Community Chat

[CelticCrafter]

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@pdlinda wrote:

@AuntG   It is welcome; HOWEVER, it is nowhere NEAR what I have lost on my investments in this awful economy.

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@pdlinda the last time I looked at our investments was in June and that was like being gut punched and having the wind knocked out of me.

We did what we could to stop the bleeding but I don't look anymore.

[pdlinda]

@CelticCrafter 

You speak for ME!

I went through the same thing and, like you, I don't even check my accounts at this point because, like the rest of us, I have enough aggravation just keeping up with the news.

[Linda0215]

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

We bought our house in 1989. Interest rates were horrible. If I remember correctly, they were in double digits. Thank goodness eventually they went down and we refinanced. The old days weren't always so wonderful.

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It's definitely cyclical. We've been through good times and bad.  This too shall pass. We just have to ride it out.  

i wanted to retire too but that's definitely off the table for now.  Too scary out there!

[OKPrincess]

DH and I are thankful for any increase we receive.

Yeah for all of us !!

[LuvSoCal]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I don't collect SS. I receive state pension and I doubt there will be an increase for us. Last year we got ONE PERCENT.

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@SilleeMee  That is very interesting to me. Did you have a choice while working to either contribute or not to SS?

I retired from a California state agency and paid into it for 38 yrs (and for several yrs prior) so I receive SS in addition to my pension.

[SilleeMee]

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@LuvSoCal wrote:

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I don't collect SS. I receive state pension and I doubt there will be an increase for us. Last year we got ONE PERCENT.

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@SilleeMee  That is very interesting to me. Did you have a choice while working to either contribute or not to SS?

I retired from a California state agency and paid into it for 38 yrs (and for several yrs prior) so I receive SS in addition to my pension.

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@LuvSoCal 

We had a choice and I contributed to SS for only part of the time. Long story. Payroll office where I worked messed up the bookkeeping so my records showed that I did not have enough quarters to qualify for SS benefits at the time of my retirement even though, in fact, I did. I have taken legal action but have not been able to resolve the issue.

[skatting44]

@sunshine45 @proudlyfromNJ 

I remember home mortgage rates were 18%   by the fall of 1981 into 1982 .

[drizzellla]

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@sunshine45 wrote:

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@proudlyfromNJ wrote:

We bought our house in 1989. Interest rates were horrible. If I remember correctly, they were in double digits. Thank goodness eventually they went down and we refinanced. The old days weren't always so wonderful.

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@proudlyfromNJ 

that is when we purchased our first home .....and yes, they were horrible!

by the time the interest rates were dropping some years later, we moved out and were able to buy a larger family home at a much better interest rate.

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We purchased our home in February 1981. And we were THRILLED to get 16.5% interest on our mortgage,

No one wanted to give us a mortgage. We had a 20% down payment. And both of us had been working at our respective jobs for over 10 years. And still banks were hanging up on my husband when he inquired about a mortgage.

[Somertime]

@drizzellla Thanks for remembering the very high interest rates we had on mortgages!  Somehow people do not seem to remember those days.

[CalminHeart]

The info is available online too. Set up an account at socialsecurity.gov and you get all the info.