I've had so much going on and so little time to manage this writing blog that i've decided to end it! I am however not gone from the blogsphere. You can find me at http://onadalovesphotography.blogspot.com/ and catch up on what's going on with me there!
I had a good run here and i'm putting all my posts into a hard-covered book so i have something to look back at when i think of my writing blog!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
Are you ready for your Retirement? Yes, Another post on savings and retirement!
"He was fortunate to have a successful business and great job in his prime. He had a nice rented house and a fancy leased car. He didn’t spare any expense when it came to vacations or gifts for his kids. He was always in the latest clothes and shoes and did not have an issue charging fancy dinners to his credit card. He paid all his bills on time. He was a good person and was enjoying life but the one thing he didn’t do was invest in his future by saving for his retirement. Today he’s in his late sixties, dependent on his children and working odd jobs trying to make ends meet"
Sound familiar? I’ve seen this story replay itself too many times. Preparing for retirement is one of the most important tasks we have financially. It’s easy not to think or care about retirement, after all for most of us retirement is a good 30 - 40 years away. We think we’d have made our fortune by then or will figure it out sometime in the future when we are older. A lot of time’s people fail to realize we have the most important factor staring us in the face - TIME - but not too many of us are taking advantage of it.
We all hope to be successful and wealthy; but the simple fact is if we don’t start making preparations for our futures now we may never have the comfortable retirement we dream of. Several companies and brokerage institutions offer retirement savings that allow for small monthly deposits. Sending 50 dollars to a retirement account every month may not seem like anything but lets not forget the power of compounding - 50 dollars a month for 40 years with approximately 10% interest (given the history of the stock market) will give you 316,203.98. Imagine if you saved a 100, 200, 300 dollars or more a month? Several companies also offer 50% or 100% matches up to a certain amount which is more or less free money. Now why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that? Add all that together and those numbers start to look really good!
A lot of people start planning for retirement late in life. Although it’s never too late to begin planning for your retirement, keep in mind that the later you begin, the lower your chances of having your savings grow. With that said, you should make it a priority to plan for your financial future, no matter how small you start out, it’s definitely worth it.
Here are a few pointers on how to start out:
1) Be sure to draft a retirement plan: When do you plan to retire? How much would you like to retire with? How much should you be saving in order to have that amount without sacrificing your current lifestyle?
2) Determine your investment avenues and research them properly: How do you want to invest your money? Consider the options out there - company sponsored retirement plans, real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc
3) Don’t forget to review your plan and monitor your investments periodically and remember you are investing long term.
Don’t be one of those people who end up doing nothing. :-)
P.s. My photoblog is updated.
Sound familiar? I’ve seen this story replay itself too many times. Preparing for retirement is one of the most important tasks we have financially. It’s easy not to think or care about retirement, after all for most of us retirement is a good 30 - 40 years away. We think we’d have made our fortune by then or will figure it out sometime in the future when we are older. A lot of time’s people fail to realize we have the most important factor staring us in the face - TIME - but not too many of us are taking advantage of it.
We all hope to be successful and wealthy; but the simple fact is if we don’t start making preparations for our futures now we may never have the comfortable retirement we dream of. Several companies and brokerage institutions offer retirement savings that allow for small monthly deposits. Sending 50 dollars to a retirement account every month may not seem like anything but lets not forget the power of compounding - 50 dollars a month for 40 years with approximately 10% interest (given the history of the stock market) will give you 316,203.98. Imagine if you saved a 100, 200, 300 dollars or more a month? Several companies also offer 50% or 100% matches up to a certain amount which is more or less free money. Now why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that? Add all that together and those numbers start to look really good!
A lot of people start planning for retirement late in life. Although it’s never too late to begin planning for your retirement, keep in mind that the later you begin, the lower your chances of having your savings grow. With that said, you should make it a priority to plan for your financial future, no matter how small you start out, it’s definitely worth it.
Here are a few pointers on how to start out:
1) Be sure to draft a retirement plan: When do you plan to retire? How much would you like to retire with? How much should you be saving in order to have that amount without sacrificing your current lifestyle?
2) Determine your investment avenues and research them properly: How do you want to invest your money? Consider the options out there - company sponsored retirement plans, real estate, stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc
3) Don’t forget to review your plan and monitor your investments periodically and remember you are investing long term.
Don’t be one of those people who end up doing nothing. :-)
P.s. My photoblog is updated.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Charity Website is here!
Happy New Year Everyone..... even though it's February already lol! I know i've been MIA but i've been extremely busy trying to keep up with all the happenings in my life. 2008 has been great so far! Thank God.
I wanted to let everyone know that the charity website for the Bright One Educational Support Fund is finally here! After all my months of procrastinating i finally finished it!
Please check it out here - Bright One Support Fund Site
I hope you are all doing ok. I will be back soon. :)
I wanted to let everyone know that the charity website for the Bright One Educational Support Fund is finally here! After all my months of procrastinating i finally finished it!
Please check it out here - Bright One Support Fund Site
I hope you are all doing ok. I will be back soon. :)
Thursday, December 6, 2007
My Shopping Update
I was driving by the mall on the Wednesday afternoon before thanksgiving day after grocery shopping for my thanksgiving cooking and as I drove past the mall it called my name. I swear I heard it call my name and in a soft whisper too “Onada….”and so I answered and obeyed. I diverted from my original plan of going home and instead, quickly parked my car in the parking lot of the mall and strolled into my favorite department store where i almost had a heart attack; there was an 80% off sale going on and it wasn’t just 80% off anything. It was 80% off Nicole Miller and DVF and Shelli Segal and BCBG and French Connection and Max Studio and so much more. I almost couldn’t breathe! I grabbed everything I could possibly grab; ugly, fine, my size, not my size, my taste, not my taste and headed into the fitting room to make my choices. As I stood in front of the mirror trying on these gorgeous outfits, I envisioned myself at several “imaginary events”; simply stated, I was buying clothes with no where to go. HOWEVER, (please note how that’s stated in caps) I just HAD to buy something, afterall I need to be prepared with the perfect outfits for those occasions that always come up at the last minute. (This is the mentality I use to justify shopping for things I do not need and this is why I have at least 20 unworn items of clothing in my closet at any given time).
I eventually purchased 3 items and decided to leave the mall before i caused some serious damage to my bank account but that apparently wasnt it. I got downstairs and there was a jewelry sale, WHAT! I HAD to buy something for me and my mummy too. I turned to my left and there was a shoe sale, OMG SHOES TO MATCH MY NEW CLOTHES, i had to buy a few pairs. I turned to my right and the kids section was on sale too, CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR MY NIECES AND NEPHEW, I had to buy something. Every corner i turned there was something to buy and i was buying like a psycho.
I was finally able to make my way out of the demonic department store and was headed in the direction of the lot where my car was parked when i saw the neiman marcus entrance from the corner of my eye. WOOO SAAAA. The devil was at work. "Onada go......go....... go.......". I shook the voice off and kept on walking, "Onada....its not like you are planning to buy anything....i mean look at all your shopping bags......you cant possible carry anything else...just go.....go...go...go ". I shook the voice off AGAIN and kept on walking. "Onada...maybe that marc jacobs bag you've been wanting is on sale....and oh! remember the chanel bag you had your eye on? it might be on sale too.....go...go....go....". My eyes widened and i turned around and started half walking and half running to neiman marcus store to "see" what was there. Lets just say what happens in Neiman Marcus stays in Neiman Marcus. I have no comment. :) When black friday actually came, i put myself on voluntary lock down in my house. The devil is a liar.
What did you buy on black Friday?
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thanks for stopping by.
P.S.
The charity blog has been updated - Thanks to everyone who donated!
The photo blog has also been updated.
I eventually purchased 3 items and decided to leave the mall before i caused some serious damage to my bank account but that apparently wasnt it. I got downstairs and there was a jewelry sale, WHAT! I HAD to buy something for me and my mummy too. I turned to my left and there was a shoe sale, OMG SHOES TO MATCH MY NEW CLOTHES, i had to buy a few pairs. I turned to my right and the kids section was on sale too, CHRISTMAS PRESENTS FOR MY NIECES AND NEPHEW, I had to buy something. Every corner i turned there was something to buy and i was buying like a psycho.
I was finally able to make my way out of the demonic department store and was headed in the direction of the lot where my car was parked when i saw the neiman marcus entrance from the corner of my eye. WOOO SAAAA. The devil was at work. "Onada go......go....... go.......". I shook the voice off and kept on walking, "Onada....its not like you are planning to buy anything....i mean look at all your shopping bags......you cant possible carry anything else...just go.....go...go...go ". I shook the voice off AGAIN and kept on walking. "Onada...maybe that marc jacobs bag you've been wanting is on sale....and oh! remember the chanel bag you had your eye on? it might be on sale too.....go...go....go....". My eyes widened and i turned around and started half walking and half running to neiman marcus store to "see" what was there. Lets just say what happens in Neiman Marcus stays in Neiman Marcus. I have no comment. :) When black friday actually came, i put myself on voluntary lock down in my house. The devil is a liar.
What did you buy on black Friday?
I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving and here's wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thanks for stopping by.
P.S.
The charity blog has been updated - Thanks to everyone who donated!
The photo blog has also been updated.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Repost #3 - My Black Friday Strategy
Photoblog updated.
Since thanksgiving is around the corner, i thought i would repost my black friday strategy that i wrote 2 years ago, which by the way, failed woefully that year because i overslept! . Hopefully things will work out as planned this year! I know i've been MIA but Its been hectic :( thanks for stopping by.
P.S. My charity blog should be updated with my next post.
As you all know, dear friends, black Friday is upon us again and as a dedicated shopaholic, you must realise how important this upcoming event is for me. The perfect opportunity, where for one day, all my savings goals can go to hell (50% off Jimmy Choo purses is NO JOKE), i can indulge in the purchase of unnecessary junk and possibly a few christmas gifts and the best part of it all is, i can act like a psycho in the mall, fight over items at stores, dive into clearance bins head on, stalk people until they return the item they bought that was really and truly meant to be mine and not care what anyone thinks about it cos its BLACK FRIDAY BABY!
Since thanksgiving is around the corner, i thought i would repost my black friday strategy that i wrote 2 years ago, which by the way, failed woefully that year because i overslept! . Hopefully things will work out as planned this year! I know i've been MIA but Its been hectic :( thanks for stopping by.
P.S. My charity blog should be updated with my next post.
********
My BlackFriday Strategy
As you all know, dear friends, black Friday is upon us again and as a dedicated shopaholic, you must realise how important this upcoming event is for me. The perfect opportunity, where for one day, all my savings goals can go to hell (50% off Jimmy Choo purses is NO JOKE), i can indulge in the purchase of unnecessary junk and possibly a few christmas gifts and the best part of it all is, i can act like a psycho in the mall, fight over items at stores, dive into clearance bins head on, stalk people until they return the item they bought that was really and truly meant to be mine and not care what anyone thinks about it cos its BLACK FRIDAY BABY!
......below is my strategy for this highly important day.
THE NIGHT BEFORE
1. Stock my purse with vitamin water, energy bars and MACE - there are bound to be other people having psychotic episodes at the mall that day.
2. Go to bed fully clothed at 10pm with my alarm clock tied to my head inside my silk scarf. Set alarm clock to 4.30am - this is a highly important part of the strategy because once the alarm clock goes off and starts to vibrate, it will resound instantaneously in my head and force me to jump out of bed to begin the race, the added bonus is that, this vibration will shake out my hair and so i wont have to waste any time getting my "do" all purrrtyyy for the mall. right? RIGHT?
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
1. Sneakers - like seriously what other shoes would i wear?
2. Binoculars - to get a first look into the store before anyone else, so when the doors open i can run straight to my desired items.
3. Fishing hook and rod. The realisation has come upon me, that there are people, bigger and stronger than me, that can run faster than me, in cases like this all i will need to do it is throw my hook and grab my item from right under their noses! MUHAHAHA.
4. Press on nails. Needed for PLAN B. in case my mace gets finished before i decide to leave the mall and i have to attack.
5. Uhaul van. To haul my load back home.
THE DAY
1. After reviewing my plan of the mall, i have decided that it is wiser to hit the major department stores first before attempting to tackle the smaller stores because Bigger stores = more variety and more opportunities to use my mace.
2. I'm sure im forgetting something here.... but i'll get back to you on that one. As for the rest of you that are too "POSH" to shop the sale, like my father always says "Penny wise, pound foolish" - so SHIO unto you!
HERE'S WISHING ME GOODLUCK NEXT FRIDAY :)
Friday, October 19, 2007
On The Financial Tip
Kiplinger Personal Finance Magazine has a great issue on the newsstands (check out the website as well) right now titled "Success with your money" which i totally recommend to everyone. It has sections dedicated to people in their 20s, 30s, 40s and over, and talks about where you should be financially at each of those stages and how to get there if you aren't.
With everything going on in the economy - lay offs, higher food and gas prices and the uncertainty of job security, now more than ever I've become obsessed with savings and investing in order to make myself financially stable because you just never know. That being said i thought I'd share some useful articles.
Getting and staying out of Debt
Growing a fund portfolio
The best financial advice ever
Savings doesn't mean giving up everything you enjoy but it does mean making wiser decisions with the way we spend our money. i.e. Ladies, do you really need the $1500.00 purse when you have 5 in your closet already that you hardly carry anyway? Guys, do you really really need the $500.00 black Prada shirt when you already have 10 black shirts that look exactly the same? Does buying that $5.00 starbucks cup of coffee really need to happen everyday? go figure. That money could be used to pay off debt, invest in the stock market, be put in a high interest savings account for the future or stocked away in your emergency account.
Also, a lot of people think you need a lot of money to begin investing in the stock market but do you know there are brokerage firms out there like T. Rowe Price that can help you get started with as little as $50.00 a month as long as you commit to monthly automatic withdrawals from a checking account? $50.00 doesn't seem like a lot but believe me it adds up and lets not forget the power of compounding.
Another important thing i dont think young people take seriously enough (i've been guilty as well) is saving for retirement. No one stays young forever and i personally do not see myself working to earn my living after i'm a certain age. You have A LOT of years to save and you should be taking advantage of it right now. A lot of employers offer retirement savings plans and if yours doesnt you can set up a personal one through one of several brokerage firms.
I cant stress how important it is to have financial stability (i'm working on mine) and so I hope the above information has been useful. :)
I should be updating again soon!
With everything going on in the economy - lay offs, higher food and gas prices and the uncertainty of job security, now more than ever I've become obsessed with savings and investing in order to make myself financially stable because you just never know. That being said i thought I'd share some useful articles.
Getting and staying out of Debt
Growing a fund portfolio
The best financial advice ever
Savings doesn't mean giving up everything you enjoy but it does mean making wiser decisions with the way we spend our money. i.e. Ladies, do you really need the $1500.00 purse when you have 5 in your closet already that you hardly carry anyway? Guys, do you really really need the $500.00 black Prada shirt when you already have 10 black shirts that look exactly the same? Does buying that $5.00 starbucks cup of coffee really need to happen everyday? go figure. That money could be used to pay off debt, invest in the stock market, be put in a high interest savings account for the future or stocked away in your emergency account.
Also, a lot of people think you need a lot of money to begin investing in the stock market but do you know there are brokerage firms out there like T. Rowe Price that can help you get started with as little as $50.00 a month as long as you commit to monthly automatic withdrawals from a checking account? $50.00 doesn't seem like a lot but believe me it adds up and lets not forget the power of compounding.
Another important thing i dont think young people take seriously enough (i've been guilty as well) is saving for retirement. No one stays young forever and i personally do not see myself working to earn my living after i'm a certain age. You have A LOT of years to save and you should be taking advantage of it right now. A lot of employers offer retirement savings plans and if yours doesnt you can set up a personal one through one of several brokerage firms.
I cant stress how important it is to have financial stability (i'm working on mine) and so I hope the above information has been useful. :)
I should be updating again soon!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Mary Kay by force, My Life and happenings in October
Click here for my photo blog updates :)
I hardly wear foundation except when I'm going out to an event and have blemishes on my face. I had been using MAC for a long time and didn't really liked it because it made my skin oily. So anyways, I ended up trying my friend's foundation from Mary Kay and i loved it so i decided to buy one for myself. I went to their website online and found a sales person in my area and placed an order, one for me and one for my mum. First phone call i received from my new Mary Kay rep, Mary, was about how happy she was I'd placed an order and how she would stop by on x date to deliver my foundation.
Mary stopped by at my house on the arranged date and it went from simply delivering my foundation, to her trying to sell me products worth $200 dollars. All my comments about how i dont really use Mary Kay and how i already have everything i need fell onto deaf ears as she continued to PRESSURE ME into buying crap i didn't need. I eventually broke down and purchased some facial cleanser for $22.00 to get her out of my face and my house. (wasting my money and the cleanser sucks too!). As she walked out of my house she mentioned how she thinks i would make an excellent Mary Kay sales rep and i laughed it off with her. hahahaha. BYE MARY. I figured i wouldn't have to call or hear from Mary for another 6 to 8 months for more foundation since i wouldnt use it that much.
Lo and behold the next day and the day after that next day, i'm getting phone calls from Mary talking about she wants to know if i thought becoming a Mary Kay sales rep and yada yada yada. I politely told her each time that i was not interested. She gave me a couple days off and then started calling me again and this time i stopped picking up my phone. Only for Mary to call me from a blocked number yesterday and i answered my phone thinking it was my dad calling me from Nigeria;
"Hi Onada! this is Mary, i'm so glad to talk with you. I've put you on a THREE WAY PHONE CALL with our district sales rep and i thought it would be great for her to talk to you about the opportunity, all you need to do is invest $100 dollars for the kit and guess what?! you already have a first customer - your mum! I'm sure she'd love to use Mary Kay too ......."
Seriously WTH. Cant i buy foundation in peace again? I was pissed off and i almost hung up the phone but i decided to be a decent person and so i politely told them both i was not interested and told Mary to NOT call me again. Next time i am need of foundation i'll find another rep who is not obsessed with selling stuff and recruiting sales reps. Geez!
******
Meanwhile, this last month has been something else for me. I've had so many things going on that i could have possibly freaked out about, but i remained calm (amazingly). Usually when i have so much going on and i'm expecting a lot of things to happen, i think myself into a frenzy every single day until whatever i'm expecting arrives or happens; but this past month i put my trust in God, tested my faith and attempted to remain calm by not thinking about anything. And guess what? it worked and everything came through as planned! so i'm feeling pretty pleased and grateful and i've gained a new insight on how to handle things in my life.
******
October is breast cancer awareness month so checkout the Susan G Komen website on information about early detection, amazing stories and how to support the search for a cure. oh and dont forget to wear something pink!
******
And since tomorrow is Nigeria's Independence day (October 1st) here's wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day!!
P.S. My charity blog will be updated soon! Thanks to everyone who has supported it. I've been doing a lot of shopping for school supplies and i'm really looking forward to the scholarship awards ceremony in December!
I hardly wear foundation except when I'm going out to an event and have blemishes on my face. I had been using MAC for a long time and didn't really liked it because it made my skin oily. So anyways, I ended up trying my friend's foundation from Mary Kay and i loved it so i decided to buy one for myself. I went to their website online and found a sales person in my area and placed an order, one for me and one for my mum. First phone call i received from my new Mary Kay rep, Mary, was about how happy she was I'd placed an order and how she would stop by on x date to deliver my foundation.
Mary stopped by at my house on the arranged date and it went from simply delivering my foundation, to her trying to sell me products worth $200 dollars. All my comments about how i dont really use Mary Kay and how i already have everything i need fell onto deaf ears as she continued to PRESSURE ME into buying crap i didn't need. I eventually broke down and purchased some facial cleanser for $22.00 to get her out of my face and my house. (wasting my money and the cleanser sucks too!). As she walked out of my house she mentioned how she thinks i would make an excellent Mary Kay sales rep and i laughed it off with her. hahahaha. BYE MARY. I figured i wouldn't have to call or hear from Mary for another 6 to 8 months for more foundation since i wouldnt use it that much.
Lo and behold the next day and the day after that next day, i'm getting phone calls from Mary talking about she wants to know if i thought becoming a Mary Kay sales rep and yada yada yada. I politely told her each time that i was not interested. She gave me a couple days off and then started calling me again and this time i stopped picking up my phone. Only for Mary to call me from a blocked number yesterday and i answered my phone thinking it was my dad calling me from Nigeria;
"Hi Onada! this is Mary, i'm so glad to talk with you. I've put you on a THREE WAY PHONE CALL with our district sales rep and i thought it would be great for her to talk to you about the opportunity, all you need to do is invest $100 dollars for the kit and guess what?! you already have a first customer - your mum! I'm sure she'd love to use Mary Kay too ......."
Seriously WTH. Cant i buy foundation in peace again? I was pissed off and i almost hung up the phone but i decided to be a decent person and so i politely told them both i was not interested and told Mary to NOT call me again. Next time i am need of foundation i'll find another rep who is not obsessed with selling stuff and recruiting sales reps. Geez!
******
Meanwhile, this last month has been something else for me. I've had so many things going on that i could have possibly freaked out about, but i remained calm (amazingly). Usually when i have so much going on and i'm expecting a lot of things to happen, i think myself into a frenzy every single day until whatever i'm expecting arrives or happens; but this past month i put my trust in God, tested my faith and attempted to remain calm by not thinking about anything. And guess what? it worked and everything came through as planned! so i'm feeling pretty pleased and grateful and i've gained a new insight on how to handle things in my life.
******
October is breast cancer awareness month so checkout the Susan G Komen website on information about early detection, amazing stories and how to support the search for a cure. oh and dont forget to wear something pink!
******
And since tomorrow is Nigeria's Independence day (October 1st) here's wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day!!
P.S. My charity blog will be updated soon! Thanks to everyone who has supported it. I've been doing a lot of shopping for school supplies and i'm really looking forward to the scholarship awards ceremony in December!
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