A lot of ink has been spilled about the student loan crisis we have going on these days. And I don't think calling it a crisis is an exaggeration. Take me, for example. Due to the generosity and resources of my parents, I graduated with my BS debt-free. This already puts me ahead of many people.
However, I made the stupid decision to go to law school. I didn't know at the time that it was a stupid decision. Conventional wisdom was that lawyers have it made financially and that law school is a great investment. It isn't. I worked all through law school, sometimes two jobs, lived very frugally (sometimes with up to 4 roommates at a time) and I still graduated with six figures of student loan debt. My debt load is crushing, but it's smaller than a lot of my peers'.
It took me a long time to find a job as a lawyer, and I'm now making less practicing law than I made as a receptionist before law school. And I can't get a non-lawyer job because people assume that law is still a fantastic and lucrative profession, so they think that I must not be a good employee if I'm looking outside my field. (Yes, I've had interviewers say that to my face. Joke's on them. I'm actually highly sought after in the legal field.)
My monthly payment, had I stayed on the standard repayment plan, was significantly more than my rent. I got on an income-based plan, where I have a manageable payment amount, and in theory, assuming there are no legislative changes in the future, the remaining balance will be forgiven in 25 years. Because my payment doesn't even cover interest, the amount forgiven will be in excess of what I borrowed. And that amount is considered taxable income, so I'm going to get to write a giant check to the IRS that year.
This whole situation demoralized me. I'm used to thinking of debt as something that has an end date. It eventually goes away. When I make my car payment every month, I know that after a certain number of payments, I'll be done. Even with credit cards, if I can't pay the balance off entirely one month, I know I can keep paying on it, and eventually I'll pay it off.
My student loans aren't like that. They're never going away. I keep paying them every month, and I keep seeing my balance stay the same or grow. I've been paying for 5 years, and I owe more now than I borrowed. (To those who are inevitably thinking right now "just make extra payments", well, yeah, if I could, I would. Money doesn't grow on trees.)
Some have conceptualized student loans as modern-day indentured servitude. As a historical and sociological thought exercise, I think there's some merit to the comparison. But thinking that way doesn't help me in my day to day life. It's a good warning for people considering borrowing money for school, but it's terrible advice for people who are already stuck in the student loan trap.
So, I've decided that I'm going to think of my student loan payment like a utility bill. It comes every month whether I like it or not, and I have to keep paying it ad infinitum. Just like I have to pay the electric bill and the water bill, I have to pay the brain bill.
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Saturday, August 20, 2016
The libertarian social security lawyer
When people find out what I do for a living, they either end up with mistaken views of my politics, or if they do know my politics, they get confused as to why I would do the work I do. I'm a social security disability lawyer. I represent people who have applied for disability benefits and have had their claim denied. I gather and interpret medical records and make a legal argument as to why they should receive disability benefits. I'm also a libertarian.
Overview of libertarian thought:
There are multiple strains of libertarianism, but the one belief that is common across all strains is the non-aggression principle. This principle states that it is immoral to initiate the use of force against anyone. Using force against someone who has initiated (or in some strains of thought credibly threatened) force is acceptable, but it's not acceptable to be the one to start it. Force can come in many forms - the usual way, such as with violence, but also by using the might of law or government to take something that belongs to someone else. It is for this reason that many libertarians, myself included, view taxation as immoral. It is using force to take property from individuals. [1]
How my job is compatible with libertarianism:
Libertarians, in general, are suspicious of taxation and believe that most social services are better and more efficiently provided by the private sector. However, I have a pragmatic streak as well. I don't like the idea of people being taxed, but if they are, I want to make sure they get every dime of their money's worth. The government initiated force against my clients by taking FICA taxes out of their paychecks. The way the social security system is set up, those taxes are really more like insurance premiums, albeit involuntary ones. We're all insuring ourselves against long-term disability, whether we like it or not. (The program even calls itself Social Security Disability Insurance.)
If your car was damaged in a car accident and your insurance company refused to pay, you might need a lawyer to help you sue the insurance company to get what you were contractually owed. When it boils down to it, I'm an insurance lawyer. Instead of suing State Farm or Geico, I sue Uncle Sam on behalf of people who paid their insurance premiums, suffered the loss they were insured against, and aren't getting the payments that their insurance is supposed to provide. If I were in charge of the universe, I might prefer disability insurance to be voluntary and private, but that's not the world we live in. So until then, the government taketh, and I help my clients take back.
----
[1] In my first draft, I included a lengthy discussion about the different strains of libertarian thought, comparing and contrasting them. But I decided to leave a footnote instead. Three major varieties are classical liberalism, miniarchism, and anarcho-capitalism. They differ in how much government they find acceptable. Classical liberals want a small government that protects individual liberties but also provides a small level of social services and infrastructure, though the exact nature of these services is up for debate. Miniarchists want an even smaller government that is dedicated only to protecting individual rights with some minimal infrastructure like roads. Anarcho-capitalists want no government. I'm somewhere between miniarchist and classical liberal. Philosophically, I'm more on the miniarchist side, but pragmatically, I think classical liberalism is more palatable to more people, so I think it's a good start toward increasing liberty because even a classical liberal state would be more libertarian than what we have now.
Overview of libertarian thought:
There are multiple strains of libertarianism, but the one belief that is common across all strains is the non-aggression principle. This principle states that it is immoral to initiate the use of force against anyone. Using force against someone who has initiated (or in some strains of thought credibly threatened) force is acceptable, but it's not acceptable to be the one to start it. Force can come in many forms - the usual way, such as with violence, but also by using the might of law or government to take something that belongs to someone else. It is for this reason that many libertarians, myself included, view taxation as immoral. It is using force to take property from individuals. [1]
How my job is compatible with libertarianism:
Libertarians, in general, are suspicious of taxation and believe that most social services are better and more efficiently provided by the private sector. However, I have a pragmatic streak as well. I don't like the idea of people being taxed, but if they are, I want to make sure they get every dime of their money's worth. The government initiated force against my clients by taking FICA taxes out of their paychecks. The way the social security system is set up, those taxes are really more like insurance premiums, albeit involuntary ones. We're all insuring ourselves against long-term disability, whether we like it or not. (The program even calls itself Social Security Disability Insurance.)
If your car was damaged in a car accident and your insurance company refused to pay, you might need a lawyer to help you sue the insurance company to get what you were contractually owed. When it boils down to it, I'm an insurance lawyer. Instead of suing State Farm or Geico, I sue Uncle Sam on behalf of people who paid their insurance premiums, suffered the loss they were insured against, and aren't getting the payments that their insurance is supposed to provide. If I were in charge of the universe, I might prefer disability insurance to be voluntary and private, but that's not the world we live in. So until then, the government taketh, and I help my clients take back.
----
[1] In my first draft, I included a lengthy discussion about the different strains of libertarian thought, comparing and contrasting them. But I decided to leave a footnote instead. Three major varieties are classical liberalism, miniarchism, and anarcho-capitalism. They differ in how much government they find acceptable. Classical liberals want a small government that protects individual liberties but also provides a small level of social services and infrastructure, though the exact nature of these services is up for debate. Miniarchists want an even smaller government that is dedicated only to protecting individual rights with some minimal infrastructure like roads. Anarcho-capitalists want no government. I'm somewhere between miniarchist and classical liberal. Philosophically, I'm more on the miniarchist side, but pragmatically, I think classical liberalism is more palatable to more people, so I think it's a good start toward increasing liberty because even a classical liberal state would be more libertarian than what we have now.
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Literary check-in
I set a New Year's resolution to write 12 book reviews this year. It's the end of July, so to be on schedule, I should have 7 book reviews. I don't. I've been reading books but not writing about them. Over the next few weeks, I'll write the book reviews I've been neglecting.
Books I've read this year but not reviewed:
Books I'm in the process of reading and will review when I'm finished:
Books I'm planning on reading and reviewing before the year is through:
Books I've already reviewed:
I've linked to Amazon for the books even though I either got them from the public library or already had them sitting on my shelf. I can't exactly link to my bookcase! :-)
The list is subject to change if I stumble across a particularly interesting book. But now that I have it out there in the blogosphere, maybe I'll be more likely to follow through.
Books I've read this year but not reviewed:
Books I'm in the process of reading and will review when I'm finished:
Books I'm planning on reading and reviewing before the year is through:
Books I've already reviewed:
I've linked to Amazon for the books even though I either got them from the public library or already had them sitting on my shelf. I can't exactly link to my bookcase! :-)
The list is subject to change if I stumble across a particularly interesting book. But now that I have it out there in the blogosphere, maybe I'll be more likely to follow through.
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Poor Woman's Hot Cocoa
June was pretty awful. Disastrous, really.
My car got totaled on June 1, and that kind of set the stage for the entire month. By the end of June, I had wiped out my entire savings, maxed out all of my credit cards, borrowed money from my parents to keep me afloat (and fix the lemon of a car that some unscrupulous used car dealer sold me to replace the aforementioned totaled car), and my hours at work got cut.
Suffice it to say, I entered the month of July completely flat out broke. No money to spend on even the smallest of treats. Yesterday, I had a craving for a Starbuck's hot chocolate. Never mind that it was 110 degrees out. I really wanted my hot chocolate.
I did what I do best, and I googled a solution to the problem. I found a copycat recipe here and gave it a try. It was thick, syrupy, and kind of gross. It had potential, but the serving size was way too large, and it was way, way too concentrated.
Today, I decided to try again, so I tweaked the recipe, cutting down the syrup. What follows is a pretty good approximation of Starbucks hot chocolate, made entirely from items found in the pantry. It makes about 12 fl. oz. - the equivalent of a tall size.
Syrup:
Mix and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until hot. (My water cooler has a hot water dispenser, so I only needed 30 seconds. If you start out with cold water, you'll need longer.)
My car got totaled on June 1, and that kind of set the stage for the entire month. By the end of June, I had wiped out my entire savings, maxed out all of my credit cards, borrowed money from my parents to keep me afloat (and fix the lemon of a car that some unscrupulous used car dealer sold me to replace the aforementioned totaled car), and my hours at work got cut.
Suffice it to say, I entered the month of July completely flat out broke. No money to spend on even the smallest of treats. Yesterday, I had a craving for a Starbuck's hot chocolate. Never mind that it was 110 degrees out. I really wanted my hot chocolate.
I did what I do best, and I googled a solution to the problem. I found a copycat recipe here and gave it a try. It was thick, syrupy, and kind of gross. It had potential, but the serving size was way too large, and it was way, way too concentrated.
Today, I decided to try again, so I tweaked the recipe, cutting down the syrup. What follows is a pretty good approximation of Starbucks hot chocolate, made entirely from items found in the pantry. It makes about 12 fl. oz. - the equivalent of a tall size.
Syrup:
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder (I used dark chocolate because it's what was in my pantry, but I think regular chocolate would taste more authentic.)
- 1 tablespoon sugar (I used turbinado sugar because it's what was in my pantry, but white or brown should work, too.)
- 1 cup water
Mix and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until hot. (My water cooler has a hot water dispenser, so I only needed 30 seconds. If you start out with cold water, you'll need longer.)
- Add 1/3 cup powdered milk. Mix well. Enjoy.
- Optional - add 1/4 tsp vanilla extract.
Monday, May 16, 2016
There's no such thing as work/life balance
I started my own law firm back in October, not by choice, but when I was trying to see the bright side of things, I figured at least being my own boss would give me better work/life balance.
There's this view that our time is divided into two neat categories: "work" and "life" (where "life" consists of family, friends, hobbies, spirituality, wellness, etc.), and the two categories are in tension with one another.
Since starting my firm, I've struggled mightily with that elusive work/life balance. At first, I had no clients, and while I tried to find them, there was only so much work to be done, so I spent way more time than I should have binge watching Netflix. You could say that the "life" portion was overtaking the "work" portion, throwing things out of balance.
Then a few months ago, I contracted with a firm in another state to handle local matters. That took up part of my time, but I still wasn't earning enough money to support myself, so I had to contract with a second firm to take on some work from them. Now I'm working 65-70 hours per week with little free time for anything else. The "work" portion has overtaken the "life" portion, keeping things still out of balance.
I was lamenting this situation to my cats last week. (My cats are great listeners, even if they're not such great conversationalists.) It suddenly dawned on me that the source of my misery was trying to separate the two. I was suffering from unrealistic expectations. There isn't "work" and "life". There's just life, and work is a part of it.
There will be times when different aspects of life will need to take priority for a while - like now with my busy time, I have to focus more on the work side of things. But in a few months when I can cut loose one of the firms I'm working with, then I can bring hobbies and personal relationships to the forefront.
It's still a balancing act, but it's not the same balancing act I had been taught to expect. We no longer live in a world where we clock in at 9, spend all day thinking solely about work, and clock out at 5 to have the rest of the day to ourselves. Sometimes personal stuff crops up at 10 in the morning, and occasionally a work matter will bother us at 7 at night. Instead of viewing the ebb and flow as an intrusion, it's really just a part of life itself.
That's not to say that it's good or healthy to always value one part over another - if we don't work, then the rest of our life is going to be pretty bad - after all, money doesn't grow on trees. And if we only focus on work, we might have all the money in the world but no time to enjoy it or people to enjoy it with. But instead of work/life, just focus on it all being life, and make the trade-offs necessary to make it a good one - holistically.
There's this view that our time is divided into two neat categories: "work" and "life" (where "life" consists of family, friends, hobbies, spirituality, wellness, etc.), and the two categories are in tension with one another.
Since starting my firm, I've struggled mightily with that elusive work/life balance. At first, I had no clients, and while I tried to find them, there was only so much work to be done, so I spent way more time than I should have binge watching Netflix. You could say that the "life" portion was overtaking the "work" portion, throwing things out of balance.
Then a few months ago, I contracted with a firm in another state to handle local matters. That took up part of my time, but I still wasn't earning enough money to support myself, so I had to contract with a second firm to take on some work from them. Now I'm working 65-70 hours per week with little free time for anything else. The "work" portion has overtaken the "life" portion, keeping things still out of balance.
I was lamenting this situation to my cats last week. (My cats are great listeners, even if they're not such great conversationalists.) It suddenly dawned on me that the source of my misery was trying to separate the two. I was suffering from unrealistic expectations. There isn't "work" and "life". There's just life, and work is a part of it.
There will be times when different aspects of life will need to take priority for a while - like now with my busy time, I have to focus more on the work side of things. But in a few months when I can cut loose one of the firms I'm working with, then I can bring hobbies and personal relationships to the forefront.
It's still a balancing act, but it's not the same balancing act I had been taught to expect. We no longer live in a world where we clock in at 9, spend all day thinking solely about work, and clock out at 5 to have the rest of the day to ourselves. Sometimes personal stuff crops up at 10 in the morning, and occasionally a work matter will bother us at 7 at night. Instead of viewing the ebb and flow as an intrusion, it's really just a part of life itself.
That's not to say that it's good or healthy to always value one part over another - if we don't work, then the rest of our life is going to be pretty bad - after all, money doesn't grow on trees. And if we only focus on work, we might have all the money in the world but no time to enjoy it or people to enjoy it with. But instead of work/life, just focus on it all being life, and make the trade-offs necessary to make it a good one - holistically.
Saturday, April 9, 2016
Reading List
I'm looking for some book recommendations to help me meet my goal of writing 12 book reviews this year. I prefer nonfiction, but a good thought-provoking fiction book is nice, too. (No fluffy beach novels. If I want fluffy literature, I'll get it in movie format.)
I've already reviewed The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
I'm in the middle of reading The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, and once I finish it, I plan to review it here.
I'm halfway through Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, so it might get a review, too.
I read some of Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard a few years back, and I really need to pick it up and finish it.
Books I plan to read and review:
So far, the list is heavy on business and social science with a dash of theology thrown in for good measure. What's missing are the books about physical science and psychology. Any recommendations?
I've already reviewed The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo.
I'm in the middle of reading The Startup of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha, and once I finish it, I plan to review it here.
I'm halfway through Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell, so it might get a review, too.
I read some of Fear and Trembling by Soren Kierkegaard a few years back, and I really need to pick it up and finish it.
Books I plan to read and review:
- The God Who Weeps by Terryl and Fiona Givens - I heard an interview with Fiona Givens last year, and I was so impressed with her that I knew I had to read her book.
- Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg - This book seems to be a must-read for any woman with a professional career, and I really should have read it a long time ago.
So far, the list is heavy on business and social science with a dash of theology thrown in for good measure. What's missing are the books about physical science and psychology. Any recommendations?
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Book Review - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
One of my new year's resolutions was to write 12 book reviews this year. The plan was to average one review per month, but as you can see, it's the end of March, and this is my first book review. I've been reading lots of books; I just haven't been writing about them. (I guess I'm still like my elementary and middle school self - the bookworm who didn't like writing book reports.)
My first review of the year is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. This book has taken the world by storm with its simple method of de-cluttering. Called the Kon-Mari method, the book advocates sorting belongings by category, holding each one individually, and deciding whether or not it "sparks joy". Readers are instructed to keep the joy inspiring items. Everything else should be thanked for its service and then bid goodbye.
I got the book because I had too much stuff. I had been carrying around boxes from move to move to move that somehow never got unpacked. I would often dream of my apartment catching on fire and burning to the ground to give myself a fresh start (while I and the cats were safely away and the blanket my late grandfather made for me somehow in the trunk of my car). When my apartment got flooded last year and half my belongings were destroyed, I was, very temporarily, annoyed that the flood didn't get the other half as well. Clearly, I had a problem, and it needed a solution.
My first review of the year is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. This book has taken the world by storm with its simple method of de-cluttering. Called the Kon-Mari method, the book advocates sorting belongings by category, holding each one individually, and deciding whether or not it "sparks joy". Readers are instructed to keep the joy inspiring items. Everything else should be thanked for its service and then bid goodbye.
I got the book because I had too much stuff. I had been carrying around boxes from move to move to move that somehow never got unpacked. I would often dream of my apartment catching on fire and burning to the ground to give myself a fresh start (while I and the cats were safely away and the blanket my late grandfather made for me somehow in the trunk of my car). When my apartment got flooded last year and half my belongings were destroyed, I was, very temporarily, annoyed that the flood didn't get the other half as well. Clearly, I had a problem, and it needed a solution.
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Year's Resolutions
It's that time again where we all resolve to do the same few things, do them diligently for the month of January, and then backslide only to repeat the process all over again the next year.
Before getting to 2016's resolutions, I'm going to report on how I did for 2015.
My 2015 resolutions were as follows:
I failed at every single one of them. I don't really have any excuse for failure to exercise. I used to be really athletic until I got sick, but I've had my thyroid under control for a few years now, and I haven't gotten my exercising mojo back.
As far as the job goes, there just aren't jobs for lawyers anymore. So I started my own law practice in October. My income from my practice is measured in negative numbers. This led to a failure of goal three as well. At least I didn't go any further into debt, so that's something.
Now, on to 2016.
1. Exercise 20 minutes per day 3 days per week.
I'm feeling pretty good about this. I signed up for a free martial arts class at church that meets every Saturday, so that's one day covered. There's also a local pickup basketball league that plays 3 mornings per week. I also have several exercise videos saved to my Amazon video queue. If I fail at this one, it will be out of laziness, not out of lack of opportunity.
2. Make a profit of $X at my law firm.
X is slightly larger than last year's X because self-employed people pay more in taxes for the same amount of income, so I'll need to increase my income to offset the higher tax burden.
3. Write at least twelve book reviews.
I read a lot, and I like to think about all the big ideas in the books I read. I don't really have many people to talk to about the books I read, though, because I don't often read book club type books. I figure at least some of the stuff I read might be interesting to other people, and even if it isn't, writing book reviews will keep my mind sharp and active. I envision one per month, but I phrased it as 12 per year instead to give myself more flexibility.
4. Organize my apartment by the KonMari method.
The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has taken the country by storm this year. I have way too much stuff, and it's just sitting in bins in my closet. It's time to get rid of all the stuff I don't need. I've read the book, and now I want to put it in practice. I'm in a Facebook group of other people also doing it, so I'm going to have some moral support. It's also going to end up being one of my book reviews, and I figure I can give a better review of the book after I've used the method.
Here's to a productive 2016 full of personal growth!
Before getting to 2016's resolutions, I'm going to report on how I did for 2015.
My 2015 resolutions were as follows:
- Exercise 20 minutes per day 3 days per week.
- Get a permanent job that makes at least $X per year. (where X was a number I privately chose but didn't disclose on the blog)
- Reduce my debt by $Y. (where Y was a number I privately chose but didn't disclose on the blog)
I failed at every single one of them. I don't really have any excuse for failure to exercise. I used to be really athletic until I got sick, but I've had my thyroid under control for a few years now, and I haven't gotten my exercising mojo back.
As far as the job goes, there just aren't jobs for lawyers anymore. So I started my own law practice in October. My income from my practice is measured in negative numbers. This led to a failure of goal three as well. At least I didn't go any further into debt, so that's something.
Now, on to 2016.
1. Exercise 20 minutes per day 3 days per week.
I'm feeling pretty good about this. I signed up for a free martial arts class at church that meets every Saturday, so that's one day covered. There's also a local pickup basketball league that plays 3 mornings per week. I also have several exercise videos saved to my Amazon video queue. If I fail at this one, it will be out of laziness, not out of lack of opportunity.
2. Make a profit of $X at my law firm.
X is slightly larger than last year's X because self-employed people pay more in taxes for the same amount of income, so I'll need to increase my income to offset the higher tax burden.
3. Write at least twelve book reviews.
I read a lot, and I like to think about all the big ideas in the books I read. I don't really have many people to talk to about the books I read, though, because I don't often read book club type books. I figure at least some of the stuff I read might be interesting to other people, and even if it isn't, writing book reviews will keep my mind sharp and active. I envision one per month, but I phrased it as 12 per year instead to give myself more flexibility.
4. Organize my apartment by the KonMari method.
The book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has taken the country by storm this year. I have way too much stuff, and it's just sitting in bins in my closet. It's time to get rid of all the stuff I don't need. I've read the book, and now I want to put it in practice. I'm in a Facebook group of other people also doing it, so I'm going to have some moral support. It's also going to end up being one of my book reviews, and I figure I can give a better review of the book after I've used the method.
Here's to a productive 2016 full of personal growth!
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