December 30th, 2005 |
Looking Back,
Personal
Well, the year is over, so I figured that I would share some thoughts reflecting back on the year.
Len Gets Laid-Off!
Yes, it’s true. It finally happened. And just a few blogs ago I was talking about this very thing. I got notice the other day over the phone. It’s not a very good feeling, but at least they gave me 45 days notice and a severance package (of which I cannot disclose the terms). I am glad that they did that, because they did not have to. So, now begins the fun task of finding another job to replace my income. But, in a way, I’m looking forward to something new. I am trying to get another position in my existing company, but we will have to see what happens. Life goes on…
My Business Venture
If you know me well personally, you are aware of the latest business venture that my wife and I have started. I have kept this quiet up to this point, partly because I did not want certain people at my job to find out. I did not want them having any reason to make it easier to lay me off. Well, they do not know and I got laid-off anyway! (Not that it’s a conflict of interest, because is isn’t. It has nothing to do with computers) Anyway, I’m glad that we did this, just 1 month before I got laid-off! I don’t know if I would have done it after finding out that I got laid-off. So, in the end, our LLC was created!
Las Vegas Condo
I’m glad that I was able to buy this with my Uncle Frank! He’s probably worried now that I have been laid-off, but he doesn’t have to worry! I’ve got it all under control. I’ve been preparing for this day for a while now. Now all we have to do is buy furniture for it.
All in all, it was a very good year. I want to thank my family and friends for helping make this year wonderful. This includes my Mom and Frank, Uncle Frank, Grandmom & Grandpop, Jesse, my wife Jen, my daughter Arianna, David G., Rod K., Erik, Tracey S., and Terri. See you in 2006!!!
November 7th, 2005 |
Personal,
Real Estate
No, I don’t think so… But after my last tenant left one of my rentals, you might think so. This beautiful apartment, which was just remodeled three years ago, was completely destroyed. It was filthy, filthy dirty… There was grease all over the kitchen, which was never cleaned. It was baked onto the oven – so bad that I had to replace it. All over the walls, counters, cabinets, etc… Everything in this apartment was new three years ago, and now most things had to be replaced.
We replaced the sink, countertops, kitchen floor, bathroom floor, lights and stove. We had to rip out all of the carpets and then we replaced it with Pergo floors. Of course, we had to scrub and bleach the kitchen and bathroom from floor to ceiling. You have never seen such filth and disgust. You have never seen so much dirt and garbage. The place was never cleaned. The counters were never wiped and were always kept wet, which caused them to warp and grow bacteria.
Well, needless to say, the place now looks better than ever. We worked very very hard the past 2 weeks to get it rentable again. Now, it’s like new…
October 7th, 2005 |
Financial,
Real Estate
There’s no doubt that real estate is a great investment for your future. For most people, the idea of purchasing real estate for the purposes of investment is a bit intimidating. In these crazy financial times, why would anyone want to place their cash and credit at risk, when companies are laying people off and people are struggling with the threat of terrorism?
My answer to you is simple. If not now, when? There is always a reason not to invest, whether we are talking about investing in mutual funds, stocks, retirement plans, or real estate. In fact, every single year, there is a real, valid reason not to invest! Here some good reasons for the last 5 years:
* 2005 – High Oil & Gas Prices
* 2004 – Economic Deficit
* 2003 – Iraq War Begins
* 2002 – Airlines Go Bankrupt
* 2001 – 9/11 Terrorist Attacks
Continue Reading…
September 30th, 2005 |
Personal,
Rants
I’ve been with the company I work for almost six years. It’s the longest job that I have ever had, and it is the longest I’ve ever hated a job. And that is a shame. I used to really like it. Here’s the story…
I used to work for a small company in NJ with little opportunity. I was both a programmer and a marketing manager. Basically, my job had several roles – create interest with companies in our services (computer networks, digital telephone networks, and CTI, or Computer Telephony Integration), design network configurations, configure and order hardware, and programming the company’s intranet and internet website. Anyway, to make a long story short, my wife was pregnant and we were going to lose 50% of our income indefinitely. So, I had to find a new job. Continue Reading…
August 26th, 2005 |
Financial
It’s amazing to me that this simple financial concepts is still mostly unknown to most people. The most important is called the Rule Of 72. Simply stated, the Rule Of 72 says that if you take any interest rate on money that you are receiving, and divide it into the number 72, the result is the approximate number of years it takes for your money to double. Seems pretty simple, huh? It is. So simple in fact that if you understood how easy and powerful the concept is, you could become wealthy over time.
Most people need to feel ‘safe’ and they place their money in banks, universal life insurance, CDs and money market funds. All of which pay minimal rates of return – generally 2-4%. At that rate, your money only double every 18 to 36 years, which will get you nowhere very fast. Continue Reading…