The gap between rich and poor in N.I?

gibbyni

I know that some people who live life on benefits may seen like there having an easy life now compared to the people out working hard and building a career or business etc, but think of how these 2 sets of people will differ over the next 5, 10, 20 years the person on benefits will most likely still be living in the same situation and income. Where as the hard workers and risk takers should have a greatly improved lifestyle.

Also this generation had been brought up on credit (Me Included) and most people cant see anything wrong with getting everything on credit and getting what they want rite now. Its not that hard to work out that buying a 20K car on credit would prob cost you 22-24k over 3 years on credit. Where as the person who saves for 3 years and then buys the car has prob only put 18 - 19k into savings to get the car. I would say A large majority of people would go for the first option as they are used to the I want it know mentality.

Where as people with good money skills know to save up for something before you buy it. The people who are wealthy have learnt these skills ie best place to save/invest how to pay as little tax as possible

Most people I know don’t bother with there ISA’s (most don’t even have savings) they just don’t think that little bit of extra tax saved will make a difference but over the long term it will.

People need to be educated on how to use money, when I left school 15 years ago now, I was taught how to do algebra, what glue is best to stick wood together, when WW2 started things that to be honest I never really needed in life. Not once was I taught how to manage my money, how APR and AER worked. How saving for something worked out much better than just getting it on credit. Schools dont teach people or encourage them to be entrepreneur. I think I would have been laughed at if I had of said to the careers officer I wanted to start my own business.

I know it would be hard for someone hit by the recession to see people creaming it off the government. But take this time to go learn a new skill, its not going to do any harm infact it could change your whole life for the better. I know people say I will never be successful of wealthy, so they think to themselves why bother. They are the people who never make it. It’s the people who think OK im going to make something of myself, or set themselves a target and do everything they can to get there.

And also im sure a little bit of luck has come in handy for the people who have made it, but you have to make your own luck

Rach39

Golden_Anemone wrote: »

It certainly used to be the case that the self employed stamp didn't qualify for UB / Contribution based JSA. I assume from Rach39's post that is still the case.

Yes, that is still the case - the NI position very unclear for self employed, one part is paid by the contractor but the other part we have always been told is voluntary and only affects pension levels, however when he went to sign on was told actually this 'voluntary' bit actually dictates whether or not you can claim income support!! Job Seekers allowance is means tested and we don't qualify and that is why is gets nothing at all in terms of benefit.

warmhands.coldheart

I think all a lot of these do gooders throw the word "Poverty" around too much. What they are refering to is Relative Poverty. i.e. as incomes, lifestyles etc of a society get better then the Poverty bar rises. as opposed to Absolute Poverty i.e. Absolute poverty which is "characterised by severe deprivation of basichuman needs, including food, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities, health,shelter, education and information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social services"
Quote (http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2004/rp04-023.pdf)

Quote from UK Governments own paper "In the UK and in most of the developed world, poverty is usually understood as being defined, at least in part, by relating the living standards of an individual to those of the society around him or her"
(http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2004/rp04-023.pdf)

So really what these people are saying is that 50% of the population in NI is below the UK based poverty line.... NOTE the UK.... as stated before, we don't have Water rates (Yet) and don't have £1400 Rates bills as comon-place and "open to much debate" our house prices are lower than the UK average... so I'd say "Relative" to the rest of the folk in NI not many are in Poverty in all honesty.

Edit,
Oh and if half the population of NI are in poverty, why so many 3 Series BMW's. Half the folk in our warehouse on so called low income drive them so if that's poverty I'll have some of that

wifeforlife

nirelandguy wrote: »

Well compare that to my £13K after tax etc working 40 hours a week.:rolleyes: And to be honest I know more people earning nearer my wage than yours.

I suppose what I mean by the gap is not to the extreme of Alan Sugar but people earning a normal wage like £25K, and have a fairly ok standard of living like nights out, the odd holiday, and people live myself on £13K if lucky get a chinese take away once a month. I would class £25K as being rich, add a partner possibly earning something similar £50k, if I add my partner we earn slightly over £15K

I know very few who can still afford the things you mention. I earn the same as yourself, it's my partner that earns £25k and believe me we don't do any of the things you mention.

If you think I'm rich then so be it, and I am rich of life but certainly I'm not affluent. As I said previously my income will be used fully to pay for childcare next year, as it is, half is currently used. We will be a family of four in effect living on my partners wage only which really isn't a huge amount considering living costs in NI. Again I think these things need weighed up with living costs and what people considered priorities and necessities. I know I we certainly don't consider any of the above to be these things.

I had more disposable income as a single parent than I now do, what with the benefits like WFTC and CTC that I was entitled too. Obviously everyone is entitled to CTC but the WFTC was like an second income that allowed me to have things I 'should'nt' or 'wouldn't' normally have had in that situation.

Cate

Snoozle

Ex-Spendaholic wrote: »

To be totally honest I don't have a lot of sympathy for people who moan that they don't earn enough. It is up to them to get off their asses and better themselves either by seeking a better job or by making themselves more marketable. This is done by gain more and more qualifications. There is no point sitting around moaning that people who have done this have more money than you.

In theory I agree with you, I get very frustrated by people who waste all their energy moaning when they should be doing something.

But at the same time, its not always as simple as what you are suggesting. Nearly twelve years after graduating, I was able to commence some part time study, to try to improve my job prospects. I would have been happy to have taken on more study about ten years ago, but it was just too expensive. Many professional courses don't cost just a few hundred, they cost thousands. If you don't have an employer who is willing to help with the costs (and from my experience, in Northern Ireland it seems rare that an employer is supportive in this way) you are in a catch 22 situation - you take on a poorly paid job, but find yourself stuck on that bottom rung of the ladder, because you don't earn enough to be able to invest in yourself. Or alternatively, you want to take on some study, but first you need to secure a job in the relevant field, to enable you to commence the study. But its hard to get into the field without the qualifications. A vicious circle, and a pretty common one at that.

So I suppose what I'm saying is that its not always laziness which keeps people down (although it often is!), there are so many other factors too.

chunter

Another couple of points to note is that

1. for a long, long time in Northern Ireland, there was little or no growth in the housing markets. Leading to very, very low house prices, so a fair few people in Northern Ireland have no mortgage, not because they're rich, but because their 30k mortgage has been paid off early.

2. Also, NI had a fairly substantial public sector housing percentage, so as they have been sold off (since the Thatcher years), a reasonable section of the population had really really low mortgages also.

Now, the not-so-brites re-mortgaged and bought bigger houses or foreign property, but a fair few just sat tight and have no mortgage and a fairly big disposable income.