As I approach my 40th birthday this week I find myself being very retrospective. In addition to going through all the mid-life type thoughts, I find myself wondering how I would have approached the current economic conditions 10 or 20 years ago.
1989: I was still in college, had my housing and meal plans paid for, did not have a cell phone or e-mail address, drove a 1986 Toyota 4Runner, had a cassette walkman and a fake ID. I think I still had a cassette carrying case. Most of my year revolved around lunch at 11am, rec center for basketball or stickball in the quad, and collecting $5 from people on the 1st floor of West Residence for beer. I worked in the mortgage business during the summer and winter breaks for money, and the two highlights of my year: 1) Seton Hall made the Final Four, and 2) I saw The Who 5 times during their first reunion tour.
1999: I got married that January and do not think I had a cell phone or personal e-mail address. I would rarely be on the internet and although life had its stress points, all things considered, life was still pretty simple. My mortgage payment was a fraction of what it is today and started a new job with a California company named Option One to open up the New York market. The Yankees got Roger Clemens, repeated as World Champions and life was good.
2009: I have two daughters, still reside in North Jersey and have a whole new perspective. I shuffle from work to children activities to little league games. In many ways I am my father’s son. What is different from 1989 and 1999 is that I constantly hear how we are in the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. Ironically, 1989 and 1999 were terrible years for the mortgage industry, but the issues were more industry specific, not global like today. Now, we hear how the ensuing recession has forced Americans to change their lives in ways large and small. The phrase I recently heard: “this is the new normal”. This normal will have more belt-tightening, less income and, in many cases, a newfound gratitude for the most basic human comforts: family, home and health.
I see people approaching this new normal in many different ways. Some say they are cutting spending. Some say they ask the question “is this item critical” prior to purchasing. Some are scaling back on future plans. Some people say they are “toughing it out” yet in the next sentence say how they left work early for a social activity and will not be around next week because they will be on vacation. I heard a story this week how someone was in bankruptcy yet will be leaving for a 10 day trip to Cancun. From my view, this new normal still has some damage to do.
I believe Discount Benefits are a great way to fight back in today’s economy. Discount Benefits provide membership privileges and offer discounts on just about everything…from medical services to financial protection to recreational activities…Discount Lifestyle Benefits provide a financial advantage that is not just a nice to have, but a “need to have”.
Would you spend $15 to save hundreds? Of course you would.
Is there ever a reason to pay asking price anymore? We have all become more frugal and have to think outside the box. Here are some ways I have found that Discount benefits save people money:
TelaDocTM: Why take time off of work and spend money on babysitters and co-pays when you do not have to? TelaDocTM is a new alternative to traditional healthcare that prevents further sickness while saving money.
Dental & Vision Discounts: Whether you have insurance for these or not, why not take advantage of discounts that are available? Discount Vision Plan Benefits and Dental Discount Plans Why not pay $30 up to several hundred dollars less than retail pricing? Even if you have insurance…take the discount and submit the claim for re-imbursement. Cut down on co-pays and maximize your dollars. Is there a reason not to?
Movie Discounts: I recently went to see the new Star Trek movie and the ticket price was $11.50. $11.50!!! I looked at my movie discount plan today and see that I could have purchased tickets for $3.50 for children and $5.50 for adults. That means by utilizing discount movie tickets, my wife and I can go to a movie for less than I paid to see Star Trek by myself. I can take my wife and two kids to a movie for $18. That is probably about what it cost my parents to take our entire family to a movie in 1989.
Dining Discounts: My family was out to dinner with friends last week…4 adults, 5 kids. When the bill came, our friends broke out a coupon for 15% off. I looked on with amazement as this happened…I was so happy to see our friends take advantage of restaurant savings and dining discounts. Ask yourself this question: Why not save $20 off the bill and receive dining discounts if you can? It is a true no brainer. I looked at some of the dining discount coupons I have available through my discount dining deals…just by going to restaurants I normally go to anyway, I save about $50 over the course of the month. This $50 savings pays for my Discount Benefit membership several times over….and that is just the dining piece.
I will share more saving experiences and ideas in the future. I hope this has helped you consider ways to bust out of the gloom and doom and start to fight back. When I use one of my discount options, I feel like I am getting one back for the good guys.
In closing, as I watch the Yankees hit (actually not hit) this week, age 40 or not, there is not a doubt in my mind I can make that line-up and do some damage…I am not kidding.
Bob Germano
June 24, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Suburban's Press Release
As I forge ahead and get my message out through Suburban Solutions Corp, businesses continue to struggle in the current economic crisis...they are continuously looking for ways to cut their operating budgets to reach or stay at desired profitability levels. I am proud to announce that Suburban Solutions Corp is expanding its message and has issued an on-line press release today.
This is truly exciting stuff for us.
As you search the web today, please check out:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20090616006017/en
Our heading/ title is:
Suburban Solutions Corp. Launches Voluntary/Non-Voluntary Benefits and Supplemental Insurance Offerings That Save Employees Money and Cost Employers Nothing To Offer.
Readers of this space have let me know that they reference the information contained herein as informational and as good reference material. I do not intend to use this space for self promotion, but am very excited about today's release. I just want to ensure it is shared properly and communicated in a few different forums.
I will be posting a more traditional, informational post in this space later this week.
Bob Germano
6/16/09
This is truly exciting stuff for us.
As you search the web today, please check out:
http://www.businesswire.com/news/google/20090616006017/en
Our heading/ title is:
Suburban Solutions Corp. Launches Voluntary/Non-Voluntary Benefits and Supplemental Insurance Offerings That Save Employees Money and Cost Employers Nothing To Offer.
Readers of this space have let me know that they reference the information contained herein as informational and as good reference material. I do not intend to use this space for self promotion, but am very excited about today's release. I just want to ensure it is shared properly and communicated in a few different forums.
I will be posting a more traditional, informational post in this space later this week.
Bob Germano
6/16/09
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Identity Theft Prevention Benefits: Do We Really Need More Proof?
On May 1st I posted in this space that I believe Identity Theft Prevention benefits are something EVERY AMERICAN SHOULD HAVE. I mentioned how Identity theft is not isolated to credit card fraud. I shared my own experiences as well as citing statistics of how overwhelming this problem is.
The fact is, I can probably write a book that ties together the statistics, stories and experiences I have seen with ID Theft, and how vital credit monitoring services are to our lives. I am still baffled when I hear people I know, especially in the credit industry, say they do not have ID Theft Protection, nor do they feel it is necessary to offer it to their clients/ employees.
Here are THREE experiences I had TODAY!
1) How many times do we receive these types of emails? These e-mails are mostly considered "noise" and we only pay attention "if it effects me." Consider this email I received and then ask yourself "why don't I need ID Theft?"
To: Bob.Germano@ suburban solutions corp.
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2009
Subject: Jury Duty Scam
Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING ! Pass this on to your grown children. This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen. The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp
2) I was speaking to a service provider that I do business with. We were discussing executing a document and submitting payment and my contact says to me "Bob, if you are going to pay via credit card, please do not submit the information on our website. Although our website is secure and has the security controls built in, please do not forward that information over the internet because we do not want to risk the information going into hyperspace."
3) I received another email communication from another service provider today, as a follow up to a message they sent on 5/29/09. I give them a lot of credit for diligently following up on something this important. Here is the message they sent out and think about how this can happen to all of us:
It has come to our attention that some of our customers have received an email that appears to be from SERVICE PROVIDER, claiming that your account has expired and you must renew.
These emails are 100% fraudulent, are not from (US) and may include the subject line “SERVICES EXPIRED.”
Please do not click on the links in this email or supply your login information. If you have, please change your password immediately.
If you ever have any questions as to the authenticity of a particular communication from us, please forward the correspondence in question to ....
Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
After reading the above experiences I had TODAY, is there any reason why someone would delay in getting Identity Theft Protection Services immediately? I hope not.
The fact is, I can probably write a book that ties together the statistics, stories and experiences I have seen with ID Theft, and how vital credit monitoring services are to our lives. I am still baffled when I hear people I know, especially in the credit industry, say they do not have ID Theft Protection, nor do they feel it is necessary to offer it to their clients/ employees.
Here are THREE experiences I had TODAY!
1) How many times do we receive these types of emails? These e-mails are mostly considered "noise" and we only pay attention "if it effects me." Consider this email I received and then ask yourself "why don't I need ID Theft?"
To: Bob.Germano@ suburban solutions corp.
Date: Tue, 03 Jun 2009
Subject: Jury Duty Scam
Jury Duty Scam DO NOT DELETE WITHOUT READING ! Pass this on to your grown children. This has been verified by the FBI (their link is also included below). Please pass this on to everyone in your email address book. It is spreading fast so be prepared should you get this call. Most of us take those summonses for jury duty seriously, but enough people skip out on their civic duty, that a new and ominous kind of fraud has surfaced. The caller claims to be a jury coordinator. If you protest that you never received a summons for jury duty, the scammer asks you for your Social Security number and date of birth so he or she can verify the information and cancel the arrest warrant. Give out any of this information and bingo; your identity was just stolen. The fraud has been reported so far in 11 states, including Oklahoma , Illinois , and Colorado . This (swindle) is particularly insidious because they use intimidation over the phone to try to bully people into giving information by pretending they are with the court system. The FBI and the federal court system have issued nationwide alerts on their web sites, warning consumers about the fraud.
Check it out here: http://www.fbi.gov/page2/june06/jury_scams060206.htm
And here: http://www.snopes.com/crime/fraud/juryduty.asp
2) I was speaking to a service provider that I do business with. We were discussing executing a document and submitting payment and my contact says to me "Bob, if you are going to pay via credit card, please do not submit the information on our website. Although our website is secure and has the security controls built in, please do not forward that information over the internet because we do not want to risk the information going into hyperspace."
3) I received another email communication from another service provider today, as a follow up to a message they sent on 5/29/09. I give them a lot of credit for diligently following up on something this important. Here is the message they sent out and think about how this can happen to all of us:
It has come to our attention that some of our customers have received an email that appears to be from SERVICE PROVIDER, claiming that your account has expired and you must renew.
These emails are 100% fraudulent, are not from (US) and may include the subject line “SERVICES EXPIRED.”
Please do not click on the links in this email or supply your login information. If you have, please change your password immediately.
If you ever have any questions as to the authenticity of a particular communication from us, please forward the correspondence in question to ....
Thank you for your understanding and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.
After reading the above experiences I had TODAY, is there any reason why someone would delay in getting Identity Theft Protection Services immediately? I hope not.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
