A proven survival guide for these economically rocky, debt-ridden timesMillions of people suffer financial hardship due to job loss and a variety of other factors. What you need to do in order to take control of your financial destiny includes changing the way you confront and deal with everyday pressures related to shopping, advertising, credit cards, keeping up with the Joneses, and spending money.
In Power Up, Howard Dvorkin—founder of Consolidated Credit Counseling Services—draws on his years of experience helping thousands of people overcome devastating financial hardship. He provides you with time-tested strategies and powerful tools to rebuild your financial life on a solid and enduring foundation. Besides discussing guidelines for creating a realistic budget and sticking to it, Dvorkin also shares tips on how to learn to live without credit cards—and love doing it—as well as puts you in a better position to understand the difference between what you want and what you need.
- Filled with effective budgeting tools, worksheets, and other valuable forms
- Provides a look at the tricks that lenders and credit card companies use to make you a slave to debt
- Offers ideas on how to redirect your urge to shop into activities that satisfy your deeper needs and methods to improve your fiscal psychology
- Contains priceless advice on how to educate your kids about money and personal finance
Do you want a chance to start over again with a clean slate? Do you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're in charge of your financial destiny? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then it's time to Power Up!
HOWARD S. DVORKIN, CPA, is the founder of Consolidated Credit, an organization that has helped more than 5 million people over the last twenty years. He has helped thousands of individuals face and overcome devastating financial hardships and avoid personal bankruptcy. Mr. Dvorkin also is a personal finance columnist for Fox Business News online, and he has been interviewed about debt and personal finance by the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Fortune, Entrepreneur, American Banker, Investor's Business Daily, Good Housekeeping, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, and more. He has also been a guest on countless national and local television and radio outlets, including CBS Evening News, The Early Show, ABC World News, and CNN.
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Path that Led You Here
Who the Heck Are the Joneses and Why Are You Trying to Keep Up With Them?
Adding to the Cart
Emotional Buying
Buying What You Can’t Maintain
The Influence of Advertising
Chapter 2: Start to Become Empowered
Crafting a Budget
Examples of Budget Sheets
Worksheets for Expenses
Fixed Expenses
Flexible Expenses
Discretionary Expenses
Time to Calculate
The Frugal Philosophy
Chapter 3: Discovering a New Outlook on Life and Money
Identify Your Values: Work, Friends, and Family
The Value of Money
The Value of Living for Tomorrow
Chapter 4: Staying on the Right Path
Find a Hobby
A Life without Credit Cards
Differentiating Needs from Wants
Chapter 5: Teach Your Children Well
Talk to Your Kids about Money
Kids and Values
Prepare Your Teenagers
Intro to Banking
Chapter 6: Continuing on Your Freedom Quest
Find your Green
It’s Time to Step Out on Your Own
About the Author
Index