The three times in life we are financially abused.

For the longest time I have recognized some events in our lives that leave us vulnerable to being taken advantage of financially. This seems to happen for the same reason in each case. That reason is because we are at an emotionally vulnerable time and common sense is at it's lowest.

The interesting thing is that for years I had only identified two events that opened the door to unreasonable expenditures by otherwise reasonable people. However, with all the press generated by the OWS crowd I have now identified a third. Allow me to share these events;

1) Weddings. It is amazing the money poured down this rabbit hole! From my perspective there are two culprits that contribute to this financial fiasco. One is the bride. And the other is her mother. The bride has this vision of a fairy tale wedding that she has created in mind from all the books she has read and the Hollywood romance movies she has viewed. God help the father that tries to tone this one down. Have you ever seen "FATHER OF THE BRIDE"? Between the daughter, the mother and of course Fronk, that poor man hasn't got a chance. The mother also contributes by trying to live out her dreams vicariously through her daughters' wedding. Add to that the competitive nature of trying to create a show for her friends and this event goes over the top quickly!

2) Funerals. Here you go from one extreme emotion to another. In someways it almost seems as though people are trying to make up for something that they feel they didn't do while the deceased was alive. I once met an undertaker that shared from his experience. He said that often times, when arranging a funeral for a child, he knows ahead of time that he will most likely never recover his full bill. He said that in their grief, the parent oftentimes goes to the extreme. For this event, I am extremely grateful for my Christian beliefs. And that my wife and children all share those beliefs. Death, from a Christian perspective is more about celebration than about sorrow, at least for the deceased. Yes, we experience grief because we will miss a loved one. But we do not express sorrow for them for we know they are in a better place. The funerals for a Christian that I have attended have been very comforting events. They were not about over the top show but rather were about gathering together and recognizing the impact this person had on our lives. Wonderful closure for sure.

3) College. This is the new one that I give OWS the credit for making me realize. Think about this for a moment. Take a seventeen year old. Trying to develop their own identity. So vulnerable. So what do we do? We have created this perspective that you are doomed to be a nothing, a total failure for life if you do not attain that Holy Grail, the all coveted "COLLEGE DIPLOMA". So now you have this young person that certainly doesn't want to be viewed as the red headed step child and yet has absolutely not a snow balls idea of what they want to pursue in life. So someone sells them on going to college and embracing a colossal amount of debt for a diploma. Oftentimes in an obscure field that has no marketability whatsoever! Now these kids are coming out upset with $150,000, $200,000 and more of debt and realizing it's not doing anything for them. I'd say I would feel a little deceived myself in that situation. I do think their anger is misdirected. I'd be angry at the universities and colleges that led them down this road. And for their increasing tuition costs which outpace even rising healthcare costs by a long shot!

Just my thoughts,
Steve