Issue 1: Welcome!

Issue #1 - September 7, 2009
http://www.financial-freedom-guide.com/

Welcome to the first issue of the Financial Freedom Guide Newsletter! This is the companion Newsletter to my website Financial Freedom Guide, which I launched in June 2009.

Website Goals

1. Inspiration: As noted inspirational author Marianne Williamson says, when we live our best lives, we give permission to everybody else to do the same. And I find it to be very true. I have been watching a few friends of my age traveling all over the world with their families, and I am getting inspired to start planning ahead. We all have dreams and ambitions. When we see somebody we know act on their dreams & make them happen – howsoever small they may be – we get a little puff of wind in our own sails.

   It is my sincerest hope that you will be inspired to take control of your financial life - and perhaps even work towards your own financial freedom.
   

2. Education: Once you are inspired, you need tools and education to build on it. I provide a guide for developing a plan for your own financial freedom journey. My website has details about a variety of tools to work towards that goal.

   To me, it all starts with developing your personal vision for your ideal life. Developing a compelling WHY for yourself is critical. The next step is taking control of your financial life, starting with creating a personal Balance Sheet, Cashflow Statement and finding out what your living expenses are (you will be surprised how many people have no idea how much they spend every month!). I give you tools that will help you become excellent at Financial Defense - the art & craft of maximizing the value you get out of your money. Thirdly there is the Financial Offense part - where you learn about making more money - in particular, developing streams of passive income.



3. ACTION!: All the inspiration and education is for naught if you don't ACT. This is where most people balk. They buy lots of books and educate themselves. They go to expensive seminars. And that's where they stop. I know. I have done it myself.

   I remember a quote from Robert G. Allen (author of Multiple Streams of Income: How to Generate a Lifetime of Unlimited Wealth!). He said (and I am paraphrasing), "What do people want to do most after these seminars? Go to more seminars!"

   Acting on your inspiration - even after educating yourself - is scary! You are committing yourself to something and all kinds of issues come up. This is where I plan to be particular use. Soon I will be launching The Financial Freedom Guide Forum, which will help you join a community of like-minded individuals. We will be on the quest towards financial freedom together and will support each other with advice and encouragement.
   

Forming a Mastermind Group

Newsletter Highlights

• Each issue will have a short article about all the different aspects of achieving financial freedom.
• I will provide links to specials and discounts on products and services that are useful on your journey to financial freedom.
• Lastly - and most importantly - I will provide an update on my personal progress towards financial freedom. I am sure you will not want to miss that!

Announcement: Vision Board Workshop

Update on My Progress

• My running average of passive income over the last 3 months is $431.98 (all from dividends).
• Our basic living expenses are $6000 per month. We are working on bringing this number down.
• Thus our passive income is 7.2% of our current basic living expenses.