Papa Mike: Did I hit a nerve? I surely didn't mean for you to look back on your life and regret the foolish decisions you made. As I recall, noone was FORCED to purchase OPL stock, at least I wasn't, nor anyone else I know. The purchasing of OPL was required IF you wished to purchase UPS stock. If you, or anyone, didn't wish to purchase OPL, you weren't required to. However, you would not be allowed to Purchase UPS stock, so the decision was entirely up to you.
If, as you say, you're a 37 year employee of UPS, that would indicate you started in 1966. You must be a financial genious by investing $100 a week when, in 1966, you couldn't have been making $200 a week. You may ask how I know this, well when I started as a driver in 1963, I was paid $1.85 an hour, and with a family to support, saving $100 a week would have been impossible, as it would have been for the other drivers in the center I worked. So I applaud you for you financial abilities.
As for the THRIFT PLAN, many, including myself, that $6 a week over 32 years, turned into a rather large sum of monies. I find it hard to believe if, as you say, you're a shrew investor, you too didn't realize a large profit. That is unless you were like a lot of other drives who cashed in during the work stoppage we had on the east coast in 1976.
Now, about the French. Do you recall from your history class in high school, unless you didn't go to high school, an event that occured in our history called the American Revolution? This was when we were at war seeking our independence from England. Can you guess who was our only ally? No, not the Brits. No, not the Spanish. No, not the Saudis. Ok ok, I'll tell you. It was the French. Does that surprise you? Wow, to think that without the support of the French, the USA might not exist. With the wealth you have acumulated, thanks to your financial wizzerdry, you should give yourself the pleasure of experiencing other cultures and people outside the narrow world you live in.
Oh...I don't think I'm "fazzelled" I may be, but since I have no idea what fazzel means, perhaps you could provide the definition. I tried to look it up in a dictionary, but was unable to find such a word. Is it a verb, or a noun, or perhaps an adjetive?
One other point I'd like to make. I agree with you about you not going into management. I have seen a few management people (very few) who had an attitude like you. I guess some people are naturally miserable and hate to see other people suceede where they know they would fail.