As we chatted about my finances and the general state of the world she said, "Well, at least I know I'll have company; I won't starve alone!" I'm a sole proprietor; she works on commission. 

One of my clients' favorite sayings is "We may not have come over on the same ship, but we're all in the same boat."  We should all remember this - in good times and bad. I joked that the ten bucks refund on my initial premium was enough to buy magic markers and cardboard for those signs we may soon be holding on street corners.  (Think "Will Think for Food" will work? ;-) 

I ended the call thanking her for her help trying to manage my rapidly dwindling retirement fund - and giving her my sympathy for her tough job.  It can't be fun working in the financial services sector these days (unless you're that clueless bunch of execs at AIG.  Pheasant hunting???) 

So, let's all remember we're in this together.   Make your financial planner's (or CPA's or attorney's) day.  Call to say "How are you doing?"   And, it costs us nothing to smile at anybody providing services to us.

P.S. Yes, this blog post is a bit irreverent.  But, let's keep perspective.  There are many people out there (including probably some of your neighbors) who are one paycheck away from the street.  And, there are hard-working families who are forced to "shop" at the local food bank. Let's do our best to help where we can.