remember cable tv?

Posted on March 4, 2011 by Derek Sisterhen
I can still remember when my family first got cable. All the sudden we had a little box on top of our TV that served as the gateway to a mysterious beyond no one really understood.
Instead of eight channels, we had thirty; and there were more popping up all the time!
If it wasn’t for cable TV, I wouldn’t know all the words to the “Green Acres” theme song (with Eva Gabor’s accent lilting forth about Park Avenue). Nor would I know that Don Adams – of iconic “Get Smart” fame – also loaned his voice to “Inspector Gadget.” My hat’s off to TV Land for giving me access to great shows of yesteryear.
Nowadays, in the world of DVRs and Tivos, we can enjoy a self-serve approach to television. Just hit record, set it and forget it.
Want to watch Billy the Exterminator over your Rice Krispies tomorrow morning? You can.
How about the latest iteration of a series all about the majesty of our planet? Go for it.
One of the best lifestyle changes I experienced after marrying Elisa was limiting the amount of time we spent watching TV. I used to watch a lot of TV. The average household in America has a television on for around six hours every day and I probably wasn’t too far off of that figure. (That average is of time the television is on; doesn’t mean anyone is watching it.)
Continue reading →
Posted in get naked blog, skinny dippers | Tagged fitness, houses, purpose, relationships | 6 Comments

the pottery barn kids catalog is like a living dollhouse

Posted on March 1, 2011 by Derek Sisterhen
It might just be me, but have you noticed the ridiculousness of the Pottery Barn Kids catalogs?
I find it quite interesting how many of us “adults” like to take young children and make them look like “adults.” (I’m using quotation marks here on purpose, but you already knew that.)
When I think of Pottery Barn, I think of solid, cozy, warm-toned, expensive furniture that says – to a certain degree – I can afford to relax in an over-stuffed lounge chair with matching ottoman and throw while my coffee (or tea, whatever my fancy) brews at just the perfect temperature and my children play on their educationally-balanced playground in the backyard, with abacus by the sandbox, word find at the top of the slide, and sodoku by the swings to keep them mentally and physically stimulated while I read the latest James Patterson novel. Don’t you just love my new cardigan?
Continue reading →
Posted in get naked blog, skinny dippers | Tagged culture, kids, parents, relationships | Leave a comment

a little misunderstanding about dave ramsey’s baby steps

Posted on February 27, 2011 by Derek Sisterhen
In my previous position, working directly with clients as the Lead Financial Coach at Lukas Coaching, I would film short videos that addressed very specific financial topics (you can see what my friend Justin and I would do here). One day I decided to focus on the small portion of people who take Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps, get ultra-militant about them, and then steamroll their spouses and other family members because they weren’t sensitive enough to take a measured approach.
I called it “The Dark Side of Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps.” Some people really didn’t like it.
Truth is, they totally missed the point. In hindsight, the video could’ve been done better, but at the time I was all about one-take recording: I said what I had to say, edited in the into and outro graphics, and posted the thing fast!
Our friends at Lampo (Dave’s company’s real name) just recently found out about it. They weren’t all that thrilled that a Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Coach would be talking negatively about the Baby Steps without more explanation (much less that thousands of people watched the video).
It’s like heresy in the Financial Coaching world, you see.
Continue reading →
Posted in get naked blog | Tagged bad decisions, debt, social life | 2 Comments

the naked truth: daniel & melissa save a life

Posted on February 21, 2011 by Derek Sisterhen
These guys dumped their debt and now they’re about to save a life, I thought to myself as I talked with Daniel and Melissa last week.
Elisa and I met Daniel and Melissa while we were traipsing our way through southeastern North Carolina about four years ago (during the Banking Years). We forged our friendship one Sunday after church through a four-hour lunch at Moe’s.
There’s nothing like carrying the pungent aroma of burritos into the world with new friends!
Since we first met, Daniel and Melissa have paid off a significant amount of debt to become completely debt free. They currently live in Hampton, VA where Daniel is stationed in the Army. They live a life of peace regarding finances – a feeling they rarely experienced in the early days of their marriage.
Now, they’re in the process of adopting a child. Had they never taken the initiative to rid themselves of the financial burden, they wouldn’t be in position to welcome a little one into their home.
Continue reading →
Posted in get naked blog, skinny dippers | Tagged generosity, kids, marriage, past due radio, purpose | Leave a comment

saying “i love you” with beneficiary forms

Posted on February 4, 2011 by Derek Sisterhen
Does it get much sexier than putting your spouse’s name on the beneficiary forms for your retirement accounts?
Yes. It definitely does get much sexier.
If you’ve been working for an employer with a retirement plan like a 401(k), 403(b), Roth 401(k), or other form of alphabet soup, and you haven’t updated your beneficiary forms to include your spouse, it’s time to show some love.
Identifying your beneficiaries tells the retirement plan manager who to distribute the invested funds to, should you die. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?
Something you’d like to avoid for a while, right?
We have no idea when our time here will expire. In the meantime, putting your spouse on the handy-dandy little beneficiary form will save a lot of stress and unnecessary burden when you’re not around.
So, do it if you haven’t and show a little love while you’re at it!
Posted in get naked blog, skinny dippers | Tagged crisis, legacy, purpose, relationships | Leave a comment