Gas, Liquor, and Ammo

My investment choices for the next 2 years listed in the headline, LOL.



I love this chart, it shows how GDP grew, and yet wages kept plodding along or falling. That national GDP expansion is gone. As in Trillion$ gone. Pensions, 401k, endowments, public employees retirement, POOF!

Ya know, this pinkslipped thing during the "Great Recession" is tough, good, and weird. I am learning a lot, and spending great time with my two unbelievably smart, joyful, explorers of life. My wife and I actually laugh more if you can imagine that, especially at that idiot on "the bachelor" and his "dates" who think that the dude is actually planning, and taking them on champagne and caviar jaunts . . .

Some of the tough parts are the decisions you have to make, health care, budgeting, hoping . . .

TURN OFF THE EVENING NEWS, THEY GIVE NO USEFUL INFO, AND DEPRESS THE SHIT OUT OF YOU!!!!!

Here are a few "Whodathunkit"s and survival TIPS;

1. Severance pay is heavily taxed, 25%+ right when you need the cash most. These taxes will go to pay for cleaning up after and bonusing out the bastards who caused the economic meltdown and your job to go away.

2. COBRA health insurance is a rip-off. A family of four costs $1600/month minimum. The stimulus plan calls for paying 65% of COBRA, but it will not kick in for two months, and is not retroactive. Congress, you get at least a d+ for trying, and it might help going forward. . .

3. Short term high-deductible health insurance is more affordable at around $320/month. You have to pay full boat for a doctor's visit, full boat for prescriptions, 80/20 on some things, but you are covered with a $5k deductible up to $2 MM if catastrophe strikes.

4. Your doctor can give you some samples of your meds for a few months. This will save some $$.

5. Unemployment insurance takes about 3 weeks to roll in. Oh, and your employer will fight it, and it also is taxed to pay for AIG bonuses. EVERY little bit will help though, so go apply the day you are let go.

6. Call your mortgage loan holder, and ask them about helping. Many have programs to temporarily lower your house payment. HERE is info as well. You can use unemployment insurance income to show financial hardship through lower earnings.

Just some info you won't find from the millionaire idiots on teh TV. Me? Zero on the horizon for a job until the economy begins to turn.

-Prodigal Son