this post was submitted on 25 Jan 2024
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When faced with an unexpected $1,000 expense, more than one-third of Americans would borrow the money, according to a new Bankrate survey. That may include tapping their credit cards, seeking money from friends or family or taking out a personal loan.

Most would not turn to cash savings because they don’t have it, the personal finance website found.

Fewer than half of Americans, 44%, say they can afford to pay a $1,000 emergency expense from their savings, according to Bankrate’s survey of more than 1,000 respondents conducted in December.

That is up from 43% in 2023, yet level when compared to 2022.

“We’re just not wired to save,” said Brad Klontz, a certified financial planner and expert in financial psychology and behavioral finance. Our brains are instead programmed to focus on our immediate needs.

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[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 162 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (6 children)

“We’re just not wired to save,” said Brad Klontz, a certified financial planner and expert in financial psychology and behavioral finance. Our brains are instead programmed to focus on our immediate needs.


Hahaha, this guy can legit go fuck himself. We're in a fucking Gilded Age where we're being fucking bled dry by fucking corporations ripping us off, nickel and dime-ing us to death, and just fucking over customers as much as they can to make a buck.

But nooooo, it couldn't be that half the country isn't paid a fucking living wage!

You couldn't get by in the cheapest places in the country.

Right now Lubbock, Texas has rents roughly $900 a month for a one bedroom apartment (Lubbock is cited in many studies as one of the cheapest rental markets in the US).

Minimum wage is $7.25 in Texas.

To afford a $900 apartment on your own, you would need to be making $16.87 an hour.

The average wage in Lubbock is $26,413/year, or about $13.75, which is about three dollars short of a renter allowing you to rent that place (income per month x 3 is the standard).

So, even in the cheapest places to rent in the country nobody can actually afford to live alone.

But sure Klontz, you fucking clod, it's that "wE'rE jUsT nOt wIrEd tO sAvE!" What a fucking crock of shit. Can someone who knows this person in real life maybe try slapping the fucking stupid out of his idiot face?

EDIT: Shit like this why idiotic people like Trump voters don't trust "experts." If he's an expert I'm Mickey Fucking Mouse and Disney can just try suing me for existing.

[–] Shadywack@lemmy.world 31 points 9 months ago

We were also wired not to be born rich with a silver spoon up our asses. We're wired for higher education to cost 180% higher than it was 20 years ago. We're wired that our healthcare expenses can cause bankruptcy if we develop a serious illness that requires surgery. We're wired that car insurance went up 20% in one year. We're wired that grocery costs went up 35% in one year, in some states. We're wired that all these gigantic cost increases happen, but our compensation only goes up 2.5-3% depending on employer.......or we're laid off entirely.

Everything you just said was extremely well put, and this guy needs to be TOLD to fuck off.

[–] Grobmobularb@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago

I won’t lie, I’m lucky and make a good living but I still had to pay $17,000 just for groceries last year for a family of five. It has gotten fucking crazy!!

[–] IamSparticles@lemmy.zip 9 points 9 months ago

EDIT: Shit like this why idiotic people like Trump voters don’t trust “experts.” If he’s an expert I’m Mickey Fucking Mouse and Disney can just try suing me for existing.

He's an "expert" in selling his services as a financial advisor.

[–] festus@lemmy.ca 8 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I have pretty decent savings, but I also live in a country with public health care. With some health incidents in the last few years that required the ER, I suspect that in the US I'd be broke.

[–] Hairyblue@kbin.social 5 points 9 months ago (1 children)

This is true. I pay a lot for health insurance and it still cost me a lot to go to the doctor. Other countries got profit out of their health care. We can do it to. I don't mind paying taxes for healthcare.

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[–] Chainweasel@lemmy.world 143 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (26 children)

"we're not wired to save" is a weird way of saying ~~44%~~ 56% of Americans barely make it paycheck to paycheck with no disposable income.

Edit: wrong percentage

[–] Bipta@kbin.social 80 points 9 months ago

It's propaganda to make you blame yourself for being essentially indentured.

[–] nicetriangle@kbin.social 36 points 9 months ago (11 children)

Yeah something like 25% of Americans make under $35k. That's poverty wages in this economy.

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[–] Zorque@kbin.social 11 points 9 months ago (1 children)

56%, the 44% is the part that can pay the $1k

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[–] lennybird@lemmy.world 69 points 9 months ago (4 children)

"Not wired to save" ... Mother fucker is completely out of touch with systemic pressures squeezing every last ounce out of people.

Friends of ours busted their asses to raise kids and simultaneously go to college for accounting. The other parent rose up to management in a factory.

They still can't afford a basic house and are endlessly caught in a loop as renters where they get fucked even more.

My wife and I were lucky in the timing of getting our home and lucky to just know a realtor in our family. Luck, luck, luck. I'm not working half as hard as they are if I'm honest and they are getting fucked by a system that doesn't give a shit about them, all the while the rich get richer then turn around and tell all the plebs to blame the poor immigrants seeking a better life.

[–] Facebones@reddthat.com 9 points 9 months ago

I got injured overseas and after some years got a pension. I held a job down for a while and bought a house as it fell through. Couple years later I got bumped to a conditional 100% with the va. (a LA your point, alot of luck - most people fight for years to get close to the 70% I got out the gate)

My benefit payment (basically $45k as of this year) is more than people I know in their late 30s with college degree jobs and skilled labor jobs with years under their belts. My mortgage is under $500. (again, luck, got alot of house for the price at the time) Granted, I do live in a pretty "economically depressed" rural city, but my house I paid 75k for ~8 years ago now spitballs for 190k for reference.

You gotta make 100-150k to live comfortably (not luxuriously) in most major cities... Has not much to do with not being "wired to save", agreed

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[–] newthrowaway20@lemmy.world 58 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (1 children)

Bull shit we're not wired to save. This fool talks like the rich haven't been stealing our wealth for the last 50 years and we aren't left with nothing.

But then they say we waste our money because we have a fucking phone or the internet or avocado toast which last I checked avocados are pretty fucking cheap, as is bread. Like you can function in this world without having a phone or Internet, nowadays. Even homeless people have a fucking phone. Try finding a job without the internet or a phone.

We've been robbed our whole lives, and this fuck says that's your fault.

[–] Bipta@kbin.social 17 points 9 months ago

When I was young I planned to be so smart about retirement.

I've yet to make enough money to even cover basic expenses all these years later.

[–] kellyaster@kbin.social 58 points 9 months ago (2 children)

According to his job description, the dude is a "Mental Wealth Advisor" 🙄

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 23 points 9 months ago

"Mental Wealth Advisor" Loosely Translated: Scum Sucking Piece of Shit

[–] prole@sh.itjust.works 18 points 9 months ago
[–] myrdinn@lemmy.world 57 points 9 months ago (2 children)

affordable housing, healthcare, and education might help. can we get some of that?

[–] Deello@lemm.ee 10 points 9 months ago

If I had affordable housing and education I might be able to afford healthcare. MIGHT be.

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[–] Hairyblue@kbin.social 22 points 9 months ago (1 children)

I think it is more like people don't have high paying jobs with extra money to save.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 19 points 9 months ago (3 children)

The media has been blaming poor people for not having money for forty fucking years or more.

[–] Hairyblue@kbin.social 12 points 9 months ago (1 children)

"Over the last 40 years, sadly, I think there’s been an effort to either make folks mad at folks at the top, or to be mad at folks at the bottom, Obama said. "And I think the effort to suggest that the poor are sponges, leeches, don’t want to work, are lazy, are undeserving, got traction."

To illustrate his point, the president brought up Fox News.

"If you watch Fox News on a regular basis, it is a constant menu," Obama said. "They will find folks who make me mad. I don’t know where they find them. They’re like, ‘I don’t want to work. I just want a free Obama phone’ or whatever. And that becomes an entire narrative, right? That gets worked up. And very rarely do you hear an interview of a waitress, which is much more typical, who’s raising a couple of kids and is doing everything right but still can’t pay the bills."

Yep, and this is from when he was president. Fox News is propaganda.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Excellent pull-quote except for this part: "I think there’s been an effort to either make folks mad at folks at the top"

No, Obama. No. We don't have power to do that. FOX News isn't trying to make folks mad at people at the top. They're only trying to do that to you, Obama, because you're black. They're propping up every rich fucking piece of shit they can, otherwise!

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[–] girlfreddy@lemmy.ca 5 points 9 months ago (3 children)

Tbf it's rich people who've been saying that, with media parroting them ... but I get what you mean.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

with media parroting them

You mean the media that those rich people own? Huh, I wonder why the employees can't go against the boss' narrative without getting fired?

This is literally part of why Musk bought Twitter.

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[–] quams69@lemmy.world 19 points 9 months ago

Lmfao WHAT savings I was almost homeless this year working full time for CVS

[–] FartsWithAnAccent@lemmy.world 17 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago) (2 children)

Not wired to save? Fuck off! We are collectively underpaid, you disingenuous shitwit!

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[–] bob_lemon@feddit.de 10 points 9 months ago (2 children)

I'm just going assume they wanted to say "not wired enough money to save" but forgot the middle part

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[–] Binthinkin@kbin.social 10 points 9 months ago (3 children)

I sold my car and quit driving altogether and bought a bike and scooter and I save money now.

If I made more money I could have that luxury but take a look around, so many car loans are shit. The cars are shit too. And drivers keep getting worse imo.

Cars are a huge drain on the wallet and an unnecessary expense for many.

[–] SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 9 months ago

Good for you!

Of course, because of the car-centric nature of the US, you have to already live in area that a bike or scooter can get you around in. That discounts a lot of the rural US.

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[–] mimic_kry@sh.itjust.works 8 points 9 months ago (2 children)

The rich not only control the media, but vast swaths of our academics as well. Especially so-called economists and "business experts", like the bootlicker quoted here.

These people know nothing about neurology or psychology. They're being paid to repeat bullshit so people get complacent (and worse, use their 'expertise' to influence lawmaking).

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[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 7 points 9 months ago

Here's what happens, at least to me: If I manage to have extra money, I start saving and build up a little nest egg, then need to empty it because of an unexpected expense. And then I start saving again only for that to happen again.

[–] NENathaniel@lemmy.ca 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

Controversial thought maybe, but I indeed have many friends who should and could afford to save, and choose not to.

None of these friends are wealthy or have high salary's, they're just bad with money

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[–] ares35@kbin.social 7 points 9 months ago (2 children)

i would save if i actually had something to save; and i suspect many are in the same boat.

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[–] arquebus_x@kbin.social 6 points 9 months ago (1 children)

“We’re just not wired to save,” said Brad Klontz

Asshole. Like THAT's the problem.

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[–] cabron_offsets@lemmy.world 6 points 9 months ago
[–] Endorkend@kbin.social 5 points 9 months ago* (last edited 9 months ago)

We're wired to save, if we make enough money to be able to save.

Most people I know do save, put quite a bit of effort in it too.

And then when they've saved up some money, one of these unexpected expenses happens that resets them to zero.

And these unexpected expenses keep happening at a shorter interval, causing people that do save to also not have enough buffer to pay for a $1000 unexpected expense AGAIN.

I also know quite a few people that saved a lot over the years, to then see it go up in smoke when COVID hit and life became 50% more expensive in the span of 3 years.

It's rather revolting how transparent these narcissistic projections have become.

It's never their (the people defining the rules of the economy, like this expert) fault, it's always the victims (all of us).

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