Paige Power

  Recently, I read an article quoting the comments of a wealthy real estate investor who disparaged people who follow a popular radio/podcast personality who offers financial advice by calling them dumb. He said if you want to be rich, you must stop focusing on savings and begin focusing on becoming rich. I disagree with his commentary. Let’s define how I see the difference between wealthy, rich, and financially, stable. Ø  Wealthy is a person or people who have few wants they can buy food, heat their home, go on vacation, handle emergencies without going into debt, buy a car without financing, and have little or no consumer debt. Think of your great Aunt Helen who regularly takes luxury river cruises. Ø  Rich people fly charter or first class everywhere. They own a large estate. They have staff to assist them in their personal life and may make use of security personnel. Think of Taylor Swift, Oprah, or any of the English royal family. Ø  Financially stabl...

  I love change. When the New Year approaches I feel excited to tackle all manner of goals, but I don’t make a New Year resolution. I simply decide what I want to accomplish during the coming year. In 2024 I will hit level 59, as I like to think of my age. This coming year I plan to get my health in good order, earn money, write another non-fiction book, and finish the novel I started in November when I participated in the NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) challenge. I also plan to do a lot of hiking. Normally my “level” challenge falls into several categories. I like to plan for the following goal areas- ·       Relationship ·       Health ·       Educational ·       Financial ·       Creative ·       Mental health I then sort out what I want in each area with a spreadsheet, because I’m a nerd. I have spreadsheets that go back ages and while I don’t always accomplish...

  What’s on your plate for next year? It’s okay to have a long ‘ToDo’ list Ahh the end of 2023 approaches full steam ahead. How are you feeling as the year comes to a close? Did you accomplish all you thought you would when the year began or are you wondering how you’ll check off 800 items from your goals list with just a few weeks left? I also have 800 items on my ‘to do’ list that I didn’t get to. I’m okay with that. As I age I find myself being more forgiving of my lapses. I realize that often my ambition is bigger than my ability to achieve what I set out to do. But I always learn something and I like that. Learning is essential For example this year I delved into AI by taking an online course focused on ChatGPT. Honestly the first few classes were great. I learned how I can customize prompts in ChatGPT in ways I never imagined. Now I can use ChatGPT to help with some of the back end tasks I must do when I post a blog, a podcast or YouTube video. I like that ChatGPT ...

  Christmas is coming If you’re broke and don’t know what to do about holiday gifting, welcome to the club. For years I would struggle to buy gifts that were impressive, and then when I decided to live a frugal life I changed the way I give. Books versus toys This year I’m focused on giving books, primarily because I love reading and I want the people I love to have the joy of reading in their life, but also because my grandkids have a lot of toys. So many toys! It feels overwhelming to me when I see all they have; I don’t want to contribute to that. I have no doubt the kids would love to get more toys, but I also know that toys don’t offer much. Typically they are played with for a week and then forgotten. A book though can transport a kid or an adult to another world for a while, teach a valuable lesson, or show a different way of looking at the world. Should we give to adults? For the adults in my life, my spouse and my kids, I don’t tend to gift over the holidays. ...