Author Topic: Overheard at Work  (Read 13253347 times)

ender

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7900 on: April 25, 2015, 12:21:09 PM »
Yeah, I wonder how many people would love to retire by 35 but are told that it's impossible. Some of them will try to do it anyways, but others might give up and figure that since they are living in the rat race they mind as well live it up. That's why I don't make any secrets of my plan to retire and am willing to talk to anyone that wants to listen. They may not like my advice, but at least they should know that it is possible to retire early.

The irony to me, as a cog in a large corporation (50k+ people) is that the megacorp types of companies are a great place to be for FIRE aspirations since they generally pay pretty well and offer pretty reliable career paths for most people.

But the company, as a result of the above, has a vested interest in keeping you from going after the FIRE route once you get 10-20 years of experience with them...

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7901 on: April 25, 2015, 05:33:52 PM »
Yeah, I wonder how many people would love to retire by 35 but are told that it's impossible. Some of them will try to do it anyways, but others might give up and figure that since they are living in the rat race they mind as well live it up. That's why I don't make any secrets of my plan to retire and am willing to talk to anyone that wants to listen. They may not like my advice, but at least they should know that it is possible to retire early.

The irony to me, as a cog in a large corporation (50k+ people) is that the megacorp types of companies are a great place to be for FIRE aspirations since they generally pay pretty well and offer pretty reliable career paths for most people.

But the company, as a result of the above, has a vested interest in keeping you from going after the FIRE route once you get 10-20 years of experience with them...

Megacorps also get better negotiating leverage on their 401k fees. I was grumpy about mine until I realized just how good I had it compared to everyone else.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7902 on: April 25, 2015, 05:43:08 PM »
Can't resist any longer. Coworker in local govt job makes $55k. His wife is in a highly compensated private job. I'd guess 100k. This is well compensated for non-Chicago Midwest. They just built a $500k McMansion on a VA loan (he served one tour out of HS). Based on the collection calls at work and other dropped info about the mortgage, I assume no down payment. They were trying to sell their old house that they had trashed. They both drive very expensive new trucks. Eat out every meal. Financed everything, in debt up to their eyeballs.

So he hears he can get can get a break on his property taxes for being a veteran. Tries to apply but is told he only gets it if he's a disabled veteran, so that person then coaches him into faking a disability (seriously he BRAGGED about this) so now he gets a VA disability check. Just told us his wife hasn't been working for months. She was rear-ended and although she has no apparent injuries, and a clear MRI, she is "in pain" and "wasn't happy at work." I predict a personal injury lawsuit is in the works and probably a disability claim.

Meanwhile he watches Faux News 24/7 and votes Tea Party. I. Can't. Even.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7903 on: April 25, 2015, 05:54:52 PM »
Can't resist any longer. Coworker in local govt job makes $55k. His wife is in a highly compensated private job. I'd guess 100k. This is well compensated for non-Chicago Midwest. They just built a $500k McMansion on a VA loan (he served one tour out of HS). Based on the collection calls at work and other dropped info about the mortgage, I assume no down payment. They were trying to sell their old house that they had trashed. They both drive very expensive new trucks. Eat out every meal. Financed everything, in debt up to their eyeballs.

So he hears he can get can get a break on his property taxes for being a veteran. Tries to apply but is told he only gets it if he's a disabled veteran, so that person then coaches him into faking a disability (seriously he BRAGGED about this) so now he gets a VA disability check. Just told us his wife hasn't been working for months. She was rear-ended and although she has no apparent injuries, and a clear MRI, she is "in pain" and "wasn't happy at work." I predict a personal injury lawsuit is in the works and probably a disability claim.

Meanwhile he watches Faux News 24/7 and votes Tea Party. I. Can't. Even.

Ohhh dear. You should report all of them for fraud. An investigation should be done, and perhaps some jail time could help...

LeRainDrop

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7904 on: April 25, 2015, 06:04:45 PM »
First, a brag on my employer:  They recently decided to change the funds available in our 401(k) plan, moving away from a core line-up of actively managed funds to a line-up of low-cost index funds.  Before, all of us were stuck with funds that included limited advice, and so average expense ratios were 0.55%.  Now, we have the option to manage our funds on our own -- of course, what I'm doing! -- or to add on a retirement planner service for 0.35%.  I am thrilled that our expense ratios are now extremely low, particularly for a 401(k).  I'm getting Schwab S&P 500 Index for 0.09, and Vanguard Total Bond Market Index Admiral for 0.08 :-)

Second, reactions of some of my co-workers:  Many people were annoyed they'd have to pick all new funds, since our entire old line-up was going away.  Oh, so you're sad to lose the high expenses, and get all these low-cost options?  Also, at least a month or two before the change, we started receiving notices and information about what was coming up, our office had a few information sessions with the investment company rep (who did a good job with his presentation), we had about a month where we could log in to our accounts and see what funds and allocation our Morningstar retirement planner would recommend for us, etc.  Nevertheless, the day that our reallocations were completed, as soon as we received the email that we could now log in to see the changes in effect, people started looking for the first time and freaking out.  It sounds like most people just went with the default retirement planner service, and several ladies in their 50s-60s were calling around to each other -- "They put some of my money in bonds!  I don't want any bonds!  Why would they do that?  Oh my gosh, not bonds!  They're saying I should be more conservative with my investments as I near retirement age, but that's stupid -- I want to be aggressive!"

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7905 on: April 25, 2015, 09:16:39 PM »
At my first job, a coworker and I hit it off and we're still friends to this day. But she has a horrible spending problem. She has over 17 Coach/Kate Spade bags+ 2 wallets to go with each bag. I asked her why she needed two wallets for each bag and she told me she has "a lot of rewards cards."  She's in credit card debt up to her eyeballs, plus she has student loans and a car payment.

Two days ago she told me she's buying yet another bag+wallet combo. The crazy part? She's afraid of what her aunt will say if she sees the bags so she keeps them in her closet and never uses them.

I tell ya, it makes my brain hurt.

Ugh. You just reminded me of about an old co-worker. She had an apartment with her boyfriend but she moved back in with her parents while she was pregnant. When she moved back in, she couldn't bring all of her "stuff" so the majority of it had to go into storage. She would tell me horror stories about her climbing through this storage unit because it was supposedly 80% made up of purses. I always hoped that she was just excessively exaggerating, but then every month she had a different handbag, and I don't ever recall seeing the same one twice.

Luckily, the baby seemed to knock some sense into her. Once the baby arrived, she stopped spending her money on herself and started planning/saving for the baby's future.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7906 on: April 25, 2015, 10:32:24 PM »
In the gate area at LAX today I overheard a mother trying to get her probably seven year old daughter to behave, and this was the mind blowing statement I heard:

"If you don't shape up I'm going to take your flat screen away.  Think about it, how many of your classmates have a 55 inch flat screen in their room? How many of them have a queen size bed in their room? Ask them. I bet most don't. Do you want me to take it away?"

I've never owned a 55" television, and only upgraded from a full size mattress when my wife and I first moved in together. Who buys this stuff for a kid in elementary school?

LennStar

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7907 on: April 26, 2015, 01:06:34 AM »
Someone who thinks that having possessions no one else has is a good thing instead of something to think about.

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7908 on: April 27, 2015, 08:55:43 AM »
I work on a team of 9 people.

In the past two months, 4 out of 9 got a new car. One of them is financing it at an exhorbitant rate because of mistakes he made in his youth that are still haunting him today.
Peer pressure's a bitch, innit?
I should probably finance a truck to be just like my CWs... how else will I feel safe while commuting from the 'burbs to sit at my desk all day?

Pooperman

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7909 on: April 27, 2015, 09:34:23 AM »
I work on a team of 9 people.

In the past two months, 4 out of 9 got a new car. One of them is financing it at an exhorbitant rate because of mistakes he made in his youth that are still haunting him today.
Peer pressure's a bitch, innit?
I should probably finance a truck to be just like my CWs... how else will I feel safe while commuting from the 'burbs to sit at my desk all day?

Just get a big-rig with double stacks and chrome everything. Paint it with the confederate flag and everyone will be in awe of you... or something.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7910 on: April 27, 2015, 09:53:12 AM »
In the gate area at LAX today I overheard a mother trying to get her probably seven year old daughter to behave, and this was the mind blowing statement I heard:

"If you don't shape up I'm going to take your flat screen away.  Think about it, how many of your classmates have a 55 inch flat screen in their room? How many of them have a queen size bed in their room? Ask them. I bet most don't. Do you want me to take it away?"

I've never owned a 55" television, and only upgraded from a full size mattress when my wife and I first moved in together. Who buys this stuff for a kid in elementary school?

It's probable the TV was given to her because they upgraded their main TV to a bigger screen and so the 55" was just moved from the main room to the kid room instead of being specifically bought for the daughter.

If her mother is making a point of pointing out that she has better things than her friends she's going to start defining herself this way. That sort of "I'm the kid with the best stuff" mentality isn't very pleasant to be around. It quickly turns into, "I'm better than you because my stuff is better than yours."

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7911 on: April 27, 2015, 12:32:12 PM »
Co worker has a few pieces of crappy furniture in her garage, preventing her from parking her brand new car in there.  I suggested she put it on the curb w/a free sign on it, maybe post it on freecycle or the Facebook yard sale pages, and watch it disappear.

Her response:  "That's awesome!  I can have more space, so I can buy more stuff!"

She also routinely complains about how tight her finances are and has a lovely home already furnished with enough stuff from Crate & Barrel.

She's a lovely person, but she never sees the disconnect between spending and finances.  Sigh.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7912 on: April 27, 2015, 01:51:53 PM »

I've never owned a 55" television, and only upgraded from a full size mattress when my wife and I first moved in together. Who buys this stuff for a kid in elementary school?

A 55" TV hurts my eyes if I'm not halfway across the room from it. I can't imagine this in a kids room.  It must be huge. Of course they do have a queen bed.


I have noticed most of my friends go from crib to full size bed.  They figure they will skip the expense of "toddler bed" and get the bed the kid will take with them to college.  (When I was a kid I had a twin until I was like 8 and then got a full. It did go to college with me.)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7913 on: April 27, 2015, 02:08:14 PM »

I've never owned a 55" television, and only upgraded from a full size mattress when my wife and I first moved in together. Who buys this stuff for a kid in elementary school?

A 55" TV hurts my eyes if I'm not halfway across the room from it. I can't imagine this in a kids room.  It must be huge. Of course they do have a queen bed.


I have noticed most of my friends go from crib to full size bed.  They figure they will skip the expense of "toddler bed" and get the bed the kid will take with them to college.  (When I was a kid I had a twin until I was like 8 and then got a full. It did go to college with me.)

Hi, I'm 25 years old, 5'10" 210, and am living with my parents. I sleep on a twin sized bed. I didn't have anything bigger than a twinXL until a sublease during my internship when I had a queen. Then I was sharing a full. Then I had my own full. Then I was sharing a full again.

I'd rank the sleeping arrangements as follows: (KS:King, single sleeping; FD: Full, double sleeping)

KS=QS=FS>TS>KD>>QD>>FD>>>TD. I don't think most people realize that a king is only two twin XL's pushed together. So when I move out, I will settle for a Queen if space doesn't permit a king, but I am trying REALLY hard for a king. And there is no way I'm going back to a full. Ever.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7914 on: April 27, 2015, 02:23:16 PM »

I've never owned a 55" television, and only upgraded from a full size mattress when my wife and I first moved in together. Who buys this stuff for a kid in elementary school?

A 55" TV hurts my eyes if I'm not halfway across the room from it. I can't imagine this in a kids room.  It must be huge. Of course they do have a queen bed.


I have noticed most of my friends go from crib to full size bed.  They figure they will skip the expense of "toddler bed" and get the bed the kid will take with them to college.  (When I was a kid I had a twin until I was like 8 and then got a full. It did go to college with me.)

Hi, I'm 25 years old, 5'10" 210, and am living with my parents. I sleep on a twin sized bed. I didn't have anything bigger than a twinXL until a sublease during my internship when I had a queen. Then I was sharing a full. Then I had my own full. Then I was sharing a full again.

I'd rank the sleeping arrangements as follows: (KS:King, single sleeping; FD: Full, double sleeping)

KS=QS=FS>TS>KD>>QD>>FD>>>TD. I don't think most people realize that a king is only two twin XL's pushed together. So when I move out, I will settle for a Queen if space doesn't permit a king, but I am trying REALLY hard for a king. And there is no way I'm going back to a full. Ever.
Sleeping alone is one of my least favorite things to do. :P

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7915 on: April 27, 2015, 02:24:18 PM »
Hi, I'm 25 years old, 5'10" 210, and am living with my parents. I sleep on a twin sized bed. I didn't have anything bigger than a twinXL until a sublease during my internship when I had a queen. Then I was sharing a full. Then I had my own full. Then I was sharing a full again.

I'd rank the sleeping arrangements as follows: (KS:King, single sleeping; FD: Full, double sleeping)

KS=QS=FS>TS>KD>>QD>>FD>>>TD. I don't think most people realize that a king is only two twin XL's pushed together. So when I move out, I will settle for a Queen if space doesn't permit a king, but I am trying REALLY hard for a king. And there is no way I'm going back to a full. Ever.
I'm 5'11" and 210 myself. I've never had more than a twin when I wasn't sharing with someone, and I still don't see the point. Always been quite comfy.
Never felt the need for more than a queen with two people, either.
Not even with a cat and a dog.

Makes me wonder what all you perverts are doing with those big fancy king-size beds.... ;)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7916 on: April 27, 2015, 02:26:39 PM »
Hi, I'm 25 years old, 5'10" 210, and am living with my parents. I sleep on a twin sized bed. I didn't have anything bigger than a twinXL until a sublease during my internship when I had a queen. Then I was sharing a full. Then I had my own full. Then I was sharing a full again.

I'd rank the sleeping arrangements as follows: (KS:King, single sleeping; FD: Full, double sleeping)

KS=QS=FS>TS>KD>>QD>>FD>>>TD. I don't think most people realize that a king is only two twin XL's pushed together. So when I move out, I will settle for a Queen if space doesn't permit a king, but I am trying REALLY hard for a king. And there is no way I'm going back to a full. Ever.
I'm 5'11" and 210 myself. I've never had more than a twin when I wasn't sharing with someone, and I still don't see the point. Always been quite comfy.
Never felt the need for more than a queen with two people, either.
Not even with a cat and a dog.

Makes me wonder what all you perverts are doing with those big fancy king-size beds.... ;)

Fits three people better than any other type of bed I've slept in. :)

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7917 on: April 27, 2015, 02:30:30 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7918 on: April 27, 2015, 02:32:23 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.
I can forgive ignorance, but I can't forgive blind confidence in one's own ignorance. Why is this world so full of people with smug opinions about shit they don't know anything about?

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7919 on: April 27, 2015, 02:43:41 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.

He probably isn't able to have a checking account. If you screw up enough with overdrawing your account and writing bad checks, banks won't let you open an account anymore. So you have to take all your checks to check cashing services and pay a fee to get your paycheck cashed. The fact that he couldn't go a weekend without getting paid makes the possibility that he isn't able to open an account seem very likely.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7920 on: April 27, 2015, 02:52:44 PM »
I've been holding my thoughts all day, but finally couldn't take it anymore.

Co-worker, who is retired military (he was enlisted), drives a 201X Ram 1500 Laramie full-size truck, and is always complaining gas costs too much (even when it hit a low of about $2.00/gal). He has at least a 52-mile round-trip commute with tolls. His wife doesn't work; instead comes with him to the base most days, hits the gym, Dunkin' Donuts (twice daily). They eat at the food trucks or food court. He's always telling me he wants a more fuel efficient car, a cheap car, so that he can be like me and buy real estate to rent out.

Today, I see that he traded in his wife's paid-off last decade Nissan Maxima and got he a spankin' new Lexus GS 350. Then I hearing him telling my co-workers that the trail mix in the Gee Dunk costs too much. Next he comes over and tells me gas is going up and he want to move closer to work. 

I'm speechless.
The devil in me is envious of both his truck and his car; they are fine vehicles, in great condition, clean and shiny. I'm getting all crow/magpie over this. Then the halo chap says to chill out, stay the course, make ze wife go back to full time work when the kids are a bit older, keep on investing, and I can retire from the daily grind well before 50-55. But that's so boring. FML.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7921 on: April 27, 2015, 03:05:20 PM »

The devil in me is envious of both his truck and his car; they are fine vehicles, in great condition, clean and shiny. I'm getting all crow/magpie over this. Then the halo chap says to chill out, stay the course, make ze wife go back to full time work when the kids are a bit older, keep on investing, and I can retire from the daily grind well before 50-55. But that's so boring. FML.

So start the search for a 10-15 year old, grandpa-driven GS 350, and a 10-15 year old F-150. No reason you can't have your cake and eat it too. It won't even be stale, just an older recipe.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7922 on: April 27, 2015, 03:07:04 PM »
Hi, I'm 25 years old, 5'10" 210, and am living with my parents. I sleep on a twin sized bed. I didn't have anything bigger than a twinXL until a sublease during my internship when I had a queen. Then I was sharing a full. Then I had my own full. Then I was sharing a full again.

I'd rank the sleeping arrangements as follows: (KS:King, single sleeping; FD: Full, double sleeping)

KS=QS=FS>TS>KD>>QD>>FD>>>TD. I don't think most people realize that a king is only two twin XL's pushed together. So when I move out, I will settle for a Queen if space doesn't permit a king, but I am trying REALLY hard for a king. And there is no way I'm going back to a full. Ever.
I'm 5'11" and 210 myself. I've never had more than a twin when I wasn't sharing with someone, and I still don't see the point. Always been quite comfy.
Never felt the need for more than a queen with two people, either.
Not even with a cat and a dog.

Makes me wonder what all you perverts are doing with those big fancy king-size beds.... ;)
My husband can't sleep if someone is touching him.  The king sized bed makes it so we have plenty of room between us and he sleeps better, worth it I'd say.

Zaga

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7923 on: April 27, 2015, 03:09:55 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.

He probably isn't able to have a checking account. If you screw up enough with overdrawing your account and writing bad checks, banks won't let you open an account anymore. So you have to take all your checks to check cashing services and pay a fee to get your paycheck cashed. The fact that he couldn't go a weekend without getting paid makes the possibility that he isn't able to open an account seem very likely.
I have a family member who had that problem for several years before he cleaned up his act.  Bad debts from years of being a jerk haunted him, but even so he wasn't desperate to cash his paycheck immediately.

For awhile there he would pay me cash and I would write out his checks once a month.  I'm so very glad that he has gotten his act together.

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7924 on: April 27, 2015, 03:12:50 PM »

The devil in me is envious of both his truck and his car; they are fine vehicles, in great condition, clean and shiny. I'm getting all crow/magpie over this. Then the halo chap says to chill out, stay the course, make ze wife go back to full time work when the kids are a bit older, keep on investing, and I can retire from the daily grind well before 50-55. But that's so boring. FML.

So start the search for a 10-15 year old, grandpa-driven GS 350, and a 10-15 year old F-150. No reason you can't have your cake and eat it too. It won't even be stale, just an older recipe.

Older Lexus vehicles age very well - their build quality is stellar. I have an '07 with over 100k and it's in near-immaculate condition (and MUCH cheaper than new!).

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7925 on: April 27, 2015, 03:16:45 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.
I can forgive ignorance, but I can't forgive blind confidence in one's own ignorance. Why is this world so full of people with smug opinions about shit they don't know anything about?
He's a really nice guy and pretty bright too so I thought he'd be more open to learning a bit. But he likened the stock market to gambling and made some comment about being burned before...

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7926 on: April 27, 2015, 03:27:28 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.
I can forgive ignorance, but I can't forgive blind confidence in one's own ignorance. Why is this world so full of people with smug opinions about shit they don't know anything about?
He's a really nice guy and pretty bright too so I thought he'd be more open to learning a bit. But he likened the stock market to gambling and made some comment about being burned before...

Reminds me of a guy at work. Good developer, smart, but ignorant. Like a the market to gambling and thinks that real estate is less risky and better performing. Wouldn't listen when I let him know that the returns are like 7% after inflation per year over the last 100 years where real estate is up 20% after inflation in total. Doesn't invest in his 401k, eats out every day...

Hedge_87

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7927 on: April 27, 2015, 03:54:28 PM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.
I can forgive ignorance, but I can't forgive blind confidence in one's own ignorance. Why is this world so full of people with smug opinions about shit they don't know anything about?
He's a really nice guy and pretty bright too so I thought he'd be more open to learning a bit. But he likened the stock market to gambling and made some comment about being burned before...

Reminds me of a guy at work. Good developer, smart, but ignorant. Like a the market to gambling and thinks that real estate is less risky and better performing. Wouldn't listen when I let him know that the returns are like 7% after inflation per year over the last 100 years where real estate is up 20% after inflation in total. Doesn't invest in his 401k, eats out every day...

Yea I've learned just to ignore some of the horrible investing strategies that some of my coworkers have. We have one guy at work who is an amazing saver. He is probably kicking my ass on his savings rate however he sticks it all in cds and money market accounts so he does "lose" any money lol

Exprezchef

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7928 on: April 27, 2015, 03:58:17 PM »
A co-worker of mine (in his mid 20's who makes just north of $100K) who is up to his eyeballs in debt is taking a road trip from San Diego to Texas then up to Colorado and back down to San Diego. He just bought (financed) a new Prius two months and last month bought (financed) a $3K camera because he wants to make sure he takes good pictures along the way (???). He is telling me about the plans for his trip and I mention that he will have to keep track of his gas mileage with the Prius and report back what he gets. I then learn that he decided not to drive the Prius because he did not want to put on all of the extra miles on the car. He decided to rent a car instead. Not just any car but decides to get a full sized Chevy Tahoe SUV w/ 4-wheel drive (At this point I am thinking WTF?). The rental car alone will cost him $2K just for the rental period. Don't they get like low-to-mid teens in gas mileage??? He is traveling with his wife and 3 year old child. I get that he wants to rent a car but I had to ask why he needed such a large vehicle and why didn't he get something more economical. His reply was that he needed the extra space because of all of the extra stuff they are taking for the child and he wants to take his golf clubs too. I mention that he should have looked at a mini-van if he needed the extra space and it would get better MPG. He looked at me with a shocked look and stated he would never be caught dead driving a mini-van and chuckled when he indicated he wanted to "impress" his well-to-do relatives he was visiting. The next day he mentions that he was out looking for a potable DVD player and mounting hardware for the rental car so his child won't be bored on the trip. I mention that he could easily download some movies onto his tablet that he already owns and that should work fine. He states it was too much trouble. ....Wow.....    He is a nice guy but never gets the poor financial situation he puts himself into. When he gets back I am sure he will be looking for overtime opportunities to pay for the trip when his credit card statements comes in.

chicagomeg

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7929 on: April 27, 2015, 06:06:37 PM »
The part about the $3k camera makes me the saddest. Nothing more frustrating than seeing people with an expensive camera but they don't even know how to turn the flash off (or when they should!!!)

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7930 on: April 27, 2015, 06:16:17 PM »
A co-worker of mine (in his mid 20's who makes just north of $100K) who is up to his eyeballs in debt is taking a road trip from San Diego to Texas then up to Colorado and back down to San Diego. He just bought (financed) a new Prius two months and last month bought (financed) a $3K camera because he wants to make sure he takes good pictures along the way (???). He is telling me about the plans for his trip and I mention that he will have to keep track of his gas mileage with the Prius and report back what he gets. I then learn that he decided not to drive the Prius because he did not want to put on all of the extra miles on the car. He decided to rent a car instead. Not just any car but decides to get a full sized Chevy Tahoe SUV w/ 4-wheel drive (At this point I am thinking WTF?). The rental car alone will cost him $2K just for the rental period. Don't they get like low-to-mid teens in gas mileage??? He is traveling with his wife and 3 year old child. I get that he wants to rent a car but I had to ask why he needed such a large vehicle and why didn't he get something more economical. His reply was that he needed the extra space because of all of the extra stuff they are taking for the child and he wants to take his golf clubs too. I mention that he should have looked at a mini-van if he needed the extra space and it would get better MPG. He looked at me with a shocked look and stated he would never be caught dead driving a mini-van and chuckled when he indicated he wanted to "impress" his well-to-do relatives he was visiting. The next day he mentions that he was out looking for a potable DVD player and mounting hardware for the rental car so his child won't be bored on the trip. I mention that he could easily download some movies onto his tablet that he already owns and that should work fine. He states it was too much trouble. ....Wow.....    He is a nice guy but never gets the poor financial situation he puts himself into. When he gets back I am sure he will be looking for overtime opportunities to pay for the trip when his credit card statements comes in.

God, that whole thing... The thought processes that go through some people's heads...

Merrie

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7931 on: April 27, 2015, 06:19:42 PM »

He probably isn't able to have a checking account. If you screw up enough with overdrawing your account and writing bad checks, banks won't let you open an account anymore. So you have to take all your checks to check cashing services and pay a fee to get your paycheck cashed. The fact that he couldn't go a weekend without getting paid makes the possibility that he isn't able to open an account seem very likely.

This reminds me of a few years ago when my work still had paper checks. We got paid on Fridays. One Friday the guy delivering them came to the back door and nobody answered, so he left and didn't come back until Monday. I had one coworker selling stuff on CL to get through the weekend and another who almost didn't make it to work Monday because she came very close to running out of gas with no money for more.

paddedhat

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7932 on: April 28, 2015, 07:19:40 AM »

This reminds me of a few years ago when my work still had paper checks. We got paid on Fridays. One Friday the guy delivering them came to the back door and nobody answered, so he left and didn't come back until Monday. I had one coworker selling stuff on CL to get through the weekend and another who almost didn't make it to work Monday because she came very close to running out of gas with no money for more.

Back when I was supervising union construction work, the contract called for a paper check in hand, by the end of the work day, every Wednesday. During an occasional glitch, I had to waste my time with guys who would voluntarily sit in an office trailer for hours, after work, waiting for the check, even though the company guaranteed that the checks would be hand delivery by the start of work the next day. I also had a few occasions where guys would be in a panic if they thought a check had been mailed to their residence, when they were on vacation, for example. The horror was that their wife might discover that they made WAY more than they thought.  My BIL is the human resources director for a large state. Every few years the payroll gets delayed and he, and his staff, end up driving, sometimes in the dead of night, to hand deliver paychecks to prisons and hospitals. These include facilities that are hours from the capital, since there are staff members that can't go a day, or two, with a check.

merula

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7933 on: April 28, 2015, 08:14:21 AM »
Back when I was supervising union construction work, the contract called for a paper check in hand, by the end of the work day, every Wednesday. During an occasional glitch, I had to waste my time with guys who would voluntarily sit in an office trailer for hours, after work, waiting for the check, even though the company guaranteed that the checks would be hand delivery by the start of work the next day. I also had a few occasions where guys would be in a panic if they thought a check had been mailed to their residence, when they were on vacation, for example. The horror was that their wife might discover that they made WAY more than they thought.  My BIL is the human resources director for a large state. Every few years the payroll gets delayed and he, and his staff, end up driving, sometimes in the dead of night, to hand deliver paychecks to prisons and hospitals. These include facilities that are hours from the capital, since there are staff members that can't go a day, or two, with a check.

Wait, so they're hiding income from their wives? How? Why? Why would you marry someone you couldn't trust like that?

Candace

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7934 on: April 28, 2015, 08:17:30 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.

JLee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7935 on: April 28, 2015, 08:20:39 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

frugalnacho

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7936 on: April 28, 2015, 08:33:07 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

Cookie78

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7937 on: April 28, 2015, 08:36:34 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

frugalnacho

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7938 on: April 28, 2015, 08:46:59 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

I would classify a disney themed wedding as a bad financial decision worthy of ridicule.  My sister in-law had a disney themed wedding. Massive waste of resources.

Cookie78

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7939 on: April 28, 2015, 08:54:18 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

I would classify a disney themed wedding as a bad financial decision worthy of ridicule.  My sister in-law had a disney themed wedding. Massive waste of resources.

I have no idea. I've never been to one or paid for one or even heard of one. All that Candace said was tables would be decorated with themes from different movies. What kind of extra expenses are involved?

frugalnacho

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7940 on: April 28, 2015, 08:58:03 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

I would classify a disney themed wedding as a bad financial decision worthy of ridicule.  My sister in-law had a disney themed wedding. Massive waste of resources.

I have no idea. I've never been to one or paid for one or even heard of one. All that Candace said was tables would be decorated with themes from different movies. What kind of extra expenses are involved?

For that wedding specifically? I don't know.  Even if it's just character themed decorations at each table and no added expense to the wedding I still find the idea totally ridiculous.

skunkfunk

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7941 on: April 28, 2015, 09:06:26 AM »
I had a coworker assert that you should not hold any stocks in retirement. When I mentioned the Trinity Study he said he disagreed with it, though he clearly hadn't read anything about it.

This person goes out to eat for lunch every day and lives about 20 miles from work. We had a holiday that landed on a payday once and he had to come in to pick up his paycheck (I'm almost as surprised he hadn't set up direct deposit than I am about him not being about to go a weekend without being paid)... I'll be retired well before I reach his current age.
I can forgive ignorance, but I can't forgive blind confidence in one's own ignorance. Why is this world so full of people with smug opinions about shit they don't know anything about?

A common bias.

Cookie78

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7942 on: April 28, 2015, 09:08:27 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

I would classify a disney themed wedding as a bad financial decision worthy of ridicule.  My sister in-law had a disney themed wedding. Massive waste of resources.

I have no idea. I've never been to one or paid for one or even heard of one. All that Candace said was tables would be decorated with themes from different movies. What kind of extra expenses are involved?

For that wedding specifically? I don't know.  Even if it's just character themed decorations at each table and no added expense to the wedding I still find the idea totally ridiculous.

Honestly I find fancy weddings to be ridiculous in general. So there's no argument from me on that, though I do understand some people do like a big fancy dressed up day to celebrate. I just don't see what the type of decoration makes any difference. I am interested to find out what these particular theme decorations cost if anyone else knows. I can imagine some frugal Disney fans doing a good cheap job of theme decorations and having fun with it. Maybe I just (wrongly) tend to give people the benefit of doubt.

If Candace had said different movie theme decorations on each table and it cost $5000 extra then I'd have joined the mob with my pitchfork.

mtn

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7943 on: April 28, 2015, 09:33:52 AM »
Honestly, the Disney themed thing won't drive it up much--if they're having fun, wonderful. It will probably reduce it compared to a "normal" wedding since flowers are so stupidly expensive, and you can probably sell a lot of it later, or else keep some of the stuff. Good luck doing that with a tulip.

I guess I shouldn't talk, since I'm having a perfectly unmustachian wedding. Some of that is my fault, since I really wanted all my family there and it is a big family. Most of it is not--apparently you can't cheap out on the flowers. And we're NOT doing a buffet, that just won't fly. And that place was not nice enough, the carpets were old! and....

Thank God my fiance picked up her dads source of happiness and not her moms. But that really isn't fair, it really is not her fault.


Candace

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7944 on: April 28, 2015, 09:36:26 AM »
I was just in the break room at my company and heard a young man talking about how his wedding is going to have a Disney theme. Apparently this is mostly a decorations theme. Different tables will be decorated according to different Disney movie themes. Another young man said his brother did that and they liked it.

Aside from the quote-unquote normal cost of weddings these days, I thought weddings were supposed to be when *adults* got married. I had to restrain myself from a spit take.
It's their wedding...if they like Disney, who cares?

By that logic, why are you even in this thread?  Everyone does what everyone likes and spends how they see fit, and who is anyone to judge anyone else?

I thought this thread was to judge and ridicule bad financial decisions, not 'bad' decoration decisions.

I would classify a disney themed wedding as a bad financial decision worthy of ridicule.  My sister in-law had a disney themed wedding. Massive waste of resources.

I have no idea. I've never been to one or paid for one or even heard of one. All that Candace said was tables would be decorated with themes from different movies. What kind of extra expenses are involved?

For that wedding specifically? I don't know.  Even if it's just character themed decorations at each table and no added expense to the wedding I still find the idea totally ridiculous.

Honestly I find fancy weddings to be ridiculous in general. So there's no argument from me on that, though I do understand some people do like a big fancy dressed up day to celebrate. I just don't see what the type of decoration makes any difference. I am interested to find out what these particular theme decorations cost if anyone else knows. I can imagine some frugal Disney fans doing a good cheap job of theme decorations and having fun with it. Maybe I just (wrongly) tend to give people the benefit of doubt.

If Candace had said different movie theme decorations on each table and it cost $5000 extra then I'd have joined the mob with my pitchfork.

I don't know what "extra" costs are involved on top of the usual silly costs for fancy weddings. I just felt that the Disney theme added an extra level of silliness on top of the usual silliness of fancy and costly weddings. Some folks have said I should leave the folks' taste in decorations alone. I can see that as a valid criticism, and I suppose I was being snarky. However, I thought a certain amount of snarkiness was intrinsic to this thread.

Why did I think it worthy of posting? I guess the Disney theme, for me, reinforces the idea that I have that people think their weddings should play out some kind of fantasy. (It's Disney, for heaven's sake.) Then fantasy idea seems in turn to reinforce the idea that the occasion should cost tons of money. That being said, it's really a question of the bride and groom's taste in themes, and not money. I guess I really shouldn't have posted it.
« Last Edit: April 28, 2015, 09:40:43 AM by Candace »

zephyr911

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7945 on: April 28, 2015, 09:41:08 AM »
A co-worker of mine (in his mid 20's who makes just north of $100K) who is up to his eyeballs in debt is taking a road trip from San Diego to Texas then up to Colorado and back down to San Diego. He just bought (financed) a new Prius two months and last month bought (financed) a $3K camera because he wants to make sure he takes good pictures along the way (???). He is telling me about the plans for his trip and I mention that he will have to keep track of his gas mileage with the Prius and report back what he gets. I then learn that he decided not to drive the Prius because he did not want to put on all of the extra miles on the car. He decided to rent a car instead. Not just any car but decides to get a full sized Chevy Tahoe SUV w/ 4-wheel drive (At this point I am thinking WTF?). The rental car alone will cost him $2K just for the rental period. Don't they get like low-to-mid teens in gas mileage??? He is traveling with his wife and 3 year old child. I get that he wants to rent a car but I had to ask why he needed such a large vehicle and why didn't he get something more economical. His reply was that he needed the extra space because of all of the extra stuff they are taking for the child and he wants to take his golf clubs too. I mention that he should have looked at a mini-van if he needed the extra space and it would get better MPG. He looked at me with a shocked look and stated he would never be caught dead driving a mini-van and chuckled when he indicated he wanted to "impress" his well-to-do relatives he was visiting. The next day he mentions that he was out looking for a potable DVD player and mounting hardware for the rental car so his child won't be bored on the trip. I mention that he could easily download some movies onto his tablet that he already owns and that should work fine. He states it was too much trouble. ....Wow.....    He is a nice guy but never gets the poor financial situation he puts himself into. When he gets back I am sure he will be looking for overtime opportunities to pay for the trip when his credit card statements comes in.
What a @#$ing @##@%#@$%#$%#$.
I bought a 2010 Prius for my wife a couple of years ago. We drive the SHIT out of it. Why fly when you can drive 2,000 miles for 100 bucks? And they last forever... some of the very first ones are still on the road.
Road trip miles are usually the least damaging miles on a car anyway... by his idiot rationale, he should be renting a Tahoe ALL the time.

Linette

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7946 on: April 28, 2015, 09:43:50 AM »
Better Disney and expensive than boring and expensive! =o)

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7947 on: April 28, 2015, 10:03:12 AM »
This isn't all that unusual, but it's depressing.  A colleague of mine had her fuel pump go out on her car.  She says it's going to be at least $1,100 to fix.  "And it's not like I have that kind of money in savings."

She's almost sixty years old, and she is an instructor in my department.  And truth be told, I have a feeling her position is going to be eliminated in a year.  She was sort of lamenting with me and my program assistant that she's not very good with money. 

JLee

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7948 on: April 28, 2015, 10:11:14 AM »
This isn't all that unusual, but it's depressing.  A colleague of mine had her fuel pump go out on her car.  She says it's going to be at least $1,100 to fix.  "And it's not like I have that kind of money in savings."

She's almost sixty years old, and she is an instructor in my department.  And truth be told, I have a feeling her position is going to be eliminated in a year.  She was sort of lamenting with me and my program assistant that she's not very good with money.
Stories like this remind me of how glad I am that I do my own work...the last fuel pump I replaced cost me about $90!

Kris

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Re: Overheard at Work
« Reply #7949 on: April 28, 2015, 10:17:37 AM »
This isn't all that unusual, but it's depressing.  A colleague of mine had her fuel pump go out on her car.  She says it's going to be at least $1,100 to fix.  "And it's not like I have that kind of money in savings."

She's almost sixty years old, and she is an instructor in my department.  And truth be told, I have a feeling her position is going to be eliminated in a year.  She was sort of lamenting with me and my program assistant that she's not very good with money.
Stories like this remind me of how glad I am that I do my own work...the last fuel pump I replaced cost me about $90!

Yeah, I really think that car repair is one of the best badassity skills to have for FI.

Another sad thing about my colleague is that we are paid over nine months, not twelve (university teachers).  So you have to budget and put money in your savings for the three months you aren't paid during the summer. Well, she isn't good at that, so apparently she always falls short and ends up living the last couple of months on her credit card, which means then that she has to pay off that balance with her first couple of paychecks for the year, which then means she's short for those months… 

Ugh.  I just can't imagine living like that.  I have never had a problem taking out the amount of money I need for the summer and putting it in a reserve fund.