LH AGENDA > money management

money management

When I ask people what their retirement dreams are, the answers tend to be simple. Most of us just want to have enough saved to live a comfortable life doing more of the things that we enjoy. But for many of us, particularly women who take significant time out of their careers to care for others, the idea of living a comfortable retirement can seem more like a stretch target than a certainty. So, let’s delve deeper into women’s super.

Continue reading →

Who do you rely on to advise you about your finances? Whether you are taking the steps to completely engage with your finances for the first time, or you know it’s time to take your wealth creation to the next level – what if today, you became the CFO of your life? Let’s dive into how to manage your own wealth creation.

STEP ONE – Set the foundation for financial awareness and wealth creation

Know exactly how much revenue and expenditure you are currently generating. What do your finances look like right now? You must have clarity about your current financial situation so that you know what your next financial targets need to be.
Know exactly how much money you need to run your life/business as you would truly like it to be. What would you like your finances to be? Write down all the costs of running your life and your business as you would like. Include the essentials and all the fun things – dinners out etc. Add what you would like to have in the next one to five years – holidays, courses, new purchases and investments.
What can you add and create? Rather than focus on cutting spending (although you may see some ways where your expenditure is better placed elsewhere), put your attention on asking, “What are the options for getting me there?” and “What can I add or invest in that will create money now and in the future?”
Create a “10%” account for you. For every dollar that comes in, put 10 cents away. This is not a “rainy day” fund. It ensures you always have money in your life and future which creates a sense of peace around money. It’s about fostering a different relationship with money that is about continual growth.

STEP TWO – Educate yourself on different kinds of wealth and investments

Most people think there’s a formula for creating wealth: A + B = C. But this will only limit you in terms of what you can generate for yourself. Out-creation is about throwing out the blueprints and rulebooks; it’s about seeing how all the facets of your life can contribute to you.

As your own CFO, ask: What are all the things I would like to add to my life, not just the money? How can I create a portfolio of income to support that? These questions will help you plan the bigger question of how to manage your own wealth creation.

Wealth includes everything in your life, bringing you money – and more. For example, most people don’t consider their jewellery as part of their wealth or investments.

The first time I invested a lot of money in myself this way, I bought a unique set of pearls. When I put them on, my whole body lit up.

Wealth creation is not about sticking to the tried and true, or accepted standards of financial generation. Educate yourself about different forms of wealth and investments and, most importantly, follow what is interesting and fun for you.

STEP THREE – Add things you enjoy to your life.

Take the focus off your bank account. When you enjoy your job, you don’t think about the paycheck you’re getting. Instead, it becomes about enjoyment, joy, and enthusiasm. Out-creation is about adding more richness to your life, no matter the balance in your bank account.

When you focus on the bigger picture – enjoyment, being of service, helping the planet – you become more aware of possibilities and opportunities for the creation of wealth in a more multi-faceted way.

There is a wonderful saying that I live by:

Money follows joy, not the other way around.

Money is a by-product of what you choose that cultivates a greater sense of wealth and richness in your life.

Wealth can be the kindness you bring in your smile or the gratitude you choose each day. The more gratitude you have, your generosity of spirit grows. You have more generative fuel in your tank – where you can celebrate your success and growth. As well as the success and growth of others.

What are you grateful for about you and your life right now? Flex your muscle of gratitude every day.

The creation of your own personal wealth includes money, but it truly is never just about the money.

STEP FOUR – Practice “Benevolent Capitalism” when considering how to manage your own wealth creation

When thinking about how to manage your own wealth creation, remember it’s about generating something sustainable – for you, others and the planet. True wealth comes from asking, “What can I create that will make money for me, and grow, and benefit the wider world?” It is about we, not me.

Last year I ran over 85 events and classes all over the world and my business contributed to many other businesses. In that time, I hired over 60 translators, and my business supported many others in a multitude of ways. It was providing work, experience and tools to create more in their business and lives!

You don’t have to be a business owner or running a global business to practice benevolent capitalism, you only require developing a mindset of looking at how you can invest in creating a greater future for you and others. It is as simple as asking yourself: What contribution can I be to the creation of wealth and a greater future for myself, others and the planet?

True creation occurs when you are willing to erase all the definitions and projections and pre-conceived ideas held by you or anyone else. If you meet someone interesting but they don’t fit your definition of what your business or investment needs, let that definition go. Adapt, evolve, ask questions and you will always remain engaged and aware of greater possibilities for the expansion of wealth.

About the author

Laleh Alemzadeh-Hancock is a life and communication coach, management and professional services consultant, and facilitator of Wealth Creators Anonymous, a special program by Access Consciousness®.

Laleh has inspired and empowered hundreds of thousands of individuals and families including Fortune 500 executives, government agencies, non-profit organizations, athletes and veterans. A lifelong entrepreneur and passionate change-agent, Laleh strives to seek out possibility in every problem and aims to facilitate strategic change and optimal growth for all her clients. She is an advocate for people of ages with special needs or disabilities and their caregivers and served on the Governor of Maryland’s Caregivers Support Coordinating Council for four years. Through her organization, Global Wellness for All, Laleh inspires individuals – including individuals with perceived disabilities – to create wellness in all areas of their life and seek greater success.

Now more than ever we are told to diversify our income sources, however, when you are busy and already have a job, it can seem unmanageable to make it happen. I personally find that a single income is not enough to sustain a living where you not only survive but truly thrive. With this in mind, have you thought about creating multiple income streams? So your job isn’t the sole source of your income? Let’s explore some options.

Using smart investments when creating multiple income streams

Investing your money can be risky for first-time investors. We’ve all heard horror stories of investments gone wrong, which can be daunting and overwhelming. However, one bad experience shouldn’t put you off from investing. Many successful investors will even tell you that you must be willing to lose money, in order to be successful.

The most important thing to remember is that you don’t have to go big, especially not at first. Investing isn’t just about the stock market. Start small and focus on lower risk investments that you’re comfortable with, before investing larger amounts.

When considering a potential investment opportunity, ask yourself, “What can I invest my money in that would allow it to grow?”.

Embrace your side hustle

The modern-day woman has so much on her plate and the idea of turning a side hustle into a business can seem counter-intuitive. However, it doesn’t have to be. Many successful businesses have been created by people juggling multiple commitments.

Creating a part-time business can be done with only a little bit of your time, providing you are willing to jump all in and commit. Start by writing down all your different ideas, no matter how crazy they seem! The more ideas and choices you have to look at, the more opportunities you have available. Don’t just decide on your first idea as this limits your options.

When you’re happy with your business idea (or your first of many), look at what daily action is required. No doubt you’ll be juggling many priorities, so instead of working until your breaking point, take a few small steps each day.

Putting you on the list of those that receive

When looking to create extra income, one of the major pieces we forget is to put ourselves first. We like to provide for our families and come up with millions of reasons for where the newfound money should be spent. However, when you don’t put yourself first on that list, you are sending a message that everything else comes before you and you are your last priority. Have you looked at where you are on your list of priorities?

One of the greatest ways to start prioritising you is to put away 10% of everything you earn. You will find that once you have accumulated a certain amount, you have a sense of ease around money. Another side effect if you put this amount away in a bank account is that financially, you will start to look better on paper and be exposed to more investment opportunities.

Your day job doesn’t have to be the sole source of your income. There are many income streams waiting for you. Money is an ongoing possibility, available if you are willing to go out and choose it.

About the author
Rebecca Hulse is an author, speaker, Wealth Creators Anonymous Facilitator and possibility-maker. She is an Access Consciousness® Certified Facilitator, event organizer and consultant. Rebecca revels in shaking up the realities and limiting paradigms of her clients, all over the world. Having completed her first bucket list by age 20, Rebecca is the personification of her motto “impossible is temporary”. She is a go-getting, jet-setting millennial and the author of three books. Rebecca regularly speaks to a global audience on business, consciousness, bodies, being and sex. She has experienced firsthand the power of opportunity and strives to constantly push the boundaries of what she is capable of, both personally and professionally, and help others do the same.

Everyone wants to get rich, but not so many people know what they need to do in order to get wealthy. Some people became rich by making one smart investment, but there are also others, who changed their mindset, habits and lifestyle to build their wealth.

Getting rich is not easy, but it’s definitely possible. Building wealth takes serious willpower, long-term vision and discipline.

Firstly, be honest with yourself and answer an easy question “Why do you want to be rich?” Just think about it. Do you want to travel? To have a luxurious lifestyle? To buy a big house? Money is only an instrument to reach some of your goals. That’s why it is really important to know what you want and what your true goal is.

Here are my tips that will help you become wealthy – or at least start you off on the right path:

Monetise your talents and passions
It’s great that you are good at something. I believe you are! If you want to become rich and you have a valuable skill, the best and smartest you can do is to create your business around your talents and passions. Remember, you signed up for something that you know in your heart and in your head that you love. If you love what you do, you are enthusiastic and optimistic about your project or business, you are happy to go the extra mile to make sure you reach your goals. Use your skills and passions to make money.
Always promote yourself
Promotion is one of the most important and most crucial part of any business. Do not be scared to open your mouth. You need your voice to be heard. Feel comfortable to get your name out in social media, local advertising and other marketing methods. Don’t be shy! Focus your attention on your people, who love what you do and feel free to write off those who wouldn’t ever think about supporting you. Do your best and your satisfied clients will be your best promotion and promoters!
Get a mentor
One of the most important keys to success is having a good mentor. It’s a great opportunity to learn from your mentor’s mistakes and avoid making them yourself. Your mentor may notice potential in you that you might not see in yourself. Besides, you can get new network contacts or connections.
How can you find a mentor? Just identify successful people in your industry and ask for their advice. Before contacting your future mentor decide what skills or knowledge you would like to develop with your mentor’s assistance. You should always know your goal!
Set goals
Stop dreaming and wishing – define goals instead. Goal setting provides you with a benchmark for determining whether you are actually succeeding and allows you to take control of your life’s direction. Make your goal real – write it and you will not forget about it. You can also post your goals in visible places to remind yourself every day of what it is you intend to do. Set some goals for a week, month and year and write steps you should be taking to achieve them. Making an action plan is very important in goals setting. You need to write out the individual steps, and then crossing each one off as you complete it, you’ll realise that you are making progress towards your ultimate goal. Your goal should motivate you!
Feel comfortable to ask and communicate
Desire to learn and grow is the engine of all wealthy people. Always ask questions and learn from other people’s experience and mistakes. Know what you want to ask and why. Ask yourself what outcome you want to achieve and the impression you want to leave. Begin by making eye contact. You inspire trust and confidence when you look a person in the eyes when you speak.
There is no such thing as failure
“Failure is success in progress,” Albert Einstein once said. Any failure and any mistake is your experience that makes you smarter and stronger. Failure can act as a seed for a springboard to growth. Use it as a mechanism to reset your perspective, make a mental change or embark on a new, much-needed direction. Besides, failure keeps you down to earth, keeps you realistic that results in an explosive energy that breaks you out of constriction and into a highly energetic, creative state when things become clear and new insight is gained.
Your money should work for you
It is such a common personal finance piece of advice that it borders on being cliché, but that’s certainly one of the main rules of all rich people. Here are a few suggestions for your money:

Open a high-yield savings account.
Invest it in the market – stocks, futures etc.
Store it in retirement accounts.
Choose credit cards with rewards you’ll actually use.
Invest in real estate.
Pursue a professional degree or certification.

Accept criticism
Sometimes it is difficult to accept criticism, but think about it as a form of communication, that helps to make your product or services stronger. Do not take it personally and avoid getting into an argument. Turn your words into action to show that you can listen to feedback, respond in the correct way and still get the job done. Use critique to perfect your business model.
Build relationships with other successful people.
It’s one of the best ways to widen a customer base, learn about wealth and business. If you want to succeed, make relationship building a habit. Think of ways to connect with all the people you meet, even if there’s no immediate gain involved. In the long run, this approach will empower you to build mutually beneficial relationships with all kinds of people.
Don’t forget to give
Our greatest successes in life are often found in helping others succeed. Our most lasting and fulfilling achievements are often earned by helping others fulfill theirs. Be open to the people – help by volunteering, being generous, truly listening. Share your success with other people and be sure you will feel real happiness. Enjoy it!

About

Inna Rosputnia is a futures trader and wealth manager, working with individual and institutional clients. She is the founder and CEO of Lady F Wealth management. Inna has a Masters degree in economy and international relations. She is also a well-known philanthropist. This year Inna joined Cherie Blair Foundation to contribute to women’s empowerment. She believes that building confidence is the first step every woman should take to open her true power, strength and world-changing capability. Inna is the author of “Basic instinct of woman-trader”.

Running your own business can feel like trying to change a tyre on a moving car at times. When you’re swept up in the chaos of the average working week, working out a path to reliable long-term growth and profitability can seem like a horrifyingly big ask.

It’s a mountain that can very much be scaled, however! Regardless of what business you’re in, there are five consistently effective levers you can pull to increase the amount of money flowing into your coffers and lock in long-term profitability.

Get more leads in the door

Assuming you’re not paying a crazy amount to acquire them, more leads nearly always means more money. That can be a big assumption to make, though. Particularly in the context of small businesses, many firms have a worryingly vague idea of how much it actually costs them to attract the attention of a lead in the first place.

Start by making sure you’ve got a documented procedure (however imperfect) for attracting leads, and a clear view of both your outlay and the amount of new prospects you’re attracting monthly. Even taking this seemingly earth-shatteringly obvious step will put you out ahead of the surprisingly large amount of small businesses who don’t track these numbers.

With that in place, focus on rigorously qualifying them and getting more of the right types through the door. Once you start digging into details here, you may well realise you’ve been spending a lot of time and energy attracting the wrong type of prospects to date. A little discipline here in terms of defining and focusing on your perfect potential clients is guaranteed to boost profits down the line.

Optimise your conversion rate

Leads are the lifeblood of most businesses, but one point has to be crystal clear from the outset – they mean nothing until they’re converted. And the rate at which you convert them goes a long way towards determining your overall growth trajectory. Little hinges swing big doors here. A one or two percent improvement in your existing conversion rate could be the difference between a good year and a great one.

Start by making sure this a metric you’re actually tracking to begin with, then move on to relentlessly improving it over time. How you do this will naturally vary from business to business, but one general technique helps in every scenario – explicitly identify and document the series of steps that take place between that first contact with a customer and the eventual sale. Once you’ve got them defined, it’s simply a question of improving every part of the funnel and your conversion rate will naturally rise.

Boost your average number of transactions per customer

Once you’ve actually acquired a customer, the next key area you can look at is how often they actually buy from you. Raise this number and you’ll naturally be looking at a healthier bottom line.

The paths towards achieving this goal are legion so your mileage will naturally vary.

Start having a serious think about how you can either get your customers to buy more of what they’re already purchasing, or offer additional items they might be interested in.

Remember, the person who’s most likely to buy more from you is the person who’s already bought from you. Don’t be afraid to reach out to current and previous customers in order to identify where else they’d be prepared to do business with you. You can also look to lock in an increased number of transactions by offering package prices on goods or services.

Raise the value of the average dollar sale

No matter what business you’re in, there’s always a segment of the market that’s prepared to pay top-dollar for a version of what you’re offering. They won’t just be interested in a premium offering, they’ll demand it.

Make sure you’re addressing this potential part of your customer base and you’ll see rising average dollar sale values naturally driving continued growth. Again, a brief customer survey of people you’re already doing business with can drive outsize returns here.

Increase your profit margins

By the time you’ve had a good think about the first four points we’ve covered, you’ll almost certainly have identified a solid set of potential buttons you can push to quickly grow the bottom line.

As you go about implementing your newly identified tactics, take the extra time to clamp down on costs and expenses (while making sure to maintain overall quality). As long as standards aren’t slipping, a penny saved is very much a penny earned here.

Business growth is never easy but the paths you can pursue to achieve are actually refreshingly simple. Use our five proven options to cut through mental clutter and identify specific solutions that can drive growth in the context of your own business.

About

Tracey Daniel and Jane Challinor are the founders of the Real Business Group, an organisation which assist entrepreneurs and business owners to reach the next level in their business. To double your sales and profits in the next 90 days , sign up for their free Path to Profit event at http://www.realbusinessgroup.com.au/free-event