I like the story where Joel Peterson, Chairman of JetBlue Airways, described his first job. When Joel was 11, he started a fresh-produce delivery service in a small Michigan town where he grew up. He planted, cultivated and harvested his own crops. He also hired his six year old brother to transform his toy wagon into a delivery truck. Joel ran this small business for an entire summer, bringing in a gross income of $14. What did Joel learn? “I learned that running your own concern is hard – especially when success depends on the weather and the neighbor’s vacation plans,” Joel said. Joel learned what was at the heart of a business – work. “From twenty years of teaching
Sports gambling & debt By: Darrell Castle The World Cup is upon us and it’s drawing a big buzz here in the US, including the casual soccer fans who only watch the sport every four years when the World Cup presents itself. However, it’s also an event drawing interest from people who don’t care for the sport whatsoever, but instead love to bet on big games. Now, there are two types of gamblers from my view – those who gamble for fun, and those who gamble to make ends meet. The people who gamble to make ends meet are the ones I’m worried about, especially when they probably can’t make ends meet in the first place because they’ve lost their
The 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey is out, and Americans are worried about the status of their retirement. Insecurity about retirement tied last year’s numbers, and those numbers are the highest in 23 years. Nearly 1/3 of all Americans worry they won’t have enough money to retire. People realize it’s important to save money for retirement – it’s just that recent events and life circumstances make saving difficult, if not impossible. Many people nearing retirement face: Job insecurity or unemployment Credit card debt Investments that performed poorly during the recession Children with student loan debt Unpaid medical bills Family members also in financial need or, in some cases, using their family’s finances irresponsibly According to the survey, 55% of
By: Darrell Castle What if I told you that filing for bankruptcy can help you increase your monthly cash flow to meet your needs? I’ll explain by telling you a story about Dan, a guy I made up but whose story is a very real one I see quite often. Dan is behind on some bills. He’s a working man with a good job, a family, a house and two cars. Dan is living the “American Dream.” However, Dan’s wife got sick and had to spend some time in the hospital, resulting in thousands of dollars in medical bills. He wasn’t the best saver and didn’t have sufficient money in his emergency fund to cover the bills. He had a
By: Darrell Castle Ford is introducing Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing, a program that will help ensure vehicle owners are able to afford their monthly payments. The program — which is in its pilot stage — is currently available in Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago, Washington, DC and London. Ford’s says research shows young adults have shown interest in this as a way to supplement their beginning income. (To learn everything you need to do at the scene of a car accident, click here download my Car Accident Checklist for FREE.) Should this program find success, then maybe we’ll see it in Memphis one day. You can find out more about this program here. My Take Innovation is a
Xarelto has dangerous blood-thinning effects By: Darrell Castle If you or a loved one haven taken Xarelto and have experienced dangerous bleeding effects, I’d love to talk to you. Please call (901) 327-1212 , or fill out one of the contact forms on this page, to schedule a free consultation with an experienced attorney. Video Transcript Hello, I’m Darrell Castle and I’m an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Tennessee and if you’re taking the drug Xarelto, then I’d like to ask you a question. Let’s say you go into your doctor’s office and he prescribes this drug for you for atrial fibrillation – or A-Fib as most people call it – because he says it’s going
Memphis ranked as the second most violent city in the country in 2011, with 1,006 violent crimes committed per 100,000 residents. Indeed, it can be hard to read or watch the news in Memphis because of the violence we hear about from start to finish. We celebrate when a heartwarming story finally makes the headlines, and sometimes even when the weather comes on. When a violent crime happens, Memphis’ criminal court and legal system attempt to find the perpetrator and sentence them appropriately. But did you know that the civil courts sometimes also have a role to play? Civil courts handle lawsuits and non-criminal cases like personal injury claims and bankruptcy. And in civil courts, a victim can often sue
Just this past Thanksgiving week, WMC ran a heartwarming piece about a little boy who survived a pit bull attack here in Memphis. He only barely survived, though. He didn’t walk away from the attack. He was attacked four years ago and is still recovering. That’s right four years later this little boy, who was attacked at two years old, is still recovering from neck fracture, infections, and reconstructive surgery to his skull. Thank God for little Angelo Garcia’s health, even if he’s still not at 100%. And thank God for the dedicated team at Le Bonheur, which has helped save the lives of so many children in the Mid-South. This story is a testament not just to Angelo’s strength
By: Darrell Castle Don’t let your home be foreclosed if you want to keep it! If you’re behind on your mortgage and the bank is threatening to take your home from you, fight back with a bankruptcy. By filing for bankruptcy, you can lump your debt – including your mortgage payment – into an AFFORDABLE repayment plan over a longer period of time. Doing so will allow you to get out of debt while keeping your home. In the end, you’ll be completely current on your mortgage payments! This is your house; your HOME. You don’t have to let the banks take it if you don’t want to. Life throws unexpected curveballs our way all the time, and we’re often
One of the following four statements is false. You’re never too out of shape to begin working out. You’re never too old to go to back to school. You’re never too far in debt to get out. You’re never too formal to wear white socks with dress shoes. I’m sorry, but if you’re wearing white socks with dress shoes, then go ahead and click this link right here to buy some new and affordable (non-white) dress socks. The other three statements are completely accurate and all revolve around self-improvement. No matter where you’re sitting at this very moment – no matter what your history looks like – it’s never too late to take the necessary actions to improve your life.