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@Allabord4Jah You might consider doing research on this topic in the Watchtower online library. There have been immigration and refugee crises all over the world for decades or longer, affecting many of the friends and congregations, so the organization must be very aware of many situations involving matters of immigration status. If you notice that it hasn’t been a topic addressed frequently or in much detail in publications, talks, etc, what could that mean?

What is alarming about what is happening now is that it seems there are people who have been deported and detained without due process. That is sort of like if a baptized publisher in a congregation was perceived as doing something wrong, and then immediately removed from the congregation without a committee of elders and the whole process that goes along with that. Here in Massachusetts, a high school student who had been in this country since he was 6 years old, on a student visa that expired, was taken by ICE and then placed in detention in poor conditions with men much older than him. According to news reports, this kid had no criminal record. The government even wanted to transfer him to another state where it would have been more difficult for his family to contact him. He was released to his family on bond a couple of days ago. (https://www.wbur.org/news/2025/06/05/milford-high-student-in-ice-detention-ordered-released-by-immigration-judge) Someone like this has done absolutely nothing wrong in the eyes of Jehovah. Someone could have expired “papers” through no fault of their own and be complying with every rule and law to establish their legal status—I don’t know if that was the case with this kid, but it certainly is with lots of people. And while their case is pending it seems they can still be subject to detention and deportation in inhumane ways. In this crazy system, governments do things that violate their own laws. So let’s not assume our brothers and sisters in this boat are doing anything illegal.

Hopefully it is reassuring to know that is NOT the case for most if not all of our brothers and sisters who are undocumented.

Immigration law and processes change frequently, are super complicated to navigate and it is much more common than you think for people to become undocumented unintentionally due to misunderstandings or “time and unforeseen occurence.” Someone who overstays their visa due to circumstances, doesn’t receive a notice in the mail on time, who has to miss an appointment for reasons outside their control, or whose case is mismanaged by the government itself can end up undocumented and in limbo for years. That is NOT considered a crime. It’s a civil violation. But many people see it differently because immigration has become highly politicized in the U.S. Have you ever known anyone who prepares food out of their home and sells it as an informal business or side hustle? I have known lots of Witnesses who do this. That is also a civil violation in the U.S. because all small food businesses, even home-based ones, are supposed to have permits and follow certain laws and ordinances. I have been close to several brothers and sisters who don’t have papers and it really can put them in an impossible situation. They face a lot of challenges here and live with a lot of fear. Some people don’t have a home or job or family to return to and just don’t have the money for the enormous expense of moving to another country. For some people leaving would mean abandoning forever children born in the U.S. or a marriage mate they met in the U.S. How can someone make that choice in good conscience? I also knew friends who came illegally before they came into the truth. Many people were misinformed or given the wrong expectations. This terrible system puts people in all kinds of terrible situations. For a lot of people, going home is just not an option. So it’s something that it’s impossible to be dogmatic about. 30 years ago I knew a sister who had to go back to her home country and then be sponsored by someone in the U.S. to come back legally and made big sacrifices to do that. But in this climate it is difficult to see that being possible anymore. Others have to remain undocumented in the US and work with a lawyer or legal services here in the U.S. until they can get their status straightened out, which can take years. In the meantime they still pay Caesar’s things to Caesar by paying taxes, obeying the law and being a good citizen like all of us do.

I feel you @coony77. People who are happy living alone, don’t need family, great! Good for you! But I am not one of those people. I have many many friends. What I miss the most is having an adult who I feel comfortable with around at home doing their own stuff while I do my own stuff.

@computerwiz sorry if my response above sounded salty, I do appreciate the time you took to reply. I just am very acutely aware that it is not a financially ideal situation—so what you say is not “news,” lol. I’ve gone through my budget with a fine-toothed comb and just trying to make the best of what I’ve got.

Um, duh! I was not planning to be in this situation. My question was because I am very aware that I am late starting due to life circumstances not fully within my control. I am VERY aware that I am in a bind. I also live in a much higher cost of living area than you do (Boston). I have a modest condo. I do take care of my health but with chronic illness my health costs are probably higher than most. I know I will need to live very modestly in retirement. Saving $1,750 a month is completely unrealistic and impossible for me right now. I am a single parent working full-time (albeit in a much better situation than many single moms), my daughter’s well-being is my priority, I won’t get the chance to do over this time, and I am just trying to figure out how to keep all the plates spinning and make it all work! But thanks for the other tips!

Hola investors and personal finance enthusiasts. I really need advice and I guess I am putting a lot out there. Mods, would you give me permission to delete at least part of this after a day or two? I have a goal of working part-time for family/spiritual/health reasons. I made a budget and have been scouring it for ways to cut back but I can't make the numbers work! One question I have--is it worth it to scale way down on saving for retirement for the next five years while it's important to be more present for my tween? What's the minimum I could put towards retirement and still have enough to retire at 65-67? And don't suggest crypto, lol! I am about 18 years away from retirement and only started seriously saving for it last year, due to life circumstances. Last year I finished paying off credit card debt, built up an emergency fund and since my job did not provide retirement benefits, I opened a ROTH IRA with Fidelity and there is $12,600 in it now. It has a YTD 4.62%. I opened with the intention of investing but once I started researching, I realized I just don't have time to do all the research, monitor, and re-balance, etc. to do it in a way that makes sense--my life is very busy right now. And I just felt very nervous about making a mistake. So I am thinking about converting the whole thing to a ROTH IRA Fidelity Go account which will be managed by robo advisors. (Isn't 2024 wild? Who would have thought I'd be typing those words ten years ago.) Over the last year I had to deplete my emergency fund and some credit card debt crept back in. So I reduced what I was putting into my IRA from $500/mo to $150 so that I can prioritize first paying off the cc debt, then build 3-6 months of emergency savings back up. Savings are in a high-performance savings account (3.80%) at Capital One. Meanwhile, I started a job that has retirement benefits. I can make pre-tax or post-tax contributions to a 403(b) plan up to the set IRS limits. The benefits guide says: "Upon hire, all employees are automatically enrolled in a 403(b) plan at a deferral pre-tax percentage of 2%. After one year of service, [company] will match fifty cents on the dollar for the first 4% of employee contributions." I have a small pension account from being vested in a different state's retirement system from a previous job. The estimate for the monthly benefit amount is currently about $510/mo. What should I do with this account? Keep as is or roll it over somewhere? Finally, right now a big spending priority is travel to see my family in FL every year, about 1 or 2x/year and as my parents get older--my mom is in her mid-70s right now--I feel it's very important go more frequently. It costs at least $2000 per visit. (Moving closer to them is not an option for me right now and they won't move closer to me). I guess my question is - what is the minimum I could save for retirement right now?

I bet there is! Have you asked around in your own and neighboring congregations? Also, caregiving is a big responsibility so if you aren't already, it helps to be open and clear about the number of hours per week you need them to cover, and how much they will earn vs how much time they will have to do outside work if they need to. At that age most sisters have healthcare costs of their own, are helping other family members, might have a car payment, likely need to save for their own retirement. Are you open to sisters of all ages to make it more likely you find someone?

I hope you find someone! So weird, I was just exactly this second thinking about whether I should figure out how to plan for an arrangement like this for when I get old. (I work in senior services and while I strongly believe it is necessary to have some kind of plan in place for old age, the cost of long-term care like a nursing home or skilled home nursing is so expensive that it is impossible for most people to save enough to pay for it out of pocket!)

Can you reach out to someone in the French-speaking congregation or group and ask if you can support any letter-writing or telephone witnessing arrangements they have from home, or maybe once a month or something if your schedule permits? Or write to the branch in your area to ask? I remembered there has been some guidance discouraging online witnessing: https://wol.jw.org/en/wol/d/r1/lp-e/202015244?q=ministry+online&p=par

You might really appreciate this book, Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean: https://www.amazon.com/Magnesium-Miracle-Revised-Updated/dp/034549458X

yes it was!

I didn’t make any personal attack or express a political opinion. I only said facts. https://godblesstheusabible.com/? We live in a crazy world! We know that the Bible prophesied that Babylon the Great would form alliances with world governments, and we see it happening in a very obvious way right now in the U.S. It DOES NOT mean we align ourselves with any other party or government, stop paying taxes, or go out and protest. Being neutral means we can observe political events and governments from the Bible’s perspective. If anyone feels defensive about this observation being made in reference to the U.S. president-elect, that may signal a need to readjust one’s neutrality.

I haven’t said anything about policy or anything in favor of the other candidate or any political party. I did quote Bible prophecy! There is no candidate that is more aligned with Bible principles than any other, and none whose policies reflect Jehovah’s perfect justice. My vote stays with the Kingdom.