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As to Mogel’s statement that there’s “no hunger in America “ as a former social worker I can tell you that’s not true as can my friends that worked in the public schools as teachers. I had 3 brothers in my caseload that were born with normal intelligence that ended up intellectually disabled because of lack of food.
As to Mogel’s statement that there’s “no hunger in America “ as a former social worker I can tell you that’s not true as can my friends that worked in the public schools as teachers. I had 3 brothers in my caseload that were born with normal intelligence that ended up intellectually disabled because of lack of food.
How is it determined that one is born with normal intelligence?
For some of us that have family members and close friends that are having a hard time economically in retirement these statistics and graphs and links to government data don’t really mean anything or have any value. If you are having a hard time getting by it is fact, not data saying otherwise.
We should all know by now that data can be viewed and twisted to represent differing opinions and arguments.
Many in this retirement forum have done extremely well in planning for retirement and most likely currently live within a social circle that are like minded and have also done well and perhaps aren’t familiar with those less fortunate.
All I can say is we should have a bit of compassion for those not as fortunate. Not everyone was lucky enough to have the ability to fully prepare and fund themselves for retirement.
We are one of those being retired doing it well but it haunts me to see those around me just trying to make ends meet. We do what we can to help.
For some of us that have family members and close friends that are having a hard time economically in retirement these statistics and graphs and links to government data don’t really mean anything or have any value. If you are having a hard time getting by it is fact, not data saying otherwise.
We should all know by now that data can be viewed and twisted to represent differing opinions and arguments.
Many in this retirement forum have done extremely well in planning for retirement and most likely currently live within a social circle that are like minded and have also done well and perhaps aren’t familiar with those less fortunate.
All I can say is we should have a bit of compassion for those not as fortunate. Not everyone was lucky enough to have the ability to fully prepare and fund themselves for retirement.
We are one of those being retired doing it well but it haunts me to see those around me just trying to make ends meet. We do what we can to help.
Appropriately planning for one’s retirement doesn’t require luck. It requires a lifetime of good decisions.
And a lifetime of good decisions can be wiped away with cancer or the death of a partner.
Perhaps I should have used the term good fortune or opportunity instead of luck.
Possibly (depends on how good the decisions were). But such situations are not the norm, and are not generally the reason for people not being financially ready for retirement.
And a lifetime of good decisions can be wiped away with cancer or the death of a partner.
Perhaps I should have used the term good fortune or opportunity instead of luck.
For me it was pure luck. In 1993 I was a high school dropout who had lost my job in the tire and auto service business due to a friend of the owner's son getting out of drug rehab and needing a job. The only job I could get in our town was in the warehouse of a retail store for $200 a week.
One Sunday I was at the local grocery and picked up an Orlando Sunday newspaper just on a whim; something I had not done for several months. In it was an ad for a national financial services company looking for people to train for their securities license for a large call center they were opening in Orlando.
Despite my lack of education, I interviewed and got a position. Two weeks into my training the company advertised for four positions for another department they were going to also open in Orlando. My wife interviewed and got one of those positions.
Long story short, we both wound up getting multiple securities licenses and retired after 21 years with the company.
But it was dumb luck that we needed something from the grocery that day and luck again that I decided to pick up that newspaper.
Possibly (depends on how good the decisions were). But such situations are not the norm, and are not generally the reason for people not being financially ready for retirement.
success is where drive , skill and preparation meet luck and opportunity.
loads of people either don’t recognize an opportunity or are not prepared to take advantage of one
Why do you feel sorry for folks who made choices and live with the results? Many of my high school friends, for example, spent 20 or 30 years going to bars a couple of nights a week, having a good time, and now they are reaping the rewards of that with a 50 year old single wide and a bad liver. It was their choice, and they enjoyed their choices. Why feel sorry for them?
I just don't get it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Buckeye77
Sorry, but you are being judgmental, not sympathetic. It is their life to live, and they are entitled to live it as they wish, not as you wish. And most of those high school friends of mine, if given the opportunity for a do over, would not change a thing. They have a different definition of "success" than you or I, and they are allowed to pursue it.
Can't rep you again without being promiscuous with reps - great observations.
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