# Dont be Shy...Please! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 9, 2011, 8:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390 "2011-07-09T08:08:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/101 "2011-07-12T13:27:18Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > He didn’t sue because of the accident - he sued because the surgeon used a technique that was certain to leave Jamie in a wheelchair for the rest of his life when there was a different technique, with the equipment there and on hand, that could have allowed the surgeon to make the repair that much more likely would have left Jamie with the full use of his lower body. Exactly. I would have sued as well. Jame can certainly be douchey, but not for this! ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/102 "2011-07-12T13:54:03Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > Exactly. I would have sued as well. Jame can certainly be douchey, but not for this! All right, **Living Well** , you seem to enjoy making small jabs like these at times. Knock it off. If you have a problem with another poster or want to call someone names, you make a Pit thread about it. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/103 "2011-07-12T14:02:56Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > All right, **Living Well** , you seem to enjoy making small jabs like these at times. > Knock it off. > > If you have a problem with another poster or want to call someone names, you make a Pit thread about it. Ok, sorry. I actually meant that in jest, based on my prior interactions with Jamie. I can see how it wouldn’t be taken that way, though. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/104 "2011-07-12T16:06:57Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > 1. I maintain several investment portfolios from the money won in my lawsuit. How much money did you win in the lawsuit? Did you receive a lump-sum payment or an annuity? Do you think it was enough? ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/105 "2011-07-12T16:13:29Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > How much money did you win in the lawsuit? Did you receive a lump-sum payment or an annuity? Do you think it was enough? That seems beyond the bounds of “Don’t be shy”. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/106 "2011-07-12T16:16:10Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > That seems beyond the bounds of “Don’t be shy”. Well, I’ve never been accused of being shy. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/107 "2011-07-12T18:06:50Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > How much money did you win in the lawsuit? Did you receive a lump-sum payment or an annuity? Do you think it was enough? I had a choice; I could either take the money as a lump-sum, take it as a monthly annuity or split it any way that I’d like. I chose to take 50% as a lump sum and 50% as a monthly annuity. The 50% lump sum is what I used to create my investment portfolios. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/108 "2011-07-12T18:35:45Z")
Since you don’t want to disclose the amount, was it a negotiated settlement or a jury award? Was it enough, or are you precluded from speaking about it as a part of the settlement? What was the discount rate used in determining the lump sum? What’s your high level asset allocation of your portfolio? Equities, bonds, alternative? Do you manage your individual investments yourself, or do you hire an investment manager? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/109 "2011-07-12T19:19:20Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Since you don’t want to disclose the amount, was it a negotiated settlement or a jury award? > > Was it enough, or are you precluded from speaking about it as a part of the settlement? > > What was the discount rate used in determining the lump sum? > > What’s your high level asset allocation of your portfolio? Equities, bonds, alternative? > > Do you manage your individual investments yourself, or do you hire an investment manager? It was a negotiated settlement. Whether or not it was “enough” is a hard question to answer. Was it enough, considering I don’t have use of my legs for the rest of my life? Was it enough, considering all the implications that entails? Now I’m not in financial need, if that is what you are asking, but I don’t see that as quite the same question. I am precluded from naming the particular hospital and doctor named in the lawsuit. My portfolio consists of bonds, stocks, equities. Long term, low risk investments used to provide a regular source of income. I have an investment manager. I’m not sure what you mean by “the discount rate used in determining the lump sum”? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/110 "2011-07-12T21:58:58Z")
You’re wheelchair-bound? Wow, I had no idea. P.S. Got pics? ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/111 "2011-07-12T22:42:40Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > I’m not sure what you mean by “the discount rate used in determining the lump sum”? It’s the rate by which they determine the lump sum amount. If the annuity was $50,000 per year over an estimated 50 years; but the lump sum amount was $900,000, then the implicit discount rate would have been approximately 5.1%. If you think you could earn greater than 5.1% investing the funds yourself, then you should have taken the lump sum. A lower discount rate would have resulted in a higher lump sum distribution amount. Hopefully you had people negotiating for a lower discount rate in calcuating the lump sum portion of your negotiated payout. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/112 "2011-07-13T00:12:37Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > You’re wheelchair-bound? Wow, I had no idea. > > P.S. Got pics? Just google me 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/113 "2011-07-13T00:20:30Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > It’s the rate by which they determine the lump sum amount. If the annuity was $50,000 per year over an estimated 50 years; but the lump sum amount was $900,000, then the implicit discount rate would have been approximately 5.1%. If you think you could earn greater than 5.1% investing the funds yourself, then you should have taken the lump sum. A lower discount rate would have resulted in a higher lump sum distribution amount. > > Hopefully you had people negotiating for a lower discount rate in calcuating the lump sum portion of your negotiated payout. The amount was originally awarded as an initial lump-sum. Once that amount was agreed on, it was THEN that it could be split as I saw fit along lump sum/structured payment lines. The initial settlement was never awarded as an annuity. That was a choice I made after accepting the settlement. In theory, I could have made much more money-keeping in mind that I live long enough-if I took it all as a structured settlement. Considering everything I had in terms of immediate needs and other considerations, a 50/50 split made the most sense to me. The structured settlement payments are guaranteed throughout my life, or guaranteed as long as the institution through which the payments are received remains solvent. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/114 "2011-07-13T00:48:20Z")
I realize that it was the post accident surgery that ultimately put you in the chair, but I’m curious to know if you take any ownership of having landed yourself on that table, in the first place? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/115 "2011-07-13T01:32:21Z")
> [@elbows](#): > > I realize that it was the post accident surgery that ultimately put you in the chair, but I’m curious to know if you take any ownership of having landed yourself on that table, in the first place? Of course I do. What happened to me is, to me at least, a complicated moral story. I have never been a person to shirk the responsibility I have for my actions. I have a tremendous amount of personal liability for what happened to me. At the same time, my actions take nothing away from the dereliction of duty shown by the doctor performing on me. It’s worthy of much more in-depth writing, suffice to say here though that I am very conscious of my role in my paralysis. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/116 "2011-07-13T02:15:15Z")
I have a question. What about amusement park rides? Are there issues there? Because when I was reading the paper this morning, there was an article about a veteran who had lost his legs and was killed when he was thrown from a roller coaster. (The park said the employee should never have let him on) Now obviously, you’re not in nearly the same position. But, have there been any safety issues there, and have you ever been refused to ride certain rides? Just curious. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/117 "2011-07-13T04:00:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I have a question. What about amusement park rides? Are there issues there? Because when I was reading the paper this morning, there was an article about a veteran who had lost his legs and was killed when he was thrown from a roller coaster. (The park said the employee should never have let him on) > > Now obviously, you’re not in nearly the same position. But, have there been any safety issues there, and have you ever been refused to ride certain rides? Just curious. I couldn’t tell you anything about safety/discrimination with amusement park rides. Not an amusement park kinda guy I guess. Although I have been awfully curious about one thing: at places such as Cedar Point or other large, busy amusement parks, I’ve always heard that people in wheelchairs get “cuts” to the front of the line (or go around the line altogether and enter in different area). 😕 Is this true? If so, I could (theoretically at least) go past a quarter-mile of sweaty, impatient people waiting to ride the ride, so I could enjoy it myself AND get off and do the whole thing over again. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/118 "2011-07-13T04:14:00Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Of course I do. What happened to me is, to me at least, a complicated moral story. No, it really isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/119 "2011-07-13T04:20:14Z")
> [@jamiemcgarry](#): > > Just google me 😉 [NOT](http://www.myspace.com/jamiemcgarry) what I was envisioning. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2011, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390/120 "2011-07-13T04:30:29Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > [NOT](http://www.myspace.com/jamiemcgarry) what I was envisioning. Damn it! My real identity revealed so soon!! You Dopers really are too smart for your own good!!! :mad::mad: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-be-shy-please/588390.md?page=7)