Micki Maynard

GORGEOUS

(via amazingcars)

Read more stories of Changing Expectations 

chgears:

This past fall I lost my home to foreclosure. I had always paid my bills. It is unbelievable to me that I have found myself in this situation.

My dream now is to be financially solvent, to live below my means so that I can save, and to simply have a small place – apartment - that I can make into a home.

Will there be much for retirement? Probably not. I do not expect to retire until I’m 80! That may not be all bad. There have been many that have had to go back to work or continue working instead of retiring.

My biggest concern is moving from one career into another. I am a week away from finishing nursing school, and I will be beginning a new career at the ripe age of 53. There will be a few months of possibly no income. I’m not eligible for unemployment because I am leaving my current job voluntarily.

It takes time to work through the process of applying for jobs, take nursing boards and landing an interview. Still, the outlook for nursing jobs is good. If I can last for a few months on the money I have saved I should be able to make it until I find employment.

-Carol Kania

chgears:

When my grandparents came to the United States they had nothing. My grandfather worked as a seltzer delivery man to make a better life for his children. My father worked as a taxi cab driver to get enough money to get through law school and eventually became a lawyer. He worked very hard so that I could go to medical school.

My father makes a very good living, but did not save anything and consequently needs to work into his elder years. I live a more modest lifestyle and save a lot of my income for my children’s education and for my future.

I am near the top of the earners in the United States, but not mega rich. I can’t imagine that my children could do much better than how I am doing financially. I am concerned that my children do not realize what is needed to have the lifestyle and savings that we have, and that they will be unable to find jobs.

-Hamilton Lempert

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theatlantic:

A literary map of the UK. [Reddit/The Literary Gift Company]