Category Archives: Financial Education

Within the Wealth Circle

January 14 3:10 pm ,

Clouds Almost Touching Clouds

In October 2011, Bo Sanchez launched another initiative aimed at helping those financially motivated to become wealthier, and he called it Wealth Circle.

Of course I could not resist being part of it.  Turned out, not everyone could get in because there was an application process that consisted of about a 10-page questionnaire (or something that seemed that long) that quizzed one’s financial health, motivation, problems, overall outlook in life.  It was a tedious process, one that made me re-assess my life, and reflect on it, making me laugh and cry a little (it was gut-wrenching and soul-satisfying).

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Posted in: Financial Education, Life Stories, Mentors, Wealth Attraction , Tagged: , ,

If You Use a Yahoo or AOL Email Address, Your Credit Score Probably Sucks

November 17 8:51 am ,

Loving Heights

Article Swap with Steve of GetOutofDebt.org

An interesting credit score data mining observation has emerged from our friends over at Credit Karma.

Apparently they took a look at the average credit scores of 20,000 people and placed those scores into bins based on the email address people use. They then calculated the average credit score.

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Posted in: Financial Education , Tagged: , , ,

Personal Investing (Money Market): Where to Keep Your Emergency Funds

November 4 12:17 am ,

Calmer Waters

It makes perfect sense.

That is, for a person to save at least 3-6 months’ worth of his monthly expenses for emergencies (prolonged sickness, job insecurity).  But really, that concept (that comes across as almost common sense, but not really) – does not even cross the mind of those uninitiated in money matters.

Well, it never crossed my mind prior to 2008 (when I have not yet met – er, won, our financial planner).

But now that it has, and the panic has resonated within (a realization that anything can happen), I would be flustered (and yes, panicky) when our emergency funds fall below that imaginary line (6 months’ expenses, in our case).

Fighting to keep the amount intact is important, but it is also important that this fund is liquid, that it is reachable, that it is safe.  But it would also be great if it could also earn interest, right?

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Posted in: Financial Education, Financial Planning , Tagged: , , ,

Credit Card Debt? Bah Humbug

October 29 7:40 pm ,

Yearning to See the Light

I read an article, a very interesting article about reducing your card debt.

The article said you should forget about it (pay the bare minimum on it), and focus your energies on earning more income.

Forget your credit card debt…?

Now, I am appalled and alarmed by that suggestion on a lot of levels.

Because that simplistic approach cannot possibly apply to (1) people who cannot handle their money, (2) people do not know how to grow their money, and (3) or who cannot (for the life of them) stop buying.

And they exist – an obscene number, in fact!

Besides, according to Carmen Wong Ulrich’s The Real Cost of Living: Making the Best Choices for You, Your Life, and Your Money, having a credit card debt has an emotional cost.

A huge emotional cost.

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Posted in: Financial Education , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , ,

What Seth Godin Taught Me about Selling

October 6 11:45 pm ,

Seth Godin

Seth Godin

Guest Post from Lois.

I hate selling. Don’t you?

I had to sell ice candy at my grandma’s sari sari store when I was a kid and it ruined me for life. I would cringe when anyone asked what flavor it was. I didn’t know how to make them buy it. And every time someone walked away without my ice candy, I felt so rejected! Selling sucks.

But more than 20 years later, here I am doing exactly that. It’s not ice candy this time, mind you. Let’s start at the beginning. Back in January 2011 I had quit my job, sold most of my stuff and embarked on a 6 month journey across India and Southeast Asia. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, without considering the financial repercussions. Fast forward to 6 months later, I was homeless, unemployed and not sure where the money was going to come from. So I employed myself. I googled a couple of companies and asked if they had a job for me. A leadership consultancy firm met with me and offered me a job. I managed to get a position as tadah: Project Manager. To say I was overjoyed is an understatement. I was ecstatic! I had a job to pay the bills and maybe even fund some future trips!

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Posted in: Financial Education , Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Becoming A Trader

October 6 11:07 pm ,

 

Illumination

Illumination

Guest Post with a special note from YouWanttoBeRich.

It might surprise you to know that you don’t have to study for years to come involving in trading.

You don’t even have to make risky decisions on a trading floor. if you want to become involved in financial trading, then there are other options.

One of these options is trading in gold. Even for those who have little or no previous experience in financial trading, this can be a great way to make money via investments. The principle of investing in gold is much more straightforward than those surrounding some other types of trading. Simply, investors aim to sell the gold which they have bought for a higher value than that which they bought it. This is a concept which anyone who had been involved in any type of business will undoubtedly be familiar with, and one that even those without such experiences will have little trouble getting to grips with.

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Posted in: Financial Education , Tagged: , ,

Sharing With You Some (Seminar) Insider Info

September 19 12:32 am ,
All the Help You Need

All the Help You Need

I love seminars.  Don’t you?

And it’s not just because of the insider information that you get from it, but the people that you meet and re-meet who may just clinch the next deal for you.

Really, you don’t know what you’ll get in those – sometimes it is the education (which is the reason that you go anyway), other times it is the perks (like a password to the next big thing that will get you a discount, or will get you in for free), most times, it is meeting the network – that can be your network – people who can do your work for you (this is a wonderful bonus).

What do you do with what you get, though, is a different thing entirely.

Because the ability to see opportunity in information and in people is an art but I think it is an ability that can be cultivated.

What I want to do with what I got from the most recent one I attended, the MoneySummit, is to share them with you.  The speakers shared some valuable resources that can, maybe, hopefully help you if you have an online business (who doesn’t – and if you don’t, isn’t it about time you start thinking about owning a piece of that getting-to-be-scarce-and-crowded-and-valuable real estate?).

Here are some website-tools that can help take your business to the next level:

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Posted in: Advocacies, Financial Education, Online Marketing , Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Sharing, Swapping and Being Ecologically Responsible

August 19 7:36 pm ,
Yearning

Yearning

I do not usually reprint what has been sent to me via press release, but when I saw the word “share” in this release from Andrea Woroch, I was suddenly reminded of the book Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten. 

What fragile memories we have, author  Robert Fulghum intimated, that we only need to think of the basic, of what we used to do – being good and doing good – and the world would be a better place.

That advise still holds true and that is why this release appealed to me. The swapping and sharing websites featured in the article are just what we need in this materially-possessed world.

And I like the idea of being ecologically responsible.

I personally checked out the websites and was intrigued by BookMooch (book swapping), Home Exchange (travel) and Zwaggle (for baby stuff).  I have not actually shared or swapped, because I am located in Asia (which makes me wish for a similar service here – and why don’t I start one?).  But do let me know how it goes for you.

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Posted in: Consumer Protection, Financial Education, Green Products , Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,