JohnRunchey.com

It’s a tempting offer - no payments, no interest. Take that beauty home-whatever it may be-and enjoy it today. No need to save, no need to plan, just sign on the line and walk away. Why would you pass up such a deal? Take advantage of someone else’s money for a year, that's a smart financial move, right?

Wrong.

These zero percent down deals are a bad idea on several levels. But first, an overview for those unfamiliar.

These things work as follows:

1. You see a shiny item too good to pass up

2. You fill out a credit application

3. Get near-instant approval

4. Take your wonderful item home

5. Enjoy a year with your wonderful item, without having to pay for it.

Picking up my daughter from a sleepover the other day, I was chatting with her friend's mom. She mentioned she was going to spend the afternoon balancing her checkbook and paying bills. She lamented that she should be outside enjoying the day, but she desperately needed to get up to date with her bills. I told her that I have as many bills as possible debited electronically, I never balance my checkbook, and I spend very little time each month on such mundane tasks. 
 
She looked at me with an expression of bewilderment, in mild shock at the thought of such loose control. She explained that electronic debits scared her, even for utility bills. And an unbalanced checkbook? Unthinkable. Not part of her reality.
 
I imagined her wearing blinders, the kind they put on horses so they only see straight ahead. Unwilling and unable to consider operating in any way other than her present one.
 

There will be days when you are not motivated. Days when you just want to stay in bed. Days when the thought of getting up and being productive is the last thing on your mind. Days when you just don’t think it is possible to succeed, when self-doubt creeps in and threatens to take over.

These days crop up for everyone; you are not alone in sometimes wanting to withdraw from the world, say ‘screw it’, and give up. But you must not let these down days permanently derail you from your success path. Accept these days as natural.

Accept that you will not always be on a relentless climb forward and upward. Give yourself permission to take a breather, permission to feel like crap for a day.

Research shows that asset allocation is the single biggest determinant of the investment performance you can expect to achieve over the long haul. So, in plain English, what exactly does ‘asset allocation’ mean? It sounds like a complex investment term that will be hard to understand. Is there any hope for the rank beginner to ‘get it’? Should you stop reading, shut down your pc, and turn on American Idol instead?

Heck no! This isn’t difficult, it’s actually quite simple. Let’s start from the beginning by defining the terms ‘asset’ and ‘allocation’.

Everyone experiences feelings of insecurity and self-doubt, to some degree, at some times. Doubts and insecurities can be crippling, preventing you from taking action, getting results, and succeeding. If anything can keep you rooted in place, tied to your same old ways of life and getting the same mediocre results you’ve always gotten, it is self-doubt and insecurity.
 
If these feelings affect you to a greater level than you’d like, try these simple actions to banish these thoughts deep into the recesses of your brain, stashing them back there in the corners, where they belong.   
 
1. Realize that we are all made of the same stuff
 

 Everyone should build up an emergency fund that can be tapped in case of, well, emergency! Experts disagree on the exact amount to shoot for – some say 3 to 6 months of expenses, others (such as Suze Orman) say 8 months. Personally I’d sleep real easy if I had an entire years worth of expenses stashed away. Sadly I’m not in that situation.
 
If you are like most people, you’re lucky to have anything at all in savings, let alone multiple months worth of expenses. I heard on the radio the other morning a survey that indicated one third of American adults have nothing in savings. Zip. So if this is you, you aren’t alone.
 
The question is, will you still be in this group a year from now? Five years from now?

Success is predicated upon actions; while desire and faith are essential first steps, simply wanting and wishing will not get you anywhere. To move forward towards your goals, you must act. It is easy to drop the ball here and remain motionless, stuck in place. We even have phrases to express this:

• Talk is cheap
• Actions speak louder than words
• You've talked the talk, now walk the walk
• A journey of a thousand miles begins with but a single step

As I've said before, success is not rocket science. You just have to get off your butt and start doing things, one small step at a time. The steps don't even have to be correct - taking action, any action, puts you on the path to success. You will continually correct your course as you progress forward and learn.
 

I've come to the conclusion that wanting something is generally more enjoyable than actually having it, at least for material things. Years ago, I thought it would be awesome to have a motorcycle. As a kid, I spent hours poring over motorcycle magazines, fantasizing of the wonderful day when I'd have a bike. In my imagination, I'd be zooming down twisty backroads, tossing the bike from side to side through the turns. 
 
Years later, I had the means to buy a bike, and I did. yes it was fun, but it certainly didn't live up to my fantasies. After a year or so, I sold it. Somehow reality just didn't compare to my imagination.