Category Archives: Financial Independence

Linda Leitz - Business (2014)

Basic mathematics will tell you that if a couple divide all their assets and income, they don't each end up in the same financial situation after the split. If they do this division of finances through a contentious divorce that ends up in court, they each won't even get half.

Women have made progress in getting equal pay for equal work and having fulfilling and lucrative careers, if they so desire. And while men aren't always the primary earner in a couple, many divorces still result in a woman who does not have a career that will allow her to be self-sufficient and who has not been involved in the family finances.

Whether you feel your marriage is solid or not, it's good to understand the family finances. You should know what the regular bills are, what the income is for the household and what assets and debts are owed.

Even if you're not in charge of the family money, you need to be a signatory on all accounts and know how to access everything online.

If a divorce might be in your future, get educated about your household finances. In Colorado - and many other states - money that's acquired during a marriage is marital, whether it's in one person's name or in the name of both spouses. Inheritances, gifts or what a spouse brings to the marriage is considered "separate property" and generally doesn't have to be divided as long as it has been kept only in that spouse's name.

Growth in separate assets is considered marital since it accumulated during the marriage, but loss of value isn't marital, nor is spending down separate assets.

A big mistake often made by a wife who has been the primary parent is insisting on keeping the house where the kids live. Assets are divided in an equitable manner, which means fairly. Many cases end up with the total of assets and debts divided in such a way that each spouse gets about half the value of their household net worth. So it's not reasonable to assume that you'd receive half the assets, plus the house. You do need a place to live, but you also need cash for emergencies and retirement assets. Being well-positioned financially better allows you to be a good parent - financially and as a role model - than putting all your financial eggs in keeping the family house.

Colorado statutes have a formula for spousal maintenance, which is another name for alimony. These guidelines aren't intended to equalize income for the two households after divorce but to have them with comparable means. And both former spouses are expected to utilize their skills to be gainfully employed.

It's not easy to start over after the trauma of a marriage ending. But being able to take care of yourself financially is more secure than depending on a former spouse.

-

Linda Leitz is a certified financial planner. Questions for this column can be sent to gazette@itsnotjustmoney.com.

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Linda Leitz: Women, divorce and money: Financial independence is ... - Colorado Springs Gazette

Linda Leitz - Business (2014)

Basic mathematics will tell you that if a couple divide all their assets and income, they don't each end up in the same financial situation after the split. If they do this division of finances through a contentious divorce that ends up in court, they each won't even get half.

Women have made progress in getting equal pay for equal work and having fulfilling and lucrative careers, if they so desire. And while men aren't always the primary earner in a couple, many divorces still result in a woman who does not have a career that will allow her to be self-sufficient and who has not been involved in the family finances.

Whether you feel your marriage is solid or not, it's good to understand the family finances. You should know what the regular bills are, what the income is for the household and what assets and debts are owed.

Even if you're not in charge of the family money, you need to be a signatory on all accounts and know how to access everything online.

If a divorce might be in your future, get educated about your household finances. In Colorado - and many other states - money that's acquired during a marriage is marital, whether it's in one person's name or in the name of both spouses. Inheritances, gifts or what a spouse brings to the marriage is considered "separate property" and generally doesn't have to be divided as long as it has been kept only in that spouse's name.

Growth in separate assets is considered marital since it accumulated during the marriage, but loss of value isn't marital, nor is spending down separate assets.

A big mistake often made by a wife who has been the primary parent is insisting on keeping the house where the kids live. Assets are divided in an equitable manner, which means fairly. Many cases end up with the total of assets and debts divided in such a way that each spouse gets about half the value of their household net worth. So it's not reasonable to assume that you'd receive half the assets, plus the house. You do need a place to live, but you also need cash for emergencies and retirement assets. Being well-positioned financially better allows you to be a good parent - financially and as a role model - than putting all your financial eggs in keeping the family house.

Colorado statutes have a formula for spousal maintenance, which is another name for alimony. These guidelines aren't intended to equalize income for the two households after divorce but to have them with comparable means. And both former spouses are expected to utilize their skills to be gainfully employed.

It's not easy to start over after the trauma of a marriage ending. But being able to take care of yourself financially is more secure than depending on a former spouse.

-

Linda Leitz is a certified financial planner. Questions for this column can be sent to gazette@itsnotjustmoney.com.

See the article here:

Linda Leitz: Women, divorce and money: Financial independence is best whenever possible - Colorado Springs Gazette

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TFS.x

I have many more pictures of horses in store for you

Welcome to part ii of my Cheltenham diary, inada matched betting styleeeee.

Apologies for that and any subsequent outburts Its getting late into Day 2 evening now as I write and my brain is frazzled with bets and offers.

Its certainly been a tale of 2 different days for me so far so lets look at how the results have gone so far, but first a bit more about what I was trying to attempt, which I explained briefly in part i earlier today yesterday

Just to give you a better idea of my strategy as briefly laid out in part i, I was aiming to dutch the field on the first race as that is the one each day that has the most offers on, and then hoping to hit as many free bets on that as possible to just use for the rest of the days races. I also then randomly put some other bets on when I felt like it and when there were good odds or I thought a particular offer might cop.

Dutching is where you back more than one horse, normally to get an even win. For exampleyou might put 10 on a horse at 5/1 and 5 on one at 10/1 to give you a 50 win if either wins. Dutching the whole field does obviously not guarantee you a win (otherwise everyone would do it and the bookies would go bankrupt) but instead guarantees you a loss (similar to how when you back then lay you normally guarantee yourself a small loss). However by dutching the whole field I dont have to bother laying any of the bets.

This saves me one headache of putting the odds into the lay calculator, going to the exchange, and laying, but gives me another, possibly even bigger, headache of working out exactly what stakes to put on each horse to make sure the qualifying loss is as close as possible.

In short This is impossible, mainly because I am working in the max free bet increments for most offers of 10, 20 and 25. I just decided to get it as close as possible and make sure there wasnt too big a loss on any given horse when there was and Id run out of offers to do, I just stuck a few quid on the exchanges to level things up a bit better

*Other no lay dutching mega strategies areavailable

Enough of the theory already, onto results

Please note winning prices are official SP not necessarily what I backed them at (if I did at all). Also some of the race names are a right old mouthful so Ive shortened them to what I deem a less stupid length.

13:30 Supreme Novices Hurdle winner Labaik 25/1 P+L: -72

So the first race of my dutching career! Exciting.

My Average qualifying loss on this race was actually in the positive at an 8.90 win, I am guessing this is because the bigger odds horses are easy to get into the positive (i.e. winnings) and with the double odds boost from Grosvenor sportsbook, it makes it possible to get a win rather than a loss here. I also had a free bet with Coral which helped too.

However the good news ends there because the horse that won I actually left a gaping hole with the horse that won it in the end with a joint largest loss of 72. Damn! And as I said it is so easy to get the higher price horses into the profit zone with dutching so lesson learnt there. This horse was 50/1 on Betfair exchange when I was looking at it so it would have only taken a 2 bet to take me into profit on that horse, but hindsight is a wonderful thing isnt it.

Anyway not the best start but not disastrous, as I copped a few free bets on the Betway and Skybet offers to use for the rest of the day.

14:10 Arkle Novices Chase winner Altior 1/4 P+L: -70

I backedCharbell each way because it was an each way arb, it duly fell at the 2nd to last (I think) while right in the mix. Also backed another horse with William hill for their High 5 offer but no joy there either.

14:50 Ultima Handicap Chase winnerUn Temps Pour Tout 9/1 P+L: 0

This was one of those races with ahuge field and many bookies paying out extra places on it, so I backed a few each way here including some with free bets. Managed to get Noble Endeavour (10/1) and Young Master (22/1) in the top 6 so a bit of cash back there. Also did the Betstars offer (laid this one of due to the high 50 stakes which was good as none of those bets won!). All told this producedan outcome of breaking even, but 2 x 50 free bets scored from the Betstars offer. If you cant remember each offer by the way please refer to part i again where I explained them all briefly.

15:30 Champion Hurdle winnerBuveur Dair 5/1 P+L: 101

I went to town on this one with the Paddy Power (PP) and Betfair (BF) offers along with doing some each way shots with Betway free bets. Imanaged to hit the winner with one at 11/2 with BF, so got a 25 on top of the winnings, and also got Sceau Royal (33/1) and My Tent or Yours (price?) in the frame as well for a decent profit on the race.

16:10 Mares Hurdle winner Apples Jade 7/2 P+L: 202

A friend of mine who knows far more about equine matters than I do tipped up Apples Jade at 9/2 so I backed it with both PPand BF, which came in! Thank you friend! A decent profit and another 25 free bet acquired.

16:50 Amateur Riders Novices Chase winner Tiger Roll 16/1 P+L: -45

Backed Genie in a Bottle on advice from said friend (no joy this time, came 5th) with BF and PP again. Did both the Betstars50 free bets on Beware the bear and Edwulf both of which came nowhere although were pretty much the favourites. Its annoying when I do this sort of thing as normally pick higher prices for a higher potential win, although the safer option is always to try to go with say, the first three in the betting as you will get winners more often and smooth out the variance. Of course this is just gamblers remorse kicking in and there is no evidence to suggest I would have picked the winner if the stakes of the free bets were not so large and I were left to my own devices (so to speak) `anyway, although I really do like Tiger Rolls so maybe I would have ;). If I get another 50 free bet though I will probably use it on a much smaller field race, or one with better each way value at least, or I might even just lay it off and take the easy 35-40.

17:30 Novices Handicap Chase winner Tully East 8/1 P+L: -60

Backed a few for the Betway offer and also PP, none of which came anywhere. A damp squib to end the day on.

Final Day One P+L: 56

I have to say I was a little disappointed with this result having spent a good 4 hours putting bets on Monday night then sneaking a few more throughout the day at work. However the main thing was that it wasnt a loss! And to just keep thinking, variance, volatility, whatever you want to call it, if you arent laying, you have to eat shit like that for breakfast.

This is where things got interesting!

13:30 Novices Hurdle winner Willoughby Court 14/1 P+L: 20

Went hard at it again with all the offers and dutched them a bit better than yesterday (helped by using up some of the free bets I had from yesterday) and didnt leave too many glaring holes, especially on the higher priced horses! I also decided to go each way on the Grosvenor double odds ones as realised this give you massive value on the each way part as well (but you can only do 5ew). Anyway the winner wasnt the best (that would have been Bon Papa for a 300+ win!) but wasnt the worse either so I made a very small profit while importantly triggering a few Skybet, Betway, and also a Paddys (Neon wolf 2nd) and BF (backed the winner with them) free bet.

14:10 RSA Novices Chase winner Mite Bite7/2 P+L: 52.50

Realised Id totally forgot about the Sunbets free bets from yesterday, luckily they are valid until Friday unlike what it made out to be from their T&Cs which made it sound like you could only use them on the day they were issued. Phew! Anyway I managed to back the winner which was the favourite and came away with a nice profit.

14:50 Coral Cupwinner Supasundae16/1 P+L: 68

Did the Betstars offer again but no joy there so lost a bit on the qualifying losses. Used my Skybet free bets on some bigger each way prices as they were doing extra places again (this seems to be the strategy to go for with free bets if you can, use them in the extra place markets!). Managed to get Scoir Mear and Taquin du Seuil in the top 6 for a modest profit.

15:30 Queen Mother Champion Chase winner Special Tiara 11/1 P+L: 800

Yes you read that right eight freaking hundred pounds!!! How!? Im glad you asked.

There was a very short priced horse in this race called Douvan, which skews all the other prices and means there are loads of each way arbs on offer. I read on OddsMonkey that you can often dutch the rest of the field backing them all each way and guarantee a profit, this technique is sometimes called each way scalping. If you need more info then Id advice signing up to OddsMonkey and checking out their forum! They alsohave a tool called the each way matcher which you can use on specific horses rather than dutching the field if that works better.

Anyway, I decided there was bigly each value on offer here so was going to try my hand at dutching all of the horses. Ill give you an example, the second favourite, Fox Norton was backable at 9/1 with place terms of top 3 and 1/4 the odds, which implies a chance of placing is (9/4 +1 = ) 3.25, but this was available to LAY on Betfair exchange (in the top 3 market) at about 2.1 if I remember correctly. This is a huge, huge arb. Obviously you have to back the win part as well to get the each way arb so its only worth going for it if there is mega value on offer, and in this case there was. Every single horse was pretty much double the price on the Betfair exchange place market, so I steamed in and backed them with Boylesports, BF sportsbook, PP to also take advantage of their 2nd/3rd place and 3/1+ winner offers, as well as Betstars who offered fallers insurance.

Anyway the result could not have been better, as well as getting a huge priced horse Sir Valentino in the top 3 which is what were really after here (you assume the fav is going to win of course!) it turned out that the Fav did not win and did not even get into the top 3!

I couldnt believe my eyes, and always thought hed make a come back until the race was pretty much over with. I did some quick calculations and Id backed the winner at 20/1, Sir Valentino at 40/1 and Fox Norton at 9/1 for an amazing profit of 800 and also kicked in a couple offree betsas the icing on the cake (Fox Norton PP 2nd place offer, BF sports book 3/1+ winner offer).

There is one importantpiece of advice here which is get your bets on early using this strategy for races like this, as I noticed that when it got nearer to the race the prices went totally rubbish! (Hence me getting the winner at 20/1 when it went off only 11/1!)

16:10 Cross Country Chase winner Cause of Causes7/2 P+L: 125

I used up a few free bets here and fancied the second fav Cause of Causes (got on at 4/1) for no particular reason really, as well as a few other ones which lost of course, and came away with a nice 125 profit.

16:50 Fred Winter Handicap Hurdle winner Flying Tiger 33/1 P+L: 0

Used up the rest of my Sunbets free bets but didnt hit any winners of places. Gamblers remorse time again I had flagged up Flying Tiger in my brain earlier in the day when I looked at this race but when it came to place my free bets I totally forgot about it! Gah! I felt like I missed out on a 33/1 winner but of course I know that this is just a silly cognitive bias at work, so I quickly chilled out afterwards especially given the bigger picture of the days events.

17:30 Champion Bumperwinner Fayonagh 7/1 P+L: 25

Placed a few bets with Betway for their First/Last race of the day offer and managed to hit the winner so made a slight profit and got a few other free bets to use up tomorrow as well. A very nice end to day two of the festival!

Final Day One P+L: 1,022.50

Whoo! Thats all there is to say really. And, I just realised I forgot to do the Stan James free bet offer today but I can stomach losing out on a couple of free fivers I think in the grand scheme of things

It is probably worth noting that all of the above P+Ls are pretty rough, I am too lazy to record exactly every bet but have done so by very quickly noting bets down in a spreadsheet, sometimes I forget the price etc so the profits are estimated, but should be in the right ballpark (+/- 10 were talking about I reckon) and if in doubt I am being pessimistic on what returns I had rather than trying to paint a rosier picture than what might have really happened.

Although I undoubtedly got lucky with my first each way scalping attempt, if I were to have laid all those bets off it would have been a lot harder work and a much smaller profit, so I think the no lay thing has been at least slightly validated here. It will now be pretty much impossible to lose on the festival as a whole (unless I go crazy and turn into a rampant mug punter all of a sudden, which I wont!!!!) but it will be interesting to see if I can grind out a profit on the final two days, or even hit another big win with some of my free bets etc Stay tuned to find out!

Good luck again for the final two days and let me know how youve all been getting on in the comments below?

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theFIREstarter - Financial Independence. Retire Early

QUESTION: I'm a 23 year-old who is seeking some financial advice. I've read some of your articles and have found them to be very motivating, to say the very least. You see, I've often been told that I want to achieve too much too soon and, perhaps, that may be true.

But I'd like to own my house by a respectable age and give back to my community and the nation at large. I'm a young member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and quite frankly, the salary can hardly sustain me. But I'm willing to maintain my integrity and not become a 'dirty cop', and that is why I'm writing to you.

I currently own a motor car, which I bought with the help of a loan, and I was also thinking of purchasing either another motor car or a bus to operate as a public-passenger vehicle. I've also considered medium to long-term goals such as investing in stocks and bonds, or even real estate.

I'm a business-minded young man, so I'm always seeking out investment opportunities. I would appreciate if you could shed some light on my blurry path as I seek to move towards financial independence.

- Cole

FINANCIAL ADVISER: The time of your youth is the best time to make your plans, and I believe you are on the right path. You have a goal and a plan to achieve it, although there are some gaps to be filled.

One very positive step that you have taken is soliciting advice to determine if you are on the right path. You have not stated when you want to achieve your ultimate goals and the others between now and then, so I am not qualified to say you want too much too soon.

Although you are at or close to the base of the ladder now, if you work hard and seize opportunities to further qualify yourself, you can go far in the police force - and in a reasonable time. This would mean better remuneration as you progress up the ladder.

You recognise the value of using other people's money to acquire assets, which comes with a cost. A motor car for personal use is essentially a wasting asset as it loses value over time, even while you are still paying for it. But you clearly want to move beyond that.

Your plan includes purchasing another motor vehicle, not for personal use, but to earn additional income. The success of this venture would improve your financial position and help you to move to the point of financial independence as it could provide the means to acquire other income-earning assets.

You have also mentioned stocks, bonds and real estate. You clearly appreciate that the best investment portfolio is one that is diversified. You reduce your risk when you invest in different types of assets, although it is also possible that this may also lower your chances of reaping higher returns.

You do not need to have much money to invest in stocks nor wait too long to make that type of investment as long as you understand how such investments work and you do not encroach on money that you need to take care of your living expenses and other commitments.

Bonds will not give you the kind of return that stocks and real estate are capable of giving, but they give some stability to an investment portfolio. Real estate is likely to pose the greatest challenge because the deposit and initial costs are high, and a small income will put a limit on how much you can borrow.

You know what you want to do, so determine the sequence in which you would like to achieve each goal as well as the time for doing so. The cost of each will bear strongly on whether you succeed, but be prepared to be flexible.

Be realistic as you make your plan and implement it, and bear in mind that every investment has some risk. You have one big advantage over many persons: You are business-minded.

I sincerely hope that you reach your destination of financial independence rather than just moving towards it. Be patient, and accept you may have to sacrifice short-term gratification to achieve long-term success. And continue to maintain your integrity.

- Oran A. Hall, principal author of 'The Handbook of Personal Financial Planning', offers personal financial planning advice and counsel. finviser.jm@gmail.com

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Financial Adviser | Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial ... - Jamaica Gleaner

On a beautiful June day in 2009, Harvey was riding his motorcycle up the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) in Malibu as he had many times before. He enjoyed the scenery and the feel of the open road. However, he has almost zero memory of this particular day.

As he neared the Malibu Pier, a woman driving a sedan ahead of him suddenly made an illegal U-turn turning directly into his motorcycle. Thankfully, he was wearing a helmet that surely saved his life. The highway was shut down and Harvey was airlifted to UCLA hospital where he spent the next two months in a coma.

Harvey had suffered a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) along with many physical injuries, and he would spend the next six months in hospitals. From UCLA he was transferred to Kindred Hospital in Culver City, and then to the Bakersfield Centre for Neuro Skills residential program.

It was in those first few weeks while Harvey was in a coma that his independence and civil rights would be terminated through a court-appointed conservatorship.

Harvey and his wife Sheila had been married for 16 years and had a six-year-old daughter. Having been born into privilege, Harvey had considerable wealth that he had not co-mingled with his wifes accounts. Additionally, Harvey and Sheila had never prepared a will, power of attorney, or health care directive. Harvey felt that he was a healthy 40-year-old, and he would handle those legal things when he was older.

Sheila and their daughter were living in their family home, where she was responsible for a hefty mortgage, even though she had limited access to Harveys money. She hired an attorney and applied for conservatorship of Harvey and his assets. The case was heard by Judge Reva Goetz, who has handled such famous conservatorship cases as Britney Spears and Mickey Rooney.

Sheila was denied conservatorship over Harvey because they had recently separated and were living under different roofs. Even though she immediately rushed to his side in the hospital and resumed her role as his wife, the court decided that they couldnt be certain whether or not Harvey would want Sheila to have continued access to his money.

Eventually, Harveys father and his attorney were awarded co-conservatorship and were able to pay general bills such as real estate and income taxes, utilities, groceries, etc. Harvey would eventually be awarded a monthly allowance to spend on whatever he wanted, making him feel like he was being treated like a child.

Once youve been put into a conservatorship, you cant hire an attorney, so one is appointed for you by the court. This attorney is called a Probate Volunteer Panel (PVP) attorney. Harveys PVP attorney bragged at an initial meeting with Harvey and the family that she enjoyed causing friction between husbands and wives. She felt it was her duty to decide what was best for her client (Harvey) no matter what he or his family members might say to the contrary.

Harvey had a hearing every six months or so to monitor how things were going. He was supposed to be advised by his PVP attorney, however, she kept falsely telling the court that Harvey wanted a continuance of the conservatorship. Harvey wanted his wife Sheila to be conservator, but the PVP attorney would not allow it, and argued for the continued humiliation of the court-monitored allowance.

At the hearings, the lawyers which by this point consisted of an attorney for his wife, an attorney for his father, Harveys PVP attorney, and eventually a court-appointed attorney for his minor child (known as guardian ad litem) and judge would talk about him as if he were a child (because basically without any of his rights, he sort of was) and they would never refer to him by name only as the conservatoree. Harvey said it was very dehumanizing to be treated this way.

As Harvey began getting better and better, it was becoming obvious that the conservatorship had to come to an end, but doing so was harder done than said. He had to have a capacity declaration performed by a physician. The problem is that when a large amount of money is at stake, doctors are reluctant to say yes, because if they said yes and he lost it all the next day, the doctors decision would be questioned.

Eventually, Judge Goetz gave him the name of a specific doctor that she trusted. Harvey would endure two days of rigorous testing, and in January 2011, the doctor eventually wrote a declaration that Harvey was responsible enough to control his own life. In March of 2011, the judge terminated the conservatorship and Harvey was once again granted all of his civil rights. After the hearing was over, the court reporter approached Harvey and told him she had sat in on thousands of cases like his, and his was only the third one she had ever seen terminated it is that rare to have a conservatorship overturned.

However, his nightmare did not end there.

The court-appointed PVP attorney was supposed to charge at a reduced rate; however, she solicited the judge to bill at her full rate, and was granted permission. This frustrated Harvey, as he felt the lawyer really never had his best interests in mind. Harvey had to file for separate counsel to fight the fee petition, which added two more attorneys fees. In addition to his PVP attorneys fees, he also received a bill from his fathers attorney, the attorney who was acting as co-conservator, the guardian ad litem for his daughter, as well as his wifes attorney despite the fact that she had dropped her petition to be named conservator 18 months prior. Harvey had to pay legal fees, bonding fees, and mandatory accounting fees.

In total, this cost him just over $1 million dollars all because Harvey did not know he should have a durable power of attorney for health care and financial matters which created a situation where others took advantage of his health crisis.

Right after the conservatorship was lifted, Harvey told Sheila he wanted to go to Vegas and gamblebecause it was his money, damnit! She looked at him and said, NOT WITHOUT A WILL FIRST! So in April 2011, Harvey wrote a holographic (handwritten) will in his own handwriting on a piece of paper that said, Everything goes to my wife. Shortly afterwards, he hired a law firm to implement all of their trusts, wills, power of attorney, etc.

Harvey wants everyone to understand the importance of having a durable power of attorney drawn up NOW, no matter your age or health because you never know when life takes a drastic turn like Harveys did. This durable power of attorney is a simple form you file with your attorney for a few hundred dollars, and it directs who is responsible for you and your estate should you become incapacitated. Had he had one, it would have saved him the humiliation of losing his civil rights, as well as causing his loved ones time and grief and of course $1 million in attorney and other fees.

My Brain #donor card arrived today from the Concussion Legacy Foundation #tbi #concussion #braininjury #advocate pic.twitter.com/202PhjK673

amyzellmer (@amyzellmer) March 4, 2017

_____

This article originally appeared on The Huffington Post

Photo credit:Geneva Vanderzeil/flickr

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A Struggle Back to Financial Independence After a Brain Injury - The Good Men Project (blog)

People invest in property for all sorts of reasons. Some want it to support them in retirement, some invest to help get their children on the property ladder, childrens education, others for a bit of extra pocket money. For me, it was about independence and having the freedom to make choices about your life.

My personal journey as a landlady started by accident. My marriage had broken down and I was left in the marital home with my baby daughter. Renting out rooms allowed us to survive and pay the bills that kept on coming.

After I trained as a lawyer I saved enough money to invest in buy-to-let properties and became a deliberate landlady. Initially as an amateur landlady, I learnt the hard way and made a lot of expensive mistakes. I then got financially educated and became a multiple award winning property investor. I have always treated my tenants as customers who deserve excellent accommodation and service, and I found this rewarding both ethically and I wanted them to make it their homes and stay for longer and look after the properties.

My investment continued and I was able to fall back on property income again when I lost my six-figure salary job in a law firm during the 2008 recession. When I became seriously ill three years later and was unable to work, the money from my buy-to-let properties once more become a life line and allowed me the time I needed to recover. Property for me is all about choices and preparing for the unknown, the uncertainties of life. I built my portfolio part time and as a single mum. Its something anyone can do with the right guidance and support. We cant ignore the changes in the private rented sector at the moment, and particularly the tax changes coming into force at the moment. These may alter landlords investment strategies such as whether you should buy, renovate, and sell a property, or buy and hold onto it for longer. What it doesnt change is the reality that quality housing in the private rented sector, in the right areas, remains in high demand. Step by step Ive mentored hundreds of buy-to-let beginners and seasoned investors whose ultimate ambition is to become financially free to the point that they can choose to leave their job. My advice is to work towards financial independence milestones in three phases:- 1. Calculate your monthly expenses and aim for your property to pay for those 2. Grow your property portfolio so that the rental income can replace your full monthly take home salary 3. Work out how much you need to support your lifestyle Working in that way is more manageable than setting out with an immediate ambition of huge monthly income and allows you to learn about property investment at a sensible pace. My own portfolio is now worth several million and Ive made plenty of expensive mistakes along the way. So surround yourself with the right knowledgeable experts such lawyer, a skilled accountant, good letting agents, property mentor and be clear about your financial and personal goals. Financial independence is in your reach.

Bindar Dosanjh is an award winning, financially free property investor, mentor, international speaker and lawyer with a portfolio worth several million pounds all done part time and as a single parent. She has mentored hundreds of people just like you to achieve the similar goals. Her motto is if I can do it so can you"

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International Women's Day - Investing for financial independence - Simple Landlords Insurance (press release) (blog)

Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill says popular fantasy drama series Game of Throneshas brought some balance in his career, as well as financial independence.

Hill, who is seen as a bald-headed eunuch Lord Varys in the hit TV series Game of Thrones, talked about how his life changed after the series with whatsonstage.com, read a statement from Star World, which airs the show in India.

Asked if the show made it difficult for him to fit in theatre and film too, Hill said not really.

Its such a large cast that you are never overused. Its not so taxing. I suppose earlier in my career I wouldnt have been able to do film and TV as much because I would have been in a play for so long. I did a lot of long runs when I was younger, he said.

Hill also said that with Game of Thrones, they do it six months a year at the most.

So when youre not working on it, you get to do something else. Its a bit like being semi-retired, he said, adding that its a very great and rare thing for an actor to have that.

So I suppose Game of Throneshas given me financial independence. But its never been about the money for me. I always did things I really wanted to do, he added.

The season seven of Game of Thronesis due to be back on Star World Premiere HD in India later this year.

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Game of Thrones gave financial independence to actor Conleth Hill - Bollywood Life

IANS | Los Angeles March 8, 2017 Last Updated at 05:16 IST

Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill says popular fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones" has brought some balance in his career, as well as financial independence.

Hill, who is seen as a bald-headed eunuch Lord Varys in the hit TV series "Game of Thrones", talked about how his life changed after the series with whatsonstage.com, read a statement from Star World, which airs the show in India.

Asked if the show made it difficult for him to fit in theatre and film too, Hill said "not really".

"It's such a large cast that you are never overused. It's not so taxing. I suppose earlier in my career I wouldn't have been able to do film and TV as much because I would have been in a play for so long. I did a lot of long runs when I was younger," he said.

Hill also said that with "Game of Thrones", they do it six months a year at the most.

"So when you're not working on it, you get to do something else. It's a bit like being semi-retired," he said, adding that it's a "very great and rare thing for an actor to have that".

"So I suppose 'Game of Thrones' has given me financial independence. But it's never been about the money for me. I always did things I really wanted to do," he added.

The season seven of "Game of Thrones" is due to be back on Star World Premiere HD in India later this year.

--IANS

sug/rb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Northern Irish actor Conleth Hill says popular fantasy drama series "Game of Thrones" has brought some balance in his career, as well as financial independence.

Hill, who is seen as a bald-headed eunuch Lord Varys in the hit TV series "Game of Thrones", talked about how his life changed after the series with whatsonstage.com, read a statement from Star World, which airs the show in India.

Asked if the show made it difficult for him to fit in theatre and film too, Hill said "not really".

"It's such a large cast that you are never overused. It's not so taxing. I suppose earlier in my career I wouldn't have been able to do film and TV as much because I would have been in a play for so long. I did a lot of long runs when I was younger," he said.

Hill also said that with "Game of Thrones", they do it six months a year at the most.

"So when you're not working on it, you get to do something else. It's a bit like being semi-retired," he said, adding that it's a "very great and rare thing for an actor to have that".

"So I suppose 'Game of Thrones' has given me financial independence. But it's never been about the money for me. I always did things I really wanted to do," he added.

The season seven of "Game of Thrones" is due to be back on Star World Premiere HD in India later this year.

--IANS

sug/rb

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

IANS

http://bsmedia.business-standard.com/_media/bs/wap/images/bs_logo_amp.png 177 22

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'Game of Thrones' gave financial independence to Conleth Hill ... - Business Standard

QUESTION: I'm a 23 year-old who is seeking some financial advice. I've read some of your articles and have found them to be very motivating, to say the very least. You see, I've often been told that I want to achieve too much too soon and, perhaps, that may be true.

But I'd like to own my house by a respectable age and give back to my community and the nation at large. I'm a young member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, and quite frankly, the salary can hardly sustain me. But I'm willing to maintain my integrity and not become a 'dirty cop', and that is why I'm writing to you.

I currently own a motor car, which I bought with the help of a loan, and I was also thinking of purchasing either another motor car or a bus to operate as a public-passenger vehicle. I've also considered medium to long-term goals such as investing in stocks and bonds, or even real estate.

I'm a business-minded young man, so I'm always seeking out investment opportunities. I would appreciate if you could shed some light on my blurry path as I seek to move towards financial independence.

- Cole

FINANCIAL ADVISER: The time of your youth is the best time to make your plans, and I believe you are on the right path. You have a goal and a plan to achieve it, although there are some gaps to be filled.

One very positive step that you have taken is soliciting advice to determine if you are on the right path. You have not stated when you want to achieve your ultimate goals and the others between now and then, so I am not qualified to say you want too much too soon.

Although you are at or close to the base of the ladder now, if you work hard and seize opportunities to further qualify yourself, you can go far in the police force - and in a reasonable time. This would mean better remuneration as you progress up the ladder.

You recognise the value of using other people's money to acquire assets, which comes with a cost. A motor car for personal use is essentially a wasting asset as it loses value over time, even while you are still paying for it. But you clearly want to move beyond that.

Your plan includes purchasing another motor vehicle, not for personal use, but to earn additional income. The success of this venture would improve your financial position and help you to move to the point of financial independence as it could provide the means to acquire other income-earning assets.

You have also mentioned stocks, bonds and real estate. You clearly appreciate that the best investment portfolio is one that is diversified. You reduce your risk when you invest in different types of assets, although it is also possible that this may also lower your chances of reaping higher returns.

You do not need to have much money to invest in stocks nor wait too long to make that type of investment as long as you understand how such investments work and you do not encroach on money that you need to take care of your living expenses and other commitments.

Bonds will not give you the kind of return that stocks and real estate are capable of giving, but they give some stability to an investment portfolio. Real estate is likely to pose the greatest challenge because the deposit and initial costs are high, and a small income will put a limit on how much you can borrow.

You know what you want to do, so determine the sequence in which you would like to achieve each goal as well as the time for doing so. The cost of each will bear strongly on whether you succeed, but be prepared to be flexible.

Be realistic as you make your plan and implement it, and bear in mind that every investment has some risk. You have one big advantage over many persons: You are business-minded.

I sincerely hope that you reach your destination of financial independence rather than just moving towards it. Be patient, and accept you may have to sacrifice short-term gratification to achieve long-term success. And continue to maintain your integrity.

- Oran A. Hall, principal author of 'The Handbook of Personal Financial Planning', offers personal financial planning advice and counsel. finviser.jm@gmail.com

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Oran Hall | Young cop seeks financial independence | Business ... - Jamaica Gleaner

10:16 a.m. ET March 1, 2017

Tom Keller Community Press guest columnist

Losing a husband is one of lifes most emotionally-devastating events, and many financial advisors recommend deferring major financial decisions that first year of grieving. Eventually, however, financial decisions will need to be made.

Seventy percent of widows retain a new financial advisor within the first year of a spouses death, according to a Fidelity Investments survey. Why? For some women, the answer may be that a spouses death is a financial Independence Day- a chance to finally make financial decisions freely, instead of agreeing to a husbands wishes.

Regardless of how a woman feels about her familys past financial decisions, its predicted that women over the next few decades will inherit close to $30 trillion in intergenerational wealth transfers. Thats why women need to educate themselves about money - they tend to outlive their husbands.

Here are five areas to address when a widow begins stewarding her financial portfolio:

Inventory bills and create a plan to cover expenses for the first six to 12 months, limiting large decisions. This allows time to analyze decisions that may eventually need to be made to develop new financial goals and objectives.

Review staying in a current residence or moving to a home requiring less maintenance and upkeep. This can be difficult, since most widows choose to stay in the homes where their children grew up and where they have their best memories. A move may make economic sense, but it may not be the best decision for the widow emotionally or for the long term.

Update ownership of all investments and the beneficiary list on retirement accounts. If assets outside of retirement accounts are owned, consider titling those assets in a Living Trust or Transfer on Death designation so beneficiaries receive assets without going through probate court upon your own death someday. This step is often overlooked, yet it can save heirs time and money.

Re-evaluate your investment portfolio to match needs and risk tolerance. Widows may have a different risk tolerance compared to a spouse.

Work with a CPA or trusted family member during tax time the first year after a spouse dies. This ensures that investments and insurance have been changed to the surviving spouse. Tax documents help confirm whether assets have been moved - or if an account was missed during the inventory phase. Sometimes widows are surprised by the number of open accounts. These can include investments, bank accounts and credit cards.

Whether a husband battled disease for a long time or was taken quickly doesnt matter when a widow grieves. The length and depth of grief varies significantly from one person to another, so its important to resist making important financial decisions until a widow is emotionally strong and clear-minded enough to make decisions that she will not regret later.

Time helps heal our emotional losses as we adjust to a new life without a loved one, and the security of knowing you are making good financial decisions in the wake of a death only makes the transition smoother.

Tom Keller of Western Hills is a Certified Financial Planner with Kehoe Financial Advisors in Springdale. For more information, go to http://www.kehoe-financial.com or call 481-8555.

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Column: Financially surviving widowhood - Cincinnati.com