Mostly about protecting and growing your business

Search using text - 466453

What a cool Google feature.  From my phone I sent a text to 466453.  The body of the text read "coffee 94587".

I received a text back with:

1. Starbucks Coffee on Decoto in Union City

2. Paddy's Coffee House on Smith St. in Union City

3.Starbucks Coffee on Dyer in Union City

Reply with Next and I get a few more listings.  What a cool service with no advertising, boring music or waiting on hold!

Here's the details!   http://www.google.com/intl/en_us/mobile/sms/

Foreclosures, Defaults, Delinquencies

There isn't a day that goes by that I do not hear about or read about the doom and gloom of the real estate and mortgage industry, financial market, foreclosures, defaults and delinquencies.  What once was taboo to admit now seems acceptable. 

I believe there has been a shift in attitude towards the 'American Dream' of home ownership.  Real estate went from a place for family to enjoy their weekends and have barbecues and to becoming a bank account.  Refinance to buy new furniture.  Refinance to buy a new car.  Refinance to take our European summer vacation tax deductible.  Don't worry, house prices will go up so you can refinance again to get a better loan.  People!   Did we forget that in the end, we have to pay it all back???!!! 

One and a half years ago, almost anyone could get into a house...the question is can they continue to keep it?  What I mean is, continue to make the required payments.

"I  let my house go". "I walked away from my house ". "I filed bankruptcy".  "I can't pay my bills".  From my experience, it has become or becoming the norm.  Is it because people really want to simply walk away?  Is it because of poor judgment or bad advice?  Is it because my neighbor or uncle who I respect did it so it must be ok to just let it go.

What options do these people really have?  Short sale, special forebearance, partial claim, deed-in-lieu of foreclosure, short refinance, foreclosure?  What does it all mean and how can one utilize these options. What are the positive and negative of each available option?

If people had access to really needed information and were presented all options available to them would they continue to just 'let it go'.

I don't know the answer to this question because each situation is unique.  What I do believe is that people need access to legal advice and consultation hopefully before they start getting into financial trouble.  The catch 22 is...can they afford the great legal minds when they can't pay their bills?

If you answered NO, let me introduce to Pre-Paid Legal and some of the ways they help people in this financial situation.

5 Areas of Identity Theft

In my previous post I asked "how many forms of identity theft are there?".  The answer is 5.

5 forms or areas of identity theft are:
    1. Financial - This is what we have been hearing about mostly in the last few years.  We hear of         someone using your credit card or other financial information.
    2. Drivers License - how would you like to be pulled over for a busted tail light and find out your drivers license has been suspended.
    3. Social Security - how would you like it if the IRS came after you for back taxes because several people were working using your social security number.  They make the money but you owe the taxes.
    4. Character / Criminal - how would it feel if to be arrested for failing to appear in court in Virginia...an yet you've never been there.
    5. Medical - wouldn't it be frustrating  if you took your child to the hospital and realized your medical insurance  was canceled?

I want to give snippets of this thing called identity theft because there is soooo much to this problem that continues to snow ball.

Would you agree that in an event you become a victim of identity theft in any of the 5 areas, you will need help to restore your identity and to get immediate help from an attorney ?

How many forms of identity theft are there?

Most of the time we hear about someone getting a credit card charge that wasn't theirs or trying to withdraw money from their bank account and there is nothing there!  This is the extent of identity theft most people identity with in the last few years.  Other forms and scarier forms of id theft have surfaced and have come to light. 

How many areas of identity theft are there?

1?
2?
3?
4?
5?
6?
7?

If you answered that there are 5, yes FIVE, areas of identity theft then you are smarter than the average bear.  Gotta go but will continue later.

Book Signing at Paddy's - Call of the Panther

I dropped by Paddy's in Union City today to support Joan Wrenn in her book (Call of the Panther) signing. Joan is a friend from my church who wrote this book back in the mid 90s but only through modern technology and self publishing was she able to release her dream.  It was a relaxing day as we talked about her experience as an author as I sipped on a double shot of espresso over ice with a little cream and a little sugar.  Conversations also unfolded regarding marketing books.  What a blessing to have a place so close to home where we can kick back and support friends and local talents.  Paddy performs a great service for local talents.  Great Jazz tunes on Fridays and various events such as movie nights set up on the lawn during a summer night as amateurs showcase their short films.

Paddy's is also a place where you find flyers and business card of locals hoping to expose their businesses.  Of course you'll find my Pre-Paid Legal business cards on the bulletin board and the 101 reasons why you should not be without a Life Events Legal Plan flyer.

Id Theft - Shredding and Monitoring Service can offer a false sense of protection

How would you feel if you shred your sensitive information, employed a credit monitoring service and still had to spend 2 years to fix your mangled identity?  I can not say I would know how I would feel nor do I want to experience that feeling of being an identity theft victim.  I do know that it would much more difficult to put my game face on a daily basis therefore negatively affecting my business.  Would it affect the productivity of your employees?  Worse yet, if you were a major player in your company or the only player in your company then what?  Would sales drop?  Would important meetings need to be rescheduled?  How would it feel to keep getting arrested over a span of 4 years for something you did not do.  You may want to watch this story of a 4 year ordeal dealing with criminal identity theft.

From what I know, there is no real way of stopping Identity Theft.  You can take steps and should take steps to prevent id theft but realize that one day that you may become a victim of identity theft. 

A service I subscribe to protects me before, during and after identity theft.  Oh, and another thing, when you become an identity theft victim you will more likely need help from an attorney.

Rookie Blogger

I just got my TypePad account set up!  I have been hearing, reading and Googling blogs but now am getting a bit more comfortable with openly sharing thoughts and ideas.

I did an Identity Theft talk at a Women in Business meeting.  Women in Business meets Wednesdays and is a Union City Chamber of Commerce sponsored activity.  There was great energy and interaction as we discussed the definition and various forms of id theft.  We covered how id theft happens, how to protect ourselves and how to recover when id theft happens to us or someone we know.

It was after the ID Theft talk that I started talking to someone from webbmar.  They handle promotional products but also gave me great advice regarding internet marketing.  One of the areas I keyed in on was blogging. I had no idea how simple it was to get started until  she shared the simplicity and all she has done with blogs and encouraged me to get started.  Boy do I feel like a kid in a candy shop.    Thanks so much!  Yes I am a rookie and will continue to be a rookie for years to come. 

With that said, I goal to be the most improved Rookie Blogger!

Pacquiao / Marquez

What a great fight!  I was not as fortunate as my sister Leah who was at Mandalay Bay sending me pictures from the fight using today's fabulous cellphone technology.  Well, I sent her a couple from Gerry's Grill where I watched the fight with a packed crowd of fellow Pacquiao fans.  This was definitely a fight to watch and although a Pacquia fan, I was extremely impressed with Marquez.  He nailed Pacquiao with some hard shots throughout the fight.  Pacquio hit Marquez in the 3rd with a thunderous left that sent Marquez on the canvass which was the only knockdown of the fight.  Marquez recovered well and continued to trade blow in the latter rounds.  The energy in the place was electrifying as I high-fived strangers during some of Pacquaio's lightning combos.

Like I said, I am a Pacquiao fan but thought Marquez recovered well enough to survive with a Draw...just my thought.