#I would prioritize commissions though - so that when you commission you are guaranteed to get what you want

[ifindus]

now that you are almost done with your studies, where do you wanna work?👀 do you think you will take more studies in the future?🧐

I really want a permanent job in a museum 💖 that would be the dream. But I'm not opposed to working as a field archaeologist or other related jobs in the meantime - I'll probably have to anyway 😅 I'm very done with studying right now, so I'm just trying to get any job at the moment - thinking about maybe start taking commissions... 🤔

[kumoriyami-xiuzhen]

Translation Plans

Well... my break was pretty good. was finally able to download the clean fresh live version of the cxm secret mission that i had my eye on since i ranked up, saw the 1984 wonder woman movie (it was okay and I could write an essay on what didn’t sit well with me as a fan of the comics [im kinda of a comic book purist when it comes to the way characters think and their behaviour] but I really liked Lynda Carter’s cameo).... made a lot of progress on one of the hakumyu piano arrangements i’m working on (have now probably listened to certain parts of that song over a hundred times now), watched a bunch of the original hakuoki musicals in hd.... and I finally got my dad to play Batman: Arkham Asylum. My bro and I have been trying to get that to happen for years lol... especially since it has Conroy and Hamill doing the Batman and Joker voices (the animated series is the best!). super steep learning curve tho since it’s being played on the ps3 and the last console he used was the Nintendo Gamecube.    

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stock up on translations as much as I would have liked to during this time on account of my hardware seriously acting up... to the point that I needed to send my laptop in for repairs and get a new one. Aside from how unresponsive my keyboard was and how hot it got, the laptop itself had become quite slow... though that might have been because my passport [external storage drive] took a bad fall which made a lot of my files harder to access since it was barely able to handle files being accessed/copied/moved off of it (this is after diagnosing it and repairing it via command prompt chkdsk x: / r), with the latter being what I spent most of my break waiting for as i avoided using my laptop since the majority of my drama rips and game capture videos were on it... To give you an idea of how long this took (and how long it is still taking), I went from being able to transfer my 50mb of files in a few seconds... to sometimes taking more than a day (tho other times i’d be able to get 4gb moved in >24 hours, making the timing super inconsistent. also i don’t have access to a cd drive now so i can’t just re-rip things)... which is why I haven’t been able to work on any videos since my last post (I have more than 1.3TB of stuff to move, so my new laptop isn’t exactly at its best right now and won’t be for a long while since I’m not going to be using a recovery service as waiting out the transfers for everything out will definitely be cheaper... the ballpark estimate I got was being anywhere from $500-2000, which is money that i am not exactly eager to part from just for the sake of saving time)... meaning I also probably won’t get to videos for a while since subtitling requires accurate timing and im not fond of things freezing on me while working on videos... ugh. i still have to do an insane amount of grinding later in warframe once my current batch of files finishes transferring... 

Anyway, below is a list of what I’ve mostly managed to schedule (anything with a “?” is something that I haven’t committed to) and a list of what I’d like to get done this year (can’t make any guarantees... however, im probably going to try and translate some things with souma this year cuz of hakumyu), while the stuff in bold text is on my shortlist of things I intend to prioritize (Saito’s Ginsei no Shou chapters and Shinsengumi Oni-tan are still being worked on though not as actively since they’re a lot longer...). 

Also, aside from December, the month that CNY falls on (February this year) and March (bday) will be the only foreseeable times when I put out less translations tho I’ll probably be playing video catch-up during that time this year since i’m not sure what i’ll be able to get done as i wait for my files to get moved.

oh well. I’m still aiming towards posting stuff on a weekly basis for the rest of the year... here’s hoping that it’s less volatile.... tho i unfortunately have non-existent expectations given what made the news yesterday. just glad i don’t live there.

YAISA!

------------------------------------------

January

Yuugiroku 3 Saito Fall story today!

Chapter 7 of Saito’s route from Ginsei no Shou + 4-koma

Hakuoki Kyoka-Roku Kazama CG Character Perspective [no vid. havent beaten this game and im not sure when i’ll feel like speed running through it]

Hakuo Gakuen Q & A

February 

Stellaworth Hana no Shou After Story - Harada

Chapter 1 of Saito’s route from Ginsei no Shou

Web drama 8

March

Yuugiroku 3 - Short Episode #8 (Kazama/Amagiri/Shiranui) [still need to get video and screenshots] 

Yuugiroku Drama CD Thumb Sized Samurai Track 1-4 (4 is WIP)?

Char monologue?

April

2017 Otomate Hakuoki SSL April Fool’s Day

薄桜鬼 遊戯録 隊士達の大宴会 店铺特典「教えてください山崎さん！」 (completed yesterday)

Yuugiroku 3 - Short Episode #6 “Yukimura the page’s secret”?

char perspective?

Other

Hijikata Biyori (cuz these are short) 

Yuugiroku 3 Short Episodes (these are longer than the ssl cross and daily stories)

Kyoka Roku Conversation in the Rain - Okita/Toudou/Kazama

Kyoka-Roku CG perspectives

2013 Otomate Party Hakuoki drama “Ideal place for a disagreement”

Saito Ginsei no Shou Chapters

Shinsengumi Oni-tan

Stellaworth Hana no Shou After Stories - Souji, Heisuke (THIS YEAR FOR SURE DAMMIT!)

2011 Hakuoki Reimeiroku Otomate Party drama

Stellaworth Nightshade Kuroyuki CD

薄桜鬼 遊戯録弐 祭囃子と隊士達 A店特典「あなた好みの想いの形」

薄桜鬼 真改 ~風華大全~ 特典「稽古の痛み」

2016 Otomate Party Code:Realize drama* (this is almost 30 min so i will probably translate less that month if i get to it)

2019 ????????????? Halloween SS?*

????????????? Stellaworth Vocal CD (8 tracks)*

*have to check these 3 since I don’t actively follow these fandoms/tags tho im pretty sure no one has translated anything from the fandom for the last 2 items.

also, re:patreon goal - i am currently not able to access the files for the drama i am looking to get a translation commissioned for as it is in the process of being moved off of my damaged passport. 29gb  remains as part of that transfer, which is the result of me trying to move all 865 files from where i keep the majority of the hakuoki dramas i’ve saved all at once... ended up doing that because every time I access that hard drive, each time i open up a folder, and every time I highlight a file to move, the file explorer goes “not responding” for an uncertain amount of time, and have instead opted in doing something that would hopefully reduce the likelihood of something crashing.

[squidpro-quo]

AN: As part of a trade commission with Melon from @pk_herokid, I wrote a todobaku college au, feat. cooking and videos (because apparently I’m on a youtube cooking kick, and just in general)

Bakugo dragged himself back to his dorm room in the late fall afternoon, burying his face in his shawl and wishing he’d taken a purely design class again instead of caving to his mother’s advice on advertising. How was he supposed to market things when he felt it should be self-evident when something was worth buying or not? He could’ve just made his things and been done with it, but no, he’d insisted he could do it all, from the bottom up. Screw his past self, honestly.

Stepping into the common room, he shucked off his backpack and threw it on the couch before falling across it himself. He didn’t feel like locking himself in his room at the moment, he just needed to think things through for maybe ten minutes, lie down and prioritize. 

He closed his eyes and nodded off faster than he could’ve imagined. The noise of bowls softly clinking woke him, the smell cinnamon drifting past and he bolted upright to see the sunset through the windows and the guy from down the hall standing at the kitchen counter in front of a camera on a tripod under the lights. His head was bent as he poured a pair of egg yolks into the bowl and started to whisk with quick, practiced movements. Bakugo rubbed at the back of his neck, trying to work out the crick while he struggled to remember the guy’s name. He’d met him on the first day doing laundry, noticed the sick scar across his face and immediately found out he wasn’t one for many words. It was eerie to find him silently filming himself cooking at almost six at night. 

And in the ugliest outfit Bakugo had ever had the unpleasant experience of seeing. Whoever told the guy that that shiny pumice yellow jacket went well with anything should be thrown out onto the street and left to fend for himself against the other rabid freshman. The shirt was even worse, just plain tan which nevertheless managed to clash horribly with every color in sight. Thank whoever was paying attention that the camera wasn’t pointed at him or whoever ended up watching the video would die from witnessing those crimes against fashion. 

Otherwise, it was a crime to let him wear those things anyway. He had the kind of face that could make you feel like you were watching a mountain shrouded in fog, immovable and yet serene. Not that Bakugo would ever entertain those kinds of ridiculous poetic ideas. Even as his mind jumped straight to the adage that strange did always draw the eye, and the guy had plenty of that with his eyes and hair combined. 

Resisting the urge to leap straight to accusations of colorblindness and idiocy, Bakugo cleared his throat instead. The guy, his mind finally clicked on the name pasted on the paper next to his door: Todoroki, didn’t react and instead switched to kneading the dough without even a glance in his direction. 

“What are you doing?” He wasn’t about to be ignored, and besides he was rather curious. 

Todoroki finally looked up and leaned across the counter to press a button on the camera with one floury finger. He shrugged, the awful jacket scrunching from the movement.

“Filming a video. How to make cinnamon bread.” 

“For class?” Bakugo could understand the minimal effort in his style department if it was just for a grade, some of the projects professors gave out at this point in the semester were purely busywork at best. 

“No, it’s for a cooking channel. Is it bothering you?” Todoroki cocked his head to the side, that damn blue eye looking way too piercing for the fact that he still had a bunch of flour stuck to his cheek. 

“Not the filming, no. Why aren’t you explaining what you’re doing? Are you going to do voice-over instead?” He was getting more intrigued despite his earlier goal of just informing him of his travesty of a wardrobe. 

Shaking his head, Todoroki kept kneading with steady strokes and the way his hands worked the dough was mesmerizing. That didn’t make his answer any less acceptable, though.

“What do you mean you’re not doing voice-over? Music, then?”

Todoroki looked at the far corner as if considering his idea and finally shrugged his shoulders. 

“Could add some.”

“Add some!? You weren’t planning to? No instructions, and you weren’t even considering music.” He’d thought he was bad at marketing but this guy was failing even the common sense ones. Pushing himself off the couch, Bakugo rolled up his sleeves and slammed his hands onto the countertop as Todoroki continued with his slow, methodical motion. The smell already permeating the air around him was so good, even without being baked yet, but Bakugo forced himself to focus. He was going to put his skills to use, and not just because his interest was piqued beyond belief that this guy had decided to do a cooking video with such an odd format. 

“You going to stop me if I mess with your setup?” he asked, pointing at the camera and trying to pretend like he wasn’t asking permission from some coca-cola wannabe with no fashion sense to speak of. 

“No.”

At least he was a straightforward guy, Bakugo could appreciate that, if not what he was wearing. Wiping the flour residue off the camera’s top, he aimed it straight at Todoroki, who reacted only with a raised eyebrow. 

“Now they can actually see all of you and not just disembodied hands. You need to tell them what the fuck it is that you’re doing, no one’s a mind reader here, especially not through a camera. And take off that jacket.” 

“Why?” Todoroki nevertheless dusted his hands off on his pants like some chaotic bastard who didn’t care about his clothes and started to pull the horrible article of unmentionable clothing off. 

“Because it’s making my eyes burn in their sockets and no one’s going to focus on what you’re cooking if you wear it.”

“Okay,” Todoroki said, looking at him blankly with the jacket in hand hanging by his side. “And it’s baking.

“Throw it in the corner, some moron will come by and take it when they need something to burn.” 

Todoroki laid it on the stair railing silently, before repeating himself. 

“I’m going to bake it, not cook it.”

Bakugo looked over his shoulder at him from where he was fiddling with the camera’s focus and realized he should probably reply. If this was the guy’s sticking point, then so be it. 

“Good, tell your viewers that too, cause I guarantee there will be morons watching.” He took in Todoroki’s thin beige t-shirt, the floury pants and sighed. “Lose the rest of it too, that’s a disaster right there.” 

Todoroki looked down at himself, pulling the edge of his shirt out as if to inspect its color and realize just what he’d put on. But when he turned back to Bakugo, he shrugged. 

“If you don’t like this, then you won’t like the rest of what I have.” The smallest smirk pulled at his mouth as he shot back, “And I know people don’t cook in their underwear or this would be a different type of video.” 

Bakugo didn’t know whether he hated that the guy had the nerve to suggest that kind of thing when wearing the most unappealing outfit ever or if he should deal with the heat in his face from the immediate picture that had appeared in his imagination and how much he wouldn’t have minded that wardrobe change. 

“I’ve got a better idea. And better clothes.” He plowed on, deliberately not thinking about the conjecture that could be taken from his offer. It was purely for the class assignment, he had an idea for advertising and it certainly was not because Todoroki would look good in them. “Here, give me a minute.” 

He left before Todoroki could get another word in edgewise, though by the way he went back to kneading his dough with a faint smile, maybe he hadn’t wanted to. Which Bakugo was not going to read into either. 

His room was strewn with half-finished projects, his hedgehog-shaped pincushion resting on the windowsill and fabric patterns hanging from the sides of his bed while the walls were covered in designs. It was an absolute mess but thankfully that was just the ones in progress, those that were already done he’d categorized carefully in his limited closet space. 

He riffled through the shirts and pants sections, mentally checking combinations on Todoroki in his mind. It was a little too easy to imagine, considering he’d only really exchanged more than a dozen words with the guy fifteen minutes ago but he was jumping in headfirst and his brain was already submerged in thoughts of the guy, so why not. 

Finally satisfied with what he’d picked out, he got back to the kitchenette area in time to see Todoroki closing the oven door on his creation. Bakugo froze to the side of the camera view, suddenly overcome with a rare moment of disappointment. He’d thought Todoroki would maybe wait for him, give him time to find what he needed, but he squashed down the feeling and headed straight for the backpack he’d forgotten on the couch at the beginning of this whole debacle. He’d just grab it and go, no need for anymore interaction with the candycane imitation and if the pattern held, they’d never end up speaking about it anyway. 

“Bakugo,” Todoroki called as he made to pass by on his way back to his room, “You’re not going to help?”

“With what?” Bakugo asked, more roughly than he’d maybe intended but he didn’t have the patience for anything else at the moment. He’d gotten excited, carried away in the brief exchange, and maybe his sleep-addled brain had created a scenario that would be the perfect solution to the problem that he’d fallen asleep to avoid but he wasn’t about to partner with someone who didn’t him to. 

“I have a quiche recipe planned next. I thought you wanted to join?” Todoroki gestured to the ingredients he hadn’t yet put away, before pointing at the clothes hangers in Bakugo’s clenched fist. “Are those the better ones?”

Bakugo stared at him blankly and finally nodded, holding them out for Todoroki to take. 

“Don’t worry about messing them up, better than an apron covering them,” he muttered, letting his bag drop to the floor beside the fridge. He wasn’t sure what to do now that he’d handed them over, considering the quiet consideration Todoroki was giving the pieces. 

“Set up the camera how you like,” Todoroki said, leaving the kitchen in the direction of his own room. 

Bakugo looked around the empty kitchen, hands drumming at his sides before he finally scooted the camera into position and started to play with the settings. He didn’t want to consider how much he already cared about this random project that he wasn’t even sure would come to fruition but it was something to do tonight besides staring at his homework and maybe, just maybe, something would come of it. Todoroki wasn’t the worst person to partner with for this, he’d glanced at the notebook splayed open on the counter’s corner and seen the detailed notes and measurements, along with apparent variations for flavor combinations and even with his rudimentary knowledge composed mostly of boiling pasta, he could recognize diligence when he saw it. 

“Ready?” Todoroki strode back into the kitchen with the sleeves rolled up on his new shirt and Bakugo fought not to combust on the spot like a cauliflower that had an up-close meeting with a blowtorch. 

“Looks good.”  He couldn’t have said whether that comment was meant for the camera, the clothes or Todoroki himself but that was about all he could get out in the moment. He’d made good choices in picking out the clothes, but even his mind’s eye couldn’t quite compare to seeing them on him in person. There was going to be more than one snack on screen for this video. 

He shook his head, pointedly keeping those thoughts in a separate file for later and tuned in to what Todoroki was saying. 

“ —to be with me?”

“With you?” Bakugo’s brain revved back up again, jumping to conclusions involving food that hadn’t been prepared by Todoroki but was just as delicious, involving more candlelight and maybe a tasteful violin or two. 

“Yeah, in front of the camera? Or not?” Todoroki asked again, raising an eyebrow as if he knew something might have distracted him from paying attention. The way the collar of his button-down brushed against neck was too much, seeing him wearing his clothes, well not necessarily his clothes but still his clothes, Bakugo had to gather his thoughts and fast. 

“If you actually explain the steps and all, sure. I’m not here to look like an idiot in silence.” He met Todoroki’s eyes and his customary scowl lessened despite himself. 

“It’s not as weird to talk when there’s someone else. Here, let’s start.” Todoroki handed him a bowl and leaned forward to press play on the camera. Bakugo only hoped his flushed cheeks wouldn’t show up too much on the video. 

“Welcome to our video…”

If you want to know more, prompt me here

[irarelypostanything]

Unnecessary Arguments - Index Funds

Person #1: Merry Christmas, to those of you who celebrate it! Happy holidays! While you still can, be sure to invest within your ROTH IRA. I highly recommend index funds

Person #2: Actually, there’s plenty more time to invest in your ROTH IRA. Also, didn’t you just learn what it was a week ago? Why is everyone so anxious to look like an expert two hours after learning anything?

Person #1: Well, I just want everyone to know about this. Due to COVID-19 and a lowered interest rate, high-yield savings accounts are now providing a measly .5% APY. By the Law of 72, it would take you 144 years to double that. An index fund, on the other hand, gains an average of 10% annually. You can double your money within ten years!

Person #2: Or, if we’re in a bubble, lose all of it

Person #1: Wrong. Just keep your money in. It will always return, always

Person #2: Until it doesn’t. Also, isn’t it better to invest in individual stocks, get a feel for how the market works instead of just dropping into a basket of funds?

Person #1: That’s a good question you might ask if you don’t know anything about the stock market. Harvard graduates, the best of the best...on average, even the best of the best can’t outperform the index.

Person #2: That’s a really stupid metric. If I have a short-term goal, or want to shield my money, I’ll trust an actively-managed fund. If I really have forever and a lot of spare change, I’ll trust a passively-managed fund. Why are you even talking about this, though? You’re acting like the biggest tragedy of COVID-19 isn’t the death, isn’t the economic hit against small businesses, isn’t even the economy in general...it’s your 2% APY in online bank accounts going down to .5% APY

Person #1: Well, the majority of friends my age don’t even know what an index fund is. I’d like to educate them

Person #2: No, you’d like to look smart because you checked out an e-book from the library and read five pages of it. Personal finance isn’t one size fits all. If you’re in massive debt, prioritize getting out of the debt...just like a good index fund will massively stack up its value, so too will any debt you have increase by an overwhelming rate if the interest is too high. If you have an easy way to cut expenses, then do that. Shop just a little bit less. Buy takeout just a little bit less. These little small changes are what we need, not your stupid pyramid scheme

Person #1: Index funds are not a pyramid scheme, they’re the greatest invention since agriculture

Person #2: Really. The greatest invention since agriculture…

Person #1: Someone figured out that mutual funds can rarely outcompete the index, so they decided to build a fund that matched the index. Commissions are virtually non-existent, and they’re guaranteed to make back what you put in

Person #2: No, that’s a big conception. I hope everyone understands that, with almost any investment but the most conservative, you’re taking a risk. Will it gain something like 10% if you have a 15-year period of time to wait? Probably. Will you gain 10% next year? Maybe, but to suggest that’s a guarantee is absolutely dangerous. It could be DOWN 20% for all you know

Person #1: But probably not

Person #2: Let’s say that, instead of deciding to put $100 into an index fund, I put it into a charity. The value of carrying out such an action is invaluable. Let’s say I donate to Make-a-wish. I’ve helped make someone’s life better. Not everyone has 15 years to wait, you know

Person #1: Anyone can become a millionaire. You just have to be smart with how you invest your money

Person #2: That’s like saying anyone can become a millionaire at Vegas, all you need is $500,000, a spin at the roulette wheel, and luck

Person #1: Why can’t you just let me be happy?

Person #2: Why can’t you shut up about your index funds? And why do you always invest during December? If everything collapses and you lose all your savings, I will laugh

Person #1: If you put your savings under your mattress and then your house burns down, I will laugh

Person #2: Wow

Person #1: Well that was like the same insult...never mind. I guess I just wish they taught us this kind of thing in school. No one, not even my economics teacher, even bothered to explain to me the concept of how a credit card works, and why we shouldn’t only pay the minimum

Person #2: That’s because it wasn’t on the standardized tests. No one is malevolent or even incompetent, they simply can’t keep all of their curriculum up to date. Learn this stuff from your parents

Person #1: I did, and my parents taught me to get in on index funds

Person #2: No they didn’t, shut up. Most sensible parents, even if they’re not up to date on the latest tech IPO or doge coin transaction, will still tell you not to spend more than you save, to work hard, and to prepare for the future. And use common sense. That’s it. So instead of telling everyone to invest in index funds, tell them to work hard, not spend more than they save, and use common sense. Follow that, and you won’t fall for anything stupid. You won’t believe that you can buy $1000 on your credit card and only pay $30, without some consequence. You won’t fall for the latest pyramid scheme

Person #1: What about college? That’s the biggest scam everyone falls for

Person #2: What are you even talking about? We both went to college, and it was a GREAT investment. One of the best, actually. Telling people not to go to college is like telling people never to buy houses

Person #1: No, it’s like telling people not to buy mansions on blocks that are going to be torn down. College is its own investment - you have to be strategic, shop costs, determine exactly how much more you expect to make a year relative to the amount you have to pay

Person #2: The value of an education is intangible

Person #1: Everything has a price. Everything can be measured with a dollar. Don’t kill the messenger

Person #2: Everything can be measured with a dollar? What about the value of life? This is the season of giving. We shouldn’t be trying to get rich, we should be trying to give what we can and dedicate ourselves to a higher ideal

Person #1: Tends to be hard to give away the money you have if you don’t know how to make any

Person #2: You know what, just keep at it. Keep not giving to charity, keep not learning about stocks so you can make your pathetic 10% a year except that one year when you lose 100%. Just...I don’t know...shut up

Person #1: Fine. Enjoy your holiday

Person #2: Thank you

Person #1: And your .5% APY

Person #2: Shut up!

[thestrategicmom]

2020 Vision (Part 2): Oh, The Places You'll Go... With Intentionality

Disclosure: Some of the links included are affiliate links, meaning at absolutely no cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and purchase any of the great books I reference.

"You have brains in your head,  You have feet in your shoes You can steer yourself  Any direction you choose.  You’re on your own. And you know what you know.  And YOU are the guy [or gal] who’ll decide where to go."  -- Dr. Seuss

In last weeks’s post, we started to create a renewed 2020 vision by focusing on gratitude, the first of our vision focus areas: gratitude, intentionality, optimism, and faith/serenity. Together these can help us align our vision and goals to achieve greater joy, fulfillment, and purpose during one heck of a year and beyond.

I’m not sure if it’s the quarantine fatigue, or the fact that I’ve read it countless times over the last few weeks to my daughter, but Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go has been on my mind a lot lately. In addition to being an ode to resilience, optimism, and exploration, the book reminds us that we have some control over where life takes us. While it’s overwhelming to think about all the things we can’t control right now -- this virus, the economy, or our jobs -- it’s encouraging to redirect our focus and energy to the things we can control.

There is a difference between going to a store and going to a store with the intention of purchasing a specific item. In the context of 2020 vision, intentionality, our second key area, is the essence of focus. Intentionality is defined as “being deliberate or purposeful with your thoughts and actions.” Derived from the Latin word intentio, which means “directed at”, intentionality is all about consciously directing your mind and energy towards a target or goal that you want to manifest. If we determine who and where we want to be, and make decisions and cultivate habits with the deliberate goal of achieving those targets, we can literally will our aspirations and vision into reality. In short, intentionality is about doing stuff on purpose.

Below are three simple ways to sharpen your 2020 vision by mastering the art of intentionality, allowing you to use this unprecedented time to define, design, and attain a renewed sense of happiness and purpose.

Know/Learn Thyself

At its core, intentionality is all about living proactively rather than reactively; it allows life to happen for us rather than to us. However, before you can consciously create a plan and vision for your life, you need to figure out where you’re going. What do you want? What drives, defines and matters most to you?

Discover Your Compass: Whether we realize it or not, we all have core values that determine what we believe is important, fulfilling, and meaningful. However, even though core values give our lives meaning, we rarely take the time to consciously identify which values matter. Consider your most meaningful life experience. What were you doing? How did you feel? Which core values were on display? While your personal values may not necessarily point you to an exact destination, they are a trusty compass that can help determine the right direction to go. 

Set Up Some Milestones: While our values give our lives directional guidance, goals are practical milestones that confirm our progress in the right direction.

Based on your values, what are some goals that can be your milestones?

For every goal that comes to mind, ask, “To what extent does this align with my core values and vision,” and prioritize, as needed.

Goals should start off small and actionable, but should continue to stretch you over time.

Your goals can be as simple as starting to journal with a goal of writing down a sentence or two recap each day, or starting to exercise by walking around the block once a day for a week.

The best goals keep us moving forward while still being attainable.  Once you complete a goal, level up and identify the next milestone to start working toward. Maybe your journaling goes from a couple sentences to a page or two over time, or your exercise goes from walking around the block to walking or running a mile.

Act Accordingly

Now that we’ve defined what motivates us, and identified practical ways to more intently focus on the things that matter, it’s time to start acting. Acting in accordance, or better yet, in advancement of your values is how you take small steps toward living your literal best life.

Build Conscious Habits: Habits are nothing more than daily routines and rituals triggered by a cue, prompting us to take a certain action in hopes of receiving some reward. Habits aren’t just what we do, they’re who we are. Habits are our code, how we’re programmed to behave. James Clear’s Atomic Habits shares the most effective way to build intentional habits: focus not on what you want to achieve, but instead who you wish to be. If we use Clear’s Four Laws of Behavior Change to build identity-based habits, congruent with our values, we’ll be well on our way to creating a Post-COVID life that’s personally fulfilling and successful. 

Make Deliberate Decisions: While habits are routine, and often subconscious, decisions typically require more effort and thought, and should be approached with just as much, if not more, intentionality. Reflect on your core values, goals, and ‘who you wish to be’ when making decisions, particularly big ones. Dig deeper and for each decision ask yourself, What’s my motivation? What am I hoping to achieve or gain? And what will happen if I say no? Fully understanding and appreciating your rationale, incentives, and alternatives is the best way to make decisions that may not always be perfect, but are well-informed, deliberate, and defensible. 

Be Consistent, Be Accountable, But Give Yourself Grace

While our core values tell us which doors to seek, and our actions are the keys to those doors, consistency is what keeps those doors open long enough for us to create the outcomes we want. Consistency requires building small, empowering habits, but it also requires holding ourselves accountable and just saying no to excuses.

Even as I attempt to hold myself accountable for consistently writing, I’m quickly learning that excuses are very effective lies we tell ourselves so that whatever we aren’t doing isn’t our fault. We don’t have time, we’re too busy, or we’re just trying not to go crazy while being confined to our homes. While all of these points are valid, if our goals and habits are truly rooted in things that matter to us, we should work to find a way before trying to find an excuse.

Living with intentionality is a journey. Your values will evolve, your goals will change, and you’ll inevitably make decisions and engage in habits that aren’t necessarily aligned with either. And that’s okay. It’s okay if there are moments when we fall short and aren’t operating with precise intention. This is a continuous process. Forgive yourself, give yourself grace, but keep your eyes on the prize. Being consistently mindful of your values and intentions can prevent you from acting in ways that undermine the vision and life you want to manifest.  

By this point, COVID-19 has pushed us all outside of our comfort zones, living in a wild west of uncertainty, disruption and change, but imagine who we could be, what our lives could become, and where we could ultimately go if we made decisions and spent our time and energy mindfully rather than mindlessly. Armed with intentionality, we can use this time of forced introspection, (which feels oddly similar to Seuss’s Waiting Place) to determine the places we want to go, who we want to be and forge a path to get there! Designing and manifesting a life of intentionality may seem like a tall ask, but if we “step with care and great tact” there is no doubt we can and will succeed, “98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.” So, use this time while you’re trapped at home to define what intentionality means to you, your family, and your future, and oh, the places you’ll go.

If you enjoyed this post and would like more information on being intentional with your life, check out my posts on value and goal-based living, intentional self-care, childcare and development, and relationships. 

[lilac-milk-moon]

Is it safe to trust Credit Karma?

Note from Mr. SR: Your credit score is an indicator of your financial health. Perhaps even more importantly, it’s what lenders and even utility providers will use to judge your trustworthiness. Having a good credit score can save you thousands in interest and other fees over your lifetime.

Personally, my biggest concern about credit is identity theft.

To make sure your score is progressing and that there is no suspicious activity using your Social Security number, it’s best to regularly monitor your credit report and credit score.

My friend Chris from Money Stir wrote this awesome review of Credit Karma that I’m excited to share with you today. Could it be a good option for your and your family to stay informed about your credit report? Plus, is it safe to trust Credit Karma?

Seeing your credit score and viewing your credit reports has become a necessity in this day and age. Everything is becoming digitized, and new websites are launching all the time. But it can be hard to know if sites and apps like Credit Karma are safe or if they are a scam.

Credit Karma provides a free and easy way of viewing your financial history. I discovered Credit Karma earlier this year, and it has drastically simplified my life.

However, it’s always wise to confirm the company you are using is legitimate and safe before jumping in. Is it safe to trust Credit Karma?

The reality is that you should be paranoid about giving any person or company your social security number. If the wrong people get that info, that can easily lead to identity theft or having your financial accounts drained.

Or they might show up at your house asking for money. And nobody wants that.

Before we dive into talking about whether Credit Karma is safe, let’s first look at why you should want to view your credit report.

Your credit score matters A LOT. Here is why:

When you borrow money, companies need a way to figure out if you will pay back the money or not. The best way to do that is to dive into your financial past and see if you have any monsters lurking.

Do you make payments on time?

How much debt do you currently have?

Are you currently trying to spend money like a Kardashian?

Have you defaulted on any loans in the past?

Are there other reasons someone should be concerned about lending you money?

Your credit score and reports help fill this void. It provides a high-level summary of your financial situation and past.

But with that said, having a high credit score doesn’t necessarily mean you are great with money or have a strong financial foundation. The primary questions your credit score attempts to answer: “Is this person financially reliable, and are they currently overextended?”

If you want to get any kind of loan, whether that is for a home, car, credit card, etc. you want to have as high of a credit score as possible. Rates and credit limits are determined by your credit history and credit score. So it is in your best interest to make sure you stay on top of your financial picture.

If there is incorrect information in your credit report, this could have a negative impact on your credit score. But you can’t fix what you are unaware of. This idea is why it is crucial to view your credit score and credit reports periodically.

It would be a shame to apply for a home mortgage, only to find out you’ve been denied for the loan. You also may find yourself applying for a job, and the prospective company pulls up your credit report.

Don’t be taken off guard! Check your credit score and report.

At the very least, having a stellar credit score ensures that you’ll qualify for the lowest interest rates possible, potentially saving you thousands of dollars in interest payments.

About Credit Karma

Credit Karma was created in 2007 to provide consumers with their credit score for free and on-demand.

A summary of what they provide is the following:

View credit scores from Equifax and TransUnion (using VantageScore 3.0)

Access Equifax and TransUnion credit reports

Easily view the accounts you have opened or have closed, with the balances reported on your credit reports

Provides a way to dispute errors on your credit report

Easily signup for new credit cards, loans, and insurance policies, which are recommended based on your credit score

Other features that aren’t as obvious include:

Viewing an estimated value for your vehicles

Seeing your “insurance score”, which can be used in calculating your chances in lowering your car insurance rate

Comparing home loan rates with what you are currently paying

Get estimated rates and approval estimates on personal loans

See which credit cards you have a high likelihood in qualifying for

Free tax filing service

View and post reviews of credit cards

And one of the best features of Credit Karma? Their service is 100% FREE.

Ever since I started using Credit Karma, I’ve made it a habit in logging in once a month. I love being able to quickly pull up my credit score and see how things have changed over time. This feature is an excellent reason to signup for the service ASAP, as you can see how your credit score changes over your financial history. Each time you pull up your score, it will keep that info in their database that you can access at any point.

As part of our strategy in playing financial catch-up, we plan on continuing to use Credit Karma and feel the service provides incredible value.

I recently closed a few credit card accounts, and I noticed my credit score started going down a few points. I expected this to happen, and I’m relieved that Credit Karma is, in fact, pulling in my real credit report.

Should I trust Credit Karma with my information?

When you are entering your private information, one vital aspect is how safe your data is in their system.

The great news is that Credit Karma has taken the necessary steps in keeping your personal information safe. They currently have around 85+ million members and are growing at a rapid pace.

Being such a massive company, you know the government is keeping a close eye on how they are using data. They also cover the main things you would expect a major company to do in order to keep things secure:

They use a DigiCert EV SSL certificate, which is the highest grade authentication available

128-bit encryption and they limit who and how your SSN is accessed

A detailed privacy policy that is certified by TRUSTe

Credit Karma will not sell your personal information to 3rd parties

They regularly go to 3rd parties to run security audits

A bug bounty program that pays people to find vulnerabilities and issues in their system

But even though Credit Karma has top notch security practices, doesn’t mean someone couldn’t get access to your account. That’s why you should ensure you are using a secure password and setting answers to your security questions that people can’t guess the answers to.

If you look at the Credit Karma IOS app, you’ll notice they have 130,000 reviews with an average of 5/5 stars. Apparently, I’m not the only one who loves Credit Karma!

Credit Karma’s mobile app is fantastic. They make you set a security pin, and on my iPhone, I can enable Face ID to make it fast and straightforward in logging into my account. Clearly, they prioritize security and the amount of effort in making every aspect of their system user-friendly shows when you start using their service.

Just like any other site or service, Credit Karma could come under attack and have their systems compromised, but it’s clear to me that they are very proactive in doing everything they can to avoid that.

But how does Credit Karma make money?

It would be a huge red flag if a company were collecting your most personal information, and it was unclear how they made money.

This is not an issue with Credit Karma.

It is true their services and website are 100% free. The way they make money is from the products and services that are recommended once you log in. Any time someone signs up for a credit card, loan, or service through the Credit Karma website, they earn a hefty commission.

And given how many people use their platform, you know they are probably bringing in big bucks. According to this article, the company had over $500 million in revenue in 2016. The amount of money they bring in is excellent news because you know security has to be a top concern for Credit Karma. And this confirms they have plenty of money to make sure your data is safe and secure.

But with that said, there are no guarantees that a data breach can’t happen in the future. But from what I can tell, I don’t think the risk of this happening with Credit Karma is more significant than any other large company or bank. Most of the risk lies in someone guessing your password, so make sure you are using a secure password.

The pain of viewing your credit score and credit report before Credit Karma

Before Credit Karma, I was accessing my credit reports for free through AnnualCreditReport.com. This site allows you to view your credit report from the top three companies once a year, for free.

The issue in using AnnualCreditReport.com is that you don’t get access to your credit score, and you can only view your credit reports once per year.

I was also accessing my credit scores through my credit card websites that provided a credit score feature. This process worked okay, but each of them would use a different score, and it was time-consuming pulling each one up. In most cases, they only update your credit score once per month.

I’ve also used other companies in the past that allow you to pull up your credit score and reports, but they often came with significant monthly charges. Before I found Credit Karma, I was seriously contemplating signing up for one of these services.

Credit Karma’s philosophy is that they want to give everyone access to their credit score and reports for free. The more information you have about your financial picture, the more you can make informed decisions about your future. You can use this information in helping put together a livable budget that is sustainable and realistic.

Credit Karma provides much more than your credit score

At first, you might think the main benefit of Credit Karma is being able to view your credit score.

But the best feature of Credit Karma is that it also has a credit monitoring service (which is also FREE). Once enabled, you will be notified when there are significant changes to your credit report.

In other words, you immediately get minions working for you that send notifications any time something significant happens on your credit report.

This is a huuuuuge deal.

Let’s say someone manages to get your info and signs up for a new credit card. The only way you would know this happened is by manually viewing your credit report, or getting something in the mail about a new account that you didn’t open.

With Credit Karma, you would get an email (or mobile notification) when that new account shows up on any of your two credit reports. This notification allows you to jump onto this identity fraud ASAP.

A few weeks ago, I was able to test out this feature. I signed up for a new credit card, and a few days later, I ended up getting two emails with the new account that showed up on both of my credit reports in Credit Karma. Ask anyone who has had their identity stolen, and they will scream this is a massive benefit.

Their credit card monitoring feature is another reason you might want to consider opening up a Credit Karama account ASAP. Before, to get this service, you would have to pay a monthly fee. But not anymore!

Do I have to use Credit Karma?

If you have other ways of viewing your credit score and credit reports, don’t feel like you have to use Credit Karma. By now, it’s pretty clear that I think it’s safe to use Credit Karma, but they aren’t the only place where you can get your credit reports for free.

As long as you are periodically viewing this information to make sure it is accurate, the way you do this doesn’t matter. But there are services out there that charge a fee and don’t provide the benefits Credit Karma does, so it is worth taking a close look to see which is the best option.

Credit Karma is not only safe, but it is more usable than many other “premium” credit card monitoring services I’ve used in the past.

The minimum you should do is view your credit reports for free on AnnualCreditReport.com once per year. You aren’t going to be able to view this information more than once per year, but it is better than doing nothing. And you can access all three credit reports.

Negatives in using Credit Karma

Credit Karma is a legitimate and safe company that provides enormous value, especially considering it is free. I couldn’t find any information that inferred that your personal information is at risk using Credit Karma.

But there is one downside to Credit Karma. They only give you access to your credit score and report from two of the three major credit bureaus. You can access TransUnion and Equifax credit reports, but not Experian’s.

In most cases, any changes to your credit will be reported to all three credit agencies. But there is a chance something could only go to one report, and so I would suggest pulling up Experian’s credit report once per year from AnnualCreditReport.com. This plan ensures that if there is some unique discrepancy with that credit report, you can catch the error.

Is this a big issue? Yes and no. It is possible something unique could show up on Experian’s credit report, but in most cases, it will end up showing up in the other reports as well. But it is better to play it safe and cover your bases.

Outside of this one issue, Credit Karma is a fantastic service that is incredibly safe and reliable.

Credit Karma’s UI is increasingly optimized to ‘sell’ you products

One thing that you should be aware of is that over time the user interface (what you see when using the service) is increasingly tailored to increase the number of people that sign up for credit cards, loans and other products via their service.

As I mentioned earlier, this is how the company makes money.

The reason this matters is because if you are the kind of person that makes impulsive decisions and signs up for a new credit card after seeing one ad for it, then spending time on a site which constantly highlights those products might be risky.

While your personal information will be as safe as possible with Credit Karma, that doesn’t mean your financial foundation will be safe if the platform pushes you to take our loans you don’t need. However, if used properly, it can actually make you much more aware of how to improve your finances.

Credit Karma is a great tool for creating a strong financial foundation

Credit Karma isn’t going to magically improve your credit score or credit history.

But it does provide a fantastic bird’s eye view of your financial picture.

If you are you trying to become credit card debt free, you can use it to ensure your payments end up showing on your credit card reports. Over time, your credit score should increase.

I also found it valuable to see the average age of all my credit card accounts. This info is a crucial data point that is used in generating your credit score and is useful in figuring out if you should close individual credit card accounts. You might not want to close your oldest credit card, for example, as that could drastically reduce the overall average.

You also can see how much debt you have, relative to the amount of credit you have available. Take a look at the image below for an example in how this looks:

All the data I can access from the desktop browser is accessible in their mobile applications. It’s refreshing to see how much info you can access at any point in digging deep into your financial history.

Credit reports aren’t intuitive

If you have ever taken a close look at a credit report, they usually aren’t easy to work through. You might be looking at a long list of accounts, and it is hard to make sense of all of the info.

Credit Karma easily and safely makes the details of your credit report accessible in your account in an incredibly intuitive way.

I’m amazed at the amount of clarity I now have about my credit history. I now look forward to seeing my credit score and credit report! I’ve never been this excited about my credit report in the past. It always felt like a chore. But now I’m passionate about digging deep into the details, and ensuring the information in my credit reports is accurate.

If you are married, make sure that both you and your spouse signup for accounts. There might be some something unique in one of your credit reports. And since each Credit Karma account is free, there hasn’t been a better time to make sure your whole financial house is in order.

Entering your social security number and personal information into a website form can be incredibly scary. Given the history of Credit Karma and the lengths they have gone in securing your data, you can feel confident that your info is safe. But like anything in life, especially on the internet, there are no guarantees, and most of the risk involves the strength of your password, the answers to your security questions, and making sure your email account is locked down.

I highly recommend giving Credit Karma a try. I’m confident my info is safe, and it provides useful information I can access at any time.

This article was written by Chris from Money Stir and originally appeared on The Money Mix. It is republished here with permission.

The post Is it safe to trust Credit Karma? appeared first on Semi-Retire Plan.

from Semi-Retire Plan https://ift.tt/346B3Z7 via IFTTT