Don't Want Your Adult Children Back Home? Here's An Alternative.

keith's child support (Photo credit: Sean Durham)

Everybody knows that many families moved in together to help each other out during the Great Recession, but new data from the U.S. Census bureau highlights another approach: handouts to family members to help them make it on their own. Call it allowance for grown-ups. To the tune of $567 a month on average.

About 2.1 million “providers” supported people other than their children under 21 who didn’t live with them in 2010, according to U.S. Census statistics in Support Providers: 2010. While 32% of these folks supported their parents, 34% supported their adult children (21 and older). On average they handed over $6,809 in 2010. That works out to $567 a month–like another car payment. By comparison, 4.8 million parents paid out an average $5,140 in child support to children under 21 in 2010. That works out to $428 a month.

The providers who are helping extended family members had an average family income of $83,250. (Providers who support children under 21 had an average family income of $57,000.) While most (70%) support one additional adult, 22% support 2 people and 8% support 3 or more people.

The statistics come from a national survey about the social and economic well-being of individuals and households. A prior survey in 2005 also showed 2.1 million providers supporting those other than children under 21, at an average of $5,329 or $444 a month. But then only 26%–compared to 34% now– were supporting children 21 and older.

Three-quarters of these adult children being supported live in a private home or apartment (as opposed to another setting like a college campus). Luxury? Maybe compared to the reality of young adults moving back home.

The Census Bureau confirmed the house share trend in another recent report, Sharing A Household: Household Composition and Economic Well-Being: 2007-2010. That report found that shared households increased 11.4% from 2007 to 2010 for a total of 22 million shared households, with individuals aged 25 to 34 making up 45% of the increase in additional adults per household. An additional adult was defined as an adult 18 or older, not enrolled in school, and neither the head of the house, the spouse or a cohabiting partner of the head of the house.

Would you rather move back home or get a handout?

By Ashlea Ebeling, Forbes Staff

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The fruit of loving kindness

 Monk turns barren land into thriving orchard at hermitage

IMAGINE a meditation centre right smack in the hills of Balik Pulau, Penang, and surrounded by a sprawling 2ha orchard estimated to be as big as five football fields.

Welcome to the almost surreal world of Santarama Buddhist Hermitage Society, a serene retreat set up by a Buddhist monk and his followers about 16 years ago.

Bhikkhu Nando, fondly known as Praho, is the resident monk of the centre with its adjoining orchard bursting with an assortment of durian, rambutan and other seasonal fruit trees.

Today, the orchard is run by two workers but it was once almost single-handedly managed by Praho.

Through his labour of love, the 60-year-old monk has helped turn what was once a piece of barren land into a bountiful orchard which he shares the fruits with his followers and neighbours.

“It was a piece of botak (barren) land with only a few trees when my followers bought it in 1996 to build a meditation centre.

“As there were no proper access roads into the orchard, I had to walk in carrying tools and soil,” he said in an interview.

Praho said he decided to plant fruit trees for the benefit of the next generation since the land was fertile for growing fruits

It was no easy task though. Due to its sheer size, it took him about five years to plant the trees and ensure they grow healthily.

“But I didn’t feel it was a tough job. It was fate, and I’m satisfied because I knew someday people will benefit from this,” he said matter-of-factly.

In the early days, his daily routine included working on the orchard every morning after sunrise, with the rest of the time spent on meditation and cleaning.

“I also do some reading, especially The Star which is how I get updates on the outside world,” he smiled.

Praho also spoke of several life-threatening moments in his orchard when clearing the undergrowth in the past.

“I came across a cobra or a python a few times. I was stunned for a second but I did not run away to avoid being attacked.

“I prayed in my heart, and each time the snake slowly went away. Thanks to Buddha, I am safe,” he said.

Despite having numerous durian, rambutan, mangosteen, cempedak, papaya, nutmeg and lime trees, he has no intention of selling them.

“I give the fruits to my followers and the people living around here,” he said, adding that the fruits were not meant for commercial purposes.

Praho cited an incident when a man was caught stealing fruits in the orchard.

“He had been doing it a few times but one day I caught him in action and told him it is a great sin to steal from a religious place.

“I said he could get the fruits free if he asked for them. I never saw him again after that,” he laughed, adding the centre was also broken into four times but only a small amount of money was taken.

On why he joined monkhood, Praho said he renounced earthly pleasures to be a Theravada monk in 1982 at the age of 29 after witnessing a series of unhappiness and sufferings.

“I never thought I would end up as a monk one day,” he said.

“I was born to a poor family and had six siblings, and I was ill when I was small.

“Due to an unfortunate incident at school, I became paralysed at the age of 15. I vowed that if I were to recover, I would become a monk for a month. After two years, I recovered,” he added.

He said he then became a wireman and later realised that life was impermanent.

“Life is meaningless if you are rich but living in fear.

“Anything can happen anytime,” he said.

“I couldn’t stand to see the sufferings people have to endure, and decided to become a monk and spread the teachings of Buddha,” he added.

There is a 10m Bodhi tree which was planted when the centre was opened, two halls and 14 huts (kutty) for meditation.

Local and foreign monks would arrive at the centre occasionally for meditation.

The centre is located at 138 Mukim 5, Balik Pulau, Penang. It is accessible through a small road, beside the Penang Municipal Council-cum-Social Welfare Department building, next to the market-hawker complex.

By OH CHIN ENG chineng@thestar.com.my  

Related:

Penang Chu Bi Chu Bi Club: Balik Pulau ride and hermitage visit 

Reaping rewards from hot crop grown at home  Jun 15, 2012 

Penang cendol, perfect ingredients; could it be the same of Malaysian politics?  Jun 19, 2012

Lawyer fleeced millions from victims in property scam

Lawyer on the run

 KUALA LUMPUR : A 44-year-old lawyer is said to be on the run with millions of ringgit from a get-rich-quick scheme involving properties in the Klang Valley.

The man is alleged to be the mastermind behind a syndicate which had duped more than 500 investors nationwide into parting with between RM25,000 and RM80,000 each under a racket similar to the Ponzi scheme.

Over the short span of about a year that the scheme was active, the syndicate also took ownership of more than 200 properties mainly apartments and flats units worth about RM15 million under the lawyer’s name and several of his proxies.

According to sources, the syndicate had offered a list of properties it owned to investors for low prices on a deal to help them re-sell it at much higher prices.

Upon the victims picking the property of their choice and settling payment in full, the syndicate produced fake sale-and-purchase and ownership documents.

With the dud documents, the victims were given the notion that they were the new owners of the property and were assured of earning rental income from it until it is sold at a profit.

Police learnt that the ownership of the properties never changed hands and went on to remain in the names of the syndicate members.

The “sold” properties were then “resold” several times again to other potential investors who were also given fake ownership documentation.

Last year, several investors who realised they had been fleeced by the syndicate lodged police reports at the Brickfields police station.

An investigation was initiated by the police Commercial Crime Investigation Department (CCID) after elements of fraud and illegal deposit-taking was found in the case.

On getting wind that the authorities were looking for him, the lawyer, his accomplices and proxies fled the country together with their ill-gotten gains.

Earlier this year, the Special Task Force (Operations and Terrorism) Department’s anti-money laundering branch was roped in to assist in the probe.

After months of painstakingly compiling a list of the said properties, the investigation team obtained a court order two weeks ago to seize 79 flats and apartment units out of the 188 police had identified.

Federal special task force director Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Fuzi Harun told theSun that police have sought the help of Interpol to track down the mastermind and his accomplices.

“Most of the victims were retirees and senior citizens from the middle and low-income groups who lost either a large portion or all of their life savings.

“When we checked, several dozens of the ‘houses’ sold by the syndicate did not even exist or were not up for sale at all. The victims did not appear to own any of the properties.

“They were merely given falsified and fake documents. We have identified 188 and seized 79 properties so far but we believe there are more out there which we are trying to trace, he said, adding that Malaysian police have alerted Interpol to be on the lookout for the suspects who have gone into hiding overseas.

Mohamad Fuzi said police believe there are hundreds of people who have been fleeced in the racket and have yet to lodge police reports.
He advised them to come forward to assist police investigations.

The case is being probed as cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code while the seizure of properties were made under Section 41 of the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorism Financing Act (Amla).

Charles Ramendran newsdesk@thesundaily.com 

http://www.malaysianbar.org.my/legal/general_news/lawyer_on_the_run.html