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The One Part of Budgeting That No One Talks About

Personal Note: Budgeting, including household budgeting, is one of the most beneficial practices in personal finance matters. The moment we start experiencing lack of proper control in financial related areas of life, it is very easy to lose our peace of mind, our ability to think constructively and expose ourselves to serious dangers of deteriorating health. As Bern endeavors to make clear in this article, making adequate provision for future earnings, when creating our personal or household budget, is a vital aspect of the all-important budgeting practice; and we cannot afford to do without it if we are truly sincere about experiencing long-term success in our personal finances.

The One Part of Budgeting That No One Talks About
By Bern Walters

The Importance of a Household Budget

No matter if you are a college student, a family of four, just graduated, or you have been in the workforce for any length of time you should have some level of understanding about the importance of money management. The first thing that is considered in the creation of a budget is the present earnings at the time, and secondly, any future earnings. However, in some scenarios this second aspect of the budget process is sometimes overlooked when most people sit down to create a personal or household budget. The reason behind the need to enter a forecast for future earnings is because of possible growth through pay raises and cost of living adjustments sometimes provided by employers.

Furthermore, this second aspect should enter into the future goal category. When building a financial management model, a budget, the present and possible future earnings are only part of the picture. Each financial plan should contain a goal or set of goals with which to set or build the framework and structure of the financial model. The standard entries such as expenses, overhead or liabilities, and earnings equate to cash flow. A budget, therefore, is a roadmap of, and for the direction and amount of cash or earnings, an entity receives and moves. The entity can be any one of the aforementioned to include the possibility of a business.

Large and Small Businesses Do It, So Why Not You

Determining your goals as a family, a postgraduate, or a student means that some thought as to where you see yourself financially in the future takes place. When looking at the big picture, so to speak, this means planning for change and setbacks. The change looked for is the potential of future gains through raises, investments in real estate, buying a home, having a family, retirement, and funding your children's education. This translates into preparing for the bumps along the way or the setbacks by creating savings accounts and retirement funds such as a 401k or a Roth IRA. Life insurance enters into the broader picture of preparing for medical emergencies and even sudden death.

By making a budget and entering a forecast of future earnings, it helps you keep track of both spending and savings and aids in monitoring the path towards the goals you have set. This also helps avoid running into the chance of having to declare bankruptcy. This last item becomes a concern when someone is living beyond his or her means by spending more that they earn. This can happen very quickly and easily where credit is concerned. Which is why budgeting is so important. Having a little debt is healthy where having a lot of debt is detrimental for two major reasons.

Having Too Much Debt

The first reason too much debt is harmful is it creates anxiety and stress to occupy the mind, which in turn can cause a persons health to deteriorate and cause poor judgment in financial matters making things worse. Secondly, the loss of a home and personal possessions can result through having to declare bankruptcy, in a worse case scenario. At present, getting out from under large amounts of debt has become less stressful because more and more people are beginning to realize that setting a budget helps them achieve their financial goals by having a tool to monitor their cash flow.

Yes, having a budget helps diminish debt through the allocation of funds put towards certain areas that need the most attention. This is particularly important where a budget did not exist beforehand, i.e. the debt was realized. This shows the importance of having one in the first place so things will not get out of hand causing in large amounts of debt. However, as a college graduate who is saddled with their student loans, this is the opportune time to sit down and create one. Specifically, after the student enters the workforce full time, seeing the income received and looking at a forecasted scenario that includes debt reduction, cost of living expenses, and investment funding, (retirement and life insurance).

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3 Reasons Why Investing is “Risky”

Personal Note: Robert Kiyosaki is definitely one of my most respected mentors when it comes to personal finance. In his usual straightforward, uncomplicated manner, Robert challenges the prevalent notion that investing is risky. The honest truth is that, as human beings, we are always afraid of the unknown. However, once we gain adequate knowledge and understanding of the unknown, the fear factor is automatically dispelled. Investing is the same: as long as we lack the required training, control and knowledge, we will continue to believe investing is risky.

Written by: Robert Kiyosaki

The importance of training, control, and knowledge

Many people think that investing is risky. When I was growing up, my poor dad believed this. Because he valued comfort and security, he felt that smart people got a good job and saved their money.

My rich dad, on the other hand, felt that my poor dad’s plan was risky. He aspired to own his own businesses and to invest his money rather than save it.

As a young man, I had to decide for myself who was correct, my poor dad or my rich dad. It was not an easy decision. Both men were confident in their opinions, but after much questioning and study—as well as an understanding of what I wanted in life—it was clear that my rich dad’s path was the path for me.

Along the way, I learned 3 key reasons why my poor dad really thought investing was risky—and why it was, for him and others like him.

1. Lack of training

Most people go to school to be trained on how to be an employee or self-employed. School teaches us things like reading, writing, and arithmetic, all good things and useful for the work world. It teaches us how to execute on orders from our superiors and be where we’re told to be at the right time – the mindset of an employee.

School doesn’t teach how money works, or how to have it work for you. It doesn’t teach you the skills necessary to become a business owner or an investor. Those are skills that you must seek out and teach yourself.

As a result, most people simply lack the training necessary to know how to invest in a way that isn’t risky. And without training and knowledge, investing is risky.

2. Lack of control

During the last Great Recession, I’m sure that many people came to believe that investing was risky as they watched their stock portfolio’s tumble. The reality is that most people don’t have a true investment plan.

Instead, they work hard and hand over their money to an “expert” who invests it in some mutual funds, stocks, and bonds. The problem is that these types of investments leave you very little control.

You are at the mercy of the markets and managers. That is a position of risk.

Successful investors, on the other hand, strive for as much control as possible when it comes to their investments. That is why I invest in businesses where I have decision-making power, and it is why I love real estate. In both cases, I have a lot of control over what happens with my investment.

3. Lack of knowledge

Most of us know intuitively that if you want a real deal, you need to be on the inside. You often hear someone say, “I have a friend in the business.” It doesn’t matter what the business is. It could be to buy a car, tickets to a play, or a new dress. We all know that “on the inside” is where the deals are made.

The investment world is no different. As Gordon Gekko, the villainous character played by Michael Douglas in the movie Wall Street, said, “If you’re not on the inside, you’re outside.”

Employees and self-employed people generally invest from the outside. They have limited knowledge of what they are actually investing in. Those who operate as business owners and professional investors have detailed knowledge of what’s going on inside of their business or their investments.

They are the drivers of the business or investment, and because they have the insider knowledge that goes with that, their investments are far less risky.

Moving from a position of risk to a position of security when it comes to investing takes financial education and practice. I encourage you today to take an honest look at your investment position and to take the steps necessary to gain training, control, and knowledge. It will be one of the wisest decisions you can make.

Common Mistakes People Make With Their Personal Finances

Personal Note: One striking thing about this article is how Shantel made it clear right from the start that attaining financial security does not have anything to do with our individual levels of income. A lot has to do with our mindset and the in-depth understanding of our current financial situation (where we are), our desired personal finance goal (where we want to be) and the plan and strategy we have, in a well laid out manner, on how we intend to achieve the desired goal. She also reminds us that, if we work toward achieving our financial security goals appropriately, we would always be able to enjoy a certain degree of fun and joy that comes with staying the course.

Common Mistakes People Make With Their Personal Finances
By Shantel Haines

Common Mistakes People Make With Their Personal Finances

Talking about personal finances is not a subject that most people enjoy. The reality is people generally assume that personal money difficulties are from a lack of money to work with. However, money management and handling proves to be more of a challenge than not actually having enough money.

It may surprise you to know there are as many high income earners that have challenges managing their money as there are those in the smaller income categories. Further, happiness and success in dealing with money have little to do with the amount of money but, rather what is expected and wanted from that money in terms of what it brings to your life.

What are the common mistakes that many people make with regard to managing their personal money?

This includes the practical difficulties with:

Organization and Structure

Many people don't have structure in how they manage their personal finances. There needs to be a set direction and plan for how money will be used now and in the future. It sounds good to talk about this, but many individuals do not know how to tangibly have a workable set of activities that will keep them moving forward and having a practical set of good money practices in dealing with their money. Only with structure and organization, can a good money plan be adhered to and the benefits realized. Once these personal money practices are in place and tailored for the individual, then momentum can take over and it becomes part of who you are and in your actions in dealing with your money.

Money inflows and outflows

Knowing exactly what money that you have coming in and leaving your "money reality" is again not something in a tangible sense that people know how to deal with. They may know what that is (or not) but how to do this is something else. Think of it like using a calculator, it is convenient and obviously more efficient, but you still should know HOW it is computing and arriving at its answer. Can you answer why you need to know your cash flows each month? Do you know what your net worth is? These answers are the keys to being able to put together a true understanding of what you have been doing with your money and what behaviours you may need to change.

Money Intention

The realization that money is not meant to be all used at once. Some of it is for your current use, but an amount must be left for near-future use and then a portion for further-future use. Preserving and safekeeping your money for the time ahead together with using money for cultivating strength and fun in your overall life is important and essential for you to be able to work with your money. Having a specific method of understanding what you want from your money and clarity about your intentions for your money, are key.

Confidence

Building your money confidence is at the center of actually working with it. Becoming grounded with your relationship with money and knowing how to approach the whole question of money is rooted in how confident that you are. You must build your confidence about money through enhancing your money mindset and character. This is achieved with allowing yourself to think differently and to adjust your thinking that will free you to the point of building confidence with your money.

Keeping the Fun

Your personal money is not just about earning money and paying bills! There is supposed to be a certain degree of fun and joy that comes from achieving and having what you want for the money that you earn. Coming to terms with what that is, how to obtain this and organizing yourself to have what you want will help you to work towards what you believe will make you happy. Often times, people work for things they don't want while ignoring or not being truthful to what they really do want. Making decisions, being in tune to your desires and having a plan will greatly help you to stay true to your purpose and eliminate that which you don't want with your money and your life.

Dealing with your personal money can be one of the most intimidating and frightening subjects for people to deal with.

However, it need not be if you learn how to:

• Work with your personal money inflows and outflows
• Preserve and safe keep your money for the future
• Create your money intention for strength and for fun
• Enhance your money mindset and character
• Build your money confidence

To your personal money confidence...

By coming face-to-face with your money, you can look forward to starting fresh - cleaning up old habits and embarking on a new path for yourself, with renewed hope and optimism. http://goo.gl/IuojZO

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Setting Realistic Financial Goals

Personal Note: Personally, the wisdom Dan shared in this article is coming at an appropriate time. While a number of us have often succeeded at being disciplined as regards our personal finances – specifically in the area of spending less than our incomes and paying ourselves first – once in a while, certain “essential” demands challenge that healthy habit. This article helps us in maintaining our focus and serves as a reminder that, with determination and continuous learning, we can steady our gaits and keep ourselves firmly on our individual paths to financial security.

Setting Realistic Financial Goals
By Dan Annweiler

Money is one of the greatest concerns for the vast majority of people. We all need money to survive, to eat, dress ourselves, pay the bills and have some fun. When money is not enough, it's very easy to slide on the descendant path of debt, without too many possibilities to escape the trap once we are caught inside. Few people who are in financial trouble know that there is a way out, but it requires a good personal discipline and the understanding of the personal finance management principles and rules. This article contains a few tips that might prove useful, so keep on reading.

The first step in seeing yourself out of trouble is to estimate how big the trouble is in the first place. You need to create a spreadsheet containing your monthly net income and your expenditures. Be as detailed as you can, because it is important to see exactly why you can't make ends meet and where you could possibly cut from in order to be able to recover.

The main rule of a healthy family budget is to always spend less money than you make. You should setup a savings account and direct 5%-10% of your earnings into it prior to paying any bills. Even 2% of your monthly income could be something if you stick to this habit long enough. The key thing here is to set this money aside before spending on everything else, otherwise your best laid plans won't work, especially if you are already in trouble.

Entertainment is good, but it shouldn't throw you into even bigger debt. Budget for some inexpensive entertainment every month, but consider cooking with friends rather than going to expensive restaurants, for instance.

When you make your family budget, don't forget to include expenses that occur only once or a few times a year. Insurance, car maintenance or medical expenses may fall into this category. Don't overlook them, because they are important and they will ruin your budget if you don't expect and plan for them.

If you don't make enough money to cover all your current expenses, consider what you could be cutting without suffering too much. You may be able to take the bus instead of driving your car, for instance, or maybe you could ride your bicycle. When shopping for groceries, you could watch and take advantage of special discounts, promotions or coupons. When you are at home, maybe you have the habit of keeping the lights on in all rooms, even if nobody stays there. Consider switching off what you don't need. It's good for your finances, as well as for the environment.

Be careful with your money and you'll see getting rid of problems is not an impossible task.

We offer personal finance tips and ideas that will help you improve your finances, manage your debt, increase your credit scores and save money on TV and telephone services.

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People Don't Plan To Fail, They Fail To Plan

Personal Note: This is one of those articles that sort of jolt you from financial slumber. In a very pragmatic and candid manner, Ken reminds us that the future is certain and it approaches without caring whether we are prepared for it or not. The statistics of individuals that fail to plan is just staggering, but it is a wake-up call that we need to take the bull by the horns and start, or remain persistent in, taking those necessary steps toward our financial security.

People Don't Plan To Fail, They Fail To Plan
By Ken Moraif

Check out these statistics: Seventy-two percent of Americans, once they reach the age of sixty-five, depend on Social Security, charity and family for income. Seventy-two percent! Twenty-three percent have to continue working. Only four percent are financially secure, and one percent are wealthy. That means ninety-five percent of people in the United States, the richest country that has ever existed, either have to continue working or rely on charity, Social Security and family for their income once they hit sixty-five. That's mind-boggling!

I don't think those people planned to fail; many of them just failed to plan. If you don't want to be in that ninety-five percent, I suggest you start making your plan today, beginning with these five steps:

Step 1 - Determine your goals. Ask yourself where you want to be in five years. Then write it down. A goal is a dream you put into writing. There is amazing power in writing something down.

Step 2 - Gather up all of your investment information. You may have accounts spread all over the place. Figure out where everything is. Get all your records together. Get organized so you can determine where you are financially right now.

Step 3 - Consult with a professional. There are some things in life that are way too important for you to do by yourself. You don't perform surgery on yourself, right? Professionals can tell you where you're weak, where you're strong. Seek advice from financial advisors, tax professionals, and people in the legal profession. Even the best athletes in the world have coaches that help them. The same principle should apply when it comes to your finances.

Step 4 - Decide to pay yourself first. If you're still working, you should be maxing out all the opportunities you have to save money. Do it. Take that money away from yourself before you get your greedy paws on it. You'll start to see your account grow, and as it does, you'll be motivated to save more. It's a wonderful thing and you should do it. Now.

Step 5 - Review your plan once a year. Look at where you are, not only based on where you were a year ago, but in regards to the five-year goal you made in Step 1.

If you start planning now, I think there's a better chance you'll be in the five percent of people who are financially secure after sixty-five. And that's where I want everyone to be. I'd like to convert the whole country to the idea of planning to increase their chances of being financially secure.

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Is Saving Your Money Really The Way To Build Your Wealth?

Is Saving Your Money Really The Way To Build Your Wealth?
By Omar Best

Many people, including myself, were trained to believe there is only one way to live our life. Many of us were led to believe that you should:

• Go to college so you can secure a good job.
• Once you secure that good job you should make your supervisor happy so you can get a bigger paycheck.
• Save your money.
• Then retire.
• Receive your retirement check.
• Die.

If people choose to follow this path, then that is their decision. The major issue here is that many people were only taught one way to live their life. Ironically, some individuals will say that the so-called elite or top 1% intended for it to be that way. The strange thing is most of the super wealthy have decided to go about their life in a way that goes against the grain.

Of course, as much as they may want to, the rich have not uncovered a way to live forever. But you better believe they are trying to figure it out.

Continuing on, as a youngster in high school we were not told to become entrepreneurs, invest in stock, or invest in real estate. We did not have any investment classes or business classes available to us in high school. As a result, you have many people who have no idea of how to start a business or the different investment opportunities available to them.

So what is it that the rich do that is so different?

The wealthy do many things differently from the average person, but the significant difference is that wealthy individuals choose to invest money versus saving it. The rich recognize that they can make more investing their money instead of putting it in a bank account. In spite of all that, if there are not any good investments out there, then they will most likely consider putting their money in a low interest savings account. However, the wealthy are always searching for investment opportunities that will earn them the best return for their money. When they uncover that money making investment, the cash in that low interest account is coming out.

Here is the difference in the thinking of a wealthy individual and the average individual.

The average individual would rather save $100 a month in a retirement account for 25 to 30 years and then start collecting their pension check of $3000 month at 67 years old when they retire.

The rich also views investing as a risk, but they look at investing as an opportunity to make more money versus losing money. Rich people would rather invest $6,000 in a venture that will earn them $100 a month in cash flow for the next 10 years. In addition to that, they realize that the venture or investment will be increasing in value.

If you truly want to be wealthy, then shouldn't you try to do what the wealthy do? If you wanted to be a good football player, you would not emulate Micheal Jordan.

With that said, you should consider learning about your investment alternatives outside of your pension plan and bank savings account. You really need to understand that there are other investment alternatives other than a simple bank savings account like real estate and stock investing.

Lastly, when you begin to discover these alternative investment vehicles your family and friends will try to discourage you. Many people will advise you that these investments are dangerous and that you will lose your money. These same people will tell you that you should continue to live the way that you are living and that money is not everything.

Ultimately, you have to make the choice on whether you will find out about other types of investment vehicles or not. However, you need to recognize that in order to change your financial status you will have to change the way you think about finances.

Learn more ways to invest your money at http://howtobeastockmarketplayer.com/2012/03/stop-letting-the-banks-have-all-the-fun/

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How Managing Your Energy Can Make Managing Your Money Easier

How Managing Your Energy Can Make Managing Your Money Easier
By Frederick W. James MD

Managing your money well requires you to manage your energy and your emotions well, we all know that. How much harder is it for you to resist the temptation to overspend or to stay committed to your daily personal finance planning habits when you're physically exhausted? On the other hand, how much easier is it for you to remain hopeful and enthusiastic about your financial situation and practice good spending habits when you have a lot of energy and focus?

Considering this, let's look at some things you can do to ensure that you have all the energy you need to stay committed to your plan for creating financial freedom.

Sometimes Less is More

If you're working extra hours to earn more money, it's important to consider the impact on your ability to be productive and to do the best job possible. There are times when you can do more and more before the good old law of diminishing returns starts to chip away at your ability to get the best results. Your body needs time to rest, to relax and to refocus, that is if you want to live a long and healthy life.

This downtime is beneficial to evaluating your progress and reworking your personal finance planning, a key activity that I teach my coaching clients. So the first thing to ask yourself is... how are you using your energy, and are you giving yourself the time needed for recharging?

The Great Energy Paradox

I doubt I have to sell you on the benefit of good exercise. Do you know why many people avoid exercise? Is it because they don't have the energy, or because they don't have the time? Ironically, this is the very reason why you need to commit fifteen to thirty minutes a day to cardiovascular exercise or strength training. The more you do this, the more energy you'll have, the more focused you'll be and the more you'll get out of the time that you have.

Eating Healthy is the Best Way to Spend less Money

Eating healthy is another one of those paradoxical things that people don't do because they either don't have the time or don't have the money. It might interest you that the leading cause of personal bankruptcy is medical bills, and a poor diet is certainly an invitation for health problems. Perhaps not right away, but eventually poor eating habits will catch up, and when they do you'll find that they've been collecting "compound interest" the whole time.

So if you want to make sure you have the energy and the willpower to stick with your personal finance planning commitments and to manage your money well, follow these simple tips. You'll be glad that you did.

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Developing A Life Plan To Live Without Money

Personal Note: Terry, in this article, could be taken as a pessimist, but, in actual sense, I believe he is only being pragmatic since we don’t always choose life’s battles. No one prays to be in a seemingly hopeless financial situation, but it’s a possibility. However, the beauty of success is that it isn’t primarily dependent on life’s circumstances but on how we react to them. In short, this article gives us an insight into how we could “thrive” during extremely trying financial times - as that would probably be the only way to live to fight another day.

By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Terry_Phong]Terry Phong

Times are tough and it got me to thinking, how would I survive without money? Do I have a life plan to survive when all sources of income are no longer available? These are some tough questions to ask one self. Just how prepared are we when tragedy strikes?

The best defense is preparing a good offense for if indeed we find ourselves without an income. You can start implementing the ideas that will help you conserve your resources and begin saving today. You do not have to wait until your family's income is gone before you begin.

Think simple. What do you need to survive, food right? Gardening or growing your own food is how people did it before super markets came along. The ability to harvest your own crop full of free vegetables is a tremendous savings. It may not be free at first, there is that initial investment but once you get past that, you will have a blissful bounty season after season.

You can learn all about gardening through books at your free local public library. Technical advances in gardening have allowed people to grow more even if space is limited by using the square foot gardening method. You can also grow vegetables in large containers, and buckets.

There are many benefits to gardening. It is not only fun but is also a form of physical activity.
You get a certain joy when you are eating food that you have grown your self. Get your children involved by letting them help to plant seeds and pull weeds. This is an excellent way to teach them about responsibility and contributing to the family. Planting a garden now will help you to survive later should your family income disappear. Gardening will help you build both skills and memories for a lifetime.

People from days of old knew how to get by with very little because they understood the concept of preserving. You simply save and use what you have. People applied this concept to food by canning and freezing the excess, mainly the leftover from their harvest. Canning is not just limited to vegetables. You can also can soups, stews, and even meats. This will serve you well for when there is little money to buy food. Once again, you can use your local library to research more on canning. There are even free resources such as freecycle.com that will give you free canning supplies.

Depending on where you live, homesteading can really help in becoming self-sufficient. Having a chicken and a rooster will provide you with eggs that you can eat or sell. Livestock is not always feasible if you live in the city but the benefits of raising your own chickens to gather your own eggs are much greater when you do not have an income.

What did people do to get what they wanted before currency came along? They traded things, also known as bartering. You simply exchange a good or a service you wanted for something else you want. A good example of this would be fixing your neighbor's car in exchange for food from his garden.

There is a website called "One Red Paper Clip.com" where this one person traded a red paper clip all the way up to getting a house. You can check out the amazing story yourself. It just goes to show what you can do when you look for ways to be creative. A word of caution though, just be smart when bartering and do keep a record of your transaction. Just because you are not using money does not mean you are exempt from your taxes. Uncle Sam will still want to know how you acquire your stuff.

It is a very scary thought to many to have to think about surviving with little or no money. However, when push comes to shove we do need to find a way to survive. I hope that none of us have to experience such hardship but the truth be known there are many who have no choice. If we do not develop a life plan to live without money now, we may find ourselves as another victim instead of being a victor in life's situations.

About the Author:

Terry Phong has a background in Human Development and loves people in general. To get more information on personal development for success follow the link => [http://inspirationallifeplancoaching.com/]http://inspirationallifeplancoaching.com/.

2009

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Developing-A-Life-Plan-To-Live-Without-Money&id=5176150] Developing A Life Plan To Live Without Money

Personal Finance Advice You Can Use

Personal Note: In this short but helpful article, Nikky shares with us “some great tips” that will definitely assist us in improving our personal finance. The tips aren’t ones we’ve probably not heard about on several occasions, but constantly reminding ourselves of them would go a long way in keeping us focused.

By : nikky Howard

The topic of personal finance is not a popular topic with most people. Most of us are struggling to get control over our personal finances and it is a losing battle. However, there is hope for even the most lost among us. There is plenty of personal finance advice out there and all it takes is reading some that advice and putting it to work to begin down the road to control over your personal financial situation.
The following are some great tips in a variety of areas of personal finance:

- Set spending limits. Give yourself an allowance to curb unnecessary spending throughout the week.

- Save for large expenses. Set a goal to save for a large expense, that way you know you can afford it and will not end up draining your bank account to make the purchase.

- Prioritize your spending. Learn to identify what you must have, what you need and what you want and prioritize in that order.

- Pay your bills on time. This eliminates late fees which can add up over time.

- Track your spending habits. This will help you identify wasteful spending so you can make a positive change.

- Look for savings everywhere. Shop at dollar stores, join discount clubs and use coupons.

- Always shop around before making a large purchase. Compare prices and look for the best deal.

- Save. No matter what start a savings plan. If the only thing you can do is save change then that is at least a start. If you can afford more then add it to your budget.

- Invest smartly. Know yourself when making investments. Learn about your investing personality so you feel comfortable with your investments.

- Stay on top of investments. Do not just hand your money over to a broker. Keep track of your investments and make sure you are always in loop about anything going on with them.

- Know when to get professional help. If you are in a financial crisis seek help. There are plenty of companies out there who will help you for free to get your finances back on track.

Your personal finances are important. Do not let them slip out of your control. Avoid living beyond your means and letting your finances run your life. When you get control over them you will find you are much happier and that you feel as if you can spend without worrying.

Author Resource:- Bob has been writing articles online for nearly 2 years now. Not only does this author specialize in Personal Finance, you can also check out his latest website about: Bakelite Jewelry Which reviews and lists the best bakelite earrings

What We Can Learn From the Rule of 72

Personal Note: In this very helpful and instructive article, Zigfred places emphasis on the importance of compound interest in achieving our personal finance goals. With high level of discipline, soberness of mind, and continuous learning, the “Rule of 72” simply becomes a very powerful tool in creating an enviable and a sustainable financial lifestyle.


By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Zigfred_Diaz]Zigfred Diaz

The Rule of 72 is simply a label given to the principle of compounding interest. It includes a very simple mathematical formula that explains how money grows. Compounding is very simply, earning interest on your money and then re-investing that interest. The Rule of 72 illustrates very clearly how it is done.

The Rule of 72 can teach us a couple of important lessons. Here are some of them:

1.) Money is like a fruit tree - When you plant a tree, you don't expect it to bear fruit overnight. Neither does your money. You give it time to grow just like a tree. The Rule of 72 teaches that if you give more time to your money to "compound", you can expect bigger returns. There will be more illustrations in my next post.

2.) Interest rate is the key - The Rule of 72 teaches that the higher the interest rate, the faster your money will double, and the faster it does, the more money you earn. Especially if you keep your money invested for a long period of time.

3.) Money does not grow on trees - This saying simply means you cannot make money without working for it. Nothing ever comes in life free - definitely not money. The Rule of 72 teaches that to get more money out of what cash we have, we need to exert all effort to get the highest interest rate possible while ensuring that we do not carelessly engage in risky transactions or business deals that seem too good to be true.

4.) Make money work hard for you - Why should we work hard for money when we can make money work hard for us? That is right. The best way to financial freedom is to let money work hard for us. Money is very much different from human beings. It doesn't get sick, get tired or complain. The Rule of 72, which is all about the concept of compounding interest, teaches us that interest when re-invested begets more interest.

5.) The concept of the "Automatic Money Machine" - The Rule of 72 fully supports a powerful concept in personal finance called Passive income. Personal finance experts talk of two kinds of income: active income and passive income. An example of active income is your day job where you have to be physically present and doing some work for your boss in order to earn your salary. Passive income is an "automatic money machine" where you don't have to do anything to earn an income. You just sit there and watch money come in. However, passive income does not start automatically. You need to do something at first, after which you will start to reap the benefits and just wait for money to come in. Interest income is a good example of passive income - your money earns interest without your doing anything to earn that interest. The Rule of 72 demonstrates what passive income is.

So those are the valuable and powerful lessons in the areas of investing, business and personal finances coming from the Rule of 72. These are the reasons why I call the rule as the foundation for all investing.

Zigfred Diaz is a businessman and a stock market investor. He regularly blogs about personal finance and how to invest in the stock market. Click on the following links, if you would like to know more about the [http://www.stockmarket-investing.com/the-foundation-of-all-investing-the-rule-of-72/]Rule of 72 or how to do [http://www.stockmarket-investing.com/]stock market investing intelligently.

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?What-We-Can-Learn-From-the-Rule-of-72&id=4550752] What We Can Learn From the Rule of 72

A Quick Step-by-Step Money Making Idea to Effortlessly Make Money with Money

Personal Note: In this simple but very helpful article, Dean discusses a few of the main pillars of success in our personal finance. It’s easy for us to disregard these very important “truths” but if we could discipline ourselves enough to stick to them, achieving our financial goals is virtually guaranteed.


By : Dean Relax

Instead of working for money, it is much easier to make more money with money. That is, if you put your money to work instead of you. If you take the statistics, you can easily verify that most of the world's high earners are either entrepreneurs or investors who wisely leverage their money. So not only it is easier to put money to work to make more money, but it has infinitely greater potential than anything one can achieve by working a job for money.

I'm discussing today the best and most innovative money making idea that can apply to everyone - whether you're a college student, grandma or going through your mid life crisis and have realized everything you've ever done to make money hasn't really been worth it. All you need to do is to understand the value and power money has, especially when it comes to making money. Once you understand this money making idea, you can implement it straight away with minimal cost and effort.

- Start with a Small Amount

You can start with a small amount of money and allow it time to grow. To make money with money, you don't need to be a millionaire at the beginning. In fact, anyone who is fond of a coffee or pizza once every so often can enter into this unique money making idea because it costs only roughly the same amount. Today is the day for you to realise that you no longer have to work hard all the time for your money. Put your money to work so you don't have to!

- Set Realistic Goals

Since you are starting with a small amount, don't expect to see an unrealistic return. It is also better not to spend all the returns in the initial phases but rather to reinvest them into your investment system to make even more out of it. For example, say you have invested $5 in a month and get a return of $(5+1=)6. Then the thing to do which will put a rocket into your investment growth is to invest that $6 into the next investment vehicle. It will help you to reach your desired goal at a much faster rate.

- Understand the Core Logic

You must understand the core logic behind the success of the money making plan you are using. When you are investing your money, you must realize the proposed plan and the mathematics supporting the profits you are aiming for. It is vitally important that you realize the basic money making idea of the particular business before you invest your money.

- Verify the Reputation

When you join any business as an investor, you must check the records, reputation and performance of the company, no matter how much or how little you have invested. If you are planning to invest your money into some business that does not have any solid track records, it is better to stay away from it. Also you must check if the company is paying returns on time to its investors so that you can count on collecting your profits promptly when they are due.

If you don't follow these rules, you are risking your money for nothing. On the other hand, if you're investing in a business that follows all these points satisfactorily, you are on your way to establishing a successful investment portfolio and a great money making idea.

If you're not really keen doing this all on your own, have you thought about joining an investment alliance?
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Dear fellow traders,

I won’t be posting the usual daily analysis for some time. Sorry for any inconvenience caused, and thanks for making this thread a valuable one.

Today on EURUSD – Daily and H4 charts support Short trades, but…

On the Daily chart above, we would observe price is still within the downward or bearish channel, and there is the likelihood that price would attempt to find its way down toward the lower edge of the channel – especially when we consider the fact that price is in a very strong longer term bearish trend. From a day-trade perspective, our bias favors the bears, and price break below the previous day’s low @ 1.3459 (not highlighted) earlier today gives more credence to the bias.
However, price is around the most recent Daily swing low @ 1.3450 (which we’ve highlighted using the blue broken line), and it seems the bears are currently struggling to break decisively below the support level. It would be preferable to wait for the close of today’s candle to be surer of where price might be heading next.

On the H4 chart above, price has breached the most recent swing low @ 1.3459 (which we’ve highlighted using the blue broken line) downward. That automatically sustains our bias in favor of a downward price move. However, to buttress the support hurdle the bears are contending with around the 1.3450 level, which we discussed on the Daily chart, price is struggling to break decisively below the most recent H4 swing low @ 1.3459 that we just mentioned above.
In all, our Daily bias still favors the bears, but we need to be very cautious if we attempt to seek Short trade setups, today, on this currency pair.
The white horizontal line @ 1.3653 highlights the most recent swing high, and as long as price stays below it – in the absence of any new and lower swing high – our bearish or downward bias remains intact.

However, we still need our Hourly charts – using Fibonacci retracement levels and important resistance levels – to seek promising areas to take our Short positions. Price pattern on the Hourly must also be forming lower highs and lower lows. Please note that our aim is to sell a rally in today’s down-trend.

Also, PATIENCE is the key here: we need to patiently wait for the Hourly retracement. It might happen, and it might not.

Today on USDJPY – Daily and H4 charts support Short trades, but…

On the Daily chart above, for the past one week, price has been trending southward – in agreement with the longer term down trend. Yesterday, price decisively broke below the lower edge of the symmetrical triangle as the trading day ended with a strong bear-bodied candle. As a result, that strengthened the notion that the longer term bearish trend has probably resumed. From a day-trade perspective, our bearish bias remains intact.
However, there are two critical support levels that we expect price to break below for us to be more confident that the overall bearish trend has resumed: the first is the usual previous day’s low, which, in the case of this currency pair today, is @ 88.79 (not highlighted), and the most recent Daily swing low @ 88.58 (which we’ve highlighted using the blue broken line). For more conservative traders, it’s advisable to avoid seeking Hourly Short trade setups – supported by the H4 chart – till the coast is clear.

On the H4 chart above, price broke, at that time, the most recent swing low @ 89.91 (which we’ve highlighted using the upper blue broken line) downward. That automatically sustained our bias in favor of a downward price move. As discussed on the Daily chart, to be convinced of the bears’ readiness to continue their activity, especially for more conservative traders, it’s preferable to see price break below the most recent swing low – also the previous day’s low @ 88.79 (which we’ve highlighted using the lower blue broken line).
The white horizontal line @ 90.35 highlights the most recent swing high, and as long as price stays below it – in the absence of any new and lower swing high – our bearish or downward bias remains intact.

However, we still need our Hourly charts – using Fibonacci retracement levels and important resistance levels – to seek promising areas to take our Short positions. Price pattern on the Hourly must also be forming lower highs and lower lows. Please note that our aim is to sell a rally in today’s down-trend.

Also, PATIENCE is the key here: we need to patiently wait for the Hourly retracement. It might happen, and it might not.

Today on USDCHF – Daily and H4 charts support Long trades, but...

On the Daily chart above, yesterday, we anticipated a continued bullish move, but, virtually throughout the earlier trading hours, the bears caused an upset as price swooned. Although our bias, yesterday, from a day-trade perspective was bullish, traders following the analyses on this thread were probably shielded from the sudden price collapse since price didn’t break above the Tuesday’s high (which, yesterday, was a previous day’s high) @ 1.0847.
Toward the close of yesterday’s trading hours, the bulls regained their momentum – forcing the bears to give up most of their sudden gains. In continuation of the bulls’ resurgence, early price action today has seen the break of both Tuesday’s high and yesterday’s high @ 1.0847 and 1.0841, respectively. Consequently, our bullish bias remains, with the critical resistance level – the most recent Daily swing high @ 1.0897 (which we've highlighted using the upper blue broken line) – still in focus.

On the H4 chart above, price has broken the most recent swing high @ 1.0847 (which we've highlighted using the blue broken line) upward. That sustains our bias in favor of an upward price move. Again, while seeking Long trade setups on the Hourly chart, let’s keep in mind the 1.0897 resistance level, which we discussed on the Daily chart.
The green horizontal line @ 1.0737 highlights the most recent swing low, and as long as price stays above it - in the absence of any new and higher swing low - our bullish or upward bias remains intact.

However, we still need our Hourly charts – using Fibonacci retracement levels and important support levels – to seek promising areas to take our Long positions. Price pattern on the Hourly must also be forming higher highs and higher lows. Please note that our aim is to buy a dip in today's up-trend.

Also, PATIENCE is the key here: we need to patiently wait for the Hourly retracement. It might happen, and it might not.

Today on USDCHF – Daily and H4 charts support Long trades, but...

On the Daily chart above, yesterday, the lower edge of the upward or bullish channel eventually proved an insurmountable hurdle for the bears as the initial price-rally was sustained. Consequently, our trading bias, from a day-trade perspective, has again shifted to favor the bulls. However, for us to be convinced of the bulls’ readiness to push price further today, we would like to see the break above the previous day’s high @ 1.0847 (not highlighted).
In case price breaks above the 1.0847 level, we should expect further unhindered bullish action toward the most recent Daily swing high @ 1.0897 (which we've highlighted using the upper blue broken line).

On the H4 chart above, price broke, at that time, the most recent swing high @ 1.0787 (which we've highlighted using the lower blue broken line) upward. That shifted our bias in favor of an upward price move. However, in line with what was discussed on the Daily chart, the most recent swing high – also the previous day’s high @ 1.0847 (which we've highlighted using the upper blue broken line) is a crucial resistance level we would like to see broken for us to be more confident of the bulls’ resolve to sustain their activity.
The green horizontal line @ 1.0713 highlights the most recent swing low, and as long as price stays above it - in the absence of any new and higher swing low - our bullish or upward bias remains intact.

However, we still need our Hourly charts – using Fibonacci retracement levels and important support levels – to seek promising areas to take our Long positions. Price pattern on the Hourly must also be forming higher highs and higher lows. Please note that our aim is to buy a dip in today's up-trend.

Also, PATIENCE is the key here: we need to patiently wait for the Hourly retracement. It might happen, and it might not.

Today on USDCHF – Would the lower edge of the bullish channel hold?

On the Daily chart above, in line with what we discussed yesterday, earlier today, price moved further downward toward the lower edge of the upward or bullish channel – breaking the previous day’s low @ 1.0738 (not highlighted) in the process. At the moment, the channel’s lower edge is doing a good job of providing strong support as the bears seem unable to break below it. From a day-trade perspective, our bias is still reluctantly in favor of the bears, but current price actions are telling to be wary of seeking Short trade setups until the coast is clear. Consequently, it’s advisable for us to exercise patience on this currency pair – probably throughout today.

On the H4 chart above, price has breached the most recent swing low – also the previous day’s low @ 1.0738 (which we’ve highlighted using the blue broken line) downward. That automatically sustains our bias in favor of a downward price move. However, we could notice the proximity of price to the lower edge of the bullish channel, which we discussed on the Daily chart, and how it’s reacting to the lower edge. It’s quite obvious the bears aren’t having a field day. Again, as advised on the Daily chart, it’s better to abstain from trading this pair until the coast is clear.
In all, technically speaking, our day-trade bias still supports the bears – albeit reluctantly.
The white horizontal line @ 1.0787 highlights the most recent swing high, and as long as price stays below it – in the absence of any new and lower swing high – our bearish or downward bias remains intact.

Personal Finance Tips - How You Know You Are a Millionaire

Personal Note: In this article, Jono, in a way, expatiates on the Be-Do-Have philosophy: Naturally, we like to have what we desire in our personal finances (as well as other areas of our lives) but we usually fail in our quest because we dwell more on the less important phase – the finishing line, where we’ve already achieved our goals – at the expense of the more critical phase – the actual race, where we orchestrate all that’s necessary to achieve our goals.


By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Jono_Johnson]Jono Johnson

Being a millionaire doesn't mean only hefty bank accounts, big properties and flashy cars. It is just as much about attitude. These are the traits that can show you arrived in the select elite of rich people.

You can not become rich without these traits. And the good habits don't disappear just because your bank account reached a seven-digit figure. You still don't believe in financial shortcuts and you can smell a fishy financial scheme from a distance.

You are still conscious about your spending, and still assign your own value to different goods. And you have the power to say "no" if the price of an object is more than it is worth to you. Your financial goals are still written down.

You continue to work, and don't understand those who say that if they were millionaires, they wouldn't work. You may quit your job if you don't like it, but you do something you really enjoy, because you know that work gives a sense of purpose and accomplishment in life.

You don't try to keep up with anyone anymore. Your know what your values are, and you refuse to follow the crowd just because you want to fit in. You don't see earning money as a competition: you focus on the things you want to do, and you are not interested in what others do.

No matter how much money you have, you still regularly update your goals. You know that growth is the only way to be insured against inflation and the devaluing of your money. You are still able to act on any changes may occur in your personal goals and priorities.

You don't let anyone take care about your financial health. You do listen to advices, but you keep your financial authority only to yourself, because you know that nobody cares about your financial health as much as you do. In the same time you are conscious that it needs thought and energy to competently manage your money.

You have the ability to say "no" when you feel like it: not because you are a bad person, but you can see what is your and your requester's best interest. If you feel that these requests have no guarantee that the investment will pay off, you can say "no" without feeling guilt.

You know that the secret of building wealth is maximizing returns while minimizing risk, so you don't understand people who don't maximize their returns because they are more risk-averse than you are. You know how to manage risk, so it doesn't scare you.

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Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Personal-Finance-Tips---How-You-Know-You-Are-a-Millionaire&id=3792251] Personal Finance Tips - How You Know You Are a Millionaire

Today on USDCHF – Daily and H4 charts support Short trades, but…

On the Daily chart above, we would observe that on Friday, last week, price hit the upper edge of the upward or bullish channel, and on the same day, it reversed sharply to close as a strong bear-bodied candle. That was a convincing sign that the bulls weren’t prepared to disregard the upper boundary of the bullish channel just yet. Further supporting the possibility of a bearish move toward the lower part of the bullish channel is earlier price action today, which resulted in the break of the previous trading day’s low – Friday’s low @ 1.0747 (not highlighted). Consequently, from a day-trade perspective, our bias has shifted in favor of the bears.
However, considering price’s proximity to the lower edge of the bullish channel (currently about 50pips away), there’s the need for us to be cautious as we seek Short trade opportunities – especially when we also consider that the USD/CHF currency pair is currently within a medium term bullish trend.

On the H4 chart above, price has breached the most recent swing low @ 1.0746 (which we’ve highlighted using the blue broken line) downward. That automatically shifts our bias in favor of a downward price move. However, we could notice price is yet to break decisively below the 1.0746 support level, and the last fully formed H4 candle completed the formation of a quasi-reversal candle pattern around the same support level. Hence, we have a sign suggesting a possible bullish retracement.
In all, while our day-trade bias supports the bears, we should be conscious of the contradictory signals.
The white horizontal line @ 1.0897 highlights the most recent swing high, and as long as price stays below it – in the absence of any new and lower swing high – our bearish or downward bias remains intact.

However, in case of a clearer coast, we still need our Hourly charts – using Fibonacci retracement levels and important resistance levels – to seek promising areas to take our Short positions. Price pattern on the Hourly must also be forming lower highs and lower lows. Please note that our aim is to sell a rally in today’s down-trend.

Also, PATIENCE is the key here: we need to patiently wait for the Hourly retracement. It might happen, and it might not.