brentduncanphd

One of the hardest parts of parenthood is watching your kids make stupid decisions with predictable outcomes. This moment could be pivotal—but not in the way the father hopes. He’s saying what he feels needs to be said, but he may also be dismantling trust and pushing his daughter deeper into commitment with the guy. A better approach might be invitation instead of confrontation. Create space to coach, influence, and offer support. Invite them into the house or out to dinner. Ask them about their plans, their values, and what kind of life they’re trying to build. This approach also models the kind of communication, respect, and emotional regulation a daughter might reasonably expect from a future spouse. Who knows, they might ultimately prove him wrong. My family had an extended freak‑out about my fiancé—yelling, screaming, angry phone calls. It all boiled down to a line they repeated a few times: “I’d rather go to your funeral than your wedding.” Forty years later, my wife and I are still going strong—with a solid unit of children and grandchildren. My parents missed almost all of it.

5 years from now you'll look back and dad was right

@robbystarbuck @PredsNHL Predators.

Should Tennesseans quit going to Predators games in person until they stop this DEI nonsense? Chime in with your thoughts for @PredsNHL. 🗣️

@end3of6days9 That's a long way to drive to end up at the wrong place for selling bullion. The guy charged them 20% below the spot price (market value). Depending on the market, a legitimate bullion trader will buy your silver for 5%-15% below the spot price.

This couple struts into the shop with two bars — what they swear is 20 ounces (10 oz each) of “white gold.” He wants $10k per bar. Buyer asks, “Who told you these are white gold?” Guy: “My mom.” Buyer calmly points at the stamp: “Fine silver… 999 fine silver.” Guy: “Where are the ones that say white gold on them?” 😂 Of course the woman jumps in: “We want to talk to the manager!” (Spoiler: he is the manager) because “obviously you don’t know.” Buyer mic-drop: “You’re right, maybe I don’t know how to read… cuz it says .999 fine silver.” After a 3-hour drive thinking they’d walk out with $20k… they leave with $608 😭 Moral of the story: always read the stamp before you trust Mom’s appraisal.

This isn’t a scam or a surprise—it’s amortization and financial illiteracy. Amortization is a basic concept explained to anyone who takes out a mortgage. Before closing, the borrower receives disclosures that show how payments are applied over time, including an amortization schedule or payment table like the one in the picture I attached to this post. Regarding financial illiteracy, she signed documents acknowledging that she understood the loan terms. If someone is still surprised by how payments work it reflects willful ignorance, not lender misconduct. As for you, amplifying an individual's financial illiteracy for clicks doesn’t help anyone. Instead of posting clickbait, you could actually educate her on how mortgages work and what she can do about it. For example, payments above the required minimum can reduce the principal balance, as long as they’re applied to principal. Many lenders allow this, though borrowers may need to designate extra amounts as “principal only.” There are several straightforward ways to accelerate payoff and reduce interest: (1) Make an additional principal payment each month (for example, an extra $100). (2) Make biweekly payments if the lender credits payments as received and the structure results in 26 half‑payments per year (effectively one extra full payment annually). (3) If you have a 30‑year mortgage you took out to improve your ability to buy a home, you can increase your payment to the amount required for a 15‑year or 20-year mortgage while keeping the 30‑year term for flexibility. When applied correctly, every dollar paid above the minimum reduces the principal, lowers total interest paid, and shortens the life of the loan.

An American buys a $138,000 home. She sends the bank $9,286. After interest, taxes, and insurance take their cut, ONLY $952 actually touches the loan. $8,300 is PURE interest. This isn’t paying down a mortgage — it’s usury, and it should be ILLEGAL nationwide.

Moving into an HOA neighborhood is voluntary. Before you buy a home in an HOA neighborhood, you must sign and accept the CC&Rs. Don’t sign acceptance of the rules then spend your life complaining about the rules that you ageeed to. If you can’t abide by the rules you agreed to, you’re likely not a person others want as a neighbor anyway. Buy a home in a neighborhood without an HOA live among like minded people.

All the rich people I know love living in places with HOAs. No broken down boats. Rainbow yard signs. Grass 2 feet tall. Lack of weed control. Broken fridge on front porch. Broke people hate HOAs because they hate doing basic things to make their houses look nice.

Inheritance is typically treated as the separate property of the inheriting spouse, whether received before, during, or after the marriage. The exception is if the spouse who inherited the money commingles it with community property, like deposits it into a shared account. If your story is true, the fiancé knows this and is trying to manipulate you into commingling the assets so they can grab the money and run. Get out. Now.

I’m about to get married, and my fiancé knows I have an inheritance that was left to me by my grandparents. It’s in my name only, and I’ve been saving it for years. Now he’s saying that before we get married, I should put the entire inheritance into a joint account so we can “start fresh together,” or he doesn’t think we should go through with the wedding. I’m 36 already and this is something my family worked hard to leave me. I’m torn between wanting to build a life together and feeling like I’m being pressured to give up something important to me. What do you think I should do? By isitmeaitah

McDonald’s will be on a fully automated vending machine with only a couple humans on staff to make sure everything is working. You can already see this in the works. If you go inside a typical McDonalds, you order from a kiosk or an app. There are no registers with humans taking orders. Except for the occasional campers sleeping at tables, the fist human you see is the angry and unkempt employee who begrudgingly brings the food to your table. That job will be replaced by a Japanese server bot or you will pick up your food from a secure locker. Humans are still in the back preparing the food, but you cannot see them. Their jobs will eventually be replaced by machines that automatically make the food once you pay. The emphasis at McDonalds is similar to the new Starbucks model. Push people through the drive through with minimal human interaction. Order through the speaker or app. Pick up your food. Get the hell out of the way. Despite the automation and reduced staff at McDonalds, prices continue to rise. One quarter pounder meal can cost $17 or more. In comparison, go down the street to In-N-Out burger. The place is packed with happy customers. Regardless of how busy it always is, you get through the line quickly. Behind the counter are happy, competent employees. They take your order with a genuine smile, and you can watch the highly efficient team of people behind the counter making your food and having fun doing it. The employees are paid $18 to $22 an hour yet two full meals costs under $15. McDonald’s is going full automation with minimal human staff and charging more. In-N-Out remains a full human centric operation with no automation and is charging half of what McDonalds charges for inferior product. Bottom line: in store store revenue at In-N-Out consistently beats that of McDonalds. So what’s the secret sauce at In-N-Out? Look on the bottom of their cups for a clue.

American shows his local McDonalds no longer wants any interaction with customers, you can’t even view the menus anymore on their main screens Everything is directed to their self service kiosks Employee wage requirements went up. So everyone’s being replaced with automation This is dystopian

@ClownWorld His actions indicate he is an unlicensed contractor doing an illegal job. If he were a licensed contractor with proper permits, he could simply put a contractors lien on the property.

Contractor pours a brand new sidewalk and finishes the job, then the owner refuses to pay saying there’s no rebar. So the contractor tears it out himself. After putting in the labor, time, and materials, not getting paid isn’t something most people are just going to accept, especially when rebar isn’t even required for most sidewalks

@VigilantFox When my mom was in hospice, a dentist persuaded her to pay him $25K for tooth implants.

One story stuck with Ryan more than most. He shared a story about an 86-year-old woman who had been diagnosed with breast cancer and told she would need surgery to remove her breast. On her way out, she ran into someone who suggested she try apricot seeds first. Instead of moving forward with surgery right away, she decided to try it. And she followed that approach for about three months. When she went back for a follow-up, she was reportedly cancer free. Ryan said she avoided the surgery entirely and still keeps that routine today, even encouraging her family to do the same. It’s one of many stories they’ve heard, but the simplicity of it is what makes it stand out.

Something shocking just happened and barely anyone is talking about it. Tucked within the 2026 Farm Bill is an alarming provision. Farmers who adopt AI and precision agriculture technologies will be reimbursed for it—90% of the total cost. And the standards governing this tech won’t be set by the USDA, but by the tech industry itself. An article from Fortune titled ‘The 2026 farm bill quietly hands big tech control over American farmland. Here’s the fine print’ reads: Tucked inside the 2026 Farm Bill is a provision that would reimburse farmers 90% of the cost of adopting AI and precision agriculture technologies—15 percentage points above the normal EQIP cap.The private sector standards governing those technologies would be set not by the USDA, but by the tech industry itself.This could be a Trojan horse of sorts for something called “precision agriculture” and artificial intelligence (AI), which big tech firms will be able take advantage of farmers and further wrest control over the food system from them. The article goes on to describe precision agriculture, saying: Not only is precision agriculture defined, but it is complemented by a list of what are deemed appropriate technologies, including GPS, yield monitors, data management software, and the particularly strange sounding, “Internet of Things and telematics technologies.”That last bizarre phrase, which most would probably consider a typo, is actually a concept that abounds in tech company circles. One definition from an industry leader notes that the “Internet of Things,” or IoT, is the “network of physical objects — “things” — that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems.” You read that right. They’re connecting your food to AI. Paired with this definition is the government opening the way for corporations to have, well, a “field day” with precision agriculture, including for AI. Tucked away in the Rural Development Title, is the “promoting precision agriculture” subsection. AI, we are told particularly, is to be guided by “private sector-led interconnectivity standards, guidelines, and best practices.” In short, this is a Big Tech takeover of our food supply. But what does that really mean? According to the proponents of Agenda 2030, of which Big Tech are, they want us to consume zero meat and zero real dairy, everything must be bioengineered, and our food must contain vaccines. While we’ve seen legislative efforts to stop that from occurring, but when private companies with billions of dollars to spare on lawsuits seize control of the food supply and you have no options left, guess what happens? mRNA lettuce. And bioengineered everything. They even admit the aim is to have the food connected to AI. Thus, consuming it would presumably connect you and your loved ones to AI, too. Not only is this a privacy and complete control nightmare technocrats of old could have only dreamed of, this opens up a range of issues for a whole host of diseases humans will undoubtedly start to suffer from, because this will not be real food. Joining us now to discuss one of the solutions to metabolic health and the increased threat on it is Ryan Richardson. 🧵

@FoundationDads Never underestimate the stupidity of people in groups.

In 1895, a French social psychologist named Gustave Le Bon published a book so dangerous that it became the private playbook of dictators for the next century. Hitler quoted it. Mussolini kept it by his bedside. Edward Bernays used it to build modern propaganda. The book's name? "The Crowd." Its core claim: The moment people form a group, they become stupid. Not slightly dumber. Fundamentally, structurally incapable of rational thought. And the tactics he described for controlling them still work on you right now. 🧵 (thread)

The airline is not responsible for this individual’s stupidity. Lesson number one that every first time flyer should know: If you can’t afford to lose it, don’t pack it; leave it home. As a guitar player who likes to take a guitar when I travel on motorcycle and airplane, I’d have to say this person is a complete idiot for taking his ‘62 Gibson on a plane and trusting it to baggage handlers. Even worse is when guitar players try to take their full sized guitars on the plane and expect to take up a full rack with their case. The entitlement can run deep in those who carry their identity in a guitar case. Basic lessons. 1. Buy a cheap Traveler Guitar that fits in a backpack and slides under the seat. 2. If you must have a full sized guitar in the air, buy a cheap one for travel and get an indestructible case. Leave the expensive guitars at home. 3. If you absolutely must have the ‘62 Gibson on the other end of the flight, package it properly, ship it to your destination by FedEx, and get insurance. It’s called being a responsible grown up. Don’t expect the airline to cover your stupidity.

🚨 UNITED DESTROYED THIS MAN’S 1962 GIBSON GUITAR — THEN SAID “NOT COVERED” AND WALKED AWAY He picks his case up from baggage claim and opens it. His 1962 Gibson J-45, a vintage guitar worth thousands, is completely wrecked. Cracked body. Scraped finish. The kind of damage you only get from being thrown around. He says it was inside a “nearly indestructible” top of the line Calton hardshell case. So he calls United. Their response? “We don’t cover instruments.” No compensation. No accountability. Nothing. Now this video is blowing up again as new clips show baggage handlers literally throwing guitar cases. So this isn’t a one-off. It’s the same damage and the same excuse. If they can just say “not covered”… what’s actually stopping this from happening every day? If this was YOUR guitar… what would you do?

@alt_w_v_g @karol And within all that you choose to become complicit in predation rather than yank the kid out?

Had a parent-teacher conference this morning My wife told me not to come I came anyway She said "please just listen and nod" I said "I always listen" She said "you listen like you're sitting in a boardroom looking for something to challenge" That's how listening works Nice classroom Small chairs I am 6'4" and was seated at a desk designed for someone who still believes in Santa Claus My knees touched my chest The teacher introduced herself Shared her identified pronouns I shared my identified adjectives Smart and handsome My wife closed her eyes The teacher had a folder Color-coded tabs I respected the organization She said our son is "a pleasure to have in class" My wife smiled I waited That sentence is never the whole report It's the executive summary before the risk section She said "however" There it is She said he "asks a lot of questions" I said "good" She said "during quiet time" I said "when is quiet time?" She said "it's when students are expected to work independently and in silence" I said "so he's the only one trying to get information and you've structured the environment to prevent it?" My wife put her hand on my arm I continued The teacher said he recently told another student that "sharing pencils doesn't make sense if nobody brings their own" I said "that's an accurate observation" My wife squeezed harder The teacher said she's concerned about his "resistance to group activities" I said "he's not resistant. He just doesn't see the value of doing more work for the same grade." The teacher said he also corrected her math on the whiteboard I said "was he right?" She paused She said "that's not the point" I said "it's a little bit the point" My wife stood up Sat back down Compromise The teacher pulled out an evaluation sheet Categories like "works well with others" and "follows directions" and "respects classroom norms" All subjective Not a number on the page I asked how these are graded She said "based on observation" I said "so one person's opinion with no second review?" She said "it's professional judgment" I said "my auditors say that too. Right before I disagree with them." She looked at my wife My wife said "I'm sorry about him" I said "I'm sitting right here" My wife said "I know" The teacher said overall he's a bright kid and she just wants to make sure he learns to "collaborate" I said "collaboration is important. But so is recognizing when you're the only one doing the work. He'll learn that again in college. And again in the real world. Might as well start now." Nobody spoke The teacher closed her folder She said "I think we've covered everything" I said "one more thing" She braced herself I said "his reading is above grade level. His math is strong. He asks hard questions and corrects mistakes when he sees them. I just want to make sure this school knows what it has." The teacher looked at me differently My wife looked at me differently I said "that's all" We left In the car my wife was quiet Then she said "he's turning into you" I said "is that a good thing?" She didn't answer From the backseat he said "dad, why does the teacher count off for asking questions? Isn't that the whole point of school?" I looked at my wife She looked out the window I said "yes. It is." He said "I don't think she likes when I'm right" I didn't say anything Neither did my wife Small chairs Color-coded tabs No follow-up items But the kid's going to be fine Sent from my iPhone

@JakeCan72 One of my clients had storage facilities around the county and had to constantly deal with people using the units as living spaces. The Hollywood facility was especially interesting because prostitutes used the units for tricks.

This man lived in a storage unit for two months. Climate control. Running water and electricity. Real American ingenuity when rent hits $3,000+ a month.

We were there for the disasters. Spent six months doing relief and recovery work throughout the region. One of the funniest things to see was how quickly the USA media fled the country the moment the nuclear power plant show signs of problems. Completely irrational panicked little babies. Embarrasing. European media followed us around the disaster areas and covered everything on the ground before, during, and after the power plant explosion. To convince the military to do rescue and relief missions closer to Fukushima, I volunteered to go into the “no go” zone to test for radiation. They trained me in how to run the equipment. A group of Airmen and Marines volunteered to accompany us. Ends up, the closer we got to Fukushima, the less radiation there was, so the military started providing busses for volunteers to conduct recovery missions. The no go zone became a service area. It took the Japanese government months to get organized. Meanwhile, volunteers from USA military community were deployed before the earth stopped shaking.

Elon Musk shaking hands with Soma Mayor Hidekiyo Tachiya in Fukushima Japan, July 2011 Just months after the devastating March 2011 earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster, Elon personally visited the region to launch a solar power project funded by his $250,000 donation. Standing in front of a solar panel in Soma (about 40 km from the crippled Daiichi plant), he showed support for recovery and renewables. To help ease fears and encourage normal life, he even ate fresh local fruits and vegetables there – proving the radiation risks were far lower than many believed.

@FmrRepMTG It’s actually twice that. You see 6.2 percent taken from your pay check. Your employer matches that as part of your overall compensation package. So the government takes 12.4 percent of your income for SSI.

We all pay 6.2% of every single paycheck to Social Security and MOST of us will NEVER receive a Social Security check when we retire because Congress has screwed us all over so bad that Social Security is going to be completely insolvent by 2033, which is in 7 years. Oh and they aren’t even talking about fixing Social Security. America Last Members of Congress can’t even fix our healthcare and figure out how to reduce the cost of health insurance and Mike Johnson lied for months claiming he had a plan. Still no plan! So if you have been slaving away your entire life and watching 6.2% for Social Security plus 1.45% Medicare (7.65% total FICA and your employer matches it with another total 7.65%) of your paycheck getting deducted every paycheck and you think “well at least when I’m retired I’ll get it back when I receive a Social Security check”, it’s a LIE. Social Security is getting robbed and all your money is being spent on all the stupid bullshit that never benefits you, for example like Trump’s current war or Armageddon or whatever this crap is. So for all of us in GenX, Millennials, and GenZ, that 6.2% for Social Security, plus the other 6.2% your employer matches, stolen from us “for Social Security” is basically a tax. Another fucking tax. So while you’re pulling yourself up by your bootstraps, you better save for your retirement because you can’t count on even receiving a measly Social Security check one day even though you paid into it.

@Tr00peRR The last time you posted this you said it was a wedding. Which is it?

At a funeral procession, rented horse-drawn carriage arrives, but grieving mother rages at handler's casual outfit-yells, throws drink. Crowd approaches, he drives horses away to escape the escalating confrontation.

@HustleBitch_ Does the zoning say anything about trailers?

🚨 WOMAN BUYS 37 ACRES — CITY SAYS SHE CAN’T BUILD A TINY HOME ON HER OWN LAND She walks into the municipal building thinking she just needs a permit to put a small tiny home on her property. Not a subdivision. Not an apartment complex. One additional small home. On 37 acres she owns. The zoning officer tells her: “You’re zoned for ONE house only.” “You can’t add another dwelling.” “There’s a 100-year floodplain on part of your land.” “And if you try to rezone it, they probably won’t approve it.” She pushes back. The land doesn’t flood. They installed drain tile. There’s more than enough room. It’s for her kids to live on the family property when they’re older. Doesn’t matter. Under zoning law, “ownership” doesn’t mean you decide what gets built. It means the city does. Even on 37 acres. Even if you pay the taxes. Even if it doesn’t flood. Even if it’s for your own kids. If they don’t approve it, it doesn’t happen. So now what started as “fill out a form” turned into a fight over zoning maps, floodplain designations, and government approval to use land she already owns. She thought ownership meant control. Turns out it means paperwork. If you can’t build one extra tiny home on 37 acres you own… is it really your land?

@FootballTimelyn Eddie Murphy did it better. youtu.be/l_LeJfn_qW0?si…

@NeilMcCoyWard Will that drive stock investors into gold and silver?

Netherlands has now approved a 36% tax on unrealized gains… Let that sink in. You invest €1,000. Year 1: • Stock doubles to €2,000 • You didn’t sell. Didn’t cash out. Didn’t touch it. • Government: “Congrats on the €1,000 gain. That’s €360. In cash.” • So now you’re forced to sell shares just to pay the bill. • Everyone else does the same. • Selling pressure spikes. • Stock tanks to €800. • After tax? You’ve effectively got €440 left. Year 2: • Stock rebounds to €1,200 • Government: “Another €400 gain. Pay €144.” • More forced selling. • Price drops again. • You’re down to €756. Year 3: • Stock crawls back to €1,000 — exactly where it started. • Government: “That €100 move? We’ll take €36.” • Capital starts leaving the country. • Investors stop playing the game. Total taxes paid: €540. Total actual gain: €0. Value left in your pocket: €460. You lost 54%… on an investment that broke even. The only guaranteed winner? The government: “Thanks for the contribution, you’re helping to make society more equitable.”

@MrPitbull07 First sign of a false story: Uber doesn’t take cash.

I drive Uber. Night shift mostly. Last week picked up an old man at 11 PM. He got in and said: "I need you to drive me to five places tonight. I'll pay you $500. Cash. But you can't ask why until we're done." Handed me five addresses. First stop: a house in the suburbs. He sat in the car. Stared at it for ten minutes. Crying silently. "Okay. Next one." I drove. Second stop: elementary school. Empty. Dark. He got out. Walked to the playground. Sat on a swing. Stayed there twenty minutes. Came back to the car. "I taught here. 43 years. Best job I ever had." Third stop: diner. He went inside. Ordered coffee. Sat alone in a booth. Didn't drink it. Just sat. Looking around. Fifteen minutes. Came back. "My wife and I had our first date here. 1967." Fourth stop: cemetery. He got out at the cemetery. Walked to a grave. Stood there. Talking to it. Couldn't hear what he said. Thirty minutes. When he came back his eyes were red. "My wife. Three years today." Fifth stop: hospital. He asked me to park. Wait. "This is the last one." He looked at me. "Now I'll tell you why. I have stage four cancer. Weeks left. Maybe days. Tonight I wanted to see my whole life. One last time. Before I can't anymore." I started crying. Right there. "The house - that's where I raised my kids. The school - where I found my purpose. The diner - where I fell in love. The cemetery - where I said goodbye. And here. The hospital. Where I'm checking in tonight. Hospice floor. I'm not going home." He handed me $500. "Thank you for driving me through my life. You're the last stranger who'll ever be kind to me. I wanted it to be gentle. You made it gentle." I refused the money. "I can't take this." He insisted. "Please. I have nobody to leave it to. My kids don't talk to me. I have no friends left. You gave me three hours of kindness. That's worth more than $500 to me." He got out. Grabbed his small suitcase. Turned back. "What's your name?" "Marcus." "Thank you, Marcus. For being the last good thing." He walked into the hospital. I sat in my car. Sobbing. For an hour. Couldn't stop thinking about him. Went back next day. Asked for him. "Mr. Patterson. Room 412." Brought flowers. Knocked. He was in bed. Smiled when he saw me. "Marcus. You came back." "Couldn't leave it like that. Are you okay?" "Dying. But I got to see my life last night. So yes. I'm okay." We talked for two hours. About his wife. His students. The kids who stopped calling. The life he lived. I visited every day for two weeks. Brought coffee. Read him the news. Sat in silence sometimes. He told me everything. The regrets. The joys. The moments he'd relive. "I thought I'd die alone," he said one day. "But you're here. A stranger who became family in my last days. That's a gift." I held his hand. "You're not dying alone. Not anymore." He cried. "Thank you for seeing me. When I was invisible." Mr. Patterson died on a Tuesday. 3:17 AM. I was there. Holding his hand. His last words: "Tell people. Tell them to look at strangers. Really look. Everyone's dying. Some faster than others. But we're all heading somewhere. Be kind on the way. You were kind. You saved my last days." He closed his eyes. Heart monitor flatlined. I stayed another hour. Couldn't let go. He died with someone. That mattered. His funeral had six people. Me. Three nurses. A lawyer. One former student who saw the obituary. That's it. A man who taught for 43 years. Loved a woman for 52. Lived 81 years. Six people. I spoke. "Mr. Patterson taught me something in his last two weeks. Every stranger is someone's whole world. Every Uber passenger has a story. Every person you pass is living and dying and hoping someone sees them. He paid me $500 to drive him through his life. But he gave me something worth more. The knowledge that kindness to strangers isn't extra. It's everything. Because we're all strangers. Until someone stops. Looks. Listens. Stays." I keep the $500 in my glove box. Never spent it. It's a reminder.