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The Official Thread of Existing While MAGA


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8 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

It’s not an assumption, it is born out by the data on what people use their refunds for which a majority spend it on paying down credit card debt and catching up on past due bills, two big indicators of financial mismanagement.

 

Alternatively, they are also indicators of a hostile economic environment that lacks equity. It is incredibly easy to imagine someone who makes smart financial decisions ending up in debt through little-to-no fault of their own.

 

8 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

I’ve read it. I’ve lived it myself. Thankfully people didn’t treat me as though I can’t learn a better way to handle my finances.

 

No one is saying they are incapable of learning a better way to handle their finances.

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1 minute ago, Chris- said:

 

Alternatively, they are also indicators of a hostile economic environment that lacks equity. It is incredibly easy to imagine someone who make smart financial decisions ending up in debt through little-to-no fault of their own.

 

 

No one is saying they are incapable of learning a better way to handle their finances.

 

If you can use the refund to catch up on those bills, why couldn’t you simply not fall behind if you had that money in your paycheck to begin with?

 

And yes he is. This isn’t the first time he has brought the article up to make exactly that same point that poverty makes people incapable of good decision making.

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Not incapable of making sound choices, but it is much much harder for those in and near poverty to make objectively rational choices when those people can see an irrational choice as somewhat rational, if not preferable.

 

If something causes you to lose 13 IQ points, you're not incapable of making good decisions, but those decisions may be harder to make.

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Not taking sides on this debate as I am undecided myself, but thought I would chime in with a story. My dad used to tell my brother and I seperately when we were younger that 0 dependents meant we would have more money at the end of the year than with 1. As in not just a bigger return since we had more taken out through the year but more money overall. We never knew that we were being had to force us to save money until only a few years ago. I dunno I see sblfilms point, but when you're young and reckless with your money, it really does help.

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2 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

If you can use the refund to catch up on those bills, why couldn’t you simply not fall behind if you had that money in your paycheck to begin with?

 

Because maybe something came up that exceeds the cost of that extra money, and even the amount of that extra money that's been saved. If you diligently saved that $100/month and you run up against a $4,000 ER bill, you're probably still going into debt.

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3 minutes ago, 2user1cup said:

It's the land of the free, if people prefer to have the gov hold some money and then give them the money in a lump sum who gives a fuck? 

People who don’t want others to hurt financially even more? Especially the self-inflicted financial stress that stems from mismanaging your finances.

 

2 minutes ago, 2user1cup said:

I used to use the refund to pay my property taxes. Super easy! Now I do property taxes monthly and it feels like I'm always short on money. 

You were always in the same spot, you just couldn’t see it.

 

6 minutes ago, b_m_b_m_b_m said:

Not incapable of making sound choices, but it is much much harder for those in and near poverty to make objectively rational choices when those people can see an irrational choice as somewhat rational, if not preferable.

 

If something causes you to lose 13 IQ points, you're not incapable of making decisions, but those decisions may be harder to make.

Then it is even more important to be taught good tools for handling your finances if you can’t make rational choices on your own.

 

2 minutes ago, Jose said:

Not taking sides on this debate as I am undecided myself, but thought I would chime in with a story. My dad used to tell my brother and I seperately when we were younger that 0 dependents meant we would have more money at the end of the year than with 1. As in not just a bigger return since we had more taken out through the year but more money overall. We never knew that we were being had to force us to save money until only a few years ago. I dunno I see sblfilms point, but when you're young and reckless with your money, it really does help.

That is such a Dad move. Love it.

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Just now, Chris- said:

 

Because maybe something came up that exceeds the cost of that extra money, and even the amount of that extra money that's been saved. If you diligently saved that $100/month and you run up against a $4,000 ER bill, you're probably still going into debt.

But the ER bill is happening regardless. If you’re using your refund to catch up on the electric bill, the phone bill, the gas bill, etc., guess what you’re also doing? Racking up late fees that take even more money out of your pocket. That $100 a month going towards paying things on time could be 100s or 1000s a year in savings.

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6 minutes ago, sblfilms said:

But the ER bill is happening regardless. If you’re using your refund to catch up on the electric bill, the phone bill, the gas bill, etc., guess what you’re also doing? Racking up late fees that take even more money out of your pocket. That $100 a month going towards paying things on time could be 100s or 1000s a year in savings.

 

Once again, the main reason that people are getting blindsided this year is because the GOP actively lied to them about the paycheck bump coming from tax cuts instead of being from lowered withholdings.

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5 minutes ago, Jason said:

 

Once again, the main reason that people are getting blindsided this year is because the GOP actively lied to them about the paycheck bump coming from tax cuts instead of being from lowered withholdings.

This has literally nothing to do with what Chris and I are discussing at this point, but you are correct.

 

19 minutes ago, Jason said:

I didn't know movie theaters sell bootstraps. 

This isn’t a bootstraps conversation, but still an amusing quip.

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