Rich People Are So Cheap

My best friend and I were in a store the other day and the owner (yes, it was local ownership) walks over to us. We begin talking about the store, shoppers and the economy. The store owner says, “This is a cheap town.” My best friend said, “What do you mean?” The owner says, “No one pays retail anymore. Nobody!”

Of course, we asked: “What about the rich people! They pay retail, right?” He said, “They are the worst. Rich people will really beat you down and do everything to force you down on price. In fact, one old lady was in here last week and made me an offer on something that was A LOT LESS than what it cost me. I said no and she kept after me.”

The person working behind the counter popped his head up and said, “That’s why the rich are rich! They don’t pay full price and they don’t give up easily. The spend less to get more.”

If you just started reading this blog, you see what assumptions are worth, right?

The middle class and poor think it is embarrassing to negotiate over price. We think the rich generally pull out wads of hundred dollar bills. The truth is: They care less about appearance when purchasing items and more about getting the best possible deal.

What should we do?

FOLLOW THEIR EXAMPLE.

That’s it. And always take the original price, subtract the amount you negotiated “down to” and put the “left over” amount in actual savings as if you had purchased the item at full price. Only now you have increased your actual savings.

What are we saying?

Negotiate.

When?

Always.

When do you stop? When you have extracted the most you can before purchasing an item you planned ahead to purchase.

You think rich people pay full price? Think again.

It’s 2010 – there is no shame in negotiating. Want to become wealthy? Force retailers to take less by knowing more before the purchase, shopping around (comparing) and negotiating. Then: Put the amount you saved in ACTUAL SAVINGS.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

If you think I was born saving money, you are wrong. My family is filled with hillbillies from Louisiana. There are members of my family that don’t believe in 401ks or IRAs. I was not brought up to saving and invest regularly and I have made every mistake you can think about when it comes to money. I have had to learn the absolute hard way how to get savings on track and make it a part of your life without killing your lifestyle. I have had to learn the hard way how companies mislead with marketing. It is my mission to share what I have learned about regularly saving with my own children and also share it with you. That’s why we have a lot of “free” (blogs like www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com and www.stickyasset.com/blog and groups on Facebook like “Coupons & Coupon Codes”)!

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Connect with us on Facebook with these free groups:
“Coupons & Coupon Codes”
“Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves”
“Saving Money”

In-Store Product Marketing Can Mislead You – Be Alert!

If you like to save money, you are always looking for great deals. We usually focus on how you can save money either at retail or by shifting money and creating “automatic savings pockets” that allow you to generate more savings than you thought on the income you have now and with the bills you have currently. But….not today.

Today we are going to focus on MISLEADING MARKETING in actual products at “the store.” While we don’t endorse products, we also don’t like to point out things we don’t like about products. We don’t call out products because we want to point out that you should compare EVERYTHING you purchase. Today will be an exception because we want to make a very important point about what we feel is very misleading behavior.

Several weeks ago we became aware that Duncan Hines had developed a product for people who bake a cake and cover it in icing from their brands. If you bake, you know what I am talking about. You have ALMOST enough icing to finish your cake with one can of their icing. So, you end up purchasing two. Only now Duncan Hines has come up with a taller product. My wife loved it because she thought it would allow her to buy one can of icing (without having to buy a second one).

What’s the problem with all of this? The small can of icing is the product we have all known a long time (since I was a kid). We are familiar with it. The bigger can looks much bigger. Problem solved, right? Get this: The small can is 16 ounces. The big can? 16.2 ounces.

This all means two things: You purchase it thinking you have a great “deal.” Duncan Hines increases their profit. You end up with .2 ounces. Oops.

IS IT REALLY MISLEADING?

Duncan Hines is not lying. They print 16 ounces and 16.2 ounces on the cans. Who gets hurt? Only those people who don’t compare when they shop. We are not saying Duncan Hines is bad. We like their frosting. We are saying WATCH IN STORE MARKETING – EVEN ON THE CANS, BOXES, AND PACKAGES you love. This is the # 1 reason that you must compare when you shop. You must compare “deals” with coupons and you must always look at what you are actually buying.

You must be watchful because labels can be MARKETING, too. If you watch and compare, you will save. If you don’t, you ARE going to LOSE MONEY.

You are not smart because you like to save money. You are smart because you WATCH, compare and be prepared to see the truth about what a deal is….and what a deal isn’t.

You can save money. By the way, put money in actual savings when you save. We have to say that – we believe it!

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

If you think I was born saving money, you are wrong. My family is filled with hillbillies from Louisiana. There are members of my family that don’t believe in 401ks or IRAs. I was not brought up to saving and invest regularly and I have made every mistake you can think about when it comes to money. I have had to learn the absolute hard way how to get savings on track and make it a part of your life without killing your lifestyle. I have had to learn the hard way how companies mislead with marketing. It is my mission to share what I have learned about regularly saving with my own children and also share it with you. That’s why we have a lot of “free” (blogs like www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com and www.stickyasset.com/blog and groups on Facebook like “Coupons & Coupon Codes”)!

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Connect with us on Facebook with these free groups:
“Coupons & Coupon Codes”
“Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves”
“Saving Money”

4 Steps To Emergency Savings

Let’s start by saying that the standards in this economy have shifted. Unemployment is high. The people losing jobs are often going two years without a new job or taking jobs that pay much less than it takes to live the lives many of them have known….forever.

It is no longer good enough to have 3 to 6 months of expenses in emergency savings. In fact, some financial advisors recommend you have 9 months savings. We don’t believe this is enough in today’s economy. We believe the new standard should be 15 to 18 months of expenses in emergency savings (money market savings and certificates of deposit). If you don’t have this already, the question is: How do you build this kind of savings?

Step 1

Start with your checkbook. Review all spending for the last six (6) months.

Most people will tell you to look at your spending outside of bills, but let’s have some fun by looking at bills first.

Credit Cards – These are the enemies of wealth. If you don’t look at these companies as your enemy, you are making a mistake. They are the biggest problem most middle class families have today. Separate these cards into categories: highest interest rates first. Rank them by highest interest rate to lowest interest rate. Call each credit card company and ask them to eliminate your interest until the balance is paid off. They will not do this unless you tell them you are in trouble and do not want to go bankrupt. You will have to talk to supervisors again and again. Any concession is a win for you. The real plan for your credit cards is to begin by making the MINIMUM payment on each card EXCEPT the highest interest rate card. On that card, pay AS MUCH AS YOU CAN until that card is paid off. Then, rotate to the next highest credit card. Keep doing this as you pay off each card until you have paid off all your credit cards.

Don’t cancel your credit cards. Put them in your home safe.

Step 2

Other Regular Bills – Begin by looking at these individually. Be honest with yourself about how important each of these “expenses” is in your life. Yes, you can call each of these companies and ask them to help you reduce your monthly bills. You must be open to their suggestions. This could include bundling services or reducing services, but any concession means more for immediate savings to get you on course for putting more money into your savings and creating a true emergency savings fund to protect your family in this economy.

Step 3

“Spending” Spending – These are the ones people tell you to cut, cut, cut. If you look at the last six (6) months of spending and separate out things that you could live without that are not credit, you are likely to find some “room” in your spending to begin saving money regularly. By being honest with yourself about what you spend that would be better off saved, you can create a true starting point for savings. Again, you have to be honest about the true value this “spending” has in your quality of life.

Step 4

When most personal finance people will tell you to pay yourself first, this is often the most difficult thing to do. We recommend starting easy. Use our “1% Savings Plan.” Start by looking at your very next paycheck.

Multiply the after tax amount by .01. Take this amount and put it in savings BEFORE you do anything with this money. You can probably save .01 percent of your pay without causing a great hardship on your family. Each paycheck after that (or once a month if you need to do it slower) double the amount you save by adding .01 each time. This way you begin building savings without doing it all at once.

You can build your emergency savings until you reach 20%.

You can build savings step by step until you have your emergency savings fund. When it comes to this economy, don’t expect the government and special interests to help you. Take action and you can grow your savings and then your wealth.

Just take one step at a time. Don’t allow others to tell you that you cannot do it. Share your strategy with your family and work together. You can find ways to make it work and have success.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Get more savings by joining our FREE Facebook group “Coupons & Coupon Codes” now only on Facebook. Then, put what you save into REAL SAVINGS to continue to build your savings like we have shown you here.

Improving Your Credit Score (3 Steps To Build Wealth)

If you spend time on the internet looking at websites focused on helping you save or invest money, you will find tons of people who want money from you every month and more people who will focus on credit score.

We are different because we focus on helping you build your own plan to save and invest regularly. Our goal is to give you alternative ideas to save and invest regularly and take more control over your personal finance life because you are unafraid to educate yourself.

We are also different because we don’t focus on credit score. In fact, we believe the world is on its’ ear. We don’t want you to do anything to destroy your credit, but we encourage you to redial your family to the TRUTH:

Credit is not king.

Cash is king.

Wealth-building does not start with credit.

Don’t be fooled by the “system” telling you to focus on credit score. Focus on eliminating debt and saving money. Then, focus on STAYING AWAY from credit.

Wealth-building is not often instant. Real value is generally built over time. Time + debt = poverty. It does not equal wealth. That is how you should focus on your own family wealth-building. If you become wealthy faster, good for you. However, your strategy should be focused over long-term gain. And it should begin with a focus on what is important now.

1. Make sure you have or set as a goal building a proper emergency savings fund for 2010. What does that look like? It is 15 to 18 months of expenses in savings (money market and certificates of deposit). Why? Because if you lose your job, you may not EVER replace your income and it may be months before you get a job decent enough to provide lifestyle for your family (pay the bills). Check past blog entries to see our plan on reducing your monthly pay out to increase monthly savings. Check out past blogs for our 1% Savings Plan to boost your savings without killing your lifestyle.

2. Circle the wagons on credit. Look at what you owe. Start with credit cards. Use our plan for reducing and then eliminating credit card debt. Start with the cards with the highest interest rates. Pay more than the minimum on those cards (starting with the one card with the highest interest rates and continuing until you have paid all of them COMPLETELY OFF). Pay the minimum on all your other cards and focus on pounding the highest interest rate FIRST.

3. Make sure you are enrolled in your company 401k. In addition, we think you should have a Roth IRA or Traditional IRA that gets a monthly contribution. All of this is “long-term money.” It is meant to perform over 30 or 40 years. Think long-term with these contributions and don’t worry about short-term ups and downs.

Educate yourself and your family on growing savings and reducing debt. Credit card debt is the #1 impairment middle class families have to building wealth.

You must begin to see things they way they really are: Your checking account is a MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNT for OTHER PEOPLE’S MONEY. Use any excuse to get your money out of these accounts. Push yourself and your family to save more regularly.

What does it take to build savings and wealth over time? Commitment, courage and consistency. It also takes self-education. Don’t let people tell you that you cannot do this. YOU CAN!

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Join our free Facebook group “Coupons & Coupon Codes.”

The Rules For New Savings

How do you get ahead in today’s economy?

It is easier to talk about than to actually get done, isn’t it?

The only way to truly get ahead in today’s economy is to reset your thinking and reboot the way you look at money, banking, saving, retirement accumulation and more.

Let’s try a few of our philosophies out.

Saving is not optional. Everyone talks about it like it is, but it isn’t.

Good times and bad times will happen to everyone. Save during the good times and you will be fine. Don’t….and you won’t.

Checking accounts are money laundering accounts for other people’s money. Use any excuse you can to push money from checking into savings (money market savings or certificates of deposit).

A correct-sized emergency savings fund for 2010 is NOT three to six months of expenses. It’s fifteen to eighteen months of expenses in savings (money market and certificates of deposit).

Savings can generate faster than you think. If you are not saving money with every paycheck today, start with our 1% Savings Plan. Check our past blogs to see the details. It is our way anyone can start a saving program without killing their lifestyle.

If you use coupons and coupon codes, make sure you compare the real coupon price with non-coupon prices elsewhere. Make sure you compare how much of the product is offered for use with a coupon Vs packaging that is not offered with a coupon or coupon code. Check out our free Facebook group called “Coupons & Coupon Codes.”

You only save with coupons or coupon codes if the product is something you really need or something you ordinarily use and you put the savings in actual savings.

Negotiate on everything. Take the money you save negotiating and put it in savings (as if you spent it).

You should see how we feel you should treat credit card companies and every company that sends a bill to your house. It will help you save. Keep checking back with this blog and you can pick it up.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

6 Ways To Rock The “Reasons I Can’t Save” Right Out Of Your Life

It is so hard to get by. So hard to make your bills and plan to have extra at the end of the month for savings.

Wait. Rewind that. Run it back.

“…..extra at the end of the month.” Did you catch that? This is how many Americans save money. At the end of the month, your month is gone and you don’t save anything.

How do you get ahead?

Do what the rich do (but start smaller). Look at your pay. Look at your bills. Recognize that the world has shifted on its’ head (especially in the U.S. right now) and companies know that times are tough.

Questions to ask in your own self interview:

1. Am I in my company 401k? If not, you should be. Remember: 401k plans are for the long-run. This is money you are kissing goodbye for decades (and it will need decades to grow). Don’t get down about day-to-day stock market issues. Focus on the savings and your building of wealth for retirement and remember that the race is not always to the swift. In fact, often true value is build only with time and effort.

2. What is my after tax paycheck?

3. If I take my after tax paycheck and multiply it by .01, what is that number. That number is your savings the next time you get paid. Put that number of dollars and cents in money market savings. Then, each time you get paid use a different number. For instance, the second time, use .02. The third time, multiply your after tax paycheck by .03. Each time you get paid starting now, adjust so that you are increasing your savings by only 1% each time. This will allow you to gradually move your savings from 0 to 20% over time. And the best part? Make sure you take the savings before you pay any bill or purchase anything else. It’s the best way to pay yourself first.

4. What is your true emergency savings? Is it enough? We believe your emergency savings should be 15 to 18 months of expenses in money market savings and certificates of deposit (in an FDIC-insured institution). Because you are using the 1% Savings Plan, your savings will build a lot faster than you think! Get started as soon as you get paid next!

5. What can you do to reduce and then eliminate debt? Look at your bills. Look at your spending. Set a goal for reducing the percentage of your monthly payout in terms of regular bills (we recommend you set this goal be a reduction of between 10 – 15%). Spend time on personal spending (look at the last three months). Reduce this spending by 10 – 15%. Then, go after the companies you do regular business with. Ask them for help and be open to their suggestions with the goal in mind that you need to reduce your spending by 10 – 15% “so you can continue to be a customer.” Everyone understands hard times. Any reduction you can get should go immediately into savings until you have the proper emergency savings fund (see # 4 above). By increasing savings first, you will have a pad or fund if things get worse. Once you have reached the proper savings fund, move to paying off bills exclusively (starting with credit cards).

6. Do you owe too much on credit cards? We will simply point you to “8 Ways To Rock Credit Card Companies” at www.stickyasset.com/blog. Yes, we are against credit card companies.

Are there more steps you can take? Yes.

Education. Self-education. Yes.

Can you do this? Yes! You can do this and build savings while reducing debt. Then, you can begin to build wealth.

Rome was not built in a day. Steady as she goes. Ever heard that? Apply it to saving and debt reduction and elimination. Then, apply “steady as she goes” to investing. We can talk about that later. Go to work on the six things above in this blog and commit to making a difference for your family.

You’ll be glad you did!

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

8 Ways To Rock Your Savings In 2010!

Are you really ready to help your family save more money and begin building a path to wealth? Here we go!

1. Develop a plan by looking at your current spending. Look at the last three (3) months and exclude nothing. In other words, look at bills and casual spending. See what you could eliminate without destroying your “lifestyle.” If you can do without it, cut it. Add up each expense you could eliminate and you have an immediate number to begin your monthly “regular savings.”

2. Start by using the “1% Savings Plan” included in our past blogs on www.stickyasset.com/blog and www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com. Our goal is to give you constant encouragement to increase savings and strengthen your personal financial life. You can do this!

3. Look at all of your regular bills. Call everyone – including each company that sends you a bill each month – and tell them that you have been hit by the financial crisis and need help to continue being a customer. Ask them for help. Tell them you need to reduce your bill by 10 – 15%. By the way, this may not be one phone call. You will likely have to ask for a supervisor and you may have to make ten (10) calls or more. But remember the goal: You are trying to grow your savings. Be open to their suggestions. They may not help you save 15%, but what if you reduce individual bills by two (2) to fifteen (15) percent? That can really add up!

4. Here’s the real way to use coupons and coupon codes. Don’t just assume coupons and coupon codes will save you the most. Compare prices BEFORE you go shop and compare on site with non-coupon packaging of the same product. In other words, you should be focused on bottom-line savings only. If you can save 10% using a coupon but you compute the cost of a non-coupon package of the same product to be LESS than the coupon product, purchase without a coupon. Sometimes a coupon or coupon code is not a deal. Check the number of units in the coupon offer and compare it to non-coupon packages available. Join our FREE Facebook group “Coupons & Coupon Codes” to learn about new offerings and to contribute coupons and coupon codes you want to share with others. Simply use the white search bar on your Facebook wall and type in COUPONS & COUPON CODES. Then, click on become a fan for free and instant access. Also: If you save 10% or 30% using a coupon, calculate how much that is in real dollars and ACTUALLY move it to your savings. Don’t leave money in your checking account (which will bring us to guideline #5 below).

5. If you have read “HOW TO SURVIVE ANY FINANCIAL CRISIS,” you know we believe this with all our hearts: Checking accounts are MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNTS for other people’s money. Use any excuse you can to push ANY money you can FROM checking to savings accounts. If you let money stay in your checking account, shame on you.

6. Don’t focus on how much money you save. Focus on what PERCENTAGE of your after tax income you put in savings with EACH paycheck you receive. Work to increase this regular savings month after month. This will help you more than any other thing grow savings (and eventually investing). This is a major key to wealth building.

7. Focus on emergency savings first. No matter what anyone tells you, you should not be saving like it is 1987 – it isn’t! Save like it’s 2010: Your emergency savings should be 15 to 18 months of your expenses in a money market savings account and certificates of deposit. This amount of savings will build faster than you think if you apply the principles in this blog. Slow and steady wins the race. Once you have put your savings on track to reach this goal, you can also begin to pay down and then eliminate debt (especially credit card debt).

8. If you have credit cards, call the credit card companies and ask them to reduce your interest rate while you pay off the card. Like the above suggestion about dealing with regular bills, we suggest you committ to multiple calls and always ask for supervisors. If they reduce your interest rates for even a small amount of time, it will help you move toward paying them off IF you commit to paying regularly. When dealing with credit card debt, find out which of your credit cards has the highest interest rate. Make the MINIMUM PAYMENTS on all cards EXCEPT the highest interest rate card – pay AS MUCH OVER THE MINIMUM on that card each month as you can. This will help you pay off your “bad” credit cards that cost you the most money FASTER. Faster payoff is better.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

How To Identify True Savings – For Real

So many people think that if they use a coupon they are saving money.

By the way, we believe in using coupons and even have a Facebook group called “Coupons & Coupon Codes.” However, we are focused on making sure those that follow this blog understand that coupons and coupon codes are both ways to save money and MARKETING.

It’s a way to save money when you take the discount and the difference between that and what you WOULD HAVE PAID and put it in actual savings.

It is marketing when you use coupons to purchase something you don’t need.

It is saving money when you compare things like per unit cost against other non-coupon deals and learn that it really is a savings – not marketing.

2010 is the year in which we have arrived in the era of negotiating.

You must look out for your family.

You must compare.

You must use coupons and coupon codes to save, but you must also research IF you are getting a deal….or not.

You must also have a plan when you go shopping and stick to your plan. Don’t purchase impulse purchases (you know who I am talking to here).

Good luck on increasing savings for your family and putting money to work for your family regularly! Remember: IF you have a job, you should be saving a percentage of each paycheck. If you are not, you are not saving anything.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Three Important Factors That Matter When Building Wealth

I see it all the time. You do, too, right?

You can get rich quick if you will just pay $5,000 to do this or that. You can become wealthy if you invest $500 a month or purchase a product to get rich quick.

There is no free lunch. You’ve heard that, right? True value is built with real things. Fortunately, true value can come from a commitment to save and invest regularly.

If you save regularly and build a proper emergency savings fund and then begin investing regularly, you can absolutely become wealthy over time.

Here’s what matters:

1. How much money are you willing to invest regularly?
2. How much time will you allow that money to “work for you”?
3. What is the best rate of growth you can get (and the safest way you can grow it)?

If you look at your money in two simple piles, you can get ahead quickly. It really shows you how this works.

Pile One:

Money you need to live – rent, mortgage, bills, et all. We always say this is money in your checking account. “Checking accounts are money laundering accounts for other people’s money.” If you leave all your money in checking, it will leave you.

Pile Two:

Money you can “push to the other side.” This is money you can put to work for you and your family. You should use any excuse you can to push money to saving and investing vehicles. There is a saying that if you are willing “to work hard now, you will have it easier later.”

People get caught up in the rat race and feel saving and investing is not for them.

But you can be different. Why focus on how much you save? Focus on what percentage of your after-tax income you are saving. Set goals. Develop your plan and always work to keep your PILE TWO money working for you.

Regular saving of money will give you an edge over people who want to save but don’t.

More than this, you should develop your saving and investing plan to fit your goals and your ideas of what is comfortable for you. If you do this, you will reach higher than you thought possible when you began.

Try. Start. Begin. Don’t listen to those who tell you that you can’t. Find additional ways to earn money outside of your regular day job. Put that money strictly to investing.

Be willing to work harder now so you can have it easier later.

You’ll be glad you did, and you will set an example others can follow.

You’ll help others.

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Do It Yourself Savings

Everyone likes the idea of saving money, but once you leave theory it gets much harder to actually save money. That’s because saving money is something that does not bring immediate reward (say….like stopping at Starbucks or purchasing that new flat screen TV).

But here is the secret: If you make it a team sport at home to find creative ways to save money each month, you will be shocked at how fast you can really change your personal family savings.

Think about this: Kids are often more creative than adults. If you get their help coming up with saving solutions, you will find that you have given them the “influence gift” of a lifetime!

We also recommend that you use a huge resource your boss uses everyday – yourself. Block off an hour several times each week to research ways you can save money. This could take the form of coupon codes on the internet, research at the library or collecting of coupons.

More than this, you can use personal research time to find additional ways to GENERATE money outside of your regular job (although we usually recommend you use this money for investing).

You can save more than you think and faster than you think. Check out our previous blog entries to find details on our “1% Savings Plan.” That’s a great way to start.

Are you ready?

HELPING YOUR KIDS GET AHEAD

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com