Tag Archive for: debt elimination

Do It Now!

It’s an attitude as well as a work ethic. Some would rather put off till tomorrow what they do not want to do today. Funny thing is that these same people are the ones with next to nothing in savings, buried in debt and living pay check to pay check. The one’s who do it now are much better off. They are typically high achievers with no holds barred attitude. They know what they want and they go for it with laser beam like focus. Which one would you rather be?

Actually it is a lot easier that you would think. The best way to approach it is to prioritize your day, then start at the top and work your way through. If you find yourself getting sidetracked, don’t beat yourself up remember your only human. ( Dog’s reading this need not apply!) Have a list, better yet pictures of your goals around where you work. They will help snap you back when you get off track. Take action as if you knew you would never fail. Fact is you have a far great chance by doing than by thinking about it and not doing it at all!

As I am a Cape Bretoner, they would say at home ” Get off your arse and do something”! We only come this way once, how about making it a memorable journey. I don’t know anyone who gets paid for thinking about doing something.  Take baby steps if you have to, but at the very least take some action. You will find that everything becomes easier, and achieving your goals will happen quicker.

If one of your goals involves improving your current financial state, then take some action now and contact my office right away. We will take an in depth analysis of your current situation and help you develop a plan to eliminate all your debts as quickly as possible. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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Forecast

After spending the beautiful weekend with my wife and kids playing at the pool and seeing adults wearing much less than they should, it’s back to work tomorrow. I am using forecast in this instance not to describe the weather, which was wonderful, but to talk about a forecast in the sense of a prediction. Not a wild prediction like Y.E Yang beating Tiger Woods at the PGA (few saw that coming), but something with a little more certainty like your own financial future.

Those of us in sales are familiar with forecast in the sense of a sales forecast. Working strictly on commission you have to keep your pipeline full to ensure that your income stays consistent and predictable. Can you forecast your financial future for the next 30, 60, 90 days? Most of us should be able to do that, but what about for the next 3, 5 or 10 years? Where do you want to be? Do you have a plan or are you just living day by day and from paycheck to paycheck?  If there is no plan then it’s very likely you won’t get ahead in your life.  Now is the time to get off the sidelines and take charge and be the designer of your own fate.

They say that once people reach 65, most are either dead broke or dead. To me that does not sound that appealing! All the more reason to come up with a plan, and the sooner the better. This is not something that you have to do on your own either. Use the resources that are available to you, like my friend Steven Cox a Certified Financial Planner who can help you build a road map to build true long term wealth. Also feel free to contact my office where I can help you review your current situation and come up with a plan to eliminate all your debts as quickly as possible.

Remember at the end of the day, if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. Take the time now to design a prosperous future.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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Wake Up call!

I don’t mean the telephone call you receive to get you out of bed when you are staying at a hotel. What I am taking about here is the proverbial wake up call that snaps you to attention to the current state of your life. It could be that your suddenly realize that you are 42 years old, 50lbs over weight, in a job that you hate, and have 150K in debts and no actual savings. Your time of living a zombie like existence is now over and you have to do something drastic to change your life, and you need to do it now! By drastic, I don’t mean taking a swan dive off the nearest high structure.

You have succeed in realizing that what you are currently doing is not working, and you experiencing enough pain that you need to make a change right now. As bad as that may sound this is great news. You have reached a point where you are now able and willing to do something about your life. You should first take stock about what you can and can’t change as some things are beyond your control. Other than your age, height and genetics everything else is open to undergoing some massive changes.

For the purposes of this article let’s focus on finances. If you are open to it, we can show you how to eliminate your debts as quickly as possible so you can be in a position to actually build some net worth. It is easier than you would think and it is possible with the money that you are currently making today. Please feel free to give my office a call as soon as possible so can schedule a time to get you heading in the right direction.

Cheers,
Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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Put a few notches in the win column!

We have all had those times where we think that nothing is going our way. I was having one of those days and one of my good friends sent me this:

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don’t give up though the pace seems slow–
You may succeed with another blow.

Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor’s cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.

Success is failure turned inside out–
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit–
It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

– Author unknown

So to summarize that, persist until you succeed. If your goal is to get in better shape, then decide to do something about it by starting a health & fitness program, If you want to improve your relationship(s), then work on improving “you” and if you want to improve your finances, then pick up the phone and contact my office and we would love to see how we could improve your situation.

Cheers,

Pat

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What the Frack!

Hey I like sci-fi, and it is much better than the alternative. But seriously, what the Frack! What have you done with your life so far? Are you were you want to be? Financially? Spiritually? Socially? or Physically? Are you currently building long term equity? Paying down debt or just getting by? What ever your current situation you have made the choices whether consciously or unconsciously that brought you to where you are now. You are also the only one who can do anything about it. So unless your life is perfect, exactly what you want, you got some work to do.

Today my wife and I packed our our kids ( we have 3) and took them down to see the Buskers at the Halifax International Busker Festival. While we were down there we caught a show, had lunch and walked till we were all tired. The thing that stuck in my mind the most from our trip to the Halifax waterfront was not the performers or the crowds of people, it was the 2 mega yachts that I saw while were were there.

I assume if money were no object we would all live the high life. Is it that only a very small percentage of people aspire to greatness and the rest just settle for a life of mediocrity? This reminds me of a passage from Napoleon Hill’s book “Think and Grown Rich“; “

I bargained with Life for a penny,

And Life would pay no more,

However I begged at evening

When I counted my scanty store.

“For Life is a just employer,

He gives you what you ask,

But once you have set the wages,

Why, you must bear the task.

“I worked for a menial’s hire,

Only to learn, dismayed,

That any wage I had asked of Life,

Life would have willingly paid.”

Wouldn’t you rather have a Mega Yacht too? I know I would. To get there I want to help as many as I can get back in control of their finances and put them on the path to prosperity. If you are or know anyone I may help, please feel free to let me know.
Cheers,
Pat

Bite Me!

Yea you heard that right, bite me. That is what you would like to say to your creditors. I imagine if you won the lottery you would say that to most people then move off to some exotic tropical island. However since this is probably not the case, you are most likely resigned to just mumble it under your breath.

With proper planning that day may come sooner rather than later. There is no better time than the present to get a handle on your finances. Sit down and make a list of all your income and outgoing expenses. Do you have anything left at the end of the month, or is it all going to service debt and pay your bills. How would you like to lower your overall cost of borrowing and possibly lower your debt service payments. All while showing you how to pay off your debt quicker and get you on a plan to build financial freedom.

If this appeals to you, please feel free to contact me so we can see how to improve your current situation. If not, keep buying lotto tickets and hope that tomorrow may be your day to tell someone to “Bite Me”.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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You Suck!

Yup you heard that right, You Suck! Don’t take it too personally, we all suck in some shape or form. However in this instance it is about how you manage your money, and specifically your debt. Here are some indicators that may apply to you.

1)You have used your credit card to pay for a small ticket item. (something less than $10)

2)You make only the minimum payment on your credit card statement.

3)You consistently carry a balance on your credit card(s).

4)You have used one credit card to pay another credit card’s monthly payment.

5)You have occassionally gone without making your minimum monthly payments.

6)Last but certainly not least, you have next to nothing in a long term savings plan.

This is not the end of the world, but it should be a wake up call. There is still time to put yourself on the right track. All it takes it a plan, and believe it or not, it may be possible with the money that you are currently making and spending. Please contact my office today so we can help you develop a plan that works for you.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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How low can this go?

Over the past year or so our world economies have slid downward toward a recession. Now that we are in one, the question that comes to mind is how low can this go? Have we hit rock bottom or are we still digging deeper? Even though we may have very little impact on the general direction of the overall economy, we can however have a great impact on our own and even improve it for the better in spite of these challenging economic times. 

Ask yourself the following questions:

1) Have your personal finances been effected by the downturn?

2) Are you spending more or less? 

3) Has your employment status changed?

4) Do you think that your employer could make your position redundant?

5) Do you have a rainy day fund with 3 months income saved up?

If by answering these questions you are somewhat concerned, then you should take a long hard look at your own personal finances. There is no better time than now to start making some drastic improvements to your bottom line. Your overall objective should be that what ever happens to the world economy that you personally will not be effected. Learn to operate on cash, pay off your debt and build a strong and solid net worth. If you want we can help you create a plan to eliminate your debt as quickly as possible. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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What to consider when doing your financial plan.

We all have goals, whether we realize it or not. It may be just to get through the day or it may be to make a million bucks. But we all have them. If you are smart you will write them down. According to the 3% who actually do that, they will make 10 time more than those who do not. 

Just like goals, there are elements that make up a proper financial plan. Here they are in layman’s terms.

1) Making Money

2) Keeping your Money

3) Spreading the wealth

Here are some idea’s to help you develop a good financial plan. Once this is done see your financial planner (like my friend Steve Cox) for proper implementation. 

1) Have a clear concise written goal. Know how much you would like to accumulate, how much you need to retire, when you plan to retire. What you plan on doing when you retire etc.

2) Some people think it is all about making money. Well that is part of it. It is really about keeping more of it to yourself. For proper strategies please see your financial planner. Otherwise here is my short take, make lots of money, pay off all your debts, retire rich. They say that most people are either broke or dead once they reach retirement age. To me that does not sound appealing.

3) Now this last step most people totally leave out, yet it is very important. How do you plan on taking care of your loved ones when you “shuffle off this mortal coil“? We are not immortal ya know. Do you have your own life insurance policy (and not just one offered by your employer) one that will provide your family with at least 3-5 years of your current income. What about a Will  or do you want the government to get it everything?

These are important things to think about. Contact my office today so we can help you take care of the now so you can properly plan for the future.

Cheers,

Pat

 

 

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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Obama knows a thing or two about timing!

By the time you are reading this Barack Obama may have already been sworn in as the next President of the United States. When he first announced his candidacy to run for the President of the United Stated on Feb 10, 2007, the odds were not in his favor. Many were predicting that another Clinton would receive the nomination for the Democratic Party. She was heavily favored to win, however Obama did things different. 

Many in politics advise candidates to focus on their message and to get it out to as many people as possible. Which is more important the message or the medium? They say that he was an ace at both. Their is no denying it that Obama is a brilliant orator, however what many do not realize is that he was particular adapt at getting his message out. Not everyone can attend live events, watch CNN, or follow the countless stories in the newspapers. In this day and age people have a constant urge to stay informed and want to do it in their own way. Barack Obama saw this and took advantage of the many social networks to get his message out to as many people as possible via facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace and his own web site. People were able to stay informed on their smart phone on the go. You may be asking how this has anything to do with timing. Well it has everything to do with it; it helped him get his message out, by taking advantage of the latest social networking trends. He engaged more people, got them involved with the process, which gave him momentum to win the nomination and eventually the Presidency. 

You may also think that timing has nothing to do with the current state of your finances. Well nothing could be further from the truth. Think of it this way, would you rather have a 6.0% mortgage rate or 4.5%? The answer is simple; you would rather have the lower one. You probably assume that the higher rate is for people with less than perfect credit and that you could easily get the lower one. However, both were available as the discount rate for people with good credit over the last 24 months. The biggest difference is timing. You may also say that you will go out and get a loan only when you need it, well I am telling you that it may be too late.

You may not qualify for what you want if you wait for when you need it. Don’t wait until you are painted into a corner and you need a loan to help you out, because the only one available at that time may not be exactly what you want. There is no better time that now to look at restructuring your finances. It will put you in a better financial position in the long run, and allow you to weather out the uncertain financial times that we are currently facing. 

Feel free to contact my office so we may see if the timing is right for you.

Cheers,

Pat

p.s- This is by no means a reflection of my political views but rather an acknowledgement of his achievement.  

 

p.s- You can find me on Twitter,Linkedin, Facebookand friendfeed.
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