FREEMAN-SPICER FINANCIAL SERVICES
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316 South Eddy Street South Bend, IN 46617
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Vol. 27, No. 2 • February, 2009
Now you can find this newsletter on the web, at Freeman-Spicer.com
FICO Score . . . . . . . . . . Your FICO score is a number between 300 and 850 intended to answer one question: How risky are you? It assigns specific weights to five criteria:
• Payment History (35%) - Bottom line: Do you pay on time?
• Amounts owed currently (30%) - How big are your balances? How close are you to your credit limits?
• History length (15%) - the longer you have an account open, the less of a credit risk you tend to be.
• Newly opened accounts / credit inquiries (10% each) - People with newly opened accounts tend to be riskier; inquiries indicate potential new accounts. (Best Life)
What’s the magic FICO credit score for getting the best interest rate? Hint: It is not 850. In reality, it’s not necessary to micromanage your credit score. Only 13% of credit users score above 800, and once your score is in the mid 700s, you won’t have trouble qualifying for the best rates (the median FICO score is 723). It’s good to know your score, but a recent study found that 42% of consumers have never checked their score even though it affects whether you qualify for a loan, the interest rate, insurance premiums and more. (Kiplinger’s)
I Have To Do A Blonde Joke: As a trucker stops for a red light, a blonde catches up. She jumps out of her car, runs up to his truck, and knocks on the door. The trucker lowers the window and she says “Hi, my name is Heather and you are losing some of your load.” The trucker ignores her and proceeds down the street. When the truck stops for another red light, the girl catches up again. She jumps out of her car, runs up and knocks on the door. Again, the trucker lowers the window. As if they’ve never spoken, the blonde says brightly, “Hi, my name is Heather, and you are losing some of your load!” Shaking his head, the trucker ignores her again and continues down the street. This happens for a third time - as she runs up to the truck and knocks on the door - the trucker rolls down his window and says: “Hi, my name is Mark, it’s winter in Pennsylvania and I’m driving a SALT TRUCK!” (L. McGann)
What’s Unique About Your Company? . . . . . . . . . . What do people immediately think of when they hear your business name? What sets you apart within your industry? Have you found a unique way to satisfy someone’s need? And if you were to close your doors today, what would your customers miss most? Could your customers find another shop with similar products or services relatively quickly? The buying public should have at least one solid reason to choose you over all the others in your business category. So, let’s ask the question in a different way: Why you? If you don’t have the answer on the tip of your tongue, you cannot expect your customers - or your team members - to have it either. (Reality Sells)
Chocolate . . . . . . . . . . . Here are the top 10 New Chocolate Artisanal Sweet Choices as rated by Food and Wine Magazine. It should be mandatory that you have to try all 10 of these.
1. Christopher Elbow No. 6 Dark Rocks - Dark Chocolate with popping candy; from a new line of 14 bars. $7 for 3.5 oz. - elbowchocolates.com.
2. Charles Chocolates Raisies - Chocolate cones with tangy fruit jellies; a new sweet. $25 for 7 - charleschocolates.com.
3. Garrison Confections Rocky Rhode Island - The secret: peanut butter ganache. $5 for 4 oz. - garrisonconfections.com.
4. Compartes Plantain Truffles - One of five Chocolates for a Cause. $30 for 10 - compartes.com.
5. Jacques Torres Caramel Chocolate Popcorn - An addictively salty-sweet snack. $7 for 6 oz. - mrchocolate.com.
6. Green & Black’s Organic Ginger Bar - Thick slices of crystallized ginger add zing. $3.50 for 3.5 oz. - greenandblacks.com.
7. Dove Silky Smooth Milk Chocolate - Creamy and very melt-in-the-mouth. $2 for 3.5 oz. - dovechocolate.com.
8. Recchiuti Confections S’Mores Bites - Ultrafresh marshmallows are fabulous. $8 for 4 - recchiuti.com
9. Nestle’ 100 Grand Bar - Caramel and crispy rice wrapped in chocolate; a sentimental favorite. $1 for 1.5 oz. - nestleusa.com.
10. Scharffen Berger Semisweet Nibby Bars - Cocao nibs add crunch. $5 for 3 oz. - scharffenberger.com. (Food and Wine Magazine)
A Women Went To Her Doctor . . . . . . . The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, “I’ve some bad news. You have cancer, and you’d best put your affairs in order.” The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been waiting. “Well daughter, we women celebrate when things are good, and we celebrate when things are bad. In this case, things are bad. I have cancer. Let’s head to the club and have a martini.” After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber. There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman’s old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating. The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending end on earth. “I’ve been diagnosed with AIDS.” The friends were aghast and gave the women their condolences. After the friends left, the woman’s daughter leaned over and whispered, “Mom, I thought you said you were dying of cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS.” the mother said, “I just don’t want any of those women sleeping with your father after I’m gone.” Now that’s putting your affairs in order. (Bishop)
“No, you didn’t wake me up – I had to get up to answer the phone anyway.” - Yogi Berra
Coat Your Briefs With Horse Fat! . . . . . . What’s Inside April Fresh Ultra Downy - as explained in Wired Magazine. (You have to read this stuff!)
♦ Dihydrogenated tallow dimethyl ammonium chloride - A derivative of rendered fat from cattle, sheep, and horses. Just boil it down and mix with ammonium. After a series of chemical pit stops, out comes a quaternary ammonium compound, or quat - a positive ion in which the hydrogen is replaced by long-chain organic molecules. Quats effectively coat your clothing with lipids, making the fibers soft to the touch. These fats also make fabric a bit less absorbent - don’t use on towels or cloth diapers - and the positive charge neutralizes static electricity. There are a few other quats in Downy, with easily pronounceable names like 1-methyl-1-tallowamidoethyl-2-tallowimidazolinium methylsulfate.
♦ Calcium chloride - These water-absorbing crystals are in everything from road deicers to food additives. On a molecular level, quats tend to clump into fatty globules. CaCl draws water out of them by osmosis, keeping the goo flowing smoothly.
♦ PEG 8000 - The 8000 is this polyethylene glycol’s molecular weight; in this formulation, each molecule weighs as much as a small protein. Here it’s an emulsifier, keeping the fats and other liquids from separating on the shelf.
♦ Kathon CG - Also known by the catchy moniker 5-chloro-2-methyl-3-isothiazolone. So much animal far in one place serves a s perfect medium for microbes. Without powerful antimicrobials like isothiazolones like isothiazolones, April Fresh would quickly turn into August Rancid.
♦ Perfume - The sizzle that sells the steak: Research shows that scent - locked into the clothing fibers by the fatty coating - is the main reason consumers choose one detergent or fabric softener over another.
♦ Ethanol and isopropanol - Downy is shipped year round and isn’t always stored at room temperature. If the quat cocktail were to drop below freezing, it would thicken and need to be dissolved in water. Alcohols act as antifreeze to keep things from solidifying into a pitcher of lard.
♦ Deionized water - This is added as a preservative for the various quats in the bottle. It also eliminates any ferric ions (dissolved iron) present in your laundry water, which can yellow some fabrics.
Recently . . . . I was asked to play in a golf tournament. At first I said, “Naaaahhh! I already play 4 or 5 times a week.” Then they said to me, “Come on, it’s for handicapped and blind kids,” Then I thought - heck - I could win this one. (Eagan)
Negotiating . . . . . . . . In a negotiation you should want to know the other side’s special problems. If you attempt to discover them, you can only create an atmosphere of trust. You might even be able to satisfy his unique problem and come out ahead. There are no tricks to finding out the other side’s unique problems. Just be direct. “Tell me the truth, is something bothering you?” Or even, “Can I be of help to you?” “Do you have a budget
problem?” “Is there anything I should know that would be Sincerely,
helpful?” This approach accomplishes several goals. It makes
the other person a partner not an adversary; and, it gives you a
little more info that helps you frame as beneficial a deal as you
can, given the other side’s special circumstances. (Friendly Persuasion) Edward C. Levy
President