Jack’s Winning Words 3/7/17
“I’m thankful for the 3-ounce Ziploc bag, so that I have someplace to put my savings.”  (Paula Poundstone)  I once had a piggy bank with only a slot as an opening.  I learned to stick a knife in the slot when I ran short of money.  I read of a man who has 401K money deducted from his paycheck.  “My hands never touch it, because, if they did, I’d find other uses for it.”  Good choices today can make for a better tomorrow.  You don’t want to outlive your money.    ;-)  Jack

FROM RJP IN NAPLES:  I bought my great grandson a bank that looks like a safe and has a combination. Every time he visits we put money in the bank, then when it is heavy we have him use the combination to open it take out the coins, roll them and we go to the big bank. There the kind ass't mgr takes his hand and walks to the teller to deposit the money. Then she takes him into the vault to assure him it will be safe for his future. We have started a lovely tradition and he looks forward to putting his money in the bank. He will turn 4 this month and I pray that the account will help him in life.====JACK:  Pretty soon you can begin teaching him about compound interest.====RJP:  First someone has to teach me??????????????????????====JACK:  I learned that in high school.  You went to high school, didn't you?

FROM OUTHOUSE JUDY:  Perhaps we should all learn to live on our actual paychecks.  I don't know where we would be without our savings...including our 401k.====JACK:  One of Ben Franklin's best known pieces of advice..."A penny saved is a penny earned."

FROM HONEST JOHN:  I am by nature fiscally conservative...tight.   ML likes to spend.  We compromised by having our savings deducted from our checks and put in untouchable accounts.   Worked well.====JACK:  I've read that on any list of causes for divorce a significant one is "How to handle money."  It seems that you've reached an agreement on that.

FROM BLAZING OAKS:  HA! FUNNY WOMAN!  Savings sure do not net interest these days, and probably most of us fear  a costly debilitating illness that will wipe out what poor savings we have!  I suppose that is why Mark Twain expressed that he'd choose a 1,000 friends over $1,000....In a crisis, each friend should be worth at least a buck, to help when needed!  My son keeps me on a budget (in a nice way) to help me not to dip into back up funds. Good idea. Thankful to be able to live comfortably and have some to share...====JACK:  It would be interesting for you to ask your Bible Study Group: "How many of you have heard of Paula Poundstone?"  Let me know the percentage. ====OAKS:  MOST WOULD KNOW SHE IS A COMEDIENNE (SHE'S BEEN AROUND ABOUT 40 YRS HASN'T SHE?) BUT DON'T IMAGINE MOST HAVE TAKEN IN HER SHOW. I'VE ONLY SEEN HER ON TV...

FROM ST PAUL IN MESA:  amen to that!!    I read recently that for almost 65% of Americans,  Social Security will be their PRIMARY source of income upon retirement.  and the average monthly SS check is less than $1300.  this is why you now see 80 years olds working at Walmart and Costco, etc.   not a good sign of things to come.====JACK:  The widening gap between rich and poor is evident among retirees, too.  I remember the days of the Great Depression when there wasn't Social Security, either...and the criticism of FDR when he proposed it.====ST PAUL:  i like to remind people that nearly ALL our progressive social legislation,  SS,  VA benefits,  Medicare,  Medicaid, OHSA,   railroad worker's pensions, etc.  all came from Democratic Administrations.  and now the GOP want to take it all away!!   yikes.

FROM KF IN MICHIGAN:  I love piggy banks: )   Still have a few actives ones. When I was young I had quite a collection - really nice ones handed out by the banks where we did business.  I knew how to break into all of them - and yes, I knew the knife trick :)  I still have money stashed around for things like trips, Christmas, emergencies........====JACK:  Curiosity got the better of me.  I had to find out why banks are shaped like pigs.  "Pygg is an orange colored clay commonly used during the Middle Ages as a cheap material for pots to store money, called pygg pots or pygg jars. There is dispute as to whether "pygg" was simply a dialectal variant of "pig." By the 18th century, the term "pig jar" had evolved to "pig bank". As earthenware was supplanted by other materials, such as glass, plaster, and plastic, the name gradually began to refer specifically to the shape of the bank, instead of what was used to make it."