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Bridezillas Gone Wild: Wedding Attendance Fee $1,500

Wedding Dresses, Bride, Wedding, Elegant

Around this time last year, a bride decided that she should have her dream wedding to the tune of $46,000 USD or $60,000 CAD. A young Canadian woman had a severe sense of entitlement and decided the heck with streamers, rice, and a DJ she wanted the grandest wedding of all.

I’m going to label and file this under the list of one of the most ridiculous delusions of grandeur that I have ever heard. She was told by a psychic that she should have a destination wedding that would only cost her $60,000. When only 8 guests RSVP’d for the shakedown…I mean wedding she had a public meltdown on social media.

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In what world should anyone have to PAY for YOU to get married! That was your decision not mine. Why should guests have to pay $1,500 to watch you eat cake and dance off beat to My Endless Love? This is insane!

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I realize the average cost of a wedding is between $30,000 and $45,000 which in many parts of the country is the cost of a college degree, but is it worth it? Regardless, of your answer when did it become the responsibility of wedding guests to pay for it?

This woman sounds like she has been watching too much of the Kardashian’s. They have the means to pay for their shindigs, she doesn’t. Either change the channel or stop guzzling the Kardashian Kool-Aid because this type of behavior is persona non grata (unwelcome).

The bride actually cancelled the wedding and left her now ex-fiance because guests wouldn’t pony up the money. What does she think this is?

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Even CEO’s, senators, movie stars and Beyonce pay for their own parties! If you want someone else to foot the bill, then I suggest you sign a Nike deal as big as the $1 billion one that LeBron did or find a way to turn your wedding into a conference or business meeting and write it off on your taxes!

She at one point said,

“What is $1,000? What is $1,500? Clearly not a lot. It would be quite manageable and within budget.”

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Really?!!! Many people have still not recovered from the financial crisis of 2008. The savings rate in America is hovering around less than 5 percent. And many are unable to save for retirement with around 30 percent of Americans having $0 in savings or for retirement.

Since when is a wedding more of a priority than putting food on the table. If I’m writing a check for something, I PREFER to give it to the needy and not the greedy.

Notice how easy it was for her to say the word budget to everyone else except HERSELF.

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And at one point she did admit that she wanted to be a kardashian for a day.

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Some potential attendees that paid up and then actually came to their senses asked for their money back. The not-soon-to-be bride said no to giving back their deposits until they pay her back for her emotional distress.

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At this point, friends and relationships are ruined and destroyed. All over money.

This is my suggestion. If you would like to get married, please set up a budget and not a Go Fund Me. Then stick to it. No wedding or amount of money is worth losing relationships with friends and family.

Money will flow in and out of your lives but good friends and loving family are priceless.

Bank Error In Your Favor: What Would You Do With A $100,000 Windfall?

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Dollar, Flying, Concept, Business, Money

Could you imagine what it would feel like to go to bed with $100 bucks in your bank account only to wake up and find $120,000 in your checking account? Well, guess what? One Pennsylvania couple actually did! A bank error deposited $120,000 into their account overnight. You can pretty much guess what happens next.

They went on a spending spree buying a camper, a Chevy and a racecar. In addition, they gave about $15,000 to friends and family. They blew through $100,000 in about 2 weeks. Whew!

This Monopoly style bank error in your favor was over almost as soon as it began. They were of course caught and now are facing federal felony charges.

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These people got a few dollars in their hands and went crazy with Gold Fever. The likes of which that have not been seen since the California gold rush in the 1800’s.

However, in their case it was more like behavior of a gambler’s addition or lottery ticket winner.

Instead of holding on to money people are prone to spend. Why is that exactly? Are trinkets really how people value self-worth? It would be different if the money was theirs, but it wasn’t. In what world does money magically appear?

This couple had over $100,000 just show up out of the blue in their BB&T account. Who do they think they are?! Joshua Jackson’s character in The Skulls! Where he wakes up, goes to the ATM and sees that his account is now filled with money. Around $20,198.98 to be exact.

And also in that case, the money was not his. He had to join a corrupt secret society, get into an Ivy League college, go through hazing and get impeccable grades and an incredible SAT score to do it. He had to go through a heck of a lot to get access to that kind of cash. Don’t remember the film? No problem. I pulled the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

However, in this couple’s case they did NOTHING! Since, when in life do you get something for nothing? I’ll tell you when; never that’s when.

Are these people binge watching The Rich Kids of Beverly Hills or The Housewives shows or something? Where the housewives love to take PJ’s (short for private jet) all over the world just to spend more money. And by the way… a PJ costs upward of $25,000 a flight or trip. Maybe that’s why so many housewives are in debt, getting divorced, and on shows where they refer to private jets as a PJ.

Regardless, why is spending instead of saving money so important? It becomes a race to see who can have the most toys. Forget it. When you focus on saving and investing your money it transforms your life. You have more control. See why it pays to save.

If you read any story about the self-made millionaires of today, you will rarely see anyone who had a mysterious windfall come out of the sky. And even if a relative left them some money, they invested it in some way such as by going to college, learning a trade, buying stocks, or starting a business.

You have to focus less on spending money and more on holding on to what you already have. It may not be sexy, but hey like I Will Teach You To Be Rich author Ramit Sethi says, “would you rather be rich or sexy?”

In a perfect world, you would of course choose both. In reality, I am sure many of you will choose to be rich. Just understand that it doesn’t matter if it takes you three years or 20 years to get rich. The point is you complete the journey. Legally.

Fiscal Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number

Architecture, Building, Concrete

I want people to remember me as a full on entertainer and a good person. – Aaliyah

In case you have not already heard the news, the late superstar Aaliyah has her very own Madame Tussauds Wax Figure in her likeness from the Try Again Era.

Aaliyah wax figure Madame Tussauds
Madame Tussauds for VIBE
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Although, Aaliyah is gone she is not forgotten.

Therefore, this next post is titled in her honor. This post is named after her first ever record, Age Ain’t Nothing but a Number which is the debut studio album by American singer Aaliyah. It was released under Jive and Blackground Records on May 24, 1994, in the United States.

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I learned a lot from watching Aaliyah work so hard in her youth.

Like her, I want to be remembered as well, although as a full on financial blogger and a good person.

So let’s get right to it and start talking money.

When in doubt: save.

Don’t ever let anyone tell you what you cannot do or accomplish.

People have said to me the following:

You’ve been in school forever. Are you ever going to graduate?

Are you in school finishing your associate degree, because I know the bachelor’s takes a long time so you are probably only halfway done right?

You should write a book or something? Are you ever going to do that?

It is impossible to save any money. Is it possible to save thousands?

Winning the lottery is a great way to get rich. Do you play?

You should go for the Master’s degree. Why a second bachelor’s?

Why get a 2nd Master’s degree? Why not go for the doctorate?

You really have no car payment?

You’ve gained a little weight.

You’ve lost weight.

You have been saving forever, you are not ever going to buy a home.

I laughed at all these questions and comments.

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This is my life. I set the pace. No one else. I control my destiny and the outcome of my life. I control the narrative.

And just to set the record straight, I did finish my bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. So take that haters. In addition, I also bought a home, started a daily exercise routine, a health and wellness regimen, started a blog in 2016, wrote an eBook in 2019, paid off my car in 2009, don’t play the lottery, and learned to save thousands by not shopping or taking fancy vacations.

And after I paid off my car, this is how I felt. Just like Katelyn Ohashi at the ESPYs. And like in her acceptance speech that night, I too had made a reference about Cardi B.

Paying off debt and saving. This all took many years. Like over a decade to accomplish. I know folks are out there retiring at like 27. But guess what? Life is full of ups and downs, but I never let my goals be far from my mind and kept them in sight because whether you retire at 22 or 62, fiscal age ain’t nothing but a number.

Safe to say, I set out to conquer every mountain or hill that was put in front of me. Yea baby!! I feel like dancing!!!

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Life is complex. No one has all the answers. No one has a crystal ball to see the future. But reading up on the past has let me make some great predictions on what I think will happen.

For instance, after reading books on history, finance and biographies such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Daymond John, Bruce Lee, Dale Carnegie, Pat Benatar, Sean “Puffy” Combs, Warren Buffet, Ben Stein, Tony Robbins, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Dave Grohl, Kevin O’Leary, Barbara Corcoran, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and countless others, it is safe to assume the following:

  • Financial markets are cyclical. About every 10-20- years the market corrects itself and there is a recession. Plan accordingly.
  • When stocks go down, buy more.
  • Save until it hurts. Something like 50% or more of your income.
  • Things will get more expensive in the future.
  • You can expect inflation to average at least 2-3% a year.
  • Investing in real estate tends to yield good results over many years.
  • If you do nothing else in real estate, at least purchase your primary residence.
  • Buying franchises is expensive.
  • Find your talent and exploit it for profit. If you are a good mechanic, then charge a good and fair price for your work.
  • Never undervalue yourself.

I truly believe optimism is the key to happiness. I am always in a good mood. Laughter is always a part of my day and life.

My mind is always full of ideas, my eyes are clear and my heart is full.

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I can’t hear you!!! Say it with me now!! Louder!!! Say it like you are in a stadium full of screaming football fans and Antonio Brown is out there running drills and scoring like he did on an episode of HardKnocks! So say it loud for me! One more time for the cheap seats in the back!!!

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When people start complaining, I always feel that they should also provide solutions to their problems. I believe in being solution-based.

One of the greatest joys of my life is speaking my mind. I have done this since I was a little girl. I hold nothing in or back. I am always respectful, but I set clear boundaries on how I let people treat me. I respect others so I expect the same treatment in return. Instead of holding back, I dive in. Speaking your heart is a great way to free yourself from the constraints of life. You have to tell people what you want if you ever expect to get anything. SO SPEAK UP!!

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In this life, you have to keep going. There is no time to rest on your laurels. No pity parties here. If you want financial independence, then you must fight for it. You have to work your butt off for it. Even if it takes, 10, 20, 30, or 40 years. My goal is to have at least $2 million in assets before I retire. Over 10 years later, I am still working on that goal. NEVER GIVE UP ON YOUR DREAMS AND YOUR GOALS!!! If you fall down, get up! You get up, dust yourself off and like Aaliyah said, “try again.”

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Best of luck to you all in your fiscal adventures.

Fiscal Gentleman Are Tailor Made: Money Lessons From Keanu Reeves John Wick

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Fashion is the vocabulary of the wealthy. – Evan R. Lawson, Royal Pains

Keanu Reeves is arguably one of the most stylish and successful actors of a generation. His latest film John Wick 3: Parabellum earned over $300 million dollars at the box office spawning another sequel from Lionsgate for a John Wick 4 coming on May 21, 2021. So if you haven’t heard the news already then you’re hearing it here first! BREAKING NEWS: John Wick 4 is coming!

His hugely successful career has made him a bankable action star with an estimated net worth of over $350 million.

Let’s find out out millionaires are minted and tailor made.

There are three John Wick movies, so I will give you three money lessons.

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The Continental in New York
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Lesson One: If you’re going to do something, then you may as well look good while doing it I love this Buzzfeed interview with Keanu Reeves or KR as they refer to him. It is a film about suits. A ballet of bullets. Those suits are pristine mortuary chic.

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Custom made finely tuned works of art in clothe. It adds to the prestige and dark mystic of the film.

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The costuming and fashion is top notch. Definitely reminds me of suits I have seen on other men that come straight from suit designer to the stars Savile Row in London England.

Savile Row, founded by Henry Poole in 1846, bespoke suits are so popular that shops in that district have received the Royal Warrant (seal of approval from HRH the Queen of England or Prince Charles) to outfit the royals and all those who wear a crown. Getting a thumbs up from The Crown of England is no small feat as you have to be the top 0.01 percent of your craft.

Savile Row is the world’s most famous suiting street as reported by Maxim where suits on Savile Row can start at $5,000.

And speaking of Maxim, the magazines late founder Felix Dennis had some great advice on money. Considering he was worth an estimated $400 million, I would say listen to what he has to say.

The top financial advice he offers is to always pay your taxes. In addition, he states the following:

“To become rich you must be an owner. And you must try to own it all. You must strive with every fibre of your being, while recognising the idiocy of your behaviour, to own and retain control of as near to 100 per cent of any company as you can. – Felix Dennis, How to get rich “

If it flies, floats or fornicates, always rent it. It’s cheaper in the long run.” ― Felix Dennis

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Now back to the suits.

The suits designed for this movie are no exception. They almost take on a life of their own. This movie would make Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris or NPH for short) of How I Met Your Mother proud. He was known on HIMYM for constantly wearing suits and saying suit up.

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John Wick #1 or JW1
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JW2

One of my favorite things in this film are the manners. Everyone is respectful and well-mannered even when fighting or speaking with enemies. Parlay? haha This reminds me of that scene in the 1979 film The Warriors.

Anyway, I love a man in a suit. Any suit really. Or uniform. Uniforms means a man is employed. And a retired man means he has income. Wink, wink.

A man that can balance a check book, hang a suit (look good in it that is), and has great manners is my kind of guy! I’m just saying. Like any good host, in the film you regularly see people treat each other with human decency, courtesy, and respect.

Lesson Two: Save money and build up your savings muscle There’s my girl Halle Berry. You know in my previous post I wrote about why she and I continue to save so much.

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If you want to be a fiscal gentleman or lady, you must learn to invest your money.

You have to learn to move the needle on your savings and investment accounts the same way you do when you fill up on a tank of gas.

For more info on your girl Greenbacks Magnet money tips and tricks check out my interviews on the websites Financially Alert and Think Save Retire.

That is why I started with saving $1 a day and slowly went upwards to $13,333 a year. Now that is what I call upward savings mobility. It took years to do this. You think Keanu can do all those stunts without proper training?

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I once read in a magazine interview that he said to pull off The Matrix stunts he had to do two hours of stretching. It took months of work and preparation including weapons and martial arts training.

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A retrospective look back at Keanu.

1999: I need guns. Lots of guns.
2017: I need something Robust… Precise.
2019: I need guns. Lots of guns.

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Man has he evolved. haha

Therefore, you need to understand that it could take years to build your fortune. You must have patience or it will eat you up inside to try to get rich quick.

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Lesson Three: Make sure you have a safety cushion and that people owe you a favor because time is always of the essence

One the most intense parts of JW3 is his constant looking at his watch in the beginning of the film. As time is ticking by and he is in short supply of it.

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The intensity and emotions you feel in those scenes are the same way I want you to feel when it comes to paying off debt. It must go.

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Another part of this film I like was when you saw he had a stash of things he needed hidden in a book at the library. This is classic if you don’t want people to find something, then hide it in the books rhetoric.

It is always good to have a hidden nugget or money stash just in case. I explore that topic further in my post on Disney’s film National Treasure and Money Lessons I Learned From Scrooge McDuck.

And last but certainly not least, always make sure someone owes you a favor. I am known to help people out and at times ask for a favor in return.

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Life is about building relationships, or so Ryan Reynold’s character Van Wilder says; therefore, it is in your best interest to help your fellow man. There may come a time when you need to ask for help.

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People are 90 percent more likely to help those that have previously helped them in the past. So if you get a chance help others because remember that time in finite and you must show people today how you feel as tomorrow may be too late.

Good luck on all your money endeavors!

I’ll be seeing you.

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The Secret To Wealth Building: Avoiding Debt

Secret, Hidden, Message

Debt is like any other trap, easy enough to get into, but hard enough to get out of.  – Josh Billings

That’s right. Avoid debt like the plague. Well there you go. The secret to building wealth is wide open. Cat’s out.

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I will give you some great insight here. You cannot go bankrupt if you are debt free. When you owe $0, then you are truly free my friends.

Nothing puts people in a financial fiasco quicker than leverage.

Debt, we’ve learned, is the match that lights the fire of every crisis. Every crisis has its own set of villains – pick your favorite: bankers, regulators, central bankers, politicians, overzealous consumers, credit rating agencies – but all require one similar ingredient to create a true crisis: too much leverage. – Andrew Ross Sorkin

Let me provide you with some cautionary tales. They are truly scary. So please avert the kids eyes when you are reading this.

Okay, here it goes. I am no Chaucer, but I will do my best to make this plot jump right out to you. Hopefully it will inspire you to action. Please be forewarned. STAY. AWAY. FROM. DEBT. It has the ability to turn happy people into bitter human beings. People are more likely to tell you about their political, romantic, or extracurricular actives than they are the amount of credit card debt they are in.

Cautionary tale numero uno: Adrian Peterson. According to CNBC, NFL star Adrian Peterson made close to $100 million but apparently can’t pay his debts. The star running back is in court against a McAdoo, Pennsylvania-based creditor over failure to pay a $5.2 million loan. With interest and legal fees, the sum claimed is about $6.6 million.

He currently owes a total of $10 million in debt obligations, but recently signed an NFL contract for a two-year extension for $5 million.

Now I’m no mathematician, but if I subtract 10 from 5 that would equal 5. Meaning he is $5 million dollars short of being able to pay what he owes. This does not include any other cost of living expenses he has. In addition, Mr. Peterson is in his twilight years.

Just investing 1 percent of his $100 million in earnings, $1 million, could have netted him another cool million in investment returns if he earned 8 percent. That is without catching another pass, running an interception, or even showing up for work. He LITERALLY would have only had to keep breathing to make that money.

Losing $100 million is my worst nightmare. This is one of the worst horror tales I have ever read and that is because this is reality: Pure fact and not fiction.

Cautionary tale numero dos: Pamela Anderson. One of the most recognizable female celebrities in the world as she has graced the covers of hundreds of magazines including having the distinction of being the most photographed Playboy Playmate 1989-2016, with a record 14 Playboy magazine covers.

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She too had a run in with Mister Debt. At one point, she was in $1 million of debt due to housing costs. She stated at the time that it happened to a lot of people in Hollywood. Although, she stated that she is now okay, she did state that was a very stressful couple of years.

My suggestion is this: stay away from buying huge homes. Mansions costs tons of money to upkeep.

For example, a $3.6 million-dollar mansion will likely cost you $100,000 annually for maintenance, utilities, property taxes and upkeep. Over 10 years, you would have paid $1 million dollars just to have a place to put those $500 Manolo’s.

Let’s think for a second. A $90 million-dollar mansion in Beverly Hills could cost you $2.5 million annually. Over a decade that is $25 million dollars! I am starting to see how people like Charlie Sheen, who famously once earned over $1 million per episode of Two and a half men, could end up in court stating he is in dire financial straits less than 10 years later. With expenses like these, who can save! I am also starting to see how Nicolas Cage ended up owing $6.2 million to the IRS! My last tale will surely leave you shaking in your financial boots (hopefully paid for with cash).

Cautionary tale numero dos: Johnny Depp. After earning $20 million-dollar paychecks with Pirates of the Caribbean (Disney fired him from this role in 2019), and estimated lifetime career earnings of $650 million, it was revealed that Captain Jack had a spending and debt problem.

According to CNBC, this is what Mr. Depp spent every month:

  • $30,000 on wine
  • $300,000 on staff, including 40 full-time employees
  • $150,000 on security for himself and his family
  • $200,000 for a private jet

You could support small countries on what he is spending!

For $30,000 a month on wine, it better heal the sick, make the blind see again, and wash away all sins!

This last fiscal tale truly has me quaking in my paid for running shoes.

In every story I have ever heard or read, people built their wealth by living on less than they earn.

That is how I was able to pay off $50,000 of debt and then begin saving and investing over 40 percent of my income. I did it by earning and saving one dollar at a time.

Ditch the plastic and embrace cash my friends. It seems the folks in Hollywood all have humongous mortgages that are handcuffing their wallets and keeping their financials in a tailspin. Please do the opposite and keep low fixed expenses. Thank you for listening. I’ll be here all week.

I Like To Write Big Fat Checks Just Like Cardi B

American, Bills, Business, Cheque

Big fat checksbig large bills.  – Cardi B

I’m a lot like Cardi B in that song Money and I like it because like her, Now I like dollars, I like diamonds! However, in order to fund that lifestyle you have to have money in the bank.

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I want deep-pockets; therefore, I avoid debt, save and invest.

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And between you and me, I can’t stand debt. That’s no secret if you have been reading my blog. It just weighs you down.

I figured out a way to make myself feel better about paying off debt. I tend to use the debt-snowball method. I like small wins. And you should too, if it helps you continue to work on paying off your debt over several years, which can be 2-5 years.

The debtsnowball method is a debt reduction strategy, whereby one who owes on more than one account pays off the accounts starting with the smallest balances first, while paying the minimum payment on larger debts. You typically use this method when paying off revolving credit card debt.

Dave Ramsey discusses this and the debt avalanche, paying off debt with highest interest rate first, both are good methods of paying off debt.

But my favorite is the debt-snowball method. This strategy is where you pay off debt in order of smallest to largest, gaining momentum as you knock out each balance.

When the smallest debt is paid in full, you roll the money you were paying on that debt into the next smallest balance. You get a chance to celebrate your hard work by knocking out small debts and slowly working your way toward paying them all off.

For example, I have done the following:

Paying off my payday loan in the early 2000’s, I wrote the final check for $333.

Paying off my car note in 2009, once it got down to under $2,000, I wrote the final check for $1,500 and paid that sucker off!

Paying off my personal loan for $20,000, once I got down to the end, I wrote the final check for $3,500.

Paying off my credit card I got in 2005, once I got it down under $15,000, I wrote the final check (electronic) payment for $14,745, so then I could continue to live my best life.

I did this by saving up my money, paying the minimums on all my accounts until I saved up a certain dollar amount and then I wrote big fat checks to pay off what I owe. I like to pay in lump sums and pay off huge chunks of debt at a time. It makes me feel better. I call it the debt-chunk method. I like to see big results.

I got this idea from reading personal finance blogs like Millennial Money and books like I Will Teach You To Be Rich and Set For Life. In addition to studying the self-made. I combined my knowledge of reading about the money habits of Grammy-winner John Legend and Millennial Money founder Grant Sabatier.

See my posts How Millennial Money Inspired Me To Start Saving $13,333.06 A Year

Money Advice I Got From John Legend

Basically, I combined two different philosophies on saving and debt.

From John Legend I learned that once you have money in your hand you should pay off your debt IMMEDIATELY. If you have the full amount, then pay it all off. Thereby, paying off debt in huge chunks!

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From Millennial Money I learned to save huge amounts of money over time by making small increases in may savings rate. I also make sure to take other good advice as well.

For instance, over the years, I have learned to listen to the following:

My partner Charlie says there is only three ways a smart person can go broke: liquor, ladies and leverage – Warren Buffett

Find ways to advertise for less or free. Leverage what you know by thinking outside the box. – Daymond John, The Power Of Broke

Find ways to start or build a business for less, cheaper alternatives out there or for $0 to start. – Zac Bissonnette, Debt Free U

There has never been a time when reading a book has not helped me. Work 10X harder, get 10X the results. – Grant Cardone, The 10X Rule

Work out. Have Discipline. Save and invest your money. I started in real estate and built wealth that allowed me to devote more time to the things I wanted to do. – Arnold Schwarzenegger

See my post How Arnold Schwarzenegger Totally Recalls Making $20-Million-Dollar Paychecks

Try to save $5 a day. And increase your savings by 1% a month or more. Network. I bought coffee for those I wanted to learn from every week! – Grant Sabatier, Millennial Money

Save $25,000 to stop living paycheck-to-paycheck. Spend more on fun not less. Spend money on the things you care about and cut spending on the things you don’t. – Scott Trench. Set For Life, Bigger Pockets podcast

Spend extravagantly on the things you love, and cut costs mercilessly on the things you don’t. – Ramit Sethi

Focus your energy on the big wins!

If you can cut your housing and car costs, your stand a chance to save $500 or more per month. That is a nice amount to start stashing away in your 401k.

Cutting out $5 lattes and couponing alone are not going to get you to amassing a fortune. But first, before you do anything, you must save!

It is far easier to control and cut your spending than it is to go out and earn more.

Besides, the more you make the more Uncle Sam takes! I am all for people earning more money, but it will make no difference if you spend every last dime.

Therefore, start focusing on slashing expenses, cutting costs, saving an emergency fund (for big expenses), a rainy day fund (for short-term expenses i.e. a flat tire) and paying off ALL YOUR DEBT!!! Doing those five things can start you on the path from broke millennial to millionaire.

And that is because all millionaires know you get there by saving $10 bucks at a time. – Mr. Money Mustache

Therefore, if you want to get rich, just start by saving $10 bucks at a time.