Two Long-Term Bucket Vehicles to Start With
There are two types of vehicles that you should be able to use right away to fill your Long-Term Bucket. 1) An Automatic 401K, 403B, or IRA account. 2) Your Mortgage Payment. First, the 401K or 403B account – if available to you – are the best way to get started with your Long-Term Bucket. Begin immediately putting 3% of your income into this account each payday. It’ll come out of your pay without you ever seeing it ...Your Financial Bucket List
In the page, “How To Build An Investment Portfolio”, we talked about creating a “Bucket List” for your financial goals. Specifically, you should group your financial goals into 3 Buckets, and then you’ll go about using these 3 Buckets to allocate your savings and investments. To review what these 3 Buckets are, here they are again: Divide your list of goals onto 3 lists – or Buckets. You should have a: Short-Term Bucket (things ...The Cost of Whistles – Living Successfully
I love reading old books and stories about early pioneers in business. I came across the following article in a little pocket-sized publication series from the 1940’s, titled “The Art of Living Successfully”. I believe that “There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know”, as Ambrose Bierce once said (click the link for some great quotes ...Getting A Raise, Part III
The previous article talked about a powerful and sure-fire technique for getting a raise. We talked about committing to spending time studying your industry and learning how to do your job better. But maybe you think the idea of studying your industry and coming up with ideas to improve your value won’t work because your job isn’t important enough. You sweep the floors, stock the shelves, answer the phones, etc., and those jobs ...Getting a Raise, Part II
If you are serious about making more money at work, I can tell you exactly how to do it – without fail. This method is so fool-proof, it’s almost unfair how well it works. And not only will it earn you a raise or promotion in no time at all, it will set you on a course toward something called “success”. What is this powerful technique? It is actually a two part technique, ...Getting a Raise, Part I
Hopefully, you took some time to answer those 3 questions in the article “Maybe You Just Need To Make More Money”. And I mean, REALLY answered them. Were you able to identify some strengths and weaknesses in your work habits from your boss’s (or customer’s) perspective? So now you’ve got some things you can work on to help you create more value. (And remember, you provide VALUE first and the reward ...Maybe You Just Need To Make More Money?
We’ve spent a lot of time talking about cutting expenses and using your money more wisely. In my experience and study of “money problems”, the consistent theme I’ve discovered is that financial struggle is rarely caused by lack of adequate income. The fact is, people are usually in debt or have poor credit because they don’t manage the money they do make wisely. So that’s why financial advice articles focus so heavily ...Can You Get Out Of Debt By Eating Better?
In other articles on this website, we’ve talked about the need to watch out for “Latte Factors” (A phrase coined by David Bach concerning the tendency of many people to “automatically” spend money everyday on something they don’t really need). The point Bach makes is that most financial troubles can be solved by making better spending decisions. In this article, we’ll look at another way to “automate” yourself to success. One common “Latte ...Need Cash? Try an “Income Blitz”
If you HAD to earn a bunch of money in a short amount of time, could you? Let’s say a friend, a family member, or maybe your pet had a life-threatening medical emergency and could only be saved if you were able to raise $2,000 in the next 30 days. Could you do it? Most people, if faced with that kind of emergency, would find a way to do this. You’d go to ...Latest Articles
Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early?
I often find myself in long conversations with my borrowers over the best way to pay off mortgages early. Do I recommend the “Bi-Weekly Payment” ...
Making Sense of the new Tax Credit Extension
Homebuyer Tax Credit Extension
Okay, I think I get it now and I’m ready to give you the scoop on the new tax credit extension. ...
Variable Rate vs. Fixed Rate
Choosing a Variable Rate is like Ordering a Pizza
“Should I pick an adjustable rate mortgage, like a 3/1 or 5/1 ARM, or go with ...
Washington Women Veterans Summit 2009
"Top 10 Ways to Get Out of Debt and Build Wealth" is the title of my workshop at the Women Veterans Summit this year. I’m ...
Know your Statutes of Limitations
“Can you just make a small payment as a show of good faith?” Have you been called by a collection agency trying to collect on ...