Iago in the Well

[Raoul Duke III]

Iago has foolishly kindly agreed to be lowered into the well for questioning by the villagers. Iago is a mysterious recluse, who appears to have loadsa money. He is rumoured to be a hitman for the Russian mob and has strange ideas about fashion. Nobody knows if he has ever played poker. He is known to enjoy a whiskey of an evening. His wife is more attractive than he is.

So in time-honoured fashion, here we go:

1, What's the largest animal you could throw over a crossbar?
2. Who would win a fight between V for Vendetta and Gimmeabreak?
3. Tell us your poker history and the status of your current relationship with the game.
4. Who did you vote for at the last General Election and why?
5. You appear to have retired at a suspiciously young age. How did you luckbox that? Tips for doing same plz.

Fire away.

[Theresa]

You know the only answer RD3 cares about is the last one. You can probably ignore his first 4 questions!

Your top 3 personal finance tips?
Have you a portfolio? If not, why not? and if so, how is it performing?
Summarise your current daily activities in 3 words?
Did you travel for any prolonged period? Where to?
Emigration? Would you if you had the chance?

[chips1234]

if you could be any super hero, who would it be and why?

same as above but super villain ?

united to win the league or liverpool to be relegated which would you prefer ?

you have one day to live, how would you live it ?

surprise team of the world cup is ?

one player who outshines everybody at the world cup ?

[BobSloane]

Any regret or remorse at all over the whole desdemona/othello debacle?

[IPB Champ]

How did you start supporting United?
Your favourite United 11 of all time?
Fergie or Ronaldo back at the club if you could choose one?
Who is cooler DeadlyParrot or The Rigger?
Dice vs 34 midgets in a fight?
Most memorable poker moment? preferably a slowroll

[Guest]

Think you were a plaster by trade early in life.
Why did you stop and go off in tangent other industry.
If you had motor neuron disease - alzheimers wait for the horrible end or suicide?
Would you rather have been a russian jew in 1940 or black slave in Alabamba during the civil war.
If you could kill someone from your life past or present and get away with it would you.

[KevIRL]

Do you spin up the FF loots each year?

[Iago]

So this is actually happening then

Will start answering questions at some stage tomorrow, I've a very early flight (retirement lol) so need to try and get some semblance of sleep beforehand!

[TheImprover]

Looking forward to this one, been a long long time since we had a well.

Just one question, who are you?

[Raekwon]

What’s the most money you’ve ever won/lost?

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

Have you ever been in a real fight?

[dobby]

What’s the most money you’ve ever won/lost?

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

Have you ever been in a real fight?

Looking forward to this one, been a long long time since we had a well.

Just one question, who are you?

These questions and the most important one.

Coke or pepsi?

[RobotUnicorn]

tea or coffee?

[Rahenyrhythm]

What's the difference between a duck?

[6starpool]

Jus one question.

Tell us everything about yourself in terms of hopes, dreams, successes, failures, and everything else in no less than 10,000 words.

Thanks.

[V for Vendetta]

What career moves would you have done differently if you had the chance?

Do you recommend people get experience of a working life before they attend college, if they plan to attend college at all?

What is the most important area of future change in work/business that people are missing/ignoring in your view and why?

How much do you enjoy deferring current consumption for the satisfaction of having security and future life flexibility? How did you foster this satisfaction over the years?

[Semibluff]

most important pieces of advice you would have for your;

15 year old self
18 yr old self
21 yr old self
30 year old self.

You're given 200m to buy 11 footballers. Who are they (with rough valuations beside them).

Euthanasia - yay or nay

You're playing a paint ball game - you and 4 friends vs 5 IPB heads. You have unlimited bullets and for some unseen reason, they all have ran out of bullets and cover,
Who are you playing against?

You have a time machine - and you can go back and "invent" one piece of technology or set up any one business. What business have you thought "wish I had thought of that first, such a good idea" would you set up

[TheDrunkenOne]

Who from any time period would you like to be;

Stuck on an island with?
Have dinner with?
Go on the lash with?

[Wesley Harms]

Is your username based on a certain Liverpool striker.

Could you retire and live off fantasy football winning

What did you think of the song Maniac 2000

What's your favourite shade of blue

How many carrots do you think you could fit in regular dunnes carrier bag

Let's double the bet next season in FF

[Emmet]

If you were in charge of the Fantasy Football game, would you change the scoring system and how? (i.e, goals for defenders worth more points etc)

Do you think if a London Irish club (predominantly Irish players) were started in English football leagues, given the numbers of ex-pats in London it would gain traction?

Would you have any issues with the idea?

Would you ever change allegiances if a London-Irish club made it to the top level?

Favourite Goal ever scored (post clip please!)

Thanks

[AndyFatBastard]

Why do you think you were nominated to go down the well?

[DeadParrot]

a) Has you ever really been far even as decided to use even go want to do look more like?
b)How?
c)Would you rather fight 100 duck-sized horses or 1 horse-sized duck?
D)List in order of preference:
1) Chicken
2) Poker
3) FF
4) Masturbation
Explain your choices
e) How did you manage to put the mockers on me in Fantasy Football this year?
f) Fuck, Marry, Kill
1)Kev
2)Dom
3)Danny
g) whats wrong with this code?

   (Message.value('(/NOTIFICATION/NOTIFICATION_DATA/SUB_SET/REFERENCE_NO)[1]', 'varchar(20)') IS NOT NULL) AND (CAST(Message AS varchar(MAX))

h) miss the telecoms game?

[mdoug]

Seeing as I have no idea who you are I'll ask broad q's
Least favourite ipb poster?

Favourite ipb poster?

What colour are your eyes? and did you have to look in a mirror to be sure?

Did you ever play roulette/bjack for high stakes?

Have you ever listened to crowblackchicken?

Would you rather be a nudist or a never-nude?

[Lord Sir Banter]

How much of your pint should you pour out for your departed homies?

[corkie123]

im with theimprover on this

1/ who are you

[Iago]

So firstly thank you everyone for the questions, although I'm a little the worse for wear, I committed to starting to answer tonight and so I shall albeit with significantly more retying than is normally necessary

Iago has foolishly kindly agreed to be lowered into the well for questioning by the villagers. Iago is a mysterious recluse, who appears to have loadsa money. He is rumoured to be a hitman for the Russian mob and has strange ideas about fashion. Nobody knows if he has ever played poker. He is known to enjoy a whiskey of an evening. His wife is more attractive than he is.

The bit in bold is undoubtedly true

So in time-honoured fashion, here we go:

1, What's the largest animal you could throw over a crossbar?

A difficult question to start with. Without context of reason or motivation I reckon an Aardvark is probably a fair answer

2. Who would win a fight between V for Vendetta and Gimmeabreak?

Interesting. While I think V4V could possibly outlast GAB if he had the patience (which he does) GAB wins here. Frankly, GAB would do whatever was necessary to win, while V4V would be concerned with doing things the right way.

A win by technical KO to GAB

3. Tell us your poker history and the status of your current relationship with the game.

My history starts in much the same way as most others I guess, I started playing cards for money when I was young. Initially it was family games of draw poker or rummy for a couple of pence a head. It grew from that to playing games with friends for larger stakes as a young teenager and from there to playing in live games around Dublin. The fitz was probably my most regular haunt along with the old boards.ie poker forum crew in the days of the freeroll and the €10 rebuy, but I played in most of the places in town and a few outside of town as well.

Ultimately, live poker wasn't producing the return it needed to in order to justify the impact on life and so I stopped playing live and switched to online. While I had some limited success live, I had (in my view) a lot of success playing online, mostly SNG's, and for the 3-4 years I played regularly online I cleared on average a large 4 figure and somtimes very modest 5 figure sum.

However, as my salary increased, the money I earned from poker became less important and I played less and less as a result. My current status is non-existent. I have played one home game in the last 18 months, and no other poker whatsoever. Ultimately I wasn't anywhere near good enough for it to generate a living from, and therefore it was a waste of my time

4. Who did you vote for at the last General Election and why?

My voting decisions are relatively uneducated.

Fianna Fail had failed
Labour must never be the majority party in government
I've never felt obliged/compelled/interested in voting for Sinn fein

By default, I ended up voting Fine Gael, but I don't think it makes a huge difference in any way.

5. You appear to have retired at a suspiciously young age. How did you luckbox that? Tips for doing same plz.

Fire away.

The real question

As evidenced (or not) by my early morning flight this morning, and my inability to respond before now, I'm clearly not retired. However this is ok, as I had never intended to be retired before 45, 40 at a push. As I still have a few years before that fateful day I have room to manoeuvre

Of course the above is no answer at all. So let me start by saying that "retirement" is probably not the right word. It offers connotations that aren't really relevant to what I'm trying to achieve with my life. I much prefer the term Financial Independence. The freedom to choose the jobs you want to do, when you want to do them, for as long as you want to do them for.

To that point, I am not financially independent. While I can certainly get by without working for a period (time as yet to be determined) I'm not in a position where I can afford to never take up gainful employment again. However I have created some of the building blocks with which I can start to create that reality and actually achieve full financial independence.

As for how I have managed to work my way towards that goal, the truth is it's multi-faceted. There's no one thing that can help you achieve this (outside of a Euro millions win that is) Rather it's a combination of things that can get you to that point. I will expand on this,although I think a lot of it will be regarded as common sense, but tonight is not the time.

[Iago]

You know the only answer RD3 cares about is the last one. You can probably ignore his first 4 questions!

Yes, but let's play along

Your top 3 personal finance tips?

I'm afraid I'm very boring but;

1. Always live below your means

2. Start your pension as young as you can, and contribute the maximum tax deductible amount every year

3. What you earn is irrelevant if you don't control what you spend.

Have you a portfolio? If not, why not? and if so, how is it performing?

Yes, it averages around 5% a year. As I'm a particularly cautious investor this is a good return overall. I may need to get more adventurous in the future, but for now the return is fine.

Summarise your current daily activities in 3 words?

Making others rich

Did you travel for any prolonged period? Where to?

Unfortunately not, the opportunity wasn't there when I was younger although it was always something I would have liked to do. As I've aged my wanderlust has disappeared and while I'm very open to live somewhere else I've no burning desire to travel the world.

Emigration? Would you if you had the chance?

Absolutely, and it's something that is always on my mind. I've no doubt that at some point in the future I will up and go, the only questions are when and where

I love the idea of immersing myself in a foreign culture and climate, but I know I'll end up dipping my toes in an English speaking country first if/when it comes about!

[Iago]

Will continue tomorrow evening, but time has gotten away from me this evening.

I wish I was retired

[V for Vendetta]

Interesting. While I think V4V could possibly outlast GAB if he had the patience (which he does) GAB wins here. Frankly, GAB would do whatever was necessary to win, while V4V would be concerned with doing things the right way.

A win by technical KO to GAB

LOL. My 23 month old nephew would destroy him. Don't mistake my mild and laid back manner for a lack of ruthlessness when the moment requires it.

photo.JPG

[Raoul Duke III]

LOL. My 23 month old nephew would destroy him. Don't mistake my mild and laid back manner for a lack of ruthlessness when the moment requires it.

[ATTACH]2049[/ATTACH]

Trash talking eh? I like it.

Only one way to settle this.

[CHDad]

Trash talking eh? I like it.

Only one way to settle this.

[Iago]

if you could be any super hero, who would it be and why?

It's got be Batman doesn't it? All those gadgets and gizmos to play with, driving around in a converted tank Unlimited funds and a lavish lifestyle when you're not wearing a mask and cape.

Everybody wants to be Batman!

same as above but super villain ?

Same universe for me, Ra's al ghul.

Immortal (or as close as that it doesn't matter) - check
Head of an international association of master assassins - check
Wants to kill most of humanity - check
Has the means to do so - sorta kinda

united to win the league or liverpool to be relegated which would you prefer ?

Always United to win the league. I'd hate to see Liverpool relegated (after I'd had a good laugh at my mates of course) I don't ever want them to win the league again, but I don't want them out of the league either.

you have one day to live, how would you live it ?

With my family, I wouldn't really care what I was doing to be honest. I know the temptation is always there to answer a question like this with "coke filled hookers" but I think in truth we would all just want to capture every last moment we could with the people we love.

surprise team of the world cup is ?

I think the draw has been very unkind to Mexico (they have Brazil in their group and if they qualify out of it they face either Spain/Holland in the next round and then probably Italy in the QFs but I think they can do well.

On the other side of the draw I think Belgium can top their group, but with Portugal and then Argentina to get through I don't think they'll get past the QFs.

So the plucky underdogs probably won't get past the QFs this time around.

one player who outshines everybody at the world cup ?

This should be Ronaldo's tournament, but I'm really looking foward to watching Pirlo pull the strings for Italy. I think he's a fantastic footballer, and if he has a good tournament Italy will go a long way in it.

[Iago]

Any regret or remorse at all over the whole desdemona/othello debacle?

Not really no. Frankly I was being undermined the whole time and my true worth was never going to be recognised.

Had Othello been a better friend to me then he wouldn't have ended up where he did, and if he wasn't smart enough to see it coming it just proves that I was right to take advantage of him.

[Iago]

How did you start supporting United?

When I first started playing football at 5, I liked playing in goal. So I was a blond haired goalkeeper called Gary at a time when Uniteds no.1 was Gary Bailey. It started out from there and I've supported them ever since.

My contrariness also played a part in it looking back. All of my friends were Liverpool supporters so there was an element of not wanting to just follow a trend.

Your favourite United 11 of all time?

It's a tough question because there are a huge number of players that I've never seen properly but who probably belong in there.

Even picking a team based on players I've seen and followed in the flesh, is incredibly hard because we've been blessed with some great players over the years. Although my opinion will probably change in an hour, here's the selection right now

---------------------Schmiechel-----------------

-Neville-------Ferdinand--------McGrath-----Irwin-

Ronaldo-------Keane--------Robson---------Giggs

----------------------Cantona------------------------

-----------Van Nistlerooy----------------------------

Bench: Van der Sar, Vidic, Scholes, Rooney, Hughes, Whiteside & Cleverly

which I think gives me great cover across the pitch if changes need to be made

Fergie or Ronaldo back at the club if you could choose one?

Ronaldo undoubtedly as things stand, however if it was a Fergie from 10-15 years ago then Fergie.

Who is cooler DeadlyParrot or The Rigger?

Deadlyparrot of course, anybody with a username from Monty Python has to be

Dice vs 34 midgets in a fight?

The midgets, sheer volume of numbers would win the day. They would use weight of numbers to bear him to the ground, and once there he's getting pommelled. Sorry Dice

Most memorable poker moment? preferably a slowroll

It wasn't a slowroll, but I used to play in a regular weekly game in Dun Laoire. It was the most ridiculous game ever and yet even though the blinds changed based on how late it was and when the last pint was going to be pulled in the bar across the road (often blinds would increase every 2-3 hands) there was still enough value in it to be worthwhile. I don't think I ever played and didn't cash in it (which tells you exactly how weak it was )

Anyway, one of the semi-regular players was Ken Doherty. On one occasion he was sitting immediately to my left when the following hand happened. Details around chip counts are a bit sketchy, but the overall hand played out as below

I'm in MP, and I cover the table just about. The rebuy period had ended and there were probably 25-30 people still in the game. I'm dealt 5s 6s and it's folded to me. I duly raise to 3 times the BB, Ken calls, folded to the blinds who both call.

Flop comes down Ad 7s 3s and it's checked to the BB. BB bets the pot, I call, Ken calls, SB folds.

Turn was the unlikely but beautiful 4s. BB checked, I threw out a half pot bet and Ken raised to about half his stack. BB folds and I flat call.

River comes down 7h. I check and Ken dwells a little before announcing that he's all-in. I snap call obviously and Ken turns over As Ac for a full house Aces over 7's. I show my straight flush and Ken exits the table

[Iago]

Think you were a plaster by trade early in life.
Why did you stop and go off in tangent other industry.

There were a couple of reasons really. The first was that I ended up in the trade not by choice but by circumstance. There was a need for me to be earning rather than studying and there was an apprenticeship available with a guy from the same estate my parents live in. So there was no real passion for it to start with. The second reason was as simple as being sick of being on a construction site at 8am on freezing November morning dipping a sponge in a bucket of ice cold water on a dodgy set of scaffolding so that I could wash down a wall before starting to plaster it

The third reason, and the one that probably pushed me over the edge was the fact that plastering is a young mans game. I didn't want to be 50 or 60 years of age and still doing back breaking work. There was great money in it, but money in and of itself has never been a motivation for me. Around the time I was starting to think this way, I guy I worked with died of a heart attack. He was 34 years old, but looked like he was in his late forties. He had worked construction since he was 15 and was one of the hardest workers I've ever known, but his body just gave up on him.

A week after his funeral I left a construction site on a Friday with my weeks wages and went to the local FAS office. I asked what courses were available and there was a course in Software Testing starting on the Monday morning and I signed up for it.

Getting a trade and learning the realities of life and hard work is a great thing, I don't regret a second of the time I spent doing it but I wouldn't go back

If you had motor neuron disease - alzheimers wait for the horrible end or suicide?

I have no interest in suffering. However suicide is potentially a way for me to avoid suffering by pushing it onto someone else, and I have no interest in that either. I think I'd have a long and frank discussion with my wife and son and make a decision following that.

I've seen what both sides of that equation can do to family and people left behind, and neither is great to be honest. That's why it would need to be a family rather than personal decision.

Actually, while I type that I'm struck by the thought that "the discussion" in itself is perhaps a selfish way of bringing others into your pain and suffering.

I don't know, and I don't think any of us ever truly will until and unless we are faced with having to make that choice.

Would you rather have been a russian jew in 1940 or black slave in Alabamba during the civil war.

I think a black slave in Alabama. There was hope, an opportunity and potential for escape and maybe a chance to actually try and be involved on the right side.

On the other hands, Russian Jews had seen their lifestyle, beliefs, rights, educational systems and options decimated over the course of the previous 20 years, and there was nobody fighting their cause or corner and nowhere to really turn to.

If you could kill someone from your life past or present and get away with it would you.

There are a few people that deserve it, and a few that probably don't

However I couldn't live with myself afterwards. I suffer from a very active conscience and while I will continue to make bad decisions, as it my right as an imperfect human, the guilt from something like that would be very hard for me to live with. Particularly if it was pre-meditated.

[Iago]

Do you spin up the FF loots each year?

Most years I've nothing to spin up

I'm a pretty disciplined gambler. While I gamble regularly, I rarely do it for large sums of money and when I win I normally withdraw the funds pretty quickly. I had an especially good year this time around with FF (about €2.5k profit overall) and that will be used to cover some of the costs of my trip to Vegas later in the year.

Short answer, no I'm a wuss

[Iago]

Looking forward to this one, been a long long time since we had a well.

Just one question, who are you?

Are we talking metaphorically, literally, conceptually?

I'm nobody. My history with the forum comes from boards.ie, when the poker forum was set up there I think I was one of the first regular posters who frequented there. I played a large amount of poker back in those days and a lot of that was centred around home games with other boards.ie members and the various low stake games in the fitz and merrion that were popular at the time.

I moved across and stuck around because the posters on this forum are incredibly engaging and very bright. There are only a handful of people on here who would know me, and only some of those are from the world of poker.

[Iago]

What’s the most money you’ve ever won/lost?

As I mentioned before, I'm a disciplined gambler (mostly) so I normally limit what I risk and therefore what I win.

My biggest single win was on Our Conor, I think I ended up about €4k ahead when all was said and done on that race. Back in the day I won a number of online poker tournaments, but I think my biggest win there was about €2.7k all small beans.

The most I've lost on a single gambling bet is €500 but bets of that size would be few and far between for me. I've also got a terrible habit of picking a random roulette table when I'm in Vegas and putting whatever is in my pocket on black before going to bed. I think my biggest loss on that was a little over $700 one night.

In terms of shares I've had 4 and 5 figure gains and losses at different points, but again I'm pretty cautious so they are rare enough.

What’s the stupidest thing you’ve ever done?

There is a long long list of things...

I once ran up a five figure debt (which was higher than my annual salary at the time) by not being willing to admit that I had massively overstretched myself and looking for help. The fact that I had nothing tangible to show for it compounds the stupidity.

I also once continued to play a match with a fractured ankle after insisting that the trainer use a freeze spray to numb the foot. Resulted in me tearing every ligament between my foot and knee and kept me out of football for about 6 months.

What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever told?

oooohhh.....

I think the biggest lie I ever told was to myself, when I convinced myself I was happy and should stick around in a relationship. It lasted about 3 years more than it should have and did neither of us any good in the long run.

Have you ever been in a real fight?

I guess it depends on your definition of a real fight I've thrown more than a few punches in my day, and received nearly as many in return. I was attacked once which resulted in a permanent scar, a 3 day hospital stay for concussion and a failure to this day to remember anything in the build up to or occasion of the attack.

but you'd want to see the state of the other guy

[Iago]

These questions and the most important one.

Coke or pepsi?

I don't see the question?

Coke of course, I don't know what Pepsi is, but it ain't coke!

[Iago]

tea or coffee?

Coffee.

I have managed to restrict and reduce my addiction needs from what was a reasonable 8 cups a day to a maximum of 4 and an average of 2.

I only like good coffee though, none of that instant rubbish.

Grow my own beans obviously

[Iago]

What's the difference between a duck?

There a couple of answers, but the most correct one in my view is a hard disk


unformatted of course

[Iago]

Jus one question.

Tell us everything about yourself in terms of hopes, dreams, successes, failures, and everything else in no less than 10,000 words.

Thanks.

42

[Iago]

What career moves would you have done differently if you had the chance?

From an experience point of view, I'm very happy with my career choices to date. I've always made a career move for the right reason and sought out roles that would help me bridge a gap I felt I had. The accumulation of additional money while doing so was an afterthought but always welcome

My only, slight, regret is turning down a role in London around 10 years ago. It was probably the right move from a career point of view but didn't fit with my family life and I prioritised that over the career. On reflection I could probably have managed it ok, and it would have been a great experience and added another couple of strings to my bow.

However, as I have no ambition to be a Fortune 500 CEO, and as I'm already a director (of my own small but brilliant company ) It won't ultimately affect my career options.

Do you recommend people get experience of a working life before they attend college, if they plan to attend college at all?

Yes, absolutely. You can be as young as 17 starting college here and you know nothing. You know so little, that you don't even realise how little you know. Spending another 4-5 years in an institution where you will learn little of practical substance before coming out into the workforce is not the most efficient use of your time, or indeed the best way to go about building your career.

It's probably different if you have a vocation, such as medicine for example. However even in that case, everyone would benefit from being out in the world, understanding how people really interact with each other and have the practical knowledge that you can lean on in your academic studies.

In fact, I think the ideal is to be working full-time and studying part-time in the field that you're in.

What is the most important area of future change in work/business that people are missing/ignoring in your view and why?

This is fascinating question, but it's very broad

I think one of the biggest problems in any company is twofold, the first is the "we've always done things this way" mentality, and the second is the lack of ownership that individuals feel towards the overall results of a company.

In terms of what that means for future change, companies are ignoring that the dynamics of the workplace have completely changed. Work is something we do, not somewhere we go. However there is an unwillingness on the part of companies to acknowledge that and pro actively implement flexible working arrangements and new ways of working that take into account the technology advances that are available to us.

This in turn frustrates employees who see themselves as part of the machine rather than being the driver at the front. Giving people responsibility and control allows them to shape their careers which makes them more concious of how their success is linked to the success of the company.

There are other things of course, the proliferation of personal devices in the workspace, the always-on elements of our lives, the crowd sourcing opportunities that companies haven't quite got their heads around, the fact that we are moving ever faster to a working world where everybody is a "Contracting Consultant" rather than an employee...and so on and so forth

How much do you enjoy deferring current consumption for the satisfaction of having security and future life flexibility? How did you foster this satisfaction over the years?

I'm not sure I do enjoy the deferment of consumption I do it because I have a good reason to and the results of it are more important to me than the consumption itself, but have no doubt; If I could do both I would

I think with anything in life, if you know where you want to be you can work backwards to what you need to be doing now in order to get there. For me, I'm genuinely interested in where my money goes, and the value I get from that. I'm less concerned with how much I pay for things and will pay silly money for things I really like...like this clock for example

http://www.qlocktwo.com/info.php?lang=en

Life is choices, and consumption is one of the choices that is actually taken away from you. It is like an addiction and you are being bombarded hour after hour by advertisements, suggestions, peer pressure and expectation. All of which is designed to make you feel that you aren't complete, but if you bought this BMW/Rolex/Clock/Coloured Lenses/iPhone/whatever you too can be happy

I'm lucky. I genuinely feel that the most important asset I will ever own is time. I also recognise that it is a finite asset and one that can be taken away from me at any time without my control or being able to influence it. So my choice, and the way I foster my satisfaction, is by not losing sight of that.

I make the control of my time the number 1 objective I have. Consequently the decisions I make are based around maximising the amount of my time that is mine to manage. I may choose to lie on the couch reading a book, or climbing the alps, or watching rubbish TV while eating a small nation worth of chocolate, or going out with friends and family.

However it's my time and my choice, it's not being dictated by a job I have to do in order to feed a consumption habit that doesn't help me get to the most important thing in my life, free time.

Having that level of control is all I need to feel satisfied

[Iago]

Will continue working through these this evening.

Thanks for all the questions so far, some real thought provokers in there

[FeetMagic]

Cool well.

- What was the best holiday you have been on?
- At what age did you adopt the mindset of saving for the future to such an extent?
- Do you have any interesting drug-related stories?
- What is the most fun day you have had this year?
- Wipe sitting or standing?
- If you could have been brought up in any city in the world would you choose to change?

Thanks

[Iago]

most important pieces of advice you would have for your;

15 year old self

Don't get her pregnant

18 yr old self

I told you not to get her pregnant

Stop spending all your money as quickly as you get it.

21 yr old self

Stay single for a few years, remain close to your friends.

30 year old self.

That's not "bloating" or "water retention" get off your hole and get back playing football properly.

You're given 200m to buy 11 footballers. Who are they (with rough valuations beside them).

This has comfortably taken me the longest time to answer so far. I think this is version 12 which actually gets me under 200m and with a full team...with some creative accountancy

Sacrificed Toure in the final lineup, he's just too expensive

-------------------------Mattia Perrin (€10m)-------------

S Coleman (€15m)------R Varane (€20m)-------V Kompany (€30m)------A Cole(FREE)

-------------------G Xhaka (€15m)----------C Fabregas (€30m)------------------------------

-----P Coutinho ( €20m)----------S Fred (€25m)-----------------D Bernard (€20m)-----

---------------------------D Berardi (€15m)----------------------------

Euthanasia - yay or nay

Yay

You're playing a paint ball game - you and 4 friends vs 5 IPB heads. You have unlimited bullets and for some unseen reason, they all have ran out of bullets and cover,
Who are you playing against?

On reflection, I think I misread the meaning behind the question but I'll leave the answers to the question I thought you were asking

iSnow, HHH, SatNav, mDoug & tipp

You have a time machine - and you can go back and "invent" one piece of technology or set up any one business. What business have you thought "wish I had thought of that first, such a good idea" would you set up

I don't think I have a creative bone in my body but for sheer easy money it's got to be the Post-It note

[Iago]

Who from any time period would you like to be;

Stuck on an island with?

Angelina Jolie

Have dinner with?

Oscar Wilde

Go on the lash with?

HHH

[Iago]

Is your username based on a certain Liverpool striker.

Yes, I mean no. As alluded to above it's based on a character in Othello

Could you retire and live off fantasy football winning

Not unless I moved to the back end of papua new guinea, which would play havoc with trying to change my team every week.

What did you think of the song Maniac 2000

I preferred the original, but it's a mover

What's your favourite shade of blue

Sky

How many carrots do you think you could fit in regular dunnes carrier bag

200

Let's double the bet next season in FF

Done & Done

[Keane]

Thanks for doing this, very interested in hearing the responses.

You seem to have yourself well set up at an early age w.r.t work/life balance. What age were you when your current method of thinking re:mini-retirements surfaced? Had you a lot done to put yourself on the right track before that age? If so, what?

[FeetMagic]

200 carrots is way off pal

[Iago]

If you were in charge of the Fantasy Football game, would you change the scoring system and how? (i.e, goals for defenders worth more points etc)

It's definitely flawed, but if you take it from the perspective of attracting more and more players and making it easier to compete and get big scores you can understand why the rules are the way they are.

If I was in charge I would

1. Abolish the double points for the captain, I think it's far too generous. I'd be in favour of it being removed altogether but a minimum reduce it from double to 1.5 or 1.25 the points.

2. No automatic substitutions. If your player doesn't play tough luck.

3. I do think that defenders should get more points for both assists and goals

4. I'd implement a multiplier where additional assists or goals are rewarded more than the first of any such in a game

The system they have probably gives the average punter the best chance of being successful, but I'd prefer it would some of the above implemented.

Do you think if a London Irish club (predominantly Irish players) were started in English football leagues, given the numbers of ex-pats in London it would gain traction?

Eventully, but it would take a lot of time. It would only really start to get traction if they got kids to start going to games and building a relationship with the club so it's definitely a multi generational play.

I don't know if it would be sustainable in the time it would take to develop that fanbase, just look what happened to MK Dons. Not to mention that you have to start at the bottom of the bottom of the leagues to get it going.

For those reasons I don't think it would fly, and you would have to question why London? There are more Irish living in Manchester for example than anywhere in Ireland except Dublin & Galway. So why not Manchester Irish?

In fact it might get going quicker in Manchester given the geographical divide between north and south in the UK when it comes to supporting the national team. England are seen as being a "London" team in the UK so a soccer team promoting itself as Irish in London probably wouldn't be received as well as one in Manchester or similar.

Would you have any issues with the idea?

No issue in principle with the idea, but for the above reasons I don't think it would get going.

Would you ever change allegiances if a London-Irish club made it to the top level?

Never. I don't think you can really change clubs, it's such a strange concept to me. I could follow their results, and maybe even attend some games, but it would always be United for me.

Favourite Goal ever scored (post clip please!)

Thanks

It's got be Carlos Alberto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5HbmeNKino

You're welcome, thanks for asking some questions

[Iago]

Why do you think you were nominated to go down the well?

Mostly, because I was stupid enough to suggest that someone do it.

It's like asking who's round it is. If you ask the question it's your round

I also think that given the fact I've managed to take some time off and then get up and running quickly recently there's some interest as to how I go about it and whether some of that can be implemented to improve the work life balance of others.

Mostly though it's my suggesting someone does it!

[Megatron]

Cheers for doing this.

• Best match you have been to in Old Trafford
• Worst Match you have been to in Old Trafford
• What was the Hardest part of setting out on your own businesswise?
• If you had to eat one dish for the rest of your life what would it be?

[Rufio]

Great well, some really interesting questions and thought provoking answers.

Q1: What's the worst piece of advice you hear generally being touted?

Q2: What's the worst piece of advice that you ever listened to?

Q3: Have you had any near death experiences, if so, what, if any, impact did it have on your life?

Q4: An anonymous benefactor has given you €20m. He has also pointed you in the direction of a time machine that costs €20m per go.
Would you use the time machine, if yes where and when could you go? (It's a really cool time machine that lets you choose location as well, also presume you don't have a loving family if it makes for a better answer etc.)
If you wouldnt choose the time machine what would you spend the money on?

If the time machine was free, where would you go?

Thanks in advance.

[RobotUnicorn]

Most played song on your music device?

[Keane]

I seem to recall you had a young lad who was very good at soccer, is he still pursuing that or is he back to being a normie?

[CHDad]

I still want my week ban from soccer 5 years ago looked into. Was part of my demise. I want justice.

[Theresa]

Obv Iago gets to pick the next person in the Well now when he has wrapped up.

These Wells are good reading.

[Iago]

As for how I have managed to work my way towards that goal, the truth is it's multi-faceted. There's no one thing that can help you achieve this (outside of a Euro millions win that is) Rather it's a combination of things that can get you to that point. I will expand on this,although I think a lot of it will be regarded as common sense, but tonight is not the time.

Expansion time.

The concept of living below your means isn't a new one or a particularly difficult to understand concept. If your outgoings are higher than your in comings then you are in trouble. Most people I know are on autopilot when it comes to their finances. They all have one or more of credit cards, overdrafts, bank loans, car loans, mortgages, family loans etc. They don't think before they purchase, or at least they don't think things all the way through. They have forgotten the difference between wants & needs.

Let's take cars for example, how many people actually need a BMW/Mercedes/Lexus versus a Ford/Opel/Toyota or similar?

They both get you from A to B, and occasionally back again
They both have room for 4, and maybe even 5(small) people
One of them costs upwards of €40k up front, and the other can be had for €10k

In other words you could get 4 of one type of car for the same cost to you as 1 of the other ones. That means if the average lifespan of your car is 5 years, you could cover your cost for 20 years instead of buying a trophy vehicle.

In the example above (whether you agree or not) I have converted the cost of a car into a value over time. If I have to spend €200k over 25 years instead of €40k on a vehicle, then that is another €160k I have to find to fund that. In the current tax system, that means earning north of an additional €300k just to get that additional money.

If I had that €160k invested instead of rusting outside my front door, even at a conservative 5% I would be adding an additional €8k to that amount each year.

So in both scenarios I get a new car every 5 years, the car gets me from A to B, I can travel with my family (as along as they are small) and everything else bar the "look" of the car and the perception of my circle is constant.

In Scenario A I get a name that I'm being told will bring me happiness.

In Scenario B, I get an additional €360k to find happiness with

I don't dispute that a Lexus is more comfortable, or that it has an additional 100 features, most of which you won't use, but the primary purpose of a car is to get you from one location to the next and they will both do that.

Essentially the thought process should revolve around the additional utility/value you get by choosing one over the over v's the amount of time you are no longer having to sacrifice your time by virtue of having the money in your bank account rather than in a car/house/suit/holiday/whatever

That, in my mind at least, is not a sacrifice. The sacrifice is giving up 40-60 hours a week of my time with my family so that I can drive a slightly shiner, feature rich vehicle from point A to point B.

I try to apply that logic to all of the things I buy, sometimes you just say fuck it and buy the most expensive item, but it should always be a calculation in your head around the additional benefit received v's the time sacrificed to do it. If there is a lower priced item that will essentially do the same thing, is the benefit of the expensive item worth the time to lose to be able to pay for it


For the pedantic amongst us, I recognize that there is residual value in cars and that value is higher on trophy vehicles than on others. However I also haven't calculated the additional insurance, tax, fuel costs that will come from having a higher powered, higher valued vehicle, and it's just an example of one product

[Dice75]

Are you Tipp86 in disguise?

[Iago]

Something else that I find people are guilty of (and hands up, so am I)

We buy things because "we can afford it" I'm working so I'll treat myself. This actually becomes a circle that it's hard to get out of.

I work so I can earn money
I earn money to get control over my time
because I'm working, I feel that I deserve a treat to compensate me
The treat costs money
I work so I can earn money

and round and round we go. We all like instant gratification and it's very hard to push yourself for a future reward that may or may not materialise. Especially when we spend every waking moment being persuaded to part with our hard earned money for goods that are essential to our well-being and happiness