Today was one of those days that everyone dreads. I had to sit down and pay the bills that have been piling up on my counter. It’s bad enough that I have to pay all the bills, it’s even worse in my opinion that I have to fill them all out. It’s a huge pain in the butt.

My bank account is suffering lately and all these bills do not seem to be stopping any time soon. I know it’s just a part of life but it’s getting old quickly.

In the near future the giant oil company BP will be in court. They are liable for the damages caused by their huge oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. They are hoping to work out a deal beforehand on the amount of money they should pay. I hope it is a lot.

Whatever the outcome of the deal making is, the company stands to lose many billions of dollars. The must pay for lawsuits from individuals and companies, environmental costs, and lost production as many wells are still shut down. Like the spill itself, it going to be a mess.

One thing that most Americans will do in the future is retire. There are those who work their life away, but that’s not for everyone. If you do plan to retire, making sure you have sufficient funds to do so is important. The common view is to have enough to draw at least 4% from your savings annually.

The best advice is to start planning your retirement early. Putting money into a sock is good, but putting it into escrow is better. One thing you can do is to seek professional advice. That’s what I recommend.

Since Christmas is over, I have been on one last buying spree. I am taking advantage of all the last minute sales at the local stores. I have come across some pretty good deals and have been filling out the items that were forgotten during Christmas.

I think that this is a good thing as many stores are trying to get rid of the merchandise they have before the new year sets in. there are no losers during this period and everyone wins.

One thing that is always on my mind is the amount of insurance that I have. I always think that the more I have is the better. I learned this lesson early in life when I lost a great deal of money because I wasn’t covered properly. I won’t go into the story now, but trust me when I say I learned my lesson.

I think everyone should check into the amount of insurance they have and be sure that it is enough. Accidents happen everyday and you never know what is around the next corner. All I am saying is make sure you are covered for every event.