Have you wondered what our e-book looks like?!?!?!?  

Well today we are giving you a sample of our book.  We have included out outline and our first two weeks!  

These make GREAT Christmas presents for friends and loved ones.  

 A $250 value for $49.95!!!  

Get yours today @ http://www.52weekstoprosperousliving.com/e-book--binder.html  

Just click on the "Buy Now" button.  

You are engaged!!!!!  Now what?!?!?  

First thing is first... you are so excited in the fact that you are engaged you hate to even think about starting to plan the Wedding. Yikes!!!! There are so many things that go into planning a wedding. Take a deep breath and start from the beginning… who is paying for the wedding?

Although tradition says that the bride's parents pay for the whole thing, this is frequently untrue for today's couples. If you can pay for the whole wedding yourselves, you've got it easy. If you want your families to help you out, or pay for it all, you need to have a sit down discussion with them about it.  You need to be prepared to answer some tough questions. First you need to know that the average wedding costs about $25,000, but you need to base your wedding on what is available to you.

There may be several options that arise after you have a talk with family.

* Parents can say that they are contributing a specific amount, and then the couple decides on a wedding budget and makes up the difference themselves.

* Parents say that they want to pay for specific items such as the bride's attire, the rehearsal dinner or catering. The couple then has to figure out how to pay for everything else.

* The couple can set a budget and then ask to split it evenly. This is particularly good solution for divided families. For example, the couple, the mother of the bride, the father of the bride, and the groom's parents will each contribute $5000, for a total of $20,000 wedding budget.

How much do you really need?

Depending on your area, budgeting about $100 per wedding guest will give you a good start. This allows for $50 a head for catering, and the remaining $50 goes towards everything else- Flowers, attire, etch.

We have attached a wedding budget worksheet.  This will help you determine what is important to you and what kind of money you want to spend where. Cross off things that you don't need and find a wedding planner. They will save your life and save you from a ton of stress. Remember this is one of the best days of your life!  So, enjoy every moment of it.

And…. CONGRATS!!!!! 

We all know that if we have bad credit we can be penalized when it comes to interest rates on our loans.  This is true for mortgage loan as well.  Here are a few  little-known tips to improve your credit scores and give you a chance at better interest rates. 

First, you must remember that this is a process and won’t change your scores overnight.  It takes time and some diligence on your part.  If you’re planning on refinancing or purchasing a new home, you’ll want to use these tips 3-6 months before you start applying for a new mortgage. 

Second, be aware of credit repair scams.  There are lots of good and reputable companies out there that really can help you, but there are also plenty of scams out there.  The Federal Trade Commission website has plenty of information on the rules of credit repair.  You should get familiar with these rules to make sure you’re not doing more damage than good, and not being scammed. 

Third, get a current copy of your credit report.  You can go to www.annualcreditreport.com and request a report from each of the three major bureaus.  You want to keep inquiries to a minimum since each inquiry can impact your score by as much as 50 points (most won’t be that impactful, but some can be).  Mortgage and auto inquiries have a 14 day window before they get counted as multiple inquiries, so if you’re shopping lenders, do so within that timeframe so you don’t adversely affect your scores.

The last tip for the day is to not close all of your existing accounts.  If you have multiple credit cards, spread out the debt onto a couple of them so none of your cards have high balances.  Then, once debt is paid off, those long-term credit lines with balances available help boost your score.  These lines of credit show that you are able to have credit available to you and be disciplined enough to use that credit wisely. 

Taking the time to be up to speed on your credit, and using little tricks like these can save you thousands of dollars over your life time, so take a few minutes and make sure you are credit savy!

Most of us have a natural tendency to think of retirement planning as something that we don't need to really worry about until we are in our 50's.  Even though most of us realize that we should be preparing for it NOW, we are usually very passive about it and allow retirement planning to take a backseat to our other priorities.

However, allow me to point out a few staggering numbers that might ignite your urgency if you are in your 30's or 40's, or even younger.  

If a 45 year old female starts a life insurance policy funded as a retirement plan at $300 monthly, she would be projected to have $125,711 in her retirement account after paying in $75,600 at age 66, along with a death benefit all along the way of $250,000.  This would allow her to take out $14,464 annually in tax free income beginning at age 66.  

In contrast, another female at age 35, with the same contributions and death benefit, would be projected to have $266,726 in her account at age 66 after paying in $80,511, allowing for a tax free annual income of $31,283!!

As you can see, timing is everything in retirement planning!  The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, but the second best time is today!  Please contact us today for a free consultation at [email protected] or call 855-876-5252

What is it?

A pre-need plan is a dedicated funeral fund used to pay the predetermined expenses of a funeral, cremation or burial. Many people have chosen to make funeral or cremation arrangements prior to their death due to costs. These arrangements are commonly referred to as funeral preplanning, prearranging, pre-need, or a dedicated funeral fund.

Funeral preplanning can offer peace of mind - knowing that your wishes will be respected and that the family has fewer burdens during a time of grief.

Others find that by pre-funding their funeral and burial expenses, any additional life insurance they already have purchased may be used for its original purpose and not for funeral expenses.

Why should I get it or think about getting it?

No one likes to think about death, let alone plan for it. In many families, discussing one's mortality is an extremely uncomfortable topic. But it is a topic that should be discussed and planned for well in advance of your death.

By pre-planning your funeral, you relieve your family of having to make important financial decisions during a period of great stress and grief-a time when people aren't thinking very clearly and may not know what to do because you never made your wishes known.

It's easy to say, "Don't make a fuss. I don't want a ceremony. Just bury me and be done with it." But it is important to realize that the ritual of a funeral and/or memorial service isn't for the deceased but for the living. It is a time when friends and family can gather together to grieve openly and to provide support for one another.

Pre-planning your funeral can be very informal, and as simple as following a pre-planning checklist (Below) and sharing your wishes with a family member. More Formal arrangements in the form of a preneed contract can be set up with a funeral director and pre-funded through life insurance, bank trust agreement, or another method.

Pre-planning, when done properly, can give you peace of mind because you know that your arrangements are ready and pre-funded.

One of the reasons we want to make a household inventory is in case of a death. We will already have all of our items listed and a price for our loved ones to know what we have. This also protects against creditors for us to know what we own and what we owe on.

One of the first steps in the sale of an estate or dividing property is an itemized household form. If you have already filled one of these out you are ahead one step. We want to make it as easy as possible for our loved ones after we have passed on.

As you do your inventory it is best to determine things of worth and things of special meaning. To determine things of worth make sure you look it up on a website like Ebay. You can compare an item that you have to one on there to determine what it is worth. Take a picture and add the value at the bottom. If it is of special meaning be sure to add a story or your memory to the picture for your loved ones.

We don't like to dwell on the future like this too much but it is always better to be prepared.

One common obstacle for retirement is a poor performing 401K or 403B.  Many of our clients have 401K options from their employment that they are participating in or contributing heavily to.  They face significant penalties for withdrawing money prior to age 59 1/2.  Well what is one to do if the market drops heavily and you see a large chunk of your retirement nest egg suddenly flushed down the toilet? 

Recently I spoke with a man about 12 years from retirement who just lost over $50,000 of his $300,000 retirement account.  He was devastated by the loss and frustrated that he could do nothing with the account for about 6 to 7 more years.  However, he was contributing about $500 more monthly than what his company was matching.

So the good news is that he can open a new retirement policy with the extra money, get protection from market losses while still allowing for market gains, and continue to get his company match through the 401K!!  And even better, he can set himself up for tax-free income from the 2nd account in retirement.  Sound too good to be true?  Once you find out the details you will discover that it is true, and the numbers are staggering!!

I have kept the user manuals for EVERYTHING for a long time.  I actually have several boxes of user manuals, but in writing this article I came across a web site that just freed up A LOT of space in my house!!!

I am talking about Manualsonline.com!  They are a website that is designed to carry every user manual out there.  No more searching though box after box looking for a manual when something doesn’t work!  The best part is… I can look up manuals for free!  Another really cool feature is I can store my manuals online… on my page.  This is great for designating what manuals I have… so I don’t have to look them up latter.  (I love to save time)  Also, I can keep track of what I have just in case a disaster does happen.  (You never know when something will happen)

So, if you haven’t checked them out… maybe you should.  They are Manualsonline.com.  Hopefully they can free up some extra space in your house… as they did mine!  J

Once you've completed your inventory, copy everything, including lists, appraisals, receipts, videotapes, disks, and computer printouts. Store your binder off the premises. Ask a friend or relative to keep a copy.

Be sure to update your inventory every four to six months. In the meantime, save receipts for any new items you'll need to add. If you make a major purchase, update your inventory as soon as possible. And remember to delete items you no longer have.

Is your Insurance what you want?

Too Many people find out after a loss that they should have increased their coverage amounts or purchased replacement cost coverage.

Add up all of your current estimated values to find out how much it will cost to replace everything, then compare this figure with your policy's personal property limit. This will be a good indicator of whether or not you need to increase your coverage.

Special limits on High-Value items

Insurance companies place special limits on valuable personal property, such as jewelry, silverware, artwork, tools, special collections, and firearms. If you own these items check your limits on your policy.

It's a good idea to have valuable items appraised on a regular basis and to keep your appraisals with your inventory.