So the good news is, I moved over New Years, and am finally neither homeless nor uncertain about the future. The bad news is, my new housemate lived in a fourth floor walkup, and I discovered, painfully, a rich expanse of virgin muscle during my forty or so trips up and down them carrying heavy items.
Hence the Friday-Sunday hiatus. But now, onto a happy New Year for all of us--or so I lightheartedly hope. Normal blogging resumes now.
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Wait... So you avoided blgging, because of some sore muscles? BLOGGING!? Seriously?
Wow. That's quite the cushy gig. I wonder how many union workers have the option of skipping work for a few days because of sore muscles. And I wonder what you would say about work rules that permitted that kind of missed time. How inefficient it would be.
Wow, since you're no longer uncertain about the future, can you share with us what's going to happen?
(I still live in the same place, but I feel completely uncertain about the future.)
Dear Anonymous-Jer--uh, Lurker,
My UAW father's job included paid time off that he used for non-work activities. I don't recall anyone suggesting that Detroit's woes were caused by workers being able to take vacation time to do non-work-related activities.
--CF
I used a paid vacation day, and a weekend, to move. I don't think it's the UAW's crazy two weeks annual leave, and weekend days off, that are the issue.
Good point, Colin: I remain uncertain about virtually every part of my/our future except whose couch I'll be sleeping on this evening.
What Colin Fraizer said. Double.
My goodness, anonymous lurker, berating someone because they don't view their job as a 24-7, always on commitment? Really? What a total herb.
At any rate, hope you're feeling better, Megan, glad to have you back. Hope the new digs are working out.
Wow, I see you've never been over to uaw.org to check out the sweet disablity benifits, have you? And yes, a sore back from moving would get you on disability as part of the 2007 contract included, and I quote:
No apologies for having a life necessary.
No apologies for having a life necessary.
Seriously. The trolls around here really need to stop being so tedious.
Excellent. I was more than a little disturbed by your absence and nearly resorted to expanding the circle of blogs I frequent. I'm quite sure nothing good can come of that.
Thanks for the update on your move, and glad to hear that you're getting settled in your new place.
But what's bothering me- unlike anonymous-lurker-is not your use of a vacation day and the weekend to move; it is the current condition of your Mini Cooper. Did you ever get that thing fixed and properly registered?
Happy things worked out. While you were gone I finally heard the words 'money supply' applied to our current travails. Perked me right up because during the downturns of the 70s we were told that the path to heaven required getting the 'money supply' just right. Various jesuitical economists of course divied it up into M-1 and M-2 and such. A confusing mess. Meanwhile I ended up in my mother-in-law's back bedroom (less desirable than even a 4th floor walkup).
I'm hoping our oracle will explain 'money supply' to us...or at least to me. I definitely don't want my sons-in-law in my back bedroom!!
Thanx & Happy New Year
Best part of buying is not having to move again. Felt like I was moving every other year for a while there. Might I suggest hiring temporary labor to help you move next time.
How does buying reduce the need to move? Does it somehow reduce your chances of being laid off?
I'm curious....
"discovered, painfully, a rich expanse of virgin muscle during my forty or so trips up and down them carrying heavy items."
I've become dirty-minded. At first I thought you meant you'd been busy with a muscular virgin or maybe "no longer virgin."
JMO:
It does not reduce your chance of being laid off, no, but it does eliminate your reliance upon arbitrary landlords, random rent increases, and reduces onerous property restrictions.
Oh, and it's a pretty good investment.
Really? Maybe today it is but I have a friend who just bought a place for $235k that sold in 2003 for 299k. So the seller lost 64k plus all the extra money he spent rather than rent an equivalient unit.
I doubt that real estate will outperform stocks/bonds/or commodities as an asset class in my lifetime.
The best asset class in the world won't help you if you purchase and sell foolishly. Just as a reminder (for your friend, of course): buy low, sell high. Don't buy high and hope it will go higher.
Oh, bubbles, how I love thee.
Plus, appreciation separate, you get to live in your house. Try that with an index fund.
Plus, appreciation separate, you get to live in your house. Try that with an index fund.
Depends on the rent ratio - in many instances it would be far better to rent at $1000 a month and save $1500 vs. owning at $2500 a month.
I also think people wildly underestimate how much of a career hit they take by not being more mobile. Being in a postion to take the best job within a 3,000 mile radius can dramatically increase your prospects vs. only being able to take a job within a 30 mile radius.
You are correct about the mobility, and for me, that's the most compelling reason on offer for renting. However, let us not forget that it is a very small portion of the entire US population where that makes any sort of difference. An untenured professor, certainly; some of the varieties of attorney; a selection of some of the other breeds of young professional.
For most folks, no, it doesn't make that much difference income-wise. Either their profession makes a rough equivalence of income (after factoring in cost of living changes) regardless of where they live, or their profession requires them to live in one place specifically, negating the need for 'mobility.' (A trained investment banker need not worry about keeping the mobility to move to Provo on a week's notice, nor an actress to relocate to Murfreesboro.)
Certainly there is a selection bias at play in the commenters of this blog, but let's not forget that not all of us are globetrotting young professionals.
Howl,
Yes, an accountant in Boston may make roughly the same as an accountant in Dallas. But, a comptroller makes more than an account and a CFO makes more than a comptroller(to use the career progression of a corporate account as an example). If you decide to stay in one city, every time you look for a new job, you can only take the best one within a 30-45 mile radius of your home. If you were willing to look further afield, you would by definition find more jobs, with more promise and opertunity, to accelerate your career progression.
I think people really underestimate how much further they can go in their career if they were willing to move.
You're not uncertain about the future?
Would you please convey your wisdom to the Arab states, since they are very unsure about our President-elect who has been very quiet about one definitive Israeli response to some Palestinian terrorist psychos.........
//I think people really underestimate how much further they can go in their career if they were willing to move.//
Perhaps. But there are always factors at play in decisions to move that go beyond a renting/owning dynamic. For example, with what I do, and experience in both areas, even if you doubled my wage I would still prefer to live in Nevada rather than California, if only because California seems to think it vital to control your life via state coercion far more than Nevada does. (Your examples may vary.) That's worth it to me.
And let us not forget that owning a property does not equal an inability to move. A disincentive, perhaps, but that's personal choice. If that career choice is really worth it, it'll get done, property or not. We all make trade-offs in life.
Howl,
We all make trade-offs in life.But, being tied down, the guy making 60k might not be willing to move to make 80k, due to the hassle and expense of selling the old house and buying new. Unfortunately, if 80k is the next jump and you're not willing to take it, you'll never be in a position to take the 120k job or the 250k job.
Yes, we all do. But, I think more people would be happier if the knew more about the repercussions of their choices.
Too many people take the default options and never realize that the reason they are so frustrated and unhappy is directly related to the choices they didn't put enough thought into.
And let us not forget that owning a property does not equal an inability to move. A disincentive, perhaps, but that's personal choice.
Then it's not an investment at all, but a liability, now isn't it?
Sounds like you found the free weight loss tool you were asking about. Happy New Years.