Watch your mail very carefully for information sent by your credit cards. Not only are many (AMEX, Citibank, Wells Fargo to name a few that I have personal knowledge of) reducing your overall credit limits but they are beginning to aggressively circumvent your use of credit by changing the terms.
I just got a letter from Citibank giving me the right to opt out of new terms on my existing credit card. The interest rate will go from 14% to 24.99% and can go as high as 29.99% for any new purchases after tomorrow. If I don't agree to that change in terms then I can continue with the current rate on the existing balance (as long as I don't miss a payment or am late with a payment) until the end of the card membership year or the expiration date on the card, whichever is later. At that poing the account will be closed, making any balance remaining payable under the new, higher interest rate.
Thankfully I just had a new card issued with an expiration date of mid-2011 - so I have until then to whittle away at the balance. Others may not be so lucky. You could find your card is expiring soon in which case you'll be paying exhorbitant interest rates.
Don't overlook these letters...I have a feeling we'll be seeing lots more of them being sent out.
12/02/2008
We're underwater (figuratively), but at least we're dry...Venice is under 5 feet of water!
There are amazing photos posted of Venice under water - over 5 feet of it before it began to recede to knee-deep. One of the comments was that it happened so quickly tourists jumped up on cafe tables to stay dry! Combination of heavy rains and wind pushing sea water into the city.
Having just been there a few weeks ago, and it being one of my absolute favorite cities in the world, it was heartbreaking to see the photos. Shops filled with incredibly beautiful Venice Carnival costumes, Venetian (Murano) glass, and so much else with merchandise floating and being destroyed.
Gives me perspective on a day that has left me feeling a bit overwhelmed by the current financial crisis.
http://channels.isp.netscape.com/whatsnew/default.jsp?story=20081202-124...
11/29/2008
Why Can't We Just Enjoy the Holiday We're Celebrating?
The turkey is disappearing fast and suddenly the long weekend is winding down. One child is off to visit her boyfriend's family and the other will be going back to school tomorrow. It's hard to believe that just a short while ago they lived here and I got to see them every day. For those of you with young children, cherish every moment, even the ones that drive you crazy, for they are gone much too fast.
And by tomorrow afternoon quiet will descend on the house once again. Not an uncomfortable quiet, but a lack of "vibrancy" that children, even grown-up ones, bring when they are home. And the day-to-day routine will resume.
In my adult life (i.e., with children) I've always been exhausted by the holidays. And I'm not sure that's just because life is busier with children in it. I feel like I'm being propelled by the media and the advertisers to hurry-up and get ready. I remember my mother lamenting that they were beginning to put Christmas decorations out the day after Thanksgiving...now they are out even before Halloween!
I feel rushed and I resent it; the holidays should be a time to savor and create traditions. When I was a child even Halloween was magical. Now with Christmas decorations already on shelves beside costumes and candy, how can even a child focus on the fun of the holiday at hand? Not just adults are being pushed to thinking about the other holidays fast approaching, but aren't our kids being pushed into the future instead of living in the present?
Our Christmas lights are not going up until December; today I'm still enjoying the holiday we just celebrated.
And by tomorrow afternoon quiet will descend on the house once again. Not an uncomfortable quiet, but a lack of "vibrancy" that children, even grown-up ones, bring when they are home. And the day-to-day routine will resume.
In my adult life (i.e., with children) I've always been exhausted by the holidays. And I'm not sure that's just because life is busier with children in it. I feel like I'm being propelled by the media and the advertisers to hurry-up and get ready. I remember my mother lamenting that they were beginning to put Christmas decorations out the day after Thanksgiving...now they are out even before Halloween!
I feel rushed and I resent it; the holidays should be a time to savor and create traditions. When I was a child even Halloween was magical. Now with Christmas decorations already on shelves beside costumes and candy, how can even a child focus on the fun of the holiday at hand? Not just adults are being pushed to thinking about the other holidays fast approaching, but aren't our kids being pushed into the future instead of living in the present?
Our Christmas lights are not going up until December; today I'm still enjoying the holiday we just celebrated.
11/24/2008
Multi-tasking Isn't Really a Benefit Sometimes
I've been incredibly busy lately. All of the traveling I've done since July (I was only home for 4 days that entire month!) has finally ended. But the build-up of mail and projects and now preparing for the Holidays is keeping me just as overloaded.
I'm realizing that I've been taking a shotgun approach to all of the things that need my attention. That fits in with my ADD personality but it's very counter-productive. So I have made my New Year's Resolutions early this year and, in fact, it is just one. "Do one thing at a time." Think about that. We are a society of multi-taskers. And in some ways it is good and allows us to accomplish more. But what I'm finding is that it contributes greatly to the sense of chaos in my own life.
Kids always bring you back to the important stuff. I found myself continuing to type while having a "conversation" with my 22 year old daughter on speakerphone and she called me on it. "You're not listening to me, are you? I can hear you typing!" It reminded me of when she was a very little girl and I would always tell her "people matter, not things." Well one night I was putting her to bed rather late and my favorite TV show was about to come on. I was trying to rush through our "good nights" and she brought me right back to reality with my own words. She looked me in the eye and in her little girl voice she said, "Mommy, people matter, not things." Needless to say I finished our good night routine at leisure.
And the saddest thing about that story is that I had the VCR set-up to record that program. It wasn't that I was going to miss it, I just wanted to see it right then. My priorities got messed up, big time. And that is what happens when I find myself multi-tasking too much. I'm so busy trying to do several things at once that I forget to prioritize.
So starting today I am making a conscious commitment to focusing on one thing at a time. If I find myself multi-tasking I will stop and re-focus. I'll let you know how it goes.
I'm realizing that I've been taking a shotgun approach to all of the things that need my attention. That fits in with my ADD personality but it's very counter-productive. So I have made my New Year's Resolutions early this year and, in fact, it is just one. "Do one thing at a time." Think about that. We are a society of multi-taskers. And in some ways it is good and allows us to accomplish more. But what I'm finding is that it contributes greatly to the sense of chaos in my own life.
Kids always bring you back to the important stuff. I found myself continuing to type while having a "conversation" with my 22 year old daughter on speakerphone and she called me on it. "You're not listening to me, are you? I can hear you typing!" It reminded me of when she was a very little girl and I would always tell her "people matter, not things." Well one night I was putting her to bed rather late and my favorite TV show was about to come on. I was trying to rush through our "good nights" and she brought me right back to reality with my own words. She looked me in the eye and in her little girl voice she said, "Mommy, people matter, not things." Needless to say I finished our good night routine at leisure.
And the saddest thing about that story is that I had the VCR set-up to record that program. It wasn't that I was going to miss it, I just wanted to see it right then. My priorities got messed up, big time. And that is what happens when I find myself multi-tasking too much. I'm so busy trying to do several things at once that I forget to prioritize.
So starting today I am making a conscious commitment to focusing on one thing at a time. If I find myself multi-tasking I will stop and re-focus. I'll let you know how it goes.
11/21/2008
The Power of a Positive Attitude
I'm always telling our kids, "don't be negative," "keep your thoughts positive." It takes such little effort, but the changes can be dramatic.
I'm always telling our employees that I can "hear" the smile that comes onto their faces when I call and they realize it's me! Our rule is that I want every one of our customers to hear that same voice. Even if you put a phony smile on your face it changes the sound in your voice.
The same with attitude. When you're feeling negative you project that. Haven't you ever walked into a room where two people had been in a disagreement - weren't you able to "feel" the negative vibes?
I always like to use the example of a letter from the IRS - it's just an envelope, just paper inside, but most people getting one will get a physical reaction of some type. A sinking feeling in your stomach, heart beating a little faster, etc. But what if you knew for certain that it held a refund check? A totally different physical response would take place.
So, put on a happy face and see if it doesn't make you feel better...it certainly won't make you feel worse!
I'm always telling our employees that I can "hear" the smile that comes onto their faces when I call and they realize it's me! Our rule is that I want every one of our customers to hear that same voice. Even if you put a phony smile on your face it changes the sound in your voice.
The same with attitude. When you're feeling negative you project that. Haven't you ever walked into a room where two people had been in a disagreement - weren't you able to "feel" the negative vibes?
I always like to use the example of a letter from the IRS - it's just an envelope, just paper inside, but most people getting one will get a physical reaction of some type. A sinking feeling in your stomach, heart beating a little faster, etc. But what if you knew for certain that it held a refund check? A totally different physical response would take place.
So, put on a happy face and see if it doesn't make you feel better...it certainly won't make you feel worse!
11/19/2008
Tax Changes Being Talked About - You Need to Know This
There is a potential bill floating around that would make 401(k) contributions no longer deductible. Are you aware of that? I'll bet many people aren't. But the good news is that they were trying to sneak it through, but enough people heard about it and are now up in arms about it. We may have just dodged a bullet here.
But my point is that if people aren't aware of these types of bills they can be passed without your input to your senators and congresspeople. Staying aware, especially right now, is critical. And so is making your opinion known. I've never been one to step up to the plate on that, myself, so I'm talking to myself here as well! It's easy to send an e-mail or note. They are more "noticed" than a computer generated petition that many good organization provide for you. I'll post a place that you can go on the internet to get the names and e-mail addresses for your representatives at the end of this blog post.
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
But my point is that if people aren't aware of these types of bills they can be passed without your input to your senators and congresspeople. Staying aware, especially right now, is critical. And so is making your opinion known. I've never been one to step up to the plate on that, myself, so I'm talking to myself here as well! It's easy to send an e-mail or note. They are more "noticed" than a computer generated petition that many good organization provide for you. I'll post a place that you can go on the internet to get the names and e-mail addresses for your representatives at the end of this blog post.
So, onto the other issues coming at us. Doing away with the yearly cap on Social Security contributions, along with a possible 5% additional tax on earned income to fund Social Security. Now you would get $600 PER YEAR of additional Social Security at some point when you retire for that 5% - doesn't sound like a fair deal to me!
And there is also talk about making distributions from an S-Corp and LP subject to self-employment tax.
Now, I don't know about you, but I'd say the "middle class" is going to take the brunt of this. I know several small business owners that would get hammered with self-employment tax on distributions; they already pay taxes on paper earnings, not what they actually take in salary from their businesses. And they're already struggling just to keep the doors open in this economic quagmire.
And is $102,000 (the 2008 wage base on Social Security) really considered "high income" these days? Maybe in rural America, but in most metropolitan areas you can barely live on that as a single person, never mind a family. I just looked up on Wikipedia the number of millionaires (and this is based on individuals with a net worth of at least $1 million in all assets except their "primary residence") and there are over 10 million people in the world who fall into that category! About 3 million in the US - and over 38,000 multi-millionaires in the US (assets of over $30 million).
And that's not the end of what is on the table right now. Popularly called the "iTunes tax," there is already a sales tax on digital downloads required to be paid currently in 27 states and the District of Columbia. But there's been talk for a long time about a Streamlined Sales Tax; that seems to have stalled, but the “Internet Tax” has quietly come up again and Congress seems to have decided to bring it back to the table in order to resolve the issue so as to raise taxes quickly.
Here’s a link to a CNET article on the Internet Tax project:
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9919420-7.html
If you want to have a voice in all of these issues, you need to act. Here are the links to how to write to your representatives (put it on your Toolbar so you see it and use it):http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml
11/16/2008
Keeping Balance in Your Life
The last few days I've been thinking about this, and as often happens I read a post by someone on a forum I frequent on this very same topic just this morning.
One of the reasons I've gone a couple of days without making a post is because it's been unseasonably warm here, about 80 degrees. So I cut the chains tying me to my computer and my husband and I took some time for ourselves. Sat in the hot tub in the middle of the day, took a nap, took the dog for a long walk on the beach. Shut down my constantly whirling brain for the majority of the last couple of days.
Am I a little more behind in all that I have to do? Yes, but I'm also feeling less frazzled and more in balance with life again. After all, what am I working so hard for if not ultimately to be able to enjoy life more. But on a day-to-day basis I'm defeating that purpose by not taking time every day to do things that I enjoy. Putting off until tomorrow...we only truly have today, so there needs to be a balance between working towards a goal and enjoying the fleeting moments that we know for certain we have in this life.
Just 6 months ago we lost our 12 year old dog, a beautiful Border Collie that absolutely craved human interaction. She could have cared less about the other dogs at the beach, she was interested in saying hello to their owners! As I would sit typing on my keyboard she would come over and start using her nose to push my arm off of the keyboard. "Hey, give me some attention!" she'd be saying. And all too often I would scold her and tell her I was busy and to lie down. Some days she'd comply, others she would literally push her way up onto my lap, all 50 pounds of her, in about 2 seconds. There was no ignoring her then! I would laugh and give her some attention and then tell her she had to get down.
She fell ill while we where on a trip back east, 3,000 miles away and although we managed to nurse her back from the edge we only got another 2 months with her. And I regret every moment she asked for my attention and I was too "busy" to give it to her.
And yet even with that experience so fresh in my mind I still find it difficult to find the right balance in life. I still find myself putting off until tomorrow. But I'm working on it...you should, too.
One of the reasons I've gone a couple of days without making a post is because it's been unseasonably warm here, about 80 degrees. So I cut the chains tying me to my computer and my husband and I took some time for ourselves. Sat in the hot tub in the middle of the day, took a nap, took the dog for a long walk on the beach. Shut down my constantly whirling brain for the majority of the last couple of days.
Am I a little more behind in all that I have to do? Yes, but I'm also feeling less frazzled and more in balance with life again. After all, what am I working so hard for if not ultimately to be able to enjoy life more. But on a day-to-day basis I'm defeating that purpose by not taking time every day to do things that I enjoy. Putting off until tomorrow...we only truly have today, so there needs to be a balance between working towards a goal and enjoying the fleeting moments that we know for certain we have in this life.
Just 6 months ago we lost our 12 year old dog, a beautiful Border Collie that absolutely craved human interaction. She could have cared less about the other dogs at the beach, she was interested in saying hello to their owners! As I would sit typing on my keyboard she would come over and start using her nose to push my arm off of the keyboard. "Hey, give me some attention!" she'd be saying. And all too often I would scold her and tell her I was busy and to lie down. Some days she'd comply, others she would literally push her way up onto my lap, all 50 pounds of her, in about 2 seconds. There was no ignoring her then! I would laugh and give her some attention and then tell her she had to get down.
She fell ill while we where on a trip back east, 3,000 miles away and although we managed to nurse her back from the edge we only got another 2 months with her. And I regret every moment she asked for my attention and I was too "busy" to give it to her.
And yet even with that experience so fresh in my mind I still find it difficult to find the right balance in life. I still find myself putting off until tomorrow. But I'm working on it...you should, too.
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