I am honored to be a part of this year’s poll, and I hope, whether through my books, newsletters, events or television appearances I have been able to help you take control of your finances and reach your goals.
As a valued member of my community, I would greatly appreciate if you could take a quick second, CLICK HERE and vote for me as your favorite expert of 2011! Hope you are all having a happy and healthy holiday season!
Check out the thought-provoking interview I did with my good friend and New York Times bestselling Author of The Answer and Having It All – John Assaraf.
In this interview you will learn:
Critical rules of investing
My perfect pie investment approach to help secure your financial future
The #1 investment habit you must adopt before it’s too late
The best method to reduce your interest rates and pay off your debts—fast!
The single most important decision you can make right now to get out of debt
A mortgage oversight that banks sometimes never tell you about
Pitfalls to avoid when refinancing your mortgages
And much, much more!
Enjoy and let me know what you think by commenting below!
If you missed me this morning on NBC’s TODAY show “Money 911” segment make sure to watch this clip. Learn my recommendation for how to invest and budget after getting a hike in pay!
Also, I wanted to take a second and say a quick hello and Happy Holidays to all of you! Check out my quick message to you!
Question: I’d really like to find a credit card that has the best airline mile rewards. I won’t be traveling much, so the miles are going to be saved up for big trip purchases. Do you have any suggestions for a card great accumulating no hassle miles?
Answer:
- Pick a generic credit card with a variety of point offers
- Look at how many points you get per dollar you spend
- Check out CreditCard.com to compare card offers
- Check your mail for good offers!
Heading into the New Year everyone wants to know, what they can do to get financially fit–fast! Well, here are my five pieces of financial advice for 2012 …drum roll!
1) PAY YOURSELF FIRST. That means the moment you earn a dollar, you direct at least the first hour of income in the day to a retirement account (like a 401k plan, IRA, Roth IRA or SEP IRA).
2) SAVE MONEY AUTOMATICALLY. That means that everything you save for yourself, make the money move automatically. You have your earnings deposited automatically for you, and it’s moved automatically at your bank into the various savings accounts you set up for retirement, emergency, college savings, home etc.
3) PAY DOWN YOUR DEBT. If you have credit card debt, rather than worry about investing right now focusing on paying the credit card debt down. Go to http://finishrich.com/dolp/ and download my tool to help you pay down your debt or go to Debt Wise which is a site I promote with Equifax that helps you pay down your debt -automatically, saving you time and money (in interest) in the process! Debt reduction is the key to financial security and freedom…so get serious about paying it down in 2012.
4) REFINANCE YOUR MORTGAGE FROM 30 YEAR TO 15 YEAR. If you can afford to make extra payments on your mortgage – do it! If you are really ready to get serious about being debt free, refinance from a 30 year to a 15 year mortgage. The rates on mortgages are the lowest that we have practically ever seen, and now is a great time to do this.
5) GET SMART FINANCIALLY. To me the best investment you can make financially in 2012 will be in your own financial education. Learn more, read books, take classes, and make sure to tune in to NBC’s TODAY show – Money 911 each week, visit the section of today.com … make learning about money a priority, learning everything you can about YOUR MONEY, what you own and what you can to invest. Financial education is a MUST in 2012!
Hope you were all able to tune in to NBC’s TODAY Show Money 911 and watch me answer America’s Money Questions, if not watch the video above. Afterwards, I did a live chat where I answered MORE of your questions! If you missed the CHAT make sure to CLICK HERE and check it out! Hopefully, my answers can help you!
Make sure to check out my latest video from Today.com about ways to save when it comes to Holiday Shopping! I discuss my Top 4 Tips on how you can save BIG this Holiday Season, then we take some tips from Today Show Viewers on their ways to save!
MY TOP 4 TIPS -
1) Create a holiday shopping budget – from the very beginning!
2) Make a list for the people you MUST buy gifts for.
3) Shop online at stores like amazon.com (that’s where I do the majority of my shopping.)
4) Shop early to get the best bargains!
As we head into the holidays—especially Thanksgiving we know we’re supposed to feel thankful. We know that this is a special time of the year and that we now is the time to feel lucky for those we love and who loves us. We’re supposed to feel blessed to be healthy and happy to be alive.
But let me ask you something—do you really feel lucky? More importantly, when was the last time you really felt joy?
There are some questions that stop you dead in your tracks. This is definitely one of them.
I know it stopped me. So, let’s think about it…
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU EXPERIENCED JOY?
I first heard this question on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Oprah was talking about how her trainer had asked her this very question during a run. It forced Oprah to think back in her own life and remember when she had last felt pure joy. She thought about it and realized it had been more than seven years earlier!
Oprah went on to explain how the trainer’s question made her remember how much joy she had felt while she was filming The Color Purple, and how the memory of that joy and its meaning to her, ultimately inspired her to change her own life. As she put it, it led her to take her TV show out of what she called the “yak, yak, yak” genre and transform it into a platform to help people truly lead better, more meaningful lives. The world is better place today because of how this one woman was inspired by that one question about joy.
THE NEXT DAY THE JOY QUESTION HIT ME HARD
After I finished watching Oprah that day, I tried to go back to whatever I was doing. But that question—“When was the last time you experienced real joy?”—continued to rattle around in my mind.
The next day it hit me…hard.
I remember driving up to my office at Morgan Stanley, where I ran my financial planning business back in 2001. It was 5:45 in the morning and I asked myself again,—when was the last time I had experienced joy?
The answer was—during a tour across the country teaching Smart Couples Finish Rich™ Seminars. Being on stage in front of a thousand couples, helping them live and finish rich was my last truly joyful experience (fortunately, this had taken place only a month prior). Then, I asked the question—when was the last time I felt joy at work? The answer was a shocker—I realized it had literally been years. I started to realize how I no longer felt fulfilled at work. And realized that I wanted to spend my life writing books and teaching others. More importantly, I wanted to spend my life helping people live and finish rich, and essentially become financial free.
That singular realization would change my life. Within 18 months of that experience I left Morgan Stanley where I was a Senior Vice President to move to New York City and start FinishRich Media, LLC.—a company dedicated to teaching others about how to live and Finish Rich®. It wasn’t easy and still isn’t but it I can honestly say, it has brought me true joy. Hearing your success stories is always the highlight of my day!
LET THESE HOLIDAYS TRULY BE FILLED WITH THANKS AND JOY
So this Thanksgiving ask those you love when was the last time you felt joy? Make sure you share your answer with others. Especially, with your family and those you love most. Look back and be honest—you’ve had great times in your life. Remember every time and experience you can because these memories are priceless and can change your life!
And most importantly—reconnect with yourself. Go get a piece of paper now and do the following: Take FIVE MINUTES and tell yourself the truth…
When was the last time you experienced joy?
When did you last feel joy with your family?
When did you last feel joy at work?
Who do you love?
Who loves you?
Who could you love more today—by picking up the phone and tell them—how much they mean to you.
If we were getting together one year from today, what would have to happen for you to be able to tell me that you now more joy in your life?
Each week, for the next 8 weeks, I will be answering questions from viewers of NBC’s TODAY Show on TODAY.com. Check out my first Q&A on the topic of debt consolidation. Get my advice on consolidating debt from multiple credit cards and then learn the mistakes many people make when doing it.
Super Bowl is THIS weekend! Here's some tips to throw a party for $100 or less. What's everyone doing for the big game? http://t.co/2iCnC6JA4 hours ago
