Blue. Bills.

For many of us, including yours truly, this has been a really rough year. After coming off what I thought was the worst financial year I could imagine in 2009, it still is very challenging for many of us. However, I do believe there are good times ahead.

There are few economic indicators that I really know about or understand. Sure when the stock market rises it essentially states people have confidence in the companies that are traded on the “Big board” and that investing in them should reap nice profits. Today in the Wall Street Journal they wrote about Venture Capitalists that are opening up their investment wallets for the right companies. We’re not talking like the end of the 1990s when if it had a .com on the end of it, it must be the greatest thing since sliced bread. It’s more in the area of biotech and more internet infrastructure. The one that caught my eye was HomeAway, a vacation rental company. Why is this good? If people are taking vacations, no matter how heavily discounted, they are stepping outside their homes and enjoying themselves again.
(They have just learned in the past 2 years how to be smarter about what they spend their money on.)

If you watched the Oscar’s this weekend, you joined 14% more watchers around the globe from the previous year. For the ABC, which like the other networks who have lost market share to every other form of media, this was a welcome sign. Why? Because they will make more money next year from advertisers. Maybe not a big deal to you and I, but if the advertisers are out there, they are spending because people are spending. That’s a very good thing.

We will make it through this mess and as I have written before in “Snap. Shot.” we will be okay. More likely a lot smarter regarding credit and its effect on us, but still smarter. I received a bill the other day that broke out how long it would take if I decided to pay the minimum on it---I would be dead by the time it was completely paid. All of my kids would be married and some would be grandparents. All is well, but it put in perspective how dependent we are on spending, and how we have to be very careful.

The photo above was taken in St. Charles, MO. A town I knew very little about yet I grew up less than 10 miles away. When I saw this blue mailbox I was really taken by its color and the door. Although fairly simple, it was something I had not seen before and took the photo. For many of us the mailbox attached to our home, out by the street, or found as a slot in your door, the last year has seen it turn blue. However, if we play our cards right I believe we are not far from it turning green again with less bills and more good times ahead.

Thanks for stopping by.