Creative Financial Planning

Use Pictures for Motivation  We’ve done a lot of work putting our vision, purpose, and goals into words, but now it is time to transform the words into something more powerful—images. You are going to take the work you’ve done so far and create a picture scrapbook of your goals that will allow you to…

The importance of excellent financial health cannot be overemphasized. The lifestyle you desire and the goals you want to achieve either requires or can be enhanced by an expense. This is pretty obvious for those dreams where we want something. For example, travel, better car, fishing boat, bigger house, vacation cottage, Rolex watch, and diamond…

This exercise will help you transform your Want List into concrete, action-oriented goals. The difference between an average goal and an IMPACT-Goal is like the difference between a car on empty and a car with gas. A car without fuel might be nice to look at and sit in, but it isn’t going to take…

Define Your Want List Now that you have identified a Vision for each Life Zone, it’s time to open the floodgates and unleash your creativity. Answer these three questions for each Life Zone: What do you want to own? What do you want to accomplish? Who do you want to be? Start with the first…

Everything starts with your Vision.  Your Vision is the foundation that supports everything that you do. Without a firm understanding of your Vision, you will have an unsteady structure that will eventually crumble. This exercise will help you create the perfect vision for your future by looking into the future and examining how you want…

We can choose to survive or to thrive.  We can choose a life of emptiness or a life of fulfillment. Where you are today doesn’t have to be where you are tomorrow. Your Financial Makeover must begin by igniting your drive to achieve your dreams. Unfortunately, we’ve forgotten how to have fun thinking about what…

The Importance of a Balanced Life In working with individuals and families from diverse backgrounds, I’ve discovered a universal truth. If you take time to step back from the details of your daily life and focus on the bigger picture, you will find that there is probably an area or two in your life that…

We’ve all heard the saying, “Money doesn’t buy happiness.” Well, it’s true—money doesn’t buy happiness and financial independence doesn’t guarantee happiness either. Personal income in the United States has almost tripled since 1956, but the number of Americans who claim to be “very happy” hasn’t increased—it has remained at about 30% year after year. Income…

Are you financially independent? Now that you know what financial independence is and why it is important, it is just as important to understand what it is not. Financial independence is not about being “rich.” To be rich, you only need to make or have a lot of money. This definition ignores a critical part…

Financial independence means different things to different people. To some, it means being able to pay the bills. For others, it means being able to eat out on a whim. Yet for some, it means being able to have three vacation homes and a yacht. I define financial independence as being able to support the…