No disrespect to your wife, but overweight is NOT healthy.

Sigma, Your comments did not blow over my head. I am smart enough to understand that you enjoy turning a good blog into something which makes you feel good. You have a problem with fat people and with people whom you feel are not as good as you. There is no way for anyone to identify folks at Walmart as being a burden on society, fat, thin, good looking or ugly. You cannot judge a person by the way they look or where they shop. I mentioned that I am slim and my wife is fat. My wife is in good health and I am in poor health, always have been and not because of my lifestyle. Many of us know someone who was the picture of good health that died quite young. My ability of accepting people as they are is far more healthy than your attitude. I don't know you at all and even if I did know you, I would look at you as being just a person. Nothing more. I am both lucky and happy. I will never pass up an opportunity to lend a hand to somebody in need. My wife and I worked very hard while we were working and now that we are retired we have plenty of time to help others. Being negative is not healthy. I hope this statement helps you. I now look forward to commenting on blogs without them turning into something that is all about Sigma.

My point blew WAY over your head. Top medical problem in America -
More than 80 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, which claims more than 860,000 lives a year. Heart disease is the most expensive U.S. health condition, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. To reduce your risk of heart disease complications, maintain a healthy weight by eating right and getting regular exercise. Don't smoke. Be sure to follow your doctor's recommendations to control other risk factors, like high blood pressure and diabetes.
http://www.webmd.com/healthy-aging/medic...
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While your fat friend might have money and be able to handle a crisis... there are millions that are not... they dont even know they are overweight or at risk. "Average" today is fat. What happens when you all of a sudden lose your health insurance? BAM! The stress hists you... BAM! Stress is also a huge contributor to medical issues. This happens and you cant jog around the block without passing out... you are in actually poor physical shape, add overweight... stuff adds up that you would never think of. A couple hundred thousand dollars wont last long if you have heart issues. it doesnt matter how much money you have... If you are not in good health you are vulnerable. When I say "good" I mean by non-american standards, 1960's or older height/weight proportionate and be able to jog around the block and not pass out.

We have a friend who is fat. He also has enough money to carry his family through an emergency. I also know some people who are thin and in good health who have no savings. I don't think a person's girth has much to do with planning for the future. My wife is fat and I am slim. Where does that put us ? We have a few hundred thousand bucks set aside that we call our retirement money and we hope we will never have to use it. We are no better than those who have far less. We are just people and we look beyond what a person looks like. For pity sake, what does it matter. It is what you do with your life that matters, not what you have.

Im sorry, but why should I feel sorry for people that dont take care of themselves? I dont care about anyone that doesnt care about themself. If you dont see this as part of the problem, you are most likely part of the problem.

mopsy, thank you for sharing.

Sigma40 wrote: “Yes, I lack compassion for humans. Ever walk through the mall? Walmart? Look at the fat people?”

You need help.

Mopsy, you assume I meant every situation. I cant speak for everyone, but what I said about preventative situations does apply to a large amount of the population... not all. duh. You can thank that large amount for the high medical costs your sister had to endure for her diabetes. Im sure the cost of that didnt help her situation.
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wahoo_35 - People , and this pertains to all, that "assume" or have "expectations" are idiots. All you are doing is setting yourself up for failure. Your assumption isnt even relative to the topic.

Let me tell Sigma about my sister. She got a college degree and a good job. She stayed in shape, exercised, ate right, married. Her second child was born with a disability. She cut back on her work to take care of him. In her 40's, she discovered that she had an autoimmune disorder that rapidly worsened until she was in chronic pain. Her husband lost his job when the economy crashed. Then he had I guess what you'd call a midlife crisis and just walked away from her and the kids. She burned through all her savings including her retirement while trying to sell the house. The month bank was going to start the foreclosure, the house sold, but at a very low price due to the housing crash. And when she lost her house and needed to downsize, she gave her nice furniture and things to charities because she could no longer give money and she wanted to be able to help those who had less than she had. She got enough money from the sale of the house to buy a used car and pay the security deposit on a rental house. We sent her Woodman's gift cards every month, wishing we could do more, but having our own troubles with my hours being cut at work. Her estranged husband finally got a job, but her declining health caused her to lose hers. Her now ex sends some support, but not enough. Her daughter got a job while in high school and worked 20 hours/week to help pay the bills. My sister had a comfortable middle class life and savings and retirement and lost it all. Would one of the holier-than-thou's tell me what she did to deserve this? How are you so much better a person that she is? She loves her kids and gets up out of her bed in pain every day to take care of them and keep the family together. She loves them and disciplines them and makes sure they get good grades in spite of everything. And she doesn't let them feel sorry for themselves. Her oldest started college at UW-W in September and says she is going to get a degree and a good job and take care of her mom. My sister says she is blessed. And she is. But she is hurt by the attitude of so many in this I-did-it-myself-what's-the-matter-with-you USA we now seem to live in. This country doesn't need more Sigmas. It needs more people like my sister, who have little but still care and give 100%.

Wahoo: I would not bet on that. A mother's love only goes so far.

Sigma- Do you still live at home with your Mom? I bet you do!

donnaw: Limited alcohol? really went out on the limb on that one. How about NO ALCOHOL.....

Creatureinthefeezer, you have to be careful, TRUTH is so offensive to most people! (especially, that much) Nicely done!

I agree with MHammer that medical costs are way out of control. Most people are one illness away from losing everything. I resent the idea of having to work for years just to pay off some ridiculously priced medical treatment. It reminds me of the sad cases of people that have been forced to dig their own graves just before being executed.

A majority of Americans are blinded by the daily bombardment of media, celebrity lifestyles and trying to keep up with the Joneses. It’s a multigenerational learned behavior that is gaining momentum with every passing year. The live for the moment, paycheck to paycheck, paying the minimums on credit cards but still insisting on having a lifestyle beyond ones income is beyond sad. Our K-12 educational system is broken and does not properly address real life lessons… fiscal responsibility, how to prepare, locate, interview for jobs and most importantly the true value of money meaning $10 hour job = (X) after taxes and this will buy you (Y). Ask any kid, adolescent, teenager and young adult what they expect to be doing “when they get out of school” and the answers are comical. Comical because the Pro Sports, TV personality, Doctor, fill in the 6 figure salary position answers have not changed for decades. The follow up question of “what are you doing to get that position” gets a blank look or I don’t know. My tirade has a point these kids become adults that are the focal point of the story. If parents hand everything over that the child asks for without a teachable moment then many of these same kids turn to the government later in life with the same hand out mentality.

I agree that trying to save is very important if you can do it. However when you are not making a high wage and have had 0 raise in 6 yrs. it is easier said than done. Prices going higher on everything makes it next to impossible for a average wage earner to sock away money. I know 3 years ago we could save a fair amount now tho it is hard enough just covering the basics. We too have 0 house payment, 0 car payment and live in a very small home.You couldn't live more frugal. I don't even use my clothes dryer to save $. Take no vacations as well. It is easy for a person making an above average wage to say save save save. How well would they do in a lower income job? The extra $ are just not there period. We do have a fair amount set aside that we never touch due mainly to generous family members that passed on. Being able to add to it tho is getting impossible. The whole world is headed for a major financial collapse. When wages keep going in reverse as they have where we work and prices escalating yearly the future is very bleak. Soylent Green is a good movie to watch pertaining to the future!!!

Growing up during the depression, I can remember my father who was a blacksmith saying that if he could earn a dollar a day fixing farmers wagons and shoeing horses we should be ok. Not to many of left that lived during the early 1930's.

IndyColtFan, excellent the lessons by your mom paid off and stuck with you.

Indy, then you are fortunate for the education and the well-paying job, and apparently did not blow your cash on multiple vehicles, homes, and other expensive toys, so good for you. However, not everyone can retire early with health insurance, and not everyone even has health insurance despite working very hard for what money they have, so even if they were taught to be frugal it may not be enough. You should not brag but rather give thanks every day for your circumstances. I try to remember to be grateful, myself.

Not trying to brag here, but my house is paid off, own 2 vehicles, and retired from GM on my 49th birthday. I am frugal, thanks to my mom. I got my first job at 9 yrs of age (paper route). I made about $6 a week. My mom explained to me that I needed to bank everything but $1 a week, which I could spend any way I wanted. (yoohoo) Anyway, I bought my first car at 16 with my own cash, and the rest is history. I am a very lucky fellow thanks to dear old mom, who taught me the "money lesson" at the ripe old age of 9. :)

donnaw I think most of us that suggest these things are people that have been down the road of what doesn't work. The fact I hit bottom in the long run was best thing that could have happened mostly because I was in my 30's so old enough to learn but young enough to survive.

Eagle and facts.....+1 excellent posts..may I add buy a used car, clip coupons, shop wisely, say no to the latest electronics, no tats and no smokes, limited alcohol, and plenty of exercise. Pay your credit card in full every month. Many years ago we ended up cutting our credit cards up until they were paid off. Vowed to never let them get out of hand again.

Make saving a PRIORITY, excellent post facstplease, words we can all live by I guarantee EVERYONE can save some thing regularly, dump the cable, the expensive Internet, the expensive cell plan, buy a cheaper car, buy generic, get a smaller house, etc, everyone can cut corners but pople don;t want to face that fact more often than not.

As for the actual topic:
Always live below your means
Make saving a PRIORITY
If you can't afford it, don't buy it
Only debt should be a mortgage and only after you can put 20% down (there are a few exceptions, but it's a good guideline)
If you want to get out of debt, try Dave Ramsey.
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I could live a LONG time on savings.

Both obesity and smoking were associated with excess costs for health care. Compared to nonsmokers, average health costs were $1,275 higher for smokers.

The incremental costs associated with obesity were even higher: $1,850 more than for normal-weight individuals. For those with morbid obesity, the excess costs were up to $5,500 per year.
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Think lung cancer or emphysema VS knee replacements, hip replacements, heart bypass surgery and other heart related medical costs, YEARS of blood pressure meds-cholesterol meds-diabetes meds, sleep apnea machines, diet plans, gastric bypass surgery, wheel chairs, physical therapy, etc.

Smokers tend to die younger, but obesity is more expensive to the health care system because the costs are on-going.

"We are truly lazy"- Sigma440

Speak for your self, you are not my spokeperson, you are far from qualified.

Sigma has a good point:
"Largely preventable and highly manageable chronic diseases account for 75 cents of every dollar we spend on health care in the U.S. In contrast, we spend less than 5 cents on prevention, even though the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have estimated that 80 percent of heart disease and type-2 diabetes, and 40 percent of cancers, could be prevented by doing three things: exercising more, eating better and avoiding tobacco."
http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Columns/...

Sigma40, there is a real dismissal of personal responsibility these days, I messed up several years back when I was self employed it sunk me, I lost everything, who did I blame... me, who got me out of the mess... me, not the government, I didn't even qualify for unemployment despite that I had been paying into that fund, I didn't go for a state run healthcare plan, I took responsibility for myself. Do bad things happen to good people absolutely but we have really blurred the line of accidents and preventable consequences to poor behavior or habits, here's a tip when you mess up and own that mistake it is not only extremely liberating it is also much easier to fix that mistake.

Bostonbill - Yes, I lack compassion for humans. Ever walk through the mall? Walmart? Look at the fat people? Look at what the people are buying to eat and put into their bodies..... Now I dont know the exact statistics but for the people having medical problems due to that... it very high. These people are at extreme risk for health problems due to this... and that is what leads to the financial ruin. Im not being a jerk...im stating the honest truth.
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Shopierehuh - be real, obviously there are things that can happen like cancer... then again how many cancer cases are caused by something? Smoking? anyway... But a lot of things that happen are totally avoidable but people just dont care....We are truely lazy. If I was wrong... the USA wouldnt have this obesity pandemic and be the fattest nation in the world.

I might be a poster boy for how it *can* indeed happen to you.

I was a h.s. and college endurance athlete and yet ended up with a sudden, dramatic need for a kidney transplant at 28 years old. Surprise! Both kidneys were damaged, 90% and 50% damaged, before any symptoms presented, even with annual checkups. Even my blood work remained at normal levels, indicating no problems, with that much kidney damage.

I had the extraordinary good fortune to land a career that provided health insurance about a year before the transplant. Prior to that, I was unable to afford medications on my own and due to a now-pre-existing condition, no insurer would take me.

I assure you the health care system in this country is amazing but the insurance system in this country remains a disaster for the working poor and those with pre-existing conditions.

I'm now eight years out of the transplant, can run a sub-5-minute mile again, lift weights 3x a week, etc. but I'm also living proof that serious health conditions can appear without warning through no fault of one's own. I have a coworker who developed lupus in his mid-30s, also through no fault of his own; prior to that, he avidly played soccer.

It *can* happen to you.

Sima40, you have once again demonstrated your total lack of compassion for your fellow human beings. Your, I am better than everyone because I do everything right, complex is really growing old……just like YOU. Your assumptions regarding people who have health issues can be described as prejudice. You don’t have the ability to understand that sometimes bad things happen to people that are beyond their control and no fault of their own. You really need to become human.

There's a principle called "dig your well before you're thirsty" that I was oblivious to for many years. (They call it denial) But it is true. We're in completely different times. Most are at risk of financial ruin because most work for someone else. The cost of pretty much everything is skyrocketing, yet, wages are less and people are losing ground. For most, it's happened so slow over time, they don't realize it's happening to them. I say with all due respect to all, why not chase your own dream rather than having someone hire you to work for there's? If people were able to see that what's been taught for the past century doesn't apply to the new age, they'd feel better about the potential possibility of the title of this article not coming to fruition.

I picked up a bit of cancer in 2011. Missed 11 months of work. Seven of those months were mostly unpaid, due to Walker's act 10, I lost my disability insurance which had been a negotiated benefit. Used up a lot of my rainy day money. Another bout of that and I would start getting uncomfortable about the financial situation. Just have to make it to retirement, a few more months, don't foresee any problems.

Sigma, you are in your 30s, (according to your earlier posts). If nothing else, you are tempting fate and Karma with that cocky attitude. When you get older you will be totally eligible for the nasty diseases. Some of the cancers come on with no apparent reason, as do some of the other nasty ailments. I haven't had so much as a cold in at least 15 years, and I got a disease that I had to beat. I am fortunate, not everyone is. You say you are not an idiot, there are many, many people who would vehemently disagree with you.

As MBHammer put it, for 30 years, "healthcare" costs have been like paying $2500 for an oil change....ANYONE is suscepible to a doctor visit no matter how healthy your habits.

I bet most of us are. I am too young for my 401 k to help since you would only net about 1/2 of that. Could live off CC's for awhile I guess. Most of us live check to check.

Sigma ,can I borrow a few grand to stash away for needy times,just in case ?

The ignorance of suggestion these kinds of thing are preventable is so...I can't even....wow.

I guess getting cancer (you know, one of the 4000 kinds not caused by smoking) shortly after you start a new job, thus leaving you with no job protected leave, resulting in job loss, loss of insurance, pay, and benefits is preventable.

I guess getting hit crossing the street by an uninsured driver without a penny to their name resulting in your own inability to work, resulting in loss of insurance, income, and benefits is preventable.

I guess all bad health is preventable and there's no such thing has hereditary conditions or random chance.

I really wish someone had told me that all the bad things that can happen in life are entirely preventable before now. I had no idea I actually have total and complete control of everything in the universe.

Facing financial ruin? Sure, just run out and get a loan. Good luck getting a loan when you have no job or way to pay it back because you can't work.

Opinions vary. The subject of this is addressing a financial ruin...and what to do in the event of... Why no mention of preventing it? Thats all I brought up, all which I deem valid.

I wouldn't go so far as to not call you an idiot sigma.

Im just saying people wonder why things are the way they are.....because they did nothing to better themselves. Sure it could happen to anyone, but less likely to happen to me because im not an idiot. I dont have car payments, I dont live in debt, I spend a small fraction of my paycheck, and I stay in shape and in good health. Its not really as difficult as its made out to be.

Sigma: Add yourself to the long list of people who have said, " IT WON'T HAPPEN TO ME."

wow Sigma..you are at it again. Boy, I wish we were all as knowledgeable and as perfect as you are. By the way....do you run around your city block daily? Credit cards all paid in full? If yes to both, you really ARE perfect. Must be hard to stay that way, in this world we live in now.

I cant speak for below, but how many people have health problems that were preventable?
1. Do you eat healthy?
2. Do you smoke?
3. Do you exercise?
4. Are you overweight?
If you cant walk out your door right now and jog around a city block and not black out after.... ya... you got issues (unless other conditions prevent you from doing so).
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Also, any responsible person shouldnt ever have an issue. Banks hand out loans like candy. Got bad credit? You failed then... got bad credit and bad health? What do you really expect?

JohnWicket - thank you for sharing your experience. When you are healthy and strong, confidence is high. Injury or illness can change that over night. I speak from some, but less serious experience than you shared. I have been extremely fortunate but I do still care about the less fortunate who fall victim to unforseen circumstances through no fault of their own.

JohnWicket, Sadly healthcare is not fixed, just government money throw at it with no real cost solutions executed. I saw problems long ago as recent as 2005 I had a sleep study conducted involving a PC recording data and someone watching me snore for eight hours at a cost of $3,400. This is ridiculous. Insurance covered, that's not the point. No one wants to clean the slate and start over with REAL cost solutions and common sense. The medical costs today are within the realm of the $2,500 oil change and nobody and I mean nobody cares, that is the people in power to put a stop to the madness.

My theory is ,if there is a will there is a way ! I have been in very bad financial straights in my life and have always pulled out of them,fortunately. But no one can predict the future,but one can hope for the best.

It is usually advisable to have a year's worth of your salary socked away for emergency needs. Five years ago I believed I could handle any emergency with my average income and a one year nest egg built up. But after a heart attack and subsequent surgeries and rehabilitation I found my thinking seriously flawed. The bill came to over $300,000. Luckily, insurance from my workplace covered a great deal of the cost, but not all. My "nest egg" was gone. Then, the other shoe dropped. Six months later I found out that I had melanoma and couple of spots of other cancers. I've always worked hard and assumed that I could provide for my family adequately. My employer was no longer anxious to retain costly old timers ( I could see the handwriting - Palmer method - on the wall) and I took advantage of an early retirement. Retirement is good but not great and I still work part-time. I bet there are many readers out there with the same kind of story. Believe me, anyone with an average income is only one step away from financial ruin and joining others out on the cold Wisconsin winter streets. Perhaps, you should re-examine what's in your billfold.