John_Maxwell_IV comments on Post ridiculous munchkin ideas! - Less Wrong

55 Post author: D_Malik 15 May 2013 10:27PM

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Comment author: CronoDAS 16 May 2013 05:32:14AM 14 points [-]

I have a horrible thought.

Most (legally acquired) debts are dischargeable in bankruptcy. That puts a floor on the amount of money one can lose. If your net worth is "almost nothing" and you can find suckers, er, I mean, organizations with loose standards that are willing to lend you money, then the expected utility of risky bets changes in a way that favors you - because going bankrupt while owing $10,000 isn't much different than going bankrupt while owing $500,000. Of course, going bankrupt is still pretty bad either way, but the upside of winning a risky, highly leveraged bet can also be correspondingly large...

Personally, I don't think this is a good idea and is probably unethical anyway, but it is the kind of crazy thing a certain kind of munchkin would do...

Comment author: John_Maxwell_IV 18 May 2013 07:57:15PM 1 point [-]

You'll hurt your credit rating, right? Which makes it harder to find places to rent, 'cause landlords will want to know your credit rating. And of course, harder to get credit cards, auto loans, mortgages.

Comment author: CronoDAS 18 May 2013 09:48:49PM 6 points [-]

Yes, of course. If your risky bet doesn't pay off, you're screwed - but there's a limit to how screwed you can get.

Comment author: notriddle 27 May 2013 10:49:30PM -1 points [-]

See also: voluntary homelessness.