Be A Financially Free Woman

Win At Everything: It’s EASY to be your own CFO

There is no area of your life that doesn’t have financial implications.

Most people want financial freedom. What does that mean to you? For many, being rich means being safe. We all need money to meet our daily requirements for food, clothing and shelter. How much money do YOU need? Do you have a figure in mind? $100K? $500K? $1,000,000? There is no right or wrong answer. What you need is right for you. How much you need is influenced by several factors: your lifestyle, responsibilities, personality, values, personal circumstances, spending habits and emotions and behaviours around money. The foundation for gaining more wealth, power and independence in all aspects of our lives is through education. We’ve all heard the phrase, “Knowledge is power.” The simple fact is that you need to become involved in learning about how to take care of yourself financially. It’s not about being perfect. You can learn from your struggles and mistakes. Don’t get overwhelmed by the task at hand. Learning can be broken up into smaller steps. There are many ways to do this. Read on.

What’s holding you back? The only person holding you back is YOU. The choices you make about your money say everything about your values and belief systems. You need to acknowledge your behaviour around money. Ignoring your credit card bills won’t help your credit card rating and it won’t eliminate your debt. If you’re carrying credit card debt, call your credit card company and negotiate a lower rate. Did you know you could do this? It works. The reason the institution will give you a lower rate is because they can. If the first person you speak to tells you this isn’t possible, ask for the manager. Remember to ask nicely (don’t become aggressive). “I’m currently paying 15% interest on my credit card. Could you lower it to 8%? I’ve been your client for a long time. I really would appreciate it if you could lower the interest rate a couple of percentage points. I’d appreciate anything you could do for me.” Be convincing, be persistent. You will be successful. They will do it for you because they can. Small steps in the right direction will add up to huge gains for you. This is all part of problem-solving for YOU.

Here’s another debt reducing strategy. Figure out how much debt you have on each credit card. Look at the minimums you must pay each month. Prioritize which card has the highest debt and commit yourself to paying this card off first.

Many people know they need to make more money to reach their financial goals. Before you think about how to make more money, it’s important to define what your goals are.

Why do you need more money? Will it help you buy your dream house, pay for a vacation, help your children get a good education? Be clear on what is you want. What is the time frame you want to make this happen in? Six months? One year? Five years?

If you’re single, it’s simply a case of sitting down and writing out what it is you want to do in your life and when. If you’re a parent or spouse, it’s a good idea to sit down with your family and have a discussion about what your dreams are. This can be enjoyable and fun. Everyone should have a say about what they want and the opportunity to listen to one another. Talking about what you want as a family will help everyone be clear on what you’re doing and why. You live with your family, why not work together to achieve your goals? Communication is an excellent starting point. Knowing the map of life has direction will help you keep on track. One idea that helps a lot of people and allows you to be as creative as you want is to create a vision board that represents your goals. It’s easy and fun to do. Cut out pictures from magazines of things you want to buy, places you’d like to visit, activities you’d like to do…create your ideal life in pictures. Glue these pictures onto a board. Keep the board in a place where you can look at it. Clarity around what you want helps you understand why you’re working, why you’re saving your money and why you’re investing. Focus on the outcomes of your efforts and you will move closer to achieving your goals

Making more money is possible! Feeling inspired and following your passion is what many of us want in our lives. It’s great when we can find or create jobs in the areas that give us joy. Ask yourself, what are your passions? What do you love doing? What makes you happy? You can make money from things you are passionate about, things that you are interested in, things that make you happy. Your passion and love of something can bring joy and value to others. Consider Heather Reisman, CEO of the huge and hugely influential enterprise Indigo and Chapters Books. She turned her passion for reading books into one of the largest bookstore chains in North America. Her recommended book choices influence buying decisions. Heather always believed books and stories should be shared with children. She had the dream that children could love books as much as she did and continues to do. Today, Heather is known for filling vacant bookshelves in schools with books and she is a great philanthropist in this way. Her story is inspiring because it proves we can all look into ourselves and our hearts to see what we love and what we can share with others. You’d be surprised at how your passions, interests and natural skills and talents can help you develop business ideas that allow you to enjoy your work and to profit, also.

It doesn’t matter what culture you are from or what country you live in. The female experience is a universal one. As women, we take care of the loved ones in our lives.

The needs of our loved ones is a very deep concern for us and we do very well at meeting others’ need. We often put ourselves at the bottom of our list of priorities. At some point in your life, you will be solely responsible for making financial decisions about yourself.

Are you ready? Did you know that women need more money than men do? One compelling reason to prove this statement is that we live longer. Are you sure you won’t outlive your money? Our schools don’t incorporate the business elements of making money, saving and investing. No one cares more about your financial success than you do. So it’s up to you to take control. When you learn and educate yourself about a subject, you become better informed of your options and you can make the best decisions for yourself. With a better level of knowledge and confidence in your decision-making skills, you raise your self-esteem and your belief in yourself. You have the brains, the talent and the ability to be your own CFO. It’s time to take action and translate your dreams into reality.