A lot of people get pumped up by shopping or consuming. Don't you get a little boost when you purchase a new car or a new cell phone or new clothes? This is human nature I suppose. We live very busy lives. Making a purchase and getting something you have had your heart set on makes you feel good.

Over the last thirty (30) years consumer companies and credit card companies have lobbied congress and positioned their products and marketing to advance this idea in the American mind and take it to the next level. That includes making it seem like a sin if you don't purchase more, aquire more...and get it before you can afford it because "your credit allows you TO AFFORD it."

What if there was a shift in thinking? Think about this: Recently we have not only rolled from a society that is consumer-based, but we have rolled to a society where the consumer has more power and control. Because of developments in world economy, the internet, personal computers and lightning-fast exchanges in information, you (the consumer) are now more in control than ever.

The car dealer(s)* in your area have quotas and goals. So does every retailer and every business that is focused on "making it thru the economic downturn. This has become more pressurized over the last ten (10) to fifteen (15) years. That means they are "emotional" about getting you to say yes. They have more pressure.

*note the use of the plural in car dealers in the above sentence. these people are all competing for quotas and sales records. you have to learn to use their emotion and eliminate your own to save more money on purchases and get ahead.

Any of these merchants want YOU to be emotional. They want you to feel passion about the new car or the new sweater or the new computer. They want you primed and pumped so they can extract more profit. I have a friend who used to say "the goal is to get our unfair share."

I present to you now a thought to reflect upon. Emotion sells. It also boosts profit margin. Now - more than any other time in history - we have the opportunity as customers to turn the tables. If you don't purchase your new Toyota at XX Toyota on the Motor Mile, you can get it at about seven (7) other dealers....and probably at a better price.

Take control. Do your research on any purchase. If it is groceries, go on line and seek out coupon codes. Take the money you save and put it in a money market savings account. Don't just smile and think you saved $9.84. Put that money in savings.

If you are purchasing a major purchase like a car or computer, do your research. Know what you want and what it costs. Neogotiate. Compare with others. Don't just accept what they are saying. If they won't negotiate - try to get them to throw in something additional for "free."

This is your era. You must now come OUT and focus on purchasing only what you need. Do your research. Negotiate. It can save you hundreds or even thousands on individual purchases. When you save, pull that money out of your checking account and put it in savings.

Here's the point: Instead of getting a boost from the purchase, let your boost come from the research and negotiation of the purchase. Don't let your emotions have a say in your purchase or even the time table of your purchase. Stick to your guns. Seek multiple offers or dealers/merchants. Don't fear you have to buy X product at a specific time or at a specific place. Remember that they have quotas and goals. Move the emotion to them. You can do this by "framing" the emotion. See our other blog posts on exactly how to do this or you can see it in "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" at www.stickyasset.com.

Businesses have more pressure than ever. They want you to feel shy about negotiation. They want you to be emotional. If you do your research,
remove your emotion, "frame" their emotion and time table and be patient about major and even minor purchases, you will save money time and time again. However, hear our warning: If you "save" money on a purchase and don't pull it from your checking account to real money market savings, you have failed to save.

Be careful out there. You can do this. We know about the financial crisis. We know it is impacting your household and ours. We want you to have the tools to take advantage of it and gain a larger "foothold" on successful personal budget and finance. It's your time.

Share this blog by using the "share" button to the right. Sign up for our FREE e-saver in the e-mail window to the right.

Thank you for reading our little blog in the world.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

You can read all kinds of advice on saving money and building wealth, but you will not begin on your path to wealth-building until you are ready.

You've heard this a million times: You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make him drink.

You know there are ways to save automatically. You know that if you have a job today you have much more opportunity to save money than if you lose your job. You know that people who save money regularly have an emergency savings fund.

The truth is that most people don't save enough.

The other truth is that saving is easier than you think if you do it automatically, and your savings will build faster than you think. If you don't have an emergency savings fund, you should begin one as soon as possible. Look to build it to 15 to 18 months of expenses. Again, it will build faster than you think. Then...if bad news comes...you'll be more prepared.

Maybe you are reading this and you are ready to "roll." How do I get started?

Investigate savings sites such as www.ingdirect.com and www.hsbcdirect.com. Check out mutual fund sites such as www.troweprice.com and www.vanguard.com. Do MORE research - not less.

Replace the "I can't" stuff with "How do I....." (So, instead of "I can't save 15% of my income," it would become "How can I save 15% of my income?" In other words, change the action from can't to HOW CAN I.....

You can do this. And sign up for our FREE monthly e-saver in the e-mail box to the right of this blog.

Thanks for reading and good luck on your journey.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

It's easy to get caught up in the bad economic news today. Banks fail. The government is bailing fast (with your future tax dollars). Everyone is worried about employment and debt. Unemployment is rising.

Are you saving money regularly? If you have a job, you have a 100% better chance of saving money Vs when you may lose your job. You will need something to fall back on if things get worse.

What if you had an easy-to-follow plan to save money and build wealth? Would that make you more comfortable than you are when you see all this news about the world falling down? Isn't it too late to help yourself in this crisis?

No - it isn't too late.

If you had started a regular savings and investing plan of paying yourself first when you were 20, you would probably be asking different questions right now. I'm no different than you. I didn't think about saving a penny until I turned 40. So, we're going to put that in a column we will mark "Things that don't matter now." That's because we can't change the past.

But you can change the future.

If you have children who are just starting out, you can help them develop their own wise plan to save and invest automatically (and pay themselves first). By the time they are 40, they will be in a significantly stronger financial position.

WHAT'S IMPORTANT NOW

What can YOU do starting RIGHT NOW to improve your situation and get on the road to saving and wealth building? You can start thinking "rich." You can compartmentalize your money and STOP thinking about what you make. That's right. Most Americans focus on what they make. They focus on how to make more money. The real focus should not be on what you make. The real focus should be on what percentage you save each month.

If you feel like you cannot save money today, you are living BEYOND your means. You must put your financial life on a diet in a hurry. Remember - if you have a job, you have a chance.

You must find ways to reduce what you spend on a regular basis. Start by listing out your expenses over the past three (3) months. Quickly you may be able to identify significant savings.

Do your research on your habits and behavior. Eliminate emotion and focus on where you can cut expenses so you can start an automatic savings program.

If you are not in a 401k plan and this option is available to you, TAKE IT. Even if you start out with a small contribution. It will grow faster than you think.

What if we could make things more simple for you and your family?

Your real family financial focus should be on two twin pillars of wealth building:

1. Your enemies. Let's give a small list: A). Your checking account is a money laundering account for other people's money. Anytime you have more money in this account than you should, look for excuses to remove money to savings. B). Credit card companies are evil doers who seek to trick, manipulate and adjust interest payments and fees to keep you "hooked" to feeding their profits. Why do you think they spend millions on congress? Because they want to manipulate the laws and make it easier to keep you hooked. They are worse than tobacco companies. The sooner we all recognize that and realize we can do something about it, the better off our country will be one family at a time. C). car dealers are focused on accelerating profit for their dealerships. People think the car salesman is the bad guy. Often it is the people in the back who "want to make sure you've been treated well. A deal is only a deal based upon out the door final price. Have your financing in order before you go, or they will "see you coming" and separate you from more or your money. All forms of credit (especially credit cards) should be generally considered a "last resort." In spite of all the advertising you see, cash is still king. Debt elimination and the reduction of any dependence on credit other than major purchases should be one of your two (2) major goals. You can't own credit cards. Credit cards own you. See your enemies as what they are: Liabilities. Purchase a big home and you will have LARGE payments and LARGE expenses. These things are emotional, but they also put the trouble of building wealth on your paycheck-to-paycheck treadmill. That means you are limited in what wealth you can grow. Your focus here should be living below your means. Perhaps a smaller house allows you to put more of your money in investments that will generate actual income. Reduce expenses and limit liabilties. That will help you when you begin part 2 below.

We are not crazy people who say you shouldn't have any credit. Even in those cases where you have to use credit, you must look across the table to see the truth: these businesses are not your friend. They are there to take as much of your money as you allow. You must learn all you can to be a tough negotiator with major and minor purchases. Stop allowing emotion to rule you. Take all emotion from major purchases and start with the thought that "they" have quotas and sales goals. Put the emotion on their side of any deal. We live in a global marketplace where the consumer is really in charge....if they take charge. "I don't have to purchase my car from you...there are many dealerships and many brands...." If you take the emotion out of major purchases, you are not limited by time. You can take your time to purchase the "right deal" to save the most money. This should be a focus for you.

Research how you can really get the best deals and save, save, save. And when you do save a percentage on a purchase, take that money and put it in money market savings or certificates of deposit. After all, you've saved nothing unless you actually saved the money in the form of emergency savings or mid or long-term savings.

2). Focus on purchasing assets that generate income. At the beginning of your journey, you should be putting money into emergency savings (we recommend you build 15 to 18 months of expenses into your emergency savings fund). The first six (6) months of this fund should be in money market savings. Then you can begin to purchase six (6) month only certificates of deposit. You can go to bankrate.com and find the best rates. Make sure your bank is FDIC-insured.

When you have built this emergency savings fund and you are contributing to your 401k and/or Roth IRA or Traditional IRA, you should begin to look at purchasing assets that generate income. This should be your primary focus. One of the easiest ways to do this is to focus on no-load mutual funds with low fees. You can find dividend producing mutual funds. You can do your research and find some really good no-load mutual funds without much trouble. We cannot all be Warren Buffett (in fact, none of US can be Warren). However, if you focus on saving regularly (automatically) and you look to purchase assets that generate income on a regular basis, you will grow wealth.

This is not a get rich quick strategy, but it is one that is proven to work and grow wealth over time. Time moves faster than most of us realize. That means that your path to security is faster than most of us recognize. Yes, you can grow wealth in this economy. Design your own plan that focuses on these core values and stick to your plan.

Thank you for reading our blog. Please DO share our blog with friends, family and those you love. You can use the "share button" to the right of this blog to share instantly. You can share on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter, too.

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Good luck!


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Everyone is looking to save money. You have people who are saving pennies, and you have people who believe that saving small amounts will not impact you over the course of your lifetime. Of course, a good warning to you is that a lot of self-made rich people have gotten there by watching the small amounts and "letting the large amounts take care of themselves." I guess this means you know we are believers in watching the change.

Today's blog focuses on reducing your individual payments for specific products or services your family uses on a regular basis. If you follow the guidelines set in this blog, you will see savings in your overall expenses. However, the first stop on our trip is the most important stop.

STOP NUMBER ONE: If you don't take every penny that you "save" out of your checking month after month and begin a process of paying yourself first, you will not be saving anything from the information you find in this blog. It's easy to FAIL to save. Simply allow other priorities to cast a shadow on your future. We all do it. Life is busy. We lose track. Our blog today is designed to help you "focus and get back on track."

The Pre-step. We believe credit cards are absolutely evil. You must begin to see your relationship with any credit card company for what it is: A relationship with your enemy. We say it all the time: You can't own credit cards. CREDIT CARDS OWN YOU.

If you've not read our details on "blue team" and "red team" credit cards, you should spend some time with our past blogs. However, we will add here how you should deal with yearly fees and interest rates on your cards to your own benefit. Don't cry for the credit card companies. They are making MILLIONS and they are seeing a lot of people reach out and negotiate with them. Remember: these people are not your friends. They don't mind generating absolutely evil "secret" rate hikes. In fact, even their disclosure statements are a joke. Required by law, they provide you with simple and easy to understand language when they change interest rates or fees, but they bury these changes in so much lawyer language that they know no one will read them. How do they know? Well, they test it. You should not mind being aggressive with them as well.

Step one. Call your credit card companies and check to see if they have a yearly "fee" on any of your individual credit cards. If they do, tell them that you want them to remove the yearly fee. If they won't, ask for a supervisor. If they still won't, argue with them and tell them that you are receiving offers from other companies that don't have a fee attached. If they eliminate this fee (most will), take that specific amount of money and move it from your checking account to your savings account. < A checking account is a money laundering account for other people's money >

Step two. Next - in a separate phone call on a different day, we want you to call and plead with these same credit card companies. Tell them that you are having huge trouble keeping up with the payments and that you are in need of help. Ask them to eliminate your interest rate while you are in the process of paying off the credit card. If they won't, ask to talk to a supervisor. If they won't eliminate your interest rate for a period of time, ask for a reduction in interest rate. Remember - we are surfing for savings. Dropping your interest rates even a little will save you a lot of money. This is our only exception to moving money to savings. Any savings you gain from interest rate adjustments should be applied directly to paying off credit card debt. You should repeat this process about once a year. Oh, and you should immediately eliminate the use of a credit card (or all credit cards). They are evil.

Step three. Seek out your insurance bill. Car insurance. Home insurance. All insurance. Now go shopping. Use all on-line resources. All you are doing is looking at what the same coverage would cost with four (4) other insurance companies. One of the biggest ways insurance companies profit long-term is by assuming what they know is true: Millions of people will just keep going with what they know. In this case, we are seeking to save money - so we are going to shop around. You should do this once every single year. This will keep your insurance costs as low as possible.

Step four. If you have done the above strategy already, we recommend that you look at deductibles to find additional savings in car and home insurance specifically. You can compare with a variety of insurance companies and find potentially hundreds of additional savings. But remember - move the savings from checking to savings (money market savings, certificates of deposit).

Step five. Seek out every bill you pay regularly. Now you are going to do what companies are doing all across the country. You are going to call them and ask them for help. While this may seem embarrassing to some people, it should not be to you. Bosses and business owners are not bashful about asking for reductions in pay these days. You should call everyone from your cable company to phone company to other monthly expenses and ask them to help you reduce the cost of this bill. You may be asked to look at to bundle phone and cable together. In this case, you should compare other companies to your current "carrier." You should make it clear to everyone you talk with that you have to reduce the current bill by 15%. If the person you talk to will not "deal with you," ask for a supervisor. Every dollar you save should go into savings. Do not allow this money to remain in your checking account.

Step six. By now you should be "collecting" what we call "monthly money." This is money that you have saved from your monthly (month after month) bills. And that money should be added to what we call "The Pay Yourself First Bill." If you force yourself to save more each month, you will very quickly build up an appropriate emergency savings fund (we recommend you build 15 to 18 months of expenses in emergency savings in the form of money market savings accounts and certificates of deposit).

Step seven. Coupons and coupon codes. This falls under what we call "working for yourself. If you have a job, every single day your boss and the owner of the business where you work are paying for your work. You should value yourself as well. This means that we believe you should work for yourself learning ways to save money and generate passive income for the purpose of boosting personal or family savings. You can start at your computer looking for coupon codes ONLY FOR THINGS YOU REGULARLY BUY.

Putting a squeeze on your bills will actually help you develop a larger monthly savings that you ever thought possible. But you must play hard-ball. Do this and you will help your family learn ways to build savings and wealth. That will mean options for your family years from now that other families just won't have. You'll be glad you developed a specific plan for saving and investing.

Share this blog with friends, family and anyone you care about by using the "share" button on the right-hand side of this blog. You can share us on Facebook or in a variety of other ways. Sign up in our e-mail box to the right of this blog to get our monthly FREE e-saver.

Thank you for reading our little blog.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Okay. There's alot of focus on automobiles now. Everyone knows that sales are down, but deals are available if you have the money and are willing to spend on a car, truck, SUV or van. Are you ready for some really good advice on purchasing your next vehicle?

Here comes advice that car dealers won't like - but you will save thousands if you use our guidelines for purchasing a new or used vehicle in 2009:

1. Don't purchase a new vehicle unless you absolutely feel you must have a new vehicle. That's right - you are better off purchasing a used vehicle. You will save thousands and still get a very good vehicle if you follow our rules. New vehicles are money losers. You've heard this a million times - they drop in value as soon as you drive them off of the lot. Of course, the following advice is good no matter if you purchase a new vehicle or used.

2. Remember what my mother always says about a car or truck: Vehicles (anything with wheels really) are never an investment. They lose money. Treat your purchase this way - it will help you remember the emotion from your purchase.

So, how to you insure you get the best possible deal? Believe it or not, it's easy.

1. Remember that EMOTION is what sells all kinds of products. It is also emotion that HIKES the price and EMOTION that is your enemy when it comes to paying MORE than something is worth. So, the real RULE NUMBER ONE (1) is to remove emotion as a part of your purchase.

2. Do your research. This does NOT mean you should go to a dealership. In fact, far from it. How do you research without going to a car lot? After you determine what specific car, truck, SUV or van you want (check them out on the internet)....begin your research by using Consumer Reports and Kelley Blue Book. You are looking for value information, and you can begin with what the manufacturer charges the dealers (yes, you can find this out in advance). Determine exactly what features you want on your vehicle. Then, consider carefully what the dealer has likely paid for each feature and the overall vehicle. Split this amount in half and you have a careful assumption of reasonable value. Don't go to a dealership except to test drive a specific vehicle, and make it a rule that if you do go to test drive....that trip cannot be associated with any seriousness about purchasing an automobile. Tell them at the dealership you are just looking and stick to your plan.

3. Select six (6) dealers in your geographic area and e-mail their internet sales managers with the specifics on the kind of vehicle you want (including the paint and features or options you want). Tell them you don't want to consider any additional option or any other variety of product. Be specific about exactly what you want and tell them you are serious about purchasing this specific product. Ask them for their very best offer on the vehicle you desire and tell them that you are shopping in a variety of environments for the best offer. Tell them that only serious best offers will be considered and that this is the most important purchase your family will make in the next five years or more.

4. Make sure you "frame" your purchase by issuing in your e-mail that you will purchase a vehicle by the end of the current month. This is important. It gives them something emotional to hang on to. Remember: They have goals and quotas.

5. Expect many of these dealers to make you an offer. When they do, you want to control the emotion. Tell each of them they are the HIGHEST bidder but you like their dealership better than the others you have received offers from so far. Ask them if there is any way that they can make a lower offer. Tell them that you have adjusted your purchase schedule and will be purchasing a vehicle within the next ten (10) business days. Tell them you are only interested in out-the-door price. No add-ons.

6. Take your lowest bidder and re-write (e-mail) each dealer except the one with this offer. Tell them that you have received lower bids than theirs. The dealership who gave you the lowest bid should be sent an e-mail asking if they cannot do better than their last bid. Tell them again how this is such a big decision for your family, and you need to do what is best. Share the lowest bid and tell them that you have decided that you will purchase this vehicle THIS FRIDAY between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. local time. As you can see, moving the time table UP also moves the emotion from your side of the deal to THEIR SIDE OF THE DEAL.

7. At this point, you will potentially see some "push back." I have had dealers say things like "If you can get this vehicle at this price or better, you will be the only one who benefits." Don't let this kind of behavior worry you. You are looking for the right dealer. They all have the stress and goals to sell, sell, sell. You need the right deal. A bad dealer will identify themselves and take themselves out of the running. Stick to your guns.

8. Dance at your own pace. Be patienct and dance as long as you want as long as you keep the emotion on THEIR SIDE OF THE DEAL. You do that by making sure they know that you are a buyer and you are ready....for the right deal. Don't allow them to do anything that puts the emotion on your side of the deal. If they try to pressure you, WALK. Warn them. They will do everything they can to get you in the dealership - don't. Don't allow them to move you. Stick to your guns.

9. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART: Be careful when you decide on the specific dealer where you want to do the deal. Make it clear to them that you are coming to the dealership to purchase the vehicle. Tell them you will WALK if they deal isn't exactly what you are promised with no additions.

10. Once you have selected the dealership, make sure you have your financing in order BEFORE you go to sign the papers. You will want to control the money and any leverage. If you make the deal at the dealership, they may get you financing at higher rates than you qualify for. Do not allow this to happen. The best way to do that is to secure payment or financing BEFORE you go to sign the papers and drive off in your new car.

11. Most people think the care salesman is the "bad guy." However, we urge you to accept NOTHING as complete until you have left with the vehicle. The people to watch the closest in any dealership are the "backend" people. They will be the ones "making sure you were treated well." LOOK OUT. Some dealers try to make the most of their profit HERE - after the deal. They do this with what is called F & I people. After you have made your best deal, do NOT purchase any additional warranties or insurance packages. You want to avoid any charge ons or add ons. Remember: Out-the-door pricing is out-the-door. Be concerned that they will attempt to tack on thousands of dollars thru financing, insurance or other add-ons you probably will never use.

These are the basics. Violate them and lose money. Use them and save THOUSANDS.

Want more helpful tips on saving money and investing wisely that could save you THOUSANDS more? Sign up for our FREE e-saver on this page (look for the e-mail window to the right of this blog).

Thank you for sharing your valuable time with us. We are hear to help you develop the plans you need to save money and build wealth the smart way.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Nobody likes to be told to "wake up!" However, it is even worse to be shown you have to wake up after your chances run out. That is happening in homes all across the United States right now. The purpose of this blog is to help people think about developing their own family plan for saving and investing wisely for their future. You can do this!

If you haven't already arrived at the conclusion that our individual (personal) financial world's have changed, you will. Over the past 35 years Americans have boosted spending in a series of waves that have resulted in depended more and more on an ever increasing credit "system" to generate artifical lifestyle. The breaks were applied last November and the results have been seen in housing, the stock market, banks and personal job losses impacting businesses large and small.

You know how this works. Economy contracts and pain is felt by many sectors of the economy (in this case - all of them). We traditionally look at contraction or recession as being a "temporary break in the action." However, we are arrived at a place where the current recession is more likely to indicate a flattened and stagnet "waiting area" where the overall global economy takes stock of the current crisis and moves to establish players in the new economy (since the continuous borrowing is not likely to continue anywhere near the pace of the recent past).

This also means the people who will be hurt the worse are those people who are not planning for this overall change in activity, demand and personal economy. So what do we recommend you do to plan starting now?

1. Reduce or eliminate debt. Start with credit cards. Consolidate. Call the companies and ask them to eliminate your interest rates. If they won't do that, ask them to reduce them. Start making more than the minimum payments on the card with the highest interest rate and make the minimum on the others until you pay them off one card at a time.

2. Consider putting your life on a financial diet (even if you have a good job). Reduce your expenses like a business might. Ask those you pay (bills) to reduce costs by 10 - 15%. Anything you save, you must take out of your checking account and put in savings. If you don't, you are NOT saving anything.

3. If you don't have an emergency fund, establish one with automatic savings. You can do this thru your employer or thru your checking account (remember: We say a checking account is a money laundering account for other people's money). We recommend that you build an emergency savings fund to 2009 specs. That means that you should work toward a goal of having 15 to 18 months of expenses in reserve savings (emergency savings fund). You can use money market savings accounts and certificates of deposits (no more than 6 months). Don't worry if you don't have anything near this amount. The most important thing is to establish a pattern of saving automatically. It will add up faster than you think. If you have a job, you have a better opportunity to save. Imagine trying to establish 15 to 18 months of expenses in savings with no job. If you don't save, you will likely encounter problems in this economy trying to live while you look to replace your income. It is likely to take a long longer in this economy and going forward.

4. Review what you spend money on. Take a look at the last 3 months. Point out the differences between wants and needs. You can do this. If you don't do it now, you will regret it. Again, you should look to reduce your spending by 10 - 15 %. Take the money you save and put it in actual savings.

5. Look for ways to generate additional income outside your job. This could be a critical piece of your financial future. Consider that you can take any "additonal monies" made and purchase no-load mutual funds for your future. Think this is drastic? It isn't. It's smart. It takes less than you think to establish wealth - if you do it automatically and over time.

6. Get your family together and talk about what you are doing. The old days have passed away. Your children need to know how to manage money and get ahead. If you spend time teaching them to save and invest for the future, you will give them a better education than 90% of the children who have grown up over the last 30 years in the U.S.

7. Negotiate. Always. Don't take no as an answer. You know the things you usually purchase in your everyday family life. Instead of accepting prices, know that the consumer is in charge. Do your research and look for opportunities to negotiate. Take the money you save negotiating and put it in money market savings. That's right - emergency fund.

If the future is as bad financially as we say, you will be prepared. Think about this: If we are wrong, you will be even BETTER off.

Soon there will be a new world order in personal finance. Those that planned. Those that wished they had planned.

Thank you for reading our blog. You can share this with your family, friends and those you care about by using the "SHARE" button on the right of this blog. Sign up for our monthly FREE e-saver in the e-mail box provided (also to the right).

Times are a changing. Be prepared.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Here are the quick 6 1/2 things you can do RIGHT NOW to change your financial future and life forever:

1. Stop using credit cards. Yes, stop. Lock them in a safe. Put them away. Take them out of your wallet or purse forever.

2. Begin looking for lower cost home/auto insurance. Double-check all deductables. Seek multiple "answers" to the question: How can I adjust down my insurance costs?

3. Track your money. You should be tracking every nickle you spend. First, look at the past three (3) months. See what "expenses" you can CUT. Then, always - and we mean ALWAYS - track every penny you spend from now on. You'll be amazed how much money you can IDENTIFY as future savings. Always focus on ways to save and pull any extra money - no matter how small - out of checking (a money laundering account for other people's money) and into savings (your real money).

4. Focus on saving money thru negotiation, discounts and coupons. Use whatever you can to reduce the costs of things you ordinarily purchase. BUT....make sure you pull the savings OUT OF YOUR CHECKING as if you paid full price. Put the savings in...you guessed it....savings! Do this consistently and you will come up a winner and build real wealth. That is a fact.

5. Find a way to begin an automatic savings program. This can come out of your pay or out of your checking, but you must make it a PRIORITY to pay yourself FIRST. If you have to start by shaving 1% of your next after-tax paycheck to go into savings - DO IT. Then, increase the savings by 1% each time you get paid. The more ways you create to save automatically, the faster you will grow wealth. Period.

6. STOP CHASING YOUR CREDIT SCORE. The country has gotten itself upside down by chasing credit first. We are NOT saying you should do things to hurt your credit, but squarely put your focus on SAVINGS and the building of CASH. Cash is king.

6 1/2. Stop listening to anyone who says you cannot get ahead. Focus on the positive and know that the real truth about the production of wealth is: slow and steady wins the race. You can build wealth over time. You can do this!

Share our blog with those you love and care about by using the "share" button at the right of this blog. Sign up for our free e-saver to help you save thousands. Just look for the e-mail sign up box to the right.

Thank you very much for reading our blog and passing it on to others.

Good luck.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

There are two (2) things that most people really miss during good times and during times of crisis as well. It's not just during "The Great Recession." Hard times bring thoughts like "bad things happen to good people." The truth is that "we" are not in control. For centuries some people have driven themselves crazy trying to control things or gain control. However, ultimately, the best you can do is live your life given the opportunities that present themselves over time (jobs, family) and plan with the right strategies in place for potential bad times ahead. If the bad times do not visit your home, you will be wealther. If bad times come and you have prepared, you will be LUCKY. This takes the form of the words "living below your means."

The biggest problem with missing the fact that WE ARE NOT IN CONTROL and FAMILIES SHOULD HAVE A PLAN or prepare for potential bad times ahead is that most people put off developing a plan for saving for short-term, medium-term and long-term goals. What does that get you? Nothing.

Not planning IS planning for...poverty. So, the best thing you can do on this Easter weekend is either review your "plan" for saving and developing additional passive revenue engines or START YOUR PLAN NOW. If you don't have a plan for saving and building wealth, don't wait another day. You must begin TODAY.

If you have a job, you should be saving money for an emergency savings fund FIRST (we recommend that you build a 15 to 18 month fund to pay expenses should you lose your job). If you don't have this fund in place, you should begin a plan to get this fund in place thru steady and automatic savings. You can do this thru payroll deduction and start with as little as 1% of your income. Who misses 1%? You might be shocked at how you don't miss it. And it will help you build quickly. If you've been reading this blog for a long time, you know that we recommend increasing your savings per paycheck by 1% of your after-tax income each time you get paid until you reach 15%.

Begin to educate yourself about saving smartly. Check out bankrate.com to see the latest on money market and certificates of deposit accounts. Don't settle for lower rates. Always make sure your bank is FDIC-insured.

Money is difficult to make. The rich have a headstart, but most of those people also focus on creating assets for themselves. These days even the rich are focused on preservation of assets and wealth. The smartest among them focus on how to use the money they have to create more money. They limit their debt and realize that real wealth is low or no debt and cash is king. You should be working along these same lines to save automatically and do everything to focus on creation of assets.

We do recognize that this is a departure from what most advertising on television and even the news shows during the current financial crisis. They all point to preserving your credit. We think the country has gone so wild about chasing credit scores that it has long lost the most important lessons of - dare we say it - the Great Depression. That is "Cash Is King." So, while we don't want to encourage you to do anything to purposefully destroy your credit, we put cash and the building of assets and the reduction of debt or elimination of debt as the TWIN PILLARS OF PERSONAL FINANCIAL SUCCESS for the long-term.

Assets - by our strict definition - are wealth instruments that can be immediately turned into cash. This eliminates things such as homes with mortgages as being discussed as "assets." You've heard the saying, "It is what it is." With any endevor, you must ask yourself, "Is this an asset or a liability?" If it cannot be sold immediately for it's value, it is not a strict asset. Those "non-strict assets" can have value in long-term savings (such as mutual funds), but that kind of outside-of-retirement investing should be attempted ONLY after you have secured your EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND and your standard retirement savings (401k, Roth IRA, Traditional IRA).

For most of us, using money to make more money means limiting expenses and seeking the best rates for emergency savings, participating in 401k (yes, even now - especially now), Roth IRA and Traditional IRA accounts. That means the more you educate yourself on saving and building wealth, the better off you will be. However, your education should be based in things you understand or are drawn to based upon your skills and/or likes. At the same time, be cautious to build your emergency savings FIRST....and GET STARTED.

If you have a savings plan for your family, congratulations. If you don't, we are pleading with you to get started. Use your own thoughts. Will you be better able to save with or without a job? Of course - with. Will you be better off if you reduce your spending and find automatic ways to save for future potential bad events? Yes.

Don't wait. Get started now. Share this blog with others by using our SHARE button on the right-hand side of this blog. You can also sign up for our FREE e-saver to save you thousands by signing up in the e-mail window to the right.

Get started. Think assets. Good luck.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Some of the most knowledgable experts say that the projected bottom for future home prices centers (nationally) on November 2010. What can you do to position yourself to take advantage of the current real trends in what is happening in real estate in your community?

WHAT'S YOUR INTEREST RATE?

Interest rates may continue to come down. If you have a mortgage now, check your interest rates Vs what is happening in the market. Since October of 2008 we have seen rates on a 30 year fixed mortgage drop from the mid-6 range to the low just at or below 5. You want to select a level where you will act, and stick to that plan. In other words, if you decide that 4.5 is your number, get with your mortgage people and tell them that is your target. Double-check to make sure:

Fixed Mortgage

No early payoff fees

No ARMs

No "interest only"

No penalty for additional principle payments

If refinancing makes sense to you and you can save money on your monthly note, you may want to strategically select your "number" and make it happen when the conditions are right for you. Keep in mind that you NEVER save anything unless you take the amount saved and remove it from your checking account and put it in savings. So, if you knock $143.52 off of your monthly mortgage obligation, you should take that amount and use it to build up your EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND. ***We recommend you have 15 to 18 months of expenses. If you don't have this amount, take baby steps and get there. This blog often has specific information about how you can get that done. Look back in previous blogs and check out our easy steps to securing your proper emergency savings fund.

UNEMPLOYMENT IS THE NEW ENEMY

Expected or unexpected unemployment is the new direct enemy of the middle class. This is why you should be saving if you have a job today. Build a proper emergency savings fund. You'll be glad you did. Without it, you will have serious potential difficulty going forward thru this recession and taking advantage of the new lows in housing.

THE PRICE IS RIGHT

When the prices are right and buyers feel they are getting a deal, they purchase and that drives the overall numbers upward. We are beginning to see that. However, confidence is the key. In a lot of markets, actual sale prices are increasing year-to-year over the past several months.

FORCLOSURES

About 60% of option ARMs originated in 2007 will eventually default. What does that tell you about ARMs?

This is why we always recommend that you start with a house you can afford, lock in a known rate for a 30 year mortgage and plan to pay additional principle each month. We are not suggesting that you make an entire extra payment each month (although, if you can do this - good for you). However, it does not take much to make serious progress. Start by looking at the amount that goes to principle each month out of your monthly payment. Make that amount "extra" each month and you will be shocked at the difference it will make in the life of the loan and what you pay over the course of the mortgage.

WHAT ABOUT THE STIMULUS PLAN?

The most optimistic economist say that if the government stimulus took effect today, the market would need approximately one (1) year to show home price recovery. This is a sobering reality. Markets will be different in different states, but the rule of supply, demand and confidence will be the rule that prevails.

FINALLY, WHAT WILL DRIVE PURCHASES

These are the factors we say will be most influencial in driving a rebound in the home market:

1. Buyer confidence in their jobs/income levels.
2. Reversal of the home price declines.
3. Affordable mortgage financing with lower interest rates.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CHECK ON YOUR OWN HOMES VALUE?

Of course, you can check out www.zillow.com. This information is likely to be "recent historical." It will not be up-to-date, but it can give you a rough idea of where things are going in your neighborhood (or where they have been going in the last six to eight months).

Do your research with a comparative market analysis. Check out what homes are going for in your neighborhood and on your street.

ALWAYS BE PREPARED

Many where more shocked than those paying attention when the meltdown came. Your job now for your family is to do a good job of preparing for the future. This means saving automatically. This means developing a plan.

You can have a plan for your home. You can have a plan to reduce spending and save more. It only requires some thinking, planning and the will to execute. You can do this.

Thanks for checking in with our blog. Share it with friends, family and co-workers. There is a share button to the right of this blog. You can also sign up for our free e-saver to save thousands on all kinds of things (and to give you some savings tricks that may help you grow wealth).

Good luck.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

Everyone wants to know how you get rich quickly. How can I win the lottery? How can I score quickly? How can I join a group that gives me the edge and helps me score quick wealth?

The truth is much more simple. True wealth-building generally happens over a longer period of time. You've heard the saying that "slow and steady wins the race." The trick is that slow and steady is faster than you think. If people put more effort into doing the strategic and steady things needed to build wealth and less time on the get rich quick "opportunities," they could have more success earlier in their lives.

No matter where you are today, you can begin a process to strategically build wealth. Start by looking at your debt and your emergency savings. These are the two (2) key factors at the bottom of your "tree trunk of wealth." That's right. Look at debt because you want to evaluate how much credit card debt you have and you want to begin reducing and eliminating that debt. You want to look at emergency savings because it is critical to build the proper emergency savings so you don't have to always focus on paycheck to paycheck.

These are your first two (2) goals:

ELIMINATE CREDIT CARD DEBT

BUILD A PROPER AND UPDATED EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND (15 to 18 months of expenses)

If you work for an employer that offers a 401k, engage it and work to max out your contribution. Think of this as money that goes away for decades. You have to believe that this is contribution to the far-away future.

If you can, establish a ROTH IRA and contribute to it automatically. Even if you start with small amounts, do it. The ROTH (or a traditional IRA) is also a long-term investment. With long-term (and sometimes medium and even short-term) savings and investing, we are all like farmers. Slow and steady strategic planting works. It always has. And it works faster than you may think.

The most important thing for you and your family is to have a plan. That's it. Develop a strategic and steady plan to build personal savings and work to always keep your expenses in line below your income. I know that a lot of "high-finance folks" laugh at that. However, we have made a mess of our country by over-extending beyond our means.

We do not believe in chasing credit scores. Certainly, we don't want to encourage anyone to do things to destroy your credit score. However, the idea that credit is king is dead. Cash is king. It always has been. Build your cash reserves and you will find yourself anywhere but in trouble.

Chase liquidity - not credit.

And good luck.


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog

It's on everyone's lips (or at least everyone's mind). What about my house? Is the value dropping (likely - no matter where you are)? How much has the value of my home dropped in the last twelve (12) months?

Here are some sites to give you details:

www.cnnmoney.com/realestate - This site gives you details on everything from foreclosures to home buying tips. As always (with any site), do your own research.

www.zillow.com - This site gives you an "idea" of what your own home may be worth. Keep in mind that the answers you get may be "aged" or not as up-to-date as current conditions.

www.financialstability.gov - If you want to check out President Obama's Making Home Affordable Plan. Hey, if they are going to spend all your tax dollars, you should at least see if you can get some of it.

What About Other Ways To Help Yourself:

www.bankrate.com - A site that allows you to check the best rates for stashing your money (you know that we recommend an emergency savings fund). We recommend you build an emergency savings fund of 15 to 18 months of expenses. Don't get overwhelmed. Just start. It builds faster than you think.

No matter what the situation with your home and it's value, chances are that you owe. You know the saying? "I owe, I owe, so off to work I go!" We believe we can at least make you feel a little better. The next time you get your mortgage statement, check out how much money from each payment is actually going to "principle." You'll see that it may not be as much as you think. That's why we suggest that you consider finding a way to make an additional "principle payment" directly to your lender each month in that amount or even a smaller amount. It gives you great opportunity to attack and pay down your mortgage faster than everyone else. A little extra payment each month will mean you will pay off your mortgage potentially YEARS EARLY. That's excellent news.

It's a tight market out there. You should also keep an eye on interest rates. If you have a mortgage and you qualify, you may be able to refinance and bring your mortgage payments down substantially. However, A WORD OF WARNING:

If you refinance your mortgage, make sure you get a FIXED RATE. Also take the monthly amount you save on your mortgage and put it every single month into an EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND in case you lose your job or have some additional difficulty down the road. A little planning now will help boost your opportunity to survive hard times ahead. Make sure you put it in money market that is FDIC-insured and certificates of deposit that are FDIC-insured.

As always, you can share our blog by using the share button on this page. Please sign up for our FREE monthly e-saver to save you thousands. The sign up is also on this page.

Good luck and thank you.



Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog