To promote his first webinar event on 4/13, ULC is giving away a package valued at $591.78 to introduce you to the company that is changing the way people live — helping them create their Ultimate Lives in the midst of world-wide chaos and uncertainty.

They do this so you will check it out and discover why people from all over the world are joining to learn how to live their Ultimate Lives AND to make money while they are doing it.

The special event pass will cost just $3.32. Why not? Who wouldn’t be willing to invest just $3.32 and get almost $600 worth of powerful resources? Who wouldn’t at least be willing to go to the website and see what it’s about? People are afraid of risk, so ULC has taken the risk out — it’s just that simple.

You can claim $591.78 worth of life-changing resources:

–Aging Backwards: Shortcuts to Staying Young with Jackie Silber (Value $24.90)
–One Hour of Persuasion by Michael Bernoff (Value $149)
–Tools for Transformation by Mary Morrissey (Value $97)
–Single Again! Now What? with Joanie Winberg (Value $99)
–Tapping to the Top by Heidi Garis (Value $39)
–Journey to You by Steve Olsher (Value $17.95)
–Cracking the Man Code by Mat Boggs (Value $47)
–A Pocketful of Mojo by Debi Silber
–The Science of Getting Rich in Plain English by Croz Crossley (Value $49)
–and SO much more!

Your special event pass costs just $3.32 TODAY. You become a member of The Ultimate Life Company for just $3.32, and then you have until April 14th at midnight to claim everything you want.

You’ll also have until April 14th at midnight to discover just what ULC is about — why they exist, what they have to offer, and just how you can create an ongoing stream of residual income while you also create the Ultimate Life you’ve always dreamed of!

Then, at midnight on the 14th, you can either cancel your special event pass or you can remain part of The Ultimate Life Company Family for just $25 a month and take advantage of everything offered!

It doesn’t matter where you live. Everything is “virtual” — you can access it from anywhere in the world instantly.

To claim your special event pass, go to: http://www.UltimateLifeCompany.com/home/1021.

When you get through the registration process, your cost will be just $3.32 — the ULC gift to you!

Do you have Frugal Fatigue?A) Yes, I am tired of pinching pennies, but will have to continue that lifestyle. 66%
B) Yes, I am tired of pinching pennies, and have decided to begin spending more. 5%
C) No, I’ve not made any spending changes in recent years. 8%
D) No, I have made lifestyle changes, but they are positive and I intend to keep them. 21%.

I’m considering that if the A’s could become D’s, it would be an awesome result. Because, really, what is the Law of Attraction and the Secret all about if not acceptance of where we are instead of fighting against what we don’t want? Acceptance allows change. Change can bring success. It feels like the 66% for Question A are complying with the lessons learned but are continuing to kick and scream. The 21% for Question D have chosen a more positive (and rewarding) lifestyle.

This is a choice between wishing things were different and accepting they are not but much good can come from the lessons learned. We will never be free as long as we are slaves to lenders. The lesson to be learned in this economy is to live within our means. It means we track expenses, create a savings plan or budget that is in line with income, and always save for the inevitable rainy day.

The article accompanying the poll summed it up like this: “Anytime a person takes control of his or her financial well-being, it’s a step in the right direction. When one in five people makes a decision to permanently alter their financial habits, presumably spending less and saving more, it potentially impacts the economy as a whole. This could be worrisome to some who encourage increased spending as a necessary component to the country’s recovery. Nonetheless, it can be argued that a financially stable household is critical to a financially stable America.”

Amen.

Nonetheless, money problems rank close to the top, but the real problem is couples’ inability to effectively communicate.

When we counsel couples about money management, a natural outcome is better communication. We usually find that the one who takes care of the money is stressed out and unable to talk about it without getting mad. The other party says, “I don’t understand. I bring home my paycheck, and I expect to be able to buy something if I need it!”

When couples have a “money date” once a month, they look over everything — what they spent the previous month and what they intend to spend the coming month. With that knowledge, we often hear, “Oh, I never understood why she was so upset when I bought some fishing gear,” or “Oh, I never understood why he was so upset when I got that new pair of shoes.”

If you truly understand where your money has gone and where it needs to go, it’s easy to put off a purchase that’s not part of the plan — and it’s also possible to include a little discretionary spending fund, so you can still reward yourself once in a while.

When we do workshops, we always suggest attendees bring their spouse or another family member because the success rate goes up exponentially when you have more than one family member trying to solve the money problems!

To you best money life,
Jude

Giving gifts for the holiday season can be fun, but are you looking to do it for less? Don’t feel embarrassed or stressed if you don’t have the money. It IS possible to join in the gift-giving festivities without spending a lot — or any — money.

Make it: Are you crafty? Just a little? Make a custom CD mix or a photo collage for your friends. For family, what parent wouldn’t treasure a personalized video or a calendar using family photos?

Do it: With some notepaper and a pen you could take care of your entire gift list in one sitting. How? Coupons! For your services. One hour of garage cleaning. Three hours of babysitting. Dog-walking. Homework help. Whatever you can do, someone else probably needs it. That makes your gifts of service extremely valuable and appreciated.

Group it: Forget individual gifts for your sports teams, clubs, or even your siblings. Group the effort instead. Decide to have a party or informal get-together. Pick names so there’s only one gift to purchase. Or skip the gifts completely and make a group donation to a favorite charity.

I really like that last idea because it shifts focus from from getting to giving and reaches out to others.

If you have any ideas along these lines, I’d love to hear them.

Happy Holidays!

I happened upon a website that offered a free Holiday Expense Spreadsheet. I really liked it because it considers many expenses that so often get overlooked when we consider what we need to spend this time of year. So, the big picture is not only the gifts (there’s a separate Gift Giving Worksheet you can access from the above link), but items such as a tree, decorations, all the food — not just the Holiday meal — and special entertainment, clothing and charitable donations. This worksheet also considers sources of available money and a plan for meeting any shortfall!

I wish you the best with this and hope you will let me know how it works out for you. In the meantime, I’m getting to work on mine right now.

Happy Holidays to you and yours!

False. Bonds have a reputation of being safe investments. And they’re generally less risky than stocks. But they are not bullet proof. Their term and interest rates are fixed, but their returns are not.That’s the point of being well diversified through asset allocation. You don’t want to have all your funds in stocks (volatile) or stocks (safe). You want a blend that suits your risk tolerance, your age, and years left before retirement.

False. An unsigned card will cause you trouble at the cash register — you’ll have to show photo ID for the cashier to accept your payment. Besides a thief could simply sign your card himself for unauthorized purchases, and then the card signature would match the signatures on the receipts.And don’t do this either: I was rollerblading one day in Palm Springs and found a debit card in the street. When I got back to my car, I turned the card over to get the 800 number on the back so I could call and report the lost card… and there was the PIN written in the signature block! If someone else found it, it could have been a far different outcome.

True or False: For retirement, you need to save ten times your final salary.

FALSE. That’s a nice start, but you may need more. This figure is like picking a number out of the air. Retirement is personal and what you need will vary depending on your plans and situation.

It also depends on how long you live! MAP suggests you use a retirement calculator. There are good ones available at Kiplinger and Bankrate.

Sorry I’ve been out of the loop lately. My Mom has been having some health challenges and it’s taken up much time. I will continue the Kiplinger tips this week but in the meantime, I wanted to share this article from Bottom Line Personal.
New Limits for Credit Card Payment Penalties
Josh Frank
Center for Responsible Lending

The Federal Reserve’s new limits for credit card payment penalties took effect August 22, which means that penalty fees for missing a payment on your monthly balance must be capped at $25 for the first violation, but this cap can rise to $35 if you miss paying again within the next six billing cycles or if your credit card issuer can prove that a higher charge is justified. Also, late-payment fees and other types of penalties may not exceed the amount of the violation.
Example: If you are late paying a $20 minimum payment, the missed-payment fee cannot be more than $20, or if you are $10 over your credit limit, you cannot be charged more than $10 in penalty fees. In the past, penalties of $39 or more were common.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Josh Frank, senior researcher, Center for Responsible Lending, Durham, North Carolina.