JW members and 401Ks...

diana netherton

I just would like to open a little debate here on retirement and JWs.

My mother, who is the breadwinner of the family, (dad's quite pathetic) is socking away money like mad for retirement. I can't blame her, since I know she'll need it, BUT she's convinced that the end is so near. So if the end is so near, why bother? I feel like asking her this question but don't want to add salt to the wound. But if the end is so imminent, why save? Do you think this is a sign of doubt on her part?

Anyone want to add their two cents of retirement to this?

Jadeen

Don't complain. My mom is in her 50's, works full time, does not have a 401k. Not much in her savings account either. I'm hoping that my dad is a bit more responsible, because guess who will get to support them in their old age?

edited to add- my dad was telling me about his plan to get their house paid off within 10 years. I thought the same thing as you- Why? Isn't "the end" close?

juci32

Well my hubby is the opposite. He doesn't like to save! dig this.. I asked him did he wanna move into a house when our lease is up next year and guess what he told me? He says, " I'm hoping to be in the "new world" by then" Puh!!!!!!!! So much for planning ahead....

lovelylil2

I would just leave it alone. If you say something she may feel she is not trusting in Jehovah enough and to be a better example to you, may stop putting away money. And that would be terrible. You know how much JW's want to look faithful in peoples eyes trying to "win them over" to God?

Be happy she is saving because the WT does not care one iota for their elderly members. Unlike Christendoms other churches they will not provide food, shelter or any other aide to your mom in her old age if she was in need. If I were you, I would encourage her to save as much as she can "just in case".

sspo

"The end is near", it's something they say and repeat just to make themselves look " spiritual"

but down deep they know they might die and never see the new system like most of their

friends that have passed away. Your mother is just being wise, she knows the new system might not show up.

sir82

Be grateful. There's a 60ish elder in our congregation who, due to poor planning and poor investments, finds himself virtually broke. House was foreclosed, he & his wife had to move in their daughter, son-in-law, and grandchild.

If your mom is "saving like mad" now, it's less likely you'll have "permanent houseguests" in the future.

undercover

I'd encourage her to save. That's good. A small part of her, deep down, realizes that she needs to plan for the future.

My in-laws are similar. In one ten minute conversation they can go from talking about the end coming any time to talking about how they're scrimping and saving so they can make it till their 90 (which they figure they'll both be dead by then). It boggles the mind to try to keep up with their logic, but as long as they've got a plan that allows them to be independant and we don't have to support them monetarily, I'm keeping my mouth shut.

diana netherton

Yeah, you're all right, of course. I should be glad she's saving but I guess it does mean that she has doubts.

Scott77

diana netherton , i do not remember the bible scripture that says the schrewdness is the one who has seen the calamity and take his step. Your mom has seen what would happen if she does not save. With Social Security projected to dwindle down to complete depletion comes 2040s, your mom needs to have a cushion to fall on comes the hard times. Please, think of those exbethelites who have literally worked their lives over the many years and never saved a peny. After being kicked out to the curb, life has been harder for them. Certailnly, your mom wants to avoid a life like that.

Scott77

TheSilence

I can do you one better: My dad's will states that when and if he dies his body is to be donated to scientific research. Why? Won't Jehovah be doing away with any maladies that such scientific research would help to treat and prevent? His body will be donated specifically to cancer research since he had 4th stage throat cancer, was not expected to live, and survived with a combination of non-traditional and traditional medicine with an extremely heavy leaning toward the non-traditional medicine. The doctors are interested in studying his body after he dies for this reason. But, again, won't Jehovah be eliminating cancer well before the doctors could really benefit from anything they learned from studying him?

I recommend you do what I do: don't mention the incongruity between their acts and their beliefs. It would only prevent my dad from doing some good that is important to him. And in your case it might prevent your mom from doing something beneficial for her future. If they feel their actions are 'stumbling' us it will not make them question their beliefs, it will make them question whether or not they should continue on a course that makes us think they don't believe and therefore may dissuade us from coming back.

I would love to believe that my dad's actions mean that he has doubts, but I've just seen him do too many other things that convince me he still believes, and believes devoutly, that he has the truth. I won't lie to him about what I believe. I see no reason to lie to myself about what he believes. I gave up on false hopes a long time ago. If I was going to hope for something that wasn't true I would still believe in the paradise earth, not that my dad might secretly be harboring doubts when I know he isn't. These days I would rather hope for things like my niece making the cheerleading team because it's important to her or my grandparents selling their house quickly so they can move into something more managable for them where I won't have to worry every time I take them grocery shopping that my grandma is going to fall down the stairs just trying to get to the car or hoping that neither of my parents' cancer recurs or hope that my nephews are always as excited to see Aunt Jackie as they are now {though that's probably a false hope, too, little boys do grow up ;) } or hoping that the weather is beautiful in May so I can take all my nieces and nephews to Grant's Farm and the St. Louis Zoo. There are just so many better things to hope for that actually may come to fruition for me to waste time and energy on something that will ultimately disappoint me when it turns out not to be.

Don't get me wrong, I would be ecstatic if my dad ever got out. But being realistic I know that at this point it's exceedingly unlikely and there are just better things to focus on these days than worrying about what my dad does or does not believe. What a beautiful life it is. :)

Jackie

JW members and 401Ks...

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