Your Money Made Easy

It's the last week of January.  How's your New Year's resolution going?

If you're like 95% of Americans, you're probably feeling like you failed.

But the truth is, you may actually be well on your way to making the changes you want in your life.

In today's show, I talk about the seven stages of change.  That's right….you don't just decide you are going to change something in your life and it magically happens (wouldn't that be nice).  There are actually seven stages to the process that you have to work through.

One of the stages is called the Preparation Stage.  This is where you start making small changes.  You believe that changing will make your life better.  Taking small steps lets you start feeling how the change will make your life different, better. Small changes are far easier to sustain than huge sweeping changes.

Sounds like a New Year's Resolution.

Chances are good that as you work your way through the seven stages, there will be lots of starts and stops, lots of adjustments and lots of regrouping and trying something new.  Turns out its all part of the process.

Check out this week's show to hear about the other 6 stages and to get a little inspiration. 

You may not be feeling great about the status of your New Year's resolution, but you could actually be in exactly the place you need to be!

And if you're working on your money in 2020, don't forget to get on my wait list for my FREE class "The Three Essential Pieces You Need to Successfully Manage Your Money" and my FREE LIVE Workshop "Your 60 Day Roadmap to Financial Success."  These classes will be available for a limited time so you won't want to miss them.   Enrollment in my FAST Money Management Program will also be open for a limited time. If you'd like to get on the wait list to be notified when all three are available, CLICK HERE 

So check out this week's show and feel good about where you are and what you're doing!  I PROMISE you aren't alone!

If you know someone who needs to hear that they didn't really fail at their new year's resolution, please share this.  If someone shared this with you and you'd like to get on the email list to be notified when the next show is available, you can sign up HERE. 

** RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO **

"How to manage your money using the 1% rule" http://bit.ly/343zsUf

"How Jeannine Hunt is using my 1% rule to change her life"  http://bit.ly/30GNXwt

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Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

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I made a guest appearance on the Jeannine Hunt Experience TV show!

If you'd told me two years ago that I'd be on TV you'd have been picking me up off the floor after I laughed my way off my chair.  Me?  On TV?

Well this week….it happened!  

Starting Real Family Finance has been an adventure and an amazing opportunity to create some good in this world.  I'm grateful for the opportunity and I'm grateful for all of you who support me by showing up every week to watch and listen.

I truly believe that EVERY woman deserves to be financially secure and confident that she knows how to make the right financial decisions for herself.

What I teach isn't hard. It's doable. It's sustainable.

Truthfully, the individual pieces you need aren't hard to learn or use.  It's knowing how to put them together that's the trick.  

It was fun to share my story with all of you in this episode. 

Jeannine was an amazing and gracious host.  Her personal goal is to empower women and girls to be stronger and more confident.   It was cool to fall into that category!

Please check out the show.  I talk about how Real Family Finance got started, the 5 key pieces to building a financial foundation and how to use my 1% rule to start making changes with the money in your life.

You can catch more shows from Jeannine here: http://bit.ly/38sMRXX

** RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO **

Information about my program the FAST Money Management Program 

If you haven't heard, my new FREE 3 part course "3 Steps to Becoming Financially Successful" and my FREE LIVE workshop "Your 60 Day Roadmap to Financial Success" will both be out in the next week or so.  My 8 week, signature class, the FAST Money Management Program will also be opened for limited enrollment.  If you want to get on the list to hear when all three are available, you can sign up HERE

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*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

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** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

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Do you have your estate plan in place,  so when you die your family will get everything you plan for them?

Estate planning. 

It's on everyone's list….somewhere.

It's an incredibly intimidating topic and no one wants to think about dying.  But what happens to your family and loved ones if you die without having your affairs in order?

Nothing good.

In today's show I'm incredibly excited to have Leslie Quinsay as my guest.  Leslie is the author of "Legacy – a Guide to Successfully Transferring Wealth From One Generation to the Next."

Leslie shares her personal story as a daughter, a sister and a mom, of the day her dad unexpectedly had a heart attack and almost died.  It was an eye opening time for her family as they realized they did not have the proper estate plans in place.

Not only did they have their dad's affairs to sort out, they are a family of entrepreneurs, with multiple businesses and many employees relying on them to have the right plans in place.

From the unexpected 5 am call two days before her 40th birthday, to helping her mom figure out finances and medical care, to creating a 'living' succession plan that will ensure her family's enterprises survive for generations, Leslie shares her story.

Leslie also shares her 6 step process for putting an estate plan in place that she lays out in her book Legacy.

If you've been wondering

• Who do I go to, to advise me and help me set all this up?
• What documents do I need?
• How do I talk to my family and loved ones about my wishes?
• How do I let people know what needs to happen?
• If you're a business owner, what happens to your business?

You'll want to check out this week's show.

And, if this is the year you've decided to get your estate planning checked off your list, Legacy is a must read.  Leslie does an amazing job of laying out the six EASY steps you need to create an estate plan. No matter how complex or simple your life is, this book will help and it's written in plain English so no one has to be intimidated any more.  

This book is great for anybody who is doing their estate planning, but it's especially pertinent for families that own businesses.  If all your money is tied up in your business, and you want to make sure that money gets to your family, Leslie tells you EXACTLY what you have to do to make that happen.  Who runs the business the day after you're gone?  If it needs to be sold, how do you do that?  How do you find out what it's worth?   Leslie guides you through all the things you need to know.

You can buy the book HERE 

and you can find Leslie HERE at 

I also wanted to make this a no brainer for you to get started so I created a quick guide called "Your Estate Planning Guide"  that you can download for FREE HERE. 

Don't let another month or year go by that you haven't put your affairs in order. This is one of the best ways you can take care of the people you love, even when you're not here to do it anymore.

Have a wonderful week!

Linda

PS… If you haven't heard, my new FREE 3 part course "3 Steps to Becoming Financially Successful" and my FREE LIVE workshop "Your 60 Day Roadmap to Financial Success" will both be out in the next week or so.  My 8 week, signature class, the FAST Money Management Program will also be opened for limited enrollment.  If you want to get on the list to hear when all three are available, you can sign up HERE

*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

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** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

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Have you set a 2020 New Year's resolution that includes getting better with your money? Today I'm going to cover 7 easy things you can do that will help you make those resolutions a reality this year.

It's the first week of the new year and if you're like me, your setting some goals for yourself for 2020.

New Year's resolutions are all about getting rid of bad habits and getting better at things we need to be better at.  The typical ones are exercising more, saving money, eating healthier and losing weight.

50% of Americans set a goal that involves their money, so you aren't alone

Money is one of those things that we deal with every day.  Its constantly coming and going. So how do you step out of the day to day grind enough to really make some changes?

Last week I talked about how to define financial success. How do you know what goals to set and help you define what you are trying to accomplish? 

This week we are going to discuss seven concrete things you can do to succeed with your financial 2020 New Year's resolutions.

The great thing about these seven ways to achieve greater financial success and crush your 2020 New Year's resolutions, is they're easy and anyone can do them. All you have to do is make a plan, follow through, and take action. 

Make sure you download your goal worksheet, fill it out and put it somewhere you'll see it every day.

Welcome to the new decade!!!!

** DOWNLOAD THE WORKSHEET "Your 2020 FINANCIAL GOALS"

** RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO **

"Last Week's Show – How Do You Define Financial Success"  

"FREE worksheet – Your 2020 Financial Goals" 

Mint.com

"The Step by Step Guide to Choosing a Mutual Fund" 

"The 4 Mutual Fund Basics – Learn to Invest with Confidence"  

"What's the deal with women and social security" 

Wait list for new free class, free workshop and open enrollment for FAST Money Management  - CLICK HERE 

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*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

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** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

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Facebook Group: 

Instagram:

We know we're supposed to manage our money.  More than that, we all want to be financially successful.

Sounds good right?  But what does that mean?   How do we define financial success?  How do we know when we arrive?

As I get ready to open doors to FAST Money Management Program in January, people are reaching out for information.   

The same questions keep popping up.   "I don't know if I'm okay financially, and  I'm not even sure what okay means.  And I don't know what to do to get there.  I just know I can't keep going the way I have been."

How do we define financial success?   Is it a number or something else?   

What do we do when we get there?  Do we just arrive or is it a never-ending process?

This week I break down my definition of financial success. 

I think financial success is creating a comfortable life for ourselves, no matter how we define that, and having enough money to fund it.

So my definition includes two pieces

            - Define a comfortable life

            - Identify money to fund it

This means everyone's definitions are going to be a little different. And that's okay. 

I know I'm financially successful.  That means I know

• what is comfortable in my life. (my housing, spending, car, gift giving, and how I spend my time)
• what the plan to fund it for the rest of my life looks like
• I live in peace with my money
• I know when to say no and when to say yes
• When something unexpected comes up I know how to pivot
• I don't think about money very often

I want this same kind of life for you too.

This week's show dives into the two pieces in way more detail.

Next week I'm going to talk about the steps you'll want to take in 2020 to get yourself on the path to YOUR financial success.  In the meantime, make sure you download the free worksheet. 

** RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO **

"Generational Wealth" – Amazon Prime Documentary  https://amzn.to/2Qq3ZWM

"FREE worksheet – How to Define Financial Success for YOUR Life"  http://bit.ly/2EWQXe2

"Last Week's Show – A Year Without a Santa Claus"  http://bit.ly/2rUshQA

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*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

___________________

** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealFamilyFinance

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfamilyfinance/

___________________

** GETTING STARTED **

Take my free class. "The Secrets Every Woman Needs to Know About Managing Money"

https://realfamilyfinance.com/free/

Take my quick, fun personality test.  "What's Your Money Personality?" 

https://realfamilyfinance.com/get-started/

The holidays are officially here and they bring all the stress and pressure that comes with the season.

Are you struggling with the holidays, how to get everything done, how to pay for it, how to not implode and how to still love your family and friends when it's over?

You aren't alone.

It doesn't matter if you are rich or not so rich.  The pressures both financially and personally are real.  

But what do you do? 

Imagine if you could turn it all around and make it a season of fun, caring and giving in ways that won't break your bank (and not leave you feeling guilty).

This week I'm sharing my personal story of my year without a Santa Claus.  It was the year I was newly divorced, struggling financially, and then got laid off right before the holidays.   I know, it sounds like doom and gloom, but it was anything but.

I experienced my own little holiday miracle that remains in my heart today.

Maybe my story can help make this the year you let go of the stress and all the pressure of the season and give yourself a very special gift.

I wish you a wonderful holiday full of sharing, caring and giving!

Full show notes at www.realfamilyfinance.com/episode22

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*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

___________________

** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealFamilyFinance

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfamilyfinance/

___________________

** GETTING STARTED **

Take my free class. "The Secrets Every Woman Needs to Know About Managing Money"

https://realfamilyfinance.com/free/

Take my quick, fun personality test.  "What's Your Money Personality?" 

https://realfamilyfinance.com/get-started/

In last week's show I talked about the eight things that may be stopping you from getting your money moving in the right direction.  It only seemed right to make this week's show about eight ways you can jump start your journey to financial success. 

I don't want anything holding you back!

Here's a quick snapshot of what I cover:

1. Do what you can – don't worry about doing it all, just get started with the pieces you know you can achieve.
2. Announce your intent – let the world know what you plan on working on and ask for accountability
3. Join a program – they give you structure, community and accountability
4. Measure your progress – it will help you keep perspective on where you've been and where you are going.
5. Make sure to celebrate your victories – both the small ones and large ones. Everybody loves a reward!
6. Don't make the day to day numbers your goal – there's too much fluidity in your day to day numbers so focus on slightly longer term goals
7. If you lose momentum, don't give up – get back on the horse, try something new, take a do over.
8. Let go of the things you don't have control over – don't let the unexpected situations (which WILL happen) sabotage your bigger effort.

There are three things you need for success - structure, support and celebrating success. 

Just get started…..the momentum will follow!!!!

** Sign up to get on the wait list for my class the FAST Money Management Program **

** RESOURCES & LINKS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO **

Last week's show "8 Reasons Your Aren't Creating Better Money Habits"  http://bit.ly/2RmeFYA

Start making small changes "How to Manage Your Money Better Using the 1% Rule"  http://bit.ly/343zsUf

Sign up to be notified when my class enrollment is open in January https://mailchi.mp/realfamilyfinance/wait-list

___________________

*** JOIN THE YOUR MONEY MADE EASY COMMUNITY ***

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Tired of the way the money in your life makes you feel?  Why do we feel like we are supposed to know how to manage money when it's not something we are taught when we are growing up?  No worries…I've got you covered.

I created the Your Money Made Easy support group for women that want to learn how money works and want to be surrounded by other women that are changing the way they manage the money in their lives.

When you join Your Money Made Easy, you not only will have access to the support of other successful, like-minded people, but you also will have access to the FREE trainings and resources from me!  Having a group lets me make my content more personal and exclusive to the members of the group.

Sound good to you?  REQUEST TO JOIN!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

___________________

** SAY HI ON SOCIAL **

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RealFamilyFinance

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/RealFamilyFinance

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/realfamilyfinance/

___________________

** GETTING STARTED **

Take my free class. "The Secrets Every Woman Needs to Know About Managing Money"

https://realfamilyfinance.com/free/

Take my quick, fun personality test.  "What's Your Money Personality?" 

https://realfamilyfinance.com/get-started/

You're frustrated with your money and you want to create some better money habits.

What's stopping you? 

In this week's show I'm going to run through the eight things that may be stopping you and I'm going to tell you how to turn them around so you can start doing the things you need to be doing to make yourself financially successful.

Let's start by talking about what makes us change. 

Change doesn't happen until you're in enough pain with your current situation to say I can't take it anymore.  Studies show that 95% of us will actively change because we are in pain. 

We need to be in pain.  That pain usually builds over time until we get to hit a point or have an event that takes it over the edge. 

For many of you that's this time of year.  The holidays and money do NOT go hand in hand.  We spend too much.  We kick ourselves about what we spent,  which we may have spent on crap, we and the people we are buying for don't really need.  And then we get the bills in January and we feel the remorse and guilt and anger that we had no control.

At the same time, we have New Year's with all the resolutions that go with it.  So, you resolve to change the way you manage your money in the new year. Sound familiar?

On a scale of 1-10 where are you today when it comes to pain and your money?  If you're at an  eight or better you're ready for some changes.

So.  You have this pain.  You know you want or need to change.  And yet….you don't.

Why is that?  Check out this week's show and find out which of the eight are holding YOU back.

Full show notes and FREE worksheet at www.realfamilyfinance.com/episode20

Is debt one of your money pain points?

When I first started to learn how to manage my money, the FIRST goal I set was to pay off my debt.  It turned into a four year process and I learned a lot along the way. 

When I was in my late twenties I got divorced.  I lost an income and I got the kid (who I love to death), the house (with the big mortgage), and a stack of credit card debt. 

I found the credit cards overwhelming.  I had 4 or 5, so every week a new statement would show up in the mail.  It was a never ending, vicious cycle.  I was paying credit card bills every week and as fast as I paid them, the balance would continue to go up.

When I finally committed to paying off that debt, I had to come up with a way to do it that would make me successful.   It wasn't an overnight process.  I made a ton of mistakes along the way.

I originally set a goal of having it paid off in four years.  And let me tell you, the day I figured out it was going to take that long, I sat at the kitchen table and I balled like a baby.  Where the hell had all that money gone?   I looked around and I didn't see anything, except a pile of credit card bills.

It ended up taking me three of the four years to pay those bills off and I've never looked back. 

Today I'm going to share with you four things that worked and the four things I'd do differently if I had to do it over.  Some of them are going to surprise you.

If you want to get your credit cards (and any other debt) that are making you nuts under control for good, you won't want to miss this show. 

Today's show notes are at www.RealFamilyFinance.com/episode19

Do you need to manage your money better but you feel like the whole thing is overwhelming and too hard? 

Today I'm going to show you how a bunch of small, like REALLY small, manageable changes can turn into big changes when it comes to your money.

Managing your money is a whole lot like dieting.  Food and money are two things you have to deal with every day.  All the food analogies we know work really well for money too.

Both food and money have the power to make you feel confident, beautiful and successful. 

But if you aren't feeling good about your food or your money, and you want to change, you may be tempted to go for a BIG change all at once.  Big change is very hard to sustain over the long term.

So what would happen if you focused on a series of little change?  In this week's show I tell you about the 1% rule for change, and I'll show you how a lot of little change can add up to big, life changing, changes.

For the FREE worksheet: http://bit.ly/2NWJRvj

For complete show notes:  www.realfamilyfinance.com/episode18