Here's to Your Health...

Just over a week ago I had emergency surgery to remove my appendix. It was my first surgery ever, so I was a little scared of what might happen. Okay, so I was A LOT scared.

Anyway, as I sat in triage at the hospital, my mind raced and one of the things I kept coming back to was how grateful I am for my health. Aside from the current situation, I haven't really had to spend much time in hospitals.

I'm also grateful that there are people in this world that are interested in things like nursing and surgery. Neither of these occupations interest me from a career standpoint, but there are many highly skilled, wonderfully kind folks out there that are very good at what they do in these areas.

Finally, I'm grateful for my family. I'm definitely not deserving of such a fabulous wife and two great kids. They are everything to me.

So, while this blog is mainly about money, it's essential to acknowledge (on a regular basis, not just before surgery) that the most important things in life are:

• Health
• People (friends, co-workers, doctors, nurses, garbage collectors, truck drivers, etc.)
• Family

There's no happiness in money or the things it can buy. Money is an enabler. It can reduce or eliminate some of life's worries. But it is a means, not an end.

EmigrantDirect = A Dud

EmigrantDirect.com is now paying 4.25% interest and so I just had to give it a try. Frankly, my experience has been less than stellar.

It took nearly two weeks for the entire account setup process to be completed. I honestly can't remember if ING took that long. If it did, my excellent experience with ING since that time has erased all memory of any problems or delays.

As mentioned in a previous post, ING set the bar pretty high as far as I am concerned. Maybe my expectations were unrealistic...nah, they were just fine.

I expected EmigrantDirect to not only pay a great interest rate for holding my money, but I expected an easy-to-use online account interface. Too bad for me. It's absolutely horrible. I don't expect super fancy design or lots of graphics, but I do want it to be intuitive and user-friendly. This interface doesn't cut the mustard...and if you can't cut the mustard, don't pick up the knife.

It's time for this bank to invest some marketing dollars into the account area of the web site to close the loop on its brand. A brand is a promise, and the only thing this bank's brand promises is that you will be disappointed.