NewGradAdvice

This subject will address the process used to make the biggest purchase of your life. There are so many decisions that need to be made before you even start looking and the most overlooked pre-purchase activity is usually an afterthought and then it may be too late. Think about why you’re moving and therefore where you want to start looking. Have you gotten your finances in order to do this and have you researched what it will really cost to make this purchase? Have you made a reasonable estimate of what you can really afford without creating financial pressures in the near future? Rest assured that the house you will probably buy will cost more than what you think you want or can afford, so be prepared. 

This podcast will outline this involved process and help you focus on what to do first and then address the myriad of subsequent steps to get you to the final purchase event. Finally, it will discuss the subject of home maintenance and encouragement for you to learn to do it yourself.

Understanding the insurance business and all the options available can be truly mystifying to the casual observer, but it is a necessary subject that has to be addressed in order to minimize risk for all of us. I remember many years ago discussing life insurance with my older brother who jokingly told me the difference between me and the insurance company is that they are betting you will not die soon and you are betting you will!

This podcast will summarize information I have gathered over the years about the various types of insurance so that the listener will have a basic understanding in order to hopefully make informed decisions on how best to proceed on seven different types of insurances. I do not profess at all to being an expert here but will provide information I have which I used to make my decisions.

If you’re listening to this podcast because you now have some savings that you want to see grow, then congratulations! I expect that most young people who have read this chapter in my book or are listening to this podcast probably do not have some money sitting around in a bank account which is ready to invest. However, I suspect that you are anticipating that someday soon you will have some savings built-up and you really wish to learn the basics so that when you are ready, you have the knowledge to do it wisely. This podcast will define some of terms you might have already heard of, provide some an overview of the various options you have for investing your money, give some historical return of investment statistics and lastly give you some recommendations on where to start.

This podcast addresses the arduous and potentially mysterious tasks of filing your income tax return. There is a lot of information available out there to help you complete this task, so this podcast will just provide some basic information for you to facilitate your understanding of what is required to complete this chore.

This task may be one of your least favorable things you do every year and, in all likelihood, you will procrastinate doing for as long as you can.  The best thing to do is learn how to do it now so it isn’t such a difficult and hard-to-understand task to complete in the future; especially when your returns will probably become more complicated.

To me, today’s podcast is far and away the one of the most important topics to be addressed by all young people, money management and budgeting. Are you compiling a lot of debt, which is the last thing you want to do as you try to accumulate assets in order to enjoy a financially sound life?  Are you living above or below your means; meaning do you regularly spend more than you make or less than you earn so you can save some of your income? Is it time to step back and unemotionally look at your finances and determine if you are properly managing your money? There is no time like the present to take a hard look at how well you are managing your money. This podcast will address this issue and what you can do now to become financially secure as you progress in your career and life.

“Me, leave a legacy? I’m twenty-two years old, and why should I be thinking about leaving a legacy? After all, I have my whole life ahead of me to even think about that. I’m more worried about my career, my future marriage, and my life in general and am not concerned in the least about my legacy.” Interestingly, there is no time like the present to think about how you are going to make the world a better place as you live out your life. Thinking about your ultimate legacy can lead to healthy and more worthwhile actions today. This podcast addresses the question: how would you like to be remembered? It also provides some insight as to how you can prepare to leave a lasting and positive legacy.

Being dependable is one of the most important personality traits you can possess and also one of the most overlooked attributes. This is especially true when assessing someone you wish to befriend or work with as it is very difficult to evaluate until you spend time with that person. Do you do what you say you are going to do and when you promised to do it? Are you punctual? Are you accountable for when you miss a deadline or don’t do something you told a friend you’d do for them? Does your boss give you the important/critical tasks to you or does he or she give to someone else who the boss can really count on to get it done correctly and on time? If you want to really develop close relationships with people or succeed in your career, you will soon see how critical it is that you are indeed dependable. This podcast defines dependability, outlines the importance of this trait and shows how important it is to prove that you will do what you have said you will do; promptly and correctly.

Do you think the glass is half-full or half-empty? Do you look for the best in people or the worst? Do you look for opportunities when you encounter problems? Do you look to get back up if things didn’t go well for you at first? Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Do you make the most of every situation without letting it get you down?

To me, staying positive is one of the most important attributes you can possess, both in your personal and especially your business life. This podcast will address this aspect of your personality by defining it, discussing the benefits of it and helping you to possess or nurture it.