Of course I have a CPA and they keep up on everything throughout the year but tax season is always a pain. Especially when it comes to paying what you owe if you owe. Yeah I owed as usual. Celeste had to do taxes for the first time in her life and she got back quite a bit since she has Little Joe and she didn’t earn much money either. Being a full time student helped her too. One things for sure, I hope everyone got their taxes in before the deadline because it’s a mess when you don’t. You have to file for extensions and all kinds of crap. Well I got it all done in time. I sure hope you did too.
Looking for a new mailbox now
Some kids have been running up and down the road knocking every one’s mailboxes off of their posts. I decided I needed a new, more secure mailbox that not only looked great but just might stop those kids from knocking it off of the post. I decided to check online at mailboxixchange.com and found exactly what I needed. They have a wide variety of mailboxes to choose from and and I had no idea of just how many different types of mailboxes there were.
I never really thought much about them in all reality because I usually just went to a local hardware store and picked one up. Well these mailboxes will protect your mail from someone steeling your mail and possibly steeling your identity which is going on more and more with the economy in the shape it’s in now. I know that I can sleep at night and not have to worry if my mailbox will be there in the morning and I also know that my mail is safe and secure because without the key, no one can get into my mailbox but myself or one of my staff. You just can’t be too careful these days and this mailbox sure helps you to do just that, be careful.
Stocks woes!!
Three major United States stock market indexes closed at their lowest levels in over a decade on Monday, amidst declining investor confidence and worries that the government will nationalize the banks.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by 3.41%, or 251.4 points, to end the day at 7,114.3, its lowest level since October 1997. The Standard and Poor’s 500 index lost 26 points or 3.5% to a level of 743.33, its lowest level since April 1997. The Russel 2000 Index of smaller companies dropped by four percent.
The three stock market indexes have been falling for the last six days. The Nasdaq Composite index lost 53.5 points, or 3.71%, closing at 1,387.7. However, the index remained above its November 20, 2008 low of 1316.12.
Despite the worries about the banks, bank shares climbed today. Bank of America shares rose by 3.2%, whilst Citigroup gained 9.7%. However, stocks for both banks have plunged more than 68% this year-to-date.
“People left and right are throwing in the towel. The biggest thing I see here is the incredible pessimism – the government is doing a lousy job of alleviating fears,” said Keith Springer of Capital Financial Advisory Services.
“Many investors simply can’t contemplate any more stock market risk in their portfolios. Sentiment in the market is very weak and negative,” said the senior market strategist for Invesco AIM, Fritz Meyer.
This is absolutely awful. I really thought that once the American people saw all that the new president was doing to try and help the economy, they would turn this around. Instead, just the opposite seems to be true. How do they expect the economy to turn around if they keep bailing out of the stock market. They’re hurting the economy by doing so. If I had a bundle of money, I would start buying like crazy now. I bet you could make a bundle IF you have the money to start investing but so many have lost so much that they’re giving up and to give up means more economic woes for the country. Can’t they see that?
Ready for a quiet week
Boy am I ready for a nice quiet week. Time to take down all of the Christmas decorations and start looking forward to some peace and quiet for a change. January is typically a slow month for us. That is unless it snows and then it picks up on the weekends only usually. We had a blast for New years and I’m so glad to see the old year go just as I’m sure everyone else is.
I lost quite a bit of money in the stock market but I’m not worried. I know everything will turn around soon enough. We just have to get the new president sworn in and then things will begin to settle down. It happens just about every time one party has had the White House for a long time. It seems like everything goes to pot but then the new party takes over and within 6 months, things settle down. With as big of a mess as we have this time, it might take longer. We shall see, huh?
Celeste is free from her father
Since Celeste is 17 years old, she does not have to return to her parents as long as someone, me in other words, is appointed her legal guardian until she turned 18. Well I gladly accepted that responsibility. Since I have taken a restraining order out against her father, he can no longer come within 50 feet of my home and establishment. Celeste also took one out and now he can’t come within 50 feet of her anywhere she goes.
It’s a shame that such a beautiful and bright young woman should have to make such hard decisions about her own father but Celeste knows that she in turn must protect herself and her son. The law is on her side in all of this mess. Her hopes and dreams to be her own person, go to college and support herself and her son are what keep her going.
Life is hard at times and tough decisions are all a part of growing up. A 17 year old shouldn’t have to make such hard decisions but she has and has done it without malice or hatred in her heart. She will go far in life with her gentle and loving heart. I only can hope and pray she doesn’t develop a hard heart because of all of this. I honestly don’t think she will because we will surround her with love and respect here. I am so very proud of her.
Election Day
I don’t care who you are going to vote for, just make sure you do go out and vote. This election is going to be a history making election either way. I have always felt that if you don’t vote, you have no right to complain about the shape our country is in because you didn’t even care enough to vote to try and help it be better. Well every voice needs to be heard this year for sure. Please, get out and vote. I’ll be there.
Ethanol
I heard that you could get a permit to make your own ‘ethanol’ for your own private use. Heck, no one calls it ‘ethanol’ up here and there’s plenty of it still made without a permit but I didn’t want it for anything but my mowers and stuff like that. Well now I know why these others don’t have a permit.
Sure the government will give you a permit but you have to jump through about a hundred different hoops to get it. You even have to give them your ‘recipe’ for the ‘ethanol’. By the time they issue the permit, you’re tuning into oil in the ground yourself. That and I don’t think these other guys are putting what they make in the tank of their lawn mowers either. 😉