2023 goal progress

 I am not a New Year's resolutions person. I heard this week that less than 10% of people keep their New Year's resolutions. This doesn't surprise me as I see them as aspirational. I prefer to set goals for the year. Just the act of writing it down makes me committed. Since today is the last day of 2023, I will report on my goal progress for the year.

The first two goals are similar- eat down the pantry and freezer. This time last year both were full to almost bursting. I am proud to report excellent progress on both. I am going to continue to focus on this next year.

House DIY: this consisted of several small house items that needed attention. These were all accomplished. 

Finish the Unfinished: this was another categorical goal with several subgoals. It consisted of buying some small replacements parts for various things as well as some other house projects. I am happy to report these were all completed.

Better sleep hygiene: this is a fancy term for being better at going to bed at a consistent time each night.  I did better some nights than others, but overall I would say I have improved. One thing I have definitely noticed- it's much easier to get to bed earlier when it gets dark at 6 PM vs. 10 PM.

Redeem free food offers: I had received quite a food free food offers, and I wanted to make sure I didn't let them expire. I also had two offers with no expiration dates. I did well on this goal. I still have the two with no expiration dates, but they are obviously not urgent/

Overall I am very pleased with the results of my 2023 goals. I am current pondering what my goals will be for 2024. Hopefully I have as good of results with whatever I choose.

Dear companies: It is not 1923 any more

 Several times recently I have come to the conclusion that some companies refuse to modernize their practices to reflect the current times.  This is my PSA to them: It is not 1923 anymore. I will provide 3 examples to illustrate my point.

1. I wanted to make a change to one of my investments. What were my options to make this change? Use the investment company's allegedly secure website? Nope, not a choice. Contact customer service? Oh no, they can't process this type of change. My choices were to send a fax (technology of the 1840s, literally) or send a request via USPS. Really? It's 2023. Since like most people I lack access to a fax machine, I mailed in the form. This is absolutely ridiculous. I don't think this requirement had anything to do with security either. It's about money. The change I requested resulted in me receiving money with no fee instead of the investment company getting a cut. Thus, I think they want to make it as difficult as possible for this change to be made.

2. A family member was helping another family member request life insurance benefits for a deceased family member. What were the options to file the claim? Why USPS of course. What were the options to receive payment? ACH (aka direct deposit) like many of us receive our paychecks and how the federal government has offered tax refunds for years? Of course not. The only option is to receive paper check, again via USPS. Not only is this much slower for the beneficiary, there is the chance the check could be lost or stolen. Again, I think this requirement is all about money, specifically float.  Every day that the insurance company holds onto the money, they are earning more return on your premium dollars. 

3. Employers unwilling to face the present recruiting reality. I am a recruiter, so I see this frequently. It includes things like not adjusting your pay scale to reflect what has happened in the talent market in the last few years. Another area is remote work. So often employers "want" their employees in the office for vague reasons they really can't articulate. "Collaboration" and "brainstorming" are two that come to mind. In life, we don't always get what we want. A lot of these same employers would probably also like to pay all their employees minimum wage, but they know that won't attract the talent they need. Guess what? Remote work may be the exact same way, depending on the job. Some jobs simply must be onsite 100% of the time due to the nature of the work. However, if there is a way you can do it, try to offer at least some telework in your jobs. One of the things employees value is choice. Some would love to work remote at least part of the time, and some will want to be in the office all of the time (we saw that at my employer early in the pandemic). If you want to attract talent, you have to offer the things the talent values.

In summary, companies must adapt to changes in the market if they wish to survive and thrive.

This does not add up

My neighbors had their 3 child earlier this year, and they are now looking to move in the spring as they need more space. I got an update this week about some of the houses they have been looking at. They are at least $300k. For reference, they paid $150K for their current house in 2018 (the power of online property records). In this same conversation, it was mentioned that they were 2 days late on one of their 2 car payments, and they have pushed out a needed home repair of $800 because they don't have the money right now. I was thinking in my head "You can't afford the lifestyle you have right now, but you're looking at a house that's twice as much and interest rates are much higher than when you bought". It does not add up to me.