Before you can start receiving investing incomes, you must have some other income -- usually from a job or your own business -- you can use to invest in a portfolio of financial securities that produce income.
Live and Be Happier on 90%
The most obvious place to start to find income to invest is to reduce your current expenses. One financial author, Andrew Tobias, puts is this way:
No matter what your income level, there's somebody who is surviving on 90% of that. Live as though you too made only 90% of your actual income, and save the extra 10%.
I know it's more fun to live in an expensive apartment or house, drive a fancy car, eat out every night, go to first run movies and professional sports events every night . . .
But most people don't, believe it or not.
Scale down your lifestyle.
Maybe that seems too much to ask, but if you're stressed out because you're not saving for your future needs, is everything you're buying really making you happy anyway?
Take Those Low Interest Deals Even If They Are Temporary
One popular book I just read assumes everybody can "restructure" their debt to find more money. I'm so sure "everybody" can, but if you can, do so.
First of all if you owe any money besides a home mortgage, start paying it off. The interest you're paying on credit cards, car notes and school loans is money you're just throwing down the drain every month.
If you can currently afford to pay that interest on what you owe, once you pay the bills off you can afford to invest the money instead. That alone will probably be enough finance a decent retirement -- if you buy dividend paying stocks instead of giving it away to the banks.
However, even without paying it all off (which for most people will probably take a few years), you can reduce it simply by lowering your interest rates.
Ignore the Gurus on This One
When you get a promotion in the mail offering you a 0% interest rate if you switch balances -- switch. Yes, I know the financial gurus say this is a ripoff because it encourages you to buy more, and the 0% will go up after six months.
I have two replies to that:
1. Don't buy more.
2. For the next six months, a lot more of your monthly payment will go to paying off principal instead of interest. And that's the goal. Maybe the 0% interest is temporary, but for six months it gives you a reprieve from the brutal interest rate you're paying right now. So take advantage of it.
If you're not receiving such offers in the mail, call up your credit card companies and ask them to lower your interest rates. In this credit crunch, some may deny you. But even if only one does lower your rate, you're ahead. You can't lose by asking. All they can do is say no.
What Do You REALLY Need? Really!
Make a detailed plan. Write down everything you spend money on, then carefully think about it, and ask yourself:
Do I really need this? Am I really using this? Can I get it cheaper? Can I get the same benefit a cheaper way?
Eliminate and reduce what you can. Find less expensive substitutes. Put off major purchases as long as you can.
Make a budget and stick to it.
Cheap Store Brands are Easier Than Brand Names
I've never been a big fan of coupons, because they're all for brand names, and I find it cheaper to just buy store brands anyway. But if you're devoted to a brand name, look for coupons online. (Unless your local newspaper is full of local news you can't find online, why pay to have a newspaper delivered to your door?)
Find a Good Shopaholics Therapist or Support Group
If you have a compelling emotional or psychological need to spend money for things you don't need (shopaholic), get professional help. A good therapist might cost you some money, but in the long run not as much as your problem.
Everybody's Got Excuses -- If They Allow Themselves Excuses
Stop making excuses not to invest. There are good excuses no matter what age you are. If you keep making them, you'll die broke and, what's even worse, you'll go broke long BEFORE you die.
The money you save now can generate investing incomes to support you for decades when you're just a little bit older.
Author Information: You can build a large portfolio of income-generating securities. Click here to get the information you need to effectively make money from your investments whether the markets go up or down. If you're ready to discover how investing incomes can help you retire with financial security, visit this page, enter your email address into the form and click on the Submit Button. Then go to your inbox and verify that. It's free for the taking. http://www.incomeinvesthome.com/.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://societyandculture.org/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites 
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://societyandculture.org/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")