I recently received my social security statement in the mail. In it the government breaks down how much I’ve made each year (AGI) based upon my filed tax returns.
As I glanced over the report, I couldn’t help but ponder my financial health. Those who know me would agree that I am hyper-frugal. That being said, one might expect that I would be in suburb financial health. I would contend that I’m simply doing fair when it comes to my personal monetary well being.
My comparative nature prods me to calculate how I am doing compared to my peers. I did a Google search on the following term in quotes: “how much should i have in my 401k at 30”. According to the first hit, a typical worker should have a balance of one year’s salary in their 401k by age 30. Unfortunately, I’m well below that average.
Here’s where I veer off the script:
- I graduated college 2 years late
- of my almost 9 years post college, only about 5 of them have been spent working in “career type” jobs
- my career field has seen very low salary increases (typically 3% per yr.), there are no bonuses
- I’ve never been promoted in my life
- my 4 years of non working saw a great increase in debt (grad school, living expenses w/o income, etc.)
- I have significantly greater charitable contributions when compared to the general populous.
On a positive note:
- I have zero debt
- I live well below my means
- I have been able to save approximately 50% of my gross annual income
- I’m aggressively contributing to my 401K
- Though I’ve only been enrolled for 1 year, current 401K balance = 14% of my gross annual income (even in recession)
I consider all of these details when I make the following statements. I don’t want to work anymore… I know… how dare I think such a thing in these dire economic times. I can’t help it. I’m all too aware of the fact that time and life are fleeting and I’m missing out. So much of my time is at work. I want to live… why won’t you let me live (lol, it's from a movie).
My apartment lease ends in June and part of me doesn’t want to renew it. Part of me want to travel, to savor life, to invest in people. Ideally I would have a plan, I would be working toward a goal, I would have a vision. I have none of these. I think that if I leave my job now, I may never be able to enter back into the engineering / technical field. I'll be in that awkward place of being middle aged and having few marketable skills So, do I leave the mind numbing security of a steady paycheck in a deeply recessive economic world; or do I step out of the boat and risk drowning.
I only know 3 songs in French: the French national anthem, Frère Jacques, and Tous les Garcons et Les Filles de mon age.
I learned all 3 in high school. From time to time I tend to sing the refrain from the last song over and over. It’s really a beautiful song but I hadn’t heard it sung since 1993. 2 days ago after singing the song about a billion times over I decided to use the power of the internet to brush up on my more than rusty lyrics. Though the lyrics will be meaningless to everyone but probably Jannie, I decided to post them anyway. Better still, I found someone singing the song on YouTube (I guess YouTube is good for something). This girl singing it is so so amazing. Even though the video is a little grainy I couldn’t help falling in love with her immediately. Her voice is like an angel. Someone please find this girl and set me up! (lol)
for the original, go to this site where the music plays in the background:
Lastly, I’ve decided to run the lyrics through Google translator so you can see naturally why it means so much to me. (note, the translation is naturally not perfect, but you’ll get the idea)
It’s been a while since I posted anything and a lot has happened.
For those who have not heard, I recently broke down and bought an iPhone. I’m not a big Apple / Mac fan. My contract with Verizon was up. I was thinking about the new Blackberry Storm but after numerous comparisons the iPhone almost always came up on top. As frugal as I am, the main thing holding me back was having my monthly bill go from $40 to $80. But I was able to get AT&T to waive the activation fee and I found out that my company gets a 5% discount, so I caved in. It’s been a few weeks now and I love it. I can do so many things with it. I’m always on the look out for the next best app, so if you have a favorite app out there please let me know.
Switching gears, my company layed off 30 more people just before Christmas. They had let go about 10% a few months ago. I heard the total for our facility is around 350 now. We make automotive electronics and as I’m sure you have heard in the news, the automotive market is very bad. Most of the people that were let go were factory line workers. Everyone’s on edge. It is very rare for a Japanese company to release workers; it’s not part of their corporate culture.
3rd gear: I did something recently that I never thought I would succumb to. I put my profile on an online dating site. It’s so awkward for me. All of the girls my age look so old <lol>. I guess I’m old L. I once asked my 23 year old friend if she would go for someone my age and though she didn’t say it verbally her expression clearly said “ill, gross”. We all laughed about it. Not much has happened with my profile yet. My small group thinks I should change the pictures. My profile pic for Xanga is my primary photo: For some reason I really like this photo, but others disagree.
4th gear: Angel Tree is finished! Thanks to all that helped in any way. It’s getting harder and harder for me to serve with a loving heart. In the midst of Church craziness I find myself loosing sight of Jesus. This is definitely not the place I want to be. Looking to find and focus on Him again in 2009.
5th gear: After more than 2 years, I finally had a chance to go to Alabama again to visit my family. On a side note, I’m always amazed at how many people ask me “is it your mom’s side or dad’s side”. I guess it’s just so obvious to me… I mean… Alabama’s like 80% black (lol… an exaggeration of course). Anyway, I had a great time visiting aunts & uncles who are all getting very old. Aside from seeing relatives, highlights include riding a Harley, herding cattle, hearing Kelly Price sing, and taking 4 little girls to see Madagascar 2. Still the best part of the trip was probably growing closer to my cousin Raquel. Given that most people reading this are probably Asian, perhaps it’s more appropriate to call her my niece since really I’m 1st cousins with her mother [even though Raquel is 1.5 years older than me]. We have a lot in common and it was just refreshing talking and spending time with her. Unbeknownst to her, she single handedly restored my hope in black women (lol).
6th gear (yes, it's a sportscar): As soon as I got back from AL, I had to hit the ground running. Christ Church Food & Service Outreach, multiple car issues, work, etc. Please pray for me. I hate being too busy. I need a vacation :)
With a little bit of time over the days surrounding Thanksgiving, I was able to see a few movies.
Roundup:
Quantum Solace(James Bond) [theater]: The main girl was really pretty, but it was deceptive. She’s was given a fake tan to look “ethnic” when in reality she's Ukrainian & Russian. When I found out it was fake, she seemed a lot less pretty. Otherwise, the movie was pretty lack luster.
Indian Jones / Crystal Skull [DVD]: I love Indiana Jones so just seeing the character on the screen again was a treat. The movie itself was not even close to the level of quality its name deserves. Shia Labeouf (Transformers) was in it. All of his real life antics overshadow his on the screen work. Is it just me, or doesn’t it seem like he should be Fred Savage's (Wonder Years) and Ben Savage’s (Boy Meet’s World) third brother?
Incredibles [TV]: Good story but very slow moving at many points, especially for animation.
Star Wars / Clone Wars [DVD]: In my opinion, the animation of the characters sucked, however the animation of some of the ships and background was very good. The dialogue was just as bad as in the “real” movies. Still, it’s Star Wars and I’m a Geek so I have some love for it. Seriously, the plot line was awful. I was hoping Jabba would subject the young Padewon to her rightful position as entertainer for the Huts <lol>.
Slumdog Millionaire [theater]: Excellent! In these days of sub-par movies, this one is worth seeing. I didn’t know what it was about going into it… I had only heard that it was good. The primary story line itself is average, but it’s the secondary story lines that make the movie (in my opinion). It’s set in India. If nothing else, the best thing about the movie is that it gives most naive Westerners a small visual glimpse into all too common life in India. The lead girl was crazy beautiful (as usual). When you watch it, note how the characters get 3 shades lighter in skin color as they grow older. Shame on you Bollywood... embrase your browness.
Expelled [DVD]: Good but it should have been a lot shorter. The documentary uses a lot of black & white video clips from yesteryear to accentuate the points it was trying to make. Though creative at times, it was way too overdone (<triple redundancy). Still I thought the arguments in it were sound. The intellectuals that were interviewed are pretty predominant in the various academic communities. I wonder how their lectures went post the release of this film (since the film made them look idiotic). I think some folks in my small group didn’t like it so much. From some of the comments I also know that it was over a few heads at points. Many would say the film is about Evolution vs. Creationism or Religion vs. Science. Those that stick to that synopsis have already missed the point.
Still to come:
Tropic Thunder [DVD]: Multiple people have said that this is hilarious, however I was warned only last night that it’s very crass. Now I’m hesitant to watch it. Plus, I was never a Ben Stiller nor a Robert Downey Jr. fan. The trailer looked stupid to me.
Zohan [DVD]: Again, many people said it’s “sooo funny”, so I picked it up out of the RedBox. Likewise, I’m not an Adam Sandler fan, so we’ll see. My expectations are low.
