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Archive for June, 2006

Free “Avoid ID Theft” Kit

19 Jun

Okay, this is interesting…I have no idea what this kit includes.

From the site:

FCIC is the help desk for everyday life–and we’d like to help you! Avoid ID theft with a FREE package of publications about credit and identity theft. The package includes publications on credit reports, credit scores, preventing identity theft, and more. 

To get your FREE ID theft package and a FREE Consumer Information Catalog listing more than 200 valuable consumer publications, just fill in your name and address below.

http://www.pueblo.gsa.gov/rc/specoffr.htm

I just signed up…will post more details when I receive it in 4 weeks. I never heard of a government agency with the acronym “GSA” actually.

 
2 Comments

Posted in General on June 19, 2006

 

Buying Airline Tickets? Why Airline Sites Have Made Orbitz, Expedia, etc. Obsolete.

19 Jun

If you’re buying airline tickets and have been buying them from sites like Orbitz.com and Expedia.com, read on…

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Sites like Orbitz do provide the convenience of being able to shop multiple airlines at once. You can also add hotels, car rentals, etc. But prices are always higher at these sites due to the convenience fees. If you want the best deal shop the airline’s website. I have yet to find a cheaper flight on the travel site, but hey I could be wrong. Find out for yourself…check out one of the sites and compare.

This could be a secret sites like Orbitz and Expedia don’t want you to know, but if you find a date you like, go to the airlines website, and purchase your tickets there…I bet the price will be the same minus the convenience fees! On top of that, you can find some additional deals only available through the airlines websites, like $xxx off deals, last minute specials, and bonus mileage. So there you have it…I do not own any airline stocks.

 
2 Comments

Posted in General on June 19, 2006

 

Commericals That I Really Enjoy…Priceless.

19 Jun

Commericials should convince you to buy. For whatever reason, whether you just like the few seconds of entertainment provided, the value of the product, the principle behind the company, whatever it might be, the commercial should “sell you.” I wrote about commercials I despise…this time, I’d like to write about commericals I’ve enjoyed.

Southwest.com – Funny and/or gives me useful information.

Mastercard – Priceless commercials really hit home for some reason. Well done IMHO.

American Express – The one by M. Night Shaymalan was really good. I liked it. Almost like mini movies…great idea. Probably not as effective, but entertaining.

McDonalds – Always positive, puts a smile on my face.

Toyota – I like Nissan automobiles, but I got to admit, those Toyota truck commercials work. The meteor-proof, resilient trucks…

Vytorin – Yeah, I really like these commercials. They are educational and catchy.

 
2 Comments

Posted in General on June 19, 2006

 

Carnival Of Personal Finance – Special Birthday Edition

19 Jun

Check it out over at Consumerism Commentary! The first birthday of the COPF.

 
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Posted in General on June 19, 2006

 

Commercials That I Despise…Grrrrrrrrr.

18 Jun

For the most part TV ads are entertaining, especially since the superbowl ad craze began anyway. However, some just, well, piss me off, and make me want to boycott the products rather than support them.

I especially hate ads that promote consumer ignorance and/or play to the uninformed consumer, put down other companies, don’t tell you what they are selling, are plain old pointless.

Here are some of them…

Apple – The recent ads with the Mac and PC guy just stirs up some real bad feelings. I’m a PC user, so of course, you can say that that is the reason why, but I’ve never held resentful feelings towards Macs because I always thought they were good computers too. They do especially well in certain areas. Now that Apple introduced these commercials, I am an Apple hater. I can honestly say I will never purchase an Apple product for life since they want to stereotype PC users so considerately.

Pepsi – I am just bothered by the commercials where the Coke can gets smashed. I’m not sure why. Sympathy? I will go out of my way to look for Coke products now.

Burger King – The one with the “bucking chicken” just irks the hell out of me. What is that? Not to mention the disturbing “king” dude.

Volkswagen – That new one with the “fast” devil dude…disturbing and irritating.

On the flip side, there are commercials that I really like…I’ll post on those later.

 
5 Comments

Posted in General on June 18, 2006

 

Kiplinger’s Subscription, 3 Years, For $5.00!

18 Jun

This is a pretty good deal…I’ve never read Kiplinger’s too much, but I always see them referenced. Go ahead and subscribe! You’ll need to use the discount code to get $40.00 off…not too shabby. Regular subscription for 3 years costs $44.91, or $1.24 per issue, instead you pay $0.14 per issue. When you look it that way, WOW!

If Entrepreneur Magazine is more your taste, that’s $6.00…just use the $30.00 coupon. Not sure when this expires…so hurry. I’m not sure if you can get both magazines.

 
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Posted in General on June 18, 2006

 

How Am I Going To Meet My Goal? Part 2

18 Jun

I needed to think about this more. Earlier this week I wrote about it, but it deserves more thought than that…Let’s say on average, I save a conservative $4,000.00 a month, $5,000.00 less than what I need to save. The actual amount doesn’t matter, the bottomline is I need to figure out a way to turn less money into more. This means, I’m going to hit $65,710.00 out of the $100,000.00 goal I set. How the heck am I going to actually hit $100,000?!?!

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In my original post, I said:

I am planning on:
- Reshifting my 401k investments into an aggressive fund towards the later part of this summer.
- Cutting expenses.
- Sell some stuff on eBay. 

But what does each mean?

Reshifting my 401k investments into an aggressive fund. Well this one is pretty self expanatory I think.

Cutting expenses. Alright, how am I going to cut expenses? Well, for one, I’m going to eat out less. I’m going to have to focus on buying groceries to make lunch. Cut back on the smoothies and coffee. Instead of Starbucks, I’m going to McDonalds. Like my philosophy on loosing weight, which is to cut back, not completely change the diet. For example, if you’re making dinner, take your normal choices and portions, then put some back.

Sell some stuff on eBay. Hah, this is going to be fun. I have so many junks in my place. I might soon need a waterfront property to store it. ;)

I’ve also gone ahead and reviewed My Luxuries. Unfortunately, I can’t cut out much there…I can’t give away my dog. So don’t even suggest that! :) I could cut my Blockbuster.com subscription, but the amount I save because I don’t go out exceeds the amount I spend on the subscription…I already minimized from the 3-out to the 2-out subscription reducing the fee by about $5.00/month. I could start getting real drastic, but at this point, I don’t think that’s called for…yet. Don’t worry, I’ll warn you when I start re-using underwear.

 
2 Comments

Posted in General on June 18, 2006

 

My Home: Finding a Realtor…Or Not. Buying a Home Myself.

18 Jun

I recently wrote My Home: Finding a Realtor, and I thought, “Wait a minute, why do I even need a realtor? Maybe I can do this myself?”

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Why would I want to do that? Well, I wrote the main factors I’m looking for in a realtor, but the fact is, how do you find a realtor that’s “trustworthy?” I have no clue…It’s hard enough finding true friends, nevermind a friend in a specific industry.

That brought about the thought, what if I just buy on my own without a realtor. From what I’ve been able to find, it is possible, but does it make sense? Maybe. If you’re really good at negotiating, then maybe you can negotiate the price down half of the commission normally reserved for the buyer and seller agents. And if you have resources, like a real estate lawyer and a mortgage broker. Might be nice to have some experienced folks in real estate just for advice too.

Here are some links I’ve found…

http://www.fsboamerica.org/found.cfm
http://www.mynippon.com/lifestyle/buy-realtor.htm
http://www.ehow.com/how_5847_decide-whether-buy.html
http://www.fool.com/homecenter/find/find01.htm
http://www.paradoxpro.com/homebuying.html

Bottom line, it depends. For most situations, as a buyer, getting an agent is probably better. I say probably because it’s largely dependent on your skills as a negotiator and how resourceful you are.

 
1 Comment

Posted in General on June 18, 2006

 

My Home: Finding a Realtor

17 Jun

So I’m beginning the process of finding a realtor. I’ve asked my friends and family for references, including a few folks I’ve met on my own.

My main concerns for a realtor are:
- Honesty and openess. I want one that is willing to disclose full client list, and is willing to disclose previous transactions.
- Short client list. Proven transaction history. I don’t want to be at the end of the list when a listing comes that fits my needs.
- Patient. My realtor must be able to tolerate my personality. I like being updated and being able to contact my realtor without the feeling of pestering them.
- Trustworthy. If I’m willing to disclose my income and my personal goals with this person, I hope that the same can be reciprocated. I don’t want a realtor that would hide a good deal so that they can benefit from it.
- Full time realtor.

I’ve contacted a few realtors to setup appointments. Hopefully within a month or so, I can have someone to call on should I find a property that peaks my interest. On another note, I just thought, what if I don’t get a realtor at all? Buy on my own? Is there any benefit? Look for a post in the future…

 
No Comments

Posted in General on June 17, 2006

 

Talk About a Swing! DOW 1.83, S&P 2.12%, NASDAQ 2.79%

15 Jun

Just when I thought things were looking dreary, two strong days of gains in the broad market!

Well, well, well…some positives make me feel a little better. Now to wait for the official fed moves and 2nd qtr earnings news. That should get me set…to invest or not.

 
No Comments

Posted in General on June 15, 2006

 
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