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 be all about?

The days are growing shorter, the nights are growing colder and nothing except those holiday jitters to face from now until after the New Year. Gosh it just seems like time has started rapidly increasing to the point that it seems there are not enough hours in the day. Those little “it can wait” thoughts about calling a creditor, arranging some payments on a past due bill.

You know what I mean all of those little things we say we will do later, such as saving up for our children’s college tuition. What about saving up for our own retirement. How about eliminating some debt to remove a burden of stress off of our shoulders.

I can remember when that feeling of debt and past due bills were eliminated from my life. I can also remember when having a credit card was such a temptation to spend while being a curse to have because I was desperate to eat and the credit card was my only source of purchase.

The core of the dilemma here is that we as humans and more so as a society have become dependent on an instant gratification type of mentality with the audacity to buy everything on credit so you have to pay exorbitant interest rates that wind up consuming every dollar you have towards getting out of debt and creating a bright future for you and your family.

So again I ask is it your fear of change, becoming debt free or some other positive shift forward in your life that is holding you back from your achievement of financial freedom. If you don’t think you are standing in your own way of success by hiding from the real truth of the matter; then you need to step aside and take a good hard look at your life from the outside looking in.

Life is full of uncanny surprises and challenges no doubt. When you learn from your mistakes you can move forward at leaps and bounds you never dreamed possible. It all starts with just a little discipline and patience. You know exactly what I am talking about… “The Pillars of Wealth” just a few shifts and you’re off and running at the races and headed straight to the wealth you have always deserved.

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• Top 3 Tips for Saving Money on Term Life Insurance Coverage If you are looking for an affordable means of protecting the future of your family, term life insurance coverage is the way to go. This type of life insurance provides an individual with basic coverage for a specific amount of time. The payments are fixed, which means that they do......

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.

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It’s no secret that network marketing is the least expensive way to start and grow a business, you have pre built business plans, products and unlimited growth.

What surprises me is that I have seen more and more people endorsing network marketing over the past few years than ever before. From Anthony Robins, Mark Victor Hansen, Robert G. Allen, Jordan Goodman and many more.

Here’s the best part Past President Bill Clinton reveals the real truth behind network marketing and the numbers that point out fact of just how widespread, and far reached network marketing and direct sales have gone.

For any of you who have ever considered owning a small business, not sure of the economic viability let’s put your fears aside.

Here are the three simple steps.

1) Listen to Past President Clinton…

2. Come meet me for a moment then click on the ENTER link on this page. See if you have the WHY for running a home based business.

Then let’s get you on your path to financial freedom with a home based business

You can learn more about home based business from my business from home equals money blog

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When the economy is in turmoil and there is little reassurance that stable ground is hard to find. You’re looking to find a place to lay your hard earned principle down and grow; you want to know that when you make a purchase your value didn’t decrease and liquidate to nothing. Your future is a stake in a high stakes game of survival. It’s a dog eat dog world, best man wins type of situation.

Your fighting the battle between good and evil when it comes your financial affairs. Just like the Roman Empire came to an end with extensive amounts of bloodshed, violence and torture. Warriors went head to head with their opponents. Now you need to put on the same fierce ready for battle attitude and get ready to fight.

Your entire future is at a point where the wrong move will cost you the battle and possibly the war. You can’t afford to make a wrong move. This is where careful strategy, planning, using the time tested arts of war on your investments will not only prepare you for battle; you’ll have the upper hand every step of the way.

Now choosing your battles are a wise method for gaining the upper hand in any situation. You need to in this case size up your own ability in the areas of risk tolerance, emotional stability, willingness to hang in there when the going seems rough. This is where due diligence, preparedness and facts all come into play. You calculate your risk before you ever place a soldier into the battle field.

Next you surround and corner your opponent on all sides knowing there next moves before they do. You also have every obstacle covered due to you cunning. This is where your preparation comes in handy. First your exit strategy, when this event takes place when do you jump in and when do you jump out?

Having an exit strategy before you head into battle also has your future mapped out; you know why you are going into battle you need to know what and when you’re going to get out. Never jump in without an exit strategy. Here is where you factor in your loss risk, inflation, costs of living, tax benefits, liquid access and next playing field options.

You also need to ensure your soldier are strong, conditioned and well trained to endure extended battle; they must have the ability to resist market fluctuation and volatility. The daily bloodshed can wipe out many warriors in a single event if your unprepared. You can never know every single move your opponent will make. You will however be prepared for an ambush, ready to make the necessary adjustments as needed.

Spreading out your warriors is also a very important aspect to a successful strategy, diversifying and hedging are two common ways to reduce the risk. The most common hedge is in the real estate market where you can earn multiple streams of income off of a single asset.

These streams help to produce an influx of new warriors into the playing field which in return aid in the overall conquest of financial freedom. You’ll gain both appreciation and cash-flow although sometimes these can be a break even or negative situation they still aid in your over all financial picture.

A second way to hedge against your enemies commonly known as loss, taxation, market volatility and corporate dissolution or bankruptcy is to recruit a secondary army or multiple cash accounts spread across several sectors in the market place. ETFs and mutual funds are common here. These aren’t your foot soldiers here. They are your chariots, your knights on horse back all converging together in hundreds or even thousands of battles all across the war zone.

Together they fight off the constant rise in living costs due to inflation, food, fuel and taxes. They are the driving force after your foot soldiers have mapped out the terrain and taken surveys of the land topography. Your eye’s and ears in the battle field. They get in, get out and provide the ability to win the war before it’s ever fought.

Then you have the big guns, the Trojan horses and catapults, your long term plans, your future capital. Your retirement, your estate plans and your beneficiaries are all counting on the proper execution of this battle plan. Here is where you need the giants to come in and wipe out your enemy quickly while trampling onto victory without hesitation.

Crushing blow after crushing blow you defeat your enemies growing infinitely stronger as you continue to battle. Collectively your forces are unstoppable even with some inadvertent crushing blows received from an opponent you will be able to withstand them without losing momentum. You need a proven method for winning wars. Just as military history is an essential read for running a business; it’s equally important that you knwo it for your own business of personal financial responsibility.

You owe it to your self to make a stand and stay off the defeated list. In todays economic chaos you can’t afford to sit back and watch your life’s savings become depleted or lose your home in the wave of foreclosure mayhem, mortgage meltdown and credit crunches. Not only that stocks are falling like rocks to all time record lows, employers are cutting back or going out of business almost daily.

Giants who have stood tall through early depressions and recession are crumbling like the Roman Empire did so many years ago. Disappearing into history to never be heard from again. When giants fall you know your safety is uncertain unless you make the changes necessary to protect your self now. Get ready to fight, train with the experts who will guide you in the proper battle techniques and strategies that you will embrace with new found respect and honor. Let’s get ready for war.

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