Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
 [Register]
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.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 03-18-2015, 12:46 PM
 
12,823 posts, read 24,300,521 times
Reputation: 11039

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia 100 View Post
Actually, the trend supports the logic of proactively acquiring new marketable skills. There is no logic at all whatsoever behind not acquiring any marketable skills and then being surprised that no one is willing to pay you for what you don't bring to the table.
Yes of course, many of us spend a lot of energy acquiring marketable skills. And meanwhile, there are massive, secular, structural macro changes going on at a high rate.

My finding is, the game is a certain percentage what a person brings to the table, and certain percentage dumb luck (aka right place a right time ... or not).

I've seen people with questionable skills who were at the right place at the right time (say, a pre IPO start up that actually made it, as opposed to the typical start up that either folds or never really takes off). I've also seen people with great skills that happened to be an an Enron at the wrong time. Are they the masters of their fate, or, is there something more?

In any case, rather than castigating those who many not have a really great nest egg, how about some compassion here? That might be nice.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 03-18-2015, 01:06 PM
 
Location: California side of the Sierras
11,162 posts, read 7,593,975 times
Reputation: 12523
Quote:
Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly View Post
Yes of course, many of us spend a lot of energy acquiring marketable skills. And meanwhile, there are massive, secular, structural macro changes going on at a high rate.

My finding is, the game is a certain percentage what a person brings to the table, and certain percentage dumb luck (aka right place a right time ... or not).

I've seen people with questionable skills who were at the right place at the right time (say, a pre IPO start up that actually made it, as opposed to the typical start up that either folds or never really takes off). I've also seen people with great skills that happened to be an an Enron at the wrong time. Are they the masters of their fate, or, is there something more?

In any case, rather than castigating those who many not have a really great nest egg, how about some compassion here? That might be nice.
My remarks were a direct reply to freemkt, who has stated many times that he has no marketable job skills, even though he has a college education. If compassion here means commiseration that of course he cannot possibly do anything at all to improve his situation, I don't agree that he needs compassion.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-18-2015, 03:34 PM
bUU
 
Location: Florida
12,077 posts, read 10,657,311 times
Reputation: 8793
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia 100 View Post
Actually, the trend supports the logic of proactively acquiring new marketable skills.
No: The trend supports the logic that doing so makes the decline less steep. It doesn't make the decline into an increase.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia 100 View Post
There is no logic at all whatsoever behind not acquiring any marketable skills and then being surprised that no one is willing to pay you for what you don't bring to the table.
Let's try this again.... While true, it doesn't solve the problem for many. For example:

America the Gutted: Glenda Bell | GlobalPost

Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia 100 View Post
If compassion here means commiseration that of course he cannot possibly do anything at all to improve his situation, I don't agree that he needs compassion.
Compassion means recognition that the avenues available to him are exceedingly anemic, and therefore his problem should result in two things: His own action to "make the decline less steep" in his own interest, AND action by all of us to make the avenues available to him substantially more robust.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-18-2015, 03:40 PM
 
Location: California side of the Sierras
11,162 posts, read 7,593,975 times
Reputation: 12523
Quote:
Originally Posted by bUU View Post
No: The trend supports the logic that doing so makes the decline less steep. It doesn't make the decline into an increase.

Let's try this again.... While true, it doesn't solve the problem for many. For example:

America the Gutted: Glenda Bell | GlobalPost
I'm speaking from the point of view of the individual. If I, as an individual, find that my particular skill set is being outsourced, then a proactive course of action for me is to acquire new skills which are not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2015, 04:14 AM
bUU
 
Location: Florida
12,077 posts, read 10,657,311 times
Reputation: 8793
Quote:
Originally Posted by Petunia 100 View Post
I'm speaking from the point of view of the individual.
Glenda is an individual, and it didn't help her. It is proactive? Yes. Is it going to makes the decline less steep? Yes. Is it sufficient? Perhaps not.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2015, 06:30 AM
 
2,429 posts, read 4,001,910 times
Reputation: 3382
Quote:
??? And if you are unable to work longer? Or you're living at poverty level, how do you live below your means? If you're paying half your income to rent a room, how do you reduce expenses?
Please don't misunderstand me. Obviously there are some people, who are at subsistence level who don't have as many options as others. That has nothing to do with -- or should I say -- is a separate issue from -- whether people WITH those options choose to take advantage of the options they do have.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2015, 06:40 AM
bUU
 
Location: Florida
12,077 posts, read 10,657,311 times
Reputation: 8793
So we really have two separate discussions - one about one set of people and one about another set of people.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2015, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Near a river
16,042 posts, read 21,911,665 times
Reputation: 15773
Quote:
Originally Posted by TuborgP View Post
Yet it still found you
As it still finds many in the middle and lower classes.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-19-2015, 10:49 AM
 
Location: California side of the Sierras
11,162 posts, read 7,593,975 times
Reputation: 12523
Quote:
Originally Posted by rdflk View Post
Please don't misunderstand me. Obviously there are some people, who are at subsistence level who don't have as many options as others. That has nothing to do with -- or should I say -- is a separate issue from -- whether people WITH those options choose to take advantage of the options they do have.
Exactly. A person who is intelligent enough to complete a BA is intelligent enough to learn at least one marketable job skill.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 03-20-2015, 07:58 AM
 
31,672 posts, read 40,917,312 times
Reputation: 14418
The equity market crash in late 2008/09 followed by a massive bull market with low interest rates has been a retirement finances reset for millions. Some great, some bad and some not at all or somewhere between great and bad. We all had our reset or opportunity for one for better or worse. How many of us would in hindsight have loved to be 55 in May 2099 and starting on not just maxing out retirement accounts but makeup years etc and embarking on the investing homestretch. Others lost much and locked in those losses at low savings rate. Others had not much and not much chance to take advantage of. Truly impactful retirement time. Consider the young couple starting out and thinking this is the new investment normal. A real game changer it has been for many and others a non event. A true mixed impact bag.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
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.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Retirement
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top