Growing up is hard to do. I mean, come on, why should I be concerned about things like housing prices, making responsible decisions with my money, and our government’s inability to balance a budget? For some reason, I’m supposed to be concerned about these things now that I’m a father and a husband and … a grown-up. Ooh! Who wants that label? Not me. Funny thing though, even though I don’t want the label, the concerns I’ve brought up are things that I am really worried about.

Many people make resolutions when a new year approaches. Sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t. Usually when I do, they only last temporarily so that’s why I’m hesitant to make any for 2008. Plus, when you write them down, you’re so earnest in your determination but it never works out like that, does it?

Maybe it’s the Christmas season and being around family and friends, I always get introspective when a new year is right around the corner. I worry about the economy, the kids, the house, the job, etc. I wish that I had the time to examine the moral and ethical decisions that I have to make this coming year before they happen. What will they be? I wonder if the mistakes that were made in 2007 will be made in 08. That includes my mistakes as well as others. The big four-oh is right around the corner for me. What will that be like?

For many people, the dip in housing prices has made it difficult. The sub-prime mortgage fiasco has only been felt in those sectors that are directly touched by the mortgage market. There are economic sectors that are just beginning to feel the impact of the situation. And, then consumer confidence is ultimately affected and it seems like it will be a while before anything will get better. I know forecasters are saying that this is just a leveling out, that the market prices are that way in order to balance out the high prices we had before. I’d rather see a real leveling out at a normal range, not a drastic dip. I have a feeling this is on account of other factors going on in our economy.

For us, we had intended to sell our house this year. We would like to either upgrade to a bigger house or move out of state. Either way, we have to sell. Not only is it hard to tell if we’d get what we want for our house, would we be able to sell it at all for a reasonable price? There are so many empty new homes around us. I’m not about to take a big hit in selling with the expectation that I’ll get a good deal in buying. I just don’t know that that would happen. I’m almost wondering if I shouldn’t sell now and rent for about a year. Prices will probably keep going down. For those prospective home buyers out there who think that owning a home is a priority, let me just tell you, its over-rated. Having a home with a huge mortgage is not that important.

It seems like every time I turn on the television, there’s another company that’s there to help me get out of debt. They always make credit card debt seem so horrible. Of course, getting out of credit card debt is always a concern. I’ve been in and out for so long, its like a game. Its fun to watch the balances go down, I’ve just never gotten to a point where I have enough money in savings to take care of all of our sudden expenses like automobile maintenance, suddenly needing a new vacuum cleaner, emergency surgeries, and the Christmas spending that always goes over budget. Am I being a bad financial planner? You tell me. For my kids and the next generation, I worry more about the financial state of our country.

Even more important is the kids’ educations. I don’t think we’re the home schooling types but it always seems like the best option for not exposing kids to “worldly thinking” too soon. By that I mean the consumer mentality that most people live by. Little girls are becoming divas too soon these days. I don’t like the fact that my kids come home from school and mimic the characteristics of their classmates. Sometimes, its meaningless and sometimes they bring home habits that are unacceptable. On the other hand, having readily available examples of inappropriate behavior can be very beneficial when talking to your kids about such things.

There are career related choices that I have to make this year. I’m very happy with my current job but I’m always looking to work on outside projects. I’ve got some ideas and some plans, its just hard to find the “one” that will pan out. I want to work on things that will bring in some income but I’m also being forward thinking about them. If something comes along that I can work pro bono on, with the possibility of furthering my career, then I’m willing to try it.

Well, writing about these things is therapeutic. Not only have I listed and prioritized, but writing off the cuff like this helps me to understand them a little better and to understand that, in the grand scheme of things, not a lot of them really matter all that much. It makes me count my blessings rather than just focusing on my concerns when I compare my worries with things that people have to live with in other parts of the world.

Finally, NPR’s Morning Edition did a piece on a big problem for the year. It’s Information Overload. There’s another one for the list.

Happy New Year everyone.