Blog | Entrepreneurship, Personal Finance
Look Beneath the Surface for Financial Freedom
October 11, 2012
Why it’s important to ask “Why?”
It’s that time of the year when we are inundated with campaign ads and people pushing their agendas.
“I’m right. He’s wrong, and you should vote for me!”
But it doesn’t stop with politics. I just saw an advertisement for financial services in a major magazine. The headline read, “I know what I want. I just wander if I’m saving enough to get there.” Then, it states, “You’ll find valuable, practical information and perspectives from a network of women just like you…so no matter what lies ahead, you can move forward with confidence.”
Wow! That sounds great, doesn’t it?
But wait… in very tiny print at the bottom of the ad, it states that they are selling products that are not FDIC-Insured, have NO bank guarantee and may lose value! Unfortunately, very few readers will see the fine print.
Too many people rely on what their friends tell them, what they read in magazines and the latest gossip on television.
Women! You are smarter than that!
If you want to discover the truth about money, success or anything in life, you have to do the work yourself… no one is going to do it for you.
Yes, I know it’s so much easier just to listen to a “credible” financial advisor on television, get advice from your sister, best friend or someone else you trust, or just do what everyone else seems to be doing. We are all busy with work, taking care of our kids and aging parents, cooking, cleaning, paying bills, etc.
But this is important…
If you let someone else make your key decisions for you, you lose control.
This means that you don’t really know what’s going on with your money.
Are you going to get that next check to pay your bills?
Is your IRA or 401-K really helping you plan for your retirement goals?
What happens if you get sick and can’t work?
This is stressful, and women, don’t you have enough stress in your life right now?
It takes extra effort, but…
You need a financial education to not only survive, but thrive, in today’s world.
To reduce your stress and take control, increase your knowledge. And I don’t want to hear excuses about lack of time, intelligence, money, etc. All you need to do is begin with these simple steps:
- Question what you see and hear in the media, what “financial advisors” are telling you, and the gossip circulating in your local groups.
Do some research and find out if what they are saying is true and if there is a hidden agenda on their part.
- Read media you haven’t looked at before and discover what is really going on in the world. For example, check out The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, Bloomberg News, BusinessWeek, The Week, Bert Dohmen’s The Wellington Letter, Drudge Report, Rich Dad’s financial education news section, and all of the other, financial and news sources out there.
You’ll open your mind to different opinions, agendas, facts, and statistics.
- Set some time aside each day to spend working on your financial plan. Figure out what you want in life and how you are going to get there.
Then, schedule time each day to take action on your plan. Without action, nothing happens. (For more help, check out the Triple-A Triangle™ here.)
It’s Rising Time!
Learn what’s really going on and ask questions. Open yourself up to different opinions and seek out answers on your own. You’ll discover more about the world and the truth about money. More important, you’ll know what you need to do to take control of your life and begin your journey to financial freedom!
What are you going to read today to increase your financial education?
For some free, financial literacy information, check out our community here.
Original publish date:
October 11, 2012