Great News!!! (Page 3): The percentage of graduates is on the students themselves. It may take the extra or perhaps two years. The degree is worth the time and money spent as long as...

traderjohn Loc: New York City

bobmcculloch wrote:

I think those numbers are low, and do not include housing or food plan, I'd expect in excess of $100,000.00 now based on my kids in college, ps problem with state schools , some times you have to stay an extra year to get all the classes you need/want. One important item for prospective college students is % graduate in 4 years, Bob.

The percentage of graduates is on the students themselves. It may take the extra or perhaps two years. The degree is worth the time and money spent as long as it is not some BS degree.

Screamin Scott Loc: Marshfield Wi, Baltimore Md, now Dallas Ga

What we need more of are vocational schools where people can learn trades.

Quinn 4

ottopj wrote:

It is good news however, most of the job are very low paying.

Now it can be good news, when most jobs are very low paying job? It look good when one read the jobless rate has go down, but what is not taking about what kind of jobs are their. How about the people who can't get a job for a number of reason. Too old, have too much education or very little education, not marred, and ect. Those people do not show up on month reports.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

Every balance sheet has two columns profit and cost

Employment at 3.7% Down .03% from Obama

Wages up 3.1% Inflation at 2.8%

Not such a good economy!

National debt increases at astounding rate will increase $1 Trillion this year! In short, the budget is out of control! I would guess the uncontrolled spending is what led to Trump's 5 bankruptcies.

So lets read both sides of the ledger!

gerdog

ole sarg wrote:

Every balance sheet has two columns profit and cost

Employment at 3.7% Down .03% from Obama

Wages up 3.1% Inflation at 2.8%

Not such a good economy!

National debt increases at astounding rate will increase $1 Trillion this year! In short, the budget is out of control! I would guess the uncontrolled spending is what led to Trump's 5 bankruptcies.

So lets read both sides of the ledger!

Indeed, inflation has eaten up most of the wage increases. Maybe more dire is what inflation is doing to those on a fixed income. Retirees are a bigger percentage of the population than ever. We can't keep fueling the economy with increased deficit spending. Next year, deficit spending will be more than twice what it was during Obama's last year. Always a mistake to run that much of a deficit during a good economy.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

Screamin Scott wrote:

Do you check it daily?. If so, the swings in the market can be maddening...

No, that would be silly and cause me to lose more hair I can't afford to lose.
I'm not saying it began and continued to fall since Trump moved to DC, this is not the case. It went up so I decided to leave it alone, a bad decision on my part. Had I kept tighter reigns on it I probably could have prevented the fall. Before I retired I use to monitor and realign if needed. I haven't begun to withdraw from it yet; am planning to move it to Thrivent.

rmorrison1116 Loc: Near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania

nikonbug wrote:

Wrong investments???

Partially due to wrong investments and wrong investment managers and a tricky economy.
I don't blame the Donald, he really doesn't have that much influence on the general economy, except when he starts a tariff war...

traderjohn Loc: New York City

Screamin Scott wrote:

What we need more of are vocational schools where people can learn trades.

That is a very good point. Also, a school that majors in attitude adjustment.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

rmorrison1116 wrote:

I measure the health of the economy not on skewed government figures that don't really tell the truth but on the NAV of my pension fund, which is currently worth considerably less than it was this time in 2016. I wonder why that is!?

Is this your personal 401K or your company's pension fund? If you've not taken withdrawals, I don't know how your pension fund could be lower than election day. The DOW, for instance was around 18,000 at that time. It's at 25,000 now. If your pension has gone down, you need new management.

I retired from the City of Dallas. The City Employees Retirement Fund is totally separate from the City, has a board composed of City employees elected by City employees but the fund is run by a professioanal manager employed by the fund. It has always done well, even when the economy was down.

Until this most recent downturn, our personal portfolio was up about 20% since the election.

kd7eir Loc: Tucson, AZ

rmorrison1116 wrote:

I measure the health of the economy not on skewed government figures that don't really tell the truth but on the NAV of my pension fund, which is currently worth considerably less than it was this time in 2016. I wonder why that is!?

Stop ruining people's days with FACTS and common sense.

pendennis

Screamin Scott wrote:

What we need more of are vocational schools where people can learn trades.

Amen to that. In the Detroit area, skilled trades are crying for electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc. There are estimated to be a dearth of over 13K electricians statewide. The local IBEW trade school will hire you, pay you around $20/hr and, when you get your journeyman's card, the wages go up to over $85K annually. And you're debt free. The same holds true for operating engineers, plumbers, carpenters, you name it.

The colleges also need to get out of the "educate to a specific career" model. Students who go to college and learn to think and learn, can work at many jobs, and be trained within those disciplines after hiring. People are much better off getting a true liberal arts education, then specializing afterwards. The science and engineering disciplines almost always require post-bachelor's education. So, why not let the employers soak up part of the cost?

There's a college in New Mexico which does exactly that. No specific majors, but students get a well-rounded education, and it's far cheaper than even the state colleges.

pendennis

gerdog wrote:

Look at the most current data. The market can be very unpredictable. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/dow-futures-drop-220-points-as-stock-market-extends-rout-2018-10-24

If you actively invested in the S&P 500 Index, the long-term average is over 12%.

SteveR Loc: Michigan

pendennis wrote:

If you actively invested in the S&P 500 Index, the long-term average is over 12%.

I'm currently invested in index funds. None of the funds is directly tied to either the DOW or S&P. They diversify just as in managed funds, to lower the risk. I often wonder why, however, for long term investors willing to ride the roller coaster up and downs and play the the long game.

However, the long game concerns me at this point if the socialists take control of our government.

andesbill

The economy appears to be booming, but my IRA has gone south. My take home doesn’t equal the increase in my cost of living, including health care. Worst of all, I am in the tax bracket (middle of middle class) that has to pick up the check on that $trillion dollar loan the republicans took out to make their donors happy. My take from that loan is only about $450 a year, according to my accountant.
There is an asset bubble, and when (not if) it goes “pop”, a lot of people are going to hurt.
Just to be clear, I am a capitalist, not a socialist, but I don’t agree with the government taking out a loan in my name, and which I have to pay for, and giving most of it to people who already have too much of everything. If I want to borrow $450/yr, I can do it cheaper than the government.

rfmaude41 Loc: Lancaster, Texas (DFW area)

repleo wrote:

Tell that to Trump! He touts the the markets as a mark of his economic genius on a regular basis. I could have mentioned the 30% explosion in the budget deficit this year or the fact that the low unemployment rate is just a straight line continuation of the trend since 2010 - just after Obama took over from the last Republican fiasco. I could also have mentioned the 2% tariff/Trump tax that I had to fork out for a new US built Ariens snowblower yesterday.

How about "your hero's" 100% explosion of the national debt over the 8 years that he, and his cohorts, destroyed the economy, eh ?