The Friday Financial and Health Follies (FFHF) summarize the important (or just fun) financial and health issues of the week.
- Share the humor of the funny
- Make fun of the stupid.
- Highlight and explain new financial and health news-so you don’t miss it!
Friday Financial Follies
This week has been filled with meetings….I’ve had breakfast meetings, dinner meetings, lunch meetings, and meetings before dinner. One, no two of those meetings were actually beneficial.
Alas, the rest were not productive.
Meeting, On the slopes???
Why?
Why are so many meetings good for only the surreptitious checking of emails and making a few blog comments/tweets with your iPhone palmed under the table?
(I’m the only one guilty of that right???)
Many meetings are just a traditional time for sharing. I would rather get a summary in my email box rather than have a meeting.
There are many times though, that a face to face is required to measure the true position of your meeting partners. An email can’t read body language. It can’t always detect sarcasm and can sometimes misread snarky humor (which I love) for a belittling bully (which I truly dislike).
Those determinations are easy when you’re face to face.
Some are born to be boors, whether in person or by email.
I do my best to avoid those folks. The older I get, the easier it is for me to just say no to folks I don’t want to work with, meet or greet with.
Avoiding the obnoxious is a talent I would encourage all of you to hone to a razor’s edge. You don’t have to be ugly, just apologize and say “Sorry I can’t.” No explanation required. The fewer words you use, the less time you have to put that big foot of yours in your mouth…
Let’s get started with Friday Follies before I’m accused of “having a meeting” and wasting your valuable time!
Financial follies
美元贬值 ( Yes that reads: The Decline of the Dollar)
The decline of the dollar in world wide business circles has increased the importance of Mandarin Chinese. Could this be the language of the business world of the future? How rusty is your Mandarin? Will international MBA language change to Chinese?
No Longer Just a Carefree Pet
That’s right. Chia pets were all the craze in the 80′s and 90′s. Now its Chia seeds that are all the craze due to their high concentration of Omega 3 fatty acid. Get in on the ground floor of the latest boom in dietary fads. Seen a Chia farm lately?
Which is it? My body or my antibody?
Some men just have it. They’ve got a body that makes a woman drool. New research suggests its a dude’s ‘antibodies’ that pique a girls lust, not a his ‘body’. Go figure! I guess I’m 0 for 2.
Danger lurks.
Bathrooms are dangerous places, OK, got that: slips and falls. Didn’t know they were talking about toothbrushes, did ya? Chipped teeth, facial injuries. No. Really? Read this FDA warning.
Liquid Pawn Stars
Must have missed this episode on Pawn Stars. Beverly Hills pawners bringing in their fine wines, by the case, to raise a little cash. When you say ‘fine wine’, does that include my fine boxed wine? By the case?
Late Flu Season
Latest flu season in 3 decades. I was just telling a patient this week, we’ve seen almost no flu this year. I’m dreading next year, payback will be hell.
Fake Chemotherapy
In the “it had to happen sometime” category, we’ve had counterfeit chemotherapy drugs confirmed in the USA. Sad, Sad, Sad…
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Wearing a Nurses’ Cap?
A Swedish hospital released an ad seeking ER nurses who were TV series ‘HOT‘. Head nurse Elisabeth Gauffin defended the ad as just a way to stand out. As of this writing, there had been no hot or otherwise, applications. TV series HOT? WTHWTT? (Yep, I’m getting good with those twitter shortcuts…)
Mutual Fund’s Founder
79% of Large Cap Mutual funds lagged the S&P 500 last year, a multi-decade high in stock picking futility….It’s also the fees, fees, fees.
Personal Finance And Other Good Reads:
The College Investor has an introduction on peer to peer lending. No, not your brother-in-law or co-worker that you know will never pay you back….but a real investment with returns and everything.
Getting a job through social media is discussed at One Cent At A Time. Interesting stuff.
A Sallie Mae horror story is at FSYA. LaTisha shares her own personal story of student loan debts, a story way too common. If you are in or about to go to college, or going to have kids in college soon, READ THIS NOW! Before it’s too late…
Damn, another post that will tug at your heart strings….Andrea at SoOverDebt shares consequences of poor financial decisions.
Len Penzo screws with the food pyramid with 4 unconventional but frugal eating joints. Ugh, Ikea, Ugh, Ikea, Ugh, Ikea….(that was fun to write-actually I’ve never been, but I’m not really tempted…)
Donna Freedman who blogs at Surviving and Thriving and one of my favorite writers has a new gig with MSM Money called Frugal Cool. Check it out-it’s pretty frugal cool!
Giveaways:
iPod Shuffle at the Black Freelancer.
Extra Money Blog is giving away a bunch of stuff, including $1500 in cash moola.
Sams Club promotion is explained at Maximizing Money.
Frugality is Free is giving away a WalMart card.
Gal Time is giving away beautiful blue nile earrings, did I say they were gorgeous? I think they may match my blue scrubs, too bad my ears aren’t pierced…
Special Thanks Department!
A special thanks and shout out goes to Jai Catalano, a dancer, photographer, videographer, but most importantly a Father and Husband who featured me in his blog this week. And I didn’t have to pay him… Damn what a headshot….Thanks Jai!
Carnivals for your reading pleasure:
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie
Lifestyle Carnival First Edition
Carnival of Financial Camaraderie
Carnival of Financial Planning #224
Fast Swings Stock Carnival Ecstasy
One Family’s Blog Carnival: Road to Financial Independence
Oh, don’t forget to check out the second installment of Average Joe’s above average series on managing your money. I almost forgot him…. what’s gotten into me??? Your pay check direct deposited into your Savings Account. Interesting, and worth trying.
Thanks for reading, I do appreciate your time. When you wanna meet?
{photo credit: joeschlabotnik c.c.}
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Tags: financial and health news of the week, financial follies, important financial news this week, this weeks financial news
Thanks for including my article Dr.
Thanks for the mention!
Ha! I’m sure everyone is RELIEVED you didn’t forget my little blog this week. Crisis averted. Thanks!
I like the pic on Jai’s site. You’re a very handsome dude. Other snarky comments allude me here because I think it’s such a cool gesture.
On meetings: I used to have to attend roughly 15 meetings a week. I became an expert at both the nonchalant phone/twitter check and in giving feedback about ways we can have more productive meetings. Sounds like I’ve met my match.
On toothbrushes: I got a good laugh, even though I know that the attack of the Crest Spinbrush is nothing to joke about. I’ve trained my Oral B brush to be more docile.
Hey it was a great gesture on Jai’s part. And Snarky, You???
And there is always a reason to go with the old fashioned non-mechanical devises in a lot of areas…
Sorry I missed this comment earlier…
I just called Sallie May yesterday…off to check out FSYA now!
I used to work in the public sector and large corporations. I always remember the meetings to be boring and irrelevant, but sometimes you had to be there. Now in a small business, meetings are concise and to the point. No time to be wasted!
Great Summary of blogs – hope to make your cut one week!
Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Glad your meetings are efficient. Though how do you check your email if they are that concise?
Keep at it, you write well.
You are more than welcome. From the great response on my blog you really deserve all the greatness.
Thanks for the mention this week Dr. Dean!