BUILDING WEALTH ONE CHANGE AT A TIME

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If you're tired of living paycheck to paycheck it's time to make some changes, right?  But what can you do?  You're barely making the rent, the car broke down again, and every once in a while it would be nice to eat.  If you've been living this way most of your adult life and you're tired of it I might be able to help you.  

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If you've had something happen to you like downsizing, divorce, medical issues, stock market crash, or just plain bum luck but you've held it together before, there is a good chance I can help you.

Help, however, comes at a price sometimes.  The price moves beyond the fee that someone will charge you to give you new direction and a sensible money plan, the price is more personal.  Look at it this way, how often do you work out?  Eat right?  We know we should as it's good for our health and we sometimes think about that as we eat the 8th hamburger and diet cola for the week.  As you get your paycheck, you know you should put a little money aside for an emergency and maybe you should buy into the office 401k, but as we buy a magazine or our daily coffee or a soda out of the vending machine we wonder how that might be possible, especially since the last check written bounced... again.  It's time to take our head out of the sand and pay attention to our finances.

 
A Money Plan is kind of like maintaining our health (like eating right and working out).  This is not for the weak.  It takes learning new terms and practices, establishing different habits, weighing in to determine progress, and then tweaking it a bit to sustain a new life regimen.  

Some people are great at determining that they will diet and exercise and they take of the 30 pounds.  They are able to check out new recipes on-line, from friends, or from the nutritionist and they head to the gym every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they bring their lunch from home.  On the weekends they make a point of doing some kind of physical activity.  Well, good for them.  I bet they look great.  For some of us we say it would be really nice to get rid of this 30 pounds I gained last year, but... where will I ever get the time or the energy?  Some of us seek out a personal trainer.  In the beginning the trainer looks at what she's got to work with, then works with you to see what kind of things you've tried before and determine what will work this time.  Benchmarks are established (like percentage of body fat, physical weight, measurements, etc.).  After a plan is put together and a certain amount of training (how to use certain machines, what foods are good or bad, what works particularly for your focus areas, etc.) and then you give the plan a try.  In a month or so, you show your progress and tweak a few things here and there to make sure the plan works for you.  As you move forward you may choose to work on new areas or pick new focus areas.  The new healthier you looks and feels great.

Establishing a Money Plan with myficofixer.com is like working with a personal trainer for your money.  First you show a desire to make a change.  We look at what you have and where you want to go.  A Money Plan is put together with certain exercises that need to be followed for certain durations.  At the end of the pre-subscribed time period a follow-up visit is conducted to see what's worked and what needs tweaking.  As certain goals are reached we work toward the next until you are satisfied you are financially healthy and liberated.

Not ready to work with a personal money trainer?  Although a personal money trainer gives you advice based on your specific situation you might relate to some general information.  Here is do-it-yourself advice for those tired of living paycheck-to-paycheck:

Regardless of how you got here (living your entire life paycheck-to-paycheck or ending up here after unfortunate events) it takes a commitment to changing old habits.  To change habits you must first discover what they are.  The hardest part of the whole process is coming clean with what you are spending money on.  You must first identify where your money is going right now.  Track where you spend every penny.  The longer you keep track of your spending the better but you can get a good idea in about three to five weeks.

There is a self discovery process of evaluating why you are spending money the way you do.  You may be thinking that between the rent and a car payment you can barely afford anything else... well maybe you need to rethink where you live and what you drive.  Do you need new clothes every month?  Can you really afford cable or $3 for a cup of coffee?  This part can be hard because you know you deserve the things you have and buy.  There may be other underlying reasons for your spending.  You need to look at what you are spending and decide it makes sense. 

Budget should be a four letter word (at least according to many people I work with).  BUT, you need one.  Check out the budget page for budgeting advice.  This is a basic budget form or try another (to be honest these aren't great so e-mail me and I send you some decent ones if you have a spreadsheet program such as Excel.  You can get free a spreadsheet program through www.Open.org).  If you own a computer some systems came with MS Money or Quicken for free and they have systems built-in.  

Essentially a budget will show what money should be coming in and what is slated to be paid with that money.  If done well it can even show where there is a problem.  If you look at the percentages by category (see CNNMoney.com) you will know if you are spending more than you should based on your income. 

Now that you know where you're money has been going it's time to make choices on where you want it to go from now on.  If you have an income you have choices.  You may not always like your options, but there are choices and you are a powerful person that can make them.  

"My problem lies in reconciling my gross habits with my net income." Errol Flynn

Making a decision to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck can be a challenging one, especially if you've been doing it for a long period of time.  There are so many levels of your life that can be affected by your choices.  It takes time and repeated energy.  Just keep at it.  New habits will form and you will be wealthier for it.

"The main cause of poverty or financial struggle is fear and ignorance, not the economy or the government or the rich. It's self-inflicted fear and ignorance that keeps people trapped" Robert T. Kiyosaki Rich Dad Poor Dad

Enlist the help of trusted others.  We have those people that like to remind us of the obvious (we're in debt, we're fat, we're lazy) in such "encouraging" fashions.  When you buy a new shirt for work, when you eat a slice of cake, when we sit to watch a program - there is that helpful person that reminds you that you can't afford another shirt, more food, or to sit on your butt.  You don't want this person in your corner right now.  Pick someone that will support you in your decision to make a change.  Someone who will understand when you take a misstep or get off track and encourage you, nicely, to get back on track.  When you hold your actions accountable to others you are likely to make more of an effort.  When you have sincere support, you're own fan club, you will take your own actions more seriously.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step
- Chinese Proverb

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