I just came across Government Refinance Assistance, a resource page listing the best options for refinancing and or FHA options for homeowners that are caught in the housing market crisis.
The 3rd best option listed when criteria is not met for the first two is loan modifications.
I haven't heard very much negativity toward loan modifications. Essentially because they are pretty cut & dry. Of course there will always be some type of negativity surrounding anything new. That is the role of the skeptic. I, too, didn't jump up & down gleefully.. or like a chipmunk who just found their winter stash when I first heard about them. I did stop what I was doing to listen.
A year ago, working in the lending/finance industry, the idea definitely intrigued me. I wanted to understand how & why all lenders could negotiate or modify their these loans now.
As foreclosures increased, and the bottom was falling out among hundreds of lenders nationwide, one could see the value in modifying loan terms and realize the saving grace they really provided.
The modification strategy is typically designed for homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage, not for those who can pay their mortgage or are eligible for a refinanced loan.
(excerpt taken from "Is a Mortgage Modification For You?")
"A mortgage is one of the most complex transactions there is. A loan modification is also a gray area for a lot of people. So of course people need someone to walk them through the process to tell them this is what you need and this is what you don't need," said Ginna Green, spokeswoman for the California office of the Center for Responsible Lending in Oakland.
Is a loan modification for you?
Greg Pennington, a San Francisco-based mortgage banking consultant and counselor with Parker-Pennington Enterprises, says a loan modification isn't for everyone.
A loan modification may not be viable if:
* The modified loan comes with payments you still can't afford.
* Your current interest rate is already low and there's no room for the lender to lower it further.
* You can make the new payments, but the mortgage balance is greater than the value of your home and you don't plan on staying put long enough to reverse the loan-to-value imbalance.
* You have not already missed payments on your mortgage or can't show financial hardship due, say, to job loss, pay decrease, illness or interest rate increase.
* You have other properties, investments or assets that could be liquidated to cover your mortgage debt.
* A short sale (The lender forgives a portion of the debt owed if you can find a buyer), bankruptcy, auction sale, refinance or other approach, short of a foreclosure, is a better option.
"You can do a loan modification and not be aware of where you stand. You can get a loan modification for a home you don't want to be in," said Pennington.
A financial, housing or credit consultation can help you determine your best option. Just be prepared to hold down the fort for the 60 to 90 days or more it could take to complete the modification, due to potential complications and document processing times. " www.realitytimes.com
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Monday, February 9, 2009
Success stories!
Hey everyone!
Just a quick update on a couple of our success stories this last week.
1. Negotiated the payment for a 2nd/Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)with Wells Fargo for a client who was NOT past due. We were able to save them a few hundred dollars per month in addition to fixing their term/rate.
2. A construction loan was 10 months past due. We modified their loan (again with Wells Fargo) 1 week before the sale date. We were able to save the client enough money per month that they were able set up a final payment plan for the finishes on their home.
3. We had a client that was 30 days past due with CMS. Their ARM had just begun to adjust. We fixed the loan payment for the rest of the term, saving them even more money than their original payment.
I like being able to share these stories with everyone to show what kind of work we are accomplishing, and how it is truly benefiting homeowners. I'm currently looking into putting together a seminar on getting through this economic crunch in terms of debt consolidation, loan modification, & long term savings. I've always carried my life insurance licenses from my past management positions in banking/investments, so I plan on renewing them. I have been doing research on better avenues of savings/investments outside of the typical 401k & Stock market.
I look forward to updating this soon!
In the mean time... here's a cool article "An Urgent Call to Buy Local"
-M
Just a quick update on a couple of our success stories this last week.
1. Negotiated the payment for a 2nd/Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC)with Wells Fargo for a client who was NOT past due. We were able to save them a few hundred dollars per month in addition to fixing their term/rate.
2. A construction loan was 10 months past due. We modified their loan (again with Wells Fargo) 1 week before the sale date. We were able to save the client enough money per month that they were able set up a final payment plan for the finishes on their home.
3. We had a client that was 30 days past due with CMS. Their ARM had just begun to adjust. We fixed the loan payment for the rest of the term, saving them even more money than their original payment.
I like being able to share these stories with everyone to show what kind of work we are accomplishing, and how it is truly benefiting homeowners. I'm currently looking into putting together a seminar on getting through this economic crunch in terms of debt consolidation, loan modification, & long term savings. I've always carried my life insurance licenses from my past management positions in banking/investments, so I plan on renewing them. I have been doing research on better avenues of savings/investments outside of the typical 401k & Stock market.
I look forward to updating this soon!
In the mean time... here's a cool article "An Urgent Call to Buy Local"
-M
Thursday, January 15, 2009
I Love Picasa/ Loan Modifications
Ok...
I haven't put photoshop on my new computer yet, so sad... yes.
A couple of years ago this could have been death for an online media marketer, but thankfully we have so many savvy & free programs to do the basic job... and do it well.
I made a video talking about Loan Modification.
The only problem I had with this video was, after creating it and trying to upload it to You Tube, it kept getting errors. Over & Over. I searched forums, I asked my followers on twitter.. "What's up with Picasa not uploading correctly to You Tube?".
Ahem.. but doesn't Google own both of these applications? Wouldn't you think there'd be some sort of easy goal accomplished when using players from the same team? Yeah, write that down Google Gods, talk to your team captains about this.
I'm getting off the subject.
Well, I had people telling me to go convert the wav file in Windows media player, and go through about 3 other steps, that seemed like a pain in my arse.
Then this brilliant, amazing person said that if you just type in ONE word in all the required upload descriptions, i.e; your title, description, tags etc, and make sure it was public (hence, doing all this almost completely frees open the file) then like magic it will work.
Wow.. It worked and I am now LOVING the ease of creating slides for movies in Picasa. Other than I can't use multiple colors for my text in one slide, I pretty much am satisfied with most of the other options for what I need to do. They have great organic font choices as well.
You can later go in to You tube and change the settings, add your descriptions, and all the Tags to your little hearts content.
So with out further ado... here is the first video. I will clean it up a bit, and have more to come. Please share this link!!
I haven't put photoshop on my new computer yet, so sad... yes.
A couple of years ago this could have been death for an online media marketer, but thankfully we have so many savvy & free programs to do the basic job... and do it well.
I made a video talking about Loan Modification.
The only problem I had with this video was, after creating it and trying to upload it to You Tube, it kept getting errors. Over & Over. I searched forums, I asked my followers on twitter.. "What's up with Picasa not uploading correctly to You Tube?".
Ahem.. but doesn't Google own both of these applications? Wouldn't you think there'd be some sort of easy goal accomplished when using players from the same team? Yeah, write that down Google Gods, talk to your team captains about this.
I'm getting off the subject.
Well, I had people telling me to go convert the wav file in Windows media player, and go through about 3 other steps, that seemed like a pain in my arse.
Then this brilliant, amazing person said that if you just type in ONE word in all the required upload descriptions, i.e; your title, description, tags etc, and make sure it was public (hence, doing all this almost completely frees open the file) then like magic it will work.
Wow.. It worked and I am now LOVING the ease of creating slides for movies in Picasa. Other than I can't use multiple colors for my text in one slide, I pretty much am satisfied with most of the other options for what I need to do. They have great organic font choices as well.
You can later go in to You tube and change the settings, add your descriptions, and all the Tags to your little hearts content.
So with out further ado... here is the first video. I will clean it up a bit, and have more to come. Please share this link!!
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Mortgage silver lining or clouds prolonging the thunderstorm?
I know this may be *yesterday's* news in some circles, because I just got caught up on some interesting news released by Fannie Mae, the end of December.
I couldn't be more cautiously thrilled to hear that remodifications on home loans will no longer be just for people who go into default.
I'd heard rumors of this change about 6 months ago. I, however, have been so swamped with trying to tweak my business plans, establish cash flow for beta testing, and learning about how to brand myself, that I haven't stayed as up-to-the minute as was before.
According to the Washington Post article on Dec. 19th 2008, "Fannie's policy change has the potential to help thousands of people who are losing jobs or facing layoffs as the recession crunches onward. Most lenders and loan servicers traditionally have declined to intervene in mortgage problems until borrowers are 60 to 90 days late. At that point, so-called "loss mitigation" staffs may then try to work out solutions if possible –– through rescheduling of back payments, forbearance, extending the loan term, among other techniques.
For example, say your spouse loses a part-time source of income, and suddenly you're short $400 a month needed to make your $2,000 mortgage payment. In the past, if you called your loan servicer, you'd likely be told that long-standing rules prohibit any help to you until you have become delinquent by several months.
Under the new early workout concept, by contrast, Fannie's servicers can now tell you upfront: We'll try lowering your monthly payments to accommodate the $400 in missing income. If you're current on the lowered payments after a four-month trial, and your income situation has not rebounded, we'll make the change permanent."
Now many of you savvy, or proactive homeowners out there are already aware of these options, but please do your research before submitting to whatever your lender offers.
Fannie mae says they will still due their checks on credit, job etc.. to make sure no one is lying about a shortage of income.
I think this is biased, and actually they don't have any legal right to do that when it is for a remodification. If you decide to check with your current lender, make sure you then find a loan remodification specialist near you to see what kind of negotiations they come up with as well. A specialist works with lenders and sometimes a legal team directly, who can perform a forensic analysis on your property. This allows them to come up with a fair and current market value of your home, in some circumstances it can possibly lower your principle owed.. NOT just the interest rate. Remodification specialists will ALSO package your entire "remod" between your 1st & 2nd mortgage, saving you even more money, whereas your 1st mortgage lender will only deal with the loan you have with them. The entire goal is to make the payments affordable for you now and in the long term.
Just some key things to think about when you start pursuing this.
Check out www.loanrefine.com to get a free look at your situation.
Now.. on to the flip side of this whole economic/mortgage mess. One has to wonder if these remodifications will really help stop the bleeding, or if it's just another tool to soak up the mess.
We all know that when you go into clean out a room/house etc.. it looks 10x worse while going through the process, in order to get to the end result. There are many aides in the current market, helping clean up, but are they just making it even more unorganized and ridiculous in the long run? Some statistics in the same article mentioned above claim that 53% of the people who have already gone through one remodification process in the last year, have already fallen behind or defaulted again. Of course that was bound to happen. These remod's aren't going to solve everything. I do like the fact that 47% have been helped... that is another 47% of homes that *were* kept from foreclosure... so in my humble opinion, that is progress. The bleeding did stop for that 47% so lets move on to the next section to clean until we can stand back and start seeing something take shape here in the grand scheme of things.
I couldn't be more cautiously thrilled to hear that remodifications on home loans will no longer be just for people who go into default.
I'd heard rumors of this change about 6 months ago. I, however, have been so swamped with trying to tweak my business plans, establish cash flow for beta testing, and learning about how to brand myself, that I haven't stayed as up-to-the minute as was before.
According to the Washington Post article on Dec. 19th 2008, "Fannie's policy change has the potential to help thousands of people who are losing jobs or facing layoffs as the recession crunches onward. Most lenders and loan servicers traditionally have declined to intervene in mortgage problems until borrowers are 60 to 90 days late. At that point, so-called "loss mitigation" staffs may then try to work out solutions if possible –– through rescheduling of back payments, forbearance, extending the loan term, among other techniques.
For example, say your spouse loses a part-time source of income, and suddenly you're short $400 a month needed to make your $2,000 mortgage payment. In the past, if you called your loan servicer, you'd likely be told that long-standing rules prohibit any help to you until you have become delinquent by several months.
Under the new early workout concept, by contrast, Fannie's servicers can now tell you upfront: We'll try lowering your monthly payments to accommodate the $400 in missing income. If you're current on the lowered payments after a four-month trial, and your income situation has not rebounded, we'll make the change permanent."
Now many of you savvy, or proactive homeowners out there are already aware of these options, but please do your research before submitting to whatever your lender offers.
Fannie mae says they will still due their checks on credit, job etc.. to make sure no one is lying about a shortage of income.
I think this is biased, and actually they don't have any legal right to do that when it is for a remodification. If you decide to check with your current lender, make sure you then find a loan remodification specialist near you to see what kind of negotiations they come up with as well. A specialist works with lenders and sometimes a legal team directly, who can perform a forensic analysis on your property. This allows them to come up with a fair and current market value of your home, in some circumstances it can possibly lower your principle owed.. NOT just the interest rate. Remodification specialists will ALSO package your entire "remod" between your 1st & 2nd mortgage, saving you even more money, whereas your 1st mortgage lender will only deal with the loan you have with them. The entire goal is to make the payments affordable for you now and in the long term.
Just some key things to think about when you start pursuing this.
Check out www.loanrefine.com to get a free look at your situation.
Now.. on to the flip side of this whole economic/mortgage mess. One has to wonder if these remodifications will really help stop the bleeding, or if it's just another tool to soak up the mess.
We all know that when you go into clean out a room/house etc.. it looks 10x worse while going through the process, in order to get to the end result. There are many aides in the current market, helping clean up, but are they just making it even more unorganized and ridiculous in the long run? Some statistics in the same article mentioned above claim that 53% of the people who have already gone through one remodification process in the last year, have already fallen behind or defaulted again. Of course that was bound to happen. These remod's aren't going to solve everything. I do like the fact that 47% have been helped... that is another 47% of homes that *were* kept from foreclosure... so in my humble opinion, that is progress. The bleeding did stop for that 47% so lets move on to the next section to clean until we can stand back and start seeing something take shape here in the grand scheme of things.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
My top 10 economic predictions
All this doom & gloom about the continued negative economic indicators for 2009 has got me feeling quite rebellious.
Maybe I live in a world of speedboats, waverunners, acres of green grass for golfing, surrounded by majestic white mountains full of pure powder bliss on my snowboard. But I don't care damnit. If I want to see leprechauns running down airport terminals in Dublin (which I REALLY did see that once..) and have a scrumptious hot falafel stand around the corner from my house.. then it's going to happen, whether in my imagination or not.
Of course I'm well aware of the current global situation. I do care, and I do want to help & give back in any way possible to positively impact others... BUT, seriously, I'm among many, sick of the negativity and letting my emotions subscribe to the media. I've actually been pretty good at that for quite some time now.
So with out further ado... regardless of what the media wants to report, and acknowledging all disregard to current indicators.. here is MY Top Ten Economic Predictions for 2009
1. 2009 will start the year in global recession with all of the major economies of the world in simultaneous economic contractions including the U.S., the Eurozone, Great Britain, Japan, and China, as well as a number of smaller economies and emerging markets. Once everyone realizes that these predictions happen every year, they'll all get on with their work & head to the bar to spend loads of cash, hence the recession is over.. or atleast everyone's too drunk to realize it's not.
2. The U.S. Bond index continues going crazy, confusing investors & lenders & consumers to the point of going to the bar drinking their mortgage money away.
3. U.S. unemployment increases toward and possibly exceeds double digits, while the government begins going bankrupt, due to all the "unemployed" people raking in thousands of dollars every month from working online. Offshore accounts abound.
4. Large increases in the number of bankruptcies, especially among retailers, auto related companies, and small businesses. Significant increases in failures of small to medium sized banks. Yet the economy booms due to offshore accounts ballooning, and spending hitting an all time peak in US History.
5. Tall people get paid more, because they are the only ones that actually intimidate the Chinese.
6. Economic Forecasts change predictions every month, sending everyone back to the bars across the globe to watch football & Soccer. The World is a much happier place. Imported Tequilla & Vodka prices plummet, while supply & demand sky rocket. Mexico & Panama are headed toward Super power status.
7. Everyone's house is in threat of loss... to the point that no one does anything about it. The average consumer continues to either refinance or remodify the terms of their loan until we realize that no one is paying for their mortgage. So we give everyone a job to collect on these payments.. in return allowing everyone to pay themselves.
8. Consumer credit further restricted by lenders and late payments and defaults on
credit cards rise sharply. So credit card companies tank, and the world of credit is restructered and revoked temporairily, while people in America learn to spend what they actually have. A new fangled idea in the states has emerged.
9. The Federal Reserve keeps interest rates just above zero, so that everyone has more money to spend at the bar.
10. Worries about falling prices earlier in the year turn to realization that there is no science to economics... but complete BS & Philibustering/speculation.
Maybe I live in a world of speedboats, waverunners, acres of green grass for golfing, surrounded by majestic white mountains full of pure powder bliss on my snowboard. But I don't care damnit. If I want to see leprechauns running down airport terminals in Dublin (which I REALLY did see that once..) and have a scrumptious hot falafel stand around the corner from my house.. then it's going to happen, whether in my imagination or not.
Of course I'm well aware of the current global situation. I do care, and I do want to help & give back in any way possible to positively impact others... BUT, seriously, I'm among many, sick of the negativity and letting my emotions subscribe to the media. I've actually been pretty good at that for quite some time now.
So with out further ado... regardless of what the media wants to report, and acknowledging all disregard to current indicators.. here is MY Top Ten Economic Predictions for 2009
1. 2009 will start the year in global recession with all of the major economies of the world in simultaneous economic contractions including the U.S., the Eurozone, Great Britain, Japan, and China, as well as a number of smaller economies and emerging markets. Once everyone realizes that these predictions happen every year, they'll all get on with their work & head to the bar to spend loads of cash, hence the recession is over.. or atleast everyone's too drunk to realize it's not.
2. The U.S. Bond index continues going crazy, confusing investors & lenders & consumers to the point of going to the bar drinking their mortgage money away.
3. U.S. unemployment increases toward and possibly exceeds double digits, while the government begins going bankrupt, due to all the "unemployed" people raking in thousands of dollars every month from working online. Offshore accounts abound.
4. Large increases in the number of bankruptcies, especially among retailers, auto related companies, and small businesses. Significant increases in failures of small to medium sized banks. Yet the economy booms due to offshore accounts ballooning, and spending hitting an all time peak in US History.
5. Tall people get paid more, because they are the only ones that actually intimidate the Chinese.
6. Economic Forecasts change predictions every month, sending everyone back to the bars across the globe to watch football & Soccer. The World is a much happier place. Imported Tequilla & Vodka prices plummet, while supply & demand sky rocket. Mexico & Panama are headed toward Super power status.
7. Everyone's house is in threat of loss... to the point that no one does anything about it. The average consumer continues to either refinance or remodify the terms of their loan until we realize that no one is paying for their mortgage. So we give everyone a job to collect on these payments.. in return allowing everyone to pay themselves.
8. Consumer credit further restricted by lenders and late payments and defaults on
credit cards rise sharply. So credit card companies tank, and the world of credit is restructered and revoked temporairily, while people in America learn to spend what they actually have. A new fangled idea in the states has emerged.
9. The Federal Reserve keeps interest rates just above zero, so that everyone has more money to spend at the bar.
10. Worries about falling prices earlier in the year turn to realization that there is no science to economics... but complete BS & Philibustering/speculation.
Chicks- Check out these books
Just a quickie:
As a lover of all books, fashion & purses, cupid shot an arrow through my heart when I spied this magical link on twitter the other day.
These old books - turned handbags are another great accessory that could be marketed in all kinds of boutiques. I could just see these at places like Three Monkey's, down in NW Portland, Gypsy Chic, Moxie or Local 35. I wonder if Target would jump on the band wagon? But then you know, they wouldn't bother using books, they'd just mass produce fake handbags from made to look like old books.
I better get an authentic one before that happens right?
http://vimeo.com/2657688
For some reason the video wouldn't embed correctly... so you can check them out at the above link, or the title to the blog, will take you to the website. I'll try to see if I can get the correct code later.
As a lover of all books, fashion & purses, cupid shot an arrow through my heart when I spied this magical link on twitter the other day.
These old books - turned handbags are another great accessory that could be marketed in all kinds of boutiques. I could just see these at places like Three Monkey's, down in NW Portland, Gypsy Chic, Moxie or Local 35. I wonder if Target would jump on the band wagon? But then you know, they wouldn't bother using books, they'd just mass produce fake handbags from made to look like old books.
I better get an authentic one before that happens right?
http://vimeo.com/2657688
For some reason the video wouldn't embed correctly... so you can check them out at the above link, or the title to the blog, will take you to the website. I'll try to see if I can get the correct code later.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Arguments, hypocrites & Pettiness
Wow-
I've been a fan of Tim Ferriss's book The Four Hour Work Week, along with his blog.
I don't "live by" his advice. I think he has some very fresh and "clever" ideas. Some of them are recycled, painted new.. but at least he takes the time to analyze, test share.
I think it's important to read as much as possible, and make your own educated decisions on how to go on about your business in a day to day fashion.
I hadn't looked at Ferriss's blog for quite awhile, and when searching for it, I came across this "Texas start-up blog", completely bashing Ferriss and actually accusing him of "ruining lives"
For maturity sake, where is the real critical dialogue? OHMYGOD! Are you serious I thought? This is another negative person/victim, blaming someone else for the lack of accountability people carry upon themselves.
Seriously, have you ever been given advice, that you KNOW won't work for your exact situation, but figured you'd test it anyway? Right? How on earth is it another persons fault that you decided to FOLLOW the advice that you know wasn't right for you, or that it just didn't make sense or work out? Accountability people. Just like anything in life. School, work, relationships. Trial & Error. Every mistake leads to a success. I just think it's hilarious when you have people taking the time to "bash" others for stepping outside of the box, regardless of if it's right or wrong. Annnnnd who is anyone to JUDGE. I get really passionate about that topic, if you haven't noticed from my previous blogs. When one is striving for greatness, who gave anyone else the right to judge your life. Why not take a look at yourself, and what you could be doing better? Go research or learn something valuable to add depth your life.
I don't think that everyone could follow Ferriss's advice down to a "T" and have it work. For one thing.. I'm a chick (Ding ding.. first inclination that each person needs to mold information to fit for them.. HELLO) If anything I give Kudo's to Ferris for sharing his tests, theories and ideas. What works for me doesn't always work for all situations (even strikingly similar ones).
Here is an excerpt from this Texas Start-up blog (ok.. I'm going to be a COMPLETE hypocrite here for a second and laugh at the fact that it's a Texas start up.. I mean the most arrogant state in the country...oops did I just say that? me & my pettiness... damn.)
"I think The Four Hour Work Week is, at its core, a perfect example of what is wrong with America today....We as American’s need to take a long hard look at ourselves and figure out why we were put here on earth. Why were we given all of these advantages? Luke 12:48 commands, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Just as ‘hard work’ is a virtue, laziness is one of the seven deadly sins. Maybe you can get everyone else to do you work (and play), but just maybe you were put on this earth for a higher purpose. Maybe the act of hard work is an end to itself? I am not sure why, but something about Timothy’s ideas about work scare me..... (Savage-girl response: Ok REALLY? Lets take a critical look at what this texas blogger is saying... that only "hard work" <-- as in time consuming labor? is what is expected out of us? Do you think Tim Ferris is telling everyone to cut down to a 4-hour work week, in order to be lazy and sit around with that extra 36 hours?) Has he not seen the FUNDRAISING that has been developed with Ferriss's extra amount of time, the physical endurance tests he's given himself, the brain teasers, the challenges, the research, the writing... all of these things that Ferriss and many others can now do with their OWN time. How are those things not worthy in "God's" eyese. How is that not a worthy expectation for another human to spend time, 1) having fun with life, 2) helping others seek & learn, & 3) challenging themselves & others for the greater good? Has he really read the entire book and followed any of the blogs? Our Texan goes on to complain...
"Take for example how Tim uses a team in India to ‘manage his love life, arranging more than 30 dates with 30 different women in 2 days. As Tim Warren points out, “Doesn’t that seem like an arrogant and grimly functional approach to dating?” Really? Are we really to busy to screen and schedule dates? Come on."
HA .. so what? Does this person not realize that there is an "Eastern" culture outside of the US, which flourishes with arranged marriages? Surprisingly many of them work.. well. What is so arrogant about trying to find a match this way, when the old western "tried and true" of romance has not worked for him?
To be honest. I don't think I would approach romance in this way, but I can't knock it. I actually had a friend join Match.com 3 different times over the course of 2 years. She went on nearly 200 dates. She is very attractive, educated, funny, professional etc... and she ended up meeting her new husband this way, and married by age 30. That was her plan. She is truly happy, and who am I to judge? What is the difference between having a team of people in India set this type of matchmaking up, or using a system like E-Harmony or match?
All I can say is, if you're going to blog to bash... think about what you are bashing. Is it really worth the effort? or could you have spent the time in a more positive and VALUABLE state of mind to continue bettering yourself?
I've been a fan of Tim Ferriss's book The Four Hour Work Week, along with his blog.
I don't "live by" his advice. I think he has some very fresh and "clever" ideas. Some of them are recycled, painted new.. but at least he takes the time to analyze, test share.
I think it's important to read as much as possible, and make your own educated decisions on how to go on about your business in a day to day fashion.
I hadn't looked at Ferriss's blog for quite awhile, and when searching for it, I came across this "Texas start-up blog", completely bashing Ferriss and actually accusing him of "ruining lives"
For maturity sake, where is the real critical dialogue? OHMYGOD! Are you serious I thought? This is another negative person/victim, blaming someone else for the lack of accountability people carry upon themselves.
Seriously, have you ever been given advice, that you KNOW won't work for your exact situation, but figured you'd test it anyway? Right? How on earth is it another persons fault that you decided to FOLLOW the advice that you know wasn't right for you, or that it just didn't make sense or work out? Accountability people. Just like anything in life. School, work, relationships. Trial & Error. Every mistake leads to a success. I just think it's hilarious when you have people taking the time to "bash" others for stepping outside of the box, regardless of if it's right or wrong. Annnnnd who is anyone to JUDGE. I get really passionate about that topic, if you haven't noticed from my previous blogs. When one is striving for greatness, who gave anyone else the right to judge your life. Why not take a look at yourself, and what you could be doing better? Go research or learn something valuable to add depth your life.
I don't think that everyone could follow Ferriss's advice down to a "T" and have it work. For one thing.. I'm a chick (Ding ding.. first inclination that each person needs to mold information to fit for them.. HELLO) If anything I give Kudo's to Ferris for sharing his tests, theories and ideas. What works for me doesn't always work for all situations (even strikingly similar ones).
Here is an excerpt from this Texas Start-up blog (ok.. I'm going to be a COMPLETE hypocrite here for a second and laugh at the fact that it's a Texas start up.. I mean the most arrogant state in the country...oops did I just say that? me & my pettiness... damn.)
"I think The Four Hour Work Week is, at its core, a perfect example of what is wrong with America today....We as American’s need to take a long hard look at ourselves and figure out why we were put here on earth. Why were we given all of these advantages? Luke 12:48 commands, “To whom much is given, much is expected.” Just as ‘hard work’ is a virtue, laziness is one of the seven deadly sins. Maybe you can get everyone else to do you work (and play), but just maybe you were put on this earth for a higher purpose. Maybe the act of hard work is an end to itself? I am not sure why, but something about Timothy’s ideas about work scare me..... (Savage-girl response: Ok REALLY? Lets take a critical look at what this texas blogger is saying... that only "hard work" <-- as in time consuming labor? is what is expected out of us? Do you think Tim Ferris is telling everyone to cut down to a 4-hour work week, in order to be lazy and sit around with that extra 36 hours?) Has he not seen the FUNDRAISING that has been developed with Ferriss's extra amount of time, the physical endurance tests he's given himself, the brain teasers, the challenges, the research, the writing... all of these things that Ferriss and many others can now do with their OWN time. How are those things not worthy in "God's" eyese. How is that not a worthy expectation for another human to spend time, 1) having fun with life, 2) helping others seek & learn, & 3) challenging themselves & others for the greater good? Has he really read the entire book and followed any of the blogs? Our Texan goes on to complain...
"Take for example how Tim uses a team in India to ‘manage his love life, arranging more than 30 dates with 30 different women in 2 days. As Tim Warren points out, “Doesn’t that seem like an arrogant and grimly functional approach to dating?” Really? Are we really to busy to screen and schedule dates? Come on."
HA .. so what? Does this person not realize that there is an "Eastern" culture outside of the US, which flourishes with arranged marriages? Surprisingly many of them work.. well. What is so arrogant about trying to find a match this way, when the old western "tried and true" of romance has not worked for him?
To be honest. I don't think I would approach romance in this way, but I can't knock it. I actually had a friend join Match.com 3 different times over the course of 2 years. She went on nearly 200 dates. She is very attractive, educated, funny, professional etc... and she ended up meeting her new husband this way, and married by age 30. That was her plan. She is truly happy, and who am I to judge? What is the difference between having a team of people in India set this type of matchmaking up, or using a system like E-Harmony or match?
All I can say is, if you're going to blog to bash... think about what you are bashing. Is it really worth the effort? or could you have spent the time in a more positive and VALUABLE state of mind to continue bettering yourself?
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