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I have a home-based business that I can fall back on & work full time, but she has absolutely nothing to fall back on.

On the health insurance issue, my fiance’ covers mine b/c his premiums are less than half for both of us than what mine would be alone. This is mainly due to the fact that we have a couple of very unhealthy people in our firm. It is a small company, so the average really only helps those who would otherwise have even larger premiums.

My wife’s company is very small (just 9 people) and they can’t afford to offer insurance to anybody, in part because they’d have to offer it to everbody, and she’d make the premiums far too expensive. They all either rely on their spouses, or just risk it.

My job is pretty secure, but if I did lose it I’d at least have access to COBRA at my current employer’s (risk-pooled) rate – much less than I’d pay on my own – while I looked for a new job with a big employer. Again, one of the unsung advantages of working for a mid-size to large employer.

Sigh.

at least combine both of them first

I’m not trying to suggest that everyone quit their job this week, but if you want to work for yourself it isn’t going to happen on its own.

I consider myself a very hard worker and I would love to work for myself, but, these days, I put the idea out of my head and tell myself that I’m lucky to have a job and health insurance, etc. and I should just stay put. Does anyone else think this way? Am I just using the economic state as an excuse to stay where I’m comfortable?

One of the main benefits of mid-to-large companies is employer-paid, or at least employer-risk-pooled, healthcare. I make less than I could, and don’t work on things that I think would improve people’s lives, chiefly so that I don’t have to bury my wife.

I need a VERY reliable web server. I therefore wondered if you have any hosting advice in general, and where you have your dedicated web server in particular.