how has the economy hit you?

[Sebastian Rios]

I have no intention of even looking at my or Eric's retirement funds, but the one that really hurts is Matthew's 529, which is now worth less than we've paid into it.

Same here. We were doing pretty well, it looked like we could have sent him to a 4 year school, and maybe even one away from home. Now he's going to have to get a part time job and got to junior college.
Seriously, I don't understand how it could have performed SO badly I would have been better off putting it in a savings account.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

I don't agree with any bailouts of failing companies. We would be stronger as a nation to let the weak companies fail to make room for new competition. The jobs will still be there, just with different companies.

The airline industry is a great example. Most of the old staples of the sky are gone making room for the likes of Jet Blue. This upstart provides better planes, better service, and happier customers. Let the old, inefficient companies die. New, better run companies will take their place.

Totally....I just flew on the new airline Virgin America and it's like a little more upscale version of JetBlue. Excellent service!!

I flew quite a bit on business in 2007 and a little in '08, along with some personal travel. By far the best service I got was from Southwest. Worst was United. Although no longer the new upstart, Southwest became the template that others followed.

[Kurt Rahn]

I would have been better off putting it in a savings account.

You would've been better off putting it into a mattress. Hell, you would've been better off putting 20% of it into a roaring fire and burying the rest with the dog bones in the back yard.

[Chad Stubblefield]

We are actually hiring at Disney
modeling and rigging.
We had some people quit and go to Dreamworks who is also hiring.

[Kathy Teulie]

See the out of work autocrossers thread for ideas and suggestions.

We need to get all the autocrossers back to work so they can race again or ramp their program up back to normal.

Thank you

Kathy

[Jeff Shyu]

jeez.

somewhat proprietary info, so i can't share much, but i guess there's some shake up within Walmart.

so while i'm still fairly secure in my job, my company's position w/ Walmart may not be that great standing anymore.

[Christine Grice]

jeez.

somewhat proprietary info, so i can't share much, but i guess there's some shake up within Walmart.

so while i'm still fairly secure in my job, my company's position w/ Walmart may not be that great standing anymore.

something to do with this?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industrie ... cuts_N.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Jeff Shyu]

jeez.

somewhat proprietary info, so i can't share much, but i guess there's some shake up within Walmart.

so while i'm still fairly secure in my job, my company's position w/ Walmart may not be that great standing anymore.

something to do with this?
http://www.usatoday.com/money/industrie ... cuts_N.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

something like that, but more specifics on what we do..

my company and I aren't directly impacted at this point, but depending on how WM chooses to fill the shoes of the people, may determine the outcome of my company's precarious existence.

[Giovanni Jaramillo]

Or perhaps it's Wall St :barf: ing at the "stimulus plan"

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/10/markets ... 2009021014

My boy Barack has to rethink this I must say.

[Jeff Shyu]

Or perhaps it's Wall St :barf: ing at the "stimulus plan"

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/10/markets ... 2009021014

My boy Barack has to rethink this I must say.

http://money.cnn.com/POLLSERVER/results/44948.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's enough to do the job 10%
It's a start, but more aid will be needed 38%
It won't work 52%

considering the people participating in the poll probably at least care about money, the results are not bright n sunny, to say the least.

[Jeff Shyu]

i wonder if someone's made a chart of Geithner airtime, vs. stock response.

it sure seems like every time the guy opens his mouth, the market takes a dive.

[Bob Beamesderfer]

Or perhaps it's Wall St :barf: ing at the "stimulus plan"

http://money.cnn.com/2009/02/10/markets ... 2009021014

My boy Barack has to rethink this I must say.

The usual buy on the rumor, sell on the news result. Today was the news, and stocks went on sale.

[Mike Simanyi]

If this weren't a family board, I'd be writing every angry expletive in every language known to man.

I just had to let go of three of the nicest people you could ever want to work with; people who've worked for us for years. That's 15% of all our employees. Why? Our bankers decided they want us to hit "better ratios" by the end of April. The only way to be remotely close to it is to slash expenses radically, now.

There's your bailout money at work...

Mike

[Steve Ekstrand]

I'm really sorry Mike. I've been there. Letting go good people when its no fault of their own is the single worst thing I can think of for a manager who cares. And I know you're the kind of manager who does care very much.

This is so painful, no part of it really effects my financial situation, but it depresses me so much to watch so many people in pain.

[Doug Teulie]

If this weren't a family board, I'd be writing every angry expletive in every language known to man.
Our bankers decided they want us to hit "better ratios" by the end of April. The only way to be remotely close to it is to slash expenses radically, now.
There's your bailout money at work...
Mike

This is what is going on with all our suppliers and competitors. The BANKS are not extending credit unless your company performs. The Banks want you to perform at the same time everyone in the world is not spending. Companies are running out of cash and now the banks are telling businesses to cut or risk the consequences. No win!!!
:barf:

[Jeff Shyu]

my company used to cover checks up to 10k for plan check fee, because it's a guaranteed reimbursable from our client (at least for the walmart department).

i just found out that we won't even issue a $325 check for a health department fee in MN.

I'm honestly worried that my company is going to collapse from under me.

[KJ Christopher]

If this weren't a family board, I'd be writing every angry expletive in every language known to man.
Our bankers decided they want us to hit "better ratios" by the end of April. The only way to be remotely close to it is to slash expenses radically, now.
There's your bailout money at work...
Mike

This is what is going on with all our suppliers and competitors. The BANKS are not extending credit unless your company performs. The Banks want you to perform at the same time everyone in the world is not spending. Companies are running out of cash and now the banks are telling businesses to cut or risk the consequences. No win!!!
:barf:

ACTUALLY, it is the regulators. (I kinda have an inside view on this.) You have one side of the government saying - take this and loan it out and the other (the one's that got caught with their pants down?) saying 'do not dare make that loan'. And that, my friend, is why big government doesn't work.

[Mike Simanyi]

If we're really trying to stimulate the economy, why not give some of the BILLIONS to the SBA? They can distribute those to co-guarantee the already-existing bank lines issued to small businesses. Doing it that way, they avoid the rush of swindlers coming at them for new money. The banks have already done their due diligence, markedly reducing the risk of distributing lots of capital quickly.

And unlike some "victims", I don't think the majority of small business owners are going to spend their credit lines at the strip bars.

[George Schilling]

If we're really trying to stimulate the economy, why not give some of the BILLIONS to the SBA? They can distribute those to co-guarantee the already-existing bank lines issued to small businesses. Doing it that way, they avoid the rush of swindlers coming at them for new money. The banks have already done their due diligence, markedly reducing the risk of distributing lots of capital quickly.

And unlike some "victims", I don't think the majority of small business owners are going to spend their credit lines at the strip bars.

Hey, I understand strip bars are hurting too..........second hand knowledge of course.

[Aaron Goldsmith]

my company used to cover checks up to 10k for plan check fee, because it's a guaranteed reimbursable from our client (at least for the walmart department).

i just found out that we won't even issue a $325 check for a health department fee in MN.

I'm honestly worried that my company is going to collapse from under me.

Get away from the big box's for a while.. time to go design homes for rich saps.

[Curt Luther]

If we're really trying to stimulate the economy, why not give some of the BILLIONS to the SBA? They can distribute those to co-guarantee the already-existing bank lines issued to small businesses. Doing it that way, they avoid the rush of swindlers coming at them for new money. The banks have already done their due diligence, markedly reducing the risk of distributing lots of capital quickly.

And unlike some "victims", I don't think the majority of small business owners are going to spend their credit lines at the strip bars.

Hey, I understand strip bars are hurting too..........second hand knowledge of course.

Thanks for not mentioning my name, George. Hey. Wait...

[Mako Koiwai]

Same here. We were doing pretty well, it looked like we could have sent him to a 4 year school, and maybe even one away from home. Now he's going to have to get a part time job and got to junior college.

The good thing is that the less you have the more generous the (some?) colleges are. Or at least until their endowments took a dive. Last year our son got something like $33,000 in Gift Aid. We'll soon find out if they can match that again for the next school year. He does also have a work/study program mandated by the school, but limited to only 10 hours/week ($11/hr). We thought that his earnings would have to go back to the school, but they let him keep the money, which helps us since that becomes his spending money. He's actually managed to save some money ... which will go towards his spring break vacation.

Another friend had sold their condo to buy a house ... a couple of years ago ... but since they had all of that cash ... they couldn't get much out of their son's school.

[Steve Ekstrand]

Best ways to afford an education---

Be filthy rich
Be a top 2% athlete
Be pathetically poor
Be top .0000000001% scholar

The middle class gets spanked again on education. And I'll never understand the athlete vs scholar preference.

[Aaron Goldsmith]

Best ways to afford an education---

Be filthy rich
Be a top 2% athlete
Be pathetically poor
Be top .0000000001% scholar

The middle class gets spanked again on education. And I'll never understand the athlete vs scholar preference.

Wealthy Alumni love them the football. ;)

That's why I never went to college.. wasn't it..

[Sebastian Rios]

Best ways to afford an education---

Be filthy rich
Be a top 2% athlete
Be pathetically poor
Be top .0000000001% scholar

The middle class gets spanked again on education. And I'll never understand the athlete vs scholar preference.

With a name like Rios, he has to get aid!