Think Your Way to Wealth » General

Donating to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief

RC — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 04:14:14 +0000

As someone who lives in the New Orleans area and dealt with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, my heart goes out every time another natural disaster strikes, whether it is here in the U.S. or elsewhere around the world.

The amount of help received in the New Orleans community from the rest of America (and from all over the world, actually) was/is awe-inspiring, to say the least. There are still groups that come down, some students on their spring breaks, for example, that come down and volunteer their vacation time to assist with remaining clean up efforts, particularly for those who could not afford to get their homes rebuilt.

The double impact of the earthquake and tsunami has caused massive destruction, loss of life, and a great number of displaced residents in Japan- the ultimate number who dies will likely be in the tens of thousands, with many more currently displaced or homeless due to the aftermath and the current nuclear crisis.

If you have the financial means, I would encourage you to donate something to the relief efforts. The situation seems to be getting worse, and will likely get worse before it gets better with the effects of the nuclear reactor situation.

Two organizations I am most familiar with (and therefore most comfortable donating to) are the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders.

To donate to the Red Cross using your cell phone, you can donate $10 to the Red Cross by texting “redcross” to number 90999. The American Red Cross has pledged to use these funds to support the Japanese Red Cross.

If you would like to make a larger donation to the Red Cross or prefer to use the web instead of your cell phone, you can go to the Red Cross’ Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami Donation Page.

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)- while currently not specifically accepting donations for relief on Japan, they are on the ground in Japan assisting with the efforts.

From their website:

At this point, we are drawing on unrestricted donations given to MSF to fund our efforts, and we are not accepting donations specifically earmarked for the recovery efforts in Japan. We greatly appreciate your generosity and encourage your support of our work. We will continue to post updates on our homepage, Facebook and Twitter as new information becomes available.

Keep in mind that this is fairly common place when making donations, i.e., many organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, will be spending current funds they have on the Japan relief effort and will need donations to fund relief in the future either in Japan or other future disaster sites.

There are lots of other legitimate charities out there who will be helping with the relief efforts in Japan, so if you have a favorite or prefer one and have the means, please donate something.

As always, if you go with a charity you are not familiar with, be sure to check them out and make sure they are legitimate, to make sure your donation dollars go where they are needed.

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Happy New Year

RC — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 01:31:21 +0000

photo credit: valcanno

Happy New Year from Think Your Way to Wealth!!

Best Wishes and Good Luck with all of your endeavors (especially money related ones) in 2011!

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Merry Christmas!

RC — Sat, 25 Dec 2010 16:52:37 +0000

Merry Christmas !!

photo credit: sarniebill1

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas, enjoy the holiday weekend!

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Ways To Avoid Online Scams and Stay Safe Online This Holiday Season

RC — Mon, 20 Dec 2010 02:51:01 +0000

More people than ever before are shopping on the internet this year for Christmas and holiday gifts. In fact, this past Black Friday was the biggest online shopping day ever- over $1 billion was spent online!

I don’t know what it is, I guess criminals like to take advantage of people’s generosity and kindness, but you do need to be careful when shopping online, interacting, and surfing the web- not just during the holiday season, but it does seem that scammers come out of the woodwork when people have their wallets open. Here are some tips for shopping online and using your computer, that will keep you from become a statistic of fraud, theft, or having your identity stolen this holiday season.

Watch out for Phishing- The most basic of this is via email, with someone impersonating a bank, or other places you do business online, looking for you to click on a link and verify your information. You should never go to a financial institution via an email link, or anywhere you have to input personal, sensitive information. Most companies do not operate this way- if you think it is legit, simply go directly to the companies website to check. Another one to be on the lookout for is fake emails from shipping companies (such as UPS or Fedex) for things you did not order-some of these can be malicious as well. While email filters do a great job of keeping most spam out, some do and will get through. Phishing can also be performed through text messages on your phone or instant messages via your computer. Be on the lookout for these as well.

Beware of Fake Charities- The holiday season is a time to give back, and people frequently try to raise money for various charities during the holiday season to help those less fortunate. Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people who try to take advantage of the holiday spirit. Know what charities you are donating to, and look up information for ones you aren’t familiar with somewhere like Charity Navigator.

Watch out for fraudulent gift cards or knock off/counterfeit goods- particularly on online auction sites (like Ebay or others), or Craigslist or similar sites. When a price looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Work at home and other “easy money” job scams- A lot of people look for extra money or work during the holidays. Any one offering “fast cash” or “make easy money working at home” offers are probably up to no good. At best, you probably won’t make money, but you also might get ripped off as well.

Shop at reputable online sites you are familiar with- These days, anyone can set up a website. (I did!) When you are scouring the interweb for deals, stick with online merchants you know and trust. A good place to check up on someone is resellerratings.com.

Holiday E-Cards/Emails/Downloads- Holiday themed e-cards or downloads can contain viruses or malware that can get on and affect your computer. If you aren’t 100% sure its safe, don’t open the email, download a file, or click on a link- even then you’re probably better off not doing it!

Be safe out there this Holiday Season!

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Happy Independence Day- Benjamin Franklin- Quotes About Money

RC — Sun, 04 Jul 2010 13:05:16 +0000

Ever since I was a young kid, I have been a fan of Benjamin Franklin.

As a polymath, he was known for being an author, printer, scientist, inventor, and political statesman. I found stories regarding his scientific experiments and inventions quite fascinating.

In honor of Independence Day, with Ben Franklin being one of the members of the draft committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence as well as being one of the 56 men who signed the document, I thought it would be a great time to share some quotes about money attributed to Benjamin Franklin- many of which are still used quite often today.

A penny saved is a penny earned.
An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.
Beware of little expenses. A small leak will sink a great ship.
Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money.
If you know how to spend less than you get, you have the philosopher’s stone.
Remember that time is money.
I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.

Hope you enjoy and Happy 4th!!

photo credit: raggio(ALL4HIM)productions

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Weekend Roundup- The Best of Think Your Way To Wealth 2008 Edition

RC — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 04:33:11 +0000

Another one bites the dust! Another year, that is. I started Think Your Way To Wealth in February of 2008, so it has almost been a year that I have been sharing articles and other thoughts with you. I have had good success with the blog as well as my finances, but am looking forward to an even better 2009!

Thanks to all of the readers out there, for all of your support!

Below are some of my favorite posts from throughout the year:

I also participated in 3 carnivals this past week-

The Skilled Investor hosted the Carnival of Financial Planning and included my article “Going from Debt to Wealth- A Closer Look at Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps Plan”

The Fraud Files Blog hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance # 185-Cheesehead Edition, and included my article “How’s my 401k doing in the current market? I’m not really sure!”

Ask Mr. Credit Card hosted the Carnival of Debt Reduction #169 and included my post “Debt Reduction by the Overwhelming Force Method”

Also, Ben from Money Smart Life posted The Best Money Posts of the Year and was kind enough to include my article “35 Ways to Kick Start Your Debt Snowball”. Be sure to check out all of the great articles included.

If you haven’t yet done so, be sure to subscribe to the Think Your Way To Wealth RSS feed, or via email to get all of the latest posts and updates free.

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Happy New Year from Think Your Way To Wealth

RC — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 13:20:03 +0000

Happy New Year from Think Your Way To Wealth!

I hope you and your family have a prosperous 2009 and achieve whatever financial goals you are striving for!

Photo by Jerry

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Merry Christmas!!!

RC — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 15:46:32 +0000

Merry Christmas!

Best Wishes and Happy Holidays to everyone!!

My family and I will be spending the afternoon visiting family, after a morning of watching our kids (ages 2 and 4) open presents in a near frenzy.

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season with your family, friends, or those you love.

Enjoy the day and try to relax a little!

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Gov. Blagojevich of Illinois Tries to Sell US Senate Seat- Was His Asking Price Enough?

RC — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 03:28:35 +0000

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich was arrested this morning on a variety of charges, including that he tried to sell the U.S. Senate seat now vacated by President-Elect Obama. As the governor of Illinois, Blagojevich has the power to name the replacement in the senate.

How much does a U.S. Senate seat cost these days? According to a Wall Street Journal article, Gov. Blagojevich was looking for a job for his wife in the range of $150,000 per year, and that a unnamed person apparently approached the Governor with an offer of $500,000 in exchange for giving another unnamed person, called “candidate 5″, the seat.

Was his asking price enough?

President-elect Obama spent over $800 million on the Presidential election, and Sen. McCain spent over $500 million. (Source: Wall Street Journal). It seems that a seat in the U.S. Senate should be worth more than 500k. Certainly it is not worth as much as becoming president, but I think many senatorial campaigns spend in the $10 million range. Was he offering a discount since it wasn’t a full term? I am not sure, but $500k or a $150k/year job does not seem like a whole lot for a job with that much power and influence-especially when candidates spend $5 to $10 million dollars or more to get elected.

Seriously though, this is pretty disturbing stuff. I am glad that it was stopped before it actually happened, but it does disturb me that some politicians see their office solely as a means to increase their own net worth and live a lavish lifestyle, to the detriment of taxpayers.

What are your thoughts on these allegations? Are you shocked, or have you come to expect these types of things? Do you think his asking price was too low?

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Weekend Roundup- The Christmas Spirit Edition

RC — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 23:49:58 +0000

Have you gotten into the Christmas spirit yet? I haven’t quite gotten there yet, my wife usually does on Thanksgiving Day and likes to call me the Grinch because I’m not quite as in to it as she is. I’m getting there though. I’d actually rather be called Scrooge, but that’s just a personal preference……..

I participated in 3 carnivals this past week.

The Mighty Bargain Hunter hosted the Carnival of Personal Finance- Cyber Monday 2008 Edition and included my article “Going From Debt to Wealth- A Closer Look at Dave Ramsey’s 7 Baby Steps Plan”

My favorites from the COPF:

Death of Index Investing and Other Silly Stats at Four Pillars

Year End Retirement Account Moves at Cash Money Life

Living Almost Large hosted the Festival of Frugality #154 and included my article “Teaching Frugality to Kids”

Great reads from the FOF:

Frugality Goes Mainstream at Value for Your Life

Finding Low Cost Entertainment posted at Uncommon Cents

Ask Mr. Credit Card hosted the Best Crazy-Simple Money Hacks Edition and included my article “Tipping- Developing a Tipping Policy You Are Comfortable With“

Great reads from the MH Carnival:

Waste not, want not – old school tips posted at Miss Thrifty

Decorate this Christmas with a Budget at Where You Are Now

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Weekend Roundup- Economy, Economy, Economy Edition

RC — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 05:26:47 +0000

Here we are a little more than a week after one of the most (if not the most) historical elections in U.S. History, and the news media is already back focused on the economy and the related economic problems. Will the government bail out the U.S. automakers? Stay tuned and find out later this week, perhaps.

I participated in 2 carnivals this past week.

SVB at The Digerati Life hosted a unique and very creative Fierce Financial Tips: The Carnival of Personal Finance #178, Struwwelpeter Edition, and included my article “How 15 Minutes a Day Can Improve Your Finances”

My favorites from the COPF:

Eight Financial Questions for Success in a Bad Economy from Money Smart Life

The Way to Wealth: Nuggets of Wisdom from Benjamin Franklin-Heavy Taxes at Crackerjack Greenback

On a Quest to be Debt Free hosted the Festival of Frugality-The Veteran’s Day Edition and included my article “10 Ways to Save Time- Which Can Help You Save and Make Money”.

Great reads from the FOF:

Thrifty Thanksgiving Tips at Happy to be Home

12 Tips To Lower Your Heating Bill at FIRE Finance

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Details of Obama’s Proposal for a Second Stimulus Package

RC — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:08:13 +0000

Update: Check out this post for updated details of Obama’s stimulus package proposal.

Now that the election is over, there is increased talk of trying to get a second stimulus package passed before Christmas, which could potentially include a second stimulus check. While nothing is certain yet, I imagine it is likely that president-elect Obama will have an influence on the package if it comes before he takes office; obviously he will if it takes place after he takes office.

Reuter’s recently published information on Obama’s proposal for a second economic stimulus package. Some of the highlights that might effect individuals personally include the following:

Give businesses a $3,000 refundable tax credit for each new full-time employee hired in the United States over the next two years.

Implement a 90-day foreclosure moratorium for homeowners making good faith efforts to pay their mortgage debt.

Extend unemployment insurance for long-term jobless workers who have exhausted their benefits, and temporarily suspend taxes on those benefits.

Temporarily allow penalty-free withdrawals of 15 percent from tax-preferred retirement accounts up to $10,000.

Suspend rules requiring retirees to begin withdrawing from retirement accounts six months after they reach the age of 70.

Reform the bankruptcy code to assist homeowners and remove legal impediments to encouraging more mortgage restructuring.

In the longer term, Obama would roll back some of Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthy. He proposed a permanent tax cut of $500 for most individual workers and $1,000 for families. He also would eliminate taxes for seniors making up to $50,000.

To help jump-start the economy, the tax cuts would be expedited through refunds based on 2007 tax returns. He would also provide a 10 percent refundable tax credit for mortgage interest to taxpayers who do not itemize their returns.

I am not sure if the penalty-free withdrawals from retirement accounts is a good idea, especially with so many people’s accounts having been battered by the falling stock market. Changing the rule on withdrawals after 70 sounds like a good idea to me though. If someone wants to leave their money in the account to have a chance at regaining some of their loses, that may help.

What do you think about some of the components of Obama’s plan?

To get the latest news and updates on the new stimulus package or checks, subscribe to the Think Your Way To Wealth RSS feed, or via email to get updates delivered for free.

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Think Your Way to Wealth » General

Donating to Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Relief

Happy New Year

Happy New Year from Think Your Way to Wealth!!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas !!

Ways To Avoid Online Scams and Stay Safe Online This Holiday Season

Happy Independence Day- Benjamin Franklin- Quotes About Money

Weekend Roundup- The Best of Think Your Way To Wealth 2008 Edition

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Happy New Year from Think Your Way To Wealth

Happy New Year from Think Your Way To Wealth!

Photo by Jerry

Merry Christmas!!!

Gov. Blagojevich of Illinois Tries to Sell US Senate Seat- Was His Asking Price Enough?

Weekend Roundup- The Christmas Spirit Edition

Weekend Roundup- Economy, Economy, Economy Edition

Details of Obama’s Proposal for a Second Stimulus Package