# The last day of my commitment



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

Grabber title. There is plenty of press about commitment phobic men, but I never worried much about it. I went to church and stayed married. But this one is a commitment I am happy to see the tail end of.
I stashed a chunk of the profits from selling my business assets in a 5 year CD. Tomorrow it matures for the first time. I almost gave up a years interest last month just to be done with it. I have 10 days to move the money (includes two weekends) before the idiot bank locks it up for another five years. I can't set up an automatic transfer, it has to be done in person on one of those ten days. When I tried to set it up early they asked why I wanted to take the money out? I was incredulous. I wanted to say "because it is my freaking money". But, bank, so I put it in terms they could comprehend. I said it was because their interest rate was pathetic. 
So I guess I just hate commitment. Maybe I'll have a steak to celebrate the end of the 5 year term.


----------



## Broken at 20 (Sep 25, 2012)

I always find it interesting how the media portrays certain things. 

Like marriage rates are down. Is it because most marriages fail, husbands are generally raked over the coals in divorce, family courts are very biased, and there's always the mantra that women can do it all and don't need men? No, can't be any of that, it must be that men are commitment phobes. 
Or like that time some professor guy was trying to explain the benefits of marriage to men. Among said benefits were working 400+ more hours a year over single men, and spending less time with friends/bars, and more time with family/church. While I understand the natural shift, if you have a family you obviously have to spend time with them over your friends, but describing an additional 400+ hours of work a year as a feature of marriage...probably not the strongest argument. 


Commitment phobias aside, as to your CD. 
What do you plan to use this money for? Unless you want to buy a house or other large asset in the next 5 or 10 years, what are you going to do with it? And please don't tell me blow it on new toys, like a TV, couch, or whatever. 
I wouldn't put it in the stock market. I think companies are going to start declaring bankruptcy in early 2021, maybe even by Christmas. Most department and brick-and-mortar stores are either getting ready to file, or have. Except for maybe grocery stores. And I guess Amazon? 
Other companies that a few years ago that were also riding high, are now collapsing. The entire movie theater industry (AMC, CineMark Theaters) is drowning while Disney is just trying to stay above water. And the lack of tourism and business travel is hitting airlines, hotels, rental car companies, which could soon impact the car industry. They are all showing signs of recovery, but I question how viable/long-term those positive results are with so much of the economy still shut down. 
I also wonder how the credit card companies are doing. With so many people unemployed, I would guess more and more of them are using their credit cards, racking up debt that may be extremely difficult for them to pay back. I wonder if the credit card companies could soon see a problem with lots of people owing them money, but not enough people able to pay them. 

Plus, there is no telling how long the current pandemic lasts. 
And, if I were a betting man, I would guess that if Biden wins the election, Wall Street will be very reactionary and probably have a bad day. Or week. So more stock problems. 
You could try investing with some medical focus company. Like Pfizer, or Centene or someone like that. I hear they're doing good. 

I would say if you want access to the money, which isn't a bad idea in the world we currently live in, just transfer it to your checking account. 

But that's just the opinion of this low-level accounting associate that works at an accounting firm. Who is naturally more cynical that I probably should be. 
If you do blow the money, I would suggest a gaming computer, and Fallout 4. And play around, and figure out what a person surviving in a world that went horribly wrong needs. Like guns, and bullets. And medical materials (and probably some first aid training isn't a bad idea).


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

What do I plan to use the money for? Well obviously I'm not putting it back in a CD. Rates are awful this year. And the control issue is a pain for me. I think if I was inclined to do that again I'd shop more. the penalty rate varies a lot from bank to bank. a 5 year cd could have a penalty of 18 months interest or 9 months interest. Interest rates are terrible all around but during the time I had my money making 1%, rates varied from .25% up to 5% I really should have moved the money every time I could find an advantage. But the penalty rate.
So among the things you mentioned. 
TV - I haven't owned one for years and I'm pretty happy with my side by side 27" monitors. I've thought of putting a 32 " smart tv in my room but mrs nail sleeps at the same time I do now so no tv in that room.
Couch - Not until the cats (another commitment I'm sick of) die. I like my couch but have to keep it covered full time to keep the fur off.
Stock market - been there escaped with my skin intact. Credit card companies are approaching 2x bank CD rates but still under 1% so they aren't doing that well. Medical companies are crocked to the core.
Guns and bullets - Well as much as I would like a new one, I've locked them all down until the marriage resolves into a stable solution. I could pick up a case of hunting bullets, but it's been so long since I hunted wild meat that I wouldn't know where to look.
Which brings up another possibility. I could pay a lawyer to expedite a divorce. Kind of a lousy way to stimulate the economy. No fault state and no kids, we could probably go the budget DIY route.
Some things I have actually considered. A riding lawnmower, I have a bit of property that needs a lot of mowing. I've been getting by with a 30" mower but moving past 4 feet would really cut the time down. It's a funny time of year to buy one but it could be done.
I thought of getting a cargo system for my pickup. But I'm just not feeling it. Truck is old and the system I like best has a major (to me) design flaw.
Which is why at this point I'm probably going to invest in steak. Mrs. Nail announced her Friday date (supposedly girls lunch out). I think I deserve a date too.

One other note. I remembered wrong, I still have the weekend in purgatory. CD matures Monday Aaaarrrgh!


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

It's done. There is some paperwork the bank has to do. now how to find a steak?


----------



## Tasorundo (Apr 1, 2012)

I recommend a thick filet, cooked with with rosemary and garlic in a sous vide, then finished in an iron skillet, with some butter and smashed garlic.


----------



## TJW (Mar 20, 2012)

Broken at 20 said:


> Among said benefits were working 400+ more hours a year over single men, and spending less time with friends/bars, and more time with family/church.


And he ignored the creme de la creme ? Having kids, who get prioritized by your wife at #s 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, while you fall to about # 20 (lower than HER time with friends/bars) ?
Every guy I know is beating down the damn door to get into this.....



Mr. Nail said:


> I put it in terms they could comprehend. I said it was because their interest rate was pathetic.


If the bank/marriage analogy holds...... the bank had no phucking idea why you would ever think it's YOUR money.....


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

I'm still digesting that concept of 400 hours per year. That's 7.6 hours per week, or a lump of over 2 weeks. That's an extra hour every single day. And that is just work time. What if there was another 1-2 hours per day in relationship maintenance (Ele's 15 hours of quality time) . 
I did something in the last month of summer. I took my kayak out every week. 1 hour on the water, one hour driving and loading, one hour setup and cleanup. About 3 hours. If I was not married and if these estimates are any where near accurate, I could do that every single day of the year. Is that the life I gave up?


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

Good news or bad? I may be down a cat this weekend. The village idiot is missing this morning. On the other hand he may be peeved. We left the cats alone til dark yesterday and they get a bit anxious when that happens.


----------



## oldshirt (Apr 1, 2017)

Broken at 20 said:


> I always find it interesting how the media portrays certain things.
> 
> Like marriage rates are down. Is it because most marriages fail, husbands are generally raked over the coals in divorce, family courts are very biased, and there's always the mantra that women can do it all and don't need men? No, can't be any of that, it must be that men are commitment phobes.
> Or like that time some professor guy was trying to explain the benefits of marriage to men. Among said benefits were working 400+ more hours a year over single men, and spending less time with friends/bars, and more time with family/church. While I understand the natural shift, if you have a family you obviously have to spend time with them over your friends, but describing an additional 400+ hours of work a year as a feature of marriage...probably not the strongest argument.


I’m kind of familiar with what you are talking about. Better Bachelor on YouTube had a video about that professor you were talking about.

I think he was talking about the benefits of men marrying on a societal level and not necessarily benefit to the individual man.

Society benefits when men work more as they then have more utility and we get more work out of them as a society. 

Society benefits when men spend more time with wife and family vs out getting drunk and tearing up the town with the boys. 

Society benefits when men go to church and give the church money for charitable and community causes vs spending it on strippers and hookers etc. 

Too high a number of single men in a community can contribute to various social issues like public intoxication, violence, prostitution and general tomfoolery vs when most men in a community are married with family. 

Marriage of men generally benefits the community in general; but not necessarily of the individual man. Many individual men would rather hang with bro’s more, get drunk, gonto the strippers and spend their money and leisure time chasing hookers.


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

oldshirt said:


> Marriage of men generally benefits the community in general; but not necessarily of the individual man. Many individual men would rather hang with bro’s more, get drunk, gonto the strippers and spend their money and leisure time chasing hookers.


this model is leaning heavily to alcohol and sex industry. Are you sure the marriage benefit to society isn't all about what men don't do. What if single men made different choices. I believe I mentioned above that with 3 hours / day of leisure time I could kayak. You may have interpreted that as adrenaline junkie thrill seeking but most of my kayak time is bird watching. Not tearing up the town. I don't agree with your characterization of single men.


----------



## Evinrude58 (Jun 16, 2014)

The longer I stay single, the better I’m liking it. Has a woman I’ve dated a few times ask “do I have a bf yet?”
Uh, I don’t even want that much of a commitment these days. What exactly would I benefit from such a declaration?
It’s not like women today provide much of anything on their end of a relationship. “You never take me out, you never take me anywhere, you’re always working, you don’t give me enough attention, you don’t call me enough....,,”
It seems like men are seen as a walking ATM with built in emotional support/communications devices and a free vacation once a month package thrown in. It’s just not n appealing deal for me.


----------



## Mr.Married (Feb 21, 2018)

Index annuity..... it’s not the type of annuity your thinking about. They are gaining traction with retirement boomers


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

Did you just call me boomer?
Are you one of my kids?


----------



## Violet28 (Oct 4, 2018)

Wowzers, I was expecting a celebration of divorce thread. This escalated quickly from a stock discussion to all the reasons marriage is bad for males. I think marriage has the most risk to the primary breadwinner, which is usually the male. On the other hand, there are also plenty of men out there who do not want to work and are happy to marry hard working women with good jobs and sponge off them.

Marriage benefits the family and society. The ways things are now though, many of those benefits don't seem to exist anymore. When my grandparents were married, a family could survive on one income, that doesn't seem possible for a lot of families these days. When both are working, the childcare and house chores become more a strain on the husband and wife.


----------



## Broken at 20 (Sep 25, 2012)

oldshirt said:


> I’m kind of familiar with what you are talking about. Better Bachelor on YouTube had a video about that professor you were talking about.
> 
> I think he was talking about the benefits of men marrying on a societal level and not necessarily benefit to the individual man.
> 
> ...


I agree with most of what you said, but I think there are more things guys spend their money on besides charity and community causes vs., strippers and hookers. 
And I don't think that if more men are single vs. married destroys the society or community. I work hard, support the local economy, provide for myself, and pay my taxes. In actuality, I think in the business environment, single men are better than married men. If you want the to work long hours for months, or travel for months straight, they'll be more willing to do it than married men. But another argument all together. 
I think the biggest problem with the video was that it was produced by an old, uninteresting beta male that looked like he was trying way harder to convince himself that his marriage was worth it, rather than giving any young man a reason to want to pursue marriage. If I had made the video, I would've used a younger guy, and started with the statistic that married men generally have more sex over their life time than single men. 
Now I do question the validity of that statement given the current marriage climate, and how I've yet to see any marriage improve someone's sex lives (until all the exceptions reply to this post saying how wrong I am), but I feel that saying "You'll have more sex" is a much easier sell than "You get to work 400 more hours a year than single men". 


Regarding the investment side, since you're not wanting to invest, which I can't entirely blame you, unless you know people that allow you to start shorting a bunch of stocks, maybe just store it in the bank or start sectioning it off for future goals? Like, maybe a trip to Europe? Or a classic car? Those rarely go down in value, and once the economy recovers, I would guess those cars will appreciate in value more than your money in a bank at .005% interest will. 

Or just go full-blown hedonistic debauchery, pick your favorite porn star, and figure out when they're in Vegas, and schedule an....evening together. I'm sure you've spent money in dumber ways over your life time.


----------



## oldshirt (Apr 1, 2017)

Mr. Nail said:


> this model is leaning heavily to alcohol and sex industry. Are you sure the marriage benefit to society isn't all about what men don't do. What if single men made different choices. I believe I mentioned above that with 3 hours / day of leisure time I could kayak. You may have interpreted that as adrenaline junkie thrill seeking but most of my kayak time is bird watching. Not tearing up the town. I don't agree with your characterization of single men.


I wasn't referring to you or any other individual man specifically. And I was an adrenaline junkie so I wouldn't knock it even if I thought you were one LOL

I was just talking about my interpretation of that video and what I thought he meant. I may have been off on that even, but a lot of clergy and liberal sociology professor types will preach about the value of men marrying and the focus often seems to be on the benefit to society or the church as a whole and not necessarily to the individual man.


----------



## oldshirt (Apr 1, 2017)

Broken at 20 said:


> I agree with most of what you said, but I think there are more things guys spend their money on besides charity and community causes vs., strippers and hookers.
> And I don't think that if more men are single vs. married destroys the society or community.
> 
> .


Things may have changed in the years since I got out, but a quick tour of the towns right off of a military base were a good example of what I was talking about. 

While I do think men need to think long and hard before getting into marriage and really consider whether it will personally be a benefit to him or not, I do think that a significant population of single men in a given area is usually not a good thing for that community.


----------



## Mr. Nail (Apr 26, 2011)

Violet28 said:


> Marriage benefits the family and society.





oldshirt said:


> the benefit to society or the church as a whole and not necessarily to the individual man


This has been knocking around in my head all week end and this morning this is what came out:
If there is something that is bad for 48% of the members of a society, Then it can not be a benefit to society. Practically every objection to the bachelor lifestyle is a cleverly wrapped objection to alcohol. I believe the following:
Alcohol is detriment to society as a whole and to the drinkers specifically.
Women drink at a similar frequency to men.
Marriage is only a benefit to a specific agenda, and not to "society".


----------

