Student Loan Debt?

[Hay Dude]

HAHA. 500k? Come on. I worked at a university and dealt with prevet students, vet students and grad students who were already vets. The only people making big money were: old vets who had a long established practice or had bought up a string of clinics, some who specialized (just like MDs) or, those who went to work for pharma companies.

So now you have 2 or 3 TBN members who don’t know each other, telling you they personally know vets that make millions. I just provided you with a 2024 document showing average salary after 10 years is $177,000+.
One could very easily amass millions, even with a salary like that after 20-25 years. Heck 25 years @ $177,300 is $4,500,000. My dad’s vet friend practiced until he was 82. Thats 50+ years.

The ones that own a practice probably make double + that.

We all know vets make gobs of cash, since insurance is not paying them for most of their work. So there’s that, too.
When the feds don’t take 45% of your money, it makes a big difference.

 

[kenmbz]

We track our expenses quite tightly.
Salary increases about 3-4% per year,

I have a lot of friends out of work, some for 6-8 months in NY/NJ (Over a dozen).
We track our groceries, most are still 30-50% more expensive than in 2019.
Insurance up over 20%
Interest rates up from 3.2% to 8-9% , luckily out mortgage locked in at 3.6%.
Gas, Oil, Propane all up 30-40%
We cut down eating out to 1 or 2 times per month and don't get drinks etc.

Add it all up and we went from having extra money each month, to now where we can't afford a vacation (did not go on one last year).

If you look, travel is way down and many industries , both local and large are hurting and many retailers are curbing back spending.

And we need to keep money aside for our sons college, so things are even tighter.
Not many people I talk to doing any better. Most are worried about retiring with the current economy, even with the market up.

 

[lilranch2001]

I’m curious why they call it practice……

By the time they are 82, shouldn’t they be pretty good at it?!?!?!

 

[Hay Dude]

We track our expenses quite tightly.
Salary increases about 3-4% per year,

I have a lot of friends out of work, some for 6-8 months in NY/NJ (Over a dozen).
We track our groceries, most are still 30-50% more expensive than in 2019.
Insurance up over 20%
Interest rates up from 3.2% to 8-9% , luckily out mortgage locked in at 3.6%.
Gas, Oil, Propane all up 30-40%
We cut down eating out to 1 or 2 times per month and don't get drinks etc.

Add it all up and we went from having extra money each month, to now where we can't afford a vacation (did not go on one last year).

If you look, travel is way down and many industries , both local and large are hurting and many retailers are curbing back spending.

And we need to keep money aside for our sons college, so things are even tighter.
Not many people I talk to doing any better. Most are worried about retiring with the current economy, even with the market up.

I have a few friends cashing in retirement accounts just to survive.
Really sad how far we have fallen in 3 years.
Too much G wild-eyed spending on black hole projects.

 

[Hay Dude]

I’m curious why they call it practice……

By the time they are 82, shouldn’t they be pretty good at it?!?!?!

Oh that’s easy. They “practice” on your pets until they get it right!

 

[newbury]

Must be regional, because I've seen no relief here.
Our expenses are still way up from a few years ago.

Pa. seems very business friendly, they have kept the minimum wage at $7.25/hour
While
NY is $15.00/hour
Maryland is $15
Ohio is $10.45

 

[Hay Dude]

Pa. seems very business friendly, they have kept the minimum wage at $7.25/hour
While
NY is $15.00/hour
Maryland is $15
Ohio is $10.45

Plus we were able to ”convince” our former illustrious governor Tom “Wolfman” Wolf to keep the state income tax rate at 3.07% after he threatened to raise it.

Too much state G waste and fraud to be asking people to fork over more of their hard earned money to these clowns in Harrisburg….

Bridges collapsing, highways that look like conestoga wagon trails, 3rd world railroads and airports.
No way.

 

[lilranch2001]

Indiana is actually finally discussing canceling the state income tax….

I have a feeling that like all good bureaucrats do, that discussion will get quashed quite quickly!

 

[MossRoad]

Indiana is actually finally discussing canceling the state income tax….

I have a feeling that like all good bureaucrats do, that discussion will get quashed quite quickly!

They had to approve Sunday liquor sales first.

 

[tractortroof]

Private practice vets in large metropolitan cities make big money. I meet clients all the time who pay ridiculous sums of money to keep fluffy, not only alive, but drastic medical interventions…hip replacement, chemotherapy, cataract surgery…. I’m amazed.

$3000 for cataract surgery? On a damn dog? And who is going to sue the vet? Is Ruffy going to complain about chronic pain from his joint replacement?

I would think country vets who charge 1990 prices make $130-$200k. That’s who we go to.

 

[Hay Dude]

Indiana is actually finally discussing canceling the state income tax….

I have a feeling that like all good bureaucrats do, that discussion will get quashed quite quickly!

I’d rather have an income tax and get rid of property tax.
Although pretty much no Gubmit can be trusted with taxing our income and using it for good & useful reasons, I’d rather have them tax my income than be able to seize my property.

 

[lilranch2001]

I’d rather have an income tax and get rid of property tax.
Although pretty much no G can be trusted with taxing our income and using it for good & useful reasons, I’d rather have them tax my income than be able to seize my property.

Indiana property taxes are more than reasonable.

I would hate to live in New Jersey where it seems that they’re property taxes are higher than their yearly income taxes.

 

[Hay Dude]

Private practice vets in large metropolitan cities make big money. I meet clients all the time who pay ridiculous sums of money to keep fluffy, not only alive, but drastic medical interventions…hip replacement, chemotherapy, cataract surgery…. I’m amazed.

$3000 for cataract surgery? On a damn dog? And who is going to sue the vet? Is Ruffy going to complain about chronic pain from his joint replacement?

I would think country vets who charge 1990 prices make $130-$200k. That’s who we go to.

You won’t believe this, but one of my wife’s co-teachers paid…..can you believe this…..$24,000 to treat their golden retriever for cancer????

It died in 1 year anyway.

I know, she’s stupid for doing that, but the kids cried & cried and so she did it.

That vet should have his/her license removed for charging that much.

And people say vets don’t make much money…..

 

[Hay Dude]

Indiana property taxes are more than reasonable.

I would hate to live in New Jersey where it seems that they’re property taxes are higher than their yearly income taxes.

9+ % state income tax.
Could you imagine forking over 10% of your money just to live in New Jersey?

 

[lilranch2001]

I don’t know if is always to that extreme but people put lots of money in fluffy every year

 

[lilranch2001]

9+ % state income tax.
Could you imagine forking over 10% of your money just to live in New

Well, you need to look at New Jerseyites voting record, and you kinda understand the lack of high intelligence

 

[Hay Dude]

Well, you need to look at New Jerseyites voting record, and you kinda understand the lack of high intelligence

Our best friends left NJ in August and moved to Tampa, FL for much greener & cheaper way of life.
So far they love it.

 

[MossRoad]

I don’t know if is always to that extreme but people put lots of money in fluffy every year

Not just fluffy, but kitty too.

One of our cats at something and it got lodged in her small intestine. After tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, surgery and 72 hours of care, it was $4500.

9 months later she did it again! Since we knew what happened this time, it was "ONLY" $3500.

We are fortunate that we are in a financial position to do that. In our earlier years, the cat would have been a goner.

 

[Hay Dude]

Not just fluffy, but kitty too.

One of our cats at something and it got lodged in her small intestine. After tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, surgery and 72 hours of care, it was $4500.

9 months later she did it again! Since we knew what happened this time, it was "ONLY" $3500.

We are fortunate that we are in a financial position to do that. In our earlier years, the cat would have been a goner.

Well, look at it this way, you helped prop up the financial woes of those “poor vets”.

 

[ultrarunner]

Same here. The doom and gloom is from people trying to paint a political picture based on things they're not experiencing directly but heard someone else they don't know is.

This is why I think location is critical in a country as large as the United States.

What is different this time is California population leaving and losing a seat in Washington.