Direct Selling Gets a Boost from the Slowed Economy

As the economy slows people are turning to direct selling to bring in extra money every month. People are worried about job security and seasonal hiring is less than in recent years. Many college students whose parents can’t pay tuition have dropped out of college and are turning to direct selling to make money to pay tuition for going back to college later.

In recent years numbers in the direct selling industry had declined but the bad economy has many companies seeing a huge increase in their numbers. Many turn to direct selling as a way to bring in extra income every month but some have turned to direct selling full-time. For them, they see the residual income they make from direct selling as wonderful retirement plan and don’t see themselves returning to having a full-time job for another employer ever again. They enjoy being their own boss.

Cast your vote and get a flu shot

Many people around the country are lining up early to cast their vote. A non-partisan program, Vote and Vax, has arranged with 250 polling stations around the country to offer flu vaccinations. The program was first piloted in 2006. The clinics are convenient and available in 36 states.

In other health news…
Drug companies have conceded to pedestrians and say that children under four years old should not be given cough or cold medicine. These medicines will no longer be marketed to children under four and warnings and instructions will be placed on the labels.

Let’s Get Ready to Party

In a week’s time we will elect a new President of our country. I hope people vote their wallets versus race, class, or gender. While protecting us from terrorists is an important skill I need a president who can improve the economy and my financial situation. I’m not asking for a handout but an environment where everyone not just a few can have the American Dream.

Whether Senator Obama wins or Senator McCain wins I say everyone should get out and party. Or party at your home. No matter who wins, the Bush/Cheney administration will be over. By January’s inauguration we will have a new administration that will be better than the one we’ve suffered through for the last eight years. Pop the cork, pass the champagne, and turn up the music. It’s time to get this party started!

Pensions are safer than 401(k)s

If you have a 401(k) you assume the risk when the markets take a downturn. It you have a pension and are fully vested, by law your company is required to pay you what you’ve earned. However you do have to wait until you are 55 to 65 years old to collect it.

While you do what you can to minimize the risk to your retirement savings here are some ways you can save almost $9,000 per year to put towards your retirement.

Engage in strategic shopping. Potential savings: $5,000. Track deals at your local store, online, and direct from the manufacturers of items that you buy. Taking the time to do this before you go shopping will save you a lot of money.

Avoid what author David Bach calls the “latte factor”. Buy enough from the grocery store to make you meals at home. Bring your meals to work. Cutting back on this wasteful spending can save you almost $2,500. Paying atm fees would fit into this category.

Upgrade your appliances and potentially save $150 dollars per year. By upgrading a refrigerator to one that is more energy efficient saves you money and is a small step in living “green”.

Go generic and potentially save $170. Buying generic brands from the grocery store and other local stores like CVS or Target keeps money in your pocket. Don’t be afraid of store brands.

Pay an extra $1 on your credit cards and potentially save over $200. Try increasing what you typically pay per month on your credit cards to one dollar a day. If you add $30 to what you normally pay, you will pay down the credit card debt sooner and save on interest payments.

Pool together and share a babysitter. This can give you a potential savings of over $700. Even though providers may pro-rate their fees based on the number of children, pooling with neighbors or friends can bring a savings of 20% to 50%.

The Internet bringing connection

The Internet may be a catalyst for bringing patients and healthcare providers together. For many years now patients have been using the Internet to connect with each other to talk about treatments, rate doctors, etc in a way to build connection because they don’t feel connected to their healthcare providers. Angry and frustrated doctors fed up with the healthcare system may lead the way in building the bridge between doctors and patients. Patients are already using the web to empower themselves so it’s about time that the slow-moving medical system get with the program and make it better. This will lead to better treatment and better doctor-patient experiences.

In other health news…
Parents of children with autism are pressing for autism insurance coverage. According to the Autism Society of America, the lifetime expenses for caring for a child with autism can reach as high as $5 million. Currently House Bill 83 is being considered in Virginia’s General Assembly. It would cap insurance at $36,000 per child per year. Other states have capped at $50,000. Pennsylvania and South Carolina currently have autism insurance mandates. Opponents to the mandates say that the mandates could increase insurance premiums. Many parents feel paying higher rates is worth it.

Colin Powell Supports Barack Obama

Say it ain’t so Colin! I know that’s what those in the McCain camp were saying when they learned that on Meet the Press on Sunday, Colin Powell told Tom Brokaw and millions of viewers that he supports Barack Obama. His reasons? He doesn’t feel Senator McCain has a firm grasp on the realities of our economic crisis and he feels Senator McCain showed a lack of judgment by choosing Governor Palin as his running mate. In his view Governor Palin is not ready to lead the country. He believes that Senator Obama is a transformational figure and that is who we need as the next President of the United States of America. I agree.

In other news…
Senator Obama will leave the campaign trail Thursday and Friday of this week to visit his ailing grandmother in Hawaii. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. But don’t worry Senator Biden and Michele Obama will continue to campaign while he visits his grandmother.

Volatile market and Social Security on the rise?

This week the market has suffered significant losses. However, some investors are getting back into the market as oil prices continue to fall. On Monday the market rallied with the Dow Jones gaining 936 points but the market has suffered huge losses since Tuesday. Even with signs of late rally this afternoon any gains have been wiped away. I personally haven’t looked at my retirement funds since the crises began because I’m not interested in being depressed. I think it will be many more months before we see the markets start to show any relief from the bailout package if they show any at all.

In other money news…
Beginning in January Social Security benefits will go up 5.8%. That will be an increase of about $63 for the average retiree. This is the largest increase since 1982. The average retiree will go from receiving $1,090 per month to $1,153 per month. 50 million Americans will benefit from this increase in benefits. The Social Security Trust Fund is scheduled to deplete its reserves by 2041 and start paying out more than it takes in by 2017.

Caffeine does not increase breast cancer

New research funded by the National Institutes of Health and recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that caffeine does not increase overall breast cancer. However, high doses of caffeine increase the risk for breast tumors or disease in women who have benign breast disease. Women at risk who cut caffeine from their diet have a better chance at preventing the malignant form of the disease from happening.

In other health news…
A new study at UCLA is showing evidence that searching the Internet may be good for older adults. The study showed that tech savvy older adults had twice the brain activity than those not so technically advanced.

Vice President Cheney is better after suffering with an abnormal heart rhythm. Doctors at George Washington University Hospital treated the Vice President. He has been experiencing heart problems since 1978 when he had his first heart attack at the age at 37.

The final debate is upon us—Thank GOD!

I don’t know about anyone else but I am ready for this election to be over. Tomorrow the final Presidential debate will take place at Hofstra University and Bob Schiffer will moderate or play referee. Neither Senator McCain nor Senator Obama can say anything else. If there are still people undecided then they need to just sit this election out.

This is not about personality or popularity. This is about the empty wallets of the American people which unfortunately, are mirroring the empty wallets of the American Government and Wall Street. If we continue down this road there will be more foreign countries owning a piece of America than Americans. Those with the purse strings usually dictate policy and I doubt the founding fathers wanted America being dictated to by countries like China and Saudi Arabia.

I’m voting my empty wallet this election year. Not just in the national election but also in my state and local elections. It’s time for some of the old guard to retire and let the new guard take us into the 21st century. I can’t afford four more years of politics as usual.

Robert Kiyosaki calls bailout “corporate welfare”

Robert Kiyosaki, best selling author of books like Rich Dad Poor Dad, writes in a recent Yahoo Finance article that the bailout plan is nothing more than “corporate welfare”. He also says that government cannot fix the problem with the financial markets.

According to Kiyosaki, the biggest problem is the same as he’s been saying since he wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad eleven years ago—the lack of financial education in our school systems and in the general populace. Bailing out people who made bad decisions in the first place is a bad idea since they don’t have the right solutions to fix the problem. We should expect more of the same and the problems will get worse before they get better. In his article he also warns that Social Security and Medicare will be the next systems to fail. I hope the folks in Wall Street and in Washington are listening to him because this Main Streeter is and so far he’s made more since than anyone.

Finding a connection between creativity and mood disorders

In a CNN article on Health.com, Elizabeth Landau reports that studies are showing that there may be a connection between creativity and mood disorders like bipolar disorder and depression. What is unclear is if one begets the other or vice versa. People with mood disorders as well as creative people, especially those in the arts, are very sensitive to the world around them. More research has to be done.

In other health news…Yesterday, the second presidential debate took place at Belmont College in Tennessee. During the debate Senators McCain and Obama talked about their healthcare plans. Senator McCain wants to give people a refundable $5,000 tax credit to go and buy the healthcare of their choosing and also give people the chance to go across state lines to purchase healthcare. The potential problems with the plan are that the money will be taxed and consumer protection issues may arise. Senator Obama’s plan wants to help those who like the healthcare they have to lower their premiums. For those that don’t have healthcare, the healthcare that members of congress enjoy would be available. Small business would also receive a tax credit to help them provide insurance to their employees. The plan would work with insurers so that pre-conditions are not an issue. The plan also wants to provide all children in America healthcare. A potential problem would be whether or not people or businesses would be fined for not having or providing healthcare. Senator Obama’s plan seems more thoughtful and more inclusive. Senator McCain’s plan does not address people who don’t have healthcare and focuses more on working Americans. Since layoffs are on the rise, there are fewer working Americans and more uninsured Americans.

Bailout promises to the people not met?

Congress passed a bailout bill last week. Today the stock market prices continue to plummet. So will the bailout bill help the markets and when will we find out if it stabilized the markets and really helped? And how about we the people? How did we fair in this bailout bill and will we see any relief anytime soon?

No one is really reporting on how we faired in this bill. It seems that the major principles that were supposed to be in the bill to protect the taxpayers were not overtly met. So it seems to me that we the taxpayers are doing exactly what we didn’t want to do—bail out Wall Street with little oversight and no upside for us.

Small Business should safeguard their money as bank fails

Citigroup bought out my bank. I also happen to live in Charlotte so not only is my bank bought out but now people are worried about layoffs. Wachovia, with about 20,000 employees, is the second largest employer in Charlotte. As a consumer with less than $100,000, my money with the bank is insured by FDIC. But small business owners are getting stressed as banks continue to fail. There are some things small business owners can do to protect their money.

Have accounts at multiple banks below FDIC limits. This is not the most efficient way to do business and it can be inconvenient but your money will be protected.

Pay off major purchases by borrowing against a line of credit and then pay it off. This will keep you from having large sums of money on hand.

Stash corporate savings in money market funds or in Treasury bills.
Check out the American Bankers Association web site which lists tips for small business owners.

Seven Ways to Avoid Getting Sick

Flu season is fast approaching and school has started. Becoming sick is almost inevitable. Or is it? In a CNN.com article, Alicia Potter talks about seven ways women are using to avoid getting sick. Try them and see how much better your health is during this runny nose season.

Get a massage. Massages help build up your immunity because they reduce anxiety, heart rate, and blood pressure which helps your stress levels drop. If cost is an issue try some massage schools in your area which may offer discounted services.

Take a cold shower. Cold showers may help with low energy, migranes, circulation, and pain reduction. If you have cardiovascular issues consult a doctor first because the cold may cause a rise in blood pressure.

Use Ginger in small doses. For centuries ginger has been used to treat gastrointestinal problems.

Wash your hands frequently. Doctors say washing your hands is the best way to avoid a million colds. Avoid antibacterial and/or antimicrobial products because they have chemicals that cause bacteria to adapt. This reduces their effectiveness.

Load up on Vitamin C and Zinc. Try Emergen C and Zicam at the first signs of a cold. Some studies show that Vitamin C is helpful to people under stress and zinc slows down the multiplication of viruses.

Eat more garlic. Garlic is rich in antioxidants that boost immunity and fight inflammation. Eating up to two raw cloves of garlic can have disease fighting effects. For those worried about bad breath, try garlic capsules.

Try positive thinking. At the first sign of sickness try positive self talk. Don’t dwell on your symptoms and don’t assume the worst.