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With gas prices going up, it seems like most the country is waiting for something to change. Washington is talking about the gas tax holiday that will save us a only minuscule amount of money. My parents are talking about carpooling more often. And people in LA are talking about the Smart Car.

If you haven’t seen the Smart Car, welcome to the time when economic craziness meets commerce.

According to Smart.com this little car will comfortably fit two people, cost under 20K, and will get 33MPG city and 41MPG highway (according to 2007 EPA standards.)

This car is very much targeted to gas consumption conscious city folks who deal with small parking spots daily. Which is useful and saves going that extra lap around the block.

I think all of this is fine and good… But I just have one question - Do chicks dig the smart car?

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Posted by Jason

Related Posts: Put this in your car. Save money. : Unexpected Car Expenses : Friends : Work to learn, not for the cash

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If you’re like me, sooner or later, you’ll have the fleeting notion that an MBA would allow you a first class ticket to career success and solve all your money problems.

I hope you know this isn’t guaranteed. I also hope you know that education is different than a degree.

No matter where you get your education, whether it be on the street or in the classroom, three things matter most in your success. One is your ability to sell (yourself). The other is your ability to make friends. And the third is your ability to show up on time and do a great job. Once you master these areas, you’ll gain a good reputation and further reinforce the marketing of yourself, which will reinforce your personal brand.

Having a goal in mind, combined with a hard work ethic and subsequent hard working reputation will open many doors to your dreams. And when these doors are opening for you, you should realize that you get rewarded in proportion to the valuable contribution you make to society, not the silly piece of paper on your wall. When you work towards something you’re interested in, and you get profitable results, most do not care about your degree.

So getting back to the topic, should you get your MBA? I don’t know. The pro’s of the process means you will meet valuable friends and begin a network that will follow you through your career. However, the con is, you might just as well consider taking all the money you’ll spend on an education, spend 365 days listening to business audio books, start your own business and hire your own MBAs to run the company.

Just a thought…

What I suggest is this. Regardless of whether or not you choose school, always be thinking about your BIG goal. With or without a formal degree, start thinking about a business you would enjoy.

Action steps:

1. Figure out what kind of business goals would make you happy.
2. Plan how you will create this for yourself.

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Posted by Jason

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Did you ever think that maybe fear was the road map for your next step in life? Somewhere on the inside, people know what they need to do. They know their next step. And they know the next step is coming, even if they try like crazy to avoid change.

It’s been my experience that fighting change and trying to hold on is like a butterfly trying to stay in a rotting cocoon.

Were you ever afraid of something, but then it later turned into the best thing? Wondering.

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Posted by Jason

Related Posts: How must you do it? : Want more money? : Do I need an MBA to make 100K ? : Ask for a raise?

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In college, I mostly read fiction, but after college, my goals changed towards business. Having never had a business class, someone told me I could increase my income significantly by reading business books and educating myself.  So I took the advice and got into a habit of reading. And I tried to read 1 book a week, which came to around 50 books a year… Which is a lot of information.

Since I got into the habit of reading, I’m happy to say my income has increased dramatically. I mean, dramatically. And I attribute much of this to my ever increasing education and applied knowledge.

But I soon found that new success decreased my reading time.

One day my millionaire friend convinced me to begin listening to audio books in my car – and you know what? It was a great idea. Over the past year, I’ve had the equivalent of an MBA in my car. Zig Ziglar calls this Automobile University, and I now know what he means.

However, the biggest drawback to this is the price of audio books. While this method of education is cheaper than college, I’ve found it still takes a toll on my checking account.

I’ve now found a quick fix. While browsing through my friend’s website: hungryinvestor I followed a link that promised free audio book downloads from a local library. Imagine this? The library allows you to download books for free. Who would have thought? The only drawback is, you can’t keep the book.

If you’re looking to build your library, check out www.Audible.com which provides a free trial and 14 days of downloads. As I type, I’m downloading The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I’ll then burn it to a CD and listen in my car.

Action Steps:

1. Join your local library or an MP3 audio book download site, or both.
2. Read or listen to at least 1 book per week.
3. Increase your income.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote about my ongoing car expenses and why it is very important to have an emergency fund. Since that time, my car has cost me even more money. For an overview, here we go:

1. Red light violation; $450
2. Hit from behind enroute to traffic school; Headaches and $1400 in damage (they paid.)
3. Busted the driver’s side mirror off my car; $400
4. Update. AC exploded; $1600

A couple years ago, most of this would have been paid on a credit card. But thanks to an emergency fund, I’m going to fix these issues without going into debt.

If you haven’t started an emergency fund, now is a good time. I started mine by putting $25-$50 in the bank each month. It didn’t take too long until I didn’t miss the money at all.

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Posted by Jason

Related Posts: Cut the Financial Fat! : Want more money?

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Robert Kiyosaki is the guy who wrote Rich Dad Poor Dad. He also created a board game called Cashflow. It is a game I play often, because it helps me think about ways I can improve my financial situation. If you haven’t played the game, you should. I’m always amazed at the ways this game reveals my money habits. And I am always, equally amazed that most of my investor friends have played the game as well… It sort of puts you in the club. And having the game is a good excuse to invite people over for a Cashflow party. Remember, there is nothing nerdy about improving your financial situation.

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Posted by Jason

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This weekend, pay attention to your spending. Most people spend all week working, only to spend, spend, and spend some more on the weekend. After the weekend, think back over your spending and determine where you spend the most money. Perhaps this is an area you can cut expenses.

Have a nice weekend.

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Posted by Jason

Related Posts: Set Your Goals : Create Your Vision : Creating Objectives : Procedures

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Have you ever known people who say they aren’t happy? Whenever I meet someone in this state, I ask what would make them happy. These folks typically respond that more money would do the trick.

I can understand this. Money is freedom and makes life more enjoyable. And while I agree that having money is one less worry, and a great excuse to quit a bad job… I can say it’s not the end-all of happiness. When I go a little deeper and ask these folks what they want out of life, the typical reply is: “I’m not sure. But I know what I don’t want.”

Have you heard this?

By putting the focus on what you don’t want, you’re taking away focus from what you do want. What you think about often becomes the stuff you talk about. What you talk about influences your actions. And what you act on (or don’t act on) influences your reality.

It’s pretty simple. If you don’t know what you want, you can only focus on what you don’t want, which only leads to more of what you don’t want.

Take the rest of today and try to concentrate on things you want in life. Try to ignore any negative thought that puts focus on the things you dislike (or don’t want) in life.

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Posted by Jason

Related Posts: Persistence. : Pay Yourself First : Rich People Think : Time Management

If you smoke, quit it! You’ll save thousands and thousands of dollars.

Do the math.

3 packs per week at 3 dollars per pack is 9 dollars.
9 dollars X 52 weeks in a year = $468.00
$468 X 30 years = $14,040.00

Maybe you think 14K is not a lot of money. And these days, you’re right.
But what if you invested the money instead of burning it?

The same $468 per year at 8% interest for 30 years = $61,967.19
And if you could hold out for 35 years, that same 468K at 8% would give you: $94,015.35

But we all know people who smoke 1 pack a day. And if you know someone like this, feel free to forward this article.

1 pack a day (at 3 dollars per pack) X 365 days in a year = $1095 per year. Not too bad, right?

$1095 X 30 years = $33,945.00
$1095 @ 8% X 30 years = $144,987.33
And the kicker -
$1095 @ 8% X 35 years = $219,971.80

I don’t know about you, but I would venture to guess if you’re one of the lucky few who get a lung removed in your lifetime, it’s going to be more than a quarter million.

Copyright 2008, WealthKick!

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