Welcome to Financial Spiderplant!

Unfinished post….

Click Video…read…if in email…go to site. Without multi media learning…you are shortchanging yourself on the real experience and the true benefit of what is at stake.

HELL YES!!! Jon Schmidt is on YOUTUBE!!!!

Jon Schmidt motivated me to learn the piano in an application I never truly thought was possible. His music and his motivation pushed me hard enough to create my own song to perform at my college graduation ceremony.

I was one of three. The other two were musicians capable in both song and voice…one being a professional musical artist in a group with her two amazing sisters and the other was just plain..intimidating…

Here I was…up against a professional and someone capable of playing the piano 5 times better than me…AND able to sing…I just had sometime between classes and liked to jam…but when I saw the audition for the baccaluurate ceremony…I knew I had to try.

I had just gotten back from a WeedMan sales call and had nearly forgotten the audition. *buzz* The ringer on my cell phone reminded me and I reacted without thought. Proceed to Weiss Music hall…play my song through twice…and run over to ATS for the audition.

I remember walking into the building…understanding my destination but unsure of what to say when I got to the ivory. (piano) As I walked in, the student governing body sat talking and it was literally ‘go ahead and play’… Was it really that simple…?

“Don’t you have any sheet music” asked one of the council members.

“Nope. I know the song.” was my reply because I had practiced so many times. Hundreds of sessions in a room where all I did was think. How has my life changed? How do I reflect what I have become? When I think about what has lead me to where I am, what led me there. My song represented an adventure and every riff was a literal transformation of my self into music.

I never flinched.

When you have practiced. When you have strived to undestand. When you have fought to become and when you have begun to implement. No strategy can stop you.

I was just some bored chump with a knee injury in the United Kingdom at the age of 18…bored out of my mind because I was bedridden and exhiled by the ‘good old boys’ because I actually had a factual basis for why America ‘really did win the war in Vietnam’ for those Brits still angry about something having to do with us going gorrila warfare on them during a war that was meant to have rules…and tea breaks of course… (Georgie…attacking on Christmas!!! BRILLIANT!)

/me continues journey
What to say?
The rapidness and deliberate nature of his movements on the ivory are beyond concept,
They deliver beyond what is taught, what is often open,
They bring things to a new level,

When you start to bring your elbows and head into the piano game,
You know you are jamming
Seek to jam…on all levels…

Unfinished post…

There is but one choice in the life you live.
To become or not to become

English Translation:
Dear you,
Who’s reading this letter
Where are you and what are you doing now?

For me who’s 15 years old
There are seeds of worries I can’t tell anyone

If it’s a letter addressed to my future self,
Surely I can confide truly to myself

Now, it seems that I’m about to be defeated and cry
For someone who’s seemingly about to disappear
Whose words should I believe in?
This one-and-only heart has been broken so many times
In the midst of this pain, I live the present

Dear you,
Thank you
I have something to tell the 15-year-old you

If you continue asking what and where you should be going
You’ll be able to see the answer

The rough seas of youth may be tough
But row your boat of dreams on
Towards the shores of tomorrow

Now, please don’t be defeated and please don’t shed a tear
During these times when you’re seemingly about to disappear
Just believe in your own voice
For me as an adult, there are sleepless nights when I’m hurt
But I’m living the bittersweet present

There’s meaning to everything in life
So build your dreams without fear
Keep on believing

Seems like I’m about to be defeated and cry
For someone who’s seemingly about to disappear
Whose words should I believe in?

Please don’t be defeated and please don’t shed a tear
During these times when you’re seemingly about to disappear
Just believe in your own voice

No matter era we’re in
There’s no running away from sorrow
So show your smile, and go on living the present
Go on living the present

Dear you,
Who’s reading this letter
I wish you happiness

/me continues journey

Unfinished Post…

[added]
Honestly, Glad to have had you on your way
Even if its just for the day
david113@gmail.com
[added]

Aggressively we all defend the role we play
Regrettably time’s come to send you on your way

We’ve seen it all bonfires of trust flash floods of pain
It doesn’t really matter don’t you worry it’ll all work out
No it doesn’t even matter don’t you worry what it’s all about

We hope you enjoyed your stay
It’s good to have you with us, even if it’s just for the day

We hope you enjoyed your stay
Outside the sun is shining, seems like heaven ain’t far away

It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day

Always remember your strength
And what you’ve learned along your journey
Never cease to help others
And

It’s good to have you with us even if it’s just for the day
Outside the sun is shining, seems like heaven ain’t far away
It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day
It’s good to have you with us even if it’s just for the day
Outside the sun is shining, seems like heaven ain’t far away

/me continues journey
Honestly, Glad to have had you on your way
Even if its just for the day
david113@gmail.com

Unfinished post…
Old Lyics/Bullet Post content

In a way, I need a change
From this burnout scene
Another time, another town
Another everything
But it’s always back to you

What lead our decisions?

Stumble out, in the night
From the pouring rain
Made the block, sat and thought
There’s more I need
It’s always back to you

What is important?

But I’m good without ya
Yeah, I’m good without you
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Where can you go with the right direction?

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can’t define what I’m after
I always turn the car around
Give me a break let me make my own pattern
All that it takes is some time but I’m shattered
I always turn the car around

What are you aspirations?
Where is enlightenment?

I had no idea that the night
Would take so damn long
Took it out, on the street
While the rain still falls
Push me back to you

I hope you are ready to laugh as you learn
I hope you are able to endure as you experience

But I’m good without ya
Yeah, I’m good without you
Yeah, yeah, yeah

Your magnificance is defined by your ability to tolerate

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can’t define what I’m after
I always turn the car around
Give me a break let me make my own pattern
All that it takes is some time but I’m shattered
I always turn the car around

Give it up, give it up, baby
Give it up, give it up, now
Now

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can’t define what I’m after
I always turn the car around
All that I feel is the realness I’m faking
Taking my time but it’s time that I’m wasting
Always turn the car around

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can’t define what I’m after
I always turn the car around

Don’t wanna turn that car around
I gotta turn this thing around

/me continues journey
Seriously unfinished post…sorry….

Unfinished post…

The two largest mistakes individuals make is not going all the way and not getting started. It takes a long time to save for something worthwhile, but the sooner you start, the sooner you finish. A 401K is the most common and simple way for Americans to save for their retirement. We’ve all heard the rule of thumb that one should contribute at least 10% of their salary towards their retirement and it works….if you are planning to retire at 65…

If you want to retire sooner than that, you have two real choices, save earlier, or save more….or you could always do both. There’s also the high hope that you magically beat market returns year over year by a wide margin, but this ’strategy’ is much easier said than done.

We start with nothing
To produce, we must earn
To succeed, we must invest
To become, we must understand

The question is not how far
The questions is if you possess the depth of faith
And the conviction to go as far as is needed

The windmills in my eyes
Can’t you see that they’re now turning
It’s such a lonely side

07/01/2006

Beginning Balance : $0.00

The wind no longer dries
Simmer down the yearning
Burning inside
Search for greatness brought us here
But the road ahead remains unclear

01/01/2008 (1.5 years later)

Balance : $12,705.30

How long, How long til we crash and burn
How long, how long til the point of no return?

08/31/2008 (2 years later)

Current Balance : $15,178.01

This evens out to ~$20/day for 2 years. I have been extremely dilligent in my savings despite some unexpected costs and some unexpected large purchases. (But isn’t that why we have emergency funds?) When on a path that leads to your goal, the most important thing is to continue following the path, there is no ‘best path,’ there is only ‘your path.’

“I do not think there is any quality so essential to success of any kind as the quality of perserverance. It oversomes almost everything, even nature.” -John Rockefeller

The ability to perservere
To take hits along your journey
But to get up everytime
That is why you will not fail

How long, How long til we crash and burn
How long, how long til the point of no return?

It is only a matter of time when investing until your account value drops
If you don’t know how to take a beating, stick to fixed income funds
If you want to play ball, you have to take your lumps with the higher average return
Personal Rate of Return from 01/01/2008 to 08/31/2008 is -19.6%

When you refuse to accept your lot
When you choose to aim for something different

The horizon far away,
Is it still our destination?
Is is still our guiding light?
I think of yesterday troubled by tempetation

We’ve come this far not asking why
We cannot look each other in the eye anymore

How long til we crash and burn
How long til the point of no return

We are not enemies but friends
We must not be enemies
Though passion may have strained
It must not break our bonds of affection

The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched
As surely they will be by the better angels of our nature

/me continues journey

Unfinished post :

Friend : “Well, I guess I’ll be going to the payday loan place up the street.”

I imagine the look on my face was something like the look on the face of a chef at a 5 star restaurant who, peering out through the kitchen…sees a ‘diner’ about to smother ketchup all over a perfectly grilled 16 oz porter house. Ketchup on a AAA steak? What the heck are you thinking? (This look also happens if you ask for soy sauce to put on your rice in China…soy sauce is a cooking ingredient in China…not a condiment…)

“I’ve got $60 to last me til I get paid at the end of the month, no food, and my wife needs to eat.”

There is a difference between being debt averse and having that enrich your life and being so opposed to any form of debt that it can sometimes cause issues. This is a classic case of why one should always have some emergency cash and a credit card. Why? Well which is better? Borrowing money at an annual rate of 15% or borrowing money at 232%?

What does it cost?

Start Your Application Now!

/me continues journey

Unfinished post…

The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows
It is a very rough and mean place
And no matter how tough you think you are
It will always bring you to your knees and keep you there
Permanantly, If you let it

You or nobody,
Nothing is ever going to hit as hard as life

But it isn’t about how hard you can hit,
It is about how hard you can get hit
And keep moving forward

How much you can take
And keep moving forward
That is how winning is done

If you know what you are worth
Go out and get what you are worth
But you gotta be willing to take the hits

Don’t point fingers and say
you are where you are because of anyone
Cowards do that
And cowards fail

Maybe you’re just doing your job, but why does anyone have
to stop anyone from doing theirs?
If you want to go to the trouble
To Battle through to get what you want to get
Who has the right to tell you no?

Is it right to not only tell people no
But to create a system where no is the only option?
Rights? We are ‘assured’ of our right to pursue happiness, life, and liberty
Who has the right to stop you?

The older we get, the more things we have to leave behind
The things we should carry with us are those which we hold most important
What should always be left on the table is that which is right

When life hits you…and it will
You must take the hit and press forward

We’ve all had those times in our lives where we are unsure of what to do. The ablity to recognize the situation you are in and to make the shift to get where you are going isn’t easy. It doesn’t get easier unless you’re ready to take the hit. If you’re walking the line without a safety net, you better have a plan for if you fall because if every bump gets you down, you’re not going anywhere.

What leads to the point of victory?
Is it a circumstance, an event, or a mindset
Winners don’t win by thinking like losers

Are we expecting handouts? Is it our right to have the plunder of war without even seeing a battle?

/me continues journey

Unfinished post…
I believe I wrote this in September…pretty sure it was September 2009…

[added]
Another great David Sides cover
I like the 1:27 head bow,
It sets up for the buildup….
[added]

He who wishes to fight must first count the cost. When you engage in actual fighting, if victory is long in coming, then men’s weapons will grow dull and their ardor will be dampened. If you lay siege to a town, you will exhaust your strength. Again, if the campaign is protracted, the resources of the State will not be equal to the strain. Now, when your weapons are dulled, your ardor dampened, your strength exhausted and your treasure spent, other chieftains will spring up to take advantage of your extremity. Then no man, however wise, will be able to avert the consequences that must ensue… In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns.-Sun Tzu, the Art of War

The battles worth winning are rarely quick victories
But the ardous journey to that which you desire
Is but an equation of variables
And all variable have solutions once isolated

As you solve them, one by one
The equation becomes an answer
The variables are defined
And the question you started out to answer evolves

It has been an excellent summer
The plans that have been set in motion
Have continued to evolve

New allocations for new issues must be identified
Those with the passion for learning will continue to succeed
Those who free load might be

/me continues journey

Unfinished post…

There are big things happening…unemployment has reached 6.7% with over 530,000 jobs lost in the past month. Unemployment has hit the highest in fifteen years and big companies like Dow Chemical are announcing 10% cuts in employees (5,000 jobs) and over half the homeowners we are bailing out are set to projected to default in under 6 months. With over 2 million jobs lost year to date…the less than aggressive promise of Barrack Obama is the creation of 2.5 million jobs…a return to late 2007 ‘normalcy’ with the estimated creation of 2 million jobs per year. While college graduates are currently able to find jobs at a higher than average rate (only 3.5 unable to find jobs ) there remain serious questions as to whether or not many of these students (heavily dependent on student loans) will still be able to maintain the requirements an edge in today’s environment.

The auto industry is under serious pressure. Forced to deal with arguably overpaid workers (UNION!!!) as well as over-inflated costs for factors of production thanks to high steel tariffs (used to protect yet another union!)…many of the ‘core jobs’ in our nation are tied to the flow of ‘traditional’ industry and its trends. But there is something to remember…the price of band-aids doesn’t change!

Traditional markets with products in constant demand have not been seriously phased. Our economy is weak in spirit but strong in concept. We still have the most progressive system for business expansion and have managed to create an economy with product and service based employment that is…intense…(all this despite the 2nd highest corporate income tax in the world!) The educational opportunities in our country have allowed for the creation of a highly specialized workforce which can often have trouble adjusting within the constraints of ‘traditional economies’ where workforce is measured in employment and output rather than efficiency and profit margin.

Without the creation of automated harvesters and machines to do the grunt work, we would have never shifted from an economy that was based on 95% production (usually through farming) and 5% service to one where our income base is largely service based. The relevancy is that unemployment creates the ability for individuals who see an opportunity to take advantage of low cost employment where jobs are in scare demand. Will these jobs require specialized training, basic labor, or a complete demographic shift from lightly populated areas with high unemployment to the states which most quickly allow for job creation?

We’ve reached the point where solar panels are the new ‘thing,’ it is whether or not they are round so they are wind resistant and take full advantage of what power the sun has to offer. While we may be the model for THE modern banking model of leverage and ’security,’ it is becoming more apparent in European countries that this wasn’t just the mistake of encouraging high

/me continues journey
unemployment has reached 6.7% with over 530,000 jobs lost in the past month
I must have made a typo….Did I?
david113@gmail.com - call me out.

Unfinished post…
ROTH ROCKS.

Which makes more sense for retirement contributions, a 401K or a ROTH IRA?

Company Match : Many companies will match a percentage of your contributions to your 401K. If you have a company match plan, the 401K is likely the best choice for you because of the ability to get more dollars working for your retirement as soon as possible. The company I work for recently halted their 401K match. While the 100% match for up to 6% of salary contributions more than made the case for the 401K, a lack of the match may have shifted the advantage…depending on other criteria.

Taxes : A 401K is a pre tax contribution taxed later while a ROTH is a post tax contribution that isn’t taxed again as long as you don’t withdraw before retirement. Since ROTH contributions aren’t taxed again but 401K contributions are, the biggest issue seems to be whether or not I’m in a higher tax bracket now than I will be during retirment. Hopefully I’ll be in a higher tax bracket later in life and all capital gains will remain untaxxed.

Investment Options : While most 401Ks have a variety of investment options, they are usually limited to mutual funds. A ROTH has the ability to invest in individual stocks, ETFs, and a much larger variety of mutual funds. The ability to take a more hands on approach appeals to me because of the ability to move between investment options quickly and if the need arises, liquidate investments quickly.

Sources:

1. Roth IRA beats 401(k) in key ways
2. Roth IRA : About.com

/me continues journey