We have a great show for you this week.  We have Gerri Detweiler a nationally recognized credit expert, author and advisor  Gerri’s talks to us about her new book, Stop Debt Collectors, How to protect your rights and resolve your debts.   I have read the book and like the way it teaches you how to deal with debt collectors.  It tells exactly what to say and what to do.  If you have debt issues.  This is a must read.

Gerri shares with us the change that is taking place in the way we all have to handle our money.  The era of easy credit is over.  It doesn’t mean it won’t come back but it is gone for the foreseeable future. 

I am grateful to Gerri for joining us.  I hope you will listen to the show.  If you want to reach Gerri, you can reach her at Gerri@Credit.com.  She also has a great blog.  Check out Gerri’s Blog

 

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Debt is the plague that is attacking people across the country.  Whether you have $2,000 worth of credit card debt that keeps you awake at night or you are trying to keep up with your $15,000 a month house payments.  The pain is still very real.     

With all of the fallout in the financial markets, we are all starting to understand that we have to live without debt.  This is a good thing but The question is, how do we do it? 

I have been teaching and coaching my clients for years that you have to own real estate.  Real estate, especially in our area historically goes up in value.  For most people their home and their retirement accounts is their only source of savings. 

We have to get you to the point where you can own a house and eliminate all other debt.  Any debt that is not connected with an asset that goes up in value is consumer debt.  Credit cards, cars, lines of credit and even student loans are consumer debt and you have to live without them.   

When it comes to eliminating your debt, how would the turtle do it? 

First, she (remember, I told you earlier that I think the turtle is female because the turtle is determined and disciplined)  She  would determine what the lay of the land is.   

Start by listing all of your consumer debts on a piece of paper.  We have a form on our website called “Know your debt”  you can download it at www.themoneything.com.  List your debts from smallest to largest amounts owed.  The form will ask you to put down the monthly payment and what was the debt used to buy.   

The idea is to pay all of your debts each month making the minimum payment on each debt.  You start at the bottom of the list and work up.  When you get to the top of the list, the smallest debt, pay everything you can on that one to get rid of it.  When you pay it off, scratch it off of the list.  Repeat this process every month until the whole list is gone.  It may take some time to work through all of this, but with determination it works. 

Today we are talking about what people need to be doing to make sure that they can survive in the new economy.  Our guest today is James Lunney who has been in the securities business for over 25 years.  Jim is the founder of The Wealth Strategies Group in Littleton Colorado and creator of The Wealth Planning Strategy™.   He is the author of Surviving the Storm, Investment strategies that help you maximize profit and control risk during the coming economic winter.  His book is a good read and simplifies financial issues and is available everywhere.

Jim shares with us 4 steps people need to take now with their finances.  He also talks about how the financial plans of each presidential candidate will affect your personal finances.  This is a lively show and certainly worth a listen.

You can reach Jim via his website at http://www.wealthstratgroup.com.  Take some time to go through his website.  He is a wealth of knowledge and offers an informative newsletter, ongoing commentaries and even has a seminar once a month via the internet.

 

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Our Turtle Time Segment illustrates how the tortoise would handle everyday issues. The way you think about and handle different issues will often be an example of the way you will deal with your money too. Here is an example of that

A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City, where a woman may go to choose a husband.

Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:
You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!

So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:
Floor 1 - These men Have Jobs.

She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 2 - These men Have Jobs and Love Kids.
‘That’s nice,’ she thinks, ‘but I want more. ‘
So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads:

Floor 3 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, and are Extremely Good Looking.

‘Wow,’ she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going.

She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads:
Floor 4 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Good Looking and Help With Housework.
‘Oh, mercy me!’ she exclaims, ‘I can hardly stand it!’

Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads:

Floor 5 - These men Have Jobs, Love Kids, are Drop-dead Gorgeous, Help with Housework, and Have a Strong Romantic Streak.
She is tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads:

Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

PLEASE NOTE:

To avoid gender bias charges, the store’s owner opened a New Wives store just across the street.

The first floor has wives that love sex.

The second floor has wives that love sex, have money and like beer.

The third, fourth, fifth and sixth floors have never been visited.
The moral of the story is if you are looking for guarantees of perfection in the way you deal with your money, forget it.
Regardless of which floor you are on with your finances today, let’s focus on moving you higher up the floors until you get to the floor that provides you what you need for your own safety, security and happiness. You may find that you don’t have to go to the top floor to be perfectly happy and have the life you want.

Tania Gabrielle is our guest today.  Tania is the author of The Unrevealed Secrets of Political Success, How Names and Dates Shape United States History.  Tania is here to talk about how numerology plays a part in the upcoming presidential race.  

She will tell us how Obama and McCains numbers are similar to Abraham Lincoln, JFK and Martin Luther King.  She will tell us the importance of the date of this election day and the turmoil that we could see between now and then.

Tania will also tell us who she predicts to win the race based solely on the numbers. 

If you want more information about Tania.  More information about her and how she can get you information on your personal numbers, go to her website at www.TaniaGabrielle.com

 

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I got a new GPS for my car this weekend.  As you know I love gadgets.  This one is an updated version of my old one.  The truth is the old one works fine, the new one has a bigger screen so it is easier for my aging eyes and big fingers to operate.  In my mind, the purpose of a GPS is to help me to get to where I am going.  My biggest freak out factor in life is when I am time challenged.  You know, you have agreed to do something or be somewhere at a certain time and you may not make it.  That just freaks me out. I can handle most things pretty calmly but if I get pressed for time, I start to lose it.  I tend to plan in advance to make sure that I allow enough time to finish the things I have agreed to do.  That way I don’t get hit with the time thing.  I am a finisher by nature so I can’t relax until I finish what I start.  The thing I like most about the GPS is that it allows me to put in where I want to go and it tells me when I am going to get there.  This gives me the information I need so I know the completion of that part of whatever I am doing is within the time I have allotted.    Wouldn’t it be nice if we had a GPS for our money?  What if you could put your financial goals into a device that would tell you which turns you needed to make along the way.  It would tell you what pitfalls to avoid and exactly when you would get there.  It could sense that you are a little behind and let you know that you need to speed up to make the destination you set on time or that you will have to move your deadline or destination.   Now here is the part where I tell you that such a device exists.  Sorry, it doesn’t.  What does exist is the power of your mind to set your financial goals and focus on getting you there.  There are lots of people in the financial services industry who can help you with different aspects of your financial life.  They can help you set specific targets and monitor your progress.  Some have software and other tools to help you but in the end, it is up to you.  Fortunately you have the tools to succeed in whatever you want to succeed in.  God gave you a good mind, he gave you the determination to accomplish anything you put your mind to and will provide you whatever help you ask for.  Take some time today to think about what you want to do and where you want to go.  Start to set your direction in the GPS of your mind.  When you do this, the additional tools you need will start to show up.