The Anti-Investment

Reducing debt is investing. How? Take a look at the next credit card bill. If you are like most Americans, you carry a balance each month. Then look for the "APR" (annual percentage rate) and compare that with what your investments are earning. Chances are the APR is higher. So paying off your credit card probably is the best investment for you.

Reading Recommendations

Here's a couple books I have read lately that I highly recommend. (1) "Chasing Daylight" by Eugene O'Kelly and (2) "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman. O'Kelly was diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer at age 51. The book is his account of how he lived his final 100 days. Has application to all of us!! You can read it over the weekend.

The other book brings amazing information to your attention about how technology is changing our world. It is good bed time reading but very informative.

We Live In A Great Country

Despite America's weaknesses, we are still the greatest country to live in on the face of the earth. I fear many of our citizens have forgotten or ignore the sacrifice thousands have made to preserve the freedoms and liberties we enjoy daily. I thank God for this great land. May all of us pause during this Independence Day and give thanks to our many blessings.

The World is Flat.

Here's a book recommendation: "The World Is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman. But hurry and read it; it may be irrelevant soon!

Gas prices getting you down?

Check out this site to help you find the lowest gas prices in town.
http://www.madisongasprices.com/

Bob

'Chasing Daylight' by Eugene O'Kelly - New York Times

'Chasing Daylight' by Eugene O'Kelly - New York Times

This is an interesting book. Click on link to review.

Fake Checks: Don't Get Fooled

Fake check scams are on the rise. The best defense against this con is to be wary. Remember the old saw about everything being too good to be true?

While there are many variations of fake check scams, they all usually start with someone offering to: buy something you advertised for sale; pay you to work at home; give you an "advance" on a sweepstakes you've won; or give you the first installment on the millions you'll receive for agreeing to transfer money in a foreign country to your bank account for safekeeping.

If you think someone is trying to pull a fake check scam, report it. Consumers can visit the National Consumers League's National Fraud Information Center or call them at 1-800-876-7060.

Time Flies

Golly, it has been over a month since I have "blogged!" I voted today. Not many contested races on the ballot. I did do something I have never done before.... I wrote in a person for my county supervisor representative. The current rep has no contestant and I wanted to show my independence. People have no right to complain about their elected officials if they fail to vote. Yet, only about a 15% turnout expected in Fitchburg.

Deposit Insurance Coverage

I do not feel anyone needs to be concerned about how much they have in deposits at Oak Bank that are not covered by federal deposit insurance corporation coverage. And it is a fairly complicated process to go through to determine what is not covered if you have several different accounts here. There is a website that will lead you through the determination. Go to http://www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits/index.html. Click on the "Walk Me Through" link. Good luck.

Sound Advice

Dean Medical Center offers a free hearing screening. Just call 252-5252. Kind of interesting for those of us who hear from our spouse that we have bad hearing!

Just Thinking

Yesterday we learned that one of our associates has been diagnosed with cancer. Again, we are reminded that there are no certainties in life other than we all know that one day we cease to exist here. One has to wonder why we just go on sweating the small stuff. This morning on TV I was reminded that 27,000 children died of starvation in this world last night. And an editorial this past weekend on the Hamas election in Palestine reminded us of the potential consequences of that. One could get depressed! But let us not forget that we still live in the greatest country in the world where we are free to live our lives as we choose. And worship as we choose. But all this comes with a responsibility - to work to make this world a friendlier and warmer place for all. Thanx for listening. Just had to get some things out today.

Ground Hog Day

Whether the groundhog sees its shadow today seems different this year. Usually we have had our fill of bitterly cold weather. But how does one complain about a whole month of January where the temperature was 30 degrees or warmer every day! I continue to get e-mails from friends in Florida telling me how warm it is there. Well, I'm headed for the U.P. of Michigan this weekend. Hopefully there will be plenty of nice snow for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. There is always something refreshing about sitting around a wood burning stove after a day outdoors in God's creation.

Good Read

If you haven't read "Good to Great" by Jim Collins, you should. The theme of this non-fiction book applies to any organization.

Bob Gorsuch 

Of Course, A New Year's Resolution (or two)

It's 2006! The year will be filled with opportunity for those who want to do things better than they did in 2005. Here are some thoughts on how to implement better practices.

1. Focus on the "Insignificant 95 Percent." Culture drives profit. If you want more profit, you must create a culture where people are passionate about their work, and bring their pass for being the best in the door with them daily. Don't miss the important things you should be doing by focusing on the 95 percent of stuff that really doesn't contribute to the bottom line.

2. Get the right people in the right seats on the bus. Career path people into a slot where they can win.

3. Celebrate systematically. Life is hard and filled with opportunities for people to tell us how we did things wrong. To counteract "life," build frequent rituals of celebration that make a big deal of the small milestones you achieve on the way to accomplishing bigger goals. Celebrating success builds confidence. Confident people keep growing. Organizations that grow are filled with people who are growing.

Happy New Year!!

IRS Warns of Bogus Tax-Refund E-Mail

The Internal Revenue Service has issued an alert about an Internet Phishing scam in which consumers receive an e-mail, purportedly from the IRS, informing them that they are eligible to receive a tax refund for a specific amount. The e-mail, which claims to be from "tax refunds @irs.gov," directs the consumer to a link that requests personal information, such as Social Security numbers and credit card information. IRS officials stress that the agency does not ask for personal identifying or financial information via unsolicited e-mails. Anyone receiving such an e-mail should not open any attachments because they may contain a malicious code that will infect your computer. Call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to determine whether the agency is trying to contact you about a tax refund.

Cost of 12 Days Up 6%

"The twelve days of Christmas" will cost $18,348 this holiday season - a 6.1% increase over last year - according to the 21st annual PNC Christmas Price Index. The tongue-in-cheek tabulation of what it would cost to buy five golden rings ($325), hire 12 Lords a Leaping ($10,947) and make all the other purchases mentioned in the traditional holiday carol are substantially higher due to this year's increased shipping, fuel and handling costs. The survey found these costs closely follows the overall Consumer Price Index trends. PNC Advisor Rebekah McCahan says "to think that the cost of a partridge in a pear tree would mirror what's going on at Target, for example, is pretty interesting.

Life's Treasurers

I came across a good quote the other day. Winston Churchill said: "We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give."

Cash & Checks Decreasing

Cash and checks now account for only 45 percent of consumers' monthly payments -- down from 57 percent in 2001 and 49 percent in 2003, according to a study by the American Bankers Association. The study found that 33 percent of in-store purchases are made with debit cards. Gift card use is increasing rapidly. 4 percent of all in-store purchases in 2004 were accounted for by gift cards. 52 percent of consumers use automatic payment to pay at least one bill per month, and 39 percent use online bill payment.

Weight Loss - Strategies that Work

If you go to www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/bmicalc.htm you can calculate your body mass index and determine how much weight you should lose to achieve the "perfect look." According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter many products offer a simple solution to losing weight, but there is no easy answer. The healthiest way to lose weight requires making changes in your diet and exercise routines and committing to them over the long term.