Nurses and money.......

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I think it is interesting how many RNs I've worked with who have declared bankruptcy or are absolutely HORRIBLE with their money. They work so much overtime and incentive pay just to pay their bills and all of their debts. Anyone else see this?

The war on poverty is underfunded and it always has been! The War on Drugs is also a COMPLETE failure, well funded but since it only targets the poor, the GOP has no problem thinking that is going well (similar to all other Wars they declare)! :angryfire

I personally would rather spend money (my taxes) to feed the poor! I agree that there needs to be no taxes on income and more on consumer goods that are not needed for basic survival.

:yeah:

Here is a web site that highlights what we could have accomplished with all the money that has been wasted on all the death, destruction, corruption and hate of the world we have "won" for ourselves in Iraq:

http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

Bush* needs to be impeached. And oh yeah... nurses should budget their money (see, I'm on topic!).

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:yeah:

Here is a web site that highlights what we could have accomplished with all the money that has been wasted on all the death, destruction, corruption and hate of the world we have "won" for ourselves in Iraq:

http://nationalpriorities.org/index.php?option=com_wrapper&Itemid=182

Bush* needs to be impeached. And oh yeah... nurses should budget their money (see, I'm on topic!).

wow this is an interesting site! thanks for the information! :)

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

please keep personally-offensive attacks out of this thread, or it will need to be closed.

debate the issues, fine. insulting others, disallowed per terms of service.

thank you.

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Specializes in NA - 100 years ago.
Just like the free school lunch program we have kids so fat these days that juvenile diabetic rates are skyrocketing. God forbid we get rid of some of the people on free lunches.

Healthy food isn't cheap and if you go into some of the more blighted areas around the country, you will be hard pressed to find a grocery store within walking distance of peoples' homes. You will find many hamburger and fried chicken joints, though.

Just out of curiousity, how do you propose to "get rid of some of the people on free lunches." They are children and for many that is the only real meal they will have all day - if you call frozen pizza a real meal. This goes back to your point of juvenile obesity and my point healthy food isn't cheap.

Personally, I don't think "getting rid" of poor people is an option. We all share the same rock. Jesus fed the poor. He didn't judge them.

As for credit and budgeting - lots of rich folks hit the skids. Some people are better planners than others. Sometimes people get ill and have no insurance because of "pre-existing conditions" or the thought it "would never happen to them." Some families have their breadwinners die, or desert them, others lose their homes and jobs in a flood. Some people get laid-off because their jobs were sent overseas. Fortune and misfortune... it's part of life.

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Specializes in Registry, all over the place.

I think people should learn how to use money AND credit to their best potential for their situation. There are millions of people living it up on credit now days because it is so abundant and don't have a dollar to their names. I don't know about other high schools, but mine did not have a home ec. class. Maybe this is something that should be included in the curriculum. Because a lot of people may know how to pay their bills and buy things, but far less are financially savvy.

They should watch Suze Orman.;)

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Specializes in Registry, all over the place.
I do see this in other professions.

My hubby is an Airline Pilot and when he got his major airline job in '99 we changed NOTHING, even though people thought we should buy a new house, cars,spend a lot of $$$,etc,etc............

my pilot hubby has been laid off 2 times in the past 3 years ;)

we have 3 year old twins.......

good thing we can live off of just my salary and didn't listen to all of those other people.....................

Good for you Otessa!!! :yelclap: I can't wait to get there when I graduate, can live nicely off what I make a save hubby's. That's why I love nursing, love the profession, and there are so many jobs in different fields that allow for steady income.

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please keep personally-offensive attacks out of this thread, or it will need to be closed.

debate the issues, fine. insulting others, disallowed per terms of service.

thank you.

you're right... i get a little fired up and i go overboard.

jacads isn't a sheep.

i apologize, jacads. you are not a sheep.

:bowingpur

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.
We have spent over a trillon dollars on the war on poverty what do we have to show for it? A decimated black population with >60% out of wedlock birth rate. Successive generations of welfare recipients in all ethnic classes. the war on poverty is the greatest failure in American history. I don't find it underfunded when they have to advertise in papers for people to come sign up for food stamps. Just like the free school lunch program we have kids so fat these days that juvenile diabetic rates are skyrocketing. God forbid we get rid of some of the people on free lunches.

I didn't know the Black population had been "decimated". :uhoh21:

Likewise, I didn't know that the rate of juvenile diabetes had been linked to free school lunches as opposed to nonnutritious school lunches. I do believe the rate of obesity can also be tied to lower activity levels among youths and increased fast food consumption as evidenced by the fact that juvenile obesity is on the rise in all social classes and races, oops there goes your free lunch theory. But don't mind me, my opinion is only borne out by facts and research.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Geriatrics.

Back to the original topic, I have not known a significant number of nurses who declared bankruptcy, in fact I haven't known any. I agree with others who stated that our society is very materialistic and our economy is based on spending versus saving and the problem with people who can't pay their bills affects all professions.

Interestingly enough, in the book "The Millionaire Next Door", physicians are identified as one of the groups most likely to be UAWs or underaccumulators of wealth. Why? Because although they earn high incomes, they spend every penny of it on big houses, private schools for the kids and all the other "necessities" required to maintain a lifestyle one would expect of a physician. It was very interesting.

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Specializes in MICU.

I think the reason it seems like such a problem among nurses is because we end up talking about everything. Seriously, when was the last time you went to the bathroom and the other side of the unit didn't know about it in about 20 secs? lol :wink2:

My other "real" career before nursing was in the credit industry, where people had the same # of problems but no one would DARE talk about it @ work. It just wasn't done.

We could talk about the whys and wherefores of the economic state of the "average" American (good luck defining that!) all day, and never come to an agreement.

More education re: personal finance should be a must for every high school student, college student, anyone buying a house, etc. Because, coming from someone who worked in the "industry", we preyed on people who would always need credit and be somewhere around 30-45 days late. Companies make $$$$$ on this kind of "customer" (victim).

Why do you think I left after only 3 years? I hated it, and myself working in credit. :(

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I hope we can all play nice. I didn't mean to stir up the big debate by posting this thread..

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I think people should learn how to use money AND credit to their best potential for their situation. There are millions of people living it up on credit now days because it is so abundant and don't have a dollar to their names.

I see that as a the BIGGEST problem. I know there are people who believe that credit cards are "free money" until they can't pay that minimum for months on end or are late with payments and when they want to buy a home or get a job or get some kind of insurance, their credit ratings are in the toilet and they are denied...........

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