tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55700492023-06-20T08:19:42.642-04:00Life Lessons - A Work in Progress....A collection of quotations and practical experiences concerning life experiences and values which may assist others and myself in living a better and more productive life.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger355125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-88765114178052925112009-03-28T19:21:00.005-04:002011-07-01T13:54:10.340-04:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-91063544205044596642009-01-17T21:15:00.001-05:002009-01-25T18:11:57.422-05:00CNN & 25 ideas to get rich by .....1. For return on investment, the best home renovation is to upgrade an old bathroom. Kitchens come in second.2. It's worth refinancing your mortgage when you can cut your interest rate by at least one point.3. Spend no more than 2 1/2 times your income on a home. For a down payment, it's best to come up with at least 20%.4. Your total housing payments should notUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-59430323574864297932009-01-12T16:24:00.003-05:002009-01-16T18:55:55.789-05:00Importance of Keeping Receipts....Normally I have one "box" in which I toss ALL of my sales receipts and another for any receipt that might have some tax consequence (I do a long form). I change the Tax Receipt box each year on Jan. 1st. If you ever have to take something back or justify an expense you will have a receipt.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-4766981395343760692009-01-02T22:26:00.002-05:002009-01-16T18:56:59.283-05:00Stock Market Investment Time.....Starting today...I am investing in the stock market on a long term basis again. Look for companies with a good balance sheet and who pay some dividend. Hold for the future.----------------------Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-53261752810496233082009-01-02T22:22:00.003-05:002009-01-16T18:57:34.582-05:00Reminder: Buying a new car is a luxury. Given the cost of credit, car insurance, property tax, depreciation, etc. you need to made this purchase with CARE. A used car purchase will save you 50% over the life of the car. Some people think that purchasing a new car over 60 months will save them money. The irony is that after 3 years the car is not worth the cost of the remaining payments. Never buyUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-12036720497753071262009-01-02T22:20:00.001-05:002009-01-16T18:58:01.304-05:00Refinancing your MortgageI was watching a show on refinancing your mortgage. The obvious advice of there had to be at least 1% difference in your existing rate and the new rate plus you needed to live in your house for the next five years to break even. However, something I had not heard of before was the necessity of ASKING for the Reissue rate on "Tile Insurance Policy" that can save you up toUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-60319735332432611602008-12-17T21:31:00.003-05:002009-01-16T18:58:55.857-05:00Shingles Vaccination....If your over the age of 60 you definitely want to get a Shingles Vaccination. The cost of the shot is $200 without insurance but I can guarantee you that after spending three months in bed in pain you will see this as a bargain after you see someone having the disease. Think of it as if someone took an electric sandbelt tool and ran it across your body. That your body Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-58779613910350806652007-06-13T20:33:00.001-04:002007-06-13T20:38:22.728-04:00What do your children owe you? - Nothing...I am always amazed at people who somehow believe that their children OWE them time and attention. Children do not represent your old age retirement system or your support group. Children are a continuation of your SELF - their actions are only an extension of your own behavior and values. Hopefully you have done a good job and the best part of you and your spouse moves on.We love our children...Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-32082665044066393332007-06-13T08:09:00.001-04:002007-06-13T10:12:29.730-04:00Key People Responsible ---- For Parkway's Conversion to XPJust a reminder...Dr. Malito, Kathy Blackmore, Steve VanMater, and Monty Montgomery were the chief secret planners for the conversion of the 5,000 Parkway School District Macs to Windows XP (Approved by BOE in FEB 2007) .This conversion decision made in secret, with the participation only a few SELECT schools, no public plan of instructional or financial impact, no meaningful public discussion Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-40597986994741139172007-06-12T12:25:00.001-04:002007-06-12T12:25:32.532-04:00Record KeepingI have been working for the last couple of months on family genealogy. While it has been a very enjoyable pursuit it has also made me even more aware of the necessity of keeping "backups" of important records at remote sites. Some things (photos, original documents, etc. are simply irreplaceable.) And since you can't keep original records in multiple locations you can can keep COPIES.------------Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-5444177065121508492007-06-12T09:09:00.001-04:002007-06-12T09:09:48.101-04:00Deceit - A Way of Life...?Having lived a good portion of my life - I have come to conclude that much of human existence is lived with an element of deceit. No matter how much professed "morality" or "good intentions" I suspect there is always some "untold" story, "truth", "behavior", or whatever that is not freely shared with other people for a variety of reasons - such as suggested by the "Seven deadly sins" of (pride, Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-87285498324288832802007-04-14T20:26:00.000-04:002007-06-14T09:59:37.339-04:00House Conservation is profitableIn October of 2006 I made major conservation projects to our house. I installed new attic insulation, sealed all the holes in the foundation, and insulated spaces between the floor beams. After an interesting (and cold) winter a review of my housing energy costs show that both natural gas and electricity were down by almost 25%. Given that the US Government offered an addition $500 tax deduction Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-88371599913692126392007-02-10T09:07:00.001-05:002007-06-14T10:00:44.843-04:00Useful Quotes to Remember...2/10/2007Our whole nation is founded on compromise. Shelby FooteAbraham Lincoln reportedly said that, given eight hours to chop down a tree, he'd spend six sharpening his axe.-- TidBITS 654, quoted by Derek K. Miller, via Art EvansOne test is worth a thousand opinions.A leader is best when people barely know that he exists.Less good when they obey and acclaim him.Worse when they fear and despise Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-12073565041587141502007-02-05T11:37:00.000-05:002007-06-14T10:07:00.126-04:00Some useful economic suggestions to save money...1. For return on investment, the best home renovation is to upgrade an old bathroom. Kitchens come in second.2. It's worth refinancing your mortgage when you can cut your interest rate by at least one point. There are transaction costs and fees involved in any refinancing that must be either paid out of pocket or added to the mortgage principal. Some of those costs can be considerable. Title Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-7955816002096278562007-02-05T08:29:00.000-05:002007-06-14T10:07:50.695-04:00"The most important things in Life...."The most important things in Life are not things." - anon.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1154303665538926202006-07-30T19:17:00.000-04:002007-06-14T10:10:27.444-04:00A PRAYER.....
I am not a religious person in the ...A PRAYER.....I am not a religious person in the traditional sense. I do not believe there is an omnipotent and omminicent entity watching over this or any other planet. I believe that the only forces that can govern our collective survival is our ability to reason and a self-imposed "humanitarian moral order." Without these efforts we will not survive.If I WERE religious man this the one prayer IUnknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1153140707178475112006-07-17T08:47:00.000-04:002007-06-14T13:56:02.520-04:00GAMBLING.....A recent article revealed that "Students with computers can wager 24/7 from their dorm rooms on unregulated, offshore Internet poker sites. And they do. Nearly 600,000 youths under age 22 gamble online every week, and online wagering among college students has increased fivefold since 2002, according to a study last year by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg Public Policy Center.Not Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1152658833475447172006-07-11T18:44:00.000-04:002006-07-11T19:00:33.550-04:00IMPORTANCE OF BEING OBSERVANT......I have been working on "rehabbing" my home so I have not found much time to work on my "life lessons." But today as I went to the local Home Depot checkout with a number of purchases the cashier told the purchase was "$278". I did a quick mental check of the monitor purchase list and it did not come close to that amount. I asked the clerk to check the items Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1152378228386065402006-07-08T12:58:00.000-04:002006-07-08T13:03:48.450-04:00PRACTICAL ADVICE....A neighbor asked me why her lawnmower had such a hard time starting. I looked at the mower and noted she had a large gas container she used for the fuel. When I asked her how OLD was the gas she replied it was from last year.Gasoline is made for "seasonal" use - it has a slightly different composition for each season. In addition, gas left to set out will "separate" by the Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1152131468265211622006-07-05T16:18:00.000-04:002006-07-05T16:31:08.336-04:00ENERGY CONSERVATION.....Being retired I have taken more time to constantly "insulate" our home and practice "energy conservation." Each small effort produces a saving over the long haul. My only regret is not doing this when I was younger.Today's conversation effort was to insulate the hot water heater. http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/your_home/water_heating/index.cfm/mytopic=13070"Insulate Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1151882601679815682006-07-02T19:19:00.000-04:002006-07-02T19:23:21.690-04:00LIFE EXPECTANCY...."In 1900, the average life expectancy was 50 and the major causes of death were infant mortality, malnutrition, infection and trauma, he said. By 2000, life expectancy had climbed to near 80 and causes of death shifted to chronic conditions such as heart disease and cancer."This FACT of life is often over-looked in individual retirement plans. The fact of life is - your Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1151358145109661242006-06-26T17:37:00.000-04:002006-06-26T17:42:25.136-04:00YOUR FUTURE JOB....You need to ask yourself whether your job will be affected in the future by the "China" economic revolution. In the new Chinese economy workers make about .35 cents an hour and no benefits. What are you making? Always keep an eye over your shoulder and constantly update your skill sets.----------------------Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1151101465684055922006-06-23T18:23:00.000-04:002006-06-23T18:24:25.700-04:00How the Monthly Mentality Messes Up Your Wealthby Laura RowleyI recently read an article by Laura Rowley on “How the Month Mentality Messes Up Your Wealth” and came to reflect on some distant family members who “fit the bill.” I strongly recommend you read the summary below and make any necessary corrections in your lifestyle so your “future retirement” willl work.In summary:“There are Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1150820109623354132006-06-20T12:14:00.000-04:002006-06-20T12:15:09.633-04:00Life's Potholes....Periodically life reminds you of the frality of life with "potholes" in your life journey. There is seldom a warning of the "event(s)" nor ever the "understanding" you expect from others.That being said, life goes on....and what you have learned from the last "pothole" should benefit you at the next pothole but only if your astute, calm, and perceptive.-----------------------Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5570049.post-1150670836648627812006-06-18T18:43:00.000-04:002006-06-18T18:47:16.663-04:00ANOTHER BUSH INHUMANITY PROPOSALLET 'EM EAT....I have always considered that President George Bush one of the most selfish Presidents in our country's history. The following article from the AARP merely illustrates one such trait.Let 'em Eat…a Balanced BudgetSurplus food for low-income older Americans is on the federal budget chopping block.By Susan Q. StranahanJune 2006 When her food stampsUnknownnoreply@blogger.com