Actually, kat, I beg to differ with you on the insurance thing. It is not a bet, and for at least 2 reasons.

Let's look at life insurance.

YOU ARE GOING TO DIE. Period. The life insurance company knows this, you know this (unless you're an idiot, of course, but you (kat) aren't!), everybody knows it.

Secondly, in a bet, one person is hoping something will happen one way, and another that it will happen another (or not happen at all). For example, if we bet on a football game, you hope your team will win, and I hope my team will win.

In insurance, both you and the insurance company are hoping for the same thing: you will live to a ripe old age. It's not like they are hoping you live a long time (so they can invest your money and get rich off it for years before having to pay out), whereas you are hoping you will die young (so your relatives can collect on your insurance without you having to have paid a whole lot of premium). You both want the same thing.

Thus it's not a bet.

It's an investment.

thanks for listening,
Alex
O..O
=o=