knew when I bought it that it would depreciate. Thus, in buying homes and cars, I buy reasonably within my means, not extravagantly.
Report comment to moderator
back to topJoin The Conversation
You need to be a registered user of WORLDonTheWeb.com to "join the conversation."
If you are not a member yet, what are you waiting for? Register / Login Now!