This morning as my 5 year old daughter and I were mapping out our day, she asked if she could watch cartoons. I reminded her that she could have a half hour of television if she first spent a half hour doing some reading. "Right," she said, "that's the RULE." As she said the word "rule" she kind of scrunched up her nose like she was smelling something awful.

I smiled to myself as I considered how early in life we start attaching negative connotations to anything that even sounds like restriction. We want the freedom to do what we want to do.

As you read this month's article, consider approaching the concept from a place of empowerment. Let go of the idea that there are "right" money rules and "wrong" money rules. Focus instead on what works for you, because only you get to decide what your money rules are.

These aren't someone else's rules that don't remotely excite or inspire you. They should align with your personal value system and serve as tools to get you to where you want to go.

Until next time - to your prosperity!

Miata

Make a commitment to your financial education and register to join us next Monday, March 10th for a completely FREE teleseminar. Details below!

Many of us have rules about all sorts of things. You may have rules about your diet: "Eat only one serving of red meat each week." Or "No caffeine after 6:00 PM." We remember the rules from when we were in school: "Raise your hand to ask a question." "No running in the hallways." Those of us with children probably have LOTS of rules - certainly more than we thought we'd have when we were kids ourselves: "No television until homework is finished." "No sweets until you finish your vegetables."

Rules are designed to create structure and provide a framework for making decisions. We establish and follow rules because we are confident they will make us healthier, safer, more productive and/or more successful.

Here is a critical question. Have you set rules for how you handle your money?

For most of us the idea of "money rules" is probably an entirely new concept. But, if we think about it, doesn't it make sense that we would want to consciously establish guidelines for how we deal with something as critical to our well being as our finances? Some people will no doubt answer "I have rules, because I have a budget," and they would be partially right, as budgeting could certainly be described as setting "rules" for how much money you intend to spend. But the idea of "money rules," as I define them, go far beyond just budgeting, and really establish the parameters for your entire financial world.

Try answering the following financial questions:

What do you consider acceptable uses for your credit cards? Will you pay your charges in full at the end of every month? How often will you balance your checkbook? By what date each month will you pay your bills in order to ensure they are always on time? Will you put money into savings/investments accounts every single month? How much? Do you want to consistently donate to charity? These are just examples, but should help to get you started.

It is also important that you decide how you will handle your money in terms of the other people in your life. Are you willing to loan money to family members? How about friends? Knowing your thoughts about these questions in advance, can help keep you from feeling emotional or pressured. This is not to suggest that there will not be a particular situation where you might decide to break one of your rules. However, this will be a conscious and extremely well thought out decision.

Rather than being overly restrictive, money rules can also be hugely beneficial for people in committed relationships. They provide you with a valuable opportunity to avoid many financial conflicts, one example of which might be working together to decide in advance how much money each individual can spend without joint discussion and agreement.

Are you ready to firmly commit to reaching your financial goals? Take the time to write down a list of non- negotiable money rules you are willing to follow, and immediately take any actions needed to put these rules into place.

FREE Abundance Bound Teleseminar: Understanding the Artists' Prosperity System

Monday, March 10th from 4:00 PM to 5:15 PM Pacific

If you're an artist who is tired of always struggling financially, join us for this FREE class where you will gain an understanding of the steps that will allow you to take control of your money. Learn about Abundance Bound and the ways we will support you on your journey towards financial stability.

This class is taught via tele-seminar so you can be anywhere in the country (and, in fact, the world). All you need is a phone!

The Artists' Prosperity Boot Camp

New Boot Camps Start May 5, 2008 - Reserve Your Spot Now!

This is a 10-week intensive program (taught by teleseminar), where participants learn AND implement each step of the Artists' Prosperity System. Students will get financially organized, improve their money mindset, create debt plans, start developing passive income, and much more!

The Artists' Prosperity Boot Camp ELITE

Limited to only 6 students!

New Boot Camp ELITE Starts May 5, 2008 - Reserve Your Spot Now!

For artists who want the accelerated growth that comes with extremely personalized attention, we've taken our popular 10-week Boot Camp program and added weekly private coaching sessions - during which participants receive one-on-one support in the achievement of personal financial goals. In addition to learning and implementing each step of the Artists' Prosperity System (TM), students will get extremely "hands on" guidance on all of their financial projects, such as business building, debt elimination, passive income generation and investment education.