Financial Archives - Page 12 of 14

Happy New Year!

Posted on December 31, 2020

Wherever you are and whatever you are doing, I hope you are making the best of things. Whatever the future brings, I’d like to wish you a Happy New Year!

Although 2020 will be long remembered for many things, we know what the main one, world-wide, will be. Covid-19 and it’s many challenges, including physical, financial and mental health related.

This next year, 2021, will come in with some similar challenges. In addition to masks, social distancing, lockdowns, and tiers, there will be the added component of a vaccine.

Hopefully this will allow us to have a major shift in getting back to regular life.

This time last year, we did not know this major health and economic challenge was going to be impacting us. Now we do know. We still don’t know how it ends, as no one can accurately predict the future at any time.

However, this year, you start by knowing it will be a part of your life in various ways. How will you play the 12 months that you will have in 2021? Knowing what you know, how will you think, what will you do and what things will you focus on?

I hope you have found ways to successfully navigate the challenges you’ll find in the year ahead. May you have peace, prosperity and good health, both mental and physical.

Happy New Year! ?

Action Financial Reframe your thoughts

Don’t Leave It To The Kids

Posted on December 30, 2020

Have you had a look around your house recently? Are there books, clothes, papers, tools or toys that should be tossed? Don’t leave it to the kids to clean up your mess when you are gone.

One of the best things a parent can ever do for their children is to keep their house streamlined. Every year it is easy to add more things to the family collection.

We buy new clothes but don’t always give away or recycle older clothes. We tell ourselves we will still wear the item once in awhile and it is still good. Or the classic thought that we will fit into it after we drop a few pounds this year.

Old sports equipment also gets this treatment. We assume we will use it again one day. I enjoyed squash in my 20’s so I am bound to start it up again in my 40’s or 50’s. Right?

Books you’ve read build a library. But is it a library worth keeping? Would the kids want to inherit this collection? Keep your absolute favourites on a shelf. However, gift all the others to your children now or send those books off to the local library or charity shop.

Take a picture if any items that conjure up fond memories.

Just don’t leave it to your kids to clear out all your stuff.

Action Financial Progress Time

Start Making Plans

Posted on December 26, 2020

Get a jump on the new year. There is no time like the present. You have had a couple of days of celebrations and relaxation. Now start making plans.

There may only be one good time to start anything. That time is now. Don’t lose another day, hour or minute. You probably still can’t believe how quickly the last 12 months sailed by. In the moment, it might have seemed to be dragging on due to the challenges of 2020.

However, the clock keeps ticking. Whether you are happy with it or not. Whether you are lying in bed, lazing around, working away or spending time with friends and loved ones.

Time waits for no one. And if you keep doing the same thing as previous years, you will continue to get the same results. Little changes at the edges are a good start. Though you will need to make bigger changes to see really significant shifts in your reality.

Life is very exciting. Small steps completed daily will be compounded and will, in time, bring results you may not have imagined. Press on! Get going today. Write down 20 things you want to achieve this year. Select five from that list. Focus on these ones. Put a start date and completion date next to these five items. Then get going.

Start making plans.

Financial Observe

Merry Christmas!

Posted on December 24, 2020

Good tidings to you, your family and community. Around the world, people may be celebrating a little differently this year. Merry Christmas!

I hope this note finds you healthy in body, mind and soul. Be thankful for what and who you have in your life. For many, Christmas Day will be a little quieter this year. Though there may still be immediate family together, which could cause some extra hubbub.

I hope you have a card to open, a gift to unwrap, or a call from a friend, or distant relative, to liven up your day. May you have inner calm and fond memories to keep your mind filled with joy. Enjoy this one day of the year for any and all that it brings you.

You may be in a warm country or cold, without snow or with it. You could be experiencing very few hours of sunlight or it could stretch for all your waking hours. Your experience may be in the mountains or by the sea.

Wherever you are, may your day unfold with peace and serenity. Keep your spirits high and know that this is your day. Enjoy every moment of it. There are people thinking of you right now.

Merry Christmas! ?

Action Financial Reframe your thoughts Time

When The Kids Are Off School

Posted on December 20, 2020

What do they do? Where do they go? When will they get home? Will they spend more time in the park? How do things work when the kids are off school?

So most children are off school now in the lead up to Christmas. By most accounts they have at least 2.5 weeks from now before going back to school in January. What will they get up to?

Some might have a little Christmas shopping to do. Others may have some cards or gifts to make. Then they will have Christmas Eve merriment. Then obviously they will be fairly well occupied on Christmas Day.

A few of the older ones will be interested in the traditions of New Year’s Eve. Then four days later many will do final preparations to get ready for school, which for many will begin on the 5th of January 2021.

Ok, so what about all that time in between those few moments of being occupied? That is almost two weeks where all the schools are off and the students might be ‘at a loose end’.

Well, with lockdowns, social distancing, Tiers 1, 2, 3 and 4 and a variety of travel restrictions announced, there may be less going on than usual. So this year there may be more local walks to break up the hours of gaming, screen time, movies, board games and learning about finances and goal setting.

When the kids are off school, help them with some practical skills.

Action Financial Reframe your thoughts Weight loss

Making Adjustments In Our Life

Posted on November 19, 2020

Conscious changes can be difficult to make. Not all of them of course. But making adjustments in our life can be quite difficult and mentally challenging.

A few examples of things many people try to do, and often struggle with and stop are, losing weight, quitting smoking, drinking less, waking up early, meditating, exercising, saving and finding a better job. There is a formula for each one of these, though few people want to follow it.

Often people want to do it their own way. Or they will adjust the body and not the mind. You can simply quit smoking, but if you still see yourself (your self image) as a smoker, you are very likely to pick up the habit again.

Changes that happen naturally are sometimes easier to accept. Examples are growing up, ageing and progressing through primary school. So try to make things happen naturally or set up your environment so it feels natural.

Remember to modify your self image so you can accept the changes before or while they are happening. For example, immerse yourself in the daily thought that you are an early morning person and soon you will find waking up early is a breeze. Set up your environment to assist with this with a good wake up system and earlier bedtime.

Making adjustments in our life is worthwhile and easier than we want to acknowledge.

Financial Think About It

The Cost Of Watching TV

Posted on November 15, 2020

You would be surprised how much your TV costs you. And I am not talking about the purchase price. The cost of watching TV may be higher than you think.

There are many ways to look at this whole TV watching scenario. It has really been brought home to me several times in my life. However, it may have had its biggest impact years ago, when I heard this idea from Jim Rohn.

For most people it is not the cost of the TV, even if it was £3,000. The real cost is higher, even if you add in the cable cost, movie channels and streaming services at £150 per month. It is the time you spend in front of the TV that costs you dearly.

First, that time could be spent with children, loved ones or on other engaging endeavours. Secondly, what is the financial opportunity cost of the TV? If you are paid £20 per hour (£40k per year) and watch three hours of TV on five of the seven days a week for 52 week, that would equate to an additional £15,600 if you were working. That is almost 40% more income.

Imagine if you turned your nightly TV watching into a profitable hobby that generated an extra £15,000 of income a year from now.

Ah, the cost of watching TV.

Action Financial Gratitude Health & Fitness Observe Reframe your thoughts Think About It Time

Looking Back At 80

Posted on October 19, 2020

How will you look back on your life? What will be in it? What will have been worth the price you paid? Looking back at 80 is an important exercise to do many times when you are younger.

Imagine you are 80 years old. Can you look back over the span of 80 years and be filled with joy and contentment? There are a lot of tough questions in there. You will have to face your expectations versus reality gap and hope there is positive gap (reality ended up better) rather than a negative one.

It raises some helpful thoughts that should be considered throughout our lives. You might ask yourself the following questions. Am I living a good life? Should I spend more time and energy on family, career, finances, mental health, physical fitness or my community? How can I do more for others or myself? What will I accept or be happy with?

Its going to be harder to achieve anything once you reach your 80’s. There are many that keep going like Warren Buffett. However, you’ll have to have good genes, stay healthy and have a little luck on your side.

You may wish you had worked harder, studied more, saved more money or maintained better fitness. There is still time to change the outcome but you’ll have to put the effort in.

Looking back at 80 should be a delightful experience.

Financial Health & Fitness Reframe your thoughts Weight Weight loss

You Are What You Think

Posted on October 14, 2020

Do you even know what you think about yourself? It’s time to give this some thought. You are what you think, so you had better being thinking some good and useful things.

One reason people are not achieving what they want in life is their mismatched mindset. They know what they want, which is great. However, they can’t see themselves in that picture.

This can be the problem for people who want to lose weight and keep it off. Rather than think of themselves as a slim person, they see themselves as overweight or heavy, etc. So they tend to do what many heavier people do. They tend to move less and eat more.

Although if they saw themselves as a slim person, their mind would adopt the habits of a slim person. They would eat less and move more. In addition, if they saw themselves as a slim and athletic person, they may even develop greater muscle mass or at least stronger muscles.

The same can be said for people and money. If you want to be wealthier, but can’t see yourself as wealthy, you are likely to struggle to build a prosperous financial future. You must take on the role of being wealthy. This means acting appropriately with your money, not just spending it to look wealthier than you currently are.

You are what you think. Make sure your thoughts are working for you.