StopBuyingCrap.com

That is, getting an average return from your retirement investment.

As I’ve been reading and trying to learn more about investing, I notice a particular thing — people are obessed with beating the market. To be sure, I would love it too if my retirement account outperforms the market ten-fold; but at the end, I wouldn’t care even if its returns are below average.

What’s important to me is that the investment has reached my goal and can provide me with a comfortable living during my retirement.

I can’t recall where I read this from, but it goes something like this:

When it comes to investing for your retirement, you shouldn’t care too much about beating the market. No one has “Beat the S&P 500 by 22%!” on their tombstone. When a group of retirees in a wealthy retirement community were asked that if they have had better return than the market, the result was mixed. Some said yes, some said no, but what most ended up saying was: “it doesn’t really matter what the returns were, because it was enough to get me here.”

Punny Money has a great guide on being the ultimate glutton at any all-you-can-eat buffet.

Yum?

You’re waiting in line at the bus stop and suddenly you hear chattering behind you. In fact, a giggle escaped from one of the female standing behind you. Without turning around, you knew right away what they’re discussing about.

The floating green numbers above your head. A dollar sign follow by digits. Your net worth.

Unfortunately, it wouldn’t go away. You tried in vain to cover it with numerous things. A top hat. An umbrella. Your kid on a piggy back ride. The numbers just floats higher. You tried whacking at it with a stick or your hand but the numbers will merely fissile out momentarily, only to reappear later.

And so you stood there, painfully aware that your numbers is the lowest ones among those waiting in line. You curse the day that Supreme Overlord Xenu made it mandatory for net worth to be displayed publicly and wish that you were back in 2007, where your only problems were the fact that everyone and their mom wanted to run for the Presidency of the United State of America…
…

Imagine for a moment that your net worth is public.

Worse, your entire financial history is available to a stranger — if they’re curious enough.

Things will certainly look different when you see your neighbor pulls up on his drive way, getting out of his brand new luxury car with a big red negative net worth floating above his head. You may also be surprise to find out that the humble looking neighbor down the street is a multi-millionaire, who has somehow saved his way to wealth.

A simple trip to the grocery store or shopping mall may also drastically change. Perhaps people would be more self conscious on what they buy. Nice new designer jeans while you’re showing a negative net worth? Not so hot. A small tip when the floating numbers says you can afford a lot more? Again, not very fun.

Let’s not forget the safety issues too — especially when you’re stuck on the bad side of the town with a big dollar sign floating above your head. (On the other hand, a negative net worth may be robbery deterrent).

Family and friends may treat you diffrently. Co-workers will chit chat (office drama to the max). You will hear more lines such as these: “Eyes down here please, those numbers don’t determine me as a person!” It seems there will be more negative implications than positive ones.

What if your net worth is public? What would you do? How will you and the rest of us act?

You know how credit cards companies will often get your name wrong on solicitations?

Wrong middle initial, typo on last name, it’s Brian not Bryan dammit, etc.?

Somehow Chase thinks I’m a doctor. Perhaps putting $178,000 for annual household income on the application wouldn’t land me an income verification…

Random Sunday morning rant.

Does anyone else find it annoying that when you plug a USB cable into a USB slot, it’ll never fit in on the first try? Maybe it’s just me…

Unfortunate long time readers (i.e., my dad) would remember that I bought a brand spankin’ new 17″ monitor back in May 2005 — for a wacky price tag of $350 (just because it can pivot, rotate, and have a 8ms response time).

So why buy another monitor, the Samsung 941BW?

Um… because it’s widescreen? And there was a rebate?

$225.35 from Buy.com + $17.47 (tax) - $20 (Google checkout discount) - $40 (Samsung rebate) = $182.85

As if I really need the non-standard 16:10 aspect ratio, the extra screen space from the uncommon 1440 x 900 resolution, and the fast 4 ms response time.

What happened to the old monitor? It’s now set at the vertical portrait view setting, sitting beside the new monitor. Do I really need two monitors? Uh…

At the end, H.264 on widescreen + hypocrisy = yummy.

Jeffrey of Personal Finance Advice has a very neat post titled: The Best Place to Hide Money: Conversation with a (former) Burglar.

A fairly good read that may give you a different perspective on safe keeping your valuables.