brass Blog

Hey everybody out there in the blogosphere! My name is Susie and I’m a new Editorial Intern at brass. I’ll be posting stats and stories with you over the next few months, but let me share a little about myself first.I’m a senior at Oregon State University (June = freedom!) and while my major is Merchandising Management (think fashion-y business) my real love lies in journalism. I’ve spent three years working at the university newspaper in various departments, and currently edit our opinion page and write a weekly fashion column. I grew up near the beach in beautiful Southern California, and while I always get shocked looks as to why I came to Oregon (seasons, snow, new people!), I just love it here.

I like change, which is why after graduation I’m making the cross-country move to New York City to pester media bigwigs and break into the magazine world out there. Last summer I had the best experience of my life working as a fashion intern at Glamour magazine and am only too ready to make the permanent move to NYC. And I may be a little (read: extremely) frightened. So it goes.

As much as I loved playing with clothes at Glamour (and seriously, it was pretty awesome), I’m thrilled to put my editorial skills to the test here at brass. Everyone on staff really is as cool as they seem and it’s an exciting world to be a part of…now, I better get back to work!

- Susie

Wishing happy Friday tidings to everyone–I’d like to share a bit of info that might make your Friday even better. Recently I made the decision to embark on an expedition and move to the frozen tundra of Wisconsin. While, sadly, I will be leaving my editorial position at brass at the end of January, I’m taking with me some valuable information. I found some great health insurance info for anyone else who’s soon-to-be in between jobs like me. If you haven’t heard of the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA), listen up. COBRA is essentially an extension of your health care coverage through your previous employer (even though you will no longer be employed by them). So in other words, if you need medical assistance in-between jobs (when you normally wouldn’t have any health coverage), you can have it covered by your former policy for up to 18 months for the same rate as when you were employed.

The catch is that you generally have to pay the entire insurance premium on your policy (whereas your past employer used to split it with you). Note that there are terms for your eligibility, but generally if you were a full-time employee who is either leaving your job, laid off, or your hours were cut back–you typically qualify. You can also qualify if you were recently fired; however, it can’t be on the grounds of “gross misconduct.”

Check out the U.S. Department of Labor to see about your eligibility, as well as the eligibility for any family you may have included on your plan.

-Jordon

Sarah’s post on dental insurance got me thinking about how much dental work can cost. I found out that dentists in Washington state received an average of $374 per resident last year, the highest in the nation according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

This is why dental insurance (and flossing) is awesome.

The people here have been in a state of excited fervor in recent weeks over the success of our brass soccer team, affectionately called The Good, The brass, and The Ugly, which has enjoyed a string of wins since the start of the winter season. Thanks to a brass sponsorship covering entry fees for the league, employees have enjoyed the recreational activity for the low price of about $20 a year at the local indoor-soccer facility. Not into playing soccer myself, I headed down to watch what my coworkers were up to and relive my days as a college reporter. Here’s a play-by-play of the latest post-work adventures of the brass crew:

On Sunday, the coed recreational league team scratched out a hard-fought victory over The Kittens, coming out on top with a score of 6-2. The team hailed in another decisive win the previous Saturday, taking an early lead against Chaos Theory in the opening minutes and holding on throughout the duration of the match for a final score of 5-3.

“I thought we played hard as a team and a good time was had by all,” said brass Graphic Designer and midfielder, Dan Sweet, of the match against Chaos Theory.

Allie Remington, brass Operations Assistant and forward, said on Wednesday she felt Sunday’s match was a lot tougher than what the score reflects.

“I remember it being closer than that,” she said. “I’m very bad at keeping track of scores, I never pay attention (to the score).”

Still, the unbridled joy of victory was tempered by the sudden departure of brass Project Manager, Mark Forbes, who had, until Saturday’s game, proven an impassible wall for attacking opponents. A cloud of mystery surrounds Forbes’ early retirement from the team, some experts theorize he was ordered by league officials to stop playing in order to give opposing teams a fighting chance, conspiracy theorists say he was bribed by the mob, and still other spiritualists believe he has transcended the physical boundaries of this earthly realm.

In all, spirits are high at brass, with players and fans alike riding the emotional wave of the team’s success. Players agree that nothing (even the bonus of winning) can detract from the real reason why they play each week — for the love of the game and the good company.

- Peter

Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents said they learned about financial issues–such as managing money, balancing a checkbook, and building their savings–at home when growing up, according to a 2007 survey. Less than half of respondents learned about money management in school.

So where did you learn about money?

Source: Princeton Survey Research Associates International and the National Foundation for Credit Counseling

I’m a habitual National Public Radio (NPR) listener. I recommend tuning in, you never know what you might learn.

Over the holidays, I listened to a report on NPR about debt, and it seems more folks ended the year in the red than ever. According to the report, conducted by the Associated Press, three out of four households have credit cards, with an average card debt of $5,000. As young adults and readers of brass, we should all be aware by now of the slippery slope of mounting credit card debt. But this report touched on another danger, one I personally hadn’t thought too much about before — the danger of debt “leaking” from one part of your financial life to another.

Think about it, we have a lot of obligations — student loans, car payments, a mortgage maybe, as well as credit card debt. We know it’s important to manage each of them, but this report reminded me that real world stuff is a huge balancing act; these large investments don’t exist separately from one another, they’re all interconnected. And therein lies a big potential risk.

For example, say you slipped and spent way more on holiday gifts than you should have. Your payment on your auto loan (a type of debt) is a must, so you shunt off other costs like groceries and utility bills onto your credit card. Boom — more debt. It’s the butterfly effect in your wallet and bank account.

The report quoted a scholar from Stanford University named Cliff Tan, an expert on credit risk.

“Debt eventually leaks into other areas, whether it starts with the mortgage and goes to the credit card or vice versa,” he said.

I have a friend who asked her boyfriend to literally hide her credit card from her to avoid getting more in debt. It’s not that she goes on spending frenzies with plastic, rather, she gives in to using her credit card as a solution to ease up pressure from other costs.

For a lot of us, debt is like a leaking faucet, not an exploding pipe. If the leak goes unchecked, you don’t just lose the kitchen sink, you will eventually lose the counter and maybe even the whole kitchen. Check out this article to help you check up on your debt.

- Peter

Booking vacation reservations anytime soon? If your highly anticipated vacay entails airline reservations, then listen closely to my air-travel etiquette. Believe me, you don’t want to end up like “that guy” (usually myself) who’s marooned at the airport for days on end. I recently spent a total of 48 hours stuck at Chicago O’Hare because of blizzard conditions. I was scheduled to arrive home on a Thursday and didn’t make it until Monday the following week.

Holiday or peak travel seasons are prime times for the average holiday traveler to miss his or her flight. Winter weather conditions, overbooked airline flights, flight cancellations, and mile-long security lines significantly increase the worst-case-scenario odds.

To reduce your chances of missing a flight, call your airline in advance to see how overbooked they are, and as always, show up early (at least two hours). If time’s on your side, and you don’t have to catch a return flight for any pressing reasons, try volunteering your ticket at the ticket counter. If the airline is desperate, they may hook you up with free lodging and future round-trip ticket(s) anywhere they travel to!

If for any reason you should miss your flight (like I did twice this past holiday season), don’t panic. Talk to the ticketing desk and see when the next flight out is. If it’s not for a day or two, try haggling with the airline for free hotel compensation (it’s better than an airport bench–trust me). If you have to foot the bill for lodging, check out priceline.com. You can sometimes score 3-star hotel rooms for under $60.

So, the next time you fly (whether it’s in the event of a crisis or not), remember that delays happen. Knowing your options can greatly minimize the headache.

- Jordon

Have you started getting your holiday bills yet? Checked your account lately? Right now the credit card and other bills that tell you how much you spent (or over-spent) on holiday shopping last month are coming in.

According to Coinstar, 27% of those surveyed cashed in their coin jars for some extra spending money during the holidays. Yes, some people still keep money in jars. If you don’t, maybe you should think about starting one this year…better yet though them in an interest-accruing account. All that loose change could add up by next holiday season
Source: MediaPost Research Brief

How often do you brush? Here’s a friendly reminder not to neglect your pearly whites. Especially, if like me, you graduated in the last few years, no longer qualify for your parents’ insurance plan, and put off getting your own dental insurance. The better you brush now, the less you’ll have to spend on dental care (which turns out to be pretty expensive). Finally, after what will remain an undisclosed amount of time away from the dentist’s chair, I got my act in gear.

I used websites like ehealthinsurance.com and dentalinsurance.com to search for options. I considered plans with higher monthly payments that meant bigger projected discounts, as well as plans that ran in the opposite direction. There were a couple options: DHMOs (Dental Health Maintenance Organizations), PPOs (Preferred Provider Organizations) and Discount Plans (non-insured plans), to name a few. I opted (for now) for a PPO dental plan. A PPO plan means I have access to discounts on services when I use providers (dentists) in my plan’s network. Before signing up, I checked to make sure there were actually dentists in my city that were providers in the plan’s network. I also made sure that the projected discounts on the usual visit costs would be affordable for me. Check out To Your Health: Health insurance uncovered for tips on how to pick a plan that’s best for you. I’ll re-evaluate my needs in a year or so to make sure everything still fits my lifestyle and paycheck.

I actually have three companies to keep track of now. There is the third-party website through which I purchased my plan (they email me with updates and reminders), the company that provides my dental insurance (an actual insurance company), and the company that organizes the network of providers (they call themselves a discount medical organization).

Despite the hassle and confusion in my dental insurance process, it’s well worth it. Teeth are a pretty good investment and I intend on having some when it’s time to retire.

- Sarah

Well, here it is friends, my last blog as an Editorial Assistant for brass. I may be back as a celebrity blogger or guest contributor, but my day job officially ends at 5 pm today.

As you well know, I am starting graduate school next week. I’ll be in the program for one year (it’s at a university in Oregon), and may the four winds take me where they will once I finish! (Hopefully that will be either to the Iberian Peninsula or South America.)

Aside from this pleasing brass shirt (see photo) that our Creative Team dreamed up (note they’ve used a picture of yours truly on the T-shirt), I’ve gained some great resume material working here. I have also had the opportunity to get to know most of the fine individuals who make up brass; all-in-all, I’d have to say I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my internship and employment, the soccer league and the fine social events thrown by Tom Loika.

If you ever get the chance, try to get an internship here. In my case, I called for approximately nine months in a row when they weren’t hiring. They might eventually tell you they pretty much made a position up for you so you’d stop calling, but it’s worth it. Just look at me.

Be sure to read the subsequent postings as zealously as you did while I helmed the brass blogosphere, and keep a look out for new blogs and bios from our incoming interns. I’ll see you around.

With a sad heart,

Jeremy