Time and Money

Recently I was watching this video about time orientation and it reminded me of something I've been wanting to talk about: time and money.

I get to watch a fair number of entrepreneurs work. There's a variety of styles are time use and time orientation. But time and again I see a theme emerge. The business owners and entrepreneurs who set reasonable work hours and take time for themselves (including vacations, meditation, relaxation) are consistently more productive, high earners and happier than those who work constantly.

I've read more than one study that talks about decreasing effectiveness of work as hours increase. There was one I read years ago and that said that efficiency decreases after 6 hours and dramatically after 8. WOrking more doesn't actually help get things done.

It does make you tired and keep you from your best ideas. I realized this again myself today. I've been working and traveling the last couple of weeks and this morning I was totally beat. So I took some time outside on the swing in my parent's backyard (where I'm visiting right now) and just relaxed in the sun.

Within about 20 minutes an idea surfaced for a project that has been plaguing me for months. I know exactly what I want to do about it. But I hadn't been taking time to just relax and allow myself to re-coooperate from all the hard work so there's no energy for creativity and problem solving.

This is, of course, related to the big theme of this blog: self-care. When we take good care of ourselves, amazing things happen.

Banking: Going Green?

I've been poking around a little about banks and banking relationships. This morning I found this article which is all about Citigroup. This site has good information about banks, where they invest, and what kinds of practices they hold as well as information about sustainable banking.

Have a read and let me know what you think!

Four Keys to Clarity in Accounting Systems

Contrary to popular belief, accounting systems are not static. Nor are they the same for all businesses or even all businesses in the same industry. Those ideas imply that there is something about accounting that is required, but not useful - stiff, stifling, and boring. Like high school English.

Accounting is optional. You do have a choice about whether or not to do it.

I have met and worked with plenty of people who don't pay attention to their finances and find checks bouncing off the walls. It's a great place to start.

From Dictionary.com: Accounting is...

1. the theory and system of setting up, maintaining, and auditing the books of a firm; art of analyzing the financial position and operating results of a business house from a study of its sales, purchases, overhead, etc.
2. a detailed report of the financial state or transactions of a person or entity: an accounting of the estate.
3. the rendering or submission of such a report.

Accounting is how you get detailed information about your financial position. You can only do that if it's set up and used to get the information you need.

There are four keys to getting the most out your accounting system so that gives you what you need for decision-making:

• Accuracy
  
• Consistency
  
• Reporting and
  
• the Chart of Accounts

Accuracy is the first most important thing to ensure in your system. In fact QuickBooks and other pre-packed software systems have a function called reconciling that helps you find discrepancies. If you don't have the right numbers, you can't get accurate information.

The second is consistency. It's more important that most pieces of accounting: if you don't update consistently, you don't have accurate information and you can't do other important things like reporting. Consistency is also important for another reason, like brushing your teeth. It's improves your current and if you do it regularly it improves your long-term health. It is an investment in the future of your business.

Reporting is the function that aggregates (or puts together) all the information that you've been entering and gives it to you in one neat little package for easy reading. If you are entering the information consistently and accurately, these reports can give you up to the minute information about your money that even the banks don't know - that's exciting! Reports are what moves you beyond bookkeeping as a chore to using accounting for management decisions, budgeting, hiring, expanding, and so on. Reporting rocks!

The last piece we'll touch on today is your chart of accounts. That's the place where you find the categories of transactions that you use (which is another basis for reporting). Some of them like "postage" or "printing and reproduction" are about expenses and seem straight forward and the easiest for people to understand.

I find that people get into trouble in two main places in their accounting: categorizing/understanding income and balance sheet accounts. Assets, liabilities and equity seem to confound people regularly to the point where they give up and stop doing accounting all together. Understanding those pieces will make your accounting a lot easier. If you don't understand them either do your homework or hire someone to help you set these accounts up and teach you how to use them. This, in my experience is a critical piece of a business and deserves the time and dollars you put into it. In fact I find that as a bookkeeper and accounting consultant, having this piece in order makes the other pieces both possible and likely to get done. Having clarity here creates a place for people to take action from.

I think accounting can be a lot of fun. It can also be a function of your business that really supports and informs your decision making and growth. It's up to you to keep it healthy and vibrant.

Enjoy!

Financial security: Insurance

Recently I was driving on a gravel road and hit a pothole. When I got home I found that I was leaking oil badly, so I took the car to the shop where there was more than two thousand dollars worth of damage, none of it covered by the warranty. They did, however, suggest that I call my insurance and low and behold it was covered!

One thing I rarely think about these days is my insurance. I bought coverage years ago as suggested by the academic honors group from college without thinking a lot about it (I was young and uninitiated). I also bought renter's insurance for my apartment.

When I got the new car last year I decided to go all out and get the policy with full coverage, uninsured motorist, collision, the works - to take really good care of myself financially. It was a better choice than I realized.

What I found is that small bit of planning has saved me a lot of money. A few years ago the building had a break in and the insurance covered our loss at $1500. And this time I paid $100 for the $2200 in repairs. Useful!

This is the case of an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. The $1400 a year that I pay for insurance more than makes up for what I've had to claim in the past few years.

Insurance is a form of self-care. What kind and how much are something to discuss with a professional.

I watch people under-insure themselves all the time. And then I watch them struggle when something happens. It's just painful. And unnecessary. The difference in premiums is often minimal and the sense of peace it often brings can be profound. So really consider the ramifications of that decision.

If you've done your budgeting work, you'll know whether the price of the insurance is within your budget and what things you could move around if you needed to.

Making the right choice doesn't have to be a mystery. There's a local agent that I love, Ruth Stroup, who does amazing things. I recently watched her increase a client’s coverage on a home while simultaneous decreasing their payments because she did some consolidation. She's done great work for my clients.

There's also SafeCo which is who I use because they've done such a great job over the years.

Insurance is about increasing your financial security. If you think you don't have what you need or you have more than you need, contact a professional and ask questions. The good ones will answer them without pressuring you and only invite you into their practice if they can help you.

Receiving: Completing a Sacred Circuit

Recently I was reading Wayne Dyer's "The Power of Intention." He talks about how when we are kind we get a shot of seratonin. But not just the giver of kindness, the receiver and anyone watching gets a shot too.

Interesting. So giving changes our brain chemistry. I took that and filed it away. Then I had this experience.

I went to a great workshop given by the people at Human Awareness Institute. They do workshops about love, intimacy and sexuality; their mission is very much in alignment with mine:

"The Human Awareness Institute (HAI) empowers individuals to be potent, loving, contributing human beings. HAI promotes personal growth and social evolution by replacing ignorance and fear with awareness and love.

"HAI aims to create a world where people live together in dignity, respect, understanding, trust, kindness, compassion, honesty and love. The Human Awareness Institute is committed to creating a world where everyone wins."

The title of the workshop was "Community." The real theme of this workshop in my opinion, was about giving and receiving.

Their workshops in general are about how we can take really great care of ourselves. I always feel good leaving any of their workshops or events because there's a lot there about kindness, being really amazing to each other and non-sexual touch (and who can't use more touch!).

This time, after being loved up, we were really encouraged to communicate and give each other feedback about how we show up in community. I got really positive feedback about how I show up which was exciting because I want people to like me. After taking it in I realized that this was more about how I can show up when I'm full of love - when I've received all that I need. That getting what I need makes me really available to give.

Being full of love and positively reinforced inspired happiness - to show up more, be more playful, supportive, loving, and appreciative. That, in turn meant that I had a greater capacity and could receive more which meant that people wanted to give me more - hugs, cuddles, conversation, attention. More people wanted to be with me and that was more positive reinforcement, which made me happier and that lead to more positive feedback and more availability and more receiving so on. A big happy circle of love. Yay!

It made it clear that when I'm full and happy that I am a gift to my community, I am available, loving and helpful (not a surprise, right?).

So receiving makes me feel good and that makes me available and that makes others feel good and want to do nice things for me and each other. Receiving well made me available for giving.

That is not the message that we usually get about receiving. The message we usually get looks more like "don't be greedy" or "you should be contributing" or "don't be selfish." We are discouraged from receiving because it might make us look selfish or dependent. And in America one of the worst things in the world is dependency.

That, my friends, is a trap. We need each other.

I can hear you saying "I'm independent! I don't need anyone!" Do you... make all your own food? All your own clothes? Fix your own car? Built your own house? Built that cell phone you use to call your clients on? No. We need each other even in the most basic ways. Pretending we don't is another lie Americans tell themselves in order to sleep at night.

Take a moment - yes right now - to get present to all the people who give to you. You might even pay them, but it's others labor, genius, ingenuity and skills that make our lives go. Who makes your life go?

Receiving is a quality that is critical to completing the circuit of giving, but not something widely expressed, explained, or even acknowledged. I've heard about it and even talked about it and experienced it before, but getting it in my body again and watching others in response to me had me get something more that I hadn't gotten before.

Receiving is necessary for giving. Receiving is necessary for the giver to feel understood and appreciated.

Think about it this way, if you went to a birthday party and spent time choosing a present and the birthday girl was not interested in it and ignored you, how would you feel?

Yo'd probably have a range of emotions: not seen, not understood, taken for granted, sad, frustrated maybe angry. Are you likely to give them something in the future? Probably not.

Why? (And this is the question that we don't ask.)

Because you were not received.

If on the other hand, that same birthday girl is thrilled to receive your gift and goes around showing people at the party and puts the present in a place of honor and gives you a big hug, how does that feel? Are you likely to give to her again? Yes!

When you're seeking a business transaction, what are you really looking for?

To give and receive. Some one to give to you - to give you money. In fact these transactions are the full circuit. You want them to receive the gifts you give and you want to receive the money they have to give.

Well if you want someone to give to you, you have to be available to receive them. Some of that is logistical: the thing/service has to be ready, well-formed and available. But the other piece is emotional: you have to be prepared to receive their contribution - their money, time, energy, excitement for whatever they have to give.

You have to be available on both sides of the coin: available to give and to receive.

We're often available (or pretend we're available) to give. We know our service or our gift and we're prepared to give it. But what happens when they give to you? Do you receive it?

Money can be spent anywhere. Even necessities like grocery stores are so abundant that one need never shop at any grocery store you don't love. There is a lot of choice. So choosing a practitioner, service provider or product vendor is a huge gift.

Stop for a moment and take that in. The money that your client or boss or friend, partner, parents are giving you, for whatever reason, is a gift. It's a sacred trust. My clients give me money to help them transform their relationship with resources.

In order to do that, I really need to get them and understand what money means to them, ,to take time and open to who they really are. For me it's a sacred trust that someone is willing to open up enough to share a piece of their soul with me.

It is a gift to be given that level of trust by our clients for products or services. Gift. The definition of a gift is something given voluntarily and a special ability or capacity. In giving your gift, you're giving a gift.

I wonder what would happen if you decided that you were a gift - that you could give what you wanted as you felt really good about it. What happens when you receive your client's money with joy and openness? What happens when you give to your clients joyfully and with a generous spirit? If you turned every act of work into an act of kindness, how would the chemistry in your brain be?

Money Fun with Seth Green

I have to admit upfront that this is really an ad for this ad.

Seth Green used to be on one of my all time favorite TV shows: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (among others) and in this clip he gives a tour of his crib and some funny money advice.

Enjoy!

6 Ways to Take Money Out of Corporation

One of the bigest confusions I see in corporate bookkeeping is how you can take money out of the corporation. So I've complied a very basic list for us to refer to.

(1) Repayment of a loan to the corporation. This is not taxable to the stockholder. The stockholder should have reported interest earned and the corporation should have taken an interest expense deduction.

(2) As dividends paid by the corporation. Dividends are profits split among the shareholders proportional to the number of shares each stockholder owns. For example, a company has $100 to pay in dividends, if one stockholder owns 40% of the stock, he should receive 40% of the dividends or $40. See dividends for more information on them.

(3) By selling some of his stock back to the corporation. This becomes Treasury Stock to the corporation (as opposed to Common Stock) and is not taxable to the sharehold if he receives the same amount per share as the amount per share for which he originally bought the stock.

(4) As salary. The salary amounts are not dependent upon the number of shares owned. For example, if two shareholders each owns 50% of the outstanding stock, it is not necessary that each get identical salaries. Bonus payments would also fall under this category. This is taxable as payroll and the corporation must pay liabilities on the amounts paid.

(5) Theft or embezzlement. This is taxable to the shareholder as he is caught.

(6) As a loan from the corporation. In this case there should have been loan documents drawn up and signed by both the stockholder and a corporate officer. The corporation will record periodic interest earned and the stockholder may be able to take interest paid as a tax deduction.

There's abunch of other things that people think they can take out of a corporation, but they can't. Partner "draws" are one of those things.

Reimbursements are not wages or money taken out, they are corporate expenses being paid in advance by an individual. So the reibrusement is not taxable and does not fall into this category.

Please note: this is a beginning only. This does not create a reliance of any kind.

Why Prosperity Work Often Doesn't

I see a lot of "Prosperity Work" going around - people teaching classes, communities doin events, books, television shows, etc. But people consuming it aren't getting rich. Or even making enough money to thrive.

Why is that? What is it that holds us back from having more money?

I can't say I have The Answer. But one of the most overlooked thing about money is: our relationship to it. Most people assume that they want more of it so they are going to do something, primarily an emotional thing - like prospereity work - to try to make it happen. First of all, this has to be accompanied by real world actions or it's virtually useless - unless you're teaching the class.

In using the approach of prosperty work, it assumes that whatever the issues is we need money to fix it. That also assumes things like it can be fixed and that we know the solution. Is that true or accurate or even useful?

Let's look at this from another angle. If you have difficulty with digestion and are suddenly hungry, is the answer more food?

Well, maybe. But we don't know.

The answer is to figure out what nourishment you require, acquire it, prepare it and make time to sit down and consume it. Having more food won't fix the issue, it won't nourish you and it won't prevent hunger or create a solution for addressing future needs that won't also irritate your digestive track. Your missing information, clairty and action.

There's a similar idea for relationships. If you have a difficult relationship with yoru parents, is the way to fix it to have more time with them? Sometimes. Maybe. I don't know.

The point is that just having more of a thing is over-simplistic and doesn't usually meet the needs of the seeker.

The thing that is generally missing from the equation is clarity. Most people have a twisted relationship with money or the things they use money for and so it's assumed that money, and only money, will fix a problem.

That way of thinking creates a level of scarcity and emotional constriction going into the situation that prevents clear thinking and therefore decisive action. You've created desperation and fear before you've even bagan. If you were afraid you'd never eat again, what would your next meal look like? And if you were afraid you'd never see your Mom again, what would that visit look like?

The question to ask yourself is: do you have clarity about your relationship with money? Have you so contricted and twisted up how you feel about money that you're not using your resources appropriately and so it's unavailable? Is there some way that you could be more honoring of money so that when it is available you can use it to it's fullest?

Just like planning meals is both necessary for running an efficient household (especially with kids!), creating a money plan is necessary for effective use of currency and resources. Planning focuses on clarity, intentions and goal setting as well as decisive action and review. This creates a space for money to be, a container to put it in (literally sometimes like accounts and investments) and a direction for it to flow.

If a plan is not available and active, all the asking in the world is not going to draw money to you, there's no space for it and no where for it to go.

I'm not saying "don't aquire more money" or even "stop doing prosperity work." The point is to get clear about what you're looking for and why, so that you make space to have the money that would really serve your needs.

The Clock of the Long Now: Everyone Has a Perspective

In reading about the Clock of the Long Now I came across:

"My friends who get it all have ideas that focus on a particular aspect of the clock. My engineering friends worry about the power source: solar, water, nuclear, geothermal, diffusion, or tidal? My entrepreneurial friends muse about how to make it financially self-sustaining. My writer friend, Stewart Brand, starts thinking about the organization that will take care of the clock. It's a Rorschach test - of time. Peter Gabriel, the musician, thinks the clock should be alive, like a garden, counting the seasons with short-lived flowers, counting the years with sequoias and bristlecone pines. Artist Brian Eno felt it should have a name, so he gave it one: The Clock of the Long Now."

Money is very much like that: everyone has a perspective on it, but no one is sure how it works exactly. Money can be a thing of beauty and pleasure or of pain and anguish. It can be something to fuel a creative project or something that helps us survive. Maybe it's all of those things and maybe it's none of them.

What's your perspective?

P.S. This blog entry might be a ploy to get you to read the article; it's certainly a nudge to enhance thinking about perspective. And as always it's a portal to drop in and tell me what you think, even if you only do it on Facebook.

No pricing policies

There's an exciting trend in allowing people to "pay what they can." CNN has an article about Sam Lippert taking prices off of his menu.

Cafe Gratitude's Workshops are being offered in pay it forward style. It's so exciting. This idea allows for a wide variety of people and styles, allowing some people to pay more than they might otherwise and some to pay less.

It also has the advantage of bringing in more business to the establishment and class.

Accounting terms - debit and credit

There were two specific terms that were challenging for me because them mean different things are different times - or so it seemed.

You see a debit is an accounting entry which results in either an increase in assets or a decrease in liabilities or net worth. Opposite of credit.

Where as a credit is the opposite.

But when you look it up the definite says nothing about accounting entries. It talks about consumer credit and lines of credit. So when the banks loan you money, they see an increase in assets (especially because they've been lending on a 1:40 ratio). A credit is an increase in liabilities - for you. So while you receive cash, you're worth less money because of it.

Interesting no?

An affirmation to work with around credit and debt: My debts represent my and other's belief in my future earning potential.

How much for that inauguration, Mr President?

One of the traps of money can be that we make different kinds of calculations at different times and compare them. This leads to a lot of confusion and, when we do this with our own budgets, a way of misleading ourselves.

The press often does this to lead us where they'd like us to go. It's what federal budgets comparisons are often about and it's what many people argue about - in business, politics and especially intimate relationships.  So it's great to get a chance to see that exposed.

So, here's a little about the discrepancy of inauguration figures and why.

Happy Inauguration day!

Financial Pressure? What to do Right Now

One of the lessons that I'm learning is that time and space create a lot more results than pressure.

Have you ever been in a pinch and tried to come up with new ideas about a project? It doesn't matter if it's for work or at home. If you're really worried about it, what happens? 

Often the ideas struggle out of my brain. I'm worried and have a hard time focussing. I feel urgency and want results now.  I find that if I'm under enough pressure, I look back after making the decision and realize there are about 14 things I hadn't thought of that didn't make it into a project idea or into that proposal or off to that client.

On the other hand when I take time and open up space and spend some time relaxing,  ideas just come to me - out of the blue. Brilliant ideas for projects, services and products - so many that I can't follow up on all of them.

Financial pressure is a lot like that.  There are plenty of places that talk about money as a river or stream or flowing water and that use the metaphor of a faucet. My experience is that worry is akin to turning the faucet down or even off.

But why?  I've heard it talked about in terms of energy and there is something there. But in terms of psychology, what we see is that people get and do what they focus on - they find proof for their stories.  That's why advertising works. You see an ad for toothpaste over and over and pretty soon you're standing in your bathroom wondering how this this toothpaste you've never tried before got into your house.

Things that we imagine often come to pass - positive, negative or otherwise: because our brains are looking for them. Our brains are trained to find patterns and so the patterns you put into them is what you eventually find. It's why we seem to have similar relationships over and over - and that's part of why affirmations work. We tell our brains to look for certain ideas and hooks and it does. So I talked about affirmations and and how to write them, now is great time to review them if you haven't in a while.

In an ideal world you would have a Financial Map of  Intentions - a review of what you've been spending and clear projections about what you intend to spend moving forward, month by month. That way you can review your monthly spending and make clear decisions in advance of financial crunches. 

But that's not always possible and things change - so no sense in making yourself feel worse than you already do. In fact now is a great time to be grateful for your financial prowess - you see what's going on, you've come to look for support and now you're going to change it! Way to go!

So what to do about financial pressure right now?

If you're feeling pressured about money, the first thing to do is to take a deep breath. (And notice when the last time was that you did that.) Just take a moment to relax and come back into your body. Sometimes it takes a few breaths or more to come back - a walk outside in the fresh air, a hug, looking at something beautiful, a nice long, hot bath. But take that time - it's well worth it and really supports making sound decisions.

Second do a real assessment: are you in danger? What are the real dangers in this situation?  Often we worry about financial pressures that might happen - in days, weeks and months from now. If those things aren't here, take another breath and notice that more than likely you really are safe right now.

Then create a plan. Not just for the crisis or thing that has come up that you're worried about, but look at the bigger picture. Decide what really wants to be done here - is this an obligation that you want to continue with? Is this mortgage something you can handle? What is coming up over the next few weeks that can effect this piece of your financial reality? And how can you effect positive change from right here. 

Remember in creating change you want it to be in alignment with your values. So if you value ease, think about what you can do to bring more ease into this situation.  How do you want to feel about this obligation and what can you do to bring more of that emotion into this situation?

Keep breathing and move gently focusing on staying home in your body and making positive changes that support the overall effort of your life. It might take time, but putting into place a plan for you financial success is well worth the effort.

From monetization to interconnectedness: a theory

Today I was reading Charles Eisenstein's blog entry about monetization and came across this quote:

In the face of the impending crisis, people often ask what they can do to protect themselves. "Buy gold? Stockpile canned goods? Build a fortified compound in a remote area? What should I do?" I would like to suggest a different kind of question: "What is the most beautiful thing I can do?"

I'm really impressed both by his understanding of the process and his ability to frame a shift away from the banking system in such positive terms. Additionally he talks about the shift to human-beingness, the idea that now is the time to bring our gifts to the world.

It's a beautiful read, go take a look. And do let me know what you think!

What do you intend?

I've been watching people - friends and clients alike - freak out about the recent financial uproar. It all seems so scary. There's not a lot of information and a lot of speculation and fear.

I found this video amusing and helpful. It's reassuring to think about legislators being willing to speak their truth.

What I've been doing is thinking about how money and our interactions with it transform out lives. I've been holding this quote from Lynne Twist's "The Soul of Money" close to me:

"Money travels everywhere, crosses all boundaries, languages, and cultures. Money, like water, ripples at some level through every life and place. It can carry our love or our fear. It can flood some of us such that we drown in a toxic sense of power over others. It can nourish and water the principles of freedom, community, and sharing. Money can affirm life or it can be used to demean, diminish, or destroy it. It is neither evil nor good; it is an instrument. We invented it, and it belongs squarely in the human experience, but it can be used by and merged with the longings and passions of our soul."

Remembering that we have assets that have nothing to do with our finances is a great benefit right now. Money is part of the human experience, but only one part.

Crisis: Danger or Opportunity?

About Black Monday in 1987...
"I was reminded of the written Chinese character that, depending on the context, defines 'crisis' as 'danger' or 'opportunity.' We realized that, although the stock market would do what it would do, when we let go of the conversation of fear and anxiety, and created a different conversation focused on the bounty of our lives - then out fear subsided. When we approached the circumstances without the noise of fear and high anxiety, the 'crisis' lost its drip on us; the experience of 'danger' did, indeed, transform into opportunity." - Lynne Twist, The Soul of Money

I've been thinking about what to write to support people in dealing with what's being touted as a huge economic crisis. I have a deep need both to contribute positively to the lives of people - both in my practice and community - as well as a desire to change the framing of the conversation.

In re-reading "The Soul of Money" by Lynne Twist, I realized that I have the perfect opportunity right here in this critical moment. The banking system has manufactured a crisis. It is effecting people and it is frustrating and scary and sometimes totally overwhelming. There is danger here. Acknowledging that is crucial to being able to do something else.

And what a blessing. I see two big opportunities here:the first is to count our own, non-material assets and blessings and the second is to get to look at the banking and credit systems cracked open. There's more information available right now about banks and credit than there's ever been. The opportunity to really review what the banking system does and how it functions is a gift. We rarely even consider who we bank with unless something is going on - substantial fees or opening an account or applying for a mortgage. Most people seem to stay with their bank for a long time, sometimes lifetime relationships. So getting a a real chance to see how they work and what decisions they make and how those effect us gives us insight into our own choices.

And there's a real opportunity to take a step back and look at who we, as human beings are. Who do you love? What do you teach? How are you enough just as you are? Who loves you? Who's lives do you touch every day? And most importantly for me, how do we come together in times of crisis to turn that danger into opportunity?

One of the things that I love about my work is that I get an opportunity to reach deeply into people's lives and really help them explore something that they often haven't talked openly about with anyone else - money. I am really blessed with clients and friends who have a deep willingness to look at the choices they make and then do what they really want to do in their lives. Getting to watch that process and be included in that is an amazing gift. I'm very grateful to have this work in my life.

I do have 3 spaces in my practice right now. If you know someone that you'd like me to work with or who might be open to this level of support - in business or personally - please let me know.



P.S. I am aware that the "crisis=danger + opportunity" is sometimes framed as a myth. That idea is based on the character ji being translated as "incipient moment" or "crucial point." I think that opportunity comes at a crucial moment and the interpretation of opportunity as solely positive and without any hint that there might be danger does not reflect the connotations of current usage. Plus, dude, I'm quoting someone who has a good idea, it's all about interpretation.

Is Money Really the Issue?

In watching my son play a video game I was reminded that we've really set money up as a construct of scarcity. In the game called "Robots" you gather sprockets and sprogs to buy things: upgrades, parts, weapons, information.  In fact the whole game is based on gathering critical currency to give or trade.  This game is all about money.

It's very clear that it's about gathering together scarce things to get even more scarce things.  it seems that we're programming ourselves and our children to identify and focus on scarcity rather than on sufficiency.  

When I looked around I realized that nearly every video game I could think of was about this idea (or the idea of hacking things into little bits to get the coinage to do the thing).  And that money is viewed as a bottleneck rather than a support to the gamer.

It was surprising to me to see and put the pieces together here. I wonder what message this is sending to those of us who like to play in the digital world.  What do you think?

Free Credit Reports

One of the things that I like to do regularly is get my credit reports to see what's going on. You're entitled to one free credit report a year from each of the three major agencies - TransUnoin, Experian and Equifax - and these days you can get them online. You can get them more often than once a year for various reasons including if within 60days of appling for credit (whether you're approved or not).

Each of the credit bureaus does things a little bit differently, so it behooves you to look at all of them. I found a mistake on one of mine that was not reflected on the other two which was interesting to me (and I plan to dispute it).

But why just one? I recently started reading "Dirty Little Secrets:" What the Credit Bureaus Won't Tell You" (Entrepreneur Press) which has a lot of great information including that different companies report to different agencies but not necessarily to all of them, so the information is likely to be at least a little bit inconsistent (which I already knew).

But, did you know that even though you're entitled to a copy of your credit report, you're they can charge you to see your score? There are options to get 3-in1 reports for varying pricesor you can get them one at a time by agency.

By the way, I got my free credit reports at Annual Credit Report. I couldn't figure out how to find the free reports on the TransUnion site (it actually goes to a third party site that is full of ads and all kinds of products, but nowhere could I find the link to get my credit report for free). But Experian had the link on their front page. However, they all wanted money to take a look at the scores, so I opted for doing a search to find the above tool this which I've used before.

Over all it was a pleasant experience - I've been in process with my own money and credit stuff and am finding that the work really pays off. I'd love to hear what you find out and what, if anything, you do about it.