Animals and Investment
1. The Managed Fund
Crows guarded his retirement plan.
They marched around its perimeter.
Squirrels managed the fund.
They wore small green visors,
used their cheeks as briefcases,
embezzled by accident, forgetting
where they buried the dividends.
2. Fixed Income
One day so dispirited by his work
was he that he decided to retire.
He asked to begin to withdraw
his pension. The account-manager,
a raccoon, presented a box to him,
removed the lid, and waddled away.
The new pensioner peered in.
Feathers and leaves were all
the box held. His income was fixed.
poem by Hans Ostrom
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Related quotes
Fixed Income
'You are a spendthrift and should budget.
Economize your lifestyle.
And not seek reasons to fuss.
Limit your wants and provide first your needs.
Decrease your appetite,
And this activity will eventually please! '
You don't have a fixed income.
Or live alone.
Do you?
'What does that have to do with me?
All of us in my household,
Eat less meat and dine out infrequently.
And we are able to save an exorbitant amount of money.
Proving we can reduce 'our' excessiveness.
And this I am sure you have not tried.'
You don't have a fixed income.
Or live alone.
Do you?
'There you go!
Trying to compare anchovies with caviar.
And there is quite a difference.'
You don't have a fixed income.
Or live alone.
Do you?
'No I do not!
But if I did,
I certainly would be able to do it better than you.
With far fewer complaints.'
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Living On A Fixed Income
I've come up with a plan,
To help budget my fixed income.
And I am sure,
Those like myself...
Who can barely exist from month to month,
Will find this to be exactly what they have been seeking.
I have decided to eliminate the last two weeks of each month.
And I awakened realizing,
How much time, money and energy I could save.
I've taken all my calendars...
And just cut away the last two weeks from each month.
Not only am I feeling better about it,
I'm already planning to take a vacation...
With the excess savings.
Who knew how simple it could be,
To make living on a fixed income...
Such a wonderful experience.
And with those weeks I've cut away?
I've decided to donate them to people complaining,
How they wish they had more time to do 'stuff'.
Not only will they have more time on their hands...
Perhaps they will stop complaining, period!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Not Covered By Medicare
Spending habits out of control?
No problem.
Living on a fixed income,
And the doing of it has gotten old?
Nooo problem.
Are you graying with age gracefully?
Or are you still trying to convince anyone,
You are just a few years over 21?
No problem.
Just sit and admit it,
Even though difficult to do.
You are old and it shows!
Fixed income or not...
It is a part of life we all go through.
With few if any exceptions.
And that's the way our muscle flow.
'No!
Butt and stomach tucks.
Face lifts and the erasing of wrinkles,
Are not covered by 'medicare'.
However,
There may be a provision for corns and bunions,
With a co-pay.
Would you like your makeover to begin,
In those areas first?
We can take years off of the appearance of your feet.'
~Well...
Let me think about it.
I was hoping for something,
A bit more impressive.~
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Before A Gripping Hand Can Affix To It
I was told as a child,
That money did not grow on trees.
And as soon as I accepted the concept,
Of earning it...
I don't have it in my pockets long enough,
To get familiar with its presence.
If someone was to attempt to pick my pockets,
I am sure they would ask for tips...
As to how I have managed to survive,
On a fixed income...
That comes to go before I am aware of it.
And I appear as if i am the 'king' of abundance.
It's like this...
If something comes to go,
Before a gripping hand can affix to it to identify...
It becomes like a memory embellished.
And as time moves on to go by,
That which is embellished becomes one's reality.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
When BP was not moving fast enough on claims, we told BP to set aside $20 billion in a fund - managed by an independent third party - to help all those whose lives have been turned upside down by the spill.
quote by Barack Obama
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Active, Relaxed...And 'Regular
Budgeting a fixed income,
Is not as easily done...
As someone scheduling,
Their upcoming annual cruise...
To lounge about on an exotic island.
My idea of a vacation...
Is the discovery I've found discounted prices,
At a local supermarket.
And I've got a few dollars left over in my pocket,
To buy an extra box of popcorn to pop.
With the hope to match at least three numbers,
On an infrequently purchased lottery ticket.
Budgeting a fixed income,
Is not as easily done...
As someone who suggests,
I should put a few coins away daily...
To save for a rainy day.
As far as I am concern...
From the lessons I've learned.
If I can manage to stretch and exercise my legs...
As often as I can.
I will keep my mind entertained,
When walking in the rain.
And I don't need a penny to get any Sun...
To do it when it's done.
As my mind is kept full and fresh with imagination.
I find it a whole lot cheaper,
When I am keeping active, relaxed...and 'regular'.
If you know what I'm saying from my perspective.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The income tax is a twentieth-century socialist experiment that has failed. Before the income tax was imposed on us just 80 years ago, government had no claim to our income. Only sales, excise, and tariff taxes were allowed.
quote by Alan Keyes
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
We've Cut Back
Why is it always those 'with' the money,
Attempting to convince the ones living...
On a fixed and unchanging income,
Without a dime left to spare...
They could save 'more' money?
'IF'...They decided to put their minds to it.
Well, my mind has been decided for many years now.
But somehow my rent, utility bills and food expenses,
Seem to care less where my mind happens to be...
When the time comes around and they need to get paid.
And my thoughts seem to be confined with the picking of lint,
Straight out of my empty pockets on a monthly basis.
'If 'we' can do that...
You should be able to do that too.
In fact...
We've cut back from taking those yearly cruises,
To the Caribbean.
And redecorating our home every other year?
We recently decided made no sense to 'us' at all.'
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Social Insecurity
Strapped Seniors use credit cards ‘stead of cash
To stay afloat, after losing their stocks n’ bonds
Yet more victims of another Wall Street crash
“Let them eat cake” is what the Fed responds
ROTMS
From Reuters Article 10/23/2010
Retired and broke: Why retirees are declaring bankruptcy
For more and more seniors, retirement doesn’t mean a debt-free life of leisure. An increasing number of Americans aged 65 and older are declaring bankruptcy, according to a recent study by John Pottow, professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School.
Those aged 65 and older represented seven percent of bankruptcy filers in 2007, a mind-boggling jump from 1991. They are the “fastest-growing age demographic, ” according to Pottow’s study.
What’s the culprit for so much debt? Credit cards. Two-thirds of Americans who filed for bankruptcy said credit cards were the key reason for their financial problems, according to Pottow’s research. Besides having more credit card debt compared with younger bankruptcy filers,44.8 percent of those aged 65 and older also had more plastic in their wallets. “They’re using credit cards as a maladaptive coping mechanism, ” Pottow says.
Stephanie Osterland, a supervisor in the bankruptcy department at GreenPath debt solutions, sees an increasing number of seniors living beyond their means. Says Osterland: “They’re just trying to live off of a fixed income, and that’s usually Social Security. Maybe they have a small pension. We find they’ve used credit cards to supplement that income and expenses or they just end up getting into a lot of medical debt.”
In addition to escalating medical expenses, seniors have seen their portfolios hit hard by the lagging stock market. Carolyn Rodi of Saving Your American Dream says those considering bankruptcy should see a credit counselor at a non-profit organization to get their finances in order.
Credit counselors, such as those at GreenPath, help the elderly deal with a stressful situation. “We try to help them focus on what it’s going to look like” after they get out of debt, Osterland says.
Rodi also recommends that potential bankruptcy filers seek out pro-bono legal aid. “There are a lot of elderly people that are being taken advantage of by bankruptcy attorneys and mortgage brokers who are advising them improperly to pay for the bankruptcy, take out a reverse mortgage or to do things that aren’t in their best interest, ” she says. ”If you have no income, why should you borrow to pay someone when you can get free legal aid? ”
What are the chances of a senior paying off his or her debts? It’s difficult to determine, especially because seniors tend to be on a fixed income. And while finding a job — such as a WalMart greeter — seems like a viable option, it is not necessarily feasible for all seniors to work.
In addition, whether or not a person declares Chapter 7 (which involves the liquidation of one’s assets) or Chapter 13 (which allows debt restructuring) bankruptcy can be a significant factor in determining what one’s lifestyle will be. “If you have to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you may be able to find affordable housing that allows you to just get by, ” says Rodi. “Chapter 13 lets you keep your house and doesn’t touch your retirement savings.”
Regardless, filing for bankruptcy is very stressful for anyone. “A lot of our clients in that post-retirement age have a hard time coming to grips with their situation, ” Osterland says. “It’s very emotional for them. We try to focus on the future and see if this debt can be lifted off their shoulders.”
poem by Ray Lucero
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
The man with a fixed income lives with anxiety and suffers as the costs of goods fluctuate.
Capital, however capital may be defined, would practically cease to exist as an income producing fund, for the simple reason that if money, wherewith to buy capital, could be obtained for one-half of one per cent, capital itself could command no higher price.
quote by John Buchanan Robinson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
If a lobbyist sets up shop, or a lawyer, in which they're receiving income through what is something like a tax loophole so that it's not counting as corporate income, that is what this is counting as a small business.
quote by Austan Goolsbee
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
If you are born into a family below the national median income, we provide you with an additional $500, and for every contribution made to a child's account below the national median income, we match it dollar for dollar - the federal government will.
quote by Harold Ford
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Fierce Storms
Fierce are storms when they first appear,
Killing the school, killing the family,
When strikes are managed in the atmosphere.
The allegiance forming can be a career,
Kinsfolk are blamed for it actually,
Fierce are storms when they first appear.
The damage is a conflict, of a charioteer,
Waging war of a storm additionally,
When strikes are managed in the atmosphere.
Gods are of a stormy nature, like a chandelier,
The work is able, of a tempest working abnormally,
Fierce are storms when they first appear.
A school admits us when the weather is to cheer,
How do we fight in class and work fitfully?
When strikes are managed in the atmosphere.
The leisure of the skies is about what is near,
My moments stray into oblivion foolhardily,
When strikes are managed in the atmosphere,
Fierce are storms when they first appear.
poem by Naveed Akram
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
I think it's inconsistent to tell the American people that you oppose the war and, yet, you continue to vote to fund the war. Because every time you vote to fund the war, you're reauthorizing the war all over again.
quote by Dennis Kucinich
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Party lines
We collect funds on their names
Spend it on some other means
Poor suffer on many accounts
Nothing is reaching to them as an amount
All the schemes are for their well being
May be the real intent but not enough of doing
If whole of iceberg is earmarked
Only small piece may reach as marked
Not an ordinary human being may watch
The bread and other things being snatched
By a person who has no right to take away
Much awaited relief which has disappeared on the way
Life has become difficult to pull on
Not easy to find square meal and carry on
Many commit suicide and many resort to crimes
It is really termed as bad times
Government work on party lines
Population and other factors are put on sidelines
They have fixed time to function with mandate
They compromise on many things and accommodate
Large fund is laundered and sent out side
For family staying abroad to provide
The precious foreign currency for personal use
And poor at country side face simple refusal
There may be some difficulties
Legal hitch and poor fund utilities
Yet effective monitoring is their obligation
People in street may know nothing about situation
Let some facilities be availed by poor
Lt they not run from door to door
We are paying taxes for their upliftment
No one should come in their way at any moment
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
Submitted by Poetry Lover
Vote! | Copy!
Schools used to fund-raise for luxuries, like a trip to the water slides. Now, we fund-raise for things we have to have.
quote by Kirk Gibson
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
My priorities are to make sure we get the prescription drug bill, that we fund the research in NIH adequately, and that we fund the Center for Disease Control adequately.
quote by Ralph Regula
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
We have already significant sums of money in our petroleum fund, a fund created by law that includes all the revenues received from the Timor Sea, and invests in conservative, safe, long-term investment portfolios - right now in US Treasury Bonds.
quote by Jose Ramos Horta
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!
Mutual fund managers are trapped in this rather deadly vicious circle: the more successful they are, the more money flows into their mutual fund. Then, it is more difficult for them to beat the market averages or even to match their own past performance.
quote by Ron Chernow
Submitted by Lucian Velea
Vote! | Copy!