It’s been over a year since I wrote anything substantial.  I feel the need for change.

Perhaps it’s the crisp chilly winter which propels me to become more introspective.  I’m not sure.  Whatever the case, it’s time to write again.

I’ve been watching my wife become a dedicated and talented blogger in her own right over the past year. It’s inspiring, to say the least.  Of all people, she has less time than most – taking care of our freshly minted son, our home, and my own stressed out body and mind when I return to our sanctuary of a home from the less-than-stellar day or week on the job.

As our business continues to grow (doubled growth), I continue to find ways of pressuring myself into letting go. It’s a difficult chore, but worthwhile when it works.  This coming year will only be different in that I plan to push myself harder than I’ve ever gone before.  My business partner and I plan to take a real vacation next December – the entire month.  Not only that, but we plan on doubling this year’s growth, again, but this time in 11 months instead of 12.  We plan on hiring no more than one additional person to manage this new load too, if we have to.  So, it’s going to be an interesting ride in 2012.

I don’t pride myself on being busy, as I had in the past.  In fact, I consider it a failure.  If I’m busy, that means I’m probably taking on too much responsibility that someone else should be doing.  And if nobody else can do that job, then I’ve pushed us into the wrong business.

So, this coming year will be defined in how efficient I/we can be.

This overarching goal is why I’ve started writing again.  Mainly, because 2011 was the year of working hard, excruciatingly pushing everything without breaking it, and not saying no.  It was all about doing, and less about thinking.  I had a plan. I just needed to work it.

That was 2011.  It was exciting and exhausting.

After writing the previous post in Nov 2010, I also decided I didn’t want my (often divisive) opinions to be out there in the world.  I’m not sure why, but I pulled back quite a bit.  Perhaps out of fear (which is a rare feeling for me) of retribution or hurtful words which seem to be easy to throw around and are common on the web.  Whatever the reason, though, I didn’t want to share.

This year, I’m going to try to write more insightful, thought provoking posts about the things I care most about.  I hope by writing more I can consider my arguments in more depth, study and research more, and consider other valuable points and perceptions.  I hope it’s even self-inspirational – prodding me to a more full life, with more meaning behind it than to chase the almighty dollar.

And in the end, I actually hope that I could be so bold as to do the same for you.

Enjoy your holidays, friends.  Cheers.

Really?

I heartily disagree. I seriously doubt there is an actual plan to get people not to vote.

Perhaps the politicians are not the winners in the advertising race, but I don’t think that means the politicians would rather have less people voting. There’s no benefit for them in such a result.

However, one thing I do agree with Seth on is that “It doesn’t make you responsible for the outcome”. But, isn’t that what we want? And isn’t it wrong to have authority without responsibility or vice-versa?

When someone has authority to make decisions yet believe they should take no responsibility for the impact of those decisions, we put those people in jail after they break the law. Conversely, having responsibility with no authority makes for a disgustingly irate individual who is responsible for an outcome they can’t control. Both of these cases are wrong.

In voting, we have a few problems.

We believe we have the authority to put someone into office who can do what we want. I believe it’s not really “power” (as some people call it) if we can’t also remove the person if they’re not performing up to the standard they won the election on (promises). If we vote someone in, and they fail us while having no consequences for doing so (ie, we don’t have the responsibility for the outcome), what’s the point of the vote in the first place? And who cares if they don’t last another term. They have a full four years (in most cases) to screw up as much as they want.

And if that’s the case, why vote anyway?

People lie, cheat and steal. We have consequences for those people. When I don’t fulfill an obligation to a client, I have a fiduciary connection to them, so I probably owe them money. When someone steals from you, we put those people in jail.

But, when we put our trust in someone to reflect what we believe (or at least do what they said they’d do while on the campaign trail), and they don’t do it, even though we’re paying them to do so, there’s no consequences. None.

So, why should I vote again?

Should I believe that I have a duty to someone to do so? No. It’s not constitutional to force me to vote.

Should I believe that putting the least “evil” into power is better than the only alternative, which is not to vote at all? No. There is no power in giving someone else power when they have no accountability for their actions.

Should I believe that simply because it’s “free [and] fairly fast” that I should do it? Of course not. There are plenty of things I could do that are free and fairly fast which I should not do.

And should I vote so that I get the “right” to complain? Nope, I get the freedom to complain all I want, regardless of whether I participated in a system which seems fundamentally broken and ineffective. That, friend, is protected by my constitutional right to freedom of speech.

The system isn’t hijacked when people don’t vote. It’s hijacked when people don’t do what the voters asked for. It’s hijacked when there’s no accountability, no repercussions, no consequences, no law for a reduction in ethics upon which our country and fabric of society is built on. The reciprocity effect is broken in (federal) politics.

That’s why I don’t vote.

And I believe, it’s one big reason which explains why many voters are disenfranchised with the process as well. The media was pivotal in showing exactly how and when politicians did things they said they wouldn’t, and didn’t do things they said they would. If I’m not responsible for the outcome, how can you blame me for not voting at all? I have just as much of an effect on the outcome as those who voted. None.

Making it fifty years married is pretty amazing. Most people haven’t even lived that long. So, what do you get the couple who’s probably lived together for more years than we’ve been alive? Here’s a few relatively unique ideas for you.

Love the 50th time around

• Family coat of arms plaque, engraved photo album, or family tree chart
• Twisted candlesticks
• Family tree photo frame
• A last minute cruise
• Turn their wedding photo into a big wrapped canvas photo art
• Restaurant gift certificates, since they might not cook for themselves much or would enjoy a night out
• A poem written by one of the children and recited for the anniversary party

Many couples don’t even want gifts at all. Give a gift of your time and help. Make up “Gift of Time” or “Labor of Love” coupons to take them out to their favorite restaurant, make them a home-cooked meal, chauffeur them on a shopping trip, run errands for them, take them to a show or movie, have a local landscaping company take care of their property, have their home repainted. Find out what will make a difference in the quality of their life.

Your love and attention will be the most appreciated 50th wedding anniversary gift you can give your parents or a couple. Make the time for those you love!

Whew… even writing this article was difficult. There’s obviously a lack of creative gifts for 50th anniversaries. I hope this list helps just a little more. Good luck! And congratulate the amazing couple for their long-lasting love for each other! :)

If you have any more ideas, please feel free to add them in the comments.

1. The management paradox

The first issue I’m calling the management paradox. When we start a project, however big or small, we’re excited about the possibilities, the way it’s going to solve a problem and better our or other’s lives. It’s exciting.

What we don’t think of is what happens if it gets popular. Do we open source it? Do we let others contribute to make it better? Do we try to monetize it and make it our new company or job?

There’s a level of minutia that we don’t have to think about when we start projects until a tribe adopts it. Once that happens, we have a new problem – management.

2. Focus vs Spaghetti

This one seems rather easy to digest, but I’m going to mention it anyway. There are benefits to being unfocused at times. Creativity flows and dot connecting becomes easy. We start seeing relationships between things we hadn’t seen in the past. We start coming up with new ideas. It’s a great time.

But it has it’s problems too.

Building solution that comes to mind is fun. But doing something for 10 hours rather than 10,000 hours makes us a jack of all trades and a master of none. Our ability to push through the dip and get our projects some attention. Throwing spaghetti against the wall is definitely fun. Seeing if something sticks is fun. But if it does stick, it would be a good idea to be prepared to open the doors for others to see your masterpiece.

Conclusion

So I’m still all for projects. But, I’m also for measuring to indicate if you’ve hit success, and when you do, picking it up and running like mad. Just be forewarned about the pitfalls of projects too.

Split test your projects, take the ones that are working and focus on making them better.

I received my undergrad business degree from a state university, and it’s served me well so far. Of course, I’m an entrepreneur, and that’s just not for everyone. Regardless, going to business school opens doors, both for networking (it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, right?) and for the education itself. It also leads to a bigger pay check if you’re interested in sticking it out in the corporate world. Here’s a few concentrations you could think of checking out. And if you’re even more interested, here are the top 20 business schools of 2010 and an article about a tuition-free college offering business school-level education as well.

Undergraduate Business Majors

Accounting

It’s one of the best jobs in North America in terms of stress level (low), compensation (high) and career placement after graduation (fast). It’s a system by which economic information is identified, recorded, summarized and reported for the use of decision makers.

If you are considering a career in accounting, you should have an aptitude for mathematics and be able to analyze, compare, and interpret facts and figures quickly. You must then be able to clearly communicate your results to clients and managers. The two newest study areas in accounting degrees are ethics and computer science. High standards of integrity are important in accounting.

Business Management

The Business Management Associate Degree enables you to acquire a broad understanding of all functional areas of a typical business (accounting, finance, human resources, production, information systems, and marketing) operating in today’s dynamic environment.

If you are already employed in a management discipline, this program will help you prepare for advancement. If you are preparing yourself for entry into the business management field, this program will help you prepare for entry into a first-line management position, such as assistant manager, supervisor, office manager, group leader, or project manager; in areas of advertising, benefits administration, finance, human resources, insurance, retailing, transportation, wholesaling, and communication.

Entrepreneurship

The business world has seen many changes of late. More people are starting entrepreneurial or small business ventures every year. Women are now the fastest-growing segment of new business owners. And an entrepreneurial spirit is increasingly valued by many larger organizations that encourage managers to “take ownership” of their responsibilities. Small firms can work faster, with more flexibility, and take more chances than the large retail corporations. Some entrepreneurs use their unique talents for “getting the ball rolling” by selling their companies and then going on to start new ones. And as the market opens up, competition gets fiercer. Many aspiring entrepreneurs take online college courses in business to stay ahead of the game.

Finance

Perhaps the most socially-progressive trend in finance recently has been the marked increase of women in the profession. The industry has historically been—and is largely still—predominately male, but women are beginning to fill all levels of company organizational charts. An article in the June 2007 issues of CFO Magazine titled “Gap Analysis” reports that “women CFOs in the Fortune 500 has risen steadily, from 24 in 2001 to 38 [in 2007],” and that women currently represent 16 percent of the controller and treasurer positions in these companies. Despite this progress, however, the finance industry has a long way to go to lose its old boys’ club image; initiatives such as business school diversity programs are rising to the occasion and helping the industry become a more welcoming place for women.

Marketing

The field of marketing, as well as marketing careers, is poised on the cusp of change, using a combination of new and old techniques and theories to understand and appeal to the mind of consumers, who are themselves constantly evolving. The more marketing channels that come into play—from social networking to flyers posted at local Starbucks—the more the field itself grows and the more creative, analytical, go-getters the marketing world needs.

Graduate School Degrees

Finance

This field includes areas such as capital markets, corporate finance, commercial banking, hedge funds, sales and trading, financial planning, investment banking and private equity. Whether you see yourself trading stocks on the floor of the NYSE or helping individuals plan their financial futures, whether on Wall Street or in your hometown, finance may be the concentration for you and is a fundamental part of every business education as well as a concentration.

Accounting

Graduate programs in Business Accounting & Financial Engineering/Mathematics prepare students who wish to explore quantitative and computation finance in order to help businesses forecast financial situations and make wise financial decisions. Graduates with a masters (MS) or PhD degree in business accounting and financial engineering may become accountants, taxation specialists, chief financial officers and more.

Marketing

Marketing involves performing those activities that facilitate the exchange process. Basic to performing the marketing function is an ability to assess marketing opportunities and to plan and execute strategies using instruments that are under the marketing manager’s control. The portfolio of marketing courses included in the curriculum of the Department of Marketing are devised to provide students with the insights needed to identify marketing opportunities, develop appropriate marketing strategies, and put them into action. Some courses develop the skills that are useful to students in their first jobs after graduation. Other courses provide the analytical skills needed to make long-term vocational progress. Successful completion of the PhD typically requires a commitment of four to five years, including residency of six quarters beyond the master’s degree or nine quarters beyond the bachelor’s.

Global / International / Multinational Management

his degree program is designed to help students develop the management skills required to function effectively within non-profit organizations, private businesses, and public agencies. The master’s program in international management concentrates on managing human and fiscal resources within the culture, structure, and mission of any business organization. Course curriculum addresses executive management issues, human resources management, strategic planning, conflict management, managing technology, managing change, financial management, and marketing management.

Human Resource Management

Human Resources graduate programs involve the management of human capital in businesses or organizations, and aims to attract and retain a qualified workforce. Those who earn masters or PhD degrees in human resources can become executive recruiters, benefits administrators, industrial relations analysts, union organizers and more.

Operations Management / Information Systems

A master’s degree in Operations Management will give professionals the marketing edge they need to obtain executive positions in today’s competitive environment. Classwork such as accounting, business management, negotiations, purchasing can make graduates very appealing to employers who are in need of professionals with a variety of administrative skills.

Risk Management / Insurance

The insurance industry has careers available for employees with a variety of educational and professional backgrounds. Insurance salespeople solicit new clients and attempt to fulfill their insurance needs. Insurance auditors review claims and policies in an attempt to protect both policy holders and insurance companies from wrongdoing. Many government agencies oversee the insurance industry and are experienced in the legal issues relating to insurance companies and policy holders. Most insurance careers require a bachelor’s or associate’s degree in Business, Economics, Finance or related fields. Some careers may also be attained by earning a professional certification in Insurance or completing more specific career training programs.

Health Care / Pharmaceutical Management

Health care administrative services professionals use their traditional business skills coupled with health care specific knowledge to increase efficiency, profitability and overall quality of health care facilities. Private doctor’s offices, public hospitals, nursing homes, specialized clinics, out-patient treatment centers and other similar facilities require these administrative services professionals. Job titles may include medical assistant, medical records clerk, office manager, hospital administrator and insurance coder/analyst among others. These positions offering a challenging and rewarding alternative to white collar employees interested in applying their business skills in a new industry.

Real Estate

There are a variety of challenging careers available in the real estate industry. Real estate finance, sales and appraisal professionals each have important responsibilities. Finance professionals help find financing for home buyers and connect lenders, like banks, with those looking to borrow money. Real estate salespeople become experts in the properties in their region, helping buyers to find the home, office or other building of their dreams. Real estate appraisers review structures for damage and other factors that can affect their sale price and overall value. Careers in real estate generally require an associate’s or bachelor’s degree, in addition to professional certification or state licensure.

Entrepreneurship / Entrepreneurial Management

For students interested in starting their own business, an Entrepreneurial Studies degree program can provide the knowledge and experience necessary to succeed. Associate’s, bachelor’s and master’s degrees are all available, depending on the university. In these programs, students receive a broad business education that will help them build a business from the ground up. Subjects covered in class include venture capital and financing, tax laws, management, communications, advertising, marketing and success in small business. Entrepreneurial Studies degree programs also allow students to connect with other entrepreneurs that may lead to valuable business connections after graduation.

Business Degrees and the Recession

When there is a sharp down turn in the economy guess what goes up? Applications to business schools, says James Stevens, assistant dean at the UC Davis Graduate School of Management.

This, friends, is one amazing iPod docking station with speakers. It uses tube amplification, which is pretty old-school, but I absolutely love the merger between old and new.

iPod Tube Speakers from Dice (iTPA-220)

I mentioned something like it from Hammacher Schlemmer way back in the day, but that bad boy costs $4k. I’m way more apt to spend the money on that Dice system above considering it’s about the price of a used iPhone right now. That’s good stuff right there.

ePhoto: WordPress Photo Gallery Theme

This is by far one of the more beautiful themes I’ve seen.  That being so, it’s not free.  But at $19.95, it’s cheaper than most other themes I’ve seen, even non-photo related.  The nice part about purchasing a theme (like this one) is the support that comes along with it.  For those of you who are new to using WordPress and custom themes and plugins, support can be a major time-saver.

Anyway, the theme itself is very well done.  It shows off your beautiful photography with a nifty photo slider at the top.

You can find this one at Elegant Themes.

Next Gen Gallery: WordPress Photo Gallery Plugin

NextGen Photo Gallery Plugin

The NextGen WordPress Plugin is one amazing plugin.  This one is free, and it’s been downloaded over a million times.  The screenshot doesn’t do it justice as it works with just about any theme you use.  It’s highly configurable and includes a few things to make it pretty like rounded corners, mirrored effects for your photos, and lightbox effects.  This one is worth checking out if you already have a theme you like an just want to integrate a new way to display your photos.

You can find this plugin at the WordPress Codex.

Black Canvas: WordPress Photo Gallery Theme

StudioPress created this beautiful Pro Theme called Black Canvas. It, similar to ePhoto, is designed with the professional photographer in mind.  This theme highlights one photo on the front page with a subset of photos below it.  It includes an RSS feed, your company information in the footer, thumbnail photos, and the ability to track statistics using Google Analytics.  This one also includes lifetime support from Studio Press and some tutorials on how to configure it.

You can find this photography theme at StudioPress.

PhotoBlog: WPZOOM

I found this one after I had already written the post, but I think it’s pretty decent looking too. This theme also includes a slideshow, but also has a “favorites” feature, which looks pretty good. It also has links to social media sites and a few different types of themes inside one. Also, WPZOOM has a few widgets that they produced themselves and include in all their themes. Last but not least, this photo blog theme has auto-cropping and gravatar support.

You can find PhotoBlog over at WPZOOM.

More?

I just took a few minutes to look around and see if I could find some good photo themes and plugins. These are the best I came up with, but if you know others that I should have here, please say so in the comments.

Update: I did just fine a whole slew of good looking themes at Theme Forest. I’ve used a few themes from them and I generally find them very good. I highly recommend them for great prices on very professional themes.

Happy photo-blogging!

Disclaimer: Yes, I will make some money from a few of the sites I listed here if you purchase from them. Yes, I do actually like the sites I’m promoting here, and yes, I would be happy to promote non-paid themes and plugins too.. but only if they are good. I’m a fan of quality.

Serendipity. n. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

We are indebted to the English author Horace Walpole for the word serendipity, which he coined in one of the 3,000 or more letters on which his literary reputation primarily rests. In a letter of January 28, 1754, Walpole says that “this discovery, indeed, is almost of that kind which I call Serendipity, a very expressive word.” Walpole formed the word on an old name for Sri Lanka, Serendip. He explained that this name was part of the title of “a silly fairy tale, called The Three Princes of Serendip: as their highnesses traveled, they were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things which they were not in quest of….”

The American Heritage ® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

One of the great things in life is serendipity. I love it. It’s much like emotion in that it’s hard to categorize, difficult to understand, and benefits our well-being consistently. Serendipity sounds like it’s accidental in itself, but if you look at the definition again, you’ll notice that it’s an aptitude, not an accident. In my language and my world, an “aptitude” begs for a system to be made out of it. Or, if nothing else, a pattern can emerge from it.

In a long and entertaining discussion with Steffan Antonas about the use cases of social media and specifically Twitter, we came to the same conclusion. There are many ways to use these new tools, but one of the biggest benefits is the serendipity which results.

Steffan has been able to meet some amazing people and hear some fantastic stories from people who he probably never would have met if it weren’t for social media. He’s talked with intriguing people in completely different countries on subject matters that could easily turn into best selling books. He’s made money by simply being available and talking about things that interest him with people who want his knowledge.

I’ve had similar experiences. When I meet new people in San Diego, often I hear the question, “Wait.. are you the Nate Ritter who did that thing with Twitter and the fires?”. Of course I have to give all the credit for that publicity to serendipity. I’ve also gained financial advantage simply by being known and giving away advice. It’s not simply being nice that creates that gain.

Now, since I like serendipity and finding patterns, and because serendipity has something to do an aptitude for positive “accidents”, I naturally want to put myself in the best possible position where a positive accident might occur. Call it probability if you want. In the past few years, Twitter has been a great place to be when it comes to the probability for positive accidents to occur. I’ve enjoyed the fruits of simply using social media, talking to others, and giving and receiving advice. It’s led to a greater amount of serendipity, and it wasn’t by accident.

However – and this is a big “however” – since the day the Hollywood celebrities started making Twitter popular, there has been a serendipity drain. In short, Twitter’s usefulness has changed. It’s turned from a useful communication tool into a popularity contest and publishing platform. I never wanted another publishing platform and I’ve come to believe the reason the “early adopters” abandon popularized things is because it’s usefulness changed. It’s not about purity. It’s not about being cool. For us geeks, it’s about utility. Masses of people, network effects and such, change the usefulness of a particular tool or service and it’s not always for the better.

So as Steffan and I talked over our fabulous mexican food, beers, and margaritas, we came to the realization that the serendipity we’ve experienced using Twitter has been few and far between lately.

In a moment of brilliance, we both decided to make today, Tuesday October 13th, Unfollow Tuesday. Today, we’re both purging who we follow on Twitter. We’re taking our Twitter experience into a different realm, the one we use Facebook for – friends. Because Twitter’s no longer helping us find those positive accidents, we figured we ought to simply use it as a different tool.

Steffan has the statistics to prove this next thought, but bare with me. We (social media early adopters) know that the number of followers means absolutely nothing. It’s not how many people are supposedly following you that counts. What matters is whether or not they listen and care about what you say (which usually includes conversation) and the serendipity which results. So, if you want to track a statistic, track how many people click on the links you post. Even better, track who clicks on the links you post. Track who you’ve had conversations with and what those topics were. Track follow up actions after you’ve posted something (and who did them).

Those are all difficult things to track right now, but you need to know who the people are who care about what you’re talking about. Only then will Twitter’s serendipity come back. Only then will the usefulness return.

So as I write this lengthy post, I can’t help but think that if you’ve made it this far, taking the time to read my thoughts, you’re probably the kind of person I want to know. You’re probably the kind of person who I would get along with. You’re probably not just another social media marketer. And if that sounds like you, I invite you to jump in on this conversation and let me know what you think. Let’s make this a two way street.

All the other people out there on Twitter who read the first 3 words and scanned the rest of the post to see how long it was… you people I’ll be unfollowing today. Unless you’re entertaining to me, a friend of mine (I have friends who are bored by these long posts too), or we have valuable things to share with each other, the probability for serendipity with you is too low for me to spend time on.

Today, Steffan and I are hereby invoking the Serendipity Pareto Principle with Twitter.

Cheers.

Photo credit: Eneas on Flickr

“Honestly,” she says to me, “there is absolutely no market for stated income loans anymore.”

These were the words I was afraid of, was warned about, and didn’t believe. I wasn’t easily turned away.

“Why? What’s the difference between a stated income loan and a full doc loan… is that right? Is it called ‘full doc’?” I asked.

The woman on the other end of the phone didn’t realize that while I was talking to her I was looking up the big, unusual words I hadn’t had defined to my satisfaction via Google. See, I’m a self-employed Web Chef which gives me the distinct honor of being able to spend my time when and where I want. That sounds great right? Hold that thought because right now – on this phone call – my time was best spent looking up definitions to real estate and lending terminology so that I could continue this word battle.

The woman continues. “Yes, you’re right. ‘Full doc’ means that you have documentation like W-2′s, bank statements, and 1040 tax records that prove that you make what you are telling us, the lender.”

“I see,” I said. “So, this is what’s interesting to me. The government gives us – the self employed and the small business – incentives to start and run these businesses, effectively hiring over 80% of the workforce of America. One of the biggest incentives we get is the ability to claim deductions, which effectively lowers our taxable income. But what you’re telling me is that because my taxable income is essentially in the poverty bracket (and yet, I might add that we rent in one of the more expensive areas of one of the more expensive downtown cities in the nation), that we can’t get a loan?”

Without hesitation, as if she’s heard this hundreds of times before, she answers “Yes, that’s correct.”

Much to my dismay, I’m losing the battle, so I try a more direct approach. I tell her how much we rent for and ask her if we could get a loan where the mortgage would work out exactly the same as our rent. I explain, as if she’s never rented before, that we’ve been paying this amount monthly for a year already, so there’s no way we are unable to afford the amount. At that price, we should surely be able to afford the the nice condo we were looking at. In the most simple terms I then say “Look, we will either be paying this amount in rent, or we can buy a condo and give you the money each month.”

Her response was more than informative. “The unfortunate thing is that because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are now government entities, essentially, their new policies are simply not to accept stated income loans. Now, normally, we’d give you the loan and then to free up the cash that we’ve just lent out we’d sell that loan to Fannie or Freddie. That gives us some money back to be able to keep lending. Now, the secondary market for loans is gone. The problem is … ”

… Let me just stop here. This is where I believe she went schizo on me and missed where the blame should have squarely been placed. Ok, let’s continue….

“The problem is,” she says, “so many people lied on their stated income mortgages and then all these people fell into defaulting on their loans, that Fannie and Freddie are effectively not buying these types of loans anymore.”

Ok, I have to interject again. If you haven’t seen this video on how all this economic situation really came about, I highly recommend watching it. If you’ve seen it or you don’t believe a word she just said, then feel free to continue right along. For those of you who need some fiscal education, watch this:

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Now, I was sunk.

Of course I couldn’t argue with her about who started this whole mess (ahem *cough cough* the lenders *achoo*), because that surely won’t help me get the loan I wanted. But, if that’s the way she wants to spin it, fine. Whatever, let’s move on.

Recap

Many people love to blame the current economic situation (consumerism being down, people losing their jobs, housing and lending industries creeping, etc) on the housing bubble. Now, I’m all for reading fine print – I know, call me a geek, I’m used to it – but most of the people out there aren’t like that. They do what people tell them to do, especially ones who seem to know more than they do about a particular domain. Thus, perhaps a ton of people did lie on their stated income returns even though they had W-2′s, 1040′s and bank statements to prove that they didn’t make enough to pay for a house, a car, their alimony and child support and that 61 inch TV they just bought from Best Buy. I mean hey, perhaps they did have income coming in some other way right Mr. or Mrs. Lender? Let’s just believe them and sign that loan document so you can collect a big fat commission check. Great.

So what’s the problem with all of this? Let’s do a quick summary:

• The loan officer: walks away with a big fat commission check because they got a loan signed. Who cares if they could actually afford it?
• The bank: Well, they got stuck with the bill when Fannie and Freddie stopped buying loans that had a massive risk attached to them, so they got screwed at the end of it. But, while the loans were being signed and sold, they were happy-go-lucky. It’s only because they got caught holding the red hot potato that they’re failing now.
• The W-2 employee who bought a house: Well, it sucks for them because now they have to walk away from a house that’s worth half (or less) of what they originally (stupidly) signed a loan for. Even if they did it because the loan officer convinced them, they’re back where they were before – renting with no intention to buy in the near future. If they did want to get a house now though, they could just break out their W-2 and 1040, show they still have a job and cut back on their crazy spending habits and debt, and go buy a house (again) without blinking (this time, the right way).
• The self-employed person who didn’t buy when the market was hot but is now ready to get in when it’s reasonably priced: Oh these guys? They get completely screwed. Yea, screwed. We’ve been running a legal, profitable business for 15 years on tax benefits that stimulate the economy. We hire employees and contractors and spend money only when we have it because that’s called cash flow and business people know this term inside out. We’re the ones who get screwed.

Now this is the part of the story I call “Getting Frustrated”

Now that I’ve pointed more fingers than I possess, I’d like to offer some possible solutions. Solutions which I have absolutely no faith will be adopted in my lifetime. But, I hate coming to the table and just complaining. So here they are:

Option 1: Only allow people to do stated income loans who are not W-2 employees of any companies and yet do meet certain minimum revenue minimums for at least a year. This way, you’re keeping out the people who simply misstate their income (the so-called “liars” the lender mentioned), as well as those who obviously don’t make the amount of money they should to qualify for a loan.

Option 2: Allow, nay, certify via a CPA, the backing out of certain deductions that the IRS allows small businesses to take such as home office space, utilities, office equipment, and food and entertainment budgets. These are absolutely used for business, but they are also used in a personal context (ie a room in the home dedicated to business, eating, drinking, traveling, and more). Being able to certifiably back those expenses out would have easily given us the ability to quality for a loan – as a documented fact.

Option 3: This is the easiest. If someone is able to afford, let’s say $1500 per month in rent for a year, and nothing has changed in the last 2 months, there is absolutely no reason why that person shouldn’t be able to afford a $1500 mortgage (including PMI and taxes). That easily qualifies them for $230k+ house even with almost no money down. Proving your rent should be just as much considered full documentation as a 1040. Not accepting a 3rd party’s certification (and even their tax records if necessary), is simply asinine.

… Now, I hate leaving an article with the word “asinine.” So, go ahead, tell me your thoughts on the matter. Whatcha got?

Matt Langdon - The Hero Workshop

Matt Langdon is the founder, creator, and visionary of the Hero Workshop, a fascinating project-turned-organization who’s aim is “to show young people that by doing the little things every day they can become heroes. Far from having to perform miraculous deeds, they are provided with an attainable goal.”

I’ve asked Matt to write a post for this blog because (a) he’s a fantastic guy doing fantastic work and deserves every bit of credibility and press he can get on this subject and (b) projects like this are typically underfunded, under-noticed, and talked about less than they should be. These things and people need to be at the forefront of entrepreneurs minds. Entrepreneurship does not equal monetary capitalism. This is true innovation and vision – something both established and up and coming entrepreneurs could learn a thing or two about.

Listen to this man’s vision. Join with him if you feel so led. Hanging out with people like this is like learning and being in the shadow of giants (in a great way).

There are too many heroes in the world.

You won’t hear that complaint too often. But I’ve had enough of the guitar heroes, comeback heroes, 4th quarter heroes, and 9/11 heroes. The mass media world has stolen the word from the real heroes and I want to give it back to them. I do want the world to be filled with heroes, but not the heroes they provide us.

What is a hero anyway? Lovelace said it best in ‘Happy Feet’: “Mumble Happy Feet, I’m going to be telling your story long after you’re gone.” Heroes are the people whose stories we keep telling. We tell those stories because they contain lessons for us; lessons to help us be better people. Now, obviously this doesn’t exclusively define heroes because we tell villain’s stories for the same reason – lessons.

There are three things that define a hero and give us reason to keep telling their stories. They must take action for the greater good, and accept any risk involved. Doing only two of them makes them altruistic, a daredevil, or a philosopher.

Taking action is obvious. If you don’t do anything you’re a bystander. The bystander is the enemy of the hero – not the villain. When the hero sees something that disrupts their internal value system, they act to rectify the situation. The bystander shakes their head, or thinks someone else will do something, or figures the risk is to great. The bystander lets the bad thing happen. We see bystanders in the school yards and office buildings allowing bullying to thrive. In fact, we see them enable bullying. Bystanders are common and that’s why we celebrate heroes – they’re not.

I’m not talking about any old action though. It’s not sinking a last minute basket or scoring a hattrick. It’s not getting to the final of a reality TV show. It’s not escaping certain death or surviving cancer. The hero acts for the good of others. This act may benefit the hero in the end, but that benefit is not the reason. Again, the action comes from a disruption of what the hero sees as right.

So far I’ve defined an altruistic person. Risk is where the nice person becomes a hero. Sacrifice fits here too. This risk or sacrifice needs to be perceived. There’s no heroism in being struck by lightning while you were helping get a cat out of a tree. That’s just bad luck.

With all three ingredients, we have a hero. The hero doesn’t need to be famous and the act doesn’t need to be enormous. The girl who offers help to a bullied boy by befriending him risks alienation or bullying. The coworker who calls out the derogatory language risks losing friends at work or facing ridicule – “I mean, who really thinks calling something gay is harmful?” Corazon Aquino was a hero to millions, but she’s just as important as the girl at school who is a hero to one scared little boy. Each story will continue to be told for the lessons they contain.

Frequently we attach the word hero to other types of situations. Our aunt who inspired us by surviving cancer is an inspiration, not a hero. The majority of the people who died on 9/11 were victims, not heroes. Our favorite singer or athlete is talented, not heroic.

So let’s take the word back from the news channels, newspapers, and magazines. Let’s bestow it on those that deserve it, whether big or small. Let’s make them feel proud and when we find ourselves in a situation that needs a hero, maybe we’ll be ready to act for the good of others despite the risk.

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The Hero Workshop

The Hero Workshop
- Finding The Hero Inside

http://thejanuscenter.com/heroworkshop