Behind the Wall Street Protest

Almost nobody I know is a shareholder. They don't have that kind of money. What retirement? People who aren't making enough to live on -- or who are unemployed altogether -- don't have the luxury of retirement.

This sentence has stayed with me all day.

The secret to success in a capitalist world is to save 10% of everything you make. Get a check for $1000? Put $100 in the bank.

It doesn't MATTER how much you make. Save 10% of it. I did this as a babysitter. I did this as a grocery store clerk. I saved and saved and saved and when I was 24 I had a 10% downpayment on my first house.

It hurts my brain to hear you say you don't have enough to live on and so can't save. There is not such THING as "enough to live on". NO one EVER has "enough". There is ALWAYS something more you need or want. If what you're saying is that you don't want to work 10% more so that you could save for retirement then SAY THAT. Admit it to yourself. It would be ANNOYING to scramble together 10% more hours, 10% more clients, a job paying 10% better. Admit this to yourself and be content with it.

If you are injured or unable to work and living off of savings or as a dependent on someone else then, yes, it's possible that you don't have enough to live on: that's why someone else is supporting you.

But if you are "supporting yourself" then you are BADLY mistaken to think that you have some excuse for not saving 10%. And it will bite you in the butt because you are human and frail and shit is going to happen and you'll wish you had some savings, even if you never desire to accumulate capital for anything (like putting your kids through college, or buying an income-producing property, or any of a number of things where having money means you can make money.)

We don't know each other and I'm probably stepping over a line by scolding you like this. I walked away at first. But "unable to save" is a lie you are telling yourself and I don't care if you lie to me, but please don't lie to yourself.