Help Me Raise Money With Movember

Anyone who knows me knows that growing a moustache is a virtual impossibility for me so they will also know that walking around looking silly all of November is how it is going to be for me. It would all be worth the ridicule, pain and utter embarrassment of it all if one or two of you would dig into your wallets, extract the credit card and sponsor me ….. A couple of USD or a Quid… its good enough. Of course, it goes to a great cause – that of men’s health and specifically prostrate cancer….. so its probably deductible too… Support me here.. Thanks so much…

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The Five Characteristics of Rich People

I was just over on Linkedin where some business/wealth magazine had posted an article with the above title. Their five characteristics were the ones that you would expect… communication, blah blah blah blah…. In my life I have met my fair share of rich people. I don’t mean wealthy and I do mean rich – in excess of $10 million minimum. They did all share a set of characteristics but it wasn’t the ones I just read about. The first characteristic was to be honest greed. They coveted money and they would do almost anything to get it and absolutely anything to keep it once they had it. One man I know whose child played on a ice hockey team with my son would routinely call me up and ask

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Banks – The Thieves and Crooks of the 21st Century

Have you ever tried to wire money from one country to another? If you live overseas like me then you can add this issue to the long list of difficulties you will face as an ExPat. Let me explain. Wiring money overseas via a bank is an archaic process so far as I can figure. It takes 24-48 hours to perform this transaction in the days of instant email communication. Why? Next, you will pay the originating bank a fee – usually a fixed fee but it can also be a percentage of the amount being wired up to some maximum (meaning – its NOT cheap). You can set up the transaction to pay the fees on one side or split them between the originator and receiver in most instances.

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Currency Blues and Other Topics

So these days I get paid in the (not so) mighty Dollar. Right now, the USD is falling against most other currencies due to the US Government shutdown. It is now below 19CZK – $1 which just a couple of months ago it was 20CZK per USD. This is not at all good news as for every 1CZK it slips, I would lose 5% of my income in CZK……. The US shutdown is costing me money…. Meanwhile, inflation here continues. In fact, everything I earn more or less is in USD compounding the issue. Even the books are mostly sold in Dollars. I had decided to go out and buy an exercise bike. One that had the heart rate program to try to lose some of the weight I appear

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