Somewhere far away in a Las Vegas jail cell lies a pissed off OJ Simpson. OJ has plenty to be pissed about these days in addition to his 33 year sentence in a Nevada prison for kidnapping and robbery charges. The daughter, Arnelle Simpson, he left in charge of his estate and monthly $25,000 NFL pension has let his Miami home go into foreclosure.

No payments have been made on the house in the past two years. Oj’s $25,000 monthly pension is more than enough to pay for the modest four-bedroom home, which costs $3,133 a month. Apparently, Arnelle has grander plans for the money, according to the Daily Mail:

In an angry phone call from his Nevada prison, [OJ] accused her of blowing his money on alcohol, shopping and living a lavish lifestyle.

The source said: ‘O.J. fought with Arnelle all the time about her drinking, and he tried for years to get her married to get her out of his house.

‘Arnelle is a shopaholic. Shopping was often the only thing that got her out of the house. She loved her trips to Saks and Victoria’s Secret and paid for them with her father’s money.

‘She’d also bring all of her friends to the house or go to expensive restaurants and buy everyone dinner and drinks…

His daughter is allegedly planning on buying a condo in Los Angeles with his money.

The source told the Enquirer: ‘Her actions are really revenge against a father she felt abandoned his children long ago for a life of bad behavior and crazy antics with questionable friends and loose women.’

OJ won’t be up for parole until 2017. Unless he’s released, the reality remains that he’s powerless…and homeless. He left his estate in the hands of his daughter, as it was probably the most responsible option he had. Despite the issues that Arnelle may or may not have, he went forward with the decision anyway. Now he’ll forever have to live with the consequences.

These years in prison should serve as a reflective period for OJ. It’s not money alone that completes our lives. Instead of living the high life and neglecting close family and friends in his earlier days, he should have been a staple in the lives of those that mattered. The fact that OJ could only rely on his possibly alcoholic daughter for his estate speaks volumes. Furthermore, OJ can only look in the mirror for his current woes. After dealing with the judicial system in 1994, he should have been on the straight and narrow. If he had been, none of this would be an issue, and no one would have to look after his estate.

Whether Arnelle will receive OJ’s pension for another five or twenty-nine years, we certainly hope she has more to show for it than vodka, shopping bags, and happy friends. If not, she needs to get a plan together for herself, as the money isn’t guaranteed forever. Instead of doubling down on so many liabilities, she needs to seriously invest her money in assets. Ownership is power. If she is vindictively spending away her father’s money, she must realize that she is equally screwing herself over in this dubious plan. Instead of sticking it to her father, she should seriously focus on bettering herself and moving forward in life.

You Answer: Does OJ have a right to be angry at his daughter?

*Image courtesy of NY Daily News.

It’s costly to act a fool. In Game’s case, it’s extremely costly to do so. Stemming from an incident that occurred in October 2005, a recent ruling by a North Carolina judge will be sure to bring the hip hop artist’s finances to his knees.

MTV reports the details:

On Tuesday, a North Carolina appeals court judge ruled that the Documentary MC pay $5 million in damages to five Greensboro police officers upholding a 2006 ruling, according to a report for local North Carolina affiliate My Fox 8.
The suit stems from an October 2005 incident, when Game was arrested at the Four Seasons Town Centre mall in North Carolina… When Game was asked to leave, he refused and was arrested soon after…

The rapper’s crew filmed the arrest and included an edited portion of it in a DVD titled “Stop Snitchin’, Stop Lyin’,” a documentary-style film Game co-produced. The five officers filed a defamation suit against the rapper in 2006. The suit accused Game and Bungalo Records Inc. (a second producer of the film) of libel and slander, claiming their identities were wrongfully used.

Now, the five arresting officers (Hien Nguyen, Matthew Brown, Ryan Childrey, Romaine Watkins and David Gregory) will receive $1 million each for compensatory damages. The officers are also seeking an additional $10 million in punitive damages, but the appeals court decided a new trial would be set for that particular ruling.

While the defamation suit’s award does seem excessive, anything goes in the court of law with great legal representation. Game has always gone out of his way to be rebellious. If he couldn’t resist the temptation to fill a prison jail or sit in court paying crazy legal fees, then he definitely went about it the right way. Otherwise, the Game could have easily avoided this mess if he had simply stayed out of trouble.

There’s nothing laudable about displaying fiendish behavior for the world to see either. He would have been better off moving on from the situation and learning to be less aggressive with the law. Instead, he had to undermine the officers involved and additionally profit from the clip featured in a documentary (centered around a horrible message to “stop snitchin”). Well, the police officers got the last laugh. That’s for sure.

There’s no way the Game has $5 million to pay for anything. With a stifled career and limited funds, we’re not sure what kind of arrangement will be made. This was the last thing he needed. As a celebrity, entrepreneur, or businessperson, it’s important to have legal counsel. Next time, have a lawyer on retainer for legal advice. They could have certainly steered him clear of the mess he put himself in. However, it’s not cool to be responsible. Hence, this big mess of a defamation suit.

Sometimes, it pays to be on your best behavior.

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*Image courtesy of Vibe.

Fabulous took a big “L” recently.

During the third weekend in February, Fabulous purchased a whopping 120 bottles of Rosé Moët for a friend’s birthday in a club in Atlanta. The estimated price tag was $45,000. Nevermind the fact that the money could be used to start a trust fund for his children, be put in an investment fund for himself, downright purchase a decent car, start a business, etc. And, what kind of friend warrants a $45,000 gift that’s not family?!

What the Hell does this mean exactly? Does this mean you’ll have to further outdo your future presents to this friend? Does this mean you’ll do the same for your other “boys” so that they don’t get jealous? What kind of birthday will you even have planned for yourself and family after this stunt?

These are the worst kinds of purchases that you could ever make. There’s nothing tangible gained from such a massive alcohol purchase. All you’re left with after buying all the champagne bottles is an empty wallet, a massive hangover, and great memories. The reality is that you can give yourself a hangover and great memories for less than $50.

It’s a possibility that the $45,000 price tag was embellished for PR’s sake. After all, he was a reported celebrity host at this particular club. So, we’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt that he didn’t pay full price for these bottles because if he paid $375 per bottle after being the host, then he’s the biggest fool on the planet. Even still, the grandiose bottle service is a colossal waste of money. He has no business to write these expenses off with, and he does not have the earning power to make purchases like this.

We expect to hear of Fabolous’ unpaid IRS taxes or foreclosed home within the upcoming year.

How Being Cool can Lead to Fool

What’s going on psychologically that we feel compelled to impress others to the point of financial destruction? The phenomenon to splurge on “our boys” or “friends” is getting out of hand. Affection and loyalty cannot be bought. If you’re the fool that goes all out for your friends, in their eyes, you will always be the guy or girl that “pays” for their good time. It must stop. There is nothing worse than spending your way to zero on your bank account balance for the sake of acknowledgement from friends.

Respect is free. Friendship is free. Sad to see that many people don’t have that memo. Don’t be one of them!

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Terrence Howard claims that his career has taken a nosedive. However, he wants to make it painstakingly clear that it has nothing to do with his situation. The blame lies with his ex-wife. She accuses him of allegedly being abusive towards her. Since that incident, TMZ reports that he hasn’t received any work.

It can be so easy to blame other people for the rough times in our lives. While there can be legitimate reasons, the excuses don’t work as much when you’re a grown adult. Just a year ago, Terrence had a thriving career. If the claims are true that work vanished after the abuse claims, then that’s nothing that can be solely blamed on another party.

We create our own circumstances. If Terrence is truly abusive, and this is not the first time he’s been accused of being an abuser either, then he has some serious issues within himself. There’s no way that those issues don’t project themselves around other people and in his professional career. We’ve heard heresay about him being a pain to work with. Perhaps he’s a miserable person to be around. Maybe people are tired of working with someone who is a pain in the you-know-what. As a black male with little ownership to anything, you have a much smaller margin to operate in and have way fewer bargaining chips.

Personal Flaws Can Leave You Broke

A rare but powerful lesson can be learned here, and that is personal setbacks can leak over into your professional life. For example, an abuser will have certain personality traits such as being impatient, temperamental, domineering, insecure, and blaming others constantly. Some of these traits will present themselves in business settings. So, what’s the issue here?  These demonstrated traits along with many other traits of weakness can cost you your salary, livelihood, and/or reputation.

Besides, the energy that you put out ultimately comes back around to you. It manifests itself in your social circle, your circumstances, and ultimately your bank account. In lamen terms, being an asshole could cost you everything. Furthermore, you’ll miss so many opportunities for personal and career growth as a result because of your negative energy.

No one is perfect, but there is such a thing as manageable flaws and destructive flaws. Destructive flaws must be addressed, or they’ll literally destruct your life. We all have weaknesses. They key is in acknowledging them and constantly working on them.

If Terrence had been smart, he would have walked away the moment things became unbearable in his personal relationships. The healing process would have been easier, and his reputation wouldn’t have suffered. Now, his career may be forever sidetracked. Our advice? Terrence should spend a few weeks or months in a remote resort and strengthen his spiritual and personal growth.

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*Image courtesy of Sister 2 Sister.

If you’re a luxury car dealership, and you aren’t extending VIP membership offerings to Birdman’s phone and e-mail, then you’re losing out on millions on a yearly basis. At this point, it’s very clear that Birdman likes to drop a million or more on rides annually. Why is it so? He notes in the video posted above that he just likes “new stuff”. So did MC Hammer, Damon Dash, Allen Iverson, Terrell Owens, Lil Kim, Scott Storch, and many, many more. However, ridiculous doesn’t even begin to describe what’s going on here.

Birdman’s frivolous spending has always brought out two opposing points of view. One side sees Birdman’s spending as a “new money” habit showcasing the fact that he’s not used to money. They believe the emphasis is on the wrong things. Another side sees Birdman’s spending as justifiable because he’s earned his way, his music label is currently successful, and he can’t “take the money with him to the grave”.

Honestly, if Birdman bought a fancy car every three to five years quietly and kept it moving, we’d have nothing more to say to him. Splurging a portion of your income for personal means is perfectly fine. Splurging to infinity is a perfect plan too if you’re hoping to have problems with the IRS, face bankruptcy in the next decade, have no retirement money, leave your kids nothing, and only want to focus on living the best life possible in a compacted couple of years with a “to Hell with the future” mindset.

The Problem

Here’s the problem, and it’s not just a Birdman problem. It’s a hardly wealthy problem, and it plagues the black community. We have our priorities completely upside down. Wealth to the hardly wealthy means the ability to buy shiny gadgets, clothes, and other materialistic, depreciable goods. Wealth to the wealthy elite means a growing bank account balance, investment funds, homes, business expansion, and keeping as much money in their pocket as possible. The hardly wealthy’s idea of wealth keeps money going OUT of their bank account. The wealthy elite’s idea of wealth keeps money GROWING.

Perhaps Birdman behind the scenes has all of the things the wealthy elite possess. However, we’re tired of the false wealth that these flashy videos perpetuate, as it leaves those that admire Birdman and other celebrities imitating the behaviors that they believe make them appear wealthy. Everyone in the club has a fancy smart phone. Everyone in the club has cute clothes on. However, only a few in the club own a home and land. Whether we admit it or not, we are influenced by the images we see in the media, and they are the kind that will leave us as slaves to the system of consumption.

The Psychology

The real question here is, could Birdman be happy if he didn’t have a dollar to his name? Could Birdman be happy in a Toyota? Could Birdman be happy without the jewelry? Could he be happy if he suddenly didn’t have an audience to flash his “wealth” to? If he must have new things every year, and he must have the videos of these transactions posted on YouTube every single time, it speaks to a bigger problem. You can’t spend away insecurity. You can’t spend away low self-esteem. Not everyone has to live modestly like Bill Gates, Steve Jobs (RIP), and Warren Buffett, but in our eyes, that is the ultimate symbol of wealth because these individuals don’t have to floss. They are (or were) comfortable, content, and busy solving problems to better the planet. Live life with a purpose. We should all be in pursuit of happiness, but it will never come in the form of a fat bank account and shiny new toys.

Terrell Owens is broke. Nothing new there. The newest angle to the ongoing story of T.O. is that he’s currently friendless. To us, that’s the most interesting thing to dive into here. Once your money dries up, the fake people stop associating with you. It’s a sad state of affairs to not have a couple of close friends in your corner in the midst of a dark time in your life. There’s the saying “choose your friends wisely”.  T.O. never got the message.

The former NFL star referred to his current life as “hell”, as reported by News One. He blames his situation on debt, baby mamas, and backstabbing friends. He alludes in the article that he has little responsibility for his current situation. It simply rests at the feet of bad investments in real estate and evil, gold-digging baby mamas, whom he had no long-term relationships with.

It just doesn’t work like that, Terrell. Sometimes, we have to look within.

Lesson 1: Like attracts like. The easiest shortcut to decipher a person is to look around at the company they keep. Terrell kept shallow, hardly wealthy people around him because he too carries a poverty mindset and is vain. There’s no one to blame for overlooking women who were successful and on his level financially. There’s no one to blame for his choice in women who mostly saw dollar signs and took advantage of the generous child support checks that they knew would be coming. There’s no one to blame for his not using protection. There’s no one to blame for choosing friends that bled you dry. You should have allocated your money for yourself, parents, children, and spouse. You should have remodeled your social circle once you escalated into a lucrative career. Your social circle should reflect your identity or that of which you aspire to be.

Lesson 2: Take Responsibility for Your Investments

Real estate hasn’t been the hot investment for a minute. We’ll assume that T.O. held these properties well before the subprime crisis hit. Either way, it is never wise to double down on multiple investments when the following is true: A) You don’t know anything about the sector B) You won’t be 100% involved in the investment. C) You don’t have a contingency plan in place on how and when you will make your money back and how you will respond if you do not. From the sounds of it, T.O. had invested in several properties. Bad, bad decision since he clearly knew too little about real estate to dive in like he did. Too many assume real estate is the de facto way to invest money. It’s actually the de facto way to lose money. It’s a serious investment with a steep learning curve. If one is going to invest in real estate, they absolutely must personally study the trade. It is NEVER acceptable to hand this responsibility off to anyone else. However, we’re willing to bet that this was just partially where his money went.

Lesson 3: Contentment

It sounds so simple, but it’s the one thing every human being wrestles with their entire lives. Contentment doesn’t have a price on it. It can’t be achieved through monetary means. Terrell Owens earned an estimated $80 million during his NFL career. If T.O. had simply spent $1 million annually or less in personal and investment expenses, he would have had enough and more to live on, should he live for another 50 years. We always show concern when we see celebs who spend more than $1 million a year, as they already have a fairly brief career. Not many will be fortunate enough to earn anywhere near $80 million in their lifetime. The 99% lives comfortably off of $250,000 a year or less. There are families in the world that live of $365 a year and manage to find happiness. The power of contentment is finding happiness in having less or nothing. If a man has to blow through $80 million in a decades time, he’s lacking something serious. Time to discover yourself, or you’ll blow through everything you ever encounter throughout your life. However, there’s hope as News One reveals the following:

T.O. has landed a gig as a player and part owner of the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League, which is based in Allen, Texas.  While it isn’t the fame and fortune that he is used to, it’s still a paycheck, so things may in fact be looking up for Owens after all.

T.O. must learn these three lessons if he’s ever going to get out of the “Hell” he’s living in. It’s shortsighted to blame your problems on everything and everyone but yourself, as you create your financial outcome and choose your friends. We create our own destiny. Remember that, and you’ll never find yourself in the situation Terrell is facing.

Kobe will certainly earn himself a spot in the NBA Hall-of-Fame, but it looks like he will soon be a member of another prestigious group holding esteemed individuals like Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods, Bob Johnson, and countless others. The only problem is that it’s a club for men who have lost significant assets to their ex-wives due to their scandalous behaviors. The plans had been set in motion earlier this month, yet news broke late on December 15th that Vanessa Bryant had filed for divorce. The Ibtimes reports, “sources told TMZ that Vanessa Bryant has decided to end the marriage because she believes Kobe Bryant has been unfaithful again.” The fact that the couple had been together for about 10 1/2 years in a No-Fault state like California without a pre-nup has the internet buzzing that Kobe could stand to lose half of his assets with this divorce.

Kobe should have taken a few notes from Tiger Woods’ messy situation. For an individual that took so much pride in carrying the “All Around Family Man” title, you would think he would have gotten his act together after the rape charge incident. To atone for his bad behaviors, he even ponied up a whopping $4 million dollar apology ring in hopes of keeping Vanessa after that debacle. At that point, Kobe should have understood that the behavior of cheating was costly to his brand and costly to his fortune. Apparently, that just wasn’t the case.

The only purpose of bringing up his behavior on here is to make a certain lesson clear: with every action, there are consequences. When you’re in a good place in your life, you have to protect that position with responsible behaviors in every aspect from financially to emotionally. In a super competitive vertical like professional basketball, there are so many competitors that could take your place at any given moment. The guilt and shame alone will hinder your performance in work and damage your professional relationships. Whatever it may be in life that you are going through, you must face it. If you want an aura of honesty and positivity in your life, you too must uphold it.

Cheating absolutely never works out well in any way, especially amongst wealthy men married to women of modest families. If Kobe’s marriage wasn’t working and felt that he could no longer be committed to his wife, he should have taken an ethical action. In this case, he knew what was coming since he took the low road. While there will be many legal things to settle, one thing will be for sure: Kobe, get out your checkbook.

The Occupy Movement has garnered a reaction from almost everyone around the world. Hippies and the like grabbed a few necessities and headed on down to their local parks to have their voices heard. The one percent and Fox News simply roll their eyes and claim there’s no validity to the movement. There’s the in between that aren’t quite sure where they should stand. There’s the indifferent. Then there are the supporters of either the ninety-nine percent or the one percent. If you’re Jay Z, however, you grab a Rockawear t-shirt that reads “Occupy All Streets” and slap a $22 price tag on it, where the proceeds will in no way benefit the movement that it references. Brilliance? Maybe not so much!

Jay Z should have conducted a simple research study or sought out a focus group before executing on this idea. It was simply in poor taste. After the Tea Party opportunity passed him by, he must have decided that he wouldn’t let another chance to ride the fame off of a movement pass him by. He was obviously, “watching the throne”, his own throne that is. Who references a movement yet donates zero proceeds to the cause or an Occupy-Movement-approved cause?

Unexpectedly for Jay Z, the “Occupy All Streets” t-shirts didn’t go over so well. It generated tons of publicity, but it wasn’t flattering to say the least. So, the t-shirts quickly went off sale on the Rockawear website. Hopefully, a lesson was learned: useless products for profit spinning off of meaningful non-profit ideas yield ninety-nine problems.

Hopefully, people won’t get too caught up in attacking Jay Z too much. While he is a very wealthy man and an opportunist, he isn’t the biggest of our problems. We have bigger individuals to hold accountable over the following: wars for profit, corporations with record profits doing massive layoffs, corporations deep in our Congress, corporate lobbying, and banks being bailed out by us. One of the commenters, Stan Chaz (contact us if you would like us to remove your comment!), on the Wall Street Journal put it best:

“Some people worry about t-shirts. I am concerned about what has happened to this country that I love so much. America USED to work. The people had work. The system worked. Hey, EVEN the Congress used to work (sometimes). God knows, it was far, far, far from perfect -but at least we all had some share in the struggles AND the rewards. But somewhere along the way, we lost our way. Because now we have an economy and a political system that seems to work only for the rich. What they call “trickle down economics”….leaves most of us out in the cold cold rain. We need to get back to what America was, and what it should be, and what it can be. Occupy Wall Street is no longer just a place called Zuccotti Park – Zuccotti Park is everywhere. You can beat us and arrest us and tear-gas us, you can try to “permit” us to death….but you can’t kill an idea. You can’t keep down a people’s hopes and dreams for a better life…..a life with dignity and freedom….for us, and for our kids. More power to Occupy Wall Street, as it spreads to every town and city – because OWS is us, and for us, and by us. It comes up from the grassroots, and it lifts us up in turn. With OWS America has found it’s voice, and that voice demands fairness and justice -for ALL. This land IS our land! AND WE WANT IT BACK! We want our LIVES back! We want our FUTURE back! But it’s more than just words…. it’s more than just politics…. it’s your LIFE, and how you want to live it. So why not take some time, find a quiet place somewhere, and consider this: Each of us has only one brief life….one chance….one roll of the dice….and many choices. It’s time to choose….to risk…and to act. If not now…then when? If not you, then….who? You DO have the power my friend….and the choice is yours. Don’t let your dreams die.”

Perhaps what we take away from this is that we should just make our own t-shirts at home!