Posted by
Bruce Moore on Monday, November 17, 2008 at 2:53 PM
Categories:
Miscellaneous
OK, now that you are getting married, what about those accounts you already have? Even though you may be splitting up who pays the mortgage vs. who pays for food vs. utilities vs. gas and oil etc., you may want to have your spouse as a signer on your accounts in case you are in an accident or are otherwise incapacitated.
Updating your beneficiaries. If you elect to name your spouse as beneficiary of your employer-sponsored pension plans, IRAs and insurance policies, request and complete the required paperwork for beneficiary designation changes as soon as possible. Making these changes is a detail that many newlyweds overlook, and the oversight can be catastrophic for the surviving spouse if tragedy strikes.
Maintaining your own financial identity. When it comes to establishing credit, togetherness has its limits. A good way to keep your own credit rating is by maintaining a charge card in your name only. That way you are more likely to be able to get individual credit should you ever be in a situation where you need it.
Posted by
Bruce Moore on Thursday, November 06, 2008 at 1:35 PM
Categories:
Miscellaneous
In part 1, we talked about getting started in finances in a marriage regarding who owns what, and when it makes sense to separate your transactions. This time, let’s talk insurance.
Getting the insurance protection you need. If both of you are covered by health insurance through your employer, determine how much your employer is paying on your behalf, or you may find that it is more economical to combine your coverage under one of the plans. After carefully comparing benefit plans, you can choose the one that offers the protection you need for the most affordable cost.
You’ll also want to reevaluate the amount of life insurance you now need based on your level of dependence on each other’s income. If you are equal wage earners, the limits of protection you choose will be different than if one partner is the primary breadwinner. An insurance professional can be a valuable resource in helping you select the right coverage limits.
Posted by
Tim Eckstrom on Saturday, November 01, 2008 at 12:34 PM
Categories:
Leadership Development,
Executive Coaching,
Miscellaneous
A few years ago I ran across the following story. I hope that you enjoy it.
The older I get, the more I enjoy Saturday mornings. Perhaps it's the quiet solitude that comes with being the first to rise, or maybe it's the unbounded joy of not having to be at work. Either way, the first few hours of a Saturday morning are most enjoyable. A few weeks ago, I was shuffling toward the basement shack with a steaming cup of coffee in one hand and the morning paper in the other. What began as a typical Saturday morning, turned into one of those lessons that life seems to hand you from time to time.
Let me tell you about it. I turned the dial up into the phone portion of the band on my ham radio in order to listen to a Saturday morning swap net. Along the way, I came across an older sounding chap, with a tremendous signal and a golden voice. You know the kind, he sounded like he should be in the broadcasting business. He was telling whoever he was talking with something about "a thousand marbles".
I was intrigued and stopped to listen to what he had to say. "Well, Tom, it sure sounds like you're busy with your job. I'm sure they pay you well but it's a shame you have to be away from home and your family so much. Hard to believe a young fellow should have to work sixty or seventy hours a week to make ends meet. Too bad you missed your daughter's dance recital." He continued, "Let me tell you something Tom, something that has helped me keep a good perspective on my own priorities." And that's when he began to explain his theory of a "thousand marbles."
"You see, I sat down one day and did a little arithmetic. The average person lives about seventy-five years. I know, some live more and some live less, but on average, folks live about seventy-five years." "Now then, I multiplied 75 times 52 and I came up with 3900 which is the number of Saturdays that the average person has in their entire lifetime. Now stick with me Tom, I'm getting to the important part." "It took me until I was fifty-five years old to think about all this in any detail", he went on, "and by that time I had lived through over twenty-eight hundred Saturdays."
"I got to thinking that if I lived to be seventy-five, I only had about a thousand of them left to enjoy." "So I went to a toy store and bought every single marble they had. I ended up having to visit three toy stores to round-up 1000 marbles. I took them home and put them inside of a large, clear plastic container right here in the shack next to my gear. Every Saturday since then, I have taken one marble out and thrown it away." "I found that by watching the marbles diminish, I focused more on the really important things in life. There is nothing like watching your time here on this earth run out to help get your priorities straight."
"Now let me tell you one last thing before I sign-off with you and take my lovely wife out for breakfast. This morning, I took the very last marble out of the container. I figure if I make it until next Saturday then I have been given a little extra time. And the one thing we can all use is a little more time."
"It was nice to meet you Tom, I hope you spend more time with your family, and I hope to meet you again here on the band. 75 year Old Man, this is K9NZQ, clear and going QRT, good morning!"
You could have heard a pin drop on the band when this fellow signed off. I guess he gave us all a lot to think about. I had planned to work on the antenna that morning, and then I was going to meet up with a few hams to work on the next club newsletter.
Instead, I went upstairs and woke my wife up with a kiss. "C'mon honey, I'm taking you and the kids to breakfast." "What brought this on?" she asked with a smile. "Oh, nothing special, it's just been a long time since we spent a Saturday together with the kids. Hey, can we stop at a toy store while we're out? I need to buy some marbles."
As you may have guessed, I also bought marbles. For almost 4 years I have been taking them out one at a time. I keep them in my pocket throughout the week as a reminder of the many blessings that I have in my life. I hope that this Thanksgiving season has a great impact on your life.
Posted by
Lynn McConnell on Thursday, October 23, 2008 at 12:01 PM
Categories:
Miscellaneous,
Performance
I know that blogging is the new wave of communication and that I’m just showing my age by trying to ignore it and pretend it doesn’t exist.
I am trying to understand the concept - and here I am writing my own blog – but
I just can’t figure out when we all decided that any random thought we happened to have flutter through our heads was worthy of posting to the world as if it were truly remarkable. Have you read some of the stuff out there?
I have to admit that I’ve found myself accidentally to a blog every now and then, and I must say that I have yet to find anything truly remarkable……………..
How can a blog about how stupid the American voter is (“It would be stupid to say that the American people are stupid--as stupid as saying the American people are smart. It's impossible to generalize--and silly. But our politics are often stupid.”) compare to the opening paragraph of Moby Dick?
Call me Ishmael. Some years ago - never mind how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me on shore, I thought I would sail about a little and see the watery part of the world. It is a way I have of driving off the spleen, and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off - then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship. There is nothing surprising in this. If they but knew it, almost all men in their degree, some time or other, cherish very nearly the same feelings towards the ocean with me.
I mean really?
But, I will continue to blog. Not because I have anything poignant to say or because I feel that I am so important or smart that there are people out there waiting for my next word of wisdom. I will continue to blog because deep down in my heart I am a communicator, and if this is what it takes to communicate with others “out there”, then I will do it, and I may even learn to like it.
Posted by
Ron Price on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 at 8:05 AM
Categories:
Strategic Planning,
Leadership Development
It is hard to find good news about the economy or business these days. I think it is part of human nature to be drawn to bad news. As human beings, the members of the media seem to get energized by telling us how bad things are. But is this reality?
Of course, there are sectors of the economy that are going through very difficult times. However, there are other sectors going stronger than ever. One of my friends helps banks manage properties that have been repossessed—how do you think he is doing? Another friend is involved in recycling and scrap. Another is involved in high tech engineering. All of these folks are as busy as ever and, if they didn’t watch the nightly news or read a news browser, they wouldn’t have a clue about “how bad things are”. What is the difference? They have strategies for their business that transcend or take advantage of the economic conditions.
Yes, it seems we are headed for a very different economic climate in the immediate future. But we don’t have to surrender and become a victim to something beyond our control. There are opportunities to adjust, to recreate, and to innovate—the same qualities of character that help us succeed in good times can help us adjust and succeed in difficult times. This is something I have been thinking about quite a bit lately and I’m referring to it as “strategic intelligence”. It is the ability to understand our internal strengths and limitations, then how to apply these to the external realities and opportunities that exist in the world around us. Instead of doom and gloom, I’m excited about the opportunities that exist during this time of change. Another perspective to consider…