My wife and I have a date night every Saturday night.  We have been doing this for years and it has really helped our relationship.  It is just a few hours each week that we get to spend together and get back on the same page. 

This week we went to dinner and went to see Jim Carey’s new movie Yes Man.  It was full of laughs like most Jim Carey movies are but it also contained a great message that is appropriate for the new year.   

Are you saying yes to things that will make your life fuller and more exciting?  Or, are you using the same old reasons for saying no.  Instead of saying yes, are you saying I don’t have time, I don’t have the energy or I don’t have the money.    

This year let’s change that.   

I have to admit that I have never been much for new years resolutions.  I tend to set goals all year long and work on them a bit at a time.  The turtle didn’t win the race with a big burst of speed.  She won with a determined will to finish.  But the turtle would have never been in the race without saying yes first.     

Whether you normally make new years resolutions or you set goals, this year set a couple of goals.  Things you will say yes to this year that will enhance your life and maybe even add some adventure. 

Here are some of the things you could do. 

Join a clubTake a classGo out dancingGo see a band that you likeLearn a craft that interests youGo to a fair or an art showMake one new friend.  If you are shy or quiet, find someone who is outgoing and expressive.Invite some friends over for dinnerCall someone you haven’t talked with for too long 

Make your number one resolution or goal this year to say yes instead of looking for the reasons to say no.  If you do, 2009 will be more memorable and the troubles of the world will seem smaller.

This is the end of the year show where we talk about what we think is going to happen in the financial world over the next year.  The important thing for people to understand going forward is that finances and economy is as local as real estate.  Take care of your family and your personal finances and let the world iron out it’s issues.  If you are stable financially, the rest of the problems won’t seem as big.

Our Turtle Time segment is about challenging yourself to say yes to new things.  If you pick one new thing to say yes to this coming year, it will probably be one of the more memorable things that happens as you look back. 

We at The Money Thing hope you have your best year ever, in all aspects of your life.

 

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Our guest today is Dr. Eldon Taylor Author of many books but he is here to talk to us today about his latest book, Choices and Illusions, How did I get here and how do I get where I want to be?

I picked up the book to review for the show and could not put it down.  I am a Kindle reader and don’t like to read regular books anymore.  However the way Eldon describes the mind and how we get stuck by what we think and what has been programmed intrigued me.  I read the whole thing and went to his website for more. 

There is so much in this book about how you can change your thinking and by doing that, change your financial situation that I am recommending it to everyone.  As you know, I don’t do that very often but this one is a winner.  For more information about his work and the other things he offers go to www.ChoicesandIllusions.com

 

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I am always looking for ideas and stories that help us to understand how everyday situations bring clarity to our financial issues.  This week I found it in today’s guest,  Dr. Eldon Taylors book Choices and Illusions.   

Most of us are experiencing some sort of financial issues right now.  I talk with a lot of people every day about their money and even those who are OK, are still a bit uneasy. 

Dr. Taylor relates a story in his book that may add some perspective to your situation.  This story is an adaptation of a an old Sufi story.   

An old rancher back in the civil war days was just barely getting by.  His wife had died giving birth to their son and he himself was somewhat crippled with arthritis.  Because of this, his son, had to do most of the work around the farm.  Now, the rancher was a really nice man and everyone in town liked him. 

One day, the boy was our plowing the fields when lightning struck near the mule.  The mule bolted and the old harness could not hold it.  The harness broke and the mule ran off.  Without the mule the farmer and his son would not be able to get their crops planted and since they were barely making ends meet as it was, the whole town turned out to commiserate. Such bad luck, they said.  The old farmer replied, Good luck, Bad luck, who knows. 

The next day the mule came running home and following behind it came a whole herd of wild horses.  The farmer and his son ran outside and opened the corral and herded in all of the horses and their mule.  During this time, the armies on both sides were buying every horse they could find and paying a lot of money for them. 

This time the whole town came to congratulate them.  Such good luck, they said.  But the farmer just looked at them and said, Good luck, Bad Luck, who knows.   

Neither army would buy horses that were not rideable so the son decided he would have to break the horses.  The first one he mounted threw him to the ground and when he hit, he broke his arm and collarbone.  Again the town came out to say, such bad luck.  The old farmer replied again, Good luck, Bad Luck, who knows. 

Later that day, the army marched through town and conscripted every able bodied man and boy.  Of course they did not take the farmers son because his arm and collarbone were broken.  The town’s response to this was, such good luck you have.  Good luck, bad luck, who knows. 

That army was headed to Shiloh.  Not many soldiers lived through that battle.   

The moral of the story is that you just never know what events in your life turn out to be good luck or bad luck.  I hope you remember this story as you follow your financial journey.   

Good Luck, Bad Luck  Who know’s.   

Just keep the spirit of the turtle with you and keep moving forward. 

On the news segment this week we talk about the idea that has been floated to offer 4 1/2% mortgages for people who are buying homes.  I like the idea but I believe if this happens it should be offered to people refinancing their properties as well.  It would help to get rid of some of the excess inventories out there and help existing homeowners to lower their monthly expenses.  This should have been where the first bailout dollars were spent.

We have a really interesting 2nd half of the show today.  We have 3 high school juniors from Highland Christian Schools in Arlington.  You should listen as Faith, Ryan and Libby share their thoughts about money, saving and what kids want for Christmas. 

They offer some insights on the way our young people look at the world they live in and share with us what they know and want to know about their families financial situation.  If you have kids in the house and wonder what they think about money and what they want to know from you.  Listen to this show.

If you worry about future generations and their ability to take care of themselves financially, these three will certainly boost your confidence.

 

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As you probably already know, I am a Harley guy.  One of my greatest joys is getting out on my bike and going for a ride.  The rumble of the engine and the wind in my face makes a bad day good and a good day even better.  When you see one of us out riding in the rain, you may think, oh that poor guy, he must wish he was in a car.  You might be surprised to know that even in the worst weather, we are still grateful to be out riding.  

I ride with my buddies in our Harley Owners Group, HOG for short.   I belong to two HOG Chapters.  The Harley Owners Group has thousands of chapters and almost a million members worldwide.  Even though we dress in black leather and have hairy faces, most of us have families, go to church and have responsible jobs.  We have many veterans in our groups and as you can tell by the number of flags on bikes in the groups, we are very patriotic.  We also love the bad boy image that comes with riding a Harley and the looks we get when we are out on the road. 

You have probably seen groups of Harley riders, riding together in formation.  It is really fun to be a part of that and every time we ride I notice lots of people watching.  When I am not riding and I see a group go by, I stop to look too. 

We have rules that we all practice when riding together.  We do this so that we can ride close together, avoid obstacles and get where we are going.  We have hand signals so that we can communicate with each other on the road.  These rules are designed to help us to enjoy the ride and ride safely.  Most of our rides are the one day variety.  We leave in the morning with a predetermined plan for where we are going, where we are going to stop to share a meal and when we are going to get back. 

We always have at least two trained Road Captains.  One leads the group and one, called the sweep who rides in the very back of the group. The lead captain makes sure we know where we are going and the sweep is there in case of a problem with one of the bikes.  If someone has a problem and has to pull off, the sweep stays with them to assist and the rest of the group keeps going to find a safe place to pull over and wait.  If the group is large we may one or two additional road captains that ride in the pack too.   

The Road Captains are responsible for the ride.  For example a string of 20 bikes, take up a long stretch of road.  The road captains have to make sure that the route they choose can accommodate us safely.  Bad roads, too much traffic or weather issues could ruin the ride and risk lives.   

The road captains get together in advance to choose a route.  They pre-ride the route in advance to see if there in anything that could be a problem for the group.  This planning is required to provide every opportunity for the group to enjoy the ride.  We do this so we can spend time on our bikes and enjoy the beautiful state we live in.  After the ride, the road captains get together to evaluate the ride and rate the ride and the way they handled it.  Can they do better next time?    

In my book, The Money Thing Made Easy, I wrote a chapter about the highest paid people in the world and what they all have in common.  Athletes and Entertainers are the highest paid people in the world and they all have three things in common,

1. They practice
2. They keep score
3. They all have coaches

In the Harley Owners Group we practice these three things to help us enjoy our rides.   

When it comes to your money, are you sharing any of these characteristics?  Do you practice and plan how you are going to handle your money?Do you keep track of your money so you know if you are moving ahead or falling behind?Do you have someone you can turn to?  Someone who will help you determine how to get on track and stay there?  Our financial world is changing and your financial journey is a long one.  The old roads we used to travel are damaged and you have to find new ones.   If you are the financial road captain of your family you have to preplan your route and have some rules to help you arrive safely.