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| Tuesday, December 30, 2008 |
| Standing out - extreme job tactics |
Desperate times call for desperate measures. In this environment of mass layoffs, some job candidates are taking a different tack to separate themselves from the crowd. The Forbes article. Some of the steps that job candidates have taken include:
- An experienced person passing out "Experienced MIT Grad for Hire" cards to passerbys on the street
- An unemployed real estate salesman standing on the streets, with a sign that read "Will Buy Interview", along with his Web site address
- An MBA graduate took to cabbing and posted his resume on his taxi after he couldn't find a job
For other extreme job-hunting stunts and details, see:
Forbes.com: In Pictures: Extreme Job-Hunting Tips |
posted by Ruby @ 7:09 AM
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| Thursday, December 25, 2008 |
| Changing FLSA contributions |
As mentioned in my previous posts, my spouse had budgeted and assigned contributions for lasik surgery in the FLSA – medical account for 2009. Since we are no longer going for the surgery, the amount we assigned would have been more than what we needed for the next year. Even though the FLSA enrollment deadline had passed recently, my spouse contacted his firm’s Benefits Manager to see if it was possible to reduce the contribution amount. Fortunately, the Benefits Manager told that they could change the contribution amount.
I spoke with another Benefits person recently and she also mentioned that even after the flexible spending deadlines have passed, there’s room to make adjustments in the FLSA/health insurance/etc enrollments, provided the Benefits department is willing to do so and provided it’s still before the start of the new year. |
| posted by Ruby @ 12:07 AM
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| Friday, December 19, 2008 |
| SmartMoney.com looking for people who had their credit card limits reduced |
Received an email from SmartMoney.com indicating that they are looking for people who had their credit card limits reduced.Today, the Federal Reserve passed landmark credit card regulations today, putting a July 2010 expiration date on several credit card practices. Among them: sudden rate increases on existing balances, charging interest on last month's balance that was paid off in full, and putting payments toward a low-rate balance transfer while the high-rate portion racks up fees and interest.
It's a start, but the rules don't address some of the biggest obstacles that even the most diligent credit card holders have faced during the credit crunch, including skyrocketing interest rates and slashed credit lines. Often, card issuers base these decisions not just on how you spend, but on other factors, such as which retailers you frequent - and the criteria are rarely clear.
Here at SmartMoney, we're working to pull back the curtain to better understand what factors prompt a credit card issuer to cut limits. Your participation is critical to this reporting project.
How can you help? We're looking for people who have recently had their credit limits cut and are willing to talk confidentially to us about their spending habits. You can find a few more details here. If interested in participating, you can contact:
Kelli Grant, SmartMoney.com's senior consumer reporter, at kgrant@smartmoney.com. |
| posted by Ruby @ 8:18 AM
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| Wednesday, December 17, 2008 |
| Visit to the lasic vision center |
Recently both my spouse and I went to a lasik vision center to find out about the costs and surgery details. Both of us had been planning it for past few years but had been dilly dallying. I had gone earlier also but at that time, due to the pregnancy, the center didn't perform any exams. As part of the flexible spending account (medical) enrollment for 2009, my spouse had already made an estimate for the lasik surgery and included it in his 2009 contributions.
Our eye exams lasted for about 1.5 hours. As the kids were with us, both of us had eye exams simultaneously. The initial person (an assistant) performed three different exams in three different rooms and finally told me that I was ineligible for surgery because my cornea was too thin. For my spouse, it was a similar diagnosis except that in his case, they could perform PRK instead of lasik surgery. He told us that the thickness of cornea is by birth and it’s not something that be improved using certain diet nor does it improves/decreases with age.
So that was the end of lasik dreams for me! In my spouse’s case, he was taken to another room where he met with an eye doctor. She performed certain additional exams and provided details about the PRK surgery. She also mentioned that even though PRK would restore his vision to 20/20, he would feel discomfort for a few weeks. In addition, it may hasten the use of reading glasses which will be necessary anyways in his 40’s. That was pretty much an end to his lasik dreams as well since the whole purpose of getting lasik for both of us was to get rid of glasses and contacts.
After his eye exam, the initial assistant took him again to another room to talk about finances. The person told that they are running a special in December and can do a custom PRK for $2,200 ($1,100 per eye). When asked, he mentioned that there’s also a traditional surgery but it’s more of a generic surgery unlike custom surgery which is specific based on my eye measurements that they had taken that day. In addition, the number and duration of follow-up visits after the surgery were longer in case of custom surgery. The traditional surgery cost he quoted was $1,800 ($900 per eye). He also mentioned 0% financing and how it could make the payments management. Seeing the hesitancy in my spouse, the assistant mentioned that he can talk to his manager and may be able to knock off another $200-$300.
While my spouse had already made up his mind of not getting surgery after learning about the reading glasses, it was clear that there’s lot of room for negotiating the fee. Since lasik surgery is often not covered by health insurance, it’s always good to know that fees are negotiable, and in this environment, can be reduced drastically since most people are cash-strapped which is hurting lasik vision centers. In addition, there is discretion in how much post-surgery follow-ups are included, so that’s also something to go over to get the best deal. |
| posted by Ruby @ 7:36 AM
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| Saturday, December 13, 2008 |
| $10 certificate on $100 purchase of Lowe's gift card |
Lowe's is running a promotion, valid from Dec 11-24, 2008, offering $10 certificate when you purchase $100 gift card. Maximum of three $10 Lowe's Certificates per customer, and the $10 certs can be redeemed in-store and on Lowes.com. Seems like a good deal if you shop at Lowe's since it's like getting 10% instant return.
LowesGiftCardPromo.com: Lowe's $10 Certificate |
| posted by Ruby @ 10:23 AM
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| Tuesday, December 09, 2008 |
| Money rules |
Liz Pulliam Weston's article discusses 9 important rules to live by. Among the rules:
- Differentiate between needs and wants Our actual needs are pretty limited: food, shelter, clothing, companionship. Just about everything else is a "want," and our wants are essentially endless. .- Scarcity makes your choices for you It's lovely to believe in a world of endless abundance, but the reality is that at any given point in time, our resources have limits. Whether it's oil in the ground, our time here on Earth or the cash in our pockets, there's only so much available to be spent.
People who ignore this reality are the ones who run out of paycheck before they run out of month, or who extend their unsustainable spending by relying on credit cards, home equity loans and other reckless borrowing. - The pointlessness of the hedonic treadmill
- Every money decision has a cost of its own
- Why supply and demand rule
- Throw no good money after bad
- The role risk plays
- The time value of money
- The miracle of compound interest
Many of the above rules are probably cliche' for financially-savvy. However, they are good reminders. Many of the financial and credit-related problems we are seeing right now would not have happened had the individuals and firms not broken many of the above money rules.
For complete article:
MSN.com: 9 money rules to live by |
| posted by Ruby @ 10:54 AM
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| Saturday, December 06, 2008 |
| Redeeming US Airways Dividend frequent flier miles for magazines |
Received a mailer from US Air also recently for redeeming frequent flier miles for mags. The company offering these magazines is same as the United Airlines that I mentioned in my previous post. However, the choices of magazines seems to be slightly larger and includes SmartMoney,Financial Times, Money, the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Allure, the Economist, etc.
For complete details, the URL is:
Redeeming US Air frequent flyer miles for magazines
Note: the URL works for now but may not work in future.Labels: mile |
| posted by Ruby @ 9:40 AM
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| Thursday, December 04, 2008 |
| Redeeming United Airlines frequent flier miles for magazines |
My miles are expiring soon and recently received a form in the mail for redeeming United Airlines frequent flier miles for mags. Just had to go to the Web site listed in the form and subscribed to a magazine. Didn't really need to but had to do it to renew the miles.
The Web site allows you to subscribe to various magazines including Money, the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, Allure, the Economist, etc.
For complete details, the URL is:
Redeeming UAL frequent flyer miles for magazines
Note: the URL works for now but may not work in future.Labels: mile |
| posted by Ruby @ 8:13 AM
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| Favorite Quote |
"If you look at what you have in life, you will always have more. If you look at what you do not have in life, you will
never have enough".
- Author Unknown
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