Living within your means........

That's because people who tend to earn more are typically better at making good choices.

That's why they earn more.

That's why 70% of people who win the lottery are broke inside of 5 years.

They make bad choices.

Incidentally what's the percentage of US households that make over $100k?

About 30%.

 

Unless they have a sudden drop in their income or a large expense, people with a family income of $100,000 should be able to solve their own problems. Who wants to spend time worrying about them? I'm interested in looking at families making less than the median income.

If you make $100,000 and can't afford SoHo, live somewhere else.

What about families with less than the median income? The inability of some families to provide the necessities of life for themselves is a violation of the social contract working class citizens have made with society. 'If I'm prepared to work hard, I should be able to provide for the family!' they conclude. They have a sense of entitlement and have been acting on it. They voted for Obama and his promise to provide more universal health care. They voted for Trump because he promised to get them jobs. They're focused on results.

 

Yes, and they also have more to save because they earn more. They're better two ways.

Correct.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/203183/percentage-distribution-of-household-income-in-the-us/

What's your point?

 

Well, Capn, I suspect we may soon feel compelled to test your theory. I don't see how the carrying capacity of the earth can increase to accommodate the ambitions of 7.5b people.

 

Are you okay? There are the real bad choices far more people make--buying the latte every day and dining out twice a week. Driving a late model vehicle.

That's a version of what I leave as a dilemma for my students. Who should make decisions for you? Are you making your own decisions?

 

Great. So now you know it's the person's individual choices that are bad and not a company's advertising. It's a start.

Am I making my own financial decisions? Uh, yeah. Who else is making them?

 

Making more has nothing to do with how much you're saving.

Yet again, that's why people who suddenly have millions of dollars go bankrupt 70% of the time.

My point is that people who have gotten to a position of making over $100k a year didn't do it by accident.

 

They're trick questions. The answer to the first question is that society decided you should choose by holding you legally responsible for your situation.

The answer to the second question is you're deciding even if you let someone else make your choices.

You are responsible for you.

 

BS.

Here's a big reason why people "with the means" do well

CREDIT

They not only HAVE access to credit...it's CHEAPER

You make $40K? You drive a beater you paid $3500 for that is always breaking down...costing you money and causing you to lose work

You make $100K? You "scrape together" a couple grand down payment and buy decent car that costs you $350 a month (with a 1% loan) and comes with a warranty. Something breaks on it (and that isn't often on a new car) and you get it fixed free...and likely get a loaner while it's being fixed.

That's just one example of how "smart" money makes you

 

When you're finished looking, you'll see there are people who actually don't make enough to provide the necessities. Beyond them, the working class isn't happy about the median real wage for full-time workers rising just 7.5% in 41 years. They want what they believe should be fair of doubled per capita production.

You're preaching to the choir. People have to live within their means. If the daily latte, dining out twice a week, and driving a new car mean you have to worry about your credit store, you need to give your head a shake.

We should concern ourselves with stalled real wage for more than half of society.

Healthy food, a private space to live, clothing, medical care, job training, and local transportation should be available. I would at this point have a work requirement for the able-bodied (AI and robotics may wipe out a lot of jobs in the future, so we may need to rethink "work").

Rather than have government make-work jobs, we should have a negative income tax so most of the work is private.

You worked to get ahead. So, why is social mobility much better in Canada?

"In comparison with traditional peer countries such as the United States or Great Britain, Canada displays a far less rigid class structure. The odds of moving from poverty to the middle class during an individual’s lifetime are twice as good for a Canadian as they are for an American. The fact that Canadians enjoy Scandinavian levels of equity without having to rely on Scandinavian levels of taxation or social conformity is further testament to the importance of Canada’s education, health care and welfare systems, as well as the country’s commitment to welcoming newcomers."

https://www.macleans.ca/opinion/canada-is-one-of-the-most-socially-mobile-countries-in-the-world-heres-why/​

Think about the claim. Isn't that what we want for this country--a chance to work hard and get ahead?

One thing they do--provide good quality K-12 education in poor communities by equalizing per pupil spending. Teachers are paid better than in much of this country.

Canada has much better public schools.

https://www.oecd.org/pisa/PISA-results_ENGLISH.png​

They help their citizens solve their own problems.

Isn't this what conservatives should be supporting--better schooling?

 

That's why I learned to fix my own car when I had a $2000 beater, always paid my bills, and lived within my means when I was making $23k a year.

Money doesn't make you smart.

Smart makes you money.

If you can't succeed in America, you're a hopeless case.

 

Thanks for pointing out that you shouldn't choose to let other people decide for you.

Now go back to your original claim, now that you've figured that out, and use wisdom to apply it to your current beliefs.

 

I spent my entire career talking to students about taking responsibility for themselves. I created the work experience program for my school and greatly influenced the program for the school district, taught night school for adults who needed new or enhanced job skills, and how to start a business for high school students and adults. I walked the talk.

 

Then you should stop saying things like "it's the corporations fault".

 

Since most of us can't do that...your post is useless

 

It is true that people who earn more have more that could be put in savings. (Although even this would not be true if one adheres strictly to the pay-yourself-first method--which I strongly advise; and I advise for people in all economic groups.)

But the desire (which is quite prevalent in our society) to "keep up with the Joneses" will likely drive higher earners to spend all that they earn--and just a little more.

 

I see you don't even want to learn how to put in the effort to learn.

What's truly amusing here is that you underlined everything I just said.

Maybe if you wait outside your broken car someone from the government will come by and save you.

 

Show of hands folks...how many of you can repair your car?

 

I'm going to bet it's not a single leftist and almost all of the conservatives.

I also learned how to take care of my own house, my own lawn, my own computers, and everything else. I'm my own self defense.

What you've just accidentally discovered here is one of the main, defining characteristics between the right and the left.

The right doesn't need someone to hold their ****ing hand.

 

You ascribed fault; I was talking about cause-and-effect.

 

Oh I see.

You believe a television ad that results in a person who makes $20k a year buying a $200k car is "cause and effect".

I.E., you'd like to use different terminology to say "it's the corporations fault", now that you painted your argument into a corner.

 

Overall, people who earn more save more. I agree that a lot of people are stupid with their money.

 

But what are you willing to do to get that better paying job? Get more credentials? Take a dirtier, more dangerous but higher paying gig? Commute farther? Work longer hours? And, until you have that better paying job, what will you cut in spending to live within your means? And most importantly, if you don't get the better job and are unwilling or unable to cut back, what's the plan? These questions have become extremely important to me and mine coming to a head just this month. I have had to deal with crap most could not even imagine to keep my head above water. Now, those who are far more fortunate than I have run into some trouble and the plan simply seems to be, pass the trouble along to Gorfias. "He's more fortunate than us because in having it so cushy, we haven't developed the ability to deal with challenges." I had to lay down the law and may find myself socially disowned. I'll know more next week. But I think this isn't going to be pretty.

 

No, like a neutered dog, you don't "get it." Businesses influence people to consume more than they should. Cause-and-effect. That said, you're responsible for your spending. Business is also responsible for their actions.