Wealth Builder Blog

You've been thinking about a week vacation that you will spend out of town. But then you're confused, can you really afford it? Here are some financial planning tips for your next vacation:

1. Check Packages. Get more discount on airlines packages. Sometimes they combined ticket for flight and a hotel room. That can save your money.
2. Use a Travel Agent. They know what they're doing, sometimes they will give you options that you don't know exists and more importantly, you could get the best value for your money. 
3. Budget Your Vacation. Make a plan on early year, flight ticket would be cheap if you order many months before the departure. Start saving with an expense budget every month. Be discipline and stick to the plan.
4. Research. Before you go, make sure you check all possible promotion in airlines and hotels. Use the internet to do that. 

Happy packing!

You need bargains to save money? You should find it online! Sometimes it's hard to find the best deal, but it certainly worth it. Here are some tips to shop online: 
 
Make some research
Compare prices in shopping sites by search engine. Trust your feeling. Sites that look expensive, usually are. 

Be flexible
Shop for the next season or the season just past, not the one that's just started. You'll get some clearance specials for that.
 
Limit spending
Know what you really wanted to buy and knowing your budget so you won't get broke.

Shop locally
Local merchants may have better prices, no shipping costs and with easy returns. 
 
Shop safely
Be careful when you shop online. Shop with brands and websites that has good reputation and good testimonials. Make sure the sites are secured.  

Have a nice online shopping!

To be financially secured has been questioned by many of us who lives paycheck to paycheck. In order to build wealth, you need to know several rules:

Get Knowledge
If you want to be successful financially, you must learn and get knowledge as much as you can. You can learn how to avoid bad decisions regarding your money. 

Patience
Start small in investing and be patient.

Discipline
Get rich quick is not going to happen unless you're winning a lottery. So, stay persistent and discipline in whatever you're doing to increase wealth.

Set Goals
Make a clear target on how you want to become within 1 year. It's easier to achieve your financial goals that way.

Once you go with the basic rules, you already one step closer to financial success.

Even though you know the importance of Emergency fund, it's not easy to build one. Maybe because you don't have the commitment? Or maybe because it's just difficult. Here are some ways to build your emergency fund and eventually will build your wealth: 

• Create a new savings account and automatically transfer your money to that account every month. Before you knew, you already have emergency fund! 
  
• Don't buy things that unnecessary. Track your expense and see what expense that you could eliminate next month and put the money in your emergency fund instead. 
  
• Don't make any ATM card for your emergency fund. Make it a real 'emergency'.
  
• Always save your small changes. It becomes bigger and you can put it in your emergency fund savings.
• Find shopping places with promotion and bonus, and save the extra money. 
  

Good luck!

Financial planning is one of the success formula of wealthy living. Why? Because we know exactly what we're after and where we're going. Financial plan can answer 'Am I on the right track, financially?'. So, here's some simple steps for setting financial goals:

1.  Write down your financial goals. You're the one who really understand what you want in life.
   
2. Break each financial goal into several short-term goals. It will help you focus.
   
3. Research and educate yourself about finance and investment. You could get closer to your goals.
   
4. Review your progress monthly, see how's the progress so far.  
5. Do it! Write your financial goals, right now!

Good luck!

Every year, you know you must get through the big Christmas holiday. Not only will you enjoy the holiday, but you also should give some best memorable gifts for your relatives. Sometimes, this is cause you a nightmare called holiday debt. Here's how to still giving the best to your loved one and keep on wealthy track:

1. Make spending budget, figure out how much you can afford to set aside towards holiday gift giving, without going into debt.
   
2. Make a list of all the people you need or want to buy gifts for, including small gifts for babysitters, teachers, etc.
   
3. Set a limit, decide how much you will spend on each person on your gift list.
4. Decide where to shop. Don't wait until the last minute, you'll have time to compare the shops. 
   

Clearly when you don't have enough fund that goes to your savings, you must question yourself, "Am I living below means?". That's one of why you should create budget!  

Here are some more good reasons why you should budget:

•  A budget is a guide that tells you whether you're going in the direction. You have a dream of getting wealthy but you never measured your direction, then you will never get in to your goals.
  
•  A budget lets you control your money instead of your money controlling you.
• With a budget you can still keep the money for something that is important to you
  
• A budget can improve your marriage. No more arguments about money. Seriously!
  
• A budget can keep you out of debt or help you get out of debt.
• A budget can help you sleep at night without those pills.

So, have you made your budget?

You already got what you need for everyday expenses, and now you want to invest your money somewhere to create wealth. Don't rush!  Read the most common mistakes people made on investing:

1. Lack of diversification. Spread your investment money around, don't put all eggs in one basket.
   
2. Expect instant results. There's no such things as instant result. Most investments take time to grow.  
   
3. Not following your investments. You should keep track of your investments on a regular basis.
4. Following the advice of a broker without research. You should still do some research even once it is recommended by a broker. You also have to work only with a broker whom you feel you can trust.
5. Not understanding a particular investment. Make sure you are have an understanding of the type of investment and you are comfortable with the risks involved before proceeding

With higher gasoline prices, we suffer rises of some regular costs of transportation. That could cut down our budget on savings. And we start to wonder, when will I become wealthy if I live this way? 

You certainly could use some tips to save money on gas from About.com. Not only save money but it's also going to save you!

1. Drive a car that won't need a lot of gasoline
2. Keep your car properly maintained and tuned. A poorly tuned car can use more than 25% more gas.
3. Don't use high octane gas unless your car is pinging and knocking or you have a high-performance engine and the manufacturer recommends premium gas.
4. Don't warm your car up by letting it idle. The engine warms up faster when driving than it does when idling, and idling wastes about a quart of gas every 15 minutes.
5. Wasteful driving habits can double your fuel consumption. Develop gas-saving habits.

Good luck!

Many women have issues with money. Maybe because women tend to take it personally and emotionally. Here are some money guide for Women to live a wealthier life (Men can read too):

1. Educate yourself about money management and investing. Don't rely on someone else. Always learn from your mistakes.
   
2. Set goals, what you really plan to do in life and how to achieve it.
   
3. Spend less than you earn. It's the secret to creating wealth. We all know that!
   
4. Build an emergency fund. This could save you in difficult times that sometimes is unexpected.
   
5. Don't let the fear of losing money, fear of failure, or fear of the unknown stop you from investing.
   

Now, the financial future of your life is on your hand. Take care of it carefully. Good luck!

In order to get wealthy, you need to focus on certain expense area that might growing bigger every month. One of them, is groceries shopping. But when you know several tips, you'll be able to save your money. Here are some of the tips:

1. Get Store Member Cards
   Many grocery stores offers membership cards. With that card, you will get members special prices on various items. That way, you can save up to 10% on your groceries. Sounds like a good ide, right? Always keep the card in your wallet, so you won't forget it. 
   
2. Don't Bring Children
   Children are easy to attract to things and they tend to just grab and beg their parents to buy it for them. That won't be a wise case for your money. Just let your children stay at home and it will save a lot of money.
   
3. Eat Before You Shop
   Try to eat before you go to the grocery store.  When you're not hungry, you will  pick less food and healthier one.
   
4. Watch For Mistakes
   Sale prices might never entered into the computer system. Keep an eye on that register, and have any mistakes corrected on the spot. 
   

Of course we need a financial plan to manage our money. But it still need our personal value in it. Here's how to add value to your financial plan:

1. Figure out your goals
   It's not just about number, it's about your goal and what you wanted in life. 
   
2. Identify the behavioral influence
   Find out some external behavior that influence how you spend
3. Remind yourself of your goals
   Track your progress, keep it in your computer desktop or carry a list of your goals in your wallet.
4. Remind yourself that change is gradual
   This is not a one night process. It takes gradual work and you must have patience :)
   

You should always listen to what your parents says about managing personal finance and wealth building. They have been doing this all their life and that's why they might already stumble on mistakes that they want you to avoid. Usually, parents give advice like this:

1. Always save your money. You know that your mother play big role in how family save money. Learn from her. Put  your money in different account with your billing account. Save more every time you've got the chance. 
   
2. Minimize taxes. In this case, usually dads know the most. Consider strategies that would reduce taxes. Invest in real estate and contribute to tax deductible retirement plans.
3. Invest in education. Choose a major that will lead you to high paying job.
   
4. Invest in stocks. Stock market is one of the best way to achieve financial freedom.
   
5. Take care of yourself, get a good insurance. Find type of insurance to will give you not only the health benefit but also investment benefit.