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Yes, recognizing the negatives effect of being on the tail end of the boomer generation and with parents, ourselves and society having high expectations, At the time I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. Fortunately, I began to understood that is the way it was and did the best I could and without a government handout.
Generation Jones has three more passages,
- taking care of my elderly parents now,
- hopefully be able to retire,
- hopefully to have enough left to take care ourselves when we reach our elder years.
I can only speak for myself but I think blaming other generations or other groups is pointless. I am a "tail ender" Baby Boomer and came of age in a time of massive unemployment and skyrocketing interest rates, not to mention gasoline that was in short supply and sky high in price. Yep, I even had my gas siphoned out of my tank once when I was about 17. I could barely afford to fill the tank up once, let alone twice. I was dirt poor.
But guess what - it's not unusual to be dirt poor in your teens or twenties. So what? I figure it put hair on my chest. I'd rather have been poor then than now.
Anyway, it hasn't been impossible to earn a comfortable lifestyle. I don't expect to be filthy rich. I don't expect to be destitute either. I know that some people truly do have bad luck. But I also know that some people make one poor financial decision after another, and then blame everyone but themselves when they look around at age 50 and realize that they owe on everything and don't have a penny saved for retirement.
The vast majority of Americans could cut back and save or somehow manage their money better than they do or have, and that's just the truth of it. Pension or no pension. High interest rates or low interest rates. Baby Boomer, Silent Generation, Gen Xers, Millennials - every generation has it's challenges and benefits.
I can only speak for myself but I think blaming other generations or other groups is pointless. I am a "tail ender" Baby Boomer and came of age in a time of massive unemployment and skyrocketing interest rates, not to mention gasoline that was in short supply and sky high in price. Yep, I even had my gas siphoned out of my tank once when I was about 17. I could barely afford to fill the tank up once, let alone twice. I was dirt poor.
LOL weren't those the days? We were so poor but had a great! time.
Yep, every generation has stuff to deal with. It's how you deal with it that makes the difference in the future.
I don't think anyone is saying that pensions don't exist. However, the number of companies offering pensions has dropped dramatically over the years that BBers and GenXers have entered the work force.
Aside from some government jobs or some union jobs, I know of nothing that offers a pension anymore. Even many government jobs and union jobs offer 401(k)'s instead of pensions. New hires or recent hires aren't offered pensions even though the "old timers" have them. They were grandfathered in. And so many places now don't even offer full time positions. They max you out around 30 hours so they don't have to offer benefits. It's definitely not like it once was...... Oh and finding one of the few jobs that does offer a pension today is soooooo challenging! They're not in all areas either. Times they sure are a changin'. The jury is still out if it's for the better.....you know that who new and improved thing.
Ummm...I'm your age, and I will have a pension when I retire. That was one of the main reasons that I chose my current job. Tons of people your age will get pensions, and younger ones too.
You hope you have a pension that will be intact. Nothing is guaranteed these days. There have been several companies who have not delivered to their retired employees.
Pensions are going the way of the dinosaur.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KathrynAragon
I don't think anyone is saying that pensions don't exist. However, the number of companies offering pensions has dropped dramatically over the years that BBers and GenXers have entered the work force.
Yes, they have. There have also been companies that have gone under or come out and said they can't pay out the promised pensions. You can't just rely on that. People need to save and invest on their own.
Yes, recognizing the negatives effect of being on the tail end of the boomer generation and with parents, ourselves and society having high expectations, At the time I couldn't understand what I was doing wrong. Fortunately, I began to understood that is the way it was and did the best I could and without a government handout.
Generation Jones has three more passages,
- taking care of my elderly parents now,
- hopefully be able to retire,
- hopefully to have enough left to take care ourselves when we reach our elder years.
Aside from some government jobs or some union jobs, I know of nothing that offers a pension anymore. Even many government jobs and union jobs offer 401(k)'s instead of pensions. New hires or recent hires aren't offered pensions even though the "old timers" have them. They were grandfathered in. And so many places now don't even offer full time positions. They max you out around 30 hours so they don't have to offer benefits. It's definitely not like it once was...... Oh and finding one of the few jobs that does offer a pension today is soooooo challenging! They're not in all areas either. Times they sure are a changin'. The jury is still out if it's for the better.....you know that who new and improved thing.
There are still quite a few companies that offer pension it's just not nearly as prevelant as it was
A pension isn't the end all be all anyway. For instance - you may be able to get a pension if you're a teacher. But you have to be a teacher for decades. So...no thanks.
Pay attention. Focus. I did not "insist" that "only women" should be doing caregiving. I said women were better at it, and in most families it is observed that the women frequently end up with the job. I guess I assume a certain level of education, erudition, comprehension, and rationality when I make these posts. My bad. Apparently.
Wonder what my brothers should do? Neither had children, one married very late in life so it's highly possible his wife would be too old to be a full-time caregiver.
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