Are Financial Fires Getting in Your Way?

June 26, 2012 By 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...]

Which Sounds More Fun to You?

February 16, 2012 By 1 Comment
financial goals

Increasing Cash FlowStep three in the Financial Woman Grow Your Money system is creating positive cash flow so you can put aside more money to grow. While I hate to state the obvious, it’s easy to lose site of the fact that there are two ways to increase cash flow: reduce your spending or increase your income. (Does one instantly sound more enticing than the other?) Below are a few perspectives on increasing your cash flow via the increased income vs. reduced spending avenues: Increasing your income while also reducing your spending is a double win; spend more consciously only on those … [Read more...]

Are You a Leader of your Money?

December 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

As women, we are often leaders in many areas in our lives, including home care, children, and aging parents. Each of these categories has other sub-categories, such as food planning, shopping and preparation, home decorating and maintenance, along with numerous other areas. I hear from some women that they just don’t have time to be involved with growing their money. I would like to invite you to take a leadership role with your money if you are not already. Let’s look at some of the habits of leadership. Leaders learn enough to lead. They don’t learn it all, but they learn enough … [Read more...]

I made $2.45 an hour!

November 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
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At a time when many women are focusing on getting back on track toward their financial goals, I like to remind everyone that increasing positive cash flow is an important step in the process. What is cash flow? It is simply the amount of money flowing in and out every month, as you may have read here before. There is the income side, and then there is the spending side of the cash flow calculation. Focusing on reducing expenses can be almost as fun (although not as powerful) as generating more income, particularly since it usually just involves a mindset shift, and not necessarily more … [Read more...]

Want a Crystal Ball?

November 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Last week we added a financial calculator to the Financial Woman website. I like to think of it as something like a crystal ball. There is nothing better than seeing the future value of your money to get you motivated to pay more attention to it, whether that means creating more positive cash flow through smart spending or increased earnings, or seeking better results from your investment accounts. As you have probably read here before, every woman should know how much money she has. I recommend calculating your Own and Owe, as I like to call it, at least twice a year. This net worth … [Read more...]

Which Is More Fun?

November 1, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Satisfied Businesswoman

Which is more fun…to grow money or to spend it? They are both pretty nice!  Growing money ultimately leads to living the rich life we want, focused on what really, really matters. Spending money is more about immediate gratification. What I really like to do, though, is to show women how they can do both. It’s a bit like having your cake and eating it, too. You just have to be what I call “Savvy Smart” with spending money. Ways to Spend AND Grow Money: Focus on increasing income. This especially makes sense since reducing spending is limited, and generating income is … [Read more...]

Are You A Savvy Smart Spender?

September 28, 2011 By Leave a Comment
U.S. Coins and Paper Money

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...]