I've been thinking about these two old posts, one from Free Money Finance about a reader scared to invest, and one from I Pick Up Pennies about personal responsibility and the housing market.
Free Money Finance posted a reader question that really bothered me. The reader had a high income and had accumulated a pile of cash and didn't know how to invest it. He had no retirement accounts even. Sounded like straightforward fear, happens to all of us. The problem was the language. This reader said:
I have zero debts and my wife and I earn a good wage but are forced to live in an expensive part of the country because of our jobs.
Sorry, but unless you are in a hospital bed or a sweatshop, you were not "forced" to live anywhere. You CHOSE to live in an expensive area so that you could get a high-paying job. Good for you! There's nothing wrong with that choice--people make it all the time. The problem is that this reader acts like it wasn't his choice.
A few dozen comments later, the reader comes back to "digest" all the comments. He references "published research" that dollar-cost averaging is stupid and brags about his math skillz. So, basically he just defended his previous decision to not invest.
I don't really care if this guy invests or not. If investing is too risky for him, fine. I don't really care if this guy has a 401(k). If he can't be bothered, fine. I don't really care if this guy lives in Manhattan. Good for him. But he fails to comprehend that these are choices that he made. I don't even care if he defends those choices, but it seems like he is not even aware that they are his choices.
Life is choices. Abby at i pick up pennies wrote about people who irresponsibly chose to buy houses knowing the risks. I chose a fiercely aggressive career that will interefere with my extra-curricular life. I chose to live in Texas. I chose to keep renting when everyone was buying. I chose to buy expensive cars. I chose to buy a pet. All we can do is make the choices that are right for us, be aware of all the choices, be aware of the risks of those choices, and maybe change them when they're not right for us anymore.
3 comments:
Thanks for the mention!
I think you're right: It's about making choices. And if they turn out to be bad, own up to it. Say, "Okay that didn't turn out well and here's what I'll do differently next time." But take responsibility for goodness sake!
I agree that people choose where they live.
I just wrote something similar to FB. Your point about getting cancer not being a choice is excellent. It puts a lot of things in perspective.
My hubby and I CHOOSE to live in a more expensive building/neighborhood because of the conveniences it affords us in commuting and living in a more upscale neighborhood and being close to the city etc etc etc.
I'm out of a job and have been for 8 months. It's my CHOICE to wait for a good position near a place I can commute to using public transport, versus buying a car anticipating a project that might require travel or not. My CHOICE to wait it out (with hubby's approval) for a job in the current area so we don't have to live apart again.
CHOICE. And RESPONSIBILITY.
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