UNDERWATER MORTGAGES, ARE THEY REALLY A HARDSHIP?
Some things confuse me. Mainly the political spins i hear all the time on the news. By both sides! One is the mortgage situation and the underwater mortgages for sure. I don’t understand why it is more of a hardship to make payments on an underwater mortgage than one that is not underwater. The [...]
WHY I LOVE THE MOVIE “THE KING’S SPEECH”
I’ve watched this movie 5-6 times, once in the theatre, 4 times on cable and once on a disc. It fascinates me. Why do i like it? • I like the history of the time • I like that the King had a stammer. It proves that anyone can have problems that can prevent them from being [...]
ARE WE HANDLING UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION RIGHT?
When businesses lay someone off they frequently provide a severance pay for the individual. Depending upon rank and tenure it is designed to help the former employee out while they seek a new job. It is a fixed amount, and is paid over time regardless whether the person gets new job during the payout. I [...]
INVESTING IN TURNAROUNDS IS A TOUGH BUSINESS FOR TOUGH PEOPLE
Turnaround guys I think much of the flak about Bain Capital is not deserved. This group and others may be considered predatory or corporate raiders and some may very well be that. I don’t know enough about Bain to comment, but do know a lot about the turnaround business. I have financed many turnarounds, some [...]
HOW TO MAKE A DECISION
Okay, there are other ways to make decisions too, but I like the decision matrix. I learned this technique 35 years ago and have used it frequently over the year for many decisions. I like it because it gives me a quantitative bases to clarify my thinking. I have here an example of how i [...]
BOOK REVIEW FROM LUTHER STUDENT I MET ON LINKEDIN
I met Tyler Zey on the Luther group on Linkedin. He is a remarkable young man who has already started an internet busineess and some blogs. I admire his ambition and entrepreneurship! Check out his site: ChangeJars.com Here is his review of my book: Rob Severson’s “Connecting Peace, Prosperity, and Purpose” is a neatly formed [...]
HOME OWNERSHIP FOR EVERYONE?? IS THAT REALLY A GOOD THING?
Well that sure sounds good doesn’t it? It just makes sense that we should all own a home! I for one disagree! I think there is so much more to home ownership than just getting the mortgage and moving in. even though one may qualify for the loan there are other things to consider that [...]
SUCCESS STORIES, HOW SOME FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT!
Another success story! I was talking with a friend the other day about making a living. She has a son who is in North Dakota working in the oil fields. I don’t think he had any education beyond high school, but knows how to work and network. In high school he and his brother started [...]
MAYBE THERE IS A BRIGHT SPOT IN THE ECONOMY AFTER ALL
I think it is good to look for the best in people and situations. We all know the economy is really bad and many are jobless and in other dire straits. So what could be good about it? May sound goofy, but I think we are weeding our some crooks! Folks like Petters, Hecker, Maddoff, [...]
WHY CAN’T OUR GOVERNMENT MAKE DECISIONS? DO THEY MIX TOO MANY ISSUES?
I think by now everyone knows the US is in a financial bind. Too much debt, too much spending that increases debt, and many other problems. Why don’t they do something we keep asking? One of the best classes I took while at Norwest 30 years ago was a class in problem solving and decision [...]
