Last month I wrote a post about the power of earning whilst giving - click here to view, and in that article I introduced a global membership organisation I belong to and feel very passionate about Club Asteria. 

Club Asteria purpose is to provide education, business opportunities and innovative programs to empower their members. Their mission is stated as follows :-

1.  We care and can help expatriates and immigrants to become more successful in their personal and professional lives and enable them to send money home to their loved ones

2. Through our philanthropic efforts we make an immediate difference for struggling individuals, families and communities by focusing on improving nutrition, housing, health care and education.

3. We promote entrepreneurship through the use of micro-financing and micro-credit to end the cycle of poverty that hundreds of millions of people from around the world are trapped in.

There are three levels of memberships – Free, Silver $9.95 a month and Gold $19.95. For further information on their membership click here.

Last month in my post I offered one lucky reader the opportunity to win one month’s gold membership; that winner is Ponnala Yadaiah from India.

Congratulations Ponnala. Glad to have you on my Club Asteria team!

To Your Success

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S.  I love to give, because in order to receive you have to be willing to give…it is a law, an energy; as such do subscribe to this blog as there will be more offers and competitions to come during the course of the year.

It’s the New Year, and this is my first post from Becoming Financially Savvy, the financial education and wealth creation blog of Butterfly Wealth Creation, for 2011. As such the subject of this article is very dear to my heart. Financial Equality!

Financial equality, in this context, refers to bringing financially stability to individuals from the poorest parts of the world, both here in the western world and developing countries. Financial freedom and financial education is a right for all, and it is amazing what one will do for it and what one can do with it, once they understand it, have it, and implement the core teachings of it.

We all know the world is much bigger than the EU, USA and UK and that although times are economically hard, globally, we have a lot more than most in other parts of the world, as such what are your thoughts on the following quote.

‘The purpose of wealth is to serve others’.

Doing what I do – promoting the importance of financial education and creating wealth – financial equality is very central to my belief that money is an energy and should be shared and used as a source of good throughout the world; as such this quote resonates deeply with me and for the last several months I have participated in a programme that promotes this, and that programme is called Club Asteria.

Financial equality is prevalent in the arena of micro-economics, alternatively referred to as microfinance, as well as micro-credit.  In MoneyWeek, the UK’s best selling finance magazine, they reported on this rising sector stating that it is an area that emerging markets have not yet tapped into, thus it is a good area to research as a potential revenue stream for investors and non investors, alike. For the full report click here.

The World Bank is a great promoter of micro-finance as it is the base root to helping developing countries grow; thus it is not surprising to know that the highly respected ex-finance director of The World Bank, Andrea Lucas, is head of the online organization, Club Asteria, which helps to create opportunities for individuals around the world to share in today’s wealth, in an ethical and transparent manner. This is an experienced woman who not only knows how money works and finance works but most importantly, for you and me, how compound interest works; and has applied it to the membership weekly commission program.

I have been with Club Asteria, as a gold member, for several months now and haven’t looked back! It is an organization for entrepreneurs and those interested in global social issues; immigrants or expatriates looking to save on money transfers; a motivated and ambitious individual from an underdeveloped region of the world; and those interested in benefitting from Club Asteria’s products and services, of which there are many.

Here, Andrea Lucas, MD of Club Asteria, speaks about the organisation: -

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQWbw7dPuek

So How Do You Make Money with Club Asteria?

Well there are three memberships types:  Free, Silver and Gold. Silver membership is $10 and gold membership is $20 a month. For those more entrepreneurial there is also the option to become a network director and country wide network director.

When you pay your monthly membership fee you purchase points called Asterios and depending on how many points you have will determine how much commission you will receive as a paying member.  For further information on membership fees click here and weekly commission structure click here and download the Excel sheet, from there you will see how with the use of compound interest your asterios (points) will increase, thus your commission, also, up to a maximum of 10% weekly.

In addition to consistently receiving my weekly membership commissions  from Club Asteria, one of the things I am proud to say I have contributed towards via the organisation is in the providing of necessary nutritious food to many needy communities and making clean drinking water available by digging deep wells.  These projects are only the beginning of what Club Asteria can and will accomplish in providing life’s most basic needs to those most in need.

As well as the above Club Asteria has helped many individuals around the world to increase their income and improve their lifestyle. To view the 100’s of testimonials please click here.

The focus and generosity of Club Asteria cannot be questioned; as such I have a huge amount of respect for them to the point that I am offering one lucky reader the opportunity to have their first month refunded as a gold member.  To enter this competition please do the following:

1. Click here and sign up as a FREE member in the first instance

2. Fill in all your required details and then upgrade to gold membership ($20) via Paypal or AlertPay. (If you do not have a credit/debit card you can order a CashX card for $5 from Club Asteria)

3.  Then at the end of the month – Monday January 31^st I will pick one lucky winner whose 1^st month gold membership fee will be refunded to them.  An email will be sent out stating the winner as well as stated here at http://BecomingFinanciallySavvy.com

This is a serious business, so again, please only sign up if you understand and believe in the premise of Club Asteria.

For further information on Club Asteria please go http://BWC-ClubAsteria.info . And for those who are on Facebook please do join the Club Asteria group – http://www.facebook.com/TheClubAsteria, as well as follow them on Twitter –  http://twitter.com/#!/theclubasteria

So, to end, what will you do with your weekly club commissions? Buy more Asterioss (points)? Help others to get started with CA? Invest it in your business? Or even use it to buy gold?

Here’s to becoming financially savvy and financial equality for all!

To your financial success,

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.s. If you like this post then please show it some love and share it, comment on it and subscribe to my blog! Thank you!

There is a saying which goes ‘you need to know where you’re coming  from in order to know where you’re going.’ To a certain extent this is true! We are, after all, a product of our upbringing and conditioning, and then as we become adults, our social circles and peers.  It is these influences that ultimately guide our decision making and choices.  And as such, if you are really serious about your financial future and becoming (more) financially savvy, then it is vital that you do the following; -

1. Surround yourself with likeminded individuals who want what you want and are willing and able to guide you on your way, as you to them and others, also;

2. Acquaint yourself with up-to-date and current news on the economy – see the resource list at the end of this article!

3. Take the time to understand why we are in the economic mess that we are; i.e. understand where it came from in order to have a better awareness and opinion of where it is going.

By doing so, you are embracing the true essence of financial education; and not the ‘what is a cheque book, direct debit ‘type, but the ‘what is the rule of 21; what is an asset, a liability; what is the difference between a passive, leverage, residual or linear income?’ type. Financial education is something that should be taught at school but unfortunately it is not, which is why it is one of the key premises of my organization Butterfly Wealth Creation. 

By financially educating yourself and applying the learning to your life not only do you make better choices with your money, in respect to how to invest it, where to invest it, so that essentially you can make YOUR money work harder for YOU, rather than YOU simply work hard for it; but it also allows you to see opportunities where others only see F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real) and challenges. This is key to creating wealth as well as protecting it from ANY and ALL global, national and local economic instability.

And lets us not delude ourselves to say that the economic downturn has passed. We only have to read the national and global headlines to know that there is a very real possibility that we could experience a double dip – i.e. another, but longer and deeper, recession. I touch upon this topic in two of my previous blog posts Green Shoots…What Green Shoots?! and And So, The Budget Cuts Begin…

So How Did We Get Here And How Can You Protect Yourself?

The general and accepted consensus is that our global economic downturn was born from the American sub-primed loans crisis. These sub-prime loans were essentially toxic debt repackaged with non-toxic debt, then sold onto other financial institutions in an incestuous fashion.  When individuals could not pay their mortgages the market retracted on its orgy of debt and reckless borrowing, which was when the  global recession kicked in, bringing to mind the adage of ‘when America sneezes the rest of the world catches its cold’. However, the true reality is that the above scenario was just the ‘effect’ or even the ‘consequence’ of other far reaching historical events, rather than the reason.

Last month I attended The National Achievers Congress where Robert Kiyosaki and Kim Kioysaki, and their team of Rich Dad advisors appeared, educating and sharing with us their stories and experiences in order to propel and motivate us on our success journey to debt freedom and financial independence. It was excellent to say the least, and I came out of there with a mission to help others and a determination to live my own life ON PURPOSE, just as Robert Kiyosaki has and continues to do, irrelevant of what the economy does or doesn’t do!

One of the advisors, an economist  - Richard Duncan, author of The Corruption of Capitalism and The Dollar Crisis – was phenomenal and explained the history behind the ‘credit crunch’ with such simplicity and clarity, it was easy to understand, as well as riveting to listen to. He explained that in 1971, the US President of that time, Richard Nixon, withdrew the US dollar from the Gold Standard due to debts created by the Vietnam War and other issues, as well to fund their mission to send the first man to the moon – which to their credit they did do! However, in doing so, the US Dollar was no longer backed by gold and in turn this became the modern source of monetary volatility and consequently unregulated financialization.  That volatility necessitated the rise of risk-hedging financial instruments, such as derivatives (including credit default swaps such as subprime loans). Thus as the value of the dollar was no longer based on gold, it became based instead on projected future value.  This type of money is called ‘fiat money’, sounds very similar to fake money! Which Tim Barello highlights in his blog post ‘Grand Theft Economics’

“…Virtually every industrialized nation on this planet employs what are known as fiat currencies, or money systems that are backed by nothing other than the word of the respective bank and/or government of issue. While politically convenient, such arrangements are nonetheless hazardous, as they allow bankers and governments to effectively create money out of thin air; by doing so, nations have spent well beyond their means, while fraudulently conveying that their worthless pieces of paper hold monetary value.

When juxtaposed against the greatest financial crisis of our era, these revelations also shed light on the mother of all frauds against the US Constitution, and furthermore, the nation for which it stands.”

Richard Duncan goes on to further explain that because the world’s currency is no longer backed by any type of monetary value, the financial institutions are able to employ a duplicitous  method to create money from thin air which is called ‘Fractional Reserve Banking’, This in and of itself is not a necessarily the problem, but  the amount in which they have steadily increased the ratio due to our money no longer being backed by any real value. Please review the videos in my previous blog post Green Shoots…What Green Shoots?! for further information on this.

Inside the world of regulated banking this process is described as ‘expanding the money supply ‘, outside of it ‘inflationary counterfeit-pyramiding’. Thus, when a central bank (Bank of England for example) wants to inject more money into the Markets, officially known as quantative easing, they use this process – create money from thin air to do so. All in all what you need to understand is that the ‘tender’ we hold in our hands no longer represent monetary value but DEBT!!! And because our central banks can print money as and when they like, the value of our ‘fait money’ dwindles due to inflation. Sadly it is the savers who suffer the most because of this. As a saver, not only does the  bank use your ‘fiat’ money to borrow against with better returns for themselves, they also create more of it dulling the spending power of your savings, whist you only receive a paltry interest rate on it, whilst essentially ‘parking’ your money in their bank.  This is what is called going ‘broke safely’ and what Robert Kiyosaki says is a direct result of our lack of financial education. He writes “Without financial education, your money flows to those who profit most from your financial ignorance.”

This process the world Central Banks uses to ‘create money’ is aligned to debt…too much debt, thus the process was, and still is unsustainable, bubbles were created, which is what incurred the recession and when the bubble popped the consequence of that fell at the feet of the taxpayers; and will continue to do so for some time to come. And who are the main group of taxpayers in a country?  Employees and self-employed individuals aka the average Jane and Joe, conditioned by society to go to school, get a formal education in order to get a J.O.B (just over broke), buy a house, pay into a pension/savers account and retire happily ever after! Tell me, how is that working for you? If not great, then hear me when I say the old rules of money are broken! YOU have to create your own personal economy rather than simply rely on the one the State provides.

 Watch Richard Duncan talk about Why the UK’s Ponzi economy is vulnerable to a fiscal crisis.

So now you know the real reason for the recession and why there is a real possibility of a double dip; how do you protect yourself from the continuous deterioration of the value of your fait money; as well as increasing the value of your money? Obvious really! GOLD! This is what the governments used before, so why not YOU?

You only have to watch the numerous TV adverts to see how companies are desperate to buy your gold. I won’t go into the all the reasons why gold is great way to grow and protect your money, and this is not about putting all your assets/money in one basket but solely the recommended amount of 5% – 20%. What I will say, however, is that the value of gold is ever increasing (even though like any item/commodity there are always fluctuations) and I believe it will continue to do so. Why, because there is a trillion dollar amount of debt from emerging markets chasing a billion dollar market of gold, thus gold is a required and wanted commodity in the world today.

So how do you get involved in this market? Well what if I told you your local bank was offering a free service to exchange your money into a gold savings plan starting at E50, would you do it? Would you at a minimum go and find out more about it?  Well, unfortunately your bank can not offer this type of service to you because they do not have the means to, i.e. mines, refinery, production line with no middle men to pay a fee too.  There is a company, however, based in German called KB Kapital & Business. It is 16 years old, and enables YOU to do the above, because they own their own mine, refinery and production line, with no middle men to pay a fee to. As such their margins are low and therefore the FULL exchange of your paper based money into gold from the daily markets is passed totally onto you.  The product is gold – real gold, not coins, or jewellery. And again, their service is a gold savings plan, which if deposited into monthly will counter again the influctutations of the gold market.  KB Kapital & Business is endorsed by the Bund der Sparer, the German equivalent of the FSA, as well as is associated with PriceWaterhouseCooper in regards to its payments system. In its two years since inception the programme has proved a great success in Germany, Holland and other Nordic countries with a number of News appearances by the CEO Mike Koschine. They are now branching out into the rest of Europe and the world, but specifically the UK and USA.

Now, I am no financial advisor (you don’t need to be to talk about gold) or economist but I do know an opportunity when I see one, and this is definitely an opportunity! Even so, you should always do your own due diligence and you can start doing so by attending a webinar tonight given by one of the first pioneers of the company and now, also, one of the top earners of the business, Dennis Nowak, a native of Germany every Wednesday at  at 8pm GMT/9pm CET – please sign up here for access details. 

There is a also another webinar every Fridays at 8pm GMT/9pm CET, as well as others which will be scheduled periodically during the day. Again, for updated information on KB Gold and scheduled informational/training webinars please go here and sign up to the mailing list. 

Other Websites:  http://kbvision.wordpress.com  and http://www.mykbgold.com

KB is offering a service – a Gold Savings Plan –  for EVERYONE and to ANYONE from around the world, as gold is the currency of The World, so why not save in it?

Finally, on the subject of gold do you remember the cartoon ‘The Mysterious City of Gold’? If you do and are anything like me then this clip will definitely bring a smile to your lips! By investing in gold, in either a measured and affordable way, or in bulk, this smile could turn into a laugh…that is you laughing all the way to the bank!

Resources for Your Financial Education

The Corruption of Capitalism by Richard Duncan

The Dollar Crisis by Richard Duncan

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki

Other Business and Economic Books

Green Shoots…What Green Shoots?!

And So, The Budget Cuts Begin…

Money Week

Love Money

Motely Fool

To Your Success and Becoming Financially Savvy

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S. I just received my first packagewith KB Gold and it is really does bring a smile to your face!

P.P.S. If you like what you have  read/learned please comment, share by clicking on the buttons below and subscribe by filling in the form to the right of this page. Remember, sharing is wealthy!

Anyone for a financial MOT?

Irrelevant of any economic season, good or bad, it is always healthy to have a MOT on one’s finances. We do one for our body, for our car, so why not one for our money?  It all makes for a financially savvy and sound foundation in which to grow and create one’s wealth, as in a garden of fruitful produce.

Thus, I am pleased to introduce to Becoming Financially Savvy readers and subscribers, Life UK Financial, a new UK financial service, launched in January this year,  that offers a unique FREE membership in order to provide YOU with a smarter and more convenient way of seeking FREE financial advice, manage your finances and purchase all the products and services you already buy such as insurance, mortgages, loans, wills, investments, pensions, tax planning etc, from their panel of FSA registered key advisors.

They have recently introduced a new product called Financial Health Check, which is a bespoke service to enable you, with minimum effort and fuss, to have a FULL financial review from their FSA registered Key Partner Advisers for the introductory price of £29.99!!

How Does It Work?

1. Request the Financial Health Check Service through the website or via our customer service team on 0845 680 9746.
2. LIFE UK Financial sends you the customer pack and letter explaining the few simple steps that you need to take.
3. Send back the completed pack to LIFE UK Financial in the Special Delivery Envelope provided
4. We collate and organise your paperwork and if requested upload documentation to your digital filing cabinet and populate your financial profile (coming soon). We then communicate organise our KPA’s to review and provide recommendations and advise on your arrangements.
5. We file and send back via special delivery to you your completed Folder with all your documentation filed for your reference and enclose your Financial Health Check report.
6. The Result : You are now completely organised and up to date and had a full financial review from our Key Partner Specialists outlining opportunities to save money or improve your current arrangements and identify any areas that require your immediate attention.
7. Estimated worth of this service is £200 – £600*.

*Estimated worth based on Independent Financial Advisers charge of £200 per hour and any accountants advice required.  Offer Ends 31/07/2010 standard price will then be £49.99

For further information on Financial Life UK, their FREE Membership and their Financial Health Check Offer, go to http://www.BWC-LifeUKFinancial.co.uk as well as contact me. I am always happy to help!

To Your Success & Becoming Financially Savvy

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S. Please note, and in order to be transparent, I am an independent Business Associate of  Life UK Financial. And as the video above touches upon, there is a sound business opportunity available to those interested in creating another source of income! If interested in further information then please send an email to info@butterflywealthcreation.com

Well actually there are TWO winners! I had a really great response to my survey so I thought I would share the joy, as well as the learning of Robert Kiyosaki’s new book ‘The Business of the 21^st Century’, with not only ONE person but TWO!  And they are –

-  Marj Nesbitt, Canada

-  Rachel Henke, UK

 Congratulations to them both!

If you would like to purchase you own copy of the book you can do so on the link below: http://www.knowledgeisking.co.uk/acatalog/the-business-of-the-21st-century.html

Results of the Survey

The results of the survey showed that 100% of participants felt it ‘very important’ to not only develop their personal economy, but also placed a lot of value on financial independence and time freedom.

“Financial freedom unlocks my freedom in general; that is one of the most important facts in life.”

“Because I don’t want to worry about the future – Predictions are that in 20 years we will exist in a third world economy where there are far less companies and far more micro entrepreneurs.”

“The World is changing; no such thing as jobs for life and people need to take care of their own affairs rather than relying on the state. Time is also far more important than money but one needs lots of money/residual Income in order to have the time to spend with loved ones.”

It was also encouraging to see that 100% of participants understood the terms: passive, residual and/or leverage income (Go to http://bit.ly/axKZ8i if you are unfamiliar with these terms) and were already or wanting to generate these types of income models for themselves and family;  with many choosing network marketing, internet marketing, affiliate marketing, the arts, investments and property as their vehicle(s) of choice.

The survey also indicated that most people research their business opportunities by talking with business contacts, which highlights once again the power of networking and going to events or even speaking at events!  Then online and offline research (Google/friends and family, respectively) came in joint second.

As this survey was administrated for a business idea I have, which is to help, encourage, and support individuals in the home based business arena, specifically Network Marketing, it was reassuring to know that 42.9% of people put a value (rather than price) of between £500 – £1000 for the service I wish to provide.  And another 71.4% thought the idea would be useful to the UK business marketplace; some stating that “I think the understanding of passive/residual or leveraged income is very low. I think a service to educate people on this would be very, very, useful indeed!” and “…I have not come across such a Business Link yet in the UK AND A LOT OF network marketers need guidance and training.”

So on that note, another big thank to everyone who participated! And watch this space for further details on my big business idea!

To Your Success

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S. If you are looking for business opportunity or facing challenges in your network marketing business then send an email to info@butterflywealthcreation.com. I am  generally full of ideas and very resourceful so may be of some help to you!

Words from the Budget (Wordle.net)

What a week for the UK! England are through to the last sixteen; although now facing Germany on Sunday! This should make for an entertaining and sentimental game!  C’mon England!

And of course, we had Cameron and Clegg announce the details of the emergency budget on Tuesday.  The cuts announced aren’t only warranted but desperately required in order to slim down our horrendous economic deficit which currently stands at about £160 billion.

So what were the key changes: -

• VAT – to go up from 17.5% to 20% from January  4^th 20100 on all taxable products (cigarettes, alcohol, goods, etc) children’s clothes and food are exempt.
• National Insurance  - to increase by 1%
• Personal Allowance – (the amount non-taxable by income tax) will go up from £6,475 to £7,475 for the 2011-12 tax year, for those under 65, thus an increase of £1000.
• Child Tax Credit – will be cut from families earning over £40k a year from April 2011
• Capital Gains Tax – CGT will increase from 18 per cent to 28 per cent for higher rate taxpayers
• Council Tax – the government will work with local authorities to freeze Council Tax in 2011-2012
• Corporation Tax  - cut by 2%
• State pension age for men is to rise to 66 in 2016, eight years earlier than Labour had planned it, with women joining that bracket a few years later.  There are discussions currently underway to raise it further to age 70.

For further details on the budget and how it will affect you click here for the Direct Gov website.     You can also watch Cameron and Clegg talk about the announcement in the BBC2 Programme ‘Face the Audience…’ by clicking on the link below.

Face the Audience…with Cameron and Clegg (23/06/2010)

Ultimately, those were the key changes with more cuts to come, in particularly 25% of job cuts in the public sector, which the government has sent out letters to over 6 million civil servants asking for their opinion on what job roles should be cut or saved.  However, irrelevant of which jobs go, these cuts will impact on the slow growing job market, and of course raising unemployment. It has already been announced that most quangos will go, as well as other non-essential or underused government bodies, which I agree with.

So what does this mean for the average Joe and Jayne? Generically, it means a number of things like less money in your pocket; more competition for jobs; longer hours and stress working a job which instead of being for two or three people, will now be squeezed into one. Not only that but with the increase of the state pension age to 66, and maybe 70 in the next several years, individuals will fundamentally be living to work rather than working to live.

Most individuals will have less money because even though we are receiving an extra £1000 before tax, we are will lose a part of it to the VAT and NI increase; the ineligibility of relevant tax benefits – such as child tax credit depending on your household income; the cost of inflation and pay freeze for many.  An email sent into the BBC by an aggrieved fireman and his teacher wife, have worked out with all off the above they will be £7-10k worse off! This equals £583 – £833 a month worse off!

In addition, the Con-Dem have accelerated the rise of the state pension age from 65 to 66 for men, by eight years, coming into effect by 2016 instead of 2024 as the Labour party had planned. Women will follow that rise a few years later. There are even talks of employees having to compulsory sign up to company pension schemes, as well as the pension age being raised again to age 70..

The increase in the state pension age isn’t overly surprising. People are living longer and the money to pay for our current pensioners has to come from somewhere.  Not only that income tax and pension savings are where the government get a part of their government income from; so it to their benefit for us to work longer thus pay more taxes, as well as ‘park’ our money into a pension, which we are taxed on and generally have to pay a premium on in order to take out before our retirement age.

It is quite evident in society that retirees are working past their pension age to top up their pension, as it is obviously not enough. The old rules of money: go to school, get a safe and secure job with a pension and retire, are obsolete! Ultimately this not the future I want for my mother or myself. What about you? How do you plan to avoid the very possible outcome of working up until the age of 66/70?

Robert Kiyosaki, author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad, says in the audio CD to his new book ‘The Business of the 21^st Century –  ‘most of us allow our circumstances/problems to become bigger than ourselves, when in actuality we have to become bigger than our circumstances and problems in order to resolve them and move on from them. And the best way to do that is through personal development’. Develop one’s skill, aptitude and mindset! Something I advocate constantly here on Becoming Financially Savvy, and via my Butterfly Wealth Creation email newsletters:  - attend events, read books, listen to audios, and network with like-minded individuals, etc, etc.

The rise of VAT was also inevitable; again money has to come from somewhere to pay for the enormous black hole our economy is in, however I thought it interesting that the corporation tax or entrepreneurial tax, as it is sometimes referred to,  has decreased. Why, because the government has to give some sort of incentive to entrepreneurs and more importantly wannabe entrepreneurs to start a business.  Right now is the best time to become entrepreneurial, yes even during this economic downturn/slow growth – Microsoft, Ford, and other such great companies all started off during a recession.  The government realises that most jobs are going to come from small to medium size businesses not the global conglomerates; thus one of the aims of the Budget is to create a new generation of entrepreneurs.  Two ways they are assisting in this is exempting all businesses outside of the Greater South East area from up to £5,000 of employer National Insurance Contribution payments for first ten employees hired. Not only that but the EFG (Enterprise Finance Guarantee) – a body that supports lending to small businesses that find it difficult to get normal commercial loans – has been increased by £200 million to support £700 million of additional lending until 31 March 2011. 

So, for those of you who have a business idea you can go to your local Business Link for advice as well as your local council for funding advice.

For those of you who like the idea of starting your own business but don’t know in what or don’t want to leave the security of your job, then why not consider a home based business in either, Network Marketing, Affiliate Marketing and/or Internet Marketing?  There is also a free business workshop being run by Business Success System, which you can attend in the central London area from July 13 – July17. Click here for further details stating ‘Butterfly’ as your reference.

And for those who are worried about your pension and would like some FREE financial advice from a FSA financial advisor please go here – Life UK Financial

Ultimately, with the current and future government implementations and the impact it will have on our pockets, we have the choice of being either bitter and broke, or better! As well as acknowledge that creative inspiration – be it for a business, acquiring a new job or skill, etc, is often born from desperate situations. So lets us get inspired and creative because these are desperate times, and create a better future for ourselves and family.

Please note that these words I write are not just pertinent to the people of the UK but to all my international readers; you have to create your own economy, be self reliant from your employer and the economy.

I leave you with this long but brilliant video of J.K.Rowlings talking about the The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination. I hope it encourages you in your endeavours to get creative in order to become (more) financially savvy -  i.e. debt free and financially independent!

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

To Your Success…

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S. Please share how the budget cuts are going to affect you (and your family) and what creative plan (Plan B) are you putting in place, especially if you are an employee, in order to cushion the blow of all the above.  By sharing your thoughts and ideas it may inspire another reader!

Furthermore, if you are open to the idea of creating an additional and more importantly, passive income, then please send me a private message to info@ButterflyWealthCreation.com in order to discuss!

P.P.S  If you like this post please comment, subscribe by filling in the form on the right, and share by clicking on one of the social media buttons below.

“Going into business for yourself, becoming an entrepreneur, is the modern-day equivalent of pioneering on the old frontier.” 

 Great quote by Paula Nelson, bestselling author and entrepreneur!  What are your thoughts on starting a business? Is it something that brings out the hebe-jeebies in you, or excites you…into action?

Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the No.1 best selling personal finance book in the world, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, zealously promotes the importance of the Cashflow Quadrant , i.e. moving from the E (employee) and S (self-employee/specialist) quadrant to the B (business owner) and I (investor) quadrant, in order to take more control of one’s career and financial destiny.  And I am in total agreement, especially in this current economic climate of salary freezes, and further job cuts on their way, particularly in the public sector after the emergency budget announcement by Cameron and the Con-Dems, next week, Tuesday 22^nd June.

This thinking is not just exclusive to Robert Kiyosaki but to the various news articles online and offline, referring to the rise of the entrepreneurs in the UK. In one online report it stated that “Of the 6,000 people polled, 20 per cent describe themselves as self-employed, with the highest concentration of those based in London (25 per cent).”

That is quite a large percentage, and I believe this current sentiment of becoming an entrepreneur was reflected in the great turn out at the last Business Start-Up event, last month.

I have been to the Business Start-Up event before and always find them a great place to network and see what the latest business trends are. What I found interesting about this particular event, however, was the number of network marketing companies exhibiting, plus the various individual distributors networking amongst the guests. The companies and distributors ranged from Utility Warehouse, Monavie, Forever Living, Ardyss, Usanna, Nu Skin, FM, Life Uk Financial and the DSA (Direct Selling Association) – the trade association for the Direct Sales industry.

A lot of people dismiss network marketing without actually having any experience of it, or taking the time out to find out about it, but with inflation, gas, food, taxes and unemployment on the rise, many are becoming more receptive to the idea of plugging into a industry that not only promotes earning a passive income rather than a linear income, but self development and rewards for the work you put in rather than what the title of your role dictates on the marketplace. Right now is great time to get involved, and Robert Kiyosaki latest book The Business of the 21^st Century, talks about why network marketing is the business of the 21^st century, and he is not even a network marketer!

It is also, interesting to know that 20% of self-made millionaires in the USA made their fortune from network marketing, and that two of the world’ best known entrepreneurs Richard Branson (Virgin VIE) and Donald Trump (The Trump Network) promote network marketing, amongst many others! 

Ultimately, whatever business one decides to enter, be it an online business such as internet marketing, affiliate marketing, or network marketing, a franchise or a more traditional bricks and mortars business, one has to do their due diligence by weighing up both the rewards and risks.

There is a lot of help out there for those wanting to start up a business in the more traditional sense (bricks and mortar, franchises, buying businesses, etc) in the form of Business Link and other such agencies, but nothing much for those who want guidance in starting something in the less traditional arena of internet marketing, affiliate marketing, and network marketing. There is a lot of noise out there, especially on the internet, with no clear guidance but that is about to change, so watch this space!

In the meantime I would appreciate if you would participate in a market research survey I am carrying out, please click here to do so! For your participation you will be entered into a prize draw to win a copy of Robert Kiyosaki’s new book The Business of the 21^st Century, as mentioned above, with CD. Deadline for entries is Friday 25^th June.

To end do not let F.E.A.R (False Evidence Appearing Real) stop you from taking the necessary steps forward in starting your own business, taking more control of your destiny and becoming more financially savvy! Let your assets pay YOU, rather than YOU just simply working for money!

Furthermore, as a note of encouragement, if you look at The Sunday Times Rich list, no one on there is an employee! They are all entrepreneurs and business owners!  Interesting aye!

Resources to get you going:

• Next Business Start Up – November  30^th – December 1st
• Business Systems Success  (ref: Butterfly)  – Dates for the next FREE 2 hour Seminars:  July 13^th – July 17^th 2010
• Business Link
• How They Started In Tough Times by David Lester
• Why We Want You To Be Rich by Donald Trump & Robert Kiyosaki
• For other Business books in the Butterfly Wealth Creation E-Store, click here!

I leave you with some sound advice from the great Mr Richard Branson…..

To Your Success and Becoming Financially Savvy!

Butterfly Wealth Creation

P.S. If you are looking for a lucrative and great business opportunity, then get in touch and I will be happy to share my business opportunities with you!   Just send a message to info@butterflywealthcreation.com and I will respond to your mail within 3 working days!

P.P.S. If you like this article, then please comment, subscribe by filling in the box to the right, and share ‘the wealth’ with others by clicking on one of the various social media buttons below! Thanks in advance, and have a great weekend!

If you weren’t at O2 Indigo this weekend (24^th – 25^th April) you missed out! Whether you are in Network Marketing, Direct Sales, Business to Business sales, a leader of some sort, a leader in waiting but don’t know it yet, this event was for YOU!!!

Dani told it like it is! “I am not a hoar so if you are here to be entertained then you’re in the wrong place! I am here to teach you tangible skills which you can go out with today…TODAY….and use in the market place to yield results.’  And skills aplenty she let forth, left, right and centre!

She talked about the difference between being a part of the 98% of the population versus the 2%.  98% of the population say they want a life of design but instead accept a life by defaul;, of mediocrity, of staying in their ‘comfort zone’. Whilst the 2% reject conformity and take action to create a life which is not only about them but about adding value and giving back to their community and the world! This is what Dani calls  the law of reaping and sowing!

She reminded us that we are all born for success…we were all born to succeed, but other people’s influence (parents, teachers, church leaders, etc)  instead taught us how to conform and accept failure as  a given, as something to be ashamed of,  rather than a form of resistance to get up from and work through!  Resistance develops a person and helps them to grow and become the person they were born to be – successful!

She talked about leaders who move their lips but not their feet “People do what you do, not what you say!” She talked about leaders who have stopped leading/taking action because they have become complacent and believe they know all there is to know! “You must never stop learning, developing because once you do, you are no longer relevant…you are no longer a  leader!”

She touched on the difference between saving and investing.  “An investment is something that yields results, and the first investment one should first take is in themselves; in developing themselves, so that they are more ‘valuable’ in the market place, and thus can earn more.”

In the same vein, she talked about the current global debt crisis, introducing her very successful program War on Debt. Introducing to us the process of  cutting the ‘fat’ from our daily, weekly, monthly outgoings and instead, using it to pay off our debts. As a financial educator and someone who had to do this last year and continues to do it, this spoke to my heart!  There is a difference between need and want! And this simple not just about being austere but about waging war on debt and consumerism. About getting from A to B in order to become debt free! Debt is a habit which can be broken on ANY budget!  It takes hard work and putting your ego in your pocket! But as Dani says ego = the size of your bank account! And if you don’t understand what that means I recommend you attend one of the ‘First Steps to Success’ seminar or go to her website - Dani Johnson.com and listen to the plethora of material on that subject as well as all the other relevant subjects. In addition to that, my team and I can assist you on your debt freedom journey by giving you a financial education and a free personalised financial game plan.

She reminded us that leaders are not found but developed. And this development takes an investment of time and money! That success is not hatched but built – built with diligence, persistence, and the consistent mastery of a skill!

That opportunity is never lost but taken; and that as much as we would like it NOT to be the fact is the road to success is paved with the things we do not want to do! BUT by doing it we build up our muscules and increase our stamina to carry on with our success journey!

All this knowledge, wisdom, and training came from the life learning of a woman who not only was abused as child, pregnant at 17, overweight and homeless at 21 then a millionaire at 23, which she lost and then went on to make again,  but also, a very successful and experienced business woman! So you better believe it when I say when she talks I am going to listen…how about you?!!

For dates on Dani’s next seminars and courses please click here

To Your Financial and Business Success

Financial Educator and Internet Network Marketer

P.S. A very good friend of mine, Gemma Phelan, who also attended the event brought a number of  Dani Johnson’s products and will be holding a seminar via here group on Meetup (http://Meetup.com). For further information, please contact her via facebook – Gemma Phelan, Ref: BFS/DJ.

An Introduction to Affiliate Marketing

Welcome to the third part of this Wealth Creation Series!

As mentioned before in my other posts, wealth creation is an ongoing theme for this blog: Becoming Financially Savvy. and this series has been created to specifically to introduce to you, the reader, to various vehicles one can use to create an income, be it passive, residual or leveraged.  For further information on this series click here – http://bit.ly/bYcrdH .

The aim of the series is to assist you and encourage you on your roadmap to success, i.e. becoming debt free and financially independent. If that something you want for yourself…for your family, then read on!  As well as subscribe to Becoming Financially Savvy.com!

Affiliate Marketing is a term that has become synonymous with the Internet Marketing, but can be likened to Referral marketing,  which is the term generally used offline rather than online.

It is frankly one of the best ways to start earning an income from the internet.  It is low cost to start and can be quite lucrative as you build in experience and confidence.

As touched upon above affiliate marketing overlaps with other Internet marketing methods to some degree, because affiliates often use regular promotions methods. Those methods include organic search engine optimization, paid search engine marketing, e-mail marketing, and in some sense display advertising; such as banner ads. However, affiliates will also use less orthodox techniques, such as publishing reviews of products via article marketing and video marketing, or services offered by a partner.  Affiliates ultimately play a significant role in e-retailers’ marketing strategies.

In this interview Dwayne Kerr of Ask Dwayne Kerr touches on –

• The difference between Internet marketing and affiliate marketing;
• Affiliate Marketing – with your own website i.e. using one website such as your blog to drive traffic to another;
• Affiliate Marketing – without a website;
• Protecting yourself and business online as an affiliate marketer and user;
• As well as ways to get started and trained in becoming a PROFESSIONAL, even on a part-time level, affiliate marketer.

Affiliate Marketing interview with Dwayne Kerr

Please post your thoughts and comments either here or on the facebook group of the same name – http://groups.to/becomingfinanciallysavvy

Dwayne has a monthly Internet/Affiliate business meet up which you can attend. For more information on this meet up group go to http://www.iBusinessMastermind.com

To Your Success

Financial Educator & Internet Network Marketer

P.s. If you are interested in a becoming an affiliate of an online program check out http://www.bwc.lgnstorefront.com On the back end there is also a great opportunity to earn a supplementary income, if you are interested in knowing more then contact me for more information.

Welcome to the second part of this Wealth Creation Series!

Wealth creation is an ongoing theme for this blog: Becoming Financially Savvybut this series is specifically about introducing to you, the readers, various vehicles one can use to create an income , be it passive, residual or leveraged. For further information on this series click here .

The aim of the series is to assist you and encourage you on your journey to becoming debt free and financially independent. If that is something you want for yourself…for your family then read on, as well as subscribe to this blog!!!

Similar to other wealth creation vehicles, trading is a great way to create an income but you do need a good stock trading strategy to minimise your losses and maximise profits. Tactful trading is a must in order to earn huge profits.

This wealth creation activity used to be the preserve of financial firms and professional investors and speculators. However, with the advent of electronic trading and margin trading, day trading has become increasingly popular among casual, at-home traders.

In the following audio interview, Eamon Phillips of Vertias Traders gives a general introduction of what trading is, what he does at Veritas Traders, and finally the pros and cons of Trading for a living.  Please listen, learn and leave your comments!

 Becoming Financially Savvy Trading interview with Eamon Phillips, Veritas Traders (20 mins)

 To take advantage of Eamon’s kind offer on his Trading ebook go to http://products.veritastraders.co.uk/fsebook.php  Furthermore, as a thank you gift, I am pleased to offer you a 5% discount on this product as well as a further 10% on his other products at his website. To receive these codes please send me a message.

For further information on Veritas Traders and the FREE monthly Trading seminars go to http://www.veritastraders.co.uk

To Your Financial Success

Financial Educator & Internet Network Marketer

P.S.  Please share this post via the buttons below with your friends and contacts! Thank you!