I work at the state hospital so I get pension. I received an offer at one of the top 3 best hospitals in the state. My friends are telling me I should go to the better hospital because the state hospital is one of the worst. They were graded an F rating for safety & infections but that pension is big to me. Anybody got some advice? Thanks!
Throwaway account
I am in the beginning stages of a divorce in Alabama. 18 years of marriage. Wife has presented me with a draft no-fault Divorce Settlement Agreement she’d been working on with a lawyer. Nothing has been officially filed in court – we’re trying to work through most of it ourselves for an amicable non-contested divorce settlement. I’m currently looking at the retirement section, and I need advice on splitting up / equalizing our various retirement accounts and state retirement system pensions based on the overall current values.
The draft agreement has many things that will have to be changed. Retirement section asks for half the current value of my retirement accounts but basically ignores our pensions. I’m of the opinion that the current valuation of my wife’s state defined benefit plan is not too far off the present value of my overall retirement (my own state defined benefit plan plus 401ks and a rollover IRS). I’ve discussed with my own lawyer, but, like all of my major life decisions, I need Reddit’s expert input on my situation. Here’s a summary of the situation:
ABOUT ME AND THE STBXW
- Me (43, M). Stable professional career. Always employed full-time during marriage. Expected 2019 gross pay = $99,900 plus net $3,500 Christmas bonus anticipated (so like $105k total I think)
- Soon-to-be ex-wife (42, F). County school system employee, full-time, from 2000 to present. After we married, she worked and obtained master’s degree in her field, which bumped up her salary classification. Expected 2019 gross pay = 56k.
- Married mid-2001. Almost at 18th anniversary. Two wonderful kids, ages 6 and 9. Reason for divorce? Wife wants a no-fault non-contested divorce due to Irreconcilable differences. Is that what I want? No, but that story is for a different post on a different day.
- Still going about life like normal. Sleeping in same bed, no hanky panky, etc. Not telling kids till we’re near finalizing and she knows where she’s going to move. She doesn’t want our house and I’m going to live there until it I have time to sell it.
- Note: These issues were NOT a factor in her decision: infidelity, physical & verbal abuse, money issues, drug or alcohol addiction, and so on. We’re both good, kind and considerate people whom want good things for each other but can no longer be married. And we’re like the best parents we know and pretty much split parenting duties 50/50.
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... keep reading on reddit ➡The foreign secretary /u/tommy1boys gave a statement to the house:
>Mr Deputy Speaker,
>Last night, the Iranian Ambassador to the United Kingdom confirmed that the crew of the Stena Impero had been released and were on their way out of Iran. I think it is sometimes important to remember why we got into politics, or at least why I got into politics, and it is to improve people’s lives. In the very near future, children will be able to hug their fathers again. Wifes will be able to kiss their husbands, and parents will be able to see their children. I would hope that all those in this house would agree that people’s lives are far more important than a vessel and its cargo.
>Mr Deputy Speaker, members of the unofficial opposition may sit geering that, in their own words, we achieved “nothing”. Well I say saving 23 lives from an Iranian prison is more than nothing, it is what we are in politics for, to help people. We will not give into racist notions that just because they are not British citizens, their interests should not be a clear priority.
>The Iranian Ambassador also set out his Government’s position on the release of the cargo. He wishes for progress to be made on bringing France, Germany and the United States back into the JCPOA before the tanker is released. I was clear in my conversation and am clear now, should the tanker not be released upon the date of the summit between the Prime Minister, President Macron and Chancellor Merkel, this Government will not advocate for those countries to rejoin the JCPOA, and we will seriously consider the option of joining the maximum pressure strategy against Iran.
>This country will not respond kindly to blackmail. If Iran wants to see the West take steps to rejoin the nuclear agreement, the Iranians must reverse the illegal seizure of the Stena Impero.
I'm not even sure it would officially be within the power/limits of the SoS to both advocate for Ranked Choice Voting and oversee it's potential deployment. But I feel like something needs to happen to stop the status quo with politics, where only 2 options monopolize voters who are tired of the constant tug of war.
I think a Ranked Choice Voting system is the best thing our constitutional republic can do to enhance voter representation and decrease 2-party partisanship. You can watch a great summary and example here by CGP Grey. It theoretically achieves this by allowing voters to vote for as many or as few candidates as we like; we can vote for one candidate, three of our favorite candidates, or none or all of them, without concern for who other people are voting for, removing the need to strictly vote for the lesser of two evils and preventing the effect of feeling like you're wasting your vote on a 3-rd party or centrist candidate.
The political reasons for switching include its Instant Runoff feature, meaning no costly and exhausting runoff campaigns. *Additionally, the spoiler effect which 3-rd party candidates usually cause, drawing votes away from one of the two big party's candidates, is eliminated. The social reasons for switching are innumerable, as I believe our intense partisanship is driven by our current One Vote, First Past the Post system.
It definitely won't be a silver bullet, and it would take time to see real effects as people learn how it works. But I feel like it's the best move for this day and age. Please discuss! I know we will have some Reddit bias in the comments but please, speak your mind; I want to hear as many points of view as I can.
Mr Deputy Speaker,
Hong Kong is an area which, for obvious reasons, we have ties to and will continue to play our part in. Since the transfer of sovereignty of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China, there have been tensions between Hong Kong, often it’s people rather than its government, and China. Since last March, these have reached ahead with large scale demonstrations against the Chinese Government influence in Hong Kong and against its own executive.
A series of events, including protests within the Legislative Council of Hong Kong during a speech from Carrie Lam, the Chief Executive of Hong Kong, led to another outbreak of protests this weekend. On November 11 a protestor was shot in the chest by a policeman at a crossroad when trying to approach the policeman who was trying to detain another protestor. The protestor lays in critical condition in a hospital. A pro-Beijing protestor was set on fire by protestors on the same day, he too is in critical condition in a hospital. We call on both the Chinese / Hong Kong authorities and protesters to show restraint in these troubling times, although we understand why protesters are so passionate about the issues they are campaigning on. This Government stands with the peaceful protesters in Hong Kong simply seeking such basic human rights as the right of self-determination and democracy.
The Chief Executive’s reaction to reporters about these incidents was that “We [the Hong Kong Executive] will spare no effort in finding ways and means that could end the violence in Hong Kong as soon as possible.” Let me be clear, these are words we expect to be upheld through dialogue between authorities and pro-democracy protest leaders.
This Government condemns the actions taken by the police of Hong Kong in shooting the protesters and the way the Hong Kong Executive have continuously poorly handled this situation. We also condemn the setting on fire of a pro-Beijing protestor. We call upon the Chinese Government, the Hong Kong Executive and the protestors in Hong Kong to seek common grounds which can allow for an end to the scenes of violence we have seen on the streets of Hong Kong.
I commend this statement to the House.
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This statement was delivered by The Rt. Hon Sir /u/HiddeVdV96 KD MBE PC MP, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, on behalf of the 22nd Government.
States like South Dakota and Wisconsin have fully budgeted pension programs, while Kentucky only has 34% planned.
Kentucky is not alone in under funding its pension program:
> Twenty states have pension plans that are less than two-thirds funded, and five states have pension plans that are less than 50 percent funded.
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How do states that have not fully funded their pension programs makeup the difference?
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Are there any advantages/disadvantages for states that fully fund their pension programs?
