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   Elyse M Grasso (elysegrasso@historians.social)'s status on Sunday, 18-Aug-2024 05:47:43 JST Elyse M Grasso

   in reply to

   As a child in the old country, they were so poor that his Mom made him clothes from the cloth panels from an umbrella, but his grandkids all had money toward college from stocks he bought in our names, and there was a little money from investments to supplement Nonna's pension and Social Security: he himself died at 63.
   Doesn't quite fit the usual expectations about class in the US, I guess.

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   • Embed this notice
     Elyse M Grasso (elysegrasso@historians.social)'s status on Sunday, 18-Aug-2024 05:47:44 JST Elyse M Grasso

     Whatever you are familiar with, is normal...
     I am always surprised by reports that most Americans don't own stocks and bonds: most of my college fund came from accumulated tiny stock dividends. So naturally everyone has some stocks and bonds.
     My grandfather had to retire from working in the factory in his 50s because of damage from WWI, so while my grandmother continued working at the coat factory, he took care of the house and invested small amounts of money in the stock market. 1/

     Bill repeated this.