I want to be a futurist. I found out how.

I have decided that I want to be a futurist. I told someone at work this and they said I would have to quit being a pessimist. I told them I did not think so. I know the world is going to end. I just don’t know when. I think that is the very definition of a pessimistic futurist.

You can find out how to do anything by googleing it.  I googled  "How does one become a futurist"   It led me to a great article on www.futurist.com web site.   You can read the article here.  According to the article there are three ways one can become a futurist. First is the informal or self-taught way taken by most people.  You read a little.  You think a little and then you start calling yourself a futurist.  The second path is through formal education.  There are universities that offer classes in future studies. The third path is to become the student of a current futurist and have them mentor you.

I am going to take the first path.  It seems the easiest.   As a matter of fact, I think I am already a futurist so I will be calling myself that from now on.

Also, if you are real serious about becoming a futurist, you should join the World Future Society.   I joined today.

This is going to be so much fun and I am going to be so good at this.  Stay tuned.

Leadership Maxim #42 - Everything is a miracle

I saw this quote today and liked it.

Only two ways to live life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle. - Albert Einstein

So here is my variation - Leadership Maxim No 42 - Live, work, worship, lead knowing that everything is a miracle.

Health Care in America

I am not crazy about the Affordable Care Act, otherwise referred to as Obamacare.   It’s not because it is a Democrat or Obama idea.   I just think it is too complicated and not well thought out.  I do not believe any time was spent thinking about the unintended consequences of a new government program this large.   Nobody seems to know what the long-term impact is going to be to our economy.

But here is the thing, I didn’t like the health care system before Obamacare and truly believe something needed to be done.   I am not a big government liberal but you can’t deny the fact that the federal and state governments are already deeply entrenched in healthcare in our country via Medicare, Medicaid and other various government programs.   The government has to have a seat at the health care debate table.  

I am really upset with all the time, energy and money that has been spent trying to repeal Obamacare.   Repealing Obamacare simply assumes that we were better off before it was made law.  I don’t think so and I believe the facts support my position.  Reform was necessary.  Let’s quit arguing and work together on a solution.

Here are just a couple of facts that you might find interesting as a Citizen:

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, the United States life expectancy of 78.4 years at birth, up from 75.2 years in 1990, ranks 50^th among 221 nations, and 27^th out of the 34 industrialized OECD countries, down from 20^th in 1990.  

Of the 17 high-income countries studied by the National Institutes of Health in 2013, the United States had the highest or near-highest prevalence of infant mortality, heart and lung disease, sexually transmitted infections, adolescent pregnancies, injuries, homicides and disability.

Christmas time

Our staff at Abacus CPAs, LLC just prepared Christmas care packages to send to some of our Springfield area soldiers currently based in Afghanistan.  Reminded me of what we have asked those soldiers to do for us.   We will never be able to say thank you enough.

Winter Cleaning Time

You hear about people doing their “spring cleaning”.   I guess that is when winter finally breaks and you are able to get outside, pickup, cleanup, open the windows and freshen up.   That is my best guess.  I really have never participated in the ritual.

I favor a more practical, calendar centric idea.   December cleaning is more about getting the house ready for Christmas.  You have to move furniture to get the tree in.   More festive flat ware and Christmas china is brought out for the table.   It is also a good time to get out in the yard and trim up, pickup, and winterize. Maybe clean out the gutters while you are hanging the lights.

I also think December is a good time to make decisions about your financial life.   You should meet with your stock broker or investment counselor to review your portfolio.   It’s also a good time to review your insurance policies with your agent to make sure you have adequate coverage at the best price. Most important, you should meet with your CPA to review your tax situation.   Quite frankly, your CPA should be your first stop and you probably shouldn't wait until December.

December is also a time to look inward at yourself and decide if you been a good citizen.   What have you done to give a little back to your community and church this past year?   I know you.   You have missed a few Sunday’s at church and probably haven’t been good at keeping up with your tithe.   It’s not too late to review your giving.   Your church or preferred charity will appreciate you thinking of them at this hectic time.  Chances are your gift will help lower your tax bill next spring.   That will make you feel better then spring cleaning will. 

It's not the IRS's fault this time

I never really have understood why the "average Joe" on the street hates the IRS so much.  You can ask and all you will get is that they pay "too much" tax, like that is the IRS's fault.   You can then ask how much they pay and most can't tell you.   They just know it is too much.  You can ask what wouldn't be too much and usually can't get an answer.  Let's just all blame the IRS.   Politico.com had a good article about the IRS and Obamacare.   It is worth the read.   Check it out here.

So you want to start a new business

I would like to think I am an entrepreneur.    I have started a few businesses in the 30 years since I graduated from college.   However, I tend to be too much of an accountant sometime.   Due to my entrepreneurial nature, I also tend to read a lot of books, tweets and blogs on the subject.   Here is a good article by Mark Cuban where he lists his 12 rules for startups.   Read it here.