My mother needed to liquidate her assets. She had inherited some Vanguard Wellington Fund shares. Since these had been purchased just after the Depression they were issued on physical (long gone) paper documents. I called customer service and no one had any idea how to cash them in without physical proof. After getting bounced around from person to person over several weeks, I ended up speaking with an older secretary who vaguely remembered some kind of work around. However, the last transaction like that in her memory had been done over 30 years before, and she had no way of helping me. The inappropriate (modern) paperwork had been sent several times to that point. Out of desperation, as Mom' s deadline got closer, I wrote Vanguard's CEO. A very kind older gentleman called my home shortly after that. He was a gem. Grandfather-like, he walked me through the process over several weeks, and asked if there was more he could do. It was only at the end I found out he was personal assistant to the CEO.
My best customer experience was with American Express. I was moving from DC to Charlottesville for grad school. The movers I hired threatened to leave my belongings in the middle of the street if I didn't pay them $300 immediately. I said I didn't have cash and they said they'd take a card. (How kind of them!) I called Amex, told them the situation, and they said to give them my Amex, keep the receipt, and then I could contest it when it posted. I followed their directions and never paid a dime of that extra fee. I'm a customer for life as a result of that action, and after business school, I worked for Amex for 4 years.
Andrea I'm sorry some people are rude and unhelpful to the situation. Thanks for your article. Not much works for me as I only have a hr or two before it starts coming up and generally by the time I get my hands on the anti viral drugs the horse has bolted. My glad under my neck swells too and the left side of my whole bottom lip swells too. The swelling is the worst part. Not too big a blister. If I don't get it in time the best treatment for me is Advil or other form of ibuprofen, and most definitely the compeed patches. The clear round compeed patches are way better than Zovirax cream as the are stick and stick to the area, providing sustained medication and protection from drying out or further bacteria. They also provide releif by numbing the area a bit and last a few hours even with eating. They have given me more confidence to get up and go to work and attend meetings too. The reduce healing time a lot as they keep it covered and medicated at all times. Great for overnight too. Thank you compeed!
Alcohol almost always works on non-porous surfaces, even let it soak for a minute or so.
However, if your dining table is wood (or other porous surface), maybe GooGone will work. Since wood is porous, wet a rag scrap with GooGone and leave it on the spot for 10 seconds. If no better, no worse, leave the soaked rag over the mark for 10 minutes. And so on... WATCH the surrounding area, however, for darkening that could indicate too much GooGone is being absorbed into the wood.
There usually is no minimum credit score needed. Most people who apply for these types of cards have low credit scores to begin with and are trying to create or reestablish their credit history and raise the score.
Me and my wife filed chapter 7 bankruptcy 3 years ago and was discharged, we are going through a divorce. I would like to know how long I could stay in the house if I stop paying on it. the house is still considered in the bankruptcy so it will not hurt me (right?) the credit bureaus do not show it on my credit, and when can i repurchase another home? If I try to purchase another home now will I be able to if the BK has been discharged for 3 years now? I could use the money I am paying on my house now to pay off other bills.
I do not have a gym membership right now, but I am seriously considering getting one with my husband, as we have been doing well with a healthier new year, and a gym near our house has a good price and no cancellation fee, so if we don't get value out of it, we can cancel.
Great tips. We've had a Sharpie mark on the dining table that I can't get rid of. I have tried rubbing alcohol, as well as all sorts of other cleaners. I'm resigned to the mark being there until someone (me?) gets around to refinishing the table.
My biggest productivity tip is keeping lists and making sure to make steady progress checking things off of them. I get so much more done that way than if I try to keep everything organized in my head.
Decent tips except that one should be judicious in reposting. There are MANY who abuse the privilege and clog Craigslist with repeat ads. If an item doesn't sell after a few reposts, reduce your price or accept that your item won't sell and remove it as a courtesy to others. If you don't, it becomes fairly easy to know you're the person posting again and again, which leads to instant flagging and/or disregard.
A number of such abusive Craigslisters have become laughing stocks in a couple of cities where I've lived and used the site. Be honest with yourself regarding item value, local market size (Craigslist Chicago is going to bring greater possibility of a sale than Evansville, Indiana or similar, generally speaking) and item value. Also, more often than not you will NOT be able to get Ebay going rate because the audience size and needs are quite different.
I don't have an actual gym membership, but I do pay for CrossFit classes at a local CrossFit box. I feel that it's more worthwhile to me than a gym membership which I'd get bored of, have no direction, and probably would stop using pretty quickly.
Living in a tiny NYC apartment has helped me embrace minimalism. Every material item is something else I have to maintain and clean. I've come to find experiences are much more rewarding than things.
I don't have a gym membership, because I own a horse that I ride several days a week. Grooming and riding can be great exercise, not to mention I also do barefoot hoof trims. If the gym were only a mile away and cost $20 a month and had unlimited classes, I would consider it.
My mother needed to liquidate her assets. She had inherited some Vanguard Wellington Fund shares. Since these had been purchased just after the Depression they were issued on physical (long gone) paper documents. I called customer service and no one had any idea how to cash them in without physical proof. After getting bounced around from person to person over several weeks, I ended up speaking with an older secretary who vaguely remembered some kind of work around. However, the last transaction like that in her memory had been done over 30 years before, and she had no way of helping me. The inappropriate (modern) paperwork had been sent several times to that point. Out of desperation, as Mom' s deadline got closer, I wrote Vanguard's CEO. A very kind older gentleman called my home shortly after that. He was a gem. Grandfather-like, he walked me through the process over several weeks, and asked if there was more he could do. It was only at the end I found out he was personal assistant to the CEO.
A hotel gave us a free night since we had less than optimal service.
Great idea! I also practise writing out my worries when they annoy me, they're much easier to control when they're in the writtem form:)
Love all these ideas - especially the apple!
My best customer experience was with American Express. I was moving from DC to Charlottesville for grad school. The movers I hired threatened to leave my belongings in the middle of the street if I didn't pay them $300 immediately. I said I didn't have cash and they said they'd take a card. (How kind of them!) I called Amex, told them the situation, and they said to give them my Amex, keep the receipt, and then I could contest it when it posted. I followed their directions and never paid a dime of that extra fee. I'm a customer for life as a result of that action, and after business school, I worked for Amex for 4 years.
I had a good customer experience buying from CarMax ...pretty painless.
Andrea I'm sorry some people are rude and unhelpful to the situation. Thanks for your article. Not much works for me as I only have a hr or two before it starts coming up and generally by the time I get my hands on the anti viral drugs the horse has bolted. My glad under my neck swells too and the left side of my whole bottom lip swells too. The swelling is the worst part. Not too big a blister. If I don't get it in time the best treatment for me is Advil or other form of ibuprofen, and most definitely the compeed patches. The clear round compeed patches are way better than Zovirax cream as the are stick and stick to the area, providing sustained medication and protection from drying out or further bacteria. They also provide releif by numbing the area a bit and last a few hours even with eating. They have given me more confidence to get up and go to work and attend meetings too. The reduce healing time a lot as they keep it covered and medicated at all times. Great for overnight too. Thank you compeed!
Alcohol almost always works on non-porous surfaces, even let it soak for a minute or so.
However, if your dining table is wood (or other porous surface), maybe GooGone will work. Since wood is porous, wet a rag scrap with GooGone and leave it on the spot for 10 seconds. If no better, no worse, leave the soaked rag over the mark for 10 minutes. And so on... WATCH the surrounding area, however, for darkening that could indicate too much GooGone is being absorbed into the wood.
These 3 can happen one day, the Obama admin. has no idea how vulnerable we are to these 3 conditions!
Nuclear fallout
Electromagnetic pulse (EMP)
Collapse of the economy
To rule out another economic failure with nearly $17 Trillion of debt outstanding is the worst miscalculation of these 3 IMHO!!!
Some banks do, however, have a minimum credit score requirement.
There usually is no minimum credit score needed. Most people who apply for these types of cards have low credit scores to begin with and are trying to create or reestablish their credit history and raise the score.
Excellent list of quality articles for a good read. Thank you, Ashley for including Money Soldiers in this list.
I don't have a gym membership
Me and my wife filed chapter 7 bankruptcy 3 years ago and was discharged, we are going through a divorce. I would like to know how long I could stay in the house if I stop paying on it. the house is still considered in the bankruptcy so it will not hurt me (right?) the credit bureaus do not show it on my credit, and when can i repurchase another home? If I try to purchase another home now will I be able to if the BK has been discharged for 3 years now? I could use the money I am paying on my house now to pay off other bills.
My tip is to stay single and don't have kids, LOL.
I do not have a gym membership right now, but I am seriously considering getting one with my husband, as we have been doing well with a healthier new year, and a gym near our house has a good price and no cancellation fee, so if we don't get value out of it, we can cancel.
Great tips. We've had a Sharpie mark on the dining table that I can't get rid of. I have tried rubbing alcohol, as well as all sorts of other cleaners. I'm resigned to the mark being there until someone (me?) gets around to refinishing the table.
I like Stephen King's advice the best. You just have to keep at it even when you're feeling completely uninspired. Thanks for this bump in motivation!
My biggest productivity tip is keeping lists and making sure to make steady progress checking things off of them. I get so much more done that way than if I try to keep everything organized in my head.
I don't. I go for running or play tennis as my workout regimen
Decent tips except that one should be judicious in reposting. There are MANY who abuse the privilege and clog Craigslist with repeat ads. If an item doesn't sell after a few reposts, reduce your price or accept that your item won't sell and remove it as a courtesy to others. If you don't, it becomes fairly easy to know you're the person posting again and again, which leads to instant flagging and/or disregard.
A number of such abusive Craigslisters have become laughing stocks in a couple of cities where I've lived and used the site. Be honest with yourself regarding item value, local market size (Craigslist Chicago is going to bring greater possibility of a sale than Evansville, Indiana or similar, generally speaking) and item value. Also, more often than not you will NOT be able to get Ebay going rate because the audience size and needs are quite different.
I don't have an actual gym membership, but I do pay for CrossFit classes at a local CrossFit box. I feel that it's more worthwhile to me than a gym membership which I'd get bored of, have no direction, and probably would stop using pretty quickly.
Living in a tiny NYC apartment has helped me embrace minimalism. Every material item is something else I have to maintain and clean. I've come to find experiences are much more rewarding than things.
No I dont currently have one.
I don't have a gym membership, because I own a horse that I ride several days a week. Grooming and riding can be great exercise, not to mention I also do barefoot hoof trims. If the gym were only a mile away and cost $20 a month and had unlimited classes, I would consider it.