The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.

That’s something my father taught me years ago. I’ve never felt the need to be first. Just be the smartest.

Which is not a common approach here in Hawthorn Woods, where you have a lot of people used to winning. It got particularly difficult during my divorce, when it seemed the walls were crashing in and I wasn’t sure where I’d find money for the heating bill a few times. Things were tied up in court for months and while I knew everything was going my way in the long run, I found myself literally looking for money for food.

So I talked to my sister who has gone through her own challenges. She said one of my most usable assets is my car – my Mercedes – which I could use for a car title loan. I thought she was crazy at first because no way was I going to go to a scary store where you talk to someone through bulletproof windows. She laughed and told me about online car title loans, specifically at Hawthorn Woods Title Loans, where you do everything from your personal computer. Perfect – I filled out the forms and got my money the next day.

Just two months later I had full title on my house, a monthly alimony check and that title loan was paid off quite easily. It was a terrific bridge loan.

By the way Hawthorne Woods is near Lake Zurich, Barrington, Wauconda, Mundelein, and North Barrington.