Conscious, Deliberate Decisions.

58)  Conscious, Deliberate Decisions. 

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ecision-making is a process.  It's a rewarding one whether it's for goal attainment, smart decisions, your American Dream, quality of life, fame & fortune, simplicity, or a mental exercise - and exercise feels good.

            You assess a situation, you consider your alternatives and their repurcussions, and then make a conscious, deliberate decision.  Maybe you temper your mind with your heart, your gut, your moral compass, but you make a prudent choice using a smart process.

            Where will you live?  By the sea?  (I hate being land-locked but wouldn't want to lose my home or my life to a  hurricane.)  A city?  (More than half the world's population now does.)

            What will you do for food clothing and shelter?  Will you hunt?  Farm?  Sew hides?  Weave?  Live in a cave?  Build a log cabin?  Do you need money for these things?  If so, how much?  How will you get money?  Steal, work, public assistance, beg?

            Will you have children?  With whom?  How will you raise them?  Alone?  How about their clothing, a home, healthcare, and education?

            What about your health?  How might you pay doctors or buy medicine?  What if you can't work?

            How about old age?  Will you work til you die?  Who will take care of you if you're sickly?  Where will you get money?  Who will bury you?

            How will you get and manage money?  How much do you need?

            In life, you can choose your own path, otherwise it will be chosen for you.  You can live life on purpose or by accident.  You can be captain of your ship or a victim.  No decision, is a decision.

            It's up to you.

How do you make conscious, deliberate decisions?

            Who helps you make smart money decisions?

Who's your Trusted Family Advisor?

            

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'Congress: SHAME ON YOU!'

57)  Congress: SHAME ON YOU!

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f they were children they would have been given a ‘time out’ or a spanking.  If they were high school or college students, they would have been suspended or expelled.  If they were professional athletes or investment professionals, they would have been evicted and, maybe, banned for life; they, themselves, would have been having hearings.   If they were Employees at Will, they would have been fired.  If they were military personnel, they'd be demoted or even thrown in the brig.  In another country, they may have been overthrown or assassinated.

            Indeed, according to a New York Times columnist, a record number of politicians went to jail in 2012.

            They managed to destroy our credit rating, which made the US Government the safest investment on Earth.  It was thought so due to its power of taxation, never having paid interest late, never having defaulted on a debt, and, loosely, its supposed ability to ‘print money’.  Now there are for-profit corporations rated safer, and their responsibility is to their stockholders!  There's no transparency, and our civil liberties are smothered.  There was the Fiscal Cliff, tax change (the type I expected and to our benefit, but after such bickering) and now the Sequester.   Voters and residents are confused, upset, depressed, disillusioned, and demoralized, and Americans are forming militias and becoming Doomsday preppers.

            It seems as if we’ve switched from one step forward, three steps back, to one slow step at a time.  At least, the stock markets think so.  Employment’s slightly up, we’re most of the way through the winter, some holidays are approaching, and American morale may be a little better.

            But, it's still the other Golden Rule: 'The One with the Gold Makes the Rules'.  Money is so strangely intoxicating.

Many continue to suffer, whether it's not knowing how much tax to have taken out of their paycheck, or about unemployment, or having lost their home due to business & financial collapse or weather.

            Congress has become a childish power struggle, dividing the Union like the Civil War for which our entire society shall pay and suffer.  One of my friends also thinks it's racist.  It’s something we must overcome immediately before it escalates and something horrible happens; they are supposed to be working for us.

            How long are we going to trust them?  How far are we willing to trust them?  We can kick the out at election times.

            Should it return to being a volunteer position like when we were founded?

            When you look at the lists of the cities on Earth to live (based on factors such as happiness, healthcare, infrastructure), it's becoming more plausible to leave the US.  There's a whole community of older brothers and sisters out there from whom we can learn and with whom we can enjoy life.  So many speak English, balance work & play better than we, have excellent technology & infrastructure, are less crowded, and have daily flights to the US.  Some are much less expensive - further bettering your quality of life.

            Do you have a financial plan?

            Who's your Trusted Family Advisor®?

           

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'Motivated by Goals, Not Fears'

54)  Motivated by Goals, Not Fears

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hat a shame to be motivated by fear - except, maybe, when safety’s at stake.

With the New Year, it's time to remember to set goals, and let them be your motivators.

You need to review your goals daily.  Maybe post a photo or display a toy or something that reminds you.

Also, use affirmations in the present tense that state the goal as already having been achieved.  This will help program your subconscious, or at least, help to manage expectations.

You must believe!

Goals can be achieved one step at a time.  Sort of, like how you eat an elephant - one bite at a time.  Or how a journey begins - by putting one foot in front of the other.

In WWII, MBO was developed - Management by Objectives.

For instance, if the goal was to recapture Paris, then the objectives were to first capture Hill 319, then Hill 320, etc.

So objectives are the step-by-step actions you take to systematically pursue your goal.

This calls for a plan - a financial plan.  Then you know what your goals and objectives are, what the time frame is, your risk tolerance, your liquidity needs (emergency plan), and other details.

Just like a jigsaw puzzle of your life, you start by framing the picture.  Then you start to fill in certain sections, such as credit, taxes, investments, insurance.  Eventually the picture starts to take shape.

And each piece has its place, so you don't want to jam it in where it doesn't belong.  This also means that, sometimes, you have to walk away and take a break.  You don't always want to plan without finally acting.

So what's your picture look like?  What's your plan?

            

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'Death, Blood & Bloodshed (i.e. Family Holidays)'

53)  Death, Blood & Bloodshed (i.e. Family Holidays)

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he Palestinians and Israelis were at it again Congress is too.  It's like two children who disturb the holiday dinner table.  People are pushing others to their death in front of NYC subways.  People are shooting schoolchildren and police officers.  People are burning churches.

            And then there are family gatherings for the holidays...

            Distant strangers feed the victims of Hurricane Sandy and help rebuild their homes.  Others are clothing and sheltering the homeless.

            It really starts with basic respect for one another.  It involves common sense.  And, hopefully, eventually, respect for one's self.

            Nothing can evolve without respect, not the Earth, Humankind, society or personal relationships.

            Whether it's for your family, who deserve the most respect, an entire people, your neighbors, coworkers, clients, the President of the United States, a senior fraternity Brother, a clerk or waitperson, it starts with respect.

            The world was reborn on 12/22/12; in this new time, new year, will you lead and follow with respect?

            Happy New World!

           

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

 

Chicken Little 2.0

52)  'Chicken Little 2.0'

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he world ends later today; I’m not sure if it’s US Eastern Daylight Savings Tme or not.  If you're in Australia, it may have already happened.

            I know because Chicken Little told me.  Not to mention, it's the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the planets are aligning with the Milky Way, the Sun has started its 11 year storm cycle, we're late for the 6th extinction, Planet Nibiru is going to collide with us, the Poles are reversing, it's the Winter Solstice, the date is all ones and twos (i.e. 12/21/12), there was Super Storm Sandy, people are going crazy and killing children, and the Mayan Calendar ends today!

            WHAT'S A WOMAN TO DO?!!

            If I commanded the Starship Enterprise, I could go to Talos IV, and live any dream I had.  Or, I could visit Mr. Atoz and get processed so that I could step through the Atavacron to a historical period and live out my days in the past, where they all speak English.

            But, we all know that we don't space travel - yet.  (Plans are being discussed for one of the next times the world ends.)

            Financial planning is about the future, but it starts with preventing stepping backwards.  This is risk management.

            Risk management is:

                        1. Common sense (Not giving anything away yet, not drinking Jonestown Kool Aid, or spending all of your savings or credit)

                        2. Dealing with emergencies

                        3. Having emergency savings (which can double as an opportunity fund)

                        3. Credit availability (to supplement cash, or travel - actual or virtual)

                        4. Insurance (transference of catastrophic risks to others)

            I'm prepared; are you?

            If I'm wrong, I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow; maybe I'll do the laundry or I'll watch Star Trek, eat a can of Chef Boyardee ravioli with a Pepsi, and nap, or finally holiday shop.

            Are you managing your risks?  Or ignoring them?  Are you managing your money or is it managing you? Have you been processed for the Atavacron?  What have you planned for tomorrow? 

            (Please don’t call today; I’m having my end of the world cocktail at noon - that’s when it’s midnight in Australia.) 

           

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

 

 

 

 

'I SING the Body Eclectic’

51) I SING the Body Eclectic

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alt Whitman wrote 'I SING the Body Electric'.  I write of the 'Body-Mind, Spirit' connection.

            People are different; people are the same.  Everywhere.

            People are normal, 'people are strange' (The Doors)

            There are good people, and bad people.  We have differing geography bodies, clothes, foods, cultures, holidays, music, religion, even values, but throughout history, people are the same.  (Unfortunately, little human social evolution seems to have transpired, and it's still a concern, although we do make slower-than-glacial progress.)

            New York City is a Mixing Bowl; Denver is a Melting Pot.  And more than half of the world now lives in cities.  The top six are in the East or Far East (as are 18 of the top 27 - 2/3!)  NYC and LA are the only US cities; five continents are covered), so it’s also smart to make friends!

            Celebrate diversity.  There's too much intolerance.  Variety is the spice of life.  Diversification spells safety.  It will also protect your investments.

            The Silk Road connected East and West; the spice trade (commerce) led to the 'discovery' of the New World.  The Vikings connected northern and southern Europe.  The world shrunk.

            Change and evolution spell survival, even if outside your comfort zone.

            In life, you can't always pick and choose what you want (but sometimes you get what you need - The Rolling Stones).

            Inevitably, bad comes with good, light with dark, man with woman, winning with losing, and life with death.  Even spies try to even it out with the rule 'one of us, one of them'.  Therefore, whether it's nature or intellect, diversity and opposites co-exist.  In addition, commerce and investment are often the starting point for the evolution of civilization.

            Like it or not, recognize it; ultimately, I hope you accept it.  It's a Universal Rule.

            People must come together to survive, just like after 9/11, the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the Haitian earthquake of 2010, Super Storm Sandy, the lighting of the Menorah, and the Three Wise Men under the stars!

            Even stars and planets come together!  (Friday the planets align, concurrent with the Winter Solstice and the end of the Mayan Calendar!)

            Are you diversified?  Are you evolving?  Are you investing in your future?

            

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'Respect'

50) Respect

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ing it: "R-E-S-P-E-C-T".

             Affecting one's life starts with respect.

             Without, there may be no life, a short life or death.

            Lack of respect ends in homelessness, unemployment, fights, crying, depression, anxiety, divorce, split families, unhappiness, crime, murder, bloodshed, war, and death.  Look at the Middle East or the homeless or the seaside victims of Hurricane Sandy.  How about holding doors for others, not cutting lines, not cutting others off in your car.  Look at your family-filled holiday table;  how much tsouris, crying, fighting, unhappiness, and anxiety is there?

            Respect for one's health helps birth a baby.  Respect for the elements & food grow a child or keeps an adult healthier.  Respect for knowledge aids survival and teaches life skills.  Respect for others allows people to work and live together, improving quality of life and longevity.

            Respect for numbers allows families to grow, homes to be built, crops to be planted, businesses and finances to be managed, money to be counted, saved and invested.  It allows life plans to be made.  Farming & agriculture, business & trade, civilization & space travel all spawn from respect.

            If you show disrespect for others, or nature, or numbers, you may suffer.  You may have no home, food, income, clothes, savings, friends, family or life.

            Respect is basic.  Have respect.  Have respect for yourself, for others, nature, and numbers.

            John Donne said, "No (wo)man is an island".  Are you? 

            

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'Numerology’

49)  Numerology

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eligions have sacred numbers, mathematicians play with numbers, individuals bet on numbers.  (But 'Holy Rollers', in American English, refers to Pentecostal Christian churchgoers!)  This Financial Planners also interprets the numbers...

            December will offer us the date 12/12/12.  Numerologically, this will be very similar to 12/21/12, except for the slight change in order of the numbers, and of course, the end of the world on the later.

            One's represent the 'male' vibration: individuality, standing alone, leadership, power, and dominance.

            Two's represent the 'female' vibration: partnerships, relationships, intuition, compromise, and working together

            So many ones and so many twos, at first glance, could make for an interesting day.  In addition (pun!), there are the same number of ones and twos.

            However, we must look deeper.

            Speaking of addition, in numerology we use the full date (i.e. 2012), not just 12.  That makes the date 12/12/2012.  (That makes more twos; is this the lesson?)

            Then, we must add the digits, again, and again, until we can reduce them to a single digit:

            1+2 + 1+2 + 2+0+1+2  = 11;

            1 + 1 = 2.

            So, the day adds up to a two: partnerships.

            However, 11 is also a 'Master' number, in its own right, so expect magical things.

            Therefore, along the lines of basic algebra: 'if A = B, and B = C, then A = C', numbers are math, numbers are magic, so math is magic.

            That's why you need a financial planner: to work magic and pair the two: numbers and money.

            Numbers seem inflexible; the laws state that one plus one equals two.  But, sometimes, like birth, one plus one can equal three (or more)!  In addition (pun!), money, a medium of exchange subject to math, has to be used to plan a flexible life.

            Is your life magic?

            Financial Planners are magic, although they can't always work magic; they need your help.

            Who's your financial planner?

           

www.WomenAndMoney.TV

'The Anxiety Society'

48) The Anxiety Society

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elcome to today's Depression Session, here at the Anxiety Society.

            Today we will cry and self medicate.  We'll bitch & moan, whine, complain and sleep.

            The only cost is your salvation.  No one can help you if you don't want to help yourself.

            If you're serious about ending it, and letting the rest of us down - friends, family, children - please do so quickly and quietly, and keep the line moving.

            If not, please hide your lethargy and temptation to complain.

            Reduce your sugar, caffeine, alcohol & drugs, and increase your sun exposure and exercise.

            ‘Fake it 'til you make it.’  Make yourself look decent since feeling good starts with looking good.

            Get out of bed.  Take a shower; regiment your existence.  Pace yourself.  Visit others.  Find a way to laugh frequently.  See a doctor, read, pray.  Repeat your affirmations three times daily - in the present tense.  Try standing and reciting them loudly.

            You cannot overcome or recover from this affliction by doing just one big thing; you must consistently do many small things.  We are biochemical beings in this incarnation, housing our essence; the correct mixture must be maintained!

            If you can't do the 'right' thing, it's better to still do some-thing, rather than noth-ing.

            Healthily help yourself.  Forgive yourself.  Don't be so hard on yourself.  Give yourself permission to be human, and sad, and feel bad.

            Take what you need and leave the rest.

            Your journey may be long and arduous.  The light at the end of the tunnel may elude you for years.  Don't let this preclude your faith; knowing this can preserve it.

            In the pool, we teach the children, “What's worse than a drowning victim?  Two drowning victims!  Take care of yourself, first!  In an airplane, we teach you to put on your oxygen mask before that of the child next you.  You must save/protect yourself and then help others - and then, HELP OTHERS; it will help you.

            Heed well, or suffer the dark.  Learn well, practice frequently, and celebrate the light.

            The first step: dealing with daily survival.

            Once you deal with emergencies, you can get your daily survival under control.  You can look ahead, set long-term goals, make a plan; and find a way to execute it.  One step at a time; one day at a time.

How do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.

            Emergency plan, Systems, Financial Plan.

            Are you taking care of yourself?

           

www.WomenAndMoney.TV