Business As Usual?

Anderson Cooper saves you money

2011-10-24T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today's Anderson Cooper Show had many ways to save money:

Coupons: Grocery stores, OnLine, Search, About.com
Freebies for you birthday: Dairy Queen, Red Lobster, Red Robin, Ruby Tuesday
Car buying: Overstock
Checking prices on your smartphone, ShopSavvy

Probably should check out the October 24th show quickly, I don't know how long they leave it up after the show.

All I can say, drive in your reasonable priced car to your free birthday dinner or dessert and stop by a store to check prices on something.

Catch 22

2011-10-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

McKinsey and Company recently examined the ability of the US economy to create jobs. They found the following.

Recoveries are increasingly becoming "jobless" due to:

firm restructuring
skill and geographic mismatches between workers and jobs
sharp decline in new startups

Layoffs are more likely permanent layoffs not just waiting to be rehired.
Skill requirements are changing so much that a person might not be qualified for a job they held only a few months earlier.
Technology is changing the nature of work: jobs are being split into tasks, work is becoming virtual, and firms are relying on flexible labor (temporary, part time workers).

This is not a pretty picture for those of us who think we'll be able to return to our old jobs or ones like them. We will have to examine our skills and find out what will be needed a year or two after we retrain. But, can you afford the added debt.

If you went to try to find a job McKinsey says look at the healthcare industry, business services and leisure and hospitality industries. Find out how your skills might be useful and what skills you need to supplemental your existing skills to get a job in one of these industries. Be prepared to work differently. Many recent trends imply you will work on tasks and they may be in different places as the companies need work at another location. Many jobs are being redesigned so they can phone source them. Read, work at home. They will expect you to be more flexible. Read, work part time, temp work and telecommuning.

It's beginning to look like a catch 22. Now you can understand where the Occupy Wall Street people come from. No new jobs for them. Larger debt if they went to schools and didn't find a job immediately after school. The prospect of extended unemployment while you go to school and add to your debt burden. That's exactly what one person interviewed in New York this week end said.

Ownership? a good question

2011-10-01T11:27:00.000-07:00

We're starting to ask the right questions. Let's think about our life for a few minutes. Yes -- You, I can live with little or no money.

Make up a list of the things you need to live, I didn't say survive, live. Include entertainment, leisure and learning. You need shelter, a place for guests, transportation to and from shopping and medical appointments and a little cash to pay for groceries and repairs. Look around. Ownership doesn't do much to help. You don't need the full storage area in the spare bedroom or your own cable conection or wifi.

Watch this video by Sam Lessin it starts the walk around tbe reputation economy community. (He is part of the team that redesigned Facebook.) We need a cheap smartphone or computer and a way to get to the couch-surfing site. Check out Facebook's timeline for eating ideas. Find mobile learning to complete the work you have contracted. Need dental care. Free clinics are near you. Need some work for money? Become a TaskRabbit. Or, find your local timebank.

Is this really possible? Yes.

Collaborative Consumption

Years ago we referred to this way of living as voluntary simplicity. Now in a world of high unemployment and low job prospects we may have to rethink how we get started again. Collaborative consumption helps us achieve a new style of voluntary simplicity. Now in the US -- a world of extreme surplus -- maybe we use things when we need them. Offer these things, we have but don't need to others, for their needs and get the thing back to re-loan. Need an office when you travel, try co-working visa.

Rent out that surplus. Two cars in the parking lot. Loan out one. Tools in your spare bedroom. Loan out the tools.

This little walk into the reputation economy offers a few alternatives.

Make money by loaning out what you own but don't need today.
Work in the neighborhood when extra cash is needed.
Set up a business with the items you already own.

This new world revolves around information about where things we need are and how readily you can tell the owners who you are. The same information you need when you rent out your things. This reputation economy depends on maintaining a good reputation within the community that shares their things with you.

Imagine a world in which you use the resources available in a collaborative manner. This possibility opens a world without having to own everything.

Startups, making money

2011-09-02T11:31:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

There are ways to find work , the hard part is the hours it takes -- the months to get your business started.

What's work? Jobshift by William Bridges says there's lots of work, even when there are few jobs. They're defined by Job Descriptions; work is something that organizations need getting done.

Bridges is very generous with his copy of Jobshift on Google Books. Take some time to look it over.

Find work and you will have a chance to make the money you need to make a living.

Provide free content and collect purchasing intent so that you can sell ads, send leads to products or services your audience might be interested in, and/or up sell to a subscription or digital goods.
Provide a paid service, to attract as many potential consumers to you as cost effectively as possible, get them to pay you for a service, and then work to keep them as paying subscribers for as long as possible. Most start ups offer some content or basic service is provided for free. Then offer a premium subscription service also.
Sell a product that is shipped from a warehouse, sent via UPS or is a coupon that can be used to purchase goods and services locally.

There's been a revolution in developing business models, that is, ways to plan a money making business. For a handbook check out Business Model Development. You'll have to find a copy in a library or from Amazon. These reviews show it will be well worth your time.

Other people, experts in how to use social media have something to say, check out Seth's Blog. Here's an example of what you'll find. Three things a customer expects. Results, thrills and ego not exactly business school talk, but something to think about.

Don't ignore social media.

Speed that's what it is about

2011-09-02T09:55:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBaseOpenDNS provides an easy-to-implement Internet way to speed up navigating websites and preventing unintended access to phishing and malware sites as well as to any Web content that you configure to be restricted.

Shifting Skill Demand

2011-09-01T09:42:00.000-07:00

Image by bravo! via FlickrWhile some workers can be retrained, such as a bookkeeper learning to use account software, not all middle-skilled workers will get the opportunity.

"The question is what to do with those middle-skilled workers who lose those jobs," Ms. Caranci said. "The idea is to push them up the skills ladder, and that's a policy challenge." However, there is a real risk that a portion of those workers are being pushed down the ladder instead.

From ISEEK.org.

Classic revived-- Possum Living

2011-07-24T12:23:00.000-07:00

There are ways to live without a job and on little or no money, this book is a classic. Just noticed that Possum Living: How to Live Well Without a Job and with (Almost) No Money has been reintroduced. Dolly Freed wrote it.

I looked it up on books.google.com and there was a whole library of books to read -- the free parts. They will give you many ideas. See if a copy is in a library near you. Just "request" it if you have a local library card. If not, get one.

Save the cost of a smartphone - Handsfree cellphone use and your own music to boot

2011-07-24T12:03:00.000-07:00

A Bluetooth connection saves you money and gives you hands free cellphone use. It's part of my series to see if we can save the cost of a smartphone every year. That's right get a free smartphone.

How's it save you money?

Next time you're near a car dealer check out the price of the bluetooth option. Wow! A retrofit kit costs between $125 and $300, plus installation.

Or, what's the cost of getting a cellphone ticket? Up to $200 in the State of Washington.

How about the costs of an accident? Safety alone should make all of us look for a hands free way to use our smartphones phones, or turn them off in the car.

In the spirit of this series, this is a free lunch, not a freebie. It costs you over $100 but you get all those money saving benefits. Like the free lunch of old, buy a drink at the bar, get a free lunch.

Save the cost of a smartphone - Listen to free audio books

2011-07-22T22:53:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaA series to see if we can save the cost of a smartphone every year. That's right get a free smartphone.

The rules are:
1. These have to be things you would do anyway.
2. They can be done easily on a smartphone.
3. The savings needs to be large enough to cover the price of the cheapest smartphone I know about. ($600 for the service and $149 for the phone. That's $750 savings a year to have a free phone.)

Download hundreds of free audio books, mostly classics, to your smartphone. OpenCulture lists works of fiction, non-fiction and poetry.

Lowering the cost of internet access

2011-04-10T12:47:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia
Finally a way to share internet, cheaply. MESH networks. OpenMesh can serve an apartment or a neighborhood. This system is thought to be able to offer so many nodes eventually, it can't be shut off as it was in Egypt.

Just imagine the conversation between AT&T and the FBI after AT&T takes over TMobile.

In response to that thought experiment, the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative (OTI), Chambana.net, and Acorn Active Media plan to build a new MESH tool for democratic organizing.

All the rest a good place to live, economically?

2011-03-26T18:24:00.000-07:00

Illinois leads the ten worst states for retirement, followed by California, New York, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Ohio, Wisconsin, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Nevada.(TopRetirements.com) The states are rated on three factors: fiscal health, taxation, and climate.

Six of the 10 worst states for retirees are identified by a Pew Center as being in "fiscal peril." They include California, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. Each shows some of the same pressures that have pushed California toward economic disaster.

Avoid these states they will likely face massive layoffs of public employees, decreasing services and increasing taxes. The worst possible combination of situations for home owners, job growth, workers and for retirees.

Check out these links, we're in for some rough times before the economy recovers.

Good deals, daily

2011-03-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Wisebread has furnished other posts, but I thought this one was too good to miss.

Related articles

Online shopping

2011-03-21T13:35:00.000-07:00

You wouldn't think it, but where you live affects the cost of online shopping. Move to Delaware. Extrabux says you'll save money even above the no taxes benefit of online shopping. Hawaii is the worst place to live. Both are true because of the shipping costs.Image via CrunchBase

Economy's improving, but

2011-03-13T21:05:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

Nothing's as straight forward as we might like.

People will leave as soon as the economy improves and jobs become available. So you'll have to complete with people who worked throughout the recession.
Temp employees, flex workers and contractors will stay on. You may have to become one of them.
Cost cutting will still be the rage for most companies.
Most hiring will be focused on critical skill needs, with little or no effort to train.
The demand for the skills you had, has deteriorated since you left the job. You'll have to decide, do I get training to compete?
There is disagreement about how many employees will be needed to "replace" the baby-boomers who retire.

New global jobs

2011-03-04T09:18:00.001-08:00

Information and communications technology have altered labor markets around the world. This has contributed to job growth occurring in those sectors that demand low or unskilled labor and in those that demand higher skills.

Now, businesses are able to easily and cheaply communicate with service providers and customers around the world. They can negotiate, place orders, track production and deliveries and pay vendors on the internet.

Workshop of the future

2011-03-04T09:04:00.001-08:00

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

IT has permanently changed where work happens and the role of buildings. IT allows employees to be mobile, to work with colleagues remotely andcollaborate anywhere. It has done away with the ordinary offices.

Google helps job search

2011-01-20T18:04:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it helps to localize a search. This video offers a couple of tips that may help get less "hits" and more opportunities to look for jobs.

And, a maybe a job.

Undernutrition can be tackled

2011-01-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaAccording to a report entitled Scaling up Nutrition, we have a new and far more favorable
environment for constructive change. There is proof that nutritional interventions create positive development and health returns. In addition, the international nutrition community agrees on a common framework for action.

It is an opportunity for the global community to reverse past neglect and to take effective action now to combat undernutrition. Read the report.

A lot of what it says applies in the developed countries as well. We, the US, are in a recession.

Our health can't wait for job programs and a distant recovery. We know what to do -- let's do it.

More experiments and failures

2010-12-29T00:52:00.000-08:00

Read a ridiculous news story the other day. Four social media businesses failed. Huffington Post lamented the loss of Google Buzz and Wave, Ping, MySpace and Facebook Places, efforts that went down in 2010. I wish that was all.

There were hundreds of unknown second tier companies and banks that went down and are going down. Bankruptcies and foreclosures are everywhere.

We only hear about the big failures. Not about the thousands of very small internet experiments that used social media, or the brick and mortar businesses that ran through the family savings. The ones that never generated enough income to cover expenses.

This is a hard time to make a living for those who lost their jobs. And, there will be more business failures and unemployment to come.

Think about working and swapping

2010-12-23T09:43:00.000-08:00

Image by Faultybox via Flickr

There are starting to be an increase in restaurant jobs. One factor fueling the trend is that restaurant work can't, for the most part, be outsourced.

"You can't serve restaurant meals from Shanghai," said Edward Leamer, director of the UCLA Anderson Forecast. "These jobs are good in the short run, but in the long run economic growth cannot be made from you and I trading one meal for another," he said. Rather, manufacturing or intellectual products such as movies and technical innovation need to come back before the economy can truly heal and grow, Leamer said.

These jobs won't support you completely but they give you money. You can't live on swapping alone.

Swapping for christmas or anytime

2010-12-20T00:39:00.000-08:00

Image by latddotcom via Flickr

There are some encouraging things going on. Here's one, collaborative consumption. Here's a good example of the trend.

Maybe, organize a gift bazaar. It doesn't have to be done by Christmas, anytime will do. There's lots of ways to live more simply.

Trust-based systems are encouraging us to do things with strangers. We can learn who to trust and who not. Swaps occur, the participants rate each other. It works. Get rid of things you don't use for things new to you. Shop/swap online and reswap after you've enjoyed the item. Keep them moving. This is reuse.

Learn android programming

2010-12-10T14:11:00.001-08:00

The mobile applications market has exploded. Apple’s store has surpassed 300,000 applications and the Android Market continues to gain ground. The crowdsourcing strategies and the market’s low barriers to entry have set the standard and convinced many people to become mobile app developers.

If you're not sure about programming,or android programming in particular, then this is for you. Now, there's an easier way to start programming an android application -- android scripting. To start using android scripting you'll need to install IProgram on your phone. It's in the android market.

Then, you can use this site to try out programming.

After some practice in android scripting, you can move on to videos and books. This should be a bit easier since you have done some programming on an android phone already.

Think about this

2010-11-19T16:16:00.000-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

When Fareed Zakaria travelled to India recently, he wrote, "it's as if the world has been turned upside down."

Indians are brimming with hope. But, in the United States the mood is sour, dispirited and angry. The middle class, in particular, feels under assault, he continued.

Check out his article in Time --How to Restore the American Dream

World of ideas

2010-10-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Image via Wikipedia

If you want to see where people think about the economy and other issues, check out Project Syndicate

Free ideas

2010-10-26T14:12:00.000-07:00

Next time you look for a job, think about it from a different place. Ideas appear to be free, but good ones come with lots of talk and from friends. Maybe you and they can come up with a better way.

This recession, whether it is over or not, isn't going to turn around soon, so don't look for the job you lost -- create work someone will pay you for.

Listen to this interview with Wired's Steven Johnson. You'll see where good ideas, big and little, come from.

Got a couple of bike wheels?

2010-10-16T10:06:00.000-07:00

It just one of the many courses available free at MIT. Get an education from one of the best, free.

Brain odyssey

2010-10-11T19:57:00.001-07:00

A couple of years ago public television ran a series of fundraisers based on brain plasticity. Ever since then I have looked for something I could afford.

The research and products behind the program are described on Youtube. Here's a video that explains what I'm talking about.

Now there's a free version we can use. It's a game that challenges various brain functions to exercise them and improve your brain. After I saw the TPT presentations I envisioned a series of Brain Centers where one would go to exercise the brain. Here's the Brain Odyessy game.

Where did all my money go?

2010-10-09T09:43:00.001-07:00

Found something that shows a lot of promise for those of us that need free things. A free way to keep up with expenses and plan. To find out where all that money went, look at this one.

They are different. You have to manually enter all the data. Sounds a bit like, precomputer? Many other packages automatically download your data. Guess what, they, a stranger have your account information. But, as you enter all that data into expensology you become aware of how automatically you pay bills, pay for fuel, candy bars, little snacks and restaurants, so you don't know where that money went.

Expensology has a couple of useful services. They send an email summary of your account every Monday. They also have apps for iPhone, Android, and Palm smartphones.

The run Google ads, so there is a security problem after a secure login. Be aware that they can't have ads and make money to support the site. The data you manually send in is open, but it is anonymous. Maybe in the future, they'll figurte out how to do everything securely.

All in all, it loos like a helpful service, and the price is right.

Cashless Christmas 2010

2010-10-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBase

Looks like more and more people are deciding to go cash-less. Here's a company that has developed software to help people give things away to people looking for things, free. They have improved the way items are listed from Craigslist and their own resources.

Kashless believes reuse and recycling marketplaces should be as rich in e-commerce and community features as the best paid goods marketplaces. No more clumsy bulletin boards or e-mail group lists. In addition, they recently formed a partnership with the Recycle Bank and are beginning the Kashless Rewards program. If this works we'll be able to get credit and convert it over to uesful items at local businesses.

Martin Tobias, Kashless founder said, "This year go Kashless and give, receive, earn great rewards, and most important, make a real difference in" someone`s holiday season."

Now you can experience a national marketplace where everything is free, Kashless.org. Try them out. Let's hope it works.

Please, give us comments if you try the service.

Web 2.0

2010-10-05T20:40:00.000-07:00

Image via CrunchBase

The fundamentals of Web 2.0 are more relevant today as the crisis deepens.

Do you know what Twitter is? Know how to use it?

Know how businesses are using Facebook?

The web terrain allows us to interact in ways unthought of 3 years ago. As the Blackberry, the iPhone, android phones and many other devices allow us new communication options, it becomes nearly impossible to keep up.

Businesses that will thrive in the new world after the financial crisis has worked its way through the economy and the social structure, use the devices now. Get a glimpse of the future. Explore Web2.0 at the expo.

Maybe someday they'll practice what the "believe" and make it available to those of us on the internet and not just to the ones that pay for the trip to San Francisco.

Travel savings, if you can work thru the confusion

2010-10-05T19:22:00.000-07:00

Now, there are search engines for booking flights. They search and compare other booking site's deals. Here's an example.

Going on a trip from Minneapolis to Dallas, go to Kayak .com. It searches all the airelines that offer a flight and compares the fares. That's straight forward. I could get a flight for $219 round trip according to Kayak. The confusion starts when I checked the other sites for comparison. In this instance, they yielded a big savings -- Cheapoair was $183, and Travelocity and Expedia for $178.

When I decide on the flight I want, I go to the airline's own Web site to reImage via CrunchBasegister for the reservation and make sure I’ve got the lowest fare.

Then, I check SeatGuru.com, which has seat maps of most major airlines’ planes, to find the best seat available.

As often as possible, I try to book hotels through their own Web sites — to avoid extra charges.But, I still check Kayak again for a place to stay. Then go to Hotels.com and DealBase.com to make sure I’m getting a good rate.

There are savings, you just have to double check.

Free education

2010-03-17T12:26:00.000-07:00

Image via WikipediaCheck out Openculture. If you want the knowledge, an education is available on the web. They are part of the free education activities available on the web. It's a site that offers podcasts and much more. Here's a sample of their offerings.

A recession in motion

2010-01-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Image via WikipediaCheckout how the recession has changed the US. This video shows how dramatically employment has changed.

We're a long way from repairing the damage represented in this map.

Cookie jar savings

2009-11-28T09:26:00.001-08:00

Saving has been automated for years. The Bank of America, Keep the Change program, reframes the hard, might I say for many of us, the impossible task of paying yourself.

The costs of saving are reduced, the mental model is reframed, and the routine is nearly automatic. Spend. Simply spend. And, BoA reinforces your good deed. They match your contribution.

For the pros and cons of the put your change in BoA's cookie jar, check out Wisebread.

Change your assumptions about being able to save, change bank accounts or get a cookie jar.

Black friday prices

2009-11-15T22:03:00.001-08:00

These finds aren't free, but if you need something these are good prices.

Every day, dealnews brings the best deals available to their website. As they say, "… the kinds of deals you'd normally only see on Black Friday."

Dealnews verifies that each item listed is valid, the lowest total price they could find and from a reputable retailer. Then, they post it.

Cash-less christmas

2009-11-15T21:25:00.001-08:00

Looks like more and more people are deciding to go cash-less. Here's a company that has developed software to help people give things away to people looking for things, free. They have inproved the way items are listed from craigslist and their own resources.

Kashless believes reuse and recycling marketplaces should be as rich in ecommerce and community features as the best paid goods marketplaces. No more clumsy bulletin boards or e-mail group lists. In addition, they recently formed a partnership with the Recycle Bank and are beginning the Kashless Rewards program. If this works we'll be able to get credit and convert it over to uesful items at local businesses.

Martin Tobias, Kashless founder said, "This year go Kashless and give, receive, earn great rewards, and most important, make a real difference in" someone`s holiday season."

Now you can experience a national marketplace where everything is free, Kashless.org. Try them out. Let's hope it works.

Please, give us comments if you try the service.

Getting services and things without cash

2009-11-13T20:52:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Barter functions in a cashless economy. Beer, lingerie, ad space, home improvements and electronics just some of the offerings business owners put up for swap at the recent barter show. People packed into a hotel to and trade bicycles, jewelry, anything for plumbing, for doctor visits or for maintenance services. Members have cards linked to accounts of "trade dollars" which they can spend on anything offered by other businesses in the network. Some people barter for household expenses, others to reduce slow moving inventory

. It's all about keeping cash for your business. Business-to-business barter through one of these exchanges gets value. I have found 5 exchanges that operate in various parts of the country..

The We Trade Now Network web site lists some of the services their barter exchange offers its members. In addition to a monthly bulletin, they electronically manage all barters and trade dollars. They advertise member businesses to other members. Each member gets a statement every month. And, every January they send each member a 1099B.

Barter is for businesses. A timebank is for people swapping time for time. An alternative for people living cash-free is to trade time in a timebank. Local timebanks manage the trades for its members.

6,344 people got free medical visits

2009-11-05T10:33:00.001-08:00

California was once held up as the epitome of boundless opportunities, has collapsed. The crisis is so deep that Kevin Starr, who wrote an history of the state, declared: "California is on the verge of becoming the first failed state in America."

The California legislature slashed healthcare. The housing market freefalls. Cities across the state, such as Fresno and Modesto, have jobless rates that rival Detroit's. In order to pass its state budget, its agreed to cut billions of dollars from education and layoff 60,000 state employees. And, the state's bonds have been ranked just above "junk".

Now, people without medical insurance waited for hours for treatment in Inglewood recently. The 1,500 free places were filled by 4am. Looked like the aftermath of a natural disaster.

The Remote Area Medical Foundation posted a thank you on its website, to everyone who made it possible for so many to receive so much during the event. Remote Area Medical's, 8-day free clinic at The Forum in Inglewood served 6,344 patients.

I brought this to your attention for two reasons, to mention the extraodinary work of a free medical service the Remote Area Medical Foundation, and to muse, can the US recover if California continues to languish, or fail?

Reuse is the highest form of recycling

2009-11-05T09:22:00.001-08:00

Freecycle built a reuse movement that reduces waste, saves resources and eases the burden on our waste processing plants and landfills while enabling its members to benefit. It's Yahoo group that helps people give away, rather than throw away. Anyone is welcome to post items to be given away or to seek items needed. Visit the Freecycle community in your area.

It is a bit awkward to join (it's a Yahoo group) but might meet your needs if you need something another person in your commuity wants to give away. I just checked. Someone just gave away a bed and another was looking for pots and pans. Every community lists very practical things for free.

Just a reminder, Craigslist has a category for free things. Pick a city, Austin, Texas for example. It's under "for sale," then "free." It is true on every city's page.

Freecycle and Craigslist keep tons of reusable materials out of landfills.Try either, or both when you need something.

Housing prices stopped decline

2009-10-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

Near the end of February I mentioned that housing prices were falling, that has changed. Starting in June housing prices, nationally, have risen slightly.

Job hunting? -- change industries

2009-10-31T11:39:00.001-07:00

Look outside your old boundaries, but look within your job function. Pursue jobs that correspond to your core competency and that let you do what you do best. Your skills are your asset. That's what you're selling.

Learn to think in terms of careers and of industries. The information from the Labor Department and local job counselors comes in both forms. You have a career based on your skills and you work or worked in an industry. Look at this site. It distinguishes between "careers," what you do, and "industries," the set of firms where you have a job. (In other parts of this blog I distinguish between jobs and work. Click on the work tag in the left column.)

What many people don't realize is the variety of jobs in every industry. Health care needs workers. Workers from ever occupation imaginable. Your strategy, sell your skills, your occupation, in a growing industry. Find a growing industry, where you occupation, your set of skills, is used.

Most people don't assume that innovation and growth in health care translates into the need for day-care workers, computer techs, dentists, communications workers (unemployed journalists) and database managers. They're all needed in addition to doctors and nurses to innovate (like remote diagnosis), to serve our aging population, to maintain records and to control costs. If you can't find a job in "your" industry, make a health care employer list.

To find a new job you'll probably have to give up the idea of working in the same industry you left. Remember your skills are in demand, somewhere.

North Dakota the new oil patch?

2009-10-28T10:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a surprise, the upper Midwest may become a major oil production area. If this develops over the next decade, it could create thousands of new jobs as the field goes through the early development phases. Check out this link.

3 to 4.3 Billion Barrels of Oil in North Dakota and Montana

Business loans falling

2009-10-27T19:31:00.001-07:00

One of the themes of this blog is that we can think ahead as long as our assumptions for planning are sound. I've worried that housing can't lead us out of the recession. But, I thought US business and global expansion would have to do it.

One of the oft repeated assumptions going around in the media is that a recovery is near, or at least, the slowdown has stopped. This assumption relies on businesses, large and small, getting money to finance the expansion. So, they can grow and hire more people. Normally, the hiring process takes place months after the economic decline stops.

Ordinarily, firms start to expand their employee's work week. Then, they hire temps to fill in as demand expands. And finally, they hire new employees. This hiring lowers the unemployment rate.

During 2001 -2002 recession, business loans declined from approximately September, 2001 to September, 2004. This time the loans started declining in May, 2009. Loans during the last recession started to recover in September, 2002.

The economy is not going to expand until banks start lending and business get more loans. The graph of commercial loans will have to stop free fall. We may be in for a slow decline in the general economy or a very long recovery. So plan accordingly.

I need to give credit for this idea to the blog, Econompicdata. He has a slightly different look at the data, but the conclusion is the same.

How to persuade another

2009-10-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

We used to hear it all the time, "Everyone is a sales person." It meant that we're always selling ourselves, or our latest project. For years it meant to me that I was selling the forecasts. Yes, I was hired to forecast, but that meant nothing.I had to figure out what my bosses needed from the forecasts to engage them.

There are lots of things that are free. This presentation has a sales pitch at the very end. I'm not endorsing Dave Lakhani's products. But, this video is worth it. He introduces us to a skill each of us needs. It will make us think about the potential client the next time we're trying to get across a point.

How does this person communicate best? Is he or she a meaning person? A structure person? An action person? Or, a relationship person? Each person responds to the story differently. We need to learn how the person communicates and change the pitch to their way of thinking. How -- listen to them.

If you're looking for a job, trying to start a small company or buying supplies; this video's for you.

Here's persuasion expert Dave Lakhani telling how to do the vital task of persuading others.

Government jobs

2009-10-22T15:38:00.001-07:00

According to the employment data available, health and government jobs continue to increase even during the Great Recession. If you're looking for a job, try your friendly internet branch of the federal government. They're hiring thousands of employees over the next 3 years.

According to http://data.wherethejobsare.org/wtja/home two factors are driving the government's hiring for the next three years:

National security and the need to support veterans are big reasons for new hiring. The largest increase will come at the Department of Veterans Affairs, up 59 percent compared to 2007 figures with 48,159 jobs to fill. The Department of Homeland Security has 65,730 projected openings and the Department of Defense has 43,514 projected hires.
The need to replace hundreds of thousands of retiring federal workers. Nearly one-third of the 1.9 million member federal workforce is expected to retire or resign in the next five years, translating to tens of thousands of job opportunities across government.

Here's the numbers and a way to start your job search.

Medical and Public Health

54,114 jobs

Description --Occupational areas and positions include physician (all disciplines), nursing, dietician/nutrition, occupational and rehabilitation therapy, radiology, pharmacy, industrial hygiene and consumer safety.

Security and Protection

52,077 jobs

Description --Occupational areas and positions include intelligence analysis, international relations, foreign affairs, security administration, transportation security officer, park ranger, correctional officer and police officer.

Compliance and Enforcement

31,276 jobs

Description --Occupational areas and positions include inspectors, investigators (including criminal), customs and border patrol and protection, import specialist and customs inspection.

Legal

23,596 jobs

Description --Occupational areas and positions include attorney, contact representative, paralegal, passport/visa examining and claims examining/assistance.

Administration/Program Management

17,287 jobs

Description --Occupational areas and positions include human resources, equal employment opportunity, management/program analysis, telecommunications and a variety of clerical support activities.

Just click on the links above to see how many jobs are needed and what departments to apply to for them,

Good luck.

Be the first to check this out and report in the comment section. What happened?

Free medical clinics

2009-10-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

The National Association of Free Clinics is a nonprofit organization whose mission is focused on the issues and needs of the more than 1,200 free clinics and the people they serve in the United States.

If you need medical help checkout their website. Find a free clinic in your area.

Free $15 Entree from TGI Fridays - FreeShiet.com

2009-10-14T17:53:00.001-07:00

Free $15 Entree from TGI Fridays - FreeShiet.com

Shared via AddThis

Free Starbucks on Your Birthday With Rewards Card - FreeShiet.com

2009-10-14T17:52:00.001-07:00

Free Starbucks on Your Birthday With Rewards Card - FreeShiet.com

Shared via AddThis

No retail recovery yet

2009-08-30T22:15:00.001-07:00

According to the Associated Press (8/28/9), household income in the United States is essentially stagnant, raising doubts about whether consumers already hurt by job losses can sustain an economic recovery. Especially in the U.S., consumer spending is essential: It drives about 70 percent of economic activity -- more than for most European nations and well above the rates in developing countries such as China.

Savings, once thought to be a good thing may contribut to a slow turnaround. Economists expect the savings rate to rise further in coming months, possibly topping 6 percent. If so, it would prolong the nation's sluggish spending and economic activity.

If economic growth does weaken significantly early next year, it would raise fears of a double-dip recession in which the economy resumes growing for a brief period only to fall back into a downturn.

To aid the economy, the Federal Reserve has cut a key interest rate to a record low near zero and is pledging to keep rates low even after the economy begins to grow again. The Fed can make that pledge because inflation isn't a problem.

Analysts said America's high-spending ways, which have fueled economic growth for years, could be fading. Baby boomers, sobered by the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression, are striving to save more as they near retirement.

Libraries, free job info

2009-08-12T09:59:00.001-07:00

According to the Wall Street Journal unemployed folks are flocking to the library, a cozy place to look for a job

A few years ago, public libraries were being written off as goners. The Internet had made them irrelevant, the argument went. But libraries across the country are reporting jumps in attendance of as much as 65% over the past year, as newly unemployed people flock to branches to fill out résumés and scan ads for job listings.

Of course, some come to libraies to use the free wifi. Others for books and videos. The sheer numbers of jobless visitors are overwhelming libraries at a time of funding cuts by cash-strapped local agencies.

Many jobless people are reporting to the library as they used to report to the office. Career books are in particularly great demand. Some of the shelves are bare. "They are frustrated, overwhelmed and thought they would not be job hunting again in their lives," says Jan Perrier, head of reference and adult services at the Roxbury Public Library in Succasunna, N.J.

Librarians are turning into job counselors -- and even social workers -- as they have to deal with a sometimes-desperate new class of patrons.

Book that used to be free

2009-08-11T22:31:00.001-07:00

Cover of Free: The Future of a Radical Price

Free things have been around for a long time. In 1903, King Gillette sold less than 100 razors. Over the next few decades he sold razors to the Army at a discount. He hoped soldiers would buy them after they left the military. He sold razors to banks, at a discount, to give away with new deposits. His razors were bundled with everything from gum to coffee to marshmallows. The freebies sold the products, and helped Gillette. He gave away useless razors they created the demand for disposable blades.

What do you think a free lunch was? Bars sold a drink and the patrons got all they could eat. Sure enough there was and is a free lunch.

Today, Ben and Jerry's give away sundaes. Most restaurants at one time or another give away a meal. If you buy one of equal value! Amazon gives free shipping if you purchase more than $25 per order. Then, they price the books so you have to buy two, to exceed the $25 minimum. And you overrun the minimum.

This blog regularly finds free stuff. Sometimes there's a hook, other times, they are loss leaders. Do you think the buy one get one free offer makes money? Not unless you return to buy something. Free razors and free cell phones create demand for blades and telephone services with a one or two year contract.

Free breast screenings

2009-08-03T17:05:00.001-07:00

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides low-income, uninsured and underserved women access to breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services. Approximately 10% of women 18 years to 64 are eligible.

Get information about your state program from this CDC web site.

Protecting soldier’s jobs

2009-08-01T20:20:00.001-07:00

With the economy going south for the next few months tha last thing a returning soldier needs is a hassle over the job.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act prohibits an employer from denying any benefit of employment on the basis of an individual's membership, application for membership, performance of service, application for service, or obligation for service in the uniformed services.

It also protects the right of veterans, reservists, and National Guard members to reclaim their civilian employment after being absent due to military service or training.

If you're having trouble, go to Lawyers for Warriors.

Free eye exams for seniors

2009-07-30T13:48:00.001-07:00

People eligible for a referral through the eyecare America program receive a comprehensive, medical eye exam and up to one year of care— at no out-of-pocket cost —for any disease diagnosed during the initial exam.

To be eligible you:

Are age 65 and older
Are U.S. citizens or legal residents
Have not seen an ophthalmologist in three or more years
Do not belong to an HMO or the VA

They offer four programs for senior citizens.

The economy hasn’t bottomed out yet

2009-07-26T22:07:00.001-07:00

As you know I watch what key observers of the global economy say about the US economy. Here's what you need to know from a couple of them, Suzy Orman and Noriel Roubini.

Based on what they're saying, we still have to run our personal finances without expectation of positive changes in the economy. We'll have to do the best we can to get income whether it is a job, contract work, our own little business or unemployment compensation.

If you think you'll soon lose your job, follow Suzy Orman's advice, cut your expenses in half as quickly as possible. You'll see why next.

Nouriel Roubini said on July 23^rd, "The recovery is going to be subpar. I see a one percent growth in the economy in the next few years. There will also be 11 percent unemployment next year and the recovery is going to be slow. It's going to feel like a recession even when it ends."

"We may be out of a freefall for the financial system," said Roubini. "We have seen the worst in that sense. But in my view there is a sluggish U shaped recovery that might go into a W double dip if we don't fix the problems in the economy."

This is not a pretty scenario for planning, but it is a distinct possibility.

Look at the free stuff listed elsewhere on this blog. Look around, something may help.

If you come across free services that could help others, please include information about them in a comment.

Don’t pay for free government money

2009-07-26T12:37:00.001-07:00

The claims are all the same:

your application for a grant is guaranteed to be accepted
you'll never have to pay the money back

Sometimes, it's an ad that claims you will qualify to receive a "free grant" to pay for education costs, home repairs, home business expenses, or unpaid bills. Other times, it's a phone call supposedly from a "government" agency or some other organization with an official sounding name.

The Federal Trade Commission says government money for nothing offers usually are scams, whether you see them in your local paper, in TV infomercials or a national magazine, or hear about them on the phone.

I got the idea for this entry when I saw an infomercial by Kevin Trudeau. Check out "Is Kevin Trudeau's Free Money for Real?"

Don't pay for free government information.

Free up your old computer

2009-07-22T20:46:00.001-07:00

I'll bet you thought your computer was slowing down along with your blurring eyesight because you were getting older. Nope, its daily activity and all those changes you've made over the years to your computer. XP and I assume your trusty Macs OX has a lot of life in it. It just hasn't removed code when new software was added. Or, when, you removed software.

Look up Speed up Windows XP if you have an XP machine. For Vista, go here.

After you've carefully done some of the suggested cleanups, go to CCleaner.com. Download and install it.This utility gets rid of clutter, and therefore unused disk space. It gets rid of the tracks you leave when browsing. This protects your privacy. Run it to cleanup the mess left over the years. Then, run CCleaner every few weeks, you'll be amazed at the mess left behind by normal computing activities. And, it frees up disk space everytime you run it.

All together, this effort will save you having to buy a new machine, or the latest operating system, just because Gates needs more money and Microsoft introduced one.

And for your Mac, here's the place to clean it up.

Clinics on a sliding fee scale

2009-06-23T13:50:00.001-07:00

If you need free or very low cost medical or dental help you can find the clinins anywhere in the US. Just go to http://www.hrsa.gov/ and click on "Health Care Regardless of Your Ability to Pay."

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) provides support to 3,600 health center sites serving about 12.5 million people. HRSA's services include programs designed to increase access to care for the country's most vulnerable populations.

To find a medical or dental clinic near you, go to http://findahealthcenter.hrsa.gov/, type in your zip code. For example, if you live in Minneapolis, type in "55401." That gets you the name, location and phone number of 24 nearby clinics. Let's look at one, for example, the Community-University Health Care Center (CUHCC) in south Minneapolis. CUHCC has provided primary care services to children and low income families in Hennepin County since 1966.

If you live in St. Paul, type in "55101." You'll find 12 medical clinics that serve low-income people. One clinic, the West Side Community Health Services (WSCHS) provides comprehensive health care and bilingual, bicultural social services on a sliding fee scale. WSCHS services include primary, specialty, preventive, urgent care, complementary, pharmacy, dental, OB/GYN, mental health and social services. In addition, there are support services such as child care, transportation and assistance with health plan enrollment. They serve about 35,000 people each year.

It may take a bit of checking around but the HRSA site can be the first step toward getting the medical and dental services you and your family need while unemployed or underemployed.

A list of free clinics is also available here. Just click on the state, then, the city where you live.

Freelance

2009-06-22T22:04:00.001-07:00

It doesn't sound quite believable, but according to Kelly Services, 26% of today's workers are freelance.

As the economy contracted, more companies looked to get work done and more people looked for ways to earn money.

Businesses hire freelancers to save money. They only pay for work they need done. They don't have to pay the overhead of a job -- space, lunch rooms, benefits, etc. Workers freelance to do that work for money. They don't have any other responsibility to a contract employer. (I didn't say, "Get a job." Check out William Bridges' book, Creating You and Co.)

Freelancer's paychecks are erratic and vulnerable. Contract workers, are the first hired as companies ease back into the market when inventories get low. Freelancers are the first cut when companies scale back.

The disadvantage? You have to cobble together your own social safety net. Check out the Freelancers Union. If you're still interested look at a couple of web sites in addition to the Freelancers Union site:

Then, read Harvey Mackay's book, Beware the Naked Man Who Offers You His Shirt, to find out how to network. Then network friends, ex employers and ex coworkers.

Free education

2009-06-07T21:38:00.001-07:00

A college education is moving more and more toward becoming free. And, even more interesting, the courses are available at some of the best universities in the US.

At Yale (Open Yale Courses) students can audit lectures. Other universities that offering online courses at no charge include, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon University; Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University.

Now the Peer-to-Peer University (P2PU) has tutors. It isn't a "real" university and it doesn't want to be one. P2PU does away with many of the costs of running a university. No books. No classrooms.

You have the computer and pay for the connection. Volunteer tutors do the rest. Learners and tutors work together. P2PU supports informal learning communities and provides structure as well as incentives to participate in facilitated courses.

Eventually, there will be alternative accreditation. Portfolios of completed work will prove the kinds of work done and the quality of the student's contribution.

Go to your local timebank

2009-05-26T20:17:00.001-07:00

When we think we're familiar with what the economy is, we're thinking primarily of the money economy with its large bureaucracies. Where we get paid for work. Where we buy the goods and services we use. But there is another economy. One, we all depend on, every day. It operates between family members and friends, and within communities.

Things and services are cheap, or free, in the other economy. I call it the cashless economy. It doesn't fit into Adam Smith's understanding of an economy. Often there is no price so prices don't reflect the value added.

A friend stops by to take me to work. No charge.
My mother needs a new refrigerator. I pick it up and deliver it for free or maybe for a meal.

These activities build healthy families, communities and cities.

In addition to consuming our lives (Your Money or Your Life) the dollar economy runs on a scale and timetable unrelated to individual needs. Today, millions are laid off, unemployed, homeless, poor. These folks are of little or no value to the dollar economy. And, their needs are not considered when politicians and decision makers think about the economy. Not only are they ignored, they have no money to lobby congress, or to get the services and goods they need.

Edgar Cahn (No More Throwaway People) invented timebanks to solve many of the problems. They allow people to determine the value of the services they give and receive. An hour of my time is equal to an hour of your time. Time dollars change hands. Go to Timebanks.

In Minnesota there are four timebanks

St. Paul (Hour Dollars)
Minneapolis (Shift Time Bank)
Stillwater (Neighborhood Service Exchange)
Rochester (Time Trader).

Check out the one nearest you.

According to their national web site twenty seven states have timebanks. So here's a place to start healing the community where you live. If you live in a state other than Minnesota check out the site. In addition, it might help your understanding to view some to their videos.

Shift

2009-05-22T12:26:00.001-07:00

If you want to see services available to people in the Twin Cities who are seeking employment or volunteer for activities or who are care givers -- go to the Shift site. Look over the site and do subscribe to the newsletter.

How did I hear about Shift? I was lucky, I have known Jan Hively, one of the co-founders for years. But, only recently have I had an opportunity to attend any of their meetings.

Last night I got to see the breath of opportunities they offer to members and nonmembers. Shift Circles to share job hunting skills or learn the skills. A Timebank for those of us who volunteer. A place to share and promote your business ideas.

Best Places to Work

2009-05-20T14:27:00.001-07:00

Google is the best?? For two years in a row, Google has been selected best place to work by Fortune magazine. Checkout the other 49 best places, here.

Feds are Hiring

2009-05-20T14:21:00.001-07:00

The Best Places to Work rankings — the comprehensive and authoritative rating of employee satisfaction and commitment in the federal government — are produced by the Partnership for Public Service and American University's Institute for the Study of Public Policy Implementation. See the full list here for large agencies, smaller ones and for parts of agencies.

According to the web site," If you are looking for a job, nobody offers a wider variety of opportunities than the federal government. As the nation's largest employer with almost two million civilian employees, Uncle Sam is always hiring, and the available jobs offer a match for almost any set of skills and interests — from accounting to zoology."

Recession Gardens

2009-05-01T08:25:00.001-07:00

MSNBC reported recently, that Americans had dramatically increased their orders of basic vegetable seeds such as onions, tomatoes and peppers. And, now that the White House lawn has a garden we are growing our own vegetables at a record rate.

The appeal of backyard gardening isn't in its history - it's in the savings. According to the American Gardening Association a garden yields $500 per year in savings.

If you don't have a garden space, contact your local community garden. Maybe you can get a plot or share one.

This is what I call a freebie, with work.

Recession garden

2009-05-01T08:10:00.001-07:00

It’s cash-free, Freecycling

2009-04-26T11:50:00.001-07:00

I have been on the road now for four weeks. Everywhere I go I see what may be a way to design and participate in a cash-free social system for people without money. Unemployed, underemployed, semiretired (intestinally and not) all of us live in a world where cash is short, or completely lacking.

How do we survive and thrive as the economy goes it way along the rocky road deeper into recession?

I plan to highlight on a complementary blog some of the cash free examples each community could adopt as we restore an economy for the rest of us. Here's one. Freecycling is about giving away something you'd throw away. Freecycling opens up an opportunity for each of us to give freely and to receive freely now and again.

Let's change the way people think about what they buy, when they buy it and what they do with it when they no longer need it.

Join Freecycling locally -- give it away, don't throw it away and get things you need as well.

peace

A job may be on your phone

2009-04-21T12:59:00.001-07:00

Get new job suggestions on your phone. Check out CareerBuilder's job alert service.

Are you prepared for the tech requirements?

2009-04-21T12:55:00.001-07:00

You need to know where your computer skills rank and if you need additional training.

Make sure you know Windows XP, file management, and the MS Office Suite: Word, Excel, Access, Outlook, and PowerPoint. Test your knowledge by taking a standardized test, for instance, QUIZ. Then find the necessary training if you have fallen behind. Google "free computer training." And, you're on your way.

These skills will help you qualify for another job, and they will help you make the most of the Internet for researching potential employers. job searching and interviewing. Many are done on line today.

Homework

2009-04-16T16:54:00.001-07:00

Help find work turns up in the strangest places. The View a show in ABC has some helpful advice and some places to look for jobs you can do at home. Check it out.

Unemployed? You’re on your own!

2009-03-16T08:11:00.001-07:00

With the latest unemployment figures still hot of the press it is becoming obvious that finding a job will take some time. How about a little money in the meantime?

Just about any information based knowledge can make you money on the net. Where is your expertise?

Games?
Business problems?
Can you optimize a web site?
Are you psychic?
What did you do in your last job?
What hobbies do you have?

There are sites where people go to seek information about all these fields and more. Liveperson sells expertise. And, you are the expert. Check out the "How it Works" video at Liveperson.

Liveperson has gotten lots of publicity of late. Articles have appeared on CNN, and, in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal. That can only be to your advantage.

Another site is Associated Content. Write an article, and submit it to them, on any field you now about.

The worst case -- you'll make a little money.

Good luck

What's left undamaged?

2009-03-06T15:50:00.001-08:00

Over 4 million jobs disappeared so far in this recession. Approximately 2.6 million — disappeared in the last four months. With unemployment over 8%, the economy is signaling that recovery will not be happening this year. A fundamental restructuring of the American economy is underway.

Problems started in housing, then finance, then auto manufacturing. Now after Christmas, we realize that retail declined. With the loss of jobs, workers lost their health insurance, now hospitals feel the squeeze. What's left unchanged?

This is not a situation where a worker who lost a job can expect to find another shortly. They disappeared.

Will training help? Assess the prospects for employment before you spend a few months going to a program for job that relocated or that computers do.

Look at the assumptions I've outlined before on this blog. Then answer some of the following questions:
What jobs, or businesses, will survive a sustained downturn? Look where people are still working. People change jobs during good and bad times. Apply there.
What transferable skills do you have that can be used to make a living in a another job or business?
What opportunities for consulting are where you just left?
What jobs will be saved by the O'Bama stimulus package in you state and locality?
What companies have work that falls outside the traditional job description? Work you could do under contract?
What hobbies could offer opportunities for work?

Notice I didn't say "job," many of the opportunities are for "work," not a job. Think differently about finding work.

And, finally, develop a portfolio of needs. Essentials, you and your family need to survive. Jobs used to help pay for most of the portfolio, but now you need to examine what's needed and, find work. Find a way to get the elements of the portfolio.
Shelter (a home and place to tell possible employers where you can be located)
Transportation to find a job or work, maybe to a part-time job
Phone
Health care
Groceries
Day care
Etc -- whatever is vital to you
Just because you can't expect things to turn around this year doesn't mean there won't be ways to meet your portfolio of needs. Each element in the portfolio may come from a different resource. Find a job that has health benefits for part-time employees. Take care of you apartment for part or all the rent, a phone and a salary. Swap times taking care of others children so you can go to interviews. Find work and contract for it.

It requires more adaptation than you needed when you worked for a couple of employers. But, the jobs aren't there anymore.

Housing prices crash

2009-02-26T21:52:00.001-08:00

Depending on where you live, housing price declines are not good. The drop accelerated during 2008. In 2007, the average drop for 20 US cities was 8.6%. In 2008, the index dropped 16.6%.

Only Dallas, Cleveland and Denver dropped less than 5%. With over 30%, Phoenix had the largest drop in prices during 2008.

Find jobs, furniture, anything

2009-02-25T09:47:00.001-08:00

Guess whose running your local newspaper out of business? Craigslist

Founded in 1995 by Craig Newmark it has established itself in approximately 450 cities in 50 countries.

As of 2007, Its main source of revenue is paid job ads in select cities, paid broker apartment listings and a $5 charge per erotic listings. With over thirty million new classified advertisements each month, Craigslist is the leading classifieds service in any medium.

Take control of your life

2009-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:00

The lists of assumptions are meant to help each of us think through how we can thrive during this economic crisis. Go back and look at the most recent post of assumptions entitled -- "Assumptions to live by"

Write a scenario, a paragraph, describing what would happen if one of the assumptions is wrong. Or, write a paragraph for one of the following situations

1) You were just laid off. Answer the following questions -- What industries will thrive under the conditions described? What transferable skills do I have to get a job in one of those industries?

2.) You work for a small business. Answer the following questions -- What effect will this have on our customers or clients? How can we help our customers or client thrive during the times described by this scenario? If we loose customers how can we recover?

3.) You have lost more than 20% of your savings toward retirement. Answer the following questions -- When do I need the money and how should it be distributed? What should I do now to save my investments for retirement?

Help if you lost your job, or soon will

2009-02-23T14:24:00.000-08:00

The Internet has something for all those people loosing their jobs. We hear daily that this firm or that one laid off so many people.

Here's a site that will point recent victims in the right direction.

Talk about your lay off

2009-02-23T14:18:00.000-08:00

Laid off? Here's someplace to tell your story.

http://www.telonu.com/

good luck

Assumptions to live by

2009-02-13T19:43:00.001-08:00

Here's a description of the world we live in. Keep it in mind as optimistic commentators, Obama's advisers and detractors of Obama's efforts alike tell you how they can solve the global financial crisis. We are not in this alone.

1) The world is heading into a severe slump, with no clear turnaround in sight.
2) Consumers in the US and the non financial corporate sector want to save more and spend less. 3) Governments have only a limited ability to offset this increase in savings.
4) The attempt to deal with banking system problems in the US will be insufficiently forceful.
5) There will be another round of bailouts in Europe.
6) The situation in emerging markets is moving sharply towards near-crisis.
7) Global growth prospects are no better than for Japan in the 1990s.
8) There will be some episodes of incipient recovery, as there were in Japan during the 1990s, but this will prove very hard to sustain.

Think of your immediate financial plans, of retirement, sending your children to college, losing your job in the light of this scenario. If you can see the way clear within this kind of world then go ahead. If, not modify your plans to meet your goals under the scenario.

This is a realistic view of the current situation. And, it allows you (us) to keep your capital in case something goes wrong. Maintain a "show me" attitude toward all options.

Baseline Scenario, 2/9/09

Deepening slump in European output

2009-02-10T20:53:00.001-08:00

Industrial output in Europe slumped in December. This suggests that economic growth over all weakened by a record amount after the financial crisis intensified in September.Industrial production figures for December from France, Sweden and Italy showed declines of 1.8 to 5.1 percent for the month, according to official publications.

As a result, analysts have been revising their forecasts for European gross domestic product downward during the fourth quarter.

Most now say that they expect that figure will be the weakest since the euro was introduced in 1999.

Deepening Slump Seen in European Output - NYTimes.com

The market made a mistake!

2009-01-28T08:15:00.001-08:00

Joseph Stieglitz wrote a Vanity Fair article on what went wrong and the importance of getting history right. As Stieglitz says, the policy arguments about history after the crisis eases will determine how we solve the problem for future generations.

Here's what occurred:

The Reagan administrating removed Paul Volcker as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board and appointed Alan Greenspan.
Congress repealed the Glass-Steagall Act. It separated commercial banks (which lend money) and investment banks (which organize the sale of bonds and equities) Glass-Steagall had been enacted in the aftermath of the Great Depression and was meant to curb the excesses of that era and conflicts of interest.
- Bush cut taxes.
- Congress passed the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The accounting system problems were discovered. The scandals involved every major American accounting firm, most of our banks, and some of our premier companies.
- The final turning point came with the passage of a bailout package in 2008—that is, the Bush administration's response to the crisis. Its implementing missed the cause of the crisis by not addressing the foreclosures.

Alan Greenspan summed up the problem in his testimony before Congressman Henry Waxman's committee. The markets are not self correcting because businessmen do not act on their vested self interest. The economic philosophy that the market could not be wrong was wrong.

Web2.0

2009-01-12T13:05:00.001-08:00

Image via CrunchBase

The fundamentals of Web 2.0 are more relevant today as the crisis deepens.

Do you know what Twitter is? Know how to use it?

Know how businesses are using Facebook?

The web terrain allows us to interact in way unthought of 3 years ago. As the Blackberry, the iPhone, android phones and many other devices allow us new communication options, it becomes nearly impossible to keep up.

Maybe someday they'll practice what the "believe" and make it available to those of us on the internet and not just to the ones that pay for the trip to San Francisco.

A flock of black swans

2009-01-12T12:36:00.001-08:00

Here's what they look like.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/80497765@N00/2894935572/

Need help on your mortgage?

2008-12-31T10:45:00.001-08:00

Ninety percent of homeowners are current, but some may need help paying. Here are options already available at some banks. In his November 12^th, NY Times column Ron Lieber suggests that banks may be ready to change some of the conditions on your mortgage, even though you are current.

Citibank has plans to reach out to borrowers in distressed areas. There are several prerequisites to consider if you're a borrower who is paying on time and wants some kind of a break:

It's your primary residence.
The banks generally need to have your mortgage on their books and not have sold it off to Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac or someone else.

If you're paying more than 40% of your income on the mortgage, the bank wants to know your current debt to (pretax) income ratio. If your monthly household income is $10,000, the bank may consider you overburdened if you're paying more than $4,000 or so toward your housing costs, or 40 percent of your income.

Don't bother trying to get a better deal if your ratio is near 25 percent.

Here are some possibilities to alter your mortgage. The bank can change the interest rate or the principal owed, either temporarily or permanently. The banks want any adjustment to be temporary and would prefer not to reduce the principal.

At IndyMac, many mortgage customers whose payments were about to adjust upward to unaffordable levels were switched into loans with much lower interest rates for five years. Alterations are aimed at keeping the debt-to-income ratio at 38 percent or below. Then, the rate adjusts upward by no more than 1 percentage point each year until it hits the prevailing average at that point.

Other banks are doing something called principal forbearance. There, the bank carves off a chunk of the money you owe and puts it aside. You continue making payments, now lowered, on the rest of the loan. When you sell or refinance later, however, the bank adds that chunk back onto the total amount you must repay. By then, it is hoped, the value of the home has rebounded or you've built up enough equity to make the bank whole.

A bank may turn you down because you're not struggling enough. Or, if you're out of work, the bank may decide that foreclosure will be cleaner than lowering your payments to a level that you still won't be able to afford.

So examine your situation. If you meet these criteria, call your banker.

What happened

2008-12-29T10:54:00.001-08:00

Image via Wikipedia

Today, I'm looking at the crisis from the strategic planning viewpoint. The assumptions we made to plan where we work have changed and are some help to frame new ones.

The Obama administration faces an economic problem that rivals any the US has had in the last 100 years. Here are two descriptions one, of what happened and another, what might happen.

I think for most strategic planning the planners and managers need to understand the situation.

First, what happened?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5kLJYFSf4g&feature=related

Check this YouTube description out then read the following set of excerpts from one of the most knowledgeable critics of economic policy. Unlike many economists, Nouriel Roubini foresaw the crisis.

Next, what might happen is current efforts fail.

The US and the global economy are at risk of a combination of economic stagnation/recession and deflation.

Under this scenario, a severe global recession leads to deflationary pressures. Falling demand leads to lower inflation as companies cut prices to reduce excess inventory. Slack in labor markets from rising unemployment will control labor costs and wage growth. Further slack in commodity markets as prices fall will lead to sharply lower inflation. Thus inflation in advanced economies will fall towards the 1 per cent level that leads to concerns about deflation.

This fall in demand and prices leads to a vicious circle: incomes and jobs are cut, leading to further falls in demand and prices (a deflation trap); and the real value of nominal debts rises (a debt deflation trap) making debtors' problems more severe and leading to a rising risk of corporate and household defaults that will exacerbate credit losses of financial institutions.

The worst is not behind us: 2009 will be a painful year of a global recession, deflation and bankruptcies. Only very aggressive policies coordinated between nations will ensure the global economy recovers in 2010 rather than facing protracted stagnation and deflation.

To read the entire article click here: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/0fe65a48-c0a9-11dd-b0a8-000077b07658,_i_email=y.html

Get work or a job

2008-12-29T09:32:00.000-08:00

I think we need to look at where we can look for information in uncertain times.

My thought is to look at our town libraries. They have books, book talks, storytelling and activities for the kids, in addition to internet access and games.

When you have to do away with internet costs where can we take our kids to get entertainment? The public library!

Next, in the libraries we can browse through the net to see what could be, might be or should be. To find job opportunities. To research companies before a ajob interview.

What's going to happen to rising costs of fuel? I'm not talking about personal car fuel. What happened the last time the government got the fuel companies to lower costs? Go to the public library!

How can we help ourselves in the times of financial crisis? Where can we go to figure this out? The public library!

Become financially literate

2008-12-18T07:22:00.000-08:00

There are lots of ways to start pulling out of poverty. Here's an example of one way. Everybody needs to teach financial literacy.

Maybe we should study it first, then teach it.

John Hope Brant, founder of Project HOPE, answers The Davos Question, reminding us that we are all entrepreneurs and that the world's leading entrepreneurs were once poor.

He's right we may all have to become entrepreneurs. A good place to start is to go to the library and check out Free Agent Nation by Daniel Pink. Check the "Find this book in a library".

Can you afford to retire?

2008-12-18T06:52:00.001-08:00

More than half of our private sector workforce has no employer-sponsored retirement plan; among the half that does, twice as many workers have contribution plans like 401(k)s than have lifetime pensions, a complete reversal from 25 years ago.

A major driver behind this shift is corporate bankruptcy which enables companies to terminate lifetime pension plans through bankruptcy. In the current financial crisis turned economic recession, more bankruptcies are happening than when this Frontline show, "Can you afford to retire?" was produced.

The move from lifetime pensions to 401(k) plans has meant that employees now bear much more of the cost -- and risk -- for saving for retirement.

Still costs more to live

2008-12-05T22:57:00.001-08:00

The Consumer Price index has declined 5.7% over the period August, September and October, but for the year (September 2007 to October 2008) it's still up by 3.8%. The recent drop was caused by a 47% drop in energy costs.

The largest categorical increase was food, 5.9% for the most recent 3 months and an increase of 6.2% for the year.

So, even though energy and housing costs have dropped dramatically they have had little effect on the cost of living so far.

Housing prices still dropping

2008-11-30T16:25:00.000-08:00

Source:Home Prices


City	Oct07 to Sept08
Atlanta	9.5%
Boston	5.7%
Charlotte	3.5%
Chicago	10.1%
Cleveland	6.4%
Dallas	2.7%
Denver	5.4%
Detroit	18.34%
Las Vegas	31.3%
Los Angeles	27.6%
Miami	28.4%
Minneapolis	14.4%
New York	7.3%
Phoenix	31.9%
Portland	8.6%
San Diego	26.3%
San Francisco	29.5%
Seattle	9.8%
Tampa	18.5%
Washington	17.2%
Average	17.4%

Meeting college expenses

2008-11-24T14:12:00.001-08:00

To help paying for college don't rely on the calculators that tell you you'll need over $100,000 per child, look at the options.

First, things first, parents should save for their retirement first. Because, children will have a lot more years to pay back student loans than their parents will to make up shortfalls in our 401(k) accounts. Maybe you can help them later.

Students are already responding to tighter credit. The credit crisis makes it harder for students and their parents to borrow. In plenty of cases, students who had been borrowing on their own have had to ask parents, other relatives and friends to help pay tuition.

Try another approach. Nearly 6 in 10 students consider less prestigious schools in order to trim costs. The nation's financial crisis is forcing college students and college applicants to take a long, hard look at what they can afford and what value they place on investing in higher education. For some, college will now have to be a dream deferred. Others are adjusting their dream to trim costs. There are inexpensive schools all over the country.Students are already looking for more reasonable colleges. Community colleges can get them started.

If you can pay yourself first and still have money left look at paying for future college expenses in thirds. Save one-third of the costs ahead of time. Expect to pay for a second third of the costs from current income while your child is attending college. Finally, the last third comes from future income, in the form of loans.

This gives students time to look into employment while in school and career pathways that train them while in college to get better and better jobs as they complete the selected education.Work and go to school with a certificate or an Associates degree. Most states have career pathway programs for students who work to go to school. And, many more will need to work in the future.

Well, there you have it, a start on the college problem now. It just gets bigger as the financial crisis deepens. Good luck.

Insurance and annuities

2008-11-18T06:09:00.001-08:00

What could cause a run on an insurance company? A bad earnings report or a bad financial report filed with regulators could set one off. In the event of problems with your insurance company, the federal regulators would try to sell it to a stronger company that would honor the policies. Failing that, each state has a guaranty association that protects policyholders.

If you are worried, look up your state's coverage at the National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Associations web site.

If you decide to take your money out of one company and move to another company there could be changes and possibly tax problems, and the new vendor may have the same financial problems. So be very careful.

Consult an expert before acting.

Create work. solve a problem.

2008-11-17T09:10:00.001-08:00

When families allow their homes to go back to the bank and lenders have trouble finding buyers for the houses, a couple has created a business that makes sense. Thanks to the Public Broadcasting Service, PBS, which found them.

One of PBSs Project Enterprise winners is Materials Matter in Corona, California. Materials Matter operates a one stop facility where businesses can donate building materials. It also distributes the materials to nonprofit businesses. In addition, they operate the Home Improvement Outlet, a discount store for families who otherwise may not be able to afford home improvement materials.

Materials Matter solves the problem businesses have of getting rid of overstocked building materials. It helps nonprofits such as Habitat for Humanity get construction materials at a price below market. The Outlet, generates much needed revenue and gives low income people a place to buy materials at a price they can afford.

These new jobs have a multiplier effect. This is a winner. Hopefully, others will study this model and start a business where they live.

Work is not going to be laying around for you to find. You'll have to create it in the world of scarcity.

Kids know about the changing economy

2008-11-11T16:29:00.001-08:00

According to the New York Times, (November 8, 2008) the kids already know about the important points of the economic crisis.

"Through social networking and other Web sites, teenagers 13 to 17 were asked a series of questions, like whether they understood what was happening with the nation's economy and what kind of short-term and long-term effect it might have on their family and communities.

The other surprising finding — 90 percent thought that the crisis would have a negative effect on the economy as a whole, and two-thirds of the sample thought it "is now having or will soon have a negative impact on my family.

So the best thing is to sit down and discuss the situation. How you present the news, of course, depends on the age of the children."

Budget crisis begins

2008-11-11T15:59:00.001-08:00

A sampling of the government and nonprofit budget shortfall news stories from last week.

Raleigh, NC – With the economy apparently on the brink of recession – or perhaps already in one – state tax collections are slumping to the point that legislators in 2009 could be looking at a budget shortfall of between $1 billion and $2 billion.
Courts in 29 states could be facing a combined budget shortfall of $48 billion in 2008.
Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced that internal state economic estimates project a revenue shortfall of nearly $294 million for fiscal 2009 and pledged to develop a plan to manage the crisis.
The Dallas Independent School District overspent its 2007-08 budget by $64 million.
Donations to OBT are down 20 percent over last year, said Jon Ulsh, executive director. The Oregon Ballet Theater has decided to replace live music with recorded music for 10 "Nutcracker" performances this year. Six performances will still have live music this season. The increase in taped performances is to save money.
Duluth, Minn. — Duluth Mayor Don Ness said 169 employees received layoff notices as part of a plan to balance a $6.5 million budget shortfall.

Financial troubles abound in governments and nonprofits. Even in the light of falling house prices governments will reduce services and raise taxes to cover this year's short fall. Nonprofits aren't so lucky. They will cut productions or parts of exhibits or performances,

Government and nonprofit organization's budget problems lag recessions. That means they will be with us until a year or more after it is obvious the recession has bottomed. So hold on as your city, school and state taxes increase and services either decrease or become fee for service and the arts suffer.

This are all just the beginning of what the global financial and housing crisis, and the recession have caused. More to come.

Does anyone read those closing documents?

2008-11-07T10:59:00.001-08:00

What would happen to property transfers, mortgages and deeds if the signing parties actually understood? Maybe the signers should read the documents or have the documents read to them. Germany gives that job to their notaries.

According to Wikipedia a German Notar, plays an important role in contractual agreements relating to special laws such as

property law
land charge certification
law of succession
family law
corporate law.

The Notar must have a legal training equivalent to the training of a judge or an attorney.

He is appointed by the State government, authorized to certify deeds, and obliged to provide independent and impartial advice to all contractual parties.

He will read aloud the deed in front of all parties involved.

The deed is signed by all parties and sealed by the notary.

All property transactions must be signed and sealed at the office of the notary public.

Makes you wonder how the Notar would explain subprime mortgages to the happy new home owners and credit swap agreements to the firms buying risky packages of subprime mortgages. And, how many would have signed afterwards.

Business as usual, not after the election

2008-11-05T10:23:00.001-08:00

This pretty well sums up the election. David Brooks, a New York Times columnist, described Obama's victory in his 11/4/8 editorial.

Obama's upscale, post-boomer cohort will be confronted by the problem for which they have the least experience and for which they are the least prepared: the problem of scarcity.

"Raised in prosperity, these young meritocrats will have to govern in a period when the demands on the nation's wealth outstrip the supply. They will grapple with the growing burdens of an aging society, rising health care costs and high energy prices. They will have to make up for the trillion-plus dollars the government will spend to avoid a deep recession. They will have to struggle to keep their promises to cut taxes, create an energy revolution, pass an expensive health care plan and all the rest.

In the next few years, the nation's wealth will either stagnate or shrink. The fiscal squeeze will grow severe. There will be fiercer struggles over scarce resources, starker divisions along factional lines. The challenge for the next president will be to cushion the pain of the current recession while at the same time trying to build a solid fiscal foundation so the country can thrive at some point in the future.

We're probably entering a period, in other words, in which smart young liberals meet a stone-cold scarcity that they do not seem to recognize or have a plan for."

This is the world I see. It demands that all of us, not just the Obama generation, start now to understand it.Many Americans have lived their entire lives in a world of scarcity, now the problem is recognizing it is happening to all of us and coping with it.

No way stocks are cheap

2008-11-03T11:15:00.001-08:00

What do you do about your 401k(renamed 201k), retirement savings, deferred compensation accounts, kids college accounts ?

Decide what you need to do during the next few years. Living expenses, whether you lose your job or not. Buy a new car? Go back to school? Retire? Anything that will require money should be out of the market. Keep this money out of the stock market.

FYI, here's Reggie Middleton's recommendation. Lots of people can claim they foresaw this crisis, so this is not an endorsement of the rest of his advice or products.

"A couple of weeks ago, Jim Cramer stated on national TV that those who have money that they will need in the next 5 years in the stock market should remove it. He caught a lot of flak for that statement. He shouldn't have. He was absolutely right. I tell my friends and family that they should have done that in June of last year if they were not comfortable and capable of going short. Those that did escaped a lot of pain, those that did not, well..."

Source: http://boombustblog.com/index.php?option=com_myblog&show=Reggie-Middleton-on-James-Cramer-Marked-to-Market-.html&Itemid=92

It’s not BAU, you need a job

2008-11-01T10:39:00.001-07:00

hat do you do if you recognize from the items on this blog and from the news that your organization is about to change (read, cut expenses) or go out of business.

Can planning help? Check out business planning at the James J. Hill Reference Library site. Sign in and look over their BizToolKit. Examine the Exploring section. How will your industry, your customers and your competitors respond to the changing business environment?

If planning won't help, then, can you switch to another more secure job, before things go downhill? Gray Hair Management may have some of the free help you need to focus your efforts on a job change?

The interview on the Steve Cochran show has realistic, helpful information about using the internet and building a meaningful network to help you find a job.

Cash is king during a deflationary period

2008-10-25T09:15:00.000-07:00

Over the last few days I began to realize the stock market can be herded more than I ever suspected. The plunges are supposed to be due to hedge fund managers selling stocks to get cash for their investors. Each week reveals a more complex, adaptive financial system than the last.

Can you imagine what will happen when people get their mutual fund reports over the next few weeks? The mutual fund managers may have massive fire sales of stocks driving the market down more and more.

Is your pension secure? How do you know?

One person I talked to had to argue with her retirement account manager to move into cash. The manager recommended she stay the course. "The market will recover, it always does." She couldn't wait to recover her loses; she plans to retire in a three or four years.

Make sure you have savings safe for every big expense you can anticipate over the next 3 to 5 years.

We need to protect against herding. Just imagine buffalo changing direction and the blowing prairie grass, you see in the movies.

Your 401k dropped 30%

2008-10-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

Over the next few weeks I'll publish many of the sources of the changing assumptions listed on this blog. This Bill Moyers show made me aware that I had to do something -- to ask, "Can we continue doing business as usual?"

George Soros said on Bill Moyers Journal we have had too much market fundamentalism. That is, the belief that markets will correct themselves and we should leave them alone to do so. Let the correction process proceed. "That doesn't work," Soros said.

We can see it not working in our savings accounts, our 401Ks, our IRA, retirement accounts and before long in our revenue shortfalls for government agencies.

See the complete interview and transcript, and offer comments here and on Moyers web site.

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