It's About Time

Time. The most valuable asset we have. More valuable than money, gold, and diamonds. We trade it for all these things. Knowing this, why then, are we so casual with our Time? Why do we want to "kill" Time? We spend much of our time doing worthless things. We even spend Time finding different ways to kill Time. Why do we do this? Would you burn money? Would you strangle your mother? Would you snuff your dog? No way, right? Then why would you do this to Time? Think of some of the ways time is taken away from us:

1. Commuting
2. Waiting in lines
3. Waiting for people
4. Waiting
5. Work
6 (insert your own)

Now think of the ways we intentionally "kill" Time:

1. Watching too much t.v.
2. endless chatter on phones (or online or what have you)
3. shopping (it's not a worthy hobby)
4. sex (and all things related)
5. (insert your own)

Knowing this, wouldn't you want to enliven Time, to give it life? Why would we want to take it away? . We often only see that value in something when it is dwindling or already gone. SomeTimes it's too late. Being young, we feel we have a lot of Time to figure out what to do. Now is the Time to start. If you take it for granted, then you'll take it to heart. Unfortunately time won't stop, time is not considerate in this way.
We should use Time finding the best way to utilize this asset. Time, investing, and personal finances are all very closely related. Just as you plan what you will do with your money, so choose to spend your time wisely. You wouldn't choose to spend money on nothing, would you? Spent some Time to think about it.

*To save some Time, I stole this picture from http://mayorsam.blogspot.com/2005_02_01_mayorsam_archive.html. Thanks.

Free!

Dictionary.com states that, among many other things, free is something that is "provided without, or not subject to, a charge or payment."

Without a doubt, I am a fan of "free." I am a free person, "enjoying personal rights or liberty(s)," and for the most part, "not held fast" to anything or situation. Free-dom is a great thing. It allows us to go where we please, do what we feel (within or without reason), and enjoy the fruits of our autonomy. I am a very fortunate person.

However, in the material world, free is usually associated with words such as "junk," "worthless," and "not really free." All too often, free comes with strings attached, like *'s. There are hidden fees or catches that bind you into more trouble than the initial freedom is worth. So it is quite rare that things of value are offered at no price. That is why I am surprised when I see something of value offered for free.

One thing that I have found (and it is nothing new) is free phone service. Just a few years ago, we had to pay loads of money to call someone across the country. We would compare different carriers, wait for nightfall, hesitate on calling during "peak" hours, or any number of things to reduce the cost of making a long distance call. That has all changed with VOIP servers such as Skype (www.skype.com) or Vonage. You can call anywhere in the world for free. Free? Free! (I love saying that word.) However, there are a few *'s attached. First, you'll need a computer, and if you're reading this, you've already got that covered. Second, you'll need several minutes to set up an account. Third, you'll need a microphone and speakers, things your computer probably already has. After these, all you need is someone to call in Denizli, Turkey, some free time, and you're set. Calling around the world hasn't been so free since the days of phreaking!

Another nugget that I've found is in the online trading arena. With the advent of the online discount brokerages, commissions have plummeted from hundreds of dollars per trade to the cheaper rates being below US$10. I myself have been using Scottrade (www.scottrade.com) for the past several years to make the occasional hobby trade. They offer relatively low rates at US$7/trade. TradeKing (www.tradeking.com) also offers very low rates starting at US$4.95/trade. These are great rates for market trades. But one company has changed all that.
As I was surfing the land of the free (the internet), I came across an ad for free trades. Intruiged I went to their website (www.zecco.com) and found out what this nonsense of free trades was. Low and behold, they were offering free trades. Mind you that these are for your basic market orders. More advanced trades such as option and margin accounts have other fees. But before you being acting like a day trader, make sure Zecco offers what you are looking for in a (discount) broker. Because there's nothing worse than getting something for free that will end up costing you more later.

Hopefully these free things will allow me to "act without self-restraint or reserve" and "not (be)subject to rules (or) set forms" in the future. Until then, keep on the lookout for freedoms for all.