Wanna Meet on This? No!

 

During the mid-summer months, Ernie Banks, the legendary infielder for the Chicago Cubs, who were often mired in last place, used to fire up his teammates by bellowing “it’s a beautiful day for a ball game, let’s play two!”

Years later, I worked for a company that had adopted a Banks-like mentality – only not to play a doubleheader, but to conduct two or more meetings on the same day.

Our publisher at the time had a simple mantra for seemingly every issue that surfaced, “I think we need to meet on this.” The company, I kid you not, used to have meetings to schedule meetings. I believe my personal record for one day was five meetings. Let me repeat that for emphasis, five.

One late Friday afternoon in July, he sent out an 11^th hour memo announcing a pop-up but mandatory meeting at 6 pm that day. Employees were forced to delay weekend plans, cook-outs and similar activities to attend. I’m certain I could have retired that day had I received $1 for every four-letter word that was uttered by my colleagues.

“Problem Employees” – Oh You Mean “Jerks”?

 

Truth be told is I’m not always politically correct. I realize some of you who know me are shocked by that admission. So, save altered gender pronouns and “birthing people” in lieu of “mothers” for the woke crowd. It doesn’t play here. Never has, never will.

And that extends to defining problem co-workers as well. Especially those that have saddled with the PC labels “challenging” or “demanding.” We’ve all been subject to them at one time or another, and no doubt we’ve all come to a similar conclusion – they are jerks plain and simple. No deep drill down or expert psychoanalysis required.

Jerks come in all shapes and sizes and of course, genders. In my career, I’ve reported to them (far too many I’m sorry to say) and some have reported to me. I could fill several yellow legal pads with vignettes detailing my experiences with fellow co-worker jerks, but that’s fodder for a future column. Or more accurately columns.

But for those keeping score at home, I’ll regale you with two. When I wore a younger man’s clothes, I worked at a restaurant where the general manager’s leadership traits best mimicked Tony Soprano - ruling by intimidation. Over one day, he slammed a young busboy against the wall for dropping a glass, sent a waitress home in tears and tossed a freshly prepared meal against the wall because it was improperly garnished.

Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda...

 

Growing up I used to love visiting my paternal grandmother. Not only because her red sauce “gravy meat” and pasta remains unmatched by any home or restaurant cooking to this day, but because before I left, she would always slip a folded $10 bill into my hand and declare that it was to be “saved for a rainy day.”

Years later I realized that in the broader context, a “rainy day” was a euphemism for emergency savings. By the time I was 16, I did manage to accumulate a tidy nest egg only to foolishly blow it on a 370 horsepower Pontiac and more beer nights in college than I care to remember. But that’s fodder for a future column.

I reminisced about my teenaged largesse when I saw a survey by financial concern Bankrate which polled folks about their biggest financial regrets. Not surprisingly, more than 20 percent replied that not saving for emergencies or that “rainy day” – the highest percentage of any category. And, coupled with recent events – most notably the COVID-19 pandemic - some 26 percent indicated that they would have done things differently, read: saved more, as the pandemic has impacted the wallets of nearly every American as 25 percent of those participating said their finances were worse than before the virus struck.

Introducing Florida’s Best Realtors

 

A long-time friend of mine recently took a brief vacation to Florida’s west coast in hopes of potentially securing a home for his planned retirement to the Sunshine State.

After five days he returned home, a frustrated mess, citing a paltry inventory of homes and townhouses coupled with buyers who won Hatfield-McCoy-like bidding wars by offering up to 20 percent over the asking price in cash.

One afternoon, he said one of the real estate agents allowed him a walk-through of a home she recently sold just to get an idea of what may be available. She revealed that she had exactly three homes currently on the market with, I kid you not, 70 hopeful homeowners vying for them. Let me repeat that for emphasis – SEVENTY.

He joked that at least he was able to play some competitive pickleball and sample some of the area’s finer restaurants.

At last report, some 1,000 people a day were moving to Florida.

Here in New York, not only have thousands of residents relocated to their southern-most neighbor, but the exodus from the Empire State has been so fast and so furious that it has already lost one congressional seat and is in danger of losing another.

There are myriad reasons for this. For one, the pandemic has shown that working remotely could be, and is, effective, despite the Luddites who still mandate in-office attendance. So why scrape ice off your windshield and shovel out in a Wisconsin or North Dakota mid-winter blast when you can don shorts and polo shirts amidst brilliant sunshine and 75-degree temperatures?

Yet the two people most responsible for citizens elbowing their way out of New York are in order, the mayor of New York City - one William DeBlasio, and the governor Andrew Cuomo – each of whom have done everything in their collective power to ensure a lifetime achievement award from the Florida Chamber of Commerce in addition to setting new benchmarks for tone-deaf incompetence.

Here’s Curriculum We Can All Agree On

Growing up my father used to have a perfect response when I asked for something financially unattainable, such as buying the family a Rolls Royce or a summer house in The Hamptons. He would shrug his shoulders and say, “sure I’ll buy you two of them.”

That usually spelled the end of any further discussions.

Back then, we were taught basic math skills at the elementary and secondary levels, but no course ever approached the basics of what we now commonly refer to as financial literacy.  I’ll admit I had little or no clue about money at the time and I’m sure that among my peer group I was not alone.

Sadly, some 50 or so years later, financial literacy in our education systems often remains an elective – if offered at all - and not a requirement. While the country is busy arguing about nebulous curricula like race-based theory, the education system in general labors under the false assumption that monetary education will come over time.

Fact: it does not. Rarely has and rarely will. In fact, according to an S&P survey, 3.5 billion people across the globe or 33 percent of the world’s population remain financially illiterate.

Want proof closer to home?