If these actions weren’t so downright dangerous, they might be humorous. Are you making these mistakes with your hard-earned cash?

1. They never figure out how much money they actually need each week to do better than just pay their bills. They don’t have a budget set up.

The correct definition of a BUDGET is: the calculation of the amount of money needed for an area [organization or household] to function and achieve its purpose. If you are satisfied to just  pay your bills, and you don’t pay yourself first into some type of savings plan, you will make other people wealthy and you will stay poor.

Every supplier you pay is in business to make a profit. You should run your business and your household the same way: like a business that is expected to make a profit. The income target must include a profit or the enterprise will go broke and fail.

2. They don’t work out ways to make more money than they currently need, and then do whatever it takes to execute the plan.

By UNDER estimating the amount of money needed to do better than just break even, they typically set their income target too low and lose money by living on credit instead of going into action to raise their income. Anyone can find ways to make more money; it is often the “willingness to do whatever it takes” that is the problem.

There are two classes of wealthy people. The large majority of wealthy people are working all the time. They have a purpose they are pursuing, and it isn’t money. Money is a sub-product they expect from their work. Their goals and purposes are the driving force in their lives.

The small minority is often called the “Idle Rich” and they are bored to death. They have seen it all, and done it all twice over and there is no thrill left in life. Think about it. If you had done everything you dreamed of and owned everything you could possible want, and were spending your days sitting by the pool in some swank hotel nursing a beverage with a little umbrella in it, would you wish you had some productive work to do? I’d bet my next few paychecks you would.

3. They habitually spend more money than they make.

Using money to buy the “appearance” of having more money than you actually have is a dangerous activity. I call this type of spender a Gratification Groupie. This can catch up with you quickly and eventually drown you in debt. This causes constant worry about money and makes for lots of sleepless nights. Money truly cannot buy happiness. But doing something productive and worthwhile and knowing you are appreciated for it can make you feel like a million bucks.

Most truly wealthy people are not interested in appearing to be wealthy, they are too busy having fun helping others in life and making more money as a result of that. Rich people always pay themselves first, have cash stashed in several places, are always interested in being productive and expect their productivity to produce more income. They don’t worry about money, and they sleep well at night.

4. They don’t figure out what they need to buy in the future and then set aside a little money each week so they can pay cash for the purchase later.

Buying something with a credit card that you can’t pay off when the statement arrives is committing your future earnings to the credit card company. You are then working for the credit card company as an economic slave.

The correct way to buy things, especially big ticket items, is to set aside a little each week till you have the cash to pay for the item, and then go out and negotiate a big cash discount. The guy with the CASH IS KING!

I recently did this when I bought my current car. I found the exact car I wanted. It was 2 years old, had 21,000 miles on it and was still under warranty. The dealer wanted $29,500 for the car. I got it for $17,500 and got an extended warranty thrown in on the deal. Don’t buy new cars. The second the front tires move off the dealer’s lot onto the street, it becomes a “used car” and loses about 25% of its value.

5. They buy products and services based on WANT rather than on NEED.

Buying decisions should be based on how your purchase of the product or service can help you produce additional income for you. Honestly, do you want the latest cell phone that offers text messaging and email retrieval because your friends have one, or do you need it to be more efficient because you are out of the office traveling to close the next business deal?

6. They don’t put money into a long-term savings plan so they have it for use later in life.

If you are relying on other peoples’ future production to pay you Social Security payments so you can retire, that is really taking a gamble.

Despite the fact the government says the cost of living is going up 3 – 3.5% a year, the truth is that it is going up 8 – 12% a year. You have to make that much more income just to stay even. Why does the government say it is only 3 – 3.5%? Unfortunately for the senior citizens, it’s because they government has to raise Social Security payments each year by the cost of living increase they quote. The Social Security system is already bankrupt and those living on Social Security are headed in that direction by going in the hole 5 – 9% every year. Are YOU planning on retiring on Social Security payments alone?

7. They never develop multiple sources of income. If one source dries up they are in trouble financially.

The old saying “don’t put all your eggs into one basket” holds true today, especially for income sources. Look for products or services that you can add, or business ventures you can get involved in that are ethical, and have a great chance of producing a consistent income. The best type of income is “residual income” where you create something that continues to generate income for you while you are off doing other things.  For example if you wrote a book and sold it on the internet as a download where potential customers could buy it 24 hours a day around the world.

8. They get stressed out about how little interest their bank pays on savings accounts while they are getting killed with much higher interest debt by carrying balances on their credit cards.

If you have substantial credit debt, you are better off using excess cash to reduce the debt and stop the high interest payments instead of trying to earn interest from the bank. As you pay off your debt, you should also keep enough cash on hand to cover a few months of living expenses and the unexpected emergency.

Once the debt is gone, or will be soon, then start investing the excess money where you can get real growth. I use a Certified Financial Planner to invest my money for me so I don’t have to do all the research and trading actions. I let the expert do what he does best while I am busy making more income.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think investing in real estate is great if it provides more cash flow in than what you have to pay out. The truth is that any real estate is a liability as long as you have to make payments on it. Only when it is paid off does it become a true asset.

9. They worry about “the economy” in general.

I’m amazed that people are actually more worried about “the economy” than they are about their business or household failing financially. They worry about what the media is reporting about “the economy” which is something they can’t control, while never looking at how they are can affect the economy of their own business or household, which is something they CAN control.

A rise in unemployment is no reason to worry. Small business creation of new jobs far outweighed the loss of jobs in big corporations, according to the latest ADP report. A failing bank is no reason to panic. Banks get bailouts from the FDIC and other investors. No one is standing by to bail out your failing business or household. That is entirely up to you. So stash some cash in a safe, in a bank, or better yet, a tax deferred retirement plan, and sleep well at night while the bad news about “the economy” rages around you.

10. They expect to survive financially without taking full responsibility for controlling their financial future.

There is a very simple solution to money problems. Cut expenses, increase your income, and correctly manage what income you do get. It’s not only about how much money you make, it’s what you do with your money that determines your financial condition.

Correct money management is something educational institutions don’t teach. People get false information and bad advice about how to handle money. Then they make these silly mistakes, get into trouble, try to solve the problem using credit, create more trouble, and then go looking for debt relief.

Fortunately there is a proven, inexpensive, easy-to-install, easy-to-learn, easy-to-use money management software system that can reverse all the money management mistakes a person has made in the past, and keeps them from making those same mistakes in the future. It is an old-school system that your great grandparents used before the days of credit cards. Very wealthy people know and use this system today.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. For more information about her system, claim your complimentary copy of the Money Control Solutions Guide.

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

I collect the credit card offers that land in my mailbox. You might think that is nuts, but I am always researching the latest come-on that my clients may be tricked into applying for, especially if they are looking for some debt relief.

Here is the latest one, no names mentioned. Just glance quickly at the overall message and get a sense of what you think they are offering. And then answer this question.

Is this offer a trick or treat?

It is designed to look like a spectacular long term 0% interest offer. Most people actively engaged in money management and seeking debt relief automatically assume they can get this 0% deal on a balance transfer from another high interest card.

But look again, read the fine print like I always do, and here is what the offer is really saying.

The 0% is NOT for balances transferred, but is for PURCHASES made on the card which adds to your debt. The interest rate on the balance transfer is 8.99% compounded daily, plus a hefty 3% charge for transferring the balance.

Read even further and you learn that the new debt you are carrying at 0% interest (the new purchases) must be paid off first, before they will apply any portion of the payment to the balance transfer at 8.99%. And of course, they always apply your payment to any finance charges first before applying what is left to reducing the principal. No debt relief there!

My opinion is that this is another cleverly worded offer, presented in a way that makes it appear that you are getting a great interest free, long-term loan. Just another trick to hook the consumer who didn’t bother to understand what is clearly stated in the credit card offer when you read what is actually there.

Successful money management includes understanding the correct actions to take with your money. Educate yourself by reading the fine print on all documents that concern your money so you clearly understand what they mean before taking action.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, has years of experience helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Debt Reduction Solutions Guide

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

It is a little known fact that more millionaires were made during The Great Depression than in any other era in U.S. history. Want to know how that happened so you can cash in on the economic crisis looming on the horizon?

I did a lot of research work to find the real facts, not just the historical data we are spoon-fed by the media about how hard the depression was on the masses and how hard the President worked to turn the U.S. economy around. It takes digging through piles of research documents including the copyright and patent office files and the Library of Congress to find a lot of the data. However, you can also find a lot of information on the internet if you dig deep enough.

There is one golden nugget in this history lesson that can enable you to make tons of money when our country is in a recession (like right now) because a recession is exactly the same thing as a depression except it doesn’t last as long and the damage is not so bad. So bear with me while I give you a short history lesson that contains this golden nugget.

It is important to know that the Great Depression actually started a few years before the 1929 stock market crash and lasted until World War II brought the country out of the Depression.

In the years before 1929, as more and more credit was extended to businesses and individuals the economy was tipping over the edge from available cash to way too much credit debt. When the amount of extended credit reached a critical mass and companies could no longer pay the credit bills, the companies crashed (the 1929 debacle.) When workers lost their jobs they could not pay their credit debts and the housing market and banking industries crashed.

All the business enterprises that were bought and sold during the depression by people with liquid cash are too numerous to mention, but because of the war effort, those with liquid cash who bought land, homes, companies, or invested in the stocks of the companies that made products that were in demand by our government for the war effort made millions. These industries included such products as:

1 - Metals: steel, iron and aluminum
2 - Communications: radios and parts
3 - Transportation: Aircraft, Tanks, boats and vehicles (and their parts)
4 - Armaments: Guns and munitions
5 - Boots, clothing, belts, backpacks, hats, blankets, tents and cots (and the textiles to make them)
6 - Containers
7 - Shipping - Truck Transportation - Railways
8 - Oil and petroleum and stocks in those oil wells (the Texas oil boom was a biggie!)

A few of the well known companies that changed hands during that period were John Deere, Douglas Aircraft, Reynolds Metals, Ericsson, and even the Goudy Gum Company - they were the first gum company to issue baseball cards with gum.

Some of the oppressive laws that our government passed during the 1930s were an effort to take money from the large number of people who had liquid cash and were using it to buy companies (or stocks in companies) as well as property. The government wanted to take it away from the people who had been smart enough to stash away liquid cash and not get into credit debt, and use it to fund the war effort as well as re-distribute it to the destitute families.

These laws were later ruled unconstitutional, but the point is that the people with liquid cash were spending it in way that made them millions, especially in industries necessary to the war effort. Yes, the stock market crashed, but the stocks could still be bought at undervalued prices and those with cash invested at the bottom of the market.

The tactic to be learned from this is a simple one that the people who use my Money Management Software implement right away. They stash cash. In case you missed it, here is THE GOLDEN NUGGET: When it comes to money, the only thing you have to fear is having no liquid cash to get you through an economic crisis.

It is a great time to buy property, but there are many people who have too much of their money tied up in non-liquid investments. They are worth lots of money on paper, but can hardly pay their bills. And there are those who have much of their money invested in semi-liquid investments like the stock market and yet have no liquid cash that they could get their hands on within 30 minutes if an emergency presented itself.

The frightening shape our current economy is in today has the same indicators that heralded the depression of the 1930’s. Not enough cash savings, too much corporate and personal credit debt, banks failing and having to be bailed out (Washington Mutual Bank was the first at a $5 billion bail out in April) and the mortgage crisis / real estate crash.

My clients are getting rid of their credit debt and stashing liquid cash like crazy. They are sleeping well at night and will make it through whatever comes. What are you doing to prepare for the economic recession / depression that is already underway?

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. has years of experience helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE REPORT “7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make”

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Okay, so you are in debt and your creditors are screaming. How do you handle it and get debt relief without having a nervous breakdown? The best practice is to use a simple debt relief solution tool called Dateline Paying.Dateline paying is a simple method of paying oldest bills first, based on the due date. The dateline tells you how far back in time your past due bills go. And yes, credit card debt should be treated just like any other past due bill. There are a few simple steps to this strategy that anyone can do.

1 – Make a list of all your past due bills and credit card debt. Use a report from your accounting program or a spreadsheet of some kind so you can sort them by due date. Be sure and put in a bill for more than the minimum payment for each credit card or line of credit.Make the credit card bill for the amount you want to try to pay over the few weeks before the payment is actually due. For example, if your minimum payment is running at $400, put a bill in for $600.2 – At the end of each business week, carve off 15% of the income to use to pay past due bills and debt.Use the remaining 85% to pay current operating expenses to keep the doors open, the lights on and the telephone ringing to get in more income. Be sure and use some of the 85% for promoting your products and services to keep customers buying, and set a bit aside as a cushion to handle emergencies.

3 – Use the 15% to pay the debt by dateline – oldest bills first.

Always use a portion of it to pay suppliers and part to pay credit card debt.

4 - Pay a bit against credit card debt each week using on-line paying.

Why? Because you stop the daily interest compounding on the amount that you paid. This can save you a lot of money in unnecessary interest charges over time. It also keeps you from being late on your payments and avoiding the late payment charges. In addition, it eliminates the scrambling to come up with a big chunk of cash to pay the credit debt on the week the statement says the payment is due.

5 – Pay past due bills from suppliers – oldest bill first.

The only exception is a supplier who refuses to ship more product that you need in order to produce more income, or one who is threatening legal action. Those are dangerous situations that must be handled immediately.

6 – Work out how to raise your income so that you have an increasing amount of money to use to work this debt relief solution strategy.

Systematically working at paying both ends of the dateline, 15% to past due bills and 85% to current operating expenses, gradually moves the dateline forward to present time until you are current on your bills and out of debt.

You can easily see this dateline paying strategy working for you if you make a graph of the total debt you owe and plot the figure each week so you can see the amount of debt coming down. Not only does it help you confront the debt you created, it validates the actions you are taking to get that situation handled.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions has years of experience helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE REPORT “7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make”

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Here is a way to get rid of the IRS and never have to file another income tax return; or corporate return for that matter! Every dime you earn would be in your paycheck; no taxes withheld. It’s within your power to make it happen!

There is a tax bill before Congress right now that would abolish the IRS and get rid of income taxes, corporate taxes, death taxes, estate taxes, etc. It is called the FairTax Act and I am here to tell you it is not only fair, it would solve our country’s economic problems overnight. Here’s a snapshot of how it works.

First I do want to say that The FairTax is resisted by a vocal minority precisely because it will do what it claims in eliminating the IRS, the more than $300 billion in tax return filing costs, and the corruption of the current system. Make no mistake, that adjustment will be hard for tax lawyers, special interest groups, lobbyists who make millions from our current tax system and those in Congress who see the current tax code as a way to get your campaign contributions to buy your votes.

What is the FairTax?

The FairTax is a retail consumption tax that is charged when you buy something new. It is a transparent tax. That means that the tax will be on your receipt in plain English so you can see it.

Right now you are paying those taxes when you buy something, but they are hidden in the cost of the item by all of the goods and services that go into making that item from raw materials to packaged product. Those are called embedded taxes because they are hidden from your view. Under the FairTax Act, you would be paying the same price for a loaf of bread but the loaf would have a lower shelf price and the tax would be added at the cash register and printed on your receipt.

Is the FairTax actually fair?

Yes, the FairTax is fair. In fact, it is really much fairer than the current income tax. You can control how much tax you pay simply by deciding what items you are going to buy.

Wealthy people spend more money on more expensive items than other individuals. The FairTax taxes them on these purchases. Tourists and illegal aliens, who pay no taxes now, would be paying their fair share every time they buy something. Someone who deals in cash and never reports it on an income tax return would now pay taxes on their income when they spend it at the cash register.

And yes, the government would still get as much tax revenue as they do now, but it would cost us a lot less to run the government. In addition your Congressional Representatives who spend millions of your tax dollars to buy the votes of special interest groups by voting for insane programs, like studying the mating habits of wooly wingas, would stop. (A wooly winga is a made up name for an animal in case you were wondering.)

The FairTax would have a positive effect on the U.S. economy.

With the penalty for working harder and producing more removed, American businesses will experience a new era of economic growth and business expansion. Hidden taxes are history, Americans are able to save more, and businesses invest more. The FairTax, as proposed, would bring U.S. companies back home as it would no longer be an advantage to have U.S. companies in foreign countries hiring workers for low wages that Americans should be doing here at home for a fair wage. In addition, other international investors will want to invest here to avoid taxes on income in their own countries, which would further spur the growth of our own economy.

The FairTax would have a positive effect on wages and prices.

Americans who produce goods and earn wages are currently required to pay significant tax and compliance costs under the current federal income tax. These taxes and costs both reduce after-tax wages and profits and are then passed on to the consumers of those goods and services in the form of price increases.

When the FairTax removes income, capital gains, payroll, and estate and gift taxes, the pre-FairTax prices of these goods and services will fall. The removal of these hidden taxes may also allow wages to rise. Exactly how much prices will fall and wages will rise depends on market forces. For example, in a profession with many jobs and too few to fill them, wages will likely increase more than in fields where there are too many employees and not enough jobs.

Workers would bring home what they earn.

It would put more money in the pockets of every U.S citizen by eliminating the income tax. There would be no deductions from what you earn to pay federal taxes, Social Security or Medicare. If you earned $100 you would get paid $100. Business would no longer be burdened with paying additional taxes on employee wages for Social Security/Medicare.

The FairTax has a positive effect on Social Security/Medicare.

Under the FairTax Act there would be plenty of money available for both these programs. Like all federal spending programs, Social Security would operate exactly as it does today, except that its funds come from a broad, progressive sales tax, rather than a narrow, regressive payroll tax.

Employers would continue to report the wages they pay to each employee to the Social Security Administration simply for the determination of benefits. The move to a reformed Social Security system is eased while ensuring there is sufficient funding to continue promised benefits.

In the meantime, Social Security/Medicare funds are no longer triple-taxed like they are under the current tax system: 1) when payroll taxes are initially withheld; 2) when those withheld payroll taxes are counted as part of the taxable base for income tax purposes; and 3) when the promised benefits are finally received.

The FairTax protects low-income and lower-middle-income families and individuals.

Under the FairTax Plan, poor people pay no net FairTax at all up to the poverty level! Every household receives a monthly prebate check that is equal to the FairTax paid on essential goods and services [groceries and medicine], and all wage earners are no longer subject to the most burdensome tax of all, the payroll tax.

The FairTax protects senior citizens.

Seniors do very well under the FairTax. Low-income seniors are much better off under the FairTax than under the current income tax system. Some people incorrectly believe that people who live exclusively on Social Security pay no taxes. They may not know it, but they are paying hidden corporate income taxes and employer payroll taxes whenever they buy anything. Under the FairTax, seniors pay $0.23 out of every dollar they choose to spend on new goods and services. Plus, seniors, like everyone else, receive the monthly prebate check, in advance of purchases, for taxes paid on the cost of necessities.

Yes, The FairTax CAN really be passed into law!

Do you have the right to vote in this country? Passing the original 16th Amendment and the income tax wasn’t easy, and repealing the income tax and the 16th Amendment won’t be easy either. That is why the FairTax has undertaken to build a grassroots movement and grassroots alliances to support the effort. But this will only happen when the American people rally behind the effort, throw off the yoke, and demand that their congressional representatives correct 90 years of wrongs done by the income tax.

What you can do RIGHT NOW to make sure this bill gets passed.

First, go to the website www.FairTax.org and sign the petition to let Congress and the President know that you want this bill passed into law.

Second, while you are on the website, look at the congressional scorecard to see whether your state congressional representatives support this bill. If they don’t, write them a letter and tell them that you think they should vote for it and that you will be watching this scorecard to see how they stand come election time.

Third, buy The FairTax Book: Saying Goodbye to the Income Tax and the IRS by Neal Boortz and Congressman John Linder. Read it so you understand what this bill actually says. The book is easy to understand. Then give it to a friend to read and ask them to pass it on.

Fourth, if you hear anyone, especially a politician, saying that the FairTax Bill will hurt the poor, or help the rich, or hurt senior citizens, then politely tell them that they either (A) have not read the FairTax Bill and understood it, or (B) they are intentionally misleading the public, so they must have a personal vested financial interest in keeping the current tax code in place.

Fifth, pass this article on to everyone you know and encourage them to join the grassroots movement to get this bill passed into law. Remember, our politicians serve us, we don’t serve them.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, specializes in helping business owners and individuals manage their money to acheive financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report “7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)”

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

There is only one thing that separates you from the people who have the money you wish you had. It is not talent, skill, the things you own or the connections you have. It is the MINDSET.

What do I mean about mindset? The way you use money immediately tells me if you are a Gratification Groupie or a Genius. Here is how I define those terms.

Gratification Groupie – Overspending is a habit and money runs through your hands as fast as it arrives buying ‘stuff’ that you want but do not actually need. You think it is important to impress others with the material things you own. You follow the crowd and do what they do – shop, shop, shop, spend, spend, spend. You may give the appearance of having money, but you are drowning in debt that you cannot pay off. You look for ways to spend money, and spend time thinking about things you want to buy instead of taking action to get out of debt and invest in your long-term financial survival. You are constantly worried about money.

Genius – Paying yourself first by investing a portion of every dime that comes in the door for your long-term financial security is your top priority. You spend the rest in ways that can help you produce more income for your financial survival. You set money aside over time to buy the things you need, and you pay cash. Credit cards are seldom used, and are paid off as soon as the statement arrives. You do not use your money to buy things to impress others or win popularity. You are never worried about money.

What separates millionaires from normal people? Not much. The only real difference is what they do with money when it comes in.

You see, It is not how much money you make, it is what you do with it that determines your financial condition. There is a simple science to managing your finances the right way. Very rich people know this science.

If you really want to convert from being a Gratification Groupie to a wealthy Genius and get on the road to winning your financial freedom, here is the formula the Genius uses to manage the money when they receive it:

1 – Put a minimum of 10% into a retirement savings plan for long-term financial survival. Increase this percentage over time.

2 – Pay cash for everything, starting today. Stop buying on credit.

3 – Use a minimum of 15% of your income to pay off debt and past due bills.

4 – Pay your current bills for necessary operating expenses like rent, utilities, and telephone.

5 – Make your spending decisions based on NEED rather than WANT. Buy the things you need that contribute to your ability to produce more income. Buy used instead of new. Most items lose 25% to 80% of their value the instant you pay for them.

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Just in case you missed the importance of this one fact, I am going to repeat it. It is not how much money you make, it is what you do with it that determines your financial condition.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

So you want to be broke and stay in the economic trap? Here are the top 7 actions you can take to insure you have NO MONEY and are living in poverty.

1. Spend every dime you make and deny yourself nothing; buy stuff whether you need it or not.

2. If you have any money in the bank or room on your credit cards, go out and spend it. Don’t worry about emergencies that may come up. When they do, borrow more money to handle it.

3. Work to make just enough money to barely pay your bills and be sure to spend your free time out spending money. Don’t stress over the yearly increase in the cost of living.

4. Use your credit cards to pay for essential items like gas and groceries, and to do impulse shopping for things you want but don’t need. Max out those credit cards.

5. Pay only the minimum payment required on your credit cards each month, and don’t worry about the extra charges for paying late or spending over your credit limit.

6. Never put any money in savings, and if you do, feel free to tap into those funds when you can’t pay your bills.

7. Rely on the Government and Social Security to take care of you when you can no longer work.

These actions will guarantee that you are being controlled by the money and are broke and living in poverty.

If you don’t care that you’ll constantly be worried about money and plagued with money problems, then you’ll be able to spend those sleepless nights out spending more money on credit cards or shopping on-line on the computer for entertainment. Heaven forbid that you should be working on ways to take responsibility for your own financial survival instead of relying on someone else to take care of you financially. Isn’t that what friends, family and the Social Security system are for?

Now that I’ve given you all this advice about how to live broke and die penniless, I should also tell you that there is a money management system that you can use to control your income and debts to get on the road to financial freedom. Just in case you change your mind and decide you want to take responsibility for improving your own financial condition, you can read some of my other articles on my Money Management Solutions Blog.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

More than likely you are already getting excited about the big check you are probably going to get from the government. You may even be mentally shopping for some gizmo or gadget you have had you eye on. That can be a fatal mistake.

Now, I’m not trying to be a party pooper, but to be honest, I don’t really like this government plan to try to stimulate the economy and pull us away from a possible recession by having you hurry out and spend the money at some store. President Bush said, “Letting Americans keep more of their own money should increase consumer spending, and lift our economy at a time when people otherwise might spend less.” Did you actually get that statement? He said allowing us to keep more of our money. That’s the money we worked hard to earn that the governmnet confiscated in taxes. The President needs to read The Fair Tax Book by Neal Boortz.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that in December 2007, Americans had $944 BILLION in total revolving debt, most of it on credit cards. Spending with plastic has sneaked into every corner of American life. Consumers used to put only discretionary expenses on credit cards. Now, many are so strapped for cash that they use revolving credit cards to pay for necessities like groceries and gas just to survive. That is economic slavery.

The government’s idea may sound like it will work, but I don’t think it is the best idea. I believe a better idea is to use that rebate to reduce your debt. If you have less debt, you will eventually have more money to spend on things like groceries and gas. We are talking about basic survival for many families. No economy can flourish when the public is buried under a mountain of unbearable debt.

Do you already have a plan for what you are going to do with your rebate? I’m encouraging the idea of using your stimulus tax rebate towards financial freedom! Here is  my best advice.

Do NOT mentally go shopping and spend the money before it arrives in your mailbox. Instead, figure out how you can use the money to improve your financial condition.

Use the money to pay off debt. There is no good reason to go out and spend the money on stuff when you cannot pay for the stuff that is already sitting on your credit cards as debt. When you are DEBT FREE, you can start saving to buy that gizmo you have had your eye on.

If you have no debt, then invest the money so it will make more money for you. It doesn’t take but a few years before that $600 or $1,200 dollars can double or triple in value at an 8 - 12% return.

Okay, okay. If you just HAVE TO spend some of the money on a splurge item, limit the amount you use by going out for a nice dinner or buying that book or music CD you’ve been wanting. Then use the rest to pay off debt or put into an investment. The faster you get out of debt, the more often you can do fun things with your income instead of spending sleepless nights worrying about how you are going to pay off those credit cards and get out of debt.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Worried about money? Always short on cash? Living on credit? Here are some tips on how you can take action to earn extra income.

If you like the idea of working from home, there are some freelance jobs that allow you to do that. You can choose jobs that work with your current schedule and talents. For example, you can do part-time work writing, typing or proofreading. One good resource you can visit to search for freelance work is at this website www.elance.com.

Use Your Creativity to Earn Money

Think about how you can use your unique skills to create an opportunity to earn extra income. For example, if you love animals, try offering to do pet-sitting for someone else for a fee plus mileage to pay for your gas. Use your talents and what you love to do. The possibilities are endless.

Use a Consignment Shop to Sell Things

Chances are there are several consignment shops in your area. Visit each one or ask friends or neighbors for a recommendation. The quality of stores can vary greatly, and you want to be sure you’re using a reputable shop. Find out if you need to schedule an appointment. Ask what percentage you will earn on each sale how you get paid. Ask what their standards are in regards to the quality and condition of items.

Become a Mystery Shopper

Mystery shoppers call or visit businesses posing as ordinary customers and provide written reports that evaluate their experience. A wide variety of businesses use mystery shopping; department stores, restaurants, hotels, entertainment and travel providers and many more. Assignments can be as basic as sitting in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant for 20 minutes to document drive-thru service times to taking an all-expense-paid trip to a resort for 2 weeks to document your daily service experiences.

Legitimate mystery shopping companies never charge you a fee to be a shopper. Training and shopping opportunities are provided free to registered shoppers. Payment varies, and many shoppers use this as a second income source or as a way to obtain fully reimbursed meals, products, and services.

Do an internet search for “Mystery Shopping Jobs” or “mystery shopping message boards.” Most companies provide a simple online form that takes only a few minutes to complete. Most shopping opportunities are first-come, first-served, so provide the company with an email address that you check regularly, and a phone number where you can be easily reached.

Mystery shopping may not become your next career, but it will provide you with some extra income, free goods, and maybe even a few adventures along the way! Other part-time jobs can be found on the internet at http://jobsearch.about.com

Save Money On Groceries

There is a new web site that allows consumers to find local grocery deals – www.mygrocerydeals.com – where you can search by food category, by store or by product. Saving money on something we all buy on a regular basis can really help make the budget stretch a lot further.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Do you believe the Republicans when they tell you that the National Debt has grown drastically due to inflation? This surprising chart shows how the Republicans and Democrats have performed in money management and affected the National Debt.

The usual politics of presidential elections are all about the Republicans and Democrats fighting for our votes by blaming the other party for all the bad things, like the growing National Debt that is bankrupting our country. There are only a few candidates this time who are telling it like it is, and who have real solutions like the Fair Tax to offer in the money management area to get the debt down and get us some tax relief. My vote is going to Ron Paul because his strategy aligns with the money management system used by my money management software that helps business owners get out of debt and create wealth. This system can work for our government too.

This chart, based on data from the Bureau of Public Debt up to September 29, 2006, the last day of fiscal 2006, is a graphic illustration of how the actions of our current president is bankrupting America (while cutting every program they can get away with) and passing their debts to your children and grandchildren, and their children and grandchildren.

See this incredible graph here: http://i13.tinypic.com/8a15hlj.gif

read more | digg story

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

If you would like to know just how bankrupt the US is - with future committments for medicare, medicaid and Social Security for the 78,000,000 baby boomers who will start tapping the system starting January 2008 - you’ll want to check out these 2  short videos by David Walker, Chief  Comptroller for US General Accountability Office.

According to the video, between 2000 and 2005, the US incurred 26 trillion (yes, trillion) additional future debt. No wonder why the Dollar is falling hard against foreign currencies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXr_Ga_n0pY&feature=related

Lastly, if you have always wanted to get de-mystified about the Federal Reserve Bank - and how a small group of private individuals have bankrupted America - you won’t want to miss this video featuring Ron Paul:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5232639329002339531

“It is well enough that people do not understand our banking and monetary system, for if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.” - Henry Ford

Wake up America! Your personal financial survival is at risk. Your Constitutional rights are being violated, and you are being robbed of your financial freedom.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping business owners and individuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Do you need some debt relief? You are not alone. Here are 5 tips on reducing debt that you can do right now.

1 - Knock Off Using Credit

The place to start is by locking away the credit cards and figuring out how to cut expenses back to function within your income. Figure out ways to increase your income and instead,use only cash. This is the single most effective action you can take.

2 - Never Commit to Spending More Than Your Company’s Income

When you pay for an item with credit because you don’t have the cash, you are committing your business’ future income to pay the credit company. That’s the recipe for economic slavery. Evaluate whether or not the item will increase the company’s production of income. If the item will increase the business’ production of income, work out how to set aside the cash to pay for it over a short time period instead of whipping out the credit card. Find ways to increase the company’s income and use it to pay both current expenses and pay off credit debt.

3 - Pay More Than The Minimum Payment That’s Required

An effective way to reduce the debt every week is to take 10% to 15% off the top of the company’s income and use it to pay down the debt. Set a goal to pay at least 3 to 5 times the minimum required payment on each credit card and line of credit. Set aside some of the payment money every week before the statements arrive in the mail. It is less difficult to set aside a smaller amount over 4 weeks than to try to come up with a big chunk in one week.

Your debt reduction program should also include the strategy of paying more on the highest interest rate card. Another strategy is paying off the lowest balance cards as fast as possible. This will free up more cash to pay against the higher interest rate cards.

4 - Never Pay Late or Spend Over Your Limit

Never sabotage your debt reduction program by getting hit with $25 to $39 over-the-limit or late fees plus the interest on those fees. Plus, if you pay over 30 days late, your credit record carries that big black mark against you for 7 years - a whopper of a penalty.

Recently a Vice President of a U.S. bank appearing on the news stated that over 24 Billion dollars was paid in interest, late fees and over-limit fees last year on credit cards. I hope you don’t think the credit company minds too much if you go over your spending limit or mail your payment late. They collected billions because of it.

5 - Find Ways To Cut Expenses

A requirement of a debt reduction program is more cash as fast as possible to pay the debt off. Examine where your business’ income is going and reduce all unnecessary expenses that do not contribute to making more money. Before you spend, work out how much money each and every purchase is going to return to your company.

TIP: Continue promoting your your company and its products to everyone - this is one area you don’t want to stop spending on. Just make sure you are getting a handsome financial return on the promotional investment.

Correctly managing the money in a business to make sure it survives takes more than a program to reduce debt, but this is a great place to start. There are other steps in my money management software program that can be taken to increase the business’ income, pay bills on time, have savings for emergencies, increase profitability and pay yourself a bigger paycheck. Who doesn’t want that, right?

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, has years of experience helping professionals and private individuals manage their income to eliminate debt. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2007 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Need a debt consolidation program? You are not alone. Here are 5 tips on reducing debt that you can do right now.

1 – Knock Off Using Credit

If you haven’t done this one, then this is the place to start. Put the credit cards and line-of-credit checks under lock and key, and operate as if you don’t have them at all. Figure out how to make more income and pay cash instead. This is the single most effective action you can take to start your debt consolidation program.

2 – Never Commit to Spending More Than Your Income

When you pay for an item with credit because you don’t have the cash, you are committing your future income to pay the credit company. Then you experience economic slavery. Ask yourself if you just want the item or if you really need it to increase your production of income. If you need it, figure out how to make the cash to pay for it over a short period of time, instead of buying on credit. Find ways to increase your income and use it to pay both current expenses and pay off credit debt.

3 – Always Pay More than the Minimum Payment Required

Your debt consolidation program will be most effective if you carve out a minimum of 10% to 15% of your income. Use this money to reduce debt. Set a target of paying 3 to 5 times the minimum monthly payment on every credit card. Set aside some of the payment money every week until the statements arrive. It’s always easier to save small amounts over 4 weeks than to pay a big bill all at once.

Your debt consolidation strategy should include paying more on the highest interest rate card. Combine that with paying off low balance cards as fast as possible. As you pay off a card, use the money you were paying on that card against the highest interest rate cards. Don’t cancel a card, as this lowers your credit score. Just keep the card locked away and don’t use it.

4 - Never Pay Late or Spend Over Your Limit

Do not destroy your debt consolidation strategy by getting hit with late payment or over-limit fees of $25 to $39 on which you’ll pay interest. Plus, if you pay over 30 days late, that black mark stays on your credit record for 7 years – a harsh penalty to pay.

Recently a Vice President of a U.S. bank stated that last year over 24 Billion dollars was paid out in interest, late fees and over-limit fees on credit cards. Do you think the credit card company really minds if you pay late or go over your limit? If they didn’t want you to spend over the limit they could have declined the charge, right?

5 – Cut Back on Expenses

Reducing debt requires as much cash as possible, as fast as possible. Look closely at where your income is being spent and cut back on any expenses that do not contribute to the production of more income. Before you spend, figure out how much money that purchase is going to bring back in to you, your family or your business.

TIP: If you are a business owner, always promote your business to everyone – don’t cut back on that activity.

Correctly managing the money in a business or household to ensure its survival takes more than a debt consolidation program, but this is a great place to start. There are other steps that you can take to increase income, pay bills on time, have cash reserves for emergencies, increase profits and pay yourself more money. Who doesn’t want that, right?

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2007 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

You know you should have a retirement savings plan for your financial security. Here’s how to start one FAST!

The old saying, Pay Yourself First, is some of the best financial management advice you will ever get. If you don’t pay you, who will? How do you do that? Here’s how.

Out of every bit of income that comes in the door, immediately carve off 10% and put it in a savings account that you have designated for your wealth building plan. I know that is a scary idea for a lot of people who have debt and past due bills to pay. My advice? JUST DO IT! As the weeks and months go by you’ll find you have adjusted to operating on 90% of your income.

The biggest benefit of this self imposed retirement savings plan is the financial security and peace of mind it gives you just knowing that cash is there. You will find that you actually stop worrying about money.

Think you cannot possibly put away the whole 10% to start with? Then take a look at your cash flow from this point of view. Look at all of the suppliers you pay out of your income every month and get the idea that these suppliers are all on your personal payroll. Is there anyone you can fire and not really miss? Is there anyone you can cut back from full time to part time status? Just look at the bills that come in every month, or those checks, debits and automatic fees deducted from your accounts and you’ll see exactly who is on your “payroll”.

Here is an example. I was working with an individual who was having a hard time cutting personal expenses 10% to put away in his retirement savings plan. We looked at every expense from the viewpoint that the supplier was on his personal “payroll”. Suddenly we were playing a game of firing suppliers like the $19.95 per month Cable TV programming he signed up for but never watched because he was working all the time. We reduced the “pay” of the local coffee house by cutting down his daily visit to twice a week. We “fired” his local gym when the contract was up because he was so busy working, he never went to work out. That saved $40 a month. He cut the phone company’s pay by getting rid of his personal home line and just used his cell phone. We even fired his bank and got a new one with no monthly account charges and got the old bank off his payroll to the tune of $25 a month.

You can make this a fun wealth building game with your business cash flow or personal finances just by changing your viewpoint. Be the Donald Trump of your own organization. Take a hard look at who you are paying out of your hard earned income. Don’t be afraid to say “You’re Fired!” and pay yourself first by putting that money in your own retirement savings plan.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Management Solutions, Inc. specializes in helping people manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes Business Owners Make (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2007 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

Credit cards are an alluring trap invented by our modern financial system.

Buying something using a credit card is not bad, IF you have the income to pay the credit card balance in full when the statement arrives, plus all your other bills.

But buying with a credit card because you don’t actually have the money, is simply committing your future earnings to the credit company under the threat of a bad credit rating. That is financial slavery.

Over the past few years, financial experts have helped a lot of people to get out of the credit card trap with debt reduction programs. Helping people do this is not looked on favorably by the credit companies; they lose all that profitable interest. They take counter measures to hook more people back in by offering 0% percent interest for some period of time.

Are they really giving you 0% interest? Only if you can pay off the debt before the time frame is up. What they are counting on is you NOT having the ability to pay it off.

What happens if you can’t pay? Have you ever read the fine print on their “Terms and Conditions” agreement? Most agreements have an attractive interest rate in large print; 9.99% to 12.99% is typical. But, many rates are variable, meaning it is the “attractive” rate PLUS the “prime rate” which is what the banks are charging the credit company. This can add a whopping 6 – 9% on top of that attractive interest rate.

Read further and you’ll see the rest of the trap. If you miss a payment or are late, they have the right to increase the interest rate to well over 30%. PLUS, they get to add an additional $25 – 39 late fee. On a $1,000 balance, that is $52 - 66 in monthly interest and fees you must pay before you ever get to pay the first dollar of the price of the item you charged.

What else do the credit card companies have in their arsenal of weapons to make sure they make money from you? First is that enticing “minimum payment” they offer which is mostly interest, and keeps you paying for whatever you bought for about 20 years. Second, they are now using invitations to get cash back from retailers or earn airline miles for every dollar you spend.

Who pays for that? You do. The credit companies charge the stores for the cash they give you back, and the stores raise the price you pay. Credit card companies pay a tiny amount up front for each airline mile that they “give” you for every $1 you spend. On January 1, 2007 in an NBC TV news interview, the president of a major airline stated that it costs the airline industry $10 to fly you somewhere when you have earned 25,000 air miles to take a flight.

Who actually benefits financially if you charge up your credit cards to earn a “free” flight? It does not take a genius to see that trap dressed up to look like a big benefit to you.

Sandra Simmons, President of Money Mangement Solutions, specializes in helping business owners and idividuals manage their money to achieve financial freedom. Claim your FREE Report 7 Fatal Money Management Mistakes (And How to Avoid Them)

© 2007 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.