Updates to this article will come with or without questions. I hope this helps you to save some money. Also, please share with your friends so they can start saving money too.

Randy’s 4 Steps to Breaking the Bank by Randy Rowe

So recently it occurred to me that the level of bank charges that I’ve been paying to my bank are much too high. In an effort to curb this I’ve decided to cut down on the quickest area I can, card fees. Fees associated with the day-to-day use of my card (for those of us not inclined to notice the obvious).  Now in an attempt to dilute my bad karma with some good, I’ll be sharing the method I found with you.

Please note, it takes the form of steps, mostly because steps are easy to follow and allow me to get this damned post done as soon as possible.
So without further ado (which is a sentence whose sole purpose is to add “further ado”) here are Randy’s 4 Steps to Breaking the Bank:

Step 1.

Open a FGB savings account.

Don’t bother to tell me that you love your current bank (unless it’s FGB) or that they’ve been good to you over the years (it’s quite unlikely that they have) or that you “cyaah bodda” (If this last one is you, don’t even ‘bodda ‘ to read the next steps, just close the page and go watch some TV). Always bear this in mind, unless you can bring in over 1 billion $ per month, NO BANK LOVES YOU..and even then this “love” would be questionable (think D’Angel).

Now, there are multiple benefits to opening a FGB savings account, but for purposes of this list, I’ll tell you the primary one…Global Access. No, its not a world visa, it’s their online web banking portal, they have, in my opinion, the most advanced web banking portal in Jamaica (that you have access to…I’m pretty sure the folks at BOJ have an even more powerful system). Using their system you can pay pretty much any bill, and transfer to any commercial bank. I’ll delve into this later, but for now, just take it that you should get an account there and sign up for net banking. (it’s 2012, not banking online is almost obscene)

Step 2.

Open a VMBS current account.

At this point you’re probably gonna come with the typical excuse..”I don’t like having my money all over the place”…true..this is probably why you give it all to <insert your bank name here> each month in charges. Save the excuses, open the account, you’ll thank me later.Now, you’re probably wondering what the benefits to a VMBS current account are..I’ll tell you..simply put, they offer the BEST current account option in Jamaica, right now (in my opinion of course, and for people who aren’t pulling down MAJOR bucks….I’m willing to bet you’re not, or you wouldn’t be reading this..). What do I use to back this claim up? Simply put, VMBS current accounts have NO CARD CHARGES. That’s right, no withdrawal charge ($30 – NCB, $33 – Scotia), no Point of Sale (POS) charge (that’s point-of-sale…other banks have lots of charges which match the other meaning of POS) ($12.10 – NCB, $15 –Scotia), No card charges at all.

Step 3

Send your monthly salary to FGB.

I’m assuming that you have a steady, company paid, income here, and the ability to dictate where your pay goes. If you’re not one of the fortunate ones, look into setting up a standing order to FGB, yes there is a charge, but if you play it right, it can be one of your 2 only charges for the month. If you’re self-employed or get paid from multiple sources, find the best way to get your money over to FGB, link me on Twitter for help/tips along those lines. (@rtrowe)
Once you’ve gotten your money over to FGB start doing your banking the way it should be done…from your couch/toilet/backyard/phone/kitchen/AnywhereButInABank. I assume here that you’re an adult and have an actual budget. Well FGB helps greatly with budgeting thanks to the ability to send $ to different accounts in JA.  What you want to send to VMBS is the portion of $ that you have allocated yourself to spend each month. All those trips to the ATM, all those purchases done at the cash register (for which you’d have gotten charged) add up over time, and add up well enough to make NCB and Scotia 2 of the most PROFITABLE companies in JA…without them selling any tangible product. So this is your chance to cut costs, which is 1 of the only 2 ways to keep money in your pocket (savvy financial types will try to quarrel with me on that “only 2” point. Bring IT!!!).

Step 4

PROFIT!!!!

You can save an estimated $100k+ per year by avoiding bank charges (depending on your income that is. A better estimate is that you can save about 1 or more month’s pay by avoiding charges…now who wouldn’t want an extra month’s pay?). That’s a lot of money that can be invested to make even MORE money (by the way, Investing is the only other way to keep money in your pocket..I’m still ready to rumble financial goons -_-). Now, I know a few of you just read that and said to yourself “Did Randy just call 100k a ‘lot’ of money?”. Yes, yes I did. See in my short life I’ve learned that no one who truly has money ever calls any amount of money over $500 a “little bit of money”…unless they’re trying to sell you something….So yes, $100k IS a lot of money, so is $50k, so is $20k…(if you don’t believe so, try lending it to a stranger, or giving it away…or worse…losing it). There are many way to ‘PROFIT!!!!’, all fall under the category of ‘Investing’. This is a category that I’ll go into at another time. Its multi-faceted and WILL benefit you in the long run, lots to be gained there, literally, so look out for it.

So lets recap, or for those of us who just skipped to the end, summarize.
Randy’s 4 Steps to Breaking the Bank

Step 1.
Open a FGB savings account. (They have Global Access allowing you to send to every commercial  bank in JA)

Step 2.
Open a VMBS current account. (They have the wonderful advantage of NO CARD FEES)

Step 3
Send your monthly salary to FGB. (So you can access the wonderful benefits of banking like the rich do…even on a Saturday)

Step 4
PROFIT!!!! (Because the 2nd best thing to do with your money is to use it to make more money…the 1st is spend it of course[Strippers and beer ] ).

That’s it for my tips, feel free to leave a comment telling me if you agree, disagree, like the article, hate the article, think I should write more, think I should be banned from keyboards forever, whatever.
Depending on the response I may write a few more, I’m thinking topics like Managing Credit Card Debt, or General Debt Consolidation or just Investing, as mentioned before. All from the point of view of the small earner, the normal man with a normal paycheque.

Give me a shout on Twitter if you want my opinion of something (anything) at @rtrowe.
Hope you enjoyed…and even more so, I hope you followed and saved money. If you did, let me know and buy me a drink with some of your extra $

The word “Jamaipanese” is a portmanteau; a combination of Jamaica and Japan. Kirk is a Jamaica ( He’s Jamaican) and Japan ( more so Japan) enthusiast, he’s been an enthusiast of the latter for a while, but didn’t get to visit the country until recently–that’s the interesting part.

Kirk had everything he needed to go to Japan, but money. But that wasn’t going to deter him from going. Most people wouldn’t have bothered, but Kirk did and I admire him for that. His story is interesting and I think it should be highlighted.

Picture courtesy of Taylor’s Photography

On January 18, 2010 Kirk wrote a detailed blog post explaining how he’d acquire the funds to go to Japan, where he’d stay and what his expenses would be. You can read the blog post here. It’s titled “Operation Visit Japan”. What I find particularly interesting is how he managed to raise about 40% of the funds through his blog via donations (I’m pretty sure many told him not to bother because people would not donate, but he did anyway). I donated and encouraged him as I’m sure many others did. As a result he received  over $1,000 USD in donations from people all over the world. This is an example of how useful the internet can be to anyone, wherever you are, it just takes effort and dedication.

Kirk  even managed to snag sponsorship from a Japanese company for wireless internet connectivity while he was there and even stayed with a Japanese reggae singer who he met through his blog. There is still much more to be told, but I definitely can’t tell it like he can. He has  organized all his posts re: his trip to Japan he in a category that you can read here

Kirk is a good writer, consistent blogger and a great friend. I’m very happy for  him and I’m glad he finally got the opportunity to visit a place he’s so crazy about.

Ode to Jamaipanese.com, my blog of the year!

Meanwhile, a similar story was unfolding oceans away. During World War II, under constant threat of bombings, the British had a great need to distinguish incoming aircraft quickly and accurately. Which aircraft were British planes coming home and which were German planes coming to bomb? Several airplane enthusiasts had proved to be excellent “spotters,” so the military eagerly employed their services. These spotters were so valuable that the government quickly tried to enlist more spotters—but they turned out to be rare and difficult to find. The government therefore tasked the spotters with training others.

It was a grim attempt. The spotters tried to explain their strategies but failed. No one got it, not even the spotters themselves. Like the chicken sexers, the spotters had little idea how they did what they did—they simply saw the right answer.

With a little ingenuity, the British finally figured out how to successfully train new spotters: by trial-and-error feedback. A novice would hazard a guess and an expert would say yes or no. Eventually the novices became, like their mentors, vessels of the mysterious, ineffable expertise.

You can do it, but you can’t explain it. Something I’m familiar with. Awesome article that answers a lot of questions I’ve asked but couldn’t get answered over the years.

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I registered my company’s trademark with the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office ( JIPO)  about six months ago. I thought the process would have been complicated, but it was fairly easy. Although their website was a bit daunting, the staff was really helpful.

Step 1

First things first, you need to have a Logo/Trademark.  The Trade Marks Act, 1999, defines a Trade Mark as:

any sign that is capable of being graphically represented and capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one undertaking (i.e. any person, company or business entity) from those of another undertaking

It may be a good idea to do a search for  identical or similar marks . Any similar/identical marks would prevent your TM from being registered. There are two ways to do a search according to JIPO.

1. The applicant or his representative may conduct the search manually at a cost of $500 per hour or for any fraction of an hour.
2. The applicant may request that JIPO conduct the preliminary search and provide advice. A Form TM23 must be used to request this search; the applicant must provide a representation of the Mark and the list of classes and the appropriate goods and/or services. The cost for this search is $1500 for the first class, and an extra $1000 for each additional class

N.B Searches have to be done at the JIPO office ( I don’t know why this can’t be done online).

I didn’t do any searches because I was confident that EduFocal’s Logo was unique But be warned, if you don’t do a search and your Trade Mark is rejected your application fee  will not be refunded and you’ll have to pay to for another application.

Step 2

JIPO has 45 classes that your business can fall into.  To save yourself some time go through the classes and identify which yours fall into before you go the JIPO office, view them here. The application fee is $3500 JMD, which includes the cost of the first class.  Each additional class costs $1000.  Assuming you chose 1 class your total cost for registering your trademark will be $8,320 JMD. You can pay that in full or you can pay the $3500 and the balance  of $4820 JMD if your mark is approved. If you pay the $8320 JMD and your mark is rejected you will NOT get a refund, so I recommend you pay the $3500 JMD first and if it’s approved you pay the balance of $4820 JMD.

Additionally, you’ll also need to print six 2 x 2 inch copies of your logo, one of which will be used on this  form. To save time, print the form and fill it out before you get in. Whatever you’re not clear on, leave it blank and they’ll help you out at the office. If you’re choosing more than one class, you’ll also need to have an additional copy of your logo for each additional class.N.B Each copy of your logo has to be consistent, i.e you can’t have 5 copies in colored and 1 copy in black and white.
If you’re not the applicant and you’re doing it on someone’s behalf, you’ll need to scan a copy of their identification, have it verified by a Justice of the Peace and bring it when you’re going in.

Step 3

Wait! The wait is about two months. If your mark is approved or rejected, you’ll be notified via mail ( No email unfortunately).You can view JIPO’s trademark page for more information here

My tenure at University will inevitably be faced with struggles, but I will keep clear sight of my goal and never forget what I want. I always tell people not to ask me if I’m having a good day, because I’m always having a good day, regardless of the circumstances; it’s not a matter of me having a good day, it’s how good my day is, sometimes extremely well, other times not so much but it’s NEVER a bad day.

I was once the physical embodiment of Cynicism, but I got older and realized why waste my time being negative, because all I attracted were negative people… life was depressing. But I soon had my epiphany, and boy did things start changing for me, I started attracting different people into my life and things started to change for me in a positive way, the adage “You are what your think” is definitely true.

Everyone faces struggles, but it’s no reason to become frustrated and call it quits, look forward, plan your next course of action be decisive and do your best!

If you think you dare not, you don’t
If you like to win, but you think you can’t
It is almost certain you won’t.

If you think you’ll lose, you’re lost
For out of the world we find,
Success begins with a person’s will-
It’s all in the state of mind

If you think you are outclassed, you are,
You’ve got to think high to rise.
You’ve got to be sure of yourself before
You can ever win a prize

Life’s battles don’t always go
To the stronger or faster man
But soon or late the one who wins
Is the one WHO THINKS HE CAN! – Think and Grow Rich – Napoleon Hill

JULIET Landell knew the moment she was approached by her high school sweetheart Andrew Holness that she would end up being a politician’s wife. For that was made clear by the young, tall, dashing and confident Holness in a proposal of sorts to her while they were both students at the University of the West Indies (UWI).
“I recall he told me one day on campus ‘you are going to be my wife and I intend to serve in political life, you must choose now if you are able to take on this life because serving my country is important to me’,” the wife of Jamaica’s ninth and youngest prime minister told the Sunday Observer. “He was very clear on his professional goals from early.

”

My favorite Question:

Q: A number of women go after men in power, how do you deal with women who may try to get involved with your husband?
A: I don’t mind that women will find my husband attractive. He is a wonderful man and I am actually honoured when others find him attractive — he is very loving, very affectionate, very jovial, very good looking — and I know that some women would really love to have a partner like mine. But when all is said and done, even though persons would want to gravitate towards him, I know he understands that his commitment with me is what comes first and foremost, and I believe in a relationship with one man, one woman. And he knows that. Having one partner is important to me and it is equally important to him. And because we both believe that God has made us equal then we do share similar views where that is concerned.

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I’m sad Steve Jobs is gone. I’m sadder still to see the vultures of shallow thinking circling his name. There is a fallacy around great men, a notion we can learn best from their behavior for how we ourselves can achieve. But that’s only true if we study them with an honest eye. When writers are clouded by mythology and hero worship, they do more harm than good, as sloppy thinking is often the mortar used to put men on pedestals.

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

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The title of the post was “Risk Aversion”

I’ve found that for the most part, the older you get the more risk averse you become. It’s probably caused by awareness, realities of the world, obligations or even maturity[?].

Back when Advance-Gamers.com (Article) was in its prime I contacted many well known video game publishers because I wanted to review their games…well I primarily just wanted to play them. But hey, I didn’t think about it much, I just sent out emails. Imagine, a 15 year old with bad English emailing PR at some of the largest gaming publishers in America.

Well, it worked, I got a ton load of games sent to me for review ( I also got to keep them) and made some good contacts in the industry. I didn’t think much about what I was doing then…heck, I didn’t think, I just did. But, now I’m older and more self-conscious. At 20 I would think long hard about sending out those emails. What if they don’t respond? What if they say no, what if they say my website is too small or not popular enough?

Release your inhibitions.

If you can…do it while you’re young. Whatever “it” is.

You can watch Dr.Randall Pinket’s talk here.The other talks are here

Most of Apple’s customers have probably never given that green light a second thought, but its creation speaks to a massive competitive advantage for Apple: Operations. This is the world of manufacturing, procurement, and logistics in which the new chief executive officer, Tim Cook, excelled, earning him the trust of Steve Jobs

This is true.

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We’re happy to announce the inclusion of Google Authenticator as a new multifactor authentication option for LastPass. With the latest LastPass plugin and a supported mobile device, you can now use your phone in conjunction with your master password to generate a secure key that is needed to login to your account. Authenticator token support has been a hotly anticipated addition to LastPass, and we’re happy to make good on that obligation to our users.

We strongly believe in multifactor as being an excellent way to protect your sensitive data, and so we are opening this feature up to all LastPass users, including free accounts. For further information on setting up your account with Google Authenticator, or running it on unsupported devices, please see our helpdesk article.

This is great news. I’ve been a long time user of lastpass. And I’ve written about them more than once on this blog.

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