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Wednesday, February 18, 2015

Road life business



Last summer I started a process to both simplify my financial life and to be able to do my business on-line. While I can pretty much do my business electronically, it certainly hasn't gotten simpler.

Part of the problem was underestimating the glacial pace of big business and government. I should know better.

A goodly part of the morning was spent with an Internet chat with a bank. I think the problem was solved, but it will take a couple days for them to do the financial transfers.

Before my lovely wife and I left New Hampshire we started the process of getting the little boat registered. We expected to have received some information by now so we talked to our Town Clerk. She was able to check with the DMV to see what happened to our application. There was no record of it in the state system. The Clerk told us that if there was a piece of information missing the DMV would just shred the application. We paid $20 for that paperwork.

Now I've got two options. Keep using the boat the way it is and hope nobody gives us a hard time or register it in the State of Florida. Tomorrow I'll look into that process. There are times when I think my life would be simpler if I embraced my outlaw side. (Okay, embraced it more often)

Next spring I'll be able to physically go to business and government offices. There are advantages to dealing with people face to face. Mostly, I'm too big to throw out of an office.

One thing that I did before traveling was to inform my banks that my debit cards would be traveling all over the country. Believe me, they will shut your cards down at the most awkward time if you neglect that little thing. Another interesting thing is that one of my banks will not allow us to access our accounts on my wife's smart phone. Their security protocols has the phone completely locked out and there's been no fixing it.

Fortunately, I can still access the accounts from my laptop. Every time I log on from a new location they make me play 20 security questions, but at least connection is eventually possible.

Next winter things will be different . . . really!

-Sixbears


11 comments:

  1. Are you saying that the people your dealing with are land locked, job tied and mortgage bound in a freezing state. Seem Un co operative to finding solutions for your sailing vagabond sunny warm life style as far as banking is concerned :). HMMM wonder why?

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    Replies
    1. The problem is that the really smart ones quit their jobs and do what I do.

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  2. Is there any reason NOT to register the boat in Florida?

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  3. Remember simplify simplify simplify?
    It would be good if the government would let you...

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    Replies
    1. Who'd have thought trying to simplify would be so darn complicated?

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  4. My debit card was comprimised once, and the credit union called me late Sunday afternoon, which I thought was great service. They caught it much sooner than one of the big protection services did.
    Vehicle registration in Texas is now being combined with inspection, one tag covering both. Too bad it starts next month - my registration and inspection were both done in January; double cost, double tags. Ahhh, bureauracy!

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  5. It seems to me having originally built our dinghy, that it was simply a matter of walking in and saying you'd built a homebuilt boat of x length and want to title and register it. Pay your moneys and walk out the door with new FL # for a boat. Easy least, just gotta have a physical mailing address ie : your dads house, PO Box not allowed.
    You may have an issue with having the trailer registered out of state but I doubt it, as marine patrol monitors the boat license and the cops monitor trailers. Originally our boat, dinghy were Florida and our drivers license, truck etc were Idaho.

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  6. It seems to me having originally built our dinghy, that it was simply a matter of walking in and saying you'd built a homebuilt boat of x length and want to title and register it. Pay your moneys and walk out the door with new FL # for a boat. Easy least, just gotta have a physical mailing address ie : your dads house, PO Box not allowed.
    You may have an issue with having the trailer registered out of state but I doubt it, as marine patrol monitors the boat license and the cops monitor trailers. Originally our boat, dinghy were Florida and our drivers license, truck etc were Idaho.

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    Replies
    1. I'll give it a try and see what happens -if I bother at all.

      Delete