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Old 23-04-2019, 06:08   #1
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Where did I go wrong?

Where did I go wrong?

I worked as a flying doctor for the Indian Health Service in Arizona for $95 an hour. I then came to Florida, and it costs $100 per hour for someone to work on my boat.

I am now retired from my work as a flying doctor and I am happy to know that if I run out of money, I can always return to work in a boatyard in Florida and work for $100 an hour.

There is hope now that I have a fallback plan.

POSITIVE FLYING DOCTOR - IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S AN ADVENTURE - POSITIVE THINKING DOCTOR - DAVID J. ABBOTT M.D.
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Old 23-04-2019, 06:38   #2
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

I charge $120 an hour to repair swimming pool equipment.

I don't keep $120 dollars an hour.....
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Old 23-04-2019, 06:52   #3
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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Originally Posted by ttex View Post
I charge $120 an hour to repair swimming pool equipment.

I don't keep $120 dollars an hour.....


No , but the customer pays it , in full.
Not to focus or aiming on you , but the outrageous professional prices that are going around justify a parallel black market of semi-professionals/skilled DIY'ers that help people out for an acceptable fee .
On this board the advise is even for free .
Good thing !!
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Old 23-04-2019, 06:53   #4
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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I charge $120 an hour to repair swimming pool equipment.

I don't keep $120 dollars an hour.....
Very true that you don’t get to keep the hourly rate. I never figured my real hourly rate after deducting social security, insurance, taxes.....

I would have to take antidepressants if I looked at my hourly rate after deductions.

When we flew out to the Indian Reservations, the King Air 200 cost more than $1300 per hour of flight time.
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Old 23-04-2019, 06:59   #5
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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Originally Posted by bobs View Post
No , but the customer pays it , in full.
Not to focus or aiming on you , but the outrageous professional prices that are going around justify a parallel black market of semi-professionals/skilled DIY'ers that help people out for an acceptable fee .
On this board the advise is even for free .
Good thing !!
We did everything we could comfortably do during our refit. If I had known it would take so long to do the refit, I probably would have taken the time to develop more skills.

The smartest thing I did was have a son who worked for free during the refit. All that free work will be rewarded by a family adventure through the South Pacific and on to Australia. Free crew as well!
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:00   #6
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

I am pretty sure that whoever was paying you charged a lot more than $100 for your services when they sent the bill to the insurance company or the government, tribal or federal. Probably 4 to 5 times as much, just like that $100/hr boat tech who only gets $20/hr.
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:15   #7
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

Whick does not even begin to cover a living wage in the places most people live.

https://www.fatherly.com/news/map-av...each-state-us/
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:26   #8
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

I used to have a marine repair business in NY. I charged, back then, $90 an hour. I dare say it would be over $120 now if I were still there doing that.

I could get all the lawyers, accountants, dentists etc etc that I wanted, a pnone call or two. They were of no real value to me. One is just like the other.

But sunday morning some lawyer or NY money man's boat won't start there was one guy to call. Not two or three or ten......just the one. Me.

I had more work than I could do. Two week terms. Don't pay the bill within two weeks , go elsewhere. Not that they ever did.....cause I was the only guy who actually cared, did a good job and could be aboard your boat within 15 minutes on sunday morning. Wednesday was my day off, 250 rounds of skeet shooting.

Then I retired and went sailing

Mind you, if I didn't do my own work on my boat.....I wouldn't own a boat.

And in answer to your original question......perhaps you didn't look after enough of that $95 an hour to not have to worry so much now. Perhaps?
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:31   #9
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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I am pretty sure that whoever was paying you charged a lot more than $100 for your services when they sent the bill to the insurance company or the government, tribal or federal. Probably 4 to 5 times as much, just like that $100/hr boat tech who only gets $20/hr.
Half of our patients were on Medicaid which was bulk billed by the hospital.

Insurance companies are a different matter.

Blue Cross Blue Shield paid exactly ZERO DOLLARS for a patient visit no matter how complicated. All visits were for free for my first year working in the Indian Health Service. I was just returning off a circumnavigation when I started working for the IHS. Blue cross BS did not cut any slack to returning sailing doctors. My situation did not fit in their insurance algorithms and they put me in the same group as doctors who were in rehab for drug and alcohol treatment.

Really? BCBS paid me exactly Zero Dollars for one year because they put me in the Rehab group. After I had “proven” myself for one year, then they started reimbursement.

I don’t drink, smoke, or use drugs. I committed the ultimate BCBS sin. I went sailing.

Needless to say, I don’t like BCBS.
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:39   #10
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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Whick does not even begin to cover a living wage in the places most people live.

https://www.fatherly.com/news/map-av...each-state-us/
Our taxi driver in Freeport, Bahamas told us the average wage was between $20-$30k in Freeport.

We talked to a Bahamian about how they could afford to buy groceries at Bahamian prices, and they said food takes the majority of their paycheck.

Lots of folks are just getting by.

I don’t know what a living wage is anymore. I guess it comes down to location.
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:40   #11
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Allied39 View Post
I used to have a marine repair business in NY. I charged, back then, $90 an hour. I dare say it would be over $120 now if I were still there doing that.

I could get all the lawyers, accountants, dentists etc etc that I wanted, a pnone call or two. They were of no real value to me. One is just like the other.

But sunday morning some lawyer or NY money man's boat won't start there was one guy to call. Not two or three or ten......just the one. Me.

I had more work than I could do. Two week terms. Don't pay the bill within two weeks , go elsewhere. Not that they ever did.....cause I was the only guy who actually cared, did a good job and could be aboard your boat within 15 minutes on sunday morning. Wednesday was my day off, 250 rounds of skeet shooting.

Then I retired and went sailing

Mind you, if I didn't do my own work on my boat.....I wouldn't own a boat.

And in answer to your original question......perhaps you didn't look after enough of that $95 an hour to not have to worry so much now. Perhaps?
The man who leaves no will has spent his money well.
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Old 23-04-2019, 07:58   #12
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

you went wrong by not taking a business class.
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Old 23-04-2019, 08:02   #13
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

Boat work isn't hard, but a lot of people with boats have more money than skills or time.

Hence, the premium for boat work.

And waterfront property is expensive and there is a limited supply. Hence, the premium for boatyards in desirable locations.

At least now you know the real reason behind your screen name, "maxingout". It's descriptive of the effect of boats on your finances.
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Old 23-04-2019, 08:06   #14
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

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I don’t know what a living wage is anymore. I guess it comes down to location.
Yes costs vary by location.

But my point is the expectation of the sort of life a parent can offer their kids in a working class job,

the way the economy is structured now, compared to 40-60 years ago,

most USians might as well be living in a later-developing nation.

Even if the income is great now, few have decent benefits, or any stability / predictability.

And yet "the economy" is doing great they say. Great for whom? How that's defined only takes into account corporate profits, not living standards of the common people.

So of course if a skilled person can charge $100+ per hour, more power to them, that's what it takes now to overall support a standard of living a factory worker used to be able to take for granted.

Those getting the $20 are barely scraping by, just one emergency away from abject financial disaster and lifetime poverty.
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Old 23-04-2019, 08:27   #15
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Re: Where did I go wrong?

Welcome to fl. boatyards, problem being the workers are making 12-15 a hour the yards the rest, thieves...... I charge 28 a hour plus travel.
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