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Taking Risks

Often in life, we face decisions that involve some risk. Typically, we have to decide which path to follow, the safe one or the risky one. When the decision involves money, it can even get trickier. The reality of most decisions is that the risky one is the one that will lead you towards the path of success and advancement. Still, given the risky nature, it could also lead you to failure. Ask any wealthy, successful individuals, they will tell you, they had many failures before they reached success. If we sit back in life, always taking the safe road … Continue reading →

Should you Save for College or Retirement

If you have kids, then it is important to invest in a college savings plan. Every dollar you save when they are young, will greater your chances of paying for their education. In turn, you must also save for retirement. How do you balance out these two important long-range investments? Most financial planners will recommend you take care of your retirement first. The main reason being that at retirement you will no longer be making money and will definitely need the savings. Whereas, when your kids are in college, you will still have an income you can rely on to … Continue reading →

New Years Perspective on Money

Who doesn’t want more money? Speak up now… I would love to hear it! The strange thing about money is you tend to spend what you have. Even hardcore savers do the same thing. The more you make, the more you spend. The same also happens in reverse. It seems to almost be subconscious. There is a mindset about how many dollars sit in your bank account. If you feel poor, you tend to be more careful with your money habits. This is one of the reasons why having an automatic savings plan can deceive your mind into feeling poorer … Continue reading →

Only You

Only you truly care about your money. It is very important to keep that point in perspective. That salesman at the mall, the customer service representative at the bank, even your financial planner does not care about your money the way YOU do. This is a critical fact to remember. You are your own best money manager. Now, I know you may not believe me, but this is absolutely true. Only you can judge your true needs and goals. Only you know how much risk you can tolerate. Only you know what amount of savings and investments feels the most … Continue reading →

A Day of Thanks

It is always good to spend the day of Thanksgiving thinking about all that you have to be thankful for. Often the holiday gets lost in the turkey and gravy, but the best treasure is the observance of thanks. This holiday, take some time to really look at your financial security. Use this reflection to gain some pride over past accomplishments. Did you finally pay off one credit card balance this year? Buy your first home? Simply make it to your next paycheck? Whatever your successes are (big or small) take some time today to enjoy them and be thankful. … Continue reading →

Fighting Over Spending Habits

The second installment in this brief series in fighting over money is the other most common reason couples fight: spending habits. We all develop our own unique spending style and philosophy. Some fun loving individuals believe in the motto – you only live once – and therefore spend with that goal in mind. Others look further ahead to the future and all that money can provide them if they save and invest wisely. If these two types marry, then the setup is certain disaster. Most couples are not this extremely different, but everyone has some disagreements about spending. We are … Continue reading →

Dr. Suess Series: Yertle the Turtle and other stories

The immortal Yertle was first published by the equally immortal Dr. Seuss in 1950. Once upon a time, on the island of Sala-ma-Sond, lived a colony of turtles over which Yertle was the king. He reigned from a rock he called his throne, but he was beginning to get frustrated. A great king really ought to be able to see all he rules over, and from that lowly stone, he couldn’t see much at all. So he began piling turtles on top of each other to make him a higher throne. The higher he climbed, the more delighted he became. … Continue reading →

How Quick and Easy is TOO Quick and Easy?

I am all for quick and easy. In fact, we live in such a fast-paced world with so many technological improvements and advancements—we Westerners have come to expect that things will happen instantaneously. When it comes to our home businesses, however, we really need to work at balancing quick and easy with efficiency, thoroughness and complete customer service. It can be a difficult business reality to balance. We have to be able to compete and that often means a quick turnaround and ability to meet very steep deadlines. But, we also need to do quality work and make sure that … Continue reading →

Hosting A Virtual House Tour

What do you dread most about hosting an open house? Making sure that it is in pristine condition? Finding some where for the entire family to go during the showing? Or, the thought of having all those people traipsing in and out of your home with no serious intention of buying? If any of the aforementioned scenarios makes your stomach churn you may consider hosting an open house online. Hotels offer them, convention centers offer them, and now virtual Web tours are the hot new marketing tool being used by homeowners and realtors trying to sell various properties. Web tours … Continue reading →

Plan Next Year’s Garden Now

The fall is a great time to begin to plan and prepare next year’s vegetable garden. You can take important steps to promote a healthy and successful garden for next year. Here are five tips for preparing for next year’s garden today. 1) Fall is the best time of year to prepare the soil for next year’s garden. To begin you should pull up and remove any plants from your garden. You may choose to till them under instead. If you do this, make sure that the plants are disease free. You can also add compost to the soil, and … Continue reading →