LOL, I half-expected commenters to rail on how unfair student debt is, and how debt forgiveness would solve problems like this (which it would, but create new ones for generations to come), but I was surprised and pleased that there are others like me who are taking what I think is a more common sense approach.
Parents and educators should be teaching young people fiscal responsibility from a young age, so among other things, they don't get caught in debt traps, and they understand the evil of "minimum payments".
Fortunately, the author is only 38, and has the opportunity to change her financial situation. Not an easy task, not without a lot of sacrifices and discipline, but hey, that's what I'd call real adulting.
The fact that the author wrote this article, journalist going to journo, without recognizing her own culpability in the sitution indicates to me that she really hasn't learned anything which would allow her to 'right the ship'. If anything she is doubling down on the habits that caused her trouble in the first place. If she were a bit wiser she would have written an article advocating for bankruptcy regulations to be reformed to allow the discharging of student loan debt as once was allowed. (the change in this policy was another gem from the George W. administration). Then she could say she's willing to accept the hit of bankruptcy to clear the slate to turn her financial life around. Instead her plea is 'give me money, no questions asked, because I make poor choices and I'm not willing to accept it'.
This article is about COVID relief to Federal student loans repayment and interest rates. Her FFELP loans are effectively Federal even though they are owned by a private company because they are guaranteed by the Federal government. These are not private student loans though they are currently owned by a private company. So she can consolidate her way out of the situation I believe and then take advantage of the 0%.
She's asking for basic fairness for govt backed loans nothing more.
Fairness does not remove the underlying math of her situation. Even at 0% interest she still has more than 100K in debt which is approximately 3 times her average salary. Treating this like a mortgage (3 times your yearly salary is a good ratio when buying house) she may be able to pay this off in 25 to 30 years. Thats basically the rest of her whole working life. So no asking for simple fairness will not alleviate her plight, bankruptcy on the other hand would if she could discharge the debt.
Is it just me, or are too many of these articles targeted toward the self-employed, who have the luxury of working 6.5hours a day, or seriously disabling all interactions while working, go to no meetings, etc.? How about the 8-5 dev in an office environment, along with it's expectations of interruptions, meetings and teammate interactions?
Good reminder for 2021 planning. Also known as the Tyranny of the Urgent (Chas. Hummel). See also the Eisenhower Decision Matrix (Stephen Covey). Important stuff.
Somewhat depending on your perspective on the source of our wealth, this article reinforces the idea that what we produce out of the earth is a gift - not solely a result of our labor - and as such, should not be hoarded or exclusively sold. Call it what you like - sharing, gifting, tithing, relationship-building, valuing people over things - it's a practice that's much in need today.
These and other obscure but fascinating facts are yours for the taking in The Book of Eels. Well written, great read, even if you're not interested in eels to begin with. Why not jog your brain and try something outside of the box this holiday?
As most home woodworkers could confirm, a filter-on-a-box-fan works wonders in a (saw)dusty garage. Even after sanding or sawing MDF, the air is clean after about 10-15 minutes. From personal observation, I'd suggest that non-taped is a good idea, as any non-filtered air is routed through the fan to help overall circulation; ideally you want to displace all the air in the room quickly.
Right the heavy stuff falls pretty quickly. The light particles will take quite a long time, and in the meantime, you're potentially breathing all that. I use a large cyclone for the machinery, a filter-on-a-fan, and a mask. My shop is a lot cleaner than it used to be, and I'm sure my lungs are too.
Neither did I, so I just built a small box (maybe 1.5' x 2') with a couple small drawers for bits and all, adjustable fence, and a hinged top for easy adjustments. Fits underneath my bench. The Samurai's jig looks like a very useful addition to the shop, though, and it's now on my TODO list.
Parents and educators should be teaching young people fiscal responsibility from a young age, so among other things, they don't get caught in debt traps, and they understand the evil of "minimum payments".
Fortunately, the author is only 38, and has the opportunity to change her financial situation. Not an easy task, not without a lot of sacrifices and discipline, but hey, that's what I'd call real adulting.