Despite my tongue-in-cheek title, there are some major consequences of the country going over the so called fiscal cliff. With just one week left for a deal to come together to avert a series of widespread spending cuts and tax increases, the latest news is that a deal appears to be unlikely. Your Paycheck The average household will see an increase of $3,500 in their taxes. Payroll taxes will also go up by 2% (reverting back from a temporary reduction intended to stimulate the economy). The full effect of this will not likely be seen until a few weeks into... Read more →

My wife Ann and I were both sound asleep, it was just past midnight on July 11th and the phone rang. It was our daughters, Joy and Faith. They were hysterical and crying as they tried to explain their predicament. They were calling us just after being bumped off of Interstate 95 by a reckless driver. While they were on their cell phone with us they were still fastened in their seat belts hanging upside down. The car had rolled multiple times and ended up in a heavily wooded area about 100 yards from the side of the highway (this... Read more →

You may have seen the recent Bing ad asking, "Have you been scroogled?" A very funny ad that is making many people reconsider how they are using the Internet to do comparison shopping. I, for one, am guilty of always using Google for my Internet searches. Once you get into the habit of that, it can be easy to just use Google for shopping searches as well. Bing points out that Google shopping results are mostly sponsored. To the extent that this is true, it may well mean that you are not necessarily finding the best deals using the Google... Read more →

One of the most frequent questions I have received over the years is about the legitimacy of network marketing. Many are surprised to learn that I have no problem at all with the concept. I would point out, however, that the vast majority of the network marketing companies out there do not represent reasonable business opportunities. It should also be noted that legitimate network marketing companies are not 'pyramid schemes.' Network Marketing, What Is It? Companies such as Avon, Tupperware, Amway, and Mary Kay, are all part of the booming industry of network marketing. Network marketing is the concept of... Read more →