financial health Archives - Financial Woman

Are You Stuck in the Past with Your Financial Health?

August 29, 2012 By Camille Gaines 3 Comments

Is Your Money Mindset Stuck in the Past?

Have you ever noticed how you can put together an outfit with only a few pieces when you are in a pinch? Have you ever been on a trip and your luggage got lost? You have to go buy just a few things to get by. Maybe you have a pair of jeans, black pants, a couple of tee shirts, a nice top that you can dress up or down, and an accessory or two? It’s amazing what you can build with those few essentials. You don’t waste time thinking about what you have in your lost suitcase, or even your closet at home. Instead, it becomes something of a fun challenge to make do, and you suddenly feel … [Read more...]

Are Financial Fires Getting in Your Way?

June 26, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

When Was Your Last Financial Health Checkup?

Have you ever noticed situations where no one is stating the obvious? It’s a bit like the emperor without clothes; everyone knows what is happening, but no one wants to be the first to say it officially. Frequently, the obvious just gets lost in an array of related issues. With financial health, related issues may be health care, real estate values or the details of a retirement plan. The truth is that for my generation, many current investment plans are just not in sync with desired future lifestyle plans. For example, Rachel, a fifty year old with an investment account of $500,000 … [Read more...]

Have Money Wounds from Ugly Debt?

April 11, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

One of the most common questions in my financial courses is what should be done about debt. With the insight that comes from being a boomer woman, I have learned that our biggest life lessons usually follow our most painful experiences. As a result of the 2008 economic crisis, using debt wisely is no doubt one of the biggest and most common financial lessons of our lifetime. Aside from the usual money strategies, such as paying down the highest interest rate debt first, emotional aspects of debt affect our money mindset. There are several steps that can help heal those money wounds caused … [Read more...]

Want a Fresh Perspective?

February 28, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Last fall during the launch of Earn Grow Give; Simple Steps to Grow Your Money While Living a Rich Life, I applied $1 for every book sold toward a kiva.org loan. These loans are available to women who qualify globally to provide small business funding. The amazing thing about these loans is that they are for amounts as small as $25 or $50, yet they literally change the life of a woman and her family. It is such a joy to see the repayments of my kiva loans for (prepare yourself) $5.50 and $ 4.17. Talk about putting things into perspective! I hate to mention the overused latte factor, but it … [Read more...]

This Simple Technique Will Change Your Life!

February 23, 2012 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

In a previous Financial Woman post, I wrote about identifying that one step that you can take next to move toward achieving your financial goals. Without execution, the best laid ideas hold little value. In today’s post, I want to write about what happens after you identify that important next focus area so you truly make proactive changes to your financial health beyond just thinking about it. This method works for any area in your life that you just can’t seem to find time to improve. For financial matters, take out your wealth journal; write the money area that you want to improve … [Read more...]

What’s Your Next Step?

February 21, 2012 By Camille Gaines 4 Comments

Sometimes the thought of creating a savings and investment plan to reach your financial goals can seem completely overwhelming. There are five steps to Make a Rich Life at Financial Woman. Your money is just like other areas in your life; the best way to create the outcome you want is to focus your energy on one step at a time. Victory from that one step propels you to take the next step as you see improvements in your financial health. Before you know it, you are making significant moves toward your financial goals. Think about the next step for you to take to have the life you really … [Read more...]

Wednesday Wealth Art

February 8, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Sometimes it can seem as though your money is someone else's responsibility, especially if you outsource your wealth management, or another family member oversees your investment plan. While you may be hiring someone with expertise that can help you make smarter investment decisions, it's your job to evaluate the results you are getting; be sure to become familiar with some simple tools that will enable you to easily monitor and evaluate your investments, just as you would in other areas of your life. What happens if an investment is made that looses money? You are the one that will be hurt … [Read more...]

This Is One Money Tool You Have to Use!

February 6, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

The S&P is up 7% thus far for the year as I type this post for Financial Woman. If it were December, that return may seem pretty boring, but in early February, that number sounds rather remarkable. However, shorter term monthly returns are not the point that I want to make in this article, especially since that number will probably change by the time you read this. Instead, I want to focus on the more important notion of what the S&P being up 7% really means; this is a super important concept for anyone wishing to grow their money and reach their financial goals. The S&P, one of … [Read more...]

6 Tips for Choosing the Right Investment Guidance

December 21, 2011 By Camille Gaines 3 Comments

Today Investor’s Business Daily’s Big Picture indicated that the stock market has entered an uptrend. While investment advice is on every corner, I have found only a few gurus that I like to give my attention to; the philosophy of the founder of Investor’s Business Daily, William O’Neil, is one of them. While the Big Picture trend may change back to negative next week, for now, this reliable column is saying the stock markets are headed up. The market trend predictions it makes are usually longer term, with some bouncing around a bit when the market is more volatile. I believe … [Read more...]

What Can We Learn from Bridget Jones?

December 19, 2011 By Camille Gaines 10 Comments

Movies can teach us a lot about life and money. I have found that I now like to watch mostly uplifting movies, and tend to avoid movies that bring me down, such as violent or depressing ones. Last night, I watched Bridget Jones Diary as part of my annual holiday movie event. It’s one of my very favorites! I get so frustrated with Bridget; she’s so pretty, naturally sexy, and smart, yet she keeps repeating the same mistakes. She so longs to be healthy and confident, yet she continually sabotages herself in every area that she longs to improve: her career, her weight, her unhealthy habits … [Read more...]