Three Rules for Staying out of Poverty - thoughts?

[Psyfalcon]

Originally Posted by Fran101

I think it makes sense and is a good general guideline for most of the population!

but remember guys, it's a general guideline. Not all rules apply to all people.

For instance..

GUIDELINES FOR STAYING OUT OF JAIL

1. Don't steal
2. Don't kill anybody
3. Don't try to kill anybody
4. Obey all traffic laws
5. Pay your taxes
6. Don't assault people
7. Don't rape anybody
8. Be rich
9. Be white
10. Be a celebrity

Following these rules.. 99.9% of people WILL NOT GO TO JAIL! EVER!

..but then..

To be fair, insider trading is a form of stealing... You know your company is going down (or up, I suppose) so you sell it to people who don't have the same information. You take their money, they get worthless (or less valuable) shares.

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by Psyfalcon

To be fair, insider trading is a form of stealing... You know your company is going down (or up, I suppose) so you sell it to people who don't have the same information. You take their money, they get worthless (or less valuable) shares.

Yup!



As much as we love exceptions and the chance to make a statistic false the truth is generally these things do keep people out of poverty.

[sillysally]

Originally Posted by Psyfalcon

To be fair, insider trading is a form of stealing... You know your company is going down (or up, I suppose) so you sell it to people who don't have the same information. You take their money, they get worthless (or less valuable) shares.

I don't think she went to jail for that though, I think the conviction was for lying to the feds....

[AdrianneIsabel]

Originally Posted by sillysally

I don't think she went to jail for that though, I think the conviction was for lying to the feds....

Both actually

"On June 4, 2003, Stewart was indicted by the government on nine counts, including charges of securities fraud and obstruction of justice."

Securities fraud, also known as stock fraud and investment fraud, is a practice that induces investors to make purchase or sale decisions on the basis of false information, frequently resulting in losses, in violation of the securities laws.

Oh, that and the fact she was a woman and made an example out of.

[sillysally]

She was indicted of securities fraud, but I believe the judge threw it out. She was convicted of obstruction of justice and lying to investigators I think.

[Zoom]

Originally Posted by Doberluv

Don't spend more than you earn.

This right here is about the best advice to avoid poverty. You can go to college, get the degree, get the job and then get caught up in things beyond your control (2008 and the crash, for example) and then what? Suddenly you're SOL. However, you do have a lot of control over your spending, extenuating circumstances notwithstanding e.g. medical bills.

The list is solid advice, don't get me wrong, but it's overly simplistic.

[Dekka]

Originally Posted by Kat09Tails

Also the myth of no one being prepared for parenting is a bunch of BS, although kids often don't read the books on how they should be. Choosing to be a parent is almost always better than incidentally falling ass first into it. I know for me kids will be a conscious decision to have.

I don't think Eddie said prepared, I think he said ready.

Raising another person, wanting to do it right is a monumental task. Talking to people when I was expecting it seems most good parents were worried they weren't ready. Not that they weren't prepared, or really wanting the child. Just worried that they might not be quite ready.

I think being worried you might not be ready shows how much you care and that you realize what a big responsibility it is. I know I sure didn't feel ready

[~Jessie~]

At the moment, I'm not sure that I'm "ready" for a child, but I'm definitely "prepared" if that makes sense. We've been married for over 3 years, own a home, have a stable financial status... I'm just not sure I'm "ready" to make that plunge into becoming a parent. I believe that you can be both ready AND prepared, which is ideally how I want it to be when I have a baby. There are still a few things on my agenda!

Five years ago, I wasn't prepared OR ready! We were renting an apartment, both of us were in college... it would've been terrible timing. Of course, some people CAN make it work- but it's usually with the help of family members or friends.

Around here, to rent a 2 bedroom apartment it is at least $1,000 + a month. Factor in the cost of utilities, gas (since public transportation isn't really usable), health insurance, child care, etc, etc... it all adds up. What happens if you need formula? And diapers are pricey- I can't see most day cares wanting to deal with cloth diapers. If you're not ready or prepared, most people are in for a struggle.

So, while that set of 3 rules is very simplistic- it does make sense.

[eddieq]

Since I seem to have pushed some buttons, let me say that my tongue was slightly planted in my cheek, but Dekka pretty much nailed what I was getting at. Sure, you can be prepared to have kids financially, emotionally, maturity level, etc., but those little buggers don't ever seem to follow any sort of plan and throw curveballs at you daily.

The best advice I can give any potential parent who wants to be "readY" is to expect to be surprised by everything.