Financial.

There really is no such thing as wasting money.

I want to share something with you today from someone I follow on Instagram, Amanda Frances.

She said it perfectly, so I don’t have to. 🙂

I so want you to get this, and really understand this.

It’s such an important part of understanding the energy of money.

She writes:

“It’s fully impossible to “waste” money.

I don’t even know what that would mean.

It’s possible to not honor money.

It’s possible to spend out of integrity.

But if you are fearing wasting money, you are not getting this:

Money is a renewable resource.

YOU. CAN. CREATE. MORE.

It will regenerate for you, in larger portions, over and over again…..

….once you decide that this is true for you.

Money does not have a mind of its own.

It can only respond to your energy thoughts and beliefs about money.”

Isn’t that brilliant?

You can’t waste money!

Money will teach you lessons.

Money will teach you lessons over and over again until you get them and you are ready to move on from them.

Same with all the lessons in your life that you are here to learn.

The things that will happen to you around money will happen to you because of your beliefs around money.

Sit with that for a minute.

This really forces something we sometimes really hate to admit to ourselves: that we created this.

That anything money related is really your responsibility to take.

The things that have happened and are happening to you and in your life around anything money or financial related will happen to you because of the beliefs you hold about money.

Isn’t that crazy?

Crazy bad for most of us… (the people who don’t understand this principle)

AND

Crazy GOOD because we now have the power to create new purposeful beliefs about money.

Here are some beliefs that you may want to consider holding around money:

• Money flows easily to me
• My income/networth is increasing daily/monthly
• Managing money is easy
• Every dollar I spend comes back to me tenfold

If you have a hard time really believing any of these, simply add before the new belief, “I am on my way to believing that…..”

BOOM!

Now you have a cornucopia of new beliefs to set your mind to!

Get rid of:

• Money is hard to make
• Every investment I make turns out bad
• We just seem to waste money
• Money disappears as fast as it comes in
• We don’t have enough

To name a very few!

Change the beliefs you have around money, have faith in the unseen, and know money is on its way to you and will stay with you.

Live Your Abundant Life.

Live Your Legacy.

xxL

PS. Did you know that almost every week I buy fresh flowers for my office & home? It’s the best spent money ever! Creating a beautiful clean environment to work in is worth its weight in GOLD! Plus, they cheer me up when life gets hard. Maybe there is something small you can buy to brighten your day & help support your beautiful soul in the work you are doing in the world! 🙂

PPS. Ready to take a look at Wealth Spa? Membership starts at $27 per month, and is the fastest way to get organized, change your mindset and create wealth how you define it! Check it out at WealthSpa.ca!

It’s really all about cash flow.

Seriously. That’s what this money thing is all about.

You know, having enough money to spend on living the life you want to live.

Cash flow.

I really just wanted to clarify this, because I think so many people are worried about the wrong thing.

The game is simple.

If you have enough cash flow to cover your expenses, then you are financially free.

Simple.

You can get that cash flow from doing 1 of 3 things.

1) Jobs that create cash flow
2) Investments that create cash flow
3) Businesses that create cash flow

They all involve “work” or better defined as you creating value for others, clients, customers, the world.

I wouldn’t say any of the 3 is easier or simpler than the others.

I would say each comes with its own set of struggles and frustrations, setbacks, and benefits.

2 of the 3 options for creating cash flow allows for unlimited growth.

1 of the 3 does not.

But you know this.

The quest remains the same no matter which you choose.

Monthly cash flow great enough to cover your needs, wants, lifestyle and help fund your dreams.

It really is all about cash flow.

What it’s really not about: Saving, Net Worth, and Debt.

It seems this is what everyone is so focused on.

But in reality, if you had a business that produced you sufficient or even great cash flow every month, and you spent it all, would you be fine? Absolutely!

I mean prudence and planning are helpful and NECESSARY things because things don’t always go as planned, but for the most part, if you had a business or multiple businesses/investments that produced you sufficient cash flow, you really wouldn’t need to save a penny if you were “guaranteed” that income each month.

Okay, I’m just trying to play devil’s advocate, and I do realize nothing is guaranteed.

Saving and Investing is important. For the people that have jobs, then saving/investing builds up their investments for future cash flow streams when they are not working.

The business owner typically invests a ton, but usually all into his/her business.

Net Worth, (and yes, I do teach that this is an important metric to measure) doesn’t actually provide cash flow for you – you actually have to do something with the assets for that to happen. Just growing your net worth is not going to create cash flow for you.

Debt is a tool if used properly, although, most of the time I realize that’s not the case. Paying down debt only really does one thing: increases cash flow.

My bottom line is this: If you focus on creating the right things (cash flow) then other things, the other goals (savings, net worth and debt) will take care of themselves.

Find ways of creating cash flow.

Find ways of creating multiple streams of cash flow.

Find ways of creating multiple streams of cash flow that will outlive you.

Find ways of creating money flowing to you. Consistently.

Period.

xx

Do you wander? Do you ever go exploring? I mean seriously?

Do you ever engage your heart with wild crazy adventures?

Yesterday I did.

I was meeting a client a couple hours out of town and on the way home, I decided to go exploring. So, I will often just drive down random roads and see where they lead.

I found a town I had never been in before.

And it was like driving into a country song (I was listening to Strawberry Wine as I rolled into town). It had a general store and a saloon.

It was like this special treasure that I discovered and I like to pretend I’m the only person in the world that knows this place exists.

I’m weird that way. I also love going off alone. It’s kinda my thing because then anything I discover can be mine, all mine {insert evil laugh}.

So weird, yes, I know. (This photo is of some things I’ve discovered on my wandering, including yesterday’s saloon!)

I value wandering.

Wandering, Dancing, Laughing are all things that I value (and I need to do more of!)

We all know the best things in life are free, but then there are the things we value financially, or the things we put our mouth too….. wait that sounded dirty – well, it was meant to sound like… PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTH IS! 😉 (Ya, if you are like me I know where your head went!)

And, I think this is a place where most of us live OUT of ALIGNMENT. (Alignment is the place where you are in harmony with your life’s purpose and goals.)

So, let me tell you how I know this. If you were to do a simple review of your expenses and categorize them from what you spend the most money on to what you spend the least money on (after housing – because you probably value a roof over your head), you’ll probably find that you spend the most money on material things, usually a car is the next biggest expense for lots of people.

Chances are that you value your mental & physical health, and your financial health above material possessions, yet most people don’t have enough money at the end of the month to save or to buy the extra healthy veggies or buy the gym pass. Not that I’m saying you need to have any of that, I’m just saying that if you really do value mental, physical, emotional, financial health, you’ll be putting the majority of your money where your values are.

Most people will spend more on a car than they will save for their financial health.

Most people will not buy gym equipment, sports equipment, gym pass for their physical health.

Most people will spend more on decor for their house than they do for emotional or mental health.

Maybe you spend all your money on organic food because you value your body!

I’M DEFINITELY NOT SAYING ANY OF THIS IS BAD or GOOD for that matter!

In fact, let’s be real. No one cares what you spend your money on.

But chances are you are miserable financially if you are not spending money on the things you really value.

For example, if you really do say you value saving money (like a trip or retirement or a new handbag), and then you sabotage yourself, and spend it all, then, ya, you aren’t in alignment, and you will feel MISERABLE and YUCKY!

So, yes, this is a problem we need to address. We need to get you back into FINANCIAL ALIGNMENT! (I could be your financial chiropractor!)

So for you gorgeous person, here are my percentages of what I spend money on because I’m not going to sit here and preach to you and not tell you where I spend my money. So out came my monthly expense sheet for you. Let’s see where this takes me!

• 21% Properties (& Some Savings, RRSP’s, TFSA, RESP’s etc.)
• 18% All Insurances (Car, Business, Life, Critical Illness, Disability, Property)
• 13% Admin (God, I’d be LOST without my admin help!)
• 10% Office (Rent & Utilities)
• 9% Houseworker/Nanny (Clean House, Meals Cooked, Laundry Done & Kids Watched!)
• 9% Groceries
• 8% Car (Gas and car stuff)
• 5% Technology (Cell Phone, Computers, Websites, Software, Anything Tech)
• 4% Life/Business Coaching & Programs
• 3% Business Licences (Remember all those letters behind my name, they cost money!)

So, let’s see what LISA values:

I value a clean house (like CLEAN!) and NOT having to cook dinner as much as I do eating or spending money on food/groceries!

I value life & business coaching enough to spend more on it than my actual business licenses, and if anything, I would up that category over time until it was about 20-25% of my expenses. YES, you read that right – INVESTING IN YOURSELF is the best thing you can do to GROW and I value that and I do put my money where my mouth is. Already as it is, I spend way more than most people do on self-development and coaching.

The other area I’d increase is money spent on my staff. As I make more, the more they are going to make! I want to pay them the best – like better than any oil and gas company! I want the people who help me build my company to say that they are working their dream job on a dream team! So, yes, I will increase that 13% to 20-30% or more! Same goes for my housework! I value you that more than I currently spend. It’s so nice to come home to dinner on the table and laundry done.

And, well you can clearly see that I value insurance. I have adequate life, critical illness, and disability. Mostly because I sell the stuff, but also because I believe in it, and I see the benefits it brings families! If you have ever seen anyone suffer a sudden death in the family or get diagnosed with a critical illness, then you know that the last thing you want to worry about or have your family worry about is money. Not to mention, I’m building a LEGACY! Yes, some of my insurance is set aside to build one amazing legacy for my children, and grandchildren! You can tell I value you that.

Also, I rarely spend money on myself! Honestly, I spend maybe $200 or less per month on hair, clothes, massages, facials. In other words, I maybe go for one or 2 services a month. So little that it barely makes the list. I also buy myself at least 2 books per month – I’d buy more, but then I would never read them! Those are my splurges! (And I do buy Piano Lessons & Sport for kiddos too – but not like crazy amounts!)

I haven’t added in travel, which I do, mostly on points or I stay for FREE at the hotels of Mom & Dad (luckily they choose to own homes in great places and not in Saskatchewan! Thank you Mom & Dad!)

Obviously, being self-employed and having over 21 sources of income, my income VARIES greatly, so these numbers do vary, but based on my monthly expenses, I’d say pretty accurate.

Hey! Challenge for you! Why not do this exercise and see what you value most? See if it’s in alignment with your purpose, your goals!

It will be interesting to see if you discover anything about yourself. Are you in alignment with what you really value?

I value help and building a legacy & building my business, which is where I spend the majority of my money.

What do you value? Does it feel right to you? Or are you spending money in an area that doesn’t feel good?

xo

Listen up my beautiful Grandmas (& Grandpas)!

Okay, so let’s talk about your smart, amazing, perfect grandchildren. You’ve come to love them, so much, in fact, that you may like them even more than your own children.

So naturally, you want to bless them with money!

Before you do, however, you really need to read this, and think through some of these important questions!

Here are 3 of the most common types of accounts you can set up for your grandchildren: RESP, In Trust and Life Insurance/Critical Illness Policies.

All 3 have different purposes, uses, and tax consequences. It’s important that you know the answers to these questions when setting up these accounts.

So, I’ve put together a list of all the questions you need to answer or get answered when setting up an account for your precious peanut/cutie-pie grandchild

1. What is the intended use of these funds? Education, New House. It pays to be specific with your grandchildren.
2. Who owns the policy/account upon your death, in other words, who becomes the trustee for minor children on this account?
3. What are the yearly tax implications on this investment/account/policy to you?
4. What are the tax implications of your death on this investment/policy?
5. What are the tax implications of this account/investment/policy to your grandchild? What gets taxed in their hands?
6. Do these accounts pass through your estate and go through probate or do they bypass probate?
7. Do your children/parent of the grandchild have access to these accounts?
8. If you buy or are considering setting up an RESP, are the parents or other grandparents contributing to these accounts already? You may not want to set up an RESP in that case, or take a good look at contribution limits.

Then all the regular investment questions apply, such as:

1. Is this investment properly diversified?
2. How risky is this investment? Risk tolerance?
3. Time Horizon of this investment?
4. Expected Return?
5. Fees?

I’m going to tell you that there are some amazing insurance policies out there that grandparents can buy for their grandchildren for as little as $25 a month. There are some great ways to structure ‘In Trust’ accounts so that all the tax flows through to the child and not the account owner. These are all things you really need an independent financial planner for! (This is one place you do NOT want advice from the banks – you need insurance and tax advice around these issues!) Sure, you can go set up a “bank account” for your grandkids, just know that if you don’t set these up properly – this money may not be getting into your grandchild’s hand.

Good intentions mean NOTHING when it comes to taxes and the law.

Let’s get real here people – no one comes from a “NORMAL” family. (Puh-leeease, even in the first family, Cain killed Abel… so yours is hopefully more functional than that!) There are SO MANY RELATIONSHIPS to consider! Second marriages, step-kids, step-grandkids, you name it. And if you have a legacy to pass down (which you do by the way!) you need to figure out who and how these loved ones are going to get your money, otherwise, without planning, I can bet the people you want to have your money won’t get it. (Not if you have married hot little Sophia in Italy on your death bed and she has 5 kids from Claude the hot Russian, and meanwhile your children and grandchildren could get nothing. THIS IS A REAL THING PEOPLE! Pay close attention!)

Also, tell your grandchildren you are saving for them. Let them know. They will model behaviour. If they see you do it, then they will most likely follow. This is important because maybe their parents aren’t saving for their children or they don’t have the money right now to do so, so showing them online or taking them to the physical bank/financial advisor that you are saving money for them, and that it’s important to save. You could be the only one in their life teaching them these financial principles and modeling that taking care of your money is important. You don’t have to show them how much, just show them that you are taking the action.

Okay, my beautiful grandmas – you getting my message!?! I know most of you grandmas are still young (like 50’s, 60’s, 70’s) and will still be around for many years to come, so this is an important role you play in your grandchild’s life.

Seriously, I love all my grandparents. They all hold a special place in my heart. They all taught me something amazing, be it about love, cooking, money, business, working hard and above all they taught me all about LEGACY. There’s something so special & magical about a grandparent/grandchild relationship!

So, I want to acknowledge the special role all the grandparents play in our lives and our children’s lives. You are important and we need you and we love you!  xoxoxo

Things I’m passionate about:

1. Shoes
2. Chocolate
3. Shopping
4. Wine

But here are the 4 things I’m SUPER passionate about, that aren’t totally self-serving, although make no mistake, I will always love my shoes and shoe closet!

I’m so passionate about these things because I feel they are my life’s work to help people create a legacy of something greater than ourselves, and these are some of the ways in which we can do that!

1. Life Insurance

Why? Because I’ve seen first hand what the power of a huge sum of money can do for a family in their darkest hours. I also want to say, if you have debts or children, I think it is your responsibility to make sure you have a plan for those in case you aren’t here one day. Stop putting it off. Make sure your family is well taken care of. This isn’t about getting your family “rich” or being worth more dead than alive, it is, however, something that I believe everyone needs, regardless of age, because, let’s face it, every single person who dies has final expenses and it can become a financial burden. I’ve seen it many times. (Not to mention, Life Insurance still offers ways to shelter money tax-free in some cases, and all life insurance payouts in Canada are tax-free.)

2. Critical Illness Insurance

The average age of claims for these policies in Canada is age 46-49! YES, that is the AVERAGE, meaning approx. half above that age, but also half BELOW that age. How old are you? I have personally handed out critical illness cheques to people in their 40’s. So maybe it’s time to consider this type of insurance, especially if you have a job that you are dependent on for income (ummmm, that would be most of us) and because you can’t/shouldn’t ever be depending on your employer to take care of you in case of a disability or illness! (Yes, disability insurance is also important if you don’t have any!) This insurance also pays out TAX-FREE when you are diagnosed with cancer, heart attack, stroke, MS, etc! Trust me, the last thing you need is to be financially stressed when facing a critical illness! What will being financially stressed out do to your health and your road to recovery?

3. Organ & Tissue Donation Registry

My 9-month old 2nd cousin just received a new heart last week!! FREAKIN’ AMAZING and he’s bouncing around like no tomorrow! So this is something that has affected our family personally! Have you signed up? Did you know that Alberta (where I live) has the LOWEST sign-up rate? We have only 8% of Albertans have signed up on the Online Registry! (Now, there could be more with signed health care cards, but no one can track that and that’s because we used to have to sign the back of our health care cards, well, that really doesn’t mean too much when it gets lost or no one can find it when you are in a coma and it’s hiding in a file somewhere or under your bed, seriously!)

That’s why they now have ONLINE REGISTRY! Click here for Alberta’s registry or do a google search where you live! One organ and tissue donor can save up to 8 lives plus enhance the lives of 75 more people, such as sight or tissue, etc!

There are over 700 Albertans and 4500 Canadians on a transplant list! I signed up a month ago on the online system, and faxed in my form (with witness). Don’t feel bad if you didn’t know either!

4. Leaving a Legacy With Intention

What is it that you are here to create? What is it that will last long after you are gone? Big questions!

The truth here is this. You are dying and going to be leaving a legacy anyways, why not make it great!?

I just want you to think about that and what you want to leave behind. It’s important. My next book is all about this topic!

I believe it is important that each of us on this earth leave something behind that makes this world a better place, be it science, education, a cook book, donation to a school or hospital or organization, financial means, music, etc. – whatever it is that you came here to do, DO IT!

DO IT WITH ALL THE INTENTION IN THE WORLD for the world!

The greatest gift you can give yourself is the feeling of contribution and feeling proud of yourself!

It’s the craziest thing! SELF-WORTH and NET WORTH usually go hand-in-hand. It’s simple. It’s because the people who have self-worth and self-love attract money to themselves.

You love yourself, you feel you deserve money (and you do – everyone does) and when you are CERTAIN, money flows to you. Money loves certainty. Money is attracted to people who are certain, not to wishy-washy hopes and dreams, but well laid out detailed thought-through plans!

It boggles my mind that only 6.7% (according to CRA 2013 statistics) have MAXED OUT their TFSA’s.

The MAX that any Canadian can put in is $52,000 – that’s it. $52,000 and every Canadian should be taking advantage of these accounts. There’s no reason not to.

But it goes waaaaay deeper than just TFSAs or RRSPs. Canadians, Americans, PEOPLE on the WHOLE in the world are not SAVING and INVESTING in themselves regardless of culture or income size.

BUT YOU ARE NOT! WHY IS THAT? WHY AREN’T YOU SAVING EVERY MONTH? YES, I’m talking to you.

WHY DO YOU NOT VALUE YOURSELF ENOUGH TO SAVE AND INVEST IN YOURSELF?

Trust me when I say this too, as your net worth grows so does your self-confidence, your self-love.

And it’s NOT ABOUT THE DAMN MONEY!

Saving money is about this:

• valuing yourself
• valuing your legacy
• valuing your integrity and the commitments you keep with yourself
• loving yourself
• sharing that LOVE & your message with the world
• and if that’s not enough, then for sure it’s about the SHOES, and being able to buy whatever shoes whenever you want because
• freedom! (But ultimate freedom comes from living ultimately with constraint, consistency, and through some good habits!)

People who save/invest money do so because they VALUE themselves enough and know they are worth it. We as a society and world value money, and we typically value it pretty highly, higher than ourselves sadly. This needs to STOP. You need to start making money your B*TCH! It’s just a TOOL. Money gives you options. OKAY – so I just giggled saying that, but it’s true. You are not a slave to it! It doesn’t own you and the moment you think it does, you’ve lost and you’re letting money control your life.

You’re handing YOUR PERSONAL POWER over to money.

Living like that creates depression, anxiety, stress, and a whole host of other problems and diseases in your life!

You know how in the BIBLE it says do not make money your idol, your god? Well, you are doing that when you are letting money RUN your life. You are letting money be your god by default. You are living your life by default. You aren’t making any conscious choices around your money. You are doing that by not VALUING YOURSELF enough to SAVE and INVEST EVERY MONTH!

Here’s another thing, for those of you with wealthy parents waiting on an inheritance, thinking that mommy & daddy are going to take care of everything, I’d like you to save for yourself. Seriously, even if you are waiting on a boat load of cash to roll in (and I know there are LOTS of you out there!) TRUST me future-trust-fund loves, you need to do this for yourself, because you need to feel proud of yourself. YOU DON’T FEEL PROUD of yourself when you receive a gift of money. You feel proud when you work hard, save, and your self-confidence grows like crazy. So to those, stop using this as your crutch, and ditch the rich-parent-inheritance excuse! (Hey, some tough love is needed at times!) People who win the lottery and get huge inheritances usually are broke after 7 years because they don’t feel they deep down deserve it. Don’t let that be you. By saving, and taking care of you, you will feel you deserve it and you won’t end up a sad statistic!

Tony Robbins said on a podcast I was listening to yesterday, if the government raised taxes by 10%-20% you’d b*tch and complain about it, but you’d pay it right?!?! Of course. Because you follow the law, you value NOT going to jail.

Listen Love, why don’t you value yourself that much to save 10%-20%? Why don’t you look in the mirror and say you are worth more than money?

YOU ARE WORTH MORE THAN ALL THE RUBIES & DIAMONDS & GOLD IN THE WORLD!

So, I’m going to plead with you to start saving money for yourself because no matter where you are financially, you really are worth it beautiful people!!! Pay yourself first sounds so cliche. But essentially you need to do that. Open up a high-interest e-saving account if you want to start small.  (Hint: YES, there is an e-savings account in Canada giving you 2.0% – if you google it, you will find it! And it’s prob NOT a bank you’ve heard of! Start weekly or monthly transfers from your main bank into this account!) I bet you that the minute you do this little step and save money for yourself and create that plan, that you will INSTANTLY feel BETTER! It’s a cup of instant SELF-LOVE & SELF-WORTH – DRINK UP!

Want to make more money? Want to increase your net worth? Want to live the life you deserve? Save more money! Start valuing yourself first. Start loving yourself first. YOU ARE WORTH IT MY LOVE – YOU ARE!

If you are serious about taking your money to the next level or want to know more about

my online course, Wealth Spa™ or my book, please email me at lisa@ellementsgroup.com!

This week a woman, whom I had never met before, came up to me and said,

“I heard from a friend that you are a brilliant financial planner, but I have one. They told me they were good too and then they took my portfolio for a bad ride!”

OKAY, so this is what happens EVERY TIME I tell someone what I do for a living (or in this case, before I tell someone what I do for a living!?! …again, these were the first few words out of her mouth – I didn’t even ask or open my mouth…{yes, there is a first for everything people!})

I mention I’m a FINANCIAL PLANNER and INSTANTLY most people will naturally spew out to me what FINANCIAL PLANNING means to them and sometimes even vomit out all their financial problems. (I feel sorry for gynecologists! 😉 )

In this case, she thought that all I do is manage “investments”, which is what she was referring too when she began to tell me about how she lost money. Managing assets is one tenth of what I actually do as a Certified Financial Planner® for my clients.

This is the reason I share this, because I KNOW that most Canadians think of Financial Planners as the people who manage their investments, and that is all. But there is WAY more to financial planning than investing.

(Side Note: I used to take these attacks on my profession personally, I TOTALLY don’t anymore! For any of my gorgeous babes that struggle with this in their business or profession, people will naturally project onto you what their thoughts are about what you do for a living – don’t take it personally! What they say about you has to do with their thinking and what is going on in their life. Usually, you strike a chord deep within when people have to blurt out things to you about what you do for a living – like the time someone told me they were a fitness & weight loss coach…..poor dear….clearly, that didn’t resonate with me AT ALL 😉 )

People have said some crazy stuff to me over the last 16 years when I introduce myself as a Financial Planner as my profession when asked, such as:

“My husband takes care of ALL OUR MONEY.”

“So, what’s the hottest stock tip of the day?”

“We already have a stock guy.”

“I only buy Real Estate.”

“I do all my own investing.”

“Oh, I got burned by a stock I held.”

“Where should I be putting my money?”

“I only buy GIC’s”

“I already have enough life insurance.”

“My employer/work manages all this stuff for me.” (wha?! Really… yikes!)

I could go on and on and…..

These comments crack me up INTERNALLY most of the time because I didn’t even ask them ANYTHING! I seem to bring out people’s MONEY BLOCKS and MONEY ISSUES just by stating what I do for a living. #truestory

I’m telling YOU this because I want CLARIFY the myth of what a FINANCIAL PLANNER actually does.

I think it’s so important you know this.

PROPER FINANCIAL ADVICE DOES NOT CARE ABOUT YOUR FINANCIAL PAST, YOUR FINANCIAL MISTAKES, YOUR LACK OF PLANNING TO DATE.

PROPER FINANCIAL ADVICE DOES LOOK AT THE FINANCIAL FUTURE YOU WANT TO CREATE FOR YOURSELF, YOUR FINANCIAL RISKS AND FINANCIAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SITUATION AND HELPS YOU PUT A PLAN IN PLACE.

REAL FINANCIAL PLANNERS who don’t just sell products but get paid for advice:

• don’t care if you manage your own stock portfolio
• don’t care if you only invest in real estate
• don’t care if you had a bad run in the stock market
• don’t care if you buy your insurance somewhere else
• don’t care if you want to save all your money in a GIC because you are risk adverse
• don’t care if you are self-employed and spend all your money on your business
• don’t care if you haven’t saved a cent and are still in debt and you are 59

Don’t you see?

A REAL FINANCIAL PLANNER (and yes, that means CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS® because we are held to that higher standard by this code of ethics thing) WANTS YOU TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS, HAVE A PLAN TO GET THERE, AND REDUCE RISK & TAXES WHILE MAXIMIZING OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU ALONG THE WAY.

This is what a FANTASTIC CFP® will do for you. They will make sure you look at all your options. They want you to be diversified. (That’s the first thing I preach, I would never tell anyone to have all their eggs in one basket!)

Oh, and you got burned from your last “stock/investment guy”, I’m going to give you some tough love right now.

You need to cut your losses and MOVE PAST this. Forgive and Forget. Don’t paint all “Financial Advisors” with a bad brush. That’s like saying….well… that’s like saying all shoes are bad or all chocolate is bad, which is clearly CRAY CRAY!

You still need:

• tax planning
• solid investment planning
• estate planning
• risk management
• insurance & benefits reviewed
• debt management tools
• and I could honestly go on forever about why you need to work with a FINANCIAL PLANNER

If you are serious about making sure your body is healthy you go to the gym and buy fruits and vegetables, don’t you?

If you are serious about your health you go to a doctor for regular check-ups, don’t you?

Same goes for your FINANCIAL HEALTH! You need to make time and space for MONEY TO FLOW in your life. You need to go for a financial check up! You need to do this if you want financial health!

But here’s the thing. It’s going to cost you. Yup, you heard me right. You need to invest financially in YOU! Quality advice doesn’t come free. It’s not expensive, but it will show you where your priorities are. Show me your expenses, and I will totally see what you value in your life.

PS. The government would be happy if you ignored your money and they collect more taxes… just sayin’ – no one has your back here except YOU! It’s no one’s job to care more about your money than you do.

So HERE’S the big idea today. Here’s my BOTTOM LINE:

Do you want to be financially healthy? Do you want financial peace-of-mind? Do you value being on solid financial footing? Do you value making sure you are paying the least amount of tax, making sure more money goes to your family than the government? Do you want to appreciate your ASSETS? Do you want to take your MONEY to the next level and leave all your past money sh*t behind you? Do you want money to flow and not be a block for you?

Then find yourself a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® and INVEST IN YOU! I don’t care how much money you have, if you are serious about taking your financial health, you know deep down this is something you need to do. I know millionaires with financial messes, and I know people with very little money well on their way to total financial bliss.

Money doesn’t discriminate. It wants – It craves to be told where to go. Money wants a purpose and a plan.

So should you.

Because it’s time to create financial clarity and fund your dreams gorgeous! 

xo

PS. If you want to work with me further, email me at lisa@ellementsgroup.com !

You want to know how to appreciate & grow your assets?!

This is how.

It all starts with gratitude and thanksgiving for all that you have. When you are truly grateful for the gifts you’ve been given, physically, spiritually, intellectually, monetary, and that resonates with you at a soul level, then that will begin to show in your life around you.

Remember LIKE attracts LIKE. Positivity attracts more positivity.

Point in fact, I talk to my cars and tell them how much I love and appreciate them. I take care of them and keep them clean, and they in return keep me on the road. My one baby has helped me drive for over 325,000 kms in the last 9 years. I know she will last to 425,000 kms because I’ve already told her she would since the first day she was on my driveway. I do send my cars love. I treat my assets with LOVE. I don’t discard them, for they would discard me right back.

Think I’m crazy?! Well, okay, I do too! HOWEVER, you can’t argue with science.

Read this:

Researchers at the Institute of HeartMath in BoulderCreek, California, conduct experiments on the capacities of the human mind in different states of consciousness. They’ve found that when people attain states of gratitude and love, and when their brains and hearts enter into a state of coherence, the power of their intent and presence is maximized. Subjects in this state were able to IMPACT STRANDS OF DNA in a beaker some distance away, just by willing it to happen.

– Text Directly from Dr. John F. DeMartini, 2004, How to Make One Hell of a Profit and Still Get to Heaven, page 108

Not just that, but science has been proven on this many times. Take the good/bad apple experiment that shows the power of our words! Fascinating that the apple that people speak positivity into is still good to eat after 20 days, and the poor apple that got negativity spoken into its life became rotten. This is not just brilliant stuff, but POWERFUL knowledge to harness.

WORDS CREATE LIFE!

So crazy enough, yesterday marked A HUGE MILESTONE FOR ME!! I’m so proud to say after starting my 1000 Gifts Journal a couple years ago, I have written down 1000 things I’m grateful for, thankful for, and things I want to appreciate in my life.

I had a huge revelation.  (OKAY – YES I’M SOMETIMES SLOW TO THIS GAME….)

You really want to make money and grow and APPRECIATE YOUR ASSETS?!?!

THEN APPRECIATE THEM!

SIMPLE.

How do you do that?

Acknowledge your assets. Write them down. Keep track of them. Create files, and folders, and spreadsheets, and notes and send them some BLOODY FRICKN’ LOVE!!!

Do this with your MONEY. Do this with your ASSETS. Do this with your MARRIAGE. Do this with your RELATIONSHIPS. Do this with your CARS, YOUR DOG, YOUR FOOD. Do this with EVERYTHING in your life that you want to see APPRECIATE IN VALUE.

Whatever it is in your life. START DOING IT! It works!

I’m sending this article out with LOVE, like I do with everything that I write. At the end of my writing, I say a little prayer that whoever is meant to read this will read it. I appreciate you, my reader. I appreciate that I can share this. I appreciate my laptop that allows me to do this.

I also have another little rule in my business. You can ask my amazing co-pilot that keeps me on track, AKA my amazing PAM, my assistant. The first thing I told her, the very first thing in her job description, was to make sure I wrote and sent out at least one thank you card every day to my clients or people who had given me a gift, or shown me love in some way. Appreciation. At one point, I had a journal I’d keep track of the names and dates I mailed out notecards, and made it my goal to send out 365 cards in a year. Okay, so I’m not at a habit level of “everyday” yet, but I do mail out at least 3 or more per week almost every week. (PS. People appreciate SNAIL MAIL that isn’t BILLS! And a hand-written card always stands out in the crowd.)

What do I want to grow? PEOPLE! I want to APPRECIATE PEOPLE and grow them and teach them how to do the same for everything in their life, especially their MONEY!

So if you haven’t made APPRECIATION a part of your daily habits, maybe it’s time to do that again. Especially if you are serious about growing your WEALTH!

xo

Live Your Legacy. Fund Your DREAMS!

WANT TO WORK WITH ME? EMAIL ME FOR DETAILS!

lisa@ellementsgroup.com

I spoke to a group of 77 women last week and gave them these tips – now I’m sharing these tips with you!

3 Financial Tips to have an AMAZING 2017!

This is what you do to have an amazing year:

#1 – GET A WILL!

Come on! I know it’s been on your TO-DO LIST for foreva’!  Scratch that thing off. Suck it up and make the plans to get that thing done. I have met with over 12 clients in the last 10 days. 10 of them had kids. ALL of them owned property. ZERO OF THEM HAD A WILL! Just book an appointment with your lawyer and do it. Plus, you are even giving everyone you love a bigger blessing by having this document completed, along with an enduring power of attorney and personal health directive. (If you have one, way to go! You deserve a glass of wine and chocolate! 🙂 )

#2 – FIND YOURSELF A FINANCIAL COACH/INDEPENDENT FINANCIAL ADVISOR/PLANNER!

Good independent advisors may be hard to find, like a good doctor, but once you have a planner to look “holistically” at your big financial picture, you will reap the benefits at least 10 times whatever you pay. Good advice is worth its weight in gold!

#3 – SET A MONEY DATE WITH YOURSELF!

You wanna get ahead financially? Set a weekly money date with yourself. If you have a partner that’s on board, then do it with them. If you don’t (by the way, don’t feel bad, most couples I know can’t/don’t want to do this activity together!), then take the BULL BY THE HORNS and take control of your financial life for your and your family. Your partner will probably thank you for it anyways (you aren’t going to change your partner overnight anyway, they may never care really care about ‘managing the money’, and better to take control of the money situation instead of waiting for your partner to take the reins, which may or may not ever happen!)

So what is a money date? It’s a time set aside to MAKE LOVE TO YOUR MONEY – okay – maybe not really, but you do get to sip wine, light a candle and whip out the old spreadsheet and track a few of your favorite MONEY METRICS! (Don’t know what those are… then click here to learn more about some of My Favorite Money Measurements!)

This date once you get started should only take you a few minutes a week, but once you’ve created this habit, it will pay off for you down the road!

TRUST ME GORGEOUS! This will ensure that your 2017 is the best year yet!

xo

As we are rushing around buying more shizza we don’t need, why not buy something for your kids that they will be grateful for in years to come? It will be the best Christmas gift you can give your kids – trust me. They won’t remember the Star Wars paraphernalia, or the Shopkins crap that just clutters up your basement (I clearly have none of this in my basement! 😉 ). They won’t even remember the cash you gave them, that they blew at the mall on boxing day sales.

I can’t wait tell you all about HOW THE GOVERNMENT GAVE MY GRANDCHILDREN A $200,000 ESTATE next week – it’s a great true story of what I did for my kids by the way, or should I say what the government did. Stay tuned!

But this week, you just need to know that the best gift you can give your family is a little bit of financial planning.

I am blessed by a family that has done the pre-planning. The blurry impromptu selfie of me with my Oma (side note: nothing in life beats a hug, kiss and impromptu selfie with your Oma – nothing!), I took this weekend at our big family Christmas. I love that I have an Oma and parents that have their financial ducks in a row.

You love your family so much that you would give them the world, right? You spoil your kids, don’t you? Even if you don’t spoil your kids, you work hard for your money, don’t you? Then why haven’t you taken the time to make sure you have your financial ducks in a row?

If you want to do something awesome for your kids, why not get them a 4-in-1 policy. What’s that you ask? It’s an insurance policy that offers you one of these 4 things, depending upon what happens throughout your child’s life:

It’s an insurance policy that offers you one of these 4 things, depending upon what happens throughout your child’s life:

• critical illness insurance
• life insurance
• all your premiums back after 20 years (kinda like a savings account)
• paid up insurance for later years

That’s a 4-in-1 policy. They can cost anywhere between $30-$100 per month on average, and give you peace of mind knowing you are covered for whatever comes your way. THIS IS A NO-BRAINER POLICY FOR KIDS UNDER AGE 18, and because of the 20 pay period, even more perfect for 0-5 year olds (because they will be 20-25 years old when the policy is due for a payout). And if you can’t afford it for your kids, Grandma, Nana, Oma, or Baba would love to do this for your kids – hit her up! (They want to spoil their grandkids more than we as parents do!) THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN AN RESP – LISTEN UP PEOPLE WITH CHILDREN – you need to get a policy like this BEFORE you even think about RESPs…

Now here’s my end-of-year-rant to the 56% of Canadians that do not have a WILL…..

Let’s cut the BULLSHITTTEEE! You say you love your family? Show them!

Make sure you have a WILL, Power of Attorney, Personal Health Directive! Do you?

We had a family in town recently die without a WILL, without Life Insurance and left his young family in a financial bind. He was perfectly healthy and had a heart attack. Isn’t this how the story seems to go? It breaks my heart, especially since I can do something about this in the world.

Have you planned out what would happen if you die? GRIM, I know, but you guys – hear me out! No one knows the hour of their death (Good Lord, I’m like the ghost of Christmas Death spreading all this Christmas cheer!)

I’m heartbroken when I hear stories of financial hardship that LOVING people left behind for their family because they didn’t take 1-2 hours to get some SIMPLE financial things in place. I don’t want that for you and your family. 1-2 Hours of your time can really make a difference for your family!

I’ve handed out my fair share of life insurance claim cheques in my career. You have no idea what that money means to families who are going through some of their most darkest days. Money does buy less stress for your family. Don’t forget that.

LOVE YOUR FAMILY ENOUGH TO MAKE SURE YOU HAVE YOUR FINANCIAL POOP IN A GROUP!

MAKE 2017 the YEAR TO GET YOUR FINANCIAL SHIT IN ORDER!

End of rant… for now…

If you want help with this, I can help you.

I have 2 ways I can help you.

The Do-It-Yourself version, where I walk you through all the tools you need to kick financial ASSets (this is my Money Makeover Online Course – It’s PACKED FULL of amazing content and available for $297 right now!)

or 

Working with me 1 on 1 through Wealth Spa™  (my financial concierge membership program) or through one of my December/January Packages to get you started. I hold your hand and do most of the work this way! 😉 

It’s YOUR Time! Get off your cute ASSets and get going!

LINKS ARE HERE FOR MORE INFO:

Money Makeover Online Course

December/January Money Coaching Packages

Wealth Spa™