It’s occurred to me on several occasions that not everyone reads money magazines or CNN Money as much as I do. For some people knowing where to start is practically half the battle when it comes to getting a grip on your finances. What they need or would love to see is a financial plan sample that just gives them the hard numbers! They need something that could act as an example for how you should be saving and spending your money.
That’s exactly what I wanted to do in this post. For one second, let’s put aside the whole, touchy-feely, fluffy notion that every plan is unique. It is (don’t get me wrong)! But there are some figures that you could go by that may not be so bad. If anything, consider them a good starting point.
If you think that having $1,000 or so in your emergency fund is going to cut it, think again! I’m normally not a huge promoter of this topic, but over the last 2 weeks, I’ve had to dip into my stash more than I’d like. And if I didn’t have access to emergency money, I’d be up a creek either paralyzing one of my investments or taking on unnecessary debt.
Why do we struggle when it comes to handling our money? Some of us live check to check and barely save nothing. Others of us do okay. But then we never take full advantage of what’s out there to make the best financial choices. What is it about our methods that make us so deficient at knowing how to manage money better?
Do you believe that getting rich is something exclusive? That only certain people are entitled to it, but for some reason you’re not? If you do think this way, you’re doing yourself a great disservice. With the information age and all the resources that come with it, there are more wealth creation strategies and opportunities available to us than ever. Common people like us can take advantage of these tools and build a fortune that will last a lifetime. But the trick is first being able recognize what’s in your face, and then jumping all over them without hesitation.
The Internet has undeniable changed many things about our lives. We can find people we havn’t seen in years. Information is available right at our fingertips. Even the post office is going to eliminate one day of delivery because so many people just use email or automatic bill pay.
The following post was provided by fellow blogger Jennifer Willard. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to 
The following post was provided by a guest contributor. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to 
The following post was provided by guest contributor Swinton. If you are interested in being a guest contributor for My Money Design, please feel free to 
Happy New Year everyone! I hope everyone is safe and having a smooth transition into this new start.
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