Overheard at Work

[LennStar]

SAFE HARBOR SOUNDS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE COMMUNISM.

All taxation sounds like communism.
That's why all IRS agents secretly wear Che Guevara t-shirts underneath their suits

Huh? In communism there would be no taxes. Everone would own the means of production and produce what everyone needs out of their own free will, taxes would not be necessary.

Always the Americans with their garbled ideas of what communism is. Get that idiot McCarty out of your brain, please.

[LeRainDrop]

SAFE HARBOR SOUNDS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE COMMUNISM.

All taxation sounds like communism.
That's why all IRS agents secretly wear Che Guevara t-shirts underneath their suits

Huh? In communism there would be no taxes. Everone would own the means of production and produce what everyone needs out of their own free will, taxes would not be necessary.

Always the Americans with their garbled ideas of what communism is. Get that idiot McCarty out of your brain, please.

Methinks you need to re-read The Communist Manifesto.  Marx and Engels listed ten planks for "the most advanced countries," of which number 2 is:  "A heavy progressive or graduated income tax."

[bsmith]

The Communist Manifesto was a brief "call to action" based on Marx's larger work, Capital. It was designed for the common worker to read and understand a practical mechanism to develop a communist economy. There is no money in a communist system. As stated above, everyone would own the means of production. If the government owns the means of production, then that is a socialist economy.

[nobodyspecial]

Huh? In communism there would be no taxes. Everone would own the means of production and produce what everyone needs out of their own free will, taxes would not be necessary.

It sounds like that would mean big redundancies at the IRS - I can't see them going for that.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Hi guys, new here, but have been reading/enjoying this thread for about a year and it always gives me a good laugh and the boost I need when I am having a bad day or need a little extra motivation to keep saving! Anyway, I never thought I would actually post here but a recent example that happened to me with a coworker was just so shocking and awe-inspiring that I feel compelled to post for the first time ever, I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or both...

A woman who works at our company and is 10+ years older than me (I am in my late 20s, she just turned 40) is constantly talking about how she 'lives check to check' but says it in an almost proud/badge of honor type way, or as if it is an inherent fact, i.e. 'I'm a Christian' or 'I'm South African' i.e. like an integral part of your being that cannot be changed. Other then that she seems like a fairly nice/intelligent person. We had a recent meeting about the 401k and she said she was skipping it, because 'I don't contribute to the 401k anyway, I don't have enough money.' After a few examples like this, she one day asked if she could borrow $5 because she 'didn't have enough money for gas to get back home from work' and seemed very upset about it so against my better judgement I gave her $5. The next week she asked if she could borrow $20 for 'food and gas' as she had overdrawn her bank account and had no other money, and I had to say no, especially since she hadn't paid me back for the $5, so would have been a foolish investment.

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I get a call one day asking if I can give her a ride to work on my way to the office because she was having car troubles. It's on my way anyway so I said sure. I get there and realize she lives with her parents still, so how is she so broke every week? The icing on the cake here turns out to be that the 'car troubles' turned out to be that her car, which she JUST leased, had been repossessed by the bank the night before and she was very upset about it. I asked why it got repossessed, and she informed me that since her insurance payments are over $600 a month, (which I would imagine is slightly more than her weekly check, just based on my own salary, even though I probably make more), she could no longer afford both the car payments AND the insurance payments. She borrowed money from friends and family to get the car back, and apparently has not come close to paying these people back yet.

 Low and behold, the week after was in another major crisis because the car insurance company was cancelling her policy for nonpayment. I asked her why doesn't she consider taking public transport to work, car pooling, or maybe even using a bike since she lives fairly close to the office and she looked at me like I was an alien, she wouldn't even consider this as an option and I should be thrown out for even suggesting it. To me, if you're spending probably over 50% of your salary on car payments plus insurance payments, I would rather just not work and not have the car! Why work so hard for something that is basically just a mechanism for getting you to that job?? I informed her that her car insurance payment alone was more than I pay for my mortgage every month, as I have just bought my first property (have a few small investment properties but this one is for me to live in) and she looked like she thought I was some sort of freak that I already own instead of rent/live with parents (keep in mind I didn't even mention that I have already purchased several other properties for income/investing purposes, I think that would have been a bridge too far). I don't understand how people can get themselves into these types of situations and then, even worse, not see the error of their ways!!!

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

[psinguine]

A young guy I work with recently went through a breakup. The one shared asset that he and his ex have is a house. At no point where they married, they have no children together, and she has kicked him out. He isn't living there, the we're not together long enough to be considered common-law, for all intents and purposes he is completely severed from her. With, of course, the exception of this house that he is not permitted (by order from his ex) to return to.

Problem is that he's still paying the half the mortgage. When they got the place (about three months before the breakup) they had opted to go biweekly. One payment came out of his account and one out of hers. Of course now that he has been kicked out he wants to free himself of this mortgage payment. I can't blame him. I asked how he was intending on removing himself from the mortgage. Maybe just removing his bank information and letting them take all the payments out of her account?

"I'm going to declare bankruptcy."
"... sorry what?"
"Yeah I'm going to declare bankruptcy."
"Dude, you're 25. That's going to screw you over for the rest of your life."
"No it won't. My uncle declared bankruptcy and he got credit card offers in the mail a month later. He told me so."
"Did he mention that they raped and pillaged him on the interest rates?"
"Well no. But he said it was a good idea and I should do it."
"Seriously? At that point why don't you just let the bank forclose on the house?"
"Well I don't want to ruin my credit rating."

*distant sound of my logic circuits melting*

[zephyr911]

*headdesk*

[Silverado]

Hi guys, new here, but have been reading/enjoying this thread for about a year and it always gives me a good laugh and the boost I need when I am having a bad day or need a little extra motivation to keep saving! Anyway, I never thought I would actually post here but a recent example that happened to me with a coworker was just so shocking and awe-inspiring that I feel compelled to post for the first time ever, I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or both...

sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

Really sounds like all her cash goes up her nose to me.

[Papa Mustache]

Heard a lulu tonight.

I've mentioned on here a couple of brothers I grew up with. One was laid off and almost simultaneously divorced. Currently living in his parents' basement. Other brother was never out of work but despite making relatively huge money ($75K+) he can't pay his bills so his parents pay his mortgage and other expenses. No clear reason that his income evaporates so. Not sure why the parents don't move basement dwelling son in with the other one so they can have their home back.

The quick assumption of the spendy son's habits would be drugs or excessive consumerism but there is no stuff to account for all the spending. His employer regularly drug tests b/c he drives a company vehicle for his employment. Maybe gambling?

Not to tell too much he has full benefits and pension at his job.

Recently he loses his license after a DUI. Employer makes allowances and now he is doing something different for the same employer. They are trying to help him out until he can straighten himself out.

Mutual friends see him halfway across the city driving his POV this past weekend. Driving without a license after a DUI....

I wonder what those two brothers will be doing when their parents can't pay their bills someday?

[LeRainDrop]

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

Oh, man, your co-worker is deluding herself.  She can't even see that she's stuck in an absurd cycle.

[penguinpace]

Another lurker finally poking my head into the conversation. I'll start with something less life-ruining, but still silly.

I work in electronics retail, so I see idiotic purchases on a daily basis, but today's was a doozy. Young guy comes in, takes several hours deliberating between two of the high-end laptops. He ends up with a >$1000 laptop (the more powerful $850 one was 1/4" too thick).

-it will be used to surf the internet and write papers
-I learned over the course of the sale that he already has a laptop faster than the one he bought. Presumably that one is also too thick.

He looks like money, nice clothes, expensive watch, etc. I figured this is a non-expense to him (or his parents), so whatever. Until I hear him explain to his friend "...no, it's coming out of student loans."

[nobody123]

Not technically at work, but I was sitting in a restaurant having breakfast with my kids so my wife could have a few hours to herself.  We're seated next to a young lady and a slightly older looking man.  I am able to figure out that she is a recent college grad and will be starting her first "real" job soon.  Over the next 30 minutes, I hear him explaining fairly accurately how a 401(k) works, what mutual funds are, etc., and her asking intelligent questions in response.  I was actually happy to see a young person giving two craps about their future.  But then, she asked about what she should invest her 401(k) money in.  The guy's response made me cringe:

"Bonds are the safest, so invest in those.  Actually, the money market fund is the safest.  Just remember that if Vanguard or Fidelity is running your 401(k), they will limit you to their stuff, and they're big on index funds which are sort of safe, but won't get you the big returns.  So just put in enough to get the company match and then invest in some actively managed funds on your own so you can get a better return." 

Hopefully she is smart enough to do her own research.

[MgoSam]

Not technically at work, but I was sitting in a restaurant having breakfast with my kids so my wife could have a few hours to herself.  We're seated next to a young lady and a slightly older looking man.  I am able to figure out that she is a recent college grad and will be starting her first "real" job soon.  Over the next 30 minutes, I hear him explaining fairly accurately how a 401(k) works, what mutual funds are, etc., and her asking intelligent questions in response.  I was actually happy to see a young person giving two craps about their future.  But then, she asked about what she should invest her 401(k) money in.  The guy's response made me cringe:

"Bonds are the safest, so invest in those.  Actually, the money market fund is the safest.  Just remember that if Vanguard or Fidelity is running your 401(k), they will limit you to their stuff, and they're big on index funds which are sort of safe, but won't get you the big returns.  So just put in enough to get the company match and then invest in some actively managed funds on your own so you can get a better return." 

Hopefully she is smart enough to do her own research.

I kinda wish you had jumped in there to give her some other advice, but I can completely understand not doing so.

[nobody123]

I kinda wish you had jumped in there to give her some other advice, but I can completely understand not doing so.

Not my circus, not my monkeys.  I try to restrict my butting in to conversations and picking fights with strangers to interweb forums.

[I'm a red panda]

At least he's giving her advice to invest.

If she's looking short term, actively managed funds do tend to do better. (Mine are right now; the indexes all suck!)   They just aren't going to work out long term.

[ClassyCat]

Hi guys, new here, but have been reading/enjoying this thread for about a year and it always gives me a good laugh and the boost I need when I am having a bad day or need a little extra motivation to keep saving! Anyway, I never thought I would actually post here but a recent example that happened to me with a coworker was just so shocking and awe-inspiring that I feel compelled to post for the first time ever, I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or both...

~Painful story about painful woman's painful spending~

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

Holy crap, my mind is blown. I've literally never seen insurance payments on a car that high, and never seen someone deluded enough to voluntarily pay them. This takes the cake.

At my last job, there were two workers who were dating and they eventually moved in together. Their combined annual income was around $120,000 - I know this factually because they told me. They routinely complained about living paycheck to paycheck. For the longest time I couldn't figure out how they did this, until I started paying closer attention. The guy bought a brand new car, to start with. They routinely eat out 3 times a day. They moved into a smaller, yet more expensive rental house. They commute around an hour to work each way now. They spend money on stupid impulse purchases. Example: They were at a convention (a cool experience, but also expensive) and the guy bought almost $300 in figurines alone. My heart hurts just thinking about that.

Now they're engaged. They initially didn't want to spend much on a wedding but decided to spend ~$20,000 because hey, it's less than the US average, so it must be okay. This includes them going with the most expensive venue they could possibly find, simply because the people there were nice. Of course they're freaking nice, you're giving them thousands of dollars!

On top of this, they have ~$100,000 in student loan and credit card debt. I feel like my head is on fire just thinking about it.

[nobody123]

At least he's giving her advice to invest.

If she's looking short term, actively managed funds do tend to do better. (Mine are right now; the indexes all suck!)   They just aren't going to work out long term.

Yeah, at first I thought he might be a financial advisor taking a potential client out to breakfast, but he didn't follow up with a sales pitch for the active funds he would be getting a commission on or set a time for a follow-up meeting.  Maybe he did his sales pitch before I got there.  And obviously, I have no idea what her particular financial situation is, so maybe going super-safe in her 401(k) is appropriate.  I just don't like the idea of saying that you should avoid low-cost index funds while also advocating lower-risk, lower-return options in a retirement account for someone in their early twenties.  At least he told her to get all of the company match possible.

[shelivesthedream]

Yes, but that is not a reason alone to prevent it.

I'm not saying I'd withhold the advice if I actually knew the guy.

You don't even need to withhold advice to enjoy the crash 'n' burn. The best thing about these people is that you do the right thing and tell them and then they don't believe you, or they nod along and do it anyway.

[Hall11235]

Another solid convo between a CW and myself:

(There recently was a freak hailstorm in my part of Mass)

CW: Come look at my car! It's all messed up!
Me: Ok...
CW: LOOK!! (I stare confusedly at the almost unnoticeable hail damage on the roof of his car)
Me: What are you going to do?
CW: I have to get it repaired. I can't be driving around in a dented car! (at this moment, I stare proudly at my dented '02 Galant right next to it)
Me: How much will that run you?
CW: 2700$. It's totally worth it though once I sell it in a year! (For the record: this is a NEW 2014 Acura)
Me: (Literally stunned into silence)

[Petunia 100]

Anyway, to cut to the chase, I get a call one day asking if I can give her a ride to work on my way to the office because she was having car troubles. It's on my way anyway so I said sure. I get there and realize she lives with her parents still, so how is she so broke every week? The icing on the cake here turns out to be that the 'car troubles' turned out to be that her car, which she JUST leased, had been repossessed by the bank the night before and she was very upset about it. I asked why it got repossessed, and she informed me that since her insurance payments are over $600 a month, (which I would imagine is slightly more than her weekly check, just based on my own salary, even though I probably make more), she could no longer afford both the car payments AND the insurance payments. She borrowed money from friends and family to get the car back, and apparently has not come close to paying these people back yet.

 Low and behold, the week after was in another major crisis because the car insurance company was cancelling her policy for nonpayment. I asked her why doesn't she consider taking public transport to work, car pooling, or maybe even using a bike since she lives fairly close to the office and she looked at me like I was an alien, she wouldn't even consider this as an option and I should be thrown out for even suggesting it. To me, if you're spending probably over 50% of your salary on car payments plus insurance payments, I would rather just not work and not have the car! Why work so hard for something that is basically just a mechanism for getting you to that job?? I informed her that her car insurance payment alone was more than I pay for my mortgage every month, as I have just bought my first property (have a few small investment properties but this one is for me to live in) and she looked like she thought I was some sort of freak that I already own instead of rent/live with parents (keep in mind I didn't even mention that I have already purchased several other properties for income/investing purposes, I think that would have been a bridge too far). I don't understand how people can get themselves into these types of situations and then, even worse, not see the error of their ways!!!

Why does she need car insurance if her car was repo'ed?

[Papa Mustache]

He looks like money, nice clothes, expensive watch, etc. I figured this is a non-expense to him (or his parents), so whatever. Until I hear him explain to his friend "...no, it's coming out of student loans."

Yep, had friends that went that route too. On the topic of electronics: my coworker was complaining about their replacement laptop adapter was 5 oz heavier than the original one. Never mind that it charges faster than the older version.

[gimp]

Insurance payments of $7-8k a year?

I have heard of such a thing: ages ago, my 16-year-old male friend was quoted around $7k a year for full coverage if he were to drive (if I remember correctly) an S2000 in CT. Obviously, that idea was nixed very quickly.

For a 40-year-old to have insurance payments for $7k a year, I am imagining either having full coverage on a supercar, or very many DUIs and reckless driving tickets (100+ mph usually). Just one such ticket wouldn't even push the price so high.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

Oh, man, your co-worker is deluding herself.  She can't even see that she's stuck in an absurd cycle.

I agree. If she were to get rid of the car and stop paying the high insurance etc., I figure she could bank at least an extra $700 or so a month, which would quickly translate into a nice $10,000 or so savings or an investment account with almost zero effort involved, so she could go from a debt nightmare to having the beginnings of a nice surplus, but this seems to be of very little interest to her, as does starting a 401k.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Why does she need car insurance if her car was repo'ed?

Petunia - she still is paying the insurance because she borrowed money to get the car out of repossession. I don't know how much this costs but apparently she now owes a friend or family member something like $1k to $2k or so, and seems to have not made any effort whatsoever to begin paying them back, and has mentioned numerous times that it's an 'insurmountable' sum of money as if no one could ever have enough for something like this.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Insurance payments of $7-8k a year?

I have heard of such a thing: ages ago, my 16-year-old male friend was quoted around $7k a year for full coverage if he were to drive (if I remember correctly) an S2000 in CT. Obviously, that idea was nixed very quickly.

For a 40-year-old to have insurance payments for $7k a year, I am imagining either having full coverage on a supercar, or very many DUIs and reckless driving tickets (100+ mph usually). Just one such ticket wouldn't even push the price so high.

Gimp - I think you hit the nail on the head - I don't think I am getting the whole story (we're coworkers so I don't blame her for not giving me the gory details in a work environment) but from how she explained it, she has been in 2-3 accidents in the last couple of years, and also has 2-3 speeding tickets at particularly high speeds. I wouldn't be shocked if there was a DUI involved, like you said. Apparently whichever insurance company is insuring her, was the only one that was willing to give her coverage, the others all turned her down.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Hi guys, new here, but have been reading/enjoying this thread for about a year and it always gives me a good laugh and the boost I need when I am having a bad day or need a little extra motivation to keep saving! Anyway, I never thought I would actually post here but a recent example that happened to me with a coworker was just so shocking and awe-inspiring that I feel compelled to post for the first time ever, I'm not sure if I should laugh, cry, or both...

~Painful story about painful woman's painful spending~

Anyway, sorry for the long post but I figured you guys would appreciate this example and I really just needed to rant, because if I told people in real life they would just say something like 'well how can you blame her, it's hard to save money these days'. I think people just love to say that because it gives them an excuse/crutch for their own situation

Holy crap, my mind is blown. I've literally never seen insurance payments on a car that high, and never seen someone deluded enough to voluntarily pay them. This takes the cake.

Amen! Why voluntarily pay? Haha. I also like your summary of my middle paragraphs! Haha.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Really sounds like all her cash goes up her nose to me.

Silverado - I wouldn't be shocked if this was part of the case. I know cigarettes and constant happy hours are a large part of it so it wouldn't surprise me if that was also a factor.

[LeRainDrop]

Insurance payments of $7-8k a year?

I have heard of such a thing: ages ago, my 16-year-old male friend was quoted around $7k a year for full coverage if he were to drive (if I remember correctly) an S2000 in CT. Obviously, that idea was nixed very quickly.

For a 40-year-old to have insurance payments for $7k a year, I am imagining either having full coverage on a supercar, or very many DUIs and reckless driving tickets (100+ mph usually). Just one such ticket wouldn't even push the price so high.

Gimp - I think you hit the nail on the head - I don't think I am getting the whole story (we're coworkers so I don't blame her for not giving me the gory details in a work environment) but from how she explained it, she has been in 2-3 accidents in the last couple of years, and also has 2-3 speeding tickets at particularly high speeds. I wouldn't be shocked if there was a DUI involved, like you said. Apparently whichever insurance company is insuring her, was the only one that was willing to give her coverage, the others all turned her down.

That is a crazy high insurance premium!  A relative has had 3-5 accidents in the last couple years, including one that totaled his car, plus a DUI charge that got dragged out for 18 months (subsequently dismissed), and his premium for a brand new car in non-competitive Massachusetts is $350 per month.  (Well, he just had another accident, so maybe it will go up again or he could be dropped, as what they nearly did after his previous accident.)

[gimp]

Insurance payments of $7-8k a year?

I have heard of such a thing: ages ago, my 16-year-old male friend was quoted around $7k a year for full coverage if he were to drive (if I remember correctly) an S2000 in CT. Obviously, that idea was nixed very quickly.

For a 40-year-old to have insurance payments for $7k a year, I am imagining either having full coverage on a supercar, or very many DUIs and reckless driving tickets (100+ mph usually). Just one such ticket wouldn't even push the price so high.

Gimp - I think you hit the nail on the head - I don't think I am getting the whole story (we're coworkers so I don't blame her for not giving me the gory details in a work environment) but from how she explained it, she has been in 2-3 accidents in the last couple of years, and also has 2-3 speeding tickets at particularly high speeds. I wouldn't be shocked if there was a DUI involved, like you said. Apparently whichever insurance company is insuring her, was the only one that was willing to give her coverage, the others all turned her down.

Yeah.

I have a friend who had a 90 mph ticket and still paid around $1500 a year, despite being (at the time) under 25.

I have many friends who have had lots of reasonable tickets and their insurance was often bumped by a couple hundred a year because of it.

I know people who own $100k cars (usually a fully built out tesla around here, though quite a few with beamers, porsches, and so on) who pay for full coverage, and still pay in the $2k range.

I know people who own legit supercars - I'm talking ferraris, lambos, and much rarer exotics - who often pay less than $7k/year... for full coverage... even including their track day insurance.

So you can get a $250k car that can do 215 mph, and drive it on the track actually getting near those speeds, and have full coverage, and still pay less than she is paying.

To their credit, none of them have ever crashed their cars in a way that was their fault.

[Benevolent Anteater]

Hmm, the only thing I can think of then is that perhaps the payment is lower than she's saying, but that she's inflating the price to gain sympathy or to make it sound more believable for why she's out of money seemingly every month - like she feels it sounds more acceptable to say its because of the car insurance company than from whatever else she's wasting money on.

Actually - just to make things even worse (or more comical) - she has lately been taking advice from a lady there a bit older than her who has been telling her 'oh you don't need to pay the insurance, just don't pay it and when they cancel it, only turn in one of your plates at the DMV, I do it all the time.' Which REALLY doesn't even make sense to me from a logical/feasible standpoint but seems like the worst possible person to take advice from. This is from a person who makes very little money, is constantly complaining about money woes, and yet who goes out for a big entrée takeout lunch at local restaurants every day - I'm not even talking about food court for like $7 or $8 - I literally mean going to a sit-down restaurant like Joe's Crab Shack or Applebee's and bringing back the entrée and appetizer for lunch which I would imagine probably costs $15-20, and eats it when she gets back to her desk since they get a half hour for lunch, so not nearly long enough to go to one of those places, and you get docked pay if you get back late - which, as you might imagine, she frequently does.

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

[fb132]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

You know you suck with money when you can't afford to even play the lottery...Just playing the lottery alone is a waste of money, but owing money for the lottery is even more pathetic.

[LennStar]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

You know you suck with money when you can't afford to even play the lottery...Just playing the lottery alone is a waste of money, but owing money for the lottery is even more pathetic.

It reminds me of those investment banks and their "investors" who crashed the housing market.

[GuitarStv]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

You know you suck with money when you can't afford to even play the lottery...Just playing the lottery alone is a waste of money, but owing money for the lottery is even more pathetic.

 . . . alternatively, it's a genius idea to play a lottery pool for free.  Odds are if they won you would be able to take them to court and sue for your part of the winnings.

[crispy]

Insurance payments of $7-8k a year?

I have heard of such a thing: ages ago, my 16-year-old male friend was quoted around $7k a year for full coverage if he were to drive (if I remember correctly) an S2000 in CT. Obviously, that idea was nixed very quickly.

For a 40-year-old to have insurance payments for $7k a year, I am imagining either having full coverage on a supercar, or very many DUIs and reckless driving tickets (100+ mph usually). Just one such ticket wouldn't even push the price so high.

Gimp - I think you hit the nail on the head - I don't think I am getting the whole story (we're coworkers so I don't blame her for not giving me the gory details in a work environment) but from how she explained it, she has been in 2-3 accidents in the last couple of years, and also has 2-3 speeding tickets at particularly high speeds. I wouldn't be shocked if there was a DUI involved, like you said. Apparently whichever insurance company is insuring her, was the only one that was willing to give her coverage, the others all turned her down.

Yeah.

I have a friend who had a 90 mph ticket and still paid around $1500 a year, despite being (at the time) under 25.

I have many friends who have had lots of reasonable tickets and their insurance was often bumped by a couple hundred a year because of it.

I know people who own $100k cars (usually a fully built out tesla around here, though quite a few with beamers, porsches, and so on) who pay for full coverage, and still pay in the $2k range.

I know people who own legit supercars - I'm talking ferraris, lambos, and much rarer exotics - who often pay less than $7k/year... for full coverage... even including their track day insurance.

So you can get a $250k car that can do 215 mph, and drive it on the track actually getting near those speeds, and have full coverage, and still pay less than she is paying.

To their credit, none of them have ever crashed their cars in a way that was their fault.

I had one friend whose insurance ran over $500 a month (I remember because it was bigger than her car payment of $450 per month).  She had been in multiple accidents (her fault) that had left the other cars totaled or totaled hers.  She always joked that she never hit cheap cars.  She also had multiple tickets and had her license suspended at one point because of non-payment.  I almost had a heart attack when she told me she paid almost 1K per month for her compact car and insurance. Her credit was shot also which contributed to the problem.  Fortunately, she did straighten up a lot and has made great strides in getting her finances straight. All that to say, it is possible to have an insurance bill like that, but it takes A LOT to get there.

[MgoSam]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

A good life lesson was learned by me in 5th grade. I lent a classmate a $1 on a field trip, and spent the next year trying to collect. He made every excuse to avoid paying back a $1, even used his mother being sick as an explanation to guilt trip me away. I wrote off the $1 in my head, but it was a valuable lesson in trust.

[zephyr911]

You know you suck with money when you can't afford to even play the lottery...Just playing the lottery alone is a waste of money, but owing money for the lottery is even more pathetic.

It reminds me of those investment banks and their "investors" who crashed the housing market.

Sounds like a clever form of leveraged investing that could fit into a well-rounded portfolio.
Just like Frosted Flakes are a nutritious part of a balanced breakfast, if the balanced breakfast includes eggs, kale, grapefruit, and a fiber supplement....

[ohana]

Words that came out of a CWs mouth last week (she just got a new, leased BMW):

CW:  It was such a good deal I couldn't turn it down!

Ten minutes later:

CW:  You're so lucky you don't have a kid to put through college like I do.  Well, she's gonna have to pay for a bunch of it herself . . . .

Sigh.

[dragoncar]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

A good life lesson was learned by me in 5th grade. I lent a classmate a $1 on a field trip, and spent the next year trying to collect. He made every excuse to avoid paying back a $1, even used his mother being sick as an explanation to guilt trip me away. I wrote off the $1 in my head, but it was a valuable lesson in trust.

Ha!  I was the asshole on the other side of that once... Little me didn't realize that the kid might actually need the money (still doubtful) and didn't see why it was such a big deal to get a single dollar back.  I wasn't actively trying to steal the money, it just wasn't a priority to pay back a 0% loan!  Early lesson in interest rate arbitrage and payment floats.

[zephyr911]

One of my CWs just bought a brand-new car for his son, and then took him to take his license test.

Rained out.

Hehehe

[MgoSam]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

A good life lesson was learned by me in 5th grade. I lent a classmate a $1 on a field trip, and spent the next year trying to collect. He made every excuse to avoid paying back a $1, even used his mother being sick as an explanation to guilt trip me away. I wrote off the $1 in my head, but it was a valuable lesson in trust.

Ha!  I was the asshole on the other side of that once... Little me didn't realize that the kid might actually need the money (still doubtful) and didn't see why it was such a big deal to get a single dollar back.  I wasn't actively trying to steal the money, it just wasn't a priority to pay back a 0% loan!  Early lesson in interest rate arbitrage and payment floats.

It was more the principal. If you give someone your word, then I fully expect the other person to do so. I don't mind loaning a little amount of money to see which people I know are honorable about it, it's a fair wager that if I were to loan you $20 and you were to duck me, then I would consider the money well spent...

I don't understand the "the kid might actually need the money," and "didn't see why it was such a big deal." You sound like one of those people that rail against the banks for foreclosing on their house due to non-payment. Yes, it was a $1, and it didn't make or break me in any way, but a loan is a loan. If the person actually said, "Hey I can't pay you," I likely would have let it go, instead he kept making up bullshit excuses.

[iamlittlehedgehog]

I just spoke to the attorney recruiter - she was lamenting about her Treasure Island beach house got flooded in the recent rains. Her permanent residence is in Dunedin, the same county and a 30 minutes drive north -.-

I attached a map for further face palming.

[Ashyukun]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

A good life lesson was learned by me in 5th grade. I lent a classmate a $1 on a field trip, and spent the next year trying to collect. He made every excuse to avoid paying back a $1, even used his mother being sick as an explanation to guilt trip me away. I wrote off the $1 in my head, but it was a valuable lesson in trust.

Ha!  I was the asshole on the other side of that once... Little me didn't realize that the kid might actually need the money (still doubtful) and didn't see why it was such a big deal to get a single dollar back.  I wasn't actively trying to steal the money, it just wasn't a priority to pay back a 0% loan!  Early lesson in interest rate arbitrage and payment floats.

It was more the principal. If you give someone your word, then I fully expect the other person to do so. I don't mind loaning a little amount of money to see which people I know are honorable about it, it's a fair wager that if I were to loan you $20 and you were to duck me, then I would consider the money well spent...

I don't understand the "the kid might actually need the money," and "didn't see why it was such a big deal." You sound like one of those people that rail against the banks for foreclosing on their house due to non-payment. Yes, it was a $1, and it didn't make or break me in any way, but a loan is a loan. If the person actually said, "Hey I can't pay you," I likely would have let it go, instead he kept making up bullshit excuses.

I imagine you mean 'principle'- but I imagine it was ALSO about the principal... ;P

[MgoSam]

On the subject of her - here's my favorite quick story I think you guys will get a kick out of this one - There's a $5 a week 'lottery pool' that most of the people play in. Not only is it bad enough to be in something like this (I personally played out of guilt at first/didn't want to rock the boat since I was new, but quickly stood up for myself and politely backed out after a few weeks) - she actually is 'BANNED' from it/got kicked out of it because she kept saying she'd pay her $5 next week, and racked up a 'debt' with the person who runs it and just keeps making excuses for why she can't play so they told her she's not welcome anymore. If you mention her to any of them they get very defensive/nasty so I don't know how much of a 'debt' she ran up but they are clearly bitter about it lol. So not only are you IN a lottery pool like this which is probably a bad idea - you are in it and you couldn't afford the $5 so you are banned from it! Aye aye aye.

A good life lesson was learned by me in 5th grade. I lent a classmate a $1 on a field trip, and spent the next year trying to collect. He made every excuse to avoid paying back a $1, even used his mother being sick as an explanation to guilt trip me away. I wrote off the $1 in my head, but it was a valuable lesson in trust.

Ha!  I was the asshole on the other side of that once... Little me didn't realize that the kid might actually need the money (still doubtful) and didn't see why it was such a big deal to get a single dollar back.  I wasn't actively trying to steal the money, it just wasn't a priority to pay back a 0% loan!  Early lesson in interest rate arbitrage and payment floats.

It was more the principal. If you give someone your word, then I fully expect the other person to do so. I don't mind loaning a little amount of money to see which people I know are honorable about it, it's a fair wager that if I were to loan you $20 and you were to duck me, then I would consider the money well spent...

I don't understand the "the kid might actually need the money," and "didn't see why it was such a big deal." You sound like one of those people that rail against the banks for foreclosing on their house due to non-payment. Yes, it was a $1, and it didn't make or break me in any way, but a loan is a loan. If the person actually said, "Hey I can't pay you," I likely would have let it go, instead he kept making up bullshit excuses.

I imagine you mean 'principle'- but I imagine it was ALSO about the principal... ;P

Typo, but yeah it actually works in this case :-).

[gimp]

I totally believe that she is indeed paying $600/mo (or not paying), I was just illustrating how insane that is. Multiple at-fault accidents, tickets, and probably a DUI or two, and shit credit. It takes a lot.

[Patrick A]

Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup

[MoonShadow]

Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup

WOW.

[Silverado]

Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup

WOW.

That is simply awesome. At least say "we are trying to get back to 'normal' due to our plane and sprinter by driving electrics day-2-day."

Do you know them at all? Are they clueless or simply stupid?

[Patrick A]

Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup

WOW.

That is simply awesome. At least say "we are trying to get back to 'normal' due to our plane and sprinter by driving electrics day-2-day."

Do you know them at all? Are they clueless or simply stupid?

Yup, I know them.  Don't want to say too much more, but if I could you would all revel in the ridiculousness.  ( :

[zephyr911]

Oh boy, here's one. 

Co-worker and wife are extremely environmentally friendly liberal people.  To prove it, he tells us they both have new electric cars, but also a sprinter van for groceries (because duh), and a "fun only, for driving point A to point A" sports car, that they park . . . wait for it . . . in their airplane hanger at the local airport with their plane. 

Yup

Yeah, that's environmentally friendly all right. *facepalm*
Where are these people that I may backhand them for their bullshit?
I frequently do landscaping and small construction jobs out of my Volt....

[Suncoast]

I just spoke to the attorney recruiter - she was lamenting about her Treasure Island beach house got flooded in the recent rains. Her permanent residence is in Dunedin, the same county and a 30 minutes drive north -.-

I attached a map for further face palming.

That is just crazy, especially when she passes many beautiful beaches traveling between her main house and her beach house.