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A proven survival guide for these economically rocky, debt-ridden times
Millions of people suffer financial hardship due to job loss and a variety of other factors. What you need to do in order to take control of your financial destiny includes changing the way you confront and deal with everyday pressures related to shopping, advertising, credit cards, keeping up with the Joneses, and spending money.
In Power Up, Howard Dvorkin--founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services--draws on his years of experience helping thousands of people overcome devastating financial hardship. He provides you with time-tested strategies and powerful tools to rebuild your financial life on a solid and enduring foundation. Besides discussing guidelines for creating a realistic budget and sticking to it, Dvorkin also shares tips on how to learn to live without credit cards--and love doing it--as well as puts you in a better position to understand the difference between what you want and what you need.
* Filled with effective budgeting tools, worksheets, and other valuable forms
* Provides a look at the tricks that lenders and credit card companies use to make you a slave to debt
* Offers ideas on how to redirect your urge to shop into activities that satisfy your deeper needs and methods to improve your fiscal psychology
* Contains priceless advice on how to educate your kids about money and personal finance
Do you want a chance to start over again with a clean slate? Do you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're in charge of your financial destiny? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it's time to Power Up!
List of contents
INTRODUCTION ix
Chapter ONE The Path That Led You Here 1
Who the Heck Are the Joneses, and Why Are You Trying to Keep Up with Them? 4
Adding to the Cart 7
Emotional Buying 10
Buying What You Can't Maintain 12
The Influence of Advertising 14
Chapter TWO Start to Become Empowered 23
Crafting a Budget 26
Examples of Budget Sheets 27
Worksheets for Expenses 28
Fixed Expenses 28
Flexible Expenses 32
Discretionary Expenses 34
Time to Calculate 37
The Frugal Philosophy 39
Chapter THREE Discovering a New Outlook on Life and Money 47
Identify Your Values: Work, Friends, and Family 50
The Value of Money 61
The Value of Living for Tomorrow 64
Chapter FOUR Staying on the Right Path 67
Find a Hobby 70
A Life without Credit Cards 78
Differentiating Needs from Wants 82
Chapter FIVE Teach Your Children Well 109
Talk to Your Kids about Money 112
Kids and Values 118
Prepare Your Teenagers 121
Chapter SIX Introduction to Banking 129
Choosing a Bank 133
Credit Unions 135
Types of Accounts 136
What Is a Check? 137
How to Open an Account 139
Electronic Banking 139
Types of Loans 141
Investing Your Money 144
Mutual Funds 146
Chapter SEVEN Continuing on Your Financial Freedom Quest 149
Find Your Green 153
It's Time to Step Out on Your Own 160
GLOSSARY 163
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 173
INDEX 176
About the author
HOWARD S. DVORKIN, CPA, is the founder of Consolidated Credit, an organization that has helped more than 5 million people over the last twenty years. He has helped thousands of individuals face and overcome devastating financial hardships and avoid personal bankruptcy. Mr. Dvorkin also is a personal finance columnist for Fox Business News online, and he has been interviewed about debt and personal finance by the
Wall Street Journal, the
New York Times, Fortune, Entrepreneur, American Banker, Investor's Business Daily, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, and more. He has also been a guest on countless national and local television and radio outlets, including
CBS Evening News, The Early Show, ABC World News, and CNN.
Summary
A proven survival guide for these economically rocky, debt-ridden times Millions of people suffer financial hardship due to job loss and a variety of other factors.
