Lifestyle

The fantastic Nelson Smith is now a staff writer on TSM. Mostly because I felt that you needed something more awesome to read. 

Allow me to make a gross blanket statement, because it’s kinda what I do.

People love hearing about former high profile athletes going bankrupt. Former Mets and Phillies center fielder Lenny Dykstra went spectacularly bankrupt back in 2009 as his various business interests imploded. He’s in jail now. Boxers Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather are terrible with money, each have burned through hundreds of millions worth of earnings. Evander Holyfield pays tens of thousands in child support every month, since he has 11 different children with 9 different women. The ranks of retired NFL and NBA players are littered with stories of failed business ventures, greedy family members, and personal bankruptcies.

What about the other side of the coin? It’s not very often we look at athletes who were actually smart with their money. And it’s really too bad, since some of these people make savvy investments and turn their millions into legitimate empires. Let’s look at seven.

1. Greg Norman

As a pro golfer, Norman is remembered more for the events he didn’t win — specifically the 1996 Masters — even though he was one of the best players of his generation. He’s made up for it as an entrepreneur, leveraging his brand into a golf empire. He owns interests in many successful courses, a golf apparel/accessory company, a turf company, a golf course design company, and a wine company. His estimated net worth is $300M.

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That’s a serious question. It feels odd to sit down and think about how much money we spend on our appearance every year. And it’s not just women, it’s men too!

While I can’t speak for other people, I know from going through a phase where the MAC makeup counter ladies knew my pay cycle, that good makeup costs a fortune. What do I mean by “good”? Well, good to me is when my skin doesn’t break out, and it doesn’t look like I’m wearing makeup. Having sensitive skin makes it rather impossible for me to buy drug-store stuff. Trust me, I’ve tried. The cycle normally goes like this- see drug store product on TV, buy said product, have skin break out, hand said product to sister.

Aside from growing my sister’s makeup collection, I’ve thrown a lot of good money down the gutter chasing the holy grail (the perfect combination of price and quality). And while my skincare routine had settled down, and I had found products that work, I’ve recently found myself back in the spotlight where presentations, and running meetings were part of the everyday gig. Whether I like to admit or not, I really like putting my best face out there.

It was at this point that I found myself torn- do I get the Mia 2 (9-149) or do I start buying makeup. Keep in mind that having the type of skin that I do requires that I buy multiple shades ( I tan really easily and don’t stay the same shade for longer than 1 week). Ladies, using the wrong shades on your face looks horrible, right?

I’ve been blessed to not have to deal with a ton of acne, but I’m getting up there in age and there’s only so much drinking 8 glasses can do for me. Sidenote: my favorite food is McDonald’s fries. Yes, greasy food doesn’t go well with clear skin. Still, it was the odd breakout here and there, and  dry patches ($$ creams) that were the main culprits for me.

Guess what I chose to go with? Yep-  MIA 2! 

I’ve been using it for a month now, and I’m in LOVE. 

Why you may ask? Well, here’s a review.

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I have a friend (I have several- I think, but yeah anyway), and her name is Amber. Here is some background on her.

Background:

•  Amber is 28 years old, and has a Diploma in Holistic Nutrition.
• Amber is extremely bright.
• Amber has decided that she is going  back to school for something somewhat related to that, but not really.
• She has been working different roles; none of which have anything to do with her Diploma
• She’s about to spend $35,000 plus living expenses, by going back to school for the next 5 years. That’s a ton of additional debt to take on.
• Her new chosen career doesn’t pay all that much.
• Amber lives with her boyfriend, and plans on working part-time during school.

Now Amber made the mistake of meeting me for brunch on a day where I was feeling particularly honest, and I started questioning her about her future. I tend to do that these days because a) I’m nosey, and b) because working with developers all day has taken a toll on my conversational skills. Anyway, Amber informed me about her plans to go back to school, and I flat out told her I didn’t think it was the best of ideas.

Here are my reasons:

• There is a growing demand for nutritionists, particularly holistic ones. She is lucky to be in a position where she has her Diploma, and can capitalize on the growing demands before the field get saturated. I recognize that there are some fields where the need to upgrade your degree is significantly higher. That’s not the case here. I knew that Amber had done initial research in the field, and agreed with my assessment,  but I researched the field a big more after brunch just to make sure that I wasn’t wrong. Continue Reading

You may have noticed that I disappeared for the last 2 weeks. Well, I’ve been huddled in my office working with one of my clients getting ready to launch a new product. And boy is it hard work.

While I’ve taken parts in launches before and have started and organized a few events myself, doing a national launch with a team of 6 is a lot harder that I had previously thought. I got used to work 16 hour days, and eating once every 8 hours. That’s part of startup culture. What I didn’t notice was how much my body hated me. How out of shape I feel, and how much money I actually I spent on takeout.

I missed this blog, I missed having conversations with friends, I missed talking about money, or knowing what I have in my bank account. Or setting up a budget for that matter. So I did what any normal person would do. I slept till 10 am today, and have been writing posts on this site since then.

Ps. this may just be me, but I noticed that I went on a few late night ” I deserve a treat for working this hard” online shopping trips. That’s not going to bode well for my wallet.

PPS. Happy first day of summer, friends.

If you live in Canada, and enjoy saving a buck or two (like me) or treating yourself to some fabulous rewards, you’re likely a member of some type of loyalty program. Recently, LoyaltyOne put out a survey that indicates the average Canadian household participates in 8.2 loyalty programs – who knew!

If you’re addicted to collecting points (again, like me), you’ll probably agree that changing your shopping habits to collect the most points possible is an absolute reality. I have no shame in admitting that I’ll change my wine selection if it means collecting more points. And while I may not seem like a brand loyalist, jumping ship every time I see more points, I’m loyal to my loyalty cards (go figure)…

With all that work put into collecting, have you ever stopped to think about what happens when you die? I know I hadn’t and neither have most Canadians. A mere 3% of Canadians surveyed by LoyaltyOne have documented a plan for their points. And while it might not be the first thought that comes to mind as a collectorit’s definitely something to consider. You wouldn’t forget about your savings account, but people often forget about this lucrative asset. I mean if you are saving up your points for a trip of a lifetime or to purchase those holiday gifts, that’s some serious points. After all, wouldn’t it be nice to pass along your hard earned rewards to someone who will enjoy them just as much as you?

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Two weeks ago, Angelina Jolie announced that she had undergone a double mastectomy to reduce her risk of cancer. Some people applauded her courage, others started to point out and make a huge deal about the fact that only those with money have the luxury of electing that procedure. Others still, started a dialogue about the types of foods that we put in our bodies that can cause a severe hormonal and chemical imbalance. These are the dialogues that gained the most momentum, and were heard as they shouted their message.

Both of these of these conversations are worth having, I implore those of us having them to stop for a moment and think of the amount bravery it takes for a woman to cut off a part of their body that most signifies her femininity. A woman who is internationally known as a sex symbol at that.

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