Bring your paper and pencil tonight for the W.O.W. show tonight at 9p EST "Being The CEO of YOU"
http://ping.fm/ZoTlA or call-in 646 478-5836. See ya soon!-Dina

The Post Holiday Blues- Going Into Debt All In The Name Of Love

Women Obtaining Wealth
Women Obtaining Wealth Internet Talk Show

The holiday season is always a bittersweet time for me. As a Financial Literacy Coach, I often get an overwhelming amount of new clients towards the end of January beginning of February in panic mode. The stories all start out like this, "I spent way too much money this year.” How did a holiday season that is suppose to celebrate love, family, and friendship turn into a time when people feel OBLIGATED to buy things they cannot afford?
I am so thankful that my parents taught me that giving love, time, and gifts is a year-round sentiment. They also never made me feel obligated to buy them gifts during any particular holiday season.
Each year I watch children scream and demand various toys for their parents to buy and each year there is a "hot" toy that every child must have. The sad thing about it is, their parents rush stores sometimes pushing and raving to buy these items that they know they cannot really afford. So what do they do? They pull out credit cards, skip a bill, and borrow to get this toy that will be set aside the next time something new and improve comes along.
I recently returned from visiting my family for Thanksgiving. Now this holiday seems to be celebrated in a fashion that I can agree with. When I returned I went through my pre-recorded news programs that were recorded while I was away. Sadly a news reporter described how a man that had no prior criminal record attempted to rob an armor truck outside the mall in my area. His behavior led to shots being fired, people being hurt, and being thrown in jail. His wife refused to be interviewed and I sat there in horror. My family and I visit this mall often. It terrifies me to think that this man felt that having money during this holiday season was worth this vicious act. How did you SPEND the holidays? Do you have the blues?

By:
Dina Harbour
Financial Literacy Coach

Controlling the Environment In Which You Dream

Women Obtaining Wealth
Women Obtaining Wealth Internet Talk Show



In listening to an interview on one of my many mentors, I heard him talking about the importance of controlling one’s environment. I found this fascinating because I felt such a strong desire to move away from my immediate family and start over in another state where I barely knew anyone.

While he was speaking I realized that I used my move to control my surroundings. I felt that the people and things that I was encountering on a daily basis were toxic. My job was draining my creativity because more and more I had to conform to management standards of operation and procedures. Even when I tried to introduce more effective procedures (what I was hired to do) they were reluctant to implement the changes. It was like fighting with your parents. Who do you think is going to win?

Other visual and personal things were going on as well. So I decided that a change in scenery and career was what I had to do. Leaving a “good” job and the security of close family and friends are not easy but sometimes very necessary for growth to occur.

In bringing in this New Year, I hope you take a moment to examine your environment. Look around you. Are you watching too much negative television, chatting too much with friends about negative issues, hating your job? Try making changes to your life that will lead you in the direction of your heart and your purpose. The journey is truly rewarding.

By: Dina Harbour, ExtraoDINAire
Financial Literacy Coach