Tag Archives: make more money

The 7 Cardinal Virtues of Money

Money Reflections, Wealth, , , , , ,

“Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall” – William Shakespeare

When you take a look at the way the world runs, you could be forgiven for thinking that it pays to follow a less than honorable path in life. There’s lots of money to be made in the pursuit of nefarious activities, and they often provide a tempting lure for those who seek to get rich.

On the other hand, you will see decent, law-abiding citizens who have made positive contributions to society, struggling to make ends meet. In some cases, taking the righteous route can actually work to your detriment. When it comes to money, is there any value in being virtuous?

Last week, we looked at how the seven deadly sins – lust, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, wrath and pride – can negatively impact your finances. In the age-old battle of good vs. evil, let’s see how the seven cardinal virtues of money may counteract the destructive effects of the seven financial vices. Continue reading The 7 Cardinal Virtues of Money →

The 7 Deadly Sins of Money

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The Bible is often misquoted to declare that ‘money is the root of all evil’. Some people use this verse to preach that money is tainted and that it is the source of many of the world’s problems. However, 1 Timothy 6:10 actually states that “the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”

The passage is used in the context that an unhealthy aspiration for wealth can entrap people into harmful desires that may lead to their eventual ruin. It’s not often that love – perhaps the most unselfish and wholesome feeling known to humanity – is used to explain something that is evil.

Instead of referring to the love of money, I think that a more appropriate word to describe an excessive craving for riches would be greed. This negative behaviour is counted among the seven deadly sins, a religious classification of vices which dates back to the 4th century A.D.

The other six sins in the modern version of the list are lust, gluttony, envy, sloth, wrath and pride. In many respects, these serious transgressions are associated with undesirable attitudes and actions that affect your finances. Here’s my take on the seven deadly sins of money. Continue reading The 7 Deadly Sins of Money →

Success Breeds Success

Income Creation, Money & Your Mind, , , , , , ,

Last week we discussed the importance of throwing aside your reservations when it comes to creating independent sources of income. As the saying goes, “Fortune favours the bold;” so if you need to earn more to pay bills and achieve your goals, you have to become courageous in trying to make money.

Many persons are fearful of taking action on their income creation ideas, as they wonder if they can really be successful in offering a product or service to other people. They worry that they will fail miserably in their efforts to sell, and prefer to live in financial distress rather than try something new.

If you have thoughts of failure when you consider your options to earn more money, then you have already set yourself up to be unsuccessful. Let’s look at how you can transform these feelings and develop a more success-centred approach that will help you to attain your financial desires. Continue reading Success Breeds Success →

Earning With Your Creativity

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As we start the second half of 2014, I would like to encourage all of you to look at ways in which you can create your own income, instead of just depending on what a job income can provide. While you don’t have to run a full-time business, you can definitely try to earn extra cash in your spare time.

One way to start a profitable part-time enterprise is to use your creativity and natural abilities to provide a product or service for sale. Let’s look at some of the steps that are involved in tapping into your talents in order to generate more money.

Assess your skills

The first thing you need to do is take a comprehensive look at some of your talents that may currently be underutilised. Your God-given gifts are not limited to artistic leanings such as singing, dancing or painting. Very often, your natural tendencies or traits contain clues to very marketable skills. Continue reading Earning With Your Creativity →

How to Earn More to Balance Your Budget

Budgeting, Income Creation, , , , , , , ,

Many people feel intimidated by the thought of having to do something outside of their regular job to create more cash to pay bills or save more for the future. However, like any other money skill, you can learn the simple steps that are required to generate income independent of your employer.

Preparing a comprehensive budget is the first step in the process of increasing your earnings, as you need to have a realistic target of how much money is required to meet your needs. You can download a budget at www.financiallysmart.org which will allow you to input all your bills and income sources.

After using your budget to calculate the exact amount of your shortfall of income over expenses, you need to break down that monthly amount into a weekly or daily figure that will be easier for you to work with. Therefore, if your monthly deficit is J$24,000, your daily income need would be about J$800. Continue reading How to Earn More to Balance Your Budget →

When Your Budget Goes Awry

Budgeting, Income Creation, Spending, , , , , , , ,

Caroline looked at the Excel spreadsheet on her computer with increasing dismay. “Just three months ago I was able to balance my budget, but now I’m short again by over J$15,000,” she grumbled to herself. “No matter how hard I try, I just can’t seem to keep up with my expenses.”

She reflected on all the developments that had occurred in her life in the preceding months. Her grandmother, with whom she was raised, had fallen seriously ill. As her only relative, Caroline had taken on the task of caring for her, which had thrown her once tightly controlled budget into disorder.

Having another person in the house meant increased utility costs, and she needed to hire a housekeeper to help with the extra cleaning needs. In addition, she had to buy her grandmother’s costly medicines and pay for her doctors’ appointments without the benefit of health insurance coverage.

Initially, Caroline used her credit card to cover some of the pharmacy bills, but after two months she realised that she was having challenges clearing the card balance. After consolidating several loans over a year ago, she was now desperately worried that she was headed back into debt problems. Continue reading When Your Budget Goes Awry →

Making Financial Sacrifices

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At this time of year, many people all around the world commemorate Easter, when they focus on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Christian faith, Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice of His life brought salvation to a weary and sinful world.

The word sacrifice may conjure up images of pain and deprivation, and many persons would prefer to avoid the distress associated with making a sacrifice. However, while a sacrifice often involves difficulty, it can also be a beneficial action which brings positive results in your life.

When you make a sacrifice, you usually give up something pleasurable for something that may lead to severe discomfort, or you carry out an unselfish deed to benefit others instead of yourself. Most people are motivated to make a sacrifice when they are working for a greater good.

While it may not be your calling to make drastic life sacrifices, when it comes to your money, there are times in which sacrificial decisions will be required. Let’s look at some of the ways in which making sacrifices may help you to become financially successful. Continue reading Making Financial Sacrifices →

Five Things You Need to Know About Borrowing

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It’s important for you to be well informed about various issues that can affect your money. When it comes to your finances, ignorance can be very expensive. Borrowing money comes with a cost, and there are many considerations that you need to think about before you take on debt.

Why do you want to borrow?

Prior to making any borrowing decisions, you need to be honest about the reasons why you think you need a loan in the first place. Do you choose to buy consumer items on credit just because you want to get them right away, or are you using loans to help you meet your monthly bills?

It’s best to avoid borrowing to satisfy immediate gratification desires or support budget shortfalls. In the first case, you will make unnecessary interest payments because you lacked the discipline to save for what you want, while the second reason will throw you into a never-ending cycle of debt. Continue reading Five Things You Need to Know About Borrowing →

Money Mission: Focus On Your Primary Goal

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If you had created a New Year’s Resolutions list for 2013, your agenda may have included several financial objectives which you had hoped to achieve for the year. It’s a smart idea to write down clear, specific goals if you really want to accomplish your personal and money targets.

However, if you include too many items on your to-do list, you can actually retard your ability to successfully carry out your objectives. When faced with too many options, sometimes your brain can get confused about what is required to be done, and it will short-circuit the action process.

Your brain is a sophisticated computer, which absorbs all the instructions it receives and decides the appropriate course to take. If you provide it with competing requests such as “get out of debt,” “save aggressively,” and “start a side business,” it may not be certain which route to take first. Continue reading Money Mission: Focus On Your Primary Goal →