What if there were a way to increase your cash flow without starting a second job, changing careers, or getting a raise?

If you’re like many, that sounds exactly like what you and your family need! Who wouldn’t want some extra money coming in? It might seem like pie in the sky, but it’s not a fantasy.

Earning a passive income is more achievable than you might realize. Read on to discover how passive incomes work, what makes them so advantageous, and common ways to create them.

In general, a passive income is cash flow that requires little to no regular effort to create and maintain.

That’s not to say that they don’t require work. But the labor involved in opening a passive income stream is normally upfront—you spend time and/or money in the beginning to set up the income stream, then sit back and reap the rewards as time goes on.

It’s an advantageous model because it can potentially free up your time—which is the most valuable resource you have.

But be warned—not all opportunities to create passive income are created equal. Here are a few proven strategies for you to consider!

Create digital products.

EBooks, online courses, stock photos, and stock music are all passive income generators. They require initial time investments to create and publish, but then earn you money as users buy them over time.

Rent out property.

Renting is a classic source of passive income. It requires money upfront to buy the property—and maybe time and more money for renovations. But once rent starts coming in, they’re income sources that don’t require your daily attention. (Note: Becoming a landlord may have other costs involved, like repairs or replacing old equipment or appliances.)

Build a team of sales professionals.

This is the hidden gem of passive income. There’s a starting commitment of time to learn about your market and how to close sales. Then you’ll need to create a team of salespeople. Every time they make a sale, you earn a portion of the profit. Once you’ve mastered the basics, the sky’s the limit for how much passive income you can potentially earn!

If having a passive income stirs your interest, let me know. We can review your financial position, skills, and the opportunities available and see which one might work best for you!

Jobs are temporary. A career is a journey.

It represents the time and effort you spend working to master a particular field and may span multiple individual jobs.

But, as with any journey, you’ll face hazards and setbacks along the way. Here are two potentially harmful mindsets that can become roadblocks to your professional success,

Career-identity confusion.

Careers are important. Excellence is important. They provide metrics to evaluate your success. But neither defines your worth as a person. It doesn’t make you a failure if a career doesn’t work out like you had imagined it would. Likewise, scoring a huge sale or landing a promotion doesn’t increase your fundamental value.

Finding your meaning and purpose gives you the resilience to withstand temporary setbacks and keep pushing forward.

Perfectionism.

Perfectionism is linked with numerous mental health issues.¹ It’s no wonder why. Demanding perfection from yourself and others is a surefire way to be consistently disappointed. And when you don’t meet your own self-imposed standards, it can feel absolutely devastating and paralyzing.

Instead of pushing yourself to the breaking point and berating yourself over failures, take a moment to own up to your mistakes and then forgive yourself. Don’t let life’s hiccups define you and your life. In fact, they can be vital opportunities to learn and expand your perspective. But that wisdom is only accessible once you release the drive to be perfect.

The key to navigating a career is perspective. Perspective allows you to see what matters and what’s insignificant. Examine your motives. Why are you pursuing your career? Is it because you’re passionate about it? Because it provides for your family? Because it can make you lots of money? Once you set your eye on your higher goals and calling, it becomes much easier to avoid toxic mindsets that may threaten your career and success.

So you’ve just started your first job. Congratulations!

Whether you’re a highschool student working a cash register or a fresh-out-of-college graduate who just landed a cubicle, a first job often comes with a steep learning curve. But don’t let that weigh you down! This is your once in a lifetime opportunity to start your financial journey strong and develop skills that will last you throughout your career.

Here are two simple steps you can take to make the most of your first job.

Start saving. A first paycheck is a magical thing. It makes you feel like the hard work has finally paid off and you’re a real adult. You might just become unstoppable now that you’ve got a regular income!

But that empowerment will be fleeting if you spend everything you earn.

It’s absolutely critical that you begin saving money the moment your first paycheck arrives. This practice will go far in establishing healthy money habits that can last a lifetime. Plus, the sooner you start saving, the more time your money has to grow via compound interest. What seems like a pittance today can grow into the foundation of your future wealth if you steward it properly!

Evaluate your performance. There’s much that you can learn about yourself by studying your job performance. You’ll get an idea of strengths that you can leverage and weaknesses that you need to work on.

But most importantly, you might discover moments when you’re “in the zone”. You’ll know what that means when you feel it. Time slows down (or speeds up), you’re totally focused on the task at hand, and you’re having fun.

That feeling is like a compass. It helps point you in the direction of what you’re supposed to do with your life. Do you get in the zone when you’re working on a certain task? With a group of people? Helping others succeed? Pay close attention to when you’re feeling energized at work and delivering quality results… and when you’re not!

Above all, keep an open mind. Your first job might introduce a passion you’ll pursue for the rest of your life… or it might not. And that’s okay! Whatever it is and wherever it leads, be sure to save as much as you can and to pay attention to what you like. You’ll be better positioned both financially and personally to pursue your dreams when the time comes to make your next move!

“Money can buy you happiness.”

Well, not exactly. But money CAN help remove stressors that impact your happiness.

A new study by Penn State University revealed that happiness increases with income. On the surface, that may appear obvious.

But in fact, people who equated their self-worth with money were LESS satisfied with their lives.

So it’s not the money itself that brings happiness.

Instead, money can provide security and freedom. It helps eliminate the fear of going without, and opens up choices for how to live your life.

Think of it as a foundation for investing in the things that matter most, like…

- Your relationships - Your career - Your life mission

If you only take one thing away from this article, let it be this…

Money itself isn’t the goal. It’s a tool to help you achieve your goals.

So keep your eyes on what matters most, like your family and mission. Then, take an inventory of ways money can help you safeguard and pursue the things you value. That’s how money can help you “buy” happiness.

Starting your own business can be a challenge.

It will test your talents, your mental toughness, and your ability to adapt. And those tests—if you pass them—can spark extraordinary growth.

Here are four ways entrepreneurship will change you.

You’ll develop self reliance.

Entrepreneurs need to learn to solve their own problems, or fail. They don’t have a team to handle the daily grind of running a business.

Instead, new entrepreneurs handle everything from product development to accounting. It’s a stressful and high stakes juggling game.

But it can teach you a critical lesson: You’re far more resourceful than you thought. You’ll learn to stop waiting for help and start looking for solutions.

You’ll discover loyal friends.

One of the downsides of entrepreneurship is that it may expose toxic people in your circle. They’re the ones who might…

• Mock your new career
• Feel threatened by your success
• Try to one-up you when you share struggles

As you and your business grow, you may need to limit your interactions with them. They might be too draining on your emotional resources to justify long-term relationships.

Rather, your circle should reflect values like positivity, encouragement, and inspiration. Those new friends will support you through the highs and lows of entrepreneurship.

You’ll learn how to manage stress.

Late nights, hard deadlines, and high stakes are the realities for entrepreneurs.

To cope, you must build a toolkit of skills that can carry you through the hardest times. Otherwise, you may crack under the pressure and lose any progress you’ve made.

It comes down to one key question: Why do you want to be an entrepreneur?

Are you driven by insecurity? Or by vision?

If you’re trying to prove a point to yourself or others with your business, you may fall apart at the first hint of failure.

If you’re driven by vision, you’ll see failure as part of the process.

Examine your motivations. Over time, you’ll grow more aware of your insecurities. Talk about them with your friends, families, and mentors. As you bring them into the light, you may find they have less and less power.

Entrepreneurship can spark an explosion of professional personal growth. You’ll grow up. You may start with an employee mindset, but you’ll mature into a leader. That’s how entrepreneurship will change you.

P.S. If this seems daunting, start with a side hustle. It can ease you into the role of entrepreneurship without throwing you into the deep end too soon!

Financial literacy starts at home. And that’s why the crusade to disrupt the financial industry must begin with families.

If you’re a parent, you have the power to influence your kids more than anyone or anything else. Your child’s response to conflict, their career, their relationships, their hobbies, their values, their politics, the core of who they are can all be shaped by you, the parent.

The same is true of your mindset towards money. The way you deal with your finances can have a profound impact on how your children deal with theirs.

Research has shown that most people start learning about money by age 3. By age 7, their attitudes about money are set.¹

What do you remember between ages 3 and 7? Probably very little on the conscious level. But you may carry some of their habits around with you…

You probably remember if your parents had frugal or flippant attitudes about money.

You probably remember if your parents fought about money.

You probably remember trying to persuade your parents to buy you things… or if your words fell on deaf ears.

On some level, you probably feel all those things now when money comes up in conversation. When your stress vanishes after buying a new toy. Or your heart sinks when you check your bank account. Or you get a head rush of discomfort when your coworker starts talking about the size of their investment portfolio.

Here’s another fact—almost no one is happy with the financial education they got growing up. 83% of parents wish they had learned more about money when they were kids.²They’re eager to avoid mistakes from their own childhood. But there’s just one problem…

Do they actually know how money works?

It’s unlikely. A 2020 global survey revealed that only 15% of young adults were financially literate.1 Translation—85% of adults, through no fault of their own, are poised to repeat their own parents’ mistakes.

That’s why reaching families with financial education is foundational to our mission. If parents get a financial education, their children are far better positioned to build wealth. And if families can learn how money works together, they can remove emotional obstacles and grow closer together, as well.

That’s why financial education is central to my mission. Because once families know how money works, they’re far less likely to be taken advantage of. They start making decisions that favor their futures, not someone else’s.

And when that happens to enough families, the financial industry will never be the same.

Mastering a skill takes time, effort, and sometimes money.

Hours of dedicated learning, training, and mentorship are required to move from amateur to expert. But who has the time for that? Most of us are still figuring out our careers or how to be a better parent or partner. With our busy lives, acquiring an additional skill—no matter how beneficial or fulfilling it may be—can seem like a fantasy.

But what if there were a way to quickly become competent at a skill?

It turns out that there are some simple steps you can take to jumpstart your learning process. Here are some tips for quick skill acquisition!

Work backwards.

Skills are typically composed of smaller processes. For instance, playing a song on piano requires a few different abilities. You must be able to move each finger to the right keys at the right time, you should probably know how to read music, and possess a sense of when to play more loudly or softly. Trying to play a song without some command of those capabilities can feel overwhelming or impossible!

That’s why it’s useful to start with the end product and work backwards to discover the little skills you need to master. Once you see the micro-processes involved, you can start working forward. This might feel silly at first. Jumping between the same few notes over and over again until you’ve got them down isn’t the most glamorous endeavor! But it lays the foundation for a more complicated and satisfying skill that will pay off in the long run.

Expect roadblocks.

It’s easy to think making progress will be a straight line. We’re building up our little skills, getting better and better with each practice session. But pretty soon we hit a wall. There’s a problem that seems we can’t overcome. We might even start backsliding or feeling like we’re getting worse!

Don’t sweat a roadblock. It’s perfectly normal to hit a plateau when you’re trying to acquire a skill. Take a break from practice, go for a walk or take a nap, and get back to it with a fresh perspective. You might be surprised by how much learning occurs when you allow your brain to relax and process.

Don’t multitask.

As nice as it sounds, multitasking simply does not work. There’s overwhelming evidence that it actually slows down your brain and wildly reduces efficiency.¹ Multitasking must be avoided at all costs when you’re trying to quickly learn a new skill. Try setting aside some undistracted time every morning or evening for a few weeks to work on your skill. That means leaving your phone in another room, turning off the TV, and telling your family that you’ll be busy for a while. Get in the zone and start practicing!

An hour every evening for a month won’t transform you into a Picasso. You’re not shooting to be a virtuoso. Instead, these tips and strategies may help you quickly acquire competence in just about anything you set your mind to. So draw up a list of some skills you want to develop and start learning!

Advice about trying not to care what others think about you ranges from inane to utterly insane.

Almost no one will tell you that you should care what others think. Instead, you hear platitudes like “marching to the beat of your own drum”, or “just do you.”

You might even hear something counterintuitive like, “People will like you more if you don’t care about their opinions.”

What? You should stop caring about what others think so they’ll like you more? It’s a bald-faced contradiction at best, deceptively manipulative at worst.

The simple fact is that, unless you’re a diagnosed psychopath, you’ll care what others think about you. And that’s a good thing. It can stop you from alienating people in your life with bizarre decisions or unnecessary antagonism.

But is there such a thing as an unhealthy obsession with the opinions of others? Yes! Analysis paralysis, social anxiety, and unmeasured decisions can all result.

But that shouldn’t lead to a fluffy kitchen countertop quote about “one’s own sweet way.”

Instead of jettisoning all your social concerns, try this—prioritize your values over all.

Let’s say that one of your values is maintaining healthy relationships. That requires care about what someone else thinks of you—without their love and respect, the relationship is doomed to fail.

But you may discover other values, like protecting the well-being of the ones you love. That might mean making hard decisions that, in the short-term, lower the opinions of others.

This isn’t just advice for your personal life—it can benefit your career as well.

For instance, if you’re an employee, you should care about your boss’s opinion of you. That doesn’t mean being a doormat or suck-up. It simply means that you would do well to pay attention to their instruction, make sure you’re on top of things, and show them you’re honest, responsible, and a hard worker. This may lead to a promotion, a raise, and being known as a reliable team member.

The same is true for entrepreneurs. It’s hard to land and keep clients if you’re oblivious to their feelings toward you.

That’s not an excuse for tolerating mistreatment by customers, which is common among new entrepreneurs. Instead, it’s a call to know your own worth, to discover what you value, and then actually serve your clients.

The takeaway? “Don’t care about what others think” is short-sighted, selfish advice.

Instead, explore your values. Discover what matters most. And build your life around those principles. They’ll bring far greater cohesion—and happiness—than ignoring other people and running head-long into the void.

Graduating from college is a huge transition.

It’s the end of nearly two decades of classrooms, tests, essays, late nights, and early mornings, but it’s the start of your full-fledged independence.

That move isn’t always easy. We face a huge number of unknowns when we leave the hallowed halls of the university and enter the dog-eat-dog “real world.” What kind of job will I end up with? Where will I live? What will my coworkers be like? How well will I adjust to a totally new routine? Those are important questions that don’t always have clear answers. However, there are some things you can do that will help navigate your post-graduation world. These aren’t magic antidotes, just helpful steps that might bring some stability and order to your experience!

Create a vision

Having a career vision is essential. It can provide structure and a sense of purpose. Decisions can be weighed by how much they move you towards realizing your goals, which can help give you clarity when making tough calls.

Keep your vision as specific and precise as possible. That dream of working at a prestigious law firm and wearing designer suits every day? Take it and drill down on the details. What kind of law do you want to practice? What’s your dream city? How high up on the ladder do you want to climb? Be honest with yourself about what you really want.

It’s also important to develop a time frame for your goals. Think about a 5 to 10 year time frame and see what you think is realistic!

Map out your path

Now it’s time to map out how you’ll make your vision a reality. What needs to happen for you to get that promotion or end up in the city you want to experience?

The first step is research. Your dream position might require a master’s degree or special licensing that you can’t afford just yet. Maybe you need some time in the field before moving up. Break down exactly what needs to happen, and when, for you to achieve your goal. Sometimes it’s best to start with the goal itself and deconstruct it into smaller and smaller pieces that are easier to manage. Start checking off those little steps until your goal looks more and more achievable!

It’s also a good idea to find a mentor to guide you. Ideally this would be someone who’s undertaken this journey themselves! They’ll have insights into roadblocks that you’ll face and little tips that can make all the difference.

Maximize positivity

No plan is perfect. We’ll always overlook a detail, not factor in a risk, or overestimate our ability to handle something. It’s easy to get discouraged when those things go wrong. It can make your dream feel unattainable, and you might start to doubt yourself. But rolling with those punches and not getting discouraged by setbacks is essential to achieving your goal. Take a step back, assess the situation, learn from your mistakes, and get back to the grind. You might have to adjust your expectations and even re-evaluate your process. That’s fine! Do what you need to do and get back to work once you’ve hammered out the details.

Remember that flexibility is key. Your passion for a certain type of work or field of study might cool off as the years go by. You might find that your goal of becoming an alpha executive conflicts with your goal of being an available parent. Don’t push those hard decisions off until tomorrow. Do some serious soul searching about what matters to you today, make some goals, figure out a process, and don’t let little failures get you down!

Imagination is underrated.

We live in a world of dollars and cents, ones and zeros, and cold, hard facts. Dreams and hopes are great, but results will always be our number one priority.

But what if your imagination mattered?

What if your mind’s eye actually held the key to success? There’s strong evidence that actually visualizing certain outcomes can reduce stress and empower you to achieve your goals and dreams. It might sound like voodoo, but it’s actually not! Here’s how it works.

Mind and Muscle

Your brain is connected to your body. Your brain registers things that happen to your arms and legs and ears and lets you know if they’re good or bad. A soft blanket? Good! Stubbing your toe? Bad!

But the connection between your brain and body goes both ways. Imagining an action in your mind can actually improve your performance in real life. There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence for this; legends like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Muhammad Ali.¹ ² But there’s also research to back it up. People who imagined exercising certain muscles gained almost as much strength as people who physically exercised!³

Visualization can also reduce stress. Studies have found that novice surgeons and police officers who receive imagery training feel less stress and have less objective stress.⁴

Some visualization tips

Imagining yourself on a generic island paradise in 15 years is just daydreaming. The key to effective visualization is specificity. Be as precise as possible. Break down how you’ll achieve your goal or throw that game-winning pass into as many tiny movements as possible, and imagine how you’ll execute each one. Incorporate your senses; what will you smell and hear when you finally achieve that goal?

Verbal affirmations can also help with this visualization process. Take a page from Muhammad Ali, and tell yourself that you’re the greatest every morning before you get breakfast! Even better, say your goal out loud before you go to bed or eat lunch. Writing up a mission statement that you read daily or making a vision board of images that inspire you are also ways to boost your visualization!

Just remember that one of the key strengths of visualization is that you can do it anywhere. Develop your goals, make them as specific as possible, and then start imagining!

What gets you more motivated—the reward or the process?

That’s the question that divides intrinsic motivation from extrinsic motivation. And learning the difference could salvage your career from disaster.

Why? Because different motivation types are useful in different circumstances.

Intrinsic motivation is process focused. It comes from the sense of satisfaction from a job well done. It’s why you keep coming back to hobbies you love, or why you’re compelled to work on that project even when it’s not required. You do it for the love of the game.

Extrinsic motivation is reward focused. It comes from the anticipation or acquisition of something tangible, like a trophy, a raise, praise, or a bonus. It’s the reason you put up with a high paying job you hate, or why you grind out those extra reps at the gym. You do it for the payoff.

Intrinsic motivation is internal, while extrinsic motivation is external.

Here’s the strategic difference—intrinsic motivation is powerful long-term, extrinsic motivation is powerful short-term.

Think about it. How long can you really tolerate that awful job? Eventually, it’ll wear you down, no matter the pay. It will tax your mental health, your relationships, and your quality of life. Trying to leverage reward motivation over the long-term is a recipe for burnout.

That being said, it’s excellent if you need a burst of energy. “Just a few more months, and then I’ll be debt free. I can make it.” Extrinsic motivation is often what we rely on to push through short-term challenges.

By contrast, intrinsic motivation can provide powerful groundwork for planning long-term goals. What are the hobbies and activities you find inherently rewarding? Are they career oriented? Family focused? That’s where you should focus your long-term energy.

We all know that work can be stressful. But did you know that it can actually kill you?

Workplace stress has been linked to a wide range of health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. It can also lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.¹ And worst of all, it can even lead to death—an article from 2012 reported that women in high-stress jobs were 40% more likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke.²

That’s right—long hours at the office, tight deadlines and “crunch sessions,” those berating speeches from your boss, they all add up. And they may have lethal consequences.

So what can you do about it? Here are some tips:

1. Talk to your boss. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, discuss it with your boss and see if there’s anything that can be done to lighten the load.

It’s no small task. For many, their boss is the source of the stress! That’s why it’s critical to prepare beforehand. Write down how you’re feeling and how work stress is affecting your life. Come up with a few ways your boss can help.

Often, these conversations go better than expected. A good manager will realize that pushing employees to the brink is a foolish strategy.

But know this—there’s a real chance they won’t get it. Worse still, they may blame someone else, or even you, for the problem. In that case, it might be time to consider a new opportunity.

2. Take breaks. When you’re feeling stressed, take a few minutes to yourself to relax and rejuvenate. Go for a walk—it’s the go-to strategy for great writers and artists. Download a meditation app and take a 10-minute breathing session.

The key is consistency. Taking routine breaks at the same time every day not only gives you something to look forward to, it also normalizes taking a break in the eyes of your boss.

Again, if your boss gives you grief for taking care of yourself, it’s time to consider moving to a new job.

3. Get organized. Make a list of your tasks and priorities, and try to tackle them one at a time. Break large projects into small components that you can knock out piece by piece.

Why? Because feeling overwhelmed can be a huge part of being stressed. You know the feeling—you see a reminder that you need to finish a large project and your heart sinks. Suddenly, all you can think about is how much you have to do in such little time. Often, it feels easier to shut those feelings down and procrastinate, which only makes the problem worse.

When you have a plan of action, it’s much easier to stay calm and focused. You know exactly what needs to be done and when, so you can put your mind at ease and get to work. And knocking out small pieces of the project motivates you to keep pushing forward.

4. Stay healthy. Exercise regularly, eat a balanced diet, and get enough sleep.

It’s tough to stay healthy when you’re feeling stressed, but it’s important. Exercise releases endorphins, which have mood-boosting effects. Eating nutritious foods can help keep your energy levels up and your mind clear. And getting enough sleep helps you stay alert and focused during the day.

If you can’t seem to make time for your health, try this: schedule your workouts into your calendar, just like you would any other meeting. And set a bedtime alarm to remind you when it’s time to turn in for the night.

5. Seek help if needed. If you’re struggling with stress and it’s impacting your health, work, or personal life, it may be time to seek professional help.

There are many great therapists who specialize in stress and anxiety. They can help you develop healthy coping strategies, establish boundaries, and manage your stress in a more productive way.

In the end, workplace stress is a real threat to your health—and maybe even your life. But by taking some proactive steps, you can help protect yourself from its harmful effects. So don’t wait—start making some changes today.

Do you have a hobby that you really love? Could you use a little extra cash?

What if you could get paid for doing something that you already enjoy doing? We’re all good at something. Many people have turned their hobbies into a side business as a way to earn extra money. For nearly everyone, there’s a topic they know well or a skill they have that many other people don’t have. That niche can spell opportunity – and a chance to turn something you enjoy doing anyway into a money-maker.

Depending on the type of hobby you want to monetize, your startup expenses may be quite low. For writing, coding, or graphic design, you might only need a laptop or tablet – something you may already have. If your hobby is fixing up old cars, however, you might need a place to do the work – possibly adding to the expense. For that scenario, you could check out the possibility of putting in a couple of Saturdays per month at a local shop to help save on rent and insurance costs.

With a little ingenuity, you might be able to earn $10 to $40 (or maybe more) per hour doing work you enjoy. Artists can earn extra money by selling arts and crafts items through virtual stores on specialized websites. Freelance writers, coders, designers, and even teachers can find work as well on similar type websites that bring clients and service providers together. If you have a knack for knowing what’s valuable, you may be able to turn garage sale and estate sale buys into a rewarding online business on any popular consumer-to-consumer and/or business-to-consumer sales website. (Hint: If this is something you’d like to try, start out small. Concentrate on one type of item that might be near and dear to you, like brass musical instruments, or antique mason jars.)

The old saying that asserts “knowledge is power” applies here as well. Let’s say your childhood fascination with dinosaurs never quite went extinct. Maybe there’s a successful educational blog or a YouTube channel in your future. Technology has given us the power to reach a larger audience than ever before and to bring our knowledge to anyone who wants to learn more. Sharing what you know can be monetized in many ways and – if you love doing it – you might not feel like you’re working at all!

Do your research and understand any legal or insurance requirements that may apply to the area you want to get into, but don’t let a little legwork bar the way to your next great endeavor – even if it just starts as a side gig.

You’ve probably heard it dozens of times—everyone is ready for the return to ‘normal.’

And nothing screams normal like the office. The messy desks, the long commute, the last-minute requests from your boss, even those boring meetings—they all may appear oddly comforting after a year spent at home.

But beware. The return to normal might start off exciting, but you may find that the novelty is wearing off before too long. You might rediscover certain things about the 9-to-5 life that drag you down.

If that’s where you find yourself, mark it well. It may mean that your work location isn’t the problem—it’s the job itself.

That’s because it doesn’t matter whether you work from home or in an office if your career is being stifled by your job. A toxic work dynamic or disadvantageous model will drain you even if you’re working from a beach in the tropics!

So if you go back to the office and nothing changes, it may be time to find a new opportunity, one that offers…

• Unlimited potential for income growth
• Flexibility of time and location
• Control over your success

So as you go back to the office, keep your eyes open. If you’re still dissatisfied with your job, contact me. We can explore opportunities for you to break the mold and pursue your own path.

1.82 billion people log in to Facebook every day.¹ Apple has now sold over 2.2 billion iPhones.² Google processes 2 trillion searches every year.³

And – perhaps the most difficult to believe of them all – the world hotdog eating record stands at 75 dogs in 10 minutes.⁴ I apologize ahead, but just visualize that. Seven hotdogs down the hatch every minute.

Here’s another number that’s almost beyond comprehension: 64% of Americans have less than $10,000 in retirement savings.⁵ You read that correctly. Substantially over half of Americans will reach what should be the finish line of their careers and have almost nothing to show for it. They’ll be forced to either downsize their dreams or trade a retirement on a beach for more hours in a cubicle.

Why share these hard to believe numbers? To motivate you – at whatever age you are today – that you can start saving more right now. If you want to have a million dollars at the age of 65, how much do you need to start saving every month? That depends on your current age. If you’re 25, you’ll need to save a minimum of $158.12 per month. At 35, the amount jumps to $442.00 per month. At 45, it’s $1,317 monthly. At 55, you’ll have to save $4,882.00 per month. And at 60, you’d have to save $12,913.00 every month.

How much do you need to save to hit your goals? What’s the right financial vehicle to help you do it? Getting the answers to these questions right is absolutely critical. Don’t wait to find the answers. Contact me, and let’s get to work on a strong insurance strategy.

There is no denying that COVID-19 has changed what can be considered “normal”.

We didn’t think how fragile chatting around the water cooler at work, having a meal in your favorite restaurant whenever you wanted, or going to the movies on the weekend really were. But months of shutdowns, social distancing, and required mask-wearing have made us feel it. Life is definitely different from what it was in February 2020.

And that’s where your opportunity lies.

Despite the negative ramifications, COVID-19 has created the chance you’ve been waiting for to live life on your own terms. Here’s how you bounce back from the pandemic stronger than ever and poised to pursue your dreams.

Decide Where You Want To Live. You’ve seen the headlines; people are fleeing cities like New York and Los Angeles for suburbs or even totally new states¹⁺². Those trends aren’t necessarily new, but there’s no doubt that COVID-19 has accelerated the process. And it makes sense when you think about it. Cities are convenient. People are willing to live there and often pay absurd rent because it places them near job opportunities. But months of lockdowns and surging unemployment have either shattered traditional career dreams or shown workers they can function anywhere with an internet connection. Why live somewhere expensive that you don’t like with no jobs?

But the mass urban exodus is also the opportunity of a lifetime. First, remember that you can work anywhere in the world that has an internet connection. You’re no longer tied to the eastern seaboard or California if you want a high paying job. Second, those ex-city dwellers have gotten used to services and amenities. Meeting those demands in a smaller city where property can be cheaper and taxes can be lower has huge upside potential. All you have to do is identify where you want to live and determine the opportunity level. Love mountains and fast internet? Check out Chattanooga, the “Gig City” of the south! Durham, North Carolina has a low population density paired with a huge demand for college degrees.³ And Iowa, once thought to be a cornfield disguised as a state, has a booming economy and awesome culture.⁴ The point isn’t that you should move to a remote part of the midwest and flee civilization (though that’s always an option). It’s that opportunity is more accessible than ever from anywhere in the country and is only limited by your imagination and courage. So why not investigate that small town or mid-sized city you may have never considered before? Now is the time to explore your options!

Build A Business. You’ve always wanted to build a business. And the COVID-19 pandemic has created the perfect opportunity to become an entrepreneur. Before you think it, let me just say—I know it sounds crazy. Starting a business is risky in the best of times, much less after economic shutdowns and a massive market decline. Plus, the pandemic has shot our collective anxiety levels through the roof!⁵ It can feel like there are uncountable roadblocks between you and pursuing your dream of being a business owner.

That’s why you have to be strategic about what type of business you start. Remember, the key to making money is problem solving. The larger the problem you solve, the more money you can potentially make. You probably won’t have to think too long and hard to come up with a list of ways you can help people for a dollar. Real estate agents, for instance, are helping families relocate outside the big city. Food delivery services are helping people stranded at home satisfy their pizza cravings. Do some research into a problem you’re passionate about solving and try some brainstorming for solutions. And because of the economic climate, you might be one of the few people taking action to fix things instead of living in fear!

In short, there’s opportunity hidden in this pandemic. You can bounce back from this season of COVID-19 in a place you love with a business you’re passionate about. If you’re interested in starting a business, let me know! We can talk about some big problems that are facing Americans and how you can help solve them.

Graduating from college is a big deal.

It represents a transition from student to adult for millions of people. But leaving university and joining the workforce can be intimidating. Looking for a job, paying bills, commuting, and living independently are often uncharted territory for recent grads.

Here are a few tips for fresh graduates trying to get on their feet financially.

Figure out what you want <br> It’s one thing to leave college with an idea of what career you want to pursue. It’s something else entirely to ask yourself what kind of life you want. It’s one of those big issues that can be difficult even to wrap your head around!

However, it’s something that’s important to grapple with. It will help you answer questions like “What kind of lifestyle do I want to live” and “how much will it cost to do the things I want?” You might even find that you don’t really need some of the things that you thought were necessities, and that happiness comes from places you might not have expected.

Come up with a budget <br> Let’s say you’ve got a ballpark idea of your financial and lifestyle goals. It’s time to come up with a strategy. There are plenty of resources on starting a budget on this blog and the internet on the whole, but the barebones of budgeting are pretty simple. First, figure out how much you make, how much you have to spend, how much you actually spend, then subtract your total spending from how much you make. Get a positive number? Awesome! Use that leftover cash to start saving for retirement (it’s never too early!) or build up an emergency fund. Negative number? Look for places in your unnecessary spending to cut back and maybe consider a side hustle to make more money.

Looking at your spending habits can be difficult. But owning up to mistakes you might be making and coming up with a solid strategy can be far easier than the agony that spending blindly may bring. That’s why starting a budget is a post-graduation must!

Meet with a financial professional <br> Find a qualified and licensed financial professional and schedule an appointment. Don’t let the idea of meeting with a professional intimidate you. Afterall, you trust your health, car, and legal representation to properly trained experts. Why wouldn’t you do the same with your financial future?

Being scared of starting a new chapter of life is natural. There are a lot of new experiences and unknowns to deal with that come along with leaving the familiarity of college. But the best way to overcome fear is to face it head on. These tips are a great way to start taking control of your future!

Ever heard of the “Sandwich Generation”?

Unfortunately, it’s not a group of financially secure, middle-aged foodies whose most important mission is hanging out in the kitchens of their paid-off homes, brainstorming ideas about how to make the perfect sandwich. The Sandwich Generation refers to adults who find themselves in the position of financially supporting their grown children and their own parents, all while trying to save for their futures. They’re “sandwiched” between caring for both the older generation and the younger generation.

Can you relate to this? Do you feel like a PB&J that was forgotten at the bottom of a 2nd grader’s backpack?

If you feel like a sandwich, here are 3 tips to help put a wrap on that:

1. Have a plan. In an airplane, the flight attendants instruct us to put on our own oxygen mask before helping someone else put on theirs – this means before anyone, even your children or your elderly parents. Put your own mask on first. This practice is designed to help keep you and everyone else safe. Imagine if half the plane passed out from lack of oxygen because everyone neglected themselves while trying to help other people. When it comes to potentially having to support your kids and your parents, a tailored financial strategy that includes life insurance and contributing to a retirement fund will help you get your own affairs in order first, so that you can help care for your loved ones next.

2. Increase your income. For that sandwich, does it feel like there’s never enough mayonnaise? You’re always trying to scrape that last little bit from the jar. Increasing your income would help stock your pantry (figuratively, and also literally) with an extra jar or two. Options for a 2nd career are everywhere, and many entrepreneurial opportunities let you set your own hours and pace. Working part-time as your own boss while helping to get out of the proverbial panini press? Go for it!

3. Start dreaming again. You may have been in survival mode for so long that you’ve forgotten you once had dreams. What would you love to do for yourself or your family when you have the time and money? Take that vacation to Europe? Build that addition on to the house? Own that luxury car you’ve always wanted? Maybe you’d like to have enough leftover to help others pursue their goals.

It’s never too late to get the ball rolling on any of these steps. When you’re ready, feel free to give me a call. We can work together to quickly prioritize how you can start feeling less like baloney and more like a Monte Cristo.

“Opportunity cost” refers to what you can potentially lose by choosing one option over another – even when you aren’t thinking about it.

Nearly every choice you make precludes something else that might have been.

Opportunity cost exists in everything from relationships to finances to career choices, but here we’ll focus on that last one. Over a lifetime, the cost of career decisions can be massive.

The math
For opportunity costs that can be measured, usually in dollars, there’s even a math equation.

What I sacrifice / What I gain = Opportunity cost[i]

Let’s say you have two career choices. One is to work as a mechanic at $50 per hour and the other is to work as a karate instructor at $20 per hour.

Opportunity A / Opportunity B = Opportunity cost

Here it is with numbers: $50 / $20 = $2.50

To translate that, for every $1 you earn as a karate instructor, you could have earned $2.50 as a mechanic. The ratio remains the same whether it’s for one hour worked or 1,000 hours worked because it’s based on earnings per hour.

Adding a time element
We can only work a certain number of hours in a week and we can only work for a certain number of years in a lifetime. Adding time into the discussion doesn’t change the math relationship between the opportunities but it does recognize real-world constraints. Sometimes these limits are by choice. You could be both a full-time mechanic and a full-time karate instructor, but most people don’t want to work 80 hours per week. Something has to give, and that’s where considering opportunity cost comes in.

If you only want to work 40 hours in a week, you’ll have to choose one career over the other or split your time between the two. But even in splitting your time, there is an opportunity cost. Think about it like this: Every hour spent in a lower paying job costs money if you had an opportunity to earn more doing something else.

The bigger picture
In our example using the mechanic vs. the karate instructor, the difference in annual income is over $60,000 per year ($104,000 minus $41,600). Over a 40-year working career, the difference in earnings is nearly $2.5 million, and it all happened one hour at a time.

Life balance
Your career choice shouldn’t just be about money – you should do something you enjoy and that gives you satisfaction. There may be several other considerations as well – like opportunity to travel, the kind of people you work with, and the greater contribution you can make to the world. However, if there are two choices that meet all your criteria but one pays a bit more, just do the math!

A LinkedIn study found that Millennials are likely to change jobs 4 times in their first 10 years out of college.*

That equates to landing a new job roughly every 2.5 years by age 32!

So if you’re feeling the itch to leave your current job and head out for a new adventure in the workforce, the experience you’ve gained along the way will go with you. You may have made some great business connections too, and gotten some fabulous on-the-job-training. All of these things will “travel well” to a new job.

But there’s one thing you can’t take with you: An employer-supplied life insurance policy. While the price is right at “free” for many of these policies, there are several drawbacks that may deter you from relying on them solely for coverage.

1. An employer-provided policy turns in its two weeks notice when you do. Since your employer owns the policy – not you – your coverage will end when you leave that job. And unless you’re walking right into another employment opportunity where you’re offered the same type and amount of coverage, you might experience gaps or a total loss of coverage in an area where you had it before. When you’re not depending on an employer to provide your only life insurance coverage, you can change jobs as often as you please without the worry of the rug being pulled out from under you.

2. The employer policy is touted as ‘one size fits most.’ But it’s not likely that a group policy offered through an employer will be tailored to you and your unique needs. There may be no room for you to chime in and request certain features or a rider you’re interested in. However, when you build your own policy around your individual needs, you can get the right coverage that suits who you are and where you’d like to go on your financial journey.

3. An employer policy may not offer enough to cover your family. What amount of coverage is your employer offering? When you’re first starting out in your career, a $50,000 or even a $25,000 employer-provided policy might sound like a lot. But how far would that benefit really go to protect your family, cover funeral costs, or help with daily expenses if something were to happen to you?

Whether or not your 5-year plan includes 5 different jobs (or 5 entirely unrelated career paths), with a well-tailored policy that you own independent of your employment situation – you have the potential for a little more freedom and security in your financial strategy. And you won’t be starting from square one just because you’re starting a new opportunity.