Teaching Kids About Money

Just a little something I came across that goes a long way towards helping children understand the value of a dollar.

J.C. Penny To Close 33 Stores - An Opportunity To Save!

Whenever someone of a particular age groups hears about the closing of a store with history, it tends to evoke thoughts of nostalgia, or memories of simpler times and experiences in that store. When J.C. Penny announced this week that it was closing some 33 stores around the country in an effort to save the struggling retailer some more than $60 million in annual costs and expenditures (and ending some 2,000 positions), this was probably the thinking that entered into the minds of some longtime and loyal customers of the chain. However, what I and other penny pinchers thought upon hearing this news was the opportunity to save money in the upcoming inventory liquidations that are sure to come in the wake of the closings. Granted, some stores will be moving their inventories to higher-performing stores designated to stay open, more isolated stores will probably be the ones to begin slashing prices in order to reduce their stocks in preparations for the closings, which are slated to being this New Year.
Below is a list of the stores slated to close, as reported by the Wall Street Journal yesterday. It is highly-advised that those looking for deals—especially in the vicinity of these particular stores—to keep a sharp eye out for sales indicating the beginning of inventory reduction.

State	City	Shopping Center
AL	Selma	Selma Mall
CA	Rancho Cucamonga	Arrow Plaza
CO	Colorado Springs	Chapel Hills Mall
CT	Meriden	Meriden Square
FL	Leesburg	Lake Square Mall
FL	Port Richey	Gulf View Square
IA	Muscatine	Muscatine Mall
IL	Bloomingdale	Stratford Square Mall
IL	Forsyth	Hickory Point Mall
IN	Marion	Five Points Mall
IN	Warsaw	Marketplace Shopping Center
MD	Salisbury	The Centre at Salisbury
MI	Marquette	Westwood Plaza
MN	Worthington	Northland Mall
MS	Gautier	Singing River Mall
MS	Natchez	Natchez Mall
MT	Butte	Butte Plaza Shopping Center
MT	Cut Bank	(N/A)
NC	Kinston	Vernon Park Mall
NJ	Burlington	Burlington Center
NJ	Phillipsburg	Phillipsburg Mall
OH	Wooster	Wayne Towne Plaza
PA	Exton	Exton Square Mall
PA	Hazleton	Laurel Mall
PA	Washington	Washington Mall
TN	Chattanooga	Northgate Mall
VA	Bristol	Bristol Mall
VA	Norfolk	Military Circle Mall
WI	Fond Du Lac	Forest Mall
WI	Janesville	Janesville Mall
WI	Rhinelander	Lincoln Plaza Center
WI	Rice Lake	Cedar Mall
WI	Wausau	Wausau Mall

And as with any store closing, prices will invariably being to cut more the closer each store gets to actually shutting its doors. The closing of these J.C. Penny’s stores might actually be an opportunity in disguise to do a little early gift-shopping in anticipation of next Christmas…or to indulge in a little self-pampering with savings on high-end merchandise. Stay tuned!

Disaster Planning - Publications Available

I suppose in a sense, this posting for the new year is indirectly related to financial planning. Specifically, it relates to ways to mitigate the financial costs that may be incurred when someone faces the prospect of a natural (or man-made) disaster. Granted, this posting is something of a personal plug, it does have the direct effect of helping people cope with the losses that may be incurred in the event of a disaster.Some of you might have noticed that I haven’t been writing and/or blogging as regularly as I have in the past. Although I still manage to keep abreast of many issues—social, political, and financial—my time been consumed by writing and publishing books. My first (among many future) endeavors is a series of crisis manuals based on a crapload of research I had intended for another project.
The first four of these crisis manuals have already been published, and two of them are already listed for sale on both Amazon.com. and Lulu.com. The first is called “The No-Nonsense Guide To Tornado Safety.” The guide is exactly what it appears to be—an 84-page source of information related to knowing about, planning for, and responding to tornadoes. In addition to providing a survey-level understanding of these potential disasters, the guide provides the most up-to-date advice and suggestions by weather and safety experts about what to do in (planning for in) the event that a tornado disaster. The guide gives a brief history of tornadoes and their effects as it relates to planning, as well as a series of appendixes that list—among other things—where publicly assessable tornado shelters (those operated by local municipalities as well as those privately-run) are to be found in the most tornado-prone regions in the country. There is also a state-by-state (province-by-province in Canada) listing for regional government offices charged with disaster-relief, as well a list for charitable organizations whose functions include the same. I designed these series of books to be a one-stop source of safety information on related disasters.

The No-Nonsense Guide To Tornado Safety

• Paperback: 84 pages • Publisher: lulu.com (November 22, 2013) • Language: English • ISBN-10: 1304648648 • ISBN-13: 978-1304648648 • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches • Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounce
Amazon.com
Lulu.com



In addition, three more books in the series are also available for sale, with availability on Amazon projected in the future. I also hope to publish ebook versions of my publications when it becomes feasible given my time constraints. “The No-Nonsense Guide To Blizzard Safety,” a book whose subject-matter has become more relevant in recent weeks, is similarly designed to be a one-stop guide for anything and everything related to blizzard safety as well as planning in the event of blizzards.

The No-Nonsense Guide To Blizzard Safety

• Paperback: 54 pages • Publisher: lulu.com (December 21, 2013) • Language: English • ISBN-10: 9781304709394 • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches • Shipping Weight: 0.28 pounds
Lulu.com


The third book in this series is “The No-Nonsense Guide To Flood Safety.”

 • Paperback: 60 pages • Publisher: lulu.com (November 22, 2013) • Language: English • ISBN-10: 1304648613 • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
Amazon.com
Lulu.com



The final published book in the series is “The No-Nonsense Guide To Hurricane Safety.”

• Paperback: 59 pages • Publisher: lulu.com (December 20, 2013) • Language: English • ISBN-10: 9781304733030 • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.2 inches
Lulu.com

I would urge everyone concerned about their safety and planning for their safety as it relates to natural (and man-made) disasters to purchase these books before the seasons for these events are upon us.

Thanks in advance.