A Frightening and Important Lesson

I had an identify theft scare this week that really put me on my toes. As it turns out, it was just a scare, with a little card # theft for dessert.

As has been my lot of late, I was in Georgia on business for the week. On Wednesday morning, when I went online to balance my account (if you've read my book you know I do that every day), I noticed an unusual charge. It was for $29.95. The amount was innocuous enough, but I didn't recognize it nor the company name associated with it. The name sounded like a Sports Bar or an online betting name, so I decided to google it. Turns out, it was a porn company. Needless to say, I immediately contacted the bank and got the charge removed. I canceled my debit card and ordered a new one.

A few things about the incident really jumped out at me that I want to pass on. First, my experience shows that things like this can happen to anyone. That's why it's important to check your accounts regularly and to check your credit report annually. It's free, so there's no excuse. Secondly, I was surprised at the stereotypical nature of the fraudulent charge. The person used my card number to order PORN. How very unimaginative!

The third item of note, was how unsurprised the customer service agent was when I told her my story. I was, like, out of my mind with panic and outrage. I was afraid charges were going to start popping up like dandelions in the Spring. But the dear lady said, "Don't worry, it happens all the time." All the time? Holy Smokes!

Debit cards are convenient and useful. But they have their risks. Cards can be lost or stolen. Numbers can be retrieved from trash cans and computers. It is critical that we pay attention to where and how we use our cards and how we dispose of receipts. Remember to do computer virus and spyware scans regularly, as well.

In the end, I only had the one charge come through and I caught it within a few hours of the charge, while it was still a pending transaction so no real harm was done, other than to my adrenal system. Be warned. Be vigilant. Be prepared.

Just Some Musings

I saw an article on Yahoo Money earlier this week that said if your household income if $40k you are in the top 50% of the country. That's a pretty impressive number on many fronts. First, it demonstrates why things like high gas and oil prices affect things like the retail sector so badly. When half the country has to choose between heating their homes, getting to and from work/school and buying things like movies, music or toys, there is going to be a loser.

We have to break our dependence on foreign oil. It won't be cheaper at first, but we'll be better off in the long run. Besides, the nations we buy oil from, hate us. They want us to die. What is the upside in that business relationship?

I am a firm believer in bio fuels. I have read the pros, I have read the cons and the pros outweigh the cons in my book. 1. We have a renewable resource. 2. Bio fuels are fairly easy to produce. 3. Farming becomes viable again. Especially in places like the tobacco belt where farmers who can no longer subsist on tobacco can switch to things like soy beans, corn and hemp.

Brazil in an excellent example of a country who understands the issue. They have bio fuel plants everywhere and I believe there are bio fuel pumps at gas stations all over the country. They haven't eliminated the need for petroleum and fossil fuels, but they are reducing the need. That's where we start.

Now, I'm really going to get controversial. If we want to actually reduce heating and energy costs in the long run, we need to look at nuclear energy. This is the 21st century. Nuclear energy is not new, it's not science fiction and it's not going to turn us all into mutants. It's clean, it's safe, it's effective and it's cheap in the long run. France gets most of it's energy from nuclear powered sources.

I know I sound conflicted by promoting both Bio and Nuclear fuels. But I'm not conflicted. I'm a pragmatist. I'm all about making the best choices for the present and for the future.

And don't even get me started about medical costs..............

The Great Starter Kit Give Away

As a way of saying thank you to readers for offering testimonials about IOU NO MORE, we will be giving away 3 Starter Kits at the end of November. The Kits include the notebook, mechanical pencil, one paper set of IOU NO MORE forms, one IOU NO MORE FORMS LIBRARY cd with all our forms in both customizable and .pdf formats and one envelope/receipt folder.

To be eligible, simply submit a testimonial (review) of the book on Amazon.com and email a copy of the testimonial to info@iounomore.com. Use the word, 'Testimonial' in the heading. Please include your name in the email. You don't need to include a mailing address. We respect your privacy. On Nov 30, we will draw three names randomly from the entries. At that time, we'll announce the names of the winners and we will ask only those individuals drawn to send us addresses where we can mail the Kits. If you haven't read the book yet, this would be a great month to join the revolution!

Mixed Results

Needless to say, as the author of IOU NO MORE, I follow the results of book sales pretty closely. Some weeks I am very encouraged by the results, other weeks are disappointing. Of course, since we don't have national marketing or anything those kinds of ups and downs are too be expected. On the up side, those who buy the book have had good things to say. I've received many positive comments. I am pleased that people are being helped.

The website continues to generated large volumes of hits and I get many requests for the free spending plan. I love hearing from folks so please keep the notes and questions coming.

If your Church, civic group, workplace, school or other organization is looking for a workshop or seminar on handling debt or money management, please consider an IOU NO MORE Live Event. Spread the word.

Momentum is building

From the moment IOU NO MORE was published and this web log was launched, we have said that our intent is to start a revolution. A "Live Free" revolution. And I'm happy to say that momentum is beginning to build. Every day I hear from men and women who have had enough and want to take back control of their finances and their futures.

On one hand, it's sad that so many people are straining under the yoke of debt and financial mismanagement. But, that's the past. We've all made mistakes. No one knows that more than I do. I am encouraged by the number of people who are ready to break the chains and live free.

With that in mind, we at IOU NO MORE are working to put together a discussion board where fellow revolutionaries can meet together to support one another, ask questions, share tips, confess and just talk. So stay tuned, it's coming very soon.

Maxed Out

Last night, Brittan and I watched the docu-movie, "Maxed Out". I am told that the DVD has been one of NexFlix hottest rentals of late. I'm glad to hear that. Everyone should see it.

There were times, when the films left leaning bias frustrated me. For example, the only references in the program to personal responsibility as it relates to getting into debt, come from the smarmy managers of the Debt Collection agency. I find that unfortunate and believe it makes the whole documentary unbalanced.

On the other hand, the film makers do an excellent job of demonstrating the underbelly of the Credit Card industry and the devastating effects on the lives and families who find themselves buried in unsecured debt of various kinds.

Especially poignant are the stories of grieving families whose loved ones concluded that suicide was the only viable escape from their debt crises. These were interlaced with tragic tales of individuals and families who fell prey to unscrupulous sub prime lenders.

Pretty much all the major banks were portrayed as greedy, power broking evil doers who pretty much own Washington and get whatever they want. I doubt that Colombian drug lords could be painted in a more sinister light.

In the end, despite it's biases skewed viewpoints, one clear message comes through; credit card debt is BAD! Perhaps an upside of characterizing Bankers as purveyors of addiction, will be that we will learn to respond to the myriad offers of cards and loans the same way we teach our children to respond to the offers of drugs they hear and "Just say NO!"

See the movie. Watch it with your "baloney detector" turned on. And hopefully, when you're done, some plastic will be executed. I have some scissors if you need them.

Holy Cow, Where does the time go?

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last made an entry for this blog. Any readers probably think I've died. Or emigrated to Australia....

I've been very busy with work, our Church and a few other projects and didn't even notice how badly this spot has been neglected.

When you think about it, our finances get away from us in almost the exact same way. We get busy, don't pay attention and before you know it, the check book is a mess, bills are late and credit cards are at the max.

We have to stay on top of our money all the time, or it will run amok like an escaped zoo animal. It is a restless beast, ready to break free and devour us if given half a chance. But with vigilance and commitment, our finances can be tamed and even trained to do our bidding and give us pleasure.