[Katzpur]

Originally Posted by lvoc

Actually the LDS position on those is pretty tricky and is, as Dyn's Boss suggested, somewhat hypocritical...it is not good to drink or gamble but it is OK to make money from the same as long as you don't push it to Mormons.

Where do you draw the line, though? I mean, it can get really silly when you stop to think about it. Like everybody else, Mormons have to earn a living. Mormons don't drink tea of coffee either, or smoke cigarettes. Does that mean Mormons shouldn't work in grocery stores (where tea, coffee and tobacco are sold)? Mormons believe in dressing modestly. Does that mean Mormons shouldn't work in a department store where a person can purchase clothing that would be unacceptable for Mormons to wear? There is a sizable Mormon population in Las Vegas. It would be pretty unreasonable that at least some of them would be employed in industries they don't personally spend their own money supporting.

[SportyandMisty]

Originally Posted by SportyandMisty

Ed Thorp, the physicist who "solved" BlackJack and wrote "Beat the Dealer" eventually turned his sights on bigger game: Wall Street. Thorp eventually wrote Beat the Market, btw. Thorp founded the wildly successful Princeton/Newport Partners, an early hedge fund, that used statistical methods to find discrepancies in the pricing of options relative to underlying securities -- and using stat models he simultaneously bought options/warrants and shorted securities -- and this was before the Black/Scholes Options Pricing Model. Even on Black Monday (Oct 19, 1987) when the stock market crashed he made money.

This ushered in a new breed of wall street types: Quants who launched hedge funds and made billions of $. The money to be made on Wall St is much larger than in the casino business.

All of the top academic Prob/Stat departments developed new majors/schools focused on "financial engineering" and they feed Wall Street. Specifically, their grads end up in "Stat/Arb" -- Statistical Arbitration. If UNLV had the best stat department, its graduates would head to Wall Street.

One more thing: Coursera, the free online MOOC just recently announced Coursera Blog • University of Chicago Joins Coursera that John Cochrane's Asset Pricing Theory class will be available free online. This a very advanced class (not for a beginner nor an intermediate investor).

Now, back to the topic at hand.

[virg1123]

Originally Posted by Coco6163

As for the things I wished I knew before moving to LV:

I wish I knew how magnificent my neighbors were going to be;

I wish I knew how much I was going to enjoy the weather year-round;

I wish I knew how magnificent and inspiring it was going to be to look around me and see the most beautiful sky and mountain views that any city can provide in 360 degree views;

I wish I knew how much fun you can have without ever going to the tourist spots;

I wish I knew it was going to feel so safe and serene every day and night as I take my dog for walks around the perfectly manicured blocks lined by the well-maintained and guarded homes;

I wish I knew how much fun it was going to be to enjoy swimming in our backyard pool and dipping in the hot tub;

I wish I knew how much I like being able to go to the Strip when ever I please, even if I don't often desire to do so;

I wish I knew how much I would enjoy driving on roads that are wide and flat and without the obstacle course of potholes that routinely appear in the NE and Midwest as winter ends;

I wish I knew how amazingly friendly most of the people working in retail or otherwise providing services are here in LV;

I wish I knew how much I was going to love the feeling of a day spent for the first time in a world-class spa with my wife and then choosing a new one to have that experience over and over and over;

I wish I knew how much fun it would be to spend a holiday like Thanksgiving by hiking through Red Rock Canyon instead of bloating myself at a dinner table;

I wish I knew how much I was going to enjoy an occasional trip to the Smith Center for cultural events;

I wish I knew that this metropolitan area with about 2 million residents can have the best of a small town community feel to it;

I wish I knew how efficient the government service offices like the DMV, the Family Court, and the fingerprinting bureau were going to be as I took care of things that a new resident to the State has to deal with;

I wish I knew how to describe all of the things that happily surprised me even though I moved here with the greatest excitement and anticipation after having been a tourist and visitor for more than 20 years.

LV is not the perfect place for everyone. It's not even a good place for a lot of folks. But when the plusses and minuses are weighed, it is pretty darn fantastic.

Such beautiful and refreshing post.

[MARYLANDNO]

Nevada is the lowest taxed state with the exception of Alaska, where they pay you to live there. The Northeast states are the highest taxed states, most even more so than California. High taxes and big government trickle down to everything, making prices higher and lowering the standard of living for everyone. Government regulations and requirements, land use restrictions, and higher taxes take their toll. The cost of a house in the Northeast is two to three times Las Vegas prices, followed by onerous property taxes for the rest of your life, or until you leave(and many are).

[Juxtaposition109]

I wish I had known about my dentist b/c he is freaking AWESOME (Island Smiles).

I also wish I had known about Honda Tronics b/c that car shop is also AWESOME if you are a Honda Owner.

I wish I had known that PT's will hire you with no experience as a cook and train you. Being a line cook wasn't a dream come true but it kept me fed and sheltered.

I wish I had known that paying $400 to go to casino dealer school would in the long run net me many more jobs than most of my college education ever did.

I wish had known that I'd meet my wife here ( I would have moved here sooner b/c she rules)

I wish I had known how many good/lifelong friends I would make here.

[VegasHomeSellers]

Vegas Is a Great Place!

Its what you make of it as anywhere.

[Kay Effzee]

Originally Posted by Juxtaposition109

I wish I had known about my dentist b/c he is freaking AWESOME (Island Smiles).

I also wish I had known about Honda Tronics b/c that car shop is also AWESOME if you are a Honda Owner.

I wish I had known that PT's will hire you with no experience as a cook and train you. Being a line cook wasn't a dream come true but it kept me fed and sheltered.

I wish I had known that paying $400 to go to casino dealer school would in the long run net me many more jobs than most of my college education ever did.

I wish had known that I'd meet my wife here ( I would have moved here sooner b/c she rules)

I wish I had known how many good/lifelong friends I would make here.

This is lovely!

[Bps401]

1.) I agree there are TONS of cops in Las Vegas. But there are a TON of people, and a TON of idiots that drive around here...My wife and I have been pulled over here more than our old state, but we were speeding so...We learned real fast there is zero tolerance on the roads in Las Vegas. Easy.

2.) Public Transportation sucks. Cant argue there.

3-4.) I can afford to live here as if I was living in the south. Same cost of living. I dont have to deal with HOA fees, and I have heard nightmare stories. Utilities-We are very conservative with everything and it works out more or less.

5) No experience.

6) Not into politics but I'd assume it is corrupted like many towns.

7) Stress? Things you wish you knew before moving to Vegas? Does not compute. Stress is on the person, not the city

8) Not in just Nevada, but MANY states, students lack critical thinking skills. That is a NCLB issue. All students do is test, test, test, test so states can get funding from the government.

Seems you dont like the west in general. You keep referring to las vegas as "this desert" as if the climate makes this area a negative. I love the desert and the western history as well as the culture. There are plenty of sketchy people in LV, but I have been able to make friends in the year and a half I have been here. It wasnt easy but it is possible. And are you Mormon or something? LOL at the only people you can trust is Mormon. Not even worthy of making a statement on that comment. Well, bye.

[jp2014]

When I first came to Vegas, it was a trip of unpredictability. Not sure what to expect; not knowing anyone here to provide assistance, if needed, nor having the money to afford a stable living situation. From all the places that I lived, Vegas is the only place that lives by this motto, "IT'S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW, BUT WHO YOU KNOW."

You can have an ample amount of skills in a wide array of fields, AND be good at what you do. But if you don't know/have the connections to get to where you desire to go, you'll be 'stuck'. ....(not literally, until you get out and mingle)

In my case, I use to be a 'mingler'. Go out and just talk with random people and truly have conversation without having an agenda. Since coming back from Iraq, leaving the US Army, unexpectedly, having my investments into a company go down the drain, not seeing family in over 6yrs, and of course, let's not forget the symptoms of PTSD. ALL OF THIS combined, pretty much turned me from a happy go-lucky guy into a 'cold-hearted, emotionless individual. I hide my real emotions behind a smile and hardwork.

I'm getting help from VA, which is there to provide aid, but will I ever see my old self again? Have I actually grown up to be who I was meant to be?

I apologize for going on a tangent, but yeah.......Get Friends and Mingle.

[RZMAN]

Thank you for letting me "lurk"...very interesting stuff here...getting a handle on real life in Las Vegas...If not for the summer heat I'd likely move next month...maybe March...I loved the positive posts. Funny...where I live, people say it is boring. In the last month I've been to a Macklemore & Ryan Lewis concert, taken hikes in pines and had fun playing in snow..shopped for Christmas at Nordstrom and Macy's, been to three major college sporting events, seen art films, etc. People just need to find what is positive about the place where they live and do those things. Me, not thinking of leaving here, but to Las Vegas to get involved in the entertainment industry at some level...The initial post had me scared to move but the positive ones are the ones I will pay attention to...