Special Invitation to the The Millionaire Conference

This week I received a "special invitation" in the mail to attend "The Millionaire Conference". I was personally invited as a VIP guest to be trained by 5 of the wealthiest self-made multi-millionaires in America. I received two complimentary VIP tickets with a "$149 value". (more…)

Improving Your Relationship With Money

For many of us, our relationship with money gets less positive personal attention and focus than any other relationships we have. This is especially strange when you consider how much worry, frustration, and stress arises from our relationship to money, how often it dictates our degree of emotional well-being, and how direct its impact is on every other relationship in our lives. (more…)

Spending Money: Needs vs. Wants

Let’s face it: Most people spend way too much money on things they don’t really need. The more money we make, the more we tend to spend. This endless cycle of materialism has led many people to confuse the word “need” with the word “want.” As in, “we need a big-screen TV for our new home theater.” Or, “I need a new pair of shoes to go with my new outfit.” (more…)

Abundance vs. Scarcity

Three premises of scarcity thinking are: "there isn’t enough", 'more is better", and "that’s just the way it is." We start to learn the Theory of Scarcity very early in life. There are only five slots open for the junior high cheerleading squad or for the starting lineup on the basketball team. This type of thinking is reinforced over and over again throughout life. One of the great problems of scarcity thinking is that many if not most people really don’t know of any other way to think about...

Affluent Baby Boomers Ready To Retire With No Retirement Plan

Almost half of affluent baby boomers have never discussed their needs for retirement with a financial advisor. The estimated 10.5 million baby boomers moving towards retirement comprise 45 percent of all affluent households. (more…)

Women Millionaire Decision-Makers

While relatively small in number, wealthy women who are the primary financial decision-maker in their household have some distinctive attitudes towards investing, retirement, and their lifestyle that sets them apart from their male decision-maker counterparts. (more…)

How gas prices affect your wallet and your behavior

The price of gas has doubled over the past three years, hovering around $3 a gallon nationally. Research was recently conducted to determine how increased gas prices have affected personal finance, as well as behavior at work. More than 300 employees across a wide range of occupations were surveyed in the study. Findings from the study indicated that most people have had to make drastic changes in the way they spend money. For example: (more…)

6 Ideas for your Mid-Year Financial Checkup

1) Maximize retirement plan deferrals. Deferrals to your employer’s retirement plan reduce current federal income tax liability and enhance your retirement savings. If your employer offers a match, don’t pass up this benefit. The 2006 basic limit is $15,000 ($20,000 if you are age 50 or older). (more…)

When dealing with personal finance, it is important to remind yourself from time to time that our most valuable assets are things that cannot be bought. Family and friends would certainly apply to this category. So would your health, time, and knowledge. It would be impossible to put a price tag on any of the above. So let's step back from discussion about saving, investing, and accumulating money, and let's talk about how we spend our money. When it comes to spending your dollars wisely, som...

Tips To Avoid Getting Into Debt

There are countless blogs, articles, tips, and books about how to get out of debt. The best way to avoid never-ending pressure from creditors to repay overdue bills is to not let the bills become overdue in the first place -- or better yet, to avoid getting into debt at all. You should be taking preventative steps to avoid debt. Pay with cash whenever possible. Stay within your spending limits. Avoid impulse purchases. Avoid "buy now, pay later", "interest-free financing"...

Money 101