Happy and prosperous 2010 to all of you

Jobless claims fall to lowest level since July ’08 http://ow.ly/RmTj

There were over 16 million victims of identity theft in 2009. 30 new victims every minute! http://ow.ly/P2eN

Discover how to improve your credit score now http://ping.fm/MbbIF

Declaring War Against Temptation

The recent worldwide financial crisis has made me reflect about how we manage our financial resources and the reason why we find ourselves in such precarious situations. One of the aspects that most of the people struggle with when they establish a savings/investment plan is temptation. I am not talking about those who saved, created reserves and due to unfortunate situations their savings have

Improve Your Credit Score The Smart Way

Having a good credit score is very important in today's society. It is something that many people should have and it is also something that people today would consider to be worthy to be doing just about anything to have a good credit score. By having a good credit score, applying for loans and unsecured credit cards is much easier.If you already have a good credit score, you will want to boost

How To Improve Your Credit Score One Day At A Time

There are many misconceptions about credit scores out there. There are customers who believe that they don’t have a credit score and many customers who think that their credit scores just don’t really matter. These sorts of misconceptions can hurt your chances at some jobs, at good interest rates, and even your chances of getting some apartments or investing in real estate.Every time you apply

Teaching Teens About Money Management

Most of the times parents complain about their teenagers and their expenditure habits. As “difficult” it may seem to you, it is important to teach them early about money and money management. Having a constant allowance, source of income and their savings account can teach them about the importance of savings, how to manage their resources, and to make financial decisions about their expenditures

Accomplish Your Goals

Have you ever wondered why some people make dramatic changes in their family, community, and/or business by their achievements? Why some people never take off, they never get passed the dreaming stage?I think all of us have the ability to have great ideas, to have big dreams. However, many of us fall victim to fear or lack of confidence which freezes us in the accomplishments of our dreams. The

Dreams the Beginning of Reality

"If the why is strong enough, the how becomes easy." - Jim RohnWhat do you want from life? Do you know, or do you just drift from day to day without any particular aims or sense of direction? It might even be that you feel defeated, or stuck in a rut from which there seems to be no escape. This is a sad turn of events in our life. Instead of experiencing exciting adventures in self

The Perfect Business

Today I would like to share with you a video of Robert Kiyosaki, entrepreneour and self-made millionaire. His Cashflow Quadrant message had a profound impact on my thinking of money and people. As you will see on this video there are many ways to earn income and build wealth. I would like to review one in particular Network Marketing. I know what you are thinking right now, SCAM!. Well, Network

What the Heck Is WRONG with Selling?

I don’t know about you, but I have no tolerance for those who try to outsmart the public – just so they look good while everyone else is, in their view, branded awful. It really, REALLY gets on my nerves. I recently put out a media release questioning what – in my view – is the massively misleading information being aired on some TV shows. Avoid Sales People?Have you

Are Rebates Worth Your Time?

Rebates have become increasingly popular in the last few years on a lot of items and certainly on electronic items and computers. Rebates of $20, $50 or $100 are not uncommon. I’ve even seen items advertised as “free after rebate”. Do these rebates come under the heading of “too good to be true”? Some of them do and there are “catches” to watch out for but if you are careful, rebates can help you

Whoa! GM Stock Has Vanished, Too?

Imagine it's June 1, 1999 and you happen to be sitting in on one of our seminars, listening to our webinar, or reading this blog and we tell you NOT to invest your serious cash directly in the stock market. The stock market is rolling and all you have to do is just pick a stock or mutual fund and you are on your way to your "dream retirement."On that particular day General Motors (GM) and General

Suze Orman Now Says What???

If you pay any attention to the financial gurus teaching about investing in the stock market so you can “live your dream retirement,” you should be able to recite this mantra or something like it: Invest in the stock market for the long term, and you’ll come out great. Generally, long-term is defined by these advisors as 10 or more years.Of course, the recent turn of events has decimated the

The Miracle of Compunding

The greatest minds in the world have marveled over the simple and yet extraordinary concept the power of compounding. Einstein called it “the greatest mathematical discovery of all times” and the “eight wonder of the world”. There is a good reason for such an importance to something so simple. See many fortunes have been built on this simple concept.For example, Ben Franklin used the power of

Looky There - Obama Proposes New Insurance Tax to Fund Health Care Initiatives

On Monday, May 11, President Obama’s administration outlined eight new tax proposals.Don’t worry – I’m not going to list them all here. You can read the details and technicalities elsewhere, like the LA Times, Bloomberg News, The Wall Street Journal – or you can just Google it.Now, please don’t get confused. This is an entirely new proposal from the one issued Monday, May 4 – what is it with

Tips to Help You Remember to Get Things Done

Tips to Help You Remember and Stay OrganizedStaying organized is a critical aspect of our lives. One of the challenges many encountered is how to remember the tasks we have set ourselves to accomplish today. All effective planning system must have a reminder system. If you don’t develop a system of reminders you won’t accomplish your goals and the results are frustration, lower self-esteem, and

As the thought, so the mind.

In order to fulfill your set goals and your dreams, it is necessary to practice thought patterns geared toward wealth building and success. The habitual inclination of our thought patterns is ultimately the deciding factor, which determines our abilities, talents and our personal characteristics. Based on this critical and vital piece of knowledge, one assumes that those lucky few have been born

Converting to a Roth IRA Right Now is a Very BAD Idea

Financial "experts" are bombarding the American public with advice about how to salvage their depreciating wealth - courtesy of the stock market's freefall. One very popular - but TOXIC - piece of advice is that now is a great time to convert qualified funds (pre-tax dollar accounts) to Roth IRAs.Just so we are on the same page, this is NOT a discussion about Roth conversions, in general - we'll

How to choose the right goals to focus on

Today I want to address an question that many times we are asked, How to choose the right goals to focus on? Sometimes setting goals alone is not the only problem that you must face. Sometimes, choosing the right goals to begin with is harder. Basically, you can choose to work any goal that you feel is necessary for your health, stability and happiness.Goal setting is nothing more than a formal

White House to Target Tax Loopholes: Are YOU Affected?

The Obama administration announced last Monday that it intends to close supposed tax loopholes currently being utilized by companies and individuals alike. OK, to prevent you from wondering, yes. This is not a political blog. However, this proposal may have a direct impact on your financial future, if you live and accumulate your retirement wealth in the United

Formula to Success

What you think and how you then act is the deciding factor that will help you discover the goal of success. These two attributes are important together with a set of consistent principles, which you follow through. Thoughts based on reason are a powerful catalyst to start any reaction, and once you set off, you will soon realize that courage is the simple virtue needed for a human being to

Remember Stewart vs. Cramer? Someone Was Left Out

Whoa! On the March 12, 2009, episode of "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart - for lack of a better word - hammered Jim Cramer of CNBC's "Mad Money." My regular readers can probably guess my reaction. For those of you with short memories (or who somehow missed the brouhaha), this statement sums up Stewart's entire point:"I understand that you want to make financeentertaining, but it's not a ... game."I

FEAR VS. SUCCESS

“Nothing is more despicable than respect based on fear.” Albert Camus“Fear is not the natural state of civilized people.” Aung San Suu KyiFear is defined in Webster’s dictionary as, "an unpleasant, sometimes strong emotion caused by an anticipation or awareness of danger". Professionals in the field of human emotions and therapy define fear as a “strong emotion caused by the anticipation of loss”

The “Paper Loss” Garbage

Majority of those who have investments in the stock market are freaking out – and rightly so. They are looking for answers as well as ways to halt further evaporation of their savings. In 2008, all the major stock market measures (S&P 500, DOW and NASDAQ) plunged well over 30 percent.


To bring this point home, a hypothetical nest egg valued at $500,000 on January 1, 2008 would have had a

Develop an action plan for dealing with your credit score

Once you have your credit report and your credit score, you will be able to tell where you stand and where many of your problems lie. If you have a poor score, try to see in your credit report what could be causing the problem:-Do you have too much debt? -Too many unpaid bills? -Have you recently faced a major financial upset such as a bankruptcy? -Have you simply not had credit long enough

Understand Where Credit Scores Come From

If you are going to improve your credit score, then logic has it that you must understand what your credit score is and how it works. Without this information, you won’t be able to very effectively improve your score because you won’t understand how the things you do in daily life affect your score. If you don’t understand how your credit score works, you will also be at the mercy of any

Will You – REALLY- Need Lower Income in Retirement?

There is this completely bizarre idea that one year you are working - looking for ways to beef up your income - and the next you can comfortably survive on a much lower income. Simply, because you are in retirement.What The Experts Say Some so-called financial experts say you need 70 percent of pre-retirement income after retiring, while others claim its 80 percent, 85 percent or 90 percent.Then,

Building Courage for a Better Life

When we develop the habit of courage and unbreakable self-confidence , your whole life changes for the better. Building courage will help you take risks to a better life that you ordinarily would not take. You open doors to a new world of possibilities. When you build courage, you put fear behind you. Courage is the process of admitting that you have fears, yet you are willing to find a way to

Investment Losses Can Lower Your Tax Bill (?)

Investors who are not disturbed by this title should – seriously - check their investment IQs. If you have investments in the stock market my guess is, they are in hell at the moment. It would be the biggest understatement to mention that 2008 was a horrific year – with the DOW, NASDAQ and S&P 500 Index each plunging well over 30 percent.Investing directly in the stock market - in my opinion - is

Buried in Tasks

Have you been spending too much time on administrative tasks? Not enough time generating new business? Has your personal/family life been reduced to a few hours on the weekend? Does your to-do-list includes hundreds of tasks and many of them don’t seem to accomplish your goals? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to read further. You cannot let the tasks rule your life, it is

Be Organized, And Achieve Your Goals!

Being forgetful or disorganized is not a good sign of leading a healthy mind and a successful life. The misplacement of files, documents, even where you left your keys this morning will prevent you from achieving your goals. How much time do you think the average American wastes looking for a misplaced paper? There are reports that state that approximately 150 hours are wasted a year looking for

Numbers Don’t Lie, They Just Muddle

I see a bunch of confusing, twisted numbers in hundreds (if not thousands) of colorful, convincing 401(k), 403(b), IRA and TSA brochures – and on some websites. These sources usually portray – and wrongfully profess - that all things being equal using pre-tax contributions and deferring taxes will result in a bigger nest egg. Therefore, those who use such accounts will end up with higher net

Negative Thinking One of the Causes Of Under Achievement

It may be no surprise to hear that negative thinking is one of the reasons for under achievement. Your life is built on your self image and that image will depend on what you tell yourself. When you choose (and you do choose) to engage in negative thinking you are deciding to believe in your inability rather than your possibility. But it’s not just you! There will be plenty of people in your life

Tax-Deferred is NOT Tax-Free!!!

It seems - to me - that a very tiny percentage of financial “gurus” understand the difference between tax-deferred and tax-free. Why? Check out my last post. If you are - sort of - crazy about qualified retirement plans (401(k)s/IRAs), the facts about to be revealed might disturb you. I am pretty sure you’ve heard this standard advice given at every single 401(k) meeting, by conventional

Avoiding Impulse Spending

Answer these questions truthfully:1.) Does your spouse or partner complain that you spend too much money?2.) Are you surprised each month when your credit card bill arrives at how much more you charged than you thought you had?3.) Do you have more shoes and clothes in your closet than you could ever possibly wear?4.) Do you own every new gadget before it

Are IRAs & 401(k)s GOLDEN?

I have searched, and searched, and searched again. The best justification by proponents of the mantra - that qualified plans like, IRAs and 401(k)s are OUTSTANDING for retirement is - you get a tax break upfront and your money gets to compound on a tax deferred basis. They claim that DEFERRING taxes until retirement is advantageous because those nest eggs will likely be taxed at lower rates – Who

The Key to a Better Life

Time management is basically about being focused. The Pareto Principle also known as the '80:20 Rule' states that 80% of efforts that are not time managed or unfocused generates only 20% of the desired output. However, 80% of the desired output can be generated using only 20% of a well time managed effort. Although the ratio '80:20' is only arbitrary, it is used to put emphasis on how much is

Good Investment Advice: Only For The Rich?

If you think good investment advice is only for the rich, you're not alone. Nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of investing Americans believe that those with more money are able to get better financial advice than those with less money. Further, more than a quarter (26 percent) state that it takes at least $100,000 to get top-quality financial advice. This is according to a new survey by the

What Percentage should You Dump into a 401(k) or NOT?

My common-sense view is that if a retirement savings vehicle is good, it is good, PERIOD! It doesn’t become good simply because of some DISCRETIONARY matching by an employer. So, the entire buzz about 401(k) plans being “awesome” – due to matching employer contributions - is frankly nonsense. What if the matching stops? My guess is they suddenly become atrocious.I am startled by the fact that, an

3 Reasons Why Sales Professionals Need A Life Coach

No matter how well you’re doing in your sales career, I guarantee that a life coach can help you rise to an even greater level of success – a life coach could probably even double your income this year alone. That may sound like a bold statement, but I’ve seen results exactly that dramatic time and time again. So, if you’ve never heard of a life coach, or are familiar with the concept but aren’t

10 Ways To Reduce Tax Burden For Your Small Business

Everyone worries about taxes and looks for ways and means of reducing the tax burden. When you have a small business of your own you must up date your knowledge of tax laws that pertain to “small businesses.” As a business owner you must understand clearly about accounting systems and tax planning. Sit down with your accountant and plan on ways of maintaining business expenses, filing receipts,

Do You Really Need to Buy A New Car?

I have notice that keep on changing new car has become a trend of today’s life in city. People keep on switching to new car for no reason. It seems like car has become a way for people to express and show their status. Every year there are so many new car models coming up. So they keep on changing the car whenever they saw some new models that they like.I had even heard people saying this: ‘Since

What makes successful people successful?

We would all love to be able to walk down to the local supermarket and pick up a bottle of success. But let’s look past that fantasy and find out one of the most basic reasons why people become successful.Right now, think of someone that you know personally who is successful. Can you see their face in your mind? Good. Now ask yourself this question, “Does this person have a successful routine or

Should You Contribute To A 401(k) Plan BECAUSE Of Matching Employer Contributions?

The conventional “golden rule” seems to be:You should contribute to a 401(k) (or whatever) program your employer offers, if your contributions are matched. In other words, the test to determine whether you should contribute (or not) is if your contributions are matched.This may come as a surprise; but that notion is one of the greatest financial myths of our time. Don’t get me wrong, matching

What have you got to lose by reading one more self improvement article?

There are a variety of self improvement articles available nowadays. You may be thinking that this is one of those, obviously. What have you got to lose by reading one more self improvement article?When you came the 40-year stage in your life, you will suddenly realize many things. You get to ask yourself questions. How will it be when I get to the end of my life? How do I feel about the life I

Develop a Success Attitude

One of the most common causes of failure is the habit of quitting when one is overtaken by temporary failure. If you are making the mistake of reading the newspapers or watching the news you are probably being bombarded by all of the negative news about the economy, instead of focusing on the opportunities available.Here are a couple of suggestions and/or insights on how to keep a winner’s

If something you’ve always thought to be true, turned out not to be true; when would you like to know?

I ask this question because most of what majority of the American public have come to believe as financial truths are actually MYTHS.


FACT or MYTH?
1) Qualified plans like 401(k)s and IRAs always provide the most attractive retirement benefits.


2) The test to determine whether you should participate in your employer’s sponsored retirement plan is if your contributions are matched.



3) In

What is Identity Theft and How to Prevent it?

Identity theft is when someone steals your identity and uses it for personal gain. Generally someone will use your name and social security number to open a bank account, take out personal loans, or credit cards. Identity theft ranges from what we most hear about, which is when someone steals our credit card information or “credit cars fraud” to true identity which is when the thief succeeds in

The Most Overlooked Deductions

If you are like millions of Americans who throws all of their receipts, credit card and bank statements into a box and run to their tax preparers in the hope that they will be able to go through ALL your stuff and absorb all the information through osmosis, then you are likely to overlook hundreds of dollars in tax deductions when the time comes to prepare your tax returns. You cannot blame them,

First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit – What Does It Mean For You?

There has been some confusion lately with the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. This has been caused by the fact that there are two tax credits that has been enacted in less than a year. Here I will give you a quick summary of both.The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008· Authorizes a $7,500 tax credit for qualified first-time home buyers purchasing homes on or after April 9, 2008

Does Money Provide TRUE Happiness?

I am a believer in a concept pioneered by Lee Brower of Empowered Wealth, LC called “True Wealth.” Lee teaches that there are 3 fascinating but little known facts: In life, there’s “True Wealth” and “False Wealth”False Wealth is seductive but has no real or lasting power.True Wealth is one of the greatest powers on earth when harnessed and employed correctly. Having said that let me share with

Face Your Fear

Many times we are terrified to take certain action in our lives. Literally paralyzed by our fears. For example, some of us are afraid of speaking in public. You may know what I am talking about. The moment comes for you to make a presentation and you start to sweat, your voice to tremble, your knees to shake. Have you ever been there? I have. However, many years ago I made a decision that changed

The Importance of Family Budget

Many times people complain about being in debt or not knowing where their hard earned money went. When they are asked about their budget, how much they owe, which expenses they can cut, they just stare at you as if you were talking to them in a foreign language. What is truly amazing is when they refuse to invest in a family budget and expect to get out of debt and/or build financial wealth.I am

Emotional Financial Decisions Invite Trouble

Experts recommend that we avoid shopping without a list. The reason? Our emotions take over and we shop on impulse. The result? We are likely to return with a bunch of stuff we did not really need. Do you remember those instances you reacted based on your emotions and either regretted or wished you had handled the situation differently? And I bet that was after you calmed down. I’m pretty sure

How Do I Know If I am Eligible For Student Loan Debt Consolidation?

If you are a parent sending your child off to college or if you are a student going to college for the first time, you are probably cringe whenever you receive a tuition bill in the mail--or when you thinking about buying $1000 worth of textbooks for next semester. As the price of getting a college education rises in the United States, so does the demand for student loans and student debt

Who’s responsible for the housing crisis?

Just tune into talk radio, turn on your TV, or pick up a newspaper and you’ll likely hear and/or read the following statement regarding the current economic crisis: Wall Street is unethical! “They” got people to sign up for bad mortgages, which led to defaults and foreclosures. Now look: "They" have caused a recession.My personal experienceI remember vividly – as if it were yesterday – telling

Conventional Financial Planning is WRONG!

Or I guess, I should have said in my opinion before making that statement. That is how passionate I feel about the manner in which so-called financial “experts” have managed to convince the vast majority of the American public (and I can safely say about 95 percent) to believe myths. The end result - people are literally gambling their hard earned dollars on porous, revolving door financial