Sea Of Money

June 16, 2009

Free wakeup calls and reminders

Filed under: Free — admin @ 2:04 am

I recently received an email from a company called IPING. They offer free wakeup calls etc. I used them a long time ago and heard about them back in the early 2000 when the internet craze was at its peak. Looks like they are offering 30 free reminders per month. They are pretty reliable so if you are interested you can check them out.

Some usefulness I can see are plain old wake up calls as a back up to your alarm clock not working. Calling you or someone else to remind them to take medication etc. Anyways, I thought I would let you know because it is free and it can be useful

They are at IPING.com.�

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May 30, 2009

When a tree falls and no one calls the insurance company

Filed under: Home repairs, Insurance — admin @ 5:28 am

Last year, my neighbors tree fell in our backyard. It hit the side of our garage and damaged some of the shingles and the gutter. I felt bad for the guy because it cost him about $2000 to have the rest of it cut down and to have it removed. So I did not ask him to pay for our garage damage. This was last fall.

I thought I was going to have to eat the cost of the repair. I called my insurance company about something else and while I was talking to her I mentioned the incident. She told me that since it was a healthy tree that fell that my insurance would cover it. It was an act of God and not the fault of our neighbor.

So since it has been less than a year they will cover it for me. Wow. I saved quite a bit of money. I am glad I asked. When in doubt check it out.

****

Update

My insurance adjuster came by and they wrote me a check for about $950. I am sure my rates will go up but atleast I can fix my garage properly. My insurance company is very good and helpful I have Country Companies. �

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March 23, 2009

Buying Bad Bank Assets

Filed under: Economy — admin @ 6:28 am

The government apparently is planning to buy out bad bank assets in a 50 50 deal with “private investors.” Why a 50 50 deal people ask? Well here is the answer we are getting:

Private investors will help the government get a fair price. i.e. no one knows what these bad assets are worth, but just by their name I bet not much.

Private investor money will help create leverage. Share the risk.No kidding.

Private investors are enticed by a 50% risk reduction with the government throwing in half.

Hmmmm…First of all, let’s think who is at risk. There may be 1000’s of private investors who use this bad asset investment as part of their portfolio of risk. Mr and Ms Private Investor are not each investing 50%, they are sharing this risk amongst huge other assets in their portfolio.

The governent is in it by itself. Enough said.

This sounds a lot like creative accounting I learned in school. Create an entity that holds the debt so the operating company looks like it has a lower debt/equity ratio. This on paper creates value…hmmmm.

The confidence some people talk about this is scary. I don’t know what the right answer is, but I think we may need to get real about what we want or need. If I asked you what do you want 10 years from now vs what do you want tomorrow, you may give me different answers.

We all screwed up and as Einstein said “We cannot solve the problems we face at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them.”

Let me make one last thing clear….hope is not a method….This morning on CNN I heard “I hope” over and over. Hope helps but it is not a method.

This reminds me a little like the credit card checks you get to move money from one account to the other. Temporary psychic relief which gets you to spend more. It also reminds me of those debt consolidation commercials which shows people walking along the beach….please.

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March 14, 2009

The Sea Of Jobs

Filed under: Careers and Jobs — admin @ 8:16 am

Looking for a new job. Struggling to find jobs in the paper or even on the internet. There is a great new career and job search site called SeaOfJobs.com. Sound familiar! SeaOfJobs.com searches corporate and job postings on hundreds and hundreds of sites to bring you opportunities and information that will help you find that next job. Simplifying the sea of jobs.

Unlike other search engines which search the entire web, SeaOfJobs.com searches specific sites which results in much more valuable information. Make sure you look at not only the first page of search results as we found great information on the second and third pages of results as well.

If you are looking for that dream job or the next step, there is no time like now to start on your journey.

SeaOfJobs.com

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January 25, 2009

Scholarships to help with college

Filed under: Education, Children — admin @ 7:44 am

I have one child in college so I will be taking some loans out over the next few years so this topic is very real for me. I also have younger kids so planning for their education is critical as well, but a different aspect of college planning.

The cost of not having an education seems to be rising. With so much change and competition from both within the country and from overseas, we are all challenged by not only competing for the best schools possible, but paying the ever increasing costs. With this in mind, we have compiled some sites on the web to help figure out how to handle the financial costs. But don’t limit yourself to these sites. Schools have their own programs as well.

Also, there are many other saving and investing vehicles available which will be the subject of a future blog.

Scholarships including Minority, Sports & Academic Scholarships

Links not endorsed by this site. Provided for convenience only.

This site is a great place to start — FAFSA On The Web (Your Key Aid Form &Info) http://www.fafsa.ed.gov/

Good luck in your educational journey.

Start with these scholarship sites:

Our favorite site is FastWeb. Find free money for college or an advanced degree. FastWeb.com Search now!

Visit Scholarship Experts today to start your scholarship search!

Then check out some other more specific sites:

Alcatel-Lucent Foundation Alcatel-Lucent Foundation

Student Inventors Scholarships http://www.invent.org/collegiate/

Coca-Cola Two Year College Scholarships http://www.coca-colascholars.org

Holocaust Remembrance Scholarships http://holocaust.hklaw.com/

Ayn Rand Essay Scholarships http://www.aynrand.org/

Gates Millennlum Scholarships (major) http://www.gmsp.org

Sports Scholarships and Internships http://www.ncaa.org/about/scholarships.html

National Assoc. of Black Journalists Scholarships (NABJ) http://www.nabj.org/programs/scholarships/index.html

Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund http://www.thurgoodmarshallfund.org/sk_v6.cfm

FinAid: The Smart Students Guide to Financial Aid scholarships) http://www.finaid.org/

Presidential Freedom Scholarships http://www.nationalservice.org/scholarships/

Microsoft Scholarship Program http://www.microsoft.com/college/ss_overview.mspx

Hope Scholarships &Lifetime Credits http://www.ed.gov/offices/OPE/PPI/HOPE/index.html

William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Minority Students http://www.apsanet.org/PS/grants/aspen3.cfm

BOEING scholarships http://www.boeing.com/educationrelations/scholarships/

Easley National Scholarship Program http://www.naas.org/senior.htm

Maryland Artists Scholarships http://www.maef.org/

Jacki Tuckfield Memorial Graduate Business Scholarship (for AA students in South Florida) http://www.jackituckfield.org/

Historically Black College & University Scholarships http://www.iesabroad.org/info/hbcu.htm

Actuarial Scholarships for Minority Students http://www.beanactuary.org/minority/scholarship.cfm

College Board Scholarship Search http://cbweb10p.collegeboard.org/fundfinder/html/fundfind01.html

Burger King Scholarship Program http://www.bkscholars.csfa.org/

Siemens Westinghouse Competition http://www.siemens-foundation.org/

GE and LuLac Scholarship Funds http://www.lulac.org/Programs/Scholar.html

CollegeNet>! ‘> s Scholarship Database http://mach25.collegenet.com/cgi-bin/M25/index

Union Sponsored Scholarships and Aid http://66.109.241.150/unionplus/scholarship.html

Sit Abroad Scholarships (for study around the world) http://www.sit.edu/studyabroad/admissions/scholarship_funds.html

Black Alliance for Educational Options Scholarships http://www.baeo.org/options/privatelyfinanced.jsp

Graduate Fellowships For Minorities Nationwide http://cuinfo.cornell.edu/Student/GRFN/list.phtml?category=MINORITIES

RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS AT OXFORD http://www.rhodesscholar.org/info.html

The Roothbert Scholarship Fund http://www.roothbertfund.org/

Army ROTC http://www.goarmy.com/rotc/index.jsp

Air Force ROTC http://www.afrotc.com/scholarships/

*Saved $$$$’s+

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September 27, 2008

Not treated right - rates raised to 25%

Filed under: Debt — admin @ 12:35 pm

We had heard of credit card companies raising credit card rates on people because they missed a payment. However, we have never experienced our rates getting raised so high especially since we did not miss a payment.So to make a long story short, Advanta raised our rate from around 7.9% to 25.08% which is about a 3 time increase. Advanta never told us of the increase, we caught it on the last statement looking at the high finance charges.

We called their 1 800 number which we think is based in India. They are very polite, but all they can tell you is you rates were increased based on factors that they cannot tell you about. We appreciate your business blah, blah, blah. Does that make any sense? We appreciate your business, so we will turn the screw a little more….

If you are considering getting a credit card for your business, be careful. Watch your statements and then drop them fast if they start playing these games.

The customer service rep said they could not offer me a better rate. Of course they could offer me the 25% rate and then give it to me without even notifying me.

Another sign when a company does not allow their customer service reps to treat their customers right.

Raising rates is a great way for credit card companies to boost their revenues. Maybe they think their customers won’t leave.

Well, I paid off my credit card and will be shutting down my Advanta account immediately. We work too hard to be treated like this. Buyer beware as the old saying goes.

Companies that have treated us right

USAA.com USAA
NorthStarCU.org North Star Credit Union�
AAAnetAccess BP Credit Card - Bank of America

Companies that have not treated us right

Advanta.com Advanta

**********

Advanta is closing all its accounts. No comment.

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September 15, 2008

You can’t handle the tooth

Filed under: Health — admin @ 4:37 am

I learned my lesson after 40 years of taking my teeth for granted. The other day I went to the dentist because one of my molars was hurting. He took an x-ray of my teeth and found that I had a cavity. I was not surprised and he quickly filled it.I had not been to the dentist for over 2 years since that day and so I was really not surprised that I had a cavity. The visit cost me $127 since I had dental insurance. I went home thinking my problem was solved.

Over the next couple days I noticed one of my bottom molar teeth fillings was lose. I found this on accident as I started to floss as I usually did for the few days after visiting the dentist.

So I went back to the dentist thinking that maybe he knocked the filling lose. The dentist took a full set of x-rays and could clearly see there was decay under the lose filling. He removed the old filling and ground out the decay.

He told me he could save the tooth and I needed a root canal and a crown.

The root canal, the crown and the work to clean out the decay will cost me out of pocket over $950 = Root Canal $140 + Crown $720 .

In addition to this, I will be past my dental plan maximum so I will have to pay an additional $200 out of pocket so this one tooth is going to cost me about $1150. Add on the other cavity and we have about $1275 in one month for two teeth.

I learned a lot over this.

1. The health of your teeth probably has a huge effect on the health of the rest of your body. If your teeth and gums are not healthy, you bet the rest of your body is paying for it.

2. Your teeth are worth more than gold. Take care of them not only because of the cost it will be to repair them if you can, but they effect your entire health and also how you look and feel.

3. Brush, floss and rinse your teeth daily if not twice daily. I know that I am not giving up my insurance and I will be getting my teeth cleaned every 4 months.

4. Once it is too late, it is too late. If you let your teeth get bad, there is only so much you can do to repair them. Then you will have to replace them which can be more costly and painful, less effective than your own teeth, and also detrimental to your health.

Lastly, if you have insurance, and even if you don’t, see your dentist regularly for cleanings. It will make you smile.

***I could have saved $1275

Courtesy of http://www.MiddleAgedWoman.com

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June 23, 2008

Fix your own windshield

Filed under: Do it yourself — admin @ 7:17 am

Whack was the sound I suddenly heard as a rock hit my windshield. I quickly looked to see if there was a crack in the window but I could not see one. Phew.

But as luck would have it as soon as we got home my daughter pointed it a said “There is a crack in the windshield.” Sure enough there was a a half inch star shaped crack on the right side of my windshield.

My insurance company willl cover the repairs and I have a low deductible. In fact, my insurance company like others will cover the deductible as well if I just have it repaired versus replaced. I have gone through this before and for the most part have had decent experience with the glass repair route. They will even come to you at work and repair it. The last repair job was not perfect, but I really didn’t mind.

In the back of mind, I wondered if even these small repairs added somehow to my risk profile and therefore added to my premiums. I am not sure if they do or not.

In any case, this time I decided to forget about even calling the insurance company. I didn’t feel like calling the insurance company and I also wanted to try to see if I could repair the crack myself. It did not look like rocket science.

So I went and bought this repair kit.Fix-A-Windshield, Do-It-Yourself Windshield Repair Kit It is available at Amazon for like $11. I read the instructions and attempted to repair my window. It took a little longer than advertised (maybe 30 minutes), but I did a pretty good job. It is not perfect but I am satisifed. It is greatly improved. Compared to the so called pros I was really close!

So the way I look at it, I spent $11, learned something, maybe even saved on my premium(?) and prevented the crack from growing even bigger.

One more thing I know how to do which in the future may save me time and money if another rock comes flying my way. Fix-A-Windshield, Do-It-Yourself Windshield Repair Kit

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February 12, 2008

Turbo Tax Business For Free

Filed under: Free, Computers — admin @ 7:39 am

I was searching on Google today for Turbo Tax Business because as I sat here I realized I need to get my business taxes done. I use Turbo Tax Business every year. Anyways, I ususally pay about $90 for it. This year I found it at Amazon for $84.99, but guess how much I got it for…. I got it for free.What? Free! How did I do it? All I did was go to Google and typed in tax software for business . Up came the results along with an ad for Turbo Tax Business that said “Fast, easy & accurate business tax prep from TurboTax. Now Free!.” I clicked on it and it was offered for free. The site said

“Once you try TurboTax Business, we think you’ll be a customer for life. So
we’re giving you our business software absolutely FREE—a $99.95 value.”

Well this is the real deal. I downloaded it and installed without a hitch. BUT then I started it up and tried to transfer my last years data….guess what happened.

It worked. By pure luck I saved about $85. No kidding. Thanks Turbo Tax.

I had to share this with you. I just did this 15 minutes ago.

Update - I did the same thing in 2009 and downloaded a free copy again.

Savings $85

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January 15, 2008

Cut my cable bill by calling

Filed under: Utilities, Just ask — admin @ 7:51 am

I have Comcast cable and my monthly bill was about $100 per month. I had digital cable with 2 premium channels. I decided to call to cancel one of the premium channels as I never watched it which would have reduced my bill by about $10 and also ask for an extension of a $10 per month discount I was given just for asking a year ago.

Well, without much cajoling the Comcast rep offered me the service at $56 per month. She actually offered me free HBO first, but then recalculated a cheaper way to do it and offered me the $56 rate. So essentially I saved over $30per month.

I think cable is expensive, but I’d rather pay $56 that $90-100 per month. All because I called and asked. Oh yeah, I already put in a reminder in my calendar to call 11 months from now to renew the deal.

By the way…ask for retention….they have the authority to give you the good deals.

Update 2009 - I told a friend of mine to do this and she saved big money too. I have since switched to ATT Uverse.

**Saving $360 per year

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