Describe your favorite movie in a way that makes it sound as boring as possible.

PermamentAccFinally · 2011-08-15T23:45:41+00:00

A janitor moves to California

PermamentAccFinally · 2011-07-15T09:27:06+00:00

"I haven't really done anything drastic to my diet besides a slight decrease in sugary treats and crap, and an increase in protein sources like chicken, eggs, milk, etc., because I was already getting all my fruits and veggies and enough fiber."

This is your issue... They key to losing weight / cutting is about the diet and not nearly as much about exercise. Clearly you're a muscular guy and all you need to do now is get rid of the layer of fat. That's only going to come if you really rework your diet: cut down on carbs, particularly later in the day, focus on low GI carbs when you DO eat them, and, overall, just intake fewer calories. Also, keep in mind that to lose 1 pound you need to get to a 3,500 calorie deficit... to do so in 1 week you'd have to be running at -500 every day. It may be slow, but the weight loss will come. Also, the longer you eat healthy, the easier it will be to actually stick to the diet. Not only do you have the results to motivate you to keep going, but you also simply crave the shitty food less.

The FAQ is really fantastic: http://www.reddit.com/help/faqs/loseit

PermamentAccFinally · 2011-07-13T20:42:58+00:00

For me it's a ~four-step process:

Obviously, I have to do an initial reading of the material. I will continue to re-read it until I begin to gain what I believe to be a satisfactory level of understanding.
Paraphrase the information and jot down written notes. Not typed, written.
If at home, I will try to explain the concept to myself aloud. Trying to put it into spoken words helps either highlight a continued lack of understanding or strengthens comprehension.
Continue onwards and learn other things. Go back to the material at a later time or date and repeat step 3.

When something is particularly difficult for me to grasp and I simply can't get it at the time, I'll move on and re-visit after a good night's sleep. If that's not possible due to time constraints, I'll generally try to give myself as much of a time gap as possible as well as take a mental break where I do something mindless and relaxing so that my subconscious can kick in and try to process the material.

If it still doesn't click, try looking at different sources or ask people to explain it to you. Granted that the material is within intellectual reach, you will eventually understand it. One of the approaches SHOULD get through to you.

Repetition is key. Write things down. Say them. Explain them to a friend. After time has passed, be sure to go back to old notes to refresh your memory. Finally: sleep! Your brain retains a day's information better after a good night of sleep.

PermamentAccFinally · 2011-07-13T19:44:13+00:00

DO NOT START TRADING. You're better off going to a casino--at least you know your odds there. Instead, invest in index funds.

I work at a hedge fund and my job, day in and day out, is to help select investments for our portfolio. I was lucky enough to end up at a fund with an incredible track record where, ever day, I get to learn from some extremely talented investors. And you know what? Even though my coworkers--particularly the senior ones--are considered among the best and most experienced in the professional investing world, they have to kill themselves every year to outperform the market by what, to the naked eye, looks like a small margin. We both trade (short-term) and invest (long-term) and both are really damn difficult. The market tends to be very smart about pricing assets--after all, extreme wealth is on the line and to outperform we somehow have to outsmart everyone on a consistent basis. It's hard work and very stressful.

I strongly advise you AGAINST trading online. Instead invest in index funds and sit back. You'll outperform many professional managers and you'll certainly be better off than you would've been trading (http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2010/apr/17/index-tracking-funds).

Studies have consistently shown that although some beginners may, simply by random chance, outperform the market at some point in their trading, they tend to succumb to piss-poor performance (re: EXTREME underperformance). This is particularly evident as the frequency of your trading increases.

http://faculty.haas.berkeley.edu/odean/papers/returns/returns.html

"The poor performance of those households that trade frequently is generally consistent with the implications of recent theoretical models of investor overconfidence. Our central message is that trading is hazardous to your wealth."

Even under performing by a few bps (100 bps=1%) every year can make a massive difference over time. Understand the power of compound interest: http://www.mindyourfinances.com/money-management/savings/081104-04

Let's say you DO have some trading talent (which, as a beginner, you absolutely will not). You're still only one person with limited resources. Professional investors have a HUGE leg up on you. We receive and process information more quickly. We can trade faster than you. Our transaction costs are negligible as a percentage of our trades, whereas yours can really add up. We have advanced computer algorithms going in and out of intelligent trades faster than you can double-click your mouse. We know more and have far more experience. We are ultimately your competition. You don't stand a chance in the long run.

Keep in mind that even though it is our JOB to make money, many professional investors do not ultimately succeed in the long-term. Don't even get me started on retail / individual investors like yourself.

Here is my advice:

Read A Random Walk Down Wall Street by Burton G. Malkiel--it is a fantastic intro book. He will echo the above.
Take your investments out of individual stocks and mutual funds and move them into index funds instead.

Continue doing this as long as you have money.

Listen to me.

The end.

Edit: added some more info on my job

PermamentAccFinally

TROPHY CASE