A dogs keen set of senses and perception are amazing, whether you believe in it or not, the old story; “Everything I Ever Needed to Know About Kindergarten, I Learned From My Dog“  applies to much more than just kindergarten. A dogs unique set of senses are an extraordinary example of the statement wealth and wisdom go hand in hand, you can’t have one without the other. In fact you probably haven’t taken into account all of the variables that come into play. Inevitably you make choices based on intuition, no matter how much you ignore or dismiss that very fact. Intuition alone is a good indicator of your wisdom when it comes to making critical decisions everyday. For instance that decision to or not to make a hasty purchase, reaction to someone, take a turn down a different street and so on.

Even if they aren’t related to financial decisions directly they improve upon your ability to make actions based on fact mixed with logic. Here’s an brilliant example of just this very scenario. I decided to undergo some very critical thinking decisions about certain areas of my life and my business as well as the outcomes I want to see for my family, my colleagues and my most authentic friends.

I had had some serious changes take place in my life, with turbulent activity taking place I had to take cover in new and uncharted territories. It was like paradise island in one aspect and total nightmare on the other. Nothing murderous just privacy, new rules, new ideas for creativity and the most enthusiastic attitude I could muster up and hold onto.

The first couple of weeks were difficult to transition in to, moving a 3^rd person into a one man office was a task that took so much choreography, artistic talent and a strong virtue of trust, patience and understanding. I’ll go into that story another time what I really want to cover here is the topic of wealth and wisdom. I chose a different path to pursue looking for new ideas I could adapt to my own business, what started to happen was and still is purely amazing.

I managed to partner up with a 20 year veteran San Francisco Radio DJ, who is coming out of a retirement for a second round with a whole new eco-centered format with one of the top agencies in the world. They’re begging him to come back and offering him everything he wants on a gold platter. In the mean time I have managed to align myself with him on multiple ventures including advertising on his media platforms.

That doesn’t excite me, what gets my heart racing and revving to go is a project that will help thousands even millions of dogs and help their owners too. I have a very large role in this project as I am the acting CFO and affiliate manager. We are commencing forward with a proposed launch date of October 1^st 2009. This isn’t a business this is a purpose that makes sense, imagine viewing hundreds of written and soon to be converted to video passionate testimonials from dog lovers who have witnessed holistic miracles with their own eyes.

My dog bear was laid to rest at the beginning of this month. I has saddened me deeply, I really miss him. I also miss my own space and domain. Sorry to hit the emotional nerve there I really do miss him. Here’s really what I want you to take away from all of this. The wisdom behind this profound new discovery is simple.

You take something that is already working, for example, the dog products have been around since 1992 that’s 15 years. The product manufacturer Sam is a dynamic, charismatic gentleman; he’s so pleasant to work with and just as excited as all us partners included. This is the first step of wisdom I mentioned intuition, now the second is in motion that’s planning, implement changes, set up testing and create massive action in an organized idealized fashion.

Here’s that formula in action…

We identified a viable way to engage someone whom needed some improvement.

Do you own a dog or a cat, maybe more than one? Are you interested in learning about ways to naturally improve your dogs health, degenerative diseases such as dysplasia, Arthritis, OCD and other conditions that cause them suffering with joints, elbows and hocks? Would you be interested in providing your dog(s) or cat(s) the experience of immediate and long-term relief without drugs or surgery?

Here are some quick check symptoms that can occur with the above conditions. Check and see if your precious companion is experiencing any of these symptoms listed below

Change in appetite
Change in behavior
Muscle atrophy
Lagging behind
Yelping when touched
Limping

We use a combination of three natural formulas developed by a Naturopathic Doctor for his own dog. No side effects, because it’s all just good whole food. No dosage problems because the body uses only what it needs. And now, with the latest product release, the formula is showing results that are even more successful.

Our team made an offer

“We would like to market your products, we are a group of eco-friendly entrepreneurs, we have a community of loyal followers who many of them happen to own dogs. Some of us are using your product and we have been for several years.”

I made an offer to the team

I will handle the roles of Affiliate Manager and CFO since my background is finance. Affiliate management takes quite a bit of talent to manage and run all of the areas required to start and design a program from the ground up.

My offer was accepted

Now I am involved heavily with time dedicated to this project

I am molding and setting up someone else’s business, with a clear thought out plan of action combined with grass roots activity connecting with something we all enjoy out pet’s. It brings me back to the days when I was a child everything was very different then. Life was simple and fun. That’s exactly where I want you to be when you read this today.

I’ve made myself very happy with some of the decisions I have decided to do. I will still keep you updated while http://RyanWegman.Com and the blog both go under the knife in the near future. I’m having evasive procedures done with HTML PHP and CSS soon after the new year. One project at a time. Always remember wealth is a concept that makes the mind choose from the heart

As I mentioned we are at the pre launch phase and seeking affiliates aggressively, if you or anyone you know owns a dog or a cat please let them know we want to get to meet them. Have them email me at basecampjv@gmail.com or call me at 925.246.2121 I’d be glad to speak with you or them.

• You can't tell people what to do I was watching the Bill Maher show last night and wow what an amazing delivery of realism and truth. You know when you catch certain conversations that lighten your spirit and open you eyes to a new idea or set of care values. So many people live jaded and......
• It's almost time to remove the veil I can here the music playing of the pipe organ in the back with the familiar tune ringing from deep within. The sounds of wedding chimes, no n really it's the sound of a more modern up to date sound. One that's familiar in factthis sounds is so familiar that......
• Retirement of a giant and the rise of future leaders Retirement of a giant and the rise of future leaders I looked as if I was a deer staring in the headlights when I opened the news this morning. You see I have been buried in tons of different activities and meetings over the last several weeks as I have......
• Why Network Marketing, Marketing and Internet marketing are changing the world around us When it comes to business and life opportunities I should head to one warning. Once bitten twice shy should be the order of the day. You see I had always wanted to start my own profitable business and be the one stop shop for everyone. The problem is I couldn't......
• Finding Wealth in a Title Leads to Great Success Here we are again back at the stage of mindset and ownership of one's positioning. I ran across this brief article and I thought this may bea great eye opener for you.Calling Yourself a Family First Entrepreneur is a Guiding Light | Marc WarnkeCalling Yourself a Family First Entrepreneur is......

• making a choice and moving on If you're older than 3, you've probably had your fair share of worries here and there. You've worried about whether you should play marbles or chess, whether you should try out for the basketball team or not, whether you should ask Susie or Phyllis to the prom or whether......
• Keep Your Money to Yourself Part 3: Supplement Your Income When trying to increase your cash flow and thereby keep your money to yourself, it is important to find ways that can supplement your income without having to spend too much time or effort on your part. Not only does this help ease the burden in troubled times, but it......
• Building Your Own Gym At Home pt 3 Why spend all that money on a gym membership when you end up making up excuses not to go every week? Why not build your own home gym where you can work out comfortably in your own home? Here is part three of a three part guide to building your......
• Best Home Improvement Projects It might just be time for you to treat yourself to some really nice home improvement projects. Some of the best home improvement projects that you can implement are going to involve your bathroom, which should be a comfortable and relaxing space that you can take advantage of. There are......
• The Benefits of Frugal Living. This is a guest post from Matt, a 33 year old IT manager and blogger who is passionate about helping himself and others get out of debt. He writes about personal finance and debt-free living at Debt Free Adventure. To connect with Matt visit his blog, subscribe to his RSS......

E Waste, mortgages, Wall Street, credit derivatives, rising credit deficit and the bet against America. I was watching 60 Minutes last night, it was very disturbing to learn exactly what has been going on both in the technology sector as well as the financial markets. Both topics showed me a sign of the moral ethics and behaviors behind many of the top financial companies and their destructive agendas.

Let’s start with E Waste, a group of journalists went to a waste re cycler in Colorado, the owner made a statement of how green and environmentally friendly their company was. He continued to describe how the difference of eco-conscious and environmentally different their operation was compared to the other recyclers in the business.

As the news reporters furthered their investigation they noticed a shipping container filled with CRT monitors which contain an enormous amount of lead and other environmentally hazardous chemical compounds that are literally being leached into our precious Earth.

The reporters followed the container(s) loaded with the Cathode Ray Tubes to a port in Hong Kong, China. After arrival the 60 minutes crew got into contact with the Mayor who showed them one and only one facility where dismantling of electronics were taking place. The Mayor soon returned the crew to his office and promptly had then escorted out of town.

As persistent as journalists can be they returned the very next day in a different car and out on a different path. This road led them to what can be describes at the cesspool of the world. Tons of Cathode Ray Tubes, monitors, electronic circuit boards, and various other hazardous materials were being broken down with archaic methods of disassembly.

The mortality, miscarriage and illness rates are astronomically high in this region. As the anchor stated we are living in the 21^st century and using medieval methods to recycle these parts and by doing so we are poisoning the Earth and ourselves at the same time. As the investigation revealed there were 42 other companies involved in the illegal exportation scheme.

Next we moved into the mortgage markets ,this directly relates to the toxicity I was just speaking about just purely in a different manner. You see if you haven’t been paying attention to the events that have unfolded over the last year you’re missing out on a critical piece of information. Our experts that have been watching all of the economic crisis take place are baffled. They have no clue on the extent of damage that will be caused by their actions.

You see this gigantic market implosion was all a plan, a scheme created by a piece of legislation; rather a removal of a law in legislation that allowed Wall Street to basically create a giant run away Ponzi scheme with the American public. These debts called credit derivatives “a form of legalized gambling” are basically illegal. It’s a bet against the American economics and mortgage markets. Wall street knew what was going on however these consumer credit defaults ran away to a scope of 52 Trillion dollars.

Failures of complicated mortgages securities, failure of credit default swaps (private insurance contracts that paid off if the mortgage went bad.) You could literally buy insurance against these mortgages if you thought these swaps were going to fail you basically bought protection from the projected failures without having to actually own the mortgage securities.

Basically a bucket shop operation, or commonly known as a bookie operation. This exemption to the legislation created an open market for these operations to take place. The commodities futures modernization act was the gateway to this crisis. Again we the people were duped by laws created for the elite, those few with their own agendas. Again we the people get the bad end of the stick, the short straw. The experiments of mad scientists who go against evolution with their mad scientist like behavior. Only this time a monster was created and it’s unstoppable.

The insolvency of Wall Street has effected wealth from all walks of life, personal observations have discovered that even those who took the time to prepare financially are not immune to this devastation. A sever case of “casino capitalism” is what the house of representatives is calling this deregulation.

The fact that no one knows the entire scope of damage is a B.S. A cop out lame excuse. Another dodging the bullet. You know Willie Nelson and Toby Keith had it right with the song called”Beer for my Horses”. Talking about vigilante justice. Why aren’t these members of Senate, Congress,Wall Street and Lending Institutions being hung up high on a Oak Tree with a Short Rope. We’ve all been hung out to dry for their negligence, isn’t it time that they pay for the high crimes of treason, terrorism of the financial markets, world wide destruction and economic chaos?

No one is leaping out trying to defend the little guy just more and more legislation. As I rolled out of bed this morning more and more disturbing news caught my attention. With the commercial mortgage market now under way with defaults we are going to see the domino effect. Our state of emergency is delicate and fragile. If the U.S Government pulls away too quickly we could have a relapse even worse than last October.

Financial markets we’re steadily declining this morning. The commercial markets are expected to default to the tune of seven billion dollars or more. The new estimated wave of foreclosure more than triples what has currently taken place. With the first wave of mortgages fitting into a bucket estimated at 1,500,000 foreclosure and the new waver has a bucket of 3,500,000 – 4,500,000 homes in default.

When this rug is pulled out from under us the free fall of our housing and commercial markets will set us into a tail spin of terror. I don’t mean to be the pessimist of the group here however reality has to take precedence. They say Obama’s Home Afford-ability Program hasn’t been wildly successful, not very many mortgage modifications have taken place and the confidence of a Nation has been stripped away from us.

Sure the Government has only had 1 year of influence with the whole crisis recovery but hey are the ones who let the whole mess happen in the first place. It’s no different than a parent having their children run wild and free without restraints and then after years of social conditioning without boundaries, the child does a really radical unacceptable behavioral trait that puts people in danger. Then the parent steps in to discipline the child and expects that those years of conditioning will suddenly go away.

• How And Why You Should Use A Financial Hardship Letter  Funny how circumstance ccan reshape your life in an instant. You know those times in life when life changes and you need to be quick on your feet. First off let's examine two crucial reasons why you would want to use a hardship letter in the first place... 1) Many......
• Buyer Beware Here Are 10 Things Home Builders Won't Tell You I ran across this article this morning and it really caught my eye. Some of these clauses I have seen exist in standard purchase agreements today. As for as the rest of the story I have personally run across houses with similar problems. The downside of all of this......
• Using college education funds for real estate Many people aren't aware of the little laws in the IRS tax code that states not what you can put into these types of accounts, they state what you can't put in their instead. So while people are using stocks and going mad with the market place activities, others are......
• The mortgage meltdown and opposing views If you haven’t heard about all of the fuss within the financial sector you must have been living under a rock. The demise of financial giants like Behr Stears, Indy Mac Bank not to mention many other smaller institutions has led the U.S. into a financial devastation like never......
• My new journalism opportunity I landed my first paid writing gig for the company I am already established with. Meet Ace Capital Group we are the premier company who pioneered putting real estate in your IRA.  I have been out ranking them for some very specific keyword phrases concerning our business. It's nice to......

• Environmental Implications Of The Food We Throw Away. Dear EarthTalk: What are the environmental implications of all the food we throw away here in the United States? Food waste is a huge issue in America, especially in light of the growing divide between the profligate rich and the hungry poor. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food......
• 3 Credit Lessons from the Economic Crisis Governments are meant to lead by example, regardless of whether they intend to or not. Sometimes they give us examples of what not to do as well as examples of what to do. Wall Street executives also happen to be unwitting role models to people all over the world. Still,......
• GObama Tearing Up Pennsylvania Ave, What's In It For Wall & Main St? First of all let me apologize for the Wall St. and Main St. references.  The Weakonomist couldn't help himself.  We all know Barack Obama is our newly elected Savior president.  Hopefully by now the people that actually cried with joy over the news have gotten over it.  Maybe someone told......
• Wall Street Bailout Bill: 5 Examples of Wall Street Trickle Down Effects Many people are under the assumption that Wall Street's business transactions, particularly the transactions requiring a liquid credit market, have little to no affect on our daily lives. This is a false assumption. In fact, so many details of our daily lives are impacted by Wall Street that it......
• Why Invest? Do you have some money socked away, or are you planning to sock some money away for the purpose of investing? Are you wondering why investing would be a smart idea and how you can best benefit from the act of investing? Simply put, you are going to want to......

Funny how when we look at money, financial affairs and wealth we often overlook some of the most simple things. For example what about cutting back on items or finding ways to save on the purchases of the items or services, I read this article in Readers Digest a couple of months ago. I knew the information was very timely and will still be 5, 10, even 25 years down the road.

 When principles are followed and used as a rule of thumb per say the foundational principles are definitely the key to success both short term and long term. As with any system duplication, processes, and standardized rules apply. If you don’t set yourself up for success you’re never going to obtain it.

 Just real quick I remember when I was down and out I couldn’t do the right thing when I knew what it was. Stupid foolish pride, stubbornness and a rebel without a cause was literally keeping me and my family away from total financial freedom and the success we both needed and deserved.

 I have emphasized over and over the importance of planning, organization and action; this is where it all stemmed from. Because of my failing myself and the constant at war with my 3 most feared altered egos. The addict, the victim and the ego all fighting and vying for total control over my thoughts and actions. The victim says why why why, the addict stay addicted to the drama and chaos taking place while the ego fronted the attitude of nothings wrong this is fine just keep on doing what ever it is you are doing.

 Take these words well and obied by them, study my every word in that last paragraph to see if you have any symptoms of the above mentioned personalities. Are you dealing with the addict (physical or mental addictions), the ego or the victim to circumstance and looking for reassurance. Let’s make it clear these three villains are out to destroy your progress and your dreams for the future if you let them.

 With that let’s jump right to the chase here are the 29 tips to help you save money. If you know of others please leave them below. After we get to 100 comments with additional cost cutting measures I plan on making a special report featuring the best the top 50. They might not even be from the article I read. They could be yours.

 TAXES

1.  Forget the short form: Most tax payers – 65 percent of us, to be exact just take the standardized deduction. But you may save money by itemizing expenses. Things like out of pocket health care expenses (including some for job searches), and charitable donations are just a few of the items you may be able to deduct. Fill out the long form (IRS 1040) if your total deductions are greater than %5450.00 (standard for 2008 for single person) or $10,900(for a married couple filing jointly), you’ll save money by itemizing when you file.

2. Your children should file a tax return – The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) doesn’t care how old they are. If they earn more than $5,450 in a given year. (wages/interest income), they have to file – even if you claim them as dependants. If they make less than that they still need to file because they will get back all of the monies their employer withheld. Help them with t he paperwork. It’s a great learning experience possibly earning them some extra cash.

3. Avoid the tax refund, You may feel giddy knowing you’ll get a check from the IRS this spring, but you shouldn’t. Getting money back means you’re essentially lending money to the government interest free It’s better to have the cash in your account than lending it to Uncle Sam. So if you’ve been getting big refunds or have had a big life change such as (marriage, having a baby, a divorce, a radical increase or decrease in income), adjust your withholding allowances on your W-4 form. You can do than now for your 2009 taxes by visiting irs.gov. Use the withholding calculator to determine the correct figure for you. Then print out s new W-4 form, fill it out and give it to your payroll department.

4. Avoid the “Rapid Refund” programs – Yes yes yes avoid them at all costs or temptation, sure they all sound great. After all, what can be better than getting your money fast? A tax – prep chain might try to get you to agree to one of these “instant” or “anticipation” options. Don’t take the bait (it’s a trap). It’s not a refund; it’s a loan at a very high interest rate. The average for 2008 was 123%. File your refund electronically even if it’s with a tax chain the IRS will deposit your refund directly into your account within a week or two. Such a better deal for you the tax filer.

 CHECKING AND SAVINGS 

1. Make sure your free checking accounts are really free – Many banks advertise free checking, you need to ensure that it really is. Read the fine print, if the minimum balance is steep such as thousands of dollars, in some cases – look for a bank with no minimum requirement. This could easily save you $100 or more per year. Bankrate.com is a good site for comparing accounts. (Also stop wasting the $1.00 – $3.00 per transaction at other banks ATM’s)

2. Bank Online – It’s so easy to pay your bills, transfer funds, save automatically and have the ability to keep track of it all. Using these will definitely help save you both time and money as well as protecting your credit score. In fact I wrote an article about automating your investing and credit scores that uses this very same principle. http://ryanwegman.com/blog/?p=274 The other benefits are safer transactions, reduced exposure to identity theft.

3. Keep your money in super safe places – You need to set your sights on amassing a minimum of six months of contingency funds; for the simple purpose of protecting you from job loss, sudden injury and setbacks that happen when you least expect it. So where’s the best place to keep it.? FDIC insured bank savings accounts, CD’s, and money market accounts are stillthree of the most secure places. (Uncle Sam increased the limit it will insure to $250,000 per account until December 31^st 2009. Money market funds that invest in treasury bills are super safe, too, but they have very low yielding. Internet banks and credit unions tend to pay higher interest rates,before you make the switch you need to go to fdic.gov to check if these banks you are reviewing have the same FDIC government insured guarantee. Also Series I bonds, or I bonds which are just as safe and are guaranteed. These I bonds are also guaranteed to keep up with inflation and they are free from state and (possibly federal tax if you use them for college costs). The downside is you cannot redeem them for at least a year and if you cash in before 5 years there is a small penalty. Other areas are corporate and tax-exempt money market funds, these are a bit riskier. You can view yields at cranedata.us

 DEBT

1. Cut up your extra credit cards – DO NOT CLOSE THE ACCOUNTS!!! sure it’s proactive and smart to reduce the temptation to splurge by destroying your credit cards. However if you actually close them you will damage your credit score. This is due to the way your credit scores are derived with amount of available credit to your existing debt. Did you know that the average American family has approximately 9 credit cards. You can widdle it down to 2 or 3 active cards and use the others every quarter to keep them open and active.

2. Pay your bills ontime – Just one single late payment could increase your future interest rates dramatically on future loans and your existing credit card accounts. Just one missed payment can lower your credit score as much as 100 points. This inturn starts a chain of events that basically show lenders that you are a higher risk customer. Shopping for credit such as auto loans, credit cards or mortgages could cost you as much as one full percentage point more. Equaling a potential cost of tens of thousands of dollars in interest payment. Be sure to set up your automatic bill payments to ensure you are never late on a payment again.

3. Paying an extra $10 a month – Paying a little extra principle towards reduction accelerates your payoff reducing your overall time in debt. Most American families carry a balance of $2000. The exception are the 10% – 15% carry balances around $9,000 or higher. If you were to only pay just the minimum payment in this scenario it around $224.00 that’s required on the $9,000 balance every month, it would take you 31 years and over $13,000 in interest payment to pay it off. If you added just a simple $10 to your payment making it $234 until you paid off the balance would save you $8,900. The debt would vanish in 5 years. (check your balances using the calculator on bankrate.com)

4. Put your savings to work – Many people that have credit cards debt usually have a stash of cash away in a bank account. People argue that they don’t want to use their hard earned savings to pay off debt. (I agree with this philosophy however when I was shown the math I saw a light). Here’s where it makes sense to keep your money in the bank, is the bank paying a higher interest rate than what the credit card or loan interest rate is charging? Paying off a credit card with an interest rate of 13% is equivalent to earning 13% interest on your money after taxes. There are no savings or investments that guarantee that type of return.

5. Pay more on your mortgage – You may have heard this because interest payments are tax deductible, even though a mortgage is a good debt. Even if you are getting a tax break you are still paying interest. The longer you have a mortgage the less of a tax break you get. The sooner you pay off your debt the better. Here’s a simple way to see how long it will take to create you a debt free lifestyle http://yourdebtfreedate.com/258571 register for a free debt elimination plan.

6. Reduce your credit card interest rate – it may be time to get a little assertive and nervy with your creditors and credit card companies. If you pay your bill on time and you’re not late and your credit card company is still raising your interest rates or lowers your limits, call the companies 800 number ask for the retention department and explain that your thinking of taking your business elsewhere. You want to get a reasonable rate if they aren’t willing to negotiater source a new company that offers $0.00 transfers and lower interest rates. Banks are still motivated in spite of the recent credit crunch you may have heard about.

7. Get your credit report for free – Each and every year you are allowed 1 free copy of your personal credit report from each of these three credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax, TransUnion) every year. A word of caution here most of these companies are actually trying to sell you credit monitoring services and other things you actually don’t need to buy. You will automatically signed up for these services when you order the free credit reports.  

INSURANCE 

1. Shop around for auto insurance – Utilize the Internet and phone to secure several independent quotes. You’ll also want want to ask about lesser known breaks. Example if you children are grown and out of the house, they may be able to receive a substantial discount if they insure their cars through the company you use. One of the best places to start shopping your rates is carinsurance.com

2. Sign up for FSA – Many employers offer flexible spending accounts as a way to set aside part of your salary for health care and child care costs. The accounts are able to pay for everything from band-aids to orthodontic work with pretax money, which translates into an approximate discount of 30 percent, depending on your tax bracket. Word of caution plan carefully if you don’t use all of the money in your FSA you loose whatever is left.

3. Keep grown kids on your health insurance policy – If you are going to wind up giving your child money for coverage it’s usually cheaper to keep them on your policy as long as possible. In some states the age limit is up to 26, whether they are in school or not. (New Jersey will give you until 30) Some states require proof of single, have no children and are living in the same state as you. Visit statecoverage.net for state eligibility and also even if your state doesn’t mandate coverage your insurance plan may; call your human resources department for details.

4. Hold off on that long term coverage – With the onset of rising health care and extended nursing costs many people in their 40’s and 50’s decided to purchase long-term-care insurance coverage in order to lock in a rate. It’s true that the premiums go up as you age, although the increase isn’t as much as you might think. According to data collected by America’s Health Insurance Plans; a 65 year old may end up paying $126 more per year than a person aged 55. If you looked at the overall cost over 10 years it would equate to $19,000 on the coverage even though the person wouldn’t typically need it until age 83 or so. Depending on your health the best time to buy is between 60 and 65.

5. Sign up for disability insurance – This will help to protect your income in the event you become unable to work for a long period of time. Ideally you would have enough to cover 60% to 70% of your salary. If your company doesn’t provide this much coverage you may want to source out additional coverage. It can be costly, but it’s worth it if you can afford it. Visit affordableinsuranceprotection.com or unum.com

6. Think twice about life insurance – If you don’t have dependents you may not need it. If you do have childre3n or other dependents you’ll probably be better off with term life insurance, until, say, your children are grown and can take care of themselves. It’s less expensive than whole life insurance or other types of policies that build up value until you die or cash them in. Many agent will recommend to you that these whole life and other policies build up better value tax free but these same policies come with very high fees. You would be better off putting that money towards your IRA or 401(k) plan. Compare rates at term4sale.com

7. Write your will – No one like to think about dying, you need to. Wills don’t have to be fancy contracts that lawyers slave over. It’s a simple written record of whom you want to entrust your estate and children to when you die. You can create a simple boilerplate will, sign it in the presence of a witness (usually two people who aren’t named in the will). Nolo.com is a legal publishing house provides a good boilerplate copy for around $25. This template is valid in every state except Lousiana. Also make sure your beneficiaries are on your life insurance policies, bank and retirement accounts too. Also make sure these accounts are up-to-date. 

RETIREMENT 

1. Contribute to your company’s 401(k) – If your company matches funds, SIGN UP. This is free money to you yes I said FREE Money. A typical company will kick in 50 cents for every dollar you save, up to 6% That’s an immediate 50% return on your investment, you can’t get that anywhere. As the facts stand one in three American’s are not taking advantage of this benefit. Just with the matching funds you can double the size of your 401(k) in 20 years, even if the stock market remains flat. For a family making $44,000 your contribution may be as low as $33/week. You won’t even miss that money on your paycheck due to the pretax benefit.

2. Put your retirement ahead of college savings – Sure you want to take care of your children’s college needs however because of the tax breaks and th3e flexibility of these accounts, you are much better off contributing to your 401(k) or IRA accounts and then taking out loans for college. Many people don’t realize that the contributions you place into a Roth IRA are able to be withdrawn free of penalty at any time. This is very different from the college savings plans, called 529’s, that smack you with a significant penalty if the money is not used for college. Most schools don’t count the money in your retirement accounts when assessing how much financial assistance you’ll require for college. Once you’ve maxed out your retirement accounts then you can search out information on college savings plans.

3. Say no to company stock – Think of big companies such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Enron. All of these companies were once on top of their game, when they went under, many employees were left without jobs, retirement accounts were overloaded with junk company stocks. Basically people got screwed. You already have a huge stake in the company since you depend on it for your paycheck; don’t risk your retirement money as well. If your employer offers company stock as a 401(k) option do not take it. If your offered company stock as part of your matching plan sell them as soon as it’s allowed and switch some of that money into another type of investment.

4. Don’t worry about social security – Don’t worry even though you have heard the stories about anyone 35 and younger will not have social security benefits. Even in the middle of our economic chaos. Social Security will probably pay you 65% – 80% of your current promised benefits. With some fairly modest changes such as raising the retirement age or increasing payroll taxes for anyone earning over $250,000 per year – the system can be shored up for decades. Make sure your saving enough so you don’t have to rely on the system for your entire retirement income.

5. Stay away from individual stocks – Despite what you may have heard from your cousin the broker, buying the stock of an individual company is not wise. Essentially you are breaking the golden rule of “never put all of your eggs in one basket”. Plus you are paying broker fees that could easily eat up your earnings. In fact you really don’t need a broker. Instead of buying individual stocks, invest directly into ETF’s*, these are the new age mutual funds. These put your money across many companies at one time allowing you allocation and diversity with one purchase. You only want to do this with money you can invest for the long term.

6. Stick with index funds – You’ll want to go with a special type of mutual fund called an index fund, which buys a little piece of each of the companies that make up the established bench marks like the S&P 500. One of the best kept secrets of investing is that in the long run index index funds perform at least as well as the funds that charge high fees. As of December they had lost less than the average stock fund run by the so called expert. You can find a list of low cost index funds at either vanguard.com or fidelity.com

7. Don’t buy investment products from your bank – None of the products that banks sell are FDIC insured, they tend to cost more than comparable assets you can pick up elsewhere. Banks also charge huge commissions and fees. You would be better of buying from a broker or a company that can provide you with lower fees and sales commissions.

8. Build a portfolio – The typical rule of thumb is to put 50% of your long term savings in stock (I recommend against this) 30% in bonds and keep 20% available in cash. In tough times especially getting the right mix will depend on the risk you’re willing to take. Stocks are more risky than bonds, there are exceptions to every rule such as junk bonds or high yield bonds. Visit financialengines.com which charges about $40.00 every 3 months. This is a great site for calculating the right mix. 

BONUS 

1. Always take care of your health – Eat right, exercise, and get plenty of rest and sleep. For more tips go to readersdigest.com/moneyguide

2. If you are in need of any services mentioned above please don’t hesitate to contact me at ryan at ryanwegman dot com

3. Lastly here are a few resources you could use to power you along. For constant 24/7 advice for money management FDI offers a Money-Trax program, also FDI offers First Class retirement to help you set up your IRA and keep your investing right on track. Earlier I mentioned a debt elimination plan with FDI as well just go to yourdebtfreedate.com/258571

4. Lastly most financial advisors will not recommend real estate for your portfolio. I however am a first hand believer and owner of real estate used for long term capital appreciation and preservation. Visit http://thesecretofland.com and register for your free webinar called Pay Dirt.

• Simple Steps to Increased Credit Card Limits and Purchasing Power Learn to empower yourself immediately by increasing your credit card limit, call your creditors and get what you deserve. A bigger line of credit at a better rate and with less fees. When you call to speak to our customer service the call should go something towards this effect... First......
• Is fear really holding you back from the true wealth you deserve Funny sounding and actually quite appropriate for this time of the season. With Halloween right around the corner, the leaves turning red, orange and yellow. The sight of monsters, goblins, creepy and eerie things that you only find in horror films. Isn't that what this month's tone happens to......
• Self directed IRA's and the benefits about them. I read this fantastic article the other day that scared the hell out of me. It's from one of our real estate custodian companies called Equity Trust Company. I am waiting for permission to reprint before I put it on my blog, The fascinating part about it is the forecasts......
• Part 2 of the Ultimate IRA Report Here is the next portion of the Ultimate IRA Report var YAHOO = {\'Shortcuts\' : {}}; YAHOO.Shortcuts.hasSensitiveText = true; YAHOO.Shortcuts.sensitivityType = ["adult"]; YAHOO.Shortcuts.doUlt = false; YAHOO.Shortcuts.location = "us"; YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_id = 0; YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_type = ""; YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_title = "Real Estate IRAs: Secrets Revealed - Part Two"; YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_publish_date = ""; YAHOO.Shortcuts.document_author = "help@trustetc.com";......
• Staying Cheerful with the Credit Crunch Businesses and consumers alike can’t keep their lines of credit from shriveling up to nil with the belt tightening across all financial markets. However there are things to be done when the going gets tough. First rule of engagement get going it sounds silly but true when it gets......

• Time For a Credit Check - Get Your Free Report Now The past three years, I've been very diligent in making sure that I access my credit report.  I have to say, I've been pretty lucky in the accuracy of my reports.  Having my wallet stolen many years back, I was always afraid sometime down the road I would start to......
• Reader Question - Where Do You Keep All Of Your Money? Photo from stock.xchngA reader wrote me the other day asking "What banks/firms do you keep your money at? With all the tons of banks out there, we are having trouble deciding which ones to go with. Thanks!" You got that right...there are hundreds, if not thousands, of places to keep......
• Best Investment for 2009: Use your Emergency Fund to pay off your debt Just by writing this title, I already know that people won’t agree with this strategy. How can you tell people to get rid of their emergency fund while we are in one of the most important recessions ever? So please, keep reading until the end of the post, I......
• Home Improvement Grants for Home Improvement Help If you are seeking out home improvement help, then one of the best things that you can do, at least on the financial side of things, is to get the home improvement help that you need by way of home improvement grants. If you are looking to sell your home......
• Got a Refund? 10 Ideas to Spend Your Tax Refund I've always been an advocate against getting a refund each year and changing your withholding throughout the year to get extra money now instead of waiting. Yes, getting a refund is better than paying in to the government, but I always like to tweak my withholding just enough to where......

Retirement of a giant and the rise of future leaders I looked as if I was a deer staring in the headlights when I opened the news this morning. You see I have been buried in tons of different activities and meetings over the last several weeks as I have been working on locating new partners and authors to contribute to your reading pleasure.

I have not been watching the ‘headlines” as often as I should have been. Yet I’m glad I was able to catch the headline in Barrons. Barrons states “NetJets Pick More Likely to Succeed Buffett”

I stopped in my tracks what Buffet is finally going to retire. [I had often wondered how the richest man in the world would spend his retirement and who would ever replace him? They say that David Sokol will be the new chair person after the departing Richard Santulli as the chairman and interim chief executive officer of Berkshire Hathaway.

So as one giant lays to rest an eon of achievement and accomplishment what will the future hold. This was really not even on my mind when I started this task today. I really was performing an experiment or assignment given to me during the intense meetings I have been involved in. So I decided to look around for a second at what inspired me to write about today.

I looked through all of the financial papers as well as pinging away at my favorite search engine to see what has the ability to grab my attention. Then it occurred to me after I saw Buffet’s headline I wanted to start with the clean slate approach I have been discussing over my last few blog posts.

Buffet has plenty of worries as this transition takes place, sure there will be a period of time for dust to settle. New energy and ideas will resonate as Buffet detaches from the ranks. New management always means change and change isn’t always easy.

So my Aha moment was deciding to change the way we all as a community think about, as well as act about money. I was challenged to choose my target market who I wanted to cater too. Teens, twenties through forties, above fifty, above seventies?

I have always generalized my information to all audiences. Now segmenting would require more change. So here’s the top 3 topics related to 3 different categories but before I begin let me state that “the green back is broken”

The U.S. dollar index is at 11-month lows and shows no signs of turning around. This frightens me to the bone, think about that for a minute Obama has been in for 8 Months now and we have a track record of exorbitant spending as well as weakening purchasing power.

No matter who you are this affects you and your ability to create and grow wealth, sure prices are lower and bargains are everywhere, yet services and products still continue to rise in cost and inflation. So now lets address the categories. As our falling DOW Jones Industrial Average fights to remain alive  we are all faced with more challenges ahead. Time to buckle down and get SERIOUS!

Teen Finance

• I found this site very interesting and informative to teenagers and finance the articles were priceless they covered topics from impulse buying, recession and teens challenges, there were also theories on why money was important.

• Next I decided to venture on to another site which had six theories on financial advice and the important rules to follow.

• Lastly I stopped by another site called the Motley Fool this article was for teenagers about becoming millionaires I find this interesting due to having a two teenagers in my life my Son and my step daughter watching their trends with money and spending are fascinating to see the path they choose to wander and the choices they make.

Parent’s

• Next we look at the teenagers life on fast forward, young parents faced with choices of survival, college planning, and retirement planning – can relate to the market segment most myself. So I found an article written on 9 ways to find help getting organized

• Then we delve right into ways parents need to talk to their children about the “economic crisis”

• Finally we run to the advice column where we look at the costs of child bearing and the importance of education

Retirement

• This article isn’t just directed towards seniors yet since there is a huge demand for medical treatment for seniors I thought I would start here. Doctors visits usually have co pays associated with them and now patients are receiving bills after treatment. Now some are even being asked to pay for the entire process out of pocket costs on the visit.
• The we roll right into retirement planning tips  straight from business week.
• Lastly on this journey w stop and cover issues of senior finance and I find only planning and health care services listed on top for these major search phrases, I know the senior citizen can face financial challenges with medical, trust and estate planning, assisted living and many other areas. Protection from fraud is huge.

So I will stop here and let you stir the info around. Remember that life goes on and we all choose to want a better life the real question is are you willing to choose a better life?Buffet chose a time to hand over the thrown in the worst of crisis and turbulent change, our new leaders will be formed under this rule. Can this giant of giants remain tall and waver through this change or will it fall and crumble. My guess is Warren Buffet made sure he had a foundation for strong growth and strength for change.

My guess is you will mold yourself to model the master and to grow your children with values and respect for currency and cash, to respect credit and to create wealthy lifestyles for comfort and enjoyment.

• Snowball your way to financial freedom Debt is like a plague that eats your hard earned money faster than you can earn it. You work for your bills and your bills take everything you work for. Soon it becomes a stressful vicious cycle that makes people bitter and angry. Your outlook becomes bleak; you see no......
• One man can make a difference Call it bragging or whatever you like I really don’t care. I have made the commitment to change the world or at least the largest portion of it that I have the ability to touch. Personally I may not be able to save the planet although I sure am......
• These 29 Tips To Help Save You Money Funny how when we look at money, financial affairs and wealth we often overlook some of the most simple things. For example what about cutting back on items or finding ways to save on the purchases of the items or services, I read this article in Readers Digest a couple......
• Momentum for growth is a physics equation Momentum in your business is the crucial point at which all of your efforts become energize and suddenly you find yourself whisked away to a new level of success almost overnight. Momentum is the beginning stages of the tipping point written by Malcom Gladwell is an intellectual adventure story.......
• Organizing your daily financial routine Wealth it all starts with a concept, the challenge is making the mind choose from the heart. I know this may seem funny at first but you will soon realize that your actually doing it. You see when you make choices they always come from the heart first, then the......

• Without the Plan Life Would Have Little or No Meaning As I sat in Sunday School today, and listened to the lesson, it made me pause and think about how many times lately I have thought about what meaning my life would have without the  Gospel. Usually, I think about it in just that way...the gospel, and knowing there is......
• Sunday Money Madness - Can you buy an entire chess set in a pawn-shop? Just another Sunday roundup here at RCDL. Here's what I found interesting around the blogosphere this past week: Credit and Debt Credit Karma has a slew of excellent posts on credit, here's one I thought readers would enjoy: The Biggest Four Credit Mistakes. Stop Buying Crap writes Got Debt from......
• You Have to Prepare for Retirement – Do Not Depend on the Government Today I received a very interesting Fidelity Credit Card offer.  This particular rewards card placed my 2% cash back directly into my IRA with Fidelity.  Interesting, right? I thought this was really cool.  Don’t worry I didn’t partake, because, as we discussed, I am in operation eradicate consumer debt. ......
• Geezeo Review A number of financial planning and "get out of debt" websites have been springing up over the past year or so, because consumers are showing that they are looking for more online web applications and other tools for managing their finances. What makes Geezeo even more exciting in terms of......
• New Government Initiatives to Boost Retirement Saving Sometimes - not often - our government's attempts to get in the middle of our financial planning makes sense. This appears to be the case with several initiatives announced by the White House yesterday. These initiatives are intended to firmly move more Americans toward responsible levels of saving for retirement.......

I can here the music playing of the pipe organ in the back with the familiar tune ringing from deep within. The sounds of wedding chimes, no n really it’s the sound of a more modern up to date sound. One that’s familiar in factthis sounds is so familiar that no matter where you go in the world you can hear it.

That’s right it’s the dial tone, more importantly it’s the tone of you embracing a winning feeling when you decide to hear the tone that’s been heard around the world. It all started with one simple conference call, a single message that stood tall and rang louder than anything.

That message was “We Own The TONE!” after that it’s but nothing but history in the making. If you are ready to start harnessing the power of the tone there are two things you’re going to need to do.

1st you need to take a peek behind the scenes and get an insiders view of how we are going to change the entire telecommunications industry and then you’re going to listen in to what Financial Destination is all about.

After you have completed these two steps you’re going to want to get started sharing this information with everyone you know, whether you have an Iphone, Nokia, LG, Samsung, Nextel or anyother make of phone, Internet, Residential or Long Distance service.

It doesn’t matter who your carrier is we offer no credit checks & no contracts take advantage of this huge opportunity.

Harness the power to make a real difference come see why FDI is the buzz around the entire network marketing business industry. Start on your journey to success with a sound so clear and a message so strong that you can’t do anything except feel compelled to make a change.

I listened and what happened next was purely amazing. Over the next month I will be bringing the behind the scenes details on the sheer power that FDI has to offer.

• What areas of finance are you looking for assistance with? Product launch date 08/19/2008 Internationally respected company launches new Tranquil Sleep Now program to help people get a better nights sleep. Financial marketeer Ryan Wegman has released his third publication titled "The Pillars of Wealth". For the first time Ryan is revealing his story of triumph over adversity and challenge.......
• You can't tell people what to do I was watching the Bill Maher show last night and wow what an amazing delivery of realism and truth. You know when you catch certain conversations that lighten your spirit and open you eyes to a new idea or set of care values. So many people live jaded and......
• Death often brings new life My father died today and this is not a cry out for support or sympathy, rather when death comes to visit the stay cannot be too long. It's swift, fast and sometimes can linger on. I spoke to my father just last evening, he was witty and wild on the......
• When it comes to doing deals what matters most to you? As I sit ready to leave this evening to enjoy festive occasion with the staff and friends of our real estate operations I take a moment to reflect on the years past and all that has happened to this point in my life so far. I reflect the emotions of......
• When it's time to prepare for the impending situation - Wealth is a Concept -- Ryan Wegman Impending such a strong and terminal word. The pure fact that something is impending (meaning to happen in the future) is a dark and ugly shadow over many people. Especially in this crazy economy we are in. You see when that word impending is used it's in conjunction with......

• What are Acoustic Guitars Made Out Of? There are a number of different materials that are used for the purpose of constructing guitars. Let us take a look at a few of them. Mahogany When this wood is used as a guitar top, it has a low velocity of sound as compared to other woods, good density,......
• Meet The M-Network Friends: An Interview With Ryan From Millionaire Money Habits. Now that I have wrapped up all the interviews with all the M-Network members other than myself, I decided to expand the series a little and include all the friends of the M-Network who participate in our group projects and forums. Up this week is Ryan from Millionaire Money......
• EarthTalk: On Electric Or Plug-In Cars Getting Charged From Polluting Plants. Dear EarthTalk: If you have an electric or plug-in hybrid car, you’re paying for electricity rather than gasoline all or most of the time. How does that cost compare to a gas-powered car’s cost-per-mile? And since the electricity may be generated from some other polluting source, does it really work......
• Chords 101 pt 2 Continued from pt 1. In contrast, however, Andrew Surmani has written that three or more notes, when sounded together, create a chord. George T. Jones has stated that two tones when sounded together, form an interval, and three notes when sounded together create the chord. It has also been said......
• The Science of Getting Rich, FREE pdf eBook Download: Personal Finance Management The Science of Getting Rich Publish at Scribd or explore others: Business eBooks personal finance edu personal finance for SCIENCE THE RICH Wallace D. Wattles Timeless wisdom and a practical, step-by-step prosperity program from a forgotten 1910 classic With a new introduction by Rebecca Fine GETTING OF SCIENCE THE RICH......