Welcome to my blog!

I am glad you’re here. This is a blog about personal finance, and how fixing your money enables you to enjoy your life. Let me just list some of the reasons:

• Fixing your money reduces stress;
• It opens up choices and opportunities;
• It protects you from outside forces in the economy or a job loss;
• It builds your nest egg to help secure your future;
• It changes the way you think about your job;
• It improves your relationships;
• It enables your money to work for tomorrow, rather than pay for yesterday;
• It lets dreams become goals.

The list of the benefits of fixing your money can go on an on. And it’s personal – some of these will apply to you, some may not, and you may have others not shown here.

One thing I can guarantee is that fixing your money is worth it. It will change your life. If you’re like most of the clients that I’ve served through Richer Than You Think, you will say (or think) “I should have done this years ago.” But what you didn’t do in the past doesn’t matter now. Just get started. It’s never too late. As soon as you start fixing your money, you will find more joy in your life. I did, and every one of my clients has. You will too.

I remember the day I decided to fix my own money. I was in my early 30s and standing in line at a clothing store. The woman in front of me was paying for her purchase with a personal check. I noticed as she logged the amount of the purchase in her checkbook that her balance was over $12,000. She was paying with money she already had. But that wasn’t me. I was paying for my purchase using a credit card (with a balance over $10,000!). I was paying with money I didn’t have, adding to a bunch of other things I had purchased with money I didn’t have.

I had all of the stuff that conveyed success, but it was pretty much all purchased with debt. I made a very good income, but I spent it as I earned it, and then some. Seeing that customer’s five figures…in CASH…in her checking account was both a punch in the gut to me, and a wake up call. I decided that day (after going through with my purchase on the credit card!) that I was going to fix my money. On that day, that meant having a five-figure checking account.

Notice when I decided to fix my money, I immediately had a goal: I wanted a five-figure checking account like the woman in the store. An account of $10,000 in cash…just to say it and think it possible…relieved stress for me, who was pretty much living check to check. This became my WHY. And having a WHY was so important. It was my fuel. My reinforcement. It helped me say no to impulsive temptations. It helped me focus.

My first step in fixing my money was to stop using the credit cards. So I did. I stopped. I took them out of my wallet and into a drawer they went. That was easy.

Next, I wrote out a budget that included my monthly income and all of my monthly expenses. No savings was part of it, though I should have incorporated a small emergency fund. But I didn’t know any better then. Credit card expenses were budgeted just at their minimum payments at this point. After listing out rent, food, gas, utilities, and bills, I only had $5 left at the end of the month! What an eye opener. BUT, and this is important, I finally had awareness of my situation. I could see it. It was honest. And I felt like I had done something towards my five-figure WHY. I immediately felt better. I had a goal (five-figure checking account balance), I took the first step to getting there (credit cards out of the wallet), and information to guide tomorrow’s spending (a basic budget). I was on my way. And boy, did it feel good.

I share this part of my story so that you can see how simple it is to get started. You don’t need anything fancy. There is no magic app, or guru, or formula. Decide why you want or need to fix your money and do something today that takes that first step. Congratulations!

Oh do I have a lot to share. I can’t wait.

Kathleen