What I Know About You

What is the catch-all solution to all things we want to know?  "Google It," right?  With the amount of information on the Internet these days, it should be no surprise to you that your personal information is lurking out there as well.  But how much is too much?  With only your name and city, I now know things like your address, age, income, your household members, your political interests, and much more.  It's all available to the public, but you can take steps to make it more difficult to find at least some of your information.

Image adapted from sketch3 by cncpt

1. Start by visiting one of the more prominent and accurate aggregation sites, http://spokeo.com, and search for your name and city.  Don't be shocked if there is a ton of information about you. 
2. Once you find yourself, copy the URL of the page you are on. This is your profile URL. 
3. Then, go to the very bottom of the page and click on "Privacy."  It may be small and hard to find, but it is down there.  
4. Follow the directions to remove your profile (if you wish to do so).  
5. Be sure to search different variations of your name and cities you've lived in.  You may have more than one profile.

Now for the bad news: This is not the only aggregation site out there.  They pop up from time to time because the information they are gathering is public in one form or another, and people pay good money for information. If you are truly concerned by so much of your information being available online, I recommend you set up alerts for your name, email address, and mailing address, as well as anything else you want to keep an eye out for on the net.  Any time Google sees a site with that information, it will notify you.

If you find this useful, be sure to share it with others, and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Setting Up Your Business: Albuquerque Edition

Starting a business is an exciting adventure, but getting started can sometimes be a little frustrating and confusing.  If you're setting up your business as an S-Corporation in Albuquerque, you're in luck.  Here is a quick list of things to do in order to be up and running fairly quickly:

1) Articles of Incorporation:  First, download and fill out the Articles of Incorporation form .  Be sure to include an extra copy when you send it off, or they will return it as incomplete.  As part of the $100 fee, they will send you a certified copy for your records. Just to reiterate, you must send TWO copies of your form (the Original plus One Extra).  If you need additional certified copies, be sure to include the extra fee AND the extra copies to be certified.

2) Federal EIN:  You can apply for your Federal Tax ID (EIN) online and get your ID within minutes. You'll need this later for setting up your bank account and registering for your NM CRS.

**Once you have received your Articles of Incorporation back from NMPRC (and this could take a few weeks) you can continue, but don't forget to return your initial report or you'll be subject to a $200 fee.

3) NM CRS: Register your business with the NM Tax and Revenue dept online to receive your State Tax ID (CRS) within minutes.

4) CABQ Business Registration:  Obtain the form online, fill it out, and take it to 600 2nd Street down town Albuquerque on the corner of 2nd and Lomas.  When you walk in, everything you need will be in the big room to the left.  Your first stop will be Zoning, where they will approve your business location.  After they give their approval, you can go to the other end of the room and pay the Treasury and recieve you business license.

UPDATE: You must also submit an Election by a Small Business Corporation Form 2553  to the IRS.  For details, check out the Instructions for Form 2553.

Tell me your experience with setting up a business.  Leave comments and questions below.

Amazon Does

Amazon.com continues its quest for domination by adding the Amazon Appstore for Android.   To shake things up, they are giving away a free paid app every day!  While it seems like this is mostly a duplication of the current Android Market, Amazon adds some really cool features like test driving apps on a simulated Android phone before you purchase them, and purchasing your apps from your computer for later use on your phone. You can also browse popular apps, find related apps based on your previous purchases, and share apps with your friends. How useful do you think Amazon's new Appstore for Android will be? Tell me what you think.

"By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day."

--Robert Frost

Momentum

Don't be idle. Keep getting better! 

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."

--Will Rogers

Short Cast Removed!

After five weeks, I finally got my cast removed.  My wrist feels cold and naked, sore and stiff, and looks like it has been on a no-carb diet. I found this video which is very representative of my experience getting my cast removed. That is not my arm, but the cast looks exactly the same, and the process was exactly the same. Just imagine you watching on from my eyes. Enjoy.



Now I just have to wear a wrist guard for a while and return for x-rays in six weeks. Over the next few weeks, I will be gently stretching my wrist so I can really use it once again. I am excited that I can now scratch when it itches. I can wash my arm and take a shower tonight without wrapping plastic around my arm. It is amazing the things we take for granted.

Tax Refunds Are Nice

Every year, I dread doing my taxes. It's not so much that it is a difficult task, but there are so many other things I would rather be doing. Just about every year I get a tax refund, and I think it is great! I know, I could be earning interest on that money, and I'm just giving that to the government. I would much rather have some money coming back to me than having to fork it out each tax season. Ramit Sethi wrote a great post about why you should be happy to get a tax refund, not guilty, so go check it out. To me, it just feels better to get money back.

So if you do happen to get a tax refund, what will you do with it? You have plenty of options. If you have any debt, paying it down is probably your best option. You could invest your return, or you could donate it to a good cause. You could buy someone a nice gift or buy yourself something that you've been wanting. Me? I think I will knock off some of my mortgage principle, which will save me a ton more in interest later.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section.