Hurricane News, Cute Puppies, and Madoff Update

The Northeast Needs To Get Prepared: The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) recently published guidelines for personal disaster preparedness. As you may know, the Atlantic Hurricane Season runs June 1st to November 30th, and residents of coastal states need to spend some time attending to these tasks in anticipation of storms that will threaten New England this season. Excerpt:

Make a record of your personal property. Keep an itemized list of your furniture, clothing and valuables to assist adjusters in case of a claim. Back it up with photographs or video.

I know I sound like a broken record regarding home inventory. Crack, pop, hiss. No apologies made.

The High Price of Dog Ownership Just Got Higher: I know, I know. Dogs are adorable and bring great joy to our lives. I know that the companionship they offer is without peer. I know that the world is a better place because of our domesticated dogs. Our dog Lucy is a lovable mutt and my family thinks the world of her.

I also know that dog ownership is expensive. Kennel bills, veterinary bills, dog food, chew toys; as if it wasn't enough already, now your insurance carrier may be charging you higher rates on your homeowners policy beacuse of your little adorable pooch. Fido may even one day be the cause of your insurance carrier cancelling your policy. WooHoo!

CBS Reports Feds Ask For 150 Years For Madoff: Federal prosecutors trying the case of disgraced financier Bernie Madoff, who masterminded one of the largest Ponzi schemes in history (I'm sure that some of you would say this distinction belongs to Social Security), have asked the judge to sentence him to 150 years, the maximum imprisonment available for his crimes. Madoff is 71.

Federal sentencing guidelines allow for the 150-year term, prosecutors said. Any lesser sentence, they added, should still be long enough to send a forceful message and "assure that Madoff will remain in prison for life."

While I understand the need for a strong message to be sent and that Madoff is clearly guilty of this massive fraud, I also understand that the money on those statements was always phantom money and that it's never coming back because it never existed in the first place, regardless of whether Madoff dies in jail or not. Madoff didn't steal billions of dollars. He repeatedly lied, and in so doing created billions of phantom dollars out of thin air. Certainly investors gave him lots of money that they have now lost, but the actual amount "invested" with Madoff is far smaller than the numbers reported in the press.

A. J. Farley runs Farley Home Services (EverySingleItem.com), your one stop shop for all your home inventory needs. Whether you own a home, a small business, or rental property, you need to document your belongings. We take care of tenants as well!