Fun link!

Grandfather Economic Report

This is a collection of easy-to-understand picture-reports to increase awareness of certain threats to the economic future & freedom of families and their children, compared to the past - - on family income, debt, savings, government spending, education quality, social security, regulations, taxes, inflation, energy, foreign trade and exchange, voter turnout, trust, national security, and health care.

Sixty-two percent of Americans report that they are saving and/or investing. However, more than 40 percent of all Americans save less than five percent of their annual household income. Sixteen percent save between 5 and 10 percent. Only nine percent save more than 20 percent of their annual income. - Jean Sherman Chatzky or is it Jean Chatzky Sherman?

There are a host of other goal-oriented bloggers who've seen fit to make their debt paydowns public, and I commend each one of them. I do my level best to keep up with as many as I can. Because I've been where they are. By making their debts, their goals, and their actions public, they've turned vague "ought-tos" into unmistakable, concrete targets. They're asking for an audience. They're asking for accountability. This goes against pretty much everything our society preaches regarding money and debt. And by gosh, it takes bigtime courage.
Making Your Debt Known

I owe $162610.85. There. I'm out with my debt. It would make me feel better if other Seattle families would admit to me they're feeling pinched, but they're not. I meet with single people once a month to talk about our debt and the progress and setbacks we've had. Maybe the Seattle families manage money better than I do.

How much am I paying off each month? $900 in principal, $700 in interest.

I think the Seattle families could help each other. Costco coshopping. Progressive dinners. Batch cooking. Bartering. It's outside my comfort zone to ask people if they're interested in these things, but maybe I should be brave, huh? Maybe not assume everyone has the stock option fairy or the trust fund god giving them six-digit wealth.

Maybe I'll do a bad thing and use the 3.99% convenience cheques to extend my low interest loan on the scooter -- to be paid off by April 2007. And put my money where the return will be greater -- like CDs or bonds or Fording Coal or gold.

Brother giving me $600.00 for his expenses (shopping, research). Yay.

10 Steps out of Credit Card Debt

Ooh, a clearly unreachable goal-- own the house outright by ...
SUMMARY MESSAGE
Families should not wait for government bureaucrats & politicians to 'save them' or 'set it right again' - they must take their own individual responsibility to develop actions to reduce their own consumption and invest more of their own productive time in high-quality education and savings, while maximizing their own assets free & clear of any debt. In other words, families must face the reality of certain national trends - - or suffer consequences.

Why? The legislators you elect know nothing but to drive up debt. Don't leave your Cadillac to be handled by a person who's worked only at demolition derbies.