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way better off

 

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Better off, but more debt because my daughter just started school.

 

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Definitely, but it has nothing to do with Obama, Bush, Congress, or the New York State Legislature.

 

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I'm better off but because I switched jobs.

If I stayed at my last job I would be about the same.

I am way better off but would be even betterer if wages weren't stagnant. If the next eight are like the last eight I will be worse off overall.

I don't think this is as illuminating a question as people think. I would hope you'd be a lot more financially sound now than you were eight years ago.

 

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Significantly better. Not because of Obama, but because I earned 5 raises since he took office. 3 promotions and 2 merit/market increases. Basically 6 bucks gained an hour since he took office. Has nothing to do with this failure though. Our company is just big and takes care of its workers.

 

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When the recession hit, I was like many Americans in that I was carrying a lot of credit card (and other) debt and generally living above my means and not worrying about it too much.

When the crap hit the fan, I was one of the lucky ones. I didn't lose my job, but I took >30% pay cut in order to keep it. I went from living slightly above my means to living way way above my newly reduced means.

At first, I didn't see how I was going to survive financially and was even considering bankruptcy for awhile. After some soul-searching, I said 'screw bankruptcy' and went about taking the steps necessary to set my financial house in order.

I went out and got a second job (and briefly, a third) and cut my expenses to the bone. Four years later, I am completely debt free and have saved up enough money to put 20% down on a new house sometime this year or the next (I've been a life-long renter).

It hasn't been easy or fun, but it has absolutely been worth it.

And while it would be easy to dismiss any influence Obama has had on this change in my life, I'd like to thank him for opening my eyes to the importance of having control over your finances rather than being at the mercy of the economic winds and someone else's decision-making.

Thanks Obama!

Worse.

My pay has stagnated, my wife (teacher) has had to take repeated pay cuts. Loan rates have increased, health insurance is far worse (get less pay more), my kids are going to college now, so more bills with them, our home value has plummeted destroying our equity, plus 401k, yada yada yada.

 

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