Become Debt Free in 2011

Become debt-free in 2011.  The first step in gaining control over your financial life is probably not what you think it is.  Most people think the first step is to obtain a copy of your credit report or to simply choose a debt and start paying.  Wrong!  The real first step has nothing to do with credit, debt or even money.  What you need to do is start with your relationship with your money.  There is no way that you will correct any problem in life if you still think the same way you did when you were creating the problem.  If you always think about how broke you are; if you are always having conversations with your loved ones about how broke you are; if you always feel terrible about how broke you are, YOU WILL CONTINUE TO BE BROKE!!!  Decide, once and for all, that you are prosperous.  From there, you will begin to think and do things that will have prosperous results.  Before you know it, you will be debt-free in 2011.  Visit www.1stChoiceFamily.com/Agent/QHarvelle to check out the "Debt Resolution" program.  You can even take the initiative to enroll yourself with our user-friendly "Self-Serve Wizard."  Welcome to the beginning of your financial freedom!

Are You on the Right Retirement Track?

When planning for retirement, you must consider several factors.  Here are a few:

1. You must consider your age when you started saving. The higher your age when you begin, the more money you'll need to save in order to have the type of retirement income you need.  A 45 years old who just started saving money will need to save and invest more aggressively than a 25 year old. The reason is the 45 year old is closer to retirement than the 25 year old. Also, you must think about inflation and the cost of living increasing by the time you actually retire.
2. How aggressively do you want to invest? Are you comfortable investing your money in riskier areas that may pay higher returns? Or do you feel better about the more stable investments with smaller returns? There must be a level of comfort with any investments made. There are many vehicles to choose from including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, IRA’s and life insurance products. No matter what, always know where your money’s going and what it’s doing.
3.  Diversify your portfolio! Your financial professional should advise you to invest your money in yourself, in real estate, in securities, and also life insurance. Never place all your eggs in one basket. If that basket breaks, your nest egg may as well.

PROTECTING YOUR INCOME

For hard-working adults, it is essential to protect your income.  It is especially important to do so if you have family members who depend on your income to survive.  If you have a spouse, a child or a dependent relative for whom you provide care, you should take measures to protect yourself [and them] against the unexpected.  Ask yourself this question: If something were to happen to me tomorrow, will my family be able to maintain their lifestyle without my income?  If the answer is no, act now!  Income protection can be fairly inexpensive so you don’t have to “break the bank”, so to speak.  Put measures in place now so that in the future you will be protected.  We will never know what to expect, but at least we can prepare ourselves for what we might need in the future.