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These Are The Top Financial Concerns Of Ordinary Americans
While institutional investors and money managers have a very specific list of worries when it comes to their "financial concerns" such as Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO), monthly/quarterly performance and redemption requests, losing top traders, what the year end bonus will be, order fill slippage, being frontrun by HFT algos, what the Fed chairwoman may say any given day, whether it is 3:30pm or if it is a Tuesday, ordinary Americans have a far simpler list of concerns. According to a recent Gallup poll, the one thing that has most Americans very/moderately worried is "whether or not they have enough money for retirement."
The list of the top concerns is presented below:
In a country in which the economy is barely sputtering, and where all the benefits from 5+ years of QE have accrued exclusively to the top 1% of wealthy, that nearly two-thirds of society is concerned about its retirement prospects will hardly come as a surprise.
Going down the list, the next highest concern, not being able to pay medical costs in the event of a serious illness or accident, worries 53% of Americans. This is down from a record high of 62% in 2012.
Third on the list of Americans' top financial worries is not being able to maintain the standard of living they enjoy, with nearly half of the country's adults citing this concern. Together, retirement savings, unexpected medical costs, and maintaining one's standard of living typically top the list of the eight financial items that Gallup has tracked annually since 2001. Concerns about all three are down modestly from two years ago, but are still higher than they were before the Great Recession.
The good news is that according to the latest poll, all of the top three concerns are well below expressed levels at any time since the collapse of Lehman. Still, with the stock market at all time highs, one would expect that people who are "very" concerned about any of these three prospects would be at a record low. Alas, it is nowhere near such levels.
Going down the list, from Gallup:
Notably, four in 10 American adults say they are very or moderately worried about not having enough money to pay off their debt. This is the first time Gallup has included this financial issue. With as much as $1 trillion in outstanding student loan debt circulating in the U.S. today -- not to mention other prevalent types of debt such as credit cards -- debt concerns are clearly weighing on a significant proportion of the country.
Of the nine concerns tested, the bottom two concerns -- not being able to pay one's rent or mortgage, and not being able to make minimum payments on credit card bills -- are those most likely to indicate immediate insolvency. This finding suggests that most common financial problems are related more to savings and future expenditures than day-to-day living.
As also would be expected, different age groups have different concerns. The top problem for the broadly defined group of middle-aged Americans -- those aged 30 to 64 -- is not having enough money for retirement, in line with previous findings. For this group, about seven in 10 worry about not having enough money for retirement.
Young Americans aged 18 to 29 worry most about paying medical costs in the event of a serious illness or accident (52%), perhaps a result of the comparatively high uninsured rate for younger Americans or the lack of savings typically characterizing that age group. An equal share of 18- to 29-year-olds (52%) say they are worried about being able to maintain their standard of living. And nearly half of 18- to 29-year-olds worry about being able to pay off debt, perhaps a consequence of the massive amount of student loan debt that many young adults carry. Possibly befitting their youth and their longer distance in years from retirement, this group is least concerned about having enough money when they retire compared with other age groups -- despite dire predictions about the future of Medicare and Social Security.
Older Americans, those aged 65 or older, also worry most about being able to pay medical costs in the event of a serious illness or accident, though few in this age group lack health insurance. However, given the formidable cost of protracted, continual medical care that often characterizes older Americans' later years, many senior citizens may feel their health insurance alone cannot handle such a financial burden. Generally speaking, though, senior citizens are much less concerned about most of these financial problems than are their younger counterparts. The majority of older Americans appear to have retirement financing under control; 37% worry about having enough money in their retirement, by far the lowest percentage of any age group. Senior citizens are least concerned about not having enough money to pay for their children's college education (8%) -- presumably because older Americans already faced that challenge.
Curiously, for Americans across all age groups, the ability to make minimum payments on credit card bills does not generate much concern. Perhaps because as they have seen their host nation do time and again, when one gets that third overdue bill, one can simply roll over the amount due to a different credit card company, or simpler yet, default. After all it is only a matter of time before such activity is fully endorsed by Obama's "fairness doctrine."
Gallup's conclusion:
Retirement may be a time that many working adults look forward to, but it is paradoxically a source of stress in the here and now. A strong majority of Americans, particularly those aged 30 to 64, worry about having enough money for retirement, and this concern has regularly topped the list of Americans' top financial problems. The only other personal financial concern that a majority of Americans are very or moderately worried about is the ability to pay medical costs in the event of a serious accident or illness.
For a country that now has a life expectancy at birth of 78.7 years, retirement savings for post-work years is considered a matter of national importance. These concerns led President Barack Obama to propose a retirement savings account for working adults -- MyRA -- during this year's State of the Union address. It remains to be seen whether this new type of savings plan, which will be available in late 2014, will ultimately alleviate some Americans' concerns about retirement.
The answer, of course, is no and as with any other such "no risk, guaranteed return" instrument the outcome will be a disaster of epic proportions. But we'll cross that bridge when central-planning takes us to it. In the meantime, just BTFD, or alternatively, BTFATH, and hope for the best. After all, in a market as rigged and manipulated as this one, hope (and prayer) is without doubt the best, and probably only, strategy.
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JPM CFO Ruth Porat on high-frequency trading and regulation from Milken
--> http://hedge.ly/1m2zMWU
My Silver is my retirement savings.
When my pension is stolen from me, I'll recover the guns I lost in that unfortunate marine mishap, and start shooting some motherfuckers up and taking what I want.....
What.....it's a retirement plan.....maybe not a good one.....
Not being able to heat my house or buy food.
Economic Armageddon and Financial Apocalypse Are Upon Us
Well that about says it all, don't it?
Guess I'm not the only one shitting little bricks anymore, eh?
I'd a answered every one of them as a concern.
Let alone my family size cereal boxes becoming single servings. I can't wait for the smaller cat food cans.
And the DoJ is investigating racial biases in arrests in 5 cities while the Fed and its Merry Banksters run amok
Does anyone still give a fock about what "ordinary Americans" think?
The collapse of the USD.
Not being able to buy enough PMs to make me happy.
Holding too much fiat when SHTF rather than switching it all out for useful stuff.
Not being able to buy ammo because some shithead in the gov't bought it all.
Yes, we are the 1%...those who think...and not the top 1% of income earners.
Now that's a sobering list.
Our concerns:
1. Not being able to sit on our ass.
2. Can't continue to subsidize an overinflated healthcare system.
3. No pineapple out of season.
4. Can't pay for what they shouldn't have bought anyway.
5. See # 3.
6. Can't be short sighted.
7. Can't spend 50k so our kids can wait tables.
8. Ok, that one's legit.
9. Um, uh, #4
Jeez
9. The cinch is too tight on my saddle.
8. The bit in my mouth hurts.
7. My oats in my feedbag are stale.
6. My rider is too heavy.
5. Those spurs hurt my ribs.
4. His whip is making my ass sore.
3. There aren't enough oats.
2. The carrot on the string is getting further away.
1. Why am I going down this chute at the slaughterhouse?
Brilliant! Horsemeat, it's what's for dinner!
Most ordinary Americans don't think.
Their heads are filled with unthought thoughts.
Interestingly, Complete Global Economic Collapse and Thermonuclear WW3 are not on that list.
If more people were aware of the possibility for those to occur, they would worry less about the other things on their list.
Kinda like forgetting a hangnail when your other hand is slammed by a sledge hammer.
Nicely put!
Good points....my thoughts exactly.
I was inspired to check the nuclear "doomsday clock" of yesteryear to see what it said.
http://thebulletin.org/doomsday-clock/overview
Page not found. Oh nooz!!!
That ain't good. Looks like ze clock scientists already hit ze bunker and forgot to wind ze clock!
"...DISCLAIMER: We bear no grudge against the original US dollar that was backed by the gold standard. We have no quarrel with the US Government (with the exception of the outgoing and incoming administrations), and we harbor only good will toward the American people. It is the Federal Reserve System, and its fatally flawed practice of debt-driven, fractional reserve banking that is the object of our scorn and derision. Likewise, it is the Federal Reserve Bank (FED) that deserves our condemnation and searing criticism. Why? Because the FED is not legitimate. It is not a properly constituted or legislated organ of government, and is actually a privately owned consortium of banking agents whose ownership is more foreign than domestic. The FED is legally unfit to conduct business on behalf of the American people since, as a private entity, it lacks the congressional oversight necessary when appropriated funds have been allocated by the legislative branch of government. The printing presses of the FED produce notes – as in promissory notes – which are nothing but instruments of indebtedness for all who possess them. Not too unlike credit cards, actually. Therefore, the money that it prints is counterfeit. Is it surprising that an international, privately owned crime syndicate, which issues fake money, would be the biggest player in the worldwide funny money monopoly game that is bringing the entire world of commerce, finance and business to a virtual standstill? We are talking about the greatest financial crisis in recorded history, you know?!? And the FED is institutional PUBLIC ENEMY #1 responsible for this multi-decade crime spree."
from link above.
The FOUR HORSEMEN Herald the Death Knell of Predatory Capitalism
Posted on July 7, 2012 by cosmicconvergence2012
Yatzee!!! That this did not make the list, goes to show you how preoccupied the tax livestock of the USSA have become, with a bunch of redundant horseshit. Thank the brainfarts of Eddy Bernays.
FFS. Retirement merely means one of your hobbies becomes your new job. Healthcare is more about diet (back to food) than doctors.
Well I love hunting in the high mountain backcountry (rifle sometimes, more often with bow)
so if it gets really bad, I guess I'lll get to do fulltime what I was only able to do on break and vacations before.
You bought into the idea of a pension plan?
I've always made a living doing something I enjoy, so retirement has never looked too attractive.
Once I can't do what I enjoy, I can hopefully leave the planet in a dignified manner.
Does shivering in a cattle car count as dignified?
Well said, Logic.
It's important to point out that the vast majority of readers on Zero Hedge are marginalized US citizens who make $30-$40K a year.
I suspect few have any savings, and their jobs are shit.
This site appeals to this demographic. Doom, gloom, collapses, war, financial meltdowns all sound very appealing to losers that hate their life and want it to end for everyone. This site pulls in over a million USD a month. It's worth over $80M. It knows its audience well.
Zero Hedge is a product that is lapped up all too eagerly by the disenfranchised.
I'm here strictly for entertainment. I would urge others to take the same approach.
Now, anyone reading this should turn the internet off and get some sunshine. Life is short, don't waste it pining away for the end of the world.
Tourist.
Glad others misery keeps you entertained.
Say hello to Soros for me.
+1 for your suggestion ZH readers pull in 30 to 40 large a year. Nice thought, but we're not that rich.
Theres is an awful lot of new users posting on this site.
13 weeks? Surely you know the site has evolved to reflect the times.
Entertainment? Go to Huffpo, CNN, etc comments section.
Your pension is already gone.
Record bonuses have to come from somewhere, and truth is your pension was never there. Paper promises and fraud retire, you do not.
If I can't fit into the kids' igloo, I expect to hang out on a floating piece of ice and bait polar bears.
bear bater
future occupation for most retirees.
You don't have to outrun the bear, just everybody else in the bears field of vision.
Correct stacks. How will you be able to figure how Mich you'll need for retirement when the dollar is being debased at record pace. Forget your 401k and retirement accounts. They can and will be vaporized with a mouse click or bail-in.
retirment = too many unpopulated variables.
price of oil?
will there be a functioning powergrid?
will the reactors melt down when the grid goes down ala fukushima
how much radiation can i survive.
how often can ibathe once we no longer have hot water?
will i have to learn Spanish,russian or Chinese?
I too am on that plan, i suppose. at age 29, the retirement one is my biggest concern right now. I have a little credit card debt, not too big of a deal, but looking out longer than 2 years, retirement is my biggest concern.... how to not have to be an 80 year old greeter at walmart. Starting with the premise that social security will not exist for me, that one is written off, even though i have to turn over thousands of my money to it. Can't really trust the stock market, Im not a trader, nor one who has the time or inclination to study charts, etc.(whats the point nowadays, no HFT for me)and 'buy and hold' doesnt really work anymore, as it did for prior generations. Hiding cash under your matress is one option, which means you will forfeit a portion of your purchasing power to the gov/fed each and every day. Ill pass. That pretty much leaves gold and silver. Save 12-15%(best I can do right now) a year of my income in gold and silver, at least as long as I am able to exchange FRNs for G/S. If/when FRNs arent accepted anymore, especially for PMs, I suppose ill have to think of something else
i suppose. at age 29, the retirement one is my biggest concern right now.
Retirement?? Humans are entering a period of such rapid and far reaching change worrying about an event 30+ yrs down the road is completely pointless.
"worrying about an event 30+ years down the road is completely pointless"
No, it isnt. regardless of what happened WRT currencies, etc, it is never pointless to plan for the future. I am doing what i can to plan for the future, can't trust anything else. and it (40 years?)has far reaching consequences. I have no control over what happens in the future, if you have a better idea on how to plan for the future, please let me know. from what i have read of your comments in the past, Im sure your idea will involve more govt
At age 29, I guarantee you that your future is somewhere along the yellow brick road. Retirement is neither for you nor for me at age 45. We will be working until the lights go out and why not?
Have you seen the geezers on the golf course? Ridiculous. Back slapping, high fiving and laughing at each others dumb jokes as if any of them really gives a fuck about the other guy.
Work a couple hours a day now and live while you're young. Keep working all the time and live a frugal life. Doesn't mean you can't get to enjoy a good wine or grass fed steaks once in a while. Don't buy toys or buy into the next best money making scheme. Live every day like it's your last. Cancer or other severe illness can hit you out of nowhere at any age and bang, that's it amigo. All the worrying about the future for nothing.
JUST LIVE and breathe easy. Don't take anything for granted It's freeing.
Your advice is totally meaningless with the Fascist fuckshop in charge of the world..
i think his advice is even more meaningful with a fascist fuckshop in charge.
At age 29 I think the reason why the world is in this mess, because people didn't care to think about their future.
People have nothing to do with it.
Fraud and incorporated lawlessness ate your retirement. The bad has crowded out the good and you get nothing. Get over it.
James_Cole - I agree we will see amazing technological advances in the next 30 years, we are nearing the last short cycles of our human evolution. Still, lets say in 2025 we begin exploring 4D, can get all answers about all infectious diseases for cures, how to build a dynamic system of economic and political management, etc. Implementation will take a couple to a few decades to implement. Human imperfection will drag this out longer than we hope.
At 43, I am planning for retirement. I give it a 30% shot medical advances will keep me alive until 120 to perhaps artificially enter 4D. Such would still be the death of body and personality in my opinion since 4D is less than a planck length in diameter I theorize what can be done is seed a portion of our DNA code there. Seeding seems to be how life works, perhaps a slightly different paradigm there. Cant be radically different or we could not have made enough collective observations to be punching into 4D with the quantum computer.
The natural process is death, all man can do is replicate and manipulate what already exists in nature.
Why don't you stop being a little Nancy boy "worrying anout retirement" and start preparing for you know what is comng. Buy some lead and start jogging.
come on, people. you say that as if i am a non-gunowner who rides around on a scouter as i grab cookies off the snack food aisle at wal mart. based on what i have said here in the past, do you not think i have those two things covered? come on
Carl. Nobody liikes a Nancy boy that rides a hova-around at Walmart.
Greenskeeper Carl - Good question. I like how you think past this cycle of hard difficluty because even if 1/3 dies the rest goes on and if you hedged a little, say to eat and defend yourself for a few months it is unlikely you'll be in that 1/3.
I like PM's and I like real estate. The days of double digit price rises are over, at least in my lifetime. However, consider buying a home within means, no more expenditure than 25% of your income. Bank enough to pay six months of a mortgage if/when difficulties arise.
If you have a starter home, consider RE for rental income. Go slow, all gains will come slowly for a good long time. Start with one duplex or condo or small home to rent out. Get the feel for it, but certainly map out expected returns on paper first over a 5 and 10 year period.
Consider opening a small business in a couple years. Wait and see how government begins incentiviIng small business growth. Income producing business is great. But as a small guy the laws toward big and connected have to be ammended (lawmakers pass new bills almost never ammend old ones). You'll start to see this in the media soon enough but it isn't time yet. Write a business plan, do your research on competitors! No plan and research your chance of failure is 70%. You can get software which guides you how to write a business plan and make considerations/forecasts.
I hope this was useful.
Rule #1 - Good Cardio.
Rule #2 - Doubletap.
I see a Top Ten list of Misplaced Priorities.
I am Chumbawamba.
yah .. poontang's not even on the list
Poontang is Obama's pet name for Reggie's manpussy.....or is it the other way around?
Why does everybody think Obie is gay?
And even if he was I can think of of hundreds of things to knock him for besides that. Who cares where a man sticks it as long as everyone is an adult.
That being said, the POTUS is queer as six fingers.
There was a time when people understood that what a person did in their private life reflected who they were and what they would do in their public life.
Seriously. If a man is not faithful to his wife, for instance, why would you ever think that that same man would be 'faithful' to his constituents?
There was a time when people understood that.
People who make bum decisions in their personal life are hardly likely to make good decisions in their public life.
Who'd trust 'em behind closed doors?
that comment is borderline offensive:
haha, funny in the context here...
frequented Chicago bath houses with Rahm, belonged to Rev. Wright's Down Low Club and had his church choir butt-buddies assassinated, blew older white guys for weed in Hawaii (or got blown), had his own man-child friend in Reggie, wife is a Tranny, and tooted coke for bjs with that Sinclair dude. any other questions?
Because he likes penis?
Just a wild guess.
Rainman: 'yah . .. . poontang's not even on the list'
If/when the psychopaths ever start launching the 'big ones' I hope to be in the middle of humping some wild, great looking hottie.
Really go out with a bang
At that point, I guess being hard would be an asset!
FOMO, smile,,,
My biggest concern: will my kids we succesfull when they grow up.
I'll manage just fine.
My kids are my biggest worry.
my prostate is my biggest worry...
your wife can stimulate that with only 1 finger :)
Hmmm....the invisible finger of the market?
I mean, you know, to stimulate the economy?
TSA will be happy to lend a hand.
The wife seeing my browser history is my biggest fear.....
Permanent private browsing - you can set it up in preferences - but then you have to rely on memory or an encrypted text file.
Just trying to help you relax a little more.
I much prefer your razor, by the way.
jbvtme
If serious, check out this website, get off sugar, bread, and starches, get on the diet that Dr. Ayers suggests.
Check out the "labels" list for connections to what's discussed in the article(s). Good luck.
http://coolinginflammation.blogspot.com/2009/06/prostate-prostatitis-cancer-causes-and.html
I agree.
My biggest worry is my little boy, he's not that good in studying, math and in general remembering stuff. And my girl is to timid and it's a cruel world out there.
I try to push them but there's a limit.
And man... these days only the best kids succeed.
But they're still young and a lot can still change I guess.
When I was a kid my teachers always told me I was most likely to go to jail and fail in life :) So faith is not fixed.
But there's a lot of luck in life. I actually made it in life by lying my ass off everywhere.
I'm pretty much a cameleon in life.
And this is something that you can teach everybody. But what I'm affraid off and it might sound funny but what I'm affraid off is that some day, everybody will get a card, chip of something that will carry all their private info.
And that makes lying a verry hard thing to do and is a serious brake in life.
And that's all I can teach my kids in life. Bluff your way into and out of everything.
Weird he? :)
I hear you loud and clear.. that's why it's important when you have the job to save up a lot of money. If you can't keep getting a job in the future, you then start your own business. (At least that's what I'm thinking about) By money aside from 'cash', Gold & Silver work just fine too ;)
Ur teachers were a bunch of big igant liberal progressive azzholes.... get your kids interested in doing a trade... these days colleges are for saps..
I tell kids to learn about Information Tech/Security, but prepare for the lights to go out. Anything that puts them on the path toward discovering new forms/methods of using energy, might also be beneficial.
As I have said here before. College is not for saps, if you can afford it it is for women, beer and dope. If you can't afford it, skip it. No women or booze is worth that much debt.
No, college IS for saps.
Well, I suppose you could just buy one of the U of ____ sweatshirts and use the money you save to chase women, beer, and weed. No debt & you can afford to take the ladies to much better places than the average college guy.
If you can afford college, then it's highly likely you dont actually need college because you're wealthy or else you're rying to become a Dr or some such.. Otherwise, college is for saps.
Like nanny Moose said, tech is the way to go. I have no degree and I'm a ....very high earner writing software.
my daughter and i have learned the hard way that d10 is right. folks and parents and college bound kids- unless you view college as a commodity and run the numbers about whether the career you are pursueing is worth the investment in college time and the mortgage in debt that will be saddled to either you or your kids, then go for a trade. OR find local or cheaper college options and get most of your credits there. THEN for the last semester or two, attend that college you want the logo and name of emblazoned on your diploma, but do that part only IF it really matters to the field and employer you might opt for. OR start your own business if you are bright, talented, and have some initiative and know how to Work. Run The Numbers!- it will matter
Or cook meth.
Fuck college, bitchez.
.
I would be worried about my kids future too if all I had to teach them was how to lie, cheat and bluff!
That is some sick shit right there.
Have you ever thought that your kids may not be naturally adapted to becoming liars and cheats and that's why they shrink under your so called "tuition."
Why not teach them somthing vaguely useful and interesting like how to grow vegetables, raise livestock for food, or make a crystal radio.
Shit man pull yourself together, your kids deserve better than that.
I teach my kids technics and no, they don't need to grow vegetables.
Look, I recently bought 2 companies.
Do you know how much money I invested in it?
1,4 million Euro.
Do you want to know how much I had in my bank account?
9000 euro's.
I bought them, took on credit lines and already after 2 weeks I've got a credit line without interest for both companies and I've got traders who are willing to work for me in France, holland, England, Italy and Germany.
Friday I had a order that is big enough to pay for the entire sum I need to buy my companies.
Today, I've had a meeting with 2 other business owners to setup partnerships and expand the bizz with shared personel costs.
So... you keep your crystal radio and you're homegrown carrot and I'll teach them what I think is important.
carrots and a crystal radio.... what where you thinking...
I grew up in a family of all sorts of traders. I can sell everything and that's what I've been tought.
I can barther your carrot into a car in 1 year.
a carrot and a crystal radio.... good luck with that....
You can have all the gold and silver in the world. If you have somebody in front of you who knows the tricks, you'll lose it all.
And you can hold a bibble high and claim whatever you want but you'll have lost it all and that surely doesn't mean I'm evil or a bad guy.
You can have 2 PHD's and be a moron.
But if you know the tricks you can do everything.
A crystal radio and carrots... I'd like to slap your ass awake.
Well if you're such a big swinging dick and know everything about life, why the fuck are you moaning and grizzling about your kids, here on ZH?
It seems I misunderstood you, for a moment there I thought you were talking about your kids, not how good you were at milking the system by being a self proclaimed financial big dick, and knowing the "tricks".
FFS...
If that is your thing, and that's all you've got to teach your kids.
then yes, do worry.
Don't be a dick by constantly trying to insult me man.
And yes, I'm a very fucked up guy and impossible to understand :)
Milking the system? I don't milk the system.
I trade my cards and if somebody wants to give me their cards on the cheap I'll take them.
I don't wait untill somebody gives me shit on a silver plate. And that's something I tell my kids every day.
1. don't blame others. whatever happens to you is what you've caused yourself.
2. nobody will give you anything on a silver plate unless you take it.
And if you have a problem with that than I dont' care at all :)
And my kids? I love them and they love me :) All that matters to me.
You sound like a bitter man. That's all I'll say about you.
Actually I prefer draught , but bitter, or lager is ok in a pinch.
I didn't insult you man, you would be in no doubt, had I decided to insult you. I feel sympathy and offer up only a few observations.
I will leave you alone, enjoy your own path.
SuddenDebt, my husband and I are the opposite of you in a way. We both got where we are (such as it is) without any bullshit or faking at all; none whatsover. And so I can tell you that you are misinterpreting your interactions with people, if you think you are fooling them with your BS. Here's the deal: at least in the U.S. (I wouldn't know re Europe, where you are), people often feel a sort of Nietzschean noblesse oblige towards the BSers. As long as they don't feel the BSer is actually truly ripping them off, and isn't a psychopath, they are willing to go along. Even so far as to invest. I would imagine that you are generally sized up by people who assess you pretty well, and decide that you will do for their purposes. You are fooling yourself, if you think you are fooling them.
If I had a nickel for each time I've let someone who was not so smart think they were convincing me of something they actually weren't . . . LOL.
But - you are doing your kids no service. They will not be able to follow effectively in your footsteps, it is clear from what you have written. They would be better off being raised to be honest, straighforward and decent - and then some non-BSer would marry them.
The approach you have taken, is what you end up with in an atheistic land like Europe. You got so many downvotes because ZHers (me included) still value traditional religious things like honesty, thrift, charity, and on and on. You don't have those ideals any more; you are left with being a BSer who rarely actually fools anyone. It is very sad.
Sudden:
There is some truth in what you say. However, everyone is ignorant, just in different things.
The odds of fooling all of the people all of the time are not in your favor.
Peace.
Martial arts turned my kids around. The trick is finding a school that teaches values
Actually the trick is finding a school that values teaching.
Sudden Debt, if you're stateside tell your kids to do as I've done - and had great success.
1. Don't talk too much. Let the rest talk while you keep your counsel close. Talking too much or too quickly is a sign of insecurity and/or insincerity.
2. Buy a pipe. Learn to carry it everywhere, even if unlit. People with pipes have a certain gravitas.
3. Always claim to be 1/3 Mexican, 1/3 White and 1/3 Black.
4. When buying a vehicle, buy used and make sure it's big enough you could live in it if you had to; vans are excellent choices.
5. Learn to play a portable instrument. Music helps the brain learn and keeps it sharp. Guitar good. Piano bad.
6. Don't take on debt, either in currency or in favors.
7. Fast once per week for 24 hours; 36 is better.
8. Eat low carb.
Hope this helps!
I have a few other beliefs :)
1. Be the first and the last one talking. wrong or wright, if you speak out and take the lead, people will follow you as a leader.
Leader don't make bad or good decisions, they just take decisions.
2. Funny as hell :) I have a pipe which I carry everywhere :)
3. nop, We're native Flemish and our roots go untill the 15th century. My family has walked in the Emperor Charles Order for over 100 years and I wish to keep that in the family.
4. That's where you are right but also very wrong.
a. show you're succesfull. if you buy a car, buy a good car.
BUT!!!
b. Don't overpay and spend 10 euro's in a way people think you've spend 100 euro's. Spending is good but spend smart.
5. A music instrument is good but I'd like to expand it to a lot more. Be good at something. It doesn't matter what.
And get a hobby that's yours and only yours.
6. Debt is good, but only take debt that can be downpaid and is a investment. Don't take out to big of loans for big cars and a lavish lifestyle.
7. I truely belief in fasting for at leadt one day to!! I don't eat on thuesdays. My wife and kids do but I don't. The reason is because I like to eat and that's my recovery moment :)
A like a good drink also but 1 month per year I don't drink.
In the end it doesn't matter what kind of values you have. Just have valued. Unless they stand in your way. Than it's just stupid to have values.
Values have to make you feel good. Values can't be good if it's because they need to be followed.
"I don't eat on thuesdays."
I've decided to only fast on Thuesdays too.
Well, apparently 49% of USA serfs are fasting, whether they want to or not.
ive been following this thread and it's quite interesting. i think i agree with a lot of what you say S-D but i also agree with having morals and teaching them to your children. morals like 'do unto others as you would have done unto you'. so IF you can carry on the way you are currently but while caring for others, i actually see quite a lot of value in that. and in your other thoughts also. Knowing how to trade/barter is a skill- on a yardsale level or on the grand world stage. I would just draw the line where it begins to hurt others. sometimes that line is tricky to discern! You are describing your leadership and charisma and taking initiative when others waver and exuding confidence that facilitates actions that are favorable to you, and i say why not? the NOT is only if you are taking advantage of those that are weaker and it hurts them. again, can be tricky- we deserve profit from our skills and talent but we all should try to help and not hurt our fellow man while trying to survive ourselves. yes, a question that generations of people have wrestled with- where's the line?
In the end we shouldn't compaire values.
You have yours I have mine and in the end I respect you because you have yours.
None of my friends are like me. We're alll totally different and that's how I like it :)
A few weeks ago, I was drunk with my buddies and while we where talking bullshit, one of my friends said: If you guys had tits I'd marry all of ya!
That was so funny but in a way true :)
I call my friend and talk to my friends more than I talk to my wife :)
I think we talk about 2 hours a day over the phone, skype or mail.
But we're all so different that it would be fucking boring if we would all be the same. We'd miss almost millions of hours of discussions if we would always agree with each other.
I took your advice on carrying a pipe around, and burned a hole in a good suit and got fired as a result.
But now I'm sitting in my van and working on some smoking good guitar riffs. So no worries.
You're welcome!
I'm getting a pipe.
Question though.
Steel, iron or aluminum?
Get a baseball bat, it is a disguised pipe.
I have a girl and a boy like you. Not that I know what I am doing... just a Dad who is going through the same stuff in this messed up world... if you want to talk about this sort of stuff, just send me a message somehow (however ZH does those things). This is seriously relevant stuff to my life.
In general, we all know the system is imploding. And it is taking our kids down with it in many ways. Following the herd is going to lead to a bad outcome... I can already see that. But, we are forced to be part of the system to some degree. This is the mess we have to navigate. Pisses me off.
(Oh, I will have to post a poem my daughter wrote recently. ZH would be proud.)
IMO teaching kids how to think for themselves (critical thinking skills) is important, so they can see through the bullshit. (Universities shovel out a lot of b.s. today). Teaching them how to be confident (but not arrogant) in their own opinions - but also willing & anxious to learn from others. Being able to roll with the punches & think quickly on your feet is important, as is mental toughness and compassion for others.
I know a couple of young people who are a real contrast from each other. The young man is in his 20s. He found college to be a waste of his time and his parents money, so after the first couple terms decided to follow his own dreams. He took on several jobs to earn the money and is now travelling, working, and learning Spanish from native speakers while in central and South America. He's travelling on his own, completely away from other Americans or any groups. I think he'll do just fine in a changing world.
In contrast, his sister is an 'A student' type and is headed off to college. She's a good kid, but more of a conformist and rule follower. Wants to know the rules and doesn't question what 'authorities' tell her. (When I mentioned what went on with Climategate, she didn't really want to hear it. She buys the 'man made global warming pitch' and doesn't want the cognitive dissonance associated with questioning that. She may go out and get her 4 year college degree, but I'm more concerned about her than her non conformist and independent thinking/acting brother. The skills & mindset likely needed in this coming time may be quite different than what got people by in the past.
@Sudden Debt - I hear you, man. But a good friend of mine, (now passed away), wasn't very good in school. He was dyslexic before they really knew what that is. - - The guy was a mechanical genius. He could fix and figure out any mechanical, electric, hydraulic, or electronic system. He worked at the experimental aircraft facility at Boeing and the engineers brought problems to him that they couldn't figure out. (His official job title was Machinist/Tool Maker). - - - After leaving Boeing he went off on his own. He worked on projects for various companies and invented products used on race car engines, among other things.
My whole point, is different people have different ways of learning that work best for them. When someone finds something that captures their passion, they will do what it takes to master that knowledge. People become confident when they do something they love and discover they are good at it.
I brought my kids up to believe in themselves and to realize that anything worth doing required effort and that acheiving a goal is hugely rewarding.
They are both talented and intelligent, but neither has gone down the Degree/Debt road.
Both are making a living doing something they enjoy.
I think (hope) I did OK.
I skipped the kids thing.
They'll rat you out to the "authorities" in a heartbeat when this shit really goes sideways.
Sure there's more you can teach your kids. I wish my Dad hadn't taught me to have respect for authority. It didn't get him anywhere but he still swears by the system which he partially supported with a political career. He should have known better or at least be honest with me about the bullshit that goes on. It's all bullshit, all the time. That's how the elite controls the masses. My kids will learn that over time - from me.
Dude, tell your kids to question everything they see or get told unless it is scientifically really proven and acknowledged like Newton's law of gravity. There's bias in science as well but you can discern that and teach them to even question science when it is politically motivated.
My kids are taught at home by myself and my wife and we dissect the curriculum and make an effort not to produce statist mindbots who seek to dedicate their lives to a system which controls every thought and every motion. I don't think you can homeschool in Belgium unless there's an underground network. The difference between our kids and kids which get brainwashed in the public school system is unreal. Our kids are resourceful, straight shooters, happy, unspoiled and able to express themselves in their own words and converse coherently. No massacre of the English language in our house.
Oh and don't forget to teach your kids how to handle a gun safely and never miss their target.
That plan worked for you, but it is not the best plan.
Not knocking you, but you need to teach your kids that your plan is not for everyone.
That's why I got a vasectomy and will not be having kids. Half this country believes Tyranny is the answer. Bring a kid into this? No way.
In general American's are dumb anyways.....time to reap what you sow.
In general Americans are smart and friendly people.
They only become dumb and irritating in a group.
I've met some of you, and I honestly disagree with Americans being smart...
lol- maybe ur right. after all, we are one of the only countries that think spraying our food crops with Round-Up is a good idea. that makes us pretty stupid. or distracted cuz we're just not paying attention. 62 developed countries have either banned GMO foods outright OR at least forced food companies to even Label anything with GMOs in it. The US has decided that it's citizens dont need to even know the GMOs are in there- No labeling laws! Round-Up(glyphosate herbicide) which, because the genes have been modified in corn, soy, zucchini etc, can be sprayed RIGHT ON those crops, affects the health of possibly generations and will persist in the ground for quite some time. The US uses 25% of the Round-Up sprayed around the world. It is being detected in foods and groundwater and breastmilk etc. It is even used to 'dry down' the wheat that is in the bread and donuts and pastries and anything with wheat that you eat. sprayed right on it then harvested shortly afterward- yup thats what they do folks! It's a fact. We should wake up to what Monsanto is doing to us
Why are the farmers participating in this slow motion genocide?
The concetration camp's henchmen were just as much to blame as the fuckers who developed and deployed Zyklon B.
If enough farmers organized resistence to Monsanto, this shit would stop in due time.
There's a difference between dumb and uninformed, unfortunately the result is pretty much the same.
A lot of Americans are smart, but fewer are well informed.
Where's the 75% that worry the sun will quit orbiting the earth?
They're the Muslim ones.
A country is a group, your point is invalid.
Americans, by and (very) large, are dumb as a box of rocks.
Compared to the brilliant Europeans, who have demonstrated their wizardry in refinancing schemes.
I'm sure you're a fine fellow but there is no 's' at the end of 'anyway'.
unless your teeth look like this...
than every word ends with a Ssssss...
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/woman/4545517/Paula-Hamilton-I-was-...
She missed Bambi but got whacked by the Ugly Tree.
But she shure would be an interesting date, her and a tube of KY
Fucking Hilarious Pic SD.
Some people don't get "fake it, till you make it". I wouldn't call it lying.
RIPS
Hey, it's not my fault I went to one of them there, fancy Obama schools.....I needz my jobby!
15% of people worry about minimum payments on credit card?? WTF?
indeed, that's bad. Minimum payments... go fish... that's just interest because all the rest you can withdrawl
Other than standard of living , none of these are concerns of mine. And standard of living mainly because of the family..... me I could live in one of the cool looking micro houses
My low point on housing would be somewhere between the Unabomber's cabin and that bus at the end of Into the Wild.
pods
I can do the hovel with gusto, in fact it's cool for me. My low point would likely be McMansion, highly mortgaged.
Sorry, uhm, you can spread your bedroll over there.
Great thanks. I'll set the alarm clock [throws birdseed under the corrugated steel wall].
I'm thinking of a hammock on the beach and a small waterproof bag for my wordly possessions.
Awesome visual. I would be there as well if it weren't for the wife. I am not sure if she is going to let this slave rest.
Rock n Roll pods, I figure I'd be at my housing event horizon in a van down by the river.
I love sleeping under the open sky. Up in the mountains with elk bugling, coyotes yelping, and wolves howling (there are a few in the area). Human beings have lived this way for more than 90% of our history.
Our society's way of looking at 'value' as equivalent to a number on a price tag, is a rather strange and perverse when you think about it.
"In a country in which the economy is barely sputtering,"
Why just the other day on Sean Hannity Radio show they told me that the economy is growing at 2-3%.
I wonder what data sources the author of this piece used to get the idea that economy is 'barely sputtering'.
But you don't question where Sean Hannity's numbers are coming from?
Or did I miss a well played \sarc...
The latter :-)
its easy to make the economy grow, all you have to do is inflate the currency by 5% and gdp goes up atleat 2% nominally o/c its pretend growth.... but people only wana see numbers go up they dont care about real wealth
Hannity – Ha. He is handed a script and paid to read it and do as he is told. I really don’t see how anyone can watch / listen to that garbage. I’ll assume you forgot the sarc tag but not necessary with most here.
A good link about 2% continuous growth and exponential function.
Galactic-Scale Energy
It is not possible to have continuous growth, no matter what Shawn Hannity says.
The really interesting thing is that far less than 40% of the population have any real chance for a comfortable retirement if they live more than a few years after they retire, yet only 60% are worried about it.
BS. They will join the FSA and do great!
A small part of that 40% have enough save/invested...the rest have public pensions.
"Overweight in silver and underweight in gold" didn't make the list?
I'm most concerned about getting my FAFSA check on time.
bailouts = we pretty much printed 7 trillion dollars and handed it to people who didnt need it.
fuck this country , fuck the dollar , its a fucking joke currency , they can take all their fucking dollars and wipe they fucking cunt face with it for all i care.
I want dollars, give me dollars plz. He didn't mean it.
My biggest worry is my chronic gallbladder. The fucking thing is as useless as tits on a bull.
Hay now.
LOL... I guess there is "More than corn in Indiana!" ;) <I used to vaca at Indiana Beach w/the folks> We used to catch 20lb carp with popcorn and a cane pole off of the dock. Great memories.
That reply was some funny shit.
Back to the greater depression...
CaptainSpaulding http://www.diabetes-warrior.net/2012/01/21/trouble-eating-fat-gallbladder-check-and-enzymes/
Why worry? Our fearless leaders are busy making sure that we won't need to worry about any of these things; BY STARTING A FUCKING WAR WITH THE ONE NATION THAT CAN TURN US INTO NUCLEAR DUST!!!
What happened to the good old days of invading powerhouses like Grenada.