What Does the Future Hold???

What???????????? And I keep kicking myself for not getting a teaching degree. The lowest paid teach here makes $76,000 and that doesn't include all the awesome perks. I wish I could make that much working only 7 months a year. Public sector employees are out of touch.

Maybe I chose the right profession, but definitely the wrong state. Nothing close to Chicago going on here. A 15 year veteran only makes about half of that with advanced degrees. Cost of living is pretty high here too.

Okay, here is the problem, there are probably a lot of people a heck of a lot worse off than you that are reading this and thinking, dramatic much?

Oh my god! so you will have to pay for part of your insurance like the rest of us, so you will have to save part of your money for your retirement like the rest of us. Do you kind of understand why people don't feel too bad for you when you are crying about doing what the rest of us are already doing?

I would almost guess I make less than you because my daughter is a first year teacher and she makes the same as I do. Still 10% of my income goes to my retirement and 1,500 a year goes to my health insurance. I have a hard time voting for a tax increase so that teachers don't have to pay what I have to pay.

So pretty much what will happen to the working class? Well we have been saving even though it hurts so more than likely we will be paying for your Medicaid bed as our retirement gift. :(

My mom was 17 when WW2 started in the Netherlands. She tells stories of hardship (no food, no soap, eating boiled weeds, hiding a Jewish friend in the floor under their closet, friends dissappearing) BUT she also talks of first love, of songs around the table with neighbors because there was nothing else, of turning a coat around (they would undo the stitches and restitch it inside out) to get a "new" coat. Even in the worst of times there is life and love and laughter.

I really needed to read this today, because Im in a slump.

The world is an amazing place!!!! Full of so many opportunities to meet Incrediable people, to love (family, children, friends, those we haven't even met yet), learn (academic, practical, wildly impractical), laugh, do, help, see (even if you're not a traveller, children growing, art being made, first snows or full moons, grey hairs -employ laughter here-, strange clothes, pocket computers).... So many amazing things in this life!!!

I'm probably one of those people worse off than you. (So many people are worse off than me, that i cant say). No job. Exhusband an EX for seriously good reasons, mortgage 5months behind, only a few weeks of insurance left, no CS payment by douchebag, means not able to pay for school this quarter (almost midterms, weeks wasted), wicked behind on my bills, and the hardest part...barely seeing my son (comparatively).

It's going to be okay. I've been through MUCH worse.

This is just a series of opportunities that I haven't figured out how to get on top of, yet.

I can beat myself up over that. Focus on what I don't have (and have been, for 3 days), on what I can't change. Or I can turn my problems on their ear, and REVEL in what I do have, and the solutions I can start employing.

Quite frankly, I'm a bit of a mess, right now. (And my ex is laughing all the way to the bank).

But life is still really, really, GOOD.

Later on, I'm sure ill be grateful for the opportunities presented today. <grin> Once I figure out how to deal with them!!!

((I've actually sorted most of them, I'm just waiting to be ae to implement them. In a year -god willing- Ill be kicking butt and taking names. To do so, requires some hard things now.))

So. In the R. school of hard knocks.... I'm giving you a homework assignment:

For each and every example you gave that is dragging you down: come up with at least 2-5 ways to work around them that you'd LIKE. REAL things.

EX) My house 5 months behind on the mortgage:
- Home Equity Loan & Stay
- Home equity Loan & Lease
- Sell

3 options I can live with, in descending order of what I'd like best. I won't know for a few weeks if I can get the loan. All of my problems have these lists. (Including having borrowed candles, charcoal for the grill, and extra warm stuff for when my power gets shut off here if my ex doesn't. Pay. Again. I can live without power for a few weeks. Like camping in the Best. Tent. Ever. As option 2, I have several of Kiddos friends lined up for sleepovers for him... We're going to be FINE.

Because we have options.

Since these things scare you... Come up with options. A lot of times you won't need them (hey, if it snows in jades, my ex might actually pay what he's supposed to!), a lot of times you'll need to change things around... But as long as you can improvise, adapt, and overcome... You'll thrive.

I was unemployed for over a year. Spent my savings and pulled almost everything out of retirement to keep us going.

I have been employed for a year - at a 38% pay cut. Next week, God willing, I will be starting a part time job next week to augment my income so I can pay for gas and groceries.

I should be miserable and pitiful - I have to pay part of my health insurance expenses, high out of pockets for my son's medicines and orthodontia, if I am lucky I will be vested in this job's retirement in EIGHT years, which is already being revamped and benefits being lowered. The political scene locally, and nationally sucks - but the global scene sucks worse. I could go on - but why?

In spite of all the negatives -
I have a freaking awesome life !!! I have an amazing 16 year old son who is funny, and snarky, and smart. I have a job that I like, and I have been able to keep my home. I have pets, and friends, and good neighbors, and a New Man in my life ( after years of not dating) that I am crazy about.

Eh, I am broke as heck. Don't have a clue how I will even help my son pay for college in 1 1/2 years, and not sure when I can pay all the bills again. But - I have a great life.

It really is how you look at it. I have stopped, for the time being, focusing on 5 or 10 years down the road. My road, the past few years, has been more like a block at a time. It was all I could handle and what I could plan for.

You need to shorten your sight - yes, contradictory advice - but you are making yourself ill over the distant future - look at your now - and look a few blocks down the road.

I am optimistic. We have had down times before, and we will again. Just like we've had good times before, and we will again. The economy is very cyclical. When things get to a level that can't be sustained, we figure out new ways to do things. Regarding unions and pensions and insurance and such...I am all for unions. My dad was a union worker his whole career and we benefited from it. However, there was no reason for him to never pay a single penny into his health insurance. That's just ludicrous - everyone should pay some portion of his or her insurance plan, union or not. And while I'm happy that he's living a comfortable retirement due to his pension, that's just a benefit that people can't expect anymore and we all need to take personal responsibility for our own retirement savings. So those discussions are necessary but not things to panic over. People in the private sector pay part of their health insurance and fund their retirement on their own. Perhaps with reduced benefits the salaries of teachers would increase?

Anyway...as an educator, I find it kind of alarming that you would be stressed out by current events. You wouldn't allow your students to turn a blind eye to things, right? You would encourage them to be informed citizens? Please hold yourself to the same high standards - I know the world can seem all doom and gloom sometimes, but the sky really isn't falling. We'll be OK.

Um, sorry to point this out - but your previous questions asked about your cable service, your new car and your investment condo.

I think you may just be seeing the short term and not the long term. The longer you teach, the greater your salary. If you want more money immediately, have you considered a second job?

I don't mean to be down on you, but look how much you have. Any of us can make a long list of things we don't - but that list doesn't matter much. The only list that matters is what you have, and whether you appreciate that or not.

I hope you feel better. :)
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Then maybe the lesson isn't to complain about what's happened to your money, because YOU are the one that spent it. Perhaps the lesson is to pay cash, and not be too proud to drive an "old beater" like dave ramsey suggests.

Well you need to get your head out of the sand for one. Your kids might be picking up on your pessimistic attitude, and that could not be good. If you start now, and since you are already a teacher, maybe you can take some extra classes, to up your pay, and if you start saving some money each week, and don't touch it, you could have a nice little nest egg when you are older. If you TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF, AND DON'T DEPEND ON THE GOVERNMENT, you could actually have a very good live for yourself. Lots of people have to buy insurance for themselves. It is part of life. It is a benefit to have it given to you. If you change your attitude about how bad everything is, and listen to your husband and get informed, and stop saying it is too stressful to be informed, you might learn some interesting things. I find it really odd that you are a teacher, yet you say it is too stressful to be informed. Being informed is the same as learning. How do you deal with it in the classroom? Odd.

So you think your children will put you in a horrible nursing home rather than take you in? Wow.

As for the rest of us "working class", we do the best we can just like we always have. I haven't had insurance since 1992, our jobs never offered it, and we can't afford it. We pay cash or use the low cost clinics. We had two home births. Our kids are aiming for jobs that require training rather than a 4 year degree. I have no use for my BA, even though I was promised a free ride through a PhD. Yeah, right, that was true back when I graduated, but this is no longer the case, so I found a different career path and now own my own business. As long as nothing really bad happens in the next couple of years, we will finally crawl out of this financial hole that 2008-2009 brought us, be out of debt, have some savings, and grow the business. It's not a perfect plan, but it's a plan.

You feel hopeless because you don't have a plan. Not every kid needs to go to college. Not every 65yo needs a million bucks to retire.

eta (after reading Lucy's post)
You have a NEW CAR and INVESTMENT PROPERTY? geez. What are you whining about again?

eta again (after reading your SWH)
ok, I should have read through the threads myself instead of relying on another poster's opinion to give me factual info. Still your cars are newer than mine with fewer miles. And you never know, that property might be worth something someday. We've all had expensive business lessons, at least those of us that take a risk. Chin up :)

A.:

wow....sorry - but you sound like you need a psychiatrist to talk to, one that can help with your anxiety.

Knowledge is power. As a teacher you should know this. Being INFORMED gives you knowledge.

Instead of thinking 10 years into the future. Why not take a step back and concentrate on what you have NOW? Thankful for your job, your husband, your children. Then expand upon that...every day be grateful for SOMETHING - ANYTHING!! You are spiraling down into a deep, dark hole and need help. Start a gratitude log.

Then make a doctor's appointment. Get help for your anxiety and depression. Learn how to compartmentalize and deal with things.

You don't need to get involved in conversations - you can do the research yourself on the candidates and their platforms. Make your own decision. Don't listen to the ads - they are just getting nastier and nastier by the day. Maybe if we ALL complain about it - they will stop??? I don't know.

But I do know that you need to talk to a professional who can get you on the path to recovery from depression, help you sort out your feelings and help you deal with your anxiety.

Please feel free to send me a PM and I will do what I can to help you.

HUGS to you!!

You're distraught -cheer up-there is a candidate that is capable of turning our world around-and it isn't the incumbent.

Future? well if anyone can see the future, they will tell ya. You cant really be prepared fully. What if the economy poops and all that money you saved is worthless? What if it does... what if what if what if. What if everyone in the Great Depression gave up and in? No one would have moved on to better times. It gets better. Belts tighten, better deals are made, things are sacrificed to get your kids to college. As a teacher SURELY you heard of scholarships, grants, and uhmmm... National Guard? if you dont look at news or anything HOW will you know what career's would be sustainable? Garbage men make a pretty penny! benefits, AND insurance. THERE WILL always be garbage. If needs be I will toss trash for that.

I agree and don't blame you. I also think sometimes that having kids is selfish bc what kind of world are we bringing them into?... It's one reason I stopped at 2. I keep working to save and save to hopefully help them someday if they need it. On the positive side, I think many generations are faced with what seems like an insurmountable problem. WWII, the Depression, Vietnam, Communism, Polio etc. Somehow things work out. I also think well, let's say our standard of living goes down. Does it mean people don't all have mcmansions and 3 cars and 5 flat screens? Do we go back to living how I did as a kid which wasn't bad at all but not so competitive and chock full of luxuries? I know you're not talking luxuries but somethings you have likely were considered luxuries years ago. All you can do is save and try to direct your children into professions that provide necessities and a skill set vs kind of wishy washy majors that often aren't as employable in tough times.

Here here! I hate that our next 4 years will be run by basically the guy who raises the most money and gets the popular vote, not necessarily the guy who has economical knowhow to move this country out of financial ruin, past, present and future.

You can always move to some underdeveloped country...according to Sally Struthers and her late night commercials, you can feed and clothe a child for $.25/day! :) Peace be to you.

.

Why on earth is YOUR future up to politics???? That's a little irresponsible. If you don't like your situation, change it.

i feel the same exact way!

move here teachers get paid way more then i do asan accountant and get the summer off=)

You need to do everything you possibly can to have a 401k. All you can do is prepare for the future. We are there too, and yes, it is depressing, but all you can do is scrimp and sacrifice... perhaps change careers if you can.

A., I'm a little late on here, but I hope you'll see this.

I think that you and your husband need some financial advise from someone whom you can trust and is a professional.

I rarely if ever tell anyone to throw in the towel and go into foreclosure, but indeed, if your property really IS 30% of what you paid for it, you should consider letting the bank take it. Sometimes you have to let your pride take a back seat to reason. If you rent a place before your credit takes the hit, and if you figure the difference in what tax break you normally get for paying mortgage interest and don't overpay on your rent, you'll do better financially. Houses cost so much in upkeep and maintenance, never mind the mortgage payment itself...

Look, you have a career and a job. It's okay for you not to be "informed" if it bothers you too much. It sounds like you have some anxiety or depression. Don't beat yourself up over it - there are so many who feel the way you do. The thing that is most important is that you don't let this anxiety define you. If you do, it can affect your work and cause a self-fulfilling prophecy which could cause you to lose your job.

Be the best teacher you can be! Remember why you wanted to be one in the first place. Start with small victories and work your way up. Make some hard decisions about your finances. Don't just let things ride. Sometimes hurting your credit is the right thing to do in the long run.

As far as politics and the future of the country is concerned, look A., the 2nd worse thing in our country's history already happened (the Great Depression was the first one.) People act like President Obama should have been able to fix this horrible mess that the banks got us into. Billions of dollars were lost and it doesn't get fixed in 4 short years - it just doesn't. People are simple in their thinking and not patient at all. Your property investment simply won't come back for a long time, no matter which guy wins, quite frankly. Instead of expecting a president to solve your problems, make the best choices you can now by weighing the pros and cons of your decisions. Sometimes we must make decisions that we would normally not make. Millions of people have had to do it, A.. You are not alone.

I'm not trying to be a cheerleader here. I am trying to give you some practical advice. You can't have your cake and eat it too, in that there are consequences for decisions made that are unpleasant, as in foreclosure, but there are good things that can come out of it - being able to get out from under a debt so that you can safeguard your financial future.

Becoming more secure in that area can go a long way to getting your emotions and anxiety under control.

Know what you need to know to vote, and then let the rest go. Work on your financial state, do your research and then make the hard decisions. Embrace your career, and start to feel better.

Good luck,
Dawn