How to get out of poverty

You need two things, knowledge and action.   The knowledge is how to make money (of which there are a million ways), then you have to take the action to put that knowledge to use.

Good answer, Profitbob.  Let's be a little more specific. 

Many organizations exist to help people do precisely that: SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives) is but one.  Another is WMA (World Marketing Alliance).  The latter I find infinitely more helpful, as they will do more to get you started.  The latter can help you refine and actualize your plan, once developed.

www.score.org

www.npros.com/dir/worldmarketingalliance

Nothing on this planet hurts people more in a land of wealth than to exist in poverty.

The next step up is for you to help others, as they will help you.

In Jesus' Name, I bid you . . . motivation!

'how to get out of poverty' some would make it sound so simple. education and motivation. however, sometimes the simplest of ingredients require the right mix, the right time, and the right cooking temperture. all of which are sorely lacking in today's economy.

yet, today's economic environment is ripe for educational opportunities. take advantage of it. if you are low-income then you would qualify for grants, low-interest student loans and work-study programs to help fund your college education. if you have yet to get a high school diploma, few people know that you have the right to enroll in your local school to obtain your diploma. or, you can enroll in adult learning programs - in most states they are free - to begin your educational journey.

poverty is a stage with many exits. but, to find them requires you to believe in you, to apply for and effectively utilize public assistance programs. and, for every dollar you earn put 50 cents away.

as a once divorced single parent who worked three part-time jobs, raised a child (without child support) and who eventually earned two college degrees and founded (1997) and continues to operate a non-profit organization to benefit children of divorced, separated and never-married parents, I attest to the possibilities. I can also attest to tears, frustrations, and really bad credit.

but, alas this too can change. here's to your good luck and good health.

This is a question I hear frequently at Oregon State University. Many times students ask "If they know they're in poverty, why don't they just stop being poor?" Well, there are always a variety of how, what, when, where that plays in to when a family becomes impoverished. In this rapidly worsening economy we will see a larger number of poverty line family go deep into poverty, and others move toward the line.
     A number of ways to avoid becoming impoverished include:
- Don't try to get rich quick, these 'get rich by selling others on joining under you' serve only to enrich the top few tiers. It is a Ponzi Scheme, and like Mr. Madoff's Ponzi scam, eventually folds up. "If it sounds too good to be true -(You'll make thousand doing 5 minutes work a day)- It is most likely a scam (99.999% of the time).
- Don't buy things you don't need or cannot afford to. I have a friend who buys $5 a cup lattes 4 times a day, 6 days a week, and wonders why she is always about $400 short each month of her needs. I gave her a 'home' latte maker I won last year and now she does OK. If your car still runs and doesn't have a lot of maintenance issues or costs, wait until it does before you go buy a new one, especially if you no longer make payments on it.
- Poverty is not so much of a social problem as it is a societal problem. seems that once upon a time, (really not too long ago) most people did fine, because they grew their own veggies, bartered for things they didn't have with things other people didn't have, and bought only those things they could make, grow or barter for.
- Do you have skills that others lack? Can you make money or trade those skills for things you need or want? Do you spend all night with every light in the house on? Do you set your thermostat really high so you don't have to wear a sweater around the house?

     In other words, the best thing you can do is invite a friend over to watch for all these things. Decide which are absolute 'must-haves' and which ones are simply 'wanna-haves'. Households with small children, elderly or chronically ill family members should place health considerations first, of course. Mostly healthy families should take back their unneccessary comforts to find their way out of poverty.
     Don't buy Chanel Number 5 if you can't feed the family, trade in the Maserati for a Mazda, and so on. In other words, the old common sense things of your parents or grandparents can be made to work for you. Review insurance policies, club and gym memberships and do you ever really watch all those sports games/movies/specialty channels you paid for from cable of satellite TV? Do you work from home, needing a 50 Mbps internet signal, or will a 7-20 Mbps DSL line from the phone company do? If you do work from home on occassion, are you deducting the costs associated from your taxes?
     Can you get a better paying job by taking a course or a few courses in the evening at the local community college? Does a skill you have pay more, even if you don't like that type of job? Do you buy the occassional lottery ticket, or $100 in lottery every week? How many beers, sodas or energy drinks do you buy per day, week, month? Do you smoke?
      The final answer is: The answer is truly different for everyone. For some, there is not much that can be done because of specific situations, such as medical problems, Single parent, lots of children, etc. For others, there is a point reached where if you believe nothing you try will work, so you simply stop trying. A favorite line from the movie Galaxy Quest was "Never Give Up, Never Surrender." I find that very appropriate. Just think ahead of what you will try, avoid scams, be frugal, be honest with yourself and your significant other. It does get better.

Shame on you John Jewkes like so many in this Country you immediately assume that the impoverished are there due to their own poor choices and that everyone of them has internet, drink lattes and smoke. How dare you make such assumptions? It is clear that you have not had to worry about where your next meal was coming from or how to feed your child from day to day. Take it from someone who worked 3 jobs, went to school at night, and raised a child alone (because his 'daddy' did not feel it important enough to help AND HE smoked) life is not easy, nor is poverty. So, get your head out of your bank account, look around and stop spending your money on lattes, internet access, cable, etc and donate your arrogant monies to something that will make a difference - the human race!

Getting out of poverty starts with a visit to your local Employment Security offie.  Fill out the forms, leave the feminine supremacist cult paranoia behind, and take one of the numerous jobs that they will gladly line up for you.

Then, once you have a few months tenure, start investing.  Investment counselors will gladly get you started in investments you can handle. 

Chaplain John gave you the straight scoop: worry, sympathy seeking, feminine supremacist cult indoctrination, and games, never helped anyone. 

It is time to rise from Obamite paranoia, feminist bitterness, drugs, and anger, to realize the American Dream -- but do not delay, as the present favorable market will soon evaporate and then, only the strongest shall survive.

Rock Mike says,

the present favorable market will soon evaporate and then, only the strongest shall survive.

The Rock is known for dire predictions, but sadly, he is also on-target most of the time.  Inflation and fuel prices are up, investment returns and salaries are down.  Worse, we have unemploymant that we have never seen since the Great Depression.

Pretty grim, huh?  And it is going to get a lot worse before it gets better.

The thing is, The Rock owns one of the strongest businesses around, and even he has felt a severe pinch.  Smaller business are folding at record rates because no one has the staying power to last a weak market.  Due to excessive taxation, Chrysler Corporation recently filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and sold off all their assets to Fiat.  They merely wanted to get rid of a competitor, not hire the crew or produce the product.

If it seems like, "I told you so," that is because I did. So did most of us.

But that does not end the story, does it?  What happens when a forest suffers a particularly nasty winter? 

Some animals hibernate, others starve, disease runs rampant, and nature culls the weaklings. 

Then those who survive come back strong when spring returns life to the land.  The weaker competition has gone, the grass brings back the deer and elk, the bears come out of their caves, and fish once again migrate. 

America's former robust economy has taken the worst hit since 1929, and that through Executive Branch misfeasance.  This is the economic winter we have all been dreading and it is truly the Democrats' fault.

But like all winters, eventually the ice will melt.

In Jesus' Name, I bid you peace.