Every day I am alive is a good day. I certainly don’t know what the alternative holds, but I do enjoy and live a full life. So, while each day is great, it occurs to me that these days are ExtraOrdinary.

 

• After 250 years as a country, the American public, in all of our glory, voted for a black President. Naysayers up until November 4th said it would never happen. Yet, white, black, Hispanic, and all other colors in our 50 states voted as a majority. Not even our European friends – not the likes of the English, the Irish nor the Italians have done that. ExtraOrdinary.

 

• Graciousness and generosity came from each of the candidates to each other at the end of the race – McCain to Obama, Obama to McCain. And, from Bush to Obama. At the end of the day the party lines were put aside and each recognized and acknowledged each other. All men rose to the occasion. Amen and ExtraOrdinary.

 

• Effective January, 2009, an African American president and his family will be living in the White House built by slaves in another century. Ironic and ExtraOrdinary.

 

• There will be between 4,000,000 – 5,000,000 fewer new cars purchased this year. The credit crunch, unemployment rising rates, and the price of gasoline through the first 3 quarters of the year, has had a tremendous effect on the car industry. ExtraOrdinary.

 

• $25 billion is now allocated to the big three (3) automakers. NADA is feverishly asserting that some of that money must be distributed to the dealer network… over 60 dealers closed their doors in September – that’s two a day. Recently, a Hyundai dealer from Washington, DC told me that the credit scores required to buy car as so high, heck, even I couldn’t purchase one! But if you can -  it is truly a great time to buy a car. Deals, Rebates, Employee Pricing. Like really – like Now. ExtraOrdinary.

• Is it not ironic that the price of gas dropped over 40% in a matter of months -- just as the financial and auto crisis occurred? Wow, there is a very fine and correlated line between supply and demand, huh Exxon? ExtraOrdinary.

 

• Ever notice how much we Americans love our cars? Almost as much as we love our football! In fact, when we go to the NFL games that cost individuals hundreds of dollars for seats  to actually sit in to watch the contest – ever notice how many “fans” never even get to the game? They are out in the parking lot; hanging near the cars, with the food and the beverage inside the cars. We gather around the cars, when its cold we even get inside the vehicles. And, while we say it’s about the camaraderie and filling of the bellies, I assert it’s all about the cars. ExtraOrdinary.

Drive Your Bargain,

Anne

It’s a fun and wacky world… it’s not called the rollercoaster of life for nothing. Let’s take a closer look at life’s ironies this week:

• Gas is down 30% from just a few months ago, to well under $2.99 and it is having no impact on car sales…yet
• Cerberus Capital Management LP (used to own Atlantic Luggage, my employer for 10 years) said just one year after buying an auto company, that they didn’t know how ill equipped they were to run this type of operation in this industry. Expensive hit to the ego
• The stock market has moved about 10,000 points in the past three weeks cumulatively – and is still down
• Even Ann Colture isn’t endorsed by the The View’s Elisabeth Hasselbeck
• There could be a woman vice-president, and I am not voting for her
• For that matter, Colin Powell isn’t voting republican this year
• My Canadian cousins want to vote in the US election in a few weeks         
• After the 2004 election, many Americans wanted to move to Canada 
• Now, 25 years later, Cindy wants to move to Washington
• Brett Farve can’t stay away from a microphone       
• Adam Jones can't stay on a football field while Jerry Jones can't miss a press conference – no, they are not related
• The Steelers can't seem to loose a single game in Cincinnati 
• Jen Anniston is back with the stable, one-woman-man John Mayer….. and, for all the right reasons
• BP is installing flat screen TV at its stations - can we not even buy cigs and gas now without being mindlessly entertained? 
• I can’t seem to miss a meal + desert
• I am the oldest person shopping at AE – the staff asks if they can help me locate a garment for my children…mmmm  

That is enough of my mindless and rambling thoughts.

 

Drive Your Bargain,

Anne

Being in the present is always the best place to be. As human beings, however, we really enjoy spending so much of our time in the past – or, looking out into the future.

So, here is the question of the day “Should I sell”?

 

If I sell my portfolio it will have lost so much in value from just one year ago when the market was at 14,000. And, yet – if I wait, how much more could the market collapse? Heck, just yesterday it dropped 670 points to a 5 year low.

 

With such uncertainly, with GM and Ford stock prices dropping double digit percentages yesterday, Americans are scared and tentative. The stock market is one big emotive playground.  In good times, its one big love ride. When the “rescue plan” calls for bailing out various companies and industries to the tune of $2.3 million dollars per American (that is two point three million dollars per each person abiding, legally or illegally, in our country), the ride down is quick and fierce. The rollercoaster of life! 

So what do you do? Do what provides you comfort – in the NOW. No one has the answer to “what is the right thing to do with your investments” other than you. Of course, the natural thing to do is to calculate your losses. Or, like the eternal optimist that I am, do nothing, wait a few days or maybe a few weeks, and watch the market jump right back up 670 points in a single session. Me? I will not take a look at my statements until EOY. An ostrich? Perhaps! Or, I just don’t want to count my losses, as I have none if I don’t sell.  

What a time it is… will soon move onto “what a time it was”. The now, the present, will soon be the past. And in the meantime, who are you going to be in the face of fear, loss of jobs and income, uncertainty, and a very welcomed changing of the guard in Washington?

In the meantime, as Stevie Wonder so powerfully sang in his 1973 HIGHER GROUND....the "world keeps on moving" (or depending upon what politician you are listing to this week, it could be "mov'n"), the "world keeps spinning" (or, is in "spin'n?). Money comes and money goes, much like love comes and love goes. Hugh, Playboy's King, at 82,  split things off with his twenty something girlfriend the very same week that Howard Stern marries for the second time. The Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Jacksonville Jags on MNF. Blue chip IBM was up -- how about that for a silver lining? And the world just "keeps on turning".

Be in the Driver’s Seat,

Anne

It was October, 2004 when Queen Latifah played the star of Taxi, Belle Williams – a tough woman who rode in a tricked out taxi through the streets of New York. The story line keeps you on your feet as she teams up with a cop, Jimmy Fallon, to peruse her dreams and more. Queen Latifah praised Belle's determination, "She just loves racing. Every dime that she makes after rent and paying the bills goes into the taxi that she's building-this thing that's completely illegal and faster than anything on the streets." The script is filled with comedy and is hilarious.

Queen Latifah had worked with Fallon previously when she hosted Saturday Night Live in 2003. http://www.saturdaynightlive.com

So, its no surprise, almost 4 years to the day of Taxi’s debut, in a week of passing the largest bailout in the history of the American government, in a week when unemployment is now above 6%, in a week when so many ginormous publicly traded companies are buying each other, the Cover Girl Queen herself brings great comedy relief to SNL watchers and You tube viewers! For those of you living in a tree, here is the 11 minute clip of the soulful, hip Queen Latifah as Gwen Ifll, PBS’s moderator, Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and cast member Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden, as they reenact Thursday’s singular Vice-Presidential debate. Click here to watch : <http://www.hulu.com/>  

How come while we can, on occasion, laugh at ourselves, it is still much easier to laugh at others? Human nature, 101, I guess. And with such great fodder available to poke fun at, why not? Gosh Darnit! :) 

Drive Your Bargain,

Anne

I am an American. I vote. I get the fundamental principles of money; I work, I spend, I manage, I save. I pay taxes, of that I am sure. I pay my mortgage to Washington Mutual like clock work each month. And if I missed but one payment or, simply chose not to make one payment, I - like all other Americans - wouldn't be living in my abode one moment longer.

But after living on the planet for 40 plus years, I still can't for the life of me locate my sugar daddy. My vision is not improving, either!

In recent weeks, let alone the past few years...

> $700 Billion to be spent on the Rescue Plan to the financial and mortage sector - who is your daddy?

> $25 Billion to be allocated to cover bad auto loans - who is your daddy?

> $ 4.0 Trillion dollars in the war on terror - who is your daddy? Btw, Just how many zero's are in 'trilliion'?

> $15 Billion dollar gift to the airline industry in 2001 - who is your daddy?

I must digress: In 2002, Delta Airline's CEO was paid over $13 million in compensation and for year ending 2007, WaMu's CEO, Kerry Killinger was paid $14,364,883. While Mr. Killinger's pay dropped 21% from the prior year, it was not nearly as remarkable a decrease as shareholder's dip of 68%.

So, when and how are these 'bailouts', 'plans', or 'loans' paid back? Do tell? Furthermore, where does all of this money actually come from? If my business doesn't pay it's loan back for one month or two, this is a serious sign of a possible cash flow problem or underlining integrity issue. When I keep spending the business's money, and the financial platform collapses, then, just then, I will surely look even harder for my sugar daddy.

On second thought, may I never find him!

Drive Your Bargain,

Anne