Impulse spending is spending that we hadn’t planned, and is always a money thief.  It robs us of cash in our pockets and bank accounts as well as our freedom, for we often become a slave to our impulses.  It’s hidden to us because we don’t often realize we’re doing it until we see the total at the checkout register, when we view the receipt or worse yet, when we balance our accounts.  I mentioned a couple of ways to curb this kind of spending in the “Money Myth: I Deserve it (now)” article, but this week we’re going to dig deeper.  To Stop the Insanity, we have to Stop the Thief.

Like any thief, Impulse spending is sneaky.  It lurks in the darkness, waiting for our most vulnerable moment.  And then it pounces…and we are robbed!  We go to the store ‘for a few items’ and end up with 3 grocery bags full.  We’re walking around the mall for exercise and discover an item on sale we ‘just have to have.’  We go to the bookstore for a coffee and browsing, and end up buying a book on saving money.  Or we go to Home Depot for paint and end up taking home a $100 power tool lol.  It happens to all of us.  The trick is to outsmart the Money Thief.

If our home or automobile were robbed, we might get an alarm system.  If we were mugged, we might take a self-defense class.  I think the same is true for arming ourselves against impulse spending: we need an alarm system and self-defense.

I think the ‘alarm system’ defense against impulse spending is to simply have a spending limit in mind before you go to the store.  This number should come from your budget (which we’ll discuss in another series), but until you have a budget, you can use your available account balance as a general guide.  On your way to the store, tell yourself aloud, “I’m only going to spend $X.”  Seriously.  This way, as you’re adding items to your basket or cart, your brain is subconsciously aware of your limit and totaling up the items, and you’ll feel a ‘ping,’ an alarm if you will, when you grab something that could put you over your limit and/or isn’t on your list.

Or if you have a spouse or kids in the car and you think you’ll feel silly thinking aloud, tell them what your spending limit is.  You’d be surprised at how fewer the tantrums and arguments become when your kids are helping you achieve your money goals.
Same with your spouse.  If s/he knows you all have only $X to spend, s/he will be less likely to insist on extra treats and unneeded items.  Another way to get them involved with the spending limit is to divvy up your grocery list, and have them seek and find the items on their lists.  If their focus is on the list, then it won’t be on impulses.  The ‘alarm’ will sound for them as well, as impulse items won’t be on their list.

One way to defend ourselves against impulse spending is having the shopping list- even if it’s just for one item.  I use my BlackBerry’s Memo function for lists because I don’t want endless papers crowding my pockets and it’s always handy.  If you have multiple people in your household, I recommend a magnetic paper list on your fridge.  This way, everyone can write down an item when you’re out of it and it won’t be forgotten.  It may take some reminders on your part at first, until everyone is used to the new system, but don’t give up!  Stick with it because it will mean much less work for you, and ownership of the new plan by everyone in the home.

The reason I think lists work is because of what I alluded to, in the above paragraph: focus.  When I go into the grocery store, I first get out of the doorway, and then I review my list.  I picture in my mind what areas of the store the items are, and begin in a direction.  I review the list again as I’m walking (and yes, I keep my phone at eye level so I don’t run into someone or something .

I suppose if I were really organized and efficient, I would keep the items in order of their location, but let’s not go overboard lol.  Just kidding.  If you can do that, that would honestly be a great example of efficiency, and reduce your shopping time to its lowest possible amount.  I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve had to walk from one end of the store to the other because I’d missed an item on my list as I was shopping.

Anyway…by focusing on the list and the items’ locations in the store, my brain is focused on helping me achieve the task of fulfilling that ‘order.’  It is focusing on finding coffee instead of all of the yummy junk food located at the ends of the aisles.  And when I see those temptations, I tell myself (silently is best in this scenario lol), “No, I’m trying to find (looking again at my list) coffee,” if I am tempted to get that treat.  And it shifts my focus back on the food I’m looking for, and back to the list.  And I repeat that again and again as needed, until my brain finally gets that the distractions are irrelevant to the task at hand, and won’t be considered.   By the way, this trick will also help your waistline .  If you decide to try this and find yourself being sidetracked a lot, take a deep breath.  Be patient with yourself.  You’re learning something new.  And stick with it.  It really does work!

And a list works with other types of shopping, too.  If you’re school shopping, write down how many pairs of pants, shorts, shirts and shoes you’re going to buy, with a spending limit at the top of the list; and go back to the
list whenever you feel tempted to buy more than that.  If you’re going to Home Depot, write down that you need nails and 3 gallons of paint and the approximate cost of it all.  If you’re walking in the mall, leave your wallet  ocked in the car.  Always.  If you’re going to the book store for coffee, take out of your wallet how much cash you need, and leave your wallet or purse in your vehicle.
This way, you have a built-in alarm system: walking all the way out to your car to get your wallet.  And just perhaps, by the time you get there, you will have remembered your original purpose and decide you really don’t need that item after all.

Impulse spending is our hidden Money Thief, and we will keep talking about it and keep talking about it, because it is just so important a topic.  It robs us of achieving our goals and keeps us imprisoned like a drug.  Next week we’ll talk about how impulse spending is also our Slippery Master so be sure to come see us!

As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. In what type of shopping have I been impulsively spending money the most?

2. Do I have a good ‘alarm’ and self-defense’ systems in place?  How can I make them better? And last,

3. What system of list making works best for me- paper or electronic, and how can I implement i

Wishful thinking?  I don’t think so.  I think we can control our thoughts through intentional focus and thus control our spending.  You can do this!  It takes just a bit of practice, as it does with any dance or sport or skill.

Because the Truth is practice really does ‘make perfect.’  Keep at it and you’ll get it!

We began our series a couple of weeks ago discussing the ‘dirty little secret’ of miscellaneous fees- over-the-limit, overdraft and late fees.  If you missed the first article regarding our Dirty, Little Secret, you can find it here.  As promised, this week I will show you how to quickly and easily balance your checking account.

If you turn over your recent paper bank statement you will find instructions on how to balance your checking account.  It looks almost like a US income tax return, doesn’t it?  I get discouraged when I look at it because it’s yet one more thing I have to learn and read and do.  I have to make sense of someone else’s thoughts, and this collection of thoughts doesn’t appear to be easy to understand.  Uggh.  Do they really think their instructions help people make sense of their money?
Really?  I sure don’t think so.

Despite what you might have heard from family or friends or bank officers or teachers, balancing your checking account is easy.  It’s quick and painless, and a whole lot better than a used Band-aid, because it has no yucky by-product.  It doesn’t leave behind a gross item with residue.  Instead, balancing your checking account is like a haircut: it takes between 15-30 minutes depending on complexity and fixing it doesn’t hurt.  On the contrary, fixing any errors in our account gives us more power, more freedom and more choices.

Balancing your checking account isn’t rocket science.  It’s not complicated or difficult.  It’s basic math- addition and subtraction that we learned in elementary school, and therefore something any of us can do.  Promise.  So go get your most
recent bank statement and we’ll begin this week’s lesson.  Go ahead…I’ll wait for you.

The simple formula for your checking account is checkbook balance + outstanding items = bank statement.   You simply take what your bank statement says and subtract what your checkbook says; you add in any outstanding items and your amount should end up $0.  If it doesn’t, you go back through to make sure there’s not any ‘typos’ (either yours or your bank’s), or any mistakes, or omissions.

Let’s pretend your bank statement shows you have $1,000 as of 8/31.  Your check register as of today (9/23) shows a balance of $700.  This itemization reveals that you spent $260 for groceries, a gasoline fill-up of your automobile, an ATM withdrawal and your cable payment, which means you’re off by $40.  Do you have 40 more dollars than you thought?  Possibly, but don’t get too excited just yet.  Let’s take a look.

When you show less money in your bank account than what your bank does, it’s likely that you have a ‘typo,’ or duplicate entries.  When you show more money in your register than what the bank and outstanding items state, then you probably forgot to write down an expenditure.

Does that make sense to you?  If not, try reading it aloud.  I’m serious.  Reading aloud helps us to get into our left brains- the place where math and analysis occurs.  So knowing these two basic rules, what do you think happened in our above scenario?  Take a minute to think about it.

Do you have the answer yet?  (Or are you cheating?   Seriously…work it out.  You can do it!

The truth is there are lots of things that could have happened to cause the $40 shortage in your checkbook, but we’re going to pretend it was a good one.  We’re going to pretend that on September 14^th, you went shopping and went to the ATM for a withdrawal of $40.  Because you wanted to make sure you had enough money in your account (so you don’t get hit with more fees) and you didn’t want to forget to write it in there, you decided to write in the entry on the 13^th when you were planning out your day.

And then when you got home on the 14^th, you went through your receipts and wrote in the amounts in your check register like a responsible spender, knowing that accurate records will keep the fee monsters at bay.  So
you wrote down the $40 ATM withdrawal and the $260 spent on groceries and gasoline.

Do you see now what you did?  You wrote down your $40 withdrawal twice…once on the 13^th and then again on the 14^th.  So…yay!!  You really DO have $40 than you thought!!  So now the question is what do you do with
that $40?  I would urge you to transfer it to your savings account…you already didn’t have it to spend according to your records, so it’s really not extra money you’re losing.  You follow me?

If you really don’t have the extra $40 or you just want to have more of a cushion to help you avoid fees, you can just leave it in your checking account.  It’s ok…eventually you’re going to have more than enough and you can fill up your savings account.

So didn’t it feel good to have more money than you thought?  Whoo hoo!  Get excited!  Feel good about that, and feel good about taking care of your money!

Go ahead and balance your checking account now.  I’ll wait .  What did you discover?  Did it balance or did it show you that you’re not quite there yet with keeping good records?  Regardless of what it showed you, it’s a good thing!  And every month you continue to take care of your money like you take care of your house, car or other possessions, you will learn and grow, and growth should be the only goal, I think.

Because the Truth is progress can always be celebrated, irrespective of the mistakes you make along the way.

As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been writing down all of my expenditures?

2. What can I learn from balancing my checkbook?

3. Have I remembered to celebrate my progress (in non-monetary ways even if I’ve made mistakes?

You can do this!  Take it one step at a time, one month at a
time, and you will see your finances and your life just getting better and better!  I guarantee it.

Decide today that you are tired of being a casualty of disorganization and of being broke, and do something about that.  You can do this!

Live Victoriously!

Olivier M. Verne

MyMoneyMaster@ymail.com
(c) 2011, Olivier M. Verne.  May be used with
permission.  All other rights reserved.

About the author:
Olivier M. Verne, an author, editor, speaker, consultant and former Debtor Education instructor and monthly newsletter contributor, is single and lives in Miami, FL.  Additionally, being a consumer bankruptcy paralegal for nearly 14 years and a writer for over 20 makes Olivier uniquely qualified to write about this area of expertise and passion: personal financial management.

Olivier humorously shares this knowledge in a positive, fun, plain-English way that makes everyone want to learn and make the changes necessary to succeed financially.  Olivier’s readers learn how to conquer their fears about money, gain tools for responsible money management, and dispel the myths which keep them broke.  And Olivier is always just an email away, regardless of where you live.

I’m hitting the Pause button on this series, because I think it’s important to do so.  So often we get caught up in the ‘getting’ and ‘doing,’ that we are no longer living in harmony; we are no longer living in balance and it shows.  We are anxious and tired.  Our tempers flare easily and we don’t know why.  We are frustrated and unhappy; we may even be miserable…so we end up making those around us miserable too.  Sometimes we have to pause our attitudes to ‘Stop the Insanity’.

As I understand it, our emotions are merely a barometer of what’s going on in our minds and bodies; nothing more.  Extreme emotions or prolonged feelings may indicate that our bodies are not getting the vitamins and minerals they need,
and we should seek to correct that.  Our physical bodies are wonderfully crafted machines and simply cannot operate without certain fuels, fluids and lubricants…like an automobile.  In cases such as that, I suggest you seek the counsel of a medical practitioner, and those acute situations are not what this article is about.

This article assumes you are taking care of your machine, but it’s ‘acting up’ in the way of negative emotions.  You don’t understand why you’re feeling angry or unhappy ‘all of the time.’  When I notice these types of emotions in myself, I know that it is time for me to Pause.  I have become distracted by all that I ‘must’ do and get, living in our modern world, and I simply need to shift my focus.

Gratitude is to me, the easiest and quickest way to shift my focus away from what I don’t want to what I do want in my life.  And commuting is the best time for that in my opinion, since I need to be ‘present’ while I’m driving anyway to ensure I reach my destination safely.  I start simple (just don’t close your eyes while you’re driving).  I get grateful for eyes that can see, and ears that can hear, and for an automobile to get me where I need to go.  Even if it’s not the one I prefer to be
driving, I am more fortunate than so many in the world who do not have one.  I’m grateful for functioning arms and legs that allow me to drive.  I’m grateful for a wondrous brain which is the command center for it all.

I’m grateful for the money to buy the gasoline needed to drive my car.  I get grateful for every green light I encounter and for every considerate driver on the road.  If I’m on my way to work, I am grateful for a job.  Even if it’s not my ideal position, I am more fortunate than millions of others who don’t have one, and that job has provided the income for me to buy the gasoline and oil changes for my vehicle.  If I’m on my way to the store,  I am grateful for my job because it gives me the income to purchase whatever I’m about to get- whether that’s groceries or clothes.  And if it’s a reward or ‘toys’ I am truly fortunate because so many are just ‘getting by’ and don’t have the extra that I do.  And yes, I actually say this
aloud…when I’m traveling alone.

If you don’t have a vehicle to drive, you can still be grateful for whatever mode of transportation you do have.  You can be grateful for a bicycle, taxi or a bus.  And even if you’re walking wherever you go, you can still be grateful for strong legs and steady feet that get you there.  There is simply no scenario that doesn’t have something to be grateful about.
We can always be grateful…because someone always has it worse than we do.  You can still use your ‘commute’ as a time to be grateful; waiting in lines is also an excellent time for gratitude in my opinion, and will cause the wait time to fly by.

If I come home to a mess, I get grateful for my family members who made it that way.  I get grateful for a roof over my head because so many don’t have that.  I am thankful for that sock on the floor because it means we are wealthy enough to have socks.  As I pick up the stray magazine, toy or dish, I am grateful for having the money to purchase that item; I’m grateful for the money to pay for the electricity to read the magazine, play with the toy, and heat the water to wash the dish.  I’m thankful that I can read the magazine.  I actually say this aloud too, even if others are around, because s/he can hear the gratitude and get grateful as well!
And I can be thankful for toys on the floor because it means my children are alive and at home, rather than on the streets and getting into trouble (this one I say in my head).

Gratitude, like any emotion, is infectious, and how much better would the world be if we walked around in a state of gratitude!?!  And the gratitude can go on and on and on…because we are so blessed.

And the Truth is it is impossible to be both angry and grateful at the same time; both anxious and grateful at the same time; impatient and grateful at the same time. We just can’t.  Heck…I’ve gotten grateful and excited just writing this article!
I have so much, and I have you!

As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been paying more attention to the ‘getting’ and ‘doing’ of life than I have the ‘having’ and ‘being’?

2. Am I grateful for all that I have?

3. What can I be grateful for today that I hadn’t previously thought about?

You can do this!  Take it one step at a time, one choice at a time, and you will see your finances and your life just getting better and better!
I guarantee it.

Decide today that you are tired of being a slave to your emotions, and do something about that.  Emotions, like thoughts, are a choice.  Choose the good ones

Live Victoriously!

Olivier M. Verne

MyMoneyMaster@ymail.com

(c) 2011, Olivier M. Verne.  May be used with
permission.  All other rights reserved.

About the author:
Olivier M. Verne, an author, editor, speaker, consultant and former Debtor Education instructor and monthly newsletter contributor, is single and lives in Miami, FL.  Additionally, being a consumer bankruptcy paralegal for nearly 14 years and a writer for over 20 makes Olivier uniquely qualified to write about this area of expertise and passion: personal financial management.

Olivier humorously shares this knowledge in a positive, fun, plain-English way the makes everyone want to learn and make the changes necessary to succeed financially.  Olivier’s readers learn how to conquer their fears about money, gain tools for responsible money management, and dispel the myths which keep them broke.  And Olivier is always just an email away, regardless of where you live.

There’s a dirty, little secret we all share but no one talks about unless s/he feels s/he has been charged unjustly.  Then, oh then, the whole world’s gonna hear about it.  And that secret is being hit with penalty fees: late fees, overdraft fees and over-the-limit fees.  This week we’ll discuss overdraft fees and how to avoid them.  If you missed last week’s article regarding late fees and over-the-limit fees, you can find it here.

If you’ve ever had a checking account you know what overdraft fees are.  They’re the fees the bank or credit union charges you for not having enough in your account to cover the ‘draft’- either a paper check or electronic debit.

I remember when I got my first checking account, and I kept getting hit with the overdraft fees.  I couldn’t understand it, so I started paying attention to the balances on my ATM receipts…and I still kept getting them.  I even got a letter from my credit union that said if I didn’t fix this problem, they were going to close out my account.  What??  I didn’t understand. (And this was way before they started printing instructions on the backs of monthly statements to show you how to balance an account).  I know I checked my balance before I made my purchase!?  And finally…it dawned on me: I have to have enough money in my account for both checks I’ve written and what I’ve withdrawn from the ATM.  Ohhhh.  Du-uh lol.  I started writing checks for almost everything after that, and actually used the checkbook to help me keep track of my balance.  I can laugh at my uninformed self now because it seems so simple…now.  But, like with anything, I didn’t know what I didn’t know…ya know?

I think learning to balance a checkbook requires its own article so we’ll cover that next week.  So for this week, I suggest that you STOP throwing away your money on overdraft fees.  If you’re getting hit with overdraft fees ‘every time you turn around,’ chances are you’re doing like I did: writing checks and spending cash and not keeping good records of it all. 

To make any positive change in our lives, we must first STOP what we’re currently doing.  That makes sense, right?  So…just STOP.    Go simple.  Use either a completely cash system or a completely debit card (or check) system for paying bills and other expenses.  Don’t mix the two for now, because it’s obviously not working for you .  And I say that with Love and understanding…because I’ve been there.   Because if you don’t STOP, you could very well be paying $37 for that cup of coffee.  And we know that’s just a crazy price to pay for coffee.

 Next, LOOK at your statement to learn how you most often spend your money (cash vs. check/debit card).  Don’t skip this LOOK step because it’s possible that you actually spend money much differently than you think you do.  Most of us have a picture in our minds of ourselves and our actions that is quite different from what reality shows us, or even how our friends and family see things. 

And finally, LISTEN to what I’m tellin you lol.  Just kidding…kinda lol.  You should LISTEN to what your statement shows you, and go with the system you use most frequently.  If you use the system you already use most often, it will make the transition to one form of payment that much easier I think.  So…cash your check and leave in your account only the amount needed to pay your recurring bills if that’s what you need to do, and spend cash for everything else.  Or…resist the urge to hit the ATM and simply use a check or your debit card for all of your expenditures, and check your balance online or by phone.  Whatever works for you.  The key to managing your money is to find what works for you. 

Because the Truth is if it doesn’t work for you, you won’t do it…and you’ll stay in the same financial mess you’re currently in. 

 As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been paying unnecessary fees because I haven’t been keeping good records of all of my payments?

2. What works best for me- cash or checks/debit card?  Is that consistent with what my bank statement shows?

3. Starting today, what system will I use so I can avoid overdraft fees?

You can do this!  Take it one step at a time, one choice at a time, and you will see your finances and your life just getting better and better!  I guarantee it.

Decide today that you are tired of being a casualty of disorganization and of being broke, and do something about that.  You can do this! 

Live Victoriously!
Olivier M. Verne
MyMoneyMaster@ymail.com

(c) 2011, Olivier M. Verne.  May be used with permission.  All other rights reserved.

About the author: Olivier M. Verne, an author, editor, speaker, consultant and former Debtor Education instructor and monthly newsletter contributor, is single and lives in Miami, FL.  Additionally, being a consumer bankruptcy paralegal for nearly 14 years and a writer for over 20 makes Olivier uniquely qualified to write about this area of expertise and passion: personal financial management.

Olivier humorously shares this knowledge in a positive, fun, plain-English way that makes everyone want to learn and make the changes necessary to succeed financially.  Olivier’s readers learn how to conquer their fears about money, gain tools for responsible money management, and dispel the myths which keep them broke.  And Olivier is always just an email away, regardless of where you live.

There’s a dirty, little secret we all share but no one talks about unless s/he feels s/he has been charged unjustly.  Then, oh then, the whole world’s gonna hear about it.  And that secret is being hit with penalty fees: late fees, overdraft fees and over-the-limit fees.  I believe we can easily rise above them by just a little, clean organization.

Late fees are simply those fees tacked on to our current amount owed because we were late- in returning movies or games, in returning library books, or payment of services or purchases.  These fees vary per state, but depending on the business, the fees can be as little as a few dollars to $39 dollars or a maximum of 10% of the balance, whichever is greater.  This means it’s possible I’ll pay an extra $39 just for being a day late with my payment!

Over-the-limit fees are those fees charged by banks and credit card companies for making a purchase that will cause our current balance to be greater than our credit limit.  It’s not as commonplace since the new law went into effect in 2010, but we still need to be aware.  Under the new law, we are supposed to be notified at the time of purchase if it will result in our being over our credit limit.  We then have the choice to opt-in on the fee.  “After you consent, the credit card company must provide you written confirmation of your agreement before it can charge the fee.  The credit card company cannot require you to agree to over-the-limit fees but it can ask if you would like to participate.” (copied from Help With My Bank.gov) 

But…really?  C’mon….Now that you know what these fees are, have seen them in black and white, can you now see just how crazy they are?  Stop giving away your money.  And every time you choose to be late, you are choosing to give it away!  Did you know that?!  Every time you choose to opt-in for an over-the-limit fee, you are choosing to give it away!  It is absolutely time to STOP the insanity!  Just…STOP (and breathe).  LOOK at what you’re doing and LISTEN to your own voice of reason.

As I mentioned above, breaking the cycle of our dirty, little secret takes just a little, clean organization.  First, I recommend setting up Auto-Pay for all of your regular monthly payments.  There’s really no reason for you not to do so.  No excuses; just bite the bullet, set them up and make sure the money is in your account.  If you have to sacrifice a little something now- even if you have to eat Ramen noodles the rest of the month- you will be so much further ahead next month, and every month thereafter that you’re not paying late fees.  This will break the ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ cycle.

Second, use your cell phone’s calendar function to input all due dates.  I suggest using it for even your regular monthly payments at this point…until you consistently have the money in your account.  If you are using online bill pay, either set a reminder for 7 days ahead of time or schedule the “appointment” 7 days sooner.  This will ensure timely payment to your creditor and you will thus avoid any late fees.  If you’re mailing an actual check, be sure to set the reminder for at least 5 days.  I have no idea why it takes longer for bill pay to reach its recipient, but it does.  Or at least my bank’s does.  If you choose the “Recurring” option with no End Date, you only have to do it once, and it’s in there forever. 

For other due dates like movies, games and library items, I recommend setting an “appointment” 12-18 hours minimum, before the item is due.  This, too, will break the ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ cycle.  But be sure to back up your phone so you will always have the appointments even if you lose your phone or it dies!  If you’re not sure how to set up the appointments or how to back up your phone, ask your kids; they’ll know. 

Third, just say NO.  Just say NO to a purchase that’s going to put you over-the-limit.  Unless it’s for gas to get you to and from work, it’s just not worth it.  If those item(s) are really something you need, you can always go back and buy it when you have the money to do so…and you’ll be further ahead since you’re not paying that fee.  If you struggle with having enough money in your account when the due date comes around, then I suggest you say NO to any spending that isn’t a need, for now.  Don’t worry…it won’t be forever; just for a month or two until you’ve built up enough for the ‘in between’ times.  We’ll talk further about that next week when we discuss checking accounts and overdraft fees, but for now you just gotta say NO.  You’ve got to, to Stop the Insanity, to break that ‘rob Peter to pay Paul’ cycle.

 As you go through this next week, ask yourself these questions:

1. Have I been paying unnecessary fees because I’m not as organized as I could be?

2. Have I been paying unnecessary fees because I should say NO more often?

3. What is one thing I can do today to change that?

 You can do this!  Take it one step at a time, one deadline at a time, and you will see your finances and your life just getting better and better!  I guarantee it.

Decide today that you are tired of being a casualty of disorganization and of being broke, and do something about that.  You can do this! Because the Truth is getting organized is actually a lot easier than we think it will be.  All it takes is for us to begin, from where you currently are.  “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.”  -Lao-tzu, The Way of Lao-tzu; Chinese philosopher (604 BC – 531 BC)

Live Victoriously!
Olivier M. Verne
MyMoneyMaster@ymail.com
(c) 2011, Olivier M. Verne.  May be used with permission.  All other rights reserved.

About the author: Olivier M. Verne, an author, editor, speaker, consultant and former Debtor Education instructor and monthly newsletter contributor, is single and lives in Miami, FL.  Additionally, being a consumer bankruptcy paralegal for nearly 14 years and a writer for over 20 makes Olivier uniquely qualified to write about this area of expertise and passion: personal financial management.

Olivier humorously shares this knowledge in a positive, fun, plain-English way that makes everyone want to learn and make the changes necessary to succeed financially.  Olivier’s readers learn how to conquer their fears about money, gain tools for responsible money management, and dispel the myths which keep them broke.  And Olivier is always just an email away, regardless of where you live.