Leon's Blog

Maximizing the "Bank of You Concept"; Setting Up Your Own Private Bank

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:54:24 -0800

Not only is the average american unable to save money but there is a serious negative savings rate taking place that is piling up the debt owed in this country at a pace that is mind-boggling. These families are spending huge amounts of money to finance debt on the largest purchases such as, homes, major appliances and autos.

During a lifetime the interest paid on these purchases can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. Infact 34.5 cents of every dollar is being spent on interest to finance our american lifestyle through banks and finance companies.

It is possible to recapture the principle and interest that you're paying to banks and finance companies, thereby putting that money away for the future. This can be done by creating your own private bank using cash value life insurance, which would enable you to take loans from this private bank. As you repay the principle and interest, it's going back into your policy, where it is growing tax-deferred and can be taken tax free for your financial future.

To Create Your Own Private Bank...

To create your own personal private bank, the goal is to stuff as much money as you can, as quickly as you can into a good participating (dividend paying) whole life or universal life policy. You will want to funnel the money into the whole life or universal life policy for five to seven years by over-funding the policy to just below the MEC (modified endowment contract) guidelines. Now this is where it gets good. Every time you need to make a big purchase, you can borrow the money from your personal bank, instead of borrowing from a commercial bank or credit card company, etc.

Now, you pay the loan back to yourself, plus the interest you would have paid to the commercial bank. You are now making the big profits on your money, that the bank would have made.

The misconsception is by paying cash for your purchases you are escaping the whole debt-interest conundrum. The point that is being missed is, you are either paying interest to someone else or if you pay cash for your purchase, you are giving up the interest you could have earned on that money.

Why Use A Participating Whole Life or Universal life Policy?

The reason you use a participating whole life or universal life policy is that it offers several unique benefits, the other investment vehicles don't offer...

It builds a liquid cash reserve of safe money. Generally, it can be accessed within 5 to 10 business days.

With the right strategy being used, Cash Value Life Insurance guarantees your investment principle, and offers you minimum growth guarantees for the life of the contract.

You can put in as much money as you want... limited only by the size of the whole life or universal life policy, which you can make as large as you need. (Not so, with qualified plans)

All of the money you put into a cash value life insurance policy builds tax-deferred. You avoid paying income taxes every year, so your money builds faster.

You can borrow the money from the policy tax free, without having to qualify for the loan and without contractual withdrawal penalties.

There are no early withdrawal penalties from the Federal Government. (Not so, with qualified plans or annuities)

Loans against the policy come from the general assets of the insurance company, and not from the policy cash values. In many cases, you can actually be earning more on your money than the loan is costing you.

The policy is self-completing, because you have a disability waiver of premium rider (available in a lot of policies) that will continue to put the money in for you, if you ever become disabled. (Only life insurance offers this unique benefit)

Life insurance provides a death benefit that gives your family the money you intended to save; in the event you can't be there.

In most states, life insurance is not attachable by creditors.

Life insurance cash values don't count as an asset when applying for college financial aid.

WORD OF CAUTION!!

There are many insurance agents and financial planners trying to do this for clients. Very, Very few of them have been trained on how to do this properly. Most of their clients think that they are getting something that they are not because the Life Insurance Contract was not setup and structured properly to do what you want it to do. There are a small number of people that I know of that have been properly trained on how to do this. Please make sure that you are dealing with a qualified professional that has been thoroughly trained on the proper way to structure Over-funded Life Insurance Contracts.

Leon C. Williams

Luca Financial Services

451 parkfair Dr. Ste. 1

Sacramento, CA 95864

(916) 489-5822

http://leonsblog.leonwilliams.me

Annuities, How They Work And Their Tax Advantages

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:45:43 -0800

Even though an annuity is sold like securities by insurance companies, they are much different from insurance policies. The best way to explain annuities is to imagine a hybrid product that combines the advantages of long-term investments with the advantages of life insurance. With an insurance policy you typically pay monthly premiums, whereas an annuity generally has you making a lump sum payment upfront to guarantee a periodic payout immediately or starting at some future date that you choose.The exciting part is these payments continue as long as you live.

In case you are thinking you do not have a large lump sum there are some annuities that will allow you to deposit a modest upfront say $500 to $2500 and allow you to pay into it like you would your 401k or IRA.

The length of time people are living is getting longer and longer and this is creating financial planning nightmares for financial planners and their clients. Outliving savings has become a major source of distraction around the typical financial planning model. Investing in an annuity will allow you to save for retirement and ensure that your money lasts as long as you do.

Annuities generally fall into two categories, deferred and immediate-income.

A deferred annuity allows you to save money for retirement on a tax-deferred basis until you start withdrawing money from the account. A deferred annuity comes in 3 flavors; fixed,variable tax-deferred or equity-indexed. We will call these flavors, "strategies". Even though the variable annuity allows you the option of withdrawing money from your annuity at whatever amount fits your needs, it is not for the faint of heart. With a variable annuity your money is actually in the stock market and will go up or down in value accordingly. A fixed annuity will guarantee you usually a much lower interest rate and allows you to convert your annuity into a "fixed" monthly source of income over your lifetime. Your age at conversion determines the monthly amount of the payments to you.

A better flavor other than variable or fixed, in my opinion, for most people is an equity-indexed annuity. This type of annuity gives you the best of both worlds. It allows you to ride the gains of the stock market without participating in the losses. With an equity-indexed strategy your money is not actually in the stock market so it is not subject to the tumultuous whims of our financial markets. With the equity-indexed strategy you are guaranteed a nominal floor but are capped on the highs.

An immediate income is essentially a contract issued to you by an insurance company that turns a single lump-sum payment into consistent payments (i.e., monthly) over your lifetime. You can even have these payments made over a specific number of years.

Not only do most annuities offer payment features that cover your spouse after you die, but depending on your situation you can opt to receive full or reduced joint income.

Annuities are sold by most life insurance companies but be selective when choosing a professional to help you determine which annuity is right for you. My advice is to look for a professional who takes a "Total Asset Optimization" approach in considering which product is right for you. Unless you look at "Total Asset Optimization" you are possibly putting a bandaid on your finances instead of coming up with the diagnosis and solution.

Leon C. Williams
Financial Strategist
LUCA Financial Services
leon@lucafinancial.com
916-489-5822
blog: http://leonsblog.leonwilliams.me

leon@lucafinancial.com

Advantages And Disadvantages Of Investing In Annuities

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:42:09 -0800

Annuity Pros(Advantages)

One of the largest benefits touted is that annuities offer you tax-deferred income, as annuity income is taxed only when you elect to receive it. So you can avoid taxes on annuities if you never want to use it, however that usually is not the objective. It is taxed evenly no matter when you put the money in if it is annuitized ("flip the switch" and start taking income from the annuity). If you take it out some other way i.e. IRS rule 72t, withdrawals etc. then it is taxed LIFO (last in first out). The purported advantage to this is your tax rate is usually lower after you retire, however in my experience your tax rate is lower if you did not do a good enough job of planning for retirement. Somehow the whole concept of planning to have less money bothers me.

Because annuities offer you a guaranteed payment for life, it is insurance just in case you outlive your savings.

Although the timing of the payments might vary, depending upon the type of annuity you've selected, the payment amount is guaranteed. This locked in payment amount makes planning for retirement a much easier endeaver.

Annuity Cons (Disadvantages)

Only a portion of what the annuity cost you goes toward investments.
You will not get the full potential of your annuity payout if you die early.
The fixed monthly payout that most annuities offer is not adjusted for inflation.

Sales fees are high when you purchase an annuity and a portion of the purchase price goes toward a life insurance policy on you.

Leon C. Williams
Financial Strategist
LUCA Financial Services
leon@lucafinancial.com
916-489-5822
blog: http://leonsblog.leonwilliams.me

Leon@lucafinancial.com

Using Life Insurance As An Estate Planning Tool

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:38:42 -0800

Life Insurance policies are absolutely critical to an Estate Plan and is one of the first things that a Financial Planner will check when working on an Estate Plan.

There are four critical areas of the Estate Planning process that make Life Insurance a crucial component to Estate planning:

Wealth Accumulation. Life Insurance can be used to increase your family's wealth after the death of a family member.

Debt Retirement. Experiencing loss of income from a deceased family member can be catastrophic to a family budget and wreak irrevocable harm.

Income replacement. Funding an income stream for your family after death can be accomplished from the proceeds of Life Insurance policy.

Estate Liquidity. Debts and owed taxes left by the decedent have to be paid whether the Estate is large or small. And if there is a closely held business you are going to need cash to keep the business operating during probate and to pay an allowance to surviving family members during administering of the Estate.

Leon Williams
Financial Strategist
LUCA Financial Services
http://leonsblog.leonwilliams.me
(916) 489-5822 (ofc.)
leon@lucafinancial.com

Special Valuations For Intrafamily Transfers, gift Taxes and Lifetime Transfers

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:32:39 -0800

Valuations on gifts when talking about intrafamily transfer's can be extremely dificult to prove satisfactorily to the government, especially when they involve a closely held business. There are four specific sections concerned with how to value intrafamily transfers within the gift and estate tax codes. Those sections are 2701, 2702, 2703 and 2704.

Section 2701 applies to transfers relating to corporate or partnership interests when there is no established market for such interest.

Section 2702 applies to transfers in trust or term of interests. It's good to remember that Term interests include any interest that will last only for a specified amount of time or a lifetime.

Section 2703 applies to restrictions on the right to acquire, use or sell property at less than fair market value or in a buy-sell agreement among business partners.

Section 2704 applies to liquidation issues.

Sections 2701 and 2702 of the IRS code are the passages to pay attention to for help in determining just how to valuate lifetime transfers. The question becomes what makes this type of activity legal (so you don't go to the pokey Al Capone style). When doing these transfers there are really three situations that must exist for the intrafamily transfer to be legitimate:

The transfer must be a gratuitous one, which is any tansfer of property other than at fair market value.

Ownership interest in what is given away must be retained by the donor or a member of the donor's family.

Donor and donee must be related. (I am not sure if kissing cousins count)

The rules of Sections 2701 and 2702 cannot be used if the transfer involves a sale, a transaction between strangers, or the transfer of the donor's (and/or all applicable family members') entire interest in the asset.

When the donor gives only a part of his interest in the asset, you have to subtract the value of what the donor has retained from what he owned prior to the transfer. The IRS under certain situations can rule this method, which is called the subtraction method, valuates the property at a zero valuation. If they do this you will have to pay gift taxes on the entire value of what was owner prior to the transaction.

Make no mistake about it, the government pays very close attention to these types of transfers because of the valuation games some taxpayers have played and the penalties can be high if you don't value these gifts the right way. I suggest that you seek professional advise before attempting to do this.

Leon Williams
Financial Strategist
LUCA Financial Services
http://leonsblog.leonwilliams.me
(916) 489-5822 (ofc.)
leon@lucafinancial.com

Dealing With An Inept Mortgage Industry And Services Who Are More Motivated To Foreclose Instead Of Modifying

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:37:18 -0800

Sacramento Pre-foreclosure Workshop December 8, 2009, Gives Homeowners Education, Options, Timelines, and Strategies to Fight Back

As our country hemorrhages from a foreclosure crisis of historic proportions, home values plummeting, layoffs the rule instead of the exception and millions of families having lost their homes and millions more just a couple missed payments away from being homeless, one commonsense solution to the foreclosure crisis stands out. That solution is simple, modify loan terms.

As simple a solution as this might seem, the reasons for the stagnation of action created by the complexity of the monetary forces behind our crisis are not so simple. At one time in our history those that owned the loan also underwrote the risk, collected payments, and adjusted the payments as a borrower's circumstances changed. It was a time when lenders actually made money when a loan was performing in their portfolio and not selling it on the secondary market as quickly as possible. This frenzy to turn over loans in inventory was like "nitro fuel" that "souped up" the engines of securitization (thousands of loans pooled together) in this country and at the same time fed the hunger for bigger and faster investment returns on a global scale. The result was, the once held notion that there was transparency of ownership became "A thing of the past".

The By-Product of securitization was the rise of the Mortgage Servicing Industry. According to the Mortgage Market Statistical Annual, the securitization rate of mortgages increased from 56.6% in 1990 to 79.3% measured to 2008. This 3^rd party element between the borrower and the entity who actually owns the loan (the investor) is creating problems of epic proportions as we try to solve and get past this crisis in our country. These Servicers hide behind the fact that they do not own the loan and even pretend that they have little or no control over the decisions to modify these loans. This in fact could not be further from the truth.

What is not understood by most is, these large pools of securitized mortgages that are governed by an interlocking set of complex tax and accounting rules repeated in the trusts' governing documents are not usually prohibited from modifying borrower's loans. Even though some of these rules restrict the circumstances in which a loan can be modified or create disincentives for loan modifications, the actual owner of the loans have very little say in the decisions to modify a borrower's mortgage loan. The reality is the Servicer is usually incentivized monetarily to let the home go into foreclosure than to modify the loan.

The Sacramento Pre-foreclosure Workshop was born from the need to empower borrower's with the education, options, timelines and strategies necessary to combat the Servicers and lending industry. The next Sacramento Pre-foreclosure Workshop will be December 8, 2009 at the Best Western Expo Inn on Howe Avenue. The event will start promptly at 6:30pm. Registration for the event can be accomplished by going to www.SacramentoPreforeclosureWorkshop.com.

The Nuestart Family is a team of boutique financial companies synergistically interconnected for the purpose of teaching and providing to their clients the unique concept of Total Asset Optimization. Luca Financial Services, Luca Insurance Services, NueStart Financial Services, Williams Landmark Real Estate and NFS Commercial provide the ability for the clients simultaneously optimize all of their financial assets.

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If you would like more information on this topic or would like to schedule an interview with Leon Williams, please call 916-487-6400 or email leon@lucafinancial.com.

Why Use A REaltor Instead Of An Unlicensed Foreclosure Consultant

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:27:58 -0800

Why Use a Realtor Instead of An Unlicensed Foreclosure Consultant If You Are Short Selling Your House?

The current mortgage crisis has created a tremendous focus on our profession as real estate agents. Sacramento foreclosures have created distressed homeowners who are looking to Realtors® for answers to their problems and workable solutions. As a Realtor® it is my duty to present accurate information with a level of competency about this subject to homeowners and their families. As a Realtor® I have found this sorely lacking with some confusion, fear and frustration amongst my brothers and sisters. Unfortunately, in response to the overwhelming situation unlicensed "Foreclosure Consultants" are popping up and coaching families through this, and are giving the public the perception that their Realtor® is ill equipped to help them.

Civil codes takes very seriously anyone who represents themselves as a foreclosure consultant because they gain the trust of a homeowner during a very vulnerable time period and gives the consultant the opportuny to take advantage ofthe situation in an investment scam. Because Realtors® must uphold a code of ethics and a standard of business practice, it's clear that the public would be best served by seeking the advice of a licensed and trained agent for the current market conditions.

As Realtors® who have transactions that involve a home in foreclosure, we are cautious and document thoroughly our recommendations and demonstrate our ability to negotiate the short sale process. In the event of an unsuccessful short sale and a foreclosure results, it would be prudent to have documentation as to why it happened.

As a Realtor® who is a Pre-Foreclosure Coach, I have created a simple, informative presentation that addresses the homeowner's options, the foreclosure timeline, and creative strategies that make sense. It will help you assess your situation quickly and allow you to determine what course you may want to take.

If you would like to set up a free Pre-Foreclosure Coaching consultation please complete the Contact Form and someone will contact you within 24 hours. Don't let the amount of Sacramento Foreclosures stress you.

How Not To Turn $20 Into A $75,000 Disaster!

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 16:20:02 -0700

How Not To Turn $20 Into A $75,000 Disaster!

This is What Happens When You Don't Use "Total Asset Optimization Principles"

Anyone With A Job Can Build A Nest Egg On "Steroids"

Whether your financial status is considered lower income, middle income, upper income, or super rich you have the ability to grow a nest egg on "steroids". It's the system that you put in place that determines if you will be the "robbing Peter to pay Paul" person in life or the "everything seems to fall in your lap" person. The choice is yours.

Root of All Evil

To understand how "NOT" to turn $20 into a $75,000 disaster I have to first lay some ground work on this "thing" called "Total Asset Optimization". Let's begin this discussion by emphatically stating, I Believe the lack of "Total Asset Optimization" is one of the largest contributors to strife in American Society. I believe passionately that the lack of knowledge and ability to grow in our financial lives causes many "ills" for the American people. Gang Violence, hatred and intolerance, divorce and the subsequent breakup of the family unit, road rage, jealously and a host of problems stems from our inability to prosper not only financially, but in all areas of our lives, and is rooted in our self-worth or lack thereof.

"Get Your Financial House In Order And Save The World"

The Have's And The Have Not's

Because the prevailing barometer of human value in this country seems to be "who has the largest home, biggest boat, best designer clothes and accessories, etc, we are constantly setting ourselves up for failure. Heck, with this kind of barometer all you have to do is drive to work in the morning and after watching all of the people in traffic driving new expensive cars that they can't afford but bought anyway, you can feel pretty bad about yourself by the time you arrive. This constant between the "have's and the have not's" has been raging like an indiscriminate virus wreaking havoc upon the social economic layers of our society.

Total Asset Optimization Defined

Let's break the phrase apart. The word "Total" is easy, Webster defines it as:

Total - 1. "An entire quantity or amount". 2. "Complete".

Now let's look at the word "Asset". Webster has several definitions for this but focusing on our use of it we get:

Asset - "An item of value owned". And if we further define "Value" we get: Value - 1. "A fair return or equivalent in goods, services or money for something exchanged". 2. "The mandatory worth of something". 3. "Relative worth, utility or importance".

And lastly, let's look and the meaning of "Optimization":

Optimization - An act, process, or methodology of making something (i.e. a design, system, or decision) as fully perfect, functional, or effective as possible.

So we can say our definition of "Total Asset Optimization" is:

The process of taking every area of your life that has value, and designing and implementing a system whereby each of those areas operate as fully perfect and as effective as possible.

In Real Life

In real life Total Asset Optimization is akin to looking at the various parts of our lives like the parts of an automobile. Ask yourself the question, is the quality of your life like a 3-cylinder Yugo (lower income), where it gets you around but don't try to climb any steep grades of pavement? Is it a nice comfortable family car or van (middle income) that's great for getting a lot of people inside (kind of one size fits all), but not very exciting? Is it a nice luxury car with all the trimmings of apparent success (upper income)? Or is it a high performance vehicle that goes 0-60 in 5.2 seconds (super rich)? Whatever car it is they all have one thing in common, parts that work interchangeably. Whichever type of car represents your life (lower income, middle income, upper income, super rich), unless all the parts of your life are working in unison and operating at optimum efficiency, your life as a whole will show it's inefficiencies and run as efficiently as the weakest part.

Remember, the weakest link in the chain will always determine the overall effectiveness of any strategy.

Getting Off My "ASS" ets

What is the first thing that comes to mind when I mention the word "ASSET"? Probably money, stocks, bonds, cash in savings, etc. If I asked 100 people that question I would probably get the same answer 100 times. If I ask those same 100 people, what the most important thing in their lives were you would not get those same answers. We spend the majority of our lives chasing things that are not the most important to us and we wonder why most of us never attain them. Answers you would get would be things like family, friends, relationships, spirituality, education, wisdom, learning, integrity, etc. This brings me to a particular point. We all have to take assessment of our life and come up with a plan on how we are going to attain meaningful balance. When I am speaking with my clients I will forward principles taught to me by Douglas Andrew, Author of the bestselling Missed Fortune books. Doug is on the board of Empowered Wealth LC. This is a company started by the man who taught Doug these principles, Lee Brower. I briefly want to mention that Empowered Wealth organizes life's "ASSETS" into four quadrants shown below.

Assets

Human (People)

•· Family

•· Values

•· Relationships

•· Health

•· Ethics

•· Morals

•· Character

•· Heritage

•· Unique Abilities

•· Virtues

•· Habits

Intellectual(Wisdom)

•· Knowledge

•· Education - formal

•· Experiences - good & bad

•· Reputation

•· Systems

•· Methods

•· Alliances

•· Skills

•· Talents

•· Ideas

•· Traditions

Financial (Things)

•· House

•· Cash

•· Bonds

•· Insurance

•· Real Estate

Civic (Social)

•· Taxes

•· Charitable contributions of Financial Assets as well as Human and Intellectual Assets

•· Family Foundations

And as we said above, when I ask most people what their most important "ASSETS" are that they own? I have never had anyone say the lower left quadrant (financial assets). They will usually be in the upper left or right quadrants.

We always begin the conversation with our clients about all four quadrants so that when we are discussing their financial assets, we are doing so with the most important assets on their mind. How often do you see people with lots of financial assets but are still so miserable that you would consider them "poor and destitute". The one thing that I wish to impart here is everything you do financially is rooted with all four of these quadrants in mind. What you will see me teach you is primarily about growing the financial assets, however it is usually very difficult and unfulfilling unless you grow them in unison with the upper quadrants. When you "OPTIMZE" the upper quadrants the lower quadrants seem to grow on steroids.

Some of the Most Mundane Decisions Cost Us Dearly!

The average working taxpayer might look at the phrase, "Total Asset Optimization" and think that can't possibly apply to them. What I am about to share with you is the same principle whether I am talking about $200,000 home or a $2,000,000 home. I am here to tell you that some of the most mundane decisions we make in our lives can have rippling effects on our ability to save and grow money for emergencies, college, vacations, or retirement. A couple of years ago, I believe it was December 2006; we had an unbelievable cold spell in Sacramento. It was extremely difficult to keep your water pipes from freezing. I was driving through this neighborhood of working class homes and I saw three emergency sewer cleanup trucks parked at three different homes on the same block. Driving passed that scene I immediately envisioned an imaginary movie where I all but played out the chain of events that took place leading up to this incident.

The next day as I was driving past these homes again I decided to stop and inquire about the circumstances of those emergency sewer trucks parked outside the day before. My curiosity had gotten the better of me and I just had to know if the movie I had played in my head was correct. Well as it turned out, it was pretty much as I had envisioned. After speaking with the homeowners, I learned that all three homeowners did not have the optional sewage coverage in their homeowner's insurance policy that might have paid for the damage.

By The Way...

The optional insurance coverage which is rarely offered by the insurance agent because of the way people shop for insurance coverage, is usually only $20 - $40 extra per year if it's available by that particular carrier.

In fact, the way most people shop for insurance and just about every other financial service is "How much is your policy going to cost me". No thought is given to finding the professional who will assess your situation thoroughly and suggest proper coverage based on your particular set of circumstances. Most agents understand that most consumers don't want to hear that. They believe and rightly so, that most consumers just want to choose whoever is going to quote them the lowest premium. That is of course until they actually have to use the policy. By the way, all three homes were flooded with sewage causing at least $15,000 in damage based on my experience with other homeowners I know who were in similar situations. Now, imagine if we were talking about a $2,000,000 home. In any case, at least two of the homeowners did not have an Emergency Fund readily available and could not get a home equity loan as they had either purchased their home incorrectly (they did not use a Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist) and had no equity or no safe side fund. And remember, the more expensive the home the higher the damage amount.

Who is To Blame?

All of the people in the transaction above, Realtor, Loan Officer, Title Agent, Appraiser, Insurance Agent, etc. in that home purchase transaction, all had different agendas. Including the homeowner, as all they were trying to do was find the cheapest insurance they could. Where was the person that was looking at the transaction and providing the consumer with information as to the correct size house to purchase, correct mortgage product that would fit in with their long term and short term payment, investment and cash flow decisions. Where was the insurance professional who would properly assess the client's needs and not just attempt to beat out the competition?

What Did The Mistake Really Cost?

In the example above it really was not a $15,000 mistake you see two of the homeowners had to take the funds necessary to repair the damage from sources meant for building retirement. Let's say that over the next 20 year period that $15,000 would have accumulated at 6% compounding yearly. In twenty years that would be $49,712.36. At 8% that would be a whopping $74,058.75 blunder! Wow. I never knew a $20 bill could be worth so much! The lesson was this, because the homeowner was only concerned about the individual pieces and the how those pieces worked together, the trivial $20 to $40 per year they would have spent turned into a $15,000 catastrophe then mushroomed into a $50,000 - $75,000 avalanche.

What Should You Take Away From This

Ok Leon, you've been spouting off at the mouth, what does all this really mean? Well it means;

Everything we do had lasting repercussions and reverberations throughout the universe.
It doesn't matter where you are in your financial life you can grow your assets by following time tested principles.
If you do not worry about the upper quadrants of your assets, even if you do manage to accumulate financial assets they will not last very long because your most important assets are lacking in substance.
Anytime you meet with a financial professional in any area; real estate, mortgage, financial services, insurance, taxes, listen to see what questions that professional asks you. If they are not at all concerned with how this particular decision you are making affects the other areas of your life, RUN!
The same as #4, but RUN REALLY FAR!!!

Leon C. Williams

Financial Strategists

Online Business Card - http://bizcard.leonwilliams.me

leon@lucafinancial.com

How Top Producers Earn Higher Commissions With Less Clients In a Bad Economy!

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 10:41:55 -0700

Many real estate agents, loan officers, and other real estate industry professionals are all experiencing the same thing. They are working much harder for a lot less money, and this is tremendously affecting their ability to plan for retirement. The reason is simple: Commoditization. If you sell anything in today's world you understand that we are living in a commoditized world. In the real estate business, because of technology and the increased number of players in the marketplace over the last 10 years, it has become more and more commoditized. Consumers are looking for the cheapest way to sell their homes, buyers are looking for the loan officer who will charge the least, lenders understand that agents will take anything they can get so they will give them any commission they want on short sales and REO's. Agents who are having to work harder are demanding higher and higher commission splits from their brokers, which promotes nonrealistic business models that cannot be supported and is imploding the industry as we know it. The biggest problem is that a commodity based world favors big players who profit at reduced prices through economies of scale, expensive technologies, and massive marketing campaigns. Since these big players are a very small percentage of the number of agents that are out there, the real estate industry as a whole will suffer greatly. Agents who have been able to secure relationships with the REO departments of banks and financial institutions and loan officers who have been able to secure the relationships with the REO agents should not get comfortable. All you have done is buy yourself some time. In fact, by not doing what needs to be done, it is further perpetuating the inevitable. What is the inevitable? Well, remember the minimum wage job you had when you were 16 years old? Our industry will eventually be at a point where our commissions will have been so eroded that when it's all said and done, you might as well have just charged the client $8.25 per hour and dispensed with the notion that you are self employed with unlimited income possibilities.

THE ANSWER

It is no secret that escaping commoditization is all about value creation. Value creation is clearly doing something that differentiates you from your competition while at the same time protecting the price you charge for your service. In a commoditized world uniqueness is paramount. Something that is unique can't be a commodity. By creating unique value for your client, you are able to charge what it is actually worth to them without worrying about what the rest of the industry is doing. But how do you create value? Click on the link below to listen to an invite by Douglas Andrew who will teach you and your clients in a free seminar/workshop the strategies that will help both you and your clients, thus providing value that very few agents and loan officers are providing.

Value is created by providing three things: leadership, relationship, and creativity. LEADERSHIP is providing direction. When you provide direction you eliminate dangers that another person face and focus them on the opportunities they most want to maximize. This means providing them with a plan and path to help navigate through what can often seem a confusing and overwhelming world. What this means to you as a professional in this industry is this, if you can help your client navigate through all of the turmoil that is happening in this industry, and show them a path by providing direction, then you will be their leader in their minds. There is no mistake about it, your clients are desperately seeking direction from you or anyone else. Wouldn't you like it to be from you?

RELATIONSHIP is about providing confidence. Even though confidence is an emotion we feel as individuals, it really comes from others with whom we have relationships. Remember this, good relationships provide confidence. The people we can rely on and the people who support and protect us give us confidence, and confidence is vital to success in any endeavor. There is an old sales saying that goes, "your prospect does not care how much you know until they know how much you care". Simply put, when you show your client proactively that you care what the turmoil in this industry might be doing to their present and future they will choose you to work with and not the agent or loan officer on the corner who is advertising how little they will charge them. When other industry professionals provide agents and loan officers with unique value they do not have to beg for transactions each and every month. People pay for value and in the absence of value they will always go to price.

CREATIVITY is about providing capabilities. Typically this is the only component people consider when they think about value creation. Skills, knowledge, tools, technologies, and systems all fit into the area of capability, because they enable us to do more, better. That means you need to learn techniques and strategies that will enable you to help your clients. When you provide leadership, relationship, or creativity, you are creating value. When you provide all three, value is exponentially increased. Because value creation is always in the mind of the recipient, it is important as agents, loan officers, and industry professionals trying to create value, you understand from the other person's point of view what they will perceive as direction, confidence, and capability.

Value creation is not just for agents and loan officers, but also title and escrow companies and other industry service providers. We are all looking for value and we will work with the people who are able to provide us with the most value. It is just not a consumer deciding which agent or loan officer to give their business, it could also be an agent or loan officer deciding which title rep and company to send their files, appraiser to send their business or insurance agent to refer clients. Lenders must also realize first, loan officers decide which lenders can close their files, second, which lender relationship they value the most. The loan officers will send their limited files to the lender who is providing the most value.

When you take on value creation for your clients your commissions and earnings have no other alternative but to increase. Remember, this is not just for you but for your clients who find themselves alone and confused in a market that is merciless to the uneducated and financially uniformed. This will help your clients who are desperately trying to accumulate enough wealth for retirement, and in turn create more and higher commissions to you. Come listen to the best selling author who wrote the books on the subject. Listen at:

www.missedfortune.com/invite

As he invites you to learn strategies and concepts that are counter intuitive to conventional wisdom. Wisdom that has not only helped to create the largest housing market debacle ever, but has served to further emphasize that you must "teach an old dog new tricks".

This seminar will separate you from the rest of the top producers in this area and will instantly allow you to become your clients Trusted Advisor. After you listen to a personal invitation from the man who wrote the books at www.missedfortune.com/invite, you can register for the event at www.missedfortuneevents.com/activerain. You can learn more about the Missed Fortune Movement and the Author at www.lucafinancial.com/Documents/About.pdf.

I hope to see you at the event as it will be a turning point for your business and your personal life.

How Top Producers Earn Higher Commissions With Less Clients In a Bad Economy!

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:43:34 -0700

THE ANSWER

www.missedfortune.com/invite

I hope to see you at the event as it will be a turning point for your business and your personal life.

Subprime Mortgage Meltdown Leaves Borrowers Facing Crisis

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:08:52 -0700

Subprime Mortgage Meltdown Leaves Borrowers Facing Crisis

With credit requirements tightening, borrowers have fewer choices in mortgage loans

Sacramento, CA, July 7, 2008-As record numbers of foreclosures pervade the subprime market, lenders are becoming more and more anxious, and as a result, they're tightening their mortgage loan guidelines. These more stringent guidelines, many of which relate to credit scores, are making it difficult to impossible for individuals with less-than-perfect credit to secure the loans they need-whether to buy a new house or refinance a loan to keep their homes out of foreclosure.

"Borrowers are facing a very difficult time these days," explains Leon Williams, Certified Mortgage Planning Specialist and Asset Optimization Specialist, with NueStart Financial Services, a mortgage brokerage company based in Sacramento, CA. "For instance, last year a borrower could get into a 30 year fixed with a 500 score, and now they need a 580 to qualify. Lenders are much more cautious these days."

Traditionally, the subprime market has offered a less stringent standard of underwriting mortgage loans, providing borrowers with lower credit scores the opportunity for financing where traditional lenders may have turned them down. Now that the subprime segment is not only losing players, but also subjecting borrowers to more scrutiny, fewer opportunities exist for certain borrowers to secure financing. One of the primary difficulties that current borrowers of subprime products face is the inability to secure financing to replace adjustable rate mortgages that have adjusted to a higher interest rate, sending the monthly payment skyrocketing above the initial minimum payment amounts.

Despite the fact that the industry is seeing much more stringent policies among lenders of subprime and nontraditional loan products, guidelines for underwriting standard loans have remained largely unaffected. The Federal Reserve Board's Senior Loan Officer Opinion Survey on Bank Lending Practices released in May 2007, states that policy toward standard loans remains largely unchanged. Over half of the banks that responded to the survey reported tightening standards on subprime loans, nearly half did the same for nontraditional loans, but only 15 percent said they changed requirements for prime residential mortgages.

It remains to be seen how the prime market will be affected by the subprime crisis in the future. "The bottom line is that regardless of the market, there are always good people in need of mortgage financing," states Williams. "The key is to get them into mortgage loans that can help them thrive. For some, that takes credit repair or some form of analysis to help them improve their credit scores. A person's credit score can be improved upon with some help."

Credit repair is increasingly becoming a necessity for borrowers with subprime credit scores. "A whole segment of the lending industry is disappearing," explains Edward Jamison, president of Los Angeles-based Jamison Law Group, PC, a national credit repair and restoration company. "Because lenders are tightening their requirements for credit scores, borrowers with less-than-perfect scores are finding that they have fewer and fewer options. Credit repair can be their only recourse, or can be a means to getting into a better loan."

"Today's top mortgage professionals have the resources to assist their clients in a wide range of issues effecting their financial well being, whether that's recommending a financial planner or a credit repair specialist," states Steven Marshall, president of Strategic Equity, a Seattle, Washington-based company providing training to the mortgage industry. "This business is no longer about simply saying yes or no to a loan request. For today's top professionals, it's about being a knowledgeable and well-connected resource for the borrower to get the absolute best loan for their financial situation."

Despite the slowing real estate market and subprime crisis, prime refinance activity is still strong. According to Freddie Mac, refinances accounted for over 40 percent of the total number of loan applications for the first quarter of 2007. Of those refinance loans, 82 percent resulted in a new loan balance at least 5 percent greater than the unpaid balance of the original loan. In the first quarter of 2007, Americans completed an estimated $70.5 billion in cash out refinances nationwide, just slightly below the $77 billion that was cashed out in the fourth quarter of 2006.

Subprime Mortgage Meltdown Leaves Borrowers Facing Crisis

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:04:27 -0700

Subprime Mortgage Meltdown Leaves Borrowers Facing Crisis

With credit requirements tightening, borrowers have fewer choices in mortgage loans

Attend Doug Andrew's "Last Chance Millionaire Seminar" Free For The Next 24 Hrs

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:16:37 -0700

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<DIV><font face="arial" size="2"> <p align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="4">Register for this event for free for the next 72 hours!!!</font></strong> </font></p> <p><font face="Arial" color="#000066" size="2"><strong><font size="4">Achieving Financial Independence And Retiring Wealthy Is not Beyond Your Reach.</font> </strong> </font></p> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><strong>Attend Doug Andrew’s Last Chance Millionaire Seminar” at California State University at Sacramento</strong> </font></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><strong>April 3, 2008 6:30-9:00pm, seating at 6:00pm</strong> </font></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="3"><strong>Book Signing 5-6pm</strong> </font></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong><font size="3"></font></strong> </div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong><font color="#ff0000" size="3">Use Code "PC04038" to get around the credit card screen in the registration link. This link will only be active for the next 72 hours. We our offering these scholarships to attend this event as part of our community service effort.</font></strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong> </strong><a href="http://missedfortunesacramento.com/events.html"><font size="4"><strong>Register for the Event</strong></font></a></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="4"><strong>Or go to </strong></font><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/"><font color="#800080" size="4"><strong>www.MissedFortuneSacramento.com</strong></font></a><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="4"><a href="http://quotearatenow.org/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/clientpkge.pdf"><strong>Download Promotion Package Here</strong></a><strong> </strong> </font></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>BEST SELLING AUTHOR, DOUGLAS R. ANDREW WILL TEACH YOU THE MOST EFFECTIVE STRATEGY TO BUILD RETIREMENT WEALTH. Why? Often, it is because of missteps or flawed strategies. Discover twenty-three common misconceptions or MONEY-MYTH-CONCEPTIONS to money and the accumulations of wealth, such as:</strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong> </strong></div> <ul style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type="disc">     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>The best way to pay off a house early is to apply extra principal on your mortgage</strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Qualifird plans such as IRA'S and 401(k)s always provide the most attractive retirement benefits </strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Home Equity is a safe investment</strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>You must use equity from your former house to purchase a new home to avoid capital gains tax</strong> </li> </ul> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong> <font size="4">To find out more about Missed Fortune </font></strong><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/aboutmf_1.html"><font size="4"><strong>click here.</strong></font></a></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="4"><strong>To find out more about Douglas R. Andrew, </strong></font><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/dandrews_1.html"><font size="4"><strong>click here.</strong></font></a></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><font size="4"><strong>To Register for Douglas Andrews “Last Chance Millionaire Seminar”, </strong></font><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/events.html"><font size="4"><strong>click here.</strong></font></a></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Dispel these and other myths with wealth-enhancement strategies that self made millionaires have used for decades. LEARN:</strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong> </strong></div> <ul style="MARGIN-TOP: 0in" type="disc">     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>How to avoid the $25,000 mistakes being made by millions of Americans </strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>How to make $1 million by borrowing money</strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>Why if you have IRAs and 401(k)s, you may be getting trapped</strong> </li>     <li style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong>What the IRS said versus what you thought they said </strong> </li> </ul> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong><font size="4">Seating is limited so </font></strong><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/events.html"><strong><font size="4">SAVE YOUR SEAT NOW!</font></strong></a></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong> </strong></div> <div style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" align="center"><strong>For more information please call Leon Williams or Ulrike Elder at </strong><a href="http://www.lucafinancial.com"><strong>LUCA Financial Services</strong></a><strong> at 916-489-5822 or email us at </strong><a href="mailto:info@missedfortunesacramento.com"><strong>info@missedfortunesacramento.com.</strong></a></div> </font></DIV>
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<DIV><font face="arial" size="2"> <div align="center"> <div> <div align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000080" size="2"><strong>Douglas R. Author</strong> </font></div> <div align="center"><font face="Arial" color="#000080" size="2"><strong><a href="http://www.missedfortunesacramento.com/events.html">Register Here!</a></strong> </font></div> </div> </div> </font></DIV>
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<DIV><font face="arial" size="2"> <div align="center"><font face="Arial" size="2"><strong><a href="http://www.lucafinancial.com">Leon Williams & Ulrike Elder</a></strong> </font></div> <div align="center"><font size="2"><strong>Event Hosts</strong> </font></div> <div align="center"><strong></strong> </div> <div align="center"><strong>LUCA Financial Services</strong></div> <div align="center"><strong>451 Parkfair Dr. Ste. 1</strong></div> <div align="center"><strong>Sacramento, CA 95864</strong></div> <div align="center"><strong>(916)489-5822 ofc.</strong></div> <div align="center"><strong>(916)487-6411 fax</strong></div> <div align="center"> </div> <div align="center"> </div> </font></DIV>
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Annual Mortgage Reviews Bring Borrowers Closer to Achieving Financial Goals

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:57:18 -0800

Yearly reviews are a great way to keep on track with your financial goals. You're probably already meeting with your financial advisor and other asset manager for quarterly or annual reviews, and you should do the same with your Mortgage Planner as well. An annual mortgage check-up is an ideal way to make sure your mortgage is still having the maximum positive impact on your overall financial plan.

A lot can happen in one year. The market can take turns that can open up new opportunities, such as reduced interest rates, new loan products or changes in home values. Furthermore, your personal and financial situation could be mildly to radically different than it was just 12 months prior. Perhaps one or more of the income earners got a raise or lost a job. Maybe you received an inheritance. Even a minor, one-year change in one of your kids' college plans could impact your financial situation in a way that would benefit from an adjustment in your mortgage strategy.

Periodic reviews serve several purposes. First, they establish a consistent path toward achieving your financial goals. Secondly, they ensure that you stay on track with your goals. Sometimes plans need minor adjustments, but without the knowledge that comes from a thorough evaluation, those minor adjustments may go unnoticed. Often, by the time an adjustment becomes apparent, you may have already lost valuable time and/or resources that could have been spared with a few minor modifications along the way. Finally, periodic reviews help to keep you accountable toward your commitment to achieve your objectives. Without accountability, it's very easy to let your savings and investment actions fall by the wayside, especially when unexpected expenses arise. Knowing that you'll be discussing your action steps will help to keep you committed to your goals.

Consider scheduling a periodic review with your Mortgage Planner in conjunction with your asset manager's review. In addition to saving time, you'll also gain the advantage of your own personal management team for your financial asset-building program.

Remember that getting clarity on your financial situation is never a waste of time. If you find that your current financing is more desirable than the financing that is available in today's market, you'll know that your Mortgage Planner did a great job advising you last time. If you find that your changing circumstances have dictated that a new loan will better suit your new situation, your Mortgage Planner can bring you one step closer to achieving your financial goals.

Annual Mortgage Reviews Bring Borrowers Closer to Achieving Financial Goals

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:52:15 -0800

Annual Mortgage Reviews Bring Borrowers Closer to Achieving Financial Goals

Option ARM Relativity

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:14:25 -0800

Option ARMs Can Be Helpful or Harmful, Depending on the Borrower

With the record number of defaults and foreclosures occurring in today's market, many homeowners have been led to believe that Option ARMs are bad loan products. The truth is that Option ARMs are great choices for some borrowers, but very dangerous choices for others. Whether they're helpful and harmful depends primarily on whether they're suitable for the borrower's individual situation.

On the one hand, Option ARMs can be a great way to take further control of your finances. They offer a flexibility of payment choices that enables the borrower to utilize funds in a way that suits his or her financial objectives. On the other hand, when these loan programs are provided to borrowers who haven't been properly educated or borrowers who otherwise couldn't qualify for a mortgage, they can quickly lead to disaster.

If you're considering an Option ARM or if your Mortgage Planner suggests that you consider one, make sure you understand how they work. Lack of education is one of the primary reasons that numerous homeowners have gotten into trouble with these loans. Know that two payment options will not pay down the principal balance. With the minimum payment option, the interest that's not covered by the monthly payment will actually be added on to the principal balance, which will recast (readjust to accommodate the growing principal balance) after a specified period of time, usually five years or sooner, unless the accumulated interest is paid. The interest-only option will cover the interest payments, but not the principal.

Reputable Mortgage Planners always take the time to determine whether these products are suitable and appropriate for their borrower's individual financial capacity and goals. Your Mortgage Planner should conduct an in-depth evaluation of your financial situation before recommending any loan product. Especially with Option ARMs, your Mortgage Planner should provide a clear explanation of how the loan works.

These products should never be used to put people into a higher priced house than they can truly afford. Instead, the borrower should be capable of making the fully-indexed (principal and interest) payment. Positioned properly, Option ARMs can be an incredible wealth-building tool that can help set homeowners on a faster and safer path to achieving their financial goals.

Consult your Mortgage Planner today for more information on whether an Option ARM is the best or worst choice for achieving your financial goals.

Option ARM Relativity

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:11:18 -0800

Option ARMs Can Be Helpful or Harmful, Depending on the Borrower

Consult your Mortgage Planner today for more information on whether an Option ARM is the best or worst choice for achieving your financial goals.

How to Determine Whether Your Loan Officer is Reputable

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 23:43:48 -0800

In slower markets, some loan officers may feel pressured to close deals that aren't in the homeowner's best interest. In order to avoid getting into difficult and financially compromised positions with their mortgages, borrowers are well advised to be acutely aware of the signs of a responsible loan officer when selecting a mortgage professional.

First, look for a Mortgage Planner whose values are focused on helping individuals to achieve their financial goals in both the fastest and the safest way possible. A reputable Mortgage Planner will show you the numbers associated with the proposed loan and provide you with concrete information that backs up his or her claims. Review all of the numbers. If they don't add up, ask for clarification. If your loan officer can't or won't answer your questions, move on--without the loan.

Secondly, a responsible Mortgage Planner will present you with financial information that goes beyond the point of the transaction, and will illustrate the total cost of the loan over time. If your loan officer is focusing only on rates and fees, you may be working with someone who's looking out for his or her own best interests, not yours.

Responsible Mortgage Planners will also tailor their strategies to fit your unique situation. In other words, they always take your personal financial goals into account. No one should try to place you into a loan without knowing the intricacies of your personal financial situation.

Finally, if your loan officer is advising you on issues other than mortgages, you could be working with someone who is compromising your best interests. Issues like investment rates of return and real estate appreciation aren't the areas of expertise for the vast majority of mortgage professionals and should be left to the professionals who have training and direct experience in those areas.

When seeking a loan officer, look for someone who specializes in mortgage planning, which is the process of evaluating a borrower's unique financial situation and advising the borrower on a loan that best suits his or her individual needs and goals. If your loan officer is trying to put you into a loan without evaluating how that loan will effect your entire financial situation--including debt management, tax benefits, investment goals and net worth--it's quite possible that you're only getting half of the picture.

The bottom line is that your mortgage representative should always be looking out for your best interests, regardless of market conditions.

WWW.IncredibleMortgageLoans.com

Demystifying real Estate Investing

Leon Williams (LUCA Financial Services) — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 03:28:52 -0800

Demystifying Real Estate Investing Overcoming the misconceptions that keep you from investing in real estate Most people who aren’t investing in real estate are being stopped by doubt and fear. They may want to invest in real estate, but each time they consider taking action, they come up with an obstacle or a core belief that keeps them from moving toward their dreams. According to The Millionaire Real Estate Investor by self-made millionaire and real estate investor Gary Keller, most successful real estate investors have had to overcome certain beliefs that later proved to be unfounded. Some of these beliefs center around the way they view themselves as investors, and the others are focused on beliefs about investing. By addressing these doubts and fears, and recognizing that they’re unfounded, you’ll eliminate the major barriers to becoming a real estate investor. • Personal Myth #1: “I don’t need to be an investor. My job will take care of my personal wealth.” Truth: History indicates that few jobs pay enough to create true financial independence. Financial wealth building depends on another vehicle. • Personal Myth #2: “I don’t need or want to be financially wealthy. I’m happy with what I have.” Truth: Financial wealth offers greater opportunity to care for yourself and others, and that is something most everyone wants and needs. • Personal Myth #3: “I can’t do it.” • Truth: You don’t know what you can or cannot do until you actually try. • Investing Myth #1: “Investing is complicated.” • Truth: Investing is as complicated as you make it. • Investing Myth #2: “All the best investments require knowledge most people don’t have.” • Truth: Your best investments will always be in areas that you can or already do understand. • Investing Myth #3: “Investing is risky. I’ll lose my money.” • Truth: Investing and gambling are not the same thing. Investing, by definition, is not risky. • Investing Myth #4: “Successful investors can time the market.” • Truth: Timing isn’t about being in the right place in the right time. It’s about being in the right place all of the time. • Investing Myth #5: “All the good investments are taken.” • Truth: Plain and simple, every market, in every time, has its share of good investments. There’s nothing more powerful for keeping you out of action than fear and doubt. By seeking the truth, rather than relying on unfounded beliefs that lead to fear and doubt, you can overcome your greatest obstacle and get closer to achieving your dreams. If you’re interested in investing, but you have doubts about whether or not investing fits in with your current financial program, it’s best to consult with a qualified and reputable Mortgage Planner who can assess your financial situation and put you on a plan that targets your goals. As with any financial program, gaining clarity on the facts is always the best place to start.