Debt: How do you stack up?

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  • Reply 21 of 45
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  • Reply 22 of 45
    credit card debt = $0

    car loans = $0

    student loans = $0

    mortgage = $0



    In fact, the closest thing I have to debt is an $1800 rent payment each month. Every other penny I make is mine to spend as I see fit !



    my god !... the next guy in line must be up to 6 or 7 time the average now !



    oh ... and these numbers are for a family of 6 ! ... and I don't need to maintain debt to have a good credit rating!!! What, exactly, would I need a "credit rating" for anyway ?... I don't use credit cards, I don't buy cars and other goods unless I can afford them (cash). And I have never had a problem getting mortgages on the houses I have owned. (I think the key there is to make a downpayment, and don't buy more house than you can afford).
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  • Reply 23 of 45
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by ShawnJ

    no debt....yet.



    I assume law school is going to change that.




    Still that is to be commended Shawn. Law school is expensive but it will increase your earnings so it is a good investment.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    Of course, you could just put a block on it as soon as you lose it, trumptman.



    I know that giant. As I said I have two of them and use them frequently. I just am bothered by the clear disregard for the protective mechanisms that are supposed to be used to prevent fraud and instead are ignored.



    I mean when you have in big black bold letters, ask for I.D. and they still don't, it is sort of depressing when you consider the fraud potential.



    Nick
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  • Reply 24 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by BRussell

    I started using a check card several years ago, and I love it...



    Me too. I have a regular credit card too but I can't remember the last time I used it. It might have a been a year ago. I think I bought some gas with it. It's usually not even in my wallet.
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  • Reply 25 of 45
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    I just am bothered by the clear disregard for the protective mechanisms that are supposed to be used to prevent fraud and instead are ignored.



    I mean when you have in big black bold letters, ask for I.D. and they still don't, it is sort of depressing when you consider the fraud potential.




    I guess I don't expect much out of people that accept $200 bills with Bush's face.
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  • Reply 26 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    I know that giant. As I said I have two of them and use them frequently. I just am bothered by the clear disregard for the protective mechanisms that are supposed to be used to prevent fraud and instead are ignored.



    I mean when you have in big black bold letters, ask for I.D. and they still don't, it is sort of depressing when you consider the fraud potential.




    Why don't they use a PIN system?
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  • Reply 27 of 45
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Student loans: $63K (BA, BS, MA, PhD...but people, listen: consolidate NOW. 2.8% with 1.5% knocked off after 36 months and no early payment penalties)

    Credit Cards: ~$5000 (Stupid fekkin' Discover card+my powerbook)

    Mortgage: ~$160K (I love my house, and I make no excuses)



    No car payments. No other debt. Two incomes (my wife is a PhD and professor as well).



    Cheers

    Scott
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  • Reply 28 of 45
    Geesh, I ask if people think those figures accurate and we get more financial information than TRW.



    I guess since plenty of others have shared I'll share. There is one aspect about my finances that I am sure no one here will desire, mortgages!



    Credit cards debt = $0

    Student loan debt = $0

    Car loan debt = $0

    Mortgage debt = $675,000





    Nick
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  • Reply 29 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    Geesh, I ask if people think those figures accurate and we get more financial information than TRW.



    I guess since plenty of others have shared I'll share. There is one aspect about my finances that I am sure no one here will desire, mortgages!



    Credit cards debt = $0

    Student loan debt = $0

    Car loan debt = $0

    Mortgage debt = $675,000





    Nick




    Waitaminute...Aren't you a public school teacher? with nearly 3/4 million house? Is housing that expensive where you live in CA? I'm honestly asking.
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  • Reply 30 of 45
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by midwinter

    Waitaminute...Aren't you a public school teacher? with nearly 3/4 million house? Is housing that expensive where you live in CA? I'm honestly asking.



    He's a slumlord. I mean, um, landlord.
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  • Reply 31 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by midwinter

    Waitaminute...Aren't you a public school teacher? with nearly 3/4 million house? Is housing that expensive where you live in CA? I'm honestly asking.



    No my own personal home cost $183,000. The total is my mortgages from 5 properties.



    Yes I am a public school teacher who makes under $60,000 a year in income from that job. However housing in California is and can be very expensive if you go up into San Francisco/Silicon Valley or down in So Cal along the beach areas.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by bunge

    He's a slumlord. I mean, um, landlord.



    Envy is the ulcer of the soul.

    Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)



    It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered.

    Aeschylus (525 BC - 456 BC), Agamemnon



    We are here to add to the sum of human goodness. To prove the thing exists. And however futile each individual act of courage or generosity, self-sacrifice or grace-it still proves the thing exists. Each act adds to the fund. It needs replenishment. Not only because evil flourishes, and is, most indefensibly, defended. But because goodness is no longer a respectable aim in life. The hound of hell, envy, has driven it from the house.

    Josephine Hart, "Sin"



    Nick
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  • Reply 32 of 45
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    Envy is the ulcer of the soul.

    Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)




    Your hubris has blinded you from the fact that I was being sarcastic. Socrates considered hubris to be the single greatest failing of man. Congratulations.
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  • Reply 33 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    No my own personal home cost $183,000. The total is my mortgages from 5 properties.



    Yes I am a public school teacher who makes under $60,000 a year in income from that job. However housing in California is and can be very expensive if you go up into San Francisco/Silicon Valley or down in So Cal along the beach areas.




    Gotcha. May I ask what it is you teach? I've been meaning to broach this subject for some time...perhaps creating a "teachers rant about their students" thread?
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  • Reply 34 of 45
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by bunge

    Your hubris has blinded you from the fact that I was being sarcastic. Socrates considered hubris to be the single greatest failing of man. Congratulations.



    Oh yes, I suppose I didn't notice your smilie.



    Satire is focused bitterness.\tLeo Rosten



    Quote:

    Originally posted by midwinter

    Gotcha. May I ask what it is you teach? I've been meaning to broach this subject for some time...perhaps creating a "teachers rant about their students" thread?



    I teach fifth grade, all subjects, though I also teach with other upper grade teachers for arts where I teach piano.



    Nick
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  • Reply 35 of 45
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    Oh yes, I suppose I didn't notice your smilie.



    Satire is focused bitterness.\tLeo Rosten




    No problem Mr. Angostura.



    --> <--
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  • Reply 36 of 45
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    Envy is the ulcer of the soul.

    Socrates (469 BC - 399 BC)



    It's apparent from the inclusion of the dates that you got that from a site listing a bunch of random sayings. It's actually a really poor way to cite a quote since it can't be verified, so the technique is often used to attribute fabricated quotes to famous figures.



    So, over the past two weeks I just read protagoras, euthyphro, the apology and crito for the 10th or so time, and I find the quote a little suspicious. Use of the elenchus meant that Socrates typically asserted nothing outside of the apology, and I also don't remember reading this quote or anything where the context would bring this up, but I also don't have a perfect memory at all.



    So maybe someone else can pinpoint the source of this quote. I plugged it into google and got three pages of garbage. There is quite a bit on socrates on the web, so I would expect to find at least one academic paper with a correct citation, but maybe I'm not searching correctly. I'm not holding my breath, though.



    And $1-1.5m in real estate holdings is really not that much. That's like only two or three of the cheapest single family homes in my neighborhood. Hell, you'd be lucky to find a condo for less than $300,000. The itsy-bitsiest are $250,000. That's great that you actually have investments, but you should probably wake up and realize that other people, especially those able to spend $3000 on an apple computer, will have substantial investments as well. So bragging and claiming through possibly fabricated quotes that people are of envious of you is really silly, and in many ways mean.
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  • Reply 37 of 45
    Quote:

    Originally posted by giant

    It's apparent from the inclusion of the dates that you got that from a site listing a bunch of random sayings. It's actually a really poor way to cite a quote since it can't be verified, so the technique is often used to attribute fabricated quotes to famous figures.



    So, over the past two weeks I just read protagoras, euthyphro, the apology and crito for the 10th or so time, and I find the quote a little suspicious. Use of the elenchus meant that Socrates typically asserted nothing outside of the apology, and I also don't remember reading this quote or anything where the context would bring this up, but I also don't have a perfect memory at all.



    So maybe someone else can pinpoint the source of this quote. I plugged it into google and got three pages of garbage. There is quite a bit on socrates on the web, so I would expect to find at least one academic paper with a correct citation, but maybe I'm not searching correctly. I'm not holding my breath, though.



    And $1-1.5m in real estate holdings is really not that much. That's like only two or three of the cheapest single family homes in my neighborhood. Hell, you'd be lucky to find a condo for less than $300,000. The itsy-bitsiest are $250,000. That's great that you actually have investments, but you should probably wake up and realize that other people, especially those able to spend $3000 on an apple computer, will have substantial investments as well. So bragging and claiming through possibly fabricated quotes that people are of envious of you is really silly, and in many ways mean.




    I have no doubt there are numerous well compensated and well invested folks on these forums. I never "bragged" what the properties were worth. I really don't see how claiming I have $675,000 worth of mortgage debt is "bragging." If anything it drew the opposite conclusion from at least one of the two respondants to the message.



    bunge's reply didn't sounds like a joke to me, but rather made a claim that I profit by providing substandard housing. Those types of claims don't sit well with me, but rather than attacking him, I just tossed a few quotes his way that were at best a little elbow jab for his perceived name calling. He then claimed I had so much hubris I didn't read his sarcasm. So I gave him a sarcasm quote with some smilies. He called me Mr. Angostura which relates to bitterness.



    So just to make it clear we have...



    slumlord...hubris... Mr. Bitter..



    and I have quotes on envy and sarcasm...



    Of course I am the mean one in your definition, you don't like my politics.







    As to where I found it, look

    here.



    If it is misattributed you are welcome to correct it. I didn't quote it because I think Socrates would yield a better result than someone else. I quoted it because I liked it.



    Nick
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  • Reply 38 of 45
    giantgiant Posts: 6,041member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    I never "bragged" what the properties were worth. I really don't see how claiming I have $675,000 worth of mortgage debt is "bragging."



    It became bragging when you added the envy part. It also part of a pattern. But I'll drop it.

    Quote:

    As to where I found it, look

    here.



    If it is misattributed you are welcome to correct it. I didn't quote it because I think Socrates would yield a better result than someone else. I quoted it because I liked it.



    Yeah, that's one of the pages that came up.



    There's another quote there that is pretty suspicious. "The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance." My understanding is that Socrates didn't explicitly link the two in a sentence. At the end of protag,he links virtue to knowledge, and it's pretty clear throughout his dialogues that "the good" is knowledge, but I don't think he explicitly said it.



    Anyway, plugging that quote into google brings up many pages attributing it to Herodotus and a few attributing it to Diogenes.



    Anyway, back on topic: I really don't understand how some people get into debt. I know someone who works at a debt collection law firm, and she tells me that the most common things she sees are medical bills and gambling. Loss of job is also up there.



    But 16 credit cards per household is really out there. I just have to wonder: why? What is the point?
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  • Reply 39 of 45
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by trumptman

    Oh yes, I suppose I didn't notice your smilie.



    Satire is focused bitterness.\tLeo Rosten







    I teach fifth grade, all subjects, though I also teach with other upper grade teachers for arts where I teach piano.



    Nick




    Fifth-graders, huh? Well, I guess my rant thread wouldn't apply to you, then. I mean, there's no way fifth-graders can ever drive you up the wall, is there?



    More power to you, man. I have tremendous respect for anyone with the patience to teach in the primary or secondary schools.



    Cheers

    Scott
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  • Reply 40 of 45
    bungebunge Posts: 7,329member
    I'm glad you at least caught my 'bitters' joke.
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