"I have been pondering what advice to give them about money. What I keep
coming up with is this: Do not act like typical Americans. Do not fail
to save. Do not get yourself in debt up to your eyeballs. Work and take
pride and honor from your work. Learn a useful skill that Americans
really need, like law or plumbing or medicine or nursing. Do not expect
your old Ma and Pa to always be there to take care of you. I absolutely
guarantee that we will not be. Learn to be self-sufficient through your
own contributions, as the saying goes."
--Ben Stein, writing in the NYTimes about his 21 year old son and the economy, boomers, debt, boomers, diminished expectastion, boomers, and so on. Really well-done piece.
Susan sez: I especially like the part about being a freelancer with no steady paycheck as a means to learn how to manage budget and spending; I spent my first post-college years self employed, and it has made a difference.
"America, a nation of free-spending Peter Pans." Yesh.
--Ben Stein, writing in the NYTimes about his 21 year old son and the economy, boomers, debt, boomers, diminished expectastion, boomers, and so on. Really well-done piece.
Susan sez: I especially like the part about being a freelancer with no steady paycheck as a means to learn how to manage budget and spending; I spent my first post-college years self employed, and it has made a difference.
"America, a nation of free-spending Peter Pans." Yesh.
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But what grates is Stein's apparent lack of awareness or remorse that his generation -- and the free-market policies that he himself espoused -- did to his son's generation, or the generation of his own grandchildren.
There are still things that people his age could do, should do, to right the wrongs that they have done. Telling their kids to give up and become plumbers is...well, pretty rich.