Riding the Wave of Change
Advice in trying times: Plan to ride the wave of change like a pro surfer. Usually a pro surfer will sit there on his board and wait for the perfect wave to come. You don’t have to wait, it is here now. It may not be the wave you were waiting for but you better jump on the board before you get washed away. You can use a kneeboard, a boogie board, a long board or short board. Just ride the wave.
One of the things that makes surfing so much of a challenge is that every wave is different. So just when you are patting yourself on the back because you road the last wave all the way in, you turn around and there is a bigger more aggressive one about to swallow you up.
Of course this is all an analogy for making your way through the current global economic and social changes with grace. Okay there will be no grace for miles. But you can keep your head above water. I have a friend who has been surfing for 30 years. He said the key to surfing is learning how to use the power of the wave for your benefit and pleasure. I had never looked at it that way before.
At first it may appear that you do not know how to surf. After getting beaten up by the big waves (and right now there are only big waves) you just might find yourself riding the tube like a pro. Presently there are two options 1. learn quickly 2. choke on saltwater. I think the pro’s learned from hours and hours of paddling, getting beaten up from falling off the board and being tackled by gynormous waves. And now look at them performing advanced maneuvers in the worst kinds of weather. And they do this for fun?
As a group we need to remember this isn’t a contest against each other. It isn’t even us against the wave (of change). We cannot change the path of the wave. The next best thing is master the power of the wave (of change) to propel us forward before it swallows us whole. Just as the professional surfers experience, the whole thing gets easier the more you do it. I know your intention was not to become surfers but here you are anyway. Get to surfing.
Can You Legally Sell Your Structured Settlement?
The idea of selling a structured settlement to a third party has been tossed around the legal arena with the intentions of determining whether or not a financial transaction of this sort is legal and binding. The findings are that is.
In the course of determining whether or a financial transaction of this type is legal, almost all states within the United States have enacted laws and regulations that must be adhered to when making this exchange. The federal government has even chimed in with its own set of regulations that oversee certain transactions of this nature.
If and when you decide to sell your settlement, take the high ground and consult with an expert qualified in all aspects of selling structured settlements.
Settlement Factoring and Settlement Creation
Ever know someone who inexplicably hated their younger brother. As if somehow their very existence was a threat to them. Maybe the younger sibling stole some of the love and attention they had been receiving to that point?
It is like that in the structured settlement family. There are settlement brokers who partner with a client to structure a large settlement to pay over time via an annuity from an insurance company.
Then there are settlement factors who work with these same clients at some later date when they have encountered financial hardship and need access to a larger sum of money. Many are trying to save their home, pay for important medical needs, improve their education, or take advantage of opportunities.
Sounds reasonable right…to give people access to their money. So why does the creation side seem to dislike the factoring side of the structured settlement family so much? Here are a few possibilities:
Settlement creationist take it personally when their work is replaced by factoring.
Settlement creationist thinks factors charge too much.
Settlement factors dominate the search engine results for “structured settlement
Settlement factors benefit from the work of structured settlement consultants
It occurs to me that there are a number of similarities between the two parties. Both settlement creationists and settlement factors:
Work for profit
Follow state and federal guidelines
Provide a service associated with structured settlement
Have associates with high integrity and others with less integrity…
I think the primary difference is that settlement broker, having been around longer, have developed more bureaucracy and perhaps some arrogance. Settlement creationists have more certifications and accreditation and titles and assertions that they are bona fide
and papered and have the right to look down on factors for that reason.
I would rather we all just get along and find a way to work together in the best interests of the clients. It seems unlikely that the two siblings will see eye to eye.
As a settlement factor I can live with that. At the end of the day, I strongly believe in the right of every consumer to choose for them self what is best when it comes to their money. I believe in capitalism, that work and ingenuity should be rewarded. If settlement creators want to hate settlement factors than so be it. They are not the first to hate another group because of different beliefs. And hate will always fight to justify its survival so I don’t expect creationists to see beyond their reasons and justifications.
It is worth noting though..that due to a lack of open communication and cooperation, some creationists in the pursuit of profit, have partnered with factors in secret. I’m not sure that an undisclosed partnership best serves the clients. Those creationist certainly represent capitalism. How many certifications do you need to make 2 commissions off of one client?
The reality is that we are both providing a service and we don’t need to agree or like each other to do that.
How to Save Money, Lower Your Stress & Have More Free Fun
Turn off your tv and disconnect your cable!
Every evening after work, I would speed past commercials in an attempt to keep up with all the shows continuously recording on my dvr. I convinced myself that my tv time was real socialization. I felt my mind was on fast forward absorbing and processing so much information. I noticed my stress level was high. No matter how much I would discipline myself, I would rather watch tv than go to sleep at a reasonable hour.
I was waffling back and forth about the prospect of turning off the cable when my tv stopped working. I took this as a sign from above. Some of the happiest times of my life have been when I didn’t have tv.
Within a week, I found myself busy socializing with several new friends. One of them is my workout partner. We go to the gym together at least 2-3 times per week. This has prompted me to get back to yoga and salsa class. Our workout enthusiasm is catching and many of my friends are expressing interest in joining us to get back in shape.
Spontaneously last weekend, several of my friends dropped by for homemade chicken soup, then we all took off for a long evening walk on the beach. We dressed warm for the brisk air. We had so much fun picking up shells, watching water birds and telling jokes. None of us could remember the last time we laughed that much.
So for weeks we have been chatting about future activities we would like to do together. So far our list includes going snorkeling, to local green markets, art galleries, salsa dancing lessons, nature centers and county parks. Most of these activities are cheap or free.
In this time of great upheaval the one thing we need is to care about each other, help each other, inspire each other and celebrate life together. For a very long time, people have been so busy working two or three jobs to cover their expenses and keep their head above water. Now people are vulnerable and ready to come together and be apart of each others lives again. It is lowering my stress for sure.
So I have not been cold turkey on the tv watching. I view a few of my favorite shows on my computer. It is a nice treat rather than a dominating part of my life. I almost forgot to mention I am saving $80 per month on my cable bill. That’s money I can use to supplement my grocery budget which is out of control these days.
Battling Someone Else’s Fires
Cooler heads prevail. If there was ever a time to keep our cool, it is now. Obviously change is abound. Things are shifting like the tectonic plates under the sea. It seems as if there is an earthquake, hurricane, tornado and drought all at the same time … AND we are standing in quick sand. Where do we go for security? Climb a tree maybe? I’m pretty sure there is no escape from change.
This is a time of innovation. In our business and personal lives this is a time of heightened creativity. A time to get our game on. Time to motivate ourselves to figure IT out. Many societal innovations were created during crisis and brought about by the needs of the time.
As I write this I think about the compelling Imax movie Fires of Kuwait (which I saw on a five story Imax screen). Imax director David Douglas was originally sent to Kuwait in 1992 to get footage from a different picture but ended up covering the horrific destruction that happened in Kuwait after the Gulf War when the oil wells were destroyed. The destruction left the landscape populated with towering infernos, as the oil kept burning.
It was rumored that if left alone the wells would burn for at least 100 years. I remember estimates on the news at the time, it would take many years to put out the blazes.
This is an intensely graphic story of how more than 10,000 firefighters battle against 607 burning oil wells in an attempt to save precious natural resources and damage to the environment. It was such a compelling film it was nominated for an academy award and fifteen years later I remember it vividly.
Courageous engineers and innovators from all over the world flocked to the deserts of Kuwait to weave through active land mines left behind (from the recently ended Persian Gulf War) to battle poisonous gas, thick black smoke and heat so intense it was unapproachable by humans. Together they used jet engines, rushing streams of water and metal rods jammed down well shafts to extinguish all the fires within nine months.
I will say wall street crumbling, the auto industry on the brink of collapse and unemployment at an all time high, these are our fires of Kuwait. So let us all gather together as innovators. Let’s share our ideas and inventions and engineer new groups and businesses. Let’s focus not on consumerism or what is in it for me but what will be positively contributory and constructive for our cities, states and countries of the world.