Trying a gratitude journal – the report 2 weeks in
Like many, COVID-19 news and the stress of 2020 have been getting me down. Two weeks ago Given the season is one of thanksgiving, two weeks ago I tried something completely new to me. I never expected to be someone to start journaling – I just don’t have the time…
Boats – expensive isn’t a requirement
I shared part of my savings rate conversation with a data science colleague in my last post. That conversation also included a short funny story, I thought I’d share it with you all today. I’ve been interested in saving money since forever. I like to be efficient. I could be…
Savings rates and Grandma’s 10%
Not feeling valued at work is rough. Triggered by ongoing (failing) salary discussions for our area, I got asked for my input today by one of my data scientist colleagues, about their own financial situation. “If you have thoughts or perspective, I’d be glad to hear them as well, ……..
What is your perspective on time?
How do you feel about time? Is it your enemy, or your ally? No matter your perspective on it, it does keep marching on regardless. Moments – We just had Veterans Day, thanking the men and women who have served, many of them in combat being shot at – where…
2020 is almost over, how have you given back?
Community service has always been important in my family. We always did things like picking up trash on the roads in our neighborhood, volunteering at our local library, and sinking hours/days/weeks at a time into sharing what we knew to keep paddlers safe at our local rivers. When my own…
Should I sign up for a HCFSA or an HSA?
First of all, that primarily depends on which health care plan you’re signing up for, they bundle separately. If you sign up for a traditional health insurance plan, you can elect a HCFSA. If you sign up for a high deductible health insurance plan, you can elect a HSA. Then…
What should I know for Open Enrollment?
Open Enrollment November 2020: Planning for 2021 We’re half way through the Open Enrollment period at many companies. Open Enrollment is the time in which you get to make benefit elections for the following fiscal year. (For many companies, the fiscal year is the same as the calendar year. But…
We can recover from anything except Zero
In some aspects of life, it’s pretty obvious that we need to stay above zero. In my favorite “low oxygen environment” (kayaking in the river), it doesn’t matter that I’ve had plenty of oxygen available to me for decades. If I put myself in a situation where I’m without oxygen…
As COVID-19 surges again, I’ve been laid off. Now what?
COVID-19 is surging in the upper Midwest, Minnesota, and Olmsted County. Hospitals are restricting visitors and deferring elective procedures. Companies that had been doing better during the summer months are once again facing income squeezes, and with that comes new rounds of furloughs and/or layoffs. It’s not necessarily your fault…