campaigns : Campaign Archive

Introduction
Client Focus
Go Green
Practical Prosperity
Calling All Open Minds
Buy the Book
Hear Me Speak

Dear ,

The month of February reminded me of the Thanksgiving poem, Over the River and Through the Woods. Winter storms, flooding and power outages - sure felt like over the river and through the woods to me. Followed by these great sunny days, to grandmother’s house we go.

Most of us dream of a life full of to grandmother’s house we go moments. But life isn’t like that. It isn’t always the perfect picture we have created in our mind that we are attempting to live into.

During the ice storm I was in a place of over the river and through the woods - in resistance to life as it was occurring for me and feeling sorry for myself for some of the rivers and woods I had been handed.

Later in the month I had the good fortune to deliver a speech I had written, Cultivating a Culture of Prosperity in Your Organization. As I was speaking I was profoundly changed by my own message. I needed to be reminded again of possibility, prosperity and abundance, or the feeling of finally “getting to grandmother’s house.”

Early in 2007, I set my intention to deliver the speech, Cultivating a Culture of Prosperity in Your Organization, to companies and groups throughout the Cincinnati region. In gratitude of abundance, I am offering this prosperity presentation FREE OF CHARGE to any group that would appreciate the inspiration.

It is a fresh breath of life, like throwing open the windows to let the warm spring air breeze through your house after having been closed up for so many months. So, if you are looking for a little inner spring cleaning and insight, email Alicia@CultivatingProsperity.com to schedule a time to cultivate your prosperity! Our schedule is limited, so please reserve your date now!

Also, if you'd like to know where I'll be speaking, we have added a new section to the newsletter called Hear Me Speak. Hopefully I'll be seeing you soon!

Prosperously yours,
Mackey

Client Focus - Dennis Stegner

To live The Intersection of Joy and Money is a much different experience than simply reading the book. Dennis Stegner borrowed Mackey’s book from some friends over a year ago, enjoyed every page of it and then put it down. Months later he was faced with financial questions he wasn’t sure how to answer. The friends, whom had originally given Dennis the book, suggested that he call Mackey.

Since working with Mackey and The Wealth Advisory Team, Dennis has shifted his perspective of money and work. Being an avid reader he had consumed a great number of books on finances and most had espoused a very negative message about money and the work it took to make it. Certainly none had ever said that this could be a joyful process or that money and work could be fun.

Dennis understands that money is a choice and that abundance surrounds us. He has been able to cancel out the messages he has heard for so long that one must struggle and strain for years in order to have joy in the future. Instead of this thinking, Dennis has made the conscious decision to see his money life as a puzzle which is fun to put together rather than a problem that requires a lot of work.

Enjoying the puzzle at hand, Dennis is aware that living this way is easier than he could have ever imagined. “Abundance is available for the asking,” said Dennis. “Building prosperity is fun. Mackey takes away the headiness of it all by uncovering the joy in the process.”

Emotions surround our money life and we can choose if these are going to be positive or negative. The struggle and strain were a drain of energy from which Dennis was happy to walk away. He has decided not to put off the fun and joy that life has to offer for a reward in the future. Dennis and The Wealth Advisory Team have instead created a plan in which he can enjoy both his today and his tomorrow.

by Alicia Speed

Go Green – Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Sometimes it really is the simple things that can change our impact on the environment – like the simple task of changing a light bulb in your home.

Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) have become very affordable, last ten times longer than traditional incandescent bulbs and use 2/3 of the energy.

According to the EPA, if every home in America were to replace just one light bulb with a CFL, we would save enough energy to light more than 2.5 million homes for a year and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of nearly 800,000 cars!

Now that's a bright idea and a huge impact for one bulb! Visit Energy Star for more information.

by Alicia Speed

Pracitcal Prosperity - College Funding

News you can use: Spousal IRAs

A spousal IRA is a great option for a stay-at-home spouse to save for retirement. This is often forgotten because the rules for a traditional IRA require that the IRA owners earn at least as much as they deposit each year.

You can save up to $4,000 for a stay-at-home spouse (subject to some income limits) and deduct it from your taxable income -- and, if they're over 50, even more. Still, that deduction alone could easily reduce your annual tax bill by $1,400.

You may recall last month’s feature on budgeting. This month’s focus is more specific and is one of the greatest budgeting tasks facing American families today, College. Over the last fifty years more college educated people have entered the workforce than ever before, making higher education an ever important ingredient to living the American Dream.

Many families today will tell you they have little or no funding set aside for their children’s education. A good number of these people have the resources to save, however the task is so daunting they claim defeat before even starting. A state university such as the University of Kentucky could cost upwards of $35,000 per year for tuition, room and board in 2025 assuming a conservative 6% inflation rate. How many of you paid less that that for your first home? While the situation is indeed frightening, an early start and the right research will help make your children’s (or grandchildren’s) dreams a reality.

There are four vehicles that can be utilized to save for higher education. Selecting the right option for you is important, but not nearly as imperative as the first step, getting started. Borrowing money for college can make the entire experience cost over twice as much as saving ahead of time. When this first step has been made, you are committed enough to begin exploring your options.

1) 529 College Savings Plans - Two pros and two cons. These are terrific in that they can hold up to $250,000 at any one time, and all growth is tax-free when used for higher education. Downside factors are that only one person at a time can be the beneficiary of the money, and it has to be used for higher education or you will pay taxes and penalties.

2) Coverdell Education Savings Accounts – Many people refer to these as education IRAs. While these too tax free, they can be used for any qualified education expense such as private grade school or high school. The big downside to this option is a $2,000 yearly contribution limit which is nowhere near enough savings to pay for higher education.

3) UGMAs/UTMAs – These accounts which are for children, yet controlled by a custodian, have few restrictions other than that at either age 18 or 21 it becomes the child’s money. The benefits of having this money taxed at the child’s rate (assuming less than $1,700 in unearned income) might be outweighed when Junior decides on a Corvette in lieu of Harvard or Cornell.

4) Mom & Dad’s Money – This methodology assumes you save the money unrestricted in your name to keep full control, and simply deal with the tax implications. It is also important to note that a parent or student’s IRA can be used for higher education expenses penalty free.

Making the best decision depends on three factors:

       1) How much money do you earn?
       2) How much money do you have?
       3) How well do you know your children?

Answering these questions will help you come to a conclusion. For instance a family with a young child might utilize a UTMA for the first few years. Once they begin to know their student and their income they can decide whether to continue this approach or begin using a more restrictive savings vehicle. A family with excellent public schools in the area and a good student will likely benefit from going the 529 Plan route since they will not need the money for grade school or high school. Just take a few minutes to match your life with the options available to you. The right decision could make your savings plan and your child’s education wildly prosperous!

On a final note, we could discuss financial aid for hours (look for this information in future newsletters). The most important factor to keep in mind is that financial aid can play a role in your higher education savings decision. Many of you will complete a FAFSA form for your child if you have not already. This tedious application is what Uncle Sam uses to determine qualification for aid. If you are someone who could potentially qualify for aid, one savings option is out of the question. Parental assets count at 6% annually toward your expected family contribution (EFC). However, student assets count at a staggering 20%. UGMA/UTMA accounts are clearly not the way to save if your child might qualify for federal aid. Short of untimely death, divorce, or overseas bank accounts (none of which I recommend) many families will not be qualifying for financial aid.

Whether your children or grandchildren are 16 months or 16 years the time to save was yesterday. Take this information and the budget you created last month to start saving for higher education. Getting things squared away now will help ensure that come freshman year your worries are about Parent’s Weekend and what your child does without a curfew, not about making the tuition payment!

by Andy Pulsfort

Calling All Open Minds - Knowing vs. Believing

Last fall, sitting with my CEO group listening to a speaker discussing the latest news in health, I knew I would create a speech, Cultivating a Culture of Prosperity in Your Organization. In my mind’s eye, I saw myself giving the talk. I could feel myself actually delivering the material. The experience of this future event was in my core. This was not something I believed I would do, it was something I knew.

Over the next few months, ideas for the presentation kept coming. I set a clear intention to write and deliver the speech in 2007.   I modified my outline a few times and then one morning, I woke up and the entire speech unfolded before me. I knew this was the perfect content for the speech. Two weeks ago, I had an opportunity to deliver Cultivating a Culture of Prosperity for the first time.   I floated out of the meeting, excited and enthused with the content of the talk and the rave reviews given by the participants.

Your mind is creating thoughts constantly. Thoughts come from what you believe – the chatter that runs through your mind. “Knowing” is something altogether different. It comes more subtly – as if arising from nowhere. That apparent “nowhere” is actually the quiet stillness of your mind.

Knowing feels different than believing. It resonates with your whole body rather than being a mind-created belief. When applying this practice to your life, be still with what arises in you. If you are uncertain as to whether or not something is coming from knowing or believing, close your eyes and ask your body. Listen and your body will tell you the truth. Once you learn to discern between knowing and believing, you live a more prosperous life.   It is in the field of knowing, that life occurs with grace and ease.

Knowing is your own personal truth. It is a message especially for you, just as I knew that Cultivating a Culture of Prosperity was for me. When you know something you possess it. You own it. It is yours.

You may not be able to articulate or explain your knowing, but something within you, call it wisdom, common sense, guidance, spirit (or whatever) is guiding you and providing you with the answers and direction you need to fulfill your knowing.

Knowing involves all of our senses. We feel a knowing, we envision a knowing, we may even smell, hear and taste a knowing. Because knowings engage all of us, they come into physical reality easier and quicker than beliefs.

If you believe you will become a millionaire, you might very well achieve that someday. To accomplish that goal, you will use the American “nose to the grindstone” work ethic to get you there. You will more than likely arrive weary from your journey.

If you know you will become a millionaire, not only will you achieve it, you will do so with grace and ease. Ideas will flow. Events will seem to “miraculously” happen to bring your knowing to you.

Success comes from within you, not without. The good news is once you shift from believing to knowing, you are tapping into that field of abundance and prosperity that already exists … inside of you!

What excites you? What engages you? What are your secret dreams? What does your heart have to say?   Is there something inside of you that is calling to be expressed?   What is it that you know? Answer these questions and you are on the path to success, and you will have fun along the way!

The path will be clear when you listen to your inner voice. Enjoy the journey.

by Mackey McNeill

Buy the Book

The Intersection of Joy and Money exposes the fantasies and illusions that sabotage your money life, and then offers a step-by-step guide to create a life of prosperity and abundance. To purchase your copy of The Intersection of Joy and Money please click here.

Hear Me Speak

NKY Chamber of Commerce

Water Cooler Series - April 5, 2007, 8-9:30am

"Where Do You Spend Your Marketing Dollars?"

Today's marketing dollars can be spent on everything from a $2.6 million Super Bowl commercial to an inexpensive online diary, or blog. The options are limitless. So, where are you marketing dollars best spent? Most small business owners spend their dollars on trying to turn prospects into clients or customers. Referral based marketing turns this idea on its head!