financial security Archives

Is Your Money Getting Some Good Love?

January 30, 2013 By Camille Gaines 2 Comments

Are you loving your money? For some strange reason, the answer to this question conjures up feelings of guilt and shame for many people since it probably seems like you do love your money. But isn’t it wrong to love your money? What’s wrong is loving money itself beyond anything else, and sacrificing all of aspects of your life in the endless and obsessive pursuit of money. Money is a tool that can be used to do wonderful things. Money provides food and shelter for you and your family; it can help others in huge ways. As you know, the list of what money provides is endless, but … [Read more...]

5 Things I Learned from Writing “Earn Grow Give”

December 6, 2011 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Last week I was honored to have a book signing for Earn Grow Give, my personal finance book for women, in my home town of Tupelo, Mississippi, at the downtown landmark retailer, Reed’s Department Store. I grew up with Catherine Reed, who works in the gift and book department, so, personally, it felt more like a homecoming than a business venture for me. I was truly touched by the support of each person who attended the signing, especially since writing and publishing a book felt like a big and scary thing in my life. Did you know that you have a book in you? Everyone does, I believe, … [Read more...]

What is Cash Flow

October 12, 2011 By Camille Gaines 2 Comments

What is Cash Flow? Cash flow simply refers to the amount of money coming into and out of your accounts each month. When more money flows out than in, your cash flow is negative. When more flows in that out, you have blissfully positive cash flow. In reality, cash flow ebbs and “flows” (no pun intended, seriously) throughout life for most individuals. The most common way to have money flowing in is from a salary, but sometimes during periods between jobs or during transition times, salaries can be lacking. This is one of several reasons it makes sense to establish multiple streams of … [Read more...]

Are You A Savvy Smart Spender?

September 28, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Financial Woman has an exciting new area focusing on creating more cash flow with savvy smart style. Increasingly, I am hearing from women that are concerned about their financial future, yet, they’re unsure what steps to take on a daily basis to start growing their money. Step 1 is increasing cash flow… As you’ve no doubt previously read at Financial Woman, cash flow is queen! One side of this equation is increasing income, of course, and the other side is smarter spending. As you probably know, focusing on both sides helps you reach your financial goals faster. Today, I am … [Read more...]

Simple Steps To Keep Your Money Safe

August 8, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

With the stock market uptrend that began in March 2009 now showing serious signs of weakening, I wanted to write about Market Risk today. While the exact tops and bottoms of a trend in any financial asset are impossible to predict, there are simple strategies you can put in place to limit your risk to devastating market losses and reduce the chance of buying at the very top and selling at the very bottom. Market risk is one of the 9 types of risk that affects the value of YOUR money. Knowing that financial security is a top priority, especially for women investors, I created a Financial Woman … [Read more...]

Golf, Tennis or Both?

August 3, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

You saw the definition of technical vs. fundamental analysis in my Short & Simple Personal Investment Tips recently in the Nest Egg Newsletter. This morning, on CBNC, I heard one announcer say “We are all technicians now”. (I didn’t see which announcer said it because I was shaving my legs while listening, utilizing a variation of my own simple tip for staying informed about the financial world!) This is such an evolution in the decision process of deciding whether to buy a security or not, I decided to write about it today so that you know more about this basic core investing … [Read more...]

Tips from Vanguard on Bubbles (NOT the fun kind!)

July 27, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Vanguard published a great article on investment bubbles. As a provider of financial education, I constantly hear from women that they have fear around losing their money. Research shows that financial security is a top priority when it comes to women and investing; not that we need the research to know that, right, girlfriends? Understanding bubbles helps you to avoid them, and thus, lower your investment risk. Remember, knowledge is what makes you feel more financially secure. When you know about something, it just feels safer, and you make better choices. This is true for investment … [Read more...]

What Brings You Joy?

March 21, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Last week I spent four days in beautiful Park City snow skiing. It was a wonderful time connecting with immediate and extended family; the icing on the cake was that my always inspiring mother flew out so we could celebrate her birthday. It was a wonderful spring break! One of the things that I ask women to do is write the reasons that they want to have money. I ask them to think about whether it is the life experiences or the things give that give joy, without feeling guilty about the answer. This seems so basic but this is the first step to becoming motivated to give time and attention to … [Read more...]

What Is Cash Flow?

January 12, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

A Gift for Yourself

December 22, 2010 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

What does it take to live a life of financial empowerment? There are three steps you must take that will allow you to confidently oversee management of your investments. Once you have mastered these three areas, you’ll be ready for most anything life throws you, at least in the financial arena. Commit to giving this gift to yourself in 2011: knowledge for financial empowerment. The three things you must know are: How much money you have Where your money is and how it is invested, or how to invest it if it is not already invested How to measure the performance of any financial advisor or … [Read more...]