How to Save Money on Records Management
In these times of economic stress and uncertainty, with companies looking for ways to reduce expenses, perhaps it is time to review your existing Records Management Agreement and the price increases reflected in their most recent rate schedule.
You will likely find:
1. Your rates can increase at any time with only 30 days notice and no maximum increase is specified. In fact you may find that your rates have been increasing more frequently than once a year and by more than the industry average of 3%.
2. The cost to permanently withdraw your stored material will most certainly increase and historically it has been increasing disproportionately to the amount of increase in other rates. This is intended to make it more difficult for you to move your stored material to another vendor who is offering a less expensive alternative with better systems and improved customer service.
3. New rates, such as a $25.00 monthly administrative fee, have been introduced in the past and who is to say that new rates will not be introduced in the future. That’s $300.00 a year in additional expense. And this is on top of a minimum monthly storage invoice and a minimum service order charge.
4. Many customers have seen charges for unauthorized work – such as re-boxing of stored material – appear on their invoices. And you may find it odd that your vendor charges you to provide the detail supporting their invoice.
What You Can Do to Save Money on Records Management
Since it is unlikely that your incumbent vendor is going to be willing to address any concerns you may raise about these increases or changes, unless you make a decision now to change vendors, you have little choice (and even less choice in the future as your incumbent vendor continues to increase their “hostage fees”) but to accept these increases and changes.
There are many reputable and more specialized records management companies that can reduce costs by an average of 20% to 30% immediately while offering you protection from indiscriminate price increases.
Joe Nezi
http://www.articlesbase.com/data-recovery-articles/how-to-save-money-on-records-management-750640.html
Should I go back to school?
I was going to college for digital media right out of high school. I was there for a semester and a half and I was doing really well.
I left because the tuition was so high, and although I was really good at what I was doing, I found out i didn’t really want to do it as a career. I didn’t know what I wanted to do but I knew I shouldn’t have stayed there and waste money to end up being stuck with a degree I didn’t want to use. I didn’t know what to change my major to so I decided to come back home instead.
In the fall I enrolled in community college and started a 2 year program for medical office technology. (Coding and records management.) I picked it because I heard it was a growing field and you could later work from home. It was kinda suggested by my mom and I needed to get a degree in something. Ideally I’d like to just be a house wife but I realize that’s unrealistic. I have 4 more classes and I’ll be done in May.
I’m getting married in 2010 so my plan after school was to find full time work and save money. But, now I’m thinking about going on to get a bachelors degree. When I was doing digital media classes I was always more interested in the advertisement and production side rather than the art side. I think I want to get a degree in media promotions and minor in marketing.
My fiancee is going to be a history and math teacher, so I know he’s not not going to make a lot of money. I know my dreams of being a housewife is very unlikely, so if i’m going to work my whole life i don’t think i’m going to want to be coding medical records and dealing with people’s medical insurance.
But, by the time I’m out of school, (assuming i start in 2010) I’ll be 26 and I think before then I’m going to want a house and a baby. I don’t want to still be in school and a broke college kid.
Also, it costs a lot of money! My fiancee will have at least 40,000 dollars of student loans to pay back. Is it really worth me doubling that and we having 80,000 to pay back?
Would it be financially better for me to suck it up and be a medical secretary? Or should I go back to school and it would be financially better for me to work in advertisement? And if I should, should i still take a year off to work full time and save money, or should I just go back in fall 2009?
I feel like i want too many things, and of course, I can’t have it all.
I want to make the best choices for my life and not regret it.
I don’t want to teach. That’s what my boyfriend is doing. I see the classes he takes, and it does not interest me at all.
If I’m going to go back, I know it’s for marketing.
I would also go back to the same school I left because I loved the marketing department there(I took introduction to marketing while i was still there). Excellent professors. Mine was from Seattle did the marketing for Starbucks back in the day 😀
Have you looked in online courses for Media Promotions and Marketing?? To me, that seems like a good idea, because you are able to carry on with your life, have a job, a family a house and take the classes at your own pace. If you don’t have time to do a lesson one day, don’t worry about it, do it the next( or a few days later) =]
I know you would probably be unhappy while working in the medical field and "sucking it up" but it you only have to do it for a few years, its not nearly as bad as dealing with it your whole life.
good luck and I hope I helped
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I was looking into online classes myself…
You said you really want to be a housewife. What makes you think that’s not possible, in the long run? Basically, you need to decide if money or family is more important to you. In general, the second income is nice, but if you have to pay for daycare and babysitters it will go pretty fast, and you’ll miss out on seeing your children grow up. A teachers’ salary may not be much, but if you don’t mind only going out to eat once a week and having only one car (for example), you’ll be just fine.
You have a fiance who I assume will support your decision. Will he be happy if you choose to be a housewife? If so, I don’t really see any problems. Go ahead and finish the medical tech degree. Get married to the love of your life. Ger a job in whatever you find (if you want the extra income – to help pay off your husband’s loans) until you and your husband have a baby, and then quit your "real" job and become a housewife. You’ll saving $40000 of loans, and it sounds like that’s what you want to do anyway!
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Grew up as one of six children with a stay-at-home mom, and a dad running his own business (without a lot of income). You can’t imagine how thankful I am that my mom chose to stay home rather than leaving for 8 hours of work every day. My childhood was wonderful, although we didn’t have money for Playstations and 16th birthday cars… think of the gift you’ll be giving your children if you stay home with them!
Are you, yourself, interested in being a teacher? I ask because it may give you at least some of the lifestyle you’re looking for. The pay is fine (not huge, but not horrible), the benefits are good, and during summers, if you chose to, you can be at home with your children.
No matter what you decide to do regarding school, you can sometimes save money by going to a good public university in your state, rather than to a private school. But when you apply to schools, apply to both public and private. See what aid they offer you, including which one is the lowest cost and has the least reliance on loans. Then decide where to go.
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I’m glad you realize that in this day and age its unrealistic for most families to have only one ‘breadwinner’ and a non-working housewife…virtually every house needs two incomes, especially since your husband is going to be a teacher and teachers dont make much.
I have to comment, too, that 2010 is a long time away…two years! And although we hope everything goes as planned, you dont know if everything will. What if you dont get married to this guy? What then? You cant live your life by WAITING.
Hoping that it all goes well with you and your fiance, you still have to live for YOU now. And getting a degree is a must. Sometimes it has very little to do with what your major was…employers just want to know that you have extended education, you’re a good learner, and that you have a proven track record.
It sounds like you will have some credits that will transfer – from your first school and from the community college. This will mean it wont take as long to get your bachelors. As for what you should major in – I suggest you dont stress about it right away! Getting a bachelors often requires general classes and electives. Do some of the general classes and take some electives in a number of different areas that you want to learn more about. You’ll be testing out your options and your interest, and then can go forward with a declared major later on. The benefit of this is that you can actually find what you like to do and have a job that you love! I mean, your medical secretary degree will always be something to fall back on. But it can be a really long and miserable life if you’re doing a job you cant stand…
I realize that you will want a house and a baby, but getting an education is very important and this is really your best ‘window of opportunity’ to have your whole life go as planned. You really have to be patient if you want it to go well. And you have to realize that the sequence/order in which you plan your life will change things. For example, having a child and putting off your education probably will mean that you never get that education…children are time consuming, and require extra money…you wont have the time, energy, or cash to get an education once you have children. As a current student (27 years old) I am friends with a few adults who went back to college AFTER their kids grew up. If you hear their stories you’d understand how very very difficult it is to get an education later in life.
Of course you have to do what feels right to you, but I’d suggest enrolling for your bachelors in fall 2009, taking the first semester or two to explore some options that interest you, and then deciding your major. Talk to an advisor at your school to see how many credits you can transfer and how many credits you’ll need to graduate. Talk to financial aid to determine some funding options. I know loans suck, but education loans have low interest rates, and since your education will increase your future paycheck, the loans really have a good ‘payback’. Wait a little for children…you’re not getting married till 2010 and you need some time for just you and your husband. I’m a strong advocate of taking some time for yourself because I was recently married (October 2007) and the first year of marriage can be difficult….you need to work it out as husband and wife first before complicating your family situation with children. Whatever you do, though, follow your heart, and good luck!
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