Should we recycle friends?

As I sit towards the end of every year I start to get more and more introspective in the way I look at my life over the past year, and I persist on making the next year better than the last, I begin to thumb through my cell phone book and I think. Which people did I try to connect with over the last year, and either did not connect with, or this person is currently not trying to grow personally, and should I try and take this person through the next year of my life with me. I wonder am I the only person that does that? I realize that friendship is essential to the soul, but I also realize the age old mantra, "I could do bad by myself!"

I had one friend in particular, at least someone who I thought was a very good friend, is someone that to say the least has had a pretty bad year. I have tried to be there for this person,. be a shoulder for them, be a sounding board, but I began to think that I was enabling this person more than I was helping them. Now granted, this person was an excelent person for me to be around with and was a good friend for a season, but like that old pair of jeans, that just doesn't fit anymore, I think that persons time and resources as a friend would be better suited for someone else at this time. And, like that old pair of jeans, maybe in a couple of years, they can be repurposed. Is it bad to think like that?

I periodically try ( at least I think I do) to touch bases with everyone in my rolodex at least 12 times a year, and as we get closer to the end of the year, I find myself leaving the message, " Hey so and so, this is my last attempt to reach out to you, I would love to hear from you, but if I don't, hey it's been nice knowing you." I see that as a way of decluttering my life and letting them go. I do not know if that is some passive agressive b.s. that I picked up from my mother, (lord knows we all have something that we have, but that is another story...) but it seems to work for me. As I begin to do that, I wonder, am I the only one that does something like that, or is that something that is picking up,like paying backwards. And if it has not picked up, would I be a new trendsetter for something new. Well that is all I have for now, let me get back to recycleing. Peace.

Darrin

What makes a hero?

I have been watching CNN for the past weeks, and they have been talking about these hero awards that they are going to be giving out. And I started to wonder, what makes a hero? Is a hero someone who can survive a great deal of hardship, and not give up and die? Is a hero some one that can make a positive difference in some one elses's life? Is a hero someone that is totally altruistic in their actions? Or do we take the Ayn Rand approach and see that person who is a hero is someone that is totally selfish in all of their actions and we fail to see their selfishness, and damn that selfishness, or do we truly see and respect their selfishness in our subconscious and applaud it by giving them awards of some type.

Whenever I see things like that, I really start to question heroism, and what is true heroism, and I question my motives at the very foundations of my actions. I know I want to be a hero. Who really would not want to be a hero? Who really does not want to make a difference? I believe that part of the human condition is realizing that life itself is a series of decisions, and every decision has a direct effect upon the next series of decisions and outcomes that are laid out for us. I only hope, no, I pray that I can make the best decisions in my every day life that has the best possible outcome for everyone involved.

Why now the best time to start a business…

I have been in an ultra super doper grind mode lately. What does that mean? Well it means I have been working very hard. I have been starting businesses left and right, and so far all of my startups have been extremely profitable. And I can give you five reasons why they will continue to be profitable.

1. Conventional wisdom teaches us to acquire assets when they are at a discount, and sell when they are at a premium. (What is an asset? An asset is something that makes you money, i.e. employees, billboards, computers, trucks, rental income properties, etc.) With unemployment reaching record highs, finding high quality part-time help is becoming easier and easier.
2. Cash is at an extreme discount for borrowing. Word just came out from the Federal Reserve that they expect interest rates to be at 0% in late January!!!!! (get ya credit together!)
3. Vendors are discounting their prices to increase business. For example, on a property I purchased last week for $3,000.00, I am able to get that property repaired and rentable for under $2,500.00! And get that property up to Section 8 standards, netting me $750.00. So the property will be completely free and clear in less than 8 months of receiving revenue!
4. With gas prices dropping daily, transportation services companies are looking to partner with owner operators for hauling freight.
5. With a new administration coming into office, their will be even more incentives to hire, and insure yourself and employees.

Now, I am not recommending going out and quitting your job and go new business starting cold turkey, but what I am recommending is that you should not be afraid to realize that we all have some degree of ingenuity, and that now is the perfect time to seek out opportunities to utilize our GOD given gift of creativity to feed and take care of ourselves.

Paying it backwards… A way to get our economy out of the hole.

Today while driving in my car I was listening to CNN and I heard the most interesting story. Apparently at a Starbucks out in Oregon, customers are paying for the person behind them in line at the drive thru. Now this phenomenon is catching on nationwide. While listening to this, I was in the drive thru at a Subway, and the person in front of me paid for my sandwich!

After experiencing getting paid backward, I decided that I had to pay it backward for someone else. Economic theory leads us to believe that the only way to get out of a recession is to spend. Conventional biblical wisdom also teaches us to that if we give that we shall receive. What a novel way to get out our current recessionary mess, by giving. I wonder that if we all began to give a little more instead of taking, how much better off we would be over all?

Friendship is Essential to the Soul

I joined a fraternity back in college over 10 years ago, because I really believed this to be something to be true. Today is the anniversary of my Fraternity, Omega Psi Phi, and founded 11/17/11 at Howard University. Looking back after all of this time, I am reflecting about my friendships that I have had over my lifetime. How many of them were true, how many of them were fake as hell, and how many of them I still have. And when I do this, I wonder, how many people can really say that they have true friends? I have had the majority of my friends for at least 15 years on average. Now I believe that is a good number considering that I have only been on this Earth for 33 years! I also reflect and think about how many of my friends I have spoken to lately and how many of my friends have been reconnecting with.

Many people don’t realize how much time and commitment it takes to be a true friend. I have been with several of my friends through good times and bad. Divorces, marriages and breakups. Jail time and free time. With kids and with no kids. I recall one time in particular, when I had a friend whose wife had just had his first daughter, and all of us fellas pitched in and we all made Thanksgiving dinner at their house. It was probably one of the most memorable and rewarding spiritually experiences I have ever had in my life. I pray that I can look back after another 15 years and I can still truly say that Friendship is Essential to the Soul.

How does 700 Billion equal 5 trillion in less than 60 days? Let me count the ways..

Lets go back in time, lets say 60 days ago, we were paying something around 3.50 to close to 4.00 a gallon in some parts of the country, and "the market" finally realized that the mortgage market ponzi scheme that we had been running was finally up. Enter Hank Paulson, former CEO of Goldman Sachs, and also our current Treasury Secretary, with a great idea. After a three day closed door session, he and President Bush emerge with a three page document that essentially says that if we give his buddies on Wall Street 700 billion dollars, no questions asked, no oversight, that we can resolve this problem.. Never mind, that the Sec. of Treasury is a cabinet level appointed position. So when Bush is gone in 30 days, he is out of a job, after just giving 700 BILLION dollars to help out all of his homeboys!

Same time, same weekend, different conversation, Hank Paulson, gets on the horn with Billionaire Super Investor Warren Buffet, and Hank asks good ole' Warren for his input on the plan, and Warren gives him his go ahead. Warren then goes and makes an investment of about 3 billion dollars in a small company we know as General Electric, aka GE. And at the same time he "invests" another 5 billion in Hanks old company Goldman Sachs... Mind you Warren Buffet is the head of a publicly traded corporation. And when Martha Stewart got some "inside information" like that, it cost her her company and about 9 months in a federal penitentiary.

The Timeline of Crime
At the time of the beginning of the meltdown we had a deficit of 311 Billion after being in two wars for 5 plus years...

Congress goes into an uproar, and the 700 billion then becomes 850 billion! Now more than doubling our deficit.

One week later. We give AIG another 150 Billion..Now we are at 1 trillion.

US Treasury, (Hank Paulson and Dubya) announce after another closed door meeting with 5 banks that we are going to "invest" another 250 Billion dollars into an ownership stake into US Banks, oh yeah, Goldman Sachs is at that meeting as well. Now we are at 1.25 TRILLION Now triple the deficit.

Numerous states tel US Treasury, "Hey if we don't get at least 200 Billion by months end we will cease to operate." Now we are at 1.5 TRILLION..

Meanwhile, the stock market loses 2 TRILLION DOLLARS in market value in two weeks FLAT! That now means that the average 401(k) holder has to work an additional 8 years on average to make up for that loss!

I'm sorry I can't go on any further, all of that foolishness happened in less than two weeks.


Lets fast forward to today, 4 trillion dollars and a hangover that hasn't hit us yet, later, the US Treasury, Hank Paulson's outfit, gives GE, 158 BILLION dollars in the form of an investment...Wow. And we are arguing about giving the Big 3 Automakers 50 Billion to save 3 million American jobs??????????

If I showed you guys the math as to actually what Hank's "assistance" meant to ole Warren's the INCREASE in his "investment" you probably would be feeling as sick as I am right now. But I won't. Its probably better that you don't know. I have never wanted to be one known as a player hater but DAMN! Come on man?!?!?!?! Any thoughts????

Economic Freedom

"A great industrial nation is controlled by its system of credit. Our system of credit is privately concentrated. The growth of the nation, therefore, and all our activities are in the hands of a few men who, even if their action be honest and intended for the public interest, are necessarily concentrated upon the great undertakings in which their own money is involved and who necessarily, by very reason of their own limitations, chill and check and destroy genuine economic freedom."

-Woodrow Wilson
after regretfully creating the Federal Reserve

Thanks again Congress, for taking away our freedoms.

Bailout or Handout

As I have been reading and hearing on the news about this "Wall Street Bailout Plan", I see that the "fix is in" at first the Congress and all of the political pundits like Hannity, and Beck, were jumping down the throat of this plan. Then, we see Bush begin to speak on the plan, then all of the sudden, we hear, "Hey wait.... Maybe this plan isn't such a bad idea for America." Yeah right. I guess we did fall off of the turnip truck, because we fell for it hook, line and sinker. I just don't understand how they could do it with a straight face. Now that is gangster my friend.

My Do Group!

Everyday I look around and I see things in the world that I don’t like or I see things that I feel like need to be done for the better, so I have an idea. I am going to establish a do group. What is a do group? A do group is a group of people that get together with the sole intent of “doing” something positive to uplift the community. I am a member of a fraternity, and normally we say we are going to “do” different things, when all that we end up doing is going somewhere, drinking, partying, etc. My plan with my do group is to meet with the sole intention of doing something to uplift and change the community and make a difference in someones life as a result of our group. I have a couple of people in mind that I am going to ask to join my “do” group and I will keep you guys updated.

Darrin M. Marion, PhD.
www.pergamoninvestments.com

Searching for God

I was recently watching a show about the Universe, and I thought it was pretty hillarious. Why? All of these so called smart people were looking for something, they couldn't describe what it was, that is not made of atoms or matter as we know it, and somehow holds the Universe as we know it together? They kept speaking of some "thing" or something out there, that could not be quantified or described in any way. Well folks, I know exactly what the "it" is that they are looking for. Its called GOD. GOD holds the Universe as we know it together. Its funny that HIS divine plan is what we search for. It says in 1 Corinthians 3:19 that "For the wisdom of this world is foolishness before God." What we consider as knowledge, faith and religion, means nothing to GOD. GOD has made himself open for us to know and receive, and find, all we have to do is ask. That is just my two cents.

Darrin M. Marion, PhD.
www.pergamoninvestments.com

The Best of Both Worlds, How to Protect Your Retirement Income

In today’s stock market, daily we are experiencing wild daily fluctuations in the security valuations. The question I often ask people when helping to plan their retirement income is, “What percentage of your retirement income would you like to come and fixed and stable resources?” If you were a sane individual, you would say that you would like 100% of your income to come from those areas.

Nowadays, there are very few opportunities out there to plan income from fixed and stable resources. One of those resources that I love to take advantage of personally are Equity Indexed Annuities. Equity Indexed Annuities are a type of tax-deferred annuity whose credited interest is linked to an equity index, typically the S&P 500 but which also guarantees a minimum interest rate (typically about 3% as of 2007) and against a loss of all or most principal. An equity index annuity is a contract with an insurance or annuity company. The returns are typically conservative and the contracts are mostly suitable for those who are retired or nearing retirement. The objective of purchasing an equity index annuity is most often to realize greater gains than those provided by fixed annuities, while still protecting principal.

In today and age, particularly for those in Indiana who are retiring, or nearing the age where they need to begin taking income from their savings, they cannot afford to experience a serious market downturn. In those instances an equity indexed annuity would be an excellent choice for them. While an equity indexed annuity is not for every investor. Those who are in the situation where their retirement funds are running the risk of running out, the equity indexed annuity is a great product for them... But then again, that is just my two cents… For what its worth.

Darrin M. Marion, PhD.
www.pergamoninvestments.com

Does Wal-Marts success show that the economy is picking up?

I was recently watching Cavuto on Fox Business Channel, and he had his normal crew of pundits on, and they were talking about how that since Wal-Mart is making more money; we can see that as an indication of the economy turning around. I don’t know about you, but, usually when I go to Wal-Mart, I go there for the low prices and the overall affordability of the products that are in the store. Usually when I go to my local Wal-Mart store, I can expect long lines, screaming babies and terrible customer service. I don’t know about you, but when I have extra disposable income, long lines, screaming babies and bad customer service isn’t my first choice.

I believe that the conversation by all of those “experts” on the show is an indication of how out of touch what we see on television is in respect to “real life”. I recall in a recent conversation with friends, about the Bush tax rebate, we spoke about how Wal-Mart is going to start making tons of money. One of the main reasons being, that Wal-Mart is the place where you can buy items in bulk. And when times are tough…. I buy in bulk baby!!!

The bottom line is that, increases in earnings for Wal-Mart doesn’t mean that the economy is getting better, it actually means that the worlds largest retailers’ strategic plan of becoming and staying the worlds largest retailer is working. That is just my two cents... For whatever that is worth.


Darrin M. Marion, PhD.
www.pergamoninvestments.com

Liberating Tibet... Any ideas????

As we see the Olympic torch making its way across the world, we are gradually hearing and seeing, increasing talk about freeing the people of Tibet. Why are these people protesting for the liberation of Tibet? And more importantly, what type of solution is proposed?

Here is a little back story on the liberation of Tibet

http://www.freetibet.org/info/key_issues.html

Now I am sure that this is probably a pretty biased site in concerning the liberation of Tibet. But again, what are some good solutions to fill the vacuum that would be created if China, hypothetically left Tibet, (knowing that this will probably never happen)?

One serious problem that I can see immediately with China leaving Tibet is that, the natural order of growth of the nation of is now irrevocably damaged, and who is going to step in and help a now damaged nation like Tibet, in a time when nation building vies a vie Iraq, Sudan, Rwanda, and the list goes on, is not “En Vogue” in today’s society? Will the United Nations step in and aid in building Tibet?

I know that the occupation of Tibet by China has been in play for the last 50 years, and the immediate withdrawal is not possibly a viable option, so if I can put my two cents in, I would ask these protestors of the Olympic Games, which is all about sportsmanship, cooperation and unity to come up with real solutions, and work to try and come up with some real solutions to aid the people of Tibet, instead of protesting for the sake of protesting.

Darrin Marion, PhD.
www.pergamoninvestments.com

Maybe good customer service needs a recession

I think it was Ray Kroc, the founder of one of America’s greatest institutions, McDonalds once stated, “If you work just for money, you'll never make it, but if you love what you're doing and you always put the customer first, success will be yours.” Has America’s love of money forced us to forget why we need money in the first place? Do we need a recession so people can realize the importance of doing what you love and in turn forget about all of those items that we needlessly have gone into debt to acquire? I believe that we need a recession as Americans, so that we can correct our misgivings and learn about what is truly important to us, and only then will our customer service take a turn for the best, instead of a turn for the worse.

On a recent trip to a major metropolitan city, my wife and I decided, hey what the heck, we have a lull in the action, let’s take the kids out for a movie… First off, let me give you a bit of a back story, we have two small children, try a two year old and a four year old; now taking a 2 and a 4 year old anywhere is an ordeal into itself, but time to time we make it happen, and for us to get to a movie right at the beginning or even exactly on time is often a result of several acts of GOD!!! But at any rate, we go to see a newly released Dr. Seuss movie, and we arrive about 10 minutes after the movie start time, and after looking around for someone to buy a ticket from for another 5 minutes, I tell my wife to go ahead and go inside the movie. After I finally locate somebody to sell me a ticket, I am given a pleasant bit of information, “Our policy dictates that 15 minutes after the start time of a movie, I can’t sell you a ticket…” After a bit of surprise, I went to go give my wife this bit of bad news. When I finally make my way back into the theatre, I notice that outside of my wife and two children, there are exactly two people in the movie theatre!!!!

I then walked back outside the movie theatre and asked to speak with the manager, and I was subsequently told, “Sorry, but I can’t take your money. Our policy states… blah, blah, blah…” Now maybe I live in another world, but it seems to me that if our economy is that bad, why turn down paying customers?? Is it possible that in order to get good customer service, America needs a recession? Are there so many opportunities out there for people to earn income, that corporation throw good sense out the window in light of policy? Has our quest to pay for more “things” placed our eyes on the dollar so much that we have thrown good common sense out of the window? I believe that as the normal cycle of evolution calls for natural selection, that our economy needs natural selection, through the process of recession, which will enable our customer service experience to thrive, and maybe even let me and my wife buy a ticket to a movie, even if we are 15 minutes late. (smile)