95% of the time our focus is on building savings over time for emergency savings funds and mid-term or short-term goals. That is because we believe the "chasing of the credit score" is what is wrong in the United States right now. We believe in setting aside a strategic portion of your income. The "system" of thinking in our country has transfered from being a wealth building or a goal setting system of delayed rewards to one of instant rewards or "I want it now!" Of course, real value is very, very rarely build "right now." However, we are seeing a lot of questions about retirement. So, that is today's subject on this blog.

If you are already in a 401k or IRA, you have very likely experienced a rough seven (7) to ten months (10) of declines in the value of those assets. The good news is that these are investments with a very long life cycle or investment time-line. As you draw closer to retirement, it is widely recommended that you move your assets toward safer investments and away from risker investments. If you are near retirement and have not adjusted to appropriate allocations - there will be little to help your loses. If you are not near retirement, you must take these last months as a serious warning about what can happen to you. Make sure that once you draw to within 10 years of retirement you start making some more conservative moves with the investments in your 401k and/or IRAs.

If you are not near retirement (or even if you are), the best thing you can do now is to open up the amount you save. This will - for now - become the fastest way to make up loses you may have experienced over the last year. So, while some people may think now is the time to pull back from investing in your 401k or IRA, it is not a good time to do that. Now is when you have opportunity to make up for lost ground. Just make sure you research what you are investing into today and do things gradually. Balance is the key to success.

Of course, we will always mention that you should build an emergency savings fund today of between 15 and 18 months of expenses. If you do not have this amount currently, work toward this goal by using automatic savings either at work or thru your checking account. The balance between reducing credit, increasing emergency savings and focus on retirement planning is critical.

When FDR said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself," what he actually meant was let's get off our butts and get active in saving money and using a strategy or developing a plan to move us out of this time. The same is true for you today. Fear may be a motivator, but fear and worry never get you anywhere. Recognizing you need to start and/or increase savings and focus on what you are saving - not what you are making - is the key to recovery for your own family.

Remember the basic rules for our success in the future: You cannot own credit cards - they own you. Reduce or eliminate credit card debt in any way you can. Cash is king. Do not "chase" your credit score. We're not saying credit is unimportant. We are saying that elimination of debt and having a strong backing of cash is the real path to wealth-building for the middle class. Your spending will increase or decrease depending on what your brain "thinks" you have available. Pay yourself first. Trick yourself into savings. When you save 15% on an item you would have bought already (if it were not on sale), take the 15% out of your checking account and put it in a high-interest money market or CD. You want to constantly create situations where your money is working FOR YOU.

Don't take this lightly. Now is your time to act. Review your expenses. Put everything on notice that you are reducing expenses by 10%. Put the 10% saved into savings.

Think of the world is good and evil. Cash is good - credit is evil. You may need credit for a house or a car, but there is very little else that should be puchased on credit. I know - how did they do it in the last Great Depression? Simple. If they didn't have the cash, they went without.

Think of yourself as building wealth for your family. Allow nothing to stop you from setting savings goals and plotting to reach your goals over time. Your retirement will be better if you do. You will make up more ground on what you've lost and build real sustainable wealth for your family over time.

Good luck!


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com

You can find a lot of resources that will tell you the bad news about the economy. You can even find many sources that will showcase that the economy could and probably will get worse. 10% unemployment? 11%? 12%?

Will you be able to save more money now or when you lose your job? Of course, anyone with a job is much more likely to have opportunity to save. You are not guaranteed a job today (unless you are Barack Obama - and he has a little more than three years).

If you have followed this blog, you know that we are big into finding ways to save money. If you still have a job, you should save in case your job goes away in this economic recession. Some of our advice is to begin a pattern of automatic savings. We constantly talk about tricks to get you and your family thinking about how to save more. If you've not read our 1% plan, you should continue reading past blogs on this site. If you haven't checked out "The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis," you should check it out at www.STICKYASSET.com.

We believe in launching and growing an appropriate emergency savings fund (15 - 18 months of expenses). However, we also believe that one of your most important resources is: YOU.

What is one hour of your work worth? You're smart. You are already thinking about how to save. You believe your work is valuable. So, why not work for yourself one (1) hour a day? That's right! Work for yourself one (1) hour each day. How does it work?

We believe you should be spending one (1) hour a day in your non-working hours using the internet to research ways to save money. We call this "research." It can take the form of coupons or coupon codes or special deals that you can find on the internet with everyone from a specialty retailer to Walmart. Today's retail environment is a consumer market. You should do your research, stick to the purchases you plan and always negotiate. We talk about finding asset trains in our e-book. This process starts with self-education. Don't have a computer? No excuses. Go to the library. Most today have internet connections. So, opportunity is here for you beginning today!

A JUMP START WITH A FEW COUPONS FOR YOU:

Remember: Use coupons only for things that you ALREADY are going to purchase and always take what you saved and push it to savings.

How about a few web sites to get you started?

www.smartsource.com - grocery coupons.

www.coupons.com - printable coupons for you.

www.couponmom.com - this site includes a free e-book and promises to "cut your grocery bill in half."

Do you want more cool coupon sites? In that case, start your research now. One hour a day. Imagine what you will find? Imagine how much you can save.

Believe in yourself and get going. You'll be glad you did. Some people won't save until it's too late. Don't let this be you. Get moving and develop your own plan for saving and growing emergency savings and wealth.

www.STICKYASSET.com

I think we all know that most of us don't play on the same team as John Thain and the big bankers. We also don't play on the same team as the automotive CEOS (you don't think they are playing for the "common man and woman" do you?)!

So, let's investigate - together.

Perhaps you are on the team at work. Nothing wrong with that. Working as a team at work helps the organization get ahead, but we are really talking about financial well-being. So, you're not on a team at work when it comes to your financial well-being.

Maybe you are on the neighborhood team. The team with your friends. The team with....

Wait a minute. Perhaps - in the end - all that matters is your team at home. To that end, our focus must be on what's important now. Here are the priorities:

Keep your job. Of course. Work to be valuable at-work. Work to show your value inside your business and to other people in your industry.

Recognize that you may not be able to keep your job, and plan to "bridge" between this job and the next one (this "bridge" plan should include income and/or savings of one month per $10,000 dollars just for the new job search).

Review your spending over the last three (3) months. This sounds familiar, right? Look where you can cut expenses. Look at every single thing you spend money on today. Ask everyone you pay money to today for a 10% reduction in expense. What hurts you for just asking this question? Look for ways to reduce individual expenses by 10%. Make sure you take the 10% and put it in your emergency savings.

Begin an automatic savings program. What does that mean? It means that you can go to someone like ING DIRECT and do an automatic savings deduction through your employer. You can do this with as little as $25 per pay period. Think you can't do it now? What would it be like if you LOST YOUR JOB?

You should work toward having 15 - 18 months of expenses in an EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND. Don't have that much? Don't allow yourself to get overwhelmed. Start by building in baby-steps. If you have to....start by saving 1% of your next paycheck and increase it by 1% each time you get paid until you reach 15% (or a higher amount of "pain" if you can sustain it).

Remember that people today are not yet thinking past the "norm." The economy could get much worse. If you have your job today, you have 100% more opportunity to save than you will unemployed. Start saving now. Do it automatically - and trick yourself to do more savings.

How?

Any amount you save on a purchase....take the amount you saved and put it in your money market savings account.

These are "beginning steps." Work for yourself. Think of ways to save. Look for ways to make additional money. This is your opportunity.

Remember this: You play for your family. Only your family. Stop chasing your credit rating. Begin to focus on building cash reserves.

This isn't about how much money you make. This isn't about how much money is in your checking account.

This is about what percentage of your income you are saving each paycheck and each month. Money in your checking account is what we call "other people's money." ***Checking accounts are money laundering accounts for other people's money.

Things are changing. This is your chance to make the change a good change.

Good luck.


www.STICKYASSET.com

I read something this morning giving great financial advice. They suggested that most Americans have pulled back and started saving on the "little things" and that this meant absolutely nothing. In other words, their advice was to let go and have your Starbucks and your movie out and your trips to restaurants. They suggested looking at the bigger expenses.

Do you think that is what you should do?

Of course, you should look at your large expenses. If you are committed to helping your family in this financial crisis, you should look at the last three (3) months of your actual spending. Look at every specific purchase - big and small - and see what you can "curb" or eliminate. Then, going forward, wack those expenses and SAVE what you shaved off or eliminated in a money market for emergency savings. The future could look much bleaker than what you are seeing right now. Hear my warning and begin to act.

Once you have taken a look at the last three (3) months and committed to saving what you can from these expenses, you should consider taking some different tactics to spending going forward.

First, everything is negotiable. Everything. If they won't negotiate with you, you should consider taking your "business" to someone else. After all, there is an economic "situation" going on in this country and around the world. If you don't believe you can take advantage of that, you're wrong. Did I mention that everything is negotiable?

Let's talk about what you save. If you get a 10% reduction on a bill or negotiate 10% off of the purchase price of something you are already going to purchase (a need), take the 10% out of your checking and put it in a high-interest savings vehicle. Don't just leave it in savings. If you can't afford to pay full price for something, don't purchase it. If you can pay full price, negotiate and slide the savings to.....savings.

Remember, it is NOT savings unless you move it out of your checking account. Checking accounts are MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNTS for other people's money. Not yours.

We started today's blog by talking about what I have read today about little savings meaning nothing. That is false. While you should be looking at all large expenses, focusing on smaller expenses and limiting those expenses will absolutely make you wealthy over time. The quick-fix or short cuts that everyone wants to take it life are often a fools' errand. Stay on the path. Focus on large and especially small purchases. Bargin hunt. Use every advantage you can to push money from your income and checking account to savings, savings, savings. And put your money in high-interest vehicles - not savings accounts at the bank.


People put a lot of value in what they make at work (income). People put a lot of value in what is in their checking account. These things are foolish. It is not what you make. It is not what you spend. It is what you save that will make your future brighter.

As always, share this blog by using the "Share" button at the top right of this page.

Thanks for stopping by. Good luck.


www.STICKYASSET.com

You've likely heard the phrase: "The new boss. Same as the old boss." However, do you ever think about how times of crisis don't change? Behavior does not change. The rich get in trouble - they bail themselves out on the backs of the middle class and poor and keep on driving. I'm not talking about the United States. We can go back to Rome. You can advance backwards or ahead in time and will likely always find the same pattern.

Politics is the business of sounding like you are fixing the problem. Are they really fixing our problems in Washington or making them worse?

What about your own family?

Right now the U.S. Government and governments around the world are talking about more regulations and rules to govern fraud. Do you think that means you can now let your guard down? Whew! The government is going to do away with fraud. Well, no. They are not going to reduce fraud, and you BETTER START PAYING ATTENTION.

How are you going to help your own family survive this financial crisis?

While we started this process of writing "The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for our children, we knew we had do to up-to-date current research on ways the rich and greedy "skim" money from the pockets of the middle class and poor. We wanted to show our children how to save and grow wealth, but we also wanted to protect them as much as possible from the greedy fraud and manipulation out there today and in the future. So, we dug deep. We did our research to find the aggressive and unexpected ways that the greedy corporations take, take, take. We researched how to avoid that and how we can help our children (and you if you like) avoid being "stuck" by these people. In fact, we have discovered ways to turn the system on its' ear and give you distinct advantage in retail environments and in almost every situation you come in contact with in your lifetime. We put all of this in our e-book.

Is your job safe? How much do you have in your emergency fund savings?

If you come to this blog often, you know we don't always talk about the e-book. Most of the time we give you tips to save and ways to grow savings and build wealth for your future.

Is your life going to get better or become worse in the next five to seven years?

The economic crisis continues to unfold. You must use ever resource you can to strengthen your family and tighten your budget. We give you some guidelines to start you on that path at www.stickyasset.com. Don't wait. Time is money, and money is hitting the bricks daily.

You think this is going to get better? It will - eventually. But you and I better do what we can now to protect our families. We know you can do it. You may need a little help to get started, and we want to be here for you. Ultimately, you must take action. Start.

Good luck.


www.STICKYASSET.com

We know you're spending on the things you need, so sometimes we like to present easy ways to save:

www.Restaurant.com

www.ValPak.com

www.Wow-Coupons.com

www.CoolSavings.com

www.GasBuddy.com

Now, we know that you are going to spend. The question is this: Will you save? The only person that can answer that question is you. By the way, we always say this: YOU ARE NOT SAVING unless you take money OUT of checking and put it in a savings vehicle.

Do your research. Find a money market account that gives you the LARGEST interest. Then, whenever you save money on something you would ORDINARILY PURCHASE, take the "savings" (amount saved by negotiation or coupons) and pull it OUT of your checking account and into your savings vehicle.

It adds up quickly over time, and you will be glad you did it down the road.

We're not kidding when we say the economy could get worse. The rich people are not scared for nothing. You should be concerned with saving right now in case things get worse. A significant downturn can impact your family more than you currently know.

With steady savings, you can save your family a lot of hardship. Keep coming back to our blog for more ways to save and more encouragement - YOU CAN DO IT!

Share our blog with your friends, family, co-workers and all you care about by using the "SHARE" button in the right-hand top of this page.

Thank you!

www.STICKYASSET.com

Did you see the steel worker this week on "60 Minutes" who said, "What you spend adjusts depending on what you think you are going to get"??? He was talking about his job and the fact that they cut his pay by almost 50% because of the recession. It is amazing how people can cut their spending when they have no choice, right? The best thing you can do for your family right now is cut your spending while you are employed.

Consider everything you have spent in the last three (3) months. Actually pull out your bank statements. Break it all down. Look for anything you think you could reduce or cut out. We even continue to suggest that you do what employers are doing all across the country. Take a hard look at your bills and negotiate a 10% reduction every possible place you can.

Don't take anything for granted in this environment. Although at www.STICKYASSET.com our goal is to help you establish and build your long-term wealth building plan, now is the time to get serious about reducing spending. Don't think of things like "business as usual." Times could become progressively harder. We don't want you to get hurt. Save. It's not an option - it's the only option.

Thank you for reading our blog. And good luck to your family.


www.STICKYASSET.com

People say it all the time. They can't save. They don't make enough to save. Then you hear other people tell them to "pay themselves first." What does that mean anyway? How can you pay yourself first when you owe, owe, owe?

Money in your checking account is not really yours. we say this all the time at www.STICKYASSET.com. A checking account is a money laundering account for other people's money.

It's all in how you look at things that can make a big difference in how you save.

For instance, a lot of people get value from what they "make" at work. By that I mean what their income is where they work. Make a lot = high value. Right? Wrong.

Rich people are always seeking ways they can get their money to work for them - so they don't have to themselves. Sounds good, doesn't it?

How do you pay yourself first (even if you owe a lot of bills)? Start by agreeing - in advance - that you will take 1% of your next paycheck after taxes and put it aside. In savings. Money market. Then, each time you get paid add an additional 1% until you reach 15%.

You can also call someone like T. Rowe Price and set up an automatic savings plan if your company does direct deposit. That way $25, $30, $50 or whatever you choose will automatically come out of your pay and go directly into some kind of savings vehicle.

If your company has a 401k, you should be contributing to it. This is long-term retirement money for you and your family. Over many years it will pay off in a way that is not always obvious up-front.

You may have heard this before. Your spending will rise or fall depending on how much you "think" you have available. So, if you save more and more of your income, your spending will shrink over time and you will find that you are building wealth at a faster rate than you thought possible.

Ultimately, you must be the gate keeper to your own wealth. If you focus on saving instead of spending, you will find that you gain ground quicker than you think.

Good luck. You can do this.

www.STICKYASSET.com

While we do not endorse any specific business (we always recommend you do your own research and learn about who you do business with), we think there needs to be a movement and strong effort to save in this country.

We hear it all the time: "I can't save." "I don't know where to start." "I don't know where to turn." "It's too complicated." So, we thought we would give a simple set of phone numbers to GET YOU STARTED right now.

Keep in mind - we're not saying, "Call these people and give them your money." We ARE saying do your research. Call them. Ask them questions like "What is the minimum amount I can save in money market with you?" "How do I get started with you?" "How does this work with you?"

What does it cost to ask questions? Nothing. These numbers are toll free. You can do this, but do it now. Don't wait.

Get to know them. Ask tough questions....AND DEVELOP A PLAN FOR AUTOMATIC SAVINGS. Get started now.

ING DIRECT = 1-800-ING-DIRECT

T ROWE PRICE = 1-800-225-5132

You can save money directly from your own direct deposit each paycheck. You could take money automatically from your checking account. Just call and start asking questions. You can save automatically. If you've been following this blog, you know we believe in starting with only 1% of your after-tax paycheck. Then - increase it by 1% every time you get paid until you reach 15%. This will easy you into savings, and it will help you build wealth.

People like to talk about how our country has debt that will leave a burden on our children. Forget about that. If we don't begin saving now, WE will be destroyed.

No, we don't want that.

The biggest thing is something no one can do for you. Get started. Do it now. You have a couple of easy saving phone numbers. And good luck!

www.STICKYASSET.com

Today's blog is very brief and focused on your own home value. Everyone wants to know. Have you thought about it? If you have a mortgage, sure you have! Below you will see a great site to give you an idea of the current value of your home. While people all across the country are worried about falling home prices, we give you an almost instant opportunity to get a good idea of how your neighborhood has been impacted.

What is your house worth? Check it out at www.ZILLOW.com. Just put your address in and this site does the rest.

At www.STICKYASSET.com, we focus on helping middle class families develop their own plan to save and grow wealth. No matter the value of your house, you have to also give thought to how your family will survive this crisis. It could develop into something more severe, and you should have a plan to boost your savings.

Fear is out there if you want it. The economy is experiencing a very deep contraction. That is likely to mean more job losses and more income reductions in the coming month. That should offer motivation enough to save. Still, most Americans are living paycheck-to-paycheck and fear they cannot save anything each month.

You must start today with sites such as this blog and www.STICKYASSET.com along with other sites to determine where you can save money, how you can create the proper emergency savings fund for today's economic environment. It is never too late to begin systematic savings.

Good luck.

www.STICKYASSET.com

In your entire life you have never seen a retail environment like this one. If you are a person who has been reluctant to step up and negotiate because you may feel it is embarrassing, now is the time you can and must change. Millions of Americans are negotiating - and it is a target rich environment to do so.

For many years retailers have pressed for profits. Now car dealers to clothing retailers are hard-pressed themselves with higher inventory and lower demand. This is why we point out that now is the time to learn and use more negotiating skills that can save your family thousands and thousands of dollars over your remaining life. Nothing in the retail world is sacred. If you've read "The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis," you know we have peppered our ebook with specific negotiation tactics that will save you many thousands of dollars on individual purchases (just by knowing how to negotiate and asking). We're not just recommending our ebook though. You should check out books on negotiation. A little reading and application of tactics could save you thousands again and again. Isn't that why you are reading our blog?

There is no shame in asking for discounts, looking at various retailers to see who has the best price and walking when someone won't negotiate. If you're buying, this is your environment.

Learn negotiation. And remember - saving isn't saving unless you pull it out of your checking and put it in savings (money market/cds). So, when you get someone to come off of a price on something you were already going to need to purchase anyway, take the difference in price and put it in savings. Repeat over and over until you are - you guessed it - RICH!

Thank you for reading our blog. Please spread the word about this blog to friends, family and co-workers. Our goal is to help generate a new American middle class financial evolution. We can do it - with your help. You can also share this blog by going to the top right of this page and clicking on the "Share" button.

Good luck!

www.STICKYASSET.com

Today is "Celebrate The Credit Card Day" at your house!

What does that mean? It means YOU have an opportunity to put your CREDIT CARDS on the run. If you have been following this blog, you know that we believe you cannot own credit cards. CREDIT CARDS OWN YOU. So, how are we going to have "Celebrate The Credit Card Day" at your house if this is true?

First - take your credit cards out and put them on your kitchen table. Careful. I'm not going to tell you to cut them up. Just go with me here. Get your credit card statements. Compare. Rank each card by how much interest you pay. The higher cards go to the right (we'll call this the "red team") and the lower interest cards go to the left (this is the "blue team").

Seek out the card with the lowest interest rate. See if you have available credit enough to put the balance of the card with the highest interest rate on this card. Then see if you can transfer the balance of the highest card to the card with the lowest interest rate. Repeat this task with each card on the "blue team."

The goal is to move your debt out of these high interest enemies to your financial survival.

If you cannot move balances to the lower interest credit cards, we will proceed with part 2 of our celebration. If you have not already called each credit card company and put the full court press on to remove any yearly fees, do it. Then....wait a week and we can start part 2 (of course, if you've already done this...we can just begin "Part 2")!

Part two involves calling each credit card company and begging for help. Tell them you are having trouble and ask if they will negotiate the interest rates to 0 until you have paid them off. Be nice. Be patient. If they say no, ask for a supervisor. Don't allow your emotions to take over. Simply keep asking for help. If you have an amount that allows you to pay off a card, ask them if they will take less as a settlement of the debt. Don't be afraid - they're not afraid. Remember: credit card companies have a lot of default trouble right now. By staying sweet and begging for help (so you can continue to pay this thing off), you may get significant help directly from them just to keep you in the "good" column. That's worth celebrating, right?

Pay the minimum on your lower interest credit cards and OVERPAY your higher interest cards until you have paid them off. Then, roll to the next highest interest rate credit card and pay it off. Repeat until you have NO CREDIT CARD DEBT.

Here's the tough part. Stop using your credit cards. I know, I know. It's hard, right? But if you want to survive this financial crisis, you will work hard to eliminate all expenses that you can, you will establish new boundries between needs and wants and you will seek out opportunity to balance your life by paying off your high-interest credit cards first and establishing an emergency savings fund. You can do this. It is a battle with the devil - and you must win.

Take a serious look at your life. Look at your last three months of expenses. See what you can save and remember our golden rule: It's not savings unless you pull it out of checking and put it into a high-interest savings/money market account.

If you continue to establish your own plan to pay off high-interest credit cards first, followed by all credit cards and you work to establish a good emergency fund (15 to 18 months of expenses), you will be amazed how quickly it will add up. You may not notice at first - but IT WILL catch up with you. You will feel better about your life, your house, your job and your family.

Push back at these credit card companies. They are not afraid to push you. Now - we have them on the ropes. I am not at all happy to see anyone struggle (much less the financial system), but American families have been preyed upon TOO LONG by credit card companies and worse. Go get 'em! Make it stick. And save, save, save!

Good luck!

www.STICKYASSET.com

A lot of people cannot recognize it. Can you? Our enemies are everywhere today. It does not take a financial meltdown to recognize that things are set up for the rich. The middle class has a harder time....but it is because of our natural enemies.

In truth, we are all guilty of buying into the idea that we're doing the best we can.

The biggest ENEMY we have in getting ahead in the middle class is a feeling that we are "okay." But here's our TOP 5 LIST OF ENEMIES OF WEALTH BUILDING FOR YOU AND ME:

1. Credit cards. Every time you tap a credit card, you lose. You cannot own credit cards - they own you. It looks so good to spend on the front-end, but you know what a devil these cards can be if you have ever faced serious credit card debt. Oh, and it does not take that long to go from "warm and fuzzy" to "Oh, my God! How did this happen to me!" *If you have credit card debt, you must give a serious look to your card or cards. Split them up by their interest rates. The cards with higher interest rates are to be labeled "red team cards" and the lower interest rate cards should be labeled "blue team cards." Pay the minimum on the blue team cards. Pay MORE than the minimum payment on the red team cards. Repeat until you pay them off. And don't use credit cards. Let a balance roll over and "they" get you.

2. Credit. No, this is not covered with "credit cards" above. Too many people in this country chase their credit score. This absolutely overlooks the essential fact in building wealth: Cash is king. If you can't afford to pay cash, DON'T BUY IT. A lot of what we buy as Americans qualify as "fleeting interests." If you want something bad enough - and it is real - you should save up for it with cash. Then, you only buy it once. Not twice. Not three times. Not forever.

3. Checking accounts. No, we are not against checking accounts at www.STICKYASSET.com. However, we see them a little different than most people do today. We see checking accounts as MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNTS for other people's money. To really save, you have to take money out of your checking as often as humanly possible and dump that money in a high-interest vehicle (CDs/money market accounts).

4. Not Saving. Frankly, this is something we rationalize all the time. "I can't save." "I don't make enough to save." "I will save when I get a raise." The simple truth is different: YOUR spending will shrink or expand based on what your mind "thinks you have." Eliminate the knowledge by separating money from your checking account as often as possible. Go thru the last three (3) months of your actual spending. Look for things you can eliminate. Don't just eliminate them in the future - WITHDRAW the amounts you spent on those items in the last three (3) months and put them in your EMERGENCY SAVINGS ACCOUNT. Don't have one? Start building it today. Take baby steps. You can do this.

5. Inability to save AUTOMATICALLY. So many say they cannot do it. It doesn't take a lot. Baby steps. You can do it! There are companies like ING DIRECT and T ROWE PRICE that allow you to utilize small amounts to save automatically. Check it out on their sites. Call them. Do your research on them and other on-line banks (that are FDIC insured). See what is right for you. You know that we are big believers in DOING YOUR OWN RESEARCH on-line. If you are not comfortable with the bank, don't do it. However, get started by researching options on automatic savings. You can have money taken out of your checking account each month or a set amount to be taken out of your paychecks. Don't allow time to simply creep past. Go learn how you can save automatically - it will make a huge difference in building an EMERGENCY SAVINGS FUND and building wealth.

There is a STRONG NEED for automatic savings in this country and around the world. Your job is to take care of your family. People don't often become "wealthy" overnight or by a "secret formula." The secret is developing your own plan to get ahead. You'll be amazed how quickly it builds.

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The big financial mess has made things much worse, but slow and steady still wins the race.

Sure - the bailout is working it's magic for the rich. We have to do what middle class Americans have been doing forever - we have to be the backbone for our family and we have to pull ourselves up. Don't wait on a bailout. It will never come for you and me. You can help your family by developing your own plan for surviving this crisis and boosting your wealth.

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What should your own priorities be to help your family during this economic meltdown? We can tell you what experts say (and what we believe):

1. Prepare An Emergency Fund; Chances are that the impact of this downturn may hit you as it drags on. Build an emergency fund. We recommend that you build toward the goal of having 15 - 18 months of expenses in savings. But don't leave it in a bank. Put it in a high-interest vehicle money market or short-term (no more than 6 month) CD. Make sure you keep about six (6) months in pure money market. If you have not started building yet, don't be overwhelmed. Start saving. Take baby steps and grow your savings. Start with your next paycheck. Take 1% "off the top" before you pay bills and put it in savings. Then, each payday, take an additional 1% until you reach 15%. You'll be amazed at how fast it will build.

2. Pay down debt. Make more than the minimum payment on credit cards. If you have multiple cards, split them up into "teams." Red "team" will be made up of the card or cards with the highest interest rates. Make minimum payments on everything else and PAY THE MOST - OVER THE MIMIMUM - on the "Red Team Cards" (higher interest rate cards).

3. Reduce Spending (this one goes with 1 and 2). Look at the last three (3) months of your actual spending. Look for things that are "wants." eliminate those. Keep the "needs" of course. You can do this. It will free up some money to SAVE. And do it. You can make the difference starting NOW.

Now is your chance. If you are holding a good job, you better be saving money for the downturn. Perhaps it has not hit you....yet. Prepare like it will because it is more likely than you think, and jobs are not easy to replace. That's why the old idea of having 3 to 6 months of emergency savings is NOT GOOD ENOUGH anymore.

You are beginning to see experts talk about the potential for 9% or 10% unemployment. If that happens, you will see many more "unusual things" in our economy. Best prepare for that now by securing your family financial situation and emergency funds.

You can always share these blogs by using the "SHARE" buttom to the right. Good luck. You can do this. See more savings and opportunity to build wealth in our ebook at www.STICKYASSET.com.

Remember: It is not savings if you leave it in your checking account. Checking accounts are MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNTS for other people's money. Get it out to savings - regularly.

Good luck!



www.STICKYASSET.com

This blog is generally about saving money. However, most Americans are only afraid. They have not admitted how difficult the economy is yet. Like the millions of home owners who say, "Yes, home prices have dropped...but just not mine," thousands and thousands of jobs are being downsized, outsized and re-engineered. Will most Americans say, "Yes, just not my job"? Or will they move to protect their job in an environment of cost-cutting?

What are "Six Ways To Improve Your Chances Of Slowing Or Stopping Job Loss?"

1. No matter what job you have where you work, focus on how you can contribute to the bottom-line. Look for ways to make strong contributions to saving or generating profit before the company says they want to cut costs.

2. Be honest and review how you and your job may be viewed. How do you contribute to generating profit or contributing an attitude to help your boss and the overall team become more profitable? How much does your boss value the work you do? How much does the company value your contribution?

3. High-maintenance employees are the first out the door. Work to be a part of each solution and low-maintenance for your boss, his or her boss and the team in general. Go out of your way to be helpful to everyone.

4. Volunteer for more work. Don't expect more pay. Cut backs happen during economic downturn. If you want to slow or stop layoffs or downsizing, look for ways to contribute and become as helpful as possible and make it show.

5. Stay focused on your job. It is easy in difficult times to focus on fear of what could happen. That will destroy your productivity. Focus on being as productive as possible.

6. Be friendly (especially up the "boss chain"). Be very friendly with your boss and his or her boss. In fact, focus on being helpful and positive toward bosses and team members. It could pay large dividends between those who are laid off and those who remain.

What can you do to help your family as you do everything to improve the odds that your employment will outlast the economic downturn? Save. Put money aside each month. Eliminate every expense you don't have to take. Determine the difference between needs and wants. Every dollar you save should come OUT OF YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT.

***If you've been reading this blog or you have purchased and read "The Sticky Asset: How To Survive Any Financial Crisis," then you know how we feel about checking accounts. They are money laundering accounts for other people's money. If you identify any money you don't need in your checking account in the next month - get it OUT. Send it to a money market account with as high of a yield as possible.

You can do things every day at work to try to make your job more stable and long-lasting, but you must focus on saving to build a proper emergency savings account (money market), too.

Good luck.


www.STICKYASSET.com