Today's Two Cents:

Lack of savings and too much debt are the biggest conflicts among couples.

--The Allianz Women, Money and Power Study, 2006

The Gross Net and Your Income

Gross? Net? What in the world do these words have to do with your money?

A look at your pay stub will show your pay divided into these categories: gross pay and net pay. Let's look closer at these seemingly unrelated terms.

Gross pay is what you are paid before any taxes or deductions. A good way to remember: it's just gross how much you get paid before taxes come along. The term gross actually comes from the Old French term gros, meaning 'large.' And compared to what you actually get to spend, your gross pay certainly is large.

Net pay is what you are paid after any taxes or deductions. In other words, it's what you get to take home and spend. A good way to remember: after they take out all those taxes, you run around with a net trying to catch what you can. In this case, the word net is a variation of neat, coming from the Latin nitidus, meaning 'clean, elegant.' And like that, your pay is neatly pared down to the surprising sum on your check.

Don't let strange jargon deter you from understanding your finances better. Ask someone today if they know why their income is called what it is. When they're scratching their head, then you can teach them something new.

Fix Your Finances in 15 Minutes a Day

Have you ever thought...

• Why is my credit card bill so high?
• I want to invest, but I don't know a thing about it.
• Shoot, my (car died, fridge broke, spouse got laid off, etc). Where will I get the money to pay for that?
• Everyone talks about retirement, but why does it matter to me now?
• I have so much debt, and I'm sick of it!
• I'm tired of living paycheck to paycheck.
• How can I earn more money?
• I need to spend less money.
• How in the world do I get ready for retirement?
• Why is it that the more I spend, and the more stuff I get, the worse I feel?
• I owe so much money, and it's overwhelming.
• When I see everything that those around me have, I feel poor and deprived.
• I wish someone could just tell me what is best to do with my money.

Sounds like your finances need fixing.

Many of us think these thoughts every day. Our money is our enemy, rather than our friend. It is our greatest source of stress, and even fear. Our finances are out of control, and we lack the will and education to change that. Well, no longer! You--yes, you!--can whip your money into shape! You can make it work for you, rather than against you. You can learn to let go of your fears and preconceptions about money...the very things that are keeping you from becoming wealthy. And we can help you!

Our simple SYSTEM will Save YourSelf Time, Energy, and Money. We'll send you emails with simple steps to guide you to financial security. We make it easy by coming right to you. Each step takes less than 15 minutes...you have 15 minutes today! Go for it! In less than the time it takes you to eat breakfast, you could be on your way to solutions to the problems above. What have you got to lose? Only fear, stress, and worry.

This year, resolve to fix your finances! Together, we can do it.