I know I probably have a bit of dark sense of humor, but that’s what popped into my head (voiced by the ‘Dell Dude‘) while reading about the train wreck that is about to be Michael and Brittany Abbate’s life. Just seeing how they deal with a vehicle dispute is telling.
Michael’s a spender who, for instance, ‘wants to drive something more in line with how much money I’m making’, a sure sign of someone who will be surprised how hard it is to live in retirement on a tenth of their current income. ‘I want more curb sizzle’, indeed… [As an aside, he works as a financial service rep - wish they'd say who that company is, just as a service for those of us seeking advice on companies whose service we might want to avoid in the future. Someone who spends on rapidly depreciating assets to reflect status certainly fails to meet my ideal of those who should be advising me on my money!]
Brittany, on the other hand, is a saver. She doesn’t want to spend unnecessarily. She’s just fine with her four year old Saturn. As she should be – the first four years they owned it have destroyed most of the realizable cash value in that asset. As long as it serves it’s function of getting from A to B, they may as well drive it into the ground at this point. Those first years of using a vehicle are by far the most expensive ones; those coming up are dirt cheap by comparison. Getting rid of it now to upgrade (and take on those expensive first few years again, rinse, repeat…) is, albeit the common route, just about the dumbest thing we do as Americans.
So, what did they do in the end? Got fleeced into Leased a low-end Volvo. In other words, money dummy won the argument. My guess would be that, in the end, he does a lot.
Now they’ve moved to a new city. Michael’s got himself a new job, at half their earlier combined salary – though of course, he ‘expects to be earning six figures again in a few years’. Brittany’s search for part time work has become complicated by the fact that there is now a child on the way. Here’s hoping that the upcoming child wakes up Mr. Spender & Mrs. Saver to the realization that there’s more to life than today and to work together for the future. But I wouldn’t hold me breath. I see trouble ahead, and unfortunately, trouble is about to include a little child. And that makes me a little sad…
[Michael & Brittany seems to have grabbed a few people's attention: Jane Dough over at Boston Gal's Open Wallet, Cap over at Stop Buying Crap, as well as Frank the Financial Savvy Atheist all seem to have a thought or two to share as well...]
[tags]spender,saver,lease,cars,volvo,saturn,family,trainwreck,divorce[/tags]
