Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
??? No car + frequent medical appointments = difficult to schedule a second job.
I don't want to work a second job outside my house, so I found a remote job. Took some time, the pay isn't super high, and the work is not completely consistent, but every time they send me a check, I figure it's more money than I had to start with.
??? No car + frequent medical appointments = difficult to schedule a second job.
We get it you are an example of 1 person that can't save for retirement because every single thing that could possibly go wrong in a person's life has apparently happened to you. That doesn't explain the other 50-70% that will reach retirement age with almost nothing saved.
??? No car + frequent medical appointments = difficult to schedule a second job.
There are jobs out there that you can do remotely at your own convenience. My wife works a well-paying full-time job but she also does free-lance writing and copy-editing on the side. She does it from home, or the coffee shop, or the airplane etc. and whenever she wants. You could do freelance graphic design or web design. You could apply to write for a blog. You could take consumer surveys online (minimal money but it is SOMETHING). You could work for a company that lets you do customer service from home on your home phone/cell phone. You could work sales for a company that lets you call from your home or mobile phone. You could learn how to fix small engines (lawn mowers, etc.) and have people bring them to your house for you to repair. There are lots of jobs that you can do remotely, without a car. Of course, it requires you to take some initiative to teach yourself a marketable skill. The same as any job. It doesn't just happen to you - you have to make it work.
It sounds like you are either one of two things: 1) you are some EXTREME case of everything bad that could possibly ever happen to a person to hold them back financially happened to you (in which case you can't use yourself as an example for why other people can't save) or 2) you make every possible excuse to keep yourself down because you are too scared to actually try to better your situation and take responsibility for yourself.
What is preventing Americans from saving for retirement?
My thoughts:
I seem to see many people that just do not live within their means. Many times that is just their fault. Still part of the reason may be that they took the advice of someone else and figured that they can buy a car on time, a big screen tv on time, or some other large ticket item. Maybe they bought too big of home. People love to finance fun things and trips. We have a lot of RN's that were used to getting overtime during flu season. During the large part of the recession things slowed down. Overtime became limited. Still because they thought that they would get it they had placed themselves in debt and then were working to pay it off. In addition their are still peope trying to recover from the housing crash that used their homes as banks to finance all kinds of fun things.
Do you need to pay $200 a month for cable and internet? Do you have to have a smart phone family plan that can cost $200 or 400 a month? Do you have to eat out everyday or go to lunch every day?
I see a lot of this as people are just over their heads and a lot of personal choices that are dictating hoe much is left over at the end of the month. Saving should be a part of every budget. 10% of your income needs to be placed in savings. An additional 10% needs to be placed into a retirment account. Is it easy to do that? Not at all. It would be easier for someone to do that when they are just starting out, are single and have no kids. Most of us never do it like that. I did not and see now how much better off I would have been if I had, and we are doing quite well now.
That leads me to my next point. It is possible to get out of debt and to start saving. It does take time depending on how far in debt someone is. Still the possibilities are there. Over time someone can build a savings and retirement plan. Over time someone can have the freedom to do what they want. So much nicer to finance things with our own money. So much nicer to pay cash from a fund and pay your account back over time. Your money, your interest. No debt. It can happen.
I seem to see many people that just do not live within their means. Many times that is just their fault. Still part of the reason may be that they took the advice of someone else and figured that they can buy a car on time, a big screen tv on time, or some other large ticket item. Maybe they bought too big of home. People love to finance fun things and trips. We have a lot of RN's that were used to getting overtime during flu season. During the large part of the recession things slowed down. Overtime became limited. Still because they thought that they would get it they had placed themselves in debt and then were working to pay it off. In addition their are still peope trying to recover from the housing crash that used their homes as banks to finance all kinds of fun things.
Do you need to pay $200 a month for cable and internet? Do you have to have a smart phone family plan that can cost $200 or 400 a month? Do you have to eat out everyday or go to lunch every day?
I see a lot of this as people are just over their heads and a lot of personal choices that are dictating hoe much is left over at the end of the month. Saving should be a part of every budget. 10% of your income needs to be placed in savings. An additional 10% needs to be placed into a retirment account. Is it easy to do that? Not at all. It would be easier for someone to do that when they are just starting out, are single and have no kids. Most of us never do it like that. I did not and see now how much better off I would have been if I had, and we are doing quite well now.
That leads me to my next point. It is possible to get out of debt and to start saving. It does take time depending on how far in debt someone is. Still the possibilities are there. Over time someone can build a savings and retirement plan. Over time someone can have the freedom to do what they want. So much nicer to finance things with our own money. So much nicer to pay cash from a fund and pay your account back over time. Your money, your interest. No debt. It can happen.
Very important point.
All too commonly I encounter people who say they paid off their car years ago and are glad it still runs well because they don't like having a car payment. And yet, the only reason they don't have enough savings to pay CASH for a new car is that, after their car loan payments ended, they upgraded their lifestyle instead of saving that amount every month.
If so many people lack the discipline to save for something even 5 or 6 years away, it should come as no surprise that people aren't thinking 30+ years into the future and deferring gratification for it. The only way those folks will save is if you force them to.
I don't want to work a second job outside my house, so I found a remote job. Took some time, the pay isn't super high, and the work is not completely consistent, but every time they send me a check, I figure it's more money than I had to start with.
Where there's a will, there's a way.
Actually I do have a remote second job, it was for many years an office job. The hours are great because I can fit it around any schedule, but it's intermittent which means there are slack times beyond my control
I seem to see many people that just do not live within their means. Many times that is just their fault. Still part of the reason may be that they took the advice of someone else and figured that they can buy a car on time, a big screen tv on time, or some other large ticket item. Maybe they bought too big of home. People love to finance fun things and trips. We have a lot of RN's that were used to getting overtime during flu season. During the large part of the recession things slowed down. Overtime became limited. Still because they thought that they would get it they had placed themselves in debt and then were working to pay it off. In addition their are still peope trying to recover from the housing crash that used their homes as banks to finance all kinds of fun things.
Do you need to pay $200 a month for cable and internet? Do you have to have a smart phone family plan that can cost $200 or 400 a month? Do you have to eat out everyday or go to lunch every day?
I see a lot of this as people are just over their heads and a lot of personal choices that are dictating hoe much is left over at the end of the month. Saving should be a part of every budget. 10% of your income needs to be placed in savings. An additional 10% needs to be placed into a retirment account. Is it easy to do that? Not at all. It would be easier for someone to do that when they are just starting out, are single and have no kids. Most of us never do it like that. I did not and see now how much better off I would have been if I had, and we are doing quite well now.
That leads me to my next point. It is possible to get out of debt and to start saving. It does take time depending on how far in debt someone is. Still the possibilities are there. Over time someone can build a savings and retirement plan. Over time someone can have the freedom to do what they want. So much nicer to finance things with our own money. So much nicer to pay cash from a fund and pay your account back over time. Your money, your interest. No debt. It can happen.
Should be 10% in savings while paying off credit cards and car loans. Then add those payments to the amounts so in the future you can just pay cash for everything except a house (and if you can put off that house long enough, you can even pay cash for it as well!)
If you have kids and big student loans, once you pay them off, consider putting that amount every month away for their higher education. If you start when they are, say, 3 years old, $300 a month adds up to $54,000 (plus interest and dividends) in 'student loan payments' in their college fund!
There are jobs out there that you can do remotely at your own convenience. My wife works a well-paying full-time job but she also does free-lance writing and copy-editing on the side. She does it from home, or the coffee shop, or the airplane etc. and whenever she wants. You could do freelance graphic design or web design. You could apply to write for a blog. You could take consumer surveys online (minimal money but it is SOMETHING). You could work for a company that lets you do customer service from home on your home phone/cell phone. You could work sales for a company that lets you call from your home or mobile phone. You could learn how to fix small engines (lawn mowers, etc.) and have people bring them to your house for you to repair. There are lots of jobs that you can do remotely, without a car. Of course, it requires you to take some initiative to teach yourself a marketable skill. The same as any job. It doesn't just happen to you - you have to make it work.
It sounds like you are either one of two things: 1) you are some EXTREME case of everything bad that could possibly ever happen to a person to hold them back financially happened to you (in which case you can't use yourself as an example for why other people can't save) or 2) you make every possible excuse to keep yourself down because you are too scared to actually try to better your situation and take responsibility for yourself.
Yes I have a remote job that used to be a full time office job, but it is intermittent and the available work isn't consistent. I've been working on a large long-term project when the other work isn't available, but it's like a book where you're a newbie so you don't get an advance and you don't make money until you have finished product that sells.
Also I have tried online surveys, maybe I'm doing something wrong or I'm doing it wrong, they send me few surveys and for stuff I don't buy and don't know how to rate.
No landline in house, have prepaid cell phone - how could I possibly do phone work from home when I'm paying per minute?
Last edited by freemkt; 01-16-2014 at 11:17 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
