Archive for June, 2009
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
Too Busy To Blog
Once again, I am considering putting my blog on hiatus for a long while as, despite being unemployed, I find myself busier than ever. Between gardening (just replanted corn seeds), mentoring people over at LiveMocha, learning a new language at LiveMocha, spending time with kids, checking on my investments and preparing for going back to […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Misc by RichSlick
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
A Great Capitalist Dies At 50; Goodbye Billy Mays
I’m sorry to hear of the passing of a great capitalist Billy Mays. At first I was usually annoyed by his late night commercials but after watching the show Pitchmen it became one of my favorite shows and I found a whole new level of respect for the man and his profession. I had planned […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Misc by RichSlick
Saturday, June 27th, 2009
Why I Hate Mortgage Brokers!
So I have a family member that is interested in purchasing a home. They asked if I could join them at the mortgage brokers office to look over the documents and make sure there wasn’t anything weird going on with the process. First, I have to give you a bit of a background and you’ll […]
3 Comments » - Posted in Evil Profits by RichSlick
Friday, June 26th, 2009
Will Someone Please Explain…Cell Phone Carriers
The iphone came on the scene back in September 2007 and two years later I’m still waiting to buy one. In theory, I should have owned at least two different version by now: the original and the new 3G; That would likely translate into some nice cash for Apple but I haven’t done it. I […]
7 Comments » - Posted in Rants by RichSlick
Thursday, June 25th, 2009
Lessons Learned During Unemployment: Best Things In Life Are Free
It’s a cliche to say that the best things in life are free but if you pay close attention, you’ll find this statement to be very true. I’ve had an extraordinary opportunity to do what many people would consider mundane things but they’ve had a tremendous impact on me. First, spending an unprecedented amount of […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Observations by RichSlick
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Credit Card Arbitrage Being Stomped Out By Transfer Fees; Effectively Dead
According to Bloomberg, Chase will up their balance transfer fee to 5% and with Advanta shutting down their credit card division and banks continuing to cut credit lines, it looks like credit card arbitrage is effectively dead and I suspected as much back in October 2008 but was hoping for a turn around. The math […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Credit Cards by RichSlick
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
Lessons Learned During Unemployment: Generics
During my unemployment phase in life, I cut back on nearly every expense and this included not going to Costco. I’d easily spend $1000 per month at Costco on wine, fish, and other great food but with a bleak uncertain future I opted to skip shopping there. Instead I opted to experiment and try some […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Observations by RichSlick
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
The Most Ludicrous Statement On Health Insurance Ever
If there is a single thing that gets my blood boiling, it’s the damn health insurance industry. I found this article on Yahoo and read this year’s most ridiculous statement ever. Another obstacle was evident Tuesday — the insurance industry. In a joint letter to senators, the two largest industry groups warned in stark terms […]
1 Comment » - Posted in Rants by RichSlick
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Lessons Learned During Unemployment: Hard Work
So now that I may be heading back to the corporate world of hard work I thought I’d share some thoughts on lessons learned during unemployment. The first relates to “hard work” and during my time off I worked outdoors a great deal doing various projects. The largest of these projects has been home gardening […]
5 Comments » - Posted in Observations by RichSlick
Monday, June 22nd, 2009
Getting Back In The Saddle
Well I’ve been unemployed now for five months and I’ve just about become accustomed to my time off routine but I’ve been interviewing in the process periodically. My interviews haven’t been with multiple companies, they have been with only two and I’ve been interviewing with these companies for the past 10 weeks. The schedule works […]