I Hate Being Poor

[oneshot]

Money makes a lot of things easier, and some things more enjoyable.  But the problem I've found with having money is that I'm always worried about losing it.  For instance, Friday and today with the stock market.  Back in the old days, if you wanted money for retirement outside of Social Security, you saved, you kept it in the bank, and earned a decent interest rate on it.  Back when I was teaching 35 years ago, I figured if I could just build up $200,000 by the time I was ready to retire, I'd be getting at least 5% interest rate on it and, along with the teachers' retirement fund, I'd be taking in another $10,000 a year in interest and I could live like a king in retirement.  Of course, given that I was making about $8000 a year as a teacher back then, I had no idea how I waas going to save that much money.  I quit teaching, and there were a few lean years in the artist business, but soon we were bringing in enough money that we were investing in 401Ks and retirement plans and mutual funds.  We saved a lot of money...but as is the case with lots and lots of people these days, it's all dependent upon the stock market.  You can't stick it in the bank and only earn .000005% on it, you might as well bury it in the back yard.  And now I'm getting to the age that I'm seriously considering what passes for retirement for an artist, which is only painting when I feel like it and painting only what I really want to paint.  Is the market going to make me have to keep painting like crazy?  Heck, since my business depends upon people with plenty of disposable income, will painting like crazy even bring in the money?

If you don't have a lot of it in the first place, you don't have those worries.  Of course, you probably have a few other worries.  I guess the key is to live for today...and don't worry, 'bout tomorrow, hey, hey?  (People my age might remember the song that came from!)

I got my Retirement from Company Pension. Thought when Government started having people invest in the Stock Market, didn't people learn anything from the past?

My Son was planning on retiring at 38 but he lost his Job, then couple months later his wife lost her Job. He has his own business but he is dipping into their savings.

My Brother in Law in the past took all his 401K out and has filed bankruptcy. He didn't take out Supplemental Insurance with his Medicare. All of a sudden he has high medical bills and is just about to lose everything.

Truth I use to be really good setting money back but found if you have any other people figure out how to get it, so I spend it fast as I get it.

oneshot 

[fishinwrench]

I worry about worrying.   I'm not really worried NOW but I know the day that I will be worrying ALOT is getting closer every day, and that worries me.  

Should I help make someone else richer so that I can only worry 1/2 as much about worrying?  Nah, I'll just have a little more money now and enjoy it while I can, because regardless of my financial status later in life I'll still have worries.  

I (personally) can be happy as a clam living alone with my worries in a van down by the river, and that's likely where I'm headed.  No thought for the 'morrow, live for today.

[Old plug]

Well you will out of grow your worry.  The older you get the less there is of the future to worry about. So you just sort of give up on it.  Really what everyone should be worried about is the present. This world seems bent on taking itself to self distraction. 

 

[Mitch f]

I think most people posting on this thread could have their money taken from them tomorrow and figure out a way to be happy. But I'm worried about our future generation.....there's no app for poverty

[fishinwrench]

The future generation is in big trouble the way I see it.  I don't know what town the kids live in that will someday build roads, bridges, houses, and do the heavy lifting, because they don't live HERE.

The only way you'll be able to get any hard labor out of this upcoming generation is by letting them screw up and then throwing them in prison for awhile.  The penitentiarys will be the only lucrative construction companies in America 15 years from now I bet.  The schools had to change the name of Shop class to "Industrial arts" but even that didn't work this year,  so they tricked some girls into taking it just to fill the class. That cracked me up!

[Old plug]

Wrench and Mitch. My post was of worry of a personal nature. But I do worry about young people and kids. 

[Mitch f]

I understand Old Plug, But I agree with Wrench's sentiment, in that the highly skilled blue collar trades are retiring by the thousands and not being replaced. There was a push (and rightly so) that everyone must attend college. Trade schools were for the low class kids. Now you can't even find a good machinist anymore. I think Google has even caught on a little bit. They started to hire people who are great in their field, regardless of their impressive degree. I recently helped my wife  with her Masters classes (MBA). Geez, it was so lame I can't believe it. 

[Old plug]

That is true. But no matter what you do you got to do it has to be because you want to. We seem to have a lot of cracks and crumbling in our national attitude that does not promote that.

[Flysmallie]

Let me see if this soap box will still hold me.

We have screwed this up for the future generations. We push them to get a degree (it's not rightfully so for everyone). We tell them they can be whatever they want to be (that's not true). We tell them they must have a career to be successful. And a big house, nice new cars, all the latest gadgets, wake boats, big screen TVs, and a healthy amount to pay back in student loans.  Don't complain about what is out there because we all helped create it.

But I don't worry too much about it. Take a look around. There are far fewer kids attending universities than are graduating high school. And there are a lot more going out and doing great things than there are just being a lazy turd. I've been fortunate enough to see this in many different examples. Friends of my daughters and friends of mine that are high school and college age kids. And their attitude is starting to change. Their starting to see that chasing a career is many times fruitless or that people chase that career and then hate it when it happens. Their starting to see other options, other choices. Their starting to understand that they won't be considered a failure if they don't have a degree. Each summer I get to spend a few days with an intern or two that we hire. For the most part they are very nice kids. They don't mind working hard. But they are starting to realize that 4 years at the University of Kentucky did little to improve their odds at success. Or that degree from Duke is pretty much worthless in helping them land that dream job. But I also see some that have done nothing and expect everything. Those are the people that we have mislead. Those are the people that feel that you can coast thru and somebody will hand you 100k to sit on your butt. We've always had those type of people and we always will. I don't worry about them, that's where we will find our ditch diggers. Not that being a ditch digger is a bad thing. I spend many days wishing I was on a road crew or something similar. Having a "career" is overrated and it ruins a lot of people's lives.

I have a little sister that chased that career dream. Did really well at it and call her really successful. She lives in a huge house, drives her BMW, has a place at the lake, new boat. She also works 60 to 70 hours a week, travels a lot, is really stressed and doesn't have much time for her 5 year old son. She is the successful one in my family. I on the other hand never graduated college, worked my way up through a couple of different companies, maybe on a busy week put in a full 35 hours, don't like what I do, live in a modest home, no boat (unless you want to count a canoe) and don't really stress out over much. I spend a lot of time with my kids. I spend most of all the money I earn on my spoiled kids. Guess who is happier? Me. Guess who makes the most money? Me. Guess who society says is the most successful? Yep, her. We are getting it all wrong and we are teaching our kids to do the same. It's not the kids fault. They just do as they have been taught.

 

[Brian Jones]

The future generation is in big trouble the way I see it.  I don't know what town the kids live in that will someday build roads, bridges, houses, and do the heavy lifting, because they don't live HERE.

The only way you'll be able to get any hard labor out of this upcoming generation is by letting them screw up and then throwing them in prison for awhile.  The penitentiarys will be the only lucrative construction companies in America 15 years from now I bet.  The schools had to change the name of Shop class to "Industrial arts" but even that didn't work this year,  so they tricked some girls into taking it just to fill the class. That cracked me up!

I've taught Shop/industrial arts for 18 years now and I can say without a doubt that the work ethic of the kids has changed dramatically.  When I first started teaching, almost all of the woodworking students built big elaborate projects.  Now, after getting stuck with several unfinished projects for a couple years, the kids get the choice of building one of three different night stands.  I actually had a kid a few years ago tell me that if he had known there was that much work involved in building an entertainment center he wouldn't have taken my class.  But because he watched Bob Vila build one in thirty minutes on Channel 9 he figured it would be easy...........

Our school also has a vocational/trade school attached to it and out of a group of 30 in a welding or carpentry class, they might have 4-5 that go on to make a living in that particular trade.  Some students take the class just for the benefit of learning a skill they can use on the farm or around the house.  But A LOT of kids now days have absolutely no plan for their future.  I believe a lot of this is caused by too much coddling from parents who are way too overprotective of their kids.