I’d like to take this moment to publicly welcome our latest addition to the family. Â Jillian Alexis, born June 29, 2009 around 18:30 to Josh and Jean. Â 6lbs, 7oz of Joy.
Welcome to the family.
Before I get back to my regularly unscheduled postings, I thought I would share this.
My cousin sent me this as an email.  Normally  I just file them in either my Personal folder or the Trash depending on what it is.  I don’t know if this really happened or not.  It is still a god story.
I put my carry-on in the luggage compartment and sat down in my assigned seat. It was going to be a long flight. ’I’m glad I have a good book to read. Perhaps I will get a short nap,‘ I thought.
Just before take-off, a line of soldiers came down the aisle and filled all the vacant seats, totally surrounding me. I decided to start a conversation.. ‘Where are you headed?‘ I asked the soldier seated nearest to me.
‘Petawawa. We’ll be there for two weeks for special training, and then we’re being deployed to Afghanistan.‘
After flying for about an hour, an announcement was made that sack lunches were available for five dollars. It would be several hours before we reached the east, and I quickly decided a lunch would help pass the time.
As I reached for my wallet, I overheard soldier ask his buddy if he planned to buy lunch.
‘No, that seems like a lot of money for just a sack lunch. Probably wouldn’t be worth five bucks. I’ll wait till we get to base.‘
His friend agreed.
I looked around at the other soldiers. None were buying lunch. I walked to the back of the plane and handed the flight attendant a fifty dollar bill. ‘Take a lunch to all those soldiers.‘ She grabbed my arms and squeezed tightly. Her eyes wet with tears, she thanked me. ‘My son was a soldier in Iraq; it’s almost like you are doing it for him.‘
Picking up ten sacks, she headed up the aisle to where the soldiers were seated. She stopped at my seat and asked, ’Which do you like best – beef or chicken?‘  ’Chicken,‘ I replied, wondering why she asked. She turned and went to the front of plane, returning a minute later with a dinner plate from first class.
‘This is your thanks.‘
After we finished eating, I went again to the back of the plane, heading for the rest room. A man stopped me.
‘I saw what you did. I want to be part of it. Here, take this.‘ He handed me twenty-five dollars.
Soon after I returned to my seat, I saw the Flight Captain coming down the aisle, looking at the aisle numbers as he walked, I hoped he was not looking for me, but noticed he was looking at the numbers only on my side of the plane. When he got to my row he stopped, smiled, held out his hand, an said, ‘I want to shake your hand.‘
Quickly unfastening my seatbelt I stood and took the Captain’s hand. With a booming voice he said, ‘I was a soldier and I was a military pilot. Once, someone bought me a lunch. It was an act of kindness I never forgot.‘ I was embarrassed when applause was heard from all of the passengers.
Later I walked to the front of the plane so I could stretch my legs. A man who was seated about six rows in front of me reached out his hand, wanting to shake mine. He left another twenty-five dollars in my palm.
When we landed I gathered my belongings and started to deplane. Waiting just inside the airplane door was a man who stopped me, put something in my shirt pocket, turned, and walked away without saying a word. Another twenty-five dollars!
Upon entering the terminal, I saw the soldiers gathering for their trip to the base. I walked over to them and handed them seventy-five dollars. ‘It will take you some time to reach the base. It will be about time for a sandwich. God Bless You.’
Ten young men left that flight feeling the love and respect of their fellow travelers. As I walked briskly to my car, I whispered a prayer for their safe return. These soldiers were giving their all for our country. I could only give them a couple of meals.
It seemed so little…
A veteran is someone who, at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to ‘United States of America‘ for an amount of ‘up to and including my life.‘
That is Honor, and there are way too many people in this country who no longer understand it.
Pass this link on to your friends and family.  If you see a solider or know a veteran, make sure you thank them.  You probably wouldn’t be here if not for the Men and Women protecting this country and our way of life.  Freedom isn’t free, and these people are paying for it for us.
This post is about the recent experience my wife and I have had at the CarMax on Eastchase in Arlington/Ft. Worth. The names and facts have NOT been changes to allow throwing stones at the guilty.
This story started end of March. March 27th, 2009. A few days before our old ’89 Buick Skylark bit the dust. Brakes failed, stearing became a problem, and the oncoming traffic didn’t help matters either. We looked around online at CarMax and a few other local dealerships wanting to stay below the $10k mark. Their site made it easy to search about the 5 or 6 dealerships within a 300 mile radius. That being said, they had about 15 cars below that mark. All and all, we settled on a 99 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport. As an added bonus, it only had 63k miles on. A 99 with 63k miles, for $8200, would you turn that down?
The following week, we sold the Buick to them. Got $100 for it. Double what I was expecting. So far at this point, it has been a good experience. Bill Dearman (the sales rep that helped us) was curtious the entire time and let us take our time. He earned our repeat business AND my recommendation. Both things I don’t take lightly.
Well, fast forward about 33 days. Fuel pump goes out. I’m no machanic, but for a 10 year old car, the fuel pump probably should have been replaced just due to old age. At least those are my thoughts. I call up Bill and asked his opinion. He said to call the service center and ask up the chain until I got the top dog or the answer I wanted. That was my first mistake, I should have listend and done just that. Instead, I called one, and the rep on the other end (don’t recall the name), was very rude about the 30 day warrenty. I understand that 30 days was it and they have no obligation to do anything after that period. But in the same token, this is a major repair shortly after warrenty period. It’s just good customer service to take care of. Now, 10 days? 15 days? 30 days after expiry, I wouldn’t have even bothered to try to get it for free or even discounted.
I made a few complaints on Twitter about the bill we got from Pepboys ($730). That was my second mistake, I took it to Pepboys. They insisted that more work needed to be done than was required. Some services they were suggesting were completed not but 2k miles before. On top of that, had I just went back to CarMax anyways, even paying for it, would have saved between $200 and $300 off the repair! Well, @CarMaxChris spoke up and suggested I call the Customer Service Center (Executive Response Team) to see if they can fix this.
Called them and spoke with a women named Paige. She asked for some details about what happened and said she’ll make a call to the same store and see what the Service Manager could do (His name was also Bill. Don’t ask for his last name because frankly, I’d buther it). He called about 5 mins later and asked a few more questions. By the time he called though, the tank was already dropped at Pepboys so he couldn’t tow it over. When all was said and done, he confirmed what Bill Dearman said. Had I gone straight to him in the first place, it would have been towed and repaired at no cost. 30 Days is the rule, but most are handled on a case by case basis. In cases like mine, they let it slide. It was just a few days out of warrenty and good customer service to just do it.
Needless to say, they have earned a repeat customer.
I know everone is just DYING to know about this (it’s nice to dream right?), but I’ve been keeping tabs on my weight since starting at 24 Hour Fitness. Almost daily actually. Since Mar 16th I have lost 13 lbs. And it shows. I look slimer, I feel better, have more energy, and my love handles don’t bounce as much when I run (more of a jog really).
Wife and I also started on a 90 day sprint. Might post up weekely updates on that as well.
Also began work on Arlington’s 4th of July website. It needs MASSIVE work. The current incarnation is NOT of my creation, but it slowly turning into one. The Google Maps screenshots have been turned into real GMaps, the search on the main page has turned into Google Custom Search, and Google Analytics has also been added to all pages. BTW, Google, you can send those endorsement checks to my creditors, they are hurting so bad without my payments that they could really use the help. Why else would they be raising rates right? They wouldn’t do such a decietfull thing as raise rates just because they can right?
I’ve also been having a good talk with Larry Wiedel this week. Made me realize that I really need to not work so hard. What’s the point of working 30 hour days for your family, if you never spend time with them? For that sir, I thank you.
Anyways, I better get back to catching up so I can spend quality time with my daughter and wife today. And I’m glad I did make time this week just to spend with them.
See you in the next post!
This is the first post in a series of posts dealing with debt, insurance, investments, etc. Â Â This is slow going due to all my other responsibilities, but more will be on the way. Â On to the meat of the article now!
There are several methods of eliminating debt. Â Debt consolidation is NOT among them. Â That’s a band-aid and as we all know, band-aids only SLOW the bleeding, not STOP it. Â Ask a doctor about the best way to stop a bleeding wound, from the inside out. Â The first step in doing this is to make a decision. Â Decide to get out of debt, that’s the easy part. Â Below, you will find several methods of doing this and a few suggestions on how to make it happen.
For the next few definitions, we are going to use the following example.  These are by no means accurate and are just used for demonstration purposes.
Lowest Balance First
This method is for those that need immediate gratification.  You pay all you can on the lowest balance debt you have while still paying your minimal on everything else.  It works, but is not efficient.
Highest Balance First
This is similar to above except in reverse. Â This is even less efficient, but will work. Â Granted when most people choose this method, they don’t include their house as the highest debt.
Lowest Interest Rate First
Take your card with the lowest rate, and pay all towards it. Â Although it will help save on interest, your higher interest debts are increasing at an alarming rate.
Highest Interest Rate First
The reverse of above, but will reduce what you are paying on interest. Â Most people focus on the rate which is not the best thing to do.
Debt Stacking / Snowballing / Debt Acceleration
This is usually used with a combination of the above. Â What this does is, as you pay off your debts, takes that monthly payment and applies it to the next in line. Â Using the Lowest Balance First method above, it might look something like this:
Those payments are based on the above then adding the previous one to it. Â If you were to follow it, it would probably cut about 10 to 15 YEARS off of a 30 year mortgage. Â So tell me, how long would it take you to pay off a $200k mortgage paying $1,790 a month? Â That is the power of debt stacking!
Debt Snow-flaking
This one is interesting. Â I only recently found it in a Dave Ramsey forum post. Â Basically, it takes the above Debt Stacking method and applies what ever free change you have at the end of the month to which debt you are focusing on. Â That’s a great idea, and one I teach and recommend to my clients.
The best method to use, is the one you will follow.  Mathematically speaking though, none of these are “efficient” by themselves, yet they all work to accomplish the same goal.  If you run the numbers out, sometimes it’s better to pay the highest interest, then the lowest balance, then the highest balance, then the lowest interest, etc.  To figure it out, you will need a spreadsheet program.  You can use Numbers on Mac, Excel on Windows, or use OpenOffice on those and Linux.  You can also use Google Docs.  There are a few formulas below that will help.
I could show you how to do this via a spreadsheet, but in my many attempts to write it down, it became PAINFULLY obvious that I could not put it into words. Â Soooo, what I will do is work on an app for you all to use that will take the above methods and figure out the various ways and how much interest is expected to be paid/saved. Â No promises on accuracy now. Â I am only one man building and working 3 businesses.
In the upcoming posts, I expect to write a bit more on various types of loans, different methods of figuring interest, how sometimes paying twice a month is useless, etc.
Until then, good luck and keep an eye on my twitter page (link to the right) for future posts.
Normally I wouldn’t post something like this, but it made me laugh. Â A friend of my wife’s sent this to her.
In other news, we just got back from Phoenix and I will have some more relevant posts up soon.  3 blogs and 3 businesses are a bit hard to run.
Alright guys and gals, all 6 of ya. Â I’m about to head out of town to visit family I haven’t seen in almost a decade. Â Gee, I hope I still remember who is who. Â Anyways, this is just to let you know what I have planned in the next few weeks/months.
So stay tuned.  I will make this clear now and on every page.  Nothing on this site is a solicitation or a recommendation to ANYONE.  There is no offer to sell to anyone.  Any requests for work through this site, or any site linked from here, will not be accepted by me.  If you want me to do something for you, you have to track me down the old fashioned way.  Sorry, just legalities.  Although I am not a fan of ads, some will be placed to help offset some costs.  If you don’t like them, use Firefox with the AdBlock extension.
I will be back in a week and will start getting those posts in line. Â I may through a few other suprises out there including situation and policy breakdowns.
See ya’ll later!
I’m Back!!!
Despite a short reprieve, I am back and ready to go. I had to take the last site down due to a request from home office. No biggie, no threats, just a request. Since it was basically a “take it down” or “you’re fired” move, I decided my clients were more important.
I’ve changed the overall aspect of the site, look, feel, content, etc. There will still be some finance related posts, just more generic. There will be additional posts for my personal life as well as PR stunts related to my computer business. I may even throw in some stuff about the little OS I’m working on.
Anyways, to make a short post shorter, I’m back with plenty of good stuff to come!
STAR-TELEGRAM ARCHIVES
Dean Corey, who died in 2001, will be honored at the Fourth of July Parade this year. His wife, Becky Corey, and Jane Ellis will be the grand marshals.
Fourth of July Parade grand marshals set.
By Angie Summers
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
ARLINGTON – Two residents with a history of musical contributions in the community will lead the Independence Day parade as grand marshals.
Jane Ellis and Becky Corey were named grand marshals last night during an Arlington Fourth of July Parade Association meeting at the George W. Hawkes Central Library.
The 39th annual Fourth of July Parade, with a theme of “Of Thee We Sing,” is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. July 3 in downtown Arlington.
“Our grand marshals are two people who dedicated a large portion of their life to music in our community,” said Brett Bell, association president. “We choose people each year who reflect the dedication of our theme.”
Ellis started her education career as an elementary school music teacher before moving to Arlington in 1949. Because there weren’t enough choir students for a full-time director, she also had to teach physical education. She directed the Arlington High School Choraliers for 25 years before becoming a vice principal at Bowie High School in 1975. Ellis Elementary School, which opened in 1989, is named in her honor.
“It’s a wonderful honor. What is so splendid is that Arlington, itself, has been so supportive of a musical program that started with just one high school,” Ellis said. “Every school is now filled with talented children who have knowledge and appreciation for something so beautiful.”
Corey will represent her husband, Dean Corey, who died in September 2001 at the age of 83. Dean Corey, a Cincinnati native, came to the district in 1949 and retired in 1980 after serving 23 years as Arlington High School band director and eight years as the district’s first coordinator of music education. Corey Elementary School, which opened in 1984, is named in his honor.
“I’m so proud to represent Dean. He was always so interested in the parade,” Becky Corey said. “He always rode in the school district’s parade entry until they passed City Hall. He would then get out, take his flute and join the Arlington Community Band to perform with them. He loved to be with musicians. It was the joy of his life.”
Last year, the parade had 150 entries with more than 4,000 participants and drew 40,000 spectators. It is funded by private money raised by parade organizers.
This year’s winning T-shirt design was created by Sam Houston High School student Joshua Perez. The T-shirts, which will cost from $5 for small T-shirts to $12 for extra-large ones, are available by calling (817) 561-2924 or sending e-mail to texfalls@comcast.net. They will also be available during the association’s next meeting, scheduled at 7 p.m. June 9 at George W. Hawkes Central Library, 101 E. Abram St.
For more information about the parade, call (817) 303-5700.