July 26, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/floyd-mayweathers-tax-strategy-would-knock-out-your-finances-2017-07-19

You don’t have to be Floyd “Money” Mayweather to find yourself in significant tax trouble thanks to self-employment income or a one-time windfall.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather’s upcoming bout against UFC mixed martial arts fighter Conor McGregor, who is making his boxing debut, stands to make Mayweather a minimum of $100 million, according to Boxing Scene writer Keith Idec. However, if he meets several of the clauses in his contract, that figure could swell to nearly $400 million.

According to the folks at Law 360, however, at least a portion of that will go toward paying for back taxes. Despite making $700 million during his career, Mayweather has asked for “a short-term installment agreement of under three months” to pay an amount that the Associated Press has pegged at $22,238,255. Reporter Oskar Garcia even posted the Internal Revenue Service lien against Mayweather on Twitter for context: (see article). Back in 2015, Mayweather had earned $250 million in his fight against Manny Pacquiao. Shomari Hearn points out that there are several factors that can make a tax lien that large: “Owing more than $22 million for the 2015 tax year means that the amount that’s on the tax lien includes a bunch of penalties and interest charges as well,” he says. “If you underpay your tax liability for self-employment income, you need to cover at least 100% of the expected tax liability for that year or 110% of the previous year’s liability to avoid penalties and interest.”

Hearn notes that self-employed workers or people who come into a windfall (lottery winnings, sale of a business, etc.) typically run afoul of tax issues similar to those Mayweather is facing. If they’re unaware that a percentage needs to be withheld for tax purposes, or are used to any employer or human relations department walking them through tax withholdings, they could find themselves staring down a tax assessment and lien of their own. It’s important to do tax projections to see how much you could potentially pay in taxes, and begin setting aside a portion of your income. If you know funds are going to be coming in then act. If you find yourself in Mayweather’s position then consider these three actions. “First, keep all correspondence you receive from the IRS about how much you owe. Second, hold on to a copy of the tax return from the year or years in question and see what you reported and/or what you’re underreporting. Finally, figure out how much is due and a way to pay that balance off that’s within your budget. Also, if possible, have a plan in place for the current year so your earnings aren’t in similar peril around the same time next year.”  Whether you agree with our current tax system or not, it’s important to pay your taxes and avoid unnecessary penalties and the stress of the IRS. Consider consulting with a tax attorney for relief, and at the same time get with a qualified accountant or tax specialist to see if there’s any way to take advantage of the tax incentives that are built into the law. Personally, I examine at least 50 tax returns per year when I’m analyzing credit. The consistent theme I see is that the truly rich limit their tax liability, and yet still have plenty of income.

https://www.inc.com/heather-r-morgan/5-writing-tricks-that-will-help-you-appeal-to-short-attention-spans.html

Ask any copywriter to name their biggest challenge today, and ten to one will tell you it’s writing for the ever-shrinking attention span. Whether we really do have shorter attention spans than goldfish, as the news tells us, or we’re just lazier, there’s no denying our tolerance for lengthy, complicated text has nosedived in recent years. For those in the business of writing cold emails every day, this is a constant source of frustration. It’s hard enough to get a potential buyer past the subject line of a message, so it’s downright disheartening to know that when you do, there’s no guarantee someone will read to the end. How many of us simply glance at a long email and quickly move on, or sometimes need a dictionary to understand a pitch? Have you ever received an email that felt more appropriate for a creative-writing class than a business relationship? These mistakes aren’t exclusive to sales, but they’ll sabotage a cold email in mere seconds. To keep your potential customers reading and your chances of closing a deal higher, follow these five easy copywriting strategies: Assume  your reader is lazy, keep sentences short, use simple words, tear down walls of text, and write to a mobile audience. As the world transitions to a more visual form of communication, writing will still have value, but writers will need to be able to be more clear and effective with the words they use. In helping a friend design her blog, I even suggested that she simply type a sentence, and include a video link at the bottom. You should understand that because your audience is more mobile, the attention span will be shorter, and you must account for other business owners wanting to make their presence seen in the global marketplace. In your communication keep it short and effective but know your audience. Remember that your words have power, but your reputation does too. The stronger your relationship is with the audience, or your recipient, the more likely the person is to read your words.

 

Going forward, the weekly blog will be posted on Saturdays. I’m currently writing and reading new articles so thank you for your patience.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included RETRAIN YOUR BRAIN – Best Motivational Video for Success in Life & Study 2017 from the Be Inspired YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

 

 

July 19, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/11/marcus-lemonis-this-is-the-no-1-sign-its-time-to-fire-someone.html

When you’re running a small business, there’s not much room for an employee who isn’t meeting expectations — one person’s poor performance can impact the entire company. But how does a manager know when it’s time to let an employee go? That’s the tough lesson that turnaround king Marcus Lemonis has to teach one business owner on this week’s episode of CNBC’s “The Profit.” Though Lemonis has helped dysfunctional teams overcome obstacles before, he faces a challenging environment at California-based Bodhi Coffee, a high-end coffee bean wholesaler. Their story illustrates a key management lesson for business owners: When an employee demonstrates consistent disregard for a company’s well-being, it’s time to take action. In this article, the author examines Bodhi Coffee. The company saw success in its first few years of operation, but its internal issues were revealed as the company grew, and those issues were a direct result of one employee. Because the employee didn’t have consideration for his co-workers, the company began to suffer, and the owner had to change how he ran his team. “Humility is a requirement for me to be in business with somebody,” Lemonis tells Sims, “but there’s a certain amount of confidence I would like you to have to be partners with you.” Sims began holding more staff meetings to increase communication with his team. He had a difficult conversation with the under-performing employee and after weighing the pros and cons of letting him go, Sims decided to terminate him. “You’ve got to be able to communicate,” Lemonis says. “If you can’t, it’s like, people don’t know what to do.” Communication is the most essential key in any relationship both business and personal. Personally, I have an open-door policy, and don’t believe in talking behind another person’s back nor ruling by fear. Work is a place you should want to be at, and if it’s not there are other jobs out there. At the same time, co-workers should respect each other, and treat each other with care. Some of us will spend 8+ hours with the person next to us, and having a good work environment is essential for productivity and efficiency.

https://www.inc.com/brian-scudamore/how-to-build-a-multi-million-dollar-business-wi.html

Spoiler alert: most of today’s top companies are based on old ideas. Uber is a modern twist on the taxi industry; Airbnb has done the same with hotels. Tesla’s electric vehicles are just another incarnation of a centuries-old idea. And yet the founders of these companies are heralded as the most innovative entrepreneurs of our time. Entrepreneurship is rarely about inventing the next best thing — it’s about innovation, thinking differently about how things work, and asking questions others won’t. You don’t have to be revolutionary to be successful; you just need to revolutionize the way things are done. Invention vs Innovation: What’s the Difference? These words are often used interchangeably, but they’re very different. Inventors introduce a product or process for the very first time. Innovators identify opportunities to improve on existing inventions. Not all inventors are entrepreneurs (in fact, that’s a rarity). Likewise, entrepreneurs are hardly ever inventors — but they are innovative. They don’t have to come up with the big idea; they can take any idea and turn it into a successful business. For example, Tim Bernets-Lee invented the world wide web but didn’t turn it into a business, and Richard Branson hasn’t invented anything, but has improved on existing businesses. The mistake people make is that the word entrepreneur is an occupation when in fact it’s a mindset. Personally, I hate using that word, and I feel it’s been overused. Away is transforming the luggage industry by meeting real travelers’ needs. Netflix took over the video rental space by bringing the movie store to your living room. The most successful businesses don’t have to invent a completely new product — but they do need to reinvigorate old ideas with new-and-improved tricks. To stand out, your business must have a differentiator. Staying ahead is about making things easier for your customers than any other company on the market. By thinking unconventionally about conventional things, you can make even the most ordinary things exceptional. Look at the opportunity in the world around you and ask yourself: how can I make it better?

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included WHEN LIFE GETS HARD – MOTIVATIONAL VIDEO – GYM MOTIVATION from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

July 12, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

https://www.inc.com/brenda-barbosa/these-6-questions-from-a-buddhist-monk-turned-millionaire-investor-will-help-you.html

Christine Comaford sees this problem time and time again. From U.S. presidents to billionaire CEOs to budding entrepreneurs, the problem that continually arises for leaders throughout all stages of growth and development is answering a deceptively simple question: What do I want? Answering this one crucial question is the first step to reaching any desired outcome. But for so many, the answer is elusive. In fact, most people are pretty good at rattling off in full detail all the things they don’t want, but when it comes to describing what they do want, the specifics are remarkably fuzzy. Getting clear on the exact outcomes you’d like to achieve, and knowing what you have to give up (or postpone) in order to reach those goals, is the key to success because there are no achievements that come without corresponding trade-offs. “Many people actually don’t know what they want, or they don’t know the cost of it,” Comaford says in this interview. “And if you don’t know the cost of it, you can’t create it.” At the age of 17, Comaford entered a Buddhist monastery where she stayed as a monk for seven years. Afterwards she had careers with Microsoft, Adobe, and Apple, and became an angel investor for such start-ups as Google, and even wrote two New York Times bestselling books. It was this unconventional set of lives that would lead her to become a high performance executive coach. She now has “a 360-degree ability to understand business not just as a set of strategies but also as a complex web of human interactions.” She seeks to help a person with the simple question of what do you want?, and if you struggle to answer this question she takes you through the Outcome Frame which is a series of six questions: what would you like?, what will having that outcome do for you?, how will you know when you have it?, where when and with whom do you want it?, what of value might you risk or lose?, and what are the next steps?. These six questions will help guide and shape your drive and give you strength. I suggest that you write these six questions and place them where they can be seen, and even take the time to review them at least monthly. The more you remind yourself the more you can re-align yourself. Personally, I look at my life through the lens of eternity and legacy. I use Church of the Highlands‘s Steps to help me understand my relationship and relationships in general. The four steps are: Know God, Find Freedom, Discover Purpose, and Make a Difference. I believe once you understand your purpose and live in it, you’ll have a sincere desire to make a difference in this life and not just in this world.

https://www.inc.com/marla-tabaka/forgetfulness-is-just-annoying-9-unusual-ways-to-improve-your-memory.html

Don’t you just love it when this happens? You go to another room in the house for some reason and there you are, but you can’t remember why. Or, you shake someone’s hand and forget their name before you even let go. Oh, and my favorite: running into the grocery store to pick up two or three items, only to head home without the most important ingredient–which was why you went to the store in the first place. That’s just annoying. The symptoms of poor short-term memory can be caused by preoccupation, distractions, lack of focus, and a weakened memory muscle. Sure, it gets worse as we age, but people who are overwhelmed struggle with forgetfulness at any age. Entrepreneurs certainly fit into this category. None of it is totally out of your control. Try these slightly off-beat ways to exercise your memory muscle and you could see an improvement in weeks. The nine unusual techniques are: chew gum while learning, move your eyes from side to side, clench your fists, use unusual fonts, doodle, laugh, practice good posture, eat a Mediterranean diet, and finally meditate. Laughter is a medicine that is good not just for your body but your soul as well. After watching a funny video for 20-minutes, cortisol levels were lowered for participants. Since this hormone is associated with stress, which is known to negatively impact the memory, a good dose of daily laughter will prove beneficial for your overall health. Finally, meditation is a simple practice that anyone can do. Even if you spend five minutes to slow your day and breathe deeply you cause your mind to focus in a new and different way. Regular meditation improves your ability to focus, and even pass tests. I can testify to this as it definitely affects my focus and short-term memory when I fall off my meditation track. This may be why: Studies at Harvard Medical School revealed that people who meditate have more control over alpha rhythm–a brain wave believed to filter out everyday distractions, allowing more important things to process. This is only one hypothesis. Meditation is known to significantly increase blood flow to the brain and multiply storage mechanisms, ensuring that your brain retains the ability to store new memories now, and as you age. Meditation over time becomes a practice as natural as breathing. There are also different types of meditation that you can explore. Just take a moment and be still.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included BE THE HERO – Motivational Video [ JOE ROGAN] from the Mulligan Brothers YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG


July 5, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/signs-youll-never-be-rich-2016-4/

Contrary to popular belief, “Everyone has the same opportunity to acquire wealth,” says self-made millionaire Steve Siebold. But is wealth in the cards for you? To help you evaluate that, we’ve rounded up nine red flags to watch out for. While no one can predict the future, the following choices most likely won’t accelerate your path to riches. The 9 signs you’ll never be rich are: you put too much emphasis on saving – and not enough on earning, you haven’t started investing, you’re content with a steady paycheck, you buy things you can’t afford, you’re pursuing someone else’s dreams – not your own, you rarely step outside of your comfort zone, you don’t have goals for your money, you spend first and save what’s left over, and you believe getting rich is out of your reach. It’s important to save money to invest, however at some point you must take action and begin to focus on earning. “The masses are so focused on clipping coupons and living frugally they miss major opportunities,” Siebold writes. It’s important to not focus on losing money, but to focus on making it work hard for you. Some experts say that “it’s not about how much money you make, it’s about how much you keep,” but this shouldn’t be an excuse to disregard earning completely. To keep money, you have to earn it in the first place. A common thread among millionaires is that they develop multiple streams of income and have smart savings habits. It’s important to start investing today. It’s true the earlier you invest, the more the power of compound interest can help you, but also keep in mind that taking action is one of the most important steps. Your average person is content with being paid for their time vs. a rich person will wait to be paid based on results. Another important factor is if you’re living above your means then the unnecessary luxury items could be hindering your ability to build wealth. “When you pursue someone else’s dreams or goals, you may eventually become unhappy with your chosen profession,” he writes in “Change Your Habits, Change Your Life.” “Your performance and compensation will reflect it. You will eke out a living, struggling financially. You simply won’t have the passion that is necessary for success to happen.” You must be willing to step out of your comfort zone, and by doing this step, you’ll in time grow into a new level of personal success. Everything worthwhile in life is uphill. Rich people want to attain wealth and set attainable measurable goals. Put it down on paper and go after it. If you want to get rich, pay yourself first. “What most people do when they earn a dollar is pay everyone else first,” self-made millionaire David Bach writes in “The Automatic Millionaire.” “They pay the landlord, the credit card company, the telephone company, the government, and on and on.” Rather than spending and then saving whatever is leftover, save first. Set aside at least 10% of your gross income and make the process automatic, Bach emphasizes. That way, you’ll never even see the money and you’ll learn to live without it. Finally, what you personally think is critical. Your thoughts are words, and your words are powerful because they do become flesh. You live in an abundant world and you’re blessed with unique gifts, and perspective. Use your life to create massive value for those around you. Blessed are the problem solvers, so go find some problems to solve.

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/charles-barkley-just-say-no-to-friends-and-family-who-ask-for-money-2017-07-01

NBA great Charles Barkley has some sound advice for rookies: Don’t give your money away to family and friends. “The first thing you do is learn how to save your money ’cause your family and friends are the worst people to spend your money. It has been that way for a long time. Barkley estimates that 60% or 70% of professional athletes go broke, “and 90% of the time it is because of family and friends.” “You have to learn to say the magic word: no,” Barkley recommends. “I do not owe you anything. If I want to do something for family, I’ll do it — but I do not have to keep them on payroll and support them their entire life. I lost a lot of family and friends because of that, and it was money well spent getting rid of them.” It’s not easy to say no, however there are moments when you want to take inventory of the situation and then weigh the consequences of saying yes. If you don’t stand for something, then you’ll fall for everything. Personally, I measure my yes and no against my value system which is the Bible. I also will consult with my wife and closest friends on issues that could involve a no. If it’s a financial decision then I talk with my wife even if I know the answer will be yes out of mutual respect and trust. Sometimes you can’t trust your own judgement so seek wise counsel.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

This week, I’ve included STOP WISHING , START DOING – Powerful Motivation from the Success Archive YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG


June 28, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/barbara-corcoran-swears-by-1-interview-question-2017-6

When Barbara Corcoran interviewed candidates for her successful real-estate brokerage, she never bothered to read their résumés first. Résumés can be easily fabricated and perfectly finessed, so she didn’t see the point. Instead, she wanted to know one key fact about each potential employee: Was he or she happy? The “Shark Tank” star looks deeply at a person’s personality and drive. Her one interview question which helps her determine if someone fits her company is: tell me about your family. Corcoran says she wants to know about a prospective employee’s parents. How he or she grew up. How someone speaks about family reveals so much about how that person learned to approach challenges. By the time someone is sitting across from you in an interview, his or her perspective is most likely pretty ingrained. “If their family couldn’t give them a positive attitude, there’s nothing I can do that’s going to change it,” she says. From her point of view, unhappy people often don’t reach their full potential. She especially hates complainers, and doesn’t tolerate those who play the victim card. She even has a dramatic way to move on from complain-y entrepreneurs. When she first signs a deal with any entrepreneur, she displays his or her photo on the wall of her office. But the moment she hears that entrepreneur start playing the victim card, she flips the photo over. “They’ll never succeed. Victims don’t succeed,” she says. The words you speak into your soul have power over you. Good words can produce good results, but even deeper than that you need to have faith in your words too. Even if you don’t believe them initially, constantly search for your inner why, and begin surrounding yourself with those who are willing to walk with you. Build a community if you must, but ultimately discover purpose and make a difference. If you fall, then get back up until you climb your personal mountain. Successful investors will invest in you if you have the tenacity and conviction to follow through with your plans. Your words are important, and they will bring life or death.


http://www.businessinsider.com/how-stop-overspending-2017-6

At just 27 years old, the blogger behind the Money Wizard — who goes by the pen name Sean online — has banked more than $181,000. He’s on a mission to retire early, at age 37. Sean saves 65% of his take-home pay — he earns $80,000 a year as a financial analyst — and still manages to travel frequently. “Probably what’s most driving me [to retire early] — I just want freedom,” he told Business Insider. “So many people get caught up in the race of materialism, thinking that next house or next car is what will make them happy. I think happiness comes from freedom. I just want to be able to do what I want, without financial worry.” He saves automatically each month, putting his money into a 401(k), IRA, and index funds. “Saving off the top,” he said, is the best strategy for socking away money because you don’t miss the cash if you don’t see it in the first place. Sean’s philosophy for building wealth is based on calculating the value of his time in dollars. “Understanding that, at its core, money is a unit of exchange for time … every purchase costs me time — the most limited resource we have,” he said. Before buying something, Sean often calculates the true cost of the purchase, in terms of the time it took him to earn the amount, to put it into perspective. “If I buy a $30 dinner, that dinner is paid for in after-tax dollars and is subject to sales tax. If I’m in the 25% tax bracket and the dinner is subject to a 10% meal tax, that $30 dinner costs nearly $45. After considering the time spent working to earn $45, is the fancy dinner still worth it?” he said. How much is your time worth to you? There’s only 24 hours in a day, seven days in a week, and 12 months in a year. Try Sean’s exercise and consider how much time at work you must sacrifice every time you buy something you don’t need. Make your money work for you, and learn how to work smart not just harder. Your imagination can create new and wonderful ways to make life better. How can you make a difference? How can you take this difference and place it in a business model? Can this business become an income producing asset? Can the business be scaled? How much money do you need to live? These are all deep personal questions that you should take the time to think about. Once you are done thinking, act and make life happen.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

For this week, I’ve included GET UNSTUCK FROM DESTRUCTIVE HABITS – Motivational Video for Success & Studying (end laziness) from Be Inspired YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

June 21, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

https://www.inc.com/logan-chierotti/self-made-billionaire-john-paul-dejoria-shares-2-facets-to-becoming-a-successful.html

Once as a young man, John Paul DeJoria was homeless. Today, this self-made entrepreneur is worth over $3 billion. The founder of Paul Mitchell Systems and Patron Tequila, DeJoria recently gave a speech at the TEDx conference in Los Angeles. A first-generation American turned entrepreneur, DeJoria is an excellent example of achieving the American dream. His personal story and the companies he created are nothing less than inspirational. He is a socially minded business owner who develops brands around the pillars of sustainability, social responsibility, and animal-friendliness. He is also a member of The Giving Pledge, a philanthropic gathering of the wealthiest families in the world who are all committed to donating the majority of their wealth toward pro-social causes. But for DeJoria, that dream didn’t come without a lot of hard work and a resilient spirit. In his TEDx speech, DeJoria discusses how he overcame obstacles in his life and shares a few secrets to gaining an edge on the competition. DeJoria believes in this important attribute: going the extra mile. It’s about working hard. In his speech, DeJoria sums up his point, saying, “Doing what you should be doing, even when no one is watching.” DeJoria has two facets to becoming a successful entrepreneur:

1. Be Prepared For A LOT Of Rejection – Rejection is an inevitable part of the entrepreneur’s journey, especially when starting out. In the beginning, DeJoria suggests that we must not listen to people who doubt our abilities and just keep pushing. More importantly, by being properly prepared to deal with rejection, you will be much less affected by it.

2. Produce A Service Or Product Of The Highest Quality – While some companies worry about generating income over all else, DeJoria believes the quality of a product is critical. “You want your product or service to be so good,” says DeJoria, “that you’re not in the selling business, you’re in the re-order business.”

These lessons are straightforward, and yet they are widely applicable. If you implement them into your life, maybe someday you will reach the level of success Mr. DeJoria has. However, if you do, try to live with his motto in mind.

“Success unshared is failure.” – John Paul DeJoria

http://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/110613/market-value-versus-book-value.asp

Understanding the difference between book value and market value is a simple yet fundamentally critical component of any attempt to analyze a company for investment. After all, when you invest in a share of stock or an entire business, you want to know you are paying a sensible price. Book value means the value of the business according to its financial statements. In this case, book value is calculated from the balance sheet, and it is the difference between a company’s total assets and total liabilities. Note that this is also the term for shareholders’ equity. For example, if Company XYZ has total assets of $100 million and total liabilities of $80 million, the book value of the company is $20 million. In a very broad sense, this means that if the company sold off its assets and paid down its liabilities, the equity value or net worth of the business, would be $20 million. Market value is the value of a company according to the stock market. Book value is the value of the company based on its books also known as the accounting value. Market value has a more meaningful implication in the sense that it is the price you have to pay to own a part of the business regardless of what book value is stated. Due to the importance of this article’s content, I’ve included a lot of the content. It’s worth reading.

There are three basic generalizations about the relationships between book value and market value:

  1. Book Value Greater Than Market Value: The financial market values the company for less than its stated value or net worth. When this is the case, it’s usually because the market has lost confidence in the ability of the company’s assets to generate future profits and cash flows. In other words, the market doesn’t believe that the company is worth the value on its books. Value investors often like to seek out companies in this category in hopes that the market perception turns out to be incorrect. After all, the market is giving you the opportunity to buy a business for less than its stated net worth.
  2. Market Value Greater Than Book Value: The market assigns a higher value to the company due to the earnings power of the company’s assets. Nearly all consistently profitable companies will have market values greater than book values.
  3. Book Value Equals Market Value: The market sees no compelling reason to believe the company’s assets are better or worse than what is stated on the balance sheet.

It’s important to note that on any given day, a company’s market value will fluctuate in relation to book value. The metric that tells this is known as the price-to-book ratio, or the P/B ratio:

P/B Ratio = Share Price/Book Value Per Share

(where Book Value Per Share equals shareholders’ equity divided by number of shares outstanding)

The author goes on to compare the metric of book value vs market value by analyzing Coca-Cola and Wells Fargo & Co. It’s important to determine whether book value or market value is your metric in making a financial decision regarding a company. My opinion is book value and market value are dependent upon the level of commitment to your investment strategy. If your strategy is to invest in paper assets then book value and market value can play a factor in your decision, but if you are going to buy a company that is publicly traded then there are other factors that you must consider. In other words, the greater the commitment, the more work you should put in to ensure that your investment produces income. Remember an investment should be an income producing asset. If it’s passive income, and that income is greater than your expenses then you are wealthy.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

For this week, I’ve included WHO WILL YOU BECOME? – 30 Minute Epic Workout Motivation Friday from Basquiat Picasso YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG

June 14, 2017

Items in italics are direct quotes from the articles below

http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-stop-using-filler-words-speech-presentation-2016-12

Americans are famous for using filler words like “um”, “uh”, “like” and “y’know”. On average, we utter two to three filler words for every 100 words we speak. One method to stop using filler words is the clap method. Ask someone to listen to you speak and clap whenever you use a filler word. It will seem weird at first, but you’ll be able to determine how many filler words you use in your daily conversation. The self-recording method involves setting up a camera or cell phone device to record yourself during conversation. The best way to correct yourself from using filler words is by pausing in between each thought. “It is a matter of training yourself to tolerate a long pause and telling yourself that you will not lose people’s attention or respect.” – Paula Statman. People will also use filler words when experiencing anxiety. A good way to manage this anxiety is to shift your focus to helping the audience. Finally, it’s important to practice giving speeches, so you will build your confidence. The best way to communicate your spirit is through your words, and in my opinion the most efficient and effective way to communicate your words is through speaking. Your spoken words can communicate tone in a way that written words can’t. Remember that words are powerful. Words can become flesh.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/renaissance-mints-another-billionaire-with-two-more-on-the-cusp

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.”

―Margaret Fuller

Want to know one of the “secrets” to becoming a better leader? Become a more voracious reader. One of the best ways to “stand on the shoulders of giants” is to read. We hear it all the time–that the most successful people, our greatest leaders, are people who read constantly (including Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Warren Buffett). Reading for leaders is a way to broaden their knowledge, to expand their world view, to gain insight and widen their perspectives. But the secret is knowing what to read. Not every book will get you where you need to be. Here is my list of the top five books you must read if you want to become a more successful, well-rounded leader. The five books are: The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness, Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success, The 48 Laws of Power, and Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization. Each book is worth reading, however I’ve selected a direct quote from the article regarding the 48 Laws of Power. “When you show yourself to the world and display your talents, you naturally stir all kinds of resentment, envy, and other manifestations of insecurity. … You cannot spend your life worrying about the petty feelings of others.” A contrast to the usual “feel-good” tone of most leadership books, The 48 Laws of Power brings a hard-edged ruthless grit based on the philosophies of Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Carl Von Clausewitz and stories of politicians and other manipulators throughout history. Robert Greene’s “48 laws” focus on making yourself look good, building your own confidence, self-preservation, and winning. Even if it’s a message you’re not entirely comfortable with, it’s one you need to know. It’s important to listen to different points of view even if you may not agree with the point of view. Each of these books, I believe will help draw out the leader in you. Be a servant leader and serve for the greater good of eternity and legacy. Just remember that when you lead you can be the target that gets hit first, so be true to the values you believe in.

If you are interested in creating a budget, then contact me for a financial checkup in the contact me section. Also, learn more about the self-lending principle in the mustard seed section.

For this week, I’ve included SINK OR SWIM – Motivational Video | You don’t have to face yourself on Friday from Fight it or Accept it YouTube channel.

“If you think you know it all, you’re a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others.”

Proverbs 28:26 MSG