Like a lot of people at this time of year, I often find myself thinking about what I want to achieve in the following 12 months. I also find myself reflecting on what I learnt in the previous 12 months.

I don’t believe that I am alone in thinking that we are becoming more and more “busy” with a perpetual list of things we should be doing…

When you are looking at building your wealth for your future you will be told of ways and means of investing your money for growth…

It appears to be that time of year again.  Yep, it’s the lead up to Christmas, which means it is also that time of year that all the short term money lenders start popping up on tv again.  The main reason I am so aware of these ads, is because I have to physically stop myself throwing my shoe at the tv.

You see, these ads promote the exact thing that we teach our clients not to do.  Here are 2 examples…

I have always loved reading. Over the years, I have read many books about finance, including The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, The Richest Man in Babylon by George Samuel Clason and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. Each book shows me a different perspective to the world of finance, which helps me formulate different strategies and options for my clients when it comes to managing their cash flow and investing their money.

While speaking with a client recently about some changes to her financial situation, I started talking about my philosophy on exercise.  You see, 5 years ago I was allergic to exercise.  I had tried everything from gym memberships to yoga classes and nothing stuck.  I would get in to it for 3-6 months and then something would break the cycle and I would quit on it. I didn’t enjoy it very much, so I would self-sabotage my efforts and just stop. I would make excuses or have valid reasons, I believed, to stop exercising.