Get a good job with good pay and you’re okay. Money, it’s a gas, grab that cash with both hands and make as stash.
New car, caviar, four star daydream, think I’ll buy me a football team.” (From Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side Of The Moon” album that came out in 1973).
It used to be that way, I mean – get a good job, work hard, save money and retire. The “company” would take care of you for the rest of your life.
Things have changed in the 34 years since that song was released. The “companies” have had to alter their way of thinking and dealing with people – there’s no longer the attitude that prevaled 3 decades ago…. it’s now the era (and has been for some time) of the entreprenuer, and that’s a whole different ball of wax. So, how are you doing in this new age?
I realize that some of you weren’t born in 1973 and some of you look back on those times with a smile or perhaps a sadness. Almost all U.S. military personnel left Viet Nam after the Paris Peace Accords of 1973. (The last American troops left Viet Nam in April of 1975). Israel defeated the Arabs in the Yom Kippur War, Oil prices were doubled by Persian Gulf states, General Pinocht overthrew the elected Allende government in Chile in a violet coup, The World Trade Center, City of New York was dedicated, Burglars were caught breaking into the Democratice Party headquarters at the Watergate Complex, Skylab is launched, Juan Peron returned to power in Argentina, Severe draught in West Africa kills 100,000 people, The Sears Tower was completed, The Bahamas gained independence, The Lakers were the NBA Champs, “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon was #1, The Poseidon Adventure was #1, “Johnathan Livingston Seagull” by Richard Bach was #1, All In The Family was #1, The Six Million Dollar Man debuted, the average price of a new house was $32,500, average income was $12,900, average monthly rent was $175, gas was 0.40 cents per gallon and a new car was @$4,000. And guess what, everyone did just fine.
Today, the average cost of a new home is $276,500, new car $27,000, average income $43,200, and gas $3.10 – all according to the latest data I could find. Depending on where you live these figures could fluxuate – for example, we pay $3.69/gal. for regular and the median cost of a new home where we live is $530,200 (and they’re including condos in this figure).
If you analyze the figures from 1973 vs. 2007 (really from 2006), you’ll find that 2.5 x the average salary would pay for a new house in 1973 where as now it takes 6.4 x. Analyzing the other things, gas, car, etc. are just as skewed. I haven’t even included things such as food, entertainment, college, etc.
So, what’s a fella/gal, to do?
You’ll find that in “Part 2″.
MorganLighter
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