Tag: millionaire mindset

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Talking about Money in Relationships

By Jennifer Cramer Lewis, Business Wisewoman, Trendsetter, Maverick 

When your heart is fluttering, and you can’t stop thinking about someone, the last thing on your mind is, “Are we compatible financially?” However, it might be a great idea to know at the very beginning of a long-term relationship if you really do have what it takes to truly share your financial lives and prosper together.

The following are questions that you may wish to ask yourself and your significant other about your potential, or current financial relationship to ensure you’re compatible now and in the long run.

Question #1: Do I actually want to share my money with this person?

It’s a candid question. Do you really see yourself sharing your financials with this person, showing them what you have in investments, jointly purchasing items, buying real estate together? If you don’t, that’s not a disaster. Coming from a place of what is mine stays mine, is fine too. Many couples choose to sign co-habitation agreements stating just that. How bills will be handled. Where finances stay mine and yours. Does this sound too scary to even contemplate? If you’ve gone through even one bad argument about money, you will know that it’s best to be clear about money immediately. Would knowing more about how you would like to be with this person financially add more to what you could create together? Co-habitation agreements are no longer only for the wealthy.

Question #2: Do I expect them to share their money with me?

Yes, it is possible to ask someone to share their money with you and not expect to have to or agree to share back. Legally it becomes less of an option when you have lived together for a certain amount of time or actually get married. The accumulation of assets after a certain time frame become community property. This is more of a values-based question. Where do you stand on sharing their wealth with them?  Is this compatible with how they see themselves using their money, sharing their money? Does that work for you? What future do you see you creating together financially?  Is this congruent with what is actually there right now

Question #3: Are they a spender or a saver or balanced?

What are their spending habits? Do they binge spend? Are they overly thrifty? How does that work for you? Do you find yourself picking up the check because they penny pinch and it drives you up the wall? Do you notice that their lifestyle does not match the amount of money coming in? Not from a place of judgement but from awareness of whether their spending habits are compatible with yours. Living with someone who spends too much of their paychecks and has no money for the basics and the bills becomes a chore very quickly. That may not work for you long term. This is a recipe for disagreements. Having awareness of how a potential partner uses their money is key to creating a future with money in it for yourself.

Question #4: Do they have any financial skeletons in their closet?

A bankruptcy or two? A giant student loan debt? Alimony or child support? Credit card debts?

These may seem like very personal questions for you to ask, but also necessary for you to know if you are going to be sharing your financial future with someone. Part of creating a co-habitation agreement can be sharing a financial balance sheet with each other. I remember not knowing my fiancé had a large student loan until we were married! When you marry someone, you are marrying their finances too. My first husband and were not financially compatible and it took its toll on our relationship. We did have many other qualities as a couple but not being financially compatible made it impossible to create a future together that allowed us both to grow and prosper.

Whether you decide to ask these questions to your partner or not. Use them as an awareness of what questions can create financial clarity for you. Ultimately having money becomes a choice that we make every day. To choose to have money in your future is a kindness to you and a kindness to any future relationships that you may choose too. What awareness can you have now about a future that is financially healthy and prosperous?

Originally Published by The Business Woman Media https://www.thebusinesswomanmedia.com/talking-about-money-relationships/ July 16th, 2018

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4 Money Management Tips (That won’t bore you to death)

By Jennifer Cramer Lewis, Business Wisewoman | Trendsetter | Maverick

The thought of managing our finances can seem tedious, overwhelming and incredible boring, to say the least. And it can prove even more difficult if you’re not already financially savvy or feel stuck in a position where you don’t know how to generate more wealth.

Finance coach and business wisewoman, Jennifer Cramer Lewis, shares 4 money management tips that can help you get started on securing a prosperous financial future.

Tip #1 – Ask for more

Whatever money you are making now, what would it be like to double it, triple it, quadruple it?   When I was working in commercial and residential Real Estate management, I had a spreadsheet that showed me what money I was making for the company that I was working for.  Every 6 months I would go into my boss’s office and show him the new spreadsheet numbers and ask for a raise.   I was responsible for increasing the bottom line of the company that I was working for by asking for and receiving increases in the management fees for my portfolio of real estate.  If I had never asked for the raises and presented the numbers that supported the raises, the company might have given me a raise now and again, but certainly not as often and as much as they did.  Over a 5 year period, I was able to increase my income by more than double.  I was willing to do the work and was also willing to ask for my share of the profit.  Always ask for your share of the profit and always know the value you add to the bottom line of the company you work for.

Tip #2 – Be aware of the contribution you make to your workplace

As women, we are not taught about being a contribution to our families and our workplaces and how valuable it is.  What do you do that nobody else can do?  How does that contribute to your workplace?  Do you walk in and everyone feels better? Often knowing your value can add to how valuable you are perceived.  A question you can ask is, “What do I know that nobody else here knows?” Also, “What does me working here add to this business?”  If asking this question gives you the thought that you are not adding to this workplace or making a contribution, you can ask, “Where can I go today to be a valuable contribution right away?” And “What would I do all day every day that could add to my life and my financial flows?”

Tip #3 – Stop being negative

It’s time to stop whining! I know that this isn’t going to be a popular tip, but it will create the most for you financially. If there is any situation that you are not happy with, rather than complaining or whining about it, and take action. When my clients put themselves in situations financially that do not work for them, one of the things I notice is that it’s normal for them to whine but not normal to take action with their finances.  Ask, “What can I do to change this?” “Who can assist me to change this?” “Where can I go to change this?” and “What information do I need right now to change this?” And be willing to stop complaining and start taking action. If you actively work to change your financial situation today, imagine the position you could be in 5 or 10 years from now, and the possibilities that will be presented to you in the future. It is possible to get better at making changes and better at managing your finances and being profitable.

Tip#4 – Get accustomed to having money

What thoughts do you have about people who have money?  What if you let those go?  Also, what thoughts do you have about who you would be if you had “too much” money? Would you let those go too? I recommend opening up a bank account and start putting at least 10% of your income into it.  It could be an investment bank account or a retirement savings account, the point is to get accustomed to having money.  At the beginning, it’s not a fun or easy thing to be doing with your money, but when it accumulates to 10’s and 100’s of thousands of dollars, you start making choices based on having money instead of lacking it. Once you build up a tidy sum, then you can start asking questions like, “What can I do to generate even more money?” It is entirely possible to build a sense of intuition about where your money should go to grow. How often have we said to ourselves, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that with my money!?”  Once we learn to use our intuition for us rather than against us, financial awareness and skill can build from there.

Originally published by The Business Woman Media November 8, 2017 https://www.thebusinesswomanmedia.com/4-money-management-tips/

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How to stop stressing about money, once and for all

By Jennifer Cramer Lewis; Business Wisewoman | Trendsetter | Maverick

If you have been stressing about money, you are not alone. So, what do you do about it? One of the things that I notice is the more that I worry, the more there is to worry about.

Ask yourself: “Who am I being with money?”

Quite often asking that simple question will bring your attention to the fact that you are not being yourself about money. With family, gender expectations, culture and socioeconomic status all playing a part, being truly yourself with money is something that may require practice.

Hint: If you hear your Mom’s voice when you talk about money, this may be a clue. It means it’s time for you to change your view of money. Your relationship with money is about you, so remove any outside influences and ask yourself what you truly value and how money will help you fulfill those values and goals.

Ask yourself: “What would I choose if it wasn’t about the money?”

You may have some deep training to do with money, like you should never choose anything that you “can’t afford” or don’t have the money in the bank for.
Not to encourage you to whip out your credit card, but close your eyes and become aware of the other choices you could make if it were not about the money. Often there are dozens of choices that you cannot see because of the deep training received from family.

Ask yourself: “Who could assist me with this?”

I notice in my work that many of my clients are programmed to be secretive and stoic about money. They have to “do it themselves” and yet they really don’t know some of the basics about money and managing finance. In addition to this, they get anxious or scared about learning new skills or tools that could have them easily understanding their finances and making more money as a result.

Don’t be afraid to ask for advice from a professional. Many experts, including myself, are always willing to offer a free coffee date or online session to help you get started – all you have to do is ask. Or, if you have a friend with financial expertise, ask them for some advice on getting your finances in order.

Ask yourself: what you are stressing over “Is this my problem?”

Often wives and mothers get saddled with the budgeting, banking and purchasing for the family. When your partner or kids come to you asking to purchase something, you can ask this question, “How would you like to contribute to this?” especially if the budget doesn’t allow for the requested item.

Teamwork around creating money and financial decisions in a family start your children thinking early about how they can generate money, rather than stressing about a lack of it and contribute towards a healthy financial future for them.

Ask yourself: “What can I do to create more money?”

Often I notice my clients are caught in the thought that their one job should take care of all the financial demands of their hopes and dreams. That a Prada purse, global travel and an apartment, should all be bought and paid for by one job.

In my search for more information about creating wealth and abundance in my life, I learned that most wealthy people have multiple income streams, their day job being just one of them. Find other avenues to build your wealth, whether it be pursuing a hobby that you can sell to friends and family, or using apps like Airtasker to do any odd jobs for people in your local area in your spare time.

Use your skills and hobbies to generate income streams that will allow you to have a more secure financial position where you can enjoy luxuries, big or small and contribute to your family’s financial future.

Jennifer Cramer Lewis, Business Wisewoman, Trendsetter, Maverick

 

This article was originally published by WHIMN and also featured in NYPOST

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