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Three kinds of people…

INTRODUCTION

There are three kinds of people; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. If you want things to happen in your life you have to make things happen and not wait for others to do it. As the saying goes, “If you want something done you have to do it yourself.”

Three kinds of people…

Those who make things happen..

These are the people who see an opportunity and take advantage of it. They are action people; they take action and because they take action they are often subject to a lot of criticism from those who have a need to give their self-esteem a boost. Action people do not allow the negative comments of others to influence their mindset because they are so focused on what needs to be done that what others say is given the attention it deserves. 

History is full of examples of those who have reaped the rewards of their actions. Bitcoin is one example; those who invested in Bitcoin at the very beginning have done extremely well. 

Action people make fortunes out of negativity.

How?

When the markets have taken a dive and negative investors are selling positive people go shopping for bargains in the markets. 

Negative people make things happen alright; they create opportunities for positive people to cash in.

Those who watch things happen…

These are the people who want everyone else to be their guinea pig, to test out every new idea that comes along. They watch other people get rich on ideas that they themselves did not get involved in. They are the type of people who do not know anything unless a book points it out to them. An example of these people could be found in England who caught covid during the vaccine roll out but for one reason or another chose not to be vaccinated.

These people are procrastinators; they keep putting things off which means they are constantly missing out on opportunities to better their lives. Change scares these people. You know the story. “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

Those who wondered what happened..

These are the people who do not want to do anything for themselves. They refuse to learn anything new whether it is personal finance, technology, or up-dating their skill base. These people have no desire to better themselves and want everything handed to them on a plate. The sad thing about these people is that they want to bring others down to their level because it makes them feel better about themselves.

You certainly do not want to align yourself with these people as your own self-esteem will suffer.

The bottom line is if you are in the first group of people then expect to cop a lot of ridicule and criticism from the third group. It is best to spend as much time as you can with like-minded people and not be drawn into trivialities which fill the minds of the third group of people.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

You are welcome to share this article, post it on your website, or use it as content for your ebook. Visit my site www.robertastewart.com for other articles you can use.

www.robertastewart.com

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HOW TO GAIN FINANCIAL LITERACY

INTRODUCTION

There is no excuse for financial ignorance when there is so much finance information available on the internet and in printed form. Becoming familiar with the various forms of investments will hold you in good stead for the future.

How to gain financial literacy

Your financial literacy is your ability to make financially smart decisions. You were not born financially smart or dumb; your financial knowledge or ignorance was developed over a period of time. I assume that you are not ignorant otherwise you would not be reading this. So without further ado, here are some ways of gaining financial literacy.

Your own experience

There is no better teacher than your own experience but that does not mean you have to go ahead and make all of the mistakes it is possible to make. It is more a case of using your personal judgement based on your knowledge and the advice of others but you will make mistakes along the way; it is a part of the learning process. It is a matter of who to take advice from and whose advice to treat with a grain of salt. 

An excellent way of gaining financial literacy is to register with one or more of the sharemarket online platforms where you are able to buy and sell shares online. Only a minimal amount of money is needed to get involved. In New Zealand sharesies.nz is one such platform but is by no means the only one around. Other countries have similar such share trading platforms available.

Experience of others

The easy way to learn is from the mistakes of others. All you need to do is to keep your eyes open; many people do not do this and instead follow others like sheep. This is not necessarily the best way. In fact history has taught me that following the crowd is often the wrong way. A classic example is the share market when a stock is valued well above it’s true worth because so many people have jumped on the bandwagon and bought shares in that particular company because everyone else is doing it. It is young people without experience in the markets who are prone to this mistake.

It pays to go against the crowd; what this means is that you look for bargains in the markets whether it is gold, shares, property, and so forth. You do not have to experience what others are experiencing if you have the ability to assess what is a good investment and what is not.

Be prepared to listen to what the older generation has to say. Many of their opinions will be based on their own experience.

Books

Ignorance is no excuse as far as not being financially educated because your local library will stock books on finance. There are some terrific books on finance, some I recommend are, “Rich Dad Poor Dad,” by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter. They have several other books which are recommended reading. “How to Be Rich & Happy” by Hans Jakobi, Australia’s wealth coach is another book I recommend. Hans also has several other books published, “Underground Knowledge” and “Due Diligence,” are two of them. “Making money made simple” written by Australian financial advisor Noel Whittaker is a good read. Mary Holm and Martin Hawes are other excellent financial authors.

The internet

There is a lot of information available online on finance and investing; a simple google search will bring these up but like listening to your mates you have to use your own judgement when assessing the information from some sites and how it relates to your own personal situation. Martin Hawes and Mary Holm are both reputable advisors with good websites.

Newspapers

Most newspapers carry financial information and these are worth reading. Cut out articles that interest you; they make good reading in a year or so. 

www.robertastewart.com

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Feel free to share this article or post it on your site. You also have permission to use it as content for your ebook. My blog www.robertastewart.com has down to earth information about everyday finances.

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KIWISAVER RETIREMENT SCHEME

HOW TO MAKE 50% ON YOUR MONEY TAX FREE

Do you want to make 50% return on your money tax free?.

Sounds too good to be true?

Some people will now be thinking that I must have fallen for one of these internet scams. The truth is thousands of New Zealanders are doing this every year which has helped to build up their wealth and it is really no secret; in fact people are encouraged to participate in this scheme by the government.

Over a million Kiwis are making 50% of their money in this scheme every week and if you have not guessed what it is, it’s KIWI SAVER.

The government will contribute $520 to your kiwisaver account per annum but you must contribute at least $1040 to get the $520. If your annual contribution is less than $1040 then your tax credit will be 50% of whatever your contribution is.

Let’s look at an example.

If 4% of your gross income is deposited into your kiwisaver account and you earn on average 50k per annum then your contribution to kiwisaver per annum is 2k. 

There are countless thousands of New Zealanders who are living from payday to pay day who may struggle to contribute even $1040 annually to their kiwisaver account. If you can find a way to contribute money to your kiwisaver then it will be worthwhile in the end. What you spend your money on is what takes priority in your life so if you want a way you will find a way to reach the $1040 target.

Your employer will contribute 3%  of your gross income to your kiwisaver account; it all contributes to your retirement savings.

When signing up for Kiwi Saver, you are given several options of which funds to invest your money, the degree of risk each of these funds carry depends on where your money is being invested.

The funds offering the highest return are also offering the greatest risk of loss, the thing to bear in mind us that if there is a chance of a capital gain then there is also a chance of a capital loss and there is no guarantee that a share market crash such as the 1987 black Monday one will not occur again and it is the higher risk funds which will be affected mostly.

Your tolerance to risk is another factor to consider, there is no point in investing in higher risk funds if  the possibility of loss is going to cause you to lose sleep. Your age is another factor to consider; if you are young then you have the luxury of time on your side.You have more time to recover from financial setbacks.

These are just some things to think about but it’s best to speak to a financial advisor before making any decision.

www.robertastewart.com

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THE ART OF AVERAGING

INTRODUCTION

Investors must realise that investing in the markets has its ups and downs (literally) that it is important to keep it all into the right perspective if investments do not go your way. There is a method of playing the markets in a way that you can take advantage of the market drops. 

The Art of Averaging 

Averaging is a term one may come across in the markets now and and again; what this refers to is the average price paid for a particular share if you had bought shares in that particular company.

To calculate the average price paid for a particular share you add up the total amount you have paid for the shares and divide that by the number of shares you have bought in that company. 

The answer is the average amount that you have paid per share.

Try this mathematical question:

There are five numbers 10, 20, 30, 40, 50

What is the average number?

The calculation: 

Add up the five numbers:  10 + 20 + 30 + 40 + 50 = 150

Divide the total of the five numbers (150) by 5

150 divided by 5 = 30 (answer)

You can do this easily with a calculator.

There are so many share trading platforms available these days that investing directly into the sharemarket has never been easier for the ordinary man and women.

So how does averaging work?

If you purchase stock at regular intervals you will pay different prices for each stock because share prices go up and down. Imagine if you bought something at the supermarket last week at the full price then bought the same item this week on special. The average price you paid for the item will be somewhere between the higher price and the lower price.

The sharemarket works like that. By purchasing a particular stock at regular intervals you will manage to pick up some shares in it when the price is lower. This is the advantage of saving regularly. 

In fact I think there is a case for purchasing more shares when the price is low. The average price paid per share is determined by calculations as explained earlier. 

The averaging strategy can also be used in cryptocurrency investing. 

Bitcoin is more volatile than the sharemarket so an astute investor who has an eye for a bargain can invest when the price has dropped.

There are so many share trading platforms available that playing the markets are accessible to everyone. I have joined two of them in New Zealand. Most countries have share trading platforms available. Signing up for them is easy; you require some form of identification. Just follow the directions and you are all set up.

TO SUMMARISE

Playing the markets requires a positive mindset and a cool head. If you have these you can profit from falling markets. Averaging is a method that takes advantage of falling markets.

www.robertastewart.com

 

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RETIREMENT YEARS

INTRODUCTION

Spending your retirement years is not all about how you will spend your time but your money also. Ticking off those items on your bucket list becomes your priority. This all takes money. A financial advisor  thinks older people should spend their money while they can and travel while they are able to.

Spending your money during your latter years

Written by R. A. Stewart

“Spend your money while you can.”

That is the message of New Zealand Financial Advisor Mary Holm who has recently published another book. 

This message was aimed at retirees. Ms Holm says you should not just leave your money to your children.

She says that she has received letters from people in their eighties and nineties who have said they wished they had done more travelling when they were able to. They were of course referring to when they were in their sixties and seventies.

Holm does have a point but it all depends on how responsible your children are with their money. If they have a house and a retirement plan then you can stipulate that the money can go toward these things. 

Doing stuff while you are able to is probably the best way to live for those who have reached the retirement age and that all takes money.

What Mary says makes sense; helping your children get their foot on the property ladder or through university is one thing but if they are irresponsible with their money then that is another thing altogether. 

This all highlights the importance of teaching your children financial literacy. 

Teaching your children how to invest is just as important as teaching them how to save. Most people are able to save money but most are saving to spend rather than saving to invest.

It is investing which will make life easier in the long-term.

Your priorities will determine how you are going to spend your latter years and there is no law to say that you have to retire at a certain age; a lady in her eighties was still working at our local supermarket. Everyone is to their own I suppose but I don’t see the point of that since our country (New Zealand) is very generous to its retirees. It was only ill health which caused her to stop working and then she succumbed to her illness not long after.

Deciding what is important to you is all about setting goals; Anthony Robbins book, “Awaken the GIant within,” is certainly worth reading. 

In the chapter on “Goal Setting,” he talks about taking the rocking chair test. If you were to sit in your rocking chair at the age of ninety what would you regret about your life?”

“Don’t die wondering,” is a saying worth remembering. It is important to enjoy the stage of life you are at because there may come a day when you regret not having made the most of that particular stage of life.

Planning for the future is just as important; its getting that balance right which is the key. There is no point in blowing your retirement fund during your first year of retirement if it is going to leave you in poverty for your remaining years.

SUMMARY

A work colleague said to us once, “I can’t understand these old people who live frugal lives only to leave their money to someone else.” Making sacrifices in order to save money is understandable when you are younger but not when you are past the retirement age. (unless you are living from paycheck to paycheck). Live your best life now while you can and not just hoard your money for the younger generation to fritter away.

www.robertastewart.com

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PYRAMID SELLING

INTRODUCTION

Pyramid selling is a marketing system which involves enticing others into the scheme and training them to do likewise who in turn train others. Network marketing is a similar system of selling but the difference between the two is that with legitimate network marketing companies, products are being sold. It is important to know the difference between the two and not be pressured into joining something which you feel uncomfortable with.

Pyramid Scheme doing the rounds in New Zealand

A pyramid scheme targeting Pacific Islanders has been doing the rounds in South Auckland. A few people who are also Tongan have been promoting the schemes which has seen people part with sums ranging from $300-$1500.

The scheme is some kind of gifting program where each person sends a gift to those higher up in the chain.

Promises have been made to would be participants about the large sums of money they can make in the scheme but this is dependent on them recruiting others into the scheme and convincing them to invest money into it. They then must do likewise in order to make money and so on.

Somewhere during this chain the money trail stops as fewer people get involved while others drop out. The scheme relies on a large number to join in order to make it work. In the end the only person who makes any money from it all is the originator of the scheme.

Some people who had been a participant in one scheme had left to create their own and have persuaded others to join them telling them “Come over to my one, this is a whole lot better.”

“If something is too good to be true it most probably is.”

So what are the tell tale signs of a pyramid scheme?

There are some keywords to look out for with the main ones being recruit, network marketing, upline, downline, gifting program.

The one question which should be asked of those promoting the scheme is, “What products are being sold?” 

Any marketing scheme which requires its members to recruit others in order to make money without any products being sold is almost certainly a pyramid scheme which is illegal in New Zealand and other countries.

Legitimate companies such as Amway, Melaleuca, Herbalife, Kleeneze (UK) all sell products as do a heap of other companies which involve recruiting others but even so, the tactics employed by these companies can be downright pushy that people who are not suited to this type of selling get talked into joining the scheme without any hope of ever making any money. There are some pyramid schemes which masquerade as network marketing companies so you need to be on the ball.

What can people do to protect themselves?

The most obvious one is to take financial advice and this does not need to cost an arm and a leg. Get free legal advice at the citizens advice bureau. You can also go to your bank and just ask for their advice. Of course the people who are promoting these schemes don’t want you to do that but it is your money they are after and they do not want you to expose their scheme.

It is those who can least afford it who are taken in by these schemes; the thought of a financially free life with little or no effort. Promoters of these schemes are selling a dream; who says, “Dreams are free?”

The bottom line to all this is that these schemes are illegal in most countries so if you could get into trouble if you are a participant.

TO SUMMARISE

Certain types of people are attracted by pyramid schemes; the desperate, the greedy, the ignorant, and the financially illiterate. Therefore it is important to get financial education and to take advice from well informed people. My blog www.robertastewart.com has lots of information of a financial nature.

Here is an ebook with some of my thoughts on personal finance; you can grab a copy here.

https://payhip.com/b/frA7 (Financial steps)

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AN AFFILIATE MARKETING MENTOR CAN HELP YOU SUCCEED

The Value of using an Affiliate Marketing Mentor 

“He who walks with wise men shall become wise but a companion of fools will be destroyed.” Proverbs 13:30

The value of having an -affiliate marketing mentor cannot be underestimated; in fact whatever business you are in, it is important to have someone teaching you along the way.

Imagine if you needed financial advice on where to invest in a windfall. would you go to someone who has no savings of their own or someone who has investments in the markets?

The one who has no money will advise you on what to spend the money on while the one who has investments will give you his or her financial opinion.

As far as – affiliate marketing goes, a mentor who has made mistakes along the way will share with you his experience in order that you do not have to make the same costly errors.

A television pastor once said, “There are three ways to learn, they are; The easy way is when you learn from other people’s mistakes, the hard way is when you learn from your own mistakes, or the tragic way, when you never learn from your own mistakes.”

The bottom line is learn from those who have gone before you before making the same mistakes you made. 

It is important to stress, however, that making mistakes is just part of the learning process and – affiliate marketing is no different; having a mentor can help you to minimize your mistakes.

John Crestani is one such leader in affiliate marketing he created the Super affiliate system for ordinary men and women who desire to escape the rat race once and for all start their own home business from the comfort of their own home with just a computer with internet access.

John is currently making six figures per month with nothing more than a computer with internet access and a phone.

All this from affiliate marketing

He created the system which has been so successful and can help you to follow suit.

I am not saying that you will become as successful as John because it is really up to you, but if you want to be successful at  affiliate marketing then you need to follow the guidance of those who have been successful.

Sadly, so many people listen to what their family have said, what the friends have said, and what others have said and are talked out of taking a leap of faith and trying something new. They then go on living a life of mediocrity, not living life on their terms but rather what others would consider normal.

I can’t stress this enough; if you want to succeed at affiliate marketing then you must follow the example set by those who are successful at affiliate marketing. 

You must remain teachable and at the same time be responsible for your own mistakes. A mentor’s role is not to spoon feed you  to success but rather to give you instruction and your role is to follow the advice given, affiliate marketing has helped others earn a reasonable living, are you going to take the next step?

Click on the link below for further information: – http://bit.ly/3uQXf7I

www.robertastewart.com

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CREATING YOUR CV

Adding your Qualities to your CV

Written by Robert A. Stewart

Employers who receive your CV are interested in your qualities so what is a quality?

A quality is a characteristic; it is a strength. Someone’s good strengths are their qualities and abilities.

You must be able to provide an example of every quality you list on your CV.

Here are some examples:

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am a good team player.”

EXAMPLE: “I am part of the soccer/cricket/rugby/whatever team that has won xxx number of games this season.”

When giving an example of being a team player, you use the word “we,” rather than “I” all of the time and never use the word, “they” when talking about your previous employers.

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am good with children.”

EXAMPLE: “I babysit for my sister/auntie every weekend,” or “I look after the kids at church on Sundays.”

PERSONAL QUALITIES: “I am willing to learn.”

EXAMPLE: “At my last job we did such and such which was a huge learning curb for us.”

It is important not to sell yourself short in describing yourself. Your personal qualities are unique to you, they are your gifts.

When you are talking about past employers in an interview use the word “we” as this gives others the impression that you are a team player. Never refer to them as “they,” 

Leave out information which may not be relevant to the job but certain skills which may not be important for the job you are applying for may in fact point to a quality which an employer is after.

For example you may be computer literate which is not relevant to the job but if you are teaching others how to do stuff online then this can be pointed out in the interview or on your CV.

Knowing what to leave out of your CV is just as important as what to include. It is a good idea to have different CVs tailored to different types of jobs, that way your CV will be relevant to the type of job you are applying for.

You need to keep in mind that if a potential employer has reason to believe that you may spend a lot of time on your devices during work time then he may overlook you for someone else.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

You have the right to forward/share this article, even publish it on your own blog or use it as content for your own ebook.

www.robertastewart.com

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MISTAKES MADE BY AFFILIATE MARKETERS

Mistake number 1: Choosing the wrong affiliate program.  

Many people want to earn from affiliate marketing as fast as possible. In their rush to be part of one, they tend to choose a bandwagon product. This is the kind of product that the program thinks is “hot”. They choose the product that is in demand without actually considering if the product appeals to them. This is not a very wise move obviously. 

Instead of jumping on the bandwagon, try to choose a product in which you are truly interested in. For any endeavor to succeed, you should take some time to plan and figure out your actions.  

Pick a product that appeals to you. Then do some research about that product to see if they are in demand. Promoting a product you are more passionate about is easier than promoting one for the sake of the earnings only.  

Mistake number 2: Joining too many affiliate programs.  

 Since affiliate programs are very easy to join, you might be tempted to join multiples of affiliate programs to try and maximize the earnings you will be getting. Besides you may think that there is nothing wrong and nothing to lose by being part of many affiliate programs. 

True, that is a great way to have multiple sources of income. However, joining multiple programs and attempting to promote them all at the same time will prevent you from concentrating on each one of them.  

The result? The maximum potential of your affiliate program is not realized and the income generated will not exactly be as huge as you were thinking initially it would. The best way to get excellent results is by joining just one program that pays a 40% commission at least. Then give it your best effort by promoting your products enthusiastically. As soon as you see that it is already making a reasonable profit, then maybe you can now join another affiliate program. 

The technique is to do it slowly but surely. There is really no need to rush into things, especially with affiliate marketing. With the way things are going, the future is looking real bright and it seems affiliate marketing will be staying for a long time too. 

Mistake number 3: Not buying the product or using the service. 

As an affiliate, you main purpose is to effectively and convincingly promote a product or service and to find customers. For you to achieve this purpose, you must be able to relay to the customers that certain product and service. It is therefore difficult for you to do this when you yourself have not tried these things out. Thus, you will fail to promote and recommend them convincingly. You will also fail to create a desire in your customers to avail any of what you are offering. 

Try the product or service personally first before you sign up as an affiliate to see if it is really delivering what it promises. If you have done so, then you are one of the credible and living testaments aware of its advantages and disadvantages. Your customers will then feel the sincerity and truthfulness in you and this will trigger them to try them out for themselves.  

Many affiliate marketers make these mistakes and are paying dearly for their actions. To not fall into the same situation they have been in, try to do everything to avoid making the same mistakes.  

Time is the key. Take the time to analyze your marketing strategy and check if you are on the right track. If done properly, you will be able to maximize your affiliate marketing program and earn higher profits.

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Ready to take affiliate marketing to the next level-that link again is-

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www.robertastewart.com

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ASSETS AND LIABILITIES

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Knowing the difference between real assets and real liabilities and then setting your financial goals accordingly can be the difference between getting yourself financially sorted or the poorhouse. It underlines the value of financial literacy in helping achieve your goals.

The difference between assets and liabilities

Written by R. A. Stewart

An asset is something which pays you money while an asset is something that costs you money.

So let’s look at some examples.

Is property an asset or a liability?

Some people may say it is an asset because it is something you own, however, if you owe money on that property and are not getting a return on it then it is a liability because it is costing you money.

Is it an asset if you are receiving rent from that property?

Only if you are making a profit.

Some people would not agree saying, “The property is increasing in value over time.”

Lets not forget there are rates to pay plus maintenance costs and insurance to pay on that property so it could be costing you money in the long term but you will have to sit down and do your homework. 

Other investment times are less complicated such as the sharemarket so lets look at other investment types which are assets. 

Assets

Your retirement fund

Mutual Funds, also known as managed funds

Other investments

Business or farm

Learn to invest your money in items that can be quickly converted back to cash; some investments do not allow you do quick turn the asset back into cash without jumping through several hoops.

Liabilities

Any items which have money owed on it and these are your form of transport, however there are circumstances where it may be an asset such as if the vehicle is used as a taxi, which therefore makes it an asset as it is producing an income. Such costs and the money owing on the vehicle can be tax deductible. The same applies to any vehicle used in a business.

Even though a vehicle used for work and business purposes may be classed as an asset, the money owing on that vehicle is a liability and will go into the accounts as such.

The reason why so many people are in such a poor financial state is that they borrow for stuff instead of saving for it and therefore pay more for that item in the form of interest payments.

A pet can be classed as a liability if it is costing you an arm and a leg to keep. Think of a dog for example; I read somewhere that it costs $20,000 to keep a dog during it’s lifetime. That is not just the food but vet bills and the like. A dog can be classed as a liability.

Do a stock take

Before you know where your money is going you need to do a stock take of all your spending.Your number one priority has to be the elimination of debt and plug up those leaks in your spending that are costing you money. In this way you will know where to make savings and redirect that money elsewhere.

Your task needs to be to reduce liabilities which means reducing debt then once you have savings use it to build your wealth. This involves setting goals which will increase your wealth and not send you to the poorhouse.

There are a number of share market platforms where you are able to drip feed money into the markets. Take advantage of these as they are a great way to build your financial literacy.

Increase your income

Reducing your spending, increasing your income and investing your savings are important factors in increasing your income. Many people are turning to affiliate marketing to build their wealth. If you are interested in going this route then check out the link below:

 http://bit.ly/3uQXf7I

All the best.

www.robertastewart.com