So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

[Bricktop]

Well he ain't making the $110,000 he used to after being waived by SALT LAKE then resigned for $30,000 after no other team picked him up. Him better send di wife who dropped outta nursing school fi go look a job.

[Naminirt]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

when he got waive he played inthe 2-1 defeat to tChicago yesterday ?

[Reggae-Fan]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Bricktop (2/18/2007)Well he ain't making the $110,000 he used to after being waived by SALT LAKE then resigned for $30,000 after no other team picked him up. Him better send di wife who dropped outta nursing school fi go look a job.

Only in the MLS.

[OJ]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Andy deserved better. Was hoping Toronto FC would pick him up especially as he would count as a domestic player.

[Tilla]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Andy may need to make certain life-style changes. If I am not mistken, he had bought some $375K home in Salt Lake City and they were driving some expensive cars. It is going t be difficult maintaining that lifestyle on $30K. As a matter of fact, it should have been difficult maintaining it on $110K.

It seems as if he will have to sell the house, lose money off the sale and move again.

[Farmah]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

US$110,000 per year is nothing to scoff at.

But as I told a little black brotha the other day, it's not so much about what you make but, rather, how you spend it. This was in a response to him about not being able to survive off his close to US$7,000 per month take-home salary.

Though I did not quote him the old adage, the thought traversed my mind as I looked at him. Somewhere in the old days a wise old person once said, ''a fool and his money will soon part.''

I don't know where most forumites live but I can say that here in Florida, $110,000 per year is a very comfortable salary. I know quite a few professionals who make less than that yearly and they are living quite well, thank you!

In today's marketplace where the consumer is urged to buy, buy buy, the black manseems like the major target. This I say because it seems we are caught up in forever buying the latest this and the latest that, unconciously passing on the trait to our offsprings as the major consumers within the maketplace. Icould be wrong and I hope I'm wrong when I say that we (blacks) tend to shop in order to keep up with the Joneses.

In my household we base our purchases upon ''needs'' rather than ''wants.'' And educational pursuits take precedence over a pair of Nike or Reebok, everytime. Good economics means smart spending. And smart spending to my family means: cooking more and going out to eat less; not changing your cell phone everytime a new model comes out; investing; buying real estate instead of luxury cars (afterall, real estate tends to appreciate while autos will depreciate); taking lunch to work instead of spending $6 to $12 daily on lunch; etc.

The Andy Williams financial dillemawas avoidable. I know the economists declared that consumption is a function of income. And this was commented upon by my little black brotha whose retort was''money mek fi spend.''Maybe Andy took the same route.

There's a chance though that Andy has learned his lesson well and has been (since the publication of that infamous article) doing the right things.

The MLS and RSL have done him wrong if they have waived him and he is now forced to re-sign for a paltry $30,000 per year. Yes, in some corners of the USA a family can live off that amount, with supplements here and subsidies there. But the man, given his years of service to the MLS deserves better. There should a grandfather clause which guarantees him a minimum amount of about $100,000 per in the MLS.

If Andy has really lost that major chunk of his salary, then a wise thing for him to do immediately is to put his house up for sale. I think he could make a profit now rather than keeping it and run the risk of late payments, foreclosure notices, bad credits and possible evictions. There will always be another lovely home to buy when he once again steadies his financies.

That said, it would behoove us to take a look at how we spend our money, as nothing is guaranteed to us. So I would like to reiterate the point that it's not how much you make, but how you spend it.

[Shatta]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Andy was getting lazy and lacked drive. Sometimes a man need that kick in the rear to get him going again. Andy needs to move overseas and go look for a job he is too comfortable in the MLS.

If everyone else can do it why can't Andy? Tappa was playing well into his old age and Goodison is making a decent living in the lower leagues of England.

When one door is close many more is open

best of luck to you Mr Williams

[Farmah]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Well he certainly could do better interms of trying out the lower divisions in Endgland, with the hope of moving up. His biggest hrdle now that he is tied down with a wife and kids. Mrs Williams should help to facilitate a move to England by easing the immediate financial burdens off Andy's shoulders.

Andy has lots of contacts in England, when one take into consideration his many former national team-mates who play in England. If the contacts are there use them! Even if he has to pay his own fare to England and foot his own expenses during the trial period(s). Pepe Goodison did it, buying his own ticket and paying his expenses until Tranmere eventually gave him a contract.

At 29 years of age the ball is still in Andy's court. He could still contribute usefully for another 4 or 5 years in the English league. But he has to prepare to hit rock-bottom during the early phases, until he inks a deal.

[Tilla]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

Farmah,I do not see where anyone on here was even suggesting that one cannot live off $110K per year? The issue is that his salary will now be cut to $30K (a reduction of $77K per year).

A part of Andy's problem is he needs to get some stability in his life in terms of where he lives before he contemplates buying a house. For a man who has moved around so much, I am sure that he must have lost money off buying and selling during such a short periods of residence insome areas.

Selling of the house is a good idea too, although he might lose some money there. Hopefully in the couple years he is in SLC his property appreciated enough in value to offset any of the losses he could incur with selling. Also, with the housing market slowing down, it could be some time before th house gets sold.

I wish him luck as it is not going to be easy for him in the coming months. Maybe he should see what he could pick up in Sweden or some other European country.

[Farmah]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

I took a look at my post and it did give that ambiguity as if I were accusing ones of saying Andy couldn't survive off the 110K/year. My intent was not to accuse anyone but instead to drive home the point that 110K was a very good sum and that Andy did poorly managing his funds.

That said, I do hope he can turn things in his favour. But first he has to realise that the problem lies not in his earnings but, instead, in the way he choses to spend it.

Whe granny used to seh again: ''no heng yuh hat whe yuh han' caan reach it.''

[Tilla]

RE: So ANDY WILLIAMS thought he had money problems before?

''no heng yuh hat whe yuh han' caan reach it.''

Therein lies the problem. With a little better control over his spendings, he could have done much better with that sum. It is going to be hard on $30K though, nuh matter how yuh cut it. Take for example, his mortgage is $2400 per month ($28,800 per year), that does not leave anything to buy food, pay utilities, child care, give Uncle Sam his etc, etc.

My other question is, can he not change his status to a US resident so he is not counting against his teams' foreign quota? How long now has Andy lived in the US and playing in MLS? Man, you see people coming here for 3 years to work on H1 visas and before they have completed the three years, they have their employer file for change of status.

Also, if his wife had gone on to finish her nursing, then she could influence a change of their status to get Andy a more stable position with his teams. Man, what a tangled web they weave?