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7 Must Have Traits To Be Financially Savvy

We all understand that a complete economic turnaround is still months away. But despite this economic climate there are women who thrive. What do they know that others don’t? Could it be they understand they don’t have to be helpless victims of outside forces?

Six figure women have specific traits that help them thrive during times like these. Like the phrase, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”, these women understand what it takes and how to make it happen.

Here’s 7 Traits To Possess:

1. Money is OK: Financially successful women expect to be well compensated for their work. While money may not be their only or even their main driving force, they want to make and feel good about making money. On the other hand, under earners often underestimate their worth or work for free. Rather than feeling positive about making money they may look down on people with money and believe in the myth of noble poverty.

2. Be Gutsy: To succeed financially you need to step beyond your comfort zone. I’m not suggesting becoming a wild risk taker; however the financially successful woman acknowledged the need to take some risks and tolerate the discomfort that comes with going beyond her comfort zone. For example, asking for a raise, negotiating your salary, or raising your fees may produce fear and discomfort. The woman who thrives understands that fear is just an emotion and takes the step anyway.

3. Try, Try Again: People who are successful understand they need to have the ability to bounce back from their mistakes and failures. And, although none of us like to make mistakes, the women who thrive financially understand it’s part of the process. They are willing to tolerate the discomfort of failure to start again and achieve their financial goals.

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Buy Here, Pay Here – Brings Back Small Town Banking

In today’s economic climate, it is not unusual for people to find themselves in financial situations that may not be of their own making. Banks have fallen, businesses have laid people off, mortgage lenders have foreclosed, and people have had to adjust their lifestyles to meet the challenges of the current economy.

In the middle of all of those things, people still need to go to work, and some even work more than one job. To accomplish this and keep a roof over their family’s heads and food on the table, it does take transportation.

Many people have discovered that due to unforeseen circumstances such as a lay off or downsizing of a company, their income has taken a severe hit. Some of the consequences of those hits may be foreclosures, bankruptcies, or repossessions. Any of those incidents create a less than favorable credit report.

Banks are tightening their lending practices and where once one could easily get a five year loan on a new vehicle with minimal money, if not zero, down, now find they are unable to secure a loan for reliable transportation.

The “Buy Here, Pay Here” industry has changed over the last ten years and with it, the caliper of automobiles and financing options has risen to higher levels of integrity.

There are distinct advantages of buying an automobile at a “Buy Here, Pay Here” establishment and with it, comes the sense of small town banking that is absent in the financial market today.

When someone has taken a credit hit, there is a level of anxiety involved in anything that requires a credit check or a credit history to be run. With the banks being as remote and removed from the actual purchase as they are, there can be an overwhelming sense of defeat.

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Bankruptcy and the Economy

The protections offered under Chapter 7 bankruptcy are nothing new. Chapter 7 bankruptcy has been in existence for a long, long time. However, in recent years, more and more people are becoming aware of its existence and, more importantly, its protections. Why has there been such an increased awareness on the subject? Sadly, more and more people are wishing to learn about Chapter 7 because they may be in dire need of its protections. The current economic climate is dire and this has led to an incredible spike in bankruptcy filings covering many different chapter categories.

For those not familiar with what Chapter 7 bankruptcy is, this would be a form of bankruptcy filing where the courts would determine which assets you possess should be liquidated and what creditors should be paid off first and how much in the aftermath of the liquidation. Needless to say, this does not sound like the road many would prefer to travel since it can be highly stressful and entails handing over financial decisions to the courts. Yet, millions of people are seeking this exact form of protection. Yes, there are literally millions of people seeking bankruptcy protection as the numbers f personal bankruptcy filings have skyrocketed in recent years.

The reason they are doing so is not because the rules of filing for bankruptcy have been made lax. Rather, the current economic climate is so dire that more and more individuals are finding themselves unable to meet their financial obligations. Why is this so? Several of the current economic factors contributing to such an outcome include:

• A collapse of the housing market has led many to lose much of their net worth. When a home is worth less than what it was paid for, serious financial repercussions can result.

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