Becoming Money Savvy

Money & Adversity Wisdom: How to Stop Money Bleeding

It is so easy to be caught up in a frenzy of spending more than we can afford. Advertisements entice us to get products now and pay two years later. Credit card companies regularly increase our credit limits in an effort to get us to spend more.

So how can we stop ourselves from getting in over our heads? How can we get out from under if we are already in debt?

SAVING

There are several things you can do to start saving money:

Cancel or downgrade useless services such as TV, 25 calling features, full-page advertisement in yellow pages, etc.
Review your credit record and cancel the credit cards that you do not use, especially ones with high interest.
Share apartment with a roommate, downgrade, or move back with your parents for the time being.

If you have your own business:

Ensure that your files are properly organized and backed up.
For new clients or poor paying clients, always get a sizeable down payment before you start the job. Or better yet, use Pareto 80/20 Principle and only deal with referred, well-paying clients.
Stay on top of things with reminders and to-do lists.
Do not allow more than one purposeful faux-pas by a client. Ideally protect yourself before it happens – see the note on new clients above.
Go at your business or job like you have never done it before (Show initiative and enthusiasm. Be an expert at what you do).

When you have little or no money, it is imperative that you save, save, save money! So cut back on those frills – cancel your cable at home. Skip that club, that pub, that massage, that night out with the guys or girls. Just tell them “Sorry, I’m busy” and leave it at that.

These are good habits to develop and keep even when you have lots of money. This is not about lack or scarcity, it is simple Finance (and Lean Six Sigma ideology): minimize expenses and maximize revenue (together with cash availability). Save money wherever you can (taxes, interest, fees, utilities, groceries, coffee, snacks) and treat yourself with something extra nice once in a while (spa day, vacation, big purchase), or better yet, invest your money wisely and get the money working for you (do your research and talk to experts).

Do not pollute your mind with daily bad news. If you insist on being informed, visit a news website, and only click on links that are really of interest to you. Be selective about the stuff that gets into your head. Keep it positive and allow only the news that makes you or your situation better – directly. If you do not walk away from the news with the feeling that you are closer to your goals, you have just wasted your time.

Being proactive:

Here are some handy tips when trying to save money:

Creditors: do not avoid them; talk with them openly and honestly. If you have cash flow difficulties, promise payment schedule that you can pay and that you will both agree on, or offer them shares in your company in lieu of payment.
Save costs – avoid everything useless: fancy office, extra payroll, non-productive things such advertising that doesn’t bring sales). Operate from your house if possible and buy used equipment if you can.
For cash injection: look into cash value of life insurance. Also talk to lawyers and accountants about Angel Investors (If they know whether any of their clients are ones). Look into Venture Capital firms – be realistic, open, and positive. Place Ad in local newspaper: “Wanted local investors who are interested in local community investment” for 7% interest on 25K loan.
Cash upfront business is the best model. Financing customer credit is costly.
Hire Part Time PR experts – the only department in business that brings in cash is Marketing and Sales.
Employees – come up with a profit-based agreements to maximize productivity with low regular salary, or hire contractors.
Get new customers and sell more to current customers. Offer a lifetime value on products.
Read biographies of other successful people for ideas and strategies that you can use in your own life or business.
If you have a setback, never give up – start over again. Capitalize on your own unique abilities & skills.
If you need to travel and have air miles, try to use them in low season.

Sometimes your good friends try to encourage you to take the adventure of the lifetime and may even lend you money, but you have to keep the following things in mind:

The deal or adventure in most cases is NOT an investment. Once you spend the money and time, they are gone forever. Sure you have great memories and you had a great time, but now that you are back, you are where you were before (Worse! You are one week behind!), and now you owe your friend money – another debt.

Sometimes good things come to those who wait. My gym membership was expiring, but I did not call to renew or anything. The gym called me wanting me to renew the contract. I would receive first 2 months for free. Good things come to those who wait and/or let go. Thank you.

I learned one important lesson from a friend: despite making $14K in two months (though not continuously), he refuses to spend money foolishly and tries to consider the real value of things, for example, he does not buy expensive food. I agree with him about not spending foolishly, but I think one has to feed the soul with nice things once in a while, like having a nice meal in a nice restaurant.

Andrea Travillian, in her article entitled, Liquidity is King, tells us that regardless of the financial method we choose, the

“Number one most important principal is liquidity.”

Why? Because it makes us more adaptable to changing situations. When she refers to ‘liquidity’, she means being able to quickly turn our assets into cash without penalty, when we need to do so.

She tells us that our chequing accounts are ‘highly liquid’, while the worth of our business is not. She stresses that being in debt decreases our liquidity.

Travillian gives us 3 basic steps to follow in order to produce liquidity. They are:

Do not spend more than you earn.
Spread your assets.
Do not jump on every seemingly good opportunity that comes your way. Be able to say ‘NO’.

If we want to decrease our stress, have money to be able to invest, and be in charge of our finances, she declares that it is imperative that we do not spend more than we make. We can do this by eliminating unnecessary expenses and creating a budget that allows us to make more than we spend. This would permit us to put our profits into liquid accounts for easy access when necessary.

CREDIT CARDS

When you foresee a late payment, call the credit card company in advance. Let them know that you are in a tough situation and doing everything that you can and then elaborate on this.

Tell them about your qualifications, that you have strong personal referrals; that you are going through the interview process; and that the situation looks promising but you will know for sure in a couple more weeks or so. Communicate that you have no other options available immediately, because there is no one that you can ask for money. They may even allow you not to pay for 2 months so you can get back on your feet.

If you are broke:

Transfer balances to lower interest cards.
Take advantage of the low-interest introductory offers, but be very careful about the terms, read the fine print, do some math, and keep track of the exact date when the high interest kicks in again – make sure to “transfer out” before that happens.
Call credit card companies and negotiate lower interest or lower payments.
Sort cards by interest and balance and pay those first (lose less money).

When negotiating with a credit card company, after stating your situation, ensure that you listen politely to what they have to say.

The bottom line is that the image and perception counts, not the actual physical situation. Being calm, professional, polite, and showing good faith, is a big key to successful negotiation. It is very important that you not breach that trust. The same goes for people (emotional bank account).

Thought:

To lose fat, one must eat (healthy) fat. In other words, fat has to be abundant in the body, so that body does not feel that it needs to store / save it. I think the same goes with money. So does it work in reverse? Abundance mindset is one where we do not worry about saving, we spend and more comes. This is true to some degree, but we need to remain responsible – do not spend money you don’t have and do not become reckless. Be wise, look for deals, buy only when items are on sale. It is just like healthy peanut butter that can be easily overused by indulgence.

BAIL OUT

If you do not have a job, first look for one or swallow your ego and move back with your parents for a year (and be useful at home to pay for that privilege).

If you do not have anything (and I mean nothing!), the government will support you for a while.

If in addition to having absolutely nothing, you are in debt and have no other options, as the absolutely last resort (and I mean absolutely last resort), you can declare bankruptcy and start fresh (while living at home or receiving government money). However, it is a great hassle for 2 to 7 years and it also costs some money.

I was one day away from signing the bankruptcy papers. Then I spoke with some business people about my situation and they suggested that I see a Debt Consultant. So…

I called and made an appointment. The first information session was free.

I felt most comfortable with the Debt Consultant as she was quick and to the point, yet very comprehensive. She told me about 2 more options, both requiring better income and/or a plan.

One is debt consolidation loan by a bank. The other is by having a non-profit organization in-charge, but that is mostly for around 10K debt, but it might be worth a shot. However, these 2 last resort options may negatively affect a few people in my circle.

The debt consultant said, “that’s what’s needed to be an entrepreneur, but at the end of the day it’s a harsh reality; well it’s your call!”

I had previously researched bankruptcy law, so we talked about what I found out, how I was ready to proceed (that I was willing to let go of everything and to go all the way), and how she would need to be involved (transfer of director title and trusting the partner).

I talked to her about the Consumer Proposal, which is one step before bankruptcy and saves a great deal of headaches. I did a lot of research into that after, and it maybe a better choice after all. In the worst case, I can upgrade to all the way.

I then went to one of the banks that I deal with about a Consolidation Loan. My credit score and record was good. The lady, with whom I spoke, said she would need to see a profitable business and good retained earnings. Even if everything was looking good and I got the 50K loan, it would be for 4 years at 8% and the minimum monthly payments would be $1250, double what I as looking for.

She recommended that I focus on one card at a time (one with the highest interest), and make the biggest payments possible. She also said that I really do not want to go the bankruptcy route.

I also went to my other bank where I got the same news except the financial advisor with whom I spoke, said that for an unsecured consolidation loan, I would be looking at around 12%. This is a good habit to get into – asking experts that is.

This financial advisor told me that she was impressed by my homework, control, and doing the best with what I had. She also said that I am a pleasure to deal with, so positive!

We also talked about RSP and Mutual Funds. She said that it was good that I did not sell them. All my funds are gaining 1-2% daily. She also said that I do not want to go the bankruptcy route. Just keep surviving and when things get better, I will be much better off.

I am so grateful for all the support I am receiving from the Universe (freebies, deals, top performance doctors, advice from financial consultants).

Side note:

My argument is that you (either man or woman) should really strive for your own freedom and independence, and have a partner not because you NEED one, but because you WANT one.

Yes, I was over $100,000 in debt but I was not extravagant. What transpired was due to a lack of business planning on my part and bad business decisions due to misplaced trust.

I know first-hand how difficult it is to pursue your life’s work and have joy when you are chained by debt.

Desperation and desire have difficulty residing in the same house, much less the same heart.

My clients will tell you that the first thing I tell them is STOP spending excessively. The second thing is Demolish DEBT followed closely by GROW your business and your wealth.

IDEAS

Move home with folks if possible while you are restructuring your life.

If you have debts you must make payments towards, keep a job and excel at delivering value and taking initiative. If you can seek temporary Government assistance or low-interest loan, do so, but work on yourself, career, or a big project during that year – and avoid any distractions! Have super focus and vision, no rubbish. But do exercise, go for walks, meditate, meet with friends – otherwise you go crazy!

Other suggestions I came across include:

Work in a Government job (education, TTC, office).
Have business on a side.
Do 1 year teacher degree or certification, in order to teach high school students.
Look to post things for sale at home.
Look for a Senior level job in your field.
Customize for your resume for different positions.
Do tutoring or computer service on the side to pay bills (whatever your skills are).
Leverage internet to provide your services with Upsells (Rent-a-Coder, Fiverr, etc).

If you have stuff that you are not using, post some ads on Kijiji and Craigslist so you can turn that stuff into cash.

It is crucial that you see a Debt Consultant so that you can get even more tips and useful information.

Instead of declaring bankruptcy, I decided to first give it my best shot at getting myself out of the hole – fully committing my able self to do everything in my power to turn things around and take care of my own business, not anybody else’s.

Exploring other options:

Make use of all your talents. For example, I offered to do some basic handy work for a friend. I walked away with $120, for 4 hours work. I went back the next day to do electrical work and made another $250 plus I got kudos from my friend for passing multiple tests of extreme patience.

In her article, Liquidity is King, Andrea Travillian says that it is very important to diversify our assets so that while we want be able to save for our retirement, we can also have some liquidity with which to invest in a good deal.

I researched lottery odds:

Lotto Max at $5 is 1 in 28 million.

649 at $2 is 1 in 13 million

Ontario 49 at $.50 is 1 in 13 million

Lottario at $1 is 1 in 4 million

Do your research on chances of current games and play at very minimum. The odds are insane against you, so play to have a better chance than 0. However, 1 or 10 tickets will not make a difference. If you are meant to win (Universe’s for the highest good of all), you will win with 1 ticket.

Here’s a “quick” info product idea for someone that writes fairly well. It is one I have used before with success:

Set up an Amazon associates account at amazon.com

Search amazon.com and search for authors on a topic of interest.

Use the “search inside” feature to pull useful quotes from the books.

Quote those authors in an e-book on the topic you’ve selected. Fill in the details with your own commentary.

Append a “bibliography” or “citation list” of the resources. Use your Amazon “affiliate” codes to create direct links to the books you’ve cited.

Turn the document into a pdf – Cute PDF writer is totally free. You can also use OpenOffice.org, which is also free and is compatible with Microsoft Office. That software has a PDF generator built right in – and all the links are live.

Create a landing page & an opt-in page for the product (doesn’t have to be pretty or anything fancy).

Use ad-words or Facebook to drive traffic to the opt-in page. You will create your own list based on the click activity.

You can give the book away free (bigger list faster), and rely on the Amazon links for income, or you can sell the info (better qualified, but smaller list) and use Paypal to accept payment.

Quick and dirty, but great if you have zero bucks to start with, no particular area of expertise, or want to test a market without pumping a lot of cash into it.

Don’t expect to make millions on a report like this, but if you can crank out a few, you can start to build a few residual streams of income.

Another option is to create an audio or video download instead of an e-book, that way if you are a better speaker than writer, you can turn your strength into money.

Thought:

You should do meditation in the morning to slow down and calm down the brain. Only then the brain is in the better position to solve problems.

Also ask yourself 2 questions in a journal:

How am I feeling?
What do I want?

WISDOM

The truth is that until you show you can handle what you’ve got, you won’t get any more! The bible says, “God will not give you more than you can bear” and the same is true about money.

Most say, “If I had more money things would be better for me,” but the reality is that if you cannot handle what you already have, how in the world do you plan to handle more? Successful people became successful because they learned how to work with what they had and made it grow.

By mastering your financial dragons, you will finally be open to a world of freedom, peace and abundance.

Money is really not the problem, there is more to it. Once you learn what is holding you back from it, finding the business that will work for you will be fairly easy. It is really all a matter of you deciding which path works best for you.

What we really want to do is what we are really meant to do. When we do what we are meant to do, money comes to us, doors open for us, we feel useful, and the work we do feels like play to us.”
–Julie Cameron

You will find out how the laws work to create the financial wealth you have always wanted, when you do it out of integrity. This is key (this is the only way you should make money). Remember, your talents have been given to you for a purpose and when you use them properly you will be rewarded for it.

I have read many stories about people just like you and me who decided to change their lives by changing their way of thinking and also by discovering not only a need but by using their talent.

You must do what you love and love what you do. I keep saying this because I want you to understand how important this is. This is why the rich and famous are in fact rich and famous. They decided to pursue their passions by using their unique talents and are getting well paid for it.

If you have ever wanted to know how ordinary people made their millions and in some cases billions then keep reading. Oh and by they way they did not get lucky, they got busy!

I am so amazed by these individuals. They have been such an inspiration to me simply because they did not give up. No matter what they were going through they found the strength to keep at it and not let anything stand in their way.

If you want money, when you get it, you will most likely move. Are you ready to move? Declutter! Purge! Clean up.

You have to pay the price. Usually it is time. Time to work on yourself, get something done or learn a skill. Money will speed up the process by paying experts to teach you instead of taking the time to figure things out yourself.

If you do not feel happy by default, at all times, despite how bad you think it is (being broke or sick), you have some work to do. When seemingly nothing has changed in your life (except that you are working on improving yourself), but you feel happy and grateful for the life, opportunity and beauty of the world, you are on the right track.

Others may tell you to change this and that about yourself and that you should spend the money to do so. But what if you really do not have the money? Think about what you have: home, food, access to library, access to internet, real world to practice in.

If you are in your 30’s and live with your parents, you still have a home, and even better – you get fed! And if you do not even have that, you still have your mind. “And as long you have your mind, you can put things back together”, if you only so truly desire (The Secret Miracle Man).

99% intent + «method» = 100% result drawing

Social cleaning and money:

Say ‘NO’ to BS obligations that drain your time and energy. Get your own life in order first. Just like masks on the plane during emergency: first do your own, then help others.

If you want to be a millionaire you need the proper mindset and habits – discipline, try and test things versus just talking about them; go for it versus study forever; do it as close to right as possible, but remain effective. If the idea is good, finish what you started, i.e. do not just scratch the surface and then jump to the next hot idea

About me:

I was $100K in debt, 0 income, $1000 in monthly minimum payments on 99% credit cards. How did I do it? Living with parents, shuffling visas, using all promotions that were available to me (borrowing 10K for a week to do a switcharoo), and doing small construction or computer jobs on the side.

Acceptance basically comes down to admitting to yourself, “This is a bad situation I’ve gotten myself into, and I accept that it’s going to take some serious effort and commitment on my part to turn things around. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.” The key is to limit outgoing, so that the incoming can go further towards paying the debt.

Why are you not wealthy? The top 3 reasons are:

You keep affirming that I do not have enough (I have changed that for the most part).
You are not doing anything or enough (I changed that big time: do more things that generate money and less that don’t).
You have been spending money that you do not have (bike parts were big for me).

If you are heavily in debt, the answer is appreciation and desire.

Circulate gratitude and money. Give thanks, praise, flowers. Make people like you (naturally – don’t overdo it).

Make a list of what you need to fix about yourself. Voice, image, teeth, hair, style, grooming, character. And ask experts – ask hair stylist what shampoo to use, etc. Ask people that know you and know the field. If you are nice, people will be happy to help you.

When you are stuck at a certain level in your health, relationships, finances, career, spiritual growth, or personal habits, and you cannot seem to make any progress, take a moment to stop and look around. The universe knows you want to reach the next level. It is not blocking you to frustrate you. You are blocking yourself because deep down, you know you are not ready for the next level yet. You still have more lessons to acquire right where you are.

If you need a little money help and you consistently use the principles below, you will notice an increase in the prosperity that you attract to yourself on a daily basis.

Listen to Steve Pavlina’s pod casts for inspiration, perhaps while driving (I love this guy, he’s great!).
Have a millionaire mindset (carry more cash, think thousands are nothing). However, be smart with money, do not use credit cards to achieve that – at least not for extended periods of time. If it does not feel right, then it probably is not the right way to the goal (trust your intuition).
You must creatively express yourself ‘abundantly’. You need to be in a state of flow. Give, and the getting will take care of itself. To draw the audience that appreciates your expression, you must find the best medium: blogging, writing, speaking, personal relationship, inspiring people, coaching people, healing people.
Take time to discover Budda’s non-duality reality – we are all one, so everyone is some part of me.
Basically do what you need to do to survive, pay bills, and be a legal citizen, but try to do your own doing and thinking. Steve Pavlina’s view is not to go into credit card debt or quit your job and have no money to cover your bills or living.
Cut your expenses as much as you can, and spend your time working on your new life and life passion. If you do not know what it is yet, spend that time trying to find out.

Helpful ideas for a more efficient mind

Clean up your wallet and make it as thin as possible.
Make photocopies of everything in your wallet so in case you lose it, it will be easier for you to know what cards to cancel.
Store important dates or events in your calendar.
Setup an automatic monthly reminder of recurring events. (Give yourself a day of warning). This is good for bill payments, birthdays, etc. Now you do not have to worry about remembering and this eases the load on your mind.

Examine your actions

How can you be constantly complaining about cash flow, but have the latest blackberry and hands-free blue-tooth while having no problem spending $100 on booze? According to billionaires, you should not worry about debts per se, but one has to be fully on top of the details. If you cannot manage small money, how can you manage large amounts of money?

Notes from Donald Trump’s The Apprentice – show’s conclusion:

[In current times] we have to lie to get along (white lies).
We need to accept that most people [white] lie.
But looking for lies in every face is no way to live.
Do not be a policeman in everyday life.
Be trusting. You will be happier in life.
It is better to risk being misled, than risk rejecting the truth.

My conclusion:

So knowing all that, as well as the power of positive words, the way to have a happy life right now, is to tell yourself positive affirmations and come across genuinely positive, using GRATITUDE as the base. Be truly grateful for what you have now: shelter, internet access, brain, eyes, credit card companies trusting you to giving you credit. Smile helps too…

This makes you look genuinely grateful and it starts off the chain reaction of more things to be grateful for. As you are being positive and happy, you come across to others as an interesting and positive individual, which draws them to you and opens new doors for you. So you even have more things or people to be grateful for! Nice!

You can (and should) tell yourself positive affirmations (I am the best, I am the winner, I am #1). You have to choose your friends wisely. Many will put and/or pull you down. You can hang out with successful people, where you unfortunately have to pretend (fake it until you make it).

Ideally you should hang out with empowering people, with whom you can be honest (ambition and plan earns huge brownie points), and who remembers what it was like and will be supportive of you. In case of public speaking, it is Toastmasters; in case of business, it is Wealth meetings.

You still must do hard work and act, but things will only get better! Your plan must be good, but any unreasonable plan will be good too if you really believe it and are willing to put enough work into it. What is a good plan? One that creates and delivers TRUE VALUE to people who need or want it (ideally as many people as possible).

Taking care of needs will reward you spiritually. Taking care of wants will reward you financially. If you can take care of both – woah baby! What do people need? The basics (shelter, food, income) – peace of mind. What do people want? Happiness – but note that it means something different for everybody.

It can be one or more of: money, power, sex, gold medal, knowledge and understanding, the ultimate truth, being a great father/mother, having many friends, helping other people in general, helping people who desperately need help, helping animals, etc.

What if you are so close to the bottom that you cannot support yourself while you are creating and delivering the big value? You need to let go of things to receive help. I think it is a fair trade for a gift of more time, money, energy, and wisdom to do your life changing work. If you have a job, let go of TV, socializing for fun in bars, and chasing after shallow relationships.

Lesson from being poor:

To be happy we need to have at least the minimum basics assured (shelter and food).
If we do have it, we must appreciate it, in whatever form it comes (living with parents)
Abundance is created by our vibrations of love and gratitude.
Once we learn to love (especially when you are poor), it is only a question of time before your material situation gets better. Trust the process.
The big advantage of being poor is to discover the treasures hiding within ourselves, which we must use to profit spiritual wealth (humanity).

I did everything that I did while in debt (starting with school loan and credit cards):

Started a very successful business that crashed
Went through a transformation first hand
Lived with parents who supported me

I could not have done it (or it would have taken a lot longer) without my mother’s strength and wisdom. She is an inspiration to me. She made a bold move when she went to France to work without knowing French. She then came to Canada without knowing English or anyone. Later, she went to New York City for 2 years to work – again great guts! Her choices put me in places where I have better chance to change my life.

Good things come to those who wait. Some friends told me that when we ask and have faith things/money will come. I need to ask more and have real faith – more right brain.

Here is a simple truism to think about –

You need to practice making money! Start small and with time and practice, your skills will grow and you will manifest more and more money.”

Here are 3 important steps to avoid pitfalls:

Become aware of what business emergencies can happen (risk management).
Have a plan in place in order to properly deal with emergencies and/or disasters that can literally cause your business to come to a screeching halt.
Learn how to stop some of the most dangerous business-killing emergencies dead in their tracks before they have a chance to infiltrate your business… or bank account.

Think of these steps as a backup of your computer. You hope that it does not crash, but if it does, you will be prepared because you have a backup of all of your data.

Running a business without any backups of your critical data is setting yourself up for a disaster. Just ask anyone who had a hard drive completely crash who did not back up any of their data.

Now I hope you never have to face any business emergencies, but if one of these ever happen to you, I want to make 100% sure that you’re prepared for it.

Andrea Travillian, in her article, Liquidity is King, stresses the importance of being able to say ‘no’. Just because a deal looks good, does not mean it is right for you, given your current financial situation. You should never make a deal on the hope that your finances will improve at a future date. Only invest in a good deal if your present financial situation can afford it.

She is emphatic that having liquidity gives us choices which in turn gives us freedom. If freedom is our goal, then we should never put all our eggs in one basket – diversify, diversify, diversify! However do not jump on every bandwagon that comes along. Wait for the investment that is right for you. She tells us that if we do all of these things, our financial future is assured.

Food for thought:

Being in debt is NOT the end of the world. Never give up. You HAVE options available to you. You CAN rise above this and come out on top. If I can do it, so can you.

Resources

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http://learnfinancialplanning.com/how-to-get-out-of-debt/