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thebigirishgrey · 4 years

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IRISH DRAUGHT HORSE SOCIETY GB YEARBOOK 36TH EDITION -

For the last 10 or so years of my life the only horses I’ve seen are the ones in my favourite stories, come to life at night in my dreams. The Silver Brumby, Black Beauty, War Horse, The Last Unicorn, you name them, Ive read them or seen them on screen, and at night they dance on my closed eyelids across my mind into their golden fields far far from my reach. It hurt so much to be bed bound and far from the animals I love so much, I am severely disabled with a brain condition that is trying to blind me and mobility problems that cause chronic pain and fatigue that make me feel like I actually have a horse on my back rather than the other way round!

In 2018 I decided that rotting in my bed for the rest of my life, was not an option, for nearly 10 years I’d spent my life in the same 4 walls and duvet, a modern day prison. I asked Mum one evening if she would help me get back in the saddle metaphorically and physically. We found a riding school and there in the corner was a horse they deemed “the scary one”. She was an Irish Draught mare who someone had sold to the school after losing their confidence with her.

“The scary one” was aptly named we thought, as she turned on a sixpence while tied in the corner, would look at you with glaring wide eyes and she was bright white although covered in teasels and mud! A little like the 4th horse, the horse of death! Something about this horse made me want to know her, I felt like I knew her. I had only ever seen Irish Draught horses in books and they had always been very different from this spectacle in front of me.

She snorted as I went closer, scared and misunderstood. She sniffed my hand and licked it. I knew we would friends from then on. I rode other horses for the first few weeks and found that my balance was awful but my determination to ride was second to none. All the time this horse was in the back of my mind.

One day I arrived early at the yard as I always did to groom and cuddle the horse I was going to be riding as I hate it when people just turn up and get on as though the animal is a robot for their pleasure. Low and behold, this horse, the scary horse, was stood, tacked up ready for a ride! I couldn’t believe it, someone was going to ride this thing? How brave were they! It turned out a lady called Caroline….. the same name as mine! was going to hack out with us and ride her. As soon as I saw Caroline reach the yard I could feel the colour green rising from my ankle boots up through my gaiters and soon reaching my Charles Owen skull cap. My envy would have burst though the top and out of my mouth had I not grit my teeth so hard.

I couldn’t physically speak for most of the ride, I was captivated by this monster, chewing and pulling at the bit, spinning round and round, spooking at nothing… I wanted to ride her!!!

I didn’t actually tell anyone after my ride how I had felt about seeing this big mare act like everyone around her was the enemy, instead I went up to her and bathed the mud gently from her hooves. She span so she could watch my every move but she seemed as captivated by me as I was with her. I asked what she was called, Coco was her name.

The next week I went up with renewed enthusiasm to find out more about this amazing horse. It felt she mirrored peoples misinterpretation of my pain and discomfort but how was she misunderstood? Could I get the chance to find out?

I was happy to see the mare was tied up and tacked up ready for another outing, though my heart nearly jumped out of my chest when I was told that I was the jockey for the ride! I was absolutely star struck and nearly burst with excitement but I knew I had to contain my overwhelming feeling of joy and anticipation as this could quite easily send our friend Coco skyward!

I mounted from the block and she watched every step I took, she shuffled and wouldn’t stand as I hovered over her but once our bodied connected it felt as though a plug had connected into a socket, electricity, fireworks, I knew we belonged together. Coco watched me with her antennae ears for the whole ride, she didn’t put a single foot wrong and with my loose hands, allowing her to react to any situation she felt scary, she rode easily and free. This is the Irish Draught I know.

I dismounted and nearly fell backwards into the arms of my instructor as Id spent the whole ride, watching, listening and connecting with Coco. I was absolutely smitten and in love with this horse and did not want to leave her. I asked immediately if I could book in with her for every ride in future and that is how our blossoming relationship started.

Coco took me on so many adventures but restricted by riding school rules we could never spend any time alone unfortunately. I dreamt of her, no longer fixated on my storybook ponies, SHE galloped my midnight fields. She felt different from other horses, something I felt as soon as I got on her, she looked after me in a way that said she knew I was different too.

One day I had had enough about hearing how I had brought Coco on so well and how people thought she was a different horse with me, I found it leapt from my mouth… in the middle of a hack… “What would you say if I asked to buy Coco?” …. my heart had spoken. I’d never be able to afford her without Mum but I’m sure I could persuade her, look what Coco had done for me! I was bed bound this time last year and now I’m riding twice a week! What would my instructor say though? I couldn’t hear for my heart pounding, I thought Coco would spook for sure but maybe she knew what I had asked? She waited as patiently and intently as I did for an answer. “Yes of course you can buy her, I asked your Mum last week if you’d like to loan her!”. What had I done? Id spoilt poor Mum’s surprise! She was asked by the owners if I would like to loan Coco and I’d gone and ruined it by buying us a horse! oops! Well that was my Christmas sorted and for several decades to boot!

I couldn’t contain my excitement. Coco was MY horse! Not yours, not anyones, MINE! I think even Coco knew, she acted like she had a Mum for the first time and I was able to spoil her with rugs and food and all sorts of saddlery! But the most important thing of all was being able to get a vet out to do a health check now that she was mine. Something just spoke to me, maybe SHE was trying to tell me herself, but something said that she wasn’t quite your regular horse.

The vet checked her over, some slight wear from hunting in Ireland, a few melanomas, but what we were stunned by was that Coco was blind in one eye! It made a whole lot of sense about her reaction to various things on hacks, noises seemed to have her on edge before she saw things and items like wheelie bins at the side of the road seemed to have been dropped by aliens out of nowhere very suddenly as we were on top of them almost. It was almost a relief to know as I could adapt her life for the better and make it safer for both of us. I have to thank her for being such an amazing safety blanket for me, despite her own disability, i don’t think many breeds of horse would have done the same.

I adore Coco for the horse she is but I also love that she is an Irish Draught; I am a Murphy and naturally wanted an Irish horse from when I was a little one! Dad’s name was Seamus Joseph Patrick Murphy so you couldn’t get more Irish than him! Coco loves her Guinness and so did Dad, he passed away 12 years ago and I know he would have loved to help me with her and so she makes me feel very close to him. I like to think each time I ride she puts me a little closer to heaven as she’s taller than the ground! So he can see me ride. I had always felt the Irish Draught was most suitable for me as a heavier and disabled person because I would naturally squash a thoroughbred and I need something that’s going to hold my big bum and look good doing do! But also have the temperament of a saint and not so highly strung that it will chuck me off every 5 minutes but that will have SOME character and I love the cheeky draught personality! Who doesn’t?!

Call me a glutton for punishment but I had always wanted a grey horse too! I know they take more washing tablets than Dot Cotton’s launderette but they look amazing when clipped and clean! Of which Coco rarely is I admit! However she has taken me to some amazing events this year where she has been looking exceptional! I had always wanted to do some fun rides and the very first I attended in my whole life was this year at Bissellwood Equestrian Centre, transported by Helen Clarke for my 31st birthday! It was such a dream to find out that Coco would just walk on to the transport without any fuss and also travel like she had done it all her life. I think the last time she had done anything was coming over from Ireland a few years before so I was extremely proud of her. Everyone at the event thought she was such a gorgeous horse and I was so proud to be riding and showing her off. It was the first time I felt like I truly owned her. I took her round the 8 mile course on my own and even walked her around the cross country jumps to see what she thought of them. We didn’t jump any but she was extremely well behaved and we walked over some like trotting poles, what a star! You can see how happy I was in the picture by Cordelia Noble of me cantering through the bluebells! I had specially made a cross country set with shamrocks in irish green, befitting of my noble steed and her heritage!

We attended a few more fun rides, Eaton Mascott was lovely, I am pictured cantering at the end by Something From The Hart. This ride I managed to meet up with a friend and we even did our first ever jump although we didn’t plan to! Coco followed our friend over a log! I managed to stay on in an “its okay Mum I’ve got this” situation! One thing you’ll notice in all of our pictures, also the lovely one by Chris Maddox Photography at Millichope, is that we are both always smiling and happy! Any time I’m with my Coco, I am on top of the world and I don’t take anywhere near as much pain relief. I find she is my healing power and therapy.

We also did our first show this year but due to the fact Coco has a few dents and bangs, we decided we would enter something a little more lighthearted and go for the fancy dress. Don’t worry we didn’t make all of the children cry by beating them but we did win and I was absolutely over the moon with Coco as it was her first time receiving applause in a large arena and although she didn’t know where it was coming from as she couldn’t see it, she retained her decorum! Here you can see us as Gandalf and Shadowfax (female form!) by EquinePix Photography at Burwarton Show. We hope to go back in 2020 to defend our title, maybe… perhaps… it was jolly good fun! Especially shouting YOU SHALL NOT PASS at the cross roads of the horse walk where people were trying to pass.

Another highlight this year was a side saddle clinic with Rachael Forkings at Silligrove Livery in Kinlet, we learnt a lot in our first ever go at side saddle and actually first ever clinic!!! Coco was fantastic as usual and took to it immediately. We were cantering around the arena by the end of it and look forward to another session in March.

Probably my biggest highlight of the year was going out hunting with The Border Beagles Hound Club, I’d never hunted in my life and never thought I could but the beagles took me under their paw and I can truly say I’m addicted and can’t wait to go back. I had wanted to do something special for Coco’s GOTCHA DAY the anniversary of buying her and I was not disappointed, the way this horse pricked her ears yet stood obediently when asked but also galloped like the wind when we wanted was absolutely fantastic, she proved her training in Ireland is still in there and its clear to see that its something SHE loves to do too. Here are some fab pics by Darryl Owen Photography of the opening meet on December 1st. The Beagles are a drag hunt and do all they can to keep wildlife and countryside safe as they practice this age-old tradition on horseback.

Late Summer, Coco and I moved to a new yard, Chorley Equestrian Centre in Shropshire, we have been taught by Charlie Lloyd who served in the Kings Royal Horse Artillery and are now focusing on dressage to have a little try at unaffiliated in the coming year. We also hope to try some jumping and some other great clinics countywide.

I would firstly like to thank the breeders of Coco - LADY YEATS, she was brought into this world by dam Brackney Lodge owned by Alex Moores and sire Rosheen Yeats owned by Pauline Furlong. Before owning Coco I literally only knew Blue Peter as a television programme and King of Diamonds as that in a pack of cards. These ladies have helped me learn more about Coco than anyone and have brought her into this world, without them I wouldn’t be writing this today, thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving me the best gift of all, my freedom on the wings of my beautiful heart horse and soul mate, Coco.

Thanks also go to Cathy Meehan for the information she has so helpfully provided about Coco and her breeding with Gentle Diamond, I have yet to trace Cathal Gallagher who is the owner of the foal and previous owner of Coco but I continue to try as I would love to know about this period of her life. Please get in touch if you have any information.

Thank you to Louise Errington, Marily Power at Suma Stud, and the Irish Draught Photo Archive Facebook Group your information and photographs of Coco’s ancestors has been invaluable in producing a family tree for her, something I have always wanted to do.

I must finally add huge thanks to all that produced the Stourport Irish Draught Horse Society GB show 2019. I attended with my Mum as a spectator last year and was blown away by the kindness of all competitors and judge Julie Cornthwaite who along with Sue Benson (chairman) has asked me to write this article for the yearbook. I watched the show and was particularly blown away and fond of the two greys (naturally some might say!) Silver Grey Bouncer owned by Anna Ersting ridden by Matthew Ainsworth and Nice One Frank owned and ridden by Emma Spencer (Reserve Best in Show). Watching these horses and all others on the day gave me a thirst for more with Coco, to become a better rider and to learn more about the breed itself. I immediately came home and read all of my draught books, having already signed up to the society when I bought Coco. I couldn’t have been more proud of being a member, even a lowly spectator! I was so happy that I swallowed my anxiety and feeling of inadequacy and went to talk to judge Julie Cornthwaite after the show to congratulate her one a fantastic day and her amazing riding (she should have got a trophy too!) but also to find out more about showing Coco. One day I hope to find courage to enter a local show for best tack and turnout as advised by Julie as they look less on scars and melanomas there and visiting the show at Stourport really has pushed me to do this. Coco and I even won tack and turnout at the Border Beagles opening meet so it seems Julie’s words of wisdom have truly paid off, thank you so much!

“My name is Caroline Murphy and I am addicted to the Irish Draught!’

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millennial-review · 5 years

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Concerning college debt relief vs forgiveness: What's wrong with debt 'relief'? I think cutting the interest rates on loans (which can be insane, I was lucky to have under 6% var for most of mine, but I have friends with 8-9%+) would be a good start. I can also see more programs to help hold off repayment / interest accruing while graduates looked for a job. What's the logic behind actually forgiving loans? Are you guys advocating for 100% broad forgiveness, or smaller percentages? Thanks!

We’re advocating for 100% forgiveness. If refinancing and “debt relief” are all that is available, I think anything short of 0% interest on government backed loans is a joke. But you know, take what you can get. I know that probably seems pretty extreme, but I really don’t think it is, especially compared to trapping a generation or two under literally trillions of dollars in student loan debt.

As it stands now there is over $1.5 trillion dollars in outstanding student loan debt and anywhere from 10% to 30% of that debt is in default or very close to being in default depending on what study you look at. The sheer economic consequence of this is hard to wrap your mind around. From delayed home ownership, to delayed parenthood, to difficulty starting a business, to just the amount of dollars flowing out of a household and into a local economy, this is a travesty for every community in the country.

Not to mention that most student loan debt is held BY PEOPLE WITHOUT DEGREES. And a disproportionate number of low income borrowers and borrowers of color are targeted by predatory for profit schools, I mean, in my view, a lot of the debt people have is nothing but debt slavery backed by the federal government. When 20% of any given millennial’s income is going to NelNet or some other student loan servicer and not their local economy, we have a problem. If you can’t afford to make the payments to begin with, what’s the difference between 3% and 8% interest? And many borrowers will never pay off their loans at all. Many will be stuck on income based repayment plans or something similar until the debt is forgiven anyway.

In my mind, refinancing with low interest rate loans doesn’t solve the problem. That still means X amount of money must go to pay down loans that 1. rich students don’t have and 2. we should have allowed students to avoid by investing in our people to begin with. If the solution to the $1.5 trillion dollars of student loan debt is “here have a 3% interest rate loan” and not “here lets wipe out a big chunk of all of your debts, especially for low income borrowers without a degree” I don’t think we’re really solving the problem. It’ll get better for SOME people, but it’ll remain the exact same for many others, arguably most others.

This is fundamentally a structural problem. It’s trapping low income students under so much debt social mobility and intergenerational wealth are a pipe dream for many. The ladder to opportunity saddles millions with tens of thousands in debt for just trying to climb it. If we all get our interest rates cut in half, I’m for it, better than nothing. But if we want to actually solve this problem we have to GO MUCH FURTHER.

Also, just as a political matter, starting the debate around how to solve this problem at refinancing or lowered interest rates is political malpractice in my view. Of course there are huge financial interests intent on keeping people stuck with their debts. If we can’t have total loan forgiveness because the powers at be organize against it, that’s pretty predictable. But if a politician starts the debate at loan forgiveness, when it is inevitably watered down in the legislative process, what will we end up with? Probably something short of the debt forgiveness offered in the first place, let alone something more radical that will actually solve the problem.

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bitchesgetriches · 5 years

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Hello! I have a question if you don’t mind answering 😊 (please bear in mind, I’m autistic and don’t really understand the social nuances in talking about money so if I come off spoiled or stuck-up I’m so sorry) So! Backstory: my family is pretty well off, and doesn’t really have to worry about money, and both my parents are very religious and like using their money to help others in need, anonymously when possible. So I’ve never really understood the negative connotations with receiving a (1/?)

(cont’d.) receiving a gift that was something you needed but couldn’t afford. My parents have always done things like choosing a family in need to buy gifts for Christmas kind of thing, and I like doing the same when possible. Cut to now, and my current boyfriend has finally saved up enough money to move out of his abusive ex’s house. However, since he was trying to do it as quickly as possible, there are a lot of things he doesn’t have yet that are essential, like a mattress. His plan is (2/?)

(cont’d.) is to buy a blow-up mattress for now, until he can save enough for a real mattress. However, I think it’d be much better to just get a real mattress now, especially considering he has back problems. I know he can’t afford it, but I can. I really want to buy one for him as a gift, no strings attached (not uber-expensive, just in the $200-300 range for now), but I’m afraid he’ll get upset about me paying for such a big purchase. So my question is: what’s the reason behind negative (3/4)

(cont’d.) negative reactions to big/expensive gifts when you can’t afford them yourself, and do you guys have any input on whether you think I should buy it? Thanks so much! (4/4)

Wow, what an interesting question! First of all, dearest, it sounds like you were raised by very generous, caring parents to be a generous, caring person. And that’s nothing to be ashamed of. You should be proud that your family strongly values charitable giving and looking after the less fortunate members of your community. I don’t know what religion you are, but pretty much ALL of them say “take care of poor people and don’t be an asshole.” So you’re doing just fine.

I relate a bit to you in that I was raised in a financially solvent family. I also relate to your boyfriend in that after college, I was completely financially independent, saddled with student loans, and responsible for all of my own living costs. I lived with 5 other people in a shared house owned by one of my roommates... whose wealthy father had bought the house for her. She lived there rent-free and the rest of us paid her rent.

My rich friend was definitely doing the rest of us a favor. It was very kind of her to rent to her friends at below-market value. But inherent in that kindness was the understanding that we all owed her. That we couldn’t have afforded to live in the city without her generosity. And that kind of financial power imbalance can lead to resentment. And resentment is the WORST roommate.

When poorer people accept the generosity or charity of richer people, it stings. It can lead to shame and resentment because to accept such charity is to say “I’m not strong enough/wise enough/capable enough to support myself.” Even if NONE OF THAT IS TRUE, it’s hard to accept charity without feeling those things. We all want to be strong and self-sufficient and independent. To accept charity is to admit failure in that department... or at least that’s the internal perception of many people. We can tell ourselves accepting charity doesn’t have to be a bad thing, that there’s nothing wrong with the generosity of those who have enough to give. But it still can be a huge blow to one’s pride.

I take a lot of fucking pride in how good I am at running my financial life. I’m a strong, capable, bad-ass bitch and I take care of my people. At this very moment, I’m paying a friend who just lost her job to clean my house. I’m perfectly capable of cleaning my own fucking house, but she needs money! And I know that she feels much more comfortable accepting work from me than accepting a “handout.”

Yes, a real mattress will be better for your boyfriend’s back. And yes, you can afford to buy him this gift. But his pride might dictate that he work for the purchase himself, rather than relying on your generosity and, thus, admitting his own failure and weakness. That’s the root of this issue.

All that said, this is a very thoughtful idea. I recommend that you bring it up with him as a discussion. Suggest buying him the mattress because you care about his back pain and his quality of sleep. If you plan on sleeping over at his place, you can frame it as a romantic first big couple purchase! (Literally, a mattress was the first thing my husband and I split the cost on when we were 21. Super romantic. We definitely got our money’s worth...) If he protests the gift, suggest that you buy him the mattress now, and that when he has enough saved up, he can pay you back for it (since he had planned to save for a mattress anyway). If he still doesn’t want you to buy him a mattress, drop it. Don’t bring it up again. Allow him to do this his way and don’t criticize his choice.

Good luck, vanilla bean. We’re really proud of you for being so thoughtful and sensitive to your boyfriend’s physical and emotional needs.

And while we’re on the topic of relationships and charity...

How Dafuq Do Couples Share Their Money?

Judging Charities Like Judgey McJudgerson: How Can Your Donation Make the Biggest Impact?

*Neither of us is autistic. Happy to field follow-up questions if anything was unclear in the way I phrased the above.

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theritualofourexistence · 5 years

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#CancelStudentDebt

You. Guys.

Background: Bernie Sanders and Ilhan Omar have called, on Twitter, for users to briefly state how their lives would be different without student debt, using the hashtag #CancelStudentDebt. It’s part of a campaign recently launched by Sanders that would instantly eliminate the $1.6 trillion dollars of student debt currently hefted by American citizens.

Even with that plan, I’m still not sure I’m voting for Bernie.

And if he somehow wins, I still don’t actually believe he’d be able to just poof away my student loan debt.

For the sake of the “what-if,” however, I chose to tweet along with the hashtag... just a simple statement about how my life would be different if I didn’t have student loan debt.

This is the exact text of my tweet:

“With no student debt, I’d be planning a future that included children, supporting my parents, and pursuing my dream job. #CancelStudentDebt”

I went on to say in a few follow-up tweets that I’m still pursuing my dream job... just much more slowly than I could without the debt I already have. I briefly explained what that dream job is (having my own practice and providing therapeutic services to those incarcerated or recently released) and that I have three jobs now that I’m using to work in that direction... but that I still feel the pressure of my loans every day, every time I choose to spend money on anything.

That tweet seems pretty harmless to me. Despite that, it has launched quite a shit storm. One that I was definitely not expecting.

First, I am a nobody. I have very few followers on Twitter. I basically use it to follow sports, a handful of celebrities, and whine to no one about the stuff I struggle with daily.

The good: this tweet now has 200 likes. WHAT?! I think the most likes I’ve gotten on a tweet before capped out at like 25, at the MOST. It also has nearly 30 retweets. So folks relate. I approve.

The shit storm: over 60 mostly middle-aged white dude trolls were sitting on that hashtag, waiting for a simple little tweet like mine to come along so they could jump on it and rip it to shreds.

In the last eight hours I’ve been called stupid and lazy more times than I can count. I’ve been told over and over again that I shouldn’t have taken out loans if I didn’t want to pay them back, that I should have picked a different major in college, that I shouldn’t have gone to college, that I should have gone to a cheaper school. I’ve been called a socialist (yeah, okay, not denying that), I’ve been called evil. As of 5pm, I’ve been called a cunt... by strangers... at least three times.

I never intended to start an argument about the benefits and or downfalls of eliminating student loan debt.

I was simply saying that, without it, my life would be different. And easier.

I was raised to chase my dreams. I think a lot of people in my generation were. But our parents, likely the same dudes shit-posting on Twitter today, were well-meaning when they told us to dream big and to have the courage to chase those dreams. I don’t think they could predict the world we would inherit... and just how hard it would be to actually pursue those dreams.

I don’t think my dreams are outlandish. I don’t think they’re irrational. And trust me, I know what irrational looks like.

Do I think my student loan debt will magically disappear? No, I don’t. Would it be nice? Yeah. It would. Would things be different and easier? Yes, definitely.

I can’t go back and pick a cheaper college. I can’t go back and pick a different major. I can’t go back and decide not to switch fields. I can’t go back and un-sign the loan papers I signed when I was 18 years old.

I was 18 years old. Maybe. I honestly could’ve been 17 because I’m a summer baby. And I have absolutely no memory of signing loan papers. I knew enough to know I’d have to pay them back. But I also knew that getting loans was the only way to pay for the program at the college that I thought would be best for me.

Turns out, 18-year-olds don’t know shit.

Maybe we shouldn’t let 18-year-olds make decisions about thousands of dollars.

Anyway, here I am now, unable to undo any of the decisions that saddled me with my current student loan debt.

Today I was called stupid, lazy, evil, and a cunt, just for having a dream.

What a weird thing.

Some suggested I join the military. Maybe I could make that work... but let’s be honest, the military isn’t a nice place to be for pacifists. Also, enlisting when we’re on the brink of war with Iran just seems, objectively, stupid.

What do people get out of insulting strangers on the internet? None of the people who responded know anything about my life. Many of them told me to get a job and work to pay off my loans. Well, I’ve got a job and I am working and that’s not really enough. Many of them accused me of seeking handouts. Of never working for anything and expecting to be carried through life.

Those people don’t know how hard I’ve worked. But that didn’t stop them from calling me names.

I often forget that not everyone understands empathy the same way I do. It’s why I feel the way I do about a lot of socio-political issues. If you told me that my taxes would go up ever so slightly but that I’d be able to help millions of Americans achieve financial stability, I’d say sure.

I don’t understand why people with a comfortable life--a home, a family, a steady income--feel so mad about other people wanting a chance to have those things too.

All I want, really, is to be comfortable enough to feel like I can give back. To repay my parents for their constant support, to donate to causes fighting the good fight, to provide affordable therapeutic services to people in need with limited access.

Today, right now, I’m pretty sure I will die childless and still with debt. That’s the reality that I face every day. I work hard, despite that. And I dream, despite that. But the idea that maybe that isn’t my future is certainly nice... no matter how immediately unrealistic it may be.

What did all those angry white people get from telling me to quit bitching and get a job and deal with the consequences of my actions? What good does that do? Who does that help?

What good does it do to tell a fat, poor, anxiety-ridden 28-year-old that her dreams are stupid and unattainable and that she’s a lazy idiot for having them?

What synapses are firing in your brain to make you think that that action has any kind of value?

Remember, folks, that even if you’re looking at a computer and not a face, that screen-name is connected to a real ass person. I may have silly dreams but at least I am committed to not treating other people like garbage. I don’t have any interest in hurting anyone’s feelings, and I’m adult enough to choose my actions accordingly.

Today, I sent a simple tweet out into the universe, and, in return, strangers called me names for hours. HOURS. It’s literally still happening.

Who does that serve? Calling me an idiot isn’t going to change the reality that forgiving student loan debt would change my life. That’s not an opinion that can be corrected, it’s simply the truth.

So, regardless of who is elected and what happens with student debt... Regardless of whether or not I pay off my loans some day... Regardless of whether or not I die childless with debt still left to pay... think about how you interact with others.

Hurting people for no reason is sick.

I’m a strong girl, because of all the hard work I’ve put in, of course; so I’ll be okay. But you don’t get anything from insulting others on the internet... so why spend the time and energy to cause that hurt when there’s nothing at all to gain from it?

Here in America, if we’re lucky, we’ve only got 80-some years to dick around on Earth.

For the love of God, please just use that time to be kind to one another.

#cancel student debt #student loan debt #debt #student loans #twitter #trolls #be kind

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pawnshopinhollywood · 3 years

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Are You Looking For Gold Buyers In Los Angeles?

When times are bleak and people are rushing to hoard valuable items, gold is often the material of choice. It has been in great demand for the whole of the pandemic, and in fact, gold prices soared last year as people worried about how they were going to survive an economic slump. In this situation, many pawnbrokers found themselves out of pocket, as sellers hesitated to get rid of their jewelry. Last August, prices were around $1945 per ounce and extraordinary prices. While there were still lots of gold buyers Los Angeles area, the LA Loan Company and other pawnshops struggled to keep their inventory turning over. People were simply not willing to sell their heritage jewelry or even put it out to pawn while times were still so hard. However, with expectations that the pandemic will come to an end soon, there is growing confidence that pawnshops will soon be able to buy more gold from willing sellers. Selling Gold In California Now that people are ready to start selling their gold pawn shops are looking more closely at what they are being offered. Many people loan or sell items that they have had in the back of a drawer, inherited from a relative and never used, and some may wish to sell items after the death of a close relative when they are trying to clear the property and just have too many goods. Selling gold is the best way to cover bills and expenses when the wage packet or relief payments can’t cover it all, and so pawnbrokers are able to make good business from these sellers. Many people wanting to sell gold are advised that they could get a higher return if they were willing to put it into pawn instead. Selling To Gold Buyers In Los Angeles In order to understand why more people are coming to pawnbrokers to sell their gold, it is necessary to understand that many in LA are finding themselves obliged to change residence when they lose the house they are currently renting, or the landlords sell up because they cannot afford the rental property while they are struggling during the pandemic. Moving home quickly will mean that there are lots of items in the house can’t be transferred to the new property and one option is to sell them in order to clear space. Many people who are moving from one location to another are willing to discard jewelry that simply taking up room, and this could mean that they are looking for people who are keen to buy gold. Getting Rid Of Jewelry A lot of heirloom jewelry is no longer suitable for wearing and gets relentlessly pushed to the back of the door. Owners might think that they are keeping these items for future generations, but a lot of people with gold jewelry are now realizing that they are simply passing on unwanted items: “If I did nothing, one day my girls would be saddled with figuring out what to do with their grandma’s old earrings and this vestige of their parent’s broken marriage”. As more people are obliged to downsize as a result of the pandemic, it makes sense to try to resolve the issue of what to do with these unwanted and unwelcome heirloom pieces. One of the best solutions is to try to reach a deal with a pawnbroker. Either selling the jewelry through a specialist gold buyer or putting it out to pawn until a relative can be found to take it. Selling Your Gold Items In LA If you decide that you want to part with your gold jewelry in Los Angeles, then you should be considering the types of gold buyers available in your area. At LA Loan Company, we recommend that you meet with a buyer to establish exactly how much your items might be worth. The buyer may offer to buy the gold or suggest that using our pawn option could be the best solution for you. Find out how we can make your gold jewelry reach its full potential by talking to our team today. Contact us online to book a consultation or call us at (323) 469-1319 now

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yourlifeinsurance411 · 3 years

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New Post has been published on http://www.lowestpricetermlifeinsurance.com/index.php/2021/05/20/why-millennials-need-to-start-thinking-about-life-insurance-now/

Why Millennials Need to Start Thinking About Life Insurance Now

Not only is life insurance is far cheaper when you're younger—but it can also be a great way to accumulate wealth for retirement.

By Mia Taylor

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CREDIT: GETTY IMAGES

During my "invincible" young adulthood, life insurance was the furthest thing from my mind. Not only was I confident that the need for such a policy was a long way off, but I was also clueless about the many savings and investment benefits that can often be derived from certain types of policies.

Fast-forward more years than I care to reveal with any specificity, and I've learned the costly error of my earlier thinking the hard way. For a variety of reasons, obtaining a life insurance policy at this point would be a seriously pricey endeavor, one I simply can't afford. This is why I've set out to help others avoid a similar mistake. Millennials, in particular, should take heed.

While COVID-19 has raised awareness about the important role life insurance plays in families' financial security, new research from LIMRA shows that 42 percent of Americans would face financial hardship within six months if the primary wage-earner were to die unexpectedly. The very same study shows that young Americans are most at risk, as more than half of millennials have no life insurance coverage.

Here are five reasons millennials really need to consider getting life insurance sooner rather than later.

When you’re younger, life insurance policies are cheaper

Let’s start with the most obvious point, one you’ll hear like a steady drumbeat from nearly every life insurance expert or financial advisor: The earlier you get a life insurance policy, the more affordable it will be.

“Life insurance is cheaper and easier to get while you are young and healthy,” says Micah Metcalf, owner of Metcalf Financial, a fully digital insurance agency. “As you age, your health tends to age too, potentially bringing a whole host of medical complications that you may have never even thought about in your 20s. Things such as diabetes, depression, or arthritis can all bring about more difficulty with obtaining life insurance, which can make it much more expensive.”

To drive this point home, Metcalf rolls out the following dollars-and-cents example. If a healthy 25-year-old male were to obtain term life insurance right now, the monthly cost would be a mere $30. This is based on quotes from such companies as AIG, Protective, and Banner William Penn. However, if a 45-year-old were to seek coverage, those monthly premium costs are more than five times higher, ranging from $164 to $169 per month from the same insurance companies quoted for the 25-year-old.

While we’re on the topic of policy cost, it’s also cheaper to get larger policies less expensively when you’re younger, which is not an insignificant consideration.

“You can get more coverage for less,” says Jessica Lepore, the millennial founder of the life insurance agency Surevested. “Larger policies are much cheaper to pursue when you are younger. Although you might not think that a $1 million life insurance policy is necessary when you live alone in your New York City studio apartment, think five, 10, 20, and even 30 years down the line. Your needs will for sure change by that point, and by pursuing coverage while you’re young, you will be saving much more money than if you waited until later in life to start coverage.”

Policies are also easier to obtain when you’re younger

Another important point while youth is on your side: When you’re young and healthy, life insurance policies are easier to qualify for (in addition to being a bargain). The flip side of this coin is that when you’re older and saddled with health challenges, you may not qualify at all—or it may cost a small fortune to secure a policy because of any significant health conditions you may have developed. And this is no small concern even among millennials because a recent Harris Poll found that 44 percent of older millennials already have chronic health conditions.

“In many cases, when you’re young, you may be able to get a policy without even having to undergo a medical exam. As you get older, this may no longer be the case. Life insurance companies may require you to undergo an exam, blood work, or even request up to five years of your medical records just to get approved,” says Metcalf.

As a bonus, when you obtain coverage younger, before being hit by any serious health issues, the policy is often guaranteed from that point forward. Meaning, if you develop health conditions later in life, you need not fret about being unable to obtain life insurance, because you already have a policy.

“Some policies are guaranteed to be renewable at the end of the term, so if you get in now you don't have to worry about qualifying later if a medical condition develops,” says Derek Szeto, co-founder of Delaware-based Walnut Insurance.

Student debt galore

Raise your hand if you have student debt. Chances are, that hand is in the air right now, because as of the second quarter of the 2019 fiscal year, for borrowers ages 25 to 34—a significant share of the millennial population—there was 497.6 billion dollars in outstanding student loan debt, according to New America. Furthermore, a recent Harris Poll found that most older millennials (68 percent) are still paying down their student debt a decade or so later. Now, who will be charged with paying off that debt if something were to happen to you?

“Unfortunately, when we pass away, our debts don't always go with us,” says Lepore, of Surevested. “Even if you're not someone with a family or mortgage, you might have other debts like student loans. By taking out even a small life insurance policy when you're young, you can ensure your family won't be left with the burden of paying those debts back if something were to happen to you.”

And while we’re headed down this road, do you happen to have a co-signer on that student debt? All the more reason you should be thinking about these issues.

“If you had a co-signer on your student loans, that person could still be responsible for your debt even if you passed away,” explains Allison Kade, millennial money expert from the digital life insurance company Fabric. “If you want to make sure that your parents or other co-signers aren’t stuck single-handedly paying off your debt in your absence, you could get a life insurance policy that would give them money to pay off your loans.”

Retirement savings

Now put your phone and Slack messages on "do not disturb" and spend some time with this next point, so that you can fully absorb it: One of the least understood and most valuable benefits of life insurance is that it can be used as a lucrative investment vehicle to build significant cash value over the course of your lifetime. This is particularly important if you’re behind on saving for retirement.

Cash-value life insurance also referred to as permanent life, provides a death benefit and can be used to build cash (as opposed to term life insurance, which does not offer the cash value component). The money you put into these policies can be used to develop an investment portfolio that helps you accumulate wealth. And as you age, the cash in the policy can be tapped to cover retirement living expenses.

And here’s perhaps the best part: You’re accumulating wealth tax-free.

“This is the most misunderstood and overlooked benefit of permanent life insurance by the average consumer,” says Brian Carlson, a certified financial professional and vice president of wealth management with GCG Financial. “If utilized properly, a permanent life insurance policy can provide a tremendous value to a person’s long-term savings goals. The concept of FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early) is hot amongst millennials. The usage of a permanent life insurance policy fits perfectly into the FIRE strategy due to the ability to remove funds without taxes or penalties before age 59 half. Permanent life insurance policies have a tremendous benefit, in the form of cash value.”

A permanent policy provides the ability for the policy owner to grow funds on a tax-advantaged basis and remove funds in the future without incurring any taxes if removed properly, explains Carlson. But, like retirement accounts, the sooner you start contributing, the greater the account value will grow to be as you age.

As independent life insurance agent Susana Zinn explains, most millennials do not have a financial plan that's robust enough to successfully cover their retirement. A life insurance policy can correct that shortfall.

“Seventy-one percent of millennials don’t think they will have saved enough at 65 to meet their retirement needs,” says Zinn. “And according to the National Institute of Retirement Security, 66 percent of working millennials have nothing saved for retirement. Instead, they’re busy paying down debt and covering their general living expenses, while saving for retirement is pushed to the bottom of their priority list.”

At the risk of beating a dead horse, life insurance can help you as a millennial ensure a financially healthy retirement.

“With life insurance, you don’t have to die to use it; you have flexibility with how the money is used, which can help with financial needs for both your planned and your unplanned expenses,” adds Zinn.

OK, you may now return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Protect your business after you’re gone

Actually, one more point. And it should be a point of pride. Millennials are one of the most entrepreneurial generations America has seen in a long time. A recent GoDaddy survey of 3,000 Americans—including 1,000 millennials, 1,000 Gen Xers, and 1,000 baby boomers, found that millennials lead the pack in entrepreneurial efforts, with nearly one in three millennials (30 percent) reported as having a small business or a side hustle. Securing life insurance can be a way to protect this legacy, making sure your business survives long after you’re gone.

If you share your business with another entrepreneur, for example, "that person could use the cash from your life insurance policy as a transition to keeping business flowing in your absence,” says Kade, from Fabric.

The financial burden you would leave behind

If all of the reasons already stated are not convincing enough, ask yourself this one last question: Would anyone have a financial burden if I passed away? No need to tell us the answer, just be sure to heed this final bit of advice.

“If the answer is yes, then you need life insurance protection now, so you won't leave your family with thousands of dollars in lost income or debt,” says Metcalf.

Mike Sheehan

#term life insurance #whole life insurance #Why Millennials Need to Start Thinking About Life Insurance Now

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trustedpalsblog · 4 years

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Does pet health insurance really matter?

We come across this question a fair bit.

The answer isn’t quite so straightforward as ‘yes’ or ‘no’, but we’d lean strongly towards ‘yes’ in most cases.

You might be thinking that of course we’d say that – we sell one of the best pet insurance program, after all. But in all honesty, we want to know that everyone’s able to take care of their pet without plunging into debt or being put in a situation where they need to make an awful decision.

To help you answer the question yourself, it’s useful to know the cost of visiting the vet. To start with, a quick ‘hi and bye’ check-up can cost between $50 and $400, depending on where you live, and the cost of things like heartworm and flea prevention might cost you another $20 a month.

Doesn’t sound too bad? Well, we’re only talking about the expected costs of everyday care here. It’s when something comes out of the blue that things can rapidly get out of control.

Leaving pets uninsured means you’ll be on the hook for every single medical cost in the future.

When things start to spiral

Take a deep breath. Getting pets treated by vets cost Americans nearly $19 billion in 2019. And a big slice of that is down to the millions of humans who needed to take their pet for emergency care during the year.

Obviously, the exact cost per trip depends on what’s happened. For a pet who got themselves into a small scrape (we’ve all been there), treatment could cost as little as a few hundred dollars. But when things get more serious, their human could end up paying more than $8,000 for a vet’s care – and then might also have to cover the costs of ongoing prescription meds and other treatments to help their pet get better.

Take a quick search around the internet for yourself, and you’ll quickly come across bill horror stories from other humans. Just as one example, when this cat got caught out by an automatic garage door, he was lucky to get away with minor injuries.

But that didn’t stop him spending 48 hours at the vet, or stop the vet asking his human for $968.29 for the care he’d received.

And that’s just one case of many. 41% of humans with pets are (quite rightly) worried about footing a vet’s bill in an emergency, because they can be a big deal. If you’re unprepared – it’ll come as a shock.

Now, we don’t begrudge vets making a living – these humans have dedicated their own lives to making sure pets have the very best lives.

But the question you need to ask yourself is: Do you have a spare $10,000 in your bank account, just in case? If not, that’s where pet health insurance starts to look pretty useful.

Medical insurance for every member of the family

Pets are just as much a part of your family as everyone else. And, like everyone else, leaving them uninsured means you’d be on the hook for every single medical cost in the future.

Sadly, for some humans who go without pet medical insurance, the only way humane way forward after a serious accident is to put their pet to sleep – simply because they can’t afford to pay for their pet’s treatment. We don’t ever want that to happen.

With on of our pet insurance plans, you’re far less likely to be put into a situation like that. As long as your claim’s covered, you’ll get the money back in your pocket before you know it. Then you can focus on being there for your pet as they get back on their paws.

Want to go a little deeper? Let’s look at how claims work in a bit more detail – just like human medical insurance, there are a couple of other things to think about when it comes to how much is being paid.

How much does pet insurance pay out?

To understand the real value of having this type of immediate pet insurance, you need to know how much you’ll actually get if you make a claim. But there are a few things to work through first. It’s not just a case of grabbing the first pet insurance plan you see.

You need to know you’ve got the right coverage, sure. But you also need to know how to set things up in a way that works for you and your pet. That means thinking about a limit, reimbursement and deductible amount.

The best pet insurance companies in the USA will let you tweak these to suit yourself. If you find a pet insurance program who’s fixed these, or there’s a very limited choice, think carefully about why they might’ve done that. Is it to benefit you – or them?

Plan limits

First up, most pet insurance plans will cover a certain amount of vet care per year. This is your plan’s ‘limit’. (We offer annual limits of $4,000, $8,000, and $15,000.)

You can also look into taking out an unlimited plan. It’s true that you’ll pay more per month for this type of plan, but you’ll never need to worry about whether or not you can claim the lot if your pet gets in a spot of trouble.

Find out how much each option would cost you with us by getting a quick quote right now.

Reimbursement and deductible

Your reimbursement is the amount we pay you back towards the cost of any claim you make (worked out as a percentage of the total claim). Your deductible is either a contribution to the claims you make across the year or a payment per claim.

Our plans have annual deductibles, but some other providers do things differently.

How about an example?

Let's say you have a reimbursement of 90% and an annual deductible of $250. You make a claim for $5,000, so we take $250 off that amount and reimburse you $4,275 towards the total cost minus deductible (90% of $4,750).

With that claim, you've now cleared your annual deductible. If you make another claim during the same policy period for $5,000, we'd reimburse you $4,500 (90% of $5,000).

So I always have to pay something towards claims?

We know it might seem a little odd at first that you’re expected to put something towards the cost of claims. Isn’t that the point of pet insurance?

Yep, it is. But by sharing the cost just a little, we’re able to keep your monthly payments lower, so you won’t get saddled with extra day-to-day costs. And letting people tweak their plans like this means we can offer options for different budgets.

It’s the same way your home or auto insurance works. If something happens, you pay a little, your pet insurance often pays more than you. Then (fingers crossed) things start to get back to normal.

When does pet insurance pay out?

You’ll need to make your claim after you’ve been to the vet. Then your payment comes through a little later on. We pay most claims within 10 days. And we do our best to work even faster than this, so that you’re not left in the lurch.

But we realize there are times when you won’t have enough cash sitting around to cover the upfront costs.

One solution is to use a credit card and clear it as soon as we pay your claim to dodge your card provider charging you much (if any) interest.

Why don’t I just save up instead?

You can put your money away for a rainy day instead of taking out a pet insurance plan, but it’s much riskier.

If you put away $100 each month, you’ll have $1,200 at the end of the first year. But that might be around the time your cat or dog gets the idea into their heads that actually, your secret chocolate stash is meant for them, not you.

$1,200 might be enough to cover the vet bill. But it might not be if you live in an expensive place. And if it’s something even more serious than a greedy pet – for example, they’ve been in an accident or they’re really sick – $1,200 almost definitely won’t be enough to cover the costs.

And, of course, if they get injured in the first month, you’ll only have $100 to put towards treatment.

What’s coming next around the corner?

As much as we all wish we could see the future, none of us can. That’s the whole point of pet insurance – it helps you deal with the things you don’t see coming, and don’t have time to prepare for.

Plus, if you’re looking at other big costs when the accident happens (let’s say you’ve just renovated your home) you might come up a little short. Not a good place to be in when your cat’s come down with a severe cough.

Look at it this way. Do you have a big stack of money ready just in case you need to pay a medical bill for yourself or your family, or do you have medical insurance? The same logic works for your pet’s health, too.

What about using a credit card?

Paying for emergency care on a credit card (or taking out a loan) might seem like a good idea to start with, but once the interest kicks in, you could end up paying far more.

Interest will clock up all the while, so expensive treatment can become a real drain on your wallet over time.

I’ve heard other humans say pet insurance isn’t worth it!

If you have one of those big stacks of money we mentioned earlier, then fair enough.

But we think this idea is mostly down to the pet insurance providers who have big lists of conditions that aren’t covered. Which means that something that looks great to start with, quickly gets watered down by the small print.

We don’t cover a couple of things ourselves, but we don’t have a list as long as our tails. And we’re totally upfront about it.

The main things we can’t cover are conditions your pet had before your plan started, and issues with to do with hip dysplasia and cruciate ligaments (during a plan’s first year).

It’s perhaps fairer to say that certain plans, designed to keep coverage to a minimum (like accident-only plans) are the ones which aren’t always worth it. They might be cheap, but they’re not always there for you when you really need to make a claim.

What’s the bottom line?

You want your pet to live a long and healthy life. We want exactly the same thing.

We’re on your side, but most of all, we’re on the side of any cat and dog who’s fallen foul of gravity, run headfirst into a parked car, or has gone off their food (because they’ve been chewing who knows what).

Every pet matters (a lot) to us, and the more we can help, the happier we are.

So don’t get caught out by the unexpected – compare our pet health insurance to the rest, and get a quote today.

Source by: https://www.trustedpals.com/guides/pet-health-insurance.html

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nickgerlich · 5 years

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Mama Said

I remember my Mama telling me every time I said something that kind of mocked folks more senior than I. “You’ll get old too...if you live long enough.” Of course, she was right, and had been right long before I realized it. Back when I grew up, which would be in the late-Triassic, otherwise known as the 60s, kids either went off to college or not, then...in no particular order, although this is probably best...got a job, got married, and had kids. Somewhere in that jumble you were supposed to buy a house, all emblematic of not just the American dream, but also settling down for family life.

I should know. I did it, although one could argue that in more recent times, I have done anything but settle down. I have desettled. My house is where I keep my stuff, or so I have been told. I like to cover the breadth of the US at least once every year.

But while Baby Boomers and even Gen-Xers fit into that handy little formula, there has been much concern of late that Millennials were not abiding by the rules. Perhaps you have seen the headlines proclaiming that our young adults are not buying cars like we did, as well as houses. Millennials are wont to live in densely-populated urban centers without a car, renting and shacking up as much as needed in order to pay bills.

Even today a headline screamed that Millennials are so buried in student loan debt that they cannot afford to buy into the American dream. It’s a story I have heard for quite a few years now, and it’s a story that, if it is absolutely positively true, could have lasting implications for, and repercussions on, the US economy.

But wait just a second now. Stop with the gloom and doom! I have also seen a recent report completely debunking the legend of Millennials and their resistance to doing what previous generations did. In fact, once a slew of demographic and other variables were controlled for, they showed virtually little difference at all from previous generations. As it turns out, they are flocking to the suburbs just like their parents did.

The funny thing is, both of the headlines may indeed be true.

How’s that, DrG? This sounds like two witnesses on opposite street corners describing an automobile accident. They are both describing the same event, but from different perspectives, yet you would think that they were entirely different collisions.

And herein lies the rub (and also my Mama’s snappy little remark). We may very well be talking about people at opposite ends of the Millennium spectrum, which spans from roughly 1980 to 1996. Yes, those in their 20s are saddled with thousands of dollars of student loans. They have put off marriage (and probably wisely so), and are bootstrapping their way through life, even boomeranging to Mom and Dad in some cases.

But once they do get married (because vows of celibacy have never really made headlines, in spite of Tinder-induced depression), that’s when things start to change. And that’s when they start to do just like I did, which was the slow, inexorable transformation into becoming my parents.

At least I lived long enough for that.

Sure, there will always be some folks who choose to live in center city, and even raise families there. As it turns out, though, many opt for a house, which, in most cases these days, is out in the suburbs. And when you live in the ‘burbs, a car is pretty much a necessity, if not two of them. Just wait until your kids turn 16 and you need to buy them a car, too.

The findings to the contrary are actually good news for the economy, because each purchase of a house signifies dozens of related household purchases, including furniture, appliances, drapers, and more. Each car means a few more autoworkers are employed, even if it means our roads are more congested.

The trick for marketers, though, is figuring out how work with two very divergent ends of a generational cohort. As with all cohorts, the young and old within it are often very different. I came near the end of the Boomers, which ran from 1946 to 1964. Those who were born nine months after their Mom and/or Dad returned from WWII grew up in the Happy Days of the 50s, whereas I grew up in the Vietnam era. Woodstock, anyone?

In spite of it all, we all kind of grew together as we got older, just as the Millennials will do. For now, though, it means emphasis on an urban lifestyle and its trappings for those just starting out, those weighed down with debt, and only a few bucks for Uber and public transportation. And for those who are finding their stride and family ways by their 30s can be marketed to like generations before, with the same kinds of things I needed 30 years ago.

Starter homes of 1800 square feet. Two-car garage. Small front and back yards. Sufficient tech conveniences to keep it relevant. Enough indoor and outdoor space for the kids to play and the adults to be neighborly. Doing just like their parents did, but with lots more plugs and USB ports. They lived long enough.

Which sounds remarkably like my Mama predicted. Now you younguns reading this, just remember to keep your nose to the grindstone, and if you listen real carefully, you might just hear my Mama’s voice. I know I do, each and every day. And it’s OK if I became my parents.

It may be the American Way, but it’s also my way of blessing them even after they are gone. They did well, and so did I...but because of them.

At least that’s what Mama said.

Dr “She Was Always Right“ Gerlich

Listen: https://soundcloud.com/nickgerlich/mama-said

#marketing #Millennials #homes #cars #student loans

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deniscollins · 4 years

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Another Casualty of the Coronavirus: Summer Internships

For millions of college students, internships can be a steppingstone to full-time work, a vital source of income and on-the-job experience that leads to future employment, have been upended by the pandemic, as jobs have been reduced or now done remotely. If you were responsible for your company’s annual internship program, what would you do: (1) rescind offers and cancel all summer internships, (2) redesign them to be done remotely, (3) defer internships to the fall or next year, (4) skip the internship and offer full-time job after 2021 graduation, or (5) something else, if so, what?

When she found out in mid-March that she had landed an internship with an education nonprofit in Washington, Lydia Burns, a senior at the University of Louisville, called her mother to celebrate. The whole world was falling apart, but here, finally, was good news.

“Mom, guess what?” she said. “Things are amazing!”

The euphoria lasted all of a week. As she worked on a paper the next Tuesday, Ms. Burns got an email from the nonprofit: The internship was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. She burst into tears.

“I feel like I had such a strong plan,” she said. “I knew what I was going to do — I had been working for it all of college. Now I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

For millions of college students, internships can be a steppingstone to full-time work, a vital source of income and even a graduation requirement.

But like so much else, summer internships have been upended by the pandemic, with a wide range of major companies, including tech firms like Yelp and entertainment behemoths like the Walt Disney Company, canceling programs and rescinding offers.

Students who had locked down internships as early as September are now jobless. Others who had hoped to experience an office setting for the first time are instead looking for work at fast-food restaurants. Many low-income undergraduates, already saddled with student loans, are concerned that a jobless summer could put them at a disadvantage in future application cycles, making it harder to find full-time work after graduation.

Some companies are continuing to pay interns to work from home, sending corporate laptops in the mail and holding get-to-know-you sessions over Zoom. But students fear that remote internships will not afford the networking opportunities that can make spending a summer in an office so valuable, especially for interns who have few professional contacts.

“You pick up a lot of subtle clues about how to behave in that profession, how to communicate like an engineer, how to work in teams like a nurse,” said Matthew Hora, an education professor at the University of Wisconsin who has studied internships. “Students are going to be missing that.”

Cassandra Dopp, a junior at the University of South Carolina, felt the effects of the pandemic earlier than most American college students: She was studying abroad in Rome when the coronavirus swept Italy.

Ms. Dopp, a business major, returned home in March and was set to work for Geico this summer at the company’s headquarters in Fredericksburg, Va. But as she sat in her childhood bedroom last month, Ms. Dopp got a call from a human-relations official at the company, who informed her the internship was canceled.

Many of her friends had already gotten similar calls. But Ms. Dopp has always prided herself on keeping organized and planning for the future. Now, she has no idea how she’ll stay occupied after final exams, let alone what she’ll do in July or August.

“I’d never put myself in this position to not have a plan for my summer and my future,” she said. “It was a big letdown. It’s disappointing.”

In a statement, Geico said its summer program rotates interns through multiple departments to expose them to different facets of the company. “Unfortunately,” the company said, “this experience was not possible in our current remote working environment.”

Many of the cancellations stem from those kinds of logistical challenges, or from cost-cutting at companies that are reeling from the economic damage of the pandemic. In other cases, students were hired to work at sports venues and political conventions, or help organize events that have been canceled.

Keri Johnson, a journalism student at Ohio University, landed what she described as a “dream” internship writing marketing material for the Nelsonville Music Festival in Ohio. Then the festival was canceled, along with many other cultural events, like South by Southwest.

Ms. Johnson has to intern for at least 200 hours to earn her journalism degree in the fall. With the festival canceled, she’s concerned she will have to push back her graduation, making it harder to find a job and putting financial strain on her family.

“Summer is the time I get to work as much as possible because I’m not in class,” Ms. Johnson said. “It’s kind of scary thinking about the fact that I won’t be able to work in the summer as much as I normally would.”

The cancellations have cut across virtually all industries, from media to technology to finance. But predictably, the industries that have suffered the most during the pandemic — travel, retailing, hospitality — have had especially large numbers of cancellations.

Connor Machon, a sophomore at the University of Texas at Austin, accepted an internship at American Airlines in late September, turning down several other offers. He got his first inkling that the program might be in jeopardy when a friend who was set to work at Southwest Airlines had an offer rescinded in March.

A few days later, he learned that his internship was also being cut. Over the next weeks, Mr. Machon kept busy applying for dozens of other positions and sending more than 100 networking emails. Ultimately, he secured an internship at a start-up in Austin, earning $15 an hour.

“At this point, I was really open to anything, as long as I was being paid,” he said.

Not all internships are canceled. A number of banks and technology firms have simply shortened their programs by a few weeks. Media organizations like The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal gave some summer interns the option of deferring until the fall or next year.

Offering perhaps the sweetest arrangement is the New York law firm Cahill Gordon & Reindel, which announced in April that the incoming summer associates would not have to work but would still be paid and still receive full-time offers after their graduation in 2021.

Other companies have moved their internships entirely online. In early April, a recruiter at eBay, Cindy Loggins, presented a series of options to top executives, like shortening the program or holding it remotely.

Given all the uncertainty, a total cancellation was also a serious possibility. “You’d be silly not to consider that as an option,” Ms. Loggins said.

In the end, the company moved the internship online. But a remote program presents certain logistical difficulties, like combating “screen fatigue” and devising work schedules for interns who live in different time zones.

To address any problems, Ms. Loggins said, her team plans to conduct weekly check-ins with each of the interns, rather than the midpoint and end-of-program meetings eBay has held in the past. But some rites of passage will be impossible to replace.

“Perhaps I’m getting up to go somewhere and the intern says: ‘Hey, where are you going? Can we grab lunch?’” Ms. Loggins said. “That’s what we’re going to miss in this summer.”

Many students will also miss the chance to spend a couple of months in the real world, away from the cloistered environment of a college campus.

Irene Vázquez, a junior at Yale, is interning for a small publisher based in New York. Months ago, Ms. Vázquez had envisioned the summer as a test to “see if the whole East Coast tiny apartment thing was going to be viable down the road.” Instead, she’s going to spend the summer working remotely from her childhood home in Texas.

“I could be much worse off,” she said. “But it’s certainly not the experience I had planned.”

#Internships

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sunshinelucky1 · 5 years

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A Guide to Purchasing Investment Properties

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josephkitchen0 · 5 years

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Micro Homes: Tiny House, Big Idea, Huge Ambition

By Jerri L. Cook – Micro homes are becoming more and more popular as people are turning towards a smaller, less complicated lifestyle. Some folks embrace the idea of sustainability early in their childhood. Others come to embrace sustainability only after the rug is yanked out from under them, leaving them face down on the hard floor of reality. For these folks, sustainability, the practice of mindful resource management, is embraced as they struggle to get back on their feet. For these people, when they discover sustainability, they discover a purpose, and a tiny house may be just the answer.

Before the economic collapse of 2008, Randy Jones was riding high on a wave of economic bliss. A successful builder for more than 25 years, he was also the owner of a resort on 450 scenic acres in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. With 80 upscale cabins, he was benefiting from the burgeoning economy. The well-heeled would bring their families for vacation and their colleagues for working weekends. But financial waves, like ocean waves, eventually collapse.

Randy rode the wave all the way to the rocky end. By 2009, he had nothing left but an old pickup truck. Everything else had been lost to the bank. For the better part of three years, he wandered from job to job, barely eking out a living. Then, in 2012 he was driving around town looking for odd jobs, when he found one – micro homes – that would change the trajectory of his life.

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He drove by an unkempt salvage yard, where he noticed a dump truck and a forklift that he thought he could use. He didn’t have any money to buy the equipment, but he could work. He traded his labor for the pair, as well as any usable lumber he found lying around. Working alone, it took him days but when he was finished, he had a working dump truck and forklift, and loads of lumber that he wasn’t quite sure what to do with. Initially, the plan was to sell it all and use the case to fund a building project, but that’s when Randy Jones found out about the tiny homes movement, a promising trend promoting sustainable housing and environmental practices through building and occupying of micro homes. Neither he nor the tiny house movement would ever be the same.

Developers in Illinois resized a lot to include one small enough for a tiny home like this, roughly 400 square feet, roughly the average size of a house in America before World War II.

MICRO HOMES: ALL AMERICAN TINY HOUSES

During a period spanning the late 18th and early 20th centuries, the average size of a home in the United States was 450 square feet. In the decades following World War II, the average size of a home in the United States grew to a whopping 2,300 square feet. As the square footage grew, so did the cost of buying and maintaining these enormous properties, aptly dubbed McMansions due to their similarities in floor plans and appearance. Up until 2008, the cost of these large homes was covered by a booming economy that everyone seemed to think would continue indefinitely. The American homeowner was in the money. But when the wave collapsed, it left countless families mired in debt and on the brink of homelessness, struggling to find a place to rent. In the wake of the economic collapse, many former homeowners had given up on ever owning a home again in their lifetime, while those who had never owned a home became resigned to the fact that they never would.

But in late 2012, word started to get around on social media about a man named Jay Schafer in California who had designed and lived in a 96 square foot house on wheels. It wasn’t long before Schafer began building micro homes for others. Built on a standard trailer bed, these micro homes were inexpensive, self-contained and moveable. Unlike the tiny homes featured on Tiny House Nation on FYI every week that often exceeded $350,000, the moveable micro homes were affordable, even for those Californians who were kept out of the real estate market because they couldn’t meet the income requirements.

Even though they were reasonably priced by California standards, starting at $57,000 for a 117 sq. ft. home, the cost remained out-of-reach for those who live far outside of the Golden State. Lower income people outside of California might have been permanently priced out of the tiny house movement if Randy Jones hadn’t happened by that messy old salvage yard in 2012.

These tiny houses, which are only 110 square feet, are available to rent in California.

MICRO HOMES: RANDY GOES SMALL

Randy Jones learned about the tiny house movement that was gaining in popularity on the West Coast shortly after he made the trade with the salvage yard owner for the equipment and lumber. He sold part of the lumber and built a prototype tiny home of his own for around $4,000. He made a reasonable profit when he sold it, and before he knew it, he had made three more. Randy began to see tiny houses as more than just a way to make a living. He soon saw it as a way to make a sustainable living while helping others and the planet.

In 2014 Randy officially went into business again.

“I hired a young guy with a family to help me,” Jones said. “We don’t have any fancy facilities. It’s just a couple of guys out in a field in Tennessee, but I’m able to pay him a wage that he can support his family on.”

His new venture, Incredible Tiny Homes, is the only one of its kind in the United States. Like the first tiny home he made out of the lumber that he bartered for at the salvage yard, all of Randy’s homes are made from re-purposed items, ensuring that no two are the same and keeping the cost of construction under control. Using salvaged barn doors, discarded building materials, and anything else that will enhance his houses, Randy offers a an affordable, self-contained, off-grid tiny house starting at $25,000. Customers can come to Morristown, Tennessee, to pick up their home, or Randy will arrange for delivery at an additional charge.

Of course, if someone wants marble counter tops or custom oak cabinets, the price can go higher. But as Randy points out, the driving forces behind the tiny house movement are economic responsibility and effective personal resource management. “The whole point is to downsize on purpose, not like what happened back in 2008 when it was done for everyone. It’s about creating communities and living sustainably within them.” If you’re looking for luxury over comfortable practicality, off-grid tiny houses are probably not for you. But if you’re looking to learn how to build an energy-efficient home and live more sustainably, then this is the perfect opportunity for you.

Randy’s off-grid homes are being used across the country by people who want the security of owning their own home but who refuse to be saddled with excessive debt. “I built one for one gal—a single mom with two kids—and they’re living off-grid on a tiny parcel in Texas,” says Randy. “I’ve got houses in Chicago, right in the city limits, and in Durham, North Carolina, too. They’re perfect for anyone who is interested in an off the grid home.”

Of course, local zoning laws could operate to keep someone from living in a tiny house, even on their own land. But as Randy points out, “Most municipalities don’t know how to classify tiny houses. They’re not RVs. They’re built like homes. They are homes. Full-time homes. Not recreational vehicles.”

He views this lack of classification as an opportunity to educate state and local officials on the value tiny homes bring to a community.

“We had one community that had an ordinance prohibiting campers and RVs from parking on residential lots,” he said. “But when the board saw our home, they decided to allow it because it was aesthetically pleasing and added to the look and feel of the community.”

Turning old buildings into small homes is just one way to conserve space, and provide additional business opportunities on your property for tourists through online rental services.

MICRO HOMES: TINY HOME, BIG DECISION

Before making the decision to live more sustainably by living small, be sure to consider all the potential issues, even the ones that might weigh against the decision. A good resource for getting started is Tiny House Talk. Maintained by micro homes aficionado Alex Pino, the site has hundreds of articles and resources on tiny house living.

People who have made the switch to tiny homes, regardless of what walk of life they come from, universally offer the same advice—ease into it. Those who have made the successful transition to smaller footage did so over a period of months by getting rid of things they didn’t need and adjusting their lifestyle to accommodate fewer possessions.

Another thing to consider is the limited storage space. Those who grow and preserve their own food using various food preservation methods will need to make separate storage provisions.

Weather can also be an issue when choosing a site for your tiny home. Because of their size, tiny homes on wheels are susceptible to strong winds. Placing one on top of a wind-swept vista is probably not a good idea.

MICRO HOMES: GETTING YOURS

Not everyone can pay for an off-grid tiny house with cash, but those who are fiscally responsible will find that several sources of financing exists to assist them. The tiny house trend has caught the attention of major lenders and their subsidiaries. LightStream, a division of SunTrust Bank, will loan people with good credit ratings up to $100,000 for a small home.

Non-traditional sources of financing also exist to help people buy the tiny home of their dreams. Tiny House Talk offers a free newsletter that allows investors to connect with borrowers. Those seeking financing can apply for up to $25,000 in funds to purchase or build their tiny home. Another source of financing is Tiny House Lending at www.tinyhouselending.com. This site also helps buyers find financing up to $100,000.

Even though tiny homes aren’t for everyone, they offer a path to a sustainable lifestyle by promoting meaningful resource management. Shrugged off as just another California trend a few years ago, the small house movement promises to open paths to self-sufficiency for millions of people who would otherwise be trapped on the jagged rocks of financial ruin, held there by wave after wave of poor fiscal policies that they cannot control.

Originally published in Countryside July / August 2016 and regularly vetted for accuracy.

Micro Homes: Tiny House, Big Idea, Huge Ambition was originally posted by All About Chickens

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thegloober · 6 years

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Why I Have Life Insurance – 10 Reasons to Buy a Life Insurance Policy

Life insurance is one of those topics few people even want to think about, much less take the time to research the different types of life insurance policies, get quotes, and go through the process of buying a policy. Buying life insurance can be a hassle and it is something many people put off for too long (sometimes forever).

But I don’t think about life insurance that way. To me, life insurance gives me peace of mind, knowing that my family will be taken care of if something happens to me. And even though I am the primary breadwinner in our family, we maintain a life insurance policy on my spouse as well. We have a policy on my wife to help cover any final expenses policies that might arise, as well as to help offset the cost of her contributions to our household.

Should something happen to me or my wife, our respective life insurance policies would provide enough money to help us to maintain our current standard of living. That gives us a lot of comforts and freedom to pursue our life on our terms. In my opinion, life insurance is an essential part of a comprehensive financial plan.

Why I Have Life Insurance

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This photo speaks volumes to me. This is my family and I on vacation in Hawaii a couple years ago.

I want my family to know that I will always be there for them. And I will. Even if the worst happens to me, they will always have the memories we made together. And their financial needs will also be taken care of. I can rest easy knowing they will be provided for, even if I pass away at a young age – my life insurance policy and our current investments will see to that.

We have a life insurance policy for my wife for the same reasons. The money would never be able to replace her contributions to our family and our household. But having that policy in place would make certain things easier, such as paying for childcare or paying for additional help around the house.

Reasons to Buy Life Insurance

Everyone has different needs when it comes to life insurance. My primary goal is to provide for my family if I pass away.

I bought my first life insurance policy when I learned my wife was pregnant. I bought a 30-year term life policy, and continue to make payments on it today. I bought a large policy and have periodically reviewed my coverage to ensure it still meets our needs (it does).

If you are on the fence about buying a life insurance policy, I encourage you to think about what it would mean to your survivors if you were to pass away without a life insurance policy in place.

Would they be OK from a financial standpoint?

Could they continue living their lives with the same standard of living?

Would they have to downsize their home, sell their possessions, skip out on college or take out substantial student loan debt?

Would they be saddled with final expenses, such as medical bills or funeral expenses?

Would they have to change their life plans? (go back to work, take a second job, work longer before retiring).

When I ask myself these questions, it becomes evident that I absolutely need a life insurance policy. Having one gives me peace of mind and helps me sleep better at night. And my family knows that they will be covered in the event the worst happens.

Common Reasons to Buy Life Insurance:

In addition to providing for your survivors, there are many other reasons to buy a life insurance policy. Here are just a few of many:

To Cover Final Expenses (Medical & Burial Expenses): Medical bills and funeral expenses can easily run into the thousands of dollars. Hopefully, you will have medical insurance. But it may not cover everything. The average funeral now costs over $10,000. Some people choose to buy a burial insurance policy or final expense insurance. While a final expense policy may be helpful, it may not be adequate for your family’s other financial needs.

To Replace a Primary Income: I am the primary income earner in our family. And my family would not be able to cover our regular bills without my monthly income. But our life insurance policy would cover the outstanding balance on our mortgage and leave enough to help pay for living expenses for the next 20 years or so – until my wife would be able to start making penalty-free withdrawals from our retirement accounts.

To Cover the Cost of a Spouse’s Contributions: It’s a good idea to have life insurance coverage on a stay at home spouse, even if they don’t earn much (or any) income. Stay at home spouses often contribute in a wide variety of ways, including child care, running the household, cooking, cleaning, etc. You might be able to do it on your own, but having the financial means to hire help when needed can make a huge difference. This is especially important if you have children that haven’t yet begun attending school. Childcare is very expensive.

To Pay for Children’s Expenses: This includes childcare, as well as other school age needs, such as activities, sports, music, tutoring, or anything else that may crop up during a childhood. And of course, don’t forget about college expenses. College may be a ways off for your children, or it might be right around the corner. Either way, it’s very expensive. Having a life insurance policy may mean the difference between your child being able to attend college without worrying about the cost, or skipping college or taking out large student loans.

To Pay Off Any Outstanding Debts. Thankfully, my wife and I don’t have any consumer debt. Our only outstanding obligation is our mortgage. As I mentioned above, my policy is enough to pay off the balance, and still have some left over for bridging the gap between now and retirement. But each situation is different, so I recommend you look at any outstanding debts you may have and consider those when determining how much life insurance you need. Being able to pay off all debts would give your family a fresh start should the worst happen.

Another way to look at buying a life insurance policy – the last thing I would want to do is to pass away and leave my family holding the bag for debts that I owed.

Additional Reasons to Buy Life Insurance (Case by Case):

The above reasons apply to many common situations. But some people have additional reasons to consider a life insurance policy. Some of these include:

To Pay for Long-term Care for Special Needs Children. You may want to consider a large life insurance policy if your income is needed to support dependents long after your working life. This could include a child or someone else with special needs who will not able to support themselves. This is one of the few times when a whole life insurance policy is recommended over a term life policy, since the coverage may be needed to support a future generation.

To Buy Out a Business Partner’s Interest. Many business partners take out a life insurance policy on their partner to help ensure a more stable transition in the event one of the partners passes away while the business is still operating. This is often coupled with a buy-sell agreement that is triggered in the event of one partner’s death. This can help the business continue without trying to find a buyer for either the entire business or for the deceased partner’s shares. This also prevents the heirs from dealing with a business in which they may not have any interest or knowledge. This can be a complicated topic and is worth exploring with the assistance of a legal consultant that specializes in small businesses.

To Cover Estate Taxes. Estate taxes are expensive and can eat away a large percentage of the heir(s)’ inheritance. Many high net worth individuals use life insurance as an estate planning tool and a way to mitigate the cost of their estate taxes. Again, this is a more advanced topic and one that is worth consulting with an estate lawyer. This is also one of the few times that whole life insurance is recommended over term-life, since the policy will be in place through the policyholder’s life, and not just for a fixed term.

Life Insurance is Affordable

This is perhaps the best reason. Life insurance is generally very affordable, unless you have a serious pre-existing medical condition, or have been previously found ineligible for a life insurance policy. Even then, there may be ways you can get some life insurance coverage, through a no-exam policy, a mortgage life insurance policy, or some other types of policies.

Barring those reasons, most people can afford a reasonable life insurance policy that can provide protection should the worst happen. I recommend getting quotes from at least two or three life insurance providers to find the best policy for your needs.

Who Doesn’t Need Life Insurance

There are some people who don’t need life insurance. I didn’t have a life insurance policy on myself until I was married and had a family. Prior to that, there was no one who was relying upon my income for support. My family and friends would have mourned my passing. But no one would have been in the poorhouse from a lack of my income.

That changed when I got married and when my wife and I had our first child. I am currently about 10 years into a 30-year term life insurance policy. I hope to carry that policy until its term, then hopefully be in a position where I can let it lapse. By then, I hope to be financially independent and no longer need a life insurance policy.

By that time, I hope my children are grown, through college, and have families of their own. My mortgage should be more or less paid off by that time, and I hope to have sufficient investments to support myself and my wife for the rest of our lives. If we reach that point, we will no longer need life insurance.

Those two situations sum up the most common situations when you don’t need life insurance – when no one is relying upon your income for support, or you have already won the financial game and your assets or estate can provide for your heirs long after you pass away.

Which Type of Life Insurance Should You Buy?

The argument typically comes down to whole life or term life. The difference is whole life lasts for the person’s entire life, while a term life insurance policy only lasts for the “term” of the policy (often issued in 10, 20, or 30 year periods).

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is often recommended for most common life insurance needs. Term life insurance premiums are less expensive for the same value policy as whole life insurance. And most people don’t need a life insurance policy for their entire lives. If things work out well, your need for insurance will often decrease as you age, because fewer people are relying upon your income to support them.

Many people find they can go without life insurance after they reach a certain stage in life, often at or near retirement. Prior to that, their financial needs are often greater – paying for their mortgage, supporting a family, school and college expenses, saving for retirement, etc.

But financial needs are often less once children have left the home, the mortgage is paid off, and you are no longer saving for retirement. A Term life policy is a good solution for life insurance needs that follow this path.

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance, on the other hand, lasts for your entire life, provided you current on your premiums. There are a couple downsides to whole life insurance, and it often gets a bad rap. But there are also times when it is the best form of life insurance for a specific person or situation.

First, the downsides – whole life insurance premiums are significantly more expensive than term life insurance premiums for the same amount of coverage. Second, many life insurance salesmen peddle whole life insurance as an investment. It’s actually not a good investment. Life insurance and investing should never be mixed. Life insurance should only be used as life insurance.

On the plus side, whole life insurance is good for situations when you will need the life insurance premium for your heirs, regardless of your age when you pass away. Two common situations were mentioned above – caring for a special needs dependent, and for estate planning. These are situations when the higher life insurance premiums are worth paying for the permanent policy that never expires.

Other Types of Life Insurance

There are other types of life insurance, but many of them are overly complicated. And in the financial industry, more complication often means added expense, regardless of whether or not it provides added value. Unfortunately, added expense also equals increased commissions, so some life insurance salesmen try to push these complicated insurance policies because they will make a bigger commission check.

Find your needs, and then work from there. Don’t let a salesman sweet talk you into buying something you don’t need.

How Much Life Insurance Should You Buy?

This is a big topic and one that doesn’t have a one-size-fits-all answer. There are several rules of thumb, such as 10 times annual income. But those types of rules of thumb can be overkill, or woefully inadequate, depending on your situation.

The better way to approach this is to consider what your expenses will be to care for your survivors after you pass away.

Your goal is to help your survivors maintain their quality of life after you are gone. So consider factors such as your current debt (mortgage, cars, student loans, and other loans), expected costs for dependents (daycare age through high school age, activities, college tuition and living expenses, etc.), how much of your income would have been used to support the family, etc.

This should be enough to get you started with the brainstorming process.

We have a full-length article that can help you decide how much life insurance to buy.

Take the time to think this through. Any life insurance is helpful. But it would be better to have adequate life insurance compared to too little.

You can also stack life insurance policies. For example, you can start with a 30-year term life insurance policy. As your needs grow, you can add another 20-year policy, then a 10-year policy. Or any combination, really.

This concept is becoming more popular and is recommended by Ladder Life, a life insurance company that allows members to add or remove life insurance policies as needed. This makes planning easier for many situations. You can learn more at the Ladder Life website.

In Summary – You Probably Need Life Insurance

We covered the two common situations when you don’t need a life insurance policy – when you have no one that needs your income for support, and when your assets are large enough to provide for your survivors long after you are gone.

Outside of those two situations, you probably need a life insurance policy. How much life insurance you need will completely depend on your situation. So I encourage you to run the numbers and do some deep thinking to come up with a number that makes sense for your situation.

As for the type of life insurance, term life is the best fit for most common life insurance needs. The monthly premiums are less expensive than whole life insurance premiums and hopefully, the policy will last until you no longer need life insurance as part of your overall financial plan.

If you anticipate needing life insurance for longer-term needs, then consider a whole life insurance policy. Just be sure not to confuse it with an investment policy. It’s not. It’s simply a life insurance policy with no expiration date. You’ll pay more for that privilege, but it may be worth it to help maintain your family’s lifestyle or support your estate after you pass away.

Next Steps – Take Action

I hope this gets you thinking. I want you to do two things if you think you need life insurance:

Think about how much life insurance you need.

Get a life insurance quote or two. You will be surprised at how affordable life insurance can be.

You can get started with a company such as HavenLife, Ladder Life, USAA, or others.

Here’s hoping you never need it.

The post Why I Have Life Insurance – 10 Reasons to Buy a Life Insurance Policy appeared first on Cash Money Life | Personal Finance, Investing, & Career.

Source: https://bloghyped.com/why-i-have-life-insurance-10-reasons-to-buy-a-life-insurance-policy/

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Dryden Washington Cheap car insurance quotes zip 98821

"Dryden Washington Cheap car insurance quotes zip 98821

Dryden Washington Cheap car insurance quotes zip 98821

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The other day I recieved a letter in the mail that said I need to go get my car insured or it could be suspended. I want to get the cheapest insurance possible (state minimum). What company has the cheapest insurance and how much can I expect to pay per month?

What is my insurance going to cost?

I'm going to get my license when i turn 18 (yes the day I turn 18) and I was just now thinking abt insurance. I've never really thought about it before. So can those who have been through the getting insurance thing help me? Here's some things to add up: 1. First time driver (litterly just got license and vehicle) 2. Did not do a drivers ed at a high school (heard it costs more if u don't take it) 3. Going to drive a big 4x4 diesel truck 4. I'm a male And that's abt it I guess. Idk what insurance company I'll be using. Probably my moms insurance company. But I don't know what it is. Also. The insurance will not be under her name (if she can even do that) because I'll be an 18 year old adult. How much is insurance going to cost every month? Thanks

""How much is a speeding ,no insurance,and without id ticket can cost in Augusta Georgia?""

my daughter was caught speeding,no license,no insurance,how much does the tickets total?""

Im a 16 year old and got my drivers license how long should i wait to get my motorcycle license?

Since im 16 and got my license. if i wait will the cost of motorcycle insurance go down? if so by about how much?

Must you have insurance if you are a driver in the state of Nevada?

I'm a driver in California, under the age of 21. I don't have a car that I own nor am I put on the other cars that my parents own and don't wish to be on them. If I am not planning on driving any time, do I still need to have insurance because I have a driver's license? If you have an answer, I would appreciate a link as well to look on.""

Is it normal for a teen to pay insurance before owning a car?

My boyfriend (since he got his license at 16 before he had his own car) has been paying $200 a month on insurance because his parents said he had to. My question is, did he have to pay insurance even when he didnt own a car?""

Renters insurance in California?

What does renters insurance cover? I'm renting a room from a friend but want my own insurance to cover personal injury without using the homeowner's coverage as well as if something gets accidently damaged by me for it to be covered. Is this included in renters insurance?

Where Could I find affordable dental and vision insurance for individuals?

in wisconsin western area

I got into a car accident like 2 weeks ago and i havent recieved a rent a car from the insurance company??????

I havent recieved a rentacar from the insurance company i didnt have insurance since the car was no more that 3 hours new to me i had just bought it. It was cansidered a total lose from the insurance what should i do.

How much is car insurance for a 16 year old now?

hi im sixteen i dont know where to look for the amount every site i go too wants too much information if you can find one for me my zip is 17325 or give me an estimate. thanks!

Car insurance !! HELP MEEEEE?

right, i cant find any cheap car insurance but my step dad said i can go on his and it should be alot cheaper ( just for a few yeatrs to save up abit ) but my car is in my name, do i need to change my car into his name ?? Pleasee help be Thank youuu !! xxxxxxx""

My dentist wants me to pay up front and have my insurance company reimburse ME?

I just went to the dentist today and had a filling. I have dental insurance, but the dentist wanted payment up front for the services. The receptionist said they require payment in full for the services on the day of service, and then they will send the insurance claim in to the company and eventually I will receive a reimbursement check. Isn't that what INSURANCE IS FOR??? So you DON'T have to pay????? I don't handle the cash in my family, so after much arguing about requiring payment up front, the receptionist agreed to let me walk out withouth paying, but expects me to have my husband pay by tomorrow. It just doesn't seem right that the dentist gets cash up front for the work, and then makes ME wait to get reimbursed by the insurance company... what the heck?""

Best Car Insurance for 17 year old.?

I'm a 17 year old male. My GPA is just below 3.0 last time I checked it. I think its somewhere around 2.5. I've had my license for almost 10 months now. I've been driving for a year and a half, no accidents. Nothing like that I'm a good driver than most crazed kids my age. With my job I currently make about 150 every two weeks I hope that goes up once summer comes around. My grandmother wants to put me on her car insurance and she told me that the car I plan on buying would have to be in her name, and I'm ok with that. When I buy it do I get both our names on the title. She has metlife and my mom has gieco which is the better of the two. And how can I work it out so they dont have to worry about it if i was on there insurance i would pay my part but i want the cheapest possible and im wondering what to expect for a down payment and monthly rates. Thank you If it helps I plan on buying a 2001 Chevy Cavalier and yes its a 2 door so my rates will probably be higher.""

Dryden Washington Cheap car insurance quotes zip 98821

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/what-your-gas-millage-insurance-2006-toyota-prius-daniel-richards/"

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theliterateape · 6 years

Text

American Shithole #2 — How Deep Is Our Shithole?

by Eric Wilson

Ugh, what a week already.

I have entertained adding the occasional silver lining/ray of sunshine to a column that could likely depress more often than elate. This would require a subheading. American Shithole: Turds of Wisdom, or American Shithole: Kernels of Truth, perhaps.

Or, American Shithole: I Just Can’t, Today.

If I do include any rose-tinted hangover editions, they will be few and far between, because this country is a hot mess on a lost weekend. America has tossed its keys in the sewage drain, taken its shirt off, and is wandering around a Walmart somewhere with one flip-flop on, looking for paint thinner.

What’s worse is that when we survive this administration, a lot of our issues will still be here. They were here long before too many of us got drunk on fear, populism and stupidity.

So I watched the State of the Union, and if you had happened to be listening from the next room, you would have been privy to cackles, expletives, and you might have even heard an eye-roll. The President did actually address a few of the following issues that ultimately he will do nothing about:

Our infrastructure is indeed collapsing, as it has been for decades. Our interstates and bridges are in dangerous disrepair. When the Eisenhower administration — a republican administration mind you — set in motion a tax plan requiring the wealthy to shoulder significant expense for new infrastructure, the plutocrats in response undermined middle-class and poor families for three generations; in what has become an ongoing effort to maintain a conservative voting bloc by pitting Americans against each other.

We haven’t adequately invested in infrastructure since.

Public schools have been shortchanged at every turn by the ruling class. It only requires a reporter to shove a microphone into the face of a Trump supporter for evidence of an undervalued education. Or, if you are feeling particularly courageous, a Jimmy Kimmel street interview.

The only true danger to any aristocracy has always been an educated and well-informed populace. We’ve had nearly three generations now of Americans voting against their own self-interests, and the dumbing-down of rural America in particular seems to be worsening.

Healthcare is a joke without a punchline. If keeping the citizenry ignorant isn’t sufficient, or if you can’t keep them all dumb enough, then keep them scared for their lives. Nothing works better — if scaring the shit out of people is your intent — than the indifferent bureaucracy of insurance companies and America’s special brand of super-capitalism strip-mining human misery for market value.

The real danger posed by Obamacare is that it offered hope to the hopeless. It is as if the healthcare available prior to the Affordable Care Act — basically unaffordable access to bottom-of-the-barrel health services, and the crippling debt that still somehow followed — was expected to be taken as a blessing, a kindness from our benevolent benefactors, and not an insidious effort to leverage struggling Americans into quiet submission.

Powerful people like the Koch brothers were very angry that the poor and needy of our country were able to taste the merest hint of true freedom that Universal Healthcare would provide.

This too is the ultimate function of student loans, where America stands again as an outlier, saddling our best and brightest young people with an albatross right out of the gate. The only purpose of these enormous debt burdens on our youth is to create leverage and fear.

Speaking of scholastic environments, as of January 23rd we have had eleven school shootings this year. This year that started, this month. Eleven. That’s more than the rest of the western world’s countries combined. Let that sink in a moment — if anything can sink in amidst this ceaseless maelstrom of fear, greed, lies, horrific violence, and profound stupidity.

“Where’d you get your figures, Librul?”

We have access to data for school shootings worldwide, for one, because these atrocities rarely happen anywhere else — I am assuming this is because in non-shithole countries, the images of your own dead children in classrooms is so fucking horrific, people actually do something about it.

Or we could just keep flooding our communities with bump stocks and military-grade assault weaponry, because you know, freedom.

We are one of the only western countries where opioids are only available from a physician, and somehow unrelated, we are the only country suffering from a catastrophic opioid addiction crisis. A crippling death sentence that has no geographical, class or racial barriers has already shuffled a few of my favorite artists off this mortal coil. I guess that song I wrote for Tom Petty “Running Down a Fentanyl Prescription” will have to remain unrecorded gold.

The situation is already so toxic in some smaller communities that literally no family has been left unchallenged and unchanged. Why are rural communities hit hardest? Infrastructure, in part. Everything is connected.

Drug distributors that saturated this small West Virginia town with 20 million painkillers probably sleep like kittens.

Weaving like a drunk on a highway throughout this quagmire of poverty, ignorance, poor health, drug addiction and despair, we have our embarrassing legacy of racism and prejudice. Thriving, it seems, in the basements of weary mothers everywhere. Along with a disgusting resurgence of misogyny that I was not expecting either — certainly not from those significantly younger than I am. Throat-punching these mongoloid fucks should be considered civic duty.

And then we have men, some once-revered, that turned out to be rapists — that have in some cases, systematically abused power and position over the course of decades. If the situation were normal, I would probably take weeks to unpack how disappointed; disgusted I feel by Charlie Rose, and others I admired. Or even linger over the Schadenfreude I have experienced for shit-bags I never liked in the first place. I’m looking at you, Matt Lauer.

We just don’t have the time to reflect, not these days.

Ultimately, in Machiavellian fashion, moderating and doling out most of this misery we have the billionaires, whose lives are so far removed from anything remotely representing normal human existence, it begs the question: who are these greedy fucking assholes? In my opinion, billionaires are the real dead weight for humanity. Dead weight created in a soulless economic construct gone haywire.

A report in Newsweek recently shared some numbers that I find most troubling for a group of people I already despise. If the billionaires of the world were to share just 1/7th of what they earned this past year — not the billions they already horde, just 15% or so of what they accumulated on top of that this year — extreme poverty and starvation would end.

Instead, the Koch brothers will invest more than they ever have before in an attempt to win 2018 elections for the republicans that they have already pocketed long ago. All just to stay as rich as possible. That is what this has always been about. This is about obscenely overvalued gluttons staying obscenely overvalued, no matter the human suffering.

We — and by “we” I mean those of us that are influenced by generosity and compassion, and some sense of fucking decency — must truly resist. We must find ways to rise above our own instincts as Americans; with our seemingly ingrained worship of the ultra-rich. Look, I don’t want to have to keep breaking it to you, but these guys are fucking assholes.

These (547 or so) comically overvalued and overpowered individuals aren’t all evil, but the damage done by the worst among them (Koch Brothers, Mercers, etc.) is incalculable. There is also the stifling effect of having that much value out of circulation; even if they weren’t guilty of tampering with American politics — creating the Tea Party, for example — their greed manifested is strangulating the pursuit of happiness for nearly everyone else.

On top of the heap we have Trump — dumbest, luckiest douchebag of them all. Faux billionaire, if there ever was one. The Giant Orange Idiot is nearly universally despised by friend and foe alike — with the notable exception of his base, that bastion of intelligence worried about brown people coming to take their dirt piles. Hey Cletus, no one is coming for your fucking shitty dirt pile in Bumblefuck Nowhere, U.S.A.

Trump also has the support of the evangelicals, who as I have stated, are one rung above the flat-earthers in problem-solving and critical thinking capabilities.

If we continue down this path, the United States is in danger of becoming this century’s answer to Nazi Germany, or at least an oligarchical, nationalist, modern-day version of it. And if you think that’s bombastic, then I suggest you review your history books, and perhaps take another look around you right now. This hollowed-out husk of an American Dream — is ripe to turn dystopian nightmare — and that is something to which I hope we will not silently bear witness.

Before this starts reading like a manifesto, or a really painful civics report, I think it’s time to wrap this one up. What can I say? Being forced to watch Trump speak for 90 minutes makes me chatty. Or barfy. Yes, by Thursday’s posting, I am sure that the memo has already blown up. Be strong my beautiful brothers and sisters. Find your line, and fucking hold it.

I would like to close with a pleasant thought that came to me a year ago now:

There will come a day, perhaps you’ll be on a date or spending the evening with a good friend, you’ll be enjoying a quiet exchange over a comforting meal, and the conversation will turn. One of you will inhale sharply and say, “wow, we haven’t heard that name in a while.”

A moment of silence may pass with reflection. You’ll both sigh, perhaps grin, and that grin might broaden into a smile.

I don’t know what year it’s going to be. I don’t know if I will live to see it, but the collective ‘we’ are going to have this moment. It’s going to be a magical moment.

I hope this thought brings you some comfort, my fellow Americans.

Stay tuned next week for American Shithole: Skid Marks of Justice?

#State of the Union

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