Well at least Shodan had some substantive points to bring up. You got … let me see there … nothing … in the substantive department. If your argument were a bank account the bank would be dinging you for overdrafts.
O, I M wounded.
Calling Crapped’s attempts at factual writing pathetic hardly requires two pages of end notes.
A very good point. IME plans have gotten significantly better in the last decade, with lower fees and wider fund availability. But it’s important to compare one’s plan to other options.
It was partly because Chris did pay interest (though not repay capital) and partly because in the 70s it was really easy to get a credit card.
I’ve come to the conclusion that if HR wants something, it’s usually not a good idea. During the last “open enrollment” period, the health insurance spiel here was how awesome the High Deductible Health Plan was. It’ll likely save you money, honest! Look at these sample case studies! In this scenario, the employee saves $500 by choosing the HDHP! Oh, let me conclude the presentation by saying that the High Deductible Health Plan is really terrific, you should sign up!
Guess what I didn’t sign up for that season? I don’t even want to know how much they got paid to shill that. With that level of effort, it’s not likely to be a good deal for me. I took the regular old PPO, same as before.
dude, they’re a humor/satire site. while there’s usually a grain of truth in the things they say, they’re not journalists and don’t pretend to be.
The only people those HDHP’s are good for are young and truly healthy people who don’t get pregnant or have kids to worry about, who stay that way for a number of years so the HSA attached to the HDHP can build up a nest egg - and if a HDHP doesn’t have a HSA it isn’t worth shit.
Well if that blog post was intended to be funny, it was … COMPLETELY off the mark.
When they stick with humor, they’re at least ignorable. When they try to Get Real, they show how shallow they really are.
After I read some of the descriptions, especially in that linked article, I think your conclusion is a big harsh.
“Outright Lies”. perhaps on the day the food is bought, but is fresh food still cheaper after it has been sitting in the kitchen for 10 days? On a per meal basis. Canned beans do last longer…
Probably more in line with** Fairychatmum**, but my mother drives me to distraction at times.
I understand that she and her family grew up in the depression, but she is pushing 92 and just had a couple of operations. She is alert and capable though but she still won’t spend any money and her time left must be limited.
Yesterday, I had to go and cement a new letter box in place for her in heat that was in the 90’s. No, she wouldn’t think to pay someone to do it but she would wait until I had time to get up there and do it. However, that is not a big deal- what irked me was she was wondering what to do with the old one (the post had rusted through and it had fallen over). I told her to throw it out as i was cheap junk (I had erected it years ago). Nope she saved i in case someone could use it.
Now her computer needs replacing as it keeps coming up with the message that XP is 12 years old and no longer supported. Her computer is so old it wouldn’t handle Windows 7 without wheezing but she won’t buy a new one.
She is not rich, but she is comfortable. The concept of never spending a cent more than you have to has sent me grey I am sure.
The most mind boggling example of this I have ever seen was in my mom(who was legitimately mentally ill) but at least seemed to grasp basic logic in other facets of her life.
My mother REFUSED to pay $10 extra for an unlimited cell plan, yet every single month she was getting hit with $200-$600 in overage charges for going over her minutes. It stunned me and my sister, my sister would actually call in to Sprint pretending to be my mom and move her to the unlimited plan. Then my mom would a month or two later call in and get it changed back to a plan with 100 minutes that was $10 cheaper, BUT if you went over the minutes you were charged an almost criminal fee for every minute(this should be illegal).
I once called her and spent hour after frustrating hour trying to explain it to her, I said mom the unlimited plan would save you hundreds every month.
Her:No I’m not going to pay $10 extra, I don’t have that kind of money!
Me:Mom you’re paying an average of $400 a month now to save that $10!
Her:Well sorry but I don’t have the $10 dollars to waste, you’re not giving me any money!
Me:You are wasting hundreds to save ten, listen mom I will give you the ten dollars if you switch to unlimited, I’ll make the switch for you online.
Her:Why should I give an extra ten dollars if I don’t have to?! I refuse to do it.
:smack:And around and around and around.
I started HATING a lot of companies and the social services for facilitating this exploitation of the stupid or mentally ill.
grude:
If she is like this consistently and IF you want the responsibility, you could document everything she does which is indicative of mental incompetence and petition the Court to make you (or someone responsible) her Conservator or Limited Conservator.
See lawyer - this is a BIG deal - you essentially get a Judge to declare her incompetent in (at least financial) matters.
AIUI, once that is done, she can no longer call and get the plan switched, she will require someone to handle (at least potentially) all financial transactions.
You could set up automatic payments for all the obvious.
Again, see lawyer
My sister has Parkinsons and BIL just got named her Conservator. This is CA, so she technically owns 1/2 of everything.
Note that you have to factor in TIME to get processed foods to be cheaper.
My minister’s husband works with immigrants on teaching them how to negotiate American grocery stores. Immigrants from Asia, Europe, Latin America, and a lot from Africa who are coming with almost nothing. Rice, beans, garlic, canned tomatoes, olive oil, corn meal, frozen peas, broccoli, spinach plus fresh onions and sweet potatoes are the basic foods he teaches them to use - and most of the cultures have many of those foods as their basics. Plus, most of the Africans have religious food taboos. And the essential crockpot - which makes it possible to take beans that have soaked overnight, throw them in a pot with water, rice and a can of tomatos and have dinner when you arrive home. Nearly everything there is shelf stable or can be kept in an apartment freezer to reduce waste.
Immigrants do it without off brand mac and cheese, but our own poor apparently can’t soak beans overnight and throw them into a crockpot.
My mom died recently so the issue no longer matters(don’t worry I know you intended nothing bad! And you gave good advice for others).
I think like someone else said the cognitive blindspot comes from a deprived childhood like growing up during the depression.
Social services was useless though with her, as long as the elderly person you’re trying to get help for can charm them and put on a front they refused to do anything. Seemed like they only considered really obvious dementia of the not knowing who the president is variety worthy. Otherwise they tell family to back off.(It was Texas though, and I say that having grown up there)
Not trying to create a hijack but can you expand on that? Googling the term was of limited result and I’m curious.
Hmm. Seems like avoiding your calls would have saved her quite a bit as well. 
Islam is quite common in Africa.
See halel (very similar to Kosher).
To be fair, that can be hard to see even to close relatives. Quite a few of the folks in my grandma’s home (including grandma) are perfectly capable of keeping up their end of a conversation even though they either don’t hear you or have no idea what you’re talking about, who you are or what day it is.
Heh, the call took place during one of the months she was mysteriously switched to unlimited.