We had a gourmet birthday lunch for the boss this week and my colleague (an amazing baker) whipped up a scrumptious flourless chocolate cake. After the party, she confessed to me that the chocolate alone cost $45. Oh man!!! It’s easy to overspend during the holiday season, when were all trying to give that awesome gift or dish. Here are a few ways to avoid wow them without overspending:
• Planning ahead. Going to stop by the store on your way to the party? Don’t do it! Shopping last-minute is a recipe for trouble. Those prepared foods and pre-chopped veggie trays call your name—and cost you. • Knowing your budget.
If you can only afford to spend $10 on your dish, head to the store with ten bucks and your shopping list. Flourless chocolate cake may be out, but what about a nice vanilla cake or pumpkin pie instead? Boom. • Perusing recipes. Thank goodness for recipes.com. I love looking online for ideas—from soups to cakes. The trick is co
Read more…
“How much does probate cost?” That question is hard to answer. More and more attorneys charge a fixed fee for work they perform, but you can really only do that if you know how long the work will take. For instance, I charge a fixed fee for estate planning — because I have been practicing for almost 15 years, and I can predict pretty accurately how many hours it will take for me to draft your documents and implement your plan.
Probate? That’s court stuff, potentially involving other parties, and court + other parties = uncertainty. I can tell you what it will cost if there are no hiccups, but most attorneys (myself included) will not guarantee a certain price regardless of the time spent. I do charge a fixed fee to open a probate estate, but once it’s open, all bets are off — anything can happen (claims, Will contests, fights over the actions of the personal representative, etc.).
Another option would be for the attorney (or the personal representative) to charge a fee based on the size of the estate in question — let’s say, 3%.
Read more…
About a month after we file your bankruptcy papers, we go with you to your bankruptcy hearing. The U S Trustees office here in Alexandria, Virginia schedules fourteen hearings an hour. For many people, the bankruptcy hearing takes three minutes or less.
You want to be one of the people who is in and out in under three minutes.
Karen, from Woodbridge, says “You could tell the trustee at the meeting of creditors had alot of respect for Mr Weed and his associates.”
There are three different ways you can get in trouble at your bankruptcy hearing. You want to avoid all three.
First, your creditors can come and ask questions, getting ready to object. (Yo
Read more…
This is not the same as pay your debt regularly until it vanishes. They want you to remain indebted permanently but repaying them in a timely manner. If you are debt free you may not be judged to be a advantageous credit risk. This is the state that underage children and young adults find themselves whenever they attempt to fail-safe a credit card. Simply stated, advantageous credit doesnt mean what it did just fourteen years ago. The protections afforded the consumer since the Depression of 1929 no longer exist.
The Financial Laws passed through Congress in 1992 allowed banks, insurance companies (especially health insurance companies) investment firms to handle banking, insurance and investment operations. Laws passed after 1929 had prevented banks from insurance and direct stock exchange trading, likewise insurance companies could not pursue banking operations or stock exchange nor could stock exchange companies pursue insurance or banking operations.
Read more…
Transparency International has just published its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. The results are here. Switzerland ranks at number 8, placing it amongst the least corrupt countries in the world.
Click here for an alternative perspective on corruption which ranks Switzerland at #1 – at the other end of the spectrum. TJN’s 2011 ranking, which does not rely on the “perceptions” of businesses and business-funded think-tanks, tells a very, very different story about the supply side of corruption services. Read more here.