Words that Really Should Exist from A to Z

Abracadabbler: an amateur magician.

Badaptation: a bad movie version of a good book.

Carbage: the trash found in your automobile.

Dadicated: being the best father you can be.

Ecrastinate: checking your e-mail just one more time.

Faddict: someone who has to try every new trend that comes along.

Gabberflasted: the state of being speechless due to someone else talking too much.

Hackchoo: when you sneeze and cough at the same time.

Iceburg: an uppity, snobbish neighborhood.

Jobsolete: a position within a company that no longer exists.

Knewlyweds: second marriage for both.

Lamplify: turning on (or up) the lights within a room.

Mandals: sandals for men.

Nagivator: someone who constantly assists with driving directions in an overly critical manner.

Obliment: an obligatory compliment.

Pestariffic: adjective describing a particularly pesty person.

Qcumbersome: a salad that contains too many cucumbers.

Ramdumbtious: a rowdy, energetic person who's not too bright.

Sanktuary: a graveyard for ships.

Testimoney: fees paid to expert witnesses.

Unbrella: an umbrella that the wind has turned inside-out.

Vehiculized: you own a vehicle.

Wackajacky: very messed up.

Xerocks: two identical pieces of stone.

Yawnese: the language of someone trying to speak while yawning.

Zingle: a single person with a lot of pep in his or her step.

You're not a kid anymore when ...

• The only reason you're awake at 4 a.m. is indigestion.

• You are proud of your lawnmower.

• 8 a.m. is your idea of "sleeping in."

• People call you at 8 p.m. and ask: "Did I wake you?"

• Your high school diploma is the color of buttermilk.

• Nobody ever tells you to slow down.

• You've seen Halley's Comet ... twice.

• * You have a party and the neighbors don't even realize it.

Back to the Basics: Simple Ways to Improve Your Finances

Steve Scalici, CFP(r)

This month I want to start you off with a riddle. Here are the facts:

1. You have two coins that total $.30.
2. One of the coins is not a nickel.

Here is the question: How do you make $.30 with two coins if one of them is not a nickel? (Answer at end of the article).

Sometimes we miss the obvious. We get so consumed by everything around us we forget the basics. I am always fooled by riddles. And, when I hear the answer to the riddle, I usually say something like “duh.” I can’t believe the answer was so simple. Sometimes I get caught up thinking things have to be difficult when in fact they rarely are. A lot of us can feel that way about our finances. Sometimes I share a concept with someone and they looked at me as if to say “that’s it?” “That’s all you’ve got, Mr. CFP?” Sometimes it is. Sometimes, there are some obvious things that people miss when trying to figure out their finances. Sometimes I feel like the things I tell people are so simple they won’t believe me. The older I get, the more I realize that most things are really simple.

As you start 2007, I want to encourage you to think about trying to do two simple things to help improve your finances. I don’t want you to make a resolution to do it because we know that no one keeps their resolutions.

1. Spend less than you make.

Proverbs 21:20 (NIV) - In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil,
but a foolish man devours all he has.

This sounds easy, but less than 10% of the population actually does it. The average family in America now spends 106% of its income¹. How does that happen you might ask? It’s simple: easy credit. Easy credit has made it so that we can buy what we want, when we want it. We don’t have to develop the discipline of saving because we can simply charge it.

If you spend less than you make, you will never struggle with money. There will always be something left over.

You may have heard this before: Give 10%, save 10%, and live on the rest. This is a great principle to live by. Now, how do you live on 80% of what you earn when the average (read: normal) family spends 106%? The answer is quite simple: don’t be normal. If normal causes you become financially strapped, stop being normal. Normal is being in debt. You want to be abnormal. As a kid, I was told I was abnormal. I always thought that was a derogatory comment. Now I’m flattered by it.
“Normal” is trying to impress others with your stuff. It doesn’t work. Chris Andrews of BYI has been credited with saying: "We buy things we don't need with money we don't have in order to impress people we don't really care about." How true is that? This just in: The Jones’ don’t care about you. They don’t even know who you are. Stop trying to impress them.

2. Save early and save often
My seventh grade computer teacher used to say this all the time and now I find myself saying it quite often. This basic principle of computers can help ensure you don’t lose your work. When applied to finances, it can help you become financially free.

Proverbs 6:6 – 8 (NIV) says: “Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

Albert Einstein said: “Compound interest is the most powerful force on the earth.” That’s a pretty strong statement from someone who understood power. It was his E=MC2 formula that led to the creation of the atom bomb. Here’s a sample of the power of compound interest:

At age 20, John begins to save $2,000 per year and he does this for a period of ten years at which time he stops. He leaves his investment alone and allows it grow at a hypothetical return of 10%. When he is age 65 that account would be worth almost $900,000! His $20,000 investment grew 45-fold.

Fred decides that he’s having too much fun right now and decides to put off investing. He waits until he is 30. But, he figures, he’ll do one better than John and he will invest $2,000 per year until he is 65 for a total investment of $70,000. Now, it stands to reason that Fred would have much more money than John because he is going to invest a great deal more. But, not so fast. Fred ends up with a measly $550,000. As a matter of fact, Fred would have to invest over $3,300 per year at 10% for the 30 year period to catch up with John. That’s a total investment of almost $100,000.

Note: this is a mathematical illustration and is not based on any investment portfolio. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results.

Time is your greatest advocate when it comes to saving money. It allows the compounding effect to pay off for you.

These are just two of the basic principles we should all understand. If you master these you will be well on your way to financial freedom.

Riddle answer: You have a quarter and a nickel. The quarter is one of the coins that is not a nickel.

¹ Source – www.cnnfn.com. December 14, 2003. “Has your debt taken over your life?”

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Steve Scalici is the Vice President of Treasure Coast Financial, a financial planning firm in Stuart, FL. He is co-host of God's Money which can be heard weekdays at www.oneplace.com. He can also be reached at his website www.tcfin.com.

Help make English our official language

American Family Association

A common language, not “diversity,” makes our country stronger

Recently, the mayor of Nashville vetoed a bill that would have made English the city’s official language. He called the measure “unconstitutional, unnecessary, and mean-spirited.” U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid even called a bill to make English our official language “racist.”

A Zogby poll last year showed that 84% say English should be the official language of government operations. The poll also showed that 77% of Hispanics support English as our official language.

It is time for liberal members of Congress to quit playing politics with the future of all children --U.S. and Immigrant--and follow the lead of 28 states which have made English their official language. Failure for Congress to act will establish a major obstacle for immigrant children as they try to move up in our society.

Without a common language, citizens cannot communicate with each other. Any child growing up in America without knowing English is at a distinct disadvantage. At a time when our society is becoming more fragmented, we need an official, common language. Diverse cultures, different backgrounds and varied traditions enrich our culture. But for the nation to thrive, we must have a common language.

As Ed Feulner points out, “instead of having one official language, in practice we have dozens.” Click here to read Mr. Feulner’s article.

Take Action Send an email urging members of Congress to make English the official language.

Please forward this to friends and family asking them to help.

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