Obviously, the media surrounding Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ stance on his personal decision to not get the COVID-19 vaccine to inoculate him from the virus that is raging our country is of great concern to the National Football League as well as the effect it has on the rest of our country. As a member of an organization (Green Bay Packers) does a single individual have that right to not participate? Does his individual decision affect his teammates?

As you ponder the situation with Rodgers also consider the case of Novak Djokovic, arguably the best male tennis player in the world. Djokovic, a Serbian professional tennis player was recently denied entry into Australia to play the 2022 Australian Open and was deported from Australia after losing an appeal against visa cancellation. He was denied an opportunity to seek his tenth trophy which would break his own record as well as his 21^st victory from all major championships. The fans could care less that he has not been vaccinated (an Australian mandate) as they just want to see this champion play.

“Rules are rules,” said the Australian administrator. Since you witnessed Rodgers quarterbacking the Packers yesterday, either he complied with the vaccination mandate, or maybe the NFL decided he needed to play – not sure where this ended up.

Regardless, the issue here is, do individual rights supersede those of the organization’s rules?

Will you log-in your thoughts on this issue?

Your phone rings in the middle of a typical routine day. You click to answer, and the voice on the other line delivers a message that spins your life into a completely different reality. So, what do YOU do when you are smacked from your blindside? Try these four steps if the unexpected circumstance negatively affects your income or your expenses. 

1st- Don't panic.

Take deep breaths, pray and put together a plan. A clear mind and a hopeful heart will help you create a sound strategy. Where do you need to be? What products and services does your family absolutely NEED?  

2nd- Restructure your budget to have money left over each month to put into savings and for emergencies.

If you need to lower overall payments with creditors, call them to see if you can get the interest rate or minimum payments reduced.   

Can you pick up an extra-paying job?   Can you rent out part of your home to increase income?

Sell stuff like at a garage sale. Can you switch out one expense for one that gives you the same benefit but at a lesser cost? Can you split the cost of some products or services with someone else who can use it?

3rd- Work on your credit

The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you enjoy when you borrow money. An excellent credit score is 780-850. A good score is 700-779. An average score is 660- 679. Scores in the 600's will not get you the best pricing when you borrow money. 

Check www.annualcreditreport.com  to make sure there are no errors on your credit report. When you find errors, work with your creditors and the three credit bureaus to complete corrections. 

Settle and satisfy any past due or delinquent accounts. Consider waiting until you have spoken with a mortgage officer and gotten preapproved for your financing before paying off delinquent accounts since paying off a derogatory bill can cause your credit score to go down before the score goes back up. 

Never let your balances owed on each credit card show over 30% balance/credit line.

Stay away from 12-months-same-as-cash. 

4th Use available resources provided by the government, your community, a non-profit agency, or friends and family. Free legal services. S.C.O.R.E. Senior Corps of Retired Executives gives free help to small business owners.