I have scheduled three “Money Game” speaking gigs. One coming up soon in Arizona where my daughter and family live. Another two in April (Financial Literacy Month) at groups in Ann Arbor - my synagogue and at an event hosted by a realtor and mortgage lender team. I’m thrilled that this is moving forward. And I have the impetus (deadline) now to create a brief workbook people can use during my talk (which will be very interactive). I will see whether I enjoy doing this as much as I think I will enjoy it. The focus of the talks will be what you need to know to win with money. In short, you need to have Financial Goals, you need to have Tools to see where you are now and use in service to achieving your Goals, and you need to be able to maintain a Mindset that keeps you progressing in service to your Goals. I look forward to seeing what I learn from these speaking gigs and to improving my presentation accordingly. And then to securing the next set of gigs. Let’s see where this goes…
It's Fun to Sell Books
My friend hosted a small book signing event for me. Mostly women in their 60’s and 70’s attended. Their finances, as far as I know, are in good shape. Nevertheless, these folks were fascinated by the conversation about how we can take charge of our finances and the profound difference that this can make in our lives. A community banker also attended, and helped make the conversation interesting. He asked me whether I think that there is any debt that is a “good debt”. I said that I thought mortgage debt could be a good debt, as could educational loan debt. But even with these, it’s important that we have a plan, have financial goals, and make sure that the amount of mortgage debt or school debt is not so large that it cripples us in advancing our other financial and life goals. So — I sold 5 books that night. And sold another 5 books at a couple of other events during the week — a meeting of the non-profit board on which I serve, and at a holiday party! At a friend’s suggestion, I’ve started to carry a few books and a square reader with me wherever I go!!!
Goals and Tools make winning the money game possible!
Last month, an old friend came to visit me. It was a long time since we’d been together and it was great to have the opportunity to reconnect. In the course of our visit, I began to understand that my friend was in the same boat that David and I had been in 2008 — just as we had not, she didn’t understand what it looked like to win the “money game”. So, little by little, I shared a few ideas to see how she would respond. She loved it! By the end of the weekend, we had put together her monthly budget and she had articulated her primary financial goals. Since our visit, she has met with a realtor to look at how best to prepare her house to sell, she has created a game plan for selling the house and moving into a rental property. She updates her monthly budget every few days so she knows how much is left to spend that month in each of her spending categories. And she has made informed decisions on how she is (and isn’t) going to spend her money. For the first time ever she is the boss of her money. My friend now knows where she is headed financially — because she has her goals. She is in control of her money — because she has her budget. The quality of her life has changed. This is the kind of impact I love to have on people.