Good Guys Finish Last

Good Guys Finish Last

By Keith Bunn Jr.

August 19, 2013

We've all heard the old saying, "Good Guys Finish Last!" and it seems I'm hearing more an more of that same kind of thinking. People have been blaming everyone else for their issues in life. The rich people, the banks, the big corporations, and the government are all out to get the good guys. But did you ever think that maybe some of those very same people who are blaming everyone else, might of caused there own issues?

What Brought This On

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted a question on her Facebook page asking, "If you could get away with it, would you do something you know you shouldn't?"

Thankfully, most everyone who answered her question said "NO!", myself included. But a couple of them said something like, "It really depends on the situation - like if it would help someone." and to me, that is almost like someone saying they would do "something you know you shouldn't", which by the way, someone did say that. We'll get to that in a second.

When someone changes their morals because of a certian situation, that is called Situational Morality, and to me, that's not good. It means to me, that depending on their situation, their principles of what is right and wrong go right out the window, and in my eyes, they can't be trusted!

Now there was one person that did say, "I have many times...no regrets. It was all VERY enjoyable, dangerous, I may have gotten caught but, even IF I DID get caught, I'm sure I had fun ~ you only live once."  When I read this, my first thought was, there is NO WAY I'd ever trust this person with anything. These kind of people have absolutely no morals of any kind. They will lie and cheat anytime it will either make them look good or to get themselves out of trouble. They also don't have any integrity about themselves or anyone else for that matter and will stab you in the back the monent it suited them.

What Does This Have to do with Life Issues?

There was a study done sometime ago by Dr. Thomas Stanley about millionaires. In his research, Dr. Stanley concluded that the number one characteristic in the millionaires he studied was that they had phenomenal amounts of integrity. Which means, when they said that they would or wouldn't do something, they meant it! Their moral compass was always true. 

That meant that people could trust them! And if someone asked a question about their character, 98% of the time there would be nothing but good said about them. This also means, that if someone tried to lie about them and/or tarnish their reputation, no one would believe the lies because they had outstanding character.

You see, every one of our opportunities in life come from our relationships with people. Whether it is with our family and friends, our co-workers or the waitress at your favorite resturant, relationships matter! So if we lie about something, if we cheated someone out of something, or we just do something that was dishonest, people see that, they remember it, they may not say anything about it to you, but they will tell others, which means, there goes our opportunities.

Trust!

It comes down to these questions. Do people trust you? Do you treat others the way you want to be treated? The Golden Rule! If you do, then more opportunities will come your way and you will soon see that not only do the good guys finish, but they finish in first place.

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or if you need help learning how to live on less than you make and creating a budget, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. I’d be happy to do what I can to help! 

You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

Pre-arrange Final Expenses

Pre-arrange Final Expenses

By Keith Bunn Jr.

August 12, 2013

I received in the mail the other week, information I asked for about pre-purchasing 2 grave spaces. Don't worry, Julie & I are fine. I did this to get and share information about pre-buying stuff for everyone's funerals.

I have no problem with you pre-planning your funeral or even buying your grave spaces before you die for the 6 reasons the cemetery brochure said.

1) Prevents emotional over-spending.

A spouse cannot pay burial expenses with reason and/or normal caution when they have to make last-minute arrangements under emotional stress.

2) Means selecting your family plot well in advance.

This assures a greater choice of selections, rather than having to select among a limited choice.

3) Brings security and peace-of-mind to every member of the family.

Once a decision is made in this matter, you have the comfort of knowing that all the details have been taken care of - once and for all.

4) Assures that the surviving spouse will not be forced to work to pay for final expenses.

Insurance statistics show that too often the surviving spouse is forced to work to pay off final expenses because pre-arrangement plans were not done.

5) Protects your estate against inflation.

When you buy your family plot today, you pay a fixed price that will never change in the years ahead.

6) Is of importance to families who can least afford burial expenses.

Under pre-arrangement, the need to raise funds or borrow money for final expenses have been eliminated.

Don't Go into Debt for Final Expenses

With this all said, I would pre-arrange my final expenses as well as pre-buy certain things like your grave space, but only if you do it with cash. What's the difference if you go into debt now or years from now to pay for what needs to be done when you pass?

To give you an example of what I'm talking about, I will use the numbers the cemetery gave me. If you or I paid for 2 grave spaces through this particular cemetery, it would cost $1831. If I were to buy the same spaces on a 30 month payment plan, paying 6.99% interest, the total cost would be $1992.46.

Use Interest to Your Advantage

Here's the kicker. Instead of paying interest for your final expenses, why not earn it. This is what I mean... 

Using the numbers the cemetery gave me, the monthly payments for that 30 month payment plan would be $63.36 per month. If I took that same amount and invested it into a mutual fund, earmarked for final expenses, that earned a 10% rate of return from my age (46) to 65 years old, that investment would be $43,796.69. And if I were to live to 85 years old, it would be $369,460.10. I think either one of those examples would be enough to bury me, or even have a space burial. I think that would be cool, don't you? Oh, by the way, if I were to live as long as my grandma did (102 years old), the amount in that investment would be INSANE!!! 

So just don't do what everyone does or what everyone tells you "This is just how things are done." There is always a different way of doing things, and a good portion of the time, its a smarter way too.

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or if you need help learning how to live on less than you make and creating a budget, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. I’d be happy to do what I can to help! 

You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

Being Patient is part of a Healthy Financial Plan

Being Patient is part of a Healthy Financial Plan

By Keith Bunn Jr.

August 5, 2013

We've all heard the saying, "Patience is a Virtue" and that is absolutely right, especially when it come to our finances. 

It is so easy for us today to spend more than we make. With just a swipe or wave of a card, its yours! Easy as that! Even with a debit card, (which are OK by the way) its easy to get yourself in trouble with overdraft charges if you're not careful. And the banks and the stores we shop at are counting on our lack of patience, and our ability to impulse our butts off, to make more profit on the interest we owe on those cards then if we were to buy the same stuff with cash.

True Story

Here is an example and a true story of this very thing... 

Julie and I were in line at Sam's Club to checkout, when Julie noticed the lady behind us had a bunt cake in her cart. Julie said to the lady, "That bunt cake looks good." The lady replied, "Doesn't it? And I got it for free!" 

The first thing that popped into my head was, 'I want a free cake'. And as if Julie read my mind, as she often does, she asked the lady, "How did you get a free cake?" Right then, the lady got kind of excited to tell her story, "Well, I was walking around the store, putting stuff in my cart when I realized, I didn't have enough cash on me to pay for it all. So I came up front and signed up for the Sam's credit card and they gave me a free cake just for signing up."

I immediately started convulsing a little bit. That lady had just sold herself for just a few items in her cart and a bunt cake! Now we didn't know anything about that lady. She may have paid off the balance right a way, cut up the card and closed the account. I don't know, but chances are, she didn't.

Having Patience is even Hard for Us

Some people have more patience than others, we all know that. Being patient is not something you're born with, it is something you learn. It is even hard for us at times. Julie is a HUGE giver, which is awesome, but if someone she is close to says that they like something, if we're not careful, she'll buy it, even if it's not in the budget to do so. I'm kind of the same way. I like to get our grand kids the toy superhero masks you can buy at most stores today, and just the other week, I saw a Spider-Man mask for $11. Spider-Man is one of my grandson's favorite superheros and I know $11 doesn't sound like much money, but we didn't budget for it. I was seriously debating on whether or not to get the stupid mask. I looked at Julie and she said. "Its up to you." I thought about it for just a moment more and decided not to get it. I know someday, I'll find that very same mask on clearance or in a yard sale for cheaper than $11. I know our patience will pay off one day. Not just so we can buy our grand kids toys, but so we can live comfortably in our golden years, and leave an inheritance to my children's children of both knowledge and money.

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or about your finances, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

Payday Loans; Good or Bad

Payday Loans; Good or Bad

By Keith Bunn Jr.

July 29, 2013

Payday lenders are everywhere. You see them on the way to the store, & you surely see them outside the front gates of most military bases. I even took out a couple of them when I was stationed down in Georgia back in the late 90's. But are payday loans good or bad?

Yes, they are everywhere except in 12 states. Why all but 12 states? That's because payday loans SUCK! Yes, I know I just said that I had taken out 2 of them before, that just shows how stupid I was about the subject back then. I was one of the lucky ones though. I didn't fall all the way into the trap. I was able to climb out of that mess pretty much unscathed. Unfortunately, that's not the story for thousands of other Americans across the country.

Predators

There is one other place I didn't mention above where you won't find payday lending facilities and that's on the wealthier ends of town. Not because the people there are wealthy, but because they are not the target market they are going after. Payday lenders go after the lower middle and lower class citizens. They prey on those who don't have a good credit score and think they need a loan, the ones who have fallen on hard times, and the ones who are scared and don't know where to turn. But when these lenders charge anywhere between 90% to 1,000% interest per loan, they are doing nothing but harming the very people they are saying they are helping, and what happens is the borrower gets into a deeper mess.

There is even online payday lending now, where they will even try to loan money to people in the states where they know it's illegal to do so. 

Collecting on the Debt

Normally what happens between the lenders and borrowers is eventually the borrower can't pay back the loan(s) and the lenders send them to collections, sells the debt to a debt buyer, or in more horrible methods, go to the borrower's home and try to collect. In all cases, the methods used to try to collect on these debts are unbelievably bad and break just about every federal law when it come to collecting on debts. I even know one woman who they came to her home at night to collect the debt and when she told them that she couldn't pay and tried to shut her door, they put their foot in the doorway so she couldn't shut it.

Are these the kind of people you really want to deal with? I think NOT! It is far better to get 2 or 3 part time jobs than to get 1 payday loan. To me, payday lending is nothing more than legalized loan sharking and should be banned in all 50 states. 

If you are a victim of payday lending, there is hope! There are tons of financial coaches, such as myself, out there that are willing to guild you through these hard times and get rid of your payday loans once and for all.

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or about your finances, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

What do you Tithe on, the Gross or Net?

What do you Tithe on, the Gross or Net?

By Keith Bunn Jr.

July 22, 2013

Whether or not someone should give a tithe, a tenth of their increase or income, has been a huge debate for years and years. If you follow the Christian or Jewish faith, you know the bible tells us to "Bring you all the tithes into the storehouse" Malachi 3:10. But there have been some people who have said to me that giving to the church (in general) is a waste of money. I disagree, and here's why.

Why does God want us to Give?

God doesn't want us to give because He needs our money. Give me a break, He's God! He wants us to give because it makes us more like Him, "So God created mankind in his own image." Genesis 1:27 and I think we could all agree that He is an unbelievable giver! "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son." John 3:16

He also wants us to give because it takes the focus off us and on to others who maybe in need. In fact, God Himself has told us to test Him on this fact in the rest of Malachi 3:10. "Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."

I'm telling you, I have heard more people tell me that when they tithed when they didn't think they could afford it, something happened with there income and all of a sudden their income increased in some way. I've actually heard a pastor say when that happens, it is because we started using Spiritual Mathematics.

What do we Tithe on, the Gross or the Net?

Sadly, only around 3% of Evangelical Christians give a tithe of any amount, either from the gross or the net incomes, so what does it matter? Just give. 

Now I need to make something very clear... This is NOT a salvation issue. You are not going to heaven if you do give and you're not going to hell if you don't. God loves us whether we tithe or not. As long as you give from the heart, that's all that matters to God, "for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:7.

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or about your finances, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

Stop the Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls!

Stop the Junk Mail and Telemarketing Calls!

By Keith Bunn Jr.

July 15, 2013

Do you get sick of all the junk mail you get? What about telemarketing calls? Do you wonder how they get your information to send you all this crap in the first place? Some of it is because of companies you and I deal with at least on a monthly bases, if not daily. They sell your information to other companies as a way to make money. It can be a vicious cycle. You give your info to one company, they turn around and sell it to another and so on.

 Another way they can get your information is by checking out your credit report. Yup, you read this right. Companies are allowed to pre-screen or look into your credit report to see if they want to send you or call you with some marketing material.

But I have good news! Listed below, I have a bunch of phone numbers, addresses, and websites that you can go to that will stop all this crap from getting into you mailboxes and/or ringing your phones off the hook. And I would do every bit of it to make sure those buttheads leave you alone. 

Now, when you write your letter to have you taken off their direct marketing databases, that is only good for 5 years. Make sure on your letters you have your name, home and/or cell number, address, and signature. Now if you move before the 5 years are up, you'll have to do all this all over again. And this is just me, but I'd send the letters return receipt requested just to have proof that they got it. Here is the information I told you about.

PRE-SCREENING OPT OUT

Phone: (888) 567-8688

Website: www.optoutprescreen.com

NATIONAL DO NOT CALL REGISTRY

Phone: (888) 382-1222

Website: www.donotcall.gov

FOR DIRECT MAILING

Address: Mail Preference Services

               Direct Marketing Association

               P.O. Box 282

               Carmel, NY 10512

Website: www.damconsumers.org/cgi/offmailinglist

FOR TELEMARKETING

 Address: Telephone Preference Services

                  Direct Marketing Association

                  P.O. Box 1559

                  Carmel, NY 10512

Website: www.damconsumers.org/cgi/offtelephone

I hope this information helps cut down a lot or all of the junk mail and annoying calls!

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or about your finances, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!

Trying to Inspire

Trying to Inspire

By Keith Bunn Jr.

July 8, 2013

At the end of almost every blog I've posted, I've put "The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others." But sometimes that's not always the case. I could say that maybe I just haven't perfected my technic yet of teaching others on the wise ways to handle their money, which is partly true  but then again, sometimes it not my fault at all. Sometimes its the person I'm talking too.

Businesses that their very job is to loan out money to others have done such an excellent job of marketing debt to just about everyone in this country, it is almost impossible to get the old fashion message out there of living on less than you make, buy things you need or want with cash, save for retirement yourself and not rely on the government to do it for you, and become a generous giver.

Robbing your Future

I'm not sure how many times I've said it, but I truly believe that debt robs people of their future. Some people just don't understand that having car payments, credit card payments, mortgages, payday loans, rent to own payments, etc... do nothing but stealing money from them and destroying their future, just so they can have things now instead of waiting, being patient and saving up for whatever they want.

To give you an example; a young man, 20 years old asked me about getting a loan to buy a used truck for around $8,000. Of course I told him that I thought that wasn't a good idea and I gave him reasons why I thought that way, as well as gave him some ideas on how he could eventually be able to get a truck like the truck he was wanting to get, but I could sense that he had a little car fever going on and I felt that there was also a little pressure from his family to go through with getting the loan to buy the truck. I told him that he could do whatever he wanted to do and we'd still be friends, but I wouldn't get the loan. Needless to say, he did get the loan and we are still friends and if he wants more advise about what he should do down the road about money, I'll give him the best advise I can, but here is what I mean by debts steal and destroy your future. 

That young man's truck payment is $214 per month. If he were to take that same amount and invest it every month from 20 to 65 years old in a good mutual fund, he would have $4.7 million at retirement. 

That's what gets me the most! People don't look at the numbers that way, they only ask how much down and how much a month. That's what poor people do. Don't do what poor people do! The bible says, "The borrower is slave to the lender." and that's the truth! Debt robs you of you money, of your opportunities  and your future. Don't fall for the lies that you need to have a FICO score to make it in our culture today. It's just not true!

The reason I do this is to give people hope and to try to inspire others. To make them think about their finances, whether they are young or old, so they can win financially.

If you have any questions for me about my posts or about your finances, you can call me at (616) 454-2046 or e-mail me at cavuscoaching@gmail.com. You can also find more money news, facts and ideas, on my Facebook and/or Twitter pages. I'd be grateful if you followed me. Thank you!