tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87742416277621168382024-03-13T23:55:10.994-07:00Be the BankExploring Business / Exploring LifeEpicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-60679379857571431782011-06-29T06:30:00.000-07:002011-06-29T06:30:03.496-07:00Excellent Resource for Microsoft Products
Check out Microsoft's site map; a great reference for the myriad array of Microsoft products. This is an invaluable tool for small business owners or home business workers and employees tasked with providing their own support. Thanks to Deb Shinder of Windows 7 News!
link: http://www.microsoft.com/en/us/sitemap.aspx
Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-43945104043409178562011-05-17T09:27:00.000-07:002011-05-17T09:27:30.822-07:00NASA Credit Union offers $0 down mortgage loans in the D.C. area
NASA Federal Credit Union is offering first time home buyers in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. area a $0 down loan for loans up to $650,000 in a program called High Loan to Value Mortgage. This program also offers refinance of a primary residence. Loans up to $850,000 are also available with just 5% down. No mortgage insurance is required under these programs. Offers are Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-57396006064104761722011-05-10T06:30:00.000-07:002011-05-10T06:30:03.004-07:00Google Business Photo
One day I took my son to a toy train store so he could pick out his favorite trains. We had discovered the store from a web search and was surprised to learn that it was only couple of blocks away from Grandma's. I had passed by it a hundred times, but had never noticed it before because it was nestled among warehouses and other industrial shops -- not a place I would expect to find a Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-92222367893815224932011-05-05T06:30:00.000-07:002011-05-05T10:07:59.147-07:00Zuca, the amazing luggage - with a seat!To be honest, the Zuca brand luggage threw me off a bit when I first saw it. The aluminum frame clashed with the body of the luggage, looking as if it was added in as an after thought. And the much touted built-in seating didn't look at all comfortable. Besides, when are you ever going to need to sit while toting luggage around? Perhaps once while waiting to check inEpicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-34411151614882004142011-05-03T12:48:00.000-07:002011-05-03T12:51:22.069-07:00Find the Best Prices (including tax and shipping) with Google Product Search
Use Google Product Search to find the best prices, including tax and shipping. For example, I searched for the Viewsonic 10 inch digital photo frame. The results show that Office Depot has the best final price of $64.95 for a brand new unit. I also like Buy.com and Amazon. They used to be very competitive, but these days, many items ordered from their site are shipped Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-64423336197189819392011-04-28T09:36:00.000-07:002011-05-03T12:51:49.343-07:00How many feet are in a mile? Quickly now!
There are 5280 feet in a mile. How about, how many inches are there in 18 feet? The answer is 216 inches. I just read an article on "Why America Should Use the Metric System" by Deborah-Diane in which the author lists several reasons on why America should switch to the metric system. Its factor of ten makes the metric system more intuitive to learn and work with. Plus, just Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-52793319610728987682011-04-26T07:34:00.000-07:002011-04-28T09:38:55.369-07:00Giants Google and Facebook join the group discount coupon market
Ever since Groupon turned down their 6 billion dollar acquisition offer, we were wondering what Google's next move would be. It was inevitable that they would enter the market, either by buying a major Groupon competitor, such as LivingSocial or by starting their own service, now in beta as Google Offers. Now Facebook as jumped in with Facebook Deals, which offer discount coupons inEpicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-7259407557845580242011-04-21T11:06:00.000-07:002011-04-28T09:39:28.826-07:00Closing my 19 year old Chase, Wamu, Great Western bank account
Well it looks like I will be closing my 19 year old Chase, Wamu, Great Western checking account. Although I tried to meet their requirements and increased my direct deposit amount to their $500 or more requirement, I was still being charged a $10 a month fee.
I get paid bi-monthly and had set up my two direct deposits to meet their benchmark, so I didn't understand why I was still being Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-66350866414962924592011-04-20T06:30:00.000-07:002011-04-20T06:30:01.163-07:00The Unites States is one of the richest countries in the world . . .Wait a minute . . . according to the CIA Word Factbook, with an account balance of -561 trillion dollars, there are 191 countries richer than us :(
Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-17618781095948900152011-04-15T07:38:00.000-07:002011-04-21T10:13:13.211-07:00Why Does Bank of America Suck so Bad?
Ever since I started blogging about business and banking, BofA has consistently come up as the bank that people hate the most. I've always wondered why? I've had free checking with BofA for eight months now (and rec'd $75 bonus to open it) and enjoy their free Museum perk. A quick search reveals that many customers are annoyed at their excessive fees
and their maddening Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-27042428651185013862011-03-22T07:19:00.000-07:002011-03-22T07:19:14.330-07:0010 Unique Business Card HoldersI'm always looking for unique business card holders. Sadly, unique ones are rare and hard to find. Here are ten that I think are the most unique.
1. Atlas Holding up the Card
2. Hand Me a Card!
3. The Ark of Covenant Card Holder! I want one!!!
Card Holders 1 through 3 are a few of my favorite from Reencoded.com. Their post features many more creative business card holders.
4. Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-36566525699774058902011-03-18T06:24:00.000-07:002011-03-19T09:32:40.354-07:00How to Unstick a PenDoes your ball point pen always stick at the most inconvenient time? And, just as often, it's a fairly new pen with plenty of ink.You sit there scribbling madly on a catalog or business card trying to get the stupid thing to write, half the time, without any luck.
Try this instead - try writing on the sole of your shoes. If you're wearing shoes with rubbery soles, the friction will often be Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-73175100975793489022011-03-17T06:45:00.000-07:002011-04-21T10:15:06.687-07:00Banks Offering Free Checking (and $100 bonus!)
The demise of free checking has been percolating ever since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in July 2010. Wells Fargo was one of the first banks to announce the end of free checking for new customers. Chase soon followed suit. Now, Bank of America has also joined in announcing that it's eliminating it, too.
A handful of banks stillEpicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-1151834768453110952011-03-15T06:00:00.000-07:002011-04-21T10:15:51.045-07:00I lost my free checking after 19 years of loyaltyI first opened my account in 1992. At that time, the bank was called Great Western. They were acquired by Washington Mutual in 1997. Wamu of course succumbed to the 2008 financial meltdown and was engulfed by Chase. I can avoid this fee by having a direct deposit of at least $500 a month, which I did. But I had to cancel other accounts to implement this.
I put up with Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-45979110858183433352011-03-12T15:54:00.000-08:002011-03-12T15:54:07.218-08:00Quote of the Day: Nothing was useful which was not honest - Benjamin Franklin
As a boy, Franklin led a group of friends in building a wharf with stones that tey gathered from a nearby construction site. When the workmen discovered the missing stones, they tracked down the culprits, who were subsequently punished by their fathers.
Franklin later wrote, "We were discovered. Several of us were corrected by our fathers, and, though I pleaded the usefulness of the work, Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-55456136278352453472011-03-10T10:38:00.000-08:002011-03-10T10:38:24.465-08:00Declutter Your Life. Trade objects for Memories
Yesterday, FrugalDad posted about obsessive hoarders and clutter--the kind where piles of piles and piles of useless stuff fills up a room or displaces living spaces. A-lot of readers commented how much of a universal problem it is. Some of our observations on why people hoard things are:
some disasterous event occurred - a war or hurricane - where they lost everything and are now Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-78083879819158648092011-03-08T06:45:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:36:40.584-08:00Pay What You Want Restaurants
I drove down a main street in my town and tried to imagine just how much food there was on this stretch of road. How many restaurants and fast food eateries lined the streets? How much food were stored in pantries and freezers of all those restaurants? We have such so much food in the U.S., it's hard to imagine that people are still going hungry.
Another example: my friend's college Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-89800533693577518962011-03-04T17:15:00.000-08:002011-03-04T17:15:52.267-08:00Stock up on Free Supplies at Staples
Home Offices! Staples has a bunch of FREE items that you can stock up on, including:
Free pens
Free paperclips
Free envelopes
Free photo paper
I also like their $1 Hammermil printer paper. Sales starts Sunday 3/6 till Wednesday 3/9. Check out other Staples sale items.Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-68653336386220354842011-03-03T12:00:00.000-08:002011-03-03T12:17:44.995-08:00Award Winning Coffee, Great Price, available at TargetWhen dining at an upscale hotel or restaurant, I order coffee every chance I get. I'm always amazed at how much better it tastes compared to what I normally drink. Now, it seems that we can brew our own fabulous blend by picking up the award winning coffee such as the Archer House or Guatemalan coffee brand.
Look for the Cup of Excellence sticker. One caveat - Target doesn't provide an Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-27060512699709847312011-03-03T07:00:00.000-08:002011-03-03T07:00:09.897-08:00Collaterization of Debt Around since 1999???
I stumbled across a paper on Japan's Lost Decade banking crash that proposed utilizing securitization and sales of bad debt to remove them from a bank's balance sheets. Sound familiar?
The paper describes Collateralized Loan Obligations (CLOs) and mezzinine tranches methods to implement the scheme.
I don't know what is more alarming: the fact that the paper refers to CLOsEpicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-12770031936771981412011-03-01T06:54:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:37:20.810-08:00The ECRI - Watching Your Financial Crystal Ball
Often, while trying to learn more about investing or about business strategy, I come across a technical analysis that goes completely over my head. The trend in ECRI is just one of many. Here is my summary of the ECRI.
Stock prices rise and fall with economic activity. Economic growth translates to bull markets. Bear markets herald a fall to recession. The ECRI provides key insight into the Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-59757065403292145912011-02-25T09:30:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:38:00.635-08:00Google Translate Speaks and Spells Other LanguagesMy mom took an epic road trip to Alaska and wrote a book about it . . . in her native tongue. I know that one day, I'll want to read it and so I'm trying to re-learn the language. Unfortunately, I'm having a hard time grasping it despite being a former native speaker.
I also took an introductory class in Vietnamese. This language has so many different tones, inflections Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-61016577710454045222011-02-24T09:39:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:38:40.868-08:00Kiva Robots of the Future Roam Zappos, Staples Warehouse Today!The mobile robot glides through a gloomy warehouse, a soft hum emanating from its motor, its status lights -- the brightest illumination in the room. With unerring precision, it locates its target: a shelf filled with materials requested for delivery to a human manned workstation. The bot quickly scoots under the shelf and starts rapidly turning in place, as a screw-like jack lifts Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-65031556713944995462011-02-22T07:00:00.000-08:002011-03-08T11:39:28.671-08:00Need a Quick Photo Retouch or Editing? Only $5
Small Business Owners - need a quick edit or touch up on a product picture?
Browse the listings at Fiverr.com. Fivver lists thousands of people offering their unique (or not) services for only $5. Small Business can take advantage of the graphics or marketing services for small quick projects.
Some highlights - get your headshot or product photo edited to present a clean, Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8774241627762116838.post-81624368745883822812011-02-17T07:00:00.000-08:002011-02-17T09:31:49.055-08:00Setting Expectations - a Valuable Lesson Learned
I recently had a business deal fall through. The buyer insisted that he was serious about the transaction and had asked me to extend my deadline . . . twice. Then, as we approached the last cutoff, he canceled on me, doing the complete opposite of what he had promised in his last email. Here is an exerpt of his last message.
" . . . I am swamped for the next 2 weeks and then after Epicviewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12862998193389995958noreply@blogger.com0