School supplies are out in force at Wal-Mart, Target, and office supply stores across the Dallas / Fort Worth area. That means it’s almost time for our kids to return to the classroom. In the next two weeks the familiar flashing light marking school zones will renew its warning and traffic will be interspersed with school buses for each of the independent school districts. It’s time to revisit Texas laws concerning both school zones and driving around buses.
I’m amazed at the level of technology available on our college campuses. For those who are my age, we had an electric typewriter that may have been self-correcting. In order to access a computer we had to schedule time in a special facility on campus and even then, programming was done on punch cards. Things have come a long way since then.
I received a letter last week from the University of Alabama, Birmingham alumni association. I graduated from there with a business degree, I’ll let you guess when. The letter was to offer me savings of $300 to $400 a year on my car insurance with a company I was with before I started Wise Insurance Group. As an alumnus of UAB, I qualified for an insurance discount.
Having a child go to college is a wonderful and sometimes slightly scary time for most parents. Son or daughter is spreading their wings, stepping out on their own and beginning to prepare for life as an adult while they figure what their future holds. It is also a time when a son or daughter begins to make decisions for themselves, some of which have adult level consequences.
I was running through Wal-Mart yesterday to pick up a few things and noticed several aisles stocked with back to school supplies. There were notebooks, pens, paper, computer keyboards and mice in an assortment of colors, calculators, etc. Moms and dads were comparing available supplies with lists from schools and loading up their shopping carts.
In case you missed it, the Biggert-Waters Flood Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) was passed by the U.S. Congress in July of last year. The goal of BW-12 is for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, and other agencies to make changes in how the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) is administered.
In November of 2012, the states of Colorado and Washington voted to legalize recreational marijuana usage. People can now legally possess up to one ounce of marijuana if they’re over 21. They may also legally grow up to six plants for personal use; however, they may not legally smoke in public places such as parks or on sidewalks.
I received a call on Friday from a woman in Frisco, Texas on Friday who wanted me to review her home and car insurance. The family’s rates are going up on their upcoming renewal in August, and like most people she doesn’t want to spend more on her insurance than she has to. I don’t blame her!
I had lunch with a friend of mine the other day; we’ll call him Bill, not his real name. He needed someone who’d listen and provide some feedback to make sure he was on the right track. The conversation started with him letting me know he’d just gotten laid off from a managerial position he’s had for several years. The pain was obvious as we talked.
Technology has made our lives easier, more connected, and even safer. It continues to evolve and change at an incredible rate. A decade ago the only smartphone was a Blackberry which gave rise to mobile email. We now have access to thousands of apps to help us plan menus, shop, take pictures, read books, and connect. Technology has entered our homes too. We have programmable thermostats to manage our power usage, smart home systems that can turn on lights before we arrive, record shows and sporting events when we’d rather watch something else, and washing machines that help us use less water.
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