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the Inconsequential Rantings of Bruce Horst

Bruce Horst (142)
Bruce Horst


Do We Need to be Fearful Today?

Posted Saturday, October 31, 2009 (7 days 20 hours ago.) Viewed 983 times.

I've had something on my mind lately.  It's ironic that the day that I finally get this off my chest is October 31st, the day where we celebrate all things ugly and scary, Halloween.  As parents, Jean and I have often dreaded this day as we have raised our children to be non-violent where possible, and to look for the good in life.  This holiday seems to go completely against this philosophy, and it makes me wonder what some parents could possibly be thinking by exposing their kids to such fright-inducing drama.  We've tried to make the day a day of cool costumes for our family.  Believe it or not, I've got an appointment in a few hours to get my hair cut like Mr. T. (Jean says I have to do it now to get it out of my system before I no longer have enough hair to do it!)

In a much broader scope than Halloween, I've been seeing a lot of scared adults lately and I find this much more troubling.  Probably due to the current political climate and the "Great Recession" that we're in, there has been a lot of fear going around.

I've always been intrigued with the concept of fear.  Probably because of my life-long struggles with depression I have been keenly aware of fear and the role it plays in our lives.  I was raised in a strong Christian household with most of my childhood occurring in the 1970's, during which time the movie reels for "A Thief in the Night" were shared church to church and many were familiar with Larry Norman's song, "I Wish They'd All Been Ready."  These both spoke of what Christians refer to as the "the Great Tribulation".  I've also lived through movements which claimed to predict the end of the World or the beginning of such tribulation.  In 1984 the planets were to align, throwing our solar system out of whack and causing the next ice age.  In 1987-1988 there was a small booklet being sold with the title "88 reasons Why The Rapture Will Be in 1988" and of course everyone old enough to read this is familiar with the Y2K bug that was supposed to zap everyone on the planet back to the stone age.

I'm not mocking these things.  As a Christian I do believe that some day Christ will return to Earth and there will be an "end of time" as we know it.  Still, over the years I've observed some things that are less than Christian about these predicted doomsdays.

Even while young I recognized the inconsistencies.  The fundamentals of Christianity, "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us," "saved by grace through faith," "take no worry for the morrow," "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace..." "Love the Lord with all your heart... and your neighbor as yourself" are all ok during normal times, but when the subject changes to the possibility of difficult times, these concepts can all fly right out the door.  How could this inconsistency be?

I was also raised with the Scriptural understanding that "by their fruit you will know them," referring to false prophets.  If the fruit of this fear mongering is contrary to the fundamentals of Christianity, then how can it be of God?  Fear is a powerful thing.  It can make you sick and can make a winning situation a losing situation.  Frankly, in the past year I've witnessed gracious and generous Christians become bitter, selfish and hateful as a result of fear.  What is Godly about this?

We live in turbulent times, and there is a chance that our economic system will completely collapse.  There is a chance that our politicians will continue to sell our country down the drain for money and power until there is nothing salvageable.  There is also a possibility that Christianity will be outlawed in public places.  These would all be terrible things, but I have to ask, "so what?"  Would God no longer be in control?  Would we as Christians no longer have to love our neighbors?  Can I hear a resounding "No!"? (For the record, I don't believe any of these things are going to happen and are mostly hyped by fear-mongering politicians trying to rally support.)

So how, then, should we be living?  Like Schroedinger's cat, who can not be half-dead and half-alive, we can not average out our fear and be half-terrified and half-filled with trust in God.  It's one way or the other.  I earnestly hope that you can, with me, trust in God.

Even if you are not a Christian, the fact remains that if any of these World-changing events occur, there is nothing you can do to stop them from occuring and there is nothing you can do to prepare for them.  You are faced with the choice to either live in gloom over possible catastrophes, or live for today, a day which you can influence and make the best of, for yourself and those around you.

I would encourage you to turn off the news and go play a game with your kids, or call up an old friend to ask how they are doing, or ask an elderly neighbor if you can help them with some household chores.  This will exercise your faith and you will feel much better for it!

I plan on making the best of today, and I "pity the fool" who can't join me.


(this is me about 8 hours after I wrote this article.)

        Comments (45)

The Secret Code to the New Economy: 1099

Posted Monday, June 15, 2009 (145 days 21 hours ago.) Viewed 2,121 times.

For at least the past 6 months I've been asking every financial or business leader that I speak with what the 'new economy' will look like after this current recession has taken its toll and reshaped America's economy.  I've been surprised at the low number of items I've found contention on–most are in agreement.  It seems that the code for the new economy in America is in fact '1099'.  There is also a consensus that like every major recession before, there will be many millionaires made during this period despite the incredible loss of employment and income.

Technically, form 1099 is the Internal Revenue Service form on which individuals report independent contractor income.  If a person receives more than $600.00 from any one entity during a calendar year, that entity is required to report the income on form 1099 and give a copy of this form to the individual.  If the individual does not report this income on their taxes, the IRS recognizes this and questions the individual on their unreported income.

What does this have to do with the new economy?  Well, basically, the time has passed where a person can expect a lifetime of employment from one company.  In the New Economy, a company will only pay for services when it is financially beneficial for the company to pay for someone outside of the company to perform such services.  In layman's terms, it's a hire-as-needed arrangement.  There are definite downfalls to this arrangement, just as there are definite advantages to this arrangement.  My hope is that you may exploit the advantages of this arrangement to create a better living environment for yourself and your family than was otherwise feasible.  Let's explore the problems and the benefits of being a 1099 contractor.

The problems of being a 1099 contractor:

You might not know where your next meal is coming from.  It's true.  Without a consistent paycheck, you will have to earn every dollar that you are paid.  This may be a bad thing, or it could be a good thing if you can earn your income without having to share it with your boss or the company that you work for.  It is true that 90% of $100,000 is better than 10% of $100,000, but you have to work for it.

Your work schedule is not consistent.  You might have to work for 24 hours straight to meet deadlines, then you might have 3 weeks with nothing to do but read up on industry trends to keep yourself current.  The cool thing is that you can read up on industry trends by the pool while your kids are splashing and swimming.

Your employee benefits are now yours to provide.  I've found this to be the hardest part to overcome.  Without a group insurance plan, you are forced to buy an individual insurance policy.  This issue alone might cause you to support nationalized health care, or ask your spouse to work outside the home so that he or she can provide group insurance for your family.

Without sick pay or vacation pay, you might have to take a laptop on family vacations, along with a portable internet connection (all tax-deductible, of course).  This means that at 6 am while your family sleeps, you are answering email and making sure business is going smoothly.  Vacation pay and sick pay are things of the past, but it's not that hard to keep up with email from the bedroom of your vacation resort.  Personally, I suffer from occasional back problems.  This forces me to answer email from my recliner in front of my 52 inch LCD TV every few months.  Oh the horror!

You will need to market yourself.  To some, this comes naturally.  To the vast majority of the rest of us, we have to work hard to learn marketing.  Subscribe to industry or trade magazines and newsletters and learn from what works.  Play around with different advertising vehicles to learn what's popular and what's not.  Hang out with others who have accomplished what you want to accomplish, and learn from them.  Read, read, read.  It's all part of the biz.

The benefits of being a 1099 contractor:

A wide range of tax advantages.  Want to go to San Francisco for the weekend?  There are hundreds of reasons to call this a business expense!  Mileage for your car, supplementing your restaurant bill when you eat with possible 'clients', paying your kids for the help they perform around your 'office', these are all at least partially tax deductible!  Become familiar with IRS form 1040 Schedule C.  As a small business owner, it is your friend.

Your work schedule is flexible.  Work like a madman for 3 weeks, then go to Disney with your kids (or grandkids) for a week.  Go to the gym every morning and watch the commuter traffic get all jammed up on the morning news shows, while you are taking care of your physical health better than 95% of the rest of America.  Be home when your kids get off the school bus just in case you receive that important phone call.  Stay home with your kids over summer vacation while you work on that special project.  It takes some getting used to, but it's not all bad!

You control your own destiny.  You're never going to get rich working for someone else and you know it.  Working for yourself opens up a whole range of possibilities that you otherwise would not have a chance at.  You might earn only $1,000 a month for a few months and then you have a $50,000 month, followed by more low months before you hit the jackpot again.  This is typically how it works, but you have to be committed to making it happen.

What if You Are Already Employed?

Be thankful!  The benefits of operating a small business are the same even if you have to operate it on the side of your regular employment.  Having a side business could be your ace in the hole, allowing your to conduct yourself at your job with confidence, knowing your have other options.

Bottom line:

My experience is that as an independent contractor I might work for 20 businesses at a time.  The top 5 of which will provide a combined income greater than I've ever received before as an employee.  Is it worth it?  You bet it is!  I work in partnership with my wife, which allows us to spend a lot of time together.  My kids have a great example of what it's like to deal with the real world in business, not to mention the fact that they see why it is important to get a good education.  Not everyone working for 1099's makes a decent living, but I've been fortunate in this area.  I'm convinced that this is the new economy, and I'm ready and willing to take advantage of it. 

Are you ready and willing to take advantage of the New Economy?

Contact Bruce at brucehorst@gmail.com

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