How is your financial health?
 

Very healthy. I'm living at my parents', and there's no shortage of money here. I get a generous allowance every month, that isn't excessive (I can't become a compulsive consumer), but which is largely enough for me to pay the bills.

I'd say very healthy.

My wife and I both work, and together bring in a fairly substantial income. Our expenses are low (no kids, not yet at least), resulting in a lot of saving, and we've made a respectable dent in our current mortgage.

We plan to move next year, which will result in a different mortgage, but we've got enough savings that, together with at least some of the profit from the sale of our current home, I hope to put down at least 25% of the cost of the new house... maybe closer to 30%. Tough to say for sure.

We own both of our cars outright. We're doing well on retirement savings, with our 401(k)s and IRAs. The one area we're not great in is more medium-range investment. But I want to get the new house squared away first.

-Arrian

My situation:

I live alone in my appt; 5 1/2

I'm a full time student...
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Pretty tight!

Originally posted by Saras
Of course I shall discuss my personal finances online.

NOT. I don't see the problem with general information. The most specific thing I posted was the interest rate I pay.

The details of my employers programs are known to all the other employees and potential employees so anyone that actually just knew where I worked could know pretty much everything I have posted

Originally posted by Spiffor
Very healthy. I'm living at my parents' Communists. http://www.discussworldissues.com/im...ons/icon14.gif

Originally posted by Spiffor
Very healthy. I'm living at my parents', and there's no shortage of money here. I get a generous allowance every month, that isn't excessive (I can't become a compulsive consumer), but which is largely enough for me to pay the bills. The same (though I'm not living with my parents).

Originally posted by Flubber


What is the goal of "medium range investment" for you ??-- I pretty much know my income will continue to go up so we can buy things like a vacation property or a new car when we need etc etc-- So all my investments, are considered "long term" by me In other words, we have 401(k)s and IRAs, and we have an ING savings account (nice interest), but we don't have anything else to speak of. A little bit of company stock from options, no more.

The 401/IRAs are retirement savings - long term. I'm thinking of buying some stocks as investments over the next 10-20 years, which is what I meant by medium-term. Retirement is still (most likely) ~30 years away (I'm turning 30 this year).

-Arrian

I recently won £88 million on the Euro lottery. I lost the ticket though. http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.gif

Originally posted by Spec
Why do you get an allowance? What do you do? I live in an upper-middle class French family.

Over here, it's normal for middle-class parents to support their children until the end of their studies. Most middle-class families sacrifice much so that their children aren't in need until they're ready to work.

Most of my student friends, even from the lower middle-class are fully supported by their families. Student loans barely exist here.

Back when I worked on the construction site, several of my young colleagues still lived at home, and had to pay for nothing either, despite being from lower class families.

I think it is more common in Europe than in the US to remain finacially supported by one's family for a long time.

IIRC, the interest is close to 5% (4.75%, maybe a touch higher... I get emails occasionally telling me it's gone up by some tiny increment, so I lose track). So yeah, you should be able to beat that long-term with stocks. Since I'm a) not looking longterm/medium term until we get the new house and b) really unsure about my ability to pick stocks, I'm happy as hell to have the ING account.

-Arrian

Very broke.

Then again, students always are. I think the most amount of money I've ever had on one sitting in my bank account is 3k, but that was a long time ago. Few years back or so.

But I am teh leader http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.gif Imagine what my followers go through.

Well, I am broke. And owing more money all the time. But I don't let it bother or stop me.

JM

I have a computer and internet connection. Other than that, my financial health status would most likely be considered DOA.

Originally posted by Jon Miller
Well, I am broke. And owing more money all the time. But I don't let it bother or stop me. Maybe you should http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...ilies/idea.gif

BC; I said I'm very broke, that means the choice is not what whiskey I can have. THe choice is no whiskey. The problem is not what cheeses I should buy, the solution is no cheese. ONly the essential what I'm preparing and it has to be cheap.

Yeah, it's different, but if that is all the experience you have for years in and years out, well you kind of want other kinds of problems http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/smile.gif

Well, let's see.

I'm £8,000 in debt with regards to my studentloan
£700 in debt in my overdraft.
But I get my rent paid for me and the loan pays for my tuition fees.
And I've got £2000 stashed way in a savings account.

So in total....I'm still £6,700 in debt http://www.discussworldissues.com/fo...lies/frown.gif

Only $15k in student debt? That's nothing.

I had 25k of student related debt after undergrad. I have over 50k now... the result of me living outside of my means (I do get paid enough to survive, if I never did anything and highly limited my eating out).

JM

Well, honestly the ammount I owe since I graduated undergrad arises from me wanting to have a good time in graduate school. I mean, I do get payed crap.. my peers who didn't go on to graduate school are making 2-4 times what I make.

If I had went to a state university, instead of a private liberal arts college, I would not have ended up owing anything for my undergraduate degree. Of course, my parents are poor, if they had been more wealthy (and considering how few scholarships I applied for (3?)) I would have definitely owed a good bit more.

Jon Miller