We all know Troy. Steady job at a bank. Works hard at conventions in his free time. Cat

lover. He would give the shirt off his back to help his dearest of friends and spends a lot

of time taking care of/helping people.

Unfortunately, Troy’s run into some problems that he is having trouble overcoming.

In December, his stepdad Delmar passed away. Troy doesn’t talk about it much because

he doesn’t want to feel like a burden or draw undue attention to himself. That brought a

dark cloud to Troy, and he, his mother and his son are still adjusting.

He was at a financial spot where he was somewhat solvent and could see the light at the

end of the tunnel on January 1st. But then an Illinois tax levy (which was supposed to be

set up on a requested payment plan) kicked in, subtracting $300 a paycheck from his

work until it is paid off.

Also, now with Delmar’s passing, his mother had an unexpected drop in Social Security

payments.

This has caused a huge financial hardship upon his family. Troy is behind on his car

payments by about $1500. They are behind on his mortgage by around $1200. Troy took

out a ridiculously overpriced loan to keep his phone working to the tune of $900, but

obviously he needs a functional phone for his job. Healthcare costs are skyrocketing for

everyone.

Troy has been scrambling to find extra funds, picking up odd jobs at conventions and

helping friends with random tasks, but the debts keep knocking at his door with no end

in sight for the next 3 months, until the levy is paid off.

He doesn’t like to air his finances, again because he is generally a private person and

does not ever want to impose on anyone. However, I saw a need to help him out and

help him right the ship until he can get caught up on his own. He does have a pay raise

soon but this is not enough to get him back to square one.

This is what he told me his current financial needs are:

$1800 – car loan payments (obviously crucial for work)

$1200 – mortgage payment

$900 – healthcare bills

$1500 – high-interest loans accrued after the tax levy hit to keep main utilities up to

date.

Although Troy already lives with low daily expenses, funds for gas, groceries and cat

food are always needed.

Ultimately he’s not looking for a hand-out. He’s looking for a hand-up.

Thank you for considering and sharing this. I know Troy means a lot to many of you.