Reading, Reviewing, Guest Authors, Giveaways and more.
Gordon Bennett Bleil is a financial educator, former banker, bank consultant, entrepreneur, business executive and business owner. He has been a professor teaching in MBA programs and he holds an MBA in finance from the University of Southern California. Gordon hosted a radio show in finance entitled The Path to Financial Freedom and has authored courses in personal financial management. He is renowned for his ability to present complicated material so that it becomes simple and understandable.
Connect with Gordon on FaceBook:
Budgeting 101
The mere mention of the word “budget” causes stress and anxiety in some people analogous to telling them that they would have to go to the dentist. For some reason any mention of managing your money seems to be intimidating. Maybe it’s because so many books approach budgeting as a rigorous and intimidating process.
But it doesn’t need to be that way at all. A budget is simply a spending plan to let you stay in control of your finances. If it is done correctly it can be an invaluable aid to help you meet your goals. A budget should be useful and flexible so that you will continue to see is a benefit rather than an impediment.
There are essentially six steps to preparing a good budget. Let’s explore them.
Step 1— Decide why you want a budget.
If you do not know why you need a budget it is useless to try to make one. Many people make their first budget when they find out they are spending more than they are making and need to fix it. Others want to save more for retirement. Whatever it is you simply need a goal before you start budgeting.
Step 2 — Gather data
You need to know what you are spending now and for what you were using your money. This is often the toughest part of the budgeting process. If you asked most people to reconstruct from memory what they spent the last month they would unlikely get closer than about 80%.
The importance of this cannot be over emphasized. One of the reasons for a budget is to identify money that is being wasted or spent unnecessarily. Money is very liquid so we may draw a parallel to water in a bucket. If the bucket has a hole all of the contents will certainly leak out. We want to keep that from happening.
So for one month count every penny you spend. Then at the end of the month add pro rata amounts for any expenditures which do not occur evenly each month. Be especially careful with charge cards that you do not add the amount of the primary transaction and the amount on the credit card. If you do you will be double counting.
When this is done you should have a pretty accurate idea of where your money is going. You may have some surprises. At one money management seminar a lady who did this discovered she was spending $1700 a year in the company vending machines. Now there is nothing immoral in this but maybe it is not the best way to spend your money. Maybe she wanted to make some changes.
Step 3 — Organize the data
Raw data is not very useful. So we have to organize it into categories. There are mandatory expenses, discretionary expenses, hybrid expenses, and escrowed ones.
Mandatory expenses are those which have to be paid before anything else can be paid. The mortgage payment is an example.
Discretionary expenses are those which can be suspended for an indefinite or short period of time. An example would be going to the movies.
Hybrid expenses are those which have characteristics of each of the previous two. An example is the grocery bill. Some of the grocery bill is mandatory and some of it is discretionary.
Escrow expenses are monies which you set aside for bills that do not occur evenly throughout the year. An example would be your property taxes.
Now record the data into these categories. It is a good idea to record this information on columned paper with three columns so that you can make changes.
Step 4 — Analyze the data and propose changes
Now it is time to look at the data in some detail. For each item determine what you spent and what you would like to spend and put the amount in parallel columns. Then determine whether the amount has to go up or down. Maybe you want to put more money into retirement and less money into eating out.
Obviously the amount of money going out has to equal the amount of money coming in. If part of the money coming in is increased indebtedness you may want to consider correcting that. Someday increased debt has to be paid back and that will increase still another category.
Step 5 — Calculate all of the changes you want to make
For all of the expense items simply determine any changes that you have to make.
Step 6 — Put your spending plan (budget) to work for you
How you do this is completely up to you. A few tips may help you out. Money for different purposes should be handled differently. Wherever possible mandatory expenses should be set up as an automatic debit to a checking account. Money for different purposes should also be physically separated. It can be in different bank accounts, or it could be an envelope system.
The envelope system works very well. You simply put the allocated amount of money for each category in a separate envelope. When the money is gone you stop spending. This way it keeps you from overspending for something you had not planned to do. Escrow money should not be mixed with the grocery or entertainment funds.
There are many sites on the Internet which can give you additional specifics on budgeting and systems to do so. All of the forms necessary for a budget can be downloaded free from the author’s website www.ptff.net. Another thing that may be of interest to you is the Financial Freedom Risk Assessment quiz that can also be found on that web site.
Give Yourself a Raise is a complete how-to guide for finding more money to reduce the stress in your life and lead you to financial freedom. Suitable for beginners and professionals alike, it will lead you to more contentment about money!Unique to this book are:· Financial Freedom Risk Assessment Quiz—take it and evaluate your own risk!· Goals made easy—the complete foundation for personal money management· Freedom Money Management System™—harness the power of electronic banking to organize your personal financesYou will also learn how to:· Control impulse spending· Eliminate family conflict· Get out of debt and stay out· Practice spending strategies to stretch your income· Stop wasting money
Categories: Personal Finance-Budgeting, Personal Finance-Money Management
Paperback: 250 pages
Publisher: Elate Press
Publication Date: July 23, 2013
ISBN-10: 0988149184
ISBN-13: 978-0988149182
YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
08/17/13 ADDENDUM
Another winner has been chosen.
An email has been sent to the winner and he has 48 hours to respond or another win will be chosen.
Julia Cameron has been an active artist for more than thirty years, with over thirty books (including bestsellers The Artist’s Way, Walking In This World and The Right to Write) and countless television, film, and theater scripts to her credit. Writing since the age of 18, Cameron has a long list of screenplay and teleplay credits to her name, including an episode of Miami Vice, and Elvis and the Beauty Queen, which starred Don Johnson. She was a writer on such movies as Taxi Driver, New York, New York, and The Last Waltz. She wrote, produced, and directed the award-winning independent feature film, God’s Will, which premiered at the Chicago International Film Festival, and was selected by the London Film Festival, the Munich International Film Festival, and Women in Film Festival, among others. In addition to making film, Cameron has taught film at such diverse places as Chicago Filmmakers, Northwestern University, and Columbia College. Her profound teachings on unlocking creativity and living from the creative center have inspired countless artists to unleash their full potential. Her site JuliaCameronLive.com is an online course and artists’ community.
Connect with Julia at these sites:
It has been 20 years since the publication of your bestseller, The Artist’s Way, and your many fans have long been asking for a book like The Artist’s Way for Parents – why did you decide to write this book now?
My daughter, Domenica, has just had her first child. I wanted to pass on to her the tips and insights I myself had used.
What creative tools did you employ in your daughter’s upbringing?
I wrote Morning Pages, I took Domenica with me on Creative Expeditions, I supplied her with toys for solo play. Above all, I modeled the joy of creative exploration myself.
Why do you think parents lose sight of their personal creativity, and why is it important that they reignite it?
Parents often feel they must commit themselves 24/7 to nurturing their child. With this as a mission, they often neglect their own creative nurturing. When they commit to self-care as well as child care, they experience and transmit joy.
Spirituality is an important theme in this book. What is the connection between spirituality and creativity?
I often say that spirituality and creativity are one and the same. As we commit to deepening our spirituality, we awaken our creativity. As we commit to awakening our creativity, we reignite our spirituality.
You describe this book as a “toolkit” for parents and their children. What are some of the key resources that will they discover in its pages?
The Artist’s Way for Parents aims at awakening inner wisdom. Its essays and tasks provoke thought. Parents will learn the attitudes and aptitudes that best serve their child’s creativity. For example, they will learn how to cultivate safety, inventiveness and independence.
This book is geared toward parents with children newborn through age twelve – does it get harder to inspire creativity in children as they grow older?
No. Children crave self-expression, and as they mature, their avenues for self-expression increase.
You encourage parents to write “Morning Pages” at the start of every day – can you explain a bit about the process and how parents, and their children, will benefit from this exercise?
Morning Pages are three pages of longhand, morning writing about absolutely anything. Virginia Wolfe advised wanna-be artists that they would need “a room of their own.” Morning Pages constitute such a room. As parents write their pages, they come in contact with their authentic feelings. This allows them to relate to their children without resentment. Instead, they find themselves tabulating the many tiny steps in their child’s development and their own reactions to them.
In what ways has our changing culture influenced people’s creativity over the years and generations?
Morning Pages are an old-fashioned tool. Writing by hand, we achieve a hand-made life. Writing by computer, we race along, ignoring our true feelings and perceptions. Emailing and texting, we tune out on our environment. As we focus on old-fashioned tools such as crafts, we awaken our child’s originality. Keeping our own technological indulgence to a minimum, we encourage our children to do the same.
How did your own parents encourage creativity in you and your siblings?
My parents encouraged creativity by supplying rich resources for our creative self-expression. They encouraged us to draw, paint, write and make music. They applauded our efforts. Their encouragement was pivotal in developing our love of self-expression.
Why is it so important for parents to awaken their children’s creative minds
Just as blood is part of our physical DNA, creativity is part of our spiritual DNA. Awakening our children’s creativity gives them the opportunity to become fully rounded individuals.
What is the most important takeaway for parents who are reading The Artist’s Way for Parents?
Readers of The Artist’s Way for Parents will find themselves cultivating their own creativity. They will see how their common sense and simple encouragement will benefit their children. They will learn the value of their alert participation in their children’s unfolding lives.
Genre: Non Fiction, Parenting & relationships
Published by: Tarcher
Publication Date: August 15, 2013
Number of Pages: 288
ISBN-10: 0399163727
ISBN-13: 978-0399163722
We think your readers would be interested in learning about the charitable promotion that Tarcher/Penguin is running now through August 15th: To celebrate the release of The Artist’s Way for Parents, Tarcher/Penguin has teamed with the LilySarahGraceFund and the International Child Art Foundation to help underprivileged children everywhere gain access to the arts. For every copy of The Artist’s Way for Parents sold now through August 15th, Tarcher/Penguin will donate $1 to these organizations. In addition, if the total number of copies sold within this timeframe (hardcopy or ebook) exceeds 1,000, Tarcher/Penguin will double its contribution. To make each order count, simply e-mail your receipt or an image of your receipt to: AWforParents@gmail.com.
YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
Debra Webb, born in Alabama, wrote her first story at age nine and her first romance at thirteen. It wasn’t until she spent three years working for the military behind the Iron Curtain—and a five-year stint with NASA—that she realized her true calling. A collision course between suspense and romance was set. Since then she has penned nearly 100 novels, including her internationally bestselling Colby Agency series. Debra’s debut romantic thriller series, Faces of Evil, propelled her to the top of the bestselling charts for an unparalleled twenty-four weeks.
Connect with Debra at these sites:
On Writing and Reading:
-Do you draw from personal experiences and/or current events?
A little of both. Since my husband was in the military we spent a lot of years living in different locations and meeting different folks. I spend a lot of time reading newspapers, magazines and online news feeds.
-Do you start with the conclusion and plot in reverse or start from the beginning and see where the story line brings you?
With the Faces of Evil the motive is key since the series explores the levels of evil. Once I have the motive in place I decide who the killer will be and then the victims. Once those elements are fleshed out the story begins!
-Your routine when writing? Any idiosyncrasies?
I have my coffee and wander to my office. First thing I do is turn on the music and get comfortable.
-Is writing your full time job? If not, may I ask what you do by day?
Writing has been my full time job for 15 years. Before that I worked on the Shuttle Project with NASA.
-Who are some of your favorite authors?
Too many to name! But I never miss anything by Regan Black,Allison Brennan, Robert Gregory Browne, Brett Battles, Kathy Carmichael, Cindy Gerard, Rita Herron, Vicki Hinze, CJ Lyons, VR Marks, Karen Rose, and Peggy Webb!
-What are you reading now?
I am really lucky! I’m reading an advance copy of a Lucy Guardino novella by CJ Lyons.
-Are you working on your next novel? Can you tell us a little about it?
I am! I’m working on Book 7, VICIOUS, of the Faces of Evil series and a Christmas novella that’s a prequel for the series.
Fun questions:
-Your novel will be a movie. Who would you cast?
I think I’d have to leave that up to the experts!
-Would you rather read or watch TV/movie?
Most of the time the answer would be read but I do love a great movie!
-Favorite food? Good bread.
-Favorite beverage? Coca Cola
Thank you for stopping by CMash Reads and spending time with us.
When her beloved high school teacher appears on her doorstep, Deputy Chief Jess Harris is flooded with fond memories—until the woman says she’s about to be charged with murder.
The victim was a member of Birmingham’s famed “Five.” Twelve years ago, the Five were rich, popular seniors who threw one last wild party. Two social outcasts were invited, and the next morning one of them was dead. Now Jess fears the invitation to an upcoming class reunion may have forced the Five to play a deadly new game. A vicious cycle of vengeance has begun, and the killer is far from finished…
Publisher: Forever Mass Market
Publication Date: July 30, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1-4555-2758-8
Three photos of three unknown women. Sent to Deputy Chief Jess Harris by the 
Player, one of the world’s most sadistic killers. The Player is taunting her, and Jess is more than ready to take on his challenge.
Only one thing could distract her from the Player’s deadly game: the appearance of a clue to long-unsolved cases. For years Birmingham’s children were vanishing—one per year, always on a full moon—until the disappearances stopped and the Man in the Moon case went cold. No leads on the children were ever found—until now.
Jess has no choice but to pursue the case. Someone is reaching out to her, sending her mementos of the missing children, and the citizens of Birmingham deserve justice. But after years of silence, has the Man in the Moon really resurfaced? Or is he just another pawn in the Player’s game?
Publisher: Forever Mass Market
Publication Date: August 27, 2013
ISBN-13: 978-1-4555-2760-1
YOUR JAVA SCRIPT MAY NEED TO BE UPDATED
IF YOU AR EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTY
USING THE RAFFLECOPTER ENTRY FORM
