I come from a long line of white collar middle class, but I married into a blue collar family (but DH has an Ivy league PhD). It has been very eye-opening the very different things that both sides of the family take for granted, and it would help my understanding to see more posts from the perspective of these challenges.

In fact, one of our recent blog posts, as a white-collar well-off relation, is wondering about how much help we should be giving. Should we be helping the next generation with college? I think we’re going to be doing it, but the comments we’ve gotten so far have been pretty squarely against, suggesting that blue collar kids don’t have the same right to figure out what to do with their lives while in college (though some argue that middle class kids shouldn’t either… but we think the primary purpose of college is not job training– another cultural difference). They shouldn’t get an education until they know, otherwise they’re just wasting our money. I don’t like how that feels. What do you think? http://nicoleandmaggie.wordpress.com/2010/12/08/are-we-doing-the-right-thing/

The proverb about saving money so that it will save you could be the headline for my life. I lost my job at the beginning of the great recession, but having a healthy savings account meant that we did not panic, and it also gave me the flexibility to be choosy as I searched for a new job.

I got tired of looking through the FTC rule books but I found this article: http://mikeschinkel.com/blog/nopurchaserequireditsthelaw/

Please understand I think it is a good promotion and I will end up with the book because I have become obsessed with finance books and I enjoy reading your blog as well! However, I did wonder if anyone had clarification on the sweepstakes laws. I am sure that you have a lawyer working with you or your publisher does so I am sorry for hijacking this comment!

I wish more people posted their pure thanks for this article. Why does everyone have to be critical or leave no comment?!

I guess it’s the same type of thing where someone eating out hates their waiter and says nothing to them but trashes them to their friends. LOL

Much like the disconnect between the post title and the post contents, this reply has absolutely nothing to do with my comment.

I was on networthiq a few years back and later stopped updating b/c of other obligations with work and my business.

Comments #14, #21 and #22

This is a guest post of how I turned around my financial situation

GRS just gave a short bio of my background. I’m an author and blogger. This guest post is more personal than the book.

I’m an ordinary person that decided to stop living paycheck to paycheck. The book is self published. I just wanted to educate others on the steps that I took to get ahead with money. I’m no Suze Orman who is a Certified Financial Planner and have over 20 working in the financial industry.

I just wanted to share my story from one reader to another

I really enjoyed your simple and insightful story. I too am a first generation college graduate but I wouldn’t necessary say I was white collar, as I am a peace corps volunteer. I agree with you when you say that

‘It’s not how much you make that matters, but how much you keep.”

I have worked as a volunteer for the past 4 years (americorps & peace corps) and despite earning what others would consider a minimal living stipend, I find myself with a larger net worth then many other twenty-something year olds.

I live a very rich and abundant life though I think that is because I have learned to entertain myself with reading, writing, walking/running and holding deep conversations with fellow human beings, which are all free and ever so full-filling.

Much appreciation,

judy

Paying off your mortgage, retirement planning, aggressive saving. Those are all things a first-generation college graduate and white collar employee would probably struggle with, because their parents hadn’t had the same choices and didn’t teach the child about it.

Another is the (misplaced) guilt that comes with being a highly successful child in a blue collar family. Is it your responsibility to bail out your family when they’re in financial trouble? Or to help them meet the same standard of living that you can? What if they’re not just unlucky, but irresponsible?

These are all interesting topics, which the title told me would be in this post. The actual post has nothing to do with whether the author is first generation white collar. (And, without having read it but only from Moneymonk’s comment, it seems like a book doesn’t have anything to do with this title either.)

(Decades later I learned that my mother had saved money on the sly, stashing cash in her underwear drawer.)

So glad things turned around for you- great story!

That’s one of the reasons I’ve asked for more submissions. I recognize that the reader stories I’ve been publishing are more like guest posts!

Today, we do not even care if we have a 500 credit rating or 800, since we do not need it (except for lowing our insurance rates).

We use 10-15 credit cards that we rotate (except for 1-2) to get net-benefits, have 4-5 bank accounts for rotating CDs/MMkts, and have enough to retire. But, we did it all with sacrifices, and a frugal life-style.

We do not live frugally, but use things to end of life and are teaching our kids that ‘end of life’ of product as designed by the engineer is far beyond what todays’ generation anticipates and uses.

Your book seems to be extremely interesting, and we teach what you have written (above) to our close friends who have kids.

Too many in the US are in the borrow generation, and will take years to come out of it, assuming they try. We now buy buildings with our savings and rent it to people who are getting moved out of their homes due to the upside-down mortgage situation. We give them a break, but more importantly ‘personally’ teach them a lesson on savings (as our tenants).

GRS, please keep these kinds of ‘learning messages’ coming since it is with such education that you are going to change one family at a time, and US is going to get back the Semi-Super-Power status, instead of handing it to India or China in 10-30 years (at the rate we are going).

Kenny

ps: We are the Super-Power, but losing our status, so lets educate anyone and everyone around us, and as we did like the Joneses, we can do it again, towards a frugal society like Eastern Europe and Asia.

“It’s great to save 15%, but even better if you max out 401k.”

Only if you make less than $110,000/year.

J.D. – what is the difference between a “guest post” and a “reader story”? I always sort of figured that in general a “guest post” was written by another professional or serious amateur writer, whereas a “reader story” was written by someone who isn’t primarily a blogger/author by trade.