National Tea Party Day

Momentum is growing and excitement is building.

On April 15, 2009 people will gather across the nation to speak out against leaving a debt our great-grandchildren will be paying for because our leaders will be spending trillions of borrowed dollars; a budget filled with pork and earmarks, plus so much more. You can click here to read more details, volunteer to be an organizer or to find where your nearest tea party can be found.

Everyone in our country is worried. I am a baby boomer who has a child graduating from college in less than two months. What are his job prospects? Will I have to delay retirement? With one child left in college, will there be loan money available so she can finish her education? It doesn't matter what your socioeconomic level is; on one is immune.

Planning on attending and would like to commemorate the event with a button, mug or t-shirt? Double click on any of the items below as they appear in the window!

Who's In Charge?

The new administration has been in office for 60 days, and I am left wondering ..."Who is in charge?" Our President is busy making appearances on Jay Leno and continues to work the town hall circuit as though he were still campaigning. We have been hearing over and over that our country is in a financial shambles and our leader is out of Washington, playing celebrity, instead of staying in town and working.

There are already rumors that Tim Geithner, Secretary of the Treasury, may be looking at resigning or being fired. Members of Congress and senators are bikering with each other over who is to blame for the most recent AIG bonus catastrophe. Did anyone read the Stimulus Package before it was approved?

Let's not forget about Gitmo....Attorney General, Eric Holder announced this week that some of the released prisoners may be coming to a town near you!

As this week comes to a close, I am feeling more frustrated, less safe and more unsure than ever of the future of this country. Can our President step up to the plate this coming week? Could he please stop running, like the election is still on, stay put and lead? You've been elected Mr. President, now please, do the job.

What is Your Stimulus Plan?

Wow!! The Dow was up 377 points today! Yipee!! Does that mean anything to you? Are you like the millions of people who watch the Dow daily and cringe with fear and worry every time it drops just a bit more? Are you like me and most of my baby boomer friends who don't even want to open their next statements because what has transpired over the last few months may mean that their plans for retirement may need to be, well... retired for a little while?

I think that each of us has taken a different attitude about the current financial status in which we currently find ourselves. One friend of mine immediately withdrew all of her family's investments/retirement money and put it into a plain, old savings account.

Another friend and her husband have decided to truly stimulate the economy by buying a new car and renovating their kitchen. They have excellent credit, and very stable jobs. They had been wanting to make these changes and with their retirement just a few years off, they figured now would be the time.

I, and many of my colleagues and friends, left my money where it was never dreaming that the market would hit 6000. I spoke with my investment broker last week and he confirmed what I suspected.....I would take a major bath if I pulled out now, so I just need to ride it out. He believes that we should see a turn around beginning around the end of April/beginning of May. For all of our sakes, I hope he is right.

I am fortunate to have a career that is recession/depression proof, teaching. So I am not worried about losing my job. However, I do have another college tuition to take care of and worry about student loan money drying up.

I have a son who will be graduating from college this year with a marketing degree....oh heavens....I think he will be inhabiting his freshly painted room again as he looks for a job. I do worry about his future.

There is no doubt about it, my wicking sleepwear business, Lunar Radiance has been a bit slower than it was this time last year, but by no means is it ready to float belly up...so that is good news.

Almost everyone is impacted in some shape or form, and has a financial issue they are stressing over, but is there a mentally healthy way to approach these times without losing our minds? Obviously worrying does nothing to solve the problems, so what do we do?

How do you plan on making your way through these difficult financial times? What's working for you? What is your personal stimulus plan?