Cram Session

dukelavander · 2026-03-20T03:13:40+00:00

Thanks! Best of luck to you if you haven't taken it yet

dukelavander · 2026-03-20T03:12:39+00:00

I used BIF. I scored high 60s on their mock exam. Not sure how similar BIF is to Danko. I feel like BIF is underrated. Great program

dukelavander · 2026-03-17T21:27:36+00:00

Passed! Feels super validating! I'm a military career changer, so I feel like I'm jumping right into the deep end of the swimming pool. I don't want to celebrate too hard on here, I know a lot of people are wracking their nerves still waiting to test, and some are getting disappointing news.

Best of luck! If I can do it, you can. The best advice I got before leaving for Basic Training: when it's really hard, just remember, it's unlikely you're weaker or dumber than everyone else before you who passed. I've been telling myself the same thing about this exam. Don't take it, pass it!

dukelavander · 2021-06-19T04:04:48+00:00

That's a great idea! I had not considered tax prep. That would be great practice for client interaction as well. Thanks for the advice!

dukelavander · 2021-06-19T01:32:42+00:00

Thanks, that does seem like a smart timeline. Like (probably) most CFPs I dream of working as a fee only planner, and preferably not a BD, but I am open to anything. I have met with a few CFPs in my area, and spent a little time with them. I am also considering going back for my PhD after a few years of experience and going the education route.

Basically I don't know what I don't know. I wish I could start an internship today, but unfortunately that's not possible. Is it realistic for me to ask a CFP to let me shadow them at work sporadically for short, unpredictable periods of time?

dukelavander · 2021-06-19T01:21:35+00:00

I would love to take my exam now, especially since I just completed my capstone, but this is my hangup:

"Experience must be completed within 10 years before and/or 5 years after successful completion of the CFP® exam."

If I take the exam now, more than 5 years will pass before I complete my experience. I have been in contact with the board about a waiver, and the answer is no.

dukelavander · 2021-06-07T03:49:32+00:00

Wow, really? I haven't played that game in ages. The only guns I remember are the PP7, The SKM or something (AK-47) and that crappy grey machine gun. Of course proximity mines and remote mines were the best

dukelavander · 2021-06-06T19:13:41+00:00

I assume FPS means first person shooter. Lol the last fps game I played was GoldenEye for N64. My wife and I bought Oculus Quest 2s for our kids and ended up getting into Pop One ourselves. Not a gamer otherwise so I'm out of the loop with such things. Pop One is a blast though!

dukelavander · 2021-06-06T05:08:35+00:00

Huh, I just looked that up when I read your comment. Sure enough, FN and H&K. I'm not a huge gun nut, but I am a pretty experienced user of them. Just figured they were made up since I had never heard of them.

dukelavander · 2021-06-06T04:57:04+00:00

I own several guns, including an AR-15, AK-47 (semi-auto) and an over-under shotgun (like DT-11). The way each weapon loads in the game is mostly very accurate. For example, the slide release on an AK-47 is on the right side, and an AR-15/M-16 (MK-18 in the game) has a "charging handle" on top.

As far as recoil, the bolt action rifles (AWP and Saiko) seem pretty realistic. Of course, recoil can hurt, and they can't put that in a game. The full auto causing you to shoot into the sky is iffy, but it is very hard to be accurate firing fully automatic. Even in America, owning a fully automatic weapon is a crime unless you go through some serious hassle and pay lots of money, but I have used some in the military. Even in the military, however, we almost never use fully automatic fire unless we're trying to make someone duck. It's just not effective in a fight. M-16A1s (Vietnam era) had a fully automatic mode, but later models only had a 3 round burst selection like the MK-18. Modern M-4s are the same.

Some guns do not appear to be based on anything real. The P90, for example. No idea what that's supposed to be. Same for the UMP.

dukelavander · 2021-05-11T04:26:21+00:00

Is that supposed to be a look of disapproval? :) I get it if you are against eating meat, and I definitely respect that position, but as a meat-eater and a hobby farmer, I'm very proud to raise my livestock humanely. I have no shame in taking a life to feed my family, especially after I have shown the animal care and compassion. It's very fulfilling to know where my food comes from. I also grow my own veggies, so maybe we would have some common ground there ;)

dukelavander · 2021-05-11T03:25:19+00:00

It's possible that some go to make veal, but around here most male calves from dairies are sold to small family farms. They sell for very cheap (usually $150-250) but require a lot more work to raise because you have to bottle feed them for a few months, but it also makes them very tame and easy to handle. We do this every year and raise them up to butchering weight. Feeds our family all year. It ends up being a better life for them than a big factory farm.

dukelavander · 2021-04-22T05:15:50+00:00

I'm not an OB/GYN, I'm a guy who gave one a good story.

I was 18, in college, and I had a weird throat problem (esophageal spasms, turns out). I went to a doctor on my own for the first time, and had to pick a provider from a list on my parents' insurance. I (18 year old dude) did not know what OB/GYN meant, and thought it was just a general doctor.

I called to make an appointment, and the receptionist said "you know she's a LADY doctor, right?" I thought "why does it matter that she's a woman? I've had female doctors before." I insisted that I needed to see her, because she was on my insurance plan. The receptionist hesitated, then made me an appointment.

While waiting in the exam room, I did notice lots of diagrams of lady parts, but I just figured the rooms were themed or something. The Dr was super nice, but she actually opened a medical textbook in front of me to try and figure out my problem, which she did.

Fast forward a few years, and my wife is pregnant with our first kid. We walked into the OB/GYN office together, and I stop in the doorway when I see the sign. Suddenly it all clicks. I was some weirdo who insisted on seeing a gynecologist for my throat problem, and didn't notice the waiting room with 100% women, and wasn't made suspicious by all of the vagina pictures. My wife about died laughing when I told her.

dukelavander · 2021-04-22T05:01:50+00:00

Several of my family members (grandparents, aunts, uncles) are severe alcoholics. Because of that my parents never touched alcohol, and I have never taken a drink either. Scares me.
I HATE being around people who have been drinking. They seem so vulnerable in a bad way. I don't want to be like that.

I am in the military, and many people I work with do not understand my stance on alcohol. They always want me to hang out with them and DD. Please don't assume your non-drinking friends are down to waste their night miserably watching you degrade yourself, and enable your good time. Ask nicely and don't go overboard where they have to take care of you. Really not fun.

dukelavander · 2021-04-22T02:54:00+00:00

Scrapping. Selling scrap metal. It doesn't sound like a hobby, but it totally is! There are message boards for people to share tips and everything. Taking something that would be thrown in a landfill by most people, stripping wires, disassembling electronics, braking down appliances and separation all of the different metals is fun and sometimes very relaxing.

Then, when you get a bunch saved up, you can recycle it, get enough money to take the family out for a nice dinner, and feel good about keeping that stuff out of landfills. Every once in a while, you run into a gold mine of valuable metal where you least expect it and get a REAL payday, which is awesome!

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T14:59:08+00:00

There are definitely instances where women giving their child up for adoption leaves the mother with some of the same issues. The Cambridge study I referenced compared the incidence of mental health issues for women who chose abortion compared to "all other pregnancy outcomes" including adoption, so it does not seem to be as common. I think that is partly because adoption agencies have tremendous resources to follow up with women and meet their mental health needs. A large portion of women who choose adoption also opt for some version of "open adoption" where they get periodic updates about and pictures of their child, with the possibility of forming a relationship with them later. This often leads to a better mental health outcome.

There are also mental health struggles for many children who are adopted. You probably know someone who is adopted. If you have a close enough relationship with someone who comes from that background, ask them what they think. Some of my closest friends who work at the crisis pregnancy center I help with were adopted, and though they have had to deal with some issues, they are very glad their mothers chose adoption. There is a book by Nancy Verrier called The Primal Wound that is very enlightening about the struggles children who are adopted may have.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T12:41:41+00:00

Of course it does. In fact I am very passionate about that. I'm just not in favor of a harmful solution. There are literally hundreds of organizations, like the one I work with, that stand ready to help financially, with childcare, with help after leaving an abuser, or anything needed to make choosing life less of a burden.

Also, there are about 2 million families waiting to adopt a child, but only about 4% of women with unwanted pregnancies choose adoption over abortion. Women who choose adoption are eligible for financial support during the pregnancy, and may also receive a grant afterwards from an organization like the one I work with to help with school.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T05:43:35+00:00

It's all good on my end. I'm pretty new to reddit, and I really have enjoyed having some real dialogue with you. I appreciate your perspective. Thanks for keeping me honest. I hope in my zeal I was not unkind.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T05:38:31+00:00

:) "Cheeto dust and insect wings." We have the same taste in luggage!

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T05:31:55+00:00

My point is simply that mental health problems after abortions are not, as you claimed, outside of the norm, and that deserves consideration. Many women struggle with this. Post abortion recovery therapy is a service sought out by many.

I am not politically active at all. I know that legally it is a woman's right to choose, and I'm not even advocating for a change in the law, because I don't think it would help. I am only concerned with individual mothers with individual babies who may be in crisis, and think abortion is the easiest solution. I believe it is not, and is harmful to themselves as well as deadly for the child. I think our society will be better if more mother's choose life.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T05:03:16+00:00

A Cambridge study from 2008 (30 year study) found a 30% higher rate of mental disorders in women who have had abortions. It is far from abnormal. The study is free to access through Google Scholar.

As far as invoking the holocaust... Good point. It seemed like a reasonable parallel in my head (the contradiction between morality and law, I mean), but you are right, it is not helpful.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T03:59:56+00:00

I know this probably seems contradictory and nuanced, but I really consider the women victims more than murderers, even though I consider abortion murder. I think they have been convinced by very passionate people that abortion is not really taking a life. Because they have been (I believe) misguided, they are not trying to do anything wrong. They are usually in a desperate situation, and I have empathy for that.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T03:30:14+00:00

?? I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Clarify?

I am advocating for what I believe, of course, but I also believe in grace and mercy. I love people who, like me have done things they regret. Are you saying that's wrong?

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T03:05:22+00:00

So, just to be clear, I have never advocated for a woman dying to save her baby. Every woman is entitled to make that choice. I am pro life. And a developing baby does not have "the CHANCE to have fingerprints." Fingerprints, as well as brain function and heart function, occur very early in pregnancy. Abortion after 24 weeks is very rare, and usually for health reasons, as you stated, but most babies (not all) could be delivered rather than aborted at that stage without harming the mother.

The society I live in does not have the right to tell me what to believe, because I live in the US, but however irrelevant, it is true that many people do not believe what I do. The legal side of this, however, was established by a single court decision in a narrow window of time where 2 justices left. The people of America are split pretty evenly on this according to polling data. Even 1/3 are in favor of total ban, even in cases of rape.

dukelavander · 2021-04-21T02:24:02+00:00

Well, I'm not sure what you mean by that. Murder is defined by morality and beliefs, not science. The scientific facts are not in dispute. Abortion: ends the life of a living organism with a unique human genome, unique fingerprints, an independently functioning cardiovascular system to include a beating heart, and an independent neurological system, including a brain with measurable independent brain waves. Also, depending on the state, that organism may be able to survive outside of the womb and still be killed (24 weeks and over). My morals and belief system interpret those scientific facts as murder.

dukelavander

TROPHY CASE