How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Has your income gotten better or worse in the last 5 years?

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Oops. Emma was still signed in when I posted this. I wish she would sign out before she leaves. ;)

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Worse

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

worse

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Don't forget to vote!

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Income isn't the issue. Everything costs more and taxes are higher thanks to the demcrats

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Well, all that is worse if your income is less too.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Well first of all I was not talking to you :-p

Having less to spend because of inflation and taxes is like your income is lower

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Long, miraculous story made short, after 5 years of living broke and with family, many lay-offs and many go no-where, minimum wage jobs my wife and I landed good jobs. She makes double and I make triple my wages of 5 years ago. God came through BIG for us once again.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

LOL! Soooorrryy. ;)

But, yes, inflation is the silent tax. Higher taxes means less expendable income. But if someone also has taken a pay cut or just a cut from more social security withholding, that is less income.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

awesome!

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

The government takes $200 more a month starting this year just for healthcare, $600 a month total. For just me, husband is on Medicare. Can't afford to go to the doctor or meds.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

I earn 29% more. It's really not that much of a difference if you started at the very bottom.

I am paying a little more in payroll taxes as of January.

The price of everything has gone up and the quantity and sometimes the quality is less.

It seems like I had more of a cash flow then. Too bad money catches fire when it touches my hands.

I had the opportunity to save 25-30K from 2009-2011. I am kicking myself over that. I wouldn't have to be looking for ways to leave for South America. I could have just got up and left. Ugh!

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

You can't afford the doctor or meds. Isn't this new program great so far??

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Well, we all kick ourselves over things sometimes.

I have noticed that almost every food item that used to be about $1.00 is about $1.50-$1.75. That's a pretty steep hike. I was aghast when I looked at meat prices the other day. We eat almost all venison for red meat, so I was shocked.

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Our income has gotten better but it's only because we have started a couple of new businesses for side income.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

No, my husband can't. Even with Medicare the out of pocket is too much.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Our gross income has actually gotten better but I voted for 10% Worse because our net earnings are worse after taxes.

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My copay stayed the same. Thanks to that same union contract that takes out the $600 a month.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

My husband, who works for a clinic, says that the new obamacare is going to put a lot of clinics/hospitals out of business and then someone will come in and buy them for pennies on the dollar. Sounds like another corporate takeover.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

That makes sense to vote like that then.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

A lot of people's incomes have actually gotten better. So, how has your income improved?

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

I voted about the same. Tax burden still seems huge, but a bit less than five years ago because we have added two children...

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Mine is about the same after considering expenses.

What the economy meant for evil, God turned into good.

Last Sept I was notified that my job was being surplused. I had to train my replacement. I was given 60 days to find something else within the company. If I didn’t find something in that 60 day period, I would be terminated. My last day was set for the day after Thanksgiving.

All my efforts in finding a job both internally and externally were for naught.

Then I got an email asking me to apply for a position with the company. It was about 3 weeks before my termination date. I applied on a Thursday, was hired on Friday. It was a promotion with a pay raise!

Some points of interest that show the hand of God.
1. Hiring in my company is notoriously slow. The process is generally apply, wait, interview, wait, receive some notification, wait, receive offer, THEN after 3 weeks or so you get a new start date. This time, I applied was interviewed notified, and received the offer in 24 hours.
2. NO ONE gets a promotion when they have been surplused. I know many people who have taken demotions to stay employed. Not only am I the only person I know who has gotten a promotion during a surplus status, but I don’t know anyone who knows anyone. I was at lunch with a friend on Friday, he is not a believer. He once again was just shaking his head at the very idea that this happened to me.
3. The company was cutting jobs to save money. They don’t give raises to people when they are trying to save money. I got a 5% pay raise.

I said my income was about the same because our expenses have risen and with the new SS tax, and the rise in cost of Medical Insurance, our income advances are pretty much offset. We are treading water. But God is good.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

That's great, Ferd!

That must have been hard to train your replacement. Do you think it was your attitude during training your replacement that had anything to do with your promotion and raise?

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Some of the people who were involved in this were moved from my company to the outsourcing company. The people I had to train (there were actually several that were taking different parts of my responsibilities) were people I have known and worked with for years.

They were/are not happy to have been forced against their will to work for this other company so as hard as it was for me, it was equally hard for them.

And no, my attitude had nothing to do with the job I got. Totally different org. They way it works is you can only be hurt by not playing ball. There are not extra points for playing ball.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

Hmm. Yes, so often that is the case, that playing ball makes no difference. It is often more who you know and even sometimes who you are willing to kiss up to or lie to.

Well, I am happy for you that you were promoted and you give God the glory.

Re: How Has the Economy Affected Your Income?
 

8 people have improved incomes. 8 have same or worse.

Better than I thought it would be.

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Whew! Glad to hear things worked out. I went through about 4 months of uncertainly four years ago when there was a 50% chance I was going to lose my job. Very unnerving at my age!

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My income has remained steady but since my pay raise is only about 2.5% per year I have actually lost ground the last few years as inflation is slightly higher than that.

In the economy we have had the last few years I feel very blessed to have a good job.