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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Money</title>
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	<link>http://www.wirlproject.com</link>
	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>An Old Man in a Music Video Once Said&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/an-old-man-in-a-music-video-once-said/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/an-old-man-in-a-music-video-once-said/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jun 2015 18:00:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Kassidy Everard]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Brother]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Craig Morgan]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Deep]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Died]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[happiness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[love]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Memories]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Old Man]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[respect]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[This Ain't Nothing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trust]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Twister]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Value]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Vietnam]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wife]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=7101</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[This afternoon I was listening to music on YouTube for the first time in a while. I usually have my music on my phone, that way I can listen to it on the go. I didn&#8217;t realize how much I missed watching videos on YouTube until I stumbled across Craig Morgan&#8217;s &#8220;This Ain&#8217;t Nothing&#8221; music video. I remember listening to this song when I was younger when it came on the radio. I don&#8217;t even think I liked it when I was that young, because I didn&#8217;t put the deeper meaning with it. In fact, I didn&#8217;t truly put the deeper meaning in it until last year, the most recent time I heard it before today. I feel like Craig Morgan has a lot going for him. He is a respectable person, he is a talented musician, and he manages to stay away from the drama of what seems to be the life of being famous. Not only that, but he is also a pretty good-looking man. With that being said, I think we can all agree than I&#8217;ve made you wait long enough to see what old man I am talking about. In the music video, Craig sings about a reporter who interviews an elderly man after a twister passes through Birmingham where he lives. The twister destroyed his home and everything in it. The reporter asks the man: Tell the folks please mister, what are you gonna do, now that this twister has taken all that&#8217;s dear to you? But the reporter got an answer that he never expected&#8230; The old man just smiled and said, Boy let me tell you something, this ain&#8217;t nothing&#8230; This old man, you know, seems pretty tough. He didn&#8217;t cry like the audience would have thought. He didn&#8217;t ignore the question like some would have thought. He just answered honestly, in his purest form. Most of us would cry, knowing that we just lost everything we have ever worked for. Knowing that every single penny we put into building a foundation is now gone. But some people always decide to see the good in every single situation that is horrific. The old man explains why he thinks that the twister that hit his house is nothing. He said: I lost my daddy, when I was eight years old, That cave-in at the Kincaid mine left a big old hole, And I lost my baby brother, my best friend and my left hand In a no win situation in a place called Vietnam And last year I watched my loving wife, of fifty years waste away and die And I held her hand til her heart of gold stopped pumping, So this ain&#8217;t nothing. This old man lost just about everything he had. His wife, his brother, his dad, his left hand, and his best friend. Little do we realize that when we lose even one person in our life we think that it is the end of the world. Losing anyone, no matter what way, has a toll on our minds forever. This old man stuck through everything and kept going. Even the hardest things to deal with didn&#8217;t keep him from living his life even if there wasn&#8217;t much of it left to live or wasn&#8217;t anyone else to live for. But why would you need someone to live for? Why did living for yourself and your own benefit become almost unrealistic? Toward the end of the song is when I started to tear up. Not because I realized what was said in the beginning of the song, but because I realized how much truth was in the words that this man was saying. This man was on his own because everyone he had in his life had died. As did his wife, just the year before. When he looked down on the ground, He reached down in the rubble and picked up a photograph Wiped the dirt off of it with the hand that he still had He put it to his lips and said man she was something But this ain&#8217;t nothing This man, he knew. He knew what it was like to want for something that he couldn&#8217;t have. He knew how it was to have a love that money couldn&#8217;t buy. This man saw the difference between something that truly mattered and something that really didn&#8217;t. The old man&#8217;s last words in the song are what truly got to me. He said, This ain&#8217;t nothin&#8217; time won&#8217;t erase And this ain&#8217;t nothin&#8217; money can&#8217;t replace Money. We all think money is what runs the world. As that is true, there are many things that money cannot buy &#8211; here are a few&#8230; 1. Love 2. Happiness 3. Respect 4. Trust 5. Value 6. Memories 7. Life So that should leave you with the thought, &#8220;Well, what can money buy?&#8221; Money can buy almost everything that isn&#8217;t a necessary tool for healthy relationships or a healthy life. This man knows what the genuine value of something is. He knows that it will just take money to bring back his house, but that no amount of money in the world will bring back his wife or his brother or his father and his best friend. Money never brought this man happiness. And little by little his happiness was taken away from him throughout life. Not by things money could buy, but by things it couldn&#8217;t. It is sad to believe that we rely on money to control any part of our happiness. How about we try to think like this man for a day in our lives. Oh, what difference it would make! &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>One Successful Couple</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/one-successful-couple/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/one-successful-couple/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 29 May 2015 09:00:41 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Guest WIRL]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[assets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[INVESTING]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[investors]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[legacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[savers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Savings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stocks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Success]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[travel]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=6592</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I met Hugo and Gert Ehlers in late 1994. I quickly discovered they were hard working people. Hugo worked at a steel factory and Gert taught physical education at a public school. Their two kids were already grown and living in different parts of the country. The Ehlers were always very careful with their money, dedicated savers, and good investors. They went to church each Sunday and were always involved in the community. They made it look easy. They had both recently retired and started traveling more. They traveled to a total of 43 countries together and saw lots of interesting things. I asked them why they traveled so much. Gert said, &#8220;because we can afford it and we&#8217;re still healthy.&#8221; They continued to travel until their health wouldn&#8217;t allow for it. They were constantly active in the community. Always exercised. And rarely missed a Sunday at church. When I first met the Ehlers, they had a lot of money in cash, some bonds, and no stocks. Being a portfolio manager at Shearson Lehman Brothers, it seemed like a strange mix. Over the next year, I brought most of their investments together in one place. We then decided how much cash they needed for emergencies, how much for income, and how much to put into growth. I put over 80% of their assets into a stock portfolio that I personally managed. I almost felt like one of the family. Whenever their kids were in town, we&#8217;d all visit and talk about all kinds of things. I discovered they were a lot like their parents. Hard working, good savers, church and community minded – it was like they were carbon copies. Mom and dad had been a good model for them to follow. As the markets did well, the Ehlers did even better. Their assets continued to increase going into the year 2000. Having seen such amazing growth, I sold most of their stocks near the end of January. I was thankful that they had done so well. Cycles can change quickly. The markets continued to move higher, making me feel like maybe I&#8217;d made a mistake. I began hearing predictions of the markets doubling in the next few years. It was the new normal. Then came redemption. In late March of 2,000, the markets started a long, downward move. I didn&#8217;t know it was going to happen, but it did. The markets lost about 60%, and it looked like the end of the world. Lots of people lost a lot of money. And just when things were starting to look better, 9/11 happened. Another new normal was created, terrorism in America. However, it wasn&#8217;t the end. Over time, we reinvested and continued their journey of investing. It was a very hard time to be a portfolio manager. And even a harder time to be a good investor. The Ehlers never got excited about much of anything. Buying a car or going to dinner, it was just one more thing to do. In their planning, we set up trust accounts and methodically decided how to pass their legacy on to the next generation. They were successful savers and investors. They lived a rewarding life and both lived into their 90&#8217;s. Even after they had passed away, the kids had me continue to manage the assets until the estate could be closed. Wonderful people, just like their parents. Hugo and Gert have passed on, but their legacy will always remain. &#160; Join the conversation! Easily contribute your story here. &#160; About the Author… This WIRL was contributed by Phil Gleason, who is a Portfolio Manager and President at Gleason Asset Management. Phil can be found via WIRL Project or his website. ]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How I Turned $50K into $1 Million!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-i-turned-50k-into-1-million/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-i-turned-50k-into-1-million/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 28 Apr 2015 18:00:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Edward Mei]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Buy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[California]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Home]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Investment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Real Estate]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sell]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=5602</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Hi, My name is Edward and I want to tell you a story from my life about how good things happen when you have perseverance  and patience. How I turned $50K into $1 million. In about 1987 when I was 21, I decide to buy real estate. I am a native San Francisco, born in Chinatown from a very modest family income (basically poor). Even though my parents never stressed getting a good education, they did mention to me once in a while that having your own home was important. Starting working part time when I was 15 ½, mainly after school and on the weekends at Safeway, which my uncle was the manager and hired me. Unfortunately he did not stay long after hiring me. He went to another Safeway and I found out from my mom he suffered from great headaches due being hit in the head with a gun during a robbery. During the summer of 1987, I purchased a 4 bedroom 2 bath ranch house in Pittsburg, CA.  The house was 1477 square ft but the lot was 10,200 square ft. At the time, I just bought what I could afford and the most space for the money. The purchase price was $109K. 2 years later, I bought a 2 story house which had 4 bedroom 2 bath. The purchase price was $180K. Then one year later in 1990, I purchased a 1 bedroom 1 bath (Concord, California) condo for $45k. Now to explain the math on how $40K turned into 1 million. The 4 bedroom 2 bath house in Pittsburg down payment  was $10K, so let’s round up the number to $15K with closing cost. Next the 4 bedroom 2 bath house in Concord down payment was $25K which is rounded up to include closing cost. For the Concord house, I did not even have the 10 percent down to buy the house which would have been $18K. Only had about $10K, but the seller was willing to carry a second loan for $10K at 10 percent for a 5 year balloon payment. The last one, which was the 1 bedroom 1 bath Concord condo, I will say the total down payment was $5K. Since I round up the cost of the two homes, I am using use $5K as the total cost for the $45K Concord condo sale. Let’s add it up $15K, $25K and $5K = $45K (round up to $50K). Then in 2005, the tenant at the Pittsburg house informed me that they were moving, so I decide to sell the house since real estate prices were climbing. The house sold for $430K on 6/23/2005. The sale went so fast and smoothly, I decided to sell the 2 other properties. On 3/10/2006, the Concord house sold for $457,500. Then later on 11/16/2006, the Concord condo sold for $199K. Let’s add it up again $430K, $458K, and $199k = $1.08M. Now you’re thinking, Wow! One million dollars! But, (there’s always a but in there somewhere) it took 20 years to make that and then 1/3 of the profits went to taxes (federal and state) and both the profits from the Pittsburg and Concord house was split 50/50 between my brother and I, since they both were considered family properties. The Concord condo I bought myself but still had to pay taxes on the profits. A few statistics to remind us about the world we live in. Global median salary is $18K. At least 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 a day. Think about the $10 when you eat lunch on any given day. &#160; p.s. I met Sara, Founder of WIRL Project, at an event in San Francisco. I am a very private person, but she asked for help and I like to pay it forward. I am looking for help with my new startup also = www.blendedd.com Any content that can be posted/listed would be highly appreciated. Thank you, Edward]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>How to Become Financially Independent</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-become-financially-independent/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/how-to-become-financially-independent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 02 Apr 2015 09:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Phil Gleason]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[3 basic concepts]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[financial indepence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[How to Save]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life Savings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Retirement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Savings]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[steps to retirement]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4856</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; Retirement is a concept that continues to experience transitions. Becoming financially independent is difficult, but it is also possible. Historically, only 5% of people are able to retire and maintain financial independence. Most have never created a financial plan. A plan is critical for achieving your financial goals. &#8220;Nothing splendid has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstance.&#8221; &#8211; Bruce Barton First, what is financial independence? Based on recent surreys it means you have no debt, you have saved enough to meet your needs, and have on-going income to fund the rest of your life. Getting to this point is different for each person. Here&#8217;s three basic concepts to apply: 1. Save up to 20% of your gross income into a tax qualified plan. Each dollar saved into your retirement account automatically gives you a 25-30% return, just from savings in the taxes. Any positive return on your portfolio creates a significant compounded total return. If you can&#8217;t do 20%, start at 10% and increase it each year until you get to 20%. 2. Give away at least 10% of your income to your church or a non-profit agency. Learning to live a generous life style has many positive. Giving is a personal matter determined in your heart. Giving requires resolve. It needs to be planed and deliberate. It should be done privately, not publicly. Giving helps everyone. Matthew 10:8 says, &#8220;You have been treated generously, so live generously.&#8221; 3. Live on whatever is left over. Crazy? Not at all. Think about it. If you are spending 100% of your income today, how will you replace it when you no longer have the ability to produce income? Let&#8217;s assume that your have your home mortgage paid before you retire. Inflation never retires. your expenses will actually increase. Many fear the rising costs of healthcare. You have to have a plan. Start today. 1. Pay off all debt, including your mortgage. 2. Set up a plan that will provide you income for retirement. 3. Keep your living expenses as low as possible and look for additional ways to save. 4. Follow the basics. Save 20% of your income, give away 10%, and live on whatever is left over. 5. Develop a sound investment strategy that will work for the long term. Don&#8217;t allow fear and uncertainty to move you from your objectives. Start today. http://www.gleasonam.com/Our-Firm.2.htm]]></description>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Get yourself a Budget!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/get-yourself-a-budget/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/get-yourself-a-budget/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Mar 2015 14:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Becky A.]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Work/Money]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Money]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3782</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The “B” word. No, not that one. The one that makes you or your spouse or maybe both of you cringe. The one that parents use in ways that make their kids learn to hate it. BUDGET. Yes, I know. You think you are doing fine, or you don’t want to feel deprived. You should give it a “wirl” and see how it really goes. I’ve tried making and sticking to a budget over 15 times in the last five years. I always gave up after two weeks, telling myself, “We are paying off student loans on time or early, have no credit card debt, and saving some. We are fine.” It wasn’t until recently when I got my husband fully on board and sat down together to set our long-term, lifetime goals that it clicked. One of our goals for 2015 is to move several states away from our current residence, back closer to our family. In doing so, we want to buy our first home. The thought of this purchase brings great excitement but also fear. Can we really afford a house? After learning more about mortgages, we decided saving enough money to have a 20% down payment was imperative so that we wouldn’t have to lose money to PMI, private mortgage insurance. We have some money saved, but not enough for my goal: 20% down payment AND eight months worth of expenditures if something crazy were to happen. (I’m a plan-for-the-worst kind of girl.) Could we do it? Let’s check our budget. Wait, we don’t have one! At the end of December, I sat down and made a budget &#8211; again. It was always a little unnerving looking at the numbers, seeing reality staring me in the face. We weren’t actually doing too badly, but there was definite room for improvement. We made a budget that squeezed us a little but was more than reasonable. January was a test month to see if the budget we set was going to work…and if I was going to make this last more than two weeks. (I do all of our finances even though my husband is kept up-to-date, can access the info at any time, and gets a say in any big decisions.) We saved more in January than every individual month in 2014 and TWICE as much as we did in eight of the twelve months! Was this a fluke?! (Wake up call!! We were throwing money away somewhere!) February was harder. I was already getting tired of this. Keeping tight reigns and saving receipts was not much fun, but we already made it a whole month…let’s just see if we can do this again. Then one night, my husband asked me if we could go out to eat somewhere and genuinely asked, “Is that in the budget?” I was stunned. He was really on board! We can do this! At the end of February, we saw that we saved a little MORE than January! I’m excited to see what March entails. I’m squeezing the budget a little tighter. If it’s too much, we will adjust from there – or maybe keep it as a challenge to meet. We are on our way to the rest of the savings we need for our goals. Some months have more expenses, and we know we will save less those months because of how I set up our budget, but I’ve planned for that. That’s the beauty of a budget. YOU are in control. Our budget will continue to change over the next year, especially after we move, but my ultimate goal for 2015 is to keep up with it. Seeing the savings has been a definite motivator. Looking back, I wish we would have been smarter about some of our decisions earlier in life, but we can only move forward! It’s not always easy or fun. You may only be able to make a budget where you are breaking even each month and not actually saving anything at first. You have to start somewhere! For those who already have a budget, I challenge you to find more savings! If you don’t already have one, get yourself a budget. You may not know what you are missing (like some money)!]]></description>
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