tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857815598118900287.post6783891163034606814..comments2021-12-06T03:48:33.302-08:00Comments on Our ridiculous(ly happy) life: A little note from my friend KristyKowalske Familyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06753789106189818131noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857815598118900287.post-44577065533398214952011-08-20T07:56:17.598-07:002011-08-20T07:56:17.598-07:00I have to completely concur with both Kristy and S...I have to completely concur with both Kristy and Sue. The ONE advantage both Kristy and I have (and other now prior service married to AD) is that we KNOW personally what the AD member in the USCG goes through on a daily basis. We can identify with 'the other side of the fence' and do so without complaint.<br /><br />I'm grateful for the education opportunity serving has given me and with the new benefit to use my husband's GI Bill, but those programs we PAID into as cash-strapped E2/3's so that our future's would have a glimmer of light. This new military pension crap is the biggest slap in the face to every single person who has served and is serving - even to those who are in the process of enlisting/commissioning. <br /><br />When will the hard-swallow stop? Answer: When the military refuses to serve a self-serving Congress that keeps heaping the slop on our backs.<br /><br />At the cusp of voluntarily sacrificing 25 years of his life and many dreams, this is the thanks my husband has to look forward to eating? I think not. There is a fight looming on the horizon and the Hill will not be victorious.Julezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02126300575046974034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857815598118900287.post-85293770215948207672011-08-19T08:16:37.253-07:002011-08-19T08:16:37.253-07:00But Elizabeth, you forget that you can STAY in you...But Elizabeth, you forget that you can STAY in your home, even though you're underwater. In 3 years (after owning this home 8 years) we'll be forced to sell or rent or walk away from this house, probably still underwater. We don't get the choice to stay and wait for the market to improve.Kowalske Familyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06753789106189818131noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5857815598118900287.post-26369494732419821112011-08-19T07:37:04.801-07:002011-08-19T07:37:04.801-07:00OK, I'm now going to have to go Google what...OK, I'm now going to have to go Google what's going on with the 401k situation, because I'm obviously not up-to-speed with military life. BUT it sounds like you're being done a terrible disservice; I agree, if you signed a contract promising one thing, you should be grandfathered in. ESPECIALLY when it comes to long-term finances and stability in retirement.<br /><br />That said, I have to say that Kristy is vastly overstating the benefits of home ownership, at least in regards to today's economy. We bought our home in August 2006 (our five year "house-iversary" is next Wednesday), when things were booming. Five years, one refinance and one addition (we added on a sunroom), our home is worth roughly $12k less than we've put into it. The only reason we have ANY equity in our home is because (A) we paid for our addition in cash and (B) we paid extra mortgage payments while I was still working. But if we'd just paid our mortgage monthly and financed the sunroom, we'd be truly underwater. Sadly, I think people who DON'T own a home at this point (and have the advantage of buying a home at a great deal in the current market) are at an advantage!Confessions From A Work-At-Home Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17537552947779004296noreply@blogger.com