Reviews and savings

The budget was everything it promised it to be and that was a big B for boring.  Don’t give up hope for your own expectations coming to fruition.  If it’s going to be, then it’s up to me’. You make it happen.

Hard times, tax guarantees, troubles in the Middle East

Mr Osborne delivered his second budget.  One thing that stood out was people with Lear jets and non domiciles needed to worry because they would be taxed more.  Well, if they can afford a Lear jet, what’s an extra 30 or 40% of tax to your pocket?  Very little!  While those of us with mere cars, can look forward to paying 1p less on a litre of petrol.  But don’t jump for joy yet. In some weeks’ time, there’ll be an extra 5p on the same litre.  So it’s hard cheese for us.  Let’s get serious.  We really need to look for where we can save money.  The mortgage/rent, food and utility bills are the largest monthly outlays.   Remember, if your fixed term mortgage is coming to an end then start planning NOW.  Then there’s food.  There’s no point in saying ‘the bill is what it is’.  I strongly believe in setting limits.  If you don’t, you’ll be enticed to buy every ‘buy 20, get one free’ deal that the supermarkets offer.  Where’s the savings in that?  These days the supermarkets appear to be in price wars, pitting themselves against each other, saying our price is cheaper than Tescos, or cheaper than Asda or Morrisons etc.  This looks suspiciously like an agreement where they take it in turns to have the lowest or highest prices. And Utility Warehouse supply gas, electricity and phones very cheap. (You can post your comments on http://moneyworkshops.blogspot.com/ – let us know how you feel)

De-clutter tip

So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is about savings.  Take the food bill.  If you could grow your own and live organically, apart from the hard work, you’d save money.  Buying fruit and veg locally could save something.  Because when you go to the supermarket for a few items, you end up buying loads.  There’s something not quite right about perfectly shaped and sized fruit and veg.  Think about it.  Besides food, who do you know that needs a review of their expenditure?  Get them to give us a call.  We’re giving a personalised budget.  We’ll talk about where savings can be made.  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card, debt solutions, business recovery, coaching or financial reviews. There’s got to be a saving somewhere. 

Regards

Saleah

http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Peace of Mind

What more could you ask for than peace of mind.  But doesn’t it make a big difference now that the days are longer and much brighter.  Seeing a glimmer of sun makes you want to plan for better days. Hard times, debt mountain, troubles in the Middle East So where are we now?  Is there enough business around to ride out the storm of recession? We hear about government ministers with salaries over £100k and bonuses still on time, like clockwork. There must be.  Now’s not the time to give up sowing those seeds of hope.  Opportunities for increase still exist.  It’s like the yellow car game – once you start looking, you’ll eventually see one. How do we keep the debts down, while still remain optimistic? Bills need to be paid.  Perhaps new agreements can be made.  I’ve noticed one thing.  In the past, large companies merging together, making prenuptial agreements.  As long as they both benefit and profit they stay together.  And, when the objectives have been met, they plan a separation.  For this season, two are better than one: sharing resources, ideas, strengthening the bank balances, going forward for markets together.  Everyone gets a share of whatever business is out there.  If you’re employed, your income is capped.  But if you have your own business and clients are dwindling, before you give up and go back to finding a day job, consider alliances, partnerships and mergers.  You may still have something that the customers want.  You need to reach them. De-clutter tip So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is peace.  Peace of mind is also having a piece of the cake.  Debt management will help reduce payments.  However, being proactive in a slow market may give way to consider a marriage of convenience.  Who do you know that you could talk with about working together, sharing resources and business? Give us a call.  We can talk about synergies for growth.  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card, debt solutions, business recovery and coaching.  A bit of peace gets creativity going again. Kind regards Saleah Let us have your comments!

End to a challenging week

What an end to a challenging week!  Just when you think you’re making headway, an earthquake, plus Tsunami comes and rocks your foundations. Hard times, pensions, ongoing troubles in the Middle East We’re still tiptoe-ing around pension issues. The fact that it’s high on the government’s agenda means we ought to give it some thought.  We’ll be working till we’re 90 at this rate to cover boom and bust, credit crunch and hard times.  Libya is still ongoing.  And while we are preoccupied with trouble abroad, our challenges at home keep mounting up. If we cut back anymore, we’ll be down to the marrow.  A line must be drawn. Is more money the answer and, if so, how do you find it? There are ways of drawing down pensions now which could help you out of a jam.  But remember when you reach pensionable age, you still need to know how you’ll cope on less money.  According to ‘think tank’ research, when you retire, the only money you’ll need would be for food and warmth.  A couple of cruises is more like it, and of course, island hopping in the sun. Pension protected buy to let deals are still a sure bet for financial security.  Besides it being an investment, the rental will eventually provide an income.  It’s worth checking out.  But there could be pension policies from old workplaces where you paid money in for years that were frozen. De-clutter tip So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is challenging.  Make a list of every company you’ve ever worked for.  Did they have a pension fund?  Or did you start a private pension but stopped contributing? If you’re much, much younger than 50, you might consider putting aside regular money to build up something for the future. Could you use some sound pension advice? Give us a call.  We’ll help you construct a plan.  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card, debt solutions and coaching.  Challenging as it might be, get started!

 You can post your comments and let us know how you feel

Regards

Saleah

saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk
http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Model for success

We saw a bad model of success, as Mr Galliano, off his face, spurting racial remarks (un P.C.), causing him to implode, losing every ounce of creditability.  He’s in rehab now.  When he sobers up, he’ll see the magnitude of his fall.  His model of success made him feel invincible. Hard times, BSkyB, still more trouble in Middle East

While we hear about how big Mr Murdoch has grown (to BSkyB or not to be) our focus is not in tune with our desires.  Everyone should have a model for success.  So, what has the economical crisis revealed for you?  Is the Bank of England or the government’s blip on interest rate overshadowing your dreams? Industrialism (big corporates) lulled people into a false sense of security that they would be cared for right up to pension age.  If you do your own sums and listen to what’s being said for the past 20 years, the shortfall on pensions and the population reaching ‘that age’ is colossal. And, there’s not enough in the pot anyway.  We can overly be courting our attention on things that are not going to help us now or in the future.  Time needs to be spent on a model of success.  Not just ‘money cometh in and rapidly floweth out.  What Mr G and Mr M have in common is passion for their purpose.  Boy did they go for it.  You may say, I’m not that money minded.  Yes, but you can have scruples, integrity and feelings for humanity and be successful. De-clutter tip

So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is about success models.  Switch off the news for a moment.  What are you passionate about?  Do you have the funds for it? Or, are having to start from 0, because you’ve been wiped out.  Could you use a coaching session right now to get back your passion for success? Give us a call.  We’ll help you construct or reconstruct a model.  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card, debt solutions and coaching.  Build a model for your success!

Regards

Saleah

saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk
http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

You deserve an Oscar

It’s the Oscars this weekend.  As the red carpet beckons nominees, all remain hopeful that their efforts to be recognised as shining stars will pay off, with a statute to prove it.  I can’t promise you an Oscar for your hard work and effort in de-cluttering your finances, but the rewards of financial freedom will be worth it. Hard times, stock markets closed, trouble in Middle East, cyber attack

Friday, the stock market closed due to a glitch in their newly installed computer.  Plus, trouble in the middle East.  We have been pre-warned that petrol prices will rise as much as .30p.  And, this week I experienced a cyber terrorist attack on my own credit card.  My statement showed that I purchased an item at Heathrow airport.  I promise you, chances of a trip abroad would be a fine thing.  I was nowhere near there, only in my dreams.  So the de-clutter tip mentioned a couple of weeks ago is still valid.  Check your statements.  Don’t take for granted that they can be trusted. That brings us onto an area of ‘trust’.  Who are you trusting to make your plans come to fruition? No one should care more about your finances than you. De-clutter tip

So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is about trust.  Most of us have multi-purpose debit and credit cards that we use for any and everything.  Have separate cards to do specific things ie use one purely for buying food items and perhaps a credit card only for purchasing petrol and things to do with the car.  That way you can notice straight away any anomalies.  Lastly, we pride ourselves in being trustworthy with our clients. Give us a call.  We’ll listen to what you want to do and help you achieve it!  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card and debt solutions.  You deserve an Oscar after all this!

Regards

Saleah

Saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk
http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Wisdom for the promised land

I can’t promise a bed of red roses, what with Valentine’s Day coming this Monday.  But I can at least send you something better.  That’s words of wisdom to take you to your ‘promised land’. Hard times, promise, promise, promise The government said this week that they promise to raise taxes on banks, plus put a levy on their bonuses.  The banks have also promised to help small businesses.  Caveat being – ‘it could be you’.  But when you search for wisdom early you most definitely find it.  More borrowing could take you further away from the promised land, than you envisaged.  It really is best to seek advice before thinking ‘I’m being made an offer I cannot refuse’.  Wisdom is about making the right choices and checking out all the angles.  So looking out for offers that really are wise has got to be good for now and the future.  Everyone is still strapped for cash, so there are some good deals out there. De-clutter tip So for this weekend’s de-clutter tip: it’s about making clear decisions. Do you want to continue not knowing, if there’s something better out there for you?; is there a way to cut off dead debt; restructure your payments; reduce your monthly expenditure; or even pursue your dreams! Then give us a call, first thing Monday morning and we’ll use wisdom to show you what can be done!  We’ll help you get to your promised land.  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card and debt solutions.  And, get you organised for the journey ahead.

Regards

Saleah

saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk
http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Spring clean your credit file

It’s never too early to think about a spring clean. Well, there’s no harm thinking about it. Now that the days seem to last just a bit longer, what better way to be productive than to get your credit file in order. Hard times, prices going up
As we approach the March budget, there are more increases on the cards.  Who knows what’s in store for people and small businesses?  There have been rumblings from the Bank of England about interest rate rises. But, one more straw could break the camel’s back.  So, not to deter you from de-cluttering, I strongly urge you to get your statements together and see what needs pruning.  Did you know that credit checks are done on almost anything that involves the exchange of money ie services like mobiles, utilities, insurance and not just the banks and credit cards.  And, if you have a small business and apply for a government contract, credit checks are also done here.  Why? I don’t know, as you only get paid after you’ve delivered the work.  Anyway your credit file is nothing to be afraid of.  Get checking. De-clutter tip
So this weekend’s de-clutter tip is about pruning.  Check through your bank statements.  Is there anything on it that’s no longer needed? Cancel it.  You’ll be surprised how payments historically still continue long after the end date.  Or see if you can get the same service for less.  Lastly, get a copy of your credit file. Either http://www.experian.co.uk/ or www.equifax.co.uk  Yes, it looks daunting, but it’s necessary.  Check if the information is incorrect.  It happens time and time again.  Confused! Don’t worry.  We’re here to help you understand why you need to know these things. Give us a call, after you’ve got your credit report.  We’ll listen to your future plans and help you achieve them realistically!  We deal with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to let nightmares, credit card and debt solutions.  And, get you organised for brighter days!

All the best.

Saleah

Saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk
http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Making sense of Hard times

Christmas is definitely over. Some would say, ‘I’m glad to see the back of it.’  Then there’s January - ‘the worst month on record in over 30 years’, a client quoted. Did you manage to keep a tight reign on your finances? Did you cutback? Taking care of No.1 this year has got to be a must, because if you don’t, who’s going to? Hard times and double dipping The reports say, Hard Times and double dipping are on the cards for 2011.  On a positive note: making sense of the financial madness is an opportunity to take stock of our own cash flow.  This you can do: make a conscious effort to distribute your money in a way that best serves you, not anyone else. At the moment, I sense the creditors will be open to negotiations for debt settlements, as announcements on the news state, personal insolvency increased in December 2010 to 135,089 compare to 2009. De-clutter tip So for this weekend’s de-clutter tip: roll up yourselves, get all those unopened letters and statements together.  Then give us a call next week and we’ll begin to makes sense of it all.  We’ll map out a plan for your future.  We help with mortgages, remortgaging, pension release advice, buy to letting nightmares, credit card and debt reductions.  We’ll get you organised for the months ahead. Regards Saleah saleah@moneyworkshops.co.uk http://www.moneyworkshops.co.uk/

Making every penny count!

Today is an opportunity to practice gratitude for the pennies we have in our hands right now.  To give gratitude for the pennies is to recognise that it is a miracle that we are never without something.  We can be living in the now, but be continuously waiting for the millions, instead of recognising that what we hold is a miracle.  You are holding something that can be planted like a seed, which will return fruits.  So, gather your pennies together and assemble them into pounds.  If there are enough, assemble them into £5s.   Now find a place where you can give the money to a cause that you would be happy to support and give cheerfully.     Today, be aware that ‘every penny counts’ and can be used to sow seeds that will be a miracle to someone, somewhere.   Stay in gratitude,

Saleah X