Jonda’s Blog & Video Library
Transforming How People Think About Money
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Jonda’s Blog & The Video Library
Lessons Learned On Mount Everest
In 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first people to reach the top of Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world. At least, they were the first people to make it to the summit and make it back down. As it turns out,...
Personal Financial Statement
Assets minus Liabilities is your Networth and something you should desire to grow. Use this worksheet to see where you are at today and update it quarterly to track your progress.
Income Analysis
You can't create a budget if you don't know what's coming in. Use this worksheet to track all your income sources whether they pay monthly, quarterly or annually. Divide the annual total by 12 to arrive at your average monthly income.
Personal Profile
Having all of your personal information in one location is invaluable when you have been robbed or simply lost your wallet or purse. Easily contact your bank and credit card company(s) with this information at your fingertips.
Expense Analysis
You can't create a budget if you don't know what's going out. Use this worksheet to track all your expenses whether they are due monthly, quarterly or annually. Divid the annual total by 12 to arrive at your average monthly expenses.
Create Your Own Pension
A pension is a regular payment received during a person's retirement from an investment fund to which that person or their employer has contributed during their working life. This is a retirement benefit that you cannot outlive and used to be quite...
Has Gifting Lost Its Flair?
From 1987 to 1994, the Estate Tax Exemption was set at $600,000. If your estate was valued more than the exemption, you were assessed estate tax which could be as much as 55%. At that time, people often used their annual Gift Tax Exclusion to...
3 Ways to Beat Inflation
Inflation is real and a serious threat to your retirement plan. Living comfortably on $8,000/month now could mean a second job 20 years from now considering historical inflation rates. In this post, I want to cover three things you can do now to...
Social Security for the Divorced and Widowed
It’s never easy losing a spouse to divorce but when it comes to receiving Social Security Benefits it could certainly have its advantages. Check this out from ssa.gov. If you are divorced, your ex-spouse can receive benefits based on your record...
Life Insurance. A Protected Asset
As I mentioned in another post, Life Insurance is not just about dying anymore. The policies today do so much more than they did even 10 years ago. It’s true. Life Insurance is designed to protect us from an untimely death and we’ve also learned...
Timing Your Social Security Benefits
If we knew exactly when we were going to die, timing our Social Security benefits would be a piece of cake. I hear all kinds of excuses for taking Social Security early but I’m not sure they make sense financially. Most people claim Social Security...
Life Insurance. It’s Not Just About Dying
About 10 years ago, a large insurance company asked some of their policy holders, “What do you want to see from your life insurance policy”? Someone in the room shouted, “Give us our money before we die!” As you might imagine, laughter filled the...
The Only Term Insurance Worth Buying
There are two basic types of life insurance: Permanent and Term. Permanent is… well, permanent. Term is for a period of time say 10, 20 or 30 years. Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, by now you have probably heard the “talking heads” say...
12 Record Keeping Guidelines
Tax Returns You should have eight files, one for each of the last seven years plus one for the current year. Mark the year on each file and put all of that year's important tax documents, such as W-2 forms, 1099s and a copy of all tax returns you...
Inflation; The Thief in the Night
What is inflation? There are plenty of fancy definitions, but it will suffice to say that inflation is the decline of your purchasing power over time. Simply put, one hundred dollars no longer buys what it used to. During the period from 1960 to...
I Love Annuities and You Should Too!
Love is a strong word and not one you would normally use to describe feelings for a financial product, but I can’t deny how I feel! As a Retirement Income Specialist, I need to find viable solutions to the number one concern of my clients; will I...
Find Your Stuff
Find your Stuff and Get Financially Organized! This video highlights 12 major areas of your finances that you need to be able to easily access in a hurry. If you'd like to print the information, you can download it here
Your Credit Report is Your Responsibility
A credit report is a record of the borrower's credit history from several sources, including banks, credit card companies, collection agencies, and governments. There are currently 3 credit reporting agencies who produce credit reports: TransUnion,...
What Affects Your Credit Score?
Experian tells us that credit scores range from 300-850. A credit score of 700 or above is generally considered good. A score of 800 or above is considered excellent. Most consumers have credit scores that fall between 600 and 750. Higher scores...
Tips and Tricks to Raise Your Credit Score
Just because you have a $5,000 limit on your credit card doesn’t mean you need to charge $5,000 worth of stuff. On the contrary, it is advisable to only use around 25-30% of your available credit if you want to positively impact your score. I know...
What’s a LIRP and Why You Need One
A LIRP is a Life Insurance Retirement Plan. I suspect I just lost about half my readers but for those of you who are still reading, stay with me. I promise you will be glad you did! In December of 2023, it was reported that 53% of Americans have...
What To Do with Your Stuff
This Video walks you through setting up a file system for "Your Stuff" to make it easy for you to quickly access your information when you need it. Watch Part 1 here: • DON'T MAKE THIS MISTAKE when you get ... Download 12 Record-Keeping...
We All Need Life Insurance
For those of you who have had a baby, you will remember leaving the hospital with a bag of “stuff”. Trial size package of diapers, wipes, formula, ointments, suction thingies (gross!), coupons and crumpled in the bottom of the bag was an offer from...
What Did Dave and Suze Get Wrong About Life Insurance?
If you are a fan of Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, you’re in the right place. And if you are a hater of Dave Ramsey or Suze Orman, you are also in the right place. Seriously, everyone needs the information in this post. In fact, I wrote a book about...
Will Original Medicare Be Enough Medical Coverage for You?
If you are approaching the age of 65, you may feel overwhelmed by the Medicare process. Or you may already be enrolled in Medicare wondering if you need more coverage. It’s not your fault. No matter where you turn be it television, social media,...
Does Your Advisor Offer a Guarantee? We Do!
What is a Guarantee? A Guarantee is a statement that provides a formal assurance or promise, especially that certain conditions shall be fulfilled relating to a product, service, or transaction. I haven’t met anyone yet who doesn’t love a...
All Annuities Are Not Created Equal
Annuities have such a bad reputation and it’s simply not their fault. The annuity is a great investment alternative if used properly. The problem is that many insurance agents and financial advisors alike have either lied to their clients so they...
How to Fix Your Retirement Plan
The best way to AVOID mistakes when buying life insurance, is to steer clear of the likes of Suze Orman and Dave Ramsey. No more BAD ADVICE or scams from financial celebrities! Learn the TRUTH about life insurance from a full-time LICENSED...
Averages Are Not Your Friend
Have you ever looked at your account statement and wondered why the average return of the underlying investment is higher than the return you received? Before we get into this analysis, please know we will not factor into this equation any...
What Not To Do When You Change Jobs
If you have recently retired, changed jobs, are getting ready to do either or know someone who is, take 20 minutes and watch this video. Then, use the link below to schedule a virtual meeting to learn about your options.
Grandchildren Are the Best!
The holidays just seem better with little ones running around. The hustle and bustle and magic of the season can move even the Grinch to a smile. If you’re like me, you spend hours and sometimes way too much money finding everything on their lists...
Is there Another Way to Pay for College?
There are generally 5 ways to pay for college: scholarships, grants, student loans, work-study, and self-pay. We certainly want our children to excel in both academics and sports but the truth is there are a limited number of scholarships...
What Can a Trust Do for You?
You may be asking, “What is a trust?” A trust is a legal document that protects your assets to ensure they are distributed according to your wishes after you die. Trusts typically fall into one of two categories: revocable and irrevocable with most...
5 Reasons Your Retirement Account Will Come Up Short
Several years ago, you had a Retirement Plan prepared telling you exactly what to do to reach your retirement income goal. Your highly anticipated retirement date is near and you’re excited to see the results. In utter disbelief, you ask, “How did...
3 Retirement Questions You Need Answered Today
10,000 Baby Boomers turn 65 every day. For the most part, this single largest segment of our population is not ready for retirement. Here are 3 Retirement Questions You Need Answered Today. 1. How much retirement income do I need? Estimates range...
