When You Finally Get It, Will It Be To Late?

Written by: Dina Harbour

Women Obtaining Wealth,
W.O.W. on Blog Talk Radio (Every Sunday @ 6P EST)

I sent a text message to a good friend of mine that lives in California. We met in 2000 at DeVry Institute. She graduated and I didn’t. But we stayed friends through the years and I value our friendship. I was at her graduation and was truly happy for her. At the time, I was already working in the “information systems” industry and she wasn’t.

Soon after graduating, she became a Mom and we talked about her financial future. She has been married to her husband for about 13-14 years now and they have done “ok” financially but not enough to purchase a home. I’d purchase my first home in 2000, so I was explaining to her the process and things she should do to make homeownership a reality for her and her family.

Fast-forward eight years later, she is making more money than before. However, she is still living in an apartment and now going crazy with a busy 5 year-old son. She is still married and dealing with a new car note payment that her husband insisted on. He raised the issue that he had never owned a brand new car. So each tax year, they owe in taxes because they make to much money without having enough tax write-offs or deductions.

Without saying, “I told you so” I simply expressed concern and gave her some suggestions. I explained to her that like it or not, tax wise the government reward those who do things that they agree with for example owning property, a business, and/or having a family. Otherwise you pay a lot of taxes.
Is it to late for my friend to turn things around? No, not really but she has a lot of work to do. Most important, she has to make better decisions now to have the things she wants in the future.

Now decide to have an excellent day!

How To Check Back-In, When Your Mind Has Checked-Out

Written by: Dina Harbour
Women Obtaining Wealth,W.O.W. on Blog Talk Radio (Every Sunday @ 6P EST)

I can remember back when I was living in California how my mind would just temporarily checkout. I would be driving my long commute from Long Beach back to Los Angeles and I would not remember driving to my exit. Scary-huh? It’s true I was driving (safely) but my mind was somewhere else. Miraculously, I would snap to it just before my exit and would literally “thank God” that he was watching over me.
Has that ever happen to you? Can you remember a time when you were so burdened with life’s daily task, demands, and/or responsibilities that you just mentally checked-out? I knew in my heart that I had to make some changes in my life, but I keep putting them off. It wasn’t until I lost two brothers, two months a part that I knew I could not continue to live life as I did before. So at the end of that same year, I sold my home and by January of the next year I had moved to a new state, a brand new home, and started life totally “checked-in.”
It’s not easy to make changes, especially drastic ones like I did. I lost the comfort of a “good job”, and distance away from the only place I’d ever known as home. I even lost communication with a lot of my associates and friends, but my gains were so much more valuable than all my losses combined. Fear usually tells us a different story, don’t believe him. Make sure you’re mind is checked-in today and that you’re living a momentous life.

Have a purposeful day!