Financial Reflections

Personal Finance for those stuck in the middle.

Archive for March, 2006

Contractor Rules: Rule Two

By coglethorpe • Mar 20th, 2006 • Category: Jobs

The second entry in my rules comes straight from today’s headlines.  Dell computers announced that it’s going to double it’s staff in India.  Outsourcing is a topic that’s been in the headlines for some time now and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon.  However, outsourcing is only one part of the rule.

Which, of course, leads [...]



Why Measuring Financial Progress is so Important

By coglethorpe • Mar 19th, 2006 • Category: Net Worth

Bob Parsons built two businesses from the ground up.   And I’m not talking about small businesses either.  His first business sold for $64 million and the second runs ads during the Super Bowl.  So when he wrote an article telling why measuring financial progress is so important, I took notice.



Credit Card Update: One More Gone

By coglethorpe • Mar 17th, 2006 • Category: Debt

The assault on my debt continues…



The Contractor Rules: Rule One

By coglethorpe • Mar 14th, 2006 • Category: Jobs

Working on contract has presented me with a wide variety of opportunities.  I’ve been privileged to work for some of the largest companies in the world, and even work for a start up or two.  I’ve noticed themes that have run though all my employers, from the world-wide corporations, to the fledgling companies.  My observations have formed [...]



Fax Stock Pick Update

By coglethorpe • Mar 13th, 2006 • Category: Investing

In a previous entry, I decided to purchase a stock pick that was sent to my fax machine at work.  I only did the purchase on paper, not laying any actual money on what I was pretty sure was a dubious stock to start with.  Here’s how things have gone now that over a month has [...]



How to Overcome Financial Setbacks

By coglethorpe • Mar 12th, 2006 • Category: Net Worth

I haven’t posted in the past week for a few different reasons.  One of them is a minor setback I had financially.  This time, it wasn’t due to a job loss, medical bills or the usual financial setbacks people have to overcome.  What I had was the kind of financial problem that got me into [...]



Refund Anticipation Loans

By coglethorpe • Mar 6th, 2006 • Category: taxes

As I posted earlier, I’ve already filed my taxes. Total time from filing to refund? Two weeks. With that in mind, I’m constantly amazed at the number of people who take out refund anticipation loans.