#and all i got this month was 600€ so :) i cannot afford to spend money for a crush | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

weaselle · 5 years

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Money Talk

Imagine a drug dealer. He lives with 20 people - a cook, a bar tender, a massage therapist, a person who sells clothes, etc. Every month, they all give him money for drugs. And every month he spends that money on food, liquor, massages, clothes, etc.

The money in this example is a medium of exchange, which is the whole purpose of money. You can imagine it like a tide, washing back and forth between the dealer and the other people, lubricating a cooperative system of exchange and mutualism.

BUT. I used a drug dealer on purpose. Clearly the drug dealer has an unfair advantage. But wait. The food person has one too. And so does whoever they pay rent to. Not to mention the doctor.

Now, some people will say that if you introduce competition, “the market” will balance itself. In other words, if there are ten food vendors and ten doctors and ten landlords etc, if one of them is taking advantage of people, the public will choose to do business with a different provider instead. Let me tell you why that doesn’t work.

Perpetual systems are extremely rare - most systems (all, on a long enough time scale) tend toward entropy; they want to fall apart. That’s what makes balanced ecosystems such treasures. And you can’t achieve a balanced ecosystem if you make “the market” an entity by giving it agency. Everything in a balanced ecosystem has to survive, but “the market” does not have to survive, it is not a true participant, therefore you cannot give it agency and you especially cannot give it responsibility for the livelihood of people and the health of the planet. Yes theoretically “the market” is the will of the people, because it represents people’s choices, but those choices are not free. If the cost of raising a child and running a household is a struggle for a large number of families, then they are going to give their money to the cheapest food vendor, for the good of their children, and the cheapest things are always achieved by means we are against. Like slavery, land theft, economic extortion, militant international fuckery, tax evasion, and fucking up the environment just to name a few.

The market is just the medium of exchange. The money is just the lube, not one of the people having sex.

SO. If instead of a drug dealer and his village of twenty we look at a bigger picture, we can substitute concepts for the people. Not a cook, but a food industry, not a landlord, but the system of landlordship, not massage but the service industry, not a clothes vendor, but the textile and fashion industries.

Now it IS true that the market drives certain kinds of development (so does war but we don’t want that). For example entertainment industries are always innovating and developing into greater things fairly quickly. And we do want a certain amount of competitive growth availability. So let’s keep some capitalism. Let’s just tame it, domesticate it. And you do that by removing it’s ability to kill people.

That means, there has to be food available. It has to be reasonable food sufficient to keep one healthy. There has to be good healthcare. There has to be housing, and clothing, and education and access to information, because these things are all necessary to live in our society. THEN you can have a robust market on top of that.

So, for example, nutrition is provided. Rice and beans form a complex protein, you can flavor it a whole lot of different ways, add a couple kinds of veggies and/or some vitamin supplements, include some basic alternatives for people with stricter dietary requirements, and now nobody is starving. NOW you can let the market decide how much other food costs, because people are truly free to choose to not eat it. But they WANT to eat it, people are going to want avocados and steaks and things, they just won’t be at the market’s mercy for their survival. That’s balance.

When you apply that across the range of human requirement, you get the best of both worlds -- a morally just capitalism with competition driven advances, as well as freedom of choice for consumers and freedom of risk for innovators: a person with an idea for a new style of music or a new kind of energy production can afford to stay in their room all day working on that instead of needing a job for survival. But if they want more than basics, if they want steak, if they want clothes that aren’t government issued jumpsuits, they’ll need to earn some money.

Also, the market will be FREER. Because ALL money will be spendable. You can literally spend your last dollar on whatever it is you want, because that choice will never result in you living on the street or starving.

For these same reasons, this concept fosters entrepreneurship: because the public’s money is all available for spending on any new goods or services and people are free to take risks -- such as quitting their job and trying to start their own business, or spending all their money on inventory they’re trying to sell, or al their time on developing an invention they have an idea for.

Taxes are one way to acheive this, and I am all for progressive tax rates and other tax reformations. But I also have another idea.

Let’s move the majority of landlordship over to public control, administered by elected officials and held in trust for the public it houses.

So right now, cities are funded largely through property tax. Which is about 2% of the value of the property. Let’s say you buy a house for a little over 100k (for easy math). Your monthly payment comes out to over 6,000 a year. Your property tax is about 2,000 a year. Plus, those monthly payments over 30 years actually come out to twice the original amount, which means you actually pay the bank 200k for your 100k house. And that’s not even getting into renting and slumlords and everything.

But what if the city was leasing all the housing directly to the public?

So, say you have a city of a hundred thousand people (again for easy math). That’s about one tenth the size of San Francisco. For math’s sake, lets assign a value of 120 thousand to each property and make each house one bedroom one bath. People are paying about $600 a month to live in those houses, rent or mortgage. And under the current system, the city gets about $200 each every month also. So the city gets $240 million each year to provide education, pave roads, and deal with things like homelessness. BUT. If the public was the landlord of the city, with the property administered in trust, then the full monthly payment would go directly to the city. So the city could keep the housing cost at 600 a month, drop the tax (saving each person 200 a month) and STILL have $720 million to use on providing for it’s public.

To review. In the above situation under the current system, the city gets 240 million to provide for the public, and the public pays $800 a month in housing costs. Under the new system, the city gets 720 million and the public pays $600 a month in housing costs.

The extra 720 million comes mostly out of the pockets of big banks, who already have all our money all the time anyway. Who, let me remind you, already went bankrupt and got bailed out with our tax money.

If the city has enough people and they do it right, they might be able to provide all those basics for their public: food, shelter, clothing, education access to information, and healthcare. If they can do THAT, entrepreneurship will flourish there, because people will be free to take risks, and all money will be spendable.

In this way, housing is provided, and as discussed at the top of this post, housing is one of the things that confers an immorality when presided over solely by private entities, just like food and healthcare -- because we need those things to live

Doesn’t have to be a city, could be a county or a state. But also, doesn’t have to be the whole country changing all at once - single cities can institute this all by themselves without exiting the countries capitalistic system in any way.

Cities can use local eminent domain to buy the properties; that way current owners get a one time buyout to exit landlordship with wealth in their pocket: fair value for their property. More cities might copy once it shows to be successful. Once popular enough the federal government could “buy” cities and turn them over to the local government (where elections are more involved, your single vote carries more weight, etc). After all, if the cities (or counties, or even whole states?) can pay for their own streets, their own healthcare, and their own education, etc, the federal government is less complicated and cumbersome, needs less money, can be streamlined and made more efficient and targeted.

Just one of the concepts I’m working with trying to find a path to the positive change we need so badly. Catch me on another post explaining my other solutions, which function independently but are designed to also work together.

#moulin noir #revolution

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obsidiansistren · 5 years

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This client that contacted me like ... two months ago, kept getting cold feet on seeing me, but would send money on Cashapp because he “felt bad”. It’s not like I really gave a shit because I was still getting money, and I never made him a priority to see so I wasn’t missing out nor was it a cancellation. This went on for two separate occasions, and two times he sent money just because. He even stated in one email that I deserved said money because he “respects me too much”. 🙃

Fast forward to two weeks ago, we finally met. He looked like fucking Benedict Cumberbatch. 😖 The first time he sent money, it covered my social date fee, so I gave him a social date in exchange. While on our coffee date (total = $9), he gave me an envelope for my rate... of one hour. (He did all that talking, emailing, and sending random cash gifts to pay for ONE hour.) I knew I wasn’t going to like him immediately after, and I was right. He offers to take me to dinner around the corner. I had time to kill so I said sure. We have lunch ($39, mine was $13) and he wanted his date immediately after, but I had a longer appointment booked for that designated time, while Cumberbatch had no set time. He just wanted it then and there. I explain that I’ll contact him when I’m free, around 7:30pm. He’s upset because he feels entitled, but agrees.

7:30pm comes and I tell him he can come back. He comes. Instead of putting his things in the living room, he put them in the closet with my shit. He pulled off the covers and got in the bed. (Not sorry, but I am not okay with people getting in the bed and they’re dirty, or have their “outside” clothes on. It’s a black thing. Lol.) Of course, he wasn’t good at sex... at all. Just completely out of touch and clueless. A fucking weenie. We finish up. He used 6... SIX... towels!!! He didn’t shower, but used SIX damn towels. For no reason.

After, he suggests we get a cocktail. I need a drink so I say sure, my room was downtown, so I was central to everything. He get drinks at a little spot. My drink was $12. I got 2 ($24). He made a snarky comment saying, “You know, I can’t be spending all my money on you.” Bitch, it’s a drink, Mr. I Wanna Brag About My High Paying Nursing Job and Low Rent Because My Buddy’s Parents Gave Me a Steal on a Property, So I Only Pay ~$600 a Month For a 3-Bedroom When the Average Rent Cost is $1,300 For a 1-Bedroom. (My point is that he can well afford my time and much more.) 😒 I don’t drink all of the second drink and give it to him. He goes, “Oh well now I don’t feel so bad about getting you two drinks.” 🙂🙃

At this point, I’m trying to get away from him and get some dinner. He FOLLOWS me to a steak place and pays for it ($30). The only way I got rid of him was by saying I needed to her x amount of hours of sleep so I can drive back home in the AM. He walks me back to my hotel. He asks for my actual number and personal my Snapchat, because he wants to “see where this goes”. (Bitch, it goes like this: you pay me, we do whatever, and then you fuck off. 😭) I ignore him and say goodnight.

He later emails me asking for my # and Snapchat again, because “it’s more secure”. He persistently asks. I said I don’t feel comfortable giving either. He slightly throws a fit but I don’t respond.

Saturday, he messages me and goes,

“Hey, could you come by for $200? I’ll get you whatever [alcoholic] drink you want. You just need to let me know quick.”

I wasn’t in his city. Even if I was, I would never come anywhere unless it’s a social date or in person screening for $200. I’m not fucking touching anyone for $200. And then try to bribe me with alcohol?? As if I’m an alcoholic or even give a damn about alcohol enough to consider that??? And THEN, I HAVE TO LET YOU KNOW, QUICKLY????? So I’m on a time limit for a low ball offer? Please go the fuck to hell. I cannot. I properly cussed him out. This stupid bitch goes, “Lol, fair. I just thought it was worth asking since I was so generous last time.” I said, “Generous? Generous how? I would love to know.” He didn’t respond and I blocked his goofy ass. It’s a shame that he seemed decent via email and cash gifts, but showed his whole ass later. Talking about, “I respect you too much” and even sent $200 just because once before, for nothing. So now you magically expect me to physically come though for $200? The stupidity of it all!! 😭😭😭😭😭

He said generous as if it made sense. He spent $102 on food & drinks. Less than half of that was spent on me. If I was a vanilla woman, maybe, sure. BUT I AM AN ESCORT! YOU PAY FOR MY TIME!! YOU TOOK UP TIME FOR FREE!!! THAT’S NOT GENEROUS, YOU WERE A FUCKING LEECH IN THE EVENT OF ME BEING BORED AND FEELING KIND/UP TO IT!!!! If anything *EYE* was being generous. You give someone an inch, they want to take a mile, and worse. He really tried to use his perceived “generosity” as leverage for later, as if it would help him.

I really do hate clients sometimes, mainly because they can’t just be happy with the fantasy. They want it all. As if they didn’t Google “escorts”, found me on an escort website, messaged my escort email, and inquired a booking with an escort. 🙃🙃🙃 They want you to be in love with them and break boundaries so they can feel special, because they don’t really respect you. They only respect you as long as it benefits them and for you to trust them. They want to know every personal detail about you. They want to occupy your thoughts, rent free. They want to manipulate and gaslight in order to feel powerful and desired. When the fan wants to be the star... And really that’s just some clients. But they still fucking suck. 🚮

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cksmart-world · 5 years

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The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

by Christopher Smart

July 23, 2019

Cognitive Dissonance By Any Other Name

Hey Wilson, do you know what cognitive dissonance is? No, it's not when you get too loose to trek and trek anyway. It's more like a brain cramp. For example, if you are a Trump supporter and he says something that's regarded negatively, like a racist comment, then your brain gets confused. Part of your brain is saying, Trump is good, while another part is saying, that's not good. So to keep from going crazy, your brain says, that wasn't racist, all he said was go back to where you came from. Or, if it comes out that Trump said he likes to grab women by the crotch, your brain says, oh well, everybody says that. And when an FBI investigation reveals he made hush-money payments to a porn star, your brain says, that didn't really happen and Michael Cohen is a lying shithead. Well, yes, Wilson, it kinda does explain Teflon. But we digress. Maybe your brain is saying all those examples are based on lies — fake news. It didn't happen, period. Voilà, no brain cramp. Just filter out everything you don't like — it makes life a lot easier. As for Republicans in Congress, you're right, Wilson, it's just another term for “chickenshit.”

Just Say, No, To Killing Embryos

Thank goodness the city council in that Utah County bastion of righteousness, Highland, has come out against abortion. OK, yes, it was a non-binding resolution, but it adds steam to the mass hysteria here in Utah surrounding the killing of embryos. Merrilee Boyack, chairwoman of the newly formed group, Abortion-Free Utah, says every Utah lawmaker is paying attention. "It gives them, I believe, courage to move forward aggressively to end elective abortion when they see the will of the people are moving very strongly in that direction." Earlier, the city of Riverton took similar action, proving that not everyone in Salt Lake County is an embryo killer. Sure, some might say, what do these part-time city council people know about abortion? Well, what's there to know? You're either making women take unwanted pregnancies to term, or you're not. It's time, once and for all, for the government to completely force its way into women's personal health decisions. Women just cannot be trusted to be responsible for their own bodies. Each and every embryo is important until it is born — then it's someone else's problem. Free agency, and all that.

Minimum Wage Is Un-American

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour would be a travesty. The minimum wage is now $7.25 an hour, as it has been for a decade. That is plenty for a family of four — it's an entire $290 a week or $1,160 per month. And all those people who work two minimum-wage jobs are just greedy complainers. They should stay home and take care of their children. We're talking family values here. That's why every member of Utah's delegation to the Houses of Representatives — including Democrat Ben McAdams — voted against this ill-advised blunder by Democrats. Just imagine if everyone got $15 an hour. Why heck, that's $600 a week — $31,200 a year. What would happen to corporate profits, say nothing of CEO salaries. Despite Utah congressmen, the bill passed out of the House. Fortunately, the Republican-dominated Senate will spike this blatant act of socialism. The Democrats are set on destroying the economy by giving consumers more money. Next thing you know, they'll want affordable health care for everyone and turn this country into Venezuela. Poor people should just shut up and show some gratitude for all they have.

Men Of Principal vs. Jon Stewart

Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee are men of principal. Jon Stewart just does't get that. See, here's what really happened: There was a bill to extend benefits for 9-11 first responders who suffer from many maladies, including cancer. It was stalled in Congress but Stewart went to Capitol Hill and shamed the House and Senate into passing it. But at the last minute, Rand Paul and Mike Lee put a hold on the legislation, because there isn't enough money in the budget. Sure, Congress just passed a $733 billion budget for defense. And yes, they passed a tax cut for corporations and the wealthy that added $1 trillion to the debt. But that's beside the point. What Rand and Mike explained to dumb people, like Jon Stewart, is that in order to give the ailing first responders more funding, a similar amount of money has to be cut elsewhere, on account of they are men of principal and excessive spending goes against their Republican creed. Rand Paul is right, Jon Stewart is nothing more than a lying sack of you-know-what. Who does he think he is, anyway? As Republicans, they must do everything they can to balance the budget for our children and grandchildren, because after tax cuts and military spending, it's important.

Post Script — Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 crew proved 50 years ago that the moon is not made of green cheese. This whole green cheese-thing, it turns out, was bogus from the get-go. Our crack research team here at Smart Bomb did some digging and found that the phrase had its origins centuries ago when someone compared the full moon to a round of green cheese. But that's not all — green cheese isn't green, it's just unripened. Who knew?

A half century is a long time and things have changed. The average cost of a new house in 1969 was $15,550; the average income was $8,550; the average cost of a new car was $3,270 — and you could get a brand new Toyota Corona for only $1,950; and gas was 35 cents a gallon. “Hot Fun In the Summertime” by Sly and The Family Stone was the #1 hit that July. Richard Nixon was president and we were bogged down in Viet Nam, where thousands of Americans were dying each year. Ah, the good old days.

Well, that's it for another broiling July week here at Smart Bomb, where Wilson and the band are tuning up to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock come August. If you remember that rock festival in upstate New York, you probably weren't there. All right, Wilson, pick it:

By the time we got to Woodstock / We were half a million strong / And everywhere there was song and celebration / And I dreamed I saw the bombers / Riding shotgun in the sky /And they were turning into butterflies / Above our nation...

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letsimportanttreecollection-blog · 6 years

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"New Munich Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56356

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Looking to buy insurance?

I am a small business owner. My business right now is very small, but we are looking to expand quite soon. We are a livery cab service and looking to get insurance quotes. We are located in Queens and would prefer to deal with Queens Brokerages. Please help!""

How much for insurance on a Scion Tc? Does it get good MPG?

I am looking into getting a Scion Tc, I went to the dealer to look at the car and the sales man said that insurance will be a lot for a new scion. But he didn't know how much. I am 18, female, I will have my license for almost 2 years(by the time I get a new car), I have no tickets and have never been pulled over by a cop. And I live in California (if that makes a difference) Instead of getting a brand new Scion I am looking into a used one. A 2006 or 2007. I have Wawanesa car insurance. So does anyone know how much it would be a month? Oh, and from someone who has a Scion Tc, does it get good gas millage? It will be a deal breaker for me if it doesn't.""

Drive like a girl insurance help?

Im due to take my driving test next month (all goes well) and my parents are VERY keen to get the cheapest insurance quote possible (they are arabs, they will find it.. lol) Anyway I have recently discovered the 'drive like a girl' insurance company and after reading through it decided it looked really good. as I haven't got my full license yet I cant get a quote from them, so for anyone who has insurance with them- could you please give me a price estimate?! I live in a good area just outside of London so im lucky with my quotes. I have an X Reg Ford Ka and most of my quotes have been around 2000 but I have had one at 1600 and another at 1795. Both of those were without telematics box which is why im looking at one now. I cant have one with time restrictions- mainly because I sometimes work until 11 at night and I also care for my sick brother who may need to be driven to the hospital in the middle of the night (would this matter?) Thanks guys for taking the time to read and answer this question.""

Is it legal for some1 with an International driver license to drive an insured car in California?

The car is mine and the car is insured under my name only. Will my cousin get in trouble if she drives my insured car even though her name is not included in the auto insurance policy? Or will it be okay?

Should I be paying for car insurance? I don't have a car because I was in an accident.?

I was in an accident back in November and my car was totaled. The claim just closed a few days ago because they finally paid our medical bills and everything. Should we have to pay for car insurance right now? We still haven't purchased a vehicle because we didn't get much for our car. How do we handle this?

Help with life insurance?

My husband apply a life insurance for me without my knowing for $150,000 dollars. I came from other country and I was shocked because as if my husband wants to kill me and just married me for life insurance. One day a nurse came to our house and get blood and urine test and asked my husband what's that for, he lied to me he told me that was only needed for his work and for my health insurance. I was just wandering, after few days I received a letter from Veteran's Insurance that my beneficiary when I died is my husband for 150,000 dollars, I called right away the insurance company and disconnect it. My question is, is there anyway that my husband can apply me again for life insurance without my knowing? I don't want him to become the beneficiary. Can I make a last will and testament that when something happen to me my beneficiary are my parents? What will I do to do this step?""

What is the average cost for insurance for a 16 yr old?

i just got my license like 2 weeks ago and im wondering about how much would it cost for insurance also i live in San Leandro CA if needed if car/s needed: honda pilot 2008 honda accord lx 2001 i didn't want to check quotes online cause i'd need my address and i don't really wanna put all that info

Driving w/ no insurance?

i was driving my dad's car to the movies one night and got into a car accident. I don't have insurance on the car because its my dads, but i do have insurance on my car is it possible to get my insurance to cover the accident?""

Insurance claims car was stolen but police report doesn't?

my car was hit about 5 months ago and the police report was filed. i received my copy of the police report and it doesn't state the car was stolen. now my insurance company is claiming, 5 months later, that the car that hit me was stolen. can this happen? how do i know the insurance company isn't making this up so that they wont pay me back for my deductible? thanks!""

What is best landlord insurance policy or company?

what is best landlord insurance policy or company?

What price would insurance be for a Scion?

What would an insurance quote for a Scion xB be? ... for a Scion tC?

Car insurance.......?

hey guys, i was just wondering how much car insurance would be for me. i am 20 years old and just recently starting driving and when i say recently i mean like today haha!. but anyones i DO know that to get a real SET price i would have to call and get a quote but i was hoping to here from some of yall about how much YOU pay each month, how old you are and what kind of car you drive, just to get an ideal of how much its going to be for me ya know? thanks for the help""

How much is insurance for a 16 years old camry 1997 yahoo?

i live in california, and we have 4 drivers in my family and we pay 700, 1 way, how much will i pay im 16 and i will be getting a camry 1997""

Can a dealership sell you a car without car insurance?

I bought a car, thinking I had car insurance, and I want out. I didn't put any money down, yet i signed the paperwork and drove off the lot with the car. I brought back the same day, but of course they didn't take it back. Can they hold me to the loan if i didnt have car insurance and i have no job? I am only 19 and want a way out.""

Do I need to buy auto insurance when I rent a car?

I presently have comprehensive insurance on my own car

""On average, how much will my insurance cost?""

I'm 17 and female. on average how much do you think my insurance would cost on a 1.2L corsa 2003 model, with a black box fitted? Also would it be cheaper if i put the insurance in my dads name (9 years no claims) and me as a named driver? I'm struggling to find quotes as i haven't passed my test yet, just wondering whether it's worth buying this car thanks in advance BQ: do you know of any cars which are fairly cheap for teenagers to insure?""

Auto insurance settlement offer too low?

We were in an accident in September, my 4 y/o son and i went to see a chiropractor and i also seen a physical therapist a few times, (i actually still have pain from time to time in ...show more""

Health insurance cards?

I need the template for a state farm health insurance card or the information, thanks""

New Munich Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56356

17 year old male car insurance? UK?

What is the cheapest anyone my age (17) has got their car insurance, what car and how did you get it cheap? The best quote I have got is 1200 for a 1.0 litre saxo, and 1700 for 1.0 litre polo's, corsa's and fiesta's""

What's the best life insurance?

This question is for my mom. My mom is 63 years old and needs life insurance. She is in great condition. Never smoked or done drugs. She never drinks alcohol. The only thing really is that she has been told she is borderline diabetic. My mom doesn't have a lot of money so she would like to find an insurance that is very cheap. Her job will be ending in July an will only have her disability to live off of. So what's the best life insurance?

If I get a ford mustang (2000-2006) and get put on my grandmothers insurance would it be cheaper?

I heard it would be cheaper to have me on her insurance because she's older and has a clean record. And I'm pretty sure it varies by state. I live I'm SC

Switching car insurance?

I live in North Carolina, and I got insurance when I lived in south carolina under state farm for 160. When I moved back to be with my family, I was searching for car insurance for North Carolina and found Geico with 60 a month. I didn't notify state farm of the change in insurance, and I am currently insured under Geico. I'm wondering if my license could potentially be suspended or I have something on my record about it, even though I did not have a lapse in coverage, I did not notify the other insurance company. Any info would be greatly appreciated!!""

How can i get car insurance that i can afford?

im 17 and have just learned to drive and in all fairness i am insulted by the car insurance quotes i have received . in order for me to get my moneys worth out of the insurance quotes i have received i would have to rite my car off 13 times ! can anyone help me get my insurance down , or have any advice on a company who will insure me without me having to sell my organs !""

Ive had my car insurance for a year with no claims.?

now i want to switch insurance company as new one is much cheaper. can i get a letter / email from the old one saying that ive had no claims during the year??

Car Insurance for Young Drivers; How much do you pay? (UK)?

I'm planning on getting a car later this year just after I've passed my test (I'm 17). I just want a small, cheap car- something like a Ford Ka or an old Vauxhall Corsa. I just wondered if anyone's got a good cheap deal cos it looks like it's going to cost me loads.""

I need cheaper car insurance.?

Alright, so right now, I have progressive car insurance and I pay about $190 a month. I'm 19, 20 in August. Have had my license for one year. no tickets, no accidents. old cheap car. I just want PLPD insurance that isn't so expensive. I've been told I'm paying too much. I've tried getting quotes from many insurance companies online. The insurace I have now is the cheapest I can find. I have my own policy.I 'm all on my own. Does anyone know where I could get cheaper insurance?""

Use Medisave to Buy a Life Insurance?

Use Medisave to Buy a Life Insurance! Is this a wise choice?

How do the payment work if a bunch of people are being sued by a auto insurance company?

1 insurance company is suing another insurance company, and 6 people. If the 1 insurance company wins how do they split of the amount sued for? If they do at all... I need answers please""

Is Progressive a good insurance company?

My mom seems to think it's not based on what she heard almost 10 years ago. We currently have Allstate which is costing us $265/mo whereas Progressive could cost us $171/mo. IDK why she won't even try it

""Dealt with car accident outside of insurance company, how can I chase up the receipt?""

On Christmas Day I went out in the car to pick up some drinks from the petrol station and on the way out of the station I bumped someones car. I stopped and got out to give them my details (name, address and phone number) and then went home. In the panic of the moment I think I just wanted to get home as it was Christmas Day and I didn't hang around to take photos, ask for witnesses or discuss options with the other driver, which in hindsight I regret and realise was stupid. When I got home, the guy called me up and, again with the stupid mistakes, I said that I would rather settle outside of insurance; the driver wasn't keen on the idea at first and wanted to settle through the insurance company but I couldn't call them until the next week as they were closed for Christmas. He texted me the next day saying that he was going to get a quote from a garage and got back to me later with a quote for 400 through a 'friend of a friend's garage'. At this point I was a bit suspicious and the amount seemed very high for what I thought was not a lot of damage but at the same time he said that he either wanted to do it like that or through the insurance and I really didn't want to loose my no-claims discount as insurance for young male drivers is very high without the no-claims. In the end I decided to pay him, not without a certain bitterness owing to the fact that he was pressuring me for an immediate decision, which also made me suspicious. Having sent the cheque for 400, he kept up communications initially and let me know that he'd received it. He said that he would send me a copy of the receipt from the garage for my records but once he received the cheque I never heard back and now cannot get a reply. Bit long-winded for a question but that's the background story, my question is two-fold: 1. Can I do anything about it? It's more the principle than the money that bothers me, I know that I caused damage to his car but I now suspect it wasn't as much as he claimed. 2. Does 400 sound like too much or should I stop worrying about it? I hit the back corner of his car with the back corner of mine, and he later told me that I had cracked the rear bumper, which needed replacing. I'm not sure of the make of the car but I think it may have been a Ford Fiesta or something similar. I would really appreciate any help as it's weighing on my mind... I don't like people walking over me. At least if the amount he claimed sounds reasonable I can put it down to him being a wanker but the amount claimed being fair and forget about the whole thing.""

Where can i get cheap car insurance? (i'm 19)?

Im 19 and own a Vauxhall Corsa 1.2 and im looking for cheap car insurance. ive tried a few websites and its coming out over 5k for the year, something a LOT less will ok, if anyone can tell me a few good companies or quotes that i can use? thanks""

How much would extra would i pay for another car on my policy?

I currently own 2 cars and am looking to buy another one. It is a 99 crown vic police int P71. I dont want collision or anything extra, i want the lowest insurance policy that i can get. Im taking that, that would be a liability only policy, am i correct? If not what kind of policy do i ask for? Also, how much more a month would this cost? No one will steal it because its a former cop car, but you couldnt tell and i doubt i will reck it.""

Do you have to pay insurance for the driver or the car?

my friends keeps telling me her parents wont let her get he license because it is 2,000 dollars a year to have a licence, for like insurance. Don't you only have to pay for a car? like if she was to not own a car and just borrow her parents when needed would she still have to pay insurance? I am so confused haha""

Got a speeding ticket in friends newly bought car and he didnt have proof of insurance?

so my friend recently bought a car from someone and i drove it and got a speeding ticket in it. do i have to show HIS insurance for the car or that I am insured? and if i do have to show his, then how do i get proof the insurance on the car was being transfered over to his? he already had insurance on his other cars that are his parents.""

Where to get online insurance quotes for health?

Where to get online insurance quotes for health? I should compare plans from major insurance company.

Can car insurance companies check if you drive another car ?

if you get a car insurance quote and you say you have access to another car in your information is there any way they can check ? I have just renewed my car insurance and noticed that it was cheaper when i said i had regular use of another car. The thing is i do have use of my brothers car but im not an actual name driver on the insurance. My brothers car is fully comprehensive and thinks that anyone can drive the vehicle. Is this true ? i dont get how my insurance company are going to catch me out if im driving my brothers car without any mention of my name on his insurance

Health insurance for seniors?

My parents are seniors now and my father doesnt work anymore but he owns a restaurant so he cant apply for Medicare.. Does anyone know how and where I can find a affordable insurance that I can have for them. They need to apply for health insurance asap because both of them have diabetes Please help me!

Insurance on a supersport motorcycles is that much higher?

So I'm planning on getting a 600cc supersport soon, and I was looking at insurance rates. The choice package at progressive was $350 for my current 2006 ninja 250. (19m, car driver 3 years, 9 months on bike) and when I try to get a quote for a 600cc bike the price jumps up to $1200 for a bike of the same year (r6), and $1400 for a gixxer. At the same time, it's $450 for a ninja 650r. Are these prices suppose to be right? What's going on?""

Will my insurance go up if i get a traffic ticket for failing to stop at a stop sign?

what if i just pay the bill will my insurance go up? the thing is just this dec 6 2011 they added two new stop signs in a 4 way intersection before, if you were going north or south you didnt have to stop, and only the people going west and east had to stop its been several months since i passed by there and i just zoomed thru the stop sign and obviously violated the law. i bet im not the only one thats been stopped there im in california btw""

NY DMV - Are you supposed to buy car insurance first or register the car?

The DMV's web site says that I need proof of insurance to register my new (used) car. At the same time Progressive wont sell me insurance because the car does not seem to be owned by me. Any help guys?

Car Insurance help No claims bonus?

Ok so i passed my test last month and have been driving about 3 weeks. i got an insurance quote with Aviva for 1800 per year (roughly) and im an 18 year old male, however because i had a provisional license for a year my dad thought i had 1 year NCB so told aviva this. They now want proof of my NCB (which i obviously don't have) so i will have to tell them. But my quotes are about 4500 without any no claims bonus !!!! and i drive a Y reg 1.2 fiesta ghia! is there anyway i can get this premium down? please help! i'd be really grateful!""

When you do not have car insurance in California then ONLY IF YOU GET CAUGHT?

by someone it's a problem right, or is it a problem as soon as your car insurance stops for example, only if someone who does not have car insurance gets into an accident then everyone is wondering about it right, or if you had car insurance and could not afford the bills anymore do they tell DMV and then you're in trouble immediately""

I need cheap car insurance in New York City?

I need cheap (FULL) coverage for a financed vehicle in the NEw York Area...I've tried the popular sites...any leads?

New Munich Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56356

Car Insurance in England question?

If I am insured but I drive another car (included on policy) but that car is not insured by owner will ANPR pick up car has no insurance and do I commit offense? And if I am not insured but drive a car that is insured by owner does it come up on ANPR as being insured and therefore I wont get caught? Is the driver insured or the car???

Buying car insurance?

I've got my driving test in September and thinking about buying a car if I pass. I'm just a bit confused about how to buy a car and car insurance. Do I need to look around for a car I like, get all the details of the car, buy insurance for that car, then actually buy the car, in that order? Also are new cars or older cars cheaper to insure? I think it's newer cars but I'm not sure. Also what is a good car for cheaper insurance. I've heard Ford and Vauxhall are good for cheap insurance. I've been on price comparison sites and it seems that even if I have pass plus and just third party cover 2k per year is a minimum :( Thanks.""

Medical/health Insurance for H1b and H4 visa holder?

What is the best medical/health insurance ?Is dental,vision and pre natal included? What are HMO/PPO plan?What do i need to know about it? need some input. pls suggest. thanks =)""

How much does THIRD PARTY CAR INSURANCE cost in New Zealeand?

""I'm looking for an honest, good life insurance company. Anyone with experiences on this?""

Single mother with mortgage, a older teen and young adult, good health so far? I am looking to cover anything that would have to be paid in the event of my death.""

Do i need to add my wife under my car insurance?

Allstate is my car insurance

Maternity Insurance?

Does any one know of a good insurance for maternity. I have been trying to concieve for a year and 8 months with no luck. It is time to visit a doctor. But I think it is better for me to get insurance since fertility treatments are expensive. Which insurance would you go with?

US car insurance rates?

I'm in the market for a midsized or compact car. I'm looking into purchasing a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda brand vehical. I'd like to know which of these cars has a lower insurance rate. (If it helps, I live in the midwest and have a good driving record.)""

Need advice: Parked car hit - Car has no insurance?

Ok, so last night my friends car was hit by a driver who fell asleep. the car was in front of our house and pushed 40ft and his flipped over. Both cars totaled. He has insurance, but my friends that was parked and hit, does not. Will this be an issue for her, or will his insurance be paying for everything since he was 100% at fault? Please help!""

How to get into a new Car Insurance?

About 1.5 yrs back my wife scratched another car while parking. The claim was settled using insurance. The expense was about $1500. Ever since that the insurance company, AAA, has been increasing our premiums by abt $35 on every renewal. Now I cannot switch or shop with other insurance company since they give quotes much higher than this company. But apart from this one incident we do not have anything else on our record. Also I get discount for Home+Auto insurance. The company increased prices on our Home Insurance too. I am badly stuck with this company now. I would like to buy Auto+home from one company itself. But I really cannot move my Auto Insurance. Please give suggestions.""

Car Insurance?

In Massachusetts what do you think a 16 year old driver would pay for these cars for insurance? 1998 Mitsubishi 3000GT VR 4 >100k miles 1998 Audi A4 1.8 Turbo 4 cyl 100K miles 2001 Ford Taurus SEL v6 40K miles 1999 VW Passat V6 5 speed 95k miles Thanks

Does a written warning affect your driver's insurance in Massachusetts?

I just got a written warning tonight in MA. I have a couple of questions, does it affect my insurance (I heard that it does not increase my insurance, but my insurance company is notified and my rates for next year will not decrease, is that true?). Also, how long does it stay on record? Much Thanks!""

Are there any auto insurance companies who dont penalize or raise rates based on a lapse in coverage?

I have gone uninsured for over a few months in Iowa due to being dead broke & am looking into getting coverage again....are there any companies that offer lower penalties than most or no penalties at all? Can an insurance company even check for themselves if you have had previous coverage or do they just rely on your word? If so....tempting lol. Also are there any other options im not thinking of? Any suggestions welcome...Thanks in advance! :)

How can I get Cheaper Auto Insurance?

I'm looking to buy a 03-06 Mitsubishi Evolution was wondering if it is possible to get cheaper insurance? My Father owns a Business can we classify it as a business Vehicle? I'll be 18 when i buy it. I can afford the payments, Just not insuracne, lol""

Car accident and insurance procedures?

I got into a car accident yesterday. I wasn't at fault for the accident, and I know my car is totaled. I was wondering how the whole thing will go down with the insurance and what the process is going to be. I filed a claim with my insurance co. and am waiting for them to call me up. I was wondering if the other person's insurance has to pay for my car and what not. I am also wondering if there will be any consolation since the other driver was dui.""

Insurance and pregnancy...

I am planning to get pregnant in March, 2009. After working things out with my husband, it seems like the best time for us Anyway, my insurance policy will finish in August and I'll have to get new insurance (I won't be able to continue with my current insurance policy for reasons beyond the scope of this question). Will this cause me problems with the new insurance company (I still don't know what insurance I am going to purchase)? Will the NOT cover my pregnancy and delivery and consider it a pre-existing condition? What's your advice? We really don't want to postpone pregnancy any more and now is not the best time for us""

Alternative ways to insure a car?

Im 17 and looking for car insurance someone told me that you can insure it by giving some company a certain amount of money around 15k and then at the end of the year they would give u it back, however if you were to claim, the cost would come out of the money you gave, is this true and anyone know what its called if it is? ty""

Car insurance in new york?

hey guys, I'd like to know what would be the ballpark for insurance. I'm 24 years old and have had my driver's license since 2003 and never have had parking violations, points taken off my license or any type of moving tickets. I'm looking to buy a 96-00 civic and would like to know around how much I would be quoted""

Whats the cheapest car insurance for a 16 y/o boy?

I'm getting my liscense soon and we have allstate and its expensive as hell! I live in texas and i dont plan on buying a sports car so how much would my insurance be you think and where should i go for cheap insurance?

What is the best car in group 16 insurance?

I have been offered a company car at work and can go up to group 16 insurance. I do a lot of miles but would like a sporty responsive feel. Thinking about a Cooper S or dare I say it one of the pokey diesels..! Any suggestions.....?

How much is the normal rate for the instant car insurance quote for drivers between 18 and 25 ?

Hello i am interested to know how much the average car insurance cost would be for young drivers between 18 and 25 years. can anyone help me please?

Looking for health Insurance options in the State of Washington.?

I'm self employed and researching health insurance options. I live and work in the state of Washington. Any good, affordable options?""

Health insurance from a broker?

HI, I need to take out a health insurance policy for myself because my work doesn't offer any. I called a local insurance broker who offers that service in addition to others like life, business, etc. My question is, is there any negative reason to buy from him verses going online and buying a policy by myself? I think I'd get more info from a broker right? Thanks""

Best car for a broke teen driver?

I'm 14, so I wont be getting the car for another year or so. I'd be paying for it myself, so I'd like it cheap, with good mileage and cheap insurance. I'd also like it ...show more""

What are some affordable/cheap community colleges in the USA for international students?

Hi, i want to study associate in business management so in which state i can find community colleges with low fees or which are the affordable and cheapest community college in USA for study? Thanks""

New Munich Minnesota Cheap car insurance quotes zip 56356

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/https-wwwbmchporg-need-affordable-health-insurance-gregory-gordon/"

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hi-its-meg · 6 years

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Well, we’re officially unleashing a petty passive aggressive war against my fiance’s family. This story is long so get ready.

We have been renting his father and stepmom’s finished basement for the past few years for $600 a month- it came with a broken toilet, a shower that didn’t get warm, a moldy fridge, rats and mice in the ceiling, no kitchen access, and electricity where you cannot have multiple things plugged in at once. They refused to help with any of it, saying it wasn’t their concern.

We fixed the toilet, had my dad help us fix the shower, I scrubbed that fridge until it was spotless and waited the horrible smell out, we figured out how to configure the rooms so that we wouldn’t lose power every 5 minutes, and if you follow my Snapchat you know ALL about our adventures with the huge and undying “our friend the rat”. We created a makeshift kitchen with no help. We created a space that bordered on livable.

We bought a bed, we got a couch from a friend’s basement, we put up shelving, we found ways to add storage, we put so much time and effort into trying to make this shitty place a home. My fiance got his license (yes, quite late) without his family’s help despite him asking time and time again. He got a car. When he lost his job he still found a way to come up with the rent because it was demanded. He bought me a lovely ring and we are planning the best wedding that we can afford.

Well, tonight my fiance told his family that by the end of the month he would be moving out to come live with me now that I am home due to the fact that with all of our expenses it makes a lot more sense to not spend $600 a month just to be able to spend nights off of the island I live on.

His dads response was to tell him that “We should just eat and do nothing else until we could afford a real wedding” and then went on to say how I should join the navy because thats the only way he can see me having a career with my psychology major.

Yes, our wedding is small. It’s very non traditional because we cannot afford much. It will be around 30 people and will be held at a public garden followed by treating our friends and family to Sunday brunch at the place where we had our first date and where we went after getting engaged to celebrate. Our wedding, including dress and honeymoon, is $6,000. It is our best and our best is pretty much garbage to his father. Our wedding is not as real as his two wedding that he had in his mothers, and then his own, living room. And none of his children, nor I, have ever said anything against his weddings because it was his choice on how he wanted to spend that day. His first marriage was not because he loved my fiance’s mother, but because she was pregnant. Yes, we are not having a big white wedding with all the bells and whistles but we are getting married for all of the right reasons and we don’t want to wait any longer just so we can spend $25,000 instead of $6,000 to be just as happy. This isn’t the first time he’s made comments about our wedding- he has said before how he is unhappy with how informal it all is and about a dozen other comments by now, while he is paying for nothing. We are not being assisted at all by his family despite them having enough money for 2 dogs, 2 horses, 3 goats, 12 chickens, 2 cars, and a 6 bedroom house.

He then went on to tell him that his sister, who is trying to leave her relationship and find a stable home for her and her daughter, is not allowed to move back in- but that my fiance’s stepmother’s sister (his aunt) will be moving down there for “much less rent”.

Probably around $200. So this is where the petty war is going to come in. Originally, when we thought that his sister was going to move back in we were going to leave our couch, tables, shelving, anything that she would need down there besides our bed. But now we aren’t leaving a damn thing that wasn’t there when we got it. We will happily take everything that we or his sister ever bought and put it into the storage unit we are getting. We fixed that place and truly tried to make it better with no help while they knew we’ve been struggling for money.. and then they pretty much tell us they can afford to not have the income from us paying so much rent?

We will be leaving basement exactly how we got it. We’ve given them over $20,000 and we aren’t giving them anything more. They can fix it all themselves this time and figure out how hard it is to make it livable. Stay tuned to see if we uninvite them to the wedding because honestly, we really might.

#update #rant #personal #pissed #petty #in laws #marriage #wedding #money #rent #landlord #passive aggressive #story time #love

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starmarketingz · 3 years

Text

MLM Offline Marketing Tips for Newcomers

Your networking company's main aim is unquestionably to get you to the yearly training event.

It's the most crucial meeting of your team's life. Have you ever heard one of your team's marketing executives say, "Ready, Fire, Aim!"? Of course, the correct phrase is "ready, aim, fire." The goal is to compel you to act. The first word in any version of the phrase should always be "ready." Your yearly network marketing event should be your top focus each year. That is the center of your achievement. But how will you "ever" travel if you are not prepared? Preparation is anything that is done in advance. Because you know your event will take place at least once a year, you may plan ahead of time. Every year, several business events take place at the same time. They will most likely sponsor the event in the same locations. As a result, you should have an estimate of how much it will cost to travel there, how much it will cost to stay, and how much it will cost to attend the event. This is how you put your money into your own business. Let's start with the price.

I'm sure you joined an MLM to earn some additional cash, didn't you? But, thus far, you may have paid certain bills but haven't seen a single dollar return to you. So you'll have to put up another bundle of cash immediately. We've all wondered at the start of our networking careers, "Where in the world am I going to find the money to attend to this event, and why?" Sure enough, your trainer's standard response is, "If you can afford it, you really need to be there." You're caught between your pocketbook and your business. One idea is that investing in your company is critical. However, you might be on unemployment, your spouse could be bearing the burden right now, or you could be working part-time and the cost is close to a month's salary. In any case, spending money on a large celebration seems excessive. What should I do now? Are you going to stand by and watch others put their lives on the line while you stay at home and play it safe? Here's how to handle it, and believe me, I've been there. First, I would suggest that you prepare ahead of time to set aside a little amount of money each month only for big occasions like this. You're aware that the event is approaching! It comes as no surprise. As a result, if you set away $50 each month for business activities, you'll have $600 at the end of the year. I once purchased a one-way ticket to a major event and slept on the floor of my team leader's hotel room. My family rushed back home to buy me a plane ticket out of there. I would have become a reluctant inhabitant of that metropolis if they had not been inventive. But when I got home from that inspiring event, I caught fire! That event experience resulted in concentration, momentum, and outcomes that could never have been quantified or anticipated. The sacrifices that everyone of us on the team made in order to attend that event resulted in some unexpected success for us individually and as a team. That investment paid off in approximately three months. I received top producer and top recruiter awards and was named to the company's top twenty-five list. In a company wide team production challenge, the team leader who sacrificed her hotel room floor for around eight of us won a gorgeous C-class Mercedes. You could never have told us what was in store for us when we were all crammed into that motel room. So, perhaps, knowing that will motivate you to prepare for and attend your next major networking event. Positive outcomes cannot be quantified. 1. Start saving early to cover event costs. 2. Create a marketing plan for your team centered on the event. 3. Instruct your staff on how to do the same. (If you're a one-person squad, make one up till you're finished.) Unfortunately, you will then be able to enjoy the fruits of your work. Your company will be permanently altered.

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moodboardinthecloud · 3 years

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The trillion-dollar woman

A conversation with the economist Stephanie Kelton about the "deficit myth," Modern Monetary Theory for dummies, and why the age of capital may finally be ending

Anand Giridharadas

Mar 30

Joe Biden is president of the United States, but he lives in Stephanie Kelton’s world.

An economist and champion of so-called Modern Monetary Theory, Kelton has long agitated against what she calls “the deficit myth,” which is also the title of her bestselling book on the subject.

At the most basic level, Kelton believes the United States government is capable of investing far more than it ordinarily does, or than most people think it should, in making people’s lives better. And she argues that much of the resistance to doing so is grounded in outdated, gold-standard thinking that has no place in reality today.

Whatever you think of her ideas, which have a rapidly growing number of adherents, and which tend to make Larry Summers cry, there is no question that they are carrying the day in the American public debate. Indeed, it is hard to understand the comfort the new Biden administration has had with significant government spending — contrary to Biden’s own past nature — without understanding how much the terms of the debate have shifted, and how much Kelton herself has to do with that shift.

So I’m excited to bring you this interview with her today.

But first: I will be doing my regular live chat/webinar thing today at 1 p.m. New York time, 10 a.m. Pacific time, and 6 p.m. London time. If you’re new to The Ink, they’re fun and engaging. If you haven’t yet, subscribe today to join us. Subscribers will receive login details beforehand.

Subscribing to The Ink is the best way to keep it free and open to all, and to support independent media that hopefully makes you think and enlivens your conversations. I appreciate your support for this undertaking. Every subscriber makes a difference.

“We’re closer than we’ve been in a long time”: a conversation with Stephanie Kelton

ANAND: In the wake of the passage of the American Rescue Plan, we’ve heard every manner of reaction. Joe Biden is a dangerous socialist. Joe Biden is putting lipstick on the pig of austerity politics. Joe Biden is the second coming of FDR. Or maybe LBJ. How would you assess what happened and what it tells us about where this presidency is headed?

STEPHANIE: I served as one of eight members on the Biden-Sanders “unity task force” on the economy. Some of the other members are now in the administration. I’m not sure exactly what I expected to see from Biden in his first 100 days, but the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act went beyond anything I would have anticipated.

And they’re not done. Later this week, we’ll get the details of a multi-trillion-dollar infrastructure package. It will almost certainly be too small, given the enormous challenges we face, and it isn’t clear how much of the proposed spending they will try to “pay for” with higher taxes. If they insist on raising a slew of taxes to offset all (or mostly all) of the spending, it could make it more difficult to hold all 50 Senate Democrats together. Any slippage risks paring back the price tag and, thus, delivering an even smaller package.

But it’s encouraging to see the president recognize that temporary relief wasn’t enough. I think he knows that he can’t afford to preside over the kind of “recovery” we experienced after the Great Recession of 2007-2009. That’s what the “Build Back Better” agenda is about.

Biden is no socialist, but he does seem to understand that his presidency will be judged, in large part, on the degree to which his policies deliver material improvements in people’s lives.

It’s way too early for comparisons to FDR and LBJ. I think Harvey Kaye, who has written several books on FDR, has this right. He tweeted that Biden will be less like FDR or LBJ and more like Dwight Eisenhower if Dems succeed in passing an infrastructure bill but can’t bust the filibuster and pass the PRO Act and the For the People Act.

ANAND: The dog that didn’t bark during the rescue plan debate was deficit anxiety. You’ve devoted years of life to training that dog to stop barking. Can you explain what you observed in this debate regarding deficit angst fading from the culture, and why that matters?

STEPHANIE: Back in March 2020, I said, “It took a virus to kill the deficit myth.” It’s not dead, but you’re right. It’s been dormant for the last year. Angst over the deficit faded as soon as Covid became a national emergency. Congress spun out multiple packages without so-called “pay-fors.” The biggest — the CARES Act — was a $2.2 trillion spending bill. We got another one ($900 billion) in December and one more ($1.9 trillion) about a month ago. All of it added to the deficit.

Occasionally, the deficit still came up. Remember, the bipartisan group that worked out the $900 billion package in December openly worried about the “price tag” and whittled the survival checks down to $600. But Biden defended the $1.9 trillion by invoking the founding fathers, who he explained had given the federal government the ability to do what state and local governments can’t do — deficit-spend! He publicly embraced the deficit in a way I haven’t seen any president do in my lifetime.

What I’m watching for now is where the administration goes next. The Treasury secretary, Janet Yellen, raised concerns about debt and deficits in her confirmation hearings, and she has a long history of worrying about a phantom debt crisis. She has talked about the need to “pay for” the parts of the Build Back Better agenda that are permanent, “to not raise long-term deficits.” The Obama administration’s pivot to deficit reduction remains an open wound in my heart. I hope the Biden team will turn a blind eye to the deficit and stay focused on healing the real economy.

ANAND: You are a leading champion of what’s called Modern Monetary Theory. It’s a domain with a devoted fan base and many people who don’t understand a thing about it. Give me the explanation you’d give to a 10-year-old about what the old thinking was and what MMT seeks to replace it with.

STEPHANIE: The first chapter in my book is called “Don’t Think of a Household.” I open with a Sesame Street reference, so this is an explanation that most 5-year-olds can grasp. For those who grew up watching the show, a frequent segment was aimed at helping kids distinguish things that are alike from things that have some fundamentally different characteristics.

“One of these things is not like the other,” the song went. So think about these four things: A household, a business, state and local governments, and the federal government. The first three share something important in common: none of them can issue the U.S. dollar. In order to spend, they must first come up with the money.

The federal government is completely different. It has the sole legal authority to issue the currency. Biden was right! Article 1, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution enshrined that power. Unlike the rest of us, the federal government can spend money it doesn’t have. New dollars are created every time the federal government spends.

Take the Covid relief package. Congress didn’t go out and “find” $1.9 trillion before passing that legislation. It didn’t have to, because it has something the rest of us don’t — the power of the purse. The bill effectively ordered up $1.9 trillion new dollars from a bank called the Federal Reserve. The Federal Reserve carries out payments on behalf of Treasury, using nothing more than a computer keyboard to change the appropriate bank account numbers.

If you received one of those $1,400 stimulus checks, that money was keystroked into existence to help your family. If you’re unemployed, and you’re getting an extra $300 a week in unemployment benefits, you’re also receiving newly created dollars, courtesy of the federal government.

If households, businesses, governors, and mayors had this power, they would plug any holes in their budgets on their own. But they can’t. They are financially constrained. The federal government isn’t.

MMT is about providing an accurate description of the monetary system that exists today and government finance mechanics. In other words, MMT describes how things work. We’re not on a gold standard anymore, but we haven’t come to terms with what that means.

We still have this idea that the federal government needs our money in order to pay its bills. That is wrong. Could Congress spend too much? Absolutely! But the punishment for overspending is inflation, not insolvency, contrary to what Ron Paul, Ted Cruz, and Lindsey Graham would have us believe.

At its core, MMT is about replacing the (flawed) concept of a government budget constraint with a natural resource (inflation) constraint. It’s not that there aren’t any limits. There are! But they’re not on the financing side (as we have been trained to believe). Our government cannot run “out of money,” as President Obama once falsely claimed. We cannot end up like Greece, and, contra these economists, we were never facing a fiscal crisis.

MMT teaches us to ask not, “How will you pay for it?” but “How will you resource it?” The politics are hard, but coming up with the money for Medicare for All, tuition-free college, or a huge infrastructure package is the easy part. Managing the use of our productive resources, and respecting our ecological constraints, is the defining challenge of our time.

ANAND: How significant is the new child benefit, and do you think it creates the rudiments of a basic income in American life?

STEPHANIE: It’s significant. Anytime you can cut child poverty in half with a stroke of the pen, it is, as Biden says, “a big f-ing deal.” It is life-changing and significant for millions of families. It shows that poverty is and always has been a policy choice. But it’s also, potentially, a temporary improvement in their economic station.

It’s also the case that the aid is targeted to a particular group of people based on specific identified needs (i.e., child-related expenses), so in that respect, it is not like a universal basic income. It does get us closer to a point where every person has a guaranteed minimum income. However, it is also being considered in concert with an expansion of pre-K and a buildout of other care-related infrastructure, so it’s not just “give them cash and let the market sort it out.”

ANAND: What do you think about many of these most significant — even philosophically significant — elements of the American Rescue Plan being temporary and requiring renewal before long? Is this a dangerous way of going about things, or perhaps a clever way of whetting the public appetite for change and then pushing it through when that appetite has grown?

STEPHANIE: Remember that Democrats passed the latest rescue package through a process known as budget reconciliation. And remember that the Senate is currently bound by the Byrd Rule, which, among other things, prevents lawmakers from using reconciliation to pass legislation that increases the deficit outside the 10-year budget window.

So it’s a bit like when Republicans passed their tax cuts in December 2017. They used reconciliation as well, and they had to sunset specific provisions to comply with Byrd. Specifically, they made the corporate tax cuts permanent, but the individual income tax cuts temporary.

There was just no way for Democrats to get a package through a standalone bill with the filibuster in place. To have the kind of freedom to do bold, FDR-like stuff, they need to get rid of a whole suite of self-imposed budget rules and constraints. I think you’re right, though. The public’s appetite has been whetted. Unlike the GOP tax cuts, Biden’s rescue package was enormously popular, and that should make it easier for lawmakers to turn some of the temporary measures into longer-term commitments.

ANAND: I wanted to ask you about the minimum wage. The increase to $15 was famously removed from this rescue plan. But the same legislators like Senator Joe Manchin, who didn’t like that provision, didn’t have a problem with $1.9 trillion of government spending.

If I’m generous, it makes me wonder if the concern is the pain on small businesses. Is there any way to raise the minimum wage but spare small businesses the burden — via some public support that would, in essence, make the society pay that increase, not individual firms? Is that a terrible idea?

STEPHANIE: I think there is a way, but it’s not really about making society pay. Lawmakers could negotiate a tax cut for small businesses to get the votes needed to raise the minimum wage. It’s basically how Congress did it the last time the minimum wage was increased.

In 2007, Congress amended the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to gradually raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 per hour to $7.25 per hour. How did it happen? The bill was introduced in the House on January 5, 2007, and passed on January 10. All 233 House Democrats voted “aye.” Eighty-two Republicans joined them in voting “aye.”

A cloture motion — to stop debate and move to a vote — in the Senate failed after President George W. Bush said he wanted tax cuts for small business owners who might be adversely impacted. The Senate included the tax cuts, and the amended bill sailed through with a vote of 94-3. I don’t see why we couldn’t do something like that again.

ANAND: So here’s confusion I hear a lot. Modern Monetary Theory proposes that we should stop thinking about what programs we can do in terms of what taxes we can raise.

Yet there are these important calls for raising taxes on the ultra-rich — and whether it’s Elizabeth Warren or Bernie Sanders, they justify them in large part because of what can be paid for with the revenues. Is this a problematic way to pitch it?

Should we do a wealth tax? And if not for paying for things, then why?

STEPHANIE: First, the economics behind the conventional way of thinking about taxes is simply flawed. As the New York Federal Reserve's former head observed way back in 1946, “Taxes for Revenue are Obsolete.” The conventional wisdom derives from outmoded, gold-standard thinking, and we should stop debating tax policy as if we have a monetary system that is no longer with us. State and local governments need tax revenue to operate. The federal government does not. To have a fruitful discussion about federal tax policy, the word “revenue” should never come up.

In addition to getting the economics wrong, I believe it is politically harmful to pretend that we cannot afford to fix our crumbling infrastructure, or care for our people, unless and until we successfully wrest part of Jeff Bezos’ fortune away from him.

I mean, come on. Congress just did something that will halve child poverty, and it didn’t raise a single tax to do it. So, of course, we don’t need to tax the rich in order to be able to spend trillions on programs that benefit the majority of the population. As I argued here, we’ve had that power all along.

Here’s how I put it in “The Deficit Myth”:

We can, and must, tax the rich. But not because we can’t afford to do anything without them. We should tax billionaires to rebalance the distribution of wealth and income and to protect the health of our democracy.

But we don’t need to crack open their piggy banks to eradicate poverty or to have the federal job guarantee with a living wage that Coretta Scott King fought for. We already have the tools we need. Feigning dependence on those with incredible wealth sends the wrong message, making them appear more vital to our cause than they are.

I think every MMT scholar strongly favors substantial tax increases on the wealthiest people in our society — not so much because they’re not paying their fair share but — because they have been taking more than their fair share for too long, something you’ve written about yourself. We have dangerous levels of income and wealth inequality, and that is all the justification I need to support many of the tax increases Senators Warren and Sanders have proposed.

But we must go further. Senator Warren admits that the uber-wealthy will barely feel the pinch of her 2 percent wealth tax (escalating by another 1 percent on fortunes over $1 billion). Why? Because, she admits, their wealth tends to grow at an annual clip that far exceeds 2 or 3 percent, meaning it doesn’t get us to a place where we’re dealing with extreme concentrations of wealth.

Ironically, I think this has to do with the fact that the wealth tax is being touted primarily as a way to “pay for” parts of the progressive agenda. It’s almost as if the goal is to peel off just enough to claim that it will “pay for” universal pre-K, some student debt cancellation, etc., rather than to aggressively deal with the concentrations of wealth that have been undermining our democracy.

That may be changing. I noticed last week that Senator Sanders seems to be inching closer to the MMT view. As Niv Elis wrote in the Hill, “Sanders also made it clear that he sees the issue not so much as a matter of paying for favored policies, but in creating a more equitable society.”

ANAND: Given the historical residue of the Cold War and the lingering American fear of big government and communism around the corner, how can those who want what you want in terms of economic policy do a better job of pitching their ideas to those millions of members of the public who are skeptical, if not hostile?

STEPHANIE: I think Biden is a pretty terrific messenger. He sold the population on the need for a nearly $2 trillion rescue package, and he’s on the verge of barnstorming the country to build support for another $3 to $4 trillion for his Build Back Better agenda. He could go even bigger, and I think he could do it without giving the other side any rope to hang him with.

It’s not communism or socialism but a kind of protectionism that he could successfully lean into to build support for a more progressive suite of economic policies.

Donald Trump successfully pushed a protectionist narrative. A typically racist and ugly kind of protectionism, but protectionism nonetheless. Much of it was purely racist. It was about protecting “us” from “them.” But he also spoke of the economic system's failures and the way he intended to protect workers from raw trade deals and the like.

“Help is on the way,” he bloviated, pretending to understand the pain of working-class voters who had seen their towns and communities become shadows of their former selves, hollowed out by decades of neoliberal trade, labor, and environmental policies.

Biden wouldn’t be selling communism or socialism, but he could sell America on a different kind of protectionism.

And now we come full circle. FDR’s Economic Bill of Rights was a protectionist document. It enumerated a set of essential protections that should be afforded to every person in this country. The right to a job and a decent wage, the right to operate a business free of unfair competition and monopolies, the right to an education, to housing and health care, and to a secure retirement.

We all want the sense of security that comes from knowing that whatever the vagaries of capitalism may throw our way, there are certain safeguards in place to protect all of us from poverty and deprivation.

Biden could even one-up FDR, presenting us with a 21st-century version of an Economic Bill of Rights. Something along these lines.

ANAND: For years, my plea has been that we have to end the age of capital — this neoliberal era — and launch an age of reform. Where do you think we are at this moment in time on that long arc?

STEPHANIE: I’d say we’re closer than we’ve been in a long time, but it could well get much worse before it gets better. I hope I’m wrong, but climate change is going to confront us with some very bad circumstances. If we can’t rebuild basic levels of empathy and communitarian commitment, those bad circumstances are going to make us meaner, more scared, more selfish, and ultimately more violent than we already are.

Stephanie Kelton is an economist, professor, and former advisor to Bernie Sanders' 2016 presidential campaign. You can order her latest book, “The Deficit Myth: Modern Monetary Theory and the Birth of the People's Economy,” here. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.

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anyu-blue · 4 years

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🥀

Tevellon(aka Tevie): omg Meek! You have so much in your account!!! Why are you so worried??? 😂😂😂 Why can't you buy the ($800) package for yourself for your birthday, omg? 😂😂😂

Me:

....

$1,755, yeah?

Let's see...

$860- rent

$300- cellphone bill

$300- Power Bill

$56- Water bill

$75- internet bill

$75- cat care bill

$40- collection agency bill (from bumping a car 2 or 3 years ago)

$10- homeowners insurance.

...

Normally I have a $65 bill for student loans too, but luckily they're still furloughed for the moment. So...

That leaves me with $39 left over.

Tevellon: O-oh haha 😅

Me: I CAN'T afford the gift I wanted... Or any of them, really.

Tevellon: But the stimulus-!

Me: I checked to see why mine has been delayed... There's nothing- system can't find me. So it possible I won't be getting it- and look what happened at the capital today. Think the delays are going to stop?

Tevellon: But-

Me: And besides, I've been told I'm losing my hours soon- the co-worker I'm covering for is feeling better. IF I get anything I need to be prepared to save it for bills for the month I'll be scrambling to find something/work.

Tevellon: ... I forgot rent needed to pull... But I get paid this Friday! You can-

Me: No. I appreciate your offer, but you know I have my reasons. Bills. Nothing more.

Tevellon: Meek-

Me: We've been through this. Enough. I'm done talking to you.

~~~~

Tevie has recently (as in at the beginning of December) also decided she's done paying for groceries for everyone (I don't blame her, I wouldn't want to pay for my new diet of vitamins and expensive/better food either. $100 a week adds up) and has been having a ball with her stimulus buying Valentine's day gifts for everyone besides me (I'm too picky, don't like Valentine's day, and have a low key anger when she spends so MUCH money so easily near me that it's put her off I feel)...

W0lf.exe, our younger sister, already has plans to spend any extra she makes/gets on continuing to upgrade her computer.

And they wonder why I bristle all the time when buying shit comes up. Or why I get so nervous when MY funds are low.

Tevie cannot fathom not buying stupid stuffed animals and marked up food and shit Evey God damned week either- which is where all her damn money goes I feel. Gods.. HOW many new Elsa dolls has she gotten in the last month? And TY stuffies? She brought home 4 in the last two days!!! These things are NOT cheap!! And she has DOZENS sitting on boxes in her room- recently bought a 8 cubbie bookshelf shelf to put up JUST for those stuffies she has so many!! She already has one filled to overflowing with books, one with DVDs, and one spilling over with figurines. Her video games are stacked under her tv because she's go no place for them on any other shelf!!

She has $200 in her account right now. Someone who makes over 11/hr (it's more than that but idk how much higher. I THINK she's up to $13/hr but we'll go with $11/hr) and gets at LEAST 3 hours of overtime a week (time and a half) means she gets oooh... 1,602 a month after taxes with those figures?

Her bills and groceries (which I've highballed/added together at the maximum they ever are) come out to $1,105 a month.... Sooo... $297 from regular pay AND the $600 she JUST got.. just.. GONE. SPENT. NOTHING to show for it. (And a reminder that she definitely makes more than I added up here so she's actually spent more than that too.. yeah)

I get it. I do. I've got the problem too of Oo! Has moneys! Buy the things before you'll never be able to again! ... It's why I was even LOOKING at a birthday gift for myself. A high quality long lasting investment at that... But I can settle for something under $10 for myself/as a gift for someone else at the end of the month if I can afford it. I've done it for long enough. Literally every other penny goes to food and bills. That $10 at the end of the month for something extra is designed to help me keep my sanity.. SOMETHING to look forward to. I don't work much due to my struggles, so I don't have much to play with or save.

I'm glad they're happy on some level too because I do get it... And it's their money to do exactly what it is they please with. They spent more than enough time working for it.

But it still PISSES ME OFF that neither of my sisters ACTUALLY pay attention and just spend spend spend all their money away so long as they have enough for bills (which they wait until their last paycheck of the month to have together-- do you KNOW how BAD that is?! Especially if something happens and you can't or don't work as much as I'd needed?!)

...

There's many reasons everyone thinks I'm the eldest. I do carry my stress less gracefully than my siblings, but I also have the knowledge and the haunt of it truly weighing on me. Luckily my sisters don't... Even if it leads to their doom or stress in the end, because they haven't experienced it yet... They're happy now. On top of the world.

I've told them my feelings and why I think what they do is in bad taste, more or less. I've offered my money management AND economical cooking services to both who have complained they never have anything saved up, always are buying expensive food at work, and don't know how to get what they want as well as save (it's possible, believe me!).. Tevie even asked for help once! I told her just to bring me what she wanted help with and I'd break it down for her as best I could.... Well she never did. And now refuses to because I 'need to just focus on [me] and not worry about anybody else.'

Bitch... YOU AND YOUR SPENDING PROBLEMS DO NOT HELP WITH MY STRESS AND ISSUES I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW.

It's whatever.. just on my mind today. Not technically my problem.. but I'm mad that promised help and safety nets are actually non-existent.

We're CLEARLY FINE. Please don't fret. We're fine. We'll always be 'fine' thanks to someone else willing to help when things are dire at the very least...

It's just... If we ALL were as damned careful as I am (I know I HAVE to be because of my issues- issues they don't have).. and heck even willing to share as has been promised (I DO share whatever I can, but at the moment I'm HEAVILY considering retracting my sharing because.. well... Food is expensive.. and now I'm not getting help to pay for it on top of it all.. and don't want to starve because I'm allergic to what my sisters like to whim buy... So...)... We'd be GREAT even..

But they're not. They don't want to be or have personal reasons to be very careful.

So here we are.

...

I don't want to admit this because it looks bad.. but I feel it's important to.

In my stress I've regressed into not using my lights the last few weeks. Tevie talking with me and being so.. ignorant of costs has only made me wish to be MORE careful.

I've got old candles and lighters and stuff, my phone on battery saver for moving around, and two (maybe 3 if I can find the other one) old dollar store push button lights when I'm too tired to deal with fire or waste my phone's battery... Turned down my little basement heater too. I'd turn it off entirely, but I know that would probably kick our forced air heating system up even just a little bit. Also being more careful with my water consumption. Small baths and rinses rather than regular showers, plus being careful when flushing is needed... Just to try and see if I can help our bills be a tiny fraction lower.

This was something I did as a kid and teenager when my mother would yell and scream about the bills. And when her Ex would berate us for leaving a light on in a room for a second while we went to grab something or something. The light thing only stopped when I got yelled at for being in the bathroom in the dark too much which meant people walked in on me a lot. Don't have to worry about that here because I've got my own.

If that stimulus doesn't come through for me either and my hours drop, I feel I'll probably sell my PS4 if I feel I need to. It wasn't something I actually wanted at all- just something Lon wanted me to have- and not a single person has used it since the end of October so... It's not really important at all. I'm tempted to sell my computer because it's worth at least $1,000 (custom build, all new parts from my ex), but I know I'll get kicked in the teeth for that one because I do use it and have such a nice desk for it. So PS4 and VR it is if it comes down to it.

I know how crazy and awful I sound. I do. I know. Especially Because we ARE fine right now... But this is where I'm at again mentally. And I have to deal with it on my own because everyone else gets sick of it and my stubbornly refusing nice things when my funds start to or threaten to dwindle. (I'd rather have $800 in the bank than a new gadget, Tevie 😠 take the hint!!)

I know we're 'fine'. I know Tevie gets mad at me when I start selling things instead of asking her to spend her money on my bills... But... Honestly.. with the trauma I have gone through and can't seem to stop going through, it's my defense. It's what I've got.

Tevie is EXACTLY as guilty as everyone else in our lives for being super DUPER pissed when asked for help. When her livelihood is threatened. So I don't WANT to bother even if I need to.

If someone doesn't want to spend their money on something or someone... They're going to get pissy and maybe, just maybe.. hold it over your damn head. It's why I feel so stuck all the time... Hyper independence and all that...

#personal #random #ignore me #life in general #I'm just regressing into old habits born kf trauma #don't worry about it #I'm aware if it #but I'm the one not stopping myself so seriously don't worry about it #text post #read more #long text tw #long text post #money #money tw #venting #just me being crazy

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alesio3jphln · 4 years

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Should Shopify Investors Be Worried About BigCommerce's Debut?

Should Shopify Investors Be Concerned About BigCommerce's Debut? The three items to learn about Shopify's newly public competitor. Outside of perhaps Zoom Video Communications, no company was as well-positioned for the chaos of COVID-19 than Shopify (NYSE:SHOP). The company, which provides a platform for almost anyone to start an business that is e-commerce has seen a huge reacceleration of growth as people order stuff from home. But with that success comes competition. BigCommerce (NASDAQ:BIGC) has been around far longer than the pandemic, but made a decision to hold its initial offering that is public or IPO, earlier this month. The organization is often named as you of Shopify's biggest pure-play competitors. Is this something investors need certainly to be concerned about? As a person who counts Shopify as their top holding -- it makes up over 17% of my real-life portfolio -- this is a question that is vitally important. Here's what i came across after digging. Image source: Getty Images. After digging through the business's prospectus, one thing stood out above all else: BigCommerce is a bit of a misnomer. Not only is the company much smaller than Shopify, however the difference is orders of magnitude. Here are just a ways that are few gauge the difference. We're able to start with the quantity of merchants (read: businesses) using these two platforms. Chart by author. Data source: SEC filings, Shopify IR. While both companies likely have larger numbers at this time (they're not updated continually), Shopify are at least serving 15 times more clients than BigCommerce. However the comparisons can go deeper. As an example, Shopify has begun relying on sales-based revenue for a growing percentage of cash to arrive. These are lower-margin, variable sales that aren't as coveted as subscriptions, which bring in annual recurring revenue (ARR) in other words. As a result of that, some could argue that Shopify's trailing sales -- that are also over 15 times more than BigCommerce's -- isn't a proxy that is great how it is performing relative to its rival. But even if we have a look at ARR alone, Shopify is still head-and-shoulders above BigCommerce. Chart by author. Data source: SEC filings, Shopify IR. And you also'd be 100% correct. In fact, it can sometimes be a lot more advantageous to purchase the smaller company depriving them of share of the market than the behemoth trying to defend it. To deal with this matter, it's vital to check out each company's moat, or sustainable competitive advantages. Companies like this often have one moat that is key high switching costs. When a little or medium-sized business sets up shop online, its owners desire to spend very little time as you are able to on digital logistics, so when much time as you possibly can fulfilling their particular individual missions.

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Much like it is an inconvenience for you yourself to switch banks -- even though it costs no money -- the headaches alone can prevent a merchant from leaving these platforms. One key metric BigCommerce published in its prospectus was its net revenue retention rate (NRR) for larger customers, which stood at 106% at the end of 2019. This means, in the whole, merchants are not only sticking with BigCommerce (NRR of 100%), but they are paying more each year. The greater deeply integrated BigCommerce's platform becomes, the harder it is to switch away. Shopify does not publish its NRR. But it does publish a chart that appears like this annually. Chart source: Shopify SEC filings. While we can not understand the numbers that are exact sure, it is clear that NRR is at least 100%, and likely significantly more. That is especially true for the 2018 cohort of businesses. The line that is bottom Neither company has a clear upper hand in terms of high switching costs. Shopify, however, has other advantages that BigCommerce would have a really time that is difficult. The first comes via each company's App Store. This is certainly a spot where third-party app developers create custom tools that merchants can purchase. Shopify and BigCommerce pay nothing to develop the tools, and get a cut of every sale. Currently, BigCommerce has about 600 apps that are such Shopify has over 4,600. That gap is not likely to narrow: Because of network effects, app developers have much more incentive to create apps on Shopify's platform than BigCommerce's -- you can find 15 times more merchants to offer to! And all of this ignores what's becoming the even bigger elephant in the room: Shopify is building out a fulfillment network that gives merchants an alternative solution that at the least stands a chance of matching Amazon. BigCommerce has no such initiative. That alone is a significant advantage that is competitive. Shopify has plenty of cash and is free-cash-flow positive, meaning it can continue building with this head start. BigCommerce, on the other hand, has lost over $40 million within the past year in free cash flow. It cannot afford such a buildout. If you fail to tell, I'm not too concerned about BigCommerce after getting to be able to dive through the business's financials. It comes down as a cherry at the top that Shopify is run by its founder, Tobi Lutke. I've long considered him to be one of the most CEOs that are mission-driven can invest alongside within the markets today. BigCommerce's founding team, having said that, has moved on. Add all of it together, and I also am not likely to lose sleep over BigCommerce. The business and stock itself may very well carry on to gains that are great but I do not think they'll certainly be at the cost of Shopify.

2 Growth in online shoppers

Verify project management capacities

24/7 priority support, and ecommerce’s largest ecosystem of Partners and apps

Customer accounts

Granted, you are able to still edit it pretty easily (there’s an text that is easy-to-use), but finding this in the 1st place did take me a while. Once you’re done adjusting the settings and ensuring that your store that is e-commerce is for the entire world to see, just go the the dashboard and then click the "Launch Store" button. Still, before your visitors have the ability to buy anything, you’re going to possess to select your plan and upgrade to a totally functional account (not the free trial offer). You started would be the first one - Standard - $29.95 / month as I said before, the best plan to get. But you can hook it as much as a domain that is normal well. Is Bigcommerce the tool that is right launch your on line store with? Bigcommerce offers you awesome management tools. This consists of product management, order management, analytics, reports, all that stuff. In short, with regards to working together with your store day by day, Bigcommerce is excellent. There’s a nice marketing module with AdWords integration, coupons and much more. This enables you to definitely handle your store’s marketing partly on autopilot. Bigcommerce is quite cheap for the amount of stuff it gives plus the fact that it puts no limits on what many products you can have in your database or just how many customers it is possible to serve. There’s 24/7 support. And so they even allow you to with things like SEO and other somewhat external traits of one's online store. You can find apps. It is possible to integrate your store with platforms such as Facebook, MailChimp, QuickBooks, eBay, and a lot more. You can use multiple currencies during the time that is same. The themes will get expensive if you want something premium. The price tags go as high as $250 a theme (luckily, it’s just a one-time investment). The homepage isn’t that easily adjustable. For whatever reason, the written text content regarding the homepage is treated as a banner. The homepage carousel is just a functionality that is somewhat helpful. It requires a lot of learning from your errors to have it looking right. The look adjustment doesn’t always work as predicted. I’ve had my Chrome freeze a couple of times when working with my store design. Again, fortunately you only have to deal with your design setup once. There’s a 1.5% transaction fee if you’re regarding the cheapest $29.95 / month plan. The plan that is cheapest is okay - $29.95 / month. But you will find additional costs. The aforementioned 1.5% transaction fee, and the price of reasonably limited design if you prefer one (there are free ones available as well). The store management features are really simple to use in addition they work great. Handling the initial setup of this store will require some learning from your errors, though. I’m giving it 4.5/5 purely because you’re going to be working together with the store management features a complete lot more often than with the design/setup related things. There’s 24/7 support via phone, live chat and email. Plus, additionally, there are really nice learning guides (including videos). In a sentence, Bigcommerce offers anything you could need as an store owner that is e-commerce. Whether you just want the basic principles, or you need to get really in depth into the store’s options, Bigcommerce has got you covered! Disclaimer: we have been a professional review site that occasionally receive compensation from the companies whose products we review. We tested and reviewed the services reviewed here. We are independently owned and also the opinions expressed here are our very own.

Warning: These 9 Errors Will Destroy Your BigCommerce

Which is the host that is best for small enterprises, and that ought to you avoid? Read our reviews to find out to see what customers have to say. Coding a web site can especially be daunting without development experience. A user-friendly site builder will make your life simpler whether you are new to website building or are a developer looking to save time. Set up your own personal web store with just a couple of clicks. Our team of experts have reviewed the e-commerce builders that are best to date - take advantage of the detailed breakdown and learn which suits you best. Running an online business without the right supplementary tools may be a total waste of the time and money. Take a look at the greatest tools that are additional can use with your website. What's Your Internet Protocol Address? WHOIS Tool: Find Out The Master Of Any Domain Name in Seconds. Aspiration To Greatness Words are powerful. Countries for Business Most people live their lives that are whole the nation these were born in. Growing your company Who does not like money that is free? That’s what small company grants are, right? Are you contemplating using BigCommerce for your web store, but perchance you’ve read mixed reviews about their all-in-one software platform that is e-commerce? Read our BigCommerce review and find out if BigCommerce has what must be done to power your on line store. Bigcommerce is a leading e-commerce software platform that provides startups and established companies with everything they should start and grow their online shop. Bigcommerce is a platform that is robust an easy-to-use interface and advanced built-in features. If you're in search of an all-in-one e-commerce software platform, you then must look into Bigcommerce as it may be a great fit for the new or expanding online store. This Bigcommerce review (2020 update) will allow you to make your mind up whether or perhaps not you should obtain e-commerce software from Bigcommerce. Try Bigcommerce for free for 15 days, no charge card is needed. Bigcommerce’s cheapest e-commerce software plan is 29.95 each month. Since its establishment in 2009, BigCommerce is becoming one of many fastest-growing businesses within the software market that is e-commerce. The company has claimed that more than 90,000 online stores in 65 countries use their e-commerce software platform at the time of this writing. Their clients are priced between startups setting up new online stores to much talked about companies such as Toyota and Martha Stewart. Bigcommerce was founded by Eddie Machaalani and Mitchell Harper as well as the ongoing company supports tens and thousands of retailers around the world from the offices in san francisco bay area, Austin, and Sydney. Try Bigcommerce. Free 15-day trial.

If you’re looking for a reliable e-commerce software solution, then take a few momemts to learn this BigCommerce review to get the entire details. 8. Estimated 28% year-over-year growth: here is the average growth rate of BigCommerce users based on research they conducted through Ipsos. Looking for the online store that is right builder? BigCommerce is designed and powerful to develop together with your business. Sign up here for a 15-day trial that is free. Discover how easy it really is to launch your e-commerce venture. Video above: BigCommerce currently powers over 60,000 sites. The business has multiple programs dedicated to helping customers succeed, including BigCommerce University and an annual conference. There are numerous third-party apps on the market built to integrate with BigCommerce. You can find significantly more than 200 add-ons regarding the BigCommerce app section. With BigCommerce as your online store’s checkout app, customers could have the freedom of preference when it comes to payment options. This software that is e-commerce with as much as 38 payment gateways. It’s also possible to just accept payments that are in-store Square at your brick-and-motor store’s point of sale terminal. Both online and in-store payments will be automatically synced in the cloud, saving you time and effort while streamlining your payment processes. In addition, BigCommerce checkout offers support for bank card payments. This platform is PCI DSS compliant and has a 256-bit SSL encryption. The SSL certificate is distributed to the conventional plan while higher packages provide dedicated encryption for your entire store that is online. Whether you’re a tech-savvy web design service or an individual who lacks the relevant skills to write code for your web store, BigCommerce offers suitable design features for everybody. Unskilled online merchants don’t have to work on any coding when designing their web stores since there are a huge selection of pre-built templates to select from. You are able to create your store that is online in utilising the drag-and-drop tool. These templates are responsive and certainly will permit you to design stunning storefronts that engage shoppers on any device. The best part is that the set-up wizard will reveal previews of your chosen template on PC or smartphone, assisting you to visualize your storefront and make tweaks and changes as required. If you’re a skilled web designer or thinking about hiring an expert to custom-build your on line store, BigCommerce offers a HTML editor that is full. It also offers full access to raw CSS files for those who might like to do much more in-depth custom layout edits. The WYSIWYG editor clearly shows how your text will look, including font type, color and size. Similar to many top shopping that is e-commerce, BigCommerce offers several methods to market your internet store.

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dramabus2-blog · 5 years

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How My Partner & I Make It Work As Total Financial Opposites

It seems like every time a lifestyle publication has a headline that reads “top 10 signs you’re headed for divorce,” we’re only reading about the negative ways having a different approach to finances impacts relationships. There are rarely any blog posts or advice columns focusing on the couples that make it work even when they are on opposite ends of the money spectrum. While it is true that money is a huge part of any relationship and can often be a sour subject for couples, it is possible to work through your different philosophies on money on finances and come out on the other side unscathed and stronger as a team. Here’s how my husband and I do just that:

1. We have separate and joint accounts

This isn’t earth-shattering advice, but it is an easy way to combine a lot of our financials while still maintaining our own autonomy over money. My husband and I did not have a combined account until we had been married for a year. When living together while dating, I had all of our combined bills — power, water, Internet, etc. — auto-drafted out of my checking account. Every month, he would give me cash for exactly half of our combined living expenses. We were each responsible for our own individual expenses, such as my student loans.

To this day, that is still how all of our bills are paid. We decided to open a joint money market account at his bank after we were married in order for us to contribute to shared savings, and it was the start of our emergency fund. Since then, we’ve grown our savings and combined expenses where we could, such as adding me to his car insurance and dropping mine. My husband and I both have separate checking accounts and credit cards, and as long as the bills are paid and we are contributing to our savings, we mostly don’t care how the other spends their money. Charlie is the guy who wants to splurge and build out a home theater with a projector and screen and surround sound, while I am an impulsive shopper and can walk into Target needing one thing but leave with 12 things I could definitely live without. It doesn’t matter that he thinks Target is a money trap, and I would be perfectly fine with a plain old TV — we know that we won’t face criticism or judgment when we come home with those purchases. Our only real requirement over individual accounts is that our credit cards are paid off in full each month, and that neither one of us is feeling financially strapped. We are able to acknowledge if one month we went overboard and are open to insights on how to reign it in without it leading to an argument.

2. We regularly check in with each other over any concerns and make big financial decisions together

When we first got married, Charlie would get defensive if I criticized some of his spending, and would accuse me of trying to infantilize him. The phrase “I feel like you are making me ask for permission” was very common the first year or two of marriage. After saying “I do,” it suddenly became “our” money, not just my mine and his. While we had maintained separate accounts, It felt like “our” money being used to buy a $700 motorcycle helmet, and I felt like he wasn’t helping out enough with “our” day-to-day purchases, such as groceries or pet food. I started thinking about how I was the one spending my money on his food, toilet paper, and vet bills, while he wanted to spend his money on things that only interested him and acted put out when I would ask him to pay at the grocery store.

We were, at times, very critical of each other, and I often became resentful if I felt like I was spending more money on necessities for us both while he only seemed to care about what he wanted. However, after taking a step back and trying to see things from his point of view and asking him to see them from mine, we began actively making an effort to keep communication open and remain calm. With that, we were able to come to some basic agreements on certain aspects of our financial lives. After two large purchases he made that I felt were completely unjustified, we made it a rule to discuss any purchase that would be over $500 — even if it was coming out of our own individual checking accounts.

I know that, since coming to that agreement, I have helped him realize that just because he wants something doesn’t necessarily mean he should get it at that time. On the other hand, he has helped me learn to loosen up a little bit, enjoy life as it comes, and quit keeping score. These days, when there is a large purchase being discussed that we don’t see eye-to-eye on, we have multiple discussions in an attempt to reach a fair compromise. Most recently, my husband has become obsessed with a very specific car with a $36k price tag. His only justification to me for why he should be able to get it is “because I want it!” Which is not a good enough reason for me. We’ve had multiple conversations about this car, and I finally came to see that I could lay out 100 reasons we shouldn’t get it — all he would say is how much he wanted it. We finally came to an agreement that when my car and student loans are paid off in the about years, he can make that splurge. I asked him to stick with the car he has now so that we don’t take on any more unnecessary debt, and that the day my car is paid off, he can walk into a dealership and get his dream car. It gives him something to work towards, and he has two years to save money or help make extra payments to existing debt in order to pay it off sooner. Neither one of us feels cheated or angry; instead, we have made a firm decision that makes us both happy.

3. He reminds me constantly how lucky we are to be where we are financially

In a roles-reversed situation, I desperately want to move out of the house we are renting and into a place with all the modern luxuries and potentially a shorter commute. I don’t care if we end up living somewhere outrageously priced. I just want out. The catch is, we are renting from a family member and have an extremely low rent. We live in a quickly growing area and it is not uncommon for studio or 1 BR apartments to cost $1,000+ a month. We pay $600/month for a 1,600 square foot house on 5 acres of land. Deep down, I am able to be logical and realize it would be nothing but regrets if we didn’t ride it out until his family decides to sell.

However, I am guilty of wanting to keep up with the Joneses and tend to focus on what’s wrong with our house instead of how lucky we are. The house was built in 1955, and while it has “good bones,” the walls are made of plaster and are starting to crack, and the windows are creaky and do nothing to help with energy costs. The bathroom has no ventilation, so I am constantly fighting mold buildup, and there is so much wood paneling on the walls and ugly carpet covering hardwood floors. In the era of Pinterest, I can’t help but want to live somewhere nicer, and I cannot stress this enough…more energy efficient. My husband constantly reminds me that before we moved into our current rental, we struggled to pay our bills and still have a semblance of a life. We moved into this house about three months after we got married, and the relief was almost instantaneous. In the five years we’ve been renting from his family, we have saved a significant amount of money that we never would have dreamed of otherwise. We were able to get out of the cycle of living check to check and we are able to indulge in things like a vacation once a year and dinner out once a week without stress.

So yes, while I’m dreaming of fancy kitchens and bigger bathrooms, my husband is there to gently remind me that what we have is perfect and not everyone is as lucky as we are and that usually brings me back down to earth.

And finally…

4. I am his reminder that we have long term goals to work for when he wants to indulge his FOMO/YOLO tendencies

My husband turns 36 this year, and before March of 2019, he had zero to show in terms of a retirement fund. While he’s never worked anywhere that offered a 401k, I’ve been begging him to open an IRA at our bank for years. I use the same old cliche everyone does: You’re just losing out on all that compound interest! Or you need to have a million dollars in an account by the time you retire! While I am very lucky to work for a company that offers a 401K and matches a percentage of my contributions, I didn’t really understand that value until I started getting closer to 30.

However, my husband likes to say that he’s never going to retire, so he should be able to spend his money now on what he wants. That is where I come in to remind him that there are many reasons for needing that “safety net” as we age, such as rising healthcare costs, potential for injuries or illnesses rendering him unable to work, and the ability to afford a reputable and safe nursing home when that time comes. We don’t plan on having kids, so we have to make sure we won’t have any financial strain as we age. He also stubbornly resisted life insurance policies for each of us, and if I didn’t make doctor appointments to check out any ailments and keep him healthy, he would never seek medical attention for anything.

Generally, he prefers to live in the moment and not stress about all of the boring and tedious parts of life. I am able to help him see that we don’t have to stop living in the moment completely in order to be prepared for the future financially — we just have to be smarter about our expenses and paying down debt while also being able to save. My husband likes to tell me that I stress too much over everything, and I tell him he doesn’t stress at all over anything. Once we were able to put our egos and pride to the side and effectively communicate with 100% transparency, we have found ways to let our differences with money help us grow as a couple.

Liana is a 30-year-old nurse living in North Carolina with her husband, their dog, and their cat. She is hustling hard to pay off her student loans early and start saving to buy a house. She also has an unrealistic dream to one day have a dog rescue, with the sole purpose of being surrounded by a ton of dogs all the time.

Like this story? Follow The Financial Diet on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for daily tips and inspiration, and sign up for our email newsletter here.

Source: https://thefinancialdiet.com/how-my-partner-i-make-it-work-as-total-financial-opposites/

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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toldnews-blog · 6 years

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New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/united-states-of-america/denver-is-so-expensive-that-teachers-have-to-get-creative-to-make-ends-meet/

Denver is so expensive that teachers have to get creative to make ends meet

Yes, it’s about money, many have told CNN. But it’s also about the uncertainty of living paycheck to paycheck. It’s about the necessity of taking on a second or third job. It’s about the untenability of carrying on this way much longer.

Katie McOwen has had to make some tough decisions when it comes to money.

At the end of this month, she’s giving up her one-bedroom apartment and will move into a friend’s basement. The move sacrifices some of her independence, but it affords her some wiggle room with her finances.

The sixth-grade math teacher at Place Bridge Academy in Denver said she makes about $50,000 per year. After paying $1,050 in rent, plus student loan payments, bills and other expenses, there’s not much left over. She also nannies during the summers to supplement income.

“I really am living paycheck to paycheck right now,” McOwen said. “If my car broke down or anything, I would be really hurting.”

McOwen is lucky that she doesn’t have to make car payments. She drives a 2000 Honda Accord, which just hit 310,000 miles. It works now, but she worries about the future.

“I know if something really happens, I will be in big, big trouble,” she said.

Why? Because she wouldn’t be able to go to work.

The 35-year-old is originally from West Virginia, the state that launched a teacher strike and inspired similar movements across the United States last year. Her mother and sisters, who also live in Denver, have talked about moving back east, or somewhere near there, to find a more affordable life.

“My option was to either move there or I’ve been contemplating moving into a camper van,” she said with a laugh. “I knew something was going to have to change. It was either to move completely out of Denver or to bunk with my friend.”

He drives Lyft after school and has multiple roommates

Sean Bowers shares a place with three people.

They split the $2,500 rent. He lives in the smallest room and pays $600.

Change is coming, though. Two of Bowers’ roommates are dating and they’ll be moving out in May.

That fact of life has Bowers trying to figure out what he’ll do. Splitting that much rent between two people is more than he can afford.

“We’re just at that time of our life and it’s getting harder and harder to find roommates,” said the high school physical education teacher. “All my friends are either married and don’t want to live with another random person, or I’m looking out for random people on Craigslist.”

If he opts to get a new place, he will have to pay yet another security deposit and the first month’s rent.

“I’ve had to take out loans before for just the security deposit and the first month’s rent because I don’t have that extra $800 to $1200 to throw down,” the 30-year-old said.

Bowers’ base salary is $42,000, but he does a lot outside of daytime hours to make extra money. He writes curriculum over the summer, runs a ninth-grade academy and he is the head track and field coach at North High School in Denver.

School and coaching duties mean that he’s in school from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. in the winter and spring. After all that, Bowers rolls into his other job as a Lyft driver.

He typically drives five to 10 hours a week with the goal of making an extra $100, he said.

“When you are teaching the lesson, when you are with the kids and when you see the change, you forget about all the financials,” Bowers said.

Yet he wishes he had a little time to “go home, rest, relax and work on other skills as a person,” he said.

“We’re not asking for a million dollars,” Bowers said. “We’re asking for an extra $200 to $300 per paycheck so that I can save up so that I can buy a house and live in my community and not jump from house to house.”

She hasn’t had a savings account in 9 years of teaching

When Kelsey Brown left her teaching job in North Carolina, she hoped things would be better.

She moved to Denver in 2014 and started making well over the $28,000 she had before. One day she realized the extra money wasn’t adding up as much as she had hoped.

“As the years went on, I still have no savings account. I still don’t know where my money is going,” the 31-year-old said.

The Spanish teacher, now teaching her ninth year, made $56,000 before taxes last year. Yet, the rising costs of rent in Denver have been tough to stay ahead of.

The one-time incentives schools get when they reach certain levels of achievement also makes it hard to know how much she’ll make.

“You can’t bank anything on what you’re going to make each year because they have these little bonuses that come and go,” Brown said. “Two years ago, I made more than I’m making now.”

The newlywed works three jobs beyond her day job at North High School. Brown coaches the women’s varsity lacrosse team after school, coordinates an exchange program to Madrid and participates in a Spanish-language summer camp.

All of that brings in extra income, but it comes at a personal cost.

“I am burned out. There are days that I am walking in the building knowing I’ll be there until 8 p.m. that night,” she said. “There are just days that I, I don’t know how much longer I can do it.”

Brown got married in November and she gets to spend only about 30 minutes a night with her husband.

She gets up at 4 a.m. on school days, goes for a run and does not get home until after 5 p.m. “We live for the weekends,” she said.

She’s thinking of taking on a second job as a server

Sophia Leung is a first-year teacher who’s had to get creative with keeping down her expenses.

“Little products at home, like cleaning supplies, we’ll go to the dollar store instead of Target or even Walmart,” the third-grade math teacher from Ashley Elementary School told CNN.

Leung is 26 and lives with her sister and sister’s boyfriend in Westminster, just outside Denver. The three share a two-bedroom apartment that’s 700 square feet.

Leung does not plan to strike Monday because she cannot afford to.

“I really, really want to because I do support the mission … but I literally financially cannot afford to,” Leung said. “For me to lose out on $200 of pay a day, it does impact my bills for the month.”

She’s not a part of the union, the Denver Classroom Teachers Association. She currently can’t afford the $70 monthly fee, especially as she’s in only her first year teaching, she said.

While doing her taxes, Leung discovered that her sister made slightly more money by working full time as a server. Leung said she made just under $43,000 as a teacher.

“I’ve worked in the service industry before, and I know how much money I can make being a server,” she said. “Seeing that my sister made more than me as a server with no college degree and here I am working full time … it was a big shocker.”

Leung’s sister works flexible hours, gets free health care and a 401(k) benefit offered through her employer.

“If I can get benefits elsewhere and have a more flexible schedule, why wouldn’t I do that?” Leung said.

Leung said she loves being in the classroom with her students and she’s getting her master’s degree. Yet, the financial burden of being a teacher has her wondering whether she can afford it without getting a second job.

“I see a lot of friends who are now my age settled in their careers not having to have second jobs,” she said. “It makes me really wonder if this is the right field for me. “

She was the state’s top rookie art teacher but she’s thinking of leaving

Kevlyn Walsh is 30 and lives with her parents. It gives her a chance to save about $1,000 a month and focus on paying down bills.

“I can see that my bank account has more money in it,” Walsh told CNN.

The digital art teacher is already working three other jobs. When she’s not in the classroom, Walsh works as a restaurant hostess, runs an Etsy business and does freelance graphic design work. Walsh makes just under $47,000 before taxes each year.

Working multiple jobs in a day means Walsh has to carry a change of clothes and meals with her so she’s ready to transition from teacher to hostess. School gets out at 3:15 p.m. and she has to be at the restaurant by 4 p.m.

“I drive to my restaurant, I change my clothes in the bathroom … then I work another 4 to 5 hours at my restaurant and then I get to go home around 9,” Walsh explained.

Walsh loves teaching photography and graphic design to upperclassmen at East High School. In her first year of teaching, she won the Colorado Art Educator Rookie of the Year in 2017.

Despite the accolade and her passion, Walsh is considering moving to another district or leaving the teaching profession if the teachers aren’t able to get a raise during the strike.

“I’ve been really involved with the union since last year because I started to feel and realize how bad my salary was and I wanted to do something about it,” she said. “We have to get paid more or I’m going to leave.”

“I truly don’t know if I’m going to keep teaching,” she said.

#here&039;s how Denver teachers are affording to work there - CNN #Living with roommates and working multiple jobs #united state news #US #us headlines #us latest news #us local news #us national news #US news

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terresdebrume · 6 years

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Sok sabay thomada

Today was nice! I woke up cold as heck, which still makes me snort whenever I think it because hello, Cambodia! But one, I’ve been living here for a little over two years now, which means I’m used to the temperatures nowadays and, two, the temperature in my apartment dropped below 30°c, which basically never happens. And that’s measuring close to the kitchen counter, where my pasta is cooking. So, yeah, pretty cool weather here in Phnom Penh, although the colleagues who only got here last September are still firmly in the ‘no, it’s a nice change’ club x)

I had a physiotherapy appointment, the payment for which is coming up and looking a little painful (not to self: definitely do not skip on renewing insurance tomorrow) but my ankle continues to improve! I hadn’t even realized it had never gone back to a healthy state after my first couple of motorbike accidents, but now that it is getting there again I can definitely feel the difference! I’ve got half a mind to ask if we can have a look at the other one to make sure everything is fine before we finish up to be honest—sure, it might make for another appointment or two, but I’m already $400 in so $40 more doesn’t sound that terrible at this point.

(I say that, but I also know that I have over $1550 of programmed spending this month and boy, am I glad I saved $600 specifically for this purpose last month because that’s the only thing that’ll keep me from going in the red this month. I miiiiiight be able to save a little bit, if I’m really good about not ordering food and sticking to the cheaper options while out for lunch.* Luckily for me, my khmer teacher is also a colleague so she doesn’t mind waiting for me to pay her, which means at worst I might be able to push that particular sum back to the end of February when my pay drops in. Or, you know, I could take a break in studying khmer altogether which…well. I’m considering it.**)

Anyways, I wanted to talk about today, not the state of my finances x)

So, today was nice. Physiotherapy went fine, work was low-pressure and pretty neat, even though I didn’t manage to do half of what I was supposed to do, and I don’t think I’m going to do it tonight either (but tomorrow morning, yeah, probably—I’m planning on leaving the house early anyway). It is definite proof that I cannot afford not to work on work stuff on the weekends if I want to stay on top of it because the time I actually spend at my workplace is taken by other things and so there’s always something left to do. (I haven’t started dreaming about grading essays late, yet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened through the class session.)

Even so, the children’s class was nice! Okay, so I clearly hadn’t prepared enough material to last an hour and a half (I still don’t know how to hit that balance) but considering we lost about 20minutes on administrative problems (after which the kids were, of course, impossible to calm down) and other class-related-but-not-teaching things it ended up being fine—both of the groups/levels had material left to go over, so that should make my next class easier to plan which: hurray!

Tomorrow, I get to see my teenager class, for whom I expect to have a lot of creation to do through the session because the second half of the program is ridiculous and I have official permission to more or less ignore the book (while staying within the themes...so if anyone has ideas for language-learning activities that involve geography, history and music*** I’m all ears xD) which is great but is also going to mean so. Much. Work. And anyway, this class and I don’t mesh. I don’t think it’s particularly their fault, more that they’re a very quiet class with a solid half clearly not wanting to be there and I don’t know how to deal with that…hence, not meshing.

Although the part where I’m taking them to a concert on March 1st seems to have helped.

Oh well. We’ll have time to worry about the bad parts tomorrow! Right now I’m going to focus on the fact that my children’s class did not descend into complete chaos and be satisfied with that :P

*I know food shouldn’t, ideally, be where I try to save money, but it’s my largest expenditure aside from taxis, and those I have to use to go to and from work. I’m trying to clear some space on my phone so I can get the cheaper app back, but that’s a really long run thing as it’ll only save me about $0.50 per ride. So, eating more humbly it is.

**There are cheaper options for studying khmer around, but I do enjoy my classes with Reaksmey, and I don't want to change teacher when I finally feel like I'm making progress on my khmer reading :/

***I’m skipping the math part. There’s a reason I didn’t become a math teacher.

#My Posts #Matt has a life #Shit from home

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mattgambler · 7 years

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Status Report

TLDR: The big Dad cannot support me financially for much longer and I explain what exactly that means for us. I disclose how much I have earned in the last year, paint a best case as well as a worst case scenario, explain how you can help if you so desire and talk about my overall business philosophy. I also included a FAQ section in the end. Ladies and gentlemen, we hoped the day would never come. But last week the big Dad told me that he sadly couldn’t do it anymore. For the past two years he generously backed me every month, while I streamed 6 days a week, 6-10 hours a day. I will be forever grateful for how much he has done for me, allowing me to chase this dream of mine. But he had a tough year and me constantly draining his wallet every month hasn’t helped. We both hoped I would grow quicker than I did, but that doesn’t mean that I’m giving up here or that my chances of ever making it are all that slim. Let me show you the numbers. Here is what I earned last year, every month, including subs, bits, and donations: Jan 17__________ 210,34 € (I had two donations of 100€ each that month) Feb 17__________ 31,74 € Mar 17__________ 28.1 € average income 1st quarter: 90,06 € Apr 17__________ 50 € May 17__________38,28 € Jun 17__________ 59.41 € average income 2nd quarter: 49,23 € Jul 17___________ 27,43 € Aug 17__________ 324,49 € Sep 17__________ 243,91 € average income 3rd quarter: 198,61 € Oct 17__________ 112,39 € Nov 17__________ 199,42 € Dec 17__________ 114,88 € average income 4th. quarter: 142,23 Jan 18__________ 191,54 €

I am showing you this because a) I think it’s interesting and b) because I want to show you that the curve is clearly going up. I don’t have the numbers for 2016, but it looked pretty much like February to May, I probably made less. The big jump in August can be explained by the fact that I got my sub button in June and Twitch keeps the money for 2-3 months in case of refund requests or whatever else can happen to that money. Looking at these numbers I can’t predict the future, but I want to believe. I want to look back at where we were a year ago and where we are now and hope that a year from now things are looking even better. I’m not sure if the channel grew at a slow pace or at a quick one, I have no idea what the average growth rate for streamers like me is and how big of an issue it would be if others grew quicker than me. I don’t really care either. What I do care about is that the past two years were the best of my life and I would absolutely passionately hate to ever stop. Even the thought of streaming less makes my heart cramp a little, because I’m worried that only 4 hours per day or only 3 days a week (or whatever else we might end up doing if we have to) would turn the steady growth of our community into a slow decline. Is that likely? I wouldn’t know, I’ve never tried streaming less before. So - what now? The big Dad was kind enough to ease me into it instead of suddenly cutting off all support. What that means is that according to my calculations I will need to earn about 600 € per month starting in March. 900 € starting in June. 1500€ starting in October. Clearly that is not gonna happen just by streaming, I’m not about to ask you guys to suddenly give me 10 times as much money as you have so far. As a matter of fact I will have to find a dayjob, no matter what happens. However! I still have about 2000€ saved up. The big Dad took care of rent, insurance, etc over the past two years and provided 500€ per month on top of that for me to spend on food, energy drinks, etc. Given that I have money leftover I clearly don’t need 500€ per month, but I felt it would be better to calculate with those numbers instead of shaving off every last cent and then having to realize after 6 months that I was too optimistic. I bring up those 2000€ because that effectively means that I can keep streaming for at least another two months, no matter what. Of course I will. However, sooner or later I will run dry and have to find work. I’m not afraid to not find anything, I’ve done a hundred jobs before I started streaming and I’m confident I can find something immediately if I have to. The question is how much the schedule will suffer because of that. Worst Case I have to take a fulltime job. 40 hours every week, it pays enough for me to get along, but I come home tired everyday and then maybe sit down and stream for 2-3 hours, possibly not even everyday. Even in that case I will live just fine. I won’t go hungry and I won’t have to sleep under a bridge, but I will miss you guys like hell. And worst case many of you will eventually stop missing me and the whole thing dies a slow and painful death. Best Case I have streamed for another three months - and with your support maybe even 4 or 5 - and since then the community has continued to grow and I can now comfortably work for only 30 or even 20 hours per week and still stream a good amount, most people don’t even notice that my dayjob makes me stream a little less. We continue like that for another year or two and eventually I quit my dayjob again because by now I don’t need it anymore. Realistically speaking we will probably end up somewhere inbetween those two extremes. I have always strongly believed in the way I run my stream and that includes how I treat financial support, subscriber goals, etc. This blog entry on its own is already almost violating those beliefs. Accept gratefully what you are given, do not ask for more. I have seen too many people try to milk their audience at one point or another and I would absolutely hate to have any of you feel like I’m doing the same now. So if you are even the slightest bit unsure if you want to support me or not, please don’t. The Donate-Option is only for those that want it, and always will be. However if you always felt like “nah, his dad is taking care of it anyway.” - Well the times of milk and honey are sadly over. Glhf to all of us. :P FAQ “So basically you are asking us for money because you don’t want to get a proper job like the rest of us?“ Yes and no. Obviously I want to keep streaming as much as possible and having a job at the same time makes that impossible. However I never wanted to ask people for money, I even refused to get a donation button for the first 4 months because I felt like I “wasn’t good enough yet”. Even now writing this is something I do because I have to, and be it only because if I dont explain it right away, I will have to do it anyway once people start asking why the schedule got butchered and left to die in a corner. However there is no reason to approach me and explain why sadly you cannot support me. I completely understand. Please don’t try to help if you can’t easily afford it. If you really want to, however, then you can. “I really want to help more, but sadly I can’t.” As I just said - I completely understand. However - there are many ways of helping me out that don’t include money at all. KittyTwo and Monokilho only found me because JohnyEdx told them about my channel. Kaioner was then dragged along by those two (I think). Even more importantly, simply watching the stream is by far the best way to support me (apart from straightup buying my soul with money). Not only from a channelgrowth-perspective but more importantly because I love to have you in chat when I stream. I have no idea how likely this is, but by far my biggest fear for the future is that a radical change in schedule could turn a slow and steady growth into a sudden decline alà “well, he’s gonna stop soon anyway, might as well find a new guy to watch”. Some of you might smile right now and think that I’m an idiot and that I worry too much. Others might have already left, it’s not like I can tell. “I am a subscriber already, and I watch a lot, I’m somewhat surprised your income isn’t already higher given how many subs you have.” You are forgetting that the sub button, while certainly effective at killing aliens, comes with it’s downsides. Twitch and I have a 50/50 split, so for every 5€ that you lose, I get about 2,50. Possibly less, there’s no easy way for me to tell if there’s additional fees, I just get for example 120€ at the end of the month and I have to assume that subs and bits added up to that amount. In comparison, if you give me the same amount using the donation button below the stream, I receive between 4,30€ and the whole 5 €. Even though I’m not sure how that is possible, but my Paypal history shows me that that has happened every now and then. Maybe Paypal had a Happy Hour at some point. Of course - if you use the Donation Button instead of the Subbutton, you don’t get the emotes, and the sub streak message, and the fancy subbadge, etc. It’s your call, but if you want me to keep streaming, one option helps more than the other. “Matt, I read through all of that and you should really do X. We need to raise more money, I recommend you ask for donations every 20 minutes and sell nudes on Discord. Also host more Girlstreamers, and you definitely need to upload more to Instagram.“ Your help is greatly appreciated and I am happy that you are so invested in my stream. But backseating is still a no-go. I have thought about this for two years and I will stick to my ideals, for better or worse. If you are convinced that you have it all figured out better than me, feel free to start your own channel. There are a few rare people that have mastered the fine art of suggesting ideas to me without making it feel like a command, but I am seriously touchy when it comes to how I run my stream. “Matt, will you play X if I give you enough money?“ Depends on the amount and the game, but in 99% of all cases, no. “Matt, will you sleep with me if I give you enough money?“ Depends on the amount and the dickpic, but in 99% of all cases, no.

#status report #Matt Gambler #Stream #donation #business

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katzirra · 8 years

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I think you are great and ypu are doing a good job! No matter what the other people said you are awesome! Keep doing hard work! Slow progress is still progress! 🙌

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kuwaiti-kid · 4 years

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Buying a Condo as an Investment Property? Here is What You Need to Know

Buying a condo can be an excellent way to start investing in real estate if done correctly.

With government-subsidized 30-year mortgages and tax-deductible mortgage interest, buying a rental property is by far the most accessible way for people to invest in something with tangible leverage. It’s no surprise that there are thousands of sites like Bigger Pockets dedicated to real estate investing in all of its forms.

But, even if you start Googling like mad, you won’t see very much about investing in condo rentals. They have historically been an unpopular choice for real estate investors for a couple of reasons:

Condos have homeowners association (HOA) fees that make them more expensive to own on paper and make it more challenging to satisfy the 1% rule (which basically states that the monthly rent from a property should be 1% or more of the purchase price)

Multi-family properties (duplexes, triplexes, apartments, etc.) have built-in advantages of scale. With a duplex, you have two units to rent out or live in, but only one roof, water heater, etc.

SFH (single-family home) and multi-family are both generally easier to remodel since you can do whatever you want within code. The HOA at most condos will have significant restrictions on what can and cannot be changed in a condo (e.g., flooring).

In some cases, HOAs restrict the number of units in the building that can be rented out.

Why Would Anyone Buy A Condo As A Rental Property?

These criticisms of condos are fair but don’t take them out of the running quite yet.

There’s one big problem with single-family homes and multi-family properties that new real estate investors often run into: if you live in a large, popular city, chances are single-family homes, and multi-family properties are really, really expensive.

The median home price in San Francisco is $1.6m, and more importantly, for first-time investors, there are only a few homes available for less than $700k.

The median condo price is $1.25m, and there are over 30 listings under $700k currently.

If you want to own physical real estate in an expensive city, condos are basically the only game in town.

Although many people don’t like condos as investments, the truth is that you can turn a nice profit owning and renting out a condo even with big, bad, scary HOA fees.

Condos also have a unique benefit beyond their more accessible pricing. Although HOA fees are annoying, they are there for a purpose: most of the time, the HOA will pay for the exterior, outdoor, and common area maintenance, making your job as a homeowner significantly easier.

How to Start Investing in Condos

Ready to get started with condo investing?

You need to start with the right neighborhood, the right financing, the right business plan, and the proper paperwork before jumping in.

Buy a Condo in the Right Part of Town

Before you jump all-in and buy a condo, you want to make sure you are buying in the right place. The goal is to find a neighborhood that is on the upswing, with rising or stable prices over the past year or so.

This might seem counterintuitive, but a neighborhood with flat or declining prices likely has that trend for a reason. You have a better chance of riding a trend on the upswing than picking a community that is due for a turnaround.

Other tangible and positive things to pay attention to include planned redevelopment nearby, new or expanding employment opportunities, and extensive public transport, or plans for public transportation.

Are You Going to Remodel Your Investment Property?

If you are, it’s essential to find a neighborhood with a large difference between the lowest-priced and highest-priced condos (per square foot).

For instance, if you see a new condo in a neighborhood that is for sale for $1000 per square foot, and an older condo across the street is for sale for $400 per square foot, the difference is $600 per square foot. This “price differential” is a decent stand-in for the maximum possible profit on a per square foot basis that you might stand to make with a remodel, although it will likely be much less than the full differential.

Why is that?

Well, even if you remodel a condo entirely if it’s in an older building with fewer amenities, it won’t command the same price as a fancy new condo.

Get Your Financing Set and Stay Away From PMI

Like any home purchase, you’ll need to line up financing if you don’t have enough to purchase the property outright.

Unfortunately, even with the lower costs of condos compared to single and multi-family homes, it can still be challenging to find enough for a 20% down payment. That would ordinarily mean you would be headed for PMI or private mortgage insurance.

PMI isn’t a huge deal, but it does add an additional payment to your mortgage every month, which makes it harder to make money off of your condo. That’s why it’s so essential to avoid PMI even if you don’t have 20% to put down.

Luckily, there are some other options that you can pursue so you can get around PMI and secure financing for your first condo purchase.

Many lenders have no or low down programs available that you can take advantage of at any time. Some of these programs even allow you to put 0% down – obviously, you’ll have a higher monthly payment, which will make it harder to get cash flow positive. Still, it allows you to jump into the market without a considerable outlay.

Here’s a list of lenders with programs for low or no down payment in conjunction with no PMI.

Bank of American Affordable Loan Solution

San Francisco Federal Credit Union POPPYloan

Flagstar Professional Loan

Citi HomeRun

SoFi

Suntrust Agency Affordable Financing

NACA (Neighborhood Association)

Chase DreaMaker

New American

Other Ways To Get Around PMI When Buying a Condo

You can also use an equity partner like Point or Unison to front you a portion of the down payment in exchange for a percentage of the upside in home appreciation over time.

These programs don’t often allow for renting your home out, so if you plan on renting your condo, you probably will need to pursue more traditional funding.

Be Conservative in Your Business Plan and Stay Cash Flow Positive

As with all rentals, you must stay cash flow positive in your new rental condo. This basically means that all of your expenses on the unit will be covered by the rent you expect to take in (with some room to spare for surprises and vacancies).

Although you will make some paper profits due to principal pay down, depreciation and whatever appreciation might come your way; you don’t want to be shelling out money every month for a unit you aren’t living in.

If you’re having trouble figuring out what you can charge for your rental, my advice is to stay as conservative as possible if you see a comparable listing for $2000, pencil in $1850 at the most when you are doing your due diligence.

Make Sure You Are Aware Of Condo-Specific Documentation

In addition to the normal due diligence that you would do before purchasing a single-family home, there are some condo specific things that you need to look out for. Here are the most important ones:

HOA Reserves and Reserve Study

Any condo association will have something called “reserves,” which are set aside to fund future maintenance and capital expenditures to the common areas and facilities (like elevators, halls, roofs, parking lots, etc.).

The beautiful thing as a condo owner is that you usually don’t have to pay for the upkeep on those things out of your pocket. Still, the condo association must have enough set aside to address the expenses that they expect in the future.

Keep in mind that seemingly large amounts of reserves can go frighteningly fast. An elevator replacement, for example, will rarely cost less than $200k, and it can be much much more expensive.

Siding and roof replacements on a large building can also be incredibly spendy.

Nervous about trying to figure out “how much is enough”? You shouldn’t be. If the condo association is responsible, they will have completed a reserve study sometime in the past 2-4 years that outlines the expenses the association expects and whether or not the reserves will be able to meet those expenses.

If there is no reserve study or the reserves are low, run away. Runaway quickly.

Special Assessments

Remember when I said that condo owners don’t have to pay for the maintenance and upgrades to the common areas and facilities (except through their HOA fee)?

Well, that was only partially true.

If the reserves are too low to fund necessary improvements (e.g., fixing a leaky roof or an elevator that doesn’t work), then the association will need to levy a “Special Assessment.”

All of the owners in the building will pay out of pocket to make up the deficit. If a condo is for sale, the realtor is required to disclose special assessments, but be sure to ask if there is a current special assessment, or they expect one in the future.

Take a Close Look at the Common Areas

There are some things that you just can’t see on a piece of paper. Even if you have a great reserve study and you’ve got confidence that the building isn’t going to fall apart around you, it’s still a good idea to stroll through the halls, laundry rooms, common areas, use the elevators, etc.

If you see worn carpeting, flickering lights, dirty common spaces, haphazard and flimsy fixes, cracked windows, exposed siding, mold, or other concerns, you may want to step back from the purchase. If the visible components of the building aren’t in great shape, you can be pretty much guaranteed that the things you can’t see are in even worse shape.

Combine what you see with the reserves on hand, and you’ll get a pretty full picture of what you can expect as an owner in the building.

Lead Paint, Vinyl Windows, and Popcorn Ceilings

Watch out for older buildings where you might have to spend a lot of money upgrading the interior of your unit.

Popcorn ceilings can be particularly expensive due to asbestos remediation requirements. Dealing with lead paint during remodeling can also add up as extra precautions need to be taken.

Make Sure You Have The Right Documentation When Buying a Condo

Since condominiums are legally more complex than SFH or multi-family properties, you want to be sure you have all of the right documentation before buying a condo. As annoying as it is, you will want to look over all of this in detail, as well.

Declaration of condominium

Articles of incorporation

Bylaws for the HOA

Rules of the Association

A copy of the most recent financial report for the HOA

The latest investment, replacement or capital expenditure report (this is called many things in different places, but you are looking for the condo boards plans for spending over the next ten years)

A copy of the condominium governance report

Sellers disclosure statement

Make Sure You Can Make The Changes You Expect to Make

If you are buying an older condo, chances are you will want to upgrade your carpet to hardwood, and maybe even add in-unit laundry.

Keep in mind that changes like these are often highly regulated by the condo association, and in some cases, you may not be able to make them at all.

For instance, hardwood floors may be banned due to noise for all of the units that aren’t on the ground floor. Not all HOAs are that restrictive but pay attention to these requirements.

Take The Plunge

If you’ve found a place in the right neighborhood, you’ve secured financing, have a good business plan, and you’ve checked all of the documentation you need, it’s time to decide whether or not you want to take the plunge into owning a rental condo.

This last step you’ll have to make on your own, but if you’ve ticked all the right boxes, you can buy with confidence and put your first step on the property ladder.

Buying Condos Is The Easiest Way To Get On The Property Ladder In Expensive Cities

You now have the tools to get started finding your condo and beginning on the investing ladder – even if you live in a city with expensive real estate.

Even if you live somewhere with more affordable real estate, the hands-off nature of condo ownership might still appeal to you. After my own experience renting and remodeling a condo, I can tell you that you can make money with condos, and they are effortless to take care of compared to single-family homes or multi-family properties.

So, are you going to jump in head first or watch from the sidelines?

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