I remember everything as if it were yesterday, but I am still finding it difficult to truly capture (in words) what happened, what I felt, etc. Case in point: The exchanging of the vows.

I heard the pastor talking. I heard myself talking. I heard my husband-to-be talking. I know there were people around (the ones we had invited and the ones who were passing through because the ceremony was held on a dockside patio), but at that point I did not see them or hear them.

Nothing else mattered.

If I could put into words how it feels to have God smile on you, this would be it.

Since I am not too good at putting it all into words, it was so wonderful to have a great photographer, Jacqulyn Maisonneuve. She was so attentive and with her partner for the day, Denny Henry, she captured some very special moments for us. You can visit her online at jacqulynmarie.com.

Watching the video allowed me to see and hear other things that were going on, and I must say it is remarkable how we were both able to tune out the noise. We were so focused, and the ability to tune things out came in handy that day.

The wedding was the easy part. Ignoring the noise—and regarding marriage, there has been a plethora of it permeating books, airwaves, the blogosphere, etc. in 2011—is a skill we must continue to use now that the ceremony is over.

Getting married was by far my most memorable moment of 2011, waiting for the right person to marry was one of the smartest decisions I have ever made.

Capital Cause is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization which encourages its members to donate time and money to charitable causes, and members vote to determine which causes the organization will collectively support.

Part of the anniversary celebration was to celebrate “Changemakers” in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. I had the pleasure of being nominated for the Excellence Award.

I enjoyed speaking with other nominees and seeing so many other young professionals come out (about 200) to support philanthropic efforts. It was also a pleasure to see representatives from the organizations which receive funding from Capital Cause’s grants.

Congratulations to my fellow award winners, Kelley Calvin (Top Philanthropist Award), Pamela Perkins (Young Philanthropist Voter’s Choice Award) and Charlin Caster (Volunteer Award).

Most importantly, congratulations to Capital Cause for pooling the assets, financial and otherwise, of some of DC’s best and brightest and using the aggregate of their gifts for the benefit of others.

You all have made great strides in just two years. I am excited about what the future holds for you, and I am down for the cause!

The STAR Program “identifies, celebrates, and supports authors who have achieved relatively high levels of editorial and bookselling success. In order to be eligible for the program, books will be evaluated based on two key standards: editorial quality and commercial success.”

It took from December of 2010 until July of this year for me to receive my first copy of the new version of my book. Mostly due to the fact that I insisted upon reading the book dozens of times before finally signing off on the new edition. Take a look at the original cover (below) versus the new one (to your right in the sidebar). A bit of a facelift, and a change of colors to a scheme which coincidentally matches the colors of my alma mater, the University of Delaware.

The original

So, after a few edits, a new cover, a new imprint and now, a new edition of The Time Value of Life, what is next?

The new STAR edition is working its way into the marketplace and hopefully, into the hands of eagerly awaiting literary agents and representatives from traditional publishers. (smile) Meanwhile, the old paperback edition and the hardcover edition will be discontinued.

The next step would be a traditional deal, and it is a huge step that requires much work. I have a couple of special projects in the pipeline for 2012 and I am super excited! I spent most of 2011 in transition and now that things are settling, it is time to get back on the book promotion bandwagon.

One form of promotion is through reviews. If you have read The Time Value of Life, please tell others what you think about it. Love it, hate it or indifferent, it all has the potential to help someone else make an informed decision. The best place to do this is on the book’s Amazon page. Click the following link to leave a review: The Time Value of Life on Amazon. ForeWord Clarion has reviewed The Time Value of Life, four out of five stars isn’t too shabby, you can read the full text via ForeWord Reviews.

If you enjoyed The Time Value of Life, share it with family, friends or anyone you believe could benefit from its message. If you are an educator (church, school, etc.) or would like to share the book with a group, then email me for a bulk order discount or a classroom visit.

If you haven’t read The Time Value of Life, samples are available all over the Internet via programs like “Look Inside.” You can also read the Prologue via the “Free Sample” page on this blog.

I have so many people to thank for their help in the process of bringing The Time Value of Life to life. The process is by no means over, it is simply moving into a new phase. I cannot possibly thank everyone right now, but I would like to take a moment to thank the professional team: Crystal Simms (for her encouragement, candor and editing skills), Ricardo Blackett (photographer for awesome headshots), La’Whan Blackett (for coaching me through the photo shoot!), Ewart Williams (for mentoring me through my transition from blogger to author), Ebon Flagg (for fabulous hair and moral support), MAC at Christiana Mall (for lovely makeup), Janna Zinzi (for social media primers, PR and encourgament), Jacqueline Lara (for her creativity, PR expertise and landing me radio, print and TV hits galore!) and of course, iUniverse for producing a book I feel honored to have my name on.

In creating this lecture, I asked myself a couple of questions:

What are some of the most valuable non-academic lessons you learned while in college? Which lessons would you have preferred to learn while in college instead of after?

I began teaching finance at the University of Delaware in 2003, immediately after completing the MBA Program. Many of my students were at most five to six years younger than me and being fresh out of college I could relate to what they were dealing with…cryptic lectures, massive textbooks, and the seemingly never-ending cycle of memorizing material for the sole purpose of regurgitating it on exams. Not all students felt this way, but sometimes I did. It was not always clear to me how the material could be applied in real life or my chosen profession, so I resorted to memorizing.

Over time, I had learned what I liked and disliked in a professor’s teaching style, and which methods really helped me learn best (being able to connect the lesson to a real world application is one of those methods). I also learned the importance of applying a balance of book smarts and common sense to life. So, each semester I opted to ditch finance for a day and devote one lecture to content that every student would be able to use at some point in their personal or professional life.

Many students have emailed or written in their evaluations that this lecture was either the best of the semester or the one they learned the most from. These are lessons that I wished someone had taught me in college or lessons that I wished a mentor had taught me early on in my career. Lessons I have learned over time by way of observation, participation or workplace victimization!

That may be a bit dramatic, but anyway I figured by sharing these lessons, perhaps I could shield my students from making costly mistakes or enduring the consequences of youth, ignorance and/or naivete.

Students who do not have a mentor or do not take advantage of supplemental programs offered by offices such as Career Services and Study Abroad or campus clubs and student organizations, can easily miss out on many valuable non-academic lessons. Let’s say “Bye!!!!” to 2011 with one such lesson:

Humble yourself, because no one likes a no it all.

This point was specifically targeted at my graduating students who were preparing to enter the workforce. I have seen some students actually leave thinking that by virtue of their degree, they know everything about a certain subject. It is not wise to walk on to a new job carrying this attitude. The truth is, when you start a new job the educational cycle resets. You are the novice, the new kid on the block and you will have to learn how to do whatever tasks your job requires.

My point is not to diminish the value of having a degree, but to help students understand its place along their career path. Having a degree means you have completed a course of study, it does not make you an expert nor does it mean you automatically know how to do any job in your field. In many cases, you may not see much application of your degree, if any, in your first job. And you may also see that although a college degree was a requirement for your job, it is not a necessity to perform your job.

The bottom line: By virtue of experience, your new manager and coworkers know more about the job than you do. Approach your first job with the understanding that you have more to learn. Go in as if you know it all and someone may set the stage for you to take a humbling fall.

My first memorable moment of 2011 actually stems from a visit to Wilmington, Delaware in the fall of 2010. I had the pleasure of visiting Talley Middle School to speak with several students from the school’s AVID Program. They were a great bunch of kids and even though it has been over a year since my visit, I still remember several of them by name.

Earlier this year, I received a thank you card from the school’s principal, Dr. Richard Carter, along with essays from several students about my visit.

I go into every classroom hoping to make a difference, but I usually leave without really knowing how much of a difference I have made. This was the first time I had been able to read feedback from students in great detail, as opposed to the usual quantitative surveys with a small section for general comments. The added bonus is that I get to keep the essays!

Sometimes, when I am tired or having a moment where I wonder if my message is getting through to anyone or if I am making a difference, I refer to these essays for some extra motivation. The feedback is honest, personal and tangible–a rare find in this day and age.

Here are a few comments from the kids:

“I learned that when you get knocked down you get back up and stand strong.”

“Miss Silver talked about learning it, doing it and sharing it. She said these three things will take you far in life…This was a life changing experience and I learned a lot about life.”

“Do not wait until the last minute to do anything because later it will get you. This is called PROCRASTINATION!”

“You shouldn’t put things off tomorrow that you can do today. You can always get more money but never more time.”

“You need to be careful what you hear or watch because it can talk about things that affect how you act.”

“Miss Tisa is an inspiring person and I want to be as successful as her.”

I am so thankful they took the time to share their thoughts with me!

Each child holds so much potential, I want so badly for every one of them to unleash it all. Thankfully, they have caring and capable teachers who are there to help them do so. Thank you to Dr. Richard Carter, Ms. Delethia McIntire, Mrs. Christine Osei-Tutu and Ms. Nashawn Jackson for entrusting your students to me for the day and for giving me feedback I can keep for a lifetime.

As an educator and advocate of financial literacy, I can tell you from first-hand experience the assertion in this article’s title is simply untrue. However, I found plenty of truth in the subtitle, “7 reasons the pros don’t want investors to be savvy.”

If every investor knew and accepted that with Wall Street there are (1) no guarantees, no perfect forecasters and not even a solid history of professionals who “beat the market,” and (2) a plethora of professionals with ever-changing expectations acting upon educated guesses, then what would be the point of paying for certain services of a Wall Street professional?

Mr. Farrell’s reasons why Wall Street would oppose savvy investors may be valid, but the one-dimensional view of financial literacy presented in his post gives undue credit to Wall Street as a determinant of how effective, or ineffective, financial literacy campaigns can be.

Financial literacy is not limited to Wall Street, and not even to the topic of investing. One can only begin to invest when he or she has enough capital available to do so. Many audiences I deal with are not at that point, which leaves me plenty of topics to cover along their path to becoming financially literate. By design, topics such as saving, credit, insurance, banking, entrepreneurship and taxes are explored long before Wall Street.

Even still, people often tell me I should have my own “money show” and that I am so smart I should move to New York to make millions on Wall Street. The suggestions are flattering but I laugh them off and often joke that Wall Street folks do not flock to me or my material because I discount their expertise on a regular basis. Like Mr. Farrell, I understand the role ignorance plays in their business model.

For the record, I do not think all Wall Street professionals are bad or that none of them can provide valuable services. There are simply some services which are oversold and in my opinion, result in too many investors paying the price for expectations which may or not be met.

The bottom line: Wall Street is one component of financial literacy, it is not the focus. When your assets are at stake, the best thing to do is to become literate because ignorance is a profitable business. Continued ignorance ensures continued profits.

Also, be mindful of the fact that while Wall Street may be the punching bag of the moment, it is not the only industry that capitalizes upon the ignorance of its clientele.

Until next time…

February’s topic was Chapter 8: Recognize Time As A Limited Resource. I did not interview anyone online, because the first few months of this year gave me more than enough material in real life to remind me (once again) of this truth.

Right around the end of last year, a relative (who had been diagnosed with cancer a while ago) went into the hospital. Within a week or so, he was transferred from the VA to a hospice.

On most days, he drifted in and out of sleep but when he was awake, he remained in his usual cool and laid-back spirit. He watched plenty of ESPN (after all, he had been a standout high school basketball player in Philadelphia), reminisced with the many family members who came to visit him and sometimes, I think the amount of love and company actually overwhelmed him, but in a good way.

The number of visitors was so great that on several occasions not all of us could fit inside of his room. The hospice had a large lounge down the hall and patients’ families gathered there often to share stories and even share food through pot-luck lunches and dinners. It was beautiful to see so many people from so many different places, races and faiths spending time together and enjoying each other’s company. It is unfortunate that the bond we all shared was the impending death of a loved one. 

Death, or even the prospect of it, can make even the busiest person slow down and listen up.

After outliving the doctors’ estimated timeline, the man I knew as “everybody’s uncle” passed away a little over one week into February. Just a few days prior, I found out a family friend (also diagnosed with terminal cancer) had recently been moved to the same hospice, in a room across the hall.

Over the course of about a week, I visited her a few times and in between visits, I prayed for a miracle. I visited her for a couple of hours on February 21 and I tried to figure out how I could work in another visit before the week was through since the hospice was about 40 miles from my job and 140 miles from my home. As the week went by, I realized I could not keep up the pace of the visits I had made in the previous week. I asked about her several times throughout the week and resolved to visit the following Monday, February 28.

After finishing up class on February 28, I grabbed lunch and headed up the highway to the hospice. I had a weird feeling, something was telling me not to go. However, I wanted to see her and I hadn’t heard anything so I decided to go ahead with the trip.

I walked into her room and as I turned the corner to see her bed I noticed her belongings were no longer there. When I finally turned the corner, I saw a clean, empty bed.

The optimist in me thought, “Maybe her family took her home.” After all, I know many people had been praying for her recovery and on my last visit, it seemed as if she had improved since the previous one. The realist in me thought, “Maybe God took her home.”

I walked down the hall and asked a staff member who informed me that she had passed away earlier that morning. I left the hospice feeling odd. On one hand, I was glad she was no longer suffering. I have witnessed several friends and relatives battle cancer. It did not take much time before it was labeled as terminal, but it seemed to chip away at them slowly and painfully. Knowing how it made me feel just to watch, I cannot imagine how it would feel to actually endure it. 

On the other hand, I was disappointed that I had not managed to visit her at least once during her last week and my heart ached for her husband, her children and every other loved one now faced to live without her.

Everyday, someone walks out of somewhere–a home or a healthcare facility–with the same mixed emotions I felt as I walked (what seemed like the longest walk ever) back to my car.

Fortunately, my only regret was wishing I had met her earlier. The first time we met, she was already in hospice care. The good thing is, we shared some good talks and laughs during that short period of time. On my last visit with her, I saw her smile the widest I had ever seen during any of our visits. I don’t even remember what I had said, but I will never forget how seeing her smile made me feel. I can only hope it had an equally positive effect on her.

When something we want is in limited supply, we tend to place a higher value on it but up until that point, we usually take it for granted. Time is in limited supply, don’t wait until a more finite limit is placed on yours to recognize its value and act upon it.

Rest in peace to LJS and DYK.

Recently, Capital Cause became a finalist with K-Mart’s Share the Word campaign, which is a celebration of the work organizations are doing in their city to make their community special.  The winner will receive a $1,000 grant and also an expense-paid block party thrown on their behalf and hosted by Steve Harvey.

As the founder and president of a public charity, I understand the importance of grants and donations. A gift of $1,000 can go a long way and in less than a minute of your time, you can help Capital Cause secure this gift. A block party to celebrate the victory and promote community service would be nice, too.  

You can vote every day between now and March 6 by using this link: Vote for Capital Cause.

Remember, an investment in education is a wise one.

Prior to reading the article, I had seen several anti-Kardashian headlines (mostly regarding the card) on the web, but after a cursory glance, I decided not to explore the headlines any deeper…until news of the government’s prepaid card pilot program hit my Sunday paper.

There were a couple of points in the article which I wanted to address, the first of which dealt with fees charged by prepaid card providers. The second issue was the bad publicity surrounding the ill-fated ”Kardashian Kard.”

The Post printed my letter, but only the first paragraph. Here is my letter in its entirety, as it was originally submitted: 

Prepaid card providers may cater to a “population considered to have a higher credit risk,” but they should not attribute fees to elevated credit risk in a relationship where no credit is involved. The notion of fees being assessed on prepaid cards to cover administrative costs is reasonable; however the attribution of such fees to the credit risk of the population is not. Credit risk involves the use of borrowed funds, whereas a prepaid card is completely financed by the user.

The promotion of a prepaid card carrying “fees of nearly $100 a year” drew enough negative press for the Kardashians to abandon the venture. According to the figures presented in Sunday’s article, cards backed by Russell Simmons and Tom Joyner could cost $119.40 and $107.40 per year, respectively, in monthly fees alone. If the amount of fees attached to a prepaid card dictates how good or bad the card is, then what makes a “Rush” or “Reach” card any better than the Kardashian card? Perhaps, the more appropriate question is why are they not being billed (no pun intended) as any worse.

Regards,

Tisa L. Silver, Author of The Time Value of Life: Why Time is More Valuable than Money

Disclosure: I have been a patron of banks for as long as I can remember. I have never used any of the prepaid cards mentioned here because banks have always been accessible to me. I have no stake in any of the ventures, and I have no connection to any of the cards or the celebrities who back them. The figures I used to write my letter were those included in the Post article.

I do not know if the Kardashian Kard would have been successful if it had not been met with such media scrutiny regarding its fees, but I do know there are prepaid cards on the market which charge higher fees and have garnered far less criticism. 

The bottom line: Lots of celebrities push lots of products, when it comes to your money–how you save it, spend it or invest it–look beyond the endorsements and read the fine print. I assure you, the items you will find there rarely make into the headlines.

None of them were intentional, they were just a result of poor planning (or no planning at all). I underestimated how much time I would need and on many occasions I had several dollars but not enough quarters. Either way, I had to pay the price for my lack of preparation.

These minor violations can have stiff penalties depending on your location. They may increase or double if left unpaid beyond a certain amount of time. A large balance owed to a municipality could result in your car being booted or impounded, both of which are far more expensive than simply paying a ticket on time.

Moving violations can cost you even more. They are typically much larger than parking violations and if left unpaid they can result in larger fines and the suspension of your driver’s license. If you have the money, then pay the tickets or have your day in court (if applicable) because the consequences are not worth it.

Another set of items with the potential to come back and haunt you are unpaid medical bills. It can be easy for these to get by sometimes because outside of routine visits, it can be difficult to figure out what your insurance covers, the extent of the coverage and what is not covered. Take the time to investigate your medical bills. If left unpaid, these bills—regardless of their size—can adversely affect your credit.

Earlier this month, The Wall Street Journal reported on a homeowner who wanted to refinance, however outstanding medical bills prevented her from doing so. The two bills, which totaled a mere twenty-two dollars, caused her credit score to drop by more than seventy points because the bills had been sent to a collections agency. The lower credit score made refinancing much more expensive and far less feasible.

My point here is that your credit is not the only thing attached to your name. In addition to checking your credit report periodically, be sure to mind other items such as your vehicle (especially if you are not the only driver), driving record and medical bills. Staying on top of them can help you catch any potentially damaging items before they are able to damage your credit!