Every single day gives us a new morning. We’ve awakened to a day that is free from mistakes. It’s full of hours and hours of opportunity. Do we fill those hours with doing the same old thing that got us into the state that we’re in
today?
Or do we throw aside some of those old routines and choices and try to work for something a little better in our lives?
Today is a day where you can complete a project that’s been on your mind for a while.
Today is a day when you can learn something new. Today is a day when you can invest the time to build a stronger relationship with someone.
Today is a day when you can set up things to save you time and money later on.
Today is a day to master one real estate strategy and take action...Read More
As you know I enjoy studying the habits of financially successful people. This allows me to learn from their mistakes and introduce changes into my own life. I read an article about Carlos Slim Helu, one of the richest men in the world with an estimated net worth of $US67 billion. He lives in a modest house he has owned for 30 years and his bedroom is the size of a hotel room. We also know that Warren Buffett has lived in the same 5 bedroom house for 55 years.
These billionaires know one simple fact and live by it: every dollar you don’t spend on something foolish is a dollar you can instead spend on something worthwhile.
What’s something foolish? A food item at the store you don’t really need. A bigger house than you need, which drains property taxes and maintenance and utilities from your pocket. An entertainment item you don’t have time for. The list goes on and on... Read More
It has been a very difficult and stressful week. I was sick for 3 and was unable to put any logical thought into my writing. There have been many, many times over the past several years when I have felt completely overwhelmed by my work as a human resources professional, managing the Thornhill Wealth Forum, writing my book, investing in family and reaching true financial independence.
My big dream is to reach true financial independence.
By that, I mean that I have enough money socked away in relatively stable investments so that the income from those investments provides me with enough for my family to live on regardless of whether I’m actually earning income.
Why is that my goal? It’s not so that I can sit idle. It’s so that I have the freedom to take giant personal risks, like spending several months doing nothing but perfecting a novel or spending a bunch of time laying the groundwork
for a charity or making a real difference to the lives of a few people without having to worry about failure...Read More
Trying to be continuously motivated is tough. When you don't feel motivated it simply means that the thought of what you are intending to do is not compelling enough for you to move. From my experience this is because of one reason:
The thought of what you plan to do appears too vast in your mind, which creates the feeling which is the opposite to motivation – overwhelm.
What you are planning to do is not associated enough to a compelling outcome. This occurs frequently if the outcome you are working towards is too far into the future. For example, if you set a financial freedom goal of owning 10 real estate investments, do not plan to achieve your goal in 12 months. This is unrealistic, unless you win the lottery... Read More
I love my wife dearly and respect and value her opinions. But, I really, really don’t like arguing with my wife. Sometimes, though, we disagree about money, investments and financial planning. We see things differently and bring different experiences and thought processes to the table. She is an accountant and works with numbers every day. I work with people and love to manage money. We might be married, but we are two different people...Read More
Financial Freedom is inter- twined with passive income. It is difficult to be financially free without having some form of passive income.
So, what is passive income?
Here is my definition:
“Passive income is any income derived from an initial investment of time, money, effort, or ideas without additional input of time, money, effort, or ideas”
So, for example, the cash flow from a real estate investment is a source of passive income. A published book is a source of passive income. A retirement fund can be a source of passive income. Network marketing that involves ethical distribution of funds to all participants (not only to people at the top)can also be a source of
passive income... Read More
"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results".
I have mentioned the above definition of insanity to my kids so many times that they now finish my sentence. I use the phrase often because it stops me from making the same mistake over and over again and hopefully my kids will learn a life lesson.
How can someone expect to lose weight when they keep eating the same diet that caused them to gain weight?
How can someone expect to be rich when they stick to the same work routine and spending habits?
The statement is simply a call to change. If you want different results in your life, you’ve got to... Read More
A BMW with a payment prompts my pity rather than envy. However, if you have a paid-for home, I will likely sing your praises. This again speaks to personal priorities.
I think there is an assumption by people who don’t control their spending that those who do must not know how much fun it is to be them. What some spendthrifts fail to realize is that frugal people derive pleasure from different things. For example, Read More
It's a common dilemma: Should you put all your spare cash toward paying down debt, or build up your emergency savings-or a little of both?
It's a serious question now. If you lost your job, the average length of unemployment is about 33 weeks-or eight months. That means your emergency fund must be a priority.
But should it come first? Let's run some numbers.
Your monthly expenses: $4,000
Your debt: $5,000 on a card at 14% interest
You have: $500 to apply to debt, savings or both each month.
If you stashed $400 each month in your emergency fund, and made only the minimum payment on your card-that's $100, assuming a 2% minimum payment-it would take you more than six years to build up eight months' of expenses ($32,000).
And you'd still owe about $2700 on your card.
Now let's flip it. If you put $400 per month toward your card, and $100 toward savings, you'd be debt free in about 14 months-and you'd have a tidy $1,400 start to your emergency fund.
Now that's real savings, on every front.
Our economy probably needs us to shop irresponsibly again and “live beyond our means” in order to give the economy a boost. I never understand why North Americans are the only people where the average resident consumes more than their income.
Some people blame the educational system for not having personal finance classes, but there are ways to learn outside of school too! It’s not like my teacher taught me how to use the toilet. I don’t know about you, but I learned because:
- I had to (out of necessity) and was told about this fact
- It never occurred to me that there was an alternative
- I did it enough times so I could do it without thinking
Toilet Training (Personal Finance Style)
If you need to toilet train yourself again, here are some tips that expands from what I talked about above:
The Need to Save Money
In case you are lucky enough to not know the importance of saving money, let this post be the wake up call. You need to save for your own sake! Can you imagine what will happen if you lose your job and can’t find work for 6 months? How will you pay for your mortgage? Do you know what it’s like to live in your car? Do you know how cold it gets at night if you live off the streets?
Stop Getting Further Into Debt
It’s so strange that so many people just borrow, borrow and borrow. It didn’t matter where either, be it credit cards, home equity line of credit, RESP or others, people just keep taking out money they don’t have! I just don’t get it, but why does it seem like rocket science to buy something only if you have the means?
Do you really need that car, the TV, or even that new pair of shoes? What happened to what you already have?
Knowing What to Do with Money
Without getting into details, you know what to do when you need to go. Money is exactly the same way. Once it becomes second nature to save, you just do it. You don’t think, you don’t regret and you certainly don’t ask why you save.
Getting started is always harder though, so here are some common tips that always works:
Save up all the income you receive as soon as it gets into your bank accounts
Treat your savings like a high security vault that requires maximum clearance before you ever withdraw
And best of all, lay out a logical plan (if you want, consulting with someone else could work too) so you can just follow it.
At first, you might not be perfect but with practice, everyone can become an expert!
Hey, no one is toilet trained when they are born.
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