Tuesday, March 31, 2009

My March Cycling Summary

March is in the books and I'm quite happy with the miles and number of times I got out on my bicycle.

Here's my March Summary

Total miles 255

Ride Time 16hrs 3minutes

Total calories burnt 80,643

Total vertical feet climbed 10,575


Ok, bring on April. . . .

Save Now and earn an extra 3.25% on your savings

The state of Ohio has finally passed a savings incentive bill that been in the works for a number of years now.

The short version is this. When you take a qualified financial class, you become eligible for Ohio's Save Now savings rate at a participating bank. This savings rate is 3.25% above the banks normal interest rate. PNC bank, coming to Ohio soon in taking over National City Bank, is the first bank to participate in this program.

All the details are not out yet as the State has just passed this legislation. I'll post updates as I'm made aware of them. I'll be participating in this and will do everything in my power to make sure Financial Peace University qualifies for this program.

Monday, March 30, 2009

Want to be more effective? Here's one of the best ways.

Are you ready for the answer? Ok, here it is. All you have to do is take a nap. Yep, that it, just take a nap. Somewhere between 20 & 40 minutes is all you need to refresh and recharge.

NASA found that military pilots and astronauts who took a 40-minute nap improved alertness by 100 percent and performance by 34 percent, and recent Harvard University research also revealed that college students who napped between tasks performed better than those who stayed awake.

A couple of cautions, you should not nap within 4 hours of your normal bet time and you should not nap for more than 40 minutes. You don't want to enter deep sleep.

Why not give a nap a try sometime this week. If you get 30 minutes for lunch at work, take the first 20 for a nap and the last 10 to eat a light lunch. If you try it, leave me a comment and let me know how it went.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Town Hall for Hope

NewPointe just signed on to bring you live Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope simulcast on April 23rd @ 8pm. I'm very excited and can't wait for this event.

Here's how the Town Hall of Hope web site describes this event.

Tired of hearing the fear, doom and gloom that’s filling the airwaves? Join Dave Ramsey for a nationwide town hall meeting and discover what’s happening with the economy, how we got here, and where we’re going. Plus, Dave will answer your questions live throughout the event!

Watch this short video and plan on attending on the 23rd of April. Oh yea, it's FREE

Friday, March 27, 2009

We the Savers. . .

ING Direct, one of the leading online banks has come up with a Declaration of Financial Independence. It's pretty cool. There are 10 "declarations" that you are making by signing it.

  1. You will spend less than you earn.
  2. You will build equity in your home.
  3. You will take care of your money
  4. You will defend your credit worthiness
  5. You will ignore unsolicited credit card marketing
  6. You will know the cost of your borrowing
  7. You will invest for the long term
  8. You will take care of the things you have
  9. You will remember what matters
  10. You will be heard
On the web site, the list above is explained. You can print it out. It's a cool reminder to have it in print.

As of this post, there have been 28,664 people who have signed the declaration. 28,665 with my signature.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

A subscription to good to pass up. . .

I enjoy reading all I can on personal finance. Part of my reading includes a magazine or two.

Years ago, my magazine of choice was Money. I switched from Money to Kiplinger's for a number of reasons and Kiplinger's is the only magazine I pay for. Until now.

In my mail today, I opened a subscription offer from Money. They are offering me their "professional discount" on Money magazine and it includes the following:
  1. Fortune Magazine
  2. Annual Forecast Issue
  3. The Money 100 - Best Mutual Funds
  4. Annual Retirement Guide
  5. Best Places to Live, Vacation, Retire
  6. Investing for Colleger
  7. Annual Real Estate and Home Improvement Guide
  8. 401k & IRA Checkup
Cover Price for all this is $172.63. Professional discount of $162.63. My cost $10 a year for up to 3 years.

So, hello Money Magazine, Fortune magazine and all the sundry guides.

Monday, March 23, 2009

20 Free financial courses from various universities

How would you like to learn more about personal finance issues and economics?

Over at Generation X finance, they have complied a list of 20 fantastic finance courses offered by the likes of Yale, UC Irvine, Rutgers, and many others on such topics as;
  1. Family Finance
  2. Personal Finance
  3. Borrowing
  4. Investments
  5. retirement
  6. and 15 similar courses.
So, hop on over to Generation X finance and learn something new about finances for FREE.

Friday, March 20, 2009

Looking for a Coach?

Each weekday morning, I start my day off with some great motivation with a morning coach. Personal development is a key to growth and I came across a free tool via I-Tunes.

Morning Coach is a 15 minutes free podcast and web site that inspires and motivates. What does morning coach offer?

  1. Daily motivational podcoast
  2. A personal dream board where you can create a visual of your goals and dream
  3. Online journal
  4. To-do section
  5. Values area
So, get motivated and check out Morning Coach it's 15 minutes well spent.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Contribution. . .

This word, Contribution can stir up lots of different thoughts in each one of us. The first thought that pops into my mind when I hear the word contribution is money. Now hold on, I'm not going to talk about contribution(s) as it relates to money today.

The second thought came into my mind is what I want to blog about today.What kind of contribution am I making in the lives of peoples that I touch? Are people better off each time I interact with them? Am I contributing to their success? I sure hope so but I know that is not always the case.

I need to constantly remind myself that I'm always influencing people either in a good way or a bad way. Am I a problem solver or a problem adder?

When I see every situation in this light, I focus less on me and more on others. This is the kind of contribution I want to have on the people in my life. How about you?

Monday, March 16, 2009

Layoffs even hitting Sesame Street

This is funny but it's not at the same time.

It did make me pause and say a prayer for all those I know who have been laid off.

Enjoy the clip.


Saturday, March 14, 2009

Time to think about mowing my grass?

Ok, I am jumping ahead a few weeks weather wise but today it's going to be in the 50's and before I get out for a bike ride today, I thought I'd prep my lawn mower for the coming season.

Here are some tips I came across that should make my mowing season go a little smoother. At least make my mower run smoother.

  1. Fresh Gas -- Fresh gas is critical to an engine's performance. I drain my tank after the last mowing of the year so for me, no worries about old gas.
  2. Engine Oil -- Drain engine oil and replace it with clean SAE 30 engine oil after every 50 hours of operation. Check the lubrication section of your mower's owner's manual for specific oil recommendations. I'm well overdue on this one.
  3. Spark Plug -- Replace the spark plug after every 100 hours of operation. (Every other year works good for me.)
  4. Air Filter -- If the mower's air filter is dirty, the engine may not run properly and may be damaged. Service the air filter after every 25 hours of operation or every season, whichever comes first.
  5. Blade Care -- For best results, lawn mower blades must be kept sharp. Lawn mower blades can be sharpened with a file or on a grinder wheel. Never attempt to sharpen the blade while it is on the mower. Special care should be taken to keep the blade balanced. An unbalanced blade will leave an uneven cut on the lawn and can eventually cause damage to the lawn mower or the engine.
So there you go, 5 tips to get your mower read for the season.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Ideas to survive this financial meltdown

What are some things you can do, can think about, should do during this financial meltdown? Here's what I'm doing.

  1. Praying. Thanking God for what I have and that he is in control. This economy has not taken him by surprise.
  2. Think long term with your goals and investing. It wasn't that long ago the the market / your retirement plan was doing great. This economy will turn around. You have to maintain perspective.
  3. It is critical to spend less than you make.
  4. Buildup then maintain an emergency fund. I'm not as comfortable with my current balance in this account as I was a year ago. It's time to increase this fund.
  5. Sell some things in your home that you no longer use. Last week, I sold my 12 gauge.
What things would you add to the list?

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

GOAL. . . .

I'm very excited and happy. I hit my goal weight today. (Actually, 1 lb less than my goal weight)

Thank you Thin & Healthy Program. Especially Jess, Molly and Kelly. I'm very appreciative of the coaching, training, and encouragement you provided.

Thinking about what T&H did for me is a lot like ministry and leadership. We need someone to come along side us to provide coaching, training and encouragement. Do you have anyone in your life that's doing these kind of things for you? I hope so. If not, get involved and volunteer. You'll begin to experience life change and that's what makes life worth living.

Monday, March 09, 2009

Bike update

Quick blog post today. For all everyone who asked me about my bike, thanks. It's all back together. (Thanks Bill)

I took full advantage of the warmer weather last week. I logged in 72 miles. This season is off to a good start.

Saturday, March 07, 2009

Car fund down to $0

I have one savings account with multiple categories. I use emigrantdirect.com. Why, because they consistently have one of the highest interest rates out there. Emigrant is currently paying a whopping 2%. (Just kidding on the whopping part.)

With my one savings account, I have a spreadsheet where I "breakdown" the total amount into different categories.
  1. Emergency Fund
  2. Christmas (it's in December each year)
  3. Vacation
  4. Car replacement & repair
  5. Vet bills (new category)
  6. Appliance / Carpet fund
  7. Planned giving
This week category #4 (Car) went to zero. 4 new tires on the van $470 and getting the check engine light to go off in my son's car $250.

Unfortunately, I always get bummed when I take funds out of savings. I guess it's because it takes so long to get the balances to grow. Then I soon realize, it's not my money anyway. It's the money God has entrusted to me to provide for my family and I soon become humble and very thankful that the money is there to just fix the car. No credit card bill, no big drama, just pay the bill and start building up the category again.

When it comes to category #4, I keep reminding myself, I've got no car payment and that in itself is a wonderful blessing.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

Financial things that drive me nuts

Do you have financial "things" that get under your skin and drive you nuts? If not nuts, at least makes you ask why. I've got a list and thought I'd share it.

  1. People who pay for memberships, don't use it and then complain that they are see limited or no results.
  2. Buying something you don't need or fully understand because it's the latest and greatest thing out there and you just have to have it.
  3. Ring tones for your cell phone. Why spend $$ for this?
  4. Buying bottled water. What's with that?
  5. My favorite office supply. . . . "Air in a can". I've heard of Prince Albert in a can but that's a whole different story.
What would be on your list?

New Record!

I'm pumped. Last night we cut up another 9 credit cards in our Financial Peace Class. That brings the total to 90 credit cards destroyed in this class. A new NewPointe record.

Way to go guys! I'm very proud of all you have accomplished these past 7 weeks.

Monday, March 02, 2009

Life Insurance. . .

As of late, I've been getting lots of questions about life insurance. First things first. It's really death insurance. An insurance company is paying your loved ones upon your death not your life. I guess its a better marking tool to call it life insurance.

Anyway, the best rule of thumb is to purchase a 20 or 30 year level term life insurance policy and stay away from "permanent" (whole life or universal life) life insurance. The somewhat short answer is this. You should have 8 to 10 times your annual income in life insurance up until your kids are grown and your house is paid for. At that time, you can lower or in most cases, eliminate your life insurance.

The biggest problem I have with permanent life insurance is most people with kids and a mortgage can't afford the premiums to get the 8 to 10 times their earnings in coverage. (There are other reasons to stay away but that should be enough incentive.)

So, where are some good places to shop / search for term life insurance?

  1. Zander as recommended by Dave Ramsey
  2. Insure.com
  3. Select Quote
  4. Matrix Direct
So, take your pick and get a free quote.

So what does Obama's "Stimulas" package mean for me?

In a nutshell, the typical American 2 working household will get a tax rebate of $800. (Assuming your combined income is less than $150,000). $400 for singles with income less than $75,000

How do you exactly get the $800? Well that depends. You can collect the credit either by having the amount show up in your paychecks, or by claiming it as a lump sum on the 2009 tax return that you'll file in 2010.

Being on the employer side of this, I'm not exactly sure how you can get the money in each paycheck. What I'm reading is that the IRS is going to make changes to the tax withholding tables used to calculate federal withholding from your paycheck. If this happens, it would most likely be June before you'd see a change in your paycheck. Don't get to excited, you're looking at about $13 a week through the end of the year.

The really sick thing about all of this is that the federal government is borrowing money to do this and it will take 30 years to pay off this debt. I don't like this one bit.