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re: Who is ready for the next big financial crisis?

Posted on 12/19/15 at 8:47 am to
Posted by Pigfeet
Ark Mods are Fascists
Member since Mar 2010
19783 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 8:47 am to
I wouldn't want to be there again, but that isn't too bad. Just depends on your money flow
Posted by Tantal
Member since Sep 2012
13889 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 9:11 am to
quote:

I have about 2500 in the bank. No 401k. No other accounts. 12k in credit card debt. How fricked am I?


Depends on your age and income. If you're 24 and making decent money it isn't insurmountable. If you're 63 making minimum wage, then your golden years could be painful.
Posted by KTownRebel
Kennesaw, GA
Member since Oct 2014
2854 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 9:23 am to
I make over 50 now. Reason it got the way it is is 2 y ew arsenal ago my wife broke her back. She didn't sign up for disability so she was out of work and I was making probably 23k. Basically lived off credit cards. We are still getting hit with different appointments and things trying to cut. The pain. But I panicked and got my cdl so I could make more money. Hopefully we can dig ourselves out of the hole that we made for ouraelves. Soon.
Posted by KTownRebel
Kennesaw, GA
Member since Oct 2014
2854 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 9:26 am to
I'm only 8 months into driving. Hopefully after I get 2 years experience I can drive for southeastern. Places like that make well but you need 2 years. Walmart you need 3 years and they advertise that they start out making an average of 88k a year. There's money to be made for frick ups like me. I was pissing my life away working dead end jobs just because I could come in hungover. Not to mention I drank my WY right out of college. So excuse me if I am an a-hole on here, it's mostly bitterness and jealousy.
This post was edited on 12/19/15 at 9:27 am
Posted by Stonehog
Platinum Rewards Club
Member since Aug 2011
33330 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 10:24 am to
quote:

I have about 2500 in the bank. No 401k. No other accounts. 12k in credit card debt. How fricked am I?


Your credit score is probably not so good, depending on how many credit card accounts you have open and the balance compared to the credit limit. It's not hard to improve your score though if you can pay some of them off and close the accounts. Or get a card with a promotional deal like no interest on balance transfers for 18 months, and then transfer the balance on a high interest card. That way you're paying off more of the principal every month instead of paying interest.

Ideally you would have two credit cards tops, with the balance no higher than one third of the credit limit. If your balance is higher than one third of the credit limit, your cards are actually working against you and hurting your credit score.
Posted by DesignTiger
Buford, Georgia
Member since Jun 2011
1518 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 12:03 pm to
I'm a millennial and I have little to no savings. I'm 28 and just started a new job. I do have a 401k putting 6% in with a 6% company match. The girlfriend and I are looking to buy a house soon because renting is like throwing over 14k a year away.
Posted by S1C EM
Athens, GA
Member since Nov 2007
11585 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 5:42 pm to
quote:

pay some of them off and close the accounts.


You were right about most of what you said except this. Do NOT close your revolving accounts. If you do this, you will effectively remove years of credit history from your report and this WILL have a negative impact. Pay it off, but keep it open. This is how you increase your AAA (average age of accounts). The longer your established credit history, the better for you. Never close a revolving account if you can avoid it. If nothing else, use it for Christmas buying each year and then pay it off.
Posted by S1C EM
Athens, GA
Member since Nov 2007
11585 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 5:54 pm to
I feel you, man. I worked for 8 years with a state agency, was nearly vested in the state retirement, all was going good. Then lost my job unexpectedly in 2011, a month before my second child was born. Had to cash out my retirement to make ends meet while seeking good, long-term employment again. Haven't had the extra income to really invest again since then, but hopefully will be able to start over within the next year.

I generally have around $2,500 to 4,500 in the bank at any given time, but no real "savings". Fortunately, I inherited a home my mother bought before passing away suddenly a few years ago. She bought it as a short sale and got it for less than half of it's market value and put a bunch down. Have a $248 a month mortgage on that property and it rents for a good $900-1,000. My wife is also an only child, so at some point, she will inherit her parents' home which is a good $1,200-1,500 a month rental property (or enough on a sale to pay off our house by then and have money left over. Hopefully based on all of that, it will work out. I'm now (as of recently) very happily employed in the corporate office of a multi-billion dollar company and I'm hopeful that it will lead to some good career growth in the next few years.

I still may never retire. That said, I'm not sure I'll ever really want to be completely unemployed. A rolling stone and such...
Posted by KTownRebel
Kennesaw, GA
Member since Oct 2014
2854 posts
Posted on 12/19/15 at 7:18 pm to
Wrong. My credit score is actually fantastic. 0 late payments and top rating on everything except my available credit. Which is obvious due to the fact that I owe so much. That's between me and my wife btw. She owes 7k. All for that injury we were trying to stay afloat. Anyway, it is around the 725 zone which is good for someone with no huge purchases and minimal credit available. As soon as I pay it down I will be golden
Posted by Supravol22
Member since Jan 2011
14411 posts
Posted on 12/20/15 at 8:43 am to
I'm 25, married, buying a house and little to no credit card debt. I cashed out my mutual funds for the downpayment and have about 3-4K in true savings (not checking account). I make around 60K a year, wife is a teacher and makes 35K

Not sure what the boomers expect of us when houses are a frick TON more expensive than when you bought your first one.

I know there's idiots in my generation but the constant blame we get from the generation that has put our country into trillions of dollars of debt and outsourced millions of jobs seems extremely hypocritical
Posted by LSU1NSEC
Member since Sep 2007
17243 posts
Posted on 12/20/15 at 2:57 pm to
I'm almost 100% convinced we would have hyper inflation before a deflationary spiral. Banks will protect the bubble at any cost. Not sure how the next crisis will play out but I've been predicting the equities market is about to drop hard.
Posted by bee Rye
New orleans
Member since Jan 2006
33961 posts
Posted on 12/21/15 at 9:37 am to
quote:

Millenials range from 18-34.
I don't like this range. A 34 year old grew up in a completely different age than an 18 year old. 34 year olds can remember a time without cell phones and the internet
Posted by 0jersey
Paradise
Member since Sep 2006
1838 posts
Posted on 12/22/15 at 11:49 am to
You know what's nice about predicting equities will drop hard? At some point you will enevitably be correct. And then they will rise again. It's what the market does. Trying to time it has been proven time after time to be unsuccessful.

If it really does crash and everything truly goes to hell then we will all be in the same boat. The best approach would be to have liquid on hand to buy during the drop and panic. Keep a large enough emergency fund on hand to fund 1-2 yrs of expenses and you can ride out almost anything.

As for the people who are wanting to buy a house-renting is not throwing money away. You always need a place to live and you are not on the hook for maintenance costs of the home. In my opinion it's wise to never view a house as an investment because it truly is more of an expense.
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