20 simple rules winners follow

By Dan Waldschmidt, Edgy Conversations  |  Business Insider  |  August 16, 2015

Winning at life has little to do with luck and a lot to do thoughtful effort. If you want to join the ranks of the winners, here are 20 rules that can help you get there:

1. Never stop working on the details. They eventually matter.

2. Pretend like someone is always watching you. They usually are.

3. Never let small successes get in the way of learning something new. You’ll need it later.

4. Spend time developing a skill. Spend even more time developing will. You need it more.

5. Apologize sincerely. The faster the better.

6. Live outraged or blissful. Anything in the middle is just mediocrity.

7. Learn how to take the pain of progress. You’re going to get banged up along the way.

8. Be willing to do whatever it takes to be successful. That’s what it takes.

9. Ignore what you “should” be doing and do it your way. It’s your life after all.

10. Be deliberately grateful. It will change your outlook for the better.

11. Obsess about the possibility you could be even more amazing. And you will be.

12. Dig deep. Get emotional about your goals. You need that fuel to win.

13. Surround yourself with people who are better than you at what you want to be the best at.

14. Do one thing that matters each day. It adds up to something awesome over time.

15. Avoid negative people. At all costs. Even if they are family or friends.

16. Read. Read. Read. Read. Read … Discover something awesome to make your life better.

17. Get help. Invest in the best help you can afford and do what they say. It matters.

18. Stop saying “I can’t” and “I shouldn’t” or “I don’t feel like it.” Just get it done.

19. Don’t confusing awards with winning. The real reward happens before awards are handed out.

20. Stay fit — financially, physically, and mentally. Always be ready to be a hero.

3 Steps to Prepare Your Family for a Disaster

By Ari Cetron  |  MoneyTalksNews  |  August 28, 2015

No matter where you live, the slightest shrug of Mother Nature’s shoulders can throw your home, neighborhood or entire region into chaos. Take these steps to prepare your family.

Not to be too alarmist, but no matter where you live, there’s a natural disaster waiting to happen. In Seattle, we worry about earthquakes and even a little bit about volcanoes. (There are still people selling Mount St. Helen’s ash.)

Upheavals nationwide this year have included epic flooding in Texas, historic wildfires in the West. Tornadoes in the heartland and likely coming soon to the South, Hurricane Erika. Fact is, wherever you call home, the slightest shrug of Mother Nature’s shoulders can throw your city, neighborhood or entire region into chaos.

You can’t prevent a disaster, but you can take steps that will help you navigate the mayhem that ensues. Here are some key steps to take now, including how to assemble an emergency kit, that can make a big difference for you and your family in a crisis.

1. Gather your important records

One often overlooked item in disaster planning is financial records and other key documents such as birth certificates and the title to your car. It would make sense to have a contact list with important phone numbers — your insurance company, your bank and your doctor — for instance.

Be sure to have two copies. One copy can be stored in a watertight container that you can easily grab from your house. The other one should be kept elsewhere in the event that the house is destroyed or unsafe. You could store them in the cloud, or send them to a relative or trusted friend who lives in a different state, in case a large region is affected.

It’s hard trying to rebuild your life after major losses, but this step will at least make it simpler to get started. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides a financial preparedness checklist here to help you make sure you have the essential items stored.

6 Financial Nuggets of Wisdom They Should Have Taught Us in School (But Didn't)

By Sean Williams  |  The Motley Fool  |  August 15, 2015

As I reflect back on my years in high school and even college, one thing has become readily apparent: learning about the many facets of financial management wasn't part of the plan.

Admittedly, the constraints on the education system these days are tremendous. Veritably every parent has an idea of what their child should be learning in school. But, when push comes to shove, America's kids are woefully unprepared for the real world when they graduate with respect to their financial knowledge.

A financial literacy survey conducted by the Financial Industry Regulation Authority, or FINRA, that was released last year demonstrates just how much trouble our nation's young adults could be in when it comes to their finances. The five-question survey covered relatively basic topics such as interest, savings, and investments. A passing score was considered four or five questions out of five answered correctly. Less than a quarter of millennials aged 18 to 34 passed the quiz.

Arguably a lot of these issues could be solved if they taught basic life skills in school as it relates to our everyday finances. Here are six things that I should have learned when I was in school, but didn't until after I graduated and sought the answers out for myself.

1. How to balance a budget

In terms of basic money management skills, nothing is more critical than understanding your cash flow. Most people have a pretty good bead on how much money is coming in via paychecks, but when you ask them where their money went by the end of the pay period you're liable to get a shoulder shrug.

Students in school should be taught early and often about the basics of keeping a record of their financial transactions. This means recording cash flow into and out of a checking account, and understanding how to properly formulate a budget. Operating on a budget will teach critical money management skills that should allow students to save money and not live paycheck to paycheck -- something that could come in handy if they graduate with student loan debt or don't land their dream job right out of high school or college.

2. How to manage credit
Another financial nugget of wisdom not being taught in schools is the concept of credit, credit scores, and how lending rates can affect our financial decisions.

Not understanding your credit score, or what goes into the makings of a credit score, can be a big problem. In general, your credit score is the single most important component that will determine whether or not a financial institution will lend to you. It's also a determinant of what interest rate you'll qualify for. The higher your credit score, the more favorable the lending rate, and the more financial institutions are likely to compete to obtain your business (which could further lower your lending rate).

Along those same lines, it's imperative today's youth understand the concept of interest and how dangerous making minimum payments on a credit card can be. According to a 2011 Harvard study by Dennis Campbell that looked at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union's 30,000+ member portfolio of credit card holders, a mere 8% of members were on track to pay off their credit cards in 36 months (three years) or less. This means more than nine out of 10 cardholders are in danger of paying substantial interest fees over the life of their debt.

IRS: Tax Data Breach Was Much Worse Than Thought

By Karla Bowsher  |  MoneyTalksNews  |  August 18, 2015

Hackers who stole personal information from an online Internal Revenue Service program called “Get Transcript” accessed data on more people than previously thought, according to the federal agency.

The IRS announced Monday that, after an “extensive review,” it has identified “more questionable attempts to obtain transcripts using sensitive information already in the hands of criminals.” That puts an additional 390,000 Americans at risk.

As a result:

• About 220,000 taxpayers will receive letters from the IRS because of successful attempts to access their Get Transcript accounts.
• About 170,000 other households will receive letters from the IRS “as an additional protective step” to notify them that their personal information could be at risk because of unsuccessful attempts to access the IRS system.

The agency said it would begin mailing the letters in the next few days and offer free credit monitoring to more than 100,000 people, as well as what the IRS characterizes as “identity protection PINs.”

This follows a June IRS announcement that the agency had identified 100,000 successful attempts to access to transcripts through Get Transcript, which was shut down in May after the IRS discovered the breaches. An additional 100,000 unsuccessful attempts to breach Get Transcript were also identified at that time.

A Financial Plan on an Index Card

By Morgan Housel  |  The Motley Fool  |  August 7, 2015

Two years ago, University of Chicago professor Harold Pollack wrote his entire financial plan on an index card.

It blew up. People loved the idea. Financial advice is often intentionally complicated. Obscurity lets advisors charge higher fees. But the most important parts are painfully simple. Here's how Pollack put it:

The card came out of chat I had regarding what I view as the financial industry's basic dilemma: The best investment advice fits on an index card. A commenter asked for the actual index card. Although I was originally speaking in metaphor, I grabbed a pen and one of my daughter's note cards, scribbled this out in maybe three minutes, snapped a picture with my iPhone, and the rest was history.

More advisors and investors caught onto the idea and started writing their own financial plans on a single index card.

I love the exercise, because it makes you think about what's important and forces you to be succinct.

So, here's my index-card financial plan:

Everything else is details. 

Getting real (and serious) about your financial future

By Lisa Aberle  |  GetRichSlowly  |  July 29, 2015

Have you ever wanted — really wanted — to change your financial situation but, when you tried, you felt like you were slogging through wet cement or trying to turn a huge ship around? You got exhausted and stopped, right?

Change is like that.

You can change — and you can also make it easier for yourself. But first, are you clear about why you want to change?

Clarify your reasons

I assume you have already spent some quiet time contemplating why you want to improve your financial situation.

Why do I say that?

Because if improving your financial situation were easy, you would have done it already. But you haven’t, and I am guessing you haven’t because your current lifestyle and habits are making it tougher than it should be. (Even though it’s still not easy to change any way you slice it.)

There’s no shame if you haven’t been successful yet, by the way. Who is completely successful right out of the box when it comes to finances? It takes practice. It requires persistence and a willingness to educate yourself and even experiment sometimes.

Still, there’s a reason you want to improve your finances — a goal of some sort. If you can make your goal crystal clear, it helps to keep you focused and, well, motivated. The “why” is your fuel.

TCU student punished for criticizing Islam, Baltimore riots

By Todd Starnes  |  FoxNews.com  |  August 4, 2015

All it took was 140 characters for Texas Christian University to suspend a conservative student who posted a series of social networking posts that insulted the Islamic State, the Baltimore rioters and Mexicans. 

TCU banned Harry Vincent from most campus activities, ordered him to perform 60 hours of community service and attend a diversity training class. 

The 19­year­old, who is a member of the College Republicans and the Young Americans for Freedom, said he was told by the university that his conservative views were “inappropriate.” 

It sounds to me like Harry Vincent is guilty of being a Christian Conservative white guy – and on a university campus that’s a crime worthy of death penalty. 

“They’re trying to make me out to be the classic bigoted hateful white male,” Harry told me in a telephone interview from his home in Maryland. “That’s the complete opposite of what I am.” 

The university’s only public comment came in a prepared statement noting “When student’s conduct violates the university’s behavioral standards, they are subject to a disciplinary process, and will be held accountable for their actions.” 

On April 29 TCU sent Harry a letter accusing him of violating the university’s code of student conduct – specifically he was accused of “infliction of bodily or emotional arm” and “disorderly conduct.” 

The charges stemmed from a half dozen tweets he had posted online referencing radical Islam along with a Facebook message about the Baltimore riots. 

“These hoodrat criminals in Baltimore need to be shipped off and exiled to the sahara desert,” he wrote. “Maybe then they’ll realize how much we provide for them (welfare, college tuition, Obama phone’s, medicare, etc.” 

In regards to Islam he wrote, “This is clearly not a religion of peace.” 

He also used the word “beaner” a derogatory term to describe Mexicans. 

A former middle school classmate took great offense at Harry’s tweets and launched what became a Twitter lynch mob. The unnamed woman, who has no ties to TCU, urged her followers to contact the university and complain. 

“This a**hole has been posting racist and disgusting comments on Twitter/Facebook,” she wrote on Tumblr. “When I confronted him about it, he referred to me as an ‘Islamic s**thead.” 

The university took swift action. Associate Dean of Students Glory Robinson ordered Harry to apologize for what he had written on his private social networking pages. 

“Dean Robinson said I was going to need to write an apology letter and a letter stating what sort of punishment I thought I deserved,” Harry told me. “She told me not to use Freedom of Speech as a defense – or else I would be more severely punished.” 

To make a long story short – Harry hired a lawyer and appealed. 

“My appeal board consisted of one very flamboyant male teacher and the head of the inclusiveness and diversity department,” he said. “It wasn’t a very unbiased board at all that heard my case.” 

As expected – the university rejected his appeal and sent Harry a certified letter. 

“The choices you made caused harm to other individuals,” the university wrote. “These types of comments are not acceptable at TCU and directly contradict our mission of being ‘ethical leaders and responsible citizens in a global community.’” 

Harry said he was told that he had to say he was guilty before the university actually found him guilty. 

“Dean Robinson believes I am somehow damaged – she thinks there’s something wrong with me because of what I put out there on social media,” he said. “She told me how my conservatives views were inappropriate.” 

While he stands by his beliefs about Islamic radicals and the Baltimore rioters, Harry told me he regrets the foul language he used – as well as the unintentional Mexican slur “beaner.” 

“I did not know that word was such a hurtful word,” he said. “I do regret that one because I do realize that could have caused harm to some people.” 

Harry said he called his online attacker a “s***head” after she bashed the Armed Forces and wrote that America deserved what happened on 9/11. 

“Any red­blooded American’s blood would have boiled at the sight of what she wrote,” he said. “I let my anger get the best of me.” 

It sounds to me like Harry Vincent is guilty of being a Christian Conservative white guy – and on a university campus that’s a crime worthy of death penalty. 

Harry isn’t sure if he’s going back to TCU. Should he agree to their demands – the 19­year­old would be on disciplinary probation until 2018 – the year he graduates. 

“I’m thinking about enlisting in the Marines,” he said. 

But one thing is certainly – Harry is not backing down. 

“I’m not going to stand down and watch an institution throw away the Constitution and throw away basic God­given rights,” he said. 

TCU is a private school and as such they are not bound by the First Amendment. However, as a Christian school they ought to be bound by the Good Book. 

Harry Vincent spoke his mind – but instead of honoring his free speech – TCU chose to silence this young man and capitulated to the fury of a Twitter lynch mob. 

The irony is that Harry received a stiffer punishment than a lot of the street thugs who terrorized Baltimore. 

Todd Starnes is host of Fox News & Commentary, heard on hundreds of radio stations. His latest book is "God Less America: Real Stories From the Front Lines of the Attack on Traditional Values." Follow Todd on Twitter@ToddStarnes and find him on Facebook

Kentucky Man Arrested After Shooting Down Neighbor's Drone - NBC News

By NBC News  |  August 1, 2015

Two Kentucky neighbors are dueling over who was at fault when one of them blasted the other's drone out of the sky — leading to an arrest and felony charges. 

The shooter, William "Willie" Merideth, 47, told NBC News on Saturday that he was simply trying to keep his family safe when he used a shotgun on the drone July 26 in rural Bullitt County, south of Louisville. 

While drone owner David Boggs, 40, claims he was not specifically flying it above Merideth's property, his neighbor says otherwise. 

"I have a right as an American citizen to defend my property," Merideth said. "I think — no, I know — that I was completely justified in protecting my family." 

Ambiguous guidance from the FAA regarding civilian drone use doesn't quite clarify which neighbor has the stronger argument. 

But as drone use becomes more prevalent, the case is testing the limits of citizens' rights when it comes to where the technology is permitted — and whether or not they're an invasion of privacy. 

Merideth said his children were in the backyard and spotted the unmanned aerial robot zipping in the sky.