Jump Start Your Savings Today!

Do you feel like you could be saving more or should be saving more? Or do you fall into the category of the average American saving only 2%? If you are like most people you could and should be saving more. You need to jump start your savings today!

In order to jump start your savings, you need to do take two steps:

1. Begin an automatic savings plan to pay yourself first out of every paycheck.

2. Create your own personal (or family) savings program.

Both steps are the only two critical steps you need to act upon to jump start your savings today!

Step 2: Create a Savings Program! A savings program consists of a budget, specific savings goals, and savings strategies composed together to maximize how much you can save. Think of it as a plan. Without a plan, you may wander about, not knowing where you are going, how to get there, or where you even need to go. These are all negative hindrances impeding your progress. By creating a savings plan, you set in writing what you want, what you have now, how far you want to go, where you want to go and what methods are going to take you there. Your specifically tailored savings program is your strategy for maximizing your savings potential so you can reach success through saving.

A savings program consists of several items, or steps to create a true personal savings program. The most critical step, and the only one you need right now to jump start your savings, is to create your own personal (or family) account record book.

In order to budget, save and invest your money, you need an accurate account of how much money is coming in and how much is going out. Write down every dollar and cents you spend and earn. Include everything: your checking and savings accounts, cash, credit cards, your regular wage and any other money you may receive, such as income from side jobs. Include every dollar and every cent. Until you have mastered how to save money, every cent recorded in your account book will be significant.

An account book has many benefits. Your account book will be the basis for your budget. An account book allows you to examine how you are spending your money.It gives you an accurate picture of what you are currently spending and saving, and it divulges to you what is required to change to get the savings you desire. You will now realize where your money is going. You will be able to decide what you can eliminate, what can be reduced, and what will save you the most money.

An account book, or a record of income and expenses, will allow you to realize what your efforts have produced. If you have reached a 10%, 20%, or 30% savings, your records and a little arithmetic will give you the proof. You will be able to watch your progress grow as you save more and more and know when you can reach 50% savings and finally have reached it.

Take a few moments now to begin your own income and expense record book. Grab either a clean 3-ring notebook or an account ledger book (available at any office supply store) and begin immediately your own personal income and expense record book.

There are several different ways to set up your income and expense record book (check out Saving Your Way to Success for several illustrated examples), but the simplest would be to use the four column, running total method. This is the easiest to get started with immediately. To use this method, you only need four columns: Date, Transaction Description, Amount and Running Total. You simply start with the money you currently have in your pocket (or billfold, purse, etc.) and then with every instance of an expenditure or income coming in, you write down the current date, describe what you did with the money, and then add or subtract. It is that easy!

After you have a months worth of income and expenses, you may want to compile totals for various spending categories (the next step in creating a working budget). There are no absolute numbers (for example, if you spend more on housing, you will need to cut back on another category), but the following are guidelines for you to get started:

Charitable Gift - 10-15%

Saving (initially)- 5-10%

Housing - 25-35%

Utilities - 5-10%

Food - 5-15%

Transportation - 10-15%

Clothing - 2-7%

Medical/Health - 5-10%

Personal - 5-10%

Recreation - 5-10%

Debts - 5-10%

An account book is your personal progress report. It is your own personal positive helper. As long as you continue to grow your savings, it will show you amazing, positive results, and if at some moment you lapse in your savings, you will be able to figure out what didn’t go according to your budget plan. You will be able to watch your savings grow, grow, and GROW!

STEP 1: Pay Yourself First! When you begin a plan of systematic savings with every paycheck, you increase your savings dramatically. When you save $.50 of every $1 you earn and add the $.50 you saved with every $1 you spent, you literally multiply your savings. Save when you earn your money and when you spend your money. By implementing this strategy, you not only jump starting your savings, you are leaping forward by leaps and bounds.

Begin an automatic savings of 10% (or more) of every paycheck. By developing a plan in which you automatically save a portion every time you receive your paycheck, you take an important step forward in reaching success through saving. By reducing how much you have to spend (because you automatically save a percentage of every paycheck), you force yourself to live on less income. Once you are accustomed to spending less, you will be able to increase your savings from 10% to 15% to 20%. This is a crucial step in the creation of your savings program. You can reduce how much you spend and can begin saving immediately just by saving a portion of your paycheck.

An automatic savings of every paycheck—or, simply put, “paying yourself first out of every paycheck”—is a great method for saving money. Begin right now! Stop reading (for a moment), grab your billfold, purse, or wherever you keep your money, and begin an automatic savings plan by removing 10% of whatever is in it. Even if this amounts to only a few dollars, do it anyway. Now stick your money in an enveloped marked, "savings" and put it somewhere safe. Congratulations! You are now on your way to saving your way to success!

You have now taken two necessary steps that will help jump start your savings today!

To learn more about how you can jump start your savings and budgeting program and wealth accumulation go to http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com

Justin P. Ertelt is the author of Saving Your Way to Success, and owner of http://www.savingyourwaytosuccess.com, helping others acheive financial success. Justin can be reached at justin@savingyourwaytosuccess.com.

[tags]budgeting, saving money, budgeting resources, personal finance, family finances, how to save[/tags]

It's Not How Much You Make

Most people have very little control over how much they make, yet that is the first place people look when they run into financial problems. Instead of focusing on how much you make, you should focus on how much you spend. This means focusing on the things you can control instead of focusing on the things you cannot control.

There are many ways you can control your expenses. Debt consolidation is one way to control how much you spend. If you are deep in debt, especially credit card debt, a large percentage of your income is going to go toward paying off interest and does nothing toward getting you out of debt. Since credit cards and most other consumer credit come with very high interest rates, you can save a tremendous amount of money if you can lower the amount you spend on interest.

Debt consolidation takes all of your loans that are at a high interest rate and combines them into one large loan at a lower interest rate. This can often lower your monthly expenses by hundreds or thousands of dollars. This extra savings can go toward paying off the principle of your loans to help you get out of debt more rapidly. It can also be used to save toward an emergency fund, to help keep you out of financial problems in the future.

The key thing to watch out for when doing debt consolidation is your spending. Just because you have more money each month does not mean you should spend more. Typically this is what gets people into financial problems in the first place. If spending is not controlled, debt consolidation can actually make you worse off than before.

Debt consolidation is one of the key ways to lower your monthly expenses. When used with care, it can be an important step in getting out of debt.

The Debt Consolidation site offers insights into managing and reducing your debt. You can find more articles like this one at: http://debt-consolidation.strategy-blogs.com/

[tags]debt, debt consolidation, finances, personal finances[/tags]

Inspirational - Money Is In The Mind

Some of us make huge money. Some make a real big amount. It is as if they have a magic formula. Look at the list of the richest people. Most of the names are repeated year after year. At the same time there are some who are born with great intelligence and manage to only earn their living. They never manage to make big money. Why? What is the secret that makes some people attract money?

What is money attraction?

Is there something like money attraction? We find some people with great charisma. They attract people towards them. Is there something similar with money? Do some people have magnetic pull over money? Yes. It is there. The people who attract money believe that - they deserve to earn big money. They also believe that there is enough money in the world. They are of the opinion that everybody should become rich. They know how to save money and spend it judiciously. They know that they have the intelligence to make huge money. They know how to make business plans that work and they have faith in their plans. You cannot easily change their mind.

On the other hand, a much larger population believes that big money is for others. These people some how come to a conclusion that big money is not in their fate. These people do not believe that they have the intelligence that is superior and they may lose money if they invest in some venture. Somehow this large majority believes in all the factors that drive money away.

Money is in thinking. Money is in confidence. Money is in self-belief and money is in the mind. Believe it and you will earn it.

The author, C.D. Mohatta writes fun quizzes and fun tests at http://www.funquizcards.com/ on topics like love, personality, dating, relationships, friendship, movies, tv, music, business, etc. The second site, the author writes for, is http://www.ecarduniverse.com/ which has free ecards on holidays, birthday, love, friendship, family, expressions, celebrations and all events and occasions. One more site associated with the author is http://www.yourfungames.com/ - it has free flash games which anyone can play online.

[tags]inspiration,money,finance,success,monetary matters[/tags]

Inexpensive Dating Ideas

Dating and saving money. For many, the two concepts don't equate. There's an automatic reaction for most when suggesting the two together that the person paying is trying to be "cheap" and the resulting date will naturally have the same feel. Contrary to popular belief, however, dating doesn't have to be expensive to be fun, entertaining and memorable. It doesn't even have to take a whole lot of extra preparation time. What it does take is a little imagination and breaking from the typical date routine. You have to be willing to think beyond dinner and a movie and be willing to try something new for a change. Here are 15 inexpensive dating ideas: 10 for anyone plus 5 for the adventurous.

Natural Scenery: The beauty of nature is all around us and it doesn't cost a dime. Whether it's a trip to the beach, a walk in the forest or a search into a cave, it can be done together for practically nothing. Take the time to find the natural scenic spots in your area and utilize them for your dates.

Sports: If you and your date are both athletic, sport activities together can be a great way to spend your time. Play a set of tennis, jog in the park, toss a Frisbee about, play catch with a baseball or football or shoot some baskets. Whichever you choose, you can spend quality time at minimal cost and get some exercise in, too.

Picnic: Picnics are great for dates because they can be taken along wherever you plan to go for the day and they cost a fraction of going out for a meal. They also can be made as casual or as romantic as you want. Take a casual picnic meal, add some cheese & wine along with a red rose and the picnic instantly takes on a romantic feel.

Historic Places & Buildings: It seems the only time people go looking at the historic landmarks near where they live is when visitors come from out of town. Many of these historic or culturally significant spots have no or small entrance fees and make a great place to go on a date. You also get to learn more about the area you live.

Meal/Evening At Home: Cook up a meal at home and spend the evening watching movies or some other activity such as a board game. The meal most likely will be better than at a restaurant and the evening will cost a fraction of what going out to dinner and a movie would cost. Cook the meal together to spend even more time together, or do it yourself as a special surprise.

Memory Album: Take your camera or purchase an inexpensive disposable camera and make a day of taking photos together. Make a theme for the day if you want or just take any crazy photo that comes to mind. Once finished, get the photos 1 hour processed and create a memory album together for the day that will live on forever.

Museums: If you have museums in your area, they can be an excellent place to enjoy an inexpensive date. Admission prices are usually reasonable and often they have discounts for those attending a number of events over the year.

Learn A New Skill: Gather some information on a skill you always wanted to learn and spend a day practicing it together. It could be a day of learning card tricks, learning how to juggle or learning to make bird calls. Any skill you have always wanted to try can make a fun and interesting date.

College Events: If you live near a college or university, utilize their resources for your dates. Guest lectures, music recitals, art exhibitions and plays are common and are often free of charge. The quality can be excellent and the variety enormous.

Hobby Together: you can set a regularly scheduled date if the two of you have a hobby you both enjoy. You can look in the local community newsletter to see if there are classes being offered in something that interests both of you. These classes are usually quite inexpensive and the two of you can enjoy a few hours each week together learning something new.

For those who are looking for an inexpensive date with some adventure involved, here are five more options that are sure to make the evening memorable:

Local Thrift Shop Date: Plan a date someplace where there are a lot of people. Before going, head down to the local thrift shop together. Once there, specify a small amount of money to purchase clothing or accessories for the other and both head off in different directions. The goal is to find items the other has to wear for the rest of the day/evening within the price specified. The entertainment is seeing the reaction from all the people who see your new outfit as you wander the crowded area.

Follow Them Date: As the two of you meet, you look around and pick somebody out on the street. The date is to follow that person where ever he or she goes. Once that person has stopped or you can no longer follow them, pick another person to follow. Your bound to have loads of laughs as you attempt to stay with your designated guide.

Scavenger Hunt Date: When your date arrives, have him or her make a list of what he or she considers to be 20 unusual items. Once the list is made, the date will be to try and find as many of those items as possible.

Truth Or Dare Date: Pick some spots in your area to visit, but play truth or dare along the way. It doesn't really matter where you go since the entertainment is doing the various dares that the other gives in addition to telling all the truths.

Bag Of Dates: Put each of the dates I just mentioned, plus any others that you come up with, onto a separate sheet of paper and place them in a bag. When your date comes to the door, have him or her reach inside and choose a piece of paper. Whichever one is chosen is your date for the day/evening.

Copyright (c) 2004, by Jeffrey Strain

This article may be freely distributed so long as the copyright, author's information and an active link (where possible) are included.

A complimentary copy of any newsletter or a link to the site where the article is posted would be greatly appreciated.

About The Author

Jeffrey Strain has published hundreds of money saving articles and the creator of the Daily Money Saving Challenge Program. He is the co-owner of http://www.savingadvice.com -- a website dedicated to saving you money.

savingadvice@gmail.com

[tags]dates,dating,relationships,budget,personal finance,friends,love,romance[/tags]

Improving Your Financial Position

If you want money you need to learn how to control it. You need to improve your financial education and build your discipline. I am going to reveal to you how you can do both. Let me ask you a very simple question. Do you want money? Of course you do!

Everybody wants money. You might think my next questions are even sillier, but I'll ask them anyway. Would you like to have money all the time? Do you really want money?

You see what I am asking you, by adding the word "really," is do you actually want the money itself or do you want the freedom it can buy you? Ahh. Now you see what I am getting at. What you really want is the freedom that the money represents. What you really want is freedom.

Access to money allows lots of freedom.

What would be the point of being a millionaire or even a billionaire if you were serving a prison sentence for the rest of your life? Your loss of freedom would render your prime use for that money next to useless.

So, how do we get money? There are many ways. We can work for it, receive commissions, receive royalties and we can accrue it from things like interest and investments. We can even steal it, much as I dislike even mentioning such an option.

In reality there are only two basic ways of accumulating money:

1 - we can work for it ourselves by exchanging time and effort,

2 - our existing money can be put to work to replicate itself.

For most people, it is not how much they earn, it is how much they are able to keep. That is the single most important difference between becoming wealthy and staying poor. Spending more than we earn is the recipe to certain financial disaster. Yet most people do just that.

The answer to becoming wealthy is financial education and discipline.

There are many ways to educate yourself better in the ways of handling money. However, by far, the easiest is to gather the knowledge through the wisdom contained in appropriate books. In my opinion, there is no better general resource than George Classon's timeless classic, "The Richest Man in Babylon". I highly recommend it.

I know from experience that those who desperately need the knowledge this excellent book contains will never read it - even if it were placed in front of them every day for a month. That is why they are poor. They think poor and do nothing to change it. What is in their wallet or purse is a direct result of what is in their head, or, more correctly, what is not in their head.

The poorest people are the people who spend the greatest amount of money on trash. They would never think to buy knowledge or invest in their greatest asset - their brain!

There is another very powerful thing that you can do to prepare yourself to handle money wisely. If you want to have money, I suggest a good place to start is with your own discipline. This is another area where poor people fall well short.

If you want to elevate your self esteem and improve your discipline both at the same time, try the following. It will ensure that you have money all the time:

Go to your bank. Withdraw the biggest single denominational note you can (say $100). Put the note in your wallet or purse then, and here comes the most important part, DO NOT SPEND IT!

Nothing will give you greater self esteem and nothing will build financial discipline stronger than doing this.

I have been walking around with three $100 notes in my wallet now for over a month. I refuse to spend them. I go into shops, I look at things I want, I think, "Gee, I'd really like that!" then I turn around and walk out. How much money do you think I have saved by not giving in to impulse buying?

My $300 gives me a great lift. It gives me tremendous self esteem to know that I can afford to buy lots of things if I want. I am in control of that money. It is not controlling me. I am exercising my discipline not to spend it.

I have other money in my wallet. It's just that the $300 is what I call my "quarantine money." The other money is my budget money.

If you want money you need to learn how to control it. You need to improve your financial education and build your discipline. I have just revealed to you how you can do both. Now that you know, will you do anything about it? Hmm.

[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]

About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."

[tags]money,finance, financial responsibility,cash,capital,discipline,motivation,self help,advice on money[/tags]

Immature Leaders Go Off Like Milk

You find them in all spheres of society – in cubicles, on the shop floor, on the sports field, in the marching crowd of protesters, as huge as in the CEO-chair, yet as small as on the nursery school playground. They are the minority group of people impacting on the majority of society – whether positive or negative – but they are of one breed: the leaders. However, the real leaders – those who make it to be examples in the business bestsellers – have one particular commonality that is easy to spot: MATURITY. Maturity developed by the ability to make sense out of hardships while average people merely endure them. Maturity developed by the ability to comprehend the limitless abstract more than the average majority merely understands the limitation of the concrete. Maturity developed by the insight that people always have significantly more to offer than spreadsheets and checklists. Maturity developed by the ability to manage oneself first before leading others. These are the real leaders…

Mature leaders deal in intangibles

Communication. Perception. Future. Vision. Dreams. Risk. Body language. These are the conceptual elements found in the minds of the leaders – the nutrition of their mental processes. They don’t fear the complexity or insecurity of the abstract as they have developed the ability to give structure to the unstructured. Even more – they have the extraordinary ability to convert complexity into simplicity, because they know that implementation depends on clear understanding.

That’s why leaders give much attention to intangibles – making sure that in every cubicle there is an understanding where the company destiny lies; that all company communication installs trust in the people and that everything translates into implementation.

Leaders not only deal in intangibles – they really understand them. In addition, they ensure that the complex and symbolic become understandable, inspiring and implementable.

Mature leaders manage themselves before they attempt to lead others

A few daily disciplines: Choosing the difficult right over the easy wrong. Self-understanding. Emotional intelligence. These are the inherent attributes found in the core of the leaders’ character. These days Emotional Intelligence is the buzz word in the business world and one can describe it as the ability to recognize and manage one's own feelings and the feelings of other people, as well as the ability to energize oneself.
The fact that mature leaders should manage themselves before they attempt to lead their people is summarized well by Tony Blair: “I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour, but sometimes it is the price of leadership and the cost of conviction”.

Leaders understand that they can’t have a handle on other people if they don’t have a handle on themselves. Dr. Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence, emphasizes that superior leadership requires a combination of both emotional and technical abilities. IQ is merely the entry point into any new position, but it doesn’t guarantee outstanding leadership. For any leader the ultimate competitive advantage is emotional intelligence. As Tom Crane (“The Heart of Coaching”) puts it: “My behaviour determines my emotions; my habits develop my behaviour; my will dictates my habits; my character directs my will.”

Leaders even know their own limitations before others have to point it out. Wisely they then surround themselves with people that can compliment both their strengths and weaknesses. They have the emotional intelligence to know that no one is indispensable and to keep their own ego’s in check.

Mature leaders follow a human asset approach

Leaders must teach themselves to lead their human assets with the same zeal that they devote to their financial assets.” To do so, leaders will have to become life long students of human nature and clearly understand what makes people tick and what makes them stick. As the old saying goes: “If I say that I’m a leader and no one is following me, I’m not a leader, I’m merely out for a walk!”

Mature leaders don’t push – they motivate; they don’t control – they coach and evoke commitment; they don’t dictate – they inspire; they don’t prescribe – they stimulate creativity and empowerment. Above all, mature leaders bind themselves emotionally to their followers by means of the most vulnerable element of all – trust. They affirm the faith of their followers.

Leaders don’t compromise personality and principles but they vary their styles to be culturally flexible. They influence rather than control and build core competency amid diversity. Mature leaders possess the invaluable mindset that no academic institution can ultimately provide – that of the daily coaching, teaching and mentoring of their people.

Mature Leaders leave footprints

Leaders leave something behind. They live for that. That’s why they start a new assignment by asking: “What would be my number one regret if I had to leave without achieving it?” And then they sacrifice personally to live up to this legacy.

They don’t just merely leave an organization with sound financials and market shares. No, much more – they leave behind newly developed leaders, sustained influence, a culture of learning and development and lasting values. Mature leaders live out their highest calling and leave behind intrinsically motivated people, who continue to multiply themselves into more mature leaders.

Mature Leaders recognize their expiry dates

Everybody has an expiry date. A mature leader has the insight to see it coming and still feel secure about it. When they get to that corporate crossroad, they do not shy away from knowing what to win, what to lose or what to trade. This is normally the point, where they can stay and hold the company hostage to their ego, or move on to give newly developed leaders the opportunity to change things for the better and lead the organizations to new heights.

Mature leaders know when to lead, when to follow and when to get out of the way. Immature leaders just go off like milk!

Estienne de Beer is a Professional Speaker and Leadership Coach. He is the author of the book “Boosting Your Career - Tips From Top Executives”. Over the past few years, Estienne has empowered people in 7 countries. To receive his free personal development newsletter, visit his website at http://www.leader2leaders.com or e-mail him at estienne@lantic.net with your first name, surname, city & country in the body of the email and “My FREE subscription to Leader2Leaders” in the subject line.

[tags]Corporate, business, career, leadership, management, boss, success, promotion, finance, wealth[/tags]

Immature Leaders Go Off Like Milk

You find them in all spheres of society – in cubicles, on the shop floor, on the sports field, in the marching crowd of protesters, as huge as in the CEO-chair, yet as small as on the nursery school playground. They are the minority group of people impacting on the majority of society – whether positive or negative – but they are of one breed: the leaders. However, the real leaders – those who make it to be examples in the business bestsellers – have one particular commonality that is easy to spot: MATURITY. Maturity developed by the ability to make sense out of hardships while average people merely endure them. Maturity developed by the ability to comprehend the limitless abstract more than the average majority merely understands the limitation of the concrete. Maturity developed by the insight that people always have significantly more to offer than spreadsheets and checklists. Maturity developed by the ability to manage oneself first before leading others. These are the real leaders…

Mature leaders deal in intangibles

Communication. Perception. Future. Vision. Dreams. Risk. Body language. These are the conceptual elements found in the minds of the leaders – the nutrition of their mental processes. They don’t fear the complexity or insecurity of the abstract as they have developed the ability to give structure to the unstructured. Even more – they have the extraordinary ability to convert complexity into simplicity, because they know that implementation depends on clear understanding.

That’s why leaders give much attention to intangibles – making sure that in every cubicle there is an understanding where the company destiny lies; that all company communication installs trust in the people and that everything translates into implementation.

Leaders not only deal in intangibles – they really understand them. In addition, they ensure that the complex and symbolic become understandable, inspiring and implementable.

Mature leaders manage themselves before they attempt to lead others

A few daily disciplines: Choosing the difficult right over the easy wrong. Self-understanding. Emotional intelligence. These are the inherent attributes found in the core of the leaders’ character. These days Emotional Intelligence is the buzz word in the business world and one can describe it as the ability to recognize and manage one's own feelings and the feelings of other people, as well as the ability to energize oneself.
The fact that mature leaders should manage themselves before they attempt to lead their people is summarized well by Tony Blair: “I do not seek unpopularity as a badge of honour, but sometimes it is the price of leadership and the cost of conviction”.

Leaders understand that they can’t have a handle on other people if they don’t have a handle on themselves. Dr. Daniel Goleman, author of Working with Emotional Intelligence, emphasizes that superior leadership requires a combination of both emotional and technical abilities. IQ is merely the entry point into any new position, but it doesn’t guarantee outstanding leadership. For any leader the ultimate competitive advantage is emotional intelligence. As Tom Crane (“The Heart of Coaching”) puts it: “My behaviour determines my emotions; my habits develop my behaviour; my will dictates my habits; my character directs my will.”

Leaders even know their own limitations before others have to point it out. Wisely they then surround themselves with people that can compliment both their strengths and weaknesses. They have the emotional intelligence to know that no one is indispensable and to keep their own ego’s in check.

Mature leaders follow a human asset approach

Leaders must teach themselves to lead their human assets with the same zeal that they devote to their financial assets.” To do so, leaders will have to become life long students of human nature and clearly understand what makes people tick and what makes them stick. As the old saying goes: “If I say that I’m a leader and no one is following me, I’m not a leader, I’m merely out for a walk!”

Mature leaders don’t push – they motivate; they don’t control – they coach and evoke commitment; they don’t dictate – they inspire; they don’t prescribe – they stimulate creativity and empowerment. Above all, mature leaders bind themselves emotionally to their followers by means of the most vulnerable element of all – trust. They affirm the faith of their followers.

Leaders don’t compromise personality and principles but they vary their styles to be culturally flexible. They influence rather than control and build core competency amid diversity. Mature leaders possess the invaluable mindset that no academic institution can ultimately provide – that of the daily coaching, teaching and mentoring of their people.

Mature Leaders leave footprints

Leaders leave something behind. They live for that. That’s why they start a new assignment by asking: “What would be my number one regret if I had to leave without achieving it?” And then they sacrifice personally to live up to this legacy.

They don’t just merely leave an organization with sound financials and market shares. No, much more – they leave behind newly developed leaders, sustained influence, a culture of learning and development and lasting values. Mature leaders live out their highest calling and leave behind intrinsically motivated people, who continue to multiply themselves into more mature leaders.

Mature Leaders recognize their expiry dates

Everybody has an expiry date. A mature leader has the insight to see it coming and still feel secure about it. When they get to that corporate crossroad, they do not shy away from knowing what to win, what to lose or what to trade. This is normally the point, where they can stay and hold the company hostage to their ego, or move on to give newly developed leaders the opportunity to change things for the better and lead the organizations to new heights.

Mature leaders know when to lead, when to follow and when to get out of the way. Immature leaders just go off like milk!

Estienne de Beer is a Professional Speaker and Leadership Coach. He is the author of the book “Boosting Your Career - Tips From Top Executives”. Over the past few years, Estienne has empowered people in 7 countries. To receive his free personal development newsletter, visit his website at http://www.leader2leaders.com or e-mail him at estienne@lantic.net with your first name, surname, city & country in the body of the email and “My FREE subscription to Leader2Leaders” in the subject line.

[tags]Corporate, business, career, leadership, management, boss, success, promotion, finance, wealth[/tags]

I'm Broke, How Can I Afford...

I’m still amazed every time someone comes to me complaining that they don’t have any money to put into their business and that they’re broke.

I mean what have you been doing with your money man?!?

Plain Truth: If you don’t have any money you won’t make it my friend… it’s that simple. You have to at least have some money. Say $200-$500. I don’t care what the self-styled slick gurus tell you. If you’re flat out of cash your dead in the water before you can even start.

Now let me tell you another thing…. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT YOU ARE BROKE! You’re a liar and a self deluded one at that if you think you are.

I mean how many Starbucks or soda do you drink a day?

How many beers a week do you drink?

How many cigarettes do you smoke?

How much meat do you eat?

How many new clothes have you bought in the last month?

How many “gifts” have you just had to buy?

How many magazines or newspapers have you bought this month?

How many CD’s?

How many snacks?

How much candy do you eat a week?

How many TV dinners?

How much fast food have you been eating?

How much did you spend on the lottery?

How much did your TV cost you?

How much money do you give to your church?

How much are your monthly car payments?

So these are really essential to living are they?…. No they’re not, they’re self-indulgent habits! Nothing wrong with that if you can AFFORD them. But you tell me you’re broke! Wake up! Ding-dong!

I used to walk the streets with no-more than $3 bucks in my pocket to last me the day. Yes I did that for months on end until something happened. I got mad, real mad. Not at the world but with myself.

You see I have always had a dream of being personally free, being self-reliant, totally in charge of my time and cash flow, beholden to no-one... not government, not masters, not gurus.

Now walking around with $3 bucks aient much fun. It hurts in the pit of your stomach. And when I only had $7 a day to feed my family (yup there were others my pathetic state was impacting) I can tell you, I felt at times of doing something pretty dumb to my body and mind… and occasionally did.

If you live in the Western world, you live in the richest part of the planet with the most opportunities the world has ever seen at any point in the history of the human race.

If you want to see poverty take a trip to India or any other developing country. I have, and what I saw made me realize my $3 a day “poverty-trap” was simply an ego-trip. Kids working from 5am to 10pm every day for crumbs of bread. Rags and bones. So please don’t tell me you’re broke and poor, you don’t know the meaning of the word.

But now I’m not broke, now I’m not looking like a tramp feeling sorry for myself.

How did I change it, and get the money to start my information publishing business. I’ll tell you. It’s real simple… and I want you to do it too:

Every single time you buy something, I don’t care how many cents or pennies or bucks it might have cost… you MUST ASK FOR AND KEEP THE RECEIPT!

At the end of the day in a small note book or on a scrap of paper, total up what you spent your money on. Now ask yourself: “Was what I bought today absolutely essential?” If not, take it back for a refund, you have the receipt after all.

Now put that refunded money in a pot or a jar and label the jar “My Business Building Fund”. Better still, don't buy the goodie, treat or trinket in the first place and save the cash.

If you really want to get in control of your finances you absolutely, positively must raise some working capital, and the only way to do that is to stop buying crap and investing the money in yourself.

I mean do you really need that coffee or will water do? Do you really need that steak or will beans or rice suffice along with some healthy cheap vegetables thrown in?

“But I want to have a coffee, beer, steak” I hear you say. Well don’t tell me that you’re broke then. All you’ve done is exchange what little cash you have for something else other than investing in your business building fund.

No-one forced you. No-one but yourself is to blame for where you are right now.

You are in the situation you find yourself because of the choices and decisions you have made during the course of your life …. Stop pointing your fingers outside yourself…. You are the problem, and as such YOU ARE THE SOLUTION!

So stop spending money on useless trinkets, and superfluous goodies and snacks.

Bread, water, vegetables… you don’t need anything else to eat. Chances are you have a wardrobe full of clothes already so you don't need anymore of those... correct? Sell your TV it spews lies anyway. Use TV time to learn, surf the web looking for opportunities etc. Sell your car? Either take public transport, which in the long term is cheaper than a car or get a bicycle. And yes it’s gonna pop your skull with frustration.

But use that frustration to get your act together and absolutely commit to get with the program and learn how to become a self-reliant cash generating human being. And when that day comes, you’ll be able to walk into your bosses office, smack a cream pie in his/her face and walk off to the beach knowing you are, at the end of the day, an immensely and supremely powerful individual…. You simply forgot!

About The Author

Rob Taylor has been marketing online since 1996. He's sold anything from books, debit cards, security products to art prints. Take advantage of his battle tested marketing strategies that could quietly make you five figure cash profits every single month. Subscribe free to his Internet Marketing Strategies newsletter.

[tags]finance,debt,self improvement,savings,budgeting,budget,home business[/tags]

Identity Theft Scams

Identity Theft scams continue to flourish on the web. One that you need to be aware of and beware of is any site that seems to be selling high-demand items (digital cameras for instance) at a much lower (almost unbelievable) price than you can find on other sites or the manufacturer’s site.

Often the victim’s are told to pay nothing until they receive the merchandise. The person behind the scam uses the victim’s name and a credit card number belonging to another person to purchase the item at a legitimate site.

Once the item is shipped, the victim then authorizes his credit card to be billed or sends payment directly to the scammer. The scammer has now put you in the position of being in receipt of stolen merchandise while they get away with your money.

Another scam that still seems to be working is being contacted through e-mail by someone claiming to be from your credit card company, your internet service provider, Paypal, or Ebay.

The scammer will send a message stating that your account information needs to be verified because their files were hacked into, their database crashed or they believe that someone has tried to steal your account information and they want to verify your information in order to protect your account. The con artist then uses the information supplied to “verify” your account to run up fraudulent charges.

NEVER give personal information to a company, such as AOL or Ebay, that already has it. If you are suspicious about being contacted, contact the company yourself before giving out any personal information.

About The Author

ฉ 2003, Your Free Credit Report Now

Author: James H. Dimmitt.

Get your FREE credit report online now and subscribe to our FREE weekly newsletter “TO YOUR CREDIT”.

Visit http://www.yourfreecreditreportnow.com for more information.

jimdim815@aol.com

[tags]identity theft,theft,privacy,protection laws,finance,privacy laws,fraud,crime[/tags]

Identity Theft - Early Detection Is Key

Protecting yourself from Identity Theft (ID Theft) is an important matter. ID Theft is defined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) as, "when someone uses your name, address, Social Security number, bank or credit card account number, or other identifying information without your knowledge to commit fraud or other crimes."

In a summary report dated September of 2003, the FTC reported that "almost 10 million Americans have discovered that they were the victim of some form of ID Theft within the last year." Further, the FTC estimates that the "total cost of this crime approaches $50 billion per year." (The report can be viewed and printed at http://www.ftc.gov/os/2003/09/synovatereport.pdf.)

Though preventing ID Theft is ideal, also important is your ability to quickly determine when your identity is being used without your knowledge. Early detection is essential in preventing undue loss, as well as protecting your credit from long-term damage. One means of finding out if you have been a victim of ID Theft is through the use of a credit report.

A credit report is a list of all credit cards, debts, accounts, and other information associated with your social security number. That is, by going to the website of one of the three main credit reporting agencies and running a credit report, you will be able to see all the financial information linked to your social security number. Most importantly, you may be able to identify an error or fraudulent activity.

When viewing your credit report online, information will be given in seven sections: personal information, account information, inquiries, collections, public records, consumer statement, and dispute file information. One of your main objectives should be to verify all accounts and information as being valid. Carefully read the entire credit report looking for errors or anything unfamiliar. If you should see something out of the ordinary or wrong, contact the credit reporting agency immediately- you may be a victim of ID Theft.

Equifax, one of the three major credit reporting agencies, says you should, "Check your credit report regularly. Checking your credit report can help you catch mistakes and fraud before they wreak havoc on your personal finances. Make sure your report is accurate and includes only those activities you've authorized. It's also a good idea to review your credit report from each of the three major credit reporting agencies every year -- it's possible that information is reported to one but not the others."

To that end, Equifax has developed a great tool for running your credit report. It is called the "3-in-1 Credit Report". You can sign-up with Equifax and view your information with all three major credit reporting agencies at one time (this can also be done through the other two credit reporting agencies- TransUnion and Expirion). Currently, this detailed report costs around $30 on the Equifax website (www.equifax.com) and is well worth it. Running your credit report is an important first step in prevention and early detection of ID Theft.

For tips on how to further protect yourself from ID Theft, or if you believe your identity has been stolen, please visit the FTC website (http://www.consumer.gov/idtheft/).

About The Author: Jonathan Citrin provides financial goal planning services. Go to http://articles.citringroup.com for hundreds of educational articles about personal finance, retirement planning, investment planning, and college savings.

[tags]personal finance, identity theft, stolen identity[/tags]