Reinke Faces Life

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saving money?

hi ive been trying to save up my money for soo long but i keep spending some of it cuz i think it wont make a difference. I have a bank account that i put it in . Please if you have anytips please help. thanks

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I’d suggest savings bonds. Put very small amounts into it. It’s semi-frozen for short periods of times and eventually can amount to something. You need to get some financial discipline. Maybe savings bonds with their lockup period might help. Use small denominations so if you just have to crack them, you can crack only what you need.

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how many euros are 4 dollars????????????? please answer?

please i have to order something and i want to know…

how many euros are 4 dollars$$$$$$$$$$??? thanks

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4 U.S. dollars = 2.96493959 Euros

Under the heading for teaching a man to fish, you can use google and put in the search field “4 usd in euros” and it’ll pop the answer. Now you can a whole class of currency conversion at your finger tips.

;-)

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Hello! ..Inheriting $35K, would like to invest (secure but agressive), any ideas?

I own a home, so I’m not sure what’s the best thing, I have c.c. debt about 12k

Thanks

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Since you’re ask here, I’d guess that you have no experience in investing. Assuming that you have no reason to do something odd, paying off the credit card debt is a great idea. (Unless you are going to run right out and charge more stuff!) You can then keep “paying” the credit card debt payment right into your investment account. (Training you to save.) With the balance, I’d suggest either a Treasury Direct account (very safe) to buy some 90 day tbills until you get “smarter”. Or, you can put it in a Vanguard account into a money market until you get savvy. Or you could do both splitting it 50-50.

You’ll learn very quickly. After all it’s your money. Either or both of those two options will keep it “safe” until you learn more.

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Credit unions good for car loans?

I am looking to buy a used car that is $16000. a 72 month loan seems to be getting me an apr of about 11% no matter who i go through – would a credit unio be able to give me a lower rate – and are there any downsides to being a credit union member?

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I just checked my credit union and you can get 48 months for 6%.

So they have good deals. I’ve blogged on how to bootstrap your way out of repeated car loans. Basically buy a car, finance it for three, but pay for six. The second three becomes savings for the next down payment.

I can’t give you a downside for a credit union loan, but I can give you a giant upside.

Most, if not all, credit unions don’t use the rule of 72 on your car payments. Most everyone else makes you pay the interest first and principal later. If you prepay the loan, then you’ve paid a higher rate for your money. CUs use a simple interest formula. Prepay early and you save interest expense. That prepayment also happens unexpectedly when the car gets totaled. So two good reasons to use the Credit Union. And, the CU usually has free credit life insurance thrown in.

So do your homework, it can save you big bucks.

Downside, you may have to bring a check from the credit union to the dealer, so you won’t have instant gratification of signing papers and driving away. So, I did think of a downside. But that dealer financing can be very “expensive” if you don’t really examine the details, which most people don’t.

Good luck,
Let us know how you make out.

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I have a new blog…which are things I can do to make it better??

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You might want to ditch the pop unders. Most people have them blocked and they make you look like a used car salesman. The site has a hodge podge of add ins down the right side that I found distracting. You might want to review the various A list bloggers, who blog on blogging. The first thing that caught my eye was that you don’t have you own domain. (neither did I at first) That’s something you need if you ever want to move, control your content, or own the “word” on the net.

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Wireless Limited Connectivity/ Local Access Only???

the last few days every time I try to use any public internet connection that previously worked fine….my computer will connect only with limited connectivity or local access. any tips? also I get the message “connecting to the network is taking longer than usual” sometimes when I try. If I run diagnostics it either says resetting the adapter might help or it says there is no problem OR it says cannot ping dns server (remote host). the wierd thing is no matter what public server I try it wont work. help!!

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You didn’t say what OS you were running but let’s assume some version of Windoze XP. If not, please ignore what follows. WXP has a component called WirelessZeroConfig. When WXP “loses its mind” about wireless network restarting this service sometimes help. I have also had success in uninstalling the networking interface, and other “stuff” and letting WXP “rediscover” it all again. One tip. Always reboot COLD (i.e., power completely off for five minutes. not 4:59) TWICE (i.e., no joke two completely down cycles). Some times WXP needs a good enema to clean itself out. When I help colleagues, coworkers, or others with connectivity issues, I like to have a “dork” (i.e., a plain old working system so I know it’s not the network, but it’s the platform I’m working on that has the problem) with me. At home, I have an ancient thinkpad that barely runs WXP to be my “dork” when I have real problems on my real notebook. Hope this helps.

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Are there any mutual funds that track the “Dow Jones U.S. Select Investment Services index”?

I know there is an exchange traded fund (ticker symbol “IAI”), but I’m looking for a mutual fund that tracks this index. Thanks.

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Not that I am aware of.

The more interesting question is why are you interested in such a fund?

Hopefully you have heeded the Wall street axiom of “no more than 5%” and never invest what you can’t afford to lose. There are folks on the Street who specialize in niches; I’m guessing if you have to ask here, then you’re not one of them. Then, my advice is to retreat at full speed.

Mutual Fund Investing should be part of an overall comprehensive strategy. If you’re buy’em’n’holdem, then you really don’t want to be so narrowly focused. If you’re a timer, then you really want the ETFs. (Remember these things are not created for your benefit.)

If you’re looking for a mutual fund because you can’t make the minimum buy in an ETF (which for the one you cited will probably be 6k) or if you can’t meet the broker’s “suitability” obligation, then you shouldn’t be in this space to start with. Then, you might be “gambling” as opposed to “investing”.

I’d be interested if anyone these apply.

If they do, you’d be better off in a stodgy Vanguard Mutual Fund, or a casino. At least, at the casino, you’d get a free drink. Maybe at Vanguard as well. Coffee that is.

Now where is my guaranteed insured variable index life insurance annuity with joint survivor option and guaranteed return? (Bad joke about another hugely bad idea that gets pushed on small investors for “retirement”. Who’s retirement? The broker’s of course.)

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How can I get a corporate job after not working for the past 5 years?

The last job I had was in 2002 and I have been self-employed for the past 5 years. I am seeking to enter back into the corporate setting, but I am not sure how to market myself. I have always been under the impression that hiring managers usually like people with steady employment, but this is a pretty big gap. Furthermore, my previous experience is clerical, which is what I am seeking again.

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Unless you hit the lotto and we’re relaxing on an island somewhere, I think you were working. So clearly, you need to work on your thinking. Those words imply a lack of self-confidence and fuzzy thinking.

You can use Execunet to find a coach to help you with your thinking. You can use JibberJobber to organize your networking activities. You can visit my “turkey farm” for jobseekers to “steal” some of my thinking.

You have to find your Unique Value Proposition. What can you do, that is unique to you , that will unlock value for someone else. Put that on a piece of paper and half your search is done. (It’s not that easy to express. I’m still developing mine after all these years. It’s like playdough.

Hope this helps, let’s us know how you do,
fjohn

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Is it true that once you’re fired from a job, it’s hard to get another one?

People tell me that, but my nephew stole from a job & got another job at a manager’s position. How can that be? I was told I can be fired for having a depressive-crying episode, & employers don’t care if I’m mentally disabled or not.

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It depends.

There’s a saying on Wall Street that if you haven’t been fired that you’re not pushing hard enough. I like to say I have been fired 4½ times. ;-) It all depends upon why you were fired. In today’s economy, getting fired may have nothing to do with you, your performance, or your value. Take Enron for example. Anyone who worked there “got fired” when the place went belly up. And, they were tarred with the stigma of having been there. Fair? Nah, life’s not fair.

Your nephew’s alleged theft? It depends if he was charged and convicted. And, theft of what? Everyone takes the boss’ pencils. In some places, the office supply folks don’t give out pens and pads at back to school time. Or ration them. It depends upon what is on the record. What the old boss will say; most places on a reference check will only say that the person worked there from this date to that for fear of litigation. And it depends about what kind of story one can tell. Lastly it depends upon the perceived need that he will fill.

As far as you and your medical, most states are “at will” states. Meaning the boss can always fire you. They can always do that. It’s about what you walk away with. Various gooferment laws may give you “rights” that can give you a big club to extract a better settlement. To say that employers may not care is probably true, but their CFO, legal department, and HR types sure do. You on the other hand share an interest in keeping stuff quiet since a legal action can be found by a future employer. So, if your current employer nukes you, run to a lawyer. Say nothing; sign nothing! Absolutely don’t sign ANYTHING period. One Wall Street firm “made” you sign a mini severance agreement to get your last check. If you signed it, you basically agreed to waive your rights. If you can play poker like the guys on TV, you too can get “paid off” to go away. You have to realize that once they decide to fire you, you’re gone. The only question is what you get to go away. It usually in both sides interest to keep it quiet.

Hope this helps,
fjohn