topic Re: Haves and Have-Nots in Retirement

Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Thu, 24 Mar 2016 16:31:15 GMT

There is a wide and growing, gap between those who have in the world, and those who don't. Not only is the gap growing but so is the un-willingness to address it in any meaningful way that gets toward actual resolution of the problems at hand and/or, especially, its root causes, which are many, by those who have. The 2014 economic conference at Davos, Switzerland was supposedly focused on issues of the widening gap between the rich and poor and how to work toward alleviating it. Almost no time was devoted to this. Hmmmmm.

In the US are many new retirees who are stuck at minimum Social Security benefits forever, due to having to start their payments early at 62 in order to have ANY income at all. These decisions are not made of freedom but of necessity - decisions made under duress.

With no other income, the arithmetic does not work out at all for living. This is existence, not living! If one is forced to do file early and receive minimum benefits, due to bad economics, the benefits need to increase each year according to what the rate is for that year, as if one is just entering the system, until the maximum is reached at 65 or 66, for those who have no other income at all! Lest we forget - This is America! Where are the organizations who "say" they support the well being of seniors?

The availability of actual assistance is near nil, with none of that offering anything more than emergency or band aid "help". (Don't be a single male with no children!) All the government hype about ending homelessness, helping those who have the least, is just hype, as the "Tale of the Tape" reveals the actual story - Homelessness and need have increased drastically among have-nots. (An exhaustive and continuing, study is done of Connect-To-Care, the Dallas government's excuse for a help mechanism, which showed their listed "resources" to be the same overworked, underfunded, organizations that have always been there.) There has been repackaging of the same "resources" lists in other websites and organizations, while the resources themselves remain unchanged or less funded, leaving those who actually need help the most, in the same or worse overall shape. If there are little to no actual resources available, which is the case in reality, what do these organizations actually do? Jobs for those who have! Notice how many low income people are employed in any of these.

With the baby-boomer generation coming into retirement age, there is a large number of retirees just entering the social security system, who spent their working lives at relatively unskilled jobs that offered no retirement plan, no insurance, no 401s, and the like, that paid so little that saving was out of the question. This was influenced by the full scale and unregulated "outsourcing" of jobs, and the demise of unions. Life after 50 meant jobs and job offers, lessened or ceased altogether. This economic forced many into accepting less than livable Social Security, made and is making, a large group of retirement age have-nots who are out of work and in need of available assistance.

(Of sour note is the many who are plagued by student loans whose collection arms are more than willing to accept and/or forcably take, from those who who have no other income than Social Security and/or who are below the poverty level, leaving that individual with nothing at all, below where rent can be paid, food purchased - a loose cannon. If you are living on the edge, not making enough for basics, this particular organization will still try and take from you, oblivious to the fact they can be rendering a person homeless!)

And no, retraining doesn't get you a job or help with age discrimination. The fact that a senior has to ask someone for a job in the first place instead of having them call you, is the real issue. To say there is no age discrimination is denying reality in many, if not, most, cases. Experience is relatively meaningless after a certain age.

The question is Not how anyone got to retirement without having, but how to remediate it starting, Now, without looking at how and/or, especially, why, that individual got to retirement age in this shape in the first place.

I think that's called - Non Judgemental. Remember that one. Takin a real beatin since the internet! So has honesty.

And especially, of question, why this subject is one that so many don't want to address, see others address, have commentary/dialogue about, and why the refusal to offer explanation to back up this "reasoning"/stance for not wanting such discussion. If a stance is solid, it stands on its own merit, and there is no fear, no reasoning for not putting it up for scrutiny! Of question is the unwillingness-refusal to help anyone who doesn't have, without knowing their pedigree, or more.

What happened to helping someone who doesn't have, without knowing, or even trying to find out, how they came not to have? Not just band-aid motion but sufficient to help fellow humans get themselves out of the cycle of poverty itself.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

mickstuder — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 17:17:08 GMT

@EDChou wrote:

Existing are many retirees who are stuck at minimum Social Security benefits forever because of having to start their payments at 62 in order to have ANY income at all. With no other income, the arithmetic does not work out at all for living. This is existence, not living! If one is forced to do this due to economics, the benefits need to increase each year according to what the rate is for that year entering the system, until the maximum is reached at 65 or 66.

With the baby-boomer generation coming into retirement age, there is a large number who spent their working lives at relatively unskilled jobs that offered no retirement plan, no 401s and the like, no insurance, paid so little that saving was out of the question. Life after 50 meant jobs lessened or ceased altogether. A large group of have-nots! That economic forced many into accepting less than livable Social Security.

This post could as easily have been part of the discussion about raising the minimum wage - although I'm glad it has it's own post - I would venture a guess that many of the opponents of a hike in the minimum wage are the same people who advocated doing away with Social Security - it's all part of the same philosophy - elimination of the American Dream and consolidated the wealth in the hands of the least amount of people possible - working hard your whole life and having a comfortable retirement as a reward at the end used to be the American Dream available to all - it's been exchanged for investing in the Global Lottery - the Giant Ponzi Scheme called the Stock Market - hoping that without the inside information that a majority the already rich are privy to you might be lucky enough to pick one of the same stocks the richest of the rich did and you get to go along for the ride..........but I apologize - I degress - yes Social Security should have a mechanism for unpunishing those who in order to survive have had to apply early and I also think the COLA should be increased.......................

My own personal situation is an example of what you speak of - I've worked at mostly minimum wage jobs my entire life - I've worked full-time almost every week since my discharge from the Military in 1968 - my goal was to hold out until I was at least 66 years old before applying for Social Security

I am currently work full-time as a Flagger with seasonal weather related layoffs for aprox. 3 months during the winter - my job is directing vehicular and pedestrian traffic safely in and around construction zones - my hourly pay is 9/hour around 15k annually

I am 64 years old and I have been doing this work for the last 4 years - not because I choose too but because I have to. I stand on my feet from 8 - 12 hours a day - usually 40+ hours per week in al kinds of weather - lunch is eaten while standing and doing my job and there are no scheduled breaks of any kind - bathroom breaks are attempted in the wild when traffic is light but again there are typically no extra Flaggers available to relieve anyone on a scheduled basis.

I'm not complaining - it's just the nature of the job and I'm happy to have the work - are there Federal and State laws that prohibit these kinds of working conditons - yes of course there are but there are also millions of people out of work and minimum wage whistleblowers are a misnomer

I was doing ok until this year because for the last 5 years I had around 100k in a IRA but have had to supplement my income by drawing out about 20k each year just to survive. My IRA ran out at the end of last year so I had to apply for Social Security at age 64 this last February because when I am laid off each year around Xmas I file for unemployment but my weekly benefit amount is only $126 week.

I lost approx. $200/month by filing at age 64 vs waiting until age 66

Just to add some perspective - to collect $126/week in New Hampshire you file for benefits the first week of your layoff - it takes a few weeks for the paperwork to be processed and then if you are approved there is a one week - "waiting period" - so by the time you start receiving benefits it could be 3 or 4 weeks since your last paycheck from working - while you are waiting for your unemployment benefit to be processed you have to attend - in person workshops at a regional unemployment office which in New Hampshire may require driving 30 miles or more one way and remember gasonline costs $3.50/gallon and New Hampshire has no Mass Transit to speak of - my drive is approx. 30 miles round trip.

While collecting unemployment in New Hampshire you are required to do - unique new work searches every week and to document at least three searches every week when you file yur weekly benefit request - the longer you are on unemployment the number of documented searches required also increases as do the frequency of the in person workshops.

One of the questions on the weekly benefit application is - have you received any monies not previoulsy reported to this department - the first month I started receiving my $1449/month Social Security payment - I had to answer the unemployment income question yes -

Guess what happened next? Yup - my unemployment checks were stopped - because in the wisdom of the unemployment system in New Hampshire - if a person is receiving Social Security they must have retired and no matter what they say they are no longer seriously looking for work and even if they were the Social Security earnings limit of approx. 15.5k/year is most likely going to prevent them from working full-time which is a requirement of receiving unemplyment in the first place - heh heh

Now keep in mind - I only applied for Social Security because I couldn't live on my seasonal weekly unemployment payment of $126. I have worked at the same job for the last 4 years and have every intention of returning to it once the weather allows for work to resume - the Social Security earnings limit is aprox. 15.5k and I make $9/hour - a normal 40 hour work week equals 2080 hours a year - 2080 hours x $9/hour = $18,720 - but we cannot do much construction in New Hampshire when the ground is snow covered and frozen so my annual layoff is around 12 weeks each year and 12 weeks x 40 hours/week = 480 hours x $9/hour = $4320 and if you subtract that from my annualized salary of $18,720 it = $14,400 approx. $1000 below trhe Social Security income limit.

Bottonline - I am one of those locked into a lower Social Security rate for the rest of my life and I still continue to work and probably will have to for the rest of my life - so yeah I agree - the Socail Security system already doesn't provide for a - living wage and it's only going to get worse - many will argue well it was never intended to be a persons sole source of retirement income and my response is - maybe so - but it is for a lot of us who have worked every day of our lives and it's something most of us are just going to have to deal with - but we don't have to like it!

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 17:39:15 GMT

I too did that kind of work. In Colorado the weather changes from minute to minute in the mountains where I did most of my flagging. And yes, it is hard on the body. I took it in stride - I was in Colorado more like a working tourist geezer :).

There are lots of people who have similar backgrounds as you. Done things "right" and wind up mired in a system that doesn't stand up for you. When a complaint is made, a story is published, the solution I received from the AARP for one, was to "write your congressman". What a cop out. I didn't join to "write my congressman". Seniors today need both AARP and congressman that represent them. Isn't it more progressive to have actual help than grocery coupons and Oprah trending?

On the unemployment numbers: Note that the published unemployment rate seen in the daily news is just the number of unemployment claims processed and paid. This does Not reflect the actual number of unemployed. Many people are ineligible or have already exhaused benefits and are not counted. The estimated actual unemployment figures for any area are more accurate and in many cases appalling.

Notice that Obama has never said anything about raising the minimum wage for ALL, Immediately. This increase is over some period of time and for only certain workers. There is no realistic raise like that for the average worker. By the time the words left the president's mouth, they were paleolithic.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

nyadrn — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 17:51:29 GMT

@EDChou wrote:
And no, retraining doesn't necessarily get you a job unless that training is in self employment. The fact that a senior has to ask someone for a job in the first place instead of having them call, is the real issue. To say there is no age discrimination is denying reality in many, if not, most, cases.

The question is Not how anyone got to retirement without having, but how to remediate it starting Now, without looking at how and/or, especially, why, that individual got here in this shape.

I think that's called - Non Judgemental. Remember that one. Takin a real beatin since the internet!
................................................................................................................................
None of your comments pertain to everyone.. there are lots of seniors still working and making as much as they ever did and who did plan for retirement and will have resources to retire with...

no one should come to retirement age without some kind of plan.. come on what do you think they can do now? There is social security, pension, personal savings, help from an agency, help form family.. but it is up to each one of us to figure out where we stand and what we can do and take some kind of action.. and so you are stuck at minimum social security benefits.. that is still a livable income.. unlike what you say, because if they have been living on that kind of income all their lives, this is not a big change.. and telling people who have to worked hard all of their lives and planned for their retirement that they are the problem is crazy..

What are you looking to have happen?

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:32:46 GMT

None of your comments pertain to everyone.. there are lots of seniors still working and making as much as they ever did and who did plan for retirement and will have resources to retire with...

Nothing in the post that says "everyone". Just the opposite. If you read it, its focus is clearly laid out.

no one should come to retirement age without some kind of plan.. come on what do you think they can do now? There is social security, pension, personal savings, help from an agency, help form family.. but it is up to each one of us to figure out where we stand and what we can do and take some kind of action

Please read the post. This is not about what "should" have been. If there actually were enough, there would be no need for this chorus.

and so you are stuck at minimum social security benefits.. that is still a livable income

Please back up your statement with arithmetic, figures showing exactly how "living" off this figure can be done.

unlike what you say, because if they have been living on that kind of income all their lives, this is not a big change

Just who is "they". And why are you unwilling to help without such judgement? This kind of rhetoric is part of the problem, not part of the solution.

and telling people who have to worked hard all of their lives and planned for their retirement that they are the problem is crazy

Where do you see any of that in my posts or my comments?

Why do you have such problems with people who didn't do the same as you? Especially exhibiting such negativity, disrespect, and disdain for fellow humans?

Positive feedback would be appreciated.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

mickstuder — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:41:54 GMT

@nyadrn wrote:
None of your comments pertain to everyone..
................................................................................................................................

mickstuder writes:

We should all periodically re-read some of what we write..............................if we really believe it!

Not everyone is a winner in the DNA Lottery.....................not everyone has the same luck and not everyone is willing to make the necessary compromises - just to be - "successful"

I see this issue as one of reality vs shoulda woulda coulda...................

The people who have - won - lifes contests are not in the majority even in the United States never mind Globally........................what about the rest - the non-winners - are they simply disposable or because they have proven how adept they are at assimilating into a life of poverty - end of story?

@nyadrn wrote:

no one should come to retirement age without some kind of plan

mickstuder writes:

Really - if your major priorities all your life have been trying to provide food and shelter on a daily basis where do you learn these kinds of lifes lessons?

This get rich quick and over night if possible stock market ponzi scheme mentality has only been around since the Microsoft phenomenon....................prior to that investing in the stock market wasn't main stream and for those lucky enough to have the - extra income - or the - insight - to tie up money in the stock market had to leave it there for 20 or 30 years to achieve any kind of ROI.

My parents didn't go to college and were never exposed to anything more than - if your a man - you serve your country and if your a woman you raise a family - after the service if your a man - you go to work everyday - go to church on weekends - provide for your family and save for a 2 week vacaton once a year................they were taught the economy was based on savings not investments............................the only weekly financial deduction from a paycheck available other than taxes for the working poor were Savings Bonds

I wasn't exposed to anything different......................I graduated from High School and I don't recall any courses on investing.............................we were taught that if you got good grades you might have a chance to go to college but only if your parents could afford it........................

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:46:29 GMT

Yes!

Exactly why this thread was started.

Thank you.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

GailL1 — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 18:58:58 GMT

My heart goes out to seniors or anybody who are not somewhat prepared for whatever their future brings. However, I will have to admit, my 1st thought is WHY and I do get frustrated with the answer; usually very much the same answer. Preparation is everything when you know something will happen.

For most of my working life, I was self-employed and knew from the beginning that there were things which I had to provide for myself, had to be done by me, alone. I did plan along those lines and my lifestyle through the years mirrored those priorities - health insurance, retirement savings, other savings, disability insurance, paying into the SS and Medicare system, etc.

Today, I guess you would consider me a "Have" but a very longed planned out "Have"- I live within a budget - a budget that I have established based on my income from the sources which I have planned. Not rich but comfortable, at least within my life.

I see a future (actually NOW) where a lot of seniors (boomers) have to be provided for in their retirement years with government and/or charity provided subsidies - food, housing, transportation, medical cost, caregiving, LTC, etc. These things will supplement their retirement income from only SS or SSI or those with only SS and a bit of savings.

I believe you and I may have discussed this before - Seniors on limited income can take that amount and change their lives so that it can go further.

1. Work longer if they can - course, then you have to keep in mind taxation on the SS benefit if early retirement was taken.

2. Meals on wheels, SNAP, food banks, gardens, community gardens to supplement the food budget

3. Subsidized housing -

4. Medicaid - Extra Help - Dual Eligibility for medical needs.

Not the retirement idea that many envisioned, I'm sure, but choices made in all those previous years do have consequences.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

nyadrn — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 19:38:19 GMT

@EDChou wrote:

Why do you have such problems with people who didn't do the same as you? Especially exhibiting such negativity, disrespect, and disdain for fellow humans?

Positive feedback would be appreciated.

You know, this same thing has been discussed over and over and over here.. you are not interested in what I have to say.. and since this is your issue.. perhaps you should offer some solutions that you think others will accept and that have the possibility of being initiated.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 20:10:36 GMT

Thank you and glad to have you back in the mix.

I'm seeing so many folks who didn't make it even with what might be thought of as good preparation. The idea of having, say, $100,000 as a "nest egg" and being secure today is not the same as 1965, or 70, or even 90. This in itself accounts for some of the difficulties. The working value of that amount is not the same. Compound that with - Through Nobody's Fault - we did not re-tool ourselves for business after World War II. Jobs, opportunity, went away while we played. We didn't steep ourselves in economics, business, high level machine work, and especially not in people knowledge, like cultural and geohistorical studies.

That's why the emphasis on not asking how or why. There are many "reasons" and/or none at all. How many of them matter until after an upgrade? And what can be done about water over the dam anyway? We're dealing with individuals.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sun, 23 Mar 2014 20:28:06 GMT

and since this is your issue.. perhaps you should offer some solutions that you think others will accept and that have the possibility of being initiated.

Help someone and document what you do so the process can be repeated? Post here as you go.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:53:30 GMT

I believe you and I may have discussed this before - Seniors on limited income can take that amount and change their lives so that it can go further.
1. Work longer if they can - course, then you have to keep in mind taxation on the SS benefit if early retirement was taken.

Yes we have. Working longer is more than it seems. If you are not working and don't have any money at all, what can you do? That one hits hard and fast once one hits the streets. Homelessness is a loop where there is no money to look for work, the bottom to the cycle of poverty.

So what to do? No one strategy works for everyone, but here's one step that helped me forward in a big way: A person, especially a homeless person, needs a vehicle. Why?

You can live in your car but you can't drive your apartment.

Sounds silly but is very true, especially in a country built on mobility. One has to get to the job and an apartment won't get you there, Duh . The vehicle that did the trick for me was only a broken 80s small pickup found for junk price. It didn't run but I knew how to fix it. That and some camping gear got me to the minimum wage labor pools and eventually to other towns and better jobs. And no, that "good" job has still not raised its head, nor am I "expecting" it to. The bottom time drilled the tome home that one can't wait on jobs to come to them - Jobs have to be either created or found.

Next step? We'll see.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:10:09 GMT

Here's one example of how to directly help:

A friend came to me asking for help last month. No one person among us could afford to help him enough to do any good, but once a help group was voluntarily created, the picture changed. Nobody has much but collectively . . . .

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 18:38:17 GMT

I wasn't exposed to anything different......................I graduated from High School and I don't recall any courses on investing.............................we were taught that if you got good grades you might have a chance to go to college but only if your parents could afford it........................

Y'know, the same happened here. One of the most useful high school courses, General Business was taken off the curriculum my freshman year. At that time, of course, I knew nothing about its impact. That wasn't to hit until recently. I got the good grades, went to college even though my parents couldn't afford it, quickly becoming an independent working college student as a freshman. My focus was on getting a job, not doing business, having my own.

As in your school there were no courses in economics, investing, and still are not today. What I find appalling is that Shakespeare was jammed down our throats then, and is still being jammed down students throats as a "requirement" for graduation today. I use Willy as the scapegoat for the the fact that this is taught the way it is, using up valuable classroom time, instead of the courses you mention, and has little to questionable use in the real world. In many if not most schools, "English" is taught an hour a day, 5 days a week. We were taught real English in grade school: The structure, how to lay out and diagram sentences and the like, about the language itself, what verbs, adjectives, etc., were, and how to use them - the beginnings of composition. Think of the impact replacing this period with Introduction to Business and related courses like you mention can have. With 4 years of that Before college - - - Whew!

As retirees, what can we do? The challenge is finding things we want to learn, things we want to do, stuff that drives us. What we're faced with is having to DIY - Do It Yourself. Finding what we want to, and can do, is challenging to say the least, as is figuring out one's own skills. Factor in finding things to do that make money and it becomes more complicated yet. We weren't, and aren't, schooled that way. The practical courses you mention are invaluable here. I waded through 50 years of doing to find the 3 or 4 things I do now. I'm bald from it!

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:21:35 GMT

You know, this same thing has been discussed over and over and over here..

It has not. And please explain why you have such problems with continuing such discussion, and especially, the negativity.

you are not interested in what I have to say..

Please add something of more substance than negative vitrol and what you say might have merit in relation to the stated focus of the discussion.

and since this is your issue..

It is not Just MY issue. It obviously pertains to a large sector of society. Whether or not you admit it, the reality is not going away.

perhaps you should offer some solutions that you think others will accept and that have the possibility of being initiated

And why don't you? That's exactly what this discussion dedicated to. It's open to your positive input just like anybody else. It's also open to any explanation for your negativity, your show of disdain for those who don't have.

The folks who have commented have done things "right" and are in the same predicament as if they hadn't. This discussion isn't about what's "wrong" with that, but how to go forward in a positive way.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

retiredtraveler — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:00:10 GMT

Retirement planning is something I did starting in my 20's. Planning and investing was always a daily part of life: saving, learning how to invest, improving my job skills.

You're asking what you can do now if you did not, for whatever reason, garner the savings. You're going to jump on me, but my answer is, you're screwed.

Everything I know about retirement planning is based on the idea of 'wealth accumulation' through the decades. If you did not have a good income leading to good SS benes, it's too late. If you don't have savings, it's too late. If you're already living marginally, meaning you're barely able to pay rent, buy food, purchase clothing, there isn't much you can do other than look for various types of 'welfare' --- freebies, subsidies. Of course, there is the obvious: try to get some type of job. How realistic that is for many seniors is questionable.

It seems, from your posting, you think there is some way that seniors who have not saved, have 'marginal' income, can now 'take charge' of their finances and make things better.

It kind of seems, from your own postings, you know this cannot be true. I make no judgement, just a dose of reality. SS was never intended to be a 'pension plan' --- it was created so that seniors had a roof and some food.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Wed, 26 Mar 2014 15:55:02 GMT

Nope I'm not going to jump on you. I commend you. I don't think we're screwed though. We're products, not victims, of an evolution that no One person controlled. I thought I was screwed too once I bottomed out on the streets. My vehicle was gone, pockets empty. I could grab a meal at any one of many soup lines, maybe spend the worst nights on some gym floor because the shelters were too crowded otherwise. I wasn't eligible for Social Security yet. I didn't ask anybody for help because from the bottom up one can readily see the apathy of those who have for those who don't. I've been asking for discussion, explanation, of that rationale.

The first priority was to get to some source of money short of crime. (In reality, of course, for many, crime is a part of the equation.) Having camping gear made possible sheltering near some job. Finding a job turned out to be easier in a smaller town where word of mouth was thick. So I left the city. I asked and found. Camping near that, finding a bathing source, were then done. A week's work for cash, even at $10/hr, a popular under the table directly paid wage, and there was a glimmer.

From both asking and listening, a small, broken, 80s pickup was found, for less than junk price. The priority was to get a vehicle. As I have said, one can live in one's vehicle, but can't drive their apartment. With a $15 set of tools and a book, the truck was running. I had a new home, some dollars, and a way to work. This job was continued through finish with the money and truck used to return to the megalopolis. IF you are homeless, please take example as I have used this multiple times to pull myself off the street itself. Nothing works for everybody, though, OK.

I started this discussion in hopes of collecting ideas on how to overcome this situation. True, it Does look like we're screwed. I'm glad you pointed that out. Hope is not gone. It's just on vacation.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

oldgraymare2 — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 04:17:02 GMT

Hi Mick and Ed,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments.

One thing that tends to "hit a nerve" with me in general with people is that they never think that anything bad can ever happen to anyone in life. You can "plan" all you want for your retirement, and guess what? It can be wiped out in no time by illness, accidents, or more than one job loss. Then, you have to start out all over again. That is what happened to us.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 16:16:39 GMT

Reality is harsh, especially when benevolence is on crutches, being ushered out the door by our ol' buddy, Greed.

Man has yet to invent any system that can withstand catastrophic events. When Social Security first came into being, there was no way to forsee the present day. Health care is debated heavily today. We're straddled with having to carve out a new way.

The choices are self reliance, self reliance, and self reliance. That self reliance can also be group efforts. Families working together. Friends working together. Folks helping other - (Huh!). (Shhhhh. Some of that requires trust.)

THE biggest challenge today for seniors who need to make money is to figure out what We ourselves, Can do since "Jobs" are not happening. Options are look and see what we have, look and see what we have, and look and see what we have. Now we have choices. Lets select option 1.

We've all done a ton of things, had a crapload of experiences. With some thought, a little imagination (dreaming), some of it might produce an idea that has potential to make profit. As previously mentioned, even the introduction to the kind of thinking that makes that easier, was going away when we were in early high school. So we are where we have to learn How to make money as well as work for it at retirement age - a lot harder than when we were young - Or is it? I try to make it sound easy when it really is one of the most difficult questions.

Once that money is made - jumping ahead to success not gained - how to manage and expand it to do our bidding - another sport that taken off many carriculum before many of our high school times - becomes the issue. A lot of the information needed though, to learn about starting and doing business, can be found on the web for free. The Small Business Administration is an asset here for information. They have complete models for a lot of businesses if you go that deep.

Lets look at something more grass rootsy:

One of the popular money-makers in this part of the world is barbeque. Some folks have mobile rigs and sell in parking lots and the like. Some of the rigs are rudimentary, 55 gallon drum cut in two, bolted to a set of wheels, is a popular low end starter. Check your local regulations, though when it comes to selling any kind of food. You may already make something that can be a seller. Another of popular home made item sold is the tamale.

The beauty of selling a food item is that usually the recipe can be found at home with many being family secrets of superior taste. Many a recipe has been tested, tweaked, and proven for generations. One can find home recipes sold at the corner stores, profitable for both store and cook. There are clubs, bars, and pubs, who buy certain products made locally.

Simply put - How much does it cost to make it and for how much can you sell it. (Don't forget to figure time.) Then the question is Will it sell.

Think of the fun you have in the test stages. You can't lose with food, whether it sells or not.

Re: Haves and Have-Nots

EDChou — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 16:11:08 GMT

With the growing economy in China as well as other countries, is the demand for goods tagged Made In America that are actually made in America. These products are not only status symbols, but, many times, better products, not cheaply made, And with higher grade materials and workmanship that are only found in certain places, like American steel.

Small shops, mini operations that supply product to bigger assemblers, manufactuers, can be profitable here.

If you have a hobby, know some skill, even have some dream that can be realized, about producing some product, there is a growing market internationally. The challenge is finding what sells and how you can produce it.