Today I received this from a good friend (via email), and I just couldn’t help but think that while it circulates into inboxes, posting it might be a good idea, too. Sure makes a person stop and think (or it would if politicians thought that far ahead). No matter if you are religious or not, your actions do speak louder than words:

While walking down the street one day, a US senator is tragically hit by a truck and dies. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

‘Welcome to heaven,’ says St. Peter. ‘Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we’re not sure what to do with you.’

‘No problem, just let me in,’ says the senator.

‘Well, I’d like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we’ll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.’

‘Really, I’ve made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,’ says the senator.

‘I’m sorry, but we have our rules.’

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people. They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne. Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises.

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him. ‘Now it’s time to visit heaven.’

So, 24 hours pass with the senator joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

‘Well, then, you’ve spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.’

The senator reflects for a minute, then answers: ‘Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.’

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he’s in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above. The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. ‘I don’t understand,’ stammers the senator. ‘Yesterday I was here, and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there’s just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable. What happened?’

The devil looks at him, smiles and says…….

‘Yesterday we were campaigning….Today you voted.’

Now it’s your turn! Please leave your comment! I’d love to know what you’re thinking and what’s your strategy for living?

I am very happy that our son is pursuing his education, but recently one assignment had me stumped – the need to check one’s credit score.

Why This Particular Assignment?

It’s not that it’s a bad thing for a college course to teach its students the value of knowing where one stands in the financial world. The odd thing was he had already been asked to do this same task in a prior semesters’ class (which had much more to do with credit scores and real-life scenarios then the current one). That particular course was a broad-based class to “prepare the student for the real world.”

But, the current course was either web design or something to do with Linux systems. My brain had a hard time wrapping around the need for a teacher in either of those classes to expound upon the value of investigating his credit score. Maybe there was an ulterior motive, or maybe my son just didn’t fill me in on the details? But it’s days, nay weeks later, and I still cannot comprehend that particular need to check his credit score for that particular class – does it make sense to you?

On the Plus Side of Credit Score Checking

Luckily though, getting your own free credit score is very easy online. In fact, use either link in this post, and you’re more than halfway there already

Having already done the assignment once, of course it was simple for him to accomplish the second time around. Actually it was highly beneficial. The first time a teacher asked, he didn’t have any credit; however, semesters later and sure enough, he’s “in the system.”

Of course he was thrilled to find out there were no problems. In fact, he’s quite proud of his credit score and, with luck, he’ll keep it that way for years to come!

The value of attending a class on foreclosure mediation cannot be over stressed. With housing prices continuing their downward spiral in many areas, particularly in the West, as the homeowner you need as much information as you can possibly gather.

Here in the Las Vegas area, the Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada in conjunction with UNLV’s William S. Boyd School of Law, regularly hold classes to help homeowners facing lender foreclosures. Their class is a few hours long and worth every minute. You will walk away armed with the information you need should you choose to go the route of Mediation with your lender.

We have firsthand experience with this – due to a long span of unemployment for my husband. Our dilemma is similar to many who, through no fault of their own, purchased homes they could afford before the economy took its nose dive affecting so many. However, having exited Round 1, we came out winners. Being prepared – having every single piece of paperwork ready and with you – is your key to a successful mediation.

For us, the lender side was unprepared. This is a sharp stick in the eye for them, and a winner of a conclusion for us. It’s not over, but we have high hopes that when all is said and done, we will have something we can live with – an affordable payment to make each month.

Whether you decide to keep your underwater home or not, choosing Mediation is your best choice for both individuals and families. There are numerous other factors to consider that go beyond the stay or go decision. Six states are labeled recourse states. Be sure to know what sort of laws govern your state, and take these factors into consideration.

Your life strategy lesson for the day… do not sit back and let things happen to you. Be proactive. Be prepared. Be knowledgeable. Take the bull by the horns. After all, those you “go up against” are mere humans working in a highly flawed system. These are two points in your favor if you are prepared!

I’m curious what your thoughts are regarding the internet as a means to make money. Actually, more specifically, I’m wondering do people naturally assume because it is easy to access the internet, that translates into “easy money”, too?

Evidence I receive day to day suggests more and more desperate individuals (and with an unemployment rate at worse than scary heights it’s not small wonder) are making their way to the internet in the search for money. The primary question asked, “How fast can I make that money?”

Actually this question comes in many forms. From the “how many sales” to the previously mentioned, “how soon” to the “what should I promote to make some fast money?”

People are desperate, because these are precarious times. However, don’t let your desperation let you do something stupid. If you’re down to your last dollars (hopefully not!), then hoping to suddenly strike it rich online is foolish. (more…)