Blog - Page 9 of 30 - Women’s Money

06Jan 2021 by Elizabeth

Women’s Money Manifesto

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Are you ready to reshape your financial future? Did you come to Women’s Money looking for some practical tips on managing your money, learning how to invest, negotiating for a sabbatical, or even building a business? Women’s Money is a community of strong, action-oriented women who are inspired to create change for themselves and positively impact the world around them. We believe in: Letting go of the past.Living in the present.Investing in the future. We do this by: Shaking it off and starting with a clean slate.Knowing that through challenge, we can change.Finding joy and making more brilliant moments.Showing up and doing what we say we will. We invest in ourselves. We use structure to create freedom. We don’t improve just for ourselves. We also strive to improve the lives of others. …

04Jan 2021 by Elizabeth

Why You Should Use the New Year to Set a Money Resolution

Goals / Taking Action

It’s a New Year. It’s a Monday. It’s the beginning of the month. All of these are reasons to embrace a fresh start for your finances and your future. But is this a good approach? And if so, why? It turns out there is enormous power in starting something new on a fresh turn of the calendar page. In Dan Pink’s book When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing, Pink writes about “temporal landmarks.” Temporal landmarks are key dates or points of time in the calendar. These can include a new year, a holiday, or a birthday. They prompt us to reflect on the old and the new. Think about your most recent birthday. Didn’t you reflect on how quickly or slowly the year had gone? About what you did…

31Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

Write A Letter as Your Future Self

Goals / Taking Action

Do you know what you want to spend your time on over the course of the next year? Do you know where you want to spend your money? Can you describe your passion and life’s work? One of the best ways to find happiness and create wealth is to have clear goals and direction. But sometimes, you don’t know exactly what you want. One of the best exercises I have done is to write a letter as my future self. Specifically, I imagine myself a year from now, and I write a letter to myself looking back at and reflecting on the past year. As you finish a month of preparing for the next year, spend 30 minutes and do the following exercise. How to Write a Letter as Your Future Self…

28Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

What Do You Need Right Now?

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What kind of preparation do you do for important moments in your life? Maybe you spent hundreds of hours, logging thousands of miles, preparing for a marathon. Maybe you prepared responses to exhaustive lists of interview questions to prepare for a job interview. Maybe you spent months agonizing over a guest list and table centerpieces and tens of thousands of dollars preparing for a wedding. Maybe you went to classes, read countless books, and packed and repacked your hospital bag to prepare for childbirth. Maybe you are saving for an entire lifetime to be ready for retirement. But what about today? This exact moment? How much time did you spend preparing for right now? Why Preparation is Important One thing I have learned during this time of COVID is the…

23Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

The Power of Visualization: How Affirmations and Visualizations Work

Goals / Taking Action

If you’ve ever participated in a competitive sport, you’ve likely been introduced to the concept of visualization. Your coach might have told you: Just imagine yourself kicking the soccer ball into the upper right corner of the goal...or sprinting with all of your remaining energy for the last 400 meters of your 5k...or serving the tennis ball to the inside of your opponent’s backhand. Even if you didn’t play sports, you may have heard about visualization, affirmations, mental rehearsals, or vision boards. The basic idea is that you picture yourself achieving a specific goal with vivid detail. Imagine exactly how it feels, the emotions you are feeling, the smell, the touch, what you are wearing, the sounds you are hearing, etc. The more detail you can envision, the better. The power of…

16Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

8 Key Metrics to Assess Your Financial Well-Being

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Last week I wrote about seven frameworks to analyze your entire life and overall well-being. But what if you’re not interested in your overall well-being and just want personal finance specific frameworks? You're in luck. We have some metrics you can use to assess your financial well-being. Metrics to Assess Your Financial Health Below are the best ways to think about your personal finances. You can analyze, track, and assess your financial health and wellness with these metrics. Run the numbers, and see how you are doing. 1. Income and Expenses The simplest framework for understanding your monthly and yearly finances is to understand your income and your expenses. To put together this list, simply put your income in one spreadsheet (or column of a spreadsheet) and your expenses for that…

14Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

12 Best Questions About Money and Happiness

Goals / Taking Action

As you continue to use the month of December to reflect, think about how money can be used as a tool to improve your life and increase your overall happiness. Below is a list of the best questions to ask yourself as you think about your money and your life. I encourage you to print this list and spend some time writing your answer to each one. When were you the happiest or filled with the most joy in the last week?When were you the happiest or filled with the most joy in the last year?If you had to give away all of your money to one charitable cause, what would it be?What is something you do in any given day/week/month that you like the least?When have you felt like…

09Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

Choose a Word of the Year for You or Your Family

Goals / Taking Action

As you think about what you want to focus on next year, what jumps out at you as something you'll need to help you succeed? This isn't something tangible, but is actually the intangible. Are there skills, traits, or values that will inspire or assist you in your areas of focus? What went well this year that you want to build on? Where do you really want to pivot and move forward? Set a Word of the Year Many people set a personal word of the year. In our home, we set a family word of the year. Three years ago our word was “courage.” Last year, the word was “grit.” My 9-year-old son recently announced that he had come up with our family word of the year on his own. Our…

07Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

7 Insightful Frameworks to Analyze Your Life

Goals / Taking Action

As you begin planning for 2021, it’s helpful to have a framework. A framework offers a structure that helps you think about and organize your life and well-being as a whole. But what are some options for wellness frameworks that can help you get 2021 off on the right foot? I’ve outlined seven of my favorite frameworks to help you analyze your life. Frameworks to Empower You in 2021 Whether you get your framework from a book, life coach, or website, there are plenty of choices that can help you organize your life. These options are worth checking out. Power of Full Engagement The Power of Full Engagement was one of the most impactful books I’ve read about managing energy and wellness. In the book, the authors show that in…

02Dec 2020 by Elizabeth

Make Ready December — Prepare, Work, Recover

Goals / Taking Action, Uncategorized

December is the ultimate month of preparations. In a normal year, we spend time and effort getting ready for the holidays and the new year. We make cookies, throw holiday parties, send cards, and attend gatherings with friends and family. For those who celebrate Christmas, nearly the entire month of December is spent in a dizzying display of preparations. In fact, the season of Advent is considered to be the season of “preparation” or “expectant waiting.” We also use December as a month to wind down the current year and get ready for the coming year. Most of us don’t wake up on New Year’s Day and spontaneously have a resolution the moment we open our eyes. Rather, we use the month of December to start to think about what…