I must be a magician..

So it looks like I have a good handle on the whole vanishing writer act. I know that it's been a very long time since my last post, but I'm back. Lots of transition, including a brand new living situation, which is always exciting. I hope to get back on to the posting at least once every couple of days...I have to bring this thing back to life.

Thanks and see you soon!

First Guest Columnist!

Good Sunday Evening!

This post is from a good friend of mine who happens to be one of the tech savviest people I know. Enjoy!!

"Gadgets"

If this is Physical Therapy for your Wallet, I would be the guy with the Palm in his pocket where the wallet should be while I keep my money in a jacket pocket. It’s not that I really NEED a Palm, or that I’d use it on a daily basis but like most technophiles and business mobile people it’s a great gadget. Unfortunately, it’s also the reason for today’s guest article.

Technology is a wonderful thing, as you probably know since you’re on it right now. It’s also a terrible distraction and a large money sink for businesses. Many of them spend so much money trying to be productive that they don’t realize where all the money went. Take my ‘fictional’ Palm for example.

When I worked for a six-building fiber optic network I used my Palm on a daily basis. I’d be lost without it. From the app with serial and product numbers to the day-to-day schedule it was an invaluable tool which made life easier. I made the mistake of buying one for myself when I went into my next employment. Here I was only working on databases for a single corporation. It had multiple buildings but I only worked out of one. My desktop held all of my vital work and my Palm became the most expensive paperweight in the office.

I’m sure the folks at the Franklin-Covey don’t want you to think like this but Planners are for people who PLAN. Mobile devices are for MOBILE people. If you’re in your office 365 days a year and you don’t handle your own scheduling, why are you buying a $700 mobile device with a 500 person contact list and scheduler? How many of you even HAVE 500 contacts?

When you go to buy your next business PC, think about where it will be used. One place or many? Do you really need a laptop? Do you need that ultra-light-super-portable-the-motherboard-must-be-made-of-gold-for-what-this-thing-costs netbook? Most people will say probably not. Most people I know who do use laptops ‘For the convenience’ end up using them to play solitaire on planes. Very few have actually even attempted to do work on their work laptop while the kid behind them was kicking their seat.

It’s not just laptops and desktops either. Look at the system specs before you buy. Most websites have sections for ‘Business’ and ‘Gaming’ computers. There is a reason for this. I’ve watched administrators buy gaming machines with more power than we used to send a man to the moon so that they can check their e-mail and write word documents. Know what you need, Get what you need. If you’re confused about the technology ask the sales rep. The first question that they should ask you is “Where will your computer be used?”. If they’re trying to sell you the latest-and-greatest machine before finding out what you’re using it for, politely excuse yourself and find a different sales rep.

Programs and operating systems also fall victim to the classic ‘gadget’ syndrome. Within a year we should be seeing Windows 7 come out. It’s a great operating system which has many of the bells, whistles, and doo-dads (highly technical term) that make a OS attractive to your local IT guy. Thankfully most IT guys need to come to a CFO or CIO before they can invest the money switching people over. If your office doesn’t use these checks and balances BE WARNED. Early adoption of ‘cool’ technology isn’t recommended for businesses. Microsoft might disagree but they also are known to put out a service pack or two within a year of putting out a new operating system. Let someone else find the critical security flaws, focus on your business and let your technology be a tool that makes it easier, not something that weighs you down.

• Know what you need, don’t buy bells and whistles; buy what fits your needs.
• Mobile devices are for Mobile people.
• When buying, most places will sell you either a ‘good, better, best’ model. Skip the ‘best’ and look at the ‘better’ model first. It will last long enough for your standard 3-year obsolescence model while still being friendly to your accountants.
• When in doubt, give yourself a week. Imagine how many times you would use a gadget over the course of a week to justify it.
• Be patient with new technology. New isn’t always better, it’s just newer. Good practice is for a business to wait a six month minimum before considering a technology investment on a new technology.

Shawn is a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer with ten years experience in purchasing, accounting and information technology. He wrote this article in Word on his Alienware gaming desktop.

eHow.com

So I have been just turned on to eHow.com. It's an online community where people post step by step instructions on pretty much anything you can think of. I myself am trying my hand at this and I just finished my first How-To.

http://www.ehow.com/how_5086533_become-active-member-new-community.html

For me this one was easy because it's pretty much what I did when I moved to the Waltham Community. So if you're wondering how this fits into financial well being I ask you to think of this. With a lot of these non-profits there is a time and a monetary commitment. If you're looking to do some good and increase your the deductions you take on your income giving to a group that you're committed to isn't a bad way to go.

As far as blog updates I should have some guest articles appearing here very soon by some of my favorites. Along with that I'll have some new pieces of my own to boot and we'll see how financial planning fits into a step by step process...will certainly be interesting.

Thanks and welcome to all the new viewers too! As always comments/questions/concerns are always welcome!!

Another quick link!

Hello out there!!

This is just another quick note sharing this weeks article for Boston.com!

Check it out let and let me know what you think! As always questions and comments are encouraged. I need your help to make this better!

Cheers!

http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/waltham/2009/06/by_nunzio_bruno_guest_columnis_1.html

Link to last weeks article!

Ok so I decided to link it rather than re-post it. I think that's in better taste don't you?

Here's the link: http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/waltham/2009/06/bruno_physical_therapy_for_you.html

Cheers again!

Wow so many new views!

I'm so excited these days! My second article will be out tomorrow on www.boston.com/yourtown/waltham so check it out. I have turned the title of the blog here into a running series title there. Just in case the one or two of you, Nick included, that check regularly this is going to be a sister spot to my newly carved place at boston.com. I really want this to work because I think there is a lot of ground to cover and when you can read it in a familiar voice it's always a good thing.

One interesting thing I would like people to think about, loosely based on a conversation that may or may not have happened today, is what people's thoughts are about Saturn et al. being bought out by Penske? Now I have been informed that the only things not being acquired are the manufacturing capabilities which essentially means they are then being outsourced. I'm thinking this might be an interesting way to come at car brand from a business prospective. I am more curious about what everyone else thinks out there and if they can help me get better informed about it. I am going to post last weeks article here to boot just incase we have an lifers here that missed it on boston.com. Some how I doubt that....

As always I look forward to questions/comments/concerns so don't be shy!!

Cheers!

Google's AdSense

Hello again everybody!

Just wanted to throw a quick note to inform that I just signed up for AdSense. I'm testing to see how feasible it will be for the blog. If it just ends up cheesing it up to much and getting in the way I'm OK with cutting it out.

Hope it doesn't throw your Blogging experience off too much and if it does let me know!!

Thanks!

Who doesn't love jumping on a band wagon!

Happy end to the weekend everyone!

This post is going to be, for the most part, a push for jumping on the being-an-advocate-for-savings band wagon. I think the time is appropriate these days for an organized and proactive message to be spread when it's now something that can't be swept under the rug any more.

So to start there are lots of great websites out there, including one that I was introduced to this weekend, that are geared to make people better savers, or at the very least aware that they should be better savers. To those that are reading this and saying to themselves that they are already great savers than think of this as a place where you can point to friends and family and add one more I told you so to the pile. (There's always new things to learn though.) The range of resources out there to help coach the masses through savings are amazing and run the spectrum from super celebrity Suze Orman all the way to do it yourself websites. Now a cautionary note. Not everyone out there is like Suze Orman or on a much smaller scale your friendly net-neighborhood financial planner so before ever entering some very personal account information be sure to do your homework. Lots of scammers trying to fish for information.

A quick list of my new top three super motivated saver strategists:
1.) http://www.suzeorman.com
2.) http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com
3.) For the DIY's out there http://www.mint.com (Thanks Nick for the intro to Mint!)

They all have their own blogs and tons of information that should get you excited. Again at the very least you may pick up a new tip or trick and get a different point of view for you to mull on. Which in the business of making yourself financially stable is never a bad thing.

For me in practice as well as in research there are a few common themes that you'll see at any good source for financial coaching information about savings.

- Have a plan and hold yourself accountable! Like a fad diet if you don't hold yourself to it then there's not really any point in putting the effort into the plan at all. You have to want the change (literally and figuratively). It can start with an easy budget, a place where you can mark and track your progress from.
- Automate when ever you can! I know that Bank of America has that neat "Save the Change" program and it's only a few cents on every dollar but it's still one more automation. Setting up separate accounts that you save to systematically will take the sting out of the savings process.
- Be focused! If you have different goals and time horizons, saving for them separately instead of in one big slush "savings" account will help you get there more efficiently.
- As an armchair economist I have to throw in the substitution concept. If coffee is in your morning routine I'm not the guy to tell you to stop cold turkey. A long term habit or system you have for yourself won't break overnight and you wont marry yourself to a plan if it involves a drastic change like that. So look for a less expensive substitute or make it at home. If you save a portion of what your morning expenses are and save only that much everyday you'll be pretty surprised at what you can accomplish in a year on just the act of saving and you'll want to do more.

Those are just a few points that I like to stress and there are tons more even in just the websites I liked and shared. When your taking a look at your whole financial picture savings is really your foundation and starting point. After you find a system that works for you and you've started to save then all the rest of that other financial "stuff" gets to be really easy. Fun too! I think anyways..

This about wraps up my jump on the band wagon session. There's always a need for savings and I think that it's great that people are taking it a bit more seriously as well as the competition it inspires in people like me to keep it creative and interesting for you!

Happy start to the week!

I knew life was full of changes but...

I knew life was full of changes but when my life got thrown for a loop in a matter of weeks it really gives you a chance to take stock and make some choices. So that said at this point my life is still tumbling in said thrown loop but I have an idea of which way it's rolling so I can prepare...I think. I know that there has not been a post in a while and the few articles I am working on are all "in progress" so nothing of substance here other than another appeal to authority that I am going to get this blog to be the resource I want it to be, eventually.

One thing that kills me is there is so much fodder floating out in the aether of financial news that needs clarification and I haven't made the time to do it here. I hope at this point that I can get something of substance in here before this recessionary period ends.

Now keeping in mind I'm trying to be as objective as possible here maybe a little sarcastic:

A quick note though, watched/listened to the AIG proceedings today and I have to say I was very impressed with the current leadership. I was also very disappointed at the rantings of various politicians using buzzwords and scare tactics to over antagonize the situation that AIG is in. Now I'm not condoning or advocating for what happened or is allegedly happening but I have to give credit to Edward Liddy for being professional and well prepared for is House committee meeting. There is no way that the House committee could be experts at the intricacies of corporate finance so that means they are only as good as the research and notes they are provided. Now I know that at the end of the day the House and all "elected officials" are only looking out for the best interest of those they represent and I absolutely embrace and respect that in the most altruistic way but trying to bully a man in a court room who has only been in a position since last September over the tribulations that have been ongoing for years...kind of looks like they (House) were looking to stir up some pitch forks from the common folk.

Is that appropriate, maybe. Did Liddy dance around some questions, possibly. All I'm saying is that it was great to watch, interesting to analyze, and provided lots to think about with respect to moral hazard and who it applies to. Who says the news can't be entertaining!

First Month '09

Hmmm...

Where to begin? For the few people that actually see this I just want to say thanks for the support. I want this to not be a hockey place where ideas are regurgitated. I'm shooting for a more NPR-esque Doogie theme. This is just a quick post to check in with the few that are following me here and see how the whole New Year Resolution situation is treating you. I want to just make sure that if you do have advisors or planners and they aren't me that you have had a financial check-up and made any adjustments if you needed to...or just to scold you if you haven't been hitting the gym like you said you wanted.

If not it's ok. We are only one month in and markets are still just as volatile, so there's lots of time to evaluate as long as your time horizon is still off in the distance. If it's not then you, the client, might want to be a little more proactive in capturing the attention of your trusted family advisor. (Even if you feel like you shouldn't have to be.)

I apologize for the brevity but I'm working on an annuity article that should be up in a day or two. As always feel free to leave comments or shoot an email to let me know what your thoughts are about how your New Year is treating you.

Cheers!

Time for your check-up!

Welcome to the New Year!

It's full of hope, wonder, and resolutions..at least out of the New Year Gate anyway. Wonder wains, hope hopefully lasts but usually resolutions fade. One thing that everyone out there in TV land should seriously consider, whether you think you are financially healthy or not, is a financial physical. For all of those do-it-yourselfers out there you'll probably see this blog and scoff thinking that your Bank/Broker proprietary graphs and trend lines are all you need to stay on course but I urge everyone, the DIY's especially, to get a first or second opinion.

Allow me to explain. When I say check-up I don't just mean an evaluation of your savings or how much any current investments have or have not yielded. This should be the time of year where people reassess goals or set goals for the first time for that matter. Regardless of where markets are, because they will always change, it's important that any plan that you have stays consistent and held to a certain amount of accountability. Most importantly like in any business it's important to find out what hasn't worked, and again I don't mean that you made a bad bet in the markets, assess why and make the changes accordingly. Everyone has reasons why the things they plan don't work out and I'll be the first one to tell you what I've planned that hasn't worked out for me but it's not for lack of good intent or thoughtfulness it's because of lack of follow through and a system.

If rebalancing a portfolio is something that is on that list then now is the time to do something about it, especially as tax time silently creeps up on everyone. Maybe getting more serious about your savings or starting to save. A good doctor doesn't just check your heart beat and blood pressure and send you on your way. He talks to you to try to get a handle on all the things going on in your life so that he can best diagnose and treat should he find something that's off. Investments and savings are great but they aren't the only measures of success. While reading this you should be thinking about how your debts are being handled, how the retirement plan at work going, and how protected i.e. life insurance is your family should anything happen to you if your the breadwinner (and even if your not). A good financial check up will take all these things into consideration and a good plan will incorporate many levels of success.

Now there isn't anything in here that's revolutionary or an idea that someone hasn't already thought of but that's the point. Things worth saying should be repeated until those listening finally get the message and act. Even if you think that nothing in here is worth your time or applies to you I urge you to just take a few minutes and reflect. I'm sure everyone has things they wish they did better and if you find something do something about it. Write it down and track it, add accountability.

As always feed back is appreciated and hopefully this little New Year Note added to a few guilty consciences and someone acts.

Thanks!