Wednesday July 28,

Life is hectic so it makes good sense to siphon advice for a specific area and apply it across the board of daily living. Let’s look at 12 common financial tips you can parlay into good life investments.

1. Save 10 cents from every $1 you earn.

For your life: Save regular increments of time for mental, spiritual, physical and emotional renewal and development.

2. Diversify your investments for multiple benefits.

For your life: Diversify your time, your energy and your interests to attract a wide variety of opportunities and experiences to enhance and grow your personal and professional life.
 
3. Be cautious if the returns promised on an investment exceed what is generally available.

For your life: Get-rich-quick, Slim-down-fast, Find-true-love and Now-on-sale schemes promise far more than they actually deliver, if they deliver anything at all. If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Hold your hand. Determine what you really need. Do your own investigation. Get a second opinion.

4. Be prepared to pay for sound advice from a qualified financial adviser.
 
For your life: Don’t begrudge paying for products and services, especially when they are provided by an honest and passionate entrepreneur.   

5. Always have an emergency cash fund. It will ensure that you have cash available immediately, when that rainy day arrives.

For your life: Build a support system that can lift you up and hold you together when things fall apart around you and threaten your foundation.

6. Start planning your retirement at least three to five years before your proposed retirement date.

For your life: Develop the mindset, attitude, aptitude and discipline that will help you step confidently into the reality of your dreams when they begin coming true.  

7. Always pay the full amount owing on your credit card.

For your life: Don’t skimp on paying the necessary time and emotional dues to cultivate meaningful relationships.

8. Don’t leave large amounts of money sitting in a low-interest bank savings account. Rather, put the money into a money market account.

For your life: Don’t waste your mental, physical and emotional energies on relationships and activities that do not inspire good thoughts. Encourage positive actions and cultivate happy memories.  

9. Keep a good credit record. It could save you a great deal of time and frustration, particularly when you want to borrow money for big-ticket items such as a home or a vehicle.

For your life: Check yourself against a list of good character traits and begin working to incorporate them into your life. Good character references are just as important to a life investment as good credit ratings are to financial issues.
 
10. The best investment you can make is to repay debt.

For your life: Thank you. You are welcome. Please. Punctuality. Dependability. Honesty. Let me help you. These are just a few of the debts you owe to others on your life journey.

11. If you have a problem meeting your debts, don’t hide. Speak to your creditors to find a way out.

For your life: When a relationship begins to sag, don’t sit with a watch-and-wait attitude. Step up and make the first move to bring it back into alignment. Make the appropriate payments – explain, apologise, forgive, make restitution.

12. Don’t fly now and pay later. It is very depressing to be paying for a holiday (or any other luxury) five years later, when you want to pamper yourself or your family.

For your life: Avoid the trap of extending yourself beyond your physical or emotional resources. This practice can result in stress, burnout and a huge and lingering debt to yourself or your loved ones.

Conclusion.
May you accrue everything your financial investments promise and may your life investments generate success and happiness one-hundred fold.