Baby Cooper

Please continue to pray for Michele and Cooper. Cooper has been hospitalized for RSV and pneumonia. I have not heard anything since Sunday. As soon as I hear form Michele I will update this blog. I just got a text from Michele this is what is says. Doc just left he said it will take about 4-6 weeks to get completely over this but he thinks we are alright enough to go home today. He will have a machine at home to monitor his breathing and oxygen. We will also have a nebulizer so I can give him treatments. He will be on 3 different meds. Please just remember to pray for them! Kim

Christmas Family

Thanks to everyone they gave money for the Christmas family. I was able to purchase the boys each a watch and a Playstation 2 console that came with 2 remotes and a game for them to share. My sister-n-law also purchased a playstation game, baseball, basketball, and a soccer ball that they were asking for. They took the things to the house and she said the kids went CRAZY! I just thought I would share this with you. Kim

WE WISH....

you a Merry Christmas! As we head into the holidays we want to take the time to wish you and your families a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS! We appreciate each and everyone of you and the job you do for us. We will see some of you Wednesday! We hope Santa is good to you! Yvonne, Kim, Bridget, and Janna

Quarterly Prize!

The end of this quarter is really close. It is really exciting and kind of scary at the same time that a whole year has passed. However, we have to get ready to sign 2008 to everything because it is only 13 days away. Remember, now is the time to be writing down your New Year's resolutions! You begin them on January 1, 2008!

Yesterday, we had a our Area Manager's meeting and decided to annouce the Grand Prize for this quarter. If your office meets the goal set for you, then your name will go into a drawing for a $300 gift card to Wal-Mart! We truly appreciate your hard work. Good luck on meeting your goal!


Merry Christmas,

Janna

Cooper Update!

Michele texted me this morning and said that Cooper gained 2 ounces over night so he will be coming home today. Michele says that she sees nothing but doctor visits for the next week but that she sure will appreciate the comfort of her own bed. Please continue to keep Michele and the boys in your prayers.

Kim

How do you start your day??

Hello ladies! I wanted to share something with you that I read from The Treasury of Quotes by Jim Rohn. This is one of the books you might have gotten from Luke in your Christmas bag. If you haven't read it I recommend that you do. It is full of interesting quotes. One of them I read I thought went with what Luke expects of us. I will share it with you.

"Never begin the day until it is finished on paper."

This goes back to your to do list. Not only does Luke think it is important but John Rohn does also. John is America's foremost business philosopher. A to do list keeps you on track and you want have to take time and think about what you have to do next. It really helps with time management. It always makes me feel like I have succeeded at something when I have my list completed. So, please continue to do your to do list and have them on your desk where they are visible to you. I have visited a lot of offices who have to do list but they are in a drawer or somewhere else. This is no benefit to you when they are not where you can see them. So, get those to do list out on your desk and take the advice of Jim Rohn, "Never begin the day until it is finished on paper."

I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!!

Bridget

A Good Time Was Had....

Saturday's Christmas Party was the best one yet. As I looked around, I didn't see one person without a smile on their face! I really enjoyed seeing each one of you! We spent alot of time and thought trying to ensure that the party had a little something for everyone! While it's still fresh in your mind, share your thoughts on the party with us! We want to know what your favorite parts are and any suggestions you might have for next year's event. If I didn't get to talk to you very long Saturday night, please know that I wish you and yours the very merriest of Christmas! Yvonne

Don't Forget To Remember...

Michele Jackson has been admitted to the hospital in Columbus. Her water broke but the baby is still very early. They are administering shots to develop his lungs and will take him in the morning. Remember her in your thoughts and prayers today. Michele will have a very special (and early) Christmas gift this year. Yvonne

SAVING

Below I have copied an article on tips for Financial Security but before you read it I would like to make sure that everyone is aware of the 2 ways that you can save for the future with our company. 1. Simple IRA – This is a program that has the same benefits as 401k. This is something that everyone should be taking advantage of. Luke will match up to 3%. You can put a % of your check or a $ amount. Luke is very generous in offering this to us; please make sure that you are taking advantage of it. If you would like more information on the Simple IRA please contact your Area Manager. 2. Savings Account – If you have a savings account you can have a % of your check or a $ amount be direct deposit into you savings account each pay period. (For example: I (Kim) have $30.00 each pay period direct deposit into my savings account. Yvonne has 5% of her pay check direct deposit each pay period.) If you are interested in doing this you need to contact Dana. Kim 5 Tips for Financial Security "No matter how much or how little you make, always save a little bit." This is a variation of "Pay yourself first". It's a reminder that whatever money comes into your life, you can (and should) be setting aside some of it. You cannot afford to overlook your company’s 401K contributions. It’s 3% extra money, in other words, it’s a raise! You’ll never miss that little amount but over time you’ll save quite a bit. "Know the difference between needs and wants." This is key to controlling your spending. When you can't distinguish between real needs and mere wants, you're constantly talking yourself into spending too much. Let’s illustrate it this way: "You need food. You want prime rib. That example is perfect for the want vs. need debate in my head!" "Think of the true cost." Anything you want to buy involves a number of costs. The price tag is just the start. Most of the time, the true cost of the item is too high for me." "Buy quality." Sally Herigstad knows what it's like living on a tight budget. Before she became a certified public accountant and author, she was a stay-at-home mom who at one point fended off calls from collection agencies (an experience she recounts in her book, "Help! I Can't Pay My Bills: Surviving a Financial Crisis." As Herigstad and her husband rebuilt their finances, though, she remembered her mother's advice to buy quality when it counts. "My mom can stretch a dollar farther than anyone I know, but that doesn't mean she doesn't buy nice things. Mom taught us to buy high-quality things at stores that stand behind what they sell. That way, if anything wore out or quit working before its time, she knew she could take it back -- and she often did. You actually save money by buying things of higher quality that last than by getting cheap stuff you have to throw away in no time." "If your outgo exceeds your income, your upkeep will be your downfall." Live within your means, or, more elaborately, "Be careful of adding new expenses to the ones you've already got." "So I'm always asking myself, am I putting out more than I'm taking in?". "If I am, I know I need to turn that around, because it is unsustainable."

6 Holiday Shopping Tips

Shop early. Don't forget that virtually everything that you buy online will have to be shipped to your door by carriers increasingly inundated by an annual year-end online shopping explosion. Goods will take longer to arrive, and busy sellers may also take longer to ship. Make shipping arrangements carefully. Be sure that you understand in advance the method of shipping that your seller uses. Demand a tracking number since packages can more easily go astray during the holiday shopping rush. Remember, too, that “signature required” packages can't be delivered when you're not at home—and many people are at home even less than usual during the holiday season—so it may pay to make arrangements with your seller for a delivery method for which no signature is required, or to make arrangements with a neighbor to accept any packages that may arrive while you are out (be sure in such cases to put a notice on your door for the delivery person indicating that the neighbor is willing to sign for your goods). Check item sizes in advance. Because it's more difficult for a variety of reasons to return or exchange items that you bought online, it's especially important to be sure about sizing or other personal criteria related to your “giftee” before you buy. Pay careful attention, too, to sellers' descriptions of sizing—phrases like “a very large medium” or “a slightly undersized large” can provide important clues that will help you to avoid mismatching the size of your purchase to the size of the recipient. Double-check exchange policies. Because the holiday season does present lots of opportunities for items to be not-quite-right or slightly-too-big (or small), it can be a very good idea to check and double-check the exchange policies listed. Comparison shop. Don't simply assume that a given item will be cheaper online. Of course, often it will be, but during the holiday season there will be no shortage of sales and advertisements in your local area for many of the same products that can be found online. If you can save money by buying locally, it may just be worth the effort to do so during a busy and unpredictable season like the holidays. Don't wait too long to buy. At the same time that you're comparison shopping, do also keep in mind that many of the most interesting and gift-worthy items online are one-of-a-kind or are at least comparatively uncommon, and that demand for such gift-worthy items is likely to be higher during the holiday season. Janna

The Worst!!

Worst Employees of 2007. This year’s most awful employees… Use bad judgment A former Chicago television reporter was videotaped with her two young children, wearing a swimsuit at the home of a man whose estranged wife has been missing since April 2007. The reporter said she was on her way to the pool with her kids when she received a call from the missing woman’s sister to come to the home to discuss the case with her. Jog in the nude A Catholic priest in Colorado went jogging one morning before sunrise – naked. The priest said that he didn’t think anyone would be around so early in the morning, and that he sweats profusely if he wears clothes while running because he’s heavyset, according to police reports. The priest was placed on administrative leave. (Source: TheDenverChannel.com) Disobey orders A bakery employee in Canada resisted an order to stay home from work while he was sick with salmonella poisoning. He was required to stay home until his tests came back negative, but he never submitted samples for testing and returned to work without permission. He was fined $1,000 and there’s no evidence customers became ill as a result of his negligence. (Source: CanWest News Service) Get Physical “Cola wars get physical as Pepsi worker attacks Coke employee” Two employees from the rival companies got into a tiff over shelf space in the aisle of a Wal-Mart in Indiana. The Pepsi worker allegedly assaulted the Coca-Cola employee, hitting him in the face, giving him a black eye and breaking his nose. Police say the two were also accused of trying to run each other over with pallets full of soda bottles. Make Bad Decisions “Wienermobile gets cop roasted” When a 27-foot-long, 11-foot-tall vehicle – known to most as the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile – was slowing traffic in a construction zone in Arizona, an officer ran its “YUMMY” license plate to make sure it was street legal. A bad computer entry erroneously showed the Wienermobile as having stolen plates, forcing the officer to pull it over. After further investigation, the officer learned that the entry should have read that license plate had been stolen – but only if found on any vehicle that isn’t a giant hot dog.

The Flu or Not The Flu???

Nearly every adult in America has had a bout with the flu. And once you get knocked down by influenza, you're flat on your back. No single malady keeps more people out of work. Vaccines have progressed in flu prevention, but the closest we've seen to a cure is chicken soup and a hug. Next time you're in the midst of a self-diagnosis, wondering whether you should spend the day at work or with Oprah, consider the facts. How do you know it's the flu? The term flu is tossed around casually enough to confuse what actually qualifies as an influenza infection. There is no real stomach flu, for instance, and while the flu shares some symptoms with the common cold, they are very different viruses. Far more than a case of the sniffles, influenza typically comes on with a miserable mixture of fever, chills and body aches. The onset of a high temperature101 degrees to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in adults is sudden, and the patient can hardly bear to stand upright. Abdominal pain and nausea are less common, except in children, and everyone can expect a painfully pounding headache, especially after a coughing fit or in response to light. Other fun stuff includes pink eye and the requisite runny nose. The medical term for runny nose is rhinorrhea. Tell your boss you have a contagious case of rhinorrhea, and see how quickly that gets you a day pass. That's the flu. Once you know these symptoms, it's hard to miss. But if you're too groggy to diagnose yourself, call the office and tell them you're going to see a doctor. You may need a physician's note anyway, and a formal diagnosis removes any skepticism on the part of your employer. How the flu spreads Like all viruses, influenza needs a host in order to survive and multiply. The flu spreads from one person to another when tiny droplets of contaminated saliva are airborne by a cough or a sneeze. Hanging in the air, they find a new home when inhaled into an unsuspecting host. Flu virus can also survive for several hours on a surface—telephone handset, a copying machine, a doorknob, a screwdriver—before a host comes along, gets the virus on his or her hands and then internalizes the virus by touching the eyes, nose or mouth. The virus has a quick incubation period, and most people will fall ill within one to three days of becoming infected. In otherwise healthy adults, influenza lasts between seven and 14 days, with at least three days of severe symptoms. No-nonsense tips

• Finally, a few ideas you can use and share in the workplace to help stop the spread of flu germs or any other germs:
• If you know you're sick with the flu, stay home.
• Get a flu shot, which not only protects you but helps prevent contagion.
• Within a day of becoming ill, ask your doctor about antiviral medications, which can shorten the episode and contain the virus.
• Be especially cautious between late December and early March, the peak of flu season.
• Sneeze or cough into your elbow, not into your hands.
• Clean phones, doorknobs and desktops with alcohol swabs.
• Throw used tissues away!
• Wash your hands and face often with hot, soapy water.

In a bad flu season, 15 percent of the workforce may become sick, with average absences of two to three days per worker, plus another day or two at less-than-normal productivity. Whether battling lingering symptoms or in a medicated fog, employees on the mend simply can't operate to their potential.

One Task Too Many?

I don’t know about you, but for me the Holiday Season descends like a fog. Sometime mid-January, I wake up and realize that it’s finally OVER! We talk about to-do lists around here like they are the #1 reason for our existence but can you have one task too many??? I made a 16-hour trip over the holidays and that can give you lots of time to think (as long as the kids are asleep!). Sometimes, we stuff our day like it’s the Thanksgiving turkey. We plan too many things making it impossible to reach the end of the day and some sort of pride that we accomplished the things we set out to do. This Holiday Season, make time for YOU!! That’s right, reduce the list and you may just keep your sanity. Stick to the things that are important and move the less urgent things down the line. By organizing and planning ahead, you may just find that you enjoy the Season and all it offers. We are gearing up for the big rush in all of our offices so think of what I suggested and I hope it keeps you from too many frantic days. Have a great one! Yvonne

5 Tips for a GREAT Audit

5 Tips for a GREAT Audit

1.Audit Your Office!

2.Check Advance Customer Cards: Please fill out all of the blanks on their card, specify direct deposit (Every two Wks, Same or Opposite from our payday), Landlord's name and phone number, and please get all references with the relation to the customer and their phone numbers.

3. Title Customer Cards: Please fill out all of the blanks on their card. Make sure that all cards have their loan number, loan date, loan amount, landlord's name and number, have the customer sign the title card at the bottom to state who may pick their title and keys up, and fill out all references with their relation and phone numbers.

4. Make sure that you have all of your passwords under each keyboard in your office.

5. At the beginning of each week print out a detailed principal report and check to see if your Out for Repo Files and Customer Cards and also your Out for Auction Files and Customer Cards are filed in the correct spot and order.

The number one thing to help keep everything in order is to AUDIT your office . I must say that we really had some great audits this past week. We appreciate everyone's hard work to keep everything in order and running smoothly.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Comments

If you have not noticed you can leave comments under each blog. We would like to know what you think. Kim

10 Things You Should Never Do at Work

Mary Lorenz, CareerBuilder.com writer From the e-mails we “forget” to return to the voice mails we “never received,” telling little white lies has become a very real part of our workplace routine. For the most part, we get away with it. After all, we tell ourselves, who are we really hurting? Anything beyond the occasional fib, however, and the lines get blurred. To avoid a serious faux pas – and possible career sabotage – stay clear of the following 10 workplace sins: 1. Stealing Whether you think that the company “owes” you things like Post-its, pens and other office supplies, or you simply don’t think it’s a big deal, you should be sure about that in case your boss or co-worker catches you. Stealing can not only get you fired, it’s illegal. 2. Blaming someone else for your mistake It’s dishonest, childish and tacky. Very tacky. Sure, having to admit you made a mistake is embarrassing, but not nearly as embarrassing as it would be to have to admit you lied about it or tried to cover it up. 3. Spreading gossip Who knows why people get a certain high from hearing juicy gossip. Many of us are guilty of passing along at least a few rumors at times, but the more you can avoid doing so, the better off you will be. Try to avoid it. In addition, if you hear it, don’t repeat it. 4. Calling in sick when you are perfectly healthy … If you wake up and just cannot face the idea of going in to work, there’s no reason (unless this happens every day) you shouldn’t give yourself a vacation, personal or mental health day. Nevertheless, calling in sick is not only irresponsible and insensitive to the co-workers who have to cover for you, it could also be grounds for firing if you’re caught. 5. … Or showing up when you aren’t The admiration your co-workers show you for coming in to work despite having the flu will be short-lived: It won’t take long for those around you to tire of hearing hacking, sniffling and coughing coming from your desk, nor will they appreciate being exposed to your germs. 6. Abusing office technology This includes (but is not limited to): spending a significant amount of time on personal phone calls, e-mails or instant messages; using office time to type and print out the pieces of your screenplay; going online to catch up on last night’s episode of “My Life on the D List”; and using the office printer to make the invites to your holiday party. 7. Involving co-workers in your personal problems If problems at home are distracting you from doing your job, that’s one thing, which you should take up with the boss or human resources. But involving your co-workers in your personal problems is distracting and unprofessional. 8. Getting too comfortable Dressing professionally is just as important as behaving professionally in the workplace. No matter how long you’ve been with the company, how “cool” your boss is, how much sleep you got the night before, or how cold or hot it is outside, you should always maintain a clean, workplace-appropriate appearance. Even if you work in a relatively casual office, you should still make the effort to wear clean clothes and have well-groomed hair. A good rule of thumb is to never dress better than your boss, nor worse.

Just passing it along...

This is an article that Luke shared with us and we thought we would pass it along. Recovering From a Poor Performance Review Dos and Don'ts By Robert Half International You were anticipating a raise. Instead you got blindsided by a less-than-stellar performance review. Whether you expected one or not, a poor evaluation isn’t something you look forward to receiving. But what’s often more important than the news itself is how you react to it. Here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind: Don’t get defensive. Upon receiving a negative evaluation, you may reject the possibility that you need improvement and try to justify your performance. While you should argue your case if you think the feedback was unwarranted, take a step back and look at the review objectively. Carefully consider your boss’s concerns and determine if they are justified. For example, you may think you should not be penalized for a project that exceeded budget guidelines because you did not formulate the original estimate. But, as the team leader, your boss likely views you as ultimately responsible for keeping costs in line. Do reassess. Also determine if the criticism is really as harsh as it seems. Even if you’re used to receiving flawless marks, an evaluation that contains a handful of suggestions for improvement may be par for the course for most employees in your organization. In addition, your boss may normally point out one or two areas of improvement for every employee — even the top performers — simply to help staff continue advancing their careers. Do improve communication. A negative review should never come as a surprise. If you were shocked by the feedback you received, you and your manager aren’t communicating as well as you should be. To improve things, request a regularly scheduled meeting with your boss. By keeping your supervisor apprised of what you’re working on, you’ll have the opportunity to receive feedback on your productivity and quality of work. You’ll also be able to discuss challenges and ways of overcoming them so your performance doesn’t suffer. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Most people will receive a poor performance review at least once in their career. What will set you apart is how you respond to the feedback you receive. It’s easy to brood and blame yourself. It’s much more difficult to own up to any failings and do what you can to address your weaknesses. Look at the review as a wake-up call: You’ve discovered that something is amiss, and now you have a chance to fix it. Do make a plan. An ideal means of addressing your boss’s concerns is to work with him or her to devise a plan for improvement. Set performance goals and a realistic time line for achieving them. If your manager would like to see you collaborate more effectively with other members of the team, the two of you may agree that you’ll complete a team-building seminar through a local professional association within the next three months. You might also request informal performance reviews with your supervisor after six months, for instance, so you can better track your progress. Above all, don’t let a poor review discourage you. In many cases, with the right attitude and approach, you can rebound and set yourself on a successful path. Consider how the following person dealt with a similar stumbling block: As a skinny, 5-foot-11-inch sophomore, he got cut from his high school’s varsity basketball team. Instead of throwing in the towel, he practiced even harder, played on the junior varsity team that season and attended basketball camps to further strengthen his skills. The following season, he made the varsity team and went on to play professional basketball. He may even be familiar to you. Does the name Michael Jordan ring a bell?

Trick or Treat!

"Batman & The Witch" - Austin & Emma kids of Brooke Ewing

"Hannah Montana" - Ashlan is the daughter of Bellena Criddle

"Happy the Clown" - Aubrey is the daughter of Bridget Adams

"Spiderman" - Drew is the son of Andy and April Moore

"Bumble Bee" - Hunter is the son of Michele Jackson

"Stinky the Skunk" - Drew is the daughter of Kim Wright

Christmas shopping safety tips

Ready to start shopping for everyone's Christmas gifts after Thanksgiving? If so, beware that robbers are going Christmas shopping too and they may have you on their Christmas list! According to FBI statistics, every 23 seconds there is a motor vehicle theft and every 59 seconds someone is robbed. Don't let yourself become a victim statistic! Here's some street savvy wisdom you can use to outsmart the bad guy and enjoy holiday shopping: 1. Make sure you shop with a partner; there's strength in numbers. 2. Park close to the store entrance in a well lit area. 3. If possible have an employee or security guard walk you out to your car. 4. Carry pepper spray and learn how to accurately spray it. 5. Always look under your car and in it for a hidden robber before getting in. 6. Carry credit cards, driver license and other valuables on you instead of in your purse. 7. To avoid injury from a purse snatcher, do not wrap the purse strap around your shoulder or neck. 8. Don't park by a van. If you come out and a van is parked next to you enter from the other side. 9. If you do get approached, throw your purse away from you to distract the robber and run. I am sure there are a lot more things you can do but these are just a few we came up with. Have fun Christmas shopping. There are only 7 weeks left!!!

Little Spooks!

We would like to post some pictures of all the little spooks next week. If you would like to send a picture of your little one "dressed up" please do so by next Monday. You can send them to kimt@montgomeryenterprisesinc.com. Please only send the one that you would like for us to post. Hope you all have a GREAT WEEK!

Count Down to Monday

On Monday, October 29, Belinda Stevens will be the new Office Manager for Money Matters in Saltillo. All of her family and her husband's family are from Booneville so they have decided to move back home. We are EXTREMELY excited to have Belinda in the Saltillo office. She has done a wonderful job growing the Coldwater office and we know she will do this same with Saltillo.

Can't wait to see you there Belinda!

Rain Rain Go Away!!

As most of you know when it rains it makes for a slow day. There are several things that you can take advantage of on rainy days.

Things that can be done:
Return Checks
Cleaning out file cabinets
Organizing storage areas

These are just a few things that can keep you busy on slow rainy days. Please make sure that if a customer does come in to do a title loan that you grab your umbrella and keep a SMILE on your face. As I am sure you will not melt!

Happy Boss' Day!

For those of us who have worked with Luke for a number of years know, we have an "EXTRAORDINARY BOSS". Having worked for others, we know that he goes the extra mile for his employees. We want to thank him for all that he does every day. "By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day." ~Robert Frost

DIP

Everyone keeps asking how to make the dip we had at the baby shower. My (Kim) mother-n-law ordered it off the Internet. It is a dry season called "Fiesta Dip". You mix it with mayo and sour cream. She has ordered several things off their site and they have been WONDERFUL. So, I thought I would share this information with you. The web address is www.tastefullysimple.com. Hope you enjoy!

Baby Shower

We would like to "THANK" everyone that attended the baby shower and the ones that gave. The good wishes were shown at Saturdays event, even from the office that are a great distance.We really appreciate working with such kind-hearted people. We would also like to "THANK" Delois and Larry for opening up their home for the special occasion. Hope to see the "little sprouts" soon! Have a good week!

Christmas in October??

It is never too early to begin preparing for Christmas! We are in a frenzy preparing for the annual Christmas Party. This year is shaping up to be a very nice affair. We are holding the party at the Hilton Garden Inn in Tupelo, next to the BancorpSouth Center. If anyone has any great ideas we would like for you to share them with us. Hopefully, this year will be the best Christmas party ever. If you need help with your secret Santa gift, please let us know. We will be glad to assist you.