Learn How to Make Your Money Work for You!

Learn How to Make Your Money Work for You!
Do you consider yourself financially fit? Are you able to
manage your finances properly, focus on wealth creation and
enjoy financial freedom? If not, you are certainly not
alone. Statistics reveal that consumer and mortgage debt
has reached record highs. More people are declaring
bankruptcy, sinking into debt and struggling to make ends
meet than ever.

Poorly managed finances and limited investment education
can cause intense stress, strain on personal relationships
and constant struggles. On the other hand, if you discover
the secrets to creating wealth, you can enjoy more
disposable income, reduced stress and a healthy retirement
income. You can purchase that dream car you always wanted,
take a much-needed vacation or spoil your grandchildren.
With the help of a financial coach, you can learn how to
make your money work for you!

* Hire a Financial Coach

One of the first steps to managing your money and building
wealth is to hire a financial coach. Talk to family and
friends, conduct research online or call local resource
centers to find a reliable individual. Don't be ashamed to
ask for help. Seeking financial coaching can be the wisest
decision you ever make; an experienced financial coach can
help you regain control of your finances and achieve
financial independence.

* Create a Budget

If you don't know how to create a financial budget, you
need to start now. One of the secrets to wealth building
is to keep track of all your income and expenses. If you
don't know where your money is going, you can end up in
serious financial trouble in a relatively short period of
time. Many people who begin budgeting are very surprised
to learn just where their hard-earned money is being spent
each week. Those fancy lattes from Starbucks and frequent
restaurant dinners can really add up over time. You will
gain better control of your finances by making minor
adjustments to your budget and controlling exactly where
you are spending your money.

* Organize Your Financial Documents

The way to wealth also involves organizing your financial
documents. Are you guilty of scribbling important
financial notes on the back of scrap paper? Do you toss
your financial statements all over your home? Well, it's
time to stop! If you don't already own a filing cabinet,
purchase one. Create individual folders for your various
financial categories, bills and expenses. Then, make it a
habit to file any financial documents as soon as you
receive them. You will never have to worry about losing or
misplacing an important paper again.

* Learn To Interpret Your Financial Statements

Does your financial statement appear foreign? You may not
even read the document before tossing it aside. Well, it's
very important to learn how to interpret financial
statements. These papers can make the difference between
financial freedom and a life of debt. If you don't
understand the information on your statements, don't be
afraid to seek help. Talk to a financial advisor or your
financial coach so you can learn how to interpret your
statements correctly.

* Discover Your Net Worth Number

Successful wealth creation also involves a very important
number - your net worth number! Surprisingly, most
individuals have never even heard of this. It's essential
that you learn this number so you understand your current
financial situation and can seek suitable financial
investments. Calculating your net worth number
incorporates your cash and cash equivalents, tangible,
fixed principal, debt and equity assets and liabilities.
There are online calculators that will help you determine
your net worth number. However, a financial coach can
simplify the process and help you interpret the results
more efficiently. Once you know your number, you can take
steps to improve your situation that will lead the way to
financial independence.

* Create a Diverse Investment Portfolio

Investing in different areas is one of the keys to
achieving financial success. You need to diversify your
investment portfolio to maximize your wealth creation
opportunities. Talk to your financial coach to see which
investments best suit your situation. Factors such as the
amount of your disposable income, your desired risk levels
and your financial goals all play an important role in
determining the most suitable investment options. Consider
various areas such as real estate investing, RRSPs and
stocks.

If you want to enjoy financial freedom and successful
wealth creation, one of the most important secrets is to
hire a reliable financial coach. An experienced and
knowledgeable individual can help you create an effective
budget, organize your financial documents and interpret
your financial statements. A financial coach can also help
you calculate your net worth number and choose a diverse
investment portfolio that works best for you. With some
assistance, dedication and determination, you can learn how
to make your money work for you!

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We teach women how to take control of their financial
futures so they can gain confidence and financial
competence to live a life of financial security. We provide
personal wealth coaching, in an encouraging and stress free
environment that is results-driven and will give you the
financial direction to lead you to a fulfilling,
financially rewarding and prosperous future. Go to
http://www.wealthharvest.com and sign up for my FREE
Newsletter now!

Heartfelt Message To House Flippers

Heartfelt Message To House Flippers
There literally has never been one single year over the
time that we have flipped houses that I haven't heard the
statement (or some variation, and 90% of them came from
agents), "oh, you can't flip in this market".

And each year, I answer, "Maybe so", or "Hmm, could be", as
I wait for our latest escrow check to arrive.

You will never hear that statement come out of my mouth.

This being said, I will say that flipping in a declining
market does sort of remind me of learning to snowboard on a
black diamond slope. In 2002, 2003, and 2004 if you had
started flipping then it was more like learning to ski or
snowboard on a bunny slope.

The reason is that if you had miscalculated during 2002,
2003, or 2004, the rapid appreciation of the market
combined with the greater fool theory bailed you out every
time. Leased land, floor-plans that resemble a labyrinth,
war zones, glop ons (really bad add ons), overestimating
value, underestimating repair and carrying costs, taking 3
months longer than you thought to make your repairs...all
of these sins were quickly forgiven by the voracity of the
market.

In this market, if you commit these sins, you can and will
be punished, "Thank you sir, may I have another?!"

Right now, it is raining foreclosures. You have to be spot
on...spot on with your rehab, spot on with your repair
estimates, and one of the most important factors,
aggressive in your marketing of the property...in other
words, you better have some idea of what you are doing.

If not, the risk is that in the time it takes to fix up
that property, 3 or 4 new foreclosures go up on your street
that are priced $50,000 below the last lowest priced
property. There is a LOT for a buyer to choose from.

Without espousing all gloom and doom, there is still a
SHORTAGE of freshly remodeled homes out there. Even more
excitiing than that, every month more and more families can
afford a home who could not for the previous 5 years (and
chance are their families are bigger!).

There is a lot to be excited about...but you have got to be
focused, you have to be accurate on your repair costs and
timetable, it has to look GOOD (or why wouldn't a family
save $50k and pick the REO across the street?)...

You need to get creative and put something like a plasma HD
flat screen with an Xbox in the living room, a spa in the
backyard, or something that makes a family emotionally
attached.

You need to make the property enticing to agents and add at
least 2% to the commission of the agent or a free trip to
Catalina Island (not as pricey as you might think) for the
agent who finds you a buyer......AND, you need to factor
these costs in advance!

If you are a beginner and you are saying, "no sweat, I can
do that", then I will always reply, "Go for it!".

Really, no matter how much advice we or anyone else gives
you, the only way to get to consistent success is to get
that pesky falling-flat-on-your-face part out of the
way...unfortunately, there is no way to avoid it that I
know of. It is the only way to get a deep understanding of
the game the same as any other hobby, business, or sport.
You can read hours of books and videos about snowboarding,
it's not going to prevent you from feeling like a complete
jackass the second you click your boots in and try to stand
up!

This doesn't mean you will have an unmitigated disaster, it
does mean that at the end of each project if you don't slap
your forehead at least once and say, "Dohh, I should've",
or "I could've", or "Why did I....?" then you didn't really
learn anything, and there is ALWAYS something you could
have done better.

........hey!....imagine how easy the rest of your
snowboarding or skiing trip will be when you do learn how
to get down a double black diamond!

If you don't like snow up your nose, and you want to take a
more balanced approach, then I have another suggestion for
you: consider wholesaling. The money can still be great
and the risk is considerably less.

Again, CONSIDER WHOLESALING. The money can still be great
and the risk is considerably less.

If you are looking to change careers, get out of your
current line of work so you can have your own hours and be
your own boss, but you aren't crazy about going down a
black diamond right away, don't you dare give up that dream
or tell yourself that you'll do it when the market changes.

Wholesaling means you go on the hunt for amazing deals, but
then you take what amounts to a small finder's fee, pass
the lion share of the profit to another investor, and go on
to the next one.

But do NOT stop there - make it part of the deal that you
can check out what your investor buyer does (or doesn't do)
to the property, how they market it, what it costs, and
learn everything you can from it. Who knows? ...you may
just get hooked on the thrill of the hunt and never even
care about fixing them up.

I'm torn between the two. The feeling you get when you
take a trashed, smelly, abandoned pile of wood and turn it
into a beautiful home....there is no feeling like it. No
matter how many times we've done it, my jaw hits the floor
when I see the work my brilliant and artistic wife pulls
off time and time again..

....BUT, for me, I'm all about the fun of the treasure
hunt. I'm not a fix up guy. I tried to put in a doggy
door once. The box said 15 minutes. It took me two hours
and put me in a really bad mood, and Cindy basically redid
it anyway...sorry, I just suck at it. I admit it. But if
you want a direct mail marketing system to absentee owners
or a screening system to find the best repos fast, stand
back!...Cindy often struggles with email....if we were good
at the exact same thing we'd be in big trouble.

But the number one reason is risk...no repair costs at
stake, no mortgage payments, no agents and picky end user
buyers to deal with...if you are bound and determined to
get out of your job, don't have a lot of money, and not a
lot of contractor experience, give wholesaling a serious
thought to launch your investing career....... just don't
try and add a doggy door, it's impossible.

Be Happy and Prosper,

Kurtis

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Kurtis Squyres and his wife have personally flipped over
280 houses over the past 12 years. Before leaving the
corporate world to pursue real estate, Kurtis managed over
25 million dollars for Merrill Lynch as a financial
advisor. Kurtis continues to invest in and teach real
estate investing full time.

http://www.FarBelowMarket.com

Take Your Deductions For Your Home Business

Take Your Deductions For Your Home Business
You are running a home based business and tax time is
coming up. Are you aware that you may be entitled to tax
deductions in your home? There are many expenses that are
related to running a home business from your office space
to the cost of child care. You may have a room that you
keep samples or inventory in for resale.

There are certain factors that determine whether you are
able to deduct home expenses. First, you will need to
prove that you are self-employed, if customers come into
your home, the nature of your business and activity, how
you utilize the space in your home for your business, if it
is a part of your home, or a separate structure.

The tax rules that govern these deductions need to be
understood in regards to your home and business. You can
find these rules in the IRS code under the dis-allowance
section. Once you have established your qualifications,
you will then determine any exceptions that you get to
claim.

There are going to be some rules that you will need to know
and the limits they may place on your actual deductions.

You need to know the type of expenses that are subject to
the code restrictions, what can be deducted and what must
be satisfied to make it qualify. There are some specific
rules that apply to day care expenses, along with other
restrictions, too many to name.

There are two things you need to determine when you claim a
deduction, one is if you meet the required business use and
what the limitations are concerning them.

Any allowable deduction must relate to the use of your home
for your business. For example, if you are using a portion
of your home for making profit that is not a business, then
you cannot claim a deduction. The space needs to be used
exclusively for business use, not personal use, to qualify.

Once you have established your entitlement for a deduction
for expenses, then you need to deal with the rules that set
limits on how much you can deduct. There will be some
expenses you may claim in full, then there are those that
will based on a percentage, generally 30%.

This is only a basic outline of business home deductions,
you will want to do further research before you make any
deductions on your taxes.

----------------------------------------------------
Joel Nickerson invites you to visit his home based business
idea website for information you can trust. If you are a
home business opportunity seeker he can help you. Find
legitimate home business opportunities and ideas that
really work by visiting here now:===>
http://www.instant-home-biz.com

Tips on Getting More from Your Credit Card Rewards Program

Tips on Getting More from Your Credit Card Rewards Program
Do you own a reward credit card or are you planning on
applying for one? Many people own one or more reward credit
cards on their account but not all of them are reaping the
rewards they deserve. In this article, let's discuss some
tips on how you can get more from your credit card rewards
program and how to make sure that you'll be redeeming those
well-deserved rewards:

Use your discount privileges. Most reward credit cards
include discount privileges that are exclusive only to
their card holders. Are you aware of the discount
privileges your credit card provides? If not, then take the
time to review the terms of your card or check online and
make sure that you are maximizing the full potential of
your credit card. For instance, some credit cards provide
printable coupon codes online that you can use in
purchasing from selected merchants. Usually, all you need
to do is register online in order to access these printable
discount coupons and get big savings.

Pay your balance in full each month. Reward credit cards
usually come with higher interest rates than regular credit
cards so you'll want to make sure that you're not carrying
a balance over to the next billing cycle. Why would you pay
for additional cost on the interest rates when you can
avoid it by paying on time? If you need to pay for the
interest rate each time, you may actually be paying more
than what you earn from your reward credit card.

Stay true to your card's terms and conditions. Did you know
that not paying your bills on time, delaying on your
payments or exceeding your credit limit can disqualify you
from redeeming your rewards? Yes, most reward credit cards
impose this rule on their card holders. If you're not sure,
take out your copy of your credit card's terms and
conditions and review the stipulations on this matter. To
be sure that you'll be eligible to claim your hard-earned
points, always stay true to your credit card's conditions.

Use your reward credit card wisely. To collect points and
earn your rewards quickly, obviously you need to use your
credit card. Nevertheless, this doesn't mean you need to go
out of your way to make unnecessary purchases which can
result to credit card debt. Remember, it is crucial for you
to pay off your monthly balance regularly to avoid the
interest and penalty fees. Exercise caution when using your
reward credit card and don't charge purchases on it just to
collect your rewards.

Pay your utilities using your reward credit card. One way
to rack up those points without making unnecessary
purchases is to use your reward credit card in paying your
monthly utilities. These include your electricity, cable,
telephone, gasoline, and other services you're subscribed
to. You can also work as a family in collecting points on
your reward credit card. If your family members need to
make purchases, tell them to charge on your card and pay
you the cash instead. This way, you can accumulate more
points on your account without breaking your budget.

----------------------------------------------------
Ann Wilson is the head writer of Reward Credit Card Site.
This resource provides consumers with valuable reviews and
information on the best credit card reward programs. Its
main objective is to help people to take advantage of
credit card rewards and start earning reward points. Visit
the site at http://www.rewardcreditcardsite.com

A House for Rent Surprise

A House for Rent Surprise
If you could travel in time, would you have bought the
enormous bread machine that went into the cellar ten years
ago? And do you ever wonder why you are still holding onto
that cat carrier when Muffy has been dead for nine lives
ago? You probably did not think of these things until you
looked at that lovely house for rent by the beach. The new
house for rent is missing a cellar and has no storage space
whatsoever. But the only thing that could stop you from
signing the lease is a herd of elephants. Since that is
unlikely to happen near the beach in America, you sign the
lease to the house for rent.

But moving into a new house for rent can be an adventurous
time with the packing and unpacking. You get to see things
that you had in storage and have not seen in a long time.
Some things you do not remember ever owning. It is like
finding a treasure, however sometimes it is not. When you
start unpacking boxes at your new house for rent you might
come across a storage box that seems very odd. Inside you
find random size paperclips from your former secretarial
job, a missing ring from an old high school sweetheart and
some fuzz of unknown origin. However, while sitting on the
floor of your house for rent unpacking more boxes, you come
across a box with a hidden treasure. Now you can probably
part with the bread machine, the cat carrier, and the odd
box, but this box is a keeper and the adventure continues
with finding storage space.

There are some things we just cannot throw away or part
with, but you have to make a decision about what stays and
what goes to storage. A house for rent by the beach usually
does not come with a lot of storage. But you can find
storage for rent at a self storage facility near your house
for rent. So if you wanted, you can keep the enormous bread
machine by putting it in storage and still make your annual
loaf of banana bread. As for that unidentifiable piece of
fuzz, you are probably better off tossing it into the
garbage bin even though it does not take up much storage
space. It will be practice for tossing out things that are
coming up next.

You can be sure a house for rent near the beach will have
insufficient closet storage space and you will have to make
some decisions regarding your clothes. If you are moving
from a house with walk-in closets, you are in a big dilemma
with small closet space. A rule of thumb is to get rid of
clothes that you have not worn in over a year because there
is a good chance that you will never wear them again. A
house for rent by the beach is probably the size of your
old walk-in closet. Your only choice is to rent a self
storage unit to solve your storage issues. You can use it
for wardrobe storage and shoe storage for out-of-season
items. For example, store your winter clothes in the summer
and summer clothes in the winter. The ideal house for rent
by the beach would be one where the climate is always warm
so you can enjoy the beach year round and not have to store
so many clothes.

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A House for Rent Surprise
http://www.propertymanagementblog.com/