Recently in The Best Of Slap My Wallet Category

Why a blog post about working with the right people? Last week I read an article which asked if real estate agents are really necessary. The article received a mixed response from readers. Personally, I really like my realtor. However the article failed to make an important distinction between the talented, qualified agents and the lazy ones. So I wanted to bring up and talk about the importance of finding the right people.

When it comes to professionals, employees or even band mates all are not created equal. The right people will move you forward. The right people know their craft, they get things done, and they inspire others. The wrong people can hold you back. The wrong people are sometimes incompetent, they can create more work for you, and they can de-motivate others.

Pay yourself first is the quintessential personal finance concept. Almost every personal finance book that I've read includes some version of the pay yourself first method. However since Slap My Wallet is not blog for people who spend their weekends reading personal finance books I will tell you about pay yourself first concept in a nutshell.

I Want Things
The guitar store is one of my favorite places. I enjoy pulling down some expensive relic off the wall so that I can examine it more closely. "It must be fate that brought me here", I say to myself. I determine that I need the guitar, and it never takes me too long to conjure up ways to make my purchase. I hear a nice pair of Manolo Blahniks has the same effect on some women.

We all want things-shiny things, soft things, handmade things. In fact I want lots of things. In a way our desire is good because it can motivate us to work harder. However if we want to achieve our life goals, which could be paying off debt, owning a house or even traveling the world, we need to learn how to save money and control our spending.

Think back to the last great concert you attended. Now imagine yourself at that same concert sitting in the front row. You're seeing every facial expression of the band and hearing every note right off the stage. Isn't that where you want to be? So why aren't you there.