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Most Recent Articles
- Get Paid More at Work
First, the bad news. If you are covered under union representation, I'm sorry. I spent seven years as an airline pilot and I was deeply connected to how unions work. - Don't Set Goals, They Don't Work
Goals often begin for most people as dreams. They envision themselves forty pounds lighter, one million dollars richer, or the envy of everyone in their neighborhood because their driveway has the newest car in it. - What do You Struggle With in Business?
I recently posted this question openly on LinkedIn. While the responses varied, the overwhelming majority of business folks who answered said the downturn in the economy was the biggest problem holding their company back from being great. - The Simple Life?
Often times I meet with people who claim they are too busy to maintain their finances, search for a better career or even clean their own home. - Don’t let the Economy Dictate Your Finances
Yes, the economy is changing. Should you be alarmed? Yes and no. If you are reading this and over fifty or sixty years old, you may be seeing your portfolio taking a nose dive to somewhere south of the equator. If that does not scare you I don’t know what will. - Are you Using Social Media?
A recent conversation with a friend reminded me just how important marketing can be. As business owners we often approach things from the standpoint of trying to create things for our market. This is the wrong approach to take. - Everything Feels Good
Why does everything, good or bad, seem to feel good to us? Think about lounging on the couch, watching TV and eating potato chips all day. Feels good, right? - Work as if Your Job Depends on it
Because it does! Normally we think that if we work for a large company or someone else is paying the bills, it does not matter what we do, our job will always be secure. - I am Motivated!
The first thing you need to decide if you want to get out of debt, is not whether you need a written plan or not; that part is pretty much a given. - The Simple Life
Often times I meet with people who claim they are too busy to maintain their finances, search for a better career or even clean their own home. While I agree that paying a cleaning service $60 per month is a great idea if you could better use that time with family or make more money during that hour, you really do need to carve out the time to take charge of your life.
Take balancing your checkbook for example. - Should I Tithe While Getting Out of Debt?
Alecia wrote me with this very honest and powerful question. She and her husband are working diligently to get out of debt. - Relax and Recharge.. Let the Money Flow In
Even if you are behind on your bills and you cannot find a job needed to support your family, it is important to take time out for regular rest and relaxation. - Relax and Recharge.. Let the Money Flow In
Even if you are behind on your bills and you cannot find a job needed to support your family, it is important to take time out for regular rest and relaxation. - Does God Want Me to Enjoy My Job?
Picture a grandfather who gives a grandson a toy. A few days or weeks goes by and the boy is now tired of playing with it. - When it comes to Change There are two Kinds of People.
I can usually tell during the first ten minutes of meeting with a prospective client if they are willing to do the work necessary to bring about change in their life, or if they are simply testing the waters. - If Get-Rich-Rich-Quick Works, Why Isn’t Everyone Rich?
Americans are not exactly known for their patience and persistence. We live in a microwave society and we wan it now. When we eat we want it fast, even if it’s not the healthiest food. When the store is one mile from home we drive because we don’t have time to walk. And when we are newly married we want everything our parents have, not realizing it took them thirty-five years to obtain it. - Are You Living Your Dream or Your Parents’?
I wish we were all living our dreams for our lives, but it seems to me that more and more people are living someone else’s dream in their lives. I do acknowledge how difficult it is to pick a career to major in when you are a twenty year old kid, but at some point you must begin to wonder why you are not happy. - Success Under Pressure
A man happened upon a butterfly just emerging from its cocoon. The longer he watched the young butterfly struggle to become free the more restless he became. Finally, when it looked like the butterfly would not make it out on its own the man took a pair of scissors and freed the new butterfly from its small home. - Knowledge Equals Money
“Five years from today you’re going to be the same person making the same money except for the books you read and the people you meet.” – Charlie “Tremendous” Jones - Remove the Worry in Life
There are many situations in life where we feel compelled to worry. Whether your money is tight this month or your job is on the verge of laying you off, there is little cause to worry. - Promotions can be Bad News
Many people have goals of moving up in life and especially in their work. While having goals is a great thing, have you ever stopped and thought about where you really want to end up? What is the ultimate goal in your work? Do you want to be a CEO or are your passions more aligned with being a department manager and working one-on-one with your employees? - If you Want to be Rich, Do Something Worthy
It is all over television and the internet. We are bombarded with it every day. Get-rich-quick schemes, the next big thing that will make you money; do not buy into it! - Flying by the Seat of Your Pants
Is it more fun not to plan and take life as it comes, or is it better to develop a plan so as to not be spontaneous? The main reason many people do not develop a plan, or even a budget, is because they claim they cannot then be spontaneous. - Live Your Dreams Now
Do you fear that by the time you discover what your dreams are, you’ll be too old to do anything about them? - Don’t Borrow Your Way Out of Debt
I just spoke with a client who, like many people in a financial mess, is having trouble paying
all of his debts on time. One of the things I emphasize is to develop
href="http://www.lukascoaching.com/resources">prioritized spending plan each month. - Why Does Your Job Stink?
My passion lies in helping others get what they want. As it turns out, many people really dislike their jobs. - Why do we Plan Our Careers First?
I believe that work should be a reflection of the LIFE you want. Instead, I see many people pick a career and try to plan their lives around it. There is a lot of fitting and squeezing that happens during this process, but it usually ends in failure. - Quite Possibly the Best Reason to Get Out of Debt
Some people want to get out of debt because it's a necessity. They are behind on bills and their marriage is hanging on by a thread. They may not know where their next paycheck is coming from and how to pay the electricity bill due this Friday. - Lower Your Phone Bill
While many households have dropped their home phone to make the switch to just their cell phones, the majority of US homes still have a landline phone for the majority of their calls. - Feed Your Family for $60 per Month
It seems that the cost of fuel isn't the only thing skyrocketing in our economy today. The cost of groceries is an area that many people have found themselves struggling to pay. - Who is on Your Side?
You cannot do it on your own. It’s as simple as that. This is why singles have it so much harder than married couples when it comes to devising a plan and getting out of debt. - The Easiest Business to Start
Between Career and Life Coaching and the Business Clients that I work with, I field a lot of questions about the easiest businesses to start. Of course you should always be doing something that aligns with your interests, skills and abilities and your passions. - Givers Get
When I coach with other business owners and people that have ideas I often find reluctance on their part to share those ideas with others. I think this boils down many times to believing that ideas are scarce in this world. - Easy ways to Increase Your Income
There are two parts to getting out of debt and changing your future. You can either raise your income or lower your outgo. That sounds pretty simple, right? Well, there is a bit more to it than that. - Don’t Use Objectives
The old way of writing a resume was to include a generic objective at the very top. You know the kind that made you look really good but sounded a bit funny when read out loud. - Contribute to 401(k)?
With all of the news of the poor performance of the stock market lately, I field many questions regarding contributions to 401(k) and other retirement accounts. Should we invest in something that appears to be heading down at an alarming rate? - There are Only 7 Steps to Become Financially Free
Far too many financial professionals make money way more complicated than it should be. While many of them are concerned about how to maximize your savings and investments to the penny, if it becomes too complicated and you do not do it, all your time and energy spent was for nothing. - It Takes Money to Make Money
This is a common misconception in the world today. In all actuality, here is how the numbers break down if you want to become a millionaire... - Your Rebate... Here are Some Great Ideas for How to Spend It
This just in from the IRS… you may be only 3 days away from receiving your rebate! The schedule has been moved forward (a rare move for the U.S. government) and the first recipients will be receiving their money (that’s right, it is yours and not the government’s) on May 2. - My Lunch Cost me $18.40
I started thinking about this recently as gas prices have been on the rise yet again. I am fortunate that my office is just 4 miles from my home, so most days I drive back for lunch. I get to connect with my wife and my two children while they are still home for a few more years - Finish This Sentence
What do you think about life? Would you say struggle, fight or trap; or would you say highway, dream or blessing? - Any Words of Wisdom Before You Die?
If you knew you had one last talk to give, what would it be? Carnegie Mellon University hosts lecturer's from around the world each year. The premise is, if you had one last lecture to give, what would it be? For Randy Pausch, it was very literal. He has pancreatic cancer and his doctors told him he only has 6 months left to live. - Who’s Giving You Advice?
Our Career and Life Coaching clients usually tell me similar things. Most are looking for a path out of their current position into something that utilizes their true passion. - When is the Best Time to Buy or Sell a Home?
Our current economy does not seem to be very kind in regards to the housing market. Foreclosures are at a record rate and the mortgage crisis has made it much more difficult to get financing. - How to Sell a Home if You Owe too Much
Many of our clients are confronted with trying to sell a home out of necessity, or just because they do not like it any more. Because of the so-called mortgage crisis and other problems in our economy, it is no secret that the value of homes in many parts of the United States has declined; some areas more drastically than others. With that decline, many people are now finding they owe more on the home than they can sell it for. Some people even have vacation homes or homes they have left behi - Learn How to Procrastinate
It is easily determined that most of what we do in our lives is meaningless and trivial; it stands to offer us no purpose and gives us little gain in life. - Comfortable Misery
The story goes that a salesman walked up to the front porch of an old customer to find him sitting on his porch. - Personal Responsibility
On a recent trip to Europe, we spent a few days in Paris. One of the big similarities of the subway system to many of those in the U.S. is the people begging for money as they walk through the trains. - 401(k) Loans on the Rise
Today, more workers are withdrawing money from their retirement accounts in the form of 401(k) hardship withdrawals and loans than ever before. Merrill Lynch sampled applications filed in January, 2008 and found the primary reason was to prevent foreclosure or eviction. - $49,000 in College Scholarships for Your Student
Many of the clients I talk to on a daily basis have questions about funding college for one or more of their children. Regardless of if you have done a great job saving for your children’s education or you have no clue as to how to pay for their first textbook, you need to check out N2 College Consulting. - Your Vision Determines Your Income
Wayne Gretzky was once asked what made him a great hockey player. He simply stated that instead of going to where the puck was, he went to where the puck would soon be. - What is Your Passion?
Most of us have heard that we need to develop our passion. There should be at least one thing that makes us jump out of bed in the morning, happy to be alive just because we have the opportunity to do it. - State Your Intentions
How many times have you thought about doing something and made a resolve to do it, but then the excitement wore off and you never followed through? I sure hope that I am not alone in this. - Do You Avoid Work?
An increasing number of people are finding that they really do not enjoy their work and are looking for excuses to avoid showing up every day. Simply coming down with the flu does not carry as much weight as it used to. - Why Work for a Living?
Why do so many of us work for a living? After all, work implies drudgery, mindlessness, boring duties and dissatisfaction. I don’t work for a living; rather I live for what I do. I have created the ideal life for my family and myself, and have based what I do for income around that. Did you know that there are many cultures around the world that do not even have a word for ‘retirement’? - Healthy Ideas for Vacationers
I know it is not always easy to be healthy when you are on vacation, especially when you get out of your regular routine and would rather lie at the pool or on the beach than spend time in a gym. It is also difficult to find healthy options at restaurants when you have to eat out for every single meal. I recently returned from vacation where I discovered it is possible to maintain some semblance of health if you get creative. - Get Out of Debt: The Most Important Step
The most important step to getting out of debt should really come as no surprise. If you find yourself digging a whole and then notice that you are stuck in the bottom of it, the first thing that most intelligent people would do is to stop digging. The same goes for getting out of debt, although most people do not follow this advice. - Don’t Jump
Most of us become very comfortable with our lives, and yet fed-up at the same time. Our jobs do not pay enough, the hours are too long, the management does not have a clue, and it’s just boring every day! It seems that we become comfortably numb with the cards we feel have been dealt to us, and thus we never make a change. - Get a Job
It is no secret that there are only two things you can do to change your financial situation. You can either raise your income or lower your outgo (cut your expenses). On the income side there are many things I suggest to clients to help get out of debt faster. Each of these I have either done or would do myself. When developing your plan, decide what will work best for you, but focus on doing whatever it takes to become debt free, except for you home, within 24 months or less. - Get Out of Your Cell Phone Plan
Have you ever signed up or upgraded your cell phone plan, but then realized that either you could not afford it, the reception was not as good as advertised, or even decided that you did not like the plan? Like many people, you found out that you were indeed stuck in that plan for the next 24 months. - Winners do Quit
I believe the old adage “winners never quit and quitters never win” simply isn’t true. If you take a fresh look at what you are doing with your life, you may begin to discover certain things that you have been doing through the years that are not helping you reach your goals. - Is a Professional Worth the Money?
Many people know me as being a very cost-conscientious kind of guy. My wife just says that I’m cheap. I will live with it I guess, because we are able to save a lot of money each year by shopping for the best deals, buying things on sale, etc. - Can You Afford Christmas?
The holidays are over. January is here. I think you know what happens next. Well, Groundhog Day is just around the corner, but I am referring to the credit card bills. - Save the Earth, and Some Money
Here are some ideas to help save your pocket book, while helping the earth at the same time. Yes, they really can go hand-in-hand. - Can You See Past Your Troubles?
Many of us get stuck in our current reality when setting goals. I meet with people all the time that cannot do one thing or another because of something that has happened to them or someone close to them. - Vehicles and Your Net Worth
When most people study their finances to try and decide how much money to set aside for retirement, when to save for their kid’s college and whether or not to pay off their home early, a crucial part of the equation is usually left out. The missing step is vehicles. - Make it Automated
My wife will be the first to tell you that I am pretty darn lazy. While I do not have much downtime in my day, she knows that while I’m working, I’m doing it as efficiently as I can. I call it… being efficiently lazy. - Accelerate Your Mortgage, Free Your Income
I was recently asked about a mortgage acceleration program and how they work. The idea behind the program is to pay off your home 2 or 3 years early, and save a bunch of money on interest. - Tell me if this sounds weird…
I know someone who once decided to replace all of the old windows in a house that itself was over 100 years old. He took out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) in order to finance the window replacement, and a contractor arrived on a Saturday to complete the job. - My Debit Card was Stolen: Here’s What to Do
It’s true; I never thought I would let it happen, but it happened without me having any knowledge of it. While you can minimize your risk of having your number stolen, if it does happen, you need to be on top of it. Just a few weeks ago, I discovered that I needed to make some calls. - Is There Something More Productive?
Last week I wrote about the importance of looking at things with the perspective that you might be doing too much. I shared with you that sometimes you have to make the tough decision of giving up something, regardless of whether or not it is working well, and replacing it with something you believe could work even better for you. - End of Year Business Priorities
As the end of the year looms near, I tend to receive quite a few inquiries focusing on what business owners need to do to get ready for next year. While I will highlight a few of the important tasks to complete, I am more interested in helping business owner do certain things throughout the year, to keep from having to focus on so many at the end of the year. I have never met a business owner who could not use more time. - Continuous Learning
Right now there are a ton of teachers out there to help our kids learn new skills. They range from piano lessons, to tutoring, to second languages. There is an entire subset of business that focuses and caters exclusively to children. - Bringing happiness to your life
Most people equate money with happiness. In fact, if you were to ask people what one thing would make them happier, more than half would say earning more money. Is this really the case? If we just make more money, we would be happie? - Are you Planning to Win?
Most of us don’t plan to fail, but I strive to ask myself, and I planning to win? Winning can be anything you want in life. Some examples of good goals to have are raising your income, purchasing a home, starting a business, getting out of debt, saving for retirement, and raising a happy, healthy family. - Accelerate Your Mortgage, Remove a Big Payment
I was recently asked about a mortgage acceleration program. The idea behind them is to join the program and pay off your house 2 or 3 years early, and save a bunch of money on interest. - Whose Responsibility is it?
During a recent trip to Europe, we spent a few days in Paris. One of the big similarities of the subway system to ours is in the people begging for money as they walk through the trains. - Should You Teach Kids About Money?
I get a lot of personal and business wisdom from the book of Proverbs. It is a short book in the bible, but was written for the reader to attain "wisdom and discipline." I find it very interesting that the very first insight has to do with teaching your children about life. - Shortcuts Don't Work
When you think back through your life, has there ever been a time when you took a shortcut and it worked out in your favor? - Dump a Timeshare, Gain a Tax-Deduction
If you have a timeshare, you know what a drain on your budget it can be. Even when you have it paid off, there are ongoing maintenance fees and other expenses to pay every year. Add to that the fact that you're usually locked into only visiting that one location, and it's a bad deal all around. - Does This Sound Weird?
I know someone who once decided to replace all of the old windows in a house that itself was over 100 years old. He took out a home equity line of credit (HELOC) in order to finance the window replacement, and a contractor arrived on a Saturday to complete the job. - Who Really Needs to Have Goals
Most of us don't plan to fail, but I strive to ask myself, am I planning to win? Winning can be anything you want in life. Some examples of good goals to have are raising your income, purchasing a home, starting a business, getting out of debt, saving for retirement, and raising a happy, healthy family. Whether or not some of these are personal goals for you, or if you have others, let me ask you one question; do you have them written down? - What Your Past Determines
Many times as I counsel an individual or a couple, we spend some time talking about the past. Things our parents did and how they handled their money may have had a negative impact on how we live and handle money. - What to do With a Tax Refund
As of 3/19 TurboTax had estimated that its customers have received over $22,778,433,536 in refunds for 2006 taxes alone! - What are You Investing For?
Much like an exercise program, you'll want to determine your goals before you begin to invest. Your goal might be retiring in 20-30 years, kids college funding or, if you got started a bit late, retirement in the next 5 to 10 years. - The Story of JC Penney
In 1902 a young man of 26 years old by the name of James "Cash" Penney opened a store called The Golden Rule in Wyoming. James Penney was given the nickname Cash because of his moral oposition to credit. Selling merchandise for cash only, Penney grew the retail chain throughout the Rockie Mountain states and later changed the name to J.C. Penneys. Today there are more than 1,000 stores throughout the world, but they did not start accepting credit as payment until the late 1970's. - Teach Your Kids About Money
Every child matures differently, but as they get into Middle and High School, here is a great method to teach responsibility with money. - Someone Stole My Lunch Money
If you're looking for great ways to instill good financial values in your children, here is another idea you may like to try. - Making Money on Your Investments
Last week I talked about the ideal time in your life to start investing for retirement. Ideally, for everyone that time is as soon as possible. If you already missed that landmark, then the answer is NOW! Once you have a budget in place, have no consumer debt (credit cards, student loans, etc.) and have between 3 and 6 months of expenses in an emergency fund, then your time is here. Let's invest! - Improve Your Credit Score
A common question that we get asked a lot is how to improve a credit score. I tend to challenge the notion that we need a good credit score in the first place, since the way it is calculated really makes it an 'I love debt score'. The FICO score is based on such things as the amount of debt outstanding, the available credit outstanding, payments history, etc.
Credit - How to Pick a Good Mutual Fund
We've spent the past few weeks discussing investments so you'll know by now that we recommend good low risk mutual funds as the investment of choice. - How a Mutual Fund Works
I receive a lot of investing questions, and many of them have to do with mutual funds. - You Can't Out-earn Stupidity
Before my wife and I worked our way out of debt, we were like the average Americans. We didn't have the first clue about how to handle our money. Just like many of the people we coach, we thought that if we worked hard enough and earned more money, that would make up for our lack of knowledge in the financial world. - Working Together is Better
Regardless of wether you're single or married, chances are you won't get out of debt if you go it alone. - Where do I Start?
When I meet with people, the biggest question I get asked is "Where do I start if I want to become debt-free?" - Teach Your Children Well
If you're like me, then you may continually be looking for ways to teach your children valuable life lessons. I only know of a handful of topics that are as important as money. - Take a Break; it's Good for Your Money
As our team gets ready to leave for France (Prostate Cancer Climb), I'm reminded of the need to periodically take a break from everyday responsibilities and rejuvenate your mind and body. While we're going to Europe, you do not have to travel that far. - Save Money on Your Home Phone
Remember the days of paying $.15 per minute or more for long distance service from your local telephone company? Well, those days are gone thankfully, and you have many choices if you're searching your budget for places to save money. - Develop the Passion
In Dr. Henry Cloud's newest book, Integrity: The Courage to Meet the Demands of Reality, he discusses the issue of becoming passionate about a struggle, instead of simply using shear willpower to overcome it. - Chosing the Best Mortgage
One of the things we always look at with our customers is the type of mortgage that they have. That is also one of the questions we get asked the most.
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