A Few Simple Tips for Improving Your Grammar

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You may not have a college degree, but if you want to move up in the world, good verbal and written communication skills can help make you sound like you do.

This is so easy if you know just five groups of words and how they’re supposed to be used. (There’s a tip about punctuation at the end too!)

I’m on social media a few hours a day and I see these errors all the time. As a hiring manager, I used to see them on resumes too. (Those resumes usually went immediately to the circular file!) The scary part is that I know a lot of those people making these simple mistakes are college educated and very successful. At least you’re in good company, right? Ha!

The proper use of the following five groups of words will work wonders in making a good impression on potential employers, future coworkers and all the other people who might see you on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn. Yeah, remember, everybody can see you on the internet!

There, Their, and They're

There

A place, as in, “Over there,” or, “Oh, Davison High School? I went to school there.”

Remember, if the possessive/”belonging to” version, or the two-words version (aka, contraction) - both shown next - aren’t appropriate, then you should also use this form of the word “there.” For example, “how many are there?”

Their

Belonging to someone, someplace or something, as in, “It’s their fault,” or “Mittens and Bullet always kick the litter out of their box.”

Extra Tip:
Notice that in both examples I’m talking about multiple people or cats. If there were just one person or cat, then you would use “his” or “her” instead of “their.”

They're

A combination of the two words, “they are,” as in “they’re moving in” would sound fine if said as, “they are moving in.” “I wonder where they’re going” also works with “they are.”

If you aren’t sure, see if you can substitute the two words (they are) for the one word “they’re.” If that works, then “they’re” is the right way to do it.

Your and You're

Your

Belonging to someone, as in, “that’s yours” or “where is your car?”

You're

A combination of the two words, “you are,” as in “where do you think you’re going” or “you’re crazy if you believe that.”

If you aren’t sure, see if you can substitute the two words (you are) for the one word “you’re.” If that works, then “you’re” is correct.

To, Too, and Two

To

Usually a place or direction as in, “I’ll be running to the store after work.”

If you are writing a sentence and the next two options don’t work well, then use this one. For instance, “How am I going to say this otherwise?”

The word “also” doesn’t apply in that sentence,and I’m not referring to two items, as explained in the next two examples.

Too

Same as the word “also,” as in, “I’ll be visiting Paris too,” or “I want that one too.”

Should also be used when something is excessive, such as too long, too short, or too far.

Two

Spells the number “2.” No exceptions.

No and Know

No

It’s a negative as in “no you can’t, no way, no how.”

Know

Refers to your knowledge, as in “what do you know?”

Is and Are

Is

Singular connecting verb as in “There is one person,” or, “your tie is crooked.”

Are

Plural connecting verb as in “There are two people,” or, “it’s so easy to get lost in this town since there are so many one-way streets.” Since the word “many” means more than one you should use “are” in this last sentence.

 

Punctuation Tip: When using quotes in your posts, like I did in most of the examples shown above, the quote at the end of the sentence always goes outside the closing punctuation. (Check my work and see if I did them all correctly!)

This is not everything there is to know about good grammar, but as I mentioned above, these common errors are so cringe worthy that it could make the difference of whether (not “weather,” as in rain) or not you get the job or college degree. So memorize them because it’ll give you a good start as you learn to navigate the Business of YOUR Life!

Jan

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What You Should Know About Tariffs

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In the small example shown here, American farmers are losing big time: The only people making money on milk produced in America is Canada.

Unless of course, the farmers can pass on some of the cost to their neighbors, also known as, citizens of the US. They do that by charging the $1 per gallon plus a $3 service fee/ markup, or whatever you want to call it. Regardless, now the average American is paying $4 for a gallon of milk.

This may seem like a small amount, but take a look at higher ticket items such as cars. Yes, we may sell them to Mexico, but we have to pay them a fee, aka, “tariff,” for letting us sell our products in their country. Oh, and never mind that our “American cars” are built in Mexico, we are still charged a tariff for selling them there! That fee is then rolled into the cost of cars for Americans, not to mention the debt our government is racking up for each tariff we pay on each car shipped back and sold there. Seriously???

The problem is that the fees we pay other countries are so high, that our farmers and manufacturers can’t charge us enough to cover them... thus the farmers and manufacturers, and us as Americans, are in debt to those other countries. When the politicians are talking about “trade deficit” being in the billions of dollars to other countries, that is what they are talking about.

Now, in my opinion, if one wants to be fair when it comes to trade with other countries these taxes should never exceed half the normal retail cost of a product. Even 50% at most would still be fair coming or going. According to Wikipedia, tariffs hit about 44% for imports (that’s us charging them) during the civil war, and between 1871 to 1913 they were lower but never dropped below 38 percent.

So if we had to pay, say ideally, a 20% tax on anything we ship into another country, (20 cents on a $1 gallon of milk) we would still make money without having to charge Americans so much for that product in order to make up the difference.

The same could be said for products we receive from other countries: Japan makes cars. America charges them, and they might pay us, say, a $6,000 tariff for every $30,000 car that lands in America. Theoretically, we, American resellers, are making money on each car. And over in Japan, they have to eat that cost by passing it on to their local residents. But the cars can still be reasonably priced.

Where this gets ugly, as shown in the example of the milk, is when the cost to send (export) our products to Canada, Mexico, the UK, or any other country, is almost three times the actual cost of the product here in America. Which is what’s happened with a lot of the import/export/trade agreements America has with other countries. Now we owe them money for the products we make here and ship to them; that’s called a huge debt known as a trade deficit. It’s that simple.

According to the NY Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/09/upshot/what-is-the-trade-deficit.html) we have a $69 billion United States trade deficit with Mexico and a $336 billion gap with China.

The only thing I will say to that is that I sure wouldn’t be running my business like that.

I hope this information goes towards helping you to understand this issue a little bit better.

Jan

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10 Things You Should Know About Contracts

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I've listed these suggestions in order of importance, based on my experience with my kids as well what I've heard from their friends.

People who ask you to sign contracts don't necessarily know what's in them. And they don't like you to ask any questions!

I learned this the hard way when renting my first apartment in a new state. The landlord said, “don’t bother cleaning when you move out because they always pay someone to come in and clean and then automatically and deduct a flat fee of $125 from the deposit.”

Hmm…The contract said I (the tenant) was responsible for cleaning the apartment when moving out. When I asked, the landlord had no idea about that because they “had been doing it this way for years.”

Interesting how many years she’d been getting away with not giving tenants the opportunity to get back their entire deposit.

No contract is "routine"

That only means the people asking you to sign them uses them a lot, but it doesn’t mean they know or understand what’s in them as I pointed out above. And it certainly doesn’t mean you know what’s in them. Most people might see the same contract to buy a car, for instance, 4-5 times in a lifetime. And there is no guarantee that the wording hasn’t changed in the years since you signed your first one. Same with credit cards and especially with buying homes. Don’t “fall” for this very common pressure tactic!

3.  Regardless of what's in a contract, you are both legally responsible for its content

But, when you sign a contract with a business rather than just between two people such as the sale of a used car, I’d say between you and a business, you probably have the most to lose if you renege on said contract. Which leads into this next point,

4.  Know what "Breach of Contract" means

It basically means that if one person does not do what they agreed to do in a contract, then that person is in “breach” of the contract. People get sued for breach of contract all the time.

A simple example is when you buy a car. You sign a contract with a dealer that says you will pay so much per month in car payments for however long it takes you to pay off the price (loan) of the car. In return, the dealer allows you to drive the car even though you don’t technically own it yet. If you stop making payments, however, you are in “breach of contract” and the dealer has every right to take the car back (that process is called a “repossession”).

Oh, and you will lose in court if you decide to “go after them.”

5.  You should read all contracts before signing them

  • Look at the fine print for details such as any definition of what a late payment might look like (one minute past the due date, one day, one week, one month?) and what kind of fees are attached to that? Some contracts have late fees that increase as time goes by. Is there a grace period? Sometimes utilities and mortgage companies have those.
  • Look for any “pre-payment” penalties. This means if you pay off a loan early they will charge you a huge fee. The reason for that is because in essence, when you pay off a loan early, you are preventing them from collecting interest on the remaining length of the loan. Most companies really don’t like that because it’s less money for them.
  • Look for the details on those “no interest for 12 months” deals too: That’s not always what you think it is.
  • Many companies count on customers to NOT read contracts and to NOT ask questions before signing them. This allows them to sneak in crazy high-interest rates, late fees, random “administrative” fees and weird penalties.

6.  You must question anything you don't understand

Do not let them rush you! They will always try to do this (because they are sooo busy and their time is much more valuable than yours-not!) thus preventing you from finding the details. So don’t ever feel stupid asking questions, or calling a friend to ask questions.

Remember the first point I made about them not knowing? Many companies update and change contracts more often than you change your underwear. In the real estate and banking industries for instance, the government changes regulations all the time which leads to new versions of contracts being created on a regular basis. Combine this with the fact that most employees are usually kept pretty busy during their work day and don’t always have time to sit down on the job and read up on all the changes. They also aren’t very likely to want to do this on their off time. In most cases, they are probably learning when someone, like you, asks questions.

So, again, do not be afraid to ask questions and do not ever assume the sales reps are smarter than you are: That is a huge disservice to you!

7.  Be prepared to walk away for ANY reason at all!

Before you sign a contract, you have every right to walk away for any reason.

For instance:

  • If a salesperson cannot explain any part of the contract.
  • You do not understand or agree with any part of the contract.
  • You simply changed your mind.
  • You don’t like the personality, looks, or smell of the salesperson.

And you are not obligated to explain why you are walking away, regardless of what they say or if they threaten you with some sort of made up legal action.

These are sales people and yes they will probably be pissed if you walk away after all the time they may have spent with you, but that’s one of the risks they take by being in sales.

It is not illegal for you to walk away if you have NOT signed anything – regardless of anything that was said.

8.  It is very rare that a verbal agreement is legally binding or enforceable

Surprisingly enough, there are a few exceptions to this rule. From what I’ve read, if you are dealing with horses or cattle, verbal agreements that are confirmed with a handshake are legally binding.

I’ve also read that when it comes to an engagement, the ring is a sign that one has legally agreed to be married. When a woman breaks the engagement she is legally obligated to return the ring because it was given to “seal the deal.” (It’s up the to the guy on whether or not he wants it back, but it’s still kind of interesting, isn’t it?)

If you are ever thinking you might find yourself in this kind of situation, do some homework: This gray area differs from state to state and per each situation.

9.  If you are over 18, your signature is legally binding

If you aren’t, then it’s not.

Contracts can only be legally signed and enforced when both people signing it are over the age of 18. That’s pretty much the “legally an adult” age in the entire USA when it comes to contracts and most laws.

The only exception that I know of might be in regards to getting married. And remember, 18 or not, if marriage is legal at 16 in your state, it too is a very legally binding financial agreement.

10.  How to handle doubts

Lastly, if you are ever in serious doubt about a contract that could make or break your business or seriously affect your finances or lifestyle, you should always call a lawyer that specializes in whatever business said contract is all about. In many situations, such as a buying a car, renting an apartment, or financing your first refrigerator, you can always ask a friend or family member with some experience in that arena. You might even want to bring them with you to guide you through the process. (I did this with both my kids when they bought their first car.) But if they have no experience with the type of contract you’re dealing with, contact a lawyer. Your family or friends may not be equipped to represent you in a court of law if it ever comes to that and you really don’t want to get into that sticky situation.

I hope this information prevents you from getting yourself into any sort of legally binding financial agreement that you don’t fully understand.

Your comments or suggestions are always welcome: Leave them here on my site or email me at jan@janetmnast.com

Jan

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7 Tips to Save $$$ on Car Loans

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I've listed these suggestions in order of importance, based on my experience with my kids as well what I've heard from their friends.

1.  You need to know your credit score

The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you'll have to pay on your car loan.

Credit scores run between 500 and 850. Paying your bills and paying them on time are two ways to ensure that your credit score stays higher.

2.  You don't have to use dealer financing

Call your bank first to get pre-approved for a loan. Having your own financing lined up gives you a little bit a room to negotiate with the dealer as well. They might be willing to beat your bank’s interest rate just for the sake of getting the loan. In that case, go with the dealer’s lender and you both win.

3.  Your bank can tell you interest rates

They can also offer you options for the number of years you will be paying and what your new payments should be.

Click here to use a Car Payment Calculator if you’d like to just get a ballpark idea before you call the bank.

These first three pieces of information will be helpful to you as you begin negotiating pricing and interest rates with any dealer. Sometimes they can beat your bank’s rates, sometimes they can't. It’s always a good thing to have this Plan B so you get the best loan possible for your budget.

4.  Your insurance company can tell you what you'll have to pay for insurance

Call your insurance company with the year, make & model of the car you want to buy. They can then tell you what your monthly insurance payments will be.

When you add that to your new car payments, along with the cost of gas (explained next), you can then decide if you can really afford that new car or if you should consider a different one.

5.  You can calculate what it's going to cost you for gas each week

Here’s how to do the math:

  • How big is the gas tank on the new car? (20 gallons, for instance.)
  • Multiply that by the cost of gas per gallon. (20 gallons X $2.50/gallon = $50 cost per tank of gas.)
  • Then how many miles per fill-up does this new car get? (25 miles per gallon x 20 gallons = 500 miles on a tank of gas.)
  • 500 miles per tank divided by your 70-mile commute per day = 7.14 days of driving on one tank of gas that cost you $50
  • If you want just 5 days cost, divide that $50 by 7.14 days to find the cost per day which is right around $7 per day.
  • Now multiply that $7 per day by 5 days for a typical work week, which is $35. Or multiply it by 30 days for the month, giving you your monthly cost of gas.

After you add the new car payments to the insurance cost, you can now add the cost of gas per month and decide if you can really afford this car.

6. You are not required to purchase an extended warranty

Almost all new cars these days have such incredible factory warranties, that paying an extra $500 or $1000 for another one is really just a waste of money. Know that the markup on those policies is about 300% - it’s almost pure profit for the dealer – and the cost will be rolled into your car loan so that you'll be paying interest on that too, as well as the car loan, until the car is paid for.

  • Now, if you are buying a used car, I would say you might want to consider it. Just be very clear on what that warranty covers. Basic car maintenance (wear-and-tear items and routine scheduled maintenance) is rarely covered.

7.  It is OK to walk away if you don't feel comfortable with the dealer, the transaction, or the the car itself

So what if you’ve been talking for two hours; your time is just as valuable as theirs and ultimately, it’s your wallet, not theirs. You owe them nothing – selling is their job – so don’t feel bad.

Now that you are armed with all the costs related to buying a car, you can make a better decision when you walk into a dealership. (Click here to save and print a 99c PDF to carry with you so you don’t forget it all when you get caught up in the excitement of test driving the car!) That in itself will make the whole buying process that much more fun and stress-free.

Have fun!

Jan

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Six Things No One Tells You About Dog Ownership

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I think we can all agree there are a lot of good reasons to adopt a dog, right?

Here're a few:

  • First, they're so freaking cute and adorable and lovable!
  • Second, dogs will love you unconditionally for as long as they live, making them one of the best companions you could ever have.
  • Many breeds can provide excellent protection.
  • Getting a dog for your kids will be a great opportunity for them to learn responsibility. And what a great birthday present!
  • A lot of people get puppies as a training program for having kids.
  • And I've had a number of people tell me that the grand kids would love for me to have one to play with when they visit, and since I'm semi-retired now, I have plenty of time for one. Ha!
big cute mastiff

So who wouldn't agree? Great idea, right?

Yeah, no.

While I agree with all those statements wholeheartedly, I still won't own a dog. And I have all kinds of reasons for that. And the reason I'm sharing my reasons with you is because I heard about an adoption event on the radio this past weekend where they were encouraging all their listeners to go to their local animal shelter and help them out by adopting a dog. Kid's birthdays were mentioned quite a few times along with companions for single-dog homes and then companions for those who live alone.

So, wow! Tens of thousands of dogs were adopted nationwide because of this annual event! It sounded wonderful!

But, hmm yeah, I wonder how many of these poor puppies will end up back in the same shelters in a few weeks because people didn't realize how much time, energy and work they really are. That's what compelled me to write out this list.

Since I've had both dogs and kids I'm going to make this list a little more interesting by throwing in a few comparisons between dog ownership and kid "ownership." Hahaha! This should be interesting, right?

By the way, I wouldn't advocate having kids based on this list. That's a whole other discussion and a whole 'nother book. (You Can't Love Your Children Too Much) This is just for sake of helping you to see things from another perspective.

1. Potty Training: The back yard will be your dog's forever toilet.

big cute mastiff

Yes, potty training seems to take forever for both toddlers and puppies. At least with babies though, they have a diaper to contain their "accidents." Anyone who's tried to potty train a puppy knows what it's like to get up in the middle of the night and step in a nice cold puddle of dog pee...or worse! If you've never experienced this before, why would you want to start now?

As far as the time it takes to potty train a puppy...I really can't remember how long it took. Probably the same amount of time it took me to get my kids trained...maybe a few weeks...well, when they were ready. What I do remember was stepping in a lot of puppy puddles and piles in the house for however long it took, which was way too long in my book.

And yeah, when you do get your puppy trained, that means he's trained to go outside...in your yard. How much fun does that sound like to have to go out and shovel dog poop every night when you get home from work? Especially if that's the same yard the kids play in.

At least apartment dwellers can take their dogs for a walk so they can relieve themselves everywhere else. Of course they still have to pick up and carry those prizes home with them. Sweet!

Either way, dogs will never clean up after themselves, poop or toys. At least kids will eventually learn how to use the toilet by themselves and not have to wake you up to go outside. And, bonus, they'll even learn how to flush the toilet!  

Ok, yes, a dog will clean their own hiney's so I'll give you that one.

2. Entertainment: You’re at your dog’s mercy.

All dogs are pack animals which means they are happier and healthier when they are running around and hanging around other dogs or at least one person. So unless you have a huge yard in which they can run and play all day you will have to schedule daily morning and afternoon walks as well as time to play fetch.

But wait, that’s not all. You must also have time to sit with Fido and cuddle and talk with him. He loves the attention, just like kids. There is no substitute for that. And they will love you back...so there’s a bonus.

"He’s going at it like a dog with a bone!"

Have you ever heard that phrase? You’ll learn what it means real quick the first time you leave your dog home alone - inside or outside - when you have to run to the store or, say, go to work every day.

Know this: Dogs like to dig! They are constantly looking for that elusive bone. So when you do have to leave them home alone be prepared for torn up furniture, sheets, carpet, chewed up shoes, and trash all over the house, not to mention the holes in any window screens or anything else they attempt to dig at.

If you leave them alone outside you might as well say goodbye to your grass, garden, trees, patio furniture, etc. Hey, they get bored and they need to find that damn bone!

At least kids will eventually get to the point where they can go out and make new friends and entertain themselves. And if you "train" your kids really well they could even potentially pitch in with the housework.

3. Protection: Saving your life.

While some dogs are smart enough to alert a neighbor (in the right environment) if you get hurt, they’ll never be able to pick up a phone or text for help. Period. Most five year olds know how to make a call.

On the other hand, there are quite a few breeds that can rip the arm off an attacker. Which can be a good thing when someone breaks into your house or just attacks you in broad daylight. But as a dog owner, you need to make sure that if you are going to be walking your dog out in public on a regular basis, that he is of the temperament to know friend from foe. While some dogs have this “built in,” many do not. So this may require some owner/doggy behavioral training.

4. Communication: Love that body language.

I’m sorry but dogs will never master the spoken word. Facial expressions and body language are the best you can hope for. Although there is nothing like that look of love on their cute little faces when when you get home from a long day at work. And they’ll cuddle up to you on the couch in a heartbeat. In this, they don’t differ from kids one bit!

But then there's alos that barking thing. Yeah, that’s their way of talking. If they’re lonely, they’ll be barking to see if other dogs will answer back, or to get your attention, or to alert you of danger, maybe. It’s up to you to figure out which is which. The really cool thing is if you don’t figure it out, your neighbors will start pounding on your door in the middle of the night to remind you to do so.

At least kids will eventually be able to talk with you on a decent level. You may not want to hear what they have to say (again,a whole ‘nother discussion), but at least you’ll know what they’re saying.

5. Self Preservation: Dogs will never learn how to prepare their own meals.

Nope, they can’t open the can or the bag. (Unless you leave the bag out where they can get to it. But then they’ll tear into it and eat till they drop.) And if you’re going for a more ‘natural’ diet for Fido, he’ll never be able to chop and cook the meat and serve himself.

If you think it’s a good idea to leave out enough food to last a couple of days, maybe while you spend a weekend at a friend’s house, think again. Dogs have no self regulation when it comes to eating. They will lick their dish dry the first day and then starve the rest of the time. That’s if they don’t make themselves sick from overeating...which is yet another problem.

Yeah, I know, I know, babies start out by depending on you too. But they do get to a point where they can pour their own cereal and milk and then eventually have the capability to advance on to cooking full-on meals. Babies and kids also know to stop eating when they’re full.

6. Vacations: Good luck with that.

You can’t ever leave a dog home alone (overnight) because they will eventually starve as I mentioned above. Not to mention the issues with self entertainment as I also already touched on under the “Self Entertainment” section above. So vacations become a challenge because you’ll have three choices for Fido when you’re planning a vacation:

  • One, pay for a good, reputable boarding facility.

  • Two, constantly ask friends or relatives to come over DAILY to feed and walk and clean up after your dog. Hopefully said friends or relatives don’t have allergies.

  • Three, take your puppy with you with the hopes that all hotels, campgrounds and restaurants (along with other travelers) will welcome it and be able to accommodate it.

    I know some hotels are now “pet friendly” but you have to pay a pet fee between $25 - $50 per pet. I know because I’ve have to pay when moving a long distance with my two cats. Yikes!

And don’t think you can just sneak them in without mentioning it and without anyone noticing. Hahaha!!! For those of us without dogs, guess what: they do have a smell.

And I’ve learned the hard way that some maids have allergies...so yeah, they will figure it out. Also remember that the check-in clerk does have a copy of your credit card so you will be charged.

The nice thing about kids? Well, you can always take them with you or ask a friend or relative to watch them. And bonus, if all goes well as they get older they can stay home alone for longer periods of time. Eventually they move out and take care of themselves.

Pssst! Did you notice I didn’t bring up the cost? Just know It’s not about money, it’s about time and effort. Which by the way, is exactly the same with kids. Y’all need to put a lot of thought into both decisions.

So here’s the deal.

Yes, puppies are very cute and very lovable, but like kids, they require a lot of time, work, energy and love. And since they never learn how to talk or take care of themselves, it’s like having a toddler for 12 – 15 years (depending on the breed).

So when anyone tries to tug at your heartstrings and tries to convince you to adopt a puppy for whatever reason, keep this list in mind.

My Intent

It’s not my intent to discourage people from adopting puppies and dogs. My intent is to educate people so they know exactly what they are getting into when they talk about adopting a puppy during these “clear the shelters” campaigns, or getting their kids a puppy for birthdays or Christmas. There’s nothing worse than having a cute puppy that falls in love with you, you and the kids fall in love with him, and then you decide after a few weeks that it’s too much work. Now you have to give it away.

How do you think that little guy feels? Not just your kids, but the puppy!

I’ve seen this happen so many times and it just breaks my heart every single time. Especially because I know I don’t have the desire, or the time or energy to help. All I can do is educate people and hopefully prevent at least one broken-hearted puppy.

I wish you the best whatever you decide to do.

Sincerely,

Jan

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