Tag Archives: personal finances

We’re droppin the Green Flag!

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Financial Fitness. It’s coming on like a nitrous-powered dragster. Can you feel the ground rumbling?
Surely you are noticing this new wave of thinking. It’s actually old school that is now becoming cool again 🙂
  • Interest in having savings.
  • Pride in conservative spending.
  • People starting to go on a Stuff Diet.
  • Less impulse to get a loan for a purchase.
  • Overall more emphasis on wise money habits.
This is absolutely the best thing to come out of the change in our economy in the last couple years. The growth of our relationship with debt and it’s impacts on our lives is tremendous.
We all had a wonderful chance to learn how important it is to not be spread too thin with our money. I see GREAT things in the future for those who’ve learned from the mistakes of our culture in recent years.
Wise people from Ottawa and the surrounding areas about to embark on a financial learning journey. They have chosen to attend Financial Peace University. These classes are being held all over the nation. I am volunteering to host one at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Ottawa. It starts on Monday night… I AM EXCITED!!!!!
“More than one million families have attended Financial Peace University with amazing results. On average, these families paid off $5,300 in debt and saved $2,700 in just the first 90 days!” (from DR’s website)
All 18 people in my class had a pivotal moment when they made the decision to do this. With one little three letter word of “yes”, they’ve transformed thier financial future forever. VICTORY with a word.
It won’t be easy, but Everyone who attends all 13 weeks and implements the changes, will be driving a fast moving dragster toward Financial Peace!
Proud and honored are just a couple of the things I feel about being the host for this event.
I have personally lived the experience of the ride to debt-freedom. It will be inspiring to watch this class develop toward the same goal. In this group setting they will see that they are not alone. Together they’ll support and encourage each other. It will be a wonderful gathering of energy focused on the acceptance of debt-reality and real action toward improvement!

My individual coaching services are best for the kickstart needed to get your financial engine rebuilt and idling correctly. We can even work together toward a sweet tune-up and solid reliable ride.

Financial Peace University is always a recommended follow-up to that package. For the long term health of your money-motor, FPU provides instruction for You to become your own certified mechanic, customizer and driver of a Real Financial Hot Rod! Are you ready?
Visit the first night of an FPU Class near you. It is free with no obligation. I warn you, it is tough to see the fun and not want to join up. In this race, Everybody gets to win!
Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Dilapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

Sno’ Money

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Good Morning from a Brightly Snowlit, Chilly and Debt-Free Corner of Princeton, Kansas.

Honestly, I’ve been wanting this fluffy white stuff to show up!  I’ve had a snow-blog idea that’s been rolling around in my mind for awhile now. Hope you enjoy!
Here it is, Your Challenge: Cover a thousand square miles in 5 inches of white fluffy frozen powder in just a few hours… Okay…

How would you begin a process like this? What would be your first step? Can you even fathom it?

Well it’s a huge area – so you need something really really big right? Where would you start? Seems like waaaay to big a project to ever get going!

And from these pictures from south and west of Princeton, we have proof once again that it can be done. It is proven time and again every winter here in Kansas…

I am amazed when seeing this beauty and realizing that it is all done with billions of tiny snowflakes that are each created unique. The first several billion of these creations fall to the ground and melt immediately! They Give of themselves to cool down the surface so the others can take hold. Eventually with more and more and more flake effort, the whiteness starts to stick and then takes over…
How opposite of thinking is this from anything that ever crossed the mind of a human. Our creator’s ways are just beautifully amazing.

A day of country cruising and enjoying the new-fallen snow reminds me that we are not nearly as smart as we think we are. Our minds are not built like that of our creator. But we can learn those ways.

When it comes to finances, we believe we have the right answer. We believe that our way of Spending Money Wisely and Having the Things We Need is best.
With research we find out that these are not the ways of the wise and learned in the recorded history. Dave Ramsey will say he teaches God’s and Grandma’s ways of dealing with money. It actually goes way beyond that. The wise teachings of old from all over the world, every faith and nationality, are all chock-full of emphasis on Giving, Saving and Then Spending.
Is this the way that your mind approaches payday?
Our universe has such a perfect rhythm and balance, but we are not using this architecture in our own lives. The more we can find out about the True ways of handling money, the more we find out that our potential is surprisingly inconceivable.

Not all winter blessings are out in the cold. Not all rich blessings are money. Case in point: I was blessed to share Monday’s Snow Day Drive with the beautifully adventurous Lindsay. Yup, God likes me 🙂

We do have the ability and responsibility to blanket our financial future with snowy white riches.
If you’re ready to begin this process, throw out all your smart ideas. Get some of God’s. He seems to know what he’s doing 🙂
Sincerely,

 

 

Aaron Nichols
True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Dilapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

College Prep Chemistry at Ottawa High

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Good Morning from a nice sunny January Day in Princeton!
Waaaaaay back in the 90’s when I attended Ottawa High School, in Ottawa, Kansas, There were a couple words that could strike fear in the heart of this slightly above average student: “Doc Cain!” Although I had no rational basis for being so scared of Mr. Cain and his College Prep Chemistry Class, I just plain was.
I took the course in my Junior Year and have many vivid memories. College Prep Chemistry was the most comprehensive and in-depth study that I had experienced in my 16 years. The kids in class were your typical over-achievers. We felt this was important stuff that was preparing us for the courses we’d take at University level in the years to come. We did experiments and bent little glass pipettes. We used crucibles and torches and took notes and were very serious about it all. The work load was tough, the subjects abstract.
Big projects required extra time in class. Somehow no matter how early you showed up, it seemed that Mr. Cain had already been there for hours. The classical music on NPR was a mind-bending contrast from the CD’s I was spinnin in my 84′ pickup truck.
We spent many hours after school as well. Small groups in the Cyclone Room would be head-down and scribbling pages and pages worth of equations, observations and solutions to complex problems. Usually we would work together and share ideas on how to complete the task at hand. Among these kids, we would usually find a suitable answer.
The most crushing moments came for me while working on a several page written document, and coming to a point where I could continue no more. The problem was not solved, and I was stuck! I would have had an hour or maybe many involved in this one equation. After asking the other smarties, and seeing their looks of confusion at what I had created, I knew there was only one thing to do… I had to go back into the class and ask Him for help… Mr. Cain was always glad to assist, but the pain of showing my stupidity to him on paper was an ego-killer!
I remember several of these moments, I always had the same experience. EVERY SINGLE time I went to him for help, I had two pages or more worth of words, numbers and symbols written by hand. I wanted help with the last two sentences or equations where I had become stuck. I proudly showed him all the work that went into this huge mess of lead on paper and asked him for just a little boost or fix for this little issue I had run into…
EVERY SINGLE TIME I had made my mistake Waaaaaay up at the beginning.  Every single time, he would look at the place on the page I was pointing, disregard that, and run his eyes hours back in time, up the sheet, to the place I started my screw-up. Aaaggghhhhh! NO!!
Humbled, Crushed and feeling stupid, I would sulk back to the booth by the windows and start all over…
You know what? When I would use his advice and do it right from the beginning, the problem would usually be Much faster, easier and more satisfying to complete than before. Even in starting over, the problem could get finished on time and turned in with a good grade.
In that world and in our financial world we are allowed to continue with our mistakes for awhile. We get to struggle along and think we’re getting somewhere. It may even look, at first glance, like we are. These denials of the truth and false-identities are what Debt gives to us. Our metaphorical chemistry assignment page of life can look like we’ve accomplished much. A nice big house, expensive college degree, newer cars and lots of trips to the city for Stuff we Need. This is what the average American’s written page looks like.
But, we are not living at a level of True Wealth. We have financial problems. Our money stresses do not stem from this month’s high utility bills. The issue is not our unexpected flat tire. It’s not Christmas’s fault or the cost of the kids’ traveling sports team.
Truth is, we’ve made a mistake waay back at the beginning. Our behavior pattern, our perception of money and wealth in general is Wrong. I guess I’ll be just as unpopular as Mr. Cain when I tell you that you’ve got to start over with your ideas about money in general. We’ve got to go back to square one and learn new things. That is, if you ever want to get unstuck from your finances and move on to the exciting and prosperous next level.
The shining silver lining here parallels my experience with a long chemistry equation back in 1996. When you start over and get it right from the beginning, the answer to the problem comes so much Faster, Easier and More Satisfying that you forget all about the years and years of doing it the wrong way. That moment of regret from being dumb, is blown away by the Fun and Thrilling stride after stride you’re taking when you know you’re on the right track.
Stay tuned to my blog, check out my website http://www.truenorthffc.com/ or go to http://www.daveramsey.com/ . The truth is out there and I’d like to introduce you to it. You deserve it! You work too hard to not be enjoying the level of peace, security and generosity that you have earned. Take it from me, a debt-free kid from Ottawa High, it is absolutely worth the ego-hit to start all over and get it right.
Thanks Mr. Cain, for the chemistry and more importantly: Life Lessons!
Sincerely,

 

 

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
785-218-6134
http://www.truenorthffc.com/

Got a leaky Wallet? Bulging budget or none at all? Delapidated Debt that you’re sick of living with?  You are losing hard earned dollars every month! Let me show you how to spackle the cracks and firm up your financial foundation. DIY or using my professional services, either way, the best time to fix your finances is Now!

The Greats know how to Give!

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Happy Holidays!
Giving is in the air! We all love the bright eyes and smiles of children and loved ones as they open up gifts that we put our love and thought and money into. I am taking this opportunity to expand on this idea and maybe shed some light on the history and importance of giving as part of a healthy financial plan.
Here are some quotes from the wise:
“I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.”
Luke 18:12

“The wise man does not lay up his own treasures. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own.”Lao Tzu (from the Tao Te Ching)

“The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.”
Albert Einstein

“To do more for the world than the world does for you – that is success.”
Henry Ford
“The more I help others to succeed, the more I succeed.”
Ray Kroc
“No one has ever become poor by giving.“
Anne Frank


“For it is in giving that we receive.”
Francis of Assisi

I could post hundreds of quotes that all restate the same concept. Giving is and always has been a foundation of happiness, love and yes, success!

In my own Total Money Makeover, on my personal journey to complete debt-freedom, I had a revelation. After following some of the concepts in Dave Ramsey’s baby steps, I was finding a gradual move toward financial happiness. This speed however did not match up with the results I was looking for. According to the book and lots of Dave’s callers on the radio show, I should have been feeling much more momentum in my race to debt-freedom…

When I re-looked at the steps and found that I had left out the Giving part of my budget, I took a deep look inside and decided to give it a try… When learning to live on a budget and really adjusting my buying behavior, I had found much guilt in the things and ways I was spending my money. When the instructions in the Total Money Makeover showed to budget 10% of my pay for giving, it was So Liberating! I could blow that giving money in any way I wanted as long as I was giving to a charitable cause! At that time I chose to anonymously give to local causes and individuals. Now, I tithe to my church and look forward to a financial future of being able to change someone’s life with the stroke of a pen. I love that idea!

The supernatural things that started to happen once I began giving are hard to put into words. Money and opportunities began to arrive around every corner. My goals were put into warp speed, once I had a plan and place for the extra money that would find it’s way to me. I had my house paid off 4 months earlier than expected because of dollars that simply showed up in my life.

Giving as a planned part of your monthly spending will revolutionize your life too. All the great texts and successfull individuals understand this concept. The simplest way to incorporate this into your thinking is to understand that when you earn a dollar, you get 90¢ to spend and save for yourself. I promise you, by starting this year-round, monthly practice, your potential will explode exponentially! I see great things in your giving future. This is one step toward a life that you may be unable to imagine right now.

Stay tuned to my web-site and blog. The next few weeks I’ll be bringing you videos and downloadable documents outlining ways start out 2011 as your year to Win with your Money!!

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Sincerely,

 

 

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6143
Free 30 Min Financial Anaylsis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Rat-In-A-Wheel or R-A-D-I-C-A-L!!!

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Hello Thursday!! Just a little insight, Thursdays have always been my favorite day of the week 🙂 Almost into the weekend and still time to get things done!

Okay, so the title of this post was meant to get your attention. Did it work?? I am throwing a radical idea out today.

Right smack dab in the middle of the consumer culture of christmas, I want to speak a minute about where we’re getting to with our financial goals. Do you ever feel that you work hard all day and when that paycheck comes in you sit down to send it all back out? A rat in a wheel spins that baby all day long and is tired from the exercise but really didn’t go anywhere. I’ve been there, done that. I’ve felt the stress of juggling due dates of bills vs. when the paycheck comes in. I’ve longed for the purchase of some item I just had to have, and it seems the only way to buy it is on a monthly payment. Where was I getting to with this lifestyle?
Enter the world of the radical for a minute. This is when it’s time to get control of your money instead of it controlling you. How about the first moment of clipping your credit cards and never again using their Capital to Chase your future into the American Distress? How would you like open and honest communication and assistance from your spouse on handling the finances as a team? What about the power of walking into the store buying exactly what you want and not having to do any mental math on how it affects your checking account? What if your mailbox seems to be emptier every time you check it from paying off those little nagging medical or store credit debts?
Go in your mind to the drivers seat of your paid for car. I guarantee it will drive better. Then remember that you’ve freed up another $300 or $400 dollars per month. Where did that go? Now it’s time to see a balance of savings piling up in your emergency fund. How about the moment that your car’s tranny goes out and you get to decide to put in a new one with cash or just pay cash for a whole car instead? What about the understanding that your retirement will be well funded because you made strides today that your 65 year old self will love you for?
Finally, (and I love this one 🙂 What about pulling into the drive of your paid-for home, having been living debt-free for several years, and this is the night that you decide to write a 5-figure check to anonymously help a family in need. You can relate to the stress this family is under. This money is extra, above and beyond what you need for yourself. Then you have the power to drop a money-bomb on them and change their futures forever… Radical? Yes. Possible? Absolutely!
In the world of the radical there are some sacrifices and things to be cut back on. You will and should feel weird about some of the changes you’ll make. There are huge gains to be enjoyed from stepping off of the revolving hamster wheel and starting to use your energy to propel yourself truly forward. I hope this little journey has been fun. The real thing REALLY is fun. I can attest to that.
I hope your holidays are going great. I am offering discounts and lots of free material on my website for you to utilize, please take advantage of them as you step toward a Radical new lifestyle!
“True Nobility is not about being better than someone else. It’s about being better than you used to be.” – Dr. Wayne Dyer

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
aaron@truenorthffc.com
http://www.truenorthffc.com/
785-218-6134

Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Windshield or Rearview??

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Happy Thursday as the sun shines and cool weather has set in.

Today’s question seems simple enough… “When driving to work this morning did you happen to look out of windshield of your car or did you only use the rearview mirror?”

Silly question right? It would be terrible if everyone decided to use their rearview mirror to drive all over town. I think my friend Kevin would have a lot more work in his industry as an auto insurance adjuster!

Financially how are you driving? Do you know how much you’ve spent every month, feel comfortable about that and use the past month’s expenses to know exactly the amount it took to make it to the end? This would technically be the same as driving using your rearview mirror. Some people even write out their “budget” and have expenses marked down on a nice spreadsheet and track them very clearly. This is a step in the right direction, although we are still focusing on where we’ve been and not where we’re going.

Just like our cars, the best way to navigate financially is to look forward, see what’s ahead and plan to steer around the curves and stop when we come to an intersection. A Pre-Planned Zero Balance Budget is the best way to plan your month’s money. We start by looking forward into the upcoming month, writing down our income that we expect to bring in, and then working down the list of expenses until every dollar has been spent. Also this should be done at the beginning of each month because expenses change as the months change. We can plan our lives a month at a time and make adjustments along the way knowing that we are staying on the road we’ve planned out the entire time.
Some folks have irregular income amounts and may feel it’s impossible to plan things out this way. On the contrary, it is even more important to get a written plan ahead of time to know where to put money as it comes in. With the same form that you can download in the link below, write out all your expenses for the upcoming month. Then in the left column put a priority number on each expense. #1 would be food, then utilities, then house payment, then car gas, payment & insurance… Food, Shelter, Clothing & Transportation are the 4-walls it takes for all of us to live.  Make sure and spend out categories up to the amount you expect to bring in and beyond. Then as the money comes in, pay yourself into each category by the numbered order on the list. Do not spend money on a credit card bill or to eat out until the house payment is paid. This will make sure your basics are taken care of and you have a plan for each dollar as it arrives.

Click Here for Aaron’s Zero Balance Budget Tool -on the Resources page at TrueNorthFFC.com where I’ve uploaded my Zero Balance Budget Tool and some other great documents to help you get your financial ferrari on the autobahn!

Now we have to be honest here… Not everyone is looking out the windshield or the rearview… some are wearing a blindfold and mashing the gas! The results of this plan of driving are obvious. The car gets beatup, rides really rough and sometimes causes fender-benders with others out there on the road. By downloading my budget form and filling it out, we take off the blindfold and know where we are at. Seeing on paper how much we have coming in and going out helps us to know if we should slow down some spending or plan to pull into a service station!

All of us are really driving ourselves somewhere financially every day. I hope we are headed where we want to go! I would love some feedback on the budget files I’ve posted for download. Remember that you can get yourself going in the right direction, but if you need navigational help, a tune-up or overhaul, I’ll be at your service.

Money flows from those who don’t manage it to those who do. ~Dave Ramsey

Sincerely,

Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
Free 30 Min Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential

Out of Order and Backwards

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Happy Thursday and welcome back to Ready for Better. Thanks for being here!

“I Owe, I Owe, So Off to Work I Go!”

Anyone relate to this quote?? I’ve put together some of my roadtrip pictures to help illustrate our Out of Order and Backwards way that most of us are using to handle our finances… I have lived this way for many years, so please know I am speaking first hand!

Ahh, Oregon, Beautiful Trees and Driving…

Oh the doowdeR’s – How majestic!

The odaroloC and hatU border, one of my favorite stops 🙂

Facing South down the coast… Wait a min, shouldn’t the Ocean be on my right??

Okay, Okay, these photos have been mirrored and are all out of order!

Like the pictures above, we sometimes like the overall colors of our financial situation. It is nice and even pretty because it is ours and we created it, even in it’s backward-ness.
When we choose to buy-now and pay-later, or purchase on credit, we have flipped backwards the natural order.
Have you ever heard this? “The rich rules over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender.” Proverbs 22:7 – Really think about that SLAVE word.
When we head off to work in the morning, what are we usually doing… Earning an income to pay for our basic needs of course, but those are only part of that reason. What about consumer debt in the form of credit card bills, student loans, car loans, or maybe a HELOC (Like I once used to buy a 4-wheeler!!)? These all represent moments where we were backwards in our purchasing process.
Working because we owe a lender their monthly payment for something we bought weeks, months or years ago is exhausting. There is no way to get ahead in this system.
The thunderstorm of commercials and marketing we have dumped on us every day, convince us we are smart to choose the backward system of credit. Zero percent interest, 90 days same as cash, and double airline miles are all efforts to seduce you by companies who know how to really make money. Who is getting the best deal when we choose to buy now and pay later?? They do of course, they understand the “Borrower is Slave to the Lender”…
If we first work, then save, then purchase an item, we have returned to the natural order. At that point we are slave to no one and can choose to live our days as we would most like to. Planning forward with savings and then truly owning the stuff in our life, opens up the doors to financial peace and a wealthy future.
Are you Ready for a Better life than debt has brought you so far? Does this message stir any emotion? If so, that is good, because it means that there is hope for you to find freedom and release the chains of consumer debt.
You are special. You work too hard to not be getting ahead. You are worth it! It requires sacrifice to climb out of debt, and when we sacrifice, we are blessed with fantastic results!“Debt gives you the ability to look like you’re winning, when you’re not.” – Dave Ramsey

Sincerely,
Aaron Nichols

True North Financial Fitness Coaching
785-218-6134
Free 30 Minute Financial Analysis – No Obligation – Completely Confidential