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When I first moved here I was HORRIBLE with money. I was that person who financed a 40k truck with no job and ended up having it repoed.
Scoop and a couple other people (not on the forum) introduced me to sites like Mrmoneymustache to get my finances in order. I've been doing alright ever since.
One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from my jewish mormon friend (lol) he told me to write down every penny I spent over the course of a month. I did and looked at it. It was shocking what I was wasting money on. A dollar here, 3 dollars there. It's insane how fast that adds up. I was spending 200 a month on coffee at one point.
So now I look at every purchase and ask myself if it will add value to my life. Keeps me from buying a whole lot of crap.
Now I'm much more interested in setting up passive income and my own businesses.
Right now I have an online store selling performance parts, a fabrication business, and I'm working on opening up a brick and mortar brake shop.
I haven't had a w2 in over 2 years and I never want one again. I wake up when I want, work when I want, and pay my bills. I still have a ways to go before I'm wealthy, but I'm a whole lot closer than I was a couple of years ago and it's all thanks to 3 or 4 people who shared the right information with me.
Without that advice I'd still be floundering at some job I hated with no chance of getting ahead.
That's a great story. More power to you. I can work 7 days a week in a skilled profession and I will still not break that six figure mark.
I work in the Health Information Field and honestly I suck at everything else, so in that respect I am very one dimensional. I am thankful for what I have considering I came here with no job, a huge resume gap, and less than 10k in savings. I am now living a "best case scenario" based on the aforementioned parameters.
That is because people like to finance things they can't afford to prove to people they're middle class instead of living within their means. I'm financing a cheap used car and that's it. The only reason I didn't get a cash car is having a newer car makes me money. That and safety standards. I get hit too much to have a tin can car.
I know way too many people making 30-50k financing 300k houses and 50-75k cars.
The erosion of the middle class isn’t simply because people are bad with money...that’s the upper-class’ spin on the situation to stop the American worker from kicking down their door with pitch forks. Are there people that suck with money? Absolutely! But those people were always around pre and post FDR New Deal so it’s irrelevent. It’s harder and harder to be middle class because of wage stagnation, globalization, and inflation. Americans are making less, while the cost of living is increasing, and good jobs are either being shipped overseas or automated. All while the upper class get government welfare e.g. the recent tax cut that added 1.5 trillion to the deficit and expires for the middle class but permanent for the rich. This is obviously a simplification but to blame the middle class for what’s going on in the country is bullocks.
The erosion of the middle class isn’t simply because people are bad with money...that’s the upper-class’ spin on the situation to stop the American worker from kicking down their door with pitch forks. Are there people that suck with money? Absolutely! But those people were always around pre and post FDR New Deal so it’s irrelevent. It’s harder and harder to be middle class because of wage stagnation, globalization, and inflation. Americans are making less, while the cost of living is increasing, and good jobs are either being shipped overseas or automated. All while the upper class get government welfare e.g. the recent tax cut that added 1.5 trillion to the deficit and expires for the middle class but permanent for the rich. This is obviously a simplification but to blame the middle class for what’s going on in the country is bullocks.
We have a construction boom. Union workers here do 90k a year plus benefits.
Computer coding is HUGE and there's a serious demand for coders. You don't need a college degree if you can demonstrate skills. These jobs START at 100k. A lot of them you can do at home in your underwear.
Engineers are in demand. 90k+ a year.
Nurses and other medical workers are needed. 50k+ a year.
Mechanics are in serious demand. 60-120k a year.
Welders are in demand. 75k+ a year.
The fact is there's plenty of good jobs in America right now. There's really no excuse to be poor.
The economy isn't some zero sum game where only the rich can be rich. There's plenty of opportunity for people to make good money. The issue is they don't want to actually do the work.
Coding is hard, welding is hard, construction is hard, all these jobs are hard. That's why they pay so well.
I'm good friends with the Carpenter's union president. EVERY time I meet someone that says they have money issues or a crap paying job, I give them his number, tell them about the pay and benefits, and even offer to drive them to the hall to sign up.
To date 1 person has gone but didn't end up doing it. We're talking several hundred people. 1 at least made an attempt.
So don't give me this "the rich are evil" crap. The top 5% of income earners changes all the time. Millionaires go broke on a daily basis and poor people become rich on a daily basis.
What you have is the victim mentality. You seem to think everyone is out to get you. They're not. They don't care about you. Do what it takes to make it and you will make it. If all you look for is problems, that's what you're going to find. You need to look for solutions instead.
Need more money? Find a solution. Take a second job. Gain useful skills. Sell your stuff. Work more hours. Change jobs. There's lots of solutions to needing more money.
We have a construction boom. Union workers here do 90k a year plus benefits.
Computer coding is HUGE and there's a serious demand for coders. You don't need a college degree if you can demonstrate skills. These jobs START at 100k. A lot of them you can do at home in your underwear.
Engineers are in demand. 90k+ a year.
Nurses and other medical workers are needed. 50k+ a year.
Mechanics are in serious demand. 60-120k a year.
Welders are in demand. 75k+ a year.
The fact is there's plenty of good jobs in America right now. There's really no excuse to be poor.
The economy isn't some zero sum game where only the rich can be rich. There's plenty of opportunity for people to make good money. The issue is they don't want to actually do the work.
Coding is hard, welding is hard, construction is hard, all these jobs are hard. That's why they pay so well.
I'm good friends with the Carpenter's union president. EVERY time I meet someone that says they have money issues or a crap paying job, I give them his number, tell them about the pay and benefits, and even offer to drive them to the hall to sign up.
To date 1 person has gone but didn't end up doing it. We're talking several hundred people. 1 at least made an attempt.
So don't give me this "the rich are evil" crap. The top 5% of income earners changes all the time. Millionaires go broke on a daily basis and poor people become rich on a daily basis.
What you have is the victim mentality. You seem to think everyone is out to get you. They're not. They don't care about you. Do what it takes to make it and you will make it. If all you look for is problems, that's what you're going to find. You need to look for solutions instead.
Need more money? Find a solution. Take a second job. Gain useful skills. Sell your stuff. Work more hours. Change jobs. There's lots of solutions to needing more money.
I’m a six figure earner, Engineer, and property owner so miss me with the “I have a victim mentality” spoon fed talking points script you’re reading off of. For one, all your examples are anecdotal which is essentially worthless in a debate. Let’s talk facts instead if your “my friend told me this...” hogwash you”re on:
Wages are stagnant, this is fact!
“After adjusting for inflation, however, today’s average hourly wage has just about the same purchasing power it did in 1978, following a long slide in the 1980s and early 1990s and bumpy, inconsistent growth since then. In fact, in real terms average hourly earnings peaked more than 45 years ago: The $4.03-an-hour rate recorded in January 1973 had the same purchasing power that $23.68 would today.” For most Americans, real wages have barely budged for decades | Pew Research Center
Recent College Grads Face Tough Job Market
“With the shutdown of Internet startups and a slowdown in the economy, a glut of people with experience in high-tech industries are competing for available jobs, leaving fewer opportunities for recent graduates.
As a result, recruiters are coming to campus job fairs with fewer jobs, and some colleges are cracking down on students who aren't taking the situation seriously.” https://abcnews.go.com/Business/story?id=88523&page=1
So even if someone took your advice and went to school to further their education they would not be guaranteed a job, they will have student debt, and if they got hired chances are they will be paid a wage equivalent to 1978 pay when adjusted for inflation. I bet you grew up in a US with >80% tax rate on the wealthy, strong unions, and a healthy manufacturing base and think that this is the same exact America, NOPE! You can’t get a job at the ford plant anymore and buy your first house at 21 which is why milennials are struggling. Just because I see these realities doesn’t make me a victim...I’m doing well for myself but just because I am doesn’t negate other people’s struggles. Americans are hurting...this is fact not an opinion.
I'm 36. I started working with Bush jr in office. It wasn't any golden economy. I also went through 2008.
I listed very specific jobs. Your article said degrees in general. Sorry, but Sally Dance Degree ain't getting a good job because she idiotically chose a horrible degree to get.
Charles Computer Coder can **** on the desk of Bill Gates and still get a job at Microsoft.
It's about making good choices. You chose to be an engineer and look at you, bragging about 6 figure salary. Just like I said. Engineers are in demand and thus get paid well. If you're a student, you should be looking at what is in demand and going after it.
The buying power for EVERYONE is low, thanks to our government mismanaging literally everything.
The fact is, we're all playing the same game with the same rules.
Bill Gates 100 dollars is worth the same as Sally's 100 dollars. If you're dissatisfied making what you're making, do something to change it. Stop wanting someone else to solve people's problems.
The president isn't going to make your life better. Congress isn't going to make your life better. The mayor isn't going to make your job better. YOU have to make your own life better.
That's a general you, not a you Deuterion. People are responsible for their own outcomes. Get out of the way and let people handle their business.
I'm 36. I started working with Bush jr in office. It wasn't any golden economy. I also went through 2008.
I listed very specific jobs. Your article said degrees in general. Sorry, but Sally Dance Degree ain't getting a good job because she idiotically chose a horrible degree to get.
Charles Computer Coder can **** on the desk of Bill Gates and still get a job at Microsoft.
It's about making good choices. You chose to be an engineer and look at you, bragging about 6 figure salary. Just like I said. Engineers are in demand and thus get paid well. If you're a student, you should be looking at what is in demand and going after it.
The buying power for EVERYONE is low, thanks to our government mismanaging literally everything.
The fact is, we're all playing the same game with the same rules.
Bill Gates 100 dollars is worth the same as Sally's 100 dollars. If you're dissatisfied making what you're making, do something to change it. Stop wanting someone else to solve people's problems.
The president isn't going to make your life better. Congress isn't going to make your life better. The mayor isn't going to make your job better. YOU have to make your own life better.
That's a general you, not a you Deuterion. People are responsible for their own outcomes. Get out of the way and let people handle their business.
I do not want to derail this lovely thread any more but you are trumpeting the old “America is a meritocracy” myth which is false. In addition, facts are that there are less jobs, Americans are making less money, college tuition is increasing, and so is the cost of living...these are facts and not subject to your interpretation.
I do not want to derail this lovely thread any more but you are trumpeting the old “America is a meritocracy” myth which is false. In addition, facts are that there are less jobs, Americans are making less money, college tuition is increasing, and so is the cost of living...these are facts and not subject to your interpretation.
I love that the guy who went to school to become an engineer, then went on to make double the median wage, is talking about how it's not a meritocracy. The irony is rich.
College tuition is skyrocketing. We agree. The question I'd like to ask you is, why is it going up?
What caused this giant increase? Could it be, perhaps, maybe, the government getting involved?
The fact is people like you, demanding someone else do something to solve people's problems instead of letting people deal with their own problems, has caused the vast majority of the very problems they're trying to fix. Government involvement is like a forefighter spraying gasoline onto a fire they're trying to put out.
Welfare made poverty worse.
Housing initiatives made housing more expensive.
Government loans made college more expensive.
Government programs made healthcare more expensive.
Everything they do makes things worse.
I love that the guy who went to school to become an engineer, then went on to make double the median wage, is talking about how it's not a meritocracy. The irony is rich.
College tuition is skyrocketing. We agree. The question I'd like to ask you is, why is it going up?
What caused this giant increase? Could it be, perhaps, maybe, the government getting involved?
The fact is people like you, demanding someone else do something to solve people's problems instead of letting people deal with their own problems, has caused the vast majority of the very problems they're trying to fix. Government involvement is like a forefighter spraying gasoline onto a fire they're trying to put out.
Welfare made poverty worse.
Housing initiatives made housing more expensive.
Government loans made college more expensive.
Government programs made healthcare more expensive.
Everything they do makes things worse.
A very spirited debate. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Is it true that everyone is a democrat until they get a little money?
I registered Democratic and then proceeded to mainly vote Republican. Most if not all of the candidates I voted for lost...
The average salary in Las Vegas, Nevada is $47,942. Trends in wages are going down with a 2 percent decrease over last quarter as of Q2 2018. The cost of living in Las Vegas is 3.3 percent more expensive than the national average.
Wages are only one component of total compensation. The employer's portion of health insurance continually goes up, so total compensation is going up even if wages are not.
Wages are only one component of total compensation. The employer's portion of health insurance continually goes up, so total compensation is going up even if wages are not.
My employer wanted three hundred each pay period for health insurance. I said no way!
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