money matters Archives - Financial Woman

Einstein Had a Really Good Point

January 24, 2013 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Personal finances deal with everything from choosing a financial adviser to deciding whether or not to splurge on that gorgeous cashmere coat that’s on the sale rack this month. The money topic is so all encompassing that sometimes it can just feel like too much! This simple strategy has solved many a dilemma in my life by helping me zero in on what really needs my attention the most and letting the other stuff go. It can work wonders for any area, including money matters. Have you ever kept doing something even when it wasn’t getting the results you wanted? I know that I sure have! … [Read more...]

Do You Ever Slip into This?

October 10, 2012 By Camille Gaines 1 Comment

Do you ever “go negative”? Yesterday I went negative. Something turned out other than the way that I thought it should, and I went negative, rather than either trusting that what happened was the best thing for me, or asking what I learned from the experience. Tweaking other possibilities could have also been another promising solution instead of choosing to go negative. It’s easy to go negative when it comes to money matters. Going negative sounds like: I’ll never pay off my debt No one is making money in this economy I am just grateful to have this job (even though I hate … [Read more...]

Which Is More Fun?

November 1, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

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...]

Just Between Girlfriends….

October 20, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

One of the most important aspects of growing your money is creating positive cash flow. As a woman especially, I like to have nice belongings in my life; I like to wear clothes that I feel good in and that reflect my style and image. I like a home filled with things that I love that inspire me. These are not bad things to want and be inspired to have in life. You may have seen some of the videos in my new series that focus on being savvy smart with your style and your money. I offer tips and insights that I have gained from a life time of being a savvy smart shopper, much a reflection of my … [Read more...]

Financial Women Avoid Buying High…Always!

October 6, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

The U.S. stock market officially touched bear market territory this week. I know we’ve all seen those “bull and bear” bookends, but exactly what is a bear market? According to Investopedia, “It’s a market condition in which the prices of securities are falling, and widespread pessimism causes the negative sentiment to be self-sustaining. As investors anticipate losses in a bear market and selling continues, pessimism only grows. Although figures can vary, for many, a downturn of 20% or more in multiple broad market indexes, such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average … [Read more...]

Do You Need to Surrender?

September 13, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

After years of resisting tech literacy, I surrendered. It’s not that I would even remotely consider myself tech savvy, but I have noticed that since I made a mind shift about technology, I have gotten better at it. Little things that I have wondered about for years are now becoming clear to me without much effort. It’s wonderful and amazing! You know where I am going with this, right? Financial literacy!! Are you resisting demonstrating leadership and being proactive with your money? If so, stop! Knowledge and action take you to financial freedom, whether right now that means meeting … [Read more...]

5 Days Is All It Took….

August 31, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Last week I had a golf breakthrough! When I’m at my mom’s, it’s easy to play a few holes of golf each day, whereas in Austin, I usually slip in a game a week. Improvement is slow, trust me! I have noticed that for the past 2 summers, this daily focus has really improved my results, and this year was no different; I excitedly reported to my mom that I felt like I had experienced a “golf breakthrough”. Then I thought about how this principle can be applied to any area of our lives. It’s the “what you focus on grows” theory. This is the updated and trendier version of “practice … [Read more...]

Tips for Real Financial Peace

August 15, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

The first step to becoming a financial woman is to decide why your money matters to you. One of the steps in this process is to look at every aspect of the life you have created up to now, and then define who you want to be: your style, your life, your dreams, and your goals; define what matters to you. Examine your entire lifestyle: the car, the clothes, the jewelry, the boat, the career, the hobbies, the home and especially the job. Revisit it all because maybe the mindset that made those choices years ago is no longer valid, and maybe your precious time and money are supporting … [Read more...]

Try the Gratitude Attitude with Money Matters

June 30, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

This week I am taking my younger son to college far from home with such bittersweet feelings. I will only see him every few months. I am realizing that when the youngest child leaves home, it is a real life change. I do, however, feel wonderful gratitude that: He is able to do college level work We have the college funds so that he can attend He wants to pursue this endeavor What three huge blessings! When I start to feel sadness creep in, I immediately do a mindset shift to gratitude. This is working really well to get me through this otherwise emotionally challenging time. In fact, it … [Read more...]

Are you Platinum and Diamonds or Silver and Turquoise?

June 16, 2011 By Camille Gaines Leave a Comment

Personal finance all begins with your very own money reasons. This has become more evident as I have worked with women at Financial Woman. Before we talk about investing basics, such as stocks, net worth or increasing income, we need to first look at why money matters. These reasons create the rich life you want; they call you to pay attention to your money so you can accomplish what matters to you. I like to call this your money reasons. Today I want to reflect on personal style, since clothes, jewelry and shoes are common areas where women spend in ways that don’t support the life they … [Read more...]