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Posts Tagged ‘Family’
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009
I recently had surgery on my shoulder and have been out of commission for the last week or so. Can’t trust my blogging on pain killers, so I decided to take a break to let the healing begin. But, I’m back and have tons to share with the world.
While sitting at home healing, I ran across an old article in Money magazine that got me thinking about what I would label as good uses of your money. The current economy has most people thinking of ways to be smart with their money and not wasteful. Being smart with your money does not mean not spending any of it…it means making the right decisions that will pay off for you financially, for your career or for your future. None of these ideas will make you rich, but they may be able to provide lower risk and a higher probability of success. That’s what I call smart. Most of these ideas are related to your money and your family. It’s by no means the only thing to do with your money, but it’s a start.
5 Things To Do With Your Money:
1. Automate – Your financial life, that is. Don’t rely on your emotions or your memory to put aside money each month towards your investments. Things get put off or moved down the list when you make them a manual action. Contact your bank or your broker to have monthly investments routed from your account each month…automatically. Make investing an afterthought by taking the thought out of it. Do the same thing for all of your monthly bills. It will make life easier, I promise. And, you will never pay late fees again or waste time each month managing the bills and investing. This leaves you more time to do the things that generate profit or income.
2. Every Penny Counts - Get a jar, a bucket, a big cup, whatever…and make a pact with your family to put all stray coins there. Pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, all of it goes in the jar. Do this for six months and then bring it to a bank that has a coin sorter. Now, for the boring part , don’t spend it. Yes, I said don’t spend it. Open a savings account and put the money there. Let it earn interest as you determine what you will want it to pay for in the future. It’s easy to save hundreds of dollars each year (if not more) effortlessly. This money can eventually pay for a big family vacation, a college education, paying down high-interest debt, etc… The possibilities are endless and the process is fun for the whole family. Kids really get in to this and it’s a great outing when you go to the bank to find out how much the family saved TOGETHER.
3. Invest in College - I can’t stress enough the importance of sending your kids to college. In today’s world, the competition is fierce and the jobs are limited. Save the money, borrow the money, whatever it takes – make sure they go to college. College graduates make 80% more than non-graduates over their lifetime. This adds up to a cool million over their lifetime. Now, that’s a good use of your money.
4. Know your credit score - This is a really important number to know. It can prevent or facilitate the purchase of necessary things in life. Having a bad credit score can haunt you for years and years. Get a reporting agency to give you the credit report for all three bureaus. It will cost you some money, but you will have the number and be able to fix any problem issues before it’s too late. And, many times, mistakes are made and your credit report has someone else’s problems on it. This can take years to fix if you don’t take action quickly. So, please spend the $50 and get a good idea of where things stand in your credit world.
5. Push the limits – Max out your 401(k). Yes, the market is rocky, but it’s still a good place to put your money to invest in your future. Determine your riskyness through your age and the closeness to retirement. Keep things a little more conservative if you can’t afford to have too much fluctuation. Either way, many companies provide 401(k) matching programs, which is free money to you. Take advantage of it and max out your contributions. Putting a few dollars in each month can turn in to thousands of dollars when it comes time to retire. It’s worth pinching the pennies now to have security later in life.
That’s about it for me for this week. I’m finally back at my Houston Courier Service this week and am very busy trying to catch up. I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July holiday. Let me know if you have any other great ideas for your money.
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: 401k, Business, college, education, Family, Money, Savings
Posted in Business | No Comments »
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
A little over 2 weeks ago, my uncle died. He was my mom’s brother. It has been really hard on our family, especially my mom. But, what hit me the hardest was the realization that the older I get, the more this is going to happen. As a child, deaths and funerals were rare for me and I never got used to the pain and sorrow that comes along with losing loved ones. I suppose that’s a really good thing though – having to lose people when you are young can be much worse. It was a sad day at the memorial, but also a joyful one for many reasons. We got to celebrate the life of my uncle and we were reunited with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc…
I’m realizing that there are a few things that bring full families together – Weddings, Births and Funerals. All three are celebrations of life and occasions to come together with old stories, great memories and rekindled relationships. It is sad that it takes these major acts to keep many families in touch. People seem to be so busy these days that they forget the really important things in life. The really important things in life start with family. It is in the family that our roots take hold and from there we grow to be the person we are meant to become.
I’m very lucky to have the family that I do. We are close, we travel together, live in the same area, spend weekends and holidays together and I now run my father’s original business (A Houston Courier Company, Hot Shot Delivery). As an immediate family, we understand the importance of “family time” and we have a strong family bond. But rarely do we spend time with the extended family. I’d like to see that change.
I was watching television the other night and a line from one of the shows really hit home for me:
“Make a plan, set a goal, work towards it. But every now and then, look around, drink it in. Because, this is it. It might all be gone tomorrow.”
If everything were gone tomorrow, did you spend today doing the things that mean the most? It’s definitely something worth thinking about and possibly changing the way you do some things. I did a little exercise that I thought was pretty helpful. I took a piece of paper and drew a line in the middle of it to make two columns. In the left column, I made a list of the most important things in my life. In the right column, I made a list of the things I spend the most of my time doing. It was very interesting to see how the most important things in my life often took a backseat to the items in the right column.
As I close for the week, I’d like to dedicate this blog to my uncle and his life. I’d also like to send a message to my extended family, I hope that we can set a goal of spending more time together and work towards that goal. Because if it were all gone tomorrow, I would definitely miss those good times.
Should you do the same with your family?
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: birth, death, Family, goals, Houston Courier Service, Life, Mothers
Posted in Family | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 19th, 2009
I recently had the pleasure of taking a few days off to head down to Galveston to spend some time with my family and a few days away from the hustle and bustle of my Houston Same Day Delivery Company, Hot Shot Delivery. I can’t stress enough the importance of taking a vacation – even a short one – several times a year. It boosts your economic well being along with your mental well being. It’s not something to be taken lightly – vacations are a must and here are 5 reasons why:
1. Stress Reliever – Sure, traveling with 3 young daughters can be seen by some as stressful, but, to me, it is a great time away from the courier service office. It’s a change of pace, a new scenery and the opportunity to take a deep breath and go with the flow. People often underestimate the importance of this time away and put it off until it is too late. The stress can pile up and with no release, you begin to jeopardize your health.
2. Physical Health – Getting outside, breathing the fresh air, soaking up some Vitamin D and moving around for a few days is going to be better than being hunched over behind a big monitor that is probably too close to your eyes. Juggling deadlines, customer service, human resource issues and the many areas related to running a business is a mental and physical drain on your body. You need to hit the reset button every few months.
3. Economic Health – Not only for the tourist economy, but for your own pocketbook. Sounds odd to some I’m sure, but there is proof behind this concept. Often, when taking the time to get away, you actually free your brain from being bogged down by the daily operations of your business and get back to the free-flowing ideas of the vacationing right side of your brain. You also take the time to read new articles or books and get in to discussions about business ideas without worrying about missing a deadline or dealing with a daily crisis. Some of my most profitable ideas have come when fishing with my dad in the middle of nowhere. You can’t always get that type of brainstorming in a room full of whiteboards and suits.
4. Family Time – I know that you are busy in your own life, but combine that with the lives of your spouse and your kids. My family alone is bouncing back and forth between schools, dancing, day care and tons of other extracurricular activities. I’m lucky to get dedicated time with one of my daughters at a time, much less all three and my wife. However, on a vacation, there is nothing else to do but spend time together. These are the memories that your children will have and think fondly of as they age. This should be a huge priority for you, if you want to maintain the sanity and love within your tight knit group.
 The Beauty of A Vacation 5. Fun – Not much to explain here. Getting away is fun. Trying new things, re-doing old things, catching up with friends, making new friends… whatever. Get out there and do it.
As I close, I think of the fond memories from my short trip to Galveston, fishing trips with my dad, our recent trip to Disney and the many more that are in our future. Be sure to cherish this time with your family and don’t deny yourself the chance to unwind, relax and recharge. You will thank yourself later.
Until Next Time,
Eric
Tags: Family, Houston Courier, kids, Life, vacation
Posted in Family, Theories | No Comments »
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