ForumTitleContentMemberSexCountryDate/Time
United KingdomWould you risk it?
Depends on the airline -- some are very reliable.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-02 11:00:00
United KingdomNeed some UK forum love!

I was just about the most evil female on planet Earth.

Nah, I don't believe that :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-07 15:28:00
United KingdomWorst Mistake Ever...

No big deal. I kinda.... opened mine because I was curious what was in it and then carefully resealed it :P

Oh my! ;) I didn't ask Tim if it was the kind of envelope that was gummy enough to reseal, but I think we'll be sending it back.

You didn't think I would just hand it over to immigration without knowing what
the Embassy had to say about me, did ya? :P

Anyway - there was nothing exciting in there, just some copies of the Embassy
visa forms and such.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-16 14:03:00
United KingdomWorst Mistake Ever...
No big deal. I kinda.... opened mine because I was curious what was in it and then carefully resealed it :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-16 13:15:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

Hence why I prefaced the bit you bolded with "To most people from the UK" and not "Europe". ;)

I know -- I just mentioned Europe because the guy whose post you quoted believes that
"the banks here in the US are about 25 years behind Europe" (which couldn't be further from the truth.)
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-06 14:11:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

I would like to say to people beware of US banks Hidden charges. When they say free checking they do not mean free checks. Most will give you free checks when you open the account then charge you for the next ones. This happened to me and when i said that it was a free checking account they said "oh but that doesn't included the checks". then when i argued that it wasn't free checking then they change there statement and said the checks don't come from them, even though i got an invoice from the bank and it appeared on my statement.

Yes, all "Free Checking" means is that they don't charge you a monthly fee to have the account open. To most people in the UK the idea of having to pay a monthly fee to have a bank account is patently ridiculous, but here its only recently becoming less than the norm.

FWIW, it's the norm in Ireland and many other European countries as well. The UK is quite unique in this respect.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-08-06 13:12:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

So when you order cheques from one of these 3rd party websites.. do you just enter your account info?

Yes. They do verify the account info with the bank, so don't even think about it B)
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-31 16:54:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

Wait, is it really called "Chevy Chase" bank? I thought you were making a joke, like the actors name. I've definitely heard of Chase bank...


That's what I thought, too... but no, I just Googled and it appears it is a real bank! :o :o

No relation to Chevrolet or JPMorgan Chase either, I suspect :whistle:
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 23:34:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

I almost paid USCIS with this one:

Posted Image

...but thought better of it...hahahah

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 16:50:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???
As far as I know, Washington Mutual offers "free checks for life."

Their checking account is also 100% free *and* they offer free international wire transfers.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 15:16:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

My local Commerce branch is open 7 days a week, M-F: 7:30am-8pm, Sat: 7:30am-6pm, Sun: 11am-4pm
and most holidays.

An exceptional case I would say. I've never found a bank that's open on Sunday! You are lucky.

They also don't charge any fees -- no account maintenance fees or ATM fees; they refund
ATM fees charged by other banks' ATMs; they (used to) give you 2 free certified (cashier's)
cheques per month (sadly they don't do that anymore.) If you deposit a cheque before 6pm,
the money is always available the next day, etc etc
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 15:14:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

Banks in the USA are shite, no doubt. They have fees for everything.

I disagree. Some banks are shite, sure, but not all.

My local Commerce branch is open 7 days a week, M-F: 7:30am-8pm, Sat: 7:30am-6pm, Sun: 11am-4pm
and most holidays.

Find me a UK bank that does that.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 15:05:00
United KingdomUS Banks - WTF???

I hardly ever use checks here.... only to pay USCIS for everything else I pay online or by charge card.... as far as I know all US banks charge for checks...

Kez

I recently opened a Citibank account and they didn't charge me for cheques.

They do however have an account maintenance fee (waived if your combined balance is over $6,000.)
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2007-07-30 14:29:00
United KingdomDeed poll question...?
Change it before you leave - it's a lot easier in the UK.

Get a deed poll, go to a passport office and get a passport in her new name. They will let
her keep the old passport with the K-2 visa (they'll just stamp the passport as "cancelled".)
She can then use her new passport and the visa from the old passport to enter the U.S.

Once she's here, she can use her new name and abandon the use of her old name
entirely. AOS and everything else should be done in her new name, IMO.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-01 20:55:00
United KingdomBecause it's almost here
Mmm...pancakes. I should hang out here more often. innocent.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-01 21:23:00
United KingdomA sweet disaster
laughing.gif laughing.gif laughing.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-04 23:12:00
United KingdomAwful, cheesy pick-up lines
QUOTE (ginger1981 @ Feb 7 2008, 08:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Nothing cheesy, but I've had my share of weird/creepy come-on's.

One of my closests friends (who was in a relationship) asked me to have sex with him one time. He said that she didn't want to lose her virginity until marriage but he was horny and needed to get it out of his system. He wasn't a friend after he pulled that one! blink.gif

He was so much more than that after you guys did it? tongue.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-08 12:17:00
United KingdomAwful, cheesy pick-up lines
QUOTE (Jomo @ Feb 7 2008, 12:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
My favorite has always been Heaven must be crying cause it's missing an angel like you.

"Did it hurt?" "When you fell from heaven?" is SO much worse.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-02-07 13:13:00
United KingdomThe Geico Gecko
QUOTE (Stinky Monkey @ Jan 21 2009, 02:00 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Hey maybe when I get to the States I could try and be the voice for the geckos girlfriend hahahaha

Sorry sweetheart, I'm taken tongue.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-01-23 17:07:00
United KingdomIs this really a cultural difference?

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-01-23 14:10:00
United KingdomCurrency Allowance
QUOTE (JeremyR @ Jun 3 2009, 06:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Honestly, I wouldn't carry that much cash around an airport with me in a million years.

You would if you're a drug dealer, a bank robber or a terrorist tongue.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-06-05 16:49:00
United KingdomI think it'd be cool if...
QUOTE (mags @ Jan 12 2007, 03:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (robinklake @ Jan 12 2007, 03:28 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
QUOTE (devilette @ Jan 12 2007, 03:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
2 words.

Robbie Williams.

This might be as amusing as when Robbie and Geri Halliwell tried to "break" America.

Ah good old Geri. I'd forgotten about her. As have most of America apparently.... laughing.gif

Here's something to remind you. laughing.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2008-12-04 18:15:00
United KingdomDont have W2's to go with tax return? 1099's instead?
W2 = full-time employees
1099 = self-employed / contractors / freelancers
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-09-30 14:59:00
United Kingdomuk citizin married to brasilian in brazil! whant to move to the uk! but desparate for advice if anyone can help

I am a 25 year old british woman married to an 27year old brasilian man.

No, you're not - you're the "brasilian" man.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2010-02-19 12:21:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate

These days we're pretty much happy with anything over $1.50.

$1.43 is no good, then? :P
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2010-05-25 13:52:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate

Don't want to go into details, but I have reasons to believe sterling will move back
to around $1.50 in the next year or two - well below its PPP (purchasing power parity) level.

And here we are... at $1.4950, ahead of schedule.

Edited by mawilson, 01 March 2010 - 08:09 PM.

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2010-03-01 20:09:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
"Sterling is joined at the hip with the dollar in being in the global doghouse at the moment."
--Jim Wood-Smith, head of research at Williams De Broë


mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-09-21 14:24:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (wexford65 @ Jul 16 2009, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
mawilson, you seem to enjoy a dabble yourself.

I wont bore people by bringing technical analysis into the chat room but I am a trader that trades technicals, not fundeamentals.

That is my reasoning for the move to the 1.70s

Don't want to go into details, but I have reasons to believe sterling will move back
to around $1.50 in the next year or two - well below its PPP (purchasing power parity) level.

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-08-19 16:24:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (annelizabeth @ Jul 23 2009, 02:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Good people and currency experts. I want to transfer some money back to the UK - about $8000. What's the best way to do it? I only ever transferred it the other way before.

Use a US debit card and withdraw the money from a UK ATM?
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-08-19 15:29:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (wexford65 @ Jul 16 2009, 06:54 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
mawilson, you seem to enjoy a dabble yourself.

I wont bore people by bringing technical analysis into the chat room but I am a trader that trades technicals, not fundeamentals.

That is my reasoning for the move to the 1.70s

Fair enough. biggrin.gif
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-07-16 22:06:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
Anyway, my currency play du jour is long USD/JPY. The yen will not remain this strong for much longer;
their exports are plummeting and their central bank will intervene at some point.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-07-16 15:32:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (wexford65 @ Jul 16 2009, 11:46 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
I think we will see 1.74 in the next 3 months but all it would take is for a horrible piece of UK data to come out and we could be back in the 1.50s. Volatile times ahead.

Why do you think that?

I see it going sideways for a while... between 1.60 and 1.65.

At $1.70, GBP is overpriced and there's no good reason for it to be.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-07-16 15:10:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (rebeccajo @ May 22 2009, 07:05 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Jaysus, Mark.

The day of reckoning is near?

Were there Jehovah's Witnesses at your door this afternoon?

We're going to hell in a handbasket, Becca. It's a damn shame.
mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-05-22 21:10:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
I should probably explain my Bernanke comment...

Bernanke and other US policymakers are essentially engineering a weaker dollar
as part of the overall plan to fight deflation.

How are they doing it? The answer is "QE" - the Federal Reserve's quantitative
easing program.

QE is basically 1) printing money and 2) using the money to buy a wide range of
assets, in an attempt to boost the economy.

QE is a bad idea because

- printing money (as opposed to borrowing it) inevitably weakens the currency

- there's no orderly exit plan from QE that would foster price stability

Another 15-20 percent drop in the dollar alone could force the price of oil back to
the $85-$95 a barrel range. Other raw materials would react accordingly.

Dollar weakness would create massive inflation before the Fed is ready to deal
with it.

Other troubling signs:

- reports earlier this week that trade between Brazil and China might soon be
transacted in real and renminbi - not in USD

- US stocks, bonds and the dollar all fell simultaneously - a very bearish sign for
the currency

The day of reckoning is near.

The US went into the financial crisis with a worse debt to GDP ratio than the UK -
63 percent against 44 percent - and many analysts expect the US ratio to hit 100
percent before the UK.

US government policies have ruined this country. I don't see anything good on the
horizon for the dollar or the economy.

Edited by mawilson, 22 May 2009 - 01:34 PM.

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-05-22 13:32:00
United KingdomUSD-GBP exchange rate
QUOTE (Gemmie @ May 22 2009, 01:48 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Why do you say that?

The dollar is going to be the main casualty of global recovery.

As you know, the dollar rallied strongly after the stock market crash last September
(which was triggered by the collapse of Lehman Brothers) as investors scrambled for
safety of US assets.

Given the amount of money stockpiled in cash after the Lehman bankruptcy and still
undeployed after this spring's equity market rally, any upside move would renew the
dollar's downtrend.

mawilsonMaleUnited Kingdom2009-05-22 13:17:00