Archive for the ‘Financial Freedom’ category

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. For more information, claim your FREE Debt Reduction Solutions Guide

© 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 Debt Reduction Solutions Guide

© 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.

How Is My Site?

View Results

Loading ... Loading …

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 Debt Reduction Solutions Guide

© 2008 Sandra S. Simmons. All Rights Reserved.

So you want to be broke, have no money,  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.

No Money

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 their money management goals, so be sure to claim your FREE Debt Reduction Solutions Guide

Proudly powered by WordPress.
Copyright © Money Management Software Blog. All rights reserved.