Start 2008 On The Right Footting!

Wishing You and Your's a Happy New Year!

Rich Hayden
703.773.8409 - p
rahaydenjr@yahoo.com
www.richgetsitdone.com

Get Out Of The Way!

Today (12.26.2007) marks the launch of my blog. This blog, in conjunction with my video blogs (which will also be posted here), my quarterly paper newsletter (email me @ rahaydenjr@yahoo.com to get on my list) and other communications are resources for you to use freely as you put your financial house in order and create the freedom you dream of.

YES, IT'S POSSIBLE TO BE FINANCIALLY FREE. BUT, YOU'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF YOUR OWN WAY TO DO IT!

So, here it is, the day after Christmas! Hopefully, you had a good one . . . if you celebrate Christmas, that is. If you don't, I hope that the Holiday you do celebrate @ your house has been (or will be) great. At my house it's Christmas and yesterday was great.

After risking life-and-limb to get the lights on the roof (picture the Griswold's) a couple of weeks ago, putting the Reindeer food out on the lawn on the 24th, the cookies & milk out @ night, looking up @ the night sky for Rudolph's nose and listening intently through the night for any hint of footsteps on the roof getting ready to come down the ACTUAL chimney (yes, some houses still have an actual chimney) . . . our 2 kids woke up bustin' out of their heads to get downstairs and see what Santa brought them. We got it all on video. It was hilarious to see my daughter roll around on the ground all giddy after she opened one of her presents. Santa was good to the kids. But, he was also "measured" in his giving (there's a lesson there whether you're a parent or not).

The greatest thing about Christmas - to me - is the TRUE belief in possibility that kids project. Think about it, ANYTHING is possible in a kids mind as it relates to what they might get, what they can ask for, what Santa might do, what their parents might do - ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Bottom line is, kids don't get in their own way the way we do. Heck, they don't even have all of the negative filters in place that tell them "no" to the questions in their heads the way we "smart" grown ups do. They just ask. If you don't have a 4-6 year old, ask someone who does. Kids are the greatest salespeople in the world because they don't take "NO" for an answer - they just keep asking, maybe in a different way, until they get the answer they're looking for - or they REALLY get turned down.

Can you remember how great it was to be a kid? Kids teach us that the way you achieve something is that you ask an expert to help you. If it's toys - they ask Santa to help (he's the expert). For almost everything else - they ask their parents (they're the perceived experts). That works for most of the "stuff" in their life - for a while ... more on this in minute.

Back to Christmas....after a full day of Christmas fun and extended family and "new stuff" today (12.26.2007) is when the first a couple of "hangover's" at the end-of-the-year takes hold. Actual hangovers, spending hangovers, "my job stinks" hangovers, relationship hangovers (for some), my bonus stinks hangovers, etc., etc., etc. Truth is (like with most hangovers) it comes to pass that "today" is a day of new hope, new commitment, fresh inspiration and the idea of a "fresh start" is in focus. For adults, the idea of the fresh start tends to fall into three categories ... all of which we'll "really start working on" after 1/1/08. They are:

1. Lose Weight/Get Fit
2. Do a Better Job with My Money
3. Live a More "Full" Life (including better relationships with significant other(s), spouse, partner, family, kids, etc.)

Fast-forward 10-days to January 11th . . . . . . . . . . we're right back into the morass of drudgery. DOH! What's up with that, Homer & Marge?!?! Don't get me wrong, I do it too. We're all guilty of it.

BACK TO THE KIDS . . .

See, kids "get it" because they don't have to break a bad habit to make a new one. They just do it. Us "smart" grown-ups will fail on the 3 things above 88% of the time because we focus more on understanding our "issues" than on ditching 'em to find someone/something to model and move on. Kids got it down.

Let me be clear - it's important to know W H Y you're in a situation you're in. But, not so important that knowing gets in the way of you fixing it.

Now get this, I talk to a lot of people every week about what's going on with them financially. I love my job and digging in deep to do that. Finances are where the conversation starts. The truth is, their finances impact EVERY PART OF THEIR LIVES. Some folks "get it" when I offer a solution. We do our work together, implement some pretty simple and painless changes and they move on to a happier phase of their life after that.

Surprisingly enough, other folks just can't stay out of their own way. They're not willing to get out of their own way and have the "possibility" of that better financial picture take hold and positively impact every other area of their life. Remember how I said most people looked to their parents for ALL of their success clues? The sad thing is, this applies to finances, too. Last time I checked, most people's parents weren't "great" with money. What do you think most of us learned as a result? We learned to be average.

Think about what this means - average today in America means (you're geographic area may be different...so, don't wig out on me if you live in the DC Metro area ):

*You've got more than $10,000 in credit card debt (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*If you have a car payment, it's more than $475/mo (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*IF you save, you save/invest, you save LESS THAN 1% of your income (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*If you have investments, they total of less than $18,000 - including retirement (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*Your mortgage payment is $1687 (excluding taxes/insurance) (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*Your mortgage loan is $230,000.00 (Source: U.S. Federal Reserve)
*Your total household income is less than $75,000 (Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor)

Think I'm exaggerating - look around, ask around, talk to the people you know. Not everyone who reads this will meet these averages. Certainly, they can and should be adjusted for where you live. But, this data is out there.

Trust me when I tell you, I see this every day. If this is you and you want this to change, start with you. Get out of your own way. It's likely not your fault if you're "in the hole" a little bit. For most of us, we didn't get a rule-book on how to work with money in a way that HELPS us.

The only real question to ask yourself is this - "Do I mean what I say when I say I'm going to get control of my finances?"

If the answer is yes, call me or email me today so we can get started. In December alone, I have provided 7 different clients with an average savings of $573/mo, a reduction of their "in debt" timeline to 3.6 years for non-mortgage debt, and an average mortgage payoff in just under 10 years. Think about that for a minute . . . then give me a call.

My very best to you and yours this Holiday Season!

Your friend,

Rich Hayden
Financial Coach
rahaydenjr@yahoo.com
703.773.8409 - p


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