Changes

I've gone back to my old golf swing, or a facsimile of it. Naturally, my game is suffering due to the change, but persistence will prevail. My swing is no longer, as my golf buddies tagged it, 'Furyk-like and flat'. Although effective and somewhat consistent, I began to lose control as I tried to fine-tune it. Either fine-tuning killed it, much like going back to a traditional swing, or I just peaked with that swing style. So, here I am, re-working my game in order to bring consistency and lower scores to my efforts in 'conquering' this confounded game. But that is the challenge .. to work through the obstacles towards obtaining a desired result. I give myself 3-6 months to cutting my index by 1/3.

Tribute for Lucy

No Mas

I've decided to not discuss gold & silver and the 'almighty' USD with anyone, unless I am asked.  Most people are just not interested, so why bother.  I am even trying to stop mentioning the new highs that silver and gold are reaching every few months, without being asked even to my beloved wife.  I want to see if the general public (in my surroundings) will start to talk about these things.  I want to see if my ultra-conservative relatives and friends start mentioning it first.  I think, if so, then it may be time to take profits off of the table.

Drain is wide open for USD

Gold is reaching new record highs in terms of the US Dollar.  The dollar index is falling hard .. govt-induced inflation.  Gold is projected to double to over $2000 per ounce within next 6-9 months.  Anyone with savings will be losing value big time.  People are jumping into stock market to fight inflation ... not sure why, but DOW will most likely rise to higher highs.  Silver is also reaching 30 yr high .. not quite $50 per oz, but about halfway there.  This doesn't mean much to most people, but cash assets will suffer if you are invested in those instruments.  Check the price of groceries near and after Thanksgiving .. should be higher, along with gas.  I'm thinking about selling the old gold jewelry to get some Christmas money .. when gold surpasses $1400 an ounce.

Finally! A Job!

Thirteen months and 10 days later, I am no longer on the unemployment rolls.  At least, until I pass a drug test and background check.  The only drugs they'll find are Ramipril, Lovaza (fish oil) and benedryl, the miracle drug, second only to aspirin, IMHO.  Regardless, after an hour-and-half interview today, an offer was made and I took it.  I'm anxious to get back to the challenge of helping a company achieve its goals for itself and its clients.  I thank all of the businesses and taxpayers who paid for my unemployment compensation.   Right now, my second career will be part-time, but hopefully will save me in the event of another financial crisis that could take us out again.  Don't count that out as a possibility, as the world nations continue to print fiat money to float their existences.  It is a perilous game that is nearing the 'Game Over' status; i.e., time to start a new game, as the old one has reached its limitations of substainability.

States Without Income Taxes

CORRECTION: I think I'm mistaken about Social Security.  From those in the know, I was told that you don't get taxed on SS benefits.  That's good to know.

We get taxed enough as it is.  Feds tax us to death .. literally.  You pay Social Security, then get taxed on benefits.  Talk about double taxation.  You even pay taxes on unemployment benefits and disability beni's.  Why the hell is that!  You don't have a job, and you still have to pay taxes.  If it weren't for hurricanes, I'd seriously think about moving to the Cayman Islands where there are no income taxes.  Of course, one would want to check out the caveats of living there.  It can't be all that bad.  Hmm .. research.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_income_tax#U.S._States_without_a_personal_income_tax

Recovery, resmovery!

Per the political pundits, tv economists and politicians ... Dow exceeds 10,000!! .. we've recovered.  Yeah, like that's never happened before.


Tell that to the 16-18% unemployed individuals, yours truly included, and those with their impending job loss due to downsizing and outsourcing.


It's been a week, and no word from my last interview.  My guess is that 'they found someone else'.  The description of the job is somewhat perplexing, that is, there are two different versions of the important skills needed, depending upon who one talks to.


So, I have two other possible gigs, as I await for corporate decisions to be made.  One could say they are being cautious, but I'm not buying it.   I wonder if I changed my last name to Smith or Patel, would it make a difference?  I prepared for the negative, so I won't dwell on it after this.  Next!

Finally! A Job Interview

Eight months have passed.  I had one technical interview to assess my skillset about three months ago.  Nothing came from that, as I had not expected it to, due to the inexperience of the recruiter and her firm.  I've sent out countless cover letters with my credentials, posted my resume on boards and emailed to those who my friends have suggested.  Out of those, I got two actual rejection emails.  Still no interest, until last week. 


I got one email from an ex co-worker inquiring if I'm open to an upcoming project in Tampa.  I said 'Sure, I'm open'.  The next day, I got a phone call from a recruiter in Jacksonville, FL about a short-term contract there, which just so happened to be with the same firm that my friend emailed about the day before.  Ok, now I'm thinking my budgeting timing theory is unfolding (more opportunities near the end of 3rd quarter into beginning of fourth quarter budgeting theory ... spend money now or lose it for next year).  Then, the following day, I got a call about my submission for a job at JPMorganChase (which I had applied for in August, with no response).  Lo and behold, I've finally landed a more realistic interview with JPMorganChase, where Deb works.  I had a brief interview with HR, and then had an technical interview with three guys in the technical group that has the opening.  It seemed to go well, despite me not being able to completely dazzle them.  At least, I think I ended with good rapport ... I had them laughing.  My weekly golf outing with the JPMChase boys may be proving to be beneficial, since I did get an insider referral.  We'll see if I was up to their standards ... waiting to see what is next in store for me .. another interview or maybe an offer of some type.  I'm not going to even mention a rejection so as to not jinx myself.  Oh, too late. 


In the meantime, I've yet to hear anything regarding the other two contract leads.  Maybe in the next few days, something will come about.  Maybe I'll just call the Jacksonville recruiter tomorrow to followup.  


My long vacation may be coming to an end soon.  I hope so, but then again I was getting used to "forced retirement" and the "self-domestication".  Maybe I can now pay someone else for those things-to-do that I neglected to do myself.  That will be my contribution for economic recovery.  Well, I shouldn't count my chickens before they hatch.

Squeakie and her Mom

Whatcha lookin' at, Momma?

 

Check out my nails!

Cousin Heather ain't got nuttin' on me :)

Gold and Dollar

The dollar is tanking ... Gold has reached record highs; and Bernanke says the recession is over. You haven't seen nothin', yet. Things aren't what they seem to be. People jumping back into stock market are in for a rude awakening, if they don't heed the warning and get out when they should. It ain't over til the fat lady sings ... she's no where to be found.

Buy American Gold or should I say "Let the Govt short change you"

Now I've noticed more ads touting buying gold to preserve wealth. These are dealers that have purchased gold from the US Mint and various other sources. They are starting to sell more aggressively, because they know the demand is there and plus the price of gold is rising. The more buyers for a supply that remains relatively constant or even slightly decreasing, will cause prices to move up even more. What is being touted for purchase? American Gold Eagles. I've researched this and have come to the conclusion, that for the best bang for your buck in legal tender gold coins, it's NOT the American Gold Eagle. Other legal tender gold coins; such as, the Canadian Maple Leaf, Austrian Philharmonic, Chinese Panda, Australian Nuggets and even the US Gold Buffalo are better deals in my opinion.

Why? Those coins are 24k gold which is .999 fine gold (I think it's not 100%, because they add .001 of a hardener alloys. Pure gold is extremely malleable). The American Gold Eagle is 22K (.916) gold. Not a huge amount of difference in content, but a difference just the same. The market may not care about the difference, but should the investor? Maybe or maybe not. I guess that depends upon how much gold you have and how high gold prices will rise when the dollar tanks.


UPDATE:
I don't know what I'm talking about here. Fineness of less than .999 / 24k (pure gold) 1 oz gold, such as 22k American Gold Eagle, does not mean there is less gold in 1 troy oz coins. It means there are more "other" metals in there, like copper and silver. Consquently, a 22k gold coin will weigh a bit more than a troy oz. due to the added metal alloys. It still has 1 troy oz. of pure gold.


Never mind .......

What's that big suckin' sound?

I have to explore different investment ideas, as the stock market has sucked big time. My retirement funds have gone nowhere in the past ten years, so I have to take actual control of things. To hell with the old adages, "Invest for long-term with dollar-cost averaging" and "Buy and hold". That just hasn't worked, at least not for me. I will directly manage its growth and possibly invest it into my own business. I'm on the fence about the business, or maybe too apprehensive to jump into the fire today. It certainly doesn't look like a good time to go into business for yourself, but then maybe it is the best time.

Cash for Your Gold

Unless you've been deeply submerged in mind entertainment and haven't noticed, there seems to be a lot of ads for selling your 'old gold' jewelry for cash. Why do I even bring this up? Those that are 'buying' your old gold, are doing so to extract and meltdown the actual gold content in the old jewelry (14k to 18k), which amounts to 58 - 75% gold content. They're not going to pay anywhere near what the gold content would get on the open market, probably 50% of that. When they melt it down and create pure gold bars, they then profit up to 100% or more. Pretty good returns for those buyers. It would appear that gold demand is falling and supplies are rising with all of the selling by the public. I think the opposite is happening. Why? For instance, you can't buy a US minted gold coin from the US Mint now, because the demand has outstripped the supply of gold needed to produce them, and we've just only passed the half year mark. So what, you say? Cash or the 'great' American dollar has declined some 20% in the last two to three years ... inflation. You can't buy the same amount of stuff you could just a few years ago. Gold has increased 35% in dollar value in that same period. So, if you sell your stuff now, you're basically getting 25 - 30% of the worth of the gold content, if that much. That's a super bargain for those buying.

So, unless you need the cash, I personally would just hold on to the old stuff. Or, have some jeweler that you trust, melt it down for you and keep the gold in raw form. It will retain its value, not in terms of the dollar, but in what it can buy, regardless of the economy. Think about it. The value of things haven't really changed that much. The only thing that has changed is the value of the dollar. Inflation has decreased the buying power of dollars dramatically over the years.

Here's a true life example: In 1976, a person making $10,000 a year could buy a new well-equipped (with a/c & radio) Honda Accord for around $4000. (By the way, that was my first car purchase with my own money). Now, if my salary is $60,000 a year, I can buy a new well-equipped (albeit with XM radio and a/c) Honda Accord for six times the 1976 price @ $24,000. Try this with anything that you can remember, and convert the price and you'll see what I mean.

Now try it using gold prices of the time. In 1976, avg gold price was about $147 an ounce. It took about 27 oz. of gold to buy that Accord. Now, the avg gold price in 2009 so far, is approximately $900 an ounce. It takes about 26.67 oz. of gold to buy the current Accord. Things still are valued the same, it's just the dollar that screws everything up. Gold has held its own and is the only true money. The dollar is fiat currency, based on a promise .. it's an IOU. There's word on the streets that a new currency will take the place of the US dollar as the world currency. When the world dumps the dollar, all bets are off! Look out!

I'm getting too "long winded". You could say I've got 'too much time on my hands' ... there's a song in my head .. can you say 'Styx'?

Hey, healthcare. Getchur healthcare insurance right here, Hey, healthcare?

Click on the title

Coffin Nails

I used to smoke. A pack and a half a day habit. I knew it was not a good thing to do, but a habit is hard to break, as I had stopped temporarily 3 or 4 times. I had not quit, despite stopping for a good 6 months once. My uncle-in-law told me he quit for four years then started again. I simply said, 'You didn't quit, you just stopped temporarily'. When you quit, it is for good. I haven't smoked a cigarette in 20 years. Unless I start again before I die, chances are that I have quit; otherwise, I would have just stopped temporarily. Yes, everyone used to say it looks cool, especially when you're a young teenager or even a young adult, but the fact of the matter, it looks pretty stupid. ('Stupid is as stupid does' doesn't apply here.) The 'looking cool' doesn't cut it any more. The 'It calms my nerves' excuse is bullshit. I know people who have all kinds of weird ailments, and will flat out deny that any of it has to do with cigarette smoking. I'm no doctor, but common sense should tell you that you probably wouldn't have those kind of ailments if you weren't a smoker. Smokers are like people who have bad body odor. We walk away from them. (Yes, there is good body odor, but we rarely use the word 'odor' to describe them. They just smell good.)

I believe I helped my brother quit his 20-year smoking habit, although he may not admit to it. I told him that someone I worked with died of a heart attack, a smoker who I thought was 10 years older than me because he looked it, but who was actually 4 years younger than me. Other co-workers vowed to quit after this one's death. I decided to evoke his intelligence. I told him that those co-workers were not going to quit, because they were losers and wouldn't be able to. I know my brother, and told him 'You're not a loser. You have more will power than I ever had'. Anyway, a month later he told me he quit cold turkey, and to my knowledge has not smoked since some 8 years later. I was right. His will power is much stronger than mine. He could even be around smokers without wanting to light up himself. His wife still smokes. I didn't quit cold the first time I stopped. About the fifth time, I did, but I had to self-hypnotize myself. I actually stopped myself from thinking about cigarettes. If one popped into my head, I erased it immediately. Eventually, I had no desire for one. I guess I hypnotized myself to disassociate cigarettes from my life. Don't underestimate the power of suggestion.

Perception is what smoking is all about; perception of yourself and how you want others to see you. What most smokers usually fail to see is others' actual perception of you. I just look at smokers, and say to myself, 'How smart can that person really be?' Not meaning cognitive intelligence, but emotional intelligence. There are no physical or psychological positives associated with smoking, and you can't convince me otherwise. There is nothing to "miss".

Ok, I'm off of my soap box ... do whatever you want. It's your life. Who the hell am I anyway? I have no right to say anything. I'll shut up now. Don't get me started, Missie!