The Year 2000 Computer Problem Y2K INDEX of TOPICS: Overview Year 2K Compliance We will get it fixed in time, won't we? What's the Rush? Countdown to the Year 2000. CONSUMER PREPAREDNESS THOUGHTS Isn't anybody safe? I thought my computer company was a good one. Do you know a good lawyer? Where else can you look for help? Inside the CLUB 2000 site.

CONSUMER PREPAREDNESS THOUGHTS:
According to Newsweek, as of June 22, 1998, the US Treasury Department of the Government has only 39% of its systems Y2K compliant. One might want to be cautious about overpaying during the tax year 1999, in case there is a slow down in refund checks and tax returns during the first few months of the year 2000. On the other hand, you might want to make sure that you are current with your payments so as not to red-flag your return, since they may have a different technique for identifying audits in the year 2000, based upon numbers that stand out from the rest, or from previous years.

Some doomsday predictors suggest that consumers stock up on non-perishables, water, medicines and other basic necessities before the end of the year. This is in case some of the stores, banks, or supermarkets have problems with their scanners, electricity, cash registers, security, refrigeration units, or other unpredictable concerns as the New Year rolls in. (Another sure bet would be to stock up on Champagne now, since there is only a limited supply and it takes time to properly bottle Champagne, they can't just "make some more".)

Other things that might make sense to stock up on are batteries, candles, portable radios, blankets (hey, who knows!), flashlights and extra snacks (especially if you were planning on flying that day). You may want to recharge everything the night before (ie. cell phone, pagers, shavers, laptop computer, wireless modems etc.) and make sure your car has had a recent tune-up and you have plenty of gas. (It might not be a bad idea to make sure your bicycle is working and doesn't have a flat, in case you need to find alternate transportation routes.) Railroad switches are computer controlled, streetlights are computer controlled as are escalators and much more.

It might be wise to hold off elective surgery around the first of the year. Your Doctor may want to schedule it more appropriately (maybe after the fourth day into the year.) Make sure all the defibrillators, monitors and ventilators are working good (and people had time to walk off their hangovers!)

If you have an older PC or DOS based computer system that you were thinking of trading in for a newer model, you may wish to do so while it still has some value. In about 18 months, they will probably be used primarily for games and data retrieval only anyway. (See next section for details on that.) If you have older versions of programs, it might be advisable to start upgrading now and have less to upgrade in a year and a half.

Make sure you have good "hard copy" files for all you important financial records, including all stocks, bonds, mutual funds, savings and checking accounts, investments, wills, trusts, insurance information, banking accounts, credit card statements, payments, mortgages, annuities, loans, and any other information that might be affected by a date loss. Get "back-ups" of your accounting records and give them to your lawyer or accountant to store for reference. If you have back-ups that purge the older data to make room, this could be a problem with the older PC machines especially. (See next section for details.) You may want to stop by the local ATM and get enough cash for a couple weeks (or pop in to see your teller and grab a few traveler's checks while you are there.)

If you have investments in smaller banks in foreign countries, you may want to do a little investigating to make sure they are Y2K compliant by September of 1998, rather than waiting until it's too late. That is when the FDIC will begin cracking down on U.S. banks that haven't proven full compliance. Many banks that aren't in compliance may be forced to close. While they don't expect many banks to close, there may be some mergers and some that come close, since as of November 1997, small banks had only 5% of the problem solved according to the Gartner Group.

In addition to checking to make sure that your old computer will still be working in the year 2000 (see next section for info on that), you might want to test your VCR and other devices that have timers. These electronic devices are subject to the same problems, again, due to the microchips that are embedded in them.

THIS CONSUMER SECTION will be updated periodically as we get feedback from our viewers and our research, so be sure to check back!