Let's Talk Money

It's New Year's Eve!  This marks the occasion when everyone decides on their New Year's resolutions.  According to statisticbrain.com, the top resolution is to "lose weight/eat healthy" followed by "life/self-improvements" as number two.  These are great but I want to focus on the third most popular resolution which is "better financial decisions".  I assume you are here because this is where you want to improve.  What if I told you that by focusing on this one goal you can positively impact the other two top resolutions?  It has been proven that money issues cause stress and stress causes health issues.  That knocks out number 2!  But, how is "better financial decisions" linked to losing weight and healthier eating?  Allow me to explain!  One of the cornerstones of being wealthy is budgeting.  Most of the time eating unhealthy (fast food/junk food) is something that can be cut from your budget or minimized.  Therefore,...

'Tis the season of spending!  The National Retail Federation expects retail sales during November and December to be about $682 billion!  (I think we are in the wrong business)  They expect each consumer to spend an average of $967.13.  This is massive spending!  Most Americans get into a ton of debt during this time and spend the better part of the new year trying to pay it down.  Don't let this happen to you!  In this article, I'll offer six of my top tips to ensure you are prepared for next year and keep your spending in check.

Tip #1 - The Holiday Season Comes Every Year
Well, duh, Tiffany!  It may seem like I am stating the obvious but every year people wait until the last minute to plan for it.  This is a disaster waiting to happen!  Not planning throughout the year puts you in a position where you have to scrape together the last few paychecks before the holiday to do all of your shopping.  Talk about stressful!...

I figured this would be an excellent place to start on our journey.  To have control over your finances, you have to first control how you feel about it.  What do I mean?  Well, let's do a quick exercise.  I am going to give you a few words, and I want you to pay attention to your reaction to them.

Money. Finances. Debt. 

What type of emotions came up when you saw these words?  Do you automatically think about the mountains of student debt you accumulated over the years?  Your next shopping trip?  An upcoming vacation?  Your car or house?  Did you think about emotions like happiness, regret, anger, or contentment?  The first step is to tune in to these emotions and understand how they got there.  

Did you grow up in a household where your parents were always stressed about money?  How about a household where money was spent without batting an eye?  How about a household where your parents were so frugal you...