Saturday, November 14, 2015

Initial Steps toward becoming Debt Free and . . . gaining Financial Freedom

started this program by getting a handle on where I stood today, which required I switch focus from getting top grades, to improving my credit score.  Part of the problem was my lack of confidence and once I admitted that all my time was spent on becoming a top technologist, I understood what I had to change.  It takes more effort to produce the financial wealth I expected from life despite the years of training.  I assumed an advanced education, and years of knowledge and learning would be sufficient to get a job in today's economy.  I naturally expected my values would produce financial success. Today we are globalized. Business competition is worldwide, and I expected and wanted much more from life.

Starting from the basics, I went to the Schenectady library to read about improving my credit score.  I landed on the dummies guide on how to improve your credit score which simplified the process.  I learned the basic rules about managing my money, in order to increase my credit score.  It is essential to know the basics and reading the dummies guide helped me learn what I needed in order to get a good rating.

Credit Counseling Really Helps with Learning The Basics
I found free services by searching online. I made an appointment to get help from a counselor who worked to evaluate my budget and provided advise on where to go next to make the necessary improvements in my finances. We went over my credit score and suggested how to work with my current financial situation.   I did go search online and found Clearpoint Credit Counseling in Albany NY.   The counselor was able to work with budgeting and evaluating where I stand today.  

I did prepare before speaking to the credit counselor, and spent time working on the tips I read about in the dummies guide.  It is not difficult to improve your credit score.  But building a credit line may mean taking out secured loans and paying them back on time.

Learn More about Your Credit Score

Having a good credit score is a start and it is essential to know that not making payments, and late payments are recorded.  They effect your credit score, paying on time is important.  Keeping records and checking the balances of your accounts including debt.

Lease Negotiations: What a great tenant you are!

I am in the process of negotiating a lease and need to learn the basics.  The real issue is making decisions of when and how to talk to your landlord about the rent.

Reading articles online is a great way to learn, but what happens if you can not afford the increase?


8 tips on how to negotiate a lease agreement.


In US we honor our business contracts and consider them important to uphold.

In Chinese Culture our business contracts change as we work together

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Cooperative Business Models

If your are interested in reading the current issue of Yes Magazine .  .  .  THE POWER OF DEBT
You can purchase it at the Honest Weight Food Co-operative in Albany New York.  The honest weight food cooperative is a member owned natural food grocery store.

They use a cooperative business model to create a responsible business that puts local first. Interested in learning more about the cooperative business model here is an excerpt from the article Understanding the Cooperative Business Model .

"Still, when people hear the word “cooperative,” most have difficulty envisioning anything beyond a crunchy granola health food store. That's perhaps not surprising, considering the closest thing to employee-ownership most corporate workers experience is an Employee Stock Ownership Plan, where they can purchase (or are granted) stock in their company. These programs are designed to incentivize workers to be more productive, as they now benefit directly from the business's success. They are built around the assumption that monetary reward is the best motivation for workers.

Cooperative businesses take this idea of employee ownership and engagement one step further: employees actually own and operate the business. Besides the profit motive, cooperative models assume that workers value a more humanized workplace, where the input of ground-level employees can improve the business. Most cooperative businesses are founded on the democratic principle of “one worker, one vote,” and no two are alike.  . .  "


Get Out of Debt, Manage your Credit, and find Financial Freedom


The group I am working to form includes anyone that is interested in getting out of debt.  I have met many talented women who have college education and are really broke financially. I was surprised less, I suspect it is more common to find educated people without work.

My solution was to by a book and audio CD set that outlines 47 fundamental principles that teach the people how to get out of debt.  The book is published by the founders of life leadership company.  The financial fitness program seems to be a guide that helps teach how to build your income, get out of debt and prosper in any economy.  The group states you will be out of debt within 2 years, after learning to follow the principles outlined in the Financial Fitness program.

I read about the Corinthians 15, a group of people who had graduated from college and needed to pay off student loans but did not have adequate income to meet their financial obligation.  I wanted to learn more about their story of how they unified together to work out this problem.

The movement started August 28, 2015 around the movie The War Room did not seem to materialize in Schenectady NY.  Or if it did, I did not find the group announced anywhere.

Anyone Interested in Learning more about Getting Out of Debt?

Getting A Ride, Renting a Room, & Selling Your Clothes ....

Today I ride the bus and it often takes more time to get to the destination than I want to give.  One good thing about riding on the bus is that I have time to do other things.  I can make phone calls and finish my day's work by writing in my journal.  I can read a book, knit or I can read a professional journal.  I can do things that I don't have time to do at home.  Otherwise I can spend time organizing my thoughts or just meeting other bus riders.

But all joking aside I rather be riding in a brand new car.  I did see a sign for Car Angels, it advertised a chance to get a car and posted a phone number.  I came up with Free Charity Car website which is a website designed as a social networking website.  Many activities are required before you can complete all the requirements.  Learn flickr and set up a youtube account, connect to three social media sites, and work on writing blogs.  And promoting the website by inviting other people to join the group. 

I wanted to focus on how to earn money, and finally started blogging about the sharing economy, sharing cars, sharing living spaces, Airbnb, and working creative ways to increase my monthly income. 

Once I get my free charity car, I want to earn money by sharing ownership.  Maybe I will investigate UBER and become a cab driver when I have free time.
Here are some interesting car sharing, sharing economy websites to get introduced to.  Read about these websites, try them out and comment on your experience. 

P2P sharing sites are ZipCars RelayRides or JustShareIt.

Car Sharing Services

ZipCar (cars)
RelayRides (cars)
JustShareIt
Poshmark (sell your clothing)
CouchSurfing (rent a room)
Feastly (dine in someone else's home)
Mesh

Breather, Honest Buildings, Instructables (sold to Autodesk), Makani Power (sold to Google), OpenRov, OtherMill, RelayRides, Ridepal, Sidecar, Science Exchange, Scoot Networks, Solar Mosaic, Squidoo, TaskRabbit, Vayable and Yerdle.

Entrepreneurs are directing teams and funds to build platforms and services like Uber, Lyft, BlaBlaCar, SocialCar, RelayRides, Food Assembly, Solar Mosaic, Provenance, Honest Buildings, Just Park, Neighborly, OpenRov, La Zooz and City Mapper.