Gary,

Good post and a warning to all. I've had a successful business career, in which I was fortunate enough to invest (although I refuse to open quarterly statements). I did this for my family.

The music scene fills my days for sure, but the flexibilty allows me to do many things around here for all. No more 2am bar scenes either. I still am a mgf rep and keep a line or two going as a backup (nice to be my own boss). My family is happy with my hours.

I've plenty of time to smell the roses, more so than when I was a slave to demanding corporate thugs. No more laying in bed with my eartips burning. My health was deteriorating from that stress and I cannot begin to explain the joy my current freedom has given me. Who could ever deny one that?

Bottom line, for sure, is to save and invest for those we'll leave behind. I know my wife will outlive me by 20 years or more. Family genes have already written that chapter

These days it is hard to save and invest for the future.

Hopefully the newly elected Administration will help ease the economic stress.

------------------
Larry
The NEW SynthZone Map

I have to agree with Gary here. You have to be prepared. I appreciate Donny's enthusiasm about just going out and doing it. It's one thing to want to play a lot of jobs. But it's another thing to have no choice in the matter, to have to play to pay the bills. I for one always want to be able to make that choice. I'd hate to see myself like I used to see old guys several years ago playing for bar mitzvah's and looking like they were miserable. Better safe than sorry.

Joe

------------------
Songman55
Joe Ayala

Larry,

I would not put a lot of hope in the newly elected administration doing anything other than raising taxes by a substantial margin. Keep in mind that every politician that ever ran for office promised to lower taxes, eliminate crime, make your kids smarter, make you live longer, yada, yada, yada... I've been around for a long time, seen lots of politicians make those same promises, and not a single one of them make good on any promise they made. I sincerely believe you determine your ultimate destiny and goals in life. If you depend upon someone running for political office you're in for a big letdown.

Good Luck,

Gary

A lawyer friend and I act as the "clean-up" team for our old musician buddies. The lawyer and I are partners in commercial property, and he is a passable jazz trumpet player.

He has done all the required legal work for the estates of 5 musicians who have passed away in the last two years at no charge. I have dusted off my accounting degree and used it as the court appointed administrator of the estates, also at no charge.

All were disasters. Burial expenses for all but my friend George (he had a retirement from IBM) were paid for via donations and benefit concerts. Several of the estates were so hopeless that bankruptsy was the only option.

George-even though he hadn't driven or walked for years, bought a Chrysler 300M with a Hemi engine for $40,000.00 and saddled his wife with $700.00 a month payments for 7 years...all because he wanted to show off when he visited his daughter in St. Louis
(only made the trip once-wrecked the car and never drove again)-car is now three years old with 3500 miles on it. His wife is hopelessly "upside down" on the loan. At the time of his death, she had never put gas in a car, never written a check, etc. She wasn't prepared for his passing at all, even though he was wheel-chair bound for several years.

With the exception of George, none of these guys had health insurance or life insurance. None, including George, had a will, and family members could not or would not contribute to "final" expenses.

Chas is right...we all owe it to the ones we leave when we pass on to not burden them this way.

I knew that surviving as a musician was rough. That's why I held a full-time job, played 6 nights a week, taught part-time and did free-lance work to set Annie up confortably, educate my children with no student loans and helped them with houses, cars, etc.

We all need to realize the need, define what it takes to reach goals and then "make it happen".


Russ