Fortune Watch

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As important as your saving and spending habits are, being truly financially responsible involves much more. To this end, I’ve put together some ways to cover your ass (ets).

Wealth Creation to Wealth Protection Equals Financial Planning

… This list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a good starting point.

Do you have life and Disability Insurance Of course this really only applies if someone depends on you for support. I’m a big fan of life insurance. And don’t just rely on the insurance that you get through your employer… The base coverage may not be enough for your needs, and it’s also tied to your employment — lose your job and you’ll lose your insurance. Also, if you’re young and in good health, you can probably get a term policy for less money by shopping around instead of buying additional group through your employer.

“Life Insurance is like a parachute, if you don’t have it when you need it, its too late”.

For the average person the odds of suffering a debilitating injury are considerably higher than the odds of dying young. What if you couldn’t work? How would you get by? Long-term disability insurance covers your butt in the event of that you suffer, well, a long-term disability.

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If you could reach just one goal in 2007, which one would it be? How much of a difference in your life would it make if you reached it?
Will 2007 be just another ho-hum year that started with good intentions? Or will it be YOUR Year! Your year to lose that weight you’re tired of carrying…start that business you’ve been talking about…get out of debt for good. Are you tired of being stuck in the same gear?

It’s a well known fact that the biggest reason most people fail to achieve any real success in their life is….they never plan to. They want to. They dream about it and fantasize about it. They talk about success. Maybe they even read success books, listen to success tapes and attend success seminars.

However, the sad fact is that unless a person has some incredible luck (like winning the lottery), their chances of succeeding without a plan are almost nil. But suppose you could spend a few hours over the next few weeks and easily and totally plan the kind of year you’re going to have in 2007.

What kind of year would you plan? Would you:Double or even triple your income. Start your own business. Build the dream home you’ve always talked about. Eliminate all your consumer debt. Marry the person of your dreams. Get in the best shape of your life. Take the vacation of a lifetime.

Sound too good to be true? Well, it is if you don’t have the right plan. Think about it. 2007 will be the best year ever for some people. They will achieve at levels they never thought possible just a few years ago. First, they will have a good plan built on solid principles. But they’ll also have something else. The critical difference. They’ll have a system of follow up and accountability that will help them put their plan into action (and keep taking action).

With money in your pocket, you are wise and you are handsome and you sing well, too. - Jewish Proverb.

I‘d like to live as a poor man with lots of money. - Pablo Picasso.

Anyone who says money can’t buy happiness just doesn’t know where to shop. - Unknown.

Organized crime in America takes in over forty billion dollars a year and spends very little on office supplies. - Woody Allen.

If you would like to know the value of money, go and try to borrow some. - Benjamin Franklin.

The only reason I made a commercial for American Express was to pay for my American Express bill. - Peter Ustinov.

Part of the $10 million I spent on gambling, part on booze and part on women. The rest I spent foolishly. - George Raft.

One of the strange things about life is that the poor, who need money the most, are the very ones that never have it. - Finley Peter Dunn.

We didn’t actually overspend our budget. The allocation simply fell short of our expenditure. - Keith Davis.

I hear you are planning to have a baby…

If you considered only the financial implications of having children, you might end up childless. There’s no two ways about it: having a child is very expensive. Financial experts say a home is the biggest investment most people will ever make, but they’re forgetting about the cost of raising children, which far exceeds the average home price in many parts of the world.

Fortunately, most people don’t base this important decision on financial issues alone, but as with any other decision that will impact your financial situation, it’s smart to go into it with your eyes wide open and to be prepared. The changes that accompany adding a new little member to your family can be stressful, but you can reduce the stress greatly by minimizing the financial factor.

First, have you considered how you’ll manage on the reduced income caused by time off for the pregnancy and birth? Check with your employer to see if you’re covered by short-term disability insurance, which covers pregnancy.

In planning your personal finances for the baby’s arrival, there are several issues you need to consider. It’s time to get out a pen and paper and work out a budget that you can use once you’ve brought the baby home. Remember, these figures are in addition to your regular weekly and monthly bills.

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The most popular way for families to reward themselves for months and months of hard work is a nice family vacation; it’s what we all dream about all year long. Escaping from your everyday world and your usual climate takes a lot of planning and financial resources, that’s why it is so important to create a budget all year long so you can reap your rewards.

Financial planning is a must for your vacation, not just simply setting aside an amount every payday but taking into consideration the timing of your vacation, do you have any idea how much you can save? In the travel industry peak vacation times are more expensive. What are they referring to as peak time? Usually it is in the summertime, because that is the time that families have to spend together because the kids aren’t in school. So it is to your advantage to entertain the idea of vacationing during these non-peak periods of time and make your family budget stretch to maybe a better vacation destination then you thought you could afford.

Accommodations can be made for your children to take school assignments on the vacation with them. This can also help if you are taking a long car trip or airplane ride, your children will have something to focus on and keep them busy during these times. Surely if you asked your child if they would like to take a vacation in the middle of the school year they would definitely love the idea and you will love the savings. Make sure to speak with your children’s teachers and school and there should not be any problem.

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Financial planning is the process of determining how to manage money, investing, present and future financial goals, and the strategy that should be undertaken to obtain them.

Because our goals and desires change as we do, financial planning and investing is a task that is never finished. How we are financially able to reach these goals, and the risk we are willing to take to get there, necessarily means that any financial plan must be specifically tailored for an individual or family.

Financial planning begins by taking into account each individual’s assets and liabilities at that particular point in time.

The asset category includes life insurance and monetary investments of all kinds, along with physical assets such as a home, automobiles and other items. Liabilities may range from personal loans, credit card debt, and loans taken to obtain hard assets, such as mortgages.

Next is where sources of ongoing income and increases in hard asset wealth enter into the equation. Income most usually is earned by employment, but other sources, such as possible inheritances, must also be considered. Increases in hard asset wealth, such as rising home prices, will be affected by general economic conditions as well as owner enhancements.

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You know, in all my years, I have yet to meet someone who would freely admit that they have too much money. In today’s world, where social security is going down the drain and jobs are going out of the country faster than you can blink, saving those extra pennies from day to day can really add up.

Long terms goals are described as goals that have a lasting effect should a person’s present actions be religiously maintained.

The following statements are outlined to provide information and tips on how you can start up your money-saving gimmicks and ensure a happy and financially stable future and list the reasons as to why saving money should occupy a greater place in our list of priorities in life.

To really get the most out of what you can save from your expenses, think about what you buy on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. If you haven’t already practiced cutting your expenses, you might be surprised how much you can save.

Let’s think in terms of last months spending. If you carry a small notebook for a month where you write all the expenses you incurred, the following month you will be able to identify where you might have spent less and saved more.

Figure out what 3% of your gross paycheck would be, and set that money aside every time you get paid. If you have the discipline to keep it in your checking account, go right ahead and do that, but for most people, the only way to be sure that you don’t spend it is to make a withdrawal, and hide the cash in an envelope. Eventually, once you get a substantial amount, you can create your own savings account, which will considerably lessen the temptation to spend.

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A relationship is an important part in a person’s life, but it can be affected by many external factors. One of these hazardous factors is finance.

Many relationships find themselves at the mercy of life’s worst enemy, money. It is clear to see why personal finances can have the power to erode any relationship. When our finances become organized, we often become slaves of our own debt.

This causes an enormous amount of stress and sometimes depression. Finances can make a couple experience a sense of disconnection and anxiety, thereby replacing affection with constant screaming or yelling or just plain animosity towards each other.

Unorganized finances can also make people edgy, as they sit and plague the sub-conscious, making it hard to enjoy the pleasures of being together. The best thing a couple can do to improve the connection in their relationship is to tackle personal finances together. This means to help each other through the dark tunnel that debt or bankruptcy can create.

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Every morning I get up and look through the Forbes list of the richest people in America. If I’m not there, I go to work. - Robert Orben.

When I was young I used to think that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old, I know it is. - Oscar Wilde

Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination. - Oscar Wilde

Rich or poor, it’s good to have money. - Sid Lance

The safe way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket. - Frank Hubbard

In God we trust, all others must pay cash - American Proverb