Rennie Gabriel

My last post was how to protect yourself from text message scams and I thought for today I’d add a little humor. I stumbled across a book that contained 101 of the stupidest or silliest warning labels with the perfect title: Remove Child Before Folding: The 101 Stupidest, Silliest, and Wackiest Warning Labels Ever. Unfortunately, companies have to warn us for the most basic things of common sense, which tells you common sense is NOT common among some of the population. Here are a few more examples: Regardless of the brand, the following warning is on most hair dryers: “Never use hair dryer... Continue Reading

Have you ever received a text message that you know was not for you? It might look something like: “Helen, are we still on for lunch?” “I show your phone number in my phone, but don’t know who you are. Who are you?” “Robert, where are we meeting today?” Or simply “Hi” If you wondered how these messages are used to scam you, I have the answer and it is not pretty. First, these texts are called “Pig Butchering.” I didn’t think this would be a good subject line, but I did think about it. Here is how the scam works: You get the odd text message. You reply and say you are not... Continue Reading

I have a friend, Chellie Campbell, and in one of her emails she wrote about working with “your people” and to not be concerned about people that don’t want to work with you. It’s just that they’re not “your people.” She spoke about a seminar leader who beautifully demonstrated this approach: He said to each one, “Would you like more coffee?” Some said, “Yes, please” and held out their cups and he’d pour them some coffee. Others said, “No thanks” and he went on to the next person. When he got back to the front of the room, he said, “This is what sales is all about.... Continue Reading

When my wife would hear a story, or see something on the news, about how in some other part of the world, or even in America, people struggle financially, or with education or crime, she would often say, “It depends on where you land how your life can turn out.” I read a review of a new book that points out how poverty in the U.S. hides in plain sight. The book shows how depending on where you are born you are more likely to suffer from poverty and structural racism. In The Injustice of Place, by Timothy Nelson, Kathryn Edin, and H. Luke Shaefer, they point out how specific areas perpetuate... Continue Reading

If you have any plans to marry, or your kids or grandchildren are planning to marry, consider a prenuptial agreement (pre-nup) as one of the first steps you or they should take. A prenuptial agreement is not just for the wealthy and here’s why. A prenuptial agreement provides: 1) Peace of Mind Whether it’s the bride or groom if either one might get an inheritance, like a family business, stocks, bonds, or cash, a pre-nup will ensure it passes where it was intended. If one partner has children from a previous marriage, again, it assures assets pass as intended. This is especially important... Continue Reading

My son is so great, he remembers conversations we had years ago and finds something that reminds him of that. For example, he just sent to me an X (Twitter) post on ROH. You are likely already familiar with the term ROI (Return On Investment) when you need to get a certain, or desired, return on the money you invested, or put into an interest-bearing account. The returns we have on our various investments (ROI) range from a low of 6.5% per year to 24.5% per year. So, what is ROH? This stands for the Return on Hassle. How much hassle will it take to get the return on your investment? How much time... Continue Reading

Recently I took a look at all the email subject lines that came into my spam folder and noticed some similarities. Below are some scam words/phrases to watch out for. These emails all arrived in my inbox in just one day: Famed analyst suggests… This seemingly unstoppable trend will make you rich… Many powerful people… would rather this exposé never saw the light of day and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was canceled. Famous people are… Well-known economist says… High-ranking politician said… This may never be offered again. A legendary investor sees… Shocking footage reveals… See... Continue Reading

One of the services that monitors my credit is with US Bank. While I don’t pay a lot of attention to it because my score is always above 800, I decided to look more closely one day. And I found this handy chart that describes what a credit bureau looks at in determining the credit score: The factors that determine your score are: Payment history 40% – extremely high impact Credit usage 20% – high impact Age of credit 21% – high impact Balances across all accounts 11% – moderate impact Recent credit checks 5% – low impact Available credit 3% – low impactTotal: 100% As you can see... Continue Reading

You ought to be wondering what is going on between Hamas and Israel has to do with your money. Right? When we are young, like 3-8 years of age, we believe what we are told. We have no filters to block lies. We have no critical thinking skills. What we are told, we believe. I just heard an interview with Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of the founder of the militant group Hamas. I also heard his presentation to the United Nations. The objective is not to co-exist with Israel. The ultimate objective is to seek total conquest and build an Islamic state on the rubble of every other civilization. He spoke... Continue Reading

Sometimes people react oddly when I tell them I am too insecure to have a job. They think having a job creates security. The idea of being dependent on 100% of my income coming from one source, like a job, scares me. If I get laid off, fired, or the business fails, or merges with another company, and I lose that job, I lose 100% of my income. However, I still have 100% of my bills; mortgage or rent, auto expenses. Plus I have this desire to eat, which requires me to buy food. One of my tenants recently lost her job and was stressing about how she was going to pay the next month’s rent. You could... Continue Reading