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IEEE Dead to Me After 25 Years |
 OK,
that sounds a bit extreme, but although the Institute of Electrical
and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
is a great organization, the main reason I have remained a member for
lo these many years (first joined in college) is because their life
insurance plan was way lower in cost than others. I also have been buying
accidental death insurance from them. However, since this month (on
August 18th) I will cross the 55-year-old Rubicon, the price will increase
by 67%. To continue as last year my total cost for life insurance, accidental
death, and IEEE membership would be $(1,000 + 190 + 185) = $1,375 per
year, and none of it is tax deductible. Ouch! With outrageously high
'affordable' health care rates about to hit this coming January, combined
with the 1% Social Security increase that went into affect this year,
and my property tax bill just went up by $400 over last year, something
has to give. Melanie and I have decided that since the kids are all
grown and educated, our house ($135k purchase price) is paid off, and
we are getting a whopping 0.7% on our life savings, the life insurance
will have to go. Hopefully, maintaining a regimen of regular exercise
and healthy eating (and copious amounts of coffee), I'll be providing
income for a while longer. BTW, we have no stock market or other investments
(paid off the house instead), don't take vacations, don't have a TV
subscription, use a prepaid cellphone, have free Google Voice landline
service, don't smoke or drink, shop at Walmart and Kohl's for clothes,
have only one vehicle, rarely eat out, and minimize utility bills. Every
time I read an article on how to save money, there's nothing new left
to do. Life insurance logically seems the next elective expense to cut.
It's not so much that the IEEE is dead to me, you see, it's that the
IEEE is afraid I will be dead to them.
Posted August 2, 2013 |
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