Saturday, May 16, 2015
I got interrupted yesterday by Nugget coming over to visit.
Walking her back over to her house later, we found a tiny baby bird (still with fluff on either side of his head and on his back, so definitely not ready to leave the nest) hopping down the middle of the street. No idea where he came from. The rest of the evening was spent building him a nest box in my spare bathroom, digging worms and grubs for him, and feeding him. So I now have a bird after all. Looks like it might be a starling.
To conclude the previous bird stories, the blackbirds gave up on the dryer vent after one got stuck ripping open the netting Daughter had put over the opening to keep them out. Once it got loose, they never came back. Funny that running the clothes dryer didn't bother them, but a net "trap" frightened them away.
The house finches who built the nest in the wreath on my front door were evicted twice, and when they rebuilt the third time I gave up and allowed them to stay. They laid four eggs in the prettiest, softest-lined nest I've ever seen, and just five days later the eggs were ... gone. I suspect a squirrel got them. Mother squirrels will eat eggs and new hatchlings because they need calcium when they're nursing babies. (When you make eggs for breakfast, crush the shells and toss them out on the lawn for nursing mothers: squirrels, racoons, possums, cats, whatever. If nobody takes them, they're good for your lawn.) Anyway, the finches haven't been back.
I think the robin who'd laid claim to my patch of front lawn has built a nest in the tree, and may have chicks because I'll see a robin fly into the tree, and then there's an unholy racket of buzzing and chirping.
So, expect future updates on the baby bird in the bathroom. He eats a LOT! Just this evening he ate six chubby earthworms, two fat grubs, and about 12-15 medium-sized mealworms before he decided he was full and stopped begging. That was his fifth meal of the day. Nugget is happy feeding him, but when he gets full and wants to sleep, she's done. Daughter has fallen in love with him and will easily spend an hour up there snuggling him.
------------------------------------------
So, to continue from yesterday. Where was I? Oh, yeah, Tuesday, May 5th. The Hunk had just put the new tire on my car. Then I went to the village diner for lunch, and to the hardware store for white spray paint, and a few other stores for some other stuff. When I got back to the house, I pried the new numbers off the tree next to the driveway, painted a large white oval on the bark, and renailed the numbers. Now you can see them.
By then it was close to 5 pm. Still nothing accomplished on the house, midway through the second trip.
I had been trying to sort the crap in the house into "take south", "sell or give away", and "throw away", and I'd been making very little progress because, well, there's so much, and everything has to be touched, examined, considered. On a previous 2014 three day trip, all I'd done was go through one drawer of the four drawer horizontal file cabinet. This time I just grabbed some garbage bags and ran quickly around throwing stuff in the bags. I was really being tough. I even threw out a jade Chinese teapot because it leaked. I filled two huge garbage bags, and tossed them into the back seat of the car. And then about 8 pm I sat down in the den for a minute, and woke at 11 pm with my head on the desk. I was exhausted. I went to bed.
I left fairly early Wednesday because I have to be south of Newark by 4 pm or the traffic is awful, or wait until after 6 pm to leave, and I wanted to be home to watch Survivor at 8 so that wasn't going to cut it. I left at 1 pm, and the 2.5 hour trip took me 4.5 hours because of roadwork near Suffern and ... something? an accident long cleared out? ... near the Oranges that both slowed me down to 2nd gear for miles and miles.
But I was very good about those garbage bags. I resisted the urge to look into them one more time, and they went out with Thursday's garbage collection.
So, two round trips, five days, many hours driving, $900 in hotel, gas, tolls, thermostat, tire, and I have two bags of trash to show for it. I hope the next trip is more productive --- but I sorta doubt it because I'll be meeting with the a/c man to discuss getting the old heat pump replaced with electric a/c, and I want to go to the SS office up there to get some business handled, since the local SS office down here is understaffed and overcrowded, you can't make an appointment (although the website says you can by calling, but the phone call gets you a recorded message that says you have to appear in person), and on three attempts in person I hadn't been able to actually see anyone ("take a number", wait wait wait, "oops, we're closing now, come back tomorrow", when it's the same thing again).
I am currently collecting SS and Medicare on Jay's record as his widow, but I can give myself a huge raise by collecting on Ex#2's record. That is complicated, have to show proof we were married long enough, it affects my medical insurance, and so on and so on. Can't do it online.
I hope no more trees get blown over up there.
.
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Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social Security. Show all posts
Saturday, May 16, 2015
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
3821 Show Snovels and Checks
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Rules for snow shovels:
- Store the shovel outside for the winter, so it's at air temperature when you use it. You can't shovel snow with a warm shovel.
- Occasionally (like every other use) spritz it with Pam, so snow will slide off easily.
- NEVER chop ice with it. That will cause the sides of the blade to curl.
I can use the same shovel for years, as long as I'm the only one using it. The one I have now is about three years old, and I love it. It has that bent handle that's easy to lift, and the blade is plastic with a curl at the top and raised sides, which makes it perfect for using like a plow. Because the blade is plastic, it's lightweight, and it has a metal strip on the underside to keep the edge flat.
Well, Daughter and Hercules (Wow! The first time he's ever done anything resembling work for me without being asked/shamed into it!) used it after the last two storms, and now the blade is cupped. It doesn't run flat anymore.
I am unhappy.
------------------------------------------
The real estate taxes on the city house are due quarterly. I have it stuck in my head that "quarterly" is March, June, September, and December. This being New Jersey, naturally they want it February 1st, May 1st, and so on. So I didn't realize that I was late until Tuesday evening, the 11th - one day past the 10-day grace period.
Wednesday I hurried off to the town hall to pay, but they were closed for Lincoln's Birthday. Thursday they were closed for snow. Friday I couldn't get out of my driveway. Saturday and Sunday they were closed. Monday they were closed for President's Day (yeah, in addition to Thursday. Nice job). I finally got in today, and had to pay more than a week's penalty. I think I got burned.
-------------------------------------------
I have a 35-year-old checking and savings account (and a pre-approved emergency loan account) with my old credit union at the country house. The credit union started life as the IBM Employees' Credit Union. My account numbers were my employee serial number, with "001" suffix on the savings account, and "009" suffix on the checking, which made the account numbers easy to remember. When IBM left that area it, the credit union, went pubic.
For the past 8 years (8 because I'm a widow getting benefits on Jay's account) Social Security has been depositing my monthly check into the checking account, let's call it "123456009" (where 123456 was my employee number) on the second Wednesday of the month, with no difficulty.
Yesterday I got a letter from the bank saying that the SS check had arrived and they were unable to process it as written. They processed it by hand, but would not process it next month unless it was fixed.
Duh?
They said that the check was sent for deposit to account 12356009, and they manually deposited it to 1234560001 CHK.
Ok, I see what SS did - they skipped a digit (the "4"), but I don't understand why the bank deposited the check into the savings account, and why did they call it the "CHK" account if it has the savings suffix? I don't understand. I called the credit union.
Turns out that they changed the account numbers last fall. (I don't recall getting any kind of notification!) Now the checking account ends in 0001.
I asked, "So what's the sufffix for the savings?"
She said, "Savings is 0001, too."
Me, very confused, "So how do you tell them apart?"
She, "The savings account number now starts with 2."
Me, "So my savings account number is now 21234560001?"
She, "Yes."
I don't understand.
I told her I've been writing checks with the 009 suffix printed on them. She said that's ok, they'll still go through. When I order new checks I'll see the new number on them.
Sheesh. I write maybe 8 checks a year on that account. I have a 15 year supply. I wonder how long they'll tolerate that 009 suffix, and whether I'll get any notice when they update their system, or will they just start bouncing checks.
-------------------------------------------
As if that wasn't enough aggravation, I got a call from the fuel supplier for the country house. The house with the 300 foot uphill curved driveway. The driver tried to deliver, and says the driveway is too narrow, it needs to be plowed wider. (I do ensure that the trucks can turn around at the top, but I guess I can understand their fear that they may be forced to back down that slalom run.)
The plow piles on either side are about five feet high now. They've had a LOT of snow this winter - 24 additional inches last week alone - and no thaws. The Hairless Hunk has done a hero's job keeping it plowed. I really really appreciate his being there. But he's plowing with a pickup truck. I don't know if he CAN widen it at this point.
So, I wrote him an email this morning, asking what can be done, and if he has to bring in reinforcements, I can overnight him the cost. But I've got to get oil. The last delivery was in early December. The thermostat is set at 50 degrees, but the temperatures up there have been ranging between 23 and -10 since then. The water is turned off, but still, the pressure tank from the well could freeze. I don't remember whether I threw the breaker for the pump.
I'm SO ready for spring.
.
Rules for snow shovels:
- Store the shovel outside for the winter, so it's at air temperature when you use it. You can't shovel snow with a warm shovel.
- Occasionally (like every other use) spritz it with Pam, so snow will slide off easily.
- NEVER chop ice with it. That will cause the sides of the blade to curl.
I can use the same shovel for years, as long as I'm the only one using it. The one I have now is about three years old, and I love it. It has that bent handle that's easy to lift, and the blade is plastic with a curl at the top and raised sides, which makes it perfect for using like a plow. Because the blade is plastic, it's lightweight, and it has a metal strip on the underside to keep the edge flat.
Well, Daughter and Hercules (Wow! The first time he's ever done anything resembling work for me without being asked/shamed into it!) used it after the last two storms, and now the blade is cupped. It doesn't run flat anymore.
I am unhappy.
------------------------------------------
The real estate taxes on the city house are due quarterly. I have it stuck in my head that "quarterly" is March, June, September, and December. This being New Jersey, naturally they want it February 1st, May 1st, and so on. So I didn't realize that I was late until Tuesday evening, the 11th - one day past the 10-day grace period.
Wednesday I hurried off to the town hall to pay, but they were closed for Lincoln's Birthday. Thursday they were closed for snow. Friday I couldn't get out of my driveway. Saturday and Sunday they were closed. Monday they were closed for President's Day (yeah, in addition to Thursday. Nice job). I finally got in today, and had to pay more than a week's penalty. I think I got burned.
-------------------------------------------
I have a 35-year-old checking and savings account (and a pre-approved emergency loan account) with my old credit union at the country house. The credit union started life as the IBM Employees' Credit Union. My account numbers were my employee serial number, with "001" suffix on the savings account, and "009" suffix on the checking, which made the account numbers easy to remember. When IBM left that area it, the credit union, went pubic.
For the past 8 years (8 because I'm a widow getting benefits on Jay's account) Social Security has been depositing my monthly check into the checking account, let's call it "123456009" (where 123456 was my employee number) on the second Wednesday of the month, with no difficulty.
Yesterday I got a letter from the bank saying that the SS check had arrived and they were unable to process it as written. They processed it by hand, but would not process it next month unless it was fixed.
Duh?
They said that the check was sent for deposit to account 12356009, and they manually deposited it to 1234560001 CHK.
Ok, I see what SS did - they skipped a digit (the "4"), but I don't understand why the bank deposited the check into the savings account, and why did they call it the "CHK" account if it has the savings suffix? I don't understand. I called the credit union.
Turns out that they changed the account numbers last fall. (I don't recall getting any kind of notification!) Now the checking account ends in 0001.
I asked, "So what's the sufffix for the savings?"
She said, "Savings is 0001, too."
Me, very confused, "So how do you tell them apart?"
She, "The savings account number now starts with 2."
Me, "So my savings account number is now 21234560001?"
She, "Yes."
I don't understand.
I told her I've been writing checks with the 009 suffix printed on them. She said that's ok, they'll still go through. When I order new checks I'll see the new number on them.
Sheesh. I write maybe 8 checks a year on that account. I have a 15 year supply. I wonder how long they'll tolerate that 009 suffix, and whether I'll get any notice when they update their system, or will they just start bouncing checks.
-------------------------------------------
As if that wasn't enough aggravation, I got a call from the fuel supplier for the country house. The house with the 300 foot uphill curved driveway. The driver tried to deliver, and says the driveway is too narrow, it needs to be plowed wider. (I do ensure that the trucks can turn around at the top, but I guess I can understand their fear that they may be forced to back down that slalom run.)
The plow piles on either side are about five feet high now. They've had a LOT of snow this winter - 24 additional inches last week alone - and no thaws. The Hairless Hunk has done a hero's job keeping it plowed. I really really appreciate his being there. But he's plowing with a pickup truck. I don't know if he CAN widen it at this point.
So, I wrote him an email this morning, asking what can be done, and if he has to bring in reinforcements, I can overnight him the cost. But I've got to get oil. The last delivery was in early December. The thermostat is set at 50 degrees, but the temperatures up there have been ranging between 23 and -10 since then. The water is turned off, but still, the pressure tank from the well could freeze. I don't remember whether I threw the breaker for the pump.
I'm SO ready for spring.
.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
3673 I can't seem to get anything done.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
I need to go to the Social Security office. I have some questions, and options I might be able to exercise, but I can't get any information online because I haven't worked in ten years (actually more, but 10 is their cutoff). Duh?
I am currently drawing benefits on Jay's SS account as his widow. I'm wondering if my own SS account might pay me more. And can I draw on Ex#2's account instead? I know I can if he's dead, but what if he's not dead, just looks that way? (Ex#1 is dead, but we weren't married long enough for me to qualify.) And if either of those, mine or Ex#2's, will pay more, how do I switch, and how do we make sure Medicare switches, too?
Anyway, the online site said I have to go to the local office if I want details about my account(s). No appointment necessary.
So on Monday I went to the SS office in Iselin. I got there about 2:45, met a maintenance guy in the lobby who told me that there was no point in going upstairs, because the SS office closed at 3. Open 9 to 3. (Hmmmm. Good hours, good pay, good benefits - I think I made the wrong choice all those years ago. Well, maybe they have 2 hours of paperwork after 3.)
So yesterday I tried again. I got there about mid-morning. Got off the elevator and found people sitting on the floor in the hall. Bad sign. I went to the doors at the end of the hall and found a waiting room about the size of my house footprint, and that room was packed solid. There was a machine where you put in your info and I guess it issues you a number. There was a security guy standing a few feet away, so I asked him if it was possible to make an appointment, and he said I should call the 800 number to make an appointment, and he gave me a card with the number on it. "The card is all in Spanish, but the number is the same." I said, "Yeah, in numbers we all speak Arabic." He blinked twice, then laughed.
All those people in the waiting room, by the way, were Hispanic.
I'd been to a Social Security office only twice before, both times the office nearest to the country house, and back then there were only one or two people before me in line. When I mentioned that to Daughter, and that the people at Iselin all seemed to be Hispanic, she rolled her eyes and said, "Welcome to New Jersey."
So, two half-days wasted. Sigh.
I have a lot of things I have to do this week, and none of it is getting done. A lot of it is online stuff, bills to pay, letters to write and get printed, and something has been screwy with my laptop - seems to involve java scripts and/or the Adobe flash player that don't complete and don't clean up after themselves. My browser gets slower and slower and slower then finally hangs. I have to run CCleaner to get rid of a lot of orphan files and unconnected stuff in the registry (CCleaner is terrific, and it's free!), then it's briefly fine, and then it slows down again. I've been freaking out over it. I've been reIPLing and starting over like every three hours.
What's REALLY weird is that it seems to happen only during "working" hours. After 6 pm the browser seems to straighten up and fly right. I did check, I timed it, and it's not my internet connection slowing down, and it's unlikely to be a virus - I've got protection on here like you wouldn't believe. The protection itself slows things down, but I'm willing to accept that.
I've also noticed that it seems to have some kind of cycle. It'll be fine for a few weeks, then I'll have a week or two of pain, then it's fine again. I suspect it may be that I have auto-updating for the operating system and all the other stuff, so components go in and out of phase compatibility-wise.
But mostly, I don't understand.
----------------------------------
I just had a thought. Maybe today there were only three people ahead of me at the Social Security office - maybe all those other people were just family members and friends who came along for moral support.
.
Anyone who says they’re good at communicating
but “people are bad at listening”
is confused about how communication works.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
I need to go to the Social Security office. I have some questions, and options I might be able to exercise, but I can't get any information online because I haven't worked in ten years (actually more, but 10 is their cutoff). Duh?
I am currently drawing benefits on Jay's SS account as his widow. I'm wondering if my own SS account might pay me more. And can I draw on Ex#2's account instead? I know I can if he's dead, but what if he's not dead, just looks that way? (Ex#1 is dead, but we weren't married long enough for me to qualify.) And if either of those, mine or Ex#2's, will pay more, how do I switch, and how do we make sure Medicare switches, too?
Anyway, the online site said I have to go to the local office if I want details about my account(s). No appointment necessary.
So on Monday I went to the SS office in Iselin. I got there about 2:45, met a maintenance guy in the lobby who told me that there was no point in going upstairs, because the SS office closed at 3. Open 9 to 3. (Hmmmm. Good hours, good pay, good benefits - I think I made the wrong choice all those years ago. Well, maybe they have 2 hours of paperwork after 3.)
So yesterday I tried again. I got there about mid-morning. Got off the elevator and found people sitting on the floor in the hall. Bad sign. I went to the doors at the end of the hall and found a waiting room about the size of my house footprint, and that room was packed solid. There was a machine where you put in your info and I guess it issues you a number. There was a security guy standing a few feet away, so I asked him if it was possible to make an appointment, and he said I should call the 800 number to make an appointment, and he gave me a card with the number on it. "The card is all in Spanish, but the number is the same." I said, "Yeah, in numbers we all speak Arabic." He blinked twice, then laughed.
All those people in the waiting room, by the way, were Hispanic.
I'd been to a Social Security office only twice before, both times the office nearest to the country house, and back then there were only one or two people before me in line. When I mentioned that to Daughter, and that the people at Iselin all seemed to be Hispanic, she rolled her eyes and said, "Welcome to New Jersey."
So, two half-days wasted. Sigh.
I have a lot of things I have to do this week, and none of it is getting done. A lot of it is online stuff, bills to pay, letters to write and get printed, and something has been screwy with my laptop - seems to involve java scripts and/or the Adobe flash player that don't complete and don't clean up after themselves. My browser gets slower and slower and slower then finally hangs. I have to run CCleaner to get rid of a lot of orphan files and unconnected stuff in the registry (CCleaner is terrific, and it's free!), then it's briefly fine, and then it slows down again. I've been freaking out over it. I've been reIPLing and starting over like every three hours.
What's REALLY weird is that it seems to happen only during "working" hours. After 6 pm the browser seems to straighten up and fly right. I did check, I timed it, and it's not my internet connection slowing down, and it's unlikely to be a virus - I've got protection on here like you wouldn't believe. The protection itself slows things down, but I'm willing to accept that.
I've also noticed that it seems to have some kind of cycle. It'll be fine for a few weeks, then I'll have a week or two of pain, then it's fine again. I suspect it may be that I have auto-updating for the operating system and all the other stuff, so components go in and out of phase compatibility-wise.
But mostly, I don't understand.
----------------------------------
I just had a thought. Maybe today there were only three people ahead of me at the Social Security office - maybe all those other people were just family members and friends who came along for moral support.
.
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
3466 Done and to do
Wednesday, February 15, 2012
I hope to accomplish a few things today. Last night I wrote checks for the month's bills and I'll mail them today. No, I don't do online or automatic payments - no one sticks their fingers in my bank accounts but me!
I'm paying $284 per month for fuel oil for the old house on a 12-month budget plan. Of course I've been using a lot less oil, so I now have a $1,200+ credit with them, with four more months to go on the plan. So I called them, and they have marked my account paid in full. We'll start again in July with a much lower monthly amount.
Same thing with the electricity for the old house. That's $164/month on the budget plan, and I'm running a healthy credit. It's the dehumidifier, furnace fan, and upright freezer eating power. Next trip up I'll empty the freezer and so that should drop, too.
I discovered that Classmates.com is still hitting my credit card for membership, so I went to the website and discovered that I have manual renewal, NOT automatic renewal so they shouldn't be doing that. I could probably sue them. I called the credit card company and that will now stop.
My GP and the urologist wrote some scripts for tests. I can't read them, so I don't know what to schedule with the lab and the hospital. I think I'll just go there, show them the bits of paper, and let the folks at the desks figure it out.
I wrote an email to The Angel to let him know I killed my DBA, and I need to pull together the tax stuff to mail to him.
--------------------------------
I have become more conscious of money lately. I sold $320K of stock (not from the managed account, from the portfolios I still controlled) to buy this house. Piper said it was fine, that I was just transferring investments from stock to real estate. He seemed to think it was an equal trade. His analysis annoyed me, because those stocks paid over $8K/year in dividends, adding to my income, plus they increased in value. So my disposable income dropped. Worse, this house is costing me almost $10K/year in taxes and insurance, for a net loss of $18K/year in cash that used to be available for other purposes. I do not consider trading an investment that paid 8k/year for an investment that costs 10K/year a wise investment. This house certainly is NOT increasing in value by 18K/year.
My retirement and SS checks total about $36K per year, so I now have to pull from my managed account to cover big ticket items like long term insurance, car insurance, life insurance, various taxes, and so on, thus reducing that principal.
My SS checks are not on my own account. I'm drawing widow's benefits on Jay's account, so I'm going to go to the SS office, maybe tomorrow, to see if I'll get more if I switch to my own account. I have a longer work history than Jay, at a higher salary, so maybe it'll be a little bit more. Maybe not. The online SS site won't tell me because I haven't worked in so long (or some dumb fool reason - I forget exactly).
I'm glad I'm on a diet.
.
Please stop blaming your narrow-minded prejudices on God.
-----------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------
I hope to accomplish a few things today. Last night I wrote checks for the month's bills and I'll mail them today. No, I don't do online or automatic payments - no one sticks their fingers in my bank accounts but me!
I'm paying $284 per month for fuel oil for the old house on a 12-month budget plan. Of course I've been using a lot less oil, so I now have a $1,200+ credit with them, with four more months to go on the plan. So I called them, and they have marked my account paid in full. We'll start again in July with a much lower monthly amount.
Same thing with the electricity for the old house. That's $164/month on the budget plan, and I'm running a healthy credit. It's the dehumidifier, furnace fan, and upright freezer eating power. Next trip up I'll empty the freezer and so that should drop, too.
I discovered that Classmates.com is still hitting my credit card for membership, so I went to the website and discovered that I have manual renewal, NOT automatic renewal so they shouldn't be doing that. I could probably sue them. I called the credit card company and that will now stop.
My GP and the urologist wrote some scripts for tests. I can't read them, so I don't know what to schedule with the lab and the hospital. I think I'll just go there, show them the bits of paper, and let the folks at the desks figure it out.
I wrote an email to The Angel to let him know I killed my DBA, and I need to pull together the tax stuff to mail to him.
--------------------------------
I have become more conscious of money lately. I sold $320K of stock (not from the managed account, from the portfolios I still controlled) to buy this house. Piper said it was fine, that I was just transferring investments from stock to real estate. He seemed to think it was an equal trade. His analysis annoyed me, because those stocks paid over $8K/year in dividends, adding to my income, plus they increased in value. So my disposable income dropped. Worse, this house is costing me almost $10K/year in taxes and insurance, for a net loss of $18K/year in cash that used to be available for other purposes. I do not consider trading an investment that paid 8k/year for an investment that costs 10K/year a wise investment. This house certainly is NOT increasing in value by 18K/year.
My retirement and SS checks total about $36K per year, so I now have to pull from my managed account to cover big ticket items like long term insurance, car insurance, life insurance, various taxes, and so on, thus reducing that principal.
My SS checks are not on my own account. I'm drawing widow's benefits on Jay's account, so I'm going to go to the SS office, maybe tomorrow, to see if I'll get more if I switch to my own account. I have a longer work history than Jay, at a higher salary, so maybe it'll be a little bit more. Maybe not. The online SS site won't tell me because I haven't worked in so long (or some dumb fool reason - I forget exactly).
I'm glad I'm on a diet.
.
Monday, January 23, 2012
3448 Jasper says "Cat Outside!"
Monday, January 23, 2012
Investment newsletters will usually tell you that during retirement you will need about 80% of your final pay to maintain your lifestyle. They go on to point out that it's less than 100% because you don't need to support a work wardrobe and will no longer have commuting expenses.
Bull poopy.
I guess they think you'll be just sitting in your house watching TV for the rest of your life. Doesn't work that way. You'll want to be active, and it doesn't matter whether it's golf, or classes, or volunteering, there'll still be expenses. Even more if you want to finally travel - even if it's only to visit the grandbabies. And they don't seem to consider inflation, either. I sometimes wonder if the people who write this advice are kids, who think 65-year-olds are decrepit and happy to just sit and knit.
The following is the scariest part. It's from a newsletter from the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan (an aside - "Plus" what?). It's absolutely discouraging, especially since corporations, IBM included, are gradually doing away with retirement plans in favor of personal savings plans.
Shortly after I retired, IBM announced that for people hired after a certain date, they were no longer going to maintain a retirement fund and pay a monthly retirement. Instead they were giving people a lump sum which employees would manage as savings toward retirement, with some kind of matching plan. (But, um, they didn't get raises to put into that fund to be matched, duh, so this was effectively a pay cut....)
It doesn't matter that when those people were hired they were promised retirement. Same as when I actually retired I was promised free lifetime health care. Yeah, sure. There was fine print, saying that the company could change the terms in any way at any time.
My friend Nancy had 22+ years in, and was 59 years old when they "lump sum"ed her. Know how much she got toward her retirement? $125,000. Total. She is now retired, and living with her daughter and son-in-law.
There's a lot wrong with all of that.
You'll have to save more than 12%. More like 25-30%. Nobody is paying anyone below the executive level enough to easily save 30%. Raises aren't happening - companies are pleading bottom line (even as the execs get multi-million dollar bonuses). The government is allowing companies to do away with retirement plans. Conservatives seem to consider social security to be some kind of welfare, without realizing that social security, since its inception, has allowed corporations to reduce what retirement incentives they had to offer to get the best workers. Corporations don't have to offer incentives any more. They are allowed to import workers and export jobs with impunity. The Man says there are very few "Americans" working with him these days. But the corporations still get huge tax breaks, and now with unlimited contributions they can buy all the politicians they want.
There's a LOT wrong with all of that.
--------------------------------
Note - I am fully aware that no matter how much or how little you are paid, you CAN save 30%. I did it the first three years after I left Ex#2 because I was scared sh*tless. Daughter and I ate beans and hot dogs, I made my clothes, she wore hand-me-downs, and she didn't get the name-brand stuff to keep up with the "in" kids at school. It can be done. But it was hard, it hurt, and it needn't have, shouldn't have.
.
Done is better than perfect.
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
Investment newsletters will usually tell you that during retirement you will need about 80% of your final pay to maintain your lifestyle. They go on to point out that it's less than 100% because you don't need to support a work wardrobe and will no longer have commuting expenses.
Bull poopy.
I guess they think you'll be just sitting in your house watching TV for the rest of your life. Doesn't work that way. You'll want to be active, and it doesn't matter whether it's golf, or classes, or volunteering, there'll still be expenses. Even more if you want to finally travel - even if it's only to visit the grandbabies. And they don't seem to consider inflation, either. I sometimes wonder if the people who write this advice are kids, who think 65-year-olds are decrepit and happy to just sit and knit.
The following is the scariest part. It's from a newsletter from the IBM 401(k) Plus Plan (an aside - "Plus" what?). It's absolutely discouraging, especially since corporations, IBM included, are gradually doing away with retirement plans in favor of personal savings plans.
"Someone who saves 12% annually over a 40-year career could expect to have enough savings to replace 40% of their pre-retirement income, according to Russell Research."Um, you said I'd need 80% (and I think that's low; I think you need 100% or more if you plan to live through another 20 years of inflation), so where's the other 40-60% supposed to come from? Social Security? Not if the Repulsicans have their way and sh*t-can Social security.
Shortly after I retired, IBM announced that for people hired after a certain date, they were no longer going to maintain a retirement fund and pay a monthly retirement. Instead they were giving people a lump sum which employees would manage as savings toward retirement, with some kind of matching plan. (But, um, they didn't get raises to put into that fund to be matched, duh, so this was effectively a pay cut....)
It doesn't matter that when those people were hired they were promised retirement. Same as when I actually retired I was promised free lifetime health care. Yeah, sure. There was fine print, saying that the company could change the terms in any way at any time.
My friend Nancy had 22+ years in, and was 59 years old when they "lump sum"ed her. Know how much she got toward her retirement? $125,000. Total. She is now retired, and living with her daughter and son-in-law.
There's a lot wrong with all of that.
You'll have to save more than 12%. More like 25-30%. Nobody is paying anyone below the executive level enough to easily save 30%. Raises aren't happening - companies are pleading bottom line (even as the execs get multi-million dollar bonuses). The government is allowing companies to do away with retirement plans. Conservatives seem to consider social security to be some kind of welfare, without realizing that social security, since its inception, has allowed corporations to reduce what retirement incentives they had to offer to get the best workers. Corporations don't have to offer incentives any more. They are allowed to import workers and export jobs with impunity. The Man says there are very few "Americans" working with him these days. But the corporations still get huge tax breaks, and now with unlimited contributions they can buy all the politicians they want.
There's a LOT wrong with all of that.
--------------------------------
Note - I am fully aware that no matter how much or how little you are paid, you CAN save 30%. I did it the first three years after I left Ex#2 because I was scared sh*tless. Daughter and I ate beans and hot dogs, I made my clothes, she wore hand-me-downs, and she didn't get the name-brand stuff to keep up with the "in" kids at school. It can be done. But it was hard, it hurt, and it needn't have, shouldn't have.
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Tuesday, June 28, 2011
3293 Social Security
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Congress, those folks with the generous lifetime retirement and medical plans regardless of how long or short a time they HAVE the job, want to cut Social Security benefits and again raise the age at which people can collect. They seem to think that SS is going broke. Or something.
Not true. The real fact is that SS is fine and healthy as it is. The truth is that Congress has "borrowed" enormous funds from SS, which has caused a potential deficit, and they don't want to pay it back. Pure and simple.
For some reason, AARP has backed off their objections to the plan.
From an email letter and news release from the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN):
Not a welfare plan. It's more like insurance, an annuity, and those deductions from your paycheck are the premiums. Then if you manage to live until retirement, you get to collect from the retirement insurance you paid for.
Well, yeah. If Congress gives you back your money and stops taking it away from you, that is.
For more information about the NRLN, visit their website at http://www.nrln.org. And write your congressional representatives, the ones who don't understand the financial uncertainties faced by real people.
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Virginity is important to men who fear comparison.
-- Silk --
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-- Silk --
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Congress, those folks with the generous lifetime retirement and medical plans regardless of how long or short a time they HAVE the job, want to cut Social Security benefits and again raise the age at which people can collect. They seem to think that SS is going broke. Or something.
Not true. The real fact is that SS is fine and healthy as it is. The truth is that Congress has "borrowed" enormous funds from SS, which has caused a potential deficit, and they don't want to pay it back. Pure and simple.
For some reason, AARP has backed off their objections to the plan.
From an email letter and news release from the National Retiree Legislative Network (NRLN):
...[* Emphasis mine. That sum "borrowed" and never paid back amounts to something like 1.8 trillion dollars.]
The NRLN maintains that Social Security is not a welfare program paid for by the U.S. Government. Social Security beneficiaries and their employers have paid into the Social Security Trust since 1937. And every year since 1983, the payroll tax for Social Security has generated tens of billions of dollars in surplus, every dollar of which was borrowed by Congress to cover other federal spending.* In the future, the Social Security Trust should be insulated from access by Congress and never again be loaned out as a piggybank to cover other government spending.
...
Not a welfare plan. It's more like insurance, an annuity, and those deductions from your paycheck are the premiums. Then if you manage to live until retirement, you get to collect from the retirement insurance you paid for.
Well, yeah. If Congress gives you back your money and stops taking it away from you, that is.
For more information about the NRLN, visit their website at http://www.nrln.org. And write your congressional representatives, the ones who don't understand the financial uncertainties faced by real people.
.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
3169 Spitting
Sunday, February 20, 2011
I don't get into political discussions with Piper any more. He's solidly extreme right wing, sees only the wingnut viewpoint. He tries to "educate" me, to turn me from my obviously mistaken ways, but I just shake my head and change the subject.
In all the bad things that have been happening in his life right now, the good thing is that the market is picking up. He congratulated me Friday that of all his investment clients, I've been the only one who didn't panic at all back when everything was tanking. I just shrugged and assured him that everything would eventually come back. Sooner or later. Sit tight. (During the bad times he looked really bad. Discouraged. Wanted to avoid talking to his clients.)
I've made back all the money I lost during the dip, and made 3% on my investments in the past month alone. Piper wanted to give all the credit for the turnaround to his new tea bag buddies in Congress. I pointed out that yes, rich folks are brightening up. I've heard that sales of BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus are up, luxury resorts and spas are picking up again. But it's not so bright for the little folk. His buddies in Congress are making all kinds of cuts, but the programs they're cutting are all cuts to the poorer folks. Services. They're taking from the poor and giving to the rich. So yeah, naturally the rich are happy, and that's what's reflected in the market.
As Field says, "Those 235 poli-tricksters remind me of the bully that goes to the playground looking for a fight, and ignores the bigger kids shooting hoops and heads straight to the swing and jungle gym to pick on the smaller kids."
The smaller kids can't afford lobbyists.
--------------------------------
I don't understand why they want to cut Social Security. Despite everything you hear, SS is not running out of money. In fact, SS has been running a significant surplus, and actually lends money to the federal government. They just don't want to count the loans as SS assets, because then they'd have to pay them back. Oh, by the way, remember when "they" wanted to "privatize" Social Security, i.e. invest the money in the stock market? Funny that we don't hear so much about that these days. I wonder why. I guess they forgot why Social Security was started in the first place.
--------------------------------
Last time I had been to the old house, from all the droppings it looked like the mice were running riot, so I set mouse traps. I caught only one mouse. I don't understand.
--------------------------------
I buy a lot of stuff online. The delivery guys around here (FedEx, UPS, USPS, and that other one) just drop the stuff on the doorstep. UPS is the only service that bothers to ring the doorbell, sometimes. At the old house, I was way up a long drive off the end of a dead-end street, and the house wasn't visible from the road or from neighbors' houses, but delivery guys always rang the doorbell when they left a package. Here, houses are cheek-by-jowl, the doorstep and anything on it is close to and clearly visible from a street full of traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians, but the delivery services just dump the package and run.
Several times I've stepped out the front door and found packages I didn't know were there.
Worse, I could have stepped out and NOT found packages I DIDN'T know SHOULD have been there.
FedEx is the weirdest. They have little stickies that say "We delivered your package", and have spaces for date and time, and check boxes for things like front door, back door, garage, neighbor, and so on.
Only two problems. They don't fill out ANY of the spaces or boxes, and they stick it on the package!
What good does that do?
(Oh, look, there's a Delivery Notice on this package saying they delivered a package. I wonder where the package is?)
--------------------------------
When I'm on the computer in the morning and evening, Jasper bugs me to play. I accidentally discovered how to get him to not disturb me.
I sit at the desk on a canvas director's chair. I had put another canvas chair next to mine one day to show someone something on the computer. Jasper has appropriated the chair. I guess he likes the canvas sling seat. He's happy to sit or sleep there, as long as I reach over and stroke his head every so often.
The only problem is that it's right below the printer, so I have to warn him before I print anything. He's such a chicken....
-------------------------------
Last month Daughter was running out of pants, so I invited her to shop in my closet. I had some loose knit drawstring pants that fit her expanding belly fine. She's fine on tops - she wears a lot of baggy sweaters anyway. Yesterday she said she's down to one pair of shoes, running shoes that are wide enough for her expanding feet. We wear about the same size, but my feet are wider than hers, so I think I'll be short some shoes soon, too.
Baby's due the end of April. No, after three frustrating ultrasounds, they still don't know, so "quit asking!"
.
“[That] is forbidden. But possible.”
-- Common French saying --
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-- Common French saying --
-----------------------------------------------------------------
I don't get into political discussions with Piper any more. He's solidly extreme right wing, sees only the wingnut viewpoint. He tries to "educate" me, to turn me from my obviously mistaken ways, but I just shake my head and change the subject.
In all the bad things that have been happening in his life right now, the good thing is that the market is picking up. He congratulated me Friday that of all his investment clients, I've been the only one who didn't panic at all back when everything was tanking. I just shrugged and assured him that everything would eventually come back. Sooner or later. Sit tight. (During the bad times he looked really bad. Discouraged. Wanted to avoid talking to his clients.)
I've made back all the money I lost during the dip, and made 3% on my investments in the past month alone. Piper wanted to give all the credit for the turnaround to his new tea bag buddies in Congress. I pointed out that yes, rich folks are brightening up. I've heard that sales of BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus are up, luxury resorts and spas are picking up again. But it's not so bright for the little folk. His buddies in Congress are making all kinds of cuts, but the programs they're cutting are all cuts to the poorer folks. Services. They're taking from the poor and giving to the rich. So yeah, naturally the rich are happy, and that's what's reflected in the market.
As Field says, "Those 235 poli-tricksters remind me of the bully that goes to the playground looking for a fight, and ignores the bigger kids shooting hoops and heads straight to the swing and jungle gym to pick on the smaller kids."
The smaller kids can't afford lobbyists.
--------------------------------
I don't understand why they want to cut Social Security. Despite everything you hear, SS is not running out of money. In fact, SS has been running a significant surplus, and actually lends money to the federal government. They just don't want to count the loans as SS assets, because then they'd have to pay them back. Oh, by the way, remember when "they" wanted to "privatize" Social Security, i.e. invest the money in the stock market? Funny that we don't hear so much about that these days. I wonder why. I guess they forgot why Social Security was started in the first place.
--------------------------------
Last time I had been to the old house, from all the droppings it looked like the mice were running riot, so I set mouse traps. I caught only one mouse. I don't understand.
--------------------------------
I buy a lot of stuff online. The delivery guys around here (FedEx, UPS, USPS, and that other one) just drop the stuff on the doorstep. UPS is the only service that bothers to ring the doorbell, sometimes. At the old house, I was way up a long drive off the end of a dead-end street, and the house wasn't visible from the road or from neighbors' houses, but delivery guys always rang the doorbell when they left a package. Here, houses are cheek-by-jowl, the doorstep and anything on it is close to and clearly visible from a street full of traffic, cyclists, and pedestrians, but the delivery services just dump the package and run.
Several times I've stepped out the front door and found packages I didn't know were there.
Worse, I could have stepped out and NOT found packages I DIDN'T know SHOULD have been there.
FedEx is the weirdest. They have little stickies that say "We delivered your package", and have spaces for date and time, and check boxes for things like front door, back door, garage, neighbor, and so on.
Only two problems. They don't fill out ANY of the spaces or boxes, and they stick it on the package!
What good does that do?
(Oh, look, there's a Delivery Notice on this package saying they delivered a package. I wonder where the package is?)
--------------------------------
When I'm on the computer in the morning and evening, Jasper bugs me to play. I accidentally discovered how to get him to not disturb me.
I sit at the desk on a canvas director's chair. I had put another canvas chair next to mine one day to show someone something on the computer. Jasper has appropriated the chair. I guess he likes the canvas sling seat. He's happy to sit or sleep there, as long as I reach over and stroke his head every so often.
The only problem is that it's right below the printer, so I have to warn him before I print anything. He's such a chicken....
-------------------------------
Last month Daughter was running out of pants, so I invited her to shop in my closet. I had some loose knit drawstring pants that fit her expanding belly fine. She's fine on tops - she wears a lot of baggy sweaters anyway. Yesterday she said she's down to one pair of shoes, running shoes that are wide enough for her expanding feet. We wear about the same size, but my feet are wider than hers, so I think I'll be short some shoes soon, too.
Baby's due the end of April. No, after three frustrating ultrasounds, they still don't know, so "quit asking!"
.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
3167 A wandering mind
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
An oddity: When I was young, the islands of the Caribbean were often referred to as the West Indies. You never hear that anymore.
-------------------------------
When Daughter was in school, I would get very annoyed because when the allotted snow days were used up, in order to meet the mandated minimum, the school board would extend the school year into middle to late June, despite the fact that Spring Break was supposed to be used. The reason? Because teachers had scheduled vacations during Spring Break and were angry that they might have to eat plane tickets. The teachers were stupid to count on having those days.
Something has changed in the past twenty years. The school district at the old house has announced that they have already used up the snow allotment, and if there are any more snow days, they will use the Spring Break. Cool.
What I don't understand is the way they have chosen to use it - guaranteed to piss off a lot of people.
I don't understand.
I guess maybe they're thinking that they'll at least preserve two long weekends?
--------------------------------
There's a lot of talk about raising the Social Security retirement age again. There's something they're not taking into consideration.
Not so very long ago, if you got a good job, and kept your nose clean and your manager happy (which was often a contradiction, if you know what I mean), and kept your skills up, you pretty much had a job for life.
Nowadays, the only people with that much security are folks in strong unions. High tech companies have pretty much been able to avoid unionization. The technology, however, changes so quickly these days that those companies find it efficient to get rid of older folks (who are higher on the salary ladder) and replace them with new college graduates, at a lower starting salary, who will impact company-sponsored health plans less, and who already know the new stuff.
This means that people over 50 are finding it increasingly difficult to find permanent jobs. They end up working temporary contracts, with minimal benefits, no vacations, and no retirement plan. (The benefits of contracting at different companies in various industries are that you end up with a robust and varied resume, which makes it easier to get the next contracting job. The down side is that it still doesn't help you to get a permanent job with all the benefits.) Periods of unemployment between contracts make it difficult to maintain your own retirement plans.
The saddest cases are the folks who worked for the same company for 24 years and then were replaced by a kid. They are 50 years old and have experience specific to that industry and, worse, skills possibly specific only to that company.
It isn't going to get any better. The days of the lifetime job are over. It's only going to get worse.
These folks who want to raise S.S. eligibility to 70, what do they think people will be doing for the last 25 years (or more, the way things are going) of their working life? Nobody is guaranteeing that they'll have a job until then.
Of course, the people who are proposing, considering, and will be voting on this plan have lifetime benefits and a generous retirement, regardless of how long they are in office. They have no idea what others have to contend with.
--------------------------------
I've been checking around for a hair salon. Becs has even offered her adored Herschel. I'm sort of keeping that in reserve (thanks Becs), but closer would be better.
I want someone who will cut my hair DRY. Not just will cut it dry, but fully understands why I want it cut dry.
There are places online where one can read customer reviews, but I'm suspicious of them. How do I know those reviews are not plants - employees or family and friends of employees?
So, I did something dangerous.
I bought a fine-tooth rattail comb. I already have hair shears. I trimmed it myself. I didn't change the style. I just parted it every which way and smoothed the choppiness, trimmed wherever chunks of hair were sticking out beyond the other hairs around them. It's still a little chunky because in some spots chunks were so short it would have been pretty drastic to cut the longer stuff around them down to that length, so I had to leave it uneven. And the right side is still slightly longer than the left. But it does blend a lot nicer now, and it looks less like a wig at the back of my neck.
I like it now.
.
"All meetings last longer than they should."
-- Scott Adams --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Scott Adams --
----------------------------------------------------------------------
An oddity: When I was young, the islands of the Caribbean were often referred to as the West Indies. You never hear that anymore.
-------------------------------
When Daughter was in school, I would get very annoyed because when the allotted snow days were used up, in order to meet the mandated minimum, the school board would extend the school year into middle to late June, despite the fact that Spring Break was supposed to be used. The reason? Because teachers had scheduled vacations during Spring Break and were angry that they might have to eat plane tickets. The teachers were stupid to count on having those days.
Something has changed in the past twenty years. The school district at the old house has announced that they have already used up the snow allotment, and if there are any more snow days, they will use the Spring Break. Cool.
What I don't understand is the way they have chosen to use it - guaranteed to piss off a lot of people.
"If school needs to be closed for emergency reasons, weather-related or otherwise, and additional “make-up” days are needed, classes will then be in session first on Wednesday, April 20, and thereafter on Thursday, April 21, and then on Tuesday, April 19th, in that order. If additional “make-up” days are needed beyond that, April 18 and April 22 will then be under consideration."This says that if one more snow day is needed, they're taking it out of the middle of the break.
I don't understand.
I guess maybe they're thinking that they'll at least preserve two long weekends?
--------------------------------
There's a lot of talk about raising the Social Security retirement age again. There's something they're not taking into consideration.
Not so very long ago, if you got a good job, and kept your nose clean and your manager happy (which was often a contradiction, if you know what I mean), and kept your skills up, you pretty much had a job for life.
Nowadays, the only people with that much security are folks in strong unions. High tech companies have pretty much been able to avoid unionization. The technology, however, changes so quickly these days that those companies find it efficient to get rid of older folks (who are higher on the salary ladder) and replace them with new college graduates, at a lower starting salary, who will impact company-sponsored health plans less, and who already know the new stuff.
This means that people over 50 are finding it increasingly difficult to find permanent jobs. They end up working temporary contracts, with minimal benefits, no vacations, and no retirement plan. (The benefits of contracting at different companies in various industries are that you end up with a robust and varied resume, which makes it easier to get the next contracting job. The down side is that it still doesn't help you to get a permanent job with all the benefits.) Periods of unemployment between contracts make it difficult to maintain your own retirement plans.
The saddest cases are the folks who worked for the same company for 24 years and then were replaced by a kid. They are 50 years old and have experience specific to that industry and, worse, skills possibly specific only to that company.
It isn't going to get any better. The days of the lifetime job are over. It's only going to get worse.
These folks who want to raise S.S. eligibility to 70, what do they think people will be doing for the last 25 years (or more, the way things are going) of their working life? Nobody is guaranteeing that they'll have a job until then.
Of course, the people who are proposing, considering, and will be voting on this plan have lifetime benefits and a generous retirement, regardless of how long they are in office. They have no idea what others have to contend with.
--------------------------------
I've been checking around for a hair salon. Becs has even offered her adored Herschel. I'm sort of keeping that in reserve (thanks Becs), but closer would be better.
I want someone who will cut my hair DRY. Not just will cut it dry, but fully understands why I want it cut dry.
There are places online where one can read customer reviews, but I'm suspicious of them. How do I know those reviews are not plants - employees or family and friends of employees?
So, I did something dangerous.
I bought a fine-tooth rattail comb. I already have hair shears. I trimmed it myself. I didn't change the style. I just parted it every which way and smoothed the choppiness, trimmed wherever chunks of hair were sticking out beyond the other hairs around them. It's still a little chunky because in some spots chunks were so short it would have been pretty drastic to cut the longer stuff around them down to that length, so I had to leave it uneven. And the right side is still slightly longer than the left. But it does blend a lot nicer now, and it looks less like a wig at the back of my neck.
I like it now.
.
Friday, November 19, 2010
3166 We are living in 1984
Friday, November 19, 2010
I've been reading a lot about the new TSA "scan or pat" controversy. Of course it's security theater, not real security at all, having much to do with past failed attempts and doing nothing to thwart future attempts, and a whole lot to do with someone profiting from sale of the machines.
It's also unconstitutional under the fourth amendment. To quote a comment from 'Mela' on an interview of TSA agents here:
Many non-Americans have said that they will no longer enter the US, for business or pleasure, because the American "security" measures insult them.
I have flown El Al. Their security measures make sense and are supremely successful, especially considering that they are target #1. Please do read this: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother. They take the problem seriously, and attack it intelligently with training and psychology. No fuss, no feathers flying, nobody profiting, no insulting intrusion or harassment.
Then ask yourself why Americans are generally considered lacking in intelligence (and yeah, that's a sort of a sad pun).
.
People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
I've been reading a lot about the new TSA "scan or pat" controversy. Of course it's security theater, not real security at all, having much to do with past failed attempts and doing nothing to thwart future attempts, and a whole lot to do with someone profiting from sale of the machines.
It's also unconstitutional under the fourth amendment. To quote a comment from 'Mela' on an interview of TSA agents here:
"This policy allows TSOs to “pat down” (which is an absurd bastardization of the term in this case) American citizens, assumed under the law to be innocent of any crime, in ways that a police officer is not allowed to touch a suspect in the face of probable cause of evidence of a crime. That is blatantly unconstitutional and every citizen should protest if they believe in the tenets of rights this country was founded upon."But then, we've been giving up rights over the past ten years. What's one more (shrug).
Many non-Americans have said that they will no longer enter the US, for business or pleasure, because the American "security" measures insult them.
I have flown El Al. Their security measures make sense and are supremely successful, especially considering that they are target #1. Please do read this: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/744199---israelification-high-security-little-bother. They take the problem seriously, and attack it intelligently with training and psychology. No fuss, no feathers flying, nobody profiting, no insulting intrusion or harassment.
Then ask yourself why Americans are generally considered lacking in intelligence (and yeah, that's a sort of a sad pun).
.
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