Australians in trouble “warning”

I guess I am biased – I plan to have kids. If I didn’t I may have a different opinion! I do wonder why adoption from overseas is so difficult tho – it would seem the perfect stop gap solution

John – 0419 198 856

this baby bonus is a joke and the most inefficient handout ever.

A better way to encourage people to have babies is to have affordable housing. It would be interesting to know what the fertility rate in Sydney is and what it will be in the future. I reckon it will drop like a stone. Young paople cannot afford an average home in Sydney (or in fact any home), so home ownership gets delayed and having babies gets pushed back even further and then the women are in their mid-late 30’s and it’s too late to have more than 1 kid. It’s so simple Mr howard : people’s hierarchy of needs (food, safety, housing, then kids) is not consistent with wimmins biological clock (fertility drops off exponentially with increasing age after 30, even with IVF). If prices appreciate another 30% in sydney compared to average income, we will start to get into intergenerational loans, with the fertility rate through the floor and a Japan type situation.

Now how do I make money out of this unfortunate situation ? Buy IVF clinics !

not only that but the process for building single residential homes is so much easier tahn units. i speak to many developers who feel that creating multi-unit sites is just getting too hard. Government needs to address this if we are to (a) curb urban sprawl (b) create a supply of housing to bring prices down

John – 0419 198 856

This might be a bit off where the topic has gone to (having babies), and I’m not sure whether it is even relevant to the original point but what makes me laugh these days as an early 20 something man (gen Y?) is that quite a few people, whether for parternership or firendship or whatever (let’s call them the Paris Hilton Wannabes) are choosing partners based on an appearance of wealth – ie. their ability to swipe a credit card on the expectation that being associated with these people will mean a lifestyle of luxury and good birthday presents. But those people who do have alot of money, are saving, and perhaps are catching public transport, not going out too much etc to save money, can be viewed as less likely to provide them with the comfortable lifestyle because they often don’t look flashy, and consequently are overlooked by the people who desperately want to be rich and are evaluating partners on the basis of their financial resources.

Nowadays it’s far too easy to look wealthy. Eg. a tailored suit only costs $1500 which is within the grasp of any guy with a credit card. But people still are evaluating others through 18th century lenses based on how they look. Not alot of people really seem to have grasped the fact that so much of what they see is an illusion. For anyone to stop spending and getting in debt, they need to realise that looking good and splashing money around does not make them wealthy.

And people can still look good to other people without spending alot of money, cause so much of what we do to make others take notice goes completely unnoticed…

Robert, I am not so sure you are being penalised fo rchoosing to NOT have children. When you are older and need medical assisstance, you will need those children from other people to keep the system going. The point I was trying to make was that there is so much encouragement to get mothers back to work which is much to the detriment of their child’s development.

If parents were able to stay home and do their job of bringing up their children so we have a balanced society, surely the outlook for australia would be better? Like I also said, I am not sure exactly how it would work, but I do agree with what you said about people being financially prepared to have children too. But, sometimes finances still can never prepare you for the little buggers as they pop on the scene at the most inappropriate time! Hee hee…

I dunno what the answer is. We do, however, need to start paying more attention to our children as they have been neglected for way too long…

Steph.

Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration.

Hi Pat V,

I think you have a lot of insight for your age. I believe it is best to start good habits early so best of luck to you.

Hi All,

It is one thing to think you are financially prepared for a child and another to live the reality of paying for one. There are some events that you just can’t (or don’t want to) forsee. For example having a disabled child just blows any budget based on a “normal” child out of the window – just ask my husband and I.

As far as genuine people on welfare purchasing IPs, if they make wise investment choices then that will see them become independant of the welfare system and therefore the taxpayer. Is that something to complain about? Not in my opinion. Having said that, those that scam their way into welfare payments through deciet, lazyness etc annoy me regardless of what they do with the money that they don’t deserve.

My suggestion with the housing affordability problem leading to delayed fertility and declining pop’n etc, etc is that the government should encourage growth in regional areas. I believe that to a certain extent housing prices in capital cities (esp Sydney) have already started this process.

In the end it is all about priorities for most people. Very few of us will get through life without making some hard calls and sacrificing things that we may want very badly. I consider myself lucky that I have been able to choose (mostly) what I was willing to sacrifice in my life so far.

Regards
Sonja

As my father used to say, “Nothin’ wrong with kids – it just depends how they are cooked!”
Seriously though, has anyone stopped to consider how ridiulous it is to have healthy, intelligent, experienced individuals stop working at a pre-determined age. Wouldn’t it be great if they could reduce their hours gradually if they so desired, and keep contributing to society. Today many seventy and eighty year olds are exercising regularly and keeping fit – and their brains are sharp as a tack. They have experienced the highs and the lows and have a wealth of knowledge to pass on. Just a thought, but I tend to think the whole retirement issue is looked at from the wrong angle. I mean why retire, unless you have to? Nothing wrong with a three month holiday on turning 65, but who wants to sit around doing nothing important for years and years?
Julian2

The problem of giving out tax payer’s money,for any reason,only causes people to want more.It becomes free and easy money,for the recipients.

While governments keep throwing money at our proplems,the problem only keeps growing.
“Give a man a fish and you’ll feed him for a day.
Teach him to fish and he will feed himself for life”.
So the answer is to teach people to have RESPONSIBILITY for themselves.

When John Howard threw money at the family, in the form of a baby bonus, he created a huge spending spree. On everything but their children.
Boosted the economy to new heights.

Hospitals can’t cope with patient numbers.
At three o’clock on a weekend morning, crowds of people sit around the emergency ward(for hours), of Manly Hosital.Why? it’s free.
At the medical centre,three miles up the road, where you must pay forty dollars,before you claim
your medicare rebate, the place is empty.
Two reasons.
one you must pay.
two, you only wait ten minutes,maximum.
While people feel that the government should pay, the situation will only keep going from bad to worse.
The answer is for everyone to part pay their own way.
Education, pay for their books,pens,pencils and contribute to the school fund.
Medical,at least belong to a basic private health fund.
Transport,it’s unbelievable the amount of people who travel on some form of government assistance,
concession, travel passes.
Of cause,there are exceptions to the rule.Some people do slip through the cracks. They must be looked after.
Just my thoughts.
bruham.

So I have to pay more for products so people can stay home and have babies???

I don’t think so!

Here is an idea… Cancel all benefits for those families who have an income (and can afford it) and use the money to educate the whole community on how to properly invest for growth of their family, their investments and to self-fund their retirement. When people know more, they usually do better. When they do better, they are happier. When they are happier, they have more fun. More fun leads to an increase in the population if you know what I mean. This would benefit the whole community instead of taking from some to give to others.

Robert Bou-Hamdan
Mortgage Adviser

http://www.mortgagepackaging.com.au

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Comments made are of a general nature and should not be construed as individual advice.
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