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Money lost can be found...but the treasure of time once lost can never be recovered

12/14/2016

This is a very important post for the holiday season. Remember to spend your time wisely. Read through the All About the Benjamins NIE supplement to find individuals who spent their time wisely. Make resolutions to find solutions to some of the local and global problems you see while reading the newspaper.

Have a thrifty, nifty holiday! We will resume our regular Financial Fridays postings in January.

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

12/12/2016

What does this quote? Do you follow this advice? Benjamin Franklin wrote this quote in his Poor Richard's Almanack in 1735.

Now, read this Tampa Bay Times article about sleep.
What does it say about the difference from Benjamin Franklin's time to now in terms of sleep? How would you modify the quote for today?

He that waits on fortune is never sure of dinner.

12/12/2016

What did Benjamin Franklin mean when he said this? Check out some of the stories of individuals who did not wait for fortune on pages 4 and 5 in the NIE supplement All About the Benjamins. These individuals didn't wait on fortune; they acted and became entrepreneurs. Ask students to think about a problem in their life and consider a solution – good or service –that could solve that problem.

Creditors have better memories than debtors

12/12/2016

What does this quote by Benjamin Franklin mean? Read this article by the Tampa Bay Times and discuss how the quote relates to the article. Now find some other articles in your newspaper about debtors and creditors. Why do creditors have better memories than debtors?

Personal connection: Have you ever leant something to a friend or family member? Did they return the item or pay you back? How did you feel when they didn't?

A sleeping fox catches no poultry. Up! Up!

12/9/2016

What does this quote by Benjamin Franklin mean? Now check out how United Technologies Corp. used the quote in one of their inspirational messages that appeared in the Wall Street Journal from 1981-86.
The Sleeping Fox Catches No Poultry
We didn't write that headline. Ben Franklin did. Get out of that bed and get cracking, he was saying. Set your alarm for six, not seven. If you think you do well after a two-martini lunch, see what you do after a two-orange juice breakfast. Ben Franklin didn't spend a lot of time snoozing. Starting at age 13, with no formal education, he accomplished more than almost any other American since. "Plow deep while sluggards sleep," he also said. So hop out of the sack. Get up and go. The fox is wide awake. He'll grab all the chickens if you snooze.

Did Benjamin Franklin mean that sleep wasn't important?
Check out this article from the Tampa Bay Times on the importance of sleep for being productive at work. Now balance the information in the article with Benjamin Franklin's quote. How can you balance productivity and sleep?

Eat to live, not live to eat.

12/8/2016

What did Benjamin Franklin mean when he said this? What does the quote mean to you? What does eating to live mean? What does living to eat mean? How are these different? Now check out this article from the Tampa Bay Times about author Joel Fuhrman, who spoke about his book Eat to Live. Based on the article, what does Joel Fuhrman think about eating to live? How can you follow this advice?

'Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

12/5/2016

What did Benjamin Franklin mean when he said this?

The problem with developing a habit - a way of thinking or acting - is that it is very difficult to change. Behavioral economics finds that we make decisions based on our biases and habits. Once we have a system modeled in our brains, even a nudge won't fix things. Consider this Tampa Bay Times article on using nudges to help with financial woes. Did the nudges help? Why or why not?

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.

12/5/2016

What do you think this quote by Benjamin Franklin means? Consider ways to make a bigger bundle through social entrepreneurship. Social entrepreneurship occurs when people start up a business that solves a social, cultural, or environmental problem. Check out this article from the Tampa Bay Times on social entrepreneurs from the University of Tampa. Then conduct some research to find a problem you would like to solve. Here are a couple of websites to get you started:

Use the News

Money lost can be found...but the treasure of time once lost can never be recovered

Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise

He that waits on fortune is never sure of dinner.

Creditors have better memories than debtors

A sleeping fox catches no poultry. Up! Up!

Eat to live, not live to eat.

'Tis easier to prevent bad habits than to break them.

A man wrapped up in himself makes a very small bundle.

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