This is pretty simple. Personal finance can be overwhelming if you allow it to be. At the same time, there are all these experts on television and a personal finance advisor on every street corner in the country who will show you their "products." Often these products are designed to take your money. While we are certainly NOT saying that all financial advisors are there to take your money, the personal finance industry is filled with fees for this, that and the other. These fees are regularly reoccuring and "hidden" from plain view. In addition to these people and the experts you see on television and in marketing, you also have insurance companies and a wide variety of independent companies pitching ways for your family to "invest" and get ahead. With all of this happening, how can you get real 100% satisfaction?

GETTING SATISFACTION

In today's economy and modern marketing world, there is only one way to get 100% satisfaction. That one way is to read and study before you seek advice, learn from those you carefully select for advisors and make certain that you understand any philosophy and any investment before you make that investment.

You have tons of resources. In fact, there are more resources to "check out" things now than ever in human history. Our own outreach program is based upon encouraging families to build their own personal finance plan (including a family budget, debt reduction and elimination plan, proper emergency savings fund* and more).

*the current recommendation for a proper emergency savings fund from www.middleclassmoney.com is 15 to 18 months of expenses. The first 6 months should be in a money market savings account in an FDIC-insured institution and the remaining amount in certificates of deposit (no more than six months in length).

You very likely have programs available to you at local community colleges that allow you to learn about saving, investing and building your own plan to reduce and eliminate debt while investing in assets for your future.

Let's call this blog today your opportunity to begin. You can do it.

HELP YOURSELF & THEN HELP YOUR CHILDREN

In this country we don’t do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your “wall” for “Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves.” Click on “become a fan.” It’s free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It’s called “How To Survive Any Financial Crisis” and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

You know some situations are just bad. You have a job that is stressing you out. Your boss is not a nice person. They are laying off people at work and you don't have any savings.

STEP ONE IN ANY PROGRAM TO WEALTH

We are constantly telling people that the first step in getting your financial life in order is to establish an emergency savings fund. Our recommendation is for you to build 15 to 18 months of expenses in an emergency fund. This allows for the slow potential of your returning to work soon and the chance that your income may be lower when you return from being unemployed. However, it is more than this. 15 to 18 months is about peace of mind. That gives you time to make solid choices if you are suddenly out of work. And remember the rule of automatic and regular savings: It builds faster than you think it does. So BEGIN. If you have done this, skip to avoid the sharks below.

AVOID THE SHARKS

The #1 issue for most Americans that keeps wealth away from middle class families is debt. This is especially true of credit card debt.

Our rule on credit cards: You cannot own credit cards. Credit cards own YOU. Divide and conquer. Look at your credit cards. Call the companies associated with them. Find out your interest rates and terms. See if you can move any of the higher interest rate cards to lower interest rate cards without fees.

Then, begin paying the MINIMUM on each card EXCEPT your highest interest rate credit card. Pay the absolute most you can on that card until it is paid OFF.

Once that card is paid off, go to the next one and continue with this same theory. Check out our past blogs on how to "deal" with credit card companies to attempt to push your interest rate down. Remember: you will have to be committed. Patience will pay off. You just have to see it as a regular chore.

If you would like more saving tips, check out our other free blog at www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com. Or purchase the only item we sell in any of our blogs, groups or sites: "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" is only $4.95 and is only available on www.middleclassmoney.com.

Join our FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Just search for "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" and click on "become a fan" for free and instant access.


We say it all the time. Get a plan, move ahead. You can do it!


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

People always think it is the big dollars that you want to get your hands on. After all, it is easy to see how big dollars add up. However, one of the biggest lessons you can teach your own children is how quickly little dollars, quarters, and even pennies add up. If you can get them to see how quickly the little money adds up and get them to see the value you can build in regularly saving and investing, you can help them for LIFE. It's like that old saying about giving a man a fish, you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, you feed him for his entire life.

Our Boy & The Money Jar

One of the things that started our quest for saving and investing self-help was the sudden discovery from my oldest boy that pennies, nickels, dimes and even quarters were "not his kind of money." Of course, this is fairly typical talk from a teenager, but we wanted to set a course to show him how much these pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters add up to be. That's how we ended up putting a jar in our kitchen and putting every coin and dollar we "find on the ground" inside that jar continuously. We are in our second year of doing this. Last year we found over $26.00 and this year we are already over $35.00. More than this, we put the total amount that is in the jar at the end of each year in a 12 month certificate of deposit (yes, you can do that). That means that last years' "found money" is earning us .06 a month right now.

Little money adds up. Going in or going out. It is a lesson for all of us - not just teenagers.

Getting Down To Business

You hear this from business owners a lot: "Watch the small dollars and the big dollars will take care of themselves." Most people are not out-of-their-mind-spenders. However, little expenses add up quicker than most recognize (until it is too late). This is especially true of free spending for things we "want." Most people really do spend more than they think they are spending because the little numbers add up at the end of each month to be more than expected. A smart person said that you can't get enough of what you don't need because you can never fullfill wants. There is always another want.

That is why businesses with the best strategy for managing business and money usually last longer and perform better. It works the same way for the household budgets, too.

Financial Education, Not Just School Learnin'

In this country we don't do enough to teach our children about money, managing money, saving regularly (and automatically), compound interest and steady investing for a long-term future. As a parent, we are always concerned that they get a good education and go to a good college so they can make a lot of money or have a valued career path. The truth is that we could do our children the biggest favor and one of the best things by sharing with them sound saving and investing principles.

You can join our free Facebook group (or have your children do it, too) by searching in the Facebook bar on your "wall" for "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Click on "become a fan." It's free and it ties our free blogs into that group.

If you want to give your children the same information we are giving ours, you can purchase the only thing we sell on any of our blogs or groups. It's called "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" and you can get it for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Thank you for reading our blog and good luck!


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

If you're like me, it is interesting to watch all the jobs leaving.

"Interesting bad."

Corporate American is not so much about being efficient as saving their way to profitability. That means that if you are paying attention to Wall Street you should notice that the profits are up, but it's almost all cost cutting.

Each "recovery" after the most recent recession has been what they call "shallow." That is political ease for "bad news for the middle class." Corporations "recover" and hire back fewer and fewer workers while pressing the remaining employees that "made it through the latest round of cuts." At the same time, the re-hires or new hires are hired back for less money than they were paid before.

So, when the politicans begin to talk about recovery, they are talking about the overall picture of the economy. Code: the health of the corporations. They are not talking about you and me.

This means that - unfortunately - we must recognize the deck is stacked against us. We must do more than this. We must develop our own plan for surviving the cycles of this recession and saving our family. It is that serious.

Here are the real questions for you and your family:

1. Are you saving 20% of your after tax income?
2. Are you enrolled in a company 401k?
3. Are you contributing to a Roth IRA or traditional IRA?
4. Do you have a proper emergency savings fund for 2009? (This is 15 to 18 months of expenses).
5. Do you know how to do these things (1 - 4) without it overwhelming you?

Welcome to the perfect moment for you to begin MOVING YOUR FAMILY to more secure financial ground. That's right. You can boost your savings without drastically changing your lifestyle and you can build real wealth for your family.

Before you read any more of this note, please know that we are not about get rich quick. We simply believe that the middle class in this country has arrived at a critical moment where everyone needs immediate encouragement to build their own plan to save and invest in any economy. Without that happening, millions of families are going to fall into poverty. We are talking about families that you would never suspect are in real trouble.

If you are already a member of our FREE Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves," thank you. If not, go to the search bar on your Facebook wall and type in "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." That should take you to our special group. Click on "become a fan" for instant access to our FREE blogs on personal finance and getting ahead in this economy.

If you are a member, we URGE you to send an invitation (or maybe tag your friends with this note) to those Facebook friends you care about today. Urge them to join "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." It's free.

NOW IS AN URGENT TIME

It's time to take action and build our own safety net one step at a time and one family at a time. Are you ready? If so, come back to "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" and spend some time with our free blogs. Build your own plan by using the resources we have on our Facebook group site and free blogs. You can even sign up for our FREE monthly e-saver at www.stickyasset.com/blog. Just look for the special e-mail sign-up window.

Thank you for reading this note. Please feel free to pass it on to other Facebook friends or tag them with this note. It may be the best thing you ever do for them and their family!


Loyd Ford
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

If you have been following this blog for any time or you have purchased "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" ($4.95 only at www.middleclassmoney.com), you know that our family has a jar in our kitchen that we use only for putting money in the jar that other people have "left for us." This is a game we play where we look for money on the ground. I get approached because of the blogs and "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" to give an update from time to time on our progress. In other words, how much money have we found since January 1, 2009?

Here is today's answer: $35.68. This is ONLY money we have found since January 1, 2009. Think about this: On January 2, 2009 we locked in a 12 month certificate of deposit with the money we found last year and that money is earning us .06 cents each month. Doesn't sound like a lot to you? We didn't EARN this money. We FOUND it on the ground.

You don't think you can find money to save?

At the end of this year we will take our "find" and put it in a 12 month CD as well. Then, that money and the money we found in 2008 will both be earning us money every month.

The formula never really changes:

Money + Time + Interest = more money

Now, what if the formula looked a little different? Let's say like this:

Save money automatically + time + interest + opportunity = wealth creation

My father always says there is no such thing as luck. Luck (to him and to us) is hard work. We simply added that Luck is hard work and being watchful for opportunity while you save and invest in assets that reproduce themselves (like stocks with dividends).

You must begin your plan with savings. If you do not have 15 to 18 months of emergency savings (6 in cold and hard cash in money market savings with an FDIC-insured bank and the balance in laddered CDs), get to work. If you need help understanding how YOU CAN SAVE this money, look back at past blogs on this site or go to www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com. These blogs are free. You can also sign up for our FREE monthly e-saver on this site (www.stickyasset.com/blog) or purchase our only item we ever sell. It is called "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" and it is available for a limited time only for $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Join our FREE Facebook group on saving and investing for the 21st Century. Do a search on Facebook for "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Click on "become a fan." It's that simple.

You can do this.


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.stickyasset.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

Let's get serious. Debt is the single major drag on wealth creation in the United States. The debt culture in the U.S. has used marketing over the last thirty plus years to reverse our relationship with money and debt from the way Americans thought about money in the 1930s, 40s, 50s and 60s. Over the last several decades the intense marketing that promises you can live like your parents before you have the means has created an adult culture vibrating with debt and unable to catch its' breath.

How can we break this cycle? We can see the marketing culture for what it is: praying on the middle class and poor. We can also strike back. Here's how:

1. Review your spending over the last six months. Split actual expenses into needs, wants and bills. The first step is to be honest with yourself. If you don't need IT, you have identified a WANT. Put those expenses in a column together and add up the total spent. Be careful to see if you can identify any patterns of spending that you could reduce quickly and give yourself regular monthly savings to go straight into an emergency fund. If you've been reading this blog, you know that we believe such a fund should cover 15 to 18 months of expenses in today's economy. You are unlikely to have this quickly, but if you set your course to save regularly, your savings will build faster than you think. You will have your 15 to 18 months of expenses in a money market savings account (FDIC-insured) before you know it.

2. Take your "bills" paid in the six month period and call each of the businesses associated with sending you the bill (no matter what it is). Ask them to help you. Tell them your family has been hit hard by the financial crisis. Tell them you want to continue to pay this bill, but you need to reduce each of your bills by 10 - 15%. Then, be silent. If they don't offer suggestions, ask for a supervisor. Be open to suggestions. Be patient. No one likes to reduce replayment of a bill. However, all companies are understanding or try to be understanding to what has happened in terms of credit, debt, jobs and the economy. Any reduction you receive must go directly into paying off debt and building your emergency savings fund. You can split the amount "saved" into these two obigations.

3. The Credit Card Companies. Ah, these are the special people. These people are your true enemy. They are the worst of the worst. Save for them only this: Call them and tell them that you want to avoid going bankrupt. Tell them you want to pay off your debt, but tell them you need they to eliminate the interest while you are paying off your credit balance. Don't feel bad - they don't when they were charging everyone a universal default. (Universal default rules meant that some credit card companies would seek out information on your other bills. If you were ever late even once, they would pop you with higher interest rates - in the 30+%. Think of them as Mr. Potter in "It's A Wonderful Life." If you don't know who that is, rent the Jimmy Stewart movie "It's W Wonderful Life" or take our word for it. Credit card companies are the worst. Interestingly, you will want to pay them off first. Make sure you keep after them. You will have to be patient. You will have to ask for supervisors. You may have to call 100 nights before you get reductions. DO IT. It's worth it!

4. Credit Card Companies - Part II. - Lay all your credit cards out on the kitchen table. Find the one with the highest interest rate. Then the next. Then the next. Do not cut up your credit cards. Put them in a safe. Don't have a safe? Get one at Walmart. log

They are cheap and they lock up temptation.

Make the minimum payments on all your cards except the highest interest rate card - PAY AS MUCH AS YOU CAN ON THE HIGHEST INTEREST RATE CARD until it is PAID OFF. Then, repeat this with the next highest interest rate card. Keep doing this until you have no credit card debt.

And don't use your credit cards again. Yes, seriously. Credit card debt is the worst. It will kill your family. It will kill your lifestyle.

Is there more you can do? Of course. Get your free e-saver by signing up in the e-mail window on this blog (to the right). Check out or other free blog at www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com. Join our FREE Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Just search for the group name in the search box in the upper right-hand part of your "wall" on Facebook. It's free.

Debt is the most serious killer of debt creation for the middle class in the United States and around the world. Do your best to eliminate and stay away from debt. Think "How can I purchase assets?" This INSTEAD of debt is the way to boost wealth long-term.

For more tips on how to save more, avoid being taken advantage of by greedy corporate "policies," and invest wisely in any economy, go to www.middleclassmoney.com to purchase "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for only $4.95. It is the only thing we sell associated with any of our blogs, monthly e-savers or Facebook groups. We designed it to be inexpensive to be available to anyone who is truly interested.

Thank you for reading - always.


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog

It is really true. Some people will put off tomorrow what they should be doing today. We've had the tailwind in the United States for sixty (60) years. Things have been going our way. Unfortunately, we have borrowed our way into someone else's tailwind and that means that things have now changed.

What do I mean?

Everyone is aware of the financial crisis that developed out of the housing meltdown in 2007. This had been coming for some time. However, China now owns so much of our debt that they are now looking only really to build assets in the United States. That is because of their concern about some of our abilities to get back on the right track.

The good news? Americans are saivng more, but not all Americans. And those that are saving may not be saving enough. We are talking about families that could be wiped out to poverty in the next ten or twenty years. The middle class has been shrinking for some time, but now there is a real danger of millions of American families sliding to poverty.

How can you insure that you are not in this group? Well, you can't. However, you can begin to take systematic action to give yourself and your family a good shot at building wealth in the long-term and surviving and thriving in the economy we will be dealing with for the next ten (10) years or more.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. Am I saving at least 20% of my income?
2. Is my debt less than 29% of my income?
3. Am I involved with my companies' 401k?
4. Am I also contributing to my own Roth IRA or individual IRA?

If you can't answer yes to these questions, you may be in trouble. How do you get out of trouble?

Focus on what you can control. If you have to begin by saving only 1% of your next after-tax paycheck, DO IT. Then, increase the
amount you save by 1% each next paycheck until you reach the 20%.

Begin contributing to your own company 401k if that is available to you. The benefits will be clear to you when you see how little it impacts your net pay after taxes, but remember that any 401k account is about 30 to 40 years - NOT 3, 5 or 10.

Educate yourself with blogs like this one and www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com. Sign up for our FREE e-saver by using the e-mail sign up window at www.stickyasset.com/blog (to the right of this blog).

Join our Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." It's free, and we help you focus on saving and investing.

Finally, the only thing we sell ever is "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis." It is available for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com.

You can do this! You can make your life better. You can actually save your family and then grow wealth.

Want to get started? There is no time like RIGHT NOW.

Good luck! You can do it!


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.stickyasset.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

No one is made of money. The truth is: We all need to be focused on savings over time. But how can you do that when temptation is soooo strong? If you will constantly do these eight (8) things, temptation will become limited and your savings and wealth will grow over time.

1. Lock your credit cards (except one) in your safe at home (safe's are inexpensive; If you don't have a safe, you should).

2. Make your bill paying "automatic."

3. Include an automatic payment to yourself for "savings" each month.

4. Use any "extra money" to pay down debt - starting with the high-interest credit cards.

5. Participate in the 401k if your company offers it.

6. Don't assume social security and a 401k will get it done; you need more. Check out a Roth IRA or a traditional IRA.

7. Make education your keystone. The more you know about saving and investing, the better your life will be later.

8. When you do any kind of investing, make sure you understand it and WATCH THE FEES.

The more you struggle now to put more into saving and investing, the less you will struggle later. Life really does function off of the theory that "good things & bad things happen to every one." When things are good, save more and plan for a time when you will be at a low point. It happens in every life. If the bad times DON'T come, you will be wealthier. If they do come, you will be more prepared than 95% of the general population.

We talk about preparing and how to do it in "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis." It is the only thing we sell - ever - and it is only $4.95. Get it at www.middleclassmoney.com.

Join our free Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." All we ask is that you pass on the name of the group and invite at least five additional people to join. It might be the best thing you do for them.

Of course, you can always check in with the free blogs. Get your own free monthly e-saver on this site simply by signing up for free in the e-mail windown to the right of this blog.

Our other free blog is www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com.

Everyone deserves a little help. After all, YOU don't have money in YOUR hat, do you?

Get to educating. You can do it.

Thank you!


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.stickyasset.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

Get your friends and family to join the FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." You have to invite them personally - and you can do it!

What are you going to do when the recession ebbs and the economy starts to turn? You are now starting to see people on television saying that the recession might be over. This means that they "believe" they see signs of recovery.

It does NOT matter if these rumors of ending recession are true or not. Why? Because it only matters what YOUR recession is like. It only matters that you are PREPARED to overcome the average economy and difficulty that has befallen middle class families over the last several decades.

I've got news: Those difficulties facing the middle class and poor are going to become more intense. They are not going away.

Things are going to get worse for us. To survive and actually thrive, we must make our move now.

Most middle class families don't even have a plan to lift their savings and investments. In fact, most people are on auto-pilot. Yet, you can bet that corporate American is training legions of people to PICK YOUR POCKETS unless you separate from the majority of people who are struggling but don't think they can make choices that will increase savings, boost wealth and give their family options for years to come.

But you know what? You can increase savings on what you make right now.

You can boost your wealth over time.

You simply have to be willing to put the work in to educate yourself, invest in yourself, save regularly (and automatically). We talk about this in regularly updated blogs (www.stickyasset.com/blog and www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com), our free monthly e-saver (available if you use our e-mail sign up window at www.stickyasset.com/blog) and "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for only $4.95 at www.MiddleClassMoney.com.

What can you do beginning right now?

1. Build a proper emergency fund. We recommend you steadily put away money until you have 15 to 18 months of expenses saved. Yes, you can do this. Yes, it will take time. Yes, it will change your perspective on life.

2. Reduce and then eliminate debt. Especially credit card debt. We talk about this in detail in "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis." (only $4.95 at www.MiddleClassMoney.com).

3. Assume the proper attitude about pay and you checking account. It's not ever about what you make - it is not about what is in your checking account (we say "checking accounts are money laundering accounts for other people's money).

4. Purchase assets every single chance you get (and do this regularly - no matter how small you start your purchasing). Assets (by our definition are only those things that reproduce themselves).

5. Use automatic savings. If you can't save alot - who cares? START with SOMETHING. Do it beginning now. If you must, begin by saving only 1% of your after tax income. Then, increase by 1% your savings every time you get paid or at least increase it once a month until you are sitting at 20% of your regular income going to savings.

6. Find out all you can about passive income. Look for opportunities to capture passive revenue. If you do this and the things above, you will build wealth over time.

Join our FREE Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" now.

Don't wait for others - they are not coming. The government won't save you with a handout. Launch your recovery plan for your family beginning now. Start with these ideas and you will be ahead of the "rest of the class."

Invest in yourself. Invest in your children. Most important - GET STARTED TODAY.

Thank you.


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

So many people will be shocked when their earnings get downsized and they cannot replace their income. Over the last thirty plus years, Americans have simply expanded far beyond the reaches of their pocketbook. At the same time, we have allowed all of our politicians make it easy for big business to do things that are counter to the overall health of the country and negative toward the middle class and poor in the country. The result has been a credit-leaning society that depends on money from leverage to create a myth of middle class.

Sound complicated? It's a warning. Things have changed. Leverage or credit has realigned with reality. The credit pile on from about 1979 until now is essentially over. We have individual issues with credit and earning power in the country and oversees debt that is creating a shift in power and wealth in the country overall and will press down pressure on the middle class (breaking many) and poor.

What can you do starting today to try to save your family from a fate of poverty down the road? It is actually pretty simple. You need to get involved in the business of You, Incorporated. How do you do that?

1. Begin by saving at least 20% of your income. Can't do that right away? Use our 1% rule. Start with your next paycheck. Take 1% of that amount and put it aside for savings (before you pay even one bill). Then, increase the amount you save each paycheck by 1% until you reach 20%. Feel like you can't do that? Start with the 1% and increase it by 1% each month until you reach 20%. Either way - you must begin saving if you have not already done so.

2. Build a proper emergency fund for 2009. Forget about the experts giving you 1980's advice. Use our rule: Work to build 15 to 18 months of expenses in savings. Put this in money market savings with the highest interest rate at an FDIC-insured institution. It does not get done all at once. It will build faster than you think, but DO IT. You will be glad you did.

3. Put your focus on reducing and eliminating debt. Especially credit card debt. If you want to build real wealth, you have to get serious about pushing as much of your money to purchasing assets as possible. You cannot do that with high debt.

4. Begin to see your checking account for what it is: A MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. Use any excuse you can to reduce discretionary spending (clothes, eating out, stuff) and always use any excuse you can to remove money from checking and SLAM it into savings. Many people get their personal financal value from what they earn or what they have in their checking account. Both are FOOLS ERRANDS. It's what you save and later invest (after you have secured your emergency savings, reduced your debt and begin your regular and automatic contributions to a 401k and a Roth IRA or individual IRA.

Do you think we are playing? Economic storms can destroy your family. It's time to get serious. If you have not visited www.MiddleClassMoney.com and purchased "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis," we recommend you do so. It is the ONLY thing we charge for with two FREE personal finance blogs (www.stickyasset.com/blog and www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com) and a FREE Facebook group (called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves").

There is no reason for your family to live in poverty. The next ten (10) years could be the toughest of your life. If you want to establish a way to make it better starting now, you really can do it. We can show you how again and again. Ready?

No one will build your plan for you. No one will make you save. No one will make you regularly invest. YOU MUST DO IT - AND YOU CAN.

We believe in you. Good luck.


Loyd Ford
www.MiddleClassMoney.com
www.StickyAsset.com/blog
www.StickyAsset.com
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

Yes, you can join our FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." We only ask that you send an invitation to join to at least five (5) additional people once you have joined.

What is your credit score? Make sure your credit score is "safe." Make sure you do a good job of building credit. These are the focus of so much of the world today (especially in the United States).

Did you ever wonder why your parents never really worried about their credit score? Because they focused on something we call "paying their bills." Back in the day it was all about avoiding credit cards and any high-interest debt.

Now the credit card companies and high-interest lenders want you to focus on credit score and making sure you measure up. Why? Because they have used marketing over the last forty years to turn America upside down (from a cash is king focus to fear of no credit).

Here's the truth: You should focus on reduction and elimination of debt (beginning with credit card debt). Your personal financial goals should involve saving to build a proper emergency savings fund for 2009 (15 to 18 months of expenses in savings - the first six months in a money market savings account and the balance in certificates of deposit...if you can get better interest rates).

The reason so many Americans are stressed at work and allow their bosses and companies to press them so hard is that many are living paycheck-to-paycheck. Imagine if you had a proper emergency savings fund?

We believe it is time to turn the tables on those who work to enslave you to credit and high-interest. The way to accomplish this is simple. Develop your own plan for saving and investing that includes:

1. Setting an automatic savings goal every month.
2. Be willing to negotiate on everything; you don't have to purchase X from Y. You only have to purchase what you need and you can choose who you purchase from. If you negotiate and put the pressure on them to sell, you will save more. Always put what you save in SAVINGS.
3. Beginning to see your checking account for what it is: A MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. Use any excuse to get money out of that account and into savings.
4. Purchase items second-hand whenever you can and negotiate even more. This will keep you out of the high-price market and keep you ultimately paying much less with cash and accumulating NO DEBT.
5. Work to develop habits of saving and investing regularly and focus much less on purchasing anything that is not an asset. *Assets are - by our definition - only those things that can reproduce or produce more of the same assets.

If you really want to change your WEALTH PATH, check in and get your own FREE monthly e-saver by signing up in the e-mail window at www.stickyasset.com/blog. You can also check out our other FREE blog at www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com.

We only offer one thing for purchase. It is "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis." Get it for only $4.95 for a limited time only and only at www.MiddleClassMoney.com.

You can also join our FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves."

Thank you for sharing a few moments with us. Good luck!

Loyd Ford
www.MiddleClassMoney.com
www.StickyAsset.com/blog
www.BoostMyWealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.StickyAsset.com

Join the new FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" and then invite your friends, family and those you care about to join also. It's free and it will help you save MORE and invest wiser for a stronger future for your family.

What if you won the lottery? Do you know what you would do with millions of dollars?

What if you had a bag full of money? Would you spend it? Save it? Invest it? In what?

Do you know you should be saving money regularly but feel you don't make enough or have too many bills to save?

There are the questions of our generation. There has been a major reset in the country. Money has gone from easy to borrow to hard to get. Banks and other financial institutions look like church mice. "What? ME make a bad loan? Nooooo."

What if you had a special friend who saved your family thousands of dollars by knowing exactly what to do to turn your salary into enough money for you and your family to retire rich? You know who I am talking about. Every family knows someone who seems like everything they touch turns to pure gold bars. Look around. Do you know who I am talking about in your life?

For just a moment, we want to refocus your attention from one way to look at personal finance to another. Are you ready?

TODAY - THE MORTGAGE QUESTION

Do you have a mortgage? Would you like to pay it off early? How about YEARS earlier than the lender thinks you will pay it back? Everyone would make an extra payment each month if they could, right? I know, you are not made of money. Right? How much is your monthly payment? Chances are it is XXXX and not XXX (you fill in the numbers; we're just saying it is a larger monthly payment...not smaller).

So, how do we help you pay off your mortgage YEARS early just by sharing one of our "different ways to look at personal finance" about your home without breaking your bank?

The truth is: You don't need our help. You can work some magic yourself.

Do you have an amortization schedule? If you don't, call the lender and ask them to send you one (they will). While you are on the phone with them, ask them if there is any penalty for making additional principle payments or paying off your mortgage early. We expect them to say, "No, there are no penalties." However, you want to make certain that you don't have a bad loan (I call any loan that does not allow you to pay back the loan early a BAD LOAN). If they say no penalties, smile and tell them to send the amortization schedule to you, thank them and hang up.

Then....wait until it shows up. Here's what you want to do with it:

Look at the monthly payment you make each month. Big number, huh? Okay. Now, look at the principle. Look at the interest. Look at the balance. That will make you mad, won't it?

Of course, you want to continue to make your REGULAR payment. If you can afford and your mortgage lender will allow, do bi-monthly payments (this will add about another entire payment each year in paying down your mortgage just by itself).

Once you know that you will continue to make your regular payment each month, focus on the principle amount each month. Do you see how much smaller it is each month? Focus on trying to make an additional "principle payment" of exactly that amount each month. By doing this, you will be dropping a month (each month) off of the length of your mortgage. So, everytime you make your regular monthly payment, you will focus on the next principle amount and send that amount as a principle payment to your mortgage company. You will want to send it with a letter saying it is a "PRINCIPLE PAYMENT" in addition to your regular mortgage payment and should only be used to pay down the principle.

You'll make progress faster than you think. Stay focused and only pay your regular monthly (large) payment and your additional next month's principle (much smaller) payment as a separate "bill." You will drop YEARS off of your mortgage and THOU$ANDS off of your mortgage bill.

If you want more tips on how to increase your wealth while reducing or eliminating debt, sign up for our FREE monthly e-saver by placing your e-mail address in the right-hand side e-mail window on this blog. You can also check out our other FREE blog on personal finance at www.BoostMyWealth.Wordpress.com.

Do you believe there are secrets of the rich and how they use money that you don't know? Do you believe if YOU had those secrets, YOU could increase your wealth? Save more? If you want to really refocus the way you see bills, your checking account, your paycheck, your value to merchants and how to boost savings and increase wealth regularly, you can purchase "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for a limited time for only $4.95. You'll have the opportunity to shift your thinking and use what you earn to REALLY BOOST your savings and reduce your debt. $4.95? Why so little? Because we want this information to be accessible to everyone who really wants a way to get ahead. We also think you will read it all if you pay something for it.

These are secrets of the rich (that they pass down generation to generation) to save more and increase wealth. These are strategies that are known to work. Check it out at www.MiddleClassMoney.com. Just click on the "buy now" button at the bottom of the page.

You can also join our FREE Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Just search for the group name and sign up. All we ask of you is that you invite your friends, family and those you care about today once you are a member yourself.

Want a bag full of money? All you have to do is get started. Develop your own plan for saving regularly and increasing your ownership of assets. Want more? See the above three (3) paragraphs and good luck!


Loyd Ford
www.MiddleClassMoney.com
www.StickyAsset.com/blog
www.BoostMyWealth.wordpress.com
www.StickyAsset.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth

Join the new and FREE Facebook page for families who want to put their money to work for them: "LIve The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" now on FACEBOOK!

Middle class families all across the United States often want to win the lottery or become wealthy overnight. We all can have fantasy about this, of course.

Immediate wealth rarely brings happiness, but we all think about what that would be like. Wealth - under any circumstances - does not bring happiness or cure all your problems. It simply brings the sharp edges of your personality and weaknesses to the front of your life faster.

Wealth does give you some power over time, work and priorities. Some people handle that well (Paul Newman) and some not so much.

So, why do WE write a blog about building wealth? Because good things and bad things happen to every person on Earth. That means that times will be good in your life - and not so good. Look at extreme examples of this in Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley. Both very wealthy celebrities that seemed to have everything they ever wanted. Both seemed to lose control and left us very young. Would that have happened if they had achieved some balance in their lives? Instead, they had wealth and people giving them whatever they wanted constantly.

You must strive for balance in your life. That means that we want our people to plan for when times may not be as good as they are now. There are people in our families who don't save. They don't plan ahead. They worry, but they feel powerless to help themselves. We write these blogs for them and for others like them who would like to save money but feel they cannot. They feel like they don't make enough or they have too many bills.

We are here to expose the truth: Anyone can save regularly. Anyone can use automatic savings and compound interest to their advantage. Anyone can build a correct emergency fund for 2009 (15 to 18 months of expenses). Anyone can change their attitude and learn new behaviors that WILL WORK to save first and then BUILD TRUE WEALTH.

Think about these things:

1. You can't own credit cards - CREDIT CARDS OWN YOU. If you don't have them, stay away from them. If you have them, work to reduce and then eliminate that debt.

2. Don't get your financial identity and value out of what you earn working. Focus on what you save. If you are not saving regularly, your financial value or family resources to help your family when times are not as good as they may be today is slowly leaking away.

3. Checking accounts are MONEY LAUNDERING ACCOUNTS for other people's money. Use any excuse you can to take money out of checking and push it to an FDIC-insured money market savings account or certificate of deposit.

4. Once you have built your emergency savings fund and you are funding your 401k (if that is available to you) AND an IRA or Roth IRA, begin to focus in ONE STRATEGIC AREA: Purchase assets that pay dividends and have low expenses. If you are purchasing stock, make sure you do your research. More likely you should be reviewing and purchasing dividend producing mutual funds. While we do not endorse any company, we like Vanguard because they have LOW FEES and that makes a WORLD OF DIFFERENCE over time.

If you want to grow savings and boost wealth, spend an hour of your day researching how you can save smarter and invest in assets. Think in terms of building "asset trains" (passive revenue or income).

Join our FREE Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves." Get your FREE e-saver (each month) by signing up in the e-mail box to the right of our blog at www.stickyasset.com/blog. You can also go to www.MiddleClassMoney.com and purchase "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for only $4.95 (through PayPal on that site).

We are serious about helping people develop their own plan to save automatically and regularly and make decisions about money that will lead to your family having options and ability in the future while others fall away to poverty.

Thank you for reading our blog. Use our "share" button to the right of this blog to share it with your friends, family or those you care about today.


Loyd Ford
www.MiddleClassMoney.com
www.StickyAsset.com/blog
www.BoostMyWealth.wordpress.com
www.Squidoo.com/BoostMyWealth

Join our FREE Facebook group called "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves."

How do you improve the economy where it matters: for your family?

What do you look for to see if the "market" is about to recover? First, you can't really expect to be brilliant at market timing and you should not do it. If you have been following this blog or any of our personal finance blogs, you know that we are about developing your own personal financial battle plan. Not simply investing. So, this blog will not be any different - we will focus on protecting yourself and growing your overall battle plan to grow savings and invest wisely for the long-term success of your family.

At the same time, we are going to take a look at a few indicators that form the true view of our overall economy. This will come with some warning and also with actions to protect yourself and grow your savings and wise investing.

How do you judge when the economy will turn? Here are some major factors to watch and how each could potentially impact you along with a strategy to help yourself:

Jobless Claims - this is a weekly report. When more people are losing their jobs, that's not good (you knew that, right?)! It takes longer in this economy to replace your income if you should lose your job. What can you do about this? Not much. However, you can use a strategy to protect yourself over the long-term. We recommend you set a new standard for emergency savings. We recommend that you work to build 15 to 18 months of expenses in emergency savings. That will mean putting six (6) months in pure money market savings at an FDIC-insured institution. The balance can be put in six (6) month certificates of deposit (staggered to mature at different points of time). Do not put anything in a certificate of deposit over six (6) months long because "we don't know the future of interest rates."

Consumer Confidence - this report comes to light usually on the second Tuesday of each month. You know the story here - when confidence is on the rise, people spend more money and the economy grows. This is how people feel about their money, how much they have, their jobs and IF things are getting better or worse. We recommend that you seek to expand your savings as much as possible and utilize "spending" on purchasing assets that produce more of itself (like stocks with dividends). After all, the more you save, the more confidence you will have in your own future.

Existing home sales - this report comes out almost at the end of each month. Look for several months of growth (or more) as a more positive signal that the economy is on the move. What can you do to protect yourself? There's not much you can do if you are already in your home. However, you should review your mortgage interest rates and see if it makes sense for you to refinance to bring down the cost of borrowing. You can also think about paying a little extra each month on your mortgage (to principle). We talk about this and how to accomplish a lot for a little $ in "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" at www.middleclassmoney.com. "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" is $4.95 and is available for immediate download.

Durable Goods - there is a monthly report on this. It is usually released at the end or near the end of each month. This relates to orders for long-lasting durable manufactured goods. This suggests the healthy attitude of business owners. When they are negative, they pull back. When they are investing in their business, they purchase. Not much you can do here for yourself except watch this as a key indicator in terms of boosting the other factors that show a growing economic outlook.

Retail Sales - this report generally comes out in the middle of the month. You hear this all the time: consumer spending accounts for 70% (approximately) of the U.S. economy. It's simple: three months of sales increasing is a good sign that consumers feel more confident about spending. This will "juice" the economy. Still, we caution you push yourself to "live below your means" and focus spending on purchasing assets. Once you have your emergency fund completely funded, you should turn your energies (and money) to building assets.

We hope this is helpful to you. If you have not joined our Facebook group "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves," do a search for us on Facebook and join our group. Of course, it is free.

You can purchase our "How To Survive Any Financial Crisis" for only $4.95 at www.middleclassmoney.com. It is the only thing we charge for in all of our personal finance blogs and groups, and that helps us pay for our other efforts. You can see it does not cost much, and it will save you thousands.

Share this blog with those you love and care about by using our "share" button to the right of this blog. You can also sign up in the e-mail window for our FREE monthly e-saver on this site.

If you also want to check out our other blog, go to www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com! We appreciate your participation in what we are doing. We want to help families boost savings and build wealth. You can do it!

Thank you again!


Loyd Ford
www.middleclassmoney.com
www.stickyasset.com/blog
www.boostmywealth.wordpress.com
www.squidoo.com/boostmywealth
www.stickyasset.com

Join "Live The Lifestyle Your Family Deserves" (group) on Facebook! It's free!