Beyond Financial Freedom

 "Financial Freedom" is a concept that is in constant word of mouth among writers and presenters think personal finance is mostly used because it sounds good. Freedom implies a sort of escape from oppression, and the application of this feeling of personal finance creates an image of a future in which no liability to creditors or lenders, or your boss.

What does it really mean, though? Every time I think that the statement, I find myself puzzling over a series of questions. Although these problems do not necessarily help me understand what "economic freedom" means that the questions often leaves me feeling better in your future and your philosophy of business success.

So let's dig these issues.

What I want freedom for? I mentioned a couple of banal answer above - the creditors, lenders, managers. These are the immediate things that come to mind when one thinks that the economic situation we want to flee.

However, the more I think, recognize that the source I'm really looking for the freedom of my own tendency is to bad financial decisions.

Turn back the clock for six years. If I had the opportunity to wave a magic wand and eliminate all my debts, I'd be thrilled. In reality, however, I probably would have been entitled to recover the debt in a short time.

When it comes to finances, you are your own oppressor. Often sat in situations that suffer from our own past mistakes. If we work for "freedom" of a debt, if we are not free of our own bad behavior, is only a matter of time before we are back in debt.

What is freedom even mean? When I hear the word "freedom", what does that really mean?

Freedom, according to dictionary.com, means "exemption from external control, interference, regulation, etc." Of course, there are several definitions, a second is "the power to determine action without restraint."

generally seems to freedom is the ability to make choices without coercion from others.

The thing is really as free as we allow ourselves to be.

Take my own life. My debt is my mortgage. It could be "free" debt from him, but my credit history would be devastated.

I have three children who are the running costs. Could be "free" from this distance, but again, I'd be a bastard to do so.

What about simply having a lot of money? Even then, I would not be "free" to help any charity, I'd be glad to help.

In other words, a responsible adult is never entirely free. We are always limited by some aspects of our lives, if the debt, personal responsibility, or something else.

What we want when we reduce the debt is not free, but the best choices. Instead of being heavily tilted toward the dumping my money on debt, debt free means you can choose to save money for our lodge or give to charity. Both options are more in line with what I want in life right now.

Where I want to be, then? The next logical step is to simply look at my life and I wonder what I want in life right now. Freedom means the ability to make choices that move me in the direction of things I want instead to use my resources to cover the error or move in other directions.

In a nutshell, is all about goals. What do you really want from my life? Where we want to be in the near future? These are the objectives, and only time to identify one of the goals is a big step toward personal freedom.

Why? A goal that gives guidance as to where to go, instead of acting without purpose. It guides you through the options that work well together and push you where you want to be in place to work in opposition to each other.

Some people watch the goals - and in particular the plans, which will lead to their achievement - such as restrictions on personal freedom. I like the aims and objectives of the final declaration of freedom. I have adequate control over their own choices in life to move toward something more than stick to what I have and hoping for the best.

Freedom is a powerful word, but it means something different for everyone.

Reason for 2nd Honeymoon

Many couples immediately after their marriage with a honeymoon - and for good reason. A honeymoon is the perfect time for newlyweds to bond and learn together what marriage means to them. At the same time, however, a honeymoon can be a huge expense that can weigh in the early years of their marriage.

My wife and I were very expensive honeymoon. We went to Great Britain, spent a week in a hotel overlooking Hyde Park and ate at expensive places all the time. It was a wonderful trip, of course, but looking back, it was a mistake. Not only left us with an enormous debt to overcome the memories that both are so together, memories that may well have happened anywhere.

This does not mean that a honeymoon is a mistake. Here are ten tactics to collect a honeymoon that will not break.

Ask yourself if you want, even a honeymoon. For some couples, a honeymoon can not even be the right choice. Perhaps both parties consider that this is not an efficient use of time, or maybe there are other circumstances that make it difficult to honeymoon (like giving birth to come, etc..) Maybe Once you are content to settle in a new home - or in a house together. Ask yourself (and your partner) if you want even a honeymoon.

Do something that expresses what they both want - and what the relationship is about. It 's easy to get caught up with the idea of ​​a great honeymoon over-the-top. It seems so romantic, is not it? However, when I look back I was traveling with my wife, I remember a great trip where we did something we both liked the personal value to me for our honeymoon. My favorite trip of all is our honeymoon - It 's been a long camping trip to the National Park. Why? Will better reflect who we are as a great journey over-the-top.

Consider the local level. No need to go to a travel giant, is to find a romantic getaway. There are many, many great places near where you live, which are fully exploited. See notes next to your space - places that are easy to drive. You might just find the perfect place much closer to home (and therefore much cheaper) than you would think, so you can enjoy a longer honeymoon and still spend much less than expected.

Focus on the time you can spend together - does not load all the way for social events and attractions. The best honeymoon memories revolve solely on time is not planned to spend time with my wife and going hiking together. Do not put up a ton for your honeymoon planned activities - but only to provide an up-stream. Spend together and enjoy each other more than anything.

Focus on simple, romantic moments - a picnic in the woods, for example. The best memorial for our honeymoon? My wife and I ate lunch on the hill. Seriously. We just looked around, time, and talked with each other all possible. If you want to create moments of your honeymoon, do not go flashy and develop. Go simple and beautiful.

Consider camping. Camping? In a tent? In a honeymoon? Of course. I speak from experience here. The journey is the most romantic who never went to my wife came home the summer after our honeymoon. We went camping for four days, two in the Olympia National Forest and two on Mount Rainier. Totally isolated, very quiet, romantic and wonderful. There is no excuse, no plan, no pressure - and no big bill at the end.

Hit your social network for help and suggestions. You may be surprised by what appears. One of our friends ends with one week at the cabin on a lake in the next state because they were free to ask around ideas honeymoon. Another couple I know ended up with free tickets, which are covered by a friend who gave them a lot of frequent flyer miles used for travel. Just ask for ideas and see what bubbles. If nothing else, you get some interesting proposals.

Well in advance - and keep up with him, too. As with wedding planning, you are better to plan well in advance. Plan your trip as soon as you can so often to look around for better prices and options. After all, you can always cancel bookings if you do it early. This allows you to compare prices at will without losing a great opportunity.

Go native. If you plan to travel to a place that is not familiar with, do not cover the sights of it - or, if it does, it does so only for a day or two. After that, go native. Ask for spaces in which they like to eat and what you like about the area. It is often involved in the experiments and never expect great stories to tell, and prices are generally much cheaper once away from the heavy tourist areas.

When the actual travel, do not hesitate to tell people that it's your honeymoon. Again and again we have achieved improvements in Nice and other goodies on our honeymoon while quoting. We got a better hotel. We had a ton of privacy on the plane (first class was full, but we were moved to places with tons of leg room and not near one). We got a very nice free dessert in a restaurant. All these things were free - they came from people who were happy to help us celebrate and make our honeymoon a little more enjoyable.

You're good, sound advice and affordable for people planning their honeymoon? Please leave comments.

Money Myths

One of the most frustrating aspects of operation The Simple Dollar reader comments, where readers who intend to do the right thing, actually spreading the lies and misconceptions based on false myths of money circulating around there. I thought to make six of these misconceptions, here and now - and I'm sure some of this will awaken some real discussion.

1. Investing in stocks is expensive, with rates ranging up to more than 2% of eating raw.

That was true in the 1970's, but with the online discount brokerage and direct connections to investment firms, do not drown in brokerage commissions. There are many great options out there, but the two I use (the best).

For individual stocks, use Zecco. Zecco offers a handful of transactions per month free - no broker fees at all. They are able to pay through the advertising of other products on your site. There are also high-end features available, but for the individual investor who just wants to sell and buy a little stock in hand, is the best deal out there.

For mutual funds, I use Vanguard. Vanguard allows you to invest directly with them without charge. They offer a very large number of index funds, most of which take a very low cost, typically less than 0.2%. You can manage everything online, easy as pie, and start investing very quickly.

The idea that you have to pay huge commissions to invest in the stock market is a myth that the first day of the liberalization of brokerage. In today's world is a lot of investment options, and as you can see some clear objective of investor scarce.

2. Debit cards are less secure than credit cards.

If you look at federal laws that describe the basics of consumer protection authorities and debit cards and credit cards, debit cards, then offer a little 'less legal protection for credit cards. They are really the same (you are responsible for only $ 50) within two days of implementation of the fraud, but after that, credit cards offer less protection.

However, almost all credit cards and debit cards offer much more protection than that. If you see a Visa or MasterCard logo debit or credit card, you do not have any liability for fraudulent purchases.

As long as your credit card has a Visa or MasterCard logo and tell you all firms to use your card as a credit card rather than a debit card if they ask (which means you do not enter your PIN), your credit card provides the same protection as a credit card. This is because although they have often been criticized for encouraging people into debt credit card, Visa and MasterCard both give people a large part of consumer protection.

3. Things are set up so the rich get richer and the poor poorer.

I used to believe this myth as well, but it is simply not true. Things are set up to reward people who work hard and offers great value to others and to believe in the myth that "the rich get richer and the poor poorer" simply ignore people who come regularly from anything for success for (often by working hard and using their talents in an intelligent way) and people who have much and not waste it.

The truth is that if you work hard, work smart and work constantly to create value for themselves, you can only do well in life. If you make the decision to put only 9-5 hours of work and then play hard on weekends, you are also choosing to remain in the same socioeconomic class. If you make a qualified choice for the job and then spend at least part of the hours of starting off half of the business and / or to improve yourself, you get to move the site.

It is not "the man keep you down," it is the choices you make every day. The next time you sit with your friends talking about how the system is set up against you, ask yourself if you could not do something now to improve your situation - or perfect.

4. I can save a large sum of money to hit big sales.

Many people are very enthusiastic about Black Friday (and other big sales), and why not? They offer incredibly low prices for consumers of all varieties - you can save lots of money, right?

In fact, sales to promote excessive and hasty purchases. They show that these low prices on some items to get you into the store and get you to buy liquor. I want to see an ad and think, 'Wow, this game is on sale for only $ 40? "I'll take it!" So I'll go into the store, spend $ 40 on the game (which I should not use) and see something else while I "need" as a large package of AA batteries. Before I know, I spent $ 100 on things I would not buy and could well live without.

Even better, some retailers feel that things like being the "sale", but in reality is characterized according to their initial base price. My uncle had it personally while working at a large retail chain in the years 1980 and 1990 - when they operate a "sale" sticker on an item, we would first put a sticker on the plug with a price really exaggerated, then affix a "sale" sticker on it with a reduction of the inflated prices, return it for a price which is even higher than it was before.

Sale prices are great if they fit with something you already planned to buy, but if you see something in an ad and the price is to convince you to buy it, if this sale does not save money - it costs you much time.

5. Refinancing your home when interest rates fall always save money.

A couple I know well the refinancing of his house, apparently when interest rates drop a little. They have become almost hysterical with me when it was discovered that the refinancing of the recent drop in interest rates. "You're pulling the money!" They shouted at me.

The truth is that refinancing is not always the best choice - in fact, unless the difference between the rate you have now, and the rate you'd have more than 1%, it is probably not worth . There are several reasons why.

Only when you refinance, you must pay significant fees up front. Do you have $ 3,000 or more to get ahead on this refinance? Of course, it will reduce your monthly payments, but for many families, there are a lot of money just to file a whim.

Secondly, the house is moving along in an average time before the end of their mortgage. If you pay for the refinancing and then move on to a period of three years, is almost always possible to take a nice loss on the refinancing. Refinancing can be a good thing if you plan to stay in place for some time, but if you're even remotely consider switching in the future, it may not be the best option.

Thirdly, the best time to hunt for the refinancing rate of investment can be very high, too. In order to find a really good rhythm, you'll probably need to hit the pavement a bit 'to find it. What is time worth to you in this hunt? If you spend forty hours to monitor the best prices, get all the paperwork done and get all the signatories, who is also a significant cost.

If you are considering refinancing even use a refinance calculator and see how long it will take for your refinancing worthwhile. For us, in our situation, I think so, but I also think there will be another rate cut in a month or two, so I'll wait for now. Remember, refinancing is never automatic "yes!"

6. If I have money is important at all, I better financial planner.

With the huge amount of information online and in books, you're better off investing in yourself, for several reasons:

Financial planners often charge significant fees. Even if an investment advisor were able to find more favorable investment for you, send him yet about it. If you can put a few steps, make reading and finding the right investment for you, you keep the costs in the pocket.

Financial planners are often paid directly for certain investments, often mediocre. When you pay someone to manage your money, you expect that will guide you towards the best investment for you - and most financial planners. However, there are some out there (I have interacted with one, myself) that you direct investments are not necessarily in the top of the line. Why? Because there are going to bounce back. It's weird, but it happens - every time you entrust someone else with your money, you take some level of additional risk.

So why would anyone ever use a financial planner? Financial planners are useful if you lack confidence (or time) to manage your own money. If the thought of managing a large sum of money worries you (or thought of doing research on investments overwhelms you), then hire a planner - the ability to sleep at night is probably worth the fee and the low risk associated with it.

Remember: you can do yourself. It is not difficult, and the relatively little extra time you spend to learn and it will be well compensated by not having to pay

Tips For Financial Difficulties

In the end, will always be a time when serious economic talk is necessary. You need to have trust with your parents on their pension schemes, your significant other is too much, or your child will wonder aloud their college plans. Most of the time, to postpone these discussions difficult, because it's easier than facing the music, but eventually it gets to a point where it really is inevitable.


In this gameplan to combat these economic problems, reducing pain. Approaching the "talk" with proper preparation and attitude makes the difference.

Do it sooner rather than later. If the problem seems now to ensure that only make things worse, and concerns that weigh on. Rather than let that happen, the plan for discussion as soon as reasonably possible.

Schedule a long time. It does not address the conversation when one participant has an appointment. Allow ample time to cover all issues of concern. I recommend scheduling at least one hour solid financial're talking about big, if not more.

Prepare a cold, hard numbers. Before you go, prepare figures as many as you possibly can so that you can refer to data at the meeting. You should also be provided with scrap paper and pens so that all parties concerned can take notes and charts.

Listen. Money is a difficult issue and that the other person to be defensive. Instead of insisting on going on the top with their views, hear their views and try to understand. Ask questions in a calm and rational, and take note of any particular stress.

Never raise your voice. Whatever happens, try to avoid raising your voice. Financial issues can be extremely difficult emotions of people, if you're the one who has thought carefully about the issue, should be one that reacts in a more rational, less emotion. If someone blows up, just sit and wait until they are done and then continue to leave in peace.

he Bookends with love. Conversations hardest money is with those we love. Make sure you show that love, both before and after the conversation so that others understand that love is the real reason behind the hype. You want money to be stable, so that everyone can live a happy, healthy, love life.