I DIDN'T KNOW!!!

As humans no matter the situation we always feel as if we can fall back on one answer that will never fail us, "I DIDN'T KNOW!!!" Think about it, as a kid we could do something wrong and as one parent was about to lay into us, the other would say, "Oh they didn't know any better." I found out while working at "Walk-all-over-ya" that believe it or not, some people really don't know. Of course on this blog I am talking about them not knowing about finances. I was amazed by the number of people that did not know they needed money to open a checking account. I was amazed by the number of people who had checking accounts and DID NOT KNOW HOW THEY OPERATE! People with mortgages who did not have any idea how the interest on them worked. Customers who were ok paying on their car for the next 7 YEARS! Credit cards with 30% rates, AND THEY STILL USED THEM!

As I left the state of shock and began to ask questions I realized something, people really did not know. They did not know because they did not ask and they did not ask because they did not know. I look back to my childhood and this is a conversation that took place often:

Me: Mom I want this.

Mom: We don't have the money.

Me: Then write a check.

Mom: I wish it worked that way.

WORKED WHAT WAY??? WHAT IS THE BIG SECRET?! Now let me say this before I am kicked out of the family. I grew up in a family that both worked in the financial industry and were very conscious when it came to finances. They took every opportunity they could to teach me how money and finances worked. However, for a lot of families the operation of finances seems to be this big secret.

Here is my question to those who did not learn about finances at home. Where did you learn about them? Here is what I am discovering...

Most of our schools teach you how to discover the molecular make up of any object in the universe but THEY DO NOT TEACH YOU HOW TO BALANCE A CHECK BOOK! GET REAL!

In college unless YOU decide to take a business course, you will not be taught anything about finances.

After college you're on your own. So who is teaching a large portion of Americans how to handle their finances? It's easy, here's the answer.

The car dealer teaches us how to buy a car.

The mortgage lender and real estate agent teaches us how to purchase a home.

Visa taught us to use credit cards.

Banks taught us how to use checking accounts AFTER YOU OVERDRAFT!

DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? COME ON!

Let me let you in on a secret. BANKS DO NOT HAVE YOUR BEST INTEREST AT HEART. THEY ARE NOT NON PROFIT! I worked for one that claimed on every marketing add available that they were number one in customer service yet turned around and said AND I QUOTE "give ever credit worthy customer a credit card, car loan, mortgage, and equity line." Here's a thought Mr. Bank NOT EVERY CUSTOMER NEEDS ALL OF YOUR JUNK! There comes a time when we have to educate ourselves. We must want to learn so that we know what we are getting into. We must educate ourselves instead of relying on the wrong ones to educate us. We must do these this before we have "Too Much Month."

Thanks

Becoming Aware

The fear of the unknown is paralyzing. The flip side of that is it can mistakenly be liberating. Here is an example. Some that go to by a new vehicle or home have no idea what to look at or expect. The unknown for some will cause them to miss deals, stay awake at night, panic, and for lack of better terms, they are paralyzed. The unknown for others allows them to go look at many houses, never think about if it is a deal or not, stay awake because of the excitement of a big new home or high dollar vehicle and is liberating due to ignorance. Ignorance is bliss isn't it! SO, the question is this, "how do I stay out of these two categories?" I had to get to the point where I was sick of losing. I was sick of getting stuck in the bad deals. I was sick of not getting ahead. My question is this, what will it take for you to get tired of fear; to get tired of the unknown? The book "Too Much Month" will not take away the unknown, however it will inspire you to never float through, worrying about the unknown. It is time for us as consumers to start asking questions. It is time to start winning.





Thanks.

Too Much Month!

Tell me if this is you and your month...

1st PAY DAY!!! LIFE IS GOOD!!!

5th Wearing the new clothes or enjoying the new toy you bought on the 1st.

10th Starting to slow down and thinking "OK, I need to be smart so I can make it 20 more days."

20th If I just eat one meal per day I can make it until the end of the month

27th I GIVE UP....THERE IS JUST TOO MUCH MONTH AT THE END OF MY MONEY!



Truth is, I have just described most of our months. To add to this truth, the few times we feel like reaching out for help, help stands there in the form of something to complex to get excited about. See if these look like the forms of help you have seen:

Buy my DVD for three payments of $99 and you will be a real estate guru or...

I owed the IRS $100,000,000 and Billy Bob Lawyer settled it for .01 on the dollar (maybe I should just not pay taxes!) or...

This is my favorite: "Go see an Advisor they will set everything up for you!"

Here is my answer: "GET REAL!!! If I had the money for these things, would I have Too Much Month?!?!"



WE feel as if we have the weight of the world on our shoulders and we can not talk about it with anyone. Sometimes we just want to vent to those close to us without them feeling like they need to give all the answers. Other times we want answers, however we feel hopeless because we can not fully let someone see what we are going through, therefore we get wasted air in return.



Something tells me that I am not the only one that has felt this way and that many more are fighting this battle every day. I do not have all the solutions on how to not feel this way, however I do see the cry out for help. Over the coming months I invite you to follow me as I write, "Too Much Month."


On this blog I will give updates on the data collected for the book, stories that will give you hope as you try to reverse the trend of having to much month, websites and tools to help you work through the month, and most importantly keep you updated on the book, "Too Much Month."



It is a hard fight that most people go through. I look forward to our fight and hope you find this site as a tool for your success.



Thanks.