So, put some more money aside--I am now up to 67.2% on the exchange savings. Wish it was 100% but what can you do?
Talked to my parents again about graduate studies vs. working full time. I want to do both and it's hard to decide on one or the other. First I had decided to work full time to be able to support my parents. This is when my dad went "I'm not a man who makes $10 and spends $11." Meaning, they've put some money aside, and if I want to study for another two years, then they'll rely on their savings.
Still, hard to decide what I want to do. I've been asking a lot of people for their opinions--both adults and peers. One lady at work asked if a master's will help me get a job, or a better job than I could get now already. The answer isn't clear for the field that I'm in--I'm quite sure I could get by without one. Many people are in the field with jobs without a master's degree.
I think that I just want a master's degree or something.
Friday, October 12, 2007
Friday, October 5, 2007
My Parents' Retirement
I haven't been on this blog in awhile because I thought my computer was fried--only to find out that I had kicked the power cord out of its socket. I only realized this after I was panicking about how I was going to pay for a new computer. Oops!
Anyways, I've been meaning to get around to the story behind why I am going to support my parents through their retirement. And it goes something like this.
When my dad was young, he left school to support his own mother, who didn't have much money either. Without an education, my dad was forced into trade labour that didn't pay that much. However, he and my mom managed to start their own business. It thrived, and by the time I was born, my dad had to travel the world a lot to conduct business. He made a lot of money that way and I had the best of everything--private school and expensive clothes and nice toys.
The problem with the business was that my dad was gone for months at a time. My mom became a stay at home mom who was raising us on her own for several months out of the year. My dad was uncomfortable leaving my mom to do that all alone, and he missed developing a relationship with us kids. The nature of the business was so that he had to be gone for long periods of time, or the business would fall apart.
He was faced with a dilemma--be rich but miss out on the kids, or be financially insecure but watch his kids grow up.
My dad decided that fostering a relationship with his children was more important than any money--which I think he learned because his own dad chose business over him. But without a good education, my dad couldn't get well paying jobs. People didn't want to hire him cause of his lack of education. Our family's income drastically declined to the point where my parents were in debt.
I've always had this sort of guilt or conciousness growing up that my parents would be rich and well off if they hadn't decided that I was more important than money. Many of their most costly decisions had to do with me--like moving to certain places so I could go to the best schools they could find and afford. (Although, go figure, they couldn't afford my university education. But I was determined to pay for it myself anyway.)
The reason why I want to support my parents through their retirement is pretty obvious. They spent so much money so that I could have the best. My dad gave up his thriving business because he felt it was more important to watch me grow up and be around everyday.
It would be way too selfish of me not to give my parents money every month to support them through their retirement. I would hate for them to be 80 years old and decide they can't eat their favourite food that night because they don't have enough money. If there's anything I can do to make my parents' golden years more enjoyable, then why shouldn't I be doing it?
Anyways, I've been meaning to get around to the story behind why I am going to support my parents through their retirement. And it goes something like this.
When my dad was young, he left school to support his own mother, who didn't have much money either. Without an education, my dad was forced into trade labour that didn't pay that much. However, he and my mom managed to start their own business. It thrived, and by the time I was born, my dad had to travel the world a lot to conduct business. He made a lot of money that way and I had the best of everything--private school and expensive clothes and nice toys.
The problem with the business was that my dad was gone for months at a time. My mom became a stay at home mom who was raising us on her own for several months out of the year. My dad was uncomfortable leaving my mom to do that all alone, and he missed developing a relationship with us kids. The nature of the business was so that he had to be gone for long periods of time, or the business would fall apart.
He was faced with a dilemma--be rich but miss out on the kids, or be financially insecure but watch his kids grow up.
My dad decided that fostering a relationship with his children was more important than any money--which I think he learned because his own dad chose business over him. But without a good education, my dad couldn't get well paying jobs. People didn't want to hire him cause of his lack of education. Our family's income drastically declined to the point where my parents were in debt.
I've always had this sort of guilt or conciousness growing up that my parents would be rich and well off if they hadn't decided that I was more important than money. Many of their most costly decisions had to do with me--like moving to certain places so I could go to the best schools they could find and afford. (Although, go figure, they couldn't afford my university education. But I was determined to pay for it myself anyway.)
The reason why I want to support my parents through their retirement is pretty obvious. They spent so much money so that I could have the best. My dad gave up his thriving business because he felt it was more important to watch me grow up and be around everyday.
It would be way too selfish of me not to give my parents money every month to support them through their retirement. I would hate for them to be 80 years old and decide they can't eat their favourite food that night because they don't have enough money. If there's anything I can do to make my parents' golden years more enjoyable, then why shouldn't I be doing it?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
