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To Your Success!
Ericka Young

What’s Holding You Back?

How do you define financial independence?  Is it being able to live comfortably without having to work for someone else?  Is it doing whatever you want financially at any point in life?  Is it being debt-free or not having to think so much about where the next paycheck is coming from?  Financial independence can be all of the above.  But, I tend to believe that a person can never truly be financially independent because you need money for everything in life even in the twilight years.  If someone is taking care of you in your elderly years they still need money to feed, clothe, bath, and serve you.  Living certainly isn’t free.  The best we can do to prepare for a financially stress-free life is to save now.  If you have all the money needed to care for yourself until you die then there is no stress attached to living everyday.  That is what I want; a financially stress-free life.  But the question is how do we get there?

One major contributor to the average American’s inability to save for their twilight years is car payments.  Right now the typical American car payment is $374!  If you invested that amount at 12% interest for 30 years you would have $1,300,000 dollars!!  Can you live off the interest of one million dollars?  I’ll bet you could!  As described in “The Millionaire Next Door”, 81% of millionaires purchase their vehicles.  They don’t lease.  They also spend about $25,000 on their vehicles.  This is less than 1% of their net worth.  We can learn something from them.  They don’t use a lot of their cash on vehicles yet they do pay cash for them.  Sounds like stress-free living to me!

Do you frequent Starbucks for coffee at $4 each visit?  If you do that each week day it amounts to $80/month.  Over 30 years at 12% interest it grows to $280,000!  I hope you liked the coffee! 

You see isn’t that we cannot save for the future it is the choices we make today that shape our tomorrow.  What is holding you back from your “financial independence?”  If it isn’t the car or the latte what is it?  Are you supporting your grown children?  Are you dining out several times a week?  Do you spend more than is necessary for clothing?  Believe me we all have our area of weakness.  One of the keys to success financially is knowing your personal weakness and setting boundaries today that will ensure a stress-free future.

Answer the question for yourself right now.  What’s holding you back?  Make a decision to change in an area that is hurting you financially.  Cutting back in small ways will make a large difference!  Choose today to live a stress-free life tomorrow! 

“…he who gathers money little by little makes it grow.”  Proverbs 13:11

April 2007

Happy Resurrection Day!

As we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ it keeps our spiritual priorities in line. Don’t let another day go by without getting to know Him personally.

Chris and Ericka Young are Dave Ramsey Certified Financial Counselors! 

Call (480) 200-2516 today for a free 30 minute consultation to see how they can help you achieve your dreams and goals!

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