are you wealthy?
- Magilla
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Re: are you wealthy?
If only. Financially, I'm on the bones of my arse.
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- Matty Red Sox
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Re: are you wealthy?
We do alright. Not really polite to go deep into it, but I retired at 47. I may chose to go back to work at some point. Not rich mind you.
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- GoogaMooga
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Re: are you wealthy?
I'm on disability allowance, which is a cut above dole, so I'd say I am in the lower middle class. Two room apartment. I spend about £6 a day on food and beverages. I rarely go anywhere and only own one pair of trousers that I can still fit. All my disposable income goes to comics and cd. Comics keep me in poverty. It would be nice to be able to dine out once in a while.
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Re: are you wealthy?
on wrote:I bet yellowjacket is loaded
Yes, he apparently pays someone to write his threads
Happily, I have more than enough money to last me the rest of my life. If I survive past next Monday, I may be in some bother though...
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Re: are you wealthy?
it doesn't bother me that i'm not rich but it bothers me that i'm still living month to month and have nothing left to save
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- toomanyhatz
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Re: are you wealthy?
The American middle class is indeed shrinking.
Here it matters a great deal where you live. When both pillowz and I were making decent middle-class incomes (probably right around- or these days maybe slightly above- that average US income you mentioned) we were able to afford all our bills including health care expenses for both us and the cats with a decent amount left for leisure and travel. With me underemployed we're still managing to keep that up being a bit more frugal, but it can't last much longer. Thing is, we're what's referred to as DINKs- double income no kids- so we should, in theory, be able to live pretty well. Even then, we would have only been able to be homeowners if we were willing to scrimp and live in a worse neighborhood than we'd prefer. Now our prospects are pretty bleak unless things improve.
If we lived in Louisville, KY, for example, though, we could do a lot better.
The annoying thing is what a wealthy country we are- it's mathematically possible for everyone willing and able to work to live as decently as we would like to- just be homeowners and have some leisure funds. All it would take would be putting the tax brackets for the highest income earners back to what they were pre-Reagan. But we can't have that, can we?
Here it matters a great deal where you live. When both pillowz and I were making decent middle-class incomes (probably right around- or these days maybe slightly above- that average US income you mentioned) we were able to afford all our bills including health care expenses for both us and the cats with a decent amount left for leisure and travel. With me underemployed we're still managing to keep that up being a bit more frugal, but it can't last much longer. Thing is, we're what's referred to as DINKs- double income no kids- so we should, in theory, be able to live pretty well. Even then, we would have only been able to be homeowners if we were willing to scrimp and live in a worse neighborhood than we'd prefer. Now our prospects are pretty bleak unless things improve.
If we lived in Louisville, KY, for example, though, we could do a lot better.
The annoying thing is what a wealthy country we are- it's mathematically possible for everyone willing and able to work to live as decently as we would like to- just be homeowners and have some leisure funds. All it would take would be putting the tax brackets for the highest income earners back to what they were pre-Reagan. But we can't have that, can we?
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- GoogaMooga
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Re: are you wealthy?
toomanyhatz wrote:The annoying thing is what a wealthy country we are- it's mathematically possible for everyone willing and able to work to live as decently as we would like to- just be homeowners and have some leisure funds. All it would take would be putting the tax brackets for the highest income earners back to what they were pre-Reagan. But we can't have that, can we?
I could accept the tax breaks for the rich, if they generated a lot of industry and jobs in the US, but that doesn't seem to be the case any more, does it? It's true, though, the US is one of the richest countries in the world. I can only think of Monaco and some oil states that are comparable in wealth.
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Re: are you wealthy?
Americans may be on average richer than the rest of us but they have to pay an insane amount of money on health insurance. That's not something people living in European-style social democracies generally have to worry about.
- Penk!
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Re: are you wealthy?
By Swedish standards, no. Someone on here posted a "wealth comparer" thing a while ago which informed me that I only made about 85% of the Swedish average wage. A school is not a high-status workplace in Sweden.
But this puts me comfortably ahead of the vast majority of the world's citizens. My girlfriend earns a good deal more than me and together we own a flat and get by very happily. We have all mod cons, we eat well, we go out often, we buy consumer products, we save. But even without her, I could live very comfortably on my wage despite, as I said, it being below the Swedish average. I would be able to afford to rent a decent-sized flat in a decent part of the capital city, pay my bills, union fee, student loan etc, and still have more than enough for good food, good clothes, household essentials, socialising/going out and luxury products (I spend more than £100 a month on CDs, books and so on). I have healthcare (not free, but a maximum of about £85 a year), I live in a very safe city, I can afford to go away once or twice a year.
All this despite an income tax of around 30% on a below-average wage.
This is the social democracy that the Republicans tell you is so evil, America.
But this puts me comfortably ahead of the vast majority of the world's citizens. My girlfriend earns a good deal more than me and together we own a flat and get by very happily. We have all mod cons, we eat well, we go out often, we buy consumer products, we save. But even without her, I could live very comfortably on my wage despite, as I said, it being below the Swedish average. I would be able to afford to rent a decent-sized flat in a decent part of the capital city, pay my bills, union fee, student loan etc, and still have more than enough for good food, good clothes, household essentials, socialising/going out and luxury products (I spend more than £100 a month on CDs, books and so on). I have healthcare (not free, but a maximum of about £85 a year), I live in a very safe city, I can afford to go away once or twice a year.
All this despite an income tax of around 30% on a below-average wage.
This is the social democracy that the Republicans tell you is so evil, America.
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- Corporate whore
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Re: are you wealthy?
Comfortable I would say.
Only debt is the Mortgage, and we can pretty much afford a vacation each year and the cost of living.
I guess it depends how you define 'wealthy'.
Only debt is the Mortgage, and we can pretty much afford a vacation each year and the cost of living.
I guess it depends how you define 'wealthy'.
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Re: are you wealthy?
It works in Sweden though because of the relatively low level of population and the relatively buoyant nature of the economy. Sweden has had crises before (mid-90's I believe) but has managed to escape them without reliance on staggering levels of borrowing.
Europe's universal welfare approach may very well be non-existent, at least in countries like Spain, Italy and even Britain in 50 years.
Europe's universal welfare approach may very well be non-existent, at least in countries like Spain, Italy and even Britain in 50 years.
- GoogaMooga
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Re: are you wealthy?
Bleep wrote:Europe's universal welfare approach may very well be non-existent, at least in countries like Spain, Italy and even Britain in 50 years.
I am absolutely convinced of this. And I think it'll happen sooner than that.
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- Penk!
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Re: are you wealthy?
Bleep wrote:It works in Sweden though because of the relatively low level of population and the relatively buoyant nature of the economy. Sweden has had crises before (mid-90's I believe) but has managed to escape them without reliance on staggering levels of borrowing.
Europe's universal welfare approach may very well be non-existent, at least in countries like Spain, Italy and even Britain in 50 years.
Probably true, unfortunately.
But there is a lot to be said for high taxation.
fange wrote:One of the things i really dislike in this life is people raising their voices in German.
- KeithPratt
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Re: are you wealthy?
I agree, but I feel that the social democratic method only really works with countries that are relatively small in population and with a developed economic infrastructure. Germany works because they have a huge manufacturing base.
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Re: are you wealthy?
penk wrote:Bleep wrote:It works in Sweden though because of the relatively low level of population and the relatively buoyant nature of the economy. Sweden has had crises before (mid-90's I believe) but has managed to escape them without reliance on staggering levels of borrowing.
Europe's universal welfare approach may very well be non-existent, at least in countries like Spain, Italy and even Britain in 50 years.
Probably true, unfortunately.
But there is a lot to be said for high taxation.
All economies go up and done - but inherently there is nothing in social democracy which makes it more or less likely to work in smaller populations. As for whether universal welfare will end in the future, that is very possible/probably - but not because of the nature of the economy, it will be because of political will.
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- savoirefaire
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Re: are you wealthy?
For the first time, after moving to Scandinavia, I have some savings from what I make with money to spare for clothes, holidays etc. I am incredibly lucky to be in this position because most PhD students around the world live day to day. That being said, it may all end very soon after my PhD study ends because of the employment market, so I ought to be even better at saving now because I could be out of a job for quite awhile before I find something.
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Re: are you wealthy?
This thread is depressing!
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- quix
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Re: are you wealthy?
it's all a bit relative isn't it? i"d say I was comfortable as I don't have money worries or debts and I have some money in the bank (although if my kids go to university most of that will disappear). we live within our means which means only one holiday a year (not too ecpensive) and almost no eating out etc. we watch what we spend but i dont feel we ever really go without anything. we live in a large house mortgage free as my husband took early retirement and paid it off with the money having worked solidly for almost thirty hears. however, as my husband is retired on a small pension if I lost my job (and there's a very real possibility of that soon) I'd have to find something quick or we'd have to eat in to savings to pay bills. so yes, i feel very lucky, i feel comfortable. although compared to many others in the country, possible most, I'd appear wealthy.
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Re: are you wealthy?
List of countries with the smallest gap between rich and poor.
1. Sweden
2. Denmark
3. Japan
4. Norway
5. Slovakia
6. Czech Republic
7. Belarus
8. Finland
9. Ukraine
10. Serbia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality
List of 10 to 'happiest'* countries in the World
1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Netherlands
4. Switzerland
5. Austria
6. Israel
7. Finland
8. Australia
9. Canada
10. Sweden
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-happiest-countries-in-the-world.html?page=all
* (The OECD measured more than 30 sets of data in 11 different categories, including education, health and employment.
The study also asked residents of each country to rank, on a scale of 1 to 10, their general satisfaction with their lives.
24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 countries with the highest life satisfaction scores to find the strongest factors related to happiness.)
1. Sweden
2. Denmark
3. Japan
4. Norway
5. Slovakia
6. Czech Republic
7. Belarus
8. Finland
9. Ukraine
10. Serbia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality
List of 10 to 'happiest'* countries in the World
1. Denmark
2. Norway
3. Netherlands
4. Switzerland
5. Austria
6. Israel
7. Finland
8. Australia
9. Canada
10. Sweden
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/the-happiest-countries-in-the-world.html?page=all
* (The OECD measured more than 30 sets of data in 11 different categories, including education, health and employment.
The study also asked residents of each country to rank, on a scale of 1 to 10, their general satisfaction with their lives.
24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 countries with the highest life satisfaction scores to find the strongest factors related to happiness.)