December 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in Wealth Strategies |
For some people, getting personal finances in order is more grueling than wandering the desert for 40 years. But it doesn’t take a miracle. If you are looking for some basic guidelines, just follow these 10 commandments:
1. Thou Shalt Take Action
Reading about how to improve your personal finances is a start, but it has absolutely no meaning if you don’t take the action of putting what you learn into motion. Before you can get anywhere with your personal finances, you need to begin — right now. If you are reading this article, you know that you should be taking steps to get your personal finances in order.
Print out this list and place it where you will see it every day, so that you are reminded that personal finance is a priority in your life and that you will take some action each and every day to try to improve your lot. If you aren’t sure where to begin, start with getting your banking accounts in order.
2. Thou Shalt Pay Off All Credit Card Debt
Credit card debt is, in most cases, continue reading »
November 6th, 2008 -- Posted in Wealth Strategies |
In today’s world, nothing is certain. Decades ago, when you took a job it meant financial security for the rest of your life if you stayed with it. Employers valued skilled employees.
Not so today.
Employment, the sheer act of having a job, has become a disposable commodity. Employees never really know from day to day if their job will exist tomorrow. Uncertainty plagues the backs of minds all across the country, around the world. It’s unfortunate, but treating their employees right, and trying to hang on to the skilled and efficient, appears to be taking a back seat to profits. The catch phrase is "downsizing" which means nothing more then someone (or multiple someones) are about to lose their job.
So what can you do to protect yourself in a shaky world?
Hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands, of individuals and families are turning to the internet to find that one thing that will bring a steady paycheck and build into the business of their dreams. But choosing the proper "right thing" is the stumbling block of most.
We are told to play to our strengths and this is solid advice. However, there are also ways to tap into your until now unknown strengths and build them into a sound business venture.
The best advice, though, is to also take a look closer to home. If disaster should strike, are you financially prepared to take that hit – losing your job? Will you be able to sustain yourself and your family more than a week, a month, several months, or even years?
The answer for most of us is no.
Lucky for many, there are the online opportunities that combine both financial security with an incoming producing revenue. It’s discovering the right one, that fits your goals and your work ethic that is the challenge.
The person looking to make a quick buck, or get rich quick, is almost certainly, also the person who has not done a thing to protect himself or herself should the unemployment shoe drop. These individuals will make a bad situation worse.
My best advice is to think not just in the here and now, but down the road. Create stability for yourself online – where you have control. Build to become the master of your own fate, and explore only those potential businesses that will brighten your future.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Janet Giacoma provides home business direction and home business solutions to keep you on track and making money for years to come. Stop by The Abundant Alliance Blog and explore your potential!
September 23rd, 2008 -- Posted in Carbon Copy Pro, Home Business Ideas, Retirement, Wealth Strategies |
Think of it, a job you love and plenty of money….. what’s the old saying – "Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life?" Why then do so many of us stay in unfulfilling jobs? Especially now with so much unpredictable volatility around us. Possibly that’s why continue reading »
September 9th, 2008 -- Posted in Retirement, Wealth Strategies |
This article was provided by Wealth Masters International
If you think you can count on Social Security for anything resembling a comfortable retirement, think again.
Don’t just take my word for it. Here’s what the Social Security Administration itself claims :
* As of June 2008, the average monthly benefit paid to a retired worker was $1,084.47.
* In 2041, Social Security will only be able to pay 78% of scheduled benefits.
Put those two points together, and it means that in 2041, the average retiree can expect to receive the inflation-adjusted equivalent of $845.89 per month . That may be enough to squeak by on the most meager of lifestyles, but it’s also well below what a full-time minimum-wage job pays.
You deserve better!
By the time you reach retirement, you’ll have worked your whole adult life to get there. It’d be a shame to retire only to have to choose between taking your medicine or turning on your heater in the middle of winter.
But if you’re depending solely on Social Security to see you through your golden years, that’s precisely the type of choice you’ll have to make.
Unless you’re one of the vanishing few who can depend on a guaranteed pension for the rest of your life, you’re left with just one other source for your retirement income: You.
What you save over the remainder of your career will make the difference between a comfortable retirement and one filled with exceptionally tough choices.
Every little bit helps .
As long as you draw a paycheck, you have the opportunity to set some of it aside for your future needs. The more time you have, the more your money can grow for you.
Start by looking at the potential growth of $1,000 over time. Even if you’re a late starter, investing what you can as long as you can will make a significant difference.
When it comes time to spend your savings in retirement, the rule of thumb is that you can spend 4% of the starting value of your nest egg annually, adjusted for inflation, without running out of money. That same $1,000 saved and compounded over time turns into this much in monthly retirement spending:
A little bit saved over a long period of time can add substantially to the amount you can spend in your retirement. That’s a welcome supplement to (or replacement for) the ever-shakier payouts from Social Security.
You can do it!
How do you feel about those numbers? Leave a comment for us
Until next time, J
"Take control of your destiny or somone else will"