USC Loyalty.
My response to this is probably not going to be popular, and may not even get posted.
I have not found USC loyalty to be of much value to me. I do not mean that I am not proud to be a Trojan and that it does not reflect well on my resume and I am sure it helps if you are job searching. I also fully respect the education I received and that brought value to what I can offer others, but professionally and personally.
What I mean is that once I got in the real world, performance, commitment, and expertise were much more important. I did not find that anyone cut me a break because I was a Trojan.
I do feel an affinity to USC for sports and it is fun to root for the alma mater. It gives focus to the spectator part of watching college sports and it provides fodder for conversations such as introductory sales talks or striking up conversations with others.
I will continue to look for ways to benefit from USC loyalty but to date it has all been on the social side of my life.
Friday, March 23, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
My Definitions of financial products/services and how it applies after graduation.
Many people approach personal finances in different ways which suit their need.
One of the most common mistakes made is to over use a credit card. A dollar here a dollar there and soon you are not able to pay off the monthly cycle. My personal preference is cash. I establish what my weekly or monthly budget is and then I carry cash to pay for everyday items. This is a hard feed back loop because when I run out of money I can not spend anymore. The $3.95 for a cup of coffee becomes much more real if I have to reach in my pocket to pay for it versus swiping a card that doesn't come due for a month.
Debit cards are also becoming popular. One trick I recently heard is that when you need cash from a card, go to a large store like Wal-Mart and buy a stick of gum or what ever and then get additional cash versus going to an ATM and paying $2 or $3 on a $20 cash advance. (In my day that would be called a usury crime, charging that high an interest rate).
So from my personal perspective, I pay my monthly items from a free checking account, I use cash for my daily incidentals and I try to only use my charge card for online, travel or big ticket item (items I may want to return) purchases. I try to pay all charge cards off by the end of the month.
One of the most common mistakes made is to over use a credit card. A dollar here a dollar there and soon you are not able to pay off the monthly cycle. My personal preference is cash. I establish what my weekly or monthly budget is and then I carry cash to pay for everyday items. This is a hard feed back loop because when I run out of money I can not spend anymore. The $3.95 for a cup of coffee becomes much more real if I have to reach in my pocket to pay for it versus swiping a card that doesn't come due for a month.
Debit cards are also becoming popular. One trick I recently heard is that when you need cash from a card, go to a large store like Wal-Mart and buy a stick of gum or what ever and then get additional cash versus going to an ATM and paying $2 or $3 on a $20 cash advance. (In my day that would be called a usury crime, charging that high an interest rate).
So from my personal perspective, I pay my monthly items from a free checking account, I use cash for my daily incidentals and I try to only use my charge card for online, travel or big ticket item (items I may want to return) purchases. I try to pay all charge cards off by the end of the month.
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