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USA edition:
If you’re a billionaire: vote Republican.
If you’re not a billionaire: vote Democrat.
(*) may not apply in elections where the Republican wants to start a profit-conflagarating civil war
War is a racket.
Brilliant book. Still relevant.
And either way, you still get to be poor. Great system we have here.
Pop quiz! What was cumulative inflation for the last 4 years, and what was the change in working class wages?
Basically what I’m asking is, did people get more poor, or less poor? Were there any specific government actions that led to this outcome?
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At least you get to be poor with some basic human rights
This is what Democrats would put on their campaign signs if they were an honest party.
Me, LGBT: hahahahaha… oh you were serious? HAHAHAHAHA no.
What are you on about? Gay marriage was literally legalized by democrats.
(rant in general, not directed at you)
Straight, cis people: “you can do one thing, isn’t that enough? why do you have to be in the spotlight all the time?”
Me, standing with my trans+enby friends, after being fired for who we fuck and what we look like, and regularly treated like dogshit in public: “…”
Marriage is a decent start, but especially bullshit like “right to work” states where employers can sack you for literally anything, and LGBT not being a universally protected thing, is shit. Yeah yeah “sex” is by law but I direct you to the first half of that sentence, and you’ll see the issue. Progress, yeah, but being the solution to our many issues, marriage is just a piece of the pie.
Hell, my best friend had to go through some gymnastic-bureaucratic bullshit because the state they live(d) in was putting up unnecessary requirements just to change their sex on their drivers license. This was after months of them seeing a therapist, hrt, physical changes, etc - but still wasn’t good enough for the state. So it was easier to get their transition accepted via their birth state (I think by altering the birth record? Not totally sure, I didn’t want to pry), where they had much more sane requirements, and then come back to the state they live(d) in with a ‘see here bitch, now change my shit’. Took a month or so all-told, but they got it done.
Plus things like raising a family (adoption especially), being passed up for employment or promotions, denied housing… but we have marriage, so it’s all good, right?
We didn’t need that.
Make a budget, each month.
Write down your expected expenses. Keep it simple. Use paper and a calculator.
Rewrite the list, in order of priority, to you.
I’ve met so many people who are scared to do this, yet would be pleased if they did.
For bills that are due on a regular basis but not monthly (car registration, oil changes, pet’s annual check up, HVAC check ups if you own a home, etc) - figure out how much each costs per year, add them all up, divide by 12, and set up an auto-transfer to a savings account for that amount every month. Don’t forget to include that amount in your monthly budget too.
This x100. I literally never worry about bills anymore.
Inherit your wealth!
Invest in tennis balls. They have a high rate of return.
Serious version. Probably mostly US-centric:
Credit cards are a tool. Just like any other tool, they can be useful or they can cause damage when improperly used. Educate yourself on how to wield a credit card effectively.
Credit cards are a tool. Just like any other tool, they can be useful or they can cause damage when improperly used. Educate yourself on how to wield a credit card effectively.
What he’s trying to say is, learn to use them like ninja stars - shuriken. They’re sharp and deadly if scaled properly.
Maybe like nunchucks. Use them wrong and they’ll whack you in the nuts.
Look up how cumulative interest works, then start investing in ETFs or index funds that follow MSCI World or S&P 500 for example. Then wait.
It’s been 4 hours. What’s supposed to happen?
You’re supposed to learn how to check back in a few decades instead of hours.
To add to this, also research ETF and mutual fund fees! Sooooo many are more than willing to charge a “small” 1% fee that will cost you thousands of dollars or more. Others are bold and charge even more. Look for fees in the 0.01% - 0.03% range for your trusty index and targeted retirement funds. Some even have 0%, though those harder to come by.
If you can use credit cards responsibly, look into credit card churning for points. I fly business class for any extended flight and I pay less than what economy would cost.
Absolutely this, people paying cash and with debit cards end up just subsidizing points redemptions. Merchants aren’t eating card fees (typically 1.5-3% of a purchase), they just baked it into prices.
With a stable income, watching what you spend, and auto-pay, carrying a card balance is super easy to avoid these days.
If you want to increase your credit score and are financially responsible, switch over to using a credit card.
Diversify your portfolio: Instead of putting everything into savings, split some of it into stocks and shares.
I’ve heard that they amount you should be putting into your pension is a percent of your income equal to half the age you were when you started saving. Not sure how accurate that is.
If you do happen to be well off and/or have a good job, spend your money on things you like rather than hoarding it.
Donating to charity and supporting small businesses is usually morally correct. If you have the means, tip your instance admin or developers of software you use.
Be careful when buying things that the seller can remove from you at any time. But don’t use that as an excuse to not buy things you’ll enjoy while you have them.
Have no social life, it’s much cheaper.
But in all seriousness, if you have to have a social life, limit your spending on that stuff. Restaurant and bar tabs can add up quickly. Budget, limit your drinking, and if you don’t wanna limit your drinking, at least do some cheap drinking at home first.
If your retirement fund isnt 7 figures or larger, you probably aren’t going to retire in your own home. “The old folks home” ain’t cheap, and they WILL take it all to pay for it.
What if you own your home?
In order to save money, you have to start putting money back, even if you consider yourself too poor to save. Every time you get paid put $X aside and don’t touch it until it’s enough to do something with
If you don’t touch an account for 7 years, it disappears from your credit report. That means NO ACTIVITY at all. No usage of the card, no payments, no nothing.
There are some debts that this does not apply to, like school loans, but I know it works on credit cards.
Now, here’s the real world disclaimer. During those 7 years, your credit will TANK. You will have a hell of a time trying to finance a Happy Meal. If you have good credit, it will take another 5-7 years to get it back to where it was. But, if your credit is already trash, and you can’t afford to pay every bill, it is an option that could get you back within your means.
Is it ethical? I figure the system itself isn’t ethical, so stealing back from the ones who take advantage of others doesn’t bother me one bit, but I totally understand if someone would disagree.
You will have a hell of a time trying to finance a Happy Meal.
I don’t know much about finance, but don’t do this!
The entire credit system is to keep undesirables from moving into “better” neighborhoods, to keep the po folk in their place - both geographically and socioeconomically.
Before the credit rating system, you better attend the Elks Lodge with your local banker and be an upstanding deacon at your church to get a loan. Being white and having a firm handshake is also a must.
At least the credit rating system is a game we can all play.
You sure about that? I have a friend who thought that too but found out 7 years later that only a bankruptcy will disappear after 7 years, not just idle delinquint accounts. He needed to actually file for bankrupcy to make it go away. This was in Usa, NY; maybe it’s different other places.
As a second “data” point: I have some accounts on my credit report that have not been touched in a decade+ yet they are still there (they are not delinquent).
Delinquent accounts without payment can be removed from your credit report by disputing with the credit bureau, with the exception of FEDERAL student loans. Filing for bankruptcy and having that on your record for seven more years seems like the worst possible way to deal with it.
Edit: in the USA
What are you disputing? You can dispute inaccurate or fraudulent marks on your credit.
I don’t know why those situations didn’t work out, and without more details, I won’t bother to guess, but yes, I am sure because there’s a few utility bills and two credit cards with a couple thousand each from about 20 years ago that are no longer a problem for me.
That’s awesome! Just wanted to get you to take a second look in case you were as diligent as my friend but it sounds like you’re right, then!
Generally speaking, idle unpaid accounts like this are either sold by the creditors to a third party debt collector, resetting the clock, or they will sue you for the non-payment to get a judgment or lien, resetting the clock.
The only sure bet is bankruptcy, which will drop off your report after a period of time that varies from state to state in the U.S. (generally from 7 to 10 years). Not sure is this applies outside the U.S.
False. New debt collectors purchasing the debt does not reset the clock. Also depending on your state, debt collectors could be barred from legal action well before 7 years.
Edit: in the USA
🤷🏻♂️ Worked for me.
VoIP is cheaper than cell service.
Vinegar is a good cleaning agent.
A hard drive at home is way cheaper than cloud storage.
Tailgating burns more gas.
VoIP
Yes, but then you have no service when you’re out and about since you need a WiFi connection.
I have a data only plan which kicks in automatically when WiFi isn’t available.
Thank you for that information. This whole thing is fascinating to me.
Do you still have a conventional phone number? I have family that are too old/tech incompetent to use something like Signal but who must be able to get a hold of me if they need to.
What happens if you go over your data cap?
Why is it so cheap? Do they sell your personal data or something?
I have so many questions!
I have two numbers, both VoIP. Anyone can call or text me, they don’t need to do anything other than dial the number. I even get texts from my bank.
The data cap auto renews and doesn’t expire. For me, 1gb lasts 2 or 3 months. I don’t recall what it costs but it’s dirt cheap.
VoIP is cheap because it uses the internet instead of the cell network. There is almost no costs to operate the device.
As for privacy, VoIP is a little more private than cell service. I had to disclose my ID and cc but that happens with most cell service. I’m not being triangulated by cell towers. My texts are being set to my email and deleted off the VoIP servers.
Jmpchat is a VoIP service with a lot more privacy but it’s currently out of my price range.
I’m happy to answer more questions.
How does the last one work?
If you’re tailgating you have less time to respond to the car in front of you braking or decelerating and therefore you need to slam the breaks more
slam the breaks more
Not to mention the brakes too.
Exactly
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Every luxury takes work to pay for. Even a fancy car for people making well over six figures is a financial ball and chain. Think long and hard about the stuff you buy.
When I was younger, cars were unreliable pieces of shit. I’d never buy a car between four and eight years old, that’s when they really started needing work. After that, most dodgy bits had been replaced and rust was the biggest killer.
Now, even cheap cars are astonishingly reliable, and will easily last 20 years if taken care of.
Manufacturers know this,and have spent the last decade convincing people they need to lease a brand new car every three years
They’ve convinced mugs that cars are a subscription service
Avoid having more than one large loan at at time ($10000 or more). Pay off your loans early by paying to principal. Pay off your credit card(s) every month. Drive slowly to spend less on gas. Buy goods in solid form, no liquids, to save money. Ditch fast foods, do meal prep instead. Eat less meat, like maybe once or twice a week.
Instructions unclear: Dying of dehydration.
