Your Personal Stimuls Plan

By Guest Author Rick Kahler of

Kahler Financial Group

It is not a “bailout,” folks. It’s a “rescue plan.” Presumably, we the taxpayers are supposed to feel better if we’re spending our money rescuing huge companies from their mistakes rather than bailing them out from their misjudgments.

But regardless of what it’s called, no government program, investment, or handout is going to fix this economy any time soon. What it's going to take to turn the US economy around and rebuild our shrinking portfolios is a change in the economic behavior of Americans.

It's time to tighten our belts. We need to work a little harder, spend a lot less than we earn, and save a lot more. Our national savings rate is minus .5%, an obvious recipe for the economic tsunami we are living in today. For ten years or more, financial experts have warned us to stop mortgaging our futures with excessive debt. We chose not to listen. Now that change is going to happen—the hard way.

The “help” from the government’s effort to get us out of this crisis is going to add to our future economic problems. That help will probably be massive, given the new tendency of the country to lean toward socialism. We will probably face rising inflation, plus higher taxes, which will shrink the buying power of our incomes. This is not a pretty picture.

Neither is it a recipe for panic. Instead of relying on a government bailout and sitting passively by to wait for times to get better, it’s time for each of us to take control of our own financial future. There are some things we can do to protect ourselves and get through hard times until conditions improve. One of the most powerful ways to deal with economic fears is to take action. You can create your own “personal economic rescue plan.”

Here are some steps you can take.
1. Become conscious of your spending. For a two-week period, write down everything you spend so you know where your money goes and have a better idea where you can save. Then create a written spending plan. You can find budgeting tools at http://www.mint.com/, http://www.quicken.com/, and http://www.consciousfinance.com/

2. Keep your job or get a job. If you’re close to retirement, extend another year or two if at all possible. If you are retired, consider picking up some extra money with a part-time job.

3. Update and review your retirement and cash flow plan. Find out how the market drop has affected the probability of your nest egg lasting your lifetime.

4. If you’re retired and working is not an option, cut your current withdrawals from your portfolio by 10% immediately.

5. If you have to choose between funding your child's college fund plan or your retirement plan, fund your retirement plan.

6. Don't sell out of the market or an asset class that you are “sure” is going to continue to decline.

7. Don't give in to timing the markets. It's a loser's game. Instead, continue to rebalance your portfolio.

8. If you are retired, have one year of cash needs in your checking or money market account.

9. If you are consumed with fear and anxiety around your money, get some help. Find a financial therapist and a financial planner who practices an integrated approach to financial planning.

10. Become more conscious of what is most important in your life. For most of us, that means family, friends, and health.

Remember, we are all in this boat together. We can learn from the mistakes of the past, rise to the challenge of the present, and build a healthier financial future.

Brilliant Choices

All of us experience tragedy, unexpected changes and uncertainty numerous times throughout our lives. As these experiences pass through it's how we handle them will make all the difference in the outcome. These events cause us to reevaluate what is important and necessary.

As the outcome of unexpected change transitions into our daily lives we naturally let go of the obvious things and then slowly and intentionally choose to keep the “best”. The question I get asked the most is, “How do you know what is best?”

Here are some tips on how to determine “what is best”.

1. Pray and ask God what he desires for your life; what His best is for you.
   


2. Be willing to listen to the response and be willing to take the next steps based upon what you hear.

Sometimes we don’t hear an answer to the question and there can be many reasons for that. But that is a whole other BIG topic in itself!

One other suggestion that has worked for me; stop doing something you’ve always done. For example, I stopped writing this ezine for 2 months to see how I would feel. What I noticed is that I felt “obligated” to write the ezine, not inspired. I had all kinds of “chatter” in my head about why I “should” write the ezine. “Should messages” can be a sign that priorities are out of line or order.

I encourage you to stop doing something you’ve always done and allow the discovery to guide and direct your next steps to what is “best’ for you. You will notice the changes in this ezine are a reflection of the “best” for me and for you! I know you will benefit from them!

Be a GREAT steward in 2009

It is helpful to ask year end questions around very specific or specialized areas of your life, like your finances. These questions are borrowed and are great to consider when assessing your financial life. They will help you stay focused and goal oriented which can help you achieve your aspirations.

1. What financial decisions did I make, or actions did I take, that improved my financial situation and/or Net Worth (saved me money or made me money) this past year?

2. What decisions or actions did I make, or actions did I take, that adversely affected my finances. And what did I learn from that experience to remember this year?

3. What changes did I make with my attitude about money, and am especially proud of, which now are serving me and making a difference in my life?

4. How have I helped and served others financially - through my role modeling, advice, donations, etc.?

5. Do I appreciate and enjoy the things I already have, and do I now have a better sense of "enough"?

6. What changes do I plan to make in 2009 to improve my financial peace of mind and bottom line?

Thanksgiving and Christmas are one of the few times each year when families and friends make special efforts to gather in spite of distance and inconveniences. Because of that and as the celebrations of life’s good things, these are gatherings to remember.

Having an attitude of gratitude is the pivotal perspective to hold throughout the year; not just holidays. When we live life from the perspective of being thankful and appreciative of what we do have, all else falls to the wayside.


There are no ordinary moments. This is the essence of gratitude. No moment, nothing in life, should be taken for granted. In developing gratitude for every moment -- for the simple joys, and even for the challenging times in our lives -- we come to truly enjoy and appreciate life. Then we are able to see the magic that surrounds us every second of every minute of every day. (Excerpt from Way of the Peaceful Warrior)

Gratitude keeps us centered and wards off jealousy and negativity. Here are 3 things you can do each day to nourish your attitude of gratitude.

1. Remember who has given all things; Jesus Christ. Cherish and deepen this relationship.
2. Notice one thing you are grateful for at breakfast, lunch and dinner each day.
   (That’s almost 100 different things your grateful for each month, WOW)
3. Keep a journal of those things you are thankful for. You will experience abundance!
   
   

Share your gratitude with others; it’s contagious. May each of you experience the joy and love this Holiday season and have an extraordinary 2009.

Rethink Your Holiday Spending

By Candace Bahr and Ginita Wall


Happy Thanksgiving, Ho, ho, ho! Turkeys and cookies are baking, bells are ringing, and sounds of holiday cheer fill the air. The holiday season is fast upon us. In this “most wonderful time of the year”, It’s easy to slip into the holiday mood and buy just one more present for an acquaintance, one more outfit for a holiday party—and wake up with a splitting-headache spending hangover in January.

The holiday season is a time of renewal and fellowship—and also time of wild consumerism. We seem to worship the mall and the Hallmark store, instead of our faith, our traditions, and our connection to our families and the world. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or simply “the holidays”, it’s important to develop your own personal meaning for the season. Instead of spending money this season, consider spending time with those you love.

The above is an excerpt from the curriculum (wife.org) for the INATM Money club. Each month we discuss a topic or money zone to help women become financially educated. If you would like more information about a new club starting next year click here

The following questions may help you focus on some of your beliefs around money and the holidays so you can make conscious and helpful decisions about your Christmas spending.

• What were the holidays like when you were a child? Were they lavish or low-budget?
  Were they well-planned or last-minute?

• What were your parents’ gift-giving rituals? Was there a spending limit per present? A
  resolution to only give presents to the children? At what age did you start giving presents to your parents?

• What interesting traditions do your family and friends have for the holidays? How have
  they saved time or money or added additional meaning to the season?

• What new traditions for the holidays have you started in your adult life? Why did you choose these?
  

Live Life in Pencil

A few months ago a friend of mine (Dr. Ted Klontz) wrote this article for his ezine. The article was timely for me as it spoke to my heart. Please read the entire article as it includes my comment to him. Enjoy!

I was sitting in the immaculate office of a friend of mine talking with her, when I happened to glance down and noticed a neat row of pens on her very orderly desk. There was something not quite right about them though and I looked again. They weren’t pens, they were mechanical pencils! With erasers on the end!! That had been used!!! Not one pen to be seen anywhere on her desk.

I asked her what was up with the pencils and she explained that the older and more experienced she gets, the less she knows for certain and the more her life is done in pencil.

What made this so ironic a moment was that for the last few years I have been using, almost exclusively, you guessed it, mechanical pencils, for exactly the same reason. Until that moment, I didn’t know anyone else had been having that experience as well.

I don’t think she had either, judging by the energy unleashed as we excitedly told each other of the things in our life that had taught us this “The older I get, the less I am absolutely certain about anything, so rather than be disappointed let’s do life by pencil” lesson.

I was listening to another colleague a few weeks later and we were talking about how as she was getting older, she noticed how much more certain of everything she was becoming. The war in Iraq. Where the economy was going. What life had in store for her. Certain about everything. I have found that this kind of certainty is very common in people my age. That’s one of the reasons I hid the fact that I was doing life in pencil these days.

Since she knew I was about her age, she asked me if I wasn’t finding that to be true also. After a long pause, I told her that I was finding out the exact opposite. I told her about my movement from pens to pencils and how that seemed to be what I was most certain of. She looked at me a bit puzzled as if evaluating our relationship (the way someone might when they just noticed that you have a third eye on your face), and promptly changed the subject. My experience with people my age is that there are more like her than there are like me regarding the “pencil-ness” of life. I have been around people who as they aged became more and more dogmatic about what is good. What is the absolute truth. What should happen. Who should do it. What is right. What is wrong.

There is a part of me that wishes for that certainty. It would make things a lot easier. It is scary sometimes to live in the “I don’t really know” place when others around seem so certain. But not a very big part. There is a much larger part of me that wants to keep opening up to new truths, new challenges to my old beliefs, to new ways of seeing the world, especially from the young souls my life is gifted with. See, when I have something written down in pencil and it doesn’t end up happening, I simply erase what I thought was going to happen and, Wallah, a space opens up for what is. No need to hang on to anything. No need to waste precious time arguing about what was supposed to happen. No need to waste energy resisting what has already happened.

So, just as it has been called a miracle that water was turned into wine, I consider it a miracle that I have been converted from pens into pencils. I’m grateful. The only problem is that I can never remember where I put the dang thing!!!!

Ted,
I think I am a bit younger than you (he he) and I am certain I know much less today that I did 20 years ago, 5 years ago, last week and even yesterday!

I like your metaphor of doing life in pencil. Today I am living literally one day at a time. A concept I have been familiar with, but now from a whole new perspective.

My mother was recently diagnosed with cancer. We had plans for her 70th birthday to go to Italy together as this is one of her bucket list items (prior to her even knowing she had cancer). We won't be going on that trip, so I am not sure what to with that one on the list?

A spontaneous thought I have is; I always right with a pen and cross out what I don’t like and then re-write it. When I feel complete I write on a fresh piece of paper and throw the old paper away. Somehow that doesn't feel so good today; like I am throwing something away that is important to who I am and my life.

I see our lives as that piece of paper and we don't want to throw it away. It's who we are. Sometimes it’s clean, crisp and others it’s all crumbled up. My mother's life is all that and more. I want to fully experience all of life that is left for her. As I live one day at a time I will write in pencil!

The Wild Thing

Valley Fair Amusement Park in Shakopee, MN has this unbelievable roller coast called the Wild Thing. My three daughters and I love to take this thrill ride. It has two “S” curves, one tunnel and a 360 degree spiral. The coaster attains speed up to 74 mph and the highest drop is 207 feet.

Sometimes people wait in line for hours to ride the Wild Thing. Riders anticipate what their experience is going to be like while their excitement and energy builds in preparation for the ride.

My girls and I get quite a rush from this ride. Our stomachs reach our throats, we hang on for dear life and hold our heads up as best we can. It’s a THRILL

The past few weeks many people have used the following words such as uneasiness, concern, fear, anxiety and panic to describe their thoughts and feelings about the current US financial situation. A client described the last few weeks like a roller coaster ride she had not intention of getting on!

This is an upsetting time for many. How you handle uncertainties, change and loss is a key to surviving these challenging times. People typically respond to change in one of three ways. We fight, we freeze or run away (flight). These are our natural ways of handling stress.

You may find yourself blaming people (fight), such as your financial advisor or government and make hasty reactionary decisions such as pulling (flight) your money out of the market. On the other hand some people have no idea what to do, they feel overwhelmed and they do nothing (freeze).

To keep your head steady on this roller coaster ride take some simple steps.

1. Talk openly with your financial advisor about how you feel, your concerns and ask for their advice. After all that is what you pay them for!. If you don’t have an advisor, find one that you trust. If you need a referral to a financial advisor, call me and I would be happy to pass on some names of advisors who understand financial integration.

2. Review YOUR goals. Unexpected changes and losses in life (like my mother’s cancer) as well as financial losses may push you to reevaluate your needs and priorities. This is a great time to do this!

3. Give me a call and I can help you talk about these trying times in a confidential environment AND assist you in reviewing your priorities and goals.

I am extending an offer to you this week to hire me as your personal coach. My regular fee is $130 hour but if you buy a 6 session package, the fee is $300. A savings of $90. Each session is 30 minutes and will provide you laser coaching that will keep you focused and moving toward your goals and dreams. Email me at lauralongville@inatm.com or call me at 605.342.0478.

I’ve got all the time in the world. Do you?

A Reality Check

“I’ve got all the time in the world”. So I thought. When I heard these three words, “you have cancer” my world came to a screeching halt. A doctor spoke these words to my mother and our family in early July. She was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma; a cancer of the plasma of the white blood cells.

Since this diagnosis, my life has significantly changed. I thought I had a lot more time with my mom as she is only 69 years old. We were actually supposed to be in Italy this week to celebrate her 70th birthday that is coming up the end of this month. This trip was one of the things on her “bucket list”.

In the past few months, I have learned a great deal about myself and what is really important to me. I would like to share with you what I have learned in the next few issues of Living with Heart Fully Alive.

My mother’s terminal illness diagnosis permanently affected my life. Now, I know that seems really logical, but until it became a reality in my life I didn’t really grasp the ramifications it would have on my life.

It has helped me focus on what is truly important in my life; my family. I have given that “lip service” over the years but today I have consciously designed my life around my mom and my immediate family.

When an opportunity arises, I run the choice through the priority of family first. If it doesn’t support my family or it interferes with being available to my mother and her needs, I don’t do it.

So how can you apply this to your own life? Ask yourself, I mean really ask yourself, what is top priority in your life and why? The priority is what keeps you focused on the target (your goal) and the “why” of it all, is the bulls eye. Once you have determined what is top and I mean top priority, make a conscious decision to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

· Think about what your priorities are on a daily basis
· Run your daily decisions through the grid of, “Will this move me closer to what is priority” and remember “why” your priority is so significant to you. This will help keep you focused!
· Plan your days, weeks and months (if possible) around what’s important

Doing these things will help keep your life moving toward that which is important and create greater meaning and purpose in your life. I'm giving it a try, won't you?

Oh, Wise one

A young leader went to his mentor and wanted to know the most important thing he needed to know about teamwork. The mentor relied; “it’s not an easy answer”. The young leader said, “I just want to know one thing to focus on to make me a great leader”

The mentor replied, “If you need to know one thing about leadership it is; you need to know MORE than one thing about being a great leader”.

The point is.. developing powerful teams and skilled leaders is a process. Great leaders and team members are life-long learners. Devote yourself to learning!

In the next few weeks I will be addressing how to develop leaders around you. Last week I identified that we are all leaders in one way or another so why not grow and expand on the strengths of a great leader?

John Maxwell in his book, Developing the Leaders Around You states that the primary responsibility of a great leader is to identify potential leaders. Having an eye or the ability to recognize the potential in someone to be a great leader is important and sometimes difficult.

Look for the positive qualities, skills and attitudes in those around you. Like gold mining; there is a lot of dirt but if you keep digging you’ll find the gold! Look for the gold, not the dirt, look for the positive not the negative and build upon their strengths.

Most successful people do not start out that way. They are nurtured, trained and equipped to become great leaders.

My challenge to you this week is to identify one positive attribute or skill of a colleague, coworker, friend or family member and tell them about what you admire about them. Watch their confidence and attitude improve as well as their contribution to the team, family or goal.

Next ezine we’ll address selecting the right player for your team until then..



Fully ALive,

Laura Longville
www.inatm.com

The Mismatched Shoes

Can you tell what is wrong with this picture? Take another look. I actually spent a whole day dressed like this. I know, that little voice in your head is saying, “Couldn't she feel how different the boots are?” “I can’t believe she went out of the house like that!” “She is really a mess”

I had those same thoughts about myself and many more and I wanted to share my story with you; maybe it will give you a good laugh!

I have an early morning networking meeting that I attend each week, called BNI (Business Networking International). This particular morning I asked my girls to help me determine which boot would look best with my skirt. They both agreed that the brown boot accentuated the total look of my outfit.

As I headed back to my room to change boots I was distracted by one of my children’s needs. I never made it back to put the correct boot on and off I went to my meeting; not noticing the discrepancy (to put it mildly) until half way through my meeting.

I happen to be the education coordinator for this networking group and was sharing this particular morning how vital it is to turn unforeseen events into extraordinary opportunities and unexpected gifts. THIS was the turning point for me; I had to walk my talk!

Of course, my friend took it as a spontaneous opening to totally humiliate me. I thought about returning home to change my shoes (and climb in under the covers and never come out); but I would have had to cancel a client to do so. I could have called my mother to go get my boots but that would have taken an hour out of her day. So, I decided to just deal with it .

Here’s what I learned from this funny, humiliating and honest mistake.

• I choose to take myself lightly and “make everyone’s day’
• I really can handle humiliation and I didn't die
• Others got to feel better about their mistakes (of course they had never done anything like that before)
• I really can walk my talk!

I hope the next time you are considering taking a risk, want to try something new or you just totally blow it; remember me and my mismatched boots! If I can survive so can you!

If you want to share your crazy, humiliating, fun and outrageous mistakes click below to do so!!

Rich Mom, Poor Mom

by Candace Bahr, CEA, CDFA and Ginita Wall, CPA, CFP®, CDFA

We inherit many things from our mothers. Mom our first source of nourishment, love, and security, and she’s also a role model for many of the values and beliefs that shape our lives. Knowingly or not, Moms influence their children’s feelings about money, abundance, and prosperity—their sense of whether the glass of life is half-empty or half-full. What can a mother to do to give her kids a healthy, happy relationship with money?

First, it helps to get back in touch with your own early memories of how you learned about money yourself. What money issues did you experience growing up? If you spent any time shopping with Mom, you probably know whether she was a hoarder, an avoider, or a splurger. Mom the hoarder was always worried about money and felt certain that there would never be enough to keep the wolves from the door.

Whenever you asked for something, Mom couldn’t afford it—period. Mom the avoider didn’t want to think about money or talk about money matters. Maybe she felt it was beneath her or maybe she was just plain afraid of the whole subject. What about Mom the splurger? You might have enjoyed her willingness to buy anything and everything—until Dad got home and took a look at the bills!

Once you understand the money feelings that affected your childhood, you can make a fresh start in helping your own kids develop confident and comfortable money sense. It’s often said that a mother is her child’s best teacher. And the best teachers learn along with their students. Helping your kids learn to use money wisely can be educational and empowering for you, too. Here are some ideas:

1.Give kids a sense of well-being and a hopeful outlook. There’s plenty for everyone. Don’t worry, be happy. Be a grateful Mom who teaches appreciation for life’s abundant blessings.

2.Talk openly and honestly with your kids about money. Financial matters are part of the business of life that everyone can learn about and practice with confidence. There’s nothing to be afraid of or embarrassed about.

3.Show kids that managing money is about making plans and making choices. To get what you really want and value, you often have to wait and save before you can spend.

Every Mom can be a Rich Mom when it comes to giving her kids a money legacy to grow and thrive on. Prosperity, after all, begins at home!

The Unexpected Gift

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to work right? My guess is that you have. Fridays are normally the day I take time to write articles for this ezine. Last Friday my computer wouldn’t work and today it’s still not working. (I am writing to you on my very old computer that takes 3 times as long to do anything).

I was slightly annoyed in that I couldn’t do what I wanted when I wanted to do it. Instead of listening to the little voice that says things like, “See, now your whole day is going to be wasted”, or “Those darn kids…..”, I choose to use the little voice management technique I wrote about last week. I said “STOP” to my own thoughts and chose to focus on something different.

I chose to look at my situation as an unexpected gift. The gift was wrapped in my computer. It’s funny how gifts come in the most bewildering packages. Last Friday I unwrapped my unforeseen (but much needed) day of relaxation. I read a few books; I took a nap and watched some mindless TV. What a treat! I was refreshed and ready to take on the world the next day!

Here are 4 suggestions to help with the unexpected.

1. Look for your unexpected gift in a challenge, problem or obstacle that comes into your life in the next couple days.


2. Choose to embrace that gift as something you really needed.


3. Enjoy it!


4. Blog about your unexpected gift so others can benefit from your experience too. Click below to add YOUR experience.

Little Voice Management: Gods Way

As Christians we need to be aware of the little voice we hear and where it is coming from. Is it God’s voice, your voice or the enemies? I want to address the little voice that does not come from God. It may sound like your own voice too but for today’s simplictic focus we are going to focus on the enemies little voice.

The enemies little voice is anything that you hear in your head that attacks you as a person such as:

“You are so stupid”
“You’ll never amount to anything”
“You can’t do that, who you do you think you are?”
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah………

These thoughts and opinions do NOT come from God and here’s why.
Reason #1 Romans 8:1
So now there is not condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.

Reason#2 Galatians 2:20
My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me!

When we invite Jesus Christ into our life because we want him to guide and direct us, because we need him; he takes up residence inside of us. Our old self and old way of being is gone. God himself lives in us. Jesus Christ is perfect, whole and complete.

So any messages or little voices you hear inside that tear you down or attack your character; is not from God. God would not talk to his beloved son, Jesus that way. Because His son Jesus Christ lives in you, he doesn’t talk to you that way either!

When you hear these kind of voices, say or yell STOP. Somtimes you can say it inside your head and other times you may need to say it outloud. Make a conscious decision to stop that line of thinking because it’s not correct or true.

God’s voice may sound like this when he is addressing something in our life;

“You CAN do all things through Christ that lives within you!”
“Maybe you could talk to your husband of wife in a different way”
“You learned a lot from that situation, I wonder what you could do different next time”

You see, God only addresses our behavior not our character and who we are. My prayer for you is to hear God’s voice in the days to come!

Fully Alive,

Laura

STOP!

This commanding four letter word will change your life. I guarantee it. Saying “STOP” to yourself about the little voice that is trying to protect you can make a difference in your life.

We’ve been talking about the little voice in your head that keeps you safe and comfortable. It’s the part of your mind that watches out for you in day to day life situations and keeps you from taking risks. This little voice is driven by fear.

Blaire Singer’s Little Voice Management (LVM) technique #2 is to say or yell “STOP”. When your fearful little voice begins to take over and talks you our of doing what you want to do, need to do or what God’s will is in your life; say “STOP”. Recognize the voice, realize where it’s coming from and make a decision to not listen.

In some instances you may have to “yell” at yourself to stop the little voice from taking over. You might need to yell with the same tenacity you would use if your young child or grandchild was about run out into traffic. You and your life may need that kind of intensity and responsiveness. You, your dreams and goals are worth that effort.

Try it out! Next time you notice the little voice and it’s not supporting you; Yell STOP.

What’s your little voice saying?

In our last ezine issue we addressed how fear is the number 1 obstacle to success. The function of our mind is to keep us safe and so it spends a great amount of time searching and scanning for unsafe situations.

The voice of the scanning can sound like fear. Blaire Singer calls it your little voice. What is your little voice saying to you?

Blair has a method that he uses to control that voice called “Little Voice Management” Techniques. The little voice of fear can inhibit you from being the best you can be. I would like to share a couple of his top LVM tools with you. These tools will help you to become conscious of how your mind works.

LVM #1 Learn to Celebrate your Successes

We have files of information (learning’s, emotions, situations, experiences etc.) that is not only stored in our minds but in our bodies as well. Some of the files in our mind need to be deleted or reprogrammed AND our bodies need that same kind of “defrag”. When our little voice of fear starts up we automatically go to those files throughout our brain and body that have dealt with these kinds of situations before; many times these thoughts don’t help us.

One way to change those automatic responses is to do something different. When you experience a success of any kind, big or small; celebrate! Do something physical.

• Give someone a high 5



• Get a hand shake



• Get a pat on the back



• Say “YES” to yourself with some gusto or



• Play your favorite song.
  

The point is to anchor in your success in your mind and body. You feel physically different when to celebrate with a whole body experience! When your body feels different your mind will follow and vice a versa.

Practice this. Celebrate in ALL things. Next issue we will address LVM tool #2. Until then,
Living fully alive and on purpose,

Laura Longville