Tuesday, January 31, 2023
Every morning, I check my sites, various site analytics, and my current financial picture.
As I have discussed in recent posts; CD Shopping Update and mid December 2022 post, I have been tracking annual percentage yields (APYs) for 5 year CDs offered by two of my banks hoping to take advantage of rates in the 4.2-4.5% range.
Tomorrow, February 1, 2023- no matter where the rates, I planned to open the
new CD. This morning I was a little more than surprised to learn that APY rates
were down with American Express, the bank I wanted to use. I am not sure
exactly when the rate dropped, but it went from 4.25% to 3.75%.
I was so busy Monday (January 30, 2023) morning, three trips to different area markets, Columbia, MD to my business address, and then the post office to submit a permanent forwarding address for my business- that I may have missed an update on APY rates later in the day.
In addition, in the afternoon (Monday), I had several calls to Maryland taxing agencies concerning business mail I picked up earlier in the day.
On Friday (January 27, 2023), the van I use to do most of the chores would not start. Yes, I do have other vehicles available, however I allowed the van that would not start to annoy me.
Lucky for me, I noticed a charger my brother used once and I purchased something similar not long after. I used the charger to start the van, and then reconditioned the battery (button on the charger), however did not do any of the shopping I planned for Friday. I waited until Monday. I was so happy I could get to all of my shopping and Columbia that I was not going to do anything but handle issues that came up.
Translated, the (AMEX) bank CD rates going down did not jump up and scream like all of the mail from my business address.
This morning, wide awake and happy most of my business issues were resolved, I got back on track and discovered I missed the CD American Express bank rate change that was lower.
Before eight this morning, I opened the new CD with Synchrony for 5 years at 4.30% and directly set up an external transfer from the American Express savings account to the new Synchrony CD account.
I decided not to bore you with some of the details, however to change a business address in Maryland seems so hard I believe they want me to ask an attorney to do it. I set up the business, I am not sure why I need an attorney to change the address. That said the Comptroller of Maryland (taxing authority) had no problem updating the address when I sent Form 109-B MARYLAND CHANGE OF ADDRESS FOR BUSINESSES in October 2022. One of my calls on today- spoke with Brittany. I also registered with bFile the interactive business tax filing service even though I have had no sales since setting up my ecommerce shop. I file something known as a ZERO Return each quarter.
When I check the APY rates tomorrow morning, I am not going to scream if Synchrony's rates are higher.
By the way, I think all girls with vehicles should have automotive accessories in their garage similar to these in my garage.
Saturday, January 28, 2023
First of all let's define ROI. Return On Investment.
In August 2020, I received my EMV Chip & Swipe Card Reader, so I count that as my first ecommerce business tool. Since then I have added quite a few devices to my collection at what I consider to be substantial savings.
Most of you realize that I have been online for quite a number of years, so you maybe asking yourselves, why the acquisition of that first device was that recent?
First of all, I am a software developer and a business owner. So in my case- other than an online method to send invoices and accept payments, I really did not need anything other than a desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone to conduct business.
Though my business bank offers payment solutions, I have always used my PayPal business account to handle all of my business payment needs. The reason for this? It is simply not cost effective for me to have recurring monthly fees to maintain a business payment solution.
In 2012 or so, PayPal and others began contacting me about free card readers for point of sale payment solutions, however, I routinely passed on these offers.
In 2020, I finally decided to accept PayPal's offer of a free EMV Chip & Swipe Card Reader. I began reading about pop-up shops and wanted to learn more. I began thinking of things I could do with a free card reader. Yard sales, business meetings where I could accept development consultation fees on the spot, etc.
Then in 2021, after taking my real estate course, I was kind of concerned about the logistics of taking the state and national exams for the real estate license. I contacted the testing authority about my concerns and they would not respond. So I continued to push the test date back hoping to hear from them.
In the meantime, I decided to play with the OpenCart software offered by cpanel via my web host and then setup my own ecommerce shop- for what is now WiredShops.
I worked quite a bit setting up the shop, researching products, learning about digital commerce laws, drop shipping, registering for a Maryland State Tax Number, etc. however never had any sales.
Still this idea was fascinating to me, however in late December 2021, I decided I wanted to take the real estate exam, and time was running out. Once you take the course and pass, you have a year to take the state and national exams. So I began studying again, and scheduled the exams for late February 2022. After passing, finding a broker, and putting up my realty studio site, I began researching ecommerce. Real estate sales were down across the board and interest rates going up. So I have continued to study real estate options however have also focused on my ecommerce efforts.
So this brings me up to date and where I stand with my business efforts.
Today, I received another device which I will use for commerce that I want to discuss. Before I provide more details about my new device, lets look at all of the
business commerce tools I have acquired since August 2020.
| eCommerce Device | Cost To Own | Retail Price | Date Acquired |
|---|---|---|---|
  PayPal Here EMV Chip & Swipe Card Reader | $0.00 | $24.95 | August 2020 |
 Thermal Receipt Printer | $49.99 | $49.99 | August 2020 |
 PayPal Zettle Card Reader | $24.95 | $24.95 | July 2021 |
  Accuteck Gold 86Lbs Digital Shipping Postal Scale with Batteries and AC Adapter | $22.85 | $35.99 | November 2021 |
  Tordorday Bluetooth Thermal Label Printer 4×6 | $0.00* | $94.99 | November 2022 |
  GlocalMe DuoTurbo 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot | $84.00* | $179.99 | January 2023 |
* Credit Card Application Approvals/Online Surveys
Ecommerce business tools I would like to own, however cannot yet justify the cost include the following...
My thought was to create my own brand using the WiredShops logo, and justifying the cost by offering sublimation products to offset the cost of the branding equipment shown above. I am going to have to find some really good deals on that equipment before I can even think about it.
Check out the following video to see how this video blogger has custom branded her line.
I have collected some nice tools and devices and along the way learned a lot about ecommerce. If and when I join the ecommerce game, I think I will be ready. Even if I cannot move forward with this endeavor the cost to own the devices and tools I have acquired, is a cost I can afford.
Thursday, January 26, 2023
With the new year, I planned a series of business related activities which for some reason, I am finding any number of reasons to distract from my preparations.
I think the main problem relates to whether I can move forward on any of the plans. Normally, I have plans, I execute effectively. No matter- whether I think the plans will work.
Some of the distractions were major and include issues with my sites and the repairs I needed to implement. With the new year, my web hosts changed several things, causing problems for which I had to find solutions.
Another, issues I am having changing my official business address.
That said, an easy task, my hair color has simply not been a priority and I am not sure why- since some of the planned activities are business related meetings.
I wish I could spend the money on a professional for this task, however I set a budget and did not include a $250 salon visit. I also need a trim.
Hoping to get back on track...
Tuesday, January 24, 2023
In an earlier post, I discuss the fact I was shopping for a new certificate of deposit (CD).
I wanted a 5 year CD and noticed at the time, two of my banks Synchrony and American Express were both offering the term lengths I wanted at 4.30% and 4.25% respectively.
Since then, I have been waiting for those rates to go up. In mid December (2022) just after I posted the entry, the Fed raised interest rates by 50 basis points, however my banks held at the yield rates previously offered.
I thought maybe by the first of January my banks would offer new rates. No, both held with the same rates. Today is the 24th of January and to date- all the reports I have received, suggest at the end of the month the Fed will again raise interest rates by 25 basis points.
Though I am not counting on rate increases from either bank for the 5 year CD- by the first of February, I am hoping. That explained, in recent weeks I have moved/transferred funds from other accounts to be ready to open the new CD on the first of next month.
Note from the above illustration, I decided to use American Express rather than Synchrony which currently has a lower yield rate than the other bank. Why? I already have two 5 year CDs with Synchrony, with each having more capital than the funding amount (~$15,000) of the new CD.
Not counting the new JP Morgan Chase Visa, American Express is my most recent bank and used for high yield savings. I opened the HYSA account with AmEx on February 2, 2022 with an initial deposit of $2500.
Mint recommended the savings account with American Express and my research indicates their rates are very competitive in several areas. I really did not want to transfer funds from AmEx to fund a CD someplace else. In my case, though I have several banks, only Synchrony offered a competitive rate on the 5 year CD to that being offered by AmEx.
Tuesday, January 10, 2023
Between November and December 2022 I think I lost about 5 pounds. How did this happen? I was running around with this errand or chore which started the weight loss. Once I realized I was losing weight I ate less, which is what I normally do.
It seemed as if I was on a roll and I thought I would continue with my weight loss program through the new year. And then, January first came around.
Because I thought I would be busy Christmas Day setting up a new laptop and putting together the side table, I planned an easy meal for the day- slow cooker roast beef and potatoes.
New Year's Day, I planned to make glazed pork chops with a new recipe in combination with a lot of side dishes.
- New Year's Day Meal
- Bone in Sweet & Spicy Glazed Pork Chops
- Sausage Cornbread Dressing w/Cranberry Sauce
- Steamed Cabbage w/Onions, Peppers, Bacon
- Candied Yams
- Baked Macaroni & Cheese
- Sweet Rolls
I wanted to share the great recipe I found for Sweet & Spicy Glazed Pork Chops. The only change I made to the recipe was to use bone-in chops rather than boneless.
The pork chops and the meal turned out great, the only problem- I have been
cooking and eating since the first.
I do not think I have gained it all back, however it seems I am trying. Good luck with your New Year's resolutions.
Monday, January 09, 2023
This post provides supplemental information supporting experience summaries noted in my online résumé.
Under the Rockwell International work experience, I provide I am a Microsoft Office Power User. In addition, the next bullet describes the in house Human Resources (HR) system I developed using Microsoft Access.
In 1993 when I developed this system, the program was widely praised for its sophistication, cost effectiveness, time utilization reduction, and the fact I was able to bring together so many HR features under one system in a short period of time.
