poverty
Major Changes to Now Allow You to Eliminate Federal Student Loans in Bankuptcy
Are you in an income-based repayment program? Have you been repaying your federal student loans for more than ten years? Have you tried to work with your servicer on a more reasonable payment plan? -or- Are you in default on your federal student loans? And have you been unemployed for at least 5 of the …
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My Parents’ Neighbors’ House Caught Fire: A Financial Cautionary Tale
My parents’ neighbors’ house caught fire last week. My financial mind can’t help but see powerful money lessons.
Why frugality is an important part of personal finance
In a recent article in The Atlantic, Joe Pinsker shared some thoughts on why many ultrarich people aren’t satisfied with their wealth.
There seem to be two reasons.
- First, people tend to ask themselves: Am I doing better than I was before? Do I have more today than I did yesterday? “All the way up the income-wealth spectrum,” one researcher told Pinsker, “basically everyone says [they’d need] two or three times as much” to be perfectly happy. It’s the hedonic treadmill in action.
- Second, people can’t help but compare themselves to others. They ask themselves: Do I have as much (or more) than the people I’m comparing myself with? Do I have more than other folks in my family? Do I have more than my friends? Do I have more than my co-workers? We measure our personal success by comparing what we have to what other people have. This is the proverbial “keeping up with the Joneses”.
While Pinsker’s article is about the ultrarich, I think these tendencies apply to nearly everyone. Even me.
People in the middle class are just as inclined to hop on the hedonic treadmill. They’re just as likely to compare what they have to what their friends have. The same goes for those who aren’t well off. Even people in poverty get sucked into the comparison game.
In fact, I’d argue that for the poor and middle class, there’s an added element. Time and again, statistics show that folks with lower incomes watch tons more TV than people who earn more. (Also here — and many more studies.) When you allow yourself to succumb to the “other world” of film and TV, you’re exposed to more ideas about how people should and do live — even if these ideas are baseless. (It’s like “The Grand Illusion” by Styx: “Don’t be fooled by the radio, the TV, or the magazines. They show you photographs of how your life should be, but they’re just someone else’s fantasy.”)
The rich compare themselves to themselves and others. The poor do too but they also compare themselves to fictional characters on film and television.
The bottom line seems to be that comparing your situation to anyone is likely to lead to trouble. Whether you’re comparing yourself to yourself, your family, your friends, or to people in Hollywood productions, doing so leads to a desire for more.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
California voters to decide on repeal of anti-public housing measure in 2024
Voters will choose whether to remove an anti-public housing provision in the state Constitution in 2024
A year-long spending moratorium
While walking the dog last weekend, Kim noted that I’ve been getting a lot of packages in the mail lately. “What’s up with that?” she asked.
I sighed.
“Remember how we shared that bottle of champagne on New Year’s Eve?” I said. “Well, that got me buzzed enough that I sat down at my computer and ordered a bunch of used books. Mystery novels and manga. So, those are starting to filter in.” That’s right. I got drunk on New Year’s Eve (because I no longer drink regularly, I’ve become a lightweight) and ordered old John le Carré paperbacks and Lone Wolf and Cub compilations from ABE Books. I lead an exciting life, my friends.
“Don’t you have enough books?” Kim asked.
“Honestly, I do,” I said. “And I haven’t read half of them. I haven’t watched half of the movies I’ve purchased. I haven’t read half of my graphic novels.”
“You only wear about half of the clothes in your closet,” Kim added. We stopped to let the dog dig in the ditch. Tally was certain she smelled a rodent and was desperate to find it.
“Right,” I said. “I know I’m not the only one who does this, but that doesn’t mean I like it. I feel as if I ought to take a break from buying new stuff and just work through the books and movies and clothes I already own.”
“I feel as if you ought to do that too,” Kim said, laughing. Then Tahlequah saw a deer in the neighbor’s field, and our conversation was forgotten in the ensuing excitement. Bark bark bark! Deers are evil.
Poor People: Hope, Risk, and Education – The Best Interest
How Do Student Loans Work?
Student loans make college–and, increasingly, a middle class life—possible. But you should understand how student loans work before taking them out.Student loans can help make your academic dreams a reality. But you should fully understand how student loans work before taking them out.
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Inflation – Should We Be Worried?
Iâve been writing about money for almost eleven years now, and in that time the world has become an immensely richer place. Here in the US, our economy has grown by about 25% even after inflation, world economic output has grown even faster, and the number of people living in extreme poverty has been cut […]
$35K a Year Is How Much an Hour?
If you are offered an annual salary, you may want to know how it translates to an hourly wage. Using a simple calculation, it is possible to determine how much someone earns per hour. This blog post explains the calculation using a $35,000 income, including how much you would make per hour, a sample budget, and more.
The post $35K a Year Is How Much an Hour? appeared first on Good Financial Cents®.