Posted by M.S. on June 8, 2009
There was a great personal finance article in today’s Wall Street Journal called “When I was Your Age“.
The article features prominent people recalling the best—and worst— financial advice they received as new college graduates.
I believe you can learn almost everything you want to know from people that have already done it successfully!
Included in the survey were David Bach, author of the best-selling FinishRich books, Paula Deen, restaurant owner, author and Food Network host, and Robert Kiyosaki, businessman and author of the best-selling “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” books.
David Bach told how he had learned the value of hard work and purchasing a home while in his 20’s. I agree wholeheartedly with what he said regarding how hard work and saving in your 20s and 30s can determine your future! Amen to that!
Ask all the broke 50 and 60 year old people if they regret not saving and investing when they were young, now that they are running out of time to build their wealth!
Paula Deen learned the value of heeding the advice to do what you love–which was cooking! Look at what a fabulous success she has made of that!
Mary L. Schapiro, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said her parents warned her about getting into debt. She listened to them on that point, but regrets not getting into the habit of saving right away. Her advice to grads is to fully understand the implications of debt and what it will take to repay the loan.
Probably my favorite is from Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of the Charles Schwab Foundation. She said the best advice she heard was to live frugally and save for a rainy day. She suggests living off 90% of your income and save the other 10%. I would aim for saving more than that!
Look at how compounding interest on your saved money grows over time so you get wealthy.
You will be SO glad you saved, when you are fishing, while your friends are still working!
Posted by M.S. on May 12, 2009
As we mentioned in the last post, I’m Drowning in Debt, What Do I do Now?, there are 2 components in the plan to eliminate debt. They are: spend less of what you currently earn and make more money.
Today,we will look at the expense side of things. Remember, this is about building an exciting future, not about dull budgeting and deprivation!
To keep you motivated, I highly recommend cutting pictures from magazines so you know what you are aiming for and to inspire you to stay on track when the going gets tough or you feel deprived.
Long ago, I cut out a picture of a beautiful home as a short term goal and a beautiful beach as a long term goal. The beach photo reminded me that I want to be able to sit on the sand some day and NOT work hard every day.
I decided to sacrifice spending now for financial freedom and life at the beach later! Now that you know what the goal is–you can determine how to get there!
Simply–Eliminate every expense you possibly can!
- Drive an inexpensive car Save with a Cheaper Car.
- Eat at home and bring your own food to work. Muffin Calculator
- Quit buying junk you do not need!
- If you need clothes, buy them on sale or at the thrift store or at a garage sale. I buy almost brand new clothing that way! Don’t knock it till you’ve tried it!
- Adjust the the thermostat to save energy costs.
- Cancel Cable TV.
- Do not smoke!
- Get your books and movies FREE from the library!
Cutting these expenses will give you cash to pay down your debt, so you can begin to save and invest.
If that sounds extreme or harsh–ask yourself these questions: Do I really want to be rich or don’t I?
Will spending on this item get me closer to being rich or keep me poor?
You get to decide!
Posted by M.S. on May 11, 2009
According to recent news reports, the average American family has credit card debt of over $8,000. You will NEVER get wealthy carrying this kind of debt, because your money is going to paying off your past rather than building your future! Let’s create a plan to get rid of it NOW.
Did you know that when you have this type of debt, the magic of compound interest is working against you, rather than for you? Face it, you are making the credit card companies rich–not yourself! That should the incentive to get moving on this!
Start to turn things around right now and gain some financial peace of mind.
First and most importantly, STOP using your credit cards now! Don’t make things any worse than they already are! The next step is to determine what money is coming in and what is going out each month. Where do you stand on both sides of that equation?
Let’s look at the income side of things. How much do you have coming in each month? Add up all salary and wages, child support and any other income you receive.
Then, determine what you have going out each month. Be honest! In order to see exactly what you owe, add up all credit card bills and the all bills paid through your checkbook. Once you you know exactly what is coming in and what is going out, you can develop a spending plan. If you find you are spending more than you have coming in, you are not alone! It is reported that over 40% of American families spend more than they earn each month!
Once you know exactly where you stand, you can focus on the 2 basic sources for the cash you need to pay off debt: spend less of what you currently earn or make more money. We’ll examine the ways to do both of those in Part 2.
