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How to Motivate Yourself

How to Motivate Yourself

1-Put it in your calendar

One way to give a boost to your internal motivation is to create some external motivation; a target date. Whatever it is you’re aiming to accomplish, put it in your calendar. You may be working toward a goal with a fixed date built in. Examples include preparing for a test or taking a course with a fixed date.

The psychology of motivation:

https://uii.io/mGwa4

2-Make working toward your goal a habit

When you make working toward a goal a habit-an automatic conditional response-you no longer have to rely so much on feeling motivated. How do you turn a behavior into a habit?

How to stay motivated; check out this video:

https://uii.io/6jF3K85Tr

3-Plan for Imperfection

It’s great to feel excited and confident about achieving your goal, but it’s also possible to be too optimistic. Not every day will go exactly as planned, and that’s okay. Life happens. One way to boost motivation on different days is simply to plan for them. As you think about your goal, jot down a list of things that could get in the way. 

4-Set Small Goals to Build Momentum

Research shows that frequent small successes can build momentum that can in turn drive long-term success, especially early in the process. Whatever your big goal may be, start by breaking it down into smaller chunks. Getting a new job might be a big goal. Smaller goals could be updating your resume, making a profitable portfolio website, earning a certificate or attending a networking event.

5-Track your progress

Seeing progress can be highly motivating. You’ll find highly motivating tools out there or days to help you with your goals. This could be as a to-do list or calendar where you can cross off tasks or days to complete them, or you can opt for a free tool like trello which helps you to create a personalized digital tool .

How to Motivate Yourself; Check out this video:

https://uii.io/sP9aUYrkrt

#motivation #howtomotivateyourself #motivate #howto

www.robertastewart.com

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How to Finance Books Book Review

How to Finance Books Book Review

Your Money Your Future by Frances Cook

There are some very good financial how-to books written by New Zealand authors which are a good read. If you come from a country outside of New Zealand then maybe you can find these listed on Ebay. You will almost certainly find these listed on the New Zealand auction site trademe. One such author whose books are worth reading is Frances Cook.

Frances is a top-rated pod caster and personal finance journalist. Her book, YOUR MONEY YOUR FUTURE is worth a good read. “The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago. The second best time is now.” according to Frances. The book contains practical advice which anyone can use to achieve better financial outcomes.

There are several interesting points made by the author; some interesting ones being:

The 4 percent rule

This is how much you can spend on your savings per annum after you retire from working.

Income – expenses = savings

You just need to create a gap between your income and your expenses whichever way suits you, in order to save money; “a very simple equation”says Cook.

Chapter nine is titled, “To understand money, think of it as time.” The more time you have on your side, the more you want to invest in risky assets. It is not risk such as investing in a new cryptocurrency which may make you a packet one year only to lose it the next. Everything comes down to time. It is the key to unlocking the key to what you do and when. Older people need more cash on hand, because they’re in the spending phase of life.

Debt was another topic covered. “Spending money you don’t have is called debt”, says Ms Cook. “It is a monkey on your back. Your debt is standing between you and a better savings rate. The money you can’t have today as a debtor has to pay for the life you lived in the past. The debt needs to go first so that the future doesn’t keep being held back.”

Without knowing your personal situation I believe that even if you are in debt it is still important to contribute to your country’s retirement scheme in order to take advantage of the incentives your government provides, not to mention the captain gains on your money but it is a balancing act and as Frances Cook points out. Debt is a hindrance to your financial well-being and has to go beginning with the debt which you are paying the most interest on.

increasing your income through side hustling is covered. One piece of advice given is to look at other industries and see if you can adopt and repurpose the idea to your own area.

Also covered in the book is retirement and Frances says “You are either retiring from something or retiring to something.”

What do you do with your life if you don’t need your job anymore? It might be volunteering for a charity or community group. If you focus on retiring from something, you focus on what you are leaving behind. If you’re retiring to something instead, you have an end goal in sight. You may have a business you want to launch in an area of your passion. You are creating a life, not just quitting the one you currently have. If all you are focusing on is retirement from the life you had then you will find life very empty afterwards.

Frances Cook really puts things into perspective and asks a few hard questions. At the end of the day, a book such as this, may have a lot of useful snippets of information but it really is up to each individual to establish what their personal goals are and incorporate ideas from the book which are appropriate to your situation.

www.robertastewart.com

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Mistakes made by ordinary investors

If you have money invested in your country’s retirement plan then you are an investor whether you know anything about the markets or not. Chances are you have your money invested in some kind of mutual fund which is managed by a fund manager who invests on your behalf. It is up to you to decide on which fund to invest in and for how long.

1-Too Conservative

You have got to learn how to be an investor and take calculated risks; there are no two ways about it. You can manage these risks to take into consideration your age, goals, and your timeline. If you have your money in conservative funds and you are in your twenties then your retirement fund will fall far short of where it is likely to be when you retire. Investing in growth funds is all about achieving capital gains. 

2-Too inconsistent

Lack of consistency as far as contributing to your retirement fund will cost you in the long run. It is easy to be consistent in your contributions when the share market is going strong but it is when the markets are bearish that you need to motivate yourself to keep investing because during the low points is when there are bargains in the share market. If you are working in some type of job then a percentage of your gross wages will be deducted and deposited into your kiwisaver account.

3-Too Emotional

Fear and greed is what drives the share market is an old cliche which rings true. Many investors react to the market’s swings and roundabouts and sell when they should hang on to their stocks. Investing in the share market is a long term game; it is not a sprint, it is a marathon. If you have some kind of retirement fund then your fund manager invests on your behalf, however if you are in New Zealand you are able to switch funds which some investors do in reaction to what the market is doing. If you have some kind of financial goals then this should take into consideration a possible share market crash.

4-Too Greedy

Many investors are simply too greedy; they invest in something offering high returns without paying any attention to the risk they are taking on, or worse still, they place all of their eggs in one basket hoping to make a killing. This all or nothing approach has destroyed several retirement plans. This was certainly the case when several investors saw their life savings disappear with the collapse of several finance companies. Diversification minimizes your risk.

5-Too Impatient

Patience is the name of the game in investing. It is time and not timing which will build your retirement riches. There will be ups and downs in the markets but a bit of patience will pay off in the long run. Something some people do not have so they invest in risky stuff offering quick returns and end up losing more often than not. 

6-Too Gullible

There are offers or as they are called “opportunities,”promoted online mostly and sometimes in the print media as a way of making quick profits. If an investment seems too good to be true then it mostly certainly is. Usually the person or company promoted such offers are the ones making money out of it. You may have read stories about the amount of money such people have made from whatever it is being promoted but they are in the minority. 

It is up to investors to take responsibility for their own decisions and not try to find a scapegoat if things turn to custard.

www.robertastewart.com

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Will Bitcoin recover?

Will Bitcoin recover?

That is a question  nobody knows  the answer to. I think anyone who claims otherwise is really deceiving themselves. The problem with predicting what may happen with the movement of bitcoin is its short history which is insufficient data to make an informed prediction. Unlike the share market which has a long history. Financial experts can look at what has happened in the share market and tell you how quickly or slowly the market has recovered after a crash. When we concern ourselves with Bitcoin we are heading into unknown territory.

There are some financial analysts who are game enough to make a prediction on which direction bitcoin will go. Some are even predicting that the price of bitcoin will reach 75,000-100,000 by the end of 2022. Whether this is pie in the sky stuff we will find out; it all depends on who you listen to. As always, look at a person’s credentials before considering taking anyone’s advice. How well do they know the world of cryptocurrency?

Bitcoin has lost two thirds of its value since it reached its record high of $68,000 US last November. Ethereum is worth just a quarter of its record high of $4700 US.

Investors have been looking for alternatives to cryptocurrency in favor of less volatile investments.

Will bitcoin recover?

One expert says it could take a few months or a few years to recover. Another expert says he expects short term volatility and long term growth.

One reason for the downward spiral of cryptocurrencies has been the involvement of institutions which are sensitive to the availability of capital. This has been the major factor in the correlation between Bitcoin and equities.

Cryptocurrencies have not been helped by bad publicity which have had the same effect as bad publicity has on the share market.

Another expert who showed graphs explained that Bitcoin doubled in price the following year after it halved in price and says recovery is not expected before 2023. He says that he expected the next peak in Bitcoin to be after 2024. The next peak is expected to be in November/December 2025 if previous high/low/high patterns continue.

Bitcoin may have a short history but patterns are still emerging which investors can consider when deciding whether to invest in Bitcoin. The important thing to remember is that you should use only your discretionary spending money for purchasing cryptocurrency.

Another thing you should keep in mind is that when there is an opportunity to make a capital gain whether that be from cryptocurrency, gold, or the share market then there is also the chance of a capital loss.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

The article is of the writer’s own opinion and experience and may not necessarily be applicable to your own circumstances. If you require qualified financial advice see your financial advisor or bank manager. Feel free to share this article. You may use the article as content for your ebook or website. Check out my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

If you are still keen on having a go with bitcoin then  check out this site:

https://blockfi.com/?ref=9dc42263

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Is Kiwisaver for KIds a Good Idea?

Is Kiwisaver for KIds a Good Idea?

Written by R. A. Stewart

Is it a good idea for parents to open a kiwisaver account for kids? 

That is a question I have been pondering because a lassie who writes to me has a three year old son. Here are the pros and cons I considered.

The pros

1 It will give the kid a good start in life as the money can be used for a deposit on their first home.

2 The markets are down which means that there are bargains in the share market.

3 It will help give the kids a tolerance to risk

4 It will help develop their financial literacy

The cons

1 Kids are ineligible for the kiwisaver incentives until the reach the age of 18

2 Money in locked into kiwisaver until they reach the retirement age of 65

3 There are other alternatives

After considering all of this I decided that getting children signed up to kiwisaver in order to help them get their first home is a good idea, however, it is worth noting that if he or she inherits Mum or Dad’s home then they are not eligible to withdraw any of their kiwisaver funds to purchase their first home. Having some form of goal and a route for getting there is better than not having any kind of plan. A plan such as this gives children an option when they are older. I cannot think of any circumstance when any adults may have regrets that their parents enrolled them into Kiwisaver.

It is important to choose your fund and not change because a fund which is on a high will come down while a fund which is low will rise; that is the nature of the markets. Just focus on contributing to kiwisaver both for yourself and your children.

Another important thing to remember is the importance of having a will because if you die without a will then it is likely that lawyers will take a good piece of your kiwisaver if there is a dispute over who gets what. In any will disputes, the person’s spouse will inherit everything, if they are not married then it is their children, if they are not married and have no children then it is their parents and if their parents are deceased then their siblings are next in line. This is of course if the person has no will.

Of course one may argue that due to the high cost of living that it is difficult for them to make ends meet let alone contribute to their own kiwisaver and their childrens as well. If this is true for you then you should make a plan to increase your income or decrease your spending. A combination of both is ideal. Think about this if you saved $5 per week, that is $260 per year. In 10 years that is $2,500 years. $10 per week is $520 per year. 

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

This article is of the opinion of the writer and may not be applicable to your personal circumstances. Feel free to share this article. You may use the article as content for your ebook and website. 

www.robertastewart.com

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Now is a good time to join kiwisaver if you have not already

Now is a good time to join kiwisaver if you have not already

Written by R. A. Stewart

It is a good time to join kiwisaver if you are young and just starting out in the world. If you are over 30 and have not already joined kiwisaver then why not? Kiwisaver is the New Zealand retirement scheme. If you are in work you will get the equivalent of 3% of your gross wages from your employer deposited into your kiwisaver account. 2%, 4%, or 8% (you choose) of your gross wages will be deposited into kiwisaver and deducted from your pay. You can also make voluntary contributions to your kiwisaver account. This is an option used by those who are self employed or not in work.

The government’s contribution to your kiwisaver is what makes this a no-brainer. You will receive $520 of government money into your kiwisaver account but you need to invest at least $1040 to receive the full $520 otherwise the government contribution is 50% of your contribution. This is per annum; in other words you need to invest at least $1040 into your kiwisaver account per annum to receive $520 of government money every year.

The Kiwisaver year begins on July 1 and ends June 30 the following year. If you are on part time work and it looks as though your kiwisaver contributions are going to be less than $1040, you can make voluntary contributions to ensure your own contributions reach $1040.

In order to take advantage of the falling share prices you need to be in a growth fund or have some portion of your portfolio in a growth fund, otherwise called a balanced fund. If you are in a conservative fund then you are going to miss out on the market rebound. Financial experts will tell you that if you are in a growth fund then you need to leave it invested for at least five years. That way, if the market falls during this time there will be time for it to recover and recoup any losses which it has to be said are only paper losses.

Money which is needed for the short term such as a holiday abroad next year is considered short to medium term money. If you had this money invested in a growth fund you may find that your spending money for your trip has been depleted therefore, to reduce this from happening investing in something less risky is an option taken by a lot of holidaymakers even though the return on this money is less than the inflation rate.

If you are prepared to take the risk then you might consider investing your short term money in growth funds in the hope of increasing your capital but it is important to understand that whenever there is an opportunity for capital gain then there is a chance for capital loss.

It cannot be stressed enough that it takes a cool head to live through the ups and downs of the sharemarket and be relaxed about it. One thing you can always bank on is that the sharemarket will go up and down. It is important to have a strategy in place to take this into account.

Diversification minimizes your risk. Diversification is when you spread your investment among several companies. One company might fall over but not the whole lot.

Some may argue that if you plunge all your money in one stock then you will make a killing; that is true, but you never hear of those who tried that and lost. If you are going to do that then it should be done independently of your main investments rather than risk your retirement savings going down the drain.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

The information in this article is of the writer’s own opinion and may not necessarily apply to your personal circumstances. You are advised to seek professional financial advice if you require assistance. You may use this article as content for your ebook or website. Check out my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

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New Zealand women taken in by tinder scams

Millions of dollars are lost by New Zealand women every year to online tinder scammers who operate from overseas.

The Press reported that two women were conned into handing over more than $500,000 (NZ) to the scammers.

The scams involved fake banks, emails, and videos. Police investigators say that scammers are targeting multiple victims at once. They say the scammers are using the same photo and profile in their interaction with different victims. They also used the same sad story about their fraudulent background. 

Those who carry out these scams are experts at what they do. These scammers are present on most dating websites. The conversation is that these often moved from the reputable dating site to Whatsapp.

Another common theme in the scams is that the scammer quickly professes their love for the victim telling them they are working overseas and also that they come from a wealthy background.

Once these scammers gain your trust they will assist you.

There are some red flags to note with dating scammers.

(a) They come up with all kinds of excuses why they are unable to meet you.

(b) They are located in out of the way places such as an oil rig.

(c) There is always a sad story to tell their victims.

Scammers play on their victim’s emotions. What lady does not want to be fussed about? Some women will be so taken by what they think is a new man in their life that they ignore all of the red flags. As the saying goes, “Love is blind.” But their fantasy becomes a nightmare as their new found friend disappears as quickly as their money.

It is up to everyone to do their due diligence. Here are other red flags to note:

(d) The other person wants to hasten the relationship

(c) In the first message,  your prospective date says, “age, nationality, and gender is immaterial.”

(d) Your potential date claims that they are christian but the contents of their correspondence does not line up with christian values.

(d) Their profile photos have left little to the imagination.

Check out this link to a recommended dating site:

Find your date here

www.robertastewart.com

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Who do you turn to for advice during the market slump?

Written by R. A. Stewart

There is advice flowing in all directions on the best way to manage your finances during the market downturn. Who do you turn to for advice? Well, for a start, it is up to each individual to take responsibility for their finances and do their own due diligence. The possibility of a share market crash should have been factored into your plans. How often has it been said that your age and tolerance to risk are two factors that determine where to invest your money. If you are in your 20s then the market slump should not be an issue for you as far as your retirement savings are concerned because you have the advantage of time on your side. It is a different story, however, if you are saving for a house deposit. If this is the case then your money should be in more conservative funds but it all depends on how soon you need the money to purchase a house.

Eight years ago I was doing a mystery shopping assignment for a kiwisaver scheme and was advised to scale back to more conservative funds because of my age. I did not do that but if I did I would have missed out on the gains which occurred during that time. My kiwisaver balance would have been a lot lower than it is even during the current slump.

Personally, I am prepared to just weather the storm. How long this will last, who knows?

There was a financial advisor on TV one night saying, “People need to invest money at a higher rate than the inflation rate,” but she didn’t specify where we are supposed to find such an investment since the inflation rate is higher than fixed term interest rates.

Another financial advisor on TV said “Investors need to think about where they will be in ten years time rather than ten minutes time.” He said, “Investing in the share market is a long term game.”

Investors may be tempted to invest in something offering high interest rates. It is worth reminding people that during the Global Financial Crisis of 2007 and 2008 several finance companies went bust leaving a lot of investors out of pocket. In fact some investors lost their entire life savings in some of the company collapses.

A young woman was interviewed on TV last week and she told the reporter that she was in a conservative fund (in Kiwisaver). She wasn’t concerned about the tumbling markets. She was oblivious to the fact that she had missed out on all of the gains which the share market had made over the years and she will miss out on future gains in the markets because it is a good time to invest in the markets right now and this particularly applies to the young ones. The reason why it is a good time to invest is because you will get more units for your money. 

If you are saving for something for the short to long term then it is better to have your money in more conservative funds. These are decisions that need to be made by each individual and not others. It is about taking full responsibility for the outcome and not blaming others.

Disclaimer: This article is based on the writer’s opinion and experience and may not be applicable to your situation. If you require qualified financial assistance then see your bank, financial, or budget advisor. You may use this article as content for your ebook. Check out my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

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Crypto-scams on the rise

Crypto-scams on the rise

Written by R. A. Stewart

A newspaper article appearing in the Christchurch press headlined, “Cyber-scams cost Kiwis $3.7m highlighted the dangers posed by those who are investing in online share market, crypto, or NFT platforms. The $3.7m refers to the amount lost to these types of scams in just the first three months of the year.

The sudden rise in popularity of NFT’s (non-fungible tokens) is a contributing factor in the rise of scams.

Cryptocurrency scams are increasing according to the article but not to the same extent as those scams relating to NFTs.

NFTs are unregulated and expensive and payment was difficult to reverse. 

The fear of missing out has created a demand for crypto and NFTs which has resulted in many investors investing in something which promised a great return only for it to be just a scam.

The article gave this great advice which really is applicable to all kinds of investments whether it is online or offline and that is to do your due diligence. 

As far as cryptocurrency goes, due diligence means searching the name of the investment with the words “scam alert”, or searching the FMA warning and alerts page.

Another important thing is to not feel pressured in anything. If you are told to invest within a short time or you will miss out then don’t bother because the promoters of such a scheme are only trying to take advantage of the “Fear of missing out,” mentality in you.

A phishing scam is the most reported scam. It is when you receive an email from someone posing as a trusted site or business in order to gain your personal details. They ask for your log in details and use it to gain access to your accounts. Different strategies may be used and one is when you receive an email asking you to verify your account. When you register for a site you are asked to verify it within 24 hours of joining. If you receive an email asking you to verify your account months after you registered then be wary and do not click on the link provided.

It is also a good idea when registering with a crypto or NFT site to use an email address which is different from your personal one and certainly do not use the same one you would normally use for your banking or online auctions.

As far as banking goes; do not use your main debit card for crypto trading but rather a separate one because of the risks of hacking. Even with all of your own due diligence, there is also the possibility that the crypto exchange website with all of your banking details will get hacked and that is out of your control. It is up to each investor to do their own homework and take responsibility for their own decisions. That way you have only yourself to blame if you lose your money.

ABOUT THIS ARTICLE

Feel free to share this article. You may use this article as content for your website or ebook. Read my other articles on www.robertastewart.com

DISCLAIMER: Please note, this article is not intended as financial advice but rather the opinion and experience of the writer. Caution is advised when investing in cryptocurrency or NFTs.

www.robertastewart.com

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Three sure ways to lose during the bear market

Three sure ways to lose during the bear market

The sluggish year so far for the money markets has made some investors nervous and questioning how they should react. It is important to maintain the right attitude and stick to your plan or you may regret it later on. If you have invested with the right strategy then it is only a matter of living normally and riding out the storm. 

If you have noticed that your share market portfolio balance is lower than at the start of the year and thought, “I have lost xxx amount of money,” then you are not alone. These are only paper losses. There are three sure ways of losing money during a share market downturn, so here they are:

1-Selling your shares

If you sell your shares during a bear market and then the market rebounds you will miss out on the gains that would have recouped your previous losses. You should bear in mind that they are only losses if you cash up when the markets are down. Any financial advisor will tell you that shares are a long term investment.

2-Transferring to more conservative funds

Transferring your funds from growth to conservative during a downturn is a bad time to do it for the same reason as selling your shares at this time. Once the markets rebound you will miss out on the gains when they eventually come.

3-You stop investing in your retirement fund

This too is a bad move. In fact it may be a good time to invest in the markets because you will receive more units for your money which means your investment will grow. Who knows where the markets will be in 5-10 years time. If you have the luxury of time on your side then you can afford to take on more risk with your money.

Inflation is detrimental to your wealth

Keep in mind that if you invest in conservative funds then inflation will erode the purchasing power of your money, however, that is not so much of an issue if you require the money in the short to medium term. It all depends on your time frame and your goals.

DISCLAIMER: Please note this article is of the opinion of the writer and does not constitute financial advice. If you need financial advice then see your bank.

www.robertastewart.com