Do you remember the first person that believed in you as much, or maybe even more, than you believed in yourself?  Did someone inspire you to become something bigger than you knew was possible for yourself?  Maybe it was a teacher in school, a professor in college, or just a peer who looked up to you.  I don’t mention family here, although family is and has always been a huge source of support for me.  What I’m focusing on here is someone who said something to you that was unexpected and unsolicited that caught you off guard and made you think, “Finally, the hard work is paying off!”  Maybe it was someone you observed that inspired you to work harder, or in the worst-case-scenario some jerk who discouraged you from moving forward in some way, which resulted in motivating you to reach your true potential.

I believe these people exist in all of our lives and mine is no exception.  If I had to recommend three specific individuals to search for, I would look for someone who inspires you, someone who helps move you forward, and someone who cheers you along the way.  I am fortunate to have each.

The individual who inspired me was professional, matter of fact, but friendly.  I learned from this person that working mothers wake at all hours of the night to feed their newborns, sometimes twins, and then rise early in the morning in hopes of having enough peace to get a shower.  Working moms drop their kids at daycare, catch the train to the city, walk to work, only to know their day has just begun.  These women are revolutionaries without even seeing them conduct a meeting!  And when they do, watch out… they’re no pushovers.  Yes, I knew one day I’d like to have someone look at me and think I kicked ass the way this woman did, and I will.

The next significant figure came into my life soon after and we should all be so lucky to have a person in our lives like her.  She is radiant, professional, brilliant, and genuine.  She exemplified everything I wanted to be and as we got to know each other better, she became my first mentor.  One thing I am most grateful to her for is confiding in me some critical information that changed what I saw as possible for myself in terms of earnings potential.  I encourage more women to share this information because it is the only way we will bridge the gap.  She also committed herself to helping me move forward with my career and she landed me the interview with the company I’m with now.  She continues to help me in business settings by introducing me to new business leaders and always says the nicest things about me to others.  She is my fan and I am hers.  She is my mentor, my friend, and my home away from home.

My next mentor is the person I will choose as Chairman of my Board of Directors one day.  He encourages me to keep dreaming big and always finds time in his hectic and demanding schedule to answer my questions and give sound advice.  He has opened doors for me and introduced me to some amazing individuals in the industry.  Above all, he has been a trusted friend through good and bad times.  In the end, this is what matters most from anyone you let into your life, especially someone you look to guide you through difficult decisions and changes.  He is the kind of person whose positive energy is infectious.   We are each other’s biggest believers.

So search your memories and look back and remember the experiences that have had a lasting impression on you.  They have shaped who you are and it is never too late to show gratitude.  I encourage you to send a note to these individuals and let them know the difference they have made in your career and in your life.  Let’s face it; these days a lot of our careers can consume our lives!  Next, and just as important: be a mentor.  Take the time to get to know a new hire at your company; you can make a huge impact on their career.  One thing I truly believe is what you give to others, you get back tenfold.

I know, I know, it all seems very overwhelming at times, especially in these times. I’ll try not to get all Suze Orman on you, but I’ve learned a lot working in the financial industry the past few years and if I could pass along one piece of information to my friends it would be to have a strong credit score! I know some of you may be familiar with your credit scores if you have bought a home, and having a high credit score can be HUGE in getting you the best interest rate on your mortgage, but there are other reasons to have a high credit score.

Those of you who know me, know that it is my passion to make us smarter, more supportive, knowledgeable and happy individuals. And part of that is being smart about our finances. It can be scary, trust me, I know. I’m single, and living in the middle of the city is very expensive. Sometimes making ends meet means working two jobs, and in times like these, you just have to let go of that pride and do what it takes. People will respect you for taking care of yourself and you will respect yourself, which is all that matters in the end belles!

So let’s start by finding out what we’re working with and learn what our credit score is. I’ve asked my friend Rich at www.mycreditscoreimprovement.com to answer a few questions for us about credit scores and why they are important, what areas of our life they affect, and what we can do to fix them. Here we go!

How much money could someone save on their monthly mortgage payment by raising their credit score from a 640 to a 720?

The difference of a 640 credit score and a 720 credit score could be a very large savings on a monthly basis.  Interest rates are based on the ability of a client to be able to repay their mortgage.  This is based on their financial track record (their credit report and the credit score they have obtained).  In today’s market this could mean as much as a 1% difference in interest rate.  For example, a 640 credit score could be a 7% interest and a 720 credit score a 6%.  Based on the loan amount, this could easily be a $150-200+ monthly payment difference.

I don’t own a home and I don’t plan on buying in the next year.  Why should I want to raise my credit score?

Credit scores are used for so many things today that a home purchase is just one of many.  The following is just a short list of what a credit score is looked at for:

Financial approval when renting an apartment

Financial approval when buying a car

Financial approval for any and all insurances (health, life, auto, home or renters insurance, etc)

When applying for a new job

Joining a health club

Applying for any and all credit cards

The biggest thing to remember is the better your credit score the less interest rate you will pay on financed items along with lower insurance rates.  What this means to you is money saved on payments and premiums.

Should I pay to get all three credit scores or just one?  What is a tri-merge?

When applying for an item that requires your credit score to be used as the deciding factor of approval and also interest rate and or payment amount, there are three credit reporting agencies that creditors report to.  This is why it is called a tri-merge, which means three credit reports combined to make one.  Many creditors will use the middle score for approval.  An example would be the following: 720, 667, and 708.  The middle score would be 708.

What are the easiest things I can do to raise my score?  What should I do first?

WOW, if you have read the answers to the questions above and feel that it sounds like a confusing process, well now you understand how important it is to have a good credit score.  So what is a good credit score?  A 740 middle score and above is what you need.  If you do not have a 740, the best thing to do is to hire a professional to help you increase your score.  The one thing we should all do is pay our bills on time, this will help keep your credit score constant, but it will not raise it.

My best answer is each credit report and financial situation is different.  Proper review and a proper plan for each credit report if followed will help each person obtain their highest possible credit score.

Thanks Rich!

If you have more questions about Rich’s services, check out the website at www.mycreditscoreimprovement.com. Let’s keep the conversation going, if you have ideas on ways to save money without completely sacrificing your lifestyle, leave a comment and share with the community. We’ll appreciate it!

I love to Jott

I recently had to come up with some “best practices” that I use to help me stay organized, or just stay on top of life’s chaos in general. So I thought I would share some of them in the next few posts in hopes that they will help you too!

Jott.com- I use Jott a number of ways. Jott takes your voice messages and transcribes them into text, and then delivers them to the specified recipient via email or text message (however you choose.) This is especially helpful when I am driving and need to email/respond to friends, family, or work items. I’ll call Jott and it works like this:

Jott: “Who do you want to Jott?”

Me: “Regional” (which is a distribution list I have set up for my regional team)

Jott: “Just to confirm, you’d like to Jott Regional?”

Me: “Yes”

Jott: “Okay, Jott…”

Me: “Hey guys, have you registered for the IMBA Annual Dinner? Are you bringing any customers? Let me know! Thanks!”

Hang up.

Jott will then take the message I left and send my regional team an email with my transcribed message. This way I don’t have to send the email on my blackberry while driving. Not only that but it allows me to get a lot of my follow up items done on my way home so I can spend time with my family (i.e. Henry.)

Jott will also transcribe your voicemail messages into text and send them to you via email or text message. I find this most helpful when I’m in an account or a seminar/meeting and I receive a voice message. Jott sends me a text message so I can see if the message is urgent and needs immediate attention.

You can listen to your favorite RSS Feeds via Jott as well, which is nice if you don’t have access to a computer or don’t have time to sit down and read them. There is a ton of information on the site and its simple to set up. The good thing is, once you have it set up, its done and you don’t have to constantly manage and update it. I’ve even set up a group (distribution list) with all of my family so I can send them updates without having to make 15 different phone calls.

If you have questions about Jott or want to learn more, go to www.Jott.com.

Welcome !!!

Hi everyone! I am both excited and overwhelmed as I begin this blog. Excited because it is the beginning of 2009, a new year, with infinite possibilities and opportunities that I can’t even begin to imagine. Overwhelmed because, like you I’m sure, life seems to get more difficult to manage gracefully as each year passes. I feel like I’ve seen it, been through it, wanted, had, lost, and dealt with it all, although I know I haven’t. I won’t begin this with any boring New Year’s resolutions and vows to avoid food after midnight, because I’m sick of letting myself down. What I am going to resolve to do is give myself a break, and I hope you will too. In preparation of doing this, I’m forcing myself to be very honest about where I am in life. I’ve written down the ugly truth about the things I’m not so proud of, and getting them out of my mind and on paper was scary but also a relief.

So wherever you’re at in life, whether it be lonely, depressed, unhappy at work, unfulfilled in a relationship, out of touch with friends, out of touch with your money, overweight, underpaid, stuck, unmotivated, or unfocused, there won’t be any judgment placed here. Even the best of us have skeletons in our closets. If you haven’t dealt with them and feel like you need to, put them down on paper and then give yourself a break because beating yourself up doesn’t change anything. Once you’ve made your list, take a look at it and then read this: “I can manage this.” I’m not saying in every case you won’t need help, we all do at some point in our lives, but that is also part of being able to manage things.

One more thing before you put it away someplace safe, (so you aren’t dwelling on it every day), think of one person you can tell. If you don’t trust anyone that much, send it here and it will be kept confidential. Hell, send it to Henry, he knows all of my secrets and despite my attempts, I’ve never been able to get him to talk.

Now go take a bubble bath, write in your gratitude journal, have a glass of red wine or something equally rewarding and GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK (and quit rewarding yourself with Coach bags if you’re in debt sweetheart!)