moneywatch Feature Package
Recessions always hurt folks who live from one paycheck to the next. That’s to be expected. But nobody cries a river for the family with a nice $100,000 to $200,000 in income. After all, they’ve got good careers, nice houses, big cars, and send their kids to private schools, right?
But if you’re in this group, you know the recession is slamming you big-time. If you haven’t lost your job yet, you’ve probably developed a nervous tic waiting for the axe to fall. Meanwhile the plunge in the stock market has devastated your retirement savings; the value of the house you mortgaged yourself to the eyeballs to buy has plunged; and you may still have two or three kids to put through college — which isn’t getting any cheaper. You don’t earn enough to qualify for one of those million dollar Wall Street bonuses, but you’re not eligible for the many of the new stimulus benefits provided by the Obama administration either. Worse yet, your taxes might be going up.
Buddy, in case you didn’t notice, you are getting screwed.
It’s tempting to grab your torch and pitchfork and head for the nearest bank or politician. But don’t waste your time and energy. They won’t help. The fact is: you are on your own to fix up your finances. So here’s a program to help you survive — to bolster your job security, get your retirement and kids’ education plans back on track, and to protect your family’s health.
