# I received a check in the mail today for $10,000 USD. Now What? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 20, 2007, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947 "2007-02-20T09:27:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/21 "2007-02-20T21:29:13Z")
[QUOTE=winterhawk11] Sorry to interrupt, but this just made me chuckle so I figured I’d share. [/QUOTE] What? Monkeys are a hot commodity right now, what with the poop-flinging and whatnot. :smack: I find it more than a little disturbing that my fingers apparently type the word monkey more than they do the word money. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/22 "2007-02-20T21:36:40Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] Um, are there any strings attached to this ‘check’? [/QUOTE] No. When we moved from the states we planned to pull all our assets and bring it with us. This is just part of it. > [@iamthewalrus(:3=](#): > > By leaving it in USD for a time, you’re effectively investing the currency market between the US and Canada (although, not efficiently). > > What makes you think the exchange rate will be better in a few months? I don’t know if the rate will get better. I can only guess. If I transfered it yesterday I would have gotten $11,458,. right now $11,524. That’s $66 bucks. 🙂 I thought I’d wait and see if I can squeeze a few extra bucks out of the exchange over the next few weeks or so. The exchange is like buying a new computer. You can wait and wait and wait hoping to get the best price on the fastest computer and forever look at models and shopping and CPU speed and memory and drive space and… Or you just look around for a week or so, buy a computer, and never look back. When we first moved over the course of a week or so we transfered about $10k USD into CAD with a crappy rate of $1.10 (US to CAD). A few days later it went to $1.12. That would have been $200 dollars to us. At some point you have to just shrug it off. As for the OP. I guess my wife and I are going to put the bulk of it in our House Downpayment Fund. So after I convert it, it will be moved into the 3.5% savings account for now. I still might yank $1-2000 out to play with so keep the ideas coming. ---
**Author:** ![29car](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/ebca7d/32.png) [@29car](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/29car)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/23 "2007-02-20T22:13:27Z")
[QUOTE=MLS] No, it’s not safe there. You’d better send it to me and I’ll take care of it for you. [/QUOTE] He lies. He’s trying to scam you. I’m offering a you a Certificate. What’s he offering? Nothing. Bubkus. Squat. I think the choice is quite clear. ::running outside to wait by the mailbox:: ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/24 "2007-02-20T22:45:03Z")
How do we all feel about “posting the fact on the internet” as a first step? ---
**Author:** ![Hostile\_Dialect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e495f1/32.png) [@Hostile\_Dialect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hostile_Dialect)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/25 "2007-02-20T22:55:34Z")
My advice is, don’t throw all of it into the investment markets. My dad lost all of my college savings in the dot-com bust and I’ll never forgive him for it. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/26 "2007-02-20T23:11:42Z")
I know! We could launder the money! ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/27 "2007-02-20T23:26:10Z")
[QUOTE=CynicalGabe] I know! We could launder the money! [/QUOTE] I’m going to have to stop by the convenience store to get some quarters and a loonie for the washing machine, then. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2007, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/28 "2007-02-20T23:56:53Z")
[QUOTE=fetus] My advice is, don’t throw all of it into the investment markets. My dad lost all of my college savings in the dot-com bust and I’ll never forgive him for it. [/QUOTE] :eek: Oh my. ---
**Author:** ![rbroome](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/838e76/32.png) [@rbroome](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rbroome)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/29 "2007-02-21T01:42:56Z")
[QUOTE=Giraffe] If there’s any chance you might want to use it in the next five years or so, I’d invest it in something relatively stable like a monkey market fund. Several Vanguard money market funds are returning a bit over 5%. If you plan to leave it alone for 5-10 years, I’d stick it in a mix of no-load index funds, probably something like 60% S&P 500 index, 20% small-cap index, 20% international. My personal feeling is that the stock market has too much potential volatility in it right now to be a worthwhile risk over the next few years. However, history has shown that time heals all wounds, stock-wise, so if you can leave it alone for long enough that might be the best choice. [/QUOTE] monkey market heh! perhaps it was just a slip of the keys… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/30 "2007-02-21T02:00:48Z")
[QUOTE=Seven] I don’t know if the rate will get better. I can only guess. If I transfered it yesterday I would have gotten $11,458,. right now $11,524. That’s $66 bucks. 🙂 I thought I’d wait and see if I can squeeze a few extra bucks out of the exchange over the next few weeks or so. [/QUOTE] Is the CAD finally weakening? Every time I’ve checked the exchange rate the last 18 months or so, the CAD has been stronger each time. It’s more fun to order stuff from Canada when your dollar is weaker 😃 I’m afraid that I’m not going to be any fun if I say what **I’d** do with 10-12K. I would pay off the smaller of my two student loans (about 2k), and put the rest in my “get out of dodge” fund. Damn, I must be getting old, I really want to buy a mobile home soon. Hopefully I won’t break my hip the day after I turn 30 like one of my co-workers did… You should get a puppy. What better investment could one make? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/31 "2007-02-21T04:30:37Z")
At current market prices, you could get twenty dopers off the board. You might want to start making a list. ---
**Author:** ![Seven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Seven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seven)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/32 "2007-02-21T09:16:22Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] Is the CAD finally weakening? Every time I’ve checked the exchange rate the last 18 months or so, the CAD has been stronger each time. It’s more fun to order stuff from Canada when your dollar is weaker 😃 [/QUOTE] A week or so ago the US dollar was at its highest point in almost 6 months. The US dollar was getting stronger until Bush started blabbing about Iran then it took a dive. For the last 4-5 months I’ve been getting paid in USD. I’d deposit in my paycheck US funds account and transfer when the US dollar was stronger. I noticed a direct connection to the US dollar falling compared to Bush speaking publicly. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/33 "2007-02-21T16:07:26Z")
[QUOTE=Giraffe] What? Monkeys are a hot commodity right now, what with the poop-flinging and whatnot. :smack: I find it more than a little disturbing that my fingers apparently type the word monkey more than they do the word money. [/QUOTE] Banana futures! Slip the broker 10,000 skins and he’ll make bread for you! ---
**Author:** ![Madd\_Maxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Madd\_Maxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Madd_Maxx)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/34 "2007-02-21T19:00:19Z")
I still haven’t heard any objections to my whole hookers and booze proposal. Las Vegas, Amsterdam, New York would all be great places to blow off 10+ grand this time of year. With everyone else’s suggestion there are risks and very little opportunities for fun and memorable experiences. Hell, it doesn’t even need to be hookers and booze, coke and sightseeing works too. 😉 Sherpa tipping in the Himalayas could be fun. IOW, go live a little. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/35 "2007-02-21T19:46:49Z")
Oh and one other suggestion- if there is something out there, very high quality, high end, that you have wished for but can’t afford- maybe now is the time. Assuming it will last for decades. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2007, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/36 "2007-02-21T20:01:00Z")
I would spend half on booze , and partying. The rest I would waste. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2007, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947/37 "2007-02-22T00:31:42Z")
[QUOTE=Giraffe] What? Monkeys are a hot commodity right now, what with the poop-flinging and whatnot. :smack: I find it more than a little disturbing that my fingers apparently type the word monkey more than they do the word money. [/QUOTE] Waitaminute, that was a _misprint?!?_ I’ve got to make a call to my broker, ASAP. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-received-a-check-in-the-mail-today-for-10-000-usd-now-what/392947.md?page=1)