Fortune Watch

The following is my advice on how to start your day (everyday) at 5:00 AM. The idea of waking up early and starting the day at or before the sunrise is the desire of many people. Many highly successful people attribute their success, at least in part, to rising early.

Early-risers have more productive mornings, get more done, and report less stress on average than “late-risers.” I will present you some tips about how to physically wake up early and how to get yourself mentally ready to have a productive day. Before I forget to mention, remember “its the early worm that gets caught.” 😉

Many people simply “can’t” get up early because they are stuck in a routine. Whether this is getting to bed unnecessarily late, snoozing repetitively, or waiting until the absolute last possible moment before getting out of bed, “sleeping in” can easily consume your entire morning. The following tips will let you break the “sleeping in” routine.

Before I became an early-riser, there were many times that I would turn off my alarm without even waking up enough to remember turning it off. I recommend moving your alarm clock far enough away from your bed that you have to get completely out of bed to turn it off. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock and put it a distance away from my bed. In order to turn off my alarm I have to get completely out of bed.

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When your marriage breaks up, the last thing you feel like doing is crunching numbers. You’re hurt, perhaps angry, and possibly overwhelmed with anxiety, fear and despair. You’re focused on the past and present, not the future. But as many divorced couples learn the hard way, this is precisely the time you need to get a grip and pay close attention to your assets and your financial future, lest both slip away in the flood of emotion.
First and foremost, it’s a business deal. That means you’ve got to get rid of your emotion any way you need to, whether through therapy or going to a gym. Because your divorce should be based on one thing: your property settlement. It’s a matter of numbers, that’s all it is. At least 80 percent of money is about self-management, about emotions, and 20 percent is about quantifying and computing, the counting part is easy; it’s the emotional part that’s hard. Since money is a major cause of divorce, it’s safe to assume that splitting the financial sheets won’t be easy.

Pull your credit report before the divorce so that anything in dispute can be resolved before the divorce is final. The reports are the quickest and easiest way to get an overview of outstanding loan balances, mortgages and credit card debt that you and your spouse will eventually divvy up.

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Generally, time management refers to the development of processes and tools that increase efficiency and productivity. You can improve your time management skills by doing nothing. Sounds impossible? Okay you’re right; you have to do something but not very much. The skill of time management is about knowing what to do and when.

Does it ever feel like there is never enough time in the day? Are you always rushing? Do you feel stressed at the end of the day? Do you believe that you are not accomplishing what you hoped? Better time management may be the answer.

We must “protect, organize and prioritize our time”. If you are having any of the above listed difficulties, then my guess is you are missing at least one of those elements.

Protecting our time is important. Your time is your gift to spend, as you will. You can spend it wisely or you can waste it. It’s your choice. However, one thing you can’t do is get it back to do over again.

Sometimes we all do things that we don’t really want to be doing but when we do, it should be in furtherance of a bigger goal that we have. Maybe we don’t want to be going to work today but we want to collect our paycheck at the end of the week, so it’s something we choose to do to get to the bigger payoff. However, there are things that we do that just aren’t important, don’t lead to anything and waste our time. Can you think of any activities that fall into that category for you?

I have three general categories for which I like to protect my time. One is for making progress toward my work/life goals. These are the things I do to move me forward in life. These are generally geared toward helping people in some way, generating more clientèle, and increasing my revenue streams.

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Investing in conservative blue chip stocks may not have the allure of a hot high-tech investment, but it can be highly rewarding nonetheless, as good quality stocks have outperformed other investment classes over the long term.

Historically, investing in stocks has generated a return, over time, of between 11 and 15 percent annually depending how aggressive you are. Stocks outperform other investments since they incur more risk. Stock investors are at the bottom of the corporate “food chain.” First, companies have to pay their employees and suppliers. Then they pay their bondholders. After this come the preferred shareholders. Companies have an obligation to pay all these stakeholders first, and if there is money leftover it is paid to the stockholders through dividends or retained earnings. Sometimes there is a lot of money left over for stockholders, and in other cases there isn’t. Thus, investing in stocks is risky because investors never know exactly what they are going to receive for their investment.

What are the attractions of blue chip stocks? Great long-term rates of return. Unlike mutual funds, another relatively safe, long term investment category, there are no ongoing fees.You become a part owner of a company.

So much for the benefits – what about the risks? Some investors can’t tolerate both the risk associated with investing in the stock market and the risk associated with investing in one company. Not all blue chips are created equal.

If you don’t have the time and skill to identify a good quality company at a fair price don’t invest directly. Rather, you should consider a good mutual fund.

Selecting a blue chip company is only part of the battle – determining the appropriate price is the other. In reality supply and demand for a stock sets the stock’s daily price, and demand for a stock will increase or decrease depending of the outlook for a company. Thus, stock prices are driven by investor expectations for a company, the more favorable the expectations the better the stock price. In short, the stock market is a voting machine and much of the time it is voting based on investors’ fear or greed, not on their rational assessments of value. Stock prices can swing widely in the short-term but they eventually converge to their intrinsic value over the long-term.

Investors should look at good companies with great expectations that are not yet embedded in the price of a stock.

If you are thinking of buying your first home, your first big decision is..to buy, or not to buy. Sounds simple? It’s not. While the notion of owning a home may appeal to you, actually making that decision is tough. There’s the intellectual component, but also a very emotional one.

Buying a home is one of the greatest investments you will ever make. The best — and least stressful — way to purchase a home is to be well educated throughout the process.

Before you even start looking for a house to buy, you need to review your financial situation. This will let you know how much of a down payment you can afford and how large a monthly mortgage payment you can handle. Lenders will look at the ration of how much you make to how much you owe.

But you should look at what fits into your budget, not what the lender says you can afford. If you are currently making a rent payment of $1200 a month and barely getting by, how could you expect a mortgage of that size with the added insurance and maintenance costs of owning a home? You have to go with what works for your budget and finances. Remember, you can always work your way up to a larger home over time.

Once you have determined how much home you can afford, you need to check on your credit report and score. Lenders will rely heavily on your credit score when deciding whether or not to lend to you. It will also help decide how much interest you will pay. Your credit score is determined by the information in your credit file. If something is incorrect, your score will be affected.

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This is a common question amongst many car buyers. Depending on who you talk to, some people may feel that leasing a vehicle is the better option, especially if you enjoy driving a new car every couple of years. On the other hand, if you enjoy a car payment-free lifestyle, buying is without a doubt the better choice.

Purchasing a new car is always an exciting time in life; however, it can also be confusing and time confusing, especially with so many different types of financing options available. Should you purchase your next vehicle outright or would it be better to lease it? Which option will be better financially for you? Read on for more tips to help you make the right decision for you and your finances the next time you’re in the market for a new car.

It’s important to understand that there is not a clear cut answer to this question. It really depends on your needs and situation. When considering whether it would be better to buy or lease, it is important to understand all of the terms regarding the lease. Generally, the lease will be for a specified period of time and you will probably be limited to the amount of mileage that can be placed on the vehicle. In the event that you go over that specified mileage at the end of your lease period, you will be liable for paying the overage. Lease agreements also pay what is known as a finance charge at the end of the lease agreement. So, it is important to understand that while your lease payments may be less than payments would be if you bought the vehicle outright, you will still be responsible for a sum of money at the end.

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Creating an investment plan can be a tricky but rewarding experience. The key to having a solid and fully customized plan is to know what your financial goals are and make sure your plan fit your needs. Investment plans are extremely popular because many people, due to the unstable job market and insufficient social security, are trying to save for their retirement.

Investment plans help investors buy a set number of stocks, bonds, and funds at regular intervals. This occurs automatically and does not require the investor’s constant attention. If you are interested in an investment plan below are some basic information and helpful tips about investment plans and how to choose the one that best fits your needs.

How does it work? Investment plans automate the investment process. Initially the investor picks out stocks which they want to regularly invest in. Then money is automatically removed from one of your financial accounts (checking, savings, or money market) and stocks are purchase for you by the investment plan coordinator.

As the investor you can make adjustments to how much money, how often, and what type of stocks will be purchased. Most brokerages, which offer investment plans, allow you to make changes at a small fee. However, one of the benefits of online investment firms is that many of the traditional fee based options, like adjusting your financial plan, are free of charge.

How much? Deciding how much you should invest is never an easy question. Only you know your financial situation and how much you can afford to put toward an investment plan. It is important to not over invest only to leave yourself short in paying your monthly obligations. You need to make sure the money you choose to invest will be available at the same time each month in the same amount. Think about the future. Perhaps this month you have more disposable income available however, most months you do not. It is better to invest less and not run short at the end of the month.

Becoming wealthy is not a matter of how much you earn, who your parents are, or what you do, it is a matter of managing your money properly.

Money earned can either be consumed or saved. When money is saved it can either be hoarded or be invested to enhance its value. An investment project requires information about the various avenues available.

Money is often a scary thing to deal with, especially those who have never worked with it in detail before. Investing for the future can be even scarier. Still, even young men and women as well as those preparing to retire need to know the basics of investing to prepare for the future and insure their financial freedom. An understanding of what assets are, what kinds of assets are out there, and specific tricks of the trade will help beginning investors start on their journey to economic security.

The general term used to refer to the investments made is ‘assets’. Assets reflect one’s investment in cash, bonds, stocks or other sources that generate income. Out of the various assets available for investment, the most common one is Stock. Stock refers to the shares of the companies.

Assets are investments in cash, bonds, stocks and much more. They are basically a combination and melding of everything someone owns or is owed. An asset class is basically a general term referring to the wide variety of investments that can be made by today’s investors. Asset classes include things such as stocks, bonds, and cash equities. Before investing, an understanding of assets classes and the pros and cons of each is a definite must.

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For many people, the closer they get to retirement, the more concerned they get about whether they have saved enough or not. And it’s understandable. With life expectancy climbing and the ability to not only live longer but to do so with a higher quality of life growing as well, it stands to reason that some people will be a little uneasy when their last pay check gets ever closer. Are you one of those people?

The first thing you should do if you find yourself close to retirement with no savings is to calculate the amount of money you will need during retirement as well as what age you plan on retiring. You will find many resources online that will help you come up with this number such as retirement calculators.

Identify Needs: There are many financial needs to think about when getting close to retirement, from wondering what your Old Age Security benefit will look like. You may even think about what it will be like to live on a fixed income for the rest of your life.

But before you do anything, just relax. Don’t try to think about everything at once. Just because you’re close to retirement doesn’t mean you stop planning. As a matter of fact, it’s a great time to refine your plan, or even put one in place for your golden years.
Now that you know how much money you will need on average you can set some savings goals for yourself. There are plenty of ways you can save money from shopping with coupons to taking your lunch to work with you to not buying a new car every year. Wherever you are spending money and can scale back, do. It will mean the difference between a happy retirement and a stressful one.

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I was tagged Anna at Box 1715 for 8 random facts

1. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
2. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
3. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
4. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

• When I first did the bungee jump I had a note “please feed my dog if I dont come back” in my pocket.
• My favourtie all time movie is The good, The bad and The Ugly.
• I still miss Binzo, my dog whom I lost nearly fifteen years back.
• My faourite word is still MAGIC.
• I and Osama Bin Laden share the same bithday 10th March, my friends say that explanins a lot 😆
• My daughter is now eight years old.
• When John Lennon was 11 years old he thought he was the best ever born, I thought the same, but no one else seemed to think so.
• I am allergic to gravity, wish I could fly.

Now I am tagging Zakman , SmartWealthyRich , Jag , Adam , Boston Brat , Shane , RobWatts , UrbanMonk .