Owning a Piece of The Dream?

Grow up, get married, own land…

That’s been the American dream for ages. Owning a home or piece of property has always been viewed as a sign of wealth and as a good investment. What if that is no longer true? Robert J. Shiller for the Economic View section of the New York Times brings this idea to light in his article, Why Land and Homes Actually Tend to Be Disappointing Investments. Shiller points to many causes but one of the most intriguing is the decrease for demand of urban land, specifically home plots; with the development of micro-housing. A current trend that is changing the way many live in “downtown” areas. Where this movement will be in ten or even twenty years still remains to be seen, but if it goes the way Shiller predicts, the need for rural land will be so low that farmland may be converted back into wildlife preserves.

Buy Only What You’ll Use

Give yourself time to think about every purchase. That’s what Carl Richards, for the New York Times suggests in his article, New Rule: All Purchases Subject to a 7-Day Mental Quarantine. We have a similar process in our house for purchases made at Goodwill. If you bring it home, you must clean it and incorporate it into your life within seven days or it goes back to Goodwill. In many ways, this compares to the seven-day item quarantine Carl’s family is currently using.

During the quarantine, the person desiring the object must answer the following questions: How much did it cost? Are you replacing something you already own? Why do you think it’s amazing? And if it’s food, are you sure you’ll eat it? Once the time limit has passed, it is much easier to make an ‘informed’ decision and not end up with something you’ll never wear, use or eat. Give it a try and let us know if it works for you in the comments.

Look At Me Now

What does it look like to others when you use your cellphone? Ever caught yourself watching TV and checking Facebook at the same time? The photographer Eric Pickersgill explores our relationship with media in his photographic project, “Removed.” Mr. Pickersgill recruited friends, family and strangers to pose as if they were holding their phones or electronic devices. The results were both fascinating and shocking to many. Seeing themselves so focused on media instead of the person next to them, Eric and his wife created rules such as leaving their phones in the car when they go out to dinner. Both feel like they’ve gotten to know more about each other and grown closer in the last six months. Take a look for yourself and listen to his Ted Talk, then see how you feel about the part electronics play in your life.

What do you look like when you look at your electronic device?

Have You Written a Money Letter?

Dear Reader,

Did you know that writing a simple “money” letter to your children will have more of an impact on their spending habits than just telling them your thoughts and feelings about money?

This week, why not think back to your biggest money successes and failures (these are often most helpful), put pen to paper and send your child a note that can have a deep and lasting effect on their lives? If you’re lucky, they’ll listen to your advice and you might even find yourself featured in a book, like Gail Shearer did when her daughter Kimberly wrote the book, Smart Mom, Rich Mom, based on the money letter she received from her mother.

Need advice on just what to say? Check out this article from the New York Times, The Money Letter That Every Parent Should Write.

Who Has The Higher Unemployment Rate?

This month, many high school graduates walked the stage and are now preparing for the next step in their education. Will the college training they seek really help them get a better job and make more money? According to the current unemployment statistics, the answer to that question is, Yes. Quoctrung Bui for the New York Times highlights this point in the article, The One Question Most Americans Get Wrong About College Graduates. Even when the economy is down and college grads have difficulty finding work, those with degrees have a better chance of acquiring sustainable jobs that ultimately make more money than their non-degreed counterparts.

Grandparents Help With College

As college expenses continue to increase, grandparents are beginning to step-in and offer assistance to their grandchildren. John F. Wasik, for the New York Times offers sound advice for those wishing to help with their grandchildren’s college expenses. The Best Way to Help a Grandchild With College. There are many aspects to be considered in order to maximize your monetary support of a student, such as when the money is applied or whose name appears on the account. Read the full article to learn more about the amazing gift of higher-education that you can share with your grandchildren.

Overtime and Fair Pay

Ever sat at work on a weekend or late in the evening wondering why you didn’t qualify for overtime? Salary threshold rules have not been adjusted for inflation since 1975 and currently reflect a maximum amount of $23,660 per year. The new proposed changes to the law would raise this limit to $47,476 per year, allowing a larger segment of the salaried population to qualify for paid overtime. As this legislation is coming at the end of President Obama’s term, it remains to be seen how it will fare with a new administration, but for the moment this is one more step toward fair pay for a whole new set of employees.

Making Overtime Fair Again

Google Takes A Stand

Wednesday, Google announced they would ban all ads pertaining to payday loan businesses. Customers will still be able to find these companies through an organic search on the browser but the ads will not be featured. Google has seen fit to “edit” their ad content previously as noted by Christine Hauser for the New York Times in, Google to Ban All Payday Loan Ads.

Google has taken similar action against advertisements for other products or services that it deems harmful or dangerous, such as guns, fireworks and tobacco. Last year, Google disabled more than 780 million advertisements for reasons ranging from counterfeiting to phishing.

It’s quite refreshing to see such a well known, worldwide company taking a stand of this magnitude. Go Google!

Are You Effective or Just Busy?

Mind-Your-Busyness — http://www.selfawarenessacademy.org/mind-your-busyness/

Ever have that feeling that your day will never end? Smartphones and other electronic devices make us available 24/7. Keeping our minds spinning, and making it seem that our time is constantly filled. In the Entrepreneur 360 article, 5 Ways to Stop Being Busy and Start Being Effective, four simple steps explain how we can accomplish work in the most effective way and help shed the constant feel of busy-ness.

Don’t say yes to every task.
Create time for your family and friends.
Prioritize.
Do not let others distract you.

Give it a try, and let us know how it works for you!

Save On Your Property Taxes

Were you shocked by the amount listed when you got your property appraisal in the mail recently? Did you know that protesting the appraisal is an option? Although not a simple process, it can be done by an individual. If you feel you need help with the paperwork and supporting documents, there are companies available who specialize in this type of tax appeal. You may be surprised by how much you will save on property taxes when your appraisal is lowered successfully.

2015 Tax Appraisal Tax Appeal