Money Making Schemes

Nagesh answers:

Unfortunately it’s more complex than that.

Legally you have to be an adult to own stock. So if your uncle bought Microsoft stock when you were one year old, you never legally owned the shares so wouldn’t be on the Microsoft shareholder register.

Although your name was on the certificate, you were still a minor so there would have had to be an adult (presumably your uncle) as guardian. The guardian is the owner of the stock.

The fact that you’ve lost the certificate doesn’t really matter. As long as you can find the guardian and he/she can prove to Microsoft they are the person on the share register then Microsoft will pay out for the shares. It doesn’t matter if no one has touched them for 20 years. Shares never become ‘lost property’. Once they are bought they belong to the name on the shareholder register and can be reclaimed at any point in the future. The most that could happen is that you’re asked to sign an indemnity stating that you will repay the money if it later turns out out you are not the true owner.

So it all hinges on finding the guardian. If your uncle is still around then you ask him to sell the shares and give you the money (obviously).

If he’s dead then the shares will be part of his estate. If he put your name on the certificate when he bought them you will have no problem establishing that he intended you to inherit them. Then you’ll have to get the holding transferred into your name before selling them.

If your uncle was not the guardian and he’s not around to tell you who was then you have to ask Microsoft to check the shareholder register for you. Call up their Investor Relations department and ask for contact details for their Register. Send the Register as much information as possible, including the names and addresses of any adults who you think could have been listed as guardian while you were a minor. They will investigate but it will take a while so get in touch with them quickly.

Good luck.

Nagesh answers:

Hard evidence that the (former?) friends are unlawfully keeping property belonging to you with the intention to permanently deprive you of it, which is theft and a criminal not civil case.
A signed and dated written agreement on paper, email from the friends agreeing that they will temporarily care for the dog or text message, would be evidence that you did not abandon the dog or intend to relinquish ownership to the friends.

Verbal agreements are hard to enforce because the rights and obligations of the parties are not clearly outlined and can be pointed to if one party wants to enforce part of the agreement against the other.

As to board and expenses, that would depend on what was agreed and could be proved. If you agreed to settle costs on collection or monthly for food and veterinary expenses as necessary and if the friends refused money for board (hard evidence) so none payable or could be claimed for.

You visited the dog often, so could be argued she would easily readjust to living with you again and the fact the friends developed a bond with the dog would not negate the bond it had with you or mean they can legally withhold your property because of it, IF you can prove they agreed from the outset it was a temporary arrangement.

As a final point, in a question four years ago, you mentioned “I am sick with terminal illness”, so perhaps if your health is an ongoing problem, the dog would be better off remaining with your friends where you know she has been cared for and has a permanent home.

Nagesh answers:

How old are you and what kind of hours do you expect to work?

If you are just hoping to watch kids for a few hours here and there while the parents have a date night or business dinner, the prices you listed should be fine. … Although, I would expect to pay more like $5 per hour to a beginning babysitter. And I would expect young teens to be cheaper than someone over 16 and I would expect a 16 year old to be cheaper than someone who has completed high school.

How old the kids are also makes a difference. Babies and toddlers require constant attention. But my well behaved 8 year old is capable of going to the bathroom by herself and cleaning up most of her own messes. (unless she like breaks something glass)

—

If you hope to find some steady work like watching the kids after school, you need to figure out how many kids you can handle at a time. – Legally, mentally, and physically. Then adjust your prices accordingly. Keep in mind that if minimum wage is $7.25 and hour and you are charging $7 per hour, a lot of people would be loosing money to pay you to watch their kid while they work.

Example: Here in Texas you can legally watch 3 kids in addition to your own. I pay a lady $5 per day to watch my daughter after school. That comes out to $2 per hour plus $1 to cover the cost of an after school snack.

It doesn’t sound like much. But add $2 per hour for the other kids she is watching and it’s like she is being paid $6 per hour. Then factor in the money she is saving by watching her own kids and she is really earning more than me.

Nagesh answers:

Yes, garnishment is allowed in your state.

As for paying, like others said – it’s up to you.
If you are past the collecting SOL for credit cards in your state on the charge off’s, there isn’t much that they can “legally” do. But collection agencies have been known to file suit on time barred debts.

SOL for collecting in your state is 3 years. (as long as you did not sign an agreement with the original creditor for the credit card – 6 years if you did)
SOL for collecting on judgments is 20/25 years. (hope your car is a good one)

Before paying a collection agency a person should always send a debt validation request first. Make sure the amount that the collection agency is trying to collect is the correct amount and that the collection agency has a legal right to collect.

You can always request to pay a portion of the debt as payment in full and that they will delete anything they have placed on your reports after payment.
If they agree, that should knock down the amount you owe on the charge offs.

As for your other accounts that you say you have, you didn’t mention if they are in good standing or not. Just that you don’t want to pay.

If they are still with the original creditor you should do what it takes to bring those accounts back into good standing, or to continue paying on them if they already are in good standing.

More than likely, if those accounts are in good standing, or just have a few dings, and you stop paying, those creditors will probably be quicker to sue since you have already established a bad credit history, you have a job and, depending on your state exemption statutes, you have a home that they might be able to place a lien on.

You may find that the “one” card you want to keep may not want you. If they see your credit rating quickly going downhill, they may rate jack you, credit limit decrease you, or just close the account.

Your home and vehicle insurance rates may raise as your credit lowers.
If you have to or want to find another job, you may have difficulty as many more employers are depending on credit ratings on future employees.

If you plan on socking the money away instead of paying your debts, you should put it in a coffee can and bury it – no I’m not trying to be flip. Collectors have been known to grab bank accounts before even filing a suit.

Nagesh answers:

Managing a charity shop is different to other commercial retail stores as EPOS systems aren’t used.

This means that goods have to be priced manually and independently by the staff. It is important that you are aware of the value of things and the quality so that you can allocate prices effectively.

The problem with some charity shops is that they look like charity shops! They tend to be dark, and cluttered. Brighten up your shop, add colour, displays, keep it tidy and don’t add too much clutter. Keep everything in size order and keep similar items all together in their own displays. This will make your charity shop much more like a great shop that welcomes people in 🙂

Managing volunteers will be important. Remember they are volunteers, so any criticism should be given in a very tactful way as not to upset or offend any body. You need to hang on to your volunteers, they are life savers for you! Charity shop management is very hectic and demanding and would be near impossible to do by yourself! You need lots of help.

It is a very rewarding job though, because profits are going to a great cause and you get to meet lots of people on a daily basis.

As for legal details, the main one is health and safety! Charity shops often get tons of donated goods, so make sure any stairs and walk ways are clear in the sorting areas. Make sure goods are sorted and priced quickly and efficiently. Any thing that is not suitable to be sold is usually not thrown away, but saved for ‘rags’. The rags will be collected by a rag man and the charity will receive money for them. I think they get sent to third world countries or shredded up for use elsewhere.

There are no laws when it comes to volunteers, simply that they cannot be paid. They are not legally on the books to be paid.

Ideally, even though you are managing the shop, there should be an area manager above you that controls all shops belonging to the charity. This person will advise you on all the legal details etc.

I hope it all works out well for you :), best of luck!