Isn't it amazing how fast time "builds"? You are 8 - then 10 - then 25 - then 40. You get the picture. In a flash life happens and changes. None of us knows the future. All we can hope to do is establish a good life for ourselves and our family.

If you want to get a clear picture of how fast life moves, set a simple New Year's resolution that cost nothing. Keep a journal for ten (10) weeks. At the end of the ten (10) weeks (March 12), look back on what you have written. If you are older, you already know this trick. But if you are younger, I want you to think about this seriously in terms of saving a little sliver of money.

What's a sliver? Let's say you start (at the beginning of the ten weeks) with 1% of your income after taxes going to savings.

Each Thursday after January 1, you up the percentage by 1%. Now, 1% is not a lot. In ten (10) weeks your journal will tell the story about what has happened in your life and you will put the percentages saved into a higher interest savings account like an ING Direct or some other higher interest vehicle. What will your savings look like?

Try it. One journal. 1% in week one. Each week increases by 1%. If you get paid every other week, you are only talking small amounts. If you are getting paid once a month, it is slightly bigger. However, it is still very small compared to your income.

At the end of the ten (10) weeks, you can:

1. Stop adding the 1% per week.

2. Continue to add 1% a week until you reach 15% or more if you are confortable doing so.

Here's the point. Time passes. If you find unique ways to save money, your family will be better off. If you don't, you'll just be older.

Which one would be more fun?

Good luck.



www.STICKYASSET.com

Are you really ready for 2009? Have you reviewed your expenses? Have you reviewed your industry, where you are and where your company is in the natural order of financial crisis and recession? Have you looked at your 401k and savings? Have you reviewed your EMERGENCY SAVINGS?

Okay. Let's get serious. What are your goals or resolutions for 2009? If you're not the kind of person who does this as the new year begins, perhaps 2009 is the year to change all of that. The world is changing; this is the best time to review your options, brace for what may be coming and prepare to launch toward your goals this year with specifics and A PLAN to get ahead this year.

If you don't have a 401k or savings or emergency savings, now is YOUR TIME to begin. 2009 could be an exciting year for you as you show yourself and prove to yourself how time + savings + interest makes you wealthier and it adds up faster than you think.

Please let us recommend for 2009 that you begin or continue growing:

1. 15 to 18 months of expenses in your EMERGENCY SAVINGS.

2. If you have opportunity to participate in your company 401k, DO.

3. If you can, also start contributing to either a Roth IRA or a Traditional IRA (even if it is only $25 everytime
you get paid).

4. The most important resolution for MONEY in 2009 is to launch AUTOMATIC savings mechanisms; start either
automatic withdrawals from your paycheck or from your checking.

5. Always think of your checking account as a MONEY LAUNDERING OPERATION for other people. Any excuse you
can give yourself to move money out of CHECKING and into SAVINGS, DO IT!

And Happy New Year from www.STICKYASSET.com.



www.STICKYASSET.com

My little boy is curled up and snuggled into my right arm as I type this blog. I love him deeply. Both my boys. It is one of the things I wish could save.....but you can't. I have to enjoy it as it happens and save it to memory.

Family. We think about it at Christmas, don't we? Holidays. Birthdays.

You like to try to take care of the ones you love, right? This is why we must all learn better ways to save and invest money. It does not matter that the economy is falling down around our ankles. We must provide for our families, right? We want to make sure we take care of the important people.

This is why we want everyone to know about things like ING DIRECT and T ROWE PRICE and we want people to learn all they can on the internet. WE WANT people to SHOW US better savings and investing plans. That's right, sharing!

Spend time with your family this Christmas and New Years, but think about the important things. Save for the future. Save for Emergency Fund. Save for retirement. Think ahead. If you've not looked into The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis, we invite you to check it out.

The most important gift WE can give you is to say START. Even if you just do an automatic $25 deduction every time you get paid to go to something like a money market or mutual fund, you will be SAVING yourself, your family and America.

Happy Holidays! Good luck in 2009.



www.STICKYASSET.com

The end of the year and beginning of a new year brings you an opportunity for reflection and setting goals for the New Year. As you know, we are big believers at www.stickyasset.com of finding unique ways to save or "shave" money from our checking account and paychecks automatically to savings.

Remember: We believe in valuing what you make by what you save - not by what is in your paycheck every time you get paid. So, focus your energies on how much you can set aside. Look for unique ways to save automatically and by "tricks."

What's the first "trick" of the New Year Reflection/Review?

Take a look at your expenses. Make a budget. Try to see how much you can reduce by being hard on your expenses. What can you do without? Don't make it an exercise where you cut EVERYTHING out, but look for waste or areas where you could cut back a little. Make sure you actually REMOVE that amount each month going forward from your CHECKING ACCOUNT (remember: we think of checking accounts at www.stickyasset.com as "money laundering devices" for other people; it only counts if it goes in YOUR savings).

You might be amazed at how you can reduce a little and add to your savings each month this year. Plus, the end of the year is a good time to review and consider adding an automatic deduction to your paychecks through payroll at your work and someone like ING DIRECT or T ROWE PRICE. *We are not connected with either of these companies and do not recommend specific partners. We are only using those two as examples. You should do your research for the best fit for yourself and your family right on the internet.

Do a year-end review. Focus on taking money from CHECKING to SAVINGS. It will make a LARGE DIFFERENCE in 2009. And good luck!



www.STICKYASSET.com

We hope you have a wonderful holiday, a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. However, there is a good chance that you may receive a gift over the Christmas holiday that is.....not right for you. Perhaps it may not be your kind of gift or it may be (dare I say it) terrible.

We could call this a "bad fit." It could be a waste, but you shouldn't let it be a waste. There is nothing wrong with making good use of a gift (especially if you don't think it is a good "fit" for you). The purpose of a gift is to please or to share joy.

So, here is what you can do:

Sell it. I know. "How can you sell a Christmas gift?" Well, you can sell a Christmas gift and it is MUCH better than letting one become a waste.

Here are some ideal places technology will allow you to make good use of a Christmas "mistake."

ebay

amazon.com

swapagift.com

Of course, there are other places you can use to sell these items. Do your research (something we are always recommending).

OR you can simply donate them as a gift to someone who may need them and take the tax benefit with someone like salvationarmy.com.

BUT STOP! If you decide to sell any of these kind of items, you should put the money you earn in a high-interest savings account (NOT at a bank). This is a part of our www.stickyasset.com philosophy of finding unusual ways to SAVE MONEY and help give yourself an EMERGENCY FUND your family deserves.

Will you get rich selling Christmas gifts? Probably not. However, little amounts add up. Allowing a gift to be "lost" or not useful because you don't like it or it is wrong-headed is wrong. Get use from the items by selling them and putting the money to work for yourself and your family in savings.

In 2009 you may be glad you did.

Good luck.



www.stickyasset.com

The question is: What will it take to move you? Tick, tick, tick.....

Every man (and woman) has to face the unique crisis of their own time. As the government tries to deal with the current financial crisis, rest assured that they have not seen anything exactly like this. Why? Because each single, small adjustment you make in your life CHANGES HISTORY. So imagine what ignoring the greed on wall street and in the banking and real estate industries has done over the last decade. You get the picture.

.....tick, tick, tick......

Here's the best news in the above paragraph. "...each single, small adjustment you make in your life CHANGES HISTORY." That's right. YOU can change the course of YOUR LIFE in this financial mess IF YOU BEGIN TODAY.

....tick, tick, tick.....

Take a look at people like Ben Berneke and Henry Paulson and understand they don't understand any better than you what is happening. Make YOUR break to protect yourself and your family AND DO IT NOW. Never in the course of history has their been a better time to seize the day and take as much control as you can of the future before it "continues" to arrive in the local papers, the Wall Street Journal, CNN, Fox and the network news day after day.

....tick, tick, tick....

Make a plan:

1. Review your expenses. See what can be cut or reduced.

2. Take the reduction and "spend it" by sending it to savings (not in a bank - look for the best places for higher interest for your money.

3. Begin self-education. Start with the internet. Use it as your WORLD WIDE LIBRARY. Remember: No one is perfect. If they were, you wouldn't see how the super-rich gets scammed by "investment men."

4. If you are investing, check on fees. It is a great place to start REDUCING. No one is so smart that they should be making money if you are losing money. Really.

5. Develop your own plan for saving "short-term money" (Emergency Savings - 15 to 18 months of expenses) and long-term savings (retirement). The older you get, the less time you have and the faster life passes. START TODAY IF YOU HAVE NOT DONE SO ALREADY.

Get started. You will feel much better about the daily crisis you see on the news if you are on the move yourself "building savings, reducing costs and planning for a better future. Remember: The family you save could be your OWN.

Even the sound of the ticking clock will sound better with savings and reduced cost doing the work for you.

....tick, tick, tick....

Good luck.



www.stickyasset.com

Who isn't looking to save money right now?


Here are some websites that may interest you over the next year. Check out each one. We have no official relationship with any of these sites, but we feel this is a good group to use with our Sticky Asset Philosophy of using one (1) hour a night working for yourself to save money or even make money during economic downturn.

www.pricegrabber.com

www.shopittome.com

www.smartmoney.com/tips

www.choosetosave.org

These are only sites to generate your thinking. There are thousands and thousands of sites out there. Just remember, it's okay to look for coupon codes. It's okay to search out information on the world wide web. However, you must do your research. If something is too good to be true, it probably is. If you have to pay to receive a benefit (like "work from home with this amazing opportunity") BE CAREFUL. Just because they put it out there does not mean they are trying to help you. When you do your research, you do YOURSELF and YOUR FAMILY big favors.

Of course, we wouldn't be worth our own skin if we didn't put ourselves in the mix. Our site is www.StickyAsset.com and we recommend ways you can save money as a consumer. We recommend ways you can avoid being taken advantage of today. And we recommend you focus on ways you can generate your own Asset Train(TM).

Good luck!



www.StickyAsset.com

Today we face situations where we all hope our government has the best information and makes great decisions to move the country out of financial crisis. Many people hope the government will bail us out. So far the results have been predictable. They have bailed out some fat cats in banking and finance. The government is now looking to "begin" bailing out the U.S. auto industry. But the real question is: What about us? What about the average consumer (responsible for generating 70% of the U.S. Economy - hello?)???

Here's the truth: You can't depend on the government to bail you out. They will make noises like they are going to do things for the average citizen. Maybe they will, but you best depend on yourself to save your family. This is why we have written The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis and made it available at www.stickyasset.com.

Start making your move today. If you don't have an automatic savings program, begin one immediately. You can have 1 or 2% of your income taken out of your paycheck and increase that amount each month or every other month until you reach a percentage where you can make great contribution to short-term savings. If you've been reading this blog or you have purchased The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis, you know we believe in a strong savings base. The only way to do that is to begin.

Do your research to see where you can put your savings to gain the most interest for yourself and your family.

Don't wait. If you have not been touched yet by this financial crisis, it's very possible you may be touched by it soon. Take charge by starting your savings program. Look to educate yourself about how to make your money work for you. Today with the internet, you have the greatest library mankind has ever known at your fingertips.

Take the step of beginning today. You will be glad you did.



www.StickyAsset.com

If you've been watching the news, you see it all over CNN, Fox and the major networks. The winds of change are upon us. More defaults on mortgages. More real people having difficulty with the economy. jobs are dropping off at a record rate. Not much to like about the news. A lot of people joke that The Wall Street Journal should change its' name to The Daily Disaster.

But what about your disaster and mine? You see, most people have the ability to put things off again and again.

"I really want to save for retirement."

"I will get to that soon."

"I have to wait until the economy is a little better."

Human nature is to put things off. Wait just a little while longer. What could it hurt?

Just watch out that you hear they warning now and avoid saying these things a little differently. Like:

"I wish I had saved for retirement."

"I always thought I would save some money, but there never was enough time."

"The economy is worse now than it was before I retired and now I have nothing."

Think it can't happen to you? Look around and wake up. Things are changing in the economy and the world. The new unemployment numbers come out each month. Will your name be on that list? The time has arrived for you to develop your own plan to help your family survive the current financial crisis and save for retirement. There is no time better than right now to begin. And here's the best part: If you develop a plan now and BEGIN, you will be able to overcome downturns and swings in the economy.


If you put it off, time will pass anyway. Maybe your family will get hit by financial crisis. Don't believe us? Make a mark on your calendar today. Time passes. Save or don't save. That may be the difference for you down the road.

Don't wait. Go to www.StickyAsset.com and check out The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis. Use that e-book to lay out your own plan for short-term and long-term savings. Do your research on the internet. Find the best place to put your savings (where it will earn the most interest and be safe). Look for ways to save and make sure you put the savings in a separate bank account from your checking.

You owe it to yourself to get started today. Remember: Human nature is to put things off. Start a new path today.

Don't be "Gone With The Wind." Make plans. Take action. You can do it.



www.StickyAsset.com

What is saving?

Are you sure we know what saving is? Couples might think of saving in different ways (that's why we all got married, right?)!

Let's give an example of how saving might be different for one person than another.

The wife says to the husband, "Let's go the rest of the year and only eat only the remaining food in our house to save money. We can just use what is in the fridge and freezer right now until it is all gone. Imagine how much we will save!"

Okay. That's fair, right? Most Americans do have more food in "storage" than we need on a weekly basis.

But....and here's the fun part....if you simply eat the "food on hand" and don't spend the money on trips to the store, are you saving the money? Of course not. To really save money, you must actually save it. Remove it from your checking account and put it in savings.

We recommend that would go like this:

Simply take inventory of what you have in the pantry, the fridge and the freezer. Plan out the meals you could make from what you have "on-hand."

Then do this:

1. Determine how much you spend each week on food.
2. Each week take that amount out of your personal "money supply" (checking).
3. Put that amount into savings (not at a bank - look for the best rate).


You should use your "savings" by putting the money where it will do you the most good. Consider your emergency fund. Unlike most "experts," we recommend that the 2009 goal is to have 15 to 18 months of expenses in emergency savings.

There are MONEY MARKET accounts that pay much higher interest rates than the traditional bank savings accounts. Once you have about six (6) months in that type of savings, you could start stacking six (6) month CD (certificates of deposit) with someone like ING DIRECT. *Please keep in mind we do not endorse any business at www.stickyasset.com or www.stickyasset.com/blog.

It is a simple rule. You don't save unless you take the money out of your regular "money supply." Save the actual money.

So, can you do it? Can you go the rest of the year between now and January 1, 2009 and spend only for Milk and bread maybe? Then, save the money you WOULD HAVE SPENT on trips to the store and eating out?

We bet you can.

Don't forget - saving money is WORKING FOR YOU. When you are not saving, only YOU are working.

Let's get to saving money! Good luck.



www.StickyAsset.com

A lot of people who read this blog talk to us about how focused we are on saving money. Of course, they mean that we talk about moving money from your checking account (that we consider a money laundering mechanism) to savings and investing for the future. However, they think they mean "saving money = discounts when you purchase things."

Okay. We believe that is important, too. We are not and do not endorse products or websites, but we do believe it is important for you and your family to spend about an hour three (3) days a week working for yourself. One of the things you should be doing is searching the internet to find ways to save money. Just don't forget to take the money you save and apply it to your savings and OUT OF CHECKING. Remember: We don't endorse any site or organization.

We predict 2009 will be the year "Great American Savings" will forge a comeback. If you're smart, you will begin right away. Don't wait. Learn the tricks to create savings without overwhelming yourself at www.stickyasset.com.

Here are some starter ideas to help you in 2009:

shopittome.com - This site e-mails you about special sales either by store or brands.

sixpm.com - Offers shoes, clothing and more at deep discounts.

dealdivine.com - Offers coupons, sales and other deals.

retailmenot.com - Offers coupon codes and discounts.

pricegrabber.com - This site offers comparison shopping.

Here are some savings-based sites you may also find helpful:

americasaves.org

choosetosave.org

Since the idea behind this blog and www.stickyasset.com is to attempt to generate or participate in the generation of a new American financial evolution, we like a lot of what we see on these sites, but we do not endorse them because we want to encourage readers to RESEARCH what works for YOU and YOUR FAMILY.

And REMEMBER: Take the pennies and dollars you save and put them in high-interest savings. Don't forget what you've learned in The Sticky Asset (from www.stickyasset.com) about emergency funds and long-term retirement savings and investing.

And good luck!



www.StickyAsset.com

I once had a boss who actually told me that "they" had done research and that in any given work environment, the lowest they could move the negative undercurrent was 28.8%.

If my old boss was correct, you recognize this means we are our own worst enemies. Imagine freeing yourself of the negative nature of humans. Children do it. They know. If you put your mind to something, you can often accomplish it.

Of course, the same is true about saving money. The same is true about what people call "paying yourself first." If you have followed The Sticky Asset for any true length of time, you know that we are not big believers in credit. We're not exactly like Dave Ramsey (he believes in no credit ever). However, our strategies rely on your freedom from the idea that you are bound by your credit score. This is a fool's errand. You are bound only by the cold hard cash you have on hand. The only way to improve this is to save and invest wisely.

You'll hear us preach this over and over, but your lifestyle will expand or shrink depending on what you "think" you make. A better judgement is to always look for ways to take money out of circulation and into savings. To do this, you must focus on what you keep. In other words, forget what you make at work. That is an important number, but it has less importance here than what is in your savings.

To build savings, you must start saving. We recommend you do this with automatic savings through your paycheck (let's say you start with 1% and move up the percentage every payday until you are at 10 - 15%.

You will find additional ways to save in www.stickyasset.com, but you should also add about 1 hour (60 minutes) to your day every other day for thirty (30) days to "work for yourself." During this time, you will spend time on the internet looking for ways to save. Go to the public library and look up books on saving money. Look at your budget and see if there is just a little bit you can carve out that you might not miss and put that into savings. You'll be amazed at how fast it adds up.

You also know that it is not beneath us to talk in terms of approaching credit card companies if you owe on a credit card (or more than one). Ask them to suspend the interest. This will save you a lot of money.

The idea here is simple: You will develop a plan and YOU can do it. You can grow your own wealth. It's not a dream - it is a fact.

Start right now. Don't wait. What can you save? (And don't put it in a bank - put it where the interest will develop faster).

Good luck!



www.StickyAsset.com

Your parents probably told you it was good to save.

We know in our hearts it is good to save. We feel better when we have some savings set aside, but it is hard to do. That's because - as they say in TV commercials - "life comes at you fast." Bills, kids, car repairs, taxes, unexpected problems. They all make it very difficult to save anything these days.

Young people (in their 20s and 30s) are now saving much more than people ten (10) or twenty (20) years older. They are seeing the trends in economy and making adjustments faster than those who are older. It is good for them and a shame for those slightly older. You don't want to be left out in the cold. Most people think "Hey, I'll be okay." That is a risky way to live.

That is why we recommend two (2) important things in www.stickyasset.com to help you immediately:

1. Automatic savings. You can have amounts deducted from your paycheck BEFORE you even see it. Or you can have amounts taken from your checking account (you should see what we say about checking accounts in www.stickyasset.com).

2. Start today. Don't delay. Even if you only save a small, small, small amount. Get started. Don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed. Start slow and build. You will be shocked at how fast it adds up!

Want more tips on saving and getting ahead? Go to www.stickyasset.com and PASS IT ON!

Good luck! And thanks!



www.StickyAsset.com