50 Shades of an Investment Plan

 

50 Shades of an Investment Plan?

I think we could all agree that 50 Shades of Grey is one of the hottest movies of the year so far!

But just how hot is this movie?
This movie has grossed more than $528 million worldwide.
Yes that is one hot movie!
50 Shades of Grey is the largest international opening movie of 2015. 
It is also the highest R-rated opening international movie ever.
So just how hot does this deal get for the young entrepreneur Christian Grey himself?
Well even after claims that actor Jamie Dornan was going to quit after this first movie, because his wife was uncomfortable with some of the explicit sex scenes.
Jamie Dornan has just recently signed a deal that will take him from being paid approximately $250,000 for this movie to a reportedly hot $7 million deal to star in the sequels.
Is this a good investment decision for Jamie Dornan and his wife?
This may seem like nothing compared to what some of the highest paid actors in Hollywood earn per movie with Johnny Depp earning $50 million for every movie or Leonardo DiCaprio who now earns $77 million for his movies.
With all that money to be earned in the movie industry is there an ideal script for managing finances and retirement when it comes to actors?
Even with the large amounts of money that can be paid to an actor per movie does this guarantee them a carefree retirement or are there drawbacks?
For actors it can often be a case of feast or famine which means they have to learn how to make the most of the money that they earn.
This can make it difficult for actors to manage their finances.  Due to the fact that work is not consistent and even though they may be paid very well for a role they may have to live off that for a long while before they get their next role.
One of the hardest things for an actor is when they finally do get that big break that can make them rich overnight they can also go broke overnight just as easily, because due to human nature when that big break that they have been waiting on come so does overspending and not enough saving.
All too often when actors are making large sums of money there are bad financial decisions being made at the same time which will hurt them in the long-term?  Bad decisions like investing too much into tax deferred accounts and then having to withdraw the money out early or simply spending too much and saving too little for the times when they are not working.

4 tips towards the perfect script for Financial Success;

      1.  Put aside at least 24 months of living expenses in cash.
      2.  Make sure you work with a Financial Advisor who will tie in the importance of Estate     Planning and Tax Advice into your overall plan.
      3.  Don’t just invest into tax deferred accounts; make sure you invest in taxable accounts that can be used without incurring penalties.  It is important that investments are maximized in working times and assets available when not working.
      4.  Anyone devoting their career to acting needs to know the importance of having a Financial Advisor as part of their team just like having your agent and manager.

 

 

 

 

Is it really worth the risk?

Is it really worth the risk?

Would you agree with me if I said everything in life worth having involves taking some kind of risk?

Everything we decide to go after in our lives has some level of risk involved in order to achieve what we want.
Taking risks of course can be scary, but the risk of doing nothing is worse.
The outcome is never certain but the rewards can be great.
Without taking risks we could miss out on so many opportunities and dreams.
Life is a series of calculated risks with no guaranteed outcome.
Some risks that are worth taking include;
The risk of failing
The risk of failing is one of the hardest risks of all for us to take.  Think about it for a moment when we don’t fail we succeed and when we do fail we succeed because we will have to find another way to do it in order to succeed.  Emotions are often what hold’s us back from taking the calculated risk in order to succeed.
The risk of making a mistake
To succeed in life we need to be able to make and admit our mistakes.  If we are not making mistakes we are not trying enough new things in our lives.
The risk of never being good enough
We will either be good enough or we will not.  But without taking the risk we will never find out and the risk of not knowing is greater than the risk of making a mistake.
The risk of love
To risk saying I love you and not to be loved back.  Of course it will hurt if we tell someone we love them and they don’t say it in return but it is better to take the risk and say I love you than wait and miss out on the opportunity of love altogether.

Parents are you back in the routine yet?

Parents are you back in the routine yet?

You know the long awaited routine of back to school.

Summer is fun that we cannot deny.
However after 3 long months of summer break I think parents, grandparents and kids alike are ready to get back to school.
I know that even though my kids love summer there is a part of them that also likes the comfort of being back in their school routine, as well as of course getting back to seeing their friends every day and getting back to their school sports.
What does back to school mean to us as Parents?
Well the first thing I think of is back to the crazy business of all the running around that comes with back to school and all of the other activities that my kids participate in after school.
But another thing that back to school represents is that our kids are another year closer to College.
In the same way that you are another year closer to having to fund you kids college.
As the Parent or Grandparent of children how are you planning to help them with their college expenses?
You need to be smart about the costs of putting yourselves at financial risk in doing so.
Do not forget the importance of creating a sound overall financial plan.
What does this mean and how do you go about doing that?

Motivation is Power!

Motivation is Power!

Motivation is the power you need to accomplish your goals.

It is the necessary force driving you to create lasting change in your lives.
Motivation is the fire that comes from within us make something happen in your lives.
It is something that cannot come from someone else.
Different things motivate different people.
Maybe it’s a new project you have recently embarked upon.
A desire to start a new business.
It might be pursuing a new career therefore achieving the goal to escape the mundane job that you have been doing for years.
For some it is the motivation to lose weight by eating healthier and start exercising.
It could mean committing to a relationship mentally and emotionally no matter how difficult it might be.
Maybe it’s your long term commitment to achieving your financial goals.
It is always easy to find the initial determination and passion to achieve your goals.
However it is keeping the motivation to achieve those goals that usually proves to be the difficult part.
What happens to your goals when you tire and start to lose your motivation?
Do you give up?
This is when you need to try and recapture that original motivation, which can sometimes be easier said than done.
Is there a way to regain the energy that drives you to accomplish and succeed in your goals?
How can you readjust your focus and maintain that motivation that you once had?
You see normally it is not your circumstances that have changed but your feelings.
So when you feel that loose of motivation it is time to go back to the source that motivated you to begin with.
Who or what it was that motivated you to achieve your goals.
Don’t be afraid to ask your friends or family for help to get back your motivation.
Maybe going back to the place that was the original source of your motivation will help.
Writing down your goals and referring to them often is also a good way to keep motivated.
Here are 5 Financial Goals that you should write down to keep you motivated to reach your financial goals;
1.      Invest more money.
2.      Pay down credit card debt.
3.      Cut back on unnecessary spending.
4.      Save for retirement.
5.      Create an emergency fund.
For you to create that lasting change it takes the kind of motivation that takes strength and long term commitment, do not expect instant gratification.

“An unwritten goal is only a wish” – common proverb.

  

Brazil 2014 is not a Retirement Plan!

Brazil 2014 is not a Retirement Plan!

At last the wait is finally over.

It has been four long years!
We have made it!
The world cup is now under way in Brazil.
I don’t know about you but I having been looking forward to it since the end of Africa 2010.
Every four years I look forward to the the thrill of the anticipation, the competition and the excitement.
Starting with the opening ceremony, which this year featured Pitbull and Jennifer Lopez among others.
Then there is the game itself.
Will Messi live up to everyone’s expectations?
Who will take home the trophy this year?
Do you like many others think that it will be host country Brazil?
Or what do you think the chances are of Spain being this year’s winners?
What about the good old USA, how do you think they will fair this year?
Even their team coach, Jurgen Klinsmann maintains that we shouldn’t expect the USA to lift soccer’s top trophy.
Is Messi the greatest soccer player of all time?
This will certainly be his chance to see if he can be compared to several other players who have gone before him worthy of that title like Pele and Diego Maradona.
However the fact that these soccer players will be getting paid enormous amounts of dollars does not guarantee them a great retirement.
The fact is that retirement for most professional soccer players is far from comfortable.
Often due to a mix of immaturity, out of control spending and a lack of good financial planning makes the wealth of these soccer players extremely unstable.
I suspect that soccer players due to the stress and peer pressure off their positions and that for most of them retirement comes at a very early age may lead to financial downfall for some of these players.
One of the most obvious problems begins with extravagant spending which none of these players will be able to continue after their short careers end.
Another problem is bad investment choices most likely due to the lack of interest or knowledge of how to manage a multimillion dollar portfolio.
Bankruptcy is something that more than half of professional soccer players will face within five years of retiring.
However the saddest fact of all is that all too often all of these problems leads to the breakup of their relationships, the divorce rate is between sixty and eighty percent for these soccer players.
Unfortunately for these soccer professionals they are not prepared for their wealth and further more they never get the education that they need to be able to manage their wealth.

Why would anyone want to be a loser?

Why would anyone want to be a loser?

I don’t know about you.
But there is one question I often ask myself.
Why would anyone want to be a loser?
Why would you not want to always try and be a winner in everything you do?
How can two people be doing the same thing?  One of them is giving their all doing whatever it takes to be a winner!
The other person however is just going through the motions and is happy with mediocre.
So why do so many people just go through the motions and expect no more than mediocre when it comes to their jobs, their families or even their appearance?
You know the kind of people that I mean.
We have all worked with someone like that, you know the person who just clocks in every day at work and is just average.  They never put in any overtime or any extra effort to excel themselves.
They are also the first ones who are looking for a pay raise.
Or maybe it is the person who shows up next to you at the gym and really why are they wasting their time they are there just to pass an hour, never exerting themselves to the point that it will make any difference.
So am I the only one that asks this question?
Why is it that anyone would aim for less than being a winner in everything that they do?
Yes it takes a lot of hard work and effort to make it happen.
But the outcome is always worth it in the end.
That feeling of success makes all that hard work, those risks we had to take a distant memory.
That is not a feeling that everyone will achieve in their life.

It is the same when it comes to your financial future.

Here are a few tips on how you can be a winner and achieve financial success in your life;

Can Money Really Bring You True Happiness?

What can bring you true happiness?

What even is true happiness?
Is true happiness any different from just happiness?
True happiness is not just happiness based on your circumstances in that moment.
Like the happiness you feel when things are going well in your lives.
That happy feeling you get when you fall in love with that special someone.
Or the happiness you feel when you have a job that you love and pay’s well.
Even the happiness you feel when you buy that new pair of shoes!
This is the type of happiness that is conditional and based on your circumstances.
True happiness however is the inner well-being you have all the time, or at least most of the time in all circumstances.