I stumbled across this link in my daily news dose...Thought it might be a good read.
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2010/02/21/nr.living.on.less.cnn?hpt=C2
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About Me
- burlpe01
- Decorah, Iowa, United States
- I am a junior at Luther College, majoring in K-12 Vocal Music Education. My experience has come from the collegiate classroom, clinical experiences in high schools in the midwest, and working with special needs individuals. Outside of the classroom I enjoy camping, hiking, running, and swimming.
There are many things Danny does not talk about in his book, and skews the truth in many ways. He would be wise to have read his grandfathers book, which is not published, yet. I worked for the company that Danny claims he worked in, but I never saw him there other than to hang out with his grandfather. Danny was given his money for college, given a truck (although he did pay most of the tuck back, but not all). His college was paid for, and it was a gift, so it was not payed back. His family ultimately destroyed the company his grandfather worked so hard to build up by threatening the owner, Danny's Uncle Ed, with either closing the company (as they were willed with 51% of the stock after his grandfather passed) or paying his family, and his sisters family, $130,000.00 dollars each. Neither Danny, Danny's family, or Ed's sister which gained the money from what little was left in the company had worked for it. The only way Ed had to support his family was the business he had built up for over 20 years. I never saw Danny Jr. there working, his father always just smoked cigarets and complained about how crappy his life was, and pushed stuff around like he was working; and I worked there for almost 15 years! In fact, I remember Danny's dad had a defication problem, where he would have to leave work to deficate, because he could not deficate in any other place then his own toilet at home. Rarely would we see him return after his afternoon communion. I saw was Danny's grandfather set up Danny's father with new buisnesses to run, and ultimately he would get tired of them, and quit. At one time he had a mattress store, then a used appliances salesman, and then a delivery man, but he never lasted at any one position more than a year or two. He never worked a hard day in his life as far as I can tell. In short, this book is a lie, but it does speak of a monetary system, and the tools one needs to understand that you are part of that system ever second, of every minute, of every hour, ect... But the author, in my opinion, is lying, which is the basis of the monetary system, according to my old boss Ed, isn't it? You see, Ed was never the same after he recieved that letter form Danny's father, and he died of a massive heart attack from the stress not six months after recieving the letter from their lawyers. He had worked his entire life, and lost everything after his death. He could not afford life insurance after paying them out 260,000 dollars, and had re-financed everything in order to get them out of his life. His life's savings Danny's family now enjoys. Disgusting. I am glad to have experienced this scenario over the years, however. It has taught me that you can bet on money, and spend your life in it's path, or you can follow your bliss. At the end of your life, you may have money, and you may not, but if you follow your bliss, then that is what you have. Isn't bliss better than money? Fools, like Danny and his ilk, will disagree.
ReplyDeleteDon't buy this book for the simple reason that the author doesn't "survive on a teacher's salary", according to his own narrative.
ReplyDeleteMost of the time period covered in this short book, the author "survives" on two teachers' salaries because his wife also works. In addition to their two-teacher income, they earn money on the side by tutoring and working for relatives. In a few brief periods when one of them was not teaching full-time, they received money for teaching part time, keeping someone's child in their home and collecting disability. There are loans from grandma and a home improvement loan to supplement their income. The fact of the matter is that Danny and his wife are rarely without additional streams of income. At one point, Danny leaves teaching altogether for a more lucrative job selling flooring. At the end of the book, Danny goes back to teaching.
So what does Danny teach us about surviving on a teacher's salary? Never rely on a teacher's salary. Have two...and then tutor on the side. Work for relatives and friends as well. Sell a house. Borrow money from grandma. Collect disability. Work part-time. Publish and sell a book. This is how Danny does it.
To end on a slightly more favorable note, Danny does some smart things with his money which are worth emulating but you don't have to buy his book to learn how to do them. Danny suggests his readers check out books by David Bach. I would add that you look to Dave Ramsey and Larry Burkett.