The Truth About Debt

If you have been subscribing to Copia's Journal, you will remember that I started you off on steps to taking a closer look at your cash flow and creating a budget. One of the things you have to know is how much money is flowing in and how much money is flowing out. That seems simple enough. Yet, so many Americans are so far into debt that more is flowing out than there is coming in.

One of the things an investor learns is the true difference between good debt and bad debt. Very few people understand how to correctly use debt. I read so many published articles that incorrectly explain good debt (probably because the author has to justify their own debt).

It is very simple, good debt is debt that makes money for you, period. Any other debt is bad. As long as you are honest with yourself when accessing your debt you can decide what kind of debt to have, if any. Take the steps to learn to swing the pendulum and use debt to create cash flow and then buy the things you want to support the lifestyle you desire.
Believe me, it is sweet sensation when this paradigm shifts. Learn how to make money work for you instead of the other way around. Debt is really a good thing when it pays for itself and puts cash in your pocket.

Love, Jules

Personal Finance From the Inside Out

I am excited to announce that my 4-week intensive course: Personal Finance from the Inside Out is now available through teleconferencing!

Yes, that is right, you do not have to live in the Monterey Bay area to partake in this transformational money management course! Whahoo!

"Take charge NOW of your financial future in a fun, inspiring and creative way"!



Learn your money personality, Feng Shui and money, A new way to plan and budget, Goal setting, Stimulate your investment ideas, improve your relationship with money and MORE!

$250.00 for the full 4-week intensive and bring a sign a friend up for FREE!
Please email me after you have paid to complete registration
(my email address is on the receipt page)

Class will begin as soon as enough people pre-register.
I intend to begin on Monday, February 8 at 6:30 p.m. (PST)

Tell me your name below

Tell me your friend's name

Thank you for making the decision to join me! This investment is one to feel great about! It is my intention that you are among the 95% who will feel the shift to empowerment and take charge for your financial well-being!

Personal Finance From the Inside Out

My life changing Personal Finance From the Inside Out class begins this week! This is a 4-week intensive - fun and amazing!

CLASS BEGINS in Carmel on:
Thursday, January 21, 2010 6:30pm to 8:30pm
(Note: In February I will offering this course through conference calls, so you don't have to live in the Monterey Bay area!)

• In this class, we take a look at our attitudes around money and ask our selves what financial freedom means to us.
  
• We take a look at how simple, or not as difficult as it may seem, to achieve financial freedom.
  
• We learn some simple guidelines for how to set up a budget and follow the budget.
  
• We learn fun and creative ways for goal setting and list what needs to happen to obtain those goals.
  
• Journaling happens!
• We take a Money Personality Test; get to know your personality around money.
  
• Learn to start thinking about how you can invest and empower yourself around money! ... and more!

Do you realize that more than 85% of the households in this country are run by women? Yet where did we learn to do this? Slowly over the last 40 years, men have turned this job over to the women! And women make excellent money mangers when taught all the skills!

If you live in the Monterey Bay area and want to sign-up, please email me NOW at: jewleyd@comcast.net. Class begins on Thursday, January 21, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. We meet for four (4) Thursdays. The cost is $250.00 and you may bring a friend for FREE!

Warmly,
Julie

There Really is a Wellness Revolution

Ever thought of making a radical change or how about just a fundamental change or just to change the way you think about something? The book I read last month was about a big change happening right now amongst the largest consumer population in our economy, so big that the author, and world-renowned economist, Paul Zane Pilzer, calls it a revolution. Two things I know for sure after reading this book; I want to join the health and wellness revolution to personally reap benefits of choosing a healthier life style. The other is to carve out my niche in this booming $500 billion (and still growing - that is why it is booming) industry.

No matter what kind of change you are interested in, if any, I think that after you read this book change in you is inevitable too. I highly recommend this book - I couldn't put this one down!

You can visit the author's website at: www.thewellnessrevolution.paulzanepilzer.com

Enjoy!

Jules

Book Review: A Girl Needs Cash

Of course I loved this book! Joan Perry writes about how we women should take charge of our financial lives – with a “girl power” attitude. Joan sings the same song I do! Nobody is going to come along and take care of our financial life; banish that “White Knight Myth”. We are completely capable of knowing what we want, setting our priorities financially and taking action. We do this in our family lives, in our social lives, career lives, and I certainly hope our sexual lives! Joan points out that women are in a financial revolution and I sense that she is right -- I love that! Joan breaks through some of the misconceptions that maybe the culprit which keeps many women financially captive. Joan explains how to review spending habits and develop new sources of income to create the kind of life you want to live. Singing the same one again -- That is what I do in my class Personal Finance from the Inside Out (but I take a different approach). Ladies, no matter how old you are or where you are at in your life, it is time to take charge of your financial life. Learn some new attitudes and thoughts around money. A Girl Needs Cash is an important book to read and I think it should be in every woman’s library.

Enjoy,

Jules

Back to School: Personal Finance From the Inside Out

Do you realize that more than 85% of the households in this country are run by women? Yet where did we learn to do this? Slowly over the last 40 years, men have turned this job over to the women!

This class is a lot of fun ... we take a closer look at the household income and expenses; Like my friend Ahnalisa says, "Cash in and cash out, it is like the breathe of the household".

CLASS BEGINS: Thursday, August 27, 2009 6:30pm to 8:30pm

• In this class, we take a look at our attitudes around money and ask our selves what financial freedom means to us.
  
• We take a look at how simple, or not as difficult as it may seem, to achieve financial freedom.
  
• We learn some simple guidelines for how to set up a budget and follow the budget.
  
• We learn some goal setting and list what needs to happen to obtain those goals.
  
• Journaling happens!
• We take a Money Personality Test; get to know your personality around money.
  
• Learn to start thinking about how you can invest and empower yourself around money! ... and more!
  

If you live local in the Monterey Bay area and want to sign up, please email me directly at: jewleyd@comcast.net I will eventually teach this course over the internet, so keep in touch if you are interested!

Cheers,
Julie

New Habits Create a Plan for Finacial Well-Being

I just finished another group, teaching my class about personal finance from the inside out. I would like to share a success with you. Yes, it really does feel great to take charge of your money and strengthen your relationship with money.

So many of us don’t want to look at our spending habits but when you make that decision and you do it with a little guidance; taking a closer look can reveal so much! With solid tools, your life begins to take shape in a direction that your want it to go and you begin to feel empowered.

I am so proud of Wendy (I am proud of all the women who have gone though my class for unique reasons for each of them), but Wendy stands out only because she came to realize that she has been standing in her own way. She was the sole reason why she was not getting ahead financially and feeling behind every month. All it took was for her to take a closer look at her spending habits, create budget (I like to call it a financial plan), dream a little, shift some of her thoughts to thinking differently, and make a plan with tangible goals and viola Wendy is starting a business doing what she loves to do – she is like a race horse that just left the gate! GO Wendy!

Become the CEO of your own destiny!
Enjoy the day!
Jules

If you want more information about my class: Personal Finance From the Inside Out, please email me directly, Twitter me or find me on Facebook. You will find my email on my biography page

Investment Club Meeting: June

I always look forward to the second Wednesday of each month not only to I get to spend three hours socializing with some really dynamic women, but to spend the time learning all we can about the big huge world of investing and to share what we have learned on our own during the last month in between meetings. I really do enjoy the world of investing! I have always had a deep interest in all the people who can take an idea and make it work or, take some cash and turn it into a portfolio worth more. And guess what? This really is not rocket science. It just takes an interest and education; in my case self-education! I choose to learn in a group alongside other like-minded women by starting this investment club nearly 5 years ago.

It was Christy’s turn at education coordinator . So tonight our guest speaker, Buck, a consultant for the very young company Monavie (a wellness drink) spoke about the concepts of network marketing. Basically there are many advantages to be an independent consultant or a company that chooses the network marketing route and if it fits with your personality, find one that has a product you believe in and go for it! I’ll write an article specifically on network marketing for you and explain the concept in greater details. So look for that in the weeks to come.

After our guest speaker left, the gals in the club, gathered around laptops after desert to do some stock research and found two companies that we are very excited about and will be doing further research during the next few days. We will have to call a meeting in the middle of the month – these companies look that good to us!

I’ll keep you posted!

Good night

Jules

Investment Club Meeting: May

Laptops hummin', worksheets in hand, calculators ready; first stop Yahoo Finance!

Last night my women's investment club met for our monthly meeting and it was a working meeting. After diner and our regular meeting, one of our founding members lead an introduction workshop on stock research and study for our newest members. Our club has come up with our own set of criteria for choosing a stock. Our club is registered with the National Association of Investment Clubs (NAIC) and we do following Better Investing's stock study model for the most part. Over the years our club ha been visited by several guest speakers on the subject of stock study and our club has our own personality around stock research. Last night we focused on researching stocks that pay dividends.

We discussed our last reading assignment: Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan. I wrote a book review and you can read it here on my blog, if you are interested. We chose another book to read. It is called The Whole Kitt and Caboodle: A Painless Journey to Investment Enlightenment, by Susan Laubach.

I took on the role of retreat coordinator and I will be planning our next investment retreat. Also our newest member ha taken on the role of Community Outreach Coordinator - she is going to find an avenue for us to volunteer a day to help women and or children is some capacity before the year-end.

It was a very productive meeting! There is much to do over the several weeks and I am feeling very enthusiastic about all of it! ... what a nice way to feel when it comes to money and investing -- I love it!

Make it a great day!
Jules

Let's Read: A Girl Needs Cash

This is the current financial book I am reading. Check out a copy at your local library or buy one and read along with me ... or check back in a couple of weeks for my review.
Cheers,
Jules

Book Review: Suze Orman's 2009 Action Plan

Last month the ladies of the investment club that I belong to chose to read Suze Orman's new book. I also suggested that the readers of my monthly journal (free newsletter) read it along with us. Well, I did indeed read it and here is what I think about out it.

Her usual message comes through loud and clear, "you must commit to taking action". There is just no room for taking the back seat when it comes to understanding your financial situation and knowing what you need to do with your money.

Suze first spells out very briefly the current global credit crisis. I love her parable, "Our economy is like a patient who was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. After months of aggressive intervention ... the patient is still in the Intensive Care Unit, but the prognosis is that eventually there will be a full recovery. In the meantime, the patient will move into a rehabilitation facility and start to get back on his or her feet. Before too long, the patient will be stable enough to go home, though it might be years before he of she is back to full health".

So what do you do with your money while you ride this "rehabilitation" time out?

The chapters in Suze's book are organized in nine (9) areas of money: Credit, Retirement, Savings, Spending, Real Estate, Paying for College and Family which includes insurance and job loss. Suze lists multiple scenarios for each of these area. So you must read through (a very easy read) to see which scenario might best fit your situation. Then she tells you what to do with an "action plan" for each scenario.

Please be diligent and research any advice no matter how "expert" someone maybe. For example, if you do not understand or know what a treasury money market fund is or an EFT is, then educate yourself and learn. It is important to understand why her action plans are good at this time during a general economic downturn. The economy changes and goes through its cycles; money grows well in one investment during a down turn but then may performs poorly when the economy is booming. Thus, through learning you will also see that money can grow through investments no matter how the economy is doing. I always say, "create your own economy"!

So Suze's book is a great place to start, but there is more work to be done. So get your 2009 action plan started if you have not done so already already.

When fear and doubt are in control you may make decisions that feel "right", but the biggest risk is giving in to your emotions. Do nothing rash". ~Suze Orman
Suze's Ormans 2009 Action Plan

Retreat in the Sierras with Women From My Investment Club

A retreatful weekend; I spent two days in a cabin in the California Sierras (in a small town called Pine Crest) with nine uniquely wonderful women! It was truly relaxing and rejuvenating; a memorable weekend to say the least.

This is the clubs second annual retreat. Each participating member is in charge of a project for an hour to two hours in length. The project can be about anything as long as it has something to do with money or empowerment. Our weekend began with a walk out to large rocks sitting above water level in Pine Lake for morning meditation. Upon returning to the cabin, Mel lead us in a journaling session, then Lisa showed us her system for goal setting, Jill brought wool yarns and we each made short scarves using a uncommon technique of crafting them, we grazed through magazines and each created a collage -- some people called theirs vision boards. We ended the first day with a movie that Elizabeth brought, "Splendor in the Grass" a classic staring Natalie Wood and Warren Beaty. Sunday morning, Christy had us on a scavenger hunt through the Wall Street Journal and Kimberle shared about some recycling tips showed us how to make a simple and safe cleaning product for our home. I must add that we ran out of time and I did not get to share my project which was to play a very fun game that Robert Kiyosaki came up with called Cash Flow 101. And we unknowingly ate all the eggs, so Nicole did not get to show us how to make face masks. The next time we go on retreat, we will have to add another half day.

As I share and write this recap of our weekend, it sounds so simple -- it was -- but I got so much out of being with people who are like-minded. I was inspired by hearing the more personal details of my friend's lives and listening to how they have overcome the roadblocks and how the are setting goals for the next adventures in their lives. I loved hearing my friends share their ideas and dreams. I like to see how different we all are yet see how we are also so similar as humans, as women and some of us as mothers. I appreciate so much how we each give in our individual ways. The real beauty of it is when we are being authentic we give and enrich others without even realizing the impact we make!











Blessings, Jules

Writing the First Issue of my FREE Monthly Journal

Well, I do feel I have another rewarding accomplishment completed, yet just beginning ... "Phew" and "Wow" at the same time. I had a lot of fun creating this first issue of my journal (newsletter)!

Right now the only way you can get it is to subscribe to it. You can sign-up here on this blog. Just go to the top right of the page and you will see the sign-up box.

I decided to name this newsletter: "From the Pages of Copia's Journal". I write about all areas of a woman's life; her family life, social life, lots about her financial life, her health, her spiritual life (not religion) and the life styles we choose, which is a culmination of all of the above. ... just thought about her sex life ... hmm will have to add this one later ...

I really feel like I have found my life's purpose and have begun a journey to great and wonderful accomplishments! I invite you to join me, follow me and subscribe!

Enjoy,
Jules

A Maya Angleou Poem from Ms. Mia

Today when I went to work in the office at my kids' school, I found a poem written by Maya Angelou on my desk. It was given to me from one of our dear and wise kindergarten teachers, Ms. Mia. Thank you Mia for this gift!

Maya Angelou's "What Every Woman Should Have"

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own,
even if she never wants to or needs to ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A youth she's content to leave behind ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
One friend who always makes her
laugh ... and one who lets her cry ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her
family ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
Eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored ...

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ...
A feeling of control over her destiny ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
How to fall in love without losing herself ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
how to quit a job, break up with a lover,
and confront a friend without ruining the friendship ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW...
When to try harder... and WHEN TO WALK AWAY ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
That she can't change the length of her calves,the width of her hips, or the nature of her parents ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
that her childhood may not have been perfect..but it's over ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
What she would and wouldn't do for love or more ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
How to live alone... even if she doesn't like it ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
whom she can trust, whom she can't,
and why she shouldn't take it personally ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
Where to go...be it to her best friend's kitchen table...or a charming inn in the woods ... when her soul needs soothing ...

EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW ...
What she can and can't accomplish in a day ... a month ... and a year ...

Personal Finance From the Inside Out

I finished teaching my beta three-week course today! I'll be asking my students if they are willing to write a review and then share what they said with you.

I am going to make a few changes and improvements based on the feedback from those ladies who took this first class from me. Thanks ladies for all of your constructive feedback and support!

I am offering two more (but for four-weeks this time) Personal Finance From the Inside Out courses on Thursday, March 19, 2009 at two different times.

Do you realize that more than 85% of the households in this country are run by women? Yet where did we learn to do this? Slowly over the last 40 years, men have turned this job over to the women!

This class is a lot of fun ... we take a closer look at the household income and expenses; Like my friend Ahnalisa says, "Cash in and cash out, it is like the breathe of the household". In this class, we take a look at our attitudes around money, ask our selves what financial freedom means to us. We take a look at how simple or not as difficult as it may seem to achieve financial freedom. We learn some simple guidelines for how to set up a budget and follow the budget. We learn some goal setting and list what needs to happen to obtain those goals. Journaling happens! W e take a Money Personality Test; get to know your personality around money. Learn to start thinking about how you can invest and empower yourself around money! ... and more!

If you live local in the Monterey Bay area and want to sign up, please email me directly at: jewleyd@comcast.net I will eventually teach this course over the internet, so keep in touch if you are interested!

Cheers,
Jules

Book Review: "This is easy to read, simple to understand and a good place to start"!

I highly recommend this book for one very simple reason. It sheds light on a large portion of the driving force of our economy -- something we cannot change; Family Spending Cycles. There are so many factors in calculating why the economy is doing what it is at any given time. Many more factors to consider in order to predict an economy. But to understand a major driving force of our economy here in the United States gives insight and some comfort in knowing that it is just a cycle like anything else and in time will cycle back.

Harry S. Dent Jr. says, “An old economy must die for a new one to emerge”.

The book I recommend is called Roaring 2000’s, by Harry S. Dent Jr. Then read his latest book, The Great Depression Ahead. But don't let that title scare you. Be informed, be empowered, be in position to ride this economy out!

Our economy is driven by Family Spending Cycles. And you don't have to be an economist to understand this!

Consumption: How the average family spends money shows in predictable patterns over time. Harry S. Dent Jr. calls this pattern the “S” Curve.

People hit the work force @ average age 19
People get married @ average age 25.5 (men @ 27, women @ 24)
First child @ average age of 27.5
Starter home is purchased @ average of 33 –34
By the average age of 43 the largest home is purchased
Family Spending Cycles peaks @ average age of 46.5 – years 2008-2009
After 46 spending becomes discretionary (move into travel and leisure spending) *but end of Family Spending!

So basically pay attention to the largest populations of people moving through life now; here in the United States and in other Countries. Harry S. Dent Jr. explains this and so much more. I must say though, in some countries the generation cycles are not key to growth simply due to standard of living – people are poor (health care is poor) and don’t live long enough.

One more thing I'd like to highlight that Harry S. Dent Jr. talks about; the internet. The Internet is the key to the next information revolution - a 500 year cycle. The last information revolution began in 1440 with the printing press. 500 years later, in 1947, we have the transistor, which is the basis for today’s computer and communications technology. We are only 62 years in to the next revolution ... just imagine what is still to come!

Enjoy,
Jules

If you want to buy either Roaring 2000's or The Great Depression Ahead by Harry S. Dent Jr., visit Copia's Bookshelf in the column to the right. Just scroll down the page and you will see it. Also, sign-up for my FREE monthly Journal and be a part of a growing community of women moving in new directions!

"Join hundreds of other women who are moving in new directions!"

With the New Year ahead most of us make new resolutions and set new goals. I am certainly doing that! I love this feeling of reflecting on the past year and bringing it to a close. Then, I ambitiously make new plans for the coming year and set new goals. One of my projects is to create a FREE monthly Journal where you will find articles, tips, stories and more about women and how they manage finances, hold successful careers, nurture and raise healthy families, keep themselves healthy too, find time to socialize with friends, keep the fire in intimate relations and devote time to important causes in their communities -- "how we balance it all".

How to do YOU balance it all? I bet you are closer than you think, but if you are not sure, my FREE monthly Journal will show you how I am doing it and how others do it too! So join my community of women who want to focus on one or more of these areas in their lives during the New Year to come. Sign up for my FREE monthly Journal!

My other aim for the New Year is to share my expertise on budgeting (dry boring word - maybe you can help me come up with a new word) and teach workshops on streamlining household cash flow. I can see a demand for this with the changing economy. And I am writing a book somewhere in all of this too!

How about you? What’s important in your life? Which areas of your life will you be focused on in the new year ahead? I would love to know!!

Please participate in the poll on the right column of the blog page and share with me.

Warmly,
Jules

A Quote for Today: January

"If you do not see great riches in your imagination,
you will never see them in your bank balance".
~Napoleon Hill

Would you like to find FREE Babysitting?

Have I mentioned yet that I am part of a wonderful community of 16 families who share in babysitting each others' children? Well, a year ago one of my friends asked me if I would like to join a babysitting Co-Op that she was starting. Many of us were doing the "Date Night Swap" deal where we were individually trying to find babysitters to get a day of shopping in, uninterrupted house cleaning done or even a DATE with our husbands every once in a while. If our kids ended up on a "play date" with our friends' kids, we always some how reciprocated with watching their children in return sometime in the near future. Well a real system was put into place when my friend, Shannon, decided to start our babysitting co-op. We meet as a group every two months to discuss business. We each take turns at being the secretary; who takes sit requests and finds families within our group to sit for us. It is all kept "official" with a point system. We all have very similar parenting styles which makes it very nice. It feels really good to have an adult watching my children! And when it is time for the "sitter" to go home it feels even better to leave that $8.00 (I have sometimes had to pay as much as $15.00) an hour in my pocket! And I must add the stronger bounds we have all made are simply wonderful!

You know what, if your are interested in learning how to start your own babysitting co-op, subscribe to my FREE monthly Journal! I will share how to do things like this in my publication!

Jules

A Quote for Today: August

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything;

they just make the best of everything they have".

~Unkown