Direct Buy Club

As the economic situation gets worse and worse, and our elected representatives would rather bicker about what is better – tax cuts or relief spending – rather than, you know, actually fixing things, situations are looking bleak. It doesn’t help that as I write this, there is a gray sky and no clouds.

However there are still a few ways to save a bit of money. Direct Buy Clubs are a significant way to save. There employees are actually positive, and their products are high quality, so they will be able to valuable in case anything may happen.

There are a lot of things to consider at this point, and one of the major thoughts of mind, especially amongst people whose children are grown up, and they are now living in a large, empty house, and paying a mortgage for that large empty house is selling it for some profit, and moving into a new, smaller home. To do that, you may need to touch up some parts of your home and this is where Direct Buy can come in.

Inaguration Day

Today we welcome the first half-black man into the white house. Yes, I said half-black. I feel if we can call him black, we have just as much right to call him white. Nevertheless, I feel Barack Obama will make a fine choice as the new leader of the free world. He has a far better head than the last guy.

As it is well known, the economy is not doing well. January has had far more layoffs than we needed, with businesses like Circuit City going bankrupt. It is a tough time we are in, and as previously stated, it is my hope that this man helps to put things where they belong. I do not doubt that we will have some tough times ahead, but I feel in the end things will get better.

The inauguration is an hour away. I plan on watching it.

Halfway Through Winter

As I am Miami based, we have been enjoying the wonderful weather we have received throughout this month. With the exception of a few days, it has mostly been in the 80s, bright & sunny. I actually have enjoyed a few dinners out on the patio this week.

Unfortunately, due to the economy, thoughts of moving have been on a lot of my friends’ minds. The problem is most areas hiring are areas that are cold. I do not envy them if they move. Of course Miami could be underwater in 10 years, so they may be on to something.

Powerball in Florida

As of 2009, Florida is now a Powerball state. This means Florida’s overflowing population can now spend more money on a new set of lotto tickets that they won’t win.

There is already talk of a pool going through the office. I may throw in $5, but nothing more. I have looked at the odds, and it seems like most lotteries – amazing if you win, another loss if you don’t. But here is hoping.

Unemployment Rates

At this point in time almost everyone knows at least one person unemployed. Whether it is because they just graduated from college, their business is suffering, or other reasons, it is tough to find a job.

Sites like Careerbuilder and Monster are there, but many still need help.

Also, the old style of doing business is far outdated. I have friends constantly trying to call up places they sent a resume, only to get rejected out right because the company specifically says “Do not call”. Just make sure you email a company but don’t pester them.

New Years Means New Everything

2008 has come and gone, and as far as I’m concerned – Good Riddance.

2008 saw a financial debacle the likes of which that hasn’t been seen in over half a century. Real estate failed; banks failed; investments failed; I was going to say the American auto industry failed, but they have been failing for years. War continues and we may be drawn into another.

However there are some lights at the end of the tunnel. We have a new president, who hopefully will continue the trend of Democratic presidents fixing the mistakes of Republican presidents. Because everyone is worried about the economy and no one is buying anything it means all the stores are having fantastic sales. I have even heard rumor the PS3, a system my sun is pushing us to get, will be on sale in a few months.

My hope is that we begin to see a turn around this year. I feel that Greed has run rampant in the Bush era, and that 2009 will start to see Americans turn away from greed and focus more on unity and assistance. But who am I kidding? We’ll still see foreclosures, corruption scandals, violence and natural disaster. I just hope Obama is a bit more calm and intelligent than the last guy, and will at least point us into a better direction.

-Jason Orkin, Optimist

Franchise Options

In this not so wonderful economic period, we have seen that being in real estate has been a failure and significant loss to many. As has the stock market. Even auto sales are disturbingly down as we enter in 2009. The unemployment rate is increasing every day and one business closing is rippling through the world.

It is understandable to be cautious in regards to picking up something new. However if you have enough money to invest in something, a franchise is one of the safest bets at this period in time.

Interestingly enough, DirectBuy Franchising is not in any harm. As DirectBuy is designed to safe people money, more and more are turning to it in this recession.

DirectBuy Class Action Lawsuit

As it turns out, DirectBuy is under a class action lawsuit. This is not the first time this has happened, nor will it be the last. Numerous large business undergo class action lawsuits such as this (Walmart, GE, etc.). As well, it is not uncommon for this issues to be completely resolved or found in favor of the defendant. We will have to wait and see what happens to Direct Buy in this situation.

Health for the Holidays

With Thanksgiving only a week ago, and Christmas quickly on the horizon, many of us are doing our usual winter weight gain. For those of us concerned with watching whats going on at this time, there are numerous tools, such as pedometers that help inform you how many calories you have lost, or in cases how many steps you have taken.

This is also a great tool to have when you are walking through the mall, trying to search for last minute gifts that are sure to be forgotten by February.

Losing a Password

Quite often we will lose our password. For example I use 1 password for work, 1 password for secure sites (such as email), 1 password for retail sites (such as paypal or eBay) and another email for secondary sites (social media). Quite often I will lose a password. In those cases, I either go back to a file that has my list of passwords, attempt every last one, or fill out the lost password form.