If You CARE, You Will PREPARE!

February 13, 2014 in Leadership with 0 Comments

If you CARE, you will PREPARE.

When you truly care about something, you will prepare for it.

  • If you care about having an incredible marriage, you will put effort into it. You will have purposeful time together. You will prepare moments free of the children so you can focus on each other.
  • If you care about maximizing your money, you will prepare a budget. Obtaining a great financial education will be a top priority for you. There would be people in your life you view as your “money coaches” – persons who are winning with their money and can help you too!
  • If you care about retirement, you will make saving and investing money a top priority.
  • If you want to help your company succeed, you will show up to meetings completely prepared with the appropriate data, facts, and figures. You will have given substantial thinking time to what you want to accomplish with the meeting.

By the way, this applies to moments as well as lifelong pursuits. If you have high expectations of an awesome date with your spouse (or someone you think would make a great spouse) – you will prepare for it. You will be looking and smelling good, have a restaurant picked out (with reservations, if necessary), and the concert tickets in hand. But if a person doesn’t care, he will show up (late, of course) not looking and smelling good and ask his date: “Where do you want to go to eat?”

If you CARE, you will PREPARE. Think on this throughout the next week and observe how the people in your life prepare for things. It will reveal how much they truly care.

This post is part of a Leadership Series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read all of the posts in the series.

OWE vs OWN – One Letter Makes All The Difference

February 12, 2014 in Debt Reduction with 0 Comments

Have you ever noticed that a single letter makes the difference between the words OWN and OWE?

OWE
vs
OWN

It takes FOCUS to exchange the “E” for the “N”.

There is nothing like fully owning something. You will see, feel, and smell things in a different way. A paid-for car will drive more smoothly. A paid-for house will look better when you pull in the driveway. A college degree is nicer when the student loans are paid off.

You can OWE with just a few conversations and signatures.

OWNERSHIP usually is the result of intense and diligent effort.

QUESTION: Do you OWN or OWE?

2nd QUESTION: If you OWE, what changers are you willing to make to exchange the “E” for the “N”?

You can use our Debt Freedom Date Calculator to find out how long it will take you to achieve debt freedom.

10 Things Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Money

February 11, 2014 in Kids & Money with 3 Comments

We’ve been blessed to serve millions of people through this blog, our live events, and the free tools we offer. Along the way, I’ve had countless conversations with people about money and its impact on relationships – both positive and negative. Here’s what I know about every person I’ve been able to serve – all of them once were children. They’ve shared many things with me that began with the statement, “I wish I had known this when I was younger …”

So I decided to put together a list of things kids wished their parents knew about money.

10 Things Kids Wish Their Parents Knew About Money

  1. I don’t know about money. Please teach me.  The schools aren’t teaching me much about money. You will be my primary educator on “all things money.”
  2. I’d rather have your time and attention than more stuff.  I understand that you have to work, but I really love you and want to spend quality time with you.
  3. I’m watching how you manage your money.  I see how you respond to financial challenges. I hear how you talk about money.
  4. Later in life, I’ll tell my friends and children about how you managed your money.  I will use it in examples as I teach my children.
  5. I’m not as interested in receiving an inheritance as I am in seeing you enjoy the fruit of your year’s of effort and sacrifice. One day I will clearly recognize how hard you have worked to establish financial margin and a nest-egg. I want to see you enjoy it and continue to pursue your hopes and dreams.
  6. I know when you’ve sacrificed to provide me with something special. I’ll never forget the toy you sacrificed to buy for me. When you sold something you held dear to send me to camp, I noticed it.
  7. I hear how you talk about wealthy & poor people. I will gain much of my world-view from you. If you view wealthy people as “greedy,” I’ll probably pick that belief up too. If you view poor people as “deserving” of their position in life, I’ll probably repeat it to others. On the flip side, if you view it as a privilege to help the poor and respect those who have managed to build wealth, I’ll do the same.
  8. If you stress about money, I feel it. I may not be able to completely identify what is wrong, but I will know it is related to money. I’ll watch to see how you react to the situation and the attitude you maintain throughout the financial challenge.
  9. It’s okay to say “no” to me when I ask for something.  I won’t like it at the time, but I’m really testing boundaries. I will learn that it is indeed possible to survive without the item.
  10. I know if you are selfish or generous.  Generosity and selfishness are both contagious. I’ll model your behavior.

Anything you would add to this list? I invite you to share your thoughts on our I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Facebook Page.

Monday Money Tip: One Big Thing You Probably Lack In Your Financial Plan

February 10, 2014 in Monday Money Tip with 0 Comments

I love it when my week starts off right! The Monday Money Tip was created as a weekly service to provide people just like you with a practical and simple money tip – right at the start of the week so you can take action with it!

Today’s tip highlights one of the top “gaps” people have in their financial plan – a written will. According to recent studies, 69% of people with minor children and 58% as a collective population do not have a written will!

A great place to start:

You Can’t Set Money Apart From Your Heart

February 7, 2014 in Biblical Financial Lessons with 0 Comments

“You can’t set money APART from your HEART.”

It is a biblical principle: Matthew 6:21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

It is a fundamental rule of money.

Where ever you have spent, given, or invested money, you will be interested in it.

  • If you have placed money into a particular company stock, you will suddenly become very interested in that company. You will check the stock price, follow news about the company, and tell your friends and family to buy their products.
  • When you purchase a home, you will treat it as an owner. When something breaks, you will fix it. You will spend money to decorate it. The lawn will be kept up.
  • If you’ve started up a small business or have seen a friend start one, you are fully aware of how much time and energy they place into getting the business off of the ground.

The opposite is also true! You will spend money on people and things you love. Money will just flow to them.

  • I spend money on my bride and my children because I love them.
  • I spend money on deer hunting because I’m passionate about it.
  • I give money to my church because I love Jesus and my church helps people

In other words, show me your bank statement, and I will be able to tell you what is important to you.

This is part of the “Biblical Financial Lessons” series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read more.

Leadership Tip: What You Do And Say Matters

February 6, 2014 in Leadership with 0 Comments

What you DO matters most but what you SAY matters as well!

As a leader, what you do and say matters greatly. Ensuring that you actually do what you say is always challenging. If you are a parent, you know this to be exceptionally true. I was reminded of this recently as I was driving down a busy road in my home town with my young son in the backseat. I had recently heard him say the word “stupid” and administered appropriate chastisement: “Son, you shouldn’t say that word. It’s not nice.”

This road we were traveling on has what seems like one thousand traffic lights – accompanied by about as many crazy drivers. Sure enough, a person pulled out right in front of me and nearly caused an accident. “Stupid driver!” I exclaimed.

Any parent knows what happened next.
Son: “Dad!”
Me: “Yes, son?”
Son: “You shouldn’t say that word. It’s not nice.”
Me: “You’re right, son. I’m sorry.”

It is important to do what you say. If not, well, they call that hypocrisy.

Here’s the challenge:

  1. Spend the next day listening to what you are saying – record your conversations if you need to.
  2. Ask yourself the following questions:
    • Am I saying what matters most?
    • Am I communicating clearly to others?
    • Am I modeling “doing” what I’m “saying”?

This post is part of a Leadership Series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read all of the posts in the series.

How Much Interest Is Your Savings Account Paying?

February 5, 2014 in Saving with 3 Comments

As I describe in my book Oxen, you begin truly winning with money when your “money makes money for you.”

With that said, here’s a great question to ask yourself: “How much interest is my bank paying me for the money in my savings account?”

Chances are high that the number is 0.01%. In fact, I checked several big banks as I wrote this post and here’s what I found for their basic savings accounts:

  • Bank of America – 0.01%
  • Wells Fargo – 0.01%
  • Bank of the West – 0.03%

This is why I hold all of my business and personal savings in ON-LINE BANKS. This is not a “bank with website access.” They are banks that exist almost exclusively on-line. Since they do not have physical buildings, they have to do extraordinary things to attract customers. I’ve discovered they do two key things very well:

  1. No fees They’ve virtually eliminated fees – low balance fees, etc.
  2. Way better INTEREST! They are currently paying around 0.75% on savings (about the same as a 30-month CD, but I don’t lose the liquidity of my money!)

Since 2007, I have held all of my savings and operating reserves with Capital One 360.

I encourage you to do 2 things with this information:

  1. Find out how much interest your bank is currently paying on your savings.
  2. Check out the on-line banks we recommend HERE.

Disclosure

Information accurate as of 2/4/2014.

How A Flu Shot Is Like Saving Money

February 4, 2014 in Kids & Money with 0 Comments

I recently got a flu shot. I didn’t really look forward to being jabbed with a needle, but I definitely wanted all the help I could get in avoiding influenza.

As a bonus, the shot helped me have a great example to teach my children about money.

You see, I obtained a flu shot to prevent illness. In much the same way, I save money to prevent debt.

  • WITHOUT equals “risk” If I chose to opt out of receiving a flu shot, I wouldn’t necessarily come down with the flu. However, my risk of illness would be substantially higher. If I chose to opt out of saving money, I won’t necessarily acquire debt. However, my risk of debt has increased. One car breakdown, appliance failure, or missed day of work without any saved money would result in debt.
  • WITH equals “much less risk”  Since I received the shot, my risk of illness from the flu has been greatly reduced. Saving money also reduces the chances of new debt. If I have money saved up, then a refrigerator failure would just be an annoyance instead of a financial catastrophe.

ACTION: Share this illustration with your children to teach them about the importance of saving (and, of course, the importance of a flu shot).

This post is part of a Kids & Money Series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read all of the posts in the series.

Monday Money Tip: Find Out How Long It Takes To Become Debt Free!

February 3, 2014 in Monday Money Tip with 1 Comment

I love it when my week starts off right! The Monday Money Tip was created as a weekly service to provide people just like you with a practical and simple money tip – right at the start of the week so that you can take action with it!

Tools Referenced:

How To MAXIMIZE The Use Of Your Tax Refund

January 31, 2014 in Taxes with 1 Comment

If you are among the large majority of people who receive a tax refund, you will soon face this question:

“What should I do with my tax refund money?”

Most people have an immediate response to this question. Here are some common responses I receive when I ask this question:

  • “I’m going to pay off my credit card with it.”
  • “I’m going to buy something with it.”
  • “I’m going to use it to pay my property taxes.”

Most people have an idea of where they will use their refund, but it is usually for something they feel is URGENT not the most IMPORTANT.

To maximize the use of your tax refund this year, I recommend you follow the following decision matrix. When you arrive at the step matching your current situation, you will have discovered the one that should help you most!

  1. Do you have $2,500 in your emergency savings account? If you do not, this is the best way to maximize your refund! It will create margin in your life and breathing room for your budget. I’ve never heard anyone say, “My biggest regret is that I saved too much money.” If you do have at least $2,500 in your savings account, move on to #2.
  2. Are you investing enough into your retirement account? If you are not investing enough to capture the full company match (or at least $100 if your company does not provide matching funds), this is your next step. We call this Rung Three of the I Was Broke. Now I’m Not. Ladder. Use the tax refund money to make up your retirement contributions for the 2013 Tax Year (you can do this through the personal income tax deadline of April 15, 2014). If you are investing enough into your retirement account, move on to #3.
  3. Can you completely eliminate a debt with the tax refund money? If you can, do it! If you have two or more debts you could eliminate (but have enough money to eliminate only one of them), choose the debt with the largest monthly payment. This will help you create more monthly margin. If you are not able to completely eliminate a single debt, apply the tax refund money to the smallest amount you currently owe using the Debt Snowball Technique. This is Rung Four of the IWBNIN Ladder. Already debt free except for your home? Move on to #4.
  4. Do you have at least 3 months of expenses saved up? If not, this is a great use of your tax refund money as it will build an even larger amount of financial margin. More margin equals less stress. If you have already achieved this rung (Rung Five), move on to #5.
  5. Are you investing at least 15% of your gross income into tax-advantaged investments? This is Rung Six of the IWBNIN Ladder. Use the tax refund money to build up your retirement, college, and dream investment accounts. You’ve become an incredible money manager at this point which means you will recognize how awesome it is to be able to boost these accounts with your tax refund.
  6. Attack the home mortgage. This is Rung Seven of the IWBNIN ladder. At this point, your tax refund will enable you to gain even more momentum toward complete debt freedom. Nothing better than that!
  7. Increase your investments to at least 30% of your gross income into tax-advantaged investments. This is Rung Eight of the IWBNIN ladder. At this point you are funding a legacy that will literally allow you to bless multitudes. Way to go!
  8. Fund a dream. This is Rung Nine of the IWBNIN Ladder – “Live a great life!” Use the tax refund to fund one of your dreams or someone else’s dream.

My one big EXCEPTION:

  • An investment that provides immediate (or nearly so) additional income. Suppose you were receiving a tax refund of $4,000. If you had the opportunity to invest this money into business dream which will produce additional income for you, then it could be a great use of your tax refund. For example, you could use the money to purchase inventory for an on-line Ebay store. If this would allow you to produce additional income in the future, then it could be a way to multiply the impact of your tax refund.

What are you going to do with your tax refund?

Small Business Tip: Build Financial Margin For Your Business

January 29, 2014 in Small Business with 0 Comments

If you want your business to thrive long term, you must establish financial margin. In fact, the lack of making saving a priority is one of the top reasons small business fail. Even profitable companies have failed because they failed to make savings a top priority.

Let me share a real-world practical example of “margin in action” – the Hoover Dam.

IMG_1574

Before the establishment of the Hoover Dam (and the entire system of dams and reservoirs), the West was subject to wild water calamities. At times, the river would flash flood and destroy everything in its path. At other times, drought would cause water supplies to dry up. It was very difficult for the area to inhabit the area until the establishment of the dams.

I took the above picture of the Hoover Dam, and it really shows how your business’s financial margin account should work. The dam was built very strong so it could hold back the raging river. As the Spring melt begins, the dam captures excessive water and saves it up. This helps prevent rampant and destructive flooding. During times of great drought, it allows the area to continue to thrive because the water was stored up!

Chances are your business has cyclical revenue – “good” times and “less than good” times of sales throughout the year. Apply this “dam principle” and be sure to “store up” during the good times. This will position your business to continue prospering during times of drought.

This post is part of a Small Business Series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com. Click HERE to read all of the posts in the series.

Teach Your Child To Be Generous

January 28, 2014 in Kids & Money with 0 Comments

I’m not sure anything moves my heart like watching my children be generous. Whether it is sharing a toy with their friend or deciding to play the other person’s choice of game, it moves me!

But we must be honest with ourselves: Generosity is not natural behavior. Among our first words are the dreaded “No!” and “Mine!” along with precise timing to exact maximum frustration in the lives of our parents and siblings.

Here are three practical steps any parent can take to help their child develop the gift of generosity:

  1. Live it in your own life!  Children imitate their parent’s behavior – both desired and undesired! This is THE KEY to developing generosity within your children – be a living example of it. Invite your children to participate in your generous actions – giving to your church, volunteering to clean up your favorite hiking trail, attending a charity fashion show, and buying Christmas gifts for a family facing a tough financial situation are just a few examples. Let them be a part of it!
  2. Be grateful – and say so in front of your children.  Use words of a thankful nature. Choose not to say statements that start with, “When I get … I will be happy then.” Have a roof over your head? Be thankful you are not in the rain! Have heat in the winter and AC in the summer? Express out loud just how thankful you are for it! Does your car get you from point A to point B? Give the car a name and be thankful! Say, “Well, old Betsy is humming right along, and I’m grateful I don’t have to walk to town!”
  3. Make giving part of their money management system.  Every single time your child receives money (birthday, holiday, graduation, work, etc), require them to prepare a budget for every single dollar prior to touching any of it! Ensure the planning goes in this order: (A) Give, (B) Save, (C) Invest, (D) Spend – Let them choose (with your guidance, of course) who the money will be given to.

Gratefulness can take hold of your heart and literally transform your entire worldview. It’s one of the greatest gifts my parents could have ever instilled into me!

I’m blessed.

I’m so grateful.

NOTE: This post was written as part of the “Kids & Money” series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com! Click HERE to access all of the tips in this series.

Monday Money Tip: Monthly Budgeting That Works!

January 27, 2014 in Monday Money Tip with 0 Comments

I love it when my week starts off right! The Monday Money Tip was created as a weekly service to provide people just like you with a practical and simple money tip – right at the start of the week so that you can take action with it!

Register HERE (it’s free) to receive this weekly tip in your email box bright and early on Monday morning!

TOOLS Referenced:

You Can Still Fund Your 2013 Retirement Savings Plan

January 24, 2014 in Retirement with 0 Comments

Even though 2013 is over, you can still make contributions to your Retirement Savings Plan through the deadline for filing 2013 Federal Income Tax Returns – April 15, 2014!

  • If you are under 50 years of age, you are allowed to contribute $5,500
  • If you are 50 or over, you are allowed the so-called “catch-up” additional $1,000 – making your maximum contribution $6,500

A contribution can be made to either a Roth IRA (invest after-tax money and withdraw tax-free later) or a Traditional IRA (invest before-tax money and pay taxes upon withdrawal later). I’m a big fan of the Roth IRA because it allows me to receive tax advantages on more dollars. I also believe that tax rates will continue to increase in the future so I would rather pay the taxes today.

Ways You Can Fund Your 2013 Retirement Savings Plan:

  1. Use your tax refund. Chances are pretty good that you would spend this on something that would decrease rapidly in value or have no value at all (vacation, vehicle, TV, computer, etc). Instead of making all of the money disappear, use a portion of it to fund your retirement!
  2. Use a bonus.  Many people receive quarterly bonuses. Use the March bonus to fund your 2013 Roth IRA.
  3. Sell something.  Sell the boat that sits in the yard, the motorcycle that never gets used, or the broken jewelry.
  4. Work overtime.  Work overtime for the next few months and place the majority of the extra income into your 2013 Roth IRA. Plus you will get the added benefit of paying extra Social Security payments so you will receive $3/month extra throughout retirement.

Contributions to individual retirement savings plans are subject to certain income guidelines. You must have earned income equivalent to at least the amount you contribute to your retirement account. Additionally, eligibility is reduced as one’s income increases. The IRS provides additional guidance HERE.

NOTE: This post was written as part of the “Retirement” series here at the wildly popular JosephSangl.com! Click HERE to access all previous tips in this series.

Small Business Tip – Conduct SWOT Analysis

January 23, 2014 in Small Business with 0 Comments

One key activity that is important for every small business owner to do on at least an annual basis is to conduct a SWOT Analysis.

  • S  Strengths
  • W Weaknesses
  • O Opportunities
  • T Threats

I’ve prepared a free basic SWOT ANALYSIS FORM for you to download and use.

Here are a few questions to help you start the process:

Strengths

  • What are your strengths?
  • What makes your organization so successful?
  • What differentiates your business?
  • Why do customers use your product or service?
  • What allows you to beat the competition?
  • Do you have any personnel that really give you a competitive advantage?
  • What is your current financial status? Is it a strength?

Weaknesses

  • What makes you lose sleep at night?
  • Where do you see opportunities for improvement?
  • What products or services do your customers ask for that you currently do not provide – and it causes them to go elsewhere?
  • Do you have any personnel that lack necessary training or skills?
  • What is your current financial status? Is it a weakness?

Opportunities

  • What products or services could you add?
  • Are there any similar businesses that you could acquire?
  • Could you serve new markets beyond your current service area – new geographic areas?

Threats

  • What move could the competition make that would jeopardize your business?
  • Do you have non-competes in place for “mission-critical” personnel?
  • What makes you lose sleep at night?
  • What economic conditions would greatly affect your ability to do business?

The overall goal of an annual SWOT analysis is to force “macro-level” thinking that challenges you to prepare for challenges and to identify and take advantage of opportunities.

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