Long Road To Wealth

My wife and I have just moved into our first home and there is no way anyone can budget enough for that kind of thing. There is a fee for EVERYTHING. If you’re not careful, you’ll pay hundreds of dollars more than you have to when you move to a new apartment or house.

It started with my Grandmother when I was a kid. I remember going to Toys ‘R’ Us with her and when we got to the checkout counter, she would say, “can you take 20% off for me?” Wouldn’t you know it!! They would!! Not every time, and not always that much. But she always got some kind of deal. All You Have to Do is ASK.

My Savings

1. Moving Truck - I got a U-Haul because I had some stuff at that storage space to pick up anyway. I got the one-way price of $130 which includes up to 59 miles. I knew I was going to drive more than that, so when I made the reservation, I said, “Is there any way we can make that up to 99 miles?” She said we could and I Saved $40.

2. Trash - I called Robertson Sanitation to get my trash service started and the nice lady let me know that there will be a $39 activation fee as well as a $10 dollar fee for the big trashcan. I said, “Are those fees waivable?” And, “yes sir,” was the response, so I Saved $49.

3. Gas, Water, Electric - Where I live, all three of these utilities are serviced by a different company, and I only have one option for each. All three had service connection fees of $40, $20, and $99, respectively. On each occasion, I asked for the fee to be waived, and it was so I Saved $159.

4. TV - I switched service from Comcast to Direct TV because I already had all my other services from AT&T so I figured I might be able to save more that way. Turns out, Direct TV is about $30 less per month than Comcast for equivalent service. When starting service there is a $49 service fee and a $99 installation fee. I got both waived an Saved $148.

5. Home Phone - Normally I would say you’re an idiot to have home phone service, but I work from home so it is my business line. There is a “bonus room” in my house that I turned into my office, but it had no phone jacks. I called AT&T and they let me know that it would be $89 to install a new jack. After asking to waive the fee, I Saved $89.

Totals

Moving Truck - $40

Trash - $49

Utilities - $159

TV - $148

Home Phone - $89

Total Savings - $485

No Reason Not To

I have had a lot of people tell me that it’s weird to ask for discounts or for fees to be waived, because that is just what it costs for something, but I know better. I used to be a bit embarrassed to stand in line with my grandmother because I new she was going to do something like that. Now, I would be embarrassed to pay full price for just about anything! You can always get a better deal. All You Have To Do Is Ask!

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Introduction

I would like to share with you my net worth as it is now and I will plan to update it either monthly or quarterly. You will be able to watch it grow and I’ll be discussing my techniques and tricks used to increase my financial wellbeing.

Assets

1. Home Value - $189,900

Liabilities

1. Mortgage - $168,840

2. Credit Card 1 - $345 @ 17%

3. Credit Card 2 - $4892.50 @ 0% through November 2008

4. Credit Card 3 - $4429.88 @ 0% through February 2009

5. Credit Card 4 - $2212.89 @ 0% through February 2011 (RoomsToGo - obviously)

Total - $180,720.27

You might ask why someone in my financial situation would but brand new furniture from RoomsToGo. That is a valid question, and and I have a good answer. It was actually and great financial move for us.

My wife’s parents offered to buy a living room set as a house warming gift when we bought our new house. RTG was having one of their famous “pay no interest forever” sales so we took the money and paid of Credit Card 1 (almost) and financed the couches at 0%. So, we got new awesome furniture and a balance transfer for 0% for 3 years!

Total Net Worth

I own 2 cars with no payments but I do not count them towards net worth as they are not easily liquidated and depreciate every time I get in them. With that in mind, the formula for calculating net worth is as follows:

Assets - Liability = Net Worth

$189,900 - $180,720.27 = $9179.73

As I build up my income from my business, I would not be terribly surprised if I see my net worth fall before it begins to rise. Even though we have significantly cut back our lifestyle, we are still just a bit under our budget, income-wise. That should change in the next few months and we’ll be able to begin the debt snowball and our journey to wealth!

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Books Books Books!

I know that I’m always looking for good books to read and I really like to get a few recommendations before I pour 10 or 15 hours into something that may or may not turn out to be a huge waste of my time. That being said, I’d like to offer some recommendations in the form of my current reading list.

1. The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer

Gitomer, a former salesman who is now a consultant and journalist, shares his tips on how to be a successful salesperson. He provides motivational advice and practical techniques for initiating, maintaining, and closing a sales presentation. Written in a breezy manner with short, easy-to-remember suggestions, this book should prove popular with persons just getting started in this field or those needing an inspirational pep talk. I, for one, think this is one of the most practical books on sales that I have ever read.

2. How Full Is Your Bucket? by Tom Rath & Donald O. Clifton

I read this one in a single sitting during a recent business trip in which I had about 2 hours to kill. It happened to be -3 degrees, so I decided to hunker down in Borders. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. It’s not a terribly long book, but it’s filled with the positive idea of give-and-take that will lead to a better marriage, better relationships both professionally and privately, and easier life, and more satisfaction for everyone involved. I say it is very worth your time to pick this one up.

3. Eiger Dreams: Ventures Among Men and Mountains by Jon Krakauer

Written by Jon Krakauer of “Into Thin Air” fame writes of the harrowing events of some 15 of the worlds best mountain climbers as they take on the worlds tallest peaks. Not once in this book will you be bored or hoping to get a chapter over with. Halfway through you will acquire a new appreciation for your fingers, toes, and the fact that you still have a nose, because many of the main characters lose theirs. This is the ultimate for the Armchair Adventurer, because you feel like you’re right there with them. Luckily, you’re not.

The Benefits of Reading

I have always heard that where you will be in 5 years is based upon the books you read and people you associate with, so grab these books enhance your life!

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1. Ordering Appetizer and Entre’ - I never finish them and they just make me fat and uncomfortably full.

2. Drinking Out - It’s fun to go out with friends, but so so not worth it right now. I can have some friends over and talk them into bringing the beer because its MY house.

3. Going To Movies - $10 a ticket! This is getting ridiculous! There’s no excuse for that when we have a dollar theater down the road.

4. Cable TV - But man I love me some American Idol! And I got a good deal from Direct TV.

5. Clothes - I tend to rip holes in just about ever piece of clothing I ever own. Done it ever since I was a kid…I don’t know what the heck happens.

6. Having Debt - Oh! But not for long! It’s been a good thing that I had the available credit when starting a business, but it starts to get to you before too long.

7. Bottled Water - I really really really like water. Always have, Always will. I just don’t like tap water. luckily, I just bought a really nice water purifier, so that expense should stop.

8. Starbucks - This would be the one and only way my wife blows the budget. She really is very good with money, but LOVES some coffee.

9. Text Messaging - Somehow I get to the end of the month and I’m like “WHAT? How did I send 1200 text messages??”

10. Gas - My wife has a bit of a Gas Guzzler, and her car is better than mine so we always take it places. Plus, it has about 80K less miles on it.

11. The Expensive Dog Food - Turns out, unless your pup is in a dog show, the difference will be unnoticeable and expensive.

11. The Expensive Shampoo - Same reason…you’re not going to enter a dog show, are you?

13. Buying Books - the library is always free! and if you can’t find it there, there’s always BooksPrice.com.

14. Ordering Coke or Beer at Restaurants - A Coke is like $2.50 now! Beers are worse, but I have this place called

15. The Carwash - I would wash my car at home, but I live in Georgia and there’s practically NO water. So it’s illegal to wash my car and my only options are to have a dirty dirty car or to go pay to have washed somewhere that recycles and reuses their water.

16. “Wasting Time” Shopping - Or shopping for fun. This used to be a favorite pastime for my wife and I. We would go to the mall or Target or PetSmart and blow cash.

17. Starbucks - I don’t drink coffee and for some reason, the idea of $4 for a little cup is ridiculous to me.

18. Overdraft Fees - Oh Boy! One time, a check cleared about 2 days before it normally does, and I used me debit card 10 TIMES! That’s $350 in overdraft fees.

19. Amazon.com - This is the same as shopping for fun for me. I like to know what new books and gadget are out there. I’ll see something cool and add it to my cart just to see how much it would all cost…then I talk myself into buying it all.

20. Cigars - I ran a cigar shop for about a year and I really do love to sit on my back porch with a cigar and a beer to wind down or hang out with buddies. Nothing beats it, and really not ALL THAT expensive for hours of enjoyment and socializing.

What is your ONE BIG expense that seems to get you all the time? What is your Budget Buster?

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Over my fews years in this world, I have gotten some pretty lousy advice from some pretty competent people. When you hear things from people like a “financial adviser” you assume it is the best financial decision. You hear it from your parents, your siblings, your friends. You hear it from your golf buddies, your cab driver, and the waiter. It’s Bad Advice, and here are the Top 10 Worst Pieces of Financial Advice you will ever get.

1. Get Whole Life Insurance

The idea here is that you get health insurance and you get part of your premium as the “cash value” portion of your insurance. You can then draw on that cash in the event of an emergency. With this option your premium will be about 80% more than if you chose Term Life. Oh yeah, that “cash value” is all but gone when you die if you take into account the huge taxes and the insurance company’s cut.

Why, you ask, would anyone try to talk you into such a terrible investment? It’s because your insurance guy is a salesman. He gets a commission on your premium so the higher the premium, the more money he makes.

2 & 3. Use Debt or Don’t Use Debt

These could both be good and bad advice depending on who is giving it, who is taking it, and in what sense they mean. Many people have very little self discipline and even the idea of a credit card puts them into debt. These people should subscribe to the Dave Ramsey philosophy of “Debt is Dumb, Cash is King, and the paid off home mortgage has taken the place of the BMW as the status symbol of choice.”

On the other hand, there are people who are very disciplined and have enough self control to take advantage of credit card offers and use them to their benefit. In this case, you can make a good bit of money using leverage as a tool.

4. Debt Consolidation

Can’t pay your bills? Why not refinance your house and roll your credit card debt into the house payment? You’ll have a lower interest payment and just one bill to worry about.

Here’s why you don’t want to do that…First of all, you clearly can’t control your spending so what is going to keep you from running those credit cards back up to where you can’t afford the payments again? Second, when your debt is on credit cards, the worst thing that can happen is you get a bad credit score. But if you can’t pay your mortgage payment, you lose your house and that is much much worse on your credit than some late credit card payments.

5. Save For Kid’s College First!

This is just silly. I’ve actually had people tell me to do this. Let’s say I’ve put lots and lots of money in a 529 college savings plan for my son. The son turns 18 and decides to take a trip to Africa for 6 months. He gets home and decides to join The National Guard. Now you’ve got a bunch of money tied up and you’ll have to take a huge tax hit in order to get it.

Save for your own retirement and when your kids get to college age, you’ll have the available funds to help should you choose to help and should they choose to attend school. p.s. people place value upon something based on what they pay for it. Give your kids school for free and see how much they value it.

6. Sign Up For Bi-Weekly Mortgage Payments

Bi-weekly mortgage payments can be a very good way to pay off your house early because when you send a half-payment every two weeks you end up sending 26 payments that amount to one extra monthly payment per year.

The problem comes when you go through a third party to set up the bi-weekly payments. They generally hit you with a $300 set up fee and some sort of yearly fee because they have been such a tremendous help with paying off your house. The fact of the matter is prepaying your mortgage can be a good things, but you can and should do it yourself. Contact your mortgage company directly with any questions.

7. Mortgage Life Insurance

This sounds like a good thing when you get the info in the mail because this is a way that your family can keep their house should the unthinkable happen. There are a couple of glaring problems with this.

First, your premium stays the same but your benefits decrease as you pay down the principle on your loan. If you own $100K, they’ll pay off $100K. If you owe $50K, that’s what they’ll pay off.

Second, this is not really a policy to protect your family, but to protect the bank! They would MUCH rather have you pay than to default. If you would like your family protected in the event of your death, get yourself some Term-Life Insurance from Zander Insurance. You’ll have very low premium and the benefits can be used for anything you’d like, including house payments.

8. Claim Zero on Your W-4 To Get a Tax Refund

Congratulations! You’ve just loaned money to the government Interest-Free for a year! If you know the amount of refund you got this year, adjust your withholdings down so that you can keep more of your paycheck. Then, put that money right into savings, investments, or debt reduction and you’ll come out ahead without earning any more money!

9. Let a Professional Do It - No Need To Know Anything

I am a big fan of having advisers, mentors, and resources, but to turn your financial future over to someone else completely is a bit irresponsible. Many financial advisers are upstanding people with your best interest at heart, but many are also in it for nothing but the commission and they will think of their wallet before yours every time.

I suggest taking an active interest in your money, as I’m sure you already have if you’re reading this. If you do, you’ll see your net worth grow faster than ever!

10. The Stock Market is The Only Way To Go

Thomas Stanley in The Millionaire Mind talks about the millionaires’ take on this subject. Only 12% said that “investing in the equities of public corporations” was a factor in their success. A much larger percentage said that “investing in my own business” and “making wise investments” were factors in their success.

More often than not, the millionaires in this country opt for private investments in properties and companies, including their own.

My Goal

Over the coming months, I hope to bring you some of the best advice on personal finance as well as ways to increase your income both on and off line. Maybe we can make lots of money together!

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