Americans are competing in a different world in an economic sense and it's a little scary, is it not? We changed the world economically a few hundred years ago and we can do it again!
Well, as I've heard thrown around, knowledge is power. So, if you understand the rules better on how to change your personal economy, it might be more likely that you'll find the success you want faster.
Here's a pretty interesting article that kind of gives some basic & fundamental ideas on what we all might try to incorporate into our new fiscal lifestyles. "7 New Rules For Getting Ahead" just makes you think about what you can do amid the chaos.
One of the things I'm most grateful of is that I'm an entrepreneur, so a paycheck has a different meaning to me. I appreciate and love all those who have chosen the 9-5 lifestyle, however, I consider it part of the privilege as an American to not wonder whether or not I will be outsourced, downsized, right-sized or just plain old laid-off. It's part of the creative process of life and being part of something awesome as well as the chance to make your life the one you really want to live.
I hope something in this article is helpful to you and encourage everyone to reach out to one of your favorite entrepreneurs and find out whether it's worth it to explore your options.
After all, it's about you, isn't you?
Ta~Jax
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Middle Class Shrinking? Nonsense!
Happy Spring! The temperatures are warmer and we get more sunshine to enjoy...I am so ready for that! Plant some flowers, spruce up the backyard for those summer afternoons, get ready for family get-togethers...
But as usual, the media must point out how hard life is for those of us who already had a general idea, in this US New & World Report article: "7 Stressors Sapping the Middle Class".
I provided the link to the article only because of the last paragraph: "The winners will be those who learn how to adapt, expect nobody to give them anything, and are prepared to work harder in the future than they did in the past. That's how it was in America before anybody ever heard of the middle class, and it may be that way for a while again. The real middle class--the true bedrock of the nation--will be able to handle it."
I've seen more people over the last few months come through my business refusing to adopt a new mindset of adapting to the new economy. We started out as a nation of owners, not workers, wanting freedom and not slavery. But, we were convinced, en masse, that we should work for someone else. Even our public school model supports the "get a good education, get a good job" model. There are fewer good jobs than ever and, with increases in the level of technology, we should expect it to continue.
The Solution? Start being creative! If you are in a job working under your income expectations, create another stream of income! You can own a business and work for someone else to get your income on a healthier level. Don't sniff at the opportunities that may be available to you....you might have to give up the "Family Guy" every week...but you'd have to do that anyway if you worked another 20 hours on the weekend.
The moral of the story: Don't get stressed coz you're underemployed, get excited! You may now have the ability and time to explore your passions as a means of creating a better income!
An email or comment is always welcome!
Live and Love Deeply!
Ta~Jax
But as usual, the media must point out how hard life is for those of us who already had a general idea, in this US New & World Report article: "7 Stressors Sapping the Middle Class".
I provided the link to the article only because of the last paragraph: "The winners will be those who learn how to adapt, expect nobody to give them anything, and are prepared to work harder in the future than they did in the past. That's how it was in America before anybody ever heard of the middle class, and it may be that way for a while again. The real middle class--the true bedrock of the nation--will be able to handle it."
I've seen more people over the last few months come through my business refusing to adopt a new mindset of adapting to the new economy. We started out as a nation of owners, not workers, wanting freedom and not slavery. But, we were convinced, en masse, that we should work for someone else. Even our public school model supports the "get a good education, get a good job" model. There are fewer good jobs than ever and, with increases in the level of technology, we should expect it to continue.
The Solution? Start being creative! If you are in a job working under your income expectations, create another stream of income! You can own a business and work for someone else to get your income on a healthier level. Don't sniff at the opportunities that may be available to you....you might have to give up the "Family Guy" every week...but you'd have to do that anyway if you worked another 20 hours on the weekend.
The moral of the story: Don't get stressed coz you're underemployed, get excited! You may now have the ability and time to explore your passions as a means of creating a better income!
An email or comment is always welcome!
Live and Love Deeply!
Ta~Jax
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Happy Women's History Month!
We have come a long way, baby! Just knowing there were some truly strong, fabulous women who stand out in history like Eleanor Roosevelt, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Juliet Lowe and thousands of others, keeps on inspiring me to be the best I can be.
However, we still make statements that convey our underlying fear that we, as a group, still cannot make decisions that are important to us. Just the other day, while sitting down with a client who taking the first step to creating her wealth accumulation plan, said she didn't have a husband to make the decisions for her.
Ladies!!! This is not acceptable in any way! We live longer and manage the household and WE STILL believe men are the only humans who can make financial decisions????
Your well-being is important now and later. If you are married, you and your partner should be actively engaged in making sure YOU BOTH have an adequate life plan for now and later. And, if you haven't yet tied the knot, you should have a life plan that takes into consideration that you still have a present and a future with or without a husband.
Please take the time to consider your life and all the fabulous things you give to this world as a woman and know how precious your contribution is to everyone you touch. Take care of yourself first: you can't save the person next to you on the plane unless you take the oxygen mask first!
If you want a little help on getting started on your financial gameplan, you can always contact me at: debtcure123@gmail.com and I can help you find a personal finance coach near you!
As always, send me a comment, concern or suggestion anytime.
Live, Love and Laugh Deeply!
~jax
However, we still make statements that convey our underlying fear that we, as a group, still cannot make decisions that are important to us. Just the other day, while sitting down with a client who taking the first step to creating her wealth accumulation plan, said she didn't have a husband to make the decisions for her.
Ladies!!! This is not acceptable in any way! We live longer and manage the household and WE STILL believe men are the only humans who can make financial decisions????
Your well-being is important now and later. If you are married, you and your partner should be actively engaged in making sure YOU BOTH have an adequate life plan for now and later. And, if you haven't yet tied the knot, you should have a life plan that takes into consideration that you still have a present and a future with or without a husband.
Please take the time to consider your life and all the fabulous things you give to this world as a woman and know how precious your contribution is to everyone you touch. Take care of yourself first: you can't save the person next to you on the plane unless you take the oxygen mask first!
If you want a little help on getting started on your financial gameplan, you can always contact me at: debtcure123@gmail.com and I can help you find a personal finance coach near you!
As always, send me a comment, concern or suggestion anytime.
Live, Love and Laugh Deeply!
~jax
Monday, January 4, 2010
Best of 2009
Happy New Year to you!
Most of the things we are focused on right now is what we're all going to get right this year, would you agree? Lose weight, save more money, read more books, travel, etc. Have you ever thought about what you got right last year?
I recently read a post that made me think a little differently about things and where I am today. that post was written by a life coach who didn't feel authentic in her professional life because of where she was.
Through some of the life coach's list of things she was challenged by in 2009, it really became clear how much we think, or more exactly, how little we think of the past year. Let's face it, we all had some challenges in the last year or so and vowed never to go through another year like the past one again, right?
How about reflecting on how much you grew through the adversity you may have faced? You're here to read this, correct? Or, how you found out what was really, truly important when it came down to the wire when you needed to protect it?
You probably learned some new skills along the way to deal with a different kind of economy, too. Let's be honest enough to say to ourselves we had to live in different world, most of us, anyway, and we came through it with a new sense of who we are, what we can do and things we can do better than ever before!
While it may be your New Year plan for 2010 to focus on things we may not have accomplished in 2009, that last year of the decade was indeed a valuable year. For me, it changed a lot of things and got me more focused on growing my business, and, where I wanted to be on the planet. It gave me a deeper definition of who I want to be; now I have more understanding of who I am.
Let us not throw 2009 out so quickly without looking at the year of change you lived and the strength and resolve it will fuel this year. What valuable gifts and lessons we accumulated and, I for one, am deeply grateful to have received them.
I hope you are too!
To everyone - Live, Love and Laugh deeply!
Ta~Jax
Most of the things we are focused on right now is what we're all going to get right this year, would you agree? Lose weight, save more money, read more books, travel, etc. Have you ever thought about what you got right last year?
I recently read a post that made me think a little differently about things and where I am today. that post was written by a life coach who didn't feel authentic in her professional life because of where she was.
Through some of the life coach's list of things she was challenged by in 2009, it really became clear how much we think, or more exactly, how little we think of the past year. Let's face it, we all had some challenges in the last year or so and vowed never to go through another year like the past one again, right?
How about reflecting on how much you grew through the adversity you may have faced? You're here to read this, correct? Or, how you found out what was really, truly important when it came down to the wire when you needed to protect it?
You probably learned some new skills along the way to deal with a different kind of economy, too. Let's be honest enough to say to ourselves we had to live in different world, most of us, anyway, and we came through it with a new sense of who we are, what we can do and things we can do better than ever before!
While it may be your New Year plan for 2010 to focus on things we may not have accomplished in 2009, that last year of the decade was indeed a valuable year. For me, it changed a lot of things and got me more focused on growing my business, and, where I wanted to be on the planet. It gave me a deeper definition of who I want to be; now I have more understanding of who I am.
Let us not throw 2009 out so quickly without looking at the year of change you lived and the strength and resolve it will fuel this year. What valuable gifts and lessons we accumulated and, I for one, am deeply grateful to have received them.
I hope you are too!
To everyone - Live, Love and Laugh deeply!
Ta~Jax
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Keeping Your Options Open?
Life can be a very interesting journey and we all only get one go to get it right. Some may get a better start than others but still we pretty much get the same journey.
If you are one whose journey is not filled with rose petals when maybe it might have been a few years ago, all is not lost! It just means you have to learn new things or adjust some old habits. I believe we should always keep our options open for new opportunities to make our journey better, would you agree?
My thoughts are like this: if you have the chance to get new knowledge that would make your family's life better, which is more important - your loved ones or your ego?
One of the biggest fall-outs to the economic meltdown has been FICO scores. Where a score of 720 and above used to be a very good score, now credit-givers are looking for an 800 FICO. There are some factors which affect your score in ways you would never think it would and others make sense. While trying to help a gentleman and his wife work out a solution to their lowered credit availability and much lower household income, I found the husband was truly unwilling to accept that he needed assistance in making adjustments to his thinking as much as he did to his old spending habits. He clearly felt that what he knew about credit - which, by the way, was how it was treated pre-2007 - was superior. Using his logic, he kept doing the same things and these mistakes were killing his wife's FICO.
To get a basic idea of what could affect your score adversely, you can read this article I found on Yahoo! Finance: "Common Credit Card Mistakes". Using your cards can be a good thing; just be aware not paying back on time definitely is a score killer.
Even understanding that the "experts" may get things wrong, it still makes sense to adjust your thinking if your income changes to the extent you cannot have the lifestyle you had before the change.
Keep your mind open to new ideas and concepts; lifelong learning is what makes this journey so much more fun!
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Ben Franklin
I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2010 and hope to see you all there too!
Ta~Jax
If you are one whose journey is not filled with rose petals when maybe it might have been a few years ago, all is not lost! It just means you have to learn new things or adjust some old habits. I believe we should always keep our options open for new opportunities to make our journey better, would you agree?
My thoughts are like this: if you have the chance to get new knowledge that would make your family's life better, which is more important - your loved ones or your ego?
One of the biggest fall-outs to the economic meltdown has been FICO scores. Where a score of 720 and above used to be a very good score, now credit-givers are looking for an 800 FICO. There are some factors which affect your score in ways you would never think it would and others make sense. While trying to help a gentleman and his wife work out a solution to their lowered credit availability and much lower household income, I found the husband was truly unwilling to accept that he needed assistance in making adjustments to his thinking as much as he did to his old spending habits. He clearly felt that what he knew about credit - which, by the way, was how it was treated pre-2007 - was superior. Using his logic, he kept doing the same things and these mistakes were killing his wife's FICO.
To get a basic idea of what could affect your score adversely, you can read this article I found on Yahoo! Finance: "Common Credit Card Mistakes". Using your cards can be a good thing; just be aware not paying back on time definitely is a score killer.
Even understanding that the "experts" may get things wrong, it still makes sense to adjust your thinking if your income changes to the extent you cannot have the lifestyle you had before the change.
Keep your mind open to new ideas and concepts; lifelong learning is what makes this journey so much more fun!
"An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." - Ben Franklin
I'm looking forward to a fantastic 2010 and hope to see you all there too!
Ta~Jax
Friday, December 4, 2009
Holidays are for Making Happy Memories!
I absolutely love the holiday season and the happy memories I associate with it: baking, decorating, and family time!
And, there are the favorite movies and songs that you have to hear at least three times...who can resist Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase?
The one thing I don't want to remember, for certain, is spending more than I had when the envelopes come in January!
How you handle it today is going to be determined by the current situation of your finances and what you believe is in your future. SO, what happens when the envelope comes and your expectations are a little shorter cash-wise?
Your first inclination is to probably pay the minimums. I bet you put "getting out of debt" in your top three on your New Year's resolution for 2010, didn't you?
Well, here's a little something to help you with that resolution: "Ignore the Credit Card Minimum Payment".
I've shared a lot of the concepts in this article, over the years, with my clients, high school classrooms and community groups to help them put together a debt-freedom plan, so you know I use them in practice and not just repeating this!
If you don't know where to start, I have a recommendation to give you as well! In a partnership with Equifax, Primerica has designed a very easy, affordable and completely secure program for you to design and implement your own freedom card! This program is also including up to $25,000 of Identity Theft protection. Here's your link: DebtWatchers.
The DebtWatchers program allows you to monitor your credit report, check who's looking at your credit and improve your FICO.
From my family to yours, I wish you the best holiday season with the warmest and best memories yet!
We love comments so you can leave one here or email me at dfebtcure123@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays! ~ Jax
And, there are the favorite movies and songs that you have to hear at least three times...who can resist Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, Adam Sandler, Chevy Chase?
The one thing I don't want to remember, for certain, is spending more than I had when the envelopes come in January!
How you handle it today is going to be determined by the current situation of your finances and what you believe is in your future. SO, what happens when the envelope comes and your expectations are a little shorter cash-wise?
Your first inclination is to probably pay the minimums. I bet you put "getting out of debt" in your top three on your New Year's resolution for 2010, didn't you?
Well, here's a little something to help you with that resolution: "Ignore the Credit Card Minimum Payment".
I've shared a lot of the concepts in this article, over the years, with my clients, high school classrooms and community groups to help them put together a debt-freedom plan, so you know I use them in practice and not just repeating this!
If you don't know where to start, I have a recommendation to give you as well! In a partnership with Equifax, Primerica has designed a very easy, affordable and completely secure program for you to design and implement your own freedom card! This program is also including up to $25,000 of Identity Theft protection. Here's your link: DebtWatchers.
The DebtWatchers program allows you to monitor your credit report, check who's looking at your credit and improve your FICO.
From my family to yours, I wish you the best holiday season with the warmest and best memories yet!
We love comments so you can leave one here or email me at dfebtcure123@gmail.com.
Happy Holidays! ~ Jax
Monday, November 23, 2009
A Tech Post from Techno-challenged User
Just saw this post and since it's holiday time and lots of people use computers for just about everything, I thought I'd say a little something.
I am admittedly a techno-idiot; what I can do on the computer is through the careful tutelage of my daughter, over the years, starting back to when she was in nursery school. So, if I know anything at all, it's because I've learned who to ask the right questions!
Now, with that said, I just read this about reliability of laptops and, of course, who doesn't want their money spent wisely? We want the best bang for the buck, so to speak, right?
It looks like Toshiba and Asus are head of the list on reliability, while some big names are very low on that list. Here's the article and I hope it helps someone make a great purchase and have an awesome experience: "1 in 3 laptops die in first three years".
Comments are always welcome and Happy Holidays!
Ta~Jax
I am admittedly a techno-idiot; what I can do on the computer is through the careful tutelage of my daughter, over the years, starting back to when she was in nursery school. So, if I know anything at all, it's because I've learned who to ask the right questions!
Now, with that said, I just read this about reliability of laptops and, of course, who doesn't want their money spent wisely? We want the best bang for the buck, so to speak, right?
It looks like Toshiba and Asus are head of the list on reliability, while some big names are very low on that list. Here's the article and I hope it helps someone make a great purchase and have an awesome experience: "1 in 3 laptops die in first three years".
Comments are always welcome and Happy Holidays!
Ta~Jax
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
